#nothing was done and i was sent back to my parents after 2 weeks in a shelter bc they couldn't find the right kind of evidence to convict

[therealcocoshady]

Love Game - Part 3

A/N : After MONTHS of waiting… here is Love Game pt3 ! For those of you who weren’t there, you can find the first 2 chapters in the Masterlist (pinned post on my blog !).

If it weren’t for Denaun and his wisdom, you would have told Marshall to go to hell. Or rather, you would have sent him there yourself. After all, you weren’t exactly short on ideas how to kill him. You went over them in great detail as you vented to Denaun about his friend’s audacity. This lack of trust and complete disregard for the friendship you’d shared was enough for you to consider raising that baby on your own, but your best friend advised you against it. « We both know you’d come to regret your decision, Y/N » he said calmly over dinner, trying to level with you. You looked at him, crossing your arms, frankly pissed that he was siding with Marshall. « Oh, so you think it’s ok that he called me a slut?! Me, the mother of his child ?!» you asked with a glare. Denaun shook his head again, not backing down. « I’m not saying it’s ok. What I’m saying is : you’re a great mom and you want what’s best for this baby. And you do want them to know their father, don’t you? ». His tone was extremely calm, and he was annoyingly good at making valid points that didn’t go your way. « Well, if he thinks I’m such a whore, I don’t see why he would want to co-parent anyway » you mumbled.

It was clear that you were hurt, and that the few weeks that had passed since the confrontation hadn’t done anything to soften the blow. Denaun seemed to understand it, as he took your hand and looked not your eyes. « You have every reason to be mad. Hell, if you need me to say it out loud, I will : he’s an asshole. But you know as much as I do that, once he has proof that you’re carrying his baby, he will be a good father for this child. And your little one deserves to grow up, knowing who their dad is. It’s all about the baby». You looked down and nodded. As much as you wanted to make a point and prove that, if need be, you’d be an excellent single mom. But ultimately, he was right : it wasn’t about you. It was about the little one. You grabbed his hand and gave him a smile, full of gratitude. « Thank you, Nauny. I don’t know about the dad, but the baby is very lucky to have you as an uncle ». He gave your hand a gentle squeeze and looked into your eyes with the utmost seriousness. « I’ll always be there for you, Y/N. Both of you ».

You weren’t sure whether it was the hormones or just a regular emotional reaction to his kindness, but you couldn’t help the tears from welling in your eyes. « I don’t know what I would do without you, Nauny » you sighed. « You know… Sometimes, I wish you were the father ». He stared at you, staying silent for a couple of seconds. « Yeah, well… I’m not the one you took home that night » he sighed. You nodded, rolling your eyes. « That’ll teach me. No more fucking around with friends » you hummed before taking another bite of your burger, rather oblivious to the look of despair on your friend’s face.

A week later, the results came in : as predicted, the baby was, indeed, Marshall’s. To be fair, you had absolutely no doubt whatsoever regarding the matter. If they’d been any different, you would have been quick to fly to the Vatican and ask for an audience with the Pope so that your name was officially added to the Bible. You weren’t exactly fond of the idea of talking to Marshall directly so you arranged for the results to be sent to him in the mail, not even bothering with a letter or note. After all, the results spoke for themselves and all that was left was for him to eat his words. That same day, he called you and, though you debated for a quick second, you ended up taking the call. « Hey. It’s me. I, um…. I got the results » he said. « Right » you said in a tone that was as neutral as you could muster. « Are you… Are you free on Friday? We should talk. » he hummed rather awkwardly. « There’s nothing special to say for now, Marshall » you replied. « That baby isn’t due for another 22 weeks. Somehow, I don’t think there’s much for you to do, right now». You heard him let out a loud sigh on the other end of the line, and you could tell he was trying really hard not to go off on you. « We’re going to be parents. Both of us. Together. I think it’s actually important that we have a talk. So that we can… Prepare » he explained. You stayed silent for a couple of seconds, debating whether or not you were in the mood to do the right thing. But ultimately, the rational part of you brain, in which Denaun’s words were still echoing, ended up winning. « As you wish. My place. Friday. 6PM. Don’t be late ».

When Friday came around, you were thankful that Denaun had agreed to be with you. Somehow, you figured that the mention of you murdering Marshall was what convinced him, rather than the excuse of you needing emotional support. You knew your friend wasn’t keen on being caught in the middle of you and your baby daddy but, as much as you wished there was a way you could spare him, he was the person closest to you, the only one you confided in. When Marshall walked into your apartment and saw Denaun, he immediately froze. As far as you knew, they were on good terms, but he clearly wasn’t expecting him there. He quickly dapped him and looked at you with a confused frown. « You asked him here? » he asked in disbelief. You had promised Denaun that you’d be on your best behavior but you couldn’t help but clap back. « Well, unlike some people, Denaun has been here from the start. I trust him when it comes to the important decisions » you replied coldly. You could see Denaun stare at you disapprovingly, silently telling you off. Marshall sighed and shrugged. « Well, since we’re getting straight to the point… I have paperwork for us to go over » he said.

Your eyes opened a little wider. Paperwork. Seriously ? You gestured for him to sit on the couch and waited, as he handed you a small stack of paper. The first form was a non-disclosure agreement. As soon as you saw the title, you handed it back to him, absolutely refusing to have anything to do with it. « First you doubt my honesty and now what ? You decide to keep the baby a secret ?! » you exclaimed before turning to Denaun. « I gave it a try, Nauny. I really did. But if you think I’m going to-» you began yelling before Marshall interrupted you. « Will you just shut up and fucking read before you start screaming? » he asked in exasperation before continuing. « It’s not about keeping the baby a secret. I mean, of course, I want them to have privacy but I’m not going to hide the fact that they’re mine ! Who do you think I am ? Drake ?! It’s just standard procedure, so that nothing about our relationship as co-parents ends up in the media. My lawyers insisted ». You glared at him and took another look at the NDA. « Of course. You questioned my honesty in the first place. Why wouldn’t you think I’m after money ? » you scoffed. He stared at you in silence and rolled his eyes. « Again. Lawyers. Not me. Not that you care » he sighed, before glancing at Denaun. « I don’t know how or even why you put up with her. She’s fucking crazy » he mumbled. Your friend crossed his arms and looked at the two of you. « Stop. Both of you. You’re acting like children. You’re grown-ass adults, about to have a kid together, have some shame ! Marshall, you better show Y/N some respect. She’s carrying your baby ! And you, Y/N, you need to stop painting him as a villain. You guys obviously liked each other enough to mess around in the first place. So how about you show some of that appreciation when it comes to dealing with the consequences ?! » he thundered.

Both you and Marshall stared at him in silence, obviously not used to any outburst coming from Denaun. You stared down, while Marshall glanced sideways. « Now, I’m going to let you handle this as grownups and future parents. If you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen. And I better not hear any yelling » he threatened before leaving the room. The silence remained for a couple of minutes, before Marshall let out a sigh. « Look, it’s just… I told Paul about the baby, alright ? And he figured that paperwork might help figure out things. If it’s any comfort, it also states I’m not allowed to slander you or mention you in any track. And the rest… it’s just formalities. Like ensuring my name is on the birth certificate, making sure I have a legal right to see the baby, and that I give you child support » he calmly explained. You looked at him and nodded. « Alright » you said as you started to peruse the forms. « Denaun’s right, you know ? We need to act like… adults » he hummed, to which you nodded. « I know. It’s just not easy when the other co-parent pisses you off » you quietly replied. « But I suppose we’ll need to get used to it ». He let out a chuckle and leaned back in the couch as you read the forms. « Yeah, I guess ». When you finished going through the paperwork, you looked at him and sighed. « So… that’s what you wanted to do ? Paperwork? » you asked. « Mostly. I also wanted to know how you were doing. If the baby’s ok, or if you need something » he said. You hummed quietly, wondering if it your interactions would always have the same clinical and official undertone from now on. « Let’s see… Still nauseous but it’s definitely better. Craving for Italian, lately, if that’s of any interest. And, um… I have another ultrasound coming up. Other than that, that’s pretty much it » you reviewed. He thoughtfully nodded, as if he were making some mental note, though you weren’t too sure how that might concern him directly.

You made small talk for a bit and ended up calling Denaun back to the living room. As he walked in, he stared at both you and Marshall with a stern look on his face, much like a parent willing to make sure their kids had behaved as directed. « Everything alright? » he asked in an inquisitive tone. Both of you glanced at each other and nodded. « Yeah we’re good », Marshall assured him. « I should probably get going. Do you want to come by the studio later ? I’ve got beats ». Your friend looked at you and scratched the back of his head. « I would have loved to, man, but we made reservations for that Italian place Y/N is obsessed with, these days » he replied apologetically. Marshall paused for a second and hummed. « Right. Well… see you around, Y/N. And uh… you’ll call me if you need anything, right? ». You nodded and gave him a tentative smile. « I mean, sure. But unless you’re willing to hold my hair when I puke, I don’t think there’s much for you to do, you know? » you replied. He stared at you intently, his eyes going from your face to your belly, and shrugged. « Well, yeah, but… I don’t know. Like… if you have updates ? » he asked awkwardly.

The whole thing seemed haphazard. If a stranger were to walk in the room, they wouldn’t have been able to tell you and Marshall had ever been so… intimate. In that moment, it felt like you were two strangers learning to communicate. You but your lip, the realization being rather painful. After all, before all of this, he had been one of your favorite people on earth. Why he had turned his back on you this way, you weren’t too sure… but now, you didn’t have much choice, and you needed to do your best to mend things. Even though it felt like you weren’t at fault. You gave him a smile before grabbing an envelope from your handbag. « I don’t know if you… uh… I can show you the latest ultrasound if you’d like? » you offered. At your words, his eyes opened a little wider and he blinked even faster than usual. « Yeah. Ok. » he nodded. He got closer and you showed him the closest thing you had to a picture of your baby. You tentatively pointed the shadows on it. « So, here, there’s the head. And over there, that’s an arm » you explained. He seemed kind of fascinated by it, much to your surprise. « That’s really crazy » he whispered. You could see a smile form on Denaun’s face as he encouraged you, while Marshall was focused on the picture. « Do you want to keep it? » you offered. « Can I? » Marshall asked. « Yeah, sure. I have copies ». He grabbed the picture from your hand and carefully placed it in his pocket, before staring at you. « Thanks, Y/N » he said in a solemn tone. He leaned forward and, for a second, you almost thought he was going to hug you or kiss your cheek. But instead, he patted your shoulder in a way that made you wonder if he had actually ever interacted with a human being before. You even noticed Denaun raising an eyebrow. He went to dap Denaun and, before he left, you had to ask an important question.

« Uh, Marshall ? » you called as he stepped in the hallway. « Yeah? » he asked. « You… you said you were going to legally acknowledge the baby as yours, right? » you questioned nervously, to which he nodded, as if the answer was evident. « I mean, yeah. I think it’s what’s best » he replied, visibly wondering where this was getting. You thoughtfully hummed and bit your lip. « So…don’t you think we should tell the other guys in the group as well? ».

[emiliosandozsequence]

"yes," emilio said softly, with a smile that left his eyes untouched. "to help find the truth. to make me talk."

i'm going to throw up.

[unknownplane]

The Court Jester Part 2

Yandere Batfam x GN Reader

Pt. 1, Pt. 3, Pt. 4

As Batman questioned his life choices, his other children listened in on the conversation.

"So that's what happened to (Y/N). I thought they had just moved out." Tim stated.

"How did that weak-" Damian started but was cut off by Tim. "You didn't even know them! They were nice and understood how important our work was, so they tried to stay out of the way!"

Dick and Jason just blocked out the arguing as they started to remember all the things (Y/N) did for them. How they tried to help even in the smallest ways. Like how they would always make sure there was a fresh pot of coffee or how they would rotate the types of cookies in the manor so everyone got one they liked.

When (Y/N) first moved out, the first thing the family realized was how much they did. It felt weird the first couple of weeks, but they eventually got used to it. Seeing (Y/N) like this made them worry, even if some of them wouldn't admit it (Damian). This awoken something in each of them.

Dick saw someone who was with him since the beginning. Someone he could always trust to be there for him when he needed it, and now he could see it was gone. The twisted smile on their face showed all the pressure he and his family put on them, and he felt nothing but guilt.

Jason saw someone who went through something similar to him. He saw the torture in their eyes. He heard the manipulation in the words that came out their mouth. He knew that if he could just get to them and talk like they used to, it would all be fine. He was determined to get them back, and this time, they weren't leaving his sight.

Tim saw the calculation that went into this trap. He saw the brain of (Y/N), who even in this state was brilliant. He saw the planning, the research, the trail and error of each detail in this plan, all to catch Batman and have a conversation with him before your "Dad" got there. He wanted to bounce ideas off you. He wanted to talk about plans with you. He even wanted to just hang out and chill with you, but in order to do that, he would need to get you back. And when you came back, he would do all those things with you.

Stephanie saw the abandoned side of you. She realized that she didn't know anything about you. Your age, your favorite color, your birthday, she didn't even know your last name. She knows what it's like to have a distant relationship with a parent figure, and she wants to help. She wants to know all of those things. She wants to know you. And if you let her (you will), she wants to be the closest person to you.

Damian saw a weak follower who needed not only to learn but also needed to be protected. Even though you are older than him, he can see a flame in you that with the right training and teacher could become a full-on blaze. He would be that teacher. He would be the one you look up to. Nobody else. He just needed to get you back to start training.

They all looked at each other as if thinking the same thing,"Let's go get (Y/N)."

Back with (Y/N)...

"Dads gonna be so proud when he sees this! I mean, look at you! You look totally defeated!" (Y/N) said between giggles. They were giddy. They had talked to dad about if they could try something with the Bat, and surprisingly, he agreed. After the Bat was caught, they sent the signal to their father so they could show off their work.

Batman was tied to a chair. His utility belt on the floor as they made him make a choice. Drop your utility belt, or I will kill these two parents and make a boy and a girl orphans. They knew what they were doing. They knew it was wrong. But God did it feel good. To have his eyes looking at them and having him see what they truly are. Not their mother but (Y/N). Even if they look a little different now.

As the Bat was beginning to start a sentence the door busted open.

"Hello Peanut!" The Joker exclaimed as he came in. "Look at all the fine work you've done. My little Jester".

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

Thank you so much for all the support on the first part of this! Everytime I see your guys support I am baffled at how wonderful you all are. Quick question do you want this to be completely platonic or do you want some people from the family to be romantic? Also should I add more people from the DC Universe? Thank you so much for reading!

@asillysimp

[fictionalreads]

This Was Never Meant to Be What It Feels Like (Part 2)

A/N: Soooooo I couldn't help myself. Ya'll really showed me love on part one and it encouraged me to write this part. I'll admit this isn't my favorite piece of writing but it's necessary cause it sets up part 3😅 Give me a few days at least for that one though. Hope y'all like it. 18+/Minors DNI

Part 1 Part 3

Pairing: Armando Aretas x Original Female Character

Fandom: Bad Boys Movies

Song I listened to while writing: Back To Love by Robert Glasper featuring SiR and Alex Isley.

Prompt: It's been six months since Armando left Shay but things feel unfinished for him.

Warnings ⚠️: Talk of smut (y'all I can't write that shit, I tried and it was trash so I just talk around it)

Armando was only supposed to be in LA for a couple days. He was still a wanted man and he didn’t exactly enjoy putting himself at risk of being caught, but it was unavoidable. A contact had needed a job done and since being on the run, he wasn’t afforded the option of being picky when it came to money. Besides, Martinez had been helpful in getting him jobs so he considered the extra risk a favor.

Nobody wanted to work with a snitch. 

It didn’t matter that the feds had him serving life and he was just trying to survive, hopefully shave off enough time to not die in a cell. He was a rat and had nothing but enemies on both sides. Mierda, his parents had really screwed him over. His mother had ensured he would always be seen as a criminal and his father had ensured every criminal saw him as a traitor. He was destined for a life of solitude. 

Then he met Shay.

He had been eating at a restaurant frequented by his target, canvassing the place, when he heard her laugh. Usually he would ignore other patrons as he did his job but there was something so uninhibited about the sound that it captivated him. He looked up to find the source and saw her head thrown back in obvious joy, curly hair flowing freely behind her. Her eyes were damn near shut, smile big and bright. 

He was in LA for work but a little play never hurt anybody so he had his waitress send a drink to her and watched as he was pointed out. She lifted the drink he sent in a silent thanks and he raised his glass back, nodding at her with a smirk. He was aware when she had left and he finished his own meal and work soon after. He was unsurprised to find her waiting outside for him. That was the beginning of them.

He had thought once he had slept with her, they would both be satisfied and she’d be out of his system. A win-win situation, truly. But there was something about her that had him acting stupid. After he took care of Martinez’s problem, he laid low for a week, letting the heat die down. When it was safe enough to go back to Mexico, he just…didn’t. Instead he went and found her. He expected to have to work for it seeing as he left in the middle of the night and didn’t call for a week, but she let him back in.

So instead of going home like he should have, like he would have if he was smart, he stayed for her. He knew he should get the hell outta dodge, but he wanted to know her. So he called Martinez and picked up a couple more jobs he needed done out in LA and the surrounding area. When he wasn’t working he learned everything about her like it was his job, careful to never give her any real information, steering the conversation back to her every time. He was enchanted by her beauty, enthralled by her passion. Everything he learned about her got him closer to that dreaded L word.

Then he fucked up.

It had been three months of playing this dangerous game when she asked about him. He kew the day would come eventually when she wouldn’t allow him to just brush off her questions but he was somehow still unprepared and suspicious of her motives when it came. She had asked to know about his parents and he should’ve just fed her some bullshit story but he just got quiet. He realized he wanted to tell her. He wanted her to know him, the real him, and still choose him. So he had told her an edited version of his parents, only to immediately realize his mistake. He didn’t want to, but he was going to have to leave.

So after fucking out his feelings, he left. He went back to Mexico and told himself to forget about her. Except he couldn’t get her out of his head. For six months he was constantly reminded of her. Every woman that flirted with him was compared to her, every one of them coming up short. Every time he smelled shea butter and coconut, he thought of her freshly showered. Every time he needed a release, he pictured her blissed out face, his hand not nearly as good as the real thing. So he did something even dumber than staying in LA for three months.

He went back.

He watched her for a few days, Shay never knowing he was there. He watched as she went out with friends. He watched as they encouraged her when some fucker had the audacity to step to her and flirt. He watched as she went on a date with the man. A better man would have taken that as a sign that she had moved on and he should too, but he never claimed to be a better man. He watched as she gave restricted smiles, restricted laughs and came to the conclusion that this ‘date’ wasn’t doing it for her.

So he left them at the basic ass restaurant the guy chose and went to her apartment to wait for her. He found his way inside like he used to and set up on her armchair, turning on her lamp so as not to completely scare her. He waited almost an hour before he heard her keys in the door.

She clocked the light being on the second she walked in the door. 

To prevent her from running and calling the cops because she didn’t know it was him, he spoke, “hola Amorcita.”

“Armando?” She question in disbelief.

He stood and took in his fill of her before telling her what he’d been thinking all night, “you look beautiful. Nice night?”

She shut the door behind her and cautiously stepped past the kitchen to reach the living room. She was still too far, standing at the edge of her breakfast bar across the room. Why wouldn’t she come closer? On one hand, she could be pissed that he left her for six months. Something told him it wasn’t that though. If she was pissed she wouldn’t be trying to keep herself as far from him as possible, as if out of reach. No, instead she’d probably get close enough to slap him. A heartbreaking realization hit him. “Are you afraid of me now, Amorcita?”

Shay stood tall, facing him head on. “Your rap sheet says I should be,” she bit out.

There it was. The confirmation she knew who he was now, that there would be no more hiding behind omissions of truth. He tilted his head in contemplation, “that’s not what I asked.” Was she not phased by who he was? Or was she just biding her time?

When she didn’t say anything else, he slowly walked to her. He could feel the energy in the room shift and amplify. He still wasn’t sure if she was gonna knee him and run or invite his touch. He wasn’t sure if he could take the betrayal from her, but he would understand. Any sane person would run from the likes of him.

When he stood mere inches from her he ghosted his fingers over her arm, noticing her intake of breath. “Are you afraid of me now, Amorcita?” He repeated, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

Shay looked up, her eyes meeting his, “no.”

“Maybe you should be,” he brokenly admitted.

She lifted a hand to cradle his face, “You’ll never hurt me that way.” She said it so surely, as if she could see into him, see his soul. There was no doubt in her voice, her sureness both a surprise that she felt that way and a relief that she understood.

It didn’t escape his notice, however, that she was very distinct in her words. He may not have hurt her physically but he had hurt her all the same.

“I’m sorry for leaving, Alma.” He turns his head to place a kiss on her palm.

She gave him a slight smile. “I get why you did.”

“Doesn’t mean it hurt you any less or make me any less sorry.” He placed his hands on her waist, pulling her even closer, her hands going around his neck. Her scent took over his senses, clouding his thoughts.

She didn’t refute what he said, just reached up to press her lips gently against his in a quiet acceptance. When she pulled back he stared into her eyes, wondering if this was real, wondering how she could be real. He saw nothing but the love he wished he could keep. Unable to stop himself, he drew her in for a longer more passionate kiss. It was slow as if they had all the time in the world, or rather if time and the rest of the world didn’t exist. He hoped she felt the words he couldn’t say aloud.

He felt her hands stop their playing in his short hair and move towards his shirt buttons. Before she got to the first one, he pulled back and held her hands in his own, needing to tell her, owing her and her loving heart the truth.

“I can’t stay.”

Eye to eye, love and determination shining bright in hers, she whispered, “I know.”

From there, clothes shed quickly and they made their way to the bedroom. They both knew this was a goodbye, closure for them both. Their last attempt at an ending had felt lacking, like there was more to be said. This time it was all laid out in front of them. Emotions may not have been said but they were felt and known, the reality of their situation acknowledged.

This time they would both take what they needed, giving them a more satisfying conclusion.

After she fell asleep he fixed his gaze on her white ceiling, wishing things could be different for them, wishing he could stay and give her the life she deserved rather than a few memories she’ll hopefully look back on with fondness. He allowed himself a few minutes more of wishful thinking and soaking in the feeling of being with her. When it came time to leave, he hated himself for it, but he laid her on the bed and quietly collected his things. Finding a pen and a scrap piece of paper, he scribbled out a note for her, leaving it where he should have been laying next to her. He spared one last look at her before leaving her for good this time.

If you ever need anything, find Detective Mike Lowrey. Miami PD.

-A

A/N: How we feeling about this part? Let me know what your favorite line was in the comments! Don't be shy with the comments and reblogs, they motivate me. Likes are appreciated too!

Translations:

Mierda - Shit/Damn

Amorcita - Little Love

Alma - Soul/soulmate

Taglist: If you request to be on the taglist, you're agreeing that you're 18 or older.

@yeahnohoneybye

[omgjumin]

Collegebf! Nanami and Yn fooling around and making out in the dorms 👀👀👀?? Ugh my head is filled with FILTHY thought for this man 😭

making out with collegebf! nanami kento!

tags: suggestive, making out, choking (kind of, not rlly), hinted hand kink, mentions of hickeys, thats it, gn! reader

notes: literally ME TOO especially after this jjk season 2 trailer just dropped, i am having MAJOR brainrot with this man. (this was supposed to be done three weeks ago but writers block 🤕)

you didn't intend this to happen but with nanami on top of you, his legs straddling each side of your body while one hand is pinning yours to the bed and the other is wrapped around your neck and his lips dancing around with yours, it seems like this was on purpose.

his blonde hair that was once neatly slicked to the side, how it usually is, was now a mess. his hair stuck onto his face, whether it was due to how the hot the room was or how close to you he was, he didn't know and he didn't care. he was all over you, hands running up and down your sides, grasping any and every piece of skin he found. and oh my god, he was entranced with you.

today was the day you finally finished moving into your college dorm, everything was unpacked with the help from your friends, family and nanami, your boyfriend. and to no one's surprise, nanami had already moved in, a week before you did so he had all the free time to help you. and when he found out your dorm was no less than a hallway down from his, he couldn't help but let his thoughts become plagued with you.

"thank you guys. i'll finish the rest of my clothes myself, you can go now. bye bye, thank you." you said as you sent off both your parents and friends. "kento, you too. i don't know when my roommate will be back." nanami hummed softly as if he was in agreement with you but he did nothing to start leaving. "kento, seriously, i don't want to set a bad impression on my roommate by having a guy over already."

"mhm." he hummed once again, not listening to a word you said as he sat down on your bed. "kent-" the words escaped your lips as nanami pulled you in by the waist, hands wrapped around your body as you fell on top of him. you stumbled over nothing but you could've sworn something was there to trip you for you to end up like this. nanami's eyes were stuck on you. his eyes beamed with love but with the hint of mischievousness under the dimmed dorm lighting. his hands and yours were intertwined as nanami tilted his head up for a kiss. you take one glance down at his lips before looking over at the door, your ears perking up for any footsteps approaching. "just one kiss, i swear i'll leave after this." you hear nanami say, although you know damn well he won't.

this is what makes you think, you know for a such a serious academic student, he sure does play around a lot with you. you feel like a teenager again around nanami. you quickly meet his lips which only causes nanami to smile against you. a small hushed laugh comes out of his mouth before he completes the kiss, his hands coming up to push your hair out of your face. the kiss only lasts for a few seconds before you pull away, you aren't going to fall into his trap, well, at least not this time. "okay, that was one kiss, you can leave now." you mention his deal from just a minute ago however, it seems nanami has forgotten this as he hums in confusion while he presses soft kisses on your neck, surely with the best intentions.

"nanami kento, i swear, my roommate-" you want to warn him yet as your voices cracks due to his persistent kisses against your skin, you shut your mouth and just wish really fucking badly that your roommate does not walk through that door anytime soon.

nanami's lips are all over you, his breath tickles down your neck as he leaves small kisses near your shoulder. once again all nanami does is hum at your warning, well it's baseless to him anyway. his teeth tug at small parts of your skin to leave marks of some kind, wanting to mark you as his. as if your phone lockscreen, his initials on a necklace and your very apparent promise ring wasn't enough to show that already. his hands hold your neck, not enough to choke you but to hold you in place. your mouth opens in a squeak, your eyes followed his every movement. you ran your fingers through his ruffled blonde hair, nanami letting out a low groan as you did so.

his university sweatshirt the one that matches yours was becoming too hot for him. maybe it was you, maybe it was him, or maybe the dorm, he didn't know. he didn't get the time to think about it before he crashed his lips onto yours. his hands cradling your neck to get you closer to him as if you weren't close to him enough. "god, i love you so much." he mumbles into your lips finding himself way too entranced with you.

as soon as nanami connects his lips with yours, your heart rate picks up. you swear you could hear it from a mile away. it was beating so loudly but the only thing you could hear was your synced breaths with his. with each inhale, nanami deepened the kiss, his teeth biting your bottom lip, as if pleading for more. nanami needs more and so let him. your roommate was the last thing on your mind as you feel nanami's hand slide under your shirt. his hands are cold but nanami feels like he's on fire.

all you can think about is him, your lips moved together and all you can taste is him. the slight taste of coffee slips right into your mouth, probably from the coffee he had earlier this morning. you can't help but want to devour him more as your lips wrapped around each other. your heart was pounding and your stomach couldn't help but twist in butterflies from the way his cologne filled your senses. a small scent of a fragrant citrus with a hint of an earthy saffron. maybe you smelled hints floral and ocean breeze on him but as you continued to breathe him in, you couldn't help but to get drunk off of him. your head is starting to get dizzy. was it because of the lack of oxygen flowing in you or was it because of nanani, you didnt know but you didn't want to stop.

but then the door handle turned, voices were heard and footsteps coming to a hault. the silence was deafening as you stared at your roommate and back. your body froze in the act, even though you weren't doing anything scandalous (yet), you felt like a deer caught in the bright headlights in the dark. and finally all nanami could do was laugh softly, as your roommate murmed something about being back later. "i guess i get to have more time with you."

"kento, get out."

[sugolara]

♫ My butterfly stomach

Ft. Shota, Katsuki, Hitoshi, Izuku, Shoto, Eri & gn! reader

Synopsis: Born by dysfunctional parents, Shota Aizawa takes it upon himself to adopt a litter of kids to give them the best chance life could offer them. Or... [A family with different parents try to beat any obstacle that come their way, though they couldn't have done this without the help of their adopted father; Shota.] Cw: language, drinking, smoking, substance abuse, death mention, a bit of angst, quirkless! au, humor, slight sexual themes nothing to graphic, gender neutral reader!, updates once a month or so Honorable Supporting Cast: Denki Kaminari [The best friend], Kyoka Jiro [The friend], Eijiro Kirishima [The love interest], Ochaco Uraraka [The friend], Tenya Iida [The love interest/Ex], Mina Ashido [The friend/Ex], Momo Yaoyorozu [The love Interest], Hanta Sero [The love interst] & other extras that aren't important Music of the chapter: Totally Wired — The fall

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"Oh, fuck me, we got cooking!" F/n grunted as they stepped inside the classroom. After parting ways with Hitoshi, the rest had entered the classroom together as they had the same teacher; Hizashi. Luckily for F/n, Denki, and Hanta, Hizashi was a laid back teacher and mostly used up the entire class time in just letting everyone hangout, not to mention the blonde was a family friend to the Aizawa's. Entering the classroom, almost everyone was there.

From behind, Katsuki entered and stood by F/n as he had just escaped a horde of fangirls circling Shoto, leaving him behind to deal with the mess, "Your psychotic boyfriend said to answer his texts or he's going to slash dads tires, again."

"Seriously?" Annoyingly, F/n reached into their pockets to retrieve their phone and lo and behold, a hundreds texts from Neito were popping up as every second passed, "Jeez, talk about being famous."

Next to them, Kyoka joined, removing her scarf, "Totally forgot you were dating that guy. How long has it been?"

"Way to fucking long." F/n drew out, swiping the notifications away with a bored look, but also joining in was Eijiro who gave F/n a dead look. "It's been two weeks. Two weeks since he's slashed Mr. Aizawa's tires three times and not only that, but sending me death threats. What kind of guys do you date, F/n!? That's the fourth one!"

"Wait, I thought you said someone else sent you death threats?" Hanta asked, as he recalled the day the red-head had jumped into his yard in the middle of night screaming about someone chasing him.

Denki laughed as he also remembered that day after staying at his home when his parents took off, "Was it the one that tried doing the spell on you?"

"Spell?" Katsuki looked at his best friend, "Didn't you say someone chased you down the whole way home?"

Kyoka gave a look at F/n, "Seriously, F/n?"

Sputtering, they placed their phone away, forgetting to text back Neito, "I thought he said it was someone else."

"Does that matter?" The red-head huffed, "That brings me back to my point. What kind of people do you date?"

"They're not all bad." F/n said, though not even they believed it.

"The only one who wasn't bad was Four eye." Katsuki scoffed, "And you fucked that up."

Sighing, Kyoka glanced at the door as more people flowed in, "You just got a knack on dating people with issues who believes that you'll be the one to change them. Then when they fall in love with you and basically devote their life to you, you dump them or ignore them."

"...Wow." Hanta eyed F/n, "I'm pretty sure that's some kind of...fetish."

"It is." Katsuki rolled his eyes, "And it's fucking weird. Then you act like you have no idea what you did when they start pulling shit like slashing tires and sending death threats."

"I'm not into that, okay?" F/n rolled their eyes, crossing her arms when she saw Shoto, Izuku, and Ochaco. Just behind them, F/n could see Hizashi, a few other students that were transferring out of 2-B and lastly, Tenya who let their eyes stare on him, waiting for him to notice, "It's not my fault some people are crazy and decide to come to me."

Eijiro shook his head, "I'll be sending my condolences to the next person you date."

"Imagine it's you." Denki joked, laughing with Kyoka as Hizashi stood in the front of the class and clapped his hands, gathering everyone's attention as the final bell rang. "Alright class, settle down and form a line. We got a couple students from Class 2-B, so lets try to keep things low-key."

"I know he did not just say that." Kyoka mumbled while Denki tried to contain his laugh as Yamada continued his speech. Having everyone introduce themself, Denki's snickers halted as his eyes widened at the sight of a student. He elbowed F/n who also had the same expression as they both whispered, "Isn't that the chick you dated? Mina, right?"

"Ohmyfuckinggod." A big breath was inhaled as F/n tried hard not to make eye contact, but unfortunately, Mina noticed and waved her fingers. The action caught the attention of F/n's brothers as well as her friends and Tenya, "Shegoingtokillme."

"How bad was the breakup?" Denki murmured as he eyed F/n state. He didn't recall it being terrible. In fact, he remembered F/n saying Mina was the best he's ever had—though he was sure F/n was referencing something else.

"Well, it wasn't bad." F/n said, Yamada's voice going on in the background, "She was just crazy, like crazier than me."

Katsuki let out a soft scoff next to them, "Yeah, right. I'll believe that when I see it."

"I'm being legit." F/n said.

Clapping his hands, Yamada let out a brig grin, "Alright! Now that we got that out of the way, let's start the first day of school fresh and begin with baking a cake!"

Everyone in class groaned which made Hizashi whine, "Aw! C'mon guys, be excited! We get to bake cake! Think of this as a way to get along with your new classmates—I'm looking at you Katsuki."

After partnering up with people, F/n was left without a partner which was a bother. The last thing F/n wanted to do was do all the work so groaning, they took their problems to Hizashi, "Why do I get to be by myself!? Everyone else gets to be partnered up and have fun, but you're telling me I have to work by myself!? I mean look at Denki and Shoto! They get to have fun and, oh, let's not forget the last time when Denki almost burned the entire school! And we got a set of most likely crazy fucking classmates! Why do you always have to single me out!?"

A breath was then released from them as F/n patted Hizashi's shoulder, "Excuse my language, Uncle."

Staring at F/n, he sighed and pointed to the back table, "Fine, go partner up with Tenya."

"Err..." F/n let out, eyes flickering towards his station, "...Perhaps there might be someone else?"

His only answer was walking away, leaving F/n to fight her thoughts as they slowly walked to Tenya's table, thankful in him noticing. However, when F/n arrived, his eyes moved to her and unconsciously a smile was placed on their lips, "Yo..."

His eyes stayed on her for a brief moment and all those feeling came crashing down on them both, but they both masked it. His way was letting out a quiet sigh and handing an apron to F/n, "Don't think I won't make you work. Put this on and read me the steps."

Thankfully, this was going smoothly, "Alright, so...the first step is..."

After a while of watching Tenya whisk the batter, F/n eyed the room where again they made eye contact with Mina, "I wonder why they even had students switch out."

"Personal issues." Tenya responded, eyeing their distracted form and unknowing of the look F/n was sharing with Mina, "I suppose it has to do with Minoru and a few girls. It's not safe and it was about time."

"Yeah, well, I'm going to miss our other classmates." F/n then mumbled, "Not that I even bothered to know them."

Subtly rolling his eyes, he nudged his head towards the back table, "Go ask Shoto or Denki for half a cup of flour."

When F/n stood up, Tenya gave them a stern look, "Half a cup."

"Jeez, acting like I can't listen." F/n mumbled, stalking off towards their brother's station. Arriving, a snicker left their lips, pointing at the cake, "Man, what the hell are you trying to do? Create a radioactive?"

"We're not done." Shoto gave them a brief glare, "And don't go acting like yours is any better when I know it looks exactly like ours."

"FYI, it is." They pointed to their table where Tenya cracked two eggs. A smirk had been plastered on their lips, "I got the best of the best."

"And how's that working out for you?" Shoto said, choosing to ignore that his friend had spoken of F/n. Surprisingly, there was still some feelings left in the way he spoke of them which was mostly out of concern. Concern of how F/n would do without Tenya keeping them from trouble. 

"Eh." F/n shrugged, sitting on the stool.

"No fair." Denki whined, setting the flour down, "You got Stick-up-his-ass. Knowing him, he'll let you do nothing so they can pass."

F/n snickered as Shoto looked at them, "Did you need something? And it better not be here to mess with us. I'm trying to make dad proud."

"Psh." F/n waved at him, "Please, the only ones who need to make him proud are me and Katsuki. You're like an, ehh, on his list."

"Where do you land?" Denki asked, picking the shells of an egg that landed on the batter.

"Below Katsuki." They proudly admitted, however, hearing Tenya calling for them, F/n got back on task, "Anyways, I need a cup of sugar."

"You know, I was thinking of putting in strawberries. I saw that girl Mina still had some." Ochaco hummed, looking at everyone's cake before looking back at Izuku with a smile "Oh, did I tell you? Katsuki offered to tutor me, which I found weird, but then I realized he keeps looking at this girl that hangs out in the library for lunch. So, pretty soon he might have a girlfriend! And another member into this sad, depressing group."

"Kacchan?" Izuku looked at her, unbelieving that he'd go out of his way for a library girl, "Yeah, right. She's probably just a quick bang if he's willing to put in the effort. She'll just be another name on his list."

An expressionless look was on her face, "Why do guys do that? It's degrading."

"Not all do that..." He mumbled, looking at the cake, "I don't do that."

"That's because I'm the first you've ever been with." She returned to her cake, ignoring the look Izuku gave her, "Go grab the strawberries from Mina."

A quiet sigh left him as he grudgingly made his way to the pink-hair, passing Katsuki who shook his head at Eijiro. An ashamed look was on his face, eyes glaring between the red-head and the cake, "Look at this shit. How the fuck do you manage to screw a cake when the instructions are right in front of you. What are you—Icyhot and Sparky?!"

Eijiro nervously chuckled, the batter on the spatula dripped onto the floor, "Uh...you can't blame me when the font is small and there's no pictures—and to be fair, I did warn you. Why do you think my dad does the cooking?"

"The fuck does your dad have to do with this!?" The blonde exasperatedly looked at him.

"I don't know!" His voice quivered, "Man, I'm having a hard time and you're not making it any better!"

"Oh my fucking god."

When the timer on Hizashi's desk went off, the cakes in the oven were now ready to be decorated. The teacher passed by each station, giving occasional thumbs up at those that looked good, but when he got to Denki's and Shoto's, his face well, "Well, what's going on here?"

Denki frowned down at the monstrosity, "I don't know. We followed the instructions. It kind of looks...sad."

Hizashi hummed, crossing his left arm over his chest while the other arm was placed on his chin. He glanced at the book, deciding it was best to not mention they were following a completely different recipe, "It's a little more than sad, Denki."

"Wait, maybe we're just looking at it wrong." Shoto said. He and Denki then tilted their heads to get a better look, ignoring the face Hizashi gave them.

Finally, lunch arrived and with the hall crowded the group took their time in getting to the cafeteria. With the overworked workers, there would be plenty of food. With the breakup still in the air, the group was divided, though no one took it to heart. Going with Tenya went Shoto, Izuku and Ochaco. The rest stayed with F/n.

"Where's Katsuki?" F/n asked, looking at Kyoka.

She shrugged, looking at the Menu above them, "I saw him and Eijiro head off the other way. Something about looking at a book."

"Katsuki's showing him the girl he's trying to bang." Denki scratched his cheek, eyes on the menu, "You guys got money? My folks left nothing again."

"I got you." I love you, Kyoka. "We should tell that Mina girl to join us."

"Are you crazy?" F/n eyed her, "She's an ex. We don't hang out with any ex's."

"Tenya still hangs out with us." Kyoka said, grabbing money from her pockets, "So who care's if she's your ex-girlfriend. I talked with her and she's pretty funny." 

Looking at their table they claimed in their first year, Denki grinned, "Well, who cares what you think, F/n. Hanta already beat you to it."

They looked back and once again F/n stared into the yellow eyes of the girl. "See? What did I say? She looks like she wants to kill me."

"You're overreacting." Kyoka rolled her eyes, picking her tray and letting Denki grab his before they made way to their table. Moving forward and grabbing their lunch, F/n was suddenly stopped and their heart almost leaped out of their chest when Neito jump scared them. They placed a hand on their chest, "You need to wear a fucking bell, dude. Could've gotten a heartache."

"I'm breaking up with you." He crossed his arms.

"W-What?" There were people around them, but neither of them cared, even when they shockingly looked their way. "Why?"

"Because you're an asshole." He looked up and down at them, "And that says something when it comes from me."

"Well, you can't call me an asshole when I didn't even do anything." F/n said, thinking back to when they behaved like one, "What did I do?"

"Exactly! What did you do?!" He threw his arms in the air before counting his fingers with a glare, "You don't answer my calls, you can't even both bother to text me and apparently you can't even hang out with me?! I'm you're fucking boyfriend, F/n! This whole time the relationship has been one-sided!"

"You only counted three..." F/n mumbled, though it went deaf to his ears.

"And don't even think I don't know how you look at Mei." He threateningly said, "You're a dog. Don't come back to me when no one else will love you."

Before F/n could utter a word, his glare was changed into a smile and he shoved past them, "Anyways, good luck in life you're going to need it."

Unsure of how to react, they continued to watch their now ex-boyfriend with an unreadable expression. They should have felt hurt by the insults, but to be fair, Neito was right. With the blonde leaving the cafeteria—and the hot ginger following behind—F/n returned to the group who had seen everything, "So...Neito broke up with me."

"Oh, shit." Mina, catching the eyes of others, said. Despite them used to dating, she never that bother her. It was in the past and they left on neutral terms. The only reason why she was eyeing F/n was so in hopes they can be friends as F/n was fun and though F/n was anything far from loyalty, they were still loyalty in a friendship. Whatever that meant, "Are you okay?"

F/n shrugged, sitting next to Hanta who masked their joy with a frown. "It was for the best, F/n. He was batshit crazy."

"Yeah–" Hitoshi swallowed his food, unbothered by the breakup as it wouldn't and would never be the first, "I'm surprised he even did it. You're both a match made in heaven and you both did everyone a favor in dating each other."

"Is that really what you say after a breakup?" Mina looked at him.

"Hitoshi speaks his mind." Kyoka informed her, "Don't take anything he says to heart."

"Ehh, you two will get back together." Denki chimed in, biting into his chicken as Kyoka kicked his shin.

After a while of staring off into space, trying to feel heartbroken, F/n gave up. A grin was placed on their lips, "Did you guys hear Mirio, from last year, is hosting a party this weekend?"

[cloveroctobers]

DECEMBER PROMPTS 🧊 — 3. MICHAEL “MIKEY” BERZATTO

A/N: I want to attempt to make this a bit lighter but with the way the bear is set up? Happiness is a process. 🥂 Also this takes place BEFORE 7 fishes? Maybe a year or two prior, so thats probably six or seven years ago from now? The timeline isn’t overly important with this show so whatever your brain feels is cool with me! Also decided to do this in headcanon/note form this time around because things are definitely about to get hectic for me. Merry Christmas Eve or Happy Holidays to you all! 🫶🏽 hope its filled with nothing but greatness + all things that are lovely and not chaos.

PROMPTS ARE FROM HERE + I’m using: SCENARIO — 4.) Decorating the tree + DIALOGUE — 2.) “You know what they say, don’t eat yellow snow.”

<- read my previous December anthology prompt here.

⋆⁺₊❅⋆ ⁺₊❆⋆𐙚 ⋆⁺₊❅⋆ ⁺₊❆⋆𐙚 ⋆⁺₊❅⋆ ⁺₊❆⋆𐙚 ⋆⁺₊❅⋆ ⁺₊❆⋆𐙚 ⋆⁺₊

Michael Berzatto always loved cold weather and sure his birthday happened to always fall on a brutal cold day… he always put more effort into everyone else’s.

It’s something he’s always done and maybe it had to do with his childhood where most birthdays his own parents forgot about it, treating it as any other day because that’s simply how they viewed their own and wouldn’t even get him a card at least.

He grew up fast and pushed those terrible feelings as far down as they could go and focused on caring for everyone else.

Lucky for him, he had his younger siblings that always managed to put a smile on his face, showing him that they wouldn’t ever forget

and a shit eating grin would also appear thanks to his best friend Richie who always showed up with packs of beer and encouragement to head out to a strip joint but somehow Tiffany always figured out that plan!

a gallon of warmth poured into his chest when you would call him at midnight or the break of dawn, wanting to be the first to send him well wishes for another year.

You were always something special to Michael.

Which is why on the morning of November 15th, he showed up to your place, just to tell you later that you were going tree hunting while he went down to Chicagoland to get the rest of his hours in.

He heard how bummed out you were about your boyfriend not being in town (yet again) to go get a tree for the place you moved into back in July.

Michael didn’t particularly hate the guy but he also felt like he didnt care enough as much as he should with someone like you.

He was always elsewhere and Michael was just praying that he didn’t ask you to marry him and call it selfish but he didn’t see a glimmer in your eyes when you looked at the guy.

Michael felt like you two were just dating out of convenience—until you both found better, which YOU would but you didn’t seem to see that.

Which of course sparked arguments and the guy walked in on that argument, demanding to know what was going on and you didn’t want to escalate the situation so you sent a warning glance for Michael not to take it there.

He never listened.

A ban from the house was laughable to Michael because who tf did this guy think he was to tell him to stay away from his best friend’s house? He maybe “the man,” of the house but he wasn’t man enough to love you. You have to show you care in a relationship and put in the work and this guy wasn’t it. You were an after thought and that pissed Michael off.

and he didn’t give a shit if the guy was 6’6 and built like a linebacker, it was fair game in mike’s eyes! Michael would say what he felt and he was super protective over you—which you appreciated but not in that moment.

Before hands could ever go flying and out of the respect he has for you, he said his peace and left the home—since thats what you wanted…with the both of you not speaking for a week—which was painful.

And also painful to Richie’s ears because Mikey wouldn’t shut up about it!

You as a topic? Was never on the low.

“Are you finally gonna admit to the audience that you’re sweet on them, Mikey Boy!?” The amusement was clear in Richie’s piercing blues and Michael was tempted to smack it right off.

“Shut your mouth and get back to work, ya bastard!”

Michael knew the guy talked shit about him behind his back but regardless Michael was in your life WAAAY before this guy was even a factor! He wasn’t going anywhere,, unless you told him to but he hoped that never happened.

Your boyfriend didn’t like how you kept Michael around but he knew how to put on a mask too, being a FBI agent and all that, which means he was hardly around anyway so…that gave Michael more time with you in the end, which definitely made your boyfriend more irritated when he bothered to check in from work!

Michael found it funny that your boyfriend thought he was doing something by flying back to Indiana with you to spend (the controversial holiday) thanksgiving with your dad, step-mother, and half-siblings just to disappear again into his work as soon as the both of you returned to chicago.

While he was off on a case, Michael was there taking on the failed promises, which included: tree shopping.

Having a hybrid schedule, working as a publisher and just starting a meeting with a client, you were caught off guard the morning Michael greeted you on your front steps on HIS birthday.

He was all grins and barely in the appropriate wear for the approaching winter but fr! a hoe never gets cold you know? “You asked what i feel like doing for my birthday, right sweetheart? Spending it with you doll face and gettin’ us a tree, how’s that sound?”

You can can barely get any words out due to being on a call but a sweet smile that actually matched your eyes was enough confirmation—although it was on the tip of your tongue to argue, Michael took that to his advantage that you couldn’t in that moment.

Which didn’t mean you wouldn’t hammer him with texts a little later—but Michael sucked at texting so your attempts would probably go unseen anyway.

It was around six, you just got off thirty minutes ago and went to freshen up, ready to text Michael when he’s already at your door, keys in hand, shining teeth of a smile, your favorite sandwich in hand: a wrapped Porchetta, chicken parm, or a caprese sandwich (if you don’t eat meat) ready for you to eat on the go, since the farm closes at eight-thirty and the drives about thirty to forty-five minutes depending on the traffic…

Michael’s got terrible road rage and hates traffic but you’re not the best driver when the sky falls so you have no choice this evening but…he’s at ease with you on the passenger side.

He’s telling you entertaining stories as you eat and when you’re done, he’s asking for your review—although it’s your favorite sandwich so of course it’s going to be highly rated! but he just likes to hear you talk about the things you enjoy

he’s interested in your day since your work days are completely different and he’s not afraid to give his opinions if the author you’re working with sounds like an asshole.

Shopping with you can sometimes take forever but Michael doesn’t seem to mind. If you’re looking for the perfect tree, even if it’s ugly as hell, you’re gonna get the damn tree.

He’s used to artificial trees because the real one his family had after he just turned fifteen, his ma threw a lit cigarette at once, unbeknownst to the rest of the berzatto family, almost burning it to a crisp as she whipped around to yell at a seven year old Sugar about something, so his dad swore off “spending his hard earned money for Donna to ruin,” leaving Michael to stop looking forward to Christmas trees

Yet he was here on his birthday with you, happy to be here and help you find whatever you needed.

“What about that one?” You pointed at what would probably be the eighth one, if Michael thought to keep count.

He can’t help it—

He glances over his shoulders and scowls, “looks like uncle Lee, fucking balding in the middle.”

“Michael!”

“Wha? Am I wrong?! I’m just sayin, sweetheart…if you love that one, I’ll like it.” Michael raised his hands in surrender while you huffed, rolled your eyes and spun on your flats, diving in between a row of fully stocked trees.

Eventually you find a wide white spruce tree that the both you felt strongly about to bring back home

and the man is willing to throw his back out for you, getting it up your steep front steps, not allowing you to help him one bit, which is frustrating for you ofc.

Once positioned in your living room, just the way you want it, Michael wipes the back of his hand against his forehead dramatically.

“What would you like to drink?”

“I’m fine. Just gonna get some air, then when I get back we’ll discuss when you want to decorate it, yeah?”

You shake your head at Michael while he heads back to the front of the house through the screened in entrance before entering November’s air.

When he’s taking longer than expected, you go hunting for him just to flail around on some black ice after stepping down from the last step but manage to somewhat catch yourself on the railing.

Thankful for a bruise rather than a broken tailbone, you curse to yourself as the throbbing pain shoots down your femur.

And surely, Michael fucking berzatto appears from the shadows to assist you, “hey! whatcha doin’ down there?”

“I slipped on some stupid black ice…where were you?”

“You sure it wasn’t the yellow snow?”

“The what?” You exasperate as Michael guides you to your feet.

Michael points at the spot to the right of your front lawn and you scowl as he says, “you know what they say, don’t eat yellow snow!”

He laughs but stops short as you cut your eyes at him, “did you come out here to piss on my lawn when there’s two bathroom’s inside?”

Michael scoffs, “don’t go pointin’ fingers at me because you busted your ass. That ain’t my fault babe and you know I wouldn’t do that! I told you that was Richie’s drunk ass.”

Sighing you rub at your sore thigh, “I still owe him a kick in the ass for that.”

“Yeah you do,” Michael smirks as the both of you move to head back inside, “despite that, it was good house warming.”

You nod as you’re back inside the warmth of your new home and rest against the couch while Michael’s back to analyzing the tree you picked. “Hey, I’ve got you something.”

Michael shakes his head although a twitch of a grin is there,“I told you that you didn’t need to get me anything.”

“Shush,” you held up your hand at the man who raised his brows at you, “it’s nothing crazy but it’s in the fridge.”

He sighs at you but goes to your bright yellow kitchen nonetheless. Michael always gets caught up standing in your kitchen, just imagining all the meals he could get up to in here since it seems so bright and welcoming yet empty.

You were more of a breakfast person which is why he was always down to go to diners because of you, whereas he was more a lunch person because of his old man, hence why Chicagoland was a deli spot but Michael was okay with shifting his ways for you.

When he opens your fridge, he scans through it, easily picking up on what items belongs to your macho boyfriend and scoffs to himself before spotting a medium sized box tucked in the back of the fridge.

“Did you find it, Mikey?” You call out to your friend who latches onto the box, kneeing the fridge closed before making his way back into the living room.

He plops down on the couch next to you, eyeing you while you smile over at him patiently waiting.

“Here goes nothing,” Michael quietly says before pulling the top back to eye the mold of the zuccotto, “…you fucking didn’t.”

“I did,” you nod before explaining, “I thought about making one but I also didn’t want to disappoint you and then I remembered you’ve been wanting to try that bakery that’s here on my side of town, so I made a call and hope you like it.”

Michael swallows the lump in his throat at the gesture. He can’t remember the last time someone’s got him a cake but this wasn’t just some simple task. This was important because this means you listened.

You listened to how he told you that his nonna used to call him, “pumpkin bear,” because he was chunky and the shade of a Orange left in the sunlight fresh out the womb and that she made the best zuccotto he’s ever had and never tried anyone else’s since she’s passed.

Not even his ma could touch his nonna’s but he would never tell the woman that!

“The bakery’s a combined Italian-French place which they don’t really advertise until you’re actually inside but the little elderly lady who made it was the cutest thing and I thought you’d probably trust her.”

“I wanna kiss you on the mouth, you’re so good to me, you have no idea!” Michael pointed at you, voice thick with emotion.

This may seem small to any other but it really meant a lot and you could sense that as Michael gripped your hand to squeeze and press kisses to. “Happy birthday, Mikey.” You whisper.

Michael groans as he pinched the corners of his wet eyes for a moment, “I love you, you know?”

“I love you back,” you smile, “now can we try!?”

“Hell yeah we can but I get first bite this time.”

“I guess…it is your birthday after all.” You wink.

The taste test was so worth it, to the point Michael made it his mission to go meet the elderly woman down at her bakery during one of his breaks from the restaurant.

He shared kind words and got to know Giuseppina or “Josy,” up until the point they actually became friendly with Josy sending her husband Charles over to try what Chicagoland had to offer as well.

He had you to thank for that, reminding him of the good in his life, even what once was.

It isnt until the first week of December when Michael comes around again to decorate your tree.

“What the hell happened?” Michael quizzes you when he spots you with a brace taking up a huge portion of your thigh.

Guess that makes sense why you took so long to get the door.

You sigh, “hello to you too, Mike. Care to come in?”

“Yeah, yeah. Hi.” Michael greets, gripping your hip and pressing a kiss to your cheek before stepping into the too warm house.

You tell him you slipped again and that resulted into a bruised bone, which is less severe than a fracture and something you can heal at home with ice, and meds you wouldn’t be taking—so you’re just taking it easy.

“Why hasn’t inspector gadget put down any salt yet?” Michael commented as he shoved his thin jacket into the small closet tucked in the corner of the living room.

You have your oddly placed fireplace lit and boxes everywhere to dig through.

Sighing you plop back on the couch, “He’s busy but he brought up the decorations from the basement and I can do the salt myself.”

“Oh yeah? Why haven’t you?”

“…it’s cold.”

Michael fans his hands at you, “newsflash babe, we’re in Chicago not Kansas or wherever the hell he’s from and after we’re done tackling this tree, I’m gonna fix it.”

“Mikey—

“Did you hear what I said?”

The look he sent you with his dark eyes made you mold your lips together and cross your arms before you pushed off the couch to head over to a few of the boxes.

Michael does the honors of playing some Motown Christmas music on your tv to fill the tension, but he wouldn’t apologize for looking out for you.

The bare minimum when it comes to your boyfriend doesn’t impress him, not one bit and although you didn’t like and told Michael that you didn’t like him dragging your man, you couldn’t change Michael’s mind about him at all!

He was gonna hurt you and Michael was waiting for the asshole to just rip the band aid off or when you woke up and dumped him yourself.

Michael knew you had it in you and knew you deserved better than to just settle for what looks good on paper.

The smooth deep growl of Marvin Gaye singing, “I want to come home for Christmas,” (I heavily stand on the fact that Marvin Gaye is one of Michael’s favorite singers!) filled your home as the both of you went through the boxes, picking out your decor that brought all sorts of feelings to your frame.

You reminisced about what your life was and if your dad still had any of your old ornaments you made as a child, knowing your mother would have and what your life could be as you took your side of the tree, placing ornaments up as Michael hummed to the music.

The both of you worked in silence which wasn’t the usual although Michael was much louder than you, being quiet wasn’t the norm of your friendship.

And it wasn’t because of what Michael said to you, you weren’t that sensitive—it was you getting in your head about the holidays.

About your dad, step-mom, and siblings deciding not to speed Christmas with you like originally planned because they were going on a cruise and the possibility of your boyfriend traveling to freaking Europe around that time for work made you think about the upcoming loneliness

Yes you had another friend outside of Michael but it was just this odd feeling that you didn’t particularly want to define or gave much thought about until now…

“Hey, stop thinkin’ so hard and just be here with me, huh? Your favorite person on the planet.” Michael calls over the music, after catching you staring up at the length of the tree with one ornament still in your hand.

When your eyes meet his and that famous grin stretched over his features, you roll your eyes once you realized what he said, bringing you back into the spirit and moved around the living room in search of your stool.

Michael holds the stool until your comfortably on it before moving one hand to the small of your back to keep you stable.

When you glance back at him you state, “how do you know?”

“Know what?”

“You’re my favorite person when there’s a billion people in this place?”

“Ah, It’s all over your face! You know how they say heart on your sleeve? Well in your case, it’s on your face.” Michael comments as he holds your stare before you slowly get down to be face to face with him, “and don’t you worry, you’re mine too.” 🥹🥹🥹

You pat his jaw, “damn straight, baby. And don’t you forget it.”

“Never will,” Michael chuckles, “do I get to do the honors of putting up the star?”

You plop down on the couch, digging through what’s left in the box you were working on, “we don’t have a star.”

“…Run that by me again?” Michael turns to you.

You nod, “we wanted to do something…less traditional and it was between either a bow or what he went for…a stag.”

Michael eyes the topper and scowls as he reaches for the cream deer head, “im gonna keep my mouth shut on this one.”

“Thank you.”

“welcome.”

after awhile, Michael finds his way collapsed next to you eyeing the tree as the both of you sip at some cranberry punch you made the other day, eyeing some rosemary you had floating through it.

“It actually turned out pretty, no?” You ask, shoulder to shoulder with the bearded man.

Michael sips from the mason jar and savors the earthy tangy flavor, “best lookin’ tree I’ve ever seen!”

Resting your head against Michael’s shoulder you take in the scenery, feeling a little less alone as Michael’s lips peck your brow, reminding you that it’s best to hold onto what you have, rather than what you don’t. 

⋆⁺₊❅⋆ ⁺₊❆⋆𐙚 ⋆⁺₊❅⋆ ⁺₊❆⋆𐙚 ⋆⁺₊❅⋆ ⁺₊❆⋆𐙚 ⋆⁺₊❅⋆ ⁺₊❆⋆𐙚 ⋆⁺₊

read my final ~5 days of Xmas~ anthology prompt here.

[goodfish-bowl]

Places to Be

Masterpost

DP Crossover Angst Week Day 2 - Post Nasty Burger Explosion

Summary: He had done everything he could, sent from the future, then back to the present, all to stop his future evil self. But in the end, Danny's loved ones died in the explosion anyway, and now he had nowhere to go. So he goes to Clockwork.

Notes: I ended up completely starting from scratch for this around 11 pm, after getting 1,000 words into my first idea, but this is the result of take 2. I like it a lot better actually. Not technically a crossover, but you'll see where I'm going with this.

Word Count: 878

AO3 Link

Danny had curled up on the ground of Clockwork’s tower, unwilling to move. He would be fine with never moving again, at the moment. He didn’t want to do or move ever again. 

The energy from the Ghost Zone seeped into him, slowly fixing his wounds from the aftermath of the explosion, completely against his will. Danny really wished it wouldn’t. He didn’t want them to heal. He had refused to let them heal throughout the entire process of the funerals, the pain the only thing keeping him at least somewhat grounded. But now in the Zone, avoiding both Vlad and CPS, Danny wasn’t allowed to keep them any longer. 

“Daniel, you understand that you cannot stay here?” Clockwork spoke up. 

Danny grumbled into his knees. 

“It is not by my will that you must leave, but this place is equally unsafe for you.” 

Danny mumbled irritably again, not bothering to speak up.  

“I cannot protect you as I wish here, even if I’m capable of it. The Observants will not allow you to stay here, especially after recent events.”

“Then where am I supposed to go!?” Danny shouted, snapping his head up. “I don’t have anywhere else! I can’t go home! I can’t stay here! I sure as hell can’t go to Vlad!” 

The Master of Time merely glanced at Danny, and he felt his temper light up. Did he even care?! It was practically the time ghost’s fault he was like this.

“First you send assassins after me! Then you send me into the future, where I witnessed the most horrible version of myself in existence, then back to the past, where everyone I cared about died anyway. I can’t go to Vlad because he’s the reason I go berserk in that timeline! And now you tell me I can’t possibly stay here because it’s not safe either! Tell me! What do I do now that I have nothing left!?” 

Clockwork simply turned around and leveled a look at Danny he couldn’t possibly figure out. It hurt either way.  

“ Please! ” Danny cried out. 

“What is it you want?” 

The question hit Danny like a brick to the face. He had just said what he wanted, hadn’t he? But that really wasn’t what he wanted, was it?

“You know I cannot give you what it is you desire.”

Danny crumpled in on himself, eyes blurring out. He wanted to go home. But home was FentonWorks. It was his parents. It was Jazz. It was his two best friends in the entire world, the only people who had been with him through thick and thin. But home was gone.  

“Then, please. Please, just tell me where I’m supposed to go,” Danny begged.  

Clockwork approached, leaning down and placing a thick-gloved hand on Danny’s shoulder. It was heavy. Clockwork was close, so close that Danny could even catch his own reflection in the glass of the clockcase in his chest. He looked terrible. 

“Daniel,” Clockwork began, his voice perfectly even. “These things you want are gone. Thus is the way things are, and the way things must be. All beings, both of the Realms and the mortal planes will end eventually. It is inescapable. But as all things must go, new things will arise and take their place.”

“Daniel James Fenton,” Clockwork said, as if his name could possibly have the kind of weight he gave it. “You are beloved .”

Danny looked up, not expecting those words, meeting Clockwork’s eyes, which held no room for doubt. 

“You are beloved. Both by those in your past, and by those who you have yet to meet. You are beloved by the very Infinite Realms herself and always shall be. That is one thing that cannot and will not change. But the Realms are not where you need to be at this moment. There are many things you have yet to learn, and many things you must learn before you return, or reality itself will be lesser for it.”

Danny didn’t understand. Clockwork made him seem so important, but he was no one. Just an orphaned kid who didn’t know how to die. He couldn’t possibly be as important as Clockwork made him seem. 

“You are beloved by the Realms herself, and this will come to be a terrible burden upon you. So for now, you must go, and not return,” Clockwork emphasized. 

“But where? ” Danny asked once again, sounding like a broken record in more ways than one. 

“You must go somewhere that will teach you the things you must learn.”

“And where is that?” 

“Somewhere very, very far away.” 

Danny frowned. “How do I get there?” 

Clockwork took a step back, and with his staff, opened a portal. It wasn’t the bright green Danny had come to associate with the Ghost Zone’s natural portals, nor the bright blue of Clockwork’s own. It couldn’t decide to select a color to be, and ended up burning into his eyes as a blinding white. 

Danny looked between Clockwork and the portal, and slowly dragged himself to his feet. His legs were barely able to support him. 

“Will I ever see any of them again?” Danny finally brought himself to ask. 

Clockwork expressions softened the slightest amount. 

“No.”

And Danny stepped through the portal. 

[mountkennedie]

I really loved Decision Making! Will there be a part 2?

I wasn't planning on a pt.2 but...

Decision Making P.2

Edward Cullen x reader

Summary: You and Edward reach a middle ground about everything

Warnings: swearing, ANGST but it's resolved

_________________________________

You also never quite fully moved on. How could you? Your heart had been ripped from your chest and trampled over like it never had value.

He can't say that he hasn't felt the same. The feelings that he had that still longed for you were easier to ignore before you returned. But now you're back. Everything that he had buried was now brought back.

When Bella fell into a deep enough sleep that she wouldn't notice his absence, he went out to search for you. Edward had nothing prepared to say. However, he knew that things could only worsen if he left things where they were.

You sent he had pinned to memory. He used that memory to track you down to the river.

"You know... I wanted to jump in," you began. "But I didn't. I couldn't."

"You wanted me to find you?" Edward asked.

"I wanted my old love to come to me. But I understand that he is no longer with us," you responded. You still haven't met his gaze.

"I would like to apologize."

"An apology without the action of change is just words. You'll waste your eternity."

"I'm well aware I am undeserving of your forgiveness. But please, let the guilty have their last words," he pleaded.

You stood up from the river bank. You matched his gaze and explained, "You were my first everything. I gave you everything I could. Even my mortality, Edward." You slowly approached him and continued, "When they sent me your obituary in the mail, you know what I did? I went to your parents' house. They were distraught, and I consoled them in the best way I could. " You stood before him, "I gave you the last rose in your coffin."

"When I heard about a 'Dr. Carlisle Cullen' when I left my last coven, it began my spark of hope. I really didn't mean to impede on your new life. And to think that I could just reappear after all this time -"

"I searched for you too."

"I'm sorry?"

"I would have come to see you had I been stable enough. But you know how newborns are. Carlisle barely let me out of his sight. I had a moment when I left his side and spent a lot of time trying to find you. But all I could recover were old missing posters. It crushed me deeply. I gave up my search for you and began to hunt down your capture. I went through New York, killing those that would hurt someone in any way. I thought I was doing you justice. But then I joined Carlisle's vegetarianism."

"Yeah, to be honest, that was mean," you said, breaking that serious energy surrounding you both.

I moved to stand beside Edward. "I- I think that moving on from you is... okay," you said softly.

"I apologize for how I treated you those years ago. After everything you've done... and I treated you like a stranger."

You both chuckled and continued to stare at the water. You faced him with a smile. "One last hug, before I go." He accepted, and he gave you one last strong squeeze.

"You don't have to go," he clarified.

"I just escaped my coven, I need room to breathe for now."

"Be safe, Y/n"

"You too, Edward." You ran into the river, covering your scent.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Bonus:

you get called back in 2 weeks when everything in breaking dawn happens lol

[mutable-manifestation]

Family at the Core

Parts 1 & 2, Part 3

Part 4!

***

Learning that he had put his soul at risk in making a deal with a supernatural entity was unpleasant enough.

Learning that said entity was firmly in ‘nearly completely uncharted territory’ was just the cherry on top.

(Or was the cherry on top Constantine calling him an idiot to his face?)

The research they’d conducted after their JL Dark allies’ abrupt departure had come up just as Constantine had implied: empty.

They’d keep searching, of course, but it wasn’t looking good.

The next morning they awoke to chaos; a bomb had gone off at the Yuyan building and police had started swarming it.

Presumably, Kitty had done it to draw them there and complete her end of the bargain. He hoped that was the case, at least.

Despite the media swarm the night before, they hadn’t shared any of the footage of their meeting with the ghosts. And none of the news crews had sent out helicopters to try and record - at least self-aware enough to know that regular voices wouldn’t be heard over propeller blades. The odds of it being an outside bombing were slim - a League of Assassins member might’ve made it out when the ghosts were removing their fellows, but they wouldn’t have risked drawing that kind of attention to their own base.

Signal practically inhales his breakfast in his rush to get on-scene.

Watching his helmet feed showed a Yuyan building with criminal evidence practically set out as a buffet. 

Every hidden passage lay open and waiting, sticky notes and brief explanations pointing to the mechanisms, labels on weapons, an A4 sheet taped to a chair with an arrow pointing down to a desk and the words “murders committed &/or planned.”

No sign of the ghosts or the boy, however.

Not until 11, when Kitty calls to remind him of their ‘deal.’

Oracle mutes the feed and answers the phone on the batcomputer’s speakers.

Information on the attached number pops up before the call even connects, but it’s practically empty.

The number is new, no information attached to it, and the location signature is easy to find except that it bounces all around the globe like a ping-pong ball.

“Hey, Wayne. The building is getting raided as we speak. Hope you’re ready to put your money where your mouth is.”

“Or my soul, you mean?” Bruce asks pointedly.

“Isn’t it always, in business?” She laughs. “Chin up Bruce - can I call ya Bruce? We are parent-friends now - anyway, worst case scenario you default on the deal and I make you buy the building anyway. Plus a few extras - call it interest for lying. Lucky you I never developed a taste for the finer things in after-life. Ha, taste.”

All of them stiffen at that.

“Seriously though, Bruce, you are the one parent-friend and Gotham-friend my fright has at the moment. Try to refrain from making any more underly-specific deals sealed with handshakes with beings you don’t know, yeah?”

“Right,” Bruce swallows back his frustration, pulling his ‘hurt Brucie Wayne’ voice over it like a shroud. “It’s going to take at least a few days for them to complete a sweep of that size, but the building will likely be seized before the day is out. I’ll express my interest now, but it’ll likely be at least a week before we can close. If you need a place to stay until then-”

“No,” she cuts him off. “Appreciate it but we can stay out of sight well enough, and Danny…. He really shouldn’t be going anywhere just yet.”

“Is he alright?” Bruce doesn’t even have to play up the concern. The kid had been barely above catatonic when they’d seen him on the Joker’s broadcast.

She doesn’t answer, at first.

Then they hear a single, deep breath through the line - something that had been missing from their previous conversation with the ghost.

“He will be,” she settles on. “We’re gonna make sure of it.”

That tells him nothing.

“I know a great doctor, if y-”

“Nah,” she cuts him off. “Bullet ‘s going to the Far Frozen to see if someone can make a house call since Danny really shouldn’t be traveling. Given how fanatic they can be, I doubt they’ll say no.”

Bullet was the ‘deputy’ Walker had mentioned, Bruce recalled. The Far Frozen must be some kind of clinic.

“Fanatic?” he asks dubiously. The word rarely spells good things.

“Oh yeah. They’ve got murals. Anyway, I’ve got progress to monitor and a baby to check on. We’ll be waiting!”

She closes the line before he can even say goodbye. 

The first thing Signal says when he unmutes is “Well, at least we know the only thing she’ll hurt is your pocket?”

“Assuming she is telling the truth,” Damian replies skeptically.

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

The entrance to level with the Lazarus Pit is missing.

They watch as Signal searches, but there are no clear labels to mechanisms or secret passageways like everywhere else in the building, and even the access Bruce recalled discovering once was absent. 

Nothing below the level Signal was currently on was documented; the police wouldn’t blow out a wall or floor to search through what they thought was dirt.

On the one hand, it was a relief to not have the Pit exposed so publicly. 

On the other hand, what did that say about the new residents? 

Had they merely sealed that section away to have somewhere to stay until the building was bought? Or had they truly been after the Pit the whole time?

Four days later Brucie Wayne is touring the building, in full ‘air-headed rich boy’ mode - blathering on and on about like the view from the top and the fascinating architecture -  while his children use the time to do some exploring of their own. They don’t find anything new.

Six days later - two days after their tour - Bruce Wayne officially owns the Yuyan building.

And less than 24 hours later he’s being made to sign another contract - legal this time - granting the group of ghosts rights to the building. Not that he can say no, since “buying the building for us includes making it legally for us.”

Of course the whole thing blows up in the papers when the news catches wind of Bruce Wayne owning and managing the building but signing over all rights for use and access to the new ‘meta’ group.

A lot of “blink twice if you need us to call Superman” memes are floating around - mostly in the wake of the “Batman fails to defend his sugar daddy, same as ever #BrucieDeservesBetter” memes.

The whole thing is more than a bit of a circus, and every day they don’t get to check on the kid they all get a bit more anxious. The only relief they get on that front is the update Kitty gives them when Bruce asks before the more formal contract meeting can get started - their doctor, Frostbite, finally showed up with Bullet to get the kid a check and projected that he’d make a full recovery with ‘another few weeks of TLC,’ as she put it.

At least, it was a relief until Tim questioned what, exactly, a ghost might consider to be healthy.

Luckily, Kitty only asked they “give us a day to get the place all set up” before bringing Damian - and his other children, once she’d realized they exist - over to visit.

***

@yjfk @fisticuffsatapplebees @little-pondhead @avery-isastupid-name @queenofdiscord @samgirl98 @inkyunicorn @mimilikey @aconitewolfsbane @miraculousandmore @someonebored0100 @wildbacon @fleshybeing @vala-dreams @ironicvixen @blurblurbblurrrr @ectoplasmic-knife @terzatheunderscorerima @britcision @passivedecept @demigraceling-blog @wolfjackle @xysidhe @immakittybear @d-j-t-15 @ashenfairytale @jaguarthecat

If u see this but your tag didn't work please make sure you have "Allow this blog to appear in search results” turned on if you want future tags to work. (there may be other causes like if ur blog is super new, this is just the one I know can be fixed manually)

[s4bbatical]

YOUR GIRL | Part 4. Patrick Zweig x Female!Reader

Pairing: Patrick Zweig x female!reader, Tashi Duncan x female!reader (platonic)

Summary: After your parents announce their divorce, you're sent to New York to pursue your passion for the arts at NYU. Your cousin, the infamous tennis player Tashi Duncan, introduces you to her insufferable colleagues at a house party in the upper east side. Already a sore thumb from rural Canada, Patrick can't help but find interest in an untouched territory.

Word Count: 5,5k

Warnings: Foul language, mention of cannabis.

MINORS DNI

Notes: The timeline is inaccurate in comparison to the film, this is an AU. All characters introduced are barely in their early 20s, unless stated otherwise. No use of y/n.

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.

CHAPTER FOUR: “Sutphin Boulevard”

"Believer - monologue exemplifies a lust. It's so true."

You didn't really like November.

The month between Halloween and Christmas was as useless as a trust fund kid hosting a charity event, which you did in fact have to attend with Tashi right after your exam week. Thankfully, you were not obligated to be present on campus besides exams and classes, giving you the excuse to not face your problems anywhere. You knew running away from it wouldn't last forever. However, it was the only thing you could do for now.

The first two weeks of November, Tashi and Chloe take turns spending time with you, making sure you weren't alone with your thoughts for too long. You tried to focus on your studies, excelling in them due to the lack of outside obstacles. You no longer wanted to attend gatherings as it was another way to run into him, only leaving your house if it was necessary.

Tashi had told your grandmother about the reason why you had taken the life of a hermit, so she gave you a position at her flower shop, thinking it would be nice to distract yourself from the noise.

All you could do was think about it, really. What you would do if he apologized, what would he say, and what would you say if he really wanted you. Or wanted nothing to do with you. You couldn't help it. You even made a pro and cons list on your phone when you were on the subway earlier that day, swearing to yourself as you thought you saw him sitting in the next cart over. It was not him. You weren't even in his neighborhood, for god's sake. It was you who had chose to cut contact with him, and you knew it was up to you if you wished to reconcile.

You stood behind the counter at work, busying yourself with bouquet assembly as Chloe wandered around the shop aimlessly.

"How many orders can you possibly get in one day?" Your best friend says, grabbing a lily and sniffing it before putting it back in it's place.

"The people are very grateful for Thanksgiving, you know." You say, tying up your 10th order of the afternoon. "If you're bored then you can help me out." You suggest to Chloe, who pretends to think in deep thought for a moment.

"I'm okay, thanks though." She smiles, taking bite of her shawarma wrap that she bought across the street. She had gotten you one as well, which you already devoured about an hour ago. "So," She starts speaking, swallowing her food. "You feel like coming out of hiding for the Manhattan holiday market? We could go skating, too. Tis the season!" She says in a sing-song voice, shimmying her shoulders.

You laugh, starting another order. "Yeah, sure. I used to be a figure skater when I was younger, actually." You admit, putting away the last order of the day.

"Seriously? How am I hearing about this now?" Chloe asks, taking another bite of her wrap.

You shrug. "I haven't done it since I graduated high school. My parents..." You trail off, recalling the pain and anger of the divorce. It tore your house apart. "They didn't wanna pay for it anymore." You simply say, smiling slightly.

Chloe nods, finishing her last bite. "Well then it's settled. When's your shift over?" She asks.

"Well... technically I'm done the orders for today, but I have to stay around for another two hours." You say, glancing at the time on your phone.

"That's fine. I'll just do my homework here then." She says, grinning. "That okay?"

"Course, Chloe. You know I appreciate your company, I love ya." You say, deciding to pull out your new read from your bag.

"Awe, I love you too." She giggles. She takes a moment before speaking again. "Have you.. heard from him at all?" She asks timidly.

You frown slightly, your heart dropping. "No. Why?"

"Oh, okay." Chloe says, fiddling with her hands. "He asked me about you the other day." She looks up at you. "He's really sorry about what happened, you know."

"Good, he better be." You say curtly, tucking your hair behind your ear.

"I think you should talk to him." Chloe says abruptly. "I-I know you don't want to see him and you know I don't like the guy." She laughs before continuing. "But he looked devastated dude. Like, really upset that I wouldn't tell him anything about you." She says, pursing her lips with a sympathetic look. She stares at you, but you say nothing. "Just think about it, okay? It might be nice for you guys to resolve things. I know you're not happy about it either." She says.

"Yeah, I will." You say flatly, trying to focus on your novel. "I have more important things to do than think about that."

"Sorry but, were you there when you literally complained about it for half an hour over margaritas for movie night two days ago?" She recalls, raising a brow.

You shift your body from one foot to the other. "I was drunk, everyone complains about stupid shit when they're drunk." You argue, trying to read your book.

Chloe scoffs. "You're really stubborn, you know that?" She says, closing your book.

"Hey I was reading that!" You say, glaring at her.

"You can't keep avoiding him forever." Chloe says sternly. She sighs when she sees you frown. "I'm sorry, I just care about you a lot dude. I don't want you to keep feeling this way. You care about him, and he cares about you too. I can tell." She says softly, crossing her arms.

You hold your face in your hands, groaning like an overstimulated child. "If it'll make you happy," You throw your arms out in defeat. "I'll talk to him! Fine!" You exclaim.

"Thank you! Finally!" Chloe exasperates, mirroring your actions. "Jesus, Tashi owes me twenty dollars." She breathes out.

You gasp. "You guys betted on me?!"

Chloe stammers. "I-I uh, nooo..." You squint your eyes at her. "...Yes?" She squeaks. "Please don't be mad! We both wanted this to be over with!" She explains, holding your arms. "It's out of love."

A customer then walks in, causing the both of you to go quiet.

"We'll talk about this later." You mutter. "Hello! Welcome!" You greet the customer warmly. "Can I interest you in our Thanksgiving arrangements?"

-

"Do you think I should get this ornament for her? She likes cats." Chloe asks, holding up a felt ornament that resembled an orange tabby cat.

"You've literally been on one date." You point out.

"And? Have you ever heard of lesbianism?" Chloe retorts, putting the decoration back down.

"I thought you were all for breaking stereotypes, not becoming the definitive version of one." You jest, looking around.

Before hitting the rink, you and Chloe decided to see the Christmas market in downtown Manhattan. The various different stalls of gifts and treats galore were very alluring, but god was it expensive. You had decided to buy a hot coco the size of your hand made from pure chocolate, and that alone was creating a dent in your wallet.

"God Christ everything is so expensive." You say, although you knew your statement didn't make any difference. Most of the vendors were trying to make an income, it wasn't their fault. Well, for the most part at least.

"That's what makes it a New York Christmas, baby." Chloe states, doing some weird shake with her hands that resembled jazz hands.

"The closest thing we had to this back at home was my next door neighbor selling mulled wine for ten dollars." You explain flatly. "Capitalism is a beautiful thing." You hum, already finishing your hot chocolate. "I already finished my three ounce drink, what a pity." You say sarcastically, discarding it in a nearby bin.

"Let's just go skating then. I'm kind of over this too." Chloe says, rubbing her hands together. "Fuck my hands are cold." She complains, breathing on them heavy to warm them up.

"Didn't I remind you to pack gloves like four times this morning?" You recount, pulling out a spare pair from your messenger bag. "Take these."

"How would I survive with you?" Chloe says, kissing your cheek gingerly.

You grimace, wiping your cheek. "I'm surprised you haven't died yet, to be honest." You joke, the both of you laughing.

-

The two of you make it to the Wollman rink in Central Park, and to no surprise, had to buy admission.

"I can't believe it costed ten dollars to skate for an hour." You complain, tying up your rental skates.

Chloe doesn't respond right away, distracted by texting someone on her phone. You clear your throat.

"Huh?" She says looking up from her phone and putting it away in her pocket. "What were you saying?"

"Nevermind man." You say, dismissing your statement.

The two of you climb onto the ice, only taking a few strides before your skills came back to you. You held back a laugh as Chloe's legs wobbled, unable to let go of the railing.

"Chloe, it's not that hard I promise. Just push yourself forward." You say, reaching out to her. "You can hold onto me if you want!"

"Fuck no, I'm chill." She states firmly, putting a hand up. "Just give me some time to warm up. Go do some laps or something." She reassures, gesturing for you to go ahead.

"Alright then." You shrug, turning away. You glide gracefully across the ice, feeling the spirit of the holidays warm you up as Last Christmas By Wham! plays over the speakers. You're doing forward and backward spins, overjoyed by the reconnection of your old passion. You're grinning madly as you smoothly skate between people, nearby children very entertained by your moves.

You try to find Chloe, who seems to have disappeared. Confused, you slow down your pace, yet keep gliding in circles. You turn and face one of the entrances to the ice, seeing the last person you'd ever expect to.

Patrick is standing there, watching you from the edge of the rink.

You forget how to stop yourself, causing the loss of balance. Before you realize what's happening, you've landed on your back. You groan loudly as the ice makes contact with your body, knowing you were going to feel it tomorrow. "Shit." You whisper, wincing as you sit up and hold your head. That's what you get for being too cocky with your strides.

You hear the scuffling of shoes beside you, looking up to make eye contact with Patrick.

He looks at you with concern, a sheepish smile on his face. "If I was supposed to catch you, I did not get the memo." He jokes, offering a hand.

You glare at him, getting up by yourself and ignoring his offer to help. "Why are you here?" You ask passive aggressively, skating past him to step off the ice.

"To talk to you!" He exclaims, trying to keep pace with you. He nearly slips at least three times before stepping off the rink.

You're flustered, and very annoyed with his presence. "Well, you've spoken! You may leave now." You say bitterly, walking over to the worker in charge of shoe rentals in order to get your boots back.

"No, don't do this right now." Patrick pleas. He awkwardly waits for you as you ignore him, retrieving your shoes then sitting down on a bench to change out your skates. "Chloe said you wanted to talk, so I came here." He admits, crouching in front of you to meet your eyes. He places a hand on your knee.

You glare at him. "Chloe told you to come here? No wonder she was on her phone so much." You mutter, taking off your skates and also knocking off his touch from your knee.

"Can we please go somewhere else and talk?" He asks, nearly begging you on his knees. You continue to pretend you don't hear him, putting on your shoes then getting up to hand over your skates to the worker, thanking him.

"You can't ignore me forever." Patrick exasperates, getting up and following you as you start walking away from the rink.

"Where's Chloe?" You ask yourself, looking around for your friend.

"She's with Art," Patrick explains. You finally look at him, confused. "He came with me." He says.

You roll your eyes, readjusting your scarf as the two of you continue to walk through the park. You finally decide to sit down on a nearby bench, allowing space for Patrick to sit beside you. You didn't feel like walking away from him anymore.

He does so hesitantly, looking at you from the corner of his eye. "We've both been avoiding each other," He says calmly, sighing. "I don't understand why."

You stay quiet, looking forward.

"Are you choosing to become a mute right now?" He asks, still no response from you. "Fine, alright then." He says, leaning back against the bench. "I've missed this, you know. Your stubbornness." He says, now looking right at you, the side of your face at least. "And you." He adds quietly.

You then finally look at him, your heart skipping a beat as the two of you make eye contact. "Anything else?" You say flatly, as if it was obvious that he would miss someone as great as you.

Patrick scoffs, laughing as well. "Nope, that's it." He jokes, sitting up straight. "I um, I wanted to apologize." His tone switches, sounding very sincere. "What happened last month was very out of line, and I shouldn't have done what I did. I guess I didn't like the fact that your attention wasn't on me for some selfish reason, but that doesn't mean I should've kissed you." He admits, sighing. "That was very uncool, and I shouldn't have led you on like that." He finishes.

You look down at the ground for a moment, taking in his words. You wanted to tell him that you wish he'd kiss you like he meant it, not that he was being selfish and thinking with his groin. You knew what was best, and feeling a little hesitant about accepting his apology.

"Can you please say something?" He says quietly, frowning at you slightly.

You look back up at him. "I'm not sure what you want me to say." You mumble, tucking a loose piece of hair behind your ear. "I have been thinking this over a lot, you know." You look up at him. "I'm also sorry for how I reacted. You didn't deserve for me to just cut you off without explanation." You reason.

Patrick smiles weakly at you. "Don't apologize please. I deserved that. Made me more insightful if anything." He tries to joke, shrugging his shoulders.

"Yeah, you needed that more than most." You joke, nudging Patrick. He chuckles slightly. "I forgive you." You finally say, smiling at him. "I-"

"But-" He starts to say.

"Sorry, go ahead." You say.

"No, you first." He insists.

You nod, taking a moment. You're grateful for his apology, that is evident. However, you have to make a decision for the better. You're not just looking to fill the void of what you thought could've been, but rather to move forward in a healthy way. If he didn't feel the same, it wasn't worth confessing to anything.

"I want us to be friends, Patrick." You say adamantly, looking at Patrick for a response. You watch as his face falters, quickly covering it up with a meek smile.

"I think that's a good idea, yeah." He says, although not sounding very confident in his own words.

You search in his face whether or not he was lying. You couldn't read him, you were never good at it. "You don't sound so sure of yourself." You say, laughing awkwardly.

Patrick shakes his head, smiling even more. "Sorry, I am. I want us to be friends." He says affirmatively, although he wasn't sure if he was just saying out loud to convince himself.

"Good." You smile. "I missed you too, dumbass." You say, raising your hand for a high five.

Patrick stares at you for a moment, laughing before smacking your hand with his own. "You're so fucking weird."

You gasp. "What? I'm not a big hugger." You say in defense.

"That's fine." Patrick says, sticking his hands in his pockets and leaning back. "I didn't wanna hug you anyways." He shrugs.

You eye him closely for a few moments before going in, hugging him from the side hastily. His eyes widen, letting your warmth fill him up before he slowly hugs you back. He wouldn't say it out loud, but he really liked the sensation of getting a hug from you, even if it was against your own wishes.

-

A few days later, Patrick is spending the night at your place. You had both met up to do homework together earlier that day, you suggesting if he wanted to come over to watch some comedy movies together.

"How is a sheet of moist supposed to make my skin look better? I feel like a snail has ran across it." Patrick asks monotonously, trying not to move his face so much.

You both were wearing sheet masks that resemble cartoonish animals, managing to convince him to do some self care together to rewind on a Sunday evening.

"Wait, don't move." You pull your phone out and take a photo of him.

He simply stares up at you from the desk chair.

"Oh Jesus." You say, laughing manically as you look back at the photo. Your facemask starts coming off, deciding to discard it entirely.

"What? Do I not look beautiful like you promised?" Patrick asks, feigning being upset. He also takes off his mask, throwing it away.

"You look just fine, now hold on."You exit your room and grab a face towel from the bathroom, dabbing the excess moisturizer before returning to your room and handing it over to him. "I also have a gua sha I'm gonna use on your face, is that okay?" You ask.

He furrows his brows at you, dabbing his own face now. "A what now?" He says, utterly confused by the item he's never heard of before.

You retrieve your gua sha from your desk drawer. "It's to de-puff your face and make sure you have good circulation. I'll be gentle, I promise." You say in a taunting manner, grabbing ahold of his chin to tilt his face up towards you.

He stares at you as you glide the rose quartz stone across his face slowly, focusing on his bone structure. "It feels cold." He whispers, staring into your eyes a little too intensely.

"It's supposed to feel good, Patrick." You tell him.

"It does." He simply says, keeping eye contact with you. The both of you stare at each other for a moment as your movements cease.

You clear your throat, walking away to sit at your vanity and use the gua sha on yourself. "This is what a lot of women do every day, you know." you say matter-of-factly.

"Why? It makes no sense. These extra serums and shit, it's like witchcraft or something." He mumbles, his face flushed red. You assume you may have put too much pressure on his skin, not that he was flustered in any way. No, surely not. "All women are beautiful." He states, moving over to your bed.

"I know you think that, most of them can't escape your wrath." You say smugly, putting away your skincare.

"What? You jealous or something?" He says playfully, laying on his side with his arm holding up his head. "You had your chance."

"Oh how will I ever live?" You sigh dramatically. "Oh right, peacefully." You remark, getting up to join him on your bed.

Patrick sticks his tongue out at you in response.

"Very mature, Zweig." You say, leaning against the headboard as you grab the remote and turn on a streaming service.

"Have you seen the new Thor movie yet?" He asks, sitting up to lean his back against the wall.

"Nope, why you ask?" You say, putting on Glee.

He groans. "Glee? Seriously? You're just like my sister."

"It's fun! just watch a few episodes with me."

"I have no options, I know." He says in defeat. "But I was wondering if you wanted to see Thor on Friday." He asks.

You almost say yes, but realize very quickly that you were unavailable, because of a date. "I can't, sorry. I'm actually already going to the movies with someone else." You say, shrugging as you focus on the television.

The day after you and Patrick reconciled, a very attractive man you recognized from campus came into your work. He hung around for an hour, simply conversating with you before asking you out on a date later on in the week. His name was Seth.

"And who's more important than me?" He says, pointing to himself.

"If you must know, I have a date." You state, grabbing your diet coke off the coaster and taking a sip.

Patrick smirks, eyeing you closely. "Ooh, a date. With who?"

"Does it matter?" You quip. "It's just some guy."

"It can't be just some guy if you, the pickiest person of all time, said yes to him." Patrick states, poking your leg. "Just tell me! Maybe I know the guy."

You purse your lips before deciding to tell him. "His name is Aaron, he studies Art History at school."

"Hmm, doesn't ring a bell. Sounds like a total fucking nerd if you ask me." He mumbles, turning his head to face the television.

"Well good thing I didn't, Patrick." You say in annoyance.

"Why are you always so defensive? I'm just asking you a question." He whines, tilting his head back.

Sorry, I just didn't think you'd care so much." You say, repositioning yourself.

"I'm your friend, I think it's fair give a shit about you sometimes." He argues. "Especially if you're dating randos."

"He's not a rando, I met him at work. Not on the internet mom." You say sarcastically, causing Patrick to laugh in response.

"Still, he could be a weirdo and you just don't know it yet." He tries to explain, speaking mainly with his hands. "He could lead you to a vacant parking lot at midnight then kill you, or other evil things." He says.

"You're starting to sound like those podcasts you've been listening to. Fucking relax." You say firmly. "Nothing is gonna happen. He's taking me to see Gravity at the movies and that is all. Dinner too, I think. I don't know where because he's surprising me." You simply state.

"Gravity? I thought you had a fear of space." Patrick says quizzically, furrowing his brows.

"Well I tried suggesting that remake of Carrie, but he hates horror movies." You admit.

"But you love horror movies?" Patrick says rhetorically, scoffing. "He already sounds like a horrible match, maybe I'm just crazy though." He says, putting his hands up before clasping them together in his lap.

"If I didn't know you already, I'd say you're jealous." You mutter.

Patrick reaches over you, taking the remote and pausing the television. "I'm not." He says firmly. "I just don't want you to waste your time on someone not worthwhile and you're ignoring the fact."

"You're not gonna let this go, are you?" You snap, laughing out of annoyance. "It's just a fucking date, it's not like I'm gonna marry the guy. Christ Patrick." You exclaim, standing up from your bed.

Patrick sighs. "I know, I know." He says. "Calm down, you're taking my word too seriously!" He argues, staying on your bed.

"Just drop it, okay? I don't wanna talk about it anymore. Clearly it's a sensitive topic for some reason."

"It's not! God, no it's not." Patrick tries to reason. "I'm sorry, it's not that serious. I just care about you."

You glare at him, crossing your arms. "You mean it?"

"I mean it." He heavily accentuates. "I hope it goes well, for your sake." He says.

"Yeah, me too." You say, although now unsure of yourself. "Me too." You whisper to yourself.

-

It's Friday, November 29th. The cusp of the true holiday season, and the end of a drought for your romantic conquests.

The date was going great, incredible even. The two of you got along swell, and any worries you had about him has dissipated as the night went on. You and Aaron just had some Italian dinner at a restaurant a block away, and had just set foot into the movie theatre. It was small, but had its unique charm that has stood against time.

"You excited for the movie? It has great reviews so far." He grins, hand in hand with you.

"I'm not great with space stuff to be honest, but I'm stoked nonetheless." You admit, smiling shyly.

"Really?" Aaron's eyes widen. "You should've told me, we don't have to see it..." He says, halting the two of you in front of the snack counter.

"No, it's fine. It's not a bother." You say, smiling.

The two of you are now in the screening room, waiting patiently as advertisements cross over the screen. Aaron is already eating his popcorn, and you're scrolling aimlessly on your phone. You see a new Instagram post from Patrick, recognizing the photo had been taken by you.

pat_zweig 【┘】 4 hr

❤︎‬ 213 likes, 9 comments

pat_zweig: naughty or nice?

You laugh quietly to yourself, leaving a comment on his post.

loverg1rl: you're getting coal in your stocking. photo creds btw? hello

You put away your phone, turning it off as the movie begins. You can't help but redirect your thoughts over to Patrick, wondering if he was enjoying his evening. Maybe you'd be watching Thor: The Dark World with him, and enjoying it a lot more than the motion sickness you're about to endure due to the outer space set up.

You start thinking about how this date would go if it was with Patrick instead, finding yourself slowly imagining him instead of Aaron. You knew it was bad, horrible even. You couldn't help yourself, he's left such an impact on you since you moved to the big apple.

Patrick Zweig was something you could not have, no matter how much you wish you could. It was pointless, everything would end in flames if you tried. Why not? You'd ask yourself, but why? You also say.

You look over at Aaron, smiling when he makes eye contact with you. Without thinking, you lean in and kiss him. He kisses you back, and it feels wonderful. This is how it's supposed to be; no pain, just pleasure. You ignore the feeling that you're forcing yourself, you just aren't used to Aaron yet.

You'll learn to like someone else, even if they're not who you really want.

The movie ends. You find yourself outside with Aaron, the cold air engulfing the two of you.

"That was insane, maybe of my favorite movie of the year." Aaron says, smiling wildly.

"It was good, yeah." You say casually, checking your phone. Patrick texted you, his name saved as the one he put in your phone as.

Patrick the Almighty: how's the date? i'm at art's. chloe's here, we're watching glee. thinking of you

You smile fondly at your screen.

"How are you getting home tonight?" Aaron asks, taking your attention away from your phone.

"Oh, my cousin is picking me up." You say, putting your phone in your pocket.

"I see, the tennis star right?" He says, referring to your conversation from dinner.

"Yes, the tennis star." You laugh. "I'm sleeping over at her house, so." You add.

"That's very cute, I haven't had a sleepover with my cousins since I was a kid." Aaron says, looking off to the side for a moment before returning his gaze to you. "I can wait with you, if that's okay." He suggests.

"Sure, I'd like that a lot actually." You say, grinning madly.

"Do you mind if I smoke?" Aaron asks, pulling out a pack of what you presumed to be cigarettes.

"Go ahead, I smoke too." You say.

"Weed?" He asks, almost giddy to hear you say it.

"Oh, no... cigarettes." You say sheepishly.

"Oh!" He says, raising his brows. "These are joints, sorry." He says, referring to the pack in his hands. He takes one and sticks it in his mouth. "Is that alright still?"

"Yeah, course. I've had it a few times before, back in Canada." You say, zipping up your jacket as the cold breeze creeps under your blouse.

He nods, lighting up the joint. "Did you... Want some?" He asks, inhaling then exhaling the joint.

You stand in silence for a moment, debating. "Yeah, sure."

He hands the joint over, allowing you to take hold of it.

You bring it to your mouth and inhale, holding it like a cigarette. You exhale, coughing a few times but holding your composure. "Fuck. That shit bites." You wince, taking another hit before handing it back to him.

Aaron laughs, taking the joint back gingerly. A vehicle pulls up beside the two of you, Tashi revealed in the driver's seat as the window rolls down.

"Gotta go." You say, tilting your head towards the car. "I'll see you, yeah?" You grin, giving Aaron a wink as you open the passenger seat.

"Yeah, see you." He says, inhaling his joint and giving you a small wave before you close the door.

"Well well well," Tashi grins, driving away. "He's fucking hot." She says, tapping on the wheel in sync with the music.

"Oh, I know." You say, the joint taking over your senses. "I smoked weed with him." You say abruptly, giggling profusely.

"Are you high?" Tashi asks, gasping as a smirk grows on her face.

"Mmm, a little." You grin, pressing your cold hands to your warm cheeks.

"You must've had a good time then." She laughs, looking over at you quickly. "My mom has some news to tell us once we get to the house, so I hope you can keep it together."

"What?" You gasp, turning to face Tashi. "What is it? Tell me now!" Your urge, grabbing her arm.

"Hey, I'm driving!" She exclaims, swatting your arm away.

"Sorry, sorry!" You apologize, sitting back in your seat. "Is it to celebrate your exam results?" You ask, your stomach grumbling. "I'm hungry." You whisper.

Tashi laughs profusely, trying to hold it together for the rest of the ride. "Well, kind of. It's to celebrate us both." She says, her smile never leaving her face.

"Can we go to Mcdonalds? I want a happy meal." You say, rolling the window down.

"It's cold! Don't do that!" Tashi warns, rolling the window back up with her driver control.

"But I'm too hot!" You exasperate.

Tashi groans, turning off the heat in the car. "You're too high." She argues, turning into the closest Mcdonalds.

-

You enter the Duncan household with Tashi, managing to sober up a bit after your nugget meal and finishing off the bottle of water your cousin keeps in the car as always.

"Mom! We're here!" Tashi yells, leading you into the living room.

Diane and Mike were sitting on the couch, Diane with a book and Mike with amaretto on the rocks, his usual. The radio plays in the distance.

"Hello girls." Diane grins, putting her book down. "How was the date?" She asks you directly, catching you off guard.

"Oh, it was great, yeah." You say quietly, looking down at your hands.

"He's very nice to look at, and seems to be very nice mom. He's good friends with Emeline, from my ethics class." Tashi adds, sitting down in a nearby armchair. You quickly sit down as well.

"Has Tashi told you the big news yet?" Diane grins, clasping her hands together.

"Erm, no. No yet... What's going on?" You ask, giggling awkwardly.

"We are going... To Italy!" She exclaims, waiting for your reaction.

You gasp, covering your mouth with your hands. "No fucking way!" You exclaim, cheering with Tashi.

"We're going with Michelle and her family, we hadn't gone travelling together since we were in college so..." Diane adds, watching both of your faces falter slightly.

"Michelle? As in the Zweigs?" You ask, mouth slightly agape. You quickly pull out your phone to text back Patrick.

"Yes, that Michelle." Diane says, laughing. She notices the look on your faces. "That's fine, right? You're both good friends with Patrick I figured it was okay?" She says.

You: we're going to fucking italy????

He texts you back instantly.

Patrick the Almighty: my mom just called me about it. isn't this fucking awesome??

You forcibly smile towards Diane, still a bit too high to comprehend it. "No, it's great." You say through gritted teeth, exchanging worried glances with Tashi.

Great. Fucking awesome.

-

this took awhile sorry guys,,,,, ive been watching rivals and my mind is running with ideas. see you in the next one!

[soulsnatcher0xx]

Yandere king X Reader

Tittle: I change my mind. 

when you just turn 20 years old your life forever changes when you heard from your parents that you would be wed off to the infamous king from the north. You never wanted to marry someone as the king because you have heard rumor of him beheading his late wife's head. but the less you didn't want to think badly about anyone so you agreed to marry Thorfinn from vinland. Two weeks later you were ship to vinland where Thorfinn live and not long after you were wed to him, you find out soon after that he has 3 children and he love them dearly but you on the other hand was childless and you like to keep it that way because you never want to have children with him. The reason is because you been hiding a dark secret even form your more powerful family because you didn't want to cost bloodshed for your own selfish desires so for now on you have to lay low and think of a plans.  

You were spending time with his children this afternoon, being the best mother, you could be to them because after 2 years of being marry to Thorfinn you come to love his children and care for them as your own. You were playing card game with when they were called, it was time for them to go and get ready for bedtime. You went to take a bath and sent your servant away since you like to be alone and think to yourself, something you always enjoy as you grow older. As you walk out of the bathroom in your night gown, your husband walk in because if they are servant, they would always knock beforehand, or you are informed about them. As always you smell his drunk state and female scent on him but you say nothing to him as you don't care. you have been knowing that on the day of your wedding night, he went to another women bedroom and never consummated the marriage with you and honestly you were fine with that because as the day passes you begin to see his true color. He never cares about you and as he said he hate you and everything about you, but you being the good person you are, you never mention the awful things he has done behind your back or the poor treatment he shown you. As Thorfinn lay down next to you, he started to wonder why you never questioned where he has been or what he has done, it almost started to bother him to the bone. He turns to face your sleeping form as you curl up to yourself almost as a baby bird kick to the curb. He reaches out to touch your face when suddenly you open your big e/c and stare right into his ocean one and for the first time in his lifetime, he felt his heart skip a beat. He all of a sudden grab your hair and pull you in for a rough kiss, it caught you off guard and you didn't understand what change, but you know you don't want to be with him, nor you want the title of a queen. You rather live poor with the love of your life then with someone who have no respect whatsoever for you. So you put your hands on his chest and push him away. 

“I made a new arrangement for someone else to be your queen and i will be sent to become a nun because in here i have no reason to stay with you and I'm no use to you.” 

y/n said as she turns away from Thorfinn and that night after your conversation with him he seems to become a new person. He treats you more kind and you soon learn that his kingdom has become more powerful than your family. All the more reason for you to get out of this marriage and you insist on that. Since he cannot change your mind of being a nun, he will give you a reason to stay with him. he thought of a plan as he watches you play with his children blow low in the garden. 

Y/n was informed that her estranged husband was going eat dinner with her that night and she had a bad feeling about it but she put her guts feeling to the side and push though. As she ate the food, it was saltier then usually so she quickly drink her glass of water. After a while y/n began to feel lightheaded and soon after she went out like a candle. 

“I will give you a reason to stay.”  Thorfinn said as he unbuttons y/n corset. The smile on his face growing wider. 

let me know if you want a part two.  

[saedii-gilwraeth-simp]

Once again in the pinball chamber of my mind so have part 2 of this kinda

~~

~Tyler~

Tyler's uniglass buzzes on his bedside table, forcing his drooping eyes to open. He scrunches one closed again and reaches an arm over to the table and clumsily picks the uniglass up, careful not to jostle Saedii where she is asleep on half of his chest.

Unsurprisingly, the cause of his buzzing uniglass is his sister and her indestructible love for spam texting. He reads through the pair she had sent and scrunches his eyebrows in confusion at the messages.

Scarlett Jones: did you know that dad speaks Syldrathi?

Followed by

Scarlett Jones: ask me how I know that, Ty

He one-handedly types out his response.

Tyler Jones: I'm pretty sure he doesn't speak any Syldrathi, he watches as a typing bubble appears on his screen.

Scarlett Jones: yeah?

Scarlett Jones: I'm pretty sure he and I share a wall and I now know way too much about mum and dad's sex life. Tyler reads the message once and then twice and then holds back the urge to gag as Scarlett's messages keep rolling in.

Scarlett Jones: maybe not having a mum was better

Scarlett Jones: dad would still be sad but at least I wouldn't be ready to jam the closest sharp object into my ears

Tyler Jones: please stop, I don't want to ever think of this... ever

Scarlett Jones: too bad bee-bro,

Scarlett Jones: if I have to hear it, you have to hear about me hearing it

Scarlett Jones: twin code

Tyler Jones: why is twin code only a thing when you want to torment me?

Tyler Jones: do they not realise you can hear them?

Scarlett Jones: I think they're used to being empty-nesters and forgot I was here

Tyler Jones: gross

Scarlett Jones: yup

Scarlett goes quiet after that for a bit and he thinks they're both done being tormented. And then his uniglass vibrates again.

Scarlett Jones: oh Maker, how are they going again?

Scarlett Jones: Ty save me she pleads, and he decides very quickly that he loves his sister, but not that much. She's on her own.

He puts his uniglass down, ignoring it when it vibrates again in favour of closing his eyes and burying his face in Saedii's hair.

He sends a prayer for his sisters sanity and then tries to fall asleep.

~Scarlett~

Two weeks later, which is about the amount of time it takes for her to think she can look either of her parents in the eye again, she takes a trip back down to see them.

Did she think Tyler would drop the bomb that he and Saedii were having a baby right before she left for Terra? No. But did it present an opportunity for her? Maybe.

It did bring her some smug joy that Tyler had told her first.

It's just after sunrise when she get back to her childhood home and she is immediately hungry when she pushes the front door open and smells a medley of breakfast foods. She rounds the corner to find Corae moving about the kitchen, preparing breakfast while humming along to the music playing from the speaker on the island.

"Morning, evaariin," Corae says and Scarlett smiles at her mother's Syldrathi term of endearment for her - sunshine.

"Hi mum," she says, taking the plate she's offered, sitting on one of the bar stools and watching her mother putter around. Sometimes Scarlett has these moments alone with her mother and loses herself in thoughts of how nice it would have been to have had Corae around during her childhood.

She could imagine exactly what it would have been like. Corae would have braided her hair every morning before school and taught her how to use her waywalker-y skills on mean girls at school and built a pillow fort in which to eat ice cream and complain about boys after her first breakup.

"What's wrong, evaariin?" Corae asks and Scarlett blinks back to see her mother watching her with a tilted head, sharp purple eyes assessing her and dimple popping with her twisted smile. Scarlett shrugs and lets go off her imagination. Her mother is here now and that's what matters.

"Nothing, work just has me busy," she brushes the question off. She knows Corae knows better but appreciates that she is smart enough to let it go.

"Yeah? What has the legion got you doing now?" Corae humours her and Scarlett starts to rant about the dumb Chellarian ambassador who doesn't know his ass from his elbow, making Corae laugh as she exaggeratedly describes the buffoons she has to work with.

Eventually, her dad joins them, coming downstairs and kissing Scarlett's forehead and Corae's cheek as he passes into the kitchen. He's in a finely-pressed suit with a flag of Terra pin on the lapel and Scarlett raises an eyebrow at the get up.

"Your father is going to a ribbon cutting ceremony," Corae says in a voice laced with posh fondness, waving her fork vaguely. "The life of a very important Senator," she says and Scarlett laughs a little at that. Jericho just fondly rolls his eyes.

"Very important senator you married," he mocks back and Corae shrugs.

"What can I say? You fill a suit out very nicely," she says, eyeing Jericho up and down.

"Before you two start eye-fucking, I'd like to remind you that I'm sitting right here trying to eat," Scarlett says dryly, making both parents turn to her with raised eyebrows.

"We do not eye-fuck, as you so very crassly phrased it, Scar," her father says and Corae nods.

"Yeah, we're way more diplomatic. Eyes are obvious, it's all about the body language," she says and Scar sighs.

"Gross."

"Hm, well before your dad goes out, do you want to tell us whatever secret your obviously keeping about your brother?" Corae asks casually and Scarlett's head snaps to her.

"How-" Corae taps her Waywalker sigil and smirks. "Nope, you can't have possibly figured out that from just being a Waywalker, come on, what gave me away?"

"I would also like to know, if it matters," Jericho says and Corae shrugs.

"One side of your mouth is tilted higher than the other like a smirk but you're not being any more scarcastic than usual, so you're smug about something and when it comes to us, you're only smug when you know something we don't. You're not broaching any new topics we might start inferring from, so it's a secret not a surprise. And you keep raising one eyebrow when you talk, the one that your brother has the scar through. Ergo, you know a secret we don't know and it's about your brother," Corae explains and Scarlett blinks. She's never really met someone who could read people like her and it was aways slightly disturbing.

"How do you know it's Ty specifically? It could be the whole Squad," she tries to divert and Corae shakes her head.

"When it's the squad you move your shoulders more, they're the people you want to hug. When it's your boyfriend, you sit differently," Scarlett blinks.

"I sit differently?" Corae nods. Jericho makes a surrending symbol with his hands and very quickly kisses his wife goodbye and leaves like fire is on his heels.

"You're hips tilt further forward depending on how pleased you are with him," Corae says and Scarlett groans, burying her blushing face in her hands.

"Mu-um!" she moans through her fingers and Corae chuckles.

"You asked, evaariin, and it's nothing to be embarrassed about, we all have our tells."

"You don't have any tells," Scarlett says and looks up to see Corae shrug.

"My birth family knew all of them so I trained myself out of them. My mother was a terribly exacting woman, it was torture having her be able to read me," Scarlett considered her mother for a beat.

"I've never heard you mention your family," Corae shrugs again, leaning against the opposite counter and folding her arms across her chest.

"Not much to tell. The only ones I liked are dead. Yet somehow the one who tried to stab me lives on," she laughs at Scarlett's incredulous look, "story for another time. Now, you promised to take me to the quote unquote 'best dress shop on Terra' so eat up so we can go out," Corae says, pointing her fork at Scarlett's half eaten plate.

Scarlett smiles and turns back to her plate, wondering to herself if this is what her friends felt like when she was around. Although she supposes there are worse people to be like than her mother - even if she's already planning on making Ty switch rooms with her before she stays over again.

~~

idk I just see Corae calling Scar 'sunshine' and Ty "moonlight' as terms of endearment

[sopeacefulandquiet]

The First Meeting

Summary: After spending 6 months undercover working at a cafe in downtown Las Vegas, Y/n finds someone who might make her time here more interesting and maybe help her getaway.

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader Word Count: ~3k Warning: N/A Genre: fluff? kinda Notes: This is honestly so bad, you can tell I had no idea what was happening as I got halfway in, I do apologise if you decide to read this and make it till the end as it makes absolutely no sense as I ran out of motivation to write it halfway through. I just really had to finish it and get it off my mind. So thank you for reading. Enjoy. Please let me know if there is any way I could improve this! Feedback is much appreciated.

Y/n didn't believe in love at first sight. She didn't understand how someone could look at a person and decide that they now loved them based solely on looks. She saw it as futile, falling in love with someone without knowing their true personality. She’d scoff just thinking about someone she knew ‘falling in love at first sight’, Y/n believed there was no love at first sight, there was only lust at first sight. Nothing more, nothing less. 

Being an undercover agent heavily contributed to her opinions, she couldn't fall in love (not that she would, love was overrated in her opinion) with someone knowing that at any moment now, she would have to sacrifice her life for a country that she didn't believe in anymore. She could, however, sleep with as many people as she wanted, she could lust after people, because in her opinion lust had no such consequences as love did. 

Love simply was not worth the risk. 

Love at first sight was a false notion.

Love did not make people happy. She saw it firsthand with her parents.

Love left destruction in its wake, and she had no room for destruction in her life. 

Y/n y/l/n was sworn off love. it had no room in her life. 

Not until a certain brunet unknowingly made his way into her life. 

——————————————————————————————————

Y/n grew to appreciate the little things in life. The little things in her life were what made her happy, little things that she had grown to love in the past year; the birds chirping in the morning when she woke up, her little apartment which was minimally decorated but still home, and even her old neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers who would welcome her into their home and feed her until she could stomach no more. 

The things she didn't have to learn to love, things that brought a smile to her face instantly were the degrees placed on her mantel, delicately framed in gold frames. At the young age of 19, Y/n had already completed two Ph.D.'s and she couldn't be more proud of herself - nor could her mother. Next to the certificates sat her most beloved possession - the only family photo she had. She would often spend hours sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace, photo frame in hand, examining each smiling individual in the photo, her mother, father, and her three brothers. She wondered how they would look now, after 7 years. Would they remember her? Maybe, maybe not. Y/n, however, could remember each of them so vividly, their voices, their mannerisms, the way they’d call for her. She often imagined what life would be like if those events 7 years ago never took place. 

Alas. one could not change the past. And so she’d place the photo frame back on the mantel and try not to think of it again.

Being an undercover agent at her age was hard. She was supposed to make her way into the family of the mafia boss in Las Vegas, which she had done successfully in under 2 weeks, but after informing the FBI that she had done her part, she was asked to lay low until a new case was sent her way; which she had been doing for the past 3 years. Her days became predictable, which she grew to like, school, work, home, and then repeat. Every single day. Enrolling in and attending university became almost a hobby for her, which was how she’d achieved 2 PhDs at a young age, hoping to gain her third in the upcoming year. 

Working at the little cafe in downtown Las Vegas was something she grew to enjoy. She liked the way every day was almost predictable. The cafe would open at 7am every day. She’d go through the process of raising the blinds in front of the door window and turning the sign around from ‘closed’ to open. She’d take her place behind the tills with a bright smile on her face ready to greet customers, continuing conversation with her co-workers, Jayne and Andrew, who were primarily the ones making the large array of drinks they served. Y/n reveled in the predictability of the day ahead. 

The cafe, being close to the center of Las Vegas, meant that it was incredibly common for customers to frequent it on a daily basis to get their morning to-go cup of coffee, but it was rare for them to stay. So when a boy - who could be no older than her - came in every day for 3 months, y/n’s interest was piqued. He’d walk in every day at exactly 3pm, and she noticed a thick book in one hand, the other clutching the strap of his satchel. He would sit in the far back corner and read. Until the closing time at 11pm. He slowly became her favourite person and knowing nothing about it (and being too afraid to ask) she would watch him intently, creating little stories in her head about him; her favorite being one about him being a child prodigy, like Mozart, but instead of being into music, he’d be into maths. 

She watched him, on and off, for the past three months and each time he was looking down engrossed in his book, flipping through it at a godly speed, y/n was certain he was just looking at the pictures to keep himself occupied, for what she didn't know. Every day she watched him walk in, with a smile on her face, waiting for him to come up to the counter and place an order, but when he walked in, he’d make an immediate beeline to the table in the back, never once coming up to the counter. 

He’d walked in today, with a thick book in one hand, as he always had, and y/n had been thoroughly overjoyed when she caught a glimpse of the title, Schizophrenia Genesis. it was a book that y/n had picked up for some light reading and she had thoroughly enjoyed it. She watched as he took his place at the booth in the back corner and flipped to a page he was presumably reading before and once again began flipping through it. He was such an intriguing creature and y/n … the day she would talk to him. She decided it was going to be today.

“Hey,” Jayne came up behind y/n, lightly touching her on her shoulder. She jumped and turned around, looking at her colleague who simply grinned at her. 

“Andrew and I were thinking of taking our break now seeing as it's not too busy,” she said, pointing at Andrew who was standing in the door frame behind her holding two cups of coffee, “Do you want to join?”

“Yeah.” y/n nodded, “but I'm going to take it on my own if that's alright,” she continued, sending an apologetic smile towards her colleague, taking her apron off and placing it on the counter behind her, quickly washing her hands and drying it using napkins. Jayne smiled, nodding, making her way past Andrew and to the break room. 

Y/n walked up to Andrew, who was still waiting at the door with a cup for her and took the cup from him, throwing a quick smile at him and mumbling a “thank you” before sauntering over to the boy she had been fascinated by, making sure to take a handful of sugar packets as she passed the condiments station.

“I really enjoyed that book. Are you sure you're even reading that?” she questioned the boy, sliding into the seat opposite him and placing down the cup of coffee in front of him, alongside the sugar packets.

The boy looked up at her and his face fell flat as he pushed his fringe back and tucked it behind his ear, his voice came out small and defensive, “of course, I'm reading it.”

Y/n nodded her head slowly, “of course you are,” she responded with a smile, pushing the coffee cup towards him.

He stared at her, his face expressionless if not for the slight raise of an eyebrow, “I can - er - read at 20,000 words per minute.”  he stated, his eyes glancing down at the cup Y/n had ushed in front of him.

“Americano, it's on the house,” she said eventually, “You’ve been here an hour just reading and haven't ordered anything, you must be really interested in schizophrenia,” she joked. “ and 20,000 words, wow. Genius boy” she continued, her eyes widening at his comment, a small smile still playing on her lips.

The boy looked at her, “thank you.” 

Y/n nodded at him as she watched him reach for the cup, grabbing it and taking a small swing of it, grimacing.

She slide over the many sugar packets she took and watched him pour all but one into the cup, using the straw to mix them in. He took a sip again and nodded approving at his sugar-filled drink. 

“Would you like me to get some more coffee to add to your sugar?” she joked, giggling. She found the boy amusing. He couldn't be much older than her yet it seemed he was bewitched by a book - which now lay closed on the table -  that was classed as a graduate-level read. 

He laughed with her but stopped as Y/n gasped, her hand covering her mouth as her eyes widened. 

“I didn't even introduce myself, my name is y/n,” she started, outstretching her hands towards him, “but Y/n/n is fine, that's what everyone else calls me.” the smile that was present when she first sat in front of him, found its way back onto her face.

The boy simply stared at her hand and nodded, “I'm Spencer.”

Y/n put her hand back down and nodded her head,

Spencer nodded his head, awkwardly, taking a sip of his coffee before looking back down at his book and continuing to read. 

She watched him for a few minutes, before looking up at the clock on the wall and gasping. Y/n slid out of the booth, pushing herself to her feet, “my breaks nearly over, we can do this again… if you want to that is…” she trailed off, apologetically.

“Okay.” he replied simply, giving her a quick glance before returning his attention to the book of which he was half way through. 

Y/n nodded her head before taking her apron off the counter she had left it on and putting it on, taking her place behind the counter, which seemed to be incredibly good timing, as a customer had just walked in.   

——————————————————————————————————

it had quickly become a daily occurrence. Spencer would walk in - with a different book - every day, and sit in that exact booth (as he always did) and she would make him a coffee and sit with him during her breaks. Keeping each other company as they made small talk, usually updating each other about their day so far. As Spencer became more comfortable with her, he would ramble on about statistics and facts about what she had been telling him about, and she loved it, listening intently every time.

A week turned into a month and a month tuned into an entire year and the two quickly became friends, despite barely even knowing the basics about each other.

This day was as normal as any other day, Y/n had assumed, until she had watched Spencer bite his lip and fiddle with the corner of the page he was reading, taking glances up at her every once in a while, as she stood at the counter. 

She kept her eyes on the clock and as soon as her break time was displayed on it, she pulled her apron off - throwing an apologetic look towards the customer who had just shown up, and hollering for Jayne for came quickly and took y/n’s place at the counter - placing it on the chair in the back room, and practically running towards spencers booth, taking a seat parallel to him. 

Y/n leaned back in the seat and watched the way he pushed back his long brown hair that fell in front of his face, before looking up at her and smiling - she of course reciprocated that smile. 

“Have you ever thought about cutting your hair? Just a bit shorter, of course, just to keep it out of your face… you know, since you keep pushing it back and it might just be eas-”

“i haven’t actually,” he stated, cutting her rambling short, the smile still resting on his lips.

She smiled back at him, mumbling a little sorry, which he shook his head at.

“I’m- er - I’ve been recruited to join the FBI,” he mumbled quickly, “and er- I'm leaving in a month's time,” He looked at her sheepishly.

She looked at him incredulously, “The FBI? Why? Aren't you a little too young? I mean, you have 3 PhDs, don't you want to do something else?” 

Spencer closed his book before sitting up straight and shrugging, “um- well- yes. I’m only 22 and I got offered a position with the behavioral analysis unit, so I er- thought why not. Maths and statistics and such things don't feel complex enough, so I think it’ll be a challenge, you know, Dissecting the human brain… in a philosophical sense”

She nodded along, “So you’ll be moving to Virginia then, I'm guessing”

“They're sorting out an apartment for me in D.C, so I’ll just have to take the subway to Quantico. Or get a car.” He shrugged

“Oh.”

She looked at him, giving him a small smile. 

She didn't know how to feel. She felt happy for him at first, he was moving up in the world, and doing something she knew he was going to enjoy - Spencer liked puzzles and always complained to her how easy they were - picking apart the human brain and finding the unsub, such a job seemed to be right up his lane and she was truly happy for him. At the same time, she felt hurt, he was the only real friend she had. He was going to be so far from her. She wouldn't get to see him every day. She wouldn't see his smile when she complimented him on his outfits, or the slight roll of his eyes when she teased him about actually being able to read the book he brought in. She wouldn't see him for who knows how long, and she wasn't ready for this change. She wasn’t ready to lose the one person she could call a friend, not yet anyway but she would tell he was happy - no matter how nervous he was - and excited and so she didn't want to burst his bubble. 

Y/n smiled at him, wide, and tried to convince herself that she was happy for him. 

——————————————————————————————————

The next week, Spencer showed up at his usual time, the same book from the day before clutched in his hand, and took a seat at his usual spot. 

Y/n sighed as she watched him. She was going to miss this - being able to look over at the corner and see her friend was something that made her smile. The simple thought that she had a friend despite having to live in secrecy made her smile. And so when she saw him simply place the book on the table and not even open it as he looked up at her, she left her place at the counter and slid into the seat opposite him, wanting to spend as much time as possible with him before he left. 

Spencer smiled at her not saying a word as he took in her appearance, printing this image of her into his mind, knowing he possibly wouldn't get to see 

it was also when y/n l/n decided, she didn't have to live like a recluse to fulfill her duties. She too was allowed to have a little bit of happiness, and as she shook Spencer Reid’s hand, she knew; he was going to be her happiness. And as she watched his eyes crinkle, and the corners of his mouth turn upwards, she decided; She would leave this life and she too would try to be his happiness. 

She didn't know what came over her when the words fell out of her mouth.

“Let me come with you.”

Spencer stared at her, his mouth opening and closing as he thought of what to say, “I- er- What?”

“I know it's kind of weird, scratch that, it's incredibly weird, but you're like my only friend and I know we won't be able to talk when you were gone. Actually, we’re not even meant to be talking no-” she started rambling, and was very thankful when he cut her off. 

“I couldn't possibly ask that of you.”

Y/n exhaled thankfully when she realised he didn't pick up on what she had blurted out at the end, thanking her lucky stars silently.

“You're not asking me, I'm asking you. If you let me, I want to come with you.”

Spencer stared at her, his face expressionless, “I don't even know what to say…”

“I promise I won't be a burden. I’ll get a job..” she started, she was thinking about putting her degree in medicine to good use, “and I’ll help finance everything… I promise.” she was begging at this point, sounding so desperate, even though she was shocked with herself.

Taking a drink of his coffee, which was cold at this point, Spencer sat deep in thought for a few minutes, y/n staring at him expectantly. 

Slowing nodded his head he started, “Okay, I guess you can come with…”

Y/n didn't know what came over her as she leaned over the table pulling Spencer into a hug, whispering thank you’s into his ear as he stood awkwardly, having been pulled up forcefully, keeping his hands to the side, clutching his coffee cup not wanting any to spill.

Y/n let go of him when she realised what she was doing and awkwardly dusted off his shoulders, patting his arm twice before muttering a “thank you” and “text me the details of when we leave” before walking into the staff breakroom, trying to come up with discrete ways you could hand in your resignation.

To say she was excited was an understatement. She couldn't wait to leave the uneventful Las Vegas and go somewhere new, no matter how much she liked the predictability of her every day, and she couldn't wait to start a new life in Washington D.C. with her best friend.  

[fadingmuse]

Story Time!

It's been a while so I'm gonna give you guys something a little juicy. I've been holding back on this because this moment means a lot to me and I wanted to keep it to myself, plus, he told me to keep it a secret from my friends and other teachers lol. but now, I figured there's no harm in sharing. It's been close to a decade, and my friends still don't know about it anyway.

I've mentioned before that we used to talk a LOT, to the point that we text each other after school. The conversations were always random, we rarely talked about school, mosty music, family, hobbies, literally everything. Aside from him being my (ex) tc, I was glad that there was an adult other than my parents that I could rely on.

One night we were texting as usual. It was maybe around 9pm, and since my sleep schedule was still normal back then, I told him that I was done for the night and about to get some shut-eye. We bid eachother goodnight and that was that.

A couple of minutes later, I heard a notification from my phone. I picked it up and it was from H. I thought it was urgent since we already ended our conversatiom earlier so I instantly opened it.

It was a LONG text. By the tone of the text, I figured that it wasn't meant for me, but the text was loooooong. Like, REALLY long. So I had no idea how he didn't notice who he was texting when he typed all that. At first I contemplated about reading the whole thing, but being curious, I went through with it.

By the time I finished reading it, I was still confused because I understand none of it. I have no idea what he and the other person was talking about. Not a clue. But then H bombarded me with texts saying things like,

"I'm sorry oh god that wasn't meant for you!"

"Did you read it already? Tell me you didn't."

"..Please don't think less of me, I'm sorry."

By then, I was baffled. I mean, what the fuck was I supposed to think?

I told him that it was fine, that I would delete the text if he wanted me to, and that I don't even undersgand what it all means. So there's nothing to be worry about.

"You don't understand about any of it?"

"No? Am I supposed to?"

And just like that he opened up to me.

Just a disclaimer, at this stage he was in his 20s. He was still young. I realized that now, but back then? I never given it any thought. I knew that he has a life outside of being a teacher, but I've had view him as what I first knew him as. Mr. H. That's why I was shocked when he told about his 'hobby'.

He (used to) street race. Yep. Street race. The text that he 'accidentally' sent me was of him talking to his friend about the strategic (?) of the next race and such. It's okay if you guys don't believe me because if I were you guys, I would have a hard time believing it too cause what kind of wattpad shit is this?

I didn't know what to think. I mean, this was a whole new side of him. Of course, at my age now, I think it's hot (forgive me). But back then I was horrified, mostly worried. He kept apologizing, begging me not to think less of him, saying that he's still him. Looking back now it wasn't even that big of a deal, but I was a goody 2 shoes back then so I understamd where he was coming from. And he was right, I WAS worried.

I assured him that I won't tell anyone and that I don't think less of him. But I still told him that I don't like him doing it and that I hope he doesn't do this often (lol the AUDACITY). The more shocking development is that he straight up promised that he won't do it again. I mean, I have no idea if he held true to that promise but to this day, it still warms my heart knowing that he cared.

The whole week after that conversation he treated as if I was a flight risk. He kept reaching out to me, staring at me, asking if I still wanna be friends. I had to keep reasurring him that everything was fine. Eventually, he calmed down. In fact, he ended up being more open to me than ever. He used to tell me everything, but after that incident, he tells me EVERYTHING. So I guess it turned out to be a happy accident.

I kind of have a feeling that he actually wanted me to know this side of him. The text he sent me was long as hell, I seriously don't know how he didn't notice my name while he was typing. Plus, I had no idea what he was talking about, he could've just moved on and tell me to forget about it. Why did he choose to explain it to me?

I guess I'll never know.

[xtaketwox]

It Looks As Though You're Letting Go - Chapter 2

Summary: Everyone is born with an arrow on the back of their hand which points to their soulmate at midnight on their eighteenth birthday. After her parents' disastrous marriage and her father's subsequent depression following her mother's death, Nesta realized a soulmate is nothing more than guaranteed heartache and ruination. On the eve of her eighteenth birthday, she packs up her car and leaves her family and life behind forever. What she doesn't count on, however, is having a soulmate like Cassian, who may be the one to prove to her that a soulmate is what she needs.

Fic Rating: Explicit

Warnings: None

Chapter Word Count: 4514

Based on this prompt

Read on AO3, Fic Masterlist

@nessianweek

Chapter 2

Cassian had returned to work the day after that disastrous dinner, figuring it was best to give Nesta some time to cool off. He supposed he had sort of ambushed her when she was both sleep and food deprived. Based on her sudden temper, he must have hit a sore spot for her. She likely wasn’t used to anyone taking care of her. 

Given his own background—living in poverty with his mother while his father ignored Cassian’s very existence until her death forced him to provide a home for his son—he could understand the hesitancy to accept help. He’d give her a couple days to orient herself in her new life and then he’d send her a text. Perhaps he had simply overstepped and moved too quickly. 

Not contacting her for two days proved more difficult than he expected, but when forty-eight hours had finally passed, he sent her a text.

C: Hey Nes. Just wanted to say sorry for overstepping. I hope you’re ok.

He held his breath, waiting for her to reply, but after several minutes he set his phone down. She was probably busy. He didn’t really know her work schedule. Maybe she worked the evening shift sometimes. 

Several hours later, when his phone pinged during his workout, he hastily dropped his weights and grabbed his phone. 

N: It’s fine.

He chuckled. 

C: That’s all the response I get? N: What, do you want a medal for apologizing? C: Not a medal, but maybe something more than “it’s fine.” N: Sorry to disappoint, but that’s all you get.

Cassian smiled, waving away the guy who asked if he was done with the weights as he walked over to a bench and sat down.

C: I can see I’m going to have to work hard to get back into your good graces. N: Who said you were in my good graces to begin with? C: I saw you making heart eyes at me.

He could practically hear her snort from here.

N: You’re delusional if you think I look at you with anything but contempt. C: If I had to guess, I’d say contempt is your love language, so I’ll take that as a compliment. N: 🙄 C: 😘

She didn’t respond after that, but Cassian still couldn’t keep the smile off his face. At least she was talking to him again. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Over the following couple of weeks Cassian and Nesta kept up a steady stream of texts. Cassian tried to force himself to keep from visiting her again, to simply text her, but by the end of the second week, he was itching to see her again. Deciding it was best to warn her he was coming, he shot her a text as he got into his car, not waiting for a response before he headed to her. 

When he reached her apartment, he texted that he was there. 

N: The door’s unlocked.

He frowned as he walked through the door, locking it behind him, and headed up the stairs. He knocked lightly before entering. 

“You really shouldn’t leave your door unlocked—” His reprimand died on his lips when he looked around at the now fully furnished loft. The furniture was all clearly second hand, but also seemed to be good quality. 

He looked over at her where she sat at a table drinking something hot from a mug. “You’ve clearly been busy. Where’d you get all this?”

He walked over to sit opposite her as she shrugged. “I figured I might as well put your tip money to good use.”

He chuckled, looking around. “This is definitely more than my tip money.”

“I’m a good waitress.”

His heart skipped a beat at the smirk on her face. God she was beautiful. “I know you are.”

After a beat, she set down her mug. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

He swallowed, feeling his face heat. He couldn’t very well tell her he was desperate to see her. She would probably take it as a sign that their bargain was broken and make him leave. 

“Friends hang out.”

She tilted her head. “Are we friends?”

He leaned back in his chair. “I text you more than most of my friends, so yeah, we’re friends.”

She just hmm’d and picked up her mug again. Cassian looked around the room, trying to think of something to say, something to do to keep him here. If he played his cards right, maybe he wouldn’t have to drive home that night. He wasn’t opposed to sleeping on the couch, although it was definitely too short for him to sleep comfortably.

His eyes snagged on a tv. “How about a movie?”

He looked back at her. She gave nothing away as she drank from her mug. 

Just when he was about to rescind the suggestion, she shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

He stood. “Great. Any movie in particular you wanna watch?”

“I don’t really care,” she said, taking her mug to the sink. 

She was acting so aloof, he didn’t know what to make of it. Had he been reading into their banter? Maybe she hadn’t been flirting back. Maybe he was just a colossal dumb fuck for thinking she was in any way interested in him. After all, she had made it perfectly clear she wanted nothing to do with a soulmate. 

He turned on the tv, ignoring the anxious thump of his heart, and scrolled through the movie selection before picking one at random. The couch was only a two-seater and he wasn’t a small guy, but Nesta still managed to lean as far away from him as possible. 

He crossed his ankle over his knee, trying to pay attention to the movie and failing miserably. He glanced at Nesta, finding her looking unbothered and bored as she watched the screen.

She turned her head and caught him looking at her. “What?”

Cassian looked back at the tv. “Nothing.”

He could feel her watching him for a few moments before turning back to the movie. He wanted to touch her so badly. He had been thinking of the brush of her skin so often it was a wonder his cock wasn’t chafed.

Knowing he was being neither subtle nor smooth, he put his arm across the back of the couch. His fingers brushed against Nesta’s hair and he grit his teeth to keep from playing with it. He forced himself to keep staring at the screen as he felt the couch shift, waiting for Nesta to tell him to keep his hands to himself. When she said nothing, he exhaled.

By the time the movie was over, Cassian had no idea what it was even about. It had taken all his mental energy not to lean towards Nesta, to hold her hand, to play with her hair. If she hadn’t seemed completely unaffected he might have given in. As it was, however, he didn’t want to risk losing her, so he forced himself to remain still. 

They sat in silence as the credits rolled. He didn’t know how to broach the idea of staying the night without it looking like he was expecting something from her. 

He turned to suggest another movie when Nesta leaned towards him, her hands on his thigh as she pressed her lips to his. He froze as his mind attempted to catch up with what was happening. 

After a second, Nesta pulled away.

“Sorry—”

Before she could say more, Cassian, grabbed the back of her head, pulling her back towards him. He tangled his fingers in her hair, holding back a groan when she opened her mouth and slid her tongue against his. He reached his other hand towards her waist, pulling gently. She swung her leg over his, straddling him and grasping onto his hair. 

A voice in the back of his mind worried about whether this was a bad idea, about how Nesta would react given her rules, but he quickly shoved it away as his cock hardened. He groaned as her nails scratched along his scalp. He let go of her hair in favor of sliding his hands along her waist under her shirt. 

He thought he might die when she groaned lightly into his mouth as he traced his fingers up her spine. She broke the kiss to inhale when he brushed his knuckles along the side of her breast. He nipped lightly at her lips before kissing his way along her jaw as he gently kneaded her breast. Her sharp inhale emboldened him to kiss his way down the column of her throat, gently leaning her back. He sucked lightly at the juncture between her neck and shoulder, smiling against her skin at her sharp inhale before continuing downward. 

When he reached the collar of her t-shirt, she pulled away long enough to yank it off, tossing it to the side. Cassian’s breath was ragged as he looked at her. Nesta was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. 

He glanced up, finding her watching him with a vulnerable look in her eyes. “You’re so beautiful,” he breathed. 

When she visibly relaxed, he returned his gaze to her chest. He reached behind for the clasp of her bra, pausing to wait for Nesta’s nod before he unclasped it and pulled it away. 

His throat ran dry and he swallowed hard, his heart pounding in his chest. He curled his hands over her shoulders, his thumbs lightly tracing across her collarbones as he bent his head, groaning when he sucked her nipple into his mouth. He swirled his tongue, listening to Nesta’s breaths to discover what she did and didn’t like. 

He moved to the next breast, repeating the process as Nesta’s breathing turned to near gasping, her chest heaving as her hips started shifting on his lap. He let go of her breast with a pop, sloppily kissing his way back up her neck to her lips. 

She whined in the back of her throat when her nipples brushed against his still-clothed chest. Her hands dropped to his shirt, pulling it up. He pulled away long enough to toss his shirt next to hers before he returned his lips to hers. He would never tire of kissing her, of feeling the slide of her tongue against his. He groaned when she lightly scratched her nails up his spine, shuddering. 

Cassian jerked when she rolled her hips sliding over his very hard cock, an inelegant whimper leaving his lips. He felt Nesta smile against his lips and decided he’d whimper as much as she wanted if it made her happy. 

He traced a hand along the edge of her pants, dipping his hand into the back of her underwear to squeeze at her ass, pushing her harder against him. Now it was Nesta’s turn to whimper. 

He pulled away, both of them breathing hard as he looked between Nesta’s eyes, trying to decide if he should take things further.

Nesta swallowed hard. “Um. You should know I’ve never done this before.”

Cassian stilled. “Ok.” He willed some blood to return to his brain so he could think. “Do you want to stop?”

Nesta shook her head. “No. I just thought that was something you should probably know.”

“Are you sure? Nothing has to happen.” He meant it. Cassian wouldn’t dream of forcing a woman, but more than that, Nesta was his soulmate. This was important. She was important, and he would rather cut his own heart out than have her first time ruined by not being ready.

She smirked. “I know nothing has to happen. I just thought it might be some useful information for you to have.”

He huffed a laugh. “It certainly cements what I plan to do to you.” He brushed a hand along her spine. “With your permission of course.” He looked around. “Maybe we should do this on your bed.”

Nesta raised an eyebrow. “Getting ahead of yourself aren’t you.”

Cassian laughed. “No. You can tell me to stop at any time, no questions ask and no bitching from me. I just figured it might be easier to…move around on the bed.”

He caught the flash of uncertainty in her eyes. “Hey.” He cupped her jaw, willing her to see that he was serious. “I mean it. You can say stop at any time. I don’t expect anything from you.” When she didn’t say anything he added, “We can stop right now, if you want. I don’t want you to feel pressured at all. I can—”

He stopped rambling when Nesta placed a finger on his lips. “Stop talking,” she said. “I want to do this. I just—needed a moment.”

She stood up, walking to the bed at the other end of the loft, hidden behind a folding screen. Cassian followed behind her, his mouth going dry when she shucked off her pants and underwear and sat on the bed, leaning back against her elbows. 

When he made no move to get closer, she raised her eyebrows. “Are you going to stare all night?”

He swallowed, his gaze roving over her body. “I just might.”

She sat up and reached for his belt, pulling him towards her. She looked up at him as she unbuckled the belt, sliding it off and tossing it away before slipping the button of his jeans open. His breathing grew shallow when she slid the zipper down, hooking her fingers into the waist of his boxers and sliding his clothes down. He took over when she paused, her eyes growing wide when his cock sprang free. 

Kicking his remaining clothes away, he hooked a finger under her chin, tilting her head so that her wide eyes met his. “Remember, nothing has to happen. I want you to promise me you’ll tell me if you don’t like something or if you want to stop.”

She stared at him a moment, the vulnerability behind her eyes tugging at his heart. Just when he was about to grab his clothes and call the whole thing off, she nodded. 

He rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip. “I need to hear the words from your mouth.”

“I promise,” she whispered.

He nodded. “Ok. Lay back.”

She hesitated for a moment before doing as he asked, but propped herself up on her elbows again as he knelt in front of her. “What are you doing?”

He forced himself to look away from her tantalizing flesh and into her eyes. “I want to eat you out…if that’s ok.”

Nesta’s eyes widened before the corner of her mouth lifted and she laid back down. “Go ahead.”

Cassian smiled at her attempt at nonchalance as he lowered his head. He licked a stripe up and swirled his tongue around her clit, feeling immensely satisfied when she sucked in a breath and gripped her comforter with both hands. 

He grabbed her legs and threw them over his shoulder to give him better access to her. He tried not to let the fact that this was her first time get into his head. Instead, he listened intently to every noise Nesta made, to the what caused her to gasp, to groan, to bow off the bed. 

He slid a finger inside her, groaning against her skin as her heat wrapped around him. He was going to have to go slow to make sure he didn’t hurt her. He pumped in and out, taking his time as she relaxed around him before he curled his finger as he again sucked her clit into his mouth. She bowed off the bed as she orgasmed, her legs wrapping around his ears like a vice as she screamed.

As she pulsed around him, Cassian slid a second finger in, pumping her through the orgasm. He turned his head to kiss the inside of her thigh as her body relaxed around his fingers. She whined when he slid a third finger inside, pumping slowly. 

“Does this hurt?” he asked, his voice gruff as he palmed himself to take the edge off. 

“No,” Nesta gasped. “It feels amazing.” Her hands scrabbled to grab his hair, tugging him towards her. “Please. I want to kiss you.”

He slid his fingers out, watching her as he licked each one clean before kissing his way up her body. She scooted backwards until she was fully on the bed. When he leaned down to kiss her, his stomach flipped at the sweetness behind it. 

He wasn’t sure how long they made out for, him in no hurry, before she wrapped both legs around his back and pulled away just enough to ask if he had a condom.

Cassian swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. “Will you hate me if I say yes?”

Nesta smirked up at him. “Only a little.”

He laughed, pulling back to grab the condom he had stuck in his wallet as a just-in-case, never expecting to use it. He tore the foil wrapper open and rolled the condom quickly up his cock before returning to Nesta.

She opened her arms and wrapped her legs back around him as he settle between them. “Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked, cupping her face with one hand. 

“Stop asking me if I want to stop and fuck me already,” was her reply.

He leaned down to kiss her, grasping his cock in one hand to guide it toward her entrance. He caught her gasp between his lips when he slid in slowly. Pulling away, he held himself still, trying to calm his breathing as he gasped out “Tell me if I hurt you.”

He opened his eyes at her hand on his face. “It doesn’t hurt,” she whispered.

He swallowed, pulled out and pushed back in, a little further this time. Nesta’s head tilted up as she groaned, using her heels to push him in even further. 

“Fuck!” 

His head fell to her collarbone as she chuckled in his ear. “I’m not going to break.”

Cassian pulled out slowly, both of them groaning at the slide as he pushed back in. He continued the slow slide in and out until he was fully seated inside her. He lifted his head from her collarbone, not caring if she could see the utter devastation in his eyes. He had never experienced sex like this. It felt overwhelming, knowing she was his soulmate and he was her first. He wouldn’t have cared if he wasn’t, but to know he was did something strange to his heart. 

He leaned down to kiss her again as he started moving, Nesta tilting her hips up to meet him. He groaned against her lips, willing himself to last when the feel of her was driving him out of his mind. He kissed his way along her jaw, sucking her earlobe into his mouth and biting gently. She bowed against him, whining softly. He brushed his hands along her shoulders, leaning on his elbows. Her hands fell to either side of her head, and he trailed his fingers from her elbow down her wrist, threading his fingers into her.

He pulled back, staring down at her. Her wide eyes stared back at him, the moment so intimate, it felt as if his soul was being knit to hers. She bit her lip as he snapped his hips harder, now sliding easily in and out. 

Eventually, he knew he wasn’t lasting much longer and he desperately wanted her to come on his cock. He pulled away to sit back on his knees, trailing his thumb along her jaw and over her lips, pushing it inside for her to suck on. She swirled her tongue around it, sucking gently until he pulled it back out and began swirling it around her clit, one hand on her hip as he resumed snapping his hips. 

Nesta threw an arm over her eyes as she started gasping, her knees tightening around his hips. He picked up the pace of both his finger and his cock, all but pounding into her as he twirled his finger around her clit. When she opened her mouth in a silent scream, her legs shaking around him as she pulsed around his cock, he grabbed both her hips, his own orgasm rushing through him. He pumped a few more times before collapsing on top of Nesta, barely remembering to throw his arms out so he didn’t crush her.

She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him to her as they both gasped. 

“That was—”

“Yeah.” He leaned his head against her collarbone, trying to gather himself back together after what could only be described as a life-altering experience. 

When he felt like he had some semblance of control over his emotions, he pulled away and gently tugged Nesta to her feet. He pulled back the covers of her bed, sliding in and pulling her down next to him. He tucked her into his side, his legs twining with hers as her head rested against his bicep. 

It was on the tip of his tongue to say something stupid, like I love you. He just barely restrained himself with the reminder that they’d technically only been talking for a few weeks and Nesta likely wouldn’t respond well to a hastily murmured love confession.

Neither of them seemed to know what to say, or perhaps neither of them wanted to break the spell between them. After several minutes, Nesta’s breathing evened out, and Cassian allowed himself to relax, drifting away shortly afterward.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nesta woke the next morning momentarily confused about why there was someone else in her bed. She looked up and the night before came crashing back to her, making her toes curl. 

She wondered if sex was always like that or if Cassian was just really good at it. Her face was mushed into his chest as Cassian had both arms wrapped around her, hugging her close in his sleep. She basked in the feel of his arms around her for several minutes before the reality of her situation crashed into her. 

She closed her eyes, dread dropping like a stone in her stomach. She was going to have to end it. Block his number. Tell him to leave. 

Tears pricked at her eyes, angry at herself for letting it get so far. She had known the minute she agreed to be friends with him that it was a bad idea, but she was so lonely out here with no friends or family, and Cassian was so sweet to her. She had known in her heart that sleeping with him would mean she’d have to break it off, but she had wanted him to be her first. She wanted at least one good memory before he hated her forever.

A small voice in the back of her head told her she didn’t have to do it. She could just take her chances with her soulmate, take the risk that things wouldn’t turn out badly. 

She quashed it. She couldn’t afford to take the risk. She had made up her mind years ago, and she had to hold firm. She could not let herself be that vulnerable, to take the risk that she and Cassian wouldn’t fight every day of their lives together like her parents, that she wouldn’t end up a heartbroken shell like her father. 

No. It was better that she end it now and keep the previous night as a fond memory. 

“Cassian.” She started to pull away but his arms tightened on her as he groaned in his sleep. She pushed against him. “Cassian,” she said louder. 

His arms relaxed as he blinked open his eyes. She swallowed at the open happiness there, hating herself for being the one to take it away. “You have to go.”

Cassian’s arms dropped from her entirely as he frowned. “What?”

Her heart thumped in her chest as she forced herself to look at him with steel in her expression. “This was a mistake.”

The color drained from Cassian’s face as he sat up. “What?”

She rolled over, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and pressing her lips together, willing herself to keep it together. She looked around. Her clothes were strewn in a trail across her apartment. Without looking back at him, she walked over to her pants and pulled them on. 

“You broke my rules.”

There was silence as she grabbed her shirt and pulled it over her head, turning to cross her arms and stare at him with what she hoped was a stern expression. 

“I broke your rules?”

She nodded. “I said no kissing, and I think we can agree that we did a lot more than that.”

She averted her gaze when he scrambled out of the bed, reaching her in two strides. 

“You kissed me first,” he reminded her. 

She couldn’t stop her wince in time. “And it was a mistake.”

“How can you say that?” he breathed. She couldn’t help but look at him, her heart breaking at the utter devastation in her eyes. She forced herself to continue.

“Because it was. We never should have done anything. This just proves that we can’t work as friends.” She squared her shoulders. “I think it’s best we end things now.”

“You don’t mean that,” he said, his voice hollow.

“I do.” 

“Nesta, I don’t know what happened to make you want to avoid a soulmate, but—”

“Get out.” She pressed her lips together hard in what she hoped looked like anger, willing the tears pricking in her eyes to go away.

Cassian froze at her tone, imbued with as much frostiness as she could muster. “Nesta,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion, “Please, lets talk about this.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.” She pointed towards her door. “Go.”

“Nesta—”

“Go!”

Cassian flinched and then nodded, turning to put his clothes back on, his shoulders tight. Nesta willed herself to uphold her cold exterior, to not give in and tell him she was sorry. When he was dressed, she walked to the door, opening it and gesturing for him to move through.

He stopped at the door. “I’ll text you later?”

Nesta swallowed and shook her head. “We can’t do that anymore. I’m blocking your number as soon as you leave.”

His already pale expression grew paler. “You can’t mean that.”

She forced herself to look directly at him. “We’re done. I don’t want to see you or hear from you ever again.”

Before he could respond, she shut the door in his face, locking it to prevent him from coming back in. She expected him to bang on her door, but she was greeted with silence. She didn’t know which was worse, that he didn’t fight back or that she wanted him to. 

When she heard him plodding down the steps, she walked to her bed, flopping back down on it. She grabbed her phone, the screen blurring in front of her as she navigated to Cassian’s number and hit block.

Tossing her phone aside, she curled up, hugging her knees to her chest as the tears fell silently down her face.

________________________________

A/N: This was brutal. This is the worst of the angst (although there is still more to come...just not as brutal.) I'll be updating again on Monday so stay tuned.