#if he finds a nice lady to spend the remainder of his days with - good!

[sage-nebula]

The nasty fucking skank that's been sexually harassing my dad ever since my mom died had the audacity to get on the phone with me tonight, so. If nothing else, she has now been told in no uncertain terms that she's a massive skank who needs to take "no" for an answer.

[thevikingwoman]

written for @idrellegames Wayfarer's 3rd anniversary!

Fandom: Wayfarer IF | Words: 608 | Read on Ao3

Vy Shard & Aeran Kellis | before episode 1 | gen Rating: Teen. Swearing, Vy is not having a good time, strained friendship, Rona being Rona, bronde Aeran

Rock Bottom

It’s raining. Again.

 Since they’ve arrived in Rona, Vy has counted more days of rain than without. Their hair is perpetually frizzy, its pearlescent waves impossible to tame. They prefer it short anyways, but since there’s no way they can disappear into a crowd, at least it would be nice to look good.

Rona is not a good look on anyone.

Case in point, Aeran strides through the door, water running down his face from his wet hair. It looks almost dark brown when wet, his curls pulled out except one stubbornly stuck to his forehead.

“Anything?”

Aeran grunts and doesn’t answer, shrugging off his wet coat. He hangs it on the rusty hook by the door. Then he shakes his head like a dog and runs his hands through his hair. It now sticks up in a mess.

“I ran into Oleander,” he says instead of answering Vy’s question. Typical.

“And?”

“He wanted the rent.” Aeran sits on the chair – the only piece of furniture in the room besides their mattresses and a rickety table, and pulls off his boots. “Had to pay him.”

“That was the last of our crowns, wasn’t it? A day early.”

“It was.”

“So – did you find anything.”

“The leads both vanished. Got someone else already.”

“Both of them? Fuck!”

They finally have been getting some jobs, and some good reputation, so of course two good leads evaporate. Just like theirs did.

“Mine was a dead end too. No longer a problem, apparently.”

It feels like half the time the jobs they hear about end up vanishing into thin air. Some days they wish they could too. Rona is a fucking nightmare. They should never have let Aeran convince them to come here.

They sigh, and gets up, crossing the small room to search the table. They rummage through the boxes and bags.

“There should be some bread,” Aeran says.

“It’s stale.” They purchased it cheaply as day old bread, but that was three days ago. And there’s only two slices left anyway. They toss one at Aeran. It’s hard. He doesn’t even attempt to eat it.

“A bit of sausage.” 

They find a knife and start slicing. It’s not much but it’s what they have.

“We could go to the soup kitchen,” Aeran suggests.

“No fucking way.” They hate it. The reminder of those years, before Cenric found them. Hungry, scraping by, useless and magicless, begging and stealing for scraps. They chop angrily at the remainder of the sausage. “I’m not going.“

“Well, maybe I am.”

Irritation has seeped into Aeran’s voice.

“You’re the one who spend our last crowns.”

“What did you want me to do, Vy? Tell Oleander to fuck off? The last thing we need is to be on the streets.”

“Fuck!” The knife clatters, and they instinctively stick their finger in their mouth, the sting of the cut pulsing. Sleeping on the streets of Rona – they don’t want to even think about it.

“Here.” Aeran hands them the medical kit. “It’s not going to come to that, Vy.”

They find a strip of cloth to tie around their finger. Half of the already meager pieces of sausage are covered in blood drops. Disgusted, they discard the whole thing.

“Let’s go,” they say. “Fucking soup line it is.”

“Maybe things will change soon,” Aeran says, pulling on his soggy boots again. “We’ll find a good job. Something that pays well.”

Vy snorts. “Sure. Maybe one of the Seven will hire us to guard and old lady for an astronomical sum.”

“Maybe,” Aeran grins.

Things better improve soon. It’s not like there’s any place worse to go from here.

[incissam]

💭 + childhood / dreams / nightmares

Buckle up this is going to be sizable.

Daenerys

Childhood

Dany's childhood wasn't always an easy one considering that when she was five years old she was forced out of the only home she had ever known. She associates the loss of the house in Braavos with the red door as a kind of loss of safety and even innocence in a way. Her childhood from age 5 and up was one of always looking over her shoulder once she was old enough to understand what Viserys meant by the assassins chasing after them. Due to the fact that they were on the streets off and on for 8 years she did pick up a few survival basics and thievery skills with being forced to grow up quickly due to her circumstances. There were nights where they slept on the streets huddled in alley ways and praying they weren't noticed and some where they slept in nice houses of nobles hoping to get something out of them. Though when the money was all gone the niceness stopped until Illyrio took them in. Living with Illyrio restored some of that missing childhood for her until the time came of her maturity so that she could be wed.

There are times in which she wishes that she could go back to being a young girl and behaving her age rather than being a leader. She misses that lost childhood which is why she will have sleep overs in her room with Missandei because she is the closest in age to herself. She is her little sister and best friend in a way that her other ladies cannot be. In these little moments they are both reclaiming their lost childhoods.

Dreams

Daenerys has a dream of returning home and fulfilling Viserys' dream of taking back the Iron Throne for their house. She only adopted this on his death because it was everything that he wanted and since she feels responsible for his death she wants to fulfill his dream. Her own dream prior to his death was to find a home where she could feel safe and maybe start a family of her own. Now she always has a target on her back because she wants to see her family rightfully restored as it's assumed last member.

In terms of literal dreams though she has dragon dreams in which she is a dragon flying over Westeros or viewing events of the past. Some of these might be prophetic, but they always leave her feeling changed the next day.

Nightmares

Daenerys is plagued by nightmares. There are nights where she has nightmares of Viserys with his face still melting from the gold and telling her that she has failed their family or she is not good enough. She also has nightmares about the past and unseen assassins chasing her as a child. There are other nightmares that are about her failing in her goal to take back the iron throne because she is not strong enough and these haunt her to the point of her sometimes lashing out when there are problems that she is unsure how to face.

Rhaenyra

Childhood

Childhood for Rhaenyra was a bit complicated. It was really great when it was great and then it got to be not so great when her mother died and she was named heir. That put a bit of pressure on her and forced her to grow up a bit faster than maybe Aemma would have ever wanted her to. It only got worse when Viserys remarried and she felt herself becoming more distanced from her father due to him becoming so coiled around Alicent and their children. It also wasn't like she didn't try to be a big sister to Alicent's kids either, but found when she was getting closer to being a family she was forced several steps back which made the remainder of her childhood difficult. The only parts that she truly looks back on fondly were the parts with her mother when she could spend time with her.

Dreams

Rhaenyra's dreams have evolved over the years. When she was young her dream was to have her independence to explore the world and have a life of adventure like her Uncle Daemon. As she grew though her dream became to have the peace that her father wanted to keep for the 7 Kingdoms only she wanted it at home. Living in the Red Keep became a war zone to the point of her moving and her dream became giving her sons the happiness that she didn't always have wanting to see them have a bright future.

Nightmares

Rhaenyra ended up living her nightmares. Her nightmares were seeing everyone that she loved dying. In the last years of her life she lived her nightmares in seeing her father die, her only daughter be stillborn and malformed, all of her sons from her first marriage dying, both of her husbands dying before her, her lover dying, and her dragon dying.

[missywritesfor7]

🌺 Promise Flower | PJM 🌺

Synopsis: Jimin is a popular dance student and the best one at his university. Mina is a photography student and has known Jimin since high school. An idea for a photo project finds Mina getting closer to him than she ever has before. She learns how big his heart is, but also learns how closely he guards it. Every time she thinks he'll let her in, he pulls away again. Is it even worth the trouble?

Pairing: college student!Jimin x fem!oc

Warnings: depression, anxiety, panic attacks, alcoholism

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Masterlist

|| Ch. 17: Merry Christmas? ||

Aside from Cindy being an absolute bitch, I did have a good time last night. Even better when Jimin came to save me and take me home. Of course we sat on that slide for quite a while first.

He came by today to take me to get my car from the bar parking lot. After I dumped my car back home we’ve been spending the better part of the day together. He’s been driving his dad’s car and I can tell he’s loving the freedom.

Both of our parents are working and his brother still has school for the remainder of this week so we’ve been joy riding and stopping by various shops to kill time. Everywhere we’ve gone we either run into someone who recognizes him or he turns bright red when he sees his face posted up on the wall like he’s in every shop’s hall of fame. He’s so shy and easily embarrassed, but it’s so endearing to me.

I’m sure by now the entire town knows we’re together. I feel like we’ve run into everyone, some I know, and many I don’t. However, everyone seems happy for us and that makes me feel good. We’ve even gotten a few free pastries and drinks just because we look “cute” together.

Later on Jimin drives me back home. My parents should be home by now and I told them I’d be back for dinner. When we pull up to the house I notice another car parked out front. I have no idea who’s car it is but I don’t think much about it. They tend to have visitors every once in a while so it’s nothing, but since I haven’t exactly told my parents that Jimin and I are together yet, I give him a kiss goodbye in the car hoping no one looks out the window and notices.

I’m not afraid to tell them that we’re together, and I certainly plan to do so very soon. I just want to find the right time to do it. Honestly I’m not sure why I’m nervous about telling them, I know they like him, I just don’t want to face a barrage of questions that come from them whenever I start dating someone.

When I step inside it’s like I can feel the difference in atmosphere in the air. I can hear tense voices coming from the kitchen and I know there’s nothing good happening. Against my better judgement I walk into the kitchen and instantly regret my decision.

“Mina!” A ragged male figure walks up to me and gives me a tight unwanted hug.

“Ryan? What are you doing here?” I ask trying to mask the disappointment in my voice. So much for having a peaceful holiday with my parents.

“It’s Christmas time!” Ryan says enthusiastically. “Did you think I wouldn’t be here? Plus I have great news!”

“Oh? What’s that?” I don’t want to know. I know I don’t want to know, but if I don’t act interested he’ll find a way to turn that into a fight.

“You’re going to be an aunt!” He says pointing to a very pregnant lady standing next to the counter.

“An aunt?” I ask very confused.

“Yeah,” Ryan exclaims. “Keri is pregnant!”

“Keri?” I say looking towards the pregnant lady. “Nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too,” she says barely above a whisper.

I almost want to pull her aside and ask her if Ryan is holding her hostage. My parents are standing there looking dumbfounded and Ryan looks over the moon. I know better than to think he’s just happy about becoming a father, the only time he looks this happy is when he’s ready to con someone out of money.

“Well…” my mom says slowly. “Now that everyone is here I guess I’ll get started on dinner.”

That’s it. Those are her magic words when she wants to occupy herself in order to disconnect from whatever is going on around her, usually my brother. My dad typically takes a seat on the couch and finds something on tv. Even if it’s something he doesn’t care to watch, he’ll turn it on and try to drown out whatever is happening around him.

Ryan takes Keri into the living room with my dad and I decide my best place is in the kitchen with my mom. We don’t say much but work together to get dinner prepared. We don’t really have to say anything right now because we both feel the same and we both know it.

Once dinner is ready everyone grabs a plate and takes a seat at the dining table. The air is so awkward and tense, I haven’t even fully processed the fact that Ryan is having a kid. Keri looks at least 5-6 months pregnant, so why is he just telling us this now?

“So…” my dad says trying to break the awkward silence. “Where were you, Mina? Your car was here so we thought you were home.”

“Right,” I say. “I was out with Jimin, he picked me up.”

“Jimin?” My mom asks perking up. “You two must have gotten very close since you go to the same school, especially since a lot of your photos are of him. How is he doing?”

“He’s good,” I reply nervously picking at my food. “We’re actually kind of dating…so yeah…”

“You and Jimin are dating?” My dad asks.

“The dancing kid?“ Ryan asks raising his brow.

“Yeah,” I repeat. “We’re dating now.”

“Oh Mina thats great!” My mom says with excitement. “How long have you been dating? He’s such a sweet boy and he comes from such a great family. Why didn’t you invite him in?”

“I wasn’t sure if you’d be ok with me bringing him over without notice.”

“Of course we would be ok with it,” my dad says with a smile. “You can invite him over anytime.”

“The dancing kid?” Ryan repeats. “The kid who’s picture is everywhere in town? You’re dating him?”

“Yeah,” I say lowly poking at my food. I can tell by his tone he’s about to have a problem with something. I hate that my entire body starts to feel differently when I know he’s about to start an argument. This has happened so many times it’s ridiculous.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” Ryan yells punching the table and startling everyone.

“What’s your problem?” My dad yells back.

“You always have to try to one up me!” Ryan yells in my direction. “I come here to tell everyone that we’re having a baby and you thought this was a good time to reveal that you’re dating the town’s It boy? Why didn’t you say anything about it when you got here yesterday? Why now??”

“I didn’t even know you would be here! Telling everyone today has nothing to do with you!” I’m fuming and my heart feels like it’s about to beat right out of my chest. Every time he’s around my anxiety is at its max and it’s always either fight or flight. Today seems like a fight day.

“You can’t even be happy for me! For us! Everyone always kisses your ass no matter what you do! You two didn’t have any emotion when I said we were having a baby!” He yells towards our parents. “This is your FIRST grandchild, but you’re all smiles and rainbows about Mina dating the dancing kid! This is bullshit!”

“Stop it!” My mom yells. “You know that’s not true, we’re happy about our first grandchild too.”

“BULL. SHIT!” He yells slamming the table again. “She’s always been your fucking favorite!”

“Look,” my dad says trying to calm everyone. “You came here after we haven’t heard from you in months and tell us you have a baby due in 3 months. It’s just a lot to process. It’s not that we aren’t happy for you, we just wish you would tell us these things sooner.”

“Well I didn’t have a phone for a while,” Ryan responds beginning his excuse train that he loves to go on every time he’s around. “And we didn’t have a car until now. But that shouldn’t matter! You all could try to be happy for me at least once!”

“We are happy for you!” My mom says starting to raise her voice. “We fed you and told you you could stay here as long as you needed, why can’t you be thankful for that? How could you say we’re not happy for you?”

“You have a funny way of showing it!”

“They could have left you outside if they didn’t give a shit,” I say trying to defend my parents. “They give you so much and all you do is take advantage of everyone and fight all the time!”

“Don’t try to fucking lecture me, little miss perfect! Why don’t you go see your perfect little boyfriend and fuck off!”

“Ryan!!” My mom yells. “Stop it right now or we will kick you out! We just want to have a peaceful holiday with the family, but if you continue like this we won’t let you stay here!”

They continue arguing back and forth and I’m trying my absolute hardest to take deep breaths and not fly across the table and beat him to a pulp. Keri has been sitting there this entire time with her head down not saying a word. It’s like she’s unfazed by the chaos going on around her.

The shouting continues echoing through my head and as usual I know I’m helpless to stop it. Why did they even let him in the house? Is this whole pregnancy another one of his schemes to manipulate everyone to give him what he wants? I’m still considering asking Keri if she’s a hostage. Blink twice if I should call the cops, something like that.

“ENOUGH!” My dad finally yells at the top of his lungs. “Everyone finish your meals and go to bed! We have work in the morning and don’t want to spend what should be a peaceful dinner yelling the entire time! No one say another word!”

My dad’s voice booms so loud I’m sure the entire neighborhood just heard him. When he switches to this tone we all know he’s one erroneous peep from throwing Ryan across the room and calling the police. It’s happened before and we all know not to test him when he reaches this point.

The rest of dinner is dead silent and suffocating. The tension is so thick that even the sound of a fork scraping a plate is enough to trigger a chain reaction. I try finishing my food quickly so I can retreat to my room and meditate. If things continue like this we won’t even make it to Christmas.

I quietly clean my plate off and head upstairs to my room locking the door behind me. I lay across my bed and stare at the ceiling a moment so I can get my heart rate back to normal. Then I grab my phone and text Jimin telling him about the shit show that just happened.

This is one of those times I wish we were back at school staying in our apartments. I would instantly get in my car and drive across the street to his place for comfort and healing. Anytime I get stressed out he would lay me across his lap and run his fingers through my hair. Sometimes he would hum a sweet song and I would close my eyes and imagine myself somewhere relaxing. I would love to be with him right now, but I guess texting will have to do for now.

Sadly this pattern continues through the week. Everyday Ryan starts an argument about something, and Keri sits there barely saying a word. Ryan uses his unborn baby to get what he wants, and I’m constantly walking on eggshells because everyone is on edge.

It’s like trying to get through a mine field. If I take a wrong step I’ll have to listen to Ryan insult the fact that I’m dating Jimin, or accuse me of being the favorite, which he’s been doing basically my whole life.

I try my best to find excuses to leave the house. Part of the time I’m with Jimin but despite my wants, I can’t be with him all the time. So at other times I journey around the city and do a little Christmas shopping.

Even when Christmas comes we’re not able to talk much, but we planned to meet the day after Christmas to exchange gifts.

Christmas Day should be filled with joy and the warm fuzzy feeling of spending time with family. Instead it’s incredibly tense and we all say very little to one another.

We exchange gifts which turns into Ryan complaining that my parents gave me way more stuff than him. We had no idea he would even be here so the gifts for him were all bought last minute and are mostly baby gifts. That wasn’t good enough for him, he wanted more for himself. Typical.

Keri thanks us for the gifts in her low timid tone and says very little else. She’s still not eliminating my suspicions of her being a hostage of some sort. I wish I could have a private chat with her but Ryan keeps her attached to his side like a pet.

After the most awkward Christmas dinner ever, I retreat to my room and begin putting Jimin’s gift together to give him tomorrow. I wasn’t sure what to get him, especially on my tiny budget, but I was able to find a couple things that I hope he’ll like.

I found a pair of large round sunglasses with a purple ombré tint that I thought would look really good on him, as well as a simple beret since he’s such a fashionista. At the last minute I also found a silly pair of socks with cute little chicks on them and decided to get them just for giggles.

As I’m getting everything together someone knocks on my door. I’m actually not in the mood to speak to anyone but I open the door anyway and instantly regret my decision. Ryan is standing there and I’m already mentally preparing for a fight.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” He asks.

“Um yeah I guess,” I respond letting him in. That’s my first mistake, but I know he’d kick and scream if I denied him so there’s really no winning in this situation.

“So,” he starts having a seat at the edge of my bed. “You know our baby is due in a few months.”

“Yeah?” I say with skepticism.

“I’ll be honest, we’ve been struggling. We don’t really have a place to stay and Keri can’t work since she’s so far along. I’m between jobs right now, you know no one is really hiring at the moment. We just need a little help right now, you know?”

I’ve heard this before, too many times. There wasn’t a baby that he could use for added sympathy before, but the lines are all still the same. He’s always between jobs. He’s always struggling. He’s always coming to us with some sob story asking for money.

“Ok? What are you trying to ask me?” I ask already knowing the answer, but wanting to hear it directly from his mouth.

“We just need a few dollars right now. Something to hold us a bit while we try to get on our feet.”

“Why do you think I have a few dollars? I don’t even have a job myself.”

“How are you out shopping all the time? You have something.” He’s not quite yelling but his volume has gone up a couple of notches. My anxiety is already rising rapidly.

“I don’t have anything because I bought everyone gifts. You’re welcome.”

“Don’t you sell your little fucking pictures all the time?”

“I don’t make that much from my pictures. I’m lucky to get $50 in a month.”

That’s a lie. I began selling stock photos and doing small shoots for people from time to time a year ago and I make enough to not need a regular job which is perfect while I’m trying to finish school. I’m able to cover most of my rent with financial aid and the rest of my money is pretty much all for food, utilities, and for me to do what I want. My parents also help me a bit if I need it, but I will go to my grave before I tell him all of that.

“So you’re saying you spent all your money on gifts for your little boyfriend but you can’t support your own family and your unborn niece or nephew?”

“I spent my money on gifts for everyone. I even went out and bought Keri a gift. How are you going to say I don’t ‘support’ my family?”

Yes, I bought a cheap bath set from the drug store because I’m so nice I didn’t want to make her feel left out. Plus, I still think she’s a hostage so I won’t punish her for it.

“It seems like you put more thought into your boyfriend’s gifts though,” Ryan says with an attitude.

“If that’s all you wanted to say to me then you can go now.”

“Fine,” he huffs standing up and heading to the door. “I just hope you’re a better aunt than you are a sister.” He walks out and shuts the door aggressively behind him.

I know it’s not scientifically possible, but I swear I have steam coming out of my ears. How fucking dare he say that as if he’s been some sort of amazing brother! He’s never given me shit and I’ve never asked him for anything. But I’m the one who went out and bought him, his hostage, and their unborn baby each a gift at the last second because I didn’t want them to feel left out. I didn’t have to get them anything! Now he has the nerve to ask me for “a few dollars” with his guilt tripping sob story.

I’m fuming. I lay flat on my back across my bed and take a moment to do a breathing exercise. I haven’t had issues with my anxiety this bad in such a long time. Going to college proved to me that Ryan was the primary source and trigger of my anxiety and I had been doing so well until now.

[brassknucklespeirs]

Hᴇ Dᴇꜰɪɴɪᴛᴇʟʏ Dᴏᴇsɴ’ᴛ Hᴀᴛᴇ Mᴇ [Rᴏɴᴀʟᴅ Sᴘᴇɪʀs x ꜰ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ]

Pairing: Ronald Speirs x Female Reader

Genre: Funny fluff

Warnings: uhhh i guess warfare talks and mentions of firearms

A/N Just a random Speirs mini-shot that i had a fun thought of while watching The Breaking Point...

“Good luck ladies.”

Easy company was moving back to its old position in the forest that sat looking over Foy. Four were left tethered to the end of the line made up of Dog company men. Perconte sat behind Christensen as they both chuckled at the comments of the leaving Easy men that had been about a particular D-Company officer. The new kid had watched the other men wander away but looked more confused as every passing remark was made. He glanced at the two men and the woman beside him before deciding he too would try to look entertained.

“Been nice knowing yah.”

“Wouldn’t drink too much if i were you.”

“Hey. Be careful if he offers you a cigarette.”

“What are they talking bout? If who offers us a cigarette?” The new kid had finally decided to speak up as pure confusion finally set in and the opportunity to ask had arisen.

“Speirs.”

“Who?”

Toye and Guarnere shared a look before smirking in Y/N’s direction as she sat pretending to clean her rifle, an amused smile tugging at the corner of her lips as she glanced up at the two of them passing. They knew, of course, as did a few of the other men she had grown close with; Toye, Guarnere, Lipton, Buck, hell even Nixon. The legendary officer with the reputation for violence and the sergeant with the honey coated smile to kill, what a match made in heaven.

“Lieutant Speirs.” 

Lipton had patted Y/N gently on the shoulder as he passed muttering a quiet ‘be careful’ to his friend. She’d replied with ‘careful’s my middle name’ as she dropped her eye in a sly wink to which he rolled his eyes at before moving into the distant snow covered forest. Y/N had watched the remainder of her company disappear, leaving only the four of them to sit in the somewhat shallow foxhole. 

“The stories about Speirs are probably all bullshit anyway.” Christensen had said, earning a snort from the woman beside him. He glanced at her with a smirk though he had misinterpreted her reaction to his comment. The new kid had begun to ask about Speirs’ menacing reputation as he seemed to grow more and more intrigued by what he had heard.

“Well supposedly Speirs shot one of his own men for being drunk.” Perconte had answered with his trusty toothbrush held between his teeth, his arms wrapping around himself to find some warmth.

“You’re kidding. That’s unbelievable.” The kid had replied in awe.

After cleaning her rifle, the woman had kept a watchful eye on the line as the men, or two men and one boy, talked beside her. She’d seen his shadow moving in the distance as he approached, holding off from holding her firearm up as the familiar walk of the man confirmed who it was.

“Yeah. And there’s another one about him giving cigarettes to 20 POWs before killing ‘em.”

“If you wanted to know more bout the shit he’s been up to ask Y/N here. Apparently he dislikes her almost as much as our first CO did, ain’t that right Y/N/N?” She let out a huff to cover her amusement as she remembered the day that rumour was started, though she guessed it didn’t cause any problems and in fact, got quite a laugh out of Ron when she told him. She could see the look on Liebgott and Malarkey’s face when they’d come over to her concerned when Speirs had finally wandered off. The man had been angrily yelling, yes, but it wasn’t directed at her. After one too many screw ups from her newest CO, Lieutenant Dike, Ron was sent into a fit about how he was supposed to be ensuring her safety, and yet that was far from it. Obviously the boys had believed he had been yelling at her, as she had appeared upset. She had, indeed, been upset after Ron had whispered several comments like ‘the thought of losing you is almost physically painful’ and ‘if that bastard would spend less time going on walks and more time ensuring his company is looked after i wouldn’t have to be sitting here so fucking worried Y/N’. So you could say there had been more evidence to believe this rumour compared to the others but even this one wasn’t completely right. “And also I heard it was more like 30.” Perconte had continued. 

By now, Y/N was staring straight into her lover’s eyes as he stood so close, the look of pure amusement swimming deep in them as he listened. The woman’s lips tilted in a smirk as she waited for the other men to get the fright of their lives.

“Christensen.” He spoke suddenly, causing everyone save Y/N to jump out of their skin. They looked at him trying to not show how intimidated they were by the man that crouched before them. Ron’s eyes had wandered to Y/N quickly, giving her a once over to ensure she was okay, and when receiving a nod of confirmation, had turned back to look at the man he had addressed as he replied. “I got the name right didn’t I? Christensen?” 

Ron continued to ask the men some questions, with Y/N sitting there quietly watching the line while trying not to laugh at the way the men had all tensed up. Her attention had turned back to her lover fully when he had questioned Dike’s insistence on not reinforcing their shallow foxhole, the bitterness clear on his tongue as he all but hissed the question out. His eyes had moved to her on her place at the edge of the foxhole, her body leaning slightly over the side with her hip pushed against Christensen’s side to make her as comfortable as possible in the small space. The men had watched the fiery look that the officer had sent her, once again, assuming nothing but the worst. But she had known the meaning behind it and was only able to send him a reassuring calm look to try and cure his anger. 

His jaw had tightened as he pushed himself to stand, beginning to all but stomp away from four of them. Perconte had let out a quiet breath, glancing at Y/N quickly before whispering about how much the man must hate her. Ron’s ears had perked up at the comment before he spun around quickly, one of his hands moving to grasp at his lucky strikes.

“Oh, anyone care for a smoke?” He’d asked, and he watched as the smirk rose quickly to Y/N’s lips. She’d glanced at the three of them and took in their expressions, taking a mental picture of the amusing moment. They had all but furiously shaken their heads ‘no’ aside from Y/N who tilted her head as a thought popped into her head. 

“Yeah i’ll take one, Sir.” The woman said feigning a completely innocent, naive look, causing all three of the men to snap their heads to her. Ron pursed his lips to stop himself from breaking his expression with a smirk before nodding his head and holding one out to her. She leant forward so the man was able to place it directly into her mouth before staring straight up at him through her eyelashes. The man’s eyes flashed dangerously as he pulled his lighter from his pocket and lit it. 

After taking the first inhale, the woman took it from her mouth and flashed the most charming smile she could muster before blowing the smoke directly into the man’s face. Ron looked almost taken back but no sense of anger crossed behind his gaze, but he trusted the woman was only having her fun as she always did. Perconte had proceeded to drop his toothbrush from his widened mouth in shock as he waited for the coming demise of the woman he’d come to adore as his friend. Christensen looked on in similar fashion as he glanced between the two figures, one who still held a witty smile and the other who looked like he wanted wreck the young woman; guess that wasn’t entirely wrong.

“Thank you Lieutenant.” She had said while taking another drag of the cigarette. The man had only nodded, his eyes squinting curiously at his lover as he rose from his crouched position and took a single step back. The three other men had looked at her like she’d grown three heads and sprouted wings as she took a glance at them, her lips only twitching into an even bigger smile. She had made a decision in that split second as she revelled in the situation she was in, turning back to Ron who still stared at her, now with a much softer look.

“While we’re at it, maybe I could get a kiss too, baby?” She’d boldly exclaimed and she was sure she’d heard Perconte almost collapse in shock, a quiet but clearly strangle gasp leaving his lips. Ron had caught on by this point to her fun little game of amusement and just let play away as he crouched once more. She had leant over the edge of the foxhole again as she had when he had passed her a cigarette while he had moved his hand to grasp the back of her neck, his fingers intertwined with the braid that had sat there. She had smiled at him, rocking onto her hands to push herself higher to him before placing her lips firmly to his as he did the same in return. She felt as the tension swept off his shoulders while she kissed him so strongly. It had been so long since they’d even been able to hold each other and now they were lost in the idea of one another’s lips. 

Ron pulled away first as he remembered his place, but not before he leant his forehead on hers and sending her the smallest of smiles.

“You look after yourself, you got that? Or so help me-”

“Baby, I’ve got this.” She’d replied gently while he pulled away fully, and moved to stand. He briefly glanced at the men and held back a smirk as one of them looked ready to pass out and the other two were borderline shell-shocked. He nodded once more before wandering off into the mist and disappearing completely. Y/N watched him until her was gone with a dreamy look in her eyes until she shook herself from her own loved up mind and turned back to the men beside her. None of them were even able to form words, with the closest communication being Christensen as he just pointed towards where Ron had left with his mouth opening and closing like a fish. In all honesty, she was surprised Perconte was still breathing as he just stared with the widest eyes at the woman before him. She just smirked at them before wiping the back of her gloved hand across her lips dramatically. 

“I think now would be a good time to let you know, he definitely doesn’t hate me.”

[cevansbrat0007]

Three Sheets to the Wind

Summary: A huge victory in the courtroom leads to a celebration and a very drunk Andrew Barber. Andy Barber x Black Reader

*Warnings: Fluff, Alcohol Consumption, Drunken/Committed/Adorable Andy, A Skanky Bar Bitch, Cursing, Smut (implied), Exasperated Reader, Minors DNI

A/N: I hope you enjoy this side of Andy. Please let me know what you think! Part of my Growing Pains Series. Semi-proofread. Not beta’d. All mistakes are my own.

___

“Your ride is on their way, boss man.” Max says as he claps a hand on his colleague’s shoulder.

Andy sways slightly in his seat as he patiently sips on what he told himself would be his last glass of bourbon for the evening. But he was in such a good fucking mood that he was probably going to have one more.

Instead of responding, he just raises his beverage in a hearty salute. Both men clink their glasses and go back to celebrating. 

The case they’d won had been a difficult one. We’re talking late hours, mountains of paperwork, numerous witness interviews and testimonies. He and his team had spent so many days, evenings, and weekends away from their families and loved ones. He, himself, had barely seen his girl in what felt like ages. 

It was hard walking through the door at night, many times well after 1:00am, only to find her curled up on the couch after she had fallen asleep while trying to wait up for him. Or, worse yet, the times when he wandered into his bedroom to see her snuggling with his pillow. 

Pretending it was him. 

His sweet Y/N had reassured him time and time again that she was okay. That she understood. 

“I know what I signed up for Andy. I understand that this is your life sometimes. Now tell me what you want for dinner and I’ll bring it to you tonight, okay?” She’d said to him - more than once.

Sometimes she showed up with takeout. Other times she brought him a home cooked meal. And if she knew that Robert, Max, or Ahmed was there with him, she made sure to bring enough for them too. 

God, how he fucking loved her.  

But it was finally over. At least until the next case file landed on his desk. Tossing back the remainder of his drink, he signals the bartender for another bourbon whiskey. 

He was going to take some time off and spend every minute of it loving on his girl.

Just as another glass is set in front of him, he feels a hand on his bicep. 

“Well, hi there, handsome.” A perky little redhead leans over to whisper in his ear. “I couldn’t stand the thought of you sitting here all alone for another minute. Thought you might need some company.” She giggles and squeezes his arm. 

“No, nooo - not alone.” Andy slurs just a little. “Here with my team!” He turns around and raises his glass, prompting scattered cheers to erupt throughout the bar. 

“Oh!” She offers him a sweet smile. “Well, my mistake. I’m Amber, by the way. What are you and your team, uh, celebrating?”

“Victory.” He hisses as the smooth liquid burns as it goes down his throat. “A fuckin’ hard won victory. In court.”

“Congratulations, big man!” Amber coos. 

Frowning, Andy pulls away, as if he finally realizes that the strange woman was touching him. “No, no, no. Don’t call me that.”

“Huh?”

“You don’t get to call me Big Man. Only my lady gets to call me that!” He huffs, looking annoyed. “I’m her Big Man and no one else's.” 

“Oh, okay, um, sorry…but can you blame a girl for being taken in by all these muscles and that chiseled jaw? I bet you’re positively ripped underneath all this.” She gestures towards his white dress shirt. “You’re just so handsome, sugar.” Amber goes to stroke his beard before seemingly thinking better of it. 

“Tell me your name.” She purrs.

“I have a girl.” He replies.

“Okay, so? Tell me your name.” She persists. 

“Hey Andrew, we’re going to order another round of shots. You game?” His friend and colleague, Ahmed calls out.

“Challenge accepted, pal!” 

“Well it’s nice to meet you, Andrew. So, now that we’re no longer strangers, how about we have another drink and then get out of here?” Amber flips her long hair over her shoulder and bats her sparkling green eyes at him. “I wanna take you back to my place for a real victory celebration.”

“Can’t. Won’t. Don’t wanna.” He grunts. “I belong to the most gorgeous creature on this entire fucking planet and she - oh, hey, Ahmed? Bring over the shots already, my guy!” He calls over his shoulder. 

“So what? It’s not like she’s here. In fact, she never has to know.” 

“No. My dick only gets hard for one woman. And it ain’t you.” Andy sways again before taking another pull of his drink. His Y/N didn’t like whiskey all that much, but he was working on that. He was going to convert her one of these days.

“Aww, sweetie.” The redhead pouts. “You haven’t even given me a chance.” Her hand goes to slip between his legs. “Something tells me you’re big all over.” But just before she can make contact, Andy blocks her. 

“No touching.” He growls softly. “No fucking touching what belongs to my fucking girl, Amy!”

“It’s Amber, baby.” 

Finally, Ahmed and a couple others join him at the bar, shots in hand. “We, uh, got one for your friend, too.” He says with an innocent grin. “Didn’t want to be rude, ya know.” He slides one to Andy and then to Amber. 

“A toast! To the Bad Boys of Boston!” 

“Hell yeah!”

“I’ll drink to that shit!”

“Whoop! Whoop!”

Everyone tosses it back. Andy sucks in a harsh breath as it goes down. Fuck, he was pretty sure that he’d just ingested actual diesel fuel. He receives several more pats on the back as the others wander off to some other corner of the bar. 

“You ready to leave now, baby?” The woman next to him lightly strokes his chin.

“Huh?” He begins looking around excitedly. “Is Y/N here already? Do yah see her? Where is she?” His Boston accent grows thicker by the second as the whiskey begins to take hold. 

“Um, I don’t know. Not really sure what she looks like.” Amber shrugs, clearly indicating that she really didn’t give a shit. “I was talking about you going home with me. I’ll even make you breakfast in the morning if you -” The woman sighs when she realizes that he’s still not paying attention to her. “Andrew, I really don’t think she’s here.”

“Well, lemme know if - if yah see her. If yah see my girl, I mean. You’ll know it’s her cuz’ she’s beautiful, okay? An - and my Y/N, she’s got the most magnificent curls. It’s like, um, like - like this ethereal mane that just frames her whole face. I’m talkin’ thick and glossy and gorgeous.”

“Uh huh.” 

“And yah know what? She let’s me run my fingers through ‘em whenever I want.” He tells her as a boyish grin stretches across his full lips.

“Is that so.” Amber grumbles impatiently. “How about you finish telling me all about her on the drive back to -”

“Oh, gawd, and Amber - her smile. Her fuckin’ smile is like pure sunshine.” He presses one large over his heart. “And her skin, it’s so soft and smooth. I could spend hours kissing all over her sweet little body. Aaaand sometimes, I dooo.”

“Great.” 

“Yah know, I think my girl is like, the second coming of a fucking goddess or some shit.” Andy leans over and whispers. “She shouldn’t exist. But she does. And she’s with me, and I ain’t given’ her up for nuthin’!”

“Wow.” 

“Wanna know another secret, Amber?” He whispers again, leaning even closer to the visibly annoyed woman. 

“Not really. In fact, I think I should probably go, so -”

Andy fishes a little black box out of his pants pocket. He opens it, revealing a stunning pink princess-cut diamond ring, flanked on each side by a series of smaller diamonds, set on a platinum band. 

“I’m gonna give her my last name.” He lets out a soft chuckle. “I’m gonna make her my wife.”

“Oh, good for you.” She mutters with a roll of her eyes.

“I know, right?” I mean it’s only been like five months, so I can’t ask her yet. Don’t wanna scare her off. But I’m gonna. And when I do, my girl is gonna say yes. I’ma make fuckin’ sure of it!” Looking around, he hurriedly shoves the little treasure back into his pocket. “Sorry. I’ve had this thing for like a whole month, but this was the first time I’ve ever showed it to someone.”

“Oh, how sweet.” Amber mumbles. “I think you just gave me a fucking cavity.”

Just then, Andy feels two warm arms slip around him from behind. 

“Hello, Big Man.” You whisper into his ear, before pressing a kiss against the column of his throat. “Congratulations on your victory. Now, how about we get you home, hm?” 

“Absolutely, baby girl. Take me home. Home with you.” Your boyfriend leans back, rather unsteadily you might add, and boops your nose.

And then you notice the redhead at his side. “Oh, sorry. Who’s your friend, Andy Bear?”

“She’s no one. Nooo one.” He slurs. “Only woman who matters is you, Y/N.”

Giving you a pained smile, the woman stands up. “He’s right. I’m no one. In fact, he’s spent our entire conversation talking about you. You’re a lucky woman.” With that, she turns and stomps away. 

“I’m the lucky one!” Andy yells, almost falling out of his chair. “This guy right here!” He points at himself. “Me!” 

“Okay, okay. How about we’re both lucky? Now, wrap your arm around me. There we go. Now we’re gonna head out to the car.”

“Wait!” He grunts. 

“For what, baby?” You respond, confused. 

“How about a quickie in the bathroom before we go?” He purrs as his hand goes to palm your ass. 

“Uh, you’re drunk, Andy, so I’m gonna have to pass. Also, a public bathroom at a bar? Really? Do you want Chlamydia?”

“My bad, sweet girl. But this guy has a mind of his own sometimes.” He grabs your hand and presses it against his straining erection. “How about the backseat of the car?” 

“Jesus Christ, Andrew! Seriously?” You grunt as you try to maneuver him towards the exit.

Apparently, even whiskey dick was no match for your man. 

You struggle to hold your man upright when he shrugs his broad shoulders.

“Alright, baby girl. At least give Daddy your panties to hold on to for the ride home.”

“Keep your voice down, Andrew Barber!” You hiss, looking around to make sure the two of you hadn’t been overheard.

“Only if you promise me the panties.”  

Fuck, your man was stubborn.

“Fine, damn it!”

END

[drawlfoy]

detention, retention, and draco malfoy being a little shit

masterlist request guidelines

pairing: draco x reader

request: no not really

summary: golden trio friend y/n y/l/n tries to extract information out of draco malfoy after being placed in detention together.

warnings: swearing, panic attack kinda stuff, just the dark war things that would come w having the task that draco does

a/n: ayo so i started this as a fic i was originally planning on writing in a week. i discontinued it bc i didn’t think anyone was that interested, but i’ve written for it on and off. it’s about 16k words right now standing, but i’m reposting this as a 2 part series. here are the first ~12k words....enjoy :) IMPORTANT: if you’re like “hey i started reading this in october why tf are you reposting the first two parts” just keep reading ok lmao i promise there’s more there’s about through part 6 in here hehe. i just wanted new readers to be able to pick up on it without being turned off by the fact that it was part 3. this will b e 2 parts and at least 20k words

word count: 11.6k

taglist: @gruffle1 @missmultifandommess @cleopatera @hahaboop @accio-rogers @geeksareunique @eltanin-malfoy @war-sword @cams-lynn @itsivyberry @ayo-cowbelly @nerd-domland @yesnerdsblog @shizarianathania @evanstanfanatic @strawberriesonsummer @hariosborn @night-ving @straightzoinked @imintoodeeptostop @naiomimoonshard @jejegu @ophelia-enthusiast @alwaysbeanunknownfan @nearly-memories @litty-dumb @callieclearwater @malfoy-wife15 @charlenasaxen @belladaises @fiantomartell

happy reading y’all

For legal purposes, the york pudding she lobbed at Pansy Parkinson’s head on Monday evening was simply meant to be a joke. She didn’t know that her aim was bad enough that it was going to get in Snape’s hair instead--honestly, it wasn’t even supposed to get past the Ravenclaw table, much less veer to the left to make a beeline for the professors--but no matter how much she tried to explain this to McGonagall, her sentence remained the same: detention every Friday. For two months.

Her life was ending for sure.

“I honestly don’t know what you were expecting,” Hermione told her as she gently wiped off the nib of her quill later that night in the common room. “Even if you had hit your mark, that’s still technically assault.”

“Did you even hear what she said to me? She told me that I looked like the type of kid that bit people in primary school,” complained Y/N. “I didn’t even think she knew what primary school was!”

Hermione snorted. “How long ago?”

“Two days. I’ve been waiting until there was something throwable on the dinner table.”

“How very analytic of you.”

“I’m going to hit you.”

“And you wonder why you’ve got detention.” Hermione tsk-ed at her, her face stone serious but her tone light hearted. “Maybe take this as an opportunity to, I don’t know, do your homework for once? So you won’t have to have a breakdown over the next Potion’s essay and beg me to write it for you?”

“I’m going to go to sleep and think terribly mean thoughts about you.”

“Have fun.”

~ 

Detention.

Something that Y/N wasn’t completely unfamiliar with--she’d done her time organizing Snape’s cabinets, just like every other Gryffindor--but it was different when it came to McGonagall. An impressive old lady, she thought that McGonagall saw something in her. She was always the first to chuckle at Y/N’s jokes and hesitated to reprimand her stupid behavior. And she never gave Y/N detention.

Until now, she supposed. 6th year was changing a lot of things--even their Potions professor--so McGonagall turning a new stone shouldn’t have been anything shocking.

At least, not as shocking as the first thing Y/N saw as she walked into her house head’s office.

“Malfoy?” she spat.

The platinum blonde didn’t even bother to look up from his desk.

“Miss Y/L/N,” Professor McGonagall chided. “I think we would all prefer if you restrained yourself from getting into any more physical altercations with Slytherins.”

She huffed, plopping down in the chair furthest away from that foul git and reaching for her satchel.

“I’ll be back in two hours,” said the elderly professor. “If I hear anything, and I mean anything, other than the sound of studying, consider your sentence doubled.”

With a swish of her robes, McGonagall was gone, leaving her with Malfoy. 

“So what’d you do to get in here, huh? Did the administration finally get a hold of that video of you licking Voldemort’s toes?”

“What the fuck does that mean?!” he snapped, whipping around to glare at her.

“‘s just a joke,” said Y/N. “Like--how everyone says your family houses him and everything--but whatever. I can tell it’s a sore spot.”

His gaze, never withering in intensity, remained trained on her face. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Apparently so. What’re you here for?”

He exhaled sharply. “If I tell you, will you shut up and let me think?”

“No promises, but maybe.”

“Late work. I forgot to turn in the Transfiguration exam last week.”

She made a tutting sound as she lazily shuffled through the crumpled parchment in her satchel. “I expected more from you. Aren’t you gonna ask me how I wound up here?”

“No. I am going to ask you to stop talking now, though.”

~

“That’s terribly unfortunate,” Hermione said over breakfast the next morning. Ron and Harry were nervously chit chatting at the other side of the table over the Saturday Quidditch game against Hufflepuff--supposedly it was supposed to be quite a high stakes match. Not like Y/N cared much, though.

“Yeah! And the worst part was that he won’t even tease anymore. Like, he just sits there all broody and woe is me. We’re all witnessing our nation’s descent into war--he’s not special!”

“Who are you talking about?” asked Harry.

“Oh, just Malfoy,” said Y/N. “We have detention together with McGonagall. He’s such a nasty little greaseball, don’t you think? I mean, look at him right now, glowering over his cereal.”

“Wait! That’s it!”

“What’s it, Harry?” Hermione asked.

“It’s genius, really,” he said. “Y/N has to spend time with him alone every week, and we know that something is up with him. Malfoy is absolutely a Death Eater and has connections to You-Know-Who, but I just need to find a way to prove it.”

“I vaguely forecast where this is going, and I hate it already.”

“Listen, Y/N. It’s not for that long, and it’s for the health of the wizarding world. If you just get to know him--”

“Ick!”

“If you just get to know him, maybe get him to trust you and find out his secrets...we’d finally have enough to turn him in and throw him out of Hogwarts for good.”

“Is that really necessary, Harry?” Ginny butted in from her seat further down next to Dean. “Malfoy’s probably just exhausted like the rest of you. 6th year is difficult, and we have no solid evidence that he’s a Death Eater. I’m sure being stuck in a room with him for 2 hours is hard enough without pretending to be nice to him.”

“But what if Harry’s right?” said Y/N. “What if he is actually a Death Eater? What if he’s an active danger to the student body?”

“Exactly!” The joy written across Harry’s face at the prospect of someone else finally agreeing was infectious. “So will you?”

“Er…” She dragged her spoon across the top layer of her porridge. “In theory, sure. In actuality, I’m not sure how I could do it. Malfoy doesn’t want anything to do with me, either.”

“Love potion?” offered Ron.

“I don’t care how much of a prat he is, I’m not roofying him.”

“I rarely agree with you, Y/N, but I think you’re right. If you want to do this, you need to get him to trust you for real.”

“Your back-handed compliment skills never disappoint, Hermione. Do you think you could help me out with a plan?”

A slow smile spread across the girl’s face as she nodded. “That’s my strong suit.”

The plan they laid out over the remainder of the day was ambitious but at least do-able. Each week was split into different subtasks, the end goal being a somewhat tentative friendship between the two. 

“If you can flirt with him and get him to have a crush on you without scaring him off, you’d be in the best possible position,” Hermione told her as they walked back from the Quidditch pitch among the screaming Gryffindor fans. They’d won--yet again. “Obviously I don’t foresee that being likely, but if you pull it off somehow he’d probably be willing to tell you anything. The fact that you’re a pureblood is going to carry you through this whole ordeal. He’ll at least be accepting of your existence in the wizarding community.”

The bitter edge in Hermione’s tone made Y/N’s blood boil. There was no reason for Malfoy to be as prejudiced as he was--he’d spent his adolescence in Hermione’s academic dust. She was obviously smarter than him. 

“You got it, ‘Mione,” she said. Her voice barely carried over the cheers of her peers as they ascended the steps to the common room. “We’ll take this little ferret down. I can’t wait.”

“Don’t get too cocky, now.”

The Gryffindor after-party was crazy...per usual. The charmed self-filling goblets, the blasted playlist of Wizpop pumping through the air, and the buzzing energy of the room was giving Y/N a giant headache. She stood with Hermione and Harry by the edge of the crowd, watching Ron get hoisted up on the shoulders of the chasers. 

“No wonder the Slytherins think we’re Neanderthals,” Y/N mused. For once, Hermione didn’t respond. “Hermione? Is everything okay?”

The second she turned away to look at her best friend, gasps and whistles filled the room. She whipped back just in time to see Lavender Brown, a sweet but slightly ditzy girl in their year, pull away from a kiss with Ron.

“Oh shi--Hermione!”

Harry and Y/N shared a glance before darting after the witch--who had impressively already made it to the door. 

“Hermione, wait!” Y/N called as they jogged after her, throwing open the common room entrance and finding her sat by the tapestry on the other side of the hall, knees to her chest.

“‘Mione, what’s wrong?” asked Harry.

“Don’t be daft, Harry,” said Y/N. “You saw exactly what the rest of us did.”

“I don’t understa--”

“Harry.” Her voice was taut. “I know you’re just trying to help, but I think that it might be best if you let us be. Go back and enjoy the party.”

He gave her a tight, grateful smile before darting back through the door. Y/N wasted no more time in walking over to Hermione and throwing her arms around her shoulders.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, hugging her tight. Hermione made no move to detach them, so she continued. “Ron is an idiot. You deserve so much better--your first kiss was Viktor fucking Krum, after all. You’re hot stuff and this place is just unfortunately running dry of men who are impressive enough for you. Once you’re out of here and working in the Ministry, you’re gonna have the time of your life with men actually in your league.”

Hermione managed a sniffly laugh as she wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “It’s just so fucking embarrassing, you know. Like, I have a crush on him because I think he understands me and I smelled him in my Amortentia and I thought he’d like me back, but…” She hiccuped. “Then he goes off and kisses Lavender Brown, of all people. There’s nothing particularly wrong with her or anything, but she’s so different...I’m so bookish, and she’s so girly and everything I’m not…”

Y/N took the opportunity to tuck a lock of Hermione’s hair behind her ear as she listened.

“And it can’t help but make me think--was I ever anything to him but a friend? If the girl he ends up choosing is the opposite of me?”

“Girly, don’t think like that,” murmured Y/N. “He’s a teenage boy. They don’t think of love the way that we do--to them it’s a game of availability, not of choice. At least for Ronald. You intimidate him, and by extension, you’re not available.”

“That shouldn’t matter!”

“You’re right. It shouldn’t.” Y/N drew a long breath. “So you should find someone who always has you as their first choice--someone who isn’t intimidated by your intellect. They’re out there. I promise.”

Hermione managed a shaky smile. “Thanks, Y/N. I mean it. Do you mind if I have some alone time? I don’t think I’m ready to go back to the party but I just want some quiet.”

“Of course. Let me know if you need me,” she said, brushing herself off and making to walk down the hall.

“You’re not going back to the party?”

“Nah. It hurts my head and I want fresh air. If I’m not back here in a half hour, assume that I’ve been kidnapped.”

With that, she started her walk. She wasn’t planning on going on a long stroll--there was a small balcony that she often went to when she needed to clear her head. It was beautiful, especially on a snowy night like this.

But the walk was creepy.

There was only one way in and out--a narrow, damp hallway that had absolutely no light fixtures. If Y/N really wanted to, she could cast a quick lumos, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to see what lived on the walls. The stairs were steep, too, but she managed to bound up all 40 of them in record time. 

“Who’s there?”

The sudden voice ripped a scream out of Y/N’s throat as she reached the top, catching a glimpse of the shadowy figure at the edge of the balcony that spoke. She clasped her hand over her mouth and she crept forward to the opening, getting a better look at the person that was in her secret spot.

The clouds shifted in the sky to allow more moonlight to cast a soft glow on Malfoy’s face, hardened with irritation.

“Malfoy?” Y/N asked, rather dumbly.

“What stellar observational skills,” he drawled. 

She felt her cheeks grow hot. “What are you doing here? This is part of the Gryffindor tower. Shouldn’t you be...I don’t know...playing hide and seek with the sewer rats in the dungeons?”

“Very funny.” His flat tone exposed the fact that he did not, in fact, find it very funny. “There’s no rule barring me from coming up here.”

“But why? This is my spot!”

“Because I wanted to get out. Now, I was here first, so unless you want your detention extended, I suggest you leave.”

Y/N bit the fiery comebacks on the tip of her tongue as the memories of her plan with Hermione began floating back to her. 

Week 1 -- Hold one neutral, civil conversation with Malfoy.

“I’ll be quiet. You won’t even know I’m here,” Y/N decided upon. leaning up against the balcony. The rogue snowflakes that made it past the overhanging roof melted on her cheeks. 

“That isn’t a suggestion,” said Malfoy. “I’m demanding you leave.”

“Beautiful night, isn’t it?” Y/N asked, pointedly ignoring his words. “I’ve always loved the snow. It’s so quiet.”

“And it would be even quieter if you left.”

“Aren’t you the conversationalist?” said Y/N.

“If you don’t leave, I will hex you,” Malfoy told her through gritted teeth. 

“I just love how the moonlight reflects off of the snow,” continued Y/N. “It’s so...pure.”

“Please leave.”

On her walk back down the dank stairwell, she allowed herself a little smile. 

Task 1? Technically done.

~ 

The first week went largely as planned. Malfoy was cold and certainly suspicious of her, but he wasn’t completely venomous when Y/N asked where he got his quill from in Potions. It was silver, charmed to shimmer with flecks of forest green. He told her Barnaby’s in France, and that was that. She walked away from his table with all of her limbs attached. Perhaps that was all the progress she was going to make in the next few weeks, but the task at hand certainly made the prospect of her lost Friday afternoons more bearable. 

Harry was going completely batty, rambling on about how Malfoy was behind the mysterious cursed objects that had been floating about the castle without explanation. 

“And why would Malfoy bring cursed objects to Hogwarts if he has aspirations other than being expelled?” Hermione would ask over their books.

“You don’t understand, Hermione! You girls need to be careful walking around at night--especially you, Y/N. I don’t want you going missing after detention because of that slimeball.”

Y/N always gave him a laugh, berating him for his slight misogynistic commentary and turning back to whatever her task was, but the truth was that she was worried for him. The mental weight of the impending war and the fact that he couldn’t do anything about it was certainly getting too difficult for him to bear. It was heartbreaking to see the vivacious boy she’d grown up with crumble under the responsibilities of something he should never have to worry about in the first place.

Friday came much sooner than expected, and Y/N reluctantly left her friends in the common room to trek to McGonagall’s office. The walk was frigid and the wind bit at her cheeks as she rounded the last outdoor hall.

Why was this castle so dark?

A thump behind her made her jump, and Harry’s words came floating back to her. 

Remember all those cursed objects? What if there’s someone just...stalking the school grounds, waiting for someone like me to snatch?

She shivered, throwing herself at the office door and slamming it behind her.

“Miss Y/L/N,” Professor McGonagall greeted, her eyebrows raised in amusement. “Something giving you trouble?”

“No, Professor,” she answered, setting her bag down on the desk next to Malfoy. He sent her a curious look as well. “It’s just cold outside.”

She chuckled. “I need to go speak to Headmaster Dumbledore. I expect that, upon my return, you both are in one piece and alive.”

“I’m not sure if I’m the one who needs to be given that speech,” said Y/N, bored and testing the waters.

“She’s right, Professor,” added Malfoy. “There’s no projectiles here.”

McGonagall exhaled a long, shaky breath before brushing herself off. “Please. Behave yourselves.”

“You got it, boss,” she said as she watched her Professor walk out the door. “So, Malfoy. How was your week?”

“I don’t know what you’re up to, but I’d way prefer if you didn’t speak to me,” he said, refusing to make eye contact.

“I’m not up to anything! We’re in detention together and, I dunno, since I see you sometimes at balls, I thought it’d be nice to be on good terms.”

“Good terms?” He scoffed. “You’re a Gryffindor. I’d rather you be a bloody Hufflepuff.”

“How about neutral terms?”

Even though he wasn’t looking at her, she could catch a glimpse of him rolling his eyes. “If neutral terms mean you being quiet, then, yes. Please.”

“I’ll be plenty quiet. After I hear about your opinion on what happened in Potions today with Brown and Weasley. When Snape yelled at them for holding hands.”

He let out a sharp sigh. “Believe it or not, I actually have better things to do than keep up with whatever stuff your house does.”

“But…?” Y/N pressed. She may not’ve spent her time at Hogwarts as Malfoy’s best friend, but she had grown up with the boy, and she could tell when he was holding back.

He stared blankly at her.

“Come on. I’m literally the only person in my house who’ll openly admit that they’re disgusted by that dynamic. I’m begging you.”

She wasn’t sure if she was imagining it, but she thought she saw a flicker of amusement dance across his face for a moment. “Your house sounds more like a cult than a student group.”

“Oh, says the one from Slytherin,” said Y/N. 

“We only act like that because our families are close. What’s your excuse? Hormones and Quidditch culture?”

“Touché.” As much as she wanted to fight back, she bit her tongue. Whatever she was doing was making progress, and quicker progress than she was expecting. Her next task was to make him laugh, and she was emboldened by the fact that she could potentially be able to kill two birds with one stone. 

They sat in silence for a little bit, but this time, it was a comfortable silence. Malfoy wasn’t staring at the clock on the wall or rolling his eyes at her every move, so she had time to plot.

On one hand, she could make a fool of herself--drop her inkwell, say something stupid in class, fall down the stairs--but she had a sneaking suspicion that her sorry attempts at slapstick humor wouldn’t land well with Draco anymore. He’d become so serious lately, so solemn. This was the most light hearted she’d seen him, even compared with how he acted with the rest of his Slytherin lackeys. 

On the other, she could try to sell out her friends. She could confide in him how “big” Hermione’s teeth were (they weren’t even big) or tell him that Ron smelled of eggs (true, but that was a low blow). Something told her that this would be much more successful, but she wasn’t willing to turn to that so quickly--she was already a week ahead as it was. 

“What is it?” 

Malfoy’s bored drawl cut through her flurried thoughts. Her cheeks turned pink as she blinked, noticing that she’d been staring at him for far too long. “Nothing. Sorry. I just spaced out.”

“Sure,” he mumbled, giving her another suspicious look before turning back to his work. “Can you maybe space out somewhere other than my face?”

“Where’s your vanity, Malfoy?” she pressed as she leaned back in her chair, hair swinging over the back. 

“Shut up,” he snapped. She could tell that whatever connection they’d had in the fleeting moments beforehand was being burnt by the second, but her embarrassment and pride drove her forward.

“Merlin, what’s got you so wound up?” she prompted, noting how deliciously unraveled he looked at this. “Where’s my cool, collected Slytherin?”

He slammed hands on his desk at this, whipping around to glare at her. “What’s your angle, Y/L/N?”

“What?”

“Why are you bothering me?”

“Because I want to.” She beamed.

Malfoy ran his fingers through his hair, mussing up the usual neat manner in which it normally laid on his head. “Compelling. What do you want from me?”

“What do I want…?” She tilted her head at him, narrowing her eyes. “What?”

“You never talk to me,” he explained. “Obviously, I prefer it like that. I can’t help but wonder why suddenly you want to be making small talk. So, what is it you want from me?”

“Malfoy,” she said. “I think you’re a spoiled prick who thinks far too highly of himself and drives me insane. But I also think that you’re funnier than what my friends give you credit for. Granted, you’ve always been annoying, but I don’t want anything from you. I just want to, I dunno, make these next few months less insufferable.” Somehow the lie slipped through her teeth easier than any of her previous bluffs. 

He frowned, his mouth opening once before firmly screwing shut into a scowl. “Oh.”

“No offense, Malfoy, but what else can you offer me other than your dazzling personality?” she teased. “You know my family. I don’t need to blackmail you to pay for jewelry I’ve had my eye on or anything.”

He scoffed. “As if I’d say yes.”

“Exactly my point. It’d be fucking weird. Merlin, I’m not trying to butter you up to buy out Borgin & Burkes for me. Do I give off gold-digger vibes? Is that what this is about?”

“Fucking hell.” Malfoy turned to her in disbelief. “Do you ever shut up?”

“Answer my question. Or better yet, pull out your wallet. Wait, did I say that out loud?” She mimed surprise and covered her mouth. “Oh no! What will my mother say now that I’ve squandered my last chance of hitching you? There’s no way I can go home for Christmas break now.”

He rolled his eyes so hard she found herself worried for a moment that they were going to just permanently get stuck in the back of his head. “Hate to break it to you, but you didn’t really have a shot to begin with.”

Ouch.

She huffed and dramatically flopped over the back of her chair, hoping he couldn’t see that she’d flinched. “So you don’t think I’m pretty??” 

“Y/L/N,” he snapped, his voice a low warning. “Can I please just work? What is with you today?”

Y/N sent him a sour look before giving her Charms work another look. Malfoy was awfully quiet, and when she snuck any glances at him later on, he was angled to face away from her. 

Why did she feel like such shit all of a sudden? She cataloged the past events, trying to pinpoint the exact moment that her stomach dropped. It all made sense when the words “You didn’t really have a shot to begin with” echoed around her head once again. She’d failed Harry. She’d failed Hermione. There was no way that she was going to be able to get him to reveal his secrets now--it’s not like he was confiding in even his closest friends as Harry made apparent when he explained how vague his statements were to his fellow Slytherins on the train. Her only chance would’ve been to somehow get him to fall for her, and that wasn’t going...great. And it had been a pipedream to begin with.

When McGonagall swished back into the classroom to dismiss them, Y/N shot out of there without even looking at Malfoy again. It felt like something was lodged in her throat and she was not going to cry in front of him. No, no. She had to make it to Hermione to tell her what was going on. 

“Y/L/N?” 

Malfoy’s voice made her pause in her flee as she nearly rounded the corner in front of her, but she refused to look back. It was far enough away that it was possible she didn’t hear him.

“Wait!”

She was up the stairs and speed walking as fast as her legs could carry her to the Gryffindor tower before he even saw which way she went.

~

“I don’t think you understand,” Y/N wailed by the fire as Hermione rubbed her shoulders and Harry sat awkwardly perched on the couch. “I can’t do this. The only way this was going to work was if he had a crush on me, and I don’t think he ever will. I fucked it up! The one time you guys need me, I fuck it up! I let you down!”

Hermione’s left hand stopped its rubbing to rest firmly on her shoulder. “Please don’t be upset. You didn’t let us down. Plus, you’re only, what...two weeks in? You don’t need him to like you to make it work. Just getting him to trust you will be enough, and you’re good at that.”

“I don’t think so,” continued Y/N. “Harry said that he wasn’t even that open on the train when he overheard him talking to all of his friends. And those are purebloods that he likes! That he’s trusted and known for years and years! I’m a friend of you guys, and he knows it. I think he’d figure it out quick.”

“We should take every chance we can get,” said Harry from his spot a few feet away, his eyes lazy and unfocused on the fire crackling in front of them. “You won’t let us down if you can’t get anything, Y/N, you know that! But if you got anything from him, it’d be incredible. It’s a win-win. I don’t understand why you’re so upset.”

“I’m not upset,” she said, her tone becoming defensive. “I just...don’t want to mess this up. I know how much it’d mean if I succeeded.”

“So just try!” Hermione said. “There’s nothing wrong with it. I’m sorry he was kind of mean to you today, but I don’t think that should bother you too much. He should be more afraid of what you’d say if you didn’t care about being a good person.”

“Fucking right on there,” she said, wiping away the frustrated tears. “If I was honest with him, he’d leave crying. He should be grateful that I’m taking this bet so I actually have to be nice to him.”

“That’s the spirit.” Harry leaned over to smack her back like he did his Quidditch teammates after a winning match. 

After they’d parted their ways with Harry, Hermione and Y/N made their way slowly up the stairwell to the girls’ dorms. 

“Y/N?” Hermione asked, breaking the silence. 

“Yeah?”

“Do you think, er…” She paused. “Do you think you were really upset about failing us today? Or was it something else?”

“What do you mean?” Y/N furrowed her eyebrows. “I don’t see what else it would be.”

“I’m sorry,” responded the bright witch. “Forget I ever asked. It was a stupid thing to wonder about.”

“Weirdo,” she teased as she waved her a goodnight and made her way to her dorm.

The next morning, Y/N busied herself with revising her Charms essay over her breakfast--a cup of tea and a half-buttered piece of toast--while Hermione leaned over her shoulder, nodding or grimacing at the corrections she made. 

“Did you work during detention? Like, at all?”

“‘Mione,” moaned Y/N. “It’s too early for this. I don’t want a lecture. I just couldn’t focus.”

Her warm brown eyes narrowed as they bore into Y/N’s face. “Why were you distracted?”

“Oh, I, uh…” She stumbled over her words as Hermione drew closer. “Merlin, Hermione. I told you last night. I just felt like I was letting you all down.”

“Mhm,” was all she got in response before her best friend tilted her head back down to the parchment in front of her. 

Y/N sat, completely puzzled. What was Hermione on about? She’d been straightforward with what was hurting her--she didn’t want to mess up the only task the Golden Trio had ever given her--and, even if she hadn’t been, Hermione was smart enough to deduce things for herself. So what was she thinking about?

Her eyes drifted over to the Slytherin table where the usual 6th year pureblood gang loitered about, drinking black coffee and sulking--but Malfoy was not to be seen. She jumped when her eyes met Parkinson, her dark eyes burning into her soul as a deep scowl was written across her face.

“Malfoy, what the fuck do you want?” Ron’s voice pulled her back to reality to see him glaring somewhere behind her.

“I wasn’t here to talk to you,” a familiar voice drawled. 

She turned to see Malfoy standing behind her, a sneer written all across his stupidly pretty face.

“Miss me already?” asked Y/N as she raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side. 

“For fuck’s sake, stop doing that,” he mumbled, reaching into his pocket and throwing a box at her. “You forgot your quill. I took the liberty of properly storing it, because it seems like you lot like to just throw them in your bag. Makes me physically ill to watch.”

“Oh.” Y/N studied the intricate box in her hands before tucking it away in her knapsack. “Thanks? I guess?”

He nodded curtly, contorting his face into one last scowl to send to Ron before turning and leaving,

“So,” Hermione began, cutting her omelet at a much brisker pace, “I think we need to have a little chat. About...all of this.” 

“Why?” 

“Not right now,” she said, her voice low and her eyes flicking at Ron and Harry sitting across from them. “I don’t think it’d benefit us for them to hear.” 

“Ok?” She cautiously took a bite out of her toast and continued staring Hermione down. “You’re scaring me.”

“It’s...I don’t know. I thought I was crazy for thinking this, but it seems like we need to talk about it anyways. For this little mission of yours to work, we need to be totally open and honest with each other.”

“Sure.” Y/N took another bite. “I honestly have no clue what’s got you so on edge, though.”

“Who’s on edge?” Harry asked, leaning over the table and stealing the croissant on Y/N’s plate. 

“Hey!” she exclaimed. “Do you not see the entire plate of them over there?”

He laughed, sending her an easy grin and dunking a piece into the hot chocolate in his mug. “Finders keepers. Say, Y/N, are you busy next weekend? Ron and Lavender are going to Madame Puddingfoot’s together, and I know Hermione isn’t going to want to take a weekend off studying to go to Hogsmeade, so I thought that maybe we could go cause some trouble at the Cauldron.”

“If you stop stealing my food we can talk about it,” replied Y/N, the corners of her lips tugging up into a grin. 

“Deal.”

Hermione tugged at her arm. “I just realized I need to get something out of my room before we watch the Quidditch game. Will you come with me, Y/N?”

“Sure!” said Y/N. “Gee, I’m rolling in invitations today.”

Once they exited the dining hall, though, it immediately became evident that they were not actually heading up to the dorms. Hermione dragged her into the nearest bathroom before casting a quick silencing charm.

“Myrtle! Are you in here?” Only when she was sure silence was the only response to her question, she seemed satisfied to turn to Y/N and begin talking. “When were you going to tell me that you have a thing for Malfoy?”

“I’m sorry, what?” Y/N felt the heat that had risen to her cheeks from the last quill-encounter re-emerge.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” said Hermione. “Are you seriously going to expect me to believe that you nearly sobbed over some random pureblood git telling you you never had a chance with him because it might slow down your progress with helping us? Actually? I’ve seen you look more ecstatic about hearing that your dear granny passed away.”

“To be fair, she had really good life insurance,” Y/N cut in. “And she was an old hag. Never had a nice thing to say to me.”

“Life insurance or no life insurance...you can’t seriously expect me to believe that you were just upset about not being able to help us as much. That was ridiculous. I don’t buy it. And the way you blushed like crazy when he came over to talk to you--the way you try and pretend like you can flirt...please. Y/N, it’s clear as day. I know you, and I know you have a crush on him.”

“Hermione!” hissed Y/N. “You have no clue what you’re talking about!”

“Yes, I think I do,” she pushed. “And you need to be honest with me if you want to be of any help right now.”

Her bossiness lit a fire of rage in Y/N’s chest, but she sucked in a deep breath, shutting her eyes before releasing it. “Believe me when I say I haven’t ever acknowledged any feelings I may or may not have towards him.”

“Ok.” Her face softened. “I know it might take time, but I honestly do think I’m right. Please just...be careful. This is a really odd situation to get caught up in if you actually have feelings for the other person. You’re trying to manipulate him, for Merlin’s sake.”

“And if I have these feelings for him, I’ve done a pretty damn good job of suppressing them for however long they’ve been here.” 

Hermione sighed. “That’s true. I’m just saying that spending this much time with him is probably only going to make things worse. Will you please tell me if anything changes between the two of you?”

“Anything changes?” Y/N’s voice was dripping in disbelief. “You’re joking. Even if I was obsessed with him I don’t think there’s ever a chance of hell in anything ‘changing’ between us. He said it himself.”

“You know what I mean, Y/N,” responded Hermione. “Just promise me, ok?”

“Ok,” said Y/N. “I promise.”

That seemed to satiate Hermione as she nodded approvingly at her friend. “I think it goes without saying that Ron and Harry shouldn’t hear about this.”

“There’s nothing to hear about, but yes.” She shuffled her feet before meeting Hermione’s eyes again. “Er, I’m sorry for this being a weird question, but would you mind coming along with me and Harry to Hogsmeade? I don’t really see him like...that...and I don’t want to read into it too much and reject him if he is doing it just platonically, but just in case. Y’know.”

“Sure,” said Hermione, even though her face took on that curious expression yet again. “Anyways, you actually did forget something--you’re not wearing a single piece of Gryffindor colors for our game today. You should probably run back to your dorm before Harry and Ron notice.”

After they said their goodbyes, Y/N found herself turning over the things Hermione had said to her in her head. Did she like Malfoy? No, no fucking way. But a part of her really did think he was funny. And of course it was natural to feel rejected when anyone insinuates that they’d never consider you as a romantic interest without jest. 

Once she’d made it up to her room and grabbed a few scarves, Y/N made to put her red cloak into her satchel. Her fingers ghosted over the box that Malfoy had given her and scoffed once she saw the Malfoy crest engraved into the rich wood. 

Narcissistic snot.

Her curiosity got the better of her as she reached over to open up the elaborately decorated box. What met her was not just one quill but two--one of which was most certainly not her own. 

She took them both out, tossing the old one in a pile with her other trusty familiar white feather quills and picked up the other one. It looked familiar--identical to the quill that she’d complimented Malfoy on in Potions about a week ago. Butterflies began to flutter like crazy in her stomach as she turned it over in her hand, watching the gray and green glitter together and the magic sparkles cast a gentle light over her bed. She generally avoided dipping into her family’s pockets to get school supplies any more than she had to--it’s not like it made her friends feel good about themselves when they were reminded how rich her family was--but this might be what she could consider to be an exception. She hadn’t even liked his quill all that much when she first saw it in Potions--but it was one of those things that was so noticeable that it made sense to compliment him. 

She gave it one last look before tucking it back away into the elaborately decorated box. Perhaps she had spoken too soon when she’d told Hermione all hope was lost. 

~ 

When Monday morning Potions class with the Slytherins rolled around, Y/N wasted no time. Malfoy was alone--even his Slytherin lackeys seemed to know not to bother him. Just what she needed.

“Malfoy,” she greeted, setting her bag down on his table and looking him dead on. He raised to meet her eyes, his eyebrow raised.

“Can I help you?”

“I just wanted you to know that I also really like your immense fortune,” she said. “And your manor.”

“Well, a lot of people do,” he mumbled as he looked away to dig through something in his bag. If she didn’t know any better, she would’ve thought he was blushing.

“I’m just letting you know,” she continued. “In case you were wanting to give them away. It worked for the quill, so I thought, well, why not?”

He exhaled, a deep and annoyed sound escaping his lips as he rolled his eyes up to the ceiling. “I knew I shouldn’t have done that.”

“You really didn’t have to.”

“I was getting sick of it,” he told her. “I never can stick with one quill for too long, and I thought it’d be a shame to toss it. I thought it’d be better to be charitable--it’s not like your family could get an appointment at Barnaby’s if they tried.”

“Hey!” Y/N said indignantly. “You don’t know that!”

“I’ve heard your parents try to speak French,” he said. “If you’re anything like them, you'll be barred from ever entering the country.”

“Malfoy!” 

His lips turned up into a smile, a soft laugh escaping his lips. Y/N suppressed the urge to grin in return. Task 3? Done. “What?”

“I can’t even argue with you,” she said. “It’s tragic.”

She stared at the empty stool next to him, wondering if she should just take the leap and sit with him. Malfoy seemed unbothered by her presence as he opened up his Potions book and set it next to his cauldron. “Do you want a partner?” The words left her lips before she could stop them.

He cast her a curious look before glancing at the empty stool. “It depends. Are you going to be annoying?”

She gasped in faux-offense. “What makes you think I could ever be annoying?”

“On that note, I think you better get back to Potter.” He motioned with his head towards the side of the room where most of her Gryffindor friends were chatting. Harry was staring at her, his fists clenched by his side.

Y/N smirked and sent him a wink. 

“On that note,” she said, careful to imitate Malfoy’s drawl and sending him a smug grin, “Maybe I better sit here.”

“Hm.” He awarded her one more uninterested look before rolling up his sleeves and setting out the ingredients for the potion they were brewing--Amortentia. 

She tried not to make it too obvious that she was staring at his left arm, but there was nothing on it like Harry had told her. It was just pure, unblemished pale skin that shimmered under the light. Before he could catch her looking, she quickly sat down and started pulling out her own things. After a short pause, she decided to take out the silver quill. She’d left his box back in her room--she wouldn’t be caught dead with something that had the Malfoy crest on it--but she’d wrapped it in a pouch with her own family’s emblem on the front, shimmering in gold and red.

“Why don’t you just buy your own charmed quills?” asked Malfoy after they had chopped all of the gillweed. 

“You already know. We’re an abomination to the French. We aren’t allowed entry.”

“That’s not what I mean.” His tone was meant to read as exasperated, but his words still seemed good-natured.

“I...well.” She frowned. She’d never confessed this to anyone, but she supposed that Malfoy wasn’t going to find a way to use it against her. “I don’t like to flaunt my family wealth. I think it makes people, at least in Gryffindor, like me less. I learned that pretty early on.”

He hummed something in response before sliding all the gillweed into the cauldron, turning the clear liquid into a bubbling forest green. 

“Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?” she asked. 

He took his time finishing the note he was jotting down before he answered. “I’m not being nice. It’s just called being civil. You said it yourself, we see each other at balls sometimes.”

“We probably won’t anymore, though,” she mused. 

Malfoy’s eyebrows shot up, but his voice remained low and steady. “No. I suppose that we probably won’t. Is your family part of the Order?”

“Hm. Are you a Death Eater?” she asked brazenly. He had no business asking her something like that, and he knew it. Especially not with his family connections.

“What do you think?” he drawled, waving his bared left arm in front of her face.

“Bullshit. That doesn’t mean anything after we learned Glamour spells last year.”

“Guess you’ll just have to trust me, then,” he responded, focusing intently on the bubbling liquid in front of him instead of her face. 

“I guess so,” she replied. The weight of her Glamour comment began to sink in--she was right, after all. How had she not thought of it before? 

But he was right when he told her she just had to trust him. Could she? Y/N rested her chin in the palm of her propped hand as she watched him work. A piece of disobedient moonbeam blonde hair dangled over his forehead as he diced up the unicorn tail, his eyebrows furrowed in focus.

“Is this why you want to be my partner?” he finally asked after a few moments of silence. “So you can just stare at me while I do all the work?”

“There’s the vain Draco I know,” she said, grinning as she leaned over to punch his shoulder. 

He rolled his eyes again, scooting out of arm's reach before flipping back to Amortentia in his book. “You’re insufferable. And it’s Malfoy to you.”

“Fine, fine, Malfoy,” said Y/N. “What do you want me to do, then?”

He shoved his cutting board towards her, the half-diced unicorn tail staring up at her. “Finish dicing this and then stir it in. 9 times clockwise. I did almost all of the work, but it should be finished after that.”

Y/N sent him another glare before doing as he said. The glittering quill kept catching her attention from the corner of her eye, and she couldn’t help but notice that Malfoy was writing with just a plain white quill for the time being. HE really did just give it to me. 

After the final ingredients were diced, she began to stir, each rotation around the cauldron turning the potion to a different color. It began as the bubbling green, then a deep sea blue, then a royal purple, a crimson blood red, a glimmering gold--before settling into a pale silver.

“Wow. It’s beautiful,” she breathed. “It’s like...liquid starlight.”

“All thanks to me,” said Malfoy. “You didn’t even have to crush the Mandrake root.”

“You’re such a gentleman, Malfoy.” Her voice dripped in fake sincerity. “So, what do you smell?”

Y/N was expecting him to scowl at her and tell her that it wasn’t any of her business, but he actually leaned over the cauldron and shut his eyes. 

“I’ve never been good at explaining what things smell like.” 

“Fair.”

Once he leaned back, she took his place, shutting her eyes and breathing in a tendril of the beautiful potion. “Whoa.”

“What’s it for you?”

“I don’t...know,” she admitted. “It’s not something I can describe note by note. It kind of reminds me of something, though.”

“Something with Potter, I presume?” he said, casually twirling his generic white quill around his fingers.

“No,” she answered, surprised at how honest she was being. “It’s…I’m trying to think. Er, it’s very lavish. It reminds me of when I was younger and my parents would drag me to galas and balls and whatnot.” 

He stared at her in silence.

“What about you? Does it remind you of anything?”

“Yeah.” Malfoy reached forward to put a lid on the cauldron, effectively shutting out the steam from reaching either of them.

“Ooh, have you figured it out yet?” she teased, crossing her legs and turning to face him head on. “Let me guess. Is it someone like…”

She paused, a wicked smile stretching across her face. “Oh my god, is it Hermione? Or Luna? Or...help me out here!”

“No.” His voice was sour. 

“Ah, it’s Parkinson then, isn’t it? Tell her I’m sorry for throwing food at her if you ever have the chance. Make sure to add the part where I’m more sorry that I missed.” 

“Y/L/N!”

“It’s okay. I’d be a little let down, too.”

“Can you please just…” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Please just stop. I haven’t figured it out. Okay? Happy now?”

“I’ll leave you alone,” said Y/N. “Under one condition. You give me a hint. I’ve given you everything I know! This isn’t fair.”

“This doesn’t have to be fair,” he hissed.

Y/N kept the easy smile plastered on her face while she waited, her eyebrows raised in anticipation.

“You’re not going to let up until I tell you, are you?”

“You’d be right on that,” she said, sugary sweet.

“Fine. It’s something kind of floral.” 

“How descriptive,” she snorted as she slumped back in her stool, thinking hard. Where had she smelled it before? Y/N shut her eyes, leaning her head back and trying to immerse herself into the memory that had surfaced. It smelled like grandeur, like an open ballroom full of guests wearing expensive perfumes. She could feel spinning, spinning like she was with a dance partner. Who was it? She couldn’t quite remember--the last ball she’d been to had been years ago--but after she leaned forward and smelled the Amortentia once more time, she came to a conclusion.

“I had to have danced with him at a gala before,” she announced to Malfoy, who was looking quite unimpressed. “So I know it’s no one from Gryffindor.”

“Interesting,” was all he said before turning to his parchment and jotting something down.

Late that night, while Y/N was settling into bed, a strange idea struck her. Sure that the thought that was nagging her was completely fruitless, she had no trouble with reaching into her desk and pulling out the Malfoy box. She just had to check if she wanted to sleep well.

Here goes.

She closed her eyes, imagining the expensive scent of her Amortentia. Then she opened it, stuck her nose into the fabric, and breathed in.

Well, fuck. 

~

The internal debate going through Y/N the next day at the breakfast table was intense. On one hand, she really, really wanted to just tell Hermione that Malfoy had been in her Amortentia and she was completely fucked, but on the other…

She glanced at the witch next to her as she methodically sliced her toast into perfect, equivalent squares before dunking them in jam. Y/N liking Malfoy was not going to fit into her toast cubes. If she said anything, she would lose her excuse to talk to her about him. And her excuse to try and get close with him. 

Perhaps I can figure it out tomorrow. 

When tomorrow came, she still hadn’t made progress. Y/N was beginning to think that her so called “revelation” after they brewed Amortentia was truly just complete and utter bullshit. So what that his quill box smelled like it--all rich people kind of smelled the same at some points, and so did their houses. There was a reason why she couldn’t immediately pin the scent to anything--it wasn’t like she even knew what Malfoy smelled like.

But the truth remained that she was still attracted to someone who happened to be a rich Slytherin--so naturally, her mind began to wander. There’s no way it was Zabini--his mother owned a fragrance line, and she would’ve instantly recognized the cologne that she knew Mrs. Zabini made him wear--and there was absolutely no way that it was Crabbe or Goyle, so the only other Slytherin it left was...Nott? But that didn’t make sense either--she’d never spoken to him before in her life, even less than Malfoy. So perhaps it would be better if she didn’t think on it.

The next day of potion brewing came on a stormy Wednesday. Malfoy and Y/N worked silently together to brew a Draught of Dreamless Sleep. She was surprised to see how practiced his movements were--he didn’t even have to reference the book to recite the exact measurements and directions.

“Do you have bad dreams or something?” she asked, mostly as a joke. He didn’t seem to pick up on the light-heartedness and stiffened up.

“No?”

“Gee, you’re talkative today,” Y/N said, trying to ignore how her hand brushed his by accident when she added the scoop of anjelica. 

“Excuse me for not entertaining you,” he drawled. “I wasn’t expecting to have such a needy potions partner today.”

“I am not needy!” she gasped, smacking his arm. “I’ve sat in silence for a full hour!”

He rolled his eyes (he was always rolling his eyes) and gave the potion one more final stir before setting the lid on the cauldron. “Think you can do that again? It needs to simmer for that long.”

“Just because you’re so sweet to me,” crooned Y/N before pulling out a heavy book from her satchel. Her Charms exam was tomorrow, and, naturally, she had decided to save all of her revising work until the night before. The textbook stared back at her as she jotted a few notes onto a previously blank sheet of parchment. The quill in her hands was light and glided across the paper like the tears of Merlin, something that she had forgotten quills could do. All of her familiar basic quills were okay, but they were prone to skidding and breaking. This nib hadn’t worn down in the slightest, still at a smooth and defined peak.

Y/N couldn’t believe that, out of all people, the person to give her such a thoughtful gift was Draco Malfoy. She tried to sneak a glance at him then, moving her curtain of hair away from her face. It took all she had in her to not be startled at the fact that he was already looking back, a slightly concerned expression etched into his face.

“Is something wrong?” 

He snapped out of it the moment the words left her lips, his face hardening. “No.”

“Forget I ever asked,” she responded, turning away from him for good and focusing on her textbook. No, there was no way he could be what she smelled in her Amortentia. She liked to think that her subconscious wasn’t secretly a masochist.

~

Friday evening swung around again, much to Y/N’s dismay. She’d had a talk with Hermione later on in the week, confirming that no, she did not smell Malfoy in her Amortentia, and that yes, she was still abiding by the plan that Hermione had so carefully laid out for her. It did bother her a bit that she could be lying to her on both fronts--but at the end of the day, she was going to get the answers that Harry wanted, no matter what. 

She just had to get through the scary ass castle first. She’d forgotten how spooky Hogwarts was after her previous sprint to the door, and this time she was positively trembling by the time she turned another dark corner on her way to McGonagall’s office. Yet another cursed item had been found in the girl’s lavatory on the 3rd floor, right by some of the classes that she had taken earlier in the week. The fact that whoever was out there was capable of dark magic and actively wanted to hurt people terrified her, all that Gryffindor bravery be damned. 

So when she heard footsteps suddenly right beside her, it was no wonder that she jumped feet in the air.

“Fuck!” she sputtered, turning to see a very familiar blonde in Slytherin robes. He was frozen in place, curiously looking her up and down.

“Am I interrupting something?”

“Malfoy,” Y/N said, resisting the urge to melt into a puddle of relief at the sight. This wasn’t right--wasn’t he a suspected Death Eater? “You scared me.”

He scoffed, digging his hands into his pockets. “You’re supposed to be the brave ones, right?”

“Huh?”

Malfoy motioned to her Gryffindor jumper. 

“Oh.” Heat rushed to her cheeks as she realized what he meant. “I dunno. I just get jumpy around the castle at night.”

“No shit.” They’d begun to walk now, side by side. Y/N couldn’t remember ever walking with him before--she’d always been late. “Do you think I forgot the way you screamed when you saw me at the tower?”

“Shut up,” she grumbled, reaching over and giving him a healthy shove. 

They walked in silence together. Malfoy moved noticeably slower than he normally did so he wouldn’t leave Y/N’s shorter legs in tow. McGonagall seemed pleasantly surprised to see Malfoy hold the door open for her.

“I’m glad to see you two getting along,” she said, giving Y/N a hesitant nod before grabbing the stack of papers on her desk. “I’ll be back momentarily.”

After she exited the room with a swish of her deep maroon robes, Malfoy turned to her. “Are you scared of the dark or something?”

She turned, ready to send a biting retort his way, before she noticed how gray his pallor looked...and how big the circles under his eyes were. “You look like shit, Malfoy. Is everything okay?”

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t change the subject.”

“Oh. Um…” Y/N pause before deciding that the little tidbit of information she was about to reveal wasn’t that important anyways. “I’m just on edge at night at Hogwarts is all. Especially with all that weird shit going on with all the cursed objects. So I kind of hate walking to and from detention.”

Malfoy let out something that sounded like a strained laugh.

“You didn’t answer my question. Is everything okay?”

“None of your business,” he snipped. “I just had a bad night.”

“Do you have trouble sleeping?” she asked, unable to keep herself from prying.

“Something like that.”

“Have you tried lavender?”

“I’m sorry?” He frowned.

“Lavender. Like the essential oil. It’s nothing magical,” she explained. “I just like to spray it in my bed sometimes before I sleep. Or I’ll use a few drops in a diffuser. I have trouble sleeping too, all the time, actually.” She shut her mouth before she had any chance to ramble further.

“It sounds a bit too floral for my taste.”

“Here.” Y/N dug around in her satchel, searching for the tiny spray bottle she kept with her at all times. “Borrow this and spritz your pillow with it before you sleep, and then tell me it’s too floral. I promise it helps.”

He glared at her. She extended her hand with the white bottle that was covered in purple decor, raising her eyebrows expectantly. “I won’t tell anyone that you have it if that’s what you’re worried about or whatever.”

“Fine,” he snapped, snatching it from her hand and dragging his fingers over her palm for just a second. “Don’t expect me to actually try it, though.”

“Just give it a sniff.” 

He huffed, but to her surprise, he actually uncapped the top and held the spray hole up to his nose, inhaling in once.

The effect was immediate. Malfoy’s face completely drained of color, becoming even grayer than he’d been when she first saw him under the light. The briefest expression of surprise fleeted over his face before he wiped it off, replacing it with something unreadable and tossing it back at her. “I’m not using this.”

“Why not?”

“Not quite my taste,” he spat.

Y/N was shocked by the sudden outburst, watching as he continued to glower at his desk. “I don’t understand. It really does help you sleep. I know it seems stupid, but I...really think you should try it. Just once, if anything.”

“Why does it matter so much to you?”

“Because I--” Y/N stopped herself before she let her mouth run without check. “I know what it’s like is all. I feel like shit if I don’t sleep. Plus, I have to spend time with you every Friday. I imagine that you’ll be slightly more tolerable if you sleep more.”

“Hm.” He sent her a particularly venomous glare. “Thanks for your concern. Consider me uninterested, though.”

“You break my heart,” she teased, pulling back her hand and placing the bottle on the corner of her desk. An idea struck her.

“And just what are you smiling about?” Draco said. His lips were turned into a sour frown. 

“Nothing, nothing,” she responded, her voice adopting a sing-song quality. All she had to do now was wait. 

He exhaled, a deep and exasperated sound. Then he turned back to whatever was in front of him.

McGonagall entered the room a few minutes later, nodding cordially at the comfortable silence the two students were in. What she didn’t know was that Y/N was waiting, just waiting for Malfoy to dig through his satchel and stop paying attention to his quill.

She got her opportunity a few minutes later, when McGonagall called him up to look over his latest Transfiguration homework.

“Mr. Malfoy, I’m happy to see that you’re taking more initiative in getting your assignments done...I have to say that you had me a bit concerned…”

While her professor kept Malfoy occupied, Y/N darted over and grabbed his quill. 

Ha.

Malfoy frowned down at his desk when he returned, giving Y/N a suspicious look.

“What is it, Malfoy?” she said, hoping her voice conveyed nothing that might hint that she took something of his.

“Nothing.”

“Hm.”

The rest of detention passed without any more discussion. Y/N was eager to run up to her dorm and set up her plan to be carried out the next morning, but she calmed her bouncing leg and forced herself to keep a straight face when McGonagall dismissed them.

“Got somewhere to be, Y/L/N?” Malfoy’s voice called after her as she sped down the hall towards the Gryffindor tower. 

“What’s it to you?” she fired back.

He didn’t respond. Instead, he picked up his pace until he was walking next to her.

“Aren’t the Slytherin dorms the other direction?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Are they?” 

She allowed herself to be amused by the way words flowed out of his mouth when he was slightly out of breath. “Why are you walking with me?”

“You said it yourself.” He kept his eyes cast on the cobblestones below them. “You don’t like walking alone at night.”

“Uh...oh.” Against her will, her feet froze and she was glued to the ground. “You’re joking, right?”

If the lighting wasn’t so dim, Y/N would have good reason to believe he was blushing with how intently he was studying his fingernails. “By all means, I can be.”

“No! No, I didn’t mean it like that,” she said, the words tumbling out of her mouth. “Er...I’d like you to. If you want to, that is.”

He shrugged, an elfish expression spreading across his face as he took in how nervous she was. “Well, come to think of it, you didn’t ask me to. I suppose I better get back to the Slytherin dorms anyways. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near the Gryffindor Tower right now.”

“Why?” she squeaked.

“Oh, you know, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that most of the cursed things showed up on your side of the castle, yeah?”

She gulped.

“I gotta get going. Don’t want to stand around here too long. This place gives me the creeps.” With that, he turned and began walking away.

“Malfoy?” She hated how timid her voice sounded. “Consider this me asking you to walk with me.”

He slowly faced her, a sly grin plastered all over his face. “Oh? Did I hear that correctly? Do you want me to?”

“I’m only going to say this once,” she said, putting her hands on her hips and trying her best to look intimidating. “Walk with me. Please.”

“I guess I’ll take it.” Malfoy glided down the hallway to her in just a couple steps, sending her yet another smug look.

“You made up that whole ordeal about Gryffindor Tower being targeted, didn’t you?” asked Y/N as they rounded the corner to reach the staircase leading up to the common room.

“You bought it, didn’t you?” 

“Who says I didn’t just want you to walk with me?” pushed Y/N. This was as close to flirting as it would ever get for her--but it looked like, somehow, things were falling into place. The heat in her cheeks must’ve been from the excitement of making progress. 

Malfoy’s toe caught on the first stair and, if it weren’t for Y/N’s steady grip on his arm, would’ve made him go sprawling across the stone steps. 

“Merlin, Malfoy,” she said, immediately dropping her grip from his shoulder. “What’s gotten into you?”

He responded with an unceremonial snort and a withering glare. The rest of the walk was done in silence, and Y/N noted how careful his footwork became around the Gryffindor steps.

“This is me,” she finally said once they reached the tapestry for the Gryffindor dorms. He seemed surprised, and only then did it strike her that he’d probably never seen the entrance himself before. “Thanks for being such a gentleman.”

“I live to serve,” he drawled.

And just like that, he was gone.

~

Her plan was simple. She had located an extra monogrammed pouch in her cabinet, a rich mahogany color with her family crest in a vivid gold, and placed both his quill and the lavender bottle. She would corner him after breakfast or follow him out of the Great Hall and show him then.

However, it was becoming increasingly obvious that Malfoy was not coming to Saturday morning breakfast. Many people didn’t, but Y/N had never known him to miss it. His normal spot was vacant, and it certainly wasn’t a house-made decision as all of his Slytherin friends were present and accounted for. Y/N couldn’t say for sure, but she could see Parkinson turning her head to the entrance every time the doors thudded open before glancing back to Malfoy’s empty seat when it turned out to be someone else.

Where was that loser?

“Excuse me,” she said to the trio as she stood up and brushed off her skirt. “I think I’m going to go get some fresh air. I have a bitch of a headache.”

Hermione and Harry expressed their sympathies while Ron gave her a characteristic mumble through his mouthful of bread, and she was off with the pouch secured in her cloak pocket.

It was a clear November morning, clearly Mother Nature’s attempt to slowly move the world from the crisp autumn to a cold winter. The sky was clear and the sun’s rays warmed her skin at a slanted angle, casting weak shadows across the courtyard.

If I were Malfoy, where would I go to sulk?

The obvious answer was either the Slytherin common room or his own dorm, but that was without a doubt out of question for her. She wasn’t even sure if she possessed the knowledge to guess which corridor the entrance was in, much less work out the password herself. Beyond that, just getting into the common room and waiting would be...She shivered. It would be a terrible idea while she was clearly wearing a cloak in Gryffindor red and gold trim. 

As she continued her aimless wander around the castle, she heard the slightest sound from the girl’s bathroom on the second floor. It wasn’t ever really in use--no one came in there to actually use the loo unless they wanted Myrtle to materialize and tell them her supernatural troubles while they were in the middle of their personal business--but it was often the source of strange happenings. 

Like the cursed objects she thought to herself, her nails digging into her palms. But did she care about that right now? Surely cursed objects seemed somewhat...suspicious. Dark magic was difficult to hide, and to a pureblood eye that grew up around magical objects, cursed things shouldn’t be impossible to spot. 

And, plus, it was Malfoy she was looking for. None of the students had died from the curses so far, and if she was able to break through and learn something, or at the very least gain his trust, the reward to the Order would be more than worth it.

She stepped in, expecting to see an entirely empty bathroom with perhaps a ghost rattling around at the sink. Instead, a different sight awaited her.

Draco Malfoy was clutching the edge of the cracked sink basin in front of him, rocking himself back and forth and shaking. From her vantage point, she could see that he was dressed in his normal garb--a black ensemble--but his hair was unruly and messy, sticking up in the back like he’d hurriedly tugged something over his head.

A strangled gasp grounded her and halted her curious observations. Malfoy began to make these awful sobbing sounds, like he could barely manage to breathe. 

Y/N was frozen in place as she surveyed her options. If she stayed and tried to talk to him, he might react in anger or hurt her. But if she just left him, like this, all alone...She swallowed once before stepping forward.

“Malfoy? Are you okay?” Obviously he’s not, you bint said a voice deep in her brain. She pushed it aside as he swung around, his wand raised and his eyes blazing. “Whoa! I’m not going to...Put your wand down!”

He stared at her, his eyes wide with horror as he continued to shake, so much so that his wand slipped out of his hand and clattered to the floor. Without thinking, Y/N reached into her pocket and flung her wand away, holding her hands up.

“I’m not going to try anything. I promise.”

As she drew closer, she could see the remnants of tears on his wet cheeks and the way that his silver eyes were rimmed with a bloodshot red. 

“You shouldn’t be here,” he hissed, his voice weak and cracking. 

“Neither should you. This is the girl’s bathroom.”

final a/n: ok so lmk if you guys wants me to continue. i really did not edit the last half fjkdsal;f also kinda made this an au where malfoy tried to assassinate dumbledore. with more than one cursed object but dw it’ll all make sense ill clear that up 😭

[raindancer2004]

“I like a challenge Darling”

Word Count: 5,366 Demetri x reader Oneshot Warnings: Fluff, reader being paddled, NSFW

Marcus and Demetri had a different relationship as Master and Personal Bodyguard when compared to Aro and the Twins and Caius and Felix. Marcus would quite often converse with the tracker when it was just the two of them in his private study, exchanging views of the books they have read, sharing stories from their human lives etc. This is how he came to know that Demetri had become lonely over the years as he had yet to find his mate, unlike his friend Felix who found his mate Mia a few decades back. Marcus had told him to have faith and that when the time is right, he would meet his mate and they would spend an eternity together.

So when Demetri finally met Y/N courtesy of Esme Cullen, although it was totally by accident that the two met, Marcus was happy for him and welcomed Y/N into the family with open arms. He liked her as she was respectful to him and his brothers and being human, she was curious about a lot of things including their world, their laws and this was something Marcus found endearing about her and would give her as much of his time as possible when Demetri was away so she wouldn’t become bored or restless. Even Caius liked her and he hated humans. Marcus surmised this was because of her interest in their laws and how they came to power and she understood that the vampire world and the human world were better off under their rule than that of their predecessors.

Marcus was in his private study working at his desk, Demetri being his personal bodyguard was in the room sitting on the sofa reading. Marcus didn’t see the point of him standing at the back of the office when he could be comfortable on the sofa reading or planning for missions. Sometimes Marcus would hide in his office just to escape the throne room and the bickering of his brothers, he always bought Demetri with him which the tracker appreciated. This was one of those occasions.

They had been in Marcus’ study for about an hour when he surprised Demetri with a request, one that related to Y/N. “Demetri, would you bring Y/N to my office please as I have a proposition for her?” Demetri’s eyebrows rose, a look of shock flashed across his and he knew Marcus saw it “Do not worry my boy, it’s nothing untoward. I promise” Marcus reassured him “Of course Master. When would you like to see her?” He asked “As soon as possible” Marcus replied “I’ll go get her now then. She’s in the garden” “Very well. Thank you Demetri.” Demetri bowed his head and left the room making his way out to the South facing garden where Y/N was reading by the fountain.

“Hello mi amore” He said softly as he approached her, not wanting to spook her “Demetri” She replied with a smile, one that showed she was happy to see him “Have you been let off early?” She asked, a hopeful look crossed her face “No, sorry. I’m here to escort you Marcus’ study as he would like to talk to you” He replied “Oh. Is it bad? Have I done something wrong?” “Not that I am aware off. Maybe he has become bored of my company and wishes for yours instead” He chuckled “We both know that’s a lie. He’d never get bored of talking to you, you have too much in common. I’ll admit he does seem to like my company or should I say he likes to keep me company when you are away on missions” She replied as she slipped her hand in his, their fingers interlacing with one another. Demetri loved how warm she felt against his skin.

“Good afternoon Y/N” Marcus greeted her with a smile as she entered his study, Demetri right behind her “Afternoon Marcus, I trust you are well” She replied with a smile of her own “I am thank you and hope you are too” He gestured for them to sit on the sofa “I’m well too, thank you for asking” She sat beside Demetri and placed her hand in his, Marcus noticed and smiled, seeing the strong bond between them despite the short time they had been together.

“So you may be wondering why I asked to see you?” Y/N nodded and smiled “Well, Gianna is out sick for the week and I was hoping you might fill in for her. I know the two of you get along well and you have helped her out on occasion, when you’ve needed a change of scenery for example” Y/N looked at Demetri and he just smiled back at her “It’s your decision cara mia” She looked back at Marcus and smiled “I’d love too. Be nice to do something different for a week and at least I know I’ll be safe as everyone knows I’m Dem’s mate” She chuckled, Marcus and Demetri doing the same “That’s very true my dear.” Y/N was in for an interesting week and she didn’t even know it.

Later that night Marcus informed Aro and Caius that Y/N was covering reception for the remainder of the week in Gianna’s absence. They were pleased to hear this as the lower guard Louis, who had covered that day did not do a very good job. Caius had threatened to rip his hand off just because he could.

The following morning Demetri escorted Y/N down to reception and ensured she had everything she needed to complete the day’s work “Thank you for helping out mi amore” He said softly and placed a kiss to her temple “It’s no bother really. I’ve helped Gianna before and it’ll be nice to be out of our room and see somewhere other than the library for a few days” She replied “I’ll come by and see you at lunchtime” He kissed her lips before leaving and heading to the throne room for guard duty. “Please gods let this week pass without incident for my beloved” Demetri muttered low, praying to his gods.

The first two days on reception went by without any problems or incidents, something everyone was pleased with. Day three however, there was a small problem when Heidi bought the ‘tour’ group in. Two of the tourists started bickering and Heidi was busy sorting out the disruption and therefore didn’t hear one young lady ask Y/N where the bathroom was “I don’t know why they call it morning sickness when it lasts all day” She said to Y/N as they walked to the female bathroom. Heidi did a final headcount and noticed she was one person short “Y/N I seem to have lost someone” She whispered “She’s in the bathroom being sick. She’s pregnant” Y/N replied and Heidi’s face paled “Wait five minutes, then please escort her out the castle. Make some excuse for me otherwise I’m in big trouble” “Leave it with me Heidi. I had no intention of letting her re-join the ‘tour’ as it would’ve gotten you into trouble” Y/N said with a smile “You are a star Y/N, truly” Heidi gave her a grateful smile “I owe you one” She called over her shoulder and continued on her way with the tour group to the throne room. Y/N was pleased as the young lady got to keep her life and Heidi didn’t get into trouble for bringing a pregnant lady on the tour.

Day six of Y/N covering reception for Gianna was more eventful than anyone could have imagined. Demetri and Felix were in the training room with the lower and transitory guards carrying out the regular training session. Jane, Alec and Santiago were on duty in the throne room with the Kings. Y/N heard a commotion and got up from the front desk to look and saw some of the transitory guards fighting at the entrance to the castle, humans were beginning to pay attention which worried Y/N, especially as it was sunny outside.

Y/N made her way to the throne room and knocked on the door once and they opened from the inside “Sorry to interrupt but…” “Y/N you know you aren’t meant to interrupt” Aro cut her off “Yes Aro, and I apologise but some of the guards are fighting at the castle entrance and humans are gathering to watch and it’s sunny outside” She replied quickly, hoping she wouldn’t be punished as Gianna’s predecessors were. “Santiago, Josh please go and deal with the guards at the entrance. Y/N you can return to reception” Aro said with a smile “Thank you Aro” She smiled and bowed her head before leaving the throne room quickly.

“Y/N needs to be punished” Caius says to his brothers “Really brother? Do you really think it’s necessary?” Aro asked “She did interrupt despite knowing she shouldn’t” Caius replied “She came to warn us of a possible exposure threat and she did knock first” Marcus defended her actions “Still rules are rules brother. If Gianna had interrupted instead of Y/N we would’ve punished her. We cannot play favourites just because she’s Demetri’s mate even if she is helping out this week” Caius reasons “Ok then. I’ll take care of her punishment” Marcus says as he gets up from his throne “You? You’re going to punish her?” Caius asked smirking “Yes, Demetri is my bodyguard and Y/N is his mate. Therefore, I will handle this situation” He replied and left the throne room.

“Demetri won’t be happy” Alec muttered low to Jane so only she could hear “My shift has finished so I’ll go tell him. He’ll want to know about Y/N” Jane whispered back.

Marcus went to reception to see Y/N “Hello, my dear. I need you to come with me please” “Of course Marcus, am I in trouble?” She replied “I’ll explain soon enough” He said and held his arm out for her to take. He led her to one of the guest rooms in the South Wing. Once inside he closes the door and explains the situation they are now in. “Caius has asked that you be punished for the interruption” Marcus started softly “But I knocked first and I thought you’d want to know about a possible exposure risk, especially as it involves your guards” She replied “I know my dear and I pointed that out to him but he was adamant a punishment was needed. I told my brothers I would deal with your punishment as Demetri is my bodyguard and you are his mate” “O-ok. Thank you. Does Demetri know?” She asked “Jane has finished her shift and I’m sure she’ll inform him of what has occurred” He replied and she nodded.

“Please can make your way over to the bed?” Marcus asked and she did as he asked. She stood at the end of the bed and felt Marcus come to stand beside her. “Please lean over the bed with your arms out” She did as she was instructed and felt his cold hands wrap something silky around her wrists “I’m tying you to the bed so you don’t move during the punishment you’re going to receive” He said low as he reached over her and gently placed a silk scarf into her mouth and secured it at the back of her head “This is to muffle your cries. Although, I ask that you don’t resist or cry out as Demetri is likely to hear and the punishment will start over if it’s interrupted for anything but an emergency. Also, you must keep your eyes closed throughout. Understand?” “Yes Marcus” Her reply coming out muffled.

There was a knock at the door “I won’t be a minute” He told her and opened the door to see Demetri, a confused and slightly angry Demetri. He stepped into the corridor and shut the door. “Calm yourself, my dear boy. No real harm is to become her” He advised “Jane told me what happened and whilst I agree she shouldn’t have disturbed you, she only did it to save us from being exposed by our guards” Demetri replied, worry clear in his ruby eyes “I know that and that is why I decided on her punishment and not Caius…” “What is her punishment?” Demetri interrupted “She is to be paddled 40 times” Marcus replied “What? Why?” “Well I heard Y/N talking with Gianna recently about certain things and well Gianna’s been spanked by an ex in the past for ‘misbehaving’” Marcus replied and Demetri’s mouth fell open a little “So you thought Y/N should be paddled for interrupting you?” “Yes, I do. Unless you’d prefer I take a leaf out of Caius’ book?” Demetri shook his head and Marcus smiled “Here” Marcus says and hands Demetri the small black paddle “You want me to do it?” He asked surprised “If you’d rather me do it…” He trailed off and held his hand out “No, no I’ll do it” Demetri replied and went to enter the room, only Marcus stopped him “She thinks I am going to hand out the punishment and I didn’t correct her. Also, I never said you had to hit her hard, just that it has to be 40 times” Demetri nodded in understanding “Thank you master” He bowed his head “Of course my boy. Do you really think I would harm her or order you to do so” Demetri shook his head “Exactly, once you’re done take her to your room and spend the afternoon together.” Marcus turned and walked away.

Demetri entered the room and locked the door, he turned and saw Y/N bent over the end of the bed and secured in place by silk scarfs; he felt himself harden a little ‘No, this is punishment not pleasure’ he tells himself as he makes his way over to the bed. He doesn’t say anything just lifts her dress up to her waist so her lacy covered ass is on display ‘Gods this isn’t fair. She’s wearing the blue set I love’ he thought to himself. He counts to three mentally before bringing the paddle into contact with her ass softly.

‘Is that a practice one?’ Y/N thought to herself as the paddle hit her ass softly; the answer came to her rather quickly when the next few paddles to her ass were just as soft ‘Marcus must be being gentle cause I’m human and Dem’s mate’ she thought to herself as the paddle continues to hit her softly. ‘twenty-five’ Demetri counts in his head. ‘wonder what Dem will think when he finds out Marcus paddled my ass’ her thoughts going to her mate and his reaction. Demetri continues to hit her softly as his minds wonders too ‘I think next time I spank her it’ll be a little harder and with my hand, just to see what effect it has on her in a different setting.’ Y/N feels confused as this doesn’t seem like a punishment Caius would approve of but she wasn’t going to complain. ‘forty’ Demetri places the paddle on the bed and unties her wrists and places a kiss to each one; a soft gasp escapes her lips and he smirks “It’s just me darling” He says low in her ear as he removes the scarf from her mouth “Dem” She breathed and he helped her up and held her to him “I’m here” He kisses the top of the head “Did you…” “Marcus let me carry out your punishment” He cut her off “I’m sorry. I only…” “Don’t worry about it. Marcus and I have spoken and agreed your actions were for the right reasons, this was just to satisfy Caius’ request.”

He took her hand in his and they made their back to their shared room, once inside he locked the door “How are you feeling?” “I’m ok but next time the dumbass guards risk exposure, I’m going to ignore it” She replies and he nods as he pulls her into him capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. He pulls away his eyes locked on hers, his burning in his need for her. He kisses her roughly, his hands moving to her ass and he gives it a squeeze before lifting her up, her legs wrapping around his waist. “Good girl” He says low and she gives him a sultry smile.

He placed her gently on the bed, one hand running up her thigh coming to rest on her lace covered hip. He kissed along her jawline making his way to her ear and nipped it gently, before placing a kiss below and leaving a trail of kisses down her neck, his hand stroking her through her lace covered panties “Hey, I’m not that easy Dem, take your time…play me like a violin” She says low in his ear and he growls before replying “Play your cards right and I may snap your G string” He gave a wink and continued to kiss and nip at her skin.

He pulled away long enough to remove her dress and his shirt and trousers before capturing her lips with his. She bit his lip and he opened his mouth allowing her to slip her tongue inside, their tongues moving against each other as soft moans fill the room.

“You’re lucky I love this blue lace set you’re wearing or I’d be ripping it to shreds” He says as removes her bra and panties before settling himself between her thighs, his mouth closing around her clit and sucking harshly, flicking the bud with his tongue. Soft gasps fill the air and she feels his fingers dance against her skin, he growls as the scent of her arousal fills his nose, the sound vibrating against her clit, her arousal building and a soft whimper leaves her lips.

He moves up the bed, placing one hand to her cheek and kisses her lips softly as he enters her slowly, stilling for a moment “So warm and wet just for me” He pulls out of her a little before re-entering her slowly “Ahh Dem” He moves in and out of her over and over filling her deeply with every thrust; hitting that sweet spot and she met him thrust for thrust “Ahh Y/N” He breathed against her skin, she felt his mouth on her breast, kissing and sucking her skin leaving a mark. He continued to move within her as he took a nipple into his mouth sucking it and flicking it with his tongue. Her fingers carded through his hair and she gave it a tug; a growl escaped him before he gently nipped her breast.

He could feel his release was near but held off as he was determined for her to finish first, he needed to claim her, finally mark her as his. He kissed her neck and then sank his fangs into her skin, a light gasp left her lips as she felt him bite her. Her orgasm hit her at that moment, her eyes closing and stars flittered behind her eyelids. He continued to drink her blood, drawing out her orgasm as he released himself deep inside her. He pulled his teeth away from her neck, licking the wound closed; leaving a bite mark on her skin that would show everyone that she belonged to him.

Y/N could feel that Demetri was still hard inside her despite him climaxing moments ago “Dem, you’re still hard” She said low “It’s a vampire thing, we can go for multiple rounds without tiring” He replied and winked at her “So, there’ll be a round two then?” She asked before biting her bottom lip and looking at him through her lashes. “Definitely sweetheart” He replied as he began thrusting in and out of her again “I could stay here and make love to you all day” He said looking into her eyes and gave her a quick kiss “I do have the afternoon off…” He trailed off and let his hand slowly move down her body, his fingers lightly brushing her folds. “As fun as that sounds, I’m human and I don’t think I could keep up with you” She replied low “I like a challenge darling. Let’s see how many rounds you can keep up with me for. Mmm?” He asked, his eyes darkened by lust, before capturing her lips with his, both of them moaning into the kiss.

“Ok, but we have to try different positions. Switch it up a little” She replied, taking her bottom lip between her teeth, she felt him twitch inside her “Deal. Where would you like round two?” “On the bed but I’m on top” He smiled and rolled them over “Do with me as you will” He smiled at her, she smiled back before lifting nearly all the way off of him only to sink back down on him hard “Cazzo” He breathed out and she chuckled “That good huh?” She lifted off of him again “You had a great teacher” He smirked at her as she lowered herself back down on him, his hands going to her hips “Uh uh. You gave me control sweetheart” She circled her hips over his and he growled, his hands moving to grip the bedsheets “Good boy” She praised low and he chuckled. She leant forward to kiss him as she grinded against him and felt him hit a new spot inside her, she repeated this action as she left a trail of open-mouthed kisses along his jaw and down his neck. “Ah Y/N.” She continued to move her hips over his and he felt her teeth graze his skin where his neck meets his shoulder before she sucked on the skin there eliciting a purr from him. He was smiling as he watched her rise and lower herself on his hardened length, her hips grinding against his to get the friction she needs as she nears her orgasm, “I’m so close” He breathed out “Me too” She smiled and sped up her movements, her release followed shortly after; her hips continuing to move over his and she feels him twitch inside her, his cold seed filling her once more. His eyes were closed tight as he came, his mouth open; a soft gasp escaping his lips as his grip on the sheets tightened. “Gods, you’re amazing” He praises her and sits up to hold her close, pressing a kiss to her temple “Like you said, I had a great teacher” She whispered and he smiled against her skin.

“Round three” He breathed against her ear “Your choice” She replied and he thought for a moment “Any chance of a blow job…whilst I think of our next position?” He asked “Only if you say please…Mr Volturi” He growled and thrusted up into her “Dem” She cried out “Any chance of a blow job please?” “Of course Mr Volturi” She climbed off him and moved over to sofa “Coming then?” She beckoned him with a wave of her fingers. He went to sit on the sofa when she placed her hand on his stomach “You stay standing” She sat down on the sofa and wasted no time in taking him into her mouth; his head fell back instantly, loving the way her warm mouth felt around his cock “Oh gods” Her hands moved to his ass and gave it a squeeze as she took him further into her mouth, the tip of his cock hitting the back of her throat. She moaned around his cock; one of his hands moved to the back of her head, his fingers grabbing a hand full of hair. She ran her tongue along the underside of his cock, swirling it around the tip, licking up some of the pre-cum that had leaked out. He growled low as he felt a warm hand cup his balls, massaging them and he tugged on her hair and thrusted his hips forward ensuring he hit the back of her throat and she moaned around him. She hollowed her cheeks as she continued to suck him off and massaging his balls “Such a good girl” He praised her as she run her teeth along him and he twitched inside her mouth. He tugged on her hair and she stopped moving her head up and down his cock, allowing him to fuck her mouth, he moved his hips forward a few times ensuring he hit the back of her throat each time. He felt her tap his thigh and he stopped moving his hips, giving control back to her. She sucked and licked his cock a few more times before she ran her teeth over his length again and he emptied himself down the back of her throat, her swallowing everything he gave her. She licked him clean before pulling away and looking up at him. He knelt down before her and kissed her, tasting himself on her tongue. “I love you Y/N” “I love you too. Next position then?”

He took her hand and led her to his desk and bent her over it; and he entered her easily from behind, one hand wrapping around her throat applying a little pressure “If you don’t like this or you want to me stop, let me know” She nodded in response as the pressure on her throat increased a little. He thrusted in and out her setting a fast and rough pace “Demi” She breathed out and he leant over her burying his head in the crook of her neck, slipping inside her deeper as he continues to thrust inside her, his other hand moving down to play with her clit as he applies a little more pressure to her throat “You’re doing beautifully mi amore” He felt her walls flutter around him and he sped up his pace, edging them closer to their releases; the warmth of her release coaxing his own to follow. He released his hold on her throat and placed a kiss to her neck as he pulled out of her, she turned to face him smiling. One hand going to the back of his head and she pulled down for a passionate kiss.

“Round four is your choice darling” “Well, Mr Volturi before round four I’d like you to get on your knees and return the favour. Please” He smiled wide “Anything for you.” Demetri sat her on his desk and lowered himself to his knees in front of her and buried his head between her thighs, inhaled slightly taking in the scent of her arousal and growled low. He looked up at her to see her looking down at him, his ruby eyes had darkened further due to his continued arousal. He gently lifted one leg over his shoulder before lowering his head and sucking on her clit, flicking the bundle of nerves with his tongue. She leaned back slightly and gripped the edge of his desk as he placed a hand on her stomach keeping her in place before he gently pushed her other leg away from him, giving him better access to where she needed him most. He continuing to suck and flick her clit with his tongue, her soft moans being the only sound in the room. He smiled against her knowing he was the only one who could elicit that reaction from her. He moved his head lower and she felt his tongue enter her, she gasped and one of her hands moved to his head and she threaded her fingers through his hair before tugging on the strands, eliciting a growl from him. She felt his growl vibrate against her “Dem” She breathed out, he growled again and she felt a knot form inside her; she tried moving her hips to get the friction she craved but his hand still held her in place. He withdrew his tongue from inside her and closed his mouth back around her clit, sucking harsher than before; his tongue flicking her bud. She felt him slip two fingers inside her, curling and uncurling them so they brushed her inner walls a few times. He uncurled his fingers and moved them deeper inside her, hitting her sweet spot; his fingers and tongue working together to bring her to climax. “Ahh…Dem” She breathed out as she came hard, her eyelids half closed. He withdrew his fingers and put them into his mouth “Mmm. I love the taste of you baby” He smiled looking up at her through his lashes “I love you Demi” “I love you too.”

He stood up and surprised her when he lifted her over his shoulder and made his way to their walk-in closet and set her down on her feet before he pinned her against the wall. He captured her lips with his in a heated kiss and nipped at her bottom lip and she whimpered allowing him to slip his tongue inside her mouth and dominate the kiss. He lifted her up into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist and she could feel his cold hard length pressing against her entrance and with one slow thrust he entered her easily “Fuck…baby” He growled in her ear, he didn’t give her time to adjust to him, he just began to thrust in and out of her at a steady pace; her legs closed tighter around his waist and she grinded against him; he slid in deeper hitting that sweet spot inside “Oh yes” She cried out, her nails scratching lightly across his back and he growled and thrusted up into her harder. He kissed and sucked his way up and down her neck, nibbling her earlobe and she felt him smile against her neck with each moan of pleasure he coaxed from her. His thrusts sped up chasing his release as he felt her walls flutter around his cock; he bit her neck for the second time that afternoon and took a few gulps of her blood and she screamed out in pleasure as her orgasm hit her hard, stars dancing behind her eyes. The warmth of her release pulled him over the edge and he emptied himself inside her; continuing to move inside her with slow, long stokes as they rode out their highs together. He licked the wound closed and kissed his bite mark, he captured her lips in a slow sensuous kiss, she opened her mouth to him and he slipped his tongue inside, their togues moving in sync with one another.

“I love how you feel inside me” She whispered when he pulled back to allow her to breathe “I love how warm you feel wrapped around me” He replied before kissing her again. He walked backwards to the loveseat in the corner and sat down with her still in his arms, staying buried inside her for a little longer. He wrapped his arms around her holding her to his chest as she wrapped hers around him. She buried her head into his neck as he laid his on her shoulder, both enjoying their after-sex cuddle.  

Y/N was totally exhausted once Demetri had finally finished making love to her and he noticed her heartrate and breathing had slowed. She was supersensitive now and knew she was likely to be a little sore in the morning but didn’t mind as she had enjoyed every minute of being with her mate.

He carried her to the bathroom and set her down on the counter and run a sink full of water using some of her favourite bubble bath and washed her gently with a warm cloth. He then cleaned himself up before carrying her over to their bed, placing her gently beneath the duvet. He crawled in beside her and pulled her into his arms once again and held her as she fell asleep, breathing in her scent. He smiled to himself as he thought about the sexy afternoon they had just spent together, impressed that she had kept up with him for six rounds of amazing sex. ‘my amazing little human’ he thought and tightened his hold her, placing a kiss to her hair “I love you darling” He whispered and closed his eyes, resting beside his mate.  

[just-here-for-the-moment]

For the DIFFERENT POV GAME:

I want Javi’s POV on this whole adorable scene.

Okay, my Queen @quica-quica-quica, I want you to know that I suuuuucked in a huge breath when I saw this Ask, because I was entirely unsure if I could do this. It seemed like a really hard challenge, but FOR YOU I’ll try anything.

I dug in to see what I could do, and of course because I can’t just write succinctly I had to start waaaaaay back in the beginning of the story to get Javier where I needed him for the phone number scene… hope that’s okay!!

Thank you for challenging me this way! This went from scary to amazing in just a few days! I love you so much, my friend!!!

---

Coffee Shop Girl (a companion piece to “For Now” told from Javier’s point of view)

Word count: 3000+

Rating: mature, 18+ only

Outline: Javier Peña x “You” (Austin coffee shop barista; cis/het female reader; “blank canvas”/no physical description/no name/no use of “Y/N”)

Warnings: slow-burn; references to previous hiring of sex workers; cigarette smoking; Javier masturbating

Javier Peña felt like he was at loose ends. Not for the first time in his life, but it’s different feeling ‘lost’ as a young man than feeling ‘lost’ when you’re on the wrong side of 40. At least a teenager can still expect their whole life ahead of them. Since leaving the DEA and the fight in Colombia behind, he had been feeling directionless.

Spending some time at his dad’s ranch in Laredo had helped, the way that hard labor and sweat always does. It left him too tired to ruminate, to sink into the blues and feel sorry for himself. He had lined up a teaching job at a university in D.C. but it didn’t start until the fall semester, and Javier wasn’t looking forward to an entire blazing-hot summer on the ranch. So when his friend Bill called from Austin and offered a short contract job doing consulting for one of the state agencies, he jumped at the chance.

Javier landed at Mueller Airport at 2:00 in the afternoon on the second Saturday in June. He made his way out of luggage pickup to the Hertz desk and signed for a rental car. It didn’t take him long to find the apartment complex where Bill had arranged for him to stay. Bill’s coworker’s son had graduated from UT Austin in May, and the lease wasn’t up until August, so everything worked out perfectly. Javi could sublet for the remainder of the summer, and the apartment complex was close enough to the office that he could take the bus, meaning he wouldn’t have to put too many miles on the rental car or pay for parking downtown. A small, blandly furnished one-bedroom apartment near work was perfect. He could make it work for two months, and he had certainly lived in much worse places during his years traveling.

On Monday Javier was introduced around the office and given his portfolio of cases to consult on. He also found out that the coffee in the office was total shit. He had spent too many years drinking government-grade slop at the DEA and other agencies to put up with it now. He wasn’t one to complain, or to order any of the frilly new designer coffee drinks that seemed to be making the rounds among the ladies in the secretarial pool, but he had noticed a coffee shop between here and the bus stop. Some local place, one of those Austin things where they boasted about fair trade and locally roasted beans. If they made a decent cup of black coffee he could splurge, buy a cup on his way into the office each day.

The bus dropped him off at the corner at 7:45, so he could grab a coffee and still be on time to work at 8:00. Punctuality wasn’t always his strong suit, but Javier wanted to at least make a good impression while he was consulting. You never knew who might be a network contact to something good, and he didn’t want to screw Bill over after he had recommended him for the contract.

Tuesday Javier tried the coffee shop and found out that their coffee was not only decent for the price, it was actually good. Wednesday he went back again, this time brushing fingers with the pretty barista by accident. He offered her a “thanks” and then went on his way. Thursday he walked in and stood patiently in line behind two stoner kids trying to make up their minds between breakfast tacos and blueberry muffins. The pretty barista was there again, and she waved him over with a smile, indicating he could skip to the counter and leave the hippie kids in line.

“Black coffee, right?” Her smile actually reached her eyes, and for a moment Javier was very glad for all of the body language and psychology classes he had ever had to sit through. It was nice having a pretty lady smile at you to start your morning, and even better that this one already knew his order. She was quick, he figured, and good at her job if she had his order memorized after only two days as a customer. Not that ‘black coffee, to go’ was a difficult order, but he hadn’t expected to become a regular so quickly.

He smiled and nodded, “That’s right. Thank you.” He looked for a wedding ring and then for a nametag on her black apron, but didn’t see either one. He slid a rumpled $5 bill across the counter, larger than the singles he had paid with the previous two days, but she was nice. “Keep the change.”

He thought he saw her bite her lip as she turned away, and while she was fixing his cup he took a moment to check her out. He wasn’t some kind of pervert who would goose her from over the counter, but from what he could see she was attractive. Hell, most women were attractive to Javier. He suddenly realized it had been a while since he’d gotten laid. His last relationship was years past, and he no longer visited prostitutes regularly. Javier wasn’t a ‘reformed man’ by any means, it was just that that habit had been limited to a specific time and place in his life where he wasn’t stable enough to have a long-term relationship, and it had the added bonus of gathering intelligence.

The barista turned back to him with the cup and when she handed it off their eyes locked and their fingers touched again. He saw her pupils dilate and recognized the little spark that turned over in his own gut. Damn, she really was attractive. But Javier didn’t want to be the kind of lecherous guy who hit on a woman while she was working. Too many men mistook the minimum of customer service friendliness for a sexual invitation. Or worse, like the men who hit on waitresses on purpose since they couldn’t be outright rude to stop them. Javier suppressed a smile and took the cup from her, nodding his thanks.

On Friday when he breezed into the coffee shop he saw the pretty barista smile from behind the counter, and she immediately turned and started pouring his to-go cup. She turned back and gave him the ‘what’s up’ chin nod while holding his cup up. Javier walked up and he slid a few singles across the counter to her.

Javier gave her a warm, “Thanks,” and winked at her. That was at least a harmless bit of flirting, in line with her bright smiles and her friendliness so far. If she liked it, great; and if not, then at least he hadn’t made her uncomfortable by asking for her number or hitting on her directly. When he said, “See you next week,” she smiled that bright smile back. Javier noticed that it again reached her eyes, lighting them up just a bit more than last time. A good sign.

The weekend dragged but Javier filled it up with errands: a run to HEB for groceries and to Highland Mall for a new shirt. If there was the possibility of a date sometime in the next few weeks he at least wanted to wear something other than his work clothes. Saturday night he ordered pizza and watched a movie on TV, some lame action movie with giant muscled guys shooting way too many bullets, and of course all the curse words and a sex scene edited out for network TV. Can’t let the kiddies hear the word ‘shit’ while they’re flipping channels, but watching Stallone blow a guy’s head off is good for their growing brains. He finished his pizza and a cigarette and then felt that tug, the loose ends, a little bored.

Javier took a shower and his mind went to the pretty barista, that smile, the sparkly eyes. He thought about those eyes looking up at him through her lashes, or down at him from on top. He wondered what her skin felt like, imagining the rest of her naked, spread out, touching him all over. He felt a little bit creepy touching himself to the thought of her, hoping it didn’t make him a bad person, hoping he would see her again on Monday. But fuck it, he needed the release. Javier came, spurting hot in the steamy shower as he leaned his head on his forearm and groaned into the cold tile wall. He wished he at least knew her name.

Sunday Javier slept in and then did laundry, tidied up the apartment, and took a jog around the neighborhood. He tried to talk himself out of a repeat of Saturday’s shower. It didn’t work.

On Monday Javier lit up as soon as he stepped off the bus. The first week of the consulting gig had gone well, but today was a big meeting and he knew the agency was not going to like his recommendations. He was constantly trying to quit, but at least he had cut back recently. He was down to a pack a day and only one cup of coffee. That had to count for something, right? Maybe his doctor would finally get off his back about that.

He smoked as rapidly as he could on his way to the coffee shop, and stubbed the cigarette out as soon as he reached the big window that overlooked the street corner. He tucked his sunglasses into the top pocket of his blazer and opened the door to the coffee shop.

The pretty barista was smiling, looking right at him and already holding up his cup of coffee like a game show model holding a prize. Javier felt his heart give a little squeeze, and he smiled and winked at her again as he approached the counter.

“You psychic or something? Or am I just that predictable?”

“Both, maybe.” She wiggled her eyebrows at him and gave him a toothy grin.

Javier opened his wallet and saw that his smallest bill was a $10, but he decided not to ask for change back. She was attentive to her customers, she had surprised him by having coffee ready, and she was cute. “Great service, keep the change.”

Her face lit up and she turned to put the money in the register. Javier turned and exited the front door, and then decided to look back through the big plate glass window. She was looking at him, and Javier realized that meant that she had watched him leave. He hoped he wouldn’t have to tip $10 every time to get that look. He lifted his cup, nodded at her, and then made his way to the office.

Tuesday she had his coffee ready again, so he gave her another wink with his smile, and he thought that she purposely put her fingers in a spot to touch his as she handed the cup over. He paid with a $5 bill again, and then thought about her smile and her touch all the way to the office a few blocks north. He didn’t want her to think that the overtipping was him trying to come on to her; it really was nice to have his order ready to go every day.

On Wednesday she had his coffee ready again as soon as he walked in, but Javier supposed that was a testament to the bus schedule more than his own punctuality. This time he paid with singles. But he didn’t want her to think the smaller tip was because of anything wrong with her customer service, so he smiled a little more warmly, turning the charm up as much as he dared without just outright hitting on her. He noticed she was looking again through the glass as he left. But of course the only reason he knew that was because he had looked, too.

On Thursday Javier decided that it wouldn’t hurt to flirt a little more obviously, but to give her an out in case she wasn’t interested. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable or fuck up his supply of good coffee, so he decided to take it a little slow. When he got to the corner he glanced into the window of the coffee shop and saw the pretty barista looking right at him. He took that as a good sign that she might be receptive to his flirting. He opened the door and let someone exit, then walked up to the counter. She pointed at his cup sitting on the counter in front of her, smiling that bright smile.

He arched an eyebrow up. “You trying to get rid of me? In and out so quickly?”

She grinned at him. “Depends on how long you were planning to stay. We close at 1:00 a.m. after open mic tonight. After that you gotta go somewhere else.” That was the most that she’d spoken to him yet. Javier decided to take his chance.

“And what time do you get off, after the morning shift?”

“Depends on who’s asking.” She winked and then bit the inside of her lips, like she had said something she shouldn’t have.

Javier decided to be direct. At least that would give her the chance to say ‘no’ if she wasn’t interested. He locked eyes with her and said, “I am.”

He was relieved to see her flash that big smile, all pretty soft lips and sparkly eyes. “I finish at 1:00, after the lunch rush.”

“Good to know.” He stuck his hand out to shake. “I’m Javier, by the way.” She continued to smile as she gave him her name. When she took his hand she gave a good firm shake, not like one of those women who went limp as soon as they shook a man’s hand. Javier liked her even more.

He fished a few bills out of his wallet. “Can I maybe stop by after your shift, take you to lunch sometime?”

“You can do me one better than that.” She reached down to grip the lid and spun the cup. He saw her name and seven digits scribbled in Sharpie. “My phone number’s on the cup.”

Javier gave her the eyebrows, very much enjoying how direct she was. It was nice to get a clear signal from a pretty lady, instead of having to play guessing games and worry about overstepping. He pursed his lips and nodded in approval.

“You do that for all your customers?”

“Just the best tippers.” And there was her pretty smile and her wink again, so soon after the first one.

Javier decided to give her both barrels. He put his hand out again, palm up instead of a handshake. When she put her hand in his he lifted her knuckles to his lips and pressed a soft kiss, giving her a look from under his eyelashes before he let go.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Javier picked up the cup and left, and gave her a warm smile through the glass as he walked away. As soon as he got to the office he jotted her name and the number on a scrap of paper and tucked it into his wallet. He felt hopeful in a way that he hadn’t for a long time, and he rolled the cup endlessly between his palms while he considered his options. Options. Something he sometimes had taken for granted in life, until those moments where they suddenly ran out.

Javier drained the last of the coffee and then scribbled over her number with a Sharpie before tossing the cup in the trash. No sense in letting her number out into the world where some creep might find it. He smoked his third cigarette of the day out on the plaza and thought about her smile, the brush of her fingers on his, the way she approached him directly. He could use a friend in town, one who wasn’t a guy at the agency or an old college buddy. One who was soft and sweet and might be open to a date… or more. He checked his watch and calculated the hours until 1:00 p.m.

Normally he wouldn’t go back to the coffee shop until tomorrow morning, but it wouldn’t hurt to pop back over there today at the end of her shift, see if she wanted to grab lunch, right? He hoped it wouldn’t scare her off, going back so quickly. He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray by the lobby door and jogged back up to his office, taking the stairs two at a time. He wanted to finish up, get this meeting over with, see if he could get over to the coffee shop before she left. He sat in the meeting, watching the clock hands spin slowly, listening to someone drone on about a budget issue that didn’t impact his work, and which could have been a memo in the first place. He felt his irritation creep up the longer the meeting went on.

Finally the meeting closed and Javier hopped to his feet. He told Bill he was headed to lunch and then jogged back down the stairwell instead of waiting for the elevator. He walked the few blocks to the coffee shop, keeping an eye on his watch. He hoped he wouldn’t miss her.

When he got to the coffee shop he opened the door and let his eyes adjust to the dim light for a moment. And then he saw her, slinging her bag over one shoulder and coming out from behind the counter. Javier smiled.

She stopped a foot away and smiled softly, “Hey.”

Javier realized he was still wearing his sunglasses, no wonder it was so dark. He took them off and slipped them into his blazer pocket. He really hoped she wouldn’t think it was weird, him coming back so soon.

“Hey, I’m glad I caught you. Are you busy, or can I take you to lunch today?”

Her face lit up. Good sign. “No, I’m not busy. I’d love to go.”

She gestured out the big window, “There’s a sandwich place around the corner, and a park we can go sit in.”

Javier felt his face split into a wide grin. “That’s perfect.”

---

Just-here-for-the-moment’s masterlist

The only tag list I have: @quica-quica-quica @anaaaispunk @justanotherblonde23 @gracie7209 @nicolethered @honestly-shite @driedgreentomatoes @dihra-vesa @1800-fight-me @the-queen-of-fools @juletheghoul @kesskirata @honeymandos @silverwolf319 @mourningbirds1 @greeneyedblondie44 @spacedilf @maxwell–lord @anxiousandboujee @cevvie @sherala007 @writeforfandoms @libellule2001 @deadhumourist @mandoalorian @javierpinme @eri16 @mandocrasis

[sunlight-moonrise]

The Law of Attraction (Reid Imagine)

Summary: Reader cannot understand how Spencer is in a relationship with someone who is his complete opposite. 

A/N: Hello Everyone!!! Here’s another story from the secret-fic-swap in the Discord server. I tried my hand at a new genre and I like how it came out. A big thank you to @imagining-in-the-margins​ for helping me make this real nice for y’all (this story was also written to her). Enjoy!

Category: Hurt/Comfort

Content Warnings: If you’re a fan of Max or Maxcer, this may not be the story for you. Sacrifices needed to be made for this story to be told. 

Word Count: 4.2K

Masterlist

The thought that the concept of ‘opposites attract’ was only true when it comes to physics. After all, the comparison of people to magnets doesn’t make any sense. If two people are together, there should be some similarities to build an established relationship, right? Without that foundation, the structure will surely crumble back into the fragmented pieces that created it, leaving them cracked and weaker for it.

Compatibility is necessary, yet there is none whenever I look at them. This is the fourth function that he has brought her to, and with each event, I find it harder to look their way. But when I do find them among the crowd, I can’t look away. Like a car crash or thunderstorm ripping tree roots from the ground.

It doesn’t make sense to me, why on earth would Spencer Reid be with a girl like her.

“If you keep staring at her, she might drop dead,” said a sarcastic voice, breaking me out of my reverie. I turned to see Tara with an amused smile occupying her face.

“I just don’t get it,” I mumbled, focusing my attention on the drink in my hand.

“What’s not to get?” she asked, glancing over at the couple in question. “They seem cute together.”

“They have nothing in common. He might as well be talking to some random person in this bar.”

I chugged the remainder of my beverage with desperate hope that the alcohol will somehow make things better in this situation. It didn’t.

“You sound bitter.”

“I am not bitter,” I bit back.

“I didn’t say you were, I said you sound.”

I didn’t respond to her because deep down I knew she was right. I just fiddled with the straw in my now empty glass as Tara continued, “Look, they both like coffee and going to the park, that’s something.”

I couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped my throat at the thought.

“So do half the people on the administration floor, he might as well have a harem if those are the main qualifications.”

“So what type of person should Spencer Reid have?” she asked, an eyebrow arching up as she focused her attention on me.

“I don’t know. Someone who is family-oriented and loves kids. Someone who doesn’t judge him for his idiosyncrasies. Someone who listens to his rambles and actually responds to them. Someone who he can escape to when things get too tough. Someone who understands when to give him space but will continue to support him unconditionally. Someone who can challenge him and make each day exciting and interesting. Someone who can ke—”

“Whoa there, I didn’t think you were going to give me a whole novel.” If she thought that was a novel, then the rest of what I wanted to say would be considered an encyclopedia. The only one that Spencer would never read.  

“I just want him to be happy,” I relented.

It was the simple truth. Everyone deserves some sort of contentment in their life, but with everything that Spencer has gone through in the past, his happiness should be at the forefront. He always put others before himself. It was time that someone prioritizes his wants and needs for a change.

“And she doesn’t make him happy?”

Not in the slightest. 

But I didn’t want to say that. I was sure half of the team already thought, or knew, that I was infatuated with him. But I didn’t need to give them the satisfaction of a confirmation by talking about this any further. The looks that Tara had been giving me the past few minutes validated my belief that I didn’t need to dig myself into a deeper hole.

“Maybe,” I said, hoping to put an end to the topic.

But just then, I heard a laugh despite how noisy the place was. I knew without a doubt that was Spencer’s laugh – it was the only sound that would demand my attention that quickly. It was the one he used when he felt uncomfortable.

“Excuse me, Tara.”

I didn’t give her a chance to reply before I hopped off the barstool and made my way to where Spencer and his girl were as casually as possible. Jennifer and Penelope were also with them, and it seems as if the three ladies were doing most of the talking.

“….like kids someday?” I heard Pen say. I didn’t need to hear the beginning of the sentence to know what it was about.

“Ehh, certainly not. My nephew is a handful as is, I don’t think I need any more than that one in my life,” she laughed. She, of course, being the ever loving, ever annoying, Max. A quick glance at Spencer's face confirmed that he was bothered by the subject being discussed. If the rest of the ladies were a bit more sober, they’d probably have seen it too.

“Hey guys,” I interrupted, taking my previous seat next to JJ, “I ordered some water for us and some appetizers. Tara is going to bring it over when it is ready.”

Cheers and thank you were shouted across the small table, but there was only one face I cared to pay attention to. Spencer’s mouth was quirked in a sad smile that was meant to hide the discomfort that had already taken root in his heart like an invasive vine.

“Did you place my fries order?” Max asked, garnering my attention. As much as I wanted to ignore her, I couldn’t. I wouldn’t openly be a bitch to her, no matter how much she irked me. She hadn’t done anything wrong. Other than stealing the affections of a man I’d never actually pursued, that is. But I couldn’t really blame her for that one, right? I should’ve jumped on the opportunity before. It was my fault.

“Yup,” I answered quickly with a small fake smile before focusing on the wooden décor of the bar.

“So any plans for Halloween? Assuming we don’t get called in for a case of course,” JJ asked the table.

“There is this pop-up haunted house coming that weekend.” Spencer said, his voice laced with that childlike excitement that made my heart race, “It is near the annual fair, so I’m going to try and do both.”

“Awww, that’s a cute date idea.”

The table was silent for a moment before Max announced, “I probably won’t go. I am not a big fan of anything spooky or… horror. I’ll leave all of that to this guy.”

The table shared an awkward laugh in a poor attempt to lighten the mood.

“Anyway,” I coughed out, attempting to save this poor conversation, “you guys need to hear this terrible joke the bartender told me. So basically, this screwdriver walks into a bar….” and just like that, the topic had been changed.

Tara joined us shortly after and the conversation remained lighthearted for the remainder of the evening. We later said our farewells and readied ourselves to go back home. While I should’ve been sad to leave him, I couldn’t help but feel a bitter joy from the fact that Spencer and Max didn’t talk directly to each other for the rest of the night.

●●●

It’s been a couple of weeks since the last team outing. Rossi must’ve missed us, because he decided to host a dinner at his place to celebrate the ending of a long and tough case. No one was going to pass up the opportunity of free food and wine, especially after dealing with a bunch of cops and detectives with entire tree trunks up their asses.

I was the last to arrive, which was not surprising since I live the furthest away from Rossi. Krystall welcomed and settled me in while informing me where everyone was. What I assumed was a team gathering turned out to be a whole party. There were definitely more than two dozen people occupying the space.

Good god. 

“What’s all this?” I asked as I greeted Rossi in the, thankfully, empty kitchen. Because, of course, Rossi wouldn’t be Rossi if he didn’t take care of all the hors d'oeuvres himself.

“Krystall wanted to celebrate our anniversary,” he sighed, as if this ordeal was somehow troublesome. I had to roll my eyes; he wasn’t fooling anyone. We all knew that Rossi would move mountains for his wife.

Their love was pure and genuine, a perfect example of two people meeting again at the right time and sharing something wonderful with one another. As I reminisced on their beautiful wedding day, a thought came to my head.

“Isn’t your first anniversary coming up in a few months?”

“That’s for our second marriage, this is for the first.” Rossi simply stated with a proud smirk, as if it was standard to celebrate any and all anniversaries in life. I supposed that for him, it was.

“Why do I get the feeling that this was more your idea than Krystall’s?”

“Guilty.”

Classic. Well, I wasn’t going to tell a man what he should celebrate nor how to do so. I wasn’t going to ruin any opportunities to eat some fresh crostini.

Once I made my way back out into the main room, I was able to find my team within seconds. My eyes instantly landed on Spencer’s tall and lanky form. And I would’ve been excited for that, if it weren’t for the familiar woman standing beside him.

Max was there. Hooray.

Usually, I was able to properly prepare myself for seeing her. It actually, unfortunately, took a lot of effort to not be openly hostile to someone I dislike. It wasn’t something I was proud of, but it was true. Typically in a situation like this, I’d avoid the person all night. However, I wasn’t going to allow her presence to influence the night, much less stop me from spending time with one of my closest friends.

“Hey guys.”

“Ahh, you’re finally here,” squealed Penelope, “I already grabbed your favorite drink!” She stepped aside to make room for me in the small gathered circle before handing me the glass.

“So what did I miss?”

They all caught me up on the harmless gossip circulating around the office and the new happenings emerging in everyone’s lives. Everything was going well until I heard the next words from Max, words that felt like a bucket of ice water and lead being poured over my head.

“Well, Spencer and I are moving in together.”

Time slowed down, I was sure it had. Because I was able to gauge everything in a matter of seconds. Tara’s concerning glance my way, her hand reaching out and retreating as if to hold me. Penelope’s joyful appearance over the news, her arms rising quickly causing her wine to slightly spill on Rossi’s floor. Matt expressing congratulations as he roughly patted Spencer on the back.

And Spencer….

Spencer looked like he rather be anywhere but here. His lips were drawn in a too tight smile that I knew was far from authentic. He was tapping his heel against the floor and wringing his hands together.

If this was merry news from the two of them, why did he look like he swallowed a spiked fruit?

The loud clanging of metal against glass brought everyone’s attention to the noisy source. Time returned back to its normal pace at Rossi’s call, thanking everyone for joining in on the celebration and announcing that the food was ready in the dining room.

While everyone cheered and made their way towards the ornate display, I headed to the balcony. It was too hot, too stuffy, too loud inside the house. There was one too many people there.

As soon as I passed through the double doors, I took a deep breath of cool, refreshing air. Everything around me felt muffled. Like I had stumbled into a small pocket universe that only differed from ours by a few notches on the volume knob.

I was thinking too many things, and none of them adding up or making sense in my head. How do you move in with someone you’ve only known for such a short amount of time? What was he going to do with his apartment? With his personal belongings that were scattered and settled on crowded shelves? Why did he look so uncomfortable when she announced it? Did he not want us to know? Did he want to say it himself?

“What are you doing out here?”

As if being brought back to reality by the very same hypnotist who enchanted me in the first place, I became aware that I was not the only one on the balcony. I turned to look at Spencer, taking in his disheveled and tired appearance.

“I just needed some space. I was feeling a bit crowded.” It wasn’t a lie, but my companion and I both knew there was a lot more than just that. Trying to keep the attention off me, I asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Checking on you. I saw you come out here dressed like that and wondered what would drag you out into the freezing cold.”

Now that he mentioned it, the breeze was hitting hard. I didn’t notice my body trembling until now. It is funny how you can’t feel much when lost in your own thoughts. The pain was a welcome distraction, I supposed.

Spencer stood next to me and shrugged off the suit jacket he was wearing. I opened my mouth to refuse, but he gave me a pointed look before I could. Instead, I accepted the warm jacket over my body. The scent of cinnamon and spice immediately enveloped my form and I tried to hide the way my inhales grew deeper. Trying to keep him as close as I could for however long he would allow. He kept his hands on my arms, rubbing them up and down the sleeves of the jacket to instill some heat in me.  

“So whatever happened to taking it slow?” I asked bluntly, keeping my eyes on the interesting speck of dirt that had ended up on my shoe. I didn’t feel bad about getting to the point -- There was no way I could subtly ask him what the deal was, and I’d rather not beat around the bush.

“Well, after the whole situation that happened, sh— we decided to pick up the pace of things,” he spoke lowly, as if he was unsure of the words coming out of his mouth.

“Has she even met Diana? Or know about her?” I instantly regretted asking, the angry look he shot my way had me feeling remorseful. But it also answered my question.

Max only knew the surface level of Spencer. She wasn’t aware of all the good, bad, beautiful, and ugly layers that comes with a man like him. She wasn’t the only one to blame, but I wondered how a profiler couldn’t tell that he was hiding those parts from her because he didn’t want to share them with her. He didn’t want her to know, because the knowing made it real.

“I just want the best for you.”

His irritated expression dissolved into a defeated one as he released the breath he was holding.

“I know, I know. It’s just…”

He stopped talking, appearing scared to share his opinions and feelings with me before he remembered that, unlike Max, he never had to hide things from me. He didn’t want to.

“It’s just…” I prodded, hoping he would continue with what he was going to say.

But he just stayed stuck there, opening and closing his mouth multiple times. I could practically see the cogs in his brain whirling as he properly tried to explain. “Well, the thing is that Ma—”

“Spencer?”

We sharply turned our heads to see Max and Tara staring at us. It wasn’t until that moment that I remembered our position. With Spencer’s hands rubbing tenderness heat onto my arms, his jacket over my shoulders and our bodies pressed together to keep warm.

It would be one thing if everything was settled, but this situation was anything but. Max had every reason to be angry. This wasn’t a new thing to her. So when she turned around, she stomped away fueled by the belief that she’d nearly caught her boyfriend committing adultery. Again.

“Fuck,” I heard the man in front of me whisper as he released me back into the cold night.

Still, as he left, he looked back at me. His eyes burned into mine up until he tore them away, making his final decision and hastily running from the balcony. Away from me. Towards her.

Tara and I shared the silence, but she looked at me with those inquisitive eyes, as if I was a client seeking out therapy from her.  

“What?” I hissed, “We were just talking.” I refused to feel guilty over something that I didn’t do. If anyone had done anything, it was Spencer. But at the same time, I didn’t think he was entirely wrong, either.  

“I didn’t say anything,” she muttered, holding her hands up high as a sign of surrender.

“You didn’t have to, I can feel the judgment from here.”

“Look, I’m not judging you. But I do want you to put yourself in Max’s shoes. You guys were gone for a while and she finds you two all over each other.”

“What are you talking about, Tara? Christ, it’s not like I was fucking him on the balcony!”

Although I didn’t intend for my words to be humorous, Tara laughed. I was conflicted on whether it was at me or with me, but it ended up amounting to nothing, anyway.

“Look, the night is young and you need to relax. Come back inside, enjoy the party, and don’t let them bring you down. At least for the next few hours.”

She was right, as she usually was. It was why I usually sought her out as the voice of reason; I knew that despite everything, she would always have my best interest at heart.

“Okay,” I agreed before following her back into the chaotic fray.

I heeded her advice and avoided the couple for the remainder of the night. Shockingly, it was pretty easy, but I was sure it was because they were avoiding me too. There were times, lots of times, where Spencer and I made eye contact, but we’d just as quickly look away, as if we were ashamed of what we have done.

All we did was talk. So why did it feel like something more?

There were also times when I made eye contact with Max, but instead of shame, there was anger and contempt. If looks could kill, like Tara had suggested, I was sure my heart would have given out.

It wasn’t until later in the evening that I saw Max take a cab home while Spencer was still inside the house. No one else but me noticed that they didn’t leave the party together.

●●●

I hadn’t seen Spencer since the incident at Rossi’s a few weeks ago. He had to take his mandatory sabbatical leave and I had to take an abrupt trip back home. What used to be almost daily texts between us became nonexistent in a matter of hours. It was a terrible predicament that I was hoping to fix soon.

As I arrived, I spotted him at his desk. For a long time, I stood there staring at him. If he wasn’t nose deep in a bunch of files, I was sure he would’ve seen me, too. I contemplated on how I should go up to him, but nothing I could think of was good enough to say. 

Hey, I have your jacket, I took it to the dry cleaner’s, so it is all clean. Rid of me like you wanted to be. 

Hi, how were the lectures this time around? Still have a bunch of teens crushing on you?

What’s up, it’s been a while, do you want to get lunch during the break?

I hated that things were awkward, even though I was pretty sure that I was the only one that was making it so. I should have just gone up to him, greeted him, and acted like everything was normal, because everything was normal. Right?

Just when I was about to do so, Emily called us in for a meeting. Impeccable timing.

We had a serial killer case in Louisville, Kentucky. My situation with Spencer was going to the backburner.

During our stay in Louisville, Spencer and I barely interacted. We exchanged notes and passed long messages, but that’s pretty much it. I wasn’t surprised. Our specialties don’t really correlate when we are working on a case. Anytime I did catch some free time, I’d look his way, longing for the opportunity to speak to him. He didn’t look back.

Then, just as the case ended, another chance presented itself. After five days of hardly any proper rest, we finally found the unsub. Everyone was in their respective room catching up on some much needed sleep. Except for Spencer, whose gangly body was tucked away at the bar by himself, a glass of what appeared to be soda in front of him.

Silently, I took the seat next to him, and for a few minutes, everything was quiet. But unlike the usual, comfortable quiet, it was torturous.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

I stared at him, letting the silent communication denote the fact that I knew he was lying to me. Spencer released a sigh and looked at me with eyes more intoxicating than any whiskey that shared their color.

“Actually, no, I’m not okay.”

I was going to ask him what was wrong or if there was anything I could do to help, but before I had the chance to do so, he hastily answered the question I hadn’t asked.

“Max and I broke up.”

I stared at him, my face and mind blank as I tried to comprehend what he’d said. That Max and Spencer broke up. They were no longer together. Spencer was single.

I thought that if this ever happened, I would be happy, elated, jumping at the chance to take her place by his side. But I felt none of those things.

“What happened?” I didn’t want to appear nosy or meddlesome, but I needed to know.

“We were fighting a lot, and I couldn’t take it.”

“Oh.”

“We were… actually fighting about you.”

I sharply turned my head at him, both intrigued and disturbed by the implication that I had anything to do with the failure of their relationship.

“What? What about me?”

“She thought I liked you,” he said while staring straight back at me, daring me to scan through each fleck of gold and green to ensure that he was telling the truth. But his hazel eyes expressed nothing but honesty as he continued, “and she was right. I do.”

“Y-you do?”

All he could do was nod his head, lifting his hand and catching a loose strand of hair before tucking it behind my ear.

“Can I try something?” Spencer shyly requested.

Once again, the universe felt different. I held my breath, trying to wake from the dream. Although he didn’t say it, I had an idea of what he wanted. If the hand on the side of my face and the staring at my lips were anything to go by, I knew what was going to happen next.

I nodded back and closed my eyes. A few seconds passed, the sweetest kind of anticipation. But then I felt the gentle pressure of his lips against my own, sweet and tender. He moved his head to get a better angle while I brought my hands up to cup his face. The roughness of his stubble against the tip of my fingers was a perfect contrast to the softness of him. I could taste the soda he was drinking on his tongue and breathed in the cinnamon scent that seemed sunken into his skin.

When we pulled away, it was full of hesitation. All it took was one look for us to know we couldn’t do this. Not now, not yet. He was still healing from the recent break up and I didn’t want to be a rebound. I didn’t want us to resent one another for jumping into a relationship so soon. We weren’t ready.

We sat there in relative silence, taking in everything that has happened.

“Maybe one day,” he paused “one day we can give it a chance.”

“Yes. I’d like that.” I beamed at him, “And I look forward to that day. Until then, we remain as friends.”

He returned my smile and I realized that it had been a while since I’ve seen his real smile. I missed it so much.

“Friends,” he confirmed.

And for the first time in a long time, I felt relief and comfort. Because I knew everything was going to be okay. I had hope that someday Spencer will get the happily ever after he deserves and he’ll get it with me by his side. One day.

[bunny-hoodlum]

Asynchronous With You: Chapter 1

ship: naruhina

rating: teen (maybe mature later)

tags:  Modern Day AU, Foster Siblings, Family, Angst, Unrequited Love, Poor Communication

summary: An awkward journey full of self-denial and missed moments between two foster siblings. Perhaps their love will find the right timing someday.

(The way overdue long-form version of the Foster Sib AU I wrote for @szajnie for Secret Santa 2020.)

music: Asynchronous With You by burokkurubeats & my playlist

He wasn't the first child.

Somehow he had expected to be.

A girl his age, age six, and her older cousin had already been living here for a year now.

They had family, they were just… deemed unfit.

Maybe they'll take them back, when they get their act together. He doesn't know. He only knows he doesn't have the luxury of hope that they do.

Nobody was coming back to get him.

And he had nowhere to go back to.

The foster lady with the ruby red eyes showed him his bedroom.

At first, Naruto thought Hinata and Neji were close, so much so that no one could ever be closer.

Then he thought it was their tactic to keep others out, self-preservation in blood.

Hinata was nice enough, but she never strayed far from Neji.

That was because he never let her.

She wasn't just fiercely loyal to him. She was scared of him.

He tried to get Neji in trouble. Kurenai-obachan needed to know. But Hinata stopped him. She told him not to split them apart. That she didn't mind Neji bossing her around. She would never be okay if she didn't know where her cousin was.

So he tried. But it was hard. He still picked fights with Neji.

That didn't make Hinata happier, either.

He still thinks it's Neji's fault when she finally breaks down, telling them both off before running to her room.

He runs after her, but she won't let him in.

He goes to his room and talks to her through his wall. He has to press himself flat against it, straining to hear any sound.

Could she hear him, too?

"I'll leave Neji alone, okay?" It's a bitter promise, because it makes him feel like he's surrendered when he did nothing wrong. But part of him also feels tired of this pattern day in and day out. He'd rather spend his time better.

The silence stretched passed the point of comfort, and he pictured tomorrow, a tomorrow where Hinata may hate him. Enough to shun him in his own home. And would he really do what he's always done to others to her? Would he really go that far for attention?

His unconscious concerns spilled out, running through his fingers before he could stuff the words back in and swallow them. "Hinata… can I bug you instead?" He flinches and freezes, and he waits.

It's faint, but he heard her.

"Sure," she said.

His shoulders lowered as he slouched down the wall, the tension leaking from his body and he smiled.

Their early years would be shaped by a secret language shared between the two of them from that moment on, where a pinch on the arm and a retaliatory swat was a polite exchange in the morning. Where a "missing" item from their bedrooms was an excuse to search the house together, and where a stolen item was an invitation to enter each other's bedrooms. Hinata really liked to show him her new collection of pressed flowers, and he really liked to show her his latest Gachapon figurine. Whenever that happened, it was usually one of those new things that went "missing" shortly after.

It wasn't that Kurenai-obasan didn't spoil him as much as them, he could have new things all the time, too. But she hadn't been planning on taking him, she hadn't been prepared for him. If he wanted more things, Hinata would have to have less.

And the time he could spend with her was more than enough for him.

____________________________

Halfway through their grade school years their secret games waned. Being in the same grade helped to keep them in touch throughout the day, but at lunch time she was Neji's, and after school she was Neji's. That's just how it was.

But they were maturing. Their experiences were expanding. They had so much to talk about.

But how could they? It had to be at bedtime. And because it had to be bedtime, they had to be quiet.

He got the idea to drill a hole into their bedroom wall so that way they could easily whisper and not get caught.

That was one of his first thrills: vandalism.

"I think you mean 'home improvement'," Hinata giggled.

He had to process that.

He never realized until then that he still hadn't considered this his home.

Thanks to Kurenai-obasan, he had food in his belly and a roof over his head. He had a bed, some video games, and a safe route to school.

Thanks to Neji, he had a model of masculinity. Not a role model, mind you, but a model nonetheless. Some things about Neji were cool, even admirable. And other things he would never do in his life. They were both abandoned, confused and alone, sure. But it was always annoying how Neji couldn't help but look back. Naruto always had to look forward.

Maybe the way they both did things was equally imperfect.

He smiled to himself, as this is where he had to thank Hinata, for she kept them both grounded and present. Because that's how she lives her life, like each day is a gift not to be squandered.

Who cares about being hurt yesterday? Who cares about what hasn't happened yet?

Right now, at this moment, he was home.

This was his home.

____________________________

Girls at school always cupped their ears when they were eavesdropping. They cup their mouths when they're telling secrets or bad-mouthing others.

Hinata cups her ear around the hole in their wall when he's telling her stories. And she cups her mouth when she's telling him hers.

Her ears are sensitive, so he tries to watch his volume. He forgets himself when he gets excitable.

Her breath tickles and teases a memory from his brain, one that fills him with both sadness and relief.

When he tries to sleep, he searches for the root of this feeling.

The next day on television, there's a mother murmuring her baby to sleep.

He adopts that image as his own forgotten memory.

And the following night, Hinata's soothing whispers confirm that he had a mother once, and she used to sing him to sleep.

____________________________

Hinata's a wimp.

He loves the girl, but at school she is a gosh damn trouble magnet.

He jumps in front of her bullies, fists blazing, and he loses.

A lot.

But he gets to pick fights again. He gets to be cool from time to time. And when he gets better, he becomes the best. He gets a reputation!

By the time they reach fifth grade, he doesn't even have to raise a fist.

A well-aimed death glare is enough.

When Neji's graduation forces the two cousins apart for the first time in their lives, the older Hyuuga undergoes a personality shift.

He expresses legitimate concern for Hinata.

Maybe it's been there all along.

They're both standing on the empty landing just outside of their elementary's gymnasium where the remainder of the proceedings were taking place. Neji's stare, heavy with expectations and ultimatum, bore down on his little shoulders.

"You're the only one I can ask."

"Yeah, don't worry. I got this!" Naruto flashed his patent overconfident grin, and this time not a hint of condescension passed across Neji's face.

His heart thumped wildly when he and Neji returned to the gymnasium, with Neji returning to his position amongst the other students in the center of the room. Family members lined up against the walls in foldable metal chairs, a spattering of pride and loss playing out across their faces; Their children were growing up.

When Naruto took his seat, he stole a glance at Hinata on the other side of Kurenai-obasan. Her gentle profile seemed to unlock something inside of him. Waves upon waves of warmth filled his body, pulling him in deeper into a languid pool of contentment.

He would be her protector from now on.

He would be her brother.

____________________________

He never noticed how their paths lead each other further and further apart.

Their daily routines had remained the same.

Aside from a few exciting developments.

Like Kurenai reconnecting with a childhood friend. The man was a Marine and a chainsmoker, but he seemed cool.

Or how Naruto happened to find a collection of discarded skin mags behind the pool storage room at school. They now safely occupied the space beneath his bed.

There was also the neighborhood shrimp squad of grade-schoolers who loved to call him 'Boss' whenever he came over to play.

Or that time he was hanging out with Sasuke, and unusually the stoic lad had insulted a group of delinquents before he did at the local arcade.

Sasuke may have taken out four guys by the time Naruto took out one, but he still got the win.

But way, way before all of that something had really surprised him: Hinata becoming Deputy Class Rep to their own Haruno Sakura.

She was volunteered for the position based on her equally outstanding grades. Or, at least that's what they had believed.

Over time, it became apparent that they had volunteered Hinata to be Sakura's foil. Hinata was considerate and much more approachable. If the students wanted something, they went straight to Hinata first.

But then her unchanged nature became more detectable.

Like he's said before, Hinata's a wimp.

She crumbles at the slightest disapproval.

She implodes when she's convinced she could do better. When she thinks she's failing.

So halfway through their first year, she started to get abused. Girls and boys alike tried to strongarm her into making their lives 'better'. Making her fetch their lunches and dumping cleaning duty on her every day, then throwing her words back at her when she tried to complain. They'd say, 'But it's what you signed up for', and 'Isn't this your job? Don't you care about your classmates?'.

Somehow Sakura never noticed. He tried to tell her, but she didn't take him seriously. He tried to tell the teachers, but they acted like he had no evidence.

Liars! They just didn't want to get involved! What good are teachers if they don't help their students?!

Some weeks later, the following exams were posted outside the classroom.

Sakura was number two, just below Ino. They were always competing for the top, always unevenly dethroning the other.

Hinata was number three. Always suspiciously number three. And he was dead last.

Hinata could rise to the top, but she never tries.

He always tries, but he can never seem to rise.

He realized then that he hasn't been doing enough as her brother.

Compared to her, he has no future, no potential. It wouldn't be a waste if he took on her burdens.

He can take abuse, because during those first six years at a state-run orphanage, abuse was all he knew.

He realized what he had to do. Resiliency was one of his best traits, after all.

The following day, he took Hinata's place as the class slave. He fetched their lunches, got them drinks whenever they asked. The only thing they never asked him to do was their homework. Because… yeah.

Nobody knew they lived together.

If they did, well, he might've been forced to copy Hinata's assignments all the same.

He never noticed how their paths lead them apart, how their daily routines boxed them into two different social spheres never to overlap.

He was still her brother. Her protector.

But by high school, he'd also become the embodiment of trouble itself.

And he couldn't let that stuff disrupt her life.

____________________________

Naruto’s sprawled belly-down on the sofa playing on his Vita handheld when Kurenai-obasan calls out to him as she’s emerging from the laundry room.

“Naruto, I’ve stared at this hamper for three weeks,” She drops the hamper at her feet with a weighty thump for emphasis. “Are you going to do it or not?”

“I just forgot.” He surreptitiously powers off his game and abandons his handheld on the sofa as he ambles off the couch.

He’s dramatic when he slouches his shoulders and drags his feet, head lolling backwards in anguish. He hauls the hamper back inside the laundry room. He doesn’t look when he opens the washing machine and dumps his clothes into the drum. But the pile is sticking up. He tries to smash it all down, but he can’t. It’s already full.

“Crap.” He scoops out his month-old laundry in four armfuls and disposes them at his feet. He reaches in to grab the damp garments sticking to the sides of the drum, then begins to throw them into the dryer. At least that’s empty.

He doesn’t notice the butter yellow hoodie with white polka dots on the kangaroo pocket. Or the frilly linen top that needs to be dried on the line. Or the no-show socks with rabbits on them.

Once the drum was cleared out, he hurled his fermented clothes into the washer and started up both machines.

He went back to his game for several hours. Kurenai had to remind him to dry his clothes as she delivered the dryer’s contents to Hinata’s room. This was because Hinata was at cram school.

As he moved his items to the dryer, he recalled how Neji had done cram school too before moving onto a prestigious high school deep in the city center.

Naruto never knew whether to be jealous or not. School work was utterly useless and he didn’t envy the workload of overachievers, but maybe that was only because he couldn’t handle it. Maybe if he were smarter, he’d appreciate it better. Or maybe he’d figure out more ingenious ways to skip it all.

He played his game in the laundry room, waiting for the final ding to go off. He used the same dirty hamper to gather up his clean clothes and dragged it inside his room, where he promptly dumped it all out on his bed. Fresh laundry was intoxicating and he didn’t fight the urge to belly flop into the softener-drenched warmth.

He deeply inhaled as he sank into the heat. His cheek felt particularly nice against this satin material.

His left eye opened a peek. Vanilla and lavender stripes met his eye, with a rose lace and ribbon trim along the waistband.

He shot upright, his face no longer hot from the laundry, but hot with horrified embarrassment. He stared at the garment like it might come to life, jump on him and eat his face. It hadn’t so far.

‘It should be fine to pick them up, right?’ He thought with his frozen hand stretched out.

Why was he acting weird about this? They used to mix their laundry up all the time when they were younger. It’s actually how Hinata acquired a love of hoodies in the first place, because she loved to wear the beige one Obasan got him. She can pull off softer colors, but he can’t, so it was easily hers from that moment on.

He plucked up her panties by their corners and held it away, like it were an envelope full of Ricin, and he gazed at it mindlessly. Somehow they were exactly what he expected Hinata to wear, they were girly and cute.

Pale skin flashed before his eyes, a taboo image of Hinata in these panties, lifting her pleated uniform skirt up had startled him and he dropped the undergarments with a yelp.

Did he really just imagine her that way?

Naruto tried to smack the stupid from his mind until his cheeks burned with physical pain, then with everything he could muster, he snatched up the pair and ran for her bedroom, adding it unceremoniously to her hamper of clean clothes.

He pretended to be asleep by the time she got home.

He ignored the sweet voice that slid through the hole in the wall until she gave up and stopped calling him.

There was simply no way he could hold a conversation with her after that experience.

And to think he had to rely on his skin mags to purge him of his sin.

____________________________

Weightlifting was doing wonders for him.

For starters, it was taking his mind off of his libido.

For another, his physique was changing. He was starting to sprout up, too. Hinata’s former bullies were starting to learn some new feelings, like reluctance and fear. They eventually moved onto the freshman to enslave, leaving him alone to finally live his final year of middle school the way he always wanted.

The more he did weights, the more girls started to look his way, not just at Sasuke-teme.

Life was looking good!

Is what he thought when he was hanging out on the roof with Sasuke and two Ojou-gyaru types. One girl was straddling Sasuke while Naruto spooned the other girl from behind.

A dire thought hit him when he realized only six months remained until graduation. A choice he had been overlooking was rapping its knuckles against his temple, and he could hardly shoo it away.

“Hey.” Naruto turned his head towards Sasuke.

“Hn?”

“Where are you going for High School?”

Sasuke turned his head up towards the sky. He was pensively silent. Then he shrugged. “I’m going to stay here.”

“So you’re going to Konoha Normal High?”

“Just like everyone else.” Sasuke said.

‘Everyone else’ didn’t include Hinata, and he was supposed to stick close to her.

How suspicious would it be if he chose to follow her to her high school?

What if he couldn’t? What if she was following the same path as Neji?

Neji would be there until her senior year. Was his responsibility to the both of them over already?

Naruto would later get a text from Obasan that she would be spending the night with Asuma.

K-Obasan: There’s curry udon in the fridge.

He narrowed his eyes at the text.

Just because you add noodles to leftover curry doesn’t make it a Naruto-approved dinner!

“Udon’s not even the same thing!”

His steps slowed in the school corridor. It was enough for his rooftop date to catch up with him.

“Your face looks weird when you’re glum.” She giggled as she poked his cheeks.

“Yeah, well, I just realized I’m about to go home and no one’s going to be waiting for me.”

“Oh?” She circled her arms around his own and leaned in close. “Good for us, huh?”

His eyes widened with realization. A goofy grin stretched across his face, the corners curling lasciviously.

‘Yeah,’ he thought, ‘I’m owed this.’

____________________________

Author Note: I'm forgoing the one-shot because I still don't have that kind of discipline. ;D I'll definitely try to finish this short story to the end. I had received some good title suggestions for this story, but I ended up going with another song name because I can't seem to do anything else. ¯\_༼ ಥ ‿ ಥ ༽_/¯

I'm still going to try to adhere to the canon of the original fic to the best of my ability. I would totally declare this new canon, honestly, but then it'd be a Secret Dating fic with smut and it would never line up with what I already wrote. 😓

Anyways, I hope you liked this so far!

[jessikahathaway]

Vegas, Baby - Part I

Pairing: Kim Taehyung X Reader

Genre: Mafia!AU, Romance, Smut (Slow Burn)

Warnings: Explicit Language.

Summary: After four years, you have been let go from your job. Taking a chance you head to Vegas to make the best of a bad situation. A situation that only gets worse.

“Sorry Miss Y/N, but we are going to have to let you go,” your boss’ monotone voice echoed in your ears. 

Four years of your life, wasted. Not that you particularly enjoyed the job, but it paid your bills. And that was what counted at the end of the day. Now, what were you going to do? Your parents had already said your room was still yours if you needed to move back in. It was sweet of them really, but you didn’t want to move back in with them, you wanted your freedom and you wanted to be on your own. But what other options did you have without losing everything? 

“Your separation pay will come through at the end of the week,” your ears perked up. The separation pay would be a nice amount no doubt. This financial firm didn’t come without its perks. 

“Very good, sir. Thank you for four years,” you said, trying not to let the bitter tone enter into your voice. 

“You can show yourself out. See that your desk is cleaned out by the end of the shift,” he said, turning his back to you.

Quickly you let yourself out, heading toward your desk. 

“So, what did dickhead want?” Namjoon, your table mate, asked.

“I got canned,” you whispered, gathering up your stuff.

“What? No way, let me go in there,” he said, preparing to stand up before you stopped him.

“Joon, honestly, it’s fine. I’ve wanted to quit for a while anyways,” you confess.

“But, Y/N, it’s bullshit that they fire you. If that bimbo in the receptionist office can keep her job, you can too,” he said, fuming.

“Joon, seriously, I’m fine. Do you see me crying over it?” You asked, smiling.

“You’re sure you’re good?”

“I’m positive,” you answered.

“Okay, if you say so,” he responded.

“Just let me get my shit and blow this popsicle stand,” you said, grinning at him.

“Whatever you say, Y/N, I’ll miss you here,” he said, sitting back in his seat.

“You’re acting like you don’t have my number or something,” you said, laughing lightly.

“It won’t be the same without you here to annoy,” he said, giving you a dimpled smile.

“I know, you like to do that a lot,” you remarked, throwing a good natured glare his way.

“Well, I’m good at what I do then,” Namjoon stated.

“Which should be working, don’t need you following me out the door,” you said, sighing as you collected the remainder of your important items.

The rest could be left here, consider it a gift to the next unfortunate person who has to work here.

“Hey, text me okay?” He said, giving you a little wave.

“Will do, see ya Joon,” you said, returning the wave before heading towards the door.

—

Two weeks later you found yourself on a plane heading to Las Vegas.

How did you find yourself here? Well, it was a rather impulsive decision. But you and Namjoon had decided to take the rest of your earnings from your job and make a vacation out of it. You were taking a week in the US and spending time in Vegas to get a little wind in your sails before moving back in with your parents. 

Did that take what little wind you had in your sails out? Maybe, but that's besides the point. This was your way of giving the middle finger to your old job by blowing your money on something less than recommended. 

A trip to Vegas was exactly your soul needed after four years of behaving like a good little desk minion. Years of filing and coffee runs, all going to be blown to smithereens. Thank God for that too. You didn’t want to spend another minute thinking about what had been, only what was going to be the best week of your life. 

You had a couple friends that lived in the states, and you were going to meet up with them after landing and unpacking at your hotel. Jessi and Lily were waiting anxiously for you to arrive. 

Jessi: Bitch, I can’t believe you’re actually coming. After all these years of begging, pleading and what not, you’re dumbass comes here on a whim. But, still excited to see youuu xoxoxo.

YOU: R00D. I was working and busy with trying to further my career that capped off at a measly management position. Where the hell were you m8?

LILBITCH: Okay, it is like midnight here so can yall quit your yapping and do the sleep sleep? K thnx.

YOU: Sorry Lily, Jessi decided to be a boob in the group chat. Rest young one.

Jessi: ExCuSE? I Did NO SucH thInG?!?

YOU: You did! And are still doing it!

LILBITCH: Can yall argue in a separate thread plz?

Jessi: Nah, bugging you is wayyyy more entertaining.

LILBITCH: I pick the worst friends. Consider yourself disowned.

YOU: Children children, I come to bring peace to all four nations.

Jessi: The only thing you bring peace to is a party, and that’s what we’re going to fix while you’re here. You are going to get wasted and you are gonna like iiitttt >:(

LILBITCH: Jessi what are you even doing up?

Jessi: Sleep is for the weak.

LILBITCH: No, it’s for people. You know, who aren’t fucked in the head??

YOU: We gonna ignore the fact that she practically said I don’t know how to party?

Jessi: I am perfectly sane!

LILBITCH: Yeah right....

YOU: So we are ignoring that deep insult? K great. 

Jessi: Sorry Y/N, it’s just been so long since we’ve all been together like this I’m so excited. I’m gonna put you in my man stealing clothes and you’re gonna get dicked down while you’re here! Yasssss, I love my plan already.

YOU: THERE IS A CHILD IN HERE!

LILBITCH: Woman we’re both older than you. You’re the child. Who doesn’t know how to party apparently. 

YOU: And here I was thinking you loved me Lily. This hurts. This hurts deep.

Jessi: So, slutty clothes shopping here we come???

LILBITCH: I read the word shopping and I’m so down.

Jessi: yAS

YOU: Some of my dearest friends. Insult me then demand to dress me like a blowup doll? WTF??

Jessi: Not a blow up doll! Is there a tamer version of those Lily?

LILBITCH: I mean not really.

Jessi: You’ll be the sexiest blow up doll out there!

YOU: I don’t like this.

“Ladies and gentlemen we are beginning our ascent. Please silent all devices and buckle up! Thank you for choosing Korean Airways! Enjoy your flight!”

YOU: Well you two can think of more diabolical ways to get me laid and I will be none the wiser. See you girls soon. Love ya! <3

You shut your phone off and let your head rest against the cushioned seat. Letting the rumble of the cabin lull you to sleep.

--

“Y/N!!!!” Jessi squealed as she came running for you. 

You’d slept most of the plane ride, but now you were stiff in the joints and her frame colliding with your own sent the two of you tumbling. 

“Oof, Jess! What the hell man, you’re gonna break me,” you whined as the older woman started squeezing the daylights out of you. 

“Alright pda couple break it up,” Lily’s voice filled your ears. 

You stood quickly and brought her into a hug too. 

“It’s good to see you,” you whispered, rubbing her back as you separated.

“Good to see you too, have you lost weight?” she asked, making you spin around for confirmation.

“Maybe maybe not, I wasn’t exactly eating the healthiest diet when I was at the firm so, maybe I just gained it in different places,” you laughed. 

There was a prickle on the back of your neck. Your guard went up and you looked around. But didn’t see anyone staring. Although, you were uncomfortable.

“Come on, let’s get going. We have a lot to do before tonight!” Jessi said, practically dragging you out of the terminal.

“Jesus Jessi I have ligaments and bones, those things can break you know!” you whined, but she didn’t relent. 

Climbing into the car you still felt a chill of fear run up your spine. But didn’t let it bother you. Right now was about you and your friends, not being a little paranoid after a long flight. Plus, you were abroad, there were tons of people around and that was more than likely throwing your radar off a little bit. 

“Okay, mall here we come!” Lily said with excitement in her voice. 

“But what about heading to the hotel to unpack?” you asked. 

“Oh, we cancelled your reservation. Did you know you saved almost a thousand bucks if you stay with me?” Jessi said.

“Huh? What do you mean? Guys I don’t wanna burden you!” 

“You aren’t going to be, our most recent roommate has vacated the room and left it in perfect condition. It can be yours if you decide you wanna stay for a while?” Lily suggested with a brow wiggle.

“You two are impossible,” you complained, leaning your head against the window.

“Impossibly smart,” Jessi narked. 

You sighed as you watched the cityscape pass you by. Jessi and Lily chatted about nothing it seemed like, but it was comforting that you all fell back into rhythm so quickly after so long of not seeing one another. It made your heart squeeze painfully at the thought of being apart. But you were here now, and that’s what mattered. 

Lily was telling you all about her work at the little cafe she co-owns. She handles the customer service end while her partner handles the more... businessy aspect. 

“And then one of my servers swears she saw a ghost of an old lady in the back room. The building used to be a house but now we have renovated it and turned it into the cafe like I’ve told you. But, I looked into it. And a lady did actually die in there in the fifties. How fucking crazy is that!? And, get this, if it hadn’t happened within the last ten years, the realtors don’t have to divulge that information. How fucked,” Lily sighs. 

Jessi pulls into the parking lot of a large shopping center and you girls all get out, wallets at the ready. 

Linking arms with them you smiled brightly and started walking towards the door. 

About an hour later, your feet were killing you and you hadn’t even tried anything on, much to the dismay of your friends. 

“Come on Y/N, you need to at least try one thing on in this next shop,” Jessi pleaded. 

“Why? I packed clothes you know?” you said, 

“And knowing you they won’t be attention getting enough,” Lily commented.

“Rude, you don’t know what I got,” you scoffed. 

Lily rolled her eyes and picked you up off the comfortable bench you had settled down on and now you were being dragged off of it like a leech of an arm. 

“Come on Y/N, I have the perfect place in mind,” Jessi announced, leading the pack towards another stylish little boutique. 

“If I try something on will you guys quit pestering me?” you whined out. 

“Maybe, depends on if we like it or not,” Lily’s voice rang in your ear. 

Somewhere, deep down, you knew letting them drag you to a shopping mall was a bad idea. But you hadn’t realized how bad until they had you dressed to the gills in sequins, sparkles and everything glittery. 

“Guys this stuff is itchy!” you said, itching your thigh, that was barely covered, for emphasis. 

“Oh come on, Y/N, you look great! It really shows off those curves!” Jessi complimented, spinning you around.

“I brought the same style of dress, but in a popping red color. It will compliment her eyes for certain,” the lovely assistant of the boutique said. Of course they were trained to reach for the priciest piece they had, and tell you it would look good on you. But hey, A for effort. 

“Oooh! Y/N, try it on, try it on!” Jessi yelled. 

“Shh, we are in a store!” you scolded. 

“God you’re worse than my mom,” Jessi rolled her eyes.

“Am not. I’m just trying to contain my two four year olds!” you said exasperated.

“As the youngest isn’t it your responsibility to be rambunctious. Getting into all kinds of trouble?” 

“That’s what we’re here for Lily, she’s had a stick up her ass for too long called adulting,” Jessi teased.

“Remind me why I’m friends with you again?” you asked, teasing right back.

Jessi just laughed and went to go peruse the racks again. Lily snuggled up beside you and wrapped her arms around you tightly. 

“I missed you,” she whispered.

Smiling you gave her a tight hug. “I missed you guys too.”

Jessi came back with a sexy white number that has cut off sleeves that draped off your shoulder elegantly and it was a little longer than the others they’d thrown you in during that afternoon.

Seeing your eyes looking at the dress with interest, Jessi knew she had won. 

 “Wanna know the best part?” Jessi asked, raising a perfectly sculpted brow in your direction.

“What?” you asked. 

“It was on the sale rack!” she smirked. 

“Okay give it here,” you said, holding your hand out. Jessi smiled and plopped the dress in your hand without hesitation. 

You shuffled into the dressing room and pulled the garment on. You looked at yourself in the mirror and almost fell over. This wasn’t you. The girl looking back at you was a beautiful woman, someone with poise and elegance. Or was that what the dress conveyed? Because you felt almost empowered in this dress...

“Okay, show us what you got!” the girls said, waiting for you outside the dressing room.

Stepping down onto the floor the girls were silent. 

“Well?” you asked, feeling a little self conscious at all their staring. 

“Y/N, if you don’t buy that dress then I will and force you into it tonight,” Jessi said, still staring.

“Does it look alright?’ you asked, tugging at the fabric.

“Yes now quit fidgeting! We’re trying to figure out what shoes, make up and hair we need to do,” Lily said, settling your hands at your side. 

“I think a red pump,” Jessi said, running off to one side of the store.

“And a red lip to match!” Lily echoed. 

“I love the way you think,” Jessi said back.

You looked down at your bare feet on the floor and sighed. 

“I don’t know, should we go clubbing tonight? I just got here and kinda want to-”

“Not bail out on us and have the fun you wanted to have by coming to Vegas?” Lily offered. 

You sighed and rubbed your face. Jessi came back with a crimson red pair of heels that already made your feet hurt. But you decided to quiet down and just enjoy the time you had with your friends. It was so nice to bicker with them and laugh, it really made your heart soar to be here with them. Even if they were forcing you into some uncomfortable shoes. At their cores, they were great girls, and you were so lucky to have them in your life. 

“There, see how it lengthens your legs?” Jessi pointed out. 

“See how it will destroy my ankles?” you said back.

They just laughed and you guys took everything to the checkout counter. The clerk cashed you out and you ladies were on your way. 

“I’m so glad you bought the shoes too! They look so killer with that dress, and we’re going to make you the prettiest thing at the club tonight! Not that you need much help,” Lily smirked, linking her arms with yours.

You shoved her a little but walked down the hall with her happily.

Until you felt that chill that had run down your spine earlier, reappear. You stopped in your tracks and turned, certain that someone was watching you. But no one was there... It made unease churn in your stomach. Jessi seemed to notice your hesitation and came over beside you. 

“Something wrong?” she asked, trying to look in a similar direction as you.

“No no, it’s nothing. I’m fine,” you smiled weakly, going to move forward.

“If you’re sure,” Lily answered, following close behind.

“Yeah,” you confirmed.

After that you only went to one more department store and found nothing of interest, so you guys decided to call it. Walking back to the car, Jessi ran ahead to make sure that it was unlocked. Lily and you walked at an even pace, just enjoying each other's company.

Loading everything into the car you took off down the road for Jessi and Lily’s house.

Slowly, the sensation of being watched faded from your mind. And the three of you went back to your bickering and teasing. 

Finally, you pulled into the driveway. 

Jessi and Lily were quick to help you with your luggage, making sure everything got into the spare bedroom. And then, the work began. 

“Babe, we love you, but you gotta take a shower,” Jessi said, pinching her nose for effect.

“Rude, I literally took a shower before I boarded the plane,” you told them.

“Yeah, and you smell like plane and food court, so go. Cleanse thyself,” Lily commented, looking at her phone.

“Fine fine,” you agreed, heading towards the bathroom. 

Jessi handed you the dress and some undergarments and went into the kitchen. 

The hot water felt heavenly on your body, washing off the grim of travel and shopping. It was nice. The foamy soap on your head invigorating you. You shaved every part of your body known to man, and woman to be honest. 

But when you stepped out of the shower. Instead of the normal underwear you had picked out, was something else. 

Sorry, but we had to burn those granny panties. Wear this instead! We bought them today while you were busy being one with the bench. We know they’ll fit you!

Jessi & Lily

“Those little shits!” you exclaimed, looking down in despair at your underwear option now. 

Pink lacy panties were set on the bathroom counter. How did you not even hear them come in!? You looked at the bra and were certain that you’d be able to see a nipple through the lace that was supposed to be covering your shit. But apparently the quest to get you laid was a serious endeavor in their minds. So, to humor them, you put on the garments. That, in fact, fit perfectly.

“Those creeps,” you shuddered, wondering how your friends had known your exact size.

Pulling on the dress you bought earlier, you marveled at yourself in the mirror. You looked really good. And just as before, you felt as if you could conquer the world, in just this dress. But, you knew the only thing you’d conquer was maybe a bar scene, which would work. For now.

Walking out you found the nasty culprits of the underwear heist sitting around a vanity full of makeup.

“Wanna tell me why I’m wearing underwear that barely covers anything?” you said, venom in your tone.

“Because you put it on,” Jessi said, with a smirk.

“You guys are so fucking nosy,” you whined, throwing your headback in a mock tantrum.

“We aren’t nosy enough, when was the last time you got dicked down?” Jessi asked, suddenly serious.

Scandalized you made a squeak of discomfort. 

“Wh-Why the sudden curiosity??” you asked.

“Because, we gotta know how out of practice you are,” Lily said, as if it were obvious.

“I’m not out of practice!” you shrieked. 

“So it was recently then?” Jessi smiled. 

“No! I mean-shut up!” you cried.

“When was the last time Y/N,” Lily said calmly.

“Three years ago,” you huffed, crossing your arms in defense.

The two girls almost choked. 

“THREE YEARS!?” Jessi screamed.

“I’m right here, there’s no need to scream,” you said.

“BUT Y/N, THAT’S THREE YEARS,” Jessi yelled again.

“I can tell time, Jessi,” you commented.

“How? You’re practically a nun,” Lily snorted.

“I am not!” you defended.

“Sweetheart, listen we are doing this out of love,” Jessi shushed you, cradling you to her chest. “We will help you. Sit down.”

“This is all very offensive, just so ya’ll know,” you said, pointing to them with an accusing finger.

“Shut up and sit down,” Lily said, grabbing her hair appliances. 

You settled into silence, letting the girls do whatever they wanted to you. You found it was easier this way than fighting with them the whole time. As much as you loved them, these girls were bossy and pushy. But, you wouldn’t have them any other way. They helped even you out, making sure you got out there and did have some fun in your life. 

Lily was in the process of doing your hair and styling it the way she thought would work the best, while Jessi was deeply focused on doing your makeup. You saw the crimson colored lipstick come out and knew it was as Lily recommended earlier.

Jessi painted it on your lips with a precision that was awe inspiring. You just stayed still and let them continue their work. Enjoying the transformation happening before your eyes. Before, you were a nervous little office worker. Now, you were a girl on a mission. What mission was still to be decided, but it made you feel powerful. Not saying that you didn’t feel powerful without it, but it was nice to get dressed up every once in a while and to feel sexy. 

Lily put down the hair products and smiled at her work. 

“You look fucking hot,” she pointed out. 

“Don’t make her smile. I'm working on the concealer around her lips,” Jessi whined.

“Sorry sorry, just, she’s really beautiful,” Lily smiled. 

“We been knew,” Jessi smirked. 

“Right right,” Lily said, going to gather the tights and shoes.

“Thanks Jessi,” you said as you stood up, stretching lightly.

You felt a light smack to your butt and you smiled back at her. 

“Sorry, couldn’t resist,” she giggled. 

“Alright ladies, we need to make a game plan for the night!” Lily announced as she walked back into the room.

“What do you mean?” you asked, raising a brow at her. 

“Who wants to get laid, who wants to wing woman and who wants to be the sober one,” Lily said.

“Well, Y/N is the getting laid one,” Jessi confirmed.

“Did you ask Y/N if she wants to get laid?” you asked, pointing to yourself.

“Fine, Y/N, do you not want me to find you a fine specimen of man that could knock your socks off in the bedroom?” Jessi said.

“Well... I mean, it’s not that I don’t want that but...”

“But what?” Lily asked, coming to sit next to Jessi.

“I’m shy, I don’t really attract people. I’m more of a hang out in the corner until I’m drunk enough to approach someone type of gal,” you said, biting your lip.

“Don’t ruin my hard work,” Jessi warned. 

“Sorry, nervous habit,” you answered, stopping the action quickly.

“Y/N, it’s all up to you, we don’t really have to go out but I thought this is what you came here for? To let loose and have some fun before moving back with your parents. But if all you wanna do is have a girls week then we can do that too... But, honestly you look amazing and any guy would be lucky to get with you,” Lily said. 

You thought it over. 

This is what you came here for. To let loose like she said. But now that it was happening you were retreating into office worker Y/N, not the badass you wanted to be for at least a week. So, you didn’t see the harm in getting laid. Honestly, it might get some of the pent up stress out of your system, and that sounded great.

“No, you guys are right. I wanted to come here to be free for a while. What’s the point in hiding in the corner when I can be the center of attention for once in my life. I say, let’s do it,” you said, confident.

Jessi squealed excitedly and clapped her hands. 

“Yes! We are gonna be the best wingwomen you’ve ever seen Y/N! We’ll pick a great one out for you,” she said.

“She also has eyes, Jessi, she might find the one,” Lily chastised. 

“Yes, yes sorry,” she said, shuffling through her closet in disinterest.

“Okay, so Jessi and I are both going to be wingwoman. It’ll be a shared effort so we can pick the best guy,” Lily announced. 

“Right,” you said. 

“But like Lily said, you have eyes. If you find someone you’re vibing with, let us know!” Jessi said back. 

“Okay,” you agreed.

The rest of the evening was spent making out rules and exchanging safety measures to make sure no one got hurt or left behind.

This was going to be very fun.

[jojo-fantasy-aus]

Fantasy AU!

Josuke x F! Reader- ch9

It takes two!

Minor TW for bullying.

Can't wait to see ya'll next week!

"So," Josuke starts. "What did you have in mind?" Shigetchi smiles, almost vibrating in excitement. You were all seated comfortably in the carriage, promptly entering when Shigetchi asked you to, and unfortunately, Shigetchi had a bit of a rambling habit. Finally, after a few minutes on the road to his villa, he stopped talking long enough for Josuke to get a word in.

"I'm throwing a party this weekend." Shigetchi paused as if he was expecting immediate praise, but the carriage was silent. Okuyasu whistled and started to clap out of pity.

"... anyway." Shigetchi rolled his eyes. " I thought it'd be a better fit for the three of you to gain some leverage on the whole rescue situation. Viscount Brimsey, his family, and his colleagues all will be attending." Your face scrunched up in disgust.

"Family?" The Viscount has only one family member to speak of. His daughter, a redhead named Gwendolyn, was intolerable. Just like her father, she was a Royal suck-up, only she was more of a spoiled brat than her father. Shigetchi nodded.

"Yeah. I'm not too 'xcited about that. His daughter's always been a… well," You frowned.

"Trust me, I know. She used to visit the palace during her summer vacations." That, and pay the stable boys to put mud under your pillows. She's always been a rather jealous thing, and you can't imagine how well a future meeting would go without Yukako by your side to defend you from the Royal menace. Okuyasu scratched the back of his neck, looking quite confused.

"What's so bad about her? I thought all those rich ladies are supposed to be hot, and well mannered, and..." You couldn't help yourself from laughing. Where in the world would he get that idea? Josuke sighed out of embarrassment, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Okuyasu, You've been reading too many newspapers." You giggled. Josuke's warm smile was a welcome sight at the action.

Shigetchi stretched widely, causing Okuyasu to shift uncomfortably next to him. He snatched a fancy flask from the inside of his coat pocket, taking a swig of something you hoped wasn't alcohol before shoving it away again. You could feel Josuke stiffen next to you. Wonder what was up with him?

"Anyway, if the three of you are up for it, I have jobs for you that I think will work perfectly for the information you're looking for." He smirks in an almost evil way. "What do ya say?"

----

"I can't believe you agreed to this." You muttered in a playful tone. All the jobs Shigetchi assigned to you were fitting, you as a server once again, Okuyasu as the guard just outside the doors, but out of all the jobs for him to give Josuke…

Apparently, he had caught Gwendolyn's eye while the three of you had been traversing the town over the past few days. Unfortunately for him, (and you) she had asked Shigetchi about him. After a little conversation with undoubtedly some bribery involved He agreed to get Josuke to be her escort. That's how you found out the real reason the kid had "invited" You all.

"She can't be that bad." You shook your head as you buttoned Josuke's borrowed tailcoat. He had no clue about this woman. He also had no clue on how to dress himself properly in such formal fashion, which was why you demanded to help him with his many layers. Honestly, it felt good to be this close to him.

"Oh please, she's like your worst date experience times ten."

"... well, I'm sure I'll be able to handle her." You rolled your eyes.

"Maybe. Rich girls like that tend to fall easily for a handsome face," Did you just say that out loud? Josuke stiffened a bit, and you prayed that it wasn't because you made him uncomfortable. You had to change the subject fast.

"Let's just hope she doesn't try insulting that hair of yours," you giggled a little awkwardly as Josuke ran a hand across his carefully styled pompadour defensively.

After finishing with his coat, and flittering around him to make sure everything was fine, you took a step back. You looked him up and down, appreciating how nice he looked in the clothes, even if they did look a little stuffy.

"You look great!" Josuke chuckled, a light blush on his cheeks. For a moment, but just a moment, he stopped, looking at you fondly with a smile. You smiled in return before a sudden look of shock flashed across his face.

"Hey! Before I forget…" You followed him with your eyes as he walked over to the grocery bags on the bed, pulling a round hat box out of the fray. You immediately recognized it from the same ones behind the counter at the market earlier today. Josuke walked over to you, holding out the box for you to take, and after a moment of confusion, you realized what he had done.

"You didn’t!" You gently scolded. He smiled, nudging the box forward again. You gently lifted the lid, a bright smile spreading across your face at the sight of the old hat.

"I meant to give it to you earlier, but with Shigetchi rolling in I didn't have time." You picket the hat up by the rim, holding it delicately in your hands. You were overjoyed, at first. But when the doubt sunk in it was impossible to get rid of.

The three of you only had so much money to use while you were here. Not to mention you weren't sure how long you would be away from your job. You were sure Okuyasu and Josuke weren't going to be paid by the foundation either. Why would he spend this money on you? There were so many other things you all had to worry about-

"But… Why this? Why for me?" Josuke paused, furrowing his brows at you with a sigh and setting the box back down in the bed. When he turned to look at you again it was hard to look away from his blue eyes.

"You deserve to enjoy the little things sometimes. Everyone does. Whether that little thing is an old, out of season hat or not." He started to reach out for you, but hesitated, sticking his hands in his pockets instead. "Plus, with everything going on, you gotta give back to yourself once in a while. Trust me, I know."

You smiled softly, that fluttery feeling blooming in your chest once more. Without thinking, you carefully set the hat back down in the box. Josuke looked like he was about to question you, but he didn't have time before you grappled him into a warm embrace.

Josuke returned the hug promptly. The two of you sat there for a good moment before a servant knocked on the door, letting you know that the guests have started arriving.

"I hope you're ready for this."

"Trust me, as long as you're around I'll be just fine."

----

It started just like any other party. With hands gingerly reaching out for oeuvres, simple gossip, sneering Nobles. It wasn't anything you hadn't seen before. It was easy to glide through the crowd, to catch snippets of conversation. Whatever you lacked in strength you definitely made up for in your ability to eavesdrop.

One by one businessmen and noblemen and their wives and family were announced at the door, every once in a while you'd glance up to see the faces entering. You tried not to let it get in the way of the job you were supposed to do, but when Gwendolyn Brimsey's name was announced you couldn't help but lookup.

What you saw made you go red in anger. It wasn't the fact that she was escorted by Josuke, or that she was smugly attached to his arm, it was the disgusting, powder pink dress she had on.

Wrong. That's what it was. It was wrong. The floral elements and lace were gone, replaced by satin and useless frills. The slim, A-line changed and puffed up with surely more petticoats than you could count. That was Yukako's dress. That was your mother's design. Or at least a cheap knockoff of the beauty that it was designed to be.

"Miss...?" You were startled out of your angry stare by one of the other servers. You smiled politely at the young man, hoping that the disgust hadn't been too evident in your face.

"Lord Yangu says that we should start serving champagne now."

"I'll be right there." You nodded, heading over to the kitchen. You pushed down the anger and disgust as you walked. Gwendolyn was not innocent as to what her display meant. That design was the last dress that Yukako was seen in. Your mother's dresses were remarkable. Each cut, design, frill- all of it was signature as your mother's specific tailoring. Everyone who looked at her knew. The only difference is that you knew she was begging to replace your best friend in the social circle of nobility.

You wove in and out of groups with the tray of champagne, trying your best to focus on what they were saying instead of the hate in your heart. You had a job to do, and no spoiled girl was going to take that from you.

"They say the duchess-"

"Oh! These are quite divine-"

"-and he said that to you? I'd-"

"... I can't wait till we can get that bitch out of our hair." The quick part of the conversation caught your ear. And you slowed for a moment, offering the tray to the others around you all the while Laser-focused in on the conversation, it wasn't hard to realize that it was once again the Viscount's goons from the dinner the night before. One out of the duo of men speaking shushed the other, glancing around before speaking softly.

"In more ways than one." The other scoffed. "I've been pulling my hair out for weeks with my stand-" There was that word again. Damn, it was so hard to tell what it meant based on context. Frustration aside, you knew that it was important to mention to Josuke. You busied yourself by refilling glasses around you, intent on listening to the remainder of the conversation.

At least, that was the plan. The high-pitched squeal of your name caught your attention. It was Gwendolyn, still attached to Josuke's side, and waving you over to her crowd with an empty champagne glass.

You begrudgingly trudged over with the bottle, making quick eye contact with Josuke before slowly filling glasses. After calling your name, Gwendolyn paid you no mind as she continued her conversation.

"Honestly, how did you find such a beautiful dress? It looks so much like the one Princess Yukako… " The woman trailed off as Gwendolyn shot her a glare. "It's incredible, I mean." Incredible was an exaggeration. You managed to hide your annoyance for the time being.

"I know~ I saw the design on some street in the royal city and just had to ask my seamstresses to recreate it!" You tried not to scowl outwardly. Gwendolyn was only mentioning it because she knew the shop was your mother's. It's like she's just trying to get under your skin.

"It's quite flattering on me, don't you think Josuke?"

"I-erhm," Josuke coughed politely, and unfortunately for him, she held his arm closer. The anger you felt now started to feel like a sad, stabbing pain as she did. Josuke's confident posture hardly changed through the conversation, despite his stuttering, and honestly. It hurt. You knew he was a lady's man, you had known since you met him. Did that fact stop you from being hurt? From being jealous? No. Should it have? You weren't sure.

"The dress is beautiful." His confident tone returned. "Who was the original designer?" Josuke's eyes flickered towards you for just a moment as you finished pouring their drinks. You had had quite enough and quickly walked away from them. You almost felt bad for leaving Josuke behind, but he looked like he could handle himself. He surely didn't need you to chaperone his little date.

----

Josuke honestly had no idea how he was going to go the whole night without snapping, and with you walking away from himself and the Red-head girl, angry and torn, he wasn't sure if he could.

He was distracted as the women continued to talk, following your form with his eyes as you faded into the party-goers.

"Sir Josuke?" He snapped out of his haze, turning towards Gwendolyn. He gave her a half-assed hum in response. Her face scrunched up in a mock-up anger.

"Were you even listening to me?" He smiled sheepishly. Damn, he has to think fast.

"No, sorry. I've been a little distracted, I haven't eaten yet today." Gwendolyn's face lit up into a smile again, waving the other noble Woman away as she led him by his arm. Josuke tried not to cringe. The feeling of her skin on his was just… It wasn't welcome. It didn't feel right. It didn't help the fact that he wasn't actually hungry.

She wasn't you.

"Oh! That's completely understandable!" Gwendolyn started walking over to the small table of savory appetizers, and he begrudgingly went along with her. He didn't want to respond when she kept talking. But the responsible part of him said otherwise.

"The food here is usually good, but honestly, the selection today is awful."

"Is it now? I thought everything was pretty good."

"Oh dear sir, you can't mean that. Look-" "Hate that- hate that. I'll only have caviar with truffle- oh! You should try the deviled eggs~"

Josuke smiled nervously as she shoved the egg in his face, offering to feed him. Oh no. No-no-no. He needed an excuse to get out of her grasp, and fast. Then, in a sudden moment, he spotted you across the room, heading into the kitchen. An idea flashed in his head, but he had no clue about the consequences that it would cause.

"I'm so sorry, but if you'll excuse me, I need to have a word with my friend over there-" He moved away from her tight grasp with ease, her strength nothing compared to his, but he caught his arm again, looking at him with an accusing, disgusted look.

"Friend? That servant is your friend?" Josuke stiffened. Maybe you were right about this woman. She was awful after all.

"Yes. She is. I'll see you again in just a moment." He said, turning curtly and staking away, all the while a polite smile played on his face.

Although a few groups closest to where they had been started to gossip, most guests were completely unaware as Josuke wove through the floor and over to you. Gwendolyn snarled at no one in particular, narrowing her eyes as Josuke walked away.

"Need any help with that?" The deep voice startled you, causing you to almost drop the tray of dessert in your hands. Two hands steadied you, and you scoffed at Josuke.

"What are you doing? Where's Gwendolyn?" At this point, you were somewhat concerned. Josuke smiled sheepishly, warm hands brushing against yours when he was satisfied that you wouldn't fall.

"Well…" After his short pause, it took less than a second to figure out what was happening. You smirked.

"You couldn't handle her, could you?" Josuke rolled his eyes, a smile still wide on his face.

"Let's just say I needed a quick break from the party." You laughed.

"Sure, but try not to get on her bad side in the process." You mused, lifting a finger to point to Gwendolyn, who was still staring at the two of you, a dirty look on her face you were sure that she would hide once Josuke turned around. And she did, scowl turning into a bright smile when the knight spotted her. She waved him back over, and he sent a quick nod back, turning to you again.

"What time does this thing end again?" You couldn't help but burst out laughing from his words, switching the tray over to one hand while you pushed him with the other. His dazzling smile flooded your chest with comfort before he said goodbye, and walked over to the woman he was escorting.

The rest of the night flew by for you, but you can't imagine how long it must've felt for both of your companions. Strangely, it felt nice to be working again. Your feet started to hurt from all the walking, and you savored the thought of how wonderful you would sleep tonight. Unfortunately for you, a pair of envious eyes caught your daydreaming look. A sharp tug of your earlobe made you yelp, and you stopped in your tracks.

"Pay attention, Churl. Or you'll lose your footing." You glared at Gwendolyn, remembering about politeness and appearances after, and shifting your face into a lin-lipped smile.

"Sorry miss, did you need something?" Her smile did nothing to hide the malice in her eyes.

"I need you to remember your place. Low-borns like you have no place mingling with nobility." So that's what this is about. It was laughable. She had only known Josuke for a few hours at most and yet she was still laying her claim on him. You'd seen it multiple times before, with other various young men at court who she simply couldn't give away to any other woman. She'd lash out at anyone who spoke to the man she had fixed her desires on until she had bored herself with him and moved on to the next.

It wasn't healthy, and you used to hope that she would get help. To be better. But that was when you could still see good in her. Now, all you could see was the entitled person who her father had made. You didn't want to disrupt your appearance as the mild-mannered, polite servant, but someone had to burst her bubble.

"Sir Josuke has every right to speak to anyone he wishes." You had more to say, but you stopped prematurely. You had said enough. She certainly wouldn't take it well if you continued to say that she certainly wasn't exclusive to his affection- attention. Attention.

You had to remember before you went any more down the rabbit hole that whatever relationship you had with Josuke- or whatever you wanted to have, was one-sided. You were pining over a man who wouldn't return your feelings, and yet you wouldn't give up his friendship for anything in the world. If you could just stay his friend, that would be enough for you.

You didn't stop to look at Gwendolyn's face before you turned away from her to walk back to the kitchen. You thought she had taken the words rather well until your foot caught on something.

The ground came fast, and when you hit the marble, the tray of deserts pushed into your stomach. After a moment that felt like an hour of you desperately trying to catch your breath, you sat up slowly, covered in the frivolous dessert. You scowled at the giggles and laughs of the girls behind you, and began scooping the mess off the floor and into the trey.

"Some servant you are, can't even walk without tripping over your own feet. How sad." Gwendolyn sneered at you. You promptly finished cleaning up to the best of your ability, and stood. The red-head stood in your way when you tried to leave however.

"First you were fired from the palace, and now you're failing Lord Yangu and Sir Josuke. I'd just quit now if I were you." Hell. No. Usually you knew when to hold your tongue, especially in situations and settings like this, but you had worked too hard for your place at the palace to let that disrespectful statement slide. You'd been through hell in back for both your station and your friends and this was your fucking snapping point.

"I wasn't fired from the palace, you'd know that if you plucked your head out of your ass during your summer trips and paid enough attention to Princess Yukako and the King to figure out that she wasn't going to let me go anytime soon. And another thing-"

You quickly snapped yourself out of your daydream, completely aware that such words could get you completely kicked out of both your mission to find Yukako and the inner circle of Viscount Brimsey. So instead, with hands shaky from adrenaline, you simply tipped the trey forward. A simple mistake for a shaky servant. You looked straight into Gwendolyn's eyes as a glob of cake fell on her infuriating intricate, powder pink dress.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! That's entirely my bad, madam. I'll bring you some towels after I clean myself up." You relished in the sounds of her immediate wailing. What you did not expect however, was the skinny teenager to grab you by the collar of your dress and seemingly ready herself to hit you. The trey slipped from your grip once more.

"You little twat! I'll-" A pair of strong hands separated the two of you, Josuke pulling you back from her and making sure the trey was held tightly in your grip. When did it- you were sure that you had just dropped it!

"There we go!" He smiled, face a complete contrast to his eyes, which burned with anger. "You still seem a bit shaky, I'll escort you to the kitchen." Gwendolyn huffed, but didn't say a word to Josuke as he led you away.

As soon as you stepped through the kitchen doors you set the tray down, hands shaking even worse now. God- you thought you had seen spoiled brats in your days at the palace, but this chick was impossible!

"Are you alright?" You rolled your eyes.

"Oh, sure. I'm just dandy." Josuke frowned at you, stepping closer.

"Look, you know she's hard to handle. Just try to make two more hours, alright? Just two more hours and you'll never have to serve her again." You scoffed at him, grabbing a kitchen rag from the cabinets to wipe off the sticky mess that used to be desert.

"You don't think I already knew that? I don't know what's changed but she's completely- it's like she's gone mad! She managed to turn worse than she used to be. I just don't understand how she's managed to inflate her ego so much since the last I saw her." You turned to the indoor water pump and grabbed a bucket, slowly filling it with enough water that you could rinse your arms. Josuke paused after your words, brows furrowed, thinking.

He was about to speak when Okuyasu burst through the kitchen doors, he scared the shit out of the both of you. The bucket almost knocked over until it rocked back onto its bottom, the water stilling unnaturally. When you turned, Josuke's gaze was still on you. Soft gaze shortly turning to Okuyasu as the loud man sighed.

" 'don't know about you guys, but I'm starting to think that this is a waste of time." He looked up, scanning faces in the room, immediately sensing the fading tension.

"Everythin' alright?"

----

The moment you got back home you went straight to your room without speaking to either of your companions. You were frustrated, angry, sad- today had been such a disaster. You sighed, folding back the covers on your bed and preparing yourself for bed. You had just finished changing out of your ruined clothes when someone knocked.

"Come in." You said, maybe a bit more sour than you had planned. Josuke enters, face already scrunched up in a concerned look. Fuck! You were so tired of that look- even if it was from Josuke, you were tired of being worried about. It's not like he actually… cared.

But you know he does.

It's just not in the way you wished it could be.

"What's wrong? You haven't said a word to Okuyasu or I since we got home." You huffed, busying yourself with removing the necklace and setting it down with unnecessary carefulness.

"I'm just not in the mood to talk, ok?!" You snapped. Josuke slowly approached you from the door, sitting down at the foot of your bed so that you couldn't ignore him or go to bed unless he moved.

"Is it about Gwendolyn?" You stiffened.

"Who else would it be about? Josuke, she humiliated me today." He frowned.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Are you?..." You said, your tense shoulders had fallen. You felt dejected. Remembering just how she treated Josuke, how she touched him.

"She was all over you Josuke. I'm not sure you would've even noticed the accident if she hadn't been the one to do it." The words felt wrong as they fell out of your mouth, and the wrongness increased as josuke stood, insulted.

"I- you really think I wouldn't notice that?"

"I don't know!" You tore your eyes away from him, looking at the floor instead. Your insides felt like they were tearing themselves out.

"... I don't know." You repeated. Josuke started slowly walking towards you.

"Have you really not realized it yet?"

"What Josuke?! What could I possibly be missing right now besides a temper?" You said bitterly. Josuke's skin burned hot against your own as he grabbed your arms gently, staring straight into your eyes with an almost- an almost sad look. He lifted a hand to your cheek, caressing your face fondly. You tried your best to not melt into his touch. Regret immediately flooded you. Why were you acting so mean? So jealous? There was no point in it. Josuke deserves to love anyone he pleased. You certainly weren't on the table, you never would be-

Josuke called your name.

"I am hopelessly, irrevocably, in love with you."

[callsign-mischief]

Nothing Like Quidditch in the Summer

Day 30 of ‘A Very Harry Potter Summer!’

@hufflefluff-writer  @kalimagik

A/N: I have been struggling a lot recently in finding the motivation write but I pushed myself to get this writing finished on time and I’m happy with what I came up with. I hope everyone truly enjoys this! 

Word Count: 1.4K

Oliver Wood x Female!Reader

During any other Summer holiday being asked to join in on some fun summer Quidditch time wouldn't be such a bad thing; you loved the magical sport and were always up for keeping your skills sharp, but this summer?  Being asked to train with your teammate and boyfriend who happens to be none other than Oliver Wood? Oh boy! Quidditch in the summer had never been more un-fun. While you loved him more than anyone in the world, he often took practice to extreme levels and pushed not only himself too far, but you as well.

It was just like any other day, you were out on the makeshift quidditch pitch in his backyard under the scorching sun, sweating from places that you didn’t know you could sweat from. ‘A nice big glass of ice cold water would be perfect right about now. If only Oliver would let me take a small rest and then I could-’

“(Y/N)! C’mon now lass, focus!”

You peer down to the hovering boy a couple feet below you with a pout. “Oliver this is torture! We’ve been out here for hours and it’s boiling! I’m practically melting here! Love, I need REST! Sustenance! We’ve been pushing ourselves way too much recently and-.”

“Only a couple more drills and then you can have your break.” 

You couldn’t help the angry scoff that rolled out from your mouth, “You said that two and a half hours ago! Just give me a minute, please?” you plead.

“I really mean it this time. Only a couple of more of these plays and you can have all the break time you want, I pinky promise darlin’,truly! ” The audacity of this man. Using my special promises.

With a huff you wipe the sweat from your forehead with the back of your hand and take a deep breath in before quickly giving him the go-ahead to call out the next drill he was having you fly through.‘The quicker I get through these flight patterns he’s been firing at me left and right, the quicker I get what I want, that is how this should work, right?’ The teammate side of you was quickly regretting saying yes to Oliver’s request to join his training this summer but the girlfriend side of you couldn’t help but accept his invitation. Just how could you have said no to those big adorable puppy dog eyes of his?

“This next one is more of an individual exercise. I designed it specifically for you chasers but now that I think about it...it really could be more of a full team thing and- never mind that right now! Anyways, here it is…” he begins rambling on about what he had come up with and how it came to be but the only thing you could focus on was how weird you began to feel. Shrugging it off you, you advert your attention back to him catching the ending of his tangent. With a nod of your head you steady yourself before taking off. 

Oliver had timed your flight but with the results not being where he liked, he had you repeat the exercise again. “Try willing yourself to fly faster this time. Try getting your time under a minute. Remember, push! You can do this.”

Although you are ready to hex the daylights out of him, you indulged him anyway. ‘You’re lucky that you’re cute Wood.’

Going again, you push yourself to go faster as Oliver requested but in the middle of weaving between the enchanted cones that were floating in the sky with you, you were starting to feel the full extent of your exhaustion hitting you full force. Your head begins to spin making your vision blur and your eyes feel heavier than lead. Before you can comprehend what is happening, you feel yourself slipping from your broom. 

From the other side of his yard, Oliver watched with a proud smile on his face as you flew through the air, whizzing around his obstacles with precise speed and agility. Although he had never actually expressed it aloud, he was more than beyond thankful for you putting up with him and his long days out in the sun perfecting the improved quidditch program he had put together for his last year at Hogwarts. Before he could spend any more time gazing at you with admiration, he watched as you slipped from your broom mid flight. His face twists into a look of horror before he kicks into action, racing to save you before you can hit the ground. 

By the grace of Merlin himself, he makes it across the yard just in time to seize you but with the sudden addition of extra weight atop his own broom, you both crash to the earth below you. With a groan of pain, Oliver takes the brunt of the landing due to shielding your slightly limp figure. He quickly and carefully sits up, moving you onto the ground beside him so he can check you over. Your face was clammy and flushed an awfully unnatural shade of red, your eyes half opened with an almost vacant expression; it looked like you were dead! When he could hardly see the rise and fall of your chest, that was when then panic really began to sink in.

“(Y/N)! (Y/N) sweetheart, are you alright?! Hey, hey, look at me, I’m right here. Can you see me?”

  While everything was slightly muffled in sound, you could see everything staring down at you slowly becoming clearer by the second.The bright clear sky, the bright rays of the beating sun... Oliver’s beautiful brown eyes filled with worry.

You give your eyes a couple of good slow blinks and with a gentle nod of your head, you silently let him know that yes, you can see him. He lets a small sigh of relief, reaching over to your shoulders to slowly sit you up.  Once completely upright, you space out for a quick moment attempting to rid your head free of it's fuzziness. Glancing over to him again, you see his eyes are zeroed in on yours and his lips are moving. 

“W-what?” you croaked. 

He slowly repeated his question, “I asked you what happened? You were doing so well and the next thing I know, you were falling.”

A sigh escaped your lips, “I was trying to push myself harder like you told me. With the combination of the heat which, mind you, is completely intolerable, exhaustion from these constant vigorously long days, and not eating since early this morning, my body just gave up.  I suppose it knew that I was mentally and physically worn out and in need of a timeout.”

He looks away with a scowl, his heart shattering. “You said you needed to take a rest but I just pushed it off and look at what happened!” His head whips back ‘round to you as he grabs at your hands, clutching them in his much larger ones. “I’m so sorry that I have been wearing you thin this week and I’m even more so for just now realizing it. I'm probably the worst boyfriend in the world right now.” he seethed. 

“It’s okay Oliver. I’m okay, really, my body just isn’t used to this level of intensive training just yet” you give him a sweet smile, gently squeezing his hand. He leaned into you, giving you a tender loving kiss on the cheek before pulling away.

“So..” you begin, “before we get back on the brooms, how about we go dig into that lunch your mum left us?” you give him a gentle but tired smile. 

Your handsome boyfriend stares blankly at you like you had just grown three new heads. “Excuse me? Get back on the brooms? No. No way are we doing that. Quidditch for you, little lady, is canceled for the rest of the day and in fact, the rest of the summer.” He helps you to your feet before wrapping his strong arms around you lifting you bridal style to carry you back across the vast yard towards his home to settle down and rest for the remainder of the hot summer’s day. 

Oh, how you loved this overprotective man. “But I thought- what if I-”

“ No, I mean it. For the rest of the summer, quidditch is canceled.”

Wrapping your arms around his neck as he carried you, you couldn’t help but smirk at his statement and use the same words he spoke to Professor McGonagall this previous school year against him. “You can’t cancel quidditch!”

[revasserium]

Hey! Can i please ask for 5 + Oikawa? Thanks!

hq!!reqs temporarily: closed ; all other reqs: open

send me a number a character and i’ll write you a drabble ;

5. love as one of the dead languages oikawa ; 3,718 words, assassin!au 

a/n: this will… maybe. have a part 2… maybe. 

for him, love was never a question, and death almost always the answer. it was never a question of why, only how and where and when. but then again, he’d never questioned the who either, assassination as a trade, or the stock of lives taken like tally-marks against his skin – sometimes, when he closes his eyes, he thinks he can hear them screaming. 

the first time he meets you, it’s at the grocery store. you bump into him, one airpod hanging from your ear, a loaded shopping basket swinging from your arms. you turn with wide eyes and a cherry-stem mouth to apologize for not paying more attention. 

he tells you it’s okay, smiles, and glances at the things in your basket. 

“big party this weekend?” 

you shake your head, grinning up at him, “nope! i just really like cooking. so i cook a ton of food and bring it to all my neighbors. there’s an old lady that lives two doors down from me who loves it! and she has the cutest cat – his name is mr. meowmers.” 

oikawa blinks, your voice chiming through him like church bells, the sound of it something he doesn’t think he’ll forget in a hurry. there’s a light in your eyes that makes him wonder if you’ve ever tasted the pain of heartbreak, another part of him that hopes (wishes, like a child on a shooting start) that you won’t ever have to. 

“ah…” is all he musters before you’re off again. 

“he’s a really cute cat, but i think i’m a little allergic. i always get the sniffles when i visit them. or maybe it’s just cause the old lady hasn’t dusted in like… 87 years.” 

oikawa laughs, and the realization shocks even himself. when was the last time he’d laughed like that – a completely unweaponized thing, reactionary and natural. he tries to think back and finds that he can’t remember. 

“oh shit! sorry, i’ve gotta go – the weather forecast said it was gonna rain and i left the goats out on the window. bye! and sorry again for bumping into you!” 

he doesn’t have the chance to ask you your name; he spends the remainder of his shopping trip wondering why he’d ever want such a thing. it’s not like him to be so… sentimental. 

two days later, he moves into a new safehouse. and it’s in a nice enough building, if a little dated (built in the 80′s, or something like that), doorman and mailroom – he thinks he’ll be sad to leave. it isn’t till he hears someone knocking on his door that he frowns, pressing the large sniper rifle he’d been assembling back into its case and kicking the entire thing under the couch before peering cautiously into the peephole. 

his stomach drops out of his body at the sight of your face. 

your cheeks a little pink, your bottom lip caught in your teeth. 

you reach out to knock again, but oikawa pulls the door open with a colgate smile. 

“hi! i’m sorry to bother – oh! it’s you!” 

you blink up at him as he leans casually against the doorframe, wondering what on earth you’re doing here. 

“ah – yes, it’s me,” he says with a small flourish of hands, his heart thumping against his ribcage. the world swaying beneath him because why the hell are you here? and more importantly, why does he care so damn much? 

“uhm – i was wondering if i could borrow some sugar? it’s just – i was baking and i was halfway through mixing everything before i realized that i forgot to buy sugar that one time at the store and – well, the old lady, she likes stuff really, really sweet, even though her doctor’s been telling her that she needs to keep the sugar intake down. and –” you teeter on the balls of your feet, rocking forwards and backwards as you babble on and oikawa can’t help feeling just a bit endeared. 

“do you live here?” he asks, catching you in between breaths. 

you nod, your smile widening tenfold as you point to the door diagonally across from his. his heart sinks into the place where his stomach used to be. 

“yep! just over there.” 

oikawa forces another smile and jerks his head towards his living room, “i can get you some sugar if you give me a sec. how much do you need?” 

you purse your lips, your eyes glittering with what he imagines is an entire galaxy of just-born stars, “just a cup! oh – or maybe two – to be on the safe side. in case i need them for the cupcakes. yeah, definitely two cups.” 

oikawa nods before retreating back into the apartment. he scoops out two cups of sugar from his untouched sugar box into a large bowl and returns to the door, handing it over with a smile. 

you bow your head, your hair fluttering around your shoulders – its only then that he notices how long it is, falling around your face like a waterfall, sleek and smooth and – 

he wonders if it’s soft. girls’ hair usually is. he wonders if it’ll smell nice too. 

he resists the urge to lean foward and check. 

“thank you! i’ll bring you some when they’re finished – and uhm – well,” you stand back up, your cheeks three shades darker than they were before, “thanks, again,” you totter along the edge of your words, and he leans in, as if drawn forward by some invisible force – perhaps gravity, perhaps something much less physical. but he stops himself. 

this is not the time, nor the place. 

“you’re welcome! and, thanks in advance! i’m sure the cake will be delicious!” 

he watches you scurry a back to your door, bowing once more before you turn into your own apartment, the sliver of it he catches when you open your door is bright and a veritable explosion of pastel colors. 

by the time you disappear back into your own apartment, oikawa is already hitting speed dial on his phone. 

“tell me you didn’t fuck this mission up already.” 

oikawa scowls at the sound of iwaizumi’s voice. 

“i’m not always a fuck-up, have a little faith.” 

iwaizumi lets out a bark of laughter, “right, like that time you accidentally left your gloves on the rooftop of the shinjuku hit? or that time –” 

“okay, okay – shut up! i get it, so i’m a little… scattered, but i always get the job done, don’t i?” 

iwaizumi snorts across the lines, “yeah. by some godforsaken miracle.” 

oikawa smirks, “i’m pretty sure being forsaken by god is a prerequisite for assassination as a career path. isn’t that like… on the pamphlet they give you at job fairs?” 

“alright, what do you want?” 

oikawa slumps down on his sofa, “the girl living diagonally across the hall from me. in unit 1012 – whatever info we’ve got on her.” 

silence. and then. 

“do i even wanna ask?” 

oikawa grins, glancing down at the bit of sugar caught on his shirt, “depends. do you like cupcakes?” 

two days later, he returns from a particularly grisly assignment, his joints aching from a completely unwarranted bar fight, the front of his shirt completely soaked in blood and beer. he doesn’t even want to think about how he might smell. 

“rough day at work?” 

every muscle in his body tenses at the sound of your voice. his hand rests on his door and he somehow manages not to break the handle off the hinges. 

he turns towards you, pressing his lips into a rice paper smile. 

“something like that. some of the coworkers wanted to get some drinks after and uh – things got a little messy.” 

you laugh, your shoulders shaking, your eyes alight with mirth. he watches you with a muted fascination. he’s never known anyone to laugh as freely as you do. 

“a little, you look like you murdered a guy!” 

he laughs, “oh, homicide via tequila shots is a pretty frequent occurrence in my life, so, you’re not entirely wrong.” 

you smile, ducking into your apartment only to return a moment later with a platter of freshly baked cookies. 

“here, i made these today – macadamia nuts, you said you like them, right?” 

oikawa nods, cautiously reaching out to take a few, hoping that you won’t notice the blood caked beneath his fingernails. 

when he finally pushes through the door of his own temporary abode, he finds iwaizumi sprawled across the couch, his feet propped up on the coffee table. 

his eyebrows are millimeters from disappearing into his hairline. 

“homicide via tequila shots – really?” 

oikawa scoffs through a mouthful of cookie, pulling his sullied shirt over his head and tossing it into the basket by his door, lovingly labeled burn pile. 

iwaizumi eyes him with a curious expression. 

“i got the file, on the chick in 1012.” he waves a thin folio in the air before tossing it down onto the table by his feet. oikawa swallows, licks the crumbs from his lips before picking up the file. 

he nods, skimming over your name, birth date, birth place, social security, nationality. 

“studying criminal psychology, interesting.” 

iwaizumi cackles, “that girl? criminal psych? please say sike.” 

oikawa frowns, “you never know, she could have been onto us since day one.” 

iwaizumi rolls his eyes, “us – you mean you? letting her borrow sugar.” 

oikawa scoffs, “it’s just sugar, and it’s not like i’ll ever use it for anything.” 

“right, cause you can’t cook worth a shit.” 

“i’ll filet your ass if you keep on going off –” 

“you know that this can’t be a thing, right?” iwaizumi’s voice dips into a lower register, his eyes going dark as he leans forward to fix oikawa with a look. 

oikawa narrows his eyes, “of course i know it can’t be a thing – i let her borrow sugar. it’s not like a fucking proposal for marriage –” 

iwaizumi shrugs, “with you, i’m never sure.” 

oikawa pouts, raising his hand to toss your file back at iwaizumi. but he stops himself with a sigh. he opens his mouth to say something, but a series of knocks at the door tells him that you’re on the other side of it. probably with another tray of some baked good you’d spent the whole day making. 

he takes a breath and opens the door. 

“hey! i made challa bread – cause the couple in 1017 are jewish and – oh, were you about to take a shower? sorry –” 

oikawa glances down at his bare chest and flashes you a sheepish grin. 

“i was about to hop in the shower, but damn, these look really good. did you have to braid it yourself and everything?” 

you nod, the excitement painted so plainly across your face he feels his heart stutter. 

fuck. 

“here! uhm – this one’s for you. and uh – if your friend wants some, he can have some too! i’ll let you get back to your – uhm –” you glance at his chest again before flushing the most darling shade of pink, “showering,” you finish, bowing as he reaches out to pick up the large loaf of challah bread. he waves his free hand as you scramble back to your own apartment, glancing over your shoulder once more before ducking behind the door. 

oikawa closes his own door with a sigh. 

he meets iwaizumi’s gaze with a flatline one of his own. 

iwaizumi looks from the loaf of bread in oikawa’s hands back up to his face. 

“not a marriage proposal, huh?” he scoffs, “damn, you’re fucked.” 

oikawa stares down at the freshly baked bread in his hands before heaving a sigh. 

“get out of my house – i still need to shower.” 

iwaizumi gives him one last once-over before pushing to his feet. he brushes by oikawa with a grimace, pausing by the door even as oikawa sets the challah on the kitchen counter. 

“y’know, it’s the first time i’ve heard you call anywhere a house.” 

oikawa stiffens. “it’s called a safehouse, isn’t it?” 

iwaizumi lets out a mirthless laugh, “yeah, but the way i see it now – it’s the farthest thing from safe for you.” 

and then he’s gone, before oikawa has the time to snap back, or perhaps throw something at the back of his head. oikawa glares at the place where iwaizumi had sat on his couch and vows to wash the pillow covers the next day. he glances back at the challah bread, and then to the file still on his coffee table. 

maybe, just maybe, he should find a new safehouse. he takes a cold shower and decides to invite you to dinner next week instead. 

“i thought you said you’d made lasagna before!” you laugh, bumping oikawa out of the way with your hip, bending over to inspect the damage he’d managed to do in the four minutes you were in the living room picking a movie to watch. 

“i have! in cooking mama – and garfield makes it look pretty easy,” he says, pouting as he leans over you, trying to watch what you were doing with the lasagna but he can’t concentrate for the smell of your shampoo. green apple and jasmine flowers. coffee beans and petrichor. 

you almost smack into his nose as you lean back up, closing the oven door with a snap. 

“it’ll be ready in about four more minutes. and is john wick okay with you?” you glance over your shoulder at him. he licks his lips before flashing you a sheepish smile. 

“maybe something that’s not about killing people?” 

you smile, “what, not good with blood?” 

oikawa shrugs, “something like that. what about marley and me?” 

you gasp, “so you’re okay with a dog dying, but not with people?” 

he yelps, shaking his head, “i mean, no! it’s just – you had a lab when you were younger, right? so i thought maybe –” 

you quirk your head, “how’d you know i had a lab?” 

oikawa blinks. 

well shit. 

the timer goes off and you jump, turning back to the oven. the moment passes like any other moment, and with you tittering about how hot the lasagna pan is, oikawa tries to remember that breathing shouldn’t be so difficult – but it is. he forces himself to breathe in, and then out, and then in again. 

you end up watching something on the disney channel, but oikawa’s too distracted by the way your leg is pressed up against his for the entire duration of the movie to pay attention. 

the lasagna is good (no thanks to him), and when the movie ends, you turn to smile at him, a bit of sauce on your upper lip. he reaches out to wipe it away and time slows around him, the way it usually does right before he pulls the trigger, every millisecond coalescing around him in stark, mind-numbing clarity. 

you lean forward at the same time he does. 

the second before he kisses you feels like an entire eternity – one that he can stretch and bend to his will as he pleases. something he can mold between the palms of his hands – these hands that have only ever known death now cupped around your cheeks like they’re learning how to hold life for the very first time. 

he kisses you with trembling lips and when you pull back, you flash him a tiny little frown. 

“why’re you shaking? i’m not going anywhere.” 

oikawa lets out a breathy laugh before leaning in to kiss you again, harder this time. his lips more sure, though his mind is the furthest thing from sure – he can’t shake the tightness curling in his chest, wrapping his heart in a thick gauze of worry – when he pulls away again, breathless and lightheaded, he wonders if this is what fear feels like. 

real fear. like the phobia of heights, or falling. 

or rather, falling in love. 

shit. fuck. goddammit. 

the next time he meets iwaizumi, the latter is much too pleased with oikawa’s clear distress. 

“not gonna say i told you so,” he says, smirking as he tosses back a glass of scotch. 

oikawa glares, nursing his own glass between his fingers, “well you just said it, so fuck you.” 

iwaizumi raps his knuckles on the bar for a refill. it appears a moment later, and he promptly downs this one as well. 

“well, you know my advice. nip it in the bud – kill it before it –” 

“she’s got a name –” 

“fuck oikawa, i was talking about the relationship, not actually killing her.” 

oikawa tosses back his own drink, grimacing as it hits the back of his throat. 

“could’a fooled me.” 

iwaizumi frowns before flagging down the bartender and tapping at oikawa’s glass. 

“we’ll take the rest of the bottle.” 

the bartender regards him with a dubious look before iwaizumi tosses down his black card and the bartender bows, scurrying away to fetch the drink. 

“he’ll probably upcharge you for that,” oikawa says, not looking up from his empty glass. 

iwaizumi shrugs, “who cares. company card.” 

oikawa allows himself a helpless sort of grin. 

“maybe i’ll just tell her,” he says, swaying in his seat as the bartender returns with the bottle of tequila and iwaizumi’s card. 

iwaizumi thanks the man before turning back to oikawa. 

“what, that you kill people for a living? please don’t – i’ll end up having to take you out, and we both know you’re not gonna enjoy that.” 

oikawa laughs, “you wouldn’t kill me.” 

iwaizumi heaves a long sigh, “wouldn’t i?” 

oikawa shakes his head, and a moment later, iwaizumi laughs. 

“you’re right. i probably wouldn’t. which is why they’d assign someone else to you. someone without any emotional connection – and then you’ll be just another target. just another mark.” 

oikawa nods, “just another mark,” he repeats, even as iwaizumi refills his glass. 

“so,” iwaizumi says, slipping off the barstool, clapping oikawa on the shoulder, “like i said, kill it before it gets worse. and i mean –” he shrugs, “if you gotta kill her too. well, that’s just how it be sometimes, right?” 

oikawa grunts, downing his drink before pouring himself another. 

that night, he gets home way too late, only to find you curled up on his couch, his jacket tossed over your shoulders. 

he smiles as he crouches down next to you, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear, letting his fingers linger against your skin. he watches the way you sleep, peaceful, without a single sign of bad dreams. what must it be like, to be so innocent and unhaunted by the cruelties of the world? to fall asleep without the fear of death looming over your next waking moments. 

he leans in, his lips moments from yours when you awaken again, smiling as he kisses you. tender and sweet. 

“rough day at work?” you ask, blinking sleepily up at him. 

“yeah,” he says, smiling as you push yourself up onto your elbows, barely stifling a yawn, “sorry i’m so late. there was a big project that needed finishing.” 

you nod, burying your head in the crook of his neck as he scoops you up into his arms. he carries you to the bedroom and lays you down in bed, kicking off his pants and shucking his shirt before crawling into bed next to you, curling up around you with a long breath. 

you relax into him, your heartbeat steady beneath his palm as he holds you close.

after a moment, you giggle, twisting around in his arms till you’re face to face, your hands pressed against his chest. you lean up to kiss him, nipping playfully at his lower lip as you do. 

“quit being such a scardy cat, like i said, i’m not going anywhere.” 

he smiles and crushes you against him, burrowing into the junction of your neck, the place where you smell the most like you. he takes a deep breath, and then another. they both come out shakey, and you card your fingers through his hair with a sigh. 

“do you wanna talk about it?” 

oikawa shakes his head. 

“okay then, we don’t have to talk about it – but here’s what i know – i know that you’re a good person. and that you like cats more than dogs, but you’re also super loyal, like a dog. you suck at cooking, but you’re not terrible at baking, and you like classical music with violins in it. i know that you’ve got your heart in the right place, and to me, that’s all that matters.” 

you hold his face between your palms like it’s something precious. 

he hiccups and wonders if it’s at all healthy to be feeling like this – to be so full of some unnamed emotion, to be boiling with it to the point where he’s sure he’ll burst. he kisses you, hard, and hopes that somehow, someway – this will all work out. 

though he has no idea how. 

he pulls back with a watery laugh. 

“you’re the best.” 

you smile and lean in to nuzzle your nose against his. 

when you pull back, he settles into the pillow, hooking one of his legs over yours with a contented grin. 

you trace the line of his nose with your forefinger, bringing it down to his lips, where he presses in to give you another kiss. 

“tooru?” 

“hm?” he hums, allowing the tiredness to seep from his body and into the sheets. he thinks that whatever it takes – whatever that might be – to make all of this, all of this with you, work out – he’ll worry about it tomorrow. 

you lick your lips. 

“can i ask you something?” 

he smiles, a little sleepy, a little (or maybe a lot) in love, “sure, shoot.” 

you take a breath, hesitate for a moment before – 

“why do you always smell like gunpowder?” 

—

taglist:  @thewaterlily @dorkyama @vventure @parkersvibes @lena-chan009 @tickles614 @therandomfandomcollector @undertheseabass @miyulovestowrite  @writing-in-monotone @lceiji @writeiolite 

pls let me know if you’d like to be add/removed. 

[imagine-loki]

The Naughty Poltergeist

TITLE :The Naughty Poltergeist

CHAPTER: #1 of ?

AUTHOR'S: lokilover9 & velvetzybanshee

RATING: M

NOTES: This one shot is based on Loki having paid penance for ruining Thor's coronation. He never fell from the bifrost, nor attacked earth and is now free. Not to discount his true history, we just thought he deserved some happy. As for Felipe, he's based on the Spanish character Agador Spartacus, from the movie  The Birdcage and speaks in broken english. 

EXTRAS: Madre = mother  niña = girlfriend  panocha = pussy

Original Imagine  

Imagine thinking your new house is haunted. No one knows Loki lives there because he's always invisible and conjures furniture as needed. Disgruntled by your presence, he behaves like a poltergeist until one day you've had enough."I'm not leaving! Show yourself dammit!" Nothing happens for days and you think he's gone. Then while giving friends a tour, you find him naked on your bed drinking whiskey. "Cheers, darling. You did say show myself." Only you can see him and he follows you around like that for the remainder of their visit.

Loki was content residing on Midgard. With Thor King of Asgard remaining heavily influenced by Odin, he felt displaced as ever and decided to travel abroad. It was aloud providing he didn't hide from Heimdall and returned were the realm threatened, but that didn't mean he behaved. Midgard's continents teamed with beautiful maidens and Loki spent months at a time seducing them across the globe. Yet an introvert by nature, the constant socializing became exhausting. He needed intervals of solitude to rejuvenate his mind and cock. Indecisive of where, he conjured a world map, closed his eyes and randomly chose a location. 

First attempt. "A Frost Giant in the Amazon? I think not." 

Second. "Middle of the Bermuda Triangle? Know enough aliens already, thank you." 

Third. "Inside and active volcano? Fenrir's arsehole." He scoffed. 

Fourth. "Very well. Maine it is." 

The god settled in a vacant Victorian evicting its two following buyers with  'ghostly' shenanigans. Yet to the king of this miniature palace's annoyance the next didn't frighten so easily. 

Alexis was proud having bought her own house after a long divorce. Closer to friends and hours from meddling family, she'd thought herself free of troubles until sensing the place haunted. While unpacking, items started going missing and resurfacing in different places like her keys, clothing and once her vibrator after an evening of ménage à moi, disturbingly appeared in her dishwasher the next morning. Doors would slam, electricity short circuited, faucets unexpectedly ran, but most disconcerting was a voice randomly whispering 'mine' into her ear. Whether in the shower, her yard, doorways, the ghost didn't care. Alexis burned sage, had the house blessed, held a seance with a local paranormal group, but nothing helped. When returning after a long day at work to find half the main floor repacked, she angrily shouted into the air. 

"Ha ha, trickster! You don't scare me and I am 'not' leaving!" She held up a large envelope. "This is 'my' crib and here's the deed to prove it. Show yourself dammit!" Nothing happened so she put everything back, showered, grabbed her vibrator and stormed into the upstairs corridor. "And one more thing! See this? Touch it again and I'll summon your ass with a ouija board and douse you in holy water!" 

Loki inwardly chuckled. 'I'll be sure to bring a towel.' When she fell asleep reading in bed, he snuck a peek at what had intrigued her. 'Smutty fanfiction? Tisk, darling. Who could your heartthrob be? The name sounded familiar so he googled it. 'Ah, the actor from Crimson Peak. Good movie, but I'm much better looking. 'A wicked grin curled his lips when she moaned Tom's name. 'Maybe I need to play a little 'dirtier.'

With the next several days uneventful, Alexis thought she'd frightened the ghost off when in reality he was buying time. Since moving her in friends offered extra hands in their free time, but it was her befriended neighbor, a single gay man with a flamboyant, funloving personality who'd helped the most. They met one afternoon when she peered over his fence to complain about blaring Salsa music as he hosted a pool party. Felipe was sunbathing in a yellow thong, wearing sunglasses with enough bling to impress Liberace and choked on a shot of tequila when she whipped a pebble at his head. He invited her over with a promise to adorn shorts, they hit it off and became besties. 

Alexis planned to have other friends over for dinner one month after moving in, but with all the goings on had postponed twice. Now with a set date, Felipe was invited too and asked what she planned to cook.

"Who said anything about cooking? I suck at it Amigo and prefer no one hurling on my lawn." 

She waved a take out menu and he dramatically gasped. "Chinese food for eight people? Where you gonna put up you blow job booth to pay the mortgage after?"

Alexis smirked. "You're such a slut, Felipe."

He shrugged. "Happy whoopie stick makes a happy me."

"I think I've forgotten what they look like." 

"I show you mine, but no touchy touchy." She laughed, knowing he was kidding. "Too long without sex causes brain damage, niña. How long its been for you?" 

"Since my ex and I separated nineteen months ago."

"Ay dios mio. I lend you my Dustbuster for the cobwebs down there."

"Not funny, Felipe." 

"See. Abstinence makes everyone bitchy. My sister Maritza too. She was happy single before becoming a nun. Now she's Oscar the grouch with eyes like the chucky doll."

"How come you can pronounce words like 'abstinence' and 'cock' so well yet not others?" Alexis teased.

"Don't make me spank you. Come, we go shopping."

"For what?"

"I help you cook. We stay home and talk about cock, mine will curse me in Spanish. He's lonely too."

Alexis slipped on footwear. 

"Why you wearing those?" Asked Felipe.

"What's wrong with flip flops?" 

He stepped onto the porch. "You need something sexier, like bitch boots."

"It's ninety degrees in the shade today."

"So?"

Loki sighed when the door closed, relieved for some peace. He thought Felipe annoying enough as a neighbor yet worse as a guest who never stopped talking. So much so, he'd pondered concocting a tongue numbing spell, sneaking into his house and applying a heavy dose while he slept. But knowing his flair for drama, he'd run panicked to Alexis in the Boo from Monsters Inc. robe worn onto his deck every morning, carrying a note pleading to stay and until recovering, would hysterically sob each time he couldn't sing along to one of the show tunes on his phone. Loki opted to tolerate him for now. He'd be gone once Alexis left. 

The day of feasting came and while she handled finishing touches around the house, Felipe prepared guacamole dip and ingredients for fajitas while mixing margaritas. Hearing music, Alexis snuck to the kitchen and started recording him singing to Bad Girl, by Donna Summer while dancing like a hussy. 

"Toot toot, hey, beep beep

Toot toot, hey, beep beep

Hey mister, have you got a dime?

Hey mister, do you want to spend some time, ooh yeah

I got what you want, you got what I need

I’ll be your baby, come and spend it on me…"

He startled when noticing her.  "Girlfrien', you post that on social media, I kill you."

Alexis propped her phone on the counter and joined in wildly shaking her chest. 

Felipe tried the same. "No fair. I need big titties like yours to jiggle. Next time I bring tangerines and a bra."

Loki secretly watched on. 'Fucknuts.'

The three couples soon arrived. One, old neighbors of Alexis, Blake and Deidre, the others, her friends, Sage, Lisa and their newest flames Colby and Grant. She started a tour on the main floor then the upper leaving her bedroom for last. Excited to show it off, she was already opening the door as they shuffled out of the second.

"And this is my creme de la...eep!" She quietly squeaked once inside.

The resident spookster sat perched against her headboard sporting only what the Norn's delivered him to the universe in and winked pouring himself a whiskey. "You did say show myself, yes?"

She hurried out, slammed the door and her friends froze on approach. "Erm..wouldn't ya know I forgot to make my bed. Anyone for a drink?" 

Alexis passed them for the stairs and cringed when Deidre spoke. She was nice enough, but sometimes persistent when it wasn't welcome. "Nonsense, friends don't care. Right everyone?" 

Alexis continued down. "Enter at your risk then." 

Felipe watched her rush by into the pantry, close the door, followed and closed it too. "What you are doing?" 

"I can't go back out there."

"Why?" 

"He's upstairs naked on my bed." She anxiously whispered. 

"Which boyfriend? I take up the wooden spoon."

"No, the fucking ghost!" 

"It's a man? Is he hot and what do I tell your peeps? You afraid to come out of the closet?"

"Felipe!" 

"Sorry, it's the margaritas."

"I thought you the one person who believed my stories."

He eyed her sympathetically. "I do. You want I go bribe him to leave with a mcsqeezy?"

"Will you be serious? Ghosts aren't supposed to be naked. One look at him and everyone will think I invited them for an orgy." 

Blake and Grant came down first catching bits of their conversation and quietly conversed. 

"Can't believe she's still imagining this ghost." Blake wise cracked. "I always told Deidre she had a screw loose."

"Nah." Said Grant. "Lexi's a smart cookie. Sounds more like she needs a man. There's one inside with her. Maybe they'll shag, knock some shit off shelves." 

Felipe stuck his head out the door. "You not so quiet, cumquats. I gay. You want I show you my jolly green giant and shag 'you' inside against the creamed corn?"

Loki rubbed the back of his neck. 'I sacrificed prowling beaches of the French Riviera for this?'

Hearing the ladies coming, Alexis approached Blake and quietly inquired. "Still peeing in your wife's pond at night, murdering her koy? I'd see you through my bedroom blinds. Who's a few cans short of a six pack?" 

"Oooh snap." Said Felipe. 

Grant nudged the arse. "Let's chill in the dining room. There's a makeshift bar and appetizers."

The ladies entered the kitchen. "Who's a nincompoop?" Asked Deidre.

Felipe almost answered but pursed his lips together when Alexis loudly cleared her throat. "You know, just my ex."

"He sure is, honey." 

"Your bed's made, girl." Said Sage. "The room looks great." 

They all agreed passing through while thirty year old Lisa's younger boyfriend lingered. "Pretty awesome digs ya got here."

"Thanks." Replied Alexis.

Colby slid his hands into his pockets. "Soo..Lisa says you think it's haunted."

"Yep."

He spaced out for a second, staring at the floor. "I once thought a bat in our house was my dead uncle Howie haunting my parents for selling his mannequin of Vlad the Impaler. But hey, sometimes weird shit happens when you're stoned right?" Alexis and Felipe were saved when Lisa called him. "She misses me already. Laters." 

"He looks fresh from his madres panocha." Commented Felipe.

"That's the way Lisa likes them. Says the younger they are, the easier it is to train them."

Loki rolled his eyes. 'Age is irrelevant.'

Felipe feigned fright by playfully biting his nails. "She bad. Maybe Colby wear a leash and bark like a good doggy for her?" He goofily imitated one in a deep voice. "Woof, woof..woof. Or maybe he sound like an angry chihuahua?"

Alexis smirked. "I have my own problems. A streaking phantom who now makes unexpected appearances."

Felipe gave her a margarita. "Cheers. These make everything better." 

Alexis gulped down the beverage as he watched with raised brows. "Thanks. Next time that streaker appears, I'll just ignore him."

"Next time I give you smaller glass. Go enjoy you friends, niña"

She gave a thumbs up on her way out. "I got this. Easy peasy right?"

Loki mischievously grinned. 'Darling, I'm just getting started.