#i love that we both saw those prompts and went “i know someone who's enamored with a thief” 🤭

[hannah-heartstrings]

Ahhhhhhhhhhh!💖 :D

@druidx @inkysqueed

@tes-summer-fest 24, day 4: thief and enamoured

Ah yes. You're not a thief. I know this, and I love you🩷

A little gift for @hannah-heartstrings and her lovely Thiefguard 😙

[quickiesgirl]

Just the Two of Us - Wanda Maximoff

Paring: Wanda Maximoff x Fem!Reader

Scenario Prompt: 6. “Oh, I love that sound you make.”, 8.“I never imagined you to be so sensitive, but I love it.”

Warning: 18+, Smut, Sub/dom, Semi-Public Oral Sex, Cunnilingus

A/N: I didn't realize how long I made this, but I kinda want to make a part two. Let me know if you want to see that.

 You laid beside Wanda in her bed, watching one of her favorite sitcoms, I Love Lucy. Tony assigned you to “entertain her” just while she was confined in the compound. It was almost midnight, and both of you had agreed that you weren’t sleepy yet, and wanted to do something fun. 

“I have an idea.” Wanda gave you a naughty smile as she lifted up and turned around to face you. “And what's that?” You looked up at her and tilted your head as she settled down on her legs that were beneath her.  “How about we go skinny dipping?” 

Your eyes went big, and your heart picked up speed. For a moment, you couldn’t believe what you heard. Skinny dipping? With the girl who you’ve had the biggest crush on for months? 

“Uh- Y-yeah, sure!” You nodded, attempting to hide the redness that was spreading across your cheeks.

 “Really?” 

“Sure, I’ll go skinny dipping with you.” 

Wanda excitedly hopped off the mattress, her face beaming as she helped you up and grabbed the towels from her bathroom. 

 You followed her from behind as she led you down the compound's dimly lit halls. Your eyes scanned over her black jean shorts that rode up on her ass cheeks and revealed those gorgeous round thighs. Oh, how you do anything to have those thighs wrapped around your head. 

You were constantly catching yourself staring at her body, whether it was her tits, ass, hips, or thighs, they always seemed to be exposed when you were around, and it drove you crazy. It made you more excited just thinking about how you would see her with those clothes completely off. 

 You both stepped down the small stairs, noticing the sensors detected your movements, and trip the lights, finding yourselves in the room with windows on the ceiling and the public lap pool that the two of you would have all to yourself. 

“Hey, you don’t think anybody's gonna come down here, right?” You questioned, glancing back down towards the hall. You were mostly worried about the sake of Vision detecting that the two of you had left and gone down here. 

“Trust me, everyone's asleep, and if someone does, I’ll make sure to take care of them.” Wanda mischievously winked and slipped her hand from yours, beginning to strip her clothes one by one right in front of you. You started to do the same, throwing your clothes in a little pile beside you and placing your towel on top. 

After most of your items of clothing were removed, you glanced up, feeling your heart nearly jumping out of your chest once you saw her in some white lacy panties and a matching bra that dropped to the floor, watching her boobs spill out of the cups and nipples stiffen from the cool air. 

You quickly moved your sight away and looked down at your feet, trying your best to be respectful and not stare, but still catching little glances out of the corner of your eye. You were completely enamored and yearned to hold her breasts in either hand and tease her hardened buds. 

You slowly undid your bra as she dropped her panties to the floor. At this point, you were surprised you weren’t drooling with lust. 

Wanda gazed at you, watching you put your undergarments aside and stand beside her, fully nude, with your arms slightly covering your breasts, “Are you ready, angel?” 

“Mmh?” 

She softly smiled, noticing how sheepish you were at that moment. She pointed toward the lap pool and repeated, “Are you ready to get in the pool?” 

“Y-yeah.”  

You watched her reach out and gently pull your hand away from your chest, comfortably holding it in her warmth. You both stepped over to the concrete edge of the pool, glancing down into the water with a small smile as you gazed back at her and jumped in together. 

Your head came above the warm water, and an uncontrollable chuckle left your mouth. This was much more fun than you realized. It felt amazing to have nothing between the water and your skin, and doing something so mischievous like this was pretty exciting. 

Wanda's head popped up, and pushed her wet red hair out of her face, noticing the bright grin across your face, which made her happy to see, “Have you ever been skinny dipping before?” 

“No, I’ve never had anyone to do it with me.”

She gave a cheeky smirk, “Well, I’m glad I could be that person.” 

After swimming together, and a few splash fights. You sat on the lap pool's underwater step and watched Wanda allow the water to carry her. A faint smile across her face as she floated on her back. You crossed your legs and lightly squeezed your thighs together.

Was it wrong to be watching her like this? What if she knows that you're looking at her and it’s making her uncomfortable? Maybe she didn’t like you the same way. 

Wanda could hear your loud, racing thoughts, and she could feel your wants and desires grow larger as you continued to think. You suddenly froze, noticing Wanda sink under the water and began to swim toward you, watching the ripples move closer and closer to you until familiar hands suddenly gripped your thighs. 

Wanda slowly stood directly between your legs and positioned her knee against your bare cunt. You gulped and watched the water drip down her chest. You gazed into her green, misty eyes as she tilted her head at you, “Angel, you seem so flustered.”

Your face turned beat red, and your heart raced. You could barely get a word out at that moment, “W-well I uhm.” 

She pressed her knee against your labia, right on your clitoris, causing you to let out a soft sigh, “W-what are you doing?” 

“Helping you out.” She told you as she leaned in and attached her lips against yours, making your eyes go wide in shock. 

Your body melted against her plush lips that were so warm and sweet as they tenderly caressed yours, feeling the tip of her nose gently tickling your cheek. You closed your eyes and softly moaned, pushing further into the kiss.

Her hands cupped your hips, and her knee rocked back and forth on your clit. You raised your hand from the water and held your hand against her cheek as your lips worked against her. 

  “Fuck, your so hot-” You breathly muttered between her intoxicating lips. Your dominant hand ran up her chest, squeezing her soft breast and rolling her hard nipple between your point and middle finger. Wanda breathly whimpered from your touch, feeling her chest rise in the palm of your hand. Her pussy swelled with excitement as it became a tingling mess. 

Your lips detached from hers and began leaving wet kisses down her neck. Her head tilting to the side, giving you more access as you marked her sweet spots with visible hickeys, ones you knew you’d get to admire tomorrow.

 “I wanna eat the fuck out of that little pussy of yours-”

“Please, Y/n, do it.” 

Your hands slid down to her beautiful hips while you stood up and lifted her, setting her up on top of the dry concrete ledge. You positioned your hands on her knees and spread her legs apart, trailing your lips down those pretty thighs, leaving pretty red hickeys as you did, getting closer and closer to that beautiful core that was dripping with lust, “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted you, Wanda, and touched myself just to the thought of licking your sweet pussy.”

Wanda’s cunt begged for your head between her thighs and ached for your touch. Just like you, she had wanted and fantasized about this for so long that she didn’t even need much foreplay, “Please, Y/n- no teasing!” 

“Anything for you, baby girl.” You lightly smirked against her and gently pulled her lips apart, running your tongue up her slit. What you didn't know was how sensitive she was, and just as your tongue slid up against her bud, it sent an overload of sensitive waves throughout her body.

Her thighs quivered as she let out a breathy sensual moan, one that vibrated your core. You suddenly stopped in your place, directly against her clitoris, and proceeded to give it another try. 

You lightly kitten licking her clit at a fast pace. Fuck, she couldn’t handle it, her hips squirming against you, listening to her let out another little set of adorable, lustful moans. Her moaning was like music to your ears. 

 “Oh, I love that sound you make.” You smirked and moved back down, dipping your tongue inside her tight cunt, getting a sweet taste of her arousal. With more delicate movements, you slid out and gently kissed her clitoris, beginning to lightly suck on it, bringing the knots to tighten in her stomach and heat drip from her cunt. 

“Oh, fuck! Yes- yes- just like that!” She threw her head back and raised her hand from the concrete floor, tangling her fingers with your wet hair as she opened her shaky legs wider for you, feeling the heat steam off her core.

Wanda’s stomach tensed as your lapping tongue flattened and began flicking her contracting bud at a much faster pace. It became too much, “F-Fuck! I’m gonna cum!” 

Her thighs squeezed around your head, pussy rabidly pulsing as one of the best orgasms she's ever had washed over her body. Thick cum spilled out onto your chin and across your tongue, replenishing your taste buds with her sweet arousal once more.

Wanda's clit was throbbing between her labia which was slick and swollen, with her amazing high lingering in the background. 

Her soft gaze fell onto you as her thighs relaxed around your head. You licked your wet lips and smirked, “I never imagined you to be so sensitive, but I love it.”

Wanda bit her lip as she gently reached down, wiping the wetness from your chin. You looked up at the dazed woman that sat before you and softly smiled, “How about we go back to your bedroom, take a nice warm shower, and relax?” 

“Yes, please.” 

-

The next morning you woke up in Wanda's room. The memories of last night flooded into your head as you curled up in the warmth of her bedsheets and rolled over to cuddle her, but sadly you didn't find her beside you. 

A few minutes later, you looked around and watched Wanda walk out of the bathroom completely naked. Her red hair was still wet from taking her morning shower.

 “Morning, stranger.” Wanda smiled.

“Good Morning, Pretty girl.” You smiled back as you eyed her body and the little hickeys that covered her inner thighs and across her neck. She warmly blushed, stepping to your side of the bed, crawling up, and straddling your stomach between her thighs. She leaned down and gave you a morning kiss. “I’m gonna go make breakfast for us.” 

You lightly nodded and watched as she hopped off you and stepped over to her closet. 

 You snuck up from behind and wrapped your arms around her waist while she was picking out her clothes, feeling her lean back against your chest and look up at you, “What are you craving right now?”

“You.” You whispered lustfully, gently kissing behind her ear as she sensually bit her bottom lip and turned around in your arms, “You know we have to meet the team downstairs in twenty minutes.” 

“Don't worry. I can make you cum in five.”  

Wanda slowly draped her arms around your neck and smirked, “Tik Tok, baby.”

[jeongvision]

unconditional love

synopsis. if you were to ask yourself, ‘when did you realize that you were in love with lee jeno?’, you wouldn’t know how to respond. in fact, there was never a moment where you weren’t in love with him. but what happens when he asks you the same question? you might have to take a rain check, literally.

pairing. best friend! lee jeno ✗ fem! reader

genre. fluff, humor, childhood friends au, friends to lovers au

word count. 1.6k

warnings. none! but highkey though this made me fall in love with jeno :(

song. walking in the rain by chancellor & younha

author’s note. happy birthday @sehunniepotwrites​!​ not sure if this is fluffy enough for you but hope you enjoy this lil blurb! cheers to another one of your milestones and many more in life!

ps. there are two lines in this fic that are from a poem written by e.e. cummings! not going to say which ones or the title of the poem bc it might spoil future plans i have oop

You were one of the few fortunate people on the planet to still be friends with someone from your childhood. To have so many worthwhile memories shared with someone must be cherished at all cost. And many times were you afraid that Jeno might get tired of being friends with you, but being the ethereal person he is, he casted all your worries away and assured you that he had no plans on leaving you any time soon.

And perhaps somewhere down the line, the love you had for him went far beyond what people would label as ‘friendship,’ and dared enough to say, you were in love with him. If a stranger were to describe how you looked whenever you were with him, many would describe you to be enamored.

And if you happened to be enamored for your childhood friend, then so be it.

You fear no fate, for he is your fate, your sweet.

“Can I ask you something, y/n?”

Currently, you two are sat outside of a café near your home: 7 Dreams. It was a beautiful day out, the sun warming the air around you, flutters of clouds scattered throughout the blue sky. You expressed your desires to Jeno earlier that you wanted to sit out on the tables they placed outside their shop. It has been a little chilly from the past few days with occasional rain showers here and there, and you want nothing more than to relish in the warm weather after days of being forced into the solitude of your home.

“Sure. What is it?”

But before you could take a sip of your green tea latte, you’re thrown off by his question.

“When did you first fall in love with me?”

Your fingers stilled at the ceramic handle of your mug. You didn’t know what brought that question to the latter’s mind. Granted, you two have had your fair shares of flirtations and courtship, but never acted beyond past it. It was all done with jest, as you two would put it. You could easily lie to him, saying that you only saw him as a friend, but never to yourself; your heart betrays you with palpitations and inclinations for your best friend from just the mere thought of him.

You forced a stoic expression on your face.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He huffs out a breath from your response.

“Y/n, there’s no point in trying to hide it. I’ve known you for almost my whole life, so I know when you’re lying to me. The look you give me is different from how you looked at Johnny when you two were together.”

A snort escapes from your lips.

“And what does my ex have to do with this?” You could see a teasing grin poke through his demeanor, prompting an eye roll from you.

“So you admit that you do look at me differently then.”

“No, Jeno, I am not admitting to anything. And even if I did look at you differently, how would you know if I was in love with you?”

“Because you would’ve denied it by now. And right now, you’re just stepping around the question.”

You squint your eyes a little, to which Jeno does the same back.

“Oh, so I’m the bad guy now? How about when I asked you for the name of the person you liked a couple years back?”

And so, his eyebrows rise a little at your bold question, head tilted a little to the side.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he counters.

You couldn’t help but let out an incredulous laugh, your head shaking from disbelief.

“Oh, don’t fake naivety, Jeno. Senior prom, when we were each other’s date because you ‘didn’t receive any prom-posals from anyone’, when I knew fully well that you received many of them from both guys AND girls. You just denied them all.”

You could clearly play the memory out in the back of your head, a movie projector showcasing your youthful-self slow dancing with a bashful Jeno in the middle of the dance floor, your arms wrapped his neck and his hands on your waist. Both of your feet moved in sync with one another, eyes searching within the depths of each other’s soul, oblivious of the whispers and stares around you that spoke nothing short but envy for the sight that laid before them is one worth capturing.

“We were dancing to Hearts Don’t Break Around Here. You know, the one by Ed Sheeran?” you followed.

His smile grows fond at the memory of it.

“Oh, we’re in love, aren’t we?”

“Jeno!” You give a light slap on his forearm and he laughs at your response. “Now is not the time to start saying song lyrics!”

It’s a wonder how you managed to last this long from professing your feelings out to him. You two did almost everything together and experienced many firsts together. First road trip together, first beach date together - you even experienced your first pet purchase together. So what’s stopping you from confessing to him?

“Look, what I’m trying to say is that I have a feeling that you’re in love with me,” you said.

There’s a glint in his eyes filled with mirth.

“And how can you be so sure?”

“Because of the way you look at me?”

“And it’s the same way as how you look at me?”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure.”

“So you admit that you’re in love with me.”

Before you could continue on with your playful banter, you stopped yourself short. You take a moment to process his words in. Wait, did he just? Your words get caught in your throat. Did he just admit that he feels the same way towards me?

He notices your shock and uses this moment to his advantage to continue on, each word laced with certainty.

“If you’re saying that the way you look at me is the same as how I look at you, then that means that you are in love with me, because I don’t know how else to say that I am very much in love with you, y/n.”

Heat resonates all throughout your body. Your heart beats erratically and you’re at loss of words. Flustered you are, but who wouldn’t be? For years, you’ve pinned after your best friend, hoping for the day to come where he reciprocates your feelings. You had an inkling that he had some sort of romantic feelings for you as he always seemed to reject everyone’s relationship proposal, justifying his reasoning to be that there’s already someone he likes.

“Who is it?”

“An angel.”

“What’s their name?”

“Something pretty.”

“Jeno.”

“Y/n.”

And you just drop the conversation like that, frustrated by his vague answers. But nevertheless, you could never get tired of him. Something about him gravitates you towards him, the feelings you’ve harbored in secrecy burning brighter than ever whenever you’re by his side. He’s not perfect, but to you, he’s the best thing to appear in your life. From the crinkling of his eyes to the sweet smiles of his lips to the red tint of his neck and ears.

You want no world, for he is your entire world, your true.

“Look, it’s raining.”

Breaking out of your reverie, you look up to Jeno to see him peering out on the streets. You follow suit to see raindrops falling onto the pavement. It slowly gains momentum, growing heavier and louder with each passing second. Fortunately, you two are shielded from the rain with the veranda attached to the cafe. The sun peaks through the crevices of the clouds, still lighting the world around you with a subtle rainbow blossoming up into the spring sky.

You hear Jeno let out a laugh, bringing your attention back to him. There’s a wistful smile on his face when he asks you, “Remember when we were little, we would always run out in the rain on the concrete and just jump around? Pretend that we were in some kind of movie?”

You mirror his expression, your mind replaying a distant memory you shared with him.

“Our parents would always yell at us for that, saying we’ll get sick if we don’t stop.”

Your gaze trails back out onto the pavements. Then, you felt an itch in your fingers, an itch in your feet. Not literally, but you have this sudden urge to move. To dance. To celebrate. To relive those moments once more.

It’s almost as if the stars were aligned at that moment and heard your wishes, because you see Jeno get up from his seat and take a step forward and immerse himself out into the rain. His entire figure instantly gets drenched from the falling raindrops, not caring for a single second that he might catch a cold from his actions. Before you could call out to him, he looks back at you with a grin, and perhaps it might be your most favorite accessory he wears on himself.

He offers his hand out to you.

“May I have this dance, ma chérie?”

You’re taken back to the same distant memory again. Every single time, without fail, young Jeno would always ask for your hand to dance with him under the rain, to which you would always oblige with, “Well, of course mon cher.” But this time, you decide to switch it up a little.

You stand up from your seat and step closer to your best friend, a push away from falling victim to the rain with him. Your pupil flourishes with adoration for the man that stands before you.

“Only if you hold onto my hand, mon cher.”

He raises an eyebrow at your proposition. Amused he is, for there is a sliver of smirk adorned on his lips.

“Is that a threat, ma chérie?”

If Jeno were to ask you again when you first fell in love with him...

“It’s an invitation, mon cher.”

… you would say that you were always in love with him.

“If it’s like that, then I’d never let you go.”

[someonefantastic]

They Look So Pretty When They Bleed

I had fun interpreting this prompt :) This was gonna be my longest fic so far but tomorrows fic actually is longer so look forward to that. Anyways yay for making it to double digits! Also this is set ambiguously in s8 cause I love me some established shules. Summary: Shawn and Juliet are having a nice date night, what could go wrong? Warnings: stabbing, blood loss, passing out, some innuendos but nothing too outside of the show also on ao3 (this gets kinda long so it’d be better accessed on ao3 tbh) ___ “So Mr. Spencer,” Juliet started as they exited the restaurant and turned on to the boardwalk, “Where to now?”

Shawn grinned and grabbed her hand, a bounce in his step. “Well Detective O’Hara, I was thinking we’d go back home and pop in a movie. Maybe a little Netflix and chill action hmm?” He waggled his eyebrows.

She threw her head back, her laughter only causing his grin to widen. “You have a one-track mind sometimes.”

“Oh, I always have a one-track mind when it comes to you,” He smirked.

She rolled her eyes. “You know, that would be almost romantic if we weren’t just talking about sex.”

He gave a half shrug. “Tomato, cucumber.”

As her laughter subsided, he caught her looking at him out of the corner of his eye. “What?”

She gave him a soft smile, “Nothing. I just like looking.”

Even after almost three years of dating, his cheeks still flushed at the compliment. “Thanks. I like your face too.”

“Thanks, Shawn.”

“Anytime babe.”

It was a beautiful night. A warm, salty breeze came off of the ocean, turning the sticky humidity of the day into a gentle glow. Music faded in and out, as they passed restaurants and clubs, a chaotic symphony of noise. Waves crashed in the distance and the wooden slats creaked beneath their feet.

Shawn tugged on her hand, leading her towards the parking lot. Underneath a streetlight sat her green VW beetle, the interior illuminated. A tall man, clad in jeans and a hoodie stood by the front door, patting his pockets with fervor.

They exchanged looks.

“Is he trying to steal my car?” Juliet whispered, eyes darting from him to the guy.

He shook his head, “I doubt it. He doesn’t seem like the type. Look at him, he seems like he’s looking for his keys. Probably got your car mistaken for his own.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “You think he drives a green beetle?”

“Gus drives a blue echo.”

Pursing her lips, she bopped her head from side to side. “You’ve got a point.”

He turned his attention to the man who was still frantically searching his pockets. “Hey man, lost your keys?”

The guy jumped, whirling around, his eyes wide. Actually, he was more like a boy, had to be in his early twenties at least.

“Uh, yeah. I can’t seem to figure out where I put them.” His voice wobbled as he spoke.

He shifted his feet and Shawn noticed something glint in the corner of his sweatshirt pocket. Subtly, he took a small step forward, making sure he was closer to the guy than Juliet.

“Dang man, I hate when that happens. I lose everything. Last week I lost half a ham sandwich in my best friend’s desk. Boy was he not happy about that.” He chuckled.

The guy didn’t laugh, his eyes darting around the parking lot.

“Well anyway, I think I know one problem here.” The man’s eyes snapped to his face. “This isn’t your car.”

Shawn saw the muscles in his arms tense before he moved. His hand shifted inside his pocket, eyes wild and scared.

There was no time, he had to protect Jules.

The second he stepped in front of her, it seemed like the whole world slowed down. He saw the guy pull out a knife, the streetlights glinting off of the patches of metal that weren’t rusted. He watched as the knife was jabbed into his stomach, cutting through his grey button-up shirt and piercing his skin.

His vision blurred, a dull ringing beginning to creep into his ears. He was frozen, unable to move or speak in a mix of shock and something he couldn’t quite place. All he could do was watch as the guy moved towards Juliet. And as much as he wanted to tackle the guy or do something to protect her, he knew she could take care of herself.

His point was made as the assailant was met with a swift punch to the nose. That was his Jules.

Clutching his bruised, if not broken, appendage in his hand, she took advantage of the situation. Pulling up her dress’ skirt- if he was in his right mind he may have commented on that being incredibly sexy- and unholstering her gun.

“SBPD. Drop the knife.” Her voice was even and her eyes icy.

Blood was now running down the guy’s hand and his eyes were unfocused but he complied. The knife clattered to the ground. Not wasting any time she shoved him up against the side of the car, detaching handcuffs from her other thigh and clasping them around his wrists. At this point in their relationship, Shawn wasn’t even surprised that she had brought handcuffs on their date night, though he was a little disappointed that they weren’t going to be used on him.

Eventually- he couldn’t be sure when Juliet in cop mode was very distracting (also the knife wound but mostly Juliet)- he had wound up on the ground, leaning heavily against the rear tire. The area under his hand was wet and he could feel his heartbeat through his stomach. That wasn’t normal.

He heard the car door slam and Juliet knelt next to him, her eyes wide, breathing heavily.

“I called for backup, they should be here in ten.” She gingerly picked up his hand, gasping as she inspected the wound. “Shawn you’re losing a lot of blood.”

“Oh is that why I feel so lightheaded?”

“Might’ve hit an artery. Gosh, I hope not.” She muttered more to herself. Gripping the bottom of her light blue sundress, she tore the fabric.

His words were starting to slur together, but he couldn’t resist making a joke. “Wow Jules as much as I enjoy you undressing, I don’t think now is the time.”

Shaking her head, she wrapped one arm around his back and gently eased him away from her car and to the ground. “You’re losing too much blood, I gotta try to stop it somehow.”

As much as he’d usually love her touch, this time he wasn’t a fan. He bit back a scream, the pressure on the cut sending fire throughout his stomach. Her face twisted into a mix of sympathy and concern and she grabbed one of his hands.

Raising their joined hands, she pressed her lips against the back of his. “I’m sorry sweetheart.”

“So much for Netflix and chill.” He chuckled weakly.

He watched her apply pressure to the wound for some time. Even given their undesired circumstances, she was still beautiful. Her hair was down, it’s length and style reminding him of the time when she went undercover at a sorority house. He had been so enamored with her. Her quick wit, her sharp investigative skills, her empathy, the way she always kept him guessing, not to mention those great outfits. If someone had told him then, that he’d wind up in a committed relationship with her, even considering marriage, he would have simply laughed and told them to stop messing with him.

But even then he had been in love with her, though he didn’t realize it until much much later and admitted it later still. He loved her. Simple as that.

His vision blurred and his eyelids felt so heavy. It was getting harder to pay attention now. He was shaking, feeling so cold and yet sweating all the same. All he could feel was the pain. He didn’t want to close his eyes, to lose the vision before him, but he didn’t want to stay awake either. Maybe if he just slept for a bit, he’d have lovely dreams of Jules.

She felt his hand go limp. Whipping her head around, she watched helplessly as his eyes slid closed.

“No, no, no... Shawn!” Letting go of his hand, she gently patted the side of his face. His skin was cold. “Shawn, I need you to stay awake.”

When he didn’t respond she swore loudly. Of course, he passed out. He was losing blood- a lot of it.

Picking up her hand, she cursed again at the sight of crimson soaking through her torn dress fabric. Without hesitation, she tore again at her dress, replacing the bloody scrap with a fresh one. Applying even more pressure, she watched his face, looking for any response. She was met with none.

His skin was pale, an odd contrast to the dark stubble around his cheeks. Breathing too shallow for her liking but she could only focus on one thing at a time. Right now stopping- or at least slowing- the bleeding was the priority.

She ran a hand through her hair and then down her face. He couldn’t die. She wouldn’t let him. They still had their whole lives in front of them. Sure it had only been a few months since they got back together but marriage talks were already becoming more and more frequent. Late one night, he told her that their breakup had shown him that he didn’t want to live life without her. She had nearly proposed to him on the spot. But they were still getting back in their groove and engagement was a big step. She wanted him- both of them- to be absolutely sure about their decision before taking that step. Now she just hoped they’d make it that far.

“Shawn Spencer, if we get out of this, I’m gonna kiss you for all you’re worth. Or kill you. I haven’t decided yet.”

Hunched over him, her hair fell around her like a curtain. Brushing it behind her ear she slightly scolded herself for not wearing it up today. Curse Shawn and his love for her hair being down.

She tore again at her dress, scowling at the now mid-thigh length. If he kept bleeding like that, he’d get his wish about seeing her undressed.

As if sensing an opportunity to make a joke, he stirred. His eyes flickered open. Unfocused but still open.

“Shawn,” She gasped, feeling tears start to pool in her eyes. In the distance, sirens blared. There was hope for them yet.

The corner of his mouth turned upwards. Hand reaching out, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re so beautiful.”

Later at the hospital, she would look in the mirror and laugh, much to the disturbed looks of the people around her. Leave it to Shawn to compliment her while her dress is half torn and her face is streaked with blood. Boy did she love him.

She'd tell him such as soon as he woke up.

[axwalker]

The trade V

Synopsis:  Liam is running for Cordonia’s presidency. To assure his victory, Constantine makes an arraignment behind his back for him to marry the rich ambassador’s daughter: Alexis O’Brien. Due to her father’s threats she has no other option that seduce Liam and make him fall in love with her. But what does she really feel? (AU)

Pairings: LiamxMC DrakexMC

Warnings: I love drama and chaos so this will probably get a bit dark. In this chapter there is talk about child neglect

Please note that this is my first series and English is not my first language. I really love ALL kinds of feedback.  Don’t hesitate to comment!

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Pixelberry except for Alexis O’Brien and her evil father George O’Brien JR.

To catch up: Masterlist

One thousand thanks to @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld for being my beta reader and to  @burnsoslow for helping with Liam’s character in this episode. I love you and admire you both so much!! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

I'm tagging those who asked, if you want to be added to the list just ask, I'll very be happy to do it :)  @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld​ @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld​ @pug-bitch​ @msjr0119​ @pedudley​ @mskaneko​ @yukinagato2012​ @beardedoafdonutwagon​ @texaskitten30​ @kingliam2019​

 18 years ago

Drake had woken up crying, haunted by the same nightmare he had had every night since his father had been murdered. At his funeral, Drake had accidentally heard the story of how Jackson had given his life for Constantine’s, and his imagination made it one thousand times worse.  

Since they had received the news, his mother hadn’t left her bed. To help, he had to wake up earlier every day to make sure he and Savanah could at least eat some cereal and milk before school and have a cheese sandwich at lunch. He tried to help his baby sister with homework and cheer his mom up so she could be their parent again, but he didn’t dare to hope. He had heard aunt Leona after the service: “Bianca will never get over this. She’s weak and she loved that Walker man more than her own children. She’s as dead as him now”.

After that, Drake’s life was the complete opposite of what it had been one week ago.  Only seven days before, he had had a dad he idolized and a mother he loved and respected. The only thing that had worried him then,  were the results of Cordonian’s football team and his crush on Lisa Tennant. His only responsibility was to finish his homework on time. He didn’t have to worry about chores, responsibilities, or little sisters. Although he was only twelve, he felt like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. But the worst had yet to come. One day after coming back from school, he saw that the kitchen was as clean as before and a dish of lasagna was cooling on the table. He ran to see his mother, happy to have her back. But, when he opened the master bedroom door, she wasn’t there. Drake ran back to the kitchen and he saw the letter. Before leaving her kids forever, Bianca Walker had had one last kind gesture for her children. She cooked their favorite dish and wrote them a goodbye letter asking them to call Bastien. Drake didn’t cry anymore. He swore he would be strong for him and his baby sister. He forgot about Cordonian’s football team, and never invited Lisa Tennant to prompt. He called Bastien to come looking for them and never ate lasagna again.

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Alexis woke up feeling uneasy, souvenirs of the previous night still fresh in her mind. She hated herself for hurting Drake, even if she wasn’t sure of how much she had actually hurt him. That sarcastic smile on his lips seemed to prove that he didn’t care. But that almost kiss and the way he had held her and looked at her were a sign that there was something more between them.

Either way, it didn’t matter. He could never be hers; she’d have to make her peace with it.

Lost on her thoughts, she didn’t hear the knock at her door until it became more insistent.

“Come in,” she answered still lost in her thoughts, looking through the window.

“Good morning, Alexis.” She flinched at the sound of her father’s voice.

“Good morning, father.”

“How it went with Rhys, Alexis?”

“Oh, it went just great.” She looked at him, a sarcastic smile in her lips. “You can be very proud of yourself, you’re a very productive pimp.” He grabbed her arm strongly.

“Listen, to me Alexis. I’m your father, and you are going to respect me and do exactly as I say. I paid for your expensive education so you wouldn’t embarrass me like your mother did”

“Do not talk about my mother!” She hissed furiously. “Let her out of this.”

He smirked at her reaction. “I always do as I please Alexis. Make sure to spend some time with Rhys today, the more the press sees you together, the fastest the public will warm up to you two. Now do your part and look pretty. As your mother, that’s the only thing you’re good at.”

She didn’t bother to answer, her gaze went back to the streets of Cordonia.

Her father exited her room, letting her get back to her thoughts. She hated to lie to Liam. He seemed a good, warm man, and the idea of hurting him was unbearable. On the other hand, she really didn’t have a choice. She would have to try to know him better and give him a chance, and, as the little voice in her head reminded her: forget about his best friend.

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After the masquerade party Drake just couldn’t sleep, he rolled in his bed over and over again; her memory just wouldn’t leave him alone. In the darkness of his room, he could see her smile and smell her perfume.  It was inexplicable for him but her words had hurt him deeply. After all, they only had shared some kisses one night, he didn’t understand why he was obsessing like that. At that moment, he decided that the obsession would end right that second; he’ll be damned if he’d let a wealthy, presumptuous girl take over his mind. Alexis was only another person who disappointed him, who left. He was more than used to it, and he’d move on like he did best. He woke up, got dressed, and drove to the nearest bar.

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“Hello, Greta!” Maxwell said at the Rhys’ housekeeper, who was serving breakfast to him, Liam and Drake at the Rhys residence where they all met every Saturday morning. “Pass me the scones please!” Max grinned. “Your scones are the best of all Cordonia”

Liam and Drake rolled their eyes in unison.

“Oh, Maxwell, honey, I’m sure you tell that to everyone who serves you food.” She smiled warmly. “Here is some coffee boys. If you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen.”

“That was a great party you hosted last night Maxwell, my father was very pleased. We raised a lot of money for the campaign.”

“Aww thanks, Liam,” he answered with a mouth filled with cream and scone. “I do think that I surpassed myself this time; there was a great turnout. In fact, there was a certain girl that I’m sure Drake was very pleased to see …” Liam turned to Drake who was avoiding his eyes, suddenly very focused on buttering his bread.

“Oh, do tell Max, who is this mystery woman?” Max was about to answer when Drake interrupted him.

“No one important, I spoke with a woman in a bar two days ago and now Maxwell thinks we’re going to get married and name him the godfather of our children,” he said rolling his eyes, something he did a lot when Max was around.

“What do you mean you only ‘talked’ to her?” Maxwell looked puzzled. “You took he-“

Drake growled. “Enough Beaumont, I told you it was nothing.”

Liam smiled at Max. “Let it be Max, you know how he is. It was probably just a one-night thing, right Drake?”

Drake felt a very unjustified rush of anger at his best friend and answered almost scolding at him. “Fuck Liam, I told you it was nothing. Let’s just change the subject.”

“Right,” Liam said surprised at his best friend’s reaction. “I did meet someone important last night. She’s the American ambassador’s daughter, Alexis.” Liam seemed enamored. “She was the girl in white dancing with you Max”

“Uh?” Maxwell looked puzzled for a moment his eyes going from Liam to Drake, realization suddenly hitting him “Ohhhh… So you met Alexis and you liked her…”

Liam grinned. “Yeah, I mean you saw how beautiful she was, but is more than that,” he got lost in his thoughts. “I can’t describe it but there’s something about her that has me fascinated”

Drake got even angrier, “Please, Liam, you talked to her like ten minutes, you have no idea who she really is.” Drake was about to confess Liam about his first encounter with her and how she had lied when Liam's phone rang.

“Sorry guys, I’ll take this in the other room, be back in five”

“Well, that was surprising, Liam seems smitten with Lexie too” Max looked inquisitively at his friend.

“What do you mean ‘too’?”

“Please Drake, I saw you that night, I didn’t’ know you were capable of grinning that much, I almost didn’t recognize you” He joked.

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, but it doesn’t matter.” Drake seemed pensive for a moment. “I have to warn Liam about her”

“Wow! Take a moment there Drake. What do you mean warn him?”

“Do you have amnesia Maxwell?” Drake scowled at him. “You don’t remember she told us a different name when we met her?”

“Pffff, I do it all the time. Have you heard my story when I tried to enter Leo’s…?

“Only a million times, Max. And that’s not the point. She lied; we don’t know what she’s after”

“Please Drake, she’s the ambassador’s daughter. Constantine knows her father”

“Are you really saying we should trust her because her father is friends with Constantine” Drake cocked an eyebrow. “That only makes her more suspicious”

“No, I’m saying we should trust her because she seems like a nice girl, and I talked to her last night, she’s obviously going through something big.” Max sighed. “Telling Liam would only embarrass her, and him” He looked at Drake “On the other hand, If you have feelings for her…”

“Pfff, feelings? Please Beaumont, I had a whiskey with her, I couldn’t care less” Drake looked pointedly at Max. “I won’t tell Liam right now, but if she does something fishy, I will.”

At that moment Liam reentered the room beaming.

“Wow, Li! That call really made you smile, who was it?” Max asked, a third scone in his hand.

“Oh, the first call was my father’s assistant, but then I called Alexis to ask her out.” He grinned even more. “And she said yes”

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Liam was feeling completely nervous at the thought of seeing Alexis again. The previous night he had been enchanted by her and now he wondered how this date was going to go. A tingling feeling of expectation was spreading through his entire body as he rang the bell at the opulent O’Brien’s mansion and asked for Alexis. When she finally came out, he was surprised, he couldn’t believe that she was even more beautiful than he remembered. She had her hair loose and was wearing a simple pair of jeans and a white t-shirt, but that natural look suited her perfectly. He opened the door of his car for her.

“Hey Liam, thank you but you don’t need to do that.” He went to his side of the car and turned it on.

 “What do you have in mind for tonight?” Alexis asked.

“Well, my assistant made some reservations at L’étoile this great French restaurant. Apparently, they serve amazing gourmet food” He looked at her questioning “Do you like French food?”

“Actually, yes I do.” She looked out the window.

Liam couldn’t help but notice the hint of disappointment in her voice. “But?”

She smiled apologetically “Buuut…I was thinking that we could do something more relaxed tonight. Aren’t you tired of these fancy diner parties where you have to sit straight for hours and use ten different forks?” She coked her eyebrows and he couldn’t help but smile at her.

“Yes, a bit. And you seem to have an idea in mind”

She looked mischievously “I do. Have you had eaten real Mexican food?”

Liam shook his head no and smiled “But there’s always a first time for everything. We’ll just need to lose our security detail.” He looked through the rear mirror and accelerated.

After ditching Liam’s bodyguards, they arrived at the Mexican restaurant. It was actually a colorful but small food truck with two or three tables surrounding it and people eating their food standing all around the place.

Liam was surprised to see that Alexis seemed to know the cook, they greeted each other warmly and spoke in Spanish for a while. Due to his strict education, Liam spoke several languages fluently, so, with a little effort he could figure out that she was asking the woman for her family, and he could see the genuine interest in Alexis’ eyes.  He was mesmerized by her. She was so completely different from all the other women he knew, so comfortable wherever she went. And it was incredible how she really seemed to care about people. Liam still couldn’t believe that she preferred that simple joint to the elegant diner he had prepared. He continued to admire her while she spoke with the other woman another few minutes and then she ordered for both of them. He took one of the tables and they sat together waiting for the food.

“I hope you don’t mind I ordered, but I know what is good here. Do you like spicy food?”

He smirked “How spicy?”

She laughed “Don’t worry Mr. future president. It’s nothing you can’t handle” She saw their order was out and was about to go get it when Liam stopped her.

“Please allow me, Alexis. I‘m nothing if not a gentleman” He winked at her making her laugh. He knew at that moment that he’d do anything just to hear that sound again.

“Wow, it smells great.” He sat again. “Did you order beers with the food?”

“Yes; I hope you like it, but I can’t enjoy Mexican food without a good Negra Modelo to go with it,” She said taking a sip directly from the bottle.

He raised his beer “Cheers!” It felt cold and fresh, perfect for the spicy food he was about to eat. “I love it.” He looked at his plate hungrily. “So Alexis? Care to explain what we’re eating here?” He questioned.

“Tacos, of course, I ordered pulled pork, beef, and barbacoa, my favorite. You have to put some salsa on them, the green one is perfect because is savory and it’s not too spicy and then you add some drops of lemon, a bit of salt, and you can dig in.”

Liam followed Alexis’ instructions and was about to cut the taco with a fork and a knife when he felt her big, brown, smiling eyes on him

“What is it? Am I doing it wrong?” He asked sheepishly

“Oh no! Not bad… but these are tacos, Li” He wondered if the use of his nickname was a friendly sign or if she was flirting with him. “They’re supposed to be eaten with your hands, like this”

She showed him by taking one of her own tacos in her hand. He watched her eat and savor it and he smiled for himself. He had never seen anyone enjoy food so much. Liam didn’t know her for long, but he was sure that she lived every moment of her life, even a small one like this one, to the fullest. She stopped eating and looked at him take his first bite.

“Sooo? Isn’t it much better with your hands? What do you think?”

“It’s amazing,” he mumbled through a mouth full of a beef taco. “These might be my favorite.” He took another bite and asked, “How did you know about this place? I didn’t know you had been to Cordonia before”.

“I arrived a week ago, but I didn’t tell my father. I wanted to wander through the streets, know more about the local culture,” She didn’t add that she was doing it because she knew Cordonia would be her country for now on. “And one day, after walking around all day I saw this food truck. I tasted the food and loved it, it’s similar to the one that my abuelita, my grandma used to make for us back home.”

Liam looked puzzled “I thought the ambassador was American, I mean O’Brien sounds more Irish than Mexican”

She nodded “My father’s family is Irish, but my mother was born in Mexico. She married him when she was 23 years old.” She stopped eating, thinking about her mother had cut her appetite.

“So that’s why you speak Spanish.” Liam looked at her wanting to know everything he could about her.

“Yes, that’s it. And I love the culture. My dream is to rent a camping car, travel around the continent, and write about it.” She stayed silent for a moment knowing that it was nothing but a dream, that she would be forced to marry Liam and live in Cordonia for the rest of her life.

“It’s an amazing dream.” He was both inspired by her and a little sad at the thought that she might leave one day.

“What’s yours?” Alexis raised her hand to stop his answer “and ‘being president’ is not available” She smiled at him taking a long pull on her beer.

“Well,” He looked directly at her brown eyes, then down his gaze to her full mouth, to that smile that drove him crazy. He couldn’t wait anymore, so he got close to her and took her chin between his fingers, kissing her longingly.

After a few seconds, he pulled apart and finally answered, “this is.”

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Alexis didn’t know what to think about the kiss with Liam. It had been sweet and tender, almost romantic.  She had not disliked it but it had nothing to do with the fierce electricity she had shared with Drake. She knew that the brooding man had the power of driving her crazy. And, no one had made her feel that way before. She let herself think about that night at the cove one more time when her phone rang. It was her father.

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Liam and Drake had a meeting first thing Monday morning to discuss the latest polls. They weren’t catastrophic but there was definitely room for improvement. Godfrey didn’t hesitate to make a spectacle of his ‘family life’, or even to throw some low punches when he had to.  Within their circles, it was well known that Adelaide had cheated on Godfrey more times than he could count and that their daughter resented deeply both of them, but the general population ignored all of that and bought his ‘Traditional-Family-Values candidate’ charade.

Liam and Drake began strategizing, trying to decide if maybe Liam needed a new publicist or speechwriter. They had been working for hours so Drake finally took his jacket off, unbuttoned his cuffs, and rolled his sleeves so he could be more comfortable. Suddenly Liam’s office slammed open, Constantine had the newspapers of the day showing the polls, and he threw them on the desk almost barking at Liam.

“I told you, Liam. I told you repeatedly that you needed a wife or a fiancé and that you needed her fast. I told you that even with your head start, this would come back and bite you in the ass”

Drake already hated Constantine Rhys but the way he was blaming everything on Liam was too much to let it pass. “Constantine, Liam is only trying to win with a good, honest campaign.” He looked at the older man coldly “You shou-“

Constantine rose his eyebrows interrupting him. “Am I hearing correctly? Are you trying to teach me how to win a presidential race Walker, you?”

“Stop father, you better than everyone knows how capable Drake is, you would’ve fired him a long time ago if that wasn’t the case.” Liam sighed. “Let’s focus on the campaign”

Drake stood next to his best friend. “As I was saying before, I think we need a new speechwriter, Charlie was great but he’s a little rusty, we need someone younger, vibrant who will appeal to the young population.”

“Well, Walker, we finally agree on something.” The ex-president smirked contemptuously at Drake who felt a new rush of anger. “And it so happens I have the perfect candidate. She majored in Creative writing at NYU and has a master’s degree in communication. Foremost, we can trust her completely because she’s the ambassador’s daughter.” Constantine stepped outside and called for the woman who was waiting behind the door.

“Alexis, please come in.”

Drake scorned at the sight of the woman who had kept him up all night.

“Is there a problem, Walker?” Constantine asked.

Drake threw his hands back and said sarcastically “Not at all Constantine, big fan of nepotism here,” He rose from his seat, not wanting to be near her another second, her fruity scent already in his nostrils “If that’s all…”

“Actually Walker, I want you two to brief Alexis about the campaign” Constantine stood up.

“I can’t father, we have an appointment with Hakim in less than an hour” Liam stood up as well, smiling warmly at Alexis, their kiss in his mind.

Then, he left the office before closing the door behind him, leaving her and Drake, alone inside.

[blkmxrvel]

lover.

Pairing: lena luthor x fem!reader (though it could read gender neutral)

Words: 1.4k

Request: Hey! Prompts 19 and 29 for Lena Luthor x reader, please. Love your writing^^

Summary: “i’ve loved you now three summers honey, and i want them all.”

Warnings: mentions of self hate, kinda (?), canon lena emotions. 

A/N: so this was supposed to be a drabble but i got carried away lmao! this was so beautiful to write. i love writing for lena the most she’sso just amazing and you can do so much with her. but! listen to lover as you read this, the song itself. it’s been on replay since i came out and i wanted a fic for it! it wasn’t planned but it fits so well lmao! i’ve missed writing so much omg. enjoy x 

-

you’ve had a crush on lena for as long as you could remember. you had first met her through alex. she invited you to karaoke night at the bar and you just couldn’t refuse. you had just moved into national city and you figured it was about time you started to branch out and meet new people.

from the moment you saw lena, you immediately pulled to her, as she was to you. not love at first sight, you didn’t believe in that. maybe... comfort at first sight.

there was just something about her that made you always want to be around her. maybe it was the way her eyes lit up when she smiled at you. or maybe it was the way she protected you and cared about you, and always shown it. maybe it was her hugs, how she always smelled of apples and old wood; an odd combination, but one that made your heart melt every time.

either way you were head over heels for lena lillian luthor, and you were sure you didn’t want to stop it.  your soul was attached to hers, constantly chasing it and seeking it out, and lena welcomed it, she welcome all of you. who were you to put an end to that?

albeit inseparable, you and Lena were polar opposites, in every sense of the word. you were someone who always had your heart on your sleeve, your emotions were always so easy for anyone to decipher lena, on the other hand, only felt a sense of danger and regret when she was vulnerable. all her life she had been trained and taught that the less emotions you showed, you felt, the better.

maybe that’s why she was feeling so conflicted now.

lena was absolutely enamored with you. she was obsessed and loved everything about you. the way your laugh cracked whenever she told a terrible joke. the way you’d always lean into her when you were cold, whether you knew it or not. how your eyes were always so big and bright, how you were so big and bright. you sparkled and shined and radiated greatness from a million miles away. and the fact that you did it so humbly and beautifully, gracefully without a hint of effort, snatched her heart.

lena lillian luthor was in love you with. she was falling harder than she’d ever allow herself to do before.

she wasn’t sure if she wanted to stop it.

love is weakness. emotions only cloud your judgement. everyone you ever get close to ends up hurt because of you. you’re nothing but a walking time bomb,

lena thought self-destructive thoughts about herself day in and day out. she wanted to believe all of those things. she wanted to completely cut herself from you, force you out of her life for your own good. so you wouldn’t get hurt.

lena was toxic, all she ever did was hurt. and she wanted to believe that, she really did.

but how could she went you looked at her like she put the stars and sky, and aligned them so perfectly so that you two could meet. when you spoke to her so softly that it almost always lulls her to sleep. you were the only person who has never judged her for her last name, or the things she done in her past. how could she push you away when all you did was love her when she couldn’t love herself, hold her when she felt everything crumbling around her, and ground her when she didn’t know what was real?

she couldn’t. she couldn’t allow herself to hurt the both of you by feeding into bullshit her family and the media filled her head. she had to get away from it, not only for you, buy for herself.

which is why she allowed you to be in her arms at 3am, laying on the couch while you watched netflix. just you, though. lena was too busy in her head as the scratched your scalp.

you two have been here before. lena knew you loved her, she could see it in your eyes and feel it in your hugs. she knew you weren’t sure if she returned the feelings. she knew how much it was hurting you not knowing, why you just let her lead you on; because having her in some way was better than not having her at all.

but that’s the thing. you had lena, in every possible way imaginable. you had lena’s heart wrapped tight around your soft, gentle finger. she trusted you with everything her, loved you with even more than that. she just....was too scared to tell you.

but she had to. no matter the outcome. no matter the response. her love for you was bursting at the seams and she was tired of trying to sew them back together. it was now or never.

“y/n/n?” you hummed as your arms wrapped around her tighter. you were half asleep, the steady thump of her heartbeat putting you to sleep.

“i have something i need to tell you.” her words didn’t raise your attention, it was the fact that her heartbeat increased in speed. you thought she was going to have a heart attack.

you lifted your head up to look at her, wide eyes and a concerned face. lena nearly combusted.

“is everything alright?”

“i’m pretty sure it will be i just-” lena took a deep breathe and closed her eyes.

inhale.

“you can tell me anything, you know that.” lena nodded, of course she did.

exhale.

“i think i’m in love with you. and that scares the crap out of me. because all my life i’ve been told that i was unlovable and that love was  just a game. and that your emotions only make you weaker.” you opened your mouth to speak but lena shook her head. she needed to get this out.

“everyone i love gets hurt because of me. i have so many enemies and somehow they always take what i cherish most and ruin it. maybe that’s my fault but i... i don’t want them to ruin you. but i love you so much that i can’t allow that to stop me anymore. i can’t let the words of people who don’t even care about me control my life when you’re here everyday caring about me, and loving me. it just isn’t fair, we both deserve better.”

lena had a definitive look on her face and her took yours in her hands. “we deserve better, and i can give us better. i don’t want to believe them anymore, i can’t believe them anymore. not when i have someone like you showing me better. i love you...y/f/n. i love you with every fiber of my being and i don’t want to stop anytime soon.

by the time lena was finished, the both of you have tears flowing down your faces and smiles on your lips. you pulled lena in for the tightest hug possible, telling her that you love her back, so much, and that you were proud of her for everything. you loved her, for everything she was and will be.

when you pulled away from the hug, you both stared into each other eyes. so much to say but not enough words to say it. lena’s hands went back to your face, her thumbs wiping at the tears that fell.

“do you want to kiss as much as i do right now?” you whispered. the moment was so precious, so delicate that you know if your voice was any louder, everything would disappear.

lena nodded immediately, a shy kiss me, please falling from her lips. it barely made it past her tongue before you grabbed the back of her neck and pressed your lips to hers.

kissing you was everything lena dreamed of. you were so soft, so fragile, she felt that in the kiss. but she also felt the passion, the fervor, the love each second her lips were on yours. your souls rejoiced, danced in the darkness of lena’s room. the tangled and amalgamated next to the soft hum of the TV. two people, so unalike, so in love. an unbreakable, unlikely pair that will last forever.

lena sighed into her love’s mouth. she released every single worry, every single doubt and stress she ever had about herself and you. you were hers, and she was yours. it wouldn’t end in tears and heartbreak, not this time. this time was different, you were different.

lena understood that now.

love makes you stronger. emotions make your wiser. everyone you get close to feels your love, and they carry it with them for eternity. you are nothing short of greatness.

and fuck anybody else who tells her otherwise.

[nothingbutimagines]

Hi! Could you do a soulmate!au blurb for Peter Parker where him and the reader are enemies who fine out they're soulmates with dialogue prompts 18, 15, and 17? Also, the soulmate situation is once they are both 16, they find out the name of their soulmate because it appears on their arm at the time of their birth? I love your writing! Thanks!!

Thanks for this super cute blurb idea! It’s Soulmate!AU Tuesday and the dialogue prompts are:

15. “i can’t have this argument with you again” - “but-” - “no. i’m done”

17. “shut up with all that soulmate shit”

18. “it’s because i’m so attractive isn’t it?” - “i say this. and i cannot stress this enough. i find you completely repulsive.” 

I also may or may not have totally gotten into the idea and wrote wayyy too much!

You hated your birthday. You didn’t normally, but you were turning 16 and all anyone could talk to you about was whether or not you were excited to find out who your soulmate was and if you thought they might be someone you know. 

You would smile when anyone asked to be polite and say you were excited and couldn’t wait even though earlier in the day, you had snapped at your older sister for bothering you with the time you were born and what to expect when you found out who your soulmate was.

“Shut up with all this soulmate shit!” was all you could manage to say to her before you stormed out of the house to get to school.

As you walked through the hallway, saying hi to friends and saying thank you to those who wished you a happy birthday, you bumped into Peter Parker.

If there was anything you hated more than your sixteenth birthday, it was Peter Parker. 

You and Peter were enemies in your mind. You always had to fight him for the top spot in your classes on an academic scale, he was a pain in your ass as a chemistry lab partner, and again and again, he stood up your best friend, Liz, before she ended up moving away and never quite forgiving him for it. 

Peter Parker was the worst, and nothing could change your mind. 

“Hey, Y/n.” Peter said. “Did you do the PowerPoint for the lab review?”

“You said you were going to do it.” You groaned. 

“No, you said you were going to do it.”

“Parker! You always do it.”

“And I thought you were goi-”

You put your hand up as you spoke, “I can’t have this argument with you again” 

“But-” Peter attempted to begin to sway you.

“no. i’m done” You stopped him from speaking. “You always do the PowerPoint. You said that since today was my birthday, you’d do it.” 

“Oh, that’s right.” 

“Yeah, you idiot.”

“Says the girl who has the lower grade of us two.” Peter quipped. 

“This is surprising coming from the guy who’s always watching Spiderman on his laptop in class and I know for a fact failed the last test.”

“I got a C, thank you.”

“That’s practically failing. See you, Parker.” You sassily said, brushing past him and towards the cafeteria. 

You heart swelled for a moment, something you had never felt before, as you felt Peter’s presence beside you. Confused by the feeling, you pushed it to the back of your mind, calling it a weird muscle tremor.

“We’re- uh- we’re heading the same way, remember?” Peter chuckled awkwardly.

You looked down at your watch, the time reading 11:22. He was right, you still had lunch before chemistry and knowing MJ, she’d want you to sit with her and Peter and Ned today. 

You also realized you had fifteen minutes until you and your soulmate found out you were soulmates. 

Peter and you stayed in uncomfortable silence as you rounded the corner and into the cafeteria, MJ and Ned waving you both down to sit with them. Peter began to trail behind as you rushed to MJ. 

“Okay, I know I hate this romantic bullshit that is learning my soulmate, but I am really nervous and I have about-” You paused to look at your watch, “thirteen minutes until I throw up.”

“Actually, I think finding out who your soulmate is is a beautiful thing.” Ned interjected with a smile. “Especially when you know they’ve been waiting for you to turn sixteen, too.”

You couldn’t help but smile at him. “Ned?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re beautiful.”

MJ grabbed you hand, pulling your attention towards her. “Y/n, I think finding out your soulmate is gonna be good for you.”

“Yeah, maybe he’ll make her less bitchy.” Peter mumbled. 

“I heard that, Parker.” You snapped and the boy rolled his eyes. 

“You were supposed to.”

“You know, it’s my birthday, you could try to be nicer.”

“Why would I be nicer when you’re making me make the PowerPoint?”

“Cause you said you would do it.” You rolled your eyes and looked at your watch. “I have ten minutes.” 

“Are you excited, at all?” MJ asked. 

“Not really. I’m more annoyed than anything. I’d rather find this out at a later time, not sophmore year. And I’d ask you if you were excited, but you haven’t had your birthday and neither has Ned, which leaves us with Peter.”

“Don’t talk to me, Y/n. I’m busy doing your work.” He said, not looking up from his computer.

“Peter, were you excited when you found out who your soulmate was.” 

“Actually, Y/n, Peter’s soulmate hasn’t turned sixteen yet. He doesn’t know.” Ned said. 

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, and he’s kinda upset about it. He’s really hoping his soulmate is-”

“Ned!”

“Oh- uh - sorry, Peter!” Ned quickly grew quiet, understanding why Peter wouldn’t want him to reveal his secret. 

Peter couldn’t let anyone know that he was heartbroken when he didn’t find out his soulmate’s name was not yours. That it is wasn’t anyone’s. It wasn’t until he found out through MJ that your birthday wasn’t until a couple months after his.

So, for the past few months, Peter has fallen more and more for you. He was enamored by your intellect and beauty. Yes, he knew you hated him, but he never hated you, only went along with the charade because the bickering was the only way he’d ever get you to talk to him. 

But, you hated him and he knew exactly why. He also knew that realistically, you would never fall for him, even if you were soulmates. 

“I have a minute left.” You broke the line of thought Peter was having. “I don’t want to do this.”

“You can’t not do it.” MJ replied, putting a on your shoulder. “It’s alright, we’re all here for you.”

“My sister said that it burns when the name comes up on your arm. And you know I’m a bitch, M.”

MJ laughed. “I know. It’ll be fine though.” She said reassuringly, taking a glance at your watch. “You have ten seconds, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.”

You began to feel the burning sensation on your arm as you cried out in pain, pulling on the hoodie sleeve until the feeling subsided. 

“Goddammit! That hurts.” Peter groaned, causing everyone to look at him. “I got a paper cut, sorry.”

“Now for the moment of truth. MJ, you look.” You begged, shoving your arm in front of her and looking away. 

“Holy shit.” MJ breathed. 

“What? What is it?” You turned to look at your exposed arm and could feel the closeness of a heart attack as you saw his name.

Peter Parker

“This can’t be real.” You gasped, looking up at Peter, your eyes wide.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Peter gave you a look. “It’s because I’m so attractive isn’t it?” 

“I say this, and I cannot stress this enough, I find you completely repulsive.” You quipped. “Look at your arm.”

Peter began to roll up his sweater sleeve, already knowing what would come up on his skin, your name.

“Y/n, we can make this work.” Peter said.

“I don’t want to do that, Parker.” You replied as Peter got up and moved into the spot next to you on the bench.

“Just trust me, Y/n.” Peter whispered, brushing the hair from your face before pulling you close to him and brushing his lips against yours.

You weren’t sure what came over you; if it was hormones or the weird muscle tremor in your chest, but your lips moved towards Peters, molding themselves around his. Your heart swelled, your lips ached. Peter felt right.

Maybe you could work with this.

[dick-g-ayson]

For the prompts: Enamor me + JayKon? I'm thinking one of them is trying to woo the other one, but in a so weirdly specific way that the other one is like 'is he trying to tell me he likes me or is he trying to kill me?' But honestly, go wild! I love the way you write them anyway! :D

Jason killed the engine on his bike, and reaching up with shaking fingers, pulled his helmet off.  The buzzing that had been roaring in his ears the whole ride back to the Cave didn’t cease.  If anything, it got louder.  He swung off the bike and hung his helmet over the handle.  He stood there for a few moments, hands fisted at his side, fingers spasming, convulsing almost, as he tried to calm himself down.

All he could hear was the yelling, gunshots, and more screaming.  He clenched his eyes shut tight behind the whiteouts of his red domino mask, taking slow, deep breaths, and holding them for a few seconds before releasing, only to repeat the process all over again.  Breathing exercises ingrained from his time as Robin, as much a habit as cleaning his guns was, as much a ritual as anything.

They weren’t helping tonight.

Too much noise in his head, too much yelling, too much screaming, and he doesn’t know if it’s echoes from earlier that night, or from his past, but it’s all too loud, and toomuchtoomuchtoomuch.   His spiraling thoughts grind to a halt as a rough hand gripped his shoulder.  He barely restrains himself from drawing his gun when Nightwing spins him around.

“What the hell was that, Hood?”  N's voice is dark and low, creeping closer to Bat than bird.

Jason blinked behind the dom, realizing he hadn’t even heard Nightwing pull up into the Cave on his own bike.

“I think it’s called apprehendin’ assholes, bu’maybe th’lingos changed, an’ no one bothered t’tell me.”  Jason’s reply sounds robotic even to his own ears, but Nightwing didn’t seem to notice, or care, and Jason isn’t sure which one hurts more.  Jason pulls his arm out of the other man’s grip, taking a step back, still trying to calm the noise in his head.  An incessant sound that keeps threatening to drown out the world around him.

“You know that’s not what I meant.”  Nightwing’s voice sounds hollow and far away, like he’s at the end of a tunnel, and Jason struggles to stay focused on it

“Then maybe y’should spell it out f’r me Goldie.”  The Cave feels too small and too big all at once, their words echoing back at them, noise pressing in on his skull.  “‘Cause all I did, was make damn sure that three idiots won’ ever peddle t’kids again.  An’ I didn’ even kill any of’em.”  All Jason wants is to go back to his apartment.  He wants out of Red Hood, wants the quiet of his apartment, the comfort of his space.

Nightwing is talking again and it takes more willpower than Jason realized he possessed to focus back on him.

“......One of them may never walk again, another might lose his hand, and you think that’s okay?”

Jason titled his head as he took in the older vigilante, who was sounding so much like Batman it was making Jason’s skin crawl.  “Lemme think abou’ tha’ fer a second...yup, pretty much.”

“Why......no I don’t care why. What the hell were you thinking?”

“I was thinkin', tha’ since I swore I wouldn’ kill anyone, tha’ makin’ sure they could never hurt anyone again was th’next best thing.”

“Jason -”

“No, y’don’ get t’lecture me, Nightprick.  Y’wanted m’help wit’ this, y’know m’stance on peddlin’ to kids.  Why th’fuck would y’expect any other outcome?”  Jason turned and made a grab for his helmet, more than ready to be done with this whole night.  He’s stopped again by Nightwing’s hand wrapping around his arm.

“Don’t just walk away, Jason -”

“Let go of me.”  Jason had gone completely still as soon as Nighwing’s hand had grabbed his arm, tense and coiled like a loaded spring.  His skin was crawling and burning at the same time, that odd dual sensation that he got whenever someone touched him without premission.  There were very few people he accepted random touches from.  The first Robin was not one of them.

Nightwing slowly let his hand drop and Jason immediately stepped out of reach, fighting to keep himself from shaking hard enough to notice.  Not that he thought Nightwing would, as far up on his high horse as he was.

The roaring was loud in his ears again, drowning out everything.  He could hardly hear himself breathing, let alone if his  brother  was trying to say anything to him.  He jammed his helmet on his head and swung back onto the bike in one smooth, controlled movement, body moving by muscle memory alone, as he kicked the bike into gear.  He sees Nightwing throw an arm up to cover his face, blocking the dirt and rocks the bikes tires kick up as Jason peels out of the Cave.

“What do you mean you haven’t heard from Jason in over a week, Dick?”  Tim’s voice is sharp, and he doesn’t miss the way his older brother’s shoulders tense slightly.

Dick crosses his arms over his chest, looking down at Tim steadily from where he’s leaning against the kitchen counter.  “It’s exactly what it sounds like.  We got into it after he went too far when we took down a drug ring.”

Tim rolled his eyes, walking across the kitchen to pull down a glass from the cupboard, and getting some water from the fridge.  “You know how he feels about drugs, Dick, why -”

“He nearly killed 3 people.”  Dick’s tone is flat, emotionless, Batman.

Tim froze, glass resting against his bottom lip, blue eyes widening.  “That’s...he hasn’t gone that far in a long time.”  He took a sip from his glass, and placed it back on the counter before turning his head to look over at Dick.  “Did you ask him why?”

Dick look offended as he answered, letting his hands drop to rest against the counter, fingers curled around the edge.  “Of course I did, who do you take me for?”

Tim stared at his older brother impassively for several moments, taking another sip of his drink.  “Did you ask him why and if something was bothering him?  Or did you just demand to know what he was thinking?  Because those are two very different things, Dick.”  The silence that followed Tim’s statement his more than telling enough for Tim, and he walks over to the sink to dump the rest of his glass.

“Look, it doesn’t matter -”

“Of course it matters Dick!”  He whipped his head around to glare at Dick.  “This is Jason!  He always has a reason for the things he does, even if we don’t always – nope.”  Tim slashed a hand through the air, cutting Dick off when he opened his mouth to speak.  “You know what?  I don’t have time for th-” Tim was cut off himself when his cell started ringing.  He covered his other ear as he brought his phone up to his opposite.

“Conner?”

“Hey, I know we all just got back, but anyone at the Manor heard from Jay?”  Tim winces at the worry he can hear in his best friend’s voice.  “I tried calling and I’m not getting any answer, and y’know how he feels about me listening for him.”

Tim nods even though he knows Conner can’t see him.  “Yeah, he hates it, but he’s gonna have to forgive you this time.  He and Dick got into it, and no one’s seen him in a week.  I’ll text the girls and see if they’ve heard from him, but I’d just start looking for him yourself if I was you.”

“Right.  I’ll text you when I find him.”

“Thanks, Kon.  I owe you.”  Tim hit end call button on his phone, and glared at Dick over his shoulder as he turned to head out of the kitchen.  “Don’t follow me.”

Conner glanced around the dimly lit street for what felt like the hundredth time as he landed lightly on the fire escape outside the window to Jason’s apartment.  It was mostly habit, what with Batman’s no metas in Gotham rule, that had the superman clone glancing over his shoulder.  Batman was currently out of country on a trip for WE, since Tim had been off-world dealing with Titan business.  So, he had no reason to worry about Captain Broodpants popping up and kicking him out of his city.

He unlocked the window, hitting the correct sequence to disable the alarm, and quickly slipped inside, closing the window quietly behind him.  Once he was inside the apartment, he took stock of his surroundings, trying to gauge what kind of mood Jason was in.  He winced when he saw the state of the living room alone.  Every pillow, couch cushion, and blanket were missing.  ‘Shit.  It’s been that kind of week.”

Conner walked through the living room, heading towards the room Jason usually holed himself up in when he had a bad day, or just wanted some quiet.  A quick glance in the two bedrooms showed the blankets and pillows missing from them as well, and the hall closet had been emptied.  The twin mattress was even missing from the spare room.

He came to a stop outside the room at the end of the hall, the one Jay usually used as an office. It had only two entry points, the door into the room, and the window out to the rooftop access ladder, that Jason had installed with Conner’s help. One entrance, and one exit.  A great set up for a quick escape should Jason need it.

He rarely used it, but liked having it as extra security on days he was feeling vulnerable.  Not that he would admit that was the reason to anyone, but Conner wasn’t stupid, and he knew his boyfriend’s tells.  Jason had told him once that he used to sleep in similar set up’s, when he was living on the streets, and when he first arrived at the Manor.  Would sleep in a narrow space with a quick way out the back end that an adult couldn’t get into, so he’d have a way to run if he needed.

Conner took a breath and knocked on the door, not even touching the handle until Jason acknowledged he was there.  While getting shot wouldn’t hurt him, Jason would feel bad once he realized what he’d done.  There was silence for several minutes, but before he could knock again, he heard Jason mumble at him to come in.  Conner frowned as he turned the handle, opening it slowly in case Jason changed his mind.  Jason’s voice sounded rougher than it normally was, and Conner wasn’t sure if it was from disuse or screaming.  Both thoughts made his heart hurt.  He carefully slipped into the room, taking in the mass of blankets and pillows that had been carefully arranged into a blanket fort.  The mattress was on the floor, the table Jason usually used as a desk was turned on its end, on the shorter end, blankets and sheets strung between it and the bookshelf full of Jason’s books, creating a cave of soft white and quiet blues.

Conner, picked his way across the contents of the desk that had been strewn across the floor, before sitting at the entrance to Jason’s current safe haven.  “Hey Jay.”  He pulled his knees up to his chest, resting his cheek against them, peering inside the fort.  He could make out Jason near the back, curled up as he was, knees to his chest.  He was dressed in sweats, bright blue, fuzzy socks, and what looked like one of Conner’s sweaters.  The sleeves were a few inches too short on Jason’s longer arms, but Conner recognized the colour, it was one of his older sweaters, soft and worn in.

Teal eyes lifted up from where Jason had them buried in his knees.  Conner frowned internally, at seeing how pale Jason was.  All the bats were pale, but Jason was almost sallow, sickly, telling how long Jason had been holed up in here.

“Y’gonna yell at me to?”

The rough, scratchy tone of Jason’s voice brings Conner out of his contemplation, and he gives his boyfriend his full attention.  “Of course not.  Why would I yell at you?”

“Seems t’be everyone’s favourite pastime lately.  Y’may as well join th’party.”

Conner shrugs, small smile on his face.  “I haven’t heard your side yet, just Dick’s from Tim, and I refuse to pass judgment until I have the whole story. Regardless -” He hurried to continue when he saw Jason open his mouth.  “When have I ever yelled at you over something like this?  Come on Jay, you know me better than that.”

Jason could only look at him, dumbstruck, eyes blinking rapidly, before he squeezed his eyes shut tight, burying his face back in his knees.

“Can I come in?”  Conner made sure to keep his voice level.  While he didn’t know what had set Jason off into this spiral of depression and self-loathing, he was determined to try and help anyway he could, even if that meant leaving the apartment.  It had happened before, and it wouldn’t be the first time, or the last.

It was several seconds of silent waiting until he saw Jason give the barest of nods, but the muttered ‘please’, had him carefully moving into the blanket structure, being mindful of where he put his hands and feet as he crawled in.

Jason sat close to the middle of his fort and Conner made sure Jason had a clear shot to one of the exits if he felt the need to leave quickly.  It had taken a lot of trial and error to get them to where they were now, and Conner was not going to mess up the trust that they had between to satisfy his need to wrap himself around Jason, to protect him from a world that tried to tear it down, just as much as he tried to build it up.

Conner sat behind Jason, both arms wrapping carefully around the others shoulder’s, letting his legs lay flat on either side of Jason’s still raised ones.  He rested his forehead against the back of Jason’s neck, and just breathed.  He did his best to match Jason’s rhythm, and then gradually helped Jason to take deeper, more even breaths, until, twenty minutes later, Jason relaxed against him.

Conner waited a few more minutes, giving Jason time to settle, before asking, “Did you want to talk about it?”

“Wha’s there t’talk about?  I screwed up, again. I -” he cut off with a hiss when Conner tightened his arms around Jason’s shoulders, nipping at the side of his throat.

Conner speaks into the warm skin of Jason's neck, making sure he hears and feels every word. “You didn’t break Bat’s rule, you didn’t screw up, and that wasn’t what I meant.”

Jason took a breath, body starting to shake as he thought back to what exactly had started him on this spiral.  He raised one of his hands, tangling it with one of Conner’s, squeezing as hard as he could.  Not for the first time, thankful that he couldn’t hurt the superman clone.  His other hand was rubbing the soft material of the borrowed sweater he was wearing, using the dual sensations to help ground himself.  Soft skin, tough as steel, and worn cotton, a comfort he had discovered in his early days at the Manor.

“My mom.”  Jason coughed, took a shuddering breath as he tried to gather the words.  “My mom died last week – not last last week, but at this time o’year.  Drug overdose.  I didn’ want t’go, I didn’ want to help N, knew I wasn’ in a good place, but he asked, an’...” he trailed off shrugging broad shoulders, turning slightly so he could tuck his head under Conner’s chin.

“He asked, and you didn’t want to disappoint him.”  He felt Jason nod against his neck.  Conner had lots of things he could have said to that, about how Dick should have realized something was up, since Jason rarely turned down a chance to take out drug dealers.  Even if Jay had been hiding it well up until after the bust, Dick should have noticed that something was up with his younger brother, once they made it back to the Cave.  He didn’t say any of those things now, though.  Jason knew them all already, but they wouldn’t do him any good to hear it now.

So, he said none of those things.  Instead he shifted so his chin was resting more firmly on Jason’s head, and turned the hand Jason was holding so he could bring it to his mouth, kissing the rough calloused palm gently.  “How about we get out of Gotham for a bit?”  He brought his legs up so he was bracketing Jason in, blocking out the world a bit more now.  It was a bit of an awkward position, since Jason had five inches on him and some bulk, but they’d been doing this kind of dance for several years, and they made it work.

Jason sunk down a bit in Conner’s hold, tucking himself more firmly against the clone’s chest.  “An’ go where, ‘xactly?”  He didn’t sound opposed to the idea, mostly just curious.

“Well I may have pulled a few strings before we left and got us some tickets to a performance of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’ at the Globe Theatre, in about two days.”  He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smirking when Jason sat up straight, twisting around to look at him, teal eyes suspicious and wondering at the same time.

“Really?”

“Yeah really.”  Conner leaned forward and gave his boyfriend a quick kiss.  “You mentioned awhile ago that you wouldn’t mind going someday.”  He shrugged now, a little unsure of himself.  “So, I figured why not now?  It’s been awhile since we’ve gone anywhere, we’ve both been busy with Titan or Outlaw business, I think we’ve earned a vacation.”

Jason was silent for several moments, before he was twisting in Conner’s arms, going up on his knees, top of his head brushing the roof of the fort.  Conner let his arms drop from around Jason’s shoulder’s to his waist, raising a dark brow as his taller boyfriend was now looking down at him.

He sat still as Jason lifted his hands to cup Conner’s face, leaning down to give the man a proper kiss, one that Conner eagerly returned. Once they separated Jason kept his forehead resting against Conner’s, a small smile on his face that Conner couldn’t help kiss the corner of.  “I know I don’ say it enough, Kon, but thank you.”

Conner didn’t ask for what, he knew, so he cupped Jason’s jaw and pulled him in for another kiss.  “That mean we’re going to Jolly, old London then?”  Conner made sure to ask with the worst british accent he could muster, just to see Jason glare at him.

��Only if y’promise to never do tha’ again, Superclone.”

Conner laughed, squeezing Jason tight around the waist. “Deal.  Now come shower with me, I think I still have some alien gunk on my back that I can’t reach.”

Jason smirked down at him, flicking his nose with a finger, slipping out of the mass of blankets and pillows, when Conner grabbed the slightly stinging appendage.  “Knew y’only loved me for m’back washing skills.”

Conner watched as Jason crawled out of the tent of sheets and blankets, admiring the way Jason seemed to look graceful and predatory, no matter what he did.  “I can name several other reasons.”  Conner muttered just loud enough for Jason to hear.  Jason glanced over his shoulder, a look of disbelief on his face, before it slowly slid into a shy grin.  He didn’t say anything else as he exited the tent, standing straight, groaning in satisfaction when his spine popped and cracked.

Conner floated himself out of the tent, watching as Jason stretched out the kinks from being in a confined space for so long.  Jason froze when he saw Kon watching him, like he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t of been, before smiling softly again, turning back around and heading out of the room. “You comin'? Or ar'ya jus' gonna stare all day?”

“Oh I’m planning on doing both.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively even Jason shot him another glare.

“Not ‘ntil yer clean, Cloneboy.”

“Whatever you say, Jay.”

Conner smiled as Jason laughed. It still sounded rough around the edges, but the fact that he was laughing now, eased something Kon’s chest he hadn't realized was wound tight.  He fingered the little box that was in the pocket of his jeans, the soft feeling of the leather covered box easing him and making his heart hurt at the same time.  He had more than one reason for the trip, beyond getting Jason out of Gotham for a breather.  He was going to owe Tim his life ( Jason already owned his soul) for the interference he was going to have to run, but it was so going to be worth it.

[exofiction09]

XingMyeon One Shot

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21237626

Title - Hectic Mornings In The Kim-Zhang Household

Pairing - Zhang Yixing / Kim Junmyeon

Words - 2053

Summary - If someone asked Junmyeon which part of the day was his busiest, he would probably have to say the morning hours.

If someone asked Junmyeon which part of the day was his busiest, he would probably have to say the morning hours.It was not enough to emphasize how busy and rushed his mornings were, right from getting his young cousin ready for school to getting himself ready for work.

Junmyeon worked as an executive at his father’s company. His cousin brother was staying with him for his studies. Oh Sehun had lost his father when he was just four years old. His mother, Junmyeon’s aunt, remained overseas owing to her business and was rarely home. Growing up, Sehun had spent his childhood with the Kim family until Junmyeon moved out. Then, Junmyeon had taken over Sehun’s responsibility until high school. His aunt paid for his fees and even sent Junmyeon money, which he had refused every month. He considered Sehun as his own brother and refused to accept any money.  

Because of this, Sehun was immature and spoiled, but he was also kind and loving once he got close to someone. He did whine and pout and demand attention all the time, but given his upbringing, it was not unreasonable. He most often listened to everything Junmyeon said and rarely caused any trouble.

The best part was that he was terribly fond of Junmyeon’s adopted son, Minseok. He had puffy cheeks and a smile bright enough to enamor and charm anyone. He loved spending time with Sehun and it always warmed Junmyeon’s heart whenever he saw them interact.

Presently, his face was scrunched up as he focused on packing lunch for his cousin brother. 

“Hyung, I can’t find my notebook,” Sehun said. His voice sounded distressed and Junmyeon was sure that a pout would soon form on his face.

“It’s on the table and under your sweater,” replied Junmyeon in a gruff manner. He was preparing a bento for the first time and he wanted it to be perfect, so he was entirely focused on that.

Soon enough, the soft patter of socked feet on wooden floors was heard as Sehun made his way to his brother.

Junmyeon looked up from his work and raised his brows in question. Sehun only pouted and pointed to his opened bag. “Please help me find it, hyung,” he begged. Junmyeon rolled his eyes and shook his head in derision.

Placing the bento inside Sehun’s bag he quickly made his way to the young teen’s bedroom. He took the sweater and flipped it across the room using one hand while he grabbed the book with the other. He pressed it against Sehun’s chest and walked past him to the kitchen.

He took a plate and served himself breakfast as he began lecturing Sehun.

“You’re fifteen years old and you still can’t-”

His lecture was interrupted by another voice. This time, it was his husband, Yixing. 

“Myeon-ah! Myeon? Honey, I can’t find my blue tie!”

Junmyeon closed his eyes in frustration and took a deep breath. He glanced upwards for a moment before he replied. “It’s in the bottom drawer of the cabinet,” he said in a calm manner.

“But Myeon, there are two cabinets and I don’t know which one! Please, help me,” he pleaded.

Before him Sehun had a wide grin on his face. He was eating his breakfast but his eyes remained full of mischief. After chewing his food he looked up at Junmyeon with an innocent smile. “You were saying?” He prompted with a smile.

Junmyeon only glared at him before he made his way to the bedroom he shared with his husband.

“…. bunch of two-year olds who need help with everything…..”

Upon entering the bedroom, he pulled open the aforementioned cabinet and roughly drew open the drawer containing the ties. He picked up the tie needed and slammed the cabinet closed.

He straightened up and turned around so that he could fling it at his husband, but a pair of strong arms seized him from behind and stopped him in his tracks. A gentle kiss was placed on the nape of his neck and he closed his eyes at the feeling.

“I have some time to kill, and a lot of unspent energy. How about you and I have another round in the sheets?” The provocative whisper did nothing to deter Junmyeon. He turned his head to the side to throw a glare at his husband over his shoulder.

“Was it not enough to have fucked me twice last night and once in the morning? My ass is still sore from the sex we had when you pounced on me this morning,” he said snidely.

Yixing hummed and stepped closer to him. He rubbed soft circles over Junmyeon’s hips and pressed himself fully against his back. “Even if I fuck you all night it will never be enough for me. It’s all your fault,” he said with a smile.

Junmyeon turned around in his embrace so that he could face Yixing. There was a pleasant smile on his face while Junmyeon’s own face held a touch of incredulousness. “How is it my fault!”

Yixing continued to smile as he answered. “Because you seduced me last night,” he said as he gazed at his husband. His hands slowly moved up and down Junmyeon’s back in an attempt to distract him. 

Junmyeon scoffed and rolled his eyes. “What nonsense! I did not seduce you. You were the one who just jumped on me!”

This made Yixing smirk. “Ah yes, that is true. Still, whenever I see you undressing after work, all I want to do is to pin you to the wall and have my way with you,” he said. His voice had dropped to a low whisper and it sent shivers down Junmyeon’s back. The latter had always been a sucker for Yixing’s honeyed words.

Junmyeon gazed at him evenly as Yixing inched closer to his face. He pressed his palms against his chest and glared at him. “Still, doesn’t give you an excuse to behave like that,” he said softly.

“Didn’t you like it, though?” Yixing suddenly asked. Junmyeon’s eyes widened at the abrupt question and he quickly averted his eyes.

“Didn’t you like it as I pinned you to our bed and slowly kissed you all over, hn? Didn’t you like it when I stretched you open with my fingers?” As he was saying all of this, he placed soft kisses over Junmyeon’s neck. The latter could not even reject his advances because Yixing was right.

Junmyeon had thoroughly enjoyed Yixing’s ministrations, and he had moaned wantonly the entire time. He had only hoped Sehun had not heard him.

Junmyeon’s gaze drifted to Yixing’s lips as he spoke again. “Didn’t you like it when you pushed me down and rode me this morning? I’m sure you must have, what with the way you were making all those beautiful sounds.”

Junmyeon’s face was doused in a beautiful rosy hue as Yixing continued his shameless talk. He gripped Junmyeon’s chin and looked directly into his eyes.

“Do you know how hot it is to see my cock be devoured by your body? Your greedy body just sucks it all in. Especially that red, quivering entrance of yours. The way it stretches for my cock, the way your walls wrap around me, every single thing drives me crazy. So you tell me, how am I supposed to just let you go?”

At this point, Junmyeon could feel his heart beating a mile a minute. His breaths were irregular as he stared at Yixing. He was about to tell him to knock it off when Yixing suddenly kissed him.

His lips were wild as they devoured Junmyeon’s. Yixing quickly darted his tongue inside and he let out a pleased sound when he found no protest from his lover. He wrapped his arms tighter around Junmyeon and pulled him flush against him.

Junmyeon tried to salvage what little control he had and pushed Yixing away. His husband parted with a laugh as he glanced at Junmyeon. The latter’s face fumed with anger at being laughed at.

“You are so easy to bully, Myeon-ah,” he said with genuine happiness crinkling in his eyes. Junmyeon sighed and looked down at his hand. He still had the tie. He flung it at his husband’s face and stormed out.

Sehun was waiting for him with a bored expression. Junmyeon decided to have his breakfast at his office and so he got his bag.

He glanced at Sehun only to find the boy giving him a judging stare. “What? I’m late, I’ll eat later,” he grumbled. He ushered Sehun to the door and called out to his husband. “We’re leaving!”

Yixing rushed out and both of them paused for a moment. Sehun went over to put on his shoes while Junmyeon stared at his husband with an amused expression on his face. His tie was a little crooked but his ironed shirt and slacks really made him look handsome. He ruffled Sehun’s hair and then leaned over to kiss Junmyeon's cheek. “You make sure to eat something, otherwise I’m gonna call your secretary,” he threatened.

Junmyeon smiled inspite of himself and he patted Yixing reassuringly on his cheek. “Don’t worry, Chanyeol will not rest until I’ve eaten,” he said with a grin.

Sehun rolled his eyes and turned around. He opened the door and glanced back at them. “If you’re done being all lovey-dovey, can we please leave? I have to get to school,” he said in a bored voice.

Yixing scoffed and followed the two of them outside. “We know you only want to get there early so that you can ogle at that senior high school student,” he said.

Sehun’s entire face turned a bright red color. He tried to appear nonchalant as he slung his bag over his shoulders. “What senior?”

Junmyeon decided to play along as he also joined in on the teasing. “Oh come on, we know all about Baekhyun. He’s got the prettiest eyes and the softest hair,” he said with a giggle.

Yixing chuckled as he saw the teen squirm. “And I’m sure he makes Sehun’s heart go wild,” he said with uncontrollable laughter.

Sehun scowled and pointed at both of them. “You’re both ridiculous!” After that, he went over to Junmyeon’s car and sat inside. He had a pout on his face and he glared at them.

Junmyeon turned to his husband and smiled at him. He fixed the crooked tie and trailed his fingers over his husband’s clothed chest. “You be good and don’t forget to pick Minnie up from my Mom’s okay?”

Yixing nodded once. Junmyeon stared at him for a few seconds before he suddenly leaned towards him. He lowered his voice as he spoke in a quick manner. “I actually did enjoy whatever you did last night. And I especially love the feeling when your cock stretched me open. And I love it even more when I have it inside my mouth, with my lips wrapped around it. I love it when you grip my hair and thrust your cock all the way in, nearly choking me. And I really, really love it when you cum in mouth. Tell me, didn’t you enjoy it when I did that last night, love?”

With these parting words, he winked at Yixing and made a run for his car. He kept chuckling to himself as he saw the scandalous expression spread slowly on his husband’s face. As he drove out of the neighborhood his mobile chirped once. He took it out and found a message by Yixing.

You’re gonna get it hard tonight. Get ready to have a sore ass and a sore throat!

Junmyeon’s cheeks flushed with excitement and he bit his lip in order to contain the smile that was threatening to spread over his face. He quickly placed his phone back into his pocket just as Sehun spoke in an annoyed manner.

“You two are really gross, you know?”

Junmyeon turned to his side to find Sehun’s frowning face. He merely chuckled and looked ahead again. "Once you start dating, you'll be gross too," he said, winking at the younger boy.

Sehun only grumbled under his breath as he looked outside.

Junmyeon's morning routine was indeed very rushed and busy, but he would not have it any other way.

[snarky-badger]

How about Eddie and venom with a expecting f/o? Thank you for your amazing writing it helps perk up my day! :)

Another Prompt that’s a little like this one: Can you do a prompt where the reader is pregnant with Eddie’s kid? Then after a lot of arguing their finally allowed to go shopping on their own. Only to get stuck in the elevator on the way home. So Eddie, and Venom have a panic attack trying to find them.     

Another two for one!

Two pink lines had changed your life.

At first, seven months ago, those two lines had terrified you. You hadn’t been ready to be a mother, and your boyfriend made things…. complicated. Sure, at first you’d been a little leery of dating Eddie when you’d learned he was bonded to an alien symbiote, but you’d adapted to that. But having a kid… wow. That was huge.

You’d initially been a wreck when you’d missed not one, but two periods. It was only when Venom had tattled on you and told Eddie that your scent had changed that you’d hesitantly admitted to Eddie what you’d been hiding from him.

The two of you had immediately gone out and bought half a dozen pregnancy tests. You’d read the instructions and followed them, and the next ten minutes, waiting for the results, had been intense. Eddie had been worried - you both knew that he wasn’t quite ‘human’ anymore, not with the symbiote intertwined in his very blood, his every cell.

But when those two pink lines had shown up, he’d given you the brightest smile you’d ever seen and picked you up to twirl you around. You’d laughed, relieved and excited by his enthusiasm, worry tempered by his firm promise that he’d be with you every step of the way.

The symbiote, of course, had instantly peppered the poor man with endless questions. Once it had understood what was going on, Venom had taken Eddie over, knelt in front of you and pressed his face to your then-flat stomach, sniffing and nuzzling, expressing that it had sensed something different in you, but that it hadn’t known what it was.

Well, then.

The next seven months had been a whirlwind. Eddie had insisted in getting the two - soon to be three (or was that four?) - of you into a bigger apartment. He’d switched jobs, choosing a more financially stable journalism job down at one of the largest newspapers in the City.

Despite his protests that he could provide for you and the baby on his own, you’d put your foot down and ignored his attempts to talk you into quitting your job down at a women’s clothing boutique downtown. Your boss, a lovely grandmotherly-like woman, had been overjoyed to learn that you were expecting, and had quickly offered you all the time off you needed for doctors appointments and whatnot.

Venom, meanwhile, had begun what he called ‘nesting’, the symbiote always insuring that you were well fed, comfortable and as safe and he and Eddie could manage. They were never more than a phone call away, and you knew that if trouble dared to come near you, it was Venom that would appear to literally stomp that trouble to death.

There had been a lot of steak purchased and ‘appropriated’ before Eddie told the symbiote that you needed fruits and vegetables more than meat. And when you’d started craving pineapples and onion soup, the alien had literally scratched his head before shrugging and going out to steal a crate of pineapples from the import docks. Eddie at least paid for the onion soup from the nearby restaurant which slightly offset your guilt for the pilfered fruits.

Venom had been endlessly entranced as your belly started to swell, had stared at the sonogram from the doctor for hours on end in shock and awe, talons tracing the picture of the small life growing within you. At night, when it was his turn to sleep with you, he’d keep a taloned hand cupped against your belly protectively. Often, even when it was Eddie sleeping next to you, you’d wake up to the symbiote covering your stomach like a black blanket, the alien constantly enamored by the baby’s heartbeat and movements.

Now, seven months along, you were appreciative of both of your boys’ help, but you were low-key ready to strangle them. Perhaps it was the hormones, but all of their constant pampering and over-protectiveness was getting to you.

Eddie had once again tried to talk you into, if not quitting, then at least taking time off work. Venom had offered to kill your boss, and then you’d gotten a headache from listening to Eddie and Venom bicker.

You’d stomped out of the apartment that morning without so much as a ‘goodbye’, slamming the door hard enough that the walls rattled a little. Had simmered down by the time you’d gotten to work, thankfully, and your boss had given you a knowing look.

“Man problems?”

“Can’t kill him, he’s my source of soup,” you muttered as you, somewhat roughly, hung some new dresses onto hangers.

Your boss laughed, eyes kind. “Oh, I know. My Martin was the same. Nothing turns men into complete worrywarts like a pregnant woman. I actually made out a plan to kill him with a roast and then cook it to eat the evidence.”

The mental image made you laugh. “Better yet, you could’ve fed the cops the evidence.”

She grinned. “Exactly! Here, come do my tired old eyes a favor and do your magic with the books. I can hang those up.”

It was a bad attempt to get you to sit down and take the weight off your aching back and ankles. But it wasn’t framed as an order or a whine, so you nodded and went to sit down behind the counter, opening Quickbooks on your boss’ laptop and letting yourself sink into some basic accounting.

The shop ended up being busy that day. Fifteen bra fittings needed, and thrice as many customers needing help picking out outfits. Half left messes and unfolded clothes behind, and you felt like you were picking up after toddlers as you refolded everything and sorted through the clothes that had been tried on and found unworthy.

You were exhausted by quitting time, your ankles swollen, back aching, and a headache pounding behind your temples. You were looking forward to heading home and putting your feet up.

A text from Eddie made you pause just as you were leaving the shop, a sigh leaving you when he said he’d be late and to take it easy and that he loved you.

Hormones. It had to be hormones, because you had to wipe at your eyes.

Huffing, you called him back. “I’m sorry for this morning,” you blurted when he answered.

“Babe, it’s okay. I didn’t mean to push, I know you like your job. I just worry. And, uh, he, is sorry too. Didn’t realize that you liked your boss that much.”

You rolled your eyes as you walked along the street, the smells of a nearby Thai restaurant making your stomach growl a little. “She’s a kind lady who keeps paying me on my days off despite it not being in my contract and who also buys me pineapples so I don’t have to deal with cravings at work. So yes, I’d like to keep her around.”

“Sorry, pretty.” Eddie cleared his throat as the symbiote relinquished control of his voice. “Anyway, we’ll be an hour or so late. Just head home, we’ll go pick up your soup once we’re free.”

“Don’t worry. I can grab it on my way home.”

“Babe–”

“Eddie, I am pregnant not an invalid. I’ll just pop in the restaurant, buy soup, and head straight home. Easy peasy.”

He sighed into the phone, and you narrowed your eyes, readying yourself for a fight. “Promise you’ll take it easy,” he said instead of protesting, like you knew he wanted to do. Like Venom was probably doing in his head.

“Promise. I’ll even buy some of that cake I know you and V like.”

“Triple chocolate?”

“Yup.”

“Well, how can we say ‘no’ to that?” His chuckle that echoed through the phone made you smile. “Love you.”

“Love you too. I’ll see you later.” You hung up feeling better, less homicidal and less likely to try to smother him in his sleep. Climbed onto the streetcar heading home and smiled at a teenager that offered you his spot on a bench.

Your mission to appropriate soup and cake was effortless, and you happily cradled the paper bag to your chest as you walked the last couple of blocks home. Achy and hungry, you stopped to gather up the mail in the apartment’s lobby before stepping into the elevator.

About halfway up, it started to groan, and you quirked an eyebrow at the light screeching sound it made before it rattled to a stop, the lights going out.

Shit.

You reached for the ‘help’ button, pressing it and the emergency button. The bell sounded, loud, echoing in the small elevator, but no one answered the help line’s phone. Nervous, you pulled out your smartphone, heart sinking when you saw that there was only one bar of service available. 

What the hell was the elevator made of that you couldn’t get proper phone reception?! Lead?!

Still, you tried dialing Eddie again, voice coming out shaky and nervous when you thought you heard the line pick up. “Eddie! Eddie, the elevator’s stuck, I need help! Can you hear me? Eddie?” You pulled the phone back to peer at the screen, sighing when you saw the words ‘no service’ flashing.

Trying to keep from freaking out, you pounded on the doors, kicking a few times as you bellowed. “HELLO!! CAN ANYONE HEAR ME!?! HELL-FUCKING-O?! PREGNANT WOMAN WHO NEEDS TO PEE TRAPPED IN THE ELEVATOR!!”

Panting, holding onto your calm by your proverbial nails, you slumped back against the wall, fighting the urge to sink to the floor - you’d never be able to get back up if you did. Spent a moment jabbing your thumb into the call button, listening to the elevator phone ringing endlessly over the blare of the emergency bell before, finally, someone picked up.

“What?”

“I’m stuck in the goddamn elevator, don’t you ‘what’ me! Can’t you hear the alarm?!”

“Oh.”

“OH?!”

“Just… Shit. I’m twenty minutes away at another building. Just chill. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“WhaaAAAAT?! But I’m pregnant!”

“You in labor?”

“You’d better fucking hope I’m not!”

“Then I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

The resounding ‘click’ of the Superintendent hanging up on you felt like the final nail in your coffin.

Unbeknownst to you - this would be recounted to you by Eddie and Venom later that night - Eddie had gotten some of your call. It had been garbled. He’d made out the words ‘Eddie’ and ‘help’ amidst a lot of static and blaring alarm noises and panicked. He’d screamed ‘pregnant girlfriend in trouble!’ at his boss and bolted out of the office.

It was Venom that swung through the City, ignoring the screams from the people that spotted him out in the daylight. He’d burst into the restaurant that he knew you’d gone to, shattering the plate glass window in his entrance. Upon realizing that you weren’t there, he’d upended a table in frustration, scarfed down someone’s steak dinner and left by ripping the front door off it’s hinges.

Luckily, he’d spotted a car driving a little too fast, weaving through traffic, with an elevator repair service truck following at it’s bumper. He’d easily spotted it as both vehicles had screeched to a halt in front of the apartment building, a trio of men rushing inside.

Thankfully, Venom’s territorial nature insisted that he find out what the hell was going on in ‘his‘ building and he’d gone to investigate.

You meanwhile, had a migraine from the alarm, and were dealing with a little panic by beating on the elevator doors while screaming obscenities. Only when the blare of the alarm cut off did you stop, head tilted a little. “Hello?”

“Jesus, Lady, you got some lungs on you!” Drifted up and through the closed doors. “Listen, I got a repairman here, we’re trying to figure out what’s wrong, okay? Just sit tight!”

“I’ve been ‘sitting tight‘ for twenty minutes!”

“Well then you’re already a pro at it, aren’t you?”

You snarled, debated kicking the doors again, just out of spite, but your sore feet took precedence. Instead, you pushed the heels of your hands into your lower back, trying to ease the constant, slowly worsening, pain there.

Unable to do anything else, you paced your small enclosure, back and forth, being careful not to kick the now-cold soup and cake takeout you’d placed on the floor. Felt tiny kicks from your baby against your belly, and slid a hand to press against the tiny bumps, trying to even out your breathing. “S’okay, junior. Either this asshole will get us out of here or your Daddies will come home and kill him. It’ll work out you’ll se–”

You cut yourself off with a shriek when the whole elevator shook, wobbling hard enough to send you to your knees. Heard the cables holding you from plummeting groan in response, and felt your heartbeat kick up accordingly.

“Jesus, Lady! You drop that kid or something?!”

“You’re not fucking funny!” You screamed back at the Super, before covering your belly with your hands, feeling the elevator wobble again. “Please don’t let me die in an elevator,” you whispered to whatever Gods were listening. “Or at least, let the elevator take out the Super on the way down.”

“SORRY, PRETTY. DIDN’T MEAN TO SCARE YOU.”

You gasped and jerked your head up, staring at Venom as he peeled back a section of the elevator’s ceiling as if it was as flimsy as a can of sardines. The elevator shook again as he dropped through the hole he’d made, landing in a crouch in front of you.

He reached for you at the same time that you flung yourself into his arms, closing your eyes when he enveloped you in a hug. “SHH, LITTLE NIBBLE. WE’RE HERE NOW.” Venom nuzzled at you a little before scooping you into his arms, and you finally relaxed. Nothing short of a nuclear attack would convince Venom to leave your side now.

Odd how just ten hours ago you were ready to kill him for doing just that.

“HOLD TIGHT,” he rumbled, and you wrapped your arms around his neck accordingly, blinking when he extended a tendril to pick your purse and bagged food up off the floor before leaping straight up.

The two of you easily cleared the elevator and another twenty feet of elevator shaft before Venom shifted his grip on you, the arm that had been supporting your legs reaching out to grab onto the edge of a ladder. He hung there for a moment, before shoving off, bouncing off the opposite wall and sending the two of you sailing through the open elevator doors on the fifteenth floor.

He twisted and landed on his back, protecting you and your swollen belly from the impact, and you lay there, eyes clenched shut, before the feeling of him licking at your cheek made you open them. “Are we alive?”

A deep, baritone, laugh left him. “OF COURSE,” he chuckled as he fluidly rose to his feet and carried you into your apartment, hissing a question when you wriggled out of his arms. 

“Bathroom,” you blurted as you ran for it. Managed to get there in time to avoid an accident, and you blushed when he chuckled at you through the door when you sighed in relief. “Oh, hush.”

Did your business, then washed your hands before rejoining him in the kitchen, where he was in the middle of devouring the piece of cake you’d bought for Eddie. “Eddie needs to get downstairs and explain to the Super that I’m out of the elevator. And maybe yell at him a bit.”

“WE COULD GO. DON’T LIKE HOW HE TALKED TO YOU.”

You decided not to mention how long you were stuck in the elevator, otherwise Venom might disembowel the man. “Yes, well, nothing to be done about that now. And, thank you, for coming to my rescue.”

A rumble very much like a purr left him as he moved over to you, one hand settling on the small of your back to pull you close while he leaned down to lick at your cheek. “YOU SOUNDED SCARED ON THE PHONE. YOU KNOW WE’LL ALWAYS COME TO YOU WHEN YOU NEED US.”

“I know. Still, thank you.”

“WE ACCEPT KISSES AND CHOCOLATE. AND WE ALREADY HAD CHOCOLATE,” he smirked, and you rolled your eyes before tilting your head up, sighing as he claimed your lips in a hungry, heated, kiss.

There was the sound of a startled cry from the open apartment door, and the still open elevator doors. Something that sounded suspiciously like ‘what the fuck happened to the elevator?!’ drifted to your ears, and you sighed as you reluctantly pulled away. Venom grumbled a little, nuzzling at your neck, and you heard him drink in a lungful of your scent, his free hand dropping to cup your swollen belly protectively, talons gentle against your skin.

He pulled back a moment later, pale eyes widening, when the baby kicked out, and you chuckled a little at the shocked expression on his face.

“Junior’s not a fan of elevators,” you said with a smile as Venom dropped into a crouch and framed your stomach in his hands. He tapped at a spot, grinning with a happy rumble when a tiny kick answered him.

The call of ‘Lady, where the fuck are you?!’ from the hallway made both of you grumble.

“I’m fine! Boyfriend saved me! He’ll be down there to talk to you in a minute!” you hollered back, gently sliding a hand across the nape of Venom’s neck when he growled something about hanging people from their entrails. “Eddie needs to make an appearance, hun.”

Venom hissed, then reluctantly pulled away. Rose to his feet and placed a kiss to your forehead before the symbiote pulled away from it’s human host, reintroducing Eddie to the world as it shifted around him to form jeans and a button down shirt.

The man blinked a few times to reorient himself, then smiled at you in relief and pulled you in for a brief hug. “Glad to see you’re alright, babe.”

You leaned into him a little, taking comfort in his embrace. He was warm and strong and safe, and you drank that in, along with his scent and the smell of his aftershave, before necessity made you pull away. “I hate elevators. Do me a favor and go yell at the Super for me.”

Eddie, being a journalist, eyed you. “Were you in there all this time?”

“Yeah. He was at another building. Took him almost half an hour to get here.”

His eyes darkened, like a storm rolling in. “Yeah, we’ll have words with him. Nuke your soup and go put your feet up, we’ll be back soon, okay?”

“Yup.” You rose up onto your aching tip toes to kiss him again. “No killing the help.”

A chuckle left him, laced with Venom’s own unearthly rumble. “We promise nothing.”

[girls-scenarios]

My Favorite

Idol: Momo (Twice)

Prompt: Twice Momo is teaching a dance class, when a new student comes, he feels out of place. Momo puts in the extra effort to train him out of class And they start to get feelings for each other

Writer: Admin Kiwi

A/N: As usual, the reader came out more gender-neutral, although the reader is taller than Momo. I hope you all enjoy!

Mono wasn’t supposed to have favorites. Sure, she wasn’t a grade school teacher, she was teaching adults around her same age how to dance, but the same basic principles still applied: be a generally nice person, push your students to improve, and don’t have favorites because that might mean you pay more attention to one student than the other. But she couldn’t lie, she had a favorite.

Mayne it was just because she tended to want to help the underdog. She loved helping people, that was all. The fact that your concentrating face was so cute and admirable had nothing to do with it. At least, that was what she told herself.

She didn’t really want to admit that seeing you try so hard even though you didn’t have as much experience as the other dancers made something in heart pull her towards you. Usually when people who didn't have dance backgrounds took dance classes, they quit within the week. But you had stuck through it for a month, and she really admired that about you. She’d even noticed you sticking around after class had ended to practice the steps, even after most of the dancers had started to pack up their things and leave. Yes, that was what had made her notice you, it had nothing to do with you being cute at all.

She’d noticed you struggling, and she’d noticed the extra time you were putting in, so she wasn’t at all surprised when you came up to her one day after class looking rather exhausted as the other members packed up.

“My Momo, could I talk to you for a minute?”

“Of course, (Y/N), what’s up?” You bit your lip, glancing away like you were embarrassed for a moment before looking back at her.

“Um, I’m just starting to wonder if this is really right for me....” Your words made her freeze, water bottle halfway to her mouth.

“What? Why do you say that?”

“I’m just so new and I feel like I’m holding the class back, especially since I just can’t seem to get the difficult moves down.” Momo felt her face fall. It was sad to see you so discouraged, especially since she’d noticed you improving since you’d first joined the class. It would be a shame if you quit now.

Sana and Mina were going to hate her for pushing dinner time even later, but they would just have to deal. “Well I’d hate to see you quit, so what do you say you see how you do with a few one-on-one practices with me after class before making a final decision?”

Your eyes widened. “Really? You’d do that for me?”

“Of course! I’ve seen how hard you try and I don’t want you to give up.” A grin spread across your face and she had to stop herself from smiling too big.

“Thank you so much. When do you want to start?”

“How does now sound?”

“Now sounds perfect to me.”

-

Okay, so she definitely had a favorite. The way you poured yourself into the extra practices made all the whining and complaining from her roommates totally worth it, and she found herself awed by how passionate you were. You soaked in everything she said and took it to heart, listening better than most of her students ever had. She saw you improving in front of her eyes, and she couldn’t help but grin and encourage you throughout the practice. You deserved it.

“You’re whipped,” Sana said, but Momo just ignored her. She wasn’t whipped, she was just... enamored. Yes, that was it. She admired your drive and determination, and if she thought you were cute, then that was just a part of it all.

“Are you supposed to be dating your student?” She wasn’t dating you. But she was pretty sure it would be fine if she did. And she’d be lying if she said she’d never thought of it.

-

You improved quickly. Much quicker than she had expected, in fact. With only a few weeks of staying after class, you’d caught up with the other students and were feeling much more confident in class. As happy as that made her, it was also a bittersweet moment, because she knew you didn’t need to stay the extra hour anymore. Which meant that she wouldn’t be seeing you as much anymore.

For days, she milled over what she should say, but all of it went out the window when you came up to her after class with a big smile on your face.

“How did I do?”

“You did amazing, those extra classes have really payed off,” she said as she redid her ponytail, returning your smile. “Do you still want to quit?”

“Absolutely not. I’m having fun now.” Your words made her happy and sad at the same time, and she couldn’t say it. Especially not when you were already talking excitedly. “What will we be going over today?” Momo looked over the rest of the class and went over the class she’d taught today in her head, trying to think of anything.

“Was there anything you felt you needed to work a little more on?”

“I was thinking that I’d practice that popping move a little but more,” you said, running your hands through your hair. “I think I’ve pretty much got it down, but I’d like to make sure.”

“Sounds good,” she said, not having the heart to tell you anything else and turning to wave to the other students as they left. “You can start whenever you’re ready.” You nodded and walked over to take a sip of water as she pulled out her phone.

-How do I tell someone that they don’t need extra dance classes anymore? Asking for a friend.

-Lol good luck with that

-Kiss them to take the sting away

As usual, her friends were no help. With a sigh, she shook her head and put it away, turning her attention back to you. She’d have to tell you today, just... Not now. She’d enjoy this for a little bit longer.

After the music had finally been cut and the both of you were putting away your things, she cleared her throat.

“So, (Y/N), you’ve improved a ton. You can keep up with the class now, it’s really incredible.” You grinned, so proud you were almost shining as you picked up your bag.

“Thank you! It’s all because of you, Momo. I was really thinking about quitting before this.” She smiled back at you.

“I’m glad you continued. But since you’ve caught up with the class, I don’t think this extra hour is going to be necessary anymore. If you start having trouble again I’d be happy to spend extra time with you again, but I think you’re doing great enough to not need extra classes anymore.” Your face fell a little, but you kept your smile in place.

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah! You’re doing great, you really are. You’re one of the class now.” You let out a little chuckle and looked down at your shoes.

“Thank you. I’m sorry for making you practice with me, I’m sure you had other things to do.”

“Oh, don’t be sorry, I didn’t do this against my will. I was happy to do it. It was a lot of fun to watch you improve and get to know you a little more.” You glanced back up at her and straightened your back.

“I’m glad, I was afraid you felt like I was forcing you.”

“Absolutely not. I’ve enjoyed doing these extra practices with you.” She gave you her best smile as she internally wrestled with herself. Did she ask you out here? Were you even interested in her like that? Was that too forward for her to do as a teacher? Would you think she was coming on too strong?

“Hey, Momo?” Your voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she watched as you bit your lip and played with the strap on your bag.

“Yes?”

“Would you like to get dinner with me sometime? My treat.” Her heart skipped a beat. Was this a date? “It doesn’t have to be a date if you don’t want it to be,” you said, kind of rushed. “I just want to pay you back for everything you did to help me.” She giggled, causing you to stop nervously rambling and look at her with wide, hopeful eyes.

“I’d love for it to be a date, (Y/N). Thank you for asking.” A grin spread over your face once again, and you pulled out your phone.

“Then, um, could I get your phone number?”

“Of course.”

Moments later, as the two of you separated, Momo couldn’t stop smiling. She looked down at your contact in your phone and the date in her calendar and squealed internally. So she definitely had a favorite, and it totally had everything to do with how cute you were and how much she loved being around you. And she couldn’t wait to see where this would go.

[raccoonwritings]

In your bio it says you take prompts, now this is kinda a basic idea but: Eliott and Lucas goes to Party and Eliott gets really drunk and starts flirting with Lucas even though they are already together.

I do take prompts and I really loved this one so I wrote about both Elliot getting drunk and Lucas getting crossed.

Both are under the cut!

Elliot

Lucas makes sure to ask his boyfriend before they head to thepregame if drinking on his meds is safe. He trusts him when he says he’s alreadytalked to his doctors and they’ve approved drinking every once and a while,just as long as he takes all his medications in the morning and doesn’t drink toomuch too frequently. Lucas doesn’t think that’s too unreasonable and so whenthey reach the pregame an hour later, he doesn’t stop his boyfriend from takinga beer or two out of the fridge in rapid succession. He decides it’s best if hedoesn’t drink, though, just in case Eliott gets sick and he needs his strengthto carry his much taller boyfriend’s drunk ass back to his apartment. He canstill have a great time without alcohol.

The pregame doesn’t last long before the entire group headsto a party at Emma’s, Eliott’s hand firmly planted in his as they walk thestreets. Their friends are walking ahead of them, shouting and laughing andencouraging them to move their asses.  Hecould see Eliott was slightly buzzed and grinning wildly, and there hasn’t beenanything to cause concern yet, so Lucas watches quietly while he grabs anotherbeer or two or three.

Almost two hours into the party, Lucas is standing in thekitchen with his friends, laughing and scoffing at the inappropriateness of Basile’scomments about girls, which have gotten better over the course of the past fewmonths, with Eliott’s help. He nurses his first and only beer of the evening andlistens to the boys drone on and on about their mediocre sex lives, while he knowshe’s got it good. A loud noise calls his attention to the entrance to thekitchen, where Eliott is propped up on the door frame. He’s noticeably drunkand goofy smiling at Lucas before appearing to sober up, at least a little bit,and strut over to his boyfriend.

“Hey, handsome,” he says, the smell of alcohol on his tongue.Lucas only realizes what’s happening what Eliott smoothing leans against thecounter next to him, a move he has noticed many guys do with him. Eliott’sdrunk ass was flirting with him.

“Hey,” Lucas responses with a pop of his eyebrows. The boysmust be noticing what’s happening because they promptly make an excuse to leavethe kitchen to let Lucas deal with his shitfaced boyfriend. Or maybe theywanted Lucas to get some action, who knows.

“You know, you’re quite the looker,” Eliott compliments andruns a hand through Lucas’ hair.

“Oh, really, tell me more,” he inquires a bit sarcastically,seeming throwing Eliott off his game.

“First, babe, you have to tell me if you came here withanyone,” he requires casually, while his hand comes up to cup Lucas’ cheek.

He moves his face closer to Eliott’s, so that their lips arealmost touching. “Yeah, I did.” He gives him sex eyes, but Eliott doesn’t seemto get the message, because he removes his hand from Lucas’ cheek and takes asmall step back.

“Oh, like your boyfriend?” Eliott slurs slightly.

Lucas snorts. “Yeah, I did. He’s pretty cute, too.” Lucas smilesup at his boyfriend, whose face falls almost instantly.

“Oh okay!” His tone is forced excitement. “I’m just gonna gothen.” Before Lucas realizes it, his boyfriend has left him standing in thekitchen all by himself, dumbfounded. What just happened? He was flirting withEliott, calling him cute and he just walked away? Lucas knows he isn’t understandingsomething, so he goes in search of his very drunk boyfriend.

It takes him a few minutes to weave his way through the crowdsof people dancing, kissing, grinding. He doesn’t see Eliott anywhere in theliving room or dining room and he doubts he could make his way up the stairswith all the alcohol in his system, so Lucas decides the best option would be toscope out the rooms on the other side of the first floor.

The first room he peeks into is a spare bedroom and he findsa couple making out half naked and quickly removes himself from the areabecause he has not desire to see a girl naked. Like ever. The second room islocked, so the option is crossed from Lucas’ list and he heads towards the bathroomat the end of the hall when he hears familiar voices.

“Eliott, what’s going on?” A voice asks. Lucas knows within secondsit’s Imane.

“I j-just, I saw this really c-cute boy standing in thekitchen with his friends, and I went o-over to talk to him and he’s so much cuterup close, Imane, he really is. I’m p-pretty sure he’s the love of my life. B-buthe came here with someone, his b-boyfriend, and he looked so h-happy when hetalked about him. He has this really sweet s-smile, b-but, he’s taken and I can’thave him. He’s never gonna smile about me, Imane.” Eliott was crying hard, andLucas was so incredibly endeared by the fact that his boyfriend was so enamoredby him, even after a year of dating, that he wanted to be the one Lucas wassmiling about. His heart grew several sizes hearing about how crazy Eliott isabout him. His boyfriend is, without a doubt, the sweetest person in the entireworld, Lucas knows this. The only thing about the situation Lucas hates is thatEliott is crying this hard and his boyfriend sensors are up and at attention.He needs to make it stop.

“Eliott, I think you might hav-” Imane cuts herself off whenshe sees Lucas enter the bathroom. Lucas didn’t realize that the rest of thegirls were in the bathroom with Eliott as well. He gives them all a smile.

“Hey,” he says, glancing around the room at everyone. Henotices that Eliott is too busy crying to look at him. His heart breaks andpieces itself back together.

“Hi Lucas!” Daphy exclaims and Eliott looks at him.

“Even his name is c-cute,” Eliott whispers through his tears.Holy hell. Lucas loves him so much.

“Wanna take over here?” Imane inquires, knowing Lucas isgoing to be the only one to settle the crying boy down.

“Yeah, I’ll take over. Thanks girls.” He switches placeswith Imane, who was standing in front of Eliott, and watches all the girls fileout. He starts talking when the door closes.

“Hey handsome, why are you so upset?” Lucas looks at hisboyfriend with a gentle smile on his face.

“Don’t call me h-handsome. You have a boyfriend. That’s whyI’m upset.” Eliott snuffles and boy, Lucas wants to just wrap him up in hisarms and hold him there forever.

“You’re right, I do. He’s one of the sweetest people I knowand I’m completely head over heels in love with him.” Lucas leans up to coverEliott’s cheeks with his hands and wipe away the tears streaming down the loveof his life’s cheeks with his thumbs.

“I’m r-really happy for you, I p-promise, but you s-should prollygo. He might get upset that you’re in here with another guy.”

Lucas giggles softly, “I think this is exactly where hewould want me to be actually. In a bathroom at a house party, taking care ofhis boyfriend’s drunk ass.” His voice is so sincere, and love oozes out of him,especially when Eliott’s eyes snap up and meet his. He hates how Eliott’sbeautiful blue eyes become so overtaken by redness when he cries. He hates whenEliott cries and would give absolutely anything in this universe to make itstop.

“What to do you-” Eliott starts, but gets interrupted byLucas, who pulls Eliott’s face close to his and rubs their noses together.

“You’re my boyfriend, you absolute ninny. That smile you sawin the kitchen was about you. Those smiles are almost always about you. You’remy everything and I’m never gonna let up on the fact that you flirted with methinking that we weren’t together. Just to inform you, we’ve been dating justover a year, and if you think I’ve ever letting you go, you’re ridiculous andmost likely drunk.” Lucas finishes, winded and out of breath and so, so inlove. Eliott is smiling something big and lopsided and Lucas stands up on histippy toes to kiss his boyfriend, who tastes like alcohol and tears, but it’sstill the best kiss in the world because it’s with his boyfriend.

They pull apart and Eliott just stares at him. “I’m so luckyand really drunk, I’m gonna throw up now.” Lucas processes all the words asquick as he can, but not quick enough to avoid Eliott throwing up all over hisshoes. God, he really loves him. He ignores the vomit on his feet and helps hisboyfriend to the toilet, slowly rubbing his back while he heaves into the whiteceramic shitter.

Yeah, he may be a great party with throw up on his sneakersand a drunk boyfriend throwing up into the toilet, but there’s no place he’drather be.

Lucas

“No, no, guys. Him!” Lucas is pointing in the direction of a very tall, very handsome stranger standing in the corner of the crowded living room.

Yann is making sure he knows who Lucas is pointing to. “Him, Lucas?”

“Nooooo! The tall, dark, mysterious one in the black leather jacket!” Lucas whines incredulously. He hears Arthur and Basile snickering and he does know quite why, but honestly he doesn’t care. He has his sights set on that boy and he was going to get him.

“Oh, you mean Eliott?” Yann asks Lucas, seemingly knowing everything.

Eliott. What a cute name. How has he not met him yet? Wow, Lucas is smitten before he even meets him. He has to meet him like yesterday. He slurps down the rest of his beer. “I’m gonna go flirt him up!” He hops up from the couch, noticing Yann’s smug expression.

“Yeah? Gonna go flirt him up?” Yann smiles then holds his drink up to his lips.

“Yeah, Lucas, go get him!” Arthur laughs and gives him a reassuring pat on the back. Basile gives him two thumbs up and Lucas is good to go. He’s totally got this in the bag.

When he looks to find Eliott, he’s disappeared, presumably into the kitchen, because Lucas hears what he assumes is his voice. It’s the only beautiful one he’s heard all night. He follows the sound and finds Eliott leaning up against the counter, chatting with an objectively pretty girl. No, absolutely not. He will not allow this girl to flirt with his future man. He rudely interrupts their conversation and finds that he doesn’t really care.

“Hey, sweet thang.” In retrospect, not the smoothest thing he could say, but he’s intoxicated, so he’s not exactly thinking with the most clarity.

Eliott turns to him and he wants those eyes on him all the time, all day everyday. He eyes Lucas up like a piece of candy and the look sends signals straight down south.

“Hey babe,” his smooth voice almost makes Lucas’ eyes bulge out of his head. His ears are melting and his heart stutters at the ‘babe’.

Time to turn up the charm. “You come here often?” That’s one of his best lines, he knows.

Eliott raises his eyebrows, and smiles. “All the time babe, don’t know how I could’ve missed a pretty face like yours.” Fuck, this guy was good.

“Guess you’re not observant then, cause I’m here all the time, handsome.” The last word was involuntary. Sometimes his brain adds unnecessary words to his sentences. He doesn’t appreciate it.

“Aw do you think I’m handsome?” Eliott giggles and gives Lucas a big smile. The smile is mesmerizing.

“Mhmm very pretty,” he blurts out, but doesn’t bother to feel embarrassed. He does hear something behind him though, and when he turns he sees his friends standing there nearly shitting their pants with laughter. What’s so funny? He frowns. He’s just trying to get some from a cute guy.

“Why the frown?” Eliott looks at him curiously and with concern. He’s just about to tell him why when the thought occurs to him that he doesn’t even know if Eliott is single. He can’t flirt with a taken man, he doesn’t roll that way.

“Are you here with anyone?” Lucas’ eyes bore into Eliott’s. Eliott stands there for a minute too long and Lucas is dreading the answer.

“Nah, babe,” Eliott is speaking and there are hands settling on his ass, pulling him forward and positioning him right in between Eliott’s legs, “I’m all yours.” The last words are whispered into his ear right before he feels Eliott nibble on his earlobe. Lucas lays his palms on Eliott’s chest and leans into him. The nibbling on his ear stops, “mhmm babe, are you crossed? You reek of weed and booze.”

Lucas ducks his head and suddenly feels the need to pull away, but when he does, the hands on his ass keep him right in that spot. “I may have smoked and drank a bit. I get it if you don’t want to hookup with me.” The hands apply pressure, and Lucas gasps. One of them peel off and take Lucas’ hand, guiding it towards his crotch, which Lucas feels is big and hard. Fuck.

“You have no idea how much I want you. Can you feel it?” Eliott makes Lucas’ hand cup the tent in his jeans and his thoughts are running rampant. Eliott wants him. This has to be a dream. Lucas hopes it never ends. “I just want to make sure you want this.”

Lucas thinks his head may snap from how fast he nods his head. “Please.” It comes out way more whiny than Lucas intends, but he doesn’t care. The next thing is feels is Eliott’s tongue in his mouth and he sighs obscenely. There’s another noise behind him, but he doesn’t bother to look or be concerned with it. Whatever it is, it isn’t bothering them.

They continue like that for a few minutes, with Eliott eventually pressing him up against the counter and grinding up on him before Lucas takes a pause. “Baby, what’s wrong?” Eliott asks, brushing a piece of hair from Lucas’ fallen quiff out of his face. Everytime Eliott calls him a variation of ‘baby’, he can feel his cheeks flush.

“I’m a little tired,” Lucas says, playing nervously with the zipper on Eliott’s hoodie, “can we go back to your place?” he briefly glances up and can only see fondness on the boy’s face.

“Of course cutie. Let me get my coat.” Lucas nods and Eliott jogs off in search of his jacket. When he does return, he smiles at Lucas and puts an arm around his waist with the purpose of steadying him, but Lucas just thinks it’s because Eliott wants his hand there, which isn’t entirely untrue.

They leave the party, not even bothering to say goodbye to the boys, because Lucas is going to a hot guy’s house and there are way more important things to think about. He can feel Eliott’s hand in his and enjoys the walk thoroughly, despite it being slightly chilly out. Scratch that, it’s very chilly, but that might be because Lucas isn’t wearing a jacket or any outerwear at all, really. He must of left it at home or back at the party, maybe? Oh well, it doesn’t matter now, except Eliott seems to notice it.

“Are you cold, babe? Would you like my jacket?” Lucas hates saying yes, but he’s very cold so he nods shallowly. Eliott smiles as he shrugs his jacket off and holds it out for Lucas to slip his arms through. The first thing he notices about the jacket is that Eliott is big. Either that or he just enjoys oversized clothing because Lucas is actually swimming in it, but he doesn’t care. He’s warm and cozy and honestly a bit sleepy. His yawn signals that to Eliott, who inquires about it and when Lucas agrees that yes, he is just a bit tired because it’s late and he’s very intoxicated, Eliott takes it upon himself to scoop Lucas up bridal style and carry him the rest of the way to the apartment.

Lucas must have fallen asleep somewhere between where they were when Eliott gave him his jacket and Eliott’s apartment because he wakes up in a cozy bed under blankets and no jacket. Eliott isn’t here, but he can hear movement in the bathroom and assumes that’s him. When he enters his bedroom, Lucas’ mouth waters a little bit. He’s shirtless, and in just boxers, and Lucas wants to keep eyeing him up and maybe even jump him like a tree, but his eyelids are competing with that desire.

“Hi baby, how are you?” Eliott says, noticing he’s awake when he crawls underneath the covers with Lucas.

“Mhm good. Cuddle me?” He asks, not a shred of shame evident in his voice.

Eliott does so immediately. Soon, Lucas is warm because of body heat and blankets and snuggles into his chest, falling asleep easily and resolving to definitely asking Eliott out on a date when he wakes up.

The next morning, he awakens in the clothes he wore to the party last night and with a pounding headache. His boyfriend pulls him closer and snuggles into the crook of his neck so he can sleepily make fun of Lucas forgetting that they were dating. Lucas denies that ridiculousness, because how in the world could he ever forget that he was dating Eliott? Well, thanks to Yann, Eliott now has video proof and will not be letting Lucas forget this for a long time.

[kingkeerys]

the art of chasing ♔ billy hargrove

concept: steve has a female best friend and billy has taken it upon himself to flirt with her just to piss steve off. that’s it. that’s the plot.

a/n: i don’t know where this came from. it just sort of happened. it’s not really an imagine bc i don’t like writing in second person or even first person, hence the reason the girl actually has a name. but i guess it can classify as one. i’ll be glad to write more if people enjoy it. also just a disclaimer, i don’t condone billy’s behavior in the show. i know he’s an asshole. but i do love dacre montgomery, so. this happened. also this has no timeframe, it’s just basically taking place randomly in season 2. each scenario is numbered separately that way i can write however many i want whenever i want. sound good?~~

just a young gun with a quick fuse,

i was uptight, wanna let loose.

i was dreamin’ of bigger things and

wanna leave my old life behind.

#1

“’Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit…’” he reiterated in a high-pitched rendition of Nancy Wheeler’s voice.

Annie’s eyebrows rose as she replaced a few things in her locker.

“Ouch,” she said, frowning a bit. “Are you sure she knew what she was talking about? I mean, she was drunk. She might not have even heard what you said. Drunk people usually don’t.”

Steve Harrington gave her a dubious look as he leaned against the locker next to hers. He inclined his head, a strand of brown hair falling down over his forehead.

“She knew,” he said. “She heard me loud and clear. Good to know the last year has been nothing but bullshit to her.”

“I mean, she has been through a lot,” Annie reluctantly added, closing her locker with a sigh. “With her brother’s friend and then Barbara. You said it yourself, she’s been distant lately ever since her friend was declared… well, you know. It’s probably just stress.”

“I thought you hated Nancy,” Steve squinted over at her, as if betrayed that she was suddenly taking his girlfriend’s – ex-girlfriend’s? – side for once. “And now you’re defending her?”

“I don’t… hate her,” Annie disagreed carefully.

It was mostly the truth. Annie had a hard time hating anyone but if there was a person that came close to it, it was Nancy Wheeler.

She never understood the hype around the girl. Sure, she was pretty with a bright pair of blue doe eyes and she didn’t seem stupid considering her grades, but Annie never saw the appeal. She became exasperated when Steve started to chase after her the year prior and she tried to be the pliant, accepting best friend whenever Nancy was around for his sake, but that was as far as it went. Nancy seemed like a very two-dimensional person - almost artificial but not completely fake, like she tried to be a good person but it was for all the wrong reasons.

Not that Annie had any right to judge considering she’d only spoken about ten words to the girl. She couldn’t even pretend like she knew her personally so her judgement was all speculation at this point, and Nancy had never been directly rude to her whenever Steve had her around.

She did feel bad when her friend Barbara went missing though because, unlike Nancy, Barbara had been very approachable and kind. And it was clear that her disappearance really struck a chord in Nancy, causing her to go off the rails a bit and act slightly less goodie-two-shoes than usual. Again, not something Annie could judge since she was a bit of a goodie-two-shoes herself, but it was still a change worth noting.

Annie assumed Nancy’s situation with Barbara would be the equivalent to Steve going missing. If she lost him she didn’t know what she’d do. It made her sick to her stomach just thinking about it.

So no, she didn’t hate Nancy. But she didn’t like her either.

“And I’m not defending her,” Annie continued, pulling herself back into the present. “I’m just trying to see the story from both sides. But I’m sorry she said that to you,” Annie gave him a sympathetic look.

Steve heaved a deep sigh and turned to where his back was against the locker. He tilted his head back, his head hitting dully against the metal door.

“It’s just stupid. Things weren’t this complicated last year.”

“I know what you mean,” Annie nodded, reflecting on the past couple of months. “Ever since Will Byers went missing it’s like there’s been this chain reaction. Everything’s just been… weird.”

Steve snorted. “You have no idea.”

Annie glanced over at him. “What are you going to do?”

Steve mutely shook his head. Annie immediately understood what that mean. I have no idea.

She opened her mouth to say something else, maybe give him a confidence boost or talk negatively about Nancy to make him feel better, when loud laughter stopped her short.

She peered around Steve and spotted one of the banes of his existence prowling down the hallway with a bounce in their step. The boy’s snakelike grin stretched wide across his face the second his eyes found Steve’s miserable form and Annie felt dread pool in her gut at what might transpire.

“Why the long face, Harrington?” he mocked, the boys behind him muffling their laughter into closed fists. “Couldn’t get it up her skirt last night? Too much bullshit to satisfy the missus?”

Steve’s jaw clenched at the backhanded comment.

Annie placed a hand on his arm, quietly hoping he wouldn’t take the bait. Thankfully he kept his mouth shut, though his eyes were sharp as daggers.

The boy guffawed at Steve’s cold look before he turned his attention to Annie as he passed by them.

“Hey there, cutie,” he winked, flashing her a dazzling smile full of white teeth and Annie stiffened, her insides feeling hot. That was new. He’d never acknowledged her before on any of his other verbal attacks at Steve.

Steve must’ve noticed this too for his posture straightened and he kicked away from the locker, his shoulders squared as he stared the boy down, mentally debating with himself whether he wanted to instigate a fight or not. His glare didn’t go unnoticed and the boy laughed loudly again, covering his mouth with a bejeweled hand in callous mockery before him and his posse disappeared around the corner in all their denim-clad glory.

Annie released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding and she glanced over at Steve who was still staring in the direction the boy had disappeared in. It was obvious his feathers had been rustled, no doubt the boy’s intentions from the get-go.

Annie patted his arm and his shoulders slowly lost their tension.

“He’s such an asshole,” said Steve sourly.

Billy Hargrove certainly was an asshole.

He tormented others for his own personal enjoyment and more often than not Steve was on the receiving end of it. Annie couldn’t think of two people that were more opposite than Steve and Billy. They were night and day personified and that was probably one of the reasons why Billy felt the need to make Steve’s life a living hell. That and the fact that he just could.

There were few things Billy didn’t get away with, which was irritating to Annie. If there was one thing she hated more than people breaking the rules, it was people who allowed those rules to be broken.

Billy was a boy of average height and stocky build with blonde hair that fell just below his neck in an unkempt sort of way that could only be described as deliberate. His trademark was his acid-washed denim jacket and sun-kissed skin that had spent years under the California rays.

That was probably one of the reasons most of the girls at Hawkins High were enamored by him. A west coast boy with above average looks and a devil-may-care attitude to boot? They couldn’t get enough of him. Another factor that seemed to piss Steve off to no end. A very small portion of that could be jealousy, Annie deduced. Being envious of the same sex’s appearance wasn’t limited to only girls. But mostly she knew he was just baffled by all the attention he got.

Because Billy was an asshole.

“I know,” Annie said calmly, shaking off her jitters. “He’s just trying to get under your skin. I wouldn’t worry about him.”

“Hard not to,” Steve countered. “He’s fucking everywhere.”

The bell rang and Annie tugged on the crook of Steve’s arm with an encouraging smile.

“C’mon, let’s go to class. We can get ice cream after.”

Steve let her lead him down the hall with a reluctant half-smile and for the moment Billy Hargrove and Nancy Wheeler were only distant worries.

* * *

not a yes sir, not a follower

fit the box, fit the mold

have a seat in the foyer

take a number

i was lightning before the thunder.

#2

“Did you do the math homework?”

“Is that even a question, Steve?”

Steve grinned despite himself.

“Overachiever,” he said fondly. Annie laughed as she moved forward in the lunch line and grabbed a clean tray from the pile.

“’Overachiever’ doesn’t mean someone who does work that’s required of them,” she said humorously. “That’s just a basic achiever.”

“Whatever,” Steve brushed her comment off, though his eyes were sparkling. He grabbed a tray of his own and placed it on the counter, sliding down the line as he gazed down at the steaming food with a scrunched nose. “What is this?”

“Pork I think,” Annie surveyed the heaping pile of brown goo in front of them with trepidation. Did pork usually have that much gravy?

“Beef stew,” one of the lunch ladies glowered at Annie, insulted with her assumption. Annie flushed and she heard Steve snicker next to her. The woman held a spoonful of the liquid up in question and Annie tried to smile through her embarrassed cringe.

“I’m a vegetarian,” she lied, trying to sound polite.

The woman rolled her eyes and grunted before slapping the chunky serving onto Steve’s plate instead. He grimaced but quickly covered it up with an overzealous smile that made Annie want to laugh too.

They continued moving down the line, holding their plates out for various side dishes that were offered to them.

“So, about that math homework,” Steve prompted as they neared the register, flashing his brown eyes at her. Annie pursed her lips at her best friend but ultimately caved, shoulders slumping.

“Fine, you can copy it,” she relented, trying and failing to sound disapproving. She lifted a finger. “But just this once. Maybe you should look into finding a tutor.”

“I hear you’re free,” Steve suggested with a mischievous grin.

“Suddenly my schedule’s all booked up,” Annie retorted. Steve huffed a laugh through his nose. “Aw man,” Annie frowned, eyes scanning the refrigerated shelves in front of her. “They don’t have any more oranges.”

“Health freak,” Steve quipped.

“Says the athlete with the low carb diet,” she fired right back. Steve stuck his tongue out at her.

Annie grinned to herself. He was in much higher spirits lately despite the continued rockiness of his and Nancy’s relationship, or lack thereof. She was relieved to see his chipper side returning, stewing silently in his renowned energy. She wasn’t sure but she had a theory that him spending more time with the kids – Dustin, Caleb, and Nancy’s younger brother, Mike – were the root cause of his improved mood.

“Does this look low carb to you?” he motioned to the vile brown liquid seeping into his side of macaroni.

“That doesn’t look like anything edible,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “I should’ve packed my lunch today. I really wish they had oranges. I wanted an orange.”

“I’ll buy you an orange later to make up for the homework,” Steve said, sounding both exasperated and amused. Annie smiled proudly.

She was getting ready to be next at the register and she got her money ready to hand to the lady waiting, only to feel someone saddle up next to her and ultimately cut her in line.

A scowl pulled at Annie’s brow and she opened her mouth to retaliate, only to have the objections die in her throat at the sight of who it was that cut her.

Billy Hargrove was smiling at the lunch lady, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he marched himself to the front of the line with no disregard for courtesy. Her eyes flitted downward and her scowl deepened. He had an orange in his hand.

Whilst Annie remained stubbornly quiet, Steve had no reserves and he glared venomously at the curly-haired boy.

“Hey,” he snapped, leaning around Annie to get a view of the boy. “Get to the back of the line, man.”

“I’m sorry, do you hear something?” Billy asked, apparently to the lunch lady as his gaze didn’t waver from hers, tapping his ear in false curiosity. “It’s like this weird buzzing sound.”

“Nice one, dipshit,” Steve retorted. “Real mature.”

“Language,” the woman admonished without much heat. Steve gave her a slack-jawed look.

“Sorry, ma’am, I just wanted to let you know that I can’t pay today,” Billy said, voice pleasant. The act was so convincing that Annie could almost believe he wasn’t a terror to be around. The woman narrowed her eyes at him, obviously displeased.

“This is the third time this week, Billy.”

“I know. I just need one more day. I’m only getting this,” he held the orange up. He smiled charmingly again. “Please?”

His blue eyes glittered like the ocean and apparently not even the older women could resist his rugged allure. She sighed in defeat.

“Alright, tomorrow then.”

“Thank you, ma’am. I sure do appreciate it,” he gave her one last winning smile before turning to face Steve. The once amiable, school b0y smile transformed into something more poisonous. Steve held his ground, accepting the stare-off and Annie glanced between the two of them warily, once again afraid of all the potential fights that could ensue, but Billy broke the gaze before any of them could play out. He looked down at her and smirked easily, outstretching the orange. “Here, sweetheart.”

Annie stared at the orange for a full five seconds before cautiously accepting it. Billy bestowed her with another wink and his eyes flashed sharply up at Steve whose glare could melt skin before he turned on his heel and waltzed off, ever the image of satisfaction and arrogance. The intense musk of his cologne hit Annie on the back end and for a second she couldn’t think straight, only able to shake herself out of her stupor when Steve sniffed next to her.

“He’s doing this on purpose,” Steve muttered, eyes dark and murderous. “He’s fucking with you to fuck with me. Asshole.”

“Language, Mister Harrington.”

Annie quickly handed the woman her money when the woman prompted her with an impatient look. She waited for Steve to pay for his food and then followed him to a nearby table that didn’t have any other students. They sat down across from one another and Annie realized Steve’s mood had turned sour from the encounter.

“Fucking Billy,” he glanced over his shoulder across the room and spotted Nancy sitting closely with Jonathan Byers, murmuring conspiratorially to him and sitting closer than necessary. He turned back around. “Fucking Nancy.”

“I’m sorry, Steve,” Annie said for lack of anything better. She stared down at the orange, turning it over in her hands.

Weird.

[rewolfaekilerom]

thoughts on the beguiled.

I’ve wanted to watch The Beguiled since I saw the trailer for it in 2017, but I never ended up seeing it. I also didn’t hear much hype around it in the 19C US lit academic community, which I was definitely a part of at the time of its release. I saw–I think–a Vogue article on it, and a few articles came out about the costuming or historical setting. It was directed by Sophia Coppola, so that carries some weight–or it should have. I can’t speak much to the film’s popular success, but I can say that it wasn’t a thing in academia. That surprises me now, especially given how popular the recently released Green Knight movie has been in the medieval academic internet. Maybe The Beguiled didn’t get much buzz because it’s a remake, so anyone who would’ve hyped a movie in 2017 had already seen the original, or maybe it’s just that 19C US lit academia hasn’t come to fully appreciate films about that time period (I’m not sure I buy that because everyone had something to say about the most recent Little Women adaptation). Basically, I’m surprised the 2017 The Beguiled wasn’t required viewing for every PhD student in 19C US lit in the same way that literally any single one of the Little Women or Anne of Green Gables adaptations has proven to be. Is it because The Beguiled focuses on the South? Is it because it’s a remake? I don’t know, and now that I’m not in academia, I’m not sure I really care. It’s just a casual thought that prompted this post.

If you haven’t seen or heard of The Beguiled, it’s like Misery meets Little Women but set in the Civil War-era South. The recent adaptation stars Kirsten Dunst, Nicole Kidman, Elle Fanning, and Colin Farrell. The basic premise is that Colin Farrell’s character is a Union (Northern) soldier (originally of Irish descent) who is wounded in battle and hides in the woods to die or … recover? He’s found by a young Southern girl who’s attending an all-girl’s boarding school in the area; she’s out picking mushrooms, finds him, and brings him back to the school so the headmistress can care for him. The five or six other female students at the boarding school–and the headmistress–quickly become enamored with Colin Farrell and begin competing for his affections. They heal his leg, and he begins reciprocating everyone’s attention. He tells Kirsten Dunst he loves her, he shares a few heavy emotion moments with Nicole Kidman, and he flirts repeatedly with Elle Fanning–all while the other girls and women are in the room. It’s bold behavior, but what does he have to lose? Well, actually, a lot because Kirsten Dunst finds him one night in bed with Elle Fanning, and when he approaches her to apologize or explain (honestly, what is his goal????), she pushes him away from her–and down the gigantic plantation house’s stairs. He’s knocked unconscious and his sutured leg injury reopens, so Nicole Kidman decides to amputate because he’s losing a lot of blood (but actually because she’s jealous that he went to Elle Fanning’s bedroom). He awakens from the surgery and is BIG MAD. He calls everyone on their bullshit but also goes into a drunken rage because he only has one leg and the amputation was performed for, frankly, illegitimate reasons. Kirsten Dunst tries to calm him down by having sex with him, but the other women plot how to get rid of him (oh yeah, he grabbed a weapon–I missed how he got it. Did he already have it? I thought Nicole Kidman had one too?), and they decide to have Mushroom Girl go get the bad mushrooms. They feed them to him, he dies, and the leave his body outside the gate for whichever army to pick up as they pass. That’s it. That’s how the movie ends.

I liked this movie; it was fine. Was it what I’d hoped for from Coppola? Not at all. Marie Antoinette is one of my favorite movies and I always how Coppola will make films in that same style. The Virgin Suicides has a lot of that same energy, and I love that film too. The Beguiled definitely feels like a Coppola movie. It has a similar dreamy and ethereal quality, but here there’s a darkness and underlying tension that some of the (literally) brighter films don’t always have–visually, at least. Or, maybe a better way of putting it is that the true bright, dreamy, and ethereal scenes are fewer and further between in The Beguiled than they are in the other two films I mentioned. Whereas the dark, saturated tones appear pretty much throughout in The Beguiled (except in a few very key moments), Marie Antoinette and TVS are dominated by those bright, dreamy, ethereal tones, and the darker, saturated tones appear in very strategic moments to signal Serious Business happening. As a viewer, I don’t mind the difference, but I’m not sure if the dark, saturated tones in The Beguiled always accurately reflect other depths of the film–most notably, its plot. But more on that in a second.

To get the thing out of the way that I’m supposed to talk about as someone with a PhD in 19C US lit, the historical stuff in this film works. It’s not trying to be irreverent or fanciful with historical tropes like, say, Marie Antoinette. That’s not a value judgment; it’s just a comment. Frankly, I don’t really have too much to say about this film’s historical aspects. Whereas I usually have some opinion of costuming (the recent Little Women adaptation is wonderful but there are … things I don’t love) or how historical subject matter from the period gets treated in films, in this case, I really wasn’t distracted by any significant historical inaccuracies and there were only a few times that I was like “wait a second, is this right???” Honestly, the biggest cause for that question related to some of the evening wear, which looked a little cheap, but that’s whatever; also, Civil War-era garments aren’t something I know especially well, so who am I to judge?

I appreciated the film’s take on women’s–well, some women’s–concerns during the Civil War, including the threats posed by roving military troops on both sides of the conflict, the loss of loved ones (and the sense that their lives are halted but also must go on), the mindless regurgitation of stereotypes about enemy soldiers, etc. I also love the way the film portrays some of the more mundane aspects of these women’s lives–the monotony of sewing, housework, and learning French to speak … with one another–and some of the unique situations caused by wartime population changes, including middle- and upper-class women’s need to perform outdoor labor (I was surprised to see them using shovels, for instance).

I was, frankly, extraordinarily disappointed to see that the film pares the household economy down to a group of middle- and upper-class white women with a casual comment about how all of the enslaved workers left prior to the film’s opening. I understand that this detail further emphasizes how alone and isolated this group is, but for a film released in 2017, it frankly felt like a cop-out. It’s unfathomable to me that a Southern Gothic film set during the Civil War wouldn’t have one single Black character and could write an entire population off in a throw-away line at the beginning of the film. Black Americans played essential roles in the US economy during this period–in all periods, but I’m talking about this one specifically here–and they were pivotal figures in the Civil War itself. They held especially pivotal roles in the South’s (really, the nation’s) economy, and their relationships with domestic life in that region were so complex, rich, and, frankly, worthy of all the attention in the world. Did the film’s producers not want to hire more actors, or did they think a group of white people having old-timey white people problems was enough to bring in audiences? The 19C was full of a million different stories of how enslaved southerners responded to the war and how their lives changed–especially in the South–because of it, so to not depict even one of those stories strikes me as … well, representative of what’s wrong with this film.

Okay, so I lied when I said I didn’t have an opinion on the historical stuff in this film.

My big issue with the film–well, other than (or connected with) the fact that it completely ignores literally the most important population of society during the historical moment it depicts–is that this film’s content doesn’t seem to live up to its visual richness and depth. What I mean by this is that the film’s deep and rich visual style–the color saturation and tones mentioned above–don’t mesh with the plot and characters, which are collectively underdeveloped. I think the underdeveloped plot is fairly straightforward–I didn’t need to leave much out in my summary above, and that paragraph is shorter than most emails I send. This is a film without subplots, which has made me realize how important subplots actually are for fleshing out a fictional world–even a fictional world I know a lot about and am able to imagine my own depth for. The story is a love triangle (with a few extras) in the South during the Civil War. That love triangle could take place literally anywhere and anytime else and it’d have basically the same tension. I’m not even sure you really even need the enemy soldier dimension of Colin Farrell’s character because it’s barely an issue; the majority of the tension comes from the threat a man poses–even an injured one–to a group of women, and that’s timeless. We, as a society, are also obsessed with the idea of women fighting for a man, a storyline I’m getting a bit sick of because it’s just another way we pit women against one another. But that gets to something else, which is the lack of character development. The characters–all seven of them or whatever–are stereotypes. Kirsten Dunst is the shy one who underestimates her beauty, Colin Farrell is an undercover Casanova (a 19C fuckboy, shall we say?), Elle Fanning is a flirt, and Nicole Kidman is a stern (and vindictive) older unmarried woman. We also have the spoiled rich girl and the silly sweet (but also unexpectedly vicious) girl. And Mushroom Girl is the nature-lover, who we know will be expected to conform to societal expectations the second the war ends and she reaches a certain age.

Frankly, the most interesting part about this film is imagining what is happening and will happen outside of what it shows on screen. I spent the entire time I was watching it wondering what these girls’ families were doing, how the soldiers just beyond the camera shots were faring, what the home’s previous (enslaved) domestic laborers were up to and where they had gone (and what their lives were like here before the war), what would happen to the girls in the days and months following the events of the film, etc.

TL;DR: It’s a flawed film that wasn’t terrible to watch, but left me wanting more–a lot more, and not in a “oh, make a sequel!” kind of way but in a “what was left on the editing room’s floor?” kind of way.

xoxo, you know.

[kaitkerrigan]

32 Minutes

Not my clearest freewrite to date... but I share it with you freely. I veered pretty far from my prompt. I promise a better one next week. Though maybe it was just me. Can’t wait to see what YOU wrote. :) 

Well, first thing’s first. I hate writing to lyrics. All I can think about is lyrics. 

I’m so sorry everyone. I’m so sorry that I’m making you listen to lyrics. Lyrics are the worst. How do you ever get any work done with us chattering at you? I love this song but I can’t do ANYTHING while I’m listening to it. What a disaster!   

Ok. Focus, Kerrigan. Listen to the groove. Maybe turn down the treble?   

I’ve never driven across the country. Is that crazy? I wish I had. I wish that was something that my teen or adult life had given me. Now I have a toddler who uses the potty and in spite of her Herculean ability to “hold it” I don’t believe that a cross-country road trip is in our future for a long time.   

I watched Lady Bird last night and I was really confused by the first scene. Was it in the future of the movie? Or did I miss something? Why was she on a 21 hr road trip with her mother? Were they visiting a college?   

I remember visiting Amherst with my mother. I wanted to go to school there so badly. I wanted to live where Emily Dickinson lived. Have I ever told you about my obsession with Emily Dickinson. “A great hope fell, you heard no noise. The ruin was within.” We toured her house, her garden.   

My childhood road trips were only on the east coast. We never went inland - not to Chicago, not to Ohio. We traversed the eastern seaboard back and forth and back again. We didn’t have any family west of us - just some family down in Florida. Everyone had stayed put. I was obsessed with my grandmother’s stories of living in Wisconsin and Florida - places she hated - she decided that her hometown of Kingston, PA was where she was always meant to be. And that’s where she’s stayed since she had very small children. She hasn’t taken an airplane since the 1960s.   

But when have I ever lost touch with myself? My own prompt? At parties - not on the road. I never know who I am at a party. I never know what to do with my hands. But on the road - alone - I’m so alive and present and unconfused. I can drive anywhere and I feel sure. Is it America’s America-ness? The cliche of truck stops? The sameness of chain restaurants on the highway?   

Oh, but there was that one trip. After everything changed inside of me, before I left my boyfriend who I had to leave but wouldn’t leave for another 6 months, after my transgressions. We were driving up Route 1 - two friends and my boyfriend and I. There was such a difference - the plainness of the drive to San Francisco, that was beautiful and glorious and filled with planned stops - Hearst Castle and Big Sur - and a few mishaps - in particular a bee sting on the ball of my foot (I’m allergic) that had us sprinting up the final leg to our friends in Berkeley, where I barely remember being put into a bed to recover for 3 days before I could walk on it. And then, my boyfriend left. I was home with my best friend from college for a few days. And then, I drove with my two friends the rest of the distance to my best friend from high school in Oregon.   

It was the Lost Coast. And I was lost before I got there. But perhaps I was found when I was there. There’s a simplicity and beauty to driving through the straight long roads of California. The canopy of red woods that both predate us and survive us. The algae that covers the rocks on the side of the road in toxic neon colors that make you doubt everything you know about the universe and what colors it gives us.   

There was one strange night, where we had to stay in a shitty motel in a one-horse town. We ate Dairy Queen for dinner because there were no restaurants open and we were sick of drinking. We were right on the border of California and Oregon. And we laid down in our shitty motel beds that might have well had bed bugs, we’ll never know. We turned on the television and watched Nick at Nite. There was a Roseanne marathon on.   

Ah, of course it comes back to Laurie Metcalf. So that night, my friend (who I’ll now admit was Brian because I don’t know if this story will mean as much without that fact - that we were and are collaborators) and I watched Roseanne long after our other friend fell asleep. And we saw this one episode where Roseanne went to visit a sick relative and it was this weird bottle neck episode (is that what they’re called? Like the one in Girls with Patrick Stewart? That is NOT who it was with... but you know what I mean? Someone knows? Patrick Wilson. ) where nothing changes from the beginning to the end of the episode but EVERYTHING CHANGES WITHIN IT. Anyway, Laurie Metcalf and John Goodman’s characters realize that at some point they had some interest in each other, and they go from being bickering in-laws to talking about the moment that never happened between the two of them - the relationship that never was to be. And of course, that is never to be. But Brian and I turned to each other in the darkened shitty motel and we both had tears in our eyes. It was truly beautiful.   

I’ve always been too enamored by the “almost was, never could be”. It’s taken a lot of growing up to get over that. But I know that moment was paired with the fact that I was already nostalgic for the relationship that I hadn’t left yet. Now, if I think about what I really want to be writing about - the idea that’s in my head that I’m trying to pin down, I think that exact kind of nostalgia is useful. I’ve never had trouble not living in the moment before regretting. But I have always had trouble not looking at the paths that never were - should I blame Sliding Doors, a movie that came at perhaps too influential a moment of my life?   

Women are told not to trust their instincts. Even Elizabeth Bennett was wrong about what she wants in a man. Is that what you wanted me to learn, Jane Austin? Are we to have so little faith in our instincts? Are we to believe ourselves so very unreliable?   

I guess that’s the question I have about the question I posed to you. Is there such thing as ever not “knowing who you are”? You are. All of the multitudes of yourself are the collage that makes you. How can we doubt that? How can we expect more of ourselves than that?   

You look at a friend and you see a solid person that you can tell a narrative about to yourself. That narrative and its incomplete nature is the reason you can tell that story. The lack of completion lets you make up a story. But the thing we forget is that the actual thing of it - the person, the life, is a muddle of mismatched pieces that don’t fit easily together. We spend our lives trying to make sense of it. We go to therapy. We write ourselves into boxes, narratives, memoirs that have clarity. But then, the people around us look at those memoirs and call shenanigans on the versions of ourselves that we create. I remember reading about Joan Didion and Madeleine L’Engle - writers I adored - and their children’s versions of their lives and I was horrified to find out that their sanitized explanations of their lives were just that. That their real lives were messy as hell.   

The road allows you to shed your skins - your roles as mother, daughter, sister, brother. Driving is a kind of meditation. There’s only you and your own concentration on what you must do to not die. Even if your daughter is crying in the back seat which is inevitable, you have to tune it out enough to focus on the road. And so you learn what kind of driver you are. Are you able to tune everything out and get the simple task done? Or do you land yourself in a ditch?   

As I write this, my daughter is crying in her bedroom. She had a fever tonight and my 32 minutes are up.

[lukin08]

A Cut Above

Happy birthday @kristanna!

A little something inspired a little from this prompt.   I hope you have a wonderful day Sara!

Rating: K

Words: 3k

It had just been one of those days.  

Everything was going wrong and they were so busy.  The new scheduling system was not working and the girl that worked the reception desk of course had called in sick.

Anna spent the morning running from her clients to the front desk, filling open shelves and making sure the other stylists had what they needed.  It was her salon after all and when things weren’t going right, she was the only one to fix it.

It wasn’t until the afternoon when things finally started to calm down.  The extra clients showing up, that were definitely not listed on the calendar with appointments, were fewer and fewer and Anna hoped the worst was behind her.  She looked around, trying to see if anything needed to be done and decided it was safe for her to steal a few bites of her sandwich in the break room.

A bite was all she got when she heard the door open again.  Knowing that everyone was currently with a customer, Anna inhaled a few more bites and downed her water before making sure she was presentable and walked back out.

They were sitting on the bench along the front window.  At first Anna didn’t notice there were two of them.  She almost stopped in her tracks at the sight of the man in front of her. She could see he was tall, even sitting down and his shoulders were impressively wide.  He was looking down, engaged with the boy to his side.

Anna drew her eyes from him to check the sign in sheet.  A haircut. Great, nice and easy.  She looked back and said the name from the sheet.

“Wes?”

Both sets of eyes looked up at her, one a warm hazel the other brilliant green.  She went over to the man to shake his hand.

“Hi, I’m Anna.  What can we do for you today?”

He stood slowly, Anna’s head tilting to follow his eyes.  He extended his hand to meet hers.  “Kristoff.  I was hoping you could give him a cut.  He needs it desperately.”

She glanced back down to see the boy was now standing as well, his hand grasping tightly to the loose fabric of jeans of the man.  He was young, only coming up to the man’s mid-thigh and Anna could sense his unease. Cutting the little boy’s hair wouldn’t be an issue.  She was used to parents brining their children of all ages into the salon. Anna bent down to get a better look at him and see what needed to be done with his hair.  

“Hi Wes,” Anna said in a soft voice.  “I’m Anna. How old are you?”

Wes eyed her and wrapped his arms around the man’s leg for safety, but after a few moments he held up a hand with three fingers out.

“Three!” Anna exclaimed. “You are so big!”

“Not quite yet buddy. You still have a few months to go. Tell her how old you are again,” the man- Kristoff- said.   This time Wes showed her two fingers.  “He’s very excited about his birthday.  He keeps telling everyone he’s three.”

Anna looked at Wes again. “Well I think two is perfect.  Hey Wes.  Do you want to go over to see my chair?  It goes up and down and spins!”

Wes nodded his head and Anna stood.   She glanced at Kristoff again and saw he was looking right at her.  He seemed to be studying her, trying to figure her out and there was something about being under his scrutiny that had her face feeling flush.  She was taken aback at how drawn she was to the contours of his face, his strong jaw and impossibly gorgeous nose.

“Follow me,” she instructed Kristoff, turning her back to him quickly so he wouldn’t see her face.

A brief thought crossed her mind if Kristoff was Wes’s father.  He looked young- around the same age as her and she wondered if he was possibly Wes’s uncle or some close relative.

That image was squashed when she heard Wes call for his dad.  When she turned to look, Kristoff was carrying him.  They came over to her chair and she excused herself to grab the booster chair.  On her way to the storage area, Anna scolded herself for the thoughts she had running in her head.  He just wants to be left alone and get his son’s haircut and be on his way.  Do not say anything embarrassing, she thought to herself.  If he was your husband you certainly wouldn’t appreciate some other woman ogling him.

She took a deep breath and walked back out.

Anna put the booster on the chair.  “Hop on in little guy,” she said sweetly to Wes.  

She stepped back and watched Kristoff put Wes in the chair.  He was so gentle with the boy despite his size and stature.  Anna fought it with all she had, but she lost the small war going on in her head and allowed her gaze to drift down his muscular arm to his left hand.

She gulped when she saw was he wasn’t wearing a ring.  

Be professional, be professional, be professional, she screamed at herself.  Anna walked back over to put the special superhero cape she had over Wes and secured it around his neck.  She gave Kristoff an awkward smile and went to grab her scissors.  It doesn’t mean anything.  Plenty of guys don’t wear rings.  And who’s to say he isn’t in a relationship even if he isn’t married.  She needed to get this appointment over.

Everything went smooth at first.  Wes didn’t move at all when she cut the hair around his ears and he laughed at a few of her silly voices she made for him.  She was completely enamored with how cute he was and found herself picking out features that matched Kristoff.  “You have the same hair as your daddy,” she told him sweetly and he smiled and pointed excitedly at his dad.

Kristoff leaned against the wall, watching Anna’s every move and gauging Wes’s reaction.

“So, let me guess,” Anna said, desperate to break the silence. “You tried the barber’s first.”

“…Yes, but I just got a message they were closed.”

“Larry’s on vacation. But you should be able to get in there next time you need a cut.”  Kristoff looked at her with curiosity.  “Not that you have to!”  Anna corrected quickly.  “You’re more than welcome to come back here anytime!���

“He seems to be doing okay here,” Kristoff answered, jutting his chin at Wes.  “I was trying to find one of those kid places with the cars for chairs and movies to keep him occupied, but I couldn’t find one.”

Anna let out a small chuckle.  “You’ll have to drive pretty far to find one of those.  The closest one is two towns over.”

Kristoff nodded at her and crossed his arms, continuing to lean against the wall.

“I take that means you’re new in town?” Anna asked

“Kind of.”

“How can you be kind of new?”

Kristoff didn’t say anything at first.  He seemed to be contemplating how much he was willing to share with her.  “I grew up here, but I’ve been gone since I went to college.  Then I got a job in another city after I graduated and was doing that for the last couple years.”

Anna decided to chance another question.  “So what brings you back?”

His sigh was loud, but it wasn’t out of annoyance of her question and more out of weariness.  “It’s just Wes and I.  My parents and brothers and sisters are all still here.  I just wanted him to be around family… to know what’s it’s like to be surrounded by people who love you.”

“As someone who missed that feeling for a long time, I think that is commendable on your part.”

“I wouldn’t give me that much credit, but it’s about what’s best for him.  Everything is.”

Anna lifted her eyes and offered Kristoff a small smile.  It’s just Wes and I floated through her brain as she absentmindedly reached for the electric clippers.  For a second time she reprimanded herself for being so childish and fawning over a man because she thought his was cute.  A man that had a child too for petes sake. A very small child who was impossibly adorable and melted her when he looked at her.

She didn’t think about. It never even crossed her mind. But when she switched the clippers on, close to the back of Wes’s head, he started to panic.  Anna winced.  She should have shown them to him first to make him comfortable.  She knew that.  Anna turned the clippers off as fast as she could, but the damage was already done.

She moved in front of him and bent down to be at his eye level.  Big fat tears were already falling down his cheeks and he looked terrified.  It broke Anna’s heart that she had made him cry.  She tried to show him the clippers while they were off, but it only made him scream louder and pull away from her as far as he could go.  

“It’s okay.  I’ll just use the scissors on him,” Anna said as confidently as she could.

Wes was having none of it. Every time Anna got close to his head, he’d twist to see where she was with a shriek.  She tried to sooth him, but he would not calm down.  From the corner of her eye, Anna caught Kristoff take his hands and run them against his face and then rub his eyes.  She could tell he was trying as hard as he could to hold back.

When Wes held out his arms and said between his tears and gulps for air, “daddy help,” Kristoff had enough.  He was over at the chair, picking Wes up and discarding the cape in one motion.  He held Wes close to his chest as the boy put a death grip around his neck.

“I’m so sorry,” Anna said. She had never made a child cry before. It was so upsetting to her that she was fighting to hold back her own tears.  “Really.  I feel so bad.  I’m sorry.”

Kristoff’s face was set in a hard grimace.  Wes was calming down and she chanced a look at him.  His face softened.  “It’s okay. He’ll be fine.”  He stood there for another moment then adjusted Wes so one hand was free.  “Um, how much do I owe you?”  He asked, fishing his wallet out of his back pocket.

“Oh, no, no, no! Nothing.   You don’t owe me anything.”  Anna waved her hands out at him.

“I should pay you,” he argued.  “It’s not your fault he started crying.”  How much?” He asked again.

Anna crossed her arms. “Yes. It is.  And I’m not taking anything.”

He pursed his lips together, but slowly put his wallet back in his pocket, sensing he would not win this argument.

“So how far away is the kids place again?”

Anna shot him a look, but realized there was a half-smile on his face.  She gave him a remorseful smile back.  “Far enough away that they’ll be closed by the time you get there.”

Kristoff chuckled and glanced at the door.  “We should go.  Thanks for trying.”

He took a few steps before a thought dawned on Anna.   “Wait!”

She was in front of him in a second and he looked down at her with confusion.  “Let me try something.”

“Really, I think it may be best if we leave.“

She rocked up on the balls of her feet.  “I have an idea.  Please let me try.”

“I don’t know, Anna-“

But she was already nudging him back towards her chair.  “If it doesn’t work right away, you can go.  I promise.”

“So what’s the plan,” Kristoff asked.  

She could her the skepticism in his voice.  She pulled off the booster seat and said in a low voice, “I’m cutting your hair.”  Then she looked at Wes.  “Hey Wes!  Your dad wants to sit with you in the chair.  Just sitting.”  She put her empty hands out for him to see.

Kristoff twisted his head to her.  “Wait, what? No you’re not!”  

“Yes, I am,” she said out of the corner of her mouth, pulling his free arm the final steps to the chair.  “Look Wes, your dad wants his hair cut too!  He’s very excited!”

Wes perked up and Kristoff’s eyed narrowed at her.  Anna gestured to the chair again for him to sit.  Surprisingly, he did as she said, not taking his glare off her while he walked slowly around to the front of the chair and sat down.  

“I’m just going to trim you up a bit,” Anna said to reassure Kristoff.  “You need it anyway.”  

“I don’t need-“ he trailed off when he saw Wes move on Kristoff’s lap up to his knees to get a better look. He was watching Anna grab the scissors and was curiously waiting to see what she would do.  “Don’t take too much off,” he said with a defeated voice.

“So, Kristoff who’s sort of kind of new in town, do you work around here or have to commute?”

Kristoff glanced up at Anna through the mirror.  “I’m in town. I have an office in those group of converted homes on main.”

“I love those.  Which one are you in?” She asked, trying to picture the row of signs that dotted the street near them.  One housed an attorney who shared the space with a group of financial planners, there was the one converted into a boutique, the art school, a tea house, the building company…

“The green one.”

“That’s my favorite one! It still has that wrap around porch and the awnings.  It’s so pretty.”

“That’s the one,” he confirmed.

“What do you do?” Anna asked, only thinking after she may coming off as too forward.

“I’m an architect.  I’m working with my dad’s building company for now to pay the bills, but I’m hoping to slowly build up to working for myself to design custom homes.

“How’s that going?”

“I have two clients already. I suppose that’s not too bad for only being here a few weeks.  Although, I have high suspicions the one family that took me on was at my mother’s recommendation.”

Kristoff gave a small chuckle and turned his attention back to Wes, who was completely engrossed with what Anna was doing.  She had made quick work with Kristoff’s hair and decided it was now or never.  Anna reached for the clippers and held them up. Wes stared at it wide eyed, but did not flinch.  She showed them to him and asked Kristoff if it was okay to cut his hair with them, he answered with a strong yes.

Anna cleaned up the back of Kristoff’s neck and side burns, Wes staring intently the entire time. When Kristoff sat him back down so Anna could make a second attempt at his hair, he was still.  She ran the clippers through his hair as quickly as possible and breathed a sigh of relief when she finished.  

“Look how handsome you are, mister,” Anna told Wes, tapping the tip of his nose with her finger.  He gave her the purest giggle and it made Anna think how easy it would be to fall in love with that little boy.

She was brushing off the loose hairs, about to tell Kristoff they were done, when he spoke.

“Those all you?” Kristoff tilted his head to the mirror.

Taped along both sides were pictures of her with various friends, girls from the salon and her favorite pic of her and Elsa from the last time she visited.

“I’m in all of them if you can find me.”

Kristoff stood and placed Wes down on the ground.  Anna smiled and put her hand on the back of the chair so it wouldn’t spin as Wes went right back to the chair and attempted to climb it.  Kristoff took his time inspecting each picture.  

“I think you have a different hair color in each of these.”

“Probably so.  Perks of the job.  Plus I get to pretend I’m someone else each time.”

He pointed at the picture of her and Elsa, her purple panels clearly evident, draped down her shoulders as she leaned in to her sister with a wide smile.  “Who were you there?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

Kristoff turned his head to her, a glint in his eye.  “And what about now?  Who are you pretending to be?”

Anna ran a hand along one of her braids.  “Completely normal, plain old Anna.   This is my natural color.”

“Well, for what it’s worth. I like this version the best.”

They both had their eyes set on each other, daring the other to speak first.  But then Wes was up on the chair smiling at Anna and giving her a hug, breaking whatever spell was over her and Kristoff.   She returned Wes’ hug, telling him how he was so good and he could come back whenever he wanted.   Kristoff seemed to have shot back into reality, thinking perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to let Wes stay up in the chair, scooping the boy up.

“Feel free to come back anytime!”  Anna said after Kristoff had paid.  “I understand if you don’t want to, but you’re always welcome.”

“Thanks… for everything,” Kristoff said.  “We’ll make sure to request you next time were in.”

“Can’t wait,” Anna said.

Kristoff gave her a soft smile, lingering ever so, before turning to leave.

He must not have realized how easy it was to hear any conversation by the glass windows neat the door as he knelt down to put Wes’s jacket on him.  Otherwise, he probably wouldn’t have answered Wes.  Anna busied herself, sweeping up around her chair, pretending to not notice they were still in the salon.

“She’s a pretty lady,” Wes told his dad.

“She’s a nice lady,” Kristoff corrected.

“And pretty too,” Wes said again.

“Yes, she is very pretty.”

“She likes you.  Do you like her?”

There as a solemn tone in his voice.  “Yes, bud. I like her too.”

When Anna finally chanced a glance at the front of the salon, Kristoff was hoisting Wes up and pushing the door open.

“Bye Anna!”  Wes called to her.  “My daddy said he likes you!”

Kristoff walked a little faster, out the door and past the windows of the salon, Wes waving at her until they disappeared from view.