#i guess think is an ask game i dunno but i had fun

[gay-dorito-dust]

(Idk if ur rq are open bc I can't find any indication of it being, but I hope it is and if it isn't km sorry and h can just ignore this until they are!!)

Maybeee bat boys x reader who zones out a lot and tends to make faces according to what she's thinking abt. Like a smile or frown. And sometimes when they ask her what's up she's all secretive and what not.

Thank you!!

I dunno if I did this right but here ya go!

Dick makes a game out of it and tries to guess what you were thinking about.

Even if you don’t tell him why you’re smiling or making a face of thought, he is surprisingly good at being able to figure it out regardless, but for every expression he gets wrong you’d have to give him double the kisses for the ones he gets right to make up for it.

He loves watching your face contort like a ventriloquist through a rapid fire of emotions depending on what your mind has decided to remind you of, and today it was the memory of Hayley in her Halloween costume of Nightwing, just to match with Dick in his Nightwing suit as he prepared to enter the bloodhaven annual Nightwing contest.

Basically a contest where people deduce if anyone had a similar ass shape to Nightwing himself, a contest you find ridiculous but the imagine of Hayley in her Halloween costume was the sweetest thing you’ve ever laid your eyes on, that you couldn’t help but smile widely at.

You had albums full of Hayley in her Halloween costume with Dick photobombing in the background.

‘What’s on that pretty little mind of yours sweetheart?’ Dick would often ask.

‘Something silly.’ You’d reply with on the odd occasion as to keep him guessing, finding his attempts fun and only giving him pity kisses when he got a majority of them wrong. He had only got a handful right before but on all the other occasions he’s fails spectacularly.

‘Something silly like the time I lost the nightwing contest to Jason that one time?’ He answers wrongly but you couldn’t help but give him a pity kiss for being somewhat right but wrong simultaneously.

‘Sure darling.’ You’d say as you went back to zoning out on Hayley in her Halloween costume while dick burrows his face into your neck, murmuring about how of all people did Jason won the contest when they look nothing alike before going on about how Jason was a brick shit house in comparison to his muscular yet flexible body.

You’ll have to give him more pity kisses to ease his bruised ego by saying he wins all the Nightwing contests in your eyes. When in reality Hayley wins them all just for the fact of being adorable.

Damian found it weird at first for your face to be expressive, believing that it would make you an easy target for others to take advantage of.

Now however he finds it to be a way of expressing how you actually felt in comparison to the words that escape your mouth. He often discouraged zoning out as it would lead to unfavourable outcomes, but when you zone out and your face becomes soft Damian couldn’t help but find himself looking at you with a soft expression of his own.

‘What are you think about my beloved?’ He’d ask you as he hugs you from behind, resting his head upon your shoulder.

‘Nothing that you would find investing my love.’ You replied softly as the fond smile on your face grew the more you thought about the one time Damian chased Titus throughout the mansion because the Great Dane has somehow stole his robin suit and wouldn’t let go.

Damian kisses your shoulder. ‘Are you sure it’s not something I should be concerned about?’ He’d then ask.

You smile softly. ‘Not at all dami, just a funny thought is all.’ You told him while moving your head to kiss his forehead as though to calm his own thoughts. He hums, not believing you for a second from the mischievous glint in your eyes but was more than willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, just because he adored you so much.

‘As you wish my treasure.’ Your thoughts were your thoughts and Damian wouldn’t pry into them unless you wanted him to, so he just watched your expression carefully and deduced what you were feeling and link it to whatever memory would gain an happy, fond expression and leave it at that.

Jason loves your expressive face, he really does and will playfully pester you about what you were asking a face at while softly pinching your sides as you giggled.

Jason loved watching you as you zone out, perhaps reminiscing about a recent memory or other, and watching your face show how you felt about that particular moment.

‘Whatcha thinking about chipmunk?’ He’d ask from his place on the kitchen counter that he chose to admire you from. ‘Was it about little old me?’ He’d then ask cheekily as you playfully groan, shoving a hand to his face and pushing him away.

‘As if.’ You’d reply before walking away but Jason will continue to pester you about what you were thinking for the rest of the day. He’s just a little shit that you’ve come to love more then anything. Your thoughts were more than not occupied by how comfortable he had gotten with you over the course of your relationship and how happy you were for him.

Though you’d never say such a thing in front of him as he’ll use it against you however he could while giving you the softest, most beloved look upon his gorgeous face. Jason was your weakness and the only thing that you always thought about whether it be his autopsy scars, his white ruff of hair that you found immensely adorable and his plush lips that you want to kiss constantly.

Jason is more then content in just watching your face, but don’t be surprised that he kisses your furrowed brow when he sees your face become troubled, he wants his sweetheart to be happy not troubled because that’s what you deserve. You don’t need words to describe how happy you were for Jason to be able to read the emotion crossing your face, and Jason was more than happy to be of reassurance for when you needed it.

Bruce is amused whenever you made a face at something, or nothing in particular.

Like Damian he views it as a way of expressing your inner most feelings towards something or someone without having to vocalise it. It intrigues him as it’s not often that he comes across someone who wears their emotions across their face like you, after all Gotham if filled with some of the most guarded people to ever exist, him included.

It’s fascinating but even he got a little curious when you were smiling a little too widely one day, silently chuckling to yourself as you tried to get ready for bed.

‘What is making you laugh my dear.’ Bruce would ask as he sets aside his novel, moving to his side to look at you while the hand at your waist drew soothing patterns into your skin.

‘Nothing.’ You said as you chuckled.

‘Are you sure it’s nothing? Seems like you might be reminiscing of the time at the iceberg lounge where I mistakenly striped down to my boxers and tabletop danced.’ Bruce replied and all you could do is look at him with a somewhat shocked expression, you knew he was good but you kept forgetting just how good he was at deducting it always caught you off guard.

‘How-‘ you began.

‘Detective remember.’ Bruce chuckled slightly as he kissed your forehead.

‘But that was too specific of a memory for you to guess correctly.’ You rebutted, wanting to know how he knew about that particular memory.

‘It’s not too difficult for me to differentiate between the facial expressions you have towards each and every time you zone out my dear, so while it maybe impossible to believe but to me it’s as easy as breathing.’ Bruce replied as he brought you into his chest. He really did take the time out of his day to memories and learn the smallest of differences between your facial expressions, so much to the point where could tell whether the thing you were zoning out on was a good memory or not.

‘I’m not sure whether to be flattered or not.’ You murmured to yourself as you rested again his strong chest, tracing the many, many scars it possessed with featherlight touches and affection in the form of small kisses pepper against them.

Bruce only tightens his hold on you and kisses the top of your head as he hums. ‘Flattered preferably as the expression you make is sweet and warm.’ He tells you with his voice heavy with sleep.

‘Flattery it is.’ You said sluggishly as you cuddled yourself into his chest, clinging onto him for dear life as he kept you close, presenting the door his back out of his need to keep you safe and secure.

[itneverendshere]

I love pogue!reader and rafe sm. I’m so excited every time you post them ❤️ what if reader realizes she’s really falling for rafe and it’s getting serious so she’s tries to self sabotage and end it. She’s thinking he’s THE kook and she’s a pogue. It can’t last and she won’t survive that heartbreak. so rafe starts to panic but then realizes what’s she’s doing by ending it so he’s just like lol no nice try I’m not going anywhere

 i would follow you home - r.c

pairing: rafe x pogue!reader (bartender!reader universe) word count: 3.1k

hope you enjoy, i love them too 🩵

It was mid-afternoon, that quiet lull between lunch and dinner when the regulars started to trickle in. And like clockwork, you were wiping down the bar, mindlessly watching the condensation drip from a glass of iced tea when you saw Rafe strolling in.

He always had that cocky walk, shoulders rolled back like he owns the place, which, you guess, technically he kinda did, or at least his dad did. Cameron Development Group practically built the country club.

He spotted you and the corner of his mouth lifted in that way that made your stomach flip. God, you hated how it still got to you.

After months of this—him swinging by the bar at the end of his golf games, lounging against the counter like it was no big deal, driving you home, saving you from the storms, letting you kiss him—your heart should’ve calmed the hell down. But no, here you were, butterflies fluttering in your chest, fingers tightening around the rag you were using to clean.

You tossed it on the counter and busy yourself with stacking glasses.

“Hey, stranger.” His voice was all smooth like he knew exactly what effect it had on you. And he did. You were still a shitty liar and he learned that fast. 

You glanced up, trying to keep things cool, casual. “Hey yourself.”

He settled into one of the barstools, leaning forward, his blue eyes locking on yours. “You off soon?”

You shrugged. “Depends. Why?”

The truth was, you knew why. You knew exactly what he was asking.

He was wondering if you would have time after this—time to sneak off to that little spot by the docks where you'd been meeting up, where things between you had been getting more…a little complicated?

And that’s exactly why you needed to end this.

It’s not like you hadn’t seen it coming. You’d known for a while that whatever this thing was with Rafe, it was headed in a direction you couldn’t afford to follow. He was the poster child for Kook royalty. Born with a silver spoon and all that. Meanwhile, you were still just the bartender, a Pogue, barely scraping by. 

It started simple—quick conversations after work, long talks on the drive home, those random texts at 2 a.m. that turned into hours of you two confessing things you’d never say out loud to anyone else.

You din’t know when it shifted into this—this weird gray area where everything felt more intense. Maybe when you all but kissed him when he picked you up after the storm. That had to be it.

Because you knew how this story ended. You knew what happened when a girl like you fell for a guy like Rafe Cameron.

Heartbreak.

And you wouldn’t survive that.

“I’ve been thinking,” You blurted out, suddenly very aware of the way his eyes were still on you. Too aware. You reached for a clean glass, filling it with soda water to distract yourself. “Maybe we should… I dunno, cool it for a bit.”

His smirk faltered. “Cool it?”

“Yeah,” You shrugged again, trying to seem nonchalant, even though your heart was hammering so loud you were sure he could hear it. “I mean, this was fun and all, but let’s be real—”

“Be real?”

You nodded, not daring to look up from the glass you were holding.

“We’re not exactly from the same world, Rafe. It was bound to end sooner or later. Might as well rip the band-aid off now.”

Silence. For a beat, he doesn’t say anything, and for a second you wonder if you had done it—if you’d actually convinced him that this wasn’t worth it, that he should’ve just walked away and left you with at least a sliver of your heart intact.

Then he laughed.

It wasn’t like a mocking laugh, but it was still a sound you weren’t expecting. Your eyes snapped up to his face, and you saw that damn smirk was back. Only this time, there was something softer in his eyes, something almost… amused?

“Oh, I see what this is.” He leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest, looking way too pleased with himself.

You frowned, instinctively grabbing a towel and wiping the counter again, trying to distract yourself from the way his eyes were making you feel seen. Too seen. 

“What?”

“You’re scared.”

Your stomach dropped. “I’m not—”

“Yes, you are,” he interrupted, standing up and rounding the bar until he was way too close, until you could smell the cologne clinging to his skin and the fresh grass scent of the golf course. He caged you in with his body, one hand gripping the counter behind you, the other reaching up to tilt your chin so you had no choice but to meet his gaze. “You’re trying to push me away because you’re scared. But newsflash, sweetheart—nice try. I’m not going anywhere.”

You swallowed hard, throat tight, because damn it, he was right. He was completely, 100% right, and you hated it. You hated that he could see right through you like that, see all your fears, all the things you’d been trying so hard to bury.

You opened your mouth, but nothing came out.

You didn’t know what to say because, deep down, you didn’t want to believe that it mattered to him. You wanted to believe that he saw you for more than just the girl behind the bar. But every time you let yourself get close, that voice in the back of your head reminded you that this wasn’t some fairytale.

“Rafe, you’ll get bored,” you mumbled, barely able to get the words out. “You’ll realize this was just… a phase. I mean, we’re friends, right? We can just… go back to that.”

“Go back to that?” He repeated your words slowly like he was testing them out. And then he laughed—this short, disbelieving sound that made your stomach twist, “You’re trying to run.”

“Am not.”

“You are.

“There’s nothing to run from,” You snapped, though even you didn’t believe that.

He was close enough now that you had to tilt your head almost all the way back to meet his eyes, and there was something so raw, so real in the way he was looking at you that you couldn’t breathe.

“Nothing, huh?”

“Nothing,” you managed to repeat, but the word came out more like a question than a statement. The self-doubt you’d been trying to ignore bubbled up, and you hated yourself for it. 

He leaned in closer, and you could feel his breath against your skin. “If you think there’s nothing between us, then why does it hurt so much to even think about letting it go?”

His words hit a particular soft spot, and you had to bite your lip to keep from gasping. You wanted to argue, to tell him he was wrong, that you could walk away and be fine.

But the truth was, you weren’t fine. You weren’t even close to fine.

The whole time you’d been telling yourself this was just a fling, some wild phase that would burn out eventually—because that was what made sense. You weren’t supposed to fall for the guy who came from money and lived in a mansion on the hill, while you were still sharing a room with your sister in a run-down house, after yours got destroyed, on the wrong side of the island. 

This was never supposed to be real.

“You don’t get it. You’ve never had to worry about—about someone like me not fitting into your life. You don’t have people looking at you and thinking ‘what the hell is he doing with her?’”

Rafe’s eyes softened, and his thumb brushed a light circle against your waist, sending a pleasant shiver down your spine. “Who cares what people think? I’m not with them. I’m with you.”

You shook your head, more to yourself than to him, stepping back just enough to put some space between you.

"No. No, it’s not that simple. You don’t get it. You don’t get what it’s like to always be the one left behind. You’ll get bored, and then what? You just walk away and I’m the one left picking up the pieces."

He opened his mouth to argue, but you weren’t done.

"And don't say you won’t, because everyone does! I’ve seen this before. I’ve been through it. I don’t survive guys like you." Your voice cracked, and damn it, you hated how vulnerable you sounded, but it was too late. It was all spilling out now, all the fear you’d kept bottled up.

Rafe’s jaw tightened, and instead of the cocky smirk you expected, there was something different in his eyes. Anger? No, frustration maybe. But not at you.

He ran a hand through his hair, clearly trying to keep his cool. “You think I’m just some guy playing games, huh? That I’m gonna wake up one day and decide you’re not worth it?”

You crossed your arms, hugging yourself as if that would protect you from the way his words were hitting you too hard. “Isn’t that what happens?”

“No. Not with me.”

“You don’t know that!”

“I do know that!” His voice rose, and you flinched a little, caught off guard by the intensity.

He noticed and apologized immediately, stepping closer, his hand reaching for yours but stopping just short. "I’m here, with you. Because I want to be. Don’t you get that?"

You hated the way he was looking at you, the way his words hit with brutal honesty you weren’t used to—it made you pause. Your eyes fleeted away, focusing on the floor because looking at him was too much.

"Just let me go," you whispered, "It’ll hurt less now."

A muscle in his jaw twitched, and before you could pull back, he stepped forward, closing the gap between you in one swift move.

His hand cupped your face, forcing you to meet his eyes, and there was no escape from the intensity in them.

"No," he said, firm but quiet. "I’m not letting you go. You’re not pushing me away. I’m not leaving, no matter how hard you try to sabotage this."

Your breath hitched in your throat, and you shook your head, trying to argue, but then his lips were on yours, cutting off whatever weak protest you had left. The kiss wasn’t gentle or slow—it was harsh, like he was trying to make you understand something without words. 

 And damn it, you kissed him back. Because of course, you did.

Because despite everything you said, everything you feared, you wanted this. You wanted him. But the second you felt yourself giving in, you pushed him back, your hands pressed against his chest, trying to regain some control. 

"Stop doing that," you snapped, breathless.

"Doing what?" He sounded just as breathless, but he didn’t step away.

"Kissing me like you can fix this. Like—like I’m just gonna believe you."

He exhaled sharply, his hands gripping your waist, keeping you close. "You don’t have to believe me now, but I’m not going anywhere. I’ll prove it to you, okay? Just stop trying to run every time it gets hard."

"I don’t know how to do this," you admitted quietly, your hands still resting against his chest, fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt.

"I’ll show you," he whispered, his forehead resting against yours, his breath mingling with yours. "Just stop pushing me away."

For a moment, you let yourself just be there with him, your defenses crumbling piece by piece. You didn’t know how long it would last, or if you could even survive it, but maybe… just maybe, he was worth the risk.

But still, you couldn’t help but mutter, "You’re so stupid, you know that?"

His lips twitched into a smile. “And you’re still kissing me, again, so what does that say about you?”

You rolled your eyes, trying to hide the way your lips twitched with a smirk of your own.

 “Says I’m just as stupid as you,” you muttered under your breath, but the words lacked bite. Your hands stayed on his chest, fingers still gripping his polo like you were afraid to let go, like maybe if you held on tight enough, you wouldn’t fall apart, “Do you always go around kissing the saff?” You mumbled out.

Rafe’s hands moved from your waist to your back, pulling you in closer. His forehead still rested against yours, and you could feel his breath, warm and steady, brushing against your skin. It was infuriating how easy it was to melt into him.

He raised an eyebrow, his lips twitching with the start of a grin, “Only the ones who can’t seem to stay away from me.”

You groaned, shoving him in the chest with just enough force to make him stumble back a step. “God, you’re insufferable.”

He caught your wrists before you could pull away completely, his grip gentle, keeping you close enough that you could still feel the warmth of his skin through your clothes. “Yeah, well, you seem to like insufferable.”

“Do I though?” You quipped, trying to sound indifferent, but your heartbeat was giving you away. You could feel it hammering in your chest, “Because I feel like this whole thing is a bad idea. You know, like ‘kiss the rich guy, ruin your life’ kind of bad idea.”

Rafe’s expression softened, and the teasing glint in his eyes faded. “Why do you always do that?”

“Do what?” You tried to play dumb.

“Talk like this doesn’t mean something. Like I don’t mean something to you.” His voice was low, but there was a seriousness in it that made your stomach flip. “We’ve been doing this dance for a while now, and every time it starts to get real, you act like it’s just… casual.”

Your throat tightened, and you tried to pull your wrists free, but he didn’t let go, making it clear he wasn’t letting you run again.

“Maybe it is casual,” you said, even though the words tasted like a lie. “Maybe we’re just two people having a good time, and that’s it.”

He shook his head, the corner of his mouth lifting in that way that made your chest ache. “Nah. You’re not fooling me anymore. You don’t kiss someone like you kissed me just for fun.”

You blinked, your breath catching in your throat. “Rafe…”

“And you don’t look at me like that when I walk in unless there’s more to it.” His voice softened as his thumb traced light circles against your skin. “So stop pretending it’s nothing.”

“I should be working.”

But Rafe wasn’t letting you off that easy. “Yeah, you probably should,” he said, but his hands didn’t move, and neither did his eyes.

“So you’re gonna let me go?”

“Why’d you kiss me that day?” he asked, "I’ve been wondering.”

You blinked up at him, caught off guard by the question. He was so close, and it was hard to think, let alone answer something that felt so…disarming like everything you’d been running from was waiting in his words.

"I don’t know," you groaned, suddenly feeling like a cornered animal. "I wasn’t thinking straight."

His fingers traced a slow line down your arm, sending shivers through you. "You sure about that?" His voice was quiet, like he already knew you were lying, knew you too well for you to hide behind that excuse. "Because it didn’t feel like just some random kiss."

You scoffed, trying to laugh it off, trying to keep your cool, but the sound came out shaky.

"It was— I don’t know, Rafe. It was just the heat of the moment, okay? The storm… everything." You bit your lip, avoiding his gaze because you knew he wasn’t buying it. "You saved me, and I guess I was—"

"Grateful?" he interrupted, his brow arching. “Is that what you’re trying to say?”

You winced. "I didn’t mean it like that."

“Yeah, well, it sure sounds like you’re trying to make it seem like it meant nothing. Like you didn’t feel anything when you kissed me.”

You swallowed hard, the lump in your throat making it impossible to respond right away. He wasn’t wrong. That kiss had meant something—maybe more than you were ready to admit to yourself, let alone to him.

“You can’t keep acting like you don’t care, because I know you do. You wouldn’t have kissed me if you didn’t.”

The way he said it, so certain, so sure of himself—it made your heart race even faster. 

“Why do you care so much?” you whispered, the words slipping out before you could stop them. “Why does it matter?”

He frowned, like you had just asked the stupidest question in the world. “Because it matters to me.”

Your chest tightened at that, and you hated how much you wanted to believe him. "I don’t want to get hurt, Rafe."

"I’m not gonna hurt you." His voice was low, serious, like a promise, but you’d heard promises like that before. "I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t care. I’m asking for a chance, just one chance. I’m not going anywhere.”

Your chest tightened as you stared up at him. He was serious. Like, really serious. And you were scared out of your mind because you wanted to believe him so badly. But trusting someone, letting them in? That was terrifying.

“I’m scared,” you whispered, finally admitting it out loud.

“I know,” he murmured, his forehead resting gently against yours. “But I’m scared too, okay? I want to be with you. So, please, just… give us a shot.”

You closed your eyes, breathing him in, your mind racing a hundred miles per hour.

You could still feel his lips on yours, the way he made you feel like maybe, just maybe, you could let your guard down for once. And the truth was, despite all the reasons you’d been telling yourself to walk away, your heart was telling you to stay.

 “Okay.”

His breath caught. “Okay?”

You opened your eyes, “Yeah, okay. I’ll give you a chance. Don’t screw it up.”

Rafe’s lips curved into that stupid, cocky grin, “I won’t. I promise.”

You wanted to roll your eyes at him, but instead, you found yourself smiling back. 

Maybe this was crazy, maybe you were setting yourself up for heartbreak or maybe you’d really found yourself a soulmate.

[peachhcs]

a trip to van

hughes!sister x will smith au (samy + will)

samy spends a weekend in van with her two favorite people

4.5k words

hiii here's this that i've been working on for a few days. i thought this idea was super cutie and wanted to write more quinn and samy dynamic. also lowkey predicting that sjs vs. van game in a week so lol this won't be accurate but anyways let me know if u guys like these longer fics or not bc i think they're fun to write sometimes!! (also i imagine samy taking these pics of quinn and will)

au masterlist

"i actually can't believe you convinced me to let you stay for a whole weekend," the oldest hughes brother teased samy as they climbed into the car once her stuff was in the back.

"oh shut up. you've been begging to spend more time with me. plus, i haven't been to van in years," the younger sibling countered as they shared a laugh.

"yeah, you're right. you're right. it's good to see you, squirt," quinn squeezed her arm across the armrest as they pulled out of the pickup line.

it was thursday night and samy was in vancouver for the weekend to watch her brother and will play one another on saturday. she was ecstatic to say the least to be spending some time with quinn and getting to see will. it wasn't often that the oldest and youngest sibling spent 1 on 1 time together—in the summer if they were lucky, but even then, quinn had things keeping him busy and so did samy.

"mom told me you need to take me to a hundred different places while i'm here. she sent me a whole list," the brunette chuckled.

"oh really? like where?"

"apparently this bakery that sells really good bagels. there's an italian restaurant in downtown mom really liked that she wants me to try. i dunno, i'll send you the list," samy clicked around to add quinn to the note.

"alright, i'll have to check it out. is she expecting me to pay for all your meals this weekend?" the older boy hummed, amusement on his features.

"i mean i won't complain if you do. i am a broke college student," the younger brunette grinned.

"good thing i make millions," samy hit her brother's arm for that comment making quinn laugh out loud.

"you better stay humble for someone making 8.6 million a year," the girl mumbled, still unbelievable that her brothers were that rich for doing something they genuinely loved doing. she knew she'd never make anywhere close to that even if she did put in the same amount of work.

either way, she secretly enjoyed bugging and asking her brothers for things knowing how much money they had and that they could definitely swing helping her out with groceries here and there.

"plus, you got your boyfriend making a good couple hundred thousand. you're in good hands," quinn added and samy just flushed, rolling her eyes slightly.

"don't worry, i know. i've been told many times that i should just drop out of college and move to san jose because will can support us," he poked at her every time about it and sometimes samy also still couldn't believe her childhood best friend now boyfriend was rich enough to support her and she didn't have to do a thing. "don't worry, i got you, squirt. welcome to luxury for the weekend," quinn grinned as he leaned back in his seat and really embraced his millionaire status inside his expensive car and fancy sunglasses atop his nose.

—

later that night, samy sat in quinn's apartment on facetime with their parents plus jack and luke so they could see she made it in safely.

"i'm so happy you had a safe flight! how is it so far?" ellen wondered with a bright smile while quinn slipped into frame.

"it's been really good. quinn's been a really great host," she pinched her brother's cheeks making him push her hands away.

"damn, i'm so jealous i'm not in vancouver right now. it could've been a reunion!" jack exclaimed.

"hey you get to see will in like a week when he plays you guys in jersey," samy smiled a bit, sad that she couldn't fly out for that reunion.

"yeah, i guess. how's quinn's? has he made you his weird protein shake yet?" the middle hughes wondered while luke snickered.

"dude, it's not that bad, i swear. it gets me up in the morning," quinn rolled his eyes.

"oh it's bad, don't try gaslighting yourself. if he does make it, don't drink it. it had me on the toilet for an hour," jack mumbled while samy laughed and ellen and jim just shook their heads.

"well, i'm glad you've been having a good time so far. it's rare that i see my kids getting along on their own," ellen chimed in.

"hey! we get along! what are you taking about?" luke defended himself.

"mhm, yeah, sure you do," jim chuckled.

"we do! i swear. at least jack and i kind of get along better," the second to youngest sibling patted jack's arm and the two boys gave their most convincing smile.

"key word: kind of," samy chirped.

"oh shut up," luke rolled his eyes at his sister.

"there it is," quinn mumbled, concealing his laughter so their parents or luke wouldn't see.

"well, anyway, it's good to see my kids sort of together. you two have fun in van this weekend! i want lots of pictures and tell will we said hi!" ellen cheered, breaking up the bickering before it got worse. her kids smiled, all nodding.

"will do. love you guys," samy waved before disconnecting from the call.

quinn jumped up from the couch to continue making dinner. the siblings sat in comfortable silence for a moment until the older boy decided to keep talking, "so how have you and will been doing? okay?"

"yeah, we're good. we talk like every night. it's good," the brunette nodded.

"good, i'm glad. i'm happy you guys worked things out," quinn nodded in approval.

"yeah, me too. we're still..readjusting, but it's been easy i think now that will's had time to settle into california and the team."

"that's good. i mean it'll take time, but i'm glad to hear it's been easy," samy appreciated her brother's words knowing some may think she took him back way too soon and way too easily.

"thanks. what about you? have you found anyone or been seeing anyone?" she loved poking into her brothers' lives. it wasn't easy with quinn considering how closed off he was and how easy it was for him to hide things because he lived in a different country.

"funny, but no. i haven't really been seeing anyone," the older boy hummed.

"lameee, we need to get you someone. i mean don't you have like girls lined at your feet?" samy giggled, thinking about all the edits she saw about her brothers on tiktok.

"very funny. i'm just trying to work on myself. is that a crime?"

"of course not, but i feel like mom's looking for another daughter," the younger brunette teased a bit.

"she'll find one in jack's girlfriend. i have a feeling he's getting married first out of all of us," it wasn't too out of character for jack since he was the middle child and all.

"you think so?"

"i mean i don't know, but yeah. he likes jumping into those things," quinn chuckled.

"yeah, i could see it. i think it will be jack, you, me, then luke. or luke and i are switched and i'm last."

"you last? that's surprising."

"well will and i aren't getting married anytime soon. we wanna live a bit and establish ourselves before anything serious," samy nodded. she wasn't too big on getting engaged so soon anyways. it was probably the only thing she wanted to take her time with other than having kids. that was a way��later thing.

"alright, fair. i guess i could say the same. i'm not looking for anything," quinn shrugged. he wasn't huge on any of those life milestones knowing he'd find his person when he was ready.

"do you think you're gonna stay in van forever?" samy changed the subject, leaning her arm across the back of the couch and resting her head down.

"i mean probably. i've got a good few years left in me. plus, i like it here. it reminds me of being a kid and growing up in toronto," the older brunette smiled.

"i kind of miss living in toronto. i basically grew up there, you know?" a good 12 years of samy's life was spent in toronto and they were probably some of the best years.

"yeah, i know. they were good years for sure. you could always go back, you know. move back up there," it was definitely something quinn thought a lot about whenever he did decide to retire from the ice. even though he loved michigan, those times in toronto would always call back to him.

it called back to all of the hughes siblings.

"yeah, maybe when i'm like forty and will's retired," the girl grinned and quinn nodded in agreement.

the rest of the night, the two watched some hockey highlights and then a movie before calling it a night. samy excitedly awaited will's arrival tomorrow afternoon where he was able to pull a few strings and fly out early to spend a bit more time with her and quinn.

—

the two siblings rode back to the airport to gather will while samy continuously checked his flight to see if he had landed yet.

"the plane's not getting any closer every minute you look at it," the older boy laughed, watching the way his sister constantly looked at the website.

"i know, i'm just excited," the genuine happiness was a good look on samy that quinn enjoyed seeing. he hated seeing her so sad this past summer, so he was glad her spirits were back up and she was her usual, bubbly self.

"does this mean i'm gonna be third wheel for the rest of the weekend?"

"no, i promise. we'll just be all gross and kiss when you aren't looking," the girl laughed to herself while quinn rolled his eyes.

"great, great. thanks for having some decency," the boy mumbled but he was secretly smiling.

they pulled back into the airport pickup line where quinn started getting serious deja vu from yesterday. the two of them sat in comfortable silence on their phones and listening to the soft hum of the radio in the background. a few minutes passed when samy began hitting her brother's arm repeatedly, her face glowing.

"his plane landed! he should be coming out," she squealed, jumping out of the car. quinn followed after, the two of them leaning against the side waiting for the blonde.

the younger brunette was bouncing on her heels, scanning every face that came through the doors knowing will was bound to walk through them any second.

finally, will came through, his big hockey bag slung over his shoulder, backpack strapped to his back and sharks hat to cover his messy hair. samy jumped up, running to greet her boyfriend in the middle where quinn couldn't help the smile on his lips.

will dropped his bag so he could lift samy into his arms, the couple spinning around in their bone crushing hug. "missed you," the brunette hummed, pulling back a bit once her feet were back on the ground.

"i missed you, too. its so good to see you," will's hold on her waist drew her in closer, admiring all of her features up close after only seeing them through a screen for months.

"i'm so excited you're here. this is gonna be so fun," samy grinned and pulled her boyfriend down for a kiss, not caring that they were in public or who was watching.

they melted into one another, lips and bodies molding together. quinn, who was watching the entire exchange, pretended to act disgusted which pulled the two apart.

"sorry to break up this reunion, but maybe save that for back at the apartment?" he raised his eyebrow. samy rolled his eyes while will flushed, letting the girl go.

"good to see ya, smitty. it's been awhile," quinn opened his arms for a quick hug.

"it's good to see you, too, quinn. thanks for letting me stay for the weekend," the blonde smiled.

"my apartment is your apartment. although the ice will be a different story tomorrow," the older boy teased a bit, laughing when he saw will pale a bit.

"just kidding. it's gonna be a good game tomorrow. i'm excited to play you and see what you got," quinn smacked will's shoulder and a bit of a nervous chuckle left the blonde's lips.

"alright, don't scare him. let's get back," samy broke them up, tugging them back to the car so they could stop taking up a spot.

—

once quinn and samy helped will get settled in, the oldest hughes brother let the couple have some time to themselves. they sat out on the balcony curdled up together enjoying the nice weather and city below. it was nice de-stressor for will before the game, too.

"so how do you like it so far? be honest," samy wondered, referring to will's time in the nhl so far.

"i really like it. it's like a dream come true," will said honestly which made the girl smile.

"i'm really glad. you look like you've been thriving."

"i do miss boston and the guys and my family and michigan and you though. it's not the same not having all of you an arm's length away," the blonde frowned briefly, thinking of the boys and his parents on the other side of the country from him.

"i get it. we miss you, too, but i'm glad you've been loving it so far. you've got a pretty big name to yourself now," samy giggled while will rolled his eyes a bit.

"just so you know, i'm only thinking of you when i do those press interviews," his words made the youngest hughes blush, burying her face into his shoulder.

"i actually can't believe all of you are in the nhl now. it still feels like yesterday listening to you guys talk about that dream in our living room, or pretending you were playing a real game back on our rink in toronto," all of those memories were still so fresh in their minds, it was hard to believe it was nearly 10 years ago.

"wow, i remember those days. i was always so excited to fly to canada to visit you guys because i knew i'd get to play hockey," will chuckled.

"back when you were more interested in seeing my brothers than me," samy teased.

"only because we were like nine and thought we were gross and had cooties," the blonde countered and the two shared a laugh.

"i was telling quinn yesterday that i miss being out there. i spent my whole childhood there."

"yeah, toronto holds a lot of good memories for us. i miss it too. maybe we can go back one day?" will raised his eyebrows while a little grin appeared on his girlfriend's lips.

"i had the same thought. i said maybe when you're retired and we're like forty or something," they both laughed again.

"forty? i don't know if i'll be playing for that long. i'll probably be done at around 30 or so."

"so thirty. we'll set our plan now," samy determined and will squeezed his arm tighter around her torso, kissing the top of her head.

"sounds like a great plan."

—

the next morning the apartment was buzzing with excitement mixed with nerves and adrenaline. quinn had to be at the rink in the late afternoon and will needed to meet up with his team, so the three spent the morning getting themselves ready. samy was a bit torn trying to figure out what to wear, wanting to support both will and quinn.

"what do you think?" she stepped out of the bathroom to show off her outfit—a jean mini skirt paired with one of will's sharks shirts that had his name on the back and one of quinn's many canucks hats.

will fell silent as he took in her appearance when she did a full spin. the gears in his head started turning and a feeling he hadn't felt in a while bubbled in his chest.

the whole idea of playing in the nhl was something will dreamed of forever. dating his best friend was another unimaginable dream and now the two were colliding and knowing samy would be in the arena wearing his number and his name so everyone would know she was his...the blonde's brain nearly stopped working.

"will?" samy snapped will from his daze.

"huh? sorry. you look..wow.." he mumbled, losing his train of thought as he snaked his hands around her waist, drinking in her outfit even more.

"what's that mean?" the girl chuckled, noticing her boyfriend's lustful expression.

"i just..i'm so lucky. you look good wearing my name," will dipped his head down to place a kiss to samy's lips.

he pulled her flush against his chest, hands wandering with a mind of their own. samy fiddled with will's loosely buttoned undershirt and other hand dancing into his curls. the hockey player's hands drifted further down her hips until he grabbed ahold of her ass and squeezed. she giggled at the action.

they pulled back for a second, panting into one another's mouths. will wanted more. he craved more and so did samy, so they reattached their lips. a soft moan escaped will when samy pulled particularly hard on his hair. her lips felt so good against his own.

"god, you're so gorgeous," will pulled back, lips tinted from samy's pink lip gloss.

"right back at ya, hot stuff," the brunette winked and will couldn't stop himself. he dove back in for more, the desire burning from his head to the tips of his toes.

he backed her against the wall of the bedroom where his lips started dipping further down onto her neck. samy moaned when will found her sweet spot almost immediately, tugging harder at the base of his curls.

"will...people are gonna see," she said but she didn't make any move to pull him away.

"good, let them see," he said, the possession clear in his voice and fuck, if samy didn't find that super attractive.

"we should stop. you have to go soon," she tried knowing he was due to see his team in thirty minutes.

"how soon?" the blonde mumbled, still attacking samy's neck.

"like thirty minutes."

"i can do it in ten," his words sent a rush of heat down the girl's spine, but she knew they couldn't. not now anyways.

"will, not now. later, i promise," she finally found the courage to pull him away from her. he looked back up, breath heavy and lips swollen in pink. he was such a sight to see that had samy wishing they didn't have to go.

"i'm keeping you to that promise then," will smirked.

a quick knock on the door caught their attention, the two of them tensing slightly. "yeah?"

"leaving in fifteen!" quinn called.

"be out soon!" samy yelled back, returning her gaze to her boyfriend's burning stare, placing one last kiss to his lips.

"you're gonna do amazing out there. don't be nervous. you know how quinn plays."

"i know, i know. just scared he'll rip me to shreds," the blonde mumbled with a low chuckle, samy going to help him get himself together as she buttoned up his shirt. 

"even if he does, know he's trying to push you and help you get better," samy knew quinn wasn't going easy on will tonight, but she also knew he was gonna use all the tactics he knew that would push the blonde out of his comfort zone a little to get him to play harder. 

it was how luke played on will too whenever they went head to head back in michigan. 

the two finished getting ready, slipping out of the bedroom as quinn was making sure he had everything and everything was turned off before they left. 

"nice touch," the older boy noticed his sister's hat, smiling a bit as he flicked it up. 

"don't worry, i didn't forget about you," she cheesed as the three of them headed down to the garage. 

quinn dropped will off around the back of the rink where the sharks were gathering in the locker room. the siblings wished the blonde luck before they drove back around to the front and the cameras and media were waiting for them. 

"good luck, quinn. i'll see you later," samy smiled as she climbed out of the car. 

"thanks, squirt. text me if you need anything before we get on," the two departed as samy headed to the doors and quinn headed towards the cameras to capture the player's game day outfits and walk up. 

—

rogers arena was electric leading up to the game. samy had her spot just behind the canucks bench behind the glass where quinn wanted her incase she needed his attention or something—always looking out for his baby sister even during the game. the two waved to one another before samy searched for will doing his warmups. the black and dark teal was a nice addition to the away game jeresey's and she spotted her boyfriend a little bit further down. 

the fans were excited for this matchup, canucks fans loud and eager to get the game underway against the two newest rookies on the sharks. macklin skated by, quickly waving to the brunette. she grinned, waving back and giving two thumbs up indicating good luck. 

the game revved up quickly as quinn took to the ice against will in the first period. samy saw how much the sharks were improving with each game, but she knew the canucks still had the upper hand with their older players and more experience. she was on the edge of her seat watching her boyfriend and bother race towards the puck sliding across the ice. 

quinn was up in will's business, pushing and shoving the younger boy for the puck, so will pushed back harder. the two were basically dancing with one another, the older hughes brother making will work for it. 

some of the other canucks players bumped against the blonde and then in the next second, he was on the ground from a hit. the whistle blew, but will bounced back up, a little flustered but okay. it was a clean hit, so no penalties. samy sighed and then made eye contact with her brother as he skated towards the bench. cool off a bit her look said while quinn just shrugged, but he understood. 

at the end of the first, canucks were up 2-0. samy texted her parents updates even though they were also probably watching. she sent quick messages to gabe and ryan as well as hannah. 

gabe

ur brother's got killer aim

samy

tell me about it

he's making will work for it

ryan

figures

during every intermission, the cameras always panned to the players' family members if they were in the stands. when the jumbotron showed samy she quickly waved and pointed to her canucks hat. the fans cheered, always excited to see quinn's siblings or parents in attendance. 

the second and third periods played out almost the same as the first. the guys were fast on the ice for the puck and scoring goals. canucks led now by 5-3 and samy knew this would be another loss on the sharks side. she knew it'd discourage the boys, but there was definitely improvement from last game. will got his stick on the puck a few times, passing to his line, but still not enough to over power the older guys on the canucks team. 

when the game ended the fans cheered loudly for quinn's team. samy cheered for her brother too while also giving will and macklin a smile for trying their best. she knew press would take some time, so the girl mingled with fans as they left the rink and back into the lobby. 

she enjoyed getting to talk to girls who looked up to her and parents who congratulated her on having a good soccer season so far, asking questions about conference games and the national title coming up soon. 

will came out before quinn now showered and back in his suit. samy made her way over to him, giving him a loving hug and kiss on the cheek, "sorry you lost, but you played well." 

"thanks, it's okay. i knew we would against quinn. he definitely pushed me though," the blonde chuckled. 

"see, i told you. not too bad," samy grinned, squeezing his arm as the couple waited for quinn. 

he came out a few minutes later, waving to the two. "press wants some pics of all of us around back. is that okay?" the older boy wondered while samy and will nodded. 

they followed the older boy around the back where the media snapped a few pictures of the siblings and will together to share online later. once those were done, the three climbed back into the car to head back to the apartment, feeling exhausted from the long night. 

quinn's ringtone started playing through the car as ellen's name lit up the screen. the older brunette answered, "hi mom." 

"hey quinny, great game! you guys back at the apartment in once piece?" the older woman said. 

"we're on our way back right now. samy and will are here." 

"hi mom," the younger girl called. 

"hi ellen," will said too. 

"hi guys. sorry you guys lost, willie. you played really well, though. it can be tough with these big, old nhl players," ellen chuckled. 

"mom, are you calling me old?" quinn cut in as samy giggled too. 

"yeah, i am. just wanted to check in with you guys and make sure everyone had fun. any plans for tonight?" 

the three exchanged a glance, the silence taken as probably nothing since the late game tired all of them out. "probably a movie or something. kind of beat," quinn answered. 

"i bet. well, have fun guys! i'll talk to you soon. love you." 

"love you too, mom," samy and quinn said in unison, giggles escaping both of their lips. 

once they got back into the apartment, samy collapsed onto the couch, glad to be back in a warm temperatures and not on a frozen metal bench. will copied her movements, falling down beside her while quinn chuckled at their behavior. 

"you guys can pick out whatever movie. want anything to eat?" the older boy wondered as he started shedding himself of his tie. 

"whatever you wanna make, we'll eat," samy said. 

"got it," quinn disappeared into his room. 

"so one day this really could be our life," will hummed, breaking the small silence that had filled between the couple. 

"it really could," the brunette agreed as her eyes flicked around her brother's apartment. 

"only...2 more years?" the blonde raised his eyebrow. 

"possibly depending on what career path i choose," samy reached up to mess with some of the misplaced curls hanging off will's forehead. 

"sounds like a dream," the boy smiled warmly, moving so their heads were touching. 

"yeah, for real." 

will went in to press a sweet kiss to samy's lips, all the love in his chest feeling full and abundant. they pulled apart knowing quinn would come back out any second. 

"also i think ryan and gabe wanted to facetime to say hey and talk about the game," samy giggled while the blonde playfully rolled his eyes. 

"of course they did. don't forget about that promise you made to me earlier," the boy grinned as samy stood up to change into something more comfortable. 

"oh, don't worry. i didn't forget," she winked, heading into the guest room leaving will to quickly follow after her. 

[scribblesofagoonerr]

Buddy the rat has a nice ring to it! | buddy and monkey: double the trouble

summary: halloween has a different style this year as buddy's determined to go as a rat of all things after monkey puts the idea in her head.

it's not been proof read so if there's any mistakes then apologies!

double the trouble masterlist

“That’s great, bubba,” Leah praises you as she sits down at your little table, helping you pick the right colours for the masterpiece for what feels like ages,  “I think that Mama is really going to like this picture when she sees it, won’t she?”

You nod in triumph and hold it up for Leah to look at closer, “Look Mummy! Pretty picture for Mama!” You tell her, the excitement bubbles inside of you as you can’t wait to be able to show Jordan the picture when you see her.

“Yeah, pretty picture indeed,” Leah agrees, leaning over and kissing the top of your forehead, “Mama will be here soon to pick you up. Are you excited to spend the weekend with her?” She asks.

“Yeah!” You exclaim, your whole body buzzing with excitement as you always love weekends at Jordan’s house with her and Blu, “Lots’ of fun with Mama!”

Suddenly, Monkey burst into the room, full of energy, “Le!” She says in an excited voice, “Le, Le, guess what!” She shouts, making you jump a little in your seat and even Tater-Tot, who had been asleep, leaps up and barks excitedly.

“What’s up, Monkey?” Leah looks at the teenager curiously as her eyes narrow, like she’s already spotted something missing, “Whoa, hey, where’s your crutches?” She asks in a serious voice, just like when you’re told to eat the vegetables that you don’t want to eat.

Monkey hears that tone a lot because she’s always doing silly things or so you’ve been told before, and that’s why she’s on crutches right now.

Monkey’s supposed to be using them ever since she hurt herself not too long ago on a skateboard, but it was fun to doodle on her cast and make it look pretty even if she is grumpy now because now she can’t play football.

“I dunno,” Monkey shrugs dramatically, “I dumped them somewhere, like cya!” She waves her hand off in the air, which makes you giggle.

“You still need to use them,” Leah tells her, not finding the situation funny, “You heard what they said at the hospital.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Monkey huffs as she rolls her eyes, “They’re like, not important right now.” She insists.

Leah continues to look at Monkey in disbelief, “Are you joking?” She questions, “Yes they are, Menace– You know you’re supposed to be using them. I don’t keep nagging at you for the fun of it!”

“Are you sure? Cos’ you sure do it a lot,” Monkey’s quick to fire back with a cheeky expression on her face.

You tilt your head, watching them argue about it back and forth which they do a lot considering all of the silly things that Monkey does often, “What’s she like, eh, bubba?” Leah gives you a look, “Silly Monkey.”

“Silly Monkey!” You don’t hesitate to parrot Leah’s words, “Mummy says so!”

Monkey huffs and rolls her eyes, “Copycat,” She murmurs, her grumpiness about her crutches don’t last long before her excitement returns, “You still didn’t guess what I wanted to tell you though, Le!”

Leah furrows her eyebrows in confusion, “What?”

“You gotta guess, that’s the whole point of me saying ‘guess what’ otherwise it’s no fun then!” Monkey pouts, disheartened that Leah’s not in the mood to play along with her guessing game, “Guess!” She insists.

“What?” Leah asks, a little exasperated.

“Spooky season is vast approaching!” Your favourite person exclaims, like it’s the best news in the world to her right now.

“Come again?” Leah questions while she looks at Monkey bewildered.

Monkey slumps her shoulders at the lack of enthusiasm from Leah like she expected, “Spooky season, you know? My favourite time of the year!” She reminds her.

“Monkey,” Leah began as she pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head, “Halloween isn’t for another month yet. You still have a while to wait, my girl.”

“Nuh uh!” Monkey shook her head in protest, “It’s September now which means it’s practically here, innit!” She insists, throwing her hands up in the air.

“I… I don’t think it quite works like that,” Leah frowns in disagreement.

“Why not? It should!” The teenager exclaims, slumping her shoulders down, “I’m excited, are you excited, Buddy? You should be cos’ it's spooky season!”

“Yeah!” You chime in enthusiastically.

Leah exhales a sigh while she rubs her temples, “Give me strength,”

“Alexa play spooky, scary skeletons!” Monkey shouts loudly to the small device hidden away as it repeats her request and then the beat kicks in, “Spooky, scary skeletons. Send shivers down your spine. Shrieking skulls will shock your soul. Seal your doom tonight!” She sings out loud, waving her hands around and dancing since she couldn’t dance very well with her injury, “Buddy, dance with me!”

“Yeah!” You squeal, happy enough to dance with your favourite person as you bounce to the addictive tune.

“No, no– Alexa, turn off!” Leah instructs, shaking her head, “Monkey, I love your enthusiasm but it’s not even October yet, remember?”

“Aww, you’re no fun,” Monkey dramatically pouts like she does.

You can’t help but giggle, “Monkey’s bein’ funny, Mummy!”

Leah hums in agreement with you, “Mummy’s a little bit concerned about your big sister right now, bubba,” Before she looks in Monkey’s direction, “What’ve you eaten that’s made you this hyper?”

“Nothin’ at all!” Monkey replies, trying to sound innocent.

“Are you sure about that?” Leah questions, arching her eyebrow, “I swear I told you that you were banned from energy drinks.”

“I haven’t had any,” Monkey protests,  “I haven’t been able to get any since you stopped my allowance either!”

“Well that’s what happens when you buy things that you don’t need,” Leah reminds her.

“But I did need a skateboard!” Monkey argues.

“No you definitely did not,” Leah scoffs, shaking her head as the doorbell rings, “Oh, looks like Jord is here already.”

“Mama!” You jump up, your heart pounding with excitement.

“That’s right, Mama’s here,” Leah says with a smile turning to look at Monkey, “Can you let her in please?”

Monkey huffs in annoyance, “Geez, what did you last slave die off?” She remarks, sarcastically.

“Wait” You start to run after her, eager to open the door, “I come as well!”

“Alright, race you there,” Monkey challenges, though she doesn’t actually run because of her injury.

“Monkey, don’t even think about it!” You can hear Leah shouting from the living room.

“Kiddin’! I’m totally kidding,” Monkey calls back her usual sense of humour as she follows you out towards the front door, “Ah what? You beat me there!”

“I win!” You declare, triumphantly as you reach the front door.

Monkey groans playfully, “That’s not fair!” Before she opens the front door to reveal Jordan waiting on the other side, “Hi, Dobby!”

“Hello little one,” Jordan grins, stepping inside your house.

“Mama!” You squeal excitedly, happy enough to see her as you try and jump into her arms.

“Hey kiddo,” Jordan obliges straight away and scoops you up into her arms, “How's my happy girl today?” She questions, hugging you tightly.

“I beat Monkey, Mama!” You exclaim, proud of the achievement, “We raced, Monkey’s slow cos’ of ouchie! Mummy told her off as well cos’ she’s not using her crutches,” You tell her, promptly.

“Tattletale,” Monkey murmurs, shoving her hands in her pockets as she leans against the wall in the hallway.

“Is that so, huh?” Jordan arches her eyebrow as she looks at the teenage girl, “Where are your crutches, little one?”

“Urgh, not you as well,” Monkey retorts as she rolls her eyes, “Leah’s already been nagging me about them. They’re so flippin’ annoying to use though!”

“You’re meant to be using them otherwise your ankle isn’t going to get better now, is it?” Jordan gives her a knowing look.

“See, Monkey? Ou’ gotta use them!” You declare trying to replicate Jordan’s facial expression, “Mummy and Mama said so!”

“You tell her Buddy,” Jordan chuckles, adjusting you on her hip as she carries you through the hallway back into the living room, “Listen to Dr. Buddy.” She jokes with the teen.

“I can’t help it if I don’t like them,” Monkey mumbles as she trails behind the two of you, “I don’t see why I still have to use them. They’re irritating!”

“They might be, but that still doesn’t mean you should just stop using them though,” Jordan continues to remind her, taking her injury seriously as she’s been on the unfortunate end of having a few of herself and knows how tough things are, “Hiya, Le. How’s things been?”

“Hey Jord,” Leah greets the older woman with a soft smile, “I’ve already told her about it but she’s not listening to me, so maybe you’ll have better luck getting through to her instead, eh?”

Monkey huffs and rolls her eyes, “I still don’t see the need for them.”

“How about you let the doctors be the one to decide that, huh?” Jordan remarks, raising an eyebrow, “Go and get them.”

“Urgh,” Monkey grumbles before she disappears to retrieve her lost crutches.

“What’s she like, eh?” Jordan chuckles, placing you down on the carpeted floor.

“Monkey’s silly, Mummy says so!” You tell her knowingly.

Leah softly smiles at you, “She certainly can be at times, bubba,” She pauses, “Why don’t you show Mama your picture that you’ve done for her?” She suggests.

“Es’!” You are quick to agree, gripping hold of the picture and giving it to Jordan, “Look, Mama! Look! I did it for you, Mama!”

Jordan gasps in amazement, “Wow, really? I love it, Buddy!” She tells you as she pulls you into another tight hug and presses a kiss to the top of your forehead “This is going right on the fridge when we get back to mine.” She declares, you have a lot of your artwork on Jordan's fridge and you’re only too happy to add to it.

It’s not too long before Monkey returns on her crutches, “Happy now that I’m miserable?”

Jordan raises an eyebrow, “I’ll be even happier if you lost the attitude, little one. Where’s this come from?”

“I don’t have an attitude!” Monkey mutters.

Leah shot your favourite person a stern look, “Monkey, stop being a brat.”

“Urgh I hate it when you both gang up on me!” Monkey huffs, dropping back to sit on the sofa and grumpily crosses her arms, “Can’t you two just fight like other separated couples?”

“Monkey!” Leah’s voice sharpens in warning.

“What? It’s true, innit!” Monkey fires back, a smirk playing on her lips.

You tilt your head in confusion and look between Leah and Jordan, “Ou’ fighting?” You ask upset, you don’t want the two of them to be upset with each other.

“I wish,” Monkey mutters in the background.

“Enough, Monkey!” Leah sighs, rubbing her temples, “No, bubba, we’re not fighting. Don’t worry. Mama and I will never fight, especially not in front of you.” She reassures you.

“That’s right,” Jordan chimes in, “You don’t have to worry about us being upset with one another, okay?”

“Okay,” You parrot, nodding in agreement.

“Are you sure about that?” Monkey mutters from where she’s sitting on the sofa, grumpy with her arms crossed.

“Hey. Cut it out!” Leah sends your favourite person another warning look.

“Alright, alright,” Monkey retorts, holding her hands up in surrender, “Can we put the decorations up now since it’s technically spooky season?” She questions.

“Spooky season?” Jordan questions, confused.

“Halloween,” Leah deadpans.

Jordan nods in understanding, “Isn’t that not until next month?”

“Exactly the reason why I’m very much against it,” Leah states, shaking her head.

Monkey pouts in disappointment, “Why not? The shops already have them out!”

“That’s very different, Menace,” Leah tells her, using another nickname that she’s often called other than her actual name which she hates because she said it makes her sound like a boy.

“No it’s not. Please?” Monkey pleads, hopeful that Leah will change her mind.

Leah is firm in her decision to still shake her head, “No, Monkey.”

“You’re no fun at all sometimes!” Monkey whines in disappointment.

“I’m fun, just when it’s the right time to be excited about it,” Leah insists, resting her hands on her hips.

“Boo, you–” Monkey begins.

Leah narrows her brow, “Finish that sentence, I dare you.”

“Ghost,” Monkey smirks at Leah, wanting to push her buttons.

Jordan chuckles and shook her head, “You’re really testing the patience today little one,”

“We haven’t even talked about costumes yet!” Monkey suddenly exclaims, the realisation lighting up her face.

“There’s no rush to decide that,” Jordan replies.

“Costumes!” You chip in, your own eyes wide with excitement at being able to dress up again.

Monkey grins mischievously, “Buddy, you should go as a rat,” She puts the suggestion out there.

“Yeah!” You exclaim, suddenly loving the idea of it, “I wan’ be a rat!”

Jordan is the first to react as she snorts in amusement, “Well that’s different than last year.”

“A rat?” Leah asks in disbelief and shakes her head, definitely more against the idea, “You’re not dressing my child up as a rat for Halloween.”

Monkey scrunches her face up in disagreement, “Why not? It would be cool, innit!”

“No, no, absolutely not,” Leah says in dismay over your costume, “Why not something else, like a witch or a vampire, hell even a dinosaur… Not a rat, anything but that.” She pleads with you.

Shaking your head promptly, your set on your choice, “I wan’ be a rat, Mummy!”

Leah inwardly groans and runs her hands through her hair as she turns to look at Jordan for her support, “I feel like I’ve failed at life right now,” She mutters, “Why don’t you dress up as a pumpkin? You know Mummy dressed up like one once, and it could be super fun!”

“No, wan’ be a rat! I be a rat!” You stomp your foot.

“Yeah, Buddy the rat!” Monkey chimes in.

Jordan chuckles in amusement, “Looks like her minds’ made up, Le.”

Leah shot her a look, “Jordan, please have a word with your children. I can’t deal with either of them.”

“Ah come on, just let her be a rat for the night,” Jordan says,  an amused smile on her lips, “What’s the harm?”

“What’s the harm?” Leah repeats, arching an eyebrow, “Our 3 year old wants to be a rat for Halloween– I can already imagine the family group chat now.”

Monkey snickers from where she’s sat on the sofa, “Jacob would love it though.”

“You’re not helping matters here, Menace!” Leah groans, rolling her eyes.

“I’m just sayin’ you know, I think it’s a great idea,” Monkey retorts, holding her hands up in self surrender.

“Of course you do,” Leah mutters, pinching the bridge of her nose and exhaling a sigh, “This is fantastic. I can’t wait to take photos of our daughter for the family group chat dressed as a rat of all things!”

“Buddy the rat has a nice ring to it,” Monkey points out as she grins.

Leah continues to look at Monkey that makes you giggle, “Unbelievable.”

“Right, so uh… where exactly do we find a rat costume?” Jordan wonders, curiously.

“I have no clue, but you’re in charge of this one,” Leah replies, clearly exasperated, “Bubba, are you sure you don’t want to be something else? How about Mummy takes you shopping one day and we can look at the different costumes?”

“Nooo! I wan’ be a rat, Mummy!” You continue to insist, stubbornly standing there crossing your arms, “Mama, tell her that I be a rat!”

Jordan shrugs playfully, “You heard her, Le. I think she’s set on it.”

“This is madness. I can’t believe you’re okay with this,” Leah sighs, looking utterly defeated.

“Well I think you’re going to be an adorable little rat, Buddy,” Jordan said, ruffling your hair.

“Yeah! I be a rat! I be a rat!” You cheer, bouncing with excitement.

Leah stands there in disbelief, “I can’t believe this, here I wanted to be able to post cute photos of her costume this year and now… this.”

Jordan laughs in amusement, “Right then my little rat, are we ready to go? We need to go and find you a costume!”

“Yeah!” You squeal before turning to look at your favourite person, “Monkey, ‘ou coming as well?”

“Not this time, Bud. I’m going to hang out with some of my friends,” Monkey explains, which leaves you feeling a bit sad since she always comes with you, “I’ll be there next time.”

“Okay,” You murmur feeling a bit disheartened with the news.

You barely have time to feel sad before Leah is scoping you up in her arms and showers your face with kisses like she always does, “Have fun at Mama’s house this weekend, bubba! I love you lots and lots!” She says, squeezing you in a tight hug.

“Mummy ‘ou squeezing too tight!” You whine and try to wriggle free from her embrace.

“Oh I am, huh?” Leah teases holding you close, “Well, Mummy’s just getting all her snuggles in before you disappear for the whole weekend.” She gives you one last squeeze, “I love you, my little bubba.”

“Love ‘ou, Mummy!” You tell her as you planting a slobbery wet kiss on her cheek, “Put me down now, please? Say bye to Monkey!”

“As you wish, bubba,” Leah laughs and sets you back down on the floor so you can toddle over to the sofa to say bye to your favourite person.

“Bye, Monkey. I love ‘ou!” You wrap your arms around her uninjured leg and peer up at her.

Monkey grins and pats your head, “Bye little rat. I love you too.”

Leah frowns, furrowing her eyebrow, “That’s not a cute nickname and it’s certainly not sticking.”

“Aww, really? Don’t be such a spoil sport,” Monkey teases, clearly enjoying winding Leah up.

Jordan chuckles from the side, “Alright, easy little one. You don’t want to be giving Leah a nervous breakdown.” She says with a playful grin.

Leah sighs dramatically, shaking her head, “Too late– It’s already happened,” She mutters.

“Too late it’s already happened,” Leah murmurs quietly, shaking her head.

“Well, in that case, let’s not cause her any more grief,” Jordan adds, turning to Monkey, “Have fun with your friends, and please, for the love of god, use your crutches!”

Monkey rolls her eyes, “Relax, I will. I don’t want to be nagged anymore.”

“You know we only nag you because we care, little one,” Jordan smiles softly, “I’ll see you both on Sunday when I drop Buddy back.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Leah offers, picking up your backpack that has everything in it for the weekend, “Bubba, do you have Mr. Bear?”

“Yeah!” You nod in agreement, lifting your arms up to be picked up by Jordan.

Jordan is only happy to oblige as she lifts you on and settles you on her hip and she walks back towards the front door.

“Cya!” Monkey calls out from where she’s sitting on the sofa.

“Mama, can ‘ou play skelet’n song?” You ask, wiggling excitedly in your car seat as you drive to the shops where you’re going to get your costume from.

Jordan glances at you in the rearview mirror and furrows her eyebrow, “What’s the skeleton song, kiddo?”

“Ou’ know the one that Monkey likes!” You insist, hoping she knows which one you’re on about.

“Oh that one,” Jordan says in realisation, tapping her phone to play the song, “Here we go then.”

You clap your hands with joy as the song fills the car, “Yay!”

Joran chuckles and watches you in amusement, “Are you excited to go and find your costume?”

“Uh huh!” You nod in agreement and dance to the music still.

“And you’re definitely sure that you want to be a rat?” Jordan checks in for clarification to make sure you haven’t changed your mind like you did last year, “You don’t want to be something else?”

“No, Mama. I wan’ be a rat!” You state as a matter of fact, “Ou’ said that I could!”

Jordan chuckles and strums her fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the music, “Alright, alright. A rat it is then,” She agrees, “Lets’ just hope there’s a rat costume then, huh?” She murmurs, hopeful that she will be able to find one.

“Play it again, Mama!” You demand when the song ends.

“Again?” Jordan asks, raising an eyebrow, but plays it for you regardless, “This is going to be stuck in my head all night at this rate.” She thinks aloud as she exhales a sigh.

“Spook’, scar’ skelet’n!” You sing along to the upbeat track just as Jordan’s grateful to arrive at the shopping centre and is able to turn the music off.

“Oh good, look at that we’re here,” Jordan says as she quickly finds a spot in the car park and kills the ignition, “Right, are we ready to go and find your costume then, kiddo?”

“Let’ go, Mama!” You insist, eager to escape your car seat and go walk around the big shops.

Jordan doesn’t waste time to unbuckle you from your car seat, lifting you up and resting you on her hip as she shuts the car door with her free hand as you both head inside the busy shop.

You gasp in amazement as you stare at the aisle full of costumes and decorations, “Wow! Look, Mama!” You exclaim in excitement and wriggle about in her arms, “Costumes!”

“There’s so many, isn’t there?” Jordan says, watching you point out every single skeleton, monster and witch costume there is.

“Skelet’n!” You squeal, pointing straight at the costume.

“I see it kiddo,” Jordan chuckles in amusement, placing you down on the floor so you can have a small wander around, “Do you want to go as one of them instead?” She asks.

“No, Mama. Be a rat!” You say with a firm nod, wandering down the rest of the aisle to look at everything there is, “Mama, me’ need chocolate!”

“Oh you need it, huh?” Jordan arches an eyebrow in amusement as she watches you pick up the chocolate coins and hold them out to her.

Nodding in agreement, you stand there with an adorable pout that Jordan can’t resist, “Uh huh! Please?”

“Okay, okay,” Jordan didn’t take too much convincing and let’s you put them in the basket, “Right kiddo, shall we see if we can find that costume now?”

“Yeah!” You're only too happy to agree to the idea of that.

With a bit of fortunate luck, Jordan manages to find a perfect rat costume for you in your size, and soon you’re continuing to walk down the rest of the aisle, looking at the rest of the Halloween section.

It’s not long before you stop in your tracks when you spot a huge skeleton with eyes that light up red and gasp dramatically, “Mama! Skelet’n!”

“Oh wow. That looks cool, doesn’t it?” Jordan retorts with a fond smile while watching you get excited about everything in the shop.

“Can we get it? I need it!” You insist, using your go too excuse that you find seems to work wonders to get Jordan to agree.

“You need this as well, huh?” Jordan asks, amused.

“Uh huh!” You nod along in agreement with a big smile on your face, “Monkey will like it too, Mama!”

“Oh, you think so? Well, I guess we’ll have to get it then,” Jordan remarks with an amused smile still on her face, adding it to the basket.

A little further down the aisle, you see a wall of Halloween stickers and run over, stretching up on your tiptoes, “Mama, I can’t reach them!” You whine, pouting as you look at her

Jordan lifts you up so you can grab a pack, “Which ones do you want?”

“Those ones! Monkey needs ‘em too!” You insist, knowing that stickers will make your favourite person less grumpy.

“I think you might be right there kiddo,” Jordan agrees as she has the sudden brainwave, “Maybe if we put these on her crutches then she’ll actually start using them, huh?”

“Uh huh!” You nod your head in agreement, toddling down the aisle until you stop again when you see something else that you like, “Skelet’n basket!” You shout, reaching for a basket shaped like a skeleton.

“You’re really into the skeleton’s this year, huh?” Jordan asks, laughing.

“Skelet’n cool, Mama!�� You exclaim, picking it up and holding it out to show her.

“You’ve already got one still from last year kiddo,” Jordan reminds you, but your puppy dog eyes win her over again, “Alright, skeleton basket it is.”

It’s not too long before the basket is full of Halloween goodies, from themed cups for you and Monkey, to skeleton themed Haribo sweets, a colouring book, some skeleton themed pyjamas and even Halloween themed hair clips and a Witch-themed headband.

“Wow, we got lots’ there, Mama!” You exclaim, your eyes lighting up excitedly as you’re eager straight away to reach for the chocolate coins that are yet to be paid for.

“We certainly do, don’t we?” Jordan chuckles, steering you towards the tills to pay for everything that you’ve managed to throw into the basket, “I don’t think we needed most of this now, did we?”

“Monkey will like it though!” You insist, peering up to look at her with wide, innocent eyes, “Can I eat the chocolate now, Mama?”

Jordan shakes her head with a playful smile, tapping your nose, “Not until after dinner, Buddy,” she reminds you, as she starts scanning everything through, before packing it in the bags and taps her card on the machine.

“Mama, I’ hungry!” You whine as you hold her free hand and walk back to where the car is parked.

Unlocking the boot of the car, Jordan puts the shopping bags inside with her free hand all while keeping you rested on her hip with the fear that you might try and run off, “How about we go and get McDonald’s for dinner?” She suggests before settling you back in your car seat and buckling you in.

“Yeah, Donalds’! ‘Appy Meal!” You wiggle happily in your seat.

Climbing back into the car, Jordan drives to the nearest McDonalds’ and parks her car before she gets you out again and the two of you head inside the restaurant, “Do you want nuggets or cheeseburger?” she asks before she orders.

You think about the options for a second, “Nuggets! Pink shake please!”

Jordan nods in agreement, placing the order for you both before collecting the table allocation number and sitting down at a table right beside where all the colouring sheets and crayons are.

“Mama, can I colour?” You point your index finger in the direction to the colouring sheets that you want to do.

“Go for it, kiddo,” Jordan replies with a smile, watching you as you pull a sheet off and grab some coloured crayons before toddling back over to the table.

You're happy enough to sit there and colour while you wait to eat your happy meal.

“Look Mama, I coloured its’ red like Arsenal!” You tell her excitedly, swinging your legs back and forth as you scribble the picture in a red crayon.

Jordan gasps playfully, “Why not like Villa?”

“Nooo! I’ Gooner like Mummy!” You declare proudly.

“Is that right? I guess I have no chance of trying to change your mind, do I?” Jordan sighs with a smile.

You shake your head promptly, “No! I’ Gooner!” You repeat, insistently.

“Okay, okay, you can be my little Gooner,” Jordan retorts with a playful smile as takes the moment to swipe through TikTok, raising her eyebrow as she watches a video, “Oh no, what’s your sister been up to now?” She speaks aloud.

“I wan’ see!” You whine, trying to stand up on the chair and lean over to look at her phone.

“Careful Buddy or you’re gonna fall,” Jordans’ fearful straight away incase you slip and hurt yourself as you sit back down in your seat and she shows you the video of Monkey and Kyra doing something that results in Monkey falling on the floor, “Monkey’s been a bit silly, hasn’t she?”

You giggle as you watch the video again, “Monkey’s silly!”

“I don’t think Mummy’s gonna be too happy about this either, will she?” Jordan speaks aloud, shaking her head as she pulls up her latest text message conversation between herself and Leah.

Jord 🛟🐬

Are you aware of what she is currently doing right now? [1 link attached]

It takes less than 5 minutes for Leah to respond to her text message.

Le 🤠

I’m going to have so many grey hairs before I turn 30 at this rate with the trouble she gets herself into 😐🫣

“Nuggets!” You squeal in delight when your food arrives and you don’t waste time to tuck into it, “Mama! Look, there’s dino’s in my ‘appy meal!” You exclaim, noting the toy hidden at the bottom as you pull it out.

“Oh, wow. That’s cool!” Jordan says, smiling fondly at you, “Remember to eat your nuggets though before they go cold, please.” She reminds you, knowing exactly what you’re like sometimes.

“Dino’ like Gunasaurus!” You shout out loud happily as you completely push your chicken nuggets aside in favour of the plastic dinosaur, “Roar!”

“Wow, look at you, my little rat!” Jordan states in awe as you twirl around in your new costume that you were eager to try on the very minute that you got back to Jordan’s house.

“M’ a rat, Mama!” You shout, excitedly as you continue to spin around in it watching as the tail trails behind you, “M’ a rat!”

“Indeed you are. A very cute little rat,” Jordan chuckles in amusement, “How about we take a photo to send to Mummy and we can see what she thinks?”

“Yeah!” You’re more than happy to oblige, posing for the photo that Jordan takes to send to Leah.

Jord 🛟🐬

I know you’re biassed, but look how adorable our little rat looks! 💗  [3 photos attached]

There isn’t much time before a reply comes back from Leah.

Le 🤠

🥹 Okay yeah I admit she does look adorable, but that nickname is definitely not sticking Jord!

“Mummy likes it, kiddo,” You got the seal of approval of the blonde as you bounce up and down on your tiptoes

“Mama, can I wear it to bed?” You question, hopeful of a positive answer.

Jordan stifles her laughter as she bites her bottom lip, “I don’t think that would be such a good idea, kiddo.”

“Why not? I wan’ be a rat to bed!” You pout adorably, not liking the fact you couldn’t do it.

“How about we just stick to wearing it during the day?” Jordan suggests, amusedly.

You furrow your eyebrow and shake your head, “But I wan’ wear it to bed!”

“But if you wear it to bed then you won’t be able to wear it for Halloween, will you?” Jordan tells you in a gentle tone of voice, “How about you wear the Skeleton pyjamas instead that we got?”

Your eyes light up in delight, “Yeah, Skelet’n!”

Jordan breathes a sigh of relief that you are so willing to agree to that because even though she agrees to most things that you ask, she has to somehow draw the line at you letting you go to bed in a rat costume.

leahwilliamsonn posted

liked by alessia and 2,230 others

leahwilliamsonn diferent style of costume this year for buddy apparently 🙃😑

some kids' choose be a witch, ghost or vampire costumes but not my kid, instead she chooses to be a rat 🐀😭

View all 201 comments

bethmead_ nah, it's the tail for me! 😂

view 48 replies liked by 102 others

alessia why do i feel like this is monkey's doing?

view 10 replies liked by 112 others

liawalti sweet adorable little rat 🥹💗

view 19 replies liked by 142 others

monkeymenace_ yeah buddy the rat!! 😊😊

view 34 replies liked by 234 others

© scribblesofagoonerr

[pickingupmymercedes]

Ways to say "I love you" part 2 - Lewis Hamilton

I think we all deserve a little something after the horror we went through in today's race ❤️

warnings: mentions of blood, accidents and bit of angst

wordcount: +2k

important: again, each drabble was writen as a snippet into different moments with Lewis. Special thank you for my 💗 anon for helping with some of the ideas

As always, my asks are open for corrections, ideas and just to chat too!

Over a cup of tea

“We need to talk this through, before it blows in our faces, Lewis” Serious expression on your face as you handed him the cup of tea on the balcony of your apartment overlooking London.

“Mhmm, we do?” He questioned confused.

“Yes…what exactly are we?” You couldn’t look him in the eye as you questioned him, too embarrassed you weren’t sure if what you felt the night before was real, even if come the morning he was still there, as he had been for the past two months.

“Those words last night meant nothing to you?”

“They meant the world, actually”

“But you don’t feel the same?” The confusion now passed on to him, forehead scrunching as he questioned if he hadn’t read your relationship right, and your body responding before your head could think it through as you reached for the hand he willingly let you take.

“I… I need to feel safe to say it back.” You responded after a few awkward seconds of silence as he waited for your response.      

“I want you, if you’ll have me. I really do love you. And you don’t need to say it back now, just let me know if this relationship is for real, because I want it to be.” He said looking into your eyes, anxiously waiting until you lifted your head to give you a smile.

“Thank you for understanding” You said buried into his neck as you took the tea away from his hands and brought him closer.    

Over a bottle of wine

“Found board games!” You excitedly exclaimed as you walked back into the house. Tiny feet stomping away and reaching you in seconds.

“Is there Monopoly? Uncle Lew said we could be here for daayssss” Willow was the first one to start taking the boxes as you handled her and Kaiden the pile you had just borrowed from the nearest neighbor

“Are they still stuck in New York?” You asked Lewis just as he set his phone down.

“Earliest forecast is tomorrow night, possibly” a concerned look to him as his mom and sisters got stuck in a snow storm on their way from England to Colorado.

“Guess we have these two to ourselves then”  

“Granny said it’d be good practice for you to take care of us” Kaiden chirped in but not fully aware of the shock in Lewis’ face at the remark.

“It’ll be fun when there’s two more girls to play with” This time Willow getting you to choke on the water you were drinking.

“Why two girls?” Lewis amusedly asked, aware you were still trying to hold the laughter in the kitchen

“Dunno” She simply shrugged as she helped her brother set up the game.

“Two girls, huh?! You know people say I’m a girl dad…” He brought back the subject as he picked up the mess left in the living room, a glass of wine open on the kitchen counter and two glasses already in your hands as you approached him after putting the kids to bed.  

“I think I’d be happy with that” Your soft smile easing the tension you felt in him as he mentioned kids with you for the first time, handing him his glass and dragging him to sit down on the sofa for a bit.

“I think I’d prefer a boy then a girl, you know, so he could be there for her.” He said after a bit of silence, almost as if he was pondering what would be best order, and you could feel the yearning to have kids of his own in his voice.  

“I agree with the internet people on that one, you’re too much of a girl dad, babe” You set your drink on the side table, cuddling closer to his chest as he pondered on his glass.

“Doesn’t really matter, honestly, just one would be more than enough. As long as I got you too”

As an apology

“What the hell was THAT for?” You threw your handbag and phone all the way across the kitchen island as you looked at Lewis standing at the door, an annoyed look to him.

“That guy shouldn’t have approached you” His mind still on the tall blue-eyed dude that tried to buy you a drink at the club.

“I can handle myself you know?! Never had the need for a knight in shining armor…” all your anger gone as you realized how absurd that sounded when said to your knighted boyfriend, a smile cracking the tough face you were fighting hard to keep.

“I love you, okay?! You may not need to be saved from a monster but you’re gonna have a knight by your side regardless.”

Taking the cue, he reached for you and brought you close by your waist, tucking one side of your hair behind your ear while using his other one to caress your check.

“Yes sir.” His sweet eyes turning into dark one as he heard you whisper the title and felt your hands rummage through his back. 

As a hello

You smelt his cologne before he walked back into the room from the bathroom, woody and citric tones overcoming your senses as a light tug at your exposed breasts demanded your attention back.

“Hey darling, you done there? Sure you don’t anymore?” The little fingers of your month-old baby girl clutching your fingers as you softly redirected her small mouth back to the spot her eyes wildly looked for.

“Gosh, I love you two so much” His remark a common occurrence in your daily routine in the bubble of nappies, changes and feeds your lives had turned into those past weeks, in the dead of the cold but sunny winter in Monaco.

“Hello to you too, hot stuff” he smiled back as you checked his toned abs adorned by the towel in his waist, sitting by your side in the headboard of your bed, hands caressing your thighs.

“You sure you’re going to be okay here this weekend?” Concern written all over his features as he stroked your daughter’s tiny legs.

“Your mom’s here, my mom’s here, we’re gonna be just fine Lew.” His eyes searching for any doubts in your mind.   

“I’m only a call away, okay?!” He whispered as he kissed your head, enjoying the last moments he would have with his little family for a few days before yet another season began. 

With a shuddering gasp

It’s funny how time really is relative, you thought as you slowly watched four cars pile onto each other in a traffic jam that had just about three other cars in front already. You weren’t even paying attention to the road before, only really looking up from your phone when your car suddenly swerved right and hit the grass on the side of the road.

“Are you okay y/n?” His whole body hovering over yours, hands already unbuckling your seatbelt as Lewis tried to grab your attention.

“C’mom babe, we need to get you out of the car, now” He tried again but you couldn’t respond back, still in shock from the near miss, your hands a wobbly mess as he squeezed it.

“I’m carrying you outside, okay?!” He didn’t even wait for a reply before lifting you like you weighed nothing, examining you in the process to check for anything hurt while he carried you to the rest of people waiting by the road.

It took a while, more than a few minutes for your eyes to start focusing back on your surroundings. He was knelt right in front of you, worry all over as he asked again and again if you were hurt.

“You saved us” You gasped quietly as your eyes finally reached his, his hands cupping your face the second he heard you, your lips already on his as you felt his arms taking you into his body.

In a letter

You’d been, since the beginning, the one he wanted, comings and goings through the years hadn’t been able to diminish the electric pull he felt whenever he saw your smile light up the room, even from afar. But as if the universe liked having a laugh at their expenses, time and time again you’d both find your lives going in complete opposite directions. So, as he sat in his desk writing his vows, he could only be amazed that by some miracle he had found his way into your life and into your heart.

“ … So, I vow to be your lover, companion, partner and ally. Through what may I promise to always be there. I might not have the answers or tools but I’ll walk with you, through the darkest of valleys or at the summit of our dreams.

I love you for you, because you give me the chance to be my truest self, because when you’re around I know we’ll find our way through. I love you, and from the moment I learned that, I’ve been giving it my all to be worthy of you.”

When the broken glass litters the floor

“Fuck, why did I do that?” Your exclamation coming out a bit louder than expected as your eyes started to water from the sharp pain in your hand, blood already dripping from the gush on the palm as you looked to the pieces of the glass on the floor.

“Babe? What’s happened, what was that noise?” His voice coming from just outside the bathroom door, fidgeting with the lock to try and get in.

“Please, let it be a good timing” Was all you could whisper to yourself, the knot in your throat almost suffocating you, the reality of it all too much to comprehend or process, your feet automatically swerving the glass and blood on the floor to get to the door.

“I hope you don’t have anything important going on in the next months” you said just as his eyes tried to scan you and the bathroom. His features with confusion all over as you handled him the stick with the 2 lines on them.

“What’s… but the doctor said…really?” You watched as all types of emotion tumbled across his eyes, overwhelmed an understatement to what you both felt at that moment.

You nodded just slightly after a few moments of his eyes questioning yours, the start of a smile forming on his lips as his arms reached you and engulfed you in a hug, crashing your injured hand in the process.

“Ouch, hand” He froze as you winced, putting two and two together, looking to the blood and the remains of the glass and seeing the injure on your palm for the first time.

“I do hope this kid takes after you and isn’t as clumsy” You pointed as he sat you down at the tub to check the cut. His smile reaching all the way to his eyes as he chuckled and looked at you.

“Nah, I hope this kid is every bit just like you.”

With no space left between us

You could feel his movements as he opened the parachute and brought you two back down to safe land, but nothing managed to tear your eyes from the immensity of the sky. There was infinity as long as your eyes could see and you were nothing in comparison, your thoughts long lost to the smallness of human race.

“You were awfully quiet up there, you good?” His voice a bit dry from the wind, your bodies tightened together as the guys got you both out of the mess of ropes.

“I think I’m still processing how small we really are” You answered almost to yourself, still trying to comprehend what you had just experienced.

“Another go at tandem is due then?” You saw the smirk in his face as you turned to look at him, his arms still very much wrapped around you and his fingers circling in your forearm.

“Thank you for dragging me out here, but how did you know I’d like skydiving?!” You reached back to his arms while they strapped you out of the seat, holding him closer, still with the ghost feeling of the wind around.

“I love you… that’s how I knew you’d love it.” He said to your hair as he held you to him, smug face as he reveled in the feeling of you.  

From very far away

The speakers blasted the victory song as each of the three drivers on the podium sprayed champagne around, everyone drenched and smiles thrown left and right, laughs being heard all the way around the Monza podium.  

As Lewis stood by the edge of the platform, he lifted his trophy at the sea of Tifosi, as a way to show appreciation for the support so far on the season and at his new home race, dedicating his win to them.

Turning to the pitlane he also pointed his trophy to the Ferrari team, scanning the crowd he found you at, just by Fred and Anthony, tears flowing down and a gleaming smile that could light up his entire soul. You tried mouthing something to him but he couldn’t quite make it out in the overwhelming state you were all in.

“I love you” he said to you, from the top of the podium, knowing that whatever it was you were saying, and whatever it was that happened, could be answered and resolved with those three words.

[kooruphobic]

WILL YOU BE MY VALENTINE? — armin arlert/reader

𓆩♡𓆪 tags : sub!armin, tease!reader, armin has a crush (on you), and is definitely helplessly in love, kissing, begging (slightly), vaginal sex, jean kirstein is a bitch, armin thinks about voueyrism(?), smut

𓆩♡𓆪 word count : 2.7k

𓆩♡𓆪 summary : armin has been pining after you for years. when the two of you end up alone in his room, he finally works up the courage to ask you to be his valentine. but in the end, he gets a little more than what he asked for.

Armin likes you. Everyone knows—Eren, Mikasa, Jean, Connie, Sasha—it’s a universal fact at this point. Even people who aren't in your close circle know.

He’s liked you for years. Ever since Eren introduced the two of you he fell in love at first sight. Armin wasn’t gifted with the courage to flirt with girls as Eren does, so he’s admired you from afar instead. Everyone notices how he looks at you and how he blushes when you get close to him. One time, when your entire friend group was hanging out, there were no more spots on the couch so you asked if you could sit on his lap as a joke. His entire face went completely red in seconds. He managed to choke out a quiet “yeah,” and for the few weeks following Armin had to face relentless teasing from the entire group. 

Truth be told, you knew what you were doing. You always know what you're doing. Even though he doesn't think you know, it's quite obvious to you that Armin has a crush. Teasing him when you all hang out together is probably one of your favorite pastimes. You enjoy the way he struggles to get out the right words when you compliment him or how his eyes go wide and his cheeks flush rosy-pink when you flirt. 

If you're being honest with yourself, you might also have a little crush on him. Armin is very pretty. You like his blonde hair and how his soft blue eyes compliment them. His smile is super cute, too. He’s always nice to you (probably because he likes you) but he’s always careful with what he says and has never done anything to make you uncomfortable. You would ask to date him, but you find no fun in making the first move. Imagining Armin being flustered as he’s confessing to you is something you picture almost every time you see him.

Today is the 14th of February. It's a day that people either love or hate: Valentine’s Day. Since nobody in the friend group is dating anyone, you decided to spend Valentine's Day with each other. Armin offered for everyone to come over to his place and you did. You all played games (almost losing friendship over an Uno match), ate, drank, and talked about stupid things. It was like any other typical hangout you guys had.

Or so Armin thought. With the way his friends are, he shouldn't have been surprised when they all left to go “pick up” something. Jean was the one who urged you to stay with Armin, insisting he couldn't just be left alone even though Armin kept telling you it was fine.

And now the two of you are in his room, sitting on the edge of the bed, talking about nothing in particular. 

“...And I always lose when we play anything card related. You guys are plotting against me or something,” you laugh softly, slightly tilting your head. You ask him a question but your words simply go through one ear and out the other. The only thing Armin can focus on is how pretty you look next to him. He eyes your chest and eventually trails down the rest of your body, practically undressing you with his eyes.

“Armin?”

You wave a hand in front of him, breaking him out of his trance. He realizes he’s been staring at you for a little too long, and he immediately begins coming up with one hundred different excuses for himself.

“I’m sorry, I just spaced out for—”

“What were you thinking about?”

You.

“I-I dunno. Just stuff, I guess.”

Armin’s cheeks are dusted rose-pink and he can feel the blood rush to his face. He’s praying you don't notice his flushed appearance (you do, though). You giggle at his sudden shy demeanor, despite him talking so confidently with you just a few minutes before.

“You can tell me, I won’t judge.”

You will judge. How can he possibly tell you straight-up he was thinking about you? 

“It's nothing, really. Did you ask something earlier?” he questions, trying to change the subject.

You smile. Earlier you asked if he had a valentine. You know the answer already, you just want to see him become a stuttering mess.

“I asked if you have a valentine.”

Armin's eyes widen for a second and he quickly looks around the room, finding something to focus on so he’s not looking at you. 

Of course, he doesn't have a valentine. He wants it to be you, but there's no way he has enough courage to do that. Armin has done the math. There's a ninety-nine-point-nine chance of him getting rejected, so it's kind of silly to confess knowing he’ll get his heart broken.

He’s heard it a million times from his friends every year: “Just do it. The worst she can say is no,” but that's just it. Every time a guy thinks the worst she can possibly say is “no” the outcome is the complete opposite and they get rejected in ways ten times worse. Armin doesn't have any personal experience with that, but he’s certainly seen what other guys have been through.

But then he starts thinking, what if you do say yes to him? What if the point one percent of you not rejecting him actually pulls through? Armin feels a small sense of confidence. It wouldn't hurt to confess…right? He’s liked you for years so why not just tell you and get it over with? He does have the perfect opportunity. Maybe watching Eren flirt with all those girls has given him some second-hand experience.

Armin stops staring at the pencil on his desk and returns his gaze to you. You still have your head tilted to the side, patiently waiting for an answer.

“...Yeah.”

The little confidence he had in himself left and was replaced with immediate regret. Why did he say that? He didn't even say it as a normal person would. His voice came out quiet and shaky. Where was he even going with this?

“Oh, really?” you smile again, a hint of amusement in your voice. “Who is it?”

“Well—”

“Is it someone I know?” you place a hand on his chest, pushing him back onto the bed. “Am I friends with them?”

Armin's heartbeat quickens tenfold, and instead of feeling the blood rush straight to his face, it goes straight to his dick. He’s hard and all you’ve done is put one hand on hand on him. 

You give him an innocent look and place a knee between his legs, acting as if you don't know what you're doing. 

“What's wrong, Armin? You're so quiet.”

What's wrong? What's wrong is that your knee is pressing against his hard-on and you're above him, hand still resting on his chest. There's no way you're doing this as a joke. It has to be on purpose, right? You're not just messing with him?

“You…you do know her,” he manages to say, closing his eyes and letting out a sharp breath.

 You lean forward and your lips ghost the shell of his ear. 

“Tell me about her then,” you whisper, “because it seems that you like her a lot.”

Armin swallows and places a shaky hand on top of yours, gazing at you with desire evident in his eyes. 

“She’s really pretty. I’ve liked her for a long time…” he trails off when you run your hand down his abs, but picks up again when you stop. “I haven't actually asked her yet.”

“Hmm. Why? Are you scared?” your voice takes on more of a sultry tone.

“N-no. Not exactly.”

“I think…” you tuck a stray strand of hair behind his ear, “that you should ask her right now.”

Armin looks up at you and stares. There's no way you're just joking. He’s used to your teasing—Armin always thinks it's just to mess with him—but you’ve never taken it this far. You have to like him too, right? Why would you go to these lengths just to mess with him? He realizes just how embarrassed he is and how embarrassing it would be if he really asked you to be his valentine. Armin would feel like he was in the sixth grade again, which is definitely not something he’d like to feel. 

You graze your lips against his, cupping his face with your hand. 

“C’mon, Armin. I know you like me. Just ask.”

He feels his face heat up again. For a second, he thinks he’s dreaming because there’s no possible way this could be real. But it is. It is real. It’s real and you’re telling him to ask you to be his valentine.

“Will you—will you be my valentine?”

He cringes slightly at his words but seeing the way you smile against his lips makes everything worth it.

“Of course I will.”

Armin swallows again as you stare at him for a few moments. He follows your eyes as they move down to his lips. As if asking for permission, you move forward ever so slightly. He thinks about it for a moment, wondering what would happen if the others came back and walked into the room. How would they react if they saw the two of you like this, your knee in between his thighs and faces so close you can feel each other's breath? They most definitely wouldn’t be surprised, but if you took it any further than a one-time thing…

He decides not to think about it any longer and closes his eyes, letting his lips find yours and kissing you. Armin kisses softly at first, but eventually, you start kissing back, and he loses himself. The kiss grows sloppier but it doesn’t matter to him. This is all he’s ever wanted. The number of times he’s fallen asleep fantasizing about your soft lips on his—he can’t even count them on his fingers anymore. Armin wraps his arm around your waist and pulls you closer to him. 

You taste sweet, a mix of chocolate and alcohol from earlier. It’s intoxicating. Everything about you is intoxicating. The way you smell, the way you feel, the way you touch. He hadn’t noticed you were running your hands down his body until you reached in between his thighs. Your hands lingered there, unmoving. He moans into the kiss, quiet but still loud enough that you hear. 

You kiss him for a few moments longer then break away. Armin is panting, his ears burning and eyes blown with lust. You’ve turned him into a mess with one kiss.

“Please,” is the only word he says, looking down at your hand still between his thighs. 

You tug his shirt, a sign for him to take it off, and he obliges. He throws it to the side carelessly, doing the same with his pants. 

You’ve seen Armin without a shirt before but you’ve never realized how good he looks. He has washboard abs, a slender waist, and a complimenting v-line—you can’t help but stare for a few seconds. You run your hands down his abs, trailing all the way down to his boxers. You hook your fingers around the waistband and pull them down, his hard cock lightly hitting his stomach. There’s already pre-cum leaking from his tip. 

“What do you want me to do, Armin?” you ask, wrapping your fingers around his length. 

He looks at you through half-lidded eyes. He doesn’t care what you do to him, he just wants more of you in any way possible. 

“Anything.”

You grin and pull your shirt off, then your shorts, then your bra. Besides your panties, you’re completely bare. Armin admires how perfect you look in front of him. He’s touched himself to the thought of you naked before, but nothing he imagined in that pretty little head of his amounted to how good you looked in person.

You go in for another kiss and soon enough he’s pushing inside of you, slowly enough to make sure he doesn’t hurt you. You moan into the kiss, rolling your hips onto his. 

“Wait—no condom?” 

“It’s ok. On the pill,” you intertwine your fingers with his and press your lips onto his again. Armin bottoms out into you and groans. You realize just how big Armin actually is. He places his hands around your waist and hugs you closer, holding you tight as if he’s scared he’ll lose you. 

You start moving up and down on his cock and eventually, Armin starts meeting you halfway. The two of you waste no time taking it slow, he’s desperate for you, and—even though you haven’t really shown it—you’re desperate for him. When Armin kissed you your thighs clenched, but he didn’t seem to notice. 

The room that was once filled with you and Armin’s innocent bickering and teasing was now filled with obscene sounds—from how he pistoned up into your wet pussy to his sweet whimpers—it turned on Armin so, so much.

You squeeze around him, enjoying his whimpers and breathy pants. And just as you were both chasing your high, coming close even though it hasn’t been that long, you hear the front door open and the sounds of your friend's laughter follow. Armin stops and looks at his closed bedroom door, a panicked expression on his face. A knock sounds on the door, Connie’s voice coming from the other side.

“Are you two good in there?”

Armin opens his mouth to answer but only a broken sob comes out as you slam your hips back down onto him. You continue, smiling down at him, acting like nothing is wrong. He looks at you with his eyes widened, biting his hand to stop himself from letting out any more sounds.

“Go on, answer him. You don’t want him to think there’s anything wrong, do you?” 

He grabs your waist with his free hand in an attempt to stop you, but he’s so weak from the pleasure that it does absolutely nothing. Tears prick at his eyes, from the embarrassment of being almost caught by one of his friends and how good he feels.

“I bet you secretly want it to happen. For Connie to come in here and see what we’re doing.”

You’re right, he does secretly want it to happen. He wants Connie to open the door and see the expression on his face at the sight of the two of you. He wants him to see the way you go down onto his cock, taking him so well and him enjoying everyone second of it. Armin isn’t even thinking straight anymore, purely driven by lust. He begins to thrust back up into you, tears rolling down his cheeks. Everything feels better than before; you feel impossibly tighter around him and he feels so good. There are no other words to describe it. 

“Hello?”

“We’re fine. Just give us a few moments, we’re talking about somethi—”

Armin stops mid-sentence because feels close, hips stuttering. He feels the way your pussy spasms around him and notices the way your eyes roll back. You’ve already come but he’s not done yet.

“I’m sorry,” is all he manages to choke out as he continues to push into you. He grabs your hips again and thrusts roughly, his rhythm growing messy and inconsistent. You’re overstimulated and you try to say something, but your jaw goes slack as he keeps going. He chases the high he was so close to earlier and finally reaches it, a string of broken sobs and moans coming spilling from his mouth. Armin’s loud and he knows it, but it doesn’t matter to him anymore. He pulls you into one final, messy kiss and closes his eyes, breath heavy. 

There’s a moment of silence and suddenly you hear roars of laughter through the door. 

“I fucking told you! You all owe me fifty dollars,” Jean’s voice echoes through the house, followed by a chorus of groans from the rest of your friends.

“You’re such a fucking bitch, dude.” Connie’s voice is clear at first, becoming quieter and muffled as he moves away from the bedroom door.

You look at Armin and he looks at you. You laugh and he gives you a shy, embarrassed smile.

“Oops.”

𓆩♡𓆪 note : this was supposed to be posted on valentines day. . .obviously. i posted it on ao3 on feb 15, and decided to post here too after awhile.

happy late valentines day!

[stormysunday9]

Some 18+ smut, mostly fun and fluff.

Nine to Five

Things had been challenging with Joe since the season started. Being able to come back after his injury had set him into a level of locked in focus that I was not previously familiar with. Despite being together for the last year, the last couple months had taken a toll. Most days I felt like an accessory in his life. He'd let me know when he needed me for something, but I knew better than to bother him without invitation. I admit, I wasn't at my happiest. But I hoped once he got comfortable being back in his groove, he'd turn back into the charming guy who had made great effort to win me over a year ago.

One thing we still did together were the bi-weekly O-Line dinners. Whoever was available from the Bengals offensive line would get together every other week for dinner and drinks and some social time where football wasn't the prime focus. It was good for the guys, and it was one of the few things that wives and girlfriends were included in during the season. If the guys were winning, we'd sometimes take it to a restaurant and rent out their party room. If they weren't, it was often better to avoid a public setting, and one of the players would host at their home. This week we were heading to Andrei's, and I was looking forward to it because his girlfriend Logan was the WAG I was closest to. She was super down to earth, and had her own vibe that wasn't just "girlfriend of football player". Her and Andrei had an amazingly strong and healthy relationship.

Joe came down the stairs right on time and asked if I was ready to go. I think those may have been the first words he'd said to me all day. We got in his car and headed to Andrei's. He told me about some of the tape he'd been watching that afternoon, and the way he thought it would be useful for Sunday's game. I could tell he wasn't really looking for me to participate in the conversation. He did look over at me and smile when we stopped at a red light. That was nice, I thought. Then immediately thought: wow the bar sure has lowered! as I internally rolled my eyes at myself.

The gang was already laughing and chatting when we arrived. It was a smaller group tonight. We took the empty chairs across from Tee and Ja'marr, and I quickly joined in the conversations. It was nice to have people to talk to. Supper was fantastic and I helped Logan serve dessert. "You good, babe?" She asked me when we were alone in the kitchen. "Ya, why?" I asked, confused by her sudden question. "I just haven't seen you and Joe say two words to each other all night." she clarified. "Oh that. Ya, that's just kind of how it is now, you know, football and all."

She gave me a questioning eyebrow raise. "No, I don't know I guess. Andrei plays football too. But he still talks to me during the season."

I laughed. "That's fair. I dunno, I guess Joe's just wired differently...". 

Andrei walked into the kitchen then, ending our conversation. "Where's my pie, mama?!" He asked Logan, wrapping his arms around her waist. She rolled her eyes, "it's coooming, and it'll be so much quicker if you grab some plates and help!"

I carried a few plates of pie back into the room and handed them out. I sat back down and let my eyes drift around the table at the cuddly couples, the happy faces, and started to think about how strange it felt to be feeling so lonely when I wasn't alone.

Joe's voice interrupted my thoughts. "I think I'm gonna head out." What? No! I'd been looking forward to this all week. 

"My guy," Ja'marr pleaded, "take a damn break, have a drink, relax. We will still play football on Sunday, I promise you." 

I took that as my opportunity to have an opinion. "I'm not ready to go yet, and Logan has a game planned for later..."

"You can stay." He said, like that should have been obvious.

"Well how am I gonna get home?" I asked, feeling my embarrassment rising with this very public display of Ways Your Relationship is Imploding. I panicked when I met Joe's eyes because I could tell he was on the verge of telling me he really didn't care.

"I'll get her home, Shiesty," Tee Higgins spoke up. I swung my head to face him at the sound of his voice. His eyes were warm and full of concern. Thank god for Tee. He was by far my favourite guy on the team. He'd been so kind to me since day one, and he and I shared the same sarcastic sense of humor. He was such an optimist, and just a constant ray of sunshine. He was one of those people who made you a better person just by being around him. We always seemed to be on the same page. 

Joe nodded in agreement, gave me a quick peck on the temple, waved goodbye to everyone else, and was gone.

I mouthed a thank you to Tee across the table and he gave me a wink in response. Logan slammed a drink down in front of me because I'm sure anyone within 10 miles could see I needed one, and no one said another thing about it for the rest of the evening. I finally relaxed and had some fun.

By the time Tee and I headed out to his blacked out Suburban, I had a bit of a buzz and a happily distracted mind. 

"Geezuz! Have you got a step stool?" I jokingly asked in reference to my 5'5 frame trying to climb into his massive truck. 

"No but i got these!" He bent down and laced his fingers together for me to step into.

I laughed. "Can you imagine telling Taylor you broke your hand lifting me into your vehicle?" 

"Girl you weigh a hundred pounds. I'd be impressed if you broke my nail." He chided. 

He opened the door for me and I managed the scale the vehicle on my own while he went around to the drivers side. Once buckled in, he asked what I wanted to listen to.

"I'm easy," I told him, "whatever you've already got on!"

He turned the volume up and Kane Brown's voice filled the air. I knew Tee was a closet country fan, I'm sure it was his southern boy roots. He put the truck in gear and started driving while belting out the lyrics. His joy was so infectious that I couldn't help but join in. Halfway through the song when I knew Kane was about to hit the high note, I held an imaginary microphone in Tee's face and he gave it everything he had, and proceeded to miss the note by a mile.

I burst out laughing til I had tears in my eyes. I honestly couldn't remember the last time I had laughed that hard. Or felt free enough to do so. I let out a huge sigh when I had finally caught my breath, feeling as if a weight had been lifted, until I noticed we were about to get on the interchange toward home. I put my hand on Tee's bicep and he looked over at me. I looked into those kind eyes and the words rolled out of my mouth before I could stop them: "I don't want to go home yet."

Tee looked a bit fearful at first. "But I told the boss I'd bring ya home safe. You know I don't wanna piss off the boss."

"You will bring me home safe! Just not yet? I swear Tee, he hasn't even checked in with me since he left. He's probably been asleep for two hours already. He literally won't even care. Just one more stop?" I pleaded.

"Well that, that makes me sad. So I guess I must fix that by giving in to your demands. Where ya wanna go?" 

I had no idea, and my face must have said so.

"Arcade?" He suggested.

My face lit up. "YES!!" 

Tee smiled, "here we go!" And cranked the wheel away from the on ramp.

"But wait!", my thoughts interrupted, "is that a good idea? With so many people?"

He chuckled, " a) it's Wednesday so it probably won't be that busy and b) I don't attract a crowd like your boy Shiesty does. We good, girl!"

Ten minutes later we were in a chaotically loud game arcade, inundated with flashing lights and dinging games and loud music being played on shitty speakers. We started at the basketball game, and as we both sunk ball after ball, Tee finally spoke up.

"Soooo why's Joe being a dickhead?"

The little bit of alcohol still buzzing through my system all but evaporated.

I groaned, "can we not? I'm having fun for once."

"Nah, it's good if you don't wanna get into it. I was just trying to understand. You're like the best thing that ever happened to him, and now it seems like he's just shutting you out. Did something happen?"

I stopped taking shots and tucked the ball I was holding under my arm. "Ya Tee, something happened. Football happened." I turned and flicked the ball toward the hoop and it slid through effortlessly. I turned back to Tee, "and if you ask Joe, transferring from Ohio State to LSU was the best thing that ever happened to him. Not me."

I felt the happiness from the last few hours wash away, reality setting in heavily.

"You better get me home." 

Tee frowned. He bent down and grabbed the long string of tickets we'd been accumulating, then tapped a teenage looking kid on the shoulder and handed them all to him. I watched the kid look at the tickets, then look up at Tee, and his face fill with shock when he realized who he was looking at.

Tee jogged to catch up to me and put his hands on my shoulders as he followed me back to his truck. 

"That kid knew who you are," I informed him.

"And who am I?" He asked with a glint in his eye.

I spun around to face him, letting a mischievous grin spread across my face, and said "you're Tee fucking Higgins!!!!"

He let out a sound that was a mix between a laugh and a yeehaw and galloped back to the truck.

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

I slipped into the house quietly and was greeted at the door by my black cat, Sir Purr. Joe hated that I had named him that. I tried to explain that he's a black cat, and I didn't have the foresight to know I would one day be dating a Cincinnati Bengal while Sir Purr still lived. And I stand by the fact that it's a great name, regardless of its mascot implications. I went up the stairs to the bedroom to grab some pajamas before heading down the hall to wash up. Joe was sleeping soundly, as expected. He looked so perfect, and so peaceful, and I suddenly had a big pang of guilt in my stomach for having so much fun without him tonight. I promised myself to try harder tomorrow to be what he needed me to be. Even if I was having a really hard time figuring out what that was lately. I laid down on the couch and grabbed the big snuggly blanket off the back of it and tucked myself in. I didn't want to wake him, I know he takes his sleep seriously. I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep, the noise of the arcade still ringing in my ears. 

I woke up with a start to the unmistakable feeling of someone standing over me.

"Sorry," Joe said, realizing he'd startled me, "morning."

I sat up a bit and stretched. "Good morning, did you have a good sleep?"

"I did. How come you slept down here?"

"It was late, I didn't want to disturb you. You ready for Yoga later?"

The practice facility was hosting a yoga class for players and their families and Logan and Andrei had asked us to go with them. I could immediately tell by the look on Joe's face that he'd forgotten. He started apologizing, saying that coach had sent him some new tape. I told him it was fine. It was the norm at this point. I texted Logan to let her know Joe was bailing but to still come pick me up. 

When we got to the facility, Tee was waiting. 

"Fifth wheel reporting for duty!" He joked with a big smile on his face.

"Oh is that why you're number five?!" I playfully elbowed him in tthe ribs.

"Ha ha." 

"Not a fifth wheel today," Logan jumped in, "Joe bailed!" She added like it was the least surprising thing that could have happened.

Tee gave me a look of pity. 

I was happy to be pulled from the hot seat when Andrei walked up with a worried look.

"Sooo I guess I wasn't super clear on the details when I read about this and it tuuuuurns out," he paused, looking nervously at me, "that this is couples yoga....." He grimaced, waiting for the backlash.

I rolled my eyes, "you can't be serious!" I groaned.

"We're good, bestie!" Tee chimed in, "I got you."

"You literally don't have to do this," I assured him, "this clearly just was not meant to be."

"You're absolutely not getting out of this," he told me, "besides, ain't no way I'm missing Yoshi lose his yoga virginity."

I begrudgingly agreed, and the next 45 minutes made up the least serious yoga class that ever was. For a professional football player, Andrei was wildly uncoordinated. And Tee, well Tee was just too damn tall. 

Logan and I got changed in the girls locker room and met the boys in the players locker room. Before anyone could say anything, Logan said her and Andrei had to figure out some paper work with the front office and asked if Tee could drive me home. I was really starting to think Logan was up to something and she was definitely gonna hear from me about it later.

Tee was unphased by the request, "of course, my Passenger Princess," he said dramatically, while bowing to me like a goof. 

"Perfect!" Logan squealed a bit too excitedly, and then vanished out the door, leaving the two of us in the now empty room.

I leaned against the lockers while Tee tied his shoes. "I'm really so sorry you had to endure that. As soon as Yosh learns to read, man, I swear he's gonna be unstoppable!"

Tee laughed. "Nah, I had fun. I had no idea you were so damn flexible!" 

"Twelve years of ballet!" I said proudly, "I felt like I was rock climbing out there though. Apparently zero percent of your body is soft and squishy!"

I had meant to be funny, but realized the underlying innuendos as soon as it was out of my mouth. And so did Tee. In any other situation I feel like the whole thing would have gone unnoticed. But instead it seemed to catch on something already hanging in the air. Something that might be a result of our bodies bending with and against each other for the last 45 minutes...

"Well you're soft and squishy in all the right places.", he grinned, standing up so he was looking down on me,  "Ain't no way any part of me wouldn't be hard with that body all over mine."

I could see the fire brewing in his eyes, and felt my own heat growing in a flush through my body. Alarm bells were ringing in every inch of my brain. I ignored them. I couldn't look away from him, his eyes locked on mine. A million things were being said without either of us saying anything.

Suddenly Tee's arms were around me, lifting me up effortlessly, pinning me between him and the wall. My legs wrapped around his waist, seemingly without me permitting them to do so.

His face was right beside mine when the words "Tell me to stop" into my ear.

I didn't.

Instead I crashed my lips into his, my legs wrapped around him, hands desperately grasping his scalp and the back of his neck. I let out a moan as he moved his lips to my neck, soft and playful. I couldn't remember the last time I felt this level of need, and desire. Feeling his strong hands gripping my ass, his muscular body pressed so tightly to mine...

Suddenly, there were voices in the hall and reality came crashing back down around us. He immediately set me down on the floor and I slid the rest of the way down the wall into a crouch with my face in my hands. Tee was breathing heavily above me. 

"We better go", he advised. I nodded, grabbed my bag and followed him wordlessly to his car. Neither of us spoke until we were safely inside it, behind the shroud of his heavily tinted windows.

"I'm so sorry." He spoke first. "I don't know what the fuck I was thinking." He was shaking his head back and forth, scolding himself. He looked genuinely distraught.

"Its not all on you, Tee. I was there too. But obviously this can't happen," I said firmly, even tho in my heart it felt like there was nothing I wanted more. I could barely look at him without  desperately wanting to finish what we had just started. 

Tee turned back into himself for a split second, allowing himself to smile and said "well we know the defence already got that on lock!"

I took a few deep breaths, aggressively rubbing my hands on my temples, trying to pull myself together. "I'm just not looking to be solely responsible for the downfall of the Cincinnati Bengals, ya know?"

I laughed in spite of myself. 

I reached across and challenged my self control by taking one of his hands in mine, I used my other to turn his face toward me. "I love everything about you, Tee fucking Higgins. But there couldn't be a more obvious case of wrong place, wrong time. I'm so sorry."

His beautiful brown eyes looked so sad, but understanding. We were both adults, and neither of us were particularly keen to blow up our whole lives right now.

Tee held my hand the rest of the drive home. It felt like these were the last minutes of our lives that either of us were going to be able to live in this delusional bubble of what could have been. He gave my hand an extra squeeze as he pulled in the drive. I gave him a smile, and tried not to think about the fact this could very possibly be the last time I see him, knowing clearly for the first time exactly what I needed to do when I got inside. 

"Bye Tee. Thank you."

As soon as I was in the house, I called Joe out of his office and ended things with him. I knew I wasn't leaving him because of Tee, more because Tee showed me how little I'm feeling in this relationship, and how much more there could be. I wasn't happy, and I couldn't keep pretending to be. I wanted more for myself. And deserved to one day find someone I really connected with, who I could share friendship, passion, and life with. It went smoother than I expected. Joe admitted that when we met, and he was injured, he needed a distraction, and now that he's playing again he doesn't feel like he's in the right place to have a relationship because he can't share his focus. He almost seemed a bit relieved, which was kind of heartbreaking, but also a reminder of how I had always done all of the work in the relationship, I even had to initiate the break up. 

I told him I'd be out of his hair as soon as I found a place. He apologized for being a shitty boyfriend. I said I was sorry that we didn't become what we thought we might. It was all very amicable, and he talked more in that hour then I'd talked to him all week. I didn't mention Tee, of course, because that wasn't going to be helpful to anyone. And it also wasn't going to go anywhere.

But I knew that breaking up with Joe meant breaking up with the Bengals. That was the hardest part. I missed going to the games, the team, the girls. Logan kept in touch but it wasn't the same. Sir Purr and I found a condo downtown and I buried myself in work and found love for some new hobbies. One of those hobbies, ironically, being yoga. Joe checked in a couple times, which was sweet. He was still 120 percent locked in on the game, he told me he appreciated my friendship, and for putting up with him as long as I did. He wished me nothing but happiness, and I absolutely wished the same for him. 

TWO MONTHS LATER

My phone lit up with a text from Logan. I hadn't heard from her in a bit, so was curious to see what she had to say.

They let Tee's tag expire. Detroit picked him up immediately. Now's the time babe!

Oh no!! Poor Tee. He must be heartbroken... And now's the time for what?!

🙄 To go after him, obvs! He's not under Joe's thumb anymore. You know you two were like two peas in a pod. You're also the two funniest people I've ever met. And I saw how he looked at you when Joe wasn't looking...

I gasped. She was up to something. I knew it. And it seemed she had seen more than I realized.

You're wild. There's no way. Thanks for telling me tho. I'll send him a text to say congrats. Miss you chick!

Miss you more, lemme know how your chat goes 😉😉😉

I sat with my thoughts for a minute. I hadn't talked to Tee. He hadn't reached out, and I was too scared to. I didn't know what was said or who knew what, after everyone would have found out Joe and I had split. It was just a text though, and this was such a big deal for him. He had been one of my best friends, I had to acknowledge it, offer my congratulations. Cincinnati had a tough season, I know he loves it here, but Detroit would honestly be a promotion for him.

I typed and re-typed ten times before deciding to keep it short and simple. 

Heard about your transfer. Cincy's loss 💯, you're gonna do amazing things in Detroit. They're so lucky to have you.

I set my phone face down beside me, too scared to watch for a response. Five minutes passed before I heard the familiar ring of a FaceTime call. I knew exactly who it would be. Tee hates texting. I sat up straighter and gave the messy pile of hair on my head a little tug and straighten before pressing accept.

A beaming Tee Higgins lit up phone screen. "Hey bestie!!" He grinned

"Hey you," I replied. I was overwhelmed by the degree of feelings I was having finally seeing and hearing him again. Love, pride, joy, giddiness, and most definitely a bit of desire.... "How are you doing? I'm so sorry they didn't fight for you."

"It's all good, mama," the ever optimistic Tee assured me, "I'm excited. My time in Cincy will never be replaced, but onward and upward, right?!"

"Of course! And Detroit! Wow! They're THE team right now, you're gonna be so amazing there. When do you have to leave?" I was dreading the answer to this question...

"Two weeks." Two weeks?! I wanted to cry. But before I could try and put on a happy face and tell him how proud I was of him, he followed up with two words that made my heart skip a beat. "Come over."

"Huh? Right now??"

"Pleeeeease," he begged. God he was adorable. "I miss you. I want to see you, in person. Hear that laugh, touch those lips, hold that body..."

"Tee..." I started, feeling both hesitant and ready to jump in my car and run every red light at the same time.

"Nah, don't gimme that. I heard your 'wrong place, wrong time', so now let me show you right place, right time. I know Burrow could have ended my career in an instant, and I know if he had even a hint that I had anything to do with you leaving he also would have messed up this beautiful face. But not now, now it's Tee time, and I want that to be me and you time."

I blushed, unable to disguise the goofy grin spreading across my face. I bit my lower lip. "it is a reeeeally nice face....give me 20 minutes."

"It'll be the longest 20 minutes of my life." 

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

Tee swung the door open wearing that thousand watt smile before I could even knock and wrapped me in the biggest bear hug. He seemed to squeeze every bit of hesitation and uncertainty right out of me. It was Tee, after all, and he felt like home. "Hi," I smiled up at him, completely overcome with just how much I had missed him and how happy I was to see him. 

“Come, sit,” he waved me toward his expansive sectional couch. I made myself comfortable. Tee sat down beside me. He looked into my eyes and smiled warmly. I had missed that smile so damn much. As if reading my mind, he spoke up. “I've missed you so much. And I don't wanna miss you anymore. I want you to come to Detroit with me.”

I was stunned. I couldn't speak. So Tee continued, “I know you think I'm crazy, but I'm just crazy about you. And this is a fresh start, for both of us, to be together away from here.” As he was talking, his fingers were tracing a path on my leg, as I sat cross-legged facing him. It was getting difficult to focus on what he was saying. He could see me losing focus, and I could tell he was loving the effect his touch was having. “Do you ever think about that time” he leaned in and kissed my neck, “in the locker room?” he whispered, his mouth right beside my ear. Every. Damn. Day. I thought to myself. Tee kept going, “sometimes I like to think about what would have happened next…” The heat between my legs was intensifying, I could feel my center beginning to throb with desire. I bit my bottom lip, trying to retain some self control. “Can I show you?” his voice was so smooth and sexy. 

I nodded, I'd been waiting two months to finish what we'd started. “C’mere then”, he pulled me off the couch and walked me to his bedroom. I laid down on his plush bed and he crawled in beside me. His long fingers traced circles around my belly button before he let them slip inside the waist of my panties. He quickly discovered how wet my entrance was, he looked up at me with a sly smile on his face, “so you have thought about it,” he smirked. His fingers slid inside me, and we both moaned. “You're even more perfect than I imagined,” he purred.

I kept my eyes on his gorgeous face as he watched his fingers go in and out of me. He used his thumb to massage my most sensitive spot, making me squirm. “Oh my god, Tee,” I moaned. He increased the depth of his fingers and the pressure of his thumb. I could feel my release getting closer, and it made me want him closer to me. “Kiss me”, I pleaded. He did, passionately, with his tongue exploring my mouth and his fingers exploring my insides, I felt myself give in to the ecstasy of the moment and released all over his hand. “Oh fuck ya baby,” he hummed against my lips. I pushed his shoulder toward the bed, directing him to lay on his back, slipped out of my clothes. Tee followed suit and slid his track pants off. I climbed on top of his strong body. I rubbed my soaking slit over his thick, hard shaft and watched him shift desperately underneath me. When I took him inside me, I could feel the pressure between my hips. “Fuck, Tee!” I cried out in a very arousing mix of pain and pleasure. “That's all for you, baby,” he said as he dug his fingers into my hips, rocking me back and forth to the rhythm he was setting. The sex was slow, and sensual at first. We'd both been waiting so long for this moment that neither of us wanted to rush it. As the desire began to hit it's peak, he pulled out of me, making me gasp. “Get on your knees for me baby, I wanna do this together”. I obeyed, and took position on my hands and knees as he settled in behind me. As he slipped back inside me, this new position filled me with all new sensations as his tip slammed into my g-spot. He used his tattooed arm to pull me back against his chest as he continued to drive into me. Reaching around with his other arm to firmly press circles onto my slippery clit. “oh god Tee, you're gonna make me come again.” I panted. I couldn't hold back any longer and felt the euphoria wash over me. He let go with the arm that was wrapped around me, causing me to collapse back onto my hands on the bed, as he slammed into me with intense force. He let out a feral cry as his own release took over him.

I slumped onto my side, our collective mess dripping out of me, every inch of my body tingling. He collapsed beside me, breathing heavily. Neither of us said anything, just staring at each other with satisfied smiles plastered across our sweaty faces.

I was tracing the lines of his chest tattoo while he was gently stroking my cheek when he said, "Come with me.", a pleading look on his face.

"I just did!" I joked, responding quicker than he expected. "My GOD!" He flung himself onto his back, feigning exasperation, while I giggled beside him. He rolled back to me when he had gathered himself. "All serious now? God you're trouble." He laughed. "I don't want to do this without you. I don't want to do anything without you ever again. My passenger Princess, my half sized sidekick, and I want you to be my girl," he almost begged. He was so sincere, even emotional.

I turned on my back and closed my eyes, trying to think clearly. I loved him in every way a person could love somebody. And more than anything, I loved how I felt and who I was when I was with him. The best and truest version of myself.

I opened my eyes to him hovering over me, he looked like a kid waiting to look under the tree on Christmas morning. I laughed, and finally said "I mean, I guess I would look pretty good in Honolulu blue..."

Tee jumped up onto his knees and threw his hands up in the air. "Yeeeessssss babyyyy!! You'll be a straight stunna!!!! Oh my god!!" He grabbed my hand and pulled me outta bed and scooped me into his arms and swung me around the room.  I tapped my finger on his nose and  started singing Miles On It, the same song from our night at the arcade. I was dancing around the room while Tee was rolling through every single touchdown celly in his repertoire. I stopped to take in the scene playing out before me: this gorgeous, talented, funny, sexy, perfect man dancing around his bedroom in his boxers with the biggest smile on his face. I couldn't believe this was going to be my life. All the joy. All the fun. All the love. It was absolutely worth the wait. 

Playlist:

[vulpixisananimal]

[A:1 C:23]

(Ramos)

"Headed off for the day?"

(Your hands were shaking as you left the Defenders House, you were so excited! Today had been buuuuuusy, but none of that mattered now. You waved to the doorman as you left.) "Yup!! I'm running off to meet a friend!"

"Oh? Have fun then, Ramos!"

(You had the biggest grin on your face. You tried not to run through the streets you were so excited; it wouldn't be good if you showed up all sweaty and breathless, take your time! That's the advice Isa would always give!)

(You couldn't believe it, he was actually visiting! Your old buddy! You had half a mind to send him a letter if he didn't show up soon. Change, he must be busy after saving the country and all, so you couldn't really blame him.)

(You passed by the farmers market, still open from yesterday. Didn't you hear about some scuffle that happened there yesterday? You rub your shoulder, it still aches a bit. You guess maybe yesterday was just one of "those days".)

(You wonder, as you make your way through town, is Isa here alone? Or did he show up with the other saviors. You were just told the rumor that he was around, though you don't remember who told you.)

(Should you be concerned about that? Your memory had been spottier than usual.)

(You ignored it. Today was going to be great! You'd meet Isabeau, maybe their friends, and then. . . W-well. Well then they'd be your friends too!)

(. . . It, it still felt wrong.)

(Sure, they wont know you changed their memory. And, if they think you're not useless, then there's no way they'll leave you in the dust!)

(But, it still felt wrong.)

(That was something to think about another time. You had this gift, so use it! Oh! This is the place! A two story house, yard in front, it's really nice. You open the gate to the yard and walk to the front door, pausing before knocking. Alright, alright, you got this, you lift up your hand and-)

"Ramos?" (You jump, that voice!) "Is that you?"

(You turn and- oh Change! Isabeau was sitting right there! There was an outdoor table and chair hidden behind some foliage! You didn't even see it! How cute!)

"Isabeau?!?" (You walk over.) "Yeah! It's me!!"

(Isabeau smiles back and waves, he was doing some embroidery it looked like- Embroidery?!? You never would have thought!) "Yeah!! Wow, good to see you again! I heard that you changed and, wow, looks good!!"

"O-oh!" (What?!? You made it so everyone thought you always looked like this! Well, everyone you could touch at least. Guess you missed someone.) "Y-yeah! I was, uh, real nervous about it!"

"Haha!! I was too." (He looks as nervous as you do right now. You guess you did catch him by surprise.) "Take a seat!"

"Dunno if I could carry it home but I'll try." (You respond cheekily, laughing as you sit down. Isa laughs too.) "It's, i-its really good to see you again."

"Y-yeah. . ." (He rubbed his shoulder.) "With the curse and all, if we didn't win. . ."

"Ah but there's no way you wouldn't have! You're the best!" (You say, smiling. You point at the embroidery.) "Whatch'ya doing by the way?"

"O-oh!!" (He looks a bit surprised you asked.) "I-I, uh, wanted to, uh, branch out a bit! And try some, some new things!"

"That's the name of the game isn't it? Changing and trying new things." (You say, smiling. It looked good from your angle.) "Can I see?"

(Now's your chance, you hold out a hand.)

(Isabeau looks at it, then you, then looks away.)

". . . Uh, Isabeau?"

(He bites his lip before responding.) ". . . Can, can we talk about something kinda serious?"

(You take your hand back, not your chance then.) "Oh? What's up?"

"W-well. . ." (He takes a breath.) "We're friends, Ramos, and, and I promise, if you just tell the truth we'll still be friends, ok?"

"H-HUH?!?" (You try to contain your worry. What. What. What does that mean! What?!?) "I-I, I don't-"

"Ramos." (He's looking right at you.) "Please."

(Your heart is beating out of your chest, what. What. What could this be about. Did he find out? Does he know?!? Calm down, calm down. Just promise.)

"I, a-alright, I'll try."

(Isabeau nods, and takes another breath. Finally, he asks,) "Are, are you using Mind craft, Ramos?"

"HUH?!?" (WHAT. WHAT WHAT WHAT. WHAT. HOW. WHAT.)

"I-its alright! W-well, it's not, but, please, just, trust me. Please." (He put his hands up that way he does when he's worried.)

(Don't tell him.)

(You should be truthful, tell him.)

"I-I. . . Y-yeah, maybe, yeah." (Your voice is wavering, quiet. Your tapping on your chair nervously. How.) "How'd, how'dya find out?"

(Isa pauses.) ". . . A-a friend of mine, a good friend, they can restart a day over and over again if, if something bad happens." (He looks away again, he looks afraid.) "T-this morning, they, they nearly died. They've repeated today a couple dozen times a-and, and it's killing them."

(You think you knew where this was going. You didn't respond.)

"Ramos," (He sounds desperate.) "Ramos I, they said you changed my memories, once, and. . ."

"And what." (You say, a bit harsher than you mean.)

"And I don't want to Believe it!" (He turns back to you, he's crying.) "Y-you, you said you wanted to be strong!! B-but, but are strong! Even if you struggled with things, you are SO strong!! You'd keep trying and trying and stay up for hours practicing one thing to get it down! You gave being a defender your all!"

(He thinks you're strong?)

"S-so, they told me you, you wanted to be stronger, like me and, and, you'd change people's memorues to do that, I couldn't believe it but." (He shakes his head.) "I don't want to, but-"

"You, think I'm strong?"

(Your voice is a whisper. He thought you were strong? You? The weakest twig who could barely figure out a slowdown craft a few months ago? You? Who couldn't face how your guardian might look at you after changing?)

(You, who had to hide behind Mind Craft?)

"Yes!! I always have!! Always, always, always!!" (He continued.) "Even if you weren't the best, that was ok! You always tried to do better! And weren't scared off by what was hard!"

"That's not true-"

"It is!!!" (He grips the table.) "I-I, I wish I could have been more like you!"

(What.)

"I, I don't want to just be a big dumb defender guy, Rams, I want people to think I'm smart, and to know I can sew! I want to make clothes! But, I could never tell people that- o-oh, oh crab are you ok?"

(Huh? Oh, oh you're crying, you wipe away your tears. You? He looked up to you?) "T-thats. . . I-I'm ok." (You shake your head.) "I'm, I'm sorry."

"It's, It's ok." (He holds out a hand to you.) "Ramos, listen, I'll help you fix this just, promise, don't forget you're strong. Ok?"

(You look at his hand. What. Why. Why was he being so nice. Over the last few months you had been, been changing people's memories. And he was willing to trust you, just like that?)

"W-why, why are you trusting me."

(He looks at you, his eyes, warm, nice, his mouth quivering just a bit out of worry.) "Because, you're my friend."

(. . . You take his hand.)

(He takes breath, then a second. You take a breath with him. Don't, don't change anything, don't touch his mind. Don't do it.)

(Don't do it.)

(Don't do it.)

"O-ok. I'm sorry." (You finally say.)

"I'm sorry too, for leaving so suddenly."

"Haha, no, that's ok. You had a country to save. It's in the past."

"Exactly! It's in the past!" (You look up, he's smiling again.) "You promise you'll stop?"

"I-I. . ."

(You spent months doing this. You'll just throw it away?)

(Sunk cost fallacy. You were wrong. It's ok.)

"I promise."

(He takes your hand in both of his. You're crying, still.) "See? Not that hard, right?"

(You nod.) "It's, it's still blinding scary."

(Isabeau looks up a bit, surprised?) "Wh- say that again?"

(You blink up at him, confused.) "Blinding scary?"

"Yeah! How'd you know that word? 'Blinding.'" (He's perked up, wait, you remember that face, Isa was figuring something out.)

"Oh! Y-yeah, my guardian said it all the time, dunno what it means, just picked it up." (You tilt your head.) "Why?"

"Well, It's complicated- oh! Right! What about your broche! The wish one?"

(You tilt your head.) "My, oh!" (You take your hand back and undo your bandana. Your emblem, you didn't go anywhere without it now.) "I got it from someone I met!"

(Didn't you promise to keep it secret?)

(So what. You can't lie to him.)

"Someone?" (Isa tilts his head.) "Someone gave it to you?"

(You nod excitedly.) "Yeah!! He said that it was, it was. . ."

(Ow. You shake your head. He said, he said. . .)

(What is going on.)

(You need, you need to find his friend. You need to find them. The one who turns back time.)

(What? What? WHAT?!?)

"Ramos?" (Isa looked worried.) "Is, everything alright?"

"N-not, right." (You shook your head. Why? What's going on! Why should you, you go find them?!?)

(Because I told you so.)

(You stand up and stumble back, gripping your head. What. What is.)

(Relax, Ramos. You said you'd help me out, right?)

"I-I, I did! I did but, why now! Why, w-why-" (Your breathing quickened.)

"Rams?!?" (Isa stood up too, he looked worried.)

(Relax, Ramos. It'll be like yesterday, you wont remember a thing.)

"I- what?!?" (You smell something.) "I- no! I don't want, I-I, I-"

(You wont remember. It's fine, It'll be like nothing ever happened! And it'll even make your guardian happy, right?)

"What's going on?? Ramos! Buddy!" (Isa ran over to you, he was about to grab your shoulder. You quickly back away, stumbling over.)

"N-no! No I, d-don't- I-" (You smell mint.) "I don't, can't, think-"

"-op! You need to rest!"

(A girls voice, no, it was that housemaiden. You turn to look. The door to the house was open, she, her name was Mirabelle, was there, trying to get someone back inside.)

(White cloak, white hair, white pointy hat-)

(That's the one. Go touch them, Ramos.)

"NO!!!" (You grip your head- no! Wait! Not the head! You tug at the stupid crabbing star around your neck. This stupid! Blinding thing!!!)

"You." (The person in white was walking at you, murder in their eyes, knife in their hand. They looked, they looked terrifying.)

"L-loop! Wait! It's, I'm not effected! It's fine! They're-" (Isa was sticking up for you, even now.)

(Go on, Ramos. Touch them. All you need to do, one touch.)

"No, no no no!!!!" (You tug hard at the star, it hurts, you're going to bleed. You're starting to cry.) "I, I don't want to!! I don't want to hurt them!!"

(It wont hurt, you know it wont.)

"SHUT UP!"

(You can barely see through the tears, you're feeling numb. You're feeling sick. You're lightheaded. The smell of mint, it's sickly, it's unbearable!)

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!!"

(. . .)

(You're yelling at nothing. You're yelling at, at something, not, here. You need, to, to. . .)

(You smell burning.)

"Gems alive. . ."

(There's others. Tall lady. Lady with hammer, one with a pan. And. Mirabelle. A-and-)

"Wh, what is. . ."

(Your vision is, it's, you can barely see, barely think. The smell of mint, burning mint. They looks so distant.)

"Ramos!?!"

(Isabeau. You're sorry. You're so, so sorry. You just, you just-)

"Look out, everyone!"

(You just, you just wanted to be brave.)

[its-time-to-write]

Jamie tartt asking you to go on his brand trip (the one he asked Keeley on in the finale)

Thanks for being my first request! Hope ya like it <3

don’t make this any harder

It is almost the end of the football season, and all AFC Richmond can talk about are their plans once they get a break. You’re excited because it means you get more time with Jamie. You’ve been dating for about four months now, and it’s been weird. Good weird, not bad weird. Sometimes it’s just funny to you that Jamie took one look at you in that coffee shop and decided yep, that’s the one I’m going for. Honestly, you were a little surprised when someone had plunked a cinnamon latte on your small table, and even more surprised to look up and see that someone had some of the most gorgeous eyes you had ever seen. 

I’m Jamie, he had said. What’s your name?

And the rest is history.

This is the first time you feel like you are having fun in a relationship. Jamie has a way of getting you to loosen up and laugh for what feels like the first time in ages. After the first two weeks of dating, he starts to sneak into your flat through the window, so your flatmate won’t hear. A week after that, you go to your first Richmond game, wearing a number 9 with the name Tartt emblazoned across the back. 

Jamie has the idea early on to try to synchronize your lunch breaks, so you start having lunch together almost every day. It’s nice. 

It’s nice to want and to be wanted.

On paper, it looks like you see Jamie a lot, but you really don’t.

“Once football season’s over, we’ll have time, yeah?” he says.

You nod and count the days.

—

The season ends in three days, and you and Jamie are sitting on a bench while he eats whatever weird protein-based meal he has and you sip soup out of a thermos through a straw.

“I’m just saying it’s weird, babe,” Jamie says.

“Oh really, how is it any weirder than insisting on eating any kind of egg with a spoon?” you reply.

“Oi, I told you that in private!”

You both dissolve into laughter and once it fades, Jamie looks strangely pensive. You give him a gentle nudge on his shoulder. “Hey. What’s up?”

Jamie half turns to look at you with that pensive expression. “Eh, it’s nothin. Don’t worry about it.”

You raise your eyebrow at him and Jamie sighs. “Wish you wouldn’t do that, makes me feel insecure about me own lack of eyebrow control.” 

This makes you laugh again, but you’re not about to let him deflect that easily. You reach up with your thumbs to smooth his eyebrows. “C’mon Jamie, out with it. What’s on your mind?”

He’s still looking at you as he starts to speak, thinks better of it, then starts again.

“Babe,” he begins, taking your hand, “do you- I mean, you don’t have to, it’s super lame and like probably bad, so it won’t hurt my feelings if you say no- but do you want to come over for dinner on Saturday? I’ll like cook for ya and you don’t have to bring anything, but I thought it would be nice because now I actually have time to cook and I haven’t in ages, and like I said if you don’t want to, I get it, and-” he probably could have kept rambling on but you stop him.

“Jamie,” you smile, “I would love to! Why did that make you so nervous to ask?”

He shrugs. “I dunno, I guess- I mean, besides Keeley you’re kind of my first real relationship and I don’t want to fuck it up or scare you off.”

Oh. You let that process in your head for a moment as you squeeze his hand.

After a moment you say, “I’m not scared by your egg-eating habits and you’re not scared of my eyebrow muscles, so I think we’re going to be ok.”

Jamie pulls you close to him for a kiss, which is interrupted by an alarm on his phone. You both groan. Time to go back to work.

—

The rest of the week flies by and before you know it, you’re standing in front of Jamie’s door holding a bottle of wine. He said not to bring anything, but it gives you something to do with your hands and Richard has been begging you to let him explain wine for weeks now, so you figured you might as well. The weather is warm, so you’re wearing your favorite linen dress. It’s held together by a single wraparound tie on the side, easy to get on. And off. Odds are good that it will end up in a ball on Jamie’s floor before you have to go home.

You’ve barely knocked before the door swings open to reveal a smiling, nicely dressed Jamie.

“Hi,” you smile back.

He slips his arms around your waist and kisses you before saying, “C’mon in!” 

“You didn’t have to bring anythin,” he continues, holding open the door.

You shrug. “You know how Richard gets.”

Jamie huffs out a laugh and you follow him to the kitchen. You’re not sure what you were expecting, but it certainly was not this. This boy is making his own pizza and has set out the most impressive spread of toppings that you’ve ever seen. It looks and smells amazing.

“Jamie,” you say, still gaping at it all, “where on earth did you learn to do this?”

He looks up from rolling out a flat circle of dough, “Hm? Oh, eh I dunno. I like cooking and I like pizza, and you like pizza, and I’ve been making this recipe since like fuckin’ forever so I thought I’d just stick with an old classic. D’you mind stirring that?” He points to a pot on the stove with a wooden spoon poking out.

You literally have no words as you walk over and peer in.

“Jamie. Did you make this sauce?” you ask incredulously.

Jamie slaps his pizza dough with finality and leans up against the counter next to you, away from the flame.

“Uh yeah, I did,” he replies, scratching his neck. “Don’t overstir.”

You put down the spoon. “Jaim. How am I just now finding out about this. You’re pretty as hell, fantastic at football, and you cook?”

Jamie grins. “You think I’m pretty?”

You roll your eyes. “That’s what you got from this, you nerd?”

His hands have made their way to your waist again.

“Nice dress,” he says as he fiddles with the tie. “Got some good ideas for it later.”

You roll your eyes again, unable to suppress a grin. “Come here,” you say, pulling on his gold chain to get his lips at the right angle.

—

You’re halfway through dinner when Jamie has started to look pensive again. He denies it at first so you leave it, but after three more bites of your pizza he says, “Hey.”

You look up at him expectantly.

“I wasn’t, I mean I’m not- this wasn’t what I wanted to ask you,” he rushes out.

You tilt your head, still waiting.

“You know how we wanted to spend more time together this summer? Well, Nike have a branding thing for me in Brazil.”

You set down your slice and let out a soft “oh.”

“Yeah.” Jamie says. “So what d’you think?” Now he’s looking at you expectantly, and a little hesitant. You understand his nervousness now because you’re feeling it too. Four months is not a very long time to be together, and Brazil is a beautiful place with beautiful people. You can do a lot in Brazil.

You study your wine glass. “How long will you be gone?”

“Well, the shoot’s not that long, but I’ll probably be there a month. Nike’s paying for the whole thing, hotel, some of the meals, whatever. Flight’s next week. It’s mad.”

You nod. Jamie’s still looking at you.

Your mouth has gone dry. You’ll handle this with grace and at least you’ll go out on a good note with the best meal you’ve ever had. 

You’re still looking intently at the wine glass but you rip your eyes away and force yourself to look at Jamie.

“That’s great Jaim- Jamie. I’m happy for you. This is a big deal, and I’m sure you’ll love Brazil.”

Jamie’s face transforms into a look of relief as you speak.

“That’s great, yeah, I mean, I didn’t know what you’d think because obviously we talked about being together this summer and y’know, people say one thing but mean another, so I wasn’t sure, but that’s great!”

This boy and nervous rambling. He could give Ted a run for his money.

You force a smile, eyes on your plate now. You feel like all your energy has been drained from you in one fell swoop, while across from you Jamie is smiling like he won the lottery.

Is he really that excited to break things off with you?

He’s talking again so you do your best to focus on what he’s saying. 

“-And I was thinking we could go to this beach Keeley was telling me about and obviously we have to try all the food because granddad won’t be around to fuckin boss me around-”

What?

“Jamie,” you interrupt, “what?”

Jamie looks at you, confused. “What?”

“What are you talking about?”

Jamie looks at you like you’re mental. “I’m talkin’ about Brazil? The trip we’re goin’ on next week?”

Things are starting to click into place. You reach across the table and put your hand on top of his to steady yourself.

“You’re taking me on your brand deal?”

Now Jamie is really looking at you like you’ve gone mad. “That’s what I just asked ya. What are you on about?”

You stare at him for a moment then slowly say. “I thought you were breaking up with me so you could sleep with hot people in Brazil.”

Jamie stares back incredulously. “Why the fuck would you think that?”

You throw your hands in the air. “You were so nervous to talk to me! You said you were going to Brazil! That’s what people do! They get nervous to break up so they use some big trip to make it seem easier! And you’re you and you’re young, hot, and famous, so why would you be dragging me around with you?”

“You think I’m hot?”

You’re going to throttle him. “You know I think you’re hot, I’ve let you see me naked. Can we please stay on topic?”

Jamie chuckles at that.

“Look, I was nervous ‘cause you’re like, really fit. But it’s like, you’re also fit mentally? And I don’t get a lot of girls like that who also like me back. And Nike’s only paying for one room so… there’s that.”

He’s blushing a lot for someone who has been caught hopping out of your window at 3am.

Your head is in your hands now. Jamie gets up from his seat and pulls you up from your chair into his arms.

“Babe,” he says into your hair, “will you come to Brazil with me for a month while we fuck around like the hot couple that we are?”

You nod into his chest then lift your head to look at his face. He’s smiling at you. “I’m a dumbass,” you say.

His smile grows as he strokes your cheek.

“Yeah, but you’re my dumbass,” he says as he reaches for that tie on the side of your dress.

[didhewinkback]

the moment you knew

a something old blurb, exploring the moments they both knew they were in love with each other. it switches pov halfway through

word count: 5k, warnings: its not the proposal

---

2009

When you were fifteen, Johnny’s parents were going to be out of town for a whole weekend and he was planning on throwing the banger of the year. It was all anyone in your year could talk about for the whole week. Everyone was planning on going. Everyone, that is until your parents told you they had plans that night and you had to babysit Archie. You screamed, you cried, you got sent to your room but they wouldn’t budge, not caring at all about the fact that they were absolutely ruining your life. 

You sat on the couch that Saturday, playing round after round of Mario Kart and bemoaning the state of things when there was a knock on your door. You told Archie to pause the game while you got up to answer it, expecting it to be the pizza he begged you to order, grumbling and stomping your feet the whole way. You swung the door open, cash in hand, only to find Harry on the other side, holding a few DVDs and a spare gamecube controller. 

“Room for one more?” he asked, smile growing on his face when he sees the shocked expression on yours.

“What - what are you doing here?”

“Came to hang out with my best mate Archie. Guess you’re alright too.” he says, pushing past you to get into the house, heading straight for your kitchen. 

“Harry!!!!!” Archie shrieks, running from the couch to the kitchen and hugging him tight, Harry laughing as he hugs him back. “I’m soooo happy you’re here, she was being sooo soo boring.” 

“I dunno, man.” he says, smiling over at where you’re frozen in your spot, in shock that he’s here, crashing you and your brother’s pajama party instead of being at the actual party a few blocks over. He winks at you and your cheeks immediately burst into flames and you have to look away. That’s new. “I think your sister’s pretty cool.”

“Not tonight. She’s in a mood.” Archie says adamantly with a firm shake of his head, which makes Harry laugh, hard. His head tilting back, eyes crinkling. You can’t take your eyes off him. Has he always been this cute? 

“Hey mate, ‘m gonna get some snacks ready in here, but I brought my controller, why don’t you get us all set for the next round? You’re the only one I’d trust with this,” he says, deadly serious, handing Archie the controller, which he holds to his chest with utter reverence, nodding before sprinting back to the tv room. Harry watches him go with a smile, before turning back to rifle through your fridge. 

“Think your dad will notice if we nick two of his beers?” 

“Why are you here?” you blurt out, mind still whirring from seeing him on your doorstep.

“Ouch.” he says, raising his eyebrows at the blunt question. 

“I don’t mean - I just mean - “ you say, shaking your head, unable to think of anything else but the fact that he’s here. Not at the party he’s supposed to be at, the party of the century, but here. In your house. To play Mario Kart with you and your little brother. 

“Johnny’s party is tonight. Everyone’s going to it. Like Katie’s gonna be there -”

“Yeah, well, you couldn’t go. Wouldn’t have been any fun without you. ” he says simply with a shrug, not waiting for your answer as he grabs two cans of beer, letting the fridge door swing shut behind him as he turns towards you. “Rather be here. With you.”

Oh.

And it’s like the world tilted off its axis. Time stops as you stand there, absolutely frozen in place, staring back at him as he grabs a bag of crisps off your counter, experiencing a feeling you’ve never felt before, a feeling that in years to come would only grow stronger, a feeling you would associate with him and only him. All these little moments from the past year suddenly make more sense, like missing pieces of a puzzle clicking into place. 

The way his hand holding yours at his birthday party made sparks shoot up your spine, the way your heart races when you catch a whiff of that new Axe spray he’s been using, the way your cheeks flush when he holds eye contact with you, something that never happened before this year.  It’s like your chest has been cracked open, warmth flooding your veins, butterflies fluttering in your stomach. Your heart is racing and you feel like you’re on fire. 

You love him. You’re in love with him. 

Oh god.

“You coming?” he asks, starting to head towards the tv room, beers and snacks in hand, pausing when he looks back at you, brows furrowing.  “What’s that look on your face for?” 

“What?! Nothing - nothing.” you say quickly, warmth flooding your cheeks. “I’m fine. I’m gonna grab some pretzels or something.”

“I already grabbed the pretzels.”

“Right. You did. I’m uh. I’m going to wait here. For the pizza. Should be here aaaaany minute.” you say, brain scrambling for any sort of excuse, needing a minute to stand here alone and think. 

“Oookay. You’re being really weird.” he says, heading into the living room, leaving you standing alone in the kitchen, the flush on your cheeks only getting warmer by the second. You can hear him and Archie talk in the tv room, his animated tone making your heart beat even faster, thinking about how good he was with your little brother, how good he was with everyone, how good he was. 

You bury your head in your hands, trying to catch your breath, to slow your racing thoughts.  

You were in love with your best mate. 

What the fuck were you going to do?!

2019

It was his mum’s birthday and Harry was prepared for anything. 

Rain? He had ordered three types of tents, all to block out a potential storm but not detract the view from the garden that his mum cherished so much. Sound system glitches? He had five different kinds of bluetooth speakers and six auxiliary cords to be sure there would be no interference with the Shania Twain playlist he curated himself. Uncle Mack has one too many and starts asking Gemma how it feels that her younger brother will be getting married before her? He had Johnny prepped to keep an eye on his drinking and distract him with Man City stats if needed. 

It had been ages since he had been able to be home for the celebration and he was determined to make it perfect. He loved his mum more than anything and even though he had a team of people willing (and paid)  to assist him at the drop of a hat, he was set on doing most things himself, a point he knew his mother would take pride in. He had invited all her favorite relatives and closest friends, ordered a massive catered menu inclusive of all food allergies and even decorated her favorite cake, strawberry cream, himself. He had first aid kits, a stocked bar, endless supplies of SPF. He was prepared for absolutely anything.

Anything, that was, except for you. 

He was having a drink with his cousins, reminiscing about the family parties of the past when he looked up and there you were.

Christ. 

He’d never seen you in that dress before. He felt like his eyes were bugging out of his head as they traced the way it held your body so perfectly, like it had been custom made for you. He was practically ogling you, something he had never done before, at least not consciously. You’d always been pretty but today, right here, right now, you were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. It felt like the earth shifted under his feet. Like the world tilted off its axis. His pulse was racing, his brow starting to sweat.

He was making his way over to you before even making the conscious choice to do so. It’s been ages since he’s seen you or even talked to you, his calls and messages going unanswered for weeks now, ever since his album listening party in August, which yeah, he fucked that one up. Should’ve talked to you first, should’ve done something different to not ruin the tradition you’ve had together since you were 17, the way you’ve been ignoring him making him realize it always meant as much to you as it did to him. 

He can’t seem to get anything right these days, keeps doing what is expected of him, what looks best, ignoring what he wants and hurting people in the process. His brain has been so muddled these past few months that at this point he doesn’t even know what he wants. He feels like he doesn’t know anything. Especially here and now, feeling like he’s burning up on the inside just from looking at you. 

He knows he should give you space, let you come to him so he can take the time to pull you aside and right any wrongs but he can’t stop himself, drawn to you like a moth to a flame. He was by your side in seconds, breath catching in his throat when you turned away from your conversation with Gemma to face him, small smile on your face. 

“Y’ look - that dress is nice. Um. Y’ look - y’look really nice.” He’s stuttering over his words, barely able to string a single sentence together, feeling hot under his collar, Gemma’s scrutinous gaze not helping in the least. 

He hasn’t felt this way around you since he was 13 and tried to hold your hand on a walk to the heath one day, only for his sweaty fingers to get caught in one of your bracelets. He had turned practically scarlet in embarrassment, pretended there was a bee he was trying to shoo away, refusing to admit the truth, that he had a massive crush on you and all he wanted to do was hold your hand. 

“I’m going to get a drink.” Gemma says, eyes darting between the two of you. “Either of you want anything?”

You both shake your heads, thanking her with smiles and he can feel her eyes linger on him for a second, the way he keeps shifting his weight, fiddling with his rings, his sister picking up on his nerves better than anyone before she squeezes his shoulder and heads over to the drinks. He watches her walk away and then turns back to face you, where you’re staring down at your hands, not able to make eye contact for more than a few seconds. 

“‘M really glad -” he starts to say, at the same time you say “Is your mum - ?” before you both cut yourselves off, sheepishly laughing. 

“You go,” he says softly, desperate for you to talk to him about anything, biting on his tongue as he wills his mouth to stop moving, feeling petrified that if he opened his mouth right now all that would come out would be something along the lines of “I know ‘m engaged and you’re my best mate but you look dead fit.”

“Was just gonna ask if your mum was having a nice time.”

He deflates a bit, was hoping for more about you or what you’ve been up to, anything to get a good read on you but you’re talking to him so he’ll take what he can get. 

“Yeah, think she’s cried about three times already. So far, so good.” he says, resisting the urge to duck his head to force you to make eye contact with him. 

“You done good, H.” 

“Thanks,” he says and you smile at him quickly before looking back at your hands, silence falling between you once more. 

He hates this. He’s not sure what’s going on or what he did, knows it's more than just that party, the two of you have been out of sync for months now and clearly you’re trying to avoid talking about it but he has to try something. He’s got a feeling there’s things you aren’t telling him, but he also knows there’s been certain things he’s been avoiding talking about, the nerves gnawing away at him about his upcoming nuptials, how he’s not sure what he’s feeling is just a case of cold feet or something more, something that terrifies him when he thinks about it too much. So, he doesn't. He just looks back at you, feeling more lost than ever before.

A strand of hair falls in front of your face and he has to clench his hand to hold himself back from tucking it behind your ear, suddenly feeling desperate to touch, to drag his knuckle down your cheek and along your collarbone, wondering if the sensation would make your breath catch, fire simmering in his belly at the thought of being the cause. 

What the fuck? 

He shakes his head, trying to drive those thoughts out of it, not sure where they’re coming from, thoughts he’s never had about you until now, at least not that he’s aware of. His cheeks burst into flames, looking back at you to be sure you can’t tell what he’s thinking, but you’re barely looking at him and he can’t - this can’t be how today goes. He needs his best mate, needs to have a fun day celebrating his mum, needs to forget the weirdness and stress of this year, if only for a few hours. 

“Hey, so I know we’ve both been busy and I haven’t heard from you in a while,” he says, speaking quickly when he catches your look of apprehension, “which is fine, ‘ve done that with you loads of times it’s nothing - I didn’t mean to bring that up. Not like that.  I just -”

He pauses, takes a deep breath, tries to rearrange his scrambled brain.

“We’re both here and you look great and I’d just - I’d really like it if we could just forget everything else and just hang out like old times. Just have fun. Me and you. And Johnny.  ‘M flying solo today -” he says, catching the way you visibly relax and oh. 

Is that it? Do you not like Erin? You’ve always seemed to get along with her just fine and they’ve been dating for years and you’ve never said anything. If that’s it, why haven’t you said anything? Your friendship has been rocky since the engagement but he never thought - if you’d had a problem you’d have said something, right? But you’ve both been avoiding any talk of relationships in recent years, cagey about the subject with each other ever since that fight you got into the pub a few years ago. Maybe that’s been a mistake.

He wants to get into it now, demand answers from you, but knows that would negate everything he just said, and knows that keeping everything light is the only reason you’re still looking at him now. 

“It’s been a really weird year and right now I just want to hang out with my best mates, celebrate my mum before my work schedule gets mental. Let’s just fuck around today, yeah? See how many beers we can sneak Archie?” he says, something loosening in his chest when you huff a small laugh. 

“Yeah,” you say, smile growing on your face. “That sounds good to me.”

“Cool. Let’s grab a drink then?” he says, turning to walk towards the bar.

“Wait,” you say, reaching out to grab his hand, quickly letting go when he spins back to you, his hand tingling with the ghost of your touch, itching to grab hold once more. “I just - I’m sorry for not being around, um -”

“Hey, no, ‘s fine. Got nothing to apologize for. Y’ just -”, he pauses, placing his hand on your shoulder and squeezing once, eyes never leaving yours. “Y’ know you can talk to me about anything, yeah? Your friendship means everything to me. You’re my best mate. That’s never changing.” 

“Right,” you say and there’s a flash of something in your eyes he can’t quite decipher, gone just as soon as it appeared.  

“‘M gonna hug you now.” 

“Please don’t -”

“It’s happening whether you like it or not,” he says, wrapping his arms around you, feeling relieved when you do the same, relaxing into his hold. He’s holding you tighter than necessary but so are you, both of you seemingly needing to be close after this year of miscommunication and distance. He could stand here all night holding you, he thinks, feeling the most at ease he has in ages. You pull away first, quickly rubbing at your eyes but before he can say anything you’re already starting to move away. 

“To the bar, yeah? Pretty sure Archie’s got a new girlfriend he won’t talk about. A few pints oughta loosen him up,” you say, already heading over there. 

And he knows alcohol will only make more of a mess in his already muddled brain, the way he’s fighting the urge to watch you walk away, a swirl of confusing emotions flowing through him, but he needs this time with you. To have fun, let go. To forget. Scared of what will happen if he ruminates too much. So he doesn’t. 

Six Months Later

He presses his palms to his eyes until the memory disappears and all he sees is black, practically curling in on himself as the April air whips around him, the estate lights blinking in the distance, the last of the partygoers still going at it. Was that the moment? Should he have been paying more attention? 

You said you loved him for most of your life - had he been that selfish, that wrapped up in his own bullshit to not notice? He wracks his brain for signs of something he missed, rifling through memories to try to look at them from this new lens. Tries to think of the biggest moments of friction in your friendship, they are far and few between but …oh. There was that holiday break that haunted him for years when you wouldn’t talk to him when he brought home… - you said you felt sick but was it because he brought a girlfriend home? Were you jealous? Or heartbroken? 

He continues on his walk, shaking his head at himself, at this night, at what this weekend has come to. He’s felt off kilter all year, feeling like he’s performing to an adoring crowd, his performance instincts trickling into his real, personal life, making him feel like a shell of himself. He knew something felt wrong the second he got down on one knee in front of all of Erin’s friends and family but brushed it off as nerves because she looked so happy so surely he must be too? 

But he’s been lying to himself, too scared of disappointing those around him to grapple with the truth, trying to convince himself that this was part of growing up and becoming a man, that real love, the marriage love, isn’t the all consuming, unquenchable, need them like you need air kind of love. That a mature love is one that just feels fine most of the time, something expected, simple, fine.  He keeps telling himself that being so public with his love life is what happens when you enter new tiers of fame with a famous partner, that everything is happening as it should, regardless of how he feels about it. Resigning himself to this new reality without taking a moment to challenge it or question it or demand better for himself.

Not questioning how weird it is that his engagement, supposed to be one of the biggest moments of his life, happened without his best mate ever knowing. That the thought of telling you filled him with so much dread that he avoided it entirely, just sent you an invite to the engagement party like a coward. How you had politely offered congratulations then avoided him for the rest of the night, which turned into the rest of the year, blaming work schedules and busy social calendars, leaving him feeling more unmoored than ever before. Never questioning the reason why that was, not realizing you’ve been his anchor for so long. 

You.

You’re the first phone call he would make when he couldn’t sleep late at night, on a bus somewhere in another American city, feeling so young and old at the same time, worn down from years on the road while feeling all the confusing emotions of being a teenager, needing to hear your voice to calm his racing mind. The first face he would seek out in any crowd, especially that first solo night at MSG, feeling like he was teetering on the edge, getting swept up into something so much bigger than himself, and then locking eyes with you, the two of you looking at each other as if to say “can you fucking believe this?”. The first person to call him out when he started getting too used to this new world around him, a bit high off his own supply, leaning into the parties and the girls and the paps screaming his name, the free drinks and clothes and gifts, starting to expect things to be done for him instead of asking first until you shrewdly looked at him from across the table one day at lunch in 2014 and said, “you’re turning into a bit of a wanker”, which shut that down right quick. 

The first person he would fly over when he felt lonely on tour, living for the way your face would light up when you could see the view from the stage, the way you lived for all the tourist attractions, your post show fro-yo bike rides turning into late nights at whatever bars were close by turning into private parties at the best restaurants each city had to offer as his career expanded and took shape. The first person he would see when he landed back home and over the years crashing at your house for days on end became crashing at your dorm became crashing at your flat in the big city, with you showing him your new favorite spots in London, telling him he can’t call himself a true Londoner until he lives here for more than six months at a time. Some of his favorite memories over the last few years have been exploring the city with you, you playing tour guide for once, taking him to off the beaten path museums and coffee shops, indie theatres and underground dance clubs,  determined to make your home city feel like his, a feat that became impossible when he got engaged to an American. 

He thinks back to his mum’s party, how visions of you in that dress lingered in his mind for weeks on end, how when he began to promote the new album, it was sometimes your face he saw when he closed his eyes and sang, something that only happened when he was trying to write songs with White Eskimo when he was 13, desperately trying to rhyme “hairband” with “want to be your man”. How he’s tried to sit down in the studio the past month to work out his thoughts through song, only confusing himself more when the only lyrics that would pour out of him were about you. You, who he’s barely spoken to these last few months. 

He’s spent the last year trying to convince himself that the distance between you is due to growing up and schedule changes, that it is always difficult for the best mate who’s a girl to get along with the fiance. He knows how horribly reductive and stereotypical that is but you weren’t giving him anything to work with and he was too determined to not rock the boat to ever ask,  never once thinking you were keeping your space because his engagement broke your heart. Because you’re in love with him. 

You’re in love with him. 

He wants to be angry with you, angry that you could keep this from him for so long, never saying anything for years,  that you waited until now to do anything about it but instead he only feels anger at himself. That he missed the signs, that he didn’t try to talk to you more over these last few months, that he let you think the only solution was to leave. That he spent years convincing himself that when he gave any of your boyfriends a hard time it was just him being protective, that those pangs of jealousy he felt whenever some random bloke made you smile was par for the course of your friendship, that it was totally completely normal for his blood to boil whenever one of his mates from LA asked for your number, a request he always ignored. How could he be so bloody stupid?

He clenches his eyes shut, pinching the bridge of his nose with a shaky hand. This weekend has felt like someone placed a ton of bricks on his chest, the pressure slowly building and burning every hour that passed by. He couldn’t catch his breath all night until he finally found you on that courtyard, heart fluttering at how pretty you looked until he took in your expression, your packed bags, the way you were clutching onto your mum. 

He winces when he remembers how broken you looked, tear tracks down your face despite your best efforts to wipe them away. He had been desperate to do whatever he could to make you stop looking like that, whatever he could to help. Never once thinking…

He stops walking, staring up at the night sky as he blinks back tears, tries to slow his racing heart, his racing mind. Every thought that has flown through his head over the last few hours, every memory that he has picked apart, overanalyzed, it's all come back to you. You, one of the only constants through his ever changing career and ever growing life. You, his best mate and his favorite person on the planet. You, who stood in that courtyard looking like the most beautiful woman he has ever seen and told him you’re in love with him, that you’ve loved him for most of your life and he’s not sure anything could get any better than that. 

The fog in his head clears as he blinks up at the sky, feeling more settled in his body than he has all year, feeling like he finally truly knows what he wants. 

It’s you. 

It’s always been you.

Nothing has ever made more sense to him. He’s been in love before, has had it reciprocated but nothing - none of that, none of them - ever felt like this. He didn’t know anything could feel like this.  It’s like his chest has cracked open, the world tilting on its axis, a missing puzzle piece finally fitting in place. 

All the confusion, all the agony, all the questions have suddenly faded away. There’s a reason it always felt like something was missing from his relationship, from what was supposed to be his great love. There’s a reason few things have felt worse than having to watch you kiss Conor Williams at that birthday party. There’s a reason he never feels more settled, more at home, more himself than he does when he’s with you. He started loving you when he was 13 and a part of him never stopped. He’s never been able to give himself over fully to anyone else because a part of him has always belonged to you. And now he wants you to have all of him. 

He’s in love with you. And you’re in love with him. The greatest woman he’s ever known, his favorite brain, the heart he’s always felt most protective over has been steadily beating for him all this time. He can’t stop the tears now as they streak down his face. Feeling the most confusing combination of elation, clarity and dread. Because he knows now what he has to do and it’s going to be ugly. It’s going to be the worst thing he’s ever done to another person. 

Because he can’t get married tomorrow. Not to someone who isn't you. And he wants to like, date you first before he -. He shakes his head at himself, running his shaky hands through his hair, huffing a laugh of disbelief at how he’s already getting ahead of himself, how he already feels like he can breathe properly again, how nothing has ever been more clear.

He’s going to go face this now, before any more damage can be done. He’s going to talk to his mum and Gemma, then he’s going to talk to Erin. 

And then he’s going to go get you.

--

a/n: if you've been with this story and me for a while first of all ily second of all, you know how much i looove to explore their past before writing a big moment for their future and this was so fun to think about and work through. i had written the whole first half and his 2019 bit in like march so i loved getting to come back to it! thought everyone would like to see where he was at post confession. let me know what you think ! also the collage is just of his parts, i didnt want to put a pic of 2009 harry up. outside pics are the party, middle pic is rehearsal dinner fit.

taglist:@tobesolovelysstuff, @louyoursins, @daydreamingofmatilda, @jojo-blog53, @marzhshaim, @devilsqueen722, @just-happiness-only,@lomlhstyles, @feestyles, @spock4presidnet, @sunshinemoonsposts, @indierockgirrl, @jerseygirlinca, @kissitnhekitchen, @goldnrry,

[mewkwota]

I see the meme, I ask: Marth!

Oh hello my old friend, how I have not drawn you in ages. :)

Send Me a Character

And I will tell you my:

First impression *Voice of Uninformed Smash Fan* Wow I hate this stuck-up narcissist, Roy is much better and I will make fun of you constantly.

Impression now Marth is a character I've grown with for quite some time, like many I first knew of him from Melee. After an utterly (and painfully) long journey of learning who he really is, I find Marth's brand of gentleness to be a huge part of why I like him.

Even more so-- it may just be my interpretation of it-- I find his constant worry of losing his loved ones to be a fitting tie-in to his series' iconic permadeath mechanic.

And while I've since moved that title of Most Favorite FE Protag to Chrom, I honestly feel that *Rose Quartz Voice* every part of me loving Chrom is likely tied to my love for Marth. (They are related.)

Favorite moment One thing I've come to learn and enjoy is that apparently Marth can be pretty smooth with his words. His response to shut-down Kris' insistence to accompany him everywhere is something that stays in my memory-- basically Marth suggests they may as well see him nakkid and I didn't think that was something he would say.

Idea for a story There is a moment mentioned in NMotE where Marth is said to visit the graves of his fallen comrades. It's very straightforward and I may never draw it out, but I had this idea where Marth learns about the day of Lucas' MOTHER passing and offers to pay respects with him. This was based on the fact that their games share an anniversary.

Unpopular opinion Uhh, I dunno. I don't think nice people are boring, I guess.

Favorite relationship Any trickle regarding Marth and his sister give me life. Elice doesn't get a lot of writing, but whatever they share of her has been so sweet.

Favorite headcanon "No Pants" Marth. He secretly dislikes them as much as Chrom dislikes right-arm sleeves. Similarly, the idea that Marth dislikes long sleeves and rolls them up constantly is a really cute idea too. It runs in the family.

[suengmi]

can you do where boyfriend! skz are teasing w reader but say a joke that hurts their feelings and they realize and immediately apologize and make it up to you (fluff)

hi anon!! ty for being my first ask, im excited to write! not sure if you wanted full stories/drabbles but i hope you like what i did! <3 also i'm a bit unwell and drained from work so pls be kind. took so long because i ended up writing a lot for some.... like a lot OOPS i trailed off a bit to make it more realistic but asjsdkkjasd anyways im sorry if it's not exactly what u wanted ;_; i did my best, plus i didn't want to make it all the same i guess? but yeah about .6k for each member!

warnings will be written below member names!! all under the cut~

warnings for all: not completely proof read but wanted to answer this prompt asap!! i'm half asleep it's 3am pls also all gender neutral!

┋bang chan ┋

context: grocery store is never fun, especially when your boyfriend doesn't know how hard it can be for you. new!relationship, domestic bliss grocery shopping for a night in

warnings: slight ableism??? before he knows??? idk, chan a bit spicy with his words so not complete fluff my b, some cussing, not the fluffiest pls im sorry idk what HAPPENED

word count: .6k

chan grunts at you, eyes rolling, "i told you it's the wrong one you dumb dumb. "

you look down at the japanese curry powder, trying to make sense of the words written before you. you haven't been with chan for long, but he's treated you better than anyone you've ever met. he's kind, giving and always knows how to make you feel better. he knows that you're happier when it rains, he knows that you get angry whenever you lose a game, he loves that you always defeat him at uno and enjoys how you make a week long parade about it. he already loves you but definitely doesn't know it yet.

there is one thing you're still trying to gauge about chan is how sometimes he can shoot first and ask questions later, and this is one of those moments.

chan frowns, pointing at the curry packet in your hand. "this is the spicy one."

"i'm sorry." you say in a low tone, still trying to read the packet but the font is harder to read, "they look the same."

chan snatches the packet from your hand, placing it back next to the seemingly same ones. "well maybe if you read it you properly for once. i had the runs for like 2 days last time. you know me and spicy no agree."

"i can't.... sometimes."

chan turns to you. "huh?"

you take in a deep breath and speak fast, "i have dyslexia."

"what?" he questions confused.

it's then when the penny drops after a moment of silence. realization a wave over him, all the times he told you to read properly, how many times he made tut noises at your replies not having complete context and how he would grunt when you didn't comprehend something.

"why didn't you tell me? there's nothing wrong with that...?" he prods, gaze gentle towards you.

you fumble with your hands, picking at the skin at the sides of your thumb, your mind trying to find what to say. "i dunno."

he sounds so apologetic when he eventually speaks, he wonders how he could have been stupid. it makes sense. all the times you've told him about your ex and how he called you stupid and dumb for not reading well, making fun of you and saying you just don't pay attention. "i made fun of you so much... wow i'm a dick-

"no it's okay" you interrupt him, a small smile on your lips not wanting him to be hurt.

chan purses his lips while taking your hands in his. he looks at your eyes, his own intense and apologetic. "no- it's not okay, i make fun of you so much for thinking you just didn't pay attention, shit, i'm sorry. i joke all the time about how your brain is always else where."

and with that chan knows that he definitely could have picked up the pieces earlier, that you said it to him, without words. "i'm just... fuck i'm sorry."

"i just you know with my ex they-"

chan pulls you in for a tight hug, as if hushing the words you were about to spill, your glasses pushed against your eyes but you don't mind. he smells like fresh baby powder, his own scent you love mixing in with the clothes he's wearing. you know chan's going to make up for it and that he'll do everything to make you feel better. because you love him too, you just don't know it yet either.

﹋﹋﹋

┋changbin ┋

context: changbin loves working out and you love watching him, even if you don't think he doesn't know. freshly known feelings, uni!au, living together in dorm (i know you said !boyfriend but this was too good not to write hehe)

warnings: CHANGBIN SHAMELESSLY FLIRTING ACK, implications of taking a relationship further (physically), voyeur reader lmao

word count: .5k

you turn your gaze over to your friend, housemate or whatever you two had going on was called. you'd never really thought of changbin as someone you'd like, his gentle an soft nature was a contrast to the man currently a few metres away from you. weights in hand and grunts slipping from his mouth. you lean your head back to get a better angle, the veins on his arm revealing themselves. you knew he liked you and you liked him, but neither of you would dare to open that pandoras box. well, not until tonight.

it's a moment later that changbin stops his routine, almost meeting your stare. you raise your brows, attention turning back to the laptop in front of you. what on earth was i doing? you think, pretending to type something into the computer.

"thirsty?" he asks you, pretending he didn't noticed your eyes on him every now and then for the last half hour.

you turn your attention to him "wha?"

he laughs into his chest, stretching out his arms, "you have drool on the side of your mouth."

"i do- i do not!" you say slamming the laptop down, folding your arms on your chest knowing you've been caught.

changbin laughs, sitting down on the couch next to you, "didn't know i owned a dog."

you had no idea he could be this cheeky, making fun of you for simply watching him. after all, you were perving in a sense.

"don't make fun of me! i know i was... watching."

a smile dances on his lips, knowing that you can be sensitive to these things. "i'm sorry." he almost sounds apologetic... almost. "but... it's just too good to catch you out." he says in a slow almost seemingly mocking way.

"stop it." you mumble, facing the other way. "you know i have issues with... bringing this stuff up."

changbin tugs on your ear to gain your attention, feeling bad for making you feel slightly uncomfortable. but hey, you were the one watching. he smiles and says, "i know i know, i'm just teasing. i'm really sorry."

"i know but... please don't, this is hard for me."

"okay okay," he whines, gently lacing his fingers in yours, testing the waters to see if you'd be okay with this affection. "i promise i won't make fun of you, but if you wanna watch feel free to, don't have to be shy about it."

a blush dances across your cheeks and ears, your tummy suddenly feeling a knot of embarrassment grow. "changbiiiin." you groan, planting your face into the couch cushion.

"okay maybe i lied, i'll definitely enjoy making fun of you."

﹋﹋﹋

┋hyunjin ┋

context: you hate feet. hyunjin thinks it's funny. established!relationship, living together

warnings: obvi mentions of feet?? mentions of vomit

word count: .6k

hyunjin knew you hated feet, just how they looked, how they acted and gripped on the damn floor whenever someone would walk bare foot. hyunjin loved walking around the house barefoot, and it sometimes made you feel woozy, just the image of your own feet touching the floor... imagine. you shivered at the thought, sitting down on the couch next to your boyfriend, his feet dangling off the edge of the couch.

you pat your legs, instructing him wordlessly to lay on your lap. he complies without a thought, scooching back and nestling his head into your soft legs. he let's out a gentle "mm" as he settles in. "soft" he coos, rubbing his head a few times before turning his attention back to his switch.

after another episode of your favourite show, hyunjin suddenly brings his feet up, inspecting one of them. "i think i have glass in this one."

"do you need to do that here?" you say in a tone, eyes avoiding the grippers in sight.

"nah can you just check this one?" he says with difficulty, throwing his foot back towards your face. if you weren't so grossed out you'd probably be impressed by his flexibility.

"hyunjin please--" you swat away his foot with your phone, pushing yourself back into the couch.

"nah see in the big toe right here."

"hyunjin! you know i hate feet stop!"

he struggles, folding his body further to get his left foot near you, "babe just look here near the nail."

and that's when you feel a lump in your throat, nearly retching at the sight. the rice dish you had earlier suddenly feeling not so settled.

"oh shit." hyunjin says in a shock turning his attention to you, hearing your strangled noise. "are you okay?"

"no i'm not okay, go away." you say behind your hand.

shit, he knows he did wrong. his seemingly funny joke was definitely taken too far. he feels bad, real bad. he knew you didn't like feet but not this much. it'd never really come into question the time you'd been together, but god he had no idea.

"jeez i'm sorry." he's unsure where to place his hands and fumbles, words not forming correctly.

you sit in silence for a moment before regaining your thoughts. "don't. fucking. do. that."

hyunjin's eyes are pleading, the guilt in his face almost makes you not want to get him back but then realise you can use this to your advantage. you look over at the massage oils on the table and back at him. "i have an idea."

and you know he'll do whatever it takes. he still had glass in his foot, but that wasn't important right now.

------

┋felix ┋

context: felix thinks your tummy is cute, but you're just not used to it.

warnings: mentions of weight, body issues, tight clothing, BUT ITS FLUFF I PROMISEEEE, felix just a silly soft goose

word count: .6k

"come out please." felix begs, head leaning against the door.

you're sitting in the bathroom on the floor, dressed in nothing but your boxer underwear and a tight bed shirt, felix's bed shirt. you can feel the anxiety seeping into your chest, the weight of reality hitting you. you and your boyfriend had been together for only a month, but this was the first night you were staying at his house. it was on a whim, since most of the trains and buses had stopped running. and of course, you had nothing to wear. so there you were, tight shirt and all. you've never been uncomfortable with your body, if anything you love your body. but for some reason the way that felix talked about your stomach irked you. maybe he meant it as a joke? what did he mean? either way you were upset and needed space for a moment.

"please, i didn't mean it like that." felix sighs against the door, "it's soft and i love it."

you cast a sad expression towards the door. still unwavering from your position. why do you have anxiety now about this? all he did was grab your tummy and tell you it's soft like a kitten belly, or how it reminds him of those marshmallows that fold and how much he loves it because it's you, and he loves you.

you hear nothing but the cracking of a knee, felix bending down to put his fingers through the gap of the door underneath. he splays his fingers like a cat trying to get in the bathroom, darting against the tiles.

"lemme in!" he chimes, grunting to get his fingers further in. "i'll get in either way!" he jokes, using both of his hands under door to attack. it makes you laugh. it reminds me of those videos of cats wanting to get into the bathroom, or videos of racoons grabbing food.

"am i close?" he jokes, moving his hands back and forth.

you groan, stifling a laugh as you get up to open the door. "not even." you say, being met with pleading eyes. you look down at him, his hands still pretending to search where the door once was.

but he suddenly swoops you into a hug, hands around your waist, his head pressed into your soft chest, enjoying the smell of his shirt mixing in with your scent.

you relinquish any negative thoughts you have, melting into the hug. "i know you didn't mean it like that but, i think i'm just nervous... because it's you."

he pulls back, arms still wrapped round your waist, probably a bit too tight. "it wasn't a joke, i do love it." his eye are filled with nothing but love and adoration for you, your body an your mind.

"just... choose different words, please... i'm not a roll of marshmallows."

felix pulls back suddenly before gently pressing a swift kiss to your lips. "tastes sweet." he retorts about your statement, ignoring your words before kissing you again.

"i'm-seri-ous." you say between kisses, you feel his his hands digging into your hips.

instead of stopping, he grins, love apparent in his eyes. "my marshmallow."

you roll your eyes, a bit of anxiety still in your throat but knowing he adores marshmallows, you figure it's okay for now.

﹋﹋﹋

┋jisung ┋

context: a park date is cute until you get attacked my a crow, jisung think's it's funny. established!relatonship

warnings: jisung being a weenie, swearing

word count: .5k

the ground collides with your chest, the mud clouding your vision and your new shirt you brought for the date probably ruined. yep, i definitely tripped and yes it was embarrassing. you think, shame in your chest. of all the days, why your one year anniversary?

all you hear is the cackle behind you getting louder, sharp inhales of breath echoing in your ears. jisung has no shame, actively laughing at you stacking it to the ground.

"ahaha! the crow!!" he gurgles still, bending forwards over the picnic blanket, almost choking on his spit.

"jisung!" you yell, getting to your feet, seeing the mess on the front of you. that fucking crow, why did it choose me?

"jisung!" you yell louder, stomping over to the blanket, definitely covered in mud, dripping behind you as you walk.

"i'm sorry babe i'm-" he says between breathes.

you grunt before wiping the mud from your chest, still feeling it covering half of your face. "it's not funny."

"it fucking is."

jisung's laughs come to a halt as he realised you're upset upset, not just whining like you usually do. he notices how your eyes are suddenly pooling with wells. he stands to his feet and gently holds out his hands, "baby-"

"no!" you grumble, pulling your arms away, tears rolling down your cheek. "i just bought this top. now it's ruined." your dejected tone unsettles jisung, instantly feeling bad for making fun of you.

he says nothing, confused on how to react. but he waits patiently, allowing you to let out your feelings. he's always been good at this, always been patient with you.

after a breath you look back at him, red rings dancing around your eyes.

he smirks as he walks over to the mud and plainly sits down in it as if it what he was meant to do all along. you let out a small laugh, your hands wiping the rest of the mud from your face.

"what?" he asks plainly, as if nothing is weird. he grabs a handful of the mud before pressing it to his shirt, and then another handful to his hair, rubbing it in. "what's funny?"

you laugh behind your mud covered hand walking over to him. he smiles up at you like a puppy, knowing that he's succeeded in making you feel better.

and there he is, completely covered in mud, way more than you are and in that moment you fall just a little bit more in love with him. you lean down and press a gentle but muddy kiss onto his lips.

he stares up at you with nothing else to say, just sitting in the mud. you decide to join him, plopping down next to him, hand in hand as you both just sit in silence and completely covered in mud.

with jisung you didn't always needs words, sometimes the things he did for you were enough.

﹋﹋﹋

┋lee know ┋

context: you're getting ready to go out with friends, but your hair has other ideas, established!relationship, living together.

warnings/other: kisses??? idk, cuss words

word count: .5k

"it's not working!" you huff, re-straightening the side of your bangs for the 6th time. minho was confused at first, wondering why you're so upset over something trivial and small from his point of view. but when he looks up from his phone to see you struggling, his left hand still lazily patting one of his cats. he speaks without thinking,

"it's definitely like a pigs tail." he chuckles, looking back at his phone. in his mind, he assumes that he was just making a light hearted joke, thinking it was cute the way you got so upset over something he coined as small. plus, pig tails are very cute if you think about it.

it wasn't until you made a little sob that he noticed how you were actually feeling. you stare in the mirror, realizing it in fact does look like a pigs tail.

"baby-" he let's out a small but gentle sigh, "i was joking,"

"no you weren't. it... does look like a pig tail." you say between a small dejected sob, lips curled down and hands at your side as you avoid the mirror.

"let me help?" he says so gently as he approaches the bathroom door. instead of letting him help, you just melt into his chest immediately, your sobs muffled by his shirt. "i look like shit." you say defeated.

he lets out a light laugh, kissing the top of your head a few times, "you never look like shit, you know... even with your pig tail."

you step back, immediately hitting the tight muscles of his chest with both of your fists, "fuck off i swear." you talk through your teeth, still frustrated but feeling the urge to laugh in your throat.

"there you are," he says pleased at your spice, fighting with you to place a kiss on your temple, your hand starts pushing on his jaw, his lips puckered and ready. "c'mere." he says through your fingers, still pushing his head towards you, his hands gripping at your neck. "let me-- love you."

after a few minutes of roughhouse struggle, you push him back, feeing slightly better. it's in this moment you realize that you in fact do not enjoy asking anyone for help. but you speak, dejected tone apparent. "yeah... please help."

and nothing else is said while he fixes your hair, gently pressing small kisses on your cheeks as he does so. he knows he can sometimes say things without thinking, but he also knows that you sometimes enjoy just as much as he does. it's why you love him and why you two work so well together. after a few minutes he steps back to admire his masterpiece, a triumphant smile on his lips. "hmm," he ponders, "i liked the pig tail better."

"oi, don't start again you little shit" you say as you begin chasing after him, giggles dancing in with his own as he runs down the hall, nearly slipping on the rug. "get back here! you're in for it!"

﹋﹋﹋

┋seungmin┋

context: seungmin needs to shut his mouth sometimes, even if he doesn't know it. established!relationship, living together

warnings: seungmin being a spicy bitch, some playful physical aggression, kissing

word count: .5k

seungmin has you completely pinned under him on the couch as he covers you with kisses, not relinquishing his hold. "how many times do i have to say it?"

you grunt at the fact that he's weirdly strong in these situations, and as much as you struggle against his hold he's just completely powering over you. just the other day you were the one that had to help him open a jar. but thats besides the point. here seungmin is, currently trying to wiggle his way out of the fact that he took a joke too far. you're determined not to let him get away that easy.

you struggle once more against his hold, your legs flailing underneath him but he's just too damn strong.

he lets out a struggled breath, still above you. his hair falling gently from his face, "isn't sorry enough?"

you turn your head to the side, bottom lip pouting. "no."

"baby-"

you tut at him, tone almost darted, "don't baby me! you've lost your rights."

a gentle grin finds itself to dance over seungmin's face, he likes it when you fight back. he likes it when you put him in his place but still give him enough wiggle room to feel in charge.

"okay," he says with raised brows, "you win. i apologise."

you realise this is the perfect opportunity to get him back, for him making that stupid joke about something he knew you were insecure about.

"oh, whats this? kim seungmin, apologising, what was that?" you speak sarcastically. you're still under his hold, but you'll let it slide for now. "sorry i didn't quite catch that after you made me feel like shit for an entire hour. repeat?"

"i... apologise. i took it too far and i'm sorry."

you feel your chest rise, suddenly enjoying the power that seungmin has given to you. it takes a lot for him to admit he's wrong or that he's done wrong, this is just so damn satisfying.

"actually..." he trails off, letting your hands free a second before quickly grabbing the back of your neck. the kiss he planted on you was fast, and before you knew it you were laying back down on the couch, head dizzy from the sudden kiss, "you can't just make me forgive you with kisses." you speak in a semi-daze.

seungmin presses a kiss to your cheek and then a few more to your lips, the taste sweeter everytime. "i can, actually."

yeah, he's absolutely right. wait, what were we arguing about?

﹋﹋﹋

┋jeongin┋

context: jeongin fucked up, and he wants to make it better. fresh!relationship

warnings: none? kissing maybes, TOO MUCH CUTE

word count: .5k

it only took jeongin about half an hour to attempt to make it up to you.

sometimes being with jeongin was hard, as you both communicated in very different ways, it definitely was something you needed to work on. though, the one thing you loved about him is the absolute time and effort he put into making everything just perfect for you. when it came to you, everything he did for you was worth it.

after taking a walk to calm your thoughts, you realized you were still frazzled from the way jeongin teased you and how you ended up crying, resulting in him just left behind in a confused state. sometimes it took a while for the penny to drop with him, but once he got it, he really got it.

you step through the front door of his house, gently removing your sandals to be met with the sound of jeongin jumping up from the couch, hands out in a display. "ta-da!" he yells, it startles you.

you turn to meet eyes with your boyfriend, his face with a stupid grin slapped across it.

"what is-" and that's when you notice the many items splayed across the ground. there's a few towels on the lounge table, a tub of what seems to be hot soapy water, a box of facemasks and some nail polish next to it. the lighting is low and your favourite soundtrack is playing. you notice the scent in the room, jasmine tea, your favourite.

jeongin takes a deep breath in before showcasing his wares. "salon de jeongin"

"babe i-"

he steps forward, taking your hands in his before guiding you to sit down. "cmon" he coaxes gently, his beautiful dark eyes watching your every step. you say nothing as you follow him, unsure of what's happening.

as if he knows you're going to speak, he places a gentle kiss on your forehead. "i'm sorry."

you marvel at the sight in front of you once more. the fact that he built you a whole salon in his living room within thirty minutes is mind blowing. he knows your favourite scent, your favourite songs and all the products you use. you didn't even realize he had those.

you're still at a loss for words, unsure of where to put your hands or body. jeongin just points to the chair, silly grin still plastered on his face and eyes wide.

you sit down in the chair, eyes darting to jeongin. "does it cost extra for shellac on my nails?"

jeongin pouts in thought, "just a kiss."

"i can do that." you say back at him. and that's all it takes, you know you'll talk later about this and how you can communicate better but this... this was enough for now. more than enough.

"actually," jeongin ponders before leaning so damn close to your face, "i think it's about 4 kisses."

-

DAMN THAT WAS SO LONG I SPENT LIKE AGES DOING THIS MY BAD, i know it's not exactly what u said but oh well i wanted to make them all different!!!! ty for asking!!!!!! <3

[useless-pvppy]

Hewooo this will be da official intro post to my lil blog here so hav fun reading and getting to know me woof! ૮⍝• ᴥ •⍝ა

Introduction💛:

Name: Pup! or Puppy! or mutt! or whatever you wanna call me woof! ૮ ˶´ ᵕˋ ˶ა

Pronouns: He/It only!!!!! no they/them!! no fem pronouns!!!

Age: 20+ ! yey!

Sexuality: uhhhm this one's a weird one, definitely aro, sexuality wise i dunno rly!! as long as u can fuck me, w a strap or w ur own thing then im down! woof! probably leaning more towards mlm tho but once again, whatever works!

Bottom only! maybeeee switch but Im still figuring that one out so for now sub only too ૮u ﻌ u ა

Pre-t sadge but we keep barking wauf

also im a furry but i suck and havent made a fursona yet but whatev!!! still a furry wauf wauf

Stuffs I like ૮₍ ´ ꒳ `₎ა♡ (to be updated? I forget many things all da time sowy):

petplay/puppyplay ofc, collars/leashes, being tied up, somno, cnc, dubcon, knives, marking, tentacles, piss, hypno, breeding, age gaps, age play, corruption, edging, basically full control over me i like that yeppers, degrading, humiliation, praise, plushie humping!, being cut And cutting others!!! if im obsessed w u i wanna cut u up all cute!!!, gags, overstim, size diff.., cockwarming.., stalking! monsterfucking:>, fauxcest + theres pwobably more i forgor, feel free to ask me!!

Stuffs I don't like ૮ – ﻌ–ა :

foodplay/feederism is big yucky for me, degrading if its directed at my body is big no am insecure TwT, scat yucky, any form of forced fem or detrans/misgendering thing is a no.. if i wanna wear a skirt and be cute i will but dont call me girly names!!!!!, pregnancy yucky...

uhmm honestly theres not many things I wouldnt at least try once so yeah once again be normal and ask if ya arent sure!!!!! ill more than likely answer nodders :3

DNI: general dni yakno the drill, sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, zionist, maga dumb fucks gtfo!!, under 18/ageless blogs pls leave! (as long as u state youre over 18 somewhere its okie, no need to be specific just pls dont be a child!!!!!), antis, ppl who cant differentiate fiction/fantasy from reality! hetero men!sorry but am not a girl so i dont want u interacting if u view me as one!!!

thats about it for dni! if you dont like smth on my blog feel free to leave wauf! if you think im morally bad bcoz of da stuffs i like thats ur opinion but i dont care so dont tell me! just leave ^-^

wauf im super-duper bad at introductions so am not even rly sure what else to add >~< iguessss general just stuffs about me? i like video games altho most of da games i like i never played coz ive never had a laptop or pc for them, am still just using my roomie's stuff TwT, i draw sometimes which is very epic very cool wauf! also i bark a lot in text and type weirdge sorry!!! alsoalso i luv horror stuffs and scary stuff!!! horror games r superduper my favourite but i do scare easily but that doesnt matter!!! i also like cute stuff like sanrio stuffs and plushies and cute clothes and sharkies!!!! ya ya! I call myself emo so thats what i am i guess!!

also for rulez and stuff on what u can send as asks!!!! well i dunno! whatever ya want! be horny or just talk to me about whatever wauf!! beware if u make me flustered and horny enough times i might become obsessed w u and I'll wanna stalk u and cut u so !!! beware of weirdo puppy here!!

alsoalso im pretty shy at first, and uh in general honestly, and pretty bad at this whole human interaction stuff (im a puppy !!! how would i kno how to talk to you humans >~<) if we arent mutuals u cant dm me sowy!

I wont giv you my discord or any other social media right away!! im too paranoid and shy for that sorta stuff so i gotta proper trust u! or u gotta catch me be real desperate but we will see iguess! also wont send u nudes! i never even taken any so no chance youd get one!

my shyness also comes from da fact im very inexperienced in everything ever so like...yeah...cbfnhfdnbfndbg IDK!!!! WHATEVR!!! IM BAD AT TALKIN ABOUT THIS STUFF!!! WHATEVR!!! teach me mayb 👉👈

alsoalso im!..okay i cry Very easily if i start getting embarrassed i start tearing up and the more u tease me about it the more I'll cry.. i can't help it and i can't control it i jus cry rly easily (⁠╥⁠﹏⁠╥⁠)

very veryvery autistically obsessed w my soulmate!!! coz yes i do hav one!!! this blog is for funsies and to be horny w other horny folks but at da end of da day most of my brain and thoughts r occupied by one person only wauf!! once again am aro and shes aro too so what we hav is special!!! more than romantic nd more than platonic iss secret third thing which is primal obsession w one another!!! theyre my owner and i am theirz das how it workz!!! I feel like i should mention dis jus in case anyone tries for anythin long term over here! sorry not gonn happen! wauf💛 ehhmmvnv probably shouldve mentioned dis sooner but am bad at realisin non aro folk might try for things nd also wasn sure how she'd feel about it nd i kept forgettin to ask but whatev now u know!! will be usin #catto posts for posts that remind me of him or posts i make about her wauf!

Okie thats all!!! i think!! im tryna figure out how im gonna tag stuff so for now #pupper rambles for my text posts, #pupper pics for pics of me :3c, #pupper answers for answered asks!

Send asks!! talk to me pwease!!! giv me attention!! woof!!

-Pup ♡ ૮₍˶Ó﹏Ò ˶₎ა

[lesbicosmos-writes]

@deadboyween day 11

the day we've all been waiting for!!

day 11 prompt: halloween

summary: the girls wonder if the boys have ever done anything for halloween. they convince them to have a mini party at the office - including costumes.

notes: this fic brought to you by my love of comic!crystal being a nerdy cosplayer <333

also on ao3!

the case of the halloween party

“Do you think Charles and Edwin celebrate Halloween?” Niko asked, lounging on the floor of the office while Crystal was on the sofa, her laptop propped open on her lap.

The boys had gone out ‘to the library’ to do what they called ‘private ghost research’ – but both Crystal and Niko knew that was just their code phrase for a date – leaving the girls to their own devices back at the office. Niko had been reading but her attention span had depleted several minutes ago, while Crystal was trying to win a bid for a cursed teacup someone was trying to sell on eBay.

“I dunno. Wouldn’t that be a bit weird? Spooky supernatural beings celebrating a human-made spooky supernatural holiday?”

“I think it would be even better as a ghost,” Niko commented. “You could actually, properly scare people.”

“True. I wouldn’t exactly have taken Edwin for a Halloween kind of guy though.”

“Maybe we can try and do something with them! We’ve only got two weeks left! I think we can convince them to dress up, at least.”

“Good luck with that,” Crystal chuckled.

“Oh my god! We could go as Mystery Inc.!” Niko sat upright, clearly already making plans.

“Ah, um…I’d love to Niko, but I kind of already had my costume planned.”

“Oh. Do you already have plans for the day?”

“Not really. A lot of the clubs around here do Halloween nights so I was probably just gonna go to one of those if we weren’t busy. I’d rather do something with you guys though, clubs are no fun on your own.”

“What’s your costume plan, then?” Niko asked.

“Well, I used to be really into cosplay and-”

Niko cut her off.

“You were into cosplay?” she asked incredulously.

“Yeah?” Crystal shrugged.

“I thought you were like…a typical mean girl?”

“Well, I was a typical mean girl who happened to love cosplaying characters from video games.”

Niko stared at her girlfriend open-mouthed, her eyes wide.

“I’m in love with you,” she said simply.

Crystal laughed.

“I think you’ve mentioned that before.”

“How have you never told me you used to cosplay?”

“It just never came up, I guess,” Crystal chuckled.

“So, who are you dressing as?”

“Oh, just this character from a pretty niche game.”

“What game?”

“Yonda.”

“You play Yonda? I love that game!” Niko had moved forwards and was sitting beside Crystal on the tiny sofa.

“Really?”

“Yes!” Niko replied excitedly. “Ayumi was like...my lesbian awakening!”

Crystal’s face morphed into a smirk. “Well…”

“No. You’re not.”

“Mhm,” Crystal hummed, teasingly.

“Oh my god Crystal I need to see this right now,” Niko all but shrieked.

“You’ll just have to wait til Halloween babe,” Crystal said, leaning forward to press a kiss to Niko’s lips.

“Ughhhh,” Niko groaned, just as the mirror rippled and Charles and Edwin stepped through it.

“What’s going on?” Charles asked, perching himself on the arm of the sofa next to Niko.

“Oh, Crystal and I were just discussing Halloween costumes.”

“Costumes?” Edwin asked, the tone of his voice somewhere between confused and ever so slightly judging.

“Yeah? Don’t tell me you’ve never dressed up for Halloween!” Niko sat upright on the sofa.

“I’ve been trying to get him to for years but he just refuses,” Charles complained, shaking his head slightly.

Niko jumped up from the sofa and stepped towards Edwin.

“Edwin, you have to!”

“I was under the impression that this strange tradition of dressing up was only for events like parties. I’m afraid I don’t see the point of it when we have no party to attend,” Edwin explained.

“We can have our own!” Niko waved her arms in the air a little, turning to face the others to see their reactions.

Crystal had a smile on her face but reluctantly asked, “Who would we even invite, Niko?”

“Jenny!” Niko said, pointing to one finger as though counting.

Everyone looked at her expectantly, waiting for the rest of the hypothetical guest list. Jenny had moved her shop to London but she was still about the only person any of the group really knew.

“Okay I guess it’s just Jenny but still! I could bake! We could decorate the office! It’d be fun!”

Who could resist Niko Sasaki when she looked so excited and full of joy? Sure, it wouldn’t be much of a typical party, but it could be a celebration in their own way, so everyone eventually agreed that they would have a gathering on Halloween night. Edwin still insisted they kept the agency open just in case – there never had been a Halloween without a strange new case to crack in the many years they had been working together.

As expected, Niko got very into the party planning. She was planning on baking enough snacks to feed a small army – including finding a recipe and enchantment for biscuits and sweets ghosts could eat thanks to Tragic Mick. She and Edwin had been crafting decorations while Charles and Crystal went out to buy supplies.

“So what do you want to dress as?” Niko asked, cutting out skull-shaped bunting.

“I’m not sure. I don’t think I want to dress too differently, if possible. The idea is still a little silly to me, I must admit.”

“Everyone dresses up on Halloween, Edwin. It’s the one day a year where cosplaying is normalised – expected, even! But if you want to keep your style as much as you can, I think I have an idea.”

“What is it?”

“That’s a surprise,” Niko grinned. “You trust me, yeah?”

“Of course,” Edwin replied sincerely.

The surprise didn’t last very long. Merely one day later, Niko returned to the office with inspiration for Edwin’s outfit to show him, and he wasn’t as against the idea as she expected him to be. Crystal was there too, and was as excited about the costume as Niko was. But they all agreed to keep it as a secret from Charles – who was being very secretive over his own idea anyway.

Soon enough, Halloween arrived. The office was decorated with a mixture of lovingly crafted handmade decorations and ornaments bought from shops. Niko’s paper skull bunting hung across the doorframe and across the blank wall between the games closet and the desk. She had also made bats to hang from the ceiling by string. The four of them had carved pumpkins the day prior, to varying degrees of precision, which all sat along the windowsill. Edwin had intricately folded several little origami pumpkins and placed them on the bookshelves, while tiny plastic ornaments of skulls and bats and witches’ hats sat amongst them. A string of brightly coloured lights shaped like skulls were suspended across the window.

The largest of the decorations were two plastic hanging skeletons, which hung either side of the door. They had been plain when Crystal bought them, but she and Niko had crafted a tiny bow tie and book for one of them, and an earring, backpack and cricket bat for the other. Edwin seemed sceptical about the mini him-and-Charles, but grew fond of them after seeing Charles’s grin when Crystal hung them up.

The office looked different, but somehow the atmosphere hadn’t really changed – after all, it was the permanent residence of two ghosts in the first place.

It was 5pm, and the girls were currently both in the bathroom getting into their costumes, while the boys waited in the main room of the office, both still in their usual outfits.

“So like, you really never did anything?” Charles asked.

“Charles, I’ve told you several times over the years. When I was alive, Halloween wasn’t as much of a deal as it was now. It was a childish holiday. A few of the boys at school would sneak out to the cemetery at night, or play games in the dormitories, but people rarely dressed up or had parties like you do now.”

“Right. Sorry. I mean, it wasn’t like a huge thing when I was alive – not for my family, anyway. My dad thought it was stupid, so even if my friends did have a party I could never go. It always looked so much cooler in America, like it is in films and stuff.”

“Hmm,” Edwin hummed.

“So…what’s your costume?” Charles asked.

He’d been trying to get Edwin to tell him for a week, but he didn’t budge, insisting it was a surprise.

“I’m not telling you,” Edwin replied, a smug smirk on his face.

“You’re evil.”

“Oh really? Because I seem to remember you saying something different when you were kissing me ten minutes ago.”

“Oi!” Charles grinned.

The sound of giggling echoed through the bathroom door, and both ghosts turned towards it.

“Seriously, what are they doing in there?” Edwin asked, folding his arms.

“I dunno, mate. Girls and bathrooms, innit? They always go in pairs and take forever and come out giggling like maniacs.”

“So strange.”

“Yup.”

“How long does it take to change clothes? They’ve been in there for nearly an hour.”

Charles stepped forwards and knocked on the door.

“Hey, uh, are you two good in there? You’ve been in there ages,” he said.

“We’re fine,” Niko laughed.

“You better not be snogging!”

“Charles you can’t say anything, we know you were making out with Edwin like ten minutes ago.”

Charles opened his mouth to argue but ultimately gave up. “Okay fine, shut up,” he said instead.

More laughter erupted from the door, and Charles gave up, walking back over to the desk.

It was several minutes later when the door to the tiny bathroom finally opened. Charles and Edwin stood up straight, ready to see the girls’ outfits…

…only to find the two of them standing there with white sheets over their heads, holes cut out of the faces so their eyes could be seen.

Charles snorted, but Edwin didn’t seem as amused. Perhaps if you looked closer though…maybe there was a slight smirk hidden there on his face. Maybe.

“Very funny,” he said sarcastically.

“We’re ghosts!” Niko said, giggling.

“Yes, I can see that, Niko.”

“Come on, it’s a little funny!” Crystal argued.

“Fine,” Edwin gave in, letting that tiny smirk be more obvious on his face.

“Anyway, these aren’t our real costumes. Don’t worry,” Niko said, and both she and Crystal pulled the sheets from their heads and threw them onto the sofa.

Niko had the more recognisable costume of the two – a bright orange turtleneck and matching socks, along with a short red skirt. What with her usual bright monochromatic wardrobe choices, the other three had seen every main part of the outfit before many times. What they hadn’t seen before were the large-rimmed glasses that rested on her nose, or the short brown wig she wore that seemed to conceal her bright white hair so well, it was as if it wasn’t even there beneath it.

“Velma!” Edwin said, smiling.

“Yeah!”

Then the boys turned to Crystal, and both of their faces morphed into confusion.

“You guys have no idea who I am do you?” she laughed.

“I’m afraid we don’t.”

“Wasn’t expecting you to, don’t worry. I’m Ayumi from Yonda.”

“Are those words?” Edwin asked, one eyebrow raised.

“It’s a video game,” Niko explained.

“Oh, nice! Well, you look great. Both of you,” Charles said.

“Thank you,” Niko smiled.

“Right, now it’s your turn,” Crystal turned to the boys, a smile on her face.

“Do we really have to?” Edwin complained.

“Yes!” Niko exclaimed, ushering him into the bathroom and closing the door behind them.

Since the boys didn’t exactly get changed into their costumes, each had one of the girls there to help them alter their appearances, especially since they also didn’t have reflections. So, Niko joined Edwin in the bathroom whilst Crystal helped Charles in the office.

Edwin managed to get his costume right fairly quickly – Niko had made him practise whenever they got the chance and were away from the other two. Niko looked him up and down, smiling to herself.

“Perfect!” she grinned.

He was dressed as a traditional vampire, and thanks to some convincing from the girls (otherwise known as Niko’s puppy eyes – Edwin really ought to learn to say no to her), he’d also manifested a pair of fangs. He couldn’t alter his own body, but he’d managed to create a pair of plastic ones that fitted perfectly to his canine teeth.

“Oh my god you look so good!” Niko said, using a finger to dab some fake blood onto the corner of his mouth, so it dripped down his chin.

“Niko, is this strange sticky concoction really necessary?”

“Yes! How will anyone know you’re a spooky vampire without fake blood?”

“I think it’s fairly obvious from the rest of the outfit. And the fangs,” Edwin chuckled.

“Oh well. It looks cooler.”

Edwin wasn’t going to argue with her. Niko shuffled around him in the tiny bathroom before she reached the door. She knocked on it a couple of times.

“Hey, is Charles ready?”

“Nearly, just finishing up his…nearly!” Crystal replied from the other side of the door.

“Yay!” Niko grinned, placing her hands together in front of her like she was running some evil scheme. Edwin had come to fear that look.

“Ready!” Crystal called.

Niko opened the bathroom door, and both of them stepped out.

Edwin froze when he saw Charles. Charles seemed to freeze too, the two of them just staring at one another open-mouthed.

“Pick your jaws up off the floor, you two,” Crystal said, her arms folded in front of her.

“Shh let them ogle,” Niko said, that grin still plastered across her face.

In terms of style, Edwin’s costume wasn’t too dissimilar from what he usually wore; the blue sweater vest was replaced by a red waistcoat, and a frilly collar took the place of his bow tie. His trousers were black instead of pinstripe grey, and his brown coat was now black and had a higher, upturned collar. It was different enough to be considered a costume, but similar enough that it wasn’t too uncomfortable, and he wasn’t revealing any more skin than usual.

The same could not be said for Charles’s costume. He wore what appeared to be a teal surgical gown, only unlike actual surgical gowns, this one cut off halfway down his thighs. Under it, he wore fishnet tights and boots that resembled the ones Edwin usually wore. He had a pearl necklace around his neck, and bright pink rubber gloves on. And that wasn’t even mentioning the make-up. Of course, Charles always wore eyeliner, but this was different. His eyelids were painted the same teal as his outfit all the way up to his eyebrows, and he wore lipstick.

“He wouldn’t wear the heels,” Crystal tutted, shaking her head at him in disappointment.

Edwin recognised the costume from a movie Crystal had made them watch a few weeks prior. Charles had already seen it, had snuck into the cinema to watch it with a girl when it was playing on Halloween the year before he died. It hadn’t been a date; Charles was sure to tell them. They were just the only ones who wanted to watch it - all their other friends had claimed it was for queers. Charles had brushed it off at the time, but now saw the ironic truth in their claim, given both his recent revelations and the fact he knew that girl he snuck out with was now happily married to a woman.

“Mate, you look…” Charles began.

“Charles…” Edwin breathed, unable to tear his eyes away from Charles’s legs.

He’d seen Charles’s legs many times by now, but never like this and never in this context. It was overwhelming and he couldn’t figure out how to look anywhere else.

“His face is further up, Edwin,” Crystal teased. “Jeez, now I’m glad we didn’t go for the corset,” she muttered to Niko.

“Do you guys want us to leave you alone?” Niko smirked.

Edwin cleared his throat, finally managing to look somewhere other than his boyfriend’s legs in those fishnets.

“No, that won’t be necessary. Besides, Jenny will be here soon,” he said, hoping no one noticed the way his voice cracked a little.

Everyone noticed.

As Edwin and Niko headed over to the desk to lay out the food, Crystal stepped towards Charles – who was still silent and staring.

“Are you okay there, buddy?” she asked, the amusement clear in her voice.

Charles snapped out of it, turning to face her.

“Yeah. Aces, why?”

“Hmm…sure,” Crystal smirked.

It was nearly twenty minutes later when Jenny arrived. She was also dressed as a vampire, wearing a dark red corset top over a flowy white long-sleeved shirt with black trousers and a collared cloak. The shirt had several small bloodstains on it. She brought in a tray of pastries that were made to resemble severed fingers.

Niko came running over to her and took the tray from her hands.

“Oh my god! You and Edwin match!” she exclaimed, pointing between the two of them.

Jenny looked up to Edwin, who appeared to be looking for a book on their many shelves.

“Dracula. Neat,” she said.

“Just a generic vampire, I’m afraid,” Edwin corrected. “Although, I suppose it could be Count Dracula.”

“Right, okay.”

“Are you a specific one?” Crystal asked before biting into one of Niko’s decorated cookies.

“Yeah, I’m meant to be Carmilla.”

Everyone looked at her blankly.

“Carmilla Karnstein? From the book Carmilla? Like one of the first pieces of vampire literature?” Jenny asked, bewildered.

“I cannot say I have ever read it,” Edwin apologised.

“Well, you should. It’s a classic. And it’s really gay, so…”

Jenny turned around once more, taking one of the skull-emblazoned paper plates Crystal had found in a shop and moving onto the food.

“Is that blood…real?” Charles asked her, pointing out the stains on her shirt.

Jenny just raised her eyebrows and took a bite out of one of Niko’s cookies. Charles didn’t want to think about that too hard.

“Nice Frank-N-Furter costume,” she said. “Good to know you’re not entirely uncultured.”

“Thanks,” Charles replied. “So, what food is enchanted?” he asked excitedly, practically bouncing over to Edwin.

Edwin and Niko had successfully baked some foods that the ghosts could eat, and Charles had been incredibly excited about it for days. He really missed food.

“Aptly enough, the cookies shaped like ghosts. And also, the white marshmallows. Not the orange ones, though,” said Edwin.

“Brills,” Charles said, already reaching across the desk to take one of the cookies.

He took a bite, and the satisfied sound he made gave Edwin flashbacks he’d rather not be thinking about with other people in the room.

“These are so good, Niko,” he said, giving her a playful punch to the arm. “God, I missed food. Can you do this to anything?” he asked Edwin.

“I believe the enchantment will need a few tweaks depending on what item it is, but yes. Don’t worry Charles, you’ll get your enchanted spaghetti,” Edwin laughed, practically reading Charles’s mind.

“I love you, you know that right?”

“I do believe you’ve mentioned it once or twice before.”

“Are you guys just gonna keep flirting all night or are we gonna do more party things?” Crystal asked from where she was sitting in Edwin’s usual chair.

“We can multitask,” Charles argued, throwing an arm around Edwin’s shoulders and kissing him on the cheek.

Crystal was beginning to regret her involvement in getting them together. Niko walked over and perched on the arm of the chair beside her, leaning in to kiss her. Okay, maybe she could multitask too.

“Wow you guys, way to make a woman feel single,” Jenny said from the other side of the room. “You two are literally dead and you’ve got more game than me,” she looked over at the boys.

“Don’t worry Jenny, we’ll find you someone!” Niko reassured.

“Preferably someone who isn’t a psycho murderer who stalks me this time.”

Niko nodded, looking at the ground. Enough time had passed now that they could make light-hearted jokes about the Maxine situation, but it still left as much trauma as expected for Jenny. Niko still felt guilty, even though she’d been mostly forgiven.

The vague tension in the room was interrupted by a knock at the door.

“Do we really have to take a case?” Niko groaned.

“I don’t think it is a case, Niko, don’t worry,” Edwin said, walking to the door while Charles reached into the games cupboard and pulled out a large green bowl, filled with what looked like tiny little trinkets.

Edwin opened the door.

“Trick or treat!” came the small voices from outside.

There were three small children: a young girl around nine years old dressed as a witch, a boy around the same age with a werewolf mask, and another girl who looked no older than about two wearing a pumpkin outfit. All three of them had similar burn scars on their faces and arms.

“Hey, you three! Happy Halloween!” Charles said, offering the bowl out to them.

They all took two tiny curios each. A green feather, an engraved brass ring, a chunk of amethyst, a tiny brooch with a leaf design, a small bag of pink dust, and a wishbone. All small harmless items the boys had picked up over the years but had no use for – but always brought joy to the faces of the young ghosts in the neighbourhood.

“You’re dressed up!” the older girl said, surprised.

“Yeah, thought we’d give it a go this year,” Charles said.

“What are you meant to be?” the boy asked him.

“Uhhh,” Charles stammered.

“Shouldn’t you three be running along? The night won’t last forever, you know. I heard the fortune teller down the road is giving out magical coins!” Edwin cut in.

All three children gasped.

“Really?”

“Yes, but they won’t be there forever so you’d better go quick!”

“Thanks Edwin!” said the girl.

“Bye Charles!” said the boy.

Charles gave the youngest a high five before all three of them leapt down the staircase excitedly.

When they closed the door and turned back around to face the room, they were met with looks of confusion from Crystal, Niko and Jenny.

“What-” Crystal began.

“The ghost children in the area come around every year, we always make sure we have trinkets to give them since they can’t eat sweets.”

“Hey maybe next year we can actually give them enchanted sweets!” Charles suggested.

“Wait, those three were ghosts? Did they all-” Jenny trailed off.

“The James siblings. They all died in a housefire a couple of years ago. Their parents were out shopping so they had a babysitter, but none of them survived the fire. Death came for the babysitter, but the children were all hiding in the rubble,” Edwin explained.

“Shit, those poor kids. I bet their parents feel horrific, oh my god.”

“That is precisely why we haven’t reported them to the Lost and Found Department,” Edwin said sternly. “The parents got into a terrible car accident upon getting the phone call about the children. They both survived, but only barely. They can see ghosts now, so the family is reunited.”

As Edwin spoke, Charles walked over to the window.

“Their dads are just outside, look,” he pointed across the road.

Everyone gathered around him and looked down. They saw the three children running over to two men stood on the opposite side of the road. They all showed their buckets to their parents excitedly, then pointed down the road. Their parents laughed, and the family all headed off down the road together.

“That’s sweet,” said Niko. “They’re still all together.”

“Precisely. It’s nice to know tragedy doesn’t always end in entirely pain.”

The others didn’t miss the way Edwin looked towards Charles as he spoke.

Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take long before the boys insisted on a game of Cluedo.

“Not fair, you guys always win!” Crystal argued.

“Well, we’ve got thirty-four years on you, Crystal.”

“Also, it’s more a game of luck than one of skill. If you get a good hand of cards to mark things off, you’re already further ahead than other players.”

“Yeah, yeah, fine whatever. But if you guys win, you owe me, like, the entirety of the payment for the next case.”

“Deal,” Edwin agreed, and they shook on it.

“Hey! What about me?” Niko pouted.

“You win almost as often as they do, babe.”

“I keep telling you! You should watch more Scooby Doo,” Niko shrugged, leaning her head on Crystal’s shoulder.

The deal however, never got resolved. Halfway through the game, there was another knock on the door, and this time it wasn’t ghostly trick-or-treaters; it was a case. And surprisingly, it was a real one. Usually on Halloween, their cases were less often genuine supernatural encounters and more often paranoid older ghosts misunderstanding typical Halloween living-people things. But this one was real. It wasn’t difficult, and only took them an hour or so to solve, but it was real.

Someone nearby had been having their own ghostly Halloween party, but their decorations had all been possessed by mischievous imps that had begun causing havoc. But the Dead Boy Detectives had dealt with imps dozens of times before; they arrived, set a few traps, Edwin cast a few spells, Charles swung his bat a few times, and the job was successfully jobbed.

By the time they got back to the office, Niko had already beaten Crystal and Jenny at Cluedo twice, and they were currently tied one-all in a very intense Uno tournament. When Crystal won the fourth game, they decided to wrap it up.

Then, Niko suggested – well, insisted, but no one can resist her puppy eyes – that they play Monopoly. Her argument was that it was thematically relevant since the box they had was Beetlejuice themed.

The game was as loud and chaotic as anyone would expect, and Crystal and Jenny both nearly flipped the board twice each in the first half an hour. Charles was the first to go bankrupt, closely followed by Edwin. The other three swore they planned it in advance, since they used it to their advantage, sneaking off into the games cupboard for a snog and locking the door whilst Jenny was in the bathroom, Crystal was clearing away the empty food trays and Niko was distracted watching fireworks outside the window. They were in there for the entire last ninety minutes of the game, and when they finally stepped back into the room, both had incredibly messy hair, and both Charles’s lipstick and Edwin’s fake blood were smudged over both of their chins. Crystal had never been happier that they put a silencing spell on the cupboard a few months prior. But then again, it meant they had an excuse to disappear into there whenever they felt like it. God, she and Niko needed to get payback at some point.

“Could you guys not have waited until after everyone else left?” Crystal asked, her eyebrows raised at them.

“Hey, don’t look at me,” Charles put his hands up in defence. “It’s not my fault this one couldn’t keep his eyes off my legs.”

“It absolutely is your fault for wearing those tights.”

“And on that note, I’m leaving,” Jenny butted in, standing up from the sofa. “This was great, but it’s nearly midnight and unlike you guys who don’t seem to have a schedule, I have a shop to open at nine o’clock tomorrow.”

“Understandable. Goodnight, Jenny,” Edwin said, reaching to readjust his bow tie only to remember he wasn’t wearing one.

“Yeah, Niko and I should probably head off, too,” Crystal said.

“Do we have to?” Niko complained, but her face changed when she turned and saw that Crystal was giving her a look. “Oh. Yes. Definitely. We should go.”

“We’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” Charles said.

“Yep. ‘Night guys! Great party, we should definitely do that every year!”

“I must admit it was…much more enjoyable than I anticipated,” Edwin admitted.

“See! Told you you’d like it.”

Niko hugged Edwin before she was practically dragged out of the room by Crystal.

“Oh! I forgot my jacket,” Niko realised when she and Crystal were halfway down the road, and she had begun to shiver.

“Here, take mine,” Crystal said, taking hers off and placing it around Niko’s shoulders. “I highly doubt we would wanna go back in there.”

Niko snickered, locking her arm with Crystal’s.

“Seriously, they’re insatiable! At least we’re more subtle about it.”

“Give them some slack, they’ve got over thirty years of built-up sexual tension to resolve!”

“I really don’t wanna think about those two resolving their tension,” Crystal practically gagged.

“Maybe you wanna think about me in this turtleneck instead?” Niko said suggestively.

“I-” Crystal stammered.

“Don’t think I didn’t notice you staring at my chest all night,” she teased.

“Okay, shut up.”

“Hey, it’s allowed. I’ve been staring at you all night, too. I told you Ayumi was my gay awakening, and I was not kidding.”

“Glad you thought my costume was a success, then.”

“I think tonight was a success! I don’t think we’ll have any trouble convincing the boys to properly celebrate dress up again next year. Maybe we can even get Charles to do the full corset look!”

“I’d rather not be in the room, or even anywhere near the room, when Edwin sees that.”

“Fair,” Niko giggled.

Illuminated by streetlamps and the soft glow of pumpkins and decorative lights from nearby apartment buildings, the two of them walked back to their flat.

Maybe it was a little strange that two supernatural beings began celebrating a holiday that turned them into novelty ornaments or silly stories. Or maybe it made perfect sense: two ghosts, their psychic best friend, their other best friend who had literally died once, and reluctant older sister figure who just happened to have been possessed by Crystal’s demon ex-boyfriend one time and got herself involved with everything – celebrating Halloween as a strange little family.

[ragnarokhound]

omg sweetie pie don’t talk about chains I’ll BLUSH. definitely never been into that…

How do you think the rest of the Batfam reacts to Jaytim finally happening (something along the lines of your secretary fic) ?

I think Cass knew how they felt before them, Damian is disgusted (but secretly pleased), Dick found out by walking in on them at Tim’s apartment, and Bruce had no idea and has none until Jason tells him point blank. Alfred? Somehow orchestrated the whole thing.

I'll keep that in mind babe ;) (*adds 'Spicy Hardware' to the budget)

Ohoho, that is a fun question, and one that I often have trouble answering because I am like a horse with blinders on when it comes to my hyperfixations and my ships OTL Jason and Tim usually get the brunt of my obsessive analysis, leaving only minimal room for other characters to squeeze their way in. RIPeroni you two ❤️

That being said, I'm a huge liar because I do actually have some Thoughts lol

It largely depends on the state of the verse we're in and how involved the others were in watching their courtship go down, so without further adieu, here's how I think the batfam would react to finding out about jaytim's newly minted relationship in my secretary!au fic:

So in Secretary!AU in particular, the others weren't involved to an almost suspicious degree 😳 Tim is losing his mind for a month over Jason daylighting as his secretary, and he never finds out anything resembling the truth from anyone? What??

Which of course means some of them were simply unaware because they don't give a shit or assume Tim isn't suffering (Damian, Duke, Bruce) and some ARE aware to some degree that this is unusual and came to their own conclusions. And promptly decided to stay out of it (Dick, Babs, Steph, Cass, Alfred - Duke might actually be here, it depends lol)

In particular, Steph hears Tim's mini rant/breakdown Day 1 and is simply too amused. Because she watched him suddenly start deflecting Jason's attention 3 months ago, and oh boy does this feel like a comeuppance. She's got popcorn and is asking things like, 'i dunno Tim, why do you think Jason followed you to the office where you have to reliably be?' and after all of it, when he shows up with a hickey after patrolling with Jason that night, she golf claps at him

Cass shrugs at Tim when he vents where she can hear, because she's been waiting for them to figure this out for like. A year now. She is surprised when Tim had his Jason-shaped epiphany because she knows that Tim has been Into Jason ever since that time in the park with Poison Ivy, and Jason called him a princess for getting particular about decon. (Similarly, Cass also knew that Jason has been low-key into Tim since the time before that, when Tim ugly laughed so hard at a joke Jason made at Dick's expense that he nearly inhaled a french fry). When they get together, she is standing next to Steph, also golf clapping because Steph told her it would be funny

Dick had to listen to Jason complain about Tim ghosting him a month or two into it (Jason and Dick were in each other's vicinity and Jason asked how Tim was doing. Dick said he was 'fine, why?' And Jason scowled and muttered, 'No reason. Feel like he's been dodging me, is all' and a tiny red alert pinged in the back of Dick's head) so when he hears that Jason is at Wayne Tower and that Tim is having vent sessions about it with Steph, his eyebrows shoot waaaay up. He kind of hopes that the Tower is still standing after Jason's done getting whatever vengeance he has in mind (Jason's prank war game is both legendary and unhinged). When he finds out what actually transpires (or rather, guesses what transpired), he has a small moment of relief because 'oh phew, is that all?' and then immediately BSODs because 'WAIT WHAT, IS THAT WHY YOU GUYS ARE CLAPPING--'

Babs quietly figured out why Tim was panicking pretty early because no one ghosts someone for having a good, fun, tbh flirty relationship for literally any other reason. She wondered vaguely if Jason was going to a) clock it and then b) do anything about it, and then equally quietly paused auto-uploads on Wayne Tower office footage so that she could make Tim review it instead. She simply Will Not be the one to log the data from Monday morning, thanks.

Damian did not and does not give a fuck. He briefly questions Todd's sanity. Then immediately discards that thought because it's Todd. He would like Grayson to quit yelling at that octave though, because his 'i'm secretly happy for you but also hurt that you didn't confide in me' shouting is very grating and makes Damian nervous.

Duke I'm on the fence about, but I lean towards 'i was sitting over on the bench' for him. He was so busy Staying In His Lane that he simply did not notice that this was happening. 'Uh, congrats, I guess?'

Bruce was keeping tabs on the situation. He does not plan to review the footage either. He has ten more gray hairs than he did yesterday, and is pondering how their relationship might affect their performance in the field, but trusts that Tim has likely thought through the ramifications and likely scenarios that should need to be compensated for. (Being involved with your teammate can be frightening and stressful; it could lead to strain between the two of you, and opens new vulnerabilities up for exploitation. But it can also be deeply, deeply rewarding. Hm.) (also shout-out to the one commenter who theorized that Bruce was the one on the other end of the phone call that Jason yanked the cord on. LMAO. ROFL, even.)

Alfred defuses the tension in the cave by reminding everyone to please finish their reports, and that there are refreshments in the dining room upstairs when they are finished, should anyone be joining the household for dinner tonight. He is very pointedly looking at Jason and Tim when he says this, because they Will be joining the household for dinner tonight, because it is the duty and privilege of a grandfather to tease his grandson (Jason) for having a boyfriend (Tim). Idk if Alfred called it in quite the same way as Cass, but he knew there was something interpersonal they needed to work out, and also that Tim has had a crush on Robin for his Entire Life, so he's not exactly surprised.

...aaaand sorry if I skipped anyone, but that's my list lol

[mythica0]

Laugh a little!

🎂:Fop: A new wish

🧁: Dev

🍫: Peri

Summary: Dev hasn’t had a good laugh in a while, Peri thinks that is blasphemy.

A/N: based on this wonderful art piece by my mootie @randommusicalfluff . Although it has a similar plot, this is not part of the little timeline I have going for my fop fics thus far. Also, yes I know I’ve written the same lee/ler dynamic for all of these, no I do not care. Enjoy! :3

P.S I kinda wish it was longer but whatevs

Laugh a little!

It was a day like any other. Dev went to school, hung out with Hazel for a while, then went home. All very normal.

He didn’t really have any feelings on the day. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either. Just kinda meh.

He was bored. He didn’t feel like doing much of anything, so he just stared at the ceiling.

***

Peri looked on as Dev went about his day, going through the motions. The kid hadn’t changed expression since he woke up. Just a flat, tired face.

After school, the kid just layed down and stared at the ceiling, doing absolutely nothing.

Peri tried to suggest some activities, get the kid to have some fun, but all ideas were denied. Peri decided that Dev needed a dopamine rush. And he knew just how to do it.

“Hey dev.”

Dev slowly looked over at his Godparent, expression unchanging. “Yeah.” His voice was monotone, almost dead sounding.

“How long has it been since you’ve had a good, long laugh?”

Dev shrugged as much as he could while lying down. “I dunno. A while, I guess.” It was a very bland response. This whole day had been pretty bland. “Why.” It was a question, but his voice didn’t raise at the end like a question was supposed to.

“Ah, just curious.” It was as he thought. Peri knew what this kid needed.

Peri waited, as he wanted it to be a surprise. He waited until he had a feeling that Dev had forgotten about the short conversation.

Then, without warning, he scooped Dev off his bed, locking his arm around one of Dev’s.

“What, Peri-“ Before Dev had a chance to finish his words, Peri used a touch of magic to make little, purple feathers brush across Devs ears, neck and face.

Dev clamped his mouth shut. He didn’t want to give Peri the satisfaction of his laughter. It didn’t take long before he was shaking with the effort, his face going red.

“C’mon Dev, laugh a little! You look like you need it!” Peri teased, but also genuinely encouraging the kid to let himself laugh

After Peri took his free hand and scribbled against the kids side and ribs, the dam broke.

“Cccrahahahahap! Ehahahahaa!”

“There we go! It must’ve been killing you to keep it all in like that!”

Dev tried to glare at the fairy, but it didn’t pack the same punch when his face was adorned with a bright smile. Light, happy giggles poured out of Dev, and he made no effort to get away, only flapping his arms to stim.

“Whahahahat thehehehe heheheheck, Peheheherihi!!” He giggled out frantically, not understanding the purpose of the sudden attack.

“You said it had been a while since you had a good laugh! I thought that it was about time that changed. Besides, as I said earlier, you looked like you needed it! A nice dopamine rush!”

Dev continued to giggle and squirm, the tingling feeling coming from his neck and ears pulling giggles and squeaks from him without end.

Peri decided to change things up a little, and then he magiced up more feathers, which then flew towards the boys torso.

Dev’s giggles heightened and became faster, and somehow sounded even happier. Dev used his free arm to hug himself, the feeling of laughter being so overwhelming in the best way.

“Hey kid, why don’t we play a game?”

“Whahahahahat?”

“A game!”

“Lihihihike whahahahat kihihind ohof gahahame?”

“Ah, I’m so glad you asked! This game is a little something I like to call ‘Claw!’ And the best part- all you have to do is laugh!”

“Wahahait, whahaHAHA-“ The ginger was cut off by his own increased laughter, as Peri made a clawing gesture with his hand and then clawed gently at his tummy.

“I gotta get aaalll the laughter out of ya! And a lot is hiding in this here tummy!”

“PeheheheherihihiheeE!”

“That’s my name!”

“Thahahahahat tihihihickles sohoho muhuhuch!!” What else was he supposed to say? Thats all that was running through his head at the moment- just how much it tickled.

He felt so light and happy, every nerve in his body screaming at him to laugh himself silly. Which is exactly what he did. Laugh. And then laugh some more.

“Aww, does it? Too bad, there’s still tons of giggles trapped in here! I gotta get em all out! We wouldn’t want them stuck in there, now would we?”

“Whahahahat dohohoes thaHAt evehen mehEHEAN”

“You don’t know what happens when giggles get trapped?”

“Nohohoho!”

“Well, let me tell you.” His voice grew a fake ominous tinge. “When giggles get trapped.. they fester. They don’t show up immediately, you might not even realize they’re there. But secretly, they’re growing, and growing, and growing until they’re so big they can no longer stay. That’s when they-“ He paused to blow a raspberry on the kids tummy, causing his laughter to peak once more. “Burst out of ya! And they don’t stop either- you’ll be trapped in perpetual laughter!”

“Buhuhut ihihisnt thahat whahaht yohohoure dohohoing rihihight nohohow! Trahahahapihing mehe ihin lahahaughteheher?”

“Huh.” Was all Peri replied with, continuing to tickle his godkid silly.

After a while, Peri could see that Dev was running out of breath, and stopped. He set him back down on his bed, where he continued to giggle, holding his tummy that still felt all fluttery.

“Hehahahaha… Whoo.” He breathed out the last of his giggles. “What was that all about?”

“You seemed kinda.. meh. Thought you could use a bit of laughter.” There was a small pause. “Feel any better?”

Dev smiled. “I guess so.”

The rest of the day didn’t feel so bland anymore.

———THE END————————————————