#my god. i am stupid but so is my cat. BABY GIRL. SEVEN FLOORS? IF U WERE SOSCARED WHY DID U GO ALL THE WAY DOWN

[gramarye]

my cat after escaping into the hallway after i accidentally left the door ajar and running 7 flights of stairs down into the bottom floor for an Adventure but realizing everything is sooooo so so scary actually and hiding under the radiator waiting to be saved by me

[fallingforunrealisticromance]

Just so I could call you mine part 2 - Aaron Hotchner x fem!reader

It's finally here! I'm sorry for the wait, I've only really been able to write at night - my day's have been kinda busy at the moment. But it's finished. It's quite long so sorry about that. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as you enjoyed part 1:)

Also (following a theme here) this is loosely based off of the song 'Enough for you' by Oliva Rodrigo

* = time skip

Warnings: Swearing

Word Count: 3503

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It had been a month since the argument. Well, I say argument, but I think downfall of the one thing that made me want to get up in the morning would be more accurate. After I’d broken down on Emily’s shoulder that night, she took me back to her place. The whole time I was there, part of me kept wishing for the phone to ring and for it to be him. It didn’t feel real. For the first few days I clung to the shred of hope that he might pull me aside at work to apologise, tell me he was wrong and wanted me back. But seeing as this is my life, that opportunity never came. We hadn’t spoken since that night. Even on cases, he would find ways to avoid talking to me. I can’t say I blame him, he’s a shitty man. And when shitty men do shitty things, they tend to run from it.

I walked into the bullpen laughing with Garcia. All the girls had really looked after me and I couldn’t be more grateful.

“Hey there pretty ladies” Morgan said, sauntering over to us.

“Why hello there handsome. Here to make us yours?” Garcia replied playfully.

“Only if you’ll have me.” Morgan bantered. Garcia just laughed before heading to her cave.

“So how are you gorgeous?” He said throwing his arm round my shoulder.

“I’m doing good. In desperate need for coffee. Don’t get me wrong I love Garcia but after only 3 hours of sleep, her bubbliness this early on has taken it out of me” I explained as we headed to the coffee machine. Derek dropped his arm and stood next to me, allowing me to make my drink.

“Only three hours huh? You having trouble sleeping?” He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“No, I just choose to run on as little energy as possible.” I retorted sarcastically, prompting an eye roll from him.

“You know what I meant.”

“Yeah I do, it’s just” I sighed looking down at my coffee.

“Hey.” Derek nudged my arm slightly. “What’s on your mind?” I chewed at the inside of my cheek nervously before answering.

“I guess I’m still adjusting to sleeping by myself.” I admitted. Derek nodded, wearing a sympathetic look on his face. “It’s so stupid, I should be over this by now. I mean I am over him but it’s just certain things like…ugh I don’t know. It’s just stressful.” I ranted.

“It’s normal baby. You went from, what was it nine months?”

“Eleven.” I corrected.

“Right so you went from 11 months of having someone next to you all the time, to suddenly nothing. It’s bound to take some getting used to.” He reasoned. I knew he was right. But something about the way Hotch had essentially picked up where he left off with Haley made me feel so stupid for still being hung up over him.

“Come on, let’s go see if boy genius can tell us something fun.” Derek joked as we walked back to our desks.

***********************************************************************

The day was almost over, and we’d had no cases, which allowed us to sort through old case files and tidy things up. As boring as that may sound, it was actually a nice break from the horrors we see on a daily basis.

“Right.” Emily said, stretching back in her chair. “I think I’m gonna head out.”

“And leave me here with the men?” I replied, pretend fear laced in my voice.

“I’m so sorry honey. You can do it I believe in you” Emily joked. The boys just swapped an annoyed look. “Sergio awaits me, so I’ll see you all tomorrow.” She said collecting her things.

“Bye Em.” I called after her. But just as she was about to leave JJ rushed into the bullpen.

“Emily stops where you are.” Emily groaned and turned around.

“Jayje I swear to god if you tell us we have a case, as much as I love you, I will be hurling my bag at your head.” Emily said. JJ just laughed at her.

“No, it’s nothing bad guys, but Rossi has invited us to dinner.” She said smiling. The way she looked at us made it seem like she was looking for some type of reaction.

“Okay? Something special about today?” Derek asked.

“Yeah that’s nice of him and all JJ but I’m really tired. Sitting in a crowed Chinese restaurant really wasn’t really what I planned to do tonight” Emily replied. JJ sighed.

“Fine. I mean if none of you want to come back to Rossi’s mansion for a bite to eat then I get that. Have a nice night with your cat Em.” JJ turned to walk away but at the sound of us all scrambling out of our seats, she turned back and laughed.

“Screw Sergio I wanna explore this guy’s house.” Emily said walking over to JJ.

“God you lot are so nosy” She joked as we all walked down to the parking lot.

“What do you expect? The guys a mystery so if there’s an opportunity to snoop of course we’d take it.” I chuckled.

“I just wanna see if he has a first drafts of his books lying around. I can almost imagine how much he left out.” Reid piped up.

“Of course, that’s what you wanna see pretty boy” Derek said patting Reid on the shoulder. We all hoped into our separate cars to go home and change before re convening at Rossi’s.

******************************************************************

The night was going great. It was so nice to be able to just take a night off – eat, drink, chat – without the stress of a case looming over our heads. Not to mention Rossi’s house was incredibly impressive. I mean if I could somehow make this man my sugar daddy and inherit this place, I’d be on it in an instant. Aaron was here, which didn’t surprise me. But what did is how relaxed he was. I’d seen it all the time when we were together but somehow seeing it tonight felt strange. Almost as if he’d dismissed the whole situation.

“Okay I wasn’t that bad guys.” Emily protested, snapping me from my thoughts.

“You told Spencer you were going to kill him if he didn’t stop being so loud.” Hotch said.

“That’s understandable on a hangover.” Emily reason.

“Em, I was just turning the pages of my book.” Spencer replied laughing. Emily spluttered over her words, but nothing came out causing the rest of us to join spencer. Suddenly the doorbell rang out. We all looked around confused.

“We’re not expecting anyone else are we?” Garcia asked.

“Um” Aaron cleared his throat.

“I think I might know who that is.” My heart sunk as he got up and walked to the door. Everyone swapped a look, trying to catch my eye but I just starred ahead of me. He wouldn’t have actually invited her. Right?

“Hey honey.” Her voice travelled through the halls causing my heart to not only sink even further, but completely shatter in the process. At least at work I could block out the fact he was with her but now he was just rubbing salt in the wound. Emily finally caught my gaze and shot me a supportive look. I just nodded, offering a tight-lipped smile. Eventually the pair of them came back.

“Hey guys, you know Haley.” Hotch said, looking slightly uncomfortable. Everyone greeted her politely enough, but it didn’t take a profiler to feel the shift in the atmosphere.

“Let me get you a chair.” Rossi said, going to stand up. “No, it’s fine, I’ll just sit here” She stated before promptly positioning herself in Aaron’s lap. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. I couldn’t watch this. The seven of us sat in a cripplingly awkward silence for a few moments before JJ finally spoke up.

“So, um Haley, how’s jack doing?” She asked politely. “Oh, he’s doing great. Very happy to have his daddy around a lot more now.” Haley responded in a smug tone. As she spoke, she glanced over at me. Clearly noticing my appearance, she threaded her fingers through Aaron’s hair. I averted my gaze, opting to study the details of Rossi’s floor. I heard Hotch clear his throat, almost as if he wanted her to stop. “

I’m glad he’s happy.” JJ replied.

“So am I. Before it was just so hard what with his job and, well – other arrangements – Aaron barely had time for his own son you know. But luckily that’s all been dealt with now.” Haley leant forward and I heard her placing a kiss on his cheek. I couldn’t take this anymore; she was clearly taunting me and as I much as I hated giving into her games – this was so much worse.

“Excuse me.” I said, standing up and heading towards the garden. It took everything inside of me not to break down right then and there. But the minute I reached the garden I lost it. The tears streamed down my face as I tried to quiet my sobs. My heart ached. It felt like everything was crashing down around me. My chest felt hollow. I thought I was over this, over him. I could feel my knees growing weak under me so opted to sit by the edge of the pool, in the hopes to grab some sense of normality. It was a nice night out. It was summer so still warm, but there was enough of a breeze to keep it bearable. I’m sure if looked up I would’ve been able to see the stars, but I was transfixed on the water. Suddenly I heard the back door open. I didn’t turn around, not wanting to face whoever it was.

“I’ve always wanted a pool.” Emily’s voice came from beside me. She sat down, placing her legs in the water next to mine. “I’d love to have this house too.” She stated taking in her surroundings. “What do you say, wanna take Rossi down together and claim all this for ourselves?” She asked nudging my arm. I let out a stiff chuckle but didn’t say anything. Emily took a deep breath before she spoke.

“I’m sorry you had to sit through that” Her voice was sincere. “I don’t know if Hotch invited her, or she just rocked up, but it was out of order either way.” I nodded not trusting my voice right now. “You should know, the rest of us were just as angry. Derek left a few moments after you. He went into the kitchen, but he didn’t come back. I had to send Spencer after to him just to check he wasn’t tearing the place up.” She said light-heartedly. That gave me some comfort, to know I wasn’t being overly sensitive. She let her words hang in the air for a moment and we enjoyed the stillness of the night.

“I just thought.” I began, my voice rough from crying. “That maybe it wasn’t real. Maybe they weren’t actually back together you know?” I turned my gaze towards Emily. She understood. That was one of my favourite things about her. No matter what the situation, whether she’d experienced it herself or not, she was always so deeply empathetic that it helped.

“Listen, nothing I say right now is going to make this any easier. Sure, I could sit here and tell you what a douche bag he’s being” I smiled at her words. “But I know that wouldn’t change anything for you. So, I’ve just come to let you know that we’re all here for you. Take as much time as you need, and when you feel comfortable, come back and join us inside.” She said squeezing my hand.

“Thank you Em. For everything.” She just smiled before standing up and heading inside. By this point I’d stopped crying. You know that moment of calm you experience right after you’ve stopped crying, just before the headache or tiredness kicks in, that is probably my favourite feeling. Which sounds somewhat depressing, but everything just feels so at ease in that moment. Unfortunately, I could not bask in it for long as I heard the back door slide open once again. Thinking it was Emily I called out to her.

“Please don’t tell me I’m going to come in there and see you forcing Rossi to sign us into his will.” I joked, turning around. But instead of being greeted with my friends’ heart-warming chuckle, I saw the man who’d caused this little escape to the garden. It was Aaron.

“Hotch.” I said surprised, scrambling to stand up.

“Hi.” He replied. He looked nervous, relentlessly fidgeting with his hands. It wasn’t normal.

“Why are you here?” I didn’t bother trying to make small talk. What would be the point?

“Um, well I…I just wanted to…” His voice trailed off as he looked to the ground. “Can we sit down?” He asked after a moment. I nodded and made my way over to the beautiful table Rossi had. Aaron sat down but didn’t say anything, just starred ahead of him.

“Are you going to talk or what?” I said bluntly. He looked surprised at my tone but cleared his throat before answering me.

“I just wanted to check on you.” His voice was low, almost as if he didn’t want me to hear what he was saying.

“Check on me?” I replied clearly irritated.

“Yeah I mean you just took off back there, so I wanted to make sure you were okay” He said literally looking anywhere but me. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. He’d spent a whole month doing the most to avoid talking to me and now, not only he dangles his happiness in my face , but he also has the audacity to ask if I’m okay?

“Yeah I wonder why that is?” I shot back. Hotch went to reply but I cut him off. “No no let’s think about it. What could have possibly made me leave? Was it the fact that Derek telling a story? Nope that doesn’t seem to be it.” I said sarcastically. “Oh, maybe Spencer was rambling about something random? No doesn’t sound right? Gosh I just – I don’t know what it could have been. You got any ideas” I continued. Hotch starred at me, annoyed by my games but not enough to reply. “Wait I remember, it was the fact that my ex-boyfriend just wanted to shove the fact that he’s moved on and obviously didn’t give a fuck about me or our relationship further down my throat!” I concluded, standing up to leave.

“That is not fair.” He called after me. I stopped in my tracks, the anger growing inside of me.

“What? What about that is unfair to you?” I replied folding my arms over my chest.

“For you to say I didn’t care about our relationship” he said, his voice laced with annoyance. I scoffed at his words.

“Really? I think it’s perfectly fair considering how you’ve acted. It’s clear that you have no respect for me or what we were.”

“Just because I spend more time with Haley now doesn’t mean that I’ve just disregarded our entire relationship.” He sounded exasperated.

“Spend more time with her? Hotch she was practically fucking you on the chair in there.” I yelled. I’d tried so hard not to lose it but his lack of understanding right now was getting too much for me. “I loved you so much. I gave everything I had into that relationship, and you’ve thrown it all back in my face over one twisted story that your wife decided to spin.” I ran my fingers through my hair trying to calm down. The last thing I needed was for the rest of the team to hear this. Although I didn’t care if Haley did. That bitch. “I don’t know what I did wrong to make you choose her. Maybe I just wasn’t as interesting as her, but you could not have cared less about someone who loved you more. She dragged you down, manipulated you into believing it was your fault that she fucked those other guys. Or when she made you feel bad for choosing to stay in a job that literally makes the world as safer place for people like her or Jack. All I ever wanted was to support you and be there for you to lean on. I wanted to be that one person you could turn to when you felt like the world was crumbling down and you would feel okay. I just wanted to be enough for you. Because that’s what you were for me.” I ranted. Unfortunately, this time I’d been unable to hold back my tears, but I was hoping the darkness of the garden would hide that. Aaron looked crushed, almost guilty. Part of me hurt to seem him like that but another part reminded me he deserved it. I’d say he broke my heart, but he broke much more than that.

“You were that to me too.” He mumbled. His voice was so quiet I wasn’t sure I’d heard him. Clearly noticing my lack of response, he continued. “You meant so much to me and I can’t tell you how painful it’s been without you.”

“Doesn’t really seem like that” I scoffed. He sighed before walking over to me.

“Listen the thing with Haley-“

“If you’re about to tell me why you’re back together with her, please don’t. I can’t handle that right now.” I begged.

“No listen. We aren’t together.” His words took me by surprise.

“What?”

“The night everything kicked off, I’m not going to lie – I did believe her. I mean when she told me that you’d told JJ everything about the divorce, yeah I was mad. It took me so long to open up to you about that, you know the insecurities and the fact I thought Jack was going to resent me or not want me in his life. I trusted you and you just threw it out the window.” I starred at him in shock, unable to speak. Hotch being who he was picked up on my reaction. “What is it?” He asked.

“I can’t believe that’s what she told you.” I said utterly blown away by the fact that Haley was able to lie about something so huge with such ease.

“What do you mean? Are you trying to tell me that’s not what happened?” He sounded apprehensive.

“It couldn’t be further from the truth. She called me to ask where you were and when you’d be home. She must have thought I was lying because then she called JJ. JJ told her she knew she’d rung me and then she hung up.” I explained. Hotch looked just as confused. “I would never tell anyone those things Aaron. No matter how much you hurt me.” He didn’t reply. He looked so torn. “I tried to explain that to you on the night, but you weren’t listening.” I spoke. That caught his attention.

“I know I just felt so betrayed I guess it blinded me.” He replied. “The only reason I’ve stayed as close with her as I have recently is because she was going to keep me away from Jack. I know she had no solid grounds to hold that to and we could have taken it to court if it had gotten that bad, but fathers hardly ever win full custody. I didn’t want to risk it.” He explained. I nodded.

“I understand.” I got it. Jack was his world. And losing him might have just broken him. “

I can’t begin to explain how sorry I am that I let her get between us. I should’ve known, I-I should’ve trusted you.” He rambled. He begun pacing back and forth.

“Hey.” I reached out a grabbed his arm. “Yes you should have trusted me, I’m not going to act like what happened didn’t hurt. But you’re not a mind reader Aaron. You believed the first story you heard. I get it.” I reasoned. Tentatively, he reached out and took my hands in his, rubbing gentle circles with his thumbs.

“I missed you. Everyday.” He whispered.

“I did too. I loved you.” I replied softly. His gaze caught mine.

“Loved?” He asked his eyes wracked with worry.

“Part of me still does. I can’t just shut those feelings down. But what you did broke me. And I don’t want to risk that happening again.” I confessed. He nodded.

“I guess I’ll just have to prove myself to you. Because trust me, you’re all I want. And I’ll wait however long you need me to.” He replied. I smiled up at him and wrapped my arms around his neck as his arms travelled to my waist. Maybe we would get back together or eventually just drift apart, but right now I had my best friend back. And that’s all I cared about.

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Tag list: @jhiddles03 @rexit-mo @gothicwidowsworld @donttellanyoneireadfanfiction @llilithsdaughter @azenpal @captainrogers-19 @ijustwannaread2k19 @spngirl05 @stiles-argent24 @joyofbebbanburg @romanogersendgame

[ad1thi]

If your still doing fic recs, could u rec any soft stevetony ones?

absolutely!! this got pretty long so ive hidden most of it under a read-more so i don’t annoy people. a couple of authors feature more than once. ive tried to avoid that as much as possible, but if an author features more than once - take that as a sign that they have rly good stuff for soft stevetony

disclaimer: don’t forget to leave kudos and comments for every author!! (a disclaimer i regrettably forgot to add to previous fic rec lists but will be adding from now on)

soda pops: @starklysteve

If anybody asks, Steve would smile and say it was very romantic. Very Tony. Because if he went into any further detail, nobody would quite believe him.

Tony, on the other hand, would laugh and say that Steve’s in love with a man in a can. So, really, it wasn’t outside the natural progression of things.

me voy pa’l pueblo: @firebrands

two times steve walks away, and one time that tony walks with him.

/ or, my very fluffy take on my bingo card prompt "farewells." steve is on vacation when he meets tony.

fill for my stony bingo prompt: farewells; also for bookworminaslump on tumblr who asked for a tourist/knowledgeable local au!

Tumblr Ficlets:  @omg-just-peachy (this is 115 chapters of stevetony being soft!!)

A collection of enough tooth-rotting fluff to last a year, all in one place.

tender offerings: @omg-just-peachy

Five times Steve carried Tony to bed.

the best thing (is that it’s happening to you and me):  @captainstarkreportingforduty

Or, five times the team saw Steve Rogers and Tony Stark in love.

Sweet On You: @miniblackraven

It’s the 1940’s and Tony is working as a Donut Doll for the Red Cross. His job is to go around to various military bases and offer comfort food and conversation to homesick soldiers. He’s come to expect a lot of things in this job, but he doesn’t expect to fall in love with Captain America, the hottest most awkward soldier Tony has ever met.

Bespectacled Avengers Society (Membership of One):  @baffledkingcomposinghallelujah

Tony gets glasses. Glasses get a Tony. Steve loses his mind and walks into walls.

a flower crown for your love: @anthonyed

"There, there," Pepper cooed. "Tony likes flowers?" she said with a shred of doubt in her tone. But when Steve peered up, she's smiling her bright toothy smile. He squinted and she sighed, dropping her hand from his shoulder. "He does." she insisted. "Even more so than me."

if this was a movie: @omg-just-peachy

“One of our seniors is being generous with his time this year—by force of his own actions, but generous none the less—and he’d be happy to help you, I’m sure. Tony Stark? I’ll set something up for later this week. I think between the two of you you’ll be able to pull your average up enough to make it through to playoffs,” Coulson said, with that ever-hopeful lilt in his voice.

Or, Steve needs a calculus tutor, Tony is available, but how is Steve ever supposed to focus when he's been in love with Tony for ... his entire school life?

you take me higher than the rest (everybody else is second best): @firebrands

tumblr fill for adi & anthonydarling, who asked for "'Prank' war, but the kind to see who can make the other blush the most in public" from this prompt list

amore mio:  @brucewaynery

Tony has had it with Steve being dumb and reckless out in the field, he has a family to think about now, Steve promises him that he'll be with him, kingdom come.

(initially based on that one headcanon about Italian Tony yelling and gesticulating at Steve but Peter thinks he's doing some weird dance and tries to copy him, but it got very fluffy very quickly)

Lost My Mind in a Coffee Shop: @betheflame

“Boyo,” Bucky muttered to his best friend. “I swear to God that if you don’t ask that man for his number soon, I will create a Grindr profile for you and you will not like it.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “I am here to finish grading, not hit on men.”

“Can you not do both?” Natasha smirked. “Nearly tenured, historical genius, feels like something you should be able to multitask.”

&&&

In which Steve is a history professor and Tony's an engineering one and Bucky owns the joint where they have their meet cute.

AU-gust Chapter 7: @iam93percentstardust 

stevetony, childhood friends AU

Right Up The Road: @gottalovev

The day at the senate committee in Washington DC wasn't supposed to end with Tony and Steve transformed into animals by a baby witch. That said, the 350 miles trek back to the compound to get help promises to be quite an adventure too!

(or the adventures of Cat!Tony and Wolf!Steve - and how to readjust when you're back to human!)

i’ll take care of you: @elcorhamletlive

“Hi.”

Steve blinks. The sound of loud thunder roars outside, but he doesn’t jolt, too focused on the image in front of him to be startled by the noise.

He has no idea what to say, and he isn’t sure if the shock is because of Tony’s absolutely sodden state – his hair glued to his forehead, his clothes dripping with water, forming a small puddle in front of Steve’s door – or because he wasn’t expecting to see Tony for at least three more days.

“Hi?” he says, a little tentative, before his brain catches up to reality. In his defense, he was getting ready to sleep when Tony knocked. He looks at what Tony is holding – a wet mess that seems to have been a flower bouquet at some point. “What are you doing here?”

The Tally System:  @betheflame

Everyone on the team knew about the tally system.

Whenever Steve would save Tony - whether from a monster or from his own stupidity - he’d say, “tag”. Whenever Tony do the same, he’d say, “your turn”. Thor thought it was adorable, Clint thought it was ridiculous, Bruce refused to register an opinion.

Natasha thought it was something she could work with.

what’s mine is yours: @robertdowneyjjr

5 times Tony stole Steve’s clothes, and 1 time Steve returned the favor.

or

For a billionaire, Tony Stark really doesn't pay for a lot of what he wears.

I like Shiny Things But I’d Marry You With Paper Rings: @betheflame

Rhodey: I just confirmed with Sam that he’s going to make sure he cooks tonight and that his entire team is briefed. I’m heading over now to strategically arrange a fuck ton of ficus trees to block them from gen pop.

Pepper: They’re not getting engaged in a prison, Jimmy.

Rhodey: Tony Stark and Steve Rogers show up to Circe on a Saturday night in May and you watch every person in that restaurant turn into someone I’d rather arrest than eat with.

****

In which Tony and Steve get engaged, but they're kind of extra about it, because they are always themselves

the road to the stars: @shell-heads

Tony is seven years old when he sees the ballet for the first time and meets his future pas de deux partner.

His father is invited to sweet-talk politicians into a new weapons deal and explain his latest idea for their program, and his mom goes to catch up with old friends she hasn't seen in years, but Tony goes because his mom had smiled down at him and told him he would love it.

His mom's never wrong.

-

In which boy genius Tony Stark meets girl wonder Natasha Romanoff at the ballet, and they fit their broken little pieces together to make something beautiful on the dance floor.

Steve? He's just a dumb, awful, chaotic, extremely supportive older brother that really should just shut up and admit he likes Tony a lot more than he pretends, because Natasha only has five people in the world she likes; it only makes sense her two favorites would fall in love with one another.

They always were a little slow, though.

A Second Chance To Take it Slow: @omg-just-peachy

Tony loves his adopted son, Peter, but that doesn't stop him from wishing he had someone to do this whole parenting thing with. After a failed one night stand, Tony's parent-teacher conference with Mr. Rogers comes with quite the surprise.

Wake Up!: @randomstufffromotherblogs

Tony came home from a business trip and is woken up by his husband and their three-year old.

pull me closer to love:  @captainstakreportingforduty (part of a series)

“A Mother’s Day card? For... Tony?” Steve clarifies, and can’t help the smile on his face as six familiar little heads nod in response.

“But... guys, Tony’s not—“ he pauses and takes a breath, any explanation dying in his throat against the excited gleam in everyone’s eyes. “Why do you guys want to do that, hmm?"

compromises:  @robertpattisons (when i looked up OP on tumblr, this is the blog i was directed to - but i sincerely apologise if ive gotten it wrong)

Steve should have expected it, he really should have.

There were regulations that came with dating Tony Stark. Things that were clear and things that they needed to work through.

Things like how Steve always got strawberry ice cream, while Tony got rocky road. Or when Steve needed to get his homework done before he was down to make out - even though Tony always got his way.

Things like that were clear

all that you are is all that i’ll ever need: @natasharxmanov

Tony Stark and Steve Rogers announced their engagement on Good Morning America through Tony Stark’s previous secretary now CEO, Pepper Potts. And over this past weekend, I got the chance to sit down with them both, to visit their home and attend their gala, all to write this article about the most powerful couple in the world.

(Or, the fic in which Tony and Steve get married.)

(i won’t ever) trade my mistakes: @brucewaynery

Toddler Peter, painting a masterpiece with his dad.

aka: a dumb amount of family fluff to help you power through the week

[writtenmemxries]

You lit a fire in my heart

AU in which Dean is a firefighter, Castiel is a babysitter that panics a bit too much, and Jack has no idea that he shouldn’t follow his cat up on a tree.

[1822 words]

Of all the things Castiel could have done that Friday afternoon - go to the pub with his peers, go to the library, go grocery shopping - he was happy to babysit Jack, his best friend’s seven-year-old son.

Ever since Kelly got pregnant after a one-night stand, he had never left her side. They had met in high school, and thanks to their similar characters they quickly got along. They even went to college together. But then, when they were only twenty, Jack was born, and Kelly, going from carefree girl to single mother, was forced to drop out.

She felt the weight of her peers’ gazes on her, always ready to judge her, to point their finger at her, to whisper petty words.

“She forgot the condom, can you be more stupid than that?”

“They say the baby’s daddy left her alone, it was just a booty call!”

“Poor Kelly, she’s twenty and her life is already ruined.”

Those whispers haunted her incessantly, and Kelly couldn’t help but blame herself. But Castiel was always there, with her. He had never turned his back on her, he had never insulted or denigrated her, he had never looked at her with those eyes full of pity and compassion that she hated so much.

He simply helped her. He bought diapers. He kept an eye on the baby when she had to go to work in the small supermarket not far from home. He played with the kid, read him books, watched cartoons with him. He helped her raise Jack.

Still best friends after all those years.

Jack, growing up, often wondered where his real father was, why he wasn’t with his mom, why he didn’t love him enough to stay with him. But whenever his blue eyes met Castiel’s, all doubts suddenly disappeared. Castiel was enough for him. Or, as he called him, Cas.

So when Castiel had to look after the kid that afternoon, he didn’t mind. Or at least, not until Jack decided to play tag with his favourite toy: Gabe. The most annoying cat Castiel had had the misfortune to meet. His fur was red and his eyes greenish, as bright and magnetic as they were sly and mischievous.

“Jack! Be careful, for God’s sake!” Castiel shouted for perhaps the third time that day, but the boy ignored him completely, continuing to jump from one side of the living room to the other, trying to catch the big cat by the tail. His cackles were so loud that even the neighbor next door probably got a headache.

Sometimes Jack was a calm, quiet, polite child. Other times, however, he was a real scamp, impossible to get to sit and calm down.

“No wonder she asked me to keep an eye on him today. I’ve never seen him so freaking spry,” Castiel muttered to himself, adjusting the pot of plants that the cat had dropped with its long tail, hurrying to take a broom to clean the mess on the floor.

It was then that, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Gabe sneaking out of the open window, jumping onto a low branch of one of the big trees in the garden.

“Jack?” Castiel called in a hesitant voice.

There was no answer, and when he saw the front door close behind his ruffled blond hair, he felt his heart in his throat.

“Jack?!”

He ran out of the house, dropping the broom to the ground, scattering the dirt even more on the floor.

To both his immense horror and surprise, Jack was climbing up the tree, strangely nimble, trying to reach the cat, who was looking down at him with indifference. One foot after the other, an uncertain hand grabbing the low and strong branches, Jack managed to pull himself up with a force that one would never expect from such a small and minute child.

“Jack!” Castiel exclaimed, visibly agitated. “Get off the tree immediately!”

“I have to go get Gabe first,” the boy said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, as if he had done it a million times. And maybe he really had.

“Gabe is a cat, Jack. Cats know how to climb down trees by themselves.”

Jack giggled. “Gabe wants me to go get him. We’re playing tag!”

Castiel sighed in exasperation as the boy continued to climb.

Where the hell had he learned to do it, anyway?

“Jack, if you don’t get down here immediately, I will call your mother!” Castiel threatened him, but the boy didn’t seem to care.

“Who do you think taught me how to do it?” he said, shrugging.

Castiel rolled his eyes. Of course it had been Kelly. The same Kelly who had taught Jack to swim and ski has also taken him rock-climbing. Great.

He could almost hear her voice, sweet and calm, say something like, “Those are important skills, Cas!”

And in the meantime, Jack had managed to grab Gabe and was now hugging him, sitting on a branch far too high for Castiel’s liking, with his back against the solid trunk.

“See? I got him!” Jack beamed.

Castiel gave him a forced smile. “Okay Jack, well done. Now can you please get off there?”

Jack’s expression changed in a jiffy. He looked around, then looked down at Castiel, and finally seemed to notice how high he actually was.

Holding the poor cat even tighter, Jack shook his head hard in fear.

He was as frightened as Castiel was, and even though the young man kept repeating to himself no panic, no panic, he was definitely in panic.

All right Castiel, he thought to himself. Calm down. Don’t panic. Call the firefighters. He’ll be okay.

“Okay Jack,” he yelled to make sure the kid heard him loud and clear. “Don’t move from there, okay? I’ll go get help. We’ll take you down from there.”

And in the blink of an eye, he ran into the house, grabbed his cell phone and quickly dialed the number of the fire department.

If explaining on the phone what kind of emergency he was having was embarrassing, seeing a fire engine park in the driveway of Kelly’s house - still unaware of everything - was absolutely ridiculous.

A man, perhaps a couple of years younger than Castiel, got out of the truck and walked briskly towards him. The bulky fireman clothing made him look bigger than he was, but my God was he attractive.

Castiel found himself staring at him more than it was socially acceptable.

The young man looked at him with a smirk. “So, your son likes to climb trees, huh?”

Castiel blushed. “He’s not my son. I’m his- his babysitter.”

He laughed. “Are his parents paying you to train him to climb the Everest or what?”

“Do you get paid to be this funny or what?”

“Oh no, I’m a natural,” the man said, grinning. Castiel knew that that smile shouldn’t have made his heart miss a beat. But it had.

Castiel snorted and rolled his eyes, hiding the smirk that was growing on his lips.

“I’m Dean,” the firefighter said, holding out his hand.

Castiel stared into his eyes, so green and bright.

“Castiel,” he replied, shaking his hand.

Dean gave him another toothy smile, and Castiel couldn’t help but notice how white his teeth were. And so his gaze inevitably fell on his lips, so pink and full. Then it went up to his nose, thin and freckled, and finally it fixed itself again on those mesmerizing green eyes.

Dean cleared his throat, bringing Castiel back to reality. “I’d better get that kid back here, we don’t want him to get traumas from the experience,” he joked, rubbing the back of his neck.

Castiel nodded. “His name is Jack,” he said without even knowing why.

Dean hinted a smile, then went to his colleague, who lowered the ladder to the ground to bring him up to where the kid was. He was watching the scene from above, trembling and with tears in his eyes.

“It’s okay Jack. You can trust me,” Dean said quietly as he got closer.

“You’re a fireman,” Jack noted.

Dean smiled. “I am. And I’m here to help you and your friend Garfield over there.”

Jack furrowed his brows. “His name is Gabe.”

Dean laughed. “Alright, let’s take you and Gabe back to Castiel, okay?”

Jack nodded and let himself be picked up by Dean, who grabbed him gently but firmly with his strong and warm arms, and slowly went down the ladder.

Once they were finally on the ground, Gabe jumped out of Jack’s arms, while the child immediately fell into Castiel’s hug, who was relieved to see that, apart from a few scratches on his hands, he was fine.

“Stupid little monkey, what were you thinking?” Castiel muttered, burying his nose into the boy’s hair, taking in his scent.

“Don’t be too hard on him,” Dean said, watching the scene with a smile tugging at his lips.

Castiel released Jack from his tight grip and held his hand, perhaps to subconsciously prevent him from running away again.

“Thank you Dean, I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

Dean chuckled. “My pleasure.”

He stood there, shifting his weight from side to side.

Castiel watched him, a slight blush on his cheeks. Finally, he cleared his throat. “Well, I’ll leave you to your job, then. I’m sure you have lots of children to rescue.”

“Oh yeah, so many lives to save, kittens to rescue... busy days.” He took a deep breath, looking away. “It’s a shame that my evenings are all boring instead, y’know.”

Castiel’s eyes widened, and he thought he saw a hint of hope in Dean’s eyes, who now stood right in front of him. “Yeah... M-mine too,” he whispered.

“I guess you’re free tonight, then,” Dean said, fixing his eyes into Castiel’s blue ones.

He swallowed. “I am.”

Dean smiled. “Perfect,” he said, taking the pen Castiel kept in his shirt pocket - and if Castiel shuddered at that brief contact, he pretended not to notice - writing his phone number on the man’s hand. “I’ll see you tonight, then?”

The sudden sound of the truck’s horn made them both wince in surprise. 

“Dean, you ready or what? They’re waiting for us at the fire station!” his grumpy colleague exclaimed from inside the fire engine.

Dean gestured vaguely with his hands, then shifted his attention back to Castiel, waiting for an answer.

“Sure, see you tonight,” he said softly.

Without furthed ado, Dean headed for the truck, waving shyly at the man before climbing into the passenger seat.

Taking one last look at Castiel, who was staring with confusion and disbelief at the numbers scribbled on the back of his hand, Dean turned to his colleague with a fond smile.

“Bobby, do you believe in love at first sight?”

[starbuckie]

𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝

challenge: the cbc 1k writing challenge by @captainscanadian​

prompt: “do you treat all your hookups like this?”

pairing: carter baizen x reader

words: 4.7k words

warnings: fluff, angst, assault, swearing, some degrading comments, and implications of the sexy times 

summary: waling up next to one of New York’s most eligible bachelors brings on a lot more than what you expected.

a/n: what’s up y’all! i’ve essentially been dead for the past two weeks, but i’m back! i lost motivation for a bit, but i feel a lot better now, and what better way to come back then a little carter baizen? i ended up writing a lot more than originally intended, but i like the way it turned out. anyways, enjoy, and thank you for all of your support<3 

main masterlist || sebastian stan characters masterlist

As you awoke with a long stretch and yawn, memories of the previous night had you smiling like an idiot. Sunlight streamed from the half-closed blinds of your windows and the smell of coffee wafted to your room from the kitchen. You grabbed your lover’s dress shirt from off the floor and slipped a pair of satin slippers on your feet. 

The night before had been amazing. It had started with a beach reception when you had finally caught his eye. The two of you had been playing a game of cat and mouse during the whole wedding, only giving lustful stares and shy smiles, but when you finally had a hold of each other, your night only got better. The rest of the night had the sounds of only tearing clothes, pants, and moans. 

Snapping out of your sweet reverie, you stared at the man in your kitchen. His bare back was faced towards you, giving a great view of his shifting muscles while he made pancakes. A bowl of mixed berries were laid out on the table, along with strawberry syrup and mugs of Peruvian coffee. “Do you treat all of your hookups like this, Baizen?” 

Carter, finally noticing your presence, turned around and gave you a heartwarming smile. He flipped the last few pancakes over and walked over to wrap his arms around your waist. Burying his face into the crook of your neck, he mumbled, “Haha, cute joke. After everything we’ve been through babygirl, this was definitely not a hookup. And I only treat my favorite person like this, so eat up.” He gestured towards the food on the table and with a quick kiss to your lips, turned his attention back to the pancakes.

You sat in one of the chairs and took a sip of steaming coffee and looked out of the ceiling to floor windows surrounding the room. The New York City skyline would never get old from this view, no matter how long you and Carter had had this penthouse. Sighing, you looked down at your left hand, the sun casting light on the diamond on your fourth finger. 

You had been engaged for only six months, but it didn’t feel like anything new. At the age of 33, you didn’t feel any different than you did ten years before or even ten before that. Hell, you always knew that you would be Carter’s friend, but one drunken night had changed that very quickly.

As your fiance joined you at the table, he set a plate of warm pancakes in front of you. Sure, he could have had your housekeeper, Marybeth do it for him, but he also liked pampering you himself. Together, you sat in silence and stared out the windows. Carter tore his eyes away from the city to study your face. He would never understand how after twenty years of friendship, it ended with him finding his one love and putting a ring on your finger. 

“Hey, baby?” He asked, and you hummed and met his gaze. “How’d we even get here?”

You smirked and replied with, “Well, I walked from the bedroom, but I don’t know about you?”

“Don’t be cheeky,” he said, pinching your elbow. You swatted his hand away and smiled. “Anyway, what I meant to say before I was so rudely interrupted, was how did I end up with the most beautiful girl on the Upper East Side?”

“Well, if I recall, it started with me being fed up with your stupid ass, and you finally confessing that you had been madly in love with me since we were thirteen.”

“And I still am.” He moved towards you to place his lips on yours. “You’re mine now, baby.” You grinned against his lips and went to sit on his lap.

“Mr. Baizen, you’ve had me from the moment I laid eyes on you. With that cute little schoolboy outfit, and your hair! Oh god, remember-”

With a playful glare, he cut you off as you giggled. “We do not need to talk about my middle school style, fiancee, but I will gladly talk about when I fell in love with you.”

“That sounds good.” You smiled at each other and went back down memory lane, into your long, long, shared history.

20 YEARS EARLIER

Looking in the mirror, your maid had finished tailoring your school uniform. When she deemed you presentable she scurried out of the room to help your mother, and you immediately went to call your best friend.

“Carter, are you ready for our first day? We’re finally in eighth grade. Next year I’ll be headed off to Constance and you’ll be going to St. Judes, and there’s gonna be a whole ton of hot guys-”

Your friend’s chuckles were heard through the phone. “Y/N, we haven’t even begun the first day yet.”

“Yes, I know, but we’ll be one step closer to the best years of our lives!” Your mom’s voice called you from downstairs. Oh crap. Only the Lord knew that Andrea L/N did NOT want to be kept waiting. “Okay, my mom’s coming, but we’re coming to pick you up right now. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

“See ya soon, Y/N.” You smiled at his voice and responded.

“See ya soon, Baizen.” You hung up the phone and ran to your vanity. Making sure your mascara wasn’t smudged while you had dressed, you spritzed on the Chanel perfume you had stolen from your mother's room. Truth be told, you only dressed up for Carter, but you would never tell him that. 

His parents were two of New York’s socialites, famous and wealthy, so they got along well with your parents. Though your dad didn’t pay too much attention to you, your mother made sure you kept up with your grades and social life. She was always the shoulder to cry on, offering you wisdom and advice. Not to mention, but your mom was a fantastic shoe designer. She was truly the greatest woman you knew. The two of you grew up closely with his sister Caroline, from the time you were babies to now. Caroline had gone to a boarding school in France in the fifth grade, but that didn't tear your friendship, and only made it stronger. However, while you stay poised and polite, Carter had always had a bit of a bad boy streak. Albeit, he was charming and sweet, sometimes too much for his own good, but the two of you were opposites. Yin and yang. Sun and moon. At the age of thirteen he was the Upper East Side’s darling sweet-talker, who had girls and boys alike fawning over him. 

Including you.

You never realized when you had started developing feelings for your friend, but it was a huge shock to you. It helped that he was cute as hell, but you got to see the sweet side of him, that was respectful and caring. He always made sure you were comfortable and happy, giving you a small sliver of hope that he liked you back. You always helped him, whether it was being a wingwoman, or giving him schoolwork, you were always there at his beck and call. 

The next seven years were absolutely painful for you, however. In high school, he charmed the skirt off of every single girl at Constance, and constantly blew you off for hookups and dates. When he was cut off and went to travel the world, you called him to make sure he was okay, though he always seemed fine to you. You stuck with him through everything, and the more you went on, you barely knew the man who claimed to be your best friend. 

Dating Serena was the last straw. You were twenty-one, studying political science and business to hopefully one day become a lawyer. Your father had disapproved of your majors, but your mom fully supported you. 

Sighing and putting your textbook away, you stood up and went to put something on for the party you were invited to. Normally, you would have stayed in your NYU dorm, but Carter had miraculously managed to get you to leave, claiming you needed to meet his girlfriend, who you didn’t know at the time. You grumpily slipped on a champagne sequin dress, and grabbed your white stilettos to match. After hailing a cab, you were off to Blair Waldorf’s house, unknowingly driving to the end of you and Carter’s friendship.

You had to admit that the party wasn’t half bad. Blair certainly knew how to decorate, and it wasn’t hard to believe, considering her mother was the infamous designer, Eleanor Waldorf. You bumped into a lot of old classmates from your high school years, and grudgingly exchanged greetings. When you finally found Carter, he had his arm slipped around the waist of a pretty blonde, making your heart drop to the pit of your stomach. He turned around, and let out a smile that normally would have made you happy, but instead filled you with dread. 

“Y/N! You made it! This is Serena Van der Woodsen.” As you went in to hug your friend, you were stopped by none other than Serena's hand stuck out for you to shake. 

“Hi, it’s so nice to meet you, Y/N. I’ve heard so much about you.” You stared into her blue eyes, and were immediately filled with envy and irritation.

You had no right to be mad. You knew Carter could date whoever he wanted, but at this point you didn’t care. Exhausted, you started to yell at the couple.

“Really, Carter? You go off to travel some other goddamn countries and come back to date a high schooler? A child? Who the hell do you think you are?” The entire room went silent, all of their attention focused solely on the college girl who went crazy. Serena stared at you, absolutely dumbfounded. As she came to her senses and started to yell back, Carter stopped her.

“Y/N, let’s go outside,” he gritted out. His eyes were burning red, and you could tell he was furious, which was never a good thing.

However, at this point your emotions were so heightened that it rivaled his anger. Once the two of you were outside the building, he started lecturing you. “What the fuck was that, L/N? I introduce you to my girlfriend, and you start yelling at her. You have no control over who I date, and you have absolutely zero right to insult them. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

He knew he had hit a sore spot there. He knew your deepest insecurities, how you were self-conscious about your body, and how you were saving yourself for the one. No one had ever looked at you throughout high school, and even if they had, you would’ve been too blinded by Carter to see any of them. He had always had you wrapped around his finger.

You chuckled mirthlessly. “You are such an asshole, Baizen. I have been there for you for years. I was always there to make sure you had done your homework, I looked after you, I fucking lied for you. I have done everything for you, and for fucking what?”

“So you yell at my girlfriend? I never knew you could stoop so fucking low, Y/N.” He glared at you, on the verge of tears, and saw that your face was already wet as well. “Oh, poor you. Cries whenever someone raises their voice at them. You had no right to say those things about her. What are you, jealous?”

Your heart stopped beating in your chest. It was the longest five seconds of your life, as tears ran down your face in hot paths, and he stared at you, for once, not knowing what to say. 

“You are.” His gaze turned sympathetic. “Wait, Y/N, I never knew-”

“It doesn’t matter, Carter,” you yelled, “I don’t fucking care anymore. I’m not gonna go on loving you, because it’s never gonna happen and I can’t sit around to wait for you. I’m done.” With that, you left, his last memory of you stomping off into the streets of Manhattan at midnight. 

PRESENT

“That wasn’t my best moment exactly.” You cringed, face flaming from your actions that had taken place that night.

Carter placed his hand on your jaw and rubbed your cheekbone. “It wasn’t your fault, I was kind of an idiot. But in a way, I’m kind of grateful, because that really woke me up to what was happening outside of that little bubble I was in. It made me see what I had lost, and remember that it was you who finally saved me from the hole I was digging myself farther into. You were my hero. Still are.”

You grinned bashfully. “But then we ended up seeing each other two years later at that other party.”

“Oh god, the party,” he smirked, “we had some fun then, didn’t we?”

“I can’t remember, we were both drunk as fuck.” 

10 YEARS AGO

The last two years had changed you. You had still focused on school and kept up with your studies, but the old Y/N was no more. Carter Baizen had ruined your life, and now you were just getting a taste of what you had missed out on in high school. A barrier surrounded your heart, with the one rule of no man staying in your bed for more than a night. You had a reputation to uphold, of course. Every social event now had your name on the attending list, and guys were lining up at your feet for a night with you. Your hair was longer, the clothes you wore out flashier and your style rivaled that of Serena Van der Woodsen’s. You were unattainable and everyone knew your name.

Your father’s private jet flew in on the evening of December twentieth. Merula, your family’s maid, helped carry your bags from the jet and your mom greeted you with tons of hugs and kisses. However, that didn’t last very long, as you had a party to attend. Going up to your old room, you took a quick, yet luxurious bath, and went to fix yourself up. Your old closet was still intact, and you were happy to know that the short red dress you had bought five years before still fit you. After you slipped on the dress and your black heels, you curled your hair in loose waves, and swiped on some dark red lipstick.

You were dead set on getting laid tonight. But then again, when weren’t you?

With a goodnight call to your mom, you ran out to the limo waiting outside your family’s penthouse. Giving the driver the address, you pulled your compact mirror from your Valentino clutch. Flawless. Like any other night. Paying attention to your looks was now tiring. And this life was lonely. You hadn’t had any friends besides Carter at the beginning, but now you were truly by yourself.

Carter. You hadn’t thought about him in a long time. In your furious haze after the incident two years ago, you blocked him on all forms of social media, and ignored any headlines from Gossip Girl including his name. It was lonely, naturally, but you had enough men filling your bed to avoid you from the empty void in your chest. The void that was filled with whispers telling you to apologize, to call him, to take him back, because the truth was that you missed him like hell.

The party was full of college kids, neatly dressed in the chandelier-lit room. Ugh. So far you couldn’t see any lookers. A couple of guys who looked like they were in their late twenties were eyeing you up from the corner, and grabbing a flute of bubbly champagne, you headed in their direction, licking your lips. As you crossed the room, you could feel more eyes on you but you didn’t dare look at them. No, you liked being in charge, controlling the room. Heels clicking against the marble floor, you blatantly checked out the tall blonde in the middle. He was pretty handsome. Cropped hair, a muscular frame, and electric blue eyes that kind of reminded you of Carter. 

Stop thinking about him, go get laid.

You stopped in front of him. “Hey, pretty boy. Can I get your name?” 

He wasn’t even fazed by your flagrant introduction. You were absolutely shameless, and though you received glares from the other women in the room, you couldn’t have cared less. “I’m Steve. What’s your name, beautiful?”

You opened your mouth to speak and Steve’s eyes widened as he saw the figure that shouted out your name, abruptly stopping you. “Y/N?”

Freezing, you prayed that it wasn’t him. His voice that haunted you daily, and made guilt and sadness pool in your gut. It had to have been your imagination. You started again. “Sorry, but I’m-”

“Y/N.” Turning around, you came face to face, well, face to chest with Carter Baizen. He had grown taller since you had last seen him. Even with the noticeably darker bags under his eyes and growing hair, he was still as gorgeous as ever. 

“Hey, Carter.” Steve had walked away by then, not wanting to intrude, but at that moment, he was the only person you needed. Heart beating in your chest, you finally met Carter’s eyes. “How are you?”

His mouth was gaping a little, taking in your form, seeing that it was so much different than it used to be. “I’m good.” Pausing for a moment, he added, “You look great.”

A blush rose to your cheeks and you managed to mumble out, “Thanks.”

“Can we talk?” 

That’s how you ended up outside on an empty balcony overlooking Manhattan. Taxis and honking were heard, but it was fainter due to blood rushing in your ears. 

He opened his mouth to speak, but you cut him off. “Carter, before you say anything, I want to let you know that I’m sorry. I really am. Last time we saw each other, I knew what I did was wrong, and though I was in love with you, I had no right to be upset.” Sighing, you placed your hand in his. “Can we be good again? I really hate how we left things off.”

Silently, he nodded his head, eyes wide and subtly taking you in again. The last two years hadn’t been kind to him, after Serena dumped his sorry ass, and he ended up with no money and nowhere to run to. His mom had allowed him to stay in the family house for a while, and his father was even giving him a second chance at running the company, but it wasn’t easy for him. He was slowly spiraling down, and only when he saw you did he wake up and take a look at himself properly. He looked like a piece of garbage next to you. He hadn’t even gone to school, and here you were, even more beautiful, which he never thought was possible, and a successful law student at Harvard.

“We’re good, Y/N. I brought you out here for another reason though.” He paused and looked at you as you nodded for him to continue. “It’s been a few years, I know, and I shouldn’t be saying this now, but I miss you so much. These past few years have made me realize how much of a fool I am for you, but God, I’m in love with you, Y/N, I always have been.”

You stood up, anger coursing through your veins. Now? When it’s most convenient for him? No. You needed to get drunk. “I’m sorry Carter, but I fell out of love with you one hell of a long time ago.” Swallowing the lump rising in your throat, you continued your lie. “You made your decision, I made mine. I wanted to be friends, Carter, but I can’t have that laying around us.”

Stomping away, you heard the crestfallen voice of Carter. “Y/N, wait, please.” He stumbled his way over to you, and caught your hand again before you ripped it away. “Please, Y/N, please, I’m in love with you. I’m sorry I was such an ass, I was so stupid, please.”

Tears fell from your eyes as you shook your head. “I need a drink.” 

He numbly nodded as you made your way back inside, asking one of the servers for a gin. You needed to get drunk. It was a necessity at this point, and as you got more and more tipsy through the night, you found your way back with Steve. By now the party had started to get crazier, people making out in corners and drunkenly stumbling everywhere. Steve held you up as you grinded against him, but stopped when you felt his hand go up your dress. 

“No, no thank you,” you slurred.

He smirked, giving you a steely glare. “You’re asking for it with this slutty little dress and winding me up.” He forcibly grabbed your wrists and started to drag you to a bedroom. “I own you tonight, baby.”

Before you could scream, someone came over and punched Steve in the jaw. You were speechless, staring at his already bruising face. Once again, you were being pulled away, only this time, out of the party. The person dragged you back to your place, and your drunken mind asked, “You wanna come in?” 

Without another word, the two of you were attached by the mouth, clothes being thrown haphazardly around your room. Earlier events from the evening wiped from your memories, and you could have only hoped that your parents weren’t home. Falling into your bed, you and your unknown lover tore up the bedsheets for several hours until you both drunkenly passed out.

When you woke up the next morning, you looked up. You silently thanked yourself for closing your windows before you had left the other night, and only then realized you were cold, naked, and in your own room. 

“What the fuck.” You whispered to yourself. Throwing on a robe from your closet, you looked around seeing the scattered clothes from you and whoever you had spent your night with. They were still here.

You flew down the stairs at a record-breaking speed, and slid into the kitchen, risky business style, and saw a familiar head of brown hair sitting at the table. “What the fuck, Baizen?”

Carter calmly turned around, smiling as he blew into his coffee. “Damn, Y/N, good morning to you too.”

Scoffing, you grabbed the newspaper he held in his hands and started to whack him with it. “Ow, what the hell?” He grabbed your wrists to calm you, then pulled out a chair next to him for you to sit. Reluctantly, you sat and frowned at him, raising an eyebrow to ask what happened. “Do you treat all your hookups like this?”

“Did we…” You didn’t even want to finish that sentence.

“Sleep together piss-drunk after you told me you didn’t love me back after two years? Yes, we most certainly did, beautiful.” Though your face burned red at the old pet name, you asked for what had happened. “Well, the asshole you were dancing with tried to get you in bed, but I came over and punched him, while we were both still drunk, and I got you back here, and you offered me to come inside and we fucked.”

Your eyes were comically wide, and he would have found the situation really funny if his heart weren’t beating erratically inside his chest as he awaited your full reaction. “So,” you started, “you're still in love with me.”

He tried not to let his embarrassment show, but his cheeks flamed anyway. You smiled genuinely, but you were terrified of whether he meant it or not. “Do you mean it, Carter?”

You stared into the depths of his eyes and he answered, “Yes. I’m so sorry that I was a horrible, horrible friend to you, and I don’t deserve your forgiveness. And I know you already expressed how you felt about me, and let me say, I understand completely. If you want me to, I’ll walk out of that door right now, and you won’t have to see me again. But if you let me stay , I’ll spend every waking moment of my life making sure you feel happy and loved, and making it up to you.”

He stared at you with pleading eyes, and held your hands gently. Suddenly, stinging tears obstructed your vision, and you whimpered. “I love you, Car,” you gave him a watery smile, “never stopped.”

His eyes started to tear up as well, and smiling you finally pressed your lips to his, taking in the moment. The past few years had been torturous for you both, dealing with the loneliness and pain from your broken friendship, but slowly and surely you two built trust. It took a long time, and you took the relationship slowly, but patience was key, and it was all worth it in the end.

PRESENT

“And now we’re here?” You asked. Carter combed his hand through your hair, the soothing action making you rest your head on his shoulder.

“And now we’re here.” He glanced down at you, smiling and pecking your lips.

“Damn, we had one dramatic-ass story.” He chuckled at that and sighed.

“We sure did, baby. But hey, look at us. We’re on top of the world right now. We have a wedding in a few months, you don’t have any cases, and I have the most beautiful girl in the world in my arms right now.”

You smiled against his neck. “Hey, Car?” He hummed against your hair, looking out the window. The sun had fully risen, making the room glow. “I know we haven’t had this discussion in a while, but are we ready to have kids?” His brow furrowed, but he said nothing. “Car?”

“I mean, sure, we’re both doing so well right now, and we could raise a kid here, right? We’ve got an empty bedroom right across from ours, and we’ve got plenty of space here. I think with the combination of me and you, we’d have a pretty great kid. They’d definitely have my eyes though.” 

“They better have your eyes.” You looked up at him. “So pretty.”

He chuckled and kissed your forehead. “The wedding’s coming up pretty soon though, so we can start trying after that.” You laughed as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Before we get too old.”

You smirked and rolled your eyes. “We’re thirty-three, Carter, we aren’t that old.”

He laughed and said, “I guess you’re right.” Heart beating in your chest, you sighed loudly. “What brought this on?”

You cupped his cheek and took a deep breath. When you had taken the test a week before you had been elated, only to freak out after realizing Carter might not feel the same. But you had been okay for ten years, right? When the two of you had finally gotten together, it did take a lot to find that balance in your relationship, but hell, you were getting married in a few months. Carter was your best friend, number one supporter, and fiance, so you prayed that he would be just as excited. 

“Carter, I’m pregnant.” Looking at him dead in the eye, you hoped that he would be happy. You awaited his reaction for a few seconds, and you wanted to scream in anticipation.

And then you saw it. 

His eyes started to water, and his hands moved to your stomach. ”Really?” He asked, voice wavering. You nodded, eyes beginning to tear up as well.

“We’re having a baby, Mr. Baizen.” You laughed joyfully, as he picked you up by your waist and you wrapped your legs around him. Hands found their way around his neck as he pulled you in for a kiss. 

Tears poured from his eyes, as he laughed. “I love you so, so, much, baby.” Hiding your face in his neck, you giggled some more. “God, we’re having a kid. I swear on my life, I’ll do everything to make sure you and this baby are happy for the rest of our lives.”

And he did. Not such a bad hookup after all, now was it?

[all1e23]

Heart & Soul [One-shot]

Title: Kitties & Bumps

Pairings: Bucky x Reader

Summary: Bucky acts like a dope, but a cute dope. 

Warnings: Pure fluff.

A/N:  ONLY READ THIS If YOU FINISHED THE SERIES. It will give away the ending if not. ;-) Nothing special. I just missed these two. 

***My fics are not to be saved or posted on any other sites without my written permission. Reblogs are my jam though! Thanks!*

Heart & Soul Masterlist

“Stardust?” Bucky called out the moment his boot his the wood floor of their foyer. 

“‘Mega where are you at?” 

Bucky took the stairs two at a time, panic setting in his chest. Y/n had texted him while he was on a call saying she wasn't feeling right and couldn’t wait for him to get home. The second he saw the message Bucky lost all sense of reason and any and all rational thinking was out of the window when he forced Sam to drive him home in the middle of their shift. 

Y/n was laying on their bed, Gemini laying on her swollen stomach purring contently as she rubbed behind the kitty's ears. Her eyes went wide the moment Bucky appeared in the doorway to their room, he wasn’t supposed to be home for hours. The look on his face had her worried something happened to Sam or someone else in their makeshift family. 

“Bucky!? What are you doing?”

“What am I doing here?” He asked as if she should already know the answer. The Alpha wandered around the side of their bed and put his hand on her belly, glaring at the hissing cat before settling a softer, sweeter gaze on his wife.

“You text me. You said you were feeling off. I called into the station and made you an appointment with the doc.”

Y/n really tried not to but she couldn’t help the laughter that spilled out. “Oh, my sweet Alpha. Of course, I feel off. I’m heavily pregnant and your daughter is sitting on a lung I think, ” She sighed, her voice filled with humor.

“Sitting on a lung?” He asked, eyes wide and panicked. “That’s not good! What if you can’t breathe?”

“Alpha,” Y/n chuckled. 

“I’m talking to you. I think I can breathe just fine if I’m holding a conversation. I don’t need to go to the doctor. I just need cuddles, hm?” She held her arms out and made grabby hands for him to come and lay with her.

Bucky shook his head, “No, we’re going to the doctor.”

“But-”

“Omega.” His voice dropped just enough to make her shiver and almost immediately he regretted it.  

“Just listen, please? I know I’m probably being crazy but, I - Let me be nuts, okay?” She stared at him with her brow raised and his shoulders slumped. 

“I’m sorry I used the voice. I didn’t mean to! I’m a little on edge. You can yell at me tonight and I’ll make dinner to make it up to you.”

Y/n smiled and held her hands out for Bucky to help her up, Gemini quickly jumping off her belly due to Bucky’s proximity. She slowly sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, gingerly getting to her feet.

“The damn cat shouldn’t be laying on your stomach.” Bucky griped and she rolled her eyes in response.

“She barely weighs anything. It’s fine, buck.” Y/n waddled her way to the closet where her boots were sitting, ready for her to slip on with ease. Bucky narrowed his eyes at the cat and the stupid cat narrowed her eyes right back as she stretched her claws into his pillow, pulling at the fabric and stuffing. 

“I’m gonna toss you out the damn window you keep it up,” Bucky growled at the cat.

“What was that, Buck?”

“Nothing,” He said a little too quickly for Y/n’s liking. 

“Let’s go. I don’t want you on your feet too long.” He walked towards her with this... look and she just knew he was going to try to pick her up and carry her down the stairs. This was getting out of control! She grabbed his hands when Bucky got within in reach and he frowned in response.

“What?”

“You’re not serious right now, are you? Oh my god. You are.  James Buchanan Barnes! I can walk down the stairs!” 

“I just don’t want you to get hurt!” He defended. “At least walk in front of me so I can catch you if you slip-”

“Get downstairs before I make you sleep on the couch.”

Bucky sighed heavily as he made his way to the stairs like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs. He’s one hundred percent certain that damn cat snickered at him.

----------

“Okay, what do we have happening today?” Dr. Blake asked upon entering the examination room. “I hear there was… some complications?” 

He met Y/n’s eyes over the chart and she could see the hint of humor glimmering in them. Bucky stood next to his Omega, holding her hand tightly in his left hand and his right sitting protectively over her bump. Y/n went to open her mouth but Bucky spoke up before she had the chance. “She was feeling really off and our cat was sleeping on her stomach. I can get rid of the cat if necessary.”

Y/n looked over at Dr. Blake and gave him an apologetic smile, subtly shrugging one shoulder.

“Well, let’s just see what’s going on.”

He sat down wheeling his stool over to her bedside across from Bucky and pulled the ultrasound machine over to the side of the bed, amused grin still on his face as he locked eyes with Y/n. 

“Okay, how about we take a look? See how cute the little peanut is today?”

Over the last seven months, their doctor has become well versed with just how overprotective her Alpha was. He’s not the only overprotective Alpha the doctor has to deal with though. Just came with the job. She looked over at Bucky and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “You’re gonna have to move your hand if you want to see our baby girl.”

Bucky grumbled something under his breath and slowly pulled his hand away but stood up to his full height, towering over the doctor and it only made Y/n shake her head. He watched every single thing Dr. Blake was doing. He knew, knew he was being crazy, but the Alpha part of his brain was in overdrive. As he has always said, biology was a bitch.

Dr. Blake pulled up her shirt just enough to leave her baby bump visible ignoring the glaring Alpha standing over him. He pulled a bottle off the side of the cart and held it up for Y/n to see, giving it a little shake with an apologetic smile. She knew what he meant. It was about to get cold. She smiled in return but still let out a gasp when the cold gel hit her belly.

Bucky, however, wasn’t laughing.

His eyes were quickly slipping from blue to red and there was a soft growl coming from his chest. They went through this every time they came in for an appointment.

“Alpha?” Y/n squeaked from his side.

Bucky’s head immediately snapped towards her, red faded back to cool blue and the hard Alpha melted away the moment his eyes landed on hers. She was never going to get tired of watching the way he melted for her, from only his title slipping from her lips. If Tony ever asked, she would never ever admit that he was right all those years ago but she was absolutely the one in control.  

“Let him do his job.” She purred softly, bringing his hand up to her lips and placing a gentle kiss to his knuckles. “You know I’m perfectly safe with you here.”

He was so wrapped up in her sweet soft voice he didn’t notice their doctor already had the wand on her belly and had been taking pictures of their little girl.

“Want a sneak peek of the baby Barnes? She looks perfectly healthy and right on track.” Bucky turned his head just in time to the black and white image of their daughter on the screen and his worry was replaced with a huge grin. He slowly sat down next to his mate and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, placing a kiss to her temple as he tugged her shirt back down over her belly. Doc had seen enough if you’d ask Bucky.

“She’s gonna be cute isn’t she Alpha?” Y/n asked.

“Beautiful like her momma.”

Dr. Blake excused himself and gave the pair a moment alone. He knew, as well as Y/n, that this visit was more for Bucky than it was for her or the baby. She could feel the small movements and it helped give her a bit of peace when she had a moment of panic, but Bucky didn’t have that reassurance all the time and after everything they have been through, he had every right to worry over his girls. It would all calm down once she was there in their arms and he could see with his own eyes that everything was alright.

Or so she was telling herself.

“I’m sorry I’m being all… Alpha.” He sighed and let his cheek rest on top of her head, eyes stuck to the screen. “I can’t help it. I don’t want anything to happen to the two of you. What would my nights look like if I lost all my stars, huh?”

Y/n smiled and tightened her hold on his hand. “We aren’t going anywhere. You don’t have to explain anything to me. Ever. No more worries today though. She’s just fine. Look at her.”

“Yeah, I know.” He kissed the top of her head. “I guess we should get Doc back in here so I can say sorry for being a knothead.”

“You do this every appointment,” Y/n deadpanned. “I think he knows the drill by now. Glare. Growl. Apologize.”

“Smartass,” Bucky mumbled. “Oh! He didn’t say if having a cat was okay.”

“Buck, lots of people have cats while they are pregnant.”

“I can get rid of her easy peasy, stardust. I’m sure someone would want a cat that destroys everything they own.”

“Alpha! You are pushing your luck today!

[like-twilight]

I’m jus’ gon do this cause why not I stole it from Here.

1: 6 of the songs you listen to most?

According to my last.fm in the last seven days: 1: ATEEZ: Wave 2: ATEEZ: Illusion 3: ATEEZ: Win 4: TxT: Run Away 5: ATEEZ: Precious 6: ATEEZ: Say My Name

Guys. I like Ateez.

2: If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?

My sister.

3: Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17.

Well I ain’t standin’ up so here’s line 17 from page 23 of Vale which is on my computer.

““Well then, Your Highness,” I say and crouch down, trying to get a look of her face”

4: What do you think about most?

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad things.

5: What does your latest text message from someone else say?

From a real person that’s not an automated message from a bank or a website it’s from my co-worker from October 26th that says “Ok I’ll do it, print it then I’ll replace it”

6: Do you sleep with or without clothes on?

Well. PJ’s are clothes so.

7: What's your strangest talent?

I don’t think I have any.

8: Girls... (finish the sentence); Boys... (finish the sentence)

Girls not allowed. Boys also not allowed. Leave me alone. (My nb friends can come tho.)

9: Ever had a poem or song written about you?

If I did then the creator didn’t tell me :”D

10: When is the last time you played the air guitar?

I... can’t recall.

11: Do you have any strange phobias?

Frogs.

12: Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose?

Maybe as a baby?

13: What's your religion?

I don’t belieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeve.

14: If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?

I’m not outside. But I’d probably be going to work or the store or the post office.

15: Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?

Behind.

16: Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?

Ateez!

17: What was the last lie you told?

“I’m okay!” #deep

18: Do you believe in karma?

god no!

19: What does your URL mean?

It’s a quote from Ateez’s Twilight.

20: What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?

I’m very depressed. Strength is probably that I’m still alive? Idk

21: Who is your celebrity crush?

Idk. Find a lot of famous people attractive I-? I Don’t have just like The Celebrity Crush. Jeong Yunho’s cute tho.

22: Have you ever gone skinny dipping?

No.

23: How do you vent your anger?

I throw a temper tantrum.

24: Do you have a collection of anything?

Just a mason jar of my tears. Also every Ateez album released so far.

25: Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?

Neither! Fucking email me, bro.

26: Are you happy with the person you've become?

God no :D

27: What's a sound you hate; sound you love?

Ambulance sirens hate. Fuckin... panflute I love.

28: What's your biggest "what if"?

What if I was a... giraffe.? Or a tardigrade. 

29: Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens?

I believe in things we can’t perceive scientifically or whatever. Not ghosts per se, like souls of dead people or whatever. Also yes to aliens.

30: Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm.

Nothin I’m jus sittin on my bed. If I move my arms up and down a bit then my blanket and a bottle of water.

31: Smell the air. What do you smell?

Nothin. Is just my room.

32: What's the worst place you have ever been to?

Uuuh a cemetery?

33: Choose: East Coast or West Coast?

In America? Idk which is less racist in general?

34: Most attractive singer of your opposite gender?

What’s an “opposite” gender? I know you mean male but I refuse to give into the cISSEXIST SCUm. 

35: To you, what is the meaning of life?

I have no idea what that means.

36: Define Art.

the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.

37: Do you believe in luck?

Yes. But I’ve never been the lucky one unfortunately.

38: What's the weather like right now?

Uuuh I have to google it. Clear. 8°

39: What time is it?

21:30

40: Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?

No. But I probably would.

41: What was the last book you read?

Pfssssshhhh, one that wasn’t written by me? Fucks me, dude. Fault In Our Stars? The Death Cure? I can’t remember, it’s been years.

42: Do you like the smell of gasoline?

Yeah!

43: Do you have any nicknames?

Tia.

44: What was the last film you saw?

Uuuuuuuuhhh... UUUUHHHHHHHHH How to Train Your Dragon 3, it was nice.

45: What's the worst injury you've ever had?

Had a bleeding spine! Kinda miss it tbh.

46: Have you ever caught a butterfly?

I probably haven’t tried, I’ve just tried to get them to land on me.

47: Do you have any obsessions right now?

Uuuh I’m into Ateez these days.

48: What's your sexual orientation?

I’m byesexual.

49: Ever had a rumour spread about you?

Yes.

50: Do you believe in magic?

Again, I do believe things could exist we can’t scientifically explain but idk. Not in the Harry Potter magic way.

51: Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong?

No, cause I believe everything is my fault.

52: What is your astrological sign?

Aries.

53: Do you save money or spend it?

I save money TO spend. I think I found a healthy balance.

54: What's the last thing you purchased?

A fukin... bike. That’s like in your room. Not by accident but because it’s meant to be there.

55: Love or lust?

Like.. in what context? Love? Idk.

56: In a relationship?

Love.

57: How many relationships have you had?

None relationships.

58: Can you touch your nose with your tongue?

I can’t.

59: Where were you yesterday?

Like on average? Or 24 hours ago exactly. Cause I was at work for eight hours and then I was just on my bed.

60: Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?

Yeah, my phone case.

61: Are you wearing socks right now?

Ye.

62: What's your favourite animal?

Cat? Idk.

63: What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you?

:DDDD If I had any then people would like me.

64: Where is your best friend?

???? 

65: Give me your top 5 favourite blogs on Tumblr.

I... I dunno? The ones I follow?

66: What is your heritage?

I don’t know what that means. Like what I’m gonna be remembered by? I whined a lot!

67: What were you doing last night at 12AM?

Cried.

68: What do you think is Satan's last name?

Choi.

69: Be honest. Ever gotten yourself off?

Why would I lie about masturbation. Yeah I did.

70: Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend?

Fuck no.

71: You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?

Save the dog, fuck off.

72: You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid?

a) I am telling everyone. b) Be paralysed by fear and waste all of it. c) Yes, very much.

73: You can only have one of these things; trust or love.

I feel like that’s stupid. 

74: What's a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?

Illusion by Ateez these days. 

75: What are the last four digits in your cell phone number?

4153

76: In your opinion, what makes a great relationship?

I wouldn’t know, buddy.

77: How can I win your heart?

Just be nice to me and I’ll probably be emotionally attached to you for life, sorry.

78: Can insanity bring on more creativity?

I don’t think insanity is the cause for any creativity. If an insane person is creative then they would be creative with a sound mind too.

79: What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?

Got into kpop, that was nice.

80: What size shoes do you wear?

42

81: What would you want to be written on your tombstone?

“Balled 2 hard lol”

82: What is your favourite word?

There are too many words.

83: Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word; heart.

Kokoro.

84: What is a saying you say a lot?

I don’t think there is one.

85: What's the last song you listened to?

Treasure by Ateez.

86: Basic question; what's your favourite colour/colours?

Pink and yellow.

87: What is your current desktop picture?

A picture of.. Ateez... sorry.

88: If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be?

Donald Trump.

89: What would be a question you'd be afraid to tell the truth on?

Uh, I think I’m p truthful, yeah. Ask me anything.

90: One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren't really doing anything, they're just standing around your bed. What do you do?

Scream. Maybe scramble on the floor and push past them if I can.

91: You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what's even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power?

Immortality!

92: You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?

Oh geez. I was on a carousel in Italy once, that was awesome.

93: You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?

The one that gave me depression idk which one it was but can it go away?

94: You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be?

Ehh, I don’t want that. Like... I don’t know those people, they could be Awful in bed or just in general too. Like I need an emotional bond first and they don’t even know me and I only know the persona they show to the public. Plus it could potentially ruin the music for me later on, it’d be weird, no thank you.

95: You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?

UUUUUHHHHH I DUNNO Lyon cause Grenoble doesn’t have an airport. Well, actually my sister isn’t in Grenoble right now. Hm well if I grab my card before I go then I can just find a hotel there until she comes home.

96: Do you have any relatives in jail?

I don’t think so? 

97: Have you ever thrown up in the car?

I had to throw up in a car and then asked the driver to stop the car so I can throw up outside the car.

98: Ever been on a plane?

Yes. Seven times. SEVEN TIMES? Yeah, holy shit.

99: If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say?

Someone help me, I am so so so incredibly in need of help, please. Please. Thank you.

[araliyaintheskywithdiamonds]

A Million Eyes You Are The Brightest Blue - A CrissColfer Fic

Loosely based on this prompt: “You broke into my apartment drunk thinking it was your friend’s house and I should call the cops but my cat kinda likes you so we’re good” AU

Bc I can’t seem to stop writing, and was suddenly inspired to write a NYE fic. 

Word Count: 2215 AO3

*Title from A Great Big World’s This Is The New Year 

This is the third New Year’s Eve Chris has spent alone. He’s actually gotten so used to it that he no longer feels that sorry for himself. Living in downtown LA should’ve meant that he’d have made at least some friends, but clearly that hasn’t happened yet. Maybe it’s the fact that he’s a struggling college student slash writer who holes himself up in his too-small apartment, and gets his groceries delivered to his doorstep.

Maybe. Probably.

Chris has already set himself up for the night- several cans of diet coke are set out on the coffee table, along with some boxes of Thai takeout and all three Lord of the Rings movies lined up on Netflix. He’s about to settle himself on the couch, from where he probably won’t move for at least four or five hours, when there is an almighty crash in the hallway.

Chris’ heart almost stops, and in a flash of panic, he grabs the television remote, wielding it like like a weapon. He sits as still as he can, keeping his ears out for any more noises. This is it. This is totally the night he dies. He can almost imagine the headlines- Innocent Man Brutally Murdered By Thugs On New Year’s Eve: A Tragic Ending To The Year-

An excited yelp and a hiccup startle Chris out of thoughts of his imminent obituary, and he frowns in disbelief when he hears someone cooing animatedly, as if to a baby.

“Oh my god, you’re adorable- Jules totally didn’t say she had a cat- who are you, my lovely-”

Whoever it is, sounds either raving mad or incredibly drunk, and seems to have found Brian. Oh god. Brian. Brian, who must now be in the hands of a cold-blooded killer. Brian, who could just as well be about to join Chris in his fast-approaching grave.

Scrambling to the kitchen, he fumbles for a knife from the drawer, and picks up his phone, fingers already on the number 9. Pointing the knife away from him, he tiptoes over to the opening to the hallway.

Heart thudding in his throat, breathing shallow and fast, Chris is totally prepared to use the knife against a ferocious attack, but what greets him is not a psychotic serial killer who gets distracted with house pets before a murder. Instead, it’s a completely harmless looking man, sitting cross-legged on the ground, with a purring Brian in his lap.

Chris drops the knife.

It makes a clattering noise against the wood, and the burglar slash murderer slash cat whisperer looks up at him. Chris is immediately greeted with a blindingly enthusiastic smile.

“Heyy, man! You a friend of Jules?” he slurs, Brian falling out of his lap with a disgruntled yelp when he makes a move to get up and greet Chris.

Chris immediately backs away, brandishing his phone as a warning. “I am going to call the cops right now, if you don’t get out of this apartment.”

The man’s face falls almost comically, and for some reason Chris feels bad. The guy looks genuinely heartbroken.

“Wait, why? I know Jules, she’s like one of my best friends!”

Chris would probably feel like he was talking to a toddler were this guy not clearly a grown man in at least his early 20s, and also a very hot grown man at that. Which is totally an inappropriate thought to think about a felon, since breaking and entering is a felony in California, but Chris really can’t help himself.

He shakes himself out of rather un-PG thoughts of those dark curls and stubble, and brings his mind back to what the guy just said. “Who is Jules? Why would you think Jules lives here?”

The man’s (weirdly shaped yet insanely attractive) eyebrows furrow in confusion. “This isn’t Jules’ house?”

Chris groans exasperatedly. “No, this isn’t Jules’ house. Clearly, in your inebriated state, you’ve come to the wrong apartment. Broken and entered, actually.”

The man leans heavily against the wall. “I didn’t break anything. The door was open.”

Oh. Shit. Chris must’ve left the door open when he got his food from the delivery boy. Maybe not a felon, then.

“I’m Darren.”

He’s introducing himself, why is he introducing himself? Chris just wants to get back to his warm blankets and thai food, not make friends with a drunk stranger, no matter how hot he is.

“You also need to leave.” Chris means it in a firm way, but it just ends up sounding mean. Darren pouts and Chris winces. He looks like a puppy left out in the rain.

“Why?” Darren whines, and then his eyes flicker with recognition. “Oooh- are you with someone? Am I interrupting something?”

Chris flushes. “No, I’m not with anyone right now-”

“Wait, you’re alone? On New Year’s Eve?”

Chris stomps towards Darren, ignoring the fact that he could very well be walking straight to his death (what if he was just a really good actor?), and holds the door open wide. “Yes, I’m alone. And that’s not actually a bad thing. Maybe I want to be alone!”

Chris tries to make it sound confident and assured, but it ends up sounding painfully defensive.

Darren pouts again, and Chris almost melts. “Don’t you want company? I could be your company!”

Chris raises his eyebrows. “Don’t you have somewhere to be? Jules or someone?”

Darren waves his hand airily, thereby removing his anchoring on the wall, leading him to stumble precariously. Chris grabs his waist on instinct, ignoring how well it fits under his arm.

“Nah, I won’t miss much. Everyone’ll be smashed anyway.”

“Like you are?”

“I could sober up!”

Darren sounds almost hopeful, and Chris wonders why on earth he would be. In his ninja turtles t-shirt and shapeless pajama bottoms, Chris doesn’t really look like the most interesting person on the planet.

“I should be calling the cops.”

Darren waggles his eyebrows. “But you haven’t, even when you could have.” His grin is like the cheshire cat’s.

Chris can already feel himself caving. “Won’t your friends miss you?”

“Nah, they saw me yesterday. They’ll live.”

“You’re still drunk. I don’t want to have to babysit you.”

“Then catch up. We’ll both be drunk, and then you won’t have to babysit anyone.”

Chris narrows his eyes and lets go of Darren’s waist, wincing when he falls against the wall with a thud. “Why are you doing this?”

Darren looks confused. “Why am I doing what?”

“Why are you offering to hang out with me when you don’t even know me?”

“That’s how you get to know people. By hanging out?” Darren says it like he’s telling Chris that water is wet.

“But why me?”

“Well, I feel like you’d be more interesting than my drunk friends that I see like, every day, and plus you’re like, beautiful- in a surreal, elfin way.”

He’s drunk, Chris tries to assure himself. He’s drunk and he probably didn’t mean that.

“How are you still able to use words like that?” he asks instead.  

Darren shrugs, and leans his arm against the door so that it falls shut with a soft click. “I’m not that drunk.” As soon as he says it, his arm gives way, and he’s falling to the floor in a heap.

Chris rolls his eyes. “Clearly, I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

He tries to ignore the swooping sensation in his stomach when Darren whoops with glee.

***

“That is a lie.”

Darren’s sprawled over his couch, legs tangled with Chris’, while Chris watches from the other end. It’s probably weird, because they’ve literally only just met, but Chris is ready to start doing weird things. He’s also partway drunk, so it helps.

“There is no way you haven’t ever had a boyfriend.”

Chris raises his eyebrow and downs the rest of his glass of rum and diet coke. “Not a lie. No one wants to date me, and even if they did, I wouldn’t know. I barely ever go out.”

“But you’re like-” Darren gestures wildly. “Gorgeous.”

A pink blush joins the alcohol-induced redness on Chris’ face. There cannot be any way he looks gorgeous right now.

Darren however, is on a roll. “You’re also super fucking smart- you write for fuck’s sake, and you’re funny, and kind, and you let me into your house without even knowing who I was.”

“I’m also stupid, then.”

Darren’s gasps indignantly. “That was like the best decision ever! I am so glad you actually let me stay! I’ve never spent a New Year’s with someone like you.”

Chris suddenly feels sick. He sets down his empty glass, and curls up under the blankets. “I think I’ve drunk enough for one night.”

Darren seems to notice the change in the atmosphere. “Okay, then. I think you’re sufficiently caught up anyway.”

Chris suddenly feels bad, and decides to ask about Darren’s family. Darren’s eyes light up and it’s enough to ward away images of Darren with other people on New Year’s Eves, doing things that make Chris heart ache to think of.

***

“Do you have sparklers?”

Darren’s looking through Chris’ cupboards, and Chris is hoping that there’s a sufficient amount of healthy food in there so that he won’t be judged.

“Why do you want sparklers?”

“It’s New Year’s!”

“And?”

Darren stares at Chris like he’s sprouted two heads. “You light sparklers during New Years.”

“I know that, Darren.”

“Don’t you want to?”

Oh, and it’s back. The lost puppy face.

“Is it safe to light them inside?”

“We’ll go out on the balcony! Please?” Darren looks so excited that Chris finds himself caving, once again.

“I might have some left over from Hannah’s birthday party.”

Darren squeals like a little girl, and Chris tries not to think about how he’s already told him all about Hannah, and their relationship. He also tries to ignore the fact that no one he knows in LA has ever been close enough to him for him to even mention his sister.

Chris retrieves the sparklers, and suddenly Darren’s grabbing his hand, leading him out to the open balcony. The air is cooler that he expects, and sends a pleasant shiver up his spine.

“Seven minutes to midnight,” Darren whispers, and Chris startles.

Oh yeah. This is happening. He’s on a balcony with a gorgeous stranger (not a stranger anymore, Chris reminds himself), and they’re about to count down to the New Year. Said stranger also swings both ways, a useful tidbit of information Chris garnered when he told Darren he was gay, fully ready to kick him out if he even got the slightest whiff of homophobia.

They’ve got the sparklers and matches at the ready.

The mood is suddenly serious, standing out here in the open, wind whistling in their ears. There’s a distant pulse of music from one of the other apartments.

“Are you wishing for anything?” Chris asks quietly.

“Yeah.”

“Don’t tell me, or it won’t come true.”

Darren’s eyes glow amber in the moonlight. “Can I tell you if it does come true?”

“Are you that confident?”

Darren holds his gaze, lifting up Chris’ unlit sparkler to light it with a match. It fizzles to life immediately, bright and brilliant between them.

“More like hopeful,” he replies, using Chris’ sparkler to light his own. They’re one of the long ones that go on for several minutes instead of several seconds. They take turns drawing patterns in the sky, until Darren’s phone pings to let them know it’s almost midnight.

“I’ve never had a New Year’s kiss,” Chris whispers into the darkness. He doesn’t know why he says it.

“Neither have I.”

Chris turns to look at Darren in surprise. “That’s impossible.”

“Really. I always clear out as soon as they start the countdown.”

“Why?”

Their sparklers glitter closer to the ends of the sticks, and Darren gently takes Chris’ hand in his own to hold them away from their bodies.

“I guess I’ve never really wanted to have a New Year’s kiss that’s meaningless. They say the person who you kiss at New Years is the person you’ll spend the rest of the year with.”

“And you’ve never met someone you’d want to stay a year with?”

“I have.”

“And?”

They’ve somehow moved closer together, so that they’re sparklers are touching and there’s barely a hair’s breadth between their bodies.

“And I really don’t think a year’s enough.”

Fireworks explode out from behind them. Chris recognises them as the ones that are lit at Grand Park, in downtown LA.

“We missed the countdown-” Chris starts, and suddenly Darren’s kissing him, one hand cupping his jaw, and the other twined with Chris’ where their sparklers share a flame.

Darren’s kissing him, and it feels like the world just stopped turning.

Darren’s kissing him and all he knows is how soft his lips are and the feel of his hair under his fingers and the smell of sparkler smoke.

Darren’s kissing him, and Chris really just needs to know. He pulls away to rest his forehead on Darren’s, gasping slightly. His lips still tingle from the memory of Darren’s touch.

“Who was that someone you said that a year wouldn’t be enough with?”

Darren’s lashes brush Chris’ cheeks as he steals another kiss.

“You.”

[henqiguai]

haikyuu!! fic rec

i’ve been consuming unreasonable amounts of hq!! fic these past few months... here’s a rec list of ~70 fics for 16 ships. 

(edit: if the links aren’t working, right-click to open the fic in a new tab. sorry;;)

❤ = favorite

❤ ❤ ❤ = god-tier 

*

Bokuto/Akaashi (otp: my head, his heart)

the better boyfriend battle by norio (M)  ❤

Summary:  It's two days after their first date anniversary, so Bokuto ruins Akaashi's life.

i put my hand out, unfolded, into the sunlight by carafin (G)  ❤

Summary:  In which Bokuto Kotarou is woefully inept at conveying his feelings, and Akaashi Keiji has a sort-of superpower. Sort of.

Karma by dgalerab (T)

Summary: Akaashi pulls a muscle and Bokuto offers to help him with yoga. Akaashi knows a bad idea when he sees it, and he really only agrees because he's suddenly acquired a deeply rooted desire to see Bokuto do yoga.For multiple reasons.

Maybe We’re Airborne, Baby by sterlinglee (T)

Summary: Realizing he's got it bad for his setter is the easy part. Getting his feelings across might be the hardest thing Bokuto's ever done, not counting his literature final or putting out the flames on that birthday cake he tried to bake for Akaashi last year, or—or a lot of things, actually.But the point still stands. Reaching out to Akaashi is a leap in the dark, and he wants it more than he's ever wanted anything (especially the smoking remains of a cake he baked before he really understood his feelings, but knew that it's what you attempt with your own two hands that matters).

snowflakes by arsenicjay (T)

Summary: Bokuto is a simple wizard with simple needs; a nice date, a little romance, and he's all good to go.Or, Akaashi and Bokuto spend a day in Hogsmeade just before Christmas.

stating the obvious by ThinkingCAPSLOCK (G)

Summary:  There's a lot of things Bokuto isn't sure about now that he's in university. His program, his new team, his future. There's only one thing he's absolutely sure of. He is not dating Akaashi Keiji. Not even a little bit.

Year-Round Love by masi (G)

Summary:  In his first year of university, Bokuto realizes that he really adores Akaashi.

Rest of the rec list under the cut!

*

Aone/Futakuchi (otp: teddy and polar bear)

Got You by garbagecannot (T)

Summary:  So Aone kind of wants to see Futakuchi scream. Just for kicks. And he feels kind of awful about it.

*

Bokuto/Kuroo (ohohotp: best friends best boyfriends)

Seven Years by xwynn (G)

Summary:  Bokuto has a secret that's seven years too late.

*

Ennoshita/Tanaka (otp: it’s too early for the world to end)

baby, our love is fireproof by earlgrey_milktea (T)

Summary:

[10:52 pm] [to: noya-san] im gonna tell him [10:54 pm] [from: noya-san] U GOT TIHS GO GET UR BOY [10:56 pm] [to: noya-san] IM GONNA GET MYSELF THE BOY [10:56 pm] [from: noya-san] GET TEH BOY [10:57 pm] [to: noya-san] GET THE BOY [11:04 pm] [from: noya-san] GET THE BOY

or, the story of how tanaka tried to light a flame in ennoshita's heart and ended up setting everything else on fire instead.

hold your breath, it gets better by harklights (T)

Summary: But if there was one thing Ennoshita could trust about the world, it was that people wanted. They wanted things to bend to their will, other wills to bend to their will, odds to work in their favor, luck on their side, a shortcut, a fun time, insurance and assurance both. A security lock to be made extra sturdy against possible thefts. A frail book with tattered binding that wanted augmentation before it frayed and spilled its pages everywhere, succumbed to age. A girl’s pocket mirror that reflected falling cherry blossoms every time she opened it to look at herself. Vanity, maybe, although it had been too cute when she first saw herself and gasped.“A flying carpet,” the man before the counter wishes.“A… flying carpet,” Ennoshita slowly repeats.

Practice Makes Perfect by ToBeOrNotToBeAGryiffindor (G)

Summary: Ennoshita Chikara has had a few confessions, but this one takes the cake.

"Enno-san, can I ask you something?" "Sure." "You like guys, right?" "Yeahhhh. . ." "I think I might like a guy. What do I do?"

Why is this my life?

one step, two step by Authoress (T)

Summary:  Tanaka's made enough of a mess trying to confess to Ennoshita, he doesn't need his attention-hungry kitten getting in the mix too.

*

Hinata/Kageyama (otp: as long as i’m here, you’re invincible)

baby, i can give you wings by Metis_Ink (T)  ❤

Summary: In which there are superpowers, cats, rainstorms, realizations, split-second jealousy, embarrassing volleyparents, killer whales, electric Kuroos, unstable emotions, bad romance movie mentions, some angst, some fluff, but mostly a lot of awkward high schoolers.

The minute Kageyama walks into the gym and sees Hinata hovering eight feet over the nets he knows he’s screwed.

*

Daichi/Kuroo (otp: city boy country boy)

If I Could Change Your Mind by tookumade (G)

Summary:

“I’m kind of excited to meet him,” Bokuto says, roughly an hour before Karasuno are scheduled to arrive. “He sounds interesting.”

Kuroo raises an eyebrow at him. “I just told you that there’s not a lot about him that stands out—how is that interesting?”

“You’ve told me a lot about how he apparently doesn’t stand out,” Bokuto replies easily. “You don’t usually talk about someone so much."

(Or, Sawamura Daichi shows up like a breath of fresh air, and Kuroo Tetsurou doesn't stand a chance.)

*

Daichi/Suga (otp: honey i’m home)

Add New Contact by booksong (G)

Summary: "Daichi was leaning contemplatively on the sill of his open window, waiting for the icy breeze he was letting into his room to wake him up to how utterly stupid he was being. He’d always hated stories, real or fictional, about people doing ridiculous and self-destructive things for love, but now here he was, palming his smartphone idly and wondering with complete seriousness if it would survive an eight meter drop with substantial but repairable damage."

(Or; All Daichi's electronics are endangered the moment he realizes he can't get that sweet, patient, ridiculously attractive IT tech off his mind.)

cool teens don’t wear skinny jeans by ebenroot (T)

Summary: 'He was supposed to ask Suga for his number or ask if he was busy next Friday night and if he was interested in seeing a movie or something. Instead, he said in a slightly cracking and not at all calm voice, “I think I lost my kids.”

or

that fic where babysitter no. 1 Daichi loses three kids in the city, gets into a bunch of shenanigans, and tries to ask Suga on a date.

forever is a long time but i don’t mind spending it with you by Interconnected_3 (G)

Summary: “What else?” Daichi blinks. “What else is there? Do you want me to tell you how you like your coffee?” He grins teasingly. “I don’t know, how do I like my coffee? By the way, you’re missing something.” “Cream and two and a half sugars- wait, I’m missing something?” “Yup,” Suga says. “You forgot to mention that we’re dating.” “Well, god, Suga, judging from how we’ve been kissing and holding hands for three years and in this bed for the past nine hours since last night, I couldn’t possibly tell.”

in which daichi finally gets the day off and teaches a romantically-frustrated suga how to be honest with himself. 

extreme fluff

i do (cherish you) by gabstar (T)

Summary: The first time Daichi suggests it, it’s a joke.

“Sugawara Koushi,” he says solemnly. He’s bent on one knee, the floor is still sticky with sweat post-practice. He offers up the lost ring, found while mopping off gym floors. “Will you marry me?”

((Five times Daichi asks Suga to marry him, plus once where he finally, finally says yes.))

in the shadow of the mountain by laubear (T)  ❤

Summary:  After graduation, Daichi and Suga climb a mountain to see whether it will make them the grown-ups they’re supposed to be.

when all the songs are through by thewindraiser (T)

Summary: Daichi is out for lunch with some of his colleagues when he spots it.

The ring.

you better go catch it by laubear (G)

Summary:  Desperate times call for desperate measures. Sometimes those desperate measures involve compromising perfectly good scientific data, but Daichi’s learned to stop being surprised when it comes to Suga.

you can only take what you can carry by skittidyne (T)

Summary: Suga pulled Noya down from the chair. Daichi finally decided enough was enough. He knew he was just doing it to draw him in, and damn it, it worked (just like it always worked against him), because there was no way he was letting Suga get into one of Kuroo and Bokuto’s competitions.

Suga had their libero thrown over one shoulder by the time Daichi reached them. “Daichi-san! Look!” Noya chirped, waving the arm that wasn’t wrapped around the vice-captain.

Suga put up his free arm, flexing, and gave Daichi a wink.

(( or, alternatively: "do you even lift, bro?" ))

*

Hanamaki/Matsukawa (otp: i wear my boyfriend’s clothes, i look incredible)

and indeed there will be time by pickledplumes (T)

Summary: Between volleyball and the looming end of their high school years, Hanamaki thinks he’s already dealing with more than enough, thank you very much.

Unfortunately, no one else gets the memo.

-Alternatively: “I am not in love with my best friend!” says Hanamaki Takahiro. Nobody buys his bullshit.

hang out fall in love by carafin (T)

Summary: In which Hanamaki's humble medical practice is threatened by an intractable asshole a witch doctor who's just moved into the shop down the street. Medical/Witchcraft AU.

As far as Hanamaki’s concerned, and as far as bad life decisions go, setting up your witch clinic right next to an actual, proper, medical clinic is practically akin to setting up an all-you-can-eat buffet right next to a gym. Or a sex toy shop next to a church. Or a vegetable patch next to a goat farm. Or – yeah, the point is, this Matsukawa guy has totally cornered the market in Terrible-Life-Decision-Making-Skills.

lost with you (take my hand) by airblends (T)

Summary:  When a missed stop or ten lead to an involuntary day trip to Kyoto for Matsukawa and Hanamaki, they find that maybe the journey really is its own reward sometimes.

poolside by tothemoon (T)  ❤

Summary: At eighteen, it'd been a matter of wading.

At twenty-five, Hanamaki tries not to fall in headfirst.

plus one by orphan_account (G)

Summary: "Did you know we're dating?"

"What? Says who?"

"Says everyone apparently."

"Oh," Hanamaki frowns for a few seconds before shrugging and turning his attention back to the chocolate fountain. "Nice."

that’s what you get (for waking up in vegas) by skittidyne (T)

Summary: “There was an Elvis?” Hajime asks.

“He was the officiator. It’s the cliché, right?”

“…Officiator of what?” Tooru asks with a look down at Takahiro’s hand.

“You can borrow my phone to pull pictures from for our wedding album.” Issei reaches over and grasps the hand with the ring on it. Everyone is staring at their clasped hands like a three-headed lobster just crawled onto the table. “You were both the best men and I was very, deeply touched by how affected you both were at the ceremony,” he says in a perfect deadpan.

(( or: iwaizumi does not want to be the responsible one, and thus they suffer the consequences, or, perhaps, 'suffer' is a bit too strong of a word ))

Wet Your Whistle by darkmagicalgirl (E)

Summary:  Hanamaki gets a job as a bartender. Matsukawa likes his uniform. (Alternatively: Matsukawa tries to ignore his huge crush on his friend-with-benefits. He fails.)

*

Iwaizumi/Konoha (otp: ace and jack of all trades; alternatively: otp: i know fukurodani and seijou probably have never breathed the same air just let me have this)

Ace and Jack by masi (M)

Summary:  Iwaizumi and Konoha are neighbors and teammates. Maybe friends too. They get along most of the time.

*

Kenma/Kuroo (otp: backbone, brain, heart) 

Cat’s Out of the Bag by shions_heart (T)

Summary: When Kuroo Tetsurou drunkenly proposes to his best friend Kozume Kenma during the midnight release of Kenma's first ever video game, Kenma doesn't think anything could be more embarrassing.

But when the proposal ends up going viral, Kenma's forced to confront feelings about his friend that he's kept locked away for a long time.

Collecting Days by pickledplumes (G)

Summary: 

The silence of the crowd as they recite their vows and say I do is deafening, their cheers as he and Tetsurou kiss even more so, and Kenma thinks some distant version of him would have shied away and ran; but right now he’s in the arms of the only man he’s ever loved, locked in the most passionate kiss he’s ever known, and he feels like he can take on the world.

curiosity kills by newamsterdam (T)  ❤

Summary: Kenma rescues a cat.

Later on, the cat saves him in return.

i built you a home in my heart by newamsterdam (M)

Summary:

Yaku doesn’t let Kuroo derail him. “You don’t even have that excuse. And I’ve known you and Kenma too long to think that these feelings didn’t exist, before today.”

There’s a truth in what he says. Kuroo’s chest feels too small to contain his heart, beating giddily against his ribs. Even if he falls into his usual back and forth with Yaku, everything is different today.

“It’s not like that,” he says softly. He cups both hands around his mug, looking into the dregs of his coffee. “It’s like… I couldn’t even let myself think of it before, you know? I couldn’t let my mind even go there, because it would’ve been unbearable, to know and not be able to do anything about it.”

Yaku shakes his head, kicking at Kuroo’s legs under the table. “Oh my god,” he says. “You’re going to be hopeless now, aren’t you?”

Five years after high school— what changes, what doesn't, and what really matters, in the end.

love’s not the way to treat a friend by girltalk (T)

Summary: There’s really nothing quite as revelatory as the silent minutes spent in bed during the aftermath of a wet dream involving you and your high-school best friend.

(i must profess) by sadaf (T)

Summary:  “No!” Kenma says, voice high and through clenched teeth as Kuroo offers it to him. “Put- put that away! Put that away!”

mr. steal yo man by saintjoy (T)

Summary:  Lev's got it bad for Kenma. Unfortunately, he's already got one hell of a boyfriend.

Show a Little Faith by minijhi (G)

Summary: 

“Why are you sending me a singing Valentine telegram?" Kenma asks, mouth flattened. "It’s six months until Valentine’s Day.”

“I bought a dwarf over the summer to use as cupid.” Kuroo says. “I figured he could use some practice.”

-

Presenting Kenma as the Boy-Who-Lived, whose living becomes a lot more interesting when Ravenclaw Prince Kuroo Tetsurou starts sending him singing telegrams about defeating the Dark Lord.

Static by icespyders (G)  ❤❤❤

Summary: 

stat•ic /ˈstadik/ adj. : 1. lacking in movement, action, or change; 2. concerned with bodies at rest or forces in equilibrium n. : crackling or hissing noises on a telephone, radio, or other telecommunications system.

He hadn't taken it well when Kuroo went away.

The Wedding Hall Shuffle by icespyders (T)  ❤

Summary: Box steps for a waltz are easy, even if you've never done them before, even if you learned at a strangers' wedding from another stranger, even if you're not quite sure what you're doing. But love? Love is something else, something without regimented one-two-three-four patterns, without rules.

Maybe it's silly, but Kenma thinks he might be figuring it out.

*

Kyoutani/Yahaba (otp: mad dog and puppy)

all you have is your fire by knightswatch (T)

Summary: 

Shigeru is quickly hurtling toward the point where he’s going to have to change the relationship that he’s built with Kyoutani in ways that he can’t take back, and it’s one of the reasons that he isn’t particularly looking forward to his birthday.

No matter how he feels, Shigeru knows he can’t afford to be in love. Or at least, he can’t afford to act on it.

Close to the Chest by darkmagicalgirl (T)  ❤❤❤

Summary:  It takes Yahaba thirteen years to realize he's different from the other kids, one to figure out how to hide it, and two more to learn to be happy just the way he is. Yahaba's journey ft. an extremely annoyed Kyoutani, best friend in the world Watari, and loads and loads of good senpai Oikawa.

Mixed Signals by snoqualmie (T)

Summary:  Feelings are definitely a thing he’s having. Kyoutani is really sweet. He’s family oriented and he prefers novels with female leads and he’s in all honors classes. He kind of has a big head, totally has a big smile, definitely has a big heart. His eyes are nice, he’s got that dimple. Yahaba groans and rubs his fists into his eyes.

Room to Grow by kiyala (G)  ❤❤❤

Summary:  Kyoutani and Yahaba have enough on their minds in third year, as ace and captain of the volleyball team, butting heads both on and off the court while trying to improve their game so the team has a shot of winning this year. When they find a puppy abandoned in a park, their lives only get even more complicated.

the sunset hours by commovente (T)

Summary: 

set in an alternate sendai city where everything is almost exactly the same, except every day during sunset, each person's heart is visible to everyone else, in whatever form that may be, for better or for worse.

in which kyoutani has an actual puppy dog heart, yahaba is the most unconventional disney character alive, and oikawa is still the best senpai.

or: the story of yahaba's adventures in the big city.

This World is Just Illusion by shions_heart (T)

Summary: Yahaba Shigeru was a scientist set to work on and administer the SS-415 Serum to the test subject Kyoutani Kentarou. But when the experiment fails, he's forced to relocate with an unstable Kyoutani and make a new home for them.

(Or the story of how the Mad Dog gang was formed.)

*

Lev/Yaku (otp: angry small and dirty large)

Touch by Mysecretfanmoments (T)

Summary:  After a twisted ankle and an uncomfortable realization, Yaku starts to see a different side of Lev—one he doesn't want to kick at all. (Or, well... not often.)

Yaku and the Beanstalk by Mysecretfanmoments (T)

Summary: 

Yaku Morisuke is many things: a libero, a caretaker, a good student. He's also about to find Lev Haiba stuck in a vending machine.

(In which Yaku accidentally recruits Lev to the volleyball team and can't get rid of him after.)

*

Oikawa/Suga (otp: 100 days with mr. refreshing)

all the small things by Authoress (T)

Summary:

Sugawara Koushi.

Oikawa’s brain supplies the name of the person standing at the other end of the aisle before Oikawa can even register him, attuned to spitting out facts about other volleyball players on a second’s notice, even after all these years. Karasuno High vice-captain. 174 cm…no, more like 176 now. Skilled at raising morale and bringing an element of surprise to their strategy. Troublesome. Refreshing. Setter.

The enemy.

*

Oikawa/Ushijima (otp: don’t you ever forget my worthless pride & prejudice)

A Fish out of Water by masi (M)

Summary:  Ushijima is having a hard time adjusting to life in Tokyo.

This Insignificant Pride and Prejudice by Mysecretfanmoments, Pouler (T)  ❤❤❤

Summary:  Oikawa Tooru graduated high school with the burning desire to succeed in his college career. He'd hoped that might include taking down his arch-nemesis along the way, but when he finds that his college team hosts an offensively familiar face, he can't help but think that the universe might be conspiring against him. After all, what could be worse than playing on the same team as Ushijima?

it’s kind of like a promise by songtofly (T)  ❤

Summary:  Devotion, Ushijima Wakatoshi learns, is a two-way street.

like someone in love by masi (T)

Summary:  Oikawa tries to resolve an unexpected Ushiwaka-related problem carefully and calmly.

#notalovestory by iiejn, readerofsaph (T)

Summary: 

Oikawa Tooru, Japan's representative pretty boy actor, lands the best movie role of his career yet. Shame about who else is acting in it, too.

Dearest Oikawa,

I am sorry that you hit me at the party last week. I am confident that your reputation will survive the backlash. Hopefully we will be able to speak on better terms the next time we meet.

Yours, Ushijima Wakatoshi

On A Willful Afternoon When I Thought Love Could Choose by Zee (E)

Summary: Ushijima gets stuck in a repeating time loop on the day his university's team must play Oikawa's. Shenanigans ensue.

Planting Season by masi (T)

Summary:  After graduation, Ushijima runs into Oikawa again.

Searching Happiness by sunspearing (T)  ❤

Summary:  The five times Oikawa tries to call it quits, and the one time Ushijima does.

*

Semi/Shirabu (otp: loving is easy, teasing is easier)

don’t let this magic die  by oilpaints (T)

Summary: 

Shirabu glances out the window, listening to the soft pitter-patter of the rain, and the even sounds of Semi’s breathing. Only now, as he glances around the cramped, dimly-lit room and spots Semi’s bag, already open and spilling out clothes onto the floorboards, does he realizes just what he’s gotten himself into.

It’s just four days, he reminds himself. Four days of sharing a room with Semi, of all people, but still — he’s been through worse, right? Right.

SPOILER:

Actually, whether he’s right or wrong is up for debate, because everything goes about just as well as anyone would expect. (Which is to say: surprisingly, nobody dies, Shirabu learns more about Semi Eita than he ever would have bargained for, and that, maybe, he’s not so bad.

Maybe.)

face to the sun by oilpaints (G)

Summary: 

Shirabu Kenjirou, as told by friends both old and new.

Kawatabi clicks his tongue. “I still don’t get why you were born in spring,” he says. “You’re so bitter and cold. More of a winter child, if you ask me.”

Shirabu just shrugs lightly, lips tugged upwards in a faint smile. “But I didn’t ask you,” he says. “And besides, spring is all about new beginnings, isn’t it?”

Impulse by Metis_Ink (T)  ❤❤❤

Summary: 

"Semi’s not sure how subtle the team is trying to be, but there must be some ungodly conspiracy pointed against him. It’s working in the sense that Semi is half aware that maybe this rivalry with Shirabu is a lot more troublesome than it seems, but really, that’s all he's getting."

Or

Second year Semi Eita faces the downward spiral that is his life following the arrival of some first year setter who's way too cocky for his own good.

Scarf Trick by togekissies (G)

Summary: The last thing Shirabu wants to do is run into a naggy upperclassman after a long day.

seven day’s luck by togekissies (T)

Summary: 

(semishira week fic collection)

One: Semi and Shirabu go on a date. Two: Shirabu can't stand executive meddling more than he can't stand Semi. Three: Shirabu and Semi are just kids at reform school, discussing treason on the roof in the way only prideful teenagers can. Four: Semi is a nostalgic loser. Shirabu pushes him in a creek. Five: Semi steals some intel. Shirabu doesn't like patching him up.

*

Tsukishima/Yamaguchi (otp: when did you ever get so cool?)

blue summer sky by deanpendragon (T)  ❤❤❤

Summary:  In which Tadashi manages his grandfather's pet store and Tsukishima works at the music shop next door. Lots of exclamation points, dialogue, obvious crushes, internal (and overexcited) monologuing, animal trivia and terrible puns ensue.

by any other name by memorde (T)

Summary: 

A Concise Guide to Dealing with People Asking if your Best Friend and/or Crush is Single:

Panic

Lie

Run

campfire in your chest by deanpendragon (M)  ❤❤❤

Summary:  Kei realizes in their second year of high school that he's probably been in love with Yamaguchi since they were ten. However hopeless he might be in handling that situation, Kei prays he's at least not as hopeless as Hinata and Kageyama. But he just might be.

let’s keep this professional by laubear  ❤

Summary: 

When the first sincere gesture of Tsukishima Kei’s life costs him his glamorous job as a sports agent, only a wide-eyed, freckled accountant volunteers to jump ship with him. But if the two of them can save the careers of volleyball’s legendary Oddball Duo, things might just work out after all.

Or, the story of how Tsukishima Kei got fired, got married, adopted a kid, and fell in love. In that order.

levels of investment by skittidyne (T)

Summary: 

Yamaguchi was far less nervous in practice than any games, and he’d gotten far more skilled at serving in a few short months, so Tsukishima was utterly unprepared for the feeling of a volleyball slamming into the back of his head.

There was a beat of silence.

The ball had enough of an angle to bounce off his head and over to the other side of the net, landing neatly in front of a stunned Sugawara.

(( or: Ennoshita plots for the future, Suga wants to mess around and is intent on dragging everyone down to his level, Noya tries to become a spiker, Kiyoko is a good senpai, Yamaguchi cries, and Tsukishima wonders if he's been dropped off in the Twilight Zone without his notice ))

These Words You Don’t Hear by ohhello (E)

Summary:  Tadashi is convinced entering into his third year at Karasuno means that he is one year closer to losing what he holds most dear: his team, his friends, and most importantly his daily moments with Kei. While Tadashi wrestles with his fear of lasts, Kei struggles with how to offer him firsts.

[rem102]

The Mission To Space

Prologue Ch.1 Ch.2

Summary: An innocent night at an R.F.A. party turns into a one night stand, and taking down a terrorist organization.  

Tags: 707x MC, Saeyoung x MC

Rating: Mature (adult themes and language)

Authors Note: Sorry it took forever to add a new chapter. I need to get back to writing! 

--MC POV--

"You might just be the first person to think that running after drinking copious amounts of alcohol is a smart idea," I mentioned slowing my heavy breathing as the elevator took us down floor by floor to the parking garage. My heart was pounding my breathing heavy from being led through the halls of the building. My purse and coat making my hands sweaty from my tight grasp. Slowly the small circular floor lights in the elevator lit up as the elevator went down floor by floor from the party’s main venue. It felt so agonizingly slow and I was becoming more and more aware of the lingering warmth holding my opposite hand tightly.  I didn't even know what to say to make the tension lingering in the air disappear.

I must be out of my mind for just putting everything aside for just one moment of normalcy. I am completely selfish the alcohol making ignoring the pressing matters aside for just a night longer. Seven was the first to break the lingering silence between the two of us. "Just wait until you see my baby," Seven excitedly mentioned his eye brows raising up and down behind his now tousled bangs from his red hair swept into his face. Seven was playfully squeezing my hand tighter in his grasp from his building excitement. 

I laughed at his playful smile. "Do you really have children?" I questioned wondering if a guy as young as he is had children of his own. Was he planning on bringing me home with him to his actual infant? Why did that even matter to me at this moment? More importantly what was this aching feeling in my chest at the thought he's been with someone else? Why did I feel like I was getting jealous? Seven is a good looking guy I wouldn’t be surprised if women would hang all over him. Who wouldn't love that crazy red hair or his childlike playfulness? The alcohol must be turning me into some possessive nightmare. "Hmm I have quite a few babies but this one is my favorite. I got her all nice and clean for tonight," he replied looking as if he was going to jump out of the doors as soon as they swung open. The elevator finally made it to the main level and had only one more floor before reaching the underground basement. The last 30 seconds of the ride to the basement felt dragged out. The elevator jerked to a steady halt and Sevens eyes were fixed on the doors. 

"So you weren't actually talking about a child then?" I asked as the doors to the elevator opened.  Seven led me out of the elevator door into the cold cement basement. Seven paused taking his hand from my own and held his stomach. Maybe it was a stupid question to ask after all. There was no way he could have children. He laughed full hardheartedly wiping a tear from laughing from his eye. "Hardly," he mentioned before smiling and reaching his open hand out for me. I grabbed his hand and hauled myself closer to him his arms wrapped around my waist to keep us both from falling backwards. He looked at me unsure of why I toppled towards him. I quickly leaned in to kiss the side of his cheek. "Come on. That elevator took entirely too long." I said with a smile my cheeks red in embarrassment. Sevens hand touched the side of his face where my lips were just pressed and he rubbed it slowly. He shook his shocked expression now replaces with his gentle smile. Seven put one of his hand inside his pant pocket and the other reached out for me. "It would help if I lead the way." He said slowing his brisk pace to one I could keep up with our hands swinging with each gentle stride and still walking and in hand with me to wherever his vehicle was parked. 

"You thought I actually had a baby?" He teased with a smirk on his face as he led me up a slight incline in the garage. My heels clacking on the pavement beneath me as it echoed in the quiet car garage around us. "You never know. I am not one to question your lifestyle," I replied as he released my hand leaving his warmth behind against my skin. I could still feel the lingering of his touch ghosted on my fingers. He dug inside his pant pockets frantically searching in his jacket pockets and patting down his thighs in the classic search for his missing keys. Seven pulled out one pocket completely and then the other pocket and then immediately began patting down his back pockets. “Ah! Got them!” He laughed grabbing his set of keys and holding them up in triumph for finding the key and then smiled at me. I noticed a peculiar looking white cat fob dangling from the chain with his car keys. Seven was clearly a huge fan of cats. I made a mental note to keep that in mind if I began feeling nervous again. Surely a guy who likes animals could not be bad person to go home with right?  

Up ahead of the two of us was a glistening ruby red two door McLaren sports car. I had to admit Seven had style. Never in my wildest dreams would I have guessed that he owned an expensive sports car. My jaw must have been left on the floor behind me from how shocked I was to see the McLaren in front of me. You can hardly get your hands on these cars unless you are rolling in money, or happen to win a street race or circuit racing in Europe. "You are kidding right? You own this?" I asked admiring the sleek exterior. Every inch of the car is built for one thing, speed. “There is just no way,” I exclaimed shocked and needing to have a closer look. Having spent most of my life admiring cars like this one it was a complete shock to see one in front of me in person. More than anything I was excited to see the interior too. Seven was watching me quietly letting me take in his child in all its racing glory. He was so casual about it leaning against the frame of the car watching intently as I ogled his ride.

"One of my favorite babies, and also one of many. You like her?" He asked unlocking the car door that opened towards the ceiling as he carefully eased it open. "It honestly must be your child," I laughed pointing at his hair, “you have the same hair color," I mentioned as he flipped the strands of his hair out of his face. "Do you make it a habit collecting limited edition sports cars? Which model is this car? I mean I'm not an idiot to know that this is McLaren but still each model had different horsepower and specialty collector edition features." I needed to stop talking at rapid pace and let him speak. Seven was kind enough to not look at me as if I was insane with all the questions I was asking. I hoped I wasn’t messing this up terribly. I’m sure he didn’t want to talk in too much detail considering he was bringing be back to his home to do god knows what with. I didn’t want to hold out hope that he wasn’t like the other guys but the fear still lingered in the back of my mind.

"Considering most girls have no idea the car model let alone any of my other friends remotely understand consider me impressed. She is a 570-S." Seven walked to the opposite driver’s side door and lifted it up towards the ceiling all the while looking smug about what little knowledge I did have about cars. I couldn’t help but bite my lip in embarrassment. I somehow bulked up the courage to look walk over to the driver’s side door standing next to him.  "How fast does she go?" I asked feeling much more timid standing next to his tall figure I could not but help but stare at his lips. A part of me wanted him to kiss me again and another part of me was trying to rationalize the current situation I was in. Sober I would have never wanted this man to kiss me as much as I wanted him to right now.

I shook the doubts in my head walking back over to the passenger side and I leaned against the red frame of the car with Seven trailing behind me. "Why don't we find out?" Seven replied raising his eyebrows leaving it open for me to respond to his question.  Curiosity was getting the best of me for wanting to ride in his car and also wanting his lips on mine once again.

Seven held out his hand as a kind gesture to help me get into the car with my dress. I stared up at him a slight blush lingering on his cheeks. He looked just as nervous if not more as I did. I didn’t want his hand at least not right then at least. I took a step towards him and never taking my eyes off of his ember eyes. “Umm”, he mumbled I’m sure he was uncertain what exactly I was doing. I placed my hand against his chest letting my fingers drift down the soft red fabric under his black jacket. There was only one way I was going to get what I wanted and that was to make the first move. I brought my hand and brought his head towards my own. Closing my eyes I anticipated his lips against my own. His warm lips finding my own my body melting at his touch. Sevens arm suddenly wrapped around my waist pulling me even closer to him. I as the first to pull away leaving us both breathless. In embarrassment I tried to hide my flushed face from him. “Don’t hide,” he said his fingers cupping the back of my head as he pulled me in for another kiss. This time Sevens lips were much more fierce against my own. Seven allowed his tongue play against my mouth lining my lip as if asking for permission. There was no way I was going to let him have the upper hand. I leaned further into his firm grasp returning his kiss with just as much need as he was giving. I let my tongue trace his own lips just like his game and he welcomed me with his own tongue immediately making him tense before relaxing his arm wrapped around me. Our mouths and hands against each other danced in what felt like a burning flame against my skin in an all-consuming fire. Who knows how long we stayed like that our lips battling for the upper hand. I was not going to protest at where this was headed but at this rate someone will find us in an awkward position at some point. I pressed my hand against his chest to gently break the kiss. Both of our breathing unsteady and gasping for air. Seven leaned his head against my own. God he was an amazing kisser. I took a deep breath before replying "I like it fast". I watched as the shade of red spear across his cheeks leaving him once again lost for words. I didn't want to pull away from his embrace but I casually began to sit down in the passenger side seat leaving Seven almost stunned. "Good thing," he said before closing the door on the passenger side before almost sprinting to his seat in the driver’s seat.

The interior of the cherry red car was just as sleek and trimmed as on the outside. The striking contrasting black leather seats still had that new car smell. A completely up to date dashboard with latest features in newer models of cars. I would not be surprised if he didn't have hidden special feature. How could he afford something like this? What the hell did he do for a living? Even I don't make enough money to collect sports cars. He had to do something insane to be able to afford that car. At this point I didn’t really even care.

"Ready to hear this baby purr?" He asked sliding into the driver’s seat. Seven reached for my hand that was resting in my lap as he interlocked his fingers with my own and resting it on the shared arm rest. He smirked with a shy smile at the gesture before putting the keys into the ignition. I nodded biting my lip out of nervousness. With a turn of the keys the red beast turned on as the sleek lights illuminated the interior. You could hear the powerful engine humming as the car came to life as we left the R.F.A. party behind.

[oliver-dash]

I was inspired to write a scene near the end of my novel at work today. I wanted to share.

And then, suddenly, it was Oliver that stood. There was a collective gasp, a soft murmur sent through the circle, Grace and Zelda simultaneously jumping to their feet to help steady him.

“Get off. Off. I’m fine.” He grumbled, a soft laugh in his voice. “I’ve been walkin’ for days. Off.”

They backed off but didn’t stray far, brows furrowed in nearly matching concern as he limped to the chair at the head of the group. Dr. Woods smiled softly at him, carefully sliding a leather guitar case over to him. I realized then that they had planned this.

And then Oliver began to speak in his soft, grumbling tone, the most I had ever heard him say. He told us that he was born to a mother who was fifteen and a father who was twenty-seven. He said they didn’t want a baby but his mother was scared to go to Hell because of her Catholic upbringing. He said she made this very clear to him. He said he didn’t remember much from his childhood. He remembered sleeping in a bare room on a mattress on the floor with a sheet. He remembered sneaking out of his room to grab scraps of food before sprinting back to his room because he’d get a beating if he was caught. He said he remembered the rotting wood of the front steps, the wallpaper peeling off the walls, the broken window in the back.

He most vividly remembered the physical, mental, verbal, and sexual abuse from the hands of his father.

“My mom was… is, I guess, an artist.” He supplied softly. “The house was full of her paintings and drawings and pottery. She came home one day with this… beautiful, and I mean that, beautiful vase she’d made. It was… yellow and blue and green and… I don’t know. I was eight. I was the most pretty damn thing I’d ever seen in this fuckin’ house that the sun didn’t even shine in. And I told her I thought it was pretty. And she smiled at me. And kissed my forehead. And then I woke up in the middle of the night and heard her car start up and she was gone. I still… don’t understand. I don’t know… I don’t know. I’m not gonna dwell on it. She had her chance to explain.”

A week after his mom left, his dad brought in this new woman who was heavily pregnant. She gave birth soon after to a little girl they named Catherine.

I exchanged a glance with Zelda at this. He’d never, not once, mentioned a little sister. Her expression made it clear to her that he hadn’t disclosed the information to her either.

“I hated her.” He said softly. “Because my dad and her mom loved her. They loved her so damn much. Baby talked her, hugged her, rocked her. She was quiet, hardly ever cried. And I hated her.” He took a deep, shaky breath before explaining how this woman, Catherine’s mother, hated him more than his own mother, how she’d hit him, throw things at him, lock him out of the house in the pouring rain.

“That’s how I found the church.” He shrugged. “It was storming and cold… This big building had all these people walking in so I snuck in with them and sat in the back. And I listened. I listened like they were telling me the damn meaning of life. I’d never been told about God and about Jesus, about Mary and Joseph.

“The collection plate came around and I started crying. I didn’t have anythin’ ta’ put in the plate and I thought they’d kick me out, that God and Jesus and Mary and Joseph would hate me for not being able to give them money. But there was literally nothin’ I could give them. I didn’t even have shoes.” He opened the guitar case with reverence, a sort of shine in his eyes. “The preacher came to me after the service and I told him why I was cryin’. I expected him to hit me or to yell at me – all adults did. But he got on his knees and hugged me and told me that God wanted my love, not my money, and that I had love in my heart. I asked him if God and Jesus loved me. He told me they loved me the most. And I went to church every Wednesday and every Sunday after that.”

He lifted the guitar strap over his shoulder.

“The preacher, Father Jacobs, is the one who taught me to play the guitar. He died when I was almost ten. Catherine’s mother died on my tenth birthday. She had pancreatic cancer. Father Jacobs was just… old. Very old.”

He gave a slow strum of the guitar, picking at the strings with expert movements.

“My dad disappeared. Was out every night, destroyed by the fact that she was dead. And one night, Cat, she was… right at two I think. She came up to me and tugged on my shirt.” He chuckled, clearing his throat, but the tears in his eyes were unmistakable. “She looked up and told me she was hungry. Called me bubby. And she had me wrapped around her finger from that moment on. I would have done anything for her. I found places that would pay me to mow grass or do small odd jobs just ta’ have a little money so she could eat. When I got older I worked three jobs to make sure she had food and clothes and could do dance and soccer and have a nice room and toys. I worked my ass off in football because I knew it was the only way I was going to go to college. I was damn good too. Set to be quarterback in my junior year.

“I… took beatin’s every night so he wouldn’t go in her room. Blamed it on fights. Everyone in town hated me because they thought I was just like my dad anyhow, so they believed it.

“I was fourteen and she was six when we found out that she had cancer.”

There was silence in the room at this point, not a word from anyone.

“Somethin’ in her lungs. She would… loose her breath and have seizures because she wasn’t getting enough oxygen to her brain. I got her medicine, made sure she took it, stopped eating so I could pay for chemo treatments. I worked at a diner and they would give me a meal there for free when they found out.

“She still played soccer and danced. She was the smartest kid in her class, had a high school reading level – I know, I went to the teacher-parent conferences.”

“But I was starting to… lose my grip. I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t keep down food. I was smoking five packs of cigarettes a day that I stole from the damn gas station, more if I could get my hands on it. I was failing out of my classes, got kicked off the team because of it. I was lashing out, gettin’ in fights… And then my dog died . Little hound dog pup I’d found abandoned when I was seven. Fat, lazy mongrel I named Scraps. My dad beat him next to death but didn’t kill him and… I had to put him down myself. And I… goddamn it, I fuckin’ loved that stupid dog. He’d run with me in the mornin’s for about five minutes before he’d collapse under a tree and whine until I fed him. And… after comin’ home to that, I … I kept havin’ nightmares that I’d come home and he’d have done the same to Cat. I knew I had to give her up, that I… I had to report my dad and let them take her in the system, maybe get emancipated myself.”

“I went to the police and reported him February 17.

“My sister died February 18.” These words were said so soft I almost didn’t hear them. “She had gotten so bad and… We didn’t have anymore of her medicine and… my dad had stolen all of my money. I had been runnin’ back and forth all day with her, tryin’ to get some. We gave it to her when the pharmacy tech gave in, but… but we waited too long and it was too bad. She died in my arms as I was drivin’ over a hundred to get to the ER. And I… completely lost my mind. I… tracked my dad down. Found him at a bar. Threw him to the ground, was gonna kill him. It was his fault. It is his fault she’s gone.

“But I couldn’t actually kill him. I realized what I was doin’ that if… if Cat knew what I was doin’ she’d… she’d a been so damn disappointed in me. And I couldn’t take that.”

Oliver said his dad stood as he stopped fighting, the bar cheering on the father trying to hit his own son, but it took Oliver too long to realize there was a knife in his hand. He turned to walk away, but his father stabbed Oliver in the stomach before he could. Oliver pushed him back in reflex, saying the pain wasn’t like anything he’d ever felt, even with the broken jaw and busted up hip. His father slipped, tripped over a stool, fell back, hit his head just right on the bar and stopped moving completely.

“I panicked after that. Ran. And then I blacked out. The next thing I remember is waking up in my truck somewhere in Tennessee, about an hour away from where I lived. And I just… didn’t stop. I kept runnin’. And I’ve been runnin’ ever since. But I don’t… I don’t want to anymore. I want to be better and… kinder. I want to be who my little sister… I want to be who Cat would have wanted me to be.”

He positioned his fingers on the strings.

“So now that I’ve told you my entire life story, I wanted to play my sister’s favorite song. She… always said it was about finding happiness when things seemed dark and… I don’t know. I feel like that… fits. I want to find happiness with who I am and who I can be and… stop runnin’ from the past and quit hidin’ my memories of my sister. I’ve dealt with the pain and the mournin’ and… and I ain’t never gonna forget the way it felt the night she died. There’s a part of me that’s always, every second of every day, gonna feel that pain deep in my bones. But…” He gave a teary chuckle. “I know this sounds stupid. But when I was in that coma… I was with her. And she was… healthy and happy and was still playin’ soccer and dancin’ and she was with my damn stupid dog and he was runnin’ and floppin’ over in the shade and… and she was with her momma who loved her so goddamn much. I was with them for a while. And we talked a lot. And she…” He closed his eyes then, clearly trying to keep himself together. “I think I was in heaven with them. And she forgave me, told me I had to forgive myself. And… when I woke up, I… I decided to try.

“I’m joinin’ the marines when I leave here. If my hip heals the way it’s supposed to, I’m joinin’ the marines. I’m done actin’ like a… scared and broken little kid, like a damn selfish brat. It’s time for me ta be someone that I can be proud of and to… learn to be a man, have some order and some discipline. I think… I’m ready to live now that I almost died.”

He began strumming them, softly, carefully, as if the guitar was precious and fragile. But his voice, soft and smooth, deep and melodic, echoing through the room was enough to send chills down my spine.

I had to look up the lyrics for this song on Dr. Woods’ computer, but I wanted to get them right. This moment was too perfect, too beautiful, and much too cathartic to get wrong.

“Why are there so many songs about rainbows

and what's on the other side

Rainbows are visions

But only illusions

And rainbows have nothing to hide

So we've been told

And some choose to believe it

I know they're wrong, wait and see

Someday we'll find it

The rainbow connection

The lovers, the dreamers, and me

“Who said that every wish

Would be heard and answered

When wished on the morning star

Somebody thought of that

And someone believed it

And look what it's done so far

What's so amazing

That keeps us stargazing

And what do we think we might see

Someday we'll find it

The rainbow connection

The lovers, the dreamers, and me

“All of us under its spell, we know that it's probably magic

Have you been half asleep?

And have you heard voices?

I've heard them calling my name

Is this the sweet sound

That called the young sailors?

The voice might be one in the same

I've heard it too many times to ignore it

It's something that I'm supposed to be

Someday we'll find it

The rainbow connection

The lovers, the dreamers and me"

[acorpseontheground-blog]

hi let me answer 400 fucking questions

1. Name: Jace 2. Nickname(s): i dont have any 3. Birthday: June 1 4. That makes you (age): im almost 15 5. Where were you born (city): Vancouver 6. Location right now (planet ): in my house 7. Shoe size: uh like 8 womens 8. How many piercings?: two, almost pierced my septum 9. Tattoos?: no 10. When you wake up you're: tired and sad 11. When you're about to sleep you're: tired and sad 12. Zodiac sign: gemini 13. Chinese sign: monkey i think 14. Righty or Lefty: righty 15. Innie or Outie: innie 16. School: no Section Two: Looks 17. Nationality: im really white 18. Hair colour: like dirty blonde 20. Weight: idk like 140lbs 21. Height: 5′10 i think 22. Braces? no 23. Glasses? no Section Three: Private Life 24. Do you have a boy/girlfriend?: yeah 25. If so, who?: uh someone who was not interested in me at all for 7 months  26. If not, do you have a crush on someone?: i mean 27. Who has a crush on you?: i mean  28. Ever cheated on your bf/gf?: no that shit is disgusting dont talk to me if you do that  29. Who was your first kiss: someone that i no longer talk to. dont regret it being them though 30. Who was your last kiss: my bf  31. Are you a virgin?: uh  32. Ever had a threesome before?: no  33. NQ- Every been swarmed by ladybugs?: no whattheufkc 34. Have you ever been in love?: yes  35. Broken any hearts?: most likely  36. Got your heart broken?: well i broke up with someone idk if that counts as having my heart broken but i was devastated but i had to do it sooo idk   37. Ever liked a friend? yes ive only really liked 2 people and theyve been my friends because i cant trust people 38. What happened? they have liked me back at some point Section Four: Past Relationships 39. How many relationships have you been in?: two 40. How many were serious enough to count: two? 41. Who were those serious ones: first kiss, my bf 42. NQ- Who used to be your best friend: uhhhhh ig first kiss 43. What made them different: i really liked their personality and the way they presented/ i was head over heels for them for like idk 3 years 44. What happened: i wasnt mature enough to handle myself 45. Best boy/girlfriend: my fucking GIRLS taylor and claire 46. Worst boy/girlfriend: someone i recently cut off contact with  47. Ever been kissed: yes 48. Who do you want back: uhgdjgkjdfhgkjd goodbye 49. Who do you regret: no one, i think all experiences are good and if i regret someone i would hace never gotten those Experience Points 50. Why?: n/a Section Five: Favourites 51. Song: shit uhhhh like or like like by miniature tigers?? or falling for you by mxmtoom and peachy?? or cherub rock by the smashing pumpkins idk my taste is wack 52. Movie: as you are but i shared it with the person i recently cut off contact with so uh 53. Food: bro. pickles. i even drink the pickle juice when im done with the pickles. 54. Drink: orange crush man 55. Store: shopping stresses me out 56. Television show: uh black mirror? 57. Holiday: hallo fucking ween 58. Book: words on bathroom walls i think 59. Ice cream: cookie dough 60. Sweets: m&m’s 61. Crisps:  wjat 62. Type of music: i listen to a lot? i listen to electronic, indie, alternative, rock, those sad boy hour songs really whatever i have like three different playlists for my tastes 63. Artist: really into teen suicide rn 64. Word: uh 65. Time of day: 1 am outside watching the stars 66. Dressing: like. salad dressing or clothes 67. Alcoholic drink:  i dont drink anymore tryna stay away from that so i dont revert 68. Colour(s): i love blue 69. Piece of clothing: my fidlar hoodie that concert was wild i got punched in the head 70. Character: DELSIN ROWE  71. Smell: campfire 72. Shampoo: idk i use whatever is in the shower 73. Soap: i use whatever 74. Smiley:  idk 75. Board game: definitely monopoly i live out the fantasy of being rich 76. Sport: i dont care 77. Number: i still dont care 78. Quote: idk  79. Animal: still a wolf shut up meanies >::((((( 80. Actor: idc 82. Vegetable: broccoli ofc 83. Fruit: oranges  84. Place to be: on the hill 85. Thing in your room: my guitar and my ukulele my fuckibng babies dont touch them 86. Gum: uh 87. Shape: uh> 88. Country: uh? 89. Mall: i hate malls 90. Car: idc wow im boring 91. Boy's name: br idk  92. Girl's name: idk 93. Family member: my sister sh 94. Restaurant: pepper lunch is kind of the shit 95. Movie place: we literally only have one movie theatre 96. Person to go to the movies with: my friends 97. Noise: idk 98. Brand of shoe: vans theyre comfy 99. Brand of clothing: idk 100. Body part of a chicken: the gobble part the fuck is that called 101. Swear word: uh? fuck? 102. Month: october 103. Possession: ukulele and guitar again 104. Team: ? 105. Season: winter it’s cold and people can’t bully me for being pale 106. Radio station: who listens to the radio 107. Magazine: who reads magazines 108. Favourite grade: none they were all stressful 109. Least favourite grade: grade 1 110. Teacher: mme martin 111. Least favourite teacher: mme leclerc 112. Subject: band 113. Subject to talk about: music Section Six: Family 114. Who's your mum?: my mom 115. Who's your dad?: my dad 116. Any step-parents?: no 117. Any brothers?: yes 118. Any Sisters?: yes 120. Coolest: brother/sister 121. Loudest: my parents fuck 122. Best relative: uh 123. Worse relative: someone who hit on my sister 124. Do you get along with your parents? sometimes 125. With your siblings? yes 126. Does anyone understand you? lmao ugh no one understands me;((((( 127. Do you have any pets?:  yes 128. If so, what kind and name? dog, cat, rosie, thea 129. If not, what do you want as a pet?: i want a snake so bad Section Seven: School 131. Are you still in school? yes 132. Did you drop out?: yes 133. Your current GPA: idk what that is 134. Do you buy or bring lunch?: both, sometimes we cant afford anything so like i just dont eat 135. ABC's?: what 136. Favorite class: band 137. Play any sports at school?: no 138. Are you popular? HAHA no 139. Favourite memory: uh when i failed three classes i loved that :) 140. Most humiliating moment: idk 141. Most funniest moment: bro idk 142. Most scared moment: when i thought my school was gonna be shot up lmfao Section Eight: What do you think of when you hear 145. Chicken: bacawk 146. Dog: bark 147. Christina Aguilera: oUOouIA 148. Ricky Martin: who 149. 50 cent: bottle full of bub 150. Poop: uh 151. Beach: woosh 152. Desert: the sound of sand? 153. Water: woosh 154. Osama: oh  155. Love: the sound of when you are holding your breath and then you exhale because they left but you didnt realize you were holding your breath 156. Your little brother: i  157. Butt: what 158. Clowns: get that shit away 159. Wonder: wahtr 16o. Brown: brrpoqn 161. Banana: peeling noise 162. Sex: moaning?? 163. Parents: yelling 164. Homosexuals: what 165. God: nothing Section Nine: Do you believe in 166. God: idk not really 167. Heaven: idk 168. Devil: idk 169. Hell: idk 170: Boogy man: no 171. Closet Monsters: no but im always paranoid someone is in my closet 172. Fortune tellings: no 173. Magic:  idk 174. Love at first sight: idk 175. Ghosts: yes 176. Voo-doo dolls: no? 177. Reincarnation: maybe 178. Yourself: no Section Ten: Do you 179. Smoke: not cigs, i’ll vape but i dont have one of my own, and if you got weed and want me to smoke it with you sure 180. Do drugs: weed? 181. Drink alcohol: not anymore 182. Cuss: yeah 183. Sing in the shower: yeah 184. Like school: no 185. Want to get married: yeah 186. Type with all of your fingers: on the computer not really only my middle and index finger 187. Think you're attractive: not really 188. Drink and drive: no ive had some horrible experiences 189. Snore: i dont think so 190. Sleep walk: used to 191. Like watching sunrises and sunsets: yes omg  Section Eleven: Have you ever 192. Flashed someone: no 193. Gotten so drunk til you threw up everywhere: haha yeah 194. Told that person how you felt: yeah 195. Been arrested: n o 196. Gone to jail or juve: no 197. Skateboarded: yes im so fucking bad at it though 198. Skinny dipped: no 199. Rock climbed: yes 200. Killed someone: no 201. Watched porn: yes 202. Gone on a road trip: yes 203. Went out of the country: yes 204. Talked back to an adult: yes 205. Broken a law: yes 206. Got pulled over: no i cant drive 208: Cried to get out of trouble: no 209. Let a friend cry on your shoulder: yeah  210. Kissed a brother's or sister's friend: no 211. Kissed a friend's brother or sister: no 212. Dropped something on the floor and let someone eat it anyways: yeah 213. Moon someone: no 214. Shop-lifted: no 215. Worked at McDonald's: no 216. Eaten a dog: no 217. Give money to a homeless person: yeah 218. Glued your hand to yourself:  no 219. Kissed someone of the same sex: yeah 220. Had a one night stand: no 221. Smoked: not cigs 222. Done drugs: weed 223. Lose a friend because of your ex: i dont think so? 224. Slap someone for being stupid: lightly 225. Had cyber sex: no 226. Wish you were the opposite sex: at one point in my life i wanted to die because of it 227. Caught someone doing something: yeah 228. Played a game that removes clothing: no 229. Cried during a movie: yeah 230. Cried over someone: yeah 231. Wanted to hook up with a friend: no 232. Hooked up with someone you barely met: no 233. Ran away from home: yeah 234. Cheated on a test: yeah Section Twelve: Would you 235. Bungee jump: yes pls 236. Sky dive: yes 237. Swim with dolphins: yes 238. Steal a friend's bf or gf: no 239. Try to be the opposite sex: oh 240. Lie to the police: no 241. Run from the police: idk depends on the situation probably not 242. Lie to your parents:yeah 243. Backstab a friend for your own well being: no ew 244. Be an exotic dancer: no 245. NQ- Kill the president: dont have a president Section Thirteen: Are you 246. Shy: not shy 247. Loud: no 248. Nice: i think? im also kind of an asshole 249: Outgoing: not outgoing 250: Quiet: kind of 251. Mean: sometimes 252. Emotional: yeah? 253. Sensitive: no 254. Gay: no 255. Strong: uh idk 256. Weak: not physically 257. Caring: yes 258. Dangerous: no 259. Crazy: no 260. Spontaneous: no? 261. Funny: ive been told 262. Sweet: idk 263. Sharing: yeah 264. Responsible: yeah 265. Trustworthy: yeah 266. Open-minded: yeah 267. Creative: i guess 268. Cute: uh no 269. Slick: idk 270. Smart: no 271. Dumb: no 272. Evil: no 273. Ghetto: no 274. Classy:  no 275. Photogenic: sometimes 276. Dependable: yeah ive made some mistakes though 277. Greedy: no 278. Ugly: no? 279. Messy: kinda 280. Neat: kinda 281. Perverted: uh well im not asexual 282. Silly: what 283. A B****: sure 284. A Good Listener: yeah 285. A Fighter: yeah 286. A Party Animal: no 287. A Game Freak: i like games 288. A Computer Freak: no Section Fourteen: Future 289. Dream job: musician 290. Dream house: fuck idk 291. Husband/Wife: someone i love 292. Kids: like 2 293. Names: , 294. Pets: doberman pls 295. Car: idk 296. Age you would want to get married: like 30 297. Best Man/Bride's Maid: idk 298. Honeymoon: idk Section Fifteen: Your friends 299. Best friends: taylor, claire 300. Known the longest: taylor 301. Craziest: taylor 302. Loudest: claire 303. Shyest: taylor 304. Best hair: i love them all 305. Best eyes: taylor has like multicoloured eyes 306. Best body: bro no 307. Most Athletic: claire 308. Hot-Tempered: both 309. Most impatient: idk 310. Shortest: taylor 311. Tallest: claire 312. Skinniest: uh skinnier is taylor shes smaller in general 313. Best singer: idk neither of them sing 314. Funniest: both 315. Can always make you laugh: both 316. Wish you talked to more: i have like 3 friends so keira 317. Wish you saw more: keira 318. Who drives you insane after a while: claire 319. Who you can stay around forever and never get sick of: taylor 320. Ever lose a friend because you took it to the 'next level': no 321. Whose always been there when you need them: taylor and claire 322. Who is like your family: taylor and claire 323. How many friends do you have?: 4 324. How many are really close? 2 Section Sixteen: The last 325. Thing you ate: burger 326. Thing you drank: water 327. Thing you wore: im in shorts and a hoodie right now? 328. Thing you did:  dog walk 329. Place you went: dog park 330. Thing you got pierced or tattooed: my ears 331. Person you saw: my mom 332. Person you hugged: my mom  333. Person you kissed: my bf 334. NQ- Person you beat to a juicy pulp: idk but id like to beat some people to a juicy pulp 335. Person you talked to online: this bitch thunder that is annoying we dont talk anymore shut the fuck up bro 336. Person you talked to on the phone: my call log says my mom 337. Song you heard: beach walk by whitewoods 338. Show you saw: like concert? fidlar 339. Time you fought with your parents: idk like today 340. Time you fought with a friend: idk 341. Words you said: “yeah”  Section Seventeen: Now 343. What are you eating: burger 344. What are you drinking: water 345. What are you thinking: miss 346. What are you wearing: shorts and a hoodie 347. What are you doing: writing this 349. Hair: messy? im sick 350. Mood: gross 351. Listening to:  nothing 352. Talking to anyone: no 353. Watching anything: mr nightmare Section Eighteen: Yes or No 354. Are you a vegetarian: no 355. Are you a carnivore: no 356. Are you heterosexual: no 357. Do you like penguins: yes 358. Do you write poetry: sometimes? i dont share it 359. Do you see stupid people: yes 360. You + Me: uh 361. Do you like the Osbournes: never really watched it 362. Can you see flying pigs: egrhf 363. Do you sleep with stuffed animals on your bed: no 364. Are you from Afghanistan: no 365. Is Christina Aguilera ugly: no  366. Are you a zombie: no 367. Am i annoying you: yes 368. Do you bite your nails: yes 369. Can you cross your eyes: yes 370. Do you make your bed in the morning: no 371. Have you touched someone's private part: yes why would you word it like private part Section Nineteen: This or That 372. Winter or Summer: winter 373. Spring or Autumn: autumn im quirky hahahahahahha 374. Shakira or Britney: neither 375. MTV or VH1: neither 376. Black or White: mix of both is good 377. Yellow or Pink: pink 378. Football or Basketball: basketball 379. Mobile Phone or Pager: mobile phone 380. Pen or Pencil: pencil i feel safer 381. Cold or Hot: cold it’s easier to warm up than to cool down 382. Tattoos or Piercings: piercings but i want a small tattoo 383. Inside or Outside: uh both 384. Weed or Alcohol: weed 385. Coke or Pepsi: coke 386. Tape or Glue: tape 387. McDonald's or In-n-Out: mcdonalds Section Twenty: Opinions 388. What do you think about classical music: love it! 389. About boy bands: sure! 390. About suicide: i dont think people understand that someone who is suicidal, their perception is collapsed. even though they subconsciously know they have other options, they believe with every bit of them that is their one and only choice.  391. About people who try to force their opinions on you: choke  392. About teen pregnancy: make sure you can handle the child and have support. if not, get an abortion or put it up for adoption. seriously. only keep it if it’s something you want, not because you were being shamed. 393. Where do you think you'll be in 10 years: on hastings shooting up heroin idk  394. Who do you think you'll still be friends with in 5 years: taylor 395. About gay men: love yall Section Twenty-One: 396. Do you have a website: no 397. Current weather right now: uh cloudy 398. Current time:  8:15 pm 399. Any shout outs: no one follows me 400. Last thoughts: fuck,