#john looks so harmless in this :)

[scooterscoob]

I love horror podcast protags

[somnoir]

How to pull a Batman by J. Constantine

John Constantine wouldn't say he was quite fond of children. He's not fatherly by any means so he knows that he's not suitable for raising children. It's just that he somehow ends up with a young girl at his front door (how she found the house of mystery, he's not sure). The little girl looked normal but she felt off. Too drenched in death to be a run-of-the-mill child. Her red hair seemed to turn into flames at the tips, and her eyes were eerily teal and glowed. Everything about her seemed wrong.

"Hello." She murmured, "Clockwork told me to come find you."

And she was just blinking, looking utterly uncanny as John reluctantly welcomed her into the house. "Master of Time?" He hesitated, knowing that amongst the many powerful beings he'd met the ancient of time had been one of them. A mirthful entity who seemed amused by the chaos and order of the multiverse. 

"He told me to give you this!" The girl fished out a glowing green paper from... y'know, he's not sure. 

And in mocking calligraphy the words:

"You owe me :). p.s. there's more."

was directed at John like a fucking signal. 

Great... Being indebted to the cosmic entity of time has made him a father.

He thought it'd happen one time. Just once. Little Jasmine was adept at the occult and got along well with ghosts, often playing peacemaker when one of them tried bothering Constantine. She was concerningly liminal for a twelve-year-old child, but she brushed it of for the fact that her siblings were either halfas or very liminal. Was he concerned, admittedly yes. 

It wasn't until there was a pounding at the door again did he start praying to any god willing to listen. But no. The sentient house practically dragged him through the halls and led him to where Jazz was eagerly waiting, a grin on her face. 

"My baby brothers are here!" She excitedly says, eyes practically sparkling as she grabs him by the hand. 

"Slow down, darlin'. They won't bloody leave if we slow down." He sighed in exasperation, before pulling the door open. Two pairs of eyes stared into his very soul, making his breath hitch.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. What the hell was Clockwork sending him?!

"Danny! Dan" Jazz squealed, dragging the two halfas into the house. One with green eyes and another with red. 

"Clockie wasn't kidding when he said he's a sad guy in a trench coat." The one with green eyes muttered, still floating and staying close to Jazz and his twin. 

"Clockwork slept with that?" The red-eyed one unabashedly judged. "Another fruitloop..." The boy snarled.

John Constantine could already predict the future at this point.

Daniel and Dante take to the house immediately, haunting it to their hearts content.

In the course of four years, the hellblazer drowns in the depths of fatherhood, making sure that no one could find out about his children. No. Not even Batman.

He'd be damned (even more) than let anyone involve the best parts of his life in contingency plans and whatnot. 

His kids grow up to be a rowdy and peculiar bunch.

His eldest, Jazz, was turning out to be one hell of a magician. Especially in necromantic arts that he's tried not to touch many times.

The twins, Danny and Dante were little hellions that made him want to tear his hair out. Its later on when Clockwork comes to visit their children (because its joint custody now) that he's informed that one is the crown prince of the realms and to be king upon the expiration of his mortality, and the other was an alternate version of him and was dubbed the world destroyer. 

His fourth child and second daughter had come in the form of Sam, who had popped up in the house and was decorating it with plants he from different dimensions. Also, she was apparently a green witch that now had the powers of the spirit known as undergrowth. The house was green.

His fifth child came in the form of a boy with a red hat and a laptop clutched against his chest. Tucker had seemed so harmless and sweet compared to his older siblings... until John found him performing ancient egyptian rituals and casually hacking into the Pentagon for fun. 

His last (Thank god) daughter was a zoomie toddler. Little Elle had arrived three years after Jazz did. A five year old with such intense wanderlust that he was tempted to buy one of those harness leash thingies parents had their children wear. Also, like the twins in which she was the clone of, she was one hell of a child being directly connected to the speed force.

So in conclusion, John Constantine was the father of three children on the verge of becoming Ancients, a highly intelligent girl with a very deep connection to death, the successor of fucking Undergrowth, and a boy who could effortlessly hack into government systems whilst being a pharao-in-training. 

Batman must never know.

In the far future, John Constantine battles it out with Bruce Wayne, who's children thought it was a good idea to start flirting with his hellions.

Constantine: TO HELL WITH YOU IF YOU THINK IM LETTING MY PERFECT JAZZY PANTS DATE YOUR FLIPPY SON!

Bruce: SHE'S GOOD FOR HIM!

Constantine: YEAH WILL IS HE GOOD FOR HER?!

And then it gets worse once John catches the Red Hood displaying some ghostly courting behaviour towards Dan. And he's just.

Constantine: Tell your children to back off.

Bruce: You think I haven't tried???

Then comes Danny and Tim with their unhinged behavior. Constantine isn't even mad about the fact that his son is dating one of the Bats. He's just concerned about the chaos with these two.

Bruce: okay, that one is not allowed. How do we get them to break up?

Constantine who's already witnessed Danny making plans to brutally murder Ra's for some spleen: Yeah, no. Good luck with that one.

By the time it's just Sam, Tucked, and Elle, he's praying it's not one of the Bats.

He really is.

Tucked is emmersed in his work but that didn't stop him from befriending Bart Allen and the current Kid Flash. Time travel is the one they usually discuss. (Dante and Constantine were very much on the same page when it came to keeping them just friends.)

And then Sam somehow ends up catching the attention of a daughter of Zeus. By this point, Constantine was preparing to fight god again and would have to ask his ex for a favor.

He's just so happy his precious princess Elle was being a sweet fifteen years old and wasn't daring crazy people.

(Damian was being rather suspicious...)

[whateveriwant]

The 141 holding their baby for the first time

Can be read as a part 2 to this

Price

This man is so eager to hold his child for the first time, he almost doesn't wait for the nurses to clean him off first. So what if his son is covered in all sorts of blood and gunk? John has dealt with a lot worse before, trust him

So when he has to wait for the little one to be cleaned and then weighed and then dressed first, John almost steams from his ears he's so frustrated

Oh but the moment his child is finally placed in his arms, he just absolutely melts. Goes from a menacing grizzly bear to a harmless stuffed plushie in two seconds flat

With one hand supporting his bottom and the other curving along his back, John gently holds his son for the very first time. As he looks at the boy in his arms – his eyes, his lips, his little button nose – John feels a tickle behind his eyes, and he's quick to blink the tears away before they can form

He sniffs back his emotions and caresses the top of your son's head. “Hairy little bloke, ain't he?” he jokes, referring to the full head of hair the tyke's already been blessed with

Well, what does he expect when he has a werewolf for a father? Your jest gets John to chuckle lowly, muttering to the boy, “Just like your daddy, eh?”

He places the baby against the crook of his neck and softly pats him on the back, bouncing up and down ever so slightly. And when his son lets out a great big burp, John and you share a laugh. “Yeah, just like your daddy.”

Ghost

One thing Simon prides himself on is his sense of humility – knowing when his services are needed and when they aren't. In this instance, as the nurses flit around with his son, he knows it's the latter situation, so he waits patiently off to the side as he lets them work

Though he's sidelined, Simon watches like a hawk as his little boy moves about the room. Every hand-off, every measurement taken, it's all done under the careful eye of his father

But despite how cool he may appear on the outside, inside his heart is pounding, and that only increases as a nurse finally approaches him with his child in her hands

Simon goes to take the baby from her, stretching his arms out, but before the transfer is made, he remembers something. Quickly, he reaches up and strips the cloth mask from his face. He knows the little one doesn't have good eyesight yet, but first impressions and all that, right?

With the utmost caution, Simon takes his son into his arms, putting him in the crook of his elbow like a rugby player holding a ball. He feels like a giant as he holds the tiny boy against him. Like an ant compared to an elephant, he thinks to himself

Despite his size though, Simon is so delicate with his son, treating him like he's made of glass. He tucks him more firmly against his chest, and as the little one naturally snuggles closer, Simon can't help the smile it brings to his face

Rocking back and forth slightly, Simon tries to lull the boy to sleep. Unfortunately, his little cheek rubbing against Simon's chest has the opposite effect, and he begins to mouth at his pec, having accidentally triggered his rooting reflex

“Oh, he's…,” Simon mutters awkwardly, realizing what he's just done. He hears you giggle from your spot on your bed, and that makes him chuckle to himself. “Think he's hungry,” he says before handing the baby over to you

Gaz

From the moment Kyle laid eyes on his son, it was love at first sight. Even though he was filthy, wrinkly, and had a conehead to end all coneheads, Kyle was immediately smitten with the boy the moment he first saw him

He carefully trails after the nurses as they go about cleaning him/taking his measurements, not wanting to get in the way but wanting to stay close

Despite his watchfulness, however, when his son is finally offered to him, Kyle immediately freezes. His arms feel like they're locked down by his sides, like there's some kind of invisible force preventing him from reaching out and taking him

Though he's been preparing for this moment for months, when it's finally time to do it, he finds that he's scared. Scared to hurt him, to drop him, to do something wrong. He has to take a deep breath as he plucks up the courage, then has the nurse hand over his son

And the second the boy is placed in Kyle's arms, the tears he hadn't managed to shed during the delivery start streaming anew. “H-Hi, baby. Hi,” Kyle sobs, masterfully holding his son in one hand as he uses the other to wipe his tears away. “I'm your daddy.”

Though there's still a flurry of activity going on around them, it's like time seems to slow as Kyle admires the little boy in his arms. He leans in to press a soft kiss to the top of his son's head, holding his lips there as he inhales that sweet scent emanating from him

When he finally pulls back, he brushes another tear away, flashing a bright smile as he chuckles wetly to himself. Yep, he's in love alright. Truly, deeply in love

Soap

Johnny feels sluggish as he slowly wakes back up. It takes some effort for him to peel his eyes open, and when he does, he then groggily takes in his surroundings

He's slumped in some stiff hospital chair. Why? Oh, wait. He thinks he remembers. He was here to watch the birth of his first child, but the last thing he remembers was seeing a whole lot of red, and then everything went black

Johnny looks around the room for a moment until he realizes you're sitting in the bed across from him. He stands with a grunt, rubbing his forehead as he walks over to you. “What'd I miss?” he asks as approaches your bed

He notices something in your arms, but it's not until he gets close that he realizes what exactly. That isn't just any little bundle in your arms. That's your son you're holding

He finds he's frozen to his spot as you answer his question. Other than the birth? Not much. Just the first feeding… and the first burping… and the first swaddling

Johnny's lip threatens to tremble as he listens to you list off all the things he missed because he'd passed out. But when you ask in he wants to hold his son, all that sorrow immediately vanishes

Now, Johnny's held a lot of babies in his years (it comes with being part of the MacTavish clan), but there's something different this time as you pass the little boy to him. As Johnny looks at the baby in his arms – his baby – he realizes this is the most perfect, most beautiful, most amazing, angelic, awe-inspiringly wonderful–

There's the sound of a small whine followed quickly by a loud squish, and suddenly, the bum cradled in his hands feels about 2x heavier. The realization hits you before it does Johnny, and you can't help the laugh that bubbles out of you

Congrats, daddy-o! Looks like he woke up just in time for the first nappy change

[lacydollette]

BLESSING IN DISGUISE — CHAPTER TWO

PAIRING lovely kook!reader x jj maybank

SUMMARY after reconnecting with your childhood best friend sarah, she introduces you to the pogues, and one of them definitely strikes your interest more than he should’ve

WARNING(S) slightly suggestive, jj being a flirt, kook x pogue dynamics, kie lowkey being a hater, mentions of readers and rafes past, spin the bottle, mentions of alcohol, kissing

The golden coast of Kildare Island's sunset painted the sky as Sarah guided you down the dirt path toward John B's chateau, feeling a bit anxious. After all your life wasn’t like any of theirs, and that scared you a bit.

"Just... don't let JJ get to you. He's... well, you'll see." She warned you, knowing that her friend would try to hit on you every chance he got.

You smirked, tucking your wavy hair behind your ear. "You're acting like I'm not used to guys like him. Trust me, I've handled worse."

Yet you couldn't stop the flood of nerves rolling through your body. Coming back to Kildare was one thing; entering the world of Sarah's pogues was another. For someone like you—Rafe’s ex, and being a "kook" in every sense of the word—this was like walking into enemy territory.

You couldn’t help but think of Rafe as you walked along the chunky trail, to him the pogues were always equal to filthy animals, so knowing that Sarah was now one of them made you curious.

Of course, just like Rafe, you used to stay away from pogues, maybe with one exception, but that didn’t matter now. You were taught that your worlds shouldn’t mix, that it wouldn’t work, but knowing just how pathetic your old life was, it maybe wouldn’t be too bad of an idea.

Your little boots crunched against the gravel as you took in the sight before you: a quiet run down house that looked like it had survived one hurricane too many, mismatched furniture scattered across the yard, and a group of teens lounging in the chaos like it was their kingdom.

As you stepped onto the property, a tall, blonde boy was the first to notice you, his face lighting up in surprise and excitement. He jumped down from where he'd been sitting and strode over, his grin wide.

"Dammit Sarah, if I had known that you'd bring over a goddess I would've put on less clothes." JJ drawled, his blue eyes locked on you. Now you definitely knew what Sarah was talking about. Nothing you couldn’t handle tho.

Before you could respond, Sarah stepped between you, rolling her eyes. "JJ, seriously? Don't scare her off five seconds in.”

"Just being friendly," JJ said, holding his hands up in mock innocence. His eyes didn't leave yours, though, and you couldn't help the faint warmth rising in your cheeks. He was super hot.

And you were definitely amused by his charm, lips curving into a slow, knowing smile. "And you must be the rowdy pogue with a reputation to match." You replied smoothly. JJ seemed a bit taken aback, and his grin widened, clearly enjoying the challenge.

"Guilty as charged. But don't worry, I'm harmless... mostly."

"Come on," Sarah said, dragging you toward the group. "Before he says something even dumber."

Getting closer to the group, Kiara was the first to get up. She crossed her arms over her chest, her sharp eyes piercing through you, feeling skeptical. "So, you're y/n."

"Guilty," you said, echoing JJ's words with a playful shrug. You extended a hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Kiara hesitated before shaking your hand. "Yeah, nice to meet you too." Her words were clipped, and you didn't miss the side eye Kiara shot at Sarah. But you didn’t judge her, after all you were kind of skeptical too.

Luckily the rest of the introductions went smoother. Pope was polite but distracted, and John B—Sarah's new boyfriend—was laid-back and welcoming, though his smile carried a hint of curiosity, like he was trying to figure you out.

But it was JJ who lingered, his gaze following your every move, his flirty comments never far behind. It felt all so exciting.

"So, y/n," JJ said as you all settled into your seats, beers in hand. "What's a kook princess like you doing slumming it with us?"

Sarah shot him a warning look, but you just smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know, hm?"

JJ laughed, clearly enjoying the way you confronted him, while Kiara rolled her eyes, muttering something under her breath.

As the evening wore on, the tension in the air began to ease. You found yourself laughing at John B's ridiculous stories, paired with JJ's enthusiasm, and even getting a nod of approval from Pope when you mentioned your favorite book. Kiara, however, remained a mystery to you.

"Alright, truth or dare time," JJ announced suddenly, grabbing a bottle from the sand. "No backing out."

"Oh, come on," Kiara groaned, though she didn't move to leave.

The first few rounds were tame, the dares harmless and the truths revealing just enough to keep things fun. Then the bottle landed on JJ.

"Oh, here we go," Pope muttered, earning a laugh from the group.

JJ leaned back, spreading his arms like he was owning the place. "Hit me, baby." He smirked, eyes locked on you as a devilishly, alcohol fueled, idea came to your mind. You just couldn’t hold back, lips curling into a mischievous smile. "I dare you to kiss me."

The whole group fell silent, every eye darting between you and JJ. Even the fire seemed to flicker in response, the crackling flames being the only sound.

JJ blinked, his grin faltering for a moment. "Wait—what?"

"You heard me," you said, voice steady. Your confidence was unshaken, though your heart was pounding in your chest. You weren’t even sure where the boldness had come from, but there was no taking it back now.

Sarah laughed, burying her face in her hands. "Oh my god, y/n."

"Bold move," JJ said, his surprise melting into amusement. "I like it."

He stood, brushing the sand off his jeans, and walked over to you. The air felt electric as he crouched down in front of you, his blue eyes locking onto yours.

"You sure about this, kook girl?" he murmured, his voice low enough that only you could hear.

"Scared?" You shot back, smirk growing.

JJ didn't hesitate. In one smooth motion, he closed the gap between you, his lips capturing yours in a kiss that was anything but shy. It was heated, bold, and left no room for misinterpretation.

The group erupted in cheers and whistles, John B's voice cutting through the noise. "JJ, what the hell, man?"

As he kissed you there was an unspoken pull, the desire obvious in both of your movements. It felt good kissing him, really good, so when he pulled back you couldn’t help but pout a little.

Yet his grin was even bigger. "You asked for it."

You laughed, cheeks warm, but you didn't flinch under the group's teasing. If anything, you leaned into it, your confidence high. You hadn't expected to feel this at ease with JJ, and his charm that ran just a little wild. It was different, and strangely, you liked it.

As the game continued, the bottle spun and landed on you. Not hesitating to pick truth, knowing you couldn't dodge forever and also not wanting to be a spoilsport.

Kiara, who had been quiet for most of the night, leaned forward, her expression serious. "Why did you leave Kildare?"

The question hung in the air, and your earlier smile faltered. You felt your throat tighten, glancing at the flames and wishing you could disappear into the sparks. You hadn't exactly planned on going into your past tonight.

Sensing your tension, Sarah quickly jumped in, squeezing your hand. "Y/n went through a rough time," she explained, her voice softer than usual. "There was... a lot going on, and it was all a bit much. You all know how my family can be." She paused, eyes on the fire, then added, "And, uh... y/n dating my brother didn't help. It got... toxic, real fast."

Everyone went quiet, and you felt their eyes on you, shock written across their faces. Yup, somehow it’s always been a shocker for others when they found out you two used to date, cause now you both couldn’t be any more different from each other. Or weren’t you?

"You... and Rafe?" Kiara's voice was laced with surprise, though it held a hint of understanding now—maybe even sympathy. "Seriously?"

You nodded slowly, not meeting anyone's gaze. "Yeah. It's not something I'm proud of. Trust me." You took a deep breath, feeling the weight of those words as you admitted them out loud. "I lost myself for a while. Leaving was the only way. I needed to figure myself out."

JJ was the first to break the silence. "Hey, everyone's got stuff they're not proud of." He shrugged, as if to say it didn't matter to him. "At least you're here now, right?"

You managed a grateful smile, feeling some of the tension ease. The group smiled gently, their earlier reservations melting away. And somehow exposing yourself like that definitely made you feel good, the pogues giving you a feeling of security, treating you with a newfound gentleness.

As the fire died down, everyone began to yawn and stretch, the long hours of the day catching up with you, so John B offered to drive you, Pope and Kie home.

While the two boys piled into the van, Kiara lingered for a moment, pulling you aside as you were about to walk up to the vehicle.

"Hey," Kiara said quietly. "I just wanted to say... I'm sorry. For being shady earlier. And for pushing you with that question."

You blinked, definitely not expecting an apology from her. "It's okay. I get it—you didn't know."

Kiara nodded, her expression softening. "Yeah, but still. You're not what I expected, but... you're cool. I'm glad you're here."

You smiled, the words meaning more than you cared to admit. "Thanks, Kie."

As you climbed into the van, you felt something shift inside you. For the first time in a long time, you felt like you might actually belong somewhere.

LINKS .ᐟ series masterlist

TAGS .ᐟ @gibson-g1rl @beausling @bunnyrafe @rafescokewhore @starkeysprincess @rafesweetie @rafeslacy @rafesangelita @rafey-baby @starkeydolly @moremaybank @drewspinkbunny @drewsarms

[thebeesatemyknees]

141 as ex-husbands

Some ex-husband (ooc) Simon Ghost Riley, John Price, Kyle Gaz Garrick and Johnny Soap MacTavish x reader headcanons.

Word count: 860 || No warnings (let me know if any). || Reader: gender neutral. Pronouns: "you"

Note: In all four scenarios, you got divorced for fairly harmless reasons. You were getting along, you loved each other, there was no fighting. But perhaps you realised that you both have different hopes for the future. Maybe you got sick of waiting for him, missing him, of worrying if he's gonna come home alive and in one piece. Maybe he didn't realise how lonely you felt beside him.

Ex-husband Simon Riley, who still thinks of you as "his", but not in a possessive way. You're still his person, his family. He still would do anything for you and wouldn't even give it a second thought. 

You need help assembling new furniture? He can come by after work. Need a ride to the doctor's appointment? He needed to run some errands anyway, it's not a big deal. Anything happens while he's deployed? You can call his base and he'll contact you as soon as possible.

And he doesn't expect anything back. How could he? He's gonna do anything for you because that's what you're supposed to do for your people. And he'll give you your space, keep it clean between you. You wanted a divorce and he respects that, doing his best not to overstep any boundaries. He's mindful of the things he says, keeps his hands away from you. A respectful distance.

But God, does he miss you. If you showed the slightest interest in getting back together, he would agree immediately, going back to what you two had, as if the divorce never happened. 

Ex-husband John Price, who kinda forgets that you're not married anymore. Similar to Simon, John still thinks of you as his and would do anything for you without expecting anything back. 

But you often have to remind him that he's overstepping. "Darling" or "love" casually added to his sentences. Hands gently holding your shoulders or hips while he directs you to move to a different spot. He doesn't do it on purpose. The last thing he'd want is to disrespect your boundaries or make you uncomfortable. But keeping you close just comes so naturally to him.

He apologises quietly when you reprimand him, pulling his hands away and restating what he said without the pet name this time.

He wouldn't beg you to give him another chance. He's got enough respect, towards you and himself, to not be dramatic, to not make it messy. But he has a hard time accepting this new reality.

Ex-husband Kyle Garrick, who subconsciously goes back to courting you, as if your marriage never happened and all of it was still ahead of you. 

He's more distant, doesn't initiate touches, doesn't use pet names anymore. And at first you think it's because that's just how break-ups work, because he'd moved on. But it all seems to be caused by him suddenly becoming almost shy around you. 

He sends you messages from time to time, checking if you're doing alright. He asks you out for coffee, just to catch up. You ended things on good terms, so there's no harm in it, right? And you can see him trying to act casually about it. He brings you one singular flower he picked on his way to the café. Cuz you like them, don't you? It's not a big deal, he saw it and put it in the pocket of his jacket. So casual. Then, your conversation stays on a purely platonic path. Well, except for a few compliments and pick up lines he throws your way. But that's what friends do! And if you don't let him drive you home, he asks you to at least text him to let him know you got back safely.

If you confront him about his behaviour, he gets quiet. His jaw twitches, a shameful look fills his eyes as he looks away, unable to fully face you. He doesn't feel like he's in the position to defend himself, to argue. He's guilty. He wants you back for himself. And he so badly regrets letting you go without trying harder to fix things.

Ex-husband Johnny MacTavish, who becomes bitter towards the whole world. He's not happy about losing you and he's straightforward about it. He's hurt, filled with regrets, he's angry - but not directly at you. He understands and respects your wishes, but he's just so angry with himself. Angry that he didn't notice where your marriage was going, that he didn't change his ways, that he assumed that you're his and therefore he's got a lot of time to slowly fix things. Angry that he didn't do enough. 

He wouldn't hide his emotions. He wouldn't get shy,  wouldn't just quietly yearn for you. 

He keeps his hands to himself, making sure he doesn't make you uncomfortable and that you still feel safe around him. But he continuously asks you for another chance. He knows better now. He can be better. Just give him a chance. Or at least let him do this or that for you. And don't act as if him helping you is weird! He's yours, nothing will change that. He promised he'd be there in sickness and in health, and he meant it. No matter how much your life-paths split. So stop pushing him away and just let him help. He'll stop asking you for a second chance, but at least let him be there for you.

He aggressively offers himself to you. Getting upset and moody if you act as if he was more akin to a stranger rather than someone who belonged, body and soul, to you.

[cntloup]

Mafia!Simon x Bartender!Reader

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

You've been working here for ages, in this once rusty old bar which is now adorned by lively colors and music, turned into the best nightclub in the city, serving the best drinks and entertainments with the most beautiful dancers.

All in all, you have witnessed the worst and the best of this place. 

And you have come to know the people who own the place. 

In fact, you know them like the back of your hand, even better than themselves one might say. 

You're bright and perceptive, and working as a bartender in a place like this where it is jam-packed with important people all the time has its own perks. 

With a little bit of booze and honeyed words you bring out everyone’s hidden side and in no time, they’re spilling their deepest darkest secrets to who seems like just a sweet, harmless bartender. 

“Here you go.” you say to Simon, placing his usual Kentucky Bourbon on the counter, “Thanks, dove.” he says and brings the glass to his lips. 

“You know... I say don’t fuck around with the Russians!” you remark while drying the cups and placing them on the shelves. 

They asked your opinion on the matter since you’re their most trusted ally outside the group. As a matter of fact, they consider you part of the group by now. 

He chuckles before saying “That’s what I told Price.” 

“So why is he doing this?” you ask regarding cutting a deal with the Russians and Simon shrugs. 

You’ve had a weird feeling about it since they mentioned it to you. 

“Well, if any of you care about my opinion, don’t do it. It just doesn’t feel right to me.” you say with a shrug and look over to find him deep in thought, eyebrows furrowed and gorgeous brown eyes focused on somewhere far away. 

Gods, he’s so handsome! You've been fond of him for some time now, and by the looks and little touches he gives you, you’d say the feeling is somewhat mutual. 

Out of all of them, he’s always been the closest to you.  

And he’s been your biggest protector all throughout this wild ride you’ve been on together. 

He always keeps an eye on you in case any of the customers gets too close and makes you uncomfortable; God forbid if any of them gets touchy, they’d be digging their own grave by doing that. 

You come back from your daydreams after hearing him clear his throat. 

You notice you’ve been staring far too long, choosing to ignore the faint smirk on his lips. 

“Sorry... just thinking about the deal.” you lie and dip your head, busying yourself with cleaning the cups and hoping he won’t notice your burning cheeks. 

“Well, I'm off to meet John now. I'll make sure to give him your opinion too.” he says while standing from his chair, “Thanks for the drink.” he offers a small smile with a nod. 

“You’re welcome, Si... and I'm sure he won’t listen to me. His mind is set on the idea and that’s that. Not that I would ever question his decisions. I have too much respect for the man to do that. He must know something that we don’t.” you mention while grabbing his glass and placing it in the sink. 

“I can assure you that he values your opinion just as much as you do his. He'll think about it. Don't worry.” he says while gathering his stuff and placing your tip on the counter, a hefty envelope, so generous as always. 

“Simon! I can’t accept this! This is... too much! You do this every time!” you exclaim with a frown, nudging the envelope in his direction. 

“Take it. I insist. You can renovate your apartment. Last time I was there, it was a bloody mess!” he teases with a playful smirk.

“HEY!” you say in mock annoyance while throwing the rag in your hand at him.

“My apartment is fine as it is, thank you very much!” you retort, failing to hide the smile forming on your lips. 

You take the envelope hesitantly after so much persuasion on his part and wave him goodbye, feeling butterflies dance in your belly as thoughts of him linger in your mind.

You dip your head and go on with what you were doing, lost in your own world and not noticing the dark shadow lurking in the distance and standing in a corner, carefully observing the place, and most importantly... you. 

[ghcstao3]

ghoap meet-cute (?) AU idea

but soap’s beige flag is that whenever he gets a spam/scam call he likes to pick up—despite knowing that will probably get him on some list that will only result in more calls—and answer with the most absurd thing he can think of off the top of his head at a given moment. he’s feigned implicating telemarketers in murder, pretended to be the proud owner of various nonexistent businesses with odd names, tried to debate stupid topics, and so on. it’s harmless, and it’s fun, and it’s not a habit he thinks he needs to break.

when he gets an unexpected call one afternoon from an unknown number, his response is just the same as always—this time it’s some miserable pun of a mortuary name that leaves his mouth like it’s second nature the moment he picks up.

except this time it isn’t a scam call, and instead it’s someone on the other end who sounds like they’re trying to hide a disbelieving laugh when they tell soap, sorry, must’ve dialled the wrong number.

hearing that voice, deep and pleasantly rough, soap scrambles to keep the person on the line just to listen more. he quickly explains that no, it was a joke, he just does that to annoy telemarketers, it was a stupid pun anyway, so sorry about that. soap isn’t sure the words are all that comprehensible, but he’s desperate, and that voice is attractive, and maybe it’s the wrong number but hey, i can still talk.

and they do. only for a few minutes this time, but even without names they mutually agree to save one another’s numbers, and thus begins a long-winded saga of somehow catching feelings despite not knowing one another’s real names (they only ever got as far as ghost and soap) and never seeing each other’s faces, but it happens. they make a habit of greeting each other with stupid puns, and then they make a habit of flirting, and then soap has to bite his tongue every time he has a thought of maybe asking to meet.

he never gets the chance to ask, though, because as he’s walking through the city, running errands while on the phone with ghost, soap wanders into a quiet cafe, and while he’s standing in line it’s as if he’s suddenly hearing double. soap turns to find the second source, and sees a man sitting at a table by the window, that same voice telling the same story soap is listening to from his phone.

soap risks making an excuse to hang up, forgoes ordering something out of fear ghost might leave, and forces his legs to move toward the table with the man who definitely has to be ghost, now looking a little sullen that his conversation had been ended. he slides into the seat across from ghost, immediately earning himself an apprehensive, incredibly judgemental look.

i’m john, soap says. ghost furrows his brow. from the mortuary?

it takes a moment for the recognition to register on ghost’s face, but the moment it does is glorious.

maybe soap should have asked about meeting up after all—if only to have been able to witness that smile much, much sooner.

and to think it had all started with a wrong number.

[beloveds-embrace]

John raises an eyebrow, and without lifting his eyes off his newspaper, he sighs.

"Alright, I'm done. Love, what's on my face?"

Your giggle is a soft, mischievous sound. One he is, (un)fortunately, all too familiar with. For the past hour, all you've done is look between him and your phone in almost regular intervals, laughing quietly to yourself.

"It's nothing serious, honey-"

And yet when he sets the newspaper down to glance at you, you only grin at him. "....Can you do something for me, John honey? It's very easy, I promise!"

John merely narrows his eyes a little, wary yet intrigued; a feeling that has become regular to him ever since you barrelled into his life. "You make me scared, doll-"

"It's harmless, I swear!" You sit up, eyes bright and eager. Waving your phone in your hand, you peer at him. "All you gotta do is give me one of your smiles. See? Very easy, just like I said."

He does as you ask, not at all surprised to hear the click of your camera. The delighted gasp is surprising, though.

John can't stop himself anymore; he leaps on top of you, quickly stealing your phone while you break out into laughter. "Wai- wait, John, honey, no-"

John is grinning, swiping through your phone and photos. First one is the picture you just took of him, smiling, and the one after that...

"You look exactly the same!" You cackle, latching on to John. He is so done with you- in a very exasperated, fond manner "You look exactly like a quokka!"

[i-love-ptv]

Teach Me ─★•♛•★─

Pairing: Boyfriend!Rafe Cameron x Pogue!Girlfriend!Reader

Surfing’s all you’ve known since you were young, so of course you’re going to spread the love with your darling boyfriend. It’s a harmless, family friendly activity, what could possibly happen?

Wc: 2,506

SMUTTT!! —Exhibitionism? (They fuck on a beach but nobody else is there) P in V, unprotected sex, no pulling out (SORRYYY) Porn w/ plot

An: GUYSSSS I was on my mf GRIND to get this out for yall!!!! I’m so excited I love it, I’m planning to (hopefully) post a few more fics w Rafe n pogue reader (baby’s name is Buttercup!!)

Feedback is always welcomed and encouraged! xx

“I can’t believe you got me out here, babe.” Rafe groans playfully; his chest rises as he laughs.

“C’mon, it’ll be fun!” You drag out, your hand resting on his bicep as you walk backwards while facing him.

Your flip-flops slap against your feet in the sand, your hand reaches up, pulling the strap of the heavy beach bag up onto your shoulder again. Rafe’s holding two surfboards; freshly waxed, and one a tad bigger than the other.

It’s rather early— well, not sunrise, but not afternoon. You figured it’d be best to go to the beach around this time, the waves wouldn’t be as high on this breezy morning, so you can finally teach Rafe how to surf.

Your love for surfing emerged when you moved to Kildare; you had met a boy back in elementary school. He was always sporting a backwards cap, his golden hair always peaking out at you.

Turns out, his name was Jackson, JJ for short, and he befriended you almost immediately. Once you both found out that the two of you lived close by, every day was spent together, alongside his best friend John B.

They both taught you how to surf, it took a few months to get the hook of it but that’s besides the point.

…It also doesn’t help that your “teachers” were third (soon to be fourth) graders. How did they even know how to surf? Who knows.

You’ve been surfing longer than you haven't, which is why you vowed to get your boyfriend of two years to join you just one time.

You abruptly stop, making Rafe’s hard chest bump into your back.

“Jesus, babe-“

“Stop! This is the perfect spot.” You stare off into the glistening water, ignoring the look of disbelief on Rafe’s face. He mumbles a few words under his breath half-heartedly, but you don’t seem to care.

You begin to sit everything down, laying the hot pink beach blanket down on the sand. Rafe’s standing there rather awkwardly, waiting for your eventual command.

You turn around, sunblock in hand, “…Y’know you can sit those down, right?” You look him up and down with a questioning look on your face, your tone making his cheeks flush.

“Yeah, yeah I know,” Rafe says with a cough. “I was just uh—pumping these babies, y’know? Maintaining my physique since someone won’t let me go to the gym today.” You roll your eyes at the sight of Rafe (poorly) using the surfboards as if they were dumbbells to do bicep curls.

“Uh-huh. Put those down so I can put your sunblock on.” You look at Rafe expectantly, hand on your hip and all. If it weren’t for your ridiculous remark, Rafe would’ve smirked at your attitude.

“I don’t need sunblock, Buttercup,” Rafe says with a scoff.

Your stance doesn’t change, and your expression doesn’t falter in the slightest. Rafe knows you won’t budge, and you’ll most likely (you will) stand here all day until he gets off his high-horse. So he sighs, and reluctantly steps forward into your arms, making you grin.

You put the sunblock on your hands, rubbing them together before leaving a small smack to Rafe’s face. “Quit it,” Rafe hisses due to the coldness, grabbing your wrists before they could continue to rub his face.

You giggle madly, “Hurry up, let me put this on!” Rafe’s pushing your hands away from his face, while you’re pushing them towards him.

You go back and forth for a little bit with smitten smiles sticking, before Rafe finally allows you to continue.

After maybe fifteen minutes, you both are fully covered, and you swear you can already feel the sun’s rays reflecting off of you.

“Alright, c’mon you big lug,” you tease, pulling him towards the water.

“You’ve been practicing how to pop-up like I showed you, right? Cause it’s even harder to do it on water compared to doing it on land.” You question, looking up at him.

“Yes, mom, I did the homework you assigned me.” Rafe rolls his eyes; he may just be the sassiest guy you know.

You side-eye him, not really believing his remarks. “Oh yeah? Lemme see, right here.”

“Actually, can you give me a demonstration? Y’know, in the water..” Rafe trails off.

“Thought you had it down. sweetheart?” You purse your lips at him. “Yeah, obviously I do. I just need to see it all together. I’m a visual learner, Buttercup.” Rafe flirts, but it completely goes over your head, you’re entirely too excited to surf to even realize.

“Okay, just pay attention real closely, Ray.” You grin at the light brown-haired boy. If Rafe didn’t know any better, he would’ve thought it was Christmas day with the way your eyes were lit up. It almost made Rafe feel bad for the sinful thoughts plaguing his mind.

Almost.

You turn towards the water, walking away from your boyfriend, and his bright eyes roam across your body.

The way that your swimsuit hugged your body nearly made him drool. He swore he nearly cried when you said you’d be wearing a one-piece because it’s easier to surf in, but god is he glad to see it. Your ass peaks out more and more as you walk, and if Rafe doesn’t cool it with the day-dreaming, he’ll be sporting a boner. And that’ll ruin his plan entirely if you saw it.

What is Rafe’s plan, you ask? It’s quite simple really. You see, Rafe honestly didn’t give a shit about surfing. It wasn’t his thing, golf and basketball were. But he couldn’t deny you: his sweet angel, trying to indulge in your favorite activity since you were a child.

Rafe knew that you’ll just be the one surfing all day, while he merely observed. Some may call it perverted, and maybe he is a bit, but Rafe can’t help but want to watch you: wearing little clothing, and soaking wet.

Rafe sees you up on your surfboard, and you look nothing short of ethereal. The sun glistened off your body perfectly, your hair that was once up, now starts to limp down, but Rafe doesn’t mind—not at all, he can’t when you’re on top of that board as gracefully as you are.

The waves flow around you effortlessly, the ripples make your form sway, but you don’t falter even for a second; you never do under any circumstance, and Rafe thinks that’s his favorite thing about you.

You cheer and put your hands up wildly as you ride the white water to the shore. “Did you see me babe? That shit was sick right?!” You exclaim while running towards him, your board long-gone in the damp sand.

Rafe stands up immediately, allowing you to jump into his muscular arms. “Of course I did, baby! You’re amazing.” Rafe speaks softly, he then presses a kiss to your forehead, squeezing you closer to his broad, firm chest.

Before you can get another word in, Rafe’s kissing you deeply; his arms hold you tightly, not allowing your feet to touch the ground.

You place your hands on his face, guiding his lips astray from yours, and he tries to chase them, but he’s unsuccessful. “It’s your turn, Ray.” You whisper, peering at him with your widely-blown eyes.

“Later, angel.” He murmurs, leaning back into you.

His fingers dance across your skin, and you can feel the hunger behind the kiss; you meet him with just as much fever.

You knew of Rafe’s game as soon as you stepped into the car this morning, he was far too enthusiastic about the idea compared to his moans and complaints the night prior when you brought it up.

You weren’t that oblivious to the sneaky glances he threw your way, and his blatant staring at your covered up swimsuit. One day, Rafe will understand just how much you let him get away with.

But for right now, you let him gently lay you down onto the blanket as he kneels into the sand. You let him trail his kisses from your coconut chapstick-covered salty lips down your neck. You’re so glad nobody’s here.

Rafe’s suckling at your neck, no doubt leaving dark hickies on your skin. You both moan in unison.

You grab onto Rafe’s meaty shoulders, leaving crescent shaped marks on his rosy skin. You bite your lip as he continues to go further down your body, he now resides at your cleavage.

“I knew what you were doing the whole time, y’know that, Ray?” You let out an airy chuckle, alongside a breath that was begging to be pushed out.

“Yeah? That means you wanted me just as bad, huh Buttercup?” Rafe whispers cockily, you physically feel his smirk as he starts to nibble on your ear hotly.

“‘F course…Always want you, baby.” You giggle sweetly in his ear. You can feel Rafe’s boner prodding at your stomach, and it only makes you wetter.

“How about I teach you something, hm? How does that sound sweetheart?” Rafe’s now grinding down on your clothed core, your hand finds the back of his neck, your fingers apply the right amount of pressure that gets Rafe going.

“You can do whatever you want with me.” You whisper, as Rafe begins to pull your bathing suit down; the wet material now resting below your belly button.

You whimper softly as Rafe’s tongue meets your nipples, his swirling movements have your back arching up towards him.

“Hey, baby? I know I literally just said you can do whatever, but I need you to stop all this teasin’ shit.” You pant.

Rafe smirks yet again, a part of you wants to wipe it off his face, but the other part just wants to suck him dry while all he can do is smirk.

“Yeah? What do y’want me to do angel?”

“God, just fuck me already Rafe!” You practically whine. The brunette wastes little time in stripping both you and him bare.

“Thought you loved foreplay,” Rafe’s nearly mocking you at this point, it’s borderline cruel but you can’t find a fuck to give.

“I’ve really had it with that mouth of yours today, either fuck me right here, or I’ll leave you will blue balls for the rest of the day.”

Rafe holds his hand out to your face and you lean up awkwardly, spitting on his palm. He pumps himself a few times before he slides into you. “I fuckin’ love when you threaten me. You’re so hot,” Rafe slurs as his cock nestles deeply inside of you, before almost pulling out completely.

“F-fuck..” You gasp as Rafe begins to pick up speed. His thrusts jostle your body, your tits bouncing as he slobbers in between them.

His balls slap against your skin as you cry out; Rafe’s not any better either. His chest heaves as he lets out deep, guttural moans.

“Yeah, that’s it baby. Take it.” Rafe emphasizes his words with the rough snapping of his hips. You swear your mouth is touching the sand at this point with the way your moans pour out of your mouth.

“Right there, Rafe!” You can’t help but shout, you can feel him everywhere inside. His dick kisses your cervix, leaving you a mewling mess.

Rafe’s the only man you’ve been with that’s ever been able to make you feel utterly cock-drunk, you both are aware of this. You’ve told him before that the others you’ve been with haven't been able to make you climax as good as Rafe does. He fucks you roughly, yet he always makes sure you feel loved and comfortable throughout.

Rafe nudges your hand, which has a death grip on the blanket beneath you both. His large hands intertwine with your smaller ones.

You can’t tell if you’re tearing up from the love from your boyfriend, or from the brutal pace he’s set on. —Most likely the latter.

The way your pussy tightens around him has Rafe’s mind feeling utterly fuzzy. All he can focus on is you. He knows it’s a matter of time before people start showing, so Rafe uses the hand that held your waist to rub small, yet precise circles onto your clit.

Your bare chest is against his, the skin-on-skin contact making you feel as if you’re on cloud nine on top of the stimulation.

“Ray…Ray I’m c-close, baby.” You can’t barely get a word in. You use your hand to push his back down, trying to somehow get him even closer to you.

Rafe opens his eyes to look at you, since they were squeezed shut moments prior.

You’re laying there, hair spread around your head almost in a halo-like manner, and it doesn’t help that the sun is shining down onto you beautifully. If anything, it makes Rafe’s cock twitch inside of you more.

“Yeah. I’m right with you, Buttercup. I promise.” His breath fans your face, as yours does his.

“Please cum with me. Please—Please baby, please give it to me.” Rafe continues to whine and babble in your ears, pleading for you to give him your release as he starts to reach his.

He can’t be bothered to glance around for possible on-lookers, not when you squeak out weak ‘uh-uh-uh’s.

The pornographic moans which come from the both of you fill the air like a cloud of smoke. You're squeezing his hand as he squeezes your hip, no doubt leaving a bruise behind.

With one strong thrust, Rafe shoots his load inside of you with a high pitch, breathy groan, you feel your euphoric release shortly after.

“Fu-uck,” Rafe hiccups. “‘M sorry, I wanted you to cum first but you were squeezin’ s’much and—“ You interrupted his barely coherent rambling with a kiss to his lips, words of reassurance spilling from your mouth.

Rafe takes a spare towel and gently cleans you, he mumbles and apologizes after you hiss at the contact. He takes his shirt which was once discarded after he cleans himself, then covers your frame. He quickly pulls his shorts back up.

You lay shoulder to shoulder with him, and you crane your neck to look at him with a giddy smile, which Rafe reciprocates immediately.

“I love you, baby.” He speaks softly, not wanting to be any louder than the waves that flow a few feet away from the two of you.

“I love you too, Ray.” You hum tiredly while you curl into him.

There’s a beat of silence before he speaks up, momentarily stopping the circles he was rubbing onto your skin. “…You’re still on the pill, right?”

“Oh my god, I can’t believe you!” You cackle at him, Rafe tries to maintain his facade but his face breaks as he joins in the laughter.

“I’m serious! That’s a serious question!” Rafe digs his digits into your side, tickling you as he rolls on top of you.

“Whatever! I’m still going to teach you how to surf one day, loser!” You yell with a giggle.

And the thing is, he’ll let you teach him; anything your heart desires.

[enemiestolovershoe]

Unexpected Truth

JJ Maybank x fem!rotledge!teader

Summary: John B’s sister and JJ grow close during a game of truth or dare, and when John B finds out, they must face the awkward aftermath together.

Word Count: 3900

Warnings: unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it), enemies to lovers, swearing, not proof read

The hot tub bubbled around you, the steam rising into the cool night air as the Pogues gathered for another one of their infamous Friday night hangouts. It was supposed to be a carefree evening, a chance to unwind after a week of chaos. But, of course, that was never how things went with this group.

You leaned back, trying to relax, but the nagging thought in the back of your mind made it impossible. Sitting in a hot tub with your brother and his best friends, who were like family to you, should have been fun. But then there was JJ.

JJ Maybank. The bane of your existence, the guy who constantly found ways to irritate you, and the one person you swore you couldn’t stand. Sure, he was one of John B's best friends, but that didn't mean you had to like him. The two of you had a mutual understanding: keep the peace, but don’t expect any warmth.

As the night wore on, the conversation turned to a familiar game. Truth or Dare. It was harmless enough—until Kiara, with a mischievous glint in her eye, turned to you.

"I dare you," she began, her tone playful but with an edge that immediately put you on alert, "to sit in JJ’s lap for the rest of the night."

Your heart sank. You shot her a look, silently pleading for a way out, but Kiara was having none of it. She just grinned at you, knowing full well what she was doing.

You sighed deeply, casting a glance at JJ. His face was a mix of annoyance and resignation. "Oh, man! Kie! Come on!" he protested, but he knew the rules as well as anyone. A dare was a dare.

"Whatever," you muttered under your breath, moving toward him. The hot tub seemed to shrink as you carefully positioned yourself on his lap, trying to keep as much distance as possible between the two of you. The heat from his body was almost uncomfortable, a constant reminder of how close you were.

JJ shifted slightly, clearly as uncomfortable as you. “Don’t make this weird,” he muttered, his voice low so only you could hear.

“Me? You’re the one making it weird,” you shot back, trying to ignore the fluttering in your stomach. It was just nerves, you told yourself. Just the awkwardness of the situation.

The game continued, the others laughing and daring each other to do increasingly ridiculous things, but your mind was elsewhere. You couldn’t help but notice the tension in JJ’s body, the way his muscles tensed whenever you moved slightly. You told yourself you were imagining things, but then you shifted a bit to get more comfortable, and you felt it.

Something hard.

Your breath caught in your throat as realization dawned on you. There was no denying what it was, and from the way JJ suddenly stiffened, he knew you’d felt it too. You could feel the heat rising in your cheeks, but you were determined not to let it show. The last thing you wanted was to give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d gotten under your skin—again.

JJ’s voice was strained when he finally spoke. “Just… don’t move, okay?”

You swallowed hard, your mind racing. This was the last thing you’d expected when you agreed to Kiara’s stupid dare. The tension between you two had always been sharp, but this was different. This was something neither of you had planned for.

Despite your best efforts, you couldn’t ignore it. The realization that JJ might not hate you as much as you thought. Or maybe he did, and this was just a natural reaction. Either way, it left you feeling more flustered than you wanted to admit.

The game continued around you, the laughter and teasing from your friends fading into the background as you tried to focus on anything other than the situation you found yourself in. But it was impossible. Every time you shifted, even slightly, you were reminded of just how close you were to JJ, and how complicated things had suddenly become.

You glanced up at him, expecting to see that infuriating smirk he always wore, but his expression was different. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes were focused on the water, avoiding yours. It was the first time you’d seen him look… vulnerable.

For a moment, you felt a pang of something you couldn’t quite name. Sympathy? Understanding? Whatever it was, you quickly pushed it down. This was JJ, after all. The same guy who lived to annoy you, who never missed a chance to get on your nerves.

But as the night went on, and you sat there in his lap, you couldn’t help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, there was more to him than you’d let yourself see.

The game eventually wrapped up, and one by one, climbed out of the hot tub, heading back inside to dry off and get warm. You started to move, eager to put some distance between you and JJ, but his hand on your arm stopped you.

“Hey,” he said, his voice softer than you’d ever heard it. “Look, about before… I didn’t—”

You shook your head, cutting him off. “It’s fine, JJ. Let’s just forget about it, okay?”

He studied your face for a moment, and for the first time, you felt like he was really seeing you, not just as John B’s little sister, but as something more. “Yeah, okay,” he finally agreed, though something in his tone told you that maybe he didn’t want to forget it as easily as you did.

As you climbed out of the hot tub and wrapped a towel around yourself, you couldn’t help but glance back at JJ. He was still sitting there, watching you with an unreadable expression on his face.

Maybe this was just a fluke, a one-time thing that would never come up again. But as you walked back inside with the others, you couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted between you and JJ. And you weren’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

The evening had taken a strange turn, leaving you more flustered than you wanted to admit. After the game, you slipped inside the house, eager to rinse off the lingering chlorine smell and clear your head. The others were still laughing and chatting in the living room, but you needed a moment alone, away from JJ and the confusing feelings bubbling inside you.

You stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind you with a sigh of relief. The warm light and quiet were a welcome change from the chaos outside. You turned on the shower, letting the water heat up as you undressed, your thoughts still spinning from the unexpected tension with JJ.

As you were about to step into the shower, the door suddenly burst open, slamming against the wall with a loud thud. You spun around, clutching the towel to your chest as JJ stormed in, his expression intense and unreadable.

“JJ! What the hell are you doing?!” you shouted, your voice a mix of shock and anger. You couldn’t believe he’d just barged in like that, without even knocking.

“Shut up,” JJ growled, his voice low and strained as he strode towards you, leaving you no room to protest. Before you could react, he grabbed your face with both hands and slammed his lips onto yours.

The kiss was rough, desperate, like he’d been holding back for far too long. Your mind went blank, overwhelmed by the suddenness of it all. The towel slipped from your fingers, forgotten as you instinctively reached out to steady yourself, your hands finding purchase on his shoulders.

You should’ve pushed him away, told him to stop. But instead, you found yourself kissing him back, the heat of his lips igniting something deep within you that you hadn’t realized was there. The anger, the frustration, all of it melted away under the intensity of the kiss, leaving only the raw, undeniable attraction that had been simmering between you for who knows how long.

JJ’s hands moved from your face, sliding down your body with a possessive urgency that sent shivers through you. He pulled you closer, his body pressing against yours, the warmth of his skin against yours making your head spin. Every inch of space between you disappeared, and for a moment, there was nothing but him—his lips, his touch, the taste of him on your tongue.

But then, as quickly as it started, reality crashed back in. You broke the kiss, pushing him away as you gasped for air, your heart pounding in your chest. “JJ, what the hell was that?” you demanded, your voice shaky but firm.

He stood there, breathing hard, his blue eyes dark and wild. “I—” he started but seemed to struggle for words, his usual cocky demeanor nowhere to be found. “I couldn’t take it anymore, Y/N. I can’t stand pretending like I don’t care about you.”

His confession hung in the air, heavy and unexpected. You stared at him, trying to process what he’d just said, trying to reconcile this vulnerable, desperate JJ with the guy who’d made it his mission to annoy you at every turn.

“What are you talking about?” you asked, your voice barely above a whisper. “You hate me. You’ve always hated me.”

JJ shook his head, running a hand through his wet hair in frustration. “That’s what I wanted you to think. Hell, that’s what I wanted to think, but it’s not true. I’ve always been drawn to you, Y/N, and it drives me crazy because I know I shouldn’t be. You’re John B’s little sister, for god’s sake.”

You swallowed hard, your emotions a whirlwind as you tried to make sense of everything. “Then why act like that? Why go out of your way to piss me off?”

“Because it was easier than admitting how I really felt,” JJ admitted, his voice softening. “But tonight, when you were sitting on my lap, and I could feel you so close… I couldn’t keep lying to myself.”

His words left you breathless, the weight of them pressing down on you. This was the last thing you’d expected, the last thing you were prepared for. But now that it was out in the open, you couldn’t deny the truth of it or the way your feelings had shifted throughout the night.

You took a deep breath, trying to steady yourself as you looked up at him. “JJ, this is crazy. We can’t do this.”

He stepped closer, his eyes locking onto yours with a determination that made your heart skip a beat. “Maybe it is, but I don’t care. I’ve tried to fight it, Y/N, but I’m done fighting. I want you, and I think you want me too.”

His words sent a jolt through you, igniting the desire that still lingered from the kiss. He was right—you did want him. But the fear of what that meant, of what it could do to your relationship with your brother and the rest of the Pogues, held you back.

“JJ…” you started, but he silenced you with another kiss, this one softer, more controlled, but no less intense. He was giving you a choice, a chance to decide what came next.

And as his lips moved against yours, as his hands found their way back to your body, you realized that maybe, just maybe, this was something worth risking everything for.

You hesitated for only a moment before you gave in to the storm of emotions brewing inside you. The tension, the anger, the undeniable pull between you and JJ—it all came crashing down as you kissed him back, harder this time, matching his intensity with your own.

Your lips moved together in a heated battle, your tongue tangling with his as you fought for dominance, neither of you willing to back down. The taste of him, the feel of him so close, was intoxicating, drowning out any lingering doubts you had. This wasn’t just a kiss—it was a release, an explosion of all the pent-up frustration and desire that had been building for far too long.

JJ groaned against your lips, his hands gripping your waist as he pulled you even closer, his fingers digging into your skin in a way that sent shivers down your spine. You could feel the heat radiating off his body, mingling with the steam from the still-running shower. The air between you was thick with need, every breath, every touch, only intensifying the fire burning inside you.

Without breaking the kiss, you reached down, your fingers grazing the waistband of his swim trunks. You tugged at them, a clear signal of what you wanted, what you needed. JJ paused for a heartbeat, his breath hitching as he pulled back just enough to meet your gaze.

His eyes were dark, filled with a mix of lust and something deeper, something that made your heart skip a beat. “Are you sure about this?” he asked, his voice rough, barely above a whisper.

You didn’t trust yourself to speak, so you nodded, your hand still tugging at his swim trunks, urging him on. Whatever this was, whatever it meant, you wanted it. You wanted him.

JJ’s eyes flashed with a hunger that mirrored your own, and in one swift motion, he shoved his swim trunks down, kicking them aside as they hit the floor. You couldn’t help but let your eyes roam over his body, taking in the sight of him fully, the raw masculinity that he always seemed to exude but now felt almost overwhelming.

He reached for you again, pulling you back into a searing kiss, his hands roaming your body with a new urgency. The feel of his skin against yours, the heat of him pressed so close, was almost too much to bear, but you didn’t want it to stop. You needed more.

You wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him closer as you deepened the kiss, your teeth grazing his lower lip before sucking it into your mouth. JJ groaned again, the sound vibrating through you, making you ache with desire. His hands slid down to your hips, lifting you slightly before pressing you against the cool tiles of the bathroom wall, under the hot stream of the shower, the contrast sending a shock through your system.

The water from the shower sprayed across the room, droplets catching on your skin as you lost yourself in the moment. You could feel his arousal, hard and insistent against your thigh, and it only fueled the fire burning inside you. You wanted him—now.

“JJ…” you breathed, your voice a desperate plea as you rocked your hips against him, seeking friction, relief, anything to ease the ache he’d ignited within you.

He didn’t need any more encouragement. With a low growl, he positioned himself at your entrance, his hand sliding between your legs to make sure you were ready. The moment he touched you, you gasped, your back arching off the wall as you clung to him, your body trembling with anticipation.

“Please,” you whispered, your voice raw with need.

JJ hesitated for just a second, his gaze locking onto yours as if searching for any last sign of doubt. When he found none, he thrust into you in one smooth motion, filling you completely.

The sudden sensation of him inside you was overwhelming, a mix of pleasure and pain that took your breath away. You clung to him, your nails digging into his shoulders as you adjusted to the feeling, your mind reeling from the intensity of it all.

”You feel so good" JJ gasped against your shoulder.

He didn’t move at first, giving you a moment to catch your breath, his lips brushing against your neck in a tender, almost reverent gesture that sent shivers down your spine. When you finally started to move, rolling your hips against him, it was like a dam breaking.

He met your movements with a rhythm of his own, slow and steady at first, but quickly building in intensity as the need between you grew. Every thrust sent a wave of pleasure through you, your bodies moving together in a perfect, desperate dance.

The sounds of your gasps and moans filled the small bathroom, mixing with the steady spray of the shower as you lost yourself in him, in the feeling of being so completely consumed. JJ’s grip on your hips tightened, his pace quickening as he buried his face in your neck, his breath hot against your skin.

“God, baby…” he groaned, his voice thick with desire. “You feel so good.”

His words only spurred you on, your body responding to him in ways you hadn’t expected, your mind clouded with nothing but the sensation of him, of this moment. You could feel the tension building inside you, coiling tighter and tighter with every thrust, until you were on the edge of something powerful, something unstoppable.

“JJ…faster” you gasped, your voice trembling with the force of what was coming.

He knew. You could feel it in the way his body tensed, in the way he moved faster, harder, driving you both closer to the edge. And then, with one final thrust, the tension snapped, and you came undone, crying out as the wave of pleasure crashed over you, pulling him down with you.

JJ followed a moment later, his own release hitting him with the same intensity, his body shuddering against yours as he buried himself deep inside you, riding out the last of the waves.

For a long moment, the two of you stayed there, breathing hard, clinging to each other as the reality of what just happened began to sink in. The steam from the shower was thick around you, the water still running, but neither of you moved to turn it off.

Finally, JJ pulled back slightly, just enough to look at you, his eyes searching yours for any sign of regret. You were still trying to catch your breath, your mind spinning, but when you met his gaze, all you saw was the same vulnerability you’d glimpsed earlier, the same raw emotion that had driven him to kiss you in the first place.

And in that moment, you realized that there was no going back. Whatever line you’d just crossed, there was no erasing it. But looking at JJ, seeing the way he looked at you, you weren’t sure you wanted to.

“JJ…” you started, not sure what to say, how to even begin to process what had just happened.

But JJ just shook his head, his hand coming up to gently cup your cheek, his thumb brushing against your still-flushed skin. “We’ll figure it out,” he said softly, his voice steady, reassuring.

And as he leaned in to kiss you again, slow and tender this time, you found yourself believing him.

As JJ’s lips moved gently against yours, the world seemed to narrow down to just the two of you—nothing else mattered at that moment. But just as you were about to lose yourself in him again, there was a sudden, sharp knock at the bathroom door.

"Are you two finally done so someone else can take a shower?" came John B’s familiar voice, laced with a mix of impatience and humor.

Your heart stopped, the blood draining from your face as reality came crashing back in. You and JJ broke apart, eyes wide as the gravity of the situation hit you. You were naked, tangled up in the aftermath of something you couldn’t take back, and your brother was on the other side of the door.

“Oh my god,” you mouthed, panic surging through you. JJ’s expression mirrored your own, a mix of alarm and disbelief. Without a word, you both scrambled to grab the towels that had fallen to the floor, quickly wrapping them around yourselves.

JJ moved first, taking a deep breath before reaching for the doorknob. He opened the door just enough to peek out, shielding you from view as best as he could. John B stood on the other side, leaning against the doorframe with an amused look on his face, clearly enjoying your discomfort.

You peeked around JJ, your cheeks burning red as you faced your brother. “John B, it’s not—” you started, but the words caught in your throat. What could you possibly say to make this situation any less mortifying?

But John B just smirked, holding up a hand to cut you off. “Save it, Y/N. I’m not blind,” he said, his tone teasing but with an underlying seriousness that made you wince. “Bro, I’m glad you finally made a move,” he added, glancing at JJ with a raised eyebrow, “but please be quiet next time. I don’t want to hear my sister moan ever again.”

You wanted to disappear into the floor right then and there. You shot a horrified look at JJ, who looked like he was torn between laughing and dying of embarrassment. His ears were as red as his face, and for once, he was at a loss for words.

John B just chuckled, clearly reveling in your discomfort. “I’ll give you two a minute to get dressed, but seriously, hurry up. Some of us still need a shower.” With that, he turned and walked away, leaving you and JJ standing there in stunned silence.

As soon as the sound of John B’s footsteps faded, you buried your face in your hands, groaning in mortification. “This is literally the worst thing that could have happened.”

JJ, still wrapped in his towel, let out a shaky laugh, running a hand through his damp hair. “Yeah, not exactly how I planned on things going down.”

You peeked at him through your fingers, feeling a mix of embarrassment and something else—something warm and almost comforting, knowing you weren’t facing this alone. “Did you plan on this happening at all?” you asked, trying to lighten the mood despite the awkwardness.

JJ shrugged, a hint of a smirk returning to his lips. “Not exactly like this, but I’m not complaining.” He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a more serious tone. “I meant what I said earlier, Y/N. We’ll figure this out, okay?”

You nodded, feeling a strange sense of relief at his words. “Okay.”

With that, you both quickly dried off and dressed, the awkwardness still lingering but less oppressive now that you’d shared the burden of it together. As you opened the bathroom door and stepped out into the hallway, you couldn’t help but glance back at JJ, who gave you a small, reassuring smile.

John B was leaning against the wall, waiting with a knowing grin. “Finally,” he drawled, pushing off the wall as he headed for the bathroom. “I’m serious, though—keep it down next time. I don’t need to know that much about your love life.”

You groaned again, but this time it was more out of exasperation than embarrassment. JJ just chuckled, throwing an arm around your shoulders as you both walked away.

As mortifying as the situation had been, there was a strange sense of comfort in knowing that no matter what happened next, you and JJ would face it together—even if that meant enduring John B’s teasing for the foreseeable future.

[justhereforsomethingnice]

Is there a fic where Danny is an absolute sweetheart for like 50 000 words or something, and after that, something happens that makes him go feral eldritch cosmic horror on some poor sap.

And with sweetheart I mean of course harmless chaos goblin pulling pranks on which ever dc character the stories with. Painting halls light switches yellow so he can’t use his ring for that. Putting kryptonite on the bathroom door so Superman can only glare at him and wait for Lois to take away the glowy rock. Renaming all Questions files with silly related fandom references so he has to learn fandom memes if he ever wants to get to his files again. Have a silent agreement with the house of mysteries to annoy John Constantine as much as possible and switch rooms for him and him only so it takes an hour to find the kitchen. Icing a small part of the kitchen floor so the flash slips over it when trying to get a quick snack in. Painting the underside of Batman’s cape a deep glittery purple so he will only find out when he’s jumping dramatically at thugs.

Just 50 000 words of this and then something bad happens and this small kid (bonus points if he’s even younger and thus less threatening looking) goes mental. Suddenly you have this incomprehensible monster before you that slashes up reality with every swipe of its claws, the thousands of eyes that suddenly replaced the heavens glaring down at you together with the eyes on this creature. Screaming with a sound penetrating something deeper than your very soul. Slashing the threat to shreds, before…

He returns to this kid you’ve known for months. The innocent kid that fanboyed over Martian manhunter, geeked with the atom, trained playfully with Wonder Woman. Just the wait and then the bomb. The realization your in the presence of a god or a god like being.

[niyasruledbyvenus]

Arudha Lagna in the Signs

Arudha Lagna is how others perceive us (especially society/public/media). It is our projected and illusionary personality. Referred to as “the seat of Maya” Maya=illusion/Rahu. Which usually differs from our true personality represented by our Lagna/ Ascendant.

How to calculate Arudha Lagna?

1. Find your Lagna/ascendant the Lord (Aries ascendant-> Mars)

2. Count how many houses from your ascendant Lord to your ascendant. (ex. how many houses mars is from ascendant= 8 houses)

3. Count that same number from Ascendant lord. That is your Arudha Lagna (ex. 8 houses away from mars= Aquarius AL)

Benefics sitting in the Arudha can give a positive public image. Making one appear good and trustworthy, even if they aren’t.

Malefics sitting in the Arudha/or ruling the sign can tarnish one’s reputation, making the public distrustful or critical.

For example- Saturn, Mars, Rahu, Ketu sitting in AL can tarnish one’s reputation

Signs ruled by Malefics such as Scorpio (Mars & Ketu), Aries (Mars), Capricorn & Aquarius ( Saturn) doesn’t have as severe of an effect as a malefic siting in AL. But it does make one appear controversial or questionable to public at some point in time.

AL In Aries- Bold, competitive, intimidating, leader, pioneer, aggressive, action oriented, sexual/ promiscuous

Women tend to be accused of competing with other women or men competing with other men

Ex. Marilyn Monroe, Christina Aguilera, Muhammad Ali, Tyra Banks

AL in Taurus- Stable, grounded, Sensual, refined, gentle, patient, charismatic, trustworthy, noticed for voice, stubborn

Usually seen as harmless or down to earth. Like Libra, Venus ruled, they tend to be known for their sensuality & looks

Ex. Keanu Reeves, Rihanna, Michael Jackson, Bruno Mars

AL in Gemini- intellectual, witty, youthful, curious, versatile, social, communicative, recognition from siblings

Tend to be recognized for their unique voice

Ex. Beyoncé, Madonna, Rita Hayworth, Mariah Carey

AL in Cancer- Sensitive, Gentle, Homebody, Comforting, Nurturing, Proud of country/heritage/family, Protective, intuitive, Caring, Empathetic, Moody, emotional

Home dynamics or family life can be put on the spotlight. Others see them a caring, mother like figure (unless malefic influence)

Ex. Princess Diana, JonBenét, Brandy

AL in Leo- Charismatic, Authoritative, creative, dramatic, Natural Leader, Arrogant, Center of Attention, Performer/arts, fashionable, someone of importance, Extroverted

Spotlight is always on them so they tend to gain fame & attention in whatever they do. Type to feel like all eyes are on you when entering a room.

Ex. Al Capone, Catherine Hepburn, Halle Berry, The Weeknd

AL in Virgo- Analytical, practical, intelligent, resourceful, reserved, health conscious, detail oriented, logical, rational, educated

They come off as controlled and put together. Can’t get them to react easily.

Ex. Prince Harry, Bruce Lee, Jennifer Lawrence

AL in Libra- Charming, diplomatic, balanced, harmonious, sociable, peaceful, intellectual, good at negotiating/comunicating, influential, Justice seeking

Tend to be either known for their beauty, charisma, or justice/law industry.

Ex. Monica Bellucci, Oprah, lady Gaga, Aubrey Hepburn, Barack Obama

AL in Scorpio- Mysteroius, intense, powerful, secretive, magnetic, respected, morally grey, dark, sexual/sexy, controversial, sensual, occultist/witch/astrologer, taboo, hiding secrets, Spiritual dangerous, seductive

Due to malefic Mars/Ketu influence they do tend to be very controversial but despite this they still turn out to be respected

Ex. Angelina Jolie, Sharon Stone, Pamela Anderson, John F Kennedy, Jim Morrison, Bill Gates

AL in Sagittarius- Optimistic, philosophical, adventurous, independent, wise, free-spirited, benevolent, Justice seeking, educated, Humorous, experienced, travels a lot

They are seen as knowledgeable and in-tune with other cultures. They make good comedians, business owners, teachers

Ex. Jeff Bezos, Jacqueline Kennedy, Adam Ant, Demi Moore, Hugh Hefner

AL in Capricorn- Ambitious, disciplined, responsible, structured. authoritative, grounded, serious, mature, dignified, sturn, wiser than age, melancholy, pessimistic, cold

The list is questionable because Saturn influence can, like I said, make one appear questionable depending on other influences. But they make good leaders, business owners.

Ex. Lana del Rey, Adolf Hitler, Charlie Chaplin, Angela Merkel, Brad Pitt

AL in Aquarius- Innovative, unconventional, intellectual, humanitarian, forward-thinking, eccentric, unorthodox, friendly, good with media/technology, rebellious, cares about welfare of society/world, leader, influencer

People usually say their style, ideas & attitude are ahead of their time, due to Rahu.

Ex. Steve Irwin, Cher, Tamera Mowry

AL in Pisces-Spiritual, imaginative, empathetic, dreamy, otherworldly, artistic, siren like, mysterious, gentle, kind, serious, spiritual/devoted, adventurous, open-minded, philosophical, interested in higher learning/knowledge, introverted, emotional

Seen as creative, artistic (music, art, acting etc). Inventing/creating something new. Emotional imbalance/mental illnesses might get public attention

Ex. Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Elon Musk, Picasso, Ariana Grande

Disclaimer- some of the people I listed have two Arudha Lagnas (ie Scorpio Asc or Aquarius Asc) ex Princess Diana Cancer & Aquarius AL

I tried to find both positive & negative representations

Astromartine has a very knowledgeable playlist; going more in depth for each Arudha Lagna & Arudha houses

[maybankswhore]

𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐂𝐄.

summary: even though jj refuses to admit his feelings for you— he doesn’t want anyone else to have you.

warnings: cursing

prompt: “why are you mad?” “i’m not mad , i just think you can choose better people to kiss.”

The dynamic between you and JJ was undoubtedly strange. You’d two hold hands , hug for longer than ‘friendly’ hugs usually went for , have sleepovers where you’d cuddle and kiss his cheek. It was like a relationship without the title and without the kissing and sappy lover girl esqe commitment.

But it started to get hurtful. To be the girl that was always there , the only girl that was ever there , and still be seen as nothing more than just a friend. God , how you absolutely hated using the word ‘friend.’

There was hookup after hookup , one after the other. JJ would tell you all about them , seeing nothing wrong in confiding his deepest thoughts with his ‘best friend.’ It was harmless in his mind. If you were too hook up with anyone , he’d want to hear about it. I mean— it’s not like there were guys lining up for you at the door. You were stagnant and clearly into JJ so most guys didn’t bother trying. So while JJ figured he’d be okay with hearing about it— it turned out to make him feel the complete opposite.

All four Pogue’s were sitting around the fire in John B’s backyard as you sat there bashfully , remembering your work shift earlier that morning.

It had started like any other day— the same old faces that come for the same old cup of coffee. Some were a bit less frequent and the tips were all in the same. Business wasn’t necessarily ‘booming’ but it was a moderately profitable day. Today had seemed like any other day— until it wasn’t.

A boy who was not much older than you were had walked in and you swore your heart stopped. There wasn’t many people you looked twice at , beings that you suffered with the cruelty of unrequited love. But this one had made you look twice. His hair was shaggy brown , stopping right above his eyebrows. His green eyes seemed kind , the minute he had mumbled ‘hello’ to you.

You were surprised he asked for your number. The banter between the two of you , and how charming he was seemed to brighten your morning just a bit— and since JJ hadn’t seemed to be confessing his undying love for you any time soon , it seemed to be the right time to try and put yourself out there.

“No way you actually gave some random guy your number.” JJ scoffed from the side of you. He wasn’t sure why hearing you talk about another guy that way made him feel so. . . mad. Sure he cared about you , but never really paid attention to what kind of care it was. He always chalked it up to knowing you his whole life , declaring you his bestfriend for life. But watching the way your eyes danced amongst the flame with a certain girlish glow , his heart beat faster than he had ever felt before.

You rolled your eyes. “Okay and? It’s not like you don’t give out your number at every boneyard party.” You defended yourself.

“She’s right.” Pope pointed at her.

“Yeah I think it’s sweet.” Kiara gushed , hyping it up more than it really was. She knew JJ had a crush on you— anyone with two eyes could see that. He was just too stupid to bother realizing it. “It’ll be like those movies where the girl falls for the guy from the coffee shop.” She placed a hand on her heart dramatically. “That’s like , super romantic.”

“I know!” You sighed dreamily. You had always been such a romantic. Reading , writing , watching it. Those silly little cliche book plots coming to life.

JJ rolled his eyes. “It’s not that romantic.”

“Why’re you being such a hater right now?” You asked JJ , crossing your arms over your chest annoyed. “You should be happy for me! Stuff like this never happens to me.”

JJ began to think back over the years before realizing that you were right. You were always with him or the other Pogue’s and when there were parties , he’d find some girl to mess around with somewhere before finding you so you two could go home together like you always had. He hadn’t remembered the last time you even talked about liking someone. His chest began to ache at that— feeling bad. Of course he wanted romantic stuff to happen for you so why did he feel so defensive about it? Sighing , he shook his head of the confusing feelings. “You’re right , I’m sorry. What was his name?”

He swallowed down whatever he thought he was feeling , doing what he did best ; ignoring the problem until it eventually went away. Because he couldn’t think of you like that. . . The two of you were just friends. You always had been— right?

John B and Pope shared a knowing look. You smiled obliviously and continued.

“Nate.”

“Nate?” John B asked with his face turning red.

“Yeah?”

“As in Nate Montero?” Pope pressed further.

JJ shifted in his seat uncomfortably , looking at you. “As in the guy who cut my hair in Kindergarten?!”

You covered your mouth as you gasped , remembering how much JJ had cried because some kid on the playground cut a chunk of his hair off. The name did seem familiar to you at the time but you hadn’t even remembered then. JJ’s face was scrunched up with disgust while the Pogue’s doubled over into laughter. How ironic.

“It was a long time ago!” You groaned.

“I don’t give a shit! That little bastard cut my hair. The hair I had been growing for years.” He threw his hands up in the air. “You can’t go out with him.” JJ said immediately with his nose turned in the air.

“Oh yes I can.”

JJ raised his eyebrows at you , taken aback by the seriousness in your voice. Something bubbled inside of him— something he couldn’t quite figure out. Whatever it was , though , he didn’t like it. “That’s like a betrayal!” He said after a few seconds.

“John B literally dates Sarah Cameron!” You pointed out , giving him a soft smile of apology when he shot you a look. “Sorry but it’s true.”

“She isn’t wrong.” Kiara chirped up.

“You’re literally friends now!” Scoffed John B.

“Yeah— now.” You pointed out. “But at first there was hella beef that was deeper than getting your hair snipped in Kindergarten.”

John B groaned. “Can we not bring me up into this? This is between you and JJ.”

“There’s nothing between me and JJ—” you ignored the way your stomach began to hurt at that. The words only fueling your desire to see the guy , Noah , from the coffee shop again. “I’m seeing him.”

“Y/N this conversation isn’t over!” JJ called after you once you picked up your beer can and started walking towards the house. You didn’t bother looking back , throwing him the middle finger as you disappeared behind the doors.

JJ’s eyes turned to slits and looked at the Pogue’s with an annoyed expression. “Can you believe her?”

“Believe what? That she finally finds a guy attractive other than you?” Kiara folded her arms across her chest. “If you aren’t going to be with her then let someone else who wants to be and be happy for her.”

JJ furrowed his eyebrows at Kiara. He glanced at Pope and John B before looking back at her. “Y/N/N does not find me attractive.” He waved her off.

“Oh please.” Pope muttered under his breath.

“I say we just let this play out.” John B stretched out with a yawn.

“This could end badly—” Pope pointed out.

“Or JJ will finally get his head out of his ass.” Kiara snorted.

JJ stood up in front the Pogue’s with an uneasy look. “I don’t know what you’re all talking about but the only way this ends badly is if Y/N decides to go ahead with that guy. He’s bad news.” He huffed , running back into the Chateau.

“He’s so jealous.” John B smirked while shaking his head.

“Very.”

It had been very tense between the two of you. You were so mad at him for thinking he had any right to tell you who you could or couldn’t date— especially after years of pining after him , and watching him go through girl after girl without so much as glancing your way. You weren’t going to keep hoping for someone to look at you anymore.

Nate had texted you to meet up and you did. It was a nice date , nothing too fancy or mind blowing. Just a simple date. One that ended in a small goodbye kiss on John B’s front porch— the place you normally stayed on on the weekends when your parents were out and about , barely thinking twice about you.

You were glimmering when you walked back in. You figured the Pogue’s would be in the backyard like they always were , so you breezed past the living room and into the kitchen for a glass of water. Your thoughts were everywhere because you did like Nate , and the kiss left you breathless— but it wasn’t like what you thought it would be. Though , none of the past kisses ever were. There was always something missing , making you rethink them.

“Oh so the traitor is back.” JJ strolled into the kitchen without looking at you , his tone hard.

This had been the first time in the past two days he bothered talking to you. You figured he was just pissy you decided to go out with Nate after all , despite the silly Kindergarten incident.

“Why are you mad?” You put down your water bottle and stepped in front of him so he couldn’t look away from you.

“I’m not mad. I just think you could choose better people to kiss.” JJ said. His fingers dancing towards the side of her face.

You felt your breath catch in your throat. Pulling your face away from his hand , you sighed. “If this is about what happened in fricking Kindergarten—”

JJ grabbed your face in his hands , your cheeks hollowing out between your teeth as he did so. You looked at him through fluttering eyelashes , your cheeks burning up. “This isn’t about what happened.” He murmured to you.

This whole conversation had him thinking. That feeling he was feeling— it wouldn’t go away. He had tossed and turned all night that night because his stomach was so sick thinking about you with someone else. He didn’t know why it never occurred to him that you’d eventually find someone else. He didn’t know why he wasted away all this time being with girls who didn’t mean anything. JJ wanted to kiss you. And to hold you like more than a friend. He didn’t want you with Nate— or with anyone. And he felt so bad about never realizing it , and always pushing away those feelings you’d make him feel because he was scared to lose you.

But he couldn’t lose you to someone else.

“I don’t want you to kiss Nate. . .” JJ breathed , inching closer to your face. Your eyes were wide with shock as you watched him , your heart beating crazily in your chest. He still held your face in her hands , watching your reaction to his words. He only hoped that you’d want to kiss him back.

“JJ—” you mumbled. “What’re you—”

“I want to kiss you.” JJ told you , swiping his thumb on your bottom lip. “Only if you’ll kiss me.”

Your heart began to race as you studied JJ’s face. The crush that you had buried inside of you for years was bursting in your chest , making friends with the butterflies in your stomach. Your mouth went dry as you looked at him. JJ left go of the hold he had on you to simply cup your cheek.

“JJ don’t be mean.” You whispered. “If you’re doing this just because I went out with Nate—”

“This isn’t because of Nate.” JJ cut you off. “Not completely , anyway. It was at the beginning but I couldn’t stop thinking about you. His hands on you.” His left hand slithered down to your waist , snaking around it. “Your lips on his.” His other hand pulled at your bottom lip again. “I got jealous.”

You stared at stunned. “Jealous?”

“I think I like you , Y/N.” JJ sighed to himself , looking at you sweetly. “And I think I’ve always known but I just ignored thinking it would go away.”

You swallowed thickly looking up at him. “Did it?”

“No.” He shook his head. “It didn’t.”

“Then. . .” you took a deep breath and stood taller , clearing your throat to sound more confident. “Then I think I want you to kiss me.”

With wild eyes , JJ was treading a line he wasn’t sure it was safe to cross. But the way his heart burned inside of his chest , his ears ringing and pulse getting faster— it would be worth whatever outcome if it meant he got to feel what it was like to kiss you. JJ got closer to you , so close that you felt his breath fan your face. “Do you think or do you know?”

Quietly you weighed your options in your head. There were so many things going through your mind , telling you a million different things. But the way you felt was telling you to kiss him. Finally. After all this time— you wanted to make him wait it out like you had for so long. But you couldn’t control yourself. “I know.” You took the initiative to connect your lips to his , tired of this waiting game. It was either now or never.

He kissed you back immediately. His hands finding home around your waist. His knees felt weak and your heart felt mushy. As your head tilted to the side , a sense of relief fell over you. This was it. This was why no other kiss had ever compared or felt like it mattered. Because it was JJ , it was always JJ.

He was your missing piece to it all.

JJ was the first to pull away , breathless. He felt crazed as he looked at you with eyes wild. Nothing had ever felt like this with him— no other girl could ever compare to you.

“Like I said. . . this ended badly!” Pope bursted out , practically falling out into the kitchen. Kiara and John B rolled their eyes at him.

“Finally!” Kiara groaned. “I was so sick of the sappy back and forth shit.”

“I for one , agree.”

You hid your face in your hands embarrassed while JJ smirked triumphantly. “I have a full head of hair and I got the girl.”

“I hate you.”

[roosterr]

love you from afar

note: this has been in my drafts since MARCH. can't decide whether i like it or not lol. @wetsocksinbed angsty fic is up next >:)

pairing: john 'soap' mactavish x gn!reader

wc: 9.5k (oops)

summary: you receive a series of mysterious gifts from a mysterious admirer.

warnings: longing, yearning, pining, best friends to lovers trope, idiots in love, heavy on the idiots part, tooth-rotting fluff

ao3

over the last two weeks, you’ve noticed some odd things happening around you; a good kind of odd, the kind that left you thoroughly confused, but was heartwarming nonetheless.

after going back and forth with it in your mind, you've come to the conclusion that you have a secret admirer. it was odd, and a little hard to believe, but it was the only option that made any sense to you. in all honesty, it was probably just your hopeless-romantic heart clouding your mind with optimism, but one can dream.

the first incident was harmless enough, a small inconspicuous gesture that was so subtle, in fact, that you barely paid it any notice at first.

it was the dead of night, and you’d just returned from a particularly gruelling solo mission, uninjured but bone tired and desperate to collapse into your bed and finally sleep. before you could fall into the blankets, however, you noticed through the darkness of your room something strange.

resting neatly on your pillow, illuminated by the dim light of your phone screen, was a single bar of your favourite chocolate. you didn’t remember buying it, and certainly didn’t remember leaving it there, but it was exactly the kind of pick-me-up you needed after the day you’d had. at the time, you’d chalked it up to you simply being forgetful, devoured the chocolate in record time, and promptly knocked out.

over breakfast the next morning, you'd recounted to the others the mysterious appearing chocolate as a funny anecdote; the five of you had laughed about your terrible memory, and you'd moved on. but now you weren’t on the verge of blacking out, you couldn’t help but think of it as weird.

for the life of you, you couldn’t remember buying the chocolate bar, and it didn’t make sense that you would leave it on your pillow like that. what did make sense, however bizarre it may seem, was someone else leaving it for you – but you had no idea who would do that for you, or why. either way, you didn't imagine that anything else would come from it.

the next incident happened three days later.

during training that afternoon, you were in the middle of running laps around base, when you’d – stupidly – tripped over a ditch in the ground and rolled your ankle pretty badly. it hurt too much to put any weight on it, so you’d sat there in shame with no choice but to wait for a few minutes until gaz and soap caught up to you.

as they rounded the corner, you'd reluctantly waved them over with a grimace at how your ankle was throbbing in your boot. johnny was immediately crouching by your side, abandoning the idea of training to focus completely on you.

"christ, what happened?" he fussed, worry creasing his face and making your own heat up under the attention.

"i tripped…" you mumbled, dragging a hand over your embarrassed expression. it was bad enough that you'd made such a simple mistake, but now the man you were crushing on, hard, was lifting your leg so gently and untying your laces and you were certain you were moments away from cardiac arrest.

he'd ushered gaz away to continue his run, telling him he'd accompany you to the infirmary with a tone that left no room for argument. not that gaz would've, the knowing look he sent you as he jogged away told you he knew exactly what you were thinking.

after making sure nothing was broken, soap had pulled you to stand with an arm around your waist, supporting you with his solid frame when you stumbled. 

"sure y'don't want me to carry you?" he'd teased, earning a laugh from you as you wobbled in his arms. as you chuckled though, you noticed a hint of what seemed like sincerity in his eyes. you'd felt your face burning again at the implication that he really would carry you, if that's what you'd wanted, and quickly started dragging him along with you in an attempt to hide your flustered state. 

he'd kept his arm around your waist the entire way to the medical wing, only releasing you when you were sat in front of the doctor, which did absolutely nothing to calm your racing heart. to your dismay, he couldn't stay with you – you were still in the middle of training, after all. 

"you sure you'll be alright by yourself?" he'd asked as he left, and the concern in his eyes almost finished you off. you were almost glad he didn't stick around to see the effect he had on you.

luckily, after a quick inspection, the doctor concluded that you only had a minor sprain, and you'd be good as new in a couple of weeks. she'd sent you on your way with an ice pack, a crutch, and strict instructions to stay off your feet.

you would've gone back outside to watch the boys (mainly soap) finish the rest of their exercises, but honestly, the embarrassment of what happened had you wanting to curl up with a pillow over your face for the rest of the day; so that's exactly what you found yourself doing.

you must've drifted off to sleep at some point, because once you finally sat up again, the sun had painted the horizon a bright orange, and your stomach had begun to rumble.

as you went to walk out into the hall, you heard the crinkle of plastic under your boot, pausing you mid‐step. when you looked down, you were stunned to find a bundle of three beautiful white flowers – gardenias, you'd found out after googling them later. an incredibly warm feeling blossomed in your chest, and despite your best efforts, your eyes had welled up with tears. you couldn't even think of the last time someone bought you flowers. there was no note attached, meaning you had no way of knowing who had left them for you, which sent your mind back to the chocolate bar from a few days ago.

so i'm not going crazy, you'd thought to yourself, someone really did leave it for me. but still, you had no clue who this mystery gift-giver could be.

you'd carefully picked them up, being mindful of your ankle, and turned back around to put them in your room. there wasn't really anywhere to put them, so you just set them on the ledge of your windowsill and made a mental note to find a vase for them at some point.

when you eventually made it to the mess hall, there were very few people left, leaving the room unusually calm. ghost was sat by himself at one of the far tables, so you hobbled over on your crutch to sit with him while you ate.

you sat down opposite him, and he'd looked up, gave you a subtle nod, and gone back to eating with his eyes fixed on the table in front of him. the two of you ate like that for a while, sitting quietly in each others presence.

ghost had been the first to break the silence, asking you, "how's the ankle?" as he pulled his balaclava back down to cover his mouth.

"just sprained," you'd replied, looking up to meet his eyes. another beat of silence fell over you, before you continued, "did you see who left me those flowers?" you'd asked him; it was worth a shot, you figured not much gets past ghost. to your dismay, he simply shook his head, standing and mumbling a goodbye as he left.

you were only more confused now. if ghost didn't know who it was – and, granted, you wouldn't actually be able to tell if he was lying, but you trusted him – then who would know? the next day, you'd asked the other boys, but they'd all said the same thing, even the captain. so you were left with nothing to do but wonder who on earth could be leaving you these gifts.

after that, it was another four days until your secret admirer struck again.

you'd been in and out of briefings and debriefings and meetings all day, your mind was beginning to numb with all the information that had been unloaded. you were tired; not quite the same exhaustion you'd felt coming back from your mission earlier in the week, though, this time you were at the end of your rope mentally. there hadn't been a moments peace since you got out of bed, and once that excruciatingly long day was over and you were relaxing in the common room, you'd had no energy to actually engage with your friends.

you were nestled into one end of the sofa with gaz next to you, ghost on his other side, and soap in the armchair with a small book in his hands. they were all chatting, with you occasionally saying a thing or two, but you were mostly just zoned out with their conversation serving as white noise in the background.

occasionally, you'd look up and catch soap already watching you, but he'd quickly turn his gaze back down to his book. his attention caused you to be equal parts flustered and confused. if you'd been any more awake, you probably would've asked him if something was wrong, but you were already having trouble keeping your head up as it was.

once you felt your eyes slip closed one too many times, you'd decided it was time to turn in for the night. with a quick 'goodnight' to the others, you'd made a beeline straight for your room – but it was more of a hobble, since your ankle still required you to walk with a crutch.

that night you'd slept like a baby, waking up early the next morning feeling well rested, and thankfully your ankle had even started to feel better. though you still couldn't join the team's training sessions, you had other responsibilities to fulfil, so unfortinately you did have to get up at some point.

you'd just finished lacing up your boots when you noticed it; a single sheet of paper on the ground by your door, folded once in half so you can't see what's written on it. from where it lays, you conclude that whoever left it must've slipped it through the gap under your door while you slept. you'd picked it up and sat back on the edge of your bed to unfold it, your curiosity certainly piqued. it make you wonder, though, what reason someone could have for leaving you a note.

except, when you'd lifted the page it wasn't a note at all. on the slightly wrinkled paper were a number of beautiful pencil drawings – drawings of you. the surprise of seeing your own face staring back at you nearly stopped your poor heart.

the jagged edge on one side of the page indicated that it must have been torn out of a sketchbook, which had interested you even more. you couldn't think of anyone you knew who could draw, let alone who would have a sketchbook dedicated to it.

whoever made this, it was clear that art was a passion of theirs – these drawings were really good. your hair, your eyes, the subtle expression on your features, every line was expertly crafted. it was incredibly flattering, and admittedly boosted your ego a little with how good those sketches made you look.

as you sat there smiling to yourself, you'd glanced up to the three flowers blooming on your nightstand. like the gardenias, the drawings were from your secret admirer, there was no other explanation; and an admirer they were, it was abundantly clear from these sketches that this person had an appreciation for you, if only from afar.

the drawings had been your favourite so far, but unfortunately, it was almost a week until your admirer made another move.

it had been long enough for you to start walking properly on your ankle again, and so you'd been slowly easing back into your workout routine, starting with your morning run. you'd taken it slow with lots of breaks to rest your muscles, but still decided to call it early, which had you back at your locker earlier than usual. as you were rounding the corner to the locker room, you'd heard the door slam closed and a set of heavy footsteps racing down the corridor. you'd only caught a glimpse of whoever it was as they dashed around the other corner, quick enough that you weren't able to see who it was.

you'd been concerned at first, whoever it was had been in a terrible rush, but you'd quickly shaken it off – it wasn't uncommon for people to be rushing around base, especially first thing in the morning. with your own meeting to get to, you'd decided not to dwell on the strange almost-encounter, and carried on with grabbing your towel from the bench and showering.

as you opened the door to your locker to fetch your clean clothes, sitting front and centre on top of them was something you definitely hadn't left there; a bag of your favourite hard candy, unopened, in the space that had been empty not half an hour before. how did these get here? you'd asked yourself, and you stood there confused for a moment or two before the answer came to you.

of course, your secret admirer. you'd felt the familiar giddy excitement bubble up in your chest at the revelation. it had been a while since the page of drawings had been slipped under your door, and it pained you how the gardenias had begun to wilt already. honestly, you'd been slightly worried that they'd given up, or something had happened to them. thankfully though, they seemed to be doing just fine, and you were too with such a pleasant start to your day.

it wasn't until you were sat in the meeting room, munching on your sweets and waiting for the others to arrive, that you realised.

the person, the one who'd been in a hurry as you got back from your run, it was them; that person was your secret admirer. they had to be, you'd concluded, the sweets weren't in your locker when you'd been in there earlier, and you did cut your run short, so they probably hadn't expected you to return so soon – that's why they'd been in such a rush to get away.

the revelation had butterflies swarming in your stomach, the idea of being so close to finding out who it was that held such fond affection for you sparking giddy excitement in you; but at the same time, it filled you with a sickly apprehension.

the problem was that you already knew who you wanted it to be – you had from the beginning – and you worried that uncovering their identity would only lead to disappointment; because there was no possible way john mactavish could feel the same way you felt about him.

soap had always been nothing short of kind and respectful of you, never stepping over the unspoken line if being your closest friend. sometimes, you can fool yourself into thinking he treats you differently – when he checks in on you after missions, when he always saves you a seat next to him in meetings, when he'd practically carried you to the infirmary, all of it ignited a warm feeling in your chest. but then you think about it a little more, and remember that all those nice gestures, that's just who he is. he wormed his way into the heart of ghost, for fucks sake, it was almost impossible not to like him.

you'd been so lost in thought, that gaz sitting in the seat next to you had startled you back to reality.

"gonna share with the class?" he'd asked with a teasing smirk, gesturing to the sweets sitting on the table in front of you. he'd reached out to grab one, but you'd pushed his hand away and snatched the bag to your chest.

"no way," you'd said with a playful glare, sending a quick smile to soap who'd taken the seat on your other side, "these are from my secret admirer, get your own."

gaz paused. "...your fucking what?" he had an incredulous look on his face, and you'd forgotten that you never actually told the others about it. "soap, you hearin' this?"

soap looked almost panicked when you'd turned to him, but he didn't have time to respond, as that was the moment price had walked through the door and announced the start of the meeting.

"i'll explain after," you whispered to gaz, who gave you a pointed look that said 'you better' and turned his attention back to price. you'd stifled a chuckle and looked back at soap, expecting him to have a similar expression, but he was already facing forward. you'd frowned at this; you and johnny would always whisper back and forth during meetings – a way to keep eachother entertained, as well as an excuse for you to sit close to him – but today his face had an odd air of seriousness to it. oh well, you'd thought somewhat downtrodden, just have to talk to him after.

and that's what led you to the present, where you'd been explaining to the boys everything that has happened over the last two weeks. well, you were mostly telling soap and gaz, ghost honestly didn't seem that interested, though the captain did have a rather amused expression as he listened.

"so you have no idea who it could be?" gaz had turned sideways in his chair, leaning forward slightly with his eyebrows raised. he looked to be in disbelief, and you were almost inclined to feel the same.

"nope, not a clue." you sighed, turning from gaz to look at the others around the table. price was standing with his arms crossed, giving you a similar disbelieving look, and ghost had that familiar unreadable look in his eyes.

"someone went in your room while you were gone?" ghost's low voice caught your attention, "bit creepy, innit," he grumbled, his gaze darting between you and somewhere next to you. he did have a point, you supposed, it was a bit weird.

"well… maybe a little, yeah…" you trailed off. perhaps he had a point, but you found yourself not wanting to believe it; all of the mystery person's gestures had been so sweet, thoughtful, it was hard to think they had any ill intentions.

that, and your heart has already made up its mind about who it should be.

"don't be like that, lt., whoever it is meant well, didn't they?" gaz chuckled, the grin evident in his voice.

"christ…" ghost mutters, shaking his head in exasperation.

"it may be a slight invasion of privacy…" you begin; and it's true, but after the first incident, it didn't appear that anyone had been inside your room again. "but it was only once. and it was just a chocolate bar, it's harmless. besides, are you really telling me you've never been in anyone's room when they're not there?" you continued, earning only an eye roll from ghost.

"and you haven't tried to figure out who it is?" price asks from his position standing opposite you, across the table.

"no, i wouldn't even know where to start, it could be anyone…" you try to think of anyone to suspect, but your optimistic mind only draws one name; the object of your affection, who happened to be sitting directly next to you. unfortunately, the two of you were strictly friends – no matter how much you longed for something more.

"i think you should investigate," gaz's smile makes you think for a moment that he knows something that you don't, but you brush it off. he didn't even know about your admirer until you told him, how could he? it wasn't like they were leaving any hints. "whoever it is obviously really likes you."

"you think?" you unwrap another sweet and pop it into your mouth as you consider his words.

"yeah! and, we could even help you investigate," gaz gives the others a hopeful, if slightly suspicious, smirk.

"speak for yourself…" ghost leans back in his chair and folds his arms over his chest, the picture of uninterested, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"could be a good bonding exercise," price had the same entertained tone in his voice as he looked between the four of you, "any thoughts, soap?"

you hadn't realised until the captain brought attention to him, but soap had been uncharacteristically quiet during all this; since before the meeting, actually. he hadn't said a word to you yet today, which had you a little worried. usually the two of you couldn't shut up when you were together. you turn to look at him, and find him looking wide-eyed back at price.

"i don't– ah, maybe…" he stuttered, looking between price and the table rather than meeting your concerned eyes, "...they're just shy? don't want to be known yet?"

"oh, y'think, mate?" gaz fully laughed at that, sharing a look with both ghost and price that held something you couldn't understand. now you're thoroughly confused.

"well, maybe he's right," uncertainty laced your voice, their reactions throwing you for a loop. "if they wanted to be known, they probably would've shown themselves by now, right?" you turn to soap, who looks like he'd rather be anywhere else – but he meets your gaze with a tiny smile.

"so you're not going to investigate?" you look back at gaz, who has that incredulous look back on his face, and from the corner of your eye you see price and ghost both shake their heads.

"they can show themselves when they're ready, i don't want to push them." your mind was made up; if your secret admirer wanted to reveal their identity, then they would, it's as simple as that.

"but–" gaz tries to argue, but price quickly interrupts him.

"right, enough, you lot, clear out, you've all got work to be getting on with." he gestures for you all to stand, and after grabbing your sweets, you follow the others out of the room.

for the rest of the day, you endured endless amounts of teasing from gaz, and he even got some of the people from other units in on it. it had your face burning when they cooed over how romantic your 'mystery lover' was. you could only pray that they got over it soon, in the back of your mind you were slightly worried the attention might scare off your admirer, and you certainly didn't want that. but although you told the others you'd wait for them to reveal themselves in their own time, you'd be lying if you said you weren't practically dying to know who it was.

✹✹✹

"hey sarge," a voice sounds from beside you, drowning out the din of the mess hall around you. turning your head, you see it's a private; one you don't really know, but you give her a polite smile anyway. "i've got a message for you." she continues, producing a folded piece of paper from behind her back.

"a message? who from?" you ask, taking the paper from her when she holds it out to you.

she giggles, giving you a sly smile, "a secret someone," and with a suspicious wink, she turned around and left.

with the note in your hand, you look to gaz and soap, a baffled expression on your face. "does she mean my… admirer?" they both shrug at you, sharing an equally perplexed look between themselves.

"go on then," gaz says, "what does it say?"

you unfold it, and scan the neat handwriting of the message. soap and gaz watch as you read it, their curiosity overwhelmingly present in the way they leaned forward to try and see.

your face falls, and you frown. the note was signed – 'your secret admirer' – but you couldn't ignore the sinking feeling in your heart.

"what's up? what does it say?" gaz notices the change in your expression, standing up from his chair and leaning fully over the table to read the note himself. you hand it to him, your good mood from this morning completely soured.

"apparently it is from my admirer," you begin, not bothering to hide the dejection in your voice, "telling me to meet them outside in five minutes."

the pair don't say anything, too stunned to form words as they continue to frown at the words in front of them. this can't be right, it just can't be, your mind laments, if johnny is sitting here, that that means he's not–

"seriously? just like that?" gaz interrupts your thoughts. he sounded annoyed underneath his shock, and you find yourself feeling the same way. "sorry, but i find that hard to believe – they didn't even leave a card with the flowers, did they? it just doesn't feel right to me."

you look to soap, who has yet to say anything on the matter. he doesn't meet your eyes, boring holes into the table with the anger in his gaze. your frown only deepens at his expression, the look on his face so unlike him it almost has you forgetting all about the cause.

"who knows," you sigh, plucking the note back out of gaz's hand. "this probably won't take long, i'll–"

"wait, you're going?" soap interjects, the frown on his face set much deeper than your own. his sudden question caught you off guard, paired with his irritated expression, and you almost thought he was angry with you.

"yeah, i mean, what's the harm, right? might as well just get it over with." you stand as you respond, folding the note back up. even if you were setting yourself up for disappointment, you still wanted to at least hear this person out; even if it wasn't him.

"what's the harm?" johnny scoffs – at you or at very idea of all this you aren't sure – and joins you in standing up, throwing his arms out with such annoyance, it catches you off guard. he gestures sharply at the paper in your hand, "this– whoever that is, it's pure shite! you can't see that?"

now it's you who scoffs at him; where is this hostility coming from? yesterday he seemed as though he couldn't care less when you were telling everyone about it, and now all of a sudden, he thinks he has all the answers?

"how would you know?" you shove the note into your pocket, your earlier sadness quickly morphing into annoyance.

as you move to walk away, johnny looks like he wants to say something more, to stop you, and you hesitate. you want him to; whoever your admirer was, whoever that note was from, none of it meant a thing if it wasn't him. all you wanted was for him to look at you the same way you look at him. gaz is looking at him too, subtly gesturing for him to do something, but he doesn't speak, doesn't meet your eyes as your face drops again.

"exactly, you don't. i'll be back in a minute." you huff, and without another word from either of them, you turn on your heel and make your way out of the mess hall.

it's safe to say your mood had swiftly and effectively been ruined. the disillusionment of realising that your secret admirer was someone other than johnny was one thing, but his sudden attitude towards you was the final straw. your face was decidedly sour as you trudge through the corridors, still with a slight limp which was only fuelling your annoyance for how your day was going. 

the cool air of the courtyard makes your skin bristle as you push the door open, taking a moment to survey the area as you stand in the entryway. to the left stands a lone figure, and you recognise his face, but – like the private from earlier, who you assume is his friend – you can't remember ever having spoken to him. with a deep sigh, you blink away bitterness in your expression and make your way over to him.

his grin is wide as he shamelessly checks you out while you approach, and you instinctually cross your arms over your chest. you come to a stop in front of him, frowning in a look that you hope screams uninterested.

"hey, sarge." he has an overly confident air to him as he speaks, shuffling closer under your scrutinising stare. of course he wouldn't take the hint.

"so it's you, then?" you ask, your voice flat and void of any emotion. you just wanted this to be over with, but it seemed luck just wasn't on your side today.

"it's me," he confirms, the blinding grin still plastered to his face as he inches even closer, "you surprised?"

"yeah, actually. i didn't know you were an artist." you reply, voice flat, and you watch him blink once in surprise. you raise a brow at his bewilderment, your patience already wearing painfully thin. he chuckles awkwardly in an attempt to hide how you so obviously caught him off guard.

"ah, yeah i uh–" he stutters, but you cut him off before he can make too much of a fool of himself.

"in fact, i don't actually know you at all. i couldn't recall your name even if you held a gun to my head." the hiss in your voice reveals just how over this whole situation you are. he opens his mouth to spout something else you have no interest in hearing, the sleazy grin falling from his face, but you hold a hand up to silence him. "so i'd really appreciate it if you left me alone."

"but–"

"and stay out of my room, and my locker, too. if it happens again, you're getting reported." you spit the final words at him, and turn on your heel to leave. before you can take another step, he grabs your elbow and spins you back around to face him, causing your ankle to twist awkwardly, which sends a fresh jolt of pain up your leg. you hold back a groan and fix him with a deadly glare instead.

"hey, c'mon, don't be like that!" you wince as he practically demands, getting much closer to you than was necessary, even with you arching backwards to put some space between you. "at least gimme a chance,"

"just leave me alone." you hiss, pulling your arm out of his grip and before he has the chance to do or say anything else, you hurry back the way you came, your limp noticeably more pronounced than earlier. thankfully, the private – jackson, you’d just about been able to read on his jacket – didn’t follow you back to the mess hall, which proves that he has at least half a brain. you hoped that he’d take the hint to stay away from you, but somewhere in the back of your mind you were preparing yourself to be hassled by him in the coming days; he certainly seemed the type.

you were gone less than ten minutes, but in that time most of the lunch crowd had cleared out, leaving the room a lot quieter than it had been. as you shuffle towards soap and gaz, still sitting at the same table, they both turn to look at you, and you can tell by the way both their expressions drop that they sense something is off.

"what happened?" gaz asks as you take your seat across from them, trying to hold back a wince when you put too much strain on your ankle, "your face says it didn't go well."

you sigh, looking between both of them, lingering on soap who’s already watching you with an intensity that has your face heating up. "it didn’t. it was just some private who can’t take no for an answer." you grumble, resting your cheek in the palm of your hand.

"your ankle okay?" soap asks, holding your gaze until you relent and look away first. you want to tell him not to worry, but you find it's impossible to lie to him, not when he's looking at you like you're the only person in the room. "what happened?" he presses, his voice taking on a dangerous tone.

"its nothing, he just– i just twisted it a little." you trip over your words under his stare, looking to gaz for help, but you find that he has a similar – albeit less intense – look of concern on his face. the silence hangs between you for a moment as you wordlessly try to convince them, but they see through you. "alright, fine. when i was leaving, he grabbed my arm and pulled me back, and i pulled my ankle."

if johnny had been pissed before, he was furious now; his eyes were dark underneath his furrowed brow, his lips turned down in a frown that looked more like a snarl. to see someone usually so easygoing with such a threatening look on his face was almost worrying, the only reassurance being that you know it's not directed at you.

"that prick… who was it?" gaz isn't nearly as affected as soap, but he's clearly annoyed by the audacity of the private. you shake your head, urging them to just let it go; he wasn't worth the trouble, after all.

when johnny says your name in that deep, gravelly tone, your heart skips a beat and your eyes snap to meet his. "who was it." he asks, but it's not a question anymore, and every fibre of your being is telling you to just give in to him.

"jackson. i don't know his first name…" you mutter, slightly flustered by the way he's acting. the tension in the silence that follows is nearly suffocating. from where his arms rest on the table, you notice johnny repeatedly clenching his fists, seemingly having some sort of internal battle with himself.

"what a bellend…" gaz grumbles, pausing for a moment to shake the disgust from his face. "so, what about the whole 'secret admirer' thing then?" he leans back in his chair, eyes darting to soap's profile then back to you.

"i don't know…" you sigh, "didn't really seem like something he was capable of, but i guess i don't really know him, so–"

"yeah, he doesn't seem the type, does he?" gaz interjects, with a newfound energy at your words. you narrow you eyes, sensing an ulterior motive, but let him continue. "i mean, buying you flowers, sweets– seems a bit too thoughtful for such a twat."

his jab coaxed a laugh from you, "maybe; i guess i was pretty disappointed when i saw it was him, though."

"oh yeah? expecting someone else, were you?" gaz has a grin on his face, one that has you worried that he's clocked on to your true feelings.

"something like that…" you clear your throat, suddenly feeling a little too seen for your liking. "anyway, i'd better get going, desk duty is no joke," you slowly stand up, making sure to be careful of your newly irritated ankle, and adamantly avoiding eye contact with either of them.

"yeah, me too, cap said he needs my help with something." gaz stands as well, giving soap a pat on the back and a suspicious wink as he walks off, which you willfully choose to ignore.

"you gonna be okay?" johnny comes to your side as you shuffle around the table, his hand brushing over your back to support you. butterflies begin to flutter at the feeling, and you scold yourself for being so easily affected. he seems to have calmed down a lot, the anger from earlier overtaken by his concern.

"yeah, i'll be fine, i think i'll just have to grab my crutch," you smile at him and take a step forward, wincing as you shift your weight from one foot to the other.

"c'mon, lemme help you," he tilts his head to meet your eyes, his worry evident within them. his hand is warm on your back, you have to hold yourself back from leaning into him. "cannae have you hurtin' yourself any more."

"you sure? don't you have work to do too?" you have every intention of taking him up on his offer, but you couldn't help feeling guilty for needing his help like this.

"i'm sure lt. can survive a few extra minutes," johnny gives you a reassuring smile, already ushering you out of the mess hall.

"well, don't blame me when has your head," you grin back at him, relishing in the comfortable feeling of being so close to him. distracted by his proximity, you momentarily forget about your injury and without thinking, you put too much weight on it as you take a step. with a pained gasp, you wobble on your good foot and pause to give your ankle a break.

johnny moves his arm to sit securely around your waist, gently pulling you to lean fully against him. "you sure you don't want me to take you to the infirmary?" he asks, lifting your arm to wrap around his shoulders.

"no, no– they're just gonna tell me to rest, and i'll be sitting down all day anyway," you move to continue on your way to your room, but he stays put. 

"you should still get it looked at, might be–"

"johnny." you stop him with a hand on his chest, "i'm okay."

you watch his adams apple bob as he gulps, his eyes flickering to where your hand is touching him and back up to your own, almost too fast to notice.

"right, right. sorry." he dips his head, breaking eye contact. you pull him gently, and the two of you start walking again. "you know jackson well?"

you scoff, frowning as you recall the events of earlier. "what? no, before today i didn't even know his name. he seems like kind of an arsehole, to be honest."

"really? made that bad of an impression, eh?" his lopsided smile feels oddly smug, but you decide not to overthink it.

"like i said, can't take a no." you grumble, pinching the bridge of your nose with your free hand, "i doubt this is the last time i'll have to deal with him…"

"he's not gonna bother you." johnny states, with a finality that is as stunning as it is comforting.

"...if you say so." you don't press any further, wanting to simply move on and forget about the whole thing. you'd gladly never think about that arrogant private again.

before you know it, the two of you are standing in the hall outside your room. his grip around your waist loosens as you push open the door, and you're all too aware of the cold feeling left behind as he lets go.

"thank you, for helping me." you shoot him a grateful smile, grabbing your crutch from where it leant against the wall, propping it under your arm.

"course," johnny pauses, looking past you to something in your room. "you… kept the gardenias?" he asks, his voice quiet, almost disbelieving. you tilt your head, a silent question, but he's still staring at the flowers.

"yeah, they're…" you begin, but his words have you pausing too; he didn't seem like the kind of person to be interested in floristry, you'd certainly never heard him say anything about it before. but somehow, he'd identified the flowers on your end table with no problem. "...they're nice. i like them, even if they do look a little sad now."

when he finally meets your eyes again, there's a distinct redness to his face that wasn't there before, and you feel your heart beginning to race with renewed hope. it could be that he just likes flowers, but if he already knew they were gardenias, maybe he…

"right, i, uh– i should get going, or ghost might actually kill me." johnny's voice had a dazed quality to it when he spoke.

"alright, i'll see you later then," you give him a small smile as you step back into the hall next to him. the two of you look at each other for a moment before you speak again, holding back a laugh, "you gonna go, or just stand there all day?"

your words seem to snap him out of the trance he’d been in, and he shakes his head in an almost comical manner, "right! right, sorry, bye!" he sputters, waving over his shoulder as he jogs away. you chuckle to yourself as he goes, and start walking the opposite direction to get started with your own work.

✹✹✹

you didn't see soap again until the next day, considering that he was strangely absent from mealtimes both last night and today. thankfully the incident from the day before hadn't done any further damage to your ankle, so you were up and about without the need for your crutch after a good night's rest.

you'd just dropped off a folder of paperwork in price's office – which you'd completed in fairly good time, thanks to being stuck behind a desk for nearly two weeks – but as you descend the staircase, you're almost knocked over by someone flying around the corner. you caught yourself with a hand on the railing, blinking away your surprise and glaring at whoever had carelessly bumped into you.

much to your chagrin, it was jackson, and you feel your face naturally falling into a frown at the realisation. you’d been expecting him to try and change your mind about yesterday, but true to johnny’s words, he had yet to bother you about it; actually, you hadn’t seen him at all since then, not even at breakfast or lunch, but it's not as if you were complaining. 

though, as you stare down at him from the step above, you notice a deep purple bruise decorating his cheekbone that definitely wasn’t there yesterday. your frown turns from malice to confusion as you wonder how he could have gotten it in the span of less than a day, it looked like he’d taken a serious punch. you couldn’t say you felt bad for him, but it did look painful.

"listen, about yesterday… i- i lied,." jackson mutters, eyes glued to the floor to avoid your own. he was shuffling in place, as if he was preparing to bolt at any second. your eyes narrow as you process his words.

"what?"

he clears his throat. "i lied. it wasn’t me, i just said it was because one of the guys bet me i couldn’t get you to go out with me." he admits. the way he keeps avoiding your eyes, glancing around like he was waiting for someone to jump out at him has you a little suspicious, but your heart still soars when you realise what he means.

jackson wasn't your secret admirer, so your hopeless romantic heart could still dream that it was johnny. the flutter of butterflies even distracts you from the insulting notion that he only wanted to go out with you for a bet.

"seriously?" you ask, your shock evident in your voice as you stare him down. finally his eyes land on your own, an embarrassed grimace overtaking his nervous expression. it's a stark, satisfying difference to his arrogant overconfidence from before.

"yeah. i’m sorry, okay? i don’t want any trouble, it was just–" he cuts himself off, but when you give him a questioning look, he can't tear his eyes from the space behind you, and only mumbles what sounds like a ‘sorry’ before scurrying off back the way he came. you watch him go, thoroughly confused by the whole interaction, but not a moment later a voice from where he was staring brings you out of your thoughts.

"y’alright? little shit wasn’t botherin’ you, was he?" soap's voice cuts through the quiet, and you turn to see him descending the stairs to stand next to you.

you shake your head, "no, no, he just–" you hesitate, your mind going back to yesterday and the gardenias. "he lied, it wasn't him."

"really?" he asks, but his voice doesn't sound surprised at all. you're not sure if you imagined it, but for a moment his expression changes into something like satisfaction.

"yeah, he was about to say something else too, but he just ran off," you sigh, walking down the last few steps. soap follows close behind, a hand hovering near your back. "did you see that bruise on his face? wonder how he got it…"

"looked nasty, eh?" a laugh escapes him, and you admire the way his lips curve, the creases around his eyes as his smile reaches them. "maybe he finally got what was comin' to him."

his face was close to yours, a lot closer than you could reasonably handle without losing your nerve and making a fool of yourself. realising you had yet to respond, you clear your throat and start walking down the corridor, your eyes to the floor and a burning in your cheeks.

"if he never speaks to me again, it'll still be too soon…" you grumble, willing your heart to calm down as he comes up next to you in a few long strides. "anyway, what have you been up to? i haven't seen you all day." with a quick glance, you see the easy smile he has falter slightly.

"i was, ah–" he avoids your eye as he stops himself, a beat of silence passes before he continues "nevermind, i– i was… looking for you." your heart skips a beat, but you scold it for being so eager; the two of you were teammates, friends, he could be looking for you for any number of reasons.

"looking for me? what's up?" you turn your head to face him as you walk, a curious tilt to your brow.

johnny comes to a stop, and so do you a moment after. he looks at you, fidgety and shifting on his feet, with his hands stuffed in his pockets. the look on his face is unsure, uncomfortable, like he was debating running off like jackson had done a minute ago.

he's nervous, that much you can tell. but despite the slightly awkward tension, you you wait for whatever it is he's struggling to say.

"i… uh– y'know what, i actually forgot." johnny hangs his head, pulling his hands from his pockets and scratching the back of his neck.

at his words your heart sinks, and you can't help the disappointed look that takes over your expression. "oh? are you–"

before you can finish, he drops a hand on your shoulder and steps ahead of you, turning around so you're face to face. "listen, ghost is waiting for me, so i gotta run," he smiles again, but it's weaker this time, almost forced as it doesn't quite meet his eyes.

"right… better not keep him waiting."

"right," his reply is short, and the tension between you only grows every moment he avoids your eyes. "i'll see you later though, promise." he flashes you another false smile, gently patting your shoulder, before turning on his heel and swiftly escaping down the corridor.

"bye, johnny." you release a sigh, from longing or exasperation you're not sure, watching his form disappear through the doors.

✹✹✹

despite his promise, once again you don't see soap for the rest of the day. at dinner you'd questioned ghost on his whereabouts, but he only told you that he had no idea either. this time however, you got the strong feeling he was lying to you.

still though, you couldn't find it within yourself to be annoyed with him. you could see clear as day that something was going on with johnny, and if he didn't want to confide in you about whatever it is, then you certainly won't be the one to push him.

having finished today's obligations, you decided to head straight to your room once you'd finished eating. you open your door, a sigh escaping you as you prepare to collapse for the night, and stop dead in your tracks.

a folded sheet of paper lays in front of you, standing out against the emptiness of your floor, crumpled like it had been screwed up and flattened out again. a sense of déjà vù overcomes you, for last week, when you'd received the sketches of yourself in the same way. for a moment all you can do is stand there, staring at the paper, processing.

eventually, you do step into your room, shutting the door quietly behind you and picking the paper up from the floor. you keep it folded until you're sitting on the edge of your mattress, hands shaking ever so slightly with the anticipation.

you're not sure what to think, as you sit burning holes in the paper with your stare. after yesterday, you thought you were done with the idea of your secret admirer; but then again, jackson had admitted to you earlier that he'd lied when he met you yesterday, and the whole reason you weren't as interested after that was because your pipe dream of the mystery person being johnny had been shattered. but now that the identity of your admirer was once again a mystery, you couldn't help but want to dream like that again. 

with a defeated groan, you decide to just rip off the bandaid and read the note. you unfold it, immediately noticing the scratchy handwriting – the opposite of the note jackson gave you, so thankfully it couldn't be from him.

you hear your heartbeat in your ears as your eyes scan the words in front of you.

i stayed up all night trying to write this note, but nothing i came up with felt good enough, so i'm just going to say it. i'm your secret admirer. i know you probably won't believe me after that bastard yesterday, but i need you to know anyway. i used to think that love just wasn't my thing, that i'd never find someone i wanted to spend my life with, but that changed when i met you. i didn’t realise it at first, but it's always been you. you're my person, and i can't hide it anymore. i love you. maybe i'm a coward for giving you a note instead of telling you face to face. but if you don't feel the same, you can throw it away, or burn it or something, and i'll never bring it up again. your heart, johnny

the silence in your room borders on deafening as you sit completely still, reeling from what you'd just read. you didn't realise you'd stopped breathing until you release a shaky breath.

all this time, it was johnny.

every longing glance, every touch that lingered just a little too long, the racing pulse every time he says your name; it was all reciprocated.

every time you thought you could never have him as anything more than your best friend, you were wrong.

he cared enough to leave you a pick-me-up after a hard mission, buy you flowers when you got injured, draw you the way he saw you, gift you things he took the time to notice you like.

all this time… he'd felt the exact same way you do.

you set the note down next to you, bringing a shaky hand up to cover your mouth that had fallen open in shock. there was only one thing to do, in your mind, and that was to run into johnny's arms and make up for all the lost time you've spent pining over him.

in seemingly no time at all, you find yourself standing at johnny's door, your fist poised to knock. theres a moment of hesitation, but before your apprehension can cloud your mind, you let your knuckles rap on the wood once, twice, three times, and take a step back as you wait for a response. after a second or two – which felt a lot longer than it actually was – you hear the sounds of footsteps from inside.

another moment passes, and you assume johnny is standing on the other side with his heart in his throat just like you, short-lived before he finally swings the door open.

he looks at you, eyes wide and like a deer caught in headlights, the way he holds himself uncharacteristically shy as you stare each other down.

"the note," you finally murmur, and johnny almost flinches, clearly fighting the urge to look away from you. "tell me you meant it." you continue, taking a miniscule step closer to him. you hear his breath catch in his chest.

"every word." he whispers, gaze flickering down to your lips and back up to your eyes again, and your heart misses a beat.

with no hesitation this time, you hook your arms around his neck and pull him towards you, crushing his mouth against yours in a desperate kiss that's as much teeth as it is lips.

johnny groans into your mouth, his hands flying to your waist as he turns and walks you backwards into his room. the door gets kicked shut behind him once he's got you inside, neither of you breaking apart more than enough to draw a single ragged breath before meeting in the middle again. with another needy whine into you he pushes you up against the wall, caging you in with his broad shoulders and his arms around your waist.

the weight of his arms around you, the feeling of his stubble prickly against your face, the softness of his lips against yours; it's everything you've been waiting for, and now you finally have him, he tastes sweeter than you could've ever imagined.

the two of you stay like that for moments that feel like hours in each other's embrace, only pulling away when your lungs are burning and your lips are swollen. leaning your head back against the wall, his eyes meet yours with such adoration it sends your heart fluttering all over again.

"i'll take that as a good sign," he mumbles, a lopsided grin lifting his features. his joy is so infectious you can't help but mirror his expression as you drop your head to rest on his shoulder.

his chest rumbles with an airy, disbelieving laugh and he tugs you impossibly closer, resting his cheek against the side of your head. standing chest to chest now, you can feel the hammering of his heart against yours and the way his skin burns under your touch.

"you’re my person too," you murmur into him, one of your hands moving up to tangle in the strands of his mohawk, "always have been."

johnny's arms wind tighter around you as he releases a deep, content sigh. he's hugged you countless times before but somehow, this feels different while still staying exactly the same. the heat radiating from him is soothing like it always has been, the knowledge that your feelings are reciprocated only making it that much sweeter.

"why'd it take us so long, eh?" he utters, tender and loving in the way he runs his hands over your back and sides.

"we're just idiots…" you reply, "gaz is gonna have a field day with this."

johnny laughs again, pressing his lips to the side of your head so you can feel his smile. "oh, he clocked us a long time ago, bonnie."

you can't help but groan as you imagine how gaz will tease the both of you for how oblivious you've both been.

he lifts you up by his grip around your waist, carrying you over to his bed and flopping down onto his back with you on his chest. a satisfied groan escapes him as he settles, burying his face into your hair and inhaling a deep breath.

you're enveloped by the scent of him – gunpowder, and the faint smell of something burnt, but it's pleasant and familiar nonetheless.

"yer stayin' with me tonight, non negotiable." he murmurs, running a hand up and down the length of your spine.

"fine by me." you tilt your head up to meet his eyes, and find them already locked on you. "so, about jackson…"

johnny scoffs, lightheartedly frowning in response. "yer gonna bring his name up while yer in my bed?"

"he looked really spooked when he saw you earlier," you begin, smoothing your hand over his chest. his eyes widen at your words, his hand freezing as he looks away from you with a distinctly guilty expression on his face. you narrow your eyes, holding back the amused smirk pulling at your lips. "johnny… did you…"

he clears his throat, and by the way he can't hold your gaze for more than a second you can tell he knows he's been caught. there's no stopping the laugh that bubbles up from your chest at his reaction.

"...i may have, uh– potentially put some fear o'god into the little bawbag…"

"soap!"

[featherandferns]

Halloween and horror movies were nothing new, but JJ seemed bored by the concept... (MDNI)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Outside on the porch sits Kiara's butchered children. At least, that's how she saw them. Her pumpkin babies that she'd planted and watered and kissed and nourished and grown from the ground up sat picked, gutted and carved. Inside were two tealights, creating an eerie glow through their hollow eyes. Yours was classic: two triangles above a brimming, fanged grin. JJ's? Your boyfriend had decided to create an homage to the stoner community: a joint sat between a doped smile, with half-set eyes somehow perfectly capturing that absent, blissed-out stare. Age appropriate? Absolutely not. But not a lot of children would come trick-or-treating out this way. With that in mind, yourself and the rest of the Pogues had opted for a movie night.

Nothing with the Pogues was ever simple. Sarah wanted to watch Beetlejuice but Cleo was adamant about a modern day horror. Pope swore against jump scares because it was cheap thrills and the science of a good psychological thriller is just too much of a mindbender to pass up on, right? Well, Kiara said that she thought psychological thrillers were trivial and dragged on. John B? He didn't want anything paranormal. That limited things quite a lot. What did you all agree on? The most harmless Halloween flick of all time: Hocus Pocus.

You're cuddled against your boyfriend on the farthest end of the old couch. A scratchy tweed blanket sits across both of your laps. Beneath it, JJ's hand rests comfortably on your thigh. In his other hand he hoards the bowl of Halloween candy. The lot of you were working your way through the gummy worms and chocolate eyeballs. Lights down, volume up, curtains closed: it was the picture of cosy, fall fun.

"This movie blows," JJ mumbles into your ear.

You roll your eyes and whisper back with a smile, "It's a classic."

"C.H.U.D. is way scarier."

"This isn't meant to be scary."

"But it's a Halloween movie. Isn't that the whole gimmick?"

"It's meant to be enchanting."

"La-de-da."

"Shush!" Kiara hisses from her spot on the floor. Her head turns so fast it reminds you of the exorcist, and that just makes you want to watch that movie again. Sighing, you sink against the warmth of your boyfriend. You had to agree: this was a lot better of a movie when you were a kid.

It's as if he can hear your boredom calling out to him. The moment Kie's attention is back on the crackly television screen, JJ's hand starts to shift. It's innocent at first, no different to the usual way he absentmindedly caresses at your skin. The first time his finger slips against your inner thigh, you think it's an accident. But then it's again, and it teases at the hem of your pyjama shorts, and you shoot him a look. The smirk on his face and the glint in your eyes tell you everything you need to know.

You lean up and hope it looks casual to your friends as you whisper into his ear, "we're literally watching a children's movie about witches with our friends right now. You cannot be horny."

"I'm bored," comes his excuse. "'Sides, they're all watching the movie. They're not even gonna notice."

You pull back to let your eyes flit across your friends. Pope and Cleo are in an armchair that you had thrifted, cuddled up, with Cleo half-asleep against his chest. Pope's eyes are so focused on the movie that you wonder if he's analysing each frame. John B lounges on the spot on the sofa near JJ, though there's a safe little gap between the two. He seems pretty hooked on the movie too. Kie and Sarah are on the floor sharing a bowl of popcorn.

JJ's hand continues to massage your thigh. His finger is ghostly in its teasing against your thigh, the touch just enough to wake up every neuron and every cell, but not enough to please them.

Your silent mark of consent to your ADHD ridden boyfriend is the slight opening of your legs, giving his hand more space to explore. You can see his grin in your peripheral. Talk about obvious.

But it becomes increasingly harder to care about the others in the room when JJ rubs your clit through your panties. Sighing slowly, relieved, your head leans against JJ's warm chest. It shakes with silent laughter and you debate cussing him out in front of everyone. The circles he draws are methodological; he knew your body like he'd read the handbook. Every touch and every kiss had reason and rhyme, and it had been months since JJ had struggled to flip on every switch that had your body singing.

Your cunt clenches around nothing as he picks up the pace and pressure. As the sounds of the movie fade away, you become keenly aware of your unsteady rise and fall of breath. The cool metal of his rings somehow bleeds through the thin veil of fabric as he fingers press against your slit. Teeth sinking into your lower lip, you fight away the moans and sighs of pleasure. The hot, damp feel of JJ's breath against your ear is cruel.

"So fuckin' dirty. Letting me feel you up right next to our friends, huh?"

You shoot him a glare but you know it falls flat when you're literally biting back the moans he's reasonable for. The weight of your look weakens as you chase your climax. So close, so close, so close...You rock forward gently when you come, before sinking back on your boyfriend. He eases up slowly, reeling it in. JJ plants kisses against your neck and behind your ear.

The moment your mind returns to your body, you're keenly aware of what just happened. You scan the other people in the room in mild panic to check nobody is shooting you disgusted daggers. But, no, everyone is still watching the three witches fly around on their mops and brooms and vacuum cleaners.

JJ's eyes find yours and you try your best to look unimpressed, but it's hard when your pussy is still convulsing. His voice is hushed and low when he teases with a grin:

"Guess you're not the virgin who lit the candle, huh?"

[ghouldtime]

Celebrating Halloween with the TF141 Men

Happy Halloween!!! 🎃👻 My absolute FAVORITE holiday so you know I had to do this because SPOOKY TIME HELL YEAH

Captain John Price

He's never really been one for it or most holidays. He's usually far too busy to celebrate them and days fly by without him realizing. They're usually something that sneak up on him, seeing as he is preoccupied most of the time and the last thing he's worried about is partying or doing something special

He only really notices it because Halloween has mainly been his busy holiday, especially for more messy missions or times when he needs Intel. In countries that celebrate it, it makes for an extremely easy get away and is a great opportunity to be less covert and more direct. Man covered in blood? Which? Everyone is, it's Halloween. People can look at a corpse and wouldn't even question it, they'll just think it's really good special effects. The screaming? Oh don't mind that, just a soundtrack :)

He's not one who exactly celebrates it in a traditional way. He never really had the time for that - for sitting down and handing out candy or dressing up. That's too much time out of his day and he usually doesn't have that luxury - nor does he feel its sensible. He's far more on the side of tricks over treating, or going to Halloween events instead of participating individually

On Halloween, it's pretty much a guarantee he's going to pull something or do a relatively harmless prank. He's got quite the sense of humor underneath his stern facade. It's usually something harmless like "Did you see the leek in the bathroom?" And as you investigate, it's a literal leek (the vegetable) and he's holding back laughter

If you try to one-up him, he'll just come back stronger next year. You'll be playing a dangerous game but it should always be expected. His team learned that the hard way. It doesn't help he can get others in on it

That doesn't mean the day is without treats. If it matters to you, he'll happily take you to a party or any Halloween themed event that you want to go to - his only thing is that he won't host those, too much clean up and headaches as far as he's concerned

He'll only dress up if you pick out the outfit. It's nothing personal, it's just not something he's particularly interested in, but he will happily oblige. He usually thinks most costumes are a bit ridiculous but what's the harm of getting in the spirit? Besides, it's very much worth it to see you smile

It's hard to get him to slow down and enjoy things like holidays, but with you by his side it feels a lot more natural. He's a stubborn man stuck in his routine of all work, little play, sometimes he needs someone to boot him out of it and get him to live a little. It's difficult yet he'll always make it worth it

No matter what you decide to do or where you go, he'll be holding your hand, keeping you close to him. His attention will always fall right back on you throughout the night, no matter what else is going on. Whether it's watching a scary movie or hanging out at a bar hosting a costume party, he'll always be turning to you

Having someone like you by his side is really what he needed to remind himself that he is human too and anchors him onto the humanity he can scarcely find some days. It's easy to forget the smaller things in life unless you have that within your reach. When his day is all weight-of-the-world stakes, he sometimes loses the smaller picture. Seeing your smile is a reminder of what and who he is fighting for, and why he must keep doing it

He'll be holding you a bit closer, his gaze lingering more so than usual, and the lines around his eyes will be that much softer as he steals yet another glance at you. Halloween might be a night of frights but the scariest thing in that moment would be spending another minute without you :)

Lieutenant Simon "Ghost" Riley

It would honestly be weirder if he didn't like Halloween. He's dressed like a damn skeleton year round and you can't tell me he doesn't play into the bit (it would be absolutely hilarious though if he just dressed like a regular guy on Halloween. That's a real scare amirite)

He actually wasn't a fan of it growing up, mainly due to the association with all the frightening outfits and his brother Tommy taking the opportunity to up the ante on scaring the living daylights out of him. But now that he's reclaimed the mask and his brother has long been gone, it's a bitter sweet thing and one of the few things that actually help him remember his brother in the best way (seeing as they repaired their relationship when they were older)

Except the difference is Halloween is meant for plain ol' good scary fun. The kind where people can opt in if they want to participate. He's not looking to create traumatic experiences or give someone a bad association, he would rather not pass his own childhood on in that way

That being said, Ghost isn't one to go out and actively wander around or party. He's still his usual introverted self. No holiday will ever change that for him

He still decorates for it, he's having fun with it because it ties right into his aesthetic. Spookiness is literally in his name. He will mainly decorate with skeletons and skeletal animals doing goofy things - it's different each year. The cowboy skeletons were a hit, as was the undead petting zoo, full of those anatomically incorrect skeletons

Yes, all the skeletons DO have names. And yes, they're all puns - he finds them humerus ;)

His ideal Halloween is more of a classic night in. He will still dress up to hand out candy, but also he is spending most of it by your side for a slasher movie marathon. Spending time with those he values on arguably his favorite holiday is his preferred way to celebrate

And yes, he usually will dress to match the part. Most years his costumes are reflective of said slashers or notorious movie killers. He has the right build and stature to make for an utterly killer Jason, Mike Myers, Ghostface - you name it, he probably has a costume for it

He personally loves old slashers because of how bad most of them are, they have a sort of nostalgia to them that he likes. If you're not able to watch those or are too squeamish, he will happily put on other genres of Halloween movies

Anything stop motion is usually fair game! But if you'd rather watch a TV show instead, he won't contest. The Twilight Zone is a classic series OR you can even watch those Halloween baking shows

He will get ridiculously invested in them if you do. Prepare to watch the entire season that night if you make that choice, and he WILL have commentary (Lemon curd? Really? Everyone knows raspberry pairs better with it and it's Halloween themed. Why aren't you making it bloody??)

Usually he isn't much of a candy eater, but he naturally has a fair Halloween stock so feel free to swipe some if you're feeling up for it. He's more of a baked sweets kind of guy, which he has absolutely made SURE to stockpile with other snacks and drinks for your movie marathon. Naturally he makes sure to have your favorites there too, that goes without saying

You won't have to get up to answer the door if you don't want to, he will happily do it. He is, however, never going to be the person to just leave the bowl outside. Halloween being his favorite holiday means he IS participating to some degree. It brings him happy memories. He usually isn't gone for too long, though. After all, he can't miss his favorite scenes (or his favorite person for too long )

Expect to spend most of the night bundled under a fluffy skeletal patterned fleece with all the movies (or shows) you pick all that much more interesting with his commentary, his arm around you. He won't mind if you fall asleep like that or hide into him if it gets scary - don't worry, he's the only ghost you'll have to worry about

Sergeant Kyle "Gaz" Garrick

If you want someone to have fun with and truly celebrate, he is absolutely your guy. He loves Halloween, mainly because it's a great community holiday and is one of the few that's not centered on familial stuff or love alone

Not to mention, he has good memories of Halloween growing up. He remembers being a kid once, wanting to dress up and be his favorite super heroes and the fun that came with it. He wants to be one of those people who absolutely made kids' nights with a generous bounty of candy, the same way that others did for him

He prefers decorating with a more retro vibe. Modern decorations just don't cut it for him and he feels they don't have the same magic. Call him particular but he finds far more charm in the older decor than the new cheap stuff. Anyone can get the newest trendy thing but that display? All vintage (he's got great taste)

He is ALSO the one who has the king size candy bars and the GOOD stuff. He's also considerate - he accounts for kids with peanut allergies and has a trinket bowl they can pick something from if they can't have candy or just want something a bit different!

He absolutely lives for seeing all of the costumes and the creativity that goes into them. He's already looked up the hottest outfits and media so he can know just how to compliment them to make them smile.

He's 110% enlisting your help to pass out the candy and to keep things going. He needs someone to keep him company through the chillier part of the night and someone to talk to, not to mention - he needs a distraction

It's trick or treating - what would it be without a bit of a trick? Granted, he waits til the later part of the night when the older kids are roaming and darkness has fallen. He loves laying in wait in a ghillie suit. No one sees him until it's too late and he's popping up, scaring the living daylights out of them

He's in his element there. Stealth, using his great sense of humor, and having fun? Yeah, he's having a great time. And he'll make sure you are too. You're welcome to join him in his endeavors. He's got a second suit somewhere - you can both surprise those who try and swipe a whole candy bowl they think was left unattended

Needless to say, they learn their lesson fast. It takes everything in him to hold it together and keep a stern face as they slink off. The second they round the corner, he's cracking up. Works every single time - and he changes locations and tactics each year, good luck

He's got enough candy to go around and in the quiet moments, help yourself, he'll enjoy some right by your side too. Have to keep fueled up for the night ahead. He'll make sure you're staying warm (or cool, if the climate happens to be miserable this time of year) and will be happily tell you scary stories if you feel so inclined to listen. He has plenty in store that he learned from when his siblings were little - and ones his older brother told him too

There's many things that can haunt you in this world, and before the night is up you'll be adding his laugh or the warmth of his hands adjusting your costume, letting his touch linger for a bit longer than normal - in the best way, of course ;)

Sergeant John "Soap" MacTavish

Contrary to popular belief, holidays or celebrating them aren't particularly his thing. Like Price, he's usually quite work focused and can be a bit too absorbed in it for his own good. He didn't become the youngest member of TF141 for nothing, this man has dedication

He's still very much learning the balance between work life and personal, it's a thin line he tends to forget about because of how driven he is. Usually all he needs is someone to instigate, maybe distract, and get the ball rolling. He'll be all for it after a nudge in the right way

Like anything he does though, when he commits he COMMITS. He's going all out. He's particularly fond of the artistic aspect of most costumes and having fun with it. It's the one time of year you can wear nearly whatever you want and no one will (particularly) judge you for it

If you want to do a couples costume or duo's costume, he's your man. He's pulling out all the stops for it. He's actually got a decent eye for the arts and he CAN sew. It's a practical skill and it's made him plenty of friends (especially with those who are a bit too big for their uniforms, or who are accident prone and seem to wear holes into their gear like it's their job)

Just say the word or idea and he'll be right on it, looking into inspiration and doing what he can to put it together. He'll even do the SFX makeup if you want (he's seen enough gore that he'll be able to get it right, trust him on that)

If you go to any event, you'll probably win the costume contest. He's putting in all the details he can. Or he can keep it low-key, if you'd rather not have the attention and just want to have fun. Either way, he'll be matching your energy and vibe

He's not really going to want to spend the night passing out candy alone. Sure, you can do some of that - but it only comes once a year. Why not take advantage of the spookiness and the ambiance of the holiday? He'll be the one who would rather attend things like haunted houses, even if they are ineffective against him - he'll spot most scares from a mile away. At least it's fun to see them try, most times he'll just stand and stare or even laugh if they try really hard. Luckily, it means he'll protect you

Another option is ghost hunting, and he doesn't just mean chasing after ghost. He's all for ghost tours or going to abandoned places to see what all the fuss is about. Don't worry, he can keep you safe. He knows how ghosts work, after all, he works WITH one. It might be eerie but it'll be a Halloween you won't forget

If you really, really don't want to go - he'll settle for one of those fright nights that they have at some amusement parks or other local places where you can opt out of the scares. As long as he gets to do something with you and have fun while the night lasts, he'll be happy to do it

The night will likely end with you both nearly passed out on the couch, costumes half thrown off as you sprawl over each other, with some B-grade cheesy horror movie running in the background. Though you're both so tired after all you did so it doesn't really matter what's on or what monster or ghost they're talking about. After the night you've had, you're the only boo he cares about

BONUS

König

For some context, he never grew up WITH Halloween. As in, it wasn't really celebrated or much of a thing in his hometown, aside from maybe a few gimmicky commercial things. With him being so far away from others and growing up in a rural community, it wasn't ever really a choice. His parents certainly weren't participating nor would he

He was made aware of it in school but it never particularly appealed to him or was an idea that crossed his mind. He simply shrugged it off most years or downright ignored it. He didn't see why it would be something he would celebrate or participate in himself - interacting with strangers and loud children to give them candy? No thank you. That was until you came around.

Truth be told, he didn't really exactly see the appeal of Halloween. He's surrounded by death, skeletons, and gloom all day - why would he want more of that? Plus, children these days have too much candy, all that processed crap can't be good for them. He's someone who has to be convinced and have it shown from a different point of view. Such as the aspect of being able to be whatever you want to be for a night and not having others judge you for it, but rather encouraging it

Now THAT appeals to him. Despite the fact he's got his social anxiety under control in an iron clad grasp, the trauma of his childhood and being targeted for being different - for simply being himself still have lingering effects to this day. The idea of potentially being accept for just being himself is still something he struggles with and is part of why he's so closed off. Having an entire holiday where people can be who they want, dress up like who they want to be, and have fun with it is greatly appealing

He'll take some time to get used to it but you'll have to get him out there for him to truly feel the spirit(s) of it. He's someone who needs some push when it comes to social things or holiday events to get out of his comfort zone. Just get him to wear a mask (easy, seeing as he does that all day when he's at work), throw on a jacket, and take him out by the hand and show him the wonderful things of it and he WILL warm up

Seeing all the kids having actually happy childhood moments, laughing and running with their peers in ways he could have only dreamed of when he was their age, softens something inside of him

And it only works more when they don't look at him in fear or cower but rather in awe, because he's a big guy - he knows it. And in a costume of any kind, he blends right in and is JUST who kids want to see on Halloween

The blow that finally struck through right to his heart was when you took him by the hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze as you walked with him down the street to take a look at all the decorated houses as trick or treaters ran about. The warmth he felt wasn't just from you being tucked against his side, but rather deep within as you smiled up at him and asked what he would like to be next year. It's not from you being physically there with him alone, it's from the fact you cared enough to BE with him and to show him what he was missing far beyond the surface level alone. It's the fact you even bothered to try and the fact you cared about him enough to try and bring him some joy in a usually bleak world

That's all he needs to hear to already be planning it out in his head as his face flushes. Thank goodness he's wearing the mask. He certainly doesn't know himself but he does know one thing - it's going to be a couples costume. And he's going to be celebrating with you :)