#low hanging fruit but you gotta love a man who knows what he wants and goes for it

[secriden]

tongrak and his 'i'm about to have glorious jealousy-induced possessive!kink sex' shirt

lets talk about how tongrak puts on the same shirt. sets the scene up so that mahasamut is going to come find him. clearly at least encourages if not instigates the drink with another man. smiles when the other man holds his hand and only pulls away once he knows mahasamut is watching.

(i love the implication that mahasamut was glaring SO HARD the guy noticed him in his periphery and knew it was because of tongrak)

when mahasamut slams his hand against the wall over his head, tongrak visibly shuffles his feet forward whilst leaning back against the wall so he's even smaller/shorter than mahasamut. claims to have been touched at his waist and thigh (...?? when??). grasps at mahasamut's shirt as if to pull him closer even as he's shaking (in fear? excitement? both?). literally does that thing where he moans into the kiss.

then has the audacity to bite his lips and smile possibly the most smug smile ever as he remembers the moment.

[ask-missparker]

Are we out of the woods yet? / OUAT AU

Pairing: Red!Rick x Huntress!Luna

Summary: What if the beast was just a kind man wearing a red coat but he just didn’t know it yet?

Extra characters: Rochelle as Cinderella, Bruce Banner as The Father and etc

Note: Song reference to Taylor Swift in the title section

——

The mist of winter snow and the deep rains of night created a storm of cold weather within the woods. But it created a lovely new glimpses into the world, making it a winter wonderland with icicles forest above the cabin door. Despite the season not being the best, it made Red feel like he could do anything.

Which was the problem. He couldn’t.

His father wasn’t a huge fan of the winter season due to the weather and the craving time for wolves alerting the woods. And with his son being rather young, he wanted him to be protective as he feared who would have the courage to take him on if they learned the truth…

Red however was reckless and never listened to his father’s wishes of going out in the late afternoon. His father did make an exception to let him roam around free as long as he kept his deep red cloak with swirling marks on his hood. Red obviously listened to that request from his father, despite not caring for the low deep cut of a color.

In came a knock on his door as a young voice said, “Come on man, open up or I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow this house down.”

Red opened the door rolling his eyes and scoffed, “You’re not funny, you know that?”

“Ah well, it made you open the door didn’t it?”

“Got me there. My father doesn’t like me hanging out with you yet, he takes to your charm quiet nicely.”

“I am handsome. Come on we gotta grab some fabric from the market and then we can plan our road trip we always wanted to take. You can finally meet a nice lady.”

Red rolled his eyes and ignored his last comments about exploring the land and finding a bride one day. He thought it wasn’t in his cards to do so. All Pete wanted to do was get him out of the house every once in a while instead of staying trapped. He had good intentions.

At the farmers market, the friends wondered around the place in search of fabrics and food to their respective families. Pete was off buying brown fabic for his new brown coat as Red was buying apples when he noticed a young fair maiden who seemed to drop an stack of pears from her basket.

“Uh miss, i think you dropped this?” He said holding up the pear as the young redhead turned around and smiled, causing him to return the smile.

She sighed at her clumsy tone taking the pear from his grasp and replied, “Ah, thank you..I did not even noticed it fell out of there.”

“No problem, be careful next time…”

“Ella. Just Ella…and uh, y-you are?”

“Red..or Rick depends on who asked.”

“I like them both..”

“Thanks. Well be careful, Miss Ella. Those pears are very expensive this time of year.”

“Ah yes i know, thank you again.”

The redhead waved at him, thanking the man so she went off to continue her path home. Pete walked over seeing Red smile asking who is the girl as the blonde waved him off saying he was just some nice young lady.

The two friends left the market, discussing the possibility of wolves being out that night thinking it was a bunch of silly tales and the wolves were just causing harm because they were scared. But a small part of Red wanted to be the hero and hunt that wolf himself, get a closer look at the creature up close. They went their separate ways afterwards, with Red going home to his father with beard and fruits.

His father was always kind hearted yet secretive about certain subjects such as hunting, wolves and royalty. He didn’t trust them, only himself and his family. He respected it.

Everytime he asked if he could go hunt the wolves with the other guys his age, his father said ‘no, you stay inside. you know red repeal wolves, kiddo, and keep that hood on.’ He was bark back and argue with his on the topic but relentlessly listened knowing he only meant well.

So in result he would stay put and enjoy his day at home, collect eggs from their shed and build items using wood in the afternoon if he wasn’t heading out. It was nice actually living a simple life but he always wondered if there was more to this.

Which led him to the moment he met her…

Red was doing his daily routine of collecting eggs from the chickens. Flipping on his hood, putting on his light brown gloves and boots for the snowy weather. He hasn’t seen Pete in days, it worried him and led him to wonder why he hasn’t seen him, especially since the high court sighting were running deep—

He paused opening up the door to the decently side chicken coop, sensing something was wrong. His ears perked up at the ruffling sounds and light whimpers, his senses were turned on looking inside. He stepped around grabbing a broomstick from behind the door ready to pounce at the intruder with a glare. The ruffling and sudden sniffing became louder with every step. Behind the stack of hey, he saw it.

More like her. He pointed the end of the broomstick in the front of them about to ask a couple of questions until he stopped short. His eyeline met her, following her gaze as she stood upright coming behind the the stack blabbing and stuttering softly, but Red tuned into rousing on her looks.

He never seen such beauty until this early night. Her deep chocolate brown eyes that held a whimper of fear behind them, her long hair glowing a raven black color and her honeycomb skin tone. He was completely mesmerize by her bewildering good looks that held a soften to them, like she can do no wrong. In his eyes at least. He glanced down to noticed a crossbow on the ground beside her and two pure white eggs in her hands.

She blinked noticing that he wasn’t exactly listening to her per say, that’s when she got a good look at the young man. His wild yet tamed blonde curls, his striking blue eyes that casted a shadow over whoever crossed paths with him, and his light creamy skin was like a breath of fresh air. Along with his deep voice, god she would’ve melted like a candle right now just hearing it.

He repeated his breathy question, “A-are you stealing our eggs?”

“I uh, i um..I’m sorry I-I could go. I didn’t m-mean to d-do that..t-take th-them back..” She response looking away for a moment holding the items towards him.

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s alright. You didn’t nothing wrong, I guess.”

“I didn’t..? But you look like your kinda mad..I’m sorry..”

“It’s alright, no harm them. Just wasn’t expecting someone in here. Why are you in my shed? And who are you?”

“…I’m uh, I’m uh..Frosty!”

She held a small smile, saying that bit but he could see right across her lie. He smirked, “That’s not your name. What’s your name?”

“..w-wh-why are you g-gonna do something if I tell you?” She asked glancing around the room for weapons but found none to her relief.

“What? No!..sorry, didn’t mean to shout. I won’t harm you, just wanna know why are you here?”

“..oh..oh okay. I’m Luna..like the moon? I am very sorry I am came here..it’s that, I have no where else to go. My home is a little far from here..”

“So you came into my shed for shelter?”

“Y-yeah..I’m sorry about that. I just need a place to stay the night.”

Red was about to say ‘You can stay here forever!’ but instead he just nodded with a bright smile guiding her out the door to his small home. Luna explained how she was on a small mission to hunt down and possibly kill a prince’s heart but she couldn’t do it and let him go. Her boss called her stupid and poof her away into the woods side of the kingdom near the area of her home.

He thought she was brave and rather noble for that. She was blushing at his comment calling him sweet for that, causing him to start blushing softly at her.

It was love at first sight one might have said, especially since the moment his father, Bruce, was introduced to the young girl he found her to be rather lovely. He never took too kindly to strangers but for some reason he couldn’t help it and smiles at her. Especially the way her and his son looked at one another.

He heard she was a huntress but her attitude was too gentle to act than the ones he remembered meeting back in the day. Bruce cooked them some bread and eggs to eat that early night as he went to his den.

Red and Luna spent the rest of the night talking in the living room after dinner, laughing and smiling at one another’s jokes. Yes, the raven haired girl was shy and sweet but she was easy to talk to which made Red fall into such a ease with the girl. It was completely comfortable even.

Red leaned forward then said, “Uh, this is silly..but um, your the first girl I’m able to have a full blown conversation with..”

“I don’t think that’s true..” She replied placing a hand over his own, not pulling away.

“Oh no, believe me, it is! All the other times I can be very shy and awkward, wanting to get in then out of there..”

“I see what you mean. Most people hear my title and think I might hurt them, then they take one good look at me and laugh thinking they can use me..”

“Yeah you don’t seem like the strongest face I’ve seen..not rough or murderous, but kind and sweet..”

“You must say that to all the others girls..”

“What other girls?”

She blushed and grinned waving him softly at his comment. Her heart started to beat at his eyes staring at her own, it was like he can hear it. Her soft pumping of her heart, as she leaned in closer with her short time in her job she could tell where this was headed or so she thinks. Maybe he just wants to become friends?

“This is crazy and probably the most reckless thing I’m about to say to you but…do you think we what have here could happen? I just met you but I want to be around you and stuff..but my father won’t let me leave.” He added with a sigh.

“Why not? You are perfectly capable of doing that yourself I think.” She responded.

“With wolf sightings, he doesn’t want me to head out…and my friend, he has been gone for a few days..”

“Well maybe he is the wolf? He is hiding or something.”

Red was silent for a long period of time as a grin appeared on his face, she was onto something. He only ever seen Pete during the day and never at night, if he could prove he is a wolf and a good person, he could be a hero. Catch the wolf, prove someone’s innocence and show his father he can take care of himself just fine.

“You’re a genius!” He shouted, out of impulse pressed a kiss onto her lips and suddenly pulled back, “I-I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what came over me..”

She blushed again, touching her lips with a slight pout, “N-n-no! Th-that was okay. You uh, kiss kinda nice? I liked it…”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah…why am I genius?”

“You gave me an idea! How do you catch a wolf?”

“Well, if your friend is a wolf..to prove th-that he is one and not have run off or hurt anyone, you can uh, tie him to a tree..o-only if it wants to, of course!”

——-

The next couple of nights, it was planned and staged. Rick would go out with Pete, tie him up to the tree and leave Luna in place pretending to be in underneath the covers. Especially since she would wear her red cloak to disguise herself as a asleep figure.

Red had successfully convinced Pete to go along with the plan, reminding him how he always wanted him out of the house. And showing this act of bravery could be it! Pete, ever the optometrist friend, went along with the plan having his friends tie him up with a rope. The two started a fire to keep warm and brought food just in case for the night.

All that happened was to wait it out. Wait for Pete to turn all teen wolf.

Meanwhile at the house, Luna was asleep in Red’s bed or at least pretending to be. There was a small note on the table beside her to fake the idea that Luna left the night to grab extra firewood while Rick was asleep. Bruce walked in sensing something was off but couldn’t place his finger on it, picking up the short note not knowing to believe it or not as he let out a sigh. Bruce decided to shake his son awake, turning him off to find Luna in this place as she sat up.

“What the hell happened?” He asked, trying to keep calm as his grip crumbled the note.

“H-he is in not danger! I promise, it’s alright.” She tries to explain, in a light voice.

“Where is he?”

“Well um, he is with Peter. And I know you don’t like him but..i trust Rick on this one..we figured out that he is one of the wolves this winter.”

“You did what?! You two kids are insane for that. It’s dangerous out there.”

“But Mister Banner, he is a grown young man. They b-both are are..they can take care of themselves.”

“You think Peter is the wolf?”

“Y-yes. A we-werewolf..he’s also human. B-but he won’t hurt him, he got him tied up..that’s a good thing!”

“No it’s not. Oh, that poor kid..”

“A-what? What happened?”

“Follow me.”

As they spoke rushing out of the house, Pete was tied up screaming and shouting trying to break the chains starting at the wolf in front of him. If wasn’t his reflection as a wolf but his friend. In front of him stood Red, Rick Banner, as a deep dark blackened wolf with beating blue eyes snarling at him as he stumbled in front of him the pounced tackling Peter to the very snowy ground they stood on.

Luna and Bruce walked up the hills carrying weapons, along with torches to keep themselves into the seeing well of the woods. Luna was holding her crossbow looking around for clues of anything possible as Bruce lead the way to the center of the woods to find his son explains what he know.

Luna was flabbergasted and asked, “W-wait? You knew?”

“Of course I did. We thought the trait would not pass onto him, since my grandfather was one and so I wasn’t as strong for the gene.” He explained.

“What do you mean?”

“I do have the gene, I can turn into one myself when I was younger but my cells with age weren’t as strong as they once were. I still have my senses but the rest faded away.”

“And Red?”

“We thought he wouldn’t get it. But when he was 14, it started coming and going. I paid a Wizard, for that cloak keeps him for turning, but he doesn’t like to always wear it.”

“Why didn’t tell him..?”

“I didn’t want him to have that burden of thinking he was a beast. That he couldn’t be loved..”

“Or find any love? I felt his heartbeat..he can love..I think I might love him…”

“Then he got very lucky to find you...god, I’m fool to keep this from him, I messed up.. but I didn’t mean to.”

“I know you didn’t mean to. You were trying to protect him..”

Once they arrived, Luna noticed a small path of bloody footsteps on the ground as she held up her crossbow in slight waves of fear. Bruce gasped at the body on the ground, pressing a hand to the pulse trying to see if the body, being Peter’s, was still alive by any chance. But he wasn’t. The bloody footsteps came in circles as the black wolf came back snarling with striking blue eyes that looked at Bruce in anger and sadness then back at Luna whimper then run.

Bruce was running after him, as the idea of bring his son down crossed his mind but he didn’t want to hurt him. He told Luna to find him as he followed behind her. Luna nodded holding her crossbow and chased after Rick, up and down the snowy deep dark nights of the wood.

Using her skills, she tracked him into a small cave, lowing her crossbow at the wolf curled up into himself, snarling and whimpering. She could hear Bruce telling her to stand back as he tossed the cloak over his son, but all she did was kneel in front of him holding out a hand for him to reach.

Rick’s snarls calmed down looking away as he sadly whimpered, nodding reaching for a paw towards Luna sensing her to be gentle. The cloak was thrown onto his body, as he shuffled from wolf to human dressed in his normal clothes panting. He seemed like he blacked out, looking up at the two with watery eyes, as Luna took his hand and he tightened his grasped.

“W-what? What happened?” He asked out, looking around to noticed them in a dark carve.

“We have to go..” Bruce repiled, helping his son up as he patted his head, “..I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry for what? Where’s Pete?”

“He’s gone..he dead.”

It took Rick a moment to realized what he meant, gasping at the realization that hit him like a ton of bricks. His eyes water in shock and disbelief that he did such as thing, mutter that he was the wolf. Thinking he was a beast that can’t be loved. He looked at Luna with watery eyes, sniffling as it started to come back to him that the howling belonged to him. Luna held him up by the bicep, shaking her head leaning her face forward giving him an unspoken promise that it wasn’t his fault, that he didn’t know and it was an accident.

“It wasn’t your fault, you hear me?” She repeated, in such as kind yet sweet tone it was very much believable to him.

He nodded, biting his lip and sighed, “I’m so sorry…it was my plan to set this whole thing up..”

“You didn’t know, Rick..it’s okay, I’m here…I’m not going anywhere, I’m right here.”

“Your too kind to me..”

“Because you showed me kindness first..”

The trio run off escaping the woods and back into the warmth of the cabin, turning on the fireplace shutting off the newly installed fabricated curtains. Rick held his cloak close to his chest talking with his father who explained to him the truth. There were shouting, yelling and a few short notice barks at one another.

Luna looked out the window every once in a while, trying to keep the peace between father and son waiting for it all to die down. After a while, it did. Bruce apologized greatly for what he has done and Rick thanked him for the apology, for his honesty, but not fully forgetting him just yet.

Which was understandable.

————

Late that very night, Rick was asleep in the bed next to Luna trying to relax after that nightmare of a moment. A part of him still felt like a beast, wondering if he will be seen the same way after this. He felt Luna left the side of the bed, keeping his eyes closed waiting for her to return.

Luna was wrapped up in a warm brown blanket when she heard a tapping from the windows, peaking her curious opening the shudders to find a man in dark clothes leaning against the windows grinning lightly. A wishful attitude in his position, holding an item in his hand that lightly glowed.

She closed her eyes searching for a moment of courage and gulped, “W-who ar-are you? Wh-what do you w-want?”

“Hello to you too, dearie.” He said turning around to face her properly and nod, “You’re more beautiful than the stories. I’m Cole, I’m here to give you a gift for your troubles.”

“Wh-what is it? Do I have to give you something in return?”

“No of—oh no, wait there is something darling. This gift is a test, I want to see if your admiration for one another is true.”

“A-admiration? Wh-what is that supposed to mean?”

He pulled out the item that was that blood red shining rose that glowed a gentle pink. It was stunning, being enchanted by the strength of love, devotion and kindness. With a lovely dose fitting chance of admiration is what held the heart of that rose. It was a challenge, a test to see if your love was true. If it wasn’t just a game of the mind.

“Woah..” She muttered reaching out to touch it.

Cole pulled it away for her reach and chuckle, “Hold on darling, you will get your gift. I just want to know if you think your worth it.”

“…I um, I like to think I am..am I?”

“That’s for you to see for yourself. The flower will keep glowing it’s beautiful streaks but only if you want it to.”

She took the rose about to say another word but she somehow understood what he meant. It was magic with a price. As she blinked at the shudders, he was gone. She closed the window and curled back into bed holding the rose to show to Rick. He asked what it is as she explained, hearing what the item respectfully stated made him give the first true smile of the late night.

The pair curled into one another arms chatting quietly the whole night though in pure silence as the moonlight shining above them.

Who could ever love the beast? She did.

——

Added more to the series! What do we think?

Tags: @missstrawbs2001 @purpleprincessonfyre @meiramel @gcthvile @rickb-chaos @gaminggirlsstuff @wizzzardofoz @thechoooooosenone @luna-d-marsh @rooster-84 @thecavalrywife @cherrysft and etc

[music-is-love-90]

I have some thoughts about Daemon and Criston and why Daemon is the better one despite being psychotic.

Let's start with Daemon. Low hanging fruit and all.

Daemon is as amoral as they come. What he wants reigns supreme and god help who ever gets in his way. Wanna be single? Kill your wife. Wanna prove your brother wrong? Make a suicide run. What you see is what you get with Daemon. For all his reputation of being this supremely villainous figure, we actually see him do very little manipulation and what he does try, he gives up fairly quickly.

Which brings us to Criston. He is all manipulation. We've all made and seen the jokes about him being an incel, being a Nice Guy tm, but it's not really a joke.

He acts the part of the perfect knight, attentive and upstanding. He is there to protect the princess and he does it well. But from practically the beginning, there is a hint of something else. The perfect knight openly taunts a Prince of the Realm on the bridge to Dragonstone. He takes it upon himself to try to kill the White Stag before Rhaenyra stops him.

And then the night. He took oaths, talked about how thankful he was to be elevated, his name written in the White Book, but the first time those oaths are tested, he capitulates almost immediately. Oh, he puts up a performative protest, but if his oath actually meant something, he could have walked away. Yes, Rhaenyra is the Princess, but she was risking just as much, if not more, by doing what they did. He could be killed, yes, but she would have to destroy herself to destroy him. Rhaenyra is savvy enough to know that that isn't really worth it.

But instead, he does what she wants and he breaks his oaths. (Also, let's not pretend that every Kingsguard has kept that oath. This is Game of Thrones world. If even half of them have, I'd be shocked, but I digress) He falls into her bed and decides that it is okay, because he's in love with her and obviously she feels the same, despite no evidence. And the moment she declares that something might be more important to her than him, his whole world crashes down.

And he blames Rhaenyra. He blames her for his loss of honor, refusing to take responsibility for his actions. Say what you want about Daemon, but he never shies away from what he's done. He doesn't openly admit, but he never blames anyone else.

We see both men savagely beat someone in moments of weakness and both go to commit suicide immediately after.

Daemon goes to end a war. Yes, the move is mostly selfish, he wants to stick it to Viserys. If he dies, his brother will have to live with it, but, if it works, he'll also be saving his men. He'll be ending a long, bloody war and finishing what he set out to do. And he survives because of his skill and the men he went to sacrifice himself for.

In comparison, Criston's suicide attempt is one last fuck you at Rhaenyra. He goes to the Godswood, a place he has guarded her in over and over again, where he knows she takes refuge and he tries to take that from her with his bloody death. And he doesn't save himself, he doesn't change his mind. He is stopped by Alicent. He protested being Rhaenyra's whore only to become hers because he couldn't stand that he might not be Rhaenyra's first choice when faced with a decision between him and a crown.

I'm just endlessly fascinated by the idea that the man who is the most selfish man in the Seven Kingdoms ultimately channels his anger into a selfless act to use his death to save others, while the pinnacle of virtue ultimately tries to use his death to hurt the woman he claims to love.

I gotta get over this show.

[m-jelly]

Hi jelly!!!! You know your writings are really cute and boosts my confidence. So, please don’t take it to heart when someone says your writings are bad because they are not. If I catch one of those commenters I will beat them to shits. You know “forbidden fruit”, “hidden song” and “villains can love too” are my favorites.

So, I’m here with a request! You can set it in any AU. It’s a Vampire! Levi x Shy/Reserved human reader. Levi lived for centuries devoid of any affection and labeled as “blood-sucking monster” by the people. However, Levi isn’t like this. He fights other vampires who are threat to people. He has Erwin and Hange on his side for centuries, along with Isabel and Furlan. However, one day he saved a human (the reader) from a dangerous vampire and took her under his protection. He doesn’t know why he did that but he felt a strong connection towards her. The reader was scared of him but as days passed by, she realized he is not a monster, but a good guy. They fell in love with each other. One day, the reader gets kidnapped and Levi sees nothing but red. Now, they will know what it feels like to mess with an Ackerman. You can add smut and happy ending with babies please 🙏🏻🙏🏻. Also, Hange and Isabel teasing Levi for loving the reader.

Thank you so much <3 Those three stories are such fun ones and I was so scared of releasing forbidden fruit because my first vamp one was great, but could have been so much better. Forbidden fruit came out perfectly how I wanted it and I would love to go back to vampires again! The other two have a special place in my heart. I would love to visit the AU and genre again for sure if people are happy to see it! I just gotta produce four more requested ones on Ao3 xD

This is going to be a beefy one. I will probably end up converting this into a story on my Ao3 because I need more vampire Levi. Insert meme of do you like the bread? I fucking love this bread. That's how much I love our vamp Levi. *aggressive love noises* He's the best! We also have our first request with smut, so I hope I do it well. The smut on here won't be as long as I make it on Ao3, but I will be using more fun words than Ao3 because on Ao3 there is a fine line between mature and explicit.

Okay, no more simping and lets gooooo.

Blood-sucking monster.

Levi heard that term used for him for centuries. The only people who stayed with him were Isabel, Furlan, Erwin, Hange and Mike. He gained even more hatred when he hunted his own kind, vampires.

Vampires were a mixed bunch, they were either good and followed the rules or they were greedy and selfish. Levi might have been human for a long time, but he still held something in his heart for them. The more he fought for order between vampires and humans, the more he was hated by all.

He felt alone.

He kept working hard though, because if he didn't help others then no one would. If he didn't work hard, he wouldn't have met you. He found out about a human trafficking place where vampires would move humans for their blood. It wasn't a low end one he uncovered and found you in, but one run by the rich.

Levi went through the massive penthouse a room at a time, then he spotted you with a chained ankle, gag, tears in your eyes and swiping at a rich man with a knife as he tried to bite you. Levi heard the word special mention, but he wasn't sure what was special about you excpet for being determind and beautiful.

Levi ripped into the vampire's throat, then painted the expensive room with his valuble blood. He panted after his slaughter, then moved to you and offered his hand. Levi wasn't surprised when you threw things at him and screamed behind your gag in fear. He was hurt.

Hange took care of you, because seeing a woman there for you was comforting. She caught you when you threw yourself at her and let her pick you up and carry you. She brought you over to Levi's place, because he was the only one who could look after you. You needed his protection, because there was something special about you. You had a smell about you unlike other humans.

Levi looked after you, but you were so scared of him for the first few days. You'd hide behind the bed when he'd come in with food, water or clothes. Levi needed to earn your trust, so one day he decided to sit in your room and cuff himself to the bed so he couldn't attack you.

Levi looked at you. "I won't hurt you. I want to look after you. So, to get you to trust me I am offering myself to you." He blushed at his words. "Tch, no, not like that. I meant you can touch me and feel me." He winced. "I mean." He stopped talking when he heard you laughing so sweetly. "I'm glad you're smiling."

You crawled over to Levi making him blush more at how beautiful you looked in his shirt and shorts, along with a divine scent wrapping around him from you. You sat on your legs in front of him, then reached out slowly and touched his hand. You marvelled at how beautiful they were. You ran your fingers along his cold skin to his face. You held your breath and looked him in the eyes, then you shuffled closer and opened his mouth and looked at his fangs.

You blushed as you looked at them. "Pretty."

Levi smiled. "Thank you."

You searched his pocket, then unlocked his cuffs. "I'm sorry I've been so scared, but being taken by vampires and them biting me so much was scary. They said my blood was special." You looked to Levi. "You won't bite me loads. I can tell you're a good person."

As time went on Levi would visit you often. The two of you would talk and get to know each other. The more Levi got to know you, the more he fell for you. He could see you were falling for him too, well, he could feel it. Levi could hear your heart racing when you were near him. He smelt your natural scent increase to something alluring the longer you were together. Soon the two of you couldn't deny it, you were in love but Levi and you were holding back.

One day he decided to give you a gift, but on his way to see you he bumped into Hange and Isabel. He winced, then tried to avoid them, but they had him in their sights and there was no escape.

Hange sang Levi's name. "Hi."

Isabel grinned. "Hey Levi."

Levi sighed. "Hello you two. Tch, the fuck do you want?"

Hange peered at the necklace box. "What you go there?"

Levi gritted his teeth. "Nothing."

Isabel gasped. "Is that a present!?" She squealed. "Hange! He got her a present!"

Hange inhaled loudly. "I knew you two were a couple! I knew it!" She leaned closer. "What's it like sleeping with a human?"

Isabel hummed. "I bet she's so warm and soft. I bet you hold her and love her all night."

Hange nodded. "They're probably planning babies and everything."

Levi groaned. "Shut up."

Hange snorted. "If you're wondering Levi, the penis goes into the vagina."

"I know how sex works!"

Isabel blew a raspberry. "Come on Hange. I bet he's already ravaged the human already."

Levi said your name. "That's her name, not human." He sighed. "Don't you two have anything better to do than bother me?" His eye twitched when Hange started singing a sex song and Isabel join in. "Fuck you both." He stormed away from them, then went into your room. "Tch, oi brat?"

You walked out the bathroom with wet hair and a towel wrapped around you. "Everything okay Levi?"

He blushed and nodded. "Y-Yes."

You walked over to him, then leaned up and kissed him. "Sorry I'm not dressed, but I had a shower." You blushed. "I looked terrible, sorry."

Levi shook his head. "No, no you look beautiful." He offered you the necklace box. "I got you something." He opened the box to show a necklace with a red stone. "The stone is my blood. Vampires gift their blood as a sign of devotion and love."

You turned your back to Levi and moved your wet hair. "Can you put it on me?"

Levi put the box down, then put the necklace around you neck. "That okay?"

You played with the stone as you blushed. "It's perfect." You blushed more, then dropped your towel to the floor. "You're perfect."

Levi blushed. "Brat, you..."

You turned to face him. "I umm...I want you."

Levi placed his hand your hip, then slowly dragged it up as he followed the curves of your body. "Are you sure?"

You gulped hard and nodded. "Yes. I know I am shy, but I want you. I can't deny it any longer."

Levi slipped his hand to your bum and pulled you against him. He captured your lips and kissed you over and over. Levi frowned when you pulled from his lips. "What's wrong?"

You sat on the bed as you blushed. "C-could you rip your shirt open?"

Levi looked down at his smart shirt, then up at you. He grabbed his shirt and ripped it open making the bullets fly. He watched you shiver and gasp. He eyed your legs rubbing together in need. Levi walked closer and undid his belt slowly, then whipped it off himself. He popped the button, then knelt in front of you.

Levi inhaled deeply and felt a burn of desire run through him as he felt a hungry scent flow off you. He ran his hands up your calfs slowly. He kissed the side of your knee as he slowly pulled your legs open. He shifted them over his shoulders as his hands dragged along the outside of your thighs.

Levi smiled at your blushing face. You just seemed so delicious to him. He kissed along the inside of your thigh and moved closer and closer to your begging heat. He couldn't wait to taste you for the first time. He felt a hunger in him like he'd never felt before.

You shivered as Levi kissed right near your heat, then stopped. You leaned on your forearms and looked down to see Levi's slide across your stomach. He dug his fingers in a little and shoved you down onto the bed. You wiggled and realised he had full control over you, which excited you more.

You lay there waiting to see what Levi would do. You loved him, but knowing he was a blood-sucking creature still put a little fear inside you, but it excited you. You gasped and shiver as Levi's tongue licked up your heat slowly. He was naturally colder than you, so the temperature difference sent a spark through you.

Levi hummed in delight at how hot your body was, along with how sweet you tasted. He growled as his hunger and desire for you took over. He parted your slick lips and eyes your little bundle of nerves. He licked his lips and dove for it.

You cried out and gripped the bed as Levi sucked and traced patterns on your little bud. He listened closely to your moans to ensure he knew what patterns you loved the most. He pressed on your stomach to stop you from wiggling from him.

You squeezed your thighs around Levi's head as your coil inside tightened up and threatened to break. You covered your mouth with your hand as you felt your heat get slicker by the second. You could fell your orgasm coming in fast, but just as you were about to taste heaven, Levi stopped.

Levi pulled back and licked his lips. He knelt up and smiled when you looked at him. He opened his mouth, then placed two fingers on his tongue. He watched as you blushed hard, then stared intently as he sucked and licked his fingers. He hummed and pulled them from his mouth. He moved back down, then ran his fingers slowly up and down. He pressed his fingers in slowly and enjoyed how your heat wrapped around him. he moved closer to your bud and began giving it all the love and attention it needed.

You bit your hand hard and crushed Levi's head with your thighs when he pressed your g-spot. You shiver and welled up at the strong burning pleasure that pulsed from both your heat and bud. You could barely keep track on what was happening to your body. You wiggled and moved under Levi's strong grip as your body fought the intense pleasure, like it was teetering on the edge of pleasure and too much.

You cried out when the coil snapped inside you and your orgasm washed over you like boiling hot water. Levi kept moving his fingers and helped you ride out your pleasure. He waited for you to release his head from the grip of your thighs, then he turned his head to where your blood pump fast through you. He bared his fangs and bit down hard. He hummed in delight as you cried out in pleasure from his bite.

Levi moaned as your sweet blood entered his mouth. He hugged your thigh and felt like he was drinking honey. You were special, because your blood tasted better than any other human. He lapped up your blood, then cut his tongue on his fang and licked your wound.

Levi stood up, then pulled off the last of his clothes. He grabbed your waist and lifted you up the bed more. He crawled up after you, then captured your lips in a heated and loving kiss. He pulled back and panted as you shivered under him.

He ran his thumb over your bottom lip. "Do you want to keep going?"

You wrapped your arms around him as you blushed. "More. I need to feel you inside me."

Levi kissed you and hummed. "Tell me if it hurts and if you want to stop we will."

You nodded. "Yes."

Levi pressed his thick throbbing cock into your welcoming heat. He sighed a moan as you wrapped around him. He enjoyed every bump inside as they brushed against him. He growled when you clenched him over and over. You squeezed him because you wanted to feel every inch of him inside you.

At first Levi was slow and loving as he rocked his cock into you. Levi was exploring your body. He was trying to see what your buttons were and what you wanted. He listened closely to your body as it cried out for him. He made sure that he rubbed his cock against the right spot within you so you squeezed him so perfectly.

You gazed at Levi and enjoyed sweat trickling down the dips and curves of his muscle. His raven hair hung around his face and framed it perfectly. His pupils took over his eyes making him look like a hungery beast. His pants and moans for you were deep and primal. You felt loved and cherished, but at the same time you felt like he was making you his possession and claiming you.

Once Levi sent you into ecstasy, he changed the way he moved. Levi knelt up and spread his knees apart. He grabbed your hip with one hand as his other cupped your face. He growled at you, then slammed his cock into your sensative heat over and over. He watched your chest bounce and your face contort into pure bliss.

Levi dug his fingers into your hip creating little bruises to form on your delicate skin. His eyes slowly dragged down your body to where his cock was plunging in and out of your heat. He never liked mess, but he couldn't believe how sexy it looked having your nectar cover him. He wanted more, so much more. He removed his hand from your hip, then ran circles on your bud with his thumb.

You closed your eyes and turned your head as you thrashed under Levi at the intense pleasure. You tried to escape his hold as the pleasure threatened to break you. You sobbed and cried as your legs shook from over stimulation in your heat. You gripped the bed hard making your knuckles turn white. You yanked Levi against your with your legs as you cried out in pleasure as heat ran through you from yet another burning orgasm.

You didn't think your body could take anymore, but it was like you too were possessed by desire. You opened your arms to Levi and gave him a pleading look. Levi dove at you and wrapped you up tightly in his arms and held you. He kissed you over and over as he grinded his cock deep into your heat. Levi kept making love to you as orgasm after orgasm rushed through you. His stamina was unstoppable, but when he finally came, he came hard. Levi filled you with his cum and fucked it into you. He bit your neck hard and let your honey blood fill his mouth making him feel like you were finally his.

Levi panted and gazed at you as you melted against the bed barely able to move. He decorated your body in loving kisses. He cleaned you up with loving touches and made sure you were comfortable and cared for. He apologised for cumming inside you, but it was well known that vampires could not have children. You let him know that you enjoyed feeling his cum inside you and you couldn't wait to have him again, but you needed a lot of rest.

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

You and Levi were always together, always loving, always sweet. You two were deeply in love and knew that life would never be the same for you both now you were together. However, there was one thing that needed to be known and that was what you were.

Hange researched and tested your blood, only to find you were part of a rare and special race of humans that supernaturals could breed with in order to make children stronger. So, if vampires mated with you they became stronger against silver and the UV rays. If you mated with a werewolf, they would be able to access their strength better in their human form.

You were valuable.

It was not long before people began to hear about the most feared vampire had a girlfriend, which meant you were a perfect target. Soon, Levi's worst nightmare came true. You had gone out to get him a present to show him how much you loved him. You were going to make him a tea set by hand, but as you were doing so you were taken.

Levi felt a shiver run through him as he waited at home for you. He then felt a stab in his heart when he felt your fear. Levi's connection told him that you had been taken. He clenched his fists tightly and saw red. He used his blood link to you to find your location with his friends following him filled with just as much rage.

Levi broke the doors down of the mansion you were kept in, then he made his way through the home ripping out hearts and throats as he went. Levi didn't mess around, he wanted them all to die until he found you. He wanted people to know you didn't fuck with an Ackerman, especially if it involved the love of his life.

Levi decorated the walls and floor in rich vampire blood. He grabbed one of their heads, then ripped it from their shoulders. He carried the head to a pair of double doors and kicked it wide open. He glared at the man inside. Levi's eyes widened as he was you bent over the bed with your wrists tied, and the back of your shirt ripped open and bite marks on you that did not belong to Levi.

Levi looked at the man holding you with your blood dripping from his mouth. Levi was consumed by hated. He called your name. "Close your eyes. I don't want you to see this." He watched you do as you were told. "Good girl." He threw the severed head at the man, then launched himself at him.

You clenched up on the bed and whimpered as you heard gargled screams behind you of someone clearly choking on blood. You relaxed when you heard a snap and a ripping sound of flesh and bone, then a thud. You flinched when you felt a light touch on your back.

Levi called your name. "Shh, you're okay." He freed your wrists, then pulled you into his arms. He held you for a moment, then bit his wrist and offered you his blood. He smiled as you drank some, then went back to clinging to him tightly. He picked you up like a bride, then carried you out the room. He looked to his friends. "Thank you for helping me get her back."

After that incident, no one dared to touch Levi Ackerman's mate. He loved and cared for you, but he dragged his heels at turning you becuase it would involve killing you. You begged him and he eventually agreed. He cried when you took your last breath as a human, but he became overjoyed when you took your first breath as a vampire. Levi looked after you because you were a baby vampire. He taught you everything you needed to know and was loving and sweet to you, but harsh and snapped at any other young vampires who messed up.

A few months went by of you being a vampire, but then Levi noticed something was up with you. You seemed to have your human life like glow about you again. You not only drank blood, but also ate some human food, which vampires did not do. Levi was so curious about what was going on with you, but you gave him the answer one day.

You smiled at Levi as you blushed. You handed a test over to him and beamed with joy at your handsome raven haired lover. "I'm pregnant."

Levi stared at the test, then looked to you. "It's not possible. How?"

You walked closer and kissed him. "Hange told you I'm a rare breed of human that can provide supernaturals with children. So, I'm having your child."

He welled up and smiled at you. "A baby? Really?"

You nodded. "Really."

He dropped to his knees and cupped your bum, then kissed your stomach. "Hi little one, I'm your daddy. I can't wait to meet you and hold you. I love you."

You played with Levi's soft hair. "They'll love you too."

Levi stood up and kissed you. "You are amazing. You are a gift. You are a goddess. I love you."

You smiled and kissed him back. "I love you too. I'm glad you never gave up on me after you rescued me."

"Me too."

[junghelioseok]

clandestine. | 04

↳ forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest.

◇ jungkook x reader ◇ smut | fluff | brother’s best friend!au ◇ 6.5k [4/6]

notes: we finally have a set chapter count! did this fic really need to be 6 chapters? absolutely not, but here we are! i’m hoping to have this fella finished up in the next month or so, but we’ll see how that goes given my track record. happy new year, everyone!

warnings: a little underedited bc i’m lazy, shower sex!!! mild? exhibitionist tendencies??? reader is dumb and jungkook is slutty, but what else is new 🤷🏻‍♀️

⇢ 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 

“I swear to god, I am going to amputate your arm with a rusty hacksaw if you elbow me one more time.”

Undeterred, your brother prods you again, pouting at you from his spot in the driver’s seat. “I just want another chip, Noona. Don’t be so mean.”

“Are you a baby bird?” you ask in disbelief, gaping at the way he opens his mouth and sticks out his tongue. “Seriously, I’m not feeding you. Get your own chips if you want them so badly.”

“But I’ve gotta keep both hands on the wheel,” he replies cheekily. “Ten and two positions, at all times.”

You frown. “Didn’t they change it to nine and three?” Nonetheless, you reluctantly reach into the bag in your lap, pulling out a potato chip and delivering it to his waiting mouth. “Next one’s going straight into your nose,” you warn as he happily crunches down on the snack.

Jimin simply offers you a beatific grin in between chews. “Love you too.”

“Nope, I changed my mind. Next one’s going up your ass.”

Your brother has long since grown used to your threats. “Kinky,” he chuckles as he merges smoothly into the next lane over. The song on the radio shifts into something more upbeat, and Jungkook is quick to start humming along under his breath from his spot in the seat behind you. Within minutes, it’s morphed into a singalong, and the offkey warbling of all seven passengers—no matter how dissonant—is a perfect soundtrack for the remainder of the drive.

The beach, when you arrive, is awash with tourists and locals alike, all clamoring to lay claim to a prime stretch of sand and a decent parking space. Jimin manages to snag a spot just as someone else is pulling out, and the rest of you are quick to disembark and scope out the beach for somewhere to set up camp. Plopping your bag down onto the sand, you rifle through it until you find your sunscreen, mentally patting yourself on the back for buying the spray instead of the cream.

“Can I borrow that when you’re done, Noona?” Taehyung asks, watching you wrench off the cap.

You nod, squinting against the sunlight. “Sure. As long as you help me get my entire back.”

“Deal.”

Flashing him a grateful smile, you shimmy out of your shorts and begin applying sunscreen to your arms and legs. Taehyung peels off his t-shirt, and you spray him down too, making sure to coat his entire back before he takes the bottle and does the same to you.

“I might have gone a little overboard,” he admits once he’s done, capping the bottle and tossing it back into your bag. Warm hands settle onto your exposed shoulder blades, deft fingertips rubbing the excess product into your skin. “There, that should do it. All better.”

“Thanks, Tae.” You turn around and reach out, wiping at a stray fleck of the white lotion on his bicep. “You’ve got a little bit here too, hang on—“

“Mind if I borrow this?”

You turn at the sound of Jungkook’s voice. The dark-haired young man is standing there with your sunscreen in hand, his gaze zeroed in on the way your fingertips linger on Taehyung’s bare skin. Awkwardly, you pull away and nod, hoping that neither of them can hear your heart pounding erratically against your ribcage.

“Yeah. Sure. It’s all yours.”

Jungkook grabs his white t-shirt by the collar, tugging it up and over his head in one smooth motion, and you swallow at the way his taut abdomen flexes as he tosses it aside. “You’ll help me get my back too, won’t you, Noona?”

You nod, moving before he can even finish his sentence. Your feet carry you across the sandy ground on autopilot, and Jungkook exhales audibly as your palms smooth along the golden expanse of his muscular back, dipping down to the waistband of his black swim trunks. Ever since his visit to your bedroom last night, you’ve been itching to touch him—to feel every last inch of him. It’s impossible with your watchful brother and group of nosy friends hovering around though, so you settle for this—rubbing sunscreen into his warm skin while he sprays down his arms and legs.

“Thanks, princess,” he murmurs once you’re done, soft enough so that only you can hear and raising gooseflesh on the back of your neck. “Maybe next time, you’ll let me repay the favor.”

Then Yugyeom is calling his name, and Jungkook sprints down to the shoreline to join his friend in the crashing surf, his face creasing with laughter. Each time he emerges from the waves, droplets cling to his skin like glistening diamonds in the sunlight. It’s impossible to look away from the sight, and your tongue darts out to moisten your lips as you watch water drip off his hair and down his nape, pooling in his collarbones before he shakes his head like a dog and sends it spraying in all directions.

All that sunscreen is going to waste, a tiny voice in your head points out, but it’s hard to worry about that when you’re too busy following the path of the water streaming down past his dusky nipples to the ridges of his abdomen. And it’s almost as if he feels your gaze on him, because he’s suddenly staring right back at you, a wicked smirk tugging at his lips.

“Come on, Noona,” he calls, raking a hand through his drenched hair. “The water’s fine. Don’t make me drag you in.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” you call back, immediately regretting it when something equal parts mischievous and dangerous flashes across his face. There’s a glint in his eye that wasn’t there before, and you back away nervously as he emerges from the waves and saunters toward you. “Jungkook—”

“Yes?” he asks, his voice dropping down into a low purr. “What is it, princess?”

You edge around the towel that you’ve laid out in the sand, as if such a flimsy barrier could stop him in any way. “Just—just don’t dunk me under,” you plead.

Jungkook looks genuinely offended by that. “I would never,” he says, laying a hand over his heart and grabbing yours with his free one. “Now come on—let’s get you wet.”

You groan at the innuendo and try to tug free from his grip, but Jungkook only tightens his grasp, cackling the whole way down to the water.

///

The sun is just beginning to set, streaking the blue sky through with wispy strands of orange and gold, when Jimin raises his hand and declares it dinner time. For the past two hours, you’ve all been engrossed in a very tight three-on-three volleyball match with Jimin serving as referee, and upon hearing your brother’s declaration, Minho looks about ready to chuck the ball into the ocean.

“Dude, are you fucking serious? We’re literally two points from winning!” He gestures wildly at an invisible scoreboard only he can see. “No way we’re stopping here. I refuse on principle.”

“Yeah, I wanna see who the real winner is, too,” Jungkook drawls from the other end of the court, where he’s flanked on either side by Taehyung and Yugyeom. “I mean, we’ve been leading for most of the tournament, so…”

Minho scowls. “And we’re about to win the whole damn thing. Just you wait, Jeon.”

Behind him, you and Taemin exchange helpless glances. It isn’t the first time you’ve seen Jungkook and Minho squabble over the years, and you’re sure it won’t be the last. Both possess a razor sharp competitive streak and a certain pigheadedness that only emerges when it comes to athletic endeavors, and luckily, your brother knows this just as well as you do. Heaving a sigh, Jimin wearily gestures for them to continue, resuming his post at the end of the net. “Fine, fine,” he mutters. “Next point wins.”

On the other side of the net, Jungkook’s eyes narrow. “I’m good with that if you are.”

“Oh, I’m good,” Minho retorts. “It’s our serve. You ready?”

Jungkook smirks. “Bring it on.”

Minho cracks his knuckles and tosses the ball over to you for the serve. “All right then, let’s fucking do this.”

You sigh. Taking a deep breath, you heft up the ball, testing its weight before hitting it smoothly over the net. Yugyeom jumps up to intercept, batting it back over to your side, and Minho attempts to spike it back and into the sand. Unfortunately, Jungkook is too quick, and dives down to bump it back over to you. The back and forth continues like this for a while—you see Jimin boredly scrolling on his phone out of the corner of your eye—and you’re strongly considering calling it quits when Jungkook smashes the ball over the net and into the ground right at Minho’s feet.

“And that’s game,” he declares proudly, raking his sweaty hair off his forehead with a triumphant grin.

“Are you finally done?” Jimin asks, rolling his eyes and pocketing his phone. “Thank god. Can we eat now?”

Jungkook claps him on the back in affirmation, ignoring Minho’s loud, adamant protests that your team still technically won. Together, you head back to where your towels and bags sit in the sand, grabbing bottles of chilled water out of the cooler and fishing for snacks. Jimin pulls a package of hot dogs out while Taehyung rips open a bag of chips, and you follow their lead and grab the hamburger patties and buns. “Huh, I swear I bought ketchup,” you mumble to yourself as you rummage through the half-melted ice in the cooler. “Is it not in here?”

“I have it.” Jungkook materializes at your side, proffering the little red bottle. He’s pulled his white t-shirt back on, the material a stark contrast to his tanned skin, and you silently rise to your feet to take it when a sudden wave of lightheadedness rushes over you and sends the world spinning.

“Whoa,” you gasp, swaying on your feet. “Oh, god.”

Jungkook frowns and drops the ketchup bottle, steadying you until most of your weight is leaned against him. “Noona? Are you okay?”

You swallow, hard, and try to shake the unexpected bout of dizziness away. “I don’t know. Got dizzy, all of a sudden. I think I might have stood up too fast?”

Gently, Jungkook presses the back of his hand against your forehead. “You feel pretty warm,” he murmurs. “Have you had enough water today?”

“I thought I drank plenty, but maybe not,” you admit, and he nods decisively and gestures for you to follow him.

“Come on,” he says. “Let’s grab some water and go somewhere quiet so you can rest. Minho isn’t going to shut up about that match anytime soon, and it’s cooler down by the water.”

You laugh weakly. “We did technically win, you know. We had one more point than you guys.”

“God, not you too,” Jungkook sighs, casting you a playful look over his shoulder as he digs two bottles of water out from the cooler. He uncaps one and hands it over before taking a swig out of his, and you take a grateful sip, relishing in the cool liquid that trickles down your throat.

Nearby, your brother and the rest of the boys have commandeered one of several firepits scattered around the edges of the beach. They’re piling up pieces of driftwood and some of the long, tall sea grass that Taehyung has found, and Jungkook waves at them as he slowly guides you toward the ocean with a hand on your back. “We’re gonna go find some more wood!” he calls, and Jimin raises a hand in acknowledgment before turning back to the firepit.

Water laps gently at your toes as you and Jungkook walk along the shore, washing away all traces of your footprints. The sun dips below the horizon at last, illuminating the sky in one last burst of red and orange and gold that slowly fades into deep purples and blues as night falls. The temperature dips as the moon ascends to her lofty throne, accompanied by a smattering of starry pinpricks. Most of the beachgoers have packed up and left by this point, and here, with nothing but Jungkook’s quiet, familiar presence and the lapping waves, you feel more at peace than you have in a long time.

“You know, I’m really glad I came this weekend,” you say softly, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen between the two of you. Your gaze drops down to your toes, fixing your attention on a pearly white seashell that’s sticking out from the wet sand. “I think you were right—I really did need a break from everything.”

“Sorry, I couldn’t quite catch that,” Jungkook says, swirling his pinky in his ear. “Could you say it again? Something about me being right?”

You roll your eyes. “Oh, shut up.”

Jungkook casts a quick look over his shoulder, and when you follow the trajectory of his gaze, you notice just how far you’ve gotten from the firepit where the others are sitting. Darkness has settled over the beach, the sand painted a wan silver from the light of the moon, and you flinch when Jungkook’s hand finds its way around yours.

“Jungkook—” you begin, but trail off when he twines your fingers together and gives your hand a squeeze.

“They can’t see us, Noona,” he murmurs. “Relax.”

Easier said than done, you want to say. Nevertheless, you suck in a deep breath and take another sip from your water bottle, trying to ignore the way Jungkook swings your interlocked hands between you as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.

“Shouldn’t—shouldn’t we be trying to find more driftwood?” you ask after several long seconds have dragged by. “We need way more if we’re gonna keep the fire going.”

Jungkook hums softly and veers inland, until the sand beneath your feet is dry and starts sticking to your wet toes. You come across a few scattered pieces of wood, dried out by the sun, and tuck them beneath your arm. Likewise, Jungkook gathers a few pieces of his own, hefting them up before reaching out to take your hand once more. His fingers slot all too comfortably into the spaces between yours, and your heart stutters a few times in your chest before plunking down into your churning stomach.

Nighttime has well and truly settled over the beach by the time you and Jungkook start picking your way back over to rejoin the group around the firepit. You pull your hand out of Jungkook’s well before you reach the ring of orange light that the flames cast across the sand, your arm now swinging free at your side and your fingers cold from the loss of his warmth. Silently, you hasten your pace and plop down onto the towel that Jimin has spread out, stretching out your legs toward the fire and wiggling your toes.

“Where have you guys been?” Jimin asks curiously. “You just kinda wandered off.”

“Getting more driftwood,” you reply, gesturing at the small pile you’ve dropped at the edge of the towel. “We told you that’s where we were going.”

Jimin frowns for a few seconds before the memory resurfaces. “Oh, right. I forgot.”

Jungkook snorts and takes a seat beside you, dropping his stack of driftwood on top of yours. “Dumbass.”

“You’re a dumbass,” Jimin retorts.

“You’re both dumbasses,” you sigh.

The fire crackles merrily, sending orange sparks up into the velvety black sky. There’s a grill situated over the flames, loaded with hamburger patties and hot dogs, and you watch as Jimin tears open a bag of hot dog buns and begins to place them around the edges.

“Hey, can you throw me the hamburger buns?” he asks you. “I wanna try toasting them.”

“You’re gonna burn them,” you tell him flatly. Nonetheless, you locate the second bag and toss it over, watching as he makes more room on the grill.

Dinner is a loud, chaotic affair, filled with laughter and conversation and plenty of booze to go around. Jimin has procured a flask of whiskey from somewhere in his clothing—an impressive feat in and of itself, considering he’s only wearing swim trunks and a thin blue t-shirt. You wave him off when he offers you a sip, and he shrugs and throws back a generous swallow himself. Then he offers it to Jungkook, who shakes his head and raises his water bottle. “Designated driver,” he says. “I’m sticking to water tonight.”

Curiously, you glance over at him. “You don’t have to do that. I wasn’t planning on drinking, so I can drive us back.”

“With the way you were looking earlier?” Jungkook fixes you with a look of pure disbelief. “Not a chance. Besides, we’re going back to the real world tomorrow, and the last thing I need is to be hungover. I have to get us back home in one piece, not to mention the entire menu I still have to memorize for work.”

You hum. Jungkook has mentioned his new job a few times—a summer stint working as a server at a new restaurant opened by a family friend named Seokjin. “Right, I remember you saying that. You start on Monday, don’t you?”

“Dinner shift,” Jungkook confirms. “I stole a whole bunch of pens from Junghyun’s room the other day in preparation. Jin said I’d probably end up losing two-thirds of them by the end of the week.”

“That sounds about right,” you tell him with a laugh. “Some guy stole my favorite pen last summer when I was working at that diner on Main. Lesson learned, forever.”

Jungkook laughs. “Yeah, I bet.”

You grin. “But, hey, seriously. If you need me to quiz you on that menu, I’ve got time to spare.”

“Honestly, I might take you up on that offer. I have flash cards, and everything.” He uncaps his water bottle and takes a long sip, his throat bobbing with each swallow, before glancing back over at you. “What about you? You ready for your internship?”

You sigh and offer him a helpless little shrug. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready, to be honest. I don’t think I’m going to stop stressing about it until I get through my first day. The entire thing still doesn’t feel real.”

“I get that,” Jungkook hums. “Well, I can imagine it, at least. I won’t pretend to know exactly what you’re going through, since I’ve never had an adult job, but—“ He shrugs a shoulder halfheartedly. “I can kind of relate, I guess.”

“All jobs suck a little bit,” you tell him, and Jungkook lets out a derisive huff of agreement.

“I’ll drink to that,” he says, and the two of you tap your water bottles together before rejoining the conversation with the rest of your friends.

///

The drive back to the lake house is shorter than you remember it being—though that might be because you spend most of it watching Jungkook drive. He steers with one hand slung carelessly over the wheel, his expression relaxed as he sings along to whatever pop hit plays on the radio. Unloading the car is a team effort, though you hear no shortage of complaints from Jimin as he heaves the cooler over the threshold of the house before collapsing atop it in a pile of limp limbs.

“Thanks for leaving me to carry this thing by myself,” he snarks, not even bothering to raise his head. “Really appreciate it.”

“Don’t be a baby,” Taehyung scoffs, tossing a game console at him. “Have a beer and pick something to play. We’re waiting on you.”

You watch as your brother immediately hops up and darts over to join the rest of the boys lounging in the living room, fighting back the sudden wave of exhaustion that washes over you. “I think I’m going to head to bed,” you tell them, hiding a yawn behind your hand. “Goodnight, guys.”

A chorus of goodnights and see you in the mornings rings out in response, and you wave before heading down the hall to your room and into the adjoining bathroom. Your hair is crusty from being submerged in the salty water of the ocean, and a shower to rejuvenate your dehydrated skin is just what you need. Turning on the tap, you wait until it’s flowing warm before stripping out of your clothes and tossing them onto your bed to deal with later. Then you step into the shower and tilt your head back, letting the water stream down your face and soak into your hair.

You’re midway through squeezing a generous dollop of shampoo into your palm when there’s a soft knock on the door. “Noona?” Jungkook’s voice filters through the sound of rushing water, low and lilting like a song. “You left kinda fast. Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”

You cap the shampoo bottle and replace it on the shelf, peering out from behind the shower curtain. “I’m fine,” you call, hesitating before you steel your nerves and continue. “You can come in, if you want. I don’t like yelling through the door.”

Slowly, the bathroom door eases open, revealing Jungkook standing in his and Jimin’s shared bedroom. His brown eyes are wide as he takes in the sight before him, and you have no doubt that he’s thinking about just what the palm tree patterned curtain is hiding from his view. Your lip finds its way between your teeth when you notice him shuffle his feet awkwardly for a moment before stepping a little closer to where you’re standing beneath the spray, his mouth opening to speak.

“Join me?”

The invitation slips past your lips, unbidden, but you have no intention of taking it back. Not when Jungkook’s gaze darkens to obsidian at those two simple words, his mouth snapping shut and his hands already reaching for the hem of his white t-shirt. Not when he strips it off in one smooth motion to reveal all the dips and ridges of his abdomen, his skin golden even under the harsh fluorescent bathroom lights. And certainly not when he pulls aside the shower curtain and joins you beneath the spray, his dark eyes appreciatively raking up and down your bare figure.

“Hey,” he says, his voice a low purr.

“Hi,” you respond, reaching out and trailing a fingertip down his chest.

And then you’re dropping down to your knees, your tongue darting out to tease at the tip of his already rising cock. One hand finds its way to his balls while the other traces the line of his pelvic bone, and you smirk when you feel him let out a shuddery breath.

“Fuck,” he rasps. “Someone’s eager.”

You wrap your lips around the tip of his cock, humming, and Jungkook’s fingers fly into your dampened hair. “Oh, fuck. You’re really trying to kill me, huh, princess?” he asks, and you respond by taking a little more of him into your mouth, laving at the vein running along the underside of his length before hollowing your cheeks. Jungkook throws his head back, a deep groan escaping his parted lips, and you preen under his encouragement as he urges you to take him deeper.

You’ve just begun to settle into a rhythm—figuring out exactly how much pressure he likes and what makes his hips buck—when he suddenly pushes you away. “Jung—” you begin, only to have him silence you with a searing kiss, grabbing you around the waist and hauling you to your feet.

“Wanna fuck you properly,” he rasps. His hand finds its way between your legs, experimental fingers sliding through the wetness that’s gathered there, and your cheeks heat up when he brings them to his mouth and licks them clean. “Just let me go grab a condom,” he whispers urgently. “Don’t move a muscle, okay? I’ll be righ—”

You silence him with a hard kiss. “Don’t,” you mumble. “I’m clean. Are you?”

Jungkook nods slowly, his eyes wide. “Does that mean… I mean, are you…?”

“I’m on the pill,” you murmur. “Fuck me raw, Jungkook.”

A sharp gasp escapes you when Jungkook cages you against the cool tiled wall of the shower, the slick surface dampened by the spray from the showerhead. He grabs ahold of your thigh and hoists it up to wrap around his waist, and you’ve never been more thankful for the ugly fish patterned shower mat that your mom insisted on putting down to prevent slipping. Jungkook nestles into the newly created space between your legs, his cock hot and slick against your center, and you keen when he grinds against you in a slow, deliberate motion.

“You feel that?” he rasps into your ear, his breath hot against your cheek. “Feel how hard you get me, Noona?”

“God, Jungkook,” you breathe back. “Just fuck me already, will you?”

His answering chuckle sends a shiver from your toes to your crown. “So needy,” he murmurs, his hand sliding from your thigh to your hip. His mouth seeks out yours as he positions the head of his cock at your entrance, meeting little resistance as he slowly begins pushing inside. Your walls part willingly for him and your lips do too—his questing tongue slipping inside when you moan and beginning his seemingly endless task of mapping out every corner of your mouth.

“God, I forgot how big you are,” you breathe when he bottoms out—the entirety of his hot, heavy length sheathed within your walls. Your head falls back against the tile as he rolls his hips experimentally, a moan that sounds vaguely like Jungkook’s name escaping your lips. Your arms come up to brace on his shoulders as he picks up his pace, but he intercepts one of your hands and twines your fingers together, settling them onto the wall just to the left of your head. His other hand returns to your thigh to keep you stable and spread out for his increasingly harsh thrusts, and you whimper helplessly in his ironclad grip.

“That’s it,” he whispers, groaning when you clench around him. “God, you’re so fucking tight, princess.”

“Fuck me open, then,” you moan back, squeezing his hand and meeting his next thrust with one of your own. Jungkook’s breathing stutters, and you laugh breathlessly at the way his mouth falls open at the spike of pleasure. Emboldened, you grind against him, the spray from the shower easing the movement. “Jungkook, please.”

He chuckles hoarsely. “Careful what you wish for,” he purrs against the shell of your ear, punctuating the warning with a harsh roll of his hips that sends all remaining thought flying out of your head. In this moment, there’s only Jungkook—his dark hair dampened and dripping, the spray from the showerhead slicking his chest and pooling in his clavicle before trailing down each ridge and dip of his honeyed skin. His lips find yours again, and you sigh into the kiss as he begins to fuck you in earnest.

“Hey, Jungkook! You in there?”

Your eyes fly open at the new voice, your body tensing when there are several loud bangs on the door. Jungkook freezes mid-thrust with an expression that can only be described as a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck, his throat bobbing nervously as he fights to find a response. You can practically see the gears whirring in his brain, and shove uselessly at his chest in an attempt to escape his steely embrace.

“That’s Jimin,” you hiss urgently, turning his face toward yours and prodding his cheek until his gaze refocuses. “What the fuck are we going to do?”

“Dude.” Jimin’s voice is laced with irritation. “I wanna brush my teeth! What the hell are you doing in there?”

Jungkook hesitates, glancing between you and the closed bathroom door. Then he inhales deeply, pressing a light kiss to your furrowed forehead before pulling the shower curtain closed, ensuring there are no gaps. “I got you,” he murmurs softly, his brown eyes boring into yours. “Don’t worry, okay?”

Your eyes flutter shut at the gentle pressure of his lips against your skin, but they fly open again when Jungkook breaks away and yells for Jimin to come in. Warm palms slide soothingly down your sides, but that doesn’t stop you from tensing up when the bathroom door creaks open, your brother’s soft footsteps approaching the flimsy palm tree patterned curtain.

“Have you been showering this whole time? Jeez. Leave some hot water for the rest of us, will you?”

Jungkook chuckles. Ever so slowly, he pushes forward until he’s fully seated inside you again, and you do your best to level a glare at him even as pleasure flares at the base of your spine. “There’s plenty to go around,” he says. “Relax.”

You get the distinct feeling that he’s not just addressing Jimin anymore. Jungkook pulls back until only the top of his cock remains nestled in your folds, and you open your mouth to berate him but all that comes out is a low moan when he sinks back inside you in one swift push.

On the other side of the curtain, you hear the faucet turn on. “Man, I can’t believe we leave tomorrow,” Jimin says over the sound of running water. “The weekend flew by.”

“Mmm,” Jungkook hums, brushing a thumb across your clit. The pace he’s set is slow and deep, and is made all the more sensual by the steam that’s steadily building up in the small room. You try once more to push him away—to quell the growing ache between your legs—but it’s all in vain as he chuckles softly into the crook of your neck, his bare shoulders quaking. “I got you, princess,” he murmurs, his voice a wicked little whisper that’s immediately lost in the spray of water. “Just let me take care of you, yeah?”

You don’t have a chance to answer. Jimin starts speaking again, this time accompanied by the sound of toothbrush bristles scrubbing against his teeth. “I’m starting up at the studio as soon as we get back—isn’t that crazy? I mean, I’ve never taught anyone how to dance before. Not really. Not for real.”

Jungkook snaps his hips up so sharply that you nearly mewl in surprise, forced to bite down into his meaty shoulder to muffle the noises that threaten to escape from your throat. “You’re a great tutor, man,” he says, his voice steady even as he resumes his slow, lazy thrusts, his cock dragging along your fluttering walls. “You’ve been helping people with math for, what, two years? What makes you think it’ll be any different with dancing?”

Jimin spits into the sink and sighs. “I don’t know. It’s scarier because there’ll be more people, I guess. Tutoring is one on one, y’know? And at the studio, I’ll have a full class of people watching me. Every single move I make, they’ll be looking at. That’s fucking terrifying to think about.”

Slowly, Jungkook’s hips still, his cock buried to the hilt in your cunt. Your heartbeat drums in your ears, backed by the relentless spray from the showerhead, and Jungkook leans down to plant a wet kiss on your cheek, his hair dripping.

“You’re a great dancer, Jimin,” he says once he’s pulled back and straightened back up to his full height. “Best one I know. You’re also one of the smartest people I know, but right now, you’re being really fucking dumb.”

There’s a clatter that sounds like a plastic toothbrush being dropped into the sink, and Jimin lets out an affronted squeak. “Hey!”

Jungkook just chuckles, his shoulders quaking. “It’s true,” he says easily. “Seriously, man. You don’t have a thing to worry about. You’re gonna kick ass out there, and your class is gonna be awesome. You’re already, what, almost maxed out on the number of registrants? You’re already killing it.”

Your brother lets out an unintelligible grumble on the other side of the shower curtain, but you can still hear the smile in his voice no matter how hard he tries to mask it. “All right, you fucking sap,” Jimin says at last, his soft footsteps padding toward the door. “Hurry up and get out of there, yeah? You’re really gonna use up all the hot water.”

The door clicks shut behind him, and you immediately smack Jungkook in the middle of his stupidly toned chest. “Oh my god!” you hiss. “Are you kidding me right now, Jeon? We could’ve been caught!”

“But we weren’t,” Jungkook replies easily, shaking his dampened hair out of his face and fixing you with an indolent little smirk. “So why don’t you be a good girl and cum for me now?”

///

The next morning brings with it a whirlwind of frenzied packing, and you mentally congratulate yourself for preemptively gathering all of your belongings together last night. Minho is wandering every last inch of the house with a piece of half-eaten toast dangling from his mouth, and you can hear Taehyung in the distance asking if anyone’s seen his strawberry body wash. Jungkook is seated on the floor near the front door, his brows furrowed and his lower lip jutting out in a pout as he fights to close the zipper of his suitcase.

“Got it!” he exclaims after a few seconds, triumphant. “Where’s your stuff, Noona? I’m gonna load the car.”

You begin to stand up from your spot on the couch. “It’s in my room, let me go get—”

Jungkook is on his feet and halfway down the hall before you can even finish your sentence. He returns a moment later with your luggage in tow, shooting you a grin and a wink as he passes by. “I got you, princess,” he murmurs. “Remember?”

Of course you do. You remember like it was yesterday—because, well, it was yesterday and you haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since. You remember the moment you shared at the beach and the way his hand felt so right wrapped around your own. You remember the way you’d dropped to your knees for him so readily in the shower last night. And you definitely remember the way he’d fucked you afterward—slow and deep in the best possible way, even with your brother’s untimely interruption.

After what feels like an eternity, both cars are finally packed and ready to go. You bid goodbye to the boys who are riding with Jimin, promising to stay in touch, before climbing into the passenger seat of Jungkook’s beat-up sedan. Jungkook himself is already lounging behind the wheel, his sunglasses perched low on his nose as he fiddles with his phone. He looks up at your entrance and flashes you a smile, tapping his screen a few more times before holding it up so you can see.

“I changed your contact photo,” he says. “Like it?”

You peer at his phone, and something in your chest clenches when you see the photo he’s selected. You’re on the beach beside the volleyball net, illuminated by the setting sun. The sky is streaked through with pink and orange behind you, but through some editing magic, Jungkook has made it so that you are glowing even brighter in the foreground—with laughter etched across your face and the wind in your hair. It’s a beautiful photograph, and you tell him so, unable to contain the dangerously warm affection blossoming in your chest.

“I love it,” you say. “I usually don’t like having my photo taken, but wow. You have a talent for this.”

Jungkook’s smile grows. “I have a pretty muse,” he replies, and your cheeks warm.

The door to the backseat opens with a bang, and you nearly jump out of your skin at the sudden sound. “Yo,” Yugyeom says, plopping down and buckling his seatbelt. “We ready to roll?”

Jungkook scowls and puts his phone back into his pocket. “Careful with the door, man. I need this thing to last through the summer.”

Yugyeom puts his hands up in apology, and Jungkook turns back to face the front, starting the ignition with a flick of his wrist. The engine sputters to life, and Jungkook waits for Jimin to pull out first before following after him, tailing the van out of the driveway and onto the winding road that will take you back into the city.

“Music?” you ask, gesturing at the stereo.

“Go for it,” Jungkook replies. “You want my phone so you can put on the roadtrip mix?”

“Sure.”

With the help of the upbeat music and Jungkook’s tendency to drive just a touch over the speed limit, you make it to the winding roads of Yugyeom’s neighborhood in what must be record time. “You missed the turn,” Yugyeom says lazily from where he’s sprawled across the entire backseat. “Turn left here—we can circle around and approach from the other side.”

Two more turns and a descent down a steep hill later, Jungkook manages to successfully drop Yugyeom off at his house. The drive across town takes no time at all, and before long, you’re cruising into your neighborhood, coasting past Jungkook’s driveway and straight into yours.

“Looks like we beat Jimin back,” you remark, looking at the empty spot where the van usually sits.

Jungkook hums. “Makes sense. He has more people to drop off.”

“Mm. Yeah.”

The sudden awkwardness that falls doesn’t go unnoticed by you. Clearing your throat, you reach for your purse, grabbing it from where it’s fallen to the ground near your feet. “I guess I’ll see you around then,” you begin, turning to open the door.

A strong hand wraps around your wrist, forcing you back into your seat. “Is that it?” Jungkook asks, and there’s an edge of something you can’t quite place in his voice. “Are you gonna go back to pretending like there’s nothing between us?”

You shake him free. “There isn’t anything between us,” you whisper. “We’re not on vacation anymore, Jungkook. We’re back home. Back to real life. We can’t do—whatever it is that we’ve been doing.”

“But you’re attracted to me,” Jungkook growls. “You like me. So why do you keep running away?”

A sigh escapes you. “Jungkook, it doesn’t matter if I like you or no—”

He interrupts before you can even finish your sentence. “Yes it does. It’s the only thing that matters.” And then he’s pulling you into his chest, taking advantage of your skewed sense of balance, and crushing his mouth to yours.

This kiss is different from the others you’ve shared so far. It’s hungry and passionate, and yet it’s tinged with something else—something that feels strangely akin to desperation. Jungkook kisses you with urgency, and it’s so raw and unbridled that it steals the very breath from your lungs and leaves you lightheaded.

Jungkook doesn’t say a word when he pulls away. Instead, he reaches down, popping the handle that opens the trunk and stepping out to pull your suitcase from within. Silently, he presses the handle into your hand.

And then he’s turning—climbing back into his car and leaving you with nothing but the memory of his lips and a whirlwind of thoughts in your mind.

[codenamed-queenie]

#BatsInQuarantine

I am going insane. So I poured my restlessness into one long and very detailed post and got super into it. Please enjoy this hot mess.

The Justice League, being the well-meaning virus-proof Super Friends that they are, took one good look at the news, one good look at their non-powered friends Ollie, Bruce, and their families, and collectively decided that these normal humans must be Protected At All Costs.

Now, keep in mind, Bruce is never one to roll over when it comes to being benched. 

However, he understands the importance of social distancing. He knows he needs to set a good example for his kids, and keep up appearances as Gotham’s Most Responsible Multi-Billionaire. 

So. Quarantine it is. 

But how are his kids handling it?

Dick - 

100% on board in the beginning. Gotta do the Responsible Thing. Gotta set a Good Example. Besides, guys, this is gonna be Fun. Quality Family Time is always a Must.

He lasted 2 days. 

Then he started to get twitchy. 

And as everyone knows? A Trapped Dick Grayson is a Feral Dick Grayson.

He bounces off the walls.

Literally.

“I have to climb.” 

“Dick, no.”  

“I have to climb everything.”

Has scaled the manor 16 times already. Has climbed the chandelier. The banister. Bruce. The roof. The Cave. Anything in the house that’s been bolted down and especially anything that hasn’t. 

Duke found him clinging to the wall 10 ft off the ground like Spiderman and screamed so loud it shattered glass. 

Desperate for news of the outside. 

He thrives off of it like a starving man. 

Was the one to suggest he and Barbara take a break to Social Distance from each other (”Sorry, babe, kissing spreads germs”) and experienced Instant Regret(TM) approximately 5 minutes after. 

The Family has labelled him a Flight Risk Level 1 (Most likely to say f**k it and make a break for the outside world)

Jason - 

Accidentally got trapped inside the manor with the others when Bruce called Shutdown. If he had his way, he’d be chilling in his favorite safe-house right now, binging The Witcher with Roy and Artemis, and not worrying about finding a stray brother in his sock drawer.

But he’s nothing if not an opportunist. 

The way he sees it, Jason has 3 options:

Self Improvement

Self Isolation (See Duke, Cass, and Damian)

Descension Into Madness (See Dick and Steph)

And, well, he always wanted to try a few things. Now he’s got the free time to do it.

So he settles on baking. 

Alfred’s got enough food and raw ingredients stored up to feed an army. (Not because he’s a Panic-Buying-Hoarder in times like these. But because he’s a Panic-Buying-Hoarder all the time. Just try feeding 11+ teenagers sometime.)

Uses recipes he finds off Google.

His first few attempts are, in a word, ‘tragic’.

Alfred slips him a few of his recipe cards, and Jason suddenly starts seeing Results. 

Turns out he’s pretty good at this baking thing once he gets the hang of it. 

Hope everyone’s okay eating nothing but pie, macaroons, biscuits, and whatever else Jason whips up. 

Cause that’s gonna be the only food left by the time he’s done. 

Barbara - 

Self-quarantined with her dad. 

They’ve been binge-watching classic black and white movies together.

It’s a fun time, but she’s started to get a little antsy. Loving her dad and wanting to be around him 24/7 are, understandably, mutually exclusive. 

Calls the manor to video-chat every day.

For her sanity just as much as theirs. 

Gives everyone little challenges to film on their phones and send in. She makes compilations of everyone’s submissions so they can all watch and laugh together. 

Bonus points for Creativity

One comp shows the family trying to drop Mentos into coke bottles. 

Dick did a handstand, and dropped his Mento from the second story balcony. 

Tim did it wearing the Batman cowl. The soda exploded into his face, and the rest of the video is just Bruce’s Shrieking.

Stephanie tried it, but the bottle tipped. Everyone on camera screamed as the bottle rocketed through the front window. 

She spends most of her calls having one-on-one convos with Dick.

They’ve come up with little code phrases so they can be Cheesy even with family members lurking in the background. 

She thinks the way he clings to the monitor is cute. 

Almost like he’s giving her a hug through the screen. 

(It’s easier than letting herself worry about his mental state, at least)

Tim -

Oh this boy.

Freaked out for the first five minutes before he decided ‘hey wait, Bruce is letting me stay in my pajamas all day? Noice.’ 

Now he’s just vibing.

The rest of his family is Low-Key shielding him.

He Has No Spleen, you see.

Steph: “Someone could cough on him and he could die!”

He just goes about his day, playing Animal Crossing like there’s no tomorrow, tinkering on projects, taking naps, etc. Living his best life.

Meanwhile there’s always someone lurking behind him, keeping watch, keeping him safe. 

Dick sneezed within 5 feet of Tim once (the fact that he was on top of the dusty bookshelf Tim was perusing is irrelevant)

Jason still full-body tackled him the second Tim’s back was turned. 

No one with any symptoms--

Like, any symptoms. They don’t even have to be Corona-related.

--is allowed within 10 feet of Tim. 

Tim has been wandering the manor for weeks, now, without seeing another human being. 

(He sees Dick on the ceiling sometimes, but that doesn’t really count)

He’s been trying increasingly drastic pranks and shenanigans to draw someone, anyone, out. 

But it doesn’t matter how many times he steals Damian’s sword, or sets fire to Jason’s brownie bites.

Nobody wants to risk it. 

Cass - 

No one has seen her since quarantine started.

Everyone is approximately 87% sure she’s somewhere in the manor though

Because she does eat the meals Alfred leaves out for her.

Or at least someone does, at any rate. 

(Jason and Santa top the running suspects list)

Santa was Steph’s suggestion. For some reason it snowballed. 

It’s assumed that Cass misunderstood the meaning of ‘social distancing’ and took it too far. 

But no one knows for sure. 

She is Tim’s Guardian Angel. 

People who so much as clear their throats a little too loudly anywhere near him suddenly wake up on a different floor of the house four hours later. 

Duke came closest to spotting her while he was up in the attic. 

Either that, or there’s another Creepy Sister everyone forgot to tell him about living up there.

She is silent, and watchful, sticking to the shadows, but she does leave the occasional note out to brighten her siblings’ day. 

Things like ‘helo i love u’ and ‘hop u ar ok’  mostly. 

She is bound and determined to protect her family from this invisible threat, no matter the cost. 

Steph - 

Like Dick, she was Super Pumped at first. 

(Just kind of showed up at Wayne Manor before quarantine was enacted. The original purpose of her visit is unclear, but regardless, she’s Trapped.)

Also Like Dick, her descent into madness was swift.

She is impossible to pin down. 

Not like Cass or Damian, who’ve stayed off the grid, and are therefore Untraceable. 

No. She’s impossible to pin down, because she never stops moving. 

Switches seamlessly between Zumba on top of the Giant Dinosaur in the Batcave, and furiously knitting Alfred (the Cat) a sweater with a pair of Tim’s used chopsticks. 

Braided everyone’s hair while they were asleep.

Even Bruce’s. 

She tried to do Tim’s, but somehow blacked out and regained consciousness in the attic. 

When she woke up with a scream and a furiously twitching eye, she startled Duke out of his Makeshift Fort he built out of old cardboard boxes and antique furniture. He’s had to resort to finding a new hiding place. 

Sometimes, on the rare occasions she does sit still, staring off into the distance, she’ll suddenly start laughing hysterically. This may last between thirty seconds and thirty minutes, depending entirely on how long it’s been since she’s knitted a cat sweater or done cartwheels through every room in the house.

Blew up the greenhouse out back, somehow.

Everyone has agreed not to talk about it.

Some people were built to handle prolonged time inside their homes.

Stephanie Brown is not that way.

Damian - 

Damian Wayne Cannot Be Contained.

At least not inside the house. 

He took off thirty-six hours into quarantine. 

Thanks to the security equipment around the borders of the Wayne Estate, he can’t escape the grounds. 

(He’s tried and failed multiple times. Jason and Bruce have a running bet on how many times the perimeter alarms will go off per day.)

(Jason is winning.)

He wanders the grounds with Titus as his only companion. 

The two of them run laps, practice drills, and find ways to occupy their time. 

No one’s entirely sure what those ways are. 

In fact, nobody knows exactly where Damian is at any given time. 

Only that he is Out There. 

And he’s the best security system Wayne Manor’s ever had. 

So far, he’s stopped five groups of civilians scaling the perimeter walls before the lasers and electric nets even have a chance to deploy.

They were trying to break in and steal supplies. 

(Even ones they already had in surplus. Like Toilet Paper.)

He’s also stopped Dick from escaping twelve (12) times.

Drags him back by his shirt collar and deposits him on the welcome mat. 

Usually with a note for Alfred/Jason, requesting more fruit tarts. 

Duke - 

Did not leave the attic for two weeks. 

Then Steph discovered his hiding spot (read: was dumped there by Cassandra) which forced him to relocate to the basement. 

Yes, it turns out Wayne Manor does have a basement. 

This was a surprise to Duke, who always thought that the Batcave was Bruce Wayne’s basement. 

Alfred keeps him supplied with all the necessities:

i.e. food, magazines, assorted pastries from Jason’s latest batch, usually straight out of the oven.

Duke also snagged the Manor’s Alexa. 

She has become a sort of ‘Wilson’ to Duke’s ‘Chuck Noland’.

She is his only comfort. His only ally. 

He’s determined to wait out this quarantine, doing his best to avoid the others. 

Duke has seen these people under pressure. 

He knows exactly what he’s dealing with. 

Duke: “Alexa is the only motherf****r in this madhouse I ever respected.”

*offended butler noises from the other room*

Duke: “And also Alfred.”

[omg-im-such-a-masochist]

WHO?

Prompt: “Can you do a mob!Roman Reigns x Pregnant Reader where they are in a meeting and someone disrespects her?” Requested by the lovely @purpledragon04 (I’m also tagging my girl @ziasaph ‘cuz she wants all Roman related stories...and I can relate babe! Hahaha)

Word count: Long-ish

Pairing: Mob!Roman Reigns x Pregnant Reader

Warnings: Mob themed related subjects(drugs/gun),cursing,explicit violence,mentions of murder,harassment.

Notes: I’ve always wanted to write something Mob!Roman related but I’ve never had any good ideas,until the amazing @purpledragon04 request this. I’ve had some free time today so I dedicated to write this.So there you have it, I hope you like it babe.🥰 Y’all know the drill loves,sorry for misspellings,english isn’t my first language (bla bla bla),check out my other stories if you’d like to(it would make your girl here very happy 😊) and if you’re comfortable with it,please let me know what you think? Some feedback is always welcomed and appreciated ❤️You can check out my other stories typing ‘masochist writes’ on the search bar on my page and my newest story as a fixed post.Okay,now let’s get to the fun part,shall we? Hope you’ll enjoy 😉

I woke up as soon as the smell of fresh toast and scrambled eggs filled the bedroom, I opened my eyes and saw my beautiful man holding a tray fool of food,shirtless and barefooted with his hair down,only in a pair of black sweatpants that hanged dangerously low on his hips.

“Good morning baby girl” He softly smiles

“Good morning Ro”

He placed the tray of food on top of the bed on his empty side and approached me kneeling on one knee,placing one big hand on my round belly,pecking my lips,looking at my bump and asking in a soft voice

“And how are we feeling today?” While he rubbed and gave light pecks all around my belly.

“So far so good!” I answered as I ran my fingers through his thick,silky,dark hair.

“Good” he pecks my lips “ ‘cuz I’ve brought us some food”

He got up and walked to his side of our king size bed,placed the tray next to me so he could sit on the bed.

Ever since we’ve found out I was pregnant Roman did this same morning ritual every day without a fail! He would wake up before me and cook himself our breakfast. And to be honest I don’t know how he could do it,for 6 months straight now,every single day. It mesmerized me how much dedication he had with my and the baby’s well being.

“What did I do to deserve you?To deserve this everyday?” I honestly asked while I pointed to the tray

He shyly smiled and I could swear he blushed before answering “Baby girl,you’re making a big deal out of nothing really,it’s a simple gesture that I like to do,because I love you and our little bundle of joy” He rubbed my bump “I just like to take care of you both that’s all...now let’s eat before the food gets cold”

I smiled and took a good look on the tray,there was scrambled eggs,plain toast and toast with jam,fruit salad,water,coffee and juice. I eagerly reached for the coffee when...

“Nu uh! You’re not drinking that missy!” He took the coffee out of my sight “I’ve made you some peach juice and there’s water.”

I rolled my eyes and let out an annoyed sigh before saying “The doctor said that I had do control the amount of caffeine I drink and not to totally quit it,you know?”

“First things first,don’t roll you eyes at me missy. Secondly yours and the baby’s health comes in first place,so that means no caffeine for you”

“But I-“

“There’s no arguing about it! Now drink your juice and eat your breakfast!”

“Whatever you say,dad” I scoffed

He briefly chuckled and said “Don’t you worry baby girl, later tonight, I’m sure the same words will come out of your mouth with a different tone to it” he deviously smirked at me.

I was finishing opening the last package with some of the baby’s items I’ve bought online, to find the one thing I was looking for. A romper with some beautiful and delicate flower patterns on it, with the saying ‘ I may be small,but I’m a one big wish come true’, the same words Roman said to the baby when we’ve found out I was 4 weeks pregnant.

I smiled and made my way to his office, I was so excited to show him what I’ve found that I bursted through the door saying

“Hey Ro,look what I’ve foun-“ I stopped talking as soon as I saw he wasn’t alone “I’m so sorry! I didn’t knew you had a meeting,that was so reckless of me to burst in like that,sorry.”

“It’s ok baby, it’s a last minute meeting, I didn’t even had time to let you know, it’s ok tho, I know you didn’t mean to” He smiled “Besides,we’re pretty much done here.” He stood up from his chair,made his way towards me at the door and whispered “I’m just gonna go grab something really quick,so I can give to David,then I’m all yours ok?”

“Sure,Ro” I answered and he pecked my lips

“I’ll be right back baby” And he quickly went down the stairs.

Personally, I don’t like David, as matter of fact I fucking hate him! He is one of the guys who takes shifts with Ben selling Roman’s product on the streets. And he’s a total pervert.

Every time he sees me he flirts (borderline harass) me, making disgusting comments about me,my body,my clothes..and since I got pregnant it became worst, I once caught him saying that he loved the fact that I’m pregnant now,because it would make my boobs look bigger and I would look so good that way. To say that he’s disgusting and filthy is an understatement, he’s the worst scum bag I’ve ever seen! I never said anything to Roman because I know David is one of his top guys and I didn’t wanted to ruin his business,but I swear that many,many times I wish I had told him.

David stood up and made his way dangerously towards me

“Well, well...what do we have here?Two beautiful girls” He reach his arm to touch my bump and a ferocious mother instinct took over me. I could take care of myself but I’ll be damned if he touches my baby!

“Touch her and I’ll kill you myself” I snarled.

It may sound dumb, since she wasn’t even born yet, to think that he could actually touch her. But he knew that to me touching a woman’s pregnant bump was as intimate as touching her baby. And he would never,ever touch my baby girl!

“Calm down mama” he chuckled “I mean no harm! I gotta say tho Y/N, you look as beautiful as ever” he measured me from head to toe with an aroused look upon his eyes and I had to hold myself from throwing up.

“You know I would give anything for that baby to be mine and not his right?” He approached me carefully

“Stay away from me”

“Calm down tigress!” He lightly laughed

“Don’t you dare to touch me or her! You make me sick!”

“I just wanna give my girls a hug,that’s all”

Pure fear surrounded me and I turned away to run,but he was faster pulling me towards him, wrapping his arms around my belly making my ass rest on his erection.

“See,how I get whenever I see you tigress?” He started to caress my baby bump and hot tears poured down my eyes making my sight completely blurred. I felt someone quickly yank him from me and I cleaned my eyes to see Roman on top of him restlessly throw punch after punch on his face.

“Have you lost your fucking mind motherfucker? You must have a death wish boy!” Roman said while he continued to punch him with such a ferocious rage that I was pretty sure his face was getting unrecognizable.

He started to choke in his own blood, so Roman stopped his actions, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and pulled the 9mm gun he always kept on his pants back waist. He put the gun nozzle on his cheek close to his lips and David started to cry babbling something along the lines of please and sorry. Roman just ignored saying

“Who the fuck you think you are boy? You live from my money, live in one of my houses, sell my drugs and still you think you can come to my house and mess with my pregnant woman” Roman dragged the nozzle from his cheek to his closed lips “And unborn daughter, under my roof and it will all be ok? Open your mouth” David begin to cry even harder “I said open. your. fucking. mouth boy!” He screamed and David slowly opened his mouth.

Roman places the nozzle inside of David’s mouth and continues to say scaringly calm

“What’s the matter Davie? I thought you liked to touch and talk obscenities to pregnant women. Go on now,continue what you were saying to my wife” David paralyzed “C’mon Dave, don’t be shy! You clearly have no respect for women, specially for my woman, or myself for that matter. So go for it, I’m all ears now!” The light beige rug beneath David started to slowly become a darker beige tone, was he?..

“Oh Davie, you filthy motherfucker, you’re pissing on my fucking rug???! Unbelievable! You know I’ll have to discount this from your paycheck right?” Roman was now laughing uncontrollably, he looked at me with amusement on his eyes

“Do you see this Y/N? David is scared...poor thing!” He continued to chuckle “Are you afraid to die Dave?”

“Yes, sir” David barely mumble

“Don’t you worry Davie boy, I’m not gonna kill you...I’ll just make you an example for any dumb motherfucker who thinks he can disrespect my wife or daughter..” Roman smiled

It has been 2 weeks now,since the incident with David. Roman has never once spoken about him since Ben took him out of our house.

I was in the baby’s nursery, organizing some of her clothing in the little lavender and white wardrobe we just bought for her, when Roman came through the door.

“Whatcha doing baby girl?”

“Trying to organize the chaos” I laughed,there were clothes and toys all over the nursery.

He placed one hand on my bump and whispered “And what’s my other baby girl doing,huh?” He kneeled down and nuzzled his nose on my belly, placing his bearded cheek on it right after.

“Oh definitely sleeping!” I chuckled

“I wonder where did she got it from?” He tried to hold back a laugh

“Uh” I gasped, pretending to be offended “Roman, are you trying to imply that I’m the lazy one?”

“No baby! I would never say such thing!” He smiled while pressing his chin to my bump so he could look at me with an amused look on his face.

“Yeah right you wouldn’t!” I laughed while I stroked his bearded cheek. He stood up and sweetly kissed my lips before going to the little wardrobe.

“Oh,this is cute” He said while holding a yellow dress with big black polka dots in it.

I couldn’t stop the thought that lingered on my mind for 2 weeks now, and before I could process what I was saying the words left my mouth.

“Ro, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, baby girl. Whatcha wanna know?” He answered still amused by the baby’s dresses

“What happened with David?”

I could see that his whole body tensed, before relaxing again. He took a small hanger out of the wardrobe, hanged the little yellow dress on it and put it back on the baby’s wardrobe before turning to face me,while calmly answering

“Who?”

I love Roman,although he’s a big guy and all of that I was never afraid of him, but I’ve never seen such a cruel, cold look on his face...and to be honest it was kinda scary.

“David...” I whispered

“I don’t know what you’re talking about baby” He gave me the coldest smile I’ve ever seen in my life.

“Roman...you’re kinda scaring me,love” My voice came out quite shaky

“Y/N, baby girl..” He came to me and cupped my face on his hands “Look at me baby” I did as he asked

“Y/N, I sincerely tell you that I don’t know who this David is or what happened to him. I’ve never met any David baby girl... You look a little flushed, why don’t we go downstairs to the kitchen and I’ll make you a sandwich huh? I need to keep my girls healthy” He leaned one hand down to my belly and the other one stroked my hair.

“What do you say baby?”

“Yeah Ro,that sounds nice”

“Good” He sincerely smiled at me and the warmth was back to his eyes “C’mon” he intertwined our fingers as we went down the stairs to the kitchen “I have to take care of my girls” He said while he looked at me with a smile.

That’s when I realized that whatever happened with David I would never know, and to be honest with you, I don’t even think I wanna know anymore...

[topazy]

Silent bloom

Pairings: Finn Collins/reader

Warning: mentions vomiting blood.

Chapter: 1.10

"The Exodus ship?"

"Wait. Something is wrong."

"Clarke shouldn't be out here."

You nodded in agreement with Finn. Looking at the hazardous destruction in front of you, it wasn’t surprising to find there were no survivors. You know that, but a couple of kids back in camp had false hope that someone would have survived.

Raven turned to face you and Finn. "Her mom was on the ship. She's looking for answers. You want to help her. Find me the black box, hard drives, anything that will explain why this ship crashed."

Raven walked off to look among the rumble, while you looked around, concerned that you were being watched. "What’s wrong?"

What wasn’t wrong? Clarke was falling apart, Raven hated you, and Finn refused to talk to you. Now Bellamy was staring at you with a worried look on his face. "I don’t think we are the only ones out here. Think how loud that explosion was. No way were we the only ones who heard it."

Bellamy gulped down, and looked at the group behind him. "Stay sharp. Grounder retaliation for what happened on the bridge is coming, just a matter of when."

"Can you blame them?" Finn scoffed.

As Finn and Bellamy started bickering, you wondered off, not having the energy to listen to them. You walked past Clarke and gave her a sympathetic smile before spotting something interesting. It was a pink, smelly liquid. You stepped closer to it when the shouting stopped you.

"Daisy, stop!"

Raven rushed over to you, "is it rocket fuel?"

"Hydrazine," she replied. "Highly unstable in its non-solid form. If this stuff meets fire, we're all pink mist." Raven picked up a large stone and threw it into the liquid, causing it to make a small explosion. "We need to clear this area!"

"Okay, then." Bellamy stepped forward. "We move in formation, no straggling, weapons hot. We gotta get back before dark."

—

The walk back to camp was mostly in silence. The only occasional chatter was between Raven and Clarke. A sigh of relief passed your lips when you saw Monty running to meet you at the gates.

"What’s wrong?" You asked, noticing the expression on his face.

"Murphy, he’s back. He’s inside the drop-ship."

Bellamy, Clarke, and Finn rushed towards the drop-ship, while you and Raven stayed behind. The brunette was carrying samples from the crash site, while you just needed a moment. You pulled Monty into a hug, and squeezed him tightly. Pulling back, you smiled. The past couple of days have made you grateful for the people you care about still being alive.

As you walked towards the drop-ship, you could hear Bellamy’s voice getting louder. "Help us? We hung him. We banished him, and now we're gonna kill him. Get the hell out of my way."

Bellamy stared at you when he noticed you walking towards them. You expected him to say something, anything to explain why he wanted to kill Murphy. You shook your head in disappointment, "you can’t be serious? We don’t kill our own."

Clarke stepped beside you, "Finn and Daisy are right."

"Like hell they are," Bellamy snapped back. "Clarke, think about Charlotte."

"I am thinking about her, but what happened to Charlotte was as much our fault as his. He's not lying. His fingernails were torn off. They tortured him."

As Clarke spoke, you kneeled down to see for yourself. Unlike the others in the room, you felt sorry for Murphy. He didn’t deserve to be tortured. His fingernails had been pulled off. How cruel. To your surprise, Murphy spoke to you in a low voice, "I-I never tried to hurt you."

"I know," you sighed. "I was Charlotte."

Being so focused on Murphy, you nearly missed the conversation happening behind you. "You and the Grounders should compare notes."

Rolling your eyes, you stood up again. "Not now Finn, we don’t have time for this. The grounders are coming and arguing among ourselves is exactly what they want." You ignored the glare Finn shot at you. "I’m going for a walk. You guys are giving me a headache. Murphy better be alive when I get back."

—

"You know what? This is my tent, okay? Bellamy gave it to me, and if you have a problem with that, maybe you should find somewhere else to sleep."

The venom in Jasper's voice took you by surprise. You had never heard him argue with anyone before, let alone his best friend.

"Maybe I should."

You cleared your throat to alert them to your presence, before opening the flaps of the tent. "Hi guys, either of you care to join me for a walk."

Monty was still staring at Jasper, "I will."

"Good."

—

You and Monty walked around camp four times before he told you what the argument with Jasper was about, and truthfully, you were pissed. Jasper was changing and not for the better. You had a theory that his referring to Harper as' ‘low hanging fruit’ offended Monty.

"Is Finn talking to you yet?"

You shake your head, "nope. I did it to protect him and Clarke, but he didn’t want to hear it."

"Well... maybe it’s for the best Daze. I mean, he slept with you while still dating Raven." You stopped walking and faced him. Monty was one of your closest friends and would never tell you anything out of badness. "I just mean you deserve better Daisy. He’s still with Raven, and flirts with Clarke. The distance might do you some good."

You smiled, "you're so sweet, you know that? I hope the girls here get over Jasper acting like a jackass and realise who the real hero is."

Monty opened his but froze and pointed at your head. "Daisy your ear, it’s bleeding!"

You cupped your ear and felt the warm liquid against your palm. Oh shit.

"Do you still have a headache?" You nodded. "We need to find Clarke."

You started to walk towards the drop-ship and noticed how busy it looked. The sudden feeling of nausea washed over you, as your chest became heavy. Your coughing became worse before you started to throw up blood. Everything started to go hazy, as the only thing you could make out was yelling around you.

"Finn, don’t touch her!"

—

You awoke to feel a hard thumping on your back, as you lay on your front. "Wh..what..." you struggled to talk. "Where am I?"

The thumping stopped as Octavia quickly appeared in front of you. "You're in the drop-ship. Murphy turned you over because you were choking."

"Choking? On what?" You asked groggy.

"Blood," she squeezed your hands. "You passed out and Finn carried you inside before leaving to help Raven blow up the bridge."

You closed your eyes and were too exhausted to reply. Octavia said she and Murphy would keep an eye on you. Hours must have passed when you woke up. You sat up feeling slightly better.

You glanced across the room to see Murphy trying to offer Bellamy a drink of water. "Bellamy, you're sick, okay? I'm just trying to help. Here."

You sighed and walked towards them. You do your best to ignore the terrible smells and blood around you.

"When I get better, if you're still here-" Bellamy frowned when he saw you. "Why are you up? You should be resting."

"I’ve got this one Murphy," you smiled and took the cup from his hand. "Thanks for saving my life and all that."

Murphy grumped out a ‘no problem’ before walking away.

You sat down next to Bellamy, as she pouted. "What are you doing now? His best friend? After-"

"Murphy is an ass," you cut him off. "But he never hurt me, and I believe in second chances."

Bellamy took a drink of water before you started wiping some of the blood off his face. He stared at you so intensely that it made you almost uncomfortable. You could have wanted to say something but were holding back. "Something you want to talk about?"

"You and Finn-" He was cut off by a loud noise from outside the ship. Bellamy sat up as Clarke ran into the room, "They did it."

"I am becoming a death destroyer of worlds." You raised your eyebrows listening to her talk. "It's Oppenheimer, the man who built the first--"

Bellamy stood up, "I know who Oppenheimer is."

"Who cares about him?" you interrupted. "I want to know what the hell caused the explosion."

"Raven..." Bellamy glanced down at you. "I thought O told you? Raven and Finn went to blow up the bridge to slow the grounders down."

Oh. The plan sounded extremely reckless and dangerous, but if anybody could pull off a stunt like that, it was Raven Reyes.

—

You stood outside Raven’s tent pacing back and forth. Your relationship with the brunette wasn’t good, but you were friends once, and you hoped overtime she would forgive you.

"What?"

The sound of Finn’s voice caused you to freeze on the spot. You didn’t realise he was inside the tent as well. Trying to fix things with her suddenly felt so wrong.

"When Bellamy asked who was gonna take it, you hesitated."

"It's what people do when they're considering something that might blow them up, right?"

You turned to walk away, not feeling right about listening in on a private conversation, but stopped when you heard your name being said.

"Daze...You didn't hesitate when she was falling. You knew she had the virus, but you caught her, anyway."

"Raven..."

You could hear the break in Raven’s voice as she spoke. "You didn't hesitate."

"Raven, I love you."

Hearing Finn say those words to someone else made you break inside. Tears spilled from your ears as you clasped a hand over your mouth so they could hear. He wasn’t yours to love, but you still did. And you hate yourself.

"Not the way that I want to be loved." Raven continued. "Not the way that you love Daisy. It's over, Finn."

You walked backwards, being careful not to trip over any of the ropes stuck in the ground. You put your head down low when you saw Bellamy walking towards the gate. You prayed he hadn’t noticed you. The last thing you wanted was for anyone to see you cry.

The minute you entered your tent, more tears began to spill down your cheeks. You jumped, feeling a pair of arms wrap around you, "O?"

"I overheard them as well," she confessed.

"Raven was my friend...Now they have split up, I have no idea how to fix it."

Octavia sighed, "regardless of how this works out, you always have me, you know that?"

You nodded, "I know. And I’ll always have your back O, no matter what."

Season one

[msmarvelouswinchester]

Invisible String

Summary - Dean Winchester was never a man who would freely speak about his feelings and emotions. The reader, is his best friend of many years but some wrong choices and words of Dean's pushes a the reader away.

Pairing - AU Dean Winchester x Reader

Warnings - Fluff (lots of fluff), angst-ish, swearing, mentions of abusive relationship, mentions of bad parenting, cheating

Square filled - Bestfriend AU ( @spndeanbingo )

Word count - 6150

A/N - This is written for @supernatural-jackles' Bi-weekly challenge. The prompts are in bold. Spn dividers by the amazingly talented @talesmaniac89 (go check her blog out) Beta'd by @mariekoukie6661 (she is a sweetheart for agreeing to take a look at this long fic. Thank you💕)

“So what are we watching?” You asked as you slumped down on the yellow couch. You were dead on your feet after a long week of work but you just couldn't break tradition and not hang out with your best friend like every friday. Pulling the comforter close to your body, you let out a sigh of contentment. Truth be told, no matter how exhausted you were, you always looked forward to movie night.

“I picked the movie last friday, now it's your turn,” Dean handed you a bottle of beer and took a seat beside you. Your eyes sparkled with a glint of mischief, a knowing smile appeared on your face as Dean's lips curled up in disgust. “No chick flicks,” he warned.

“I get to call dibs on the movie tonight so I picked,” you paused for a second to create a dramatic effect, “The Proposal.”

“No!” Dean cried out in horror.

“Oh come on, it is not going to be that bad. Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock are in that movie.” you winked at him, making him groan and he picked up a cushion to cover his face, “Now, now don't be so dramatic.” He removed the cushion from his face and glared at you. He opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by the sound of the doorbell. “Pizza's here!” He exclaimed as he got up to open the door. You turned on the tv, opened Netflix and put on the movie.

“I don't understand how we can be best friends,” Dean grumbled as he came back to the room, “you eat your pizza with pineapple on it.” “It tastes good. You should try it one day.” you said and took the two boxes of food from his hand, setting them down on the table in front.

“Are you kidding me? Even if that becomes the only food available on earth, I still won't eat it. You can't put fruits on pizza,” he said, and took a slice from his own pizza and nestled into the comforter beside you.

“Tomato is a fruit, De,” you said, biting into the slice in your hand. You heard him mutter something under his breath which you ignored and shifted your focus to the movie playing on the screen. Halfway through the movie, you yawned and snuggled into your best friend. He wrapped his warm hands around you, pulling you closer to him. “You want to head back now?” He asked softly, leaning in to kiss your forehead.

“Nuh-uh,” you said, “I want to finish the movie. I need to see if Andrew got Margaret back .” That elicited a chuckle from Dean, the vibrations of his laugh shaking your body a little.

“You're so stubborn and they are gonna find each other, it's a chick flick for God's sake,” he said, “they love each other, clearly.”

“Speaking of love, Cas asked me out,” you said, making Dean sit up straight. “What'd you say?” He asked

“Yes obviously. I need to dive back into the dating life,” you shrugged, “and Cas seems like a good guy.”

“He is but I thought you wanted to wait because of what happened with you know ‘ he who must not be named’,” he said, and you picked up the remote to pause the movie.

“I can't live in the past. I need to move on. It has been two years since I've gone on a date and it's not like I'm getting engaged tomorrow. It's just a date,” you said, messing with the loose end of the comforter.

“As you wish. I'm just looking out for you.”

“I know. You always do,” you said, giving Dean a tight hug, “and I kinda miss doing it.”

“Doing what?” “Sex,” Dean's eyebrows shot up, “oh come on, it's not like I didn't use to have sex with….him.”

“So,” he gulped, “so you m-miss doing….it?”

“Kind of. My fingers are not enough, you know what I mean right?”

“Of course, of course,” Dean cleared his throat, blush crept up his neck.

“And it's not just sex, I miss the physical touch, I miss those things that are part of a relationship,” you said, “I need this and I think I'm ready.”

“If you think you're ready, then it's fine. I just don't want to see my best friend with a broken heart again.” he said, his fingers getting entangled in your hair, as he slowly massaged your scalp.

“That feels good,” you moaned, “after that hell of a meeting with Azazel, I needed this night De. Thank you for always being there.”

“You're my best friend. I'll always be there when you need me even if you make me watch stupid romcoms.” he grinned, “Azazel creating problems again?”

“He never seems to approve of the templates and designs I make no matter how hard I try to make them loveable and on the other hand, the shitty designs made by Abaddon always gets approved.” you groan.

“Why don't you change jobs?”

“I can't. It's not that simple. Life's going good. I don't want to disrupt it by going on a job hunt.” you sighed.

“What if you start working for my company?” You immediately turned your head towards Dean and looked at him with surprise clear in your eyes.

“No.” “Why not?

“I'm a graphic designer, De. I'm not built to work in your company,” you said.

“Be my PA. I really need a personal assistant to help me keep upto date with my schedule and I'm a mess after Charlie left.” Dean said.

“But what is my job criteria? That I'm your best friend? It's like taking advantage of you. I can't do that.”

“What if you work as my PA after being interviewed for the job?” He asked. “Fine, maybe I can give it a shot,” you said.

“Awesome! Meet me in my office on Monday, ten in the morning, sharp. I don't tolerate tardiness.” he said, slipping quickly in the work mode.

“Aye, aye captain.” You giggled, but a deep frown soon appeared on your face.

“What?” “What if it messes up our relationship?”

“It won't. I know how to separate my work life from my personal one,” Dean assured.

“I guess, then it's okay,” you smiled.

“So about your date with Cas. Where's he taking you?”

“I have no idea,” you chuckled, “he said it will be a surprise.”

“That's-that's great but he should know that you hate surprises,” Dean raised an eyebrow.

“He doesn't know me very well. I'll let that pass this one time,” you told Dean.

“Fair enough,” he laughed. You yawned once more, as you tried to fight the drowsiness that was threatening to take over you.

“You want to head back home now or you want to crash here tonight, sleepyhead?” Dean smiled.

“I don't think I can drive all the way in such a state. Do you mind if I crash here?” You grinned, knowing very well he didn't mind because you crashed in his guest rooms on most of the Friday nights. He rolled his eyes as he got up from the couch.

“I'll prepare the guest room.” You sleepily nodded at him. You didn't realise you had fallen asleep but you were soon woken up when you felt your body move.

“Sorry, didn't mean to wake you up. I'm taking you to bed,” you found yourself in Dean's arms as he headed towards the guest room with you, “you looked too peaceful sleeping. Go back to sleep.” He softly murmured. Dean gently placed you in the bed, pulling the cover upto your chest as you snuggled into the warmth of the covers. Within a few minutes, you had dozed off.

“Morning, sunshine. Pancakes for you,” Dean's loud voice woke you up from your deep slumber the next morning. You sat up in your bed, as you rubbed the sleep from your eyes, the smell of pancakes hitting your nose.

“Breakfast in bed for my girl. Listen I gotta run to the office now,” he said as he handed you the plate of freshly cooked pancakes to you.

“It's Saturday!” You exclaimed.

“I know but Benny wanted to sign the deal with our company today. It's an important one, we can't let that go out of our hands,” he made you understand, “I'll be back within a few hours.”

“Sufe fing. I wif ve here,” you spoke with your mouth full, “Sure thing. I will be here.” You repeated your words after swallowing your food.

“Maggie will drop by. If you want to leave the house before I return, give the keys to her.” He said as he went back into his room to put his suit on.

“Hot damn,” you let out a low whistle as Dean stepped out of the room in his black suit, “Go get the deal, cowboy!” Dean did a full body laugh at your words, throwing his head backwards before he bid you goodbye and walked out of the door leaving you alone in his penthouse. Finishing your breakfast, you got up and got freshened up for the day. You picked up your phone and saw three texts from Cas.

“Meet me at 7.” “At the Season's 52.” “I'm looking forward to this.”

A smile crept onto your face, as you read the texts from him. “I need your help,” you shot a text to Ruby, “I've a date tonight. I don't know what to wear.” You waited for her to text back but instead of getting a text, you got a call from her.

“He finally asked you out?” She screamed from the other side of the phone.

“What do you mean “finally”?” You wondered.

“Oh come on, Y/N. How long have you two known each other?” “Uh-two months.”

“Two-wait, two months? You don't have a date with Dean?” She asked.

“No! Why would you think that?” You exclaimed, “Cas asked me out.”

“Cas? As in Castiel Novak? Dean's friend? And Dean's okay with it?”

“What's with the twenty questions, Ruby?” You said, annoyed at her questions, “And yes. Dean's fine with it. Why wouldn't he be? He is dating Lisa, in case you didn't remember. Now will you help me? I need a dress for tonight.”

Ruby agreed to go on a little shopping spree with you to find the perfect dress. Handing over the keys to Maggie, the housekeeper, you shot a text to Dean letting him know you were leaving his house. You waited for some time but he didn't text you back. You shrugged it off thinking he was probably busy with the meeting. Your whole afternoon was spent with Ruby as you tried to find a good dress for the date. She made you try on what seemed like a hundred dresses of different colours and style until a green bottleneck dress finally caught your eyes.

“This is a beautiful dress! You gotta try it on,” Your friend insisted.

“You sure? Look at the price - it's too expensive,” you pouted.

“Do you want to get laid tonight?” Ruby quirked her eyebrow.

“Yeah-I mean no….maybe,” you stutter.

“That dress - Cas won't be able to take his eyes off you tonight,” she smiled.

“Fine, if you insist.” Needless to say, the dress was a perfect fit but it was all for nothing.

Tapping on the hardwood of the table, you let out a frustrating sigh. Tears pricked at your eyes as you took a sip of the drink.

“Ma'am do you-are you going to-”

“Please bring the check. I'm done here,” you said, barely managing to keep your tears at bay. The waitress nodded and walked away from your table. You dialed up your best friend’s number and waited for him to pick up.

“Dean,” you said, sniffling a little as he picked up his phone after the third ring. “Y/N, you okay?” Dean asked.

“Yeah, yeah. Can you,” you cleared your throat, “Can you pick me up? I'm at Season’s 52.”

“Sure,” you heard shuffling on the other side, “I'll be there as soon as possible.”

“Okay,” you replied.

“He just didn't show up,” you sniffled as Dean drove yourselves back to his house.

“Maybe-maybe he had his reasons,” Dean said, throwing a worried glance at your way.

“Reasons?” You scoffed.

“Cas is a good man. This is very unlike him,” Dean said.

“Am I-am I not good enough, Dean?” “Y/N, you know that's not true. You're pretty, smart, a little badass - you are a good person with a kind heart,” Dean smiled.

“Then why? Why didn't he show up? He could have left a message. I'm telling you Dean, I'm so over men now. All men are the same,” you looked at him, “except you.”

“Thanks, sweetheart. That is good to hear.”

“I sure do know how to choose,” you grumbled.

“Y/N, it's just one bad date. So what? Cas is not the only man in the whole world. You'll find someone,” Dean said, pulling into his driveway.

“I don't think so. Maybe he was right,” you opened the door of the car to step out.

“Who?”

“Alistair. Maybe he is right. Maybe the problem is me,” you said, tears pooling in your eyes. Dean grabbed your hands and pulled you back into the car.

“No. He is not right. Alistair will never be right. He was an abusive and manipulative son of a bitch. Listen to me, you are not the problem, sweetheart,” he said, “those men just don't understand you.”

“Is that why no one sticks around?” You turned around to face him with wet eyes.

“I did and I will always be there for you,” he said, his hands cupping your face.

“I know, De,” you leaned into his touch as his thumb gently caressed your cheeks. You opened your mouth to speak but were cut off by three harsh taps on the car window. Dean immediately opened the door and stepped out.

“Lisa.” He said.

“Unbelievable, Dean!” Lisa exclaimed. You couldn't see her face but you knew she was furious.

“It's not what it looks like,” Dean whispered.

“You just up and left me in the morning and now when I get back to talk things out, I find you cozying up to her. I'm done with you!” She yelled back. You shrunk back into your seat when you heard her scream. Dean didn't even tell you that he had broken up with her. You wondered why he hid it from you.

“I already said we were over Lisa, just go back home,” Dean said and brought his hand down his face.

“Three years of relationship meant nothing to you! Why?” Lisa shoved Dean, making him stumble back a little.

“I don't owe you an explanation, okay?”

“You cheating asshole-” “I didn't cheat on you, Lisa. I-I'm just not in love with you anymore,” Dean said, making her scoff.

“Have a nice life, asshole!” Lisa said and you heard her retreating footsteps. You stepped out of the car and saw Dean standing against the car, with his face buried in his hands.

“Hey, you okay?” You rubbed his arm gently.

“Yeah. I'm sorry you had to hear that,” he sighed.

“Why didn't you tell me you broke up with her?” You asked.

“It wasn’t important.” “Not important? You let me ramble all the way from the restaurant to your house but not once did you tell me you broke up with her,” you said.

“Y/N, I'm fine. Can we drop this now?” He snapped at you, “I'm sorry.”

“S’okay,” you gave him a sad smile, “I've an idea.”

“Does this idea include booze?” “What do ya think?” “I'm in.”

“What time is it?” You groaned as bright light hit your eyes. The throbbing pain in your head increased as you opened your eyes, trying to focus on the human figure standing in your doorway.

“You got wasted last night, sweetheart,” Dean grinned.

“Stop talking. Just stop talking,” you groaned and nestled deep into your covers.

“Aspirin. You will need these,” he kept the medicine on the nightstand, and walked away, “Breakfast is ready.”

“Morning, how's the hangover?” He gave you a cheeky smile as you walked into the dining room a few minutes later. Dean had his laptop opened in front of him, a cup of coffee beside the electronic device. “You're enjoying this too much, aren't ya? How come you're not hung-over?” You grumbled, “I'm hungry.”

“Here. I made waffles because my heartbroken, hung-over best friend needs her comfort food. Dig in,” he said and pushed a plate of waffles towards you, “I didn't drink much.”

“I thought we were drinking because you had a breakup.” “I told you already I'm not feeling miserable. See there's this girl I like who is not Lisa. I'm thinkin’ of asking her out so I did what I had to do. I ended things with Lisa,” Dean said.

“How come you never told me about this girl?” You narrowed your eyes at him. “‘Cause I wasn't sure how I felt but two days ago I saw her and I just knew that she is the one I want to be with,” he smiled.

“You're such a sap.” You giggled, “she must be very special.”

“She is very special. I have never met a girl like her,” he said, staring at you, “now, eat up.”

“Mhm,” you moaned, taking a bite of the waffles on your plate, “you know, you should give up your business and open up a coffee shop. You make excellent waffles.”

“Sorry sweetheart, no can do. People at work will miss me too much,” he chuckled, “you do remember you are interviewing for the position of PA tomorrow?”

“Yep but I don't know if I will get it or not. I have heard the CEO of the company is kind of a shithead,” you grinned.

“Oh really?” Dean looked at you with amused eyes, “You're terrible.”

“Yeah, so I've heard.” You laughed.

He shook his head at you, “Listen, I have a favour to ask.” “Shoot.”

“I would like it if you could accompany me to Sam and Jess’ anniversary party tonight,” he said.

“Tonight?” “Yeah. I know it's very sudden but it completely sli-”

“I'll go with you but I thought you told me that after what happened with your Dad last time, you wouldn't be attending another family gathering,” you said.

“Uh-huh. Sam insisted that I attend this party,” he replied.

“Fine I'll be there with you at the party to save you from John Winchester,” you giggled.

“You'll be my knight in shining armour tonight.” He chuckled.

You went back to your apartment to get ready for the party. Dean had told you that he would be picking you up at six that evening. As you touched up on your makeup, you heard three knocks on your door.

“Good evening, Y/N,” Dean smirked, looking dapper in a black two-piece suit.

“Good evening, Dean. I'll be out in a minute,” you blushed when you saw his eyes travel all over your body.

“You look beautiful, sweetheart,” he said.

“Thanks.”

“De-” you snaked placed your hand over his, as you both sat inside the Impala with her engine turned off.

“I can't do this Y/N. I can't face John Winchester again, not after the crap he pulled last time,” he gritted out the words, his knuckles turning white as he held the steering wheel tightly, staring off at the direction of his house.

“Why are you here?” He looked at you in surprise. “I-Sam asked me to be here,” he said.

“Exactly. Your little brother asked you to be here so you will go into that house and attend your brother's party. It's up to you if you want to make any small talk, I'll be there with you but Dean you can't avoid your father forever-”

“I'm not avoiding him,” Dean said.

“Yes, you are. Now go in there, ask him why he did that, demand answers from him,” you said.

“I-okay, let's go. Just don't leave my side tonight or someone might get hurt,” he said.

“You're not going to punch your Dad,” you mumbled, “even though he deserves it.” He chuckled at your words as you two stepped out of the car.

“I'll never get used to the fact that you grew up in a mansion,” you smirked.

“It's not a mansion. It's a….big house,” he smiled.

“Yep, whatever you say.” As soon as you stepped through the door of the mansion, Dean was immediately pulled into a hug. “I thought you wouldn't show up,” Sam said, letting go of his brother, “Hey Y/N.”

“Almost didn't,” the older Winchester replied as you gave the younger one a small wave. “He showed up, didn't he? What about Mom?”

“Mom and Dad are in the living room. Last thing I saw they are not speaking to each other even when they are in the same room. I just want everyone to act civil till the party's over,” Sam said, “Drinks are in the kitchen.”

“So kitchen first, living room later. Keep John out of my sight and everything will be perfect,” Dean patted his brother's shoulder and made his way towards the kitchen, taking you with him. Pouring himself a glass, he handed you one.

“Dean,” a deep voice came from the doorway, making Dean stand up straight. “Sam had one job. Dad.” He looked at John and gave him a curt reply.

There was a moment of awkward silence as no words were exchanged between the father and the son. You could feel Dean trying his level best to keep himself from screaming at his Dad. You put a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down.

“I know you don't want to see me right now-” “You're right and you may leave now,” Dean said and turned his back towards his father.

“Son. You have to understand, it was a long time back and I didn't know what was going through my head. I-” John sighed.

“You what? You had a perfect family here. A wife, two sons. And all this time, you knew about Adam but you said nothing. You kept up with the charade of the perfect husband and father when in reality you were neither of them,” Dean gritted out.

“Dean. Maybe I was not the perfect husband but I did everything for you and Sam,” the older man said in a harsh tone.

“Really? You did everything? You were nothing but an absent father. I was there to take care of Mom and Sammy while you were away on your so-called business trips when actually you were plowing another woman's field,” Dean growled at his father.

“Dean!” His father snapped back.

“Mr. Winchester you should leave now,” you said, trying to diffuse the situation before it got out of hand, “John, please.”

“This is family matter Y/N. You have no right to get involved in this,” John retorted.

“Don't speak to her like that. She is more family to me than you ever were,” Dean said and stalked towards his Dad, “so you can leave now. I'm sure as hell Mom is not talking to you so you can get the hell out of this house now, John.”

“Dean-” “Now,” Dean growled.

“I would do what he says, John,” you said. John scoffed, turning around and got out of the house. Dean plopped down on one of the chairs in the kitchen, gently rubbing his temples.

“You sure you're okay?” “I need a stronger drink,” he murmured.

“I saw Dad leave. What happened?” Sam came into the kitchen and asked as he looked at his brother.

“I told you to keep John away from me. You had one job,” Dean snapped and stormed out of the room, grabbing a glass of drink with him.

“He just needs some time to cool down. John came to talk to Dean and-”

“Yeah I understood. I'm gonna check on Mom. This party was a mistake,” Sam said and left the kitchen leaving you standing there alone.

You squeezed your eyes shut as you finished up your drink. You were angry at John too. He had hurt Dean, your best friend. He was a liar and you hated liars. You needed to go find Dean. You placed the empty glass on the counter and made your towards the door but you stopped dead in your tracks when you saw him.

“Cas,” you said, “I didn't expect you to be here.”

“Yeah well, Sam is a good friend so he invited me over.” Cas gave you a smile.

“Oh.” You nodded.

“We should probably address the elephant in the room,” he gave an awkward laugh.

“Huh? Oh you mean how you stood me up last night?” You glared at him.

“Well you didn't tell me that you were looking for only a one night stand? I would have backed out sooner. I like you Y/N but I don't do one night-”

“Wait, hold on. Who told you I was looking for a one time, no strings attached thing?”

“Dean told me,” your jaw dropped onto the floor at his confession, “I'm sorry Y-”

“S’okay.” You brushed him off, “I need to have a word with Dean, have you seen him?”

“I think he was talking to Kevin over there,” Cas pointed you towards another room.

“Thanks and it's okay, Cas. We're cool.” You said and almost ran your way into the other room.

“I'm telling you man, you deserve someone better than Y/N. She is clingy and she doesn't take no for an answer. I can give you her number but-” Dean turned around and his eyes locked with your wet ones. You shook your head at him, a look of betrayal evident on your face. You heard him call out to you as you turned on your heels and ran towards the door. “Excuse me, Kevin,” Dean said and went after you but by that time you were already out of the house. “Y/N!” He called, as you pulled out your phone to call for an uber.

“Fuck you!” You exclaimed, “I'm clingy, I don't take no for an answer. Is that what you think of me? All this time while you pretended to be my best friend, is this what went through your head?” Tears were running down your face now, “how many times was I there for you when you needed me and this is how you repay me?”

“I didn't mean to say it like that. You are my best friend Y/N-”

“You are a fuckin’ liar! You told Cas that I was looking for a person to keep my bed warm for only one night. Why? You know what, I don't want to talk to you right now. Leave me alone,” you said.

“No, please,” he took a step towards you. “Don't you dare make a move!” You screamed, “You lied to me and I hate liars more than anything. You are no better than your Dad. I hate you! I regret that I ever thought of you as my best friend.” You heard shuffling behind you and turned around to see him leaving. A sob tore from your throat. Standing there alone on the porch of the Winchester mansion, with your smudged makeup, you waited for the uber to show up.

It took you one hour to finally reach your house. Your phone was getting blown up by messages from the Winchester brothers and Ruby. You broke down in tears as soon as you reached your house. You crawled underneath the covers without bothering to get out of your dress or to remove your makeup. Your body shook as you continued to sob loudly into the pillow. The same man, who acted as your rock when you had left Alistair, gave you shelter in his house when you showed up in the middle of the night because your ex-boyfriend was drunk and was on a rampage, was the one who continued to spew lies about you behind your back. Your trust was shattered just like your heart and you didn't know how to piece them back together. The crying had tired you out and in no time you slipped into a deep slumber with Dean's words haunting your dream.

Morning came way too quickly. You woke up to Ruby knocking on your door along with Dean calling your phone. Your eyes were red and swollen as a result of crying all night long.

“What happened? Who's ass do I need to kick?” Ruby barged into your house as soon as you opened the door as saw you had been crying.

“....Dean.” “Dean? Dean Winchester?” Her eyes widened in surprise which later turned to anger when you told her everything that had happened the day before. Ruby was furious and if Dean was there in the room, he would have been a dead man.

“Oh Y/N,” Ruby cooed as she pulled you into a hug, “I didn't know it was this bad. Sam called me to check on you because you left his house in a hurry. I'm gonna kill Dean Winchester.” You held onto her tightly as sobs racked through your body. She gently caressed your head while cursing the green-eyed Winchester.

You were miserable but what you didn't know is that your ex-best friend was also losing his mind over the incident. The guilt was eating him up alive and he didn't know how to fix it. Sam had punched him in the face and kicked him out of his house when he had told him what happened.

“Tell her the truth or don't ever talk to me again,” Sam had threatened his brother. With red eyes and a swollen cheek, Dean went into his office the next morning. He hoped that after the interview he would get a chance to apologise but you never showed up.

“Okay, Mr. Winchester, that was the last interviewee,” Jody poked in her head into the room. “That was the last? What about uh-Y/N L/N?” Dean asked.

“Uh-she dropped out - called us early in the morning to let us know she won't make it to the interview,” Jody smiled, “I need your decision fast.”

“Decision?” “Who we are hiring for the position of the PA,” she said.

“Sure. I'll let you know. You can go now Jody. Close the door on your way out,” Dean said.

He sighed as he dialed your number, “It's Y/N L/N. She can't get to her phone now. Please leave a message.”

“Y/N, sweetheart I'm sorry. You shouldn't have dropped out of the interview. I know you won't ever forgive me but I'm sorry.” You sniffled as you heard his voice message. He had left you exactly fifty-three texts, twenty three missed calls and seventeen voice messages - all had the same words, ‘I'm sorry’ but you couldn't forgive him.

“Stop listening to that asshat,” Ruby grumbled and snatched your phone from you. “I-I just can't understand why he did that? I thought he was my friend,” you sniffled.

“I'm sorry Y/N,” Ruby took a seat beside you and wrapped you in a comforter, “I brought ice cream with me. I heard they work wonders on a broken heart.”

“And you brought my favourite flavour. Thanks!” You hugged but were interrupted by the sound of your doorbell.

“Stay here. Let me check,” Ruby said and went towards the door. Opening it, she stared at a disheveled, sad Dean Winchester.

“Give me one good reason to not kick you out right now,” Ruby glared at Dean.

“I need to talk to her. Please,” Dean’s voice cracked at the end.

“No you won't. She is miserable and I won't let you break her even more,” Ruby challenged, “Now get out.”

“I don't care if I have to fight you but please let me see her,” he pleaded.

“You are one stubborn, lying piece of shit,” Ruby grumbled.

“Why are you here?” the two heads turned immediately towards you.

“I wasn't sure you wanted to see me but I had to see you,” Dean said.

“And why exactly?” Ruby snapped.

“Ruby. It's okay. Let him in. I need to hear him out.” Dean gave Ruby a side eye and let himself in.

“Y/N,” She started. “I'll be fine," you assured her.

“If you need me to kick him out or kick his ass, just call me,” she glared at Dean once more and left your apartment.

“She's scary,” the green-eyed man said. “Well she has to. She just saw her friend with a broken heart,” you threw him his words back.

“I can't tell you how sorry I am,” Dean said, his head hung in shame.

“Why?” He looked up at you, “I don't know,” he replied, making you scoff.

“You don't know? Well maybe because you actually thought of me to be clingy and the girl who doesn't take no for an answer,” you seethed, “and you even lied to Cas about me. You framed me as some whore who doesn't do relationships. Fuck you, Dean! You knew better than anyone how long it took me to get over Alistair. How could you do this to me?”

“I don't know,” he whispered, “It's just I lied to them because I didn't want them to be with you.”

“It's my life! I get to decide who I want to have sex with and who I want to date,” you hissed.

“Well I couldn't let you make those decisions because I didn't want you to choose them. I wanted you to choose me.” he blurted out. You sat there dumbfounded as you heard his confession, "What? Why?"

“Because...I love you,” Dean muttered.

“You love me?” “Yeah.”

“What are you, a kindergartener? Next thing I know you will be pulling my pigtails,” you sassed.

“I'm sorry. You know I'm bad with feelings-” “So you decided to lie?”

“Yeah.” “You're terrible, you know that,” you said.

“So I have heard,” he shrugged. “Come here you idiot,” you beckoned at him. He went towards you and sat down beside you.

“I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I was just-” “What? You were just fending off the boys?”

“Yeah. At first I was scared that I was falling for my best friend and you knew me, you knew all my horrible secrets, the thoughts that are inside my head which keep me up at night and I was scared that you wouldn't feel the same. I broke up with Lisa for you because whenever I closed my eyes at night I wanted it to be you with me, not Lisa.” You were stunned at his confession. Dean never talked about his feelings, he was extremely good at hiding his feelings so hearing him blurt out about how he felt, surprised you.

“Dean,” you said. “No. I need to say this,” he said, stopping you, “I don't know if you feel the same. Even if you did, I don't think I have a chance after the stunt I pulled yesterday. But sweetheart, you mean everything to me, I swear to never hurt you again. I was planning on asking you out after the party but Kevin had asked for your number so I told him all those lies about you but sweetheart I know what I did….said is unforgivable but please I need you. I need my best friend back.” He looked at you, locking his teary eyes with yours.

“I don't know whether to kiss you or hit you,” you said, wiping away the single tear that rolled down your cheek. “K-kiss me?” Dean’s eyes went wide.

“You are the most horrible person I have ever met. I hate you, Dean but I hate me more that I decided to fall for this horrible person that I call my best friend. Kiss me, before I change my mind,” you said and that's all Dean needed before he crashed his lips into yours. It was a harsh kiss but one filled with longing and love. His hands sneaked to the back of your head, his fingers entangled with your hair as your hands held on to his biceps.

“I'm sorry for hurting you,” he said after he let go of your lips. You sat there with his hands cupping your face, your foreheads touching. “Next time, talk to me,” you whispered.

“I will,” he kissed your forehead, “So Y/N L/N, can I take you out for dinner tomorrow night?” “Definitely Dean Winchester, but mind you I'm tough to impress,” you smirked.

“I have plans, special plans for a special girl. I will make you mine,” he said before he leaned in to capture your lips with his once again.

[bumblesimagines]

The Oldest Pogue

Part 3

Request; Yes or No

(Y/N) cut vegetables, mind drifting back to the events that had occured. They almost got caught by his dad, got in a boat chase, and found evidence of John B's dad possibly being alive. Just a few days ago, everything was normal. They fished, partied, spent each day having fun. Things were start to take a more serious turn. Suddenly, pain shot (Y/N)'s finger.

"Shit!" (Y/N) hissed, putting his finger in his mouth and tasting blood. He sighed, putting the knife down and rinsing his finger as the door opened.

"Hey, bud." Shoupe greeted, watching him. (Y/N) licked his lips.

"Hey, dad. How was work? Any luck finding that wreck?" (Y/N) asked, turning the water off and searching for a bandaid.

"Goddamn it." (Y/N) muttered. Shoupe's brows raised.

"You okay?" He asked. (Y/N) nodded, opening a cabinet and finding the box of bandaids.

"Cut yourself? Let me see." Shoupe approached him but (Y/N) shrunk away from him.

"Absolutely not. You'll touch it and it'll hurt more." (Y/N) said, applying the bandage on. Shoupe rolled his eyes, calling him 'dramatic' under his breath.

"To answer your question, no. We didn't get any luck. Who knows how far the current took that body from the boat? The waves from that day were strong." Shoupe said. (Y/N) hummed.

"Have you searched the areas around the beaches? Maybe he got far." (Y/N) went back to chopping vegetables. Shoupe sighed.

"And anyway.. Why is everyone searching so much? He went out during a hurricane and drowned." (Y/N) shrugged. "Did his autopsy reveal something?"

"Nope. No drugs, no signs of assault, no signs of intoxication. He went out there clean and with a clear mind. We want to know why. Finding the wreck will be the only way in knowing." Shoupe told him. (Y/N) hummed.

"I guess that make sense." (Y/N) mumbled. Shoupe nodded.

"So.. Have you spoken with Rafe?" Shoupe asked.

"Dad." (Y/N) looked at him. "No, no, I haven't and don't blame on it."

"He's a douche."

"Damn, a douche, huh?" Shoupe chuckled.

"Yeah, he ghosts me when he goes off to college and then expects me to sucker up to him when he gets back? JJ warned me-"

"JJ, huh?"

"Not every guy I talk about is my boyfriend, dad. JJ is my friend. Plain and simple." (Y/N) sighed, finishing the soup.

"Now.. Can we change the subject? How's Peterkin and everyone else?"

"DCS! I know you're in there!" JJ shouted, pounding on John B's door. (Y/N) rolled his eyes, chuckling. JJ went to the window, jumping and scaring John B. JJ laughed loudly.

"Gotcha, slick." He chuckled. (Y/N) shook his head, opening the door.

"Have any breakfast yet?" (Y/N) asked. John B nodded, sighing and putting on his hat. The boys left, getting in the van.

"Why don't you get a car, (N/N)? You have the money for it." JJ said. (Y/N) shrugged.

"Want me to get one for you?"

"You can't steal a car, JJ." (Y/N) said. JJ raised his brows, grinning. (Y/N) rolled his eyes.

"Okay, you can but you shouldn't. Dad already thinks we're dating and you stealing a car will-"

"Woah, Woah.." JJ flushed, blinking as he stared at him. "You're dad thinks we're dating?" JJ asked.

"Yeah." (Y/N) nodded. John B held back a snort, knowing how JJ felt.

"Speaking of dating, Kiara is into you, JB." (Y/N) said.

"She totally likes you, dude." JJ nodded, looking at him. "She's like, 'Oh, John B.'"

"Is that what she does?" John B cocked a brow as (Y/N) laughed softly.

"She's sketching about you diving, then she kissed you." JJ listed.

"She kissed me on the cheek." John B corrected. "It's not like we were makin' out."

"Low-hanging fruit, bro." JJ shrugged.

"Never hurts to try." (Y/N) said.

"Right? I see it in your eyes too, bro. You're like, 'I kinda like that,' and you start blushing." JJ grinned.

"Wanna talk about blushing and seeing it?" John B asked. JJ puffed out his cheeks, gaze flickering to (Y/N), who was too busy staring out the window to notice. JJ leaned forward, grabbing the compass in an attempt to change the subject.

"Hey, don't-"

"I was just looking at it!" JJ pushed John B's hands away. "I gotta admit, your father's compass in Scooter's boat, that's freaky."

"Yeah. That's why we're going to talk to Ms. Lana, figure this whole thing out." John B said.

"We?" (Y/N) repeated, looking forward at them.

"Yes, we. You're the best at consoling people." John B said. (Y/N) groaned.

"I knew I should've stayed in bed." (Y/N) mumbled. JJ chuckled.

"As if I would've let you." He shot him a wink. (Y/N) rolled his eyes, reaching forward and pinching his cheek. They turned up the radio, listening to it. John B drove onto a dirt road.

"So, what are we gonna say? 'Hey, we know you're crying over your dead husband but we found the boat he was in and tried to take valuable stuff but instead found this compass. Ring any bells?'" (Y/N) cocked a brow. JJ and John B glanced at each other, nodding.

"Yeah, basically." They replied. (Y/N) rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"Starting to feel glad I came. For Ms. Lana's sake." (Y/N) mumbled, looking back out the window. They arrived, parking. John B and JJ hopped out, JJ opening the door for (Y/N).

"Such a gentleman." (Y/N) teased, chuckling softly. JJ bowed, pretending to tip a hat. (Y/N) rolled his eyes, gently pushing him. JJ chuckled, walking towards the house.

"Know what this house looks like?" JJ asked. "Whoever lives here smokes too much weed."

"A widow lives here, JJ." (Y/N) reminded, smacking the back of his head. The boys started slowing down, hearing glass shattering and crashing.

"Maybe we should come back." JJ said. (Y/N) shot him a look.

"What if she's being attacked?" (Y/N) asked. JJ shrugged.

"None of our business." JJ replied.

"Shut up, JJ." John B glanced at him. They heard more crashing before Lana screamed, telling whoever was inside the house was hurting her. (Y/N) dragged JJ towards the house. They heard the voices and Lana sobbing more clearly. They got down, pressing against the house.

"Still think we should stay?" JJ asked them quietly.

"The compass wasn't in the boat. Where is it, Lana?" A man asked. (Y/N) furrowed his brows, glancing at John B. He wondered what the hell they got themselves into. The walls shook, dried paint getting on them. They got it out of their hair. John B peeked before moving forward.

"We should just go. He's got smuggler written all over him-"

"Shut up." John B huffed. They peeked over the side, watching to men walk out. (Y/N) squinted, noticing it seemed like the boat that had chased them.

"Those are the guys from yesterday." (Y/N) mumbled.

"The ones that shot at us." JJ shook his head. They hid, moving back a bit so they wouldn't be spotted. Once they were out of sight, (Y/N) moved.

"(Y/N)? (Y/N)! Goddamn it." JJ huffed, following him inside. (Y/N) followed the sound of Lana sobbing, glancing at the trashed up house.

"Ms. Lana?" John B called out. (Y/N) turned a corner, finding her on the bathroom floor. He quickly rushed toward her.

"Ms. Lana, are you okay?" (Y/N) asked. She flinched, looking at him.

"It's okay, it's me." (Y/N) soothed. "She's tweaking, man." (Y/N) hushed JJ.

"Do you need a doctor? Want me to get dad or Peterkin?"

"No." Lana gasped out, shaking her head. "They can't get involved."

"Why not?" (Y/N) frowned.

"You shouldn't be here." Lana sniffled.

"That's enough for me, come on." JJ tugged on (Y/N)'s shirt. (Y/N) swatted his hand away.

"Wait, wait." John B crouched down by her, glancing at them. "What do you know about these guys?"

"They were looking for something." Lana whimpered. (Y/N) frowned.

"Do you know anything about this?" John B asked. Lana's face dropped, rapidly shaking her head.

"This is my father's. Scooter had it. Do you know anything about it?" John B asked.

"Don't tell anyone that you have that!" Lana glanced between them. (Y/N) was suddenly pulled up by JJ.

"We need to go, now. What if they come back?" JJ asked, raising his brows. (Y/N) glanced at John B and Lana.

"She's hurt, JJ."

"You can't always be the hero." JJ said quietly. Lana yelled at them to go and get out, JJ dragging John B and (Y/N) away. They got into the van, quickly driving away.

"We should go back-"

"(N/N), for the love of god." JJ climbed back into the backseats, sitting infront of him. He gently grabbed his face.

"She'll be fine. She had cuts and bruises. There was no blood spilled so she didn't get stabbed or shot." JJ said. "Start worrying about yourself before you get hurt."

"But.." (Y/N) breathed out, staring into JJ's sky blue eyes. He swallowed, nodding and shifting his gaze elsewhere. JJ hummed, letting him go and sighing deeply. He caught John B's eye through the rearview mirror. John B cocked a brow. JJ looked away, focusing back on (Y/N) and getting dried paint out of his hair. They got to the house, Kiara and Pope already there and waiting. JJ had them sit down, telling them all about it. (Y/N) stared at the tree, thoughts locked on Lana and the guys. (Y/N) spaced out, their voices being muffled and faint.

"The office." (Y/N) blinked, looking at John B when he spoke. "Huh?"

"My dad. My dad's office." John B said, entering the house. They followed, (Y/N) taking JJ's cigarette and butting it out. They followed him to the office, watching him open it.

"I just.. Kind of left it like it is." John B mumbled.

"Yeah, for when he gets back." Kiara nodded. Pope and JJ looked at each other. (Y/N) pinched JJ, squinting his eyes and shaking his head. JJ pouted, rubbing his arm. John B opened the door, entering.

"I've slept over here like 600 times, and I've never seen this door open." Pope said, entering the office. They looked around at the scattered papers, books, maps. (Y/N) hummed.

"Looks straight out of Pinterest." (Y/N) mumbled. JJ chuckled softly. John B grabbed a crappily made family tree.

"Look, this is the original owner, right here." John B pointed at a picture as they gathered around.

"Robert Q. Routleoge." Kiara read. (Y/N) hummed, looking over the pictures.

"Have I ever told you how weird your last name is?" (Y/N) looked at him. John B scoffed.

"Yours is Shoupe, it's not any better." He replied. (Y/N) chuckled, looking back down at the family tree.

"There's the lucky compass." Kiara pointed at the compass in the picture, smiling.

"Actually, um.. He was shot after he bought it." John B told them, softly.

"Then it was shipped back to Henry. He was killed in a crop-dusting accident when he had the compass." John B moved onto the next guy. (Y/N)'s brows rose.

"After he died, it was sent to Stephen. He had it with him when he died in Vietnam." John B glanced up at them. (Y/N) hummed.

"He died in action?"

"He, uh.. Was killed by a banana truck. In- In country." John B corrected. "He passed the compass down to my dad."

"Seems more cursed than lucky." (Y/N) mumbled. JJ nodded.

"Yeah, reoccuring theme called death." JJ said, shrugging lightly. "You're probably next."

"Am not." John B huffed, sitting down. "My dad used to talk about this secret compartment soldiers used to hide secret notes." John B opened the back, shaking it.

"That wasn't there before.. This is my dad's handwriting." John B said.

"How can you know?" Pope asked.

"Cause he does these weird Rs." John B showed him. "See?"

"Can I see it?" JJ asked. John B handed it to him. JJ sucked his teeth, looking over it.

"Red.. Rout.. No, I think that's an A."

"It says Redfield." Kiara corrected.

"Right."

"So, what's Redfield?" Kiara asked, looking at the boys.

"I can name a list of people and places with that name." (Y/N) said, shrugging and stepping away from them. He looked over some papers, glancing at the pen when he heard the rooster cawing.

"How can you think with that thing constantly crowing at you?" Pope asked.

"Everyone loves the rooster." Kiara muttered, watching him try to figure out the clue and trying to help. (Y/N) looked up, tugging at John B's shirt.

"Guys, we have company." (Y/N) told them. The others went to the window, watching the guys from before get out of the truck. JJ started pacing until John B grabbed him and spun him around.

"Where's the gun?" John B asked. JJ tried to think. (Y/N) swallowed, looking for another potential escape route. JJ left to get the gun but ran back into the room. (Y/N) looked at the windows. He went to one, trying to get it open. JJ and Pope jumped in to help.

"Why isn't it opening?" Kiara asked, panicking. "Painted shut." (Y/N) replied, glancing around for a knife or scissors. They could hear the men shouting, knocking things over. Kiara found something sharp enough. She started cutting the paint as John B and Pope leaned against the door. They stayed as quiet as possible, locking the door. A gunshot rang out, causing them to work faster. They got it open, everyone getting out. (Y/N) closed the window before being dragged away by JJ to the chicken pen. They hid inside, watching as the guys took stuff in crates into their truck.

"Do something, Pope. Shut him up!" JJ hissed, glaring at the rooster.

"What do you want me to do?!"

"Pet it, or talk to it. I don't know!" Kiara whispered back. Before Pope could do anything, the rooster tried attacking him. John B quickly hid. JJ grabbed the rooster by its neck, hitting it against the ground. It went limp, silence taking over. (Y/N) had Kiara bury her face into his chest, letting her sob quietly. JJ frowned, watching her. Once they heard the truck driving away, they got out and into the van. John B started driving. (Y/N) swallowed, staring at the van floor.

"Look, sorry about the rooster." JJ said. (Y/N) looked st him, shaking his head.

"My, uh.. My ex killed a cat once infront of me." (Y/N) mumbled. JJ's eyes widened, brows raising. (Y/N) nodded, confirming his silent question. The topic changed to John B and concocting. (Y/N) sighed softly, watching the trees pass by until they got to the lighthouse. John B parked, getting out with everyone.

"Right, you're gonna post up and look out for bogeys." John B said, looking at JJ.

"What? Why me?"

"Because you're not coming." Pope answered.

"Why?"

"Look, there are dependent and independent variables. You're an independent variable. We don't know what you'll do." Pope explained in his own weird way. An argument broke up but John B shut it down.

"Pope and (Y/N), you stand look out with JJ." John B said. (Y/N) shrugged.

"Alright." He nodded. "We'll meet back up later." John B said before walking away with Kiara. (Y/N) opened the driver door and sat in the seat. JJ approached him, resting his arms on (Y/N)'s knees.

"Why didn't you tell me about him killing a cat?" JJ asked softly. (Y/N) shrugged.

"No reason, Sunset. I just.. It's nothing." (Y/N) shook his head.

"Does your dad know?" JJ asked. (Y/N) shook his head.

"No. I'm not telling him anytime soon." (Y/N) gently ran his hair through JJ's hair. Pope approached them. He was about to greet them before they heard police sirens.

"Fuck." (Y/N) whispered as JJ and Pope got in the back. (Y/N) started the van, quickly driving away. He glanced in the rearview mirror.

"Shit, that's my dad." (Y/N) mumbled, driving faster.

[seiin-translations]

2.43 S1 Chapter 4.3 - Drifting Yunichika

3. IN-AND-OUTER

Just continuing to wing all the volleyball jargon here cuz i have no idea what’s going on

Translation Notes

1. Don’t know if there are English equivalents for these terms, but the Japanese uses  terms like 表レフト (omote-left) and  裏レフト (ura-left), where omote refers to the aces of the team, who are put in the front row for as long as possible, and the ura refers to the players diagonal to them

2. A broad attack is basically where the spiker approaches and jumps towards the net when they hit

3. Pipe in volleyball refers to a back row set aimed at the middle of the court

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He had lied to Haijima about one thing.

Just before he entered the training camp, he received an email from Yorimichi for the first time in a long while. I’ll be back home in August, so let’s have some fun. Then call me when I don’t have practice. That was about all they exchanged back and forth, but he somehow failed to bring that up. Kuroba didn’t think that hanging out with Yorimichi was in itself a bad thing. He wasn’t going to go along with his smoking and drinking and riding double on a bike with no helmet like he used to. Even he had already learned to be sensible about that. He loved volleyball, his team was important to him, and he had self-awareness as a member of a sports team. …And yet, Haijima talked like he flat-out didn’t trust him.

Ah…geez, I’m feeling kinda gloomy.

“I’m getting a second helping of rice.”

When he stood with his empty bowl in one hand and a sullen look on his face, Uchimura, sitting across from him, looked disheartened.

“After eating so much meat yesterday, how can you eat again in the morning? I’m still not very hungry.”

“That stuff all got digested when I ran at night. Maybe you should have gone for a run too, Senpai?”

“I’ll have to decline, since I’m not so young anymore,” his senpai said like he was an old man, despite the fact he was only a year older than him.

The school cafeteria was usually open to students only at lunch time and only to faculty and staff in the morning, but during summer vacation, breakfast was prepared for club members using the boarding house. In addition, special meals were offered to members of the athletic clubs, which was much appreciated. The morning special for today was the combo of grilled fish and deep-fried chicken. The after-meal fruits were bananas and oranges. They were free to get second helpings of rice.

When he opened the lid of the six-litre gas rice cooker, the only remaining amount of rice was the rice grains sticking to the inside of the rice cooker.

“Ma’am, there’s no more rice!”

He hit the edge of the iron pot with the rice scoop and called out to the kitchen. “How much white rice can you all eat? There are students from other clubs coming for lunch, so please hold back a little.” A small old lady in an apron powerfully carried a stainless steel cauldron to replace the empty pot. White steam was rising from the pot where freshly cooked white rice was glittering.

When Kuroba left the rice cooker after piling a mountain of rice into his bowl, Okuma and Oda were lined up behind him looking like this was perfectly natural. Aren’t these two on their third bowls?

He returned to the table where Uchimura was, poured the natto over his rice and started eating his second bowl. Uchimura was also not lacking in appetite, and even though he was talking about something or other, he stored everything in his stomach without leaving a single grain of rice or a piece of vegetable on his plate, and he was about to peel an after-meal orange.

“I have no complaints about your stamina. But your mental strength though… Can’t you do something about it?”

“…I know that. You don’t have to tell me.”

“And? What happened to your partner with the mental strength of steel?”

“That’s how you’re comparing us…? Haijima’s still sleeping.”

Last night, he and Haijima were dragged out of the boarding house, and the two of them were made to do twenty dashes on the slope between the mountain and the school. In the darkness of night where there was only moonlight, they could only hear each other’s dying breaths as they dashed up the slope, pitching forward and almost falling, then staggering downhill, and repeat. Every drop of his urge to make merry with his school trip-like mood had been wrung out of him, and he fell asleep in an instant as soon as he collapsed onto his futon after he finally returned to the boarding house, where everyone was already completely asleep. As expected of Aoki-senpai, he had felt.

He woke up this morning feeling hungry as usual because he had recovered his strength after sleeping, but Haijima hadn’t recovered yet, and he was still lying flat on his futon as though he was dead. It’s not like one of our senpais came to keep an eye on us, and they wouldn’t have known if you had cut down on the number of dashes… He wasn’t that kind of flexible guy. When it came to volleyball, Haijima seemed to “not want to lose to anyone,” not just in practice, but also in preparation and cleaning, and he didn’t cut corners. Well, I think that part of him is pretty admirable, but he only has two hands, so there are times when you just gotta cut those corners.

“Haijima doesn’t have much stamina, right? I guess he’s not perfect.”

Uchimura tilted his head while tossing an orange into his mouth.

“That guy has plenty of flaws.”

When Kuroba answered sullenly, a plastic tray was placed on the table with a bang.

“O-Oh, Haijima. Good morning.”

Uchimura pulled himself away from the table, flinching slightly.

“…’Sup.”

With a sour expression like there was a sign reading “low blood pressure” pasted to it, Haijima pulled the chair next to Kuroba. His club activity switch still wasn’t flipped, so he was wearing his glasses, and his thin bangs were bouncing in a strange way due to his bed hair. When Kuroba somehow failed to speak up and kept silent, Haijima also kept silent towards him and began to bring his food to his mouth with his eyes mostly closed and a face that looked like he was about to throw up. He spiked with his left and right hands, but he basically used his left hand for holding pencils and chopsticks.

Kuroba, who had been wolfing down his second bowl of rice without a care in the world, slowed down his eating speed to match Haijima’s, thinking that it would look like he had an easier time even though they ran the same amount.

“You don’t look so good, you know? Don’t force yourself to eat if you can’t eat. Just eat a banana or something. I’ll eat one too.”

“I’m just sleepy from all the sleeping time I lost. I can eat.”

Haijima was strangely stubborn towards Uchimura’s concern for him, and he greedily shoveled down the rice that he had been slowly bringing to his mouth with so much vigor that he had to wash it down with miso soup. Is he doing this out of spite…? No wait, I have stuff I’m annoyed with him about too. Kuroba wasn’t happy with him. But Haijima didn’t even notice his dissatisfaction anyways.

He felt like an idiot and began energetically moving his chopsticks again. The fatigue in his body was reset after he woke up from sleep, and he planned to show his best performance today, but the gloomy feelings in his heart still haven’t cleared up.

Uchimura shrugged his shoulders at the two who were tilting their bowls and turning their chopsticks like they were competing against each other, then said, “I’ll be leaving, then,” before taking his tray and quickly leaving the table.

*** Kuroba’s position was the so-called “front-left” among left-side players, and it was considered the ace position in high school volleyball. Oda was the back-left, diagonal from him. (1) The left-side players, who took on a large percentage of the team’s total attacks and hit from both the front row and back, generally had the most number of hits. Aoki was the front center, and the back center who was diagonal to him was Okuma, who they were trying to polish at a quick pace. The right-side position that was diagonal to the setter Haijima was filled by Kanno. The left and right-side attackers, as well as the centers, were the so-called “attacker” positions. 

The basic six-person team composition was two left-side players, two centers, and two right-side players. Due to the rotation, front row and back row players often changed places, attackers in the same positions were placed diagonally from each other so that the front row’s height and offensive power were maintained. The ability to receive in the back row was also necessary for the left and right positions. Receiving formations were the key to using more difficult combination attacks. 

There was also a player in a special position called a libero. He mainly replaced a center player, who retreats to the back row, and played a central role in receptions (serve receive) and digs (spike receive). It was this position that did the miraculous dive in the middle of a rally. Hokao was this libero. And Uchimura was like a jack-of-all-trades who could step in if there was a shortage of people. There was no way Seiin could afford to have a reserve for each position.

They spent the afternoon of their second day of training camp practicing combo attacks. Two to four attackers went onto the court and coordinated a team play together with the setter Haijima. Although he had many thoughts about Haijima, Kuroba called out to him for a set. “Alright, over here!” Haijima glanced at him. He felt like he had an annoyed look on his face.

Haijima ignored Kuroba, and—also skipped Aoki, who also jumped for a C quick, before jump back setting the ball to Kanno, who ran right up to the antenna on the right side. The precision of Haijima’s back set was so unchanged from when he set from the front that it made one wonder if he had eyes on the back of his head. Quick attacks ranged from A quicks to D quicks, with A being the closest to the left side from the setter’s set position. B was a little farther. C was the closest to the right side with a back set, and D was a little farther. A combination attack was when another attacker got involved with the decoy quicker and disrupted the opponen’s blocking. Of course, there were times when a set went to the quicker. It was the setter’s chance to show what they could do by putting together a tactic that made full use of all the attackers on the court and make the most optimal set at each moment.

That’s what Haijima talked about yesterday. A combo with a center’s C quick and a right side’s broad jump—.

A sharp spike was driven in with a slap from the right side.

Kanno-senpai is so good…he marveled inwardly. He was an attacker whose special qualities were his fast swings and good control, and he was also good at getting around blockers (there was a suspicion that the blockers momentarily forgot his existence because he had such a weak presence). The right side also jumped to a double quick along with the center. A wide-ranged broad attack (2) was also required. Many times, a player who is a consistent receiver would be put in the position. It was a position that required the ability to be an all-rounder. Kanno wasn’t assertive, but he reliably executed the role that was given to him without hesitation. It seemed that Haijima also had a high opinion of Kanno. A guy who fundamentally didn’t communicate with other people always said a few words to him and made minor corrections after each set.

He called the set with all his might and when he was ignored, he felt that he was being lame, so he was determined to make up for it by hitting a big one as soon as possible.

But that didn’t go according to plan. After that, Haijima didn’t set to Kuroba at all. Not even a single one after several hours of play. It seemed that today, Haijima’s interest was in creating a combo between the centers and the right-side players.

Halfway through practice, he stopped calling for the sets and his jumping became half-hearted, which made Oda angry with him several times. “Kuroba—. Concentrate more. Even if a set doesn’t go to you, look around and think about your next move.”

“…I know that.”

When he answered with a rebellious attitude, Oda shrugged his shoulders like he had no idea what to do and made a proposition to Haijima. “Haijima, why don’t you try another combo after you finish this one? The pipe (3) might be faster if you do it with Kuroba.” He didn’t like the way he talked like he was obviously fussing over him. Even though we’re both first-years, it’s like only Haijima is special…I don’t disagree that he is special, but he doesn’t even seem to notice how much he’s valued by the captain, much less be thankful. The things that he was happy to be told about yesterday strangely got on his nerves today.

Though Haijima looked extremely annoyed at having cold water thrown on the practice he was taking part in, this was the first time in a long while he looked over at him.

“Kuroba.”

His body reflexively stiffened at being called. Haijima put his hands on his hips, kicked the floor with his heel once, sighed, and then spoke.

“There’s no point in you being here, so just get out of here.”

“Hah…!?”

His voice cracked at the sudden discharge notice.

“Wha, you…Don’t get too full of yourself, is a setter really dropping an attacker because of a personal grudge?”

“Grudge?” This guy looks like he has no idea what that means.

“You’re still mad that you had to run because of me.”

“I’m not gonna be picky for a stupid reason like that. Are you an idiot?”

This guy really put an emphasis on the first syllable of “idiot”. Don’t play blind to your stupidity! He really is such an unpleasant guy.

“So why…”

He grabbed Haijima’s arm and pressed him for an answer. Haijima’s face twisted slightly as he glared back at him aloofly. He looked and saw that he had put too much strength into his fingers and they were digging into Haijima’s arm, turning the skin there white.

He clicked his tongue and dropped Haijima’s arm as though it was on fire.

“Uchimura-senpai, could you please do receiving practice with me?”

He turned on his heel and left the court with long strides. “Huh? Alright,” Uchimura answered in puzzlement and followed him. “That moodiness of his…” The mutters of his senpais, who seemed to have given up on him, hurt his back, so he couldn’t turn back to the court anymore. I’m not the bad guy here…While frustration welled up within him, he pushed the ball cage to a corner of the gym. If he were to roll this thing with all his strength and smash it against the wall, it would dissipate a little, but that wasn’t going to happen, so he had no choice but to use all his self-control and push it with normal force.

The training camp that had been fun until the first night had suddenly become boring. Was this payback for getting carried away by feeling like he was on a school trip, just as Haijima said? He wasn’t really getting carried away. He had been plenty fired up for working hard at practice. That was all gone now with Haijima’s attitude.

He was the one who joined the team in April, but Haijima, who joined later, became an indispensable member of the team from that point on, and their senpais yielded to him. More than anything, Oda was captivated by Haijima. When it became like that, now that Nagato was gone, he was the only one treated like a halfway middle schooler, and not acknowledged as a necessary part of the team.

Previous || Index || Next

[sandu-zidian]

Blabbing about this Musician!au I started last summer that has now also turned into a marching band!au because I got sad and nostalgic because despite how shitty it could be, marching band defined my high school life and social life and I couldn’t had asked for anything else.

I also don’t have every single prequel character (because this au is surrounding the prequel characters) in Star Wars smacked into here, and I gave up halfway through a couple of months ago in terms of brainstorming. Anyways, this is hella long so check everything out under the line if you’d like! don’t want to spam everyone with something that’s like, 4 pages long

Now, you might be asking. What instruments are these characters playing, or what are they doing in marching band? well, boy oh boy do I have some lore for you.

Anakin Skywalker: alright lets start of with the “Chosen One”. Now, I gotta say. He’s got some intense brass vibes, specifically high brass. But I don’t know. He didn’t really mesh well. And given his natural talent with the Force in canon, I thought that Anakin would be a sort of prodigy. And we all know the two instruments associated with that: the piano and violin. He’s more of a piano dude, so here we go! piano prodigy Anakin Skywalker. He also gives mad drumline vibes, and I can see him as either the lead snare, setting the tempo, or the main quad player. He’s brash, slightly obnoxious, but damn is he fucking good at what he does.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: I literally started this AU on the idea that Obi-Wan would play the cello. One of the defining quotes for him is that fucking “infinite sadness” quote. And we all know that cellos play some of the saddest pieces out there. (see: Elgar cello concerto) However, I can’t see him as a marching band dude. He doesn’t really give off color guard vibes (since that’s where most non-band people go to) so I have him as the resident student helper who everyone tolerates because he brings ice cream after band camp.

Ahsoka Tano: Ahsoka is a flute player. As a flute player, I have intimate knowledge on this. She’s like the chill flute player who’s competitive enough to keep her position as principal, but is also chill enough to not have a big ego that butts heads with everyone. She also gives mad color guard vibes. Also speaking about that from personal experience (am I lowkey projecting my own experiences on her? you didn’t hear that from me). She seems like the type to love swing flags and sabre, and is 100% captain by senior year.

I have Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka as siblings in this AU because I say so. Qui-Gon is around here somewhere as the resident hippie dad who lowkey smokes pot and will support his children while giving a big ‘fuck you’ to Dooku. 

Yoda’s also in here somewhere, and I love the idea that he’s an old Chinese/Asian man who refuses to speak english and will only do so with the most backwards grammar so his grandchild (Qui-Gon) and great-grandchildren (the trio) are forced to speak Mandarin/Cantonese to him (pick your poison). He just spends his days cutting up fruit and also might pull out his erhu if everyone asks nice enough. (I want to say he was a Peking Opera musician, but immigrated during Mao’s reign after he lost opportunities during the cultural revolution)

So, I know that it doesn’t make sense for a family to have 3 sets of twins and one triplet set, but fuck that I do what I want.

Cody Fett: okay so, Cody 100% plays the french horn. I don’t know, he just, he does. He’s got that air of sophistication because he can play the hardest brass instrument, but at the same time, he’s incredibly good at it and is matter-of-fact about it. He also would be the mello section leader (I was playing with the idea of drum major, but for now, leaving him as a section leader for now). He’s a bit uptight to be a low brass player, but cool enough to still be associated with the general brass group.

Rex Fett: I got Rex and Cody as the eldest Fett twins. Rex feels like a string player, so I have him on violin. I can see him be very hardworking and practicing diligently to the point where he easily sweeps through to concertmaster in high school and the local youth orchestra. He also gives of mad drum major vibes. I can see him copying music, handing out drill charts, and hauling the met around. Also, just think about Rex doing a fancy ass salute at competitions. Yes.

Next round of twins lets gooo

Jesse Fett: You could say Jesse has brass vibes. I see him as a reed person though. In concert band, he’s on clarinet. I used to think clarinets were as stuck up as us flutes but no they’re literally balls of chaotic energy ready to be unleashed. Just imagine Jesse blaming everything on his reed. I see him as the guy who switches to saxophone for marching band, though. He’s got the energy of the clarinet and the saxophone harnessed. Also, wouldn’t be surprised if he knows how to play the sousa.

Kix Fett: Y’know, when I originally made this AU, I had Kix as a musician as well. I’m gonna scratch that. He’s going to medical school, or at least, he’s planning to. He’s on the pre-med track and is dying in organic chemistry and wishes there weren’t so many pre-requisites. However, in high school, he definitely played the oboe. Of course Kix chose one of the hardest instruments to play. Also, just imagine him trying to make his own reeds. I don’t see him as a guy who’s in marching band. He’ll come to competitions and maybe football games if he’s bullied into it. Kix is the guy who’s classes are all AP and he’s dying inside.

Next round of twins yeet:

Fives Fett: shit, I forgot I gave them all real names. If I remember correctly, Fives is Frank. Anyways, trumpet vibes. Need I say more? He’s on the trumpet in marching band as well and he’s the dude who’s obsessed with DCI and always tries to play as high as he possibly can and absolutely demolishes his chops. I would say he’s section leader as well. He also hangs with the drumline at the back of the bus and always plays meme songs on blast and sends weird pictures to people’s phone via open airdrop.

Echo Fett: I think his birth name is Ethan??? I’m spitting thoughts not checking my old documents. Anyways. Echo feels like a string person. Specifically, low strings. So, he plays the bass. Upright bass. Whatever. You get what I mean. He sleeps in the case after school and hates hauling it everywhere. He was in marching band as a mello player (the easiest brass instrument to pick up for the activity so) but he was in a car crash that left him paralyzed from the hip down, and had to quit to recover. He never stopped playing, and found ways to adjust. (I do not know how exactly this would work, since I’m able bodied and also don’t play the bass, but I know he’d at least have a stool to sit on in order to lean his body on. let me know if you have other ideas i’d love to hear them!)

Finally, we got the triplets:

Dogma Fett: Dogma plays the bassoon. He’s a low reed kinda guy and between the bari sax, bass clarinet, and bassoon, he fits the last one the best. He and Kix moan over making reeds and he’s on the quieter side. He just vibes and plays all the low notes and has fun whenever he’s got some moving part. I see Dogma as someone who is only casually into marching band. He uses Jesse’s old student clarinet as his instrument and he’s always on time, knows his sets, and his technique is on point. He always finds himself roped into his brothers’ shenanigans though.

Tup Fett: Tup plays the harp. I like to think he met Shaak Ti (we’ll get to her in a bit) when he was young, and she was playing with an orchestra. He met her backstage and she offered to give him lessons. Tup’s not really a part of high school orchestra but sometimes he’ll be brought in. He’s more involved with solo work and the youth orchestra more than anything. Tup’s another on where I don’t think he’d be into marching band. Though I can see him being in winter guard as the dude who just shows up and is lowkey rip and therefore is a hunk on the rifle. His technique’s good but they’ve never been able to saddle him into fall guard.

Hardcase Fett: (i’ve given up on remembering the birth names so i’m just gonna not) Hardcase is 100% low brass vibes. He can’t be anything but a low brass. I see him as a tuba player. He’s chill, laid back, but also reliable for being the foundation of the band sound. He plays the sousaphone in marching band and always blasts either Seven Nation Army or some other popular show tune right after rehearsals. Hardcase also can play the bari sax and no one knows when he learned how to. 

OKAY we’re done with the Fett’s! Jango and Boba are in here somewhere but honestly I don’t have enough brainpower to come up with what their roles are. Jango’s gonna be a good dad though. Maybe he was a musician and that’s why most of his kids are going into music. Or maybe he’s just a supportive father. Boba’s the youngest though, that’s for sure. And he’s a little shit. Don’t know if he plays an instrument (probably) or what it might be.

Now lets get into some other characters! There’s a lot. And I wasn’t even halfway done with the characters I wanted to include. What the hell was I on last summer?

Padmé Amidala: Padmé is a flute player who quit after freshman year of high school and started taking music production and music theory classes. She loved it so much that she decided that composing was her jam. Now, she’s highly successful and often works with well known pianist, Anakin Skywalker, on piano concertos. Also, she may or may not be dating said pianists but you didn’t hear that from me.

Satine Kryze: twosetters don’t shit on me but Satine feels like she’d play the viola. She and Obi-Obi-Wan definitely dated in high school but after a year broke up on mutual terms and are just good friends now. A lot of people feel like she’d have been a better political science/international studies major than a music major but she’s good so no one complains (until she gets into a fighting match with someone and wins smugly)

Bo-Katan Kryze: shes Satine’s younger sister and is a mad athlete. She doesn’t play any instruments but she’s deeply active and is on scholarship for college, on the pre-med track with Kix. She’s very scary and most people are too intimidated by her to approach.

Plo Koon: I originally had him as an asian man, but I can see Native American as well. He plays the euphonium and he’s just a sweet man. He helps out a lot with private lessons at local high schools and is often brought in to help with low brass during marching band.

Wolffe Koon: Wolffe and Gregor (get to him in a bit) were both adopted by Plo when their parents died when they were very young. Plo was their godfather and he took them in like they were his own. They’re cousins to the Fett brothers (though don’t ask me how I have no idea). Wolffe is an engineer and works close to home.

Gregor Koon: Gregor is Wolffe’s younger brother and had a short stint of musical interest in middle school but quit after he entered high school. Gregor was in a serious car crash during college that left him amnesiac for a year before some of his memories returned. He now owns a restaurant and sticks close to home. Wolffe often comes around to check up on him because his brain injury still impacts his current life in small physical and emotional dips

Kit Fisto: Kit gives off mad trombone vibes and it’s mostly because he seems incredibly laid back. He’s one of those brass players who’s just a nice guy and while jokes around, never got pulled into jokes as a student.

Shaak Ti: like I said above, Shaak Ti is most definitely a harpist. She has that ethereal quality I think is common in harpists. She’s a tall Indian woman and she loves her job! She’s a private lesson teacher and instructor at the conservatory on top of her job in the orchestra since she’s not called in often to play. She loves all her students and gives good hugs.

Mace Windu: Mace is the director of the Jedi Symphony, the orchestra which almost everyone is involved with. He is a bass player and he likes his more classical pieces over contemporary music. He’s good friends with Yoda and sometimes the old troll has to wack some sense into Windu and have him take on newer pieces. Windu 100% gives off unhinged director vibes because mistakes and lazy musicians definitely don’t end after high school/college is over.

Quinlan Vos: this lil shithead definitely is the obnoxious, slightly arrogant, but kind of deserving of that, percussionist. He loves his snare drum and is also in the drumline. He’s the same age as Obi-Wan and the two are close friends. Quinlan is definitely slightly unhinged and is always at the back of the bus causing havoc after competitions. He’s the guy that I (OP) hate but also can’t help but respect cuz yeah he’s annoying but at least he’s good.

Aayla Secura: Aayla is Quinn’s half-sister, and plays the French horn. Again, like Cody, she’s got this air of professionalism that I associate with French horn players and like, we gotta represent the girls in brass somehow. She just fits it really nicely.

I feel like now is the time to list who’s still in conservatory and who isn’t: Obi-Wan, Anakin, Rex, Cody, Jesse, Quinlan, Padmé, and Satine are all recent graduates. Ahsoka, Aayla, Fives, Echo, Tup, Dogma, and Hardcase are still in conservatory (at varying years of course). Kix and Bo are entering med school/frantically applying and banging their heads cuz MCATs. Wolffe and Gregor are older and have been in the field for quite some time now. Plo, Kit, Shaak, and Mace are all faculty/seasoned professionals.

Somehow, I was gonna bring in The Skiratas (with proper research cuz I know very little about them), Dooku, Ventress, the Oppress siblings, rest of Domino Squad, Cut Lawquene, the other CCs, and more. I designated a page out of my sketchbook for this and my oh my the flow chart was hella confusing. How I thought I was gonna handle that in the summer before my first year of college, I have no idea. Maybe I’ll brainstorm more in the future but for now, this is all I have :]]]

Also excuse some of my slightly unhinged language I started writing this a few days ago while slightly unfocused and tired and stressed so my language is a product of that

[youllneverknowrac]

Oscar Diaz-Summer Nights

Summer days just sitting around but when the sun goes down, I’ll be ready to party

It was officially the first day of Summer so everybody in the neighborhood was in high spirits, and like usual there was going to be party. Only this time it was being held at one of the other Santo members house since he wanted to plan a big bash for his little sister’s high school graduation celebration. That meant all sorts of different people were going to be in attendance of all backgrounds and ages. As you play out tonight in your mind you end up getting distracted when your phone goes off so you set your lipgloss down and rush over to it.

Call the ruca on the phone, let her know I'm home alone, Its Seven thirty and the sun is going down, Its a Summer night and the fun is going down, I picked her up and she looks all dolled up, Sitting passenger in my rag impala , I let her know she looks beautiful to me, The world is an ugly place but she's such a site to see

“What’s up papi?” You ask into the receiver after you answer, glancing at your alarm clock to check the time since Oscar said he wouldn’t be picking you up until later since he had to go take care of something.

“Ima pull up on you so we can dip, I finished a bit earlier than expected so I figured we could kick it for a bit before the party started.” You hear him say, his voice sort of muffled by the sound of air coming in through his rolled down windows along with the music he was playing.

“Are you asking or telling me?” You smirk as you put him on speaker so you can hurry up and pull on your outfit.

“Telling, so hurry up and pull those jeans over that ass of yours.” He reply’s smugly,”Wear those hoops I bought you too, I like the way they sparkle and shit.”

“You’re lucky I love you.” You laugh as you shake your head and jump into your too tight jeans. Your legs poking out from the ripped areas,”The only man I will ever let boss me around.” You joke

“Only women I let boss me around.”

“Don’t you forget it.” You retort as your search for the specific hoops among all your other ones, letting Oscar talk about who knows what while you finish getting ready,”Damn do you gotta pull up banging like that?” You ask him a few minutes later as you grab your phone, Oscar’s famous red car now parked in your driveway,”I can hear you all the way from Beverly Hills.”

“Fuck Beverly Hills, your ass would never be caught there. Besides you’re the one that bought me the speakers.” He reminds as you make your way out after quickly saying by to your grandparents who sat outside in the garden.

“Yeah I’m starting to regret that.” You tell him when you walkout, hanging up and sliding your phone into your back pocket,”What are you staring at fool?” You tease as you open the door and climb in, thankful he cut off the radio so you could actually talk to him.

“You.” He shrugs and leans over to peck you,”You look beautiful...sexy.” He mumbles against your lips,”Cherry?” He asks when he pulls away, a slight shine on his own lips now.

“Strawberry.” You correct him as you buckle up, your smile on full display,”You like?”

“I like everything about you chiquita.” He breaths, his head still in your personal space until your hand pushes him away playfully.

“Back up before you get smacked up.” You warn him, Oscar laughing at your remark.

“That’s my line, you copying my style?”

“It’s not copying when I do it better papi.”

“Better?” He scoffs as he begins to back out of the drive way.

“I didn’t stutter.” You tell him as you pull down the mirror so you could apply more of the gloss,”Don’t be a hater.”

“Hater my ass.”

“Hm.” You hum as you gloss up your lips carefully,”We going to your house?”

“Obviamente, why? You want to go somewhere else or que?”

“I want something from the refresqueria...I don’t know what exactly but something.”

“Yo your ass always wants to eat something.” He chuckles,”What do you want this time? Hot Cheetos, elote, tacos, or a bu...”

“Aye, if you keep it up I’ll make you buy it all.” You cut him off

“I let you get away with too much, I need to quit spoiling you. You’re attitude gets worse everyday.”

“You want me to get out of the car?” You ask smugly as you reach over and take his free hand that wasn’t on the steering wheel,”I’ll walk home and leave you all alone.”

“You ain’t walking nowhere.” He laughs and brings your intertwined hands up to place a reassuring kiss to the back of yours. You don’t respond, your smile growing wider as you look out the window.

The temp was eighty and I'm cruising with my lady, Playing some Ralphie Pagan, "Oh Baby Baby", I see my home boys and they're cruising in their rides, With their ladies sitting by their side, People think we look crazy, but I think we look classy, But then again that's only if you ask me

“Looks like the homies had the same idea.” Oscar says after he parks in the crowded lot.

“Oh the girls are here.” You say happily as you take notice of the royal blue low rider parked next to a similar car in black,��Let’s go say hi.” You exclaim, not giving Oscar time to respond as you jump out and walk over to your group of friends,”What’s up bitches?!” You squeal

“Hey girl!” The two girls say mutually as they each pull away from their respective boy friend to come greet you.

“What’s up.” Sad Eyez smiles while Joker gives you a head nod, before the three guys engage in a conversation.

“Did you guys order already?” You ask as you take notice of all the people waiting for their food.

“Yes and the line took forever. If you want you can have some of our shit, you already know Fransico’s scrawny ass is only going to take two bites before he’s full.” Sad Eyez girl, Gia, informs you.

“Yeah girl, you can have some of our shit too.” Lena shrugs,”It should be here any second, besides all these people staring at us got me feeling some type of way.”

“What who’s staring?!” Gia says loudly as she looks around, her red dyed hair flapping about,”I’ll kindly tell them to fuck off.”

“Someone staring at y’all?” Oscar asks, him and the other guys coming closer protectively.

“More or less.” Lena reply’s as she grabs a hold of Joker’s arm,”It’s fine, how could they not stare when we rolled up in the sexiest cars.”

“Period.” You laugh and lean against your boyfriend,”Sexiest cars and the baddest bitches.”

“Man, they just hating cause we some classy mofos.” Oscar laughs loudly,”However, if anyone has a problem they can address it with me.” He adds loudly causing everybody in ear shot to look away rather quickly.

“Shhh, before you get us kicked off the property.” You giggle and stand up on your tip toes to give him a small kiss,”The foods almost here and I’ll be pissed if I can’t eat any.” You say before letting him return to his previous conversation so you can do the same. After another few minutes a worker comes out and finds you guys with ease and hands out the items.

“Thank you guys so much, I’ll see y’all tonight right?” You ask after taking a bite of your chile covered fruit minutes later.

“Most definitely! See you in a bit!” Gia calls as she hangs out the window as Sad Eyez drives off. Jokers car following them with a honk.

“Let’s go bebe.” Oscar says and ushers you toward the car, opening the passenger side door before heading around to his side. Wanting to get in some alone time before tonight started and he would have to share your attention.

My homeboys throwing a back yard boogie, So every body gets together to unwind, relax and have a fun time, The DJ is spinning so I grab the mic and be like, Ain't nothing like them summer nights, The party is packed with beautiful woman and, A gang of the homies that want to get with them, And they'll say anything just to hit em, And its usually a nice summer night when they did em, Idon't know, it must be something in the air, Can't help but have a good time, because the feeling is there, To some people the feeling is rare, They're at the pad saying God dam I wish I was there, To have a drink, have a tok and hook up, With some one fine but the kind that looks up, Got to keep some pisto in the cup, Party until the sun comes up or we give up

After spending time with Oscar at his place for a while you guys ended up going to the party that was now in full effect when you pulled up. You head to the backyard hand in hand before finding a few other Santo members and taking a seat with them, well you sat on Oscar’s lap of course as you looked out at the swarm of people. You sigh contently as you lean back against him, listening to his conversation and laughing when he did since you could feel the rumble of his chest.

“Look at Cesar.” You whisper in his ear as you watch the younger Diaz flirt with some girl.

“He ain’t got no game.” Oscar says teasingly,”See.” He says moments later when the girl walks away rather quickly.

“Stop, he’s trying.” You laugh and shake your head when he goes straight to another girl.

“He’s failing.”

“Didn’t it take you three times before I finally said yes to go on a date with you.”

“Aye that was a long time ago and we’re talking about him, not us.” Oscar smacks his lips as his fingers dig into your side.

“I’m just saying.” You giggle before turning your head so you can kiss his cheek,”You want a drink?”

“Corona please.”

“I’ll be right back.” You nod and get up so you can go in search of a cooler. You retrieve two cold bottles before making your way back and sitting back down on a awaiting Oscar.

“Thank you Chiquita.”

“You’re welcome.” You tell him before taking a sip of your drink. The rest of the night being spent socializing or forcing Oscar to occasionally dance with you.

As I close out my summer night and say good night, Its time to put the top up and park it, drop it, Unplug the ground, roll up the windows and lock it, Walk into the pad and fall into bed, As she lays on my chest to rest her sleepy head

“Tonight was fun.” You tell Oscar sleepily as you lay on top of him, now dressed in one of his t-shirts.

“It was good seeing the whole neighborhood click up like that.”

“Yeah...Summers the best.” You hiccup,”I might still be a little tipsy. Just a little.”

“I could have told you that after your fourth beer mami. I thought I was going to have to carry you out of the party.” He laughs as he lazily rubs your back.

“You should have carried me anyway, queens shouldn’t have to walk.” You laugh softly,”Am I a queen?”

“Mi reina.” Oscar reassures you with a kiss to the top of your head

“Good answer.” You yawn as your eyes flutter close,”I love summer.”

“Me too, I love summer nights with you the most though.” He admits,”Go to sleep mami, we’ll continue the party tomorrow.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” He nods, holding your body to his until you’ve fallen into a deep slumber and he’s done the same. The first night of Summer taking a toll on the both of you, luckily you guys still had three more months left of it to enjoy.

[wienerbarnes]

Feel Good

Pairing: Bucky x Reader (Cheek to Cheek)

Word Count: 2,817

Warnings: lots o drinking (its new years!), mentions to being nervous/self-doubt, drunk sam wilson, perhaps some smooching idk guess u gotta read it man

A/N: ngl I have like 4 cheek to cheek one shots that I wrote yesterday instead of working on school work or art commissions so lets enjoy this before that motivation spark dies okay enjoy my two fav ppl ever

MAIN MASTERLIST | CHEEK TO CHEEK MASTERLIST

“Agent 51, stay behind, please.”

You meet Sam’s eye, confused for two reasons - this was supposed to be a quick debriefing after a mission, and he’s never called you out specifically before. You give him a nod and obligatory Yes, Captain before making eyes with Sharon, who gives you a quick smile before exiting the room with the other agents. That doesn’t give you anything. Is there already another mission? But if there was another mission, wouldn’t Sharon have stayed? Wouldn’t Bucky be here? Does it involve Bucky? Does-

“I want you to start training with the other recruits when they begin next week.” Sam informs you once the door closes behind the last person.

Oh.

This Friday is New Year’s Eve, meaning Monday begins the seven-week training led by Sergeant Barnes for wannabe Avengers Agents, before whoever remains continues on to undercover and psychological training with Sharon and other legendary retired agents of the field.

“Are you... sure?” You didn’t think there was a problem with the training you were currently doing with Sam, in fact, you thought you were doing pretty good for someone who hasn't followed a strict workout regimen in ten years. This would be the first time being around so many people with a greater chance of interacting. All of the meetings you go to have made you a little more comfortable with larger crowds, but you haven’t actually spoken to anyone.

“You know your file well?”

“Yes.”

“Then, yes, I’m sure.”

“I want you to continue your training with me on the weekends, though.” Sam adds.

Working out seven days a week? I might’ve considered prison if I knew this was a part of the deal.

“Won’t all of that all the time be hard?” You offer, suddenly scared for your biceps and hamstrings.

“Are you asking me if training to become a team member of the Avengers is hard?” Sam gives you a pointed look.

“...Right.” You stand, assuming that was all he had to tell you about.

“Also, there’s a little party Friday night. Nothing crazy, just me, Sharon, Bucky, Sharon and I are bringing some dates, maybe a few agents, but they usually go out and party. They don’t want to hang out with us more than they already have to around here.” He mentions as you reach the door.

Your hand pauses on the knob. A party. What if they pull some Carrie shit on you?

“A party?” You ask, eyebrows failing to conceal your silent fears as they tilt upward at him.

“I promise, it won’t be anything insane. I wouldn’t have mentioned it if I didn’t think it was something you could handle.” He reassures.

Friday comes sooner than you’d hoped, and your anxiety still lingers, as much as you’d hoped it’d go away by now. You glance at the time, 8:00 in the evening. This was the time Sam told you everything would more or less be starting, but that you could go whenever you wanted, if you wanted.

You’ve actually been ready for about an hour, just too scared to go to the common area where everything was taking place.

You feel like you’re a teenager again; being invited to an event where you feel as though you won’t belong. An event where you know that everyone is so drastically different than you. You wonder how you would feel if you were different; if you weren’t so fucked up with trauma. Would you be a party person? Drinking and dancing through your twenties? Hooking up with men and women, maybe even having relationships?

You’re dressed in a short lilac romper, layers of silky ruffles around the tops of your thighs, and thin straps across your shoulders that cross against your back. The neckline is a tad low, a complimenting V that you’ve filled with layers of necklaces. Nude platforms put you about two inches taller without the fear of a heel, and you’re nervously picking at your recently painted green fingernails in anticipation for what the night will bring.

It’s not too late to not go. You can just tell Sam you ended up not feeling well, tell F.R.I.D.A.Y. not to let anyone bother you. Just take all these clothes off and put on your pajamas, and we can pretend you haven’t been thinking about this night for the last three days and spent all day thinking about what you’re going to wear, how you’re going to act, reviewing your file just in case anyone asks you anything - we can just pretend you were going to be staying in the whole time.

You stand to begin slipping the straps from your shoulders, mind made up, when a knock sounds at the door.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., who is that?” You whisper out.

“It’s Sergeant Barnes, Agent.” The A.I. relays in an equally hushed voice.

You sigh and walk over to the door before opening it a few inches.

“Hey! You look so cute! Party’s getting started, let's go!” He steps back out to the hallway, an excited smile on his face which drops when he focuses more on the frown that decorates your own face.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, immediately stepping back towards you.

“... I’m nervous.” You all but whimper out. Why do you have to be such a baby?

“Why are you nervous?” Bucky asks, his voice calm as he genuinely wants to know what’s troubling you, not an accusatory tone found in his voice.

“Because there’s going to be a lot of people, and I don’t know anyone, and I’ve never been to these kinds of parties, or at least I haven’t in, like, a decade.” You ramble, exasperated with yourself.

“Would it make you feel better if I stayed with you the whole night? Either here or down at the party?” He offers, ready to give up one of his favorite nights for you.

“Bucky, I’m not going to make you -”

“You’re not making me, I’m offering. Besides, Sam’s all over the girl he brought and Sharon’s halfway drunk with her little boyfriend; they’re not going to be much fun for me tonight.” Bucky justifies, sounding like the eldest of three having to deal with their younger siblings.

“C’mon, you’re really gonna waste a dress like that? And your hair looks all nice! And - wait a minute, are those new earrings?” Bucky butters you, showering you with compliments in a sweet tone, metal hand reaching out to touch at the earrings hanging from your ears, the small tink sounding right in your ear.

A girlish giggle escapes you at his teasing. “Alright, alright, you’ve convinced me. But you promise you don’t mind staying with me all night?”

“I promise, there’s no one else I’d rather spend the night with.”

The common area isn’t how you expected it to be; there’s definitely more people than Sam promised there’d be, but it’s not the thousands of strangers you’d imagined in your head.

“Let’s get a drink,” Bucky’s deep voice speaks in your ear, and you’re not sure if it's his voice that makes you shiver or his warm hand in yours, but the two of you make your way to the bar.

“What do you drink?” He asks you, after ordering the name of some drink for himself.

“Uhm - I don’t, I don’t know.” You mutter to him. He scans your face for a second before rattling off the name of some other drink to the person behind the bar.

You never really drank; sure, you had the shitty beer as a teenager or perhaps a celebratory shot during your time in the Navy, but nothing you remember explicitly. You weren’t even old enough to drink in the Navy, you had turned twenty-one when you were already with HYDRA.

“Are you excited?” Bucky interrupts your thoughts of lost childhood.

“Excited?”

“For the New Year!” Bucky exclaims, and you give him a smile even if you don't understand the hoop-lah.

“Sure?” You offer.

“C’mon! There’s so much opportunity and promise that comes with a new year! A million chances to grow, to experience things, to learn, to have fun. A new chapter for everyone.” He explains.

You smile at his positivity. A new year should be good for you based on his logic. A new chapter. You’d be starting your training. Getting ahead as an agent. Using your powers to help for good. Maybe making friends. Maybe getting closer to Bucky.

The drinks arrive and you appreciate that Bucky knows you so well; the drink in front of you is bright pink, different fruits crowded around the rim with a curly straw sticking out. His is a deeper brown, in a short, crystal glass, figures. Matches his whole dark and emo aesthetic. He stands before you in black jeans and a black buttoned shirt, black leather jacket to sit on top.

You take a sip of your drink and immediately have to slap a hand over your mouth to keep from spitting it out. Am I that much of a lightweight or is there actual gasoline in this?

“Sorry, maybe I should’ve warned you, babe,” Bucky chuckles, amused at your reaction to a mixed drink. “I think there’s, like, four different things in that.” He wants to cringe for you, but all he can do is look at you with a cheeky smile while you struggle to swallow the sip down.

“Christ, Bucky, I’ll blackout by ten at this rate, are all of the drinks like this?”

“Honestly? Probably. Everyone loves getting drunk on New Year’s.”

…

The night is not nearly as bad as you were thinking it was going to be. The room is lit up in different colored lights and screens; all of the TV’s display the annual countdown in Times Square but are muted so that music can be played the whole night. People are dancing, drinking, laughing, having the most fun you’ve seen people have in a long time. It’s 11:51 now, and everyone’s gathering closer and closer in anticipation for the countdown into the new year.

You and Bucky are gathered together with Sam and Sharon, and their respective dates. You don’t think you’ll let Sam live down how drunk he is; you never thought you’d feel so much joy seeing your Captain slurring his words while making jokes and telling stories.

Sharon leans over to you and whispers, a gentle hand on your arm, “Can you come to the bathroom with me?” A small giggle escaping her because she, too, is equally drunk. You give her a nod and hand your drink to Bucky to watch over while you’re gone.

The bathroom makes your ears buzz with the silence you encounter and Sharon walks over to the mirror to retouch her makeup.

“I just needed a little breather, have you tried the drinks at the bar?” She asks, and you laugh knowing that that’s the reason she, and everyone else at the party, is wasted.

“Yeah, Bucky proceeded to warn me after I had started drinking.” Laughs are shared as she reapplies her lipstick, a bright red shade.

“Do you know who you’re gonna kiss tonight?” She asks, smirk playing on her lips.

Shit, I forgot about that. How awkward would it be if you’re the only one not having a partner to kiss at midnight? Don’t worry, plenty of lame, single, psychotic basket cases that hear voices don’t kiss people on New Year’s Eve!

“Oh, uhm, I probably won’t be kissing anybody.” You inform her with a nervous laugh.

“I think you should kiss Bucky.” She states matter-of-factly.

“Huh?”

“Yeah, why not? He’s not here with a date and he surely won’t kiss a stranger. I think last year Sam ended up planting one on him at midnight.” She laughs, a few hiccups interrupting her as she remembers that night.

As much as you want to join her in laughing at the thought of Sam drunkenly grabbing Bucky cheeks at midnight and smooching him, a pit opens up in your stomach at the thought of kissing Bucky.

“C’mon, T-minus five minutes.” Sharon tells you, interlocking her fingers with yours as she drags you back out to the common room.

The two of you rejoin the group and Bucky hands you your drink back, though you don’t feel much like drinking anymore, stomach suddenly knotted up with nerves. You’re torn because you don’t necessarily have a problem not kissing anybody, but now all you can think about is the urge to press your lips against Bucky’s, new year or not.

A husky voice whispers in your ear, “You okay? You look a little pale, you wanna head up to your room?” Bucky looks at you with concerned eyes, willing to go up to your room two minutes before midnight to ensure your comfort and wellbeing.

“I’m… I’m fine.” You reassure him, giving him the most unconvincing smile ever, even you wouldn’t believe you. He silently pulls you away from the group and pulls you into a hallway.

“Talk to me, sweetheart.”

His pet names are, for once, not helping right now.

You take a large gulp of your drink, stinging a bit, but hopefully it’ll give you some courage and relax you a bit. Bucky chuckles and gently takes the glass from your hand, “Hey,”

“I’m fine, just have some jitters, is all.” You try and convince.

You take the drink back and grab his hand with your open one and take him back out to the open area, a sixty second countdown already starting.

You quickly down the rest of your drink and discard it on a nearby table as the entire room begins chanting. Sam is the loudest, one arm wrapped around the waist of his date and the other wrapped around Bucky’s shoulders. Bucky’s smiling at his enthusiasm, yelling the numbers just as loud as he wraps an arm around your shoulders to bring you in closer to the group. Sharon is on the other side of you, but her focus is on her date as they look into each other’s eyes, just waiting for the clock to strike twelve so they can share a kiss.

The ball drops on the TV and the room erupts in cheers and “Happy New Year!”’s. Sam unhooks himself from Bucky and turns to grab his date's face as they share a laugh-filled kiss. You glance at Sharon and you suspect her and her date began sharing kisses a few seconds early. Bucky’s arm is still wrapped around your shoulders and he tugs you closer so you’re face to face.

His grin is wide, “Happy New Year -”

His excitement is interrupted as your courage finally kicks in, and with a hand on either side of his face, you pull him in and press your lips to his.

It takes him less than two seconds to reciprocate, dropping his hands to your waist and pulling you closer as your hands slide from his cheeks to his neck, wrapping themselves around.

There’s no more anxiety. No more nerves. No more doubts or second-thoughts. No more voices, no more people in the room, no more music; it’s just you and Bucky in that moment.

His lips are soft and sweet, a strong taste of the drinks he’s had tonight with a mix of sweetness that’s all him. He smells like man and like Bucky and your senses are overwhelmed in the best way possible. Tingles travel down your spine at the feeling of being so close to him.

You’re so, so, so good. Sure, Bucky’s imagined kissing you, but he never thought it’d feel like this. You’re sweet like cherries and you’re soft all over and your perfume is flooding his nose and it’s all he wants to breathe for the rest of time. Your skin sends sparks of fire through his fingertips as they rest on your bare back and slide down to your silk-covered waist.

You pull away and Bucky sneaks a few extra pecks before pulling away completely, not removing his eyes from yours.

“Happy New Year.” He wishes you with a love-sick smile.

“Happy New -”

“Happy New Year, Tinman!” Sam yelps in both of your ears, arms wrapping around Bucky and disconnecting him from you, but you can’t help but laugh at Sam trying to plant a kiss on Bucky’s cheek while he attempts to wrestle him off.

You feel electricity all over watching him, butterflies not only in your stomach, but all over your body, in every organ, in your bloodstream, in your head, everywhere. But as much as you feel as though you’ve been struck by lightning, you feel good; you feel really good.

A few months ago, you wouldn't have imagined that this is how you were going to be starting the new year. But here you are, and you feel good.

[ceilingfan5]

the song "happy together" with some taakitz? you never disappoint!!

send me a ship and a song and i’ll write a minific!!

I can't see me lovin' nobody but you For all my life

They pack out early in the morning before the sun rises. Kravitz has never seen Taako awake so early and not homicidal, and it probably has a lot to do with the amount of espresso he’s consumed already. He’s practically vibrating when he holds onto Kravitz’s arm, and he cuts a hole in reality and helps Taako step through to a completely different world. The little boat is ready for them, and together they row out into the middle of the lake, where Taako helps him cast his line and they share another thermos of very strong, very sweet coffee. 

They don’t talk for a while, and when they do, it’s soft, just as the steam begins to curl off of the lake and into the low-hanging fruit of the sunshine. It’s stunning. 

“This is beautiful, Taako. I’m so glad I came with you.”

“Me too.” Taako’s tone is gentle, and he leans against Kravitz’s back. He’s warm, and it feels nice. The water laps gently at the side of the boat, creating a sweet rhythm to bob their heads to. There’s a tug at one of their lines, but it amounts to nothing. Besides, Taako reminded him as they packed last night: it’s not actually about catching fish. He didn’t bother to explain what it was actually about, but Kravitz could wager a guess. 

It’s bizarrely calming. 

“You know, when we met, I never would have figured you for the fishing type.”

“You know what they say about book covers, my man.” Kravitz can just hear Taako grinning from ear to ear. 

“I suppose you’re right. Still, I’m glad you decided to share this side of you, Taako. It means a lot to me.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Shucks.” Taako laughs softly. Everything about this is soft. Kravitz feels like he could scoop the sun out of the sky with his bare hands and hold it close, like a fledgling bird. He feels fond, so fond. He’s not actually that interested in fishing, and wouldn’t know what to do with a fish if he caught one, but he’s glad to spend time with Taako, especially doing something he loves.  Slowly, the sky warms up and blushes blue, the clouds still keeping their pink hue. Cotton candy, floating high above them. Kravitz hums. 

“Hey, Krav?”

“Oh shit, am I disturbing the fish? I’m sorry.”

“No, no, you’re good. Um...” Even with their backs to each other in the tiny boat, Kravitz can imagine Taako’s face. Hesitant. Exposed. His tone tells all. “I have, uh, I have a question for you. But you gotta stay calm, cause of the fish, and all.”

“Calm?” Kravitz frowns slightly. “I can stay calm. What is this about?”

“Well, uh...” Kravitz feels the movement as Taako wipes at his brow, and then takes another long sip of hot coffee. “I’ve been thinkin’ a lot, and...here’s the thing. Um.” He taps his toes in a discordant rhythm and Kravitz waits, patient despite the growing concern. Taako will tell him when he’s ready. 

“Kravitz, I, uh, I’ve been thinking. About the future, and, and what what the rest of my life is gonna be like, and...um. Who I’m gonna spend it with.”

Something tickles at Kravitz’s brain, but he stays calm and quiet. 

“And, uh, I can’t see myself with anyone but...but you.”

It finally clicks.

“Taako…?”

“Now, I’m not gonna get down on one knee, cause, cause of the boat, but...hey, I think..I think we’d be really happy together. What do you think?” 

Kravitz, stunned, turns around, and waiting for him is Taako, holding a glimmering ring. The band is black, and the gem reflects the clouds, and Taako’s hands are shaking holding onto it. 

“Oh, Taako-!” Kravitz can’t help but kiss him. The boat rocks dangerously, but Taako kisses back, holding onto him tightly. 

“Fuck,” he says. “Is, uh, is that, is that a yes?”

“Hold on-” Kravitz says, and he digs through his pockets.

“You’re makin’ me nervous,” Taako says, with an awkward laugh, but it dies in his throat when Kravitz produces a small box of his own. He pops it open, and there in the center is a ring for Taako. 

Taako’s jaw drops. 

“I’ve been-” Kravitz’s eyes are getting wet, “I’ve been trying to think of the best time to ask you for weeks, and you beat me to it-”

“Oh my god,”

“Taako, will you marry me?”

“Only if you’ll marry me, you big doofus.”

“Then of course I’ll marry you.”

“Great,” Taako says, a grin slowly spreading across his freckled face. The dappled sunshine plays across them and the birds sing for want of an angelic choir. “Then I’ll marry you.” 

“We’re going to be so happy together.”

“Fuck, Krav,” Taako says, and he can’t hide the way his eyes sparkle with tears he’d never admit to. “We’re already happy together.”

They don’t catch a lot of fish, but they’re too distracted to mind.

[coinofstone]

3x12 The Coming of Arthur pt 1

The title is such low hanging fruit I feel bad cracking a joke about it.

It's a quest episode! I love a quest episode. Srsly feel free to send me any and all Merthur quest fics. I can't get enough 😂

This is the episode responsible for the lovely Leon fanon headcanon that he's immortal. Always handy in an Arthur Returns fic.

Uther: you must go on this mission alone

Arthur: *brings Merlin*

I do love Merlin being being a smart alec and nagging Arthur while packing. Excellent banter.

Arthur said

Arthur threatening a young boy like this is such an ugly and uncharacteristic action it makes me angry.

Merlin tending to Arthur while he's sick and injured 🥺

Also I'm sorry but Merlin shows fuckin Gilli his magic but he's hiding it from fuckin Gwaine while Arthur is suffering? Silly.

Cenred's massive army makes me wonder if it's a result of his tolerance of magic or lower standards than the knights of Camelot, or some combination of both.

Poor Leon, though. He's just got back from near death in that forest and Uther sends him right fuckin back in 😂

Looks like they snuck in to Camelot via the dragon's cave. I doubt that was the intention but I still approve 😂

Knowing he's on a suicide mission, Arthur gives Merlin an out, knowing he'll never take it, knowing he doesn't even want him to: he still presents him with the choice.

How come literally everyone else gets a crown that fits them but Arthur walks around looking like he's wearing hand-me-downs?

Morgana might be evil but she looks damn good on a throne.

3x13 The Coming of Arthur pt 2

There's a post going around Twitter about ppl who nitpick at TV shows... this comment falls into exactly that category 100% but I'm sorry, I cannot just ignore the fact that Morgana's got these massive banners and an entire army's worth of uniforms, I mean look:

Every guard with the sigil on his uniform and half a dozen banners in the council chambers alone. That's to say nothing of the ones outside. I mean look at the sheer fuckin size of these things:

Look how tiny the ppl are next to em! They've gotta be at least 15 feet long, at least. Where did they come from? Were they all magicked into existence? Who designed that sigil? What does it represent? Is it Gorlois' banner? I HAVE QUESTIONS.

Leon isn't someone I've ever been particularly attracted to, personally, but his defiant shout of "Long Live the King" in the face of Morgana's threats, is sexy as hell.

Depressed Arthur is such a mood.

So. Gwen. Originally in 3x12 when Morgana essentially invited Gwen into the fold (insofar as a Queen's servant can be), it seems to be a set up, because Morgana has been treating Gwen like shit for ages, why would she suddenly want her friend back? Especially since Morgana knows something is going on between Gwen and Arthur - there's no way she believes that they were actually under the spell of some random sorcerer, that just doesn't make any sense. So you kind of assume - or at least I did - that Morgana is keeping Gwen close knowing that she'll be useful as bait or a hostage, just essentially as a person of value to Arthur. She's known Gwen for too long to actually believe she'd cross Arthur, there's just no way someone as machiavellian as Morgana doesn't see Gwen's 'loyalty' as a simple survival tactic. All of this is to say, when Morgana and Morgause eavesdrop on Gwen's conversation with Sir Leon, Morgana is just like, 'welp, she's betrayed me. Guess I'll kill her in the morning.' as though she was actually expecting Gwen to do anything else?!?! Like, why? It would've made so much more sense to just cut that line entirely and go straight to something like

Morgana: it's as we suspected, she's betrayed me

Morgause: yes, now she can lead us straight to Arthur

And it would've made so much more sense than the weird sort of purgatory they've implied where Morgana changed her mind about Gwen very suddenly the night before she took the throne. It's not a super important detail in the overarching story but it's another example of how carelessly their story has been handled.

Me rn:

I do love that they made Freya the Lady of the Lake, and that she kept her promise by telling Merlin how to defeat the army of the dead.

How Merlin really sees Kilgharrah:

Gwen really is the smartest of all of them.

I do love that Merlin's first undead kill with excalibur is entirely an accident lol

The subtext between Morgana and Morgause is really gross. I haven't said anything before because I generally don't approve of ship shaming but the not so subtle subtext gives me the heebies.

This is such a great shot

Everything about it, his woman at his left and his man at his right, his romantic rival opposite him on his wife's side, as directly opposite her as possible at a round table with an uneven number of placements. It's a really beautiful shot, fitting for an equally beautiful scene. It's a very moving scene, the music really adds the exact emotion you'd expect for this moment we all recognize... and I feel like the knights' oaths are very well matched. The snarky part of me wanted to make a 'call me maybe' joke about Percival, but he's so sincere I just can't do it. The moment of levity added by Merlin's banter with Arthur is really, really well paced. Honestly I think it's probably the next perfect, iconic scene since Gwen and Arthur's first kiss. Hats off to this crew.

(Don't worry dear reader, I'm sure I'll get back to complaining shortly)

Santiago is so dreamy. I'd share his bedroll any day.

I like that despite all the talk of equality and doing the thing Uther wouldn't approve of, Gwen still worries about the company seeing her and Arthur kiss. Like, he's planning an insurrection with a bunch of commoners and two dudes who've been officially banished from Camelot, but she's internalized the classism and the rules of royalty so deeply that even amongst friends she instinctively keeps their relationship hidden. I'm not sure how intentional that was but it's brilliant.

The fight big fight scene with Merlin just barely missing the cup while the knights are cornered, and Gaius showing up like the brilliant deus ex machina that he is, honestly makes the previous budget-slashed episodes more bearable. Because this really is great, even knowing it's great at the expense of those others.

Morgana's screeching is eerily similar to Aithusa's.

I wonder if they knew they were getting renewed for a fourth season when they wrote this. Because you know, it really could've worked as a series finale as well. An open-ended series finale, but a series finale all the same.

As a Queens kid, I cannot explain to you the joy it gives me to watch Arthur and Merlin just chillin on the steps to the castle as tho it were a stoop, which I suppose, in a sense... it kind of is. Ahhh youthful days.

Commentary is Jeremy Webb and Julian Murphy.

And this kids, is why we're watching with commentary! They've just explained that Morgana's sigil is supposed to symbolize the Rowan tree that's supposed to be at the heart of the Isle of the Blessed. That suggests she designed it herself, so there's at least one of my earlier questions answered.

They talk a lot about how Emila Fox was very pregnant when they were filming her in this season, and they shot entirely around it - and I can't help but feel anger toward Joss Whedon and his 'handling' of Charisma Carpenter's pregnancy during S4 of Angel.

One of them called the round table scene 'curiously moving' and I think that is really fitting. They'd had this in mind for about two years, which is probably why it's so extraordinary. That's a great gestation period for a scene as iconic as this.

One final tidbit: the sword in the stone was filmed in France, and made it back to Wales intact. I guess nobody wanted to take it out. That's kind of an interesting thought, like a little set superstition or something. It's kind of cute.

The DVD extras/special features will get a separate post if I feel I have comments worth sharing.