#link will find him at the range a couple hours later

[enchantingbl0ssom]

Surprises

⋆˚ ︵ ‿ ︵ ‿ ︵ ୨ ✿ ୧ ︵ ‿ ︵ ‿ ︵ ˚⋆

Characters ➼ Tyler Owens x Teacher!Reader, Tornado Wrangler group x reader (platonically)

Summary ➼ Tyler promised he could get home tomorrow, yet he surprised you.

Word Count ➼ 2,196 words

Warnings ➼ Sexual innuendos

A/N ➼ Hope you enjoy reading!

For the last couple of years Tyler has been dating this wonderful woman. Who is an incredibly smart and talented teacher based in Miami. Yet how they met was by her friend, Arabella who is also a teacher, taking her on a holiday to Texas during June. One night, at a bar, Arabella and her friend linked up with this group who called themselves the Tornado Wranglers. You and Tyler Owen’s became really close, talking to each other all the time, which ended up with him asking you out. 

Years later, the two are still very much in love, yet you two are currently in different parts of the country.

With the first day of school starting today, you write down the goals for today and the date up on the board for the whole class to see. Just after finishing, a ringtone of a phone could be heard from the teacher's desk. 

Picking it up, Tyler’s name fills the screen, wanting to call.

Answering, she says “Hey love, how are you?”

You can tell he is smiling through the phone as he answers “I am doing lovely hearing your voice today, darling. How are you?” Tyler asks back.

“I am doing well. I am so excited to meet my new students for this next school year.”

Chuckling at her enthusiasm, he then speaks up “listen babe, I know I promised me and the team will get to Miami today, but last night we were set back. As the hotel we booked, ended up giving our rooms away to other people. We tried nearby motels and caravan sites but they were all booked. So the closest hotel nearby is six hours away from where we were meant to stay. I am so sorry, doll.”

You sigh heavily, shoulder falling in sadness, missing your boyfriend. “Alright, but shouldn’t you be sleeping right now if you had to drive extra hours?”

“Dani took over driving for me, while I slept in the back seats.”

“Are you still at the hotel? Have you gotten enough sleep? I don’t want you driving while still tired.” Your voice rose as you interrogated him.

“Don’t worry about me darling. And yeah, I am still at the hotel, and I just took a shower.” He replied, wrapping his towel around himself.

“Oh really?” Tyler didn't have to be with you to know you were smirking, and excited about the information shared.

“Yes, get your head out the gutter.” He laughed.

“See here the thing,” you started, pausing as you stared into the sky, “I won’t believe you unless you send me a picture.” She said, smiling at her words.

“I will see what I can do,” he chuckled again, “anyways what’s your plan for today, teach?”

“Well, since it is the first day of school, I will of course just be doing the introductory work and some goal setting with the kids. Then later tonight, I was going to make carbonara for you and the team, but it seems like you won’t get here till tomorrow. So I guess I will just order takeout.” She answered, her voice saddened by the end, as she walked around the classroom, making sure everything was perfect.

“I promise we will be there tomorrow.” He spoke softly.

“Okay.” You smiled, loving his words. Yet before the conversation could continue, the loud, annoying bell went off. “Shit, love, bell just rang. I love you, stay safe.” You ran towards your desk from the other side of the classroom.

“I love you too baby, and I will stay safe. Have a great day. Bye!” He hurriedly spoke, so she could go on her way.

“Bye!” You yelled, placing your phone face down on your desk, before rushing over to the classroom door. Flattening your clothes, you open the door.

A herd of kids came running in, finding their seats for the day. While the kids come rushing in, you try your best to greet them all with a smile on your face.

Once all the seats have been filled with children, you close the door, walking towards the front of the room. Children smiled at you, excited to see what you say, what you are like. They are excited for the new year.

Breaking the silence, you spoke up “Hello everyone, my name is Ms. Y/L/N, and I will be your teacher for this next school year. I hope that we can be on the best of terms, and for all of you to be kind to one another. So, today, what we are going to do is …”

―୨❀୧―

Sitting in the teachers lounge, you and your best friend Arabella are talking to one another while she gets some more coffee. 

“I hate how Tyler isn’t coming home till tomorrow, I miss him.” You groaned, leaning your head back against the kitchen doors, as you lean against the bench.

“Trust me, I know the feeling.” Arabella stated, making you snap your neck towards her. 

“What do you mean by that?” You question her, raising your eyebrows suggestively.

“Didn’t I tell you me and Dani got official yesterday?” Arabella questioned.

“Um, no! When did this happen?” You screamed, excited for your friend to finally have a girlfriend.

Before Arabella could explain how she and Dani got together, the bell went off again. The second time the bell has ruined a conversation for you today. You and Dani both sighed, before leaving the teachers lounge. 

You and Dani had to go separate ways, so you told her to tell you the details later before heading to your classroom.

―୨❀୧―

You and Arabella walk out of school, after finally finishing your first day of work. When Arabella is talking about how she and Dani got together. Yet Arabella stopped in her tracks, mid sentence, staring blankly in front of her.

You looked up to Arabella wondering why she had stopped speaking, yet when her eyes were not on you, you followed her eyesight, to see a surprise. A surprise for both of you. 

It was the Tornado Wranglers. 

You too looked at each other smiling, before running towards the group, greeting each other. 

While Arabella made her way through the group’s greetings fast so she could get to Dani, you took your time, savouring the moment.

Which leads you to finally being back in your lover’s arms once more. His arms wrapped firmly around you, like he doesn’t want to leave you again. While you wrap your arms around his neck, listening to his sweet heart beat. Trying to prove that this is real, that he is here.

Tyler pulls away, placing his hands on your cheeks, staring into your glossy eyes, rimmed with tears. He pulls you in for an intoxicating kiss, that forces you to grab onto his shirt, to pull him closer. Both of you want to get as close as you physically can, even if physics won’t allow it. This passionate yet gentle kiss provides both of you with warmth. The kiss feels as long as the time you both had separated from each other. It has been months since you last physically touched one another, while he has been out tornado hunting.

You both pull apart, needing air. Looking at one another, you speak up. “You, Owen’s, are a bloody lair.” 

“But you still love me.” He smiled, kissing your cheek. His arm wrapped around your shoulder as you faced the group. 

You announced to the group that dinner will be at your house, before Tyler rushed you away to his truck. Opening the car door, he held out a hand for you, as you got into the car. Closing the door, he runs around to the other side of the car, excited to have you back in arm’s reach again. 

Getting inside the car, you watch Tyler, before you question him on why he has gotten you into his car, when you had driven your car to school today.

Tyler just stared at you lovingly, “don’t worry about it darling, it has been taken care of.”

“How?” You question, narrowing down your eyes.

“While you were teaching, I got Boone to drive my truck to yours while I drove your car to yours. I parked your car, and got back to school in my truck.” He explained, driving the car off towards the distance. 

You thank him, before grabbing his hand, and pressing your lips to his knuckles. 

―୨❀୧―

It is around 5:30pm, when you and Tyler decided to start preparing dinner.

“Hey babe, do you want to handle the pasta and sauce, while I deal with the meat? Since you hate touching meat.”

“Sure,” you replied, seeking the deal with a kiss on his cheek.

While you both get started on your jobs, Tyler also starts playing music from your shared Spotify playlist. Settling his phone down on the bench, he spins you around as you head to get some salt from the cabinet.

While you cook, the two of you spend your time singing terribly and dancing around in the kitchen. 

As you wait for your pasta and sauce to cook, you walk behind Tyler, hugging him from behind.

“You know love, because you lied to be today, you need to make it up to me. And I know a way you can.” You suggested, as you slip your hands underneath his white shirt, running your hands up to his chest. 

He grabs your hands from above the fabric, and guides them to his hips. He then turns around, ignoring his duties. Staring into him, figuring out your game, he replied to you “yeah, and what way would that be?”

“You already know what it is.” You replied, smiling cheekily. You move your hands back up to his chest, fondling it, before massaging his shoulders. He stares at you, eyes darkening. 

The sound of the doorbell interrupted your moment. You stare at him, before telling him to go get it. You back away, but before he can leave your space you slap his ass. He looks back at you, eyes open, while you just stared into space innocently.

The sound of Tyler greeting everyone drowns out of your ears, and you finish the sauce. Yet the noise of everyone washes back to your ears when they stand in the kitchen behind you and the kitchen bench. 

“Hey teach, how are you?” Boone asks, looking around the kitchen.

“I am doing lovely, thank you.” You smiled, before going back to the sauce.

Lily is intrigued by what you are doing, so she walks towards you. You become aware of her presence as she stands over you, looking over your shoulder. 

“Can I have a taste?” She asked.

You looked back towards her, and said sure. You grabbed a spoon from a drawer, and scooped some up for her, before giving her the spoon.”

“Delicious, absolutely amazing.” She smiled as she tasted the sauce, before walking back to where the rest of the group was standing.

“Hey hun,” you started, turning your head to face Tyler, “can you set up the table outside while i fish up dinner.” you asked.

“Sure,” he smiled, also giving you a kiss to seal the deal.

He gets the rest of the team to head outside, before grabbing all the cutlery and glasses needed. He comes back into the house for the drinks afterwards, before heading back out to set the table. 

While Tyler does his task you assigned him, you start serving the food into the bowls. Once you're finished, you popped your head outside, and asked Tyler to help you carry the food outside. He groans before coming towards you.

“Why are you making me do everything, love?” He questioned, remaining polite.

“This is a part of your pay back for lying to me.” You say as you grab a few plates. Before you head outside you give him a kiss on his lips quickly, before walking off.

“You're killing me woman,” he stated loudly, before shaking his head and smiling down.

Dinner was about two hours long, most of the time spent talking. As the group was saying their goodbyes and thank yous to Tyler at the front door, you got started on cleaning the kitchen.

10 minutes of cleaning goes by, until you hear Tyler’s footsteps walking towards you. You watch him as he enters the kitchen, but when he goes behind you, you continue your cleaning. 

But Tyler puts a stop to you ignoring him being in the kitchen, as he wraps a hand around your waist, his hands dipping in your pants. He massages your lower stomach, before starting to attack your neck with kisses and biting. 

“Come on baby,” his voice was husky, the desire filling inside of him.

“I just got to finish cleaning, just wait baby.” You groaned, trying your best to ignore his touches.

“I am done waiting.” He stated, picking you up by your hips, throwing you over his shoulders. 

He walks you two to your shared bedroom, slapping your ass on the way.

You are going to enjoy tonight. Guess surprises are fun.

[whatstruthgottodowithit]

Here You Come Again [Part Six]

Fandom: Elvis Presley, RPF, American Actor

Pairing: Elvis Presley x Original Female Character

Characters: Elvis Presley, Addison Goodwin, Original Female Characters, Priscilla Presley, Colonel Tom Parker, Vernon Presley, Gladys Presley, Minnie Mae Presley, Marci Cunningham, Jerry Schilling, Red West, Sonny West, Marty Lacker, Joe Esposito, Charlie Hodge, Lamar Fike, Alan Fortas, George Klein, Memphis Mafia

Rating: Mature 

Word Count: 10,427

Summary: When Addison Goodwin was seventeen years old her life was turned inside out after a chance encounter with her past. Now, fifteen years later her life is the best it’s ever been. She has a home, a good job and a daughter she loves more than anything in the world but will all that remain when an old familiar face rolls into town.

Tags: Angst, Fluff, Graceland, Las Vegas, The International Hotel, Elvis In Vegas, 1970s, 1970s Elvis, Friends To Lovers, Rekindled Romance, Parenting, Time Line is Sketchy, Guilt, Betrayal, Teenage Pregnancy, Hawaii, Hidden Pregnancy, Jealousy, Sex, Absence of Parent, Single Motherhood, Trauma, Oral Sex, Tension

Notes: This was supposed to have Lisa’s birthday in it too but then I accidentally wrote 10k words so its split whoops

LINK TO ALL PARTS // LINK TO AO3 // LINK TO PINTEREST

'And it's all taken care of?' Elvis asked looking at the papers Joe had laid out for him on the coffee table. There were various arrangements but the majority of it was based around Lisa's upcoming birthday and stay with him in Vegas. 'Just need your Daddy to sign off on a couple of things and we'll be good to go,' Joe nodded making Elvis look at his father who was sitting across from him. 'I'll do it this afternoon,' Vernon said holding his hand out for whatever Joe needed him to approve. As he handed them over to Vernon the phone rang and he got out of his seat to answer it.   'You bought her anything for her birthday yet?' Vernon said as he perused the papers Joe had given him. 'Not yet,' Elvis sighed, he hadn't yet. In fact, he hadn't had much time to do anything. Between working and trying to squeeze in as much time as he could with Jess everything else had taken a back seat. Over the past couple of weeks he'd seen Jess a few times. The intention had been to see her at their house only, to keep everything away from prying eyes, but finding time to slot in between school, shows and rush hour traffic had been proving difficult. He hadn't complained but seeing how run-ragged he was Addison had softened and allowed Jess to come to him, under her watchful eye. She had been to a couple more shows though Addison preferred those nights to be when she didn't have school the next day so it was mostly just hanging out in his suite after school. Addison would bring her over, work permitting, and they'd watch movies, have dinner and the newest development was Elvis teaching her how to play the guitar. She had some skills but since she'd be out of practice which meant they'd become rusty, still, it was nothing that couldn't be dusted off and Elvis found she was pretty much a natural. 'Well you better get to it or you'll be out of options,' Vernon said. 'I doubt it, she was telling me her list on the phone the other day. Damn things as long as my arm,' Elvis chuckled making Vernon smile.   'EP, there's a phone call for ya,' Joe said coming from round the corner into the living room they were sitting in. Elvis was going to ask who it was but he bethought himself. The boys normally insisted on finding out who was calling before they bothered him with any phone calls, offering Elvis all of the information so he could decide whether he could be bothered to answer it or not. These days there was only one person they were patching through without question so Elvis figured if he hadn’t asked for a name he knew who it would be. Even if Joe wasn’t in the loop just yet he seemed to know better than to start asking questions.   'Comin',' Elvis said pushing off the couch to head to the phone. Vernon watched as his son headed to the hall and picked up the handset, turning his back to them so they were out of earshot. As Joe sat down next to him Vernon leaned over, 'who's on the phone?' 'Some new girl,' Joe said with a smirk. 'We got a name?' Vernon asked curiously, glancing over at Elvis who was placing the phone down. 'Not yet but they've been together a lot from what I've heard,' Joe said quietly looking up as Elvis bobbed his head back in the room. 'I'm gonna take this in my room,' he said, 'I'll see you at the show Daddy?' 'Yeah, see you then,' Vernon nodded though as he watched Elvis move to his room at speed he couldn't help but feel curious. His son was a ladies' man, there was no doubt about that. Hell for the most part Vernon was unable to keep up with the array of pretty faces that waltzed in and out of their lives but in all of that Elvis never kept them a secret. So the fact the boys didn’t know her name yet was unnerving.   Elvis however didn't seem to pick up on his father's uneasiness as he headed to his bedroom suite where he could hear the phone ringing again. He picked it up quickly, sitting down on his bed as he put it to his ear.   'Sorry about that,' he said. 'It's okay,' Addison replied. 'Everything alright?' he asked. They'd been talking on the phone a lot recently, mostly arranging meetups with Jess but there were times that she called that Elvis was sure she didn't need to. Times that he was convinced she just wanted to speak to him though he knew she was too proud to ever admit to that. 'Fine,' Addison said. It wasn't a lie. Things were okay, it was just that there was a slight snag in their upcoming plans. 'I'm looking forward to you guys coming over later,' Elvis said excitedly, ‘I even got Charlie to show me some new songs - stuff Jess might want to learn.' 'Actually, that's what I'm calling about,' Addison said. 'Oh?' Elvis said, trying not to sound too downhearted. 'Yeah, um, they swapped my shift so I have to work,' Addison said though she wasn't brave enough to say what that meant out loud. Not when she could feel her heart twinge at how excited he was. 'Oh well, no worries. We can arrange another day or something, it's no big deal,' Elvis said as lightly as he could, making Addison bite her lip nervously. They had been doing so well, better than she could've hoped for in fact. It didn't mean that it had been easy but with each meeting she found herself slipping more into rhythm with him which wasn't a surprise since they had been best friends before anything else and that wasn't something you could just forget. If anything it felt like slipping on a pair of shoes you forgotten you owned. There was that feeling of something new combined with the familiarity of something old, something comfortable. Which is why she could tell he was feeling hurt about the change of plans and probably why she couldn't stop herself from saying, 'or...' 'Or?' Elvis asked as a spark of hope ignited in him. 'Or you could get someone to pick Jess up and she could come after school,' Addison said. 'Really?' Elvis asked. He should have just agreed. He knew his questioning would only give her chance to second guess herself especially since one of Addison's decrees was that he and Jess only meet with her present and that had been what had been happening since they started. And it wasn’t that he minded having Addison there, it was just that he wanted to have the chance to spend some time just one on one with his daughter.  But this would be a big step, for all of them, which is why he didn't push his luck.   'Yeah,' Addison said, 'I mean she was really looking forward to it and it's not her fault I have to work.' 'Right,' Elvis said, ‘yeah, you're right. How do you want to play it? Do you want to pick her up or have someone drop her home?' 'I'll pick her up. It'll be late though. I mean normally I'd just say leave it but she was really excited,' Addison said as if she needed to assure him there was a caveat to her decision making. 'Why doesn't she just stay here?' Elvis blurted out before he could stop himself. As he heard her hesitate on the other end of the phone he winced. 'Like at the hotel?' Addison said hesitantly. 'I'll arrange her a room,' Elvis jumped in immediately trying to convince her it would be a good idea. 'I don't know,' Addison said quietly but Elvis continued. 'It'll be in the suite, I’ll just have to move some folks. That way she can see the show or go to bed when she needs to. Hell once you get off work you can even stay with her if you want,' Elvis said. He could hear the idea ticking over in her brain and he waited on tenterhooks for his answer. Eventually she said, 'are you sure?' 'Positive,' Elvis said. 'What about while you're on stage and getting around the hotel she'd need someone with her,' Addison said. 'I'll have Jer with her the whole time,' Elvis said, 'and she'll have the room with a phone if she needs you. Or one of the boys can come and get me if she needs something.' 'You'll be on stage,' she reasoned. 'And you'll be at work,' he countered which made her sigh, no doubt annoyed that he made a valid point. 'Okay,' she said, 'I'll call school now and get them to tell her.' 'I'll send one of the boys to pick her up,' Elvis said. 'Okay,' she said. 'And I'll see you later?' he asked, trying to sound casual. 'Yeah, just come up to the suite right?' she asked. 'Yep,' he said. It felt like a natural plateau to the conversation, the part where he should have said goodbye and hung up but he couldn't bring himself to. Unfortunately Addison did the job for him. 'Bye Elvis,' she said. 'Bye,' he said and with a click she hung up. Elvis placed the phone back on its receiver and smiled. It was a small win but it wasn’t one he was going to turn his nose up at.   ✵✵✵   Jess lingered on the curb looking for any car she might find familiar. During her second to last period she had been informed that her mother wouldn’t be collecting her tonight her ‘Uncle’ would. Jess had nodded at her teacher not daring to mention the fact that she didn’t actually have an uncle as she assumed it was something that would be explained later. She was supposed to be going to her dad’s tonight and her mom was supposed to take her there so she assumed there had been a change of plans at some point. Dad. The word still felt weird to say even in her head. But even if she wasn’t quite ready to call him dad yet, to his face at least, she was still happy everything had been going well over the past couple of weeks. Though it hadn’t been what she had been expecting. Then again she wasn’t exactly sure what she had been expecting. After all she’d only put two and two together less than a month ago and it wasn’t as though her dad was a normal one. All of her friend’s dads were boring. They worked all day and sat watching TV all night. They moaned at her friends for wearing makeup or being interested in boys.   And her dad wasn’t like that. He listened to her, he asked her millions of questions and actually seemed to remember the stuff she told him. It made him seem different than a parent. She knew her mom loved her and though she had always treated her as an equal and taught her she was valued it was always clear that when it came to Jess’ best interests Addison was in charge. Her dad didn’t seem comfortable to do that yet, well not to her face, but there were times when she heard them talking, when they thought she’d gone to sleep, that she’d hear them speaking about her and he always seemed to do it with the same genuine care and concern her mom had. It made her heart happy.  He wasn’t a normal dad but if she was going to ask for one it’d be him.   By the time a car she recognised pulled up in front of her the majority of the school was already vacated. It stopped in front of her, the door opening so she could climb inside where she found Jerry in the driver’s seat which made her smile. It wasn’t that she minded the others, there were only a couple of them that knew about her up to now, but Jerry was her favourite. He seemed to be the least on edge around her. The least concerned. The most genuine.   ‘Hey kiddo sorry I’m late,’ he said as she shut the door. ‘It’s okay,’ she said, rolling her eyes at the nickname he’d taken to calling her, ‘where’s my mom?’ ‘Working,’ he said, ‘so unfortunately you’ve got me.’ ‘Are you taking me home?’ she asked. ‘Nope back to the hotel,’ he said, ‘EP said you’re staying there tonight.’ ‘Really?’ Jess asked feeling something bubble inside her though she didn’t know if it was nerves or excitement. This was the first time she’d be seeing him without her mom present and apparently the first night she’d be spending at the hotel. ‘Yeah your mom only gets off late so they thought it would be best if you hang out at the hotel. If you’re okay with that?’ Jerry said glancing at her. That was why she liked Jerry. Out of all of them he seemed to be the only one concerned about how she was feeling about things, instead of being concerned about getting her in and out unnoticed. ‘Mmmhmm,’ Jess nodded. 'Well then let's get you there before your dad starts panicking,' he chuckled.   They talked a little on their way over to the hotel, mostly about Jess' day at school, and given the streets weren't too crowded just yet they made it the twenty-minute drive roughly on time. Jerry parked at the back and led her through the service entrance to the elevators which struck Jess as odd since every time she had been here with her mom they'd always come in the front door, with one of her dad's friends meeting them in the lobby and escorting them in and out. It had always felt luxurious walking through the grand hotel especially when the boys used a key card to control the elevator, to take them to a floor only they could access. This seemed a little dismal, a side she hadn't seen before. Though she supposed her dad couldn't exactly waltz in and out of the front door as needed so she understood.   When they got to the floor Jerry stepped out, his eyes sweeping up and down the corridor to see if there was anyone around. It was something Jess always noticed though she was sure they didn't think she did. If having a dad was something she was still getting used to this was another thing she wasn’t quite acclimatised to yet, being a secret.   Though she had known her father hadn't known about her she had never felt hidden away but as she watched Jerry casually block her path until he knew the coast was clear she couldn't help but feel that way. She understood why though. Her mom wanted to ensure that the relationship she was building with her dad had a future before everyone put their two cents worth in. That and she'd seen the way the press talked about him and basically anyone that surrounded him.   One day when her mom had been working and couldn't pick her up after school she had walked home, stopping by the convenience store on the way where a magazine had caught her eye. There on the front-page news was a story about her dad and Priscilla. Some tabloid gossip about a custody battle over Lisa which she was sure wasn't true though it intrigued her enough to buy it. Again, something else she hadn’t quite managed to wrap her head around yet.  Not only did she have a dad but she also had a sister. It felt weird. She didn't know why, she just guessed it was because she hadn't really thought about what a dad might come with. When she had imagined him he had always been young, in his army greens with blue eyes like her own. And alone. Now not only did she have something that didn’t quite meet that perfect picture in her mind but had a whole other family member. She always had her mom and Marci but now she had yet another person and that excited her. She wondered if they'd get along. After all Lisa was almost ten years younger than her and she was sure the lives they had lived up to now had been very different. But still, she hoped they would.   Jerry led her down the path that was starting to feel familiar and when they got inside Elvis was sitting in the living area, guitar on his lap which he was strumming quietly. His eyes were closed but he opened them as he heard the pair of them come into the room.   'Hey,' he said as he stood up and placed the guitar down so he could hug her. It was brief but nothing like the awkward embraces the pair initially had. When she pulled back he sat down and she followed suit, dropping her bag on the floor by her feet. 'Hey,' she said. 'Jerry managed to find your school then?' he asked looking at Jerry who was standing behind the couch she was now sitting on. 'You mean Uncle Jerry?' she asked, turning to look at Jerry whose brow furrowed.  'Uncle Jerry?' Elvis asked. 'Yeah the school secretary came to find me in fifth period and told me my uncle would be coming to collect me,' Jess giggled, 'I didn't think I should tell them I don’t actually have an uncle.' 'No probably not,' Elvis smiled, 'though I'm sure Jer wouldn't mind right?' 'Depends on what it pays,' Jerry joked. 'I think we can only discuss that after your probationary period, right?' Jess quipped. Elvis smiled as he watched the pair of them. It was nice to see her coming out of her shell around more and more people. Though he had seen just how amazing she was she was still finding her feet showing that side around his friends. 'Oh definitely,' Elvis said seriously, 'can't be giving the job to just anyone.'  'Well how about I let the pair of you figure it out and I'll see y'all later,' Jerry said backing out of the room with a smile on his face. 'See you later man,' Elvis said. 'Bye,' Jess called before he turned and headed out properly. Elvis watched her for a moment.   'So you're kinda out of the loop huh?' Elvis asked as she turned back to face him. 'Well I sort of put the puzzle together myself,' Jess shrugged, 'mom's working, right?' 'Right,' Elvis said. 'I'm surprised she didn't rearrange,' Jess said as she tucked a leg under herself. 'Did you want her to?' Elvis asked, 'because she was going to but she said you wanted to see me.' 'No I do,' Jess said realising how her words had sounded, 'I just figured she'd say no. What with her not being here.' 'Maybe she's starting to trust us,' Elvis said. 'Maybe,' Jess said with a smile. 'And you're okay with staying the night, right?' Elvis asked, 'we figured you could watch the show and then come back up to your room.' 'I get a room?' Jess asked. 'Where did you think we'd have you stay in the lobby?' Elvis chuckled which made her cheeks flush pink. 'No, like somewhere in the hotel?' she asked. ‘Just down the hall,' he smiled gesturing to a hallway off the dining room. 'What about pyjamas and stuff?' she asked glancing at the attire she was wearing. 'Well your moms coming so she might have thought to bring your own stuff if not lemme know your size and I'll send one of the girls out to get you something for now,' he said adding tentatively, 'maybe you could bring some spare stuff next time you know if you need to stay over again.' 'Good idea,' Jess nodded though the casual way he mentioned just going out and buying something new because she didn't have anything struck her again at how dissimilar her life was from his.   'Forget about that for now,' he said capturing her from her thoughts, 'I thought we could learn something else today.' 'Yeah?' Jess asked as he picked up the guitar that had been sitting beside him on the couch. Their guitar lessons had been going well. Her skills were a little rusty but with his patient encouragement they’d come back quicker than ever. It didn’t hurt that she liked the way he taught. Her previous guitar teacher had been all about learning sheet music and having everything perfect. He, like her, just liked to feel the music. 'Yeah I asked Charlie to teach me a couple of Beatles songs. I remember you said you liked them,' Elvis said as he started strumming, trying to get the notes aligned in his head. At his words Jess couldn't help but smile.   Once he'd settled into a rhythm he passed the guitar over to Jess, grabbing another for himself so he could show her the song. She picked it up quickly and the pair worked through a couple of songs before Elvis could feel his stomach rumbling. Fortunately, Jess was just as hungry as he was and so they both decided a recess was probably best so they could get something to eat. Whilst he ordered some food she moved to sit on the couch he had been on, switching on the TV as he came back into the room and dropped down onto the couch beside her resting his feet on the coffee table.   They smiled at each other but then turned their attention back to the TV as a comfortable silence fell. But he couldn’t stop glancing at her. He didn’t know why, though it was probably because this was their first time they'd had together alone. He had so many questions. So many unanswered things he was dying to know, stuff he didn’t want to bring up in front of Addison. After a moment he sat up suddenly feeling brave. If he wanted to know these things he'd have to face his fears and it wasn’t as though he knew when the next time they'd be alone would be.   'Jess?' he said her blue eyes finding him immediately. 'Yeah?' she asked noting the nervous look in his eye which in turn brought tension into her body. 'Can I ask you something?' he asked. She paused as if she was contemplating it for a moment and then she nodded. Elvis took a deep breath and continued, 'you're happy, right?' 'What do you mean?' she asked nervously sitting up to watch him. 'About this. All of it, us,' he explained watching her face closely. It looked confused for a moment before she smiled. 'Yeah, I am,' she said, 'are you?' 'More than anything,' he smiled, 'I just. I wish we had been doing it longer y'know.' 'Yeah I know,' she said. Her tone was not sad but it was understanding. Elvis felt a weight be lifted off his shoulders though there were still plenty more questions he had left to ask. Jess too seemed to be mulling over things in her mind as she looked at him in a similarly shy way and said, 'can I ask you something?' 'Shoot,' Elvis said as coolly as he could muster. He wondered what was coming but he didn’t want to discourage her, after all she'd answered his question.   'What happened?' she said tucking her legs underneath herself as she faced him. 'You mean between your mom and me?' he asked. Jess nodded as Elvis asked, 'how much do you know?' 'Not much. She didn't really talk about you or Memphis so I didn’t really ask a lot. I mean I knew she was from there and she left just before she had me, but we've lived in Vegas nearly my whole life so I don’t know I've sorta been isolated from that stuff,' she said. Elvis' heart ached at the thought of his daughter asking about him as a kid. 'What did she say about me?' Elvis asked. He wanted to be honest but he feared the truth of the reason Addison left might be too much to bear for a fourteen-year-old. 'That you guys met when she was seventeen and dated for a while but you were in the army and you'd left before she knew she was pregnant,' Jess admitted. 'That's true,' he said, 'but we'd known each other before then. We used to live next door to each other, we were best friends.' 'Really?' Jess asked. 'Yeah then my daddy, your grandaddy went to jail,' he said making her eyes go wide which made him backtrack, 'not for anything bad just trying to make ends meet which wasn't easy back then. But it meant me and my mama had to move and me and your mom lost touch.' 'And you met again when you were seventeen?' Jess asked riveted. 'Yeah, actually I got her fired,' Elvis chuckled picturing the sour look on Addison's face the night of the fair. 'Really?' she asked with a grin, 'oh I bet she hated you.' 'Nah she didn't,' Elvis said with a fond smile, 'well she didn’t like me a first but she was just scared. You know about Joe right?' 'Grandpa Joe?' Jess asked. Elvis nodded, 'yeah Mom talks about him a lot.' 'That's good,' Elvis said earnestly. Back when they'd been dating talking about Joe felt too raw for Addison, something Elvis had not understood until he had lost his Mama, but he was glad she had been able to move past that. That she had someone to pass those memories down to.   Elvis continued, 'well your grandpa had just died and your mom was trying to make everything work. School, a job, the house, money-' 'At seventeen?' Jess asked wide-eyed which made Elvis falter. He would've thought this part she knew but as she looked at him he couldn’t help but continue. After all this wasn’t just Addison's story anymore. This story had been what had led to her. ‘Believe it or not your mom has always thought she could handle stuff on her own,’ Elvis chuckled. ‘Oh I believe it,’ Jess smiled leaning in, ‘so what happened?’ ‘I tracked her down. The night after we met I felt bad for what had happened, I mean technically it was my date that got her fired but I couldn’t shake this feeling y’know. I just felt like I knew her and I just wanted to make it right,’ Elvis said remembering the desperation he had had to find her once more, ‘and once we saw how bad she was struggling I couldn’t let it go so I offered her a job and a place to stay.’ ‘She came to live with you?’ Jess asked. ‘Yeah and then we got close again and then we started dating,’ he said. ‘And then you were drafted?’ she said quietly. ‘Yeah,’ he said. He could see the cogs turning in her mind as she dwelled on it until she looked at him, a question at the ready. ‘But you two hadn’t broken up, right? Why didn’t she just stay in Memphis?’ she asked. ‘It’s complicated,’ he said. ‘You can tell me,’ she said, ‘I wanna know.’ ‘Jess,’ he sighed. ‘Please?’ she asked. He could’ve told her but telling her felt like letting Addison down. It felt like admitting to doing something wrong. He had chosen to go to the army thinking it would save their relationship and all it had done was create the perfect storm for the Colonel to oust her from his life. Jess looked at him, her blue eyes searching his face for an answer. Though they looked so much like his own he couldn’t believe the effect they had on him. She had him wrapped around her finger just like her mother.   ‘Some people… let’s just say that without me there it kinda got impossible for her to stay so she left,’ Elvis said navigating his words carefully. ‘And then she found out about me?’ Jess asked. ‘I assume so,’ Elvis said, ‘Jess if I’d have known I would’ve had you both home in a heartbeat.’ ‘I know,’ Jess said with a sympathetic smile, ‘she must’ve been so scared. I mean seventeen that’s like three years from my age and I can’t even imagine it.’ ‘She didn’t feel like she had any other choice,’ Elvis said, ‘when we met again she was already feeling all this hurt and anger. Then I guess, I guess I kinda made it worse.’ ‘Because you got her pregnant?’ Jess asked making Elvis panic as he saw the hurt on her face. ‘No, no, not at all,’ Elvis said, ‘hell I think we can both agree that out of that whole mess you’re the only good thing to come out of it.’ ‘But you made her happy right?’ she asked. ‘We made each other happy,’ Elvis said honestly, ‘me and your mom weren’t the problem.’ ‘Do you think you two could ever?’ Jess said trailing off as Elvis looked at her stunned. Pink christened her cheeks once more. ‘I don’t know,’ Elvis said honestly, ‘I don’t think that’s what your mom wants.’ ‘I don’t know,’ Jess said, ‘you make her pretty happy now.’ ‘Jess,’ Elvis sighed. ‘I’m just saying,’ Jess said quietly, ‘maybe there’s a reason I found you now and not sooner. I mean you were married and now you’re not. Maybe you two-’   Her words were cut off as they heard a knock at the door and with his heartbeat hammering in his chest Elvis leapt out of his seat hoping his daughter wouldn’t continue that thought. He had thought about it of course. That idea grew more and more the closer they grew and the more of the old Addison he saw creep out but there was so much water under that bridge he wondered if they’d ever be able to look past it. That and he was sure Addison would never agree no matter what the circumstances. Not if she thought it could hurt Jess. Yet hearing his daughter’s words made his heart soar, the same way it had when people had spoken about them the first time around.   Elvis directed the waiter to put the stuff on the table and beckoned Jess to come and join him in the dining room which she did. Though as they sat down Elvis chose to navigate the conversation away from the topic they had been discussing and though he was sure she wanted to push it Jess followed his lead leaving whatever she was going to say unspoken. It also meant that any unanswered questions he had would also remain unanswered, but he didn’t mind. At that moment he didn’t have the heart to get his hopes up.   ✵✵✵   After dinner it was nearly time for the first show of the night though Jess surprised Elvis as she opted to stay in the suite. He didn’t disagree though. Patsy had brought her an array of clothes to try on and he did have guests he had to schmooze after the show which would be a lot easier if she was out of the way though he did wonder if she needed a minute to think over everything he had told her. He showed her the room he had arranged for her but informed her she could go to his personal suite if she preferred and that she only needed to call downstairs and ask for Jerry should she need anything. Then he was gone.   Jess took in her new surroundings. The room was nice though it looked as though it had been recently vacated by another occupant. In the wardrobe were a few new items which Jess took the time to peruse through. They were nice, stylish if not a little more mature than she was used to and when she noticed the price tag on them it nearly made her eyes water, but nice all the same. And she had a TV in her room which she watched for a while but eventually she got bored. Though her room was nice it was still a small hotel room, not the luxury surroundings she had gotten accustomed to, and so she moseyed back down the hall back to the main living area.   It seemed bigger now. Where her hotel room had seemed too compact this felt giant now that she was alone. Even with just her and her dad in the room it didn’t feel like this. She had come to notice that about him. He always seemed to fill the space. His laughter was infectious, and he just oozed this aura – something that made her feel safe and comfortable no matter the size of the room or how many people were in it with them. She could see how her mom could’ve fallen for him. Why it would’ve hurt her so much to speak of him after. She had meant what she said though. Her mom was a lot happier with him around. It made her wonder what might happen.   As she walked around the living area assessing each work of art and every decorative piece that styled this room she found herself missing him. She also found his invitation to head to his private suite tantalising and so she slipped out of the suite and down the hall to where her dad stayed. Inside here was a lot different than the main suite and she took her time to take it all in. She rifled through his closet, admiring the ornate jumpsuits that were hanging in one side of it one by one. She looked through the stack of books on his nightstand, committing their names to memory so she could devour them later – to learn as much as she could. And then she took a seat on the couch, enjoying the vague scent of him on the pillows as she turned on the TV and settled down to watch.   She didn’t know how long she had spent in there but as the credits on the program she was watching rolled she checked the clock to find it was nearing midnight. She had been trying to wait up but her dad had another show starting any minute and it’d be at least another hour or so before her mom even got off work. With a yawn she switched the television set off and got up heading towards her room. Though as she stepped through the door she heard someone shout.   ‘Hey!’ came a voice and she looked up to find an older man coming towards her quickly, ‘you’re not supposed to be in there.’ ‘Oh, uh,’ Jess said feeling her throat go dry as he reached her looking down at her angrily. ‘How the hell did you get up here?’ he asked. Jess tried to speak but her words wouldn’t come. She couldn’t think of an excuse. She didn’t know him and she wasn’t sure what would or wouldn’t get her in trouble. His eyes narrowed as she fumbled for an answer, her hand still on the door handle as she debated fleeing back inside though she knew it was pointless. ‘Security!’ he shouted down the hall as she failed to speak. ‘I’m meant to be here,’ Jess said as she felt panic flood through every inch of her. ‘Sure you are,’ he said, ‘security!’   Jess heard a door open somewhere in the hallway but she couldn’t tear away from the man’s now ruddy face as he stared down at her. Her stare was only broken as Jerry appeared in front of her, placing himself between her and the man allowing her to shrink behind his towering frame.   ‘Vernon it’s okay,’ Jerry said placing his hands up defensively. ‘She was coming out of Elvis’ suite,’ Vernon said. ‘She’s allowed to be in there,’ Jerry said turning to Jess with a reassuring smile on his face, ‘why don’t you head to bed honey? I’ll come and check on you in a bit.’   Jess nodded but didn’t say anything as she looked at Vernon one more time before she scurried away to the room down the hall. Vernon watched her go, his mind spinning with confusion. Once she was in the room Jerry shifted his weight looking at the older man with a sigh.   ‘What’s going on?’ Vernon asked. His mind was boggling. She looked young, no older than sixteen and he didn’t recognise her. For a moment white hot panic flew through him as he thought of the secretive phone calls his son had been having. Surely Elvis wouldn’t have been this stupid. ‘I think that’s for you and E to sort out,’ Jerry said. ‘Jer if I’m being kept in the dark about something that could-’ ‘Like I said,’ Jerry said firmly, ‘this isn’t for me. You need to speak to Elvis.’ Vernon glanced down the hallway one less time and then back at the man he considered his friend. His face was serious but he could tell whatever the reason he was acting the way he was wasn’t to be obstructive and though he still felt uneasy he nodded. Jerry sighed and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder before he headed down the corridor towards Jess’s room but Vernon stayed still.   He didn’t know what was going on just yet but he was sure as he going to find out.   ✵✵✵   When Addison got to the hotel she was exhausted. Not only had her shift been long and tiring but she had also spent most of it fretting. She knew it was irrational to especially since Jess and Elvis’ relationship was flourishing so well but she felt guilty not being there. Like her daughter needed a safety net. As she stepped off the elevator she saw Jerry coming towards her from the other end of the hall at speed. She smiled as he approached and he reciprocated it but she couldn’t help but feel there was something uncertain behind his expression.   ‘Hey good shift?’ he asked as she stepped out into the hallway. ‘Long shift,’ she corrected, ‘fortunately they let me go a little early. Did you manage to get Jess okay?’ ‘Yeah not a bother,’ he smiled. ‘No problems?’ she asked hesitantly. ‘Nope,’ he lied. He knew he should probably tell her about Vernon but he had been hoping to give the news to Elvis first. It had been the reason he had been listening out for the sound of the elevator. The only problem was he had anticipated Elvis would come upstairs before she got here. ‘You okay?’ she asked but before he could answer the elevator dinged again and Elvis appeared as the doors opened Red in tow. He seemed surprised to see them both loitering in the hallway but even so his face broke into a smile as he saw Addison.   ‘Hey you made it,’ he said leaning in to hug her. She did so briefly though she pulled back much quicker than he had become accustomed to which stung. ‘Yeah, good show?’ she asked. ‘Okay,’ he shrugged looking at Jerry, ‘Jess in her room?’ ‘Yeah,�� Jerry said trying to speak but Elvis cut him off. ‘She awake?’ he asked. ‘Don’t think so,’ Jerry said, ‘uh can I borrow you for a minute?’ ‘Now?’ Elvis asked glancing at Addison. ‘Yeah, it’s important,’ Jerry said. ‘Can’t it wait? I mean if Jess is up I wanna see her,’ Elvis said. ‘I’m sure she’s not,’ Jerry protested, ‘I think she tried waiting up for you guys but she was tired.’ ‘I bet she’s exhausted from meetin’ your Pops,’ Red said trying to assist Jerry who winced as the information hit everyone’s ears. ‘What?’ Addison said looking at Elvis, ‘I didn’t know they were meeting today. You said it was just the two of you.’ ‘It was,’ Elvis said watching as her jaw set as if she didn’t believe him. He looked at Jerry, ‘my dad met her? What happened?’ ‘Nothing much. He caught her coming out of the suite and thought she was trespassing. I told him she was meant to be there but I didn’t tell him the rest…I figured that wasn’t my place,’ Jerry said glancing at Addison who was looking past him with a scowl though it softened as he spoke. ‘Wait he doesn’t know about her?’ she said looking towards Elvis who looked dumbstruck for a moment before he recovered. ‘Look why don’t we talk about it inside,’ he said. She paused, glancing at Jerry and then Red, and though she looked as though she wanted to berate him she didn’t and instead she nodded. He gestured for her to head down the corridor which she did.   ‘Sorry man,’ Red said as he went to follow her but Elvis waved him off. ‘I did want to see you first,’ Jerry said. Again Elvis waved him off. ‘Just keep my daddy outta the way for a while would ya?’ he asked. The boys nodded and with that he followed Addison down towards his suite. He didn’t go into the main suite though instead he took her into his private suite, the one with only a living and bedroom area. She looked a little taken aback in here. The neutral palette of the hotel was now gone replaced with lush fabrics and deep colours. On one side of the room was a humungous bed and the other a seating area and TVs, one that seemed less stiff than the living area in the other suite – cosier and a lot more Elvis.   The change of scenery had thrown her off meaning Addison didn’t know where to put herself but she figured that this was deliberate as Elvis was trying to buy himself time. He gestured for her to sit down which she did though seeing as he was trying to disarm her she didn’t follow his orders and instead of on the couches as offered she took a seat at the piano stool.   ‘Want a drink?’ he asked going to the cart and pulling out a soda. ‘Elvis what’s going on?’ she asked cutting straight to the point. Elvis looked at her watching as her features became worried. With a sigh he placed the can of soda on the cart and took a seat next to her. It was a squeeze, their thighs pressed up against one another, but neither of them seemed to care.   ‘What do you mean?’ he asked. ‘I thought tonight was just you and Jess like you promised,’ she said looking at him. ‘It was,’ Elvis said earnestly, ‘but she didn’t want to watch the show so I said she could stay up here.’ ‘And your dad?’ she asked. ‘I don’t know what happened. I guess Jerry will give me the full story but I’m guessing they met,’ he said. ‘I mean why doesn’t he know? Out of everyone I thought he was one of the ones you would tell,’ she said quietly. Though she didn’t think Jess was ready to meet any other family members just yet she had expected Elvis to tell Vernon about it. He was one of the people he trusted completely. It made her feel as though Jess was some sordid secret, ‘I know I said I didn’t want anyone to know but you’re not ashamed of her, right?’ ‘Of course not,’ Elvis protested, ‘if it were that simple I’d tell the whole goddamn world. But we agreed to keep it need to know and well honestly? I didn’t know if you’d want me to, you didn’t exactly seem happy when you talked about my parents and y’know everything that happened.’ ‘I guess I didn’t realise how it sounded,’ she said bashfully, ‘I just assumed he’d be on the list. I mean he is her grandfather and well if he sees me he’s going to recognise me.’ ‘Yeah, I guess,’ Elvis said nervously. Addison paused for a moment before she placed a hand on his thigh which made him look at her. ‘I don’t blame them you know?’ she said with a sad smile. ‘I have been wondering,’ Elvis admitted, ‘I thought maybe that was the reason you stayed away, even after my mama.’ ‘I didn’t want to bring more grief,’ she said, ‘Jess was born two days before your mama passed. My head was a mess. I didn’t know what they Colonel had convinced them of by then. I mean they signed off on me going-’ ‘They can’t have known what he’d done,’ Elvis said shaking his head. He was sure that if they’d had known what the Colonel had done they would’ve stopped it. If they had known about Jess they would’ve frogmarched her back to Memphis he was sure of it. ‘If you believe that why haven’t you told your daddy?’ she asked. Her words hit him in the gut. He had been sure that his parents had no idea what the Colonel had done still the thought had niggled him. Why didn’t they question her being sent away? She had lived in their house; they had loved her as their own and a couple of lies here and there were enough to get them to forget. To move on. Maybe they had known, they had just been too upset about losing Elvis to care.   ‘I guess you’re right,’ Elvis admitted. ‘I want to believe that they had no idea too,’ she said, ‘but back then I was too scared to ask just in case what the Colonel said was true. To think they’d been tricked was hard enough. To know they hated me would’ve been worse.’ ‘They don’t hate you,’ Elvis said, ‘I don’t believe that.’ ‘Well if it’s any consolation I don’t hate them either but that’s why it hurt so much. I kept telling myself it was stupid. I knew I couldn’t come back but I still loved them like they were my family. And it made raising Jess alone feel wrong somehow. Because I knew what she was missing out on,’ she said quietly. Elvis glanced at her but she was looking at the plush carpet under foot yet she continued, ‘you know that’s why I called her Jess?’ ‘I’ve been meaning to ask,’ Elvis admitted making her look at him. ‘It took me months to figure out what I wanted to call her. Nothing seemed to fit and then I remembered your brother. I knew she couldn’t be a Presley but Jess just seemed part of you. Just not something too overt y’know? So that’s why I picked it. Jessie Josephine Goodwin. She had a little bit of you and a little bit of me everywhere she went. Even if she didn’t know.’ ‘It’s beautiful,’ he said with a smile.   They fell silent for a moment, just watching the other in the low moonlight shining through the window. Still thoughts swirled around in Elvis’ brain. He wondered what his daddy had said. Did he recognise her? Worse had he known. That had been the question Elvis’ brain had been dancing around for the past two weeks. He didn’t dare believe it but there had been other things he hadn’t dared believe before now and yet they were true.   ‘Can I tell you something?’ Elvis asked out of the blue after a moment. ‘Sure,’ Addison said wondering what was coming her way. ‘I think I know why I didn’t tell him. My Daddy I mean,’ Elvis said. Addison looked at him but she didn’t speak waiting for him to get whatever it was off his chest, ‘I didn’t tell him because well because I do doubt him. I don’t want to but I do.’ ‘Why?’ she asked curiously. ‘I don’t know. Just with everything going around in my head I’ve just been wondering. And then the idea of bringing you up became too hard. I guess after learning everything about the Colonel I just don’t wanna risk finding out he was in on it too y’know?’ Elvis said. ‘Oh Elvis,’ she said sadly, her thumb moving back and forth on his thigh in a way that would’ve caused his blood to flow south any other time. ‘You know he married again?’ Elvis said as if that proved his point. She could see why he thought that. He had always seen his parents as meant to be, she had thought it too, so the idea of Vernon moving on was questionable to say the least. ‘I didn’t know that. I didn’t really follow the headlines.’ ‘Yeah, Mama hadn’t even been gone six months,’ Elvis said bitterly. She could see tears glint off his lash line, but he blinked them away just as quickly as they arrived, ‘Ricky, the uh, the guy Jess came to the bar that night. That’s his stepson.’ ‘You have a brother huh?’ she said trying to steer the conversation away from the sad dip it had taken. She didn’t think her heart could take seeing him cry. ‘Brothers,’ Elvis corrected, ‘it’s not the same though.’ ‘As what?’ she asked. ‘As real siblings I suppose. I mean they’re good kids and everything it’s just different,’ Elvis shrugged, ‘that’s what I worry about with the girls.’ ‘Jess and Lisa?’ she frowned. ‘Yeah,’ he said quietly. Again they fell quiet. Addison didn’t want to say anything for fear that he hadn’t got what he needed to off his chest.   ‘You know her birthday’s coming up,’ he said after a moment, ‘she’s having a party…I didn’t know if you guys would want to come.’ ‘I don’t know,’ Addison said hesitantly. ‘Oh,’ Elvis said dropping his gaze to his lap, her hand suddenly blazing hot on his thigh as he stared at it. ‘Not that I don’t want them to meet,’ she said, ‘but it’s kind of a big step and Jess wasn’t ready for it yet though that was a couple of weeks ago, it might be different now.’ ‘Maybe,’ Elvis said. ‘It’d be hard though. I know your daddy doesn’t know but have you told people about her?’ she asked. ‘You mean Cilla?’ Elvis asked looking at her. Addison bit her lip and nodded. ‘Well yeah,’ she said. ‘I didn’t know how,’ he admitted. ‘Maybe you should do that first. Before we arrange for Jess to go to the party, so that she’s prepared,’ Addison said. ‘Yeah probably,’ Elvis said. He hadn’t been looking at her but he felt her hesitate which caught his attention. ‘And maybe I shouldn’t go,’ she said. ‘Oh,’ Elvis said. ‘I mean Jess can,’ she said. ‘Right,’ he said, ‘I thought you’d want to go with her.’ ‘I do but if she’s okay with it I think I’m probably better giving it a miss. I mean there’s bound to be people that recognise me and the last thing we need is people trying to play detective y’know? I wouldn’t want Cilla to think we’re coming to push them out especially not on Lisa’s birthday,’ she said. ‘She wouldn’t think that,’ Elvis said though he knew that wasn’t entirely true. Throughout their entire relationship it had always seemed that Priscilla had been the only one. The only love of his life. The only mother of his child. Now that wasn’t true. He loved Priscilla, he always would, but he loved Addison too. Nothing would ever change that.   ‘She’s the mother of your child and all of a sudden there’s another kid hanging around and you don’t think that has the potential to steal thunder?’ Addison asked raising an eyebrow. ‘You might be right,’ Elvis said with a smirk. Addison smiled too though as he watched another question flicker behind her eyes her smile dimmed. ‘Does Lisa know?’ she asked though she was sure she knew the answer. ‘No,’ he said. Addison nodded. ‘I think that’s probably for the best for now,’ she said. ‘You think?’ Elvis asked as his brows knitted together. If she wanted his family to know about Jess why not her sister? ‘I wouldn’t want either of them to feel like they’re being forced into anything that’s all,’ she said. ‘They’re sisters,’ Elvis said confused, ‘I know what I said about my stepbrothers but they do share a parent.’ ‘True, but honey we’re only children we don’t know what it’s like. I mean you went from no siblings to multiple and it didn’t feel right. They’ve both gone from being the only kid to being sisters and there’s no way of undoing that because they share a parent. I just wouldn’t want them to get their hopes up for something that’s unrealistic,’ she explained. ‘Yeah, I guess you’re right,’ Elvis said, though the idea of them not getting along wounded him. He liked his brothers but he didn’t love them, not in the way he hoped the girls would. Addison smiled at him reassuringly as he asked, ‘so can Jess come or not?’ ‘For me she can,’ Addison said, ‘if she wants.’ ‘Would you ask her?’ Elvis said, ‘I don’t want her to think I’m pushing.’ ‘Of course I will. I’ll her in the morning, okay?’ she said. Elvis nodded and then without warning she stood up, the hand that had been resting on his thigh disappearing leaving a coldness behind. She moved towards the door and he followed stopping as she turned around, shifting her weight nervously.   ‘Just so I know. Does Jess know it was her Grandad she saw or not? Do you think Jerry explained?’ she asked. ‘I don’t think so,’ he said, ‘but I don’t know.’ ‘It’s okay. I’ll just add it to the list of questions I have for her when she wakes up,' she said. ‘Sorry,’ Elvis said, ‘I was going to start introducing her and stuff. I guess I’ve just been enjoying the time we’ve been having. Without complicating it y’know?’ ‘I get it,’ Addison said, ‘you were thinking of her and I appreciate that but I think you should tell them sooner rather than later. I wouldn’t want it to spiral.’ ‘I’ll tell him tomorrow,’ Elvis said. ‘Cilla too?’ she asked. Elvis nodded but didn’t agree. His daddy he could handle. Priscilla he wasn’t quite ready for, ‘I guess I better go and check on Jess.’ ‘Yeah,’ Elvis said seeing her hesitation as he realised she didn’t know where she was going, ‘uh, the usual suite. Third room down.’ ‘Thanks,’ she said, ‘night.’ ‘Goodnight,’ he said watching as she went down the hall. He kept his door open until he saw her disappeared into the room beside him and then closed the door, locking it as he did so before he rested against it with a sigh. Tonight had been enough. He’d deal with his Daddy in the morning.   ✵✵✵   Jess was confused when she awoke the following morning to find an unfamiliar ceiling looking back at her. As she adjusted, rubbing her eyes as if that would make the room any less bright she looked around finding her surroundings becoming all the more familiar. Her mother was sitting on the edge of the bed, the phone pressed to her ear as she spoke softly into it, probably hoping not to wake her. She didn’t know how she hadn’t disturbed her sooner, in fact the fact she was fully dressed made her doubt that she had spent the night there as planned but as she clocked a small overnight bag sitting on the chair across the room she realised she must have.   ‘Of course,’ Addison said, ‘yeah…promise? Okay... Yeah…that’s fine. Bye.’ ‘Who was that?’ Jess asked making her mother look around looking surprised as though she hadn’t realised she was awake yet. ‘Your dad,’ Addison said as she placed the phone back on its nook and stood up busying herself with tidying up even though there wasn’t much to be done. ‘What did he want?’ Jess asked pushing herself up so she was resting against the headboard. ‘Actually it was me who wanted him. I think I woke him up though,’ Addison said with a small smile, ‘I don’t think he sees this side of noon a lot.’ ‘I bet you’re right. I tried waiting up for you guys though,’ Jess said. ‘I know I figured all the excitement must’ve gotten too much,’ Addison said raising an eyebrow which made Jess panic. For a moment she wondered if her dad had told her what she had been saying yesterday but then again he hadn’t wanted to talk about it so it couldn’t be that. Seeing Jess was confused Addison continued, ‘apparently you met your Grandpa last night?’ ‘Oh that,’ Jess said meekly. ‘That’s why I called. I wanted to know what Jerry had told you,’ Addison said taking a seat on the bed so that they were facing one another, ‘are you okay?’ ‘I guess,’ Jess shrugged, ‘I mean it wasn’t ideal but it’s not like we can change it now.’ ‘I suppose you’re right,’ Addison said, ‘sorry it blindsided you though.’ ‘I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised what with us hanging around his territory. It was just awkward,’ Jess said feeling a blush creep onto her face. ‘And it shouldn’t have been,’ Addison said, ‘I thought he’d told him about you. I mean we said to keep it on the down low…but I guess we should’ve specified what that meant.’ ‘Yeah, I mean I knew about Lisa but we’ve not really talked about the family side of things just yet,’ she said, ‘I think he was waiting for the right time.’ ‘Well no time like the present,’ Addison said. ‘He’s going to tell him today?’ Jess asked. ‘Well yeah,’ Addison replied, ‘I don’t think there’s another explanation for having a fourteen-year-old girl in his suite do you?’ ‘Suppose not,’ Jess mused though her mind started to wander almost immediately at the idea of that. She wondered how her grandfather would take the news. How would any of them take the news? After all his friends weren’t really a bother. Elvis having another kid didn’t really affect them. But Vernon? Lisa? Priscilla? She didn’t know if they’d be quite as happy as her dad had been once they knew.   Her mother was quiet, watching her closely as she overthought. After a moment she placed her hand on her daughter’s blanket-covered knee and said, ‘are you okay with that?’ ‘Yeah, it’s gotta happen sometime right?’ Jess said. ‘Well yeah but that doesn’t mean you have to dive right into getting to know them. Not if you’re not ready,’ Addison explained. ‘I’d like to,’ Jess said honestly. Even though Vernon had scared the wits out of her last night it was true – she did want to get to know her family. ‘Well your dad was thinking maybe next weekend would be a good opportunity,’ Addison explained, ‘it’s Lisa’s birthday so everyone will be there and you can meet them but the spotlight won't be on you so to speak.’ ‘Will they know who I am?’ Jess asked. ‘Some will,’ Addison said, ‘but like I said it’ll be about Lisa that way there’s no pressure.’ ‘Will Lisa know?’ Jess asked. Addison hesitated. ‘No, no we thought it’d probably be best if she doesn’t know. For now at least. That way the two of you can see how it goes without feeling like you have to be best buds right away. That and it’s probably not the best idea to tell a five-year-old something and hope they don’t tell the wrong person,’ Addison said making Jess smile. ‘Yeah you’re probably right,’ Jess said. ‘There’s just one more thing,’ Addison said dropping her gaze to the bedclothes as she fiddled with them nervously. ‘What?’ ‘I think it’s probably better if I don’t come to this one,’ she said, ‘I know it’s a big thing but I think less attention will be on you if I’m not there.’ ‘Oh,’ Jess said. She supposed her mother was right. People did know her so having them both there wouldn’t undoubtedly get tongues wagging and that was something she didn’t want. If anything she wanted to meet her new family members without the pressures of the past. So they knew her first rather than whatever they assumed they knew about her mother. ‘If you’re okay with that?’ Addison said. Jess watched her. She knew if she wanted her mother to come and support her she would yet there was something from the way her mother was avoiding looking at her that made her feel as though that wasn’t the sole reason she wanted to leave her to it. She seemed scared. ‘No it’s fine,’ she said. ‘Okay,’ Addison said looking at her with a small smile, ‘I’ll call him and tell him later.’   ‘Aren’t we seeing him this morning?’ Jess asked as she got up and started the tidying she had been doing before. ‘I think he’s got enough on his plate this morning, don’t you?’ Addison said raising an eyebrow. Jess thought about that for a second and then nodded, ‘c’mon, get up. I’ll even treat you to breakfast.’ ‘Can we get pancakes?’ Jess asked feeling her stomach rumble as she climbed out of bed. ‘We can have whatever you want,’ Addison replied with a smile.   Whilst Addison moved to get the room looking as though no one had ever inhabited it Jess got ready changing into an outfit from the array of new clothes in her wardrobe. Though Addison raised an eyebrow at the amount of clothes Elvis had bought their daughter she didn’t say anything. After all it had been done out of necessity. Not only that but in Elvis terms dozen or so new outfits barely counted as an extravagance. Addison could only wonder how hard it had been for him not to buy Jess an array of items in the short window they had known each other. She knew it would’ve been killing him.   However there was one thing that Addison didn’t notice as she and Jess headed towards the elevators to leave the hotel. Just down the hall, lingering by an ajar door was Vernon. He had been waiting for any sign that Elvis was awake but as he watched them disappear between the golden elevator doors he came out of his room. He didn’t care if his son was awake yet. He had to speak to him now. 

SERIES TAGS

@girlblogger2002 @sania562 @caitlin1996 @literally-just-elvis-fics @notstefaniepresley  @artlesson8892 @18lkpeters​ @velvetelvis @jaqueline19997 @elvispresleyxoxo @amydarcimarie @presleyenterprise @everythingelvispresley @elvispresleywife @lillypink @richardslady121 @lettersfromvenus

[madeintheniamh]

bathtime cuddles

stmf one shot #10.

a/n: the clue is in the name. baby daddy harry is mine forever

warnings: so much fluff you can actually feel your heart melting

If there was one thing that Harry refused to do after being away on tour, it was to let baby Tilly out of his sight. Already she had grown far too much for his liking despite him being away in LA for the last two weeks, and he didn’t want to miss another glimpse of her. One minute she had just been born, as he had held her tiny frame in his arms for the first time- and 7 months later, a tiny little person with huge, glistening green eyes was staring back at him, lying on top of her changing table. She smiled at him widely, a little white tooth beginning to erupt through her gums, as he tickled the base of her tiny foot and she burst into a roar of giggles.

“Daddy’s going to get you, I’m going to get you,” He teased before pressing his lips to her tummy and blowing a raspberry, which made her laugh harder.

He had only been back a couple of hours, and had barely unpacked his stuff and hadn’t even thought about showering. Although, he had already stripped off his top to reveal his tattooed Torso. He still didn’t want to let her out of his sight, so he decided to do what you always scolded him for doing, as he marched into the bathroom and flipped on the tap with Tilly now held up on his hip.

“Don’t tell Mummy, hmm?” He whispered, looking down at her as she surveyed her surroundings. He placed her down on the worktop and began to unbutton her onesie. Swooping a tiny ringlet of hair off of her face before planting a kiss on her forehead, before picking her up again. He ran his hand through the water as it filled up the tub, the bathroom mirror beginning to steam up. He sat down first, before placing her on top of his knees, the warm water barely touching her legs. Reaching over to grab her washcloth, he rang it out slightly before beginning to run it over her tiny frame, humming a flat tune to her. A tiny fist reached over to grab a handful of bubbles before attempting to mush them into his lips. He laughed, a smile forming on his lips.

“Oi, cheeky,” he chuckled. “You know how much Daddy missed you, when he was away?”

She stared at him intently, almost as if she could understand the words coming from his mouth, before she giggled again.

“You think I’m lying, hmm?” He smirked, beginning to massage baby shampoo into her tiny brunette curls. “Don’t tell mummy, but I missed you more than her, it’s true,”

He kissed her cheek again before beginning to wash the shampoo out of her hair, shielding her eyes with the side of his hand as she flinched slightly when the water ran over her, and he began to hum again.

You had been sitting on the sofa reading for a while when you finally decided to go and find out why Harry had been taking so long in the bathroom. You spent a good minute looking through the crack in the door, before finally opening it fully.

“Harry,” You scorned, as his face dropped, looking as though he was about to be told off by a teacher for doing something wrong in school. “You know she’s going to want you to get in the bath with her every night now, don’t you?”

His face changed into a slight smirk as he realised your tone was only somewhat serious, as he turned Tilly around on his lap to face you.

“I don’t mind that,” He grinned. "Really, I don't mind,"

—-

loved writing this one!

my requests are always open if you have any ideas for what dadrry related things i should write about next…

the link to the rest of the slipping through my fingers masterlist is here!

[sammy8d257]

Hello Gamers!

"Learned Behavior" is now on Ao3!

You can find the link to it here!

In other news,

Here's the title drop, summary, and a bit of "Work in Progress" dialogue for the next fic in my new series,

"Watered Down Hot Chocolate - A collection of stories exploring Purple's past, present, and potential future in a world of colorful stick figures, kings, games and more."

I present:

In the Week that Follows (wip)

Summary: When King woke up to the sight of neatly folded blankets and pillows but no purple stick figure in sight, he tried not to feel disappointed. It made sense. Of course Purple wouldn’t want anything to do with him. Aside from the week they spent preparing to capture those desktop stick figures, they were practically strangers. More than that, Purple was a stranger that King nearly killed because of his own blind anger. One hug isn’t going to change getting disintegrated.

Yes, King decided with a sigh. Purple would be better off staying away.

Two hours later, the doorbell rang and King looked out the peephole to see Purple carrying a tote bag full of cleaning supplies.

A.k.a. King and Purple spend the week after AvM 30, cleaning King’s house.

-O - o -

(Work In Progress Dialogue for this fic under the "Keep Reading")

Day 0:

"Alright, I guess, this is... bye? Will you be safe getting home?"

"Oh. I'm not leaving."

"Wha- what?"

"King, it's dark out. I got beat up and disintegrated into a beam of light. I'm tired. There is no way I'm making it back to my apartment like this."

"... Right. Make yourself at... home?"

"... You know, I never said this earlier because you were my boss, but your place sucks. It's a mess."

"I- Are you seriously insulting my house right now? You could just leave if you don't like it here."

"I could but once again, I'm tired and beat up and that's partially your fault, so you kinda owe me at least one night's rest."

"..."

"..."

"(sigh) I liked it better when you didn't talk back."

"Then you'll love it when I'm asleep. Speaking of, do you have another bed?"

"What?"

"A bed. To sleep in."

“...”

“A couch. A recliner. A mat.”

“I-”

“C’mon, you’ve got to have something.”

"I guess you can use-"

"I'm not taking your bed."

"..."

"Look, I'll just, sleep on the floor alright? I've done it before. Multiple times actually. All I need are a couple of pillows and blankets. Do you have any extra?"

"... yes. I'll be right back."

- - -

"Here."

"Medieval themed? Very on brand huh?"

"They aren't mine."

"What-"

"Purple go to sleep. I'm going to bed."

"(sigh) ... okay."

-O - o -

And that's what I have so far! I'm hoping to flesh out the rest while I'm on vacation and then write it all out once I get back!

[mischievous-piltovan]

The Undying Oath (NSFW)

Chapter 2: Entropy (SFW)

Viktor x fem!Reader

Summary: The reader sets off on her quest, despite Jayce’s warnings. 

A/N: Lore-heavy. This is more of a transition chapter to get the plot going. I tried to explain League Lore the best I could to those not familiar with it. I’ll leave a glossary with some terms in case anyone wanna read more about it.

Warnings: Major Character Death. Loss of a loved one. Angsty. War.

Word Count: 7.3K

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 (In Progress)

Also on AO3

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A loud bang rang through the dorm, jolting Viktor immediately awake.

The sun cast an early light through the window, granting the dorm an ethereal golden aura. In his sleep inertia, Viktor blinked a couple of times, trying to make sense of what was happening around him; he palmed the side of the bed only to find it empty - not an uncommon occurrence for the past few weeks, [Y/n] trips to the library had been happening earlier and earlier each day ever since she started researching magic.

The odd element in the scenery was the dorm room wide open with a very distressed Jayce standing in front of it. He had a piece of parchment in a tight grip.

“Jayce… ?”

“She’s not here either,” Jayce muttered in between breaths. “Goddamn it… “

“Top of the morning to you too.” Viktor jested a bit irritated. “Care to explain what the fuck are you doing barging in here like that… ?”

Jayce looked at Viktor like he’d just realized his partner was there. His eyes scanned the room for a bit before they landed on something on top of the desk.

“Oh… You didn’t read it… “

“Read what, Jayce? Could you kindly start to make sense?” Viktor barked, exacerbated at his partner’s refusal to answer him.

Jayce huffed, trying to calm himself down. He picked up a folded-up parchment paper from the desk that Viktor didn’t recognize but quickly noticed it was very similar to the one Jayce was already holding. The taller scientist approached the bed without a word and offered the piece of paper still folded to Viktor. 

Viktor opened up the parchment still looking at Jayce, searching for a sliver of sense in his partner’s face. But the man held only a tight frown, eyes fixed on the piece of paper in Viktor’s hands.

Finally, the leaner scientist glanced down at the parchment piece.

My dear Owl,

There’s nothing I desire more than growing old alongside you. I want us to have a long and fulfilling life ahead of us. I promise I’ll be back soon. I hope you can forgive me.

Your fianceé, 

Little Woodpecker.

Viktor stared at the letter, mouth agape. He re-read it once, twice, thrice… his mind desperately trying to deny the truth the words conveyed. He tried recalling what happened the previous night, searching for a clue on why she'd done it… After promising to stay, after accepting his proposal.

The matching ring on his finger felt heavy.

Suddenly a wet spot appeared on the paper, smudging some of the words - he didn’t know when he started to cry.

Viktor looked up at Jayce, the desperation palpable in his glassy eyes. His partner pressed his lips tight together before speaking.

“I’m sorry, V…”

—

Luckily for [Y/n], the HexGates were still functioning the day she departed from Piltover - the last shipments still had to be sent before the total closure of the transportation service Jayce had ordered. She had boarded a cargo ship using her academic privilege - no one denied the Architect of HexTech her request to go with them to Shurima for a classified mission. Less than an hour later, she was at the capital - quite literally like magic.

But reaching Shurima was but a step on her pilgrimage. 

Her true goal was reaching Mount Targon - the tallest mountain in all of Runeterra, located all the way across the Shuriman Desert. A mystic and isolated realm whose people were linked to the celestial entities above - ethereal beings said to be connected to the origin of magic.

It had been 3 days since [y/n] embarked on a commercial caravan headed to the region near Targon. She sat inside a cargo wagon, leaning her back onto a barrel filled with dried figs and dates. She studied her map alongside her notes on her journal, making sure nothing was amiss - there was no room for mistakes.

She kept rolling the silver and blue ring Viktor gave her with her thumb - both for grounding and reminding herself what was at stake.

[Y/n] sighed. Due to their isolating nature, there wasn’t much cataloged about Mount Targon and its inhabitants, only a few entries here and there of explorers that dared climb its stone steps to the point of safety. Rumors were that those who ventured further above and survived to tell the tale returned… empty, hollow husks haunted by the incomprehensible knowledge of the celestial realm. 

But if she was right about her findings, she wouldn’t have to reach the summit and risk falling victim to that mind-numbing fate.

She’d found descriptions of a strange being that had traveled all around Runeterra, seemingly in a quest to mend humanity at their ripping seams and bring solace to mortals. A being that was said to single-handedly perform inexplicable acts of restoration in their path. 

A Healing Mage.

She’d first stumble upon them while reading about Ionia - the land to the east. It was said that a horned half-animal creature with blue-tinted skin that communed with the stars could call upon their light to heal the wounded, they called them The Seer. At first, it struck her as a mere myth, a creature of old folklore born from the need to explain the inexplicable.

But then… She had found the description of a similar being while reading about Freljord - the frozen land to the north. Ancient tribes' records depict the existence of a horned healer related to the stars who had the power to soothe the icy bite of the most brutal winters.

The nail in the coffin came with a conversation she had with Viktor.

“Speaking of which, I’ve stumbled upon some interesting pieces of folklore in my last research sessions at the Library.” [Y/n] said while finishing to set up the new bag of medicine on Viktor’s iv-drip. “Both Freljordians and Ionians of old seemed to believe in a Vastayan that could heal all ailments.”

“Makes one wish such stories to be true.” Viktor scoffed, not looking at [Y/n]. His face lit up the next instant, something sparking behind his eyes. “Now that you mentioned it… I remember an old… eh, how do you say it… folktale. Yes, an old folktale my parents used to tell me about a lilac-skinned being that roamed the streets of the Undercity purifying weary lungs… I think it was called… The Lilac Medic?”

Upon further research on the Zaun archives, [y/n] found the full description of the elusive Lilac-Medic. The similarities between them, The Seer from Ionia and the Horned Healer from Freljord were almost uncanny. This spurred her into going beyond, unraveling each sliver of a lead she could find to their bare bones, desperate searching for a concrete path.

Her research led her to the Ottrani, an isolated tribe of Vastaya whose inhabitants bore characteristics akin to those of the Lilac-Medic. There wasn’t much information about them - the only assurance being that one of them was last spotted in Mount Targon.

And that’s where she was going.

The wagon suddenly came to a halt, snapping [Y/n] out of her thoughts. The curtains at the back flapped open, revealing the tired face of the driver. “This is our last stop, Miss.” He spoke with a husky and heavy-accented voice. 

[Y/n] nodded and quickly began packing her things back in her bag. She stepped out of the wagon, being unceremoniously greeted by the searing Shuriman sun - an unpleasant reminder of how far she was from home. Once her eyes adjusted to the glare, she could see they were in an Oasis - all of the other wagons setting up camp. The sound of the driver clearing his throat spun her attention back to him.

“Mount Targon is an hour's walk from here.” He said pointing to the west where [Y/n] could vaguely make out the silhouette of the mountain in the distance. “We are leaving in four days. I advise you to be back by then. We cannot afford to stay here any longer, do you understand?”

“Yes.” She replied. The last thing she needed was to get stranded in the desert. “Thank you."

The driver nodded, heading back to his wagon. [Y/n] turned to the direction of Mount Targon and, with a determined exhale, marched towards it.

—

Jayce wasn't expecting to find himself in this situation once again so soon. It almost felt like deja-vu. Almost.

Because this time he was alone -  [y/n] nowhere to be found.

He glanced over at Viktor, once again unconscious on the hospital bed, an inhaler attached directly to his respiratory system through his nose. Jayce had found him collapsed on the lab floor that morning, blood-splattered around him.

The first time it happened, [Y/n] found him first. Jayce met her moments after, sitting by Viktor's hospital bed. They both waited for him to wake up side by side, firmly holding hands for support once the doctor came to give them his partner's prognosis.

This time, he was alone.

Jayce clenched his fists, his leg anxiously bouncing under it. He had found Viktor by sheer luck - he was on his way to the Council Room when he passed by the lab door ajar and something in his gut told him to check inside. Had he not entered the lab to check on Viktor, his partner would not have gotten the emergency treatment in time and he might've been dead by now. The councilman checked the time again, he was supposed to be attending a meeting that began an hour ago, but he couldn't possibly fathom the idea of leaving Viktor's side before he woke up - he needed to be sure he was fine and there was no one else that could do it at the moment but him.

"[Y/n], you selfish little prick."

Jayce murmured under his breath but shook his head in regret right after. It wasn't [Y/n]'s fault he had a fuckton of things on his plate at the moment - she didn't make him a Councilor nor was she the one that fired that rocket at the Council Room. But he couldn't help but feel a pang of grief-masked-as-anger towards her. Both he and Viktor pleaded with her not to leave Piltover and she did it anyway, leaving behind a painful void at a crucial moment - an outcome that both men warned her about.

"Excuse me, Councilor Talis." Jayce snapped out of his stupor by a deep voice. The doctor responsible for Viktor's case stood by the door, a clipboard in hand. "We need to have a word."

—

The sun was setting over the horizon casting a pale orange glow on Mount Targon. [Y/n] could feel the muscles on her legs starting to tremble at every step she took up the mountain. Her throat was parched, tongue rough like sandpaper, but she refused to drink from her canteen - the water she brought along was supposed to last her whole pilgrimage and was already dangerously low - a sad miscalculation on her part. 

The girl decided to rest when the sun dipped below the horizon and dusk began its transition into night. As much as she needed to make haste, trying to climb the stone steps with dimmed vision didn't seem efficient. [Y/n] slumped down ungraciously on one of the adjacent stone platforms that dotted the way up alongside the stairway, the raw soreness of her muscles striking her at full force once she caught her breath. 

She opened up her satchel bag and fished out a couple of pieces of dried fruit she got in the wagon, immediately nibbling at them. The best strategy right now was trying to recover as much energy as possible before dawn so she could make the most of the sunlight the next day.

A cold gust of wind sent shivers down [Y/n]'s bones, reminding her that the harsh weather of the Shuriman Desert didn't end with the searing heat of the sun. She gathered some dried sticks and leaves from the foliage nearby and started a fire, shielding the flames as best as she could from the wind. Sighing, she finally let her body relax a bit as the fire warmed her up.

[Y/n] gazed up at the night sky, basking in the clear view of the constellations she didn't have at Piltover. She brought her hand to the bundle of bandages covering up her stump, it would be a lie if she said her resolve wasn't faltering a bit - her missing arm, alongside her aching muscles and parched tongue alarmed her to the very real reality that her body might hinder her unable to complete her mission. Hugging her bag close to her body, she wondered if this is what Viktor felt like all the time - a mixture of frustration and fear at his inability to trust his own body. 

Viktor. She gently caressed her ring with her thumb at the thought of him. She couldn't second guess her decisions now - his very life was solemnly in her hands and she didn't have anyone but herself to count on. Her body just had to endure it.

A bright bluish light jolted her awake. [Y/n] couldn't quite remember when she fell asleep as she was still sitting down with her back to the wall, hugging her bag. She blinked a few times before making out the scene before her - a small figure shadowed by the light behind them stood a few feet away from her. Instinctively, [Y/n] stumbled back, away from the figure and the light, using the bag to shield herself as best as she could. 

But the figure didn't budge.

"Hello, I… I mean you no harm!"

A soft voice spoke from where the figure stood. A child's voice. Lulled by this revelation, [Y/n] took a moment to perceive her visitor. 

The child bore a humanoid form, but they for sure weren't human. Their skin was tinted blue, they had hooves for feet and a pair of horns on their head. They were a Vastaya.

[Y/n] rose to her feet at the recognition.

"You… You are an Ottrani!" The girl blurted out in a mixture of surprise and elation. The Vastaya giggled at her reaction. 

"Nice to meet you, I'm Illi." The child spoke. They seemed to be a girl. "You must be [Y/n]."

"Yes, I… Wait, how do you know my name?"

"Your arrival was foreseen, I was sent to escort you to the Astral Grove."

A sudden surge of both relief and anticipation hit [Y/n]. She was right. She was actually right. All those days toiling away at the library, trying to piece together a plan of action based solemnly on the information she could muster back in Piltover actually paid off. There was a Vastaya, an Ottrani in front of her, just like she hoped she'd find in Mount Targon, and they were offering guidance. This was much more than what she was hoping for. [Y/n] smiled, pressing the ring on her hand down with her thumb.

"Nice to meet you, Illi." The girl spoke, getting up. "Please, lead the way."

—

"We're going to have to keep him here for the time being. This last sudden episode seemed to have hastened the deterioration in his lungs and I'm afraid home care won't be enough from now on."

Jayce pressed his lips together in a thin line at the doctor's words. The last thing Viktor needed right now was staying cooped up in a hospital room, plagued by the inability to do anything regarding his condition other than wait. If [Y/n] was here, she could at least make him company and keep his demons somewhat at bay… But right now, having Viktor stay at the hospital meant leaving him idle, alone with his thoughts.

"Do we know exactly what caused this episode?"

"It's hard to say, he was here for a check-up just last week and his condition seemed quite stable given the circumstances." The doctor responded, flipping through the papers on his clipboard. "It could have been stress-induced."

Jayce pinched the bridge of his nose with a heavy sigh. In all her calculations to heal Viktor, [Y/n] seemed to have forgotten to factor in how her absence could negatively affect her partner's psyche and overall health. Maybe it was her own self-esteem that seemed to blind her to her importance to others. Or maybe the allure of fleeing the whole conundrum and leaving all responsibilities piled up on Jayce's lap had overridden her best judgment. Either way, the taller scientist could not help but feel anger starting to boil up.

"I need you to make this man well." Jayce spat, not looking at the doctor. "I don't care what it takes or how much it costs, just cure him."

"Councilor Talis, you must understand… we've reached the limit to what we could do to heal his ailment. We've had the best doctors in all Piltover look into his case, but no one could come up with a solution and… "

"Get me the best doctor from Zaun then." Jayce cut him off, anger seeping into his words. "This is an order."

—

The first thing [Y/n] saw upon entering the Astral Grove was a body of crystalline spring water being fed by a small waterfall. Without a second thought, the girl rushed towards it, kneeling at the edge, and desperately gulped down copious amounts of water - at least her parched throat was dealt with. As she refilled her canteen, a strange warm sensation began spreading through her missing arm, starting from the stitched-up point. 

"What the… ?"

Tossing her canteen aside, she quickly unwrapped the bandages off of her left upper arm. To her surprise, the skin under the bandages was completely smooth - the wound and stitches were nowhere to be found. Her arm, although still missing a large chunk of it, was all healed up. She also felt reinvigorated, as if she had just woken up from a good night of sleep. Her hunger was gone and the pain and fatigue from the previous day had also vanished.

Like magic.

"The water of the Star Spring has healing properties."  A voice behind her cleared her bewilderment. It was soft and smooth but definitely didn't belong to Illi. [Y/n] turned around only to meet a lilac-skinned older Ottrani with silver hair and a single golden horn on her head. She immediately recognized her from her readings.

"You… you are the Horned Healer!" [Y/n] spoke incredulously, the corners of her mouth slowly curling up as elation flooded her whole being. "The Seer! The Lilac-skinned Medic! Oh, gods… You actually exist! I… I found you!"

The Ottrani smiled softly at her. "Ah… I remember those names, it's been a while since I last heard them. Here in the Astral Grove, I'm known as Soraka, it's nice to meet you, [Y/n]."

[Y/n] quickly pulled herself up. "Soraka! Miss… Soraka? Anyways, I come from Piltover and we developed a technology that can harness magic using these blue crystals and… "

[Y/n] stopped speaking abruptly upon noticing Soraka had her hand lifted up.

"I am aware of your plight, Architect from Piltover." She said calmly. "The Cosmos foresaw your arrival, I had young Illi fetch you for we knew you'd be arriving today."

[Y/n] pressed her lips together in a thin line before speaking again. "Then you know why I need you to come back with me to Piltover."

"I'm afraid I cannot leave the Astral Grove." The Ottrani responded. 

"Well, could I bring some of that water back with me then?"

"Unfortunately the water loses its healing capabilities once it's taken away from the Grove," Soraka mentioned. "But do not fret, for the Cosmos vowed to have a solution to your woe." The healer turned around, motioning invitingly with her hand. "Follow me."

[Y/n] hesitated for a moment. The exhilaration she felt moments ago slowly began to fade, clearing up her mind - the situation had just taken a massive turn, entirely deviating from her original plan. If the rumors were true, communing with the Cosmos could permanently dull her mind and she definitely couldn't afford that - Viktor still needed her. Then again, having Soraka alongside her felt safe - the Ottrani didn't seem to mean any harm. And if she was telling the truth, the architect could leave Mount Targon with a solution. With a resolute exhale, [Y/n] followed the mage.

They walked in silence, climbing the stone steps towards the highest point of the Astral Grove. The air was becoming thinner and [Y/n] had to hug herself in order to maintain some sliver of body heat. Halfway through, the girl spoke.

"What is it that the Cosmos have planned for me?"

"I am not aware," Soraka answered, still looking ahead. "All I know is that they will grant you what you need… at a price."

[Y/n] stopped in her tracks. "What price?"

The Ottrani turned around before speaking. "Something precious to you must be taken for the exchange to be completed."

The girl frowned. Viktor's face was the first thing her mind conjured up at the word 'precious'.

"I cannot accept the offer then." She said with a stern look on her face. "If you know my plight as you said before, you know I'm here to save what's most precious to me."

To her surprise, Soraka smiled gently. "The Cosmos will take only that which is metaphysical, Piltovian Architect. Taking someone's life isn't of any use to them."

[Y/n] exhaled. That could mean anything. Maybe they'd take one of her personality quirks, maybe they'd take away her skills as an architect, maybe even the memories of the past five years she spent alongside Viktor. Either way, if it meant saving his life, she wouldn't mind falling for him all over again. With a nod, the girl and Soraka resumed their journey.

As soon as they arrived at the summit, [Y/n] felt her jaw suddenly drop as a surprised gasp left her lips. The sky here was… different, the black of night was dotted with different hues of silver, gold, blue and orange and the stars shone so bright [Y/n] could make out entire galaxies almost perfectly. Looking up and still captivated by the Cosmos, [Y/n] made her way into the summit platform. 

She halted upon hearing the sound of her name. It wasn't one voice, but a multitude of them that seemed to come from all around her, as if the sky itself was speaking, but also from within her, like her very soul, was reverberating. [Y/n] instinctively glanced back at Soraka, looking for guidance, but the Ottrani simply smiled while nodding.

It was The Cosmos.

Pressing down her ring firmly with her thumb, she took a deep breath before speaking. "I've been told I was expected."

The harmonious cacophony of voices spoke once again. "We shall grant what thou seeks, yet a sacrifice is in order."

She pressed down on the ring with enough force to leave a bruise.

"You should know I'm desperate enough to accept it." She answered, a quiver in her voice. "Take whatever you want, just please… save him."

In a flash, a single ray of golden light emanating from the sky shone directly on the girl like a stage spotlight. She felt weightless as her feet left the ground, her body hovering suspended by nothing at all. Adrenaline kicked in and she instinctively fought to get away, but it was futile. Her vision started to falter and she desperately tried to keep conscious, but whatever had her trapped was too strong - she felt like a grain of salt being struck down by a tidal wave. Soon, everything around her started to fade until there was nothing but white.

The next time she blinked, the girl found herself back in Piltover, right in the middle of the HexTech lab. The morning sun shone brightly amidst a clear blue sky, its rays casting golden light through the spotless lab windows, engulfing the place in an almost divine atmosphere. All around her the world seemed… more vivid, every color stood out in an almost unnatural saturation. She'd have lingered more in the state of her surroundings hadn't a familiar voice called out her name.

"Ah, Woodpecker! You're here." Viktor exclaimed from across the lab. He was sitting in his usual spot and seemed to be tinkering with something as per usual. "I just finished ironing out those pesky little kinks we were discussing yesterday. Please, come here, I want to show you."

[Y/n] blinked twice before making her way to his desk, the absurdity of the situation completely going over her head at the sight of him. Viktor seemed well, healthy, the color seemed to have returned to his face and there were no IV-drip or any other medical gadgetry around him. As she got closer to him, her eyes darted to the project he was working on - a toy flying ship.

"I'll just add the power source on the controller… " Viktor murmured as he lodged a single little blue shard into the back of a glove he wore, its design much similar to the HexClaw's one. Her bewilderment regarding the shard started to fade in her mind as soon as it appeared as if she had known about them for a long time - the shard was a HexShard, a smaller piece of a HexCrystal - the solution Viktor and Jayce came up with to tone the crystal's power down enough to finally grant people access to its power. With enough capacity to power tools and small gadgets, but impossible to harness destructive power, even when a large number was stacked together.

A way to safeguard HexTech against misuse. 

With a flick of Viktor's wrist, the toy came to life - its air balloon started to inflate and, before she knew it, the toy began to slowly rise in the air. 

It flew around the lab a few times, the scientist controlling its direction with the movements of his hand. 

A satisfied exhale escaped his lips, bringing the girl's attention back to Viktor. His healthier complexion wasn't the only aspect of his that was different, she could clearly see the indentation of expression lines beginning to appear on his face as well as a few strands of white adorning his chestnut hair. Viktor was… older.

Before she could make sense of it, the lab door shot open, revealing a Jayce as older as Viktor, Mel stood beside him. Right from behind them, two smaller figures rushed inside the room before Jayce could act, they eagerly made a beeline to Viktor's and [Y/n]'s direction.

"Uncle Vik!" One of them - a young boy with skin as dark as Mel's and Jayce's tooth gap - exclaimed. "Daddy said you have a surprise for me!"

"Hey, no fair!" The second child - a girl with olive skin and golden eyes - shouted behind the boy. "Dad said the surprise was for both of us!"

"Kids, c'mon, I told you not to run in the lab!" Jayce exclaimed. "Sorry, guys… They've been incredibly agitated ever since they woke up today."

"Of course, they would be, it's not every day that one turns 8 years old," Viktor responded with a smile. The scientist brought the toy back to his hands as the two kids watched mesmerized. "Isn't that right, twins?"

"Uncle Vik, what is that?" 

"This is a hand-controlled toy airship." He said, bringing the toy closer to the children's line of sight. "This is mine and Auntie [Y/n]'s birthday gift to you. But you two have to promise to play nice."

With a barrage of 'we promise!' from the twins, Viktor handed them the airship and taught them how to use the glove. 

Soon, the toy airship was erratically flying around the room as Mel kept the kids in check, making sure they didn't cause any accidents with it and Jayce came running towards Viktor to discuss the schematics of his gift. The HexTech Lab was vivid, the kids' laughter alongside Mel's guidance and Viktor and Jayce's excited conversation paired with the bright morning sun painted a picture of… serenity and joy.

"It's great, isn't it?"

An eerily familiar voice spoke from behind [Y/n], making her snap her head back, looking for the source. She saw her reflection on a metal panel on the wall, but older. Suddenly, her older self smirked at her - the girl blinked twice as she brought a hand to her lips, but she wasn't smiling.

“This could’ve been your future, y’know.” The [Y/n] on the panel spoke again. “Had you not been so stubbornly selfish and decided to stay… “

As soon as the reflection finished speaking, everything went completely silent. The girl looked around and everything was frozen into place, like a snapshot. Instinctively, she turned to Viktor who was frozen in a smile talking to Jayce, his eyes brighter than the day he first stepped into her office and noticed the Undercity model in the middle of it. 

All of sudden, the ground beneath her vanished and the girl fell into the dark nothingness below. 

—

The next moment [Y/n] regained consciousness, she felt her cheek pressed against the stone ground of the Astral Grove’s summit. She opened her eyes slowly but had to swiftly close them again as sunlight shone directly onto her. With her eyes still closed, she sluggishly hoisted her torso up with both hands.

She snapped her eyes open at the familiar yet foreign sensation.

From her stub, an unfamiliar growth in the shape of an arm and hand had materialized overnight. Although humanoid, her new limb looked like it was made of white marble with golden veins all around it. She brought her other hand to touch it and was surprised at how soft it was, much like her skin - yet, it was ice cold. Instinctively, [Y/n] tried pulling her new arm off of her, but it was useless - it seemed to be part of her body now.

“[Y/n]! Are you all right?”

The girl snapped her attention at the entrance of the summit where Soraka stood. The Ottrani seemed… different - she wasn’t wearing the same clothes from the night before and… [Y/n] didn’t remember Soraka’s hair reaching her shoulder in the front - did it grow?

The Healer Mage approached [Y/n] with rushed steps.

“What… What is this?” The girl spurted out hoarsely while holding her left arm out. 

The Vastaya kneeled beside the girl and held her new limb with both hands, her brow furrowed in what seemed a mixture of alarm and awe.

“The Aspect of the Immortal Fire… “ Soraka mumbled. “They made you a Host.”

The girl blinked in confusion. “You lost me.”

The Ottrani looked up at her, still holding her new arm. “Are you familiar with the concept of the Aspects?” 

“Isn’t it just another name for the Cosmos?” She answered quizzically. 

“In a way, while the Cosmos refers to the celestial body as a whole, the Aspects are entities within the Cosmos,” Soraka answered. “Each Aspect has unique characteristics and, occasionally, they select a mortal to become their champion.”

“Champion? As in their representative?” The girl inquired. 

“Something along those lines.” The Ottrani replied. “The champion becomes a Host for the Aspect’s powers, a vessel with which they can interfere in the mortal realm.”  

“Powers?” [Y/n] exclaimed incredulously. “This arm means I have powers now?”

Soraka turned her attention back to the girl’s marbled limb. “You now carry the powers of the Aspect of the Immortal Fire.” She spoke. “The Aspect of rejuvenation.” 

Rejuvenation, the word echoed inside the girl’s head as she studied her new arm once again, the reality slowly setting in. She turned the appendage around, opening and closing her fingers - the marble quality of it dimly reflecting the sunlight.

Rejuvenation.

Rejuvenation as in…?

“I’m a healer mage.” [Y/n] mumbled. She snapped her attention back at Soraka with furrowed brows. “I’m a healer mage!” She parroted louder at which Soraka nodded.

“Oh my gods, I’m a healer mage!” She exclaimed while holding her new hand over her face. “I… I did it! I can… I can heal Viktor! I can’t believe it! And in less than a week too… “

“Two years.”

The girl stared in confusion at Soraka’s words. “What?”

“The Cosmos held you asleep in suspension for two years,” Soraka spoke again, apprehensive. “That’s the toll you paid.”

Only that which is metaphysical.

[Y/n] held her breath in realization. The Cosmos took the only other thing that was more precious to her than Viktor - the little time she had left to save him.

“No.” She spat getting up, the weight of it all slamming into her full force. “No no no no… They couldn’t…” She looked back at Soraka. "You said the Cosmos didn't take lives!."

"And they don't," Soraka replied calmly. "They didn't."

"THEY DID." [Y/n] barked back. "HE DIDN'T HAVE TWO YEARS LEFT, HE MUST'VE…" She stopped mid-sentence as the weight of her next words sank in. "He must've died… oh, gods." The girl collapsed to her knees, the tears starting to flood her vision. She was too late… In her desperation to save him, she ended up leaving him to die alone, just as Jayce had warned her.

The girl glanced down at her marble arm, it shone in the sunlight, heavily contrasting with her other one. It almost seemed to mock her, like a golden key to a chest thrown into the ocean, fated to never unlock it.

This could’ve been your future, y’know.

Her older reflection's voice echoed in her mind, bringing the whole vision she had during her suspension to the forefront.

Without looking up, [Y/n] spoke. "Can the Cosmos predict possible futures?"

Soraka paused before answering. "They can."

The girl clenched her fists at the Ottrani words.

"The vision I had during suspension… " [Y/n] started again, her voice starting to tremble. "Was it really the future if I had stayed…?"

The Vastaya pressed her lips together before replying. "It is impossible to tell. I am not familiar with the vision you had, the Cosmos didn't tell me anything." She said, carefully choosing her words. "It could be a prediction of the Cosmos, yet it could also be just the fruit of a troubled consciousness."

[Y/n] didn't respond, Soraka's answer did nothing to help assuage her growing nerves. If this was just an elaborate joke with her anguish as the punchline, it was a fucking terrible one.

Why would the Cosmos trick her like this?

Why… would they grant her these powers?

…

[Y/n] frowned. If it was just a trick, then why would they bother to leave her with said powers? A consolation prize? But… Now that the reason she needed those powers were gone, what was even the point in granting them in the first place?

Unless… 

"It's not too late." The girl whispered. "I must still have time."

It could be, couldn't it? Medical predictions might be based on scientific facts, but they were just that… predictions. Viktor could have survived. Viktor could still be alive.

She turned to Soraka. "I need to get back to Piltover." She said. "But first, I need you to tell me how to use this thing."

"When the time comes, the Immortal Fire will whisper to you and you will know." The Ottrani replied calmly. "We can send you back to Piltover, follow me."

—

In a flash of blue light, [Y/n] spawned somewhere else entirely. The smell was the first thing to hit, stuffy but nostalgic, as her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit enclosed space, she would recognize the poorly decorated living room anywhere - she was at her apartment in The Fringes. 

It had been a while since the last time she had visited, not even considering the last two years she was held asleep. Ever since she was granted a dorm room at the Academy, she'd started using her small apartment more like a hub - a place to stop by whenever she visited the Undercity. After the animosity between Piltover and Zaun brewed to a boil, and Viktor's illness started to get worse, she stopped visiting the place entirely.

Viktor. She had no time to dwell on nostalgic memories right now. Without a second glance, [Y/n] stormed to the door, grabbed a dusty coat from the hanger beside it to hide her new arm in, and hastily stepped outside.

She was greeted by a drastically different The Fringes. The streets were empty, saved only by the lines of Enforcers patrolling them. There were big spotlights aimed at every single passage connecting Zaun to The Fringes, as well as military outposts guarding them. Before she could make sense of it all, a spotlight was turned directly at her.

"HEY, YOU!" She heard an enforcer shouting from somewhere below her. 

"What the… " Was everything she could mutter before she started to feel the trembling of the steel staircase beneath her feet as a trio of Enforcers climbed up, reaching the floor she was in. Still blinded by the spotlight, she felt one of the Enforcers pinning her arms behind her while another pointed a gun at her and the third shouted at her face.

"YOU ARE UNDER ARREST FOR VIOLATING THE NEUTRALITY ZONE."

"What? But I LIVE here!" She tried protesting to no avail.

The Enforcers brought her forcefully to the ground floor and, before she knew it, she was taken to the bridge connecting Piltover and Zaun. The place was packed full of Enforcers and military infrastructure everywhere… and empty of civilians.

“Councilor! We caught this trespasser near the town center.” One of the Enforcers spoke. “Our squad is currently scouting the area to see if there are any others.”

“That’s…” A familiar voice rang from somewhere further on the bridge. “[Y/n]?”

The girl’s eyes shot up at the mention of her name. The next thing she knew, a broad-shouldered tall man hastily got her free from the Enforcers. He placed both hands on her shoulders as she saw his caramel eyes studying her face like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“[Y/n]! You’re alive!” Jayce exclaimed, bringing the girl into a tight hug, cupping the back of her head protectively, like he was afraid she could vanish if he didn’t. “Oh, gods. I… We thought we’d lost you!”

She felt herself melt in the familiarity of his warmth and scent. As the anxiety of being arrested and dragged around subsided, her rational mind went back to work.

“Jayce, what is all this?” She inquired. “What happened to The Fringes?”

He pressed his lips together before answering.

“A lot has happened in the last two years,” Jayce replied “Piltover officially declared war against Zaun. The Fringes were evacuated and its citizens either descended to Zaun or traversed the bridge to Piltover. It is a Neutrality Zone now.”

"What? You've dismantled The Fringes??" She inquired. Jayce pursed his lips at her accusatory tone.

"We could have seen this through together if you hadn't left." He spat at her but composed himself the next second. "I'm sorry, it just boggles my mind you left with only a note, despite everything that was going on at the time. You have no idea how hard it has been."

[Y/n] exhaled deeply at his words. She couldn't possibly blame Jayce, despite her good intentions, her actions had a clear negative impact too.

"I'm sorry, Jayce… " She whispered. "I know I left you and Viktor with a lot on your plates… But I did it." She looked up at him trying to sound a little more enthusiastic. " I can save Viktor."

Jayce's face went through a journey at her words. At first, he looked at her in surprise, his mouth hanging open for a second. The next moment, he pressed his lips together, looking away - his eyes darting around like he was debating with himself about something. Finally, he exhaled deeply while closing his eyes. When he opened them again, he looked at her with the gentlest expression he could muster.

"That 's great." He said softly. "Follow me, I'll take you to him."

The walk back to Piltover and into the Academy was silent. Jayce faced forward with a very stern look like he was struggling with something. Although noticing it, [Y/n] didn’t dwell on it much - she was too busy trying to come up with an apology for Viktor.

Once she decided to go on her quest, she had a whole apology speech prepared. What she hadn’t prepared for is staying two years away from Piltover, without being able to contact anyone. Jayce mentioned it earlier - they thought she was dead, she couldn’t imagine the pain this could've caused Viktor, especially in his already deteriorated state.

Well, first things first - the moment she saw Viktor, she’d go straight to healing him. She still had no idea how, but Soraka said the Aspect would guide her - the girl hoped the Ottrani was right.

Jayce guided her up the Academy floors and into Heimerginger’s - now Jayce’s - ex-lab. Upon entering, she frantically looked around, trying to find Viktor, but there was no sign of it. She turned to face Jayce in confusion and the man simply signed with his head towards the balcony. “He’s up there.”

Confused, [Y/n] climbed up the stairs to the mezzanine where the statue of Stanwick Pididly stood in an alcove alongside another statue on the other side of the door, but something was different. A third alcove was dug next to the one where Pididly stood and, in there, the statue of a man she’d recognize anywhere. 

The statue of Viktor stood in front of her in all of its golden glory. He leaned on his cane while looking at an orb he held between his fingers - a clear representation of a HexCrystal. She stared at it with confusion, what a statue of Viktor would be doing in Jayce’s office? If they were gonna celebrate the creators of HexTech, wouldn’t it make more sense to have a Jayce statue alongside him? Why was only Viktor here?

The pieces started to fall into place in her mind as she heard Jayce approaching behind her. She came to the dreadful realization before he spoke.

“I’m sorry, [Y/n]... But Viktor is dead.”

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

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 (In Progress)

Also on AO3

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

Glossary:

Astral Grove - The Astral Grove is located on the upper slopes south of Mount Targon. It is where Soraka and the Ottrani Tribe reside.

Aspects - The Aspects are stellar beings that live beyond the physical and spiritual realms of Runeterra, in the Celestial Realm of the City of Gold and Silver. 

Aspect of the Immortal Fire - An Aspect in the form of a four-winged phoenix linked to rejuvenation.

Mount Targon - A mountainous and sparsely inhabited region to the west of Shurima, Targon boasts the tallest peak in Runeterra. Located far from civilization,

Ottrani - The Ottrani are a landwalker sub-species and tribe of Vastaya that live in the Astral Grove of Targon.

Shurima - Desert city to the Southwest of Piltover. Used to be a powerful empire.

Star Spring - A spring of healing water in the center of the Astral Grove

Vastaya - The Vastaya are a chimeric race of Runeterra that are the weaker magical descendants from enlightened mortals that took the power of the spirit realm into themselves known as the Vastayashai'rei.

[yournameoneverypage]

When You're Ready

Reader request: Shawn Mendes x (y/n). "Shawn is on tour and invites the reader to the show so he can ask her to be his girlfriend and he sings When You're Ready, but Camila shows up and the reader is convinced that it's for C and not for her."

Word Count: ~3.7

Notes: Mostly fluff with brief moments of angst, and a smut ending.

Warnings: NSFW

~ * ~

(Y/n) stood at baggage claim at LAX, waiting for her blush-colored suitcase to roll by on the carousel. She was going to be in California for almost a week. Why? Well, her best friend was Shawn Mendes and he was currently on tour. He was missing her something fierce, he had said, and he wanted her to come see him.

Shawn had two sold out shows, consecutive nights, at the Staples Center followed by a show in San Francisco three days later, so why not make a week of it? His idea, but the second he mentioned it she was on board. She’d figure it out, find a way to make it work.

Any time she got to spend with him was both treasured and torturous. But she would go through the pain and heartache over and over again if it meant nearly a week with her most favorite person.

See, the thing was, (y/n) had been in love with Shawn for nearly as long as she had known him.

~ * ~

After retrieving her bag, (y/n) went in search of her driver. Shawn had said he or she would be holding a sign with her name on it. Shawn had a few interviews to do that morning, so (y/n) would be taken to his hotel to wait for him to finish, and then they’d have the entire afternoon and evening to spend together.

Aside from the aforementioned interviews, this was a day off for Shawn and he wanted to make the most of it because the Staples Center shows were the following two nights, and there wouldn’t be much down time during the days with soundchecks, meet and greets, and Q&As before showtime. Fortunately they would have more time to spend together between LA and San Francisco.

(Y/n) located her driver, who smiled brightly and introduced himself as John. He took her bag and engaged her in friendly chatter as he led her toward an idling Range Rover.

Who left a vehicle like this idling curbside at the airport?

John opened the rear passenger door for her with a knowing grin. (Y/n) started to climb in before she even noticed him.

“Shawn!” She almost tipped over into his lap reaching across the seat to hug him.

“Surprise, babe!” he chuckled into her ear.

“You’re here!”

“I’m sorry I didn’t collect you myself, but as much as I love my fans, I didn’t want to get stuck here for a half an hour taking selfies.”

“I thought you were in interviews all morning.”

“I was. I was hoping to come with John to pick you up, but I honestly didn’t know how long all the interviews were going to take so I didn’t want you to be disappointed if I said I would be here but then wasn’t.”

He was always so thoughtful; it was one of the many, many things (y/n) loved about him. She linked her hand with his between them, squeezed, and smiled. “I missed you.”

With a grin, he leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Missed you, too. So much. I’m so happy you’re here,” he breathed.

~ * ~

The day flew by way too quickly.

Once Shawn got (y/n) checked in and settled at the hotel, in a room that adjoined his, they grabbed lunch at one of Shawn’s favorite places.

It was (y/n)’s first ever visit to Los Angeles. Shawn had asked her if there were any specific things that were on her must do/see list, and he’d take care of everything.

They visited the Griffith Observatory, and strolled down the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

(Y/n) thought, and Shawn agreed, that too much attention might be drawn to them if he was spotted along Venice Beach or the Santa Monica Pier, as he had already been approached a few times during their activities earlier in the day. (Y/n) had been understanding and supportive of him spending a few minutes chatting with his fans and taking photos. She actually took a few of the photos herself.

Another day, he promised.

Instead, they spent a good part of the late afternoon and early evening at the Getty Center Museum.

They had dinner in Little Tokyo, followed by drinks at a tiki bar. Only one for (y/n) because she was a lightweight and tiki drinks were known to be quite strong. Shawn stopped after two, as he had a full day the next day and didn’t want to risk waking up with a hangover.

Back at the hotel, freshly showered, in pajamas, and in Shawn’s room, stretched out on his king-sized bed, Shawn and (y/n) ordered something from room service to share.

Even though they had chosen a movie to watch, they were too busy talking and laughing to pay much attention to the television.

~ * ~

Staples Center, Day One, had (y/n) immersed in the thick of things with Shawn, his band, and his crew. She knew only a few of them and was introduced to many more. Her laminated pass was the same as what everyone else had, giving her access to anything and anywhere she wished.

She soaked up as much as possible.

Shawn didn’t always attend soundcheck with his band, but for (y/n) he definitely wanted to be there so she could fully experience it. She stayed backstage, chatting with Shawn’s people while he did his meet and greet photos. She sat in on his Q&A session but stayed unobtrusively toward the back of the room. She could talk to him whenever she wanted; this was his fans’ time with him.

The concert was unbelievable, as (y/n) knew it would be. Shawn always left his heart and gratitude on stage.

That night they were in (y/n)’s room, she on one of the doubles, Shawn in the other. He was still a little high on adrenaline, asking her how she enjoyed the day, and especially how she enjoyed the show.

She knew it wouldn’t be long before he completely crashed out. When he did, he was still in her room.

~ * ~

Staples Center, Day Two, was much the same, although they started the day with Shawn dragging (y/n) to the gym to work out with him. They also skipped soundcheck to get lost together in the backstage corridors.

The closer it came to showtime, the more anxious Shawn seemed to get. He had a different vibe about him than he had the night before.

While eating dinner, (y/n) asked him if everything was alright. He assured her everything was amazing; it just felt like something big was about to happen and he hoped it would turn out to be a good kind of big.

~ * ~

Again, the show was absolutely incredible, although after the song he normally ended with, before acknowledging his band and going into the encore, he tried to quiet the deafening audience with a finger pressed against his lips.

Of course, it was futile. He just laughed, somewhat nervously, and said, “This song is for someone very special to me. Someone who is here tonight. I want her to know how I feel about her...”

That seemed to get everyone’s attention.

Shawn found (y/n) in the audience, met her eyes, and smiled adoringly.

Maybe I had too many drinks But that's just what I needed I hope that you don't think that what I'm saying sounds conceited When I look across the room, and you're staring right back at me Like somebody told a joke and we're the only ones laughin'

(Y/n)’s heart started thumping. He couldn’t be singing this for her, could he...? He had never expressed any interest in her as more than a friend. Had he?

Don't know why I tried 'Cause ain't nobody like you Familiar disappointment every single time I do Every single night my arms are not around you My mind's still wrapped around you

A couple of girls beside (y/n) bent their heads together and pointed to something or someone standing to the side of the stage. Shawn seemed to notice, as she had, and looked toward the side stage.

She followed his line of vision to see Camila standing there, beaming brightly. She put her fingertips to her lips and blew him a big kiss.

(Y/n) didn’t notice, over the dizzying blood rush in her head, that Shawn seemed to stumble a little through the chorus.

Baby, tell me when you're ready I'm waitin' Baby, any time you're ready I'm waitin'

Even ten years from now If you haven't found somebody I promise, I'll be around Tell me when you're ready I'm waitin'

He glanced once more toward Camila, but just as quickly his smile settled again in (y/n)’s direction. His voice steadied and grew stronger.

What if my dad is right When he says that you're the one No, I can't even argue I won't even fight him on it Call you when it's late And I know that you're in bed 'Cause I'm three hours back Seems like you're always six ahead

(Y/n) smiled back, although it seemed more reflexive than genuine, as her heart was currently crumbling to pieces. She tried her hardest to be happy for her best friend and the woman he was currently confessing his feelings for, on stage, in front of everyone.

Don't know why I tried 'Cause ain't nobody like you Familiar disappointment every single time I do Every single night my arms are not around you My mind's still wrapped around you

Baby, tell me when you're ready I'm waitin' Baby, any time you're ready I'm waitin'

Even ten years from now If you haven't found somebody I promise, I'll be around Tell me when you're ready I'm waitin', yeah

And if I have to, I'll wait forever Say the word and I'll change my plans Yeah, you know that we fit together I know your heart like the back of my hand...

Before the song ended, overwhelmed, unable to continue her façade, (y/n) had slipped from the crowd and backstage.

She wasn’t sure where to go once she was backstage. She was fighting back tears, so her vision was blurry, but she didn’t want to stop to ask anyone how to get out of the venue because they might ask why she was crying and then it would all turn into one big mess.

A voice from behind her asked, “You’re Shawn’s friend, right? Are you looking for his dressing room?” Was she? Would she be able to face him after his encore and bows?

“Yes, please,” she found herself answering.

“End of the corridor, turn right, first door on the left.”

(Y/n) nodded her thanks and began to follow the directions she was given. She wasn’t sure if it would be the first or last place anyone would be looking for her.

~ * ~

Shawn burst into his dressing room, out of breath from the end of his show and running around looking for (y/n). Incredibly relieved to see her, he gasped, “Are you okay? What happened?? You just disappeared!”

“I’m sorry. I just needed a few minutes.”

“In the middle of the most important song of the night?”

Her voice cracked. “I said I was sorry.” And she was. She should have stayed till the end. “I was caught off guard.”

“Oh no, babe. Shit! I’m sorry, (y/n). I overwhelmed you, didn’t I? I shouldn’t have made it so public. It should have been a private conversation. Forgive me?” he whispered.

“Of course. You’re my best friend and I’m happy for you,” she smiled softly, truly. And she was. His happiness meant more to her than anything else. It was just going to take some time to refortify her heart. “I wish you and Camila the best.”

“Camila?” Little wrinkles formed between his eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”

“What do you mean, what am I talking about?” she puffed.

Suddenly Shawn started laughing.

(Y/n) placed her hands in the center of his chest and pushed him away, unamused.

He caught her wrists and pulled her to him. “I wasn’t singing that song for her.” He placed her hands over his heart and covered them with his own. “I was singing it for you, my beautiful, clueless, wonderful, precious love.”

“What?” she exhaled.

“I finished singing and looked for your eyes, only to find you gone.”

“I don’t understand,” she whispered.

“I was going to ask you to be my girlfriend. Not Camila. You, (y/n). In front of the entire Staples Center audience. Why did you think I wanted Camila?”

“You kept looking at her side stage.”

“I glanced at her twice,” he contended, lightheartedly. “I was surprised. I didn’t expect her to be here tonight. It’s true that she recently told me she has deeper feelings for me-”

“And you have always had feelings for her.”

“I had feelings for her. Past tense. Before I met you. Are you really arguing with me about how I feel about you?” he smirked.

“But you didn’t sing that song last night, when Camila wasn’t here.”

“You are!” he laughed again.

“Stop laughing!” she exclaimed, unable to stop herself from giggling, her heart blooming with hope. She then whispered, “Did you really mean it?”

“Oh, darling...

“If I had professed my feelings last night and you had turned me down, I don’t think I would have been able to get through tonight. Telling you tonight, when there were three days before San Francisco, would have either given us time to disappear together for a few days, or would have given me time to sort myself out if you didn’t want me the way I want you.

“Please tell me you want me.”

(Y/n) wanted to scream, yes, I want you!, but instead she teased, trying to keep a straight face, “I don’t know. Any boyfriend of mine has to be a good kisser. Are you a good kisser?”

“I am a fantastic kisser,” he grinned. He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and slid his hand to the nape of her neck.

“Prove it.”

His other hand circled her waist, fell against the small of her back. He leaned in, watched her eyelids flutter, then close, and gently guided her lips to his.

She had imagined this moment for so long but it was much more than she had ever expected. Thousands of thoughts were forced away to make room for one single idea. How could one kiss cause the world to fall away around her?

“Shawn,” she said, breathless, easing away.

“Still proving it,” he murmured. He softly licked at the seam of her lips, and when she responded he deepened their kiss. Her heart was pounding, and she was warm from head to toe. She felt his tongue meet hers and her entire body began to hum.

Their knees were weak when their lips separated.

Shawn touched his nose to hers. “Well...?”

“I will be more than happy to kiss you all night long, but only after you take a shower,” she giggled.

~ * ~

(Y/n) knocked on the adjoining door. She didn’t wait for a response before letting herself through.

Shawn was leaning against the dresser, partly sitting on it, phone to his ear, wearing nothing but baggy, cotton pajama pants. His chest and feet were bare. By his side of the conversation, (y/n) grasped that they were talking about the plan for the days leading up to San Francisco.

He held his hand out to her in invitation. His legs fell open and she automatically moved into the V they made. He ended his call, set his cell aside, and placed his large hands on her hips.

“So, about what you said... Something about kissing me all night long?”

She moved even closer to him. One of her hands curled around the back of his neck, the other tangled in his still damp curls. The roughened pads of his thumbs caressed the bare, soft skin just above the waistband of her pajama shorts.

She kissed him, tenderly at first, and then with growing intensity. He gently bit her top lip, sucked it, her teeth tugged on his lower lip. His kiss was determined and sent her head spinning. She began to tremble as she clung to him.

Shawn’s lips slowed and softened; he eased away and breathed, “I’ve already waited so long; we can take our time.” He slid his hands further up (y/n)’s sides, under her shirt. “We don’t have to rush into anything. I can wait for you.” She felt his thumbs brush either side of her breasts.

She started trailing tiny kisses from his chin up along his jawline before touching the tip of her tongue to the lobe of his ear. “I don’t want to wait,” she purred.

“Oh, thank God,” he groaned before again pressing hungry lips to hers.

She responded without hesitation.

Her hands trailed down his chest and to his sides, her fingers playing over the ripples of his stomach. She brushed her knuckles against the start of his arousal and his breath hitched, cupped him through thin cotton.

He arched his pelvis against the heat of her palm and she heard a low, rumbling moan from the back of his throat. He tangled a hand in her hair, tugged gently. He bit down on the skin of her clavicle, sucked, soothed it with his tongue.

She pulled away from his mouth. “Shawn!” she scolded, playfully, chuckled, “You’re going to leave a mark!”

“Good. Show everyone you’re mine. Mark you everywhere. But this,” he smirked, kissing the already purpling bloom, “will be the only one people can see.”

“Fuck,” she sighed. His claim on her made a shiver trickle up her spine.

“If you insist,” he grinned, smugly.

Feeling bold and sexy, she hooked a fingertip in the waistband of his pajama bottoms and starting walking backward. He stood to his full height and followed.

(Y/n) felt the backs of her legs hit the mattress. With fluid movement, she slid her shorts down, stepped out of them, and pulled her camisole up and over her head. She stood before him in small lace panties, breasts bare, nipples tight.

The way he looked upon her made her blood thrum, her body flush. He licked his lips, bit softly on the fuller, lower one.

His hand reached out and cupped one of her breasts. He gently tugged at her nipple, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger. Instinctively, her hand slipped between her legs, at her core, and she rubbed herself through the damp lace. His nostrils flared when he caught the scent of her arousal. He whimpered, her name falling like a prayer from his lips.

“I wanna see you,” (y/n) purred.

Obeying, oh so eagerly, Shawn pushed his pants down, over his ass, off, his cock bouncing free, filling, curling up toward his stomach right before her eyes. He wrapped thumb and forefinger around the base, his other fingers pressed flush against his scrotum.

“Been thinking about me like this?” he hummed.

Yes. God, yes. Maybe one day she would tell him just how much. It was her turn to lick her lips and bite the lower one.

They fell together onto the bed in a tangle of limbs and with a crash of lips. When they separated to catch their breath, (y/n) reached over to turn off the bedside lamp.

“Nuh-uh, Sugar,” Shawn rasped. “Waited too long for this.” Voice rough with desire he sang softly, “I wanna love you with the lights on, keep you up all night long... Darling, I wanna see every inch of you, I get lost in the way you move...”

She might have giggled if her panties weren’t being drawn down over her hips, if calloused fingertips hadn’t begun to dance along soft, hot, electrified skin, lips and tongue following.

He took a dusky, peaked nipple into his mouth. Her back arched, hands grasping at the sheets at her sides, and moaned softly. He sucked her other nipple into his mouth, tasting, humming.

“Shawn,” she whined, moving a hand to tangle it in his dark curls, tugging him away from her breasts.

“Tell me what you want, Love.”

“I want you. I need you,” she pleaded.

“What was that?”

“Fuck me, Shawn.”

“Mm... Since you asked so sweetly,” he smirked, stroking his cock. He rolled on a condom and moved to rest between her legs.

She reached between them, taking him in her hand, and he shuddered. She wanted to feel the moment he slid into her. He let her guide him. Their eyes met and held, bodies drew together, foreheads touched. She groaned with deep satisfaction into his mouth as she adjusted to his girth and length.

He wheezed, stilled as he bottomed out. She was so tight around him that if he began to move in that moment it would be over too soon.

“You okay there, Mendes?” she purred and imperceptibly tightened her legs around his waist.

“Oh God.” That tiny shift was almost too much. “You feel so good. Too good,” he mumbled. “I need a minute.” His arms on either side of her, holding his weight above her, he buried his lips in the crook of her neck, centered on the scent of her skin as he salvaged control.

One hand again tangled in in his hair, the other stroked the skin of his upper back.

“Okayokay,” he mumbled, and he began to rock into her, slow... rhythmic... deep.

She gasped when the pebbled nubs of her breasts brushed against his taut nipples. Her whimpers and groans mingled with his rumbles and moans. She was torn between closing her eyes and wanting to watch his face as warmth and pleasure coursed through her.

He wanted her to climax before him. Wanted to watch her fall apart beneath him.

He knew she was nearly there when she began to ripple on the bed like a wave on the sea. The tide came all the way up; he was caught in the rush. And then the knot at the root of his cock dissolved in fire and he was falling fast, craving the feel of her so close to him, unsure where he ended and she began.

( FIN )

~ * ~

@theregoesmyherojd @benito-mi-vida @shawn-is-my-giant-jellybean @mendesblurb

[duskwoodgirl4life]

The link for this chapter as now been fixed ☺️

Chapter 4

MC and Phil had been on a few dates together, things where starting too get better for MC. She had made the step too move back home Jessy told her she could stay but MC needed too go home. As much as she loves Jessy and Richy she needs her own space.

MC had been back home a couple weeks now things where going well, she had gotten a job working from home writing financial reports for business. MC was really good with numbers and loved her job MC had just finished her weekly report with her boss when her phone rang.

MC: hey, I was thinking about you

Phil: hey, all good things I hope

MC: of course, what's up?

Phil: I just wanted too ask if you where coming too the bar tonight?

MC: I can come by for a few hours

Phil: excellent I'll see you around 7pm

MC: see you then

MC put her phone down leaning back on the couch, a warm feeling spread across her body. Everything was finally starting too look up.

MCs POV

My life is finally getting back on track I've been out with Phil a few times and it's going well. I don't know if it will be a happy ever after with him but I'm just going too have some fun.

After what I've been through I think I deserve it, Jake as not contacted me since I told him too leave me alone. I still hope that he is safe even after what he did too me. I don't think I could handle it if anything did happen too him. But enough about the past I need too find something too wear tonight.

MC gets up from the couch going into the kitchen and pours her self some coffee, going into the bedroom she opens up her wardrobe and looks what she's got too wear.

I'm going with the dress that drives Phil crazy, a red strapless dress with a slit up the side. I've got the perfect black heels too go with it I've got a few hours yet so I'll grab some food then get a shower.

MC went into the kitchen making her self some food, she sat back down on the couch switching the TV on for some background noise. After she finished eating she went too take a shower before she went too meet Phil at the bar, after the shower MC was drying her hair when he phone buzzed thinking it was Phil.

MC: hey, gorgeous couldn't wait too speak too me

Jake: it's all I've been trying too do

MC: JAKE! what the hell, what do you want?

Jake: I needed too talk too you, I miss you so much

MC: Jake, I can't do this what you did too me it hurt me so bad you left me Jake, you left me all alone in that horrible building

Jake: I'm so sorry MC, I never meant too hurt you like that

MC: but you did Jake, you hurt me I don't think I can forgive you

Jake: please, just give me a chance too explain

MC: fine, explain

Jake: can I come see you? So I can do this in person I'll see you in half an hour

MC: do what you want, just explain then leave

MC slammed the phone down falling back on the bed, she got a rush of emotions come over her. She quickly sat up and dismissed the emotions she got dressed and waited for Jake. The nerves where getting too her walking up and down not being able too sit still.

MCs POV

Why? Why now? Why is he doing this too me I've moved on well at least I thought I had I'm supposed too be having a date with Phil later. I can't let him back in not after what he's done, he explains what he's done then he leaves.

A knock at the door snapped MC out of her thoughts, she goes too answer and is met by bright blue ocean eyes. Her heart melts at the sight of him she wants nothing more than too wrap her arms around him. She manages too stop her self and moves too one side letting Jake in.

Jake: you look beautiful as always MC

MC: say what you have too say then leave

Jake: I'm sorry, that night while you were sleeping my pursuers contacted me and offered me a deal.

MC: what deal? Leave your girlfriend alone in an abandoned wearhouse deal?

Jake: the deal was they would stop chasing me if I left you and helped them with a job I couldn't tell you until now

MC: what? What are you talking about? What job?

Jake: they said if I helped them bring down some dangerous men they would let me be a free man again, MC I'm no longer on the run I'm free

MC: I...I can't do this I need you too leave

Jake: I'm sorry MC, I should of told you sooner can you forgive me

MC: forgive you? Are you out of your mind after that you did no, I need you too leave

Jake got up and left the apartment MC went too grab a shot of whiskey, she managed too pull her self together some what and got ready for later. While MC was getting ready her mind wondered back too Jake. He looked so beautiful, the way his eyes shined when the light hit them her mind was so fixed on Jake that she lost all track of time.

MC quickly jumped up and finished making the final touches grabbing her jacket and purse she made her way too the bar. MC arrived and the bar was already packed she managed too make her way too the bar. When she saw Phil all the happy feelings she felt this morning had gone after seeing Jake. But she wasn't going too let it ruin her night so she put a smile on her face leaning towards Phil and kissing him on the lips.

Phil: missed me that much hey

MC: you don't know how much, you think you could sneak away for half an hour

Phil: I think I can do that, hold on I'll just get some cover

When Phil came back MC grabbed his hand pushing him up against the wall in the back kissing him with heat. MC broke the kiss and started too walk up stairs Phil quickly followed. Clothes starting too fly off across the room MC pushed phil onto the bed pulling his jeans down. After they finished they both got dressed and went back down stairs. MC made a few final checks she headed back out too the bar grabbing a seat.

Throughout the night MC and Phil flirted kissing each other when they could, as the night was coming too an end MC stayed the night with Phil. The next morning MC left early as she had work, on her way back she stopped off too get coffee. When she sat down at the table she felt someone put their hand on her shoulder. When she looked up she saw bright blue ocean eyes staring back at her.

[hyunjilicious]

a helping hand [henry cavill] - part 3

A/n: I know it took me ages, and I'm sorry, but it's finally here!! I don't know when part 4 will be up, but I know the plot, and by the time you finish reading this, you'll know it too!! Filth is coming. Also, since I posted the first 2 parts weeks ago, under the cut you'll find a small summary of what happened so far! Ofc, I'm linking the previous parts as well! Have fun reading, sorry for taking me so long, and please, don't hesitate to tell me what you thought! (I’ll reblog it with the taglist, otherwise it doesn’t show up in the tags!)

Summary: after Henry lost it during a fit of jealousy, he sneaked into your apartment, his actions having some very different repercussions from what he initially intended. SMUT 3.9k

Warnings: please be over 18!!! mentions of smut, masturbation (male receiving), sightly/some somnophilia, stalker-ish/obsessed Henry, cum play if you squint and ofc, mentions of filming and sharing pornographic material. 18+ please!!!!

You can find part 1 here and part 2 here!

Quick recap: Henry's crush on his very sweet and younger neighbour (you lol) grew into something else when you asked him for help with taking some pictures for your onlyfans account. Following this, your relationship reached a very teasing level, which prompted Henry to take matters into his own hands, even if that meant crossing some lines. So when he found out that you and a specific man from your past were on a voice call, he just had to know what exactly was being discussed. This jealousy fit had him using his spare key to enter your apartment and eavesdrop, and this is where chapter 2 ends. Have fun reading the next part!!!

“No” you sighed, waving your arms around, desperate to get your point across. But it was mostly useless, nothing even remotely decent would ever manage to penetrate Steve’s thick skull. He was a dumbass with a heart of gold, so you couldn’t even blame him for messing things up on purpose, you just learned the hard way not to take his advice under any circumstance. “No, Steve. I won’t do that. Not a chance!”

“Hun-” he scoffed, rolling his eyes as a smirk showed up on his lips, “When have I ever been wrong?”

“Really!?” you giggled and then sighed, “Listen, I gotta go to the bathroom and you’d better forget about this topic by the time I come back”

“Wait, wait. Ok, fine. Scratch that” Steve laughed, stopping you from getting up, “When have I ever been wrong on purpose?”

“Listen, I know you’re just trying to help” you smiled, “But I don’t think your experience in seducing girls with daddy issues benefits my situation in any kind of way”

“‘Course it does! I can give you some perspective!”

“Perspective on what?” you mocked, playfully frowning at him through the screen on your laptop, “You and Henry have nothing in common”

“The dick for one” Steve joked but when he saw you roll your eyes, he became serious, “I’m just tryin to help you hook up with the guy! That’s all”

“See!?” you laughed, already exasperated by the conversation, “I’m not trying to hook up with him, I want something more…”

Your sentence was cut short by the sound of a door closing. Your blood ran cold and your hands froze, eyes staring blankly into the camera.

“Y/n?” Steve asked with worry, “What’s wrong?”

“Wait here” you mumbled, pushing the laptop off of you and rushing to the door of your bedroom. You pressed your ear against it, and listened closely, the sound of a lock being turned chilling you to your bones. With shaky hands, you stumbled your way back to your bed, and looked into the camera, directly at a somewhat already worried Steve. “I gotta go-”

“Wait-” Steve tried to ask, “Are you-”

“Yeah, I’m fine, talk to you later” you hurriedly mumbled before ending the call. Your fingers flew across the screen of your phone, finding Henry’s name and pressing the green button in the blink of an eye.

And had he not been this utterly stupid and reckless, none of this would have happened. His impulsivity got the best of him, and panic rushed through his veins when he heard you were about to head to the bathroom. Pressure did him no good, and the first thing that came to mind at that point was to bolt out of there, knowing there was absolutely no way to explain what he was doing in your apartment. But his shaky hands were of no help, and the dexterity he earlier proved himself capable of was nowhere to be found. However, he didn’t care. He just stormed out, happy to finally breathe again as soon as he was out of your apartment - but when his phone vibrated in his pocket, he felt like dying all over again.

With your heart beating inside your throat, you grabbed your bedside lamp into your free hand, and curled yourself into a ball in the corner of your room, opposite to the door, the sound of the ongoing call being the only thing you heard over the loud buzz in your ears.

“Yeah?” Henry’s voice rang loudly when he finally answered, making you all but jump with fright.

Had you paid more attention, you’d have noticed he too sounded out of breath, but you were too out of it to tell. All you could think about was the psycho what was at your door.

“Henry-” you cried, voice shaky as the intake of air was no longer satisfying. You were hyperventilating, sweating from every pore, scared out of your mind.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice more stern now. “Y/n? Are you ok?”

“Yeah- yeah…” you said on autopilot, mind on standby. “No…” You whimpered, “Henry, can you- I think someone is trying to break into my house, I-”

“What!?” he gasped, “I’m sure no one-”

“Henry!” you cried into the phone, “Can you please look through your peephole? Please?”

He sounded confused, but you didn’t have to ask him twice. You heard a bit of shuffling before his voice reached your ears again, “There’s no one there, there’s no one at your door, you can relax”

“No-” you whimpered, unable to calm down, “Henry, please-!”

“I’m coming over right now,” he said.

“No! No, what if they’re still in the hallway?”

“There’s no one there, love” Henry tried to reassure you. When you heard him unlock the door of his apartment your heart stopped, but after that, everything was quiet. 

“Are you ok?” you muttered, wiping your nose with your sleeve.

“Yes, love. I’m fine” Henry lightly chuckled, “I’m at your door, can you open up?”

“No” you scoffed, “What if someone got in?”

“No one got in” he tried to explain, but your adrenaline soaked brain refused to comply.

“Henry, take the spare key I gave you” you suggested, “And grab a knife”

Seeing how affected and terrified you were, Henry didn’t argue with you anymore. In a matter of seconds, you heard the door of your apartment being unlocked, Henry assuring you through the phone that it was him. When he walked inside, you remained hidden in your spot. He checked the kitchen and the living room, coming up to finally enter the bedroom. When your eyes landed on his massive frame, you breathed out relieved and rushed to him, throwing yourself into his arms. There was no other place on Earth you felt as safe as you did when he was holding you.

“Shh, you’re ok, you’re good” Henry cooed, cradling you to his chest, “I got you, baby, ok? I’m here”

But there was no stopping you. You broke down entirely, holding onto him as your legs gave in, turning into a mess. Henry carried you to the bed, sitting you down and allowing you to calm down at your own pace.

“I’m here, ok?” he asked again, rubbing your back, “I won’t let anything happen to you, Y/n, you know that. You’re safe, I got you”

It was impossible to tell just how long it took you to fully calm down, but it was safe to say that it would have taken hours longer had Henry not been there with you. When you were finally able to properly breathe again and hold a conversation, you looked up at him, big doe eyes hoping to convince him without too much of a fuss. “Can you stay here with me, please? I can’t be alone right now”

With nothing but sympathy in his eyes, Henry leaned down and kissed your forehead, “Don’t you think it would be better if we went over to my place instead?”

“No” you shook your head, “And leave the apartment unattended? I don’t think that’s a good idea”

His heart broke. Being his usual, impulsive self, Henry managed to break you down and terrify you to your core. As much as he wanted to reassure you everything would be fine, he couldn’t. He couldn’t just tell you it was him who broke into your apartment in the middle of a jealousy breakdown. So, he settled for the second best option, and really, he couldn’t complain.

It was late in the afternoon on a Sunday, no locksmith on the clock. Seeing how you’d have to wait until the next morning, he was more than happy to spend that time with you.

As time started to pass, you also started to relax. 

The day slowly wilted a way, as both you and Henry made yourselves busy around your apartment. He wasted a couple of hours installing games on your school laptop as you took a bath, he then cooked you dinner, and by the time the night rolled around, you were your usual bubbly self again. And after watching and laughing your hearts out at Jack Nicholson in As Good As It Gets, sleep started to creep up on you.

Henry placed one of your kitchen chairs under the doorknob before turning to give you a massive hug, “No one can get in, darling. I promise”

“Thank god you live across the hall” you confessed, snaking your arms under his hoodie as you gathered yourself as close to him as possible. “What would I have done otherwise?”

“You don’t have to worry about that” Henry kissed your forehead, “I’ll always be here when you need me”

And in that moment, right there, stopping yourself from kissing him turned out to be the most difficult thing you ever had to do. Instead, you settled for his cheek, before hiding your face against his shoulder. “I’ll always be here for you too”

“Thank you, angel” Henry breathed out.

There really was nothing on this earth you loved more than this man. 

Getting ready to go to sleep, you changed in your pajamas, while all Henry did was take off his hoodie. With your toothbrush lodged between your teeth, you lingered in the door frame, watching the muscles of his back flex as he bent down and put his phone down to charge.

Toothpaste and drool could very well have dribbled down your chin as you stood and gawked, only releasing you were staring when Henry turned around and a smile made its way up his lips. “Yes?” he laughed, but all you did was look him up and down, before returning to the bathroom with a shake of your head.

“Oh, Y/n?” Henry called again, following you, “Where can I find a blanket or some sheets?”

First you squinted, but then you decided it would be best if you just finished brushing your teeth before anything else. After rinsing your mouth, you turned to look at him, utterly unamused. “What for?”

“So I don’t have to sleep on leather?”

“You’re sleeping with me” you rolled your eyes, grabbing his elbow and dragging him into the bathroom so he could get ready for bed too. “Not up for discussion”

“Ok” Henry chuckled, looking at you in the mirror. “But I snore”

As if that would make you reconsider. You walked away and into your room, settling under the covers, without another word. About 10 minutes later, Henry joined you.

He fit in like a piece of puzzle and you didn’t even try to keep yourself from cuddling into his side. Sinking his head down between the multitude of pillows on your bed, you giggled, crawling on top of him. Without thinking too much about it, you kissed your way down his neck, peppering tens of kisses against his naked chest. You felt his heartbeat under your palm as he breathed in and out slowly, smiling down at you as he enjoyed the view.

“Thanks for doing this for me” you mumbled, rubbing your hand up and down his chiseled abdomen.

“Really, Y/n” Henry said, wrapping his arms around you, “There’s no need to thank me. Plus, you think I’m not enjoying this?”

“Oh shut up” you giggled. The amount of small talk that followed turned out to be exactly what you needed in order to allow your eyes to peacefully close. Despite the events of earlier in the evening, you now felt safer than ever before.

It was just a matter of time until soft snores started escaping past your lips, your chest rising and falling every so softly as you drifted out of consciousness.

But Henry’s mind was nowhere near relaxed enough to drift off. No. You were too close to him, too innocent and vulnerable for him to just let this moment pass. The way you had just thrown one of your legs over his lap drove him insane - your bare thigh too accessible to him.

At first, he just tested the waters. A peck to the top of your head, and a small caress against the back of your hand. You were completely out, and that accentuated his need further.

Slowly moving his free arm down his body, Henry brushed his fingers over his clothed member, grunting out loud when he felt the sensibility in his tip. He bit into his bottom lip out of need to keep quiet, teasing himself just a little as he struggled to decide how to go about things. With the way you were laying right now, it was next to impossible for him to free himself without moving you. And even though at the beginning he tried to avoid that, when you stirred in your sleep, your body rubbing up against his, he lost all kinds of patience.

As softly as he could, Henry pushed your leg back, just a little. Even in your sleep, you craved his touch, as when you felt movement, you involuntarily shuffled closer, but much to his relief, your legs remained on the mattress.

Eagerness controlled his actions as he pushed his pants down his thighs, propping his hips up with difficulty. When his underwear was pulled down and his cock sprung free, Henry hissed with unmatched satisfaction. With his hand wrapped around his base and his eyes on you, he swallowed thickly, his heart beating out of his chest with a demented sense of bliss.

"My baby-" Henry cooed, rubbing his lips across your hairline as he started stroking his cock.

His movements were slow but not calculated in any way. His brain was occupied, forcing his hand to work on muscle memory. But still, he teased himself, rubbing his thumb across his slit just like he liked to think you would. 

The fear of getting caught was at an all time high as you stirred again. He froze for a second, "That's my good girl-" Henry whispered, looking down at your sleeping frame. As much as he wanted you to take an active part in this, he knew better than to risk it. 

It was getting more and more difficult to breathe, his back sweating profusely as he pumped himself closer to the edge. His hips bucked, causing the bed frame to creak. Instantly, he stilled, eyes on you, but all you did was rub your cheek against his chest, completely unaware of your surroundings.

"I'm so close for you, my darling" Henry groaned, his throat paper dry as the words left his lips. All he could hear was his own breathing and the unmistakable perverse sound of slapping skin, but still, even above all of that, you kept on peacefully snoring. 

The arm Henry looped around your frame was now traveling lower, his palm exploring your side until he reached your ass. He softly gripped a handful of your bum, squeezing hard enough to make up for the struggle of not allowing himself to finish too early. But it was reckless and maybe he shouldn't have done so, as his touch all but woke you up. 

Still overwhelmed with sleep, you barely pushed yourself up, eyes closed as you slightly changed your position. You were now laying higher up his body, your head almost falling off his shoulder. Your breathing tickled the side of his neck as you snaked your arm up and looped it around his frame. Biting down hard on his bottom hip, Henry felt ridiculous amounts of blood rush to the tip of his cock as you refused to settle already.

Rubbing the tip of your nose across his jugular, still mostly out but not fully, you peaked your eyes open, “Henry-?”

“Y- yeah?” he swallowed thickly, freezing in his spot.

“Why’re you awake?” you mumbled.

“Just woke up- had a weird dream, that’s all”

You believed the lie without an ounce of doubt, “Wanna talk about it?”

“Yes” he whispered, “But in the morning. Sorry I woke you up, go back to sleep, darling”

“Ok” you sighed, kissed his bare shoulder and allowed yourself to drift off again.

Henry licked his lips in a haze, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as sweat worked his entire body. God, how he regretted getting himself in his position, but his cock was full on hard, all but leaking at the tip, not so patiently waiting to receive any kind of attention again. He sucked in a deep breath, eyes on you to make sure you were asleep. 

His heart skipped a beat as your mouth popped open, but your light snores came as the strongest form of reassurance, and he resumed his work. The anxiety of getting caught fueled him, and the heels of his feet dug into the mattress, his hips bucking upwards as he furiously pumped his cock.

It was all getting too much. He was close. Henry threw his head back trying to suppress a moan, but he miserably failed. A choked back wail escaped his now dry lips as his whole body tensed. He squeezed you closer, his fingers lewdly digging into the sweet flesh of your ass. He was crossing many lines but that didn't stop him. He didn't see things clear anymore. His chest heaved, rushing up and down as he fisted his cock, biting into his lower lip as he watched your peaceful expression. 

It was pure, dumb luck that he managed to spot a pack of napkins laying on the night stand mere seconds before he came. His juices eagerly ran down his shaft as he flew through his orgasm, his saviour napkin proving almost useless. 

Coming down from his high, he all but managed to calm down, but his mind was still set. He would never get enough of you. And no matter how many times he'd cum, he'd still be down to go again. You had that power over him.

"Fuck…" Henry panted. And in the blur of the moment he created, he didn't even stop to process his thoughts. Gathering the few droplets of cum that landed on his stomach, he brought his hand up to your face, his thumb rubbing across your lips. 

In that moment, then and there, when you unconsciously wrapped your lips around his finger, he almost lost it all over again. 

"Holy-" he cried again, kissing your forehead. As eager and willing as he was to keep going, Henry stopped himself. He tucked the napkins next to the foot of the bed, pulled his pants back up his hips and settled under the covers. 

Sleep didn't come easy, but he eventually drifted off. Unfortunately, the clock had almost struck 3am by the time he closed his eyes, and no later than 6:15, your alarm went off.

"No" you protested, wiggling around in search of your phone. "No school- no, thank you"

Eyes closed and cheek squished into the pillow, Henry raised his arm and found the phone with ease, handing it to you without a word.

Squinting under the bright light of the screen, you dismissed the alarm and snuggled back into Henry's chest, his arms wrapping around your body in an instant.

And as heavenly as this felt, it only lasted for about 5 minutes, until your alarm went off again. 

"Just turn it off" Henry laughed, kissing your forehead, "I'll wake you up after I make breakfast"

"You don't have to" you protested, throwing in a whine or two as you curled yourself around him.

"I want to"

"No"

"Y/n…"

"Ok fine" you sighed, "Thank you"

"No need darling" Henry chuckled and stood up. He once again pecked the top of your head and then he was gone. About one second and a half later, you were asleep again, only to complain when Henry woke you up.

"It's 7" he stated, gathering the blanket in his arms and allowing the cold air to reach your body.

"Give it back" you cried.

"Is that how it's gonna be?" Henry threatened, and despite his dominating tone, you still refused to take him seriously. When you hid your face between the pillows, he deeply sighed, but satisfaction was still audible in his tone. "Fine then"

Taking you completely by surprise, Henry bent down and gathered you in his arms, throwing you over his shoulder with absolute ease.

"Henry-" you yelled, "The fuck-"

"Not gonna be late, Y/n" Henry laughed, "Not on my watch"

"God" you giggled along and allowed yourself to be carried to the kitchen. 

As soon as he walked out of the bedroom, a delicious smell reached your nose. It was probably the first real breakfast you'd had in weeks, so you weren't going to complain anymore. Fresh coffee, toast, avocado, pancakes, hard boiled eggs and a multitude of veggies and fruit awaited on the table.

"I didn't even know I had all this food in my house"

"You didn't-" Henry shook his head, sitting down beside you, "Grabbed them from my place"

"You shouldn't have, but thank you"

"No need" he assured you, "Dig in"

When you were done, and right before you headed to the bathroom to get ready, you turned to him again. "Do you know the number of any locksmiths? I really wanna change the locks"

Following a quick Google search, Henry found a multitude of ads, and after choosing the most trustworthy looking one, he dialed the number as you patiently waited beside him.

Everything seemed to go perfectly well, until he frowned, "No, today pl- [...] No, I'm not locked out of my- [...] You sure-? Ok, ok fine. Ok, tomorrow, first thing, ok, thanks"

"They can't come today?" you pouted as soon as he hung up.

"No, I'm sorry" Henry shook his head, and seeing the disappointment plastered on your face, he spoke up again. "I can stay one more night, if you want to. I'll sleep in the living room-"

"What? No" you scoffed, "It's not that…"

"What is it then?" he questioned, starting to get worried.

You hesitated. "Its no-"

"Don't tell me it's nothing" Henry commanded, pointing a finger at you. A smile appeared at the corner of your lips as you rolled your eyes.

"Ok, fine. I just- I just had to film today for the- you know… That's all, but I can do it some other day"

Henry didn't answer until a smirk tilted the corner of his lips upwards. "Or I could help you?"

"Help me?" you gawked.

"Yeah" he nonchalantly shrugged, "Helped you once before, didn't I?"

"You sure?"

"Yeah" he smiled, "Only if you me want to, of course"

Your knees weakened and your heart was beating in all the wrong ways, so all you managed to do was giggle and shake your head in disbelief. "Well, yeah... I want to"

How were you going to tell him that the video was supposed to be of you fucking yourself with a baby pink dildo? And how exactly was he going to help? You had a long day ahead of you and the ridiculous amounts of school work you had to get done in the meantime didn't allow you to give these questions any kind of priority. All you wanted was for the evening to come around already even if you sweated profusely just at the thought of what was to come.

[angryschnauzer]

Distraction

Summary: As a junior CIA agent you are added to a mission to help with scientific analysis, but when half the team are hospitalised you have to suddenly become a hands on field agent, alongside August Walker and Will Shaw. When the final part of the mission at a tropical plant glass house has an unexpected side affect, you have to work as a team to survive the night.

Pairing: August Walker x Female Reader x Will Shaw Fandoms: Mission Impossible: Fallout (Movie), The Cold Light of Day (Movie), Henry Cavill - Actor.

Warnings: NSFW, 18+, Sex Pollen, Threesome, Oral Sex, Unprotected Sex, Vaginal Sex, Blowjob, Cum Play, Double Penetration, Anal Sex.

A/N: This is my first time writing the Sex Pollen trope, so i hope you like it. Fic is unbeta’d; only the finest free range organic typos for me. I do not run a tag list, but if you follow @angryschnauzerwrites​ and put that blog onto notifications, you will then get an alert when i post something new.

Back catalogue can be found on AO3 Link Here, or you can follow my facebook page HERE.

 Distraction

 If there had been someone narrating a movie of this mission, the first line would have been ‘it was a simple mission’. However, they would have been lying. The mission was far from simple, it was convoluted, complicated, and the team fucking hated each other.

 The team were scheduled to arrive via two flights, from opposite directions of the globe as not to arouse suspicions that a large team would do if anyone was picked up on facial recognition. You had been brought on board because of your scientific and tech background, and as the team were tasked with retrieving the formula for the most dangerous biological weapon in the world, you were the one that would check they had the right thumb drive before the mission was able to be called a success. There would be multiple extraction points, numerous undercover assignments that would all lead to the final extraction at the gala dinner.

 That was the plan. What actually happened was the half of the team coming in from Dallas ended up with severe food poisoning and were currently being hospitalised in a local treatment facility. That left just your half of the team, and the senior agent now in charge was none too happy about it;

 “I’ve got a fucking chemistry nerd and a number cruncher for a hands on mission that requires multiple scenes where infiltration and distraction are needed, and neither of you have any fucking field work!”

 August Walker hated everyone and made sure he did everything he could so that everyone hated him in return. The other member of the team quietly ground his teeth, Walker never once let him forget that he came into this agency completely by accident following a rogue faction and a situation that started with the death of his CIA Agent father, and resulted in smashing up half of Madrid’s traffic in a 24 hour long series of car chases;

 “I was a stockbroker, and i didn’t hear anyone complaining when i discovered the currency discrepancies that found us the targets insider trading”

 Will Shaw was so similar yet so different to Walker it was startling, you even thought they looked similar enough to be long lost brothers, but never dared to mention it.

 The hotel suite had all the facilities you needed to set up a small command post, with enough counter space to set up the laptops and work-stations, whilst not getting under each other's feet. However it was still small enough for the two men to continually bicker and make snide remarks at each other, and you had to push the earpiece of your surveillance equipment closer to your ear to hear, finally you heard what you needed to, holding your hand up and clicking your fingers at the two men who immediately silenced and crossed the room;

 “They’re going to be at the MMA Gym in thirty minutes”

 “Okay” Walker huffed; “We need to extract the codes from his device that will give us access for the holding location. You and Shaw take the gym and cause the distraction, i’ll get the codes”

 Will shook his head;

 “Not gonna work”

 “It's not?” you were surprised

 “The gym is men only, the only women are administration and janitorial”

 “That’s fucking antiquated” August spat out in disgust.

 You had to hide the smirk that tugged at the corner of your mouth, that August Walker of all people would be an advocate for equal rights, but nonetheless started to prepare for the first distraction.

 -

 Walker and Shaw had entered the building separately but within 5 minutes of each other, signing in under false names and keeping it simple and silent as they started training on the weights and cardio machines in the gym. You had already entered through the basement deliveries door which you’d been able to pick the lock of, finding a staff uniform t-shirt in the storeroom and pulling it on over your top. You could hear both men through their hidden comms, and within a couple of minutes pretending to sort out a cleaning kart that you knew the morning crew had finished with, you heard the code word that the target had entered the weights room.

 Seconds later you were tentatively pushing the door to the locker room open, calling out;

 “Housekeeping!”

 You had no idea if they called themselves housekeeping or janitorial staff or whatever, but when you didn’t get a reply you quickly entered the room and did what needed to be done. 

 Through your ear piece you could hear the first stage of the distraction starting, with your two fellow agents starting to challenge the other to out lift each other, and from the muffled background noise you could tell that they were drawing a crowd of onlookers.

 Tapping your comms you alerted Walker and Shaw that you’d been successful, and that it was time for them to leave. But as you got no response you quickly made your way out of the locker room through the other exit, only to find yourself in a glass walled corridor, the gym on the other side of the glass. What surprised you however was that there was now a huge crowd of spectators as they watched your two agents try to pull out more reps on the bicep curl machine. Scowling you grabbed a cloth and bottle of spray cleaner and squirted the glass, glaring at the two of them before they finally saw you;

 “Its time to go, dumbasses. Finish the contest. I’ll be in the car in the street behind the building”

 -

 Pushing through the door of the hotel suite you scrunched your nose as Will pushed past you, August not far behind;

 “You two need a shower… did you really need to get that sweaty?”

 “Well… you wanted the distraction to look convincing, didn’t you?” Will shot back, stripping his t-shirt off, already halfway to the bathroom.

 A quiet cough behind you drew your attention away from Will’s sculpted back muscles;

 “When you’re done staring at Shaw…”

 “I...I wasn’t stare…”

 “Whatever sweetheart, either way; you two need to change”

 Looking down at your outfit you pulled at the gym t-shirt;

 “Yeah, i can just find a utility shirt or something…”

 “No, you’re front of house with me. Will’s taking the extraction of the thumb drive”

 “But...I didn’t bring an outfit…”

 August nodded to a pile of bags in the corner of the room from the agents that hadn’t made it to the mission but their luggage had;

 “So check Marianne’s, she is about the same size as you. Either way its you and me sweetheart, now get dolled up, you can’t go to a gala looking like that”

 -

 Twenty minutes later you took a deep breath; you’d found Marianne’s bag and had found that although she was a similar size to you, it was one size smaller. She also had a completely different taste and style to makeup and you were now way out of your comfort zone. The red lipstick however seemed to work, a touch of gold bronzing powder across your shoulders and chest made the red silk dress really work for you. Adjusting the straps so they sat over the top of your bra, the pretty floral pattern hopefully not too noticeably jarring against the sultry silk. Taking a deep breath you stepped out of the small dressing room and came face to face with Will;

 “Oh hey” he looked you up and down before clearing his throat; “Looks good”

 “Yeah?” you smoothed the dress down over your stomach

 “I mean… the bra kinda takes away from the look… but yeah, it looks really good”

 “I...I didn’t have anything suitable for a gala, this is Marianne’s… from her bag…”

 Will stood in front of you, reaching his hand around your back and with a quick snap of his fingers he’d unfastened your bra;

 “It really will look better without the bra… trust me…”

 Without another word he turned and crossed the room, pulling his tie from his bag, fastening it as August emerged from the other room;

 “Agent. Bra off, now”

 Shimmying the offending garment down your arms you pulled it out of your dress as he crossed the room;

 “I don’t see why…”

 “Because the people at this gala have got so much money they flaunt what they’ve got. You’ve got to fit in” He held his finger out and you hooked it over the protruding digit.

 “We’d better get going… the gala is about to start”

 With a nod August grabbed the keys to the BMW you’d been assigned and tossed them to Will; he was taking on the role of Driver and Bodyguard to your’s and August’s ‘couple’, the three of you filed out of the room and into the elevator.

 The ride down the highrise hotel was slow, and you could feel both men’s eyes on you as they stood behind you, before the doors finally opened to the basement parking. You struggled to keep up with them as they strode out with their long legs, the heels of your stiletto sandals clicking on the cement. Finally as you reached the car you were surprised as August opened the door for you, not uttering a word as he watched you climb in before he rounded the car and slid into the back seat beside you.

 You’d barely had time to fasten your seatbelt before Will was peeling out of the hotel parking with a squeal of tyres and you were heading to your destination.

 “Panties, off” August’s words surprised you

 “W-WHAT?!”

 “Panties. Take them off”

 “Agent Walker…”

 “They dig into the meat of your hips and take the attention away from the sexiness of the dress. You need to fit in tonight”

 “B-b-but…” you attempted to stall, but without another word August pulled your knees towards him and slid his hands beneath your dress. He grasped the thin elastic straps that ran over your hips and pulled hard, snapping the fragile pieces of fabric and pulling the now ruined undergarments. Glancing at Will he had a brief smirk on his face but quickly looked away, concentrating on the road ahead. 

 -

 The gala was amazing, and it was hard not to get absorbed into the evening as if you were a real guest. You could hear everything through the hidden comms units in your ears, and apart from the occasional grunt as Will silently passed the guards as he made his way further into the underground chambers that ran below the massive glasshouse the gala was in, it seemed to all be going exactly to plan. The host had announced for everyone to celebrate, and you had found yourselves being swept onto the dancefloor, and suddenly you were in August’s arms as he held you close, the music thankfully loud enough to drown out your conversation from the ears of others;

 “Do you think he’s getting on ok?”

 “He’d say if he wasn’t” August assured you as he moved in time to the music, his hand on your lower back pulling you closer to his body. At that very moment you both heard a guttural cry through the comms, your eyes wide in panic as he grabbed your hand and you quickly made your way through the crowd;

 “Shaw, come in… are you ok?”

 You heard gurgling on the comms and watched as August pulled out his phone and activated the trackers that you all wore, the two of you coming up together on screen, but the third - Will’s - showing as on the level below and not moving.

 -

 The stairs had been hell in your heels, eventually you’d kicked them off and had run barefoot behind August, chasing him around corners and along corridors, before he’d finally come to a halt in front of a sealed door, his phone showing that Will was in the room behind it.

 “Stand back”

 You took a couple of steps back and watched as August kicked the door, the deafening bang as it broke from its hinges and splintered in was immediately forgotten as a sudden rush of air came out of the room, covering him in a dusting of strange grey-pinkish powder. He fell to the floor coughing and you rushed to his side;

 “Check on Shaw! I’m fine!”

 Quickly entering the room you looked around, finally seeing Will laying on the floor, he too was covered in the powder. Kneeling at his side you checked his pulse, relieved to find one as he opened his eyes and groaned.

 “What happened? Are you ok?”

 “Stop fussing, i’m fine… we gotta get out of here. Security will be on their way…”

 At that moment August appeared at your side;

 “Did you get it?”

 “Yeah, i got it”

 Will held out the thumb drive and pushed it into your hand as August pulled him to his feet, and they attempted to dust themselves off as the three of you staggered down the hallway and out of the fire exit.

 -

 Pushing into the hotel room, both Will and August had already shed the majority of their clothing, now dressed in just their smart dress pants and under shirts, still coughing from the dust cloud that lingered in their airways. You’d run the briefest of tests with the tiny blood monitor that you’d kept in the car to ensure it wasn’t a known nerve agent or poison before you’d even left the extraction point, thankfully the results being negative, but both men needed to wash off whatever it was as soon as possible. But first, you needed a proper sample;

 “Agent Shaw, i need to take some blood, hair and saliva, run it through the test software, to see if whatever it was has synthesised into your bloodstream” you nodded to the small scientific station you’d set up at the end of the table, the case having contained tiny gadgets that amounted to a microscope, a mass spectrometer, and other testing equipment… the whole point of why you in particular had been placed on this mission.

 A minute later you’d collected the samples, trying hard not to get flustered as Will had stood in front of you bare chested and in just his underwear, heat radiating from his body;

 “So what do you think it is?”

 “I have no idea”

 “Well i’m burning up, i need to take a shower”

 Quickly loading the samples into the rapid mass spectrometer you turned to Agent Walker to check his vitals and let out a tiny squeak of surprise when you saw him sitting on the edge of the bed in just his underwear. His chest was flushed and he had a sheen of sweat over his entire body;

 “I guess i’m next?”

 Pressing your hand to his forehead you could feel he was burning up;

 “I’m going to check your temperature first”

 Quickly using the thermal reader you could see that his core temp was heading towards fever;

 “I’m going to take the samples then as soon as Will is out of the shower you need to get in there”

 “Yes Ma’am” he chuckled, closing his eyes as you pushed your fingers through his hair to pluck a sample strand. The powder had caught in the strands and it was only as you combed your fingers through the dark locks did you realise he had soft curls. As you tried to separate them he let out a groan as you stroked his scalp. He swayed a little even though he was sitting down, and before you could do anything his hands were on your hips to steady himself, the heat almost searing through the silk of your dress. 

 Finally having got all the samples you needed you reluctantly pulled away, not saying a word as he simply flopped back onto the bed with a smirk on his face. You busied yourself preparing the test samples from Agent Walker, the machine finishing with Shaw’s. You were vaguely aware of the shower being turned off and the men moving around the room, before the shower was on again and you presumed it was August in there.

 Peering at the saliva samples through the microscope you frowned, the particles present completely organic and very familiar.

 “So what is the diagnosis Doc?”

 Will’s voice surprised you, and as you jumped and turned your eyes went wide when you saw he was in just a towel, tied low on his waist as he drank from a bottle of water.

 “Y-You don’t want to put some clothes on?”

 He looked down at himself, almost surprised to find he was only wearing a towel and shrugged;

 “No point, the way i’m burning up i’ll be naked soon” he nodded to the screen; “So?”

 Turning your attention back to the screen you swallowed hard, your throat suddenly dry;

 “Well… it seems organic, spores of some kind. Its hard to tell what they are from, but their chemical make-up is unique. The only time i’ve seen anything similar is in isolated microclimates that are cut off from the rest of nature… there was this one… in a volcano… a pollen from a plant that grew in tropical climates…” you trailed off as you sensed another presence now flanking your other side, glancing away from the microscope, taking in the sight of August in an identical outfit to Will, his broad expanse of chest at eye level as he bent down to look into the microscope.

 “Hmmn… so, how’s it gonna affect us? The gala was in a fucking giant greenhouse; you saw the plants they were growing there, some of them were 20ft tall and looked like they’d come from another planet. Do we need to pop an antihistamine or something, what’s it gonna do?”

 Standing you quickly slid out from between the two barely dressed men, checking the mass spectrometer and frowning;

 “It seems to be elevating your testosterone levels…” you peered at the saliva results; “...and pheromones… your bodies are heating up where your body is fighting against the pollen, its affecting all your hormones...”

 “Pheromones…” Will mused; “... that’s the sex hormones, right?”

 “Urrr…” you faltered, looking up at the two men who were now looking at you like hungry wolves.

 August stepped closer;

 “Sweetheart, i think you’d better get yourself tested too…” he paused, his finger hooking beneath the thin strap of your dress, making you acutely aware you were completely naked beneath it; “... cos’ i could smell you from across the room… and you smell so sweet right now…”

 You went to take a step back, only to bump into the hard expanse of Will’s naked chest, his hand curling around your arm;

 “C’mon, lets get you tested…”

 You were suddenly putty in their hands, your head swimming and it was only then that you realised you were burning up. It felt like you had a core of lava within you, and the only thing you could liken it to was a hot flash, your body flushed with heat. You recalled the time you’d overheard a much older agent talking to her friends, unaware you had been in the room and she’d spilled the beans on how she would recover from an episode and calm her hormones down... with the help of her husband.

 As your head had been swirling, Will had taken your blood sample and had loaded it into the mass spectrometer, having watched as you’d shown him before the mission. But you could barely concentrate;

 “I...I know how to counteract the affects of the pollen…” you panted out, unsteady on your feet as you swayed and August caught you in his arms

 “Oh yes?”

 “En… Endorphins… they counteract… they burn off the pheromones…”

 You felt hot breath on the back of your neck as Will pressed against you;

 “I’m not a scientist, but i know how to create endorphins…” 

 His lips made contact with your neck and you turned to jelly, your head resting against his shoulder and your eyelids drooping, barely open, yet you had enough of your senses to be aware of August in front of you, pulling the straps of your dress down your arms, you pliable in his hands as he stripped you of your only remaining garment, pressing his lips to your over heated skin as went as the silk pooled at your feet;

 “So beautiful…”

 “Absolutely” Will agreed from behind, his lips grazing over your jawline as his arms reached around you and cupped your tender breasts; “We need to work as a team to get through this… what are the hazards of hot flashes then Doc?”

 “Y-Y-You can over heat your brain… your heart could give out…”

 “Uh-huh… and endorphins will help stop this?” August enquired, his breath hot on your naked chest

 “Y-yeah…”

 That was the last word spoken for a very long time. From that point on the only sounds in the room were hums of pleasure combined with the carnal soundtrack of three bodies moving towards the inevitable. By the time you got to the bed both men had lost their towels, hard naked bodies pressed against your soft curves, sculpted hard muscle available everywhere you touched, and oh did you touch… and caress and stroke, the second you’d reciprocated their affections they had softened to your touch, sighs of pleasure as your fingertips gave them just the slightest relief.

 You found yourself sandwiched between the two men on the soft covers of the king-size bed, each taking turns to capture your lips for searing kisses, each having their own unique talent and style with their tongues. When you were deep in August’s embrace you felt Will move down the bed, his hands pulling your legs apart before he pressed kisses up your inner thighs and his mouth made contact with your soaked folds. The cry of pleasure that erupted from your mouth broke the kiss, yet August didn’t seem to mind as your hand had found its way to being wrapped around his weeping shaft, tugging him sloppily as you struggled to concentrate;

 “That’s it Sweetheart, you don’t need to be gentle… i like it rough…”

 You tried to answer, but Will’s tongue had found your soaked entrance as his hand curled around your thigh and sought out your clit, the pleasure he was giving you was too intense to allow you to form coherent words. August claimed your lips again for another searing kiss, humming his appreciation as you worked your hand over his heated flesh.

 Before you knew it you were coming hard, your orgasm tearing through your body as you ground your core against Will’s face, his eyes sparkling from between your thighs, and as you were floating on the high of the afterglow you could feel the two men moving you, adjusting you to suit their needs.

 On all fours on the bed you were faced with August’s dick, opening your mouth instinctively to take him deep, the heavy weight on your tongue a welcome feeling. Saliva spilled from the corners of your mouth as you struggled to stretch around his girth. At the same time you felt Will’s powerful thighs pressing against the back of your own, the velvet touch of his bulbous crown pressing to your still trembling hole before with a grunt he thrust into your soft body.

 There were only grunts and gasps of pleasure, the two men rocking your body between them as they defiled you in the basest of ways, but that you were eager to participate in, the mixing of pheromones in the room removing your inhibitions, knowing that it was an act of survival. You could feel your body climbing again, your orgasm imminent. You felt the first salty tang of August’s seed on your tongue, the tensing of his muscles as his body prepared to release into the welcome warmth of your mouth. His massive hand cupped your chin and pulled your head up to look him in the eye as he finally reached his peak, grunting curses as he pumped thick ropes over your tongue, raining praise upon you as you swallowed everything he gave you. 

 August fell back onto the pillows, but before you could let gravity take hold of you too Will wrapped his arms around your torso, pulling you upright until you were pressed against his chest, his hips thrusting as he filled you so deliciously from behind. Through lust soaked gaze you watched August watching the pair of you as you fucked in front of him, his eyes travelling down your heated body until he was watching where your bodies were joined, how Will’s thick cock stretched you out so well.

 “Get your finger on her clit Shaw, i wanna watch you make her come undone”

 Doing as the senior agent instructed, Will snaked a hand down your stomach, rubbing tight firm circles against your sensitive bud as he continued to fill you, until you were shaking, hanging onto the precipice of pleasure and that final flick of his finger was enough to set off another orgasm. 

 The vice-like grip of your velvet walls was the final trigger for Will, and with a sin filled groan he pushed in one last time and you could feel him spilling deep inside you.

 Finally he pulled out, carefully setting you down onto the soft bedcovers. Your eyelids felt heavy, but the burning deep in your body seemed to be sated. You felt the men moving around the bed, a large hand cupping the back of your neck before lifting you from the bed a little;

 “Drink…”

 Opening your eyes, you watched as August lifted a water bottle to your lips, making sure you gulped down the chilled water before pulling away;

 “How… how are you guys feeling?”

 He turned and sat on the bed beside you, his finger trailing down your neck and between your breasts, and only then could you see the sheen as his skin glistened with sweat, a droplet running down his abdomen to where his cock stood hard and proud from a thatch of dark curls;

 “Not… not quite done yet…”

 Gently pushing you back down onto the bed he tossed the empty bottle aside before crawling atop of you, capturing your mouth with his as you felt the nudge of his hardened dick breach your body, his wide expanse of chest pressing you to the bed. He didn’t start out gentle and it only got rougher, ploughing into your body as he sought to relieve the effects of the pollen coursing through his veins like fire, burning within him until all that was left was red hot embers of passion. Your body writhed beneath him, begging for more, eagerly taking whatever he could give.

 He hit spots you didn’t know existed, your back arching with pleasure as he filled you, your hardened nipples almost too sensitive from his chest hair roughly rubbing against them, the stimulation almost too much until the levy broke and you came hard, your fingers digging into his back to leave dark welts, the pain his trigger for the final thrust as he pumped you full of his seed. 

 Finally he rolled off you, laying at your side as your chests heaved, struggling to catch your breath when you felt another hand grasp at your wrist;

 “Babe… please… i need you…”

 Looking to Will you saw a pained look on his face as he sat partially propped up against the pillows, his chest soaked and his dick standing hard and proud;

 “Please…” he begged.

 Somehow you found the energy to move, your body still shaking but yet you straddled his lap, pushing his sweat soaked curls from his face;

 “It’s going to be ok Will, i’ll take care of you… its ok…”

 You sank down onto his waiting body, taking him where August had been only a minute before, the comingled seed lubricating you as this new angle found yet more pleasure points that had remained undiscovered until then. Wills hands moved to your hips, his grip tight as he gritted his teeth and moved you on his lap, rocking you to ride him like a rodeo stallion. Sweat dripped down your body, rivulets running between your breasts as you threw your head back and basked in the flood of pleasure chemicals soaking your brain. The haze of lust clouding time and space as you came to another orgasm, Will filling you with another load of his thick cum, your cries of pleasure finally ebbing away as you collapsed on his heaving chest, his hands stroking your back whilst your bodies stayed joined.

 A pair of strong arms lifted you off of Will and set you down on the mattress, August’s dark smile haunting over you as he parted your legs and kissed down your thigh, before with a smirk he bit the soft flesh. It wasn’t enough to break the skin but the pleasure pain receptors in your mind were immediately set off again, and you knew that even if you couldn’t see the mark you’d feel it for days to come. He lifted your legs and parted them, his face at your centre, yet where his tongue ended up you let out a squeak of surprise as he circled your back entrance. 

 “Oh, OH… August…”

 “Mmmnnfff” was all that could be heard as he pushed his tongue at your asshole, his thumb pressing against your clit as he worked you open, your body deceiving you as a fierce orgasm washed over you almost immediately. When he pulled away he had a smug look on his face;

 “Thought as much… hold tight…”

 He quickly disappeared to the bathroom, before returning with a small bottle in his hand. Pouring some of the liquid contained within on his fingers, he worked the oil over your skin before pushing his thick finger into your ass, eagerly praising you as he worked your body until you were ready.

 “Walker… hurry up and fuck her… i’m burning up here, i need another round…” Will gasped out as August moved you.

 “C’mere then Shaw, we’re never gonna get this out of our systems if we have to wait to take turns…”

 Even through the haze of the pollen Will immediately got what August was saying, the pair of them pulling you from the bed before Will took you into his arms;

 “Jump…”

 With a surprising amount of strength Will pulled you up, your legs hooked over his forearms as he angled his hips to push his dick back into your cum soaked cunt, letting gravity help as he sank deep. Just as you thought you were about to overbalance a hard chest pressed against your back, August stooping behind you as he took his iron hard dick in hand and sought out purchase on your ass;

 “Gonna take this as slow as i can Sweetheart…”

 Slow didn’t seem slow enough, and you cursed Newton and the laws of physics as the same forces that had pulled you down onto Will did the same with August, leaving you gasping for air as you were filled in both holes. The boys held you up, in place and still whilst they resisted ravaging your body, fighting against the pollen until they could no longer hold back and they unleashed their raw power upon your body. Fucking you in tandem with the thinnest of walls separating themselves inside you, they defiled your body as you begged for more; harder, deeper, faster. It was never enough.

 -

 The night ebbed away into the mists of time, each sex act more depraved than the last, the three of you driving the deadly force of the pollen from your bodies in an endless battle of lust.

The last thing you recalled was the sun rising as the two men stood before your kneeling body, spraying your face and breasts with a final load before sleep finally claimed your sated body.

 -

 Bright light streamed in the window and you winced as your head pounded. A deep voice could be heard but you weren’t listening. A warm body beside you shifted and a large warm hand pressed to your aching abdomen, soothing the overworked muscles. A soft pair of lips pressed a kiss to your shoulder, and the lack of moustache told you it was Will that was spooning you.

 “C’mon Agents, rise and shine” August barked from the bathroom doorway, packing his things; “Got a flight to catch in two hours, debriefing in twelve”

 -

 Closing the file you nodded at your superiors, their approval of a good job done ringing praises in your ears as the debriefing ended, people pushing their chairs out and making small talk as they were dismissed for the weekend and a well deserved rest.

 Walking to the elevator you didn’t make eye contact, trying hard not to wince as your thighs rubbed together and you felt the bite that August had given you, wanting to avoid any probing questions. You’d skimmed over a lot in your report, mainly the sex-pollen induced orgy that had taken place, but as the thumb drive with the vital data on had been recovered no-one was concentrating on the part between the retrieval and the debriefing.

 The elevator dinged as the doors opened, and absentmindedly you stepped in, looking out of the glass windows as you were only partially aware of just a few other passengers. It was only when you realised you were flanked on both sides did you look up and see that August and Will were either side of you. 

 With a smirk August handed you a file;

 “This wasn’t needed for the debriefing”

 You flicked it open and saw that it was the mobile test data from the hotel room;

 “Yes, probably for the best” you agreed, your throat dry.

 As you held the pages Will pointed to a trio of lines towards the bottom. For a moment you stared at the numbers before you recognised what they meant;

 “That’s our results…”

 You felt August’s breath hot on your ear as he whispered;

 “Look at yours…”

 You saw the readings of Will and August’s blood count, of the pheromone saturation… then you saw yours;

 “But… but that can’t be right…”

 “You know that equipment better than anyone else… when has it ever been wrong?”

 The elevator reached the Lobby and everyone filed out, August and Will stopping and nodding to the bar across the street;

 “We’ll be catching a drink or two… you’re welcome to join us once you’ve taken in the test data…”

 You nodded, speechless, staring at the data in black and white. It couldn’t be wrong; it was never wrong. It was clear as day.

 You hadn’t been infected by the pollen.

[aries-writingblog]

Brave Enough

Summary: Bucky wonders if he’ll ever be brave enough to admit his feelings to you

Words Count: 1980- ish (I got a little carried away- sorry!!)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

Warnings: language, characters engaging of age drinking

A/N: gif is not my own, credit to original creator. Happy reading!!

“Bucky, lighten up, man.” Steve griped, flicking through the menu. The brunette didn’t respond, just slumping down lower in his chair and sulking even more. A deep frown etched onto his features. “It’s just a couple hours.”

“Whatever.” He snipped. Bucky could feel his teeth grit together, his jaw aching from pressure. Sam’s foot connected with his under the table, a teasing tilt to his eyebrows.

“He’s just mad that he has to be here instead of lurking ‘round in the shadows back home.” Sam nudged his foot again. Bucky kicked out, but Sam was too quick. Pulling his foot away just in time. “You ever catch him at like three in the morning, just standing around in a dark hallway?”

“Shut up.” Bucky hissed, snatching a spoon from his place setting. The utensil flew across the table, smacking Sam in the chest before falling to his lap. “And I’m not mad I have to be here.”

He truly wasn’t upset he had to be there. He was upset that one person in particular wouldn’t be in attendance. YN was still off on a mission, unfortunately missing Wanda’s birthday dinner. Without her, Bucky would just spend the whole night sulking, no one else treated him the way she did. No one else was her. Without her, his night was already marked as uneventful and boring.

“You are.” Steve corrected, glancing to his watch. “The girls should be here by now. What’s holding them?”

Bucky glanced around the restaurant, eyes scanning over Tony who was animatedly speaking with the owner. Bruce, retuning from the restroom, Peter following him with a million questions. The older man seemed to age further as the teen pestered him- asking questions ranging from science to personal. The kid could be slightly invasive at times.

The door opened- the other half of their party. The birthday girl. Wanda made her way across the room, Natasha behind her and…

“YN.” Bucky felt a weight lift from his chest- possibly his reluctance to be at the table. He watched as she gave him a small smile and wave before Wanda pulled her off to the bathroom.

“Save me a seat!” YN called, meeting Bucky’s eyes. His eyes followed her all the way, until he could no longer see her. Then he was brought back into reality by a cough.

Fuck- he did that in public. His eyes fell to Steve and Sam, their faces schooled into expressions of taunting delight.

“You gonna save her a seat or what?” Steve asked, lips twitching as they begged to smile. Bucky flicked his wrist, giving his friend a very classy middle finger as they snickered in response.

But Bucky did as she said. He unfolded the napkin at the place mat on his right, showing someone was going to sit there. Then he tucked his hands into his lap, waiting anxiously for her return. Sam pursed his lips, leaning his elbows on the table. Bucky groaned, regretting his decision to stay out when Sam sat across from him.

“Won’t you just tell her you’re in love? It would be a lot easier.” He advised, fingers laced under his jaw. Bucky scowled, his foot finally catching Sam off guard, foot connecting with his shin bone. The man cursed, jerking his chair back.

The bathroom door opened, the trio of women hustling toward the table. Natasha was shoving YN playfully, the woman responding with a laugh. Then she turned her eyes to him and he stopped breathing. Stopped living. Oxygen leaving his lungs at an exponential rate when she smiled. Teeth flashing.

“Got a seat for me, Barnes?” She asked- the sound of her voice snapping his consciousness back into the present. Bucky stumbled over himself clumsily, shoving his own chair back to pull hers out for her. “Thank you.” He pushed her back in before taking his own.

“I thought you were still in Arizona?” He kept a constant tab in his brain to focus. There had been several occasions when the pair were carrying a conversation and he noticed, too late, he had just been staring into her eyes. He didn’t mean to- it just happened.

“Just landed. Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner I was back- Wanda begged me to come tonight so I had to rush to get dressed.” She explained, giving a half hearted gesture to her clothes. Bucky saw nothing wrong with them- she looked beautiful as always.

“No worries. You look beautiful anyways.” Bucky smiled. He could see in the corner of his eye- Sam and Steve sharing a look across the table. Bucky always experienced these mood swings around YN.

If he was distraught, she was there to soothe him. If he was annoyed or angry, just seeing her face would brighten his day. If he was happy, which wasn’t too often without her being a catalyst, she only intensified that feeling.

Bucky had met YN three months into his stay at the Tower. They shared a wall- his apartment was the one beside hers. He didn’t know she was his neighbor the night she came stumbling home from a mission- exhausted and dirty. Dried blood on her hairline and a red path dripping from her nose. She didn’t notice him that night as he sat in the quiet common area of floor 48. She brushed past him and dug into the fridge. He watched her shove six slices of cold pizza onto a plate and snatch three beers before disappearing into her apartment.

Needless to say, he was intrigued. But he never spoke to her. Not until two months later, in the middle of the night. She happened upon him sitting in the quiet, wide awake and writing in his journal. She commented that she also journaled- sprinting back to her bedroom to bring back a leather bound journal covered in stickers. She then offered him some of his own stickers, pressing them to the black journal in his hands.

Four months of midnight meetings passed and Bucky was infatuated. He found himself wanting to speak to her all the time- going out of his way to find her and talk. Thinking of her all the time, linking an activity with her. Asking himself ‘I wonder what YN would think of…’ Sitting with her at meals, hanging out when she was home. If he could, Bucky would have her attached to his hip at all times.

When they were together, Bucky would go to any lengths necessary to keep her there longer. To take more of her time. For once in his life, he wanted to be selfish. He wanted her complete and undivided attention. Most times, he received it. She happily gave into him, pouring affection onto the super soldier. And he swam in it- unabashedly. Unashamed to be so intoxicated around her.

“Hey, what are you ordering?” YN whispered, leaning toward his

Bucky snapped back, again, noticing that everyone had taken a seat and began to order their meals. Her eyes were trained on him expectantly. YN had seen him lose focus and attempted to reel him back in. He always seemed to fade away, she noticed. She didn’t know where his mind went when it happened but she was a pessimist- she assumed the worst.

“Me- ordering?” Bucky stuttered, his tongue barely catching up with his mind. He winced as she gave a soft smile- another snicker coming from across the table. He shot a glance over to Sam, the biting glare garnered a snarky reply.

“Smooth.” Sam muttered, propping his menu in front his face, shielding it from Bucky’s wrath.

“Sam.” Steve scolded lightly, voice low. Bucky bit back his embarrassment, clearing his throat before responding. It was gonna be a long night.

~~~~~~

YN giggled again, swaying as Bucky latched an arm around her waist. Keeping her upright. It was a struggle- she was very touchy when she was tipsy. Bucky’s heart did jumping jacks, unsure if he should revel in the affection or be disappointed she was doing it while drunk.

“Oh- Bucky, what if we took Four Loko’s and, and… White Claws!” Her fingers wiggled as she spoke, eyes watery and wide. Bucky chuckled, his body unaccustomed to the motions.

“No more alcohol for you tonight, alright? You’re already gonna hate me in the morning for letting you drink so much.” He tugged her waist gently, allowing his fingers to rest on her hip. YN rested her head against his chest as the elevator slowed to a stop on their floor.

“I could never hate you, you know that, right?” She asked, eyes gazing up at him. Bucky heaved a gentle sigh, meeting her eyes. A soft smile on his lips.

“Thank you, sweetheart.”

The pair slowly exited the elevator, YN trying her best to break away from his grip. Her attention span was that of a mouse- hands reaching for things in the hallways and in the common area. Finally, they reached the set of doors belonging to them. He released her very carefully to dig through his pockets. YN had given him her spare key months ago, he had it on his key ring. She had it printed in a bright blue- the loudest color on the ring when compared to the black key of his motorcycle and the silver key of his apartment.

He didn’t really need the color distinction. There were only three keys there but hers was the most important one. He had it memorized the day she gave it to him.

“Hey Friday, unlock Bucky’s main door.”

“What? She can do that?” Bucky whipped around, catching a fleeting glimpse of her wobbling, unsteady body as she stumbled into his apartment. “Fuck.”

Bucky abandoned his task in favor of the new, more important task. Getting YN out of his apartment. He followed her at a quick pace, hand outstretched to snatch her wrist but she made an abrupt turn down his hallway. Toward his bedroom.

“YN!” He hissed, reaching for her again. She shoved the door open and made her way into the room. “What are you doing?”

“I wanted to see your apartment- you never let me in here when we hang out.” She murmured, eyes locking in on the bookshelf in the corner. She made a beeline to it, fingers tracing over the spines of the books. She reached for a book on the second shelf. The second shelf was dedicated to his old journals.

“Okay, maybe…” he gingerly broke her grasp on the book before she could open it, sliding it back into place. Bucky rested his hands on her shoulders, steering her out of the room. “We can do a tour when you’re a little more sober.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t want her there- Bucky wanted to show her everything, give her everything. But some part of himself kept pushing it all back, keeping her in the light. He didn’t want her to see the bad parts, and there were plenty. He was terrified she wouldn’t want his broken pieces if she saw them.

YN hummed, breaking from his grasp again. He sighed in defeat, letting her go. She tossed her phone to the rug and flopped face first into the bed. A sigh of content rushed from her lips as she snuggled deeper into the blankets.

“Your bed is sooo comfy…” Her voice was muffled by the thick comforter. “This isn’t fair- my bed isn’t this comfy.”

No one’s slept in it since it was purchased- Bucky but back the comment, deciding it wasn’t a good topic to broach. Considering the circumstances. He stood, watching her for a moment. Allowing her to take control for the time being. The smile from earlier began to creep onto his face as she snuggled deeper into the sheets- fully clothed.

“Alright- enough of that, YN. Let’s get you home.” He murmured, tugging on her ankle. She didn’t budge. Bucky stopped, looking up to her face. She was sound asleep. “YN?”

Nothing.

Bucky sighed.

He reached for her ankle again, unclipping the heels from her feet, allowing them to fall to the floor. He swung her legs around, tugging the blankets down on the bed. Bucky pulled them back over her body, reaching into her hair to pull it out of the tight bun she had it in. The hair tie around his wrist as he tucked her in.

“Goodnight, YN.” He whispered softly. Bucky hesitated, lips close to her temple. He could hear a faint snore coming from her throat, dark lashes resting against her cheekbones.

He allowed himself to carefully lean forward, lips pressing to her temple gently. Then he backed away quietly, turning the lights off as he exited. He couldn’t help himself- stealing another glance at her sleeping figure before closing the door. He also couldn’t help the bittersweet smile that tugged at his lips.

One day… one day I’ll be brave enough for you.

Read Part 2: Courageous

[let-them-read-fics]

Blackpink HC / One Shots: Enemies to Lovers, College AU (2/2)

Requested: Yes

Warnings / Misc. -- Bickering, Rivalry, Fluff

A/N: Hey everyone! This is the second half of the request, featuring Rosé and Lisa. If you want to see the first part, with Jisoo and Jennie, click the link below. I hope you enjoy!

Click for Jisoo and Jennie

♡ Happy Reading ♡

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

Rosé

Park Chaeyoung: The girl who hung with the wrong crowd.

Your problem lied more so with the people she associated with than her herself. You couldn't wrap your head around why such a kind person like her would spend time with the class clowns and bullies, and to make matters worse, she would stick up for them as well.

She spent most of her days in either the art or music room, creating the masterpieces that her brain came up with.

But as soon as school was over, she'd be hanging out with them again and getting into trouble. For instance, because of her talents, they would invite her to go with them and graffiti various hot spots around town. She never vandalized any monuments or landmarks of importance -- she typically stuck to bridges or abandoned buildings -- but after getting caught with them multiple times, it was inevitable for her to be held accountable.

She was given a week's detention to make up for her actions

You, coincidentally, had a teacher that absolutely loathed you for no reason at all. No matter how good of a student you were for him, he didn't care; he had a vendetta against you for some reason, and he patiently waited for the opportunity to ruin your day.

You came in literally 10 seconds after the bell rang, putting the breakfast sandwich you stopped to get on the way into your mouth so you could open the door. He was standing at the front with a smug grin on his face, and you already knew what was coming.

You were also given an ungodly sentence of a week's detention.

Turning Point

"If I see you on your phones, I'm taking them." The monitor informs before sitting at the desk, reclining in the chair and putting his feet up soon after. You sigh and lean back in your seat, attempting to find a way to pass the next two hours without getting in trouble. Your eyes scan across the room, eventually landing on Rosé, where she sits a couple rows away from you. Sunlight is streaming in through the window next to her, its golden rays peeking through the breaks in the clouds above to shine on her. She looks gorgeous as she doodles away in her notebook, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear when it falls in front of her face.

After waiting on the monitor to fall asleep and sending one last glance to double check, you quietly stand from your seat and go sit next to her.

You barely know each other, but she's your only hope of remaining sane and occupied.

"Hi," you greet, looking into her eyes.

"Hi," she copies, a tiny smile forming on her lips when she notices your impressed expression upon gazing down at her paper. You have to hand it to her -- she's really talented.

"You're really good," you compliment, still admiring the artistry. Seeing as how you're looking down, you fail to notice the blush that works its way to her cheeks. Coming from you, the simple remark meant a lot to her.

You spend the rest of the day making small talk and getting used to one another, leaving detention later with the hopes of sitting together again.

----

The Next Day

"Hi again," you whisper, glancing over your shoulder to ensure that the coast is clear. The monitor is out like a light, with his mouth hanging open and an obnoxiously loud snore coming out.

"Hi," she giggles, watching as you dive into the floor for cover when the man shifts in his sleep. You thought he was waking up, and if he finds out you moved seats, he'll definitely have something to say about it.

"The coast is clear, cadet," she nods like a soldier, assuring you that it's okay to move back after a minute.

"That was close," you breathe out in relief, glad to live to see another day.

You share a laugh, though it has to be hidden behind your hands and kept a minimum. It's cute though -- like a little secret between the two of you, only for you to know.

"What're you drawing today?" You ask later, laying your chin in your palm as you gaze down at her work. Her reply comes out stuttered at first when she feels your leg innocently brush against hers under the table.

"D-dalgom. My friend's dog." She manages out, mentally smacking herself for looking like a fool.

You smile, thinking she's adorable. "I bet it'll be great," you encourage. She grins back as her eyes scan over your face, committing the memory of you to heart. She's always had a thing for you, ever since the time you were paired up in Biology last semester, so she's been enjoying detention more than she thought she would. Seeing you makes the time go by faster, though ironically, she wishes it would slow down a bit.

You make her feel appreciated for more than just what she's capable of producing, and the divide between you and her friend group is blaringly obvious. They like her because of the rush she can help them achieve; you like her because of her.

That thought persists in her mind for the rest of detention, and before she knows it, the monitor is releasing you again. She bends down to put her notebook in her bag when a thought pops into her mind: she wants to ask if you want to go to the park with her. When she's done zipping her bag up, she looks back up at you, only to find you on your phone, talking to someone.

"Yeah, mom. I'll stop by on the way home. So milk, cereal, ramen, and paper towels, right?"

She watches as you wait for a reply, tucking the phone into the crook of your neck as you move to write the list down on a spare piece of paper.

"Alright, love you, too. See you later." You hang up before looking back at Rosie. She looks a little down, and you have no idea why.

You pause for a moment, silently psyching yourself up for what you're about to ask. "This is gonna sound really strange, but do you want to come with me to the store?"

Her heart's pace increases at that, happy to know that you want to spend more time with her, just as she does with you.

"Actually, yeah. That sounds like fun."

You grin at her before spinning around and doing a little celebratory dance, which wins you a strange look from the monitor. You stick your tongue out at him before grabbing her hand and rushing out of the room, hearing his disapproval shouted after you.

--

"Milk?"

"Check."

"Ramen?"

"Check."

"Cereal?"

"Nope."

You nod at her words, now reminded of what you were forgetting. You push the buggy towards the aisle of cereals, gazing around in wonder at the huge selection. Rosé is just the same, eyeing all of the options like a kid in a candy store. After grabbing your mom's favorite kind, you decide on one for yourself and bring it back to the cart. Rosie scoots her leg over, making room for them beside where she sits, reclined in the cart.

You grin when you see her eyeing a box of fruit loops. Huh; fruity. Go figure.

You wordlessly grab the box and hand it to her, feeling your heart melt when she looks up at you like you hold the key to the universe.

"Thank you, Y/N."

"No problem, Rosie." You say, putting your hands on the bar as you begin pushing the buggy again. "Now, I say we see how long it takes to get to the paper towel aisle. My last record was 30 seconds."

She looks at you, clearly impressed, with her eyebrows raised. Without question, she pulls her phone out and gets the stop watch feature ready to go.

"3...2...1... GO!" She shouts, commanding your legs to start pumping as you race down the long strip of store before you. A couple kids dart out of the way just before getting smacked into, quickly turning around and cheering you on as you charge forward.

Her giggles fill the air as you drift around a corner, shouting apologies to the lady you almost bumped into.

"Sorry ma'am!"

A few seconds later, chest heaving and legs sore, you come to a stop in the aisle, dramatically collapsing in a heap next to the buggy. Rosé checks her phone as she reaches down to poke you.

"22.18 seconds, champ," she declares victoriously, smiling when you magically regain enough energy to stand up and celebrate.

"Woohoo! Team Y/S/N (Your Ship Name) for the win!"

She laughs along at that, joining in on your celebration, but she's blushing like crazy on the inside.

-----

The Last Day Of Detention

Ever since your trip to the store, you and Rosé have grown closer and closer. You traded numbers and text occasionally, though nothing beats having her all to yourself for 2 hours straight with no distractions. She feels the same; when she's in class, she can't wait for the bell to ring and signal your reunion. Part of her wants to get in trouble again, just to see you more often.

So, as you'd expect, it's really no surprise that you're sat right in front of her again, telling jokes and asking about her day. You've grown a bit more bold with every step closer you've taken towards her heart, and now you reach down to intertwine your fingers with hers.

She happily accepts, even bringing your hand up to her lips to press a kiss to the back of it. She smiles against your skin after it, making butterflies take flight in your stomach. She's got you wrapped around her finger, and you don't even try to fight it anymore.

The sound of the classroom door opening alerts you, making her lower your hand. She doesn't let go of you, though, and that fact warms your heart for some reason. The squeaky hinges groan out again as the door opens wider, revealing about 4 or 5 people from the friend group that she hangs out with. They motion for her to sneak out with them, but she just shakes her head.

"Come on, Rosé!" They whisper-scream, offering her a way to freedom. Little do they know that she'd take this imprisonment over freedom any day, so long as you're by her side.

"No! Get out before he wakes up!" She whisper-shouts back, eventually convincing them to leave.

"Why didn't you go?" You ask once they're gone, toying with her fingers as your hands rest on the desk.

"Because I like spending time with you." She admits, letting her defenses down.

"I was hoping you'd say that," you smile, letting her know that you feel the same.

The Fallout

After detention, the two of you walked out of the school, hand in hand

"Would you maybe, I don't know... wanna go to the park with me?" She asks nervously, glancing up at you.

"You read my mind, Rosie." You smile at each other and head towards the parking lot.

You started hanging out more, and she distanced herself from her old crowd

You encouraged her to enroll in your school's art program and show her work that way

"You're really talented; it deserves to be seen."

Your support meant the world to her, and she never failed to let you know

"Thank you, Y/N. Having you behind me means the world to me."

At one of her art shows, where she was tasked with unveiling a new piece that she'd been working on for months, you got the biggest surprise of your life.

She created a mural of you, all decked out with every color of the rainbow, utterly gorgeous

She lit up when she saw your reaction

"This piece is titled 'Mine', which I hope the girl in it will soon be." She says into the microphone, looking at you with hope shining in her eyes.

You nod your head with a smile and walk up to her, pressing your lips to hers in a kiss that was long-overdue. She wraps her arms around your waist, pulling you in closer with her sweater-padded hands and kissing you again and again.

The crowd claps for you, happy to see such an ending.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Lisa

I couldn't choose between these two gifs so enjoy both for the price of one ^^^

Lisa Manoban: Cocky, smug, and self-assured. The dancer knew she was hot shit, and she wasn't afraid to show off.

You're all for people being confident and happy with themselves, especially when they're talented, but something about Lisa always seemed to rub you the wrong way.

Whether it be her lack of a filter or the arrogant swagger that she naturally exuded, you weren't sure. People wanted to either be her or be with her, but you fell into neither of those categories.

She always left you frustrated in one way or another, whether it be from her teasing or her witty comebacks

The teachers loved her, as did the students. She was the class clown, so her position was pretty sacred in the grand scheme of things

You, on the other hand, irritated her for other reasons. You were the only person she couldn't get to crack; you never gave into her charms, and it infuriated her to no end. She wasn't used to not getting what she wanted (as childish as that may seem) and having you, one of the most attractive girls at school, turn her down? Well that was a massive blow to her ego.

You weren't afraid to say your piece, and that both pleasantly surprised and upset her.

She constantly tried to flirt with you in class, but you knew it was all for the attention. She just wanted to make her friends laugh, which they always did.

"Y/N, come here babe. There's an empty seat next to me," she coos, batting her eyelashes as you walk in the door. It's a free day, so everyone is sitting with their friends, wherever they like.

"I'm good," you decline, deciding to sit against the wall beneath the large window of the classroom.

"Oooo, denied," Lisa's friends laugh at her this time, chuckling harder when she sticks her middle finger up at them.

"Yah, shut up," she says, nursing her bruised ego as she turns around and opens her phone.

You smile as you continue working on the homework you cracked open, scribbling an answer down onto the notebook paper in front of you. Your fingers glide over your textbook in search of the definition of the term you're on, and Lisa secretly watches from afar. Without realizing it, she grins when you light up upon spotting the answer.

Sometimes her flirting does work, though, and you turn into a blushing mess

*whistle* "Damn, Y/N. You're looking fine today," she exclaims, fanning herself. You worry that she doesn't really mean it, but when her eyes remain on you a second too long to just be friendly, you blush. She's taking in all of you, looking impressed all the while.

"Right back at you, Manoban." You wink, sitting down in your seat across the room. She lightly blushes back, though she does a good job of concealing it.

Considering you share a couple classes and the class sizes are relatively small, it was pretty likely that you'd end up paired together eventually

You weren't happy about it, especially not after the way she had acted that week. Her cockiness had been at an all time high as of late, leaving you frustrated and upset. She was so full of herself; all you wanted to do was wipe that stupid smirk off her face.

"Y/N, you'll be paired with Lisa," your photography teacher informs, pushing her glasses up higher on the bridge of her nose.

"But Mrs. Ta--"

"Pairings are final," she cocks her head at you, persuading you to give in. With a sigh, you respond, "Yes ma'am," and attempt to ignore the sound of Lisa's friends high fiving each other in celebration.

The Turning Point

"My parents are gone for the rest of the week..." she says, holding the door open for you as you carry in your equipment. A hint of suggestiveness lies in it; she's alluding to exactly what you think she is, and you push her shoulder upon realizing it.

"Knock it off, Manoban."

"Okay, okay," she chuckles, listening to you for once. The surprise is clear on your face.

She leads you towards the backyard, where you set up one of your highest power cameras and turn it on. You have to create a gallery of different photos, all under the same theme. You both agreed to do a time-lapse of the sunset, and take pictures of the stars after.

Once she makes sure that the timer is set correctly and that the auto shut-off feature is enabled, she motions for you to follow her back into the house. You do, and she leads you into the kitchen.

"Do you want a snack?"

"Sure, do you have any ramen?"

She nods, quickly busying herself by bending down and searching through the cabinets. After she finds it, exclaiming a pleased, "Aha!", she tells you to go get comfortable in the living room.

Three minutes later, from your place on the couch, you begin to smell something burning. You scramble up and rush to the kitchen, only to find Lisa running around like a headless chicken, attempting to put out the small fire she started.

"HOW THE HELL DID YOU MANAGE TO BURN RAMEN?" You shout, though your tone isn't angry. You're just very shocked, and loud about it. You push her away from the pot, albeit gently, and get the flames to go down relatively quickly. You turn the burners off and put the pot in the sink, leaning against the counter to recover from the adrenaline rush.

"Oops?" She asks more so that says, with a growing smile evident in her voice.

You shake your head and chuckle despite yourself, turning around to face her. "You can order a pizza now to make up for that." You point a finger at her, grinning stupidly when she presses the tip of hers to it.

"Your wish is my command, princess."

Thankfully you're already walking away as she says that, so she doesn't get the satisfaction of seeing you blush.

---

"Lisa, I can't keep going." You groan out, sweat dripping down your face. The pizza you ate earlier is giving you a stomache ache, paired with the physical activity you're doing.

"Y/N, just a little longer, we're almost there," she huffs out, keeping her movements steady somehow. You're a mess by now, so you don't understand how she's still going.

A couple minutes later, the TV in front of you lights up, saying, "Awesome moves! You win!" as you collapse to the ground in a heap.

Why you agreed to play Just Dance with her after eating is beyond you.

"Good job," she compliments, grabbing your hand to high five herself with it.

"Yeah, yeah," you roll over, catching your breath.

She lays down beside you as you recover, telling jokes to hear that laugh that she loves so much. She prefers yours over anyone elses, so it's always such a reward when she gets you to crack up.

"We should probably head up now," she notes, realizing that the stars will be coming out soon. You agree, and she carefully helps you up.

"Here, I'll carry you," she turns, bending down so you can get on her back.

"Lisa, you can't carry me," you brush off, feeling insecurity bubble up again like it always does when you're offered a piggyback ride.

"Y/N, I promise that I can. Trust me," she reassures, looking into your eyes sincerely.

"Alright," you sigh, standing onto the couch to get on easier.

"See?" She asks, sliding her warm hands up your thighs to keep you secured against her. "I've got you, babe."

You tuck your head into the space between her shoulder and neck, inhaling the sweet scent of her perfume.

"I'm gonna punch you if you drop me," you whisper, feeling her laugh against you.

"Fair enough."

-----

Later, On The Rooftop

"Careful," she instructs, outstretching a hand to help you climb out the window. Her camera hangs around her neck, and she takes the cap off of the lense once you're both safely sitting on the roof.

"Wow," you sigh, gazing up at the sky in wonder. Her house is far enough away from the city that you're rewarded with a gorgeous view of the stars, unburdened by the industrial fog that hangs over the cosmopolis.

"It's beautiful out here," you say, looking back at her. You tense up a bit, not expecting her to already be looking at you.

"Sorry," she laughs at herself, looking away once she gets caught admiring you.

"It's okay," you reach down and gently squeeze her hand, making her blush lightly.

"Let's get started," you conclude, pointing at the camera. She nods, knowing that she'd never get the assignment done if you didn't step in to tell her to (considering she'd rather admire you), and she points the device to the sky.

After snapping a few pictures, she lays back in order to get a better vantage point of one of the star systems. She hands it to you after she's satisfied with her work, and you take your turn with it.

She notices that you keep brushing your hair out of the way when it falls in your face, so she decides to help you.

"Here," she says, saddling up behind you. She gathers your hair up, running her fingers through it to neatly pull it up for you. Thankfully she always keeps a spare tie on her wrist.

"Thanks," you smile, snapping another picture. The simple act warms your heart; she's being selfless for once, and helping you without even being asked. It's a refreshing change of pace.

"You're welcome." She chirps, sitting back down beside you.

-----

Later, In Her Bedroom

"Oh, I really like that one!" She says excitedly, pointing at the TV. Her phone, which is connected via Bluetooth and automatically receives pictures of her choosing from the camera, is displaying some of your best shots.

"Yeah, you did really well with that. I think we might beat everyone else if we use that as our cover piece."

Your compliment makes her momentarily shy, and she quickly realizes how much she loves your praise.

The two of you continue like that, reviewing the different pictures and choosing your favorites. She always finds ways to compliment yours, noting your technique or the filter you used, and it always makes you smile. She's different than you're used to, and it's throwing you for a loop, pleasantly surprising.

---

Lisa steps out of the room to go to the bathroom a few minutes later, leaving her phone connected to the TV. A ding sounds out across the space, pulling your attention away from the stack of notes laid out before you. Your eyes dart up to the screen, reading the text message that appeared at the top of it.

Austin ⛓: "Dude, did you get into her pants yet? We're literally betting over here 😂"

You blink a few times as their words sink in, making your chest hurt. You were really beginning to believe that you had been wrong about Lisa; clearly, though, your instincts were right.

Feeling betrayed, you shove your folders back into your bag and stand from the chair, willing yourself not to cry. The sound of the sink turning on lets you know that she's almost done, so you hurry your movements and make your way towards the door. She steps out into the hall just as you exit her room, looking at you with wide eyes.

"Woah, woah, woah, what's going on?" She asks with furrowed brows, approaching you. One of her hands lands on your arm, and you shrug it off as you brush past her without another word.

"Y/N, did I do something wrong?" She asks from the top of her staircase, watching as you walk towards her foyer.

"Why don't you ask Austin?" You bitterly call over your shoulder as you turn the knob, slipping out the front door. She hangs her head upon registering your words, realizing what must've happened. She makes a mental note to give him hell when she sees him again.

Tears sting your eyes as you exit the house, wrapping your jacket tighter around yourself. You should've known something like this would happen. The chilly night air bites at your skin, stealing more of its warmth away with every step you take. The temperature doesn't change your mind, though; you're upset, and you'd rather freeze out here than be face to face with her right now.

"Y/N, wait!" She calls after you, blasting out the front foor. Her footfalls sound off behind you, announcing her rapid approach, but you don't turn around. Realizing this, she darts in front of you, keeping you from walking any further.

"Please, don't go. He's an idiot, Y/N."

"He might he an idiot, but that doesn't take away what he said," you scowl, clenching your jaw. "Betting? Really, Lisa?" You ask quietly, hurt evident in your voice.

"It was a stupid thing they tried to convince me to do. I didn't want to, but I couldn't stop them from talking once you and I were paired up. That's not what I want, though. I'm not just in it for that."

"How am I supposed to believe that? This is your M.O., Lisa."

"It's different with you, I don't know why." That's a lie; she knows exactly why you're different than anyone else she's flirted with in the past.

You stand there before her, silently weighing your options. After seeing the pleading look in her eye, her dark orbs full of sincerity, you relent. "Just take me home. We'll work on it another day," you compromise, allowing her in just enough to take you home, but not enough to stay at her place any longer. You're still weary after a text like that, and you will be for a while.

"Thank you," she breaths a sigh of relief, clasping her hands behind herself as you begin walking back to her house. She notices you shiver on the way, and she slips her jacket off without hesitation to cover you. Neither of you have to say anything; one glance from you is enough for her, and she's content knowing you're warm.

The Fallout

From there on out she was always honest with you and actually spoke out when her friends tried to do something stupid

She still remained the charming class clown that she naturally is, just getting rid of the not-so-nice parts of herself

You slowly let her regain your trust, little by little

She did nice things for you on the daily, whether it be holding the door, carrying your books, or offering to buy you some lunch

"Morning, Y/N. Wanna grab some breakfast?" She asks, moving her head to the side towards the café at the center of campus.

"Sure," you smile, laughing when she celebrates.

She invites you to her dance perfomances

When she goes to championships, you're always first on her list of invites

"I want you there." She declares, handing you the flyer.

"You've got it," you decide, knowing there's no where you'd rather be. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

At said championship, she won the highest title and claimed victory for your school

You joined the rest of the team on the stage to celebrate, congratulating the solo dancer on her achievement.

"I'm so proud of you, Lis--"

She suddenly kisses you, clearly high off her win. She pulls back when she realizes what she just did, a worried look on her face.

"Shit, I'm sorry." She looks between your eyes, attempting to gauge your reaction.

"Get your ass back here," you order, feeling butterflies take flight when she eagerly presses her lips to yours again, wrapping her arms around you to spin you.

"Does this mean I'm forgiven?" She mumbles against your lips.

You squint, pretending to think about it. "Maybe... or maybe not."

Her subsequent gasp is quickly muffled by your kiss, which she can't seem to get enough of.

[phosphophy11ite]

Neon Genesis Evangelion Ep 6 "Rei II" -> Review/analysis ^_^

this is one of my favorite episodes! i know i keep saying this... but this time it's because it's the first time we get to hear more about rei. the episode starts with ramiel attacking unit 1. the angel sends some sort of laser blast thing and it hits unit 1, putting shinji in critical condition. shinji's evacuated and sent to the hospital, and then ramiel releases a drill, and starts drilling down to the geofront. nerv estimates that it'll take 10 hours for the drill to break through the last barrier, and so they'll have to figure out something fast. the situation is looking dire.

the fact that ramiel is even doing this is interesting. this angel somehow knows something about nerv, and knows that destroying nerv will pretty much wipe out humanity's last chance of survival, if that's what the angels are about anyway. it brings to question the angels' intelligence and motives. whats it trying to do?

ramiel is a formidable angel, and has an extremely tough AT field. if AT fields represent the walls we put around ourselves for protection, you know who else has a pretty strong AT field, an AT field that it seems nobody has been able to crack.... rei ayanami, the focus of this and the previous episode.

this episode is also the first example of misato's genius. she comes up with a ballsy plan to station the evas outside of ramiel's automatic shooting range and give them a giant rifle prototype that will be powered by all of japan. her plan has a success rate of 8.7%, which is significantly higher than some of her later ideas.

in the next scene, we see shinji in the hospital recovering from his injuries. he is visited by rei, who brings him food and tells him about misato's plan. shinji's is not too excited about any of this, and asks himself why he should even bother getting in the eva again. rei tells him that if won't it's fine, because ritsuko's prepared to sync unit 1 to rei instead in case shinji does leave. shinji tells rei that she doesn't understand what's he been through this last couple weeks, which is pretty ignorant on his part. i think he knows pretty well that if anyone could understand what he's going through it would be rei, but he's just saying that because shinji finds comfort in self-pity. rei doesn't debunk his statement, but simply says 'farewell' and leaves shinji's room. because it's a translation, it's unclear if this 'farewell' is meant to be read as a final goodbye, which would hint that rei doesn't expect shinji to pilot the eva again, or if she's just saying 'see ya.'

shinji decides not to run away, but i don't think he was ever seriously considering it in this episode. he and rei meet ritsuko and misato at the mountain where they're going to be firing their rifles. ritsuko and misato explain the plan. because shinji has a higher sync rate, he'll be in charge of shooting ramiel while rei and unit 0 will protect him with a shield if the need arises. the mission will commence at midnight.

shinji and rei wait for the mission to begin, and shinji notices rei appears very calm. he asks her how she can be, and she doesn't give much of an answer. then, shinji asks why it is that rei pilots the eva.

rei says that it's her "link." shinji asks if she means her link to gendo, and rei says to everyone. the purpose of her entire life has been to pilot the eva, and she says she has nothing else. this is a deep conversation for the two of them. it's not improbable to assume that this is the first time rei has opened up this much to anyone. she's broken down her wall, just a bit, and let shinji see her true motivations. a crack in her impenetrable AT field.

the clock strikes midnight. it's time for the mission to start, and both of them are aware they could die. rei tells shinji farewell, and here it feels much more like a final goodbye, and shinji seems to see it that way as well, and he makes a concerned face after rei says this.

the two of them get in their evas and shinji prepares to shoot ramiel. just as he presses the trigger, ramiel shoots its own laser blast towards unit 1. because of some physics stuff or whatever the blasts warp once they pass by each other, causing neither blast to hit their target.

this could 10000% me reading too much into it but this shot could represent how sometimes people make efforts to connect with others, but they miss. either because the other person dodges them, or because they get miscommunicated/misinterpreted and become 'warped', like shinji's efforts to connect with rei in episode 5.

ramiel shoots again, and shinji can't immediately fire back because he has to reload the rifle. rei stands in front of him with her shield and takes ramiel's laser blast head on. shinji manages to shoot ramiel just in the nick of time, and immediately after rushes to save rei. her entry plug is extremely hot, and just like his father shinji wastes no time in opening it with his (ok not so bare this time) bare hands.

once he opens it and finds rei safe, he starts crying. rei is confused about shinji's display of emotions, and says she doesn't know how to respond in situations like this. both of them are a bit emotionally unaware and awkward, or as ritsuko elegantly put it, "all thumbs when it comes to living". shinji tells her that smiling is a good start, and rei remembers gendo smiling at her.

yay!!! connection. just as shinji has broke down ramiel's super strong AT field, he has made connection with the isolated and quiet rei. i love this episode so much!!!!

[littleforksuperiority]

Unbelievable Chapter VI (Sherlock x Reader fanfic)

Links to Chapter I and Chapter VII

3248 words

Chapter VI

We made a quick stop at the police station to inform Lestrade of the situation. While John went in to handle everything, I stayed with Sherlock. No more than five minutes after John had left, Lestrade came running out amused over Sherlock’s condition.

‘You two are getting chummy, huh?’ he said, laughing over how Sherlock was practically laying on top of me. I rolled my eyes as he took some pictures. He promised that they would look for Irene, and we drove home.

Arriving at 221b I helped carry Sherlock to his room. He had finally fallen asleep and was no longer tensing his muscles.

‘Why don’t you go home and relax,’ John asked.

‘Thank you, but honestly, I’d rather just stay here and watch over Sherlock.’

‘But I assure you that he isn’t going anywhere the next couple of hours.’

‘I know but… I’d just like to be here, and make sure that he continues to feel alright.’

John sighed ‘alright then,’ and pulled one of the chairs from the dining table to the room. I sat down and continued to for the next few hours. When the clock hit 8 John asked if I could go get us some takeout. I realised that he may want to be with Sherlock when he woke up and decided to do so. I was lazy, so I just got us pizza from the pizzeria down the street. I ordered two ordinary Pizza’s. When I came back to the flat, I could hear Sherlock yelling, so I hurried into the room.

‘Where is she!?’ he asked.

‘What?’ asked John

‘Where is she?’

‘Oh, Irene Adler? She’s gone, no one can find her.’

Sherlock facepalmed. ‘Y/N’ he said. I came into the room a few seconds later. ‘You’re awake!’ I said, hugging Sherlock. He tensed up for a moment in surprise but then relaxed. As I moved away Sherlock stumbled. ‘Sherlock! Are you okay?!’

‘Okay? I am always okay.’ He mumbled.

��Go back to sleep. I’m sure you’re hungry, but just sleep some more, and you’ll feel better again.’

‘I’m fine!’ Sherlock mumbled.

‘Definitely. Tiptop condition. But please get some rest.’ Sherlock crawled back into bed, and I laid the duvet over him. John and I then walked out of the room. Walking out I noticed that Sherlock’s coat was hanging on his door. Didn’t Irene take it?

‘Sorry if I ruined your romantic moment there,’ I said to John. He sighed. ‘There’s more romance between you two than me and him,’ he responded. I froze. ‘Yeah right!’ I said and sat down to eat the pizza. Doing dinner John and I talked about work and such. He then asked about my education and I about his time in the army. It was nice to have a conversation with him. And it didn’t get boring. You see, I am usually not really one for small talk. As I looked at the clock, I realised that we had talked for two hours. It was 10:23, so I decided to head straight for bed. I was still worried for Sherlock. I had really grown to care for him. I sighed. John was going to look out for him.

---

As the alarm clock rang, I quickly got dressed and hurried upstairs to flat b. John opened the door as I knocked. ‘Sherlock’s still out cold,’ he said.

‘But he’s alright?’

‘Looks like it.’

I smiled. Thank God. Then I heard something from Sherlock’s room. I went over to the door and knocked. No response. I knocked again. Still no response. Worried if he’d had fallen off the bed, or some other way injured himself, I went in. Sherlock was still in his bed, sleeping. He looked so peaceful. I smiled. Then another sound came from the cloak on the door. It was… a woman… moaning? Wtf. I went over to the cloak and reached into the pocket. In there was nothing but a phone. There were three unopened messages. They read as follows:

‘Till the next time, Mr Holmes’

‘Good morning, Mr Holmes’

‘Feeling better?’

Were these… texts from Irene? How did she get his phone number? Oh. She came over to return the coat. But when? The jacket had appeared yesterday, and I’d been there the entire time, except for when I went down for pizzas. Had she visited while I was away? But John had been there! I sighed over the fact that I couldn’t figure it out.

‘Y/N?’ a voice said behind me. I put the phone back and turned around, to see Sherlock awake, but still lying in bed. He had a dazed look over him.

‘Good morning, Sherlock. How are you feeling?’

‘Fine. I’m fine,’ he replied. Oh, Sherlock. When would he learn that it was alright to admit when you are feeling down? John came into the room, as he had heard the sound of Sherlock’s voice.

‘Did you wake him up?’ he whispered with a disappointed look on his face.

‘I didn’t mean to, I only sighed!’ I said defensively.

‘No, she didn’t wake me up, John.’ Sherlock replied and tried to stand up. I rushed over to him as he fell.

‘Oh Sherlock, you klutz.’ I helped him back into bed and ruffled his hair. He looked at me with the same dazed look as before. It was a rare sight, seeing Sherlock all confused. ‘Now go back to sleep. No, you mustn’t work on another case today.’ Sherlock grunted, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. Then I wished the boys goodbye and hurried to the tube. I was late. Again.

As I hurriedly arrived at James’s, I apologised to a waiting customer for the waiting time and thanked her for staying. I quickly unlocked the door and got on with work. Of course, getting on with work was not exactly difficult. As soon as I had served the lady, I arranged some new books that had arrived in the night. All this was soon done, so I returned to my book from ereyesterday near the end of my shift, I heard the bell chime and looked up to see a familiar face. James. Funny how he was called James and the bookshop I work in was called James’s. For a moment the thought of the name James being a fake one. Nah. That stuff only happens in movies. This is not a movie. Not even a proper book.

‘Am I interrupting?’ James asked with a small grin. Oh right. I suppose time doesn’t stop when you think like it does in movies. I looked down apologetically.

‘I came by here yesterday, but you weren’t here. I thought maybe I’d done something wrong, and you were avoiding me.’

‘Oh no, no! It just turns out that drinking on a work night is stupid. Also, I cannot hold my liquor.’ James chuckled.

‘I see. So, I did nothing wrong?’

‘Of course not, James. I’m sorry for ruining our date night.’ He chuckled

‘You didn’t ruin anything Y/N. I’m sorry for not noticing how much you drank.’

‘Oh James, that was my fault, not yours. Would you come over to my place after my shift? We can have a new date night. One without booze.’

He pretended to think for a little while and then said, ‘sure.’ I smiled.

James stayed at the book shop for the rest of my shift, and when I was done, he got a cab for us. He opened the door for me both on the way home, and when we arrived. He asked me about my day. Of course, I couldn’t be completely honest about yesterday, but I did tell him that I was hanging out with my neighbours. When I mentioned that they were men, a jealous face came over him. I giggled and I became flushed.

When we arrived at Baker Street, luckily Sherlock wasn’t there as usually was. I introduced my flat to James, and he put on a rom-com movie while I made some snacks. Popcorn and fresh-cut fruit. As we watched the movie, we couldn’t help but talk.

‘So, you really like kids? Do you plan on having children?’ I asked. He looked shocked. ‘Oh, shit, that’s probably not something you ask on second dates, right?’ I said with a grimace. I’d really f-ed this up.

‘No, it’s fine. Yes. I do plan on having kids, although I do want to settle down first,’ he said, sternly, which made me nervous. ‘Right, yes…’ I stuttered. He looked at me. Stared in fact. And then he burst out laughing, which made my face incredibly hot, and most definitely red. That made him laugh harder.

‘I’m just kidding Y/N,’ he smiled, which made me even more embarrassed, so he lightly petted my hair, moving slightly closer to me to do so. His dark eyes showed nothing but pure adoration at that moment.

As time went on, we stopped talking to pay attention to the movie. It was one of those cliché ones, which I normally do not watch, but being with James and watching this movie just felt right. The main character was called Josephine and she was not interested in falling in love. Then, she moved into a new flat. Her neighbour was a guy called Ronald. He was a real douchebag. But, as the movie went on, they became closer, and she saw a whole new side of him. A protective and caring side. She slowly but surely fell in love with him. I couldn’t help but think of Sherlock and me. Not because I was in love or anything, but I did move into a flat, and my neighbour did seem like a douche sometimes, although he wasn’t.

At some point, I think about halfway through the two-hour movie, I began to feel sleepy, and laid my head on James’s shoulder. I suppose it could be seen as an intimate thing to do, but I was just tired, and I, therefore, did not notice that. I tried my best to stay awake, but my eyelids quickly became heavy. Just a little while longer, I thought. Then, I woke up by James moving a little. I think he checked if I was awake. I stayed like this with closed eyes, as I realised how weird it was for me to just lean in on him. Then, I felt him move again, softly touching my head. He kissed my head. I sat up, and he looked at me surprised.

‘I- I’m sorry!’ he stuttered. I just smiled and said, ‘It’s alright James. I was just surprised, that’s all.’ He smiled back. His smile gave me butterflies in my stomach, so I embarrassedly looked away so that he wouldn’t see my flushed cheeks. He chuckled and took my head in his hand. Then he turned it to look at him. I tried to find something to look at, other than his dark beautiful eyes, but failed. Then he leaned in and closed them. As I felt his soft lips on mine, the butterflies exploded. A firework had gone off in both my mind and stomach. It was amazing. I kissed him back and closed my eyes. Did I actually like this guy?

Then the door to my flat opened. ‘Y/N, do you-‘ I head Sherlock say. Then he saw the two of us and stopped. ‘Oh.’ I leaned away from James.

‘Sherlock, what are you doing here?’ I said as I gave an apologetic look to the man who I had just kissed. James didn’t turn around but continued to look at me, confused.

‘I just wanted to ask you something, but I see you’re busy,’ he started to walk out. I quickly walked after him and closed the door.

‘Couldn’t you have knocked?’ I asked softly. Sherlock looked down at the floor.

‘I didn’t know you had a boyfriend.’

‘I don’t.’

‘Didn’t look that way.’

I punched him lightly in the shoulder. ‘What did you want to ask?’ I asked.

‘I wanted to introduce you to a previous case. Or rather, the guy behind it, because he’s still out there, and I want you to tell me if you see him.’

‘Does this have anything to do with Irene Adler?’

‘No.’

‘Then can it please wait till tomorrow morning? I looked at him. He sighed.

‘Alright.’ I then went back into my flat. James had moved over to the TV, fidgeting with his hands. ‘Who was that he asked.

‘Just my neighbour, Sherlock.’

James looked me in the eyes and said, ‘neighbour? Nothing more?’

I chuckled no in response. Of course not. He was Sherlock.

‘The way he said ‘oh’ when he saw us. It was…’

I looked at him. At James. Was he serious? ‘James, I promise you there’s nothing between him and me. I’m not even sure if he’s even able to feel anything like that. Romantic probably isn’t even a word in his vocabulary.’

He looked me in the eyes with a light smile. ‘Then… I suppose you wouldn’t mind if I asked you to mine?’

My eyes dilated. Did he seriously just ask that? This was only our second date; we barely even knew each other. He kept eye contact. My face had turned red again. Shit, shit, shit. He chuckled again. I didn’t know what to say, so I mumbled ‘okay’ while looking down at the ground.

‘I didn’t quite hear that.’

‘No, I wouldn’t mind, actually. So, yes.’

He grabbed my face and moved it forwards, pulling me into a kiss. Just like before it was magical, but I wasn’t so sure that I was girlfriend material, so to say. He looked at me understandingly.

‘It’s fine Y/N. You’re amazing.’ He said smiling. And I smiled back as he kissed me. But I couldn’t stop thinking about what he had said about Sherlock. Or implied at least. Of course, I knew it wasn’t true but…

Then James got a call. Apparently, he had to leave. He quickly muttered sorry and hurried out of the flat. I should’ve felt disappointed. I mean after all; he did just ask me to be his girlfriend. But I didn’t. I didn’t feel anything.

I went to bed after that.

---

As I woke up the following morning, I heard the same violin play again. After I had gotten dressed and done my makeup, I went up to 221b. Both to find out who was playing, and to talk to Sherlock about this guy that he spoke about yesterday when I was with… James.

Walking into the flat, I could see that some things had been moved slightly, but that does happen when two people live in a flat, so I didn’t take any big notice of it. Walking further in, I saw Sherlock, who was playing the violin. It was a melodramatic tune. When he heard me come nearer, he stopped to look at me.

‘It sounds beautiful Sherlock. I’ve never heard the melody before, is it your own.’

‘Mhm. I’m composing. Helps me think.’

‘What are you thinking about?’ I said, walking closer.

Sherlock quickly put down the violin. ‘The counter on John’s blog is still stuck at one thousand eight hundred and ninety-five.’

I went over to look at it. ‘Is it not just faulty?’

‘Faulty – or he’s been hacked and it’s a message.’ He said and quickly pulled a phone out of his pocket. He then typed something in and sighed.

‘Hacked?’ I asked befuddled.

‘No. Just faulty.’ He said and picked up the violin again.

‘Actually Sherlock, I came to ask you about the guy you talked about yesterday.’

‘Oh, right. When you were with your “not-boyfriend”.’

I sighed. Should I tell him? ‘Actually Sherlock…’ he looked at me with a look in his eyes that I couldn’t distinguish. ‘Never mind. Yes, him.’

‘The guy I talked about is called Jim Moriarty. He likes to play games with me. Last time was the first time I ever heard about him. He held innocent people hostage and made me solve cases to save them.’

‘That’s brutal!’ I said, shocked.

‘Yes.’ He said and looked me in the eyes, ‘I don’t want you to get hurt, so if you ever hear anything about anyone called Moriarty or Jim, then tell me. He has dark brown eyes and hair.’

I nodded. ‘Okay. Thank you, Sherlock.’ Then I walked out of the flat.

‘By the way,’ Sherlock shouted, ‘Irene is dead.’ I turned around to look at him. Really? Then I walked out to get to work.

As I walked out of the building, a woman said, ‘Y/N?’

‘Yes, hello?’ Then a black car came rolling next to me.

‘Please get in, miss,’ the woman said.

‘Is this Mycroft?’ I asked, but the woman just sniggered and led me into the car. Soon, we arrived at an abandoned building. Through later research, I found out that it was the Battersea Power Station, but that’s unimportant.

‘Couldn’t we just have met at a café like last time?’ I asked. The woman didn’t speak, but just lead me through the building, typing on her phone. Then she stopped and said, ‘through there.’ I hesitated to walk away from her, as I found it weird that she didn’t want to come with me, but then walked in there anyways. Behind me, I could hear her footsteps walking away. Soon, I arrived at a large room. ‘Mycroft?’ I shouted. Then a woman walked in. Her high heels clicked on the floor, her hair put up, and overall, she looked as beautiful as ever.

‘Hello, miss L/N.’ She said as she stopped a couple of feet away from me.

‘I thought you were dead?’ I said.

‘DNA tests are only as good as the records you keep.’ She answered, smiling.

‘And you knew what the record keeper liked. Right?’

‘I needed to disappear.’

I tilted my head. ‘Then why show yourself to me?’

She sighed in response. ‘Look, I made a mistake. I sent something to Sherlock for safe-keeping and now I need it back, so I need your help.’

‘Why don’t you do it yourself?’

‘I can’t. It’s for his own safety.’

‘Fine. Then I’ll tell him.’ I started to walk away. I had work you know.

‘What would I say? To tell him I was alive.’ Irene quickly said.

‘I don’t know. What do you normally say? You’ve texted him, haven’t you?’

She took out her phone and said, ‘just the usual stuff.’

‘What’s the usual stuff?’

She looked down and started to read aloud; ‘“Good morning”; “I like your funny hat”; “I’m sad tonight. Let’s have dinner” ... “You looked sexy on ‘Crimewatch.’ Let’s have dinner”; “I’m not hungry, let’s have dinner”.’

Woah. Calm yourself girl.

‘You flirted with Sherlock Holmes?!’

‘At him. He never replies.’

‘Sherlock always replies – to everything. He’s Mr Punchline. He will outlive God trying to have the last word.’

‘Does that make me special?’

‘Probably. In his defence, you are very pretty.’

‘Are you jealous?’

‘We’re not a couple.’

‘Yes, you are. There ...’ She held up her phone to show me what she had typed. ‘I’m not dead. Let’s have dinner.’ It said. She then pressed send. An orgasmic sound came not far away. I turned around. Sherlock? Had he followed me? I started walking towards the sound but stopped as it was too dark to see anything.

‘I don’t think so. Do you?’ Irene asked. I didn’t know.

[bibbawrites]

Surprise! - Dad!Owen x Pregnant!Female Reader

Request: NONE

Word Count: 2133 words

Summary: Part 2 of the Dad!Owen series, you reveal to your friends and family that you’re having a baby

Warnings: swearing

A/N: okay here we go, telling your friends and family that you’re pregnant!  as i said in a post the other day, i didnt realise that on survey monkey you could only see 40 results for free so the baby name survey had to end, but if you didnt get a chance to vote and would like to please let me know and i can set up an alternate way to vote :) without further ado, i hope you enjoy! 

Charlie:

The first person who ended up finding out about your pregnancy was Charlie. You had meant to tell your families first, before anyone else, but things didn’t work out as planned.

It was three days after you had found out, and you and Owen were still buzzing. Charlie had been eyeing the two of you suspiciously the last few days, but didn’t call you out on your oddly happy behaviour until that night.

The boys had come home from set, only filming for a couple of hours to re-shoot a scene that needed changing slightly, and you decided to surprise them with pizza from all three of your favourite pizza place. Owen always texted you when they left set, so you knew exactly when to order the pizza to have it arrive just as the boys did.

And your timing was perfect, the pizza arriving almost in unison with your boyfriend and his best friend.

“Y/N, we’re home! You ordered pizza?” Owen called, and you left your bedroom to head to the kitchen, smiling at the boys.

“Figured you could use a treat after filming. Plus I didn’t feel like cooking, so...” You grinned, wrapping your arms around Owen, who lent down to kiss you gently, his hand resting on your stomach for a brief moment before he pulled away, not wanting Charlie to get any more suspicious.

You and Owen headed over to the table where Charlie had placed the pizza and sat down, waiting for Charlie, who had gone to grab drinks.

“Do you want your wine Y/N?” Charlie questioned, placing a beer on the table for himself and one for Owen. You shook your head.

“No thanks, I’m good.” You replied.

“But you love wine with your pizza.” Charlie frowned.

“Not tonight, thanks.” You said, hoping that he would give up.

“Are you feeling okay?” He asked. You nodded.

“Yeah I am.” You told him, picking up a slice of pizza and exchanging a look with Owen, silently begging him to step in.

“She’s got this... thing.” Owen chimed in lamely. Charlie frowned again, before a realisation hit him.

“Holy fuck, you’re pregnant.” He exclaimed. Your eyes widened. Owen choked on his beer.

“What? Why would you think that?” Your voice was slightly shaky.

“You always have wine with pizza, no matter what. And that would explain why you two have been so nauseatingly happy the last couple of days.” Charlie reasoned. You glanced at Owen.

“You can’t tell anyone.” You said after a moment. Charlie’s smile widened.

“So you are pregnant?” He asked, and you nodded. He cheered.

“I’m gonna be an uncle!” You giggled at his excited reaction, watching as he hugged Owen happily, and then rushed around the table to throw his arms around you.

He pulled away, placing a hand on your stomach hesitantly. You gave him a reassuring smile.

“I can’t believe there’s a baby in there.” He said softly, kneeling down next to your chair. Owen copied, kneeling down on the other side.

“Right?” Owen’s voice was just as quiet. “My little girl.”

“We don’t know if it’s a girl Owen.” You reminded him. He shook his head.

“I just know it. There’s no way she’s not a girl.” He replied, and you rolled your eyes slightly.

“Can we go back to eating the pizza now?” You said, and the boys agreed, standing up and sitting back in their chairs.

And with that, the first person knew.

Savannah:

The second person to find out was Savannah. You had been pretty sick, dealing with morning sickness, so Savannah decided what you needed was a little bit of retail therapy. 

Which is how you found yourself trailing behind your best friend as she dragged you from store to store. And everything had been going perfectly fine, until you passed a smoked meat store, and the smell set off your nausea. 

“Sav, I think I’m gonna be sick.” You warned, and she reacted quickly, rushing you into the nearby bathrooms and holding your hair back as you emptied the contents of your stomach into the toilet. 

Once you were done you leant back against the wall of the stall, not even caring that you were sat on the floor of a public toilet. Savannah offered you her water bottle and you took it gratefully, swishing the water around your mouth before spitting it into the bowl and flushing the toilet. 

“Are you okay? You’ve been pretty sick and I’m kinda getting worried about you.” Savannah questioned. You paused for a moment, before deciding how to respond. Hopefully Owen wouldn’t mind another person knowing your secret. 

“I’m pregnant.” You admitted quietly, not wanting anyone in another stall to overhear. Savannah gasped, throwing her arms around your neck. You hugged her back gently. 

“This is amazing Y/N.” She exclaimed. “I can’t believe I’m gonna be an aunty!” 

“You can’t tell anyone yet, other than Owen only Charlie knows.” You told her as she let you go. She nodded quickly. 

“Your secret’s safe with me.” She promised. You grinned, letting her pull you off the floor. 

“Now, can we go look at baby clothes?” Savannah questioned once you were both on your feet. You smiled happily. 

“Of course we can.” You agreed, linking your arm through hers as you headed out of the toilets, so excited that you had another person who you could talk about baby things with. 

Owen’s Mum/Family:

Next was Owen’s mum, who had come to visit for a few days. You had thought of a brilliant way to tell her, after hearing how much she enjoyed building with nano blocks. 

You had gone out before Owen had arrived home from the airport with his mum, and you had picked out the perfect present, wrapping it nicely. 

Finally the time came to give her the parcel, as she sat across from you and Owen in the living room later that night. 

Owen handed her the box, the card you had written on to clarify the situation grasped firmly in his hand as he waited anxiously, his foot tapping.

His mother ripped off the wrapping paper, finding a box of large lego blocks, the kind designed for babies and small children. She looked up, confused, and Owen held out the card.

“Read it out loud.” You prompted.

She took the card, opening the envelope and pulling it out, before opening it up.

“I can’t wait to build with you. Lots of love, your future granddaughter or grandson.” She read out. She gasped, looking between the two of you.

“Are you having a baby?” She questioned. You and Owen nodded. Her hand covered her mouth as she began to cry.

“I'm gonna be an Oma?” She asked, as Owen got up from his spot next to you to go hug his mother.

“You can be whatever you want to be called.” He replied. His mother smiled tearily, holding an arm out for you to join the hug. You grinned, sitting down on her other side and letting her pull you into the hug.

“Can I tell the rest of the family?” She asked, still in the hug.

“Maybe don’t tell everyone yet, cause we’re only 10 weeks, but you can tell Dad and Luka, and everyone else I guess. Just no extended family.” Owen replied.

“Okay I can do that. Congratulations, both of you.” She said, and you both thanked her in quiet voices. 

She stood up, grabbing the box of lego and the card. 

“I’m off to bed if I can manage to sleep. Tomorrow we’re going nursery furniture shopping.” She told you, and before either of you could protest she was gone. 

“Well that went well.” You giggled and Owen nodded in agreement. 

“Three down, only a few more to go.” He said. You made a noise in agreement, snuggling into his side to watch a movie, and you fell asleep with his hands resting gently on your stomach.

Your Family:

Next to learn about the baby was your family. To tell them you had sent them a parcel, with the instructions to call you on facetime before opening it.

You, Owen and Charlie were curled up on the couch, Owen’s head resting just below your stomach and Charlie’s head in your lap, when your phone rang, signifying you had an incoming facetime.

Owen sat up and picked up your phone, handing it to you before curling into your side, and you smiled when you saw it was your mum calling.

“I assume they got the box then.” You spoke before answering, your mum, dad and big brother appearing on the screen.

“Hi guys!” You greeted. “Got the parcel?”

“We did, can we open it now?” Your mum questioned. Charlie glanced at you.

“Want me to leave?” He asked quietly, and both you and Owen shook your heads.

“You can stay.” Owen said softly. You turned your attention back to your family.

“Okay, open it.” You instructed, and your dad ripped the box open, pulling out four smaller boxes, one for each of them and a fourth, which was one of the positive pregnancy tests.

“One at a time?” Your mum suggested and you shook your head.

“Same time, or it will ruin the surprise.”

You watched as they ripped into the boxes, each pulling out a t-shirt.

“Promoted to Nanna?” Your mum read out, a confused look on her face.

“Mine says promoted to Poppy.” Your dad said. You grinned, waiting for the penny to drop.

“Oh shit, you’re not.” Your brother realised, and you laughed.

“Open the last box.”

“How have they not gotten it?” Charlie questioned under his breath, and Owen giggled at the comment.

Your mum pulled the pregnancy test out and gasped, finally realising.

“You’re having a baby!” She exclaimed.

“Surprise!” You laughed.

“When?” Your dad asked.

“Not for a while now, I’m only 11 weeks.”

“Congratulations!” Your mum smiled happily. 

You returned her smile and after a few more minutes explaining, you said your goodbyes and hung up. 

“Now it’s only the cast.” You said, and Owen nodded, repositioning himself so that his head rested next to Charlie’s in your lap. Charlie unpaused the movie you had been watching and you rested your head on the couch. 

This whole thing was getting very real. 

The Cast - Jeremy, Madi, Carolynn, Jadah and Kenny

Finally the time came to tell the cast.

“So, what do you guys think about having a baby around on set?” You questioned casually. Carolynn gasped and Jeremy shot her a concerned look.

“Babies are pretty loud.” Madi replied.

“Yeah, they probably wouldn’t be good to have when you have to be quiet on set.” Jadah agreed. You bit your lip to stop yourself from laughing. You met Carolynn’s eyes and she gave you an excited look. You nodded slightly and she squealed, ignoring the weird looks she was getting from Jeremy.

“Why are we talking about babies?” Kenny questioned, sitting back down.

“Y/N asked about babies being on set.” Jadah told him.

“As in working babies or?” Kenny asked and you shook your head.

“Just babies in general.” Owen chimed in.

“Wait...” Madi spoke up, realisation slowly appearing on her face. “Are you pregnant?”

You grinned sheepishly, taking a sip of your drink. The table erupted in noise, everyone excitedly talking over each other, asking all sorts of questions.

“Oh my god shut up.” Charlie yelled over the noise, and the table went quiet. “One at a time.”

“How far along are you?” Carolynn asked.

“12 weeks yesterday.” You replied.

“How long have you known?” Jadah was next to ask her question.

“About 6 weeks.” Owen answered for you. “We wanted to wait a bit.”

“I knew the whole time.” Charlie boasted.

“Only because you live with us and there’s no way we would have been able to hide it from you.” You told him.

“When do you find out if it’s a boy or a girl?” Madi asked.

“She’s a girl.” Owen said. You groaned.

“Stop saying that. We don’t know yet and we won’t know for a little while, but Mr Psychic here seems to be convinced that it’s a girl.” You sighed slightly. 

“I just know it.” Owen said with a huff. 

“Any more questions?” You asked quickly, before he could get sulky. 

“I have one, do you know what a condom is?” Jeremy joked. Madi and Jadah gasped, both hitting his arm.

“We are children.” Jadah reminded him. You laughed.

“Yes.” You answered simply. Jeremy laughed. 

“Fair enough then.” 

You sat back and listened as the conversation moved into baby names, with everyone throwing out suggestions. 

You smiled softly, placing a hand on your stomach. Somehow this had become your life, and you wouldn’t change it for the world. 

[thekidultlife]

Plot: After an unexpected encounter with Yoon Jeonghan during a baby shower, more memories unfold from your mind, and his.

Genre: slice of life, angst

Pairing: Jeonghan + fem!reader + Mingyu

Warnings: a bit of explicit language

A/N: Many thanks to my incredibly amazing beta reader, @secndlife​, for helping me make this beautiful! Also, I would like to express my gratitude to @xuseokgyu​ for taking the time to make lovely banners and even a teaser for this series! You are both a joy to work with and I am so blessed to have you both help me. 🧡 Lastly, to our followers and readers who are continually supporting this blog despite its inactivity, thank you! More details about my future works will be addressed after this fic.

Taglist: @haotheheckk, @jeonjungkaka, @soonhoonsol, @fluffyhyeju, @minkwans​

“If you love me like you tell me, please be careful with my heart. you can take it, just don’t break it — or my world will fall apart.”

🍁🎧🧡

The cobbled pavements of the narrow alley you were walking on were damp from the rain that had recently poured. It was chipped and uneven in some places, and your thin-strapped sandals would sometimes slip and get stuck between the cobblestones. Despite the imperfections of this street, you had come to love it, just like every other self-respecting college student living around the vicinity. Behind you, the signage of restaurants and thrift stores flashed in bright neon blues and violets, blending with the honey-golden glow of the lights coming from the shops and apartment buildings that rose around you.

This alley was the most beautiful place to go to in the city. 

It was a beautiful Saturday night, too, and in your opinion, you had spent it well.

You were walking back to the dorms with your friends and a couple of seniors. You were in the back of the group, where it was quieter. Clutching your arm was Jung Mirae, one of your roommates, who was struggling to walk straight after too many beers. 

In the process of half-dragging Mirae, an alarm from your phone rang. You hasted to get it switched off. 

Bright laughter pierced the stillness as the ones just a few steps ahead of you, Park Hyewon and Lee Joonyoung, your best friends besides Mirae, kept on cracking jokes that would make the whole group roar with laughter. You giggled at their ridiculousness occasionally while trying to keep Mirae on her feet. 

Hangout nights are incomplete without these two, you thought to yourself, as you studied long-legged, pink-haired Hyewon and the tall, broad-shouldered Joonyoung. You watched as they made mean comments at each other and then made up for the teasing by giving each other kisses.

“Gross!” someone called out from behind you, and you could not help but smile. 

Joonyoung turned around and playfully gave the finger to the person who had shouted out. "Go get yourself a girlfriend, Sunwoo! It's clear to me that you’re in need of love.” 

The group snickered at Joonyoung's words.

As you listened to everyone talk about how good the night was and how hellish the next week would be with final exams coming up, you felt cold fingers touch your cheek.

You turned to Mirae, who was looking up at you with quizzical—albeit drunken—eyes. 

“Hey, Y/N." Mirae’s voice was loud and clear in the narrow alley. You brushed her hand away gently. "Why are you crying?” 

“What do you mean?” You put a hand over her mouth and tried to tell her to stop spouting off nonsense, but it was then that you felt it—the wet trickle of tears on your face. Surprised, you wiped them away with your hand.

It was true.

You were crying.

The walking paused. Footsteps ceased over the cobbled pavement as everyone halted to look over at you. Your cheeks reddened at the unwanted attention.

“Y/N, is something wrong? Here, let me have Mirae.” One of your classmates reached out to take Mirae.

“Thank you.” I think I drank too much, you despaired, as you kept wiping at your face and waving people away. You made attempts to control your emotions, but nothing could stop the tears from coursing down your cheeks.

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” you kept saying over and over with a hoarse voice that almost didn’t sound like you. “Keep walking, please! Don’t mind me. I think I just drank too much.” You gave a shaky laugh and rubbed your eyes. “I get like this sometimes. Sorry.” 

“You did not drink too much tonight, though,” someone commented dubiously. The others agreed and continued to look at you with confused expressions. "You never do."

“Jin-ah is right. And you don’t ‘get like this sometimes,’ babe.” Just a few feet away from you and leaning against Joonyoung, Hyewon crossed her arms. Her face, full of concern over your sudden outburst of emotions, made her look as though she hadn’t spent the night drinking as much as the guys did. “What's wrong?” 

“I really don’t know, to be honest.” You pushed a strand of hair away from your face and made a poor attempt to smile at Hyewon. "I think it’s just the beer. Really."

Hyewon looked like she didn’t want to stop questioning you.

Please don’t ask me anything more, you begged with your eyes.

Joonyoung nudged Hyewon casually.

"Okay." Hyewon shrugged as she reluctantly conceded to your lame answers. She walked up to you, linked her arm with yours, and turned to grin at the others placatingly. “Let’s go home for real, gang! I think my girlfriend here just needs to sleep.”

Everyone nodded, put on happy faces, and eagerly put the awkward scene behind them. They once again started with the jokes and laughter and even managed to loop you into their silly conversations. However, their eyes avoided you most of the time, and their jokes were careful. You sensed that nobody wanted to have any part in pulling any triggers you might have. Tonight was no time to be sad. With finals coming up, no one needed any sort of emotional baggage. You felt bad for making them cautious, but you were also grateful for their thoughtfulness about your feelings.

The happy atmosphere became short-lived, though, as five minutes later, a sound cut through the alley and through the facades that everyone was putting up for your sake. It made all of them stop in their tracks once more. Even Hyewon stiffened beside you. 

The sound perfectly explained everything that was going on with you, and there was no hiding it now.

Your alarm was playing again. 

“Oh, fuck.” Hyewon let out a huge breath and squeezed her eyes shut. She looked as though she was trying to block out the sound. “Y/N, for goodness’ sake, don’t be an idiot. Don’t listen to it. Turn it off—”

But of course, like an idiot, you listened.

“Hey there. If you find yourself listening to this, then it means we have made it to Year 3. Please meet me at the same place where we are tonight: the art pier, one hour before the day ends. I'll be the stupid-looking guy standing by the yacht statue while holding too many roses. I love you. Happy Anniversary!"

This alarm shouldn’t be ringing—because you didn’t make it to Year 3.

“Please turn it off.”

Joonyoung, who was right behind you, reached for your bag, rummaged inside, and pulled out your phone. Glaring at the screen, he shut it off and dropped the phone in the bag again.

The alleyway was silent for a while.

Hyewon sighed. And then she leaned against you and said softly, “Let’s go home.”

The cobbled pavements of the narrow alley you were still walking on were damp from the rain that had recently poured. Hands would steady you from behind when your thin-strapped sandals would slip and get stuck between the loose cobblestones. No one drunk should walk on this alley with its imperfect pavements, but you had come to love it, just like every other self-respecting college student living around the vicinity. As you passed, the signage of restaurants and thrift stores flashed in bright neon blues and violets before melting into the ever-constant amber colors of the street lights.

This alley was the most beautiful place to go to in this city. 

It was a beautiful Saturday night, too, and in your opinion, you had spent it well. But you weren’t supposed to spend this night here. Not in this place, despite its beauty, no. 

You were supposed to be somewhere else. 

You were supposed to be with someone else.

“I know that everybody here is trying to be nice, but let me say it for all of you here, so you don’t have to wonder how it sounds.” Joonyoung kicked a crumpled beer can out of his way as he walked. “Fuck Yoon Jeonghan.”

“Oh, please, Lee Joonyoung.” Hyewon sounded tired. “Thank you for making Y/N more miserable.”

“What do you mean? Bubs, I’m not the douchebag who—ah, whatever.” Joonyoung shrugged and flung middle fingers up the sky. “Wherever you are, Yoon Jeonghan, fuck you!” 

“He’s completely drunk,” Hyewon said apologetically, looking around her; some of the campus seniors with you were friends of Jeonghan’s. “Sorry.” And then, looking at Joonyoung exasperatedly, she hissed, “Joonyoung. Cut it out.” 

“Let him be,” you said in a drained voice, “let him be.”

You were supposed to be with Yoon Jeonghan tonight, but you weren’t. He was long gone, and all you have left of him was something that you had somehow forgotten to remove, something you wished so desperately to forget. 

All you have left of him was his voice—frozen in time through that alarm.

The rest was memories and history. 

🍁🎧🧡

Mingyu sips from a coffee mug and nods in understanding as you finish speaking. He leans back on one of the steps of the townhouse, where you both sit. Cars drive down your neighborhood street, their headlights coloring the concrete road with hazy white and yellow lights. You watch their signals blink as they find spaces to park. Leaves continue to fall, and some end up in your hair. You feel Mingyu brush them away. You smile and do the same for him.

It is way past midnight, and here you both sit, snuggling to keep warm against the cold night air and talking about a love long gone.

“So,” Mingyu traces the rim of his coffee cup as he puts the pieces together, “you and Jeonghan-hyung dated during uni days?”

You nod. “Mm-hmm. We dated for two years. And then we broke up during my junior year, which was when that alley story happened.” You look at your boyfriend in mock suspicion. “Not that I’m complaining, but are you sure you want to listen to this story? Because we don’t need to talk about this if you aren’t comfortable—” 

“—No, no, baby, I’m okay!” Mingyu chuckles a little bit as he turns to you. “I’m perfectly fine. I really want to know. If you’re not comfortable talking about it, though, we could just put it behind us.” He smiles at you. “I’m okay either way.”

He had stepped onto a minefield of your past without warning. He’s not supposed to be okay either way. You keep staring at him, not believing what he said.

“But, babe…” You sigh as you look at him. “Instead of talking about how Jeonghan and I ended up dating years ago, why don’t we talk about other things first?” You keep searching his face for any sign of uneasiness, any sign of hurt or confusion. “Like, how you felt when you found out. Or, how to avoid getting ambushed by stuff like this in the future.” You lean against him. “I don’t want something like this to happen again, no matter how great we both are at handling surprises. I think this is a good time to talk about things we haven’t talked about yet. Exes, our most embarrassing moments—” you giggle as Mingyu laughs at your last words. “Hey, I’m serious here!”

Your mind recalls the events of the night. You remember twirling in front of your full-length mirror to admire your new dress. You remember how perfect Mingyu had looked when he stepped out of his car and walked up to you. You remember the car ride, the conversation that you had about meeting his family and kissing underneath the porchlight of Aera’s house. You remember the baby shower: meeting Mingyu’s parents, Kim Aera, and Mingyu’s other friends. You remember how happy and secure you felt with Mingyu beside you as he introduced you to his family and some high-profile friends. You remember the crib and the games.

You remember Choi Seungcheol’s surprised expression and shaking Yoon Jeonghan’s hand for the first time in years. You remember Kwon Soonyoung’s drunken announcement.

“So, the former flames have finally met!” 

“Well, I guess I got surprised when I found out that you guys used to date,” Mingyu clarifies, “but if we will talk about whether I had strong, negative feelings about the whole thing...” his voice trails off as he looks at you.

“...Uh-huh?” you prod.

Mingyu shakes his head. “I didn’t have any.” He squeezes your hand reassuringly. “You don’t have to worry about me. To be honest, what surprised me the most was the fact that I handled the situation pretty well. Back when we were still at Aera’s house, I really did my best to be careful with how I took in the whole thing. I took care not to show how surprised I was with my expressions, my words...”

“Mm-hmm.” You nod along with him as his voice trails off. “Yes. I agree. You handled it pretty well. But I am still so sorry for dropping that bomb on you that way.” You look up at him with an apologetic expression. “We haven’t really talked about past relationships that much yet, so...” 

“Y/N, please don’t overthink.” His face hovers inches away from yours as he looks deep into your eyes. “See?” He makes all sorts of cute expressions, and you couldn’t help but smile. “I’m okay.” 

You become willing to believe him, but then you catch him looking at you with a twinkle in his eye.

“Although,” Mingyu adds, “I did feel a bit self-conscious.” He sighs dramatically, and he pouts—adorably. “I mean, he’s the Yoon Jeonghan. You dated the Yoon Jeonghan that most girls nowadays are swooning over. Who am I compared to that?”

As he continues to make such cute faces while saying the most outrageous things, you stare at him, open-mouthed. “What the hell.” You had seen through his joke, of course, but you could not help but look at him incredulously. “Is my boyfriend actually saying this to me right now while looking so drop-dead gorgeous beside me? Is he really comparing himself right now to someone else?”

Mingyu ignores your words and continues. “Yoon Jeonghan, actor extraordinaire, ranking twentieth at this year’s Asia’s Sexiest 100. Hmm. Yes.” He considers his words and nods. “I did feel intimidated. He’s good-looking and is amazing at acting and—”

“—Whoa, whoa, whoa.” You put your mug down beside you, and you giggle as you take Mingyu’s face in your hands. “You are one gorgeous person, too, and I am so, so in love with you. Stop comparing yourself to him.” You nuzzle his face, smiling. “I know you’re just joking about this, but please. Stop.”

He continues to look at you with a playful pout, but his eyes turn darker voice drops a notch lower. “Make me.” 

You feel him grin against your lips as you make him stop speaking.

At the back of your head, you remember Kim Aera’s words when she talked about her husband.

“Not all women are as fortunate as I am, you know? Some of us meet such crappy guys that it’s a miracle I ended up finding someone worth the wedding vows.” 

You aren’t one to believe in fortunes, so you try to think about all the things you must have done right to deserve a man such as Kim Mingyu. More importantly, you wonder if you would be able to keep him by your side. 

Too much thinking, too much thinking, you chastise yourself as you kiss Mingyu harder, wanting to erase everything from your mind.

“I love you,” you say after a while.

“I love you, too. But where were we with your story?” Mingyu lets go of you and takes his mug once more. Leaves still fall from the trees. The streetlights glow brighter as midnight darkens. A green sedan stops directly across you both, and you watch as a man staggers out of the driver’s side. 

“Well, if you really want to hear all about it, it would take us all night.” You look up at him with an enticing, hopeful smile. “Do you want to stay the night here? Hyewon and Joonyoung would be thrilled to have you. We can do storytime together with them.” You shake your head. “I still haven’t said a word to them about meeting Jeonghan again because we only went upstairs to get coffee. Hyewon will get a kick out of this.”

Mingyu laughs softly. “I can imagine.” He kisses your forehead before taking your hand. “Let’s head back inside.”

No more cars drive down your neighborhood street. No more hazy yellow and white headlights color the dark concrete road. Mingyu takes your hand and pulls you up from the steps. You feel him brush away some leaves from your hair once more. You look up at him appreciatively, and you do the same for him. Across the street, a glaring woman opens the front door for the drunken man from the green sedan.

You retreat indoors for the night. You think about how to tell Mingyu everything. And when Hyewon opens the door to greet you both, you wonder if she and Joonyoung would help you get the facts right about how you and Jeonghan started and how you and Jeonghan eventually ended.

With all these thoughts in your head, you faintly hear your phone ring in your purse. Getting a sense of déjà vu from the story that you had told Mingyu earlier, you feel chills run up and down your spine as you pull your phone out.

“Who’s your midnight caller, girlfriend?” Hyewon goodnaturedly teases as she takes your empty mug from your hand. Her face looks flushed, and you remember that she and Joonyoung had been drinking when you left them earlier. “Joonyoung! Mingyu’s here!”

“I have a confession to make,” you say as you look at the caller ID. “Mingyu and I ran into Jeonghan and Seungcheol at his cousin’s baby shower.”

Hyewon’s face pales at your words. “You what?”  

“We did,” Mingyu says softly, scratching his head while smiling at Hyewon. “He’s a good hyung of mine and Aera’s in the industry. We’ve been friends for a long time, but I didn’t know that he and Y/N used to date.” 

“Huh,” Hyewon breathes out. “All these years, the only way we could see him was on TV. We never ran across him, ever. And now we find out that he’s good friends with your boyfriend’s family.” Hyewon raises her eyebrows and shakes her head. “Imagine that.” 

“You met Jeonghan?” Joonyoung bounds into the foyer, which suddenly becomes crowded with the four of you there. “Was he with anyone else?” 

“Just him and Seungcheol-hyung,” Mingyu answers.

“Let’s not talk about this here. Come on in, you two. We still have some pizza, chicken, and beer.” Hyewon manages to push the two guys into the living room. She turns to you, clearly wanting to talk to you in private, but you put up a hand. 

“Hold on.” Your phone is vibrating in your hand, and you hastily answer the call. “Hello?”

🍁🎧🧡

He leans on the railings of the rooftop bar, a drink in one hand and a phone in the other. As he gazes at the city below, he knows that he has had too much to drink. The lights have started to pulse too much. The numbness inside him has finally reached his fingertips. He considers stopping to drink this last glass, but his call finally goes through. 

At the sound of the voice on the other line, he decides that he needs this one last shot of bourbon.

“I know that it’s too late to call you now,” he whispers almost inaudibly, “but if I don’t say this tonight, I probably never will.”

He lets go of the empty glass in his hand, and he watches as it shatters on the ground. 

“I miss you,” he says, oblivious of the curses and complaints from the people around him. “And I know that you’re in a happy place now, but I—” A painful pause ensues as he stands there, lost for words. Shifting his weight from one foot to another, he tries to ignore the ache in his throat and the burning in his eyes. “—I just wanted you to know that. Everything about this call feels wrong because I know that I am not supposed to and that I have no right to call you anymore, but I will never stop wondering how these words sound like if I don’t say it right now.” A tortured grin spreads across his lips. “I miss you.”

The phone falls out of his hands, and he blindly falls to the ground to pick it up. Sharp fragments from the broken glass cut through his skin and the material of his pants, but he doesn’t feel the pain. He is too numb right now. He couldn’t even feel his legs. As he futilely tries to smoothen the cracked screen on his phone, he hears a loud voice coming from a megaphone. 

“And cut!” The director’s voice rings loud and clear throughout the rooftop bar. He walks over to Jeonghan, who is still trying to bring his phone back to life. “Okay, did I suddenly step into some shitty romance movie after the break? What was all that?” The director impatiently turns around and gestures to the crew behind him. “I need a medical kit here; and another phone, please. Geez. What has gotten into you tonight?” 

“Sorry,” Jeonghan says apologetically. “I just got too immersed with my role.” He shakily stands up. “And I can’t feel my legs.”

The director shakes his head. “Look, Jeonghan, I know that you love ad-libs. I love your ad-libs, too. You know that. But your last lines threw me off.” He squints his eyes suspiciously at Jeonghan. “Where did you go tonight? You were fine the whole day, and then you suddenly get picked up by your friend. The minute you come back to work, you’re a different person.” He shakes his head again and walks away. “Read the script and pull yourself together. We’ll be taking a short break. And apologize to your co-star for spouting out all that mushy stuff!”

“What was that about?” Seungcheol has appeared from out of nowhere, arms crossed. “Why were you telling Jihoon that you missed him?”

Jeonghan laughs. He gestures weakly with his hand as he answers, “It’s the bourbon.”

“Who on earth actually drinks half a dozen shots while filming?” Seungcheol pauses as he studies Jeonghan’s face. “And why are you crying?” 

“I’m not.” Jeonghan wipes away something wet from his face. “Stop bitching, Cheol, and just help me sit down somewhere.” 

“Oh, Yoon Jeonghan.” Seungcheol sighs as guides Jeonghan to the nearest steel chair. “You said you would be able to come back to work after the baby shower! God, I was an idiot for believing you.” 

“This is not about the baby shower,” Jeonghan protests weakly as he leans back against the chair. “Leave me alone and let me rest. Please.” He closes his eyes. 

“So," Seungcheol fishes around for words, "what was that about?"

Jeonghan doesn’t answer. 

Seungcheol sighs again. “Was she the one you were ‘talking to’ in that phone call?” 

Silence. 

“Jeonghan—”

“—She looked happy.” Jeonghan’s voice is calm, but tears still escape his closed eyes. He leans to the side as though he wanted to sleep. “They looked happy. And when I saw them kiss by the front porch when we got to Aera’s, I felt funny." He grins. "I felt funny because a part of me got hurt—” He pounds his chest. “—Right here.” His grin widens. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just like this because I haven't seen her for a long time."

The rooftop bar is buzzing with activity: the director is making changes with the camera angles, someone is adjusting the brightness of the floodlights, and the extras are practicing the not-so-easy art of blending in with the scene. Jeonghan hears someone sweep the broken glass from the tiled floor.

“Mingyu is a good guy,” Seungcheol offers sympathetically. “At least we can both be sure that she will be alright.” 

“Mm-hmm.” Jeonghan continues pounding his chest with his bandaged hand. “I know.” 

“You are my first romance, and I’m willing to take a chance that till life is through, I’d still be loving you.”

🍁🎧🧡

The cobbled pavements of the narrow alley that he is walking on are still the same. It feels damp, even though no rain had poured that night. It is still chipped and uneven in some places, and he remembers how your thin-strapped sandals would sometimes slip and get stuck between the cobblestones. Despite the imperfections of this street, he knows that you loved it. But while you had loved this place for its bright lights and broken cobblestones, he had loved it for what it contained: the restaurants and thrift stores, all of which still had signs that flash in bright neon blues and violets. 

And he loved them because of the memories he had created inside them—memories that he had made with you.

He vividly remembers the first plate of spaghetti that you shared at Georgie’s, a quaint restaurant that would have been considered Italian but for the sweet spaghetti sauce that it serves. He has not forgotten the taste because he still goes there on Thursdays. And he has never forgotten the way you had laughed while eating spaghetti as he confessed that he wanted to date you.

“You have no idea how ridiculous that sounds coming out of your mouth,” you had said while pushing away your plate. Your eyes had been gleaming with humor then, but your voice had been guarded and careful. “To put it simply, sunbae, I am not going to date you.” You had shrugged, and locks of your hair had tumbled across that denim jacket that he had loved seeing on you. “You know why.” 

He had known then.

You had never fallen in love before. That knowledge should have made him cautious, but he admits to himself now that it had made him all the more desperate to snag that spot in your heart marked, “First Love.” 

It was at Georgie’s that you had first rejected him, but it was there that you also said yes to him a few months later. Twirling pasta in your plate, you had murmured, “Okay. Let’s date. But Yoon Jeonghan—” Your voice had shaken. And then you had looked at him. 

“Please be careful with my heart.”

He had answered that with your first kiss.

At signless thrift stores that are scattered a few stalls away from each other, Jeonghan remembers patiently waiting for you as you picked clothes for him and art supplies for yourself. He remembers how you would stand to the side to let Hyewon and Mirae haggle with the storekeeper. He remembers your apologetic expression when you felt like Hyewon or Mirae had taken the bargaining too far. He smiles as he remembers how embarrassed you would be during those times.

And then he smiles wider as he remembers Hyewon’s sharp fingernails that had dug on his shoulder when she pulled him aside during the first time he tagged along for the shopping. He chuckles as he remembers how menacing she had looked. 

“If dating my goody-two-shoes Y/N is payback because I broke your best friend’s heart a few years ago,” Hyewon warns darkly, “then you’d better know that I’ll be coming for you. And I have no qualms whatsoever about tearing you to shreds. You got that?” She had dug her nails deeper at that point. 

“I don’t care what history you had with my best friend,” he had answered calmly. “I am dating Y/N because I love her. That’s all there is. You’re reading way too much into this, Park Hyewon.” 

“Am I?” Hyewon had scoffed, clearly unconvinced. “Yoon Jeonghan, why are you dating Y/N? The real reason, please."

"I love her," he repeated. "That's all."

"No. That's not it. I refuse to believe that’s your reason. And we both know here that you can’t fool me with that crap.” She had let go of him then, but not before throwing out a few more words that sounded like a prophecy. Throwing up her hands in the air and rolling her eyes, she had said, “I’m calling it: you’ll only break Y/N's heart.”

Funny how Hyewon turned out to be right. 

“This alley is the most beautiful place to go to in the city, isn’t it?” 

At that moment, Jeonghan stops in his tracks. He stops reminiscing. 

He whirls around, his eyes wide and almost sober, searching for the owner of that voice. His heartbeats quicken. He clenches his jaw as another knife of pain stabs through him at those words. 

You used to say the same thing to him. You used to say those words while holding his hand or whenever he would kiss you unannounced while you walked this street. You used to say those words while looking up at him. He would never get lost anywhere in the world, but he used to get lost in your eyes when you did so.

He squints his eyes, certain that it had been you who had spoken. But as his vision focuses on the owner of the voice, he feels his heart sink inside him. 

Of course, it wasn’t you. Jeonghan laughs at himself and his stupidity.

It wasn’t you. It was some stupid co-ed echoing the words that any college student would say about this street. It wasn’t you because you were long gone from him now, and he had nothing left of you but all these memories that still plague him in this fucking alleyway.

It wasn’t you because Jeonghan had done what Hyewon had said that he would do. 

A hand grabs his arm. “Let’s go, Yoon Jeonghan. You shouldn’t be here.” 

Jeonghan recognizes Seungcheol’s voice. He grins at his friend’s frustrated face as he trips on a stupid loose cobblestone. “Hello, there. Why do you keep appearing out of nowhere? And did you also think of Hyewon while following me along this legendary street? You only loved this street because of Hyewon, but you still feel it, right?” Jeonghan helps himself up and absently studies his dirtied pants. “The nostalgia this place evokes?”

“Shut up,” Seungcheol snaps, “just shut up. You know, I expected you to act more maturely than this, Jeonghan.” 

“What?” Jeonghan laughs. “Can’t a guy walk in peace?” 

Seungcheol stops walking. He lets go of Jeonghan’s arm, and he faces Jeonghan with a furious expression. “You have no right to get hung up over Y/N,” he says with a poisonous tone. “You have no right at all.” 

Seungcheol’s words slice through Jeonghan like a blade he didn’t see coming. He wasn't able to brace for it. He didn’t expect those words to come, especially from Seungcheol.

“You broke her heart.” Seungcheol’s tone is more fit for a eulogy than for a conversation with his best friend. “You made a choice years ago. What did you expect the ending to be? You can’t cry now.” His face softens. “Be a man. Accept that she’s moved on. Did you see her face earlier at the baby shower? She didn’t even look at you with any hurt or anger.” He presses a hand on Jeonghan’s shoulder. “She looks happy. Was she surprised to have seen you? Yes. But she has clearly moved on, and so should you.”

There is silence for a while until Seungcheol hands him a face mask. 

"Spare yourself the hell you'd experience from gossip rags and wear the fucking mask. You look terrible and stupid, coming here without any disguise at all. These aren’t uni days anymore, dumbass."

The cobbled pavements of the narrow alley that Jeonghan and Seungcheol are walking on are still the same. It feels damp, even though no rain had poured that night. It is chipped and uneven in some places, and both men could still remember how easily one could trip and fall on the slippery cobblestones. But despite the imperfections of this street, they both know someone who had loved it for what it was.

Yes, you had loved this alleyway for its bright lights and broken cobblestones. Seungcheol had loved it because of your friend Hyewon, but Jeonghan had loved it for what it contained: the restaurants and thrift stores, all of which still had signs that flash in bright neon blues and violets. 

And he loved them because of the memories he had created inside them—memories that he had made with you.

But now he realizes that this alleyway is a literal Memory Lane, bringing him back to the past and clouding his judgment of the present. 

As he walks past Georgie’s, He remembers your words again. 

“Please be careful with my heart.” 

Friday has barely ended, and Saturday is just about to begin, but when Georgie’s fades behind him, he laughs. He laughs like the idiot that he is, and tears pour out of his eyes as he does so.

“I will be true to you—just a promise from you will do: from the very start, please be careful with my heart.”

🍁🎧🧡

The truth has finally hit him.

Everything that he had with you—all of it—is now just memories and history.

And his conviction that he should stop riding this rollercoaster of emotions about you becomes even more pronounced when his phone vibrates, and he picks up a call.

“Where are you?” a woman’s voice asks, worried. “I’ve been up all night waiting at your apartment.”

Seungcheol mouths, Who is it?

Jeonghan flashes the phone at Seungcheol.

It was Jung Mirae.

“I love you and you know I do—there’ll be no one else for me. I promise I’ll be always true, for the world and all to see. Love has heard some lies softly spoken, and I have had my heart badly broken; I’ve been burned and I’ve been hurt before.”

🍁🎧🧡

Mingyu stops staring at the ceiling and turns to look at you. You are sleeping beside him, tucked under his arm, and he is happy. He had spent the night with you, going through your memories and learning from them. He had spent the whole night immersed in the past that you had inside you.

Yes, indeed, he had learned a lot about you tonight. And as he presses a tender kiss to your forehead, he whispers something that you did not hear. He whispers words that he just wants to prove to you with actions.

“I’ll be careful with your heart,” Mingyu whispers as he kisses your hair, your neck, your bare shoulder, “because I know how it feels to get hurt, too.” If you had been awake at that point, you would have seen the pensive, faraway look in his eyes as he walks down his own cobblestoned path—his own Memory Lane. If you had been awake, you would have worried about his expression like he knows you would. So he quickly smiles at your peaceful, sleeping face.

“I have a story, too,” he adds softly, “but I’ll save it for later.” He hugs you close to him. “For now, I’ll just be content with taking care of you.” He kisses your lips, and you stir. “Of us.”

When your eyes open, he shyly ducks under the covers, his twinkling eyes peeking at you. And as you protest that it was late and that he should sleep, he laughs softly, and he nods. “Okay, okay. I’ll take care of you.”

“What?” you ask, uncomprehending. “Say again, baby?”

“Nothing.” He hugs you close again. “Just that I love you.” 

You fall back into sleep at his words, and he keeps watching you until his eyes close on their own.

“I love you,” he whispers again. 

“So I know just how you feel: trust that my love is real for you. I’ll be gentle with your heart—I’ll caress it like the morning dew. I’ll be right beside you forever, I won’t let our world fall apart. From the very start, I’ll be careful with your heart.”

Author’s Note: Thank you very much for reading! I know that I have been very slow and inconsistent with my updates, but as long as there are unfinished WIPs on this list, please expect me to keep posting, no matter how sporadic. Tell me what you think about this part on the askbox, comments/reblogs! Thank you! - Leanne.

[raindownforme]

First off, I adore your work! You’re writing is absolutely lovely!

And also I have a request.

Ted is a the popular theater kid and reader is the punk of the school who keeps to their clique. Ted grows an interest for the reader and constantly tries to flirt with them in front of their friends and in private or get a date with them. Reader brushes him off most of the time but grows to like him.

Shakespeare

Ted Nivison x reader [she/her used]

“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” The tall brunette stood at the front of the English classroom, reading from the book in his hand. The teacher sat at her desk a few paces away, taking note of how he talked. y/n watched him lazily, not quite caring for Shakespeare. “Thou art more lovely and temperate.”

y/n didn’t pay attention as Ted continued the presentation. She flicked her mechanical pencil between her fingers, biding time. “Thank you, Theodore, for sonnet 18. Next is 19– y/n?”

“I chose the annotation project.”

“Thank you. Who had 20?”

Ted took the seat next to y/n. “How’d I do?”

“Not bad. I mean, I’m sure you could’ve done better theater kid.”

“I don’t know. Let me practice it for you and we’ll see.” y/n rolled her eyes, resting her flushed cheek against her hand. “What was yours about?”

“Also romance. I mean it’s half of what the guy wrote about.”

“I could teach you some of his other stuff.”

“Yes. Theodore. The theater tutor.”

“Aw. Is it my aesthetic? Is that the problem?” y/n exaimned the difference between the two of them. Ted wore the same blue jeans, sneakers, and graphic tee to school every day. Of course y/n had a few staple pieces; her leather boots and mix-matched pieces of jewelry, but she did most commonly wear dark or patterned pants and faded shirt.

“It’s a thousand percent the aesthetic.”

Ted closed his notebook, playfully muttering the himself. The school bell rang and y/n stood up, shoving belongings into a book bag as the teacher made announcements to the leaving students.

“Hey. Come see the show.”

“What show?” She pushed through the crowd as Ted followed. y/n could spot her friends group in the distance, waiting just outside the doors.

“The show! Midsummer’s Night Dream. I’m starring in it.”

“Yeah sure. Like I can afford it.” Her hand hit the door, but he stepped in front of her, preventing her from leaving the building. “Ted-“

“Please. Tonight. Seven. I’ll set a ticket aside for you.” She felt her face heat up as moved away slightly. “Might wanna say hi to your friends for me y/n.”

The boy walked away and y/n continued out the door to her and her friends’ lunch period.

———

“I mean. What’s the worst that could happen?” y/n’s friend, Alix, peeled away the paper wrapping around his sandwich. “Do you even like the guy?”

“I don’t- I don’t know.”

“So it could be yes.” Alix leaned in the back of his seat as he took a bite of his lunch. y/n and her friends were sitting in Alix’s truck in the school parking lot, all eating something they either brought from home or bought at a fast food place near the school.

“It’s always wise to indulge in the arts.” Jaz, one of y/n’s other friends spoke from the back seat.

“Dude would you shut up? You took a writing class once.” The last one of the group, Ryan, waved away what Jaz said. “If you like the guy you like him. If you don’t you don’t. Or play with him. I don’t care.”

“I’m not going to play with Ted’s feelings.” y/n searched through her French fries mindlessly. “He Is cute. I don’t know guys.”

“Just go to the show. It can’t be that bad.”

———

Lunch passed, as did the next couple classes, until y/n’s last period of the day. Thankfully, it was a TA period, so there wasn’t much to do.

“Dearie would you run these to the theatrics department for me?” The lady behind the front desk has to be at least 80 at this point, but y/n stood to take the stack of papers from her. “Thank you.”

y/n smiled and left, taking leisure in her walk. The sole of her boots slapped against the off-white linoleum, echoing through the hallways and cafeteria as she crossed the entire building. She never really realized how far the performing arts hall was until walking to it.

The door creaked as it opened to an empty black classroom. “Hello?” She stepped in, her words echoing. She could hear some small commotion deeper into the theater. She followed the noise, finding herself in what looked like a workshop. “Hi?”

“y/n!” She whipped her head to the side to see Ted walking through a large doorway. “Always a pleasure to see you. Especially here. How can I help love?”

y/n brushed off his comment the best she could. “I’m looking for the director? I’ve got some papers to deliver.”

She held out the papers, trying to show Ted, but instead he linked one of his pinkies with hers. “I’ll take you.”

She stared at their linked fingers as Ted dragged her from the workshop to the back of the audience. Ted talked to somebody, but she didn’t quite pay attention.

“And who’s this?”

Looking up, she met eyes with a man she hadn’t quite spoken to before. He wasn’t quite as tall as Ted, and he wore a blue blazer and hiking boots. “This is y/n, from the front office.”

“Ah.” He nodded at Ted. “And is this who-“

“Yes.” Ted cut him short, rubbing at the back of his own neck.

“Well thank you.” The man took the papers from her hand. “We hope to see you tonight.”

She watched him walk away before turning back to Ted. “What’s he mean?”

“Well, he’s who I had to talk to about your ticket. You are coming tonight aren’t you?”

“I can swing by.”

“Good.” Ted brought their still conjoined hands up and lightly kissed her knuckles. “I’ll be watching for you.”

———

y/n had been waiting for a while now.

When school had got out, she had hung around with her friends for a while, getting something to eat and doing some homework, but now it was 6:53 and she was stuck in line at the ticket counter. In front of her were five people. She was five people away from whatever was to come out of tonight.

“Next!” The line shuffled forwards as two people walked inside. She bounced on her feet, watching the exchange of cash between the student running the ticket booth and the patrons. “Next!”

“Hi I think I had a ticket reserved for me.” The student looked over their shoulder at something, then back to y/n.

“Who reserved it?”

“Ted Nivison?”

“Oh. Okay then this is for you.” The student handed over a rectangular ticket with a seat number stamped on the bottom. “Enjoy the show.”

y/n walked through the double doors into the audience. Most of the seats were full, and it took her a few minutes to find the seat marked for her. When she did, she set her backpack down in the front of her, noticing something underneath her seat. It was a folded piece of paper with a note from Ted.

So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, so long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

-Ted

She stuck the note in her pocket and traded it for her phone. 6:59 pm. She silenced it and looked back to the stage, anxiously waiting. The lights dimmed and she stared up the stage. The curtains began to open and it revealed Ted standing in Grecian style clothing with minimal armor pieces. He stood with his hand outstretched to a girl wearing similar clothing.

Ted’s eyes surveyed the audience, landing on y/n with a smirk. “Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour draws on apace…”

y/n sat in awe for the next two hours. She watched as Ted moved across the stage, putting to life the story as if he’d lived it. She watched as the characters came to life, as the set moved, and as the lights changed. And two hours later, the curtain closed and the cast came together to do bows. She clapped furiously, then watched everyone stand from their seats and leave. She stood, trying to grab her things. The theater had been nearly emptied by now, people rushing out to say hi to people they knew in the cast.

y/n looked around. To the side of the curtain, just peeking out, was someone waving. She walked over, realizing it was Ted.

“Hey there! What’d you think?”

“That was amazing, Ted.” The boy smiled, taking her hand in his. He began to pull her backstage with him. “Wait Ted-“

“It’s fine don’t worry. Here.” Ted pulled her to stand near the classroom area. “Give me two minutes.”

She watched Ted enter the dressing room. For a moment, it was quiet, until everyone else started to file in. The room quickly became loud, filling with student’s voices.

“Hey.” Ted tapped y/n on the shoulder. “I know it’s a lot. Come with me.” Ted draped an arm over her shoulders as he pulled her outside into the crisp night air. “Better?”

“Yeah. Better. Ted that was- that was awesome.”

“I’m glad I can impress you.” Ted checked his phone. “It’s nine already. You have plans?”

“No I-“

“Come get dinner with me. My treat.”

“Ted. It sounds like you’re asking me on a date.” She lightly nudged him with her elbow.

“It’s only a date if you say yes.”

y/n paused, taken aback by the sudden forwardness. “If I say yes?”

“You don’t have to! Don’t think you have to!” Ted gestured with his hands in a panicked motion. “I just- I think you’re really cool and pretty with your style and I’ve always liked you for as long as I can remember and I was just wondering-“

“Yes.”

He paused, eyes wide as a blush crept onto his face. “Yes? Yes as in yes a date? Our date?”

y/n stood on her tiptoes, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Take me on a date theater boy.”

Ted wrapped her in a hug, pressing a kiss to her nose. “Anywhere you want.”

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