#if doll came back they’d just go back to normal i think….ya she takes it far but i’m going to argue that was just their thing

[wateruamelon]

while i’m on the topic of girls; i fear a lot of you guys forget that lizzy was in the know about the new disappearances and her and doll were ready to kill v

[backtothefanfiction]

The Secrets We Keep | Part Two

Summary: Jeb is trying to work out the new normal for his life.

Warnings: mature, religious trauma, LDS, broken family, angst

Word Count: 2.5k

A/N: Just trying to do what I can to fill the hole in the fandom. Enjoy

Two

It was a long drive back to East Rockwell but he had to do it. He had promised. For the sake of his girls, the reputation of his wife, they had to keep up appearances. They had told everyone at the congregation that because of his recent expertise, he had been poached by a station in Idaho to consult for a few weeks. On Saturday mornings he’d get up before sunrise and make the long drive back, just in time for some afternoon games with his girls before dinner, followed by their usual wind down routine; a calming evening activity such as reading or coloring. They would then start their bedtime routines, getting washed, putting their pajamas on, then they would all do evening prayers before they got tucked into bed.

Jeb was grateful whenever one of the girls excitedly asked to lead prayers, to show off to him how much better they were getting at it without him there during the week. It also meant he didn’t have to fake his way through it. He could still fumble the words, recite the old basic thanks from memory, but he still wanted his girls’ belief to mean something.

“Heavenly Father, thank you for my family. Thank you for bringing Daddy home safely. Thank you for giving him the tools to do his job well so we can have all of our nice things, such as sally doll and our bicycles and-“

“Caroline, honey.” Rebecca chastised softly when their daughter began to go off on a tangent.

“Yes, sorry.” she replied before getting back on track.

Once prayers were said, he and Rebecca would take a child each, carrying them to their shared bedroom and place them in their respective beds. They’d tuck them in, kiss them on the tops of their heads, before swapping and doing double checks on the covers and another forehead kiss to the other child. Rebecca would always check the kids night light, whilst he waited in the doorway. Then the moment his wife had left the room, he would whisper one last “good night”, before quietly closing the door.

Rebecca would always then turn and give him this look. The ‘are you ready to go back to how things used to be?’ look. But he didn’t even know what that was anymore. He’d give her a small shake of his head before silently moving through the house to his Mother’s old room, which now had become his.

He hadn’t been in it often enough to redecorate it. He also knew the moment he did the girls would soon get very suspicious about why his things were suddenly in there and not their Grandmothers. They had been doing everything they could to keep it from the girls in hopes that one day they would sort it out. That this would just be a blip on the long record of their marriage; but as the weeks went on, with every Sunday Service he sat through, his mind dissociating as the Bishop talked, he felt more and more like his marriage was over. She’d never leave the church and he’d never find his faith again, at least not in the way he once had.

“Ahh Jeb, good to see ya.” Tom said, shaking his hand.

“Likewise, likewise.” Jeb said, feigning a smile as he shook the older gentleman’s hand as they came out of the church.

“Hope they’re not gonna keep ya too much longer up there in potato country.”

Jeb bristled. He and Rebecca hadn’t discussed next steps yet, but he couldn’t hide the fact he had actually transferred permanently from everyone forever. “Umm actually, I’m thinking about staying up there you know. A position just became available and I think I’m gonna take it.” Jeb lied, his tongue feeling heavy and uncomfortable in his mouth.

“What, really? Rebecca never said anything about moving.” Tom said.

“We’re still discussing it.” Jeb blinked as he continued to lie, his head turning to scout for his wife’s whereabouts and if she was in ear shot before he continued the conversation. He was grateful when he saw her talking to Judy and Elizabeth on the other side of the front lawn as all of the kids had a quick run around together to let off some steam, before they all went back to Janice’s house for afternoon tea and cake.

“Well, it’d be a real shame to lose you all.” Tom continued as Jeb’s attention turned back to the older man.

“Yes. Yes.” Jeb said to him with a small tight lipped smile. “Umm anyway Tom, if you’d excuse me.” Jeb said, beginning to back away.

“Yes, of course, of course.” Tom said before turning to join a group of men chatting as Jeb made his way over to his wife.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Jeb asked as he interrupted Rebecca’s conversation with Judy and Elizabeth.

“Hi, Jeb.” Judy greeted him kindly.

“Hi. Hello.” he said with a small smile and waved to each of the women, before guiding Rebecca a few steps away with a hand to her back.

“What? What is it?” Rebecca asked him when they were out of earshot of the rest of the congregation.

“I think I’m gonna go back early.” He told her.

“What?” she frowned.

“It’s just, it gets dark early and they’re saying there's gonna be a snow storm and I don’t want to be driving all night in it. Plus, I’ve gotta be in the station early tomorrow and I don’t wanna-”

She put a hand up to stop him. “I get it Jeb, I get it.” she said, but her tone was anything but cordial. “But, what about the girls, what am I supposed to tell them?”

“I’ll deal with that.” he said looking downcast, his hand shifting on his hip.

“Jeb.” she tried to reason.

“It’s fine.”

She shook her head. Said “No.” but he had made up his mind. Be damned the image they were trying to project. He loved his kids but being here was too much. He wanted to go back to his little motel room, put the TV on and sit in peace. To check out and forget for just a little bit before another day of work tomorrow.

“Girls, come here.” he said, turning away from Rebecca and calling out to his children. He bent down to their level as they approached him. He reached out for Annie, pulling her closer to him by the back of her head and placing a kiss to her forehead. “I’m so sorry, but Daddy’s gonna have to leave early okay-”

“But-” Caroline began to whine.

“Caroline.” he chastised, dragging out her name.

“Fine.” she huffed as she avoided looking at him, her body swaying from side to side.

“I wish I could stay but I need to drive back. The weatherman said it was gonna snow and Daddy doesn’t want to have an accident, okay?”

“Okay.” they both grumbled in unison.

“I love you both okay?”

“I love you too, Daddy.” they both said as they both leaned in to wrap their arms around him and give him a hug.

“I’ll see you both next weekend okay. If the weather’s okay I’ll try and come back Friday night. How does that sound?” he said. He knew he was probably giving them false hope but he couldn’t help it. He hated seeing the looks on his girls' faces whenever he told them he had to go.

“When can we come with you?” Caroline brazenly asked him.

“What? Caroline.” Jeb said, turning towards her.

“I want to go with you.” she said.

“Yes but sweetie, all your friends are here and Mommy’s here.”

“Yeah, but you’re not here.”

“I know sweetheart, I know.” he said, reaching a hand out to her, his thumb brushing tenderly across her soft cold cheek.

“Come on girls, time to go, it’s getting cold.” Rebecca called out to them. “Todd and Lisa have offered to give me and the girls a lift to Janice’s house and Michael said he’d drive us back home afterwards.”

“Are you sure, I mean I can drive you there before I go.” Jeb tried to say but Rebecca shook her head.

“No, I think it’ll be easier on the girls just to say goodbye now, okay.”

“Okay.” he reluctantly agreed.

“Girls, say goodbye.” Rebecca said.

They gave him one last hug and he reassured them again that he’d call every evening and be back next weekend before Rebecca ushered them towards Todd and Lisa’s car. They were a young couple. Not long married, still trying for their first baby and sending up prayers with the congregation every sunday for a speedy conception. Jeb gave them a small wave and a silent thanks, watching from the side of the road as they all climbed into the car and drove off, leaving him waving aimlessly to Caroline through the back window.

————————————————

The whole drive back he felt awful, his stomach in knots from his lies. The looks on his little girls’ faces as he told them he was leaving again. He wondered how long he and Rebecca could drag this out for.

The weather indeed had started to change two thirds of the way through his journey. He had stopped at a gas station to relieve himself and pick up a snack and drink for the road and on his way back out of the lot, it had started to snow. By the time he’d made it back into town it was turning into a blizzard.

He turned onto the town square, driving around the short one way system. It was like a ghost town, everyone inside away from the cold weather. Most of the businesses in town didn’t usually open on a Sunday anyway but he wasn’t surprised to find that the ones that were usually open had closed up early. All except one. He watched as the coffee shop lights were turned off as he approached before a figure stepped outside, fingers fumbling with the keys as she tried to lock the door. He slowed the car to a stop and rolled down the window.

“Hey, do you need a lift home?” He found himself asking.

She turned her head, searching for the source of the disembodied voice. She couldn’t help but smile to herself upon realising who sat inside the awaiting car. Jeb Pyre. Like a knight in shining armour. “Are you sure?” She asked cautiously as she approached the car.

“Are you kidding? Have you seen this weather? Anyone would be out of their mind not to offer.”

She smiled as he leaned over to open the door from the inside, encouraging her to take the offer. She shivered, letting out a little ‘brrrrr’ sound as she shook off the cold, her hands rubbing together.

“Here.” He said, leaning over to turn one of the heater jets in her direction, her hands instantly moving to search out the warmth.

“Thanks.” She said as he made a turn back off the square in the direction he supposed she lived from the direction she’d been coming from when they spoke a week prior.

“Ummm, where am I headed to?” He asked politely.

“Oh, I live on Fleeshman Street.” Goldie said cheerily.

“Fleeshman Street…” Jeb repeated, wracking his brain.

“Do you know where the library is?” She asked helpfully.

“Yes.” He said back softly.

“Okay, well head that way and I’ll direct you from there.”

“Okay.” He agreed with a small smile as he looked over to her in the passenger seat and then back to the road. “Does it normally snow this bad, this time of year?” He asked after a short pause.

“Sometimes. I mean, we do normally get snow in the winter but this is the first big snow storm we’ve had in a couple years, I’d say.”

“Okay.” He nodded, taking in the information. “How come you were still open so late?”

“Our managers a bit of a dick- oh sorry umm…” she wracked her brain for a less offensive word, but was surprised when he turned and said to her that it was fine. She looked at him sceptically. “Oookaay.” She said dragging the word out before turning back to look out the front windscreen as she continued her sentence. “Anyway, our manager doesn’t believe the weatherman. He’s a slightly older gentleman, kind of lonely and grumpy and really hates the TV, like with a passion. Seriously, don’t get that man started, he’ll rant about it for hours.”

“Okay, duley noted.” Jeb smirked.

“Bet there’s not much crime on a day like today.” She fished, looking to fill the silence that could so easily fall between them.

“You’d be surprised.” He said with a small chuckle and knowing twinkle in his eye, but as Goldie trailed her eyes down from his face to his attire she quickly realised he wasn’t dressed for work.

“But you haven’t been at work.” She quickly said, correcting herself with a slight scowl.

“Look at you, detective.” He joked with a smile. “What gave me away?”

“Your Sunday best.” It was an old suit now, but she had seen it on him in the past, back in the days she still took her Mother to church. She looked around at the couple of bits of rubbish dumped around the car, a carrier bag from a gas station closer to their home town in the back. She frowned as she asked, “Have you just driven all the way back from Rockwell in this?”

He was saved from explaining at the sight of the library approaching on the left hand side of the road. “Where am I going from here?” He asked deflecting.

“Take the next right up here.” She replied, pointing at the street in question, “My street is about halfway down on the left.” She filled in as she continued to scrutinise him and the inside of his car.

They remained silent as he took the right and then the left onto Fleeshman Street. “Where abouts-“

“Just in front of that silver car there.” She said.

Jeb quietly pulled into the space in front of the half snow covered silver car. They sat in awkward silence as the car idled. Goldie nibbled nervously at her lip before she broke the silence. “Umm, thanks for the lift.”

“Oh, no problem.” He promptly replied.

“Okay, so I guess I’ll see you around.” Goldie said as she reached for the door handle to let herself out.

“Yes, I’ll see you around.”

She had one foot out the door when she froze, turning back to him, taking a quick glance at the food packets and back to him again. “Would you like to come in for something proper to eat? I mean least I can do after you drove me home is sort you out with a proper meal.”

Jeb swallowed deeply, his hand moving to rub at the back of his neck as he contemplated the offer. “Iii- uhhhh,” he began to say, “I umm should be getting back. I don’t want to accidentally get snowed in.”

“You’re right, you’re right.” She said in a quiet rush as she finally pulled herself from the car.

“Goldie-“ his voice called out as she was about to slam the door shut. “Maybe another time.” He suggests and she smiles, a halo of streetlights and snow glowing around her under his gaze and promise of a next time.

“Okay, Jeb Pyre. You’re on.”

[sw124]

FNAF Security breach: Baby Gregory AU

Part14: …like the spider in the book…

Remnants, vessels…what did this all mean, what did ‘any’ of this mean? Those thoughts seemed to bounce more then he did. Bonnie tried to get them all in order but it was almost impossible, maybe doing his rounds about the sewers would help get his ducks in a row.

A few of the staff bots followed him but only to a point, he was the only one who could navigate those planked walkways safely. Not to mention he was the only one who could stomach looking down into the pit at the hundreds of broken STAFF bots…all wriggling and moving about like demonic insects, their wires sparking sounded like the clicking of a cockroach…if cockroaches had arms and really creepy painted faces. Sometimes he wondered why he bothered shining a flashlight into that godforsaken pit.

He always ignored them, they were beyond saving. Out of curiosity he found some old broken parts and made a human looking doll, roughly the size of a teenager. He dropped it into the pit and….

….He made a mental note to never, EVER, go near them and find a way to turn them off permanently.

From time to time he would look in there and…wonder how they got this way, though the moment that thought entered his head he’d shake it away. He had chores to do, first thing was find more spare parts.

Over his makeshift bridge he went, just about to reach the other side and begin the routine he had become accustomed to…

“NO! LET ME GO!”

What was that?!

“NO! I DON’T TAKE ME BACK! I DON’T WANNA!”

That sounded like a child! From the way it sounded, it came from the pit. Shining his flashlight into the abyss he started looking. He walked the perimeter…an then he found it, something clinging to the ledge. It didn’t look like the normal demented STAFF bots…well regardless the ones that were demented were trying to drag it back into the pit. Without really thinking Bonnie sprinted for the poor thing, just when its grip slipped his hand wrapped around its forearm.

“Hang on, I got ya!”

He didn’t get a look at the face, too busy trying to on getting whatever this thing was free from the demented STAFF. They were never like this, whenever he pulled something out they’d let go, either bored or finding interest in something else.

But this…this time they were determined to keep whatever this thing was with them, but Bonnie had other plans. Despite his broken state he still had his strength, it wasn’t as much as Monty’s but it was at least second. He reached and took hold around the ‘waist’ of the stranger and pulled up, he managed to pull it up. Falling back while hugging the poor thing…and two demented STAFF bots still clinging to its ‘legs’. With a few swift kicks the bots were sent back into the pit from whence they came.

The thing he rescued….wrapped its long arms around him, sobbing with its broken voice. It almost sounded like a child, well regardless it was broken and needed repairs. Hooking its legs into his free, in more of a ‘princess carry’ he proceeded back to his warren.

But as he walked along the makeshift bridge…the bots below called out to him.

“Give her back….”

“….she must suffer….with all…of the others….”

“…just….like…..Henry….”

Bonnie paused and looked at them, his light shining on their twisted smiles. He was never a violent person but…without really thinking he picked up a stray brick and chucked it at one of them. Breaking its face on impact, this action alone made them all pause…and shrink back into the pit. Well this was new…he’d remember that for next time, but now it was time to help fix…whatever this thing was.

The friends he fixed up all gathered around with tools to help, he laid the poor thing on a work table to examine the damages.

It was then he noticed…this wasn’t any STAFF bot he’d seen before. Its body was black and slightly burned, its face though similar to the demented bots in the pit…it was more of a mask rather then painted on. The mask was broken on the bottom an had a wide smile on its face but half gone. Its hands were long and almost…claw like but…were soft, almost like a woven hammock.

It was still crying…its long hands over its face, its entire spindled body shaking like a leaf.

…It reminded him of Sun an Moon when they’d get scared, he never registered his arms wrapping around the poor thing or hugging it tightly. It just…happened, already he was humming his favorite tune to the broken bot.

That seemed to soothe it…the crying dulled to…almost a hiccup before he settled the stranger back on the table. He gave it a broken smile and proceeded with introductions.

“Hey there friend…I’m Bonnie, Bonnie the bunny. I’m gonna try an fix you up, ok?”

Looking at the stranger up and down…it almost looked like one of those marionette puppets, it gave a little nod.

“Do you have a name?” The question came out before he could stop himself.

But….he got an answer.

“….Charolette….”

The voice was quiet but…clear, Bonnie stared for a moment before busting out his usual conversational banter.

“Charolette…thats a really beautiful name, just like the spider from the book right?”

The puppet looked up at him…tilting its head..it gave a soft giggle.

“Yeah….like the spider in the book…”

End pt.14

[this series is inspired by the art done by @callmebread please check out their page.]

[theyreonlynoodlesmike]

It's Just a Movie: Part 16 (Poly!Lost Boys x Fem!Reader) fic

<- Previous Chapter Next Chapter ->

Warnings: cursing, descriptions of blood/violence, child injury (a la Interview With a Vampire), angst

Word Count: 2563

Star was growing more miserable by the minute. She'd been a runaway, and she was happy to stay at the cave. Until she noticed that she was beginning to change. You had no choice but to watch her go through it, but you found that the boys didn't haze her nearly as harshly as they'd hazed Michael. You didn't know if it was because you were there to witness it, or because Michael had been a special case.

Either way, they still took her out one night, and you were tasked with staying at the cave, at home, until they returned. They were all a bit giddy, either with the idea of a bigger feast than normal or the nervous energy running through all of them. Paul was practically bouncing off the walls before he left, and he stole a sloppy kiss right in front of the brunette. Star had already become semi-accustomed to the relationship you had with all of them, including the platinum haired blonde, and you did your best to not be jealous as David kept up with the plot of the movie. He only barely flirted with her, enough to give her an idea, and the three others made sure you didn't notice David's absence. Well, Paul could probably do it completely by himself. 

Still, you caught her looking at the way Paul cupped your face in his large hands, bending over from his standing position so he could meet where you were curled on the couch. He practically trapped you back against it, and you knew that if you were to tangle your hands into his blonde locks he might decide to ditch the feast altogether. You almost wanted him to. You tugged on his bottom lip with your teeth, earning a surprised noise from him. A smile bloomed over his face as he pulled away, excitement swirling in his eyes. To your surprise, he said,

"Catch ya later, doll-face." Before he was whooping and hollering, bounding up the steps. Marko stopped to kiss you before he followed. It was just a quick peck so he wouldn't fall too far behind the other blonde, but far more sweet than the others had been. He gave your cheek a pinch, and he walked backwards as he gave you a mischievous smile. The way his lips curled distorted his angelic face, making it appear devilish in the fire-light. His fingers gave you an all too familiar wave.

"Goodnight, y/n." He teased, and you sent him a small glare. You called,

"Be good!" As he bounded up the rock wall to follow the tallest of the blondes. He cackled in response, and you knew that he had no intention of listening to you. You sighed, but Dwayne was quick to steal your attention. 

He, being the tallest, didn't even try to bend down to meet you. He simply sat besides you, one of his hands going to your lap to take one of yours. You supposed that all your boys could read you like a book, but Dwayne had a weird way of always knowing what you were thinking. You gave his hand a squeeze and let a small sigh escape your lips, letting your head fall on his shoulder. The hand not intertwined with yours curled around your jaw, massaging it lightly as if to massage away the inkling of doubt circling inside your mind.

"We'll be back soon." He said, but you avoided his eyes. You played with his fingers, a thought floating around your mind. When you looked at him, you knew he could see it clearly. You could stay. You thought, but Dwayne only gave you a sympathetic smile. He pressed a small kiss to your lips, and then one to your hairline. The actions spoke clearly, You know I can't. And you stopped yourself from letting out another sigh as he went to stand. He kissed the back of your hand before he let go, and you watched his tall form climb up the rocky entrance in a couple of well-placed lands of his feet.

The last was David. Most of the past week had been spent entertaining the other girl of your group, but it felt like an eternity. His ocean blue eyes claimed yours when you looked at him. You stood to meet him, and one of his gloved hands cupped your chin. You stared at him, silent words passing between the two of you. 

They already knew what to expect. They'd take Star to see what she was, she would refuse to eat, and then she'd probably end up taking some time for herself. Since this was the only place she could dodge the sleepiness the sun would settle on her, they knew she'd be back by morning. 

You looked away for a moment, catching eyes with the girl that stood by the fountain. She looked confused, interested, as if she was trying to catch whatever was passing between the two of you. Between all five of you. Your eyes flicked away and, on instinct, you reached up to touch David's cheek with the back of your hand. It was a simple graze, but it made him close his eyes for a moment. It spoke exactly what you needed to hear. David missed you just as much as you missed him, and, hopefully, in a few weeks they wouldn't have to worry about Max, the Frogs, Star, or the Emerson's anymore. He moved his head to kiss the back of your fingers before you retracted your hand, and then he said,

"You'll be fine." It was as affectionate as he'd been the past few days, being purposely vague and colder for the sake of listening ears. That was all he could promise, you knew. No matter how this went, you'd be fine. He gave your chin a squeeze, and then he was retracting his hand. You went to touch where his hand had been as he turned away, beckoning to the brunette with a simple gesture of his hand, and the two of them climbed up to where the others were. Leaving you safe, but wondering.

They returned a few hours later, with nothing much to tell. It had gone as expected, yet the rejection still seemed to weigh heavily on them. The five of you took the time to relax around the cave, now that there were no prying eyes or anyone to suspect anything. You sat in David's lap, playing with his fingers as he stroked your neck. You listened to his breathing, leaning up to brush your lips against his neck. You could practically feel the way he smiled, his hand smoothing over your hair as he pulled you tighter. Though, when you heard a clatter from above, David helped you stand from his lap and you went to Markos arms instead. You didn't know what you expected when Star came back, but the sight of her bloody and carrying a body in her arms wasn't it. You gasped, covering your mouth with your hand, and both David and Dwayne lifted to their feet in less than a second.

"What did you do?" David snapped, almost without a thought. They moved quickly, crossing the distance between her and them without pause. Marko, without thinking, moved you so you were behind him. He blocked you with his body, keeping you out of reach and out of sight. David and Dwayne were by the brunette girls side in less than a second, with Paul standing close but away from the smell of blood. You watched as David peeled the body from her arms, as he was always able to control himself the best. And Dwayne's mouth opened in shock as looked down at the body. Her words seemed to fall deaf on Dwayne's ears as she gripped his jacket, but you heard them all too well.

"I didn't- Please, god, help him. He's just a boy. I didn't mean- Please, help him, David." She shrieked, turning her attention to the blonde. David stared at the broken body in his hands, quickly telling her to,

"Shut up." Before he looked at Dwayne for just a fraction of a moment. Dwayne pulled himself out of Stars grip, taking long strides as he rushed past where you and Marko stood. You stared at Star, seeing the blood decorating her face, neck, and chest. As if she had tried to wipe it away with not much success. Then, you let your eyes flick to the body in David's arms. You couldn't see his face, but you could see his light brown hair. Long and splayed against the black of David's coat. You gripped Markos arm almost painfully, but neither of you could pull your eyes from the sight. Dwayne returned with a bejeweled bottle, and you caught Dwayne's arm without thinking. Quickly, you said, 

"Dwayne, he's-" But Marko pulled your arm away from the brunette, letting him resume his quickened pace and cutting you off. Dwayne walked away without so much as a glance, and had never been cold to you before. But Marko was stealing your focus before you had time to dwell on it. He turned away from the sight, acting as a block from the view instead of a block from just the threat Star posed. He took your face into his hands, quickly whispering,

"If we don't, he's going to die." Marko whispered, but Star obviously still heard him from the audible slap that came from her hand covering her mouth. She sobbed, and you saw out of the corner of your eye how Paul moved then. He pulled Star to his chest, pulling her away from David and Dwayne as they did what they inevitably had to do. You tried to argue with the blonde in front of you. Sure, none of you knew how Laddie would be turned, but it wasn't supposed to be like this. Marko smoothed his hands over your cheeks and said, "His heart is slowing. She took too much blood. He won't make it to the hospital." As tears gathered in your eyes. You stomped your foot in a feeble attempt at protest, but Marko was wrapping his arms around you and hugging you.

You didn't see them give Laddie the wine, but you could hear the way Star protested. The way she cursed the boys for making her what she was. How she struggled against Paul's iron grip hold. Blamed them for her attack of the boy in David's arms. Marko jolted you as he whipped his head around, snapping,

"You're the one that attacked him, Star. So, watch your fucking mouth." He snarled, and Star practically shrunk into the other blonde. Before he could say anything else, you placed a hand on his chest and whispered his name. He frowned at the girl, but turned his attention away from her to look where you were staring.

Marko had pulled away only a bit, but it gave you enough of a view to see the tallest of the blondes. He was staring ahead, at what you assumed was the sight of Dwayne and David doing their best to rescue the little boy the only way they knew how. His face was blank, and he held the brunette tightly. Rubbed Stars back almost absently. Like his thoughts were far off elsewhere.

Everyone was silent after Star stopped, opting to sob into Paul's shoulder. There was a long moment, and Marko turned so the both of you could see the little boy. He was still mostly hidden from the way David held him, only really able to see the top of his head and David's back. Both of the boys were on their knees, with Dwayne in full view. The bottle was in his hands, and he was gripping it almost tight enough to shatter. Finally, there was a little cough from the otherwise silent boy, and a blanket of relief seemed to settle over the room. David traded the boy for the bottle, and Dwayne had his eyes set on the couch. Both you and Marko moved to let him through, and the pair of you watched as he set him as gingerly as he could on the cushions. Dwayne brushed his hair from his face and Paul appeared from the side, a blanket in his arms. Dwayne took it without a word, the blonde being eerily just as silent. He set it gently on top of the boy, tucking him in as lightly as he could. Paul backed away, moving to stand on your other side. He placed a hand on your shoulder, and you reached up to give it a small squeeze. The three of you watched, and none of you noticed the way David approached Star.

With the bottle no longer in his hands, he approached her as calmly as he could. She was still sniffling, but she swiped his hand away when he went to reach for her. Still, he grabbed her wrist.

"What happened?" He demanded, and Stars looked away as new tears threatened to spill over. Davids threw her wrist away, grabbing her shoulders. Forcing her to look at him. "Star. Tell me." He said, and Star couldn't help the stream of tears.

"No one saw you." He said, covering up his reasoning for asking. David sighed. "This is your fault Star, so he's your responsibility. Got it?" He said, his words like ice. You looked over, finally being able to draw your eyes from the slowly recovering boy. From how Dwayne was gently cleaning him. Long enough to see how she nodded, before wiping her eyes and retreating to her room.

"I- I ran away and went- went farther down the beach. He was all alone. His parents- I saw them walk away and I didn't- I didn't think. I just acted." She said, and a wave of relief relaxed his hold. He let her go, lightly pushing her away. She hadn't killed his parents. Hadn't attacked anyone else. While it wasn't for lack of trying, she hadn't killed anyone. She was still a half. Their plan could still work.

Your eyes returned to the boy again when he whined, and Dwayne was quick to shush him. He stroked his face for a moment, and Paul left your side to sit on the arm of the chair, perching himself above him. He smiled down at the little kid, saying,

"Hey, bud. You're gonna be okay, okay? Just chill out and let Dwayne take care of you. Cool, man?" He said, as the child tried to blink away the pull of unconsciousness. Whether that was from the effect of the wine or of the blood loss, you couldn't tell. You rarely got to see the boys use their abilities, but you watched as David walked over and pressed a hand on Laddies forehead. He murmured the word, 

"Sleep." And then he pulled away. You saw how Laddies head rolled light to the side, and Dwayne only left momentarily to come back. He was ripping a shirt to shreds, and Paul started to whine,

"Dude, that's my-" Only to be silenced by a single glare from Dwayne. Quickly, he grumbled, "Nevermind." And moved as Dwayne leaned over the boy to bandage him up and stop him from losing anymore blood. 

[gotnofucks]

What do you think Lee or other Seb and Chris characters would be like with a tall, slim and very uncurvy woman? Like only a couple of inches shorter than them, and she never feels feminine enough or sexy enough for them?

We'll start this by establishing that every person is pretty regardless of their body type. Tall, short, chubby or skinny, different complexion and smooth or furry.

As a short girl, this is for my tall skinny sisters who have a difficult time loving themselves:

Warning: sometimes dark themes, allusions to smut, possessiveness, body image issues, breeding kink, 18+ ONLY

+++++

Steve Rogers: The Avengers Charity ball was a big event and though Steve hated the public attention, he's excited to do this with you. You've been dating a few months and coming out in public was something Steve was looking forward to.

He had decorated your neck with marks to show the world who you belonged to. The territorial captain was itching to claim you in front of the world when you told him you'd rather not go.

"What?" He asked, "Why not?"

You bit your lip, shifting on your feet as you looked at him.

"It's nothing...just don't feel like it" You mumbled.

"Is it because we're going to fast? You don't wanna tell the world about us?" Steve asked and you frantically shook your head.

"No, Stevie." You took a deep breath. "It's just...you're Captain America. The people expect you to be with a womanly woman, someone who complements you. I am...me. Tall, not large enough boobs, my ass is skinny and -"

You would have went on had Steve not pulled you in by your waist and crushed your mouth to his. You kissed back, running your hand through his soft hair before he pulled back, panting.

"Are you kidding me? You're listing everything I love about you. I don't have to bend down to kiss you, you breasts feel perfect in my hands and that ass? Baby, that ass is so perfect if people knew the thoughts I get when I see it, they'll douse me with holy water. Captain America doesn't need a womanly woman to compliment him. You’re not my arm candy, I am yours because you’re the perfect one. You get me?"

Choked up with tears you nod, letting him tuck your head in his neck.

Bucky Barnes: He's been looking at you for weeks, just the way you've been looking at him. During training, he makes sure to stay behind you, correcting your posture by putting his hands on you.

For someone who'd lived more than a century, Bucky Barnes had no patience anymore and he promptly sat down his ass in front of you, making you stop mid-chew.

"Why haven't you asked me out on a date yet?" He asked you, the red Henley he wore stretching across his broad chest. You swallowed quickly, sputtering.

"Sargent?" You squeaked, unprepared to be accosted like this.

"I want you, you want me. We've practically been eye fucking each other for months. Why haven't you asked me out yet?" He snapped.

You bite your lip before wetting them with your tongue, unsure how to say this.

"You...you don't wanna go out with some other agent? Maybe Shally?" You asked and winced when he scowled at you. "I'm only saying this 'cause she has you know, a better body. She's...prettier?"

In this moment you realised how scared Bucky's enemies may feel on the battlefield because the expression on his face had you terrified. And turned on.

"You fucking with me doll? I don't want her. I love your body. You're almost my height, think of how easy 69-ing would be! You're perfect in every way. The way you kick those men's asses in the gym...fuck I always need a cold shower after that."

Your mouth dropped open and a small smile lit your face.

"So, you don't mind me being strong and lean and not... feminine?" You asked tentatively and Bucky smirked.

"Come into the bedroom with me and I'll show you how feminine you can be" He challenged.

Really, who were you to say no to him.

Ransom Drysdale: Heels. He got you fucking 6-inch heels. You were nearly his height, already being taunted by your friends for this. And he got you heels.

"Ransom, take them back. You know I don't do heels." You say and he scoffs, pushing them back at you.

"Like shit you don't do them. I want to see you in them, and wear that lingerie I got you." He orders and you frown.

"No Ransom, I just - I don't like them." You said and he turned away from his phone to raise an eyebrow at you.

"I've seen you eyeing that flimsy scarp of fabric for weeks in the mall. You like it, now wear it for me so I can admire it on you." He said.

You finger the delicate material of the bra and panty and wondered how amazing it would feel against your skin. But then you looked at the small size and squeezed your eyes shut. There was a reason you insisted Ransom turn off the lights when you fucked.

"I like them. Just...not on me" You whispered. A finger pulled your chin up and you met Ransom's blue eyes, his gorgeous face peering into you like you were the dumbest person he knew.

"The fuck?" He asked, a warning growl in his tone that had you rubbing your legs.

"Ransom...I'm...not made for these. These heels, I'll be taller than you. I don't have the body to make this gorgeous lingerie come to life. You...I don't want you to see me like that." You say, almost tearing up.

Ransom looked livid for a moment before he gently stood you up, shushing your protests as he one by one stripped you naked. You looked down, ashamed of yourself as he forced you into the tall heels, his head now below yours.

"Look at me" He rasped and you obeyed. His eyes went from your head to down, appreciatively over your breasts and flat stomach and then to the vee between your thighs.

"You're perfect." He said, head dipping only a little to suck a nipple in his mouth. "Perfect figure, perfect face, perfect height. You're the only perfect thing I have in my fucked up life."

You put your hands on his shoulder to stable your wobbling feet, and he held you close.

"Wear this lingerie. I want to tear it off your body with my teeth. And the lights stay on today."

Lee Bodecker: You pushed down on your skirt again, hiding your thin legs the best you could. The demure and pretty girls in the neighborhood snickered as you passed by them, their necklines supporting a beautiful cleavage.

You walked into your home and quickly got to making the dinner. While you didn't look like a normal lady, you were one. You could cook and clean and your daddy hoped that would be enough to get you married and off his hands.

You got dressed for you knew there would be guests tonight and tied your apron around your narrow waist, serving the food on the table for your father and the Sheriff. He came in his uniform, the hat set down on the table and eyes that followed you.

It was no surprise when he cornered you later after your father was drunk and passed out. His hardness dug into you, sweet breath on your face and nose rubbing against yours.

"Where you been all day sweetheart?" He asked, hands groping you like they'd done a thousand times before. You whimpered, tilting your head to allow him access to your neck.

"Shopping for the dinner. Daddy doesn't like stale food." You say and Lee bites you.

"What've I told you about calling him daddy in front of me? I'm the only daddy ya need." He scolded. You waited for his kiss, lips puckered when he stilled. His hands were on your breasts and he paused, reaching inside despite your protests to pull out the rolled up cloth inside.

"What the fuck is this?" He angrily asked and you hid your face in embarrassment. You were tired of having small breasts, tired of not being as pretty as others.

"Just..I wanted more meat on me." You said sullenly and Lee twisted his face in a scowl, pulling you forward with your hair.

"You're not doing this shit again. You want big fucking breasts then ask me to put a baby in you and I will. You want more meat on your body then I'll fuck a child in you right now. You get me?" He snarled and you nodded, clinging to him.

"I...I am sorry. I wanted to be pretty for you." You sob and Lee pulls you closer, taking your hands and pressing them in his belly.

"Sweetheart, you are fuckin' gorgeous. My pretty girl. Daddy's best girl. You don't need more meat. I already got enough for both of us. Kay?" He asked and kissed you deep.

Andy Barber: You hid your insecurities well. Andy didn't give you a reason to have many. He loved you, you knew that. But sometimes, you wondered if he'd have preferred a more bountiful booty to hold at night.

When you tried to eat a little extra than your stomach permitted and puked the next day, he sat you down and asked point blank what was wrong. It was difficult to lie to him, not only because he was a great lawyer but because Andy knew you too well to not know when you're hiding something.

"I wanted to gain some weight I suppose." You said. Andy titled his head, eyes going over your body before he frowned.

"But you're perfect" He said, as if confused. "You can't overeat baby. Talk to me, what's wrong?"

You bit your lip. Dating Andy was daunting. He was someone who had lines of woman waiting to warm his bed. You were surprised when he asked you out, you of all the other softer women. You, your flat figure of the other hourglass ones.

He was an alpha, he was the master. He would have looked so good next to a timid, tiny girl who would easily fold into his body for warmth. And yet, here he was with you.

"I have long legs" You blurted and didn't look at him. "I am taller than almost all women here, I don't have a plump ass you can bounce quarters off and definitely not a chest that is spilling out. I don't know Andy, I...I am not enough I guess."

You wanted to cry after admitting this and maybe you would have had Andy not knelt before you and cupped your face to kiss you deeply.

"Oh honey, you silly thing. You're more than enough. Absolutely stunning." He whispered. He trailed his hands up from your ankle to your thighs and you stifled a moan.

"Your legs are long, and I love them. So much length to run my tongue on" He continued. "You ass may not bounce quarters, but it bounces my balls well when I'm fucking your from behind. And your breasts better not be spilling anywhere, they are mine. The only thing they need to spill is either my seed or the milk that'll be in there after I breed you. You understand?"

Heat rose up from your chest to your neck and ears, eyes watering with love and desire. You put your long legs on Andy's shoulder and hugged him with your thighs, asking him softly to show you his praises again.

[ssa-babygirl]

Out of my League [Part 5]

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Single mom!Reader

Word count: 4.1k

Summary: A night out with the team leaves you and Spencer with so much unsaid, despite how much he spills to you while you’re drunk and half asleep. 

Warning(s): Mentions of past addiction, alcohol consumption, some swear words, mentions of past bullying, EXTREME PINING

Author’s Note: I told yall this chapter wouldn’t take 10 years. just like... a week and a half. I promise I’ll do better lmao also enjoy the fluff cuz uh,, yall are gonna hate me next chapter oops

[Previous Part] [Series Masterlist]

Washington D.C., 2009

(Reader POV)

Rossi’s dinner party would not be the last time Spencer had to drive your drunk ass home. It happened two or three in the two years since that night. Dave meant it when he said you were one of them. Whenever they went out for drinks after a case, you would get a text from one of the girls asking if you wanted to come. Your mom living a few blocks away from you was helpful because you just needed to drop Jamie off and head over to O’Keefe’s. You very rarely went overboard because you normally had to drive home, but tonight was not one of those nights.

The team had just gotten back from a local case in Bethesda, so Emily offered to pick you up on her way back. Hotch gave them all the rest of the night off after they made the arrest, but Spencer, always the workaholic, still wanted to finish up his paperwork before going out. 

Your mom came to get Jamie and take him back to her house, so you were free to get all dressed up for a night on the town with your friends. You didn’t want to look too formal since most of them were still going to be in their work clothes, so you got out a cute green button-down blouse and tucked it into some high-waisted jeans. You put on your favorite locket and let your hair down. You went with a light makeup look, just brows, cheeks, and lashes. You were all set by the time Emily pulled up in front of your place. You strapped up your wedges and grabbed your purse, heading out the door, excited to see everyone after they’d been so busy.

“Hey! You look nice!”

“And you’re not so bad for fresh off a crime scene.”

“Should’ve seen me catch the guy, I looked amazing.”

“I’m sure you did, Em.”

Emily told you about the case, or rather just the ending. You only liked to hear her stories when they had happy endings. This one was pleasant enough, but you had a feeling that she was leaving some details out since it was apparently so bad that even Spencer would be tagging along for drinks.

When you got to the bar, Derek and Penelope were already sitting at a booth in the back with Aaron and Dave. Penelope hopped up from her seat to give you a hug as soon as you approached the table. 

“Hey, there she is,” Morgan smiled over his beer.

“Reid’s not driving tonight?” Aaron asked.

“He texted me, he’s on his way, he wanted to finish his paperwork back at the precinct.” 

“So what I’m hearing is you finally have time to tell us stories about Reid in high school,” Dave said with a smirk.

“No, come on, he’ll kill me,” you settled into the booth.

Emily snorted, “I’d be surprised if he even found it in him to be mad at you.”

“Oh, it’s happened before.” Your face scrunched up at the memory of what happened that day on the football field.

“Really?” Penelope seemed shocked.

“Yeah I’d… Rather not talk about it.” You didn’t know if Spencer had told the team about the Alexa Lisbon incident, so you didn’t want to talk about how he had been so angry with you for babying him. 

“Oh, come on, the kid was in love with you,” Derek prodded, “What’d you do?”

You elected to ignore his comment, “No, it was just stupid.” You could still talk about Kyle, though. The team knew the story of how you’d met Spencer, they just didn’t know about how upset he was when he found out you got back together with Kyle just a few months after you dumped him.

“We love hearing about the stupid things you did!” Garcia squealed.

You stared at the table and fiddled with a napkin to avoid eye contact as you said, “I dated one of his bullies.”

Dave was the first to break the silence, “But Reid said you broke up with him when you found out.”

You bit your lip and hesitated before owning up to it, “Did he tell you that Kyle is Jamie’s dad?”

Emily gasped, “No way!”

“We barely spoke outside of tutoring after that between him being scared of Kyle and basketball season. We were both busy with our teams.”

“Reid played basketball?” Aaron asked, amused.

“He was the coach.” You managed to crack a slight smile, “Budget cuts. But, hey, it was for the best, that was our best season in years.”

“Hard to believe he could focus on strategy with you cheering from the sidelines.” Derek wiggled his eyebrows and took another sip of his beer.

You were quick to change the subject, “So is JJ coming?”

Emily shook her head, “She went home after the case cuz she missed Henry.”

“Oh that boy is the sweetest little thing, I miss when Jamie was that little.”

Aaron sipped his whiskey, “How old is he again?”

“Ten. I’m old, don’t remind me, it’s fucking me up.”

“Ah! Language, bella.”

“Sorry Dave. But speaking of getting effed up, I’ll go get the next round.” You stood and took everyone’s drink orders: Dave and Aaron were sharing an expensive bottle that Dave had already paid for, Emily wanted a martini, Derek just asked for another beer, while Penelope ordered the most elaborate cocktail on the menu, but luckily it was her usual, so you had it pretty much memorized by now. 

You strolled up to the bar and gave the bartender the order, which he got right on. He started with giving you Derek’s beer, then Em’s martini, then your rum and coke, before getting to work on Penelope’s ridiculously fruity drink. An older man stalked into your field of view with a beer in his hand, grinning dumbly. 

“What’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?”

You snorted, “Has that line ever worked?”

“Truth be told, I’ve never used it.”

“Well you don’t have a great success rate right now, bud.” You looked over the man’s shoulder and made eye contact with Penelope, who turned to Derek and gave him a heads up.

“Well let me buy you a drink, maybe it’ll work better the second time around.”

“Oh, no, thank y—”

“No, come on, what’s one drink?”

You grabbed the tray with everyone’s drinks and started to pass him, “I should really get back to my friends.”

“Hey, I won’t keep you long,” He caught you by the arm and the last thing you saw before he turned you to face him again was Penelope leaping up from her seat to let Derek through, “what are you drinking?”

“Babygirl, how long does a beer take?” Derek stepped up behind you and placed a delicate hand on the small of your back, “This guy bothering you, doll?”

The man dropped his hand from your arm, “We were just talking.”

“Really? ‘Cuz to me it seems like you were trying to put the moves on my girl.”

“Babe, it’s fine,” you caught on quickly, placing a hand on Derek’s chest to keep up the ruse of holding him back, “I’m just waiting for Pen’s drink.”

“Get the hell out of here, man.” Derek glares and the other man leaves reluctantly. “You okay?”

You nodded, “Thank you.”

“Hey, no problem, sweetheart.” He withdrew his hand from the small of your back, “Wouldn’t want Pretty Boy to get jealous.”

You felt your face heat up as your eyebrows knit together, feigning confusion.

“Oh, come on, Y/N, you can’t seriously tell me you don’t see it.”

You played dumb, “See what?”

He sips his beer, “You don’t need to be a profiler to see the way he looks at you, Y/N.”

“Oh, god, first my mother, now you too?”

“I’m serious, I’ve only seen him like this one other time.”

“When?”

“On a case a few years ago. There was this actress we were helping out, Lila Archer.”

“Lila Archer? The Lila Archer?”

“Yeah, she had a little crush on Reid for a bit. They made out once.”

“They what?”

He laughed, “What’re ya jealous?”

“No!” Maybe? “It just seems so unprofessional, I wouldn’t have pegged him for a guy who would--”

“Hook up with a movie star? Yeah, I didn’t think so either. It didn’t work out with them, obviously, he said she only felt that way about him because he saved her life.”

“What does this have to do with me?”

“Ever thought about how you protecting him his whole life may have had a similar effect?”

“Showing him basic human decency didn’t make him fall in love with me, Derek.”

“No, but saving his life did.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think that’s more of a question for Pretty Boy himself.” Derek nodded his chin over your shoulder. You followed his gaze and saw Spencer coming up behind you, grinning as he neared the bar.

“Hey.”

“Hey, haircut! Lookin’ good!” Your fingers laced through his shaggy locks and messed up his new boy band-esque style.

 A faint blush spread across his cheeks as he fixed his hair, “T-Thanks.”

“When you lovebirds feel like talking to the rest of us, I’ll be at the table with the rest of the team.”

You roll your eyes and turn back to the lanky boy next to you, “Lemme buy you a drink, Spence.” 

“Oh, no thank you. I’m driving. And also did you know--”

“You can just say you don’t want it.”

“No, I do. That’s the problem.”

Your face contorted with confusion until it suddenly clicked, “Oh… Has that ever been a problem for you before?”

“Not anymore, and not alcohol, but yeah.”

“Wait, Spence, why didn’t you tell me? I-I’m not mad, it’s your choice, obviously, but I could have helped.”

“You did.”

“I did?”

“Remember that one time I was too sick to talk on our Saturday call?”

“Yeah?”

“I had just gotten back from a case in New Orleans. Remember Ethan from school?”

You nodded, holding onto every word.

“He’s in a jazz band down there now. He talked me into getting help. When you called, I was at the lowest point of withdrawals, shaking so hard I couldn’t sleep, and completely alone. I almost didn’t pick up, but I knew you wouldn’t accept that,” he laughed nervously, “and when I heard your voice…”

He trailed off, finally meeting your eyes.

“When I said I wasn’t feeling well, you said ‘I’m putting Jamie down for the night, wanna hear his bedtime story?’”

You both found yourselves smiling slightly at the memory. 

“Not once, during any book I’ve read, had I fallen asleep so easily as I did when you read me The Very Hungry Caterpillar.”

He took a deep breath, almost shuddering, “It was the first time I slept without nightmares since Tobias Hankle.”

You remembered that name. He’d come up in conversations from time to time but you never heard anything about his case. He was always a touchy subject for the team, and now you knew why.

“How long ago was this?”

“Almost three years ago.” He didn’t even have to think about it.

“Spence, you could have told me. You can tell me anything.”

“Anything?” He gulped.

You reached for his hand on the bar and felt it tense under your touch. You’d think after how long you’d known him his touch aversion wouldn’t be an issue with you anymore, but apparently not. Feeling your cheeks heat up, you withdrew your hand as if you burnt your hand on a hot stove and let out an awkward scoff, turning away to look back at your friends, who tried and failed miserably at making it look like they weren’t watching you and Spencer. 

“We should…”

“Yeah… w-we should.” Spencer passed you and sat down next to Derek in the booth, leaving you in your usual spot next to Emily with your first of many drinks that night.

            3 Hours Later

(Spencer’s POV)

I helped her into my car and buckled her up after she couldn’t find the seatbelt. When I got into the driver’s seat, I glanced at her to see if she was still conscious, only to see her dopey smile directed at me.

“What?” I laughed nervously.

“Nothing,” she slurred, dragging out the ‘ing’ and turning her head towards the window.

“You okay?”

She nodded and leaned her head against the glass as I pulled out of the parking lot. She was quiet for the most part during the drive, so I assumed she was asleep, so imagine my shock when she piped up as soon as I parked in front of her place.

“Can you walk me in?” she asked as if I could say no to her.

“Of course.” I was going to regardless. I helped her out of the car and she stood on wobbly legs. She groaned and looked at her feet. 

“Hold this.” She shoved her purse into my arms and placed a hand on my shoulder and hopped up to take off one of her heels, tossing it onto her seat before repeating her actions on her other shoe. She grabbed the pair and marched up the path to her front door. I trailed close behind, just in case she stumbled, which she did. 

She fumbled for her key when she suddenly remembered that I had her purse. I dug through the pockets and fished it out, tossing it to her once I got close enough. She instantly giggled as soon as I met her eyes.

“What’s so funny now?”

“Nothing, Spence,” she failed to stifle a smile as she tried to open the door, “You have nothing to worry about.”

I stepped in beside her, “Well you’ve been awfully quiet since we left and now you’re laughing at me!”

“I’m just thinking!”

“That can’t be good,” I joked, prompting her to lightly slap my arm, “Kidding! What are you thinking about?”

“Don’t worry about it!”

“No, now I’m curious!”

“Just something stupid Derek said before you came tonight.”

“Oh jeez, now I have to know.” She climbed up the staircase and down the hallway in front of her bedroom. She twisted the knob and pushed open the door. I stepped in after her and placed her purse down on the dresser. She flopped down on the bed, shuffling under the covers, not even bothering to change out of the clothes she wore to the bar. I grinned down at her. She looked like an angel snuggled up in the sheets.

“Comfy?”

“Very.”

“Good. Call me if you need anything, Y/N,” I started to walk towards the door.

“Did you have a crush on me in high school?”

I paused.

“W-Where’d you get that from?” Nice job, genius, that doesn’t sound guilty at all.

“That’s what Derek said.” She was now sitting up in bed.

Okay, but how did he know that?

“How did this come up exactly?”

She explained how the team was trying to get her to tell them embarrassing stories about me as a kid (sidenote: not cool, guys) and my dear old friend Kyle came up. She said that Morgan brought up transference, where a person experiences something traumatic and associates their “hero” with safety and feelings of relief after being helped.

“He said one girl you helped in a case had feelings for you and the way you explained transference to Derek sounded like you were speaking from experience.”

Great. This is what I get for only having friends on the team. My best guy friend is also a profiler who can read me like a book. Awesome.

I let out a deep sigh and sat down in the chair next to her bed, “I was.”

“Speaking from experience?”

“Yeah. Because that’s where it all started for me. A pretty girl told off one of my bullies and showed me basic human decency--”

“Aw, Spence, you thought I was pretty?” She teased, eliciting a chuckle from me.

“Of course I did. Y/N, you were the head cheerleader that came to me for help with chemistry and tousled my hair and bought me McDonald’s whenever our study sessions ran late. To twelve-year-old Spencer you were this perfect, unattainable princess--”

“Princess?” She giggled and it was the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard, “I like that.”

“Yep.” I laughed with her, “A princess who lived in a beautiful castle with posters on the walls and sparkly beads on the curtains and Doctor Who playing on the TV and a mom that always invited me to stay for dinner and I’m rambling again but that’s perfectly fine with you because you actually cared about what I had to say, especially when I would talk about Shakespeare because A Midsummer Night’s Dream was your favorite assigned reading and--” I stopped myself before it slipped out. 

I love you. I’ve said it a million times to her in a million different ways but I knew at that moment that if I said the actual words that I wouldn’t be able to take them back, not that I would ever want to, I just want her to be present when I told her the first time. If I said it now it would be the first time she’d hear it from me and she wouldn’t even remember it when she woke up.

“And what?” She still smiled at me so brightly that the dimly lit room was lit up by the gleam in her eyes.

I smiled back, “You’re my best friend.”

Her grin somehow grew wider, her eyes scrunching up, but the sparkle was still there, “You’re my best friend too.”

If I hadn’t already decided against it, I would have said it then. I would have repeated those words over and over again until the words lost all meaning, only they never would because they felt like they meant the world to me. But I wouldn’t let myself start. Instead, I just looked at her like she was the moon and stars and all the space in between and said, “Goodnight, Y/N.”

“Spence, wait,” she murmured, further burying herself in her covers.

“What now?” I whined, the smile still present on my face.

“I think you’re pretty too.” 

It had never been harder for me to resist the urge to kiss her than in that moment. Every fiber of my being screamed to sit back down, lean over her pillow, take her face in my hands, and crash my lips to hers. And for a split second, I thought I would. I almost did. I almost gave myself everything I had ever wanted for sixteen years, four months, and eleven days, but I couldn’t.

“And I think you’re drunk.”

“Spencer Reid!” She squealed, “Just cuz I’m drunk does not mean that you aren’t pretty!”

“Oh really?”

“Yep! ‘Cuz guess what, genius?”

“What?”

“I think you’re pretty when I’m sober, too.”

If I didn’t know any better I’d say she was trying to drive me insane. And you know what?

It was working.

While I was lost in my thoughts, no doubt staring at her, she let out a tiny yawn and snuggled deeper into her pillow. A piece of hair fell in front of her eyes, hooded yet still shining. I brushed the hair out of her face and told her to get some rest.

“Good idea. I’m sleepy,” she dragged out the e and yawned again, “Goodnight, Pretty Boy.”

“Goodnight, princess.” I chuckled softly. My fingers still lingered just behind her ear, so I stroked her hair once more and pressed a small kiss to her forehead once I was sure she was asleep. Her cheeks twitched in a barely conscious smile, making me grateful for my eidetic memory again. I went to the kitchen and took a glass from the cabinet, filling it up in the sink and placing it on the nightstand with some aspirin.

I took a sheet of some stationery and scrawled out a note for her in the morning:

Make sure you stay hydrated. There’s more aspirin in your cabinet but wait a few hours to take it. Call me if you need anything. -S.R.

            The Next Morning

(Reader’s POV)

The coffee machine made too much noise. Your head was pounding despite the fact you took an aspirin a few minutes ago. Now you played the waiting game, hoping it would kick in soon. When the pot was finally done, you poured yourself a cup, hoping it would help wake you up. You normally wouldn’t drink coffee this late, but you needed it. Just as you took your first sip, your mom came through the front door with Jamie in tow carrying his pajamas in a shopping bag. He said good morning to you and ran upstairs to his room.

“Did you just wake up?” 

“Yes.”

“Y/N, it’s almost noon.” You could hear the judgment in her voice.

You took a sip of coffee, “It’s 11:05.”

“I take it you had fun at O’Keefe’s last night?”

“Yeah,” you grumbled, rubbing your eyes.

“How’d you get home?”

“Spence drove me.”

Her eyes widened, excited. She lowered her voice to ask, “Is he still here?”

“Mom!” You whisper-yelled.

“I was just checking!”

“No, he’s not, he dropped me off and went home.” You decided to leave out the whole “putting you to bed” part.

“How’s your hangover?”

“Better with aspirin.”

“Have you been drinking water?”

“A little,” you lied.

“No more coffee until you finish a glass.” She took your mug and dumped its contents down the drain.

“Wh—” You start, “Mom, I’m not a kid.”

“Just drink your damn water.”

“Jesus,” you groan, still making your way to the stairs and heading up to your room, where your water had been put on your nightstand the night before. Under the glass was a note that you didn’t notice when you first woke up. You recognized the chicken scratch handwriting immediately: Spencer.

“Make sure you stay hydrated. There’s more aspirin in your cabinet but wait a few hours to take it. Call me if you need anything. -S.R.”

You smiled as you read the words over and over. You put the note down and took a sip from the glass. You reached over to your phone on the nightstand and dialed his number. It rang twice before Spencer’s voice crackled over the speaker, “Hey, how’re you feeling?”

“Better, thank you.”

“Of course. Did you drink the water I gave you last night?”

“Some of it.”

“Good, did you eat?”

“No.”

“I’m going on my lunch break in a bit, wanna meet up?”

Your heart fluttered at the offer, a small grin tugging at your lips. You nodded, unable to find words enthusiastic enough to express how much you’d like that, before settling on “Yeah! Sounds good!”

“Perfect! There’s a new thai place downtown I’ve been meaning to check out, how about there?”

“Sure! I’ll meet you at Quantico?”

“See you then!”

“Bye,” you all but sighed into the receiver before snapping out of it. You always tried to keep that part of you beneath the surface, but it wasn’t as easy as it used to be. You didn’t remember much from last night, but you did remember calling him pretty boy and making him blush. You remember him tucking you in and calling you princess and brushing your hair out of your eyes. You remembered how your chest swelled with light as he pressed his lips to your forehead, and the soft chuckle he let out seeing you smile against your pillow. 

You hopped in the shower and got dressed, fixing yourself just enough to pass for a functioning adult who did not get sloppy drunk in front of her best friend’s coworkers last night. You told your mom you were going out for lunch, and she happily agreed to babysit for a few hours while you were with Spencer. 

“Have fun on your date!”

“Not a date!” You almost couldn’t tell who you were talking to, her or you.

You got to Quantico about a half-hour later and were met by Dave in the bullpen.

“Oh, look who’s joined the land of the living!”

“Oh, come on, I wasn’t that bad last night. I could have been Penelope.”

“That is true, bella, but it was still a Thursday,” Dave chuckled, “The kid’s in Aaron’s office, he’ll be out in a sec.”

“Thank you,” you said and walked over to Spencer’s desk, sitting down in his chair and making small talk with Emily while you waited. A few minutes later, you saw him walk out of the office, eyes immediately landing on you.

Taglist~~~

Lmk if you wanna be added! Some names didn’t work so if you don’t see your name as a tag just dm me a url and I’ll try to fix it

@lawnmoa @ellvswriting @baby-pogue @purelyprentiss @confused-and-really-hungry @thatsonezesty13 @deni-gonzalez​ @irjuejjsaa @randomfandomshitposts @bisoner @moonstarrnghtsky @smurfflynn @eldahae @t0xicllama @undeniablyyou @staplernpaper @theweirdobella @sammypotato67 @k-k0129 @helloniallslovelies @dazzlingnights @uhuhuh @booksarekindaneat @crimeshowtrash @carlgrxmes​ @collectiveuniverses​ @annesauriol​

[bold-writing]

The One With Whiskey Eyes || 10 || Simple Comforts

Warnings: mentions of abuse.

Words: 3200+

Previous || Next

~10~

Iris had never been the kind of person that would stare at the clock as her shift drew to a close, but this was definitely one of those days; nearly from the moment BT had left, she had been almost glued to the clock on the computer screen next to where she was working. Jessica had noticed her change in behaviour, but she hadn’t made any comment in case it was because she was still shaken from what had happened with the man she’d fought.

 What surprised Iris the most was that there were no comments about how BT had called her ‘mine’ when he’d scolded the would-be robber. Truthfully, only Jessica had heard the comment, but she knew for a fact that her coworkers were a gossipy bunch. She wasn’t about to look a gift-horse in the mouth, however, so she gladly stepped back and did her work as she enjoyed the relative peace of the store. There were no other instances that happened; most of those who came in were regulars.

 She was really looking forward to not having to hear people say “oh, honey, you’re so pale!” any more that day.

 Taking in a deep breath to relax herself as she made her way into the back room of the store, her locker and work bag sitting there waiting for her to end her shift. Pulling off her compression work gloves and dropping them on the top shelf, the pale woman exchanged them for a warmer outdoor pair to cover the back of her hand once more. Her small satchel carried her wallet and her phone, ensuring that she wasn’t lugging around a lot of weight on her way home.

 She was always ready to run, and after all these years she was pretty good at it, too.

 Pulling her coat on over her sweater, Iris carefully pulled her braid out from her jacket so as not to tug the strands before slinging her bag over one shoulder. She quickly checked the time on her phone before it went in her bag. Iris pulled the zipper of her sweater all the way up to the end, meeting just beneath her chin. It was slightly warmer today, but still a bit nippier than she was accustomed to or preferred. Just cold enough that she made sure to wear her coat.

She could feel her hands shaking, trembling at the realization that she was going to be with yet another of her soulmates. BT was the first to make an outward display of violence while with Iris, and somehow it hadn’t startled her or scared her. Normally, violence would scare her away but when it came to BT it was oddly…reassuring.

 Waving to her coworkers as she walked past the aisles and counters, Iris was relieved to be leaving work—for once. Usually, it was when she had to leave for home that made her regret not having another job.

 Meeting her soulmates really was changing everything about her life.

 Her eyes were drawn to the front window, where she had sat on the bench with BT earlier that day; he was already there. Sitting with his ankles crossed, legs stretched far out in front of him, BT was as relaxed as could be while he was waiting, a few minutes early from the time they had decided on. As though knowing that she was there, he glanced over his shoulder to meet her eyes through the window. Immediately, a smile lit his features as he stood up and turned to face the window fully.

 “Have a good evening, Iris!”

 “Thank you, Jessica, you as well,” Iris called over her shoulder before she slipped out of the store and into the chill of the evening. BT’s hands slipped into his pockets as he greeted her with a smile.

 “How was your shift?” he asked with a cautious grin.

 “Just fine; happily boring,” she assured, knowing that he was asking as a way of making sure that nothing else had happened to her after he’d left that morning. “What about you, how was your day?”

 “I didn’t do much, definitely distracted after this morning, so I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t have work,” he admitted somewhat shyly, causing her to smile bashfully as her gaze fell to her feet. “So, you have anything planned tonight?” he asked as casually as he could, scuffing his shoes against the concrete as though in nervous habit.

 Iris looked up to gauge his expression, noticing that he seemed to be half-dreading, half-anticipating her response. “No, no plans tonight. Why?”

 Some of the tension left him, but he didn’t relax entirely. “Wanna go for dinner? My treat.”

 Iris’s heart leapt in excitement as her stomach tangled in nervous knots. “I’d love to, BT. But you don’t have to pay-”

 “’Ey, no. That’s the only condition—I pay.”

 Biting on the inside of her left cheek, Iris already knew that arguing was pointless. “Alright, fine, you pay,” she conceded, shaking her head both at herself and at him. “You pick where we go, then.”

 BT’s smile was nearly blinding as he reached down and snatching Iris’s hand, pulling her in close to him as he turned away from the direction of her apartment. The additional change in her everyday routine made her slightly twitchy, an aftershock of discomfort ricocheting in her chest, but then BT squeezed her hand and started to ramble about the restaurants that he knew around town, all the while asking if she had any allergies or foods that she absolutely couldn’t stand.

 No allergies and barring only sushi or other raw meats, BT pondered for a moment before he grinned broadly again and snapped the fingers of his free hand excitedly. “I know just the place, and I promise ya, doll, you’re gunna love it!”

 She didn’t have time to react before he was tugging more insistently, nearly dragging her down the street. “Whoa, careful! My legs are shorter than yours!”

 BT immediately slowed down for her, his strides still long but significantly reduced in speed. “Sorry, doll, just got excited,” he apologized immediately as a bashful smile softened his features. “You are definitely tiny, though. Look at you!”

 “Stop,” Iris whined, leaning away when he used his free hand to hover over her head, demonstrating the limit of her height. “You guys are the worst; what’s so wrong with being short?”

 His teasing expression softened at her words, tugging her into his side again as he smiled reassuringly. “There’s nothing wrong, doll. In fact, you’re absolutely perfect in my opinion—just the right height for us to tuck you in real close.” To demonstrate, he shifted so that his arm was wrapped over her shoulder and he was able to pull her in tight against his side. Iris’s tiny stature had her with her head barely over his shoulder, so her body really did slot perfectly against his.

 Her cheeks heated at the close contact, ducking her head while leaning into him ever so slightly. “Well, I’m way past the age for getting a growth spurt, so you’re stuck with me like this.”

 BT smiled down at her before he swooped down and pressed a kiss against the crown of her head, much the same as he had done before he left that morning. “Don’t you worry—you won’t hear any of us complain about that.”

 “Good to know,” she mumbled, momentarily shocked at having received two affectionate kisses from him.

 She glanced along the street at the other people that were walking around, none of which were paying attention to the two of them. It shocked her, since she had always assumed that people were staring at her—judging her silently, even if they couldn’t actually see any of her marks. Taking a calming breath, she forced herself to focus on BT’s presence to her side.

 “So, do I get any hints about where we’re going?” she asked after a brief pause between them, remaining close to BT.

 Shaking his head, BT refused to give even the slightest hint and instead declared that it was going to be a total surprise. Looking down at her slightly flushed complexion, the tiny smile that turned up the corner of her lips, even the whiskey eyes that were directed bashfully forward, BT was certain that he could spend the rest of his time in the light just looking at her. Taking her in. It made him wonder if this was how Barry felt when it came to his art, and the urge he had to draw things.

 What he would give to be able to engrain her in his mind forward; to do so with every moment he had with her.

 None of them had really known what to expect when it came to meeting their soulmate. They’d heard from others about their experiences, and each of them had taken the time to look on the internet at people’s stories from their lives with a soulmate, dating back to their first encounter. However, they knew that it would be different for them. All sharing one body, and one soulmate, was bound to make it interesting.

 BT had been concerned when Barry took the helm; he spent most of the time in the light, and therefore the rest of the alters were worried that he would spend all the time he wanted with their future soulmate. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case, but it was still a worry none the less.

 He was going to be in trouble with Barry later, that was for certain. He’d told them to just let things fall as they may and not to force a meeting with Iris. However, it was just too good of an opportunity to pass up! To think that she was just down the street, so close to him but just out of reach all because Barry said so. No, he wasn’t going to just sit by and miss this opportunity for himself.

 And he was so, so glad that he had gone against Barry’s orders. The rage that had gripped him when he’d seen the true and authentic fear on Iris’s face, her soft coloured eyes narrowed and scared as she was faced with a man much larger than her, had been enough to cause his muscles to shake with tension. He’d come in just in time to see the smack he received to the back of his hand, reminding BT about what Luke had told him regarding her surprisingly fast reflexes, and the faintest bit of pride welled in his chest.

 She was a tiny thing and it was clear that intimidation had some effect on her, but she hadn’t let that stop her. Lashing out as she had proved that, although her backbone looked frail, it was sturdy.

 Holding her just a little bit closer, Iris glanced up at him curiously. He made sure that he wasn’t glaring or showing any of the anger from remembering that morning, and instead beamed down at her with one of his best smiles before he pressed another kiss against her hair. “Almost there. You tired from work?”

 “Yea, it was a long day. Having that man come in this morning set me on edge, too. I was tense all day,” she admitted quietly, nearly bowing her head down in embarrassment. “And I was excited to see you again.”

 “Aw, doll, I’m touched,” BT teased gently, placing his free hand over his heart in a mock-swoon. “But if we’re confessing an all, you’ve been on my mind all day.” Her pale cheeks were immediately dusted with another blush, to which BT silently celebrated. He loved it when her cheeks went rosy, it made her look livelier, but at the same time similar to a china doll. “And it wasn’t just ‘cause I was worried about you. I’ve been hoping all day that you’d say yes to dinner.”

 “Well, no more worrying,” she answered softly, giving him one of the brighter smiles he’d seen from her thus far.

 “And on that note,” he stated suddenly, slowing his stride as they approached a street corner. “We’re here.”

 Iris looked up toward the sign that wrapped around the corner. New York, New York. It was a pizza place, considered to have the best pizza from New York. “I’ve heard of this place,” she started happily, thankful that it was just a simple place and not something overly fancy. People in restaurants with big open rooms almost made her feel uncomfortable and exposed. A pizzeria she could do. “Never been here, though.”

 “Well, prepare to be absolutely amazed,” BT assured, stepping forward to grab the door for her. Iris smiled and nodded her thanks as she stepped inside, immediately overwhelmed with the smell of cheese, tomatoes and fresh dough. BT stepped in behind her, returning his arm over her shoulders as though in protective gesture.

 An older man, who Iris strongly assumed was Italian, beamed at them from the counter. “Welcome! What can I get for you two?” Yep, definitely Italian.

 BT grinned back before he turned his attention down to Iris. “What do you say, separate slices or we go all the way and get a deep dish?”

 Iris offered back a mirroring grin, though much more subdued than BT’s. “Deep dish,” she answered confidently.

 “Pepperoni?”

 “Can’t go wrong with that,” she answered immediately.

 BT was already pulling out his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans. “I’ll order, you go grab a table.” Iris knew that trying to argue about who was going to pay was useless, so she simply nodded and moved over to a free booth near the door to the kitchen. The smells coming from inside drew her in, wrapping her in comfort. She’d never really been one to eat out, so when it came to getting pizza or another greasy, in-no-way good for you food, she always found it to be a comfort.

 Sliding into the booth, Iris looked over when she heard BT’s booming laugh. He was joking with the older man behind the counter as he waited for his change. The bright smile on his face was contagious and Iris soon felt her own lips curving upward at the sight. BT glanced over at her in that instant, the soft blue of his eyes meeting her whiskey ones before he grin grew even more when he caught her watching him with a smile.

 Immediately bashful, Iris’s eyes lowered to the hands she had folded in her lap as her cheeks warmed with yet another blush. Her heartrate increased as she looked down at the back of her hand, the mark covered by her spring gloves. Suddenly, the sight of the mark covered up didn’t sit as well with her. BT showed off all of his marks with pride, even if he was going to receive looks of ridicule from people that he passed on the street.

 Swallowing thickly, Iris eased the glove off her hand and moved to tuck them into her simple bag alongside her phone. The pizzeria was warm enough that she’d overheat from wearing them anyway. BT slid into the booth across from her in that moment, the smile never having left his face.

 “So, what did you do today? If you don’t mind me asking,” she added on quickly, not sure if she was overstepping her bounds.

 BT just laughed it off. “Ask me anything you want, I won’t mind,” he assured, “and I was at the gym for most of the day. I like to exercise, probably a bit more than I should but…everyone’s got their thing.”

 Iris smiled in assurance as she remembered her discussion with Barry; his thing was art. “I understand completely,” she assured. “I love music. I’ve always used it when I needed to calm down or if I needed help focusing on something. It…centers me.”

 BT leaned forward in interest, lacing his fingers together on the table as he leaned on his elbows. “Yea? Like, you play instruments?”

 “Some,” she answered bashfully, nervously tracing her finger over the mark on the back of the hand, hidden beneath the table so no one could see. “I only took some lessons for things, so I’m mostly self-taught. Most of the lessons I took were singing lessons, actually.” His eyebrows immediately went up in surprise, though thoroughly interested, and Iris couldn’t help but to feel some pride at the expression of wonder that soon fell over his features.

 “You know you’re gunna have to sing for me now, right? You can’t just say that and not let me hear.”

 Iris covered her face in embarrassment. “Oh god, no. I’ve never sung in front of someone,” she admitted, her words muffled against her hands. BT’s eyes flicked briefly to the black mark on her hand but the writing too small for him to make out. Reaching out, he took a gentle hold of her hands and drew them away from her face to show the reddened, flushed skin beneath.

 “Relax, doll, there’s no pressure,” he promised calmly, gifting her with a more subdued, true smile. “I’d love to hear it, believe me, but only when you really want to.”

 In the past, Iris was accustomed to people reacting in much more demanding ways. They’d see her fiddling with piano keys and immediately demand that she play something, or she’d be singing under her breath when she thought no one was around at work and they’d ask her to sing something. With BT, to know that he was patient enough to wait for her to be confident in her own talents, it warmed her heart.

 “Thank you,” she whispered, meeting his eyes shyly.

 BT just smiled in return and lifted her hands to press a kiss against her knuckles in comfort. “So, what lessons, aside from singing, did you take?”

 They fell into comfortable conversation as they waited for their pizza, Iris telling him about the brief lessons she had taken for piano, guitar and violin, all by an older woman who’d retired and wanted to share her love of music. When she’d realized that Iris had a natural talent for music, she’d given her a discount on lessons and had proceeded to teach her the beginner lessons and some more advanced ones. Unfortunately, she’d gotten sick after two years and her family moved her out of state to a home that was closer to them.

 She was probably one of the closer things Iris had ever experienced similar to family affection. She’d known about Iris’s marks, at least the few that she could see, and had never judged her. “I’ve lived through too much to start judging other people,” she’d told her. “I’m met a few soulmate groups over the years and they were always the happiest people out there.”

 Knowing that other people with multiple marks had made happy lives for themselves had given Iris hope, some of the fear that lingered with the ‘what if’ thoughts dissipating.

 And now that she’d met some of them, each as charming and kind as the last, Iris finally felt that she could live in peace with her marks.

Previous || Next

[schrijverr]

Eliot's High School Reunion 8

Chapter 8 out of 10

Hardison and Parker convince Eliot to go and take them with him to his High School reunion. In this chapter we see the evening from Aimee's POV.

On AO3.

Ships: Thiefsome OT3

Warnings: none

~~~~~~~~~~

Trojan Horse

Aimee knew what she’d been doing when she called Eliot. He wasn’t likely to hang up on her, she’d seen the guilt in his eyes, but just in case she put on her best southern-bell with only the best in mind and great hospitality.

Imagine her surprise when it wasn’t Eliot picking up. Still, she could work with Hardison and soon enough she had a promise that they’d be there.

And they are.

That may be the biggest surprise. She suspected Eliot wouldn’t hang up on her, might even promise to come, but she hadn’t known him to keep those and she didn’t think he would want to show his face around here again after asking her to not make a big deal out of him being back home nine years ago.

So, when they show up, she’s surprised, but she doesn’t let it show as she greets them. Hugging Eliot and telling him how nice it is to see them all and her surprise that they even made it. Eliot looks her straight in the eye and tells her that of course they’d come, which is a lie, though she doesn’t call him out on it.

They have a short conversation, just normal greeting stuff that she has done a dozen times already with everyone that came in as she leads them to the hall.

When in the hall she gets waved over by one of the other organizers, Maddie, it’s probably not urgent and she doesn’t have to go, but she leaves Eliot for the sharks anyway. Call it a little bit of revenge.

Maddie immediately hushes her voice and says: “Was that Eliot Spencer or am I goin’ crazy, Aims?”

“In the flesh, told you he’d be here,” Aimee smirks.

“Oh my,” Maddie replies disbelieving. “I’d never thought I’d see the day. Eliot Spencer. Do ya need me to kick him for ya? ‘Cause I can go over there right now and rid him of his balls, if ya want, alright?”

Aimee laughs, there is a reason she and Maddie are still tight while contact with Lacy and Casey is restricted to the grocery store. “No need, but thanks for the offer. We talked it out.”

“Eliot? Eliot talked it out?” obviously Maddie doesn’t believe her and Aimee can’t blame her either.

“I know, sounds crazy,” Aimee agrees. “He’s gotten better, has people at his back. He actually owns a restaurant. And those two he’s with? He has known ‘em for nine years already. I just wasn’t there at the right time, it happens.”

“Still wanna kick his ass,” Maddie tells her, but she isn’t rolling up her sleeves anymore.

“Right there with ya, but I left him for Lacy, so little things,” Aimee says and they share a grin. “But why did you call me over anyway?”

“The balloons at the entrance fell over again.”

“Lead the way.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Maddie gives her a sassy salute.

They fix the balloons in no time and have a drink at the reception while watching the crowd, laughing at the awkward interactions taking place. Their watch party is briefly interrupted by Laura, who is just arriving, slightly later than the others, though there are still a few more name tags to be collected.

She disappears off into the crowd and Aimee asks: “Was she givin’ me mean eyes or was I imagining things?”

“No, definitely somethin’ there,” Maddie says. “Must be your good looks, doll.”

“Shove off,” Aimee tells her and before she can react Aimee points. “Look at that.” Eliot is freeing himself from Casey’s grasp after he was captured by her once he had managed to leave Lacy behind. She doesn’t look to pleased and is stomping over to Lacy.

Maddie snorts: “That must be new for her.”

They giggle about it a bit more, before putting down a note for the last arrivals to just take one. Everyone can figure it out, they decide as they go get something to drink.

Naturally neither of them can avoid Lacy and Casey. The four of them were close in High School with all of them being cheerleaders and since they all still live in the same town, they ran in the same circles. It’s unavoidable at this point.

Still, that doesn’t make it any more fun. Both Aimee and Maddie have had their struggles with the other two women and contact has decreased over the years.

“Hi, there you two are!” It doesn’t stop Lacy from greeting them like they’re still besties. “It’s so wonderfully organized, we weren’t sure y’all were gonna have the time.”

The compliment sounds fake, but Aimee smiles back like she doesn’t know. “Ahw, thanks so much, Lacy. We tried our best to spice up the place.”

“That you did,” Lacy agrees, sounding back handed, but not enough for either of them to start something. Seems they were stuck here. “Anyways, did you see Eliot here? I can’t believe he of all people showed up again. Are you doing okay, Aimee?”

“I actually invited him,” Aimee tells her and sees the disappointment on her face. “He’s as much a part of the class as any of us and he did dry up better than expected. Can’t know everything about a man when he’s in High School, I suppose.”

“It can’t have been easy,” Casey pushes, despite her reply.

“Well, it was,” Aimee shoots back. “Or did y’all notice something when talking to him that I should know?” It is more an annoyed threat, but neither Lacy nor Casey think of it like that and jump on the opportunity to share what they’ve learned.

“He met his business partners in Paris,” Lacy jumps in. “He did catering for a special event there, I wanna bet it was a fancy museum of some sort. One of his partners worked in the appraising industry, might have been a diamond collection or something.”

“And he knows a lot about wine,” Casey adds. “If he were to wine and dine someone, he could actually back it up now.”

“How would you know that, Casey,” Maddie asks, sharing a sly look with Aimee.

“Well- uhm, I- I talked with him, you know, about his business,” Casey spluttered. “He owns a restaurant, brewpub, or whatever. I asked him about it and he talked about cheeses and wine pallets.”

“Eliot talked ‘bout wine pallets?” Maddie repeats in a disbelieving tone.

“Yeah, he has the whole hippie food thing going on right now,” Lacy nods. “With the long hair and all that.”

“He’s also still single,” Casey says. “Never was the type to settle down, was he.” And that’s just a personal attack, though Aimee lets Maddie know to let it slide with a hand on her arm.

“No,”Aimee decides to agree. “That he wasn’t. Military must have done him good anyway, he seems to be settled in whatever he’s doin’ now.” God, if only these people know what Eliot is involved with, she thinks. It’s almost funny in a way and she can imagine the glee Eliot or his companions must be having with all of this.

“I don’t know about that,” Lacy says. “Practically attacked Tyler when he came over to talk.”

“He did?” Maddie asks. “Why weren’t we informed?”

“Oh, it was nothing, Maddie,” Lacy says. “He says it was military instinct, you know how those boys were, always rough-housing. A playful tackle just didn’t land that’s all.”

Maddie hums thoughtfully, but decides not to push, which Aimee is grateful for. It isn’t that she doesn’t appreciate Maddie’s strong sense of self and her boundaries, but Aimee knows a bit more about Eliot right now and she doesn’t like to think about how that confrontation would end.

“Are you enjoying the evening so far anyway?” she asks, hoping to get another topic rolling. Since they see each other regularly, the standard reunion questions aren’t very useful.

“We are,” Lacy tells her. “Like I said, love what you done to the place. It’s very good. Sad Britney couldn't come.”

“Yeah,” Maddie agreed, though Aimee knows that’s a lie. Britney left for college and never looked back, didn’t even pick up the phone when they were calling everyone. Maddie and Britney were very close before she left and Maddie still sees it as a personal betrayal.

“Can’t have everything,” Aimee jumps in. “Eliot was I think enough of a surprise guest, I suppose. Now, I see someone has spilled a few of the drinks, so we have to go. It was nice catching up again.”

“See ya later,” Maddie says as well and both of them make their way out of there. “God, I thought I was gonna be stuck there the entire night,” Maddie sighs.

“I got your back,” Aimee grins. “No manicured hands holding you hostage.”

Maddie tells her she has the spilling incident handled and Aimee takes her word for it, not minding that she isn’t the one who has to clean up.

She spots Katie and though they weren’t close per se, they were close enough for Aimee to go say hi to her. As she comes closer, she spots Hardison leaving and inserts herself using that. “So, what was all that buzz about?”

“Aimee!” Katie greets her. “You will not believe what Hardison just told us.”

She is, of course, familiar with the name, but she repeats: “Hardison?” like it’s a question anyway.

“He’s here with Eliot, talk about a mysterious blast from the past,” Katie says, before saying: “Oh, sorry, I know that you and him-”

“It’s okay, Kate,” she cuts her off before that can begin. She’s not in the mood for that the whole evening that’s for sure. “Just give me the gossip.”

That cheers Katie up and she goes on: “Well, Hardison is Eliot’s business partner, but he’s here with his girlfriend as well and the way they ran into Eliot is crazy. You won’t believe this. So, apparently he was in the area because of a steak house he wanted to check out and the owner tells them to come to a Rodeo and Eliot was one of the people in it. I don’t even know how he ended up there of all places.”

“Yeah,” Carol budded in. “Hardison says he was like some modern day cowboy and they had to go talk to him. Found a business partner in the process. Ain’t that something out of a movie?”

Aimee blinks a few times then nods, nearly unable to stop a laugh. “That sure is one hell of a tale,” she says and she knows that at least Hardison is having as much fun with this as she guessed. She can’t imagine what other buck wild tales she’ll hear tonight.

She stays and talks a bit more. When she leaves, she makes sure that she walks past Hardison, who is now talking to Laura and Rosa, telling them how he and Eliot met at a cooking class in Portland and she shakes her head. How they think they will keep this up the entire night, she doesn’t know, but it isn’t her business either.

Maddie comes up to her at that point and says: “Well, if I ain’t done with cleanin’. You’d think people would’ve gotten more handy over the years, not more clumsy.”

“You’re also still a klutz, Mads,” Aimee tells her.

The comment gets waved away. “Yeah, but at least I ain’t dropping glasses left and right. It almost feels like havin’ clean up duty again. Anyway, you hear anythin’ fun?”

“Nothing much,” Aimee says, deciding it’s better not to point out the wildly contradictory stories about Eliot’s meeting with his plus ones she’s heard. “You?”

“Apparently Eliot freelanced as a singer for a bit, brought out a song and everything,” Maddie tells her. “It’s on YouTube, according to Barry, his stage name was Kenneth Krane and he met Hardison and Parker who were working the sound booth.”

“Oh my god, are you serious?” Aimee isn’t sure she means Eliot or Maddie, but she does decide to look it up later, if only for her own personal amusement.

“I know right, didn’t even know he could sing,” Maddie says. “His life sure did get interesting after gettin’ outta here. Makes me wonder what happened to the military, thought he wanted to do that.”

“Well, looks like he at least served for a while,” Aimee says, nodding to the veterans in the corner that Eliot has now joined. She already knew he made it, since she still has a few letters from when he walked out and she knows what he does and a bit of what he did. You can’t do that without a military background.

“I could still take ‘im,” Maddie tells her.

“I believe you,” Aimee says, only slightly lying. Maddie can be terrifying if she wants to be.

“We could go talk to him,” Maddie tells her. “Catch up a bit, you know, mildly threaten him, that sorta stuff. Think he would appreciate that.”

“You know, Maddie, I don’t think he will,” Aimee says, thinking of how Lacy told them he nearly attacked Tyler over a play tackle. Besides, she’s over him, she has had her closure nine years ago, as well as twenty to get used to it. No need to make a scene about it. He also looks more relaxed now and she doesn’t begrudge him for that, he more than deserves it.

“But I will,” Maddie tells her.

“Mads, I love you, but you need to stop holdin’ on to grudges for me. I told you I got over it. I’m fine and I think it’s only more clean up work if you pick a fight with an ex-military man,” she explains.

Despite her words, Maddie starts to make her way over anyway, but before they can reach them, the group is interrupted by a blonde blur, who suddenly is on Eliot’s back.

Aimee braces for Eliot’s retaliation, but when that doesn’t come, she sees that it’s Parker. A bittersweet feeling washes over her as she realizes how comfortable the two must be after so many years of friendship that he doesn’t react to her as a threat anymore.

When Parker and Eliot start to walk away from their group another movement catches her eyes and she watches how, what she thinks are Jessie and Amanda with their plus ones, move to eaves drop on the conversation. She rolls her eyes, how typical, Eliot sure made himself a sensation.

Still, both Maddie and Aimee are close enough to overhear as well, so with a small look and nod, both listen in as well.

They don’t hear what has been said before, but are in time to hear Eliot comment that he doesn’t complain, only for Parker to counter: “You’re always saying ‘Dammit, Hardison!’”

The light banter that follows leaves Aimee a bit hollow. She often longs for that sort of companionship and though she has the horses, her daddy and even Maddie, it isn’t always the same as that intrinsic knowing of another.

She is snapped out of her thoughts by Eliot asking Colin how he’s doing and she and Maddie share a look. Eliot has gotten polite. Sure, he was quite different last time Aimee saw him, but this feels odd. It’s a mix between a horse putting on a show at the fall competition and genuine interest.

That train of thought is once again interrupted by Hardison saying: “I was just telling them about that time you and Parker almost died on that mountain in 2011,” which causes another look to be shared, this one much different than the last.

The look doesn’t subside with the conversation when Parker replies: Oeh, I remember that. That was fun. We should do that again sometime.”

And Eliot nods: “We could. The most famous would be the Himalaya, but that’s way too touristy and unsafe to attempt untrained, lot of bodies of stupid people. But we could try Aconcagua in the Andes. It’s similar to Mt. Kibari.”

Both sounded insane with how they casually referred to a time they nearly died and acted like they want to do it again. Aimee is uncomfortably reminded of the ways they helped her and whattheir life must be like now.

Luckily they have Hardison as a voice of reason. “No. No, I am notdoing that again. You know how stressful itwas for me when you two disappeared off the map?” And the conversation drifts off to different things.

The other group, which Aimee had almost forgotten about, movesaway and both Maddie and Aimee take that as a sign to start talking to each other as well. “Ya suredon’t hear that everyday,” Maddie starts.

“Yeah, can’t say I do,” Aimee agrees. “Though I think I could do without near death experiences. I like my horses and life enough.”

“Amen, sister,” Maddie grins.

They subtly turn to watch the three talk to the group until they all start to drop off. Maddie suddenly says: “Oh my god, that’s Susie. I barely noticed her there.”

“Susie? You never talked to her,” Aimee replies in confusion.

“No, but one of her kids is in my classes, sweet kid,” Maddie tells her. “I didn’t make the connection ‘till now. I have to go say hi.”

“Yeah, course,” Aimee nods. “See ya in a bit.”

“Will do,” Maddie says before swooping off.

Aimee contemplates taking her chance to talk to Eliot and his friends now that there’s no one. She wants to catch up, maybe poke fun at him for all that she heard as well as tell him how happy she is that he finally settled. But she also feels like she’ll be intruding on something she no longer has a claim on, even if it may be a stupid thought. Before she can make a decision, it is made for her when the group from earlier walks up to say hi.

She can’t help but listen in slightly as Hardison now spins a tale about Eliot being a MMA fighter somewhere, with Parker jumping in without hesitation.

When the two mention concussed Eliot being a chatty Eliot, she can’t help but wonder how true that is and how they found out about that. And when Eliot talks about his injured hand, moodily playinginto the story Hardison and Parker made up, she also imagines how he got that injury in reality.

After that she zones out for a bit. There are a hundred things she should be keeping track off and it’s tiring, so she enjoys the break while it lasts.

Eliot catches her eyes momentarily, before she is distracted by Maddie, who points over to a few friends and cocks her head. Aimee shakes her in turn and sends a thumbs up, she’s fine where she is right now, but Maddie can go ahead.

It’s at that point that she finally comes face to face with Eliot again. She hasn’t been able to go say hi since she left him to struggle on his own for a bit, but she is happy to see him. “Hi, there, El,” she says. “You enjoying it or as horrific as you thought?”

“Definitely horrific,” he answers. “Though more manageable. Everyone seems a lot nicer than I remember them.”

“Maybe because you’re nicer,” Aimee shoots back and he gives her a touche look.

“You organized right?” Hardison says. “Have you been able to enjoy any of your hard workor have you just been running around putting out fires?”

“Oh, no, a few spilled drinks here and there, but catering has been a huge help. Them and the fact that we’re a small town, not many people, even if everyone was here,” she replies. “And I’ve been keeping myself plenty entertained.”

“Yeah?” Eliot says, unassuming, and she grins: “Uh-huh, so far I’ve heard museum in Paris, cowboys, cooking class, country singer and MMA fighter, so what’s the truth? How did y’all meet?”

Eliot’s eyes got big and he exclaims: “What?” as he turns to Hardison and Parker, who both do their best impression of an innocent person. “I’ve been sticking to what we first told John, Steve and Lacy, what the hell have you two been doing? I thought the MMA fighter was just to mess with me, but you did more?”

“I was fun,” Parker defends and Aimee can only watch as Eliot’s features go soft and he gives in with a grumble. The interaction makes her wonder how those two didn’t work out, even if Hardison’s besotted look tells her all she needs to know.

“So what’s the real story?” Aimee asks again.

“Well, we were hired to do a job together, but we got double crossed and nearly blown up,” Eliot tells her. “We got arrested for that and we broke out of custody before deciding to get revenge on the man that hired us. Turns out we work well together, so we formed a team,” he finishes with a shrug.

“That- That is absolutely insane,” Aimee says, not truly processing everything.

“Yeah, that’s kinda the reason we lie,” Eliot nods. “Though the brewpub and food trucks are totally true and completely legit.” He sounds proud of that.

Aimee is still nodding, before saying: “Well, the mountain story was at least a bit entertaining. How did ya come up with that?”

“Oh no, that actually happened,” Hardison replies and Parker adds: “We were looking for a body to steal a book before the Russian guy could.”

“Y’all live weird lives,” she settles on in the end. She isn’t sure she wants to know anymore, this was more than enough,

“We know,” Eliot says, sounding a bit sad, like he wishes she didn’t know.

“I touched a horse recently,” Parker suddenly says, breaking the sullen mood. “It wasn’t as scary as I thought. Are your horses still creepy?”

“They never were,” Aimee laughs, glad the conversation is in more normal territory as she talks to them about the non-crime, more domestic part of their lives.

~~

A/N:

spelling check says Maddie is wrong, but I feel like Aimee is also a strange spelling, so f u spelling check.

Only while writing this chapter did I realize how much Casey and Lacy’s name look like each other, but that happens, right?

Also, I think I accidentally queer-coded Aimee and Maddie a bit, lmao. U know what? They deserve it <3. I now also headcanon Maddie and Britney as secret gfs and Britney left the smothering small town behind her, while Maddie never did. God, the drama (I am too invested in these people, even though they’re not even real)

I also want it on record, by the way, what an absolute nightmare it was to make sure all the movements of every person were correct throughout the chapters. That was much harder than I thought and I deserve a bit of credit for that XP

And I’m having a few issues with the next chapter, the POV and how I wanna go about it, so that might be a bit later than normal, sorry for the inconvenience <3

[alittlebitgoofy]

cause after all this time (i’m still into you) - taywhora

so i finally finished this fic and it came out LONG for me but we got there and i'm very proud of it and happy to get more taywhora out so enjoy this domestic fluff roommates to lovers fic they're a bit dumb <3

thanks to pink-grapefruit-cafe for betaing :) love ya lottie

title from still into you

ao3 link

Before they were living together, A’whora thought Tayce to be flawless. Literally, where were the flaws? It wasn’t that she had any issues, far from it, but she had one vulnerability and she rarely showed it.

She was terrified of bugs. More specifically, spiders but any insect around her and A’whora could see the sense of unease in her eyes.

It took a screaming Tayce bolting into her room to take her eyes off her sewing machine. The noise made her jump, messing up a stitch in the action. Her roommate stared at her, eyes wide with a mix of fear and shock.

“A’whora! I went to get in the shower but there's a spider in there, can you please get rid of it.”

A’whora stared back blankly, shrugging before returning her attention to her work. As much as she wanted to help Tayce at any opportunity, her work held most of her attention at this time of day.

“Don’t ignore me, lass! Please, Aurora.” The pleading tone in her voice caught her off guard. A’whora frowned, she wasn’t keen on bugs but she could throw a shoe at a spider if it pleased Tayce. It helped that she was utterly adorable, nervously staying behind her as they walked to the bathroom to get rid of it.

“Fucking hell! It’s huge.” A’whora recoiled, she’d expected something stupid like a daddy -ong-legs but this spider was around the size of her hand. Staring it down made her feel nervous but the terrified Tayce muttering words of encouragement made her remembered what she was doing this for.

She held the shoe in her hand, whacking the creature with all the pent-up fury she had from years of repressed lesbianism. She hit it repeatedly for good measure, glancing over at Tayce to gauge her reaction before erupting in giggles at the shock on her face.

“Fuck, you look like you need therapy.”

“Don’t we all?”

A’whora glanced back at the mangled corpse of the bug, she cleared it up with some toilet roll to her disgust. Picking pieces of dead spider wasn’t her ideal Thursday afternoon activity but seeing the gratefulness of Tayce’s face made it worth it.

“Oh, you’re such a doll. Thanks ‘Rory you’re a lifesaver.” With the affectionate nickname, Tayce pressed her lips to A’whora’s cheek before heading off to prepare for her shower.

Oh. She enjoyed that a little too much.

---

Tayce was a private person by nature. She was fine with being expressive, it was something she couldn’t control. But she didn’t let people push past her boundaries. It had worked for a long time until A’whora came around and melted everything with a flutter of her lashes.

She’d never admit it, and risk boosting such an ego, but Tayce’s weakness was the rude blonde she lived with. Something about her felt comfortable. She was home, someone Tayce never felt a need to fake things around. If she wasn’t into a conversation or just wanted to be alone, A’whora understood. Sometimes she got lonely, it was something that went unspoken for months. Just the occasional day where Tayce was all over A’whora much to the latters annoyance.

For her part, A’whora never pushed her away. She’d whine a bit about not being able to do her work before returning the attention and trying to keep down a smile when Tayce would lay her head on her shoulder, quietly making her desires known before wrapping her arms around her waist to pull her into a long embrace.

You know. Normal friend stuff.

It happened to be one of those days, Tayce could feel herself going too far into her head. She needed someone next to her to take those thoughts away, but A’whora had been complaining about how busy she was for days. Tayce had barely seen her, and it hurt to think that she would shake her off if she went to find her.

She tried to reassure herself, this was ridiculous. She wasn’t dependent on her roommate. She had a life and friends, but something about being with A’whora soothed her to her core. The internal debate kept on, though her feet decided for her as Tayce realised she was stood outside the door of A’whora’s sewing room

She opened the door to see her roommate hunched over her sewing machine, brows furrowed as she concentrated hard on constructing the outfit. The creek of the door caught her attention, her eyes flying to Tayce stood in the doorway.

“You alright there lass?” A’whora looked the woman in front of her up and down. Something felt different but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Tayce walked over silently, perching her head on A’whora’s shoulder as her arms wrapped around her waist. They sat there, soundlessly embracing without much care for the world. A’whora was vaguely aware of the work in front of her but the warmth that Tayce radiated was intoxicating. She could never fight being held by her arms.

“Is today one of those days where you need attention?” Tayce let out a hum of agreement, not quite able to find the words to describe her feelings. A’whora understood enough, lightly pulling at her wrist and leading them to the couch. Her instinct was to reach for a comfort snack, grabbing the jar they kept of Percy Pigs for things like this.

Though she tried to ignore the growing feelings, she wasn’t against something happening between them.

That was an understatement, her heart stammered when A’whora turned to her with a small smile and shining eyes. The smaller girl had a resting bitch face, her natural state was sourer than most people could handle but Tayce never found her looking like that unless she was annoyed. When they were alone she was a different person, so much more sweet and loving than anyone else could know.

She envied how easily A’whora opened up to her, it took some time but she’d fully let Tayce in within a few months of living together. It’d been almost a year and a half and that was still something the brunette struggled with. She wanted to tell A’whora everything, about the loneliness and the way she felt unfulfilled despite her cool demeanour.

“Rory, can I tell you something?”

“Of course, you can tell me, anything babe.”

“You’re the only person who doesn’t make me feel alone.“ Tayce tried not to show hesitation in speaking her feelings, instead, leaning her head into A’whora’s shoulder. The warmth of her roommate was enough to distract from most things going on in her head. Though she loved the affection, A’whora realised it was a defence mechanism. If she couldn’t see a reaction then she wouldn’t have to deal with it. That was an interesting way to think but she wasn’t really in a position to judge.

“Tayce, if you ever feel alone, I’m here alright? We get each other better than anyone else. I’d never let someone I genuinely love feel like shit if I could help.”

Tayce let out a muffled sigh, moving her head to still lean into the blonde’s shoulder but be able to speak clearly.

“Someone you genuinely love huh?” Despite clearly being meant as a quip, Tayce’s voice was far too fond, dripping with so much affection it made A’whora’s heart swell. She was thankful Tayce couldn’t see her reaction from where her head was, she wouldn't live down the blush that took over her face from the comment.

“I love you too, don’t think too hard about it. I can feel you blushing.” Tayce laughed, poking her in the ribs to a delightful giggle from the smaller girl.

It amused her how they’d occasionally get like this, separate from the world stuck in the bliss of each other and yet not wanting to speak a word of their actual feelings. It was painfully obvious there was something between them. Lawrence loved to comment on the sexual tension but Tayce thought it ran deeper than that. There was so much comfort in their relationship, it didn’t make sense to most people.

From how flustered she got, A’whora had to have some kind of feelings for her. Tayce never wanted to pry, she liked where they were at.

Or she was scared to lose it and didn’t want to risk it on the off chance she read it all wrong.

A’whora saw the thoughtful look on Tayce’s face and wanted nothing more than to kiss it off. The timing felt wrong, another day they may have closed the gap but the emotions were too raw. It felt like she would take advantage of her roommate finally letting her feelings out.

They fell into a comfortable silence after that. It was late by the time A’whora realised Tayce had fallen asleep, arms still tightly holding her. Moving would be cruel, seeing the taller woman so peaceful was rare. She enjoyed the warmth that Tayce always emitted, it always put her in a near euphoric, calm state. It didn’t take her long to fall asleep with her, content to cuddle like this for a long time.

---

Tayce felt groggy, noting where she was situated on the couch with A’whora in her arms before anything else. She realised they must have fallen asleep at some point, cuddled together in something heart-achingly domestic.

She grabbed her phone, realising it was almost 3 am and that her body would kill if she slept the night on a couch that was too small for her. It could just about fit A’whora when she reclined on it but Tayce’s feet always dangled over the edge uncomfortably.

She lightly tapped A’whora, who let out a sleepy murmur before placing her head back onto Tayce’s chest.

“Get up A’whora, we need to go to bed.”

The smaller girl hummed, finally sitting up. The sight of her rubbing her sleepy eyes was enough to make Tayce want to squeal. Maybe it was the tiredness but she just wanted to hold A’whora close to her until the end of time and hear her let out her little sleepy noises and cuddle into her chest.

The blonde stood up, about to walk to her room before Tayce tugged at her hand.

“No, with me.” Her words came out softer than she meant, her voice tender and tired. A’whora just nodded, letting Tayce lead them to her room and nestle into her bed.

The smaller girl poked her leg with a small laugh, eyes lighting up in amusement at the jeans still on her.

“Are you really going to sleep in jeans?” It took Tayce that long to realise she still had denim clung to her legs. The fatigue had gotten to her, brain too fuzzy to process it. Begrudgingly she got up, throwing some pajamas on, glad the darkness masked her body. She threw a shirt and short A’whora, muttering that she should get changed too.

The darkness wasn’t only hiding Tayce, her roommate held the clothes, sleepily blinking at them before she realised what was happening. She felt grateful that the blush on her face wasn’t visible, the feeling of Tayce’s clothes on her made A’whora’s heart tighten. Soft, little domestic moments that her roommate wouldn’t think about in a few minutes. They were what she cherished most.

The brunette made her way back to the bed, pulling the smaller girl into a tight hug before letting her head settle back onto her chest. She was slipping from consciousness but quietly hoped this wouldn’t be the last time something like this happened. She’d like to sleep next to A’whora more often.

The morning came quicker than either would have liked, wanting nothing more than to stay cuddled up but not ready for the implications that came with that. Tayce woke up first, nestling herself back into the warmth of her bed after attempting to move only to find a sleeping A’whora curled into her.

The blonde didn’t wake up as gracefully, she stirred shortly after but bolted up at the realisation of what had happened. Tayce wanted to put her head back down and cuddle more but the blush that erupted on the other woman's face told her all she needed to know.

“I asked you to, don’t start freaking out and apologising. It’s fine.”

A’whora shrugged, hiding her face in Tayce’s shoulder with a slight grumble. She wasn’t ready to deal with the day and gave in to the warmth the brunette provided.

They got up later, not thrilled to separate but knowing they needed to. The previous night left unspoken. Maybe that was better for now.

---

Though she was just as bad, Tayce found it hilarious how long A’whora took to get ready. It wasn’t because she took a long time doing everything. She just faffed around while getting ready and ended up taking an hour longer than she meant to.

The time wasn’t for nothing, A’whora finally came out of her room looking so beautiful it left Tayce speechless. Her outfit was nice, a black blazer and trousers. It wouldn’t be that amazing on anyone else but the way it fit around her curves made Tayce’s heart speed up. She looked hot, blonde hair in its natural wavy state that looked like it would be euphoric to run her hands through.

“Tayce? You’re awfully quiet there.”

“You look ethereal.”

A’whora looked taken aback by how sincere Tayce sounded. She would tell the smaller woman if something was off but seeing her speechless was something new. She must have done a damn good job.

“You don’t look too bad yourself, when aren’t you breathtaking though.”

“Little old me? Breathtaking? You’re too kind, Aurora.” Tayce played coy, batting her lashes with fake innocence as her roommate let out a soft laugh at the act. It was something she’d do all the time, but that never meant A’whora’s heart would stop fluttering every time she did it.

Taking another glance at her as they prepared to leave, Tayce wondered how she was going to get through a dinner with her notoriously teasing friends and A’whora looking like that. She could hear the remark Lawrence would make about their sexual tension, maybe a small comment from Tia about how, for her namesake, A’whora didn’t look like a whore. The usual fun things.

She’d make it through, somehow.

---

“Christ, Bims, I've never seen you so covered up.”

Tayce was greeted by the sight of a modest-looking Bimini sitting with a few of their other friends as she and A’whora made their way to the table. A modest outfit for them was just not having much skin out, though their legs were still out it was something different.

“Tayce, you look like a rich bitch who’s about to go kill her husband and run off with her new girlfriend. Speaking of the new girlfriend, hey A’whora.” Bimini shot back, the table erupting into laughter at the quip. Tayce glanced at the girl next to her, whose eyes had fallen to the floor trying to hide the blush quickly forming on her cheeks.

“Who me? That’s quite a high compliment. Though I wouldn’t trust this bitch to keep a secret like a murder plot when she can barely keep her mouth shut when someone wears something ugly.”

A’whora laughed at the comment, despite being unable to manage a reply. She huffed a bit, lightly jabbing Tayce with her elbow and praying it came across that she just didn’t care for the joke.

“Oh lord, we can’t go out for anything with these two without the sexual tension following them. How’s that been going for you ladies?” Lawrence interjected, getting another round of laughter from their friends.

“I’m just trying to look at this menu, you all are hounds, get your minds out of the gutter.”

“The only sexual tension Lawrence knows is watching Ellie with her Monster can,” A’whora paused, “and being jealous of the monster can.”

Tayce let out a howl of laughter that caught the attention of their table and the other people surrounding them. She didn’t care for the eyes on them. Her attention was on the blonde looking proud at her joke. There was something about the way A’whora would puff out her chest when she made someone laugh like that, she couldn’t take her eyes off her.

Ellie arrived soon after, utterly bewildered by the taken aback look on Lawrence’s face and the giggles coming from the rest of the table.

“What happened here?”

That was a hard question to answer. No one wanted to out Lawrence’s feelings, though there was nothing else to explain it. Bimini just shrugged, saying something about A’whora being surprisingly funny. Tayce didn’t pay them much attention, she felt a hand make its way onto her thigh. A’whora wasn’t looking at her but she could see the small smile creep its way onto her face as a hand came to rest on top of her own.

The night went pretty easy after that, jokes aplenty but no one paying too much attention to the way Tayce kept sneaking glances at A’whora or the way their hands hadn’t moved until they’d gotten their food and found their way back after.

Bimini had given her a curious look at some point, they clearly knew something but left it unspoken. Tayce didn’t know if she could handle another comment about them looking like a couple and the utterly flustered A’whora that would look to her to throw something back.

She’d have to get A’whora better at handling comments when she was flustered. It was cute how she lost the ability to speak if it was particularly bad, but the brunette hated to always be the one to deny things and keep the banter going.

---

Tayce felt light as A’whora leant against her, sat on a bench in the station waiting for the last train to bring them home. They’d both drunk a little too much, sober enough to walk and talk but minds fuzzy with the wine and a light fog of tiredness. The blonde had her head leant on her shoulder, trying to let her brain rest from attempting to stay social while progressively getting more drunk.

The wine did interesting things to her, it didn’t taste as bad as most alcohol though she still didn’t like it. Drinking enough left her floating, consciousness a little fuzzy but still attentive enough to navigate herself home. Her reaction times slowed, Tayce found this very amusing as she took a second to blink and realise she’d been tapped on the shoulder. It was cute to see the cogs whirring in her brain as things happened around her.

Tayce herself wasn’t near sober either. She could hold herself together better than A’whora but a much softer side of her came out with the wine they’d had with their meals. She wasn’t acting on it but seeing the fuzzy state of her roommate made her want to squeeze her into her arms and protect her from the world. A’whora was always cute but the curious glances she gave everything was enough to make anyone love her.

A’whora felt another poke on her shoulder, turning to see a laughing Tayce mimicking her confused expression before laughing harder.

“Bitch!” The smaller girl shoved her lightly, making Tayce fall into the arm of her chair mid laughter.

They progressively got a little more aggressive with their game. It started with Tayce pushing A'whora back, the latter scurrying off to avoid it before lightly shoving Tayce as she stood up to chase after her. Pushes were punctuated by uncontrolled giggles from the pair as they continued.

Tayce saw a chance to win, shoving A’whora into the wall behind them, leaving her pinned to it with Tayce in her face. She realised the implications of this but the pure look in A’whora’s eyes was enough to sway any doubt. She really was adorable.

Though it took a second to realise exactly where Tayce was and how close their faces were, A’whora moved her hand, running it through Tayce’s hair with a loving smile adorning her face. She leant into Tayce’s hand as it cupped her face, lightly inching their faces closer together until she could the warmth of her breath on her face. There was a slight smell of wine on Tayce’s breath but A’whora knew she had the same. It didn’t dissuade her as Tayce closed the gap, pressing their lips together in a kiss that had been a long time coming.

Things moved, they deepened the kiss, ignoring the world around them. The only thing that A’whora saw was Tayce, her beauty effortless and the loving side spilling out of her the longer they stayed that close.

Tayce jolted out of the kiss eventually, leaving a shocked A’whora frozen to her spot. Tayce grumbled something, whipping around to the train behind them and pulling A’whora in before she had time to blink.

The taller woman let out a sigh of relief as they managed to board just before the train left the station. She turned to the blonde to see her still staring at the door of the train, confused about how quickly everything had transpired.

Tayce pulled her to the seats on the train, sliding into the window seat to let A’whora lean on her. It was then she realised her hair had stayed soft and wavy, and finally listened to her heart and started running her hands through it. A giddy feeling built up as the smaller girl leant into it, such a soft smile on her face that Tayce just wanted to kiss her and get her to grin more and more.

So she did.

Tayce took her face up from its resting place on her shoulder to let them have another go at a long kiss without being interrupted by transport. A’whora leant into it, kissing Tayce back with her heart pounding in her chest.

They broke apart for breath, A’whora’s face in a smitten smile. Something in her eyes was the most tender thing Tayce had ever seen and it made her pull the girl into a tight hug.

“You’re so cute,” She mumbled into the top of A’whora’s head as she cuddled into Tayce.

They stayed entangled together until they had to get off, Tayce peppering A’whora with kisses as she smiled giddily and giggled at the rush of compliments Tayce would spout when they broke apart. It was messy and drunk but that made the feeling feel more sincere. It didn’t have to be perfect, to be kissing A’whora was enough for Tayce to feel like she was levitating.

A’whora was too distracted by the warmth of the taller woman to realise when they pulled into their stop. It took a light tug at her hand for them to get off, though A’whora wrapped her fingers around Tayce’s hand, refusing to let it go. They stayed hand in hand for the short walk home, the blonde was surprised she was walking fine but the cold evening air started to sober her enough to walk straight and navigate with Tayce rather than being pulled along.

Getting in was another matter, the door opened fine but the minute she walked through the door Tayce felt A’whora’s hand leave hers. She wanted to go tug on her hand once more, cuddling into each other in the warmth of her bed but something left her rooted to the floor, staring helplessly as her roommate walked into her room.

Or she would have, had she not noticed Tayce still stood in the doorway staring at her.

“Tayce? You just gonna stand there? At least make sure you take your makeup off.”

The sudden words made her jolt up, realising she was still fully dressed with a full face of makeup planning to faceplant into her bed. A’whora took the initiative to take the lead for once, leading the taller girl by hand into their bathroom and handing her some makeup wipes before getting to work on her face.

It proved to be a difficult task, Tayce leaning over to kiss her as she took it off and getting her lipstick on her cheek every time.

“Tayce! If you want to kiss me at least take your lipstick off first.”

“Oh so if I take it off I can kiss you as much as I want?”

“Yes just stop leaving lipstick on my face.”

Tayce turned to her with a sly grin, pressing her lips to her cheek once more but making sure to make a mess of it, placing softer kisses across her face with a giggle. The annoyance A’whora felt subsided with the quiet laughter that bubbled out of Tayce. She couldn’t be mad at anyone that cute.

Thankfully the brunette began to take off her makeup, focusing on that rather than pestering her roommate. It didn’t take long for the tables to turn, as A’whora turned to her after finishing with an unreadable expression.

“You’re so pretty. You’re so fucking pretty.” Her words sounded completely smitten, something Tayce was sober enough to notice but nowhere near brave enough to address.

“You think so? Like this? I wouldn’t call sitting in the bathroom tipsy with no makeup on my best moment” Tayce let out a soft hum, she felt pretty all of the time but of all the times to comment on it why now? Why while they were still tipsy and with her freshly taken off makeup, she didn’t feel particularly pretty, but the look in A’whora’s eyes said everything she needed to know.

“Yeah, I like your freckles,” A’whora said quietly, moving to place a soft kiss on Tayce’s cheek before making a daring dart for her lips.

It was different from before, they were both sober enough to know exactly what they were doing but neither wanted to stop it. Tayce wrapped her arms around A’whora’s shoulders to steady them as they deepened the kiss.

When they parted, A’whora let out a soft yawn, reminding Tayce of the time, and the fact they were both tired from everything. She picked up the smaller woman, carrying her over to her bed, throwing some pajamas at her, and cuddling into her when they both were changed out of their smart clothes.

Lying there with A’whora curled into her side was when she realised something. She’d avoided her feelings for this long, not reading into things. But being here with her felt so right. All the kisses and little compliments they’d thrown at each other over the night making them both feel warm and fuzzy inside.

She wanted this, to fall asleep next to the blonde and wake up to her, groggy with sleep and not wanting to get up just yet. She wanted them to stay in bed, cuddle up and maybe doze off and sleep more if the day allowed it.

She wanted A’whora. That was all Tayce needed.

The smaller girl hadn’t spoken a word since they cuddled up together, her breathing was quiet and rhythmic, she looked to be sleeping, so Tayce didn’t mind speaking her thoughts.

“I love you.”

A’whora didn’t respond at first, continuing to stay put in her spot in Tayce’s arm before she got a muffled reply.

“I love you too.”

---

Tayce felt her heart flutter at the sight before her when she awoke. A’whora was cuddled into her side, head laid on her chest with an arm flung over her stomach. Her leg followed suit, flopped over Tayce’s, locking her into a close position that she didn’t have the heart to disturb.

She wanted to soak in the warmth of the person cuddled with her but the sharp headache became more obvious the more she sat there. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to get pretty drunk on wine but it ended well enough. Her memories were fuzzy but she could make sense of it all. They’d kissed. A lot. Tayce wished she could feel the sensation sober but that carried too many implications for her hungover brain to handle.

There was one downside to sleeping next to A’whora, she was a light sleeper. Tayce knew the minute she tried to get up no matter how careful she was, the smaller woman would groan about it being too early and proceed to notice what had happened. She couldn’t find it in herself to deal with that right then and there but the throbbing in her head demanded her attention anyway.

Sliding her way out of A’whora’s grasp hurt. She wanted nothing more than to pull her in further, pepper her with soft kisses to wake her up, and stare at her adorable sleepy face.

Somehow Tayce had avoided waking her up, maybe the alcohol had taken a toll on her too. Whatever happened she’d complain about it soon enough, it would be for her own benefit if Tayce grabbed her a bottle of water with the painkillers she was getting.

A’whora started to wake up with Tayce out of the room. She felt like something was missing. Someone. Her tired mind couldn’t quite figure it out but the sound of someone walking into the room was enough to satisfy her, grabbing for the person as she sat on the bed.

“You’re so fucking cute,” Tayce murmured as A’whora leant over to go back to cuddling into her. She assumed the smaller girl was still asleep but the way she nuzzled into her chest and let out a muffled yawn.

“Rory?” Tayce felt her heart start to race. She was awake, she’d heard Tayce calling her cute and was making the conscious decision to stay cuddled into her.

Looks like she’d have to deal with this, no matter how prepared she was.

A’whora let out a hum of acknowledgement that Tayce felt vibrate into her chest. Her position was going to make any attempts at conversation a lot harder.

“Tayce? Cuddle me.” Finally letting out some words, the blonde curled up closer to her. Tayce felt her heart skip a beat as it came out as a muffled whine. Not a question, not the demand she might have meant it as, a quiet question that pulled at her heart that was followed with a sleepy sigh that melted it.

“I will, but you need to take these pain killers for me, this hangover will kill you when you wake up properly.”

Tayce laughed at the face A’whora pulled as she begrudgingly moved from her position to take them. She grumbled something incoherent before looking at Tayce with an unreadable expression in her eyes.

She leant over, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek before going back to her place on Tayce’s chest.

A’whora kissed her like it was nothing. Was it something? Was Tayce overthinking it? Absolutely, but that wasn’t the point.

A’whora kissed her. Her roommate. The adorable little blonde was cuddled into her, having kissed her cheek like they were dating. It was too perfect, so domestic it was all she ever needed.

It only took a few more minutes for a soft grunt to come from her chest. A slight pout formed on A’whora’s lips and she muttered about a headache and lifted herself from the comfort of Tayce’s chest.

“Hey, Tayce?”

The brunette turned her attention at the call of her name, staring at A’whora who sat there silently. She stared back for some time before doing something a lot more daring than Tayce ever thought her capable of.

She kissed her again, this time on the lips. Tayce deepened it, one arm falling around A’whora’s waist while the other fell through her soft hair, keeping her close.

Her theory was right. Sober kisses were just as incredible as the drunk ones. The perk was that she’d remember this one.

“Good to know you like that, helpful information.” A’whora giggled, she delighted in the way Tayce’s eyes widened as she pressed another light kiss to her cheek. Her head felt fuzzy, whether that was from the hangover, the tiredness, or Tayce she couldn’t quite tell.

“You hound, You’re going to be chasing me for kisses every hour of every day now I just know it.” Tayce felt lightheaded at the affections. Something about the ease of it all made her stomach go fluttery with feelings she wouldn’t be too quick to disclose.

“That’s your fault for being so kissable. Not my fault.”

The cheek of her roommate was amusing, the brunette held back a snicker. She wanted to laugh it off, the flirting was fairly common between them. The kisses threw her. She just wanted to take a second, process everything that was happening before continuing but a certain blonde loved to keep her on her toes.

“You’re so dumb.”

Tayce could hear the tenderness in her tone, painfully loving and sappy. It would disgust her if she saw it in anyone else, that level of lovey was not something she wanted to hear. But it was A’whora. The little idiot who could brighten her day with a smile, the one who she bounced off of better than anyone. The person she would trust with her life. She couldn’t stop the way her heart pounded at the littlest affections between them.

So why should she?

“Cool it, lass, I know you love me.”

“Maybe so, wouldn’t you like that”

“Yeah. I'd like that a lot actually.”

“Aurora…” Tayce melted at the hopeful eyes staring at her. They broke through any walls she had left. She couldn’t find the words. She loved A’whora but saying it was something else entirely. So she showed it, pulling her in for a longer kiss.

A’whora felt all her feelings without the need for words. It was told through actions, the way Tayce’s hand ran through her hair, before circling to her jaw to stroke it softly, angling her into a deeper kiss. Her love was in the way their foreheads stayed pressed together as they fell apart. The shine in her eyes as her face lit up in an unconscious smile.

The way she let go, letting her love flow into everything and not trying to hide it.

“I love you too, Tayce.”

That was it, those were the words she’d wanted to hear for so long. It was a wave of warmth and euphoria that she never wanted to stop feeling.

“Come on, I love sitting here with you but I'm hungry and I think it’s time for beans on toast.”

Tayce finally moved, hanging her legs over the edge of the bed. If she didn’t attempt to move now they never would. Though she would come back later to cuddle up with A’whora for as long as she could, eating was important too.

“You’re insatiable! It’s always beans on toast with you.”

“If you act like that you won’t be getting any.”

With that, Tayce stood up and started walking to the kitchen only to be stopped by a sudden weight leant onto her back. A’whora laid her head on her shoulder with a content sigh.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

The quick response surprised both of them. Tayce hadn’t expected it to come out so soon, it would still be time until she could say it with the ease A’whora did, but that was fine.

A’whora loved her, that was all she ever needed.

[barbasbodaciousbeard]

If You Love Someone, Let Them Go: Part 3

Summary: Since starting with SVU, Sonny hadn’t kept much terribly close to the chest. The squad knew about his family, growing up on Staten Island, the classes at Fordam. What was hidden was why he didn’t date. Sonny Carisi was also separated from his childhood sweetheart, a separation neither ever took to divorce. They had the same haunts. They’d grown up neighbors. Their paths crossed every few months, and divorce talks would turn into reminiscing would turn into a night spent together, sometimes sex sometimes just talking until the early morning. It always ended with one of them waking up alone however. How will that change when the squad finds out?

Pairings: Sonny Carisi x Original Character,

A/N: The babies. I’ve outlined like eight chapters at least, so I think this thing’s just going to go until I run out of steam. So here’s a third part already. 

Part 1 - Part 2

March 2014

“You sure you’ll be okay?” Teresa asked him for the hundredth time since he’d gotten to the church. He was just trying to tie his tie in peace, but there she was over his shoulder, just enough mimosas in her system to older sister him. 

“I can see Victoria. It’s Gina’s weddin’, T. I’m not an asshole. She’s a bridesmaid. I missed rehearsal, but apparently you paired us off to walk down the aisle. Real sensitive, by the way.”

“Don’t like cry or anything either. Or if you do, cry in the bathroom. And leave her alone during the reception. We’ve all been drinking already.”

“I can tell. Honestly, she’ll hate me if anything happens, okay? Last time I saw her I left in the morning.”

“Dominick Anthony Carisi, what the fuck did you just tell me?”

“I saw her in November. We talked. I went home with her. I realized I fundamentally fucked up and she needs better, so I panicked and took a cab home at three in the morning.”

“You mean to say you had the opportunity to make things better with Tori four months ago? And instead you royally fucked up again, and you still think you have the right to mope?”

“I don’t mope.”

“I was at Christmas. You twisted your ring on your finger for like twelve hours and cried in the bathroom when her favorite carol played. Either way, I’m checking in with her. You stay the fuck away from her, Sonny, unless you’re going to get your head out of your ass.”

“Don’t tell me what to do! We been married almost eight years!”

“You haven’t seen her but once since August. Don’t act like this is a perfect relationship. There’s not really one any more.” Just like that, Sonny was left with the groomsmen as Teresa pulled Victoria out of the bridal suite. He bounced on the balls of his feet now as he gelled his hair, not prepared to step out for pictures and actually see her again.

“You slept with Dom?” Teresa bit out, sparing no time.

“Several times?” she joked before sighing and crossing her arms as she realized that no one was going to drop it. “In November. He left. It’s fine. Proved me right.”

“I told him to leave you alone after the ceremony. I didn’t know or I wouldn’t have paired you off to walk together.”

“All the bridesmaids and groomsmen are married to or dating each other, Teresa. We can handle it. It’s what? Three minutes of walking. And who knows. Maybe I want to hang out with him.”

“And you tear up every time we’ve mentioned him the last year.”

“I can behave, okay? I put my marriage in a box and tucked it away for the day. I’ll step out if I gotta cry, but really I had enough mimosas, I can pretend everything is fine but not enough to cry or nothing.”

“Okay. I’m sorry he’s a dumbass.”

“I shouldn’t of taken him home any way. We’ll be fine. Stop being dramatic.” 

As if to prove Victoria’s point, Teresa rolled her eyes, following her back into the bridal suite. The general consensus in the family was that both of them needed to get their head out of their ass and tell each other what was happening, but neither was willing to. She didn’t know they’d already taken a chance to talk it out and ruined it. When it was time to take pictures, none of the sisters missed the way Sonny and Victoria refused to look at each other while waiting their turns. It seemed the toes of their shoes were far more interesting. 

Teresa also noticed both of them were wearing their rings, and for once, Victoria had both the band and engagement ring on, the first time since she’d left. All of his sisters had kept in touch with her, accepting the fact they needed to stop meddling for a while. No one was maid of honor or best man. Instead, all of the siblings and their partners made up the party. That meant Gianna Carisi had insisted each groomsmen and bridesmaid couple get pictures, and she refused to have a separation keep her from having pictures of Sonny and Victoria, even if she was furious at Victoria for hurting her son. 

“Our turn, Tor,” Sonny said, trying to lighten the mood. It was a delicate balance, knowing his sisters and mother were watching them so closely. 

“Pull her to you,” the photographer encouraged. “I hear you’ve been together a decade!” Suddenly, Victoria wanted the ground to swallow her up, and she wanted to know which Carisi had been talking like their relationship was doing well. Still, she followed Sonny’s lead when he took her hand and pulled her against him. His hand came to rest on the small of her back and her hand rested on his ribs, as natural as it had always been. Almost like they hadn’t been living separate lives for seven months. They smiled for the camera, and when Victoria dared to look up at him, she couldn’t help but give a genuine smile at being so close to him again. She was soon rewarded with his dimpled grin, and before her brain could stop her, she brushed the strand of his hair that had escaped the gel back into place.

“Thanks, doll,” he smiled softly, hating the moment they pulled away. It was time for Bella and Tommy, who was freshly paroled and fidgeting nervously. It felt safe to look at Victoria now, and he took her in, thankful for the dress his sister had picked for her. It was a deep green, with a sweetheart neck like her wedding dress had all those years ago. The bodice was pleated before it flowed down, and little sheer straps fell off her shoulder, fluttering around her bicep. She looked ethereal, and he loved the color on her fair skin with her red hair pinned up at the nape of her neck. She caught him staring, and he felt his cheeks flush. Their previous conversation didn’t bring either of them closure, but it got the painful stuff out of the way. He knew why she left. She felt like he’d proven her right. Maybe they could just enjoy the wedding, but together.

“You scrub up real nice, Sonny,” she said, moving to lean on the wall beside him.

“Apparently it was an elaborate ruse for ma to get pictures of us dressed up.”

“Now we got a picture like we’re married.”

“We still are.”

“We need to figure that out soon.”

“How about we just have fun today? Or are you gonna make me hang out with Tommy all day and all night?”

“Divorce talk tomorrow?”

“Deal,” he said, extending a hand that she shook gladly. The thought crossed his mind that the champagne the bridesmaids had been drinking and beers the groomsmen had may be what was taking the edge off now that they’d proven they wouldn’t break if they touched. That was what had worried him the most. He was afraid any touch would break the wall holding back the emotions of the past year. That it would set her off and he’d make her cry again. Instead, she could take his arm easily to walk down the aisle. It just made him remember their own wedding, and while neither would acknowledge it, they still loved each other. It was apparently easy to forget a separation and months of no communication when he thought about her walking to him down the aisle of the same church he’d attended growing up and his sister was now getting married in.

“I’m jealous you get flats.”  Her head came to rest on his shoulder, and he felt a contentedness he’d not felt in a long time return.

“You’re so much taller though,” he joked, pressing a kiss to her hair. 

“True. I can reach your shoulder.” She wanted to say they shouldn’t get so affectionate, but it felt like before he got distant. They were on a team, sectioned off from everyone else. 

“Normally, you’re right under my armpit. Bet this smells better.”

“Your armpit just smells like Old Spice.”

“Good to know it works. Just get through the ceremony. Kick off your shoes at the reception. Just like prom.”

“Promise to cover me? You know Ma will be after me to put them back on.”

“She’s so happy we’re being friendly that she won’t care.”

“Is it weird for you that they’re all trying to play therapist?”

“They know how much I miss you.”

“I miss you too.” Sonny beamed when she threw her arms around his torso.

“You ain’t drunk, are you Tor?”

“Two glasses of champagne. Relaxed, but sober. You?”

“Couple beers. In the same boat.” The last pictures were finished, and everyone was herded to the back of the church and pairing off. Sonny looked down at her with a smile, offering his arm happily. Victoria’s hand came to rest on his forearm, and she grinned up at him.

“You look too damn good in a tux.”

“I could say the same about you in that dress.”

“If all it was going to see you two happy again was for Gina to get married sooner, I’d have made her months ago,” Bella huffed, poking her brother’s back. 

“I’d have done it!” Gina laughed.

“They’ll be weird again next week,” Teresa said, and her husband squeezed her arm. The groom’s brother and his wife shared a look that told him they were still trying to figure out the best way to handle the Carisis, and it was also apparent they hadn’t thought that both Victoria and Sonny would show up and get along.

“Shut up, all of ya,” Sonny said, his free hand resting where Victoria’s sat on his forearm. “We’re walking soon.” Victoria gave him a grateful smile, and soon enough, they were making their way to their spots. They stole glances throughout the ceremony. They were thirteen and fifteen when Teresa got married, meaning their last memory of both being in front of a church like this was their own wedding ceremony, the one his mom helped them plan for their first wedding anniversary. Sonny just kept seeing her in that perfect dress, walking to him in the church they’d always gone to together. 

Where religion was not an important part of Victoria’s life, she believed in God, but not like Sonny did. She thought God was real, but uninvolved because she couldn’t reconcile him with the bad in the world. Sonny was devout and had reconciled his belief in an involved God with what he saw in his work. If there was one thing he was certain of, and had been since the first time he kissed her, it was that God had put him on this Earth for her and her on this Earth for him. Maybe that was why he couldn’t consider a divorce. It felt like a lie. When he talked to her tomorrow, he’d tell her the truth. Tell her how he shut down processing the homicides. Communicate. He took her arm again gladly as they walked down the aisle.

“Feels familiar, huh?” he teased. Every member of the Carisi family had gotten married here, their own church ceremony included. She nudged him playfully with her shoulder, grinning. 

“Long time ago. You got even hotter. Not fair.”

“I could say the same about you.” He waggled his brows, and she laughed, something little he’d missed a lot. She could imagine coming home to him again. Imagine him coming home to her. He was relaxed, laughing and joking like he hadn’t since things were good. Tightness came to her chest as she wondered if it was because she was gone he was doing better. She pushed the thought away, refusing to consider the possibility. Maybe he was happy because she was here. Gina had told them all to sit wherever they wanted at the tables designated for the bridal party, so Sonny settled close beside Victoria, arm slung easily around her shoulders. 

“The best part about no best man or maid of honor?” he murmured, leaning against her. “No speeches. Drinks, dances, garter, bouquet, party.”

“This party? Not ready for Dominick Carisi’s moves.”

“Please, Victoria Carisi? The true talent.” He squeezed her shoulders, kissing her temple. “Can I get you a drink?”

“That’d be amazing.”

“You goin’ gin and tonic or pinot?”

“Pinot.”

“You got it, tesoro.” Now it was really like she had Sonny back. He hadn’t called her by the pet name in years, but he’d insisted it was because she was his treasure to come home to. It always made her blush, and today wasn’t any different. She could see the way his mom was looking at her, lifting a brow. Not sure what else to do, she gave a wave, and Gianna shook her head. His sisters weren’t angry at her. They saw it as just a really prolonged fight. His mom, on the other hand, was furious she’d leave him and even more furious she was dragging it out.

“Ignore her,” Sonny said, sliding a glass of wine in front of her. “She got hysterical me. The girls didn’t.”

“Hysterical?” she asked softly.

“I couldn’t figure out how to function. Bella sent ma instead of coming herself.”

“I should’ve told you in person. I’m sorry.”

“It’s in the past. We’ll figure things out tomorrow.” She cupped his cheek, smiling softly. There were too many good times, she decided. She’d tell him she didn’t want a divorce tomorrow. Maybe she’d beg him to move back in together. His hand went to rest on hers, and he held it in place, turning his head to press a gentle kiss to her wrist before he laced their fingers. Their hands rested on his lap, Gina and her new husband giving a little speech before the DJ announced the father daughter dance. 

“Are you crying already?” she teased. 

“Shut up. You know how I get at weddings.” The hand he wasn’t holding settled on his bicep as she put her head on his shoulder. They watched each dance and as Tommy and Bella joined the other unmarried couples to catch the bouquet and garter. By the time dancing started, their drinks were empty. 

“You wanna join me on the dance floor or at the buffet first, Mrs. Carisi?” He was probably taking advantage of the levity to feel like they’d never been apart, but he was going to indulge as long as he could. 

“Buffet, please.”

“Good choice. Fuel up before we show ‘em how it’s done.” They loaded up plates, settling in at the table and eating happily. He caught her up on the extended family, what she’d been doing, what he’d been doing. They hadn’t really done that last time. That had been all raw emotion and desperation for affection. This felt like they’d never been apart. There was affection, sure, but it was the same grounding touch they’d always had. 

“You hear that?” he smiled, taking her hand and pulling her towards the dance floor. Her eyes widened as she laughed, arms looping around his neck as his arms settled low around her waist. 

“It’s our first dance song,” she giggled, as they swayed off beat.

“You're my sunshine and I want you to know that my feelings are true. I really love you,” he sang off key as she joined in. They could hear his sisters laughing. They still didn’t know how to dance to Queen together, but they’d been very pleased with their song choice, something that seemed to hold true.

She was giddy, a combination of the wine and normality washing over her. He spun her, pulling her close again and peppering kisses to her hair as she flung her arms around him neck. She’d left her shoes at the table before they even got food, and since he’d been wrong about how glad his mom would be to see them together, Sonny chased her off when she tried to fuss at Victoria for being barefoot, but not at any of his sisters. When the songs were the fast kind everyone danced to together, she leaned her back against him and his hands stayed on his hips. When the songs turned slow, he’d pull her against him, singing softly against her ear. 

“You goin’ back to the city?” Sonny asked as the guests filtered out.

“Yeah. I’ll be calling an uber.”

“Listen, I got a hotel room. There’s too many Carisi’s at ma’s.”

“You propositioning me, Sonny?” she teased, arm still wrapped around his waist.

“I wouldn’t turn ya down, but there’s two beds. Was sharing it with Leo, but he went home with one of the groom’s cousins. Otherwise, I’d be sleeping on your couch because you ain’t driving home or Ubering alone.”

“I’d like that,” she smiled softly, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “I’ll pack up my bag and come back. I’m sure you gotta gather your stuff.”

“Deal.” He watched her go, knowing all he had was a duffel bag he’d barely bothered to unpack. She probably had a little rolling suitcase, complete with a change of clothes on top of whatever she’d worn here and the matching oversized shirts the girls all wore. 

“You gotta shit or get off the pot, Dom,” Bella said, stepping beside him with her arms crossed.

“Excuse me?”

“She’s still in love with you. You’re in love with her. Get back together or get divorced. This isn’t healthy.”

“I can’t be what she needs anymore.”

“I think tonight shows that you can. You just won’t.”

“Leave it, Bella,” he bit out. “Let me have tonight. She might leave before I wake up. Or want a divorce. Or I might not be able to tell her how I feel and make it all worse.”

“We just hate watching both of you like this.”

“She was made for me, Bella. I’m not giving her up. But if being separated and staying married is the best I get, I’m keeping it.”

“Whatever you say, Dominick,” she said, squeezing his shoulder. “It was just good to see you both happy today.” He saw Victoria coming back, leaving his sister to take the little rolling bag she had, proud to still be able to predict something she’d do. She had changed into leggings and the Fordham Law sweatshirt she’d taken when he’d first started. She took it with her, and he was proud to know that sometimes she was still walking around in his clothes. 

“Ready?” she asked, and he nodded, hand on her back as he guided her to his car. Once he loaded the bags, he opened her door, smiling as she settled in with a yawn. 

“You’re gonna be asleep before we get to the room.”

“I’m tired,” she whined. “We got here early.”

“I’ll get ya tucked in soon, Tor.” When they got there, she was out. The bags were in the trunk, so he scooped her up carefully, kicking the car closed. With some maneuvering, he opened the door to the hotel room before laying her down. He locked the door before running downstairs to get the bags and coming back. She’d wiggled her way out of her leggings and bra, settling herself under the blanket. He couldn’t help but laugh, locking the hotel door and hanging up his suit and her dress as he pulled on sweatpants. He went to the other bad, hearing a quiet protest.

“Here,” she whined, holding her arms out towards him. 

“You sure, doll?”

“Sure. Come hold me.” He obliged happily, climbing into the bed beside her. When she put her head on his chest, he smoothed her hair. The next morning would be hard, he knew. He wanted her home, but he had to tell her about how the homicides impacted him. That would be the hard part. That burden was one he didn’t want to share. He watched her sleep until he drifted off. The sun coming through the window was what woke him up, and he was ecstatic to feel the weight of Victoria still slung over his torso. She stretched as he let out a yawn, smiling up at him.

“Morning,” she whispered, smiling the sleepy smile he missed. Now he realized what she meant. He hadn’t seen that sleepy smile but a handful of times in the months before she left. 

“Morning,” he murmured, rubbing her back. He wanted to say he was scared she’d be gone, but he’d been the one to run last time. If she had, it would have been fair. 

“Breakfast before serious talk?”

“Place has room service. That okay?”

“Yeah. I’m comfy.”

“Me too.” The arm that wasn’t wrapped around her reached for the menu, showing it to her. Once they’d picked, he ordered, absentmindedly twirling her hair around his finger. She put on some movie, and he watched her face as she paid attention. 

“You’re starin’, Dom,” she teased softly, looking over at him. 

“You’re beautiful. Can’t help myself.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, doll.” She stared for a minute before leaning forward and kissing him sweetly. His heart was pounding like it did when he was seventeen and asked her to homecoming as his hands glided over her sides. Her fingers curled into his hair and a soft groan escaped him. Almost a year. It had been almost a year since they were content and lazy, kissing in bed without the plan being sex and sleep or without the desperation of the night in November. She granted him access to her mouth, and a soft gasp escaped her. He pulled back, nipping her lip lightly. Someone knocked at the door, and a disgruntled sound escaped her. He chuckled airily. 

“I’ll get the food,” he said, reluctantly detangling himself from her. Trying to walk backwards to watch her, he nearly tripped, so he opened the door, took the food and quickly scribbled a signature before hurrying back to her. 

“You’re hot when you’re flustered.” He kissed her, cheeks pink. 

“You’re just hot. Here’s your french toast.”

“Damn, that’s even hotter.” He rolled his eyes, propping himself up against the headboard as he dug into his eggs. She settled beside him, eating happily as her head came to rest on his shoulder. It was companionable silence until the food and coffee was gone, then the weight of what they needed to talk about settled. 

“What do you want to happen?” she asked softly, twisting her rings around her finger.

“My wife back,” he said simply. 

“It’s not that simple and you know it.”

“I do. But I don’t want a divorce, Tor.”

“I know. I don’t either.”

“Are you ready to tell me?”

“Tell you what?” He wanted to kick himself as soon as the words came out. He’d spent the night before thinking about what he needed to share and what could help.  When the time came though, his defenses took over. Telling her what he’d seen, how it impacted him, made him feel weak. Like he couldn’t protect her from the horrors of what he had to see. 

“That’s my answer I guess,” she said, and he could tell she was fighting tears as she got back into her leggings and grabbed her phone and bag.

“Tor, don’t go. We can talk more about this. We had a good night, didn’t we?”

“We did, Sonny, but I can’t not know why you acted like that and come home. How the hell am I supposed to trust that you won’t revert back to being absent?”

“Because it’s different now.”

“Why?”

“I’m not ready.”

“I don’t expect every detail, Sonny, but I can’t not know what’s happening in your head. Especially when it makes you act like you don’t want to be home. Like you don’t want me.”

“I want you, Victoria. More than anything.” His hand scrubbed over his face as he watched her go. Maybe this was worse than if she’d left during the night.

“Then call me when you’re ready to actually communicate, Dominick. I love you, but I can’t live like that.”

[maybeimamuppet]

the second first date

this week on ezzy can’t title: this. quick tw for brief discussion of self harm and a mentioned suicide attempt, but this is 99.9999% cute fluff.

-

Cady had a tendency to talk in her sleep, as Janis had learned during several sleepovers. Most of the time it didn't make sense to Janis (or Cady the next morning) but wasn't particularly concerning. Things like:

"Janis. I hate oranges." Good to know. Or, "Janis, the birds are back." Mildly alarming, but they she didn't seem bothered by them. Or, "Janis, why do we have eyebrows?" A valid question.

Occasionally it was cute little things, like:

"Janis, you're my favorite." Janis had to fight to contain a squeal. Or, "You're so pretty." Janis just blushed violently and continued listening. Or, "I need more snuggles." Obviously, Janis pulled her closer and kissed her forehead.

And every once in a while it was something particularly ominous that kept Janis lying awake after, like:

"When did I die?" Huh? Past tense? Or, "How does it know?" How does what know? Or, "Don't mess with me, I know lions." A genuine threat, thankfully not aimed at Janis (she hopes).

Which is why Janis is more than a little concerned when Cady suddenly sits bolt upright in the middle of the night, Janis bracing herself for whatever strange things will come out of Cady's sleep addled mind next. But then Cady turns to her, and she's awake.

"I never got to take you on a surprise date. Our first date was your turn, I never got my turn," She says blearily, eyes full of genuine concern.

"Shh, baby. You can start planning your surprise date in the morning. Go back to sleep, it's late, Princess," Janis croons, pulling Cady back into her embrace.

"Mmkay," Cady hums, seeming content with that as she tucks herself into Janis' neck and falls back asleep almost immediately.

-

When Janis wakes up the next morning, Cady is already at her desk, scribbling away in a notebook. "Why are you all the way over there?" Janis whines sleepily, reaching for her.

"Because you pushed me out of bed and stole all the blankets, you loon. I figured I might as well get started planning," Cady giggles, coming back over for their morning cuddles.

"What do you have so far?" Janis asks, her voice still rough with sleep.

"The whole point is that it's a surprise, Jay. You'll find out when it happens," Cady answers, pulling Janis into her lap.

"Fine," Janis grumbles. She likes knowing things. "When is it happening?"

"Saturday?"

Janis checks her calendar on her phone, sometimes her mom makes her watch her sister on Saturdays. "Works for me, baby," She answers when nothing appears.

"Good," Cady answers. She's has about a week to prepare now, which she needs. She only came up with half an idea.

-

One Janis goes home, Cady immediately pulls out her phone and sends a text to her group chat with the former Plastics.

africabytoto: Guys, I'm taking Janis on a date Saturday and I only came up with an idea for part of it, can you help me????

Gretchen, as always, answers first.

fetchen: You could just take her to dinner or something?? That's always nice

It does sound nice, but not quite right. Janis' ideas were both perfect, Cady wants to do even better for her.

ofmiceandkaren: Gretch took me to a bookstor on our first date!! I picked a storie and she red it to me by the pond! 📷‍📷️‍📷‍📷📷📷📷📷

africabytoto: Aww, that's so cute! Nice name btw

ofmiceandkaren: thanks !! I picked Of Mice and Men but spoylers, ❌📷 it is not even about mice. Gretchie sayd I shuld make it my name anyway 📷📷

That idea is much more Janis, she loves to read, but it still doesn't feel quite right. Maybe they'd do it on another date. Ironically, Regina comes up with the best idea.

bowdownbitches: the fair just opened for the year, you could take her there. Janis loves roller coasters and stuff. or she used to, anyway.

africabytoto: Gina that's perfect!!!! Thanks guys, I'll see you at lunch tomorrow 📷📷

Cady's only seen fairs in movies and has always wanted to go to one, so it's a slightly selfish endeavor, but she does remember hearing Janis rave about them.

——-

When Saturday finally rolls around, Janis is slightly panicked. Cady only told her to wear good walking shoes and dress "decent but not fancy", as if Janis had any idea what that meant. Damian was out of town for the weekend, so she can't ask him to dress her like she normally does.

Then she remembers that she has a baby sister who is actually very good with fashion for her age, so she goes to the top of the stairs to call for her.

"Juju!"

"What?"

"Can you come pick my outfit for my date tonight?"

And suddenly her sister is barreling up the stairs top speed, nearly plowing her down. Apparently she's excited. Janis leads her to her bedroom, opening her closet and dresser drawers for Juliana to dig through.

"Gimme your phone," Julie says once she enters.

"Why?" Janis asks suspiciously, but unlocking and handing it over anyway.

"So I can ask Cady where she's taking you, duh," Julie answers.

Julie taps into her messages, scowling a little at the Cady Girl 📷📷 contact name. Gross.

Jellybean: hey it's julie, janny asked me to pick out her clothes, can u tell me where ur taking her?? i'll delete the messages so she doesn't see

Caddy Cakes: Haha I believe it, but prove it's really you first. Janis is sneaky like that.

Juliana snaps a selfie of herself making a peace sign, showing Janis laying face down on her bed in the background.

Jellybean: Sent a picture: crisis mode Janis feat. me

Caddy Cakes: Aww poor thing D:

Caddy Cakes: I'm taking her to that pottery painting place and then to the fair.

Jellybean: god you two are so sappy. thanks, cady

Caddy Cakes: Not a problem, just make sure to delete these!! Love ya kiddo 📷️

Though she's loathe to admit it, that does get a grin out of her as she deletes the messages and passes the phone back to her sister.

Juliana goes to root through the drawers first, pulling out Janis' favorite swirly tights and a white long sleeved shirt with black roses painted onto it. She lays them on the bed and goes to the closet next, pulling out a plain black skirt, Janis' doc martens, and one of her painted denim jackets.

"Go put this on and then I'll do your hair and stuff," Julie demands, shoving the pile at her sister.

"Yes, ma'am," Janis says, immediately heading into the bathroom and putting everything on. Julie did very well, as she always does.

Once she comes back, her sister sits her on the ground to do her hair, pulling it to the side opposite her shave and braiding it loosely over her shoulder as she tells Janis what makeup to do. It's almost exactly what she normally does, but with black lipstick instead of her usual purple.

It's a rather monochrome look other than the jacket, but Janis decides she's into it as she looks in the mirror. She goes over to ruffle her sister's hair in thanks, barely getting to before the doorbell rings.

Julie rushes past her to get the door before Janis can, throwing the door open and wrapping her arms around Cady's waist. It had taken her a long time to forgive Cady for what she had done to her sister, but once they started dating Cady had tried very hard to form a bond with her. It had worked.

"Oof," Cady grunts as an eleven year old that's roughly the same size as she is suddenly collides with her. "Hey, mini Jay. How are you?"

"Good. Janis is losing it." Julie answers as she lets her go, hiding behind her to avoid Janis' wrath as she yells "Watch it, kid!" from the top of the stairs on her way down.

"Hi, lovey," Cady coos from where she stands in the doorway, instantly melting away Janis' tough facade and earning her a small scowl from Juliana. "You did good, Jules. These are for you, by the way." She says, handing the little one a small bouquet of pink roses.

"You look cute," Janis says once her sister runs away to find a vase with a happy squeal. She really does, Cady's in a grey jumpsuit with a pink leather jacket on top and her white high tops, and her hair is styled in the same way it was when they first met. Janis always loved that little braid crown.

"So do you. Juju really did a good job," Cady purrs, cupping her cheek with her free hand to finally kiss her. "Is your mom home? These are for her," She says, brandishing a larger bunch of tulips.

"I think she's in the kitchen. Mama!" Janis calls, her mother appearing down the hall. Janis just gestures to the flowers.

"Yes? Oh, hi Cady. Ooh, these are beautiful, thank you, hon," She says, taking them and hugging her gently.

"You're welcome, Ms. Sarkisian," Cady answers, returning her embrace. She's also had to work pretty hard to get Janis' moms trust back. She's incredibly thankful Ms. Sarkisian was so forgiving.

"I've told you to call me Ettie, doll. Ms. Sarkisian just makes me feel old," She tuts, Cady knowing there's no way in hell she'll ever be able to refer to her girlfriend's mother by her first name, and especially not a nickname. "Janis, can I expect you home tonight?"

Janis looks at Cady, who shakes her head. "No, I'm gonna spend the night at her house if that's okay," She answers.

"Of course it is. Just be safe and responsible, you know my boring rules," Ms. Sarkisian responds, handing over her always-ready sleepover bag. "I love you, baby girl. Have fun, ladies. Call if you need anything." She pushes them towards the door after Janis hugs her goodbye tightly.

"Your mom is the best," Cady says once they're alone on the porch. "Anyway, theeeeese are for you." She hums as she grabs a bundle of something from the bench next to them.

Janis had been a little confused as to why her mom and sister had gotten flowers and not her, but it makes a bit more sense when she looks to see the bouquet of... paintbrushes?

"You remembered what brand of brushes I use?" Janis asks, almost in awe. The brushes are tied together with a little purple ribbon, the bow a little sloppy. A personal Cady touch.

"Kind of. I remembered what they looked like from watching you paint all the time and then just wandered around some craft stores for, like, two hours until I found ones that matched," her girlfriend answers.

Janis is touched. "I- thank you, baby. I've been needing new ones," she mumbles, touching the soft end of one gently before leaning down to kiss her. She's a little worried, those brushes are kind of expensive.

"You're welcome, darling. Now let's go, we're gonna have fun!" Cady cheers, dragging her towards her little car by the hand and opening the door for her.

Cady is going into her maps app as Janis buckles her seatbelt, tapping a few times to get directions to the first destination. Suddenly, the loud, robotic voice of Siri reverberates through the car, saying, "Starting route to You're Kilning Me! Pottery House," and making them both jump.

Janis starts practically cackling as Cady frantically tries to stop Siri ruining the surprise, yelling "SHUCK!" over the voice. "It was supposed to be a surprise," she pouts once the phone finally goes quiet.

"Oh, baby, it's okay. I still don't know the second part," Janis offers, as Cady genuinely looks distressed. "And I've never been there before, so it's still kind of a surprise."

"Fine," Cady grumbles. "Do you actually want to go here? We can go do something else if you think it's lame."

"No! Baby, this sounds fun," Janis comforts, pulling her into a hug across the center console. "I'm always down to paint, you picked this because you knew I would like it. Let's go decorate some cute little trinkets." She pecks Cady on the nose gently before letting her go.

"Thanks, Jayjay. Now stop being so nice, tonight's about you," Cady demands, taking her hand as they pull out of the driveway.

"As you wish, Peanut," Janis giggles.

——

The place isn't totally Janis' vibe, but she does have to admit it's very cute. The walls are a lime green and covered in various colored handprints, and there's shelves with hundreds of white figurines ready to be decorated.

"So... I thought we could pick and decorate something for each other? If you want," Cady says shyly, squeezing Janis' hand gently.

"Of course I want, Princess. That sounds adorable. Now close your eyes, it should be a surprise," Janis says, letting Cady go to browse the shelves. "No peeking."

Cady covers her eyes with a giggle. "Okay, Jay, I won't."

Janis looks for a minute, nearly picking a little lion piggy bank before remembering Cady already has so many lion things. She finds a butterfly figurine, looking as if it's about to take off, tucked away on one of the lower shelves. Butterfly is her personal favorite nickname for Cady. It's perfect.

She tucks it into her jacket so Cady can't see it before going and pulling her hands off her eyes. "Your turn, Peanut," she says, finding a table that has a divider in so they can paint their things without the other seeing.

Cady comes to find her a few minutes later, resting her jacket over the back of her seat and plopping herself down. Janis hears a little clink as Cady rests whatever ceramic thing she's picked on the table.

An overly cheerful employee comes over to give them their palettes and bottles of glaze, as well as a little chart explaining how many layers to apply for different results. Janis immediately goes for magenta, purple and dark blue, deciding to paint one of the wings of her butterfly as the bi flag. Cady's been wanting more pride stuff.

Cady watches Janis work for a second before remembering she also has something to decorate. She found a coffee mug with a matching coaster in the shape of a paint palette, which is very Janis. She loves coffee.

One by one Cady works her way through the colors of the rainbow, painting little heart-shaped paint splotches on the coaster and colorful drips down the side of the mug. Janis looks a little confused as to what she could be doing with all those colors, but doesn't question it. Cady decides to take a break once she finishes her first layers, watching Janis who is working intently and chattering away at the same time.

"What are you looking at?" Janis asks once she notices her, switching to grab some yellow glaze.

"My beautiful girlfriend," Cady flirts, laughing when Janis flushes with a slightly embarrassed squeak.

"You're not so bad yourself, babe," She manages once she's recovered.

"Thank you, Jay. So what do you think of this place? Be honest," Cady says, grabbing a thin brush and some black glaze to continue decorating the mug.

"It's cute! I'm having fun, we should come back here sometime," Janis answers as she starts sketching some little in-jokes about their relationship on the butterfly's other wing. She's kind of regretting painting it yellow; the colors don't really go together, but yellow is Cady's favorite.

"Good," Cady hums. "But I'm more excited for the next part."

"Where are we going next?" Janis coaxes.

"Nice try. One part of this date is going to be a surprise or so help me," Cady grumbles as she very carefully brushes 'I love you' on the very bottom of the inside of the mug.

"Fine," Janis fake-pouts, moving now to paint the legs and antennae of the butterfly.

-

Once they finish putting the final layers of glaze on, they carefully bring up their beautiful creations (one at a time to maintain the surprise) to the front desk to be fired. Cady would pick them up once they were done in about a week.

Cady makes Janis wait outside the car as she puts in the GPS information to keep the location a surprise, and starts digging through her bag for something as Janis is finally allowed to slide into her seat.

Eventually she finds what she was looking for, brandishing a bandana to be used as a blindfold.

"Kinky," Janis teases as she begrudgingly takes it and ties it around her eyes.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, you loser," Cady huffs, reaching out to tickle Janis to make sure she can't see anything. She apparently can't, because she shrieks with laughter as Cady's hand wiggles over her ribcage before grabbing it to hold, lacing their fingers together.

Cady reaches to turn the radio on to keep Janis entertained, giving her hand a squeeze before unfortunately letting go to drive safely.

——

Cady hops out first once she parks, going around to Janis' side and helping her out before spinning her around and untying the blindfold.

Janis blinks a few times, letting her eyes adjust to the light before letting out an excited gasp at what she sees. They have about half an hour before the sun starts to go down, and they're surrounded by neon lights, loud noises, and delicious smells. It's beautiful.

"The fair?!"

"Yeah! Um, I couldn't come up with anything other than the pottery place and Regina said you liked roller coasters." Cady says, almost nervously.

"I do! This is tits, let's go in, come on!" Janis pecks her cheeks a few times excitedly before grabbing her hand and hurrying towards the gates. Cady realizes distantly that she left her jacket in the car. Oh well. It's May now, and it's a warm evening. She'll probably be fine.

Cady buys their entry wristbands, getting the kind that allow them to go on as many rides as they want. She fumbles with hers for a minute before Janis tenderly takes her hand, fastening the paper bracelet around her wrist and pressing a kiss to her palm.

"Thanks, love. Where do you want to go first?" Cady asks, lacing their fingers together and swinging their arms back and forth.

"Can we ride that?" Janis asks, pointing to the single largest coaster present. Cady's never been on a roller coaster before, but how bad could it be?

"Sure," Cady hums, looking up at the massive metal structure. "Let's go."

Janis makes Cady stand by the height measurement sign as a joke, taking a picture as Cady pouts. "I'm not that small," She huffs.

"Baby, you're barely a foot over the height requirement. You're always gonna be my little Peanut," Janis hums, squishing her in a tight hug as they stand in line.

"I like being Peanut, I guess," Cady sighs jokingly. She actually kind of likes being small, it has its uses. Like for cuddles.

Janis chooses the very front seats, wiggling excitedly as they get harnessed in.

Once they reach the top of the first hill, Cady decides she does not like roller coasters as much as she thought she would. This thought continues as they hurtle around the track, going much faster than Cady appreciates. She thinks they go upside down at one point, but by that time her eyes are so tightly shut that she's not totally sure.

"That was tits!" Janis cheers as they finally come to a blessed stop, helping Cady out of the cart.

"Uhhuh," Cady mumbles, trying to stop her hands shaking. Janis turns to look at her once they're a ways away, surprised to find her much more pale than normal and her clear blue eyes wide and frightened.

"Oh, baby," She hums, pulling Cady into a tight hug. "You didn't like it?" Cady shakes her head frantically and buries her face into Janis' chest. "Shh, it's okay. We won't go on any more. You pick what we do next."

"No, this is your date. You get to pick everything," Cady says, calming in Janis' tight embrace.

"I pick we do something you want. You look miserable," Janis says, pulling her back gently to kiss a few freckles.

"Thanks," Cady says sarcastically. "Can we go check out the game thingies?"

"Sure, angel. I bet I'll win you a stuffed animal first," Janis says, taking her hand and leading them towards the stalls.

Cady winds up winning first, her muscle memory from Africa helping her win the dart toss. She picks a sloth with velcro paws, taking it and wrapping the arms around Janis in a little hug. Janis wins the water shooting one, picking a big alpaca shaped thing with yellow fur. Cady takes it excitedly, squeezing it tightly. It's very squishy and soft.

Cady's recovered enough by that point to go on a few tamer rides, so Janis leads them over to something called the Scrambler. It looks sort of like some kind of sea monster, with multicolored carts that spin around and are also orbiting a central structure. She holds Janis' hand as well as the bar holding them in, still nervous from her encounter with the coaster.

But once they get going, Cady loves it. Feeling the wind hitting her face reminds her of being on the Jeeps in Africa, and the motion makes her stomach flip in a way she enjoys this time. Janis is just watching her as they go around, smiling widely as Cady laughs freely the whole time.  Gradually, they come to a stop, Cady cheering "Again! Again!" once they finally come to a complete standstill. Janis obliges, taking her hand to get them back in the short line. The Scrambler is one of her favorites, too.

Janis asks if she'd like to try going on some massive slides, Cady looking up at them curiously. They're about as high up as the roller coasters, but people seem to be moving much more slowly down them, so she agrees to try them at least once. They get in line, Janis grabbing a rug for them to go on together. They start climbing the many, many stairs to the top, both of them puffing slightly by the time they're led over to their slide.

Janis lays their mat down, holding it down for Cady to get on before following after her. She pulls Cady closer to her, pressing her chest against her back and holding her around the waist. Cady holds onto the handles of the mat and the worker gives them a gentle push to get them finally going. Cady giggles the whole way down, which was Janis' goal. They're going so quickly they nearly crash into the wall at the bottom, Cady barely managing to stick her feet out at the last second. The force knocks Janis down flat on her back, Cady following and tipping her head upside down to grin widely at her.

"That was fun!" Cady cheers, standing and holding her hand out to help Janis up.

"Do you want to go again?" Janis asks, knowing the look in her eyes well by this point. Cady nods shyly, Janis just taking her hand and leading them back to the end of the line. She's noticed Cady only seems to have an issue with height and speed at the same time, one or the other is okay.

Once they've gone on everything at least once, they decide to finally get some dinner. As they walk over to the food stalls, Cady tucks her alpaca under one arm and holds out the other to Janis. "Hey, can you hold this for me?"

Janis turns from a few paces ahead, thinking she's talking about the stuffed animal until she looks down. "Your hand?"

"Yeah," Cady nods seriously. Janis takes it with a chuckle.

"You're such a dork, I love you."

"I love you too, but I'm very hungry, let's go," Cady begs, tugging on Janis' hand.

"Okay, okay, slow down," Janis laughs.

Cady really wants to try a funnel cake, so she buys one for them to share while Janis gets a bucket of macaroni and cheese and some fried Oreos.

They feed each other little bites of the mac and cheese, stealing a few kisses every now and again in between. Once that's done, Cady pulls their plate of various fried goodness over and just stares at it. Janis tears off a bit of the funnel cake for her to try, getting her fingers sticky with the powdered sugar.

Cady tries it and her eyes go even wider than they did on the roller coaster. That's delicious. Janis laughs at her reaction, but supposed she should've known. Cady loves sweets.

"That's so good!" Cady squeals, almost shaking as the sugar starts to hit. She immediately tears off another bigger piece.

"It's fried dough and sugar, of course it's good," Janis teases, tearing off a chunk for herself. "Now try one of these."

She hands Cady one of the fried Oreos, Cady taking it and nibbling at it almost nervously. It is also delicious, but almost too sweet for her tastes. She likes the cake better. Janis takes the other one, immediately shoving the whole thing in her mouth.

"Oh, Jesus, I shouldn't have done that," She says once she's swallowed it. "No regrets."

Cady gathers up all the trash once they finish, throwing it in a garbage can nearby before turning to her girlfriend. "You have sugar on your lip, come here."

Janis thinks she's just going to wipe it away, letting out a startled squeak when Cady suddenly pulls her behind a stall, pushing her up against it and kissing her hungrily. Usually Janis is the one initiating this kind of thing, but she's certainly not complaining at Cady taking charge.

They're both panting by the time they break apart, looking more than a little disheveled. Janis had noticed Cady's soft skin was rather cold to the touch, and when they pull back she can see her shivering. "Baby, where's your jacket?" She asks, concerned they lost it somewhere.

"I left it in the car," Cady mutters, leaning into her for warmth. "But if I go get it I won't be able to get back in. I'm fine."

She's clearly not, her teeth are almost chattering. Cady's still not totally used to how cold it can get in Illinois. It's almost totally dark now, and very chilly.

Janis pulls off her jean jacket and wraps it around Cady. She's swimming in it, the oversized fabric practically swallowing her tiny girlfriend. Cady's hands don't even come out the sleeves.

Janis notices Cady's jacket paws moving, she's flapping her hands. That's a stim she only does when she's either very upset or very excited, and judging by the wide, delighted grin splitting her face, it's the latter.

"I love you," Cady suddenly hums, throwing her arms around Janis tightly.

"I love you too, baby. So much," Janis says, squeezing her back and kissing her hair softly. "They're gonna close soon, is there one more thing you want to do before we go?"

"The ferris wheel? I've never been on one," Cady hums, resting her chin on Janis' chest and looking up at her.

Janis really does not like ferris wheels, but she can't resist those big blue eyes blinking up at her. She supposes she can make an exception.

"Fine, but if we get stuck up there you have to cuddle me the whole time, I'm scared of heights," She says, taking her hand and leading them towards the large circle illuminated by colorful lights. It is rather pretty, from the ground anyway.

They get in line just before the cutoff for the night, Cady staring up at the massive structure with wide, curious eyes. Janis is strangely comforted seeing that almost childlike wonder on her face. Cady deserves to experience it at least once, even if she does have to spend it holding Janis the whole time so she doesn't panic.

Janis is further comforted when their cart is purple, which is her favorite color. Unfortunately, any semblance of safe feelings leave the second they start moving, Janis clinging to Cady's arm.

"How did you enjoy that roller coaster and the slides if you're so scared of heights, Jellybean?" Cady asks, holding onto her girlfriend tightly.

"Because the height doesn't last on stuff like that, you're just up there to get going and then it's done," Janis huffs. Cady gets distracted once they hit the very top, gasping excitedly at the view and reaching for her phone to take a picture.

She snaps a few before turning it around to selfie mode, leaning in to cup Janis' cheek with her other hand and kiss her gently as she takes another few photos like that. "Thanks for letting me come up here, Jay. We only have to go around one more time before we can get off."

"It's okay, baby. It's actually really pretty up here. As long as you don't look down," Janis hums, leaning in for one more peck. She breathes a sigh of relief as they approach the ground and gives another sharp exhale as they go up again.

Sure enough, once they reach the tip-top, the ride screeches to a halt, and a voice calls up from the bottom to tell them they're stuck up there indefinitely.

"Ah, fuck," Janis groans. This was exactly what she didn't want to happen.

"Oh no," Cady says, concerned for Janis. "Um... we could play a game? To pass the time?"

That doesn't sound terrible, but they don't have anything to play a game with up here.

"Like what?" Janis asks, trying to keep the tremble from her voice. Focus on Cady.

"Um... we could go back and forth and say something about ourselves that the other one doesn't know yet?" Cady hums anxiously, holding Janis tightly.

That doesn't exactly sound like a game, but it would work well enough to keep Janis' mind off the fact that she's dangling  thirty-odd feet in the air in a heavy cart.

"You go first," Janis says, tucking her face into Cady's neck.

"Okay," Cady chuckles, kissing her head and running her fingers through Janis' hair gently. "Um... Od uoy wonk I nac klat sdrawkcab?"

"What the fuck?" Janis says, pulling back to look at Cady's smug grin.

"I can talk backwards. Any word," Cady says.

"Wh- How do you do that?" Janis asks in awe.

"I dunno. When I was learning how to read I taught myself to do it backwards too. Don't ask, I was an odd kid. I just picture the word in my head and then flip it around," Cady answers.

"Prove it," Janis challenges. "Say... um... what's my name backwards?"

"Sinaj," Cady says immediately.

"I love you."

"I evol uoy."

"Peanut butter."

"Tunaep rettub."

"That's the weirdest thing I've ever heard, that's so cool," Janis squeals.

"Thanks," Cady giggles. "Your turn."

"Oh boy, um... did you know about these?" Janis asks, pulling her two half-heart necklaces from where they're tucked inside her shirt.

"I've seen them but I've never read what they say," Cady says, taking them gingerly to read the charms. One says 'big sis' and the other has been painted to say half of what she can only assume is 'best fucking bitches'. "Who has the other pieces? Julie?"

"No, Damian," Janis answers, which makes Cady burst out laughing.

"That's so cute," She says breathlessly once she's calmed down. "My turn then, um. Do you know how I got my name? Or the spelling of it, anyway.

Janis shakes her head. She loves her Cady with a C and a D and a Y, but it is a little strange.

"This is just what my mom told me so it could be a joke, she likes to mess with me a lot. But she got to name my brother so she let my dad name me, and he was in a band when she was pregnant with me. He wanted to give me a sort of musical name like Harmony or something, so he picked Cadence and my mom said yes as long as it could be Cady on my birth certificate. She thought he'd regret it eventually and wanted me to have a more 'normal' nickname," She says.

Janis tries to imagine Mr. Heron, the dorkiest, kindest, shyest man she knows in a band. Does not compute. "That... kind of makes sense, actually, other than your dad being in a band. Did they ever call you Cadence?"

"Actually, yeah, when I was really little my dad always called me that. And when I got in trouble back in Kenya that's what they called me," Cady says, looking as if the secret to the universe has been revealed to her. The story must be true, then.

"That's wild as hell, Chip Heron in a band," Janis says, also looking a little shell-shocked. They'd have to ask him about it later. "My turn. Did you know Gretchen comes to the gym with me sometimes?"

"No, really? That's so sweet," Cady coos.

"Yeah, she asked me a while ago if she could come with me every once in a while to help her anxiety and stuff. She does more cardio and things like that than I do, but we spot each other when we need to and I started going to a yoga thing she does. It's kind of nice to have a workout buddy."

"Aww," Cady says. "I'm glad you guys are becoming friends again."

"Honestly, I am too. Gretchen really isn't so bad. She gushes about Karen all the time too, so I like getting to hear all the juicy stuff about them," Janis chuckles. "Your turn, Peanut."

"I can't think of anything," Cady whines after thinking for a second. "You think of something you want to know about me."

"Okay, I can do that," Janis hums pensively. "Were you born in Kenya?" She asks after a while. Cady's never mentioned anything before her life in Africa.

"No, we didn't move there until I was three, I was born in Oregon. We've always followed my parents' work," Cady answers. "My parents always said it was very exciting having a toddler who wouldn't talk to anyone running around the tents."

"You must've been so cute," Janis says, wondering if she can con Cady into showing her some baby photos.

"I was," Cady answers as Janis makes the mistake of peeking over the edge, snapping back over with wide, terrified eyes. "Oh, darling, why would you look down? Come here."

Janis thinks she's about to pull her into another hug, surprised when Cady pulls her mouth to hers and kisses her softly. Desperate to forget that they're stuck very high in the air, Janis kisses her back eagerly, her girlfriend responding in kind. Janis has always wanted to make out with someone on a ferris wheel.

One of Cady's hands cradles Janis' jaw, thumb stroking comfortingly over her cheek, and her other arm is wrapped securely around Janis' waist to hold her close and safe. Janis flicks her tongue at the seam of Cady's lips, tangling a hand in her auburn curls as she does. Cady lets her in, nipping softly at her bottom lip to tease. Janis would very much like to continue this when they're on the ground.

She's so lost in her girlfriend she almost managed to forget they were still stuck, until there's a deafening clank and a terrifying sort of metallic grinding sound. She pulls back with a startled squeak as they start moving, lipstick noticeably smeared as she buries her face in her girlfriends shoulder. At least they're almost out.

There's a sort of off-brand Snoopy down by the exit, Janis sinking into a hug with him and just repeating, "Snoopy it was so bad. We were stuck up there, Snoopy." For a while until Cady drags her away. Snoopy waves at them almost sadly as he watches them go.

——-

Once they're in the car on the way back to Cady's house, Janis realizes that Cady told her one more fact than Janis told her. She knows Cady likes things to be even, so she decides to level it out.

"Hey, we stopped the game before we told the same number, do you want to hear one more from me?"

"I always want to know more about you, Jayjay," Cady answers, focusing on the road.

"Okay, have you seen this?" Janis asks once they're at a stoplight, shuffling her left sleeve down to reveal her small semicolon tattoo on her wrist.

"No," Cady says, tracing the little picture tenderly with her finger. "What does it mean?"

Janis rolls her sleeve down further to reveal the faded scars lining her arm, wincing a little at Cady's sad gasp. Janis thought she at least knew about those, but she doesn't wear short sleeves very often and the scars are very faded.

"I started self-harming after everything happened with Regina in middle school. Damian didn't tell you, but I was actually pulled out for the rest of that year because I was recovering in the hospital from a suicide attempt. I tried to overdose on one of my mom's prescriptions," Janis explains.

"Oh god, Janis," Cady says sadly, gently running her finger over her arm before she has to start driving again.

"I got my stomach pumped in the hospital and my wrists stitched up, so my mom found out I had been cutting and I had to go to an inpatient therapy place. That's how I started art therapy, actually. But once I got out my mom let me pick something cool to do to celebrate, and for some reason she let me get a tattoo even though I was fourteen. She has one that matches."

"That's so sweet," Cady says, heart still hurting for her girlfriend. She came so close to losing Janis before she ever even found her. "Why a semicolon, though?"

"Because I was an English nerd," Janis answers with a sardonic chuckle. "Semicolons and periods are usually interchangeable, an author uses one when they could have ended a sentence but chose not to. I decided I was the author of me, and I wasn't ready to end my sentence yet. It helps to look at it when I'm having a rough time."

"That's beautiful, Janis. Do you, um, still...?" Cady asks quietly.

"No, no," Janis rushes out. "Damian and my sister both made me promise to stop. I've come close a couple times, but I've been clean since the end of sophomore year. I haven't even thought about it in almost a year."

"Good," Cady breathes with relief. "I'm really glad you're still here, Jay. I love you so much."

"I'm glad I'm here too. I think a lot about what I would've missed if... if it had worked, and I'm always so glad it didn't. I love you too, Caddy," Janis says, trying not to cry. Too many emotions for one night.

They spend the rest of the drive home in comfortable silence, Janis playing with Cady's fingers contently once Cady gives her her hand as they get into slower streets of the neighborhood.

Cady goes to greet her parents and hug them goodnight once they enter, Janis heading up to Cady's room to get changed into her pjs. She's glad their parents all trust them enough to let them continue to sleep in the same bed at sleepovers, probably because they only get up to anything raunchy when they're sure nobody's around. She would miss the snuggles if they were separated.

Cady changes into her Lion King pajama set, putting Janis' jacket back on over top and crawling into bed after her with her new alpaca. She switches on the nightlight Janis had gotten her for Christmas, looking up at the colorful swirly patterns it paints on the ceiling.

"You gonna sleep in my jacket?" Janis asks, resting her head on Cady's chest gently.

"Mmhmm! It's comfy. Soft. And it smells like you," Cady hums, pulling her closer.

"What do I smell like?" Janis asks, a little worried.

"Vanilla and paint, but your hair smells like apples," Cady answers drowsily, stroking her fingers through Janis' hair. "Mostly you just smell like home. I know I'm safe whenever I can smell you."

Well that's just about the sweetest thing Janis has ever heard. "You're so precious, you know that?" She asks, tilting her head up to kiss at the underside of Cady's jaw.

"So you tell me," Cady jokes weakly, followed by a yawn. "It's your turn to be little spoon, I'm sleepy."

Janis is frankly amazed that Cady made it this late, it's nearly midnight. She leans up to kiss her goodnight before she turns to face the wall, cuddling with her own new sloth stuffie and feeling her small girlfriend press up against her, squishing her cheek against her back and wrapping an arm tightly around her waist to pull her closer.

"G'night, Jay. I love you," Cady yawns.

"Goodnight, Caddy. I love you too," Janis answers, grinning to herself.

A perfect date with my perfect girl, she thinks as they slowly drift off to sleep, dreaming of each other.

-

thanks for reading, please let me know what you thought.

also, disastrously, I am starting to run out of ideas, so please leave any ideas you want to see me write either here, on my wattled, or on my ao3. all are just maybeimamuppet.

lots of love,

ezzy

[kafka-ish]

how to be a heartbreaker | b.d.

y/n wants to get her crush to notice her but she has no idea how. luckily, beverly comes to her with some valuable advice.

word count: 2,845

warnings: fem!reader

request: (from anonymous) “hiii! could i request a fic for bill denbrough where the reader is very flirty with everyone in the losers club and bill is flustered whenever she flirts with him? i was thinking that w/n could be like the female richie just more tame haha. ty!”

a/n: i was so excited to receive this request as it was my first one !! i hope i did it justice. 

-

y/n didn’t always wear tight tops and make cheeky comments. 

That’s why Bill was so surprised when she arrived at the quarry in a skirt so short, he could the lace peeking from her underwear when she bent down, and a smart mouth almost identical to Richie’s. But Bev smirked to herself as she watched the scene unfold, remembering how y/n had come to her last weekend, asking for help. 

“Who do you like?” Beverly’s question was innocent, yet somehow it managed to make y/n’s skin crawl and her throat turn to cotton. 

“What makes you think I like anyone?” y/n’s fingers absentmindedly began to pick at the purple comforter neatly draped across the twin sized bed she was perched on. 

“Can I guess?” Beverly ignored y/n’s previous statement and eagerly began listing names. “Is it Matt from gym? Or Cameron from chemistry? If you like Cameron I can see why... That blond hair and smirk can really do things to a girl.” 

“No.” y/n laughed at her friend’s guesses; more so at how far off she was. “It’s neither of them.”

“Then who is it?” Beverly turned around in the vanity chair she was sitting in, in order to get a better read on y/n’s features. That’s when y/n knew her friend was persistent on learning her crush. 

“It’s Bill.” The words left y/n’s mouth in a whisper, but Beverly didn’t need her friend to repeat herself to pick up on what she was saying. 

“Bill Denbrough?” Bev’s voice raised an octave. “Why haven’t you made a move yet? You see him practically everyday!”

“Well, I...” y/n took a moment to readjust herself. She stretched out on Beverly’s bed; each limb reaching each corner of the mattress. She stared at the ceiling which was covered in glow in the dark sticky stars. They’d been there since Beverly was five. She had intentions of removing them, but the adhesive stuck horribly. Beverly also didn’t want to risk ruining part of the building’s architecture since her family was renting it out. And if she did, her dad would do more things than just yell at her. 

“You what?” 

“How am I supposed to make a move?” y/n groaned. Beverly could tell this was something that upset her. “I freak out whenever I’m left alone with him. Hell, even when I’m just sitting next to him. I can’t find the right words to say... Or any words for that matter.”

“You and Bill have that in common,” Beverly said. It was a cheap shot at Bill’s stutter. But she should’ve known y/n was above laughing at something her crush couldn’t control. “Why don’t you just feign confidence?” Beverly’s helpful for once suggestion became of interest to y/n. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Richie does it all the time.” y/n heard a snort coming from the other side of the room. “Just... You know, pretend.” 

“How am I supposed to conjure up some alter ego if I can’t even conjure up some simple hello.” Of course y/n was a skeptic to the idea. But it wouldn’t hurt to try, right?

“That’s exactly why you need to do this!” Beverly countered. She couldn’t seem to contain her excitement at the thought of playing matchmaker with her friends. “We can start with a new wardrobe.” Beverly jumped into bed with y/n and her eyes trailed down to the girl’s figure. She was silently judging her friend’s outfit and y/n didn’t know if she should feel offended or uncomfortable. “We’ll go shopping tomorrow.” 

Their shopping haul consisted of mainly crop tops, skinny jeans, and some of the shortest skirts y/n’s ever seen. Beverly picked out a blue ruffled skirt that barely covered her butt when she leaned over and a plain white crop top to match. 

“You have to wear that when we all go to the quarry!” Beverly said over the phone (it was more of an order than a friendly opinion). 

Nonetheless, she did.

y/n was the last to show up at the quarry; wanting to make a big entrance. It was big alright. She greeted every one of the boys with a kiss on the cheek and a grin wide enough to stick an orange slice in.

“It’s been so long, you guys!” Only enthusiasm could be detected from her voice. y/n sat down on a rock next to Eddie and ruffled his hair which he quickly patted down afterwards. 

“It’s only been a day,” Stan deadpanned. But who was he to burst the bubble of newfound elation coming from his usually reserved friend? 

“A day that’s been far too long!” Her eyes playfully rolled to the back of her head and she leaned forward to boop Stan on the nose. “So, are we getting in the water or what?” She stood up, allowing for a showcase of her long legs and started to strip. 

“You got that right, doll.” Richie whistled as y/n’s shirt hit the ground. Off came his shirt, too; the rest of the Losers following suit. 

y/n was the first to make a splash. She cannon-balled into the water, giving the boys a full view. A second whistle was about to reach Richie’s lips, but Bill stopped him. 

“Yo-you know, in uh-other places th-that’d be illegal.” His tongue stuck on the “L” sound in illegal for a while. 

“Good zing we arrren’t in other places.” Richie had been trying out his new “comrade” accent for the past week but no one else in the group except him was impressed. Bill, especially, was not impressed and shoved Richie into the water. “I’ll get you for this!” He yelled immediately after being able to come up for air. Though Bill couldn’t hear him. He was already already making his debut into the water. 

“Hey cutie,” y/n said, swimming up from behind him as he landed. He was taken aback at the words that had left her mouth and frankly so was she. 

“H-hi, y/n.” Goosebumps materialized on his arms, legs, and chest, and Bill didn’t know if it was because of how cold the water felt, or the recent effect y/n had on him. 

y/n giggled at the sound of her name coming from his mouth. “Be my chicken partner? You’re the only one strong enough I can think of.” She purposely avoided his gaze. In fact, she looked everywhere but at him. 

“I-if yo-you wuh-want.” Bill’s stutter had gotten notably worse and he wanted to curse himself for it. Would he seriously let almost four years of speech therapy go to waste just because of a pretty girl?

“Oh, I definitely want.” y/n’s eyes thoughtfully roamed Bill’s bare chest which he suddenly grew conscious of. Her fingers traced his collarbone and traveled down to his bicep. “I just remembered.” Her hand pulled away and she met his eyes. His blue eyes that she could get lost in for all eternity if she weren’t careful. “I need to go.” y/n didn’t honestly have to go—rather, the advice Bev had given her earlier parroted itself in her head:

Don’t be afraid to go all in. But always leave him wanting more. 

Leave him wanting more. 

y/n gave him a half smile before making her way towards the rocks. 

Bill watched as she did. The sun’s light reflected against her slicked hair in the most alluring manner. She somehow managed to make walking through water graceful. Bill’s eyes stuck to her figure until it disappeared. His trance soon broken by the sound of Eddie’s cries and the feeling of cold water dousing his back. 

“You were great today!” y/n smiled at Beverly’s voice from over the phone. She was sitting on her bed. One hand was holding the phone to her ear while the other was twirling a finger around the cord connecting the receiver piece to the landline. 

“You really think so?” A new feeling had begun to rise in her chest. Cockiness? Pride? Accomplishment? Whatever it was, it felt good. 

“Well, Bill couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off you, could he?” And y/n didn’t have to see Beverly’s face to know she was raising her eyebrows because the tone of her voice already gave it away. 

“I guess not..” 

“Why don’t we all meet for dinner tomorrow?” Bev suggested. It wasn’t really a suggestion, though. It was more like an ‘I’m-telling-you-this-now-and-I’ll-tell-the-losers-after-we’re-done-talking’ sort of thing. 

“Sure,” y/n agreed, because she knew it was useless to try and stop Beverly—she was too far ahead of herself.

“Great!” The busy tone then rung in y/n’s ear, indicating that Bev had hung up. 

Thus, allowing her to be the blame when y/n showed up to Derry’s local diner in a strappy plaid dress and enough attitude for the whole table. 

“Oh, baby!” Richie grinned at the sight of their friend finally coming out of her shell. “You didn’t get all purty for me, did ya?” 

“You wish, trashmouth,” y/n said, taking a seat next to a now shuddering Bill. “Hey, Billy!” Unexpectedly, the girl threw her arms around the boy, wrapping him in an embrace tighter than she was willing to admit. 

Bill opened his mouth, about to say something, only to close it again. The words were caught in the back of his throat and it didn’t help when the sweet scent of her floral perfume reached his nose, leaving him lost in any contagious thoughts of her that he’d unconsciously dreamed of before. 

She withdrew from him, prompting a harsh swallow from Bill. 

“Cat got your tongue?” No matter how much she wanted to, she didn’t let herself  wait long enough for an answer. Abruptly, she broke eye contact and settled on Ben for the time being. 

In a voice higher than normal, y/n had told him he was the best writer in their grade—something Bill found himself strangely jealous hearing. “My parents said I need an English tutor...” In one hand, she swirled her root beer with a straw. Her other hand was holding up her head that rested on it. “I was wondering if you’d be mine?” 

“Wow. Yeah, y/n, I’d love to help!” Ben said with a little too much pep in his step. 

“That’s awesome!” They'd settled on the library to meet up at the next day, but oddly enough Ben wasn’t there. 

Bill was. 

“What-what are you doing here?” It was hard for y/n to try and keep her cool. Especially when the boy whom she was harboring a crush for was standing right in front of her in place of her supposed-to-be English tutor. 

“I’m tuh-tutoring yo-you in En-engl-hish. Of cour-course.” He seriously needed to get a grip on that stutter of his. It was no use, as he could even feel his thoughts stammering against each other. 

“No, Ben’s my tutor,” y/n corrected as she sat her book bag down on the library desk. She riffled through the mess of folders stacked in her bag; an ‘aha’ noise inadvertently leaving her mouth once she found the red one marked ‘English’. “Where is Ben?” It became increasingly harder to keep up the act Beverly had helped her come up with. It grew much more apparent to y/n that it was easier to flirt with friends—not someone she had a full blown crush on. 

“He, uh, he cou-couldn’t mm-muh-make it.” So what if Bill had lied? So what if Bill had told Ben that he didn’t need to go to the library anymore as he took his place instead? 

“Hey Bill!” Ben had just gotten done trading out his History book for his Pre-Calculus one.

Bill was standing right next to his friend’s locker—how Ben hadn’t seen him walking up remained a mystery. 

“What’s up?” 

“y/n tuh-told me that she-she didn’t need an English tutor an-any...anymore.” 

“Huh.” Ben chewed the dead skin on his lip before he continued. “y/n told you this?” 

“Ye-yeah.” Bill nodded his head in order to seem convincing. “Since sh-she doesn’t have any class-classes with you, she wuh-wanted mm-me to tell you.” 

It was a dirty trick and even Bill didn’t know what came over him when he decided to play the lying game. 

y/n didn’t say anything. She only sat down and begun to organize her pencils. 

“Is-s th-that okay?” A surge of nervousness pumped through his veins while he posed the question. He looked down at y/n who was still quiet. 

“Oh, so you think you’re good at English?” y/n raised her eyebrow. She’d finally plucked up enough courage to put on her alter ego and face Bill. 

“I nuh-know I’m guh-good at English. A-according to mm-my tuh-teachers. Str-straight A’s.” He eventually took a seat next to her. It gave y/n a case of the jitters she’d force herself to get over. 

“Well, if that’s the case...” y/n leaned closer into Bill’s side. Her shoulder brushed against his in a feather light touch. “Teach me everything you know.” 

Bill felt himself beginning to choke on his spit. Ever since that day at the quarry, y/n had started acting different.  For one, she actually talked to him. She also traded her regular mom jeans for skirts and graphic tees for tank tops; clothes that showed the most skin. It took him a solid minute before he could clear his throat and begin to explain the differences between a run-on sentence and a comma splice. 

“I have to ask you something.” y/n stopped him in the middle of his explanation of different clauses. 

Bill looked up from the paper he was using to demonstrate. His eyes dwelled into hers. He knew where this conversation was leading to, and for the record, he didn’t necessarily want to go there. “Wuh-what is i-it?” 

“Did Ben really call this off?” He knew at least some variation of those words were going to come out of her mouth. “It just seems unlike him. And we see each other at lunch—”

“Act-actually...” Bill heaved a sigh, unwilling to reveal what had really happened. But it would be for the best, right?

Bill missed how the perpetual softness of her features had developed into a sort of smug look that y/n wouldn’t usually sport. “Bill...” Her hand reached up to cup his face. “If you had something to do with it, I wouldn’t be mad.” He didn’t realize her delicate fingers were carding through his auburn hair up until she pulled away. 

At this point, so many sensations swept through his insides. If a butterfly had flown out rather than actual words, Bill would only try to find out what species it was. 

“What.” He stopped to exhale. “Wha-what muh-makes you thi-think I had... had something to-to do with—” 

“Just a girl’s intuition.” y/n seemed serious for a second and Bill couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I’m kidding, duh. I got a text halfway through our study sesh.” She took out her Nokia to show him. 

Bill told me about cancelling our sessiom. Good luck in engkish. 

A chuckle tumbled from his lips, noting the obvious typos. “Fo-for a guh-guy wh-who was goin-gonna tu-tutor you.. he ca-can’t spell for sh-sh-shit.” 

y/n’s head fell back and she lost control of her body momentarily as laughter consumed her. Bill could tell she gained control again when she turned to him once more. Silently, she waited for an answer. 

“So... so wuh-what i-if I de-did.” 

“If you did, then, I’d think you conned Haystack out of an opportunity to teach me,” she said, her voice all sing-songy. She instantly noticed Bill’s frown—how he looked down in a sort of shameful way. “I’d also say you were pretty good company.” 

“Really?” Bill’s incredulous mood had egged y/n on even further. 

“Obviously. Who wouldn’t want to hang out with a total dreamboat like you?” She jabbed at his stomach. Bill would normally flinch at this, but his mind was too busy analyzing what she just said. 

“Dr-dreamboat?” His thick eyebrows drew together. Suspect crossed his face. 

“You heard me, Denbrough.” y/n cocked her head to the side. She shifted closer to him- that is, if she could be any closer. 

He tried to speak but all that came out were a bunch of incoherent stutters.

“Shut up.” She thought of pressing her finger to his mouth, but an idea even better sparked in her mind. 

y/n forced a quick kiss onto his lips. She didn’t stay that long; not giving him the chance to kiss back. She was met with his eyes closed and his lips left in a gathered state after parting. 

“Wowo-woah.” Bill sighed, opening his eyes. His already pink lips were stained a slight red from the lipstick that colored y/n’s own. 

“Was I good?” y/n’s alter ego had completely left her body at this point. Her previously shy and hesitant self was now fleshed out perfectly for Bill to see. 

Bill shrugged before pulling her in for another kiss. This time it was long and slow. This time Bill had the chance to kiss back. 

“Ye-yeah.” His expression was kind. “Amazing.” 

[angstyaches]

Ok so I freaking love belly rubs and now that we’ve seen Shayne receive a belly rub I want to see it reversed 😂 Charlie has an upset stomach for some reason and realizes that he just really needs to burp but he can’t and all day long the feeling just gets worse until he’s finally home and can lay down but still nothing will come up and when Shayne shows up and he lets him through the window he immediately knows something is wrong (p 1 of 2)

(P 2 of 2) somehow Charlie convinced him to help him by rubbing his stomach which of course helps and he burps into his fist a couple of times but it’s not releasing the pressure at all, actually it’s making him feel nauseous and before he knows it he suddenly vomits all over him and Shayne ( I know this doesn’t really fit with the plot you’ve got since the ending of the last fic with Shayne but i didn’t know how to make it fit 😂 you can ignore this prompt if ya want lol)

Milo, thank you, thank you, thank you. I had so much fun writing this. Baby’s first prompt.

Sorry if this is obnoxiously long; I have no idea how to judge length yet.

CW: vomiting

In the pub

Charlie had zoned out hours ago, upon realising that the three-year age gap between him and his oldest cousins meant a lot more when he was eighteen and they were fifteen. Whatever pop culture they were chatting about held no interest for him, and whatever gossip his parents, aunts, and uncles were engaging him would likely be just as boring.

He wished he could have gone and talked to Jonathan. He hadn’t seen his half-brother in months, yet he’d barely wanted to speak two words with Charlie all day. He’d brought two friends along, which Aunt Pauline had been annoyed about at the start of the day. She had gotten over it; Charlie, however, had not. The three of them had been skulking outdoors in the smoking area for hours.

Although, if he’d been given first pick, Charlie would have been chatting to been the pretty bartender with the gold lip ring. The guy looked run off his feet, yet had a smile for every one of Charlie’s relatives who had an order to bark at him, be it a chocolate-stained little cousin or his cane-wielding grandmother. He was so cute, but Charlie was too nervous to even look him in the eye. He also felt slightly… guilty, though he could think of no rational reason why he should feel guilty. He wasn’t spoken for by anyone; not even close. And that just made him sink further into his loneliness.

So, with no conversational opportunity, Charlie had occupied himself with the bar food that came out in waves. He didn’t often eat greasy food at home, and he ate exactly like a kid let loose in a store full of chicken goujons and potato wedges. His stomach started to feel kind of sloshy at one point, but that might have been from copious amounts of fizzy orange. More food would surely soak it up and settle everything down.

After the cute waiter dropped off a tray of drinks at the “adult” table, Charlie’s dad stood up and took a glass over to where Charlie was sitting.

“There you are, designated driver,” Trevor said. His cheeks were flushed red from drinking for pretty much the whole day.

“Thanks, Dad,” Charlie said, fidgeting with the keys in his hoodie pocket. “Can we go soon? I’m getting tired.”

“Of course. Last drink and we’ll hit the road,” Trevor winked, giving Charlie’s shoulder a squeeze. “You really are a blessing, son.”

He couldn’t tell if the flutter in his chest was because of the waiter still, or because of what his dad had just said. It might also have been indigestion, though he wouldn’t think of that until a little later.

“Maybe go and say goodbye to Jonathan before we head off, yeah?”

“Alright, Dad.” A blessing, he thought as his father went back to the proper adult table and sat next to his wife. Their half-demon offspring is a blessing to them. Part of him wanted to burst out laughing, the other half wanted to weep. He hovered somewhere in between, smiling despite the tightness in his chest.

He guzzled a few mouthfuls of the fizzy drink, stealing his courage as he stood up and went to talk to Jonathan.

In the car

The drive home itself was exhausting. Charlie’s energy was already spent after a whole day of socialising. His stomach was making some awful sounds, though it felt lazy and sluggish inside him after being fed such little amounts so many times throughout the day. The flavour of the fizzy orange kept repeating on him too, and he vowed never to touch the stuff again. He glanced over to see that his dad had fallen asleep against the passenger door. In the rear-view mirror, he saw that his mum was snoring with her head thrown back.

Charlie swallowed harshly. It felt like some of the fizzy orange was sitting in his throat, blocking his airways a bit. Gripping the steering wheel tightly at ten and two, he tried to let some of the air up from his stomach, but the bubbles stayed exactly where they were, gurgling amongst the sickly combination of food in his belly.

He slid his right hand from two to twelve on the steering wheel, glancing once again to make sure his dad was still asleep; Trevor would definitely yell at him for having one hand off the wheel, but it was a straight, empty road, and Charlie was decidedly below the recommended speed.

Besides, he could probably pull up enough strength to telekinetically steer the car, if he had to. Having acceleratingly strong demonic powers had its unexpected quirks, after all.

Charlie rubbed a hand across his belly, realising that it was filling out his hoodie a lot more than it should have been. He stifled a whimper as he pushed on the swell, hoping to force up at least some of what was making his stomach feel so bad. It gurgled under his hand, the pain shifting slightly but not upwards. There was a slight rumble in his chest, a fizzing in the back of his throat, but nothing more.

He put his left hand back on the wheel and sighed, surviving on the fact that at least he’d be home and lying in bed without the hour.

Back home

“Night, Mum, night, Dad,” Charlie called dully down the hall, though they’d probably both passed out on their bed in the time it had taken him to brush his teeth. He’d hoped the minty flavour would have soothed the burning acidity, but it had just mixed sickly with the fizzy orange reflux. He could finally hunch over a bit and rub his belly with a little more force, now he was alone in his room.

He reached for his bedside lamp, when a tap on the window made him jump. He almost knocked his little brown stuffed bear from the nightstand, and he rushed to straighten him.

“Sorry, Vincent,” he whispered before approaching the window. Another tiny pebble hit the glass and Charlie groaned under his breath. Couldn’t that boy learn how to send a text?

Charlie cradled his belly as he spotted the dark-haired figure in the back yard. Usually, the sight of Shayne gave him a very light, pleasant feeling, but right now he felt the furthest from light he’d ever been. He sighed and directed his gaze towards the back door, focusing on undoing the lock before ducking back into the room.

He leaned against the windowsill, rubbing his belly desperately. It was definitely too much to ask, that all of the burps trapped inside him come up in the time it took Shayne to get inside, take off his ridiculous boots, and creep upstairs. All Charlie succeeded in bringing up were a couple of orangey splashes that burned his tongue.

“Whatever it is, I’m not in the mood,” he whispered as soon as Shayne let himself quietly into the room.

The dark-haired boy frowned as he closed the door. “Hmm?”

Charlie sighed and sat down on his bed. “I don’t care if it’s a voodoo doll or a silver stake or a monkey’s fucking paw. Can we do it another time?”

“Okay, first of all; hi,” Shayne muttered. “Second; how would any of those things be useful in exorcising or communicating with a demon? And third; where were you all?”

“My cousin’s christening,” Charlie said, slipping a hand into his hoodie pocket so he could keep some pressure on his stomach. “It went on kind of late.”

“You’re telling me?” Shayne began to pace evenly back and forth. “This place gives me shivers on a normal day. Ten times worse when it’s all dark and unoccupied.”

“Well, you could try not hanging around on other people’s property,” Charlie grumbled.

“I caught three demons in the back yard,” Shayne said. “Three demons that will never possess your parents, so you’re welcome.”

“So, you’ve got fucking warding jars on you?” Charlie whined. He knew he was feeling awful for a reason, but if those jars were close-by, they certainly wouldn’t be helping.

“’Course not, I left them at the far end of the garden,” Shayne hissed. “Okay, you’re sounding more like me than me tonight. What’s going on?”

Charlie swallowed and looked up at his friend. His belly was groaning, and he hoped he was the only one hearing it. He pulled his hand from his pocket and started holding it a bit more firmly, giving up the secrecy.

“I don’t feel so good,” he whined, sitting forward. “My tummy’s really sore.”

“Oh. Well, why haven’t you taken any of those tablets you always try to force on me?”

“Because I’ll be fine once I can burp, but so far, nothing wants to come up.” Charlie’s face burned at hearing himself give so much detail. He lowered his head as he leaned towards his knees, curling around the knot of pain.

He felt the mattress take Shayne’s weight, and then a hand prying his away from his stomach. He took a sharp breath and looked up.

“Are you going to rub my tummy?”

“You’ll never hear me say it in those words, but… yeah.” Shayne was still frowning, though Charlie recognised a slight blush in his cheeks. “Here, straighten up. Stop sitting like an idiot.”

“That’s mean,” Charlie whined, slowly released his vice-grip on his belly and straightening his back. “Why do I feel like you’re going to be really bad at – mmm.”

Shayne’s hand could almost have covered Charlie’s whole belly if it hadn’t been so bloated and tight. His stomach churned uneasily alongside the movement of Shayne’s fingers, until Charlie felt gas bubbles press up towards his chest. He felt himself groan without deciding he was going to.

Shayne held his breath, pausing the motion of his hand. “What? Am I doing it wrong?”

“No, no, don’t stop,” Charlie groaned. “Can you rub my back, too?”

As soon as Shayne pressed on Charlie’s stomach and ran a hand up his spine, Charlie felt the gas bubbles release, making a deep rumbling sound in his chest. He pressed a fist to his mouth and turned his head away from Shayne. The burp was so loud Charlie worried it would wake his parents, and lasted about four seconds.

“Holy shit,” Shayne whispered. “I think I felt the room shake.”

“Shut up,” Charlie groaned.

“Feel any better?”

“Not really.”

“I’m going to lift your jumper, okay?”

Charlie almost squeaked as Shayne slid his hand under his hoodie, rubbing at the straining skin of his belly. Charlie dug his nails into the duvet to keep himself from wriggling. His skin was starting to feel prickly and warm, but that could have just been because of what was happening. Shayne was here and touching him, and not just through his clothes. He had his hand on Charlie’s bare torso. He was in pain, but he should have been enjoying this at least a little.

A weak smile twitched across his mouth as he nudged his cheek experimentally against Shayne’s shoulder. When the dark-haired boy didn’t flinch in any major way, he let himself lean a little harder, hoping his heart wasn’t pounding as loudly as he thought it was.

“What did you do to it, anyway?” Shayne asked, and it took Charlie a second to realise he was talking about his stomach. His fingers kneaded gently across it

“I, um, just kept eating, I guess.” Charlie turned his head to let out another burp, though this one sounded like it was strangled on its way up from his stomach. “And my dad kept bringing me fizzy drinks. Designated driver, you know? Aw – fuck, Shayne.”

Charlie frowned and winced as his stomach suddenly lurched under the pressure of Shayne’s hand.

“Shit – what is it?”

“I don’t know,” Charlie murmured, his cheeks suddenly tingling. A certain kind of panic began to ring in his ears. “Oh, god, I think I’m going to –”

He retched before fully realising it was happening, before he could do any kind of aiming or get his hands in front of his mouth. His hands did fly out, one landing on Shayne’s back, the other on his own knee. The majority of the thick, orange vomit landed down the front of Shayne’s jacket and t-shirt, the rest of it flicked across Shayne’s jeans and the duvet cover.

“Oh, my god, Shayne,” Charlie gasped. His hand was shaking as he brought it up to cover his mouth. Almost immediately, his head pitched forward again, another long gush of sticky orange liquid and chunks of bar food spraying over the sleeve of his hoodie as he tried to block it, but a lot still landed in Shayne’s lap.

Shayne sighed, though he really hoped Charlie didn’t hear it. He’d definitely take it the wrong way, thinking Shayne was sighing out of frustration when really, it was the only way he could release the intense sympathy he felt as the blonde boy clung to him and vomited. Shayne continued to rub Charlie’s back, though he wasn’t sure if it was helping or making things worse.

Charlie hiccuped into his sleeve, clearly forgetting that he’d just gotten sick all over it.

“Shayne,” he croaked, slowly lifting his gaze. “I’m so sorry.”

“Feeling any better?”

“Actually, yeah, I am.”

Shayne shrugged. “Then it’s fine. Jesus, if only exorcising you was so damn easy.”

[scarletwillowtree]

The Soldier and The Artist ch4 (soulmate AU)

Pairing: Bucky x artist!reader

Warning: slight angst

Word count: 2,146

Summary: In a world where your soulmates first words show up on your skin once you meet, it’s not entirely common to actually meet the one you’re destined to be with. Though you’ve always held out hope, you never believed you would meet them, especially after you got your words but haven’t seen the man since. Now, working closely with The Avengers for a project Tony Stark himself requested you for, you’re closer to your soulmate than you ever expected.

A/N: Yes, hello! I am aliiiiive! My apologies to my readers, it’s been rough going for me for a while, but I have returned. Originally this chapter was VERY different, and the way I wrote it honestly made me hate the direction the story went, so I scrapped it and now I’m much happier. Chapter five is being rewritten as it’s the epilogue I had planned, but we’re almost there! I hope you enjoy my lovelies.

masterlist

As I watched Bucky walk off the jet, I could feel my heart speeding up. My face flushed as I felt my lips part and a harsh inhale past my teeth must have been heard by Steve still standing next to me as I could see his head turn to me from my peripheral vision. But none of that mattered. Not Steve, not the fact that I was standing on the roof of the compound still, not even that I was still dressed in my paint stained clothing.

All that mattered was Bucky, the man from the coffee shop, my soulmate. I couldn’t peel my eyes away from his steely blue ones as he made a beeline for me, never looking away from me. Once he finally reached us, I expected him to move for Steve, his life long best friend.

Surprising everyone in the area, Bucky reached out and pulled me into his arms where I immediately melted into his embrace, feeling him press his face into my hair with his mouth near my ear.

“I’ve been waiting so long for you, doll.” He whispered gently, his arms squeezing me slightly tighter as he did. We stood there for what could’ve been minutes or years, before a throat clearing to the side of us caused me to pull back enough to see who it was, Bucky’s grip loosening enough for that to happen but not letting me ago entirely.

“So uh, you two know each other?” Steve shifted awkwardly as he looked between me and his best friend, still wrapped in each other’s arms. Beyond Steve I could see who I guessed to be Sam and Thor standing there, both wearing teasing smiles while looking at the group that had gathered.

Looking back up at Bucky, I felt a warmth blossoming in my chest as my next words spilled from behind my lips with no fight or filter.

“We’re soulmates.”

***

After a lengthy talk in the communal kitchen, several cups of coffee, and a very awkward walk from the hangar, Steve sat across the bar from Bucky and myself. Everyone else had cleared out already after the initial announcement, too tired to unpack the full story yet.

“Gotta say, I’m happy you two found each other. Bucky here wouldn’t shut up about what you’d be like when we were younger (Y/N).”

“Alright punk, that’s enough about that. Why don’t you get lost for a while?”

Steve raised his hands in mock surrender as he stood and moved to leave the kitchen. At the last moment, he turned to face us at the bar, a genuine and soft smile on his face.

“Hey, (Y/N), treat him right okay?”

I smiled and gave him a nod in response before he finally left the room. I turned back to Bucky to see him shaking his head as he grumbles under his breath too low for me to understand.

“What was that, Buck?”

His face flushed as he looked up at me, his words only coming out barely above a whisper as his eyes darkened from their brilliant ocean blue.

“It’s not you he should be worried about.”

“What do you mean by that Bucky?” The worry in my chest began spreading quickly, hoping this wouldn’t be one of those instances where a soulmate rejects the bond.

“I’ve...I’ve done a lot of bad (Y/N). I could understand if you choose to leave, I’m damaged and I’ve hurt so many people...it wouldn’t be fair to you to be stuck with someone like me...with a monster.”

I felt my heart crack at his words, a few tears building on my lashes as I took a shaky breath before softly saying his name. When he didn’t look up, I placed my hand gently on his chin and raised his eyes to finally meet mine, the pain in his shining bright as fear mixed with it.

“James Buchanan Barnes, what you did as another person was beyond your control. Being damaged is part of being human, you just got a really bad lot in life. But look at what you’ve done to turn it around! You save lives and prevent wars now. From what Steve has told me of you, you are an incredible person with an amazing heart and you’d give anything for those you love. You. Are. Not. A. Monster. Okay?”

By now a few tears had fallen from your eyes, and his as well. He grabbed your hand from his chin, placing a kiss to your palm before letting out a shaky sigh.

“So...you’re not leaving? You’re not scared?”

“Bucky, the only thing that scares me is that I won’t be good enough for you. I’m just a normal person who loves to paint. I’m not skilled or super in any way.”

He laughed lightly at you, shaking his head as he stands and hugs you where you still sit, placing a gentle kiss to the top of your head.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, doll.”

***

As the weeks flew by, I continued the portraits and spent every spare minute with Bucky I could. I had been saving his portrait for last, even though I’d already had it mapped in my head from the first conversation we had that day in the kitchen. He’d tried to sneak peeks of the other paintings, but hadn’t been successful as I wanted them to be a surprise for everyone.

Now that I’d finally come to his portrait, my time at the compound was almost at an end. I had spoken with Tony and was welcome at any time, and I planned to stay an extra two weeks at the compound before flying back to DC. Back to my life.

As my mind became lost in the strokes of greys, steely blue, and streaks of gold I thought back on my time here. I had come to view these people as good friends, maybe even a second family. Thinking about having to leave them caused a weight in my chest that made it hard to breath.

Finally finished with the final painting of the collection, I set my brushes aside to be cleaned, knowing they wouldn’t dry too soon with the oils smeared across the canvas and my hands. With a heavy sigh I moved to a nearby table and grabbed my phone, knowing it was time for my weekly update with Hannah.

She’d been so excited for me when I told her about Bucky, nearly exploding at my over the phone in typical her fashion. For someone so small, she sure was one hell of a force of nature all her own.

“You better be calling to tell me you’ve finally slept with that fiiiiine hunk of man you get to call your soulmate, lady.”

“Sorry to disappoint, but we are actually taking it slow and he’s been a perfect gentleman, Hannah.”

She snorted into the phone before I heard the telltale sound of the bay doors in the workshop we shared back home. Didn’t feel like home anymore, not with Bucky being here.

“So, judging by the timeframe I guess you’re done and coming home soon, huh?”

“I’m planning on staying an extra two weeks actually...not ready to say goodbye just yet.”

“I can understand that boo. Good thing we run our own company then, right? No need to ask for the vacation time!”

“That’s true. I miss you Han. I hope things go well while I’m still gone.”

“Well, as it happens it’s vacation time for me too lady, so no need to worry about the company! Just relax, and in to weeks we can both come back refreshed, okay?”

“Alrighty. Thank you! I gotta go, but I’ll call soon okay?”

“Love ya, ya weirdo!”

With her final affections given in her typical fashion, Hannah hung up. I gave a sigh before heading out of the studio and to my designated room, which had been moved to the one next to Bucky’s once he came back. I hopped in the shower, letting the nearly scalding water pour over me and wash away the paint and stress of the day.

Soon enough I had to face the music and get out, wrapping myself in a large and fluffy towel before padding my way into my room. Over my weeks here, the room had really become personalized to me, I even had an easel in here near the window overlooking the city. I quickly dressed in some leggings and a longer tshirt, aiming for comfort more than appearance.

I headed back to the studio, cleaning my brushes first in the sink in the corner, laying them next to it to air dry before making my way back to the easel with the latest painting. I smiled softly, this was truly a masterpiece in my eyes, whether it was because of the subject of because I poured every ounce of emotion I had into it I wasn’t sure.

I began moving the paintings into the common area where Tony intended to hang them, moving fast to get them all up. I managed to somehow get all 10 hung before anyone came out, no small feat in this place since they were all back from missions for the moment.

“FRIDAY, could you ask everyone to come here please? Non-emergency though.”

“You got it, (Y/N).”

***

Not long after they’d been called, I watched as all 10 of my friends stared into their portraits. The emotions written on their faces were enough of a response for me, I didn’t need them to voice how they felt.

Tony’s was in brilliant and bold colors, reminiscent of a peacock. With vague white lines indicating the iron man mask overlaying his face and the arc reactor in his chest glowing with leds embedded in the canvas from behind.

Wanda’s painting was a black and white portrait of her smiling wide, a red stream flowing through the background as a ghostly transparent silhouette of her brother Pietro framed her position on the canvas.

Steve’s painting was a mix of charcoals and paints, his pose of him mid laugh at some silly story he’d been telling me of him and Bucky as kids. He looked carefree and relaxed, years younger than his guarded self.

Vision had a black and white painting as well, with silver and gold foiling filling the background and a few lines in front of him creating an intricate circuit board that seemed to stem from the resin crystal emulating the stone in his head.

Clint’s painting had been done in various darknesses of coffee, as nothing could fit him better. He was pictured mid sign, his hands blurred to capture his swift and erratic speech as best I could in a slice of time.

Nat was the only one with a full body, necessary for the ballet pose her body was held in. Reds and black dominated the painting, a peaceful smile on her lips as her body contorted in a graceful way. The tulle attached to the canvas gave depth to her painting more so than I had expected.

Bruce had another black and white portrait, his shy smile painted on his face and his glasses sliding down his nose. Behind him stood a whiteboard with equations I could never make sense of filling the space, though the shadow he cast on the board was undoubtedly that of the Hulk.

Thor had a greyscale painting too, with a pale blue and lavenders accenting it as the edges of the lightning surrounding him and flaring away from his eyes. He was dressed in his royal armor as always, but he wore a cocky smirk on his face, the same he usually sported.

Sam’s painting was made of varying metallic materials in the colors I needed, the textures letting lights shine off it in various ways depending on which angle you viewed it from, making it look like he was composed of fireworks. Like Steve, he was also laughing in his picture, that mischievous twinkle to his eye you’d seen plenty after he played one of his many pranks during your week together.

Finally was Bucky’s painting. His eyes were full of warmth and love, the unending depths of that steely blue leaping from the mostly grey painting. His face was framed by his long hair, and from behind that extended a halo of glittering gold. In that same gold paint a golden heart rested on the sleeve of the Henley he wore stretched tight across his muscles.

There were no words they could find to truly express how the paintings made them feel, but the tight hugs and repeated thanks I received were more than enough to tell me.

Now to enjoy my time before I have to go home. Before I have to leave Bucky.

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

next chapter >

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[valkyrieofsmut]

Captive Love   10

UF!Sans x Reader (or Frisk if you wanna)

Summary: Sweetheart continues to be pissed at Sans, and works on her plan to escape. Meanwhile Sans is being protective, cute, and sexy.

A/N: Eh, sweetheart is a little clueless, but what can you expect when Paps is scaring the hell out of her? Being loud around abuse survivors is just... generally not nice... not a good way to become their friends... Also, I'm starting another story, one of the multiverse "skeletons and x" ones. Only, instead of meeting nice, safe, skeles first, reader is found by HT Sans. Oh, and he has p l a n s... heh.

Masterlist      Series Masterlist

Story

Angry sweetheart.

(Y/n) woke up in the morning, in nearly the exact same way she’d fallen asleep; trapped against Sans’ body, him grumbling angrily near her head, though he was asleep this time. 

Asshole. 

She was wholly uncooperative all morning, up to and including when the time came for him and Papyrus to leave for their work, so Sans tried to keep his patience. 

“there’s some breakfast fer ya on th’ table, sweetheart… look, i don’t know what’s up wit ya, but try an' have a good day, sweetheart. i’ll be back later,” he told her, leaving the room and holding in a growl. 

The hell he doesn’t know!  (Y/n) thought angrily. I hope it’s not more of that nasty lasagna! She let out an angry noise thinking about the disgusting food that Papyrus seemed to think was amazing. 

She waited until she heard the door close, then made her way down to the kitchen, seeing that at least it was eggs and bacon waiting for her with some toast. The toast and eggs were monster food, but the bacon was human food, so she didn’t have to worry about starving to death quite yet. 

She decided that she should wait until the next day to leave, in case they were on guard, thinking she’d try again so soon, so after she ate breakfast, she had nothing to do, and she didn’t want to do anything to help either of these two jerks, so she thought about what she could do that would seem helpful, but would really just be something that would inconvenience them. 

She got an idea, and a vindictive smile lifted her mouth as she went through the kitchen. 

She gathered everything she’d need, cleaning out the last of the supplies for lasagna, and getting to work. 

.

Sans had made it halfway through his rounds, still pondering what had happened to his sweet, sweet, sweetheart to make her so difficult -maybe humans were aggressive during that weird heat/mating cycle they had? The one where the women bled?- he tried to think through everything that had happened since she’d last been sweet… 

She’d asked about leaving, but he didn’t have enough energy to take her home, even if he’d wanted to. In fact, he’d hoped that his nap would take so long that there wouldn’t be enough time to get back to the city before nightfall, which it had, so that he’d have that excuse to buy himself more time… 

She’d left anyway, but Papyrus had brought her back when he’d caught her outside- 

oh shit- 

That was it! 

She hadn’t asked to come with him or for him to take her home this morning. 

She was super pissed at him last night after he’d had that talk with Papyrus about collars, she’d probably heard at least part of it, thanks to his brother’s loud as hell voice.

fuuuuuck! Sans groaned and slapped his forehead. 

Papyrus had called her his pet.  

no wonder she’s fuckin’ pissed off! Sans dragged his hand down his skull, rubbing at it. she tried ta go, an’ we ain’t lettin’ ‘er… shit! His skull jerked up, his teeth gritting as he realized; she’s gonna run! i gotta get home! but… boss’ll kill me if i don’t finish my rounds… fuck… fuck, fuck fuck fuck! Anxiety welled up inside him as he rubbed his skull, trying to figure out a solution. 

.

It was the fastest Sans had ever done his rounds, keeping an eye and ear out, talking to his contacts, making sure that everyone was keeping in line and not getting out of hand or causing trouble, basically the general ‘making sure everyone had a nice, peaceful life’ schtick, but actually moving fast instead of his normal 'got nowhere to be' pace. 

The front door opened, and he stepped in, his breathing slightly heavy. “doll?” He called nervously through the house. “ya here?” 

He heard a noise in the kitchen and went through the doorway, seeing her cooking, her hands dirty and a pan half full of strange, rolled up shapes. 

She looked up at him from her project, a half rolled noodle in her hands. 

“uh… whatcha doin’?” He asked, making his way to her. 

She gestured to the pan in front of her where various rolled circle shapes stood, some of their filling showing or squishing out. A pot was on the stove, and as he stepped closer and took the lid off, the smell of real, well made tomato sauce wafted up to him. 

“ya- helpin’ wit dinner?” He guessed, a little anxious, still. 

A smile quirked her mouth, but she caught it before it could be anything more than a small smile and gave a small nod, turning back to her work and ignoring him. She needed to act neutral enough that her attitude this morning wouldn’t seem strange, but also would put them at ease so they’d let their guard down. 

Sans’ hand touched her hip as he rested his skull against the side of her head, murmuring, “ya didn’t have ta do that, sweetheart.” 

(Y/n) took a breath, pushing away her stupid reaction and gently pushed him back, brushing him away to the living room so she could go back to cooking. 

Sans went with her, chuckling. “a’right, a’right, i got it,” he told her, going out to the couch and sitting on it, soon getting more comfortable and falling asleep. 

(Y/n) looked out of the kitchen to check on him at the sound of snoring drifting into the kitchen. Her jaw clenched and she wondered for a moment whether he actually needed to breathe, or it might be possible to strangle him, knowing that she’d never actually do that, but it did relieve a little of her anger. 

.

The door opening, slamming shut, and loud derisive snort let her know that Papyrus was home, as well as made her flinch a great deal. 

“SANS, GET YOUR LAZY ASS UP!” Papyrus yelled at his brother, startling him awake before sniffing the air. “WHAT IS THAT SMELL?” He demanded, stepping toward the kitchen. 

(Y/n) looked up at him from the chair she was sitting on, fear spiking in her chest. 

Shit! I forgot how scary he is when I decided to do this…  

Sans had come in beside Papyrus while her gaze was fearfully frozen on him. “sweetheart- she, uh, w-wanted ta help out, cuz ya a’ways work s-so hard on dinner-” he looked up at his brother nervously. “w-wasn’t that n-nicea ‘er?” 

Papyrus seemed to mull this over, a bit of a red glow crossing the ridge of his nasal cavity. 

Oh no… she’d made him very angry again… 

“I SUPPOSE IT’S ONLY NATURAL THAT SHE DO HER BEST TO PAY HOMAGE TO SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME,” he reasoned, and she could practically feel his ego trying to suffocate her. 

“heh, course, bro. sweetheart is a real… heh… sweetheart,” Sans agreed, a small embarrassed looking red glow hinting on his cheeks. 

(Y/n) saw the glow grow a little as he noticed that she was looking at him, and she looked back and forth between them, reevaluating the glow. Blush? She wondered.  He’s  blushing  , not angry? Why’s he yelling, then? Why is he acting so mad? She shook her head. Jesus, some people make no sense… 

When the timer went off, they ate dinner, Papyrus closely inspecting each bite, and Sans clearly trying to hold himself back as he went for seconds. 

Papyrus caught this, and his brow bones met. “DO YOU LIKE HER COOKING BETTER THAN MINE?” He demanded, sounding offended. 

“uh- no! no, boss!” Sans had started sweating, red drops dotting his skull. “yer cookin’ is the best! i jus’- th-they’re smaller- t-takes more’a ‘em ta fill ya up!”

That seemed to satisfy his brother, and Papyrus picked up another rolled pasta, holding it up and looking at (Y/n). “WHAT DID YOU SAY THIS IS CALLED?” 

“St...ff..d l...sgn...ah,” she answered with a squeak at the end. 

fuck, why’s she gotta be so fuckin’ adorable?! Sans gritted his teeth, a scowl pulling at his features as he tried not to show his emotions. “s-stuffed lasagna, huh?” He asked so that his brother could understand better. 

She nodded. “Th-r… sh...d beh ...nough f...r l...ch t’m...row, t’,”  she told them with a smile, focusing on not letting it get bigger. 

“OF COURSE; THERE IS ALWAYS ENOUGH FOR LUNCH,” Papyrus told her with a small huff, and she couldn’t help the twitch that her lips gave. 

Of course, it was usually because no one ate enough that there wasn’t, and this time, it was because she’d made sure to use the rest of their supply. 

.

Sans watched (Y/n) take a pillow and lay on the floor next to the bed again. 

He held in the irritation that pressed his ribs from the inside. 

“doll, get yer ass on th’ bed, ya ain’t sleepin’ on th’ floor,” he told her. 

She didn’t acknowledge him. 

Sans’ grin widened, but instead of being a happy motion, it was something that would bring fear into those seeing it. “fine, then- but don’t say i didn’t warn ya,” he told her with a verbal shrug. 

(Y/n) rolled her eyes, pointedly not reacting, but jumped when something touched her hip. She froze, her body unable to move as he silently moved behind her and got comfortable, wrapping his arms around her and bringing her flush to him. 

He nuzzled against her neck, giving tiny nips and- ehw! Was that his- Had he just licked her hair?! 

“sweetheart, ya know…” he started, one hand starting to drag the tips of his phalanges over her forearm and hand, “th’ other day, when i walked in on ya…” he nuzzled more against her neck, the tip of his tongue trailing up over a sensitive patch of skin, “didn’t mean ta, but… gotta say, it worked ‘n my favor pretty well…” His hand was toying with the edge of her shirt. “been wonderin’... ya wanna pick up where we left off?” 

A tiny noise left her and he nipped under her jaw, making another noise leave her. 

A hot breath left him and blew over her sensitive skin. “doll, ya sound like ya wanna,” he said softly, his deep voice rumbling through her, and she couldn’t do much more than push out a harsh sigh, trying to sound irritated instead of turned on. 

“mmm, feelin’ pretty warm, there, doll,” he told her, his hand trailing to her hip and lightly rubbing over it. “ya startin’ ta get ‘xcited? could help ya wit that, ya know…” His hand held her hip and pulled it back against him, his hips pressing forward against her. “feelin’ reeaal warm, sweetheart,” he murmured, his hand moving to the front of her thigh and slowly trailing along it, right on the edge of the danger zone, teasing her with what could be. “wanna spread those sexy thighs a lil an’ let me show ya jus’ what i can do fer ya?” He nipped her ear and she could feel another flood of need pool between her thighs. 

“’d never ignore ya like this,” he rumbled. “nah, ’d rather hear ya screamin’ an’ beggin’ fer more.” 

Fuck- why does he have to be so good at this?! I don’t like it- he’s just good at it- I’m mad at him- I hate him! He is trying to give me Stockholm syndrome- psycho asshole!  

Sans nipped and nibbled along her jaw, his tongue flicking out. "sweetheart, ya know… we keep gettin' interrupted… want me ta tell ya what'd happen if we didn't?" 

She shook her head. 

"no?" He asked, satisfied that she was at least talking to him. 

She shook her head again. 

"a'right. well, ya ever wanna know, ya can just ask, i'll tell ya… or better yet, show ya," he assured her, giving a sinful chuckle. 

. 

(Y/n) woke on the bed, not at all surprised, until she remembered that she'd fallen asleep on the floor the night before. 

The morning came and went, and she was patiently waiting for Sans to leave, though he didn't. 

Papyrus had left, slamming the door behind him, two or so hours ago, but Sans was still there. 

Beside her, actually, not letting her get too far away. 

He had her sit at the table as he heated their lunch, glancing back at her regularly as though she’d suddenly disappear silently. 

After they ate, she took the plates and washed them as he stayed at the table, watching her. She was starting to feel more frustrated. 

She'd never escape if he hovered around her like a damn helicopter parent all the time! 

After the last dish was put away, she turned to him, chewing the inside of her lip for a moment. 

"somethin' wrong, sweetheart?" He asked. 

"Gr...sh...ies," was all she said, and he looked at her in confusion. 

"gr-groceries?" 

She nodded. 

"what d'ya need?" He asked. 

She walked to the cupboards, opening them so he could see that they were empty of lasagna materials, which was pretty much all that had been in them. 

A light sweat broke out on Sans' skull, and she felt a little smug, hiding it to her best ability. 

“Br..sh,” she told him, pointing at her hair and then at her teeth. “Sh..mpoo, w-sh,” she motioned to the things she’d do with them, so he had an idea of what she meant. 

The light sweat grew a little heavier on Sans’ skull, and (Y/n) felt a little more accomplished, adding on everything she could think of. 

Did she need floss? No. But she’d ask for it if it’d cause him trouble and make him take longer at the store. 

Sans found himself grinding his jaw. “y-yeah… i-i can get alla that fer ya, doll… gotta get some mustard, anyway… uh- i’ll be back in a bit, ‘k? d-don’t get inta trouble while i’m gone…” 

He shot one last glance at her before walking out the front door and making his way around to a side of the house where she couldn’t see him to use a shortcut. 

Sans hurried into the store, a dark glare on his face as he yanked a cart to him with magic as he made a direct line to where the lasagna supplies were. 

Boxes and tubs were tossed into the cart gently enough that they didn’t burst open, cans of products tossed in less gently. A few bags of salad, a bottle of dressing, toppings, bread, his beloved mustard, a few other things… 

He needed to hurry. He felt like he had been given this task just to distract him so that his sweetheart could trick him, try and leave when no one was there to keep her inside. 

As much as he knew that it was dangerous out there for her, knowing that some monsters had been talking about trying to catch humans, try to extract their souls and put them into food, trying to gain their power, or make their bodies into food just to taste something ‘exotic’, or take their souls and use their soft bodies as playthings, the biggest part of him not wanting her to leave was just that- not wanting her to leave. 

He wanted to keep her to himself, wanted to have the sweet softness of her body against his, the feel and smell of her calming him and his anxieties, wanted to protect her, keep her safe and feel needed and useful, wanted to make her smile at him, smile because of him again, wanted to do all sorts of just filthy things to and with her… 

Sans shook his head, growling at another monster who got in the way as he turned a corner. He got a glare back and ignored it as he continued on his way to the non food things. 

On the way to the aisle with the hair care items, he caught a glimpse of something that stopped him in his tracks in the ‘intimates’ aisle, and it wasn’t just that there were walls covered in socks, panties, and bras. 

His tongue ran over his teeth as his cheekbones heated, and he pulled up his hood to hide the red glow. 

He quickly grabbed the item and tossed it in the cart, burying it under the other items before hurrying to get a brush. 

Of course, when the item was uncovered at check out, he gave the human attendant a glare in response to the questioning look, his gold tooth giving a gleam as he sneered frighteningly. 

The human just shrank into himself and watched the items he rang up with more attention than necessary.

. 

Sans hurried into the house, closing the door behind him, his eyes already up and searching for his sweetheart. 

“sweetheart-” She wasn’t in the kitchen, she wasn’t in the laundry room, the front room, the bathroom…

Sans opened his door and saw his sweetheart on his bed, studying one of his books. 

“there ya are, sweetheart,” he sighed, relief obvious in his tone, and he took a breath to calm his racing heart. “here,” he shoved the bag of non food things to her.

(Y/n) took the bag and peeked inside. “Th...nks.” She put the bag to the side awkwardly and turned back to the book. 

Sans hesitated for a moment, then climbed onto the bed with her, slowly and a bit awkwardly scooting closer to her. “want me ta read it to ya?” 

Have him read her the book? 

How long had it been since she'd had anyone read to her? It had always been a relaxing, peaceful thing to be read to… 

She could hate him and listen to him reading to her… right? 

(Y/n) pushed the book to him. 

Sans seemed to relax a bit, then pushed and tugged at her until she was laying down with her head in his lap. 

She was a bit wary, wondering what he was planning, but he just took the book and started reading it to her. 

"when ya take th' particles from where they originate, ya can cause a certain amount 'a instability…" 

Apparently, she'd picked some science book with something like… particle theory?... or something... in it, not a subject she found strictly interesting, but his deep, accented voice was so calm and relaxing that (Y/n) started drifting off. 

"ya still wit me, sweetheart?" He asked, and she nodded, though her eyes were closed. "a'right, i'll keep goin', then…" 

[sunflowergirl522]

Eat The Damn Cheese Stick

Pairing: Poe Dameron x Reader

Summary: Mix of the soulmate AUs where you have the first thing your soulmate says to you on your arm and the one where your greatest fear is what your soulmate had a near death experience with.

Word Count: 1759

Warnings: language

Masterlist

Poe hated third wheeling with Finn and Rey. He hated doing it and having an awkward blind date, set up by Finn, even more. Sure Finn just wanted him to be happy but Poe, and he had told Finn time and time again, was perfectly happy dating (and sleeping) around by himself. And ya he wanted to find his soulmate and whatnot. He wanted to be happy with someone the way Finn was happy with Rey but, he wanted to find them on his terms not on a blind date set up by his best friend. He got really good at sniffing out a set up and giving any excuse to not hang out. But this time was different, Finn had managed to sneak it past him.

He didn’t even realise it until Rey came out of nowhere and joined them in the diner. Finn had invited him out to see some new horror movie and they decided to eat beforehand. It was only going to be the two of them so he didn’t think anything of it since Rey was always there so the date wasn’t ever too awkward, even though it almost always was. But when Rey showed up and sat down next to Finn at the table the veil lifted and Poe could see what this really was.

“No, no way Finn I’m leaving.”

“Poe, cmon just, please. I didn’t even pick this girl, Rey did.This was all her idea.” At this Poe shoots a glare at the girl next to his friend.

“You’ve betrayed me.” He can’t help but to joke with her. Rey always had told Poe how she didn’t agree with what Finn was doing and how she’d try to get him to stop.

“Look I know this goes against my beliefs with this but, I think you’ll really like her at least enough to be her friend. Good lord she needs friends.” Rey mumbles the last part more to herself than anything else. “After this I promise Finn’s done with blind dates and you’re on your own with finding love.”

“This is the last one?” Rey nods and Poe looks over to Finn for reassurance.

“This is the last one.”

“Fine, I’ll stay. Where is she?”

“She should be on her way. Did you guys order anything?”

“Just appetizers, tell me about her.” He hated going into these things without any info about the girl. That’s a main reason as to why he hated blind dates so much, it could be a kind of girl that he hates almost immediately and he’d have to spend the whole date with her.

“All I’ll tell you is that she can be a bit much sometimes to handle. So with that being said here she comes.” A bit much to handle? What did that mean, what was Rey getting him into?

The appetizers arrive as Rey stands to catch the excited girl in her arms and the server blocks Poe’s view. He can hear the silvery voice greet the two of his friends. The server moves and Poe can finally see the short curvy girl that stands next to his taller, thinner friend. His gaze lands on her fishnet clad thighs a second longer than they should have and he has to look away before his mind starts to wonder.

“Y/n, this is Poe. Poe, Y/n.” The minute you hear that you stop smiling and look at the man in front of Finn. Meeting new people wasn't your cup of tea and Rey knew that. Why would she invite someone and not tell you? The man is attractive you’d give him that, you were a sucker for black curls. He definitely would’ve been a go to man if you were at a bar and looking for a hookup. “I think the two of you could really hit it off.” Oh so this was her trying to set you up on a date. Rey takes her seat next to Finn again and you go to sit down next to Poe, just now seeing the food on the table.

“Oh, mozzarella sticks!” Finn smiles at you and pushes them towards you while pulling the pretzels towards himself and Rey.

“Woah buddy, I thought I was getting the pretzels. You know I can’t eat these.”

Upon seeing the confusion on your face Rey speaks in a hushed tone to you. “Poe’s afraid of cheese sticks, that’s the fear his soulmate gave him though.”

“Don’t you go telling people my business. What are you doing?” You reach towards him holding one of the sticks in your hand for Poe to take.

“Don’t be a pussy, eat the damn cheese stick.” Poe knows those words, it’s like he’s heard them before. The tingle he feels on his arm reminds him of the words that are etched on his skin. Once the realization hits him, his eyes light up and he can’t stop beaming at you. “What, why are you looking at me like that?”

Poe wants this first line to you to be something witty, something that sounds cool. But when he looks into your Y/E/C eyes he swears he can see galaxies and his mind stops working. And because of that he says, “Helicopter crash!” Your eyebrows scrunch together in confusion and Poe wants to slap himself. “I almost died in a helicopter crash.” Your arm tingles a bit and you roll up the sleeve of your leather jacket in order to scratch at it as if it was an itch. Upon looking at your arm you see the words there that you had momentarily forgotten about, Helicopter crash. Well there’s that fear of flying you had to overcome.

“You have to be fucking kidding me, there’s no way.”

“What’s going on?” Finn and Rey were sharing looks of confusion with each other since Poe’s odd reaction to being called a pussy, normally he would try to fight anyone who dared to call him one.

Rey gasps as Poe takes off his iconic tan leather jacket to reveal the words on his arm for you to see, Don’t be a pussy, eat the damn cheese stick. “They’re soulmates, you guys are soulmates. I knew you two would get along!”

“How did you almost die from a cheese stick?” Poe leans on his arm towards you and you swallow before answering.

“I was young and you know how kids are they don’t always chew completely. Well, I was just eating one and I must not have chewed through the cheese completely because when I swallowed, all of the cheese just goes to the back of my throat while still being connected to the breading. So I was sitting there choking and tada I almost died. When’s the movie?” The question is directed towards Rey as you try to get the spotlight off of you and the situation you’re in.

“It starts in about thirty minutes. Y/n, are you okay?” Rey can see the panic beginning to rise in your eyes.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. I, uh, I’m just gonna go get my ticket and grab us seats. I’ll see you guys in there.” With that you stand up and walk away quickly.

Poe can’t help but to feel rejected, you didn’t seem very excited to have found him. In fact, you seemed upset and he couldn’t figure out why. He sits there in stunned silence for a while before turning to his friends. “Guys I think I might just go home. I’m not really feeling a movie any more.”

“Poe, don’t let her reaction affect you. I know her and I know that if you just give her a bit she'll be jumping with joy.”

“Ya c’mon buddy it’s not like you to skip out on things because of some girl.”

“I appreciate you trying to help, but this isn’t just any girl.” And with that Poe grabs his jacket and walks away with his head down. On his way to his car that he parked at the theater, someone bumps into him.

“Shit, sorry I wasn’t looking at where I was going.” Poe looks down at you and his eyes widen, shocked to see you heading back to the diner. “Oh, Poe! I was just uh, coming to apologize to you.” You put your head down not able to look him in the eyes for that confession.

“Why?”

“I’m not exactly good at being put on the spot with things or with dealing with things, like soulmates for example, being thrown at me from nowhere. So if I came across as cold or unexcited about meeting you and everything I’m sorry. And before you say anything,” You step closer to him and poke your finger into his chest. Poe can’t help but find the sight adorable as you try to be intimidating. “I’ll have you know that that’s a big deal cause I don’t apologize for things I have no reason to be sorry for.”

“Well in that case I suppose I can forgive you.” He smirks at you and you can’t stop the smile from making its way onto your face.

“Alright let’s go watch the movie.”

Rey and Finn watch as you pull him with you into the theater from the entrance to the diner. “I told you they’d be perfect for each other from the start. You should’ve just listened to me now let’s go home.”

“But I wanted to watch the movie.”

“You can let your best friend enjoy a date without you for once or you can go see the movie and be the third wheel.”

***

“What a bullshit ending! They made it a point in the first one that the doll wasn’t possessed. And the head inside was ridiculous and completely unnecessary. Why do sequels suck so much ass nowadays?” Poe has never seen someone leave a theater so fast or so angry before.

“It's just a movie Y/n. I didn’t know there was a first one until you said something about it.”

“You’ve never seen the first one?” You stop in your tracks and turn slowly towards the man behind you. He only shakes his head and that’s all you need to make a last minute decision. “Okay, then you can take me home and you’re gonna watch it.”

“Wait, what?” You’re already pulling him into the parking lot for him to take you to his car. “Didn’t you drive here?”

“Nah I bussed, gotta keep the air clean y'know? Now which one is you?”