#i just want to be able to visit places but i am like hundreds of kilometres and a whole sea away so it's tough

[moinsbienquekaworu]

Absolute hell on earth trying to find a flat/flatshare from across a fucking sea

[yellowbrokenblue]

„Just… Pretend.”

summary: in which harry convinces you to spend your summer in cape cod with his parents as his ‘girlfriend.’ but everything is just pretend, your not actually his girlfriend and you never have wanted to be his girlfriend, you’ve never seen him as more than harry styles, the singer… but by the end of the summer will that change?

tropes (so far) : fake dating

part one

“It’s just for one weekend.” He pleaded, “Then you can go back to hating me. You never even have to talk to me again, I don’t care.”

You sigh, your head falling backwards with a groan. You did not want to do this at all, but he’d been persistently asking you for days.

“C’mon, please?”

You roll your eyes, “You’re on a date with a new girl every week, I’m sure any of them would be up for it.”

“I can’t just take anyone to my parent’s place.”

“Why not? Or how about you just tell them you’re not seeing anyone right now? They won’t care.”

“I just need you to come, alright? I’ll owe you one, I promise.”

“Why me? There’s a million other people you could take, besides I’ve already met your parents at a show, they’ll never believe we’re seeing each other.”

“And they really liked you!”

“There’ll be a ton of other people that they like too, Harry. Choose anyone else.”

“I can’t.” He sighs.

“You can.”

“I can’t.” He repeats.

You look at him with tired eyes, awaiting his explanation. You’d been over this a hundred times, you had no interest in pretending to be his girlfriend while he visited his parents over the summer.

“I already told them we’re together.” He says quietly, avoiding eye contact.

“What?” You scoff, “You’ve gotta be joking.”

“They just… They met you at the show, and they really did seem to like you, and they kept going on and on about how they want me to find someone who makes me happy and stuff and I shut them up by saying we’re together…”

“You’re unbelievable.” You say, annoyed.!

The fact he’d been telling his parents ridiculous lies without even telling you about it, when said lies actually involved you had pissed you off.

Harry’s parents were lovely, and a producer on his latest album you’d met them a couple times at shows- Especially during the LA residence where you and his parents sat through the concerts in a VIP booth. His mum was lovely, always smiling and knew every single lyric. She told you that she was in Harry’s 0.5% of top listeners on Spotify last year.

You thought that was cute.


You couldn’t relate though, 5 Seconds of Summer were your top Spotify artist- Harry could never find out about that.

“They’ve been asking for me to take you to the beach house for months-“

“Months?!” You interrupt, “How long have you been telling them we’re together?”

He shrugged, “Since the end of the Forum residency?”

“Harry that was SIX months ago!” You yell, “I can’t pretend to be in a six month relationship with you, that’s ridiculous.”

He sits down on the couch, hugging a pillow.

“Yes you can. You practically know everything about me already. We spent every day of the tour together.”

“Everything about you in a career aspect.”

“Everything in general.” Harry corrects, “Sometimes I think you know more about me than I do.”

“I don’t. You’re just saying this because you’re convincing yourself that this ridiculous idea will actually work.”

“Name my first pet.”

“What?” You question. He was being stupid. There is no way you’d ever be able to spend two weeks with his parents over the summer, it was never going to work. It was a recipe for disaster.

“C’mon. You know the answer.”

He just kept staring at you. He wasn’t giving up. The longer you stayed silent the more intense his stare got. When he began to raise his eyebrows you’d given up.

“Max.” You mutter quietly, unimpressed with this whole game he was playing.

“And what am I allergic to?”

“Marshmallows, but you eat them anyway.”

Harry was grinning, and it was pissing you off. He was winning and he knew it.

“My favourite Christmas song?”

You rolled your eyes, “Christmas lights by Coldplay, but you tell everyone that it’s Merry Christmas Everyone because it’s a classic.”

Harry was giving you a ‘I told you so’ look. He wasn’t going to quit until you agreed to pretend to be his girlfriend.

You sigh softly, “Even if I agree to this… It could he really damaging for my career.”

“No one will find out.” His face was more serious now, and you could tell from the way he was looking at you that he meant it, “I’ll make sure of that.”

“But if if does-”

“It won’t.”

“But if it does, because there’s always a chance no matter what you think, then everyone will only think I got hired to tour manage because we’re ‘sleeping together.’” You say, using air quotes, just to further elaborate that this was all fake.

Harry had already got his grammy, he was at the peak of his career he’d be fine no matter what happened. But you were a female music producer in a male dominated industry, if people think you were only hired for this album because you’re fucking the singer- your career was over.

“If people find out I’ll kill you.”

“Does this mean you’re gonna agree?”

You nod, reluctantly.

“Thank you!” He jumps out of his chair, “I swear I’ll make it up to you, thank you so much.”

— — —

If you were in Harry’s position you’d be vigilant of everything, everyone, everywhere. You’d be paranoid of someone jumping through your bedroom window while you were asleep. But Harry was oddly calm. Maybe he was just like that. His lips were formed almost in a smile while he slept, and his eyes were moving under his eyelids- probably from a dream he was having. He wasn’t calm very often- recently he’d been very on edge and anxious about everything, it was nice to see him look so peaceful. You hoped for that sort of peace someday soon.

You had been in the studio going on six hours, and when he’d taken a break from recording so you could go over the tracks he’d managed to fall asleep in that short period of time.

You let him sleep while you packed up the equipment, putting things back into their assigned places, and didn’t bother waking him up until you were 100% ready to go.

“Harry,” You said softly, shaking his shoulder lightly, “Harry we gotta go.”

His eyes opened and he blinked a few times to adjust himself to the light.

“Huh?”

“We only had the studio booked until six, we gotta go.”

“Oh,” He sat up, stretching his arms and cracking his neck that had went into a cramp, “Sorry, don’t even remember falling asleep to be honest.”

“Don’t worry about it,” You shrug, “We got enough done today anyways. You deserve a rest.”

There were only three days left until the day Harry had said you were leaving for his parents place, and you had skipped over the subject every time he’d tried to bring it up. You didn’t really want to think about it because you were dreading it so badly.

“I’ll give you a ride home.” Harry said as you left the studio building.

“No, it’s alright.” You say, “I’ll just get an Uber.”

Harry glared at you, “Y/N, just get in the car.”

You glare back. But it had been a long day so getting a free lift wasn’t so bad.

“So.” He said, starting the car. “We gotta go over some things.”

“About the album?” You play dumb.

“… No.” He rolls his eyes, “Stop pretending you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

“I’m not pretending.”

“Love, you gotta tell me some stuff about you. My parents are gonna ask me shit and I don’t have a clue what to tell them.”

You groan. You should’ve stuck to your gut and got an Uber.

“Like what.”

He shrugs, “What’s your favourite colour?”

“Purple.” You reply.

“Mines is blue.”

“I know,” You reply.

“What’s your favourite song?” He asked.

You laughed to yourself a little.

“Jet black heart,” You grin, knowing you’d get some sort of reaction out of this answer, “By 5 Seconds of Summer.”

“5 Seconds of Summer?” Harry scoffs, “They’re punks!”

You roll their eyes, “They turned to pop music and half of them are married, they’re hardly punks.”

“You know one of them dated my sister, right?” Harry groaned.

“Yep,” You grin, “And wrote a banging tune about it as well.”

“Don’t remind me.” He muttered.

“Look, you asked me a question and I gave you an honest answer. You can’t complain.”

“I know, I know.” Harry said, “You got any exes?”

You raise your eyebrows, “What?”

“This is the kind of stuff I need to know! Like I dunno if I’m your first boyfriend and all that.”

“Harry… I’m 24 years old. You’re not my first boyfriend.”

You said it almost as if he was your boyfriend. It sent a chill down your spine. This was going to be a long few weeks.

“Good to know.” He said.

He dropped you off outside your apartment.

“I guess the next time I see you will be for when we’re leaving, yeah?”

You nod. There was no studio session booked until after his vacation to Cape Cod, where his families beach house was, so he was right. The next time you see him would be at the airport.

“Flights at seven.” He says.

“Got it.”

The next few weeks were going to be hell.

part two coming soon…

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[puck-bunnies]

take care of you

nico hischier x fem!reader

warnings: none, just fluff. writing fluff is not my strong suit. not proof read.

word count: 1.6k

after a long night of clubbing all you want is just to rest, your boyfriend is there to take care of you.

i am almost black out drunk, the multiple shots of tequila going straight to my head. my boyfriend nico stays beside me the entire time, monitoring everything i drink, everywhere i go, trying to keep me safe.

since it’s hockey season, nico isn’t drinking alcohol, so when i want to go for a night out he’s my designated driver and personal bodyguard guard.

i pound back one more shot while he isn’t looking, he turns when he hears the glass smack against the counter. i stare at him all bug eyed, “come on Y/N, that’s enough for the night.”

“no, one more.” i slur out, i try to grab another shot from someone at the bar, but nick grabs my arms, hauling me into him.

“come on, i think it’s time to get you home.” his hands switch, one on my waist keeping me upright, and one helping me sling my arm around his shoulders. i groan as he wrestles his way out the crowd with me by his side.

nico finally manages to get me out of the club, getting us back to our car and picking me up into my seat. as soon as my body hits the comfy car seat, i almost knock out clean.

my body goes to sleep, but my mind somehow flights it. staring out the windows at the passing lights as my brain visits a different place. nico’s hand is on my thigh, rubbing up and down soothingly.

once we get into the driveway, he lugs me into the house. helping me take off my shoes, one by one, and then my jacket. my body falls into him, pulling him into a long bear hug.

he giggles, pulling me in by my waist and placing his head on top of mine. my head digs into his chest, god i could just fall asleep right here. a loud groan releases from my mouth, “i’m so tired.”

i can feel my whole body relaxing as one of his hands leave waist and tangle in my hair. his large hands rub my scalp, fingers combing through my hair. it feels like a hundred pound weight is taken off my shoulders, i lean against his chest letting him take the weight of me.

“you want to go to bed sweetheart?” he whispers to me. i nod my head again his chest, not even wanting to lift my head off the cushion of his skin. he lets out a soft giggle, knowing that i don’t even want to move the new feet to our bedroom, he sweeps me up.

my head is resting on his shoulder as he carries me to our bed. a deep and exhausted moan comes out of my mouth as my body finally hits the soft mattress. nico helps pull the covers over me, the lights stay off to help the headache that’s starting to creep up on me.

i so badly just want to roll over on my bed, lay on my stomach and just let the soft feathered pillows engulf my body. fuck, i’m still wearing makeup. “ugh, baby can you get me a makeup wipe from the bathroom?” i ask, giving him slight puppy dog eyes.

nico just chuckles, making his way to the bathrooms to get me what i want. it doesn’t take him long to find the wipes and finally return to be half dozed off in the bed. i fight the urge to sleep, grabbing the wipe from his hand and lazily wiping the long days makeup off of my face.

rubbing my eyes free of mascara i feel so much better, my face finally being free of my caked up face. i toss the wipe over the end of the bed, not caring about where it ends up or when ill pick it up.

i finally roll over onto my side, smushing my face into the white pillow case. one pillow finds its way into my arms, hugging it to fill the empty where nico would usually be. my eyes close, not being able to stay open enough to wait for nico to come to bed.

•°. *࿐

my heads pounding in my head, my whole body feels so heavy as i manage to lift myself to sit up in the bed. i groan but instantly regretting it, i can barely even breathe without it hurting my head. i’m about to move the sheets from off my body to grab some pills when i look over at the nightstand.

sitting next to my charging phone is a water bottle filled with cold water and advil. a smile spreads on my lips, nico snores beside me, i can’t help my feel my heart explode with happiness. he went out of his way last night to keep me safe, get me home, ready for bed and think ahead to grab me medicine. god i love this man so fucking much.

i pop the pills back in my mouth, swallowing them down with a huge gulp of water. it doesn’t take long for the advil to kick in, my head has stopped pounding with every breath i’m taking, my joints relax as i still haven’t left my bed since waking up.

nico finally starts to stir, quickly after he wakes up, turning over to look at me. i comb my hair through his bed head, he offers me a soft smile as my fingers lightly scratch at his scalp. “good morning.” i whisper.

“good morning baby, how you feeling?” his head goes to my chest, bringing me into a hug. my hands are still entangled in nico’s hair, letting him use me as a human shield.

i sigh, “oh i’m fine, i think i’m just going to lay low today.”

“i have practice at 11, so you can stay home and ill bring home some food and coffee after. we can just rest for today.” he knows that’s exactly what i want to hear, sometimes i think he knows me better than i know myself.

•°. *࿐

nico’s been gone for around two hours, i stay in our bed alone, completely cocooned in the bedsheets. i’ve switched from watching my show to being on my phone, and i feel completely brain rotted.

i keep chugging back water hoping that my hangover will just magically disappear. as expected, nothing is working. i stay rotting away in my empty bed while my eyes stay trained on the softly dimmed television screen.

i’ve basically tuned everything out, i don’t hear as the keys jingle in the lock and the front door opens. suddenly nico walks in the door, my head comes out of its haze and a bright smile warms my face.

nico’s accompanied by a pizza and my favourite starbucks drink. i let out a quiet exclaim, my body language pulling nico to me. “how was practice baby?” i ask, he hands me my drink before giving me a quick kiss on the lips.

“it was good, we just ran the same drills. nothing too special happened. how’re you feeling?” the pizza gets placed on my lap just as nico flops in the bed next to me. i open the box, the steam and waft of the pizza hits my face making my stomach immediately grumble.

“i’m getting better, resting is helping. i’m just so tired, and hungry.” i don’t waste a second, grabbing a slice of the steaming pizza and taking a bite. nico helps himself, grabbing the television remote as he settles back down.

“so what’re you thinking we watch? action, comedy, horror, romance…” he dreads the last option will be my answer. although he hates romance movies, he always suffers through them with me.

i laugh, “i’m in the mood for some stupid ass comedy movie.”

“hmm, how about 21 jump street? you seen that?” he questions, flicking through netflix’s home screen. he’s already on his second slice of pizza as i start nibbling on the crust, ripping apart the tough dough.

my eyes narrow at him, “are you kidding, of course i’ve seen that movie, it’s a classic comedy. we’re watching it, i love that movie.” i make my decision, not wanting to settle for anything less than my choice.

he laughs at me, putting the movie on and finishing most of the pizza. by the time there is only one or two slices gone, my starbucks has two sips left, my head is against nico’s chest, using him as a pillow. his hand is around my back, rubbing up and down soothingly.

the warmth, darkness and comfortable position makes my eyes start to lower. my breath is slowed and head in the clouds, my mind starts to leave away from me. with a few more rubs of my back, i’m fast asleep against his chest.

[cameronspecial]

The Other Drew

Pairing: Drew Starkey x Reader

Warnings:  Getting Hit By Car, Amnesia, Almost Drowning

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 3.6K

Summary: Drew's crush on Y/N gets him hit by a car and causes him to lose his memories. She doesn't have the heart to tell him the truth.

A/N: This is inspired by The Other Zoey trailer drop.

Masterlist

The invisible waves from the sun steam off the pavement. She readjusts her claw clip in her hair to keep the hair off of her neck. She looks up from her textbook occasionally to watch people walk past her. The sudden sound of a ball hitting the ground and yelling coming from behind her attacks all of her senses. She is about to turn around to ask if they could shout any louder, but a sharp pain to the back of her head stops her. “Sorry, that was my fault,” a voice calls out. Y/N turns to see the voice belongs to Drew Starkey. She gives a roll of her eyes, “Well, next time, keep your balls to yourself.” He approaches closer to her and she is surprised to be overcome by the fresh and clean scent of the man, considering the sweaty dripping off of him. He lets out a deep chuckle and smirk forms on his face as he bends down to pick up the basketball. 

“Darling, I am more than capable of controlling my balls,” he teases, finding the scowl on her face adorable. Y/N shakes her head, “That doesn’t even make any sense.” “I think you know what I mean, Darling.” Drew brings the bottom of his shirt to wipe off the sweat on his forehead, which Y/N is a hundred percent sure he does to show off his defined abs underneath. She has enough of his cocky attitude and picks up her bag to leave. He doesn’t want her to leave, so he hesitantly reaches out to stop her. The pressure of his fingers on her bicep causes her to glare at him, yanking her arm away. Her defiance to his charm is rare to him and he likes that she doesn’t just bite down her remarks for the sake of him liking her. He watches as she walks away and the scent of her lavender perfume fades away. Drew wishes she would stay to tell him her name.

——

Drew wouldn’t say that he stalked her, but he did ask around about her. Y/N Y/L/N is a psychology major in her junior year. She doesn’t have much of a social presence on campus, yet it is known that she hangs out with Addy Morrison, who Drew has spoken to at a few parties. He is close to a friend of Addy and he told him that Addy frequents Page Turner, a bookstore just outside of the campus. The reason for her habitual visits, Y/N works at the store. 

He wipes his palms on his pants before opening the door to the shop. A little girl and her mother are on the other side and he lets them walk out then enters. His gaze darts to the counter with the cash register; disappointment flashes through his face when he sees that she isn’t at the counter. He has been in the store a couple of times before and while he does enjoy the dusty smell of books, he hasn’t been able to find what he has been coming to the store for. The unoccupied register does give him hope that she might be working today because no other employee seems to be working at the store. He browses the books until he hears the creak of a hinge opening from the back of the store. He waits for a second to check over his shoulder at the door, but the smell of lavender filling the room tells him who it is. He hides his smirk and waits for the patter of her footsteps to stop. 

“Does this place sell phone chargers?” he asks, walking toward her. He waves his dead phone, which is really just turned off, in the air before placing it on the counter. She gives him a raised eyebrow and an annoyed look. “This is a bookstore, not Apple,” she mocks. He laughs at her remark, “Does your boss know that you are always so rude to the customers, Darling?” “You know you should try reading more. You might be one of the 36 million Americans, who can’t read over a third-grade level,” she quips, ignoring his previous comment. He grins at her, “Interesting. Could you get me a statistic book on that?” Surprise flashes on her face. “Really?” she inquires, turning towards the computer. He amusedly shakes his head, “Nah.” She gives him a crossed look, “You know people don’t like sarcastic people.” “They also don’t like know-it-alls either, Darling,” he fires back, turning towards the door and exiting. 

Y/N glances down at the counter to find his phone still there. She does not want to give it back to him but fights against her better judgment. She runs out after him, calling his name. He stops in the middle of the street and turns toward her. She goes to give him his phone when the blaring of a horn fills the air. The car slows down, but not fast enough. Drew is knocked off his feet and his head slams against the ground. Y/N lets out a small scream, running to check on him. 

“Are you fucking crazy? Watch where you are going. That was a crosswalk, Jackass,” she screams at the driver, who came out of the car to check on the person he hit. When Drew comes to, all he sees is the ray of sunshine standing above him. Her hands are waving around in the air as she screams at someone in front of her. He doesn’t know who she is, but he feels an overwhelming feeling of affection for her. She must be his girlfriend with the way she is defending him. Once she gets the driver’s information for the insurance, she helps Drew up from the ground. “Darling, what happened?” He questions, letting her guide him to her car. She sends a quick text to the owner explaining what happened and that she locked up, “You got hit by a car. I’m going to get you to the hospital.” She settles into the car and helps him buckle his seat belt. “Oh, that’s good. Hospital good. You are such a good girlfriend,” he babbles. She ignores his statement about being his girlfriend, hoping she just misheard him. 

——

“The doctor said he has a concussion, so wake him up every so often to make sure he’s fine. If he pukes, take him to the hospital just in case,” she informs Austin, one of Drew’s frat brothers. He nods his head and helps guide Drew to their couch, “Got it. So you’re Y/N?” She gives him a puzzled look. She’s never talked to him and she sure as hell never told Drew her name. “Uh, yeah,” she awkwardly responds. “Austin, you should know her. She’s my girlfriend,” Drew scolds, looking at her with loving eyes. Austin gives her a confused look. “He also has amnesia. He thinks I’m his girlfriend,” she whispers the last part. “I don’t exactly have the heart to tell him otherwise, so I’ll just wait until he remembers.” Austin’s mouth opens in understanding. 

She hands Austin a post-it note with her number, “Give him my number when he is feeling a little better. I have the driver’s info so he can file an insurance claim. I’ll also ask the owners of the store around where he got hit for surveillance footage.” Austin takes the number into his hand. “Got it. Thanks for taking care of him,” Austin thanks, leading her out of the door. 

——

Got the insurance claim :). He texts her, sitting back on the couch. He sees the bubbles pop up and a smile spreads across his face. That’s good. He hasn’t gotten to see her since the accident. Every time he tries to take her on a date, she says she is either busy with work or school. God, his girlfriend is so hardworking. It’s cute. He remembers he is supposed to go back home this weekend and decides that this is a good time for her to meet his family. Darling, I’m gonna go to my mom’s place this weekend. Wanna come? 

Y/N stares at the phone with a grimace. She wants to tell him no and she also knows she has to tell him in person that she isn’t his girlfriend, which she could do after dinner. Okay, I’ll go. 

——

The car ride is quiet with Drew trying to make conversation with her. She keeps shutting him down. She parks the car on the street and he gets out of the car, going around to open her door before she can do anything else. “Thanks,” she mutters, feeling guilty, she takes the arm he offers for her to grab. The door opens before they can get to it and out comes a beautiful blonde. “Drew, are you feeling better? How’s your head?” she worries, checking over his head before going to give him a hug. He shakes his head with a smile, “I’m fine, Mack. My girlfriend was there to take care of me.” Mackayla, who Y/N knows is his sister because he gave her a breakdown of his family, does a double take upon seeing her. “So you weren’t joking about that. You actually have a girlfriend,” she states, holding her hand out for Y/N to take. Drew gives Mack a funny look, “Of course, I wasn’t joking. What are you on about?” Y/N squeezes his arm in reassurance, “Drew, it’s fine. Let’s just go in.” 

Inside, they find Drew’s other sister, his brother and mom in the kitchen. “Hey guys, I want you to meet Y/N, my girlfriend,” Drew introduces, using his hand on her lower back to nudge her toward the kitchen island. She awkwardly waves to his family. “Wow, he wasn’t joking,” Brooke says. Drew and Y/N watch as she hands Logan some money. Drew’s face turns to shock, “You guys bet on my girlfriend being real or not?” “I thought it was easy money. Drew, you’ve never talked about her before,” Brooke defends. Y/N notices Drew’s pouty face and feels bad for him, “Yeah, it’s because the relationship is relatively new. Your brother is a great guy though.” Jodi rounds the counter to give Y/N a hug. “Don’t listen to my children. He talks about you all the time since he got his concussion. Maybe, it knocked him to be more confident in your relationship,” she promises, taking a step back to admire her son’s girlfriend. 

——

“So you’re studying psychology, Y/N,” Jodi states with interest. Y/N looks up from playing with her food, “Yes, ever since I was younger trying to figure out the reasoning for our behaviour fascinated me. My parents like to joke that I was the little therapist of my preschool class, always trying to solve everyone's problems.” “That’s pretty funny,” Logan notes. Drew gives her a massive grin and throws his arm over the back of her chair, “See, my girl is so smart.” His pride feels so genuine and he gives her a kiss on her cheek. 

“Y/N,” Brooke calls out to capture her attention. “We are going to the beach house during Drew’s reading week. Do you want to come? We would all love to get to know you better.” She should’ve said no. There was no reason why she should say yes because she was supposed to tell Drew the truth. But then she remembers saying she would let Drew figure it out on his own time so she doesn’t break his heart. Plus,  who doesn’t want a free trip to the beach house? He turns towards her with wide puppy dog eyes and she knows her only answer could be: “Yes.” 

——

Y/N is meant to meet Drew at his house so they can drive up to his mom’s house together and then with his family to the beach property. “Drew is out getting some things for the trip. He said you can wait in his room,” Chase tells her, leading her to Drew’s room. She thanks him and enters the room. The amount of books in his room truly shocks Y/N. His shelves are filled with classics and profound books that even she doesn’t have the patience to read. She spots his schedule printed on a paper above his desk. This is another source of shock as she notices both classes for the stage and screen program as well as the English program. If Drew is in the stage and screen program, then why does he have so many English classes? 

“Have fun snooping?” Drew pulls her out of her exploration. She turns towards him with embarrassment on her face, “Uh, yeah. Why do you have so many English classes?” 

“Right, most people don’t know that I’m doing a double major. Stage and Screen, and English. I like to read.”

“And yet you went into a bookstore looking for a charger. What’s your favourite book?”

“Well, I had to charge my phone if I was going to take pictures that try to capture your beauty. And East of Eden is my favourite book. I like how it explores the mystery of identity. How it shows the inability to explain love. And how it demonstrates that the absence of love can lead to murderous outcomes.”

“Wow, spoken like a true English major.”

They both laugh at her joke and smile at each other. Y/N, stereotypically, never thought that there was more to Drew than his fratboy, actor persona and she is happily being proven wrong right now. He changes the subject, placing something in his suitcase before closing it up, “Are you ready to go?” “Yep, my suitcase is downstairs already,” she nods. “Great! Let’s go.” They pack their bags into his car and start the drive to his mom’s house.

——

The drive to the beach is filled with laughter and car games. Y/N really does enjoy being in his family’s company. After the car ride, everyone wants to just relax for a little bit, so they retreat to their own rooms. She is sharing a room with Drew. After unpacking their stuff, he settles at his desk with his laptop. She can see he is reading something but doesn’t know what. Instead, she concerns herself with trying to finish up her work so she can have the rest of the week free. 

“What are your thoughts on cognitive dissonance?” he turns towards her with an inquisitive look. She looks up at him in surprise that he is asking her a psychological question, “I think that I have major cognitive dissonance when it comes to eating healthy.” 

“Well, you know one way you could ease some of your discomfort from it is either by changing your attitude, so maybe just stop thinking that you need to eat healthy. Or you can change your behaviour by eating healthy. Or you can think of a new cognition about not eating healthy by saying that your busy schedule sometimes doesn’t allow you to eat healthy.”

“All that is very true. Are you planning on adding another major to the list? Why do you sound like my introduction to psych textbook from first year?” 

“No, no thoughts on a new major. I just thought it would be nice to have something to talk to each other about and you like psychology.”

“That’s sweet. We can talk about books too, you know.”

“We could, but I have a feeling the books I like to read aren’t the kinds you like. The book I ordered still has come in yet, so we’ll have to wait to be able to talk about those.” 

“What book did you order?”

“The Library of Lost Things. I saw it on your dashboard the day you drove me to the hospital.” 

“You ordered a book just because I’m reading it.”

“Of course. I want to know what you like, Darling.” 

Butterflies erupt through her stomach at his charming gesture. “Do you mind if I play some music? It helps me think,” she asks. He nods as he hands her his Bluetooth speaker. Her music plays as she works and Drew can’t help but dance to the song. He stands up from his chair. His hips move from side to side and his finger gun hands move in a circular motion like a train. She giggles at his dancing. He holds out his hand for to get up from his bed and dance with her. She moves her hips to the beat of the music, twirling in his hands. Feeling a little silly, she does the shopping cart move, which he mimics. The upbeat music stops and a Lewis Capaldi song starts to play. Drew quickly places his hands around her waist, bringing her in for a slow dance. 

Her head rests on his chest and they sway to the beat of the music. This peaceful moment is one she never thought she’d have with him. 

——

“Come on, just try. I promise to be beside you the whole time,” Drew begs, holding onto her bicep. She turns her head away from him, “Are you crazy? I am not getting on that surfboard.” “Nothing will happen to you. I’ll protect you,” he breaths out close to her ear, causing some heat to build in the pit of her stomach. She looks out to the ocean where others are surfing and they look like they are having fun. She guesses she can give it a try. “Fine, but you can’t leave my side,” she threatens, walking towards the water with the expectation that he will follow. “Deal.” He picks up his surfboard and jogs after her. 

When they get deep enough into the water, he helps onto the board. “Okay, for now, you’ll just do some paddling to get used to the feeling. Then hopefully, as the week goes by, you can work your way up to actually standing up on the board,” he advises, helping her lie down on the board. She gets the hang of it; however, a sudden wave catches them both off guard. Y/N gets thrown off of the board and into the water. She isn’t expecting this action, which causes her to panic. She can’t tell up from down and she doesn’t have enough air in her lungs for her to feel comfortable. A pair of arms wrap around her waist, which helps her to the surface. Her panic starts to die down with the relief of air entering her lungs. 

Her gasps worry Drew and he rubs her back reassuringly. “It’s okay. I got you, Darling. I got you,” he whispers, kissing her temple. She nuzzles her head into his neck and feels the comfort of his embrace.

——

Their day ends for them in a domestic way. They both lie on his bed, reading their perspective books. The silence isn’t filled with dread or awkwardness; instead, comfort haunts the room. She feels his eyes looking at her book over her shoulder and gives him her attention. “Can I help you?” she inquires with raised eyebrows. His head moves from side to side, “Not really, just interested in what you are reading. Maybe, I could read it to you?” She sighs, handing over the book she is reading. He scoots over closer to her and wraps his arm around her. She leans into his touch. Her eyes start to droop as he reads to her; she can’t stop herself from falling asleep. 

——

The sound of the birds chirping wakes one of the sleeping pair up from his slumber. He didn’t realize they had fallen asleep cuddled next to each other. She is still asleep, so he checks his phone to see Austin tried to call him. As quietly as possible, he tries to move out from under her. Y/N is still in deep sleep, so he takes the call out on the balcony. “Yo, what’s up?” he greets into the phone. Austin’s voice fills the air, “How is the planning going?” 

“It’s going pretty well. I feel like she is slowly falling for me.”

“I still can’t believe you haven’t told her that you remember the truth. It’s pretty messed up.” 

“I know, but I couldn’t tell her. She would never give me a chance if she knew the truth.” 

“You’ve been lying to me?” A voice from behind him stops their conversation in its tracks. Drew turns towards a now awake Y/N and hangs up on Austin. He takes a few steps towards her, “Y/N, let me explain. Please.” She doesn’t let him as she runs out of the door. 

——

He finds her sitting on the beach, looking out to the ocean. “Why did you lie to me?” she asks, not looking over her shoulder. He comes to sit beside her. “I mean, technically, you lied to me too,” her glare causes him to change courses. “This might sound a little creepy, but I had a crush on you and I knew you wouldn’t give me a chance at all. I really did think you were my girlfriend after the accident, but after a few days, I started to remember and Austin told me the truth.”

“Okay. Keep going.”

“He told me and I thought that if you didn’t want to break my heart with the truth, then I might as well see if I could make it work in my favour. You got to admit, you were starting to like me.” 

“That is not true at all.” 

He looks her in her eyes and leans forward. Their lips are practically touching; no one moves. “If that’s not true, then why aren’t you moving?” he whispers. She is at a loss for words so he brings his lips to hers and then pulls apart. “Please, just give me a chance.” The hope in his eyes tells her that his feelings are authentic. She also lied to him by not telling him the truth right away, so what does she have to lose? “Okay.” 

[elficially-done-with-life]

My Little Fire

Fëanor & daugther!reader

Summary: You, Fëanor's daughter, go to visit your father in the forge.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Fëanáro immediately realised that he was being watched, for he could see his beloved daughter's silver hair glistening as she secretly peeked around the corner of the forge.

It was the hair she had inherited from Míriel that Fëanáro would recognise it anywhere.

And he knew it didn't belong to Tyelkormo, as his boy never went near the forge for fear his father would force him to stay inside all day.

"Little fire?" It was one of at least a hundred nicknames he had come up with for you over the years. Nerdanel made fun of it because there were so many, but how could he not? You were his sweet, wonderful daughter.

You peeked around the doorframe again and your eyes lit up when you saw your father.

Fëanáro laughed softly and put aside the necklace he had just forged for Nerdanel and approached you.

He put his hands under your arms and lifted you up in his arms to press a kiss on your cheek.

"What brings you here?" he asked gently and then added a little hopefully: "Do you want to learn to work in the forge?"

You grimaced. "Too much fire." you mumbled softly. "I do not like fire."

"Right, you do not. "Fëanáro nodded. Two years ago, you once had a bad nightmare about burning ships and your family in the middle of them and have been afraid of fire ever since.

But that had only been a dream.

"But then what brings you here, my dearest daughter?" he asked with a smile

"Well, you Atya! I missed you!" you announced.

Fëanáro laughed and rubbed his nose against yours affectionatly.

"But also that I have to hide." you whispered softly. "Nelyo, Moryo and I are playing hide and seek."

Fëanáro grinned. Normally his Morifinwë always held back in such games, but you had him practically wrapped around your finger. You were born after Curufinwë and had practically attached yourself directly to Morifinwë and now you were inseparable.

If you couldn't be found, one simply had to keep an eye out for Moryo, usually ypu were holding his hand, sleeping curled up in his side while he embroidered or persuading him to play with you and the others.

Then Fëanáro heard footsteps.

"Let us hide you then," he said quietly to you and you pressed a hand over your mouth to stifle a giggle.

Fëanáro took a cloak from a handle he had placed in the corner of the forge where the fire couldn't reach it and threw it over you.

"Just stay under it, then Nelyo will not be able to see you."

The very next second, Nelyo entered the forge and looked around. His red hair was tied back in a braid and the freckles on his forehead rippled slightly as his eyes landed on his father.

"Atya?" A slight smile played around his lips and Fëanáro knew immediately that his eldest son had seen through him. "Why are you standing so far in the corner?"

"You know, Nelyafinwë," Fëanáro grinned mischievously, "somethimes one has to look at ones forge from a different angle."

A soft giggle sounded from under his cloak.

Nelyo laughed softly. "Got you!"

"Nelyo!"you shouted loudly and jumped out from under the cloak to tackle him in a hug.

"Y/N!"Nelyo exclaimed happily, wrapping his arms around you.

"Now I just have to find Carnistir. "Nelyo said, looking at his father.

Fëanáro raised his hands in defence. "I was just hiding one child."

"Me! I know where he is!" you shouted in a chant and danced around your big brother."

"And where?" Nelyo asked, although he was aware that you wouldn't tell.

You put your hands on your hips and said with feigned indignation: "I am not betraying my Moryo!"

Nelyo laughed and tousled your hair, "That is probably for the best."

"You two. "Fëanáro shook his head with a smile. "Why do you not look for him upstairs? I do not think he is outside. Irissë is visiting and she and Tyelko are tearing everything apart and you know Morifinwë does not like that.

Nelyo laughed, picked you up and threw you over his shoulder.

"Hey!" you shouted indignantly.

"I am off to find Carnistir," he said, kissing his father on the cheek as a farewell and carrying you out with him.

Fëanáro smiled gently as he looked after you. He really loved his children.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

[lordelmelloi2]

we need help again...

I hate hate hate hate to make this post but we could really use some help. Mostly because I am uninsured until my job opens enrollment for its health insurance in June and on the eve of us signing the apartment lease tomorrow, I have contracted strep throat from my coworkers. Hooray!

I'm gonna try and get an appointment at the community health center doctor's tomorrow because I straight up don't have the money or time to go to the CVS minuteclinic across the street. They said it was $139 for a strep appointment without insurance, I said hell no... If I wait another day I can try and get a sliding scale $40 appt at the doctors. Right now is just stressful because we need money and because they didn't give us our security deposit back I'm not going to have enough money for my bills the beginning of the month. Plus there are literally THREE prescriptions I have asides from however much a Z pack will likely cost and one of them is an ointment from a compound pharmacy that I don't have money to pay for~!!!! 😭😭😭

Asides from that I am afraid that we miscalculated how much we have for rent for May so I'm trying to see about covering those costs so we aren't paying 3 days late into the month of May for our May rent first month. I really don't want to have a bad first impression with these people. They've been very kind to us so far with renting this new place but I don't want to push the limits.

I've already asked my dad for help but he wasn't able to spare enough for us to be totally covered + he needs me to pay him back by August. During the month of April I also applied to multiple credit unions for personal loans and got rejected...

So my total expenses are:

- Medication/Doctor's visit (including pre-existing prescriptions that I haven't had the money to pick up) ($160)

- Phone bill ($75 for this first month, should be going down next month as verizon charges my account with different coding)

- costs for rent/move (like hopefully $200 idk. I think we can swing the last hundred)

In addition: Because of my history of struggling with commissions due to my psychiatric disability, I don't really want to do this but if you donate a sum above $100 you can ask me to digitally paint something for you. Please no complicated requests or anything since I've been struggling with art for years now from depression/anxiety etc. but I would feel indebted to you if I didn't do anything. If this is something you'd like please DM me/send me an ask off anon.

* As for why we have been so financially fucked this month. Our current apartment complex (yes the one with the leaks, roaches, harmful construction noises etc.) has kept our security deposit which has us out $300 that we could've used towards the new place. They have fucked us over one last time.

My paypal as always is at: paypal.me/roseod

And please share if you can. Every reblog/donation of even a small amount is appreciated. Thank you all so much for supporting me.

[lynzishell]

Prev // Next

Transcript and Bonus below the cut:

Phoenix: It’s been ten years, almost to the day, since I lost my mom. I’ve been thinking about her a lot since we had Aspen. Something about knowing that she’ll never get to know her granddaughter. That Aspen will never get to know her. It’s a different kind of grief that I wasn’t prepared for.

Phoenix: [wipes a stray tear from his eye] After I moved in with Julian, I would come out here sometimes. I’d sit on this bench and look out at the water, and I’d talk to her. I’d tell her about my life, that I loved her and missed her, that I was sorry for being such a pain in the ass. I even told her about Malcolm. I don’t know why this spot. Maybe just because it’s pretty here, and away from everything and quiet, but I could almost convince myself that she could hear me.

Phoenix: I guess I hoped that by bringing you both here… well, it’s the closest I could get to introducing you.   Dawn: If your mom was here right now, would she prefer it if I called her Leanne? Or Miss Realta? Phoenix: [breathes a laugh through his nose] Definitely Leanne. She’d give me hell if I let you call her Miss Realta. Dawn: Okay. Well, Leanne, my name is Dawn, and I am madly in love with your son. We’re getting married in a couple of months, and I’m so excited. You’re invited, of course, if you can make it to Brindleton Bay.

Dawn: Most importantly, though, this is Aspen. She’s your granddaughter. Her middle name is Leanne, after you, of course. And, um, you should know that Phoenix is an incredible father. I wish I could’ve gotten to know you. And I wish you were here to give me some parenting advice because you clearly did something right, and I feel so lost all of the time. But I promise we’ll come back to visit, at least every Winterfest, so you can see Aspen as she gets older.

Phoenix: Thank you. Dawn: Thank you for sharing this place with us. I can see why you were drawn to it. It does kinda feel like she’s here, like she’s listening. Phoenix: [nods but doesn’t speak for fear that his voice will betray him] Aspen: [coos] Phoenix: [clears his throat] Did I ever tell you that she wanted to write children’s books? Dawn: I remember you saying she used to make up stories a lot when you were little.

Phoenix: Yeah [smiles at the memory] She was never able to pursue writing seriously because she was always working two or three jobs to take care of us, to take care of me. I always hoped she’d be able to one day, and that she’d publish her own books. I can probably tell Aspen a few of them from memory, but how cool would it have been to be able to give her an actual book?

Dawn: That would’ve been amazing. Out of all the stories she told you, did you have a favorite?

Phoenix: Oh, god, um… if I had to pick, it would probably be this one about a polar bear name JuJu that dreamed of going to Jupiter. [laughs] I remember, we were learning about the solar system in school, and we all had to do a report on a planet. I chose Jupiter. But I had a really hard time writing the report, I’d never done one before. So, she made up this story about my favorite animal, a polar bear, going to Jupiter. It was really funny and full of facts about the planet. Not only did I get an A on my report, but I made her retell the story about a hundred times.

Dawn: Aw, that’s so cute. I wanna hear it. Will you tell us the story? Phoenix: Right now? Dawn: Yeah. Phoenix: Okay, sure…

✨Bonus✨

And, of course, Aspen got to meet her Great Uncle Julian while they were in Copperdale. She was a little unsure at first, but she warmed up to him pretty quick. 🥰

[jiecomic]

Chapter 2- That’s him?

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"Perfect for what?" MK asked the Monkey King with confusion

"To be... MY SUCCESSOR!" Sun Wukong answered in the most dramatic way possible

" Uh... Are you sure you are the Monkey King? You've been cooked up in here for way too long…" MK was checking the monkey's condition as if he was sick " I think your brain went moshed up..."

At that moment Monkey King put MK on the ground with his tail "Listen Kid" Suddenly he started searching for something in the stock of garbage behind him " You fought demons- and you didn't die and you made it here!" He opened a back of dry peaches " Not anyone can lift my staff, but you did" and started eating them.

MK looked at him with even bigger confusion.

"But what about the DBK?!"

"Pff..!" Wukong laughed "You can handle it!" He said while still eating peaches on his cloud "Consider it's a trial!"

"But I-" MK looked down

With that Wukong had no other choice but to give a kid some words.

" Look, if you can lift my staff you can use it" He came to MK and put a hand on his shoulder "Just believe in yourself- even a snitch makes all the difference"

MK looked at his idol with much more relief in his eyes.

AAAND... just when Wukong was about to finish...

Chomp!

A little friend came for a visit.

" Em... Monkey King?" MK looked behind Sun Wukong "I think something is trying to eat your tail"

Wukong didn't even have to look behind him. He knew this pair of little sharp fangs and a sound of wagging tail.

"You...." He looked at Gou all pissed for ruining his moment

Gou on the other hand let go of his tail to bark, probably for him it was a hello.

In no more than 5 second Wukong had summoned his cloud, put Gou on it and gave him a ride to his home.

" IF YOUR OWNER WILL LEAVE YOU HERE AGAIN I SWEAR TO HEAVEN I'M GONNA...- he thought for a while- "LOSE HER WAGES!!"- "though I don't remember paying her anyway..." he muttered the last part to himself

After a while he remembered about MK.

"Ah right!- Sorry, can you remind me when we have finished?"

Hello I don't know if you remember but my name is Jie! In case you wonder who I am let me introduce myself...

You see, once I was a pretty powerful fox demon- Buuuuut for some reason the Jade emperor said that I'm a little bit too powerful and dangerous or something like that, anyway after that the not so good Jade emperor took away half of my power and e.t.c, I had some boring depression after that when suddenly I decided that it would be nice to start a second life!

I was doing pretty great!

Till I realised that I was not fully able to protect myself anymore... after a long, long journey I found myself a perfect place to call home, I spent hundreds years peacefully till the evil lady and her angry son said 'Let's summon the angry bull demon and destroy the city! “Hahahaha”

And I didn't like their plan since lately I too live in the city!

So, brave me asked Monkey King, my old enemy (not really an enemy though) to help me fight the evil guys! He agreed and took me in as his servant (which is really a great honour to me) just before telling me...

That instead of lifting a finger he is going to send some human boy with no experience at all, so to sum it up kids...

"I was scammed..."

"Jie, You're being delusional again" Said Monkey King after the demoness finished her monologue, it was hard to hear his words since he still didn't finish his pack of peaches "I had never deceived you, if anything you should be grateful!

After saying that, he looked at Jie's face which was wearing a suspicious expression mixed with all her complaints.

'What the heck am I supposed to be grateful for?!'- was what she wanted to say

"Think about it this way!" Wukong tried to ease the mood "You practically won't need to intervene in anything since MK will take care of it, after I'll teach him of cou-

He stopped when he noticed that Jie's face didn't fix itself but rather the opposite, now it was screaming 'What a bullshit!'

"A-anyway..." Wukong continued not so confident anymore "Can't you at least wait till you meet him?"

"I'm sure you'll change your mind once you see him! I'm telling you, this boy is a true diamond in the rough!"

"And what if he isn't?" Suddenly Jie spoke with a serious look on her face "What if he's not a diamond but just a normal stone?"

Wukong fell silent for a while but sent her a dissatisfied look to show that she's going too far, yet Jie ignored it and continued.

" Think again master, after spending thousands years with humans you should know it already but humans are wicked creatures, they tend to be greedy and unlike other species they have a changing nature"

"... You're right, but demons also tend to be evil and unlike humans- they rarely change"

This time it was Jie who became silent, she actually didn't have anything more to say so she just clenched her teeth and looked away admitting defeat. Seeing this Monkey King let out a long sigh.

"Listen, we know each other for long enough-

"One month"

"Let me finish!*ahem* Okay, since we already know each other for those long, tiring 4 weeks... Why won't you just trust my judgment for now. I believe in that kid!"

Jie calculated everything they've been saying a while ago

"Alright Master"Her voice was much calmer "When will I get the chance to meet that precious successor of yours?

BOOM!

Within a second a loud sound reached their ears

"How about now?"

Everything was turned into ruins.

Jie wasn't sure who caused more damage- DBK or this black haired boy who wielded Monkey King's stuff

She and her master were standing on the head of a robot watching the group of those new "heroes"

"Soo... what do you think?" Wukong asked as if he was waiting for an applause from the fox demoness

"Master, do you want my opinion?"Jie looked at him kindly

Monkey King didn't respond, but there were more stars shining around him, so Jie treated it as an approval.

"I think you're not in your right mind" Jie spoke without hesitation in a cold tone

"Wha-WHY?!"- Wukong was really shocked by her reaction

" Is that him?" Unlike him, Jie stayed as calm as at the beginning

" Yes"

"THAT'S HIM?!" There was this one tiny blaze of fury in her voice

"...yes?" Wukong felt that blaze on the back of his neck

" So you- ahem..!- Master, you want to tell me that your successor, the new Monkey King, is this mortal? And my peace lays in his hands?!" She pointed at a boy who was swirling the staff around him and making some 'hero' poses

The great sage for some reason started escaping the red, piercing gaze of a fox demoness. But then he remembered his position as her master.

" Well~ if you want to know, I've been keeping a close eye on him from a very long time- AND LOOK"- he started pointing at the boy,  who was going somewhere with his friends "You see what he holds in his hands- MY STUFF!"

" Wow, the chosen of a stick" Jie didn't even care about her attitude towards her master "Beware of his power demons and builders" at the last word she looked around the ruins of the city

Monkey King was at the end of his patience. The times when Jie would use sarcasm where rare, but honestly's she was acting a hell of arrogant while using them. It can be said that it was her tricky fox nature switching on.

" Just give kid some time and you'll see for yourself"

Jie didn't expect such a calm answer.

Sigh

"Your right"

"Of course!- now go, make yourself some tea, feed your... pet and-

"I need to check for myself"

"W-What?!"

With that Jie disappeared leaving poor Monkey King with tons of unanswered questions.

"I wonder if I should worry about it?"

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[ryus3i]

Prince Micheal Kaiser x fem Maid reader

How reader and Kaiser met

Crowned with Love Masterlist

Cw; reader is a maid, Kaiser is the prince of Germany, reader is not from Germany, she/ her pronouns, curse words, strangers to lovers??

A/n; sorry this took a bit to come out but here it is enjoy! Series master list will be out soon! @rroxii (Ty for feedback in the last fic, I hope you like this!)

The way you met your “prince charming” wasn’t something you would ever want to relive. Not everyone has the pleasure of meeting the heir to the throne and you certainly wish you hadn't. Let’s just say Kaiser wasn’t all lovey dovey with you like he is now.

“And just what do you think you’re doing?” a voice behind you says as you quickly shove the book in your hands back into its place on one of the hundreds of shelves in the castle's grand library. 

Turning around to meet the stranger who had interrupted you. It was none other than the crown prince himself, Micheal Kaiser. The same Micheal Kaiser who had built himself quite a reputation around the castle and the kingdom. Micheal Kaiser was the cold prince but to you he was just an insufferable prick, at least based what the other maids had told you. 

“Oh, I’m sorry your majesty, I finished my tasks for the day and figured I could spend some time in here you say, voice laced with nervousness, you were allowed to be in here right? 

The maid who had  shown you around the castle had told you that it was okay to visit the grand library if we had spare time. If all that was true, why was the prince staring daggers at you. 

“The grand library is no place for a commoner, a maid like you is not to set foot in this room. Enjoy all the free time you have in your quarters, get out” all this is said with a smirk on his face. Your face on the other hand felt like it was on fire, you were beyond embarrassed and humiliated. 

“I apologize, your majesty” you say bowing your head. The temptation to walk right through the doors who put you in this situation was getting harder to resist. You couldn’t just walk out the doors or you’d be in even more trouble with the prince. 

“Save the excuses, considering where you are now you must be new here? Isn’t that right?”

“Yes your majesty”. 

“My parents will hire anyone won’t they, even little maids who snoop around places they shouldn’t be. Anyone like you should know not to stick your nose in places where you could never  

You have had just about enough of the crown prince and now it was time for you to leave. 

“Forgive me your majesty but I will be taking my leave, I don’t find pleasure in being around arrogant assholes like you”.

“Oh the little maid has quite a bit of a tongue doesn’t she, do I need to remind you who I am?

“You don’t, I think i know well enough who you are now, you said I had no place to be here so allow me to leave”.

“Not so fast, it’s my turn to find out who you really are, care to tell me your name dear?” He says all this whilst blocking your way out.

“ l/n y/n” you say through gritted teeth, what exactly did he want from you now. You didn’t want anything to do with him, you should’ve known the rumors about him were true and 100% accurate at that. 

“Well y/n, pleasure to meet you” he says with a delish smirk, one you wanted to slap right off.

“You don’t seem to know much German, y/n, your accent and broken German gives it away. That book you picked up earlier was in German, I doubt you’d be able to read it.”. 

Kaiser moves to the shelf behind where you had put the book from before. Taking the book from off the shelf he brings it to the small desk to the side of you two, before taking a seat at the desk he reaches a hand out to yours.

“You know, I could teach you some German,” he says, nodding his head towards the green book that laid on the desk waiting to be read. 

“No thank you, I don’t learn from assholes” you cross your arms, if he could be annoying so could you.

“Now, don’t be like that, I'm being so generous right now, just give me a chance”. Just to make him shut up for the first and only time you would take a German lesson from Prince Micheal Kaiser. 

As he takes your hand in his he brings you to the table and pulls out two chairs, one for him and one for you. Taking a seat you pull your hand away from his and open the book. 

It would turn out that it was in fact not your only German lesson with Kaiser, every other day or so the two of you would chip away at the book. Spending more time with the prince made you realize he was only an arrogant prince on the outside and not on the inside where he was a soft prince with a love for reading and for you. 

[hazbeans-for-thee]

Radioapple Week Day Three - Deal

Characters: Lucifer, Alastor, Alastor's shadow

Warnings: None

Word count: 796

Summary: A little mischievous shadow decides to pay Lucifer a visit upon Alastor's request. What might he find while he's there?

Alastor watched as Lucifer ducked into his room at the end of the hallway. His lip curled in slight annoyance as he huffed an irritated sigh.

That snake of a demon has been avoiding him nearly all week! What few jabs he has been able to thrown at the king were simply being laughed off or completely ignored! This was their game they played, and Lucifer was breaking the rules. He hummed in thought as he turned around, casting a shadow on the opposite wall that began to twitch with life. Maybe he could get some usefulness out of this mischief maker.

"Go and see what our majesty is busying himself with that is so much more important to him," Alastor commanded. The shadow's mouth glowed a bright green as it slipped onto the floor and underneath the bedroom door.

Inside his room, Lucifer was sitting on his workdesk, his legs crossed as he examined the duck in his hand. "I think that color is right..." he muttered as he tilted it in the light. It was painted a dark red shade, almost like the color of blood. After a few more moments of pondering, he scowled and tossed the duck aside- right into a pile of discarded pile of ducks colored in various shades and hues of red. He stuffed his face in his hands and groaned. "No, no, it's not right, none of these are right! How the hell am I supposed to even tell what color it's supposed to be! I can't just go and compare swatches or something, he'd know immediately what's going on! Why can't I just-"

Lucifer paused as he heard the sound of rustling. His tail suddenly appeared and swished behind him as his eyes darted around the room. "Alright, who's pulling the funny business?" he asked as he hopped down from the desk. "If this is some kind of prank, I'm not falling for it..." he quickly spun on his heel and came face to face with the moving shadow. He pointed at it, and a burst of gold magic erupted from his fingertips, causing the shadow to freeze in place when it was hit.

"Aha! Gotcha bitch!" he exclaimed as he stepped toward the shadow that was now stuck to the wall. "You're tall, dark and creepy's little buddy, yeah? I bet he sent you, didn't he?" The shadow scowled back in response. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you. In fact... I might need your assistance for a little project of mine. If you help out, and promise not to tell, I'll let you go. How's that sound?"

The shadow seemed to huff in annoyance before it nodded in agreement.

"Perfect!" Lucifer motioned to the pile of red ducks on the floor. "You see, I'm working on a little gift. It's a duck that plays a little song and can dance to it! Pre-programmed with five snippets of songs from the thirties! But I want it to match Alastor's red, and I've gone through at least a hundred prototypes, and I just don't feel like I've gotten the shade right. And since you're literally attached to the guy, you're the perfect one to ask!"

The shadow seemed to bristle a little with pride. Lucifer snapped his fingers, allowing it to escape momentarily from the wall but not from the room. It sunk down into the pile and rummaged around before producing a duck in its hand.

"That one looks good?" Lucifer asked, and the shadow nodded. "Much appreciated! Now, do you plan on telling Alastor about this?"

The shadow shook its head.

"No-?" Lucifer exclaimed in bewilderment. "What, do you want something else too?"

The shadow nodded and held out its hand, palm facing the floor. It took Lucifer a moment before he realized what it was asking for.

"Oh, you want a kiss on the hand...?" The shadow nodded once again, and Lucifer found a fond smile crossing his face. "Just like Alastor, always trying to pull a fast one on me." He took the shadow's hand in his own - it felt a little odd to be holding something that isn't supposed to be corporeal - and placed a small kiss on the back. "There, the deal is set."

The shadow grinned and made a motion of zipping its lips shut. Lucifer laughed and snapped his fingers again. "Alright, you're free to go." The shadow gave a salute before sinking out of the room.

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

"What the hell do you mean, 'he caught you'??"

The shadow's ears fell flat against it's head as it noddded.

Alastor groaned in frustration as he rubbed his temples with his fingers. "You choose the worst times to be incompetent."

While Alastor wasn't looking, the shadow's lips curled up into a grin.

[idontplaytrack]

can you write an aj fic, college au, when r bring her home for the holidays but her parents arent approving of it…and the end can be like r’s cousins or siblings taking r and aj out to a gay bar or something, a mostly happy ending

✧ It’s Not Christmas Without You

AJ Campos x fem! reader

Warnings: coarse language, homophobia, quarrelling, underage drinking mentions, sexual assault mentions

In which reader’s parents do not approve of their relationship so the siblings and cousins make their holidays better by taking them out instead

“So they know I’m coming?”

“Yeah, I told them I was bringing my partner home.”

“They probably think I’m a guy.”

“Yeah, but screw it. If they kick me out, we still have a place to go, baby.” You told her, “We’ll be fine.”

And to be completely honest, you and AJ had discussed this. This visit back home for the holidays was out of courtesy. No matter how they reacted, you’d still be telling them that you’d be moving out. But if they didn’t approve, you’d never be coming home again, ever. You weren’t going to give your parents the upper hand and satisfaction of kicking you out. Never.

Your sister was picking you and AJ up from the airport. And for a little bit of a background on your family, you were the youngest of three. Your older brother, Theo and older sister Patricia were well into their twenties, both married. Patricia had two children— your darling niece and nephew, Aurora and Austin. As for Theo, he’d just gotten hitched on halloween with his boyfriend. That’d be Robin. Wanna make a guess which one of your siblings had a better relationship with your parents?

Patricia did. They were only okay with Theo having a boyfriend (at the time) because he was bi. So to them, that meant that he’d still be able to start a family if he wanted. Boy, did Theo shut them down so quickly. But they were still in denial. So far, Theo was the only one in your family that you were out to. You figured that only he truly understood your fear. But in a matter of minutes, Patricia would know as well.

“y/n!”

Immediately, you spotted Patricia thanks to her distinctive voice over buzzing chatter of the swarm of people in the arrival hall. You rushed up to her, still holding onto AJ’s hand. “Hi, Trishy.” You hugged her back.

“Let me guess, AJ?”

“That’s me.” AJ chuckles lightly, “Were you expecting a guy too?”

“Not exactly.” Your sister admits, “Let me help you with your bag.”

“Explain.” You gasped, looking at her with wide eyes.

“I just don’t really care who you’re dating unless they treat you right. I wasn’t expecting anybody specific.”

“Oh.” You nodded, “Thanks?”

“Let’s go, Theo’s waiting in the car. And your precious niece and nephew are waiting at home.”

Getting into your sister’s car, you sat in the middle seat between AJ and Theo. “Good to finally meet ya and put a face to your name.” Theo commented, “She’s very secretive, this one.”

AJ chuckles. “She had her reasons, which I get. But I have nothing to hide, ask me whatever you want.”

“Oh, no, no.” Theo laughed similarly, “I trust you. She’s happy, she’s safe, she’s clearly so loved by you. I’m not the least bit worried.”

“I am,” You stared at him, “Mom and Dad are one hundred percent expecting AJ to be a guy,”

“Well…she can look the part.” Theo jokes. AJ snorted, “We’ll just leave the bags in your car because we’re almost certain they’ll want her outta there. We’re planning to leave either way. I’m not bi, so they will definitely go off on me.”

“Honey.” Patricia turned her head to look over her shoulder, “We got you. We get it— courtesy visit. Because they’ve been asking and asking, and asking. You’d think after two years of you not coming home, they’d at least start to get the hint, noooo, they’ve been painfully oblivious.”

————

“We’re home.” Theo announces, letting out an inevitable sigh. Aurora and Austin dropped their toys and ran over first, tackling you with a hug. AJ? She stood right behind you. “Hi, auntieeeee.” They squealed. “Hey, goofballs. Wow you guys are so tall.”

They giggle happily. “I’m taller.” Aurora grins.

“Sure are, sweetie.” You chuckle, ruffling with her hair.

“Who is this?” The seven year old girl asked.

“I’m AJ,” She smiled.

“You’re really pretty.” Aurora says. “Are you y/n’s friend?”

“Uh, girlfriend.” You answered honestly.

“Oh. Hello, AJ!” The kid shrugged, pulling Austin away to go play again.

And then, your parents. “Girlfriend, Rory, don’t be silly. I’m sure your aunt’s just kidding.”

“Kidding for what?” You asked, almost a little too harshly.

Your mother’s mouth hung open, “You…watch your mouth.”

“Watch my mouth?” You wanted to scoff so badly, “I’ve graduated from college this year. I don’t need to be treated like a child.”

“This is AJ?” Your dad chimed in.

“Oh, yeah. This is AJ and she’s great.” Theo spoke on your behalf, sensing your anger building up to a close peak.

“So are you bisexual too, like Theo?”

“No, Mom.” You stated, “I’m a lesbian,”

“Oh, God. What have I done?”

You were so ready to leave. It was clear AJ was thinking the same thing. “Nothing. You have done nothing. I have always been this way— nothing has changed and nothing needs to change. Why does it matter to you that I’m in love with a woman?”

“Mommy, why are you all mad at auntie? She didn’t do anything wrong.” Aurora appeared again. Shit, you’d forgotten in the moment that the kids were around. You should’ve just turned and left with AJ.

“Baby, come over here. Let’s get back to our movie, hm?” Ezra, her dad, came up to the foyer soon enough.

“No, gramma’s mad at auntie y/n. That’s not nice of her.”

“I’m gonna go, baby. But I’m okay, I promise.”

“Aw.” The kid sulked. “Whyyy.”

“Aurora, they need to talk— let’s let them finish talking first, okay?”

“Ezra, there’s no use talking to them. They’re so stuck in their narrow minds that only what they think, is correct. We’re leaving after we hand the gifts over to the kids.”

“Okay, dinner’s canceled.” Your mom announces.

“Way ahead of you.” Patricia looks up from her phone. “This family hasn’t felt like a family in years. It’s ridiculous that a child knows better than you two do. Ezra, let’s go. We’re moving the dinner to ours— I’ve already texted the rest of them. You two can stuff yourselves for all I care. y/n’s being very kind to come back here when she’s made it pretty clear she doesn’t want to be back here several years ago.”

Not wanting to escalate the situation, all of you left. You sat in Theo’s car with AJ. While Patricia, Ezra and the kids were in their own. With that, the bunch of you were on your way to Patricia and Ezra’s house. “y/n, AJ. The guesthouse is all yours. Make yourselves at home.” Ezra told you both while Patricia got the kids settled and freshened up.

“Wow, thanks.” You replied, then made your way over to the guesthouse through the backyard.

“Rest of the family’s coming by at 8. We have a few hours, so you guys just…chill.” Patricia eventually poked her head into the front doorway of the guesthouse. You hear Aurora and Austin playing in the pool, squealing.

“Well, can we help any way at all?”

“AJ, relax.” Patricia laughs, “I got this, you two just do whatever you want. Let me worry about the cooking.”

“You wanna go for a swim, then?” You glanced at AJ to ask.

“Sure.” AJ beamed, “Let’s do it.”

The moment you and AJ got inside the pool, Austin sprayed you with the water gun, then AJ became the target. Eventually, it became a little bit of a fight. You let the kids win, just because. They’re kids. It was just a game, everyone had fun. After an hour or so, Aurora and Austin wanted to get back inside so Ezra took them, leaving you and AJ alone.

“Are you okay?” AJ asks, pushing herself up to sit down on the edge of the pool.

“What? Yeah, I am.”

“No, I mean, really.” AJ continues.

“Babe, come on. It’s Christmas eve— I don’t want to talk about it.”

She looks at you, you look at her. AJ wasn’t going to give it up. “I don’t wanna talk about it here.” You stood up and led her back into the guesthouse.

“Me and my parents were very close. Until— okay, remember in high school, junior year? After my volleyball team won a big game.”

“Yeah.” She nods, sitting right before you, “Right before summer.”

“That night, we all got wasted at the hotel and some guy ended up…I dunno. Touching me while I was pretty much blacked out. I woke up to him hovering over me, kissing my neck and just— it was horrifying to have that be the first thing I saw and felt after getting sober from the drinking.”

AJ’s facial expression was indistinguishable, but you continue. “I didn’t known who to tell, so I ended up telling my Mom. Who, told my Dad without my permission. Then, the police showed up at the door, it was a whole mess that week. I know who did it— I always have. The memory started coming back and I knew that guy. But he got away with it. He pleaded not guilty, went to trial. I lost. My parents blamed me for drinking and getting myself into trouble. Since then, everything just kinda spiralled. At the time, Theo and Trish were the only two people in my corner. No one else knew what happened. They’re really just unrelated matters but since that happened, they changed. My parents simply hated me, it’s like they’re disgusted by me. But the drifting apart was pretty gradual so I got used to it. I just hate that they’re that way towards me even though I look at it from their point of view and I get it. But it’s been weighing on my mind, and you deserve to know.”

“Was that why you lived with them senior year?”

“Oh, yeah. Theo already started working and Trish was a senior in college. With both their incomes, they took me out of our parents’ home and let me live with them.” You explained, “It was so much more complicated in my head, but now that that’s out of the way…I just need a few days to forget about that. Work through that, you know? It’s not use being all upset about it now. I don’t want to be caring so much about them that I let them affect my mood when clearly, they couldn’t care less about me.”

“That is just…terrible of them to practically wash their hands off you.” AJ scoffs.

“Baby, don’t get yourself all angry over those two. There’s no point. Let’s just focus on ourselves and those that actually do care.”

“You’re right.” She smooches you on the cheek. “You’ve come a long way and done a lot of work. I’m very proud of you for that. Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me that. It’s not an easy thing at all to be sharing.”

You cracked a smile. “Thanks, baby.”

————

Seeing some of your family members clicking with AJ so well, so quickly, it seriously made you so happy— the relief you felt was impeccable. “AJ, will you read me a bedtime story?” Aurora comes running up to AJ— and you.

“Sweetie, they’re watching a movie—”

“It’s alright, Trish.” You assured.

You and AJ shared a look before she smiled and agreed. “Yay!” Aurora exclaimed and dragged the two of you by the hand upstairs to her bedroom.

“Good night, sweetie!” Patricia laughs, as did Ezra.

“Night, Mommy. Night, Daddy!”

A good twenty minutes later, Aurora reluctantly agreed to finally sleep. You walked back downstairs with AJ and were met with Theo immediately suggesting that the few of you should go out for the night. “Come on. We’ve been keeping it PG for the whole evening. Let’s go party it up.” Theo laughs.

“Hey, don’t need to look at me. You guys are adults. No curfew over here.” Patricia bit back a laugh, “Go. Have fun.”

“Alright, alright.” You gave in. Theo cheered quietly, gesturing for his husband Dylan to join you all and leave the house.

The destination? A gay bar. Ever since that night in high school, you were very careful around alcohol. So much so that you flat out didn’t drink alcohol in chaotic settings like these. Not all of them knew why, but they didn’t force you— you had two glasses and that was it.

“Which one of you people wants to take the mic tonight, party people?”

“Let’s go do that. Let’s sing.” You grabbed AJ by the arm, causing her to look at you, laughing.

“Sure.” AJ giggles, looking over to the guys.

“y/n, you know I cannot sing.” Your brother pointed at you, “Dylan— you can.”

“Hell yeah.” Dylan agrees and hopped off the stool, heading for the stage with you and AJ.

“Alright, alright! Here we go. First daring ones of the evening. Dylan, AJ and y/n singing ‘It’s Not Christmas Without You’, everyone!”

“So if you feel it comin'

On this special day

Just trust your heart

'Cause I can't wait to hear you say

That it's Christmas

And the start of something new

Well, it's Christmas

And I hope you'll feel it too

Everyone together, sing

Silver bells and golden rings

But all of it means nothing

Without you

No, no no

It's not Christmas (Christmas)

Without you, you, you

It's not Christmas

Without you, you, you

It's not Christmas

Without you, you, you

It's not Christmas without you”

🏷️ Tag list:

@ashecampos @auliisflower @cheesysoup-arlo @frogs00 @reneeswif3 @ludoesartnstuffs @pda128

[scoonsalicious]

Reminder: I am on a posting break for new content until May 23rd so that I can focus on writing WFLT...

Today, I have something special for you for the final day of my break, lol. This is the first written chapter of a fic I started writing last year called The End of His Line. It's a Bucky x OFC that made it to about 70k words before I abandoned it for Unwanted. Maybe I'll revisit it someday. It's entirely self-indulgent, not edited very much, and takes place after TFATWS. The premise is that Bucky's been having some trouble since the events of the series, particularly hearing voices. Sam's suggested they contact a friend of his, someone known as The Archivist, who might be able to get them access to Hydra's records on the Winter Soldier program in an attempt to figure out what's going on with him.

Totally self-indulgent and NOT an author-insert, because her name is Sarah and my name is Sara, and they are two, totally different names! Yeah, okay, we both may have auburn hair, but both those elements are important to the story! Plus, our eyes are totally different colors! ;)

Enjoy!

Bucky sat at a table in a dimly lit diner in Midtown, just a few blocks south of Grand Central Station, where Sam had arranged for the two of them to meet this mysterious ‘Archivist’ of his.

Bucky pressed his back against the cold brick wall, feeling more alone than ever. The bustling city streets were a world away from him now, and it was as if he was completely invisible to the waves of people that walked by him. He peered out at them through the window, feeling every bit of his one-hundred-nine years old while all around him remained oblivious.

He glanced at his watch. He was early, having been far too anxious for answers to sit still in his barren apartment, just waiting. And frankly, he didn’t want to be alone. Loneliness visited him a lot more frequently now that Sam set up permanent residence back in Delacroix. Bucky was always welcome to visit, and he did, but after too long, the sight of Sam, surrounded by family and community, always seemed to weigh too heavily on Bucky’s chest, and he’d be reminded of how much he missed Steve’s presence in his life. 

A part of Bucky resented Steve’s choice to leave him alone in this foreign world, when Steve had been his only lifeline. Then Bucky would remember everything Steve had sacrificed to bring him back from the darkness, and Bucky would feel ashamed. How could he begrudge his best friend the chance to live the life that had been stolen from him?

Your life was stolen, too, the quiet voice whispered from the darkest corner of his mind. It’s not as though Steve had to go alone. He could have taken you with him. So much for the end of the line.

Bucky slapped his metal fist on the table in an attempt to force the voice back into submission. Instead, the napkin holder on the table shook with the reverberation, causing an older couple a few tables over to look up in alarm. He really needed to stop spending so much time alone. 

The sun had risen over the zenith of the avenues, the heat of its rays amplified through the diner windows and making Bucky uncomfortably hot in his leather jacket. He shrugged it off and tossed it over the back of his vinyl chair as the bell above the diner door cheerfully rang. Sam approached the table and took a seat next to him, placing a large round bag next to his chair.

“You brought the shield?” Bucky asked, puzzled. “I thought this was a friend of yours. Are we expecting trouble?” Sam fiddled with the zipper of the bag, opening it and arranging the flap just so, so that the unmistakable red and blue could be seen without being too obvious. 

“Nah, no trouble. Just…” Sam sat up and Bucky noticed his clothes were a bit… fancier than normal. “Doesn’t hurt to remind people it’s there, is all.”

Understanding dawned on Bucky. “You’re either trying to intimidate the shit out of this Archivist, or,” he smiled ruefully at his friend, “you’re trying like hell to impress ‘em.”

Sam laughed good naturedly. “I figure it can’t hurt to try a little bit of both. We’re going for a pretty big ask, after all.” He was right. They were asking for all known (and hopefully, any heretofore unknown) records related to the super-soldier serum that created both Bucky and Steve, and the Winter Soldier program that had turned Bucky into a mindless killer. It was a tall order and, depending on where those records might be and who might hold them, a potentially dangerous one. Sam swore, on his family’s boat, no less, that if there were any records out there to be found, The Archivist was the one to find them. Bucky had no problem placing his trust in Sam, but he was wary of involving any stranger, especially when it concerned the most vulnerable parts of himself.

A waitress approached their table, jeans suffocatingly tight and her top cropped entirely too high. She smiled at them both. “What can I get for you two handso—” Her eyes widened at the sight of the shield. “Oh. My. God.” She squealed at Sam. “You’re Captain America!”

Great. Here we go, thought Bucky, as the waitress began to gush and fawn all over Sam. His friend, of course, ate it up. If there was one thing Sam loved more than being recognized as the new Captain America, it was being recognized as the new Captain America by attractive women. She kept twirling a strand of shockingly pink hair with one hand and casually stroking Sam’s shoulder with the other. 

God, but these modern girls are forward. He was thankful her attention wasn’t directed at him, because Bucky never knew how to respond to brazen flirting girls were empowered with today, and his first instinct was always to run away. It was so much easier Before. The guy would take charge, make all the moves. He’d know where he stood from the jump. You’d ask a girl out, buy her flowers, take her dancing. There was beauty in the structure, in the process. But now? The whole thing seemed to be a damned free-for-all, where everything that came out of a woman’s mouth could be mistaken for a sexual invitation. It was unnerving.

Or maybe it’s been so long since any woman’s actually touched that you think everything they say and do is a come on. A voice. Not the dark one that whispered his greatest fears to him, but still, not his own, either.

“I’m ready to order!” Bucky cut in, loud and awkward, out of nowhere, to drown out the voice. Sam and the waitress startled out of their flirting.

“Yeah, of course,” said the waitress, giving him a cautious look. “What can I get for you?” 

Bucky stumbled, realizing he honestly had no idea– he hadn’t even seriously considered the menu. Well, great. “Uh… I…”

“Why don’t you just get us a couple of coffees for now, sweetheart?” Sam asked with a blinding smile, diverting the waitress’  attention away from Bucky and back on to him. “We’re still waiting on one more.” The waitress beamed back at him.

“Sure thing, Cap.” She gently brushed a hand across Sam’s shoulder before turning and walking back toward the kitchen.

Bucky’s eyes involuntarily rolled in his head. “You just can’t help yourself, can you, Cap?” he asked, grinning.

“Nah, nah– we’re not gonna sit and pretend you’re feeling all normal. What was that about?” Shit. The worst thing about becoming so close with Sam was that it was becoming next to impossible to hide things from him. This new Captain America was beginning to know him almost as well as the last. Almost, said a voice. But you’re keeping this from him. Some friend you are. Okay, that voice might have been Bucky’s.

He was spared from uttering a response by the tinkling of a bell, heralding the arrival of a woman through the diner's entrance. Bucky glanced up to catch her figure silhouetted against the afternoon sun, holding in one hand a massive frozen beverage. His breath hitched as she paused to inspect her phone, her teeth nibbling her lower lip in concentration. He had never met this woman before his long, long life, yet there was something so overwhelmingly familiar about her that it provoked an indescribable feeling of nostalgia within Bucky, as if he had been lost and suddenly found home.

As if in a trance, Bucky felt his eyes drawn to her clothes. The dress seemed like it had been taken from the same shops he'd visited with his sister before he enlisted. And it fit her perfectly - a sage green tea dress snugly clung to her curves and hugged all the right places, high-waisted with capped sleeves, a v-neck collar, and hidden pleats creating a skirt that cut off just below her knees. Below, cream kitten heels made her calves look defined and graceful. She looked as though she had stepped out of time and into this room, embracing him with an aura of beauty and history that was both familiar and captivating – so stunning it made Bucky’s breath catch in his throat.

His gawking was quickly halted by the raspy sound of a chair grating across the Formica floor. Sam leapt to his feet and yelled out “Hey, gorgeous! Right here!” Bucky felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him in addition to the shock he felt at his friend’s behavior. It didn't surprise him that he would act like a flirt; however, it was immensely inappropriate for him to catcall an unsuspecting woman like that.

But when the woman looked up at the sound of Sam’s voice, a wide smile broke out across her face and she headed toward their table. Her auburn hair bounced with each step, and Bucky was taken in by the way the late summer light through the window brought out streaks of warm copper in her flowing waves. He blinked. Did he seriously just think that? Yes, he couldn’t blame that thought on anyone but himself. Those clothes were messing with him.

You fucking idiot, he scolded himself. Get your shit together!

When she reached their table, she opened her arms wide and enveloped Sam in an embrace. Bucky watched as the two exchanged a hug, not really understanding why he was feeling so strangely… jealous, maybe? He’d known that they were close – after all, Sam had specifically requested her help in this endeavor – but he hadn’t expected his body to respond so aggressively to her presence.

The woman let go of Sam and held him at arms’ length, studying him. 

“You look good, Sammy. How’ve you been?”

Bucky cocked his head and mouthed “Sammy?” His friend either didn’t see or chose to ignore him.

“Can’t complain–  being Captain America and all that ain’t too bad,” Sam said with a flirtatious smirk.

And here we go again, thought Bucky, with more than his usual trace of annoyance. Where was this anger coming from?

The woman threw her head back and laughed, the sound of it like water tumbling over rocks. “I’m sure that line plays really well with the ladies, but you forget I’m immune. Captain America is, quite possibly, the least sexy thing I can imagine.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sam said with a good natured shrug and grin. “I keep forgetting you’re about the only girl on the planet who’s got her Avengers inoculations. Can’t blame a guy for trying his luck, though.”

She put a finger to her cheek in mock contemplation. “Come to think of it, I don’t believe I’m up-to-date on my Thor-vaccinations, actually,” she shot back with a grin of her own. “But I’m willing to risk it if exposure were to ever occur…”

“And that is why I will never introduce you to him,” Sam joked.

“And here I thought that was because he has no idea you exist.”

Sam grabbed his heart in mock pain. “Oof, you know where to hurt me, woman!”

Their banter was natural, effortless. Bucky wondered what it was like to be able to talk to someone, especially someone of the opposite sex, with such ease.

They’re friends, said the voice. He’s not tongue-tied because, unlike some people, he’s not imaging what it would be like to fu–

Bucky shot up from his chair and held out his hand. “Hi.”

“Shit, sorry. My manners. Bucky, this is Agent–”

“I’m retired, Sammy,” she interrupted as she took Bucky’s hand and shook it. “Sarah’s fine, for polite conversation. And you’re Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes.” The way she said his name rode down Bucky’s spine like an electric current. 

"Bucky's fine, for polite conversation," he managed to shoot back, smugly pleased with himself when he noticed one corner of her mouth ticked up into a ghost of a half smile.

“It’s so good to finally meet you, Bucky. I’ve heard so many stories about you, I feel like I already know you” she said, letting go of Bucky’s hand and nodding to their chairs. “Shall we?” The three sat down, Bucky shoving his hand under the table. He stretched out his fingers, focusing on the sensation of where their skin had touched. It was warm and strangely comforting, the way a forgotten song might linger in one’s memory. She’d heard things? About him? From who, Sam? God, what? None of it could have been good.

Their waitress returned then with their coffees, and if she thought she’d have the opportunity to resume her flirtations with Sam, she was sorely disappointed. 

“What can I get you?” she asked Sarah, rather brusquely, Bucky thought. It was as if she resented their companion’s presence as competition for Sam’s attention.

“Nothing; thanks,” Sarah said, and if she noticed the waitresses hostility, she gave no sign. “I can’t stay long.” Bucky wasn’t sure what he had expected from this meeting, but the idea that it would be over quickly was suddenly a disappointment. He watched her as she took a long sip from a straw plunged into a pile of whipped cream in her cup. He noticed her eyes were incredibly blue.

"Did you want some?" she asked, holding out her cup to him. Bucky realized she had mistaken his scrutiny of her to be an interest in her drink.

"Nah, man," said Sam. "You'd better not. Your old geezer system isn't used to handling that amount of sugar. You’ll get diabetes."

He was probably right– everything these days was so full of sugar that Bucky didn’t know how people could stand it– but he was emboldened by the offer, and didn’t enjoy the idea of her equating him with an “old geezer,” so he shot Sam an arched look and accepted the cup from her. He licked his lips as he drew the straw to him; there was something incredibly intimate about putting his mouth where hers had just been a moment before. He gave a hard pull.

And instantly gagged. The intense sweetness of it cloyed at his mouth and he took a swallow from his own cup of bitter, black coffee to cleanse the taste. Sam erupted in laughter, finding the entire thing hilarious.

"Gah!--" Bucky thrust the beverage back at her, "What even is that?”  As she took back the cup, Bucky flinched self consciously, realizing he had just returned the drink with his metal arm. He was relieved to see that she didn’t seem to notice, or at the very least chose not to acknowledge it at all.

"It’s a Pumpkin Spice Frozen Coffee. And maybe that makes me a Basic Bitch,” she cut off Sam, who was obviously on the verge of making some comment to that effect, “then so be it, because it’s fucking delicious.” She made 'fucking' sound both incredibly innocent and yet highly suggestive at the same time, and suddenly Bucky couldn't help but notice the slight inward cave of her cheeks as she sucked at the straw… He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Why was it so warm in here all of a sudden? 

"Well, now you got him all hot and bothered, Sarah." Sam casually draped his arm around Bucky's shoulders, and Bucky was mortified – was he so completely transparent? What was he even doing, thinking like that?

"Our guy here isn't used to ladies talking with the mouths of sailors."

Bucky let out a slow breath in relief. Yes, his discomfort was obviously over the profanity coming out of her mouth, and definitely not the intrusive thought of something else entirely going into it.

Sarah just shrugged. "Yeah, my Pops is a fogey about language, too." Bucky winced at being compared to her grandfather, but she gave him a playful wink and Bucky felt something low in his stomach turn over. But the comment seemed to shift something in her and her demeanor turned serious. "So, boys, to business, then? I'm afraid I'm in a bit of a time crunch." She pulled out a notebook, pen at the ready.

“We’re trying to locate some documents,” Sam began.

She rolled her eyes playfully. “No shit. I don’t expect you to call me when you’re looking to run guns, Sammy.”

Bucky blanched. “Is… that a thing you do?” 

Sarah shrugged a single shoulder. “Not so much anymore.” She was joking, clearly. He was sixty percent sure she was joking. Turning back to Sam, she asked: “Any reason why you can’t hop onto the library’s online catalog and start your search there, or do you need me to explain Boolean Operators to you again?”

Bucky had absolutely no idea what Boolean Operators were, but he didn’t think he’d mind having her explain them to him at all.

“Oh god, no, please,” said Sam, taking a sip of his own coffee. “Besides, I don’t think the New York Public Library’s going to have access to the kind of databases we’re after.”

Sarah groaned in frustration and closed her notebook. “I’m retired Sammy. You know what that means, right? I. don’t. work. there. anymore. Besides, Romanoff uploaded everything they had back in ‘14; whatever you’re looking for should be all over the public domain by now.” She said Natasha’s name with a trace of disdain that didn’t go unnoticed by either Bucky or Sam.

“Hey,” Sam began defensively, “she was just doing what she had to expo–”

“She exposed a lot of covers and it got a lot of good people killed, Sam,” Sarah spat back with an anger Bucky hadn’t anticipated. “There were better ways to handle it. Smarter ways.”

“Nobody thought–” Sam tried again.

“No, that’s the problem, isn’t it? None of you ever think. Avengers just do, right? And leave everyone else to clean up their fucking mess?” They were losing ground here, and quickly.

“Sarah, please,” Sam practically begged her. “You and I both know that what Natasha released was only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what S.H.I.E.L.D.’s actually got. What Stark had.”

“Well, someone’s been running his goddamn mouth,” she muttered angrily. “I can’t imagine he was lucid when he told you that.” 

Stark? Tony? That couldn’t be the he they were referring to– Tony’d been dead for two years. Hard to be running your mouth in that case. Sam seemed to know exactly who she meant, though.

“Not exactly, no,” he told her. “But it’s not like I went fishing for it, Sarah. He just let it slip, and that you’ve still got the clearance, if you want it; you just need the access. You know they’d piss themselves with delight if you walked your ass back in the door, and not a single person’s going to bat an eye if you just so happen to browse through the Archives when you did.”

“You think that ‘access’ is just going to come for free, Sam?” she asked. “There’ll be strings attached. There always are.” She stood up and shoved her notebook haphazardly into her bag. “I’m sorry, but the answer is no. I won’t do it.”

Sam stood up and reached out to stop her, grabbing her arm.

“Sarah, please. Don’t do it for me, or even Bucky.” Sarah glanced in his direction, but Bucky couldn’t meet her stare. “Do it for him,” Sam practically begged. “You know how much it would mean to your—” Sarah looked at his hand on her arm and forcefully tore herself from his grip before Sam could finish his sentence.

“That’s a fucking low blow, Wilson. Especially now.” And she turned her back to them both and walked out the door, leaving the bell clanging in her wake.

“Shit. Shit!” Sam slunk back into his chair, defeated. “I figured she wouldn’t like it, but I didn’t think she’d go full ‘Wilson’ on me. Maybe hit ‘Samuel.’ I at least thought she’d hear us out, let me persuade her.”

“Should we follow her?” Bucky asked. “Try to change her mind?”

“No. We try that right now and she’s likely to shoot us.” Bucky raised an eyebrow.

“Literally, man. Nah, she’s gotta cool off. We gotta re-approach from another angle, but the hell if I know what that’s going to be.” He sighed and ran a hand over his head. “I’m sorry, man. I pushed too hard, too fast. I should have eased into her.” Bucky deliberately shoved Sam’s phrasing out of his mind.

“What’s her story, Sam?” It was more than professional courtesy that led Bucky to ask. He found himself thirsty for any drop of knowledge about her Sam could give.

“Sarah Grant,” Sam said with a sigh. “She’s ex-S.H.I.E.L.D., was with them until the whole HYDRA fiasco thing,” he shot Bucky a look, as if to imply it was his HYDRA fiasco “thing.” Bucky scowled at him. “She transferred to the C.I.A. after S.H.I.E.L.D disbanded, but watercooler gossip has it she was running side missions for Fury while he worked on rebuilding. She’s never confirmed it for me, though. She was on assignment oversees when the Snap happened, and by the time she got un-dusted and made it back stateside, she decided to hang it all up and become a librarian, of all fucking things.” Sam’s tone belied his absolute disbelief that someone would transition from Special Agent to Librarian, and while Bucky did find it strange, he was also intrigued. What would cause a person to make such a drastic life change?

“So, if she’s retired, what makes you think she can just walk back in and get us what we need?” he asked.

“Man, if S.H.I.E.L.D. had royalty, she’d be their damn princess.” Sam took in Bucky’s confused expression and elaborated further: “Her family’s been top brass at S.H.I.E.L.D. from the beginning. She was practically raised with the expectation to run that place. Hell, she’s probably got tiny little S.H.I.E.L.D.s running through her blood. It’s in her DNA.”

“She didn’t seem very thrilled at the idea of a homecoming,” Bucky reminded him. “Why give it up?”

“Yeah, well… Things changed; S.H.I.E.L.D.’s not S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore, is it? At least not the S.H.I.E.L.D. she grew up believing in; it’s got to bother her. She gave her whole life to that damn organization and had to watch it eat itself from the inside out, like a cancer.” He looked down at the shield, still lying in its case at their feet, and Bucky knew they were both thinking of the day they watched John Walker use it to bludgeon a Flag-Smasher to death.

“It was a symbol for her, of what could be possible if good people kept doing the right thing. Somewhere along the line, that stopped meaning something.” Bucky understood her reluctance to help them, then. If it meant returning to an organization that had betrayed her, why would she do that for him, someone she didn’t even know? He couldn’t fault her for that.

“We’ll figure something else out,” he told his friend. “It was a solid lead, though, and I appreciate you trying.” Then, because he couldn’t stop himself from asking, “So, how do you know her, anyway?”

Sam stared down at his feet, as though something incredibly interesting was going on with his shoes. “Oh, yeah… Um… Her Pops was a veteran I used to council, back in the day. We met through him.” Bucky could tell when Sam was being deliberately cagey, and while he didn’t really want to ask, he had to know…

“You two ever… ?” he gestured vaguely.

Sam barked out a laugh. “Oh, God, no! Her Pops would literally beat my ass! He’s old, but he’s still got an arm on him. Uh uh, she’s on the no-fly list, man. Damn shame, though,” he added, fondly. “Girl can fill out a skirt.”

“Sam.”

“What? A man can appreciate.” Sam grinned.

Bucky rolled his eyes as he grabbed the shield case. “Let’s get outta here.”

They stepped out of the diner and out into the early afternoon light, the sun casting a warm glow on the city around them. Bucky looked back as they walked away, though, he couldn’t help but think of the intriguing woman who had just stormed out of the restaurant and wondered if they’d ever find a way to get her to help them.

The voice in his head was telling him he hadn’t seen the last of Sarah Grant.

[leohtttbriar]

not done thinking about the impact of this decision to go back in time, within in the story--the drama, the implications, the existentialist commitment--so i wrote out a possible version of the letter jadzia records for her mother, right before they switch the helm to auto-pilot (metaphorically and actually).

To my mother:

I am sorry--for my incoherence. I normally have a script for this sort of thing, but today the scripts are lost. Maybe because now everything has already been scripted, in an impossible loop. So for this, I’m expressing some unique regrets. This is the message you never hoped you would get--a message you never hoped you would get that you will enjoy far less than that message you never hoped you would get. For that and many other reasons, I am of course sorry. I don't have long. But really, I have so much time and I do not want it. (Actually, I’m sorry for saying that. I want my time in life, I promise. I am sorry for causing you pain.)

Aren’t I just sorry about so many things, now? If I could look at myself from the outside, I would even venture to call myself pathetic. Perhaps that’s what Yedrin sees—the girl who couldn’t save her friend, the girl who couldn’t move on, the girl who is now him, the girl who caused this whole nightmare to begin with.

(I expect the mission briefing being transmitted with all our farewell missives will explain who Yedrin is for you. And what it is I have done.)

The fact is, mother, I am still alive. I am just in a place where you can’t reach me. Time is trapping me, as well as several thousand promises in the shape of people. They want to live and Kira wants them to live so now I will go back to ensure it. I will do what has been reported of their history to ensure that history is written. I will marry Worf and bear countless children and when I do eventually die a generation from now, Dax will go on to another—as is custom. So you see, I am still alive and will remain so long after you read this.

What should I even ask you to mourn, is the question. I’m already mostly absent from your life, at least physically. If I were not to go on this journey back in time, I would still be so far away from you, by so many light-years, that by relative standards we would still be separated by time. Distance is time and time is space—when dealing with quantities like this. Me in a starship, you home… listening to a message I recorded for you a month ago about some organic stone that grows like a plant. (I am sorry, that you have been even for a moment an afterthought to my curiosity. Or maybe I’m not sorry, for still I’ve been gone. Caring more about stones than anything else.) My being on this planet and deliberately stranding myself two hundred years in the past is hardly going to change the status quo, excepting a handful of visits.

Yet, I am sorry. I’m sorry, too, for even trying to pretend like this isn’t the end of something. You will probably not be satisfied to know I’m doing this in service to others. I personally can’t think you selfish for preferring your daughter in the same instantaneous slice of time. But I won’t waver from this, now that it’s decided.

It’s the end of Kira’s life and it is also the end of mine. You’ll accuse me of being dramatic, but I have no intention of labeling this next performance as something as wild and unique and fresh and interesting and fun as life. There’s no real death to it, either—for someday I am will come stumbling down onto this planet again and start this letter to you over once more. Maybe.

Do you remember when I told you about the proto-universe that we had to set back in the wormhole? You said it reminded you of working with delicate coral polyps in your garden, making sure there are enough of them upon each branch, that they are flowering and not crowding, that they are able to eat. That has stayed with me for longer than you know—the image of great dark-energy corals, holding little polyp universes on their colorful bones. And your work, it is something mundane, humble—you’ll call me elitist for saying so—but it’s true. Also true is the fact that I do not wish to do humble work, even if it is beautiful like your garden. I like gardens to stay where I can think about them—in the dark—not where I have to do the digging myself, where the digging is just for planting and not for studying. You’ll say again I’m elitist for drawing that distinction. But my place is in a lab, hitting my head on a fume-hood and taking my time stirring a solution with my glass-stirrer. Because I like the sound it makes against the beaker.

I will think of your coral garden for the rest of my life. I will think of Trill and its amethyst ocean and skies and grass. I will think of my dear father and sister and, of course, you, mother. I hope you will think of me too, doing something different than planting crops: maybe living a life off-planet, discovering a smart fungus that would make father scrunch his nose in distaste…and make you smile.

I would give so many things to return to you. But, alive or not, I am now lost.

I will try to be happy—I have been assured I will find some happiness, even if now it is hard to comprehend. And I’ll play the stone-tossing games, that you taught us when were little, with my own inevitable children. We’ll do what you always showed us how to do. We’ll have a lot of fun.

Your daughter, Jadzia.

[the-morningstar-family]

Felix and Willa are there for a visit again. And both children are ecstatic. Lucifer was right, it's nice to see her so- child like.

And it's getting her out of her comfort zone a bit. She's a sweet child, Alastor wouldn't be able to claim otherwise. But he's no fool, he knows that some, if not all of her complaint behavior stems from fear. And Felix manages draw her out rather spectacular. He's quite an energetic young boy. And not so afraid to test out boundaries. So Nova follows along, slightly more cautious.

Willa and Lucifer meanwhile have talked about the quirks of parenthood. Alastor hadn't had much to contribute yet, actually caring for a completely dependent child is quite new for him. Lucifer on the other hand, has more than enough stories about Charlie. But he's content to listen.

Just the the two four year old run to them. Felix almost tackles his mother, while Nova just flops into Alastor's lap, being clearly more exhausted.

Alastor: “Had quite the adventure I see, mh? How about you take a break to drink some water”

Felix frowns a bit at the suggestion, clearly not wanting to stop, but Nova nods at the suggestion.

Willa: “That is a great idea. Oh sweetheart, don't look so sour, it's only a couple of minutes”

The little boy crosses his arms frowning slightly, but doesn't exactly protest. Lucifer already has some cups and water in hand, pouring it in.

Lucifer, bright: “There you go kiddos!”

They sit on the lab of their respective parents and Alastor leans forward to whisper to Nova.

Alastor: “If you need a running break, you can tell Felix.”

Nova: “He likes going fast…”

Alastor: “He also likes playing with you, and he can only slow down if he knows it's a problem “

Willa thinks it's adorable how Nova leans against him, absorbing every bit of bodily contact she can have. Even Hellborns know some basics about the overlords, so picturing the radio demon as a father - well Willa wouldn't have ever guessed it would look so domestic.

The children run off again, and Nova stops Felix to talk, hesitant and shy. But Felix nods eagerly and immediately has a new idea. Alastor's brain starts to see the dog like appearance less, instead seeing a child. Still, Alastor looks after them.

The door opens and in comes Angel Dust. To find him gone overnight is not unusual. But being gone for almost 24 hours isn't. He is bleeding and bruised in several places, limping and generally just looking done with the world.

Lucifer: “Angel?!”

The pornstar just grumbles in response, and flops onto the couch face down. Alastor's smile sharpens.

Alastor: “I take it work was less than pleasant?”

Angel, grumpy: “Fuckin’ genius detective over there”

The Overlord doesn't take it to heart.

Alastor: “Someone should teach that retched moth some manners”

Angel: “Great Idea, then he can take it out on me again”

The spider demon snaps. Yes, simply going over and giving him grieve would be a poor decision for everyone involved.

Alastor: “Ah, I am not simply talking about violence, not that I'd be uninterested. But rather a more permanent change for you.”

Angel looks up, briefly hopeful, then immediately frowning.

Angel: “Fat chance Smiles, I'm his number one cash cow.”

Alastor: “I can be rather persuasive”

Lucifer: “And injured, you're gonna wait until you're a hundred percent healed!”

Alastor grumbles, and Angel shifts his head to block everything out. Until something tugs on his arm.

Angel: “What?!”

Nova: “Sorry!”

Felix stands beside her just a bit confused, while Nova recoils immediately. And Angel feels the wave of guilt crash in on him.

Angel: “Sorry kiddos. I'm just… it was a long day.”

The little hellhound tugs expectedly at Nova's sleeve. She hesitantly reveals a drawing of him and Nuggets. He smiles.

Angel: “You're real god kids, don't let anyone tell ya otherwise.”

He gently ruffles their heads affectionately, earning a red faced smile from Nova and tail wagging from Felix.

[runninriot]

Inspired by the prompt Love is staying in bed for five extra minutes because you can’t tear yourself away from them just yet by @starryeyedjanai for @steddielovemonth day 16

give me five more minutes and I’ll give you forever

wc: 1715 | rated: T | tags: Rockstar Eddie Munson, Regular Guy Steve Harrington, established relationship, they’re in their 40s, Eddie is counting his blessings, love affirmations, fluff

There are a few things in his life Eddie considers to be a blessing.

It isn’t his career, although he’s beyond grateful for being able to make make music for a living. To have played hundreds of shows with his band, his friends that have been there from the start, in front of thousands of people who love what they do. To have travelled the world, seeing all these amazing places he never could’ve dreamed of.

It isn’t the fact that he got Wayne out of the trailer park. Bought him that little house his uncle didn’t want because he didn’t know ‘what to do with all that space’ – that he still managed to fill to the brim with his stupid hats and his silly mugs. Made it a hideout for his grandchildren (Dustin’s boy and Max and Lucas’ little girl who he spoils rotten whenever they come to visit) and even a shelter for the stray cats Wayne hates creeping around the neighbourhood but always leaves out a treat for out on the front porch because he worries they’ll starve if he doesn’t.

It’s not even the fact that Eddie survived – he could’ve accepted his fate, wouldn’t have known what he’d miss if he hadn’t escaped Death’s grip. If evil had won after all and the world had actually ended.

But it hadn’t. He didn’t. Eddie's alive.

And for whatever reason destiny decided to flip his world upside down once more. Granted him peace, and fame, and love like he’d made a deal with the Devil.

It didn’t happen over night, though, had been a struggle to get back on his feet - to fight the allegations of him being a murderer. To go through physical therapy after weeks bound to a hospital bed. To accept that things would eventually get better even when it seemed like the pain would never go away and the nightmares would never stop recurring.

But it did and they had.

Because Eddie had something to fight for.

Because he had someone by his side, always ready to kick his ass whenever he thought about giving up.

Steve was there all along. Helped him through the worst of it. Stayed with him through his darkest days.

A true blessing, is having Steve in his life.

It’s the simplicity of the life they’ve created together. To spend time between touring in the comfort of their home. It is falling asleep with Steve’s taste on his lips after missing him for too long while he was out on the road. It’s waking up in his partner’s arms with nowhere else to be and nothing else to do.

A true blessing is watching Steve in his sleep, when the morning sun breaks through the blinds, covering Steve’s skin in a golden light.

It is wrapping his arms tighter around Steve just to feel, just to be.

It’s moments like this, right here, right now, that make him feel like the luckiest man on earth.

   “Morning, baby,” Steve mumbles against his chest as Eddie presses a kiss to his temple.

   “Morning, darling. Sleep well?”

Steve breathes out a content sigh and pulls Eddie closer.

   “Mhm. Always better when you’re here.”

Eddie had been gone for almost two months, travelling Europe with his band for the last time.

After more than 20 year of making music together, they have collectively decided to take a bow and leave the stage for good after this tour. They’ve accomplished everything they had ever wanted, decided to leave on a high note before they’re old, and wrinkly, and grey. [‘What do you mean I am already grey, Gareth? At least I still have hair, not like Jeff.’]

Eddie is turning 43 next month, had loosely promised Steve he would stop touring at 40, when they moved in together 17 years ago, shortly after Corroded Coffin had signed their record deal. But Steve never complained, never made Eddie choose between music and him. He supported Eddie in every way possible, even when things were hard at times.

They’ve been through a lot together, defying the odds with an abundance of love for each other. Through tick and thin and all that stuff – it wasn’t always easy, they had to work for it. Keep working for it because their relationship is nothing they take for granted.

Steve has been his rock all those years, has stood by his side no matter what. Now it’s time for Eddie to finally make true to his promise.

No more missing out on birthdays or other small or big mile stones. No more lonely nights, no more hushed phone calls curled up in a bunk on the tour bus. No more tears or fights when the physical distance made it seem like they were slowly drifting apart.

Sure, he’ll miss it, the touring, the people, the adrenaline pumping through his blood after every show. It won’t be easy to become accustomed to this new life, this stillness, but it’ll be worth it.

They’ve got a few more gigs across the country before the grand finale, the very special farewell show in Indy – all of them already sold out, which is still crazy to believe if Eddie thinks about how things had started out for them all those years ago. When they were still green, and stupid, and too naive to deal with the struggles of the music industry.

Eddie has grown a lot since then, knows his worth and what he’s good at. He will stick to song writing and producing, will never stop making music but he’ll be here, home, with Steve.

   “Ugh, I don’t wanna get up.”

Steve unfurls his sleepy body from Eddie, stretches his arms and legs, and yawns.

   “Why get up then? Let’s stay in bed.” Eddie props himself up on his elbow, head on his hand, looking at Steve with hearts in his eyes and a thrumming drum in his heart.

   “Babe, did you forget? I got practice today. Game’s next week and the team needs to be in top form.”

Oh, right. Steve did tell him but Eddie had been too caught up in excitement over finally having the love of his life back in his arms that he didn’t really listen, was too busy showering him with kisses.

   “Ah, I see how it is. You just love your stupid students more than me.”

Eddie slumps down dramatically and drapes himself over Steve’s body – face tucked into the juncture between his neck and shoulder, arms wrapped around him, one leg hooked over both of Steve’s.

He’s not ready to let him get out of bed.

Steve wiggles and giggles and when Eddie starts to blow raspberries on the side of his neck, it turns into a full-on belly laugh.

   “STO-HOP! Eds, Eddie, stop! Oh God, you’re the worst!”

Steve tries to fight back, pushing Eddie’s face away with a hand on his forehead. When he manages to free himself, he tackles Eddie down by rolling them over. And before Eddie can try to move again, Steve straddles him, pins him down with his hands above his head. He leans down and Eddie expects a kiss but startles and squeals when Steve licks a long, wet stripe from his chin up to his cheek.

They’re laughing like little kids, carefree and stupid; probably too old for this kind of behaviour but-

Who the fuck cares?

Doesn’t matter how old he is, Eddie still feels like the foolish boy he was when he fell in love with the man on top of him. Still has the same butterflies in his gut like he did when he was 20.

He is still so head over heels in love with Steve and he’ll gladly make a fool of himself just to hear the pretty sound of his laughter.

Eddie wants to give him everything and more, wants to hold him forever, kiss him until his lips go numb.

   “I really gotta get up.” Steve glances at the clock on the night stand and back down at Eddie, smiling but with a hint of regret in his eyes.

   “Nooo, stay! Just a little bit longer. Just five more minutes, please?” Eddie gives him his best puppy eyes, knows it always makes Steve weak.

   “I’ll be late and then – because same rule goes for me as for the kids – I’ll have to do fucking push-ups in front of the whole team. Do you want me to embarrass myself in front of my students just so you can satisfy your needs for cuddles?” Steve asks, all fake-appalled and smug.

      “Mhm. Yeah, I think I can live with that.”

Steve releases the grip on Eddie’s wrist and pulls them to his own hips, prompting Eddie to wrap his arms around him before he leans down to kiss him.

They kiss soft and slow like they have all the time in the world. And Eddie wished they did, can’t get enough of the sound of Steve humming sweetly into every touch of their lips.

Eventually, they part and Eddie thinks Steve will get out of bed now, knows how much he hates to be late. But Steve doesn’t seem to mind this time, stays with his head resting on Eddie’s chest like he too doesn’t want to let go just yet.

   “I can never say no to you,” Steve says through a smile.

   “Never, huh?” Eddie asks, huffing out a nervous little laugh.

   “Never.”

Eddie’s chest tightens, feels suddenly too small for the size of his ever-growing, rapid-beating heart, overcome by the urge to-

He had this whole thing planned out for months now. It’s supposed to happen on their last show. Everyone is in on it, with flights already booked to get them all to Indy. Even the old folks from Hawkins will be there, obviously. He couldn’t do this without Wayne and Hop’s moral support (meaning they’d lovingly make fun of him for being a nervous wreck).

Max and Dustin will be so mad if he doesn’t stick to the plan they’ve helped create but-

   “Baby?” Eddie waits for Steve to look up at him, feels his heart in his throat like it’s trying to spill over his tongue.

And then it does.

   “Will you marry me?”

[anarchiii]

The Shadowsinger’s lover-6 —ACOTAR AU

Part six | warnings: angst, ptsd, ♡Lucien♡ |Azriel x Rhys!sister

Summary; Rhys’ sister comes home, finally, and the the new members of the inner circle are surprised to learn that she (we are gonna call her ‘Selene’) and Azriel are Mates and have been for over two hundred years.

Note: this is an AU it’s not in the books.

Masterlist / Series Masterlist

Azriel’s POV

This was a horrible idea, they should be back at the Night court explaining to his high lord why they had left, but no, here they were, arriving at the Spring court. Thankfully they weren’t here to visit Tamlin. They were here for the red-headed fae his mate adored so much, he didn’t hate Lucien, not exactly, he just preferred different company to his, that’s all.

They were walking up to the door of a small cottage, it’s front covered in blooming roses, their sweet scent rising to meet their noses, Selene had barely knocked on the door when it opened. His mate immediately threw herself into Lucien’s arms. He tried his best not to be offended that his wife was seeking another male’s support and comfort, he knew Selene loved him but he couldn’t help but be insecure, “come in, both of you, do you want anything to drink?” Lucien asked. He shook his head before following them inside. His house was as you would expect, reds and oranges and pops of green everywhere, a fire place crackled in the living room where his mate was sitting staring at said fire, her eyes distant and cloudy, it killed him not being able to help her. All Azriel could do was keep her company until she decided to talk.

-

“Azriel,” Lucien said from behind him, he turned to see the red head wearing a worried look, “I don’t know much of what’s going on with Sel, but I think you need to contact Rhysand, they need to talk this shit out.”

“I know” he responded, he knew Rhys was worried sick, and that he would be furious at him for letting his sister leave but, he’d get over it, “give it a day or two. Then I will ask for her brother to come. Selene needs time to think things over,” Lucien nodded, at least they both shared something in common—they both cared for Selene, except both in different ways—one cared for her romantically and one cared for her platonically—

“Very well then, a day and a half, then you will summon your high lord” he said, this time Azriel nodded.

This was not going to be a fun talk.

-A day and a half later-

“I don’t want to go outside, it’s too bright,” Selene complained, he sighed, this was harder than he thought it would be. “I know. Love, but I need you to, it’s important,” he wanted nothing more than to let his mate rest and come to him when she was ready, but she needed to see her brother. She grumbled in response. Leaning into his side as they walked.

When they were facing the door, Azriel pulled away from Selene and encouraged her to go outside, “go, Sel, be mad at me for it later.”

“I don’t know what you mean but okay…” she said, her voice weary, he watched as she slowly opened the door, he heard her suck in a sharp breath before crossing her arms and glaring at her brother.

-

Selene’s POV

“Rhysand, what a surprise,” She deadpanned, “please do tell me what you are here for and what you think you will achieve,” his only response was a blink of surprise. “Since you are so full of words, I will do you the honour of telling you that I resign as your second in command, meaning I will no longer and never will work for you again, and me and Azriel have decided that we are moving to Day, no, I am not sure if Azriel will keep working for you; I believe that is up to him. I mean you no disrespect when I say this but living in Night and working for you has been horrible for my health and Azriel’s. I think we deserve more than that.”

Rhysand opened his mouth to respond but came up short, leaving his mouth open like a fish, it was a nice sight to see the high lord so ruffled, “very well” he finally said, and for some reason—he seemed relieved or glad, “if it means you will be better then I will let you go. It pains me that you suffer but I am proud that you stood up and told me.” Oh, it was that simple? She’d expected him to get mad or even sad but no…he was happy? “I am glad that is settled.” She found it hard to swallow. She knew it would be hard to do this, had been thinking about how she would do it for a while now—especially these past few days—she had eventually decided to do it short and sweet, no harm done.

But for some reason—she wanted more emotion, more…anything, “say something” she whispered to her brother, “anything.”

She faintly recalled crying and trying not to choke on tears, “I do not know what you wish for me to say, sister” he said, his voice strained, like he too was trying to hold back tears.

Why the Hel was she so sad so emotional? She should be proud and happy, shouldn’t she? Selene had a faint question in the back of her mind but ignored it.

She made an executive decision and headed for the door—wanting nothing more than to curl up beside her mate, but before she did that, she turned to her brother once more, her violet eyes finding his own. Her own heart sank at knowing she was the cause of the grief in his eyes that he couldn’t hide.

“I-I’m sorry, Rhys, you know I don’t mean it to hurt you, but I needed you to know,” she whispered, her tears now as silent as her voice, he nodded and straightened his head, wiping away a a few stray tears, “I understand, it hurts to know you were suffering under my roof but I am glad I know,” he said, clearing his throat. She nodded as well before turning back to the door. “Sel” “yeah?”

“I love you” she heard the smile in his voice—that only made her throat tighten even more, “I know” she said, trying her best to keep herself together, she heard him laugh under his breath but was already closing the door, for a few moments she laid her head back against said door. Breathing deeply. Once she had calmed down—she faced her mate who was waiting patiently for her to elaborate, Selene met eyes with her husband, the answer to his question already in her eyes but she still said it, “it’s done, Az. I told him.”

“Good, I’m proud of you”

“So am I”

The End.

Thanks for reading!! I hope you enjoyed the angst 🫶 I may not be as good as @illyrianbitch at making people cry but I’m getting there!! ❤️

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