#i love love love his long hair but also this is literally him bringing owen carvour back to life

[myheadphonesareneverloudenough]

THIS IS A NEW JOEY

[pimento-playing-hopscotch]

With Friends Like These - thoughts

This is late in the rewatch week, but I watched these today and when I watched this one I was on my computer already and I got the rambles- have some of my unabridged, unhinged thoughts on this episode:

This is going to sound real dumb, but I forgot before doing the rewatch how call-oriented the first season was… like in the fourth season obviously they still go on calls, but they start the episode like this is what we’re doing in our off hours!

Oh the awkwardness of running into someone you knew a long time ago;

Although the one way to make this worse; when someone recognizes you and you either A) think they look vaguely familiar but it’s clear they remember you much more than you remember them, or B) when you see someone and you know exactly where you know them from… but can’t think of their fucking name (seriously is there a graceful way to say, I remember you, but also, I can’t think of your name?)

If you didn’t have a fear of big trucks passing you on the road — like I always feel like I am going the speed limit the car is old but we are TRYING and they still pass me-

Those big trucks are so scary-

Oh Carlos is so sweet and so good at his job… and has such a comforting voice… (is this all we see of Carlos in this episode? I don’t actually remember. We’ll find out).

Coming back after I finished this episode- this WAS the only scene we got for Carlos!

Not near enough of Carlos in this episode-

Am I a terrible person if I say I wish this was Tommy?

Also it’s weird in this first season where Nancy (and Tim) are there and just never… talk.

Genuinely curious — does everyone just… know their blood type?

Like fictional characters always know this and I would have literally no idea; is this something real people know about themselves??

“Don’t you have any friends, Probie?” Oh Marjan-

Ngl, TK looks really good in his track pants…

Although that man is physically incapable of having a backpack and not looking like he’s in first grade.

Oh Paul would be so much fun at a card game.

Like someone brings him and is like “oh he’s not playing, he’s just waiting for a ride” and Paul is watching everybody and just texting the person he’s sitting next to, “okay so his tell is this, and when this guy is bluffing he—”

Judd does NOT want Owen joining in these reindeer games.

Judd, if Tommy were here, she’d say, “trust those instincts, Juddy”.

Like I don’t want to not like Michelle, but going back and watching these, it’s like, I wish Tommy were here-

Like I’m glad Carlos has someone to talk to but still-

Grace looks AMAZING-

And she also is surprised Owen is here to play reindeer games-

Because Judd didn’t mention Billy Tyson is coming over, and Billy sucks.

(Okay maybe he doesn’t say that but seriously. Billy sucks so much. I was nervously hovering during season four, waiting for Billy Tyson to pop out from behind some furniture and be his awful awful self).

Owen, baby, sshh, stop trying to counsel men who don’t love their hair as much as you.

Also I know the point is for Owen and Billy Tyson to snipe at each other — and they’re truly doing a great job — but also, who are these other people?

This always bothers me in scenes like this, like introduce them! Judd! Please tell me about your homies!

The captions say this woman’s name is Yvette; who is she? Is she someone’s mom? (Cause that would actually be adorable, if she was a mom of one of the fallen 126 and Judd invited her).

But also — am I a terrible person for assuming she could ONLY be someone’s mom?

But then who is she?

(None of this matters. But the part I remember from this episode is this part; and you can probably tell, I absolutely cannot stand Billy Tyson).

And nothing against the actor — he was in a handful of Gilmore Girls episodes.

Sans mustache.

Back to what’s actually happening; Judd is looking TENSE during the back and forth.

I saw this mentioned in a post that Marjan literally never touches the smoothie Owen made her and now that I’ve seen it there, I cannot unsee it here.

Marjan would definitely harp on it if she missed one point until it was changed and I love that about her-

(Like this woman is goals. I wish I could stand up for myself in any capacity like this).

Also I’m not proud of how much it made me giggle when Owen said “they have to let him take it orally”.

Yes, I know he meant the test.

Okay, small tangent (such a lie. This post is one unhinged tangent. If you’re still with me, having a nutritional albeit disgusting smoothie on me).

How does firefightering school work anyway?

It definitely seems like it varies state by state — like cause is Mateo only twenty years old here? (Going off of in season four Mateo burned down the school when he was thirteen and Owen says it was ten years ago)

Because also, if Mateo hasn’t graduated the academy, how is he allowed to be there?

Like wouldn’t it go fire cadet, then probie, then firefighter?

And in New York; their fire academy somehow takes two years, and then you’re a probie, then they can’t hire you until you’re 21 — and I still haven’t figured out if you can be a probie before they officially hire you?!

Can anyone explain this?

Anyways- this shows the dynamic of Judd is the oldest brother, than Marjan, than Paul, then, TK, then Mateo would be the youngest brother…

Like no one is going to say no to big sister Marjan!

“Because with that drawl, you read the slowest”. Well, she’s not wrong…

The end of TK with the book is so cute and I don’t know why, but it is.

Billy Tyson is there… because Owen invited him.

Like everyone can see this won’t end well, showing Billy everything — like Owen is GLEEFUL.

STOP IT OWEN. THIS GUY IS BAD NEWS.

YOU DON’T WANT TO GET MIXED UP WITH THE LIKES OF HIM.

OR HIS STUPID MUSTACHE.

Oh those little girls are so cute.

This is a stupid question — are hackles a real thing?

Like what part of the dog are they? (alternative title; I’m sorry I am an idiot lol).

“He loves them. And Cesar Millan”. Other things I didn’t know, that Dog Whisperer is in fact a thing —that reference does make sense here

The little girl telling TK, “you know you have really big muscles?” And Marjan answering, “trust me, he knows” Bahahaa

Oh the impalement part is icky — but that is a very good dog.

“Sir, you should look away for this”. I appreciate that warning.

Owen practicing golfing so he can out-golf Billy later — Owen why is this a person you want to hang out with?

Like I may have bagged on Michelle before, but Owen, god listen to this woman!

“Good god, how many of these are there?” Oh Judd…

Love when Mateo gives the answer to Paul he couldn’t come up with later; attaboy probie!

I simultaneously love all the S1 workout scenes and am mad that we don’t get any later on —

Like give us a Tarlos works out together scene, ya cowards!

I have to think about that scene for a moment…

Oh the possibilities…

I’m back —

The scene where they wake Mateo up to quiz him is kind of adorable—

And I love Mateo’s studying by listening montage.

I do not know enough about golf to know who is out-golfing who.

Oh, Owen’s about to do something so dumb.

Mateo, you need a hug so bad—

Marjan definitely didn’t know what is riding on this for Mateo.

Did Owen know this??

I suspect he might because he asked Marjan to help but I wonder-

“Soon you’re gonna die anyway. Everybody will”. I like this speech a lot—

And Marjan, I feel you freely admitting you don’t know about the Star Wars references.

“I just didn’t know it’d be chunky”. Not something you often think about ashes, I gotta admit.

Also I sound like a broken record, but three calls an episode!

Did any season four episode even have two?

(They all did and this is more common than I think is probably the right answer lol).

We get to see Grace!

Like there is truly nothing you can put in front of this woman that she can’t handle.

*Sigh* I knew this was coming, and it still irks me (well more than irks lol)

Like I love Owen — he is deeply flawed buy deeply caring character who doesn’t deserve the hate he gets, and I thought this before season four which was a much better season for Owen than season three—

Had to say all of this before I got this out —

Because DAVY CROCKETT DIED FOR OUR SINS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING OWEN!

YOU IMBECILE!

WHY OH WHY, OF ALL THINGS HOLY, WOULD YOU TELL THIS MAN ABOUT THE DAMN CANCER!!!!

Oh I should stop shouting? I can do that—

But seriously, why Owen!

You don’t tell TK, your child, the entire reason you have for being in Texas, that you have cancer. No, you let him figure it out.

But a virtual stranger — who has reason to dislike you — you just tell him that rather than say, “No, I don’t like cigars?”

Other things Owen could have said rather than “I have cancer”

“Well, maybe the other patrons of this swanky club would rather you not, Billy, and they pay a lot of money to come here to not inhale that shit”.

“Well Billy, if you’ve beat cancer, shouldn’t you have your whole life ahead of you?”

“Well Billy, I was watching that 70s show and someone on there referred to cigars as like “smoking a dirty sock only easier” and doggone, I agree”.

All of this would have been preferable to ‘I have cancer’. Owen.

You stupid, stupid man.

I do not love seeing grownups be mean to Mateo; this is like Captain Grumpy at the end of season two.

But Mateo lights up when he gets out and they’re all there waiting for him.

“Some of us will be drinking mineral water either way”. This is so weirdly specific and something I did not know was a thing until I started watching this show, and I also don’t drink anything hard.

Like the bar scene made me curious; if they specifically order mineral water, will places just have that on hand??

I do love that Mateo telling his sucky old captain that they’d all be dead soon, to the confusion of everyone else.

He got a 92!

Aww Owen tells Mateo he’s proud of him <3

TK knows something’s up and is worried about his dad :’(

Gonna say it one more time—

Oh, Owen.

You idiot.

Also this is why I can’t stand Billy Tyson, he is literally just there to be a mustache twirling villain — like this man could have literally tied Owen to train tracks and it would have felt the same as this.

He literally says this ain’t personal and follows it up with “but I’m taking your job and either firing or hazing/harassing every single person on your team until they quit”.

I do love that Owen is prepared to fight for his team… but

Oh I just hate Billy Tyson so, so much.

Also wow is this long and unhinged- thank you for reading my many incoherent thoughts!

Now I am up to tell my cat yes, she already had wet food today that's why her dish is empty.

[headheartbellarke]

EIGHTEEN | Charlie Gillespie

PAIRING(s): Charlie Gillespie x sister’s best friend!fem reader

WARNING(s): mentions of abuse, trauma, fluff

WORDS: 3.9k

SUMMARY: “So kiss me where I lay down

My hands pressed to your cheeks

A long way from the playground

I have loved you since we were 18

Long before we both thought the same thing

To be loved and to be in love

All I can do is say that these arms

Are made for holding you.”

READ ON AO3 

OR READ HERE BELOW

    Charlie smiles, watching the sunlight dance on Y/N’s face, almost like little splashes of golden paint. She hums to whatever song is playing through her earphones, a faint smile teasing the corners of her lips. Her eyes are closed, and Charlie marvels at how peaceful and serene she looks. Her h/c hair surrounds her head like a halo, and he is tempted to reach forward and press a kiss to her temple.

  He doesn’t do that, of course. Instead, he gets up from his couch and joins Y/N on the floor, lying beside her. Her eyelashes flutter at his movement and quaint, kind e/c eyes hold his stare, eyebrows raised in question.

  “I thought you said that you were too mighty for the floor.” She teases, biting her lower lip to hide a smile. Charlie almost melts at that.

  “I never said that. Is everything okay up there?” He points his index finger at her head.

  The young woman of nineteen laughs mockingly. “Why, afraid you’re rubbing off your crazy on me?”

  Charlie rolls his eyes, and shifts closer to her, their arms touching slightly – and even that slight touch makes him feels butterflies in his stomach. It’s not uncommon, of course. Ever since he realized that he is indeed in love with her, anything that she does gives him butterflies. He doesn’t mind, of course – but he hates the fact that he is unable to tell her what effect she has on him. So, he resorts to ignoring or suppressing everything he feels for his little sister’s best friend instead.

  She pulls out an ear pod from her left ear and shoves it into Charlie’s ear. Eastside. She’s had this song on repeat, ever since she came to visit him in Vancouver, where he’s filming for the first season of Julie and The Phantoms.

  “I love this song. Reminds me of my first boyfriend. Remember him?” She says, softly.

  “Aaron. How could I forget? You begged me to cover for you at home so you could hang out with him.” He says, smiling softly at the memory. They were so young, Y/N just fourteen, and him sixteen. He remembers Y/N sitting beside him on the couch while he was watching a movie, all flushed and bothered, eyes continuously flitting to Charlie. He remembers saying, “I know you’re dying to tell me something.”

  She had nodded, looking around the Gillespies’ living room where they were currently seated in, apprehensively. “Promise me you won’t tell anyone.”

  He had jutted out his pinky finger and wrapped it around hers. “Never.”

  “I think I really, really, super-duper like Aaron.”

  “Aaron as in your next-door neighbor?”

  “Yep.”

  Charlie had smirked. “He’s such a dork. I can’t believe that you like him.”

  “Shut up, Char. He’s the sweetest.”

  He chuckled. “His hobby is taking pictures of trees… if that doesn’t scream ‘dork’, then I don’t know what does.”

  She had glared at him while Megan had entered the room, plopping down on the couch beside Charlie. “What’s up?”

  “I’m telling him about Aaron, and he thinks that he’s a dork.”

  Megan shrugged. “What’s wrong with that? He’s really cute. Also, he was asking about you today.”

  “Really?” Y/N’s eyes brightened. Charlie laughed, shaking his head. “You girls are weird. But I approve. He’s a nice kid.”

  “I wasn’t looking for your approval?”

  “Yes, you were.”

  The girls had rolled their eyes at him and he had wrapped his arms around the two.

  Y/N’s voice brings him back to the present. “Simple times.”

  Charlie faces her. “Everyone after him were horrible.”

  She narrows her eyes at the boy beside her. “No, you were just too overprotective.”

  “Nope. They were all horrible.”

  They weren’t. Charlie just hated anyone who showed an interest in Y/N. At first, he thought that it was probably because he had literally watched her grow up. But a couple of months later, when he watched her kiss Levitt from the swim team, he had felt a smoldering rage rise in his stomach, along with his heart clenching. That day, he had realized that maybe there was more to it than watching her grow up. A couple more months later, on his eighteenth birthday, when she had kissed him on his cheek and handed him a present wrapped in shiny, blue paper, he had felt butterflies in his stomach. He also could feel the ghost of her delicate lips against his skin for days after, like the remnants of a fire brushing against his cheek.

  When he unwrapped the present, he found a vintage, hardbound copy of his favorite book, Les Misérables, along with a note, saying: ‘I might’ve read your journal. Only the part about how much you loved hardcovers and the part about how much you hated the fact that no bookstores nearby sold it. Well, I also might’ve read the part about how frustrated you are with microwave timers. I feel you, dude. But, yeah, remember when I said that I was going to visit my sister in Montoc? I lied, LOL. I went to a vintage bookstore in Fredericton. I’m sorry for lying, but ‘twas for a good reason, huh? Hope you like this. Also, you’re my second favorite person, after Meg. Happy 18th, Charles. Love, Y/N.’

  That moment he had realized that he was completely, utterly, truly, madly, deeply in love with his little sister’s best friend.

  It’s been about three years since that, and he still hasn’t told her how he feels.

  Now, Y/N looks at him, and rolls her eyes. “Sheesh.”

  She props herself on her elbow. “When are we going out today?”

  “Jeremy said that he made a reservation at 6. So, we’ll leave half an hour earlier.”

  “Okay. Is Owen going with us?”

  “Yeah. I don’t trust him to drive in Canada.”

  She grins. “He’s cool.”

  “Maybe sometimes.”

  “Savannah and Madi are the coolest, though.”

  “Definitely, yeah.”

  “You never told me that you had a cute roomie, though.”

  “Yeah – wait what?”

  Y/N flashes him a teasing smile and pushes herself upward with the palm of her hands. She brushes off her yoga pants and extends an arm to Charlie who is currently panicking inside.

  “Do you like Owen?”

  “What if I do?”

  Charlie must have looked as horrified as he had felt because she laughs and says, “I’m just messing with you.”

  “Thank god.”

***

  “Finally!” Y/N yells, kicking off her black, leather heels, which land near Charlie’s feet. He laughs, kicking them to the side.

  “You’re so dramatic.”

  “I dare you to wear heels like that for a day. See how you feel.”

  Owen pipes from behind them, closing the door to their apartment. “Oh, I did. My friend Dani made me wear them for a video. It was the most painful day of my life.”

  “See!” Y/N high fives his roommate as Charlie scrunches up his face. “How’d she find heels in your size, dude?”

  He laughs, and extends an arm toward the other two, who hand him their coats, muttering ‘thank you’ individually. He walks inside, yelling, “I’m fucking tired. Going to sleep.”

  “Don’t forget to check the stove!” Charlie yells back, hearing his roommate affirm his request.

  It’s just the two of them standing in the foyer now, and Charlie can’t stop staring at her. She’s wearing this beautiful red dress that compliments her skin perfectly, clinging to her body in all the right places – he had himself gifted her this dress on her nineteenth birthday. (Not really. His mother had picked the dress.)

  She hasn’t noticed him staring, though.

  “Ugh, I can’t wait to get out of this dress.” She walks inside.

  Charlie pauses and purses his lips, trying to stop himself from picturing him doing it. He breathes out raggedly and follows her inside – trying (and failing) to shove that mental picture away.

  Reaching the living room, he falls back onto the couch, which has been his bed for the past few days that Y/N has been here. She had protested, of course. But she already has so much trouble sleeping – she’s had it ever since she was a child.

  Y/N hadn’t had the best childhood. Charlie faintly remembers his mom pulling him and his sister into the kitchen one day when Y/N left their house after spending the whole day there.

  “Mom? What happened to Y/N?” Megan had asked, childlike innocence dripping off her tone.

  Charlie had nodded, saying, “How’d she fall down the stairs? That bruise looked nasty.”

  Their mother had sighed, and Charlie still remembers the pain in her eyes. “Honey. I want you to listen carefully, okay? And not tell anyone. You two think you can do that?”

  They nodded enthusiastically.

  “There are good people in this world – like Y/N. But there are also bad people, people who hurt the good people. And sometimes, sometimes, your parents can also be bad people.”

  “That’s not true!” Megan had protested, their mother smiling.

  “Maybe not for you. I hope so. But Y/N’s parents – they aren’t the best people, okay? They…uh… I’m not going to excuse their actions. They, uh, hurt Y/N.”

  “So, they pushed her down the stairs?” Charlie asked, his eyes widened. He could not understand how the people that loved you the most could do that to you, especially to someone like Y/N. He’s known her his entire life, ever since the Y/L/Ns moved next door when he was still in diapers.

  “I don’t know. Something happened. She was too shaken up to talk about it.”

  “But – but – she’s the best person ever! Why would her mom and dad do that to her?” Megan had protested, eyes welling with tears at the thought of her best friend getting hurt.

  “I don’t know, honey. I wish I did, I really do.” Their mother paused for a long moment. “I want you two to always be nice to her, alright? No matter what happens. Because, right now, she feels alone. I can see it in her eyes – she’s scared, confused, lonely. I know you two love her so much, and I want you guys to make sure that she knows it, okay? Make sure that she never feels lonely, all right? Make sure that she’s always safe and comfortable, as long as she’s with us, you.”

  They had nodded, their hearts welling up with love for their friend.

  After their mother hugged the two of them, Charlie’s twelve-year-old sister had run off to the other room, to call her best friend and tell her just how much she loves her.

  Charlie had lingered in the kitchen, too sad over what he’d just been told.

  “Maman?”

  “Yes, honey?”

  “Can’t we just keep her for ourselves?”

  “If we could, we would. I would like nothing more. But that’s absolutely not legal, mon chéri.”

  “Oh. That’s unfair.”

  His mother had flashed him a sad smile. He had taken both of his hands in his, and said sincerely, “I promise you, maman. I’m always gonna protect her. No matter what.”

  His mother had pressed a kiss into his tousled hair and whispered, “I expect nothing less.”

  It’s been more than seven years since, but Charlie still does everything in his power to make sure that she is always safe and happy.

  “Hey, Char?” Her voice brings him back from his childhood.

  “Yeah?”

  “That couch doesn’t look comfortable.” She shrugged one shoulder.

  “It is! I promise you.” He lied. It definitely wasn’t comfortable. The blinding pain in his neck is proof of that.

  “Don’t lie to me. Come on, sleep in your bed.”

  He shook his head.

  “You’re not gonna sleep on the couch, Y/N. Seriously. You’re right, it’s too uncomfortable.”

  “I wasn’t gonna. We’ll sleep together. That came out wrong. I mean, we can both sleep in the same bed, we’re both adults.”

  Charlie wanted to protest, but the hopeless romantic in him drowned all objections.

  “We’ll put pillows between us, okay? And it’s not like we haven’t slept in the same bed before. Remember my seventeenth? We were so drunk that we thought that the bed was a magnet, and we were screws.” She continued, looking away.

  Charlie smiled up at her, remembering the feeling he had the next morning when he had woken up to find Y/N curled up into him, her head tucked into the crook of his neck. “All right. If it’s okay with you.”

  She nods, walking into his bedroom, with Charlie following close behind. Both them wordlessly change and freshen up in the bathroom, and Charlie falls face first in his bed.

  “Oh. My. God.”

  Y/N laughs, sitting at the corner of his bed. “Knew it.”

  Charlie grins at her, feeling absolutely euphoric, especially with the buzz from all the drinks he’s had tonight still lingering in his head like a tattoo kiss. She slides under the covers, burrowing her face into the soft pillows. “I can’t function anymore. Bye.”

  He laughs softly, squeezing her shoulder, to which she softly smiles. He slides under the cover, resting on his side to face her, or rather a mess of h/c hair and soft, rhythmic breaths. He closes his eyes, switching off the light, but he knows that he will not be getting much sleep tonight, especially with the fuzzy citrus scent of her perfume everywhere and the heat from her body consuming him.

***

  It’s 1:20 AM and Charlie can’t sleep. Turns out that being in the same bed with the girl he’s been in love with since he was eighteen is a very, very bad idea. He’s put as much space between them as possible, yet he still feels vigilant and hot. His mind is betraying him: all he can think about is how beautiful she looks when the moonlight streaming through his window is casting shadows on her face, or how she’s sometimes saying things (really, really weird things, though – Charlie doesn’t understand anything), how much she looks like a little cat while she’s snuggled into the covers, or how she flails her arms while she’s asleep.

  He considers crashing in Owen’s room for the night. But as soon as Y/N starts moving around, still sleeping, he holds that thought and watches her instead.

  He can see her getting agitated, as she tosses and turns. She continues murmuring something, but it’s still all jumbled, and it hits Charlie.

  He props himself on his elbow and leans close to her face. “Y/N. Hey. Come back to me. Y/N. Honey. You’re safe. You’re safe.”

  She gasps, as consciousness floods in her system. She looks confused for a second, and Charlie sits up, right beside her. “Listen to me. You’re safe. I’m here. It’s okay. You’re okay. Everything is okay.”

  She exhales, eyes closing for a second.

  “Are you okay?” Charlie asks when her breathing has turned cadenced.

  Her eyes widen and lips part. “I’m so sorry.”

  “You don’t ever need to apologize for that. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. Yeah. I just – ever since I left home, I’ve been getting these nightmares.” She says, softly. Charlie lays next to her, turning to face her, while she mirrors his actions.

  “What do you see?” He asks.

  “Mostly my childhood. You know, my dad pushing me down the stairs. Or my mother telling me that I’m a horrible person and no one will ever love me, and she should have aborted me. Or my dad breaking the mirror the one time I got a B in math. Or my parents fighting. Or – you know, just a montage of my parents’ greatest hits.”

  She breathes out shakily.

  “Getting away didn’t stop the nightmares, huh?” He asks, resting a hand on her warm cheek.

  She scoots closer. “No. They still text me sometimes, mostly to remind me that I’m a terrible person and that I’m gonna go to hell for walking out on them and not going to Harvard.”

  “Y/N, don’t you dare –”

  “No. I’m happier than I’ve ever been. Walking out was the best decision that I’ve ever made.”

  He smiles softly at her.

  “You and Megan… god, you two saved my life. I would never have had the courage to get this far if it wasn’t for you guys.”

  “No, honey. It was all you. You’re the strongest person we know.”

  “Shush. Let me compliment you in peace. You guys are the best thing that’s ever happened to me, you know.”

  She smiles, reaching forward to tangle run her hands through Charlie’s hair. They were dangerously close now: Charlie could see the curve of her nose, the lingering red lipstick color on her lips and count the number of eyelashes she has.

  “You’re the best thing that’s happened to us, too.”

  Charlie can feel something in the space between them, something pulling them close. It is cold outside, but here, in the cocoon they’ve created, he feels warm and at home.

  “Like, thank you so much for pushing me to get into law school. Now, I’m learning how to help millions of little girls who are going through what I went through, and it makes everything worth it. I feel like I don’t say this enough, but Charlie. Thank you for everything.”

  He smiles, trying to retort something funny but her proximity has jumbled his mind.

  “I know you’re really busy with your life, but thanks for still thinking of me sometimes.”

  That breaks Charlie out of his daze. “What?”

  “You know. You’re in a Netflix show, working with Kenny freaking Ortega and all these incredible people – and I’m enormously proud of you, by the way – and… well, you’ll soon not have that much time for your little sister’s best friend, you know?”

  “You’re not just my little sister’s best friend, Y/N.”

  “Yeah, I’m your friend, alright. But soon you’ll be meeting celebrities and models and actors and then you wouldn’t have time for me anymore.”

  Charlie furrows his brows. “Where is this coming from, Y/N?”

  “I just had a lot of time to think today.” She turns on her back, facing the ceiling.

  He hates the fact that she is so unpredictable: he never knows what’s going on in her head or what she is feeling. That’s one of the reasons that he’s kept his feelings for her a secret for almost three years.

  “I saw you with that model today. At the bar. Uh. So, I thought that you’re probably gonna meet a lot of them in LA. Models and Hollywood girls and all that. So, you’ll probably not have any time for me anymore.”

  Charlie shakes his head, recalling the model he was talking to earlier today. Or rather, yesterday. Carol. She was really nice, sweet, and beautiful – and definitely interested in Charlie. But his focus had been on Y/N, who was having a dance off with Owen and Savannah, all evening – or rather, all the time. He had tried to focus on the Carol, he really did – but after an hour, she herself realized that he wasn’t into her and whispered a ‘good luck with her’ to him before leaving to go back to her friends.

  “Y/N, that’s not true –”

  “It’s okay, Charlie. It’s good. Your life shouldn’t be stuck in the same place. It should be getting better, and you should be meeting new people, you know? You’ve been alone for a weirdly long time and it’s freaking your mom out. So, I know you’re gonna fall in love with someone and then you’ll be too busy –”

  “God, Y/N, how are you so fucking oblivious?” Charlie snaps, annoyance coursing through his veins.

  Her eyes widen at his harsh tone of voice, and it shocks Charlie, too. He’s never, ever raised his voice at her.

  “What?”

  Maybe it’s having her so incredibly close that causes him to finally snap. “Y/N, I have been in love with you ever since I was eighteen. You’re the only person that I want, and you’re the reason that I’ve been alone for a weirdly long time.”

  He immediately regrets saying that. Y/N is sitting up, and she is looking around everywhere, trying to avert Charlie’s eyes. He hides his face behind his hands, sinking deeper into the covers and trying to create a hole and fall down to the center of the earth.

  “I think you’ve had too much to drink today.”

  He groans into his hands, glad that he’s under the covers and the girl can’t see his absolutely scarlet face. “Oh, for god’s sake. Dude. I wrote you an entire ballad when I was nineteen because I realized that this is exactly what’s gonna happen – that I’m always gonna be in love with you, and you’re always gonna think of me as your best friend’s older brother.”

  He feels the covers shift above his head, and is greeted with Y/N’s face, a vulnerable look in her eyes. “Do you really mean it?”

  “Of course, I do. You’re my family – do you really think that I’m gonna joke about something like this and ruin our friendship? The only reason I’m even telling you this is because I’m incredibly frustrated that you’re so oblivious and you’re so fucking pretty. And so close. See, this is exactly why I wanted to sleep on the couch. Because I knew that I would lose it.”

  There’s a sudden flurry of movement and her lips are on his’, and they’re kissing, kissing, kissing. Charlie is too shocked to do anything at first but as soon as the warmth courses through his system and the butterflies go wild in his gut, he pulls her closer, rising up. She sits in his lap, straddling him, their hands getting lost in each other’s hairs – both of them trying to be closer, closer, closer to make up for all the lost years and to keep feeling the contentment that they feel from just being close to each other. She tastes like Charlie’s mint toothpaste and his dreams – like everything he’s ever wanted.

  As they separate for air, Y/N rests her forehead on his. “I thought you knew.”

  “What?” He’s surprised to find his voice hoarse.

  “That I’m in love with you.”

  He can’t stop the grin on his face from escaping. “What?”

  “I thought Meg told you. Or your mum. Or anyone really. Everyone’s called me out on it. I’ve always had a crush on you but dating all those guys in high school made me realize that I was kind of, you know, in love with you.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Same reason as you. You’re my family, Charlie. I didn’t wanna lose what we have just because of… you know.”

  Y/N slides off his lap and lies on the bed, next to him and he mirrors her actions, and she rests her head on his chest, the frantic beating in his chest her background music. He drapes an arm around her shoulders, desperate to have her close.

  “We’re both cowards, eh?”

  She giggles.

  “Wait. Meg knew?”

  “Of course. She’s my best friend.”

  “You know, one day I got drunk and told her that ‘I’m 100% attracted to your best friend sexually and emotionally and everythingally.’ I kept wondering why she was laughing.”

  “I hate her.” She buries her face in Charlie’s chest, giggling.

  Charlie laughs and pulls her in for another kiss, desperate to hold her again, to feel the high he only feels around her. She smiles against his lips, before a thought occurs to him. “Wait. You were jealous of the bar girl, weren’t you?”

  “Shut up, you dork.”

  They’re only half aware of the snowstorm raging outside from the warm cocoon they’ve created in each other’s arms. Maybe miracles really do exist.

***

drop a message in my ask or in my messages if u wanna be on the jatp taglist!! requests are also open <3

[mah-gah-lee]

You’re such a bitch - (Charlie Gillespie x reader)

Word Count: 2486 Request: no, again @jatpsmut​ inspired me with his fic “What Happens in Hawaii Stays in Hawaii - Charlie Gillespie x Reader (SMUT - 18+)”. I asked her if I could use the Hawaii idea and now I am writing this!

However, some details change from the original fic:

“Charlie and y/n haven't been best friends since they were kids, but from the first season of jatp. y/n is an additional actor on Julie and the Phantoms, also a dancer. Charlie didn't confess his feelings to y/n in Hawaii.

The only thing I got from the idea of @jatpsmut​ is the fact that something happened in Hawaii. So thank you to her for writing this incredible fic, without it this could not happen Summary: You and Charlie were best friends and roommates in LA. One evening, you heard it with a girl, the next morning, everything is awkward, bitchy and everything changes. Warnings: mention of sexual activities - language disclaimer: I don't know Charlie or his family personally or what his life is like. All you will read in this "x reader" is from my imagination. My point is not to invade Charlie's privacy. I don't want to offend him or offend anybody else in his life (family, potential girlfriend…). All of this is not the reality

 Tagged: @asdfghjkl-fanfics​ @standingtalllove​ @lukeys-giggle​ @happinessinthedarkesttimes​ if you want to be tagged in my next fic let me know ! 

--- 

You try to focus on the TV show you were watching, but obviously your roommate had company. And that company was way too loud in your opinion. You were rolling your eyes in annoyance when suddenly your phone vibrates, displaying the blonde head of your second best friend. If there was one thing you miss since you came back to live to Los Angeles, it was obviously living with this sarcastic character. Vancouver seemed so far away to you. You picked up your phone and Owen's face appeared.

 “Hi sweetie.” Owen told you with a smile “Oh, hey… Why that face?” he clearly noticed your annoyance. "Hi O." you said before complaining "Ugh, I miss living with you in Vancouver so much" "Yeah me too. We had so much fun. But hey, I'm sure we'll have a season two." "I hope so much"

You were an extra cast member on Julie and the Phantoms, you also were a dancer on the first season, just as Tori. You wished so much Owen was right about Jatp season 2 renew but Netflix seemed to enjoy making you patient. But the coronavirus had also literally messed up all your plans. However, you were angry, some series came out long after yours and got renewed while yours stayed on hold. It was clear that fans of the series as much as you were just waiting for the renewal of season two.

A moan came out of Charlie's bedroom with the sound of a bouncing mattress, you rolled your eyes again, groaning with a sort of anger.

"Jesus Christ ..." you complained "Wait, y/n, what's that sound?" “You know what I miss most about living with you in Vancouver O’? Rule #3. " “Rule #3? Rule #3" he seemed to think about what you said when he finally realized "Oh ... Oh! Rule #3! Wait.. Oh my God! Is Charlie being with a chick right now? ” He asked you with stupefaction. "Oh I wish you were wrong"

A laugh came out from you best friend mouth and you gave him a killer look through the screen, making him laugh harder. When you were in Vancouver, living with two boys forced you to set limits and rules for living. The first was; everyone cleans up their own mess. Second, the housework takes turns. Third rule: no one-night stand allowed in the flat. Surprisingly as it may seem, this rule had been followed very well by everyone. But at the same time, the boys' schedules really didn't make time to bring anyone home, and then after all, they were professional. But as soon as Charlie returned from his parents' quarantine, he forgot the existence of this rule, as if it did not apply to Los Angeles. It wasn't like he brought a different girl home every night, or even every month. It might have been the second or third time since you had moved in. But this situation embarrassed you more than you might have thought.

“Owen, don't make fun of me. I've been hearing them for about an hour now. " "Poor you. Now you understand how I felt in Hawaii" he smirked at you. "Wait, what did you say?" you asked him, in shocked. "Oh please y/n ... you heard me clearly"

Of course, you had heard what he said, but you were in shock at the revelation, so you needed confirmation. This story was supposed to be a secret between you and Charlie. The fact that Owen mentioned it could only assume two things.

"Did you hear us in Hawaii?" “I was in the room next door! Of course, I heard you. It's not like you and Charlie are the quietest couple ever having sex ... " "It seems Charlie is the loudest one…" you said, referring to your best friend having sex in the next bedroom. "Oh darling please, I can remind you of what you said that night. You two gave me nightmares." "Please don't. I feel so embarrassed right now"

Last year you went to Hawaii with several cast members and Kenny. A booking error forced you to share a bed with Charlie. It seemed that sleeping with a girl seemed more adequate than two boys sleeping in the same bed. Charlie and Owen had avoided that possibility the second the problem had arisen. One thing leading to another, after a few strong cocktails, you and the dark-haired boy had ended up having a horny night. The shame caused the next day made you both never talk about it again and "what happened in Hawaii will stay in Hawaii". You didn’t know that Owen heard you and it seems that boy can keep a secret for so long now.

The problem was that that night you realized that you felt more than an attraction to your roommate. It went beyond friendship or mere sexual tension at the sight of this Canadian. You wanted every aspect of what you might have experienced with Charlie and more: the laughs, the funny times, the lots of talking, the quiet times watching a movie or just playing Nintendo Switch, the sex. But you also wanted the PDAs, the feelings, just being with him like his girlfriend. But the actor was totally oblivious to your feelings for him, and you didn't even want to try to make him understand it on his own. You just created a shell for yourself and buried your feelings deep within yourself.

 “I don’t understand y/n. Why didn’t you tell him your feeling?” “Because I know he doesn’t love me back, O.” “Oh come on! You two are the most stubborn people I ever met!”

Again, for the third time tonight, you've rolled your eyes. You were pretty sure Charlie didn't feel the same way you did. Since Hawaii, neither of you had stepped forward towards each other, but sometimes your behaviors showed that you were more than friends. Another moan was heard from Charlie’s room and Owen's face on the screen was memorable. His eyes were wide and his cheeks were red.

"Okay, y/n. I'm sorry but I don't want to keep talking to you and hear my other best friend hooking up at the same time ..."

 You laughed and he hung up the phone not forgetting to say goodbye. You tried to focus on your screen again, your headphones being way too far away for you to catch them. Minutes later you finally heard the distinctive sound of Charlie's orgasm and knew you were finally going to be able to sleep.

 …

The next morning you woke up with a high level of fatigue. You casually walk to the kitchen to make coffee. While you were pouring yourself a cup of this much-desired black liquid, a person entered the kitchen.

 "Who the fuck are you?"

You raised an eyebrow, bringing your mug to your lips. The girl looked at you with a disgusted face.

"Roommate, darling. Not nice to meet you." "Why the hell are you wearing his shirt?"

A smirk appears on your lips, far too happy that she asked the question. When you were in Vancouver, it wasn't surprising to see you wearing the boys' t-shirts, although you had a preference for Charlie's, there were times when you wore Owen's. The boys never complained about this mania and you had to continue when you moved to Los Angeles with Charlie. The scene was pretty funny, you were there drinking your coffee in a t-shirt borrowed from your roommate while his conquest from last night stared at you in disgust, decked out in another Charlie t-shirt. You took a look at the Looney Tunes t-shirt you were wearing and just shrug your shoulders.

 “Old habits.” You simply said. "Yeah, you're gonna have to break this habit."

You laughed disdainfully. You didn't like this girl. Not because it was the conquest of your best friend for whom you had blatant romantic feelings. But rather because she had this condescension and believed that spending a night with Charlie gave her every right.

 "What makes you think that, sweetie?"

 You leaned against the kitchen counter, your posture offhand, a smirk on your lips. You weren't used to being such a bitch, but the girl in front of you pissed you off. And it was only nine in the morning.

 "Well, hello, I spent the night with Charlie." "Oh yeah sure, but that doesn't mean you're dating him." "Charlie is a great guy"

She wasn't wrong. Charlie wasn't heartbroken but he was still human and a twenty-two-year-old boy. Just looking at her you knew your best friend hadn't chosen her for a serious relationship with her. The little conversation you were having with her now confirmed that he couldn't date her. Another smirk spread across your lips as she looked at you with disdain again.

 "Who the fuck do you think you are? You are nowhere near his level" she said to you

This time, you couldn't help but laugh sarcastically. Yeah, she really pissed you off. Physically, she was everything Charlie didn't like about a potential girlfriend: big breasts, much bigger than him, slightly shallow. Oh but she had a fucking ass and maybe that was why he had chosen her. Her whole body reflected Charlie's choice for a one-night stand, but not the ideal girlfriend.

 "Oh honey, I'm nobody, but neither are you. Listen. You were just a one-night stand and me? Me, I'll still be here in his apartment with his t-shirts on when he brings you home, telling you that it was cool but that it will not go further. I will always be there ... "

Charlie woke up and headed straight for the kitchen. He greeted her conquest with a nod, giving her a hello. Instinctively, he approached you and put his hand on your waist before placing a soft kiss on your cheek. Charlie was tactile, it was his language of love. You couldn't help but smirk at the girl, giving her a victorious look. The actor looked at your outfit and a smile appeared on his lips.

 "So that's where it was! I thought I lost it in the Galapagos." he was referring to his looney tunes t-shirt

Your attention fell on Charlie and you smiled happily at him. You cheekily handed your cup of coffee.

"Coffee?" "Hell, yeah"

He grabbed your cup and took a long sip, leaving his conquest almost nonexistent to his eyes. The girl was so pissed off that she seemed to be boiling. She cleared her throat, annoyed.

 "Hmm, I'm going to go" she said. "Oh wait, let me have lunch and I'll bring you back if you want." "It won't be necessary."

You bit the tip of your tongue, amused, far too happy to hide it. Charlie's conquest returned to his room to get dressed. Your roommate turned to you and gave you a questioning look.

"y/n, what did you do?" "Nothing. We were happily getting know each other. I'm surprised at your choice, by the way" "Are you getting revenge?" "Get revenge for what?" "Since ... Hawaii, you've scared all the girls I've brought back." "Did I scare them? Stop, I haven't acted any differently than usual." “You scared them away,” he repeated. "Oh come on, Charlie, please, it's not like you're going to date them."

 He pulled away from you with a look of dismay. You were not wrong, he had never called back the girls he had brought back here, he did not intend to call back the one who was currently in his room. In fact, the only person he really wanted to spend time with was you. But since Hawaii, you seemed to be okay with never mentioning your night together again. This Canadian boy has been in love with you for months, maybe even years now. It quickly fell for you when you were in Vancouver.

"You're right. But I could have ..." he finally confessed "It's wrong. You know it's wrong Charlie, I know you, I'm your best friend. These are not the kind of girls you date. "Yeah… I couldn't date any of them. They just aren't you." He said, his last sentence ending in a whisper before hastening to take a sip from your cup of coffee.

You were paralyzed. Did he really just say what you've been dreaming of hearing for months? Did he just drop it like a bomb, in the middle of a morning conversation between sips of coffee?

“Wait, what?” “Nothing” “It wasn’t nothing, Charlie, you said something” “Nothing important” he repeats “Did you just say that if you didn’t date those girls it’s because they weren’t me?” “You seems to hear voices” “Charlie, I’m not joking… Did you say that?!” “Maybe” “Oh fuck, you’re an idiot!” “I am a..”

You snatched the cup of coffee from her hands and hurriedly put it on the counter. Never mind about the stains on the floor, you will clean up later. You didn't want to miss a second of this possibility. You wrapped your arms around Charlie's neck before resting your lips on his. Your best friend seemed surprised at first so much but quickly relaxed and wrapped his own arms around your waist as your lips moved to give the kiss more tender. The situation was most strange and funny; you were kissing your best friend, running your fingers through his long brown hair. You had to admit that even though you had found him attractive with his Luke's look but you couldn't imagine Charlie without that impressive mass of hair. Luke had short hair, Charlie had long hair. End of the discussion.

So, you were kissing your roommate, making up for lost time while in his room, a girl he had fucked the night before gathered her things. Charlie's conquest stepped out to head for the exit. You broke the kiss making Charlie growl in protest.

"I'm not showing you where the door is." you said. "whore .." the chick whispered.

Charlie stepped away from you and brought his one-night stand to the door, apologizing. He wasn't that kind of boy to go from girl to girl and the circumstances were really strange. The girl left, not without forgetting to curse him. When Charlie walks into the kitchen, you were sitting on the counter, a smirk on your face.

"You're such a bitch y/n" “It's my revenge for keeping me awake last night.” 

His gaze was sly, his smile was mischievous and you knew he was going to find a phrase worthy of the fucking boy he could be. 

"I can keep you awake for a while if you want." “A date wouldn't be too complicated, Charlie. Please be a gentleman. "You can count on me"

He gave you a softer look and you wrapped your arms around his neck again before kissing him. Ultimately, not everything that happened in Hawaii has to be restricted to Hawaii.

[derekmorganscrocs]

Her Lipstick: Ace x Reader

Pairing: Ace (Nancy Drew CW) x Reader, Valentine’s Special.

Word Count: 1,725 (short but sweet.)

Summary: With everyone else having their nights planned out with romance and dates, Y/n and Ace get stuck manning the night shift at The Claw.

Notes: Ideally takes place after the aglacea is gone, and we’re finally having a quiet moment. But like SPOILER ALERT!!!! if Owen lived. ALSO A QUESTIONABLE ENDING BUT I LIKED IT NGL.

Ace’s Dad’s name is Tom by the way, this is key info for later.

“No one’s even gonna come in, George. It’s Valentines, and last I checked, crappy fried clams aren’t most people’s version of romance.” You glance her way from the kitchen, pausing with an alarmingly large knife in hand. The parsley in front of you isn’t going to chop itself, but your hands are starting to cramp.

“Yeah, well it’s business hours. Just humour me this once? I’ll owe you one.”

“George, you already owe me like nine.” You roll your eyes and look her way, attitude softening slightly at her expression. Knowing how she felt when the whole crew was a day away from death, about missing out on her and Nick... it puts a little graciousness in your heart. For their first Valentines together, why not just help her out? “I’ll do this one for free. Wait! Not for free! I’m still getting paid right?”

“Yes,” she laughs. “Thank you.” Nodding your way once more, she turns and heads out, closing the door behind her. You sigh, turning back to your cutting-board. Finishing with the stack of parsley and dumping it in a plastic container, you throw the knife in the sink. Surveying the restaurant quickly, as well as the parking lot, you ensure the coast is clear before heading to the freezer.

These days it seems like everyone’s got someone except you. Nancy and Owen, Nick and George, Bess and Lisbeth, hell, even the weirdo chef no one likes who only works fridays has a girlfriend. Not you though. You and Ace got stuck on the Valentine’s shifts no one else wanted because you were the only two available. Admittedly, Valentine’s wasn’t a big deal to you, you just thought the tacky decorations were kind of entertaining to have around. However, it kinda sucks when you’re single. And crushing. Speaking of crushes, you snap yourself out of your thoughts at the idea of a certain floppy haired boy.

“Ace?” You look around for your shift partner and best friend... and yes, crush, who for some reason isn’t in his usual happy place. Or anywhere to be seen. He doesn’t respond, so you look in the pantry, the dark corner by the lockers, and even the supply closet. He’s nowhere to be found. “Ace?”

“You looking for me?” Ace puts a hand on your shoulder, coming from behind you. Not gonna lie, it scares the crap out of you. And you whip around and punch him in the face. Then you realize it’s him and let out a small gasp.

“Ace! Oh my god, I’m so sorry-“ you lean down, taking his hand and helping him up, as he massages his jaw with his other hand. That’s embarrassing. Really embarrassing.

“My fault,” he mumbles. “Forgot you scare...” he pauses for a second, trying to find the word, “...punchily. Good hit though, really starting to get that impact value.”

“Thanks, I think. I’ll go get you some ice, can you just watch the dining room?”

Ace nods and you head to the freezer. Of course there’s no ice. Why would there ever be ice when you need it? You root through the options of ice packs for Ace’s eye, as you think to yourself.

Lately, you’ve been making yourself a fool in front of Ace. See, it wasn’t this bad a few weeks ago, when you liked him but didn’t know you liked him. You throw a box of clams (ew.) to the side. Now that you’ve realized, you’re a hot mess. Next you find a singular frozen fish (also ew.). He’s been acting a little off too, and you’re worried it’s because he knows. Now you’ve found a lobster that you’re pretty sure has been there since the place opened (ew x3). Oh look, some frozen bread (that won’t really work).

What you don’t know is that Ace has also just recently realized his feelings for you, and his dad, Tom, has just tricked him into bringing you over to their place later. You finally find a box of heart shaped popsicles, and take a couple of them back to the kitchen, where Ace stands, leaning against the counter.

“This is all we have. Valentine’s special, have some heart shaped chemicals for your black eye.” You hand him two of the three popsicles you’re holding. “I also brought you one to eat. If you’re crazy enough to.” You hop up on the counter beside him and sit cross legged, tearing open the third wrapper.

“If you are, I am.” He rips open one of the frozen treats and places the other below his eye. Looking down at the wrapper from the one he opened, he makes a face. “I can’t even read half of these things.”

“Hey, I could’ve brought you the lobster.”

He knows exactly what you’re talking about and backtracks his critiques of the popsicle. The two of you sit in silence for a few seconds, disturbed by the bell ringing. A woman walks in, which grabs both your and Ace’s attention, but she just pins a flyer to the bulletin board and leaves. Exciting crowd.

Soon enough, the snack popsicles are gone, and the ice pack popsicle is slush. Ace throws the melted package into the sink, the slush inside making a questionable ‘plop’ sound as it hits the metal. The two of you stand around a little longer, before packing up the perishables and putting them back in the freezer/pantry. Business is slow, and it’s boring. The two of you are back to waiting around, and Ace ends up laying across one side of a booth, you on the other. The two of you pass a rolled up napkin back and forth, tossing it over the table to the other person. It doesn’t keep you entertained for long, though.

“You bored?” You turn your head and look at him under the table.

“Yeah,” he chuckles.

“Same.” You sit up, getting a slight head rush as you do. Ace mirrors your actions, minus the head rush. The two of you stand, but before you can start wandering around aimlessly-

“You, uh, you have something on your face,” he chuckles softly, his goofy grin turning into a smaller smile, a certain softness appearing in his eyes. You reach for your cheek, trying to swipe whatever it is off your face. Seems like you miss, because Ace chuckles, before asking- “Can I?”

You nod, and he wipes your cheekbone with his thumb, his lips parting just a little bit as he lets out a small, nervous, chuckle. Suddenly your heart is beating about a thousand miles a minute, and as Ace’s eyes settle on your lips for a second, you look at his face, taking in every detail that you can.

The bell rings and the door opens, making you and Ace launch away from each other. A strong gust of wind blows in, and no one walks in, making you sigh. The wind literally blew open the door. Horseshoe Bay is dead quiet tonight. No customers. You close the door, and realize it’s nine pm, so you flip the sign to closed and lock the door.

“Hey, Y/n, you wanna come to my place? My dad told me he’s making food for three tonight.” Ace watches as you make your way to where he stands by the kitchen.

“That his way of inviting me over?”

“Guess so,” Ace quips with a smirk, throwing an arm around your shoulders as the two of you walk to the locker room. After double checking that the freezer is sealed, you lock up The Claw and head to Ace’s place, hitching a ride in Florence, of course.

When you get to Ace’s place, the smell of cherry pie wafts straight into your face as soon as you open the door. Ace’s dad stands by the coffee table in the living room, and his face lights up when you walk in. You sign a quick hello, Ace doing the same behind you. Ace also throws in a cautionary ‘don’t embarrass me’ but that goes unnoticed by you, you’re too busy checking out the coffee table. There’s all sorts of food that you love, especially compliments of Chef Tom.

You flop onto the couch, snatching a fresh baked dinner roll off the table. Ace flips on the tv, sitting down beside you, and Tom heads back to the kitchen to clean up. Looking around, you notice some of the sweet little Valentine’s decorations around the house. There’s a few plastic hearts hanging around the rooms, and some red streamer thingys. They bring a smile to your face, despite being a little corny.

“Dad knows you like the tacky decorations. No matter how much you say you hate them.”

“Your dad is so sweet. I always feel like part of the family when I’m here,” you say softly, pure joy radiating off your face.

“Okay, I gotta be honest for a second,” Ace blurts out sharply, seemingly out of nowhere. Your heartbeat speeds up a little as anxiety bubbles in your chest, and you nod quickly. “It’s because he wants you to be part of the family.”

“What?” Your eyes widen as you look at Ace. “Sorry, that makes no sense.”

“You really are blind. Nancy told me you couldn’t take hints but I didn’t think she-“

“Ace!” You put a hand on his thigh, cutting him off. He pauses, getting back on topic.

“Well... you see. You’ve always gotten along great with everyone. Especially Dad, sometimes I’m convinced he’s your best friend. And I made the mistake of telling him that I have feelings for you, so now he’s like extra nice. Because he wants me to be happy.”

“Oh wow,” you laugh, suddenly a lot more relaxed.

“I’m sorry, I know it’s stupid, and-“

You cut him off by grabbing his shirt and pulling him towards you. You kiss him, and he obviously kisses back, his hands settling against your face as he pushes himself closer to you.

“I like you too. Thought it was obvious,” you breathe against his lips. He lets out small chuckle.

“Not really,” he whispers, and then kisses you again.

Now your arms are over his shoulders, and you’re basically on his lap as the kiss heats up a little. Tom is forgotten until the sound of footsteps behind you causes the two of you break away again. You turn to see Ace’s dad come over and put a plate on the table.

You sign a ‘thank you, Tom.’ his way, and he smiles widely back at you. He glances over at his son beside you, and his eyes widen slightly. Glancing back and forth a few times, he lets out a delighted chuckle when he makes the connection.

“You two? Finally,” He signs quickly.

“What?” Ace tries to play it off, but fails miserably. He’s not the best actor. About thirty seconds of your and Tom’s laughter and Ace’s denial go by before Ace folds. “What gave it away?”

“You’re wearing her lipstick.”

TAGS:

@ananad1

@remmysrecs

@bookish-bucky

@sahi-raa

@peakyrogers

[darthkruge]

Hello! I'm kinda new to the whole tumblr thing so sorry if this request is bad but I was wondering if maybe you could do an imagine for spencer reid where the reader is Garcia's younger sister and Garcia brings her in to meet the team because it's her first day there. Maybe Reid recognizes her from somewhere and he will not leet it go until he finds out how he knows her? Btw it's totally fine if you don't get to this! :)

Spencer Reid x Reader ~ Piano

Summary: When a new agent joins the BAU, Spencer knows he’s seen them before but literally cannot figure out where. His memory having never failed him before, he doesn’t rest until he figures it out.

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Gender Neutral! Reader; Penelope Garcia x Sibling! Reader

Words: 1973

Warnings: A little bit of language, I think that’s all?

A/N: Hey anon!! First off, don’t worry, love! I’m honestly new to this whole tumblr thing too, but I loved this request! I’m sorry I didn’t get to it sooner, life’s been a bit hectic. I made it so the reader is Garcia’s younger sibling instead of sister, I hope you don’t mind. I’m going to try to make writing as gender neutral as possible moving forward. Nothing against you, of course, I know I haven’t specified in past requests and I couldn’t have expected you to know, so don’t worry! That being said, sorry for rambling and I hope you like it :)

(gif isn’t mine)

“Hello, everyone! I want you to meet the youngest of the wonderful Garcia children!” Penelope led you into the BAU where you waved a bit stiffly. You weren’t a huge fan of being the center of attention, but you knew your sister loved these introductions.

Looking around, you pieced together the people you knew from Penelope’s stories. You recognized Derek immediately. You assumed from his professional stance that the taller and older dark haired man was Hotch. Logically, that meant Rossi was next to him. And Emily and JJ were the two women, smiling and waving at you encouragingly. You smiled a bit broader, immediately sensing you would be fast friends with them. Finally, your eyes landed on what had to be Spencer. You thought he was quite attractive and, from Penelope’s descriptions, he was also amazing, talented, kind, smart, basically everything you liked. You waved at him but noticed he was almost studying you? You weren’t sure, but felt a bit awkward, confused as to why he seemed friendly to everyone else but wouldn’t even smile at you.

“Umm, hi!” You said, laughing nervously and kind of hoping to disappear. Hotch sensed your discomfort and offered you a kind smile before putting you out of your misery.

“Welcome to the team, L/N. Garcia’s told us wonderful things about you. That being said, we’re just closing up tonight, so you could finish up your paperwork finalizing your transfer into the BAU if you haven’t already and then come in for your first day tomorrow?”

“Okay, thank you, Sir.”

“Goodnight, team”

Everyone echoed the “Goodnight” before filing out of the room. You got into the car with your sister and pulled out of the BAU, reflecting on your past and thinking about the next chapter of your life.

After almost everyone else had left, Spencer was still at his desk, thinking. The certified genius, was, for once, completely at a loss. He couldn’t figure it out. Where had he seen you before? He was currently in the process of mapping out every place he’d gone to over the last few months. Every restaurant, every film festival, every face he saw in passing at crosswalks, through car windows, at coffee stands, and, still, nothing.

“Woah, Pretty Boy, slow down! What’s got you so riled up?” Derek says, walking over to where Spencer was hunched over his notebook, furiously writing.

“I can’t figure it out, I know we’ve met before or I’ve seen them before or something. I just,” Spencer put his head in his hands, eyes starting to burn a bit from the strain of writing and concentrating for so long, “I just know it”

“Seen who before?”

“Y/N, the new agent. They’re so familiar, but for some reason I just can’t figure it out”

“Ohh! Garcia’s their sister, right?”

Spencer nodded and Derek came behind him, seeing the messy timeline and pages of notes scattered around the agent.

“Are you sure you’ve seen them? I mean, we see lots of people on the job. You could have just seen someone who looked like them, you know? And come on, Reid, your memory is, like, insane . If you’d met, you’d have remembered”

“I know, that’s what’s got me so messed up.” Spencer sighed.

“Take a rest, kid. It’s late, get back to it tomorrow. Maybe they’ll visit you in your dreams…” Derek said, wiggling his eyebrows and laughing as he walked away.

Spencer laughed, hoping Derek was right. He’d do anything to get more time with you, even if it was in his subconscious. Honestly, he felt a bit bad. He’d been so caught up in figuring how he knew you that he’d kind of forgotten to actually talk to you. Normally, he’d have caught a new recruit before they left, but he didn’t get the chance with you. After packing up, Spencer went home and continued his search with you on the forefront of his mind.

Meanwhile, you had just gotten back to your sister’s apartment. You had your own place but you were new to the team and felt a bit lonely. Mentally, you didn’t want to be alone at home, too.

“Hey, Pen, what’s up with Reid?” You asked. You were confused, you knew he was quiet but he seemed to be actively ignoring you. Even stranger, you caught him intensely staring at you, as if he was trying to figure something out.

“He’s just shy, Y/N. But he’ll warm up to you, don’t worry! Honestly, I think the both of you would be a pretty good match. If you want, I can do some of my famous matchmaking!”

“Please, noooooo,” You groaned, dragging out the word.

“Come on! I’m great at it!”

“No! Remember last time? I ended up on a blind date with a guy who, within the first three minutes, told me he liked me because he saw similarities between me and his parents!! Then, he proceeded to detail their divorce for the next 45 minutes!”

Penelope was laughing hysterically, “I mean, you did say you liked emotionally available people!”

You grabbed a pillow and threw it at her head, dying in your own fit of laughter.

“Alright, that’s it, I’m going to bed. I can’t be conscious in the same house as you anymore” You say, smiling and jokingly flipping your sister off as you walk away and into the guest room.

Naturally, she returned the gesture.

When Spencer arrived at work the next morning, his eyes were bloodshot, hair was sticking up in a million different directions, and clothes were exceptionally disheveled. Anyone else and you would have thought they had a really bad (or great) one-night stand. Although you weren’t close with him, you just didn’t see him being that type of guy. You laughed a bit as he grimaced, taking a sip of what looked like extremely bitter coffee.

Deciding to try and break the ice, you went over to him. “Long night?”

Spencer’s head shot up. “Uh, yeah, I guess you could say that” He said, laughing a bit.

You smiled. Even though he was awkward, you felt at ease in his company. “I get that, I’ve had a few long nights myself. I love the job, don’t get me wrong, but the way the BAU runs is different from anything else I’ve ever dealt with.”

“Yeah. It can be a bit of an adjustment, but you’ll be fine. You’re doing great. I mean, you arrived early, so I can already assume you’re organized. And your desk is a little messy, leading me to believe you’re a creative person. Your handwriting is quite slanted, too. I recognized it from your entry forms. Did you know that’s a sign of high intelligence? Because your thoughts are moving so quickly, your hand can’t keep up in the “perfect” way, so the letters normally slant and become more sloppy.”

You were mesmerized by him. You could watch him talk for hours, truly. Sure, he wasn’t always graceful, but he was so passionate about everything he talked about. You loved listening to people talk about what they love. The way their eyes light up, it makes the energy surrounding them contagious.

Realizing he had just psychoanalyzed you without permission, Spencer looked at your sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to profile you. It’s sometimes hard to shut off, especially around new people.”

“I get that. It’s okay, I don’t mind.” You said, nodding knowingly.

As you said that, Spencer figured it out. He remembered one time visiting his mother in Vegas and hearing you say those exact words. You were playing the piano, talking to a patient who had just accidentally spilled some water on your sheet music as they took their medicine. “It’s okay, I don’t mind. I was in need of new music, anyway” You had responded, laughing. He was surprised he didn’t immediately recognize you, the beautiful and talented person he’d seen that day. But, it did make sense, in a way. Spencer’s memory is always at its highest and weakest when he’s with his mother. He can remember each of their conversations, verbatim, but everything else fades.

“Spencer? You alright?” He had been kind of spacing out for a few moments and you were afraid you did something wrong.

His attention came back to you and he smiled again, brighter this time. “You play piano.” He stated.

Your breath caught and you let out a small laugh, extremely confused. “Uhh, yeah, I do. I’m sure you’re great, but that seems extreme even for you, Mr. Profiler”

Spencer laughed. “No! I didn’t profile you, I just, I remember you. Las Vegas, March 12th, Psychiatric Hospital, you were playing piano. A patient spilled water on you. I remember you.”

“Oh, right! Ms. Owens! She’s lovely. You were there that day? Well, either that or you just gave yourself up as a damn good stalker”

“No, no, not that,” He said, a shy smile playing on his lips, “My mother’s a patient there, Diana Reid? I’m not sure if you know her.”

“Yeah! She’s quite a character. I always enjoyed playing on days Diana was there.” You reminisced for a second, lost in the memory.

“Were you visiting someone there, too?” He said, pulling you from your thoughts.

“Not exactly. My grandfather was a patient before he passed. He taught me how to play and I kind of just asked the staff if I could volunteer and continue to after he left. They were kind enough to let me. I mean, he always encouraged me to perform and I thought it was a nice way to honor his memory. A few months later I heard from Penelope that there was an opening at the BAU. I moved out, and, well, here I am.” You gestured to yourself, slightly embarrassed after you realized you might have overshared.

Spencer caught onto this, however, and quickly reassured you. “That’s amazing, Y/N. You were amazing when I heard you. I wish I could have heard you play again.”

“Thank you, that’s really sweet, Spencer.” You said, resting your hand atop his, a blush forming in his cheeks at the touch.

“Um, if you don’t have plans. I mean, not to assume you don’t have plans, just if you, you know, happen to not be busy, would you want to maybe get dinner sometime? You don’t have to, of course! I wouldn’t be offended! I just kind of want to get to know you more. If that’s alright with you.” He trailed off, not making eye contact and playing with the buttons on his shirt a bit as he awaited your answer.

Deciding to be bold, you gently turned his face to meet yours and smiled. “I would love to. Tomorrow, pick me up at 8:00?”

“Yeah! Here’s my number, text me your address?”

You smiled and nodded, taking his phone. He took the moment to just look at you. You were truly one of the most breathtaking people he’d ever met. He couldn’t believe he’d just gotten you to agree to go out with him. Even so, he wouldn’t question it. If something in the universe gave this to him, he wouldn’t risk it for a second.

You placed a gentle kiss on his cheek as you slipped the phone back into his hand. As you pulled away, Spencer cupped your cheek and pulled you back in for a kiss. His lips tasted sweet and soft and a sense of serenity washed over you as you stood in the middle of the BAU, kissing him. Everything faded away and quickly came into focus again as he pulled away, far too soon for your liking.

“More of that tomorrow” He whispered, his forehead resting against yours.

You smiled, “That’s fine by me.”

~requests are open~

[karlajoyner]

Impossible (Reggie Peters x Reader)

A/n: This was again another request! I definitely enjoyed writing it! If you guys have any requests please comment them or dm me! Also currently working on an Owen Joyner smut that goes a little more into detail than the last so be prepared! Also let me know if you guys think I should make a tag list!

Requested by: @universefangirl (Tumblr)

Warnings: Smut (18+)

————

I sat in my best friends garage listening to her rehearse with her band until it was time.

"Flynn's gonna love this" I said looking up from my sketch book.

"Thanks y/n/n. I honestly don't know what I would've done if you hadn't believed me"

"Well at first I didn't. But you proved your point Jules" I said remembering how I just thought they were normal boys at first. Cute normal boys.

"I just hope she forgives me" The girl sighed looking down. I looked back at the rest of her bandmates who like all guys stood there awkwardly. They all sent me a look begging me to comfort her. I rolled my eyes standing up.

"Julie we've all been best friends since kindergarten. We've been through everything together. This is just another one of those things we have to get through" I said going to pull her in for a hug from behind.

"Thanks. Again. It really means a lot"

"What are best friends for?" I smiled as she hugged back the room going silent.

“You never know how long your supposed to wait in this type of situation before you can talk again you know?" (If you know where that's from I love you) Luke said making my head whip towards him.

"Maybe a little longer" The brunette spoke making me facepalm.

I looked back at the group nervously to see them giving me a thumbs up. My gaze quickly finding the cute bass player who sent me an air kiss. I jokingly pretended to catch it earning disgusted looks from the rest of the band.

"Gross" Julie joked.

"Shut it Molina" I warned turning around to go bring our other friend in. I was startled at the sudden sound of knocking outside the doors. Hearing a few chuckles from behind me as I opened the door.

"Hey Flynny" I smiled using the nickname I gave her when we were kids.

"Y/n? What are you doing here? Where's Julie?"

"I'm right here" Said girl called from behind me.

"Thanks for coming we just wanted to rehearse the song so it was perfect which it's not but whatever"

"No if I'm gonna hear a song from your imaginary ghost band I want it to be perfect so get back in there" Flynn said waving us back.

"All of you. You too" She said pointing to absolutely nothing.

"She's not lying Flynn. They're real"

"Oh my god now you've got y/n/n in on your imaginary ghost band? Do you play air drums?" Flynn's asked placing a hand on my shoulder.

"No that's Alex. I'm not in the band per se but I watch them rehearse all the time. Plus my boyfriends in it"

"Oh so she really sucked you in. So where are they?"

"They're not out here"

"Oh I know" Flynn said patting Julie's shoulder before walking in. I looked at the girl beside me playfully rolling my eyes.

Flynn had always been the logical one out of the three of us. So no doubt this was gonna have to be good. I shut one of the doors behind us while Julie shut the other before making my way towards the boys who stood there looking excited.

"Good luck" I whispered. Placing a quick kiss to Reggies cheek.

"Oh so my best friends just kissing the air now. That's great. What's your moms number again?" She asked pulling out her phone. I playfully rolled my eyes taking a seat on the couch pulling up my sketch book once more.

I was currently working on a drawing for the guys. Something that screams were alive. As Luke put it.

"All right guys you ready? Uh actually can you go over there. Reggie needs some space to rock out and he feels kinda weird walking through you" Julie said. Flynn letting out a chuckle.

"Boy when you create a world you really live in it"

"Just sit" Julie said sitting her down in an empty chair.

"If you'll notice there's no equipment that will produce a hologram. Feel free to look around. The guys took a poem that I wrote about you and put it to music"

"Y/n helped" Reggie interrupted making me smile.

"I'm sorry. The guys and y/n"

“Aww! I wish I didn't have to talk to your parents after this"

“Come on Flynny it's a great song"

"If you say so y/n/n. So when did you go crazy?" She asked placing a hand on her knees.

"It's called Flying Solo. Hope you like it" I smiled upon hearing the opening notes of the song.

J- If I leave you on a bad note

Leave you on a sad note

I know all your secrets

You know all my deep-dish

Guess that means some things they never, they never

Change...

We both know what I, what I, what I

Mean...

When I look at you it's like I'm looking at me

I looked up from my book when Flynn let out a scream signalling she could finally see them.

All- My life, my life would be real low, zero, flying solo

My life, my life would be real low, zero, flying solo without you

Hey! yeah-e-yeah

Hey! yeah-e-yeah

My life, my life would be real low, zero, flying solo without you

I grinned at Flynn who gave me a horrified look.

"Are you seeing this?" She whispered. I only nodded giggling at her reaction.

J- Yeah, you know who I'm likin'

Way before I liked them, duh...

Cause you liked them first

And if somebody hurts you

I'm gonna get hurt too

That's just how we work, yeah, that's just how we work

It will never

Change...

We both know what I, what I, what I

I bit my lip watching my boyfriend sing at a close proximity with Luke. Something that I'll never get used to. But definitely enjoyed. When they finallly separated Reggie sent me a wink as he sang the chorus. Luke gradually making his was over to me sitting down on the armrest beside me.

My life, my life would be real low, zero, flying solo

My life, my life would be real low, zero, flying solo without you

I chuckled as Luke scared Flynn. Instinctively I smacked his arm. Earning a confused look coming from the girl as Julie pulled her away towards Alex and Reggie.

Hey! yeah-e-yeah

Hey! yeah-e-yeah

I watched closely as Flynn attempted to touch my boyfriend only to have her hand go right through him.

"Weird right?"

"They're ghost!" "Oh we prefer musician spirits"

"But y/n" Flynn said pointing at me.

"We don't understand it either. But she can see and touch them. It's not the same for both of us" Julie explained showing how her hand went through Reggie as well.

“Julie so does this mean you're joining the our band?"

"Umm actually I think you're joining her band"

"I'm gonna go with what she said" Julie said sticking a hand out for me. I grinned taking it.

My life, my life would be real low, zero, flying solo

My life, my life would be real low, zero, flying solo without you

Julie sang the three of us dancing along.

"You're crazy" Flynn mouthed to me making me smile wider. She tilted her head to the side pointed at the bassist who had his focus on me.

Hey! yeah-e-yeah

Hey! yeah-e-yeah

I moved away from the two girls to let them have a moment. Reggies bass playing coming to a halt. Instinctively I moved to his side. His arm finding my waist and pulling me close. A chuckle leaving his lips.

My life, my life would be real low, zero, flying solo without you

Julie harmonized coming forehead to forehead with Flynn.

"Still wanna talk to our parents?"

"No I'm good" Flynn said the two girls hugging.

"Bring it in y/n/n!" Julie said opening her arms wider. I smiled kissing Reggies cheek before rushing to engulf my best friends in a group hug.

"I'm really glad Flynn enjoyed the song today" I spoke after a long day. I was finally able to sit in at my desk and continue drawing in my sketchbook.

With Reggie present in the room as well. Like most nights.

"I did too. She seems like a cool girl"

"Oh she is Reg. She was literally my first ever friend and with Julie the three of us have been inseparable since" I explained to my boyfriend who moved his arms behind his head.

"Well then I guess I'll have to get to know her better. For your sake of course" He said the room falling into a comfortable silence with exception of my soft music playing in the background.

Ed Sheeran to be exact. He had easily become one of the boy's favorites new artist. So when they hung out in my room I played him a lot. Along with other artists of course.

It had been about 15 minutes of my pencil hitting the paper when I finally looked up to see Reggie gazing at me.

"Have you been staring at me this whole time?"

"Maybe"

"Why?" I asked.

"Because your adorable"

"Really Reg. Look at you. Your a hot teenage ghost rocker from the 90's and you think I'm adorable" I giggled.

"I love your laugh" He stated my cheeks immediately heating up.

"Thanks" I smiled shyly.

"I love you" He spoke again. My heart stopping.

That was the first time either of us had said that. Since the night I met them in Julie's garage to now. Those were the last words I never expected anyone to say that wasn't family or Julie or Flynn.

Upon not hearing a response the look on his face dropped as he pulled himself to the edge of the bed in front of me.

"I-I mean you don't have to say it b-back I was just thinking out loud but like I could have been t-talking about anything like pizza. I love pizza. P-pizzas good well except pineapple pizza kinda of sort of. Actually you know what's really good cheese pizza that's nice I really like it-" I quickly cut him off by placing a tender kiss to his lip. Feeling his hands cup my cheeks the warmth of them making me feel safe. Loved.

I wanted more of him. I wanted to feel all of him.

Finally breaking apart I smiled at the boy in front of me.

"What?" He asked as I gazed into his beautiful brown eyes.

"I love you too Reg" His small smile only getting bigger.

He quickly removed the sketchbook away from me. Placing me onto his lap.

"Are you sure?"

"I don't think I've ever been more sure of anything my whole life" I smiled as he pushed a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Kiss me" I whispered. Reggie immediately taking action.

I giggled as he began to kiss down my neck my hands flying to remove his red flannel. He was quick to remove it himself among my request. His other hand gripping my waist. I took this as my opportunity to fix myself on his lap straddling him. Like I'd done so many times before.

Our lips met in the middle as we both kissed each other with such force. Such passion. I smirked into the kiss as I placed my hand under Reggies tank top. His reaction something I hadn't expected.

"W-what are you doing?" He asked pulling away to look me in the eyes. I bit my lip giving him a look.

"Oh" He said letting out a breath.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah"

"Have you ever....." He trailed off. I nodded watching his face drop.

"If it helps I didn't really like the guy. And it was a long time ago"

"Oh" He kind of perked up.

"So? Are we good here?" I asked placing a soft kiss on his neck. And another and another. Until finally settling on a spot. Earning a throaty groan from the ghost.

"Yup" He squeaked out making me smirk. I placed my hand where it had been previously hiking it up his shirt. He quickly removed it before pulling me back in for a rough kiss.

"Reggie" I moaned as I began to grind on him only earning a soft whimper from the boy. Thankful my parents were out of town. Not for Reggies sake but mine.

"Come on y/n/n don't tease me now"

"You asked for it Reg" I smirked standing up. I smiled noticing how intently he was watching my next moves. I quickly removed my shirt and bra watching him gulp down nervously.

"Like what you see?" I asked biting my lip nervously.

I watched as he nodded eagerly before continuing. I removed my jeans as well leaving me in my panties before slowly bending down in front of him.

"N-no" He spoke stopping me from reaching toward his jeans.

"W-why not?" I asked confused.

"It's just- I wanna be with you tonight. We have plenty of time for everything else but this. This is different. It's our first time. I mean like not our first times but like our first time together and I-" I quickly cut off his cute rambling again with a kiss.

"I get it Reg. It's about us tonight" I smiled pushing him back onto my bed. Straddling him once more.

“Your so beautiful" He whispered his hands flying to my waist.

"Why thank you Reginald" I spoke bending down to meet his lips. Our bare chest coming into contact for the very first time. I moaned as he toyed with the waistband of my panties.

"Reggie please do something" I mumbled against his lips. He immediately took action flipping us over.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked waiting for my consent.

I simply nodded watching as he removed his jeans and boxers letting his hard on spring free from the contained fabric.

"Reggie" I panted digging my teeth into my bottom lip to widthold from the unholy sounds threatening to escape my lips.

"What baby? What do you want?" He teased pushing his finger against the fabric of my panties.

"You" He quickly ripped apart the thin fabric around my waist letting it fall off my body. Throwing it off to the side.

"Are you ready?"

"Wait!" I shouted pulling open a nearby drawer. I pulled out a condom from a box that had been sitting there for a while.

"Protection? Why do you have that there?"

"Well I knew this day would come Reg. I was hoping it would be with you" I said a smile forming on his face.

"Do you think we'll need it? I mean I'm a ghost"

"Safety first baby"

"Well okay then" He said slipping it on.

"Okay now are you ready?" I nodded as he slowly entered me.

Our moans filled the room as he let me adjust to his size.

"Baby your so tight" "Yeah well it's been a while" I muttered pulling at the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Okay you can move" I said giving him the go.

"If you want me to stop just say so okay?"

"Okay" I confirmed as he lent down to place a kiss upon my lips. He slowly began to move until he found a good pace. His thrust moving faster as a spur of moans left our lips.

"God I love you so much" I mumbled against my lips.

"Mmm. Faster Reg!" I encouraged him really feeling the pleasure course through me now. Getting exactly what I wanted I began to moan louder feeling him hitting my G spot at the perfect angle.

"Right there" I spoke feeling a knot forming in my lower stomach.

"I'm so close baby"

"Me too" He panted. We both released our orgasms at the same time relief washing over me as he pulled out. I laid back on the bed watching him throw the condom in the trash can under my desk.

"That was amazing" He said coming back to hover over me.

"It was" I smiled up at him. Pulling him down from behind his neck for another kiss. "I love you baby. I love you so much"

"I love you more" I said as he laid down beside me pulling the covers over us.

"Impossible"

[kaimelia]

can u write one about last nights episode maybe the kids with links parents and also when they drop the kids off and amelink idk

Handwritten

a/n: hi! i had a bunch of requests to write something after the episode and I hope you enjoy this!

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

"You might want to put on a shirt," Amelia muttered, running her hand over Link's back as she passed. "Your parents are coming in for breakfast in a few minutes."

"Scout spit up all over my shirt. The dude's got an upset stomach today; I've gone through three shirts."

"It's because he keeps eating. Don't give him a bottle every time he cries," she busied herself at the sink, grabbing a plate from last night's dinner. "But seriously, go put on a shirt before your parents walk in and think we were doing something else." He groaned dramatically, dragging his feet as he walked towards the stairs. She shook her head in amusement and laughed to herself.

"Better?" He asked after returning, gesturing to his clean shirt.

"Appropriate for parents," she grinned, crossing her arms over her chest. "Did you have any idea they were coming?"

"Nope. I think my mom knew that if she said anything, I'd try to convince them out of it or give them a fake address." Link picked up stray toys from the living room floor, tidying up the space around him. "You're not mad they're here, right?" She walked over to join him, folding the throw blanket and tossing it over the back of the couch.

"No, I'm actually glad they're here. It's the break we never thought we'd get." Amelia stopped at the sound of a knock on the door, moving faster than Link to answer the door. He followed behind her, his hand settling on the small of her back as the door opened to reveal his parents. "Hi," Amelia greeted, stepping back as they walked through the doorway.

"I hope the kids didn't drive you too insane after we got home," Maureen pulled Amelia into a hug.

"No, they were out like lights as soon as they got home. We literally can't thank you enough for doing that." She greeted Eric before Link led them all into the living room. "I'll go start on some waffles for us?" Amelia suggested, heading into the kitchen.

"Oh, I'll come help!" Maureen eagerly followed behind the neurosurgeon as their partners both laid on the couch. "I love Eric, but being in an RV with him for two weeks straight gets to be a lot." Amelia grinned while pulling the waffle maker out from the cabinet.

"There are too many kids in here for Link and I to get sick of each other. Yesterday was the first time we've actually gotten to spend time with each other since the beginning of the pandemic. It feels like there's always someone who needs our attention." Maureen smiled sympathetically, watching as Amelia mixed ingredients together.

"How's their mom doing?"

"Meredith's awake, which is a total relief. I don't want to get my hopes up or anything, but I have a feeling she'll be coming home soon."

"And she's your sister-in-law, right?" The brunette smiled in affirmation, pouring batter into the machine. "They're great kids, even better in person than on a computer screen."

"It's a little surreal to see you in person," Amelia joked, pulling a plate out of the cabinet. "I got used to the slight distortion from the camera and the occasional freezing when you'd talk. Now your mouth moves in sync with your words. Could you hand me a spatula?  The drawer to your right. Thanks," she placed a waffle onto the plate. Her hands ran through her hair, pressing lightly against her temples. "It's so oddly quiet. You guys really tired the kids out."

"We'd love to do it again sometime. I can't imagine having a newborn while also having to parent your nieces and nephew, all during a pandemic."

"One day at a time," Amelia mumbled. "But, whenever you want to take them, they're all yours. They need some sort of grandparent experience anyway."

"Do they not know their grandparents?"

"Nope," she shook her head. "Both of Meredith's parents are dead, and so is my dad and my mom's across the country. She hasn't visited since my brother's funeral, which was about five years ago. God, I didn't realize it's been that long."

"We'll be surrogate grandparents. Whenever we come to steal Scout, we'll happily take them along. Someone needs to spoil them."

"Oh, trust me, Link does that enough. I constantly have to remind him that donuts and candy aren't for right before dinner," she laughed, plating more waffles.

"Am I allowed to ask if you two are planning on getting married? Link won't tell me anything," Maureen sighed, running her hand across the countertop.

"We've kinda put that on the back burner. We're not in any sort of rush to get married, as much as Zola would like, so we're waiting until things settle down and we feel better about everything going on." Amelia unplugged the waffle maker and washed her hands in the sink. "Why?"

"I always wanted a daughter. And, I know that marriage is really just a legal thing, but it still makes it official." A blush crept onto Amelia's face, and she smiled widely, looking down for a moment. "Sorry, I should've asked; are you comfortable with me calling you my daughter or daughter-in-law? I get a little excited sometimes and don't watch what I'm saying."

"Of course," they both grinned. "You've honestly been more of a mother than my own, so I am more than okay with that." Maureen pulled Amelia into a tight hug.

"I'm not going to freak out right now," she whispered, pulling back. "I'm delighted to have you in the family. And, seeing you with Link makes me think that we didn't totally screw up his view of love or his life."

"Link is pretty much the best person I know. So, I think you did a fine job raising him, for whatever that's worth." Amelia beamed as she looked at the woman in front of her.

"I think you're just as amazing, for whatever that's worth," Maureen rubbed her daughter-in-law's shoulder lightly before grabbing a plate of waffles. "I'm dying to go eat these."

"We can go eat on the couch. Just don't tell Meredith," Amelia mused, grabbing two plates and carrying one to Link.

"Thank you," he whispered, sitting up from the couch. "Did you have a good time with my mom?" Amelia turned to him with a grin on her face and laid her head against his shoulder.

"I really did."

"Remember when you were terrified to meet them?" She rolled her eyes and stuck her fork into a waffle.

"Keep talking, and I'll bring my mother out here. That'll make you shut up." His face fell, and she laughed, shoving a forkful into her mouth. "I'm joking."

"Yeah, until she shows up on our doorstep one day."

"You'd be fine. She'd love you, meeting under normal circumstances where you're not pretending to be my husband, Owen." He shook his head in amusement. "After all, you're probably the sanest of anyone I've introduced to her."

"Probably," he whispered, picking up his own fork. "Very reassuring." Amelia nudged his arm as a laugh fell from her mouth.

"It's pretty hard not to love you."

"Even harder to not love you."

[kingstylesdaily]

The Pure Joy of Harry Styles Got Me Through 2020

BY MICHELLE RUIZ

Some people turned to controlled substances, tie-dye matching sets, or the ubiquitous sourdough, but it was Harry Styles in a Gucci chick egg sweater, crooning about oral pleasure on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series, that got me though some of the gloomiest days of 2020.

Shot in pre-pandemic February, the dreamy acoustic set, including riffs on the smash singles "Watermelon Sugar" and "Adore You," is a 16-minute serotonin rush: Styles, in his gravelly tenor, singing that he'd walk through fire for you; Styles, with his perfect, princely hair and rugged stubble, dancing on a swiveling office chair. It's unbearably charming, sensual, and fundamentally joyful; the 26-year-old Brit feel like a burst of confetti in a relentlessly terrible year.

Styles's sophomore solo album, Fine Line, was released at the tail end of 2019, but it fully bloomed in 2020: "Watermelon Sugar," his first number-one solo single in the U.S., was the undisputed earworm of summer; "Adore You" was the second most-listened-to song of the year, according to Variety, which named Styles Hitmaker of the Year. It's no coincidence that Fine Line was streamed more than 1 billion times in the throes of a global, deadly pandemic: "It's an album full of uptempo, unabashedly fun bops," Tia Williams, beauty writer, author of the forthcoming novel Seven Days in June, and avowed Styles fan, told Vogue. "'Watermelon Sugar,' 'Adore You,' and 'Sunflower' are like rays of light beaming on Laurel Canyon."

Styles's shiny, happy, summer-of-love aura provided a desperately-needed antidote to 2020: The "Watermelon Sugar" video, dropped in May, was "dedicated to touching," a technicolor, quasi-orgy on the beach that both made me long for the innocence of the Before Times, but also felt—for three minutes, anyway—like an escape from the horrors of the news cycle.

"2020 has been such a terrifying year," Williams said, but the cheeky world of "Watermelon Sugar" "can't help but take you away from our grim reality." Tyler McCall, editor-in-chief of Fashionista.com, has been "listening to Fine Line on repeat just to get through the year," she told me. "I think it's impossible to be in a bad mood when you're listening to 'Golden.'" (It must be noted, too, that album's breakup suite of songs, like "Cherry," spoke to the forlorn, aching nature of the pandemic.)

McCall and Williams both took a shine to Styles during the One Direction era, with Williams citing his "ethereal beauty, tats, and 70's rock-style songs." I made the grave mistake of overlooking Styles in his 1D infancy, shrugging him off as just another basic, beanie-clad boy band member. But I learned this year that he's a sex god like Jagger, a showman like Elton and a boundary-pusher in the grand tradition of Bowie, with his own personal ethos of inclusivity and sweetness. The 11th track on Fine Line—the retro-groovy "Treat People with Kindness"—is also a Styles mantra, splashed on official merch and backed up by vocal support of the LGBTQ+ community, a pledge to back Black Lives Matter, the legendary act of feeding a fan's fish after taking temporary shelter when his car broke down in October and not speaking ill of his exes, even on Howard Stern. “I just don’t think you need to be a dick to be a good artist," Styles told The Guardian last year.

"He makes niceness chic," Williams said, choosing an "un-edgy, totally earnest mantra" despite his rock star bonafides. "Harry Styles is the heart-eyes emoji, sprung to life." (At first, Williams says she felt peculiar fangirling a former boy-bander as a 40-something Black mom. "I wondered if I was having a midlife crisis," she told me, "but then, I was introduced to actress/producer/novelist Robinne Lee, whose brilliant novel The Idea of You, was inspired by him, and who is, herself, a 40-something Black mom, and I was like, 'Yes, I've found my people.'")

Style's beautiful soul is just one reason why I stand by my own budding fandom, even as I'm mocked by certain family members and even my six-year-old daughter for requesting t-shirts from his official store as my only Christmas gift, or vaulting myself down the Harry YouTube rabbit hole (please seek out his duet with Lizzo on "Juice" at her Miami show at the Fillmore back in January, another world ago). But it's not just that he reads Alain de Botton, writes his own music, wears insane sweaters and has a cosmic connection with Stevie Nicks. Styles also strikes me as a man uniquely suited to the moment.

In an era of grotesque, Trump-fueled toxic masculinity, the sexiest thing about Styles is that he's comfortable in his femininity. What began with his sheer blouse and single drop-earring at the 2019 Met Gala flourished in 2020 with a spate of traditionally femme fashion, including fishnets, a signature pearl necklace and a Gucci dress, as the first male to ever appear on the cover of Vogue.

Tyler Mitchell's Vogue shoot "felt significant because it's still so rare to see male celebrities challenge conventional ideals of masculinity," Liz Plank, author of For the Love of Men, told Vogue. "We still live in a culture that encourages us to protect girls from gendered expectations and stereotypes, but that gets very uncomfortable when we suggest doing the same for boys."

The way Styles dresses, the fact that he paints his nails and wears stacked heels beneath his sailor pants, continually prompts speculation about sexuality, and I can't help but notice that this doesn't trigger him, or elicit passionate defenses or assertions that he is not gay. When The Guardian asked if he'd ever been asked if he is bisexual, Styles replied, “It’s just: who cares?" He denies he's “sprinkling in nuggets of sexual ambiguity to try and be more interesting," as he puts it. "I want things to look a certain way. Not because it makes me look gay, or it makes me look straight, or it makes me look bisexual, but because I think it looks cool... I just think sexuality’s something that’s fun."

Styles's splendor-in-the-grass moment in Vogue sparked now-infamous backlash from conservative talking head Candace Owens, who whined: "Bring back manly men." That reaction "is proof that women can be just as sexist and drunk on the patriarchal kool-aid as men," Plank said, adding that the right-wing is creating a "moral masculinity panic, this idea that men are under attack by feminism." Plank credits Styles, but also notes that "there's a courageous pack of masculinity-bending, often LGBTQ or gender non-binary men, who have been rocking these same looks for decades getting punished for it, rather than celebrated for it."

Styles has become a fashion influencer for folks across the gender spectrum, including McCall, who now feels inspired to wear her grandmother's pearls "without seeming prim and uptight," and Ryan Kazmarek, a Harry devotee and stylist at IGK Soho in New York who is still mourning the fact that coronavirus thwarted his plan to fly to Styles's now-postponed Manchester, United Kingdom shows with his boyfriend, William. Styles's fearlessness "has opened my eyes," Kazmarek told me. "I have recently been like, 'Okay, I'm going to check the women's section.'"

For his next act, Styles, who had a small but memorable role as a British soldier Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk, will star in Olivia Wilde's forthcoming psychological-horror film, Don't Worry, Darling—and the photos of a dapper, suited Styles on the set has already overwhelmed Harries. "I don't even like horror movies—they literally give me nightmares—and still I am mentally handing my money over to Olivia Wilde," McCall said.

via vogue.com

[puckyess]

I Hope Part 3 | Roman Ahcan & Brock Caufield

Here it is! Are you Team Brock or Team Roman? As always, my inbox is open to talk about I Hope! I love hearing from y’all 🤍🤍

*** FEEDBACK IS APPRECIATED ***

Words: 9k

Part 1 // Part 2

“Y/N have you seen Brock, I think we have a problem - oh shit, am I interrupting something?”

If there was ever a moment where Brock felt that he could kill his friend, now would be that time. His words were caught in his throat as his eyes traveled from your flushed face - which was just inches away from his-  to Owen’s wide eyes. He took a step back from you to help clear his mind and ran a hand through his hair.

“Um, kind of, but what’s the problem? I hope it’s good” he asks.

Owen looks hesitantly between you and Brock and all you can do is shrug your shoulders, clearly Brock wasn’t going to confess his feelings with Owen in the room and the moment was ruined now anyway.

“Roman’s looking for you”, he says with eyes trained on Brock.

As if it were an instinct, Brock’s jaw twitches and his eyes flicker in your direction. You have a sinking feeling in your gut that something bad is about to happen.

“”He’s been asking around about the night we sent that picture to Y/N” Owen reports nervously, “And he’s looking for you because he’s convinced that you sent it”.

You huff out a sigh, “What does it matter who sent it? He still cheated no matter who sent it, I just found out about it sooner rather than later. It doesn't change anything”.

At hearing your words, Brock’s shoulders relax some. He hadn’t gotten out how he felt about you, but it sounded like you were still standing firm in your decision to not let Roman off the hook.

“It matters because I’m in on it and he’s going to kick my ass!” Owen rushes out. “Or worse he’ll just torment me like he did Brock all this time”.

He looks deflated like it’s a lose - lose situation and your heart breaks that these boys have this view of the person you had at one time put on a pedestal.

“He’s not going to lay a finger on either of you and he’ll leave you alone too. He wants to prove he’s a better person and I don’t think he'll jeopardize that when I’m involved” you say, shaking your head. Roman loved a good challenge after all.

“I don’t know about him being this changed person but I’m not afraid of him. If a fight’s what he’s looking for, then let him. I’m done playing his game” Brock says.

“No, there will be no fights. This has gone on long enough, everyone just needs to drop it. It’s in the past. Now can we please go get something to eat, I’m starving” you try to settle the matter.

The boys look at each other but both nod and you get up to get ready and tell them to decide where they want to go. When you come back to them 20 minutes later, they’re still debating.

“How about Hollander? They have your chicken and waffles and good brunch since it’s really past breakfast time” Brock suggests, getting into the car.

He misses the way your voice strains when you say, “sure”. How could he have known that Roman used to take you there every Sunday, for the same reason. You’d wake up too late because he’d let you sleep, and then you’d be starving when you woke up. Owen can sense there’s something off but he remains quiet in the backseat.

The moment is forgotten as you order your favorite and can already feel your mood change with some food in your stomach. You laugh with the boys as they tell you a story from practice of Owen taping the blade of Ryder’s skates and how he looked like Bambi as soon as he hit the ice, literally. It’s light and relaxed and a complete contrast to what the early afternoon had been like and it was refreshing.

Roman watched as your bright smile took over your face and your loud laughter brought out the smiles of the people you were with. Half of him fell in love all over again but the other half was ready to lay Brock out right there in the middle of the diner.

He knew he never should’ve come here, but this was your spot and he thought maybe, just maybe it would help him clear his head and calm down like it had so many times before when you and him would unwind from the weekend and reset for the week. Sundays at Hollander’s were your thing with him. He hadn’t expected the feelings that came with seeing you walk through the door with someone else, especially when it was Brock.

Owen saw him before you did. You could tell by the way his face changed from relaxed to fearful and tense. His eyes snapped away from whatever or whoever it is that had him stuttering over his words. Your eyes follow his trail and land on none other than Roman.

Your eyes lock and you can feel your heart beat a little faster. Now Brock turns to see who’s caught your attention and who has his friend tripping over his words. He doesn’t even meet Roman’s gaze because someone else has his full attention, you.

He wants nothing more than to confront Roman right here and now, except maybe your eyes on him instead. It’s like all of the memories of being in this same situation hit him at once and his blood pressure rises. His fists clench on the table and it breaks the trance you were in. You reach over and place a hand on his balled up one and give him a little squeeze.

He’s surprised at the contact but instantly melts under your touch, uncurling his fingers and giving you a tight lipped smile. You’re thankful for how quickly he gives into you and can’t help but compare his reaction to the boy sitting tables away watching your every move. It was the second time that day that you were able to bring him back down to earth and you couldn’t believe how easy it was.

Roman watches the whole scene play out. From the way he can see the heat rise to your cheeks the minute your eyes reach his. He can also see the warning look on your face, letting him know that Owen clearly ran right over to your place after he had asked in the group chat if anyone knew who had sent that picture that night. He watched as Brock’s jaw twitched and fists clenched and he readied himself for a confrontation. It’s what he wanted. He knew Brock was the one who helped to end his relationship and who was standing in the way of his happiness now.

And then he watched as you sent a message to him, covering Brock’s hand with your own. Roman is both disgusted with and in awe of how quickly Brock responds to your touch and calms down. With your attention on him, Brock backs off and Roman is nothing more than another stranger in the diner.

Roman remembers time after time when you would use the same tactics with him anytime he got too heated in a bar or an argument, but he would never react in the same way Brock just had. He would never melt under your touch. Soften? Yes, but completely give himself over to you like that? Never. And maybe that’s the difference, he thought. Maybe that’s what you wanted now. That’s the message you were sending him when you took Brock’s hand in yours right in front of him. Consider the message received.

If that’s what you wanted, he had a lot of work to do to prove that he had changed and that started with not fighting Brock in the middle of a diner. It took everything in him, but he got up and started toward the door.

You held your breath as Roman approached your table, willing Brock and Owen to stay put and not cause a scene. But you were surprised and confused when Roman glanced your way and gave a simple nod, continuing on his path until he was out the door and all three of you were left staring after his figure.

—

“So”, Brock starts. His eyes dance around the room and he busies himself with the hem of his shirt, but he finally meets your eyes when he asks “do you want to go to dinner tonight? With me? We can finally try that steak place that opened up a while ago”

You think back to that night and how awful you’d felt when Cole had told you of all the work his brother had gone through to have a fun night with you. You had never made it to the restaurant, even after all this time.

You broke out into a smile, “I’d love that”. And you would. All feelings from earlier with Roman were forgotten and replaced with the butterflies of what could possibly happen with Brock.

You put in a little extra effort to make yourself presentable, feeling like this was more than just dinner with your best friend, Brock. A little extra time on making sure your hair is just right, a little extra time spent picking out your clothes, and a little extra spritz of perfume are all worth it when you walk to where Brock is seated on your couch, waiting on you as usual. His face lights up and his eyes take their time traveling up and down your body and you can't help the feeling in your stomach and the heat rising to your cheeks as you watch the way he’s taking in your appearance. You both stand there, speechless for a moment before he closes the distance between you two and embraces you. You swear you hear him suck in a breath as he does so.

“You’re breathtaking” he tells you, face buried in your hair.

Again, you have that feeling of more than just friends. It doesn’t feel wrong, just different and you don’t quite know what to do with it. Things fall back into their normal rhythm though as he pulls you out the door, chastising you for always making you guys late.

--

The steakhouse was next level, combining the contemporary feel of the city with the warmth of a traditional steakhouse. Your table was tucked away in the corner with a bottle of Cabernet waiting for you. You gave Brock a knowing look, wine drunk was your specialty and you had over time turned your best friend into a wine lover as well through your many wine nights.

“So”, Brock said, raising his glass in a cheers.

“What’re we cheers-ing to”, you asked with a silly grin on your face.

“There’s a number of things I could think of” he says, and you can tell that he’s debating which one he wants to actually say out loud. “How about cheers to finally having our freedom to be us”.

“I can cheers to that. Cheers to us” you say and clink your glass against his.

“So,” you smiled, bringing your wine glass to your lips, “Are we going to address the elephant in the room?.”

He shakes his head, a small smile on his lips. “I’ve been waiting all day for you to bring it back up. I’m surprised it took you so long, you’re not usually this patient”, he teases.

“I have been very patient”, you concede, “now ‘fess up, Caufield”.

“I think you already know what we were getting at earlier” he says, now looking more nervous. He knows it’s now or never and damn it if that didn’t scare him to death. He didn’t want to lose you again, but that was very well a possibility if you didn’t feel the same way that he did.

Sensing his hesitation and wanting to assure him, you reach across the table and take his hand for the second time that day. “B, it’s okay. I’m not going anywhere” you tell him, practically reading his racing mind.

He was grateful for how well you could read him and put his faith in your reassurance. He took a deep breath. “I love you. And not just as a friend. I think you know this, but you’ve- we’ve never done anything about it and I don’t know. The timing just never seemed right and well you know, there was Rroman and then when you guys were done I didn’t want to push you. And honestly I’ve just been scared of my feelings ruining our relationship. I just haven’t said anything. I’d rather have you in my life as my best friend though than not at all. So if you don’t feel the same, that’s ok. We can just forget I ever said anything and just stay friends.”

As hard as it was to keep his eyes on you after his confession, he forced himself to. He wanted to watch your face as he told you, wanting to make sure you were hearing him this time and were honest with him. He trusted you of course but you had a tendency to want to spare his feelings and this couldn’t be one of those times.  

While you had known he cared for you and had even heard him say he wanted to be with you, you hadn’t prepared yourself for what it would feel like to hear him say “I love you”. The last time you had heard those words from a boy, you were dating someone else, someone who betrayed you in the worst way possible.

You forgot how much weight those three words carried. How they had the ability to make your knees go weak and send your stomach in spirals. You forgot how warm they felt and how you could feel like you were soaring on cloud 9. You forgot how secure you could feel, hearing them come from someone you loved. You loved.

Your mind stopped right there. And you knew then. You did love him, Brock, your best friend. You loved him and it was a good, healthy kind of love. Not one of passion and intense attraction, but one that was safe and caring and exactly what you needed.

You were pleasantly surprised when the words easily fell from your lips. “I love you, Brock”.

You’ve never seen your best friend smile that big than when you finally told him what he’s been waiting all of this time to hear. Other than his smile and squeezing your hand, he doesn’t make a huge deal out of it. “Can I finally call you my girlfriend now?” he asks with an adorable grin.

“I think that can be arranged” you say with a smirk.

You had been nervous for not only how the whole evening might go after his confession, but how your relationship might change. There were so many awkward moments that could have resulted from the shift but it was turning out to be a nearly perfect night. The longer the two of you talked the more you could feel yourself relax into the easiness that has always been you and Brock. His wittiness countered your sarcastic remarks and flirty teasing in a way that had you exploding into giggles and him into laughs, earning you a few dirty looks from other diners in the restaurant. You felt like you’d been dating him for longer than a few hours and that maybe you should have been dating him all along.

“I don’t want this night to end” he admits as he signs the check and sets it on the table.

“Then don’t let it” you tell him with a shrug.

And so he doesn’t. You leave the restaurant with your hand in his and head toward the Capitol. It’s one of your favorite spots in the city to people watch. No matter what time of year, you can park yourself on the steps or the grass and watch the world pass by around you. You loved staring down the street to the water and being able to see the tall glass buildings on either side.

Brock looked over at you, sitting next to him on the steps and tucked into his side. You looked so at peace, relaxed and had a certain energy to you that was contagious. A feeling that made him believe everything was finally falling into place. He could see now, even more than before why Roman was so possessive with you. Even though he had you all to himself tonight, there was something about you that he wanted to have around him forever.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, pulling you a little closer, “I hope tonight was as fun for you as it was for me”.

You lift your head to find him smiling down at you.

“What’re you thanking me for? I should be thanking you. Tonight was the most fun I’ve had in a long time”.

“For finally giving me a chance” he says simply.

You can’t help that the corners of your mouth turn down in a frown. The boy next to you was so deserving of love and you had knowingly deprived him of that. You felt that you didn’t deserve him now.

Brock laughs at your reaction. “I didn’t mean that in a bad way. I’m just glad you’re mine now” and he gives you a little squeeze.

“I’m glad I’m yours too”, you admit honestly, staring into his eyes. Something shifts then, as Brock nervously licks his lips. His eyes flit between yours and the smile on your face. And the next thing you know, his finger is under your chin, gently tilting your lips toward his. He leans in and right before your lips meet, he asks, “Is it okay if I kiss you now?”

You grin and he’s so close that he feels your lips form a smile as a response. His other hand finds your waist and you melt into him without thinking twice. Your hand comes up to play with the ends of his hair at the nape of his neck and your tongue dances with his.

It was soft, a little timid, and so sweet. It was exactly what you would’ve imagined kissing your best friend would be like. You waited for the fireworks, the sparks to fly but they didn’t come. You felt loved and happy, but you didn’t feel like every part of you was on fire. And you knew exactly why. It was unfair to compare the two boys but you couldn’t deny it.

When you finally pulled away you were breathless all the same. Your lips were swollen and his cheeks were a deep red.

“I could get used to that,” he smirks.

You gasp and shake your head, but there’s a smile on your face, “We’ll see about that”. You wouldn’t mind a few more to see if you could get that same firey feeling from Brock.

You hold your hand out to him, getting up. “Come on, Caufield. Take me home”.

He happily accepts your hand, pulling you in for another kiss. And then another as you walk down State Street, arms swinging. And another under the streetlights on the corner. He steals one last kiss at your front door and this one leaves a love struck smile on your face. He promises to pick you up for breakfast the following morning and you tell him to make sure he lets you know when he gets home safe.

-

Brock was the perfect boyfriend, if there ever was one. He remembered your coffee order and every date in your calendar, even better than yourself. He danced with you in the kitchen and surprised you with flowers at seemingly the perfect times. He made sure to ask how you were feeling every day with a good morning text and never went to bed without making sure to tell you he loved you. He made time for you in his busy schedule and never once showed up late for date night. He took you on picnics, to fancy dinners, and ordered in with you. He was just clingy enough to assure you that he wanted you, but he gave you your personal space as well. He said all the right things, impressed all the right people. He was a walking Hallmark movie character, showering you with love and yet you were still left wanting more.

In the moment you would lean into his touches and your stomach would hurt from laughing so much when you were with him. You felt comfortable with him and never judged. You could be yourself. You loved being wrapped in his arms and loved the way he felt in yours. But sometimes when you would shut the door it just felt like there was something missing. It didn’t happen often, but when it did it was so consuming you just had to get away.

You knew it was unsafe to be out in the city at night by yourself. You watched the news and had seen enough crime shows to know that. Yet you found yourself wrapping yourself in your coat and walking out the door anyway.

You knew where you’d end up even before you made it to the end of North Lake Street. Leaning on the white railing of the little balcony overlooking the water you took a deep steadying breath. You didn’t know if you wanted to clear your mind or think things over and you didn’t have time to decide because you hear a familiar voice behind you.

“Got a lot on your mind?” Roman asked from a distance.

You chuckled to yourself. “You could say that, yes”.

“This always was your thinking spot” he said as he came up next to you, leaning on the railing as well. He didn’t look at you and as you studied his profile you could tell there was a lot he wasn’t saying.

Finally breaking the silence that had formed, you ask “What’re you doing out here?”

True to his style, he questions you instead. “You know I should be asking you the same thing. It’s not safe for you to be out here alone”

You roll your eyes, but don’t argue, knowing he’s not wrong. “Okay, dad. You don’t need to worry about me, I can take care of myself”. You mean it lightly, but there’s a little bite to your tone and he winces.

“Just because you’re not mine to worry about, doesn’t mean I don’t worry about you” he shoots back and then softer he says, “I guess you rubbed off on me. I find myself coming here when I need to think too. Just out of habit I guess. The water kinda reminds me of back home, calms me” he shrugs.

You stare at the man beside you. This was the man you fell in love with. You loved when he showed you this side of himself, the side that was soft and opened up to you.

You know there’s a good chance you might regret asking, but even after everything you still cared about Roman and you knew how in his head he could get. If there was anything you could do to relieve that, you would.

“Anything you want to share?”

“I don’t know that you want to hear about me and my problems,” he said, shaking his head.

“I wouldn’t have asked if that were the case. Spill the tea, Ahcan”, you said with a smile.

His heart is thumping with your every word. He can’t believe that you have it in your heart to actually want to listen to him vent, he knows he doesn’t deserve it. But he should’ve known better, you were always there for him, always caring for others.

Even though he wants to start with his feelings, he doesn’t. Regardless of holding that part back, the rest pours out of him. About everything, things that were going on while you were dating that you had no idea about, every worry, fear, laugh he’s had, he shares it with you. He doesn’t even know where half the stuff comes from, he just feels so comfortable with you that everything comes out.

He tells you about the locker room last year and the stress that everyone was under. The young guys were getting too much placed on their shoulders and the older guys weren't pulling their weight. There was such a divide and he didn’t know what to do about it. He’d taken the side of the younger guys more than once but he just found himself in between and out of place.

You thought about the previous year and his occasional bad moods and how the whole team would rarely go out together. You had thought it was because of his issues with Brock, but now it was all starting to make sense. Why hadn’t he just told you?

He told you about how hopeful he had been to make captain or at least alternate this year and his disappointment in making neither. You knew of his aspirations and how much he had wanted to prove himself and it hurt your heart to hear how much he was still beating himself up over not getting a letter.

“You still have next year”, you reminded him.

He gives a sad shake of his head. “I’m pretty sure I blew it a long time ago. The guys aren’t exactly my biggest fans. Why would they want me to lead them when half of them can’t stand me”

You thought back to when Owen had seemed terrified of him and Brock, well he had his excuses.

“They don’t hate you, Roman. They just don’t know you the way I do. You don’t show them this side of you, you play tough guy around them and they’re just kids. They need a friend, someone on their side not someone who can kick their ass. And I get that you’re not some soft and sweet guy all the time but if they just got to see you like I do, then they’d follow you to hell and back. Let them see the real you, you’re a good guy”

He didn’t know how you always knew the right words to say, but somehow you did. You told it to him straight, without straight up saying he was an asshole to everyone and that’s why he wasn’t everyone’s favorite. You were sweet and honest, supportive and encouraging. And more importantly your words gave him hope that maybe, just maybe he wasn’t an awful person and still had a chance with you.

“How do you do that?”

“How do I do what?” You laughed.

“You always know how to say just the right things that make me see some sense”

Now you really laughed. “You? See sense? And listen to me? That’s a good one”

He rolled his eyes but there was a smile on his face, a real one and for the first time in a while. “Get out of here, you know what I mean” he said with a little shove to your shoulder. It felt good to joke around with him again.

He kept the mood lighter and continued on telling you about how despite not getting a letter, the season looked promising. The new group was mature and ready to work. They fit in well with the guys here and Granato was making some line changes that seemed to be working well. They set team goals and he really thought they had a shot this year.

He filled you in on Jack and Grant. Grant had made his commitment to play at St. Cloud and Jack had gotten a deal with Boston. Seeing the way his eyes lit up when he talked about his brother’s new journeys and how proud he was of them warmed your heart. You had missed seeing him like this and you had missed his family. Those boys were like brothers of your own, constantly ganging up with you on Roman. Jack had your back and always checked in on you and Grant constantly competed for your attention in front of Roman. It was good to know that they were doing well.

He told you about his classes. He was now in the bulk of courses that actually had to do with personal finance. He was more interested now, but was worried about balancing it with the season. He now had to meet regularly with his tutor to stay on track and it was way more work than last year. He was also starting an internship in the spring and was hoping to make solid connections in case his plan to continue with hockey after college didn’t go as planned.

“Look at you, Ro. You’re doing great things. You should be proud, I know I am”

It takes everything in him to not pull you into him and never let you go. He wanted to kiss you and tell you with his lips the words he couldn’t say, just to let you feel how sorry he was, how grateful he was for you and how much he still loved you.

“Thank you, Y/N. That means so much to me”.

You can tell he wants to say more but he surprises you by asking about yourself.

“Now enough about me. I’m sure you didn’t come here tonight, risking your life, to listen to my life story. I wanna hear about you. What’s on your mind?”

You had been more of the listener in the relationship, and that was okay with you. Sure, he’d ask about your day, but it was more routine. You’d tell him about work drama, but he’d be playing video games. He listened but not like this.

“You really want to hear my sob story, huh?” you asked, moving to sit on the steps that led to the water. Despite it being October, the water was still pretty warm as it lapped at your feet.

“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t. Now spill the tea, Y/N” he echoes your words from earlier with a smirk, taking a seat close to you so that your thighs were touching. 

You want to tell him how something’s missing with Brock, how great it is with him, but just not the same as it was with him. But you can’t, so you tell him about how exciting your new job is, and how exhausting it is as well. You don’t know how you’re going to continue to deal with the extended workdays. You tell him all about the unique campus and how you still get lost when you leave your office. You tell him about some of the crazy stories you’ve had to deal with that have him disrupting the quiet of the night with his laughter.

You tell him how much you miss your family and how you can feel yourself growing apart from them despite the frequent calls and FaceTimes.

“We’re just from different worlds now it feels like. And I’m always so tired after work that we don’t talk for long. It just kind of feels like we call each other out of habit now, not because either of us really has anything to say. I just hope that moving out here wasn’t a mistake” you admit to him.

He thinks about what the right words to say to you are like you would do for him. He can hear how sad you are over it and he knows how important your family is to you. He also knows the feeling from traveling around for hockey. He was fortunate now to only drive a few hours to see his family, but you weren’t as lucky.

“It’s hard, but that’s part of growing up I think. You took a huge chance on yourself and did what was best for you. I think that’s really admirable to have the courage to do that. I don’t know that I would have, I even stayed close to home most of the time for hockey. I’ve seen you so happy out here and doing what you have to, to grow into the person you are today and I think that should be worth it to you. Your family won’t stop loving you just because you moved.”

You were blown away by the sincerity of his advice to you. It was deep and more thoughtful than any advice you remember him saying to you while you were dating. Everything seemed so honest now and real.

“Plus I wouldn’t have met you if you hadn’t taken the chance to come to Wisconsin and I don’t like that thought” he says.

“That’s true. I wouldn’t have wanted to not meet you either”.

And it was true. He was your first love and would always hold a special place in your heart. Things hadn’t been perfect and it certainly wasn’t the ending you had wanted, but he had taught you a lot. He had shown you what love was, what it was like to get to really get to know someone- the good, the bad, and the ugly. He taught you how to be broken and how to pick up the pieces and how to need someone. He taught you how to accept help and how to let yourself be happy again. And for that you would always love him.

“I am sorry, you know. No matter how many times I tell you, it’ll never be enough”, he says then.

“I do know. I forgive you, I already told you that” you remind him.

He’s quiet after that. He hasn’t forgotten your words, he’s pretty sure they’d stay with him forever. You could forgive him, but you’d never forget what he did. He can’t believe that he’d let himself hurt you that badly for him to always be a scar on your life.

“I’m not that same guy anymore”, he swears, “I wouldn’t hurt you like that again, ever. I’d treat you so much better. I just... see things differently now. I appreciate everything a lot more.”

“Roman…” you trail off. You didn’t really know what to say to him. You didn’t know if you could have the same amount of self-control as you had the first time you had denied him in your apartment.

“I know...and I’m not pushing for anything right now, but do you think we could at least be friends?” he asks with a nervous smile, “ We kind of skipped that part of our relationship before, it would be nice to get to know you again”.

“I'd like that. A lot actually”, you admit.

“Me too”, he sighs. “I’ve missed this, us.” And then squinting at the sky and glancing at his watch he says “I think we literally talked the night away. It’s 7:00, the sun’s rising”.

You look out over Lake Mendota and sure enough the sky is turning a beautiful orange. “You’re rarely up for these” he teases, nudging your shoulder.

You roll your eyes at him, but he wasn’t wrong. You were very much a night owl and very much not a morning person.

“It’s beautiful”, you breathe out.

Roman hums in response, but he’s not even watching the sun come up. He takes a mental picture and then tries to do one better, taking his phone out of his pocket.

You giggle when he points it at you and hold your hand out in front of your face.

“Come on, hold still” he commands you, his camera following your squirming. “You used to make me pose for stuff like this all the time”.

His words pause your movements as you remember all the times you made him freeze on the spot when the lighting was just right, whether it was the city lights coming in through the window, the moonlight, candlelight, or golden hour glow. You had a whole portfolio of them in your camera roll still.

“See, that wasn’t so hard””, he says, pulling you from your thoughts. Actually looking at the picture he sucks in a breath. “Stunning” he says under his breath and holds it out to you for your approval. Even though you had been lost in thought, there’s still a smile playing at your lips and you’re looking past the camera at the person behind it. The background was vibrant orange and red, but you were the central focus of the picture.

“That doesn’t even look like me” you comment.

“You’re posting this”, he tells you.

You laugh, “Excuse me?”

He shrugs, “It’s too good not to post”.

You roll your eyes, but you feel the butterflies and the blush from his comment. “I don’t know about that. I do know I’m hungry though. Do you want to get food with me?”

“Bassett Street?” he asks with a knowing grin.

“How’d you guess?” you confirm with a matching smile.

--

Brock wakes up early that morning and decides to go for a good run. Life since he started dating you has been picturesque, if he could elevate his game too he would be living the dream. He’d been training extra hard to make that happen. You wouldn't be up for a couple hours anyway, he could get his training out of the way now and then spend the day with you, and maybe hang out with the boys later that night.

When he rounds the corner of North Bassett his pace comes to a halt and he does a double take. He feels like he’s looking in from the outside as he stands across the street, staring at you through the floor to ceiling glass windows, watching you have breakfast with your ex. He feels like he might be sick and he suddenly needs to get as far from you as possible, sprinting back the way he came.

How could he be so stupid to think that you’d actually keep your word when it came to Roman? Of course you’d go back to him. And you were never up this early, which means that you either would have had to make plans with him last night or you were with him last night and he woke you this morning. The fact that Brock didn’t know the answer to either of those questions made him all the more anxious. You wouldn’t cheat on him, right? Not after being cheated on and not after everything you two had been through together he told himself. But you did always make an exception for Roman. He tried to shake the thoughts off in the shower and ended up staying in there until the water ran cold.

--

After your breakfast with Roman you came home and crashed on your couch. While it had been good to catch up with him and not have anyone leave in tears, your body was still exhausted from having stayed up all night.

By the time you woke up it was close to noon. Checking your phone, you frowned when you didn’t have any notifications from Brock. He always sent you good morning messages and it was late for him and you still didn’t have any messages. It was unlike him.

You did however, have one from Roman. It was the picture from this morning along with the message “post it or I will. You put the sunrise to shame ;)”. It was probably a little too flirty to be coming from someone who was not your boyfriend, but it put a smile on your face all the same. At least someone was giving you attention.

After posting the picture and then sending a screenshot to Roman as proof you type out a message to Brock.

Good morning to you too. Are we still hanging out today? It’s beautiful out, we could go for a walk and get some coffee.

An hour passes and still nothing from your boyfriend. You try calling him this time, chewing on your lip and running through his schedule in your head while the phone rings. He didn’t have practice today that you were aware of and he usually went for his run hours before you woke up. He doesn’t pick up so you shoot a text to Cole and ask if Brock is home. When he confirms that he is you throw your phone in your bag and head for his place.

You walk right into the apartment and greet Cole as you do so, asking where his brother is when you don’t see him around. He barely responds to you as he flips through the tv channels.

“What is it with you Caufield boys giving me the cold shoulder today? I’ve texted Brock like a million times and he hasn’t answered”.

“Then take a hint” he throws at you.

Your eyebrows raise in surprise at his snarkiness. “What did you just say?”

He looks pointedly at you. “You heard me. You fucked up”

“Ok you’ve gotta fill me in here. I literally just walked through the door and I’m being attacked”. You’re at a total loss as to what his attitude problem is about.

“Oh so you didn’t stay out all night with your ex and then have breakfast with him?” he asks sarcastically.

You had no idea how word traveled so fast. It was like Gossip Girl around here. “I don’t know how you know that, but Roman and I are just friends”

“Brock saw you out this morning with Roman. Even if that was the case, you would be having a fit if Brock was out all night with his ex. That’s just something you don’t do, Y/N”.

Just then Brock comes out of his room and tells his brother to lay off though he still doesn’t speak to you. Cole grumbles about how he knows he’s right, but still retreats to his room, leaving you alone with Brock in the kitchen.

Part of you feels like you should apologize, but the petty side of you wins out and you stay silent, refusing to speak until he talks to you first. He sighs, knowing the game you’re playing. Not wanting to play anymore he bites the bullet and asks, “where were you last night?”, bracing himself for your response.

“Don’t you already know the answer to that question? Isn’t that why you’re ignoring me?” you sarcastically ask.

“Cool it with games, Y/N. I know you were with him this morning, so were you with him last night too?”. There’s no accusation in his voice, he already knows the answer; he’s just hoping that somehow he’s wrong.

You realize how bad it sounds when you say out loud that, “Yes, I was with Roman last night”.

He feels like he’s been sucker punched with your words and his face matches. You reach for him, but he flinches away and your whole heart shatters.

“It’s not like that, B. Nothing happened, we just talked. We didn’t even go there together, we just ended up in the same place. I promise you, I wouldn’t do that to you.”

You can see he’s thinking. “Wait, go where? Where were you guys?”

“I went down to the terrace, down by the water where we always watch the sunset and Roman showed up a little later and we just ended up talking until the sun came up so we got breakfast and then went our separate ways. But that’s all.”

“So you were out walking in the city in the middle of the night by yourself? Are you crazy? Do you know how unsafe it is?” he starts to flip out on you.

You can’t help but shake your head at his response. “That may be the one thing you and Roman have in common, you’ve both read me the riot act about walking by myself at night now”.

“Well I never thought I’d say it but he’s right on this one. That was really dumb of you. Pick up a phone next time, I’m only one call away”.

“I know”, you say reaching for him again and this time he lets you. You lay your head on his chest and tell him, “you don’t have to worry about Roman, okay? I’m not going back to him”.

“I’ve heard that one before, though, Y/N” he says quietly and you can tell his voice is still sad.

“Things are different now. I have you” and you can hear his heart beat a little quicker with your words.

He places a kiss to the top of your head but says “I trust you. It’s him I don’t trust”.

You sigh, wishing the feud would just go away.

“I know. But you’re gonna have to let it go because even though I’m not going back to him, He’s still going to be in my life and it would be easier for everyone if you two would just put the past in the past and move on”

Brock knows he has to toe the line carefully, as much as he doesn’t like it. He knows this is something you’ll stand firm on and really, he got you in the end even though he had to endure a lot to get to this point.

“I’ll try my best” he tells you. It’s not quite a promise and he doesn’t fully agree, but it’s enough to satisfy you and drop the subject completely. It doesn’t come up at all on your walk around the city, or as you peruse the aisles of the grocery store, or as you make dinner or as you relax in his bed watching movies. He almost forgets about that morning completely.

—

You’re startled awake by yelling and you feel like you’re in a nightmare. You’d recognize the two voices anywhere.

“You little bastard!” Roman shouts as he barges unto Brock’s apartment, “I fucking knew it was you. You had no fucking business getting involved in my relationship”

Brock has no problem firing back at him. “And you have no fucking business being in my apartment right now, and yet here you are. You think you know, but I wasn’t even the one who sent the picture!”

“Oh I know it was Owen, but he’s not the one who’s been the problem all along. That was all you. You’ve been waiting for me to fuck up so you can swoop in since the very beginning.”

“You didn’t make it very hard. You never treated her right, you didn’t deserve her. I’m not going to apologize for anything so if that’s what you’re here for you can leave” Brock tells him, gesturing for the door.

Roman sneers then and moves to stand right in front of Brock. “Oh no. I’m here to fucking kick your ass for fucking up my relationship and stealing my girl. She’s mine” he says through gritted teeth.

Brock’s can feel his anger rising at the thought of Roman taking you back and his wires cross.

“Well you can’t fucking have her. I thought she made it clear that she didn’t want you?” Brock spits.

Roman tries not to wince at Brock’s question. At least the kid had finally toughened up a bit. He knew how to cut deep with his words.

“Yeah well I’ll win her back eventually, you and I both know that. I already was out all night with her, she’s just as perfect as I remember. Didn’t you see the picture I took?” Roman brags.

Brock did see the picture but he hadn’t connected the dots of who had taken the picture until now. You had looked beautiful in it, glowing even. And you were staring at something, not the camera. Only now he knew you were staring at someone, not something.

Before he knows what he’s doing, he feels his fist connect with Roman’s face. It knocks Roman off balance and sends him stumbling backward in surprise. He wastes no time in responding with a hit of his own.

You finally decide you’ve had enough and remove yourself from the bed with a groan. You had waited to see if maybe they would work things out finally after they’d gotten whatever it was they needed to get off their chests, but now their jabs at each other were getting messy and you knew you needed to put an end to their foolishness.

You step out of the bedroom just in time to see Brock nail Roman in the face. It’s like slow motion as you watch Roman’s head snap to the side with the force of the hit and then everything is chaotic as he retaliates and Brock is on the receiving end.

You have no idea what to do. You wanted to hurl yourself across the room and break it up, but you knew that you would have no chance of separating the two boys, rolling around on the living room floor. So you watched as the two of them beat the shit out of each other and begged them to stop.

You knew they heard you. Roman’s eyes found yours and hurt flashed in them. You knew it wasn’t from the hit he had just taken either.

You were standing there in Brock’s apartment, in Brock’s clothes and that hurt worse than any punch Brock could deliver. He felt both resigned and angry then and both emotions showed themselves in the fight. His punches were a little harder and he would embrace the pain of every hit received, letting Brock get in a few extra shots.

It was a very even fight, both of them having enough pent up anger to keep it going for much too long. There were hardly any words being said besides their curses as they received another blow and the sounds of their heavy breathing and fists connecting. Finally Brock delivers one last blow to the boy pinned beneath him. He gives Roman’s chest a shove and says “We’re done here” before getting up and walking off toward the bathroom.

Your eyes are wide and you’re dumbfounded at the show of aggression that had just taken place a few feet in front of you. You were stuck in place, not knowing which boy to go after first, but you found yourself inching toward Roman to get a better look at the damage your boyfriend had done.

“Are you okay?” you asked, your voice dripping with concern.

Though he clearly was not, he grunts out an “I’m fine” as he goes to sit up. He looks worse for wear with his lip and cheek busted open. There’s blood coming from his nose and you can already see the left side of his face is starting to swell. Moving to stand up, he swipes at the blood with his sleeve. “Fuck”, he curses again.

“Let me help you” you tell him, moving toward him again, but he backs away, shaking his head.

“You need to go help your boyfriend, I’ll be fine. I never should’ve even come here”

You glance down the hall to where the bathroom door is shut. You know he’s right, but you don’t want to go deal with the ticking time bomb in there, you want to stay here and figure out the man in front of you. One minute he was soft and swearing he was a changed person and the next he’s aggressive and possessive.

“I’m sorry for coming here tonight, Y/N. I didn’t know you’d be here” and there was a sadness to his voice that you wouldn’t have detected had you not known him so well.

“Can we talk about all of this tomorrow? I really should go check on Brock”

He nods and then disappears out the door.

You stare after him before going to check on Brock. You don’t bother knocking before opening the door to find Brock with both arms bracing himself against the sink, head hanging low.

“B, are you okay?”

He doesn’t answer, or even move and you sigh. You walk up behind him and wrap your arms around his waist and lay your face against his back. You kiss his shoulder blade and then go back to resting your head for a few minutes. His body was hot and you can hear his breathing is still ragged. Finally you remove yourself and dig under the sink for the necessary things to patch him up.

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up” you gently say to him, pulling on his arm to turn him around and sit him on the toilet so that you could better see his face. His looked only slightly better than Roman’s, but still pretty messed up. You did your best to clean off his face and treat any open areas, his hands squeezing at your sighs the whole time. He was quiet and so were you as you finished. You threw away the dirty supplies and then stood in between his legs with your hands hooked around his neck. You searched his face for any sign of what was going through his mind, but was met with a very tired and bruised looking boy.

“Are we going to talk about what just happened tonight?”

“I’d rather not, not right now. Please” he pleaded.

You knew you couldn’t push the subject; he’d just shut down so you nodded and went to crawl back in bed with Brock following close behind. You expected him to turn away from you once he was in bed, and he did, but not before he turned his head to ask over his shoulder if he could be the little spoon tonight.

The next day at practice nobody questioned the black eyes and bruised knuckles that adorned both boys. They earned a few extra stares and whispers, but were overall ignored.

[yikesharringrove]

oh god okay feel free to ignore this if you want, idk? but um ive been really struggling with eating lately (like i just kinda panicked about the thought of eating?) and you're really good at writing all this kind of stuff so maybe billy struggling with eating after starcourt (for medical and mental reasons) and steve helping but still bring gentle and encouraging (totally okay if this is a sensitive for you or if you don't want to write it 💕)

This is pretty heavy.

Under the cut for medical stuff, disordered eating, talks of throw up (nothing graphic), me projecting.

The first bit under the cut is my medical story, so skip that if you would like.

Read on Ao3

-

So, oof. A little background. I spent three years misdiagnosed when I was young. I was so sick and in so much pain (one of my organs had literally died) that I couldn’t eat. If I did, I was in such severe pain I would throw up. I was 5 feet tall and weighed 62 pounds. If I had lost 2 pounds, I would’ve had an intestinal feeding tube. The doctors thought I just had an eating disorder from doing ballet. They would look at my chart, see another chronic illness I have, and blame my pain on that. They found what was wrong BY ACCIDENT and fixed it within a few hours in one (1) surgery.

So this is based largely on that.

-

He pushed the mashed potatoes around the plate.

“I thought hospital food was supposed to be like, bad. This is pretty alright.” Steve had wolfed down the plate he had gotten himself, not paying much attention to how the plate he had brought Billy was still full.

“Yeah. It’s okay.” He had taken one bite.

He felt fucking sick.

The thought of food, of something in his sore stomach, made him want to hurl.

“You’re not eating?” Steve’s eyebrows were scrunched up, concerned.

“Don’t feel too good.”

“Would something sound better? I could get you whatever you wanted.”

“Um, just like a ginger ale or something. Then I’ll try eating again.” That was his go-to. Ginger ale or Sprite, the carbonation helped his stomach enough that he could force some food down for a while.

Steve got him a few cans from the vending machine.

He ended up taking three bites of potato.

-

Steve made dinner when he finally got to come home.

They had decided he would move in with Steve, “live” in the bedroom across the hall, but they both knew he would be spending the most time in Steve’s room.

He had just made buttered noddles, nothing that would be hard on Billy’s weak stomach, but he had made the noodles from scratch.

And Billy was just staring at them.

“You feeling okay?”

“Just, uh, you know. Stomach’s kinda off.” Steve got him a can of ginger ale from the fridge, slid it to him with a bright smile.

The gesture was sweet, but Billy just didn’t want to risk it.

Every night he spent heaving into the toilet, it made his muscles seize and hurt. It made his throat burn for hours, made him feel like he was wasting away to nothing.

-

He always used the same hole on his belts.

He knew it was the right one from the way the leather was stretched a bit, the buckle leaving indents on it.

But that was too big now.

Did nothing to hold up his pants.

His pants that used to fit.

He tightened his belt.

Two notches. He was two notches thinner.

-

Billy could hear the blender when he woke up.

He was curious as to what Steve was doing, what the fuck he was blending up.

He came downstairs, found Steve with grocery bags all around the kitchen.

“Hey! I’ve been doing some research.” He poured the thick smoothie into a blender. “I think this might be easier for you to eat and keep down. There’s protein powder and some ginger, that should help keep your stomach calm, and spinach and some fruit and stuff.” Steve was fidgeting with his hands.

“Thank you.” Billy sat down with it.

Steve let him take his time, let him drink it in tiny sips.

He was about halfway through when he threw it all up.

-

Billy hadn’t eaten in two days.

But he also hadn’t thrown up in just as long.

Steve poked a plate of plain toast towards him.

Billy stared at it.

Steve sighed.

“Will you just, take one bite? For me?”

He took the smallest bite he possibly could.

Steve let him wait ten minutes before he pushed the toast back towards him.

They continued that until Billy finished the toast, waiting a while between each bite in order to make sure it wasn’t on it’s way back up.

He kept it down almost the whole night, until the pain in his stomach flared again and he was heaving into the large mixing bowl Steve kept next to the bed.

-

Billy was laying on the bed, curled into himself, clutching his stomach.

Steve had been behind him almost all day, rubbing his back, talking in a low soothing voice.

He left when there was a pounding on the door. He left the door open, Billy could hear Max’s voice.

“Jesus, Max. You’re a mess.”

“It’s, it’s raining. And I fell.”

“Why were you skateboarding in the rain?”

“I um, I remembered, whenever Billy felt sick, he liked eating lime popcicles, and I went to Melvald’s, and I got some.”

She sounded hysterical.

“Alright, thank you, Max. Thank you. Let’s get you cleaned up.” He heard them coming up the stairs, going into the bathroom on the landing he kept the first aid kit in.

They were in there for a while before Steve came in, talking in that soft voice he always uses.

“Billy, Max is here.”

It felt like a feat for him to roll over.

Her knees were bandaged up, and her face was splotchy.

“Hey, Shitbird.”

“You look like shit.” He huffed a laugh.”

“Feel like it, too.” Her lip trembled. He didn’t want that. “Hey, thanks for the popcicles. Can I get one? Lime, right?”

“Yeah. Lime.” Steve helped him sit up, gave him one of the popcicles.

It tasted good, and the cold was nice on his throat.

And he even kept the whole thing down.

-

Steve was standing next to Billy as they waited for the doctor.

He had lost nearly thirty pounds since he’d been home. His muscle was nearly entirely gone.

“Steve, just, play it cool.”

“I will not.” He had his pissed off mom face on, and Billy knew he had no qualms about yelling at a doctor.

“Steve, this is just, my life now.”

“No. I refuse to accept that.”

“You yell at Owens every time we’ve come in for the past four months, Steve.”

“And I’m gonna keep yelling until shit gets fixed.”

There was a rap on the door before Dr. Owens let himself in.

“You need to help him.” Billy huffed as Steve started in immediately.

“Um, good morning to you both.” Dr. Owens looked between the two of them.

“Billy can’t eat without throwing up. Look at him. He’s fucking wasting away.”

“Steve-”

“No. I can’t take it anymore. There is something fucking wrong. It is your job to fix it.”

Owens’ eyes were wide, Steve was on a roll.

“Every day, every day he can’t eat anything. He won’t because he’s in pain, and he’d rather not eat than throw everything up. And you need to help him.”

Owens was quiet.

“Let’s run some tests.”

-

Billy was in imaging within a few minutes. He had an x-ray done of his abdomen, and Owens ordered several blood tests.

They were in another room, Billy was having an ultrasound done of his entire stomach.

The tech was looking at his intestines, finding everything normal.

“Look, you’re already doing all this, can’t you just kinda, poke around?”

“I’m not sure-”

“Just kinda,” Steve made a vague wiggling gesture around Billy’s stomach.

She gave him a look.

But she sighed, moving the wand up his body.

“Huh?”

“Wait, what’s huh?”

“Um, excuse me.” She left in a hurry.

“Wait, you think they found something?” Billy’s eyes were side.

“If they did, and I was right, you’re never gonna hear the end of it.” Billy rolled his eyes.

The tech returned with an older woman, pointing at the screen and discussing in low voices.

And then the doctor was leaving again, and the tech was wiping his stomach.

“So, we’re going to prep an operation room. We’re going to have you in there as soon as we can.”

“Wait, what?”

“His gallbladder is infected.” Steve was fucking grinning when he turned back to Billy.

“So, I was right?”

“Steve, read the room. Surgery.”

“Oh, fuck.”

-

Steve was biting his nails.

The chairs in the waiting room were stiff and uncomfortable.

They were given the run down. Billy’s gallbladder had become infected. Probably due to the traumatic situation of his injuries and the many surgeries it took to put him back together.

It was almost completely dead inside his body, causing severe pain and all the vomiting. The doctor had explained that his rapid weight loss had probably only hurt it more.

They said it would take about two hours to remove.

Steve had been staring at the large clock as the two hours clicked by.

It was creeping up on two and a half, and he was getting fucking antsy.

He scrambled to his feet when a nurse called him back.

“You family?”

“Yeah, I’m his brother.” It was easier to lie. He needed to see him.

“He should be waking up very soon. It’s easier if there’s family. His surgery went well, the surgeons were able to remove his gallbladder with no other complications. He may be in pain and delirious when he wakes up, put that will pass, and we can give him more medicine if he needs.” They had stopped in front of a nondescript door.

Steve let himself in, taking the seat closest to Billy’s bed, taking his hand. His eyes were already blinking slowly. He smiled softly when he saw Steve.

“Pretty,” his voice was soft.

“Hey, Baby. I’m right here for you.”

“Thanks for, thanks for fightin’.” Steve smiled back at him, running a hand through his hair.

“Of course, Bill. I’ll always fight for you.”

“Love you.”

“I love you, too.” Billy smiled again. “You feelin’ okay? Need more meds?”

“Nah. Feelin’ good. Feelin’ high.”

“Yeah, they gave you the good drugs.”

“Good drugs.” He laid back in the pillow, his eyelids looking heavy.

“Go to sleep if you’re tired, Bill.”

“Don’t wanna. Wanna see you.”

“I’ll be here when you wake up again.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” Steve kissed his hand.

[ambssssssssss]

Twentieth Year

Part 11

It’s funny, in an ironic sort of way, that Flora had chosen to get married on the lawn of a haunted mansion. They arrive the day before the rehearsal dinner and spend a few hours exploring the grounds with Jonathan, Hannah, and Michael while they wait for the other guests to arrive. Really, they’re just waiting for Owen, who joins them on the lawn once he arrives. 

“That looks,” Owen pauses his words, stopping in time with his steps as he comes to stand beside Dani. “Dangerous.” 

“Only when one of them misses the ball,” Dani offers the man a smile and accepts the hug that he leans over to give her, Jamie following suit. “How are you?” 

“Severely jetlagged,” Owen chuckled as he released Jamie. “And also unable to believe that we’re here for Flora’s wedding.” 

“Oh I know,” Jamie agrees. “She’s still 7 years old in my mind.” 

“Pretty soon we’ll be at a wedding for one of your little monsters,” Owen’s laugh remains despite the dual glare he receives from Dani and Jamie. 

“Oh god, he’s right,” Dani turned to glare at her wife when Jamie spoke. “What? He is. Jon’s eleven now babe, almost a teenager.” 

“Don’t remind me,” Dani turned her gaze back towards their children and wrapped her arm around Jamie’s waist. “I already feel old.” 

“Oh darling,” Jamie returned the side embrace, “you are old.” 

Dani rolled her eyes with a scoff, pinching Jamie’s side and then soothing the mark by running her thumb over the spot softly. Jamie laughed, free and light, and squeezed Dani around the waist. Owen chuckles at their antics and privately wonders if this was the life he and Hanna could have led together. Not without its hardships but with so much love and dedication that the hardships were something they could get past and be stronger because of. 

“Uncle Owen!” Hannah cheers when she notices the man, running over and pulling on his hand until he relents and begins playing an odd combination of soccer and dodgeball with her and her brothers. Owen stays in the game for all of 10 minutes before he’s winded and gasping on the sidelines, at which point Jamie steps in as the fourth player. 

“How do you keep up with them?” Owen asks Dani as he catches his breath. 

“Years of practice,” Dani responds warmly and pats him on the back. “And having a partner is really helpful too.” 

Owen hummed in agreement, his mind again drifting back to the woman he had loved and lost before he’d even realized he loved her. 

“Do you have your speech ready?” Dani asks him and they spend the time chatting and catching up while Jamie tires the children, and herself, out with their ball game. 

The other guests have all arrived by the time Dani and Jamie herd their family back inside so Jamie excuses herself with the kids to go clean up before dinner in their rooms. While they’re gone, Dani and Owen move to a table and help themselves to the buffet spread out in the dining room. Henry joins them after a bit and once Jamie and the kids return from cleaning up Miles and Flora both stop by the table as well to say hello. It’s strange to be around them sometimes. Miles and Flora had both forgotten the troubles of Bly Manor, though they remembered the people that had been there. They remembered Owen cooking for them and Jamie tending to the gardens and Dani taking care of them. It felt like some kind of reward for surviving that at such a young age, Dani thought. To remember the small things and forget all the scary. 

Thanks to the hours of playing on the grounds, getting the kids to settle into bed is relatively easy so Dani and Jamie are ready to turn in themselves earlier than usual. 

“This place brings back memories, doesn’t it?” Jamie comments as they slide into the bed together, the mattress comfortable but not as familiar as the one they share at home. Dani hums in agreement as she pulls Jamie to her and let’s her wife happily nuzzle against her neck. 

As Dani threads her fingers through Jamie’s loose hair, she can’t help but let her mind drift back to Bly. She remembers the beauty of seeing the manor for the first time, the joy she felt as she walked up across the grounds. She remembers Flora’s joy and Miles' childish charm as they shook hands. Hannah’s warm greeting, the first meal that Owen had made for her. Dani remembers tucking the children in at night and eating with them in the morning. She remembers the first time she saw Jamie in the kitchen, walking over to the sink with barely a backwards glance at Dani. 

The romantic in Dani likes to think that that first moment was when she fell in love and it might be partially true, but the realist in Dani knows that the romance and affection had come later. That it had developed naturally over bad jokes and even worse coffee, late nights walking the grounds in the cold and touching hands in moments that Dani had wanted to last forever. She thinks of the wine that had lingered on Jamie’s lips the first time they kissed, and the sounds Jamie had made a few weeks after when they finally gave into their mutual feelings. 

Now, after twenty years with Jamie and even having shared half of those years with the person who was the literal source of all their problems at Bly, when Dani thinks of the months she spent there, she only remembers the good times. 

“It brings back good memories,” Dani says softly, her lips brushing across Jamie’s forehead. Jamie hums questioningly. “This place brings back good memories. It reminds me of when we fell in love.” 

“You say that like I don’t fall in love with your a little more every day,” Jamie jokes with a playful poke against Dani’s stomach and she doesn’t have to lift her head to know that Dani had rolled her eyes but she does so anyway and finds two blue eyes staring back at her with the same love and devotion they had every day for the last twenty years. 

Two blue eyes. 

There’s something soft in Jamie’s eyes as she gazes at her wife, something that speaks to her wonder and amazement and sometimes sheer disbelief that this is actually her life. She made it, made something of herself, built a life she can be proud of with a woman she adores. 

It’s love but it’s also so much more than that.

“I love you,” Dani says softly, pressing a kiss against Jamie’s lips. Jamie kisses back just as softly. 

“I love you too.” 

Flora’s wedding is beautiful and as the two women watch the newly married couple dance together, they can’t help but let the image of a young Flora take over. They see Flora in her old sundress, eyes big and hopeful and still describing everything as ‘perfectly splendid.’ When she dances with Miles, they see the two siblings as kids again, both causing trouble for Dani in their own way but both slowly teaching Dani how to be okay with herself again. 

Their own children are dancing as well and suddenly their minds flash forward instead, to another 20 years in the future where it’s their daughter getting married and their sons smiling as they dance with her and still there, lingering on the edge of the dancefloor together is Dani and Jamie. 

“Quite a view, isn’t it Poppins,” Jamie says, her hand on Dani’s waist and a glass of champagne in her hand. 

“I don’t know,” Dani shrugs and sips at her own drink. “I think our wedding was better.” 

Jamie laughs because their wedding had been a simple, ‘marry me?’ followed by a civil union several years later. There had been no party, no dancing, and definitely no free booze. Jamie wouldn’t trade it for the world. 

“‘Course ours was better,” Jamie agrees and kisses her wife’s cheek gently, careful not to leave any lipstick there. “But this is a close second.” 

Dani laughs her agreement and turns her head to kiss her wife properly. 

“Still, I wouldn’t mind a party like this for us one day,” Dani says when they part a moment later. 

“Me neither,” Jamie agrees but tilts her head slightly, a teasing smile. “But I’m still good with one day at a time, as long as it’s you and me.” 

“That’s how it will always be,” Dani moves so she can wrap her own arms around her wife and they begin to sway to the music. “You. Me. Us.” 

Those three words had never sounded better.

[goodpeachtea]

𝐁𝐀𝐁𝐘, 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘥. (𝟎𝟐)

 Summary: People could say that Baby was crazy, so they could say that hell is more preferable than spending a day with her. Baby agreed. But no one could say that the girl was not a genius or that she was like everyone else. Baby Jones was special - yes, she could be a nicer special type, but anyway, special.

Couple: Spencer Reid x OC.

Words: 4.2K

Warnings: PTSD. Panic attack. Mentions of suicide, drugs, torture and kidnapping. Cigarettes. Under-age drinking.

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            (𝟎𝟐). 𝖳𝖧𝖤 𝖳𝖤𝖭𝖳𝖧 𝖠𝖭𝖭𝖨𝖵𝖤𝖱𝖲𝖠𝖱𝖸

   BABY’S CHRISTMAS WERE NEVER FORECASTED. This phenomenon happened because December 25th was not just what everyone celebrated as Christmas, but it was three more things: Baby Jones’ birthday, the anniversary of the death of her family, and the anniversary of the day she was kidnapped. Believe what you want, the little redhead has every right to enter a state of depression, anger and madness while it snows outside and normal children celebrate the date with their absolutely alive parents.

   That day for Jones was always a roller coaster of events. On the first anniversary of the-day-that-everything-went-wrong, in 1998, the 9-year-old, so young but so broken, tried to commit suicide. In the second, all the ideas that went through her head were homicide. In the fifth, Baby Jones caused a commotion and despair by fleeing the Sunshine Orphanage to visit 19 graves in Washington, covering 10 miles. In the ninth, Baby ended up in the emergency by alcohol intoxication.

   The Tenth Anniversary was the current one. Honestly, Baby was really committed to the (almost) promise she made to David Rossi. She was, really. If you asked her what happened that day, she wouldn’t be able to explain. Not because she was drunk, drugged or insane. She was none of those previous things - so I don’t lie, I will say that at least she was not at the apex of any of those things. Baby was just so sad that something needed to be done. And she did. Oh, she certainly did.

   Everything could have happened. Literally, everything. Nothing was a limit for Baby Jones, especially a Baby Jones at the peak of her grief. What happened was particularly unique. Of all the scenarios that the (now) short-haired redhead could imagine, she didn’t expect to end up handcuffed in the FBI building on Christmas Day.

DECEMBER 24TH, 2007.

   Baby hated snow. Don’t come up with all that magic, beauty and blah blah blah. For Baby, almost nothing was worse than Christmas Eve and everything that involved that day - the tree, decorations, snow, music and the hated Christmas spirit. The only Jones alive made a point of trying to bring everyone down with her in those days (she didn’t try very hard, but she didn’t pretend to be happy to cheer up the rest of the kids) and of course she couldn’t, because “Christmas is such an incredible time”. In December, she just wanted to die.

– You’re so boring, Baby! – Exclaimed Max, a 7-year-old boy who also lived in the Sunshine Orphanage, nudging the older one, who sighed deeply, concentrating all her strength so as not to strangle him. – You should help us decorate the Christmas tree, we never have something like this here. It’s fun, I promise! Stop being a killjoy!

– Max, have you heard of the phrase “fuck off”?

   Baby smiled when she saw the brat’s astonished face when he heard her swear, watching him run away from her and towards one of the women who took care of the children at the Orphanage. “Denise, Baby said a bad word again!”, he shouted as the redhead rolled her eyes and muttered “blabbermouth”. Denise, a blonde woman who loved all the control she could exercise over children, gave Jones a sharp look, who showed her tongue as a naughty child - and it’s very difficult to find differences between Baby and naughty children.

– Go straight to your room. Congratulations, you just lost your dinner!

   The almost 18-year-old teenager raised her eyebrows, holding the older woman’s disapproving look at her. She got up from the couch she was on, showing the middle finger to little Max, who was laughing at the girl’s misfortune. “If you want to eat breakfast, I advise you to improve this behavior, young lady!”, the blonde said, with an angry expression. Baby J. smiled fakely at the woman as she walked up the first few steps, watching the other narrow her eyes. The girl with golden red hair went up the stairs, mumbling “bitch” as she went to her room.

   Baby slammed the door of her room hard - not to provoke the controlling blonde downstairs, but out of pure tension that agonized her head and body. She locked it quickly, closing the windows and lowering the blind, knowing that even if she smoked the smell would dissipate and no one would bother her for hours on end (besides she herself). Bored, she looked around her, watching her room for something to do.

   The teenager with hair that reminded the dawn and freckles that were golden specks on her skin arched her eyebrows as she captured an idea from her brain about what to do to pass the time. She bit her lip, carefully locking the door, listening to the sounds of plates and cutlery downstairs. She knelt beside her bed, searching with her hands for the notebook that were taped to the wood of the furniture.

   The notebook was almost a diary for her. There, the most personal things in her life were sheltered. Written in angled and spaced handwriting, there were no emotional reports about Baby’s feelings or her complaints about her day-to-day life. Those paper sheets filled messily and with determination were all about the informations on the Jones Case that could take her to a closure.

   She glanced at the digital clock nearby, dinner time being 7 pm. Jones then looked at the black-lined notebook, prepared to read the information and theories she had already memorized backwards, hoping to get something new so that everything would be cleared up before the anniversary of her family’s death. The redhead flipped through the pages with frequently used marks, more and more aggressive as the time went, the realization slowly slapping her in the face that her hands were tied and she would not be able to solve the crime that defined her life - and the death of 19 people. Baby looked at her watch again, widening her eyes and punching the floor she was sitting in frustration, noting that it was already 11 pm and the whole house was quiet and dark.

   The teenager felt a little better when she realized that the little orphan Sophie was not going to sleep in the same room with her that night, the two women who took care of all 10 children who lived in the house knowing about Baby’s dangerous historic on Christmas Day and preventing a possible accident with the little girl. Jones got up from the cold floor, beginning to feel her heart stir and her fingers that did not want to stop moving as she paced. Baby thought again about her failure with her family, the tenth anniversary that she would not be able to resolve her inner demons and offer a worthy end for her relatives. She punched the door with an adrenaline rush, no longer caring whether the noise would bother the other habitants of the residence.

   Everyone knew the rules that were not spoken. That day, don’t mess with Jones. It doesn’t matter if you are only concerned about her health or if you want to cheer her up. No. Do not try.    The nightmare that was that day started with the fact that during the 24 hours she endured, no time she would be able to sleep. That’s how it started. Four red zeros on her alarm clock signaled that Baby Jones was doomed to misery for the next few moments. The redhead sighed, murmuring an ironic “happy birthday” to herself, blowing out the fire from the match she used to light a cigarette. She stared into nothingness, putting death between her lips and knowing that things were going to change - for better or for worse.    All that was needed was a brief glance. In a second, she was in her room smoking and trying not to cry. The next, Baby was back. Panic invaded her chest when she realized that she was lying on the floor, her eyes going to the clock hanging on the wall with a splash of blood: 20:11.    It’s amazing how a situation can change from one minute to the next. It’s amazing how the Jones family couldn’t be happier at 8:10 pm and a minute later they faced the worst moment of their life (or the end of it) face to face. And it all happened for Baby.    A shot was the first thing that warned the Jones that everything would go downhill. The immediately dead body of Mary Jones - Baby’s loving aunt - fell to the floor with a loud thump, screams being heard throughout the suburban home. Baby Jones went to the floor under the influence of her parents, Marie Ann and Thomas, who saw an armed shadow in front of the open door. At the same time, everything and nothing went through their minds, adrenaline and agony dominating their senses. They wanted to send their daughter run away from the house, while their eyes alternated among all their children: she, Amelie, Owen and little AJ, who was on the other side of the room, with no idea what was going on. But when they looked at Baby again, all they managed to pay attention to was the stranger behind her.

   The eight-year-old girl felt hands grabbing her as her parents screamed, asking for mercy. She struggled, feeling the hot tears on her face and the tightening the long, manicured nails on her skin, leaving marks because of the fight that had already been won. It was when his father advanced on the woman with black hair as the night that the second shot was heard, Baby feeling a pain she never felt before - and probably never will again - gasping and sinking in countless feelings. Little Jones sobbed, watching Marie Ann cry over her husband’s dead body.    Baby J.’s vision was blurred, everything was spinning and her screams of horror did not stop the situation, which happened in the blink of an eye. One, two, three, four shots. No way out. The little redhead couldn’t breathe and the strong, motherly grip of the woman who held her only made it worse. Baby saw three unknown men at her home and suddenly those three were almost all the males left. Giving up on struggling, Jones only managed to cry desperately when she saw her sister walking away in shock from Baby’s lifeless older brother, Owen. 

   Baby opened her eyes, feeling the damp on her face and the lump in her throat. She felt her chest rise and fall at an accelerated frequency and her head sinking into the pillow, gulping and scrambling up from the bed, drying the tears that seemed not to end. When trying to get up, the girl fell to the ground without even a resistance, feeling the tremor in her legs and hands. Jones put her hands on her chest, unable to breathe and panicking even more.

   So she just did what she needed to do. Baby cried. Panic spread throughout her body as she sobbed and searched for air, tears making everything worse. In fetal position, she clasped her hands tightly, not from physical pain but from mental pain, feeling her nails pierce the skin.

   Baby felt like she was going to die. “Maybe it’s better this way, maybe I have to give up,” she thought, her body softening and the feeling of something in her hand that was under the bed. The only Jones alive closed her eyes strongly and deeply regretted it, feeling the tightness in her heart get worse.

– Oh, my love, don’t cry.

   She felt the fingers running through her vivid hair, the tightness on her wrist and the tears in her eyes. “Please, let me out!”, she cried out with all her might, shifting and listening to the frustrated sigh of the man in front of her. “Why can’t you just be a good girl, huh? A good daughter? I love you, Baby, but… you’re just making things worse for you”, Jones ignored the man, who was still touching her hair affectionately, speaking tenderly.

– You are not my father and you never will be! You killed him and I hate you! – She yelled in the midst of tears, the scary Ryan Copper’s face tensing and his jaw clenching.

– I don’t accept this behavior under my roof! I struggle, I fight, I do everything to give you a great life and that’s what I get. – He squeezed the girl’s orange hair, pulling her face closer and staying millimeters away. – If this behavior does not improve by tomorrow morning, you will have serious problems, young lady. Honey, feel free. 

   Blue eyes blinked in fear, shifting her attention from the man who went from one extreme to the other in a snap of the fingers to the woman with black hair and a disturbing smile, a knife in one hand and a whip in the other. It was only Baby’s first day there, but she knew she wasn’t going to last long and maybe she would never leave that filthy, empty cellar again. Baby Jones heard the whip crack before she felt it burn on her skin.

   She opened her eyes, pulling what was under her bed into view. Baby felt the dust on the piece of photographic paper, smiling weakly and feeling the agitation in her chest lessen. She saw her parents hugging each other tightly, smiling at each other. Her mother, Marie Ann, had a big belly, sheltering who would become AJ in the future. The older brothers were on the floor, laughing and fighting over something and Baby was beside them, concentrated on a Rubik’s Cube.

   Her breathing was soon regulated and she bit her lip in a failed attempt to hold her tears, looking at that photo and soon holding it close to her chest. “I miss you”, Baby J. whispered so low that even she couldn’t hear herself. The girl spent about an hour in that position, crying and calming down, in a cycle, again and again. When she finally had the courage to get up, she felt dizzy, remembering the horrifying touches in her hair from one of the men who had kidnapped her. That affection seemed so real that it scared Baby more than anything. She felt a chill on her back, terror. The girl could feel everything even after 10 years. Those despicable hands in her hair, face, arm.

   Baby rushed to the bathroom, kneeled on the toilet coughing and throwing up. The day hadn’t even started and it was already one of the worst in Baby’s life (and that was a tough competition). The teen weakly got up, looking to herself in the mirror and just knowing what to do to repress that memories of the touches. Being a nervous wreck, she rushed to grab the scissors she always used to cut the hair of the other kids in the house - as lovely as this may seem (and it is), Baby make sure to threat the youngers with the sharp object, not wanting to be seem as a big sister. The tears were nearly stopping while cutting sloppily more than 10 inches of red hair, not caring by the mess she made on the sink or the length her hair was going to be. Jones didn’t really care for her hair, but made sure the pixie cut was acceptable.

– Booze. Yeah, I need booze. – The eighteen-year-old girl whispered, rubbing her eyes and preparing to be extremely silent.

   In a house with so many children - and one of them being the problematic Jones - the two women who lived there needed a little alcohol from time to time (having to hide for the same reason that they needed to have it). Baby grabbed her bag, making a grimace at the sound of a creak and snore as she opened her bedroom door, freezing for a moment, not wanting to be caught and punished. She went down the stairs carefully, kneeling on the floor and facing the last step when she reached the first floor. “Eureka!”, murmured a excited Baby, “or should I say “tequila!”?”.

   When she sneaked out of what they said was her home, it didn't take long for Baby to end up in the same spot of a few previous nights, when she got a call from the longtime acquaintance, David Rossi. This time, her brain didn't work the same way, especially after several sips of the alcohol in her hands. Baby Jones had her (not so) great idea when she was halfway through the bottle, getting dizzy when she got up quickly, totally excited about what she was going to do. Come on, she was already eighteen! Jones could do whatever she wanted, right?

   Baby J. took the first bus of the day out of Alexandria with the money she had saved, sitting away from the few other passengers and sipping from the bottle of tequila hidden in her bag from time to time. In a little over an hour, the young and not-so-innocent girl headed for her final destination.

– Excuse me! Good night, I want to visit David Rossi, if possible. – Baby said in her sweetest tone, winking her blue eyes at the receptionist.    The woman smirked, raising her eyebrows, not even bothering to look at Baby. It was not the rarest thing in the world for people to try to enter the FBI building and visit the famous author who was Rossi. "Agent Rossi is not expecting company and there's no autograph session going on now, child. You can go out that door," the brunette nodded the exit with her head as Baby Jones grimaced, determined to enter that building in Quantico. – You didn't understand, he knows me. – The 18-year-old explained, still trying to win over the receptionist, even though she suspected that the facade of being an innocent and kind child would not catch on. – Miss, please leave or I will call the security.    "Hey, now you're just being ... you know what? Nevermind! Call Rossi and say that Baby Jones has come to visit. Go, see for yourself, call!", Baby crossed her arms, almost tripping over her own feet as she leaned against the desk of the secretary who was beginning to have doubts if the girl was really just a fan. Reluctantly, the brunette, Miss Parker, picked up the phone and dialed the number of the Italian-American's office, staring at Jones with suspicion throughout the process. – Sir? Yes, there someone here that claims know you, her name is Baby Jones. Yes, Baby Jones, sir. – She seemed nervous about talking to David, looking at the floor constantly, looking up at the redhead with interest. – Of course, sir. Guard! – Hanging up the call, secretary Parker nodded to a large, menacing FBI security, Baby's eyes widening. – But I did not do anything! That jerk! Rossi didn't ...?

   “Follow Miss Jones up to the fifth floor", the older one said to the guard, who waved quickly, looking at the smaller one whose smile was growing on her face. Parker handed the girl an FBI visitor's badge, trying not to doubt David Rossi's sanity by letting the girl go up to the BAU upon hearing Baby exclaim "that's what I'm talking about!". 

   The eyes of serious security remained on the petit girl the entire time, noticing her strange behavior and trying to solve the mystery about whether that slight smell of alcohol he smelled was just an impression. The ride in the elevator was quick to the relief of Jones, who soon left the cubicle and smiled awkwardly at the man twice as tall. "I need... you know, go to the bathroom," Baby laughed embarrassed to the security (her acting skills were surprisingly good when it came to trick someone).

– Go to the end of the corridor and turn right, miss.

– Thank you very much. – Baby smiled and took quick, sloppy steps to the pointed direction, looking around and smirking to herself, noticing the calm movement of the building and no people around her.

   She read the signs on the doors, looking for a specific room, hoping that the seriously frightening security guard wouldn't come looking. Baby gave a slight "hooray" when she found what she came to, biting her lips when remembering that she needed to be silent, looking around and entering the agile room like a cat. The redhead clapped her hands excitedly when she saw a room full of files and a computer full of horrible cases that she would love to have a look at.

   Soon, Jones was digging through the numerous unresolved case documents, having already looked at the resolved case reports - she liked to deduce things about the suspect and then see if she got it right. She completely ignored the computer, knowing it would have a password and that her technological skills were not enough to hack the FBI. 

   Baby thanked for not being drunk enough to not know what she was doing, but to be a little more excited and happy than usual. Unfortunately, her current condition was not enough to pay much attention to the light noise the door made when it opened, only noticing the presence of someone else there when she heard a false cough, startling her.

– Miss, you are not an agent. – Said the handsome man, a little surprised by the situation and looking at the visitor's badge attached to the girl's black leather jacket.

– Huh, are you... sure?

– Yes, I’m sure. What are you doing here, miss?

– I think I getting myself in serious problems. – Baby laughed awkwardly, scratching her neck and seeing the badge with the name Grant Anderson on the clothes of the FBI agent who looked at her with extreme suspicion, prepared to solve that problem that was having an extremely strange girl accessing FBI files.

   Agent Anderson insisted on staying close to the girl, with his hand on her shoulder, with the suspicion that she would run away from there while he took her to the office of one of his bosses. Jones threw a smile and a wink at the security guard who escorted her to that floor, even though deep down she was a little afraid that the problem she created it would jeopardize her possible BAU spot.

   Two knocking on Aaron Hotchner's door was all it took for Baby Marie Jones to be in real trouble, walking in and facing a way-too-serious-looking man and a blonde lady. Unfortunately for the short-haired redhead, in that room there was not only the BAU Unit Chief but the all-powerful Section Chief, Erin Strauss. Anderson was afraid to say anything, the bosses' sharp eyes cutting him off, but he soon managed to announce the situation to both. "This girl was reading case documents, she was stealing some too," he explained, Baby looking at him ugly, opening her mouth in surprise. "I wasn't stealing! I was just... borrowing... for an undetermined period of time."

– What?! Handcuff her. How did she get in here? – Asked Strauss, squinting, irritated by the security breach, wondering if that child could be part of an illegal organization. Agent Hotchner, however, was looking at the girl with curiosity, finding her strangely familiar.

– She has a visitor’s badge. 

– What’s her name? 

– You know I’m right in front of you and you can ask me yourself, right? – Jones asked, her gaze going from Anderson to Strauss, who didn't have a very good expression.

   “What’s your name?”, the Section Chief of the BAU sighed, seeing the girl actually think to answer, looking to Aaron and remembering him. “Bring David Rossi here and we’ll answer all your questions!”, ordered the kid, seeing the two big bosses exchanging looks. 

– “We?”

– Yeah, me and him. Trust me, you are not going to regret it, this is gonna be super duper fun! – She smiled excitedly, seeing that the three people in the room were not understanding anything and were not sure how to act in the face of the unusual situation.

   “Why I’m not surprised that you caused that much of a problem in such a short period of time?”, asked David Rossi, drawing attention and sighing deeply to see what he was up to and how the next few hours would be somewhat unpleasant. Baby, lightly drunk and unfiltered, grinned when she saw the older man enter the room. “When I was told you were here I already knew that my day wouldn't go as planned, but you could have caused a minor problem, don't you think, Baby?”.

– Well, you can say whatever you want, but you must admit that's gonna be a damn good story to tell.

– Baby Marie Jones. – Murmured Hotch, finally remembering where he knew those red hair and striking eyes, seeing the girl do jazz hands, exclaiming “surprise!”. He couldn’t forget that case even if we wanted.

– Can somebody explain what is happening? – Asked Strauss, as Anderson left the room, closing the door and seeing the curious looks of the other BAU agents regarding that little meeting.

– So...!

– You! You don’t speak a word, miss. – David pointed his finger at the youngest, who took off her imaginary hat in a gesture of understanding, the sound of handcuffs filling the room, the girl laughing, but going quiet. – Erin, sit down, please. We have a lot to talk. Tell me, how do you fell about breaking some rules? 

[hockeysweetheart]

Part 6 Of Back To District 12 

Katniss who lost her Husband 3 years ago.. Comes back to District 12. With her 3 Children. She finds out Peeta  Who also Lost his wife  4 years ago came back to District 12 as well. They fall in love again and have bumps along the way… Their life is crazy but they make it work…

Notes: At this point your gonna be like you love to drop a bomb on us don’t you… well it would be a lie if I said no…  

Part 6  The Best Kept Secret

I am here at the hospital with my two healthy babies. The girl with brown hair and blue eyes the boy with blonde hair and grey eyes…

 To say we got here in the nick of time  is an understatement I literally  had to push  with in  2 minutes of arrival… it took me everything to not give birth in the parking lot.  We didn’t even make it to the room until she came out of me… Luckily the hospital knew we wanted to keep this a secret and  closed the door on them. Because one of these babies was coming out of me… 9 minutes later he came out of me…we took pictures and my daughter has a shirt that says I was kept a secret  on her..

My family is the first to visit when we allow visitors.  They walk in and they see him first and are like over joyed My mother asks what is his name I say “ Cooper Rye  Mellark”… Peeta says “ oh we almost forgot his older sister   Gretchen Raine Mellark ”.as  he handed her to prim… the faces on my family is shocked…  Prim says “ How could you keep like something like this quiet”… My mother said “ your kidding no way all my years I thought I could tell when someone was expecting twins.”…. My father says “ two of them no way”… they are all in happy tears… Prim says “they are both beautiful”  My mother said to the nurse who was in the room “ you knew too” with happy tears coming from her eyes. Drew was like “whoa” 

Our next guest is Peetas family his father and two brothers. Peeta hands cooper to Nathan and says “ Nate here is your nephew Cooper ” … “ and Marcus  here is your niece  Gretchen”…Peetas Father  looks at us and says “ no stop you didn’t have twins” Nathan whipping a tear away says “ you guys knew the whole time” Marcus is speechless he only says “ wow” They all give Peeta hugs… 

The next ones who come is Gales family.  Hazzel Posy Vick and Rory. they are all standing in the room we  talked to them a bit when we tell them the baby needs to gets checked out but we ask them to close there eyes  when he comes in and peeta put Cooper in Hazzels hands and The Nurse put   Gretchen in Posy’s…  I say   when they open their eyes  I say “ surprise”  Posy looks down and says “ the baby is wearing pink” then looks at her mothers arms… and is like “ no way!!!” Hazzel is like “ you guys kept this a secret the whole time”… Rory says “ where did you get the second kid from” Vick is so shocked  he just say’s “ oh my god”…. Hazzel asks “ well you shocked us but what are their names?” Peeta tells them “Cooper Rye and   Gretchen Raine ” I tell them “ we named  Gretchen Raine   Her name starts with a G  in honor of Gale.. “ Hazzel cry's”.. our next visitors are Johanna and Haymitch… they come in and see Cooper who Peeta hands to Haymitch and  then says “ Oh I almost forgot his twin sister   Gretchen”  who he hands to Johanna she says “ are you fucking kidding me” then quickly puts a hand on   Gretchen’s ear “ sorry for swearing in front of you” then adds “ it won’t be the last time”… Haymitch holding back tears “ well Katniss you don’t disappoint”. 

Then we have Finnick and Annie who visit us just have them come in. They are both on me  Annie is so shocked she stops in her tracks  “ woah why do you have two”… Finnick who puts up   Gretchen tells her “ see your mommy does have a secret we didn’t know about” then to me “  you two were the only one who knew this no way”. I tell him “ we almost slipped up but no one caught on”. Cora’s family comes in  they see him we Tell him we Named Him Cooper Rye the C  name in honor of  Cora… they cry as they all take turns holding him and Peeta says “ oh and here is his sister   Gretchen Raine” they all do a double take at Peeta and Me  and they are like “ your kidding”..

 Delly and Madge are the next visitors to come in. Delly and Peeta have kept a civil friendship ever since. Madge and I have gotten closer since my arrival back to 12. They walk in and see Cooper are like he’s precious…   Peeta asks “ well have you seen his twin sister” as he hands Gretchen  to Madge… they both are shocked I say surprise Delly for once is speechless  Madge says “ are you serious right now and you both knew” they both are happy for us  a little later on my parents bring the kids over as I will be here for a few days…. And my mother says to them “ want to meet your new brother” as 6 of our children walk into the room…  they all run to me and we have the babies in there  beds but we have covered Gretchen’s up… we get them all to sit on second bed and hand off Cooper to Owen.  and says Everyone will get a chance to hold him… Hold on are we Missing Someone Peeta Says their names the order they are on the bed  We have Owen, Cooper, Ella, Paisley, Noah, Kai and Aubrey… Oh I know who we are missing Coopers twin sister Gretchen   Peeta says as he passes her to Aubrey” They are all like what and excited but we have been teaching them to be quiet  so they cheer quietly.. Because we are in a hospital after all…   Peeta takes a pictures of all our Babies ages 13 to newborn.  All 8 of them… together…

When we go home my house is filled with Little girl stuff as everyone knew were having a boy. But kept her a secret.  Peeta and I walk up the stairs with the twins to the nursery. They are in the bedroom closest to ours… we set them down in their beds.. My family and friends did set up the nursery for Gretchen  as we already did half of it for Cooper… Peeta and I just look at them for a while as they are already Sleeping Peeta puts his arm around my shoulders and I lean in. This is my life now with 8 children.

We are happy they are all doing well we learn to adjust to twins when I tell you have each kid solo it was so much easier the one blessing is for the most part they sleep during the night. Well so I thought Peeta has been getting up for me all this time… I am grateful for that how else am I suppose to not loose my shit every 5 seconds with 8 kids oh wait I don’t They are all good kids but they do fight a lot Peeta and I have been together for over a year now. It does feel like we are married without getting officially Married tho.  When we do it we use   protection because, I am not ready to reproduce anytime soon. 8 kids is plenty… The older kids love their twin siblings.   Peeta and I go on dates but not as Often as the babies can only be away from me for  a small amount of time… Peeta went back to work after a few weeks staying at home helping me with the Babies. Johanna who has moved to 12 now drops by and helps out.  She Picked up the kids from school for us. As Peeta has been busy working. He does work along side his brothers and Rory.  But he doesn’t like to take much time off as in the past year he’s taken plenty of time off… I see in my babies his personality everyday they grow… Peeta comes home everyday after a long day will Play with the children  and take over the babies for me… to give me a bit a of a break he says… We both are tuckered out. I do say hey your working let me wake up for them I am in this house all day… well thats not true I do bring the twins to the bakery with me from time to time. Sometimes they nap upstairs… I get memories of the room when I enter of how Peeta found out I was expecting.  But now it is filled with  a great surprise… They grow everyday too fast for my liking… Peeta does take a few hours off to bring the babies to their appointments… but then is back at work… One Day in the morning after the kids  been dropped off at school, Peeta  is just getting into the bakery now  I get a phone call… Its from the school The Principal Says “ Hello Katniss. We need  you and Peeta to come to the school  immediately….

[reyesstrand]

Hi! If you’re still accepting these prompts how about #5 for tarlos, but maybe not with such an angsty ending? Lol

thank you for the prompt! 💗 all prompts are from this list!  

Of all the things that TK loves about their relocation to Austin, one of the best has to be the cookouts. 

They seem to be a tradition, especially for Judd and Grace, who often invite the whole crew over when they’re off-shift and looking for the chance to relax. Usually, someone already has plans, and it’s never the complete team spending their evenings together — but tonight, for the first time in a while, they’re all off, free, and ready to devour Grace’s cooking. Judd looks at him all knowingly, telling him that he can bring the cop if he wants, and TK does, in fact, want to, so he does. They’ve been going strong for a few months and the 126 already loves Carlos, and that much is proven when they walk through the side-gate to get into Judd and Grace’s back yard, and half of his team immediately flocks over to talk to Carlos. 

TK would be jealous, but who can blame the others? They’re his family, and Judd’s already threatened to give Carlos the shovel talk despite TK’s many protests, and all-in-all they get along. TK passes a bouquet of flowers over to Grace, who’s chatting with Michelle near some of the lawn games they have set up. Grace hugs him close and reaches up to kiss his cheek, giving him that warm smile that manages to enchant anyone who comes across the woman. 

“It’s nice that you guys are all so close,” Carlos observes, after they’ve found some free seats and Grace has refused to let them help with anything. TK hums in agreement. 

“It really does feel like we’re just some big family, most of the time.” TK shrugs, and watches his boyfriend as he’s taking everyone in around them. 

Carlos smiles contentedly at him, and squeezes TK’s hand, as their fingers are still threaded as they have been since they sat down. Eventually Judd calls out that the food’s ready and for everyone to dig in, which they do. Owen comes to talk to them while they eat, eventually drawing Marjan and Mateo into the fold, as well. Little groups have splintered off across the yard as people share stories over their dinner, and everyone laughs as Marjan recounts some daring mission she once was a part of in Miami, which in turn was recorded and shared half a million times within twenty-four hours. TK listens, smiling at his friend’s story, sitting back and letting the comfort of being around all the people he loves most relax him deep in his bones after a long shift. 

Things quickly pick up after dinner, however. 

“Don’t tell me you’ve never taught your son the art of cornhole, Cap,” Judd says, arms curled securely around his wife’s waist. 

Owen throws his hands up in the air. “Life is different in Manhattan, what can I say?” 

Now Carlos throws a surprised look at TK. “Really? You’ve never played?” 

Before TK can answer, Judd quickly jumps in. 

“Us Texans might have to show them a thing or two,” Judd’s shit-eating grin appears, as everyone starts to pick up on the conversation. Owen agrees to a game, and TK shakes his head a little but stands next to his dad, listening as Judd quickly does a rundown of how the game works. TK figures it really can’t be that hard, and locks eyes with Judd. 

“Let’s do this, cowboy Judd,” TK huffs out a little laugh when someone lets out an excited woo! behind them, and people step forward to join the game. 

Marjan and Paul join their team. Judd’s joined by Michelle, who gives them a competitive wink, and Nancy. TK makes a dramatic show of gasping to show his feeling of betrayal when Judd calls for one more teammate, and Carlos volunteers. 

“Don’t you love me?” TK asks, as Carlos steps closer to Michelle. He tries pouting at his boyfriend, but Carlos shakes his head, a little smirk in place. He turns back into TK’s space just for a moment, and TK bites back a goofy smile as his boyfriend’s thumb runs along his shoulder.

“Of course I do, Ty,” Carlos says, sincerely, and TK swallows a little at the earnest look in his eyes. And then Carlos steps back to grab the blue beanbags for his team to use. “But I want to be on the winning team, so.” 

Carlos punctuates it with a shrug, finally walking over to Michelle, who grins at him. Judd smacks him appreciatively on the shoulder, and Carlos’ gaze stays playful even from across the yard. 

TK gathers up the red beanbags for his team. He makes sure he catches Carlos’ eyes as he mirrors his teasing look, as he calls out, “You’re on, Reyes!” 

Carlos laughs, and he's so beautiful it almost distracts TK from the matter at hand. He’s only slightly worried about losing. His dad’s good at golf and has generally decent depth perception, but TK knows he and Marjan and Paul stick out like sore thumbs; not only are they not Texas natives, but they’d all literally learned what this game was twenty minutes ago, and didn’t grow up perfecting their skills — as most of their opposing team apparently has. 

He’s right about his dad being their best player; he gets them points right away, and Marjan’s not too bad either. It takes her a few throws, but eventually she perfects it, and confidently accepts applause when she gets them another few points. TK’s pretty terrible, he’s come to learn that he’s really not the most gifted when it comes to sports, and Paul gets by. Near the end of the game, the focus has mostly dropped down to just having fun and being plain stupid about their throws, even making up rules on the spot. Judd’s laugh is deep and can be heard probably a block away, and Carlos grins at him from across the way, and TK decides he’s content enough to watch the flex of his boyfriend’s arm as he perfects his throws with every passing round. 

It’s clear Judd’s team is going to win. It’s also clear that at this point, nobody really cares about it. 

“Now, pretty boy, I don’t want your feelings to get hurt,” Judd jokes, as he prepares his next throw. TK narrows his eyes at him as he expertly manages to get his team’s last beanbag into the hole, as cheers erupt around them from his team. “That’s how you do it, brother.” 

“Alright, this can be your thing, I’ll just continue to beat you at everything else.” TK teases back, effortlessly moving out of the way as Judd tries to move in close to ruffle up his hair. Carlos does move back into his space and TK loops his arm around the other man’s waist, keeping him close to his side. The others sort of dissipate, moving on to other games or to grab another drink or pick at the dessert that’s still left out. 

“I do love you, you know,” Carlos murmurs, as he presses a quick kiss to his temple. 

TK smiles as he feels Carlos’ arm settle over his shoulder. “I love you too.” 

“Even if you suck at cornhole.” Carlos adds, his eyes crinkling around the corners as he grins and squirms away from TK’s attempt to playfully jab him in the side. 

“Dick,” TK mutters, but Carlos is smiling into it when they kiss, and even as the others start yelling at them to get a room, he doesn’t care about anything else in the world. 

[bellakitse]

Of little girls and their cats-Part 2

part one

A year later, TK, Carlos, and Lisbeth are a family but Lisbeth and Carlos want to make it official.

TK wakes up with a small delicate hand in his face and a knee pushing into his side, he’s at the edge of the bed with Lisbeth pressed against him and a sea of empty space on the other side of her. He gets up slowly, gently removing her hold on him as he gets out of bed. Making his way out of the bedroom, he heads for the kitchen after a stop at the bathroom, not surprised when he finds a freshly showered Carlos already working the coffee maker.

He slides in behind his boyfriend, wrapping his arms around his waist, he presses a kiss between his shoulder blades.

“Hi, been home long?” he asks, his tongue licking at a bead of water he finds at the base of Carlos’ neck, smirking into the skin when Carlos shivers. He takes a step back when he turns around in his arms.

“About a half an hour ago,” Carlos answers, leaning down he touches his nose against TK’s. “I would have woken you up the way you like, but I noticed you replaced me in our bed, so I took a shower instead.”

TK chuckles softly, letting out a soft sound as Carlos gives him a kiss at the corner of his mouth and works his way down his jaw. “I can’t say no to her when she hits me with those big brown eyes of hers.”

Carlos huffs against his ear, pulling back to look at him with an amused but judging look on his face. “You need to build an immunity to her.”

TK rolls his eyes, scoffing at the hypocrisy of Carlos’ words. Lisbeth has her father wrapped around her little finger just like him, and literally everyone else in her life. The mountain of toys in her room from Owen alone is proof of that. “If a year of dating you and four months of living with you guys hasn’t done it, I don’t think anything will, baby.”

Carlos makes a humming sound and shrugs. “Then, I hope you like her bony knees in your kidneys when I’m on night shifts.”

“For someone so tiny, she does take up a lot of bed space,” he marvels, pulling a laugh out of Carlos.

“She likes to snuggle,” Carlos tells him, pulling TK back into his arms. “Just like her father.”

“Needy,” TK teases him even as he runs his hands over his arms. Carlos doesn’t bother answering him. Instead, he tilts TK’s head upward as he leans down, pressing his lips against his. TK moans into the kiss, opening up under Carlos’ mouth, tasting the minty flavor of their toothpaste. He flicks his tongue against Carlos, his body responding as Carlos answers by sucking on his tongue. All he wants is to drag Carlos to their bedroom, push him down on their bed and ride him until his thighs burn. Carlos has been pulling night shifts at work for the last two weeks, and they’ve been like passing ships.

He desperately needs to get reacquainted with his lover’s body and pull out all those delicious sounds Carlos makes when they make love. Unfortunately, they have an eight-year-old in their bed that they need to start getting ready for school.

“Don’t start what we can’t finish,” Carlos whispers against his mouth even as his hands slide down TK’s backside.

“Tell me you’re finally done with nights for now,” TK whispers back, thrusting upward, rubbing himself against Carlos’ growing hard-on.

“Yes,” Carlos hisses. “Thank god.”

TK lets out a pleased hum. “Tonight after Lisbeth goes to sleep – he trails off, letting Carlos’ mind run wild, smirking as Carlos narrows his eyes at him.

“Tease.”

TK laughs, ready to tease some more when he hears little feet moving around. “Hold that thought, I’m going to help Lisbeth get ready,” he says, looking down at Carlos’ crotch. “You take care of that.”

Carlos huffs out a laugh before closing his eyes, singing under his breath the first lines of ‘baby shark.’

TK lets out a horrified noise. “Baby, no.”

Carlos shoots him a look. “You said to take care of it, this is the fastest way to make it go away.”

TK opens his mouth to tell Carlos just how wrong it is to sing a kid’s song, guaranteed to give you earworm for the day to make an erection go down, when Lisbeth comes into the kitchen rubbing her eyes with her small fist. TK takes a look at her sleepy face, out of control curls, and feels his heart give a squeeze.

“Good morning,” she mutters through a yawn.

“Good morning Lissy,” TK greets her back, meeting her in the middle of the kitchen, he leans down to kiss the top of her head as she circles her arms around his waist and gives him a loose hug.

“Morning, nena,” Carlos says with a smile, lifting her into his arms when she lets go of TK to hug her father.

“Hola, Papi,” she says, nuzzling her face into his neck.

“Buenos dias,” Carlos says again, and TK leans against the counter, watching them as Carlos runs a hand over her hair, smoothing it out. “Are you excited about today, baby?”

Lisbeth looks up from where she rests her head on Carlos’ shoulder looking more awake at the reminder, she looks over at TK with a huge smile that TK can’t help but return, and nods excitedly.

“It’s going to be so cool,” she exclaims, looking at TK for reassurance, and TK nods. He agreed to go to Lisbeth’s school for career day and tell her class about his job as a firefighter.

“Yeah, I guess it’s kinda cool since TK’s a firefighter,” Carlos starts, there’s a teasing quality to his voice that has TK raising an eyebrow at him. “Not as cool as being a cop, but cool enough, I guess.”

“Jealous,” TK shoots back.

“Being a cop is cool,” Lisbeth agrees, and TK rolls his eyes at the smug look Carlos shoots him. “But going into burning buildings is really cool, Papi.”

“OOH!,” TK shouts, holding a hand up for Lisbeth to high-five. “Owned by your own kid, Officer Reyes!”

“Lisbeth,” Carlos gasps, loosening his hold on her as he staggers back dramatically, making Lisbeth shriek and laugh as she wraps her arms around his neck. “You wound me.”

Proving she’s utterly savage, Lisbeth gives Carlos’ cheek a light pat. “You’ll be okay, now put me down, I have to get dressed.”

TK has to bite down on his lip to keep from laughing at the betrayed look on Carlos’ face as he puts his daughter down. They watch together as she leaves the kitchen and heads for her room.

“You’ve stolen my kid's affections from me,” Carlos points a finger accusingly at him.

“Thank god you find me cute?” TK asks innocently, laughing when Carlos opens his mouth to argue only to close it again with a pout.

“Okay, point.”

“And thank god you love me?” TK continues, looking at Carlos from underneath his eyelashes, smirking when Carlos huffs again.

“Another point,” Carlos grumbles for precisely two seconds before he grins, and closes the space between them to kiss him before he can say another thing.

“Thank god you love me back,” Carlos says against his mouth, and all TK can do is nod. It’s the absolute truth, he loves Carlos and Lisbeth more than he ever thought he could love anyone.

“Are you sure you’re okay with me doing career day and not you?” he questions for the hundredth time since Lisbeth told them about the event and asked TK if he would do it.

Carlos smiles at him, that gentle, loving smile of his that never fails to make TK feel special and oh so lucky. “I’m sure, I like that she wants to show you off,” Carlos yawns. “Plus, I’m so tired, I doubt I’d make it through the whole thing. You’re going to be there all day.”

TK shrugs, he read Lisbeth’s teacher’s email, and Carlos is not wrong, with all the activities listed, TK would not only be taking Lisbeth to school, but he would also be bringing her back home with him since he was going to spend the day with her.

TK makes a face that has Carlos smirking, and he cups his jaw, leaning in to give him a quick kiss.

"You're going to do great."

*

"Next, we have Lisbeth Reyes’ guest! Mr. TK Strand."

TK makes his way to the front of the room in his uniform, smiling out to the class of 3rd graders and their parents.

"Hi," he starts, swallowing nervously as 30-something pairs of eyes focus on him. "I'm TK, and I'm here to tell you about being a firefighter."

He makes eye contact with Lisbeth, his nerves settling as she beams at him, all but vibrating in her seat. He talks about the training it takes to become a firefighter, what he does on any given day, slipping in fire safety tips the way they do when kids visit the station. Before he knows it, his part of the speech is done, and he looks over at the teacher waiting for her to address the class again.

“Any questions for Mr. Strand?"

A few hands go up, they’re typical questions about being scared, and if you have to be strong to hold onto the pressure hose.

"One last question?"

A little girl, a seat over from Lisbeth, raises her hand. "Are you Lisbeth’s daddy?"

TK startles at the unexpected question. Looking around the classroom, his eyes land on Lisbeth for a moment.

“Ah, well, no, Lisbeth has a daddy, he's a police officer, I'm her…" he pauses, unsure how to finish the sentence. His eyes go back towards Lisbeth, but she's not looking at him, and something uncomfortable settles in his stomach. "I'm her TK," he finishes awkwardly.

Lisbeth still doesn't look at him, and TK doesn't know what he's done exactly, but he knows from the dread that builds inside him that it’s somehow wrong.

*

The ride home is quiet, every attempt at conversation is met with silence. TK watches Lisbeth through the rearview mirror, and where usually Lisbeth meets his gaze making funny faces, now she stares out the window with a single-mindedness that is impressive for an eight-year-old. He pulls into the driveway and shuts the car, pressing the button to open the doors.

“Lissy,” he starts, but Lisbeth is already taking off her seatbelt and jumping out of her booster seat. TK rushes to take off his own seatbelt while Lisbeth opens the door to his truck, heading for the front door of the house.

“Lisbeth, sweetheart,” he calls out, rushing to get to her, cursing when Lisbeth pushes the door open, he’s told Carlos a million times to lock it.

The man in question looks up from the couch with a smile on his face as they both come in. “Hey, how did it go?” he questions.

TK watches as Lisbeth looks at her dad and then at him, and with his heart in his throat, he watches as her eyes well up.

“Lisbeth?” Carlos questions, standing up from the couch as he notices the tears. “Nena?”

Lisbeth’s bottom lip trembles, and she bites down on it, shaking her head when he takes a step towards her. She turns on her heel, and before he or Carlos can stop her, she runs towards her room, slamming the door.

Carlos walks towards him with a frown on his face. “What the hell was that about?”

TK shakes his head. “I don’t know,” he says, running a shaky hand through his hair. “She’s mad at me about something, but I don’t know what I did,” he finishes, his eyes stinging as he looks up at Carlos.

Carlos’ frown deepens, and when he cups the back of TK’s neck, tugging him softly, TK curls into him, hugging him as he shakes.

“TK, baby, breathe,” Carlos orders as he runs his hands up and down his back. “Whatever it is, we’ll fix it.”

“She’s never been angry at me,” TK whispers into Carlos’ shoulder.

Carlos hugs him tighter, rubbing the back of his head. “Let me go talk to her, see what’s wrong, okay?

He pulls back, cupping TK’s face as he gives him a gentle smile. “You’ll see, it’s no big deal. Kids get angry, and then they get over it. Lisbeth loves you.”

TK gives his boyfriend a shaky nod, letting him go. Lisbeth is the one that’s upset and needs to be comforted by her dad right now, not him. “Go, and tell her whatever I did, I’m sorry.”

Carlos presses a quick kiss at his temple as he goes, leaving TK alone in the living room feeling miserable.

He heads towards the kitchen.

Lisbeth likes peanut butter sandwiches cut into shapes as a snack after school. He gets to work on the sandwiches, trying not to look at the time, eating the crusts when he’s done, and neither Carlos or Lisbeth come back out. He’s slowly losing his mind when Carlos walks into the kitchen, and TK must look a wreck from the way Carlos’ expression softens even more than usual.

Carlos crosses the distance between them, and before TK can ask, pulls him into a deep kiss. TK returns it on instinct, sighing into the kiss as Carlos takes his time with it. When he pulls back, Carlos is smiling at him.

“What was that for?” he questions, a little dazed.

Carlos lets out a soft laugh. “I just really love you, and Lisbeth.”

TK loses some of the warm, happy feeling Carlos’ kiss gave him, worrying again. “Is she okay?”

Carlos gives him another smile as he nods. “Yeah, baby, she’s okay, and she’s ready to talk to you.”

TK takes a deep breath. “Okay,” he says, taking the plate he got ready for her. He starts to walk away only to stop when Carlos takes hold of his wrist.

“For the record TK,” Carlos starts, the smile on his face is bright and beautiful. “I’m more than okay with what she’s going to ask you. Okay?”

TK frowns, confused, but he nods when Carlos doesn’t let go of him. “Okay.”

Carlos’ eyes twinkle. “Go, I’ll be out here when you guys are done.”

TK gives him another nod, still confused before heading for Lisbeth’s room. He takes a breath as he knocks softly on her door, opening it when she says come in.

TK steps into Lisbeth's room, finding her sitting on her bed, hugging the stuffed dog he won her the last time the state fair was in town. She looks up at him with those big brown eyes of hers, slightly red from crying, and it breaks his heart to think he was the cause of her tears.

“Hi Lissy,” he says, getting a soft hi back.

“Can I?” he gestures towards her bed, letting out a relieved breath when she nods. He places the plate on her side table and sits down on her bed. Neither of them says anything for a moment.

“Sweetheart,” he starts, desperate. “I obviously upset you, and I’m so sorry. Please tell me what’s wrong.”

Lisbeth hugs her dog a little tighter, and all TK wants is to take her into his arms and hold her just as close.

“When Marie-Anne asked if you were my daddy,” she starts, her voice above a whisper. “You said you weren’t.”

TK freezes at the comment, his heart, however, feels like he’s run a marathon, hammering in his chest. “Well,” he starts, feeling off-footed. “You have a daddy, sweetheart.”

Lisbeth looks up at him, rolling her eyes so hard it startles a laugh out of him, she’s totally learned that from him. “I know that TK, he’s my Papi,” she huffs out, the ‘duh’ in the sentence silent but obvious.

She looks away from him for a moment, before turning back at him, meeting him head-on. “But I want you to be my dad too,” she says, her bottom lip trembling again. “If you want.”

TK swallows hard, telling himself that now is not the time to cry, even as a ball of emotion gets stuck in his throat. “I would love to be your dad, baby,” he whispers, his voice cracking.

Lisbeth looks at him with doe-eyes, the beginnings of a smile on her sweet face. “Yeah?” she asks softly, and TK finds himself nodding rapidly, his eyes stinging.

“Yeah,” he gets out, meeting her half-way when she lets go of her toy and crawls into his lap, her skinny arms wrapped tight around his neck as she hugs him. He holds her close, he doesn’t know how he got so lucky to have this little girl care about him, but he knows that he’ll do everything in his power to never disappoint her.

“I love you dad,” she whispers into his ear, and all TK can do is tighten his hold on her.

“I love you too sweetheart,” he tells her, running a hand over her silky curls. “So much.”

*

TK walks out of Lisbeth's room, leaving her to change and eat her sandwich, feeling like he’s been hit with the emotional equivalent of a Mack truck.

“You okay?”

TK looks up to find Carlos watching him from the end of the hall, a look of understanding and love on his face.

“She wants me to be her dad,” he whispers, the tears he’s been holding back finally spilling down his cheeks.

“Come here,” Carlos opens his arms to him, and TK is already moving towards the love of his life, slamming into his strong frame in a rush to be held by him. Carlos wraps his arms around him, holding him close, his hands drawing small comforting circles on his back as TK tucks his face into the crook of his neck.

“I’m her dad,” he says again, still not believing the words.

Carlos makes a soft, reassuring sound against his ear. “Yeah, you are.”

*

TK lays back on their bed while Carlos moves around the room. The rest of the evening had gone fine, Lisbeth was back to her happy self, the day's upset forgotten as she told Carlos how cool TK was telling her class about his job. Lighting up when Carlos suggested that maybe her class would like a visit to the firehouse.

TK had to keep from crying when she turned her wide-eyes on him and ask 'Can we dad?' And he found himself texting his father about it before they were even done with dinner.

"You're a million miles away."

TK looks up to find Carlos watching him, a knowing look on his face. TK opens his mouth, but nothing comes out.

Carlos nods in understanding. "Overwhelmed?"

TK nods back. "And scared shitless?"

Carlos laughs softly, coming over to sit next to him. "Sounding like a dad already. Welcome to the club, you'll be scared shitless for the rest of time."

TK gives Carlos a half-smile, leaning into Carlos hand when he cups his cheek. "Are you sure you're okay with this?" he asks nervously, letting out a sigh when Carlos presses his thumb at his pulse point.

"Am I okay with you loving my kid so much you want to be her dad? Or am I okay with my daughter loving the love of my life so much she wants you as her dad?" Carlos questions, smiling, and TK thinks it has something to do with the way his pulse jumps under Carlos's hand at the 'love of his life’ part. "Yeah, baby, I'm more than okay with it."

TK lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Thank you," he whispers, not having to say out loud; he's thanking Carlos for loving him.

Carlos nods, letting him go, and TK frowns as he sees a nervous shake of his hand.

"To be honest, there’s only one thing I'm upset about," Carlos says teasingly, but that doesn't take away from the anxious glint in his eye.

"What?" TK questions.

"That Lisbeth gets to call you dad before I get to call you my husband," Carlos smiles softly at him, the love in his eyes making TK's breath catch.

"Carlos?" TK asks, shaky, his heart racing with hope.

Carlos doesn't answer.

Instead, he holds out his hand to TK, a simple gold band in the middle of his palm.

"I had it all planned, there were going to be flowers and candles everywhere, " Carlos starts, smiling when TK lets out a half-laugh, half-sob. "But then Lisbeth decided to propose first."

"Carlos," he says again, overwhelmed to say anything else.

"I love you, Tyler," Carlos says, taking his hand. "I think I loved you from the moment you climbed up the tree to get the damn cat down, and every moment since. You're a part of our family, Lisbeth wants to make it official and so do I. Will you marry me?"

TK nods rapidly, letting out a happy laugh when Carlos shouts excitedly, taking his hand to slip the ring on his finger, before pulling him into a kiss.

"I love you," he whispers against Carlos's mouth, his heart fluttering under his ribcage as Carlos tells him once again he loves him too.

*

TK watches from the balcony as his father greets Lisbeth's class and goes over the rules of safety for the firehouse. He starts to make his way down the stairs when his father calls him over.

He smiles out to the class, his smile growing wider when his eyes land on his baby girl, and he spots the brilliant grin on her face.

“Hello,” he greets them with a wave.

He touches his wedding band with his thumb, love, and pride filling him as he continues. “For those of you that don’t remember me, I’m TK Strand, Lisbeth’s dad.”