#ok in theory yeah there’s always driving an hour away. but you know i don’t want to do that

[livvyofthelake]

not to be dramatic but if bottoms never plays in a theater near me i might kill myself. and well it’s not looking good to be honest they really did mean “select theaters” 😐.

[corpsentry]

january: an art retrospective

i did some stuff last month (but it’s a lot of stuff and there’s a photodump + some Serious Fucking Reflection, so it’s all below the cut)

so ok, let’s start with this. here are some heads. each head has a red arrow. that red arrow is what i call the red line of the devil. it’s the slope of the face from the side of the eye to the cheekbone and then down towards the chin. up until like 2 weeks ago, i couldn’t draw it. i couldn’t fucking draw it. i would edit over that part of the face over and over again until i was frustrated and tired and i had a raging homosexual headache and it still never looked right. notice that each head is different. notice that each head looks wrong.

at the start of 2021 i finally admitted to myself, as per the image above, that i was deeply, deeply unhappy with my art. what was the problem? i dunno. but i decided i was going to fix it and i was going to do so via another one scribble a day event wherein for every day of january i would find a photo of a human head, and i would draw it.

january 1st, 2021. i was embarrassed to tweet this even on my private account where like 5 friends and a rock would see it. in retrospect, you can also see all of my bad habits emerging like dicks from a hole in the ground. it’s disproportionate. the brows look flat. the eyes are slanting upwards. the entire drawing looks flat, like this isn’t a 3d person but a caricature of one.

january 2nd, 3rd, 4th:

on the 2nd i decided to start a separate thread for doodles and applied learning. here’s the first set of tests

the rest of the week is kind of uneventful so we’re going to skip those. fast forward to january 11th

this one is especially bad. i am acutely aware, suddenly, that i am not changing anything at all. i’m stressed and miserable about it because i’m still trying to see people as people and trying to draw people that look attractive and proportionate and hot. my friend, leny, reminds me that i need to think about faces in terms of planes. i have a moment. my other friend masha sends me some links to anatomy tutorials. i have another moment.

january 11th. applied sketch

january 13th is when i start the troubleshooting process. the link above drives me mad because i’m pretty happy with the face but then i realize that there’s something very fucking wrong with the shape of the head LOL and then i realize that i’ve never had any idea what the proportion of the face to the rest of the skull is so i grit my teeth and i open a new canvas and i

bald studies. it seemed like the right thing to do. can’t draw heads? ok draw some heads. look at some photographs. i traced each photo but tried to stick to straight lines so that i could replicate the shapes more easily. i broke each face down into shapes. i thought about airplanes

i got really excited. i started doing studies, then applied studies, then stylized studies.

sketches. i’m not sure what’s going on (as always) and it’s very rough, but they look different from the sketches i did on january 2nd. that’s a start

january 16th’s daily study. looks more like a person now. juuuuuust a bit

more applied studies

on the 18th i take a break and go stare at some lips because i don’t understand how the fuck they work. again, i focus on shapes, on volume, on the fact that these things exist in 3d. holy fuck lips exist in 3d. holy fuck we are real

january 19th. i’m working on it.

january 22nd. some sketches + a daily study. it has finally occurred to me that heads can tilt up and down and that things look different accordingly. yes i was not aware of this before. yes i have been drawing for over a decade.

january 23rd. by this point after doing my daily sketch i almost always go back and do an applied study which is basically to say i drew a lot of fucking links. this one looks kind of okay. i’m kind of proud

january 25th. links. trying to make sense of everything i’ve learned

26th, 27th, 28th. daily studies

january 1st. january 31st

The End Of The Photo Dump (dab)

ok NOW i get to talk about what i discovered while studying the shit out of human beings

FIRST OF ALL, there is something precious and magical about drawing shit without the explicit knowledge that you’re going to tweet that shit out to 45 people later. it takes the burden of perception off your shoulders and that does something to you, or at least that’s my theory. i told myself i wouldn’t post any of this stuff until the end of the month (if i wanted to post it at all) and kept everything off my public social media accounts and that meant i could draw ugly as hell without worrying about who would point and laugh, which i absolutely fucking did. a lot of these are fucking trainwrecks. most of these are fucking trainwrecks. why do they look like that?? why??? this doesn’t look like the work of someone who’s allegedly been drawing since they were in kindergarten, does it?????

here’s why: because that person took a huge motherfucking swing at everything they’d ever known about art and spent a month building something new in its place. the abstract explanation is that i grew up on shoujo and weird old anime and my understanding of anatomy was unironically kamichama karin and while i love kamichama karin, when kamichama karin is your rule even if you try to break it, you’re going to end up going nowhere. “you have to know the rules to break them”, yeah? well i didn’t know shit. the abstract explanation is i’ve been miserable about my art for a few years now because i saw other people doing things effortlessly which i couldn’t and instead of going back to the basics, i tried to do what they did (not plagiarism, mind you, i mean i literally tried to copy the red line of the devil i mentioned above because i couldn’t even make that happen) and then i fucking failed.

the simple explanation is this. i had to unlearn everything, and relearn it again (like some kind of new renaissance clown, what the fuck is this?)

take this for example. all my life i’ve drawn faces in the order: eyes, nose, mouth, face shape, head. this works for some people, im aware, but it was something central to how i had always drawn, so i decentralized it. i said fuck you to the old me and changed the order up. now i start with the nose, then the eyes, mouth, the chin line, and the sides of the face. now i force myself to think about the human head as a series of parts interacting with each other instead of a bunch of disparate features which i want to look pretty.

or let’s use this zelda from last year. something about this looked wrong last october, the way something about all of my drawings looked wrong, but i couldn’t pinpoint it for hell the way i couldn’t articulate Any of my feelings about the visual arts. now, looking back, here’s what i see. that nose is sticking out far too much given how she’s not really facing very far away from the camera. that ear at the back shouldn’t be there. her forehead is too big. she doesn’t have a forehead. what the fuck is up with the shape of her head?

so apparently reject modernity embrace tradition has its roots in alt-right terminology and i’m not very horny for the alt-right (you understand), but the spirit survives here. you know sometimes you have to admit that you have no idea what the fuck you’re doing and draw people for 31 days. i’ve spent my whole life drawing stylized people and while again there are artists who have no issue with this, i veered off the track of the Good and the Holy and couldn’t get back on. i had no point of reference because i’d never thought about what an actual human being looks like, so i had no way to fix what i knew in my gut looked wrong but wouldn’t come out better.

this was hard. this was like oikawa tooru swallowing his worthless pride and admitting that ushijima wakatoshi had gotten the best of him for the last time in his high school career, but in haikyuu!! by furudate haruichi oikawa tooru fucks off to argentina and then joins the argentinean national team, and you know what, i think i’ve made it to argentina (not the team just the country). as per the golden rule of dont fucking move until you’re at least two thirds of the way through the month, i only started trying to draw Shit shit on like the 22nd or something, but i was happy with that i created. i am happy with what i’ve done. i’ve posted like 2 things this month that involve people with what i now call ~applied Knowledge~~ and they’re, like, not perfect obviously (perfection is an unattainable ideal), but i’m fucking proud of them. i didn’t spend 5 hours hunched over my laptop adjusting the red line of the devil because it’s not a devil’s line anymore. because i finally sorta get how people work. because i sat down and i said ‘we are not going to fuck with this misery shit anymore’ and then i did that. it’s just a line now.

here are 2 collages tracking my painstakingly carved out progress from january 2nd to february 2nd because i’m a slut for collages

and here’s what i’ve done to my art! the same person drew these but also Not Really! you know! for the first time in a year i don’t immediately hate what i’ve drawn. you know what guys? art is fucking fun. zelda’s forehead doesn’t scare me anymore because i know how foreheads fucking work now, and i don’t know everything, and i’m going to keep troubleshooting stuff as i go (i want to draw a skeleton. like a. i want to draw a goddamn skeleton guys) but i’m honestly and genuinely proud of what i’ve done in the span of a month, and i’m also in disbelief. i started this month-long challenge out as a last ditch effort to make peace with my art because i’ve been tired for a long time and i was ready to kick the bucket on drawing people altogether. i didn’t think anything would happen. nothing’s happened for years. i’ve been miserable for years.

this was the caption for january 1st, 2021. i was super, super fucking embarrassed and it looks like super fucking shit, but you know what, i think i did in fact triumph over the bullshit. surprisingly enough, when you put in consistent effort into something, You Will See Results. didn’t see that coming, did you? i know i didn’t.

this isn’t a success story. it’s a happiness story. i never gave a shit damn about the institute of art or whatever, i was just mad at myself because what i saw in my head didn’t match up with what was on the canvas. and now it’s getting better. now i’m calibrating the compass. now drawing not just backgrounds but also people is exciting to me, and i can stick my links in your face and tell you ‘they hot’. i’m going to keep doing that. i’m going to keep going until i drop off the side of the earth and then spiral towards mars like some kind of fairy, and then i’m going to create something beautiful.

thanks for reading. here’s a pr department link for sticking around until the end

[arielana]

Yeah, I don’t know what this is. It came from the tiny RNM teaser in TV insider - I was grumpy that basically all the info we got was about Liz’s lab partners abs (not that grumpy, but you know).

Anyway, I wrote this, about Liz and Michael bonding. Just really silly. 

A warning that there is drinking.

____

“Michael!”

“Ortecho, seriously why are you calling me at this hour?”

“I need you to take some time off. Come to California.”

“Sure thing, I’ll pack my little overnight bag and swing right by. I’ve been dying to do some sightseeing.”

“Yeah yeah, funny. I don’t have time for all that. Look I’ve discovered something, here in the lab, that might be relevant to your interests. I can’t get a sample out, but if an old friend from Roswell comes to visit I could give them a tour of the lab. So, just get your ass over here.”

***

That had been two days ago. Michael had some work he’d promised Sanders to finish first and he refused to fly (the thought of airport security freaked him out) so he’d set off in his truck after finishing up at Sanders the next day. He’d driven through the night, arrived very early in the morning and checked into a motel Liz had recommended that was close to her work.

After getting some sleep and showering he was now standing in the fancy lobby of the Genoryx building, feeling slightly overwhelmed but doing his best not to show it. His cowboy swagger usually worked in most places so he figured it would do ok here as well. 

Just to test it, he leaned slightly against the counter and threw the receptionist who had told him Liz would be right down a little smile. Judging by the way she blushed, he wouldn’t do too bad here either if he felt like it. Not that he did feel like it. There was really only one person’s company he wanted and since that wasn’t available to him currently, he focused on other things.

“Mikey!”

Liz came bouncing down the stairs, running straight up and jumping into his arms to hug him.

She had a certain energy that always put Michael in a better mood, even the times when she annoyed him. There was never any bullshit with her. 

“Hey Ortecho,” he grinned. “Good to see you.” 

“Good to see you too. Would have been even better if you got here sooner,” she bumped her shoulder lightly into his when he put her down, “but it’s great that you’re here.”

Before Michael could ask what all the fuss was about, he noticed a guy had followed Liz and was now hanging back, waiting to be introduced.

Noticing Michael’s look, Liz spun around, waving the guy forward. 

“Heath, come meet Michael. Michael, meet Heath. He’s my colleague from the lab. We do all our work together.”

Michael thought he picked up a little something in the way Heath looked when Liz said “colleague”, but he wasn’t sure. He was a good looking guy, tall, athletic, not the stereotypical scientist. Not that Michael cared much for stereotypes, so he shouldn’t apply them to others either, he reminded himself. 

“So, we’re just about to go out for lunch,” Liz said. “Do you mind if Heath joins us?”

“Of course not.” 

Michael was pleasantly surprised by how fun and relaxed lunch was. Small talk had never really been his thing, but science small talk was a whole other thing he realised. That’s why he had enjoyed hanging out with Liz back in Roswell, and Heath, despite looking more like an actor or model, turned out to absolutely be able to hold his own in the discussion.

After lunch things didn’t go quite as Liz had planned though. Her boss was apparently giving some other people a tour that afternoon and even if he kindly offered Michael to join them as well, Liz quickly switched gears.

“Actually Michael was yawning his way through lunch,” she ignored Michael’s little huff. “He pretends he’s fine but he’s had a long drive. He’s staying for a couple of days anyway, there’s no rush.”

She grabbed Michael’s arm firmly and dragged him towards the exit. 

“Really Liz, I was planning on going back home tomorrow,” Michael complained, without putting any real force behind it. “This isn't really my scene.”

“Oh knock it off, Michael. You were practically beaming at lunch, don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy yourself. And look, it’s just one more day. Tomorrow’s Friday so there’ll be less people around. We’ll do a tour in the afternoon. I’ll make up something to keep Heath busy, won’t be a problem.”

“So for today,” she continued, “how about you get some more sleep, and then we can go out tonight, eat something, have a few drinks. Maybe some dancing,” she winked at him.

“Drinks yes, dancing no, but sure, I don¨t mind checking out the bars here.” Michael gave Liz a considering look. “So tell me, is Heath coming?”

“What, no, why would he?”

Aha, judging by the brief flush of red on her cheeks, there was definitely something going on there, Michael noticed. Maybe something to explore later. He could be a good brother and try to get some more information. Max was certainly asking enough questions about him and Alex, looking at Michael with those big puppy eyes, acting hurt when Michael snapped at him. This could be payback (helping Max out, Michael corrected himself).

**

Dinner continued in the same way as lunch, with them geeking out about new research and theories (careful to steer clear of any alien references while in public) covering everything from global warming to medical advances.

Afterwards they continued on to a bar and after a couple of drinks Michael figured Liz had let down her guard enough for him to do some digging.

“So, Ortecho… tell me about Heath?”

“What?” Liz said with feigned innocence.

“Just wondering, I mean he’s really fit, dark hair, smart, funny, exactly what I look for, in both men and women,” he winked at her.

“Michael!” Liz sounded scandalized

“Unless he’s taken, of course”

Liz twisted uncomfortably in her seat. “It feels weird talking to you about this.”

“Why?” Michael smirked at her, raising his eyebrows. He enjoyed this. He never really got to have a bro moment with anyone growing up. Too busy not letting anyone come too close. But Liz, she got it, she was the same as him in so many ways. 

“Hey. no judgement here. Tell me, is he really as jacked as he looks?”

Liz sighed deeply, before giving up and leaning back with a dreamy expression on her face.

“He really is. Seriously, his abs are amazing. Not that that kind of thing is really important to me of course,” she hurried to add, “but it’s just- nice.”

“So, Valenti,” Michael pulled a face,” Diego, this Heath guy. I see you also prefer dark hair but other than that I really don’t see that many similarities to Max?”

“You know,” Liz took a sip from her drink, clearly deflecting, “from the stories I heard about you before, you know, everything,” she waved her hands vaguely, “I was under the impression it was mainly blondes that you were dragging home from the Pony?”

Michael shrugged. “That was just sex. But then again,” he added consideringly, “I’ve only ever been in two relationships. So they were both dark haired, but that’s not enough to draw a conclusion based on statistics, maybe it’s just coincidence.”

 Liz's gaze sharpened. “Relationships, huh?”

It was Michael's turn to try to deflect. ’Hey, see if you can flag down the waitress, I need another beer.”

“In a minute.” Liz tilted her head questioningly, “I wasn’t aware you considered what you had with Alex an actual relationship?”

Michael hesitated. He knew Liz could probably read him like an open book right now, but he also knew that if he said he didn't want to get into it she’d respect that and let it go. For now at least.

But he’d said more than once that he was tired of keeping secrets. Liz was a friend and it would actually be nice to talk to someone.

“If we’re really going to talk about this I’m going to need another drink.”

“Me too,” Liz thought about it for a second. “Tequila?”

“Tequila.”

**

An hour later they were both just giggly messes.

Michael had shared his and Alex's story over the years, Liz had opened up about the shock of seeing Max again and they had bonded over how no amount of distance or years really made the feelings go away. It had been very emotional once the tequila kicked in. They had both shed some tears and comforted each other. 

At this point in the evening however, they had gone full circle and were back to discussing abs again and both blushing.

“Maybe we should just tell them,” Liz said.

“Yeah, they’d hate that. You’re safe here, but I have to go back. If Alex doesn’t get to me first and give me the ‘Guerin, you’re such a disappointment’ look, Max will give me a lecture about ‘upholding personal boundaries, Michael’. Both a total pain in the ass.”

“Ok, let’s take a selfie and send as well then. If they see our sweet faces they can’t be mad.”

“Ortecho, I think you dropped your logic somewhere on the way here.”

“Come on, you said the two of you are at a stalemate right? Since Alex broke up with Forrest?”

Michael made a face.

“This will give things a nudge,” Liz said. “Plus it’s sent from my phone so you can deny all knowledge of it.”

“Have you met Alex?”

Liz just waved her phone at him. Michael swallowed.

He wasn’t drunk enough not to know that this maybe wasn't the smartest idea, but it was kind of tempting anyway. Just to see how Alex would react.

“Yay,” Liz pulled him in for a selfie, instructing him to make his best puppy eyes before adding the text to the picture and pressing send.

Just so you know, you both have really good abs as well. We love your abs very much. Xoxo, Liz and Mikey

It took no time at all before both their phones started buzzing with an incoming call.

[levi-lover]

New Light Part: 2

College Levi x Reader(Modern AU)

W/C: 5.2k 

T/W: None

A/N: Levi is a moody English major who spends his free time reading at the local cafe. I’m having a lot of fun writing this ! (pic from pinterest)

I’ve put all the parts in one list here:  New Light Masterlist

Levi’s POV

Levi and Erwin sat in silence on their drive home. The blinker would occasionally fill the car with a strong click. Levi counted the lit up rooms in the passing apartments. Five, Six, Seven… He wanted to keep his mind off of you, the way your hair framed your face, your hand caressing the mug, the way you pressed your lips together when you listened someone speak. 

“So, how long have you known (Y/N)?” Erwin asked as if he knew Levi was thinking about you.

“A couple of months,” he responded. 

“Do you like her?” Erwin prodded. 

“She’s nice,” Levi said. 

Erwin nodded, he knew better than to ask further. 

This was how their conversions normally went, Erwin would begin with a blunt statement and Levi would respond in a short manner. From an outsider’s perspective, it might have seemed like the two men weren’t friends but this dynamic worked for them. Erwin was straightforward with what he wanted and Levi didn’t like talking about personal subjects, even with one of his closest friends. 

When they arrived to their shared apartment, they said their goodnights and went into their rooms. Erwin had to be up early tomorrow for a debate meeting and Levi wanted to be alone. After they moved out of the dorms they decided to keep living together because it was the most cost effective option and plus Levi liked that Erwin was as neat as him, almost as neat. They lived in an old, walk-up apartment ten minutes away from Wall Rose University in a quiet neighborhood. They’ve been living there for three years now and had no plans to move out anytime soon. 

Levi opened the window slightly to let the cool air in, raindrops fell from the gutter and filled the dark bedroom with gentle taps.. He laid down on the bed and breathed in the smell of the city and old books in his room. He closed his eyes and let his body melt into the bedsheets, he used the same lavender fabric softener his mom loved. Mmm, I should give her a call tomorrow, he thought. He felt his thoughts bounce around in his head but he was too tired to unravel them. Levi focused on his breathing and eventually his thoughts subdued into lenient bystanders. 

There was silence around him when suddenly, you popped up in his thoughts. Levi let out a small sigh. Fuck, what are the odds of her knowing Hange. Hange of all people,the one person who doesn’t know how to shut up, Levi thought. Frustration began to fill his chest. He wanted you to meet his friends and he wanted to know more about you but he didn’t want it to happen like this. Levi wanted to do it right with you. He knew wasn’t the most charismatic or hospitable person and romance wasn’t his forte. Romance, Levi thought and chuckled. He remembered Erwin’s earlier question. Do I like her? 

He sat up and pinched the bridge of his nose with his index and forefinger. He didn’t have a ton of experience with romance. His only relationship with Petra ended in a disaster, she broke up with him after feeling neglected for months. That was never Levi’s intent, he loved her but he didn’t know how to express it. Whenever he saw her on campus she would always give him a smile and wave which Levi would reciprocate. He regretted the way everything ended but he was thankful she didn’t hold a vengeance against him. He was 18 and foolish but he was older now and slightly less foolish. 

Levi looked out the window and started to form a plan in his head. It was evident he had some sort of feelings for you, you were funny, pretty, easy to talk to and you cared about what he had to say. He smiled as he remembered how earnestly you looked at him while he explained the latest book he was reading, he started reading books he thought you might like. Shitballs, maybe I do like her. There was nothing he could do now, he didn’t want to do anything until he had a better understanding about what you were thinking. He nodded his head, proud of his plan. 

The hardwood floor creaked as Erwin walked over to the bathroom. Outside of the window, the sky was beginning to glow with a soft orange hue. Levi closed the curtain, pulled off his clothes and tucked himself into bed. He curled his body around a pillow and slowly began to drift off, eager to wake up to begin his plan. 

The crisp autumn hit your face as you opened the doors to the lecture hall. You felt light and airy after finishing your genetics midterm. It was one of the hardest tests you’ve taken but you felt okay about it. Hange had helped you study for the past week and their enthusiasm and studying techniques helped you out immensely. I owe them big time, you thought. Your phone buzzed in your pocket, it was Hange.

Hange: U FREAKING DID IT!!! IM SO PROUD XD

You: thank uuu, i feel good about it! 

Hange: YAY! We’re out in the park blocks! Join us!

You: ok !

You stared at the screen and re-read the conversation. Join us...they must mean Levi and Erwin. You scoffed the tip of your boot into the pavement, the familiar feeling of nerves began to dance in your stomach. Slowly, you made your way to the park blocks, the on-campus park where students would have picnics and study sessions. Students began to pour out of lecture halls and other buildings, eager to celebrate the end of midterms week. There was an undeniable feeling of excitement as they cheered and laughed. 

You stood at the edge of the park looking for the trio. Levi waved his hand from a picnic bench and smiled at you. Your heart momentarily stopped and you realized you’ve never seen him outside of the cafe. He was wearing a hunter green sweater and his black overcoat. The wind feebly moved through his hair but even from farway you could see the deep circles around his eyes. You made your way to the trio and gave out a half-hearted hello.

“(Y/N)! How do you feel?!” Hange shouted.

“Fucking relieved,” You said. Levi smiled. 

“I’m proud of you, (Y/N). Hange told us about all the hours you studied for the exam.” Erwin gave you a thumbs up. 

“Thanks, dude. How were your midterms?” You asked as you sat down next to Erwin. 

“They went well! I think I got an A on my Political Theory exam but we’ll find out soon enough.” 

“Erwin, you clown, you know you aced that test.” Hange rolled their eyes. “But thanks to the lovely Levi, I know I got an A on my essay.”

Levi frowned. “Tsk, I was surprised you even knew how to spell.”

Hange hit Levi’s shoulders and he swiped back. 

“Hey, stop it you two,” Erwin scolded. “I swear, they’re like children.” 

You laughed and nodded. The Levi you knew was always stoic and calm but Hange brought out a different side of him. He looked happier even when he was annoyed. You grabbed a dead leaf from the table and started to pull it apart, rubbing the dead plant bits between your fingers. 

“Are you good?” Levi’s voice broke your concentration. You looked up and met his gray-blue eyes.

“Yep, all good here.” You smiled at him and he returned one back. 

“That’s fantastic! So tonight. Ymir’s Bar at eight. Got it?” Hange ordered. 

Erwin and Levi nodded in response and looked at you. Your eyes darted between the three of them.

“Uh, I would love but I’m hanging out with a few people tonight.”

“Please, join us! Your friends are more than welcome to come, the more the merrier,” Hange begged.

“I beg to differ…” Levi mumbled.

“Shut up, grumps.” Hange elbowed Levi and returned their gaze back to you. “It’ll be fun, I’ll buy you a shot.”

You rolled your eyes, “fine, but I’m buying you a shot. I owe you, Hange.”

Hange squealed and clapped their hands. “Yay! My friend, Moblit will tag along too. You haven’t met him yet but he’s great and such a talented artist. You’ll love him.”

“Sweet, I’m excited, can you send me the address?” You responded. Hange nodded. 

“Who are you hanging out with?” Erwin asked.

“Oh, uh. My boyfriend and some of our friends,” You muttered. 

“I didn’t know you had a boyfriend. (Y/N) why didn’t you tell me?” Hange asked, heartbroken. 

Erwin glanced at Levi. He was looking at the grains in the table, his heart sank but he knew better than to let his friends know. 

“I don’t know. It didn’t seem like the most important thing to talk about during our study sessions.” You were unsure why but you felt defensive over Hange’s comment. 

Hange looked hurt at your response, you felt a pang of regret. You didn’t mean to keep your relationship a secret but your life didn’t revolve around your relationship so it felt pointless to bring him up. The air around the table was tense and cold. The sun was setting and the four of you were on the brink of being enveloped by the shadow of a large lecture hall. 

“Regardless, I’m eager to meet your boyfriend and friends,” Erwin said in a strained voice. 

“Yeah, I’m excited for all of you to meet. I think I’m going to go home and get ready.” 

“Of course, we’ll see you soon,” Erwin said in a quiet tone. 

You waved goodbye to all of them, the trio waved back and you made your way to the bus station. As you waited for the bus, you sent your boyfriend a message to meet your new friends at Ymir’s. He sent back a simple thumbs up emoji as a response. You pulled out a pair of headphones and blasted music to drown out your thoughts. Yet Levi’s face kept on appearing in your head, the way the sunlight caressed the hard lines of his face, his honest smile when he was with his friends, the way his eyes lost their glow when you announced you had a boyfriend. We never did anything. Hell, I didn’t even know his name until last week so why should I care what he thinks. We’re just coffee shop friends, that’s it. The bus pulled to the stop, you waited for everyone to exit before entering and made your way to the back window seat. The glass was cold on your forehead but it felt nice. You sighed, preparing yourself for a night out with your new friends and your boyfriend.

Levi’s POV

After you left, Hange and Erwin looked at Levi with concern in their eyes. Levi noticed their stares and glanced up at them.

“The fuck you looking at,” he growled.

“Levi, I’m sorry,” Hange whispered.

“About what?” He scoffed.

Erwin was about to speak but Levi abruptly got up and buttoned his coat. “I’m going home. I’ll see you both at Ymir’s.”

Erwin and Hange exchanged a look and nodded. When Levi made up his mind there was no stopping him. They watched him walk away, his head was slightly lower than usual. Levi walked over to the bike rack and unhooked his black low handle bicycle. In one smooth motion, he drapped his leg over the seat and began to peddle home. The wind hurt his face and burned his lungs but he pushed harder and harder on the pedals. Crouching down on the seat as he biked up the hills, hoping to ride away from the bench to run away from his disillusion that you could love him.

A few hours later, Erwin, Hange and Moblit entered the apartment. Hange called out to Levi.

“Hey, Mr. Grumps! We have something for yoooou!!” They called out.

Levi moaned and rolled out of bed, his bare feet hit the cold ground as he dragged himself to the living.

“What is it, Four Eyes? Hey, take off your disgusting shoes,” he scolded. “Oh, hey, Moblit.”

Moblit raised his head slightly as a hello. He wasn’t a man of many words. Hange held up a bottle of whiskey and grinned. “So we could pre-game. Take this as a thank you present for helping me write my essay.”

Levi rolled his eyes and smiled. He was touched by Hange’s generosity but he would never dare show it to them.

“I’ll grab us some mugs,” Erwin said and began to walk towards the kitchen.

“No, Erwin! Tonight’s a shot type of night,” Hange said deviously.

The three men looked at them and hesitantly nodded. They wanted to relax and unwind but a  night out led by Hange always ended up with someone’s head in the toilet. Still, they each filled a shot glass, cheered and downed the alcohol. They drank for a while, everyone’s faces were glowing. Hange was blasting music and dancing. Moblit watched them with admiration. Erwin and Levi were giggling over something stupid Erwin said.

Erwin looked at the clock, it was closing in on 8. “Shit, we should get going.”

“Hey, man watch your mouth. And maybe we should stay in. It’s cheaper,” Levi said.

“Levi, noooo. We can’t do that. We told (Y/N)  that we would meet her at Ymir’s!” The alcohol was already getting to Hange.

“Who’s (Y/N)?” Mobit asked.

“My friend from genetics! And Levi’s too,” Hange proclaimed.

Levi rolled his eyes. “Tsk, she’s not my friend. I hardly know her.”

“Mmm, if you say so.”

“Whatever, let’s go,” Levi said curtly.

The four of them grabbed their coats and headed to Ymir’s. It was only a ten minute walk from their place. Hange let everyone know that you had already arrived and saved a table on the back patio. As they walked, they talked about their finals and plans for the upcoming break.  When they arrived at Ymir’s, they pushed open the door and entered the humid room. The bar was full of people celebrating the weekend, a couple was making out in one of the booths and people were lined around the bar. They ordered their drinks and walked through the back doors.

Levi’s hands began to sweat and he felt a lump in his throat when he saw you. You looked beautiful under the glow of the patio lights, you were smiling and had a beer glass on your lips and you were laughing. Erwin stood in place and Hange stopped their chatter.

“Oh, so that’s what they’re doing now,” Hange spouted.

They were referring to Zeke who had their arm around you and to Porco and Pieck who were sitting across from you and your boyfriend.

You saw the group at the back entrance and waved. Your nerves from earlier were completely forgotten after your second beer. Zeke rubbed his thumb against your shoulder and you smiled out of habit. You made eye contact with Levi and gave him a toothy grin, his eyes darted away. Your friends looked at the party headed towards them and stopped talking but you didn’t notice.

“Hey, I was wondering if y’all forgot where the bar is,” you joked but no one laughed.

“Erwin. Levi. It’s been a while,” Zeke stated.

You looked at him confused. “What? You know them?”

Zeke chuckled, “yeah, I guess I do.”

“Zeke, it’s nice to see you again. Same to you Porco and Pieck,” Erwin stated.

Porco and Pieck looked at each other and smiled. “It’s nice to see you too, Erwin,” Pieck said in a sweet voice.

Levi glared at the way Zeke’s arm was draped across your shoulder. He gritted his teeth. Hange noticed how tense he was getting and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“What a small world! I’m glad everyone knows each other. Guys, sit down!” You motioned at the empty seats at the table, completely misreading the space.

Hange was the first to sit and the rest followed. The table was quiet for a few minutes, everyone sipped on their drinks.

“Levi, I like your scarf,” You pointed to the black scarf draped across his body.

“Thanks.”

“Yeah, it’s such a nice scarf,” Zeke repeated.

Levi gave Zeke a dirty look. Hange looked at him nervously and Moblit put a hand on their knee to calm them. You took another sip of your beer.

“Yeah, Zeke, it is a nice scarf. That’s why I complimented it. Anyways, how do you all know each other?” Confidence surged through your veins thanks to the alcohol.

“We were floormates freshman year,” Levi’s dry voice said.

“Wait-oh, I see,” You said.

Erwin began to make casual conversation with everyone while Levi stared at the bottom of his glass. Hange and Moblit joined Erwin and conversed with the other two at the table. Wait, is Zeke the one that called Erwin’s kickback lame? That’s the only possibility, right? Your head was dizzy from the alcohol but the puzzle pieces were starting to fall into place.

“Hey, (Y/N),” Porco called out.

“Huh?”

“You good? It looks like we lost you there for a second.”

“Yeah, Porco. I’m fine,” You said sarcastically.

“Zeke, you and (Y/N) make a good couple,” Erwin said.

Zeke chuckled and squeezed you closer to his toned body, “I know but thank you.”

You kept your head down unsure about what to do. It was evident that Zeke had an issue with Erwin and Levi but you didn’t fully understand why. From what you heard, Zeke was the one who was mean to the other two but Zeke was your boyfriend so you should be on his side, right? You took another swig of your beer.

“Levi, are you still with Petra?” Pieck asked.

Petra? Who the fuck is that, you thought, anger coursed through your veins.

“No,” Levi said.

“Oh, that’s too bad. She was such a lovely girl,” Pieck sighed.

“Who’s Petra?” You asked.

No one answered your question. You looked at Pieck but she kept her eyes down. What the fuck is up?

“She’s a girl I dated freshman year,” Levi explained.

“Oh.”

Hange broke the tension by shouting, “(Y/N), I promised you a shot! Who else wants one?”

Pieck, Moblit and Erwin raised their hands. Hange called over a server and asked for a round of shots for everyone. A few minutes later, they brought tequila shots for the table. Everyone grabbed their lime and raised their glass.

“To finishing finals!” Hange exclaimed.

The table repeated what Hange said and took their shot. You and Porco laughed at Pieck’s face and she stuck her tongue out at you. Zeke kissed your cheek and you leaned into his warm body. For a second, it felt like it did at the beginning of your relationship. You felt safe and hopeful but those feelings disappeared when you caught Levi looking at you and Zeke. Immediately, you pulled away and Zeke frowned. You weren’t one for PDA but after a few drinks you didn’t mind showing your man some love but under Levi’s eye it felt wrong.

“Let’s do another shot!” Hange shouted.

“Hange!! Let me buy you a shot!!” You shouted back.

“(Y/N), you’re the best!!” Hange exclaimed, their cheeks glowing under the lights.

Everyone took another shot and the mood around the table began to lighten as everyone got drunker. Porco made a few jokes that made Erwin laugh. Zeke talked to Hange about their senior thesis. Everything seemed to be falling into place except for Levi. He didn’t make an effort to hold a conversation with anyone. He stared at the empty shot glasses and occasionally smiled at whatever Erwin said.

The patio lights shadows made Levi look heavenly, the soft glow bounced off his pale skin and you tried not to stare but you couldn’t, he looked so pretty.

Zeke could sense that your thoughts were taking you elsewhere so he gave you a kiss on the check. You gave him a smile in return.

The bar was packed and everyone at the table was talking after a new round of drinks. It should be a perfect night, all of your friends seemed to be getting alone but something didn’t feel right. In that moment, you wished it could have been Levi holding your body. Stop, Levi is just a friend, that’s it. I love Zeke. You repeated in your head over and over.

As the night dragged on, you slowly began to lose touch with reality, everything became a happy, surreal blur. Throughout the night, Zeke kept his hands on your body. Before that would have kept you grounded but now it felt off, you weren’t sure if it was the alcohol but you didn’t want him to touch you. You kept on smiling and talking to everyone until the bartender called for final orders.

“This was nice but I think we should get going now,” Erwin declared.

“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Pieck said.

Everyone gathered their belongings and started to walk towards the front door. Zeke walked ahead with Porco and Pieck but you stayed behind with the others. Erwin, Hange and Moblit left you and Levi together alone. Hange’s arm was wrapped around Moblit’s shoulder. They leaned against their body and continued talking.  

“Hey, I had a good time tonight,” You said to Levi who barely acknowledged your existence.

“It was okay,” He stated.

The two of you followed the others.

“But what are the odds of us forming a friendship in this way, right?” You said.

“Tsk, a friendship? We hardly know each other, I wouldn't push it,” Levi responded.

“I guess you’re right,” You muttered.

Levi felt bad about his harsh tone but he didn’t know what to do. He still had the same warm feeling in his chest from before but watching Zeke touch you hurt him. All of you had exited the bar and you walked over to Zeke and he placed his jacket over your shoulders.

“Well, it was, uh, nice to catch up with all of you. Hange thank you for helping my girl study. Get home safe,” Zeke said. You smiled and everyone and waved.

“Zeke, the same to you too. Glad to know you’re doing well. (Y/N) congrats on finishing midterms. See you later,” Erwin said.

“I love yoouuu! I love all of you!” Hange shouted. Moblit still had his arm around Hange to stabilize them.

“Love you too, Hange!” You blew them a kiss.

They all turned and began to walk home. Porco and Pieck had already left in their Uber. You looked at Zeke and he gave you a smile and you smiled back out of habit.

Zeke made conversation on your way back to his place. You wrapped your arms around your body and counted the steps in between each street light. The air around you was dry and your breath fell to the ground in a transparent cloud. Eventually, you made it to Zeke’s apartment, it was highrise close to downtown. When you entered the apartment your attention immediately went to the large windows. They faced the city skyline and the lights poured into the living room and gently outlined the minimal furniture in the room. Zeke led you to the bedroom and began to kiss the back of your neck. His beard tickled your neck and left goosebumps on your skin. You rolled your shoulders and stepped away.

“Come on,” Zeke groaned.

“No, not tonight. I’m really tired,” You said.

You made your way to the bathroom and turned on the harsh lights. The lights bounced off the white tiles and highlighted the bags under your eyes. You stared at yourself for a while, the longer you stared, the faster your thoughts swirled in your head. Is Levi made at me? You splashed cold water on your face and tried to wash off the awkwardness from tonight but no matter how hard you scrubbed, you couldn’t get the image of Levi staring at the empty glasses out of your head.

When you walked back into the bedroom you saw Zeke passed on the bed. You smiled at him and placed a blanket over his body and brushed his hair away from his forehead. You curled up on the opposite side of the bed and wrapped a blanket around yourself. Zeke’s soft snores filled the room, normally that was enough to lull you to sleep but lately it was becoming more of a nuisance. Why am I feeling like this? I love Zeke and he loves me back, that should be enough. So why do I feel so unsure? Zeke wasn’t your first partner but he was your first proper love. Everything beforehand had felt like practice for this.

The two of you had met in the spring term of sophomore year. The sun was shining and you we’re sitting on a blanket with Rico bouncing off ideas for research projects. You kept an eye on the baseball team who were practicing near the two of you. Rico was in the middle of explaining her ideas when a baseball flew in your direction.

“Heads up!” shouted a deep voice.

Both of you covered your heads as the ball flew over your blanket. The footsteps of one of the players was nearing your spot.

“Hey, I’m sorry about that.”

You tried to look up but the sun was blinding your eyes. You were able to make out the outline of a tall, man with broad shoulders and wavy blonde hair. He flashed a charismatic smile and said,“the name’s Jaeger. Zeke Jaeger.”

You introduced yourself and Zeke knelt down so his head was at your level.

“Nice to meet you. I feel about almost hitting you. Not sure what happened, normally I have perfect aim.” He winked at you. “Let me make it up by taking you out for a drink, your friend is more than welcomed to come.”

You blushed and thanked him and began to decline your offer when Rico interrupted you.

“She, I mean, we would love that. Here’s her number and mine, too.”

“Thanks, I’ll shoot y’all a text.”

Zeke stood up, grabbed the ball and gave you a wave before running back to his team. From that point on, the two of you had been inseparable.

You drifted off thinking about those first memories, the sweetness of his touch, the excitement of loving Zeke, the hopefulness you had. If you kept on thinking about those moments then maybe they would manifest back into your life. You wanted back that stability in your love so much it hurt your chest.

The next day you rolled over to an empty bed. Your hand traced the cold sheets and you kept your hands in the sunlight, the warmth felt good compared to the draft in Zeke’s bedroom. He preferred a colder bedroom, he said it was better for the body. The front door opened and you pretended to be asleep. Zeke’s footsteps got closer to the bed and you felt him press a kiss to your cheek, he smelled of sweat and musk. Who goes on a run after a night out? You thought. The showerhead turned on and you heard Zeke sing.

You got up and rummaged through Zeke’s drawer and pulled out a navy cardigan. You wrapped the fabric over your body and padded your way to the kitchen. The kitchen was colder than the bedroom.

“Fuck, who lives like this?”

You poured yourself water and stared at the tiles on the walls. Re-playing Levi’s comment in your head. Tsk, a friendship? We hardly know each other, I wouldn't push it. You didn’t blame Levi for his harshness but his comment hurt. There was no denying that you two shared a kinship that was a bit deeper than friendship. Romance wasn’t the word for it either. The relationship you had formed with him felt safe, you felt understood and respected in a way you haven’t really before. Your concentration was broken when you heard Zeke enter the kitchen.

“Hey, babe. Good morning.” He pressed a kiss to your temple. “I bought you a smoothie.”

“Thanks, Zeke,” you responded.

He grabbed the smoothie from the fridge and smiled at you. You sat on the counter and began to sip on the drink. Zeke hummed to himself and began to pull out a pan from the cupboard.

“Whatcha thinking about?” you asked.

“Life.”

“Like, the gameboard?” You joked.

He rolled his eyes. “Honestly, I’m thinking about last night. I never thought I was going to see those guys ever again.”

“Mmm, why did something happen?” You said nonchalantly.

Zeke chuckled, “stupid freshman things. We were all young and dumb.”

He stayed silent afterwards as he went on to fry some eggs. The eggs sizzled in the pan and he whistled quietly. You knew him well enough to know he wanted to say something else.

“I mean, I did dumb stuff when I was freshman so how bad can it actually be?” You prodded.

Zeke stared at you with a series expression. “Look (Y/N), I don’t really want to hash out what happened but-” he hesitated as he looked for the right words to say, “-be careful around Levi. There’s something off about that guy.”

“Oh,” you muttered.

You continued drinking the smoothie, the smell of the egg was making you nauseous and you started to feel the hanging over. You went back into the bedroom and laid down. Your phone buzzed and saw a text from Hange.

Hange: OMG i’m so hungover, i don’t remember getting home

You: Hange, WTF that’s not good lol but I know you were in good hands ;)

Hange: wut does that mean??

You: Moblit lol he was so nice and caring

Hange: … no comment but what are you doing

You: nothing really, why?

Hange: do you want to get brunch?

Hange: it’ll just be the two of us :)

You: yeah, i would love that, send me the address !

The smell of egg had entered the bedroom and you gagged. You hated the smell but Zeke insisted that it was the best way to get protein in the morning. You grabbed your belongings and walked to the kitchen again. Zeke was sitting at the counter eating the eggs and drinking his smoothie while reading the paper.

“Hey, I think I’m gonna head out!”

“Really? I thought we could spend the day together before I leave,” Zeke responded.

“You’re leaving?” You paused while putting on your shoes.

“I thought I told you. My internship is taking me on a trip for the next three days and then I’m heading home for the break,” Zeke said in between bites of food.

“Shit. You didn’t tell me. How about we hang out later today?”

“Yeah, I guess that sounds good to me. I’ll see you later,” he said.

“See ya.”

You went back to your apartment to freshen up and hurried to the diner Hange was it. You stepped through the doors and immediately saw Hange’s smiling face. They were waving you to their table. You greeted them with equal excitement and walked to them. For the past few weeks, some of your favorite moments have been hanging out with them. They always brightened your mood with their cheerful banter and love for life. You were excited to eat brunch with them and question them more about the history between the trio and your boyfriend.

[moondustis]

perfect places (m)

pairing: jung jaehyun + reader genre: angst, smut (camp!au, breakup, exes) | word count: 3k summary: Memories had a weird way of catching people off guard and your mind swims with the one of Jaehyun hugging you near this very lake and whispering in your ears unkept promises song rec: we find love - daniel caesar a/n: this is set in the same universe as The Louvre, but can be read separately. 

Change always scared you, even more when it came abruptly, when it caught you off guard completely and left you hopeless. This one, though, it happens like a storm. You could see the clouds moving, the sky turning grey and even before the first thunder happens, you know what is coming. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that it hurts.

College ends quicker than you would ever imagine it would. It’s like in a blink of your eyes you’re graduating, without a set plan on what you want to do with your life and where you really want to work. And it’s a year of that, a year filled with doubts and sleepless nights, and thinking you’ll never make it. A year of applying to jobs you don’t get, getting in slumps that leave you thinking that maybe you had chosen the wrong major and wasted all those years. A year of phone calls from your mom asking how things have been and of you lying through your teeth that the job you got is actually something you enjoy and are passionate about.

But amidst all that, it’s also a year of self discovery. A year of learning more about yourself, things that you never knew before and that makes you reflect, wanting to be better. It’s a year of expressing yourself through art and learning new things, taking a few risks, making mistakes.

And, the better part is that it’s a year filled with him. Jung Jaehyun continues to fill every empty spot you had inside of your life, making you smile just by the simple fact that he had stayed by your side. The relationship becomes a part of yourself you’re very proud of, settling into the naturality you always craved, and be it on sunday mornings with breakfast and sleepy kisses, or in the middle of a busy day with a text to make you laugh, your heart swoons with the love you have for him.

During summer he takes you to his friend Johnny’s camp house, for a little getaway as he says. There, in the middle of all the green and the sun high on the sky, he says he’s going to marry you someday. You cry of happiness for almost an entire hour.

So after a year, you get used to your new routine. It’s definitely not what you expected, but enough to make you feel comforted. And it goes like that, until it doesn’t anymore.

The call you get is so sudden that it makes your heart beat faster. Even more when you hear the voice on the other side say something you were not expecting at all. A job offer, to work somewhere you could only dream of and the opportunity to start immediately.

And that’s great, wonderful, leaves you with a tingly feeling on your chest that could only be excitement mixed with fear. But wait, wait, there’s a catch.

There always is a catch, you’ve come to realize.

The job was on another city, 3 hours away that in theory didn’t seem like that much, but you knew it would be a totally different thing in practice. That would mean changes that you weren’t sure you were ready for. A new job, a new city, a new routine.

The lady on the phone gives you a few days to think about it and you’re thankful for it even though your mind was made up from the start.

You liked normalcy, enjoyed the comforting feeling that settled when things followed a routine. But you hated feeling small, unaccomplished and that was bigger than any fear you had of changing. So you said yes, had to.

Jaehyun supports you to no end, of course he would. He helps you find a place and to pack your stuff, making sure everything is nice and ready for when the time finally comes. It’s a couple of weeks of ignoring the impeding fact that this would change everything, the only hint of acknowledgment being promises of doing everything you can to make it work whispered away on nights that start to feel too short.

So you move, 3 hours away from the place you used to call home, leaving behind your normalcy, your friends and him. Settling in the newness of a job that you actually like and the small anxiety that fills your mind daily.

And distance, well, it’s a strange thing but you adjust, do your best. He calls every day, asking about your day and you stay hours on facetime chatting about anything that comes to mind. When he can, he comes to visit and holds you tight like it might be the last time. It’s nice, enough to settle in the awful feeling of needing to be close and longing for someone, and it stays like this for two months.

When you’ve been with someone for so long it’s easy to notice when things start to change, even if they are just small details. It happens almost like a domino, the pieces falling one by one and how could you stop it when it has already started going down?

The calls get shorter, you and him too tired from your jobs to keep the conversation going for too long. The visits stop completely because there’s either no time or the prices for tickets are just too expensive. And then, the worst part, the feeling of wanting him close just becomes painful, hard to deal with instead of a reminder that he was yours.

There’s maybe more into it, jealousy, doubt, uncertainty, but that’s not important. What’s important is that the storm hits and you knew it would, had been waiting for it, but still it’s like you didn’t bring an umbrella.

The breakup is mutual and peaceful, but still heartbreaking. Like your heart had been slowly cracking and now it’s completely gone. It just wasn’t working, that’s something you both agree on, and none of you would ever ask the other to give up on their career.

He says he will always love you and you sob through the phone, even more when you hear his own sniffs. It’s like for a moment everything comes back rushing to you. Jaehyun taking your virginity on a stupid college party, dying his hair pink on a sunday, tasting the chocolate ice cream he liked so much on his lips. Him loving you when you couldn’t even recognize your own self.

And you had gotten better at dealing with your feelings, but this just wrecks you completely. Good thing you had also gotten better at pretending everything is ok.

You drown in your work, forget that you even had a life before that and it makes it easier. You get so busy you don’t even think about the breakup anymore.

It goes like this for a month, then another, and after a full year, Jaehyun is a memory that makes your heart warm again in long old affection and not just pain. A memory that every time he sends you a text to catch up makes you cry inside your bathroom and when your mother tells you he called on her birthday, makes you feel like there’s a hole inside of you. But still, a memory.

The storm stops after a year and life goes on, even if you sometimes worry that it’ll rain again.

—

There’s something about looking at your old city from a car window after a long time that makes you feel weird. Nostalgia maybe, even more when your best friend you hadn’t seen in a while is right by your side, smiling at you every couple of minutes because he can’t quite believe you’re actually here.

Taeyong had changed just like you had since graduating. His hair was now a pink shade, pretty even from behind your sunglasses, and his ears had more piercings than before. Aside that he still had the same kind face, a face of someone you could trust.

He had picked you up from the airport, something that had been settled the moment you announced you would be going home for the summer. It was heartwarming seeing him the moment you stepped outside the gate, rushing into his arms and giggling like the two stupid college kids you two once were. Again, it feels nostalgic and you’re not sure it’s the best feeling in the world. Still, you smile when he squeezes your hand.

“Was nice of Johnny to invite us all to his camp house, wasn’t it?” He asks while he drives you two to that exact location, both of your hairs flying around because of the open windows.

“Yeah. He was always a nice guy.” You say genuinely. Johnny was one of the few people from college that you stayed in touch with, mostly because he was friends with Jaehyun and along the way all your friends and his turned into the same thing.

So, knowing that almost everyone would be in town for summer, Johnny had invited everyone to his camp house to spend a couple of days of catching up and reminiscing on old memories, as he had said. You were sure that just translated to getting drunk and eating poorly.

You had accepted the invitation, of course you had. Even if Johnny chose not to talk about a certain subject and if Taeyong was avoiding bringing it up. Because it was inevitable.

It was inevitable that sometime you would have to face Jaehyun, even if you yourself tried to avoid thinking about it and even if it would happen on a place that brought memories of him promising you something that would never happen anymore.

You shake the thoughts from your head. “I can’t wait to get drunk.” You mumble out, fixing your sunglasses and watching the streets you were once so familiar with pass by.

Taeyong laughs and it makes it all a little better.

—

The first person that brings it up is Taeyong.

You’re both sunbathing near the lake after having finally arrived at the camp house and settled in. It was nice seeing Johnny and Yuta, them both hugging you tightly and going on about how they missed you and how it has been too long, the joy of being reunited with old friends making you giddy and happy.

Johnny’s family were comfortable when it came to money, let’s put it like that, so the camp house was cozy but big enough for all of you to be in separate rooms. Still, you and Taeyong decide on sharing the same one for old times sake.

Jaehyun had yet to arrive, no one mentioning a word about him to you until there’s a car door closing sound coming from back on the house that you can’t ignore the meaning of.

“This is gonna be weird.” Taeyong says with no beating around the bush, which you are thankful for.

You snort. “It’s gonna be fine.” You both know that’s a lie.

“We can stay here a little longer if you want to.” He says, because he’s Taeyong. Gentle and caring and apparently never changing. It’s comforting and unsettling how for once he seems to be letting you stay inside your very comfortable bubble.

The sun is still high, bathing the parts of your skin that are not covered by your dress. The way it makes the lake in front of you shine is probably one of the most beautiful views you had ever seen. It’s a very beautiful area overall, with high trees and flowers, something that, if you liked nature and being outside more, you would definitely know how to appreciate.

You realize while you’re basking your surrounding in that you’re not nervous, or scared even. The tingling that settles in your skin could only be from anticipation. “I’m ok. It's better if we just get it over with already.”

The two of you get up with the laziness and tiredness of being out for too long in the heat. You stretch your arms above your head before you follow Taeyong back to the house.

Jung Jaehyun stands besides a car, taking his very minimal luggage from it and settling it down before he’s shutting down it’s door with a loud sound that startles you. You watch as he turns around, face going from relaxed to surprised when he sees the two of you there. There’s nothing phenomenal about it, just his smile coming to settle on the face that looked the same from the last time you had seen him, and the deep tone of his voice as he greets you. Your heart beats a little faster in your chest.

Taeyong hugs him first, pleasantries being exchanged alongside back taps while you watch the scene feeling just the slightest out of place. Would it be weird for him? Would you say something weird? Would he feel the same?

There’s not enough time to overthink because next thing you know he’s coming to stand in front of you, smile still there but this time with the tips of his ears clearly turning pink. You can’t help but smile back, muttering a small  “Hi.”

“Hey.” And then he hugs you, of course he does. Encircling you with the arms that always made you feel safe and the scent of his perfume that you had grown so familiar with invading your mind. It’s far from a hug shared by two friends, there’s no need to say it is, with the warmth from being on the sun radiating from your body and the way he tries to bring you closer.

When he breaks the hug there’s something on his eyes you wish you couldn't read so well.  “You… You look well.” He says before clearing his throat.

“Thanks, you too.” Shifting from feet to feet, you avoid his gaze, instead looking around and stopping by the car he was standing by just minutes ago.  “You -- You got a new car! Looks great.”

He nods,  looks behind his shoulder at the black car you recall seeing on his phone before. “Yeah, been saving money for it.”

“That's great, you always wanted one of these.” You smile genuinely and he reciprocates it.

Before you’re able to say anything else, Johnny is walking out the house with Yuta right behind, cans of beer on both their hands. When he sees Jaehyun there he yells some nonsense, rushing to hug his best friend and then it’s over from there, with them joking around and going back and forth with teasing.

It’s a pleasant rest of the day, all of you settling in and catching up on what has been going on and what has changed. Jaehyun is a constant presence, of course, but it seems natural, not uncomfortable like you thought it could be.

-

The second days go by in a blur of too much heat, cheeks flushed from all the beer and swimming around in the lake until you’re tired of it. It goes by so fast and it’s so busy that when the sun is just about to start setting, you find yourself by a huge rock near the lake, sitting on it by yourself and watching as the sky turns the prettiest shade of orange.

The boys had stayed on the house, playing some game you weren’t really interested on so you decided to take some time to yourself. To think about things that you didn’t really want to.

You close your eyes for a second. Memories had a weird way of catching people off guard and your mind swims with the ones of Jaehyun hugging you near this very lake and whispering in your ears the promise of marrying you someday.

You take a deep breath.

You and him had barely spoken to each other, maybe because it was hard to find a time alone. On one side you were glad for it, unsure of what you could say to him, but when you hear leafs being stepped on as someone approaches, opening your eyes and turning your head on your shoulder to be meet with him, you feel a little relief washing down your body.

He walks to you, gesturing to the bowl on his hand. “Brought you some peaches.”

You smile, giddy that he stills remembered that you loved them. “Thank you.”

Sitting down next to you, he settles the small bowl on the side, looking straight ahead at the sunset while you pick up a piece of fruit to eat. It doesn’t seem weird, it never does when it’s with him.

“We haven't been able to catch up.” He says quietly after a while and you hum, the taste of the peach invading your mouth. “How have you been?”

“I’m okay. You know work and all that, it has been some busy months.” After finally getting settled in on your new routine, work had practically consumed your entire life. With projects that had impossible due dates and pieces that drained you mentally and physically, it was hard doing anything else. But you liked it.

“That's good. You like being busy.” He points out.

“Yeah. What about you? How have you been?” You ask, even though you had been on his instagram page enough the past months to know exactly what had been going on. Still, there was no way to know how he really was feeling from that, a fact that made you weirdly bothered.

“I’m good, nothing has really changed that much.” He says around a chuckle that you mimic.

You settle in a comfortable conversation, about little things that did change and just ordinary stuff that you had missed from each other lives. He talks about his family and his job, some new friends and music he had been listening to, and you listen to it all with a slightly there pang in your chest from having missed all that from his life. Still, you’re glad that you get to hear him share it all now.

After some talking a silence settles, one that is normal and makes you feel calm. The both of you just watch the sunset with the sounds of nature surrounding you. It’s then that you realize that your breakup had never felt conclusive, like there was still things you had to talk about. Even more when you say the next words without really thinking.  “I…  I missed you.” The confession is almost a whisper, as if to not disturb the peaceful bubble you two had put yourselves in.

He replies without missing a beat, like he was waiting for those exact words. “Me too. Have been thinking about you a lot lately.”

“Why?” You ask out of sadistic curiosity or to know if it’s for the same reasons as you had.

He shrugs and you turn to look at him, the sun on his face making him look almost angelic. “I don't know.” You look at every single detail on his face, the ones you had memorized and now felt so familiar.  “Can't really control, but it’s like you just pop into my head sometimes. When a song you like starts playing or something like that.”

Your heart grows twice its size when your hear that. “Yeah. That happens to me too.”

He gives a small sad smile. “Thought that would stop after a while.” His voice is calm and it’s kind of insane how much you had missed hearing it. “But I don’t think I would’ve liked it if it did.”

You feel the same way, but don’t say it. Instead you put a hand on his thigh, palm up in invitation. The way he immediately holds it in his, squeezing it softly, tells you everything you need to know.

-

The sun sets and Jaehyun leads you inside the house as quietly as possible to avoid unwanted questions. The room he chose looks exactly like the one you were sharing with Taeyong. A bed with soft sheets on the middle and some clothes spread around from his unpacking. You don’t have more time to examine the room, though, because the plans right now are very well defined.

You think you could cry if you concentrate hard enough on the way he looks down at you, eyes filled with adoration as he brushes the hair out of your face. There’s plenty and nothing to be said at the same time, the gentle and barely there press of his lips against yours enough as he cradles your face on his palms.

There’s a sigh that you don’t know from who it comes, but it’s certainly out of bliss, out of relief from getting something you’ve waited for so long. That’s why there’s just a hint of impatience when you tilt your head a little to the side, pressing your lips with more force and purpose against his. It’s still perfect, a little unpracticed, but his bottom lip still fits perfectly between yours. His lips still move in ease with your own, his hands bringing you closer when you finally part your lips for him to slide his tongue inside.

The desperation of it happens quickly, his movements more forceful as you grip on his arms in a silent plead. It’s like you can’t possibly get enough, can’t possibly have him as close as you would like.

He breaks the kiss with a deep breath and lips puffy, helping you remove your dress and the both of you laugh softly when it gets stuck on your arms. You help him remove his own clothes, and after it’s all gone he kisses you again.

It’s easy letting him lay you out on the bed, kissing your skin, and it’s easy placing your arms on his shoulder, hands closing behind his neck as he kisses you deeply.  “Thought I would never get to do this again.” He murmurs against your lips, face moving so he can nuzzle at your cheek.

“Me neither.” You had hoped for it, of course, in your deepest dreams, but now that it was finally happening it felt out of this world.

He pecks your lips one more time before he’s moving down, pressing kisses all over your neck, sucking lightly on it as one of his hands moves to your chest so he can massage your boob gently.

He continues his way down, seemingly trying to kiss all of you, and when he reaches the place you crave him the most a whine out of desperation bubbles on your lips, because you’re sure you’re beyond wet at this point.

He presses a kiss just underneath your navel, hands parting your legs so he can fit in between them. It’s torture when he parts the lower lips, a groan leaving his lips before a thumb is being pressed to your your clit. “Dreamed about this so many times.” He whispers, circling it as he watches the way your lips part in pleasure.

“Please — Please, Jae.”  You say in a moan, back arching slightly when his lips finally close down on you. It had been a while and the feeling of him sucking on your clit with the determination of a man that seems to want nothing more than to make you come is overwhelming.

His tongue is wet and warm against you, working with swirls and kittenish licks while one of his fingers press against your entrance, gathering the wetness there before he’s finally dipping it inside. Your whole body tingles when he pumps the finger in and out, matching the speed of his tongue and when he adds another one you’re reminded once again of how long it had actually been.

“Can’t fucking believe this.” He mumbles, words muffled by being pressed against you and you watch as his eyes flutter closed and he practically devours you.

It’s too much and not enough and it doesn’t take you long to be begging for more, which he gladly gives you, coming to hover over you again, with mouth and chin coated in your arousal.

There’s no condom, and in the back of your mind you’re thankful for it. You assure him it’s more than fine, you’re still on the pill and the last person you had slept with had been him anyway. The confession makes him groan, face dropping to where your shoulder meets you neck as he grips your thighs.

The first presses of him against your entrance makes your entire body shiver, legs open and resting on his back as he barely manages to get half of his dick inside. Another thrust and he’s moaning lowly, taking deep breaths as if he needs to calm himself down.

When he finally bottoms out, it’s familiar and overwhelming at the same time. You let out a long moan, desperate for him to start moving. “Jae, oh my — Please.” You whimper. “I’m… I…”

It takes him a couple thrusts to relearn how to move against you again, but when he does he settles a rhythm that makes your eyes roll. “Feels… Feel so good.” He groans, eyes shut tightly as he fucks you deeper.

You nod in your out of mind state, gasping when he hits the one spot that had you seeing stars. “Ah — Right.. Right there.” You wail, him muttering a low ‘yeah’ as he aims to hit it time after time with punctuated thrusts. You grip his shoulders, eyes definitely watering as the knot on your lower stomach gets tighter and tighter and it finally snaps.

You come with a cry of his name, as low as you can manage. Your legs trembling on his waist as your nails drown crescents on his naked shoulders. There’s a second you think your vision turns white, but it could be from how your shut your eyes so tightly.

“Fuck. ‘M… ‘M so close.” He says against your lips, hands on each side of your head holding him up as he pounds into you as your walls flutter against him. “Ah, fuck. Never — Never want to fuck any other cunt. You feel so perfect, god.”

His orgasm seems to hit hard from how much he shakes, hips pressed as close as possible to yours as he twitches inside of you and coats your deepest walls in a groan. His breathing labored, cheek pressed against yours as he catches it. You feel like floating, heart heavy on your chest but content from being so close to him. You close your eyes, letting the smell of him and of sex fill your mind instead of thoughts of what this meant.

After he has gone soft inside of you, his cum dripping out, you both get cleaned, saying little or not at all until you’re finally on the bed again.

He cuddles you close as you lay your head on his bare chest, listening to his quiet breaths. He draws soothing circles on your back that make you almost fall asleep if it weren’t for his next words.

“Remember when you said you loved me for the first time?” He asks in a whisper as if to not disturb the silence.

The memory makes a weird feeling settle in your heart. But it’s not an unpleasant one. “Yes, I do.” How could you ever forget, even if it felt like it was ages ago. His pink hair, how he felt like a good thing you didn’t deserve, the gentleness of his touch and voice. How much you loved him.

Love him, how much you love him.

He hums. “You said something silly about soulmates that day.” You remember that too, the silly nonsense your young self had thought about. “Can’t stop thinking about that either these days.”

You look up at him. “Why?”

He chuckles lowly, looking right back at you. “Because being away from you made me realize it’s probably true.”

You can’t help the tiny smile that makes its way into your lips, him mimicking it perfectly. There are probably tears on your cheeks when you kiss him and there’s definitely a lot more things to talk about, but you both ignore that. Instead you bask in what feels strangely like finally breathing again.

[you-cant-spell-subtext-without]

hello hello hello!  and welcome to Season 12 of Supernatural. 

I admit that initially I STRUGGLED WITH SEASON 12.  I LOATHED the British Men of Letters (other than Lady Antonia Bevell; her hot working mom energy can get it); I have...mixed feelings about Mary; overall it was not a stellar season for me the first go-round.  HOWEVER I shall now give it a second chance,  and look for the subtext within the bad (and if my theory tracks, there will be much subtext as...there is much bad).  Maybe I’ll even develop Ketch appreciation.  **ONWARDS ONCE MORE INTO THE BREACH, MY FRIENDS:

When we last left Dean, I neglected to mention that Amara brought his mom back (this is how much I repressed Mary Winchester I guess?)  We cut to Mary, confused, in a nightgown (I get this is part of the character and that’s why she is wearing it sO wE kNOw iTS rEAlLy MaRY WinCHEstEr because of her nightgown and not Sam Smith’s exquisite face, but honestly WHY - LIKE DID SHE WEAR THE DAMN THING IN HEAVEN THE ENTIRE TIME TOO?).

DEAN [breathing heavily] 

Mom. Listen to me. Your name – your name is Mary Sandra Campbell, okay? You were born December 5, 1954, to Samuel and Deanna Campbell. Your father, he bounced around a lot for, uh, work, and you bounced right along with him, and you ended up in Lawrence, Kansas.

MARY 

How do you know all that?

DEAN 

Dad told me. March 23, 1972, you walked out of a movie theater – Slaughterhouse-Five. You loved it, and you bumped into a big Marine and you knocked him flat on his ass. You were embarrassed, and he laughed it off, said you could make it up to him with a cup of coffee. So, you went to, uh, Mulroney's and you talked and he was cute and he knew the words to every Zeppelin song, so when he asked you for your number, you gave it to him, even though you knew your dad would be pissed. That was the night that – that you met –

MARY 

John Winchester.

DEAN 

August 19, 1975, you were married... in Reno. Your idea. A few years later, I came along, then Sammy.

***DEAN DESCRIBING EVERY DAMN DETAIL OF THIS HAS MURDERED ME.  Also, I know John Winchester “told him the story,” but something about this retelling - these are NOT John Winchester’s words (other than maybe “big Marine”).  The emotions, the feelings, the “you talked and he was cute” Dean is describing is Dean’s retelling, the version he created in his mind of this damn meet-cute, this little love story he played over and over in his head, and that makes me feel warm and tingly and also want to ingest sharp knives.  

***Everyone already knows about the damn Zeppelin reference but just in case you wanted to be tortured, please recall that later on we will get

THIS FUCKING SHIT

Nothing to see here other than Dean using a reference from this LOVE STORY on Cas.  I HATE it here in super hell.  Next rounds on you, Sam.

Anyway, Mary has caught on:

I paused here just now because I had a tHoUGHt.  This season is all about exploring Dean and Sam in their role as sons (this is discussed at the SDCC panel prior to the season; btw they are all free on Prime and I recommend watching before you start each new season for little “reveals” behind some of the plot lines).  We know Sam has no relationship to Mary really, he was a baby when she died, but Dean was a little boy - with a personality, character traits, identifying characteristics that his mother probably knew like the back of her hand.  That’s why my first run-in with Mary left a bad taste in mouth during this season - LIKE THIS IS YOUR KID, and there is NO inkling or recognition until THIS moment?  In a show that just spent an entire season exploring the “unexplained connection” between Dean and GODS SISTER, there no immediate “OH” from his own mother?!

But then I realized why she only connected at this very moment.  This particular moment - and not the moment where he lists the factual details about her before the story of the night she met John.  That little story with all those cute details - that’s the part of Dean that Mary knew before she died - when that part was ALL of Dean.  Before hunting, before John’s quest for revenge turned him into the person he is today, before he saw himself as a blunt little instrument.  That’s why initially Mary has no recognition that this is her son - because the Dean she knew was sensitive, and kind, and OPEN, and liked love stories, and laughing, and warm hugs and maybe flowers. Because if you think about it WE DONT KNOW THAT DEAN.  We only know Dean AMD. (After Mary’s Death).

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

So maybe Mary represents Dean Before Mary’s Death, and whatever part of that Dean remains, no matter how deep he has been buried.  The part that connects with people; the part that doesn’t want to be alone.  The part that helped Amara.  The part that loves Cas.  And that’s why Amara brought her back.  

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

Ok, if I think of it this way, I may like Mary a little better now.

BUT ALSO MY BABY:

Cut to Cas.

[THE MAN WALKS OVER TO THE EDGE OF THE CRATER MADE BY THE LANDING AND SEES CASTIEL PULLING HIMSELF OUT.]

MAN 

Holy mother.

[CASTIEL STANDS UP AND LOOKS AROUND]

CASTIEL 

Where am I?

MAN

Uh...Earth?

CASTIEL 

No. How far am I from Lebanon, Kansas?

MAN 

Uh... Th-three hours, maybe. Wait, wait, wait, wait. Who – What are you, man?

[CASTIEL WALKS TOWARDS THE MAN AND TOUCHES HIM ON THE FOREHEAD. THE MAN DROPS TO THE GROUND. CASTIEL LEAVES HIM THERE AS HE DRIVES OFF IN THE TRUCK]

***I spy a Season 11 random parallel

And Cas says, “Earth - 

***Also, I often wonder if in his mind’s inner GPS, Cas bases distances on how far he is from Dean. 

In the meantime, Bad Things Are Happening to Sam.

***Toni Bevell, don’t join the British Men of Letters you’re so sexy hahah

Other than noting that this is yet another too oft- repeated Sam, the Victim, Always Gets Tortured scenario, I see no point in recapping these parts.

I will just continue to post Toni Bevell hotness for these portions of the episode. Ok?  Ok.  You’re welcome.

BACK TO THE BUNKER:

I already posted this sweet baby reunion in my final Season 11 analysis/recap, but lets see it again at another angle and from Mary’s perspective CAUSE CLEARLY she has...*thoughts*

Poor Cas had no idea he was about to MEET THE PARENT 

It melts my little heart that Dean uses Cas’s full name to introduce him to people.  Especially members of his family who are trying to kill him.

Anyway, then we get a much longed for gem of typical Cas deadpan:

(*I still miss Casifer a little bit though*)

And then we have 

A MOMENT OF CONNECTION!  

At the SDCC panel, Misha specifically noted that both Mary and Cas are outsiders, so this tracks. 

They head to the garage:

[Exhaling sharply, Mary walks towards Baby. She runs her hand lightly over the car.]

MARY This was John's car. Oh, she's still beautiful.

DEAN Hell, yeah, she is.

MARY Hi, sweetheart. Remember me?

[MARY LEANS DOWN AND LOOKS INTO THE CAR SMILING. SHE STARTS LOOKING AT THE FRONT SEAT BUT HER EYES AND HER THOUGHTS LINGER ON THE BACK SEAT. DEAN LEANS DOWN LOOKING AT THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR WITH PRIDE. DEAN LOOKS AT HIS MOM AND REALIZES SHE’S HAVING VERY SPECIFIC MEMORIES OF TIME IN THE BACK SEAT. DEAN LOOKS AROUND THE CAR, AND LOOKS AT HIS MOM.]

***this is where you truly see that Sam Smith is a genius because she took those directions and put them all into THIS:

And then THIS:

DEAN 

Oh…

[MARY LOOKS UP AT DEAN. DEAN REALIZES HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN CONCEIVED IN THAT CAR, STANDS UP QUICKLY AND LOOKS OVER THE CAR. DEAN SWALLOWS HARD, AND GLANCES AT CASTIEL WHO GIVES HIM A QUIZZICAL LOOK.]

DEAN 

We should go.

***At this time I would like to remind everyone that Cas is also generally in the back seat of this car.  

MOVING ON

Meanwhile-

Back at the bunker, Cas is Continuing to Connect with his boyfriend’s mother:

[EXTERIOR DAY; INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS AND THE NOISE OF VIDEO GAMES ARE HEARD. THE CAMERA PANS TO MARY WHO’S WATCHING THE SCENE. CASTIEL IS PICKING UP COFFEE.]

CASTIEL 

Thank you.

[CASTIEL TAKES THE COFFEE TO MARY AND SITS DOWN.]

CASTIEL

This must be difficult for you. I remember my first moments on Earth. It was jarring.

MARY 

One word for it. I grew up with Hunters. I've heard of people coming back from the dead before. But to actually do it... after 30 years. A lot's changed.

[MARY LOOKS AROUND.]

MARY A lot.

Cas:

This is usually a look Reserved For Dean, so its interesting Cas is looking at Mary here [they also weirdly joked about Cas hitting on Mary at the SDCC panel and now I'm giggling because if Mary represents the soft part of Dean this all makes PERFECT SENSE).

BONUS

Actual footage of Sam in super hell

The Cas/Mary bonding worked BTW:

[INTERIOR: GREGORY IS SITTING IN FRONT OF HIS DESK WITH CASTIEL, DEAN, AND MARY STANDING BEFORE HIM.]

DEAN 

So, you dug the bullet out of his leg, no questions asked?

GREGORY 

She offered me 100 grand.

MARY 

And you took it?

GREGORY 

Student loans were a bitch, okay?

[ANGRILY CASTIEL STARTS TOWARDS GREGORY.]

DEAN 

Cas! Cas! Cas! Don't hurt him. Not yet.

**Disclosure: I do not accept the “Cass” spelling and take creative license to change it in the script whenever it appears**

GREGORY 

All right, look, she didn't give me her name. When we were done, the driver bailed, I got paid, and then some other chick shows up, and they all drive away.

MARY 

And that's everything you know?

GREGORY 

(insincerely) Yeah. Totally.

****Um, Mom that’s my boyfriend you don’t order him around like tha-

Oh, well, ok then.

***This is important, because Cas doesn’t obey anyone (other than Dean) blindly ever since he invented free will and all that.  Hence Dean’s surprised/impressed look to Mary above.  

Meanwhile:

I recall that I spent most of my first watch of Season 12 gushing over Toni Bevell, so I’m glad to know this won’t be changing.  You’ve been warned.

Next up, Sam is again sex tortured, Cas is a Helpful Boyfriend, and for some reason, Rick Springfield.  

[licenselesswriter]

Ten Duel Commandments CH9

Look em’ in the eye, aim no higher

Tuesday, June 16, 2020

Lucas was having breakfast while Maya was analyzing him with her mouth buried in a bowl of Ice cream with cereal, "I don't know what's happening, but I would love to know the reason for your glaring on this beautiful morning," Lucas asks.

Maya takes off her mouth from the bowl and starts eating her ice cream with cereal, "You're hiding something from me, I don't know what is exactly, but I know it's something," she states.

Lucas looks back at her, unamused by her words, "Why would I hide something from you when one of my favorite things is telling you about my day?" Lucas asks back.

"I'm guessing it's something you're not proud of," Maya answers before taking Lucas's cup of coffee and take a sip.

Lucas takes his cup back from her and drinks what she left, "So you know about it," he finally says.

"You really think you could hide that from me?" Maya asks.

"Who told you?" Lucas asks back.

"Why did you have to hit him?" Maya questions him, avoiding revealing her source.

"Because he deserves it," Lucas answers, "Who told you?" he asks again.

"Does it matter?" Maya asks, "You attacked one of our best friends," she adds.

"Because I want to know who I can trust," Lucas answers, putting his cup on the sink, "And no, he's not one of our best friends," he remarks.

"So you, hiding this from me, should I take that as you don't trust me?" Maya inquires.

Lucas froze for a second before turning over and look at Maya directly into her eyes, "Does my word that he really deserves it is not enough?" he asks back.

"Oh, don't try to turn this on me. I trust your judgment. I'm mad because you hide it from me," Maya answers.

"You're Kobayashi Maruing me?" Lucas asks.

"I guess I am. Guess you should think better what kind of shows you and Zay are making me watch," she answers.

Lucas sits on the stall, defeated, "So, basically, if I refuse to tell you why I slap him, I'm in trouble, and if I tell you, you're gonna be pissed and sad, which also is gonna throw me in a bad mood," he says, looking at his watch, before getting up and walking to his fridge. He takes an apple and sits back in the stall before giving the apple a considerable bite.

"What are you doing?" Maya asks.

Lucas eats his apple before getting up and stands next to her, "You might try the Kobayashi Maru on me," he says, gently taking her hand and putting it on his ass, hearing how his front door opens. They both hear a 'Hello kids' from Lucas's mother, "But let's not forget who invite you to watch the show," he adds with a confident smile, "Hey mom, want some help?" he asks his mom before taking a few bags from her hands.

"Hey Mrs. Friar, allow me to help too," Maya says, taking the last bag from Lucas's mom's hand. She gently gets closer to her boyfriend's ear, "If you think I'm gonna let you get away with this, you're damn wrong," she whispers in his ear.

"You want the truth?" Lucas asks her, already knowing her answer, "I will give it to you, but I need time," he adds.

"I'm gonna give you ten minutes and call with Zay," Maya says.

"Fine," Lucas replies, "But I also want to get ice cream and cookies," he adds.

Maya, recognizing her favorites, looks at Lucas surprised, "Damn, what the hell did Farkle say?" she asks.

Lucas puts her mom's bags on the counter and kisses Maya on the forehead, "You're not gonna like it," he says.

.

A few hours later, Maya and Lucas were on her bed, back at her place.

She was resting on his chest, playing with her brush and his chin, while he gently traces circles on her back, "So, you're finally gonna tell me what he said?" she asks.

"I really don't want to," Lucas confesses.

"He attacked me, doesn't he?" she asks.

"Yeah," Lucas answers in a defeated tone.

"What he implied?" Maya asks this time.

"He implied that the only reason we are together is our incredible sex drive and compatibility," Lucas answers.

"Bullshit," Maya calls, "What he really said?" she asks then.

"Like I told you, you don't want to know," Lucas replies before putting a soft kiss on her forehead.

"You need to stop protecting me from the world, Lucas," she calls him on his attitude.

"Sorry for not wanting to see you sad," Lucas sarcastically replies.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, a force of habit, you need to protect your friends," Maya says, only to be cut by Lucas.

"Come on, you're more than a friend to me," he says.

"I know, but I also know I'm not Riley. I can take care of myself and what people say about me," she replies, "Also, what do you expect to happen once we go back to school? People already know that we are together. Our friends love that we are happy together," she started, "But what about the rest? Are you gonna slap them when the comment about how we get to be like this?" she asks.

"No, of course not," Lucas says, "Ok, I'm sorry, but you can't ask me to not worry about you. I mean, I worry about you from before we started this," Lucas defends himself.

"I know," Maya says with a smile before kissing him, "And I appreciate that," she continues, "But the world is not a bubble. You can keep me with only happy thoughts," she adds.

Lucas rolls his eyes, "Fine, I get it, you're not Riley, I shouldn't treat you like her," he concedes, "By the way, did you know they had a bet about my love life?" Lucas comments.

"Really? Anyone bet for me?" she asks.

"Most people bet on Brandon. I don't know why they have the impression I'm gay," he replies.

"Probably because of Zay," Maya says, making Lucas look at her in disbelief, "Come on, when Zay got here, I thought he was your boyfriend," she adds.

In utter disbelief, Lucas keeps looking at her, "Guess now I'm the one holding sex," he banters, making her laugh.

Farkle walks back into his room with two cups of tea in his hands before handing one to Riley, who was lying on his bed.

"So, you're finally ready to tell me why I can still see a bruise on the face of my best friend?" she asks.

"Not really," Farkle answers, sitting on his bed in front of her.

"Why not? You know I'm not gonna judge you," Riley assures him.

"Oh, that's where you're wrong," Farkle says with a nervous chuckle, "You're gonna judge me because I deserve it after what I said," he adds.

"Come on, it can't be that harsh," Riley replies with a joke, only to face Farkle's silence, "Oh God, what did you say?" she asks him.

"Something I regret," Farkle answers, still avoiding telling her the truth, "But I think I'm still too deep in my own shit to make a credible apology," he adds.

"I'm gonna assume Lucas was on the other end of that slap, and you said something about Maya," Riley correctly guesses.

"Yep," Farkle says.

"Farkle, you might be a genius, but you don't go a poke a bull on the balls and hope that he does nothing," Riley says.

"I would love to say that I was on my brightest moment, but I wasn't," Farkle replies, "I know I messed up, I know I can't fix things right now, but I also know one day, maybe, I will be able to fix them," he adds.

Riley smiles at him, "That's great Farkle, please, tell me what do you need to improve, and I will do my best to assist you with that," she says, offering her help.

Farkle just chuckle, debating if this would be the right moment to let everything out or if it was way too soon to put some extra over her, "How sure you are about giving me what I need now?" he asks.

"Weird question Farkle, but pretty sure," Riley answers.

"Ok, let me take your word on that," Farkle says before offering his hand to her, "Let's go to the kitchen. Let me make some coffee because we need to have a long chat," he adds.

Riley gets up from his bed and gently grabs his hand, "Farkle, you're scaring me. What's really happening?" she asks.

Farkle gives her a sad smile while dragging her hand to his chest, "The worst possible outcome for me, my ultimate despair," he says.

They arrive at his kitchen. Farkle walks to his kettle and starts boiling water under the strict gaze of Riley.

"Farkle, talk to me," Riley says.

"Give me a minute. I'm making up my mind," Farkle replies while he waited for the water. Once the water boiled, Farkle makes 2 cups of tea and walks back to the kitchen table, and puts the cup in front of Riley, "I guess I should start with the beginning," he says.

"That would be good," Riley jokes.

Farkle takes a deep breath and then lets all that air leave his lungs, "Remember when we were younger? When I used to say that I loved you and Maya equally?" he asks.

"Yeah?" Riley says, dubious of where this conversation was going.

"Well, that turns out to not be true," he says, "I've always loved one of you more than the other, and I refused to believe that," he adds.

Then suddenly, something inside Riley's brain clicks, "Oh God, you're in love with Maya," she says.

Farkle looks down and laughs, "Wish it was that easy to say," he says to Riley.

"That's why you break up with Smakcle, and you're so pissed about this, you feel like Lucas steal her from you," Riley starts to explain her own theory.

In disbelief, Farkle just looks at her for the next ten minutes, half shocked that she would get some things with extreme precision but finding it hilarious how she missed the central point on it, "Ok, allow me to stop you for a second," he says before taking a sip of his tea, "Just out of curiosity, how did you get that I'm in love with Maya?" he asks.

"Well, let's start with how Lucas makes you feel," Riley starts, "Didn't you said once that he makes you nervous because he was like this hero figure while you were destined to be the sidekick?" she asks.

"Not my exact words, but you kinda got the idea," Farkle jokes, knowing that he shouldn't.

"Also, let's not forget about the 'it's you and me because I don't care' situation?" Riley asks, "Gonna say, that hurt my ego a bit," she adds.

"Yeah, fun days," he replies, "Continue," he adds.

"Then to more recent things, I mean, you were really pissed about them having a relationship," Riley says.

Farkle looks at her for a second, "Ok, it may look like that, but I can explain that," he says.

"You already explain it Farkle, you're in love with Maya," Riley replies, still utterly oblivious about his friend's feelings.

"Riley, you're so smart, but at the same time, you're so dense," Farkle says.

"Hey!" Riley complains.

"Riley, it has always been you," Farkle finally confesses, "I wasn't pissed because Maya gets with Lucas. I was pissed off because you weren't happy," he adds.

"No, you don't. You're in love with Maya," Riley says from her own shock.

"No," Farkle says before giving Riley a few minutes to assimilate the information he just gave her, "Still want me to continue?" he asks.

"Did you and Isadora break up because of me?" Riley asks, full of guilt.

Farkle gently grabs Riley's hand, "No," he says, "That was completely my fault," he adds while looking at her, "I don't know when it happens, but it looks like my feelings for you start to escape from myself, and was visible for her," Farkle explains, "We break up when I was able to admit that I never stopped loving you," he continues.

"Farkle, you can't do this to me," Riley says, getting up, ready to walk out.

"You wanted the truth. I gave you the truth. You can't blame me now because you didn't like it," Farkle replies.

"I'm not blaming anyone," Riley says defensively.

"Yes, you're blaming me because you think that you hurt Isadora, but let me give you another truth," Farkle says, "You didn't hurt her, I hurt her, because, even when I didn't notice, I was true to my own feelings, making Isadora, and worst, myself, believe that she would be able to make me get over you," he adds.

"I'm sorry," Riley says, walking away from the kitchen, "I have to go," she adds before running to the door.

Farkle stays in his kitchen. He finishes his tea and puts both cups in the sink, "Boy meets bottom," he says, knowing he just burn his last bridge.

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Maya slowly opens her eyes due to the constant sound of an incoming call on her phone. Without taking a look, she picks her phone and answers the call, "Who's this and why you're calling at nap time?" she asks, still with her eyes closed.

"I thought nap time was at five?" Maya heard from her phone.

"Riley," Maya says, getting up in a second.

"Morning," Riley says.

"Something happened?" Maya asks.

"I guess it is weird that I'm calling after, well, everything," Riley replies.

"You know you can always call me," Maya says.

"I know," Riley says, "Just not confident enough to make the call," she adds.

"I'm sorry," Maya replies.

"Don't be," Riley says, "Think I can take some of your time?" she asks.

Without her noticing, a tiny smile grows on Maya's face, "Sure, sure, what do you need?" she asks.

"It's not something we should speak on the phone," Riley says, "Think I can go to your place?" she asks.

Maya immediately felt danger, knowing that Lucas was there, "If you want, we can meet at Topanga's?" she offers.

"Don't worry, Lucas being there is not gonna trigger something in me," Riley replies, "Well, not completely over this, but doing better if you want to know," she adds.

"Ok then," Maya says in a dubious tone, "What time should I expect you here?" she asks.

"Twenty minutes tops," Riley answers.

"Ok, see you then," Maya says.

"See you then," Riley repeats before finishing the call.

Maya gets up from her bed and walks out of her room.

"Oh, hey?" Lucas says on his way to her room, "Good job waking up before I went to wake you up," he teases her.

"Riley is coming," Maya drops.

Lucas's mouth slightly opens in surprise, "Ok," he says before making a tiny pause, "Yeah, you win, should I go?" he asks.

Maya gently grabs his hands and gives him a soft smile, "She said you wouldn't trigger her," she says, making him smile.

"Well, that's something," Lucas replies before putting a short kiss on her lips, "But still, gonna keep helping your mom with dinner," he adds.

"I'm gonna give you a reward for being a good boyfriend," Maya says before giving Lucas a soft spank, a second before Shawn walks out from his office with his hands on his ears.

"I didn't hear anything, I didn't hear anything," he says while walking past them.

"Shawn, I'm growing up, you know that, right?" Maya argues back.

"Yeah, not a fan," Shawn replies before disappearing into the kitchen.

"Guess no rewards for me then," Lucas says before giving Maya a soft kiss.

.

Around twenty-five minutes later, a soft knock was heard on Maya's front door, making Lucas and Maya look at each other.

"I'm going to the kitchen," Lucas says before hiding in the kitchen.

"Ok," Maya says, "Pussy," she adds before walking to her front door. She gently opens the door to see who used to be her best friend with a neutral look on her face, "Riley," Maya greets her.

"Maya," Riley replies, standing in front of the door, "May I come in?" she asks.

Maya shooks herself for a second, "Sorry," she said before moving from the way, letting Riley in, "Should we go to my room?" she asks.

"Yes," Riley says before looking at her, "It's a private matter," she adds.

"Oh, ok," Maya says before start walking to her room.

Following Maya, Riley makes a tiny stop in the kitchen door, noticing Lucas there. She slowly walks into the kitchen, "Hi, Uncle Shawn," Riley says to Shawn before stopping in front of Lucas, "Hi," she shyly says.

Lucas smiles at her, "Hi," he replies.

"Hi," Riley repeats before chuckling.

Shawn slowly walks out of the kitchen, a bit weirded out, only to find his daughter in the kitchen door, "Is that thing normal?" he asks.

"Yes, it is," she confirms.

Lucas gives her a smile, "Ok, I have to check the muffins," he excused himself before turning to the oven.

"Ok, bye," Riley says before walking out of the kitchen, only to see Maya there, "Don't judge me," she says, making Maya chuckle.

A few seconds later, they were in Maya's room. Riley softly lock the door behind her once she was inside, "I have a question," she says.

"Wow, straight to the subject," Maya says.

"It's the fastest way to get what I want," Riley replies.

"Ok, shoot," Maya says.

"I was the only one oblivious to Farkle's feelings?" she asks.

"How did you find out?" Maya asks, surprised by her question.

"Doesn't matter," Riley says.

"It does matter," Maya replied, "Who told you? Zay?" she asks.

"As I said, it doesn't matter," Riley replies, "Also, you didn't answer my question," she adds.

Maya takes a second to process her question, "You're asking in order or just who knows?" she asks back.

"Both," Riley says.

"Zay, Lucas, Me, Isadora, Farkle," Maya answers, "And I guess you too now," she adds.

"My God, I'm really that blind?" Riley asks.

"Well, pretty much," Maya answers, "It's not your fault," she tries to defend her.

"It is my fault, Maya," Riley says, "God, Smackle must hate me," she adds, softly covering her face.

Maya gives her a caring smile and softly start caressing her back, "She doesn't hate you, Isadora is an angel," she says, "In fact, that was the reason why she breaks up with him, because she wasn't up to keep being blind to that, but that doesn't mean it's your fault," she adds.

"This was the reason you didn't come with me when Smackle break up with him?" Riley asks.

"You were more than enough to console Farkle, but you basically ask me to leave Isadora with Lucas and Zay," Maya defends herself.

"They are not that bad," Riley defends Lucas and Zay.

"Want to remember what happened last time we left Lucas, Zay, and Isadora alone?" Maya asks.

Riley just looks at her, with her mouth slightly open, "True," she says.

Maya takes a few seconds looking at her friend, looking for the best advice she can, "Riley, love is weird, but you need to know, it's also aleatory because you don't know who you're gonna fall for or who's gonna fall for you," she says.

Riley looks at her with her eyes full of guilt, "And how do I deal with decisions I didn't make?" she asks.

Maya smiles at her, "Easy," Maya replies, "You don't. It's not your job to deal with decisions other people make. You only can be responsible for what you do," she adds.

Riley stay a few minutes in silence, looking at the floor, "You become really wise," she softly says.

"Thank you," Maya says, "Anything else I can do to help?" she asks.

Riley stays a few seconds silent, "No, it's me, the one who has to figure out what to do next," she adds.

Maya looks at her with a proud smile, "That's growth," she says, making Riley smile.

Just to quote.

“Okay! One more thing” (it’s chapter 10 btw).

[allegra-writes]

Peter Parker NSFW Alphabet

Hi! Could I please please please get a cute and a NSFW alphabet with Peter? Thanks!💕

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

He’s the most tender and thoughtful of lovers. He just loves to lay in bed with you in his arms for hours, just holding you close, and caressing your back or your arms or any part of your body he can reach, really. He could spend entire days and nights like that, just laying next to your naked form, tangling his finger with yours and talking. His pillow talk is the most interesting too, he can talk about everything from quantum physics and the intricacies of how gravity bends space-time to how Brussel’s sprouts are just basically fun sized cabbages.

B = Body part (Their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

He’s not one for vanity and he actually kinda doesn’t like how bulky he’s gotten since that spider bite years ago. But he likes that he it made him strong. He likes being strong to protect you, and even to help you with domestic, ordinary things, like moving your couch up four flight of stairs to your dorm room. And of course, he loves being strong enough be able to carry you and hold you up with just one arm without any effort, to fuck you standing up without needing a wall for support.

His favorite body part of yours are your legs and where they lead: he loves your feet, your calves, your strong thighs, your gorgeous butt and… well, you can guess. He loves having those legs around him, either while he pounds into you, or while he carries you swinging on his webs across New York, or making out with you sitting on the kitchen counter while he stands between them. He just loves how he fits perfectly there, like that’s where he belongs.

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically… I’m a disgusting person)

He loves to mark you, he loves physical manifestations of you being his. But he hates to hurt you, and he refuses to leave lasting marks like hickeys -that, admittedly, are pretty painful because of his super strength- and bruises on purpose, that’s just out of question for him.

So, the alternative he so creatively found, is to mark you with his come. He still loves to come inside you, but pulling out just in time and paint your chest, your belly or your butt in white ribbons just drives him crazy

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He has heightened senses, and his sense of smell is no exception. He has an unconfirmed theory that he can perceive pheromones, at least on some level. Specifically, human pheromones. More specifically, yours.

He thinks that because your perfume drives him insane. Not like the bottled perfume you use when you guys go on dates, but your natural scent. It smells like home. It smells like mate.

It’s just so animalistic, so feral that he would never tell you, but sometimes, when you are away, he buries his face on your pillow or your clothes, and gets himself off like that, solely on the smell of you.

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

While he is not underage, thank you very much, he is young. So he’s had some experience but not a lot.

However, he is a fast learner, and pleasuring you is a fascinating subject for him. He painstakingly catalogs and commits your reactions to memory, and quickly becomes an expert on you and what you like.

F = Favourite Position (This goes without saying. Will probably include a visual)

As mentioned before, he loves having you wrapped around him, so the lotus, missionary, standing up or up against a wall, anything with a lot of skin on skin contact.

Positions like doggy style, the necklace of Venus, etc, just don’t feel close enough. He wants intimacy, he wants to look at you in the eyes when he makes you fall apart, he wants to bury himself deep into you, he wants as much of you as he can get.

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc)

Not as much goofy as he is playful; he likes to make you smile and he likes to have fun in bed, but it’s sex, it’s not stand up comedy.

H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)

He shaved everything off once. It was itchy and miserable and he’s NOT doing that again. Like, ever.

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect…)

Peter Parker wears his heart on his sleeve. The bedroom is not exception. What he feels for you is deep, it’s fiery, it’s all consuming, and it translates into meaningful, intense sex. Even when he fucks you roughly it still is making love, because he loves you and he just can’t hide it or turn it off. Not that you would want him to, anyway.

J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon)

His sex drive is quite high, so he masturbates a couple times a day if you are not near or simply not in the mood.

K= Kink (One or more of their kinks)

Don’t let those big brown innocent eyes fool you, he is a kinky bastard.

In real life he respects -and actually loves- your independence, and how powerful and empowered you are. But in bed, his possessive streak is released. He loves to dominate you, call you his own, make you beg. More than once he webbed your hands to the headboard, or tied you up in beautiful, intricate kinbaku or shibari designs using his web.

He also has a huge praise kink, always telling you how beautiful you are, how good you are, how perfect for him. He calls you his Queen. And it goes both ways, because he is such a sucker for you telling him how great he is, how good he feels. It’s not exactly dirty talk, but it’s hot non the less.

L = Location (Favorite places to do the do)

While any place he can get you alone is good enough for a hot make out session, for the actual sex he prefers the bedroom. Or anywhere in your apartment, as long as he can be sure you two are alone and not likely to get interrupted. He’s NOT into exhibitionism or public sex, he can’t stand the risk of someone walking in and accidentally see you like this. He respects you too much for that.

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

You are his biggest turn on. Your body, the way you move, the helpless little moans you make when he hits that spot… yeah, he doesn’t need anything else to get him going.

N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

He won’t ever endanger you or hurt you in anyway. He could never stand to cause you pain. So nothing like breath play, or spanking, etc. Even when he plays with ropes (or webs), he’s always making sure you are ok. Your safety is the most important thing for him.

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

He is a giver, his greatest pride is to make you fall apart. Add to that the way the taste of you drives him wild and, well… He could -and have- spend hours between your legs.

He is not as much into receiving it because he’s afraid of loosing control and hurt you by pounding into your mouth too roughly (sometimes having super strength can have disadvantages), but you will convince him of indulging in it every once in a while.

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

He can be both, it truly just depends on his mood at the moment.

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

He is more of a fan of long marathon sex sessions, he likes to be able to take his time and have his way with you as he pleases. But you both are busy individuals and sometimes, when you have been separated by long periods of time (Like, a week. Hey, it’s a long time for him!), His aching for you get to be too much, and he’ll take you anyway he can. At those times is urgent, and passionate, and frenzied and just so hot!

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

He’s curious, definitely would try anything once, as long as it’s safe for you of course.

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…)

There’s a reason he likes marathon sex, he has the stamina to go for hours, maybe even days. Anything shorter can appease him but won’t fully satiate his hunger for you.

T = Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

He’s extremely creative and good at using everyday objects as toys. In his talented hands, an electric toothbrush or a snake venom extractor can become the perfect tool for the most exquisite torture.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

He likes to tease you to the point of it being almost unbearable, until you are a moaning, begging mess. Then and only then will he give in to you. And to his own need, because the truth is he wants you just as badly and desperately, he just has slightly better control.

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

Peter is a very expressive guy, and it’s no different in bed. He makes the hottest (and horniest) faces during sex, and yes, the hottest sounds too. Starting with little moans and growls at the beginning, as his pleasure increases so does his volume. He can get very loud when he comes, and you always can tell when he is close because he swears a lot.

You love it, because it makes it so easy to know when he likes something, and makes you feel so powerful, even in your more submissive roll, to know it’s you the one that’s making him feel so good, the one he wants so badly that it almost physically hurts.

W = Wild Card (Get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)

He is a great photographer, he has an aesthetic Instagram he is quite proud of. But by far his best work, at least according to him, is the huge collection of pictures he has of you.

Always analogic, he takes the time to develop the film himself, at home. And not just because of his love of old school photography, but because even if most of them are artistic close ups and compositions, some of them are just filthy and unadulterated porn. And in all of them you are very clearly naked.

And he’s a smart guy, he knows just how easily a device or system can be hacked, so there is no way he is taking any chances of exposing you like that by being dumb enough to have any image of you in digital format. No, that’s a show for his eyes only.

X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants, picture or words)

The spider bite that gave him those drool worthy biceps and lickable abs, gave him… other… mouthwatering… assets. Impressive assets.

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

To misquote Dr. Banner, that’s Peter’s secret: He always wants you.

Z = ZZZ (… how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

He’s highly energetic so it takes a lot to wear him out. And I mean a lot. But afterwards, he has the most restful sleep, secure in the knowledge that the most important thing in the world to him, is protected and sleeping in his arms.

[2018shawn]

1+1 | descent | part 3

warnings: ok so, there is smut but I have begun and ended it with a ***** so you can skip if u want bc they be loving each other during this pregnancy liFE. there is mentions of blood (towards the end), drinking, swearing etc 

a/n: omg I love you all so much sorry for taking so long here are some of the requests I used to keep me going with a lil breakdown:

maybe for 1+1 there r complications with the pregnancy (nothing life threatening just a little harder or something) and shawn is super cute and protective - a little teaser, more in next chap x

Shawn would be a worrying mess throughout your pregnancy for sure🥺😂 - again, will be more in next chapter

Y/n being horny whilst being pregnant - big mood

Could you write something about Shawn and y/n going to her parent's for dinner and her mum picks on her the entire time, maybe Shawn comforts her or confronts her? - so i kinda adjusted it a bit bc I just couldn't imagine it like full on if that makes any sense but anyways ye

Shawn making sure she takes her prenatal pills and is on time for all appointments. - he would 10/10 do this I bet ur ass

Just all the fluff about pregnancy that you possible can write. I LOVE YOUR WORK💗🥰 - you are the cutest lil ANGEL I love YOU 🥺

word count: 6.5k 

previous parts: here

You never thought you’d be one of those pregnant women who obsessed over their weight and constantly observed for signs of a growing bump; but you never thought you’d get pregnant and here you are, stood in front of your mirror, almost 1/3 of the way into your pregnancy already - 10 weeks, to be exact. You were only 5 weeks pregnant when you’d visited your doctor that one day, adamant that you were going to receive bad news, only to receive the complete opposite.

As your mind wandered back to that day, 5 weeks ago, the palm of your hand caressed the bare skin of your stomach, admiring how much your body was already changing. You’d left the doctors office in a complete state of shock, insisting Dr. Blake check the test results at least 5 times before you finally nodded and accepted that you were pregnant. Shawn hadn’t stopped talking the whole day after that and found concern in you being just as quiet as what you would been if the worst had come out of that meeting. Of course it was just the shock, that your body, despite everything you’d been told, had been able to pull through and create a miracle. The fuzzy feeling of 2 day old stubble resting on your shoulder and curls tickling the side of your neck brought you back to current day, eyes wandering up from your stomach to meet the eyes of Shawn’s. His arms wrapped around your hips, covering your own as he allowed his fingers to entwine with yours. “Whatcha’ thinking ‘bout?” He asked before turning his head to place a delicate kiss in the crook of your neck.

You shivered and smiled at the ticklish sensation, a small giggle leaving your lips. “That you really need to shave your poor excuse of a beard.” His mouth opened wide, offended of the insult towards his manliness as you continued to declare your real thoughts. “Just... this. Us. I guess.” Your head fell and rested against his as he nodded, moving both of your hands to your lower stomach, where baby would soon be continuously blooming.

“You know, baby M sure has put a little glow on your skin and a wider smile on your face.” His chin was heavy on your shoulder as he spoke, but you didn’t mind, considering in a few months you’d have a baby gnawing away at your shoulder. And being sick down it. And dribbling down it. And... why do you have babies, again?

“Baby M?” You asked, eyebrows raised in admiration of the sudden new nickname who was previously known as bub.

Shawn shrugged, finally giving you some room and detaching from your frame so you could continue to go about your normal morning routine. You did so by picking up your hairbrush from the cabinet next to you, dragging in through your untamed bed head. “Yeah, i mean, bub was cute and all... but... you’re my original bub, really. And I guess the M can stand for Mendes. Or miracle. Or both?” He questioned, more than confirmed, leaving you smiling at his pointless babbles and theories. Shawn swiftly moved on to tell you he’d checked the parenting app this morning, and Baby M is now the size of a lime. He also told you that he read an article that told you eating peanuts and dairy could make the baby allergic to them in the future, but with further research he soon developed it was nothing but a mere myth. Most of all, whilst you were getting ready, Shawn told you how lucky he feels to have you and how much he loves you.

You turned to the side one final time before you left the mirror, hands coming back to the small bump across your stomach. Shawn walked back into the room, toothbrush hanging from his mouth and towel hung from his hips, rolling his eyes as you studied yourself yet again. “Bub, stop it.” He somewhat spoke, through minty bubbles and white paste.

“Am I...” You started, alternating between pinching the skin and caressing it with the palm of your hand. “Am I getting fat?”

Shawn almost spat his mouth care out, the brushing of his teeth coming to a stop as he stared at you, astonished by your brief question. “You’re not fat...” He held his finger up as he darted back into the en suite where you heard the running of water and him finishing his process. The water shut off and you could hear him grab the towel from the rail, presumably to wipe his face, considering he had white suds dripping down his chin. “...You’re pregnant”

He reappeared in the room, walking over and snaking his arms round your waist. “So i’m fat then?” You laughed, giving up your touch on your stomach to reach up and rest your arms atop his shoulders.

All he could do was chuckle, never having heard anything so absurd. You’d never be fat, but you’d always be beautiful. “You’re a baby maker, he gotta grow somewhere.”

You rolled your eyes, tip toeing upwards and pressing your lips to his to be greeted with the fresh mint taste you anticipated. “She.”

Humming into your touch in return, his fingers danced through your freshly brushed hair as he was pulled into your body, “your mom...” you started, giggling as he pulled away and shot you a confused glance.

“Why are you thinking of my mom while i’m tryna make out with you?”

“I’m thinking of your dad too.” You smirked, only trying to wind him up further.

“Ok, weird, stop...” He shuddered, screwing his face up in further confusion and disapproval. He searched your face for an answer, but you merely shrugged and walked away, pulling out your favourite shirt from the wardrobe and bringing it over your arms, you let it fall over your body.

Two overnight bags lay on the bed, only a few items thrown into them so far for your weekend trip to Shawn’s family home. “Do you wanna tell them tonight?” You asked, picking a couple more shirts from the wardrobes and finally some pants that would match.

He watched as you folded them delicately into your bag, “do you? I mean, it’s your body, it’s your choice.” It was killing Shawn alive to keep this from his parents, and more so Aaliyah, but with all the bad luck you’d had, you were sceptical of jinxing the situation. You thought it was most probably a myth, that telling people you were pregnant before the end of a certain trimester could cause bad luck, but it was a risk you wasn’t willing to take.

“It’s our choice,” you confirmed, walking back over to the wardrobe and pulling out a couple of t-shirts for Shawn and holding them up for his approval. With a nod, you threw them in his direction, and he attempted to fold them into his bag, not half as neatly as you had done. “I just know it’s killing you. And besides it’s nearly the end of my first trimester and it is your mom’s birthday...”

You held up a shirt, one you absolutely loved seeing Shawn in, but he screwed up his face and shook his head, so you put it back on the rail. “No pressure, we tell them when you’re ready.” You walked over with another shirt you’d picked for him, shaking your head at Shawn’s third attempt of folding his clothing. You remembered how after your third date, he brought you to his place for a drink and you saw how chaotically organised his suitcase was packed for going on tour. With a bottle of wine and some packing tips later, you both ended up falling asleep in his spare bedroom, organised piles of clothes all around you.

The more the hours in the day went by, the more you chewed your inner cheek in anxiousness. Driving to Shawns parent’s house felt like a lifetime but he silently tried to comfort you by holding your thigh as he drove. You didn’t know if you were going to tell them, you didn’t even know if you wanted to and you sighed at yourself again for letting it play over and over in your mind. “Bub?” Shawn squeezed your thigh and pulled you from your daydream, looking over at you as you came up to a red light.

“Mmhmm?” You didn’t know if Shawn could read your mind, as you thought about all the nice ways you’d seen over the internet of how people tell their parents they’re going to be nana and grandads. Here you were, thinking of ways to not tell them.

“Stop worrying about it, if we tell them, we tell them. If we don’t, we don’t.” You nodded, although you both knew it wouldn’t be the end of your concerns.

A few red lights later and a slow drive down the quiet lane, you’d reached the Mendes family house, heart warming as Aaliyah flung the door open and immediately ran to the car. Shawn had the best relationship with his sister and it gave you no doubt in your mind that he was going to be the best dad in the world. It was getting late, the traffic taking a toll on your arrival time and the party was already in full swing. Karen appeared in the door, two glasses of wine in hand and a beaming smile on her features. “Hello, my beautiful family,” she theatrically exclaimed, pulling you in for a huge hug as you both reached the doorway with Shawn holding both of your overnight bags and almost knocking the wine from her hands.

“Mom are you drunk already?” Shawn laughed, eyeing the 2 glasses of wine tight in her grip and watching how she stumbled down one of the steps and pushed her cheek outwards, inviting a kiss from Shawn.

“What? No! I’ve only had 1 glass..” She nodded, handing you one of the glasses and you politely smiled, thanking her. She whispered to you as Shawn walked into the house and he disappeared out of view, instantly getting lost in the music and big crowd of people. “I’ve had 3...” she giggled, pulling you inside as the two of you began to engage in conversation.

The party in full swing, Shawn had drunk your - 2 glasses of - wine when no one was looking with Karen handing you another glass which you’d had in your hand for at least 45 minutes when she walked over to bring you another. “Oh?” She questioned, looking at your still full glass as you stood with Shawn and his old family friends. “You love wine, why aren’t you drinking!”

You smiled and eyed Shawn, who instantly shot to your defence. “Mom, she’s not an alcoholic,” he said, and you all laughed it off, but as Karen stood with you and insisted you drank some of it with her, your heart beat out your chest and feet shuffled uncomfortably beneath you. “Mom... she doesn’t want to drink the wine.” Shawn said, pulling it out of your hand and putting it onto the side.

“Don’t speak for her, we’ve seen a fair few wine-drunk y/n’s in her time!” If that’s how she saw you, she most definitely wouldn’t think you’re fit to be a parent. She knew you and Shawn were trying, sure, but the more you thought about it, the more you’d actually never heard her say anything positive about it. Maybe catching Shawn arguing with her on the phone six or so months ago was about this. About you. About your inability to succeed in adult life.

Before anyone could blink, tense atmosphere filling the air between the small crowd as the rest of the unaware house guests continued to party, you darted up the stairs, rushing to the bathroom. Curled over the toilet and stomach tensing tightly, you were yet again reminded that morning sickness was not just for the mornings. Shawn was quick behind you, stroking your back like he always did and offering you a bottle of water he’d managed to grab en route to your side.

Once you felt it was out of your system, you leaned back, your bum sitting against the backs of your ankles as you shakily took the water from Shawn. “I’m sorry about my mom.”

“It’s okay,” you stopped to take another sip, the cold water relieving your dry mouth and the horrible taste that covered it, “I just don’t want her to see me as that person. It makes me feel like she thinks i’m going to be a bad mom...”

“You’re going to be a mom?!” A voice much higher than Shawn’s interrupted, both yours and Shawn’s head flying round to the door where Aaliyah could be seen in the crack.

“‘Liyah, what the fuck!” Shawn screamed, his younger sister repeatedly apologising, only insisting she came to see if you were okay.

Karen appeared in the doorway and once pushed further open, so did Manny, which only made you feel like a pathetic fool as the Mendes clan bickered around you. Shawn was shouting at Aaliyah for having no personal boundaries, whilst Aaliyah screamed back at him for leaving the door open in the first place, whilst Manny shouted at them both for shouting at each other, all whilst Karen ignored the trio and came down to your level, wiping the run mascara that surrounded your eyes. It was a scene from a comedy movie, two young adults fighting ridiculously, the father rolling his eyes at them both and unable to control their anger, and the mother identifying the source of the problem, which just so happened to be you. “Honey, i’m sorry if i upset you, so so sorry.”

“Karen, it’s okay, it’s not you.” You smiled, somewhat meaning it. It was you, really, your hormones were wild and emotions all over the place and boy, didn’t you know about it recently.

“It is, Manny always jokes i’m a cow when i’ve had some wine.”

Shawn stretched his hand out, offering it for you to take so he could help you up from the floor. Once you were straightened up, he repeated the offering to his mother, laughing at her as she stumbled due to the wine still flowing through her body. “Can we just all go back to normal?” Manny suggested, and Karen nodded having no idea what the meeting was about in the first place.

“Normal?! I can’t go back to normal when I just heard that y/n and Shawn are gonna be...” Shawn shot her a look, threatening his younger sibling without words but for once, you didn’t care that she was rambling, that she was going to spill, because that would take the weight off you.

Bickering yet again, the parents tried to speak over their supposedly grown up and adult children, “can someone please just tell us what is going on?!”

You sighed, knowing there was only one way out of this bathroom that would involve everyone making friends and getting along as normal. So when Aaliyah and Shawn simply returned to debating who was the right and wrong sibling, you cleared your throat and exclaimed with laughter, “oh my god!”

“I know! I don’t know how you live with this dumbass, and put with him and-”

Shaking you head and interrupting Aaliyah, who continued to torture her brother, you exclaimed to everyone in the room, all of them turning to face you at the most wonderful confession, “i’m pregnant!”

Another two weeks had flown by, the news of your pregnancy spreading far and wide and unintentionally - you broke instagram. Well, not specifically you, nor Shawn, but all the fans that were greeted with the news on the Saturday evening. The same saturday evening you were sat in Connor’s dining room, enjoying your elderflower presse whilst everyone else devoured the beer and wine. Shawn sipped his like he was 15 and was about to get busted by his mom and dad, despite you telling him to enjoy and drink enough for the both of you.

Mila had decided, that now she was turning 25 she should ditch the clubbing scene and opt for a sophisticated dinner party with her closest and dearest. Sophisticated it was not, jokes and tales getting spilt around the table like a bunch of teenagers playing never have I ever. “Man, that holiday, I swear Shawn and y/n did it, like, six times in one day!” Brain laughed, washing his claim down with another gulp of beer. You laughed and Shawn shouted, defending the two of you with everything he had left in him.

“Making a baby is harder than it seems in the movies!” He confessed, pushing his own beer away from him, not really interested in any form of alcoholic beverage, but more so in staying sensible for you.

Your hand fell under the table, reaching across just slightly to rest on his thigh. His body instantly stilled, bottom lip taken captive in between his teeth at your simple touch. Shawn was a sucker for secret public displays of affection, and of course, you knew that. More than ever, 12 weeks into your pregnancy and coming up the end of your first trimester, all you wanted to do was... well... Shawn.

The theory of your sex drive either noticeably increasing or decreasing during pregnancy was one of the many things you’d read in books and articles but was yet to experience it yourself. Up until this past week, where it severely peaked. Shawn had woken up twice with your body straddling his and lips peppering kisses down his body, until they reached a certain morning perkiness. He had payed you back just once, making himself late for a meeting to which of course he had absolutely no regrets.

The two of you were already significantly late to tonight’s party, hair slightly dishevelled and Shawn’s shirt more creased than first intended. You’d practically pinned him down with no other option than to satisfy your needs. He played on the fact you both shouldn’t have been late, but he was more than happy to skip the starter and have you instead.

He cleared his throat awkwardly as your hand cupped him through the material of his pants and you smirked as you felt it harden immediately. Leaning over and brushing against your ear as everyone else carried on their conversations, he whispered. “We’ll get going soon.” His arm fell to rest on the back of your chair, wrapping around your body as you moved into him, both of your chairs unable to be any closer. Brian commented on how sick it made him feel that two people could be so in love, but Mila shouted in your defence, telling him it was sweet.

Whilst continuous stories jumped from person to person, your hand remained in Shawn’s lap, brushing over her sensitive and needy covered cock every so often which only made him shift in his seat. “Meet me upstairs.” You whispered, standing up from your chair and placing your napkin on the table. Putting on your best queezy smile and letting your hand fall to your stomach, you spoke to the group. “Excuse me, guys, I’m just gonna have minute.”

No further questions were asked as you headed out of the room, making sure to smirk at Shawn one final time before you left completely. He gave it a couple of minutes, and he was about to excuse himself, when Mila asked if him if she should go check on you. “No, sit down birthday girl, I’ve got this. I’ve seen enough pregnancy sickness to last me a lifetime.” He joked as he scrapped his chair from under the table, hoping the hardness in his pants had died down in fear of giving away their secret bathroom date.

At the top of the stairs, in the room to the right, you touched up your lipstick and pushed your make up brush into your skin with a dabbing motion to blot away any oils. The door creaked open and you smiled as your curly haired boy appeared, grinning back as he shut the door behind him, of course making sure to switch the lock. “What’s gotten into you?” He raised his eyebrows as he walked over to you, hands finding your waist as you stared at you both in the mirror. Even when you’re in heels, he was notably taller than you, but he appreciated how he didn’t have to bend down as far to leave soft kisses on your skin. Your slinky dress was a thin material, spaghetti straps only just covering a tiny fraction of your shoulders and ending just above your knees further down your body.

There was nothing bad that Shawn thought about the sudden spike in your sex drive, he was still the 20 something year old guy who fancied the fuck out of his wife and he’d be crazy to turn her away and deny her of her pregnancy needs, right?

“Hopefully you.” You purred, trying to sound seductive but following it up with a laugh that most definitely made it more comical. Shawn never laughed though, as he dotted his lips across your shoulder and into the crook of your neck, grabbing a fistful of your hair in his hand and moving it out his loving path. *****A groan left your mouth and said hand came up to cover it, making you bite your lip to muffle your approving sounds. His ivory shirt was tight against his arms as he reached up and covered your lips with his large fingers and you adored how he flexed underneath it with each movement. You wriggled your ass playfully, nudging it backwards pushing your palms against the counter surface to steady yourself. His lips never left your skin as his hips pushed into you, covered areas causing a sexual friction that filled the room. If he wasn’t hard before, he most definitely was now.

One hand loosened on your mouth, allowing you to breathe heavily as you tried your best to stifle your moans. The other worked down your body, smoothing down the soft material of your dress until he reached the bottom hem. He made sure to connect his hands with your skin, pulling the dress up with his movement as he palmed back up your leg, stopping when he reached the curve of your ass that was barely covered by the most pathetic set of underwear he’d ever laid eyes on.

You let a moan slip as he grabbed a handful of you firmly, making you smirk beneath your bitten bottom lip. “Shh.” he hummed into your neck, eyes coming up only slightly to watch you in the mirror, admiring how your head was thrown back against him and neck begging to be taken by his hand.

Nodding clumsily, he continued to hike up your dress, letting it gather at your hips and he finally detached from your skin. He leant back, making sure he was still pushed against you and trapping your body in between his and the counter. You were bent slightly forward, back softly arched and hips writhing in an attempt to feel something against your aching core. He didn’t bother to stop you, only quickly reaching down to fiddle with the buckle of his belt and buttons, allowing his pants to fall down his legs. He left his boxers, for now, and returned to palming the skin of your derrière with eagerness. Squatting down, he came face to face with the asset he’d been focusing his hands on, slapping the inside of your thighs as instruction to widen them. Happily obliging, your heels clicked against the floor as you did so, hands no longer resting on the countertop but more so gripping it as you felt his breathe edge closer to your centre.

Your underwear, or lack of, was tugged down your legs and he helped you to lift each ankle as he pulled it over your heels, supporting your body and holding your weight. He scrunched them up and found the pocket of his pants, shoving them in as a personal souvenir. Just as you were about to moan at him for taking his time, his two middle fingers traced down your folds, a squeal echoing through your closed mouth as you tried to contain yourself. He stroked delicately, nudging your clit every other time until he was happy he’d spread your pre juices enough. And when he was happy, his fingers slid into you effortlessly, grabbing himself as they disappeared into you. He couldn’t bare the ache in his fully hardened length, wanting so desperately to skip the pleasantries and slip straight into taking you from behind. Sitting down, instead of awkwardly squatting beneath you, he also switched direction, so he snaked beneath your legs and his back rested against the counter you was facing. His hands reached around the back of your thighs, pulling you closer to his face without warning. Your desperate core brushed against his lips, hands tightening around the sink with white knuckles at the intimate contact.

It took everything in your to not scream out in pleasure. No amount of intimacy in your own home compared to sneaking away from a party and doing the dirty, much like you used to do in the past and you were forever grateful the spark had never died. You were thankful for his strong grip on the back of your thighs, legs shaking as his tongue caressed your folds from underneath you. He wanted to be beneath you forever, to have you squirming and panting just as you were in this moment. He’d never intended for it to be this... full on, when he came to find you in the bathroom. He thought it would maybe a quickie, a little tease, but something innocent and playful had turned into a lustful dream.

You braved your sudden move, removing one hand from the support of the sink and moved it down, grabbing a fistful of brown curls. The action was warmly welcomed, his tongue slipping deep into you almost causing your legs to buckle completely. The way Shawn made you feel, this far into your relationship was a feeling that could never be taken away; the way he loved you like it was the first and last time all rolled into one.

“God, I, I need you to...” you breathed, pausing and inhaling sharply when he tongue flicked over your nub, circling before he moved back to your swollen folds and your entrance “...get back up here.”

Before you could open your eyes well enough to stop seeing stars, he was back behind you, eyes full of lust and need. Your dress was still hunched around your hips, bottom half of your body bare to the air, although, not for long as shawn stepped forward and muffled his hardened area into the curve of your ass, the more prominent hardness pushing inbetween you. You moaned as the feeling of his briefs confirmed he was stilling donning his boxer shorts, desperate for the feel of skin on skin. He smirked as he pulled away, his boxers decorated with wetness that had gathered in between your legs. He also smirked when freed himself; boxers dropping to his ankles and throbbing cock bouncing free and nestling in between your legs, more specifically, between your needy centre.

Hips thrashing backwards, your peachy asset slapped against his rock-hard hips and you were taken by surprise when he grabbed tightly at your hips, stopping you from moving away. The feel of his cock rubbing through your folds caused a whimper as your eyes travelled up to look into the mirror in front of you both. His tall frame, compared to yours, which was half bent over the counter, looked heavenly as he toyed with you, rocking his hips so he rubbed against your throbbing area a few more times. When he decided he’d had enough of watching you quiver with pleasure beneath him, he reached his arm between you, wrapping fingers around his length and guiding it to your entrance.

With one swift motion, his hips fully pushed against your rear, cock sliding into you as you finally felt him fill you. Your head fell down, trying to control your rapid breathing and screams you so desperately wanted to spill, only just remembering a house full of guests were just a floor beneath you both. Shawn reached over to your neck, grabbing a fistful of your hair and yanking your head upwards, eyes burning into you through the mirror. You bit your bottom lip, smiling underneath, as he faintly smiled back, knocking down the barrier of his serious demeanour. Suddenly you felt more than thankful for the increased sex drive, thrilled by the pleasure and view all of which started and ended with Shawn.

Loud cries were threatening to leave your lips, Shawn’s hand having to take rightful place over your mouth every so often when he heard the sweet sound of your whimpers start to fall. Although, he was not one to talk, very much lost in the moment and the fact he was fucking you in his best friends bathroom, even though it would not be the first time. His grunts grew closer together with every thrust he made, his hips slapping against you with an echo to the room. You came to your high with a fistful of your hair in his hand and teeth sunk into your bottom lip, severely struggling to keep hush. He came to his high when he moved his hand to your mouth, his fingers dancing over your lips until you wrapped your plump and - ruined - lipsticked features around them. *****

And just like that, 30 minutes after entering the bathroom, you and Shawn laughed and joked in front of the mirror you’d literally just performed sexual acts in front of. “Is baby M okay?”

“Shawn, having your penis inside me does not affect the baby.” You laughed, yet again fixing your make up having felt like you’d only just done the same task. “And anyway, apparently closer to when you’re due, having sex is actually good for the whole process.”

“Good job we’ve started early then, isn’t it?”

“We never stopped.”

A small tap on the door put a stop to your giggles, and your hand covered your mouth like a naughty school girl. “Are you two okay? I’m concerned about you and i’m worried i’ve poisoned your baby with aubergine bake.” Mila’s muffled voice spoke through the door and you felt bad for making her feel so concerned. Shawn opened the door and you sat yourself down on the closed toilet seat, quickly ripping off some toilet roll and dabbing under your eyes. You felt evil, for going along with it really, but a pregnant lady gotta do what a pregnant lady gotta do.

Mila rushed over, her palm soothing over your back in order to try and be comforting. You had to stifle a laugh as Shawn reached into his pocket and eyebrows furrowed when his fingers grabbed a delicate material that he usually wouldn’t carry around in his pocket. Pulling out just a fraction of what you believed was your underwear, your lips pulled together in a thin line as Mila babbled on about getting you home and to bed. Shawn’s right eye dropped into a wink as he walked out of the room, tucking your lacey garment back into his pocket where no one could see it. You were already thinking about getting home, and how having no underwear on would be of great, great service. Damn hormones.

It was hard to concentrate on anything other than the flowers as you opened your eyes this morning, the bright yellow petals almost blinding you as the sun crept through the blinds and reflected off them. Beneath the vase was a small cup of pills, including your folic acid that you were instructed to take during pregnancy, and a note in which you immediately recognised the hand writing. You were slightly disappointed he had to leave early this morning, the sexual drive in you still being... higher than normal, but the flowers and note made up for his lack of presence, nonetheless.

happy 19 weeks, baby m is a mango this week!

take ur meds

appointment at 1.30, will pick you up for 1 

love you :) 

Whenever Shawn left before you, he made sure to leave your meds out, usually on your dressing table but today he’d opted for the bedroom side table with his thoughtful gift. Even if he hadn’t left the house before you, he would be constantly reminding you over breakfast, bringing you a glass of water so you had something to swallow them with. The birds were chirping as you pushed your feet into your cloudy slippers, arms stretching out as you braced yourself to stand up from the bed. It was more refreshing to get out of bed when came naturally as opposed to the past few weeks, where your morning sickness had you literally creeping up to usain bolt’s world record as you ran to the toilet. The sickness had almost vanished and you read that it was normal, that it usually did disappear by the 17 week mark. In place of the morning sickness, there was pains. And aches. And twinges. And niggles. And... more pain.

Your lower stomach gurgled as a stabbing sensation shot through and you tried to stroke it in comfort, although you were nowhere close to soothing the pain. Attempting to power through the inconvenience, you decided you must just be hungry, and proceeded to walk through to the bathroom to get a shower.

Craving of ice cream for breakfast and passion fruit martini’s we’re not that uncommon to you at this stage. Of course you couldn’t act upon the martini, but ice cream aplenty, you were trying your hardest to stay away from the freezer and head to the fruit bowl in the mornings. Despite the old saying, ‘you’re eating for two’ - which, in all honesty, was one of the things you was looking forward to - your doctor informed you that no extra calories were needed for intake until possibly around 6 months in.

You’d managed to lay in until 11am this morning, a very rare occasion for you as a general early bird, leaving you a couple of hours to play with until Shawn would be back to pick you up. Those two hours flew by, almost half of it being spent by procrastinating getting ready and watching modern family instead.

When you looked out the front window, only just having put your shoes on, the time was 12.58 exactly and Shawn’s range rover began to pull down the gravelled driveway. His eyes were covered by his ray bans, curls slightly ruffled as if he’d spent his morning running his hands through them, t shirt stopping just above his biceps to reveal a handful of tattoos. The sun glistened against his skin as he stepped out the vehicle, pulling the sunglasses from his face and looking up to see you swooning down on him, sending a blush to your cheeks.

“I’d shout honey I’m home, but you already know.” He laughed as he walked through the door, throwing his sunglasses and car keys onto the side table, walking over to where you stood on the bottom step.

The bottom step gave you extra height, almost enough to be eye level with him as your arms hooked over his shoulders. “As much as i’d love to stand here and listen to your smugness, we got a baby to go see.” He pressed his lips to yours before letting you snake from underneath him, feeling cold with your lack of presence already. The pain and uncomfort in your stomach had continued all morning, but maybe it was the nerves of going to the hospital or the fact you’d rejected your body of ice cream. Shawn was immediately concerned when your let out a small whimper and squinted your eyes shut, caressing your stomach.

“Hey, what’s up?” He met back up with you, hands coming to your hips as support for your aching figure.

“I think we’re just having a bit of an off day,” you forced a smile, although you knew Shawn wouldn’t buy it.

“Well good job we have an appointment then isn’t it.” He moved forward and let his lips push against your forehead, hands never leaving your lips as he left a tender kiss. “Let’s get going.”

You nodded in agreement, stomach twisting with a mixture of nerves and pain. “I’ll just pee first,” you told before walking to the downstairs bathroom, not far from the front door where Shawn stood, twirling his keys in his hands, clearly eager to get you to the hospital.

As soon as the bathroom door shut behind you, another whimper of pain left your lips and you was glad you managed to keep it in until you were out of Shawn’s watch. He worried, a lot, but only because he cared. “Come on baby, just behave for momma,” you whispered, speaking quietly to your stomach as you shuffled over to the toilet. Hooking your fingers through the belt loops of your jeans, you tugged them down, followed by your underwear. It was a process you’d become all too familiar with, baby using your bladder as a trampoline throughout most days. This time was different; your heart dropped and eyes pricked with tears as you looked down, seeing the sight of what you hadn’t seen in quite some time. “Shawn...” you managed, only half sure he’d actually heard you.

“Babe, we’re pushing it for time, can you hurry?” You could tell he was just the other side of the wooden door, voice loud and assertive. Your hand dipped to between your legs and you winced when you were met with more of what you didn’t want.

“Can... can you come in.” you whimpered, and from the tone of your voice he knew something wasn’t right and pulled the door open without hesitation. He saw you sat on the toilet, which was nothing new, but when his eyes wandered down and he saw the blood covering your underwear and hand pulling away from in between your thighs being covered with the same dark red fluid, his heart dropped like yours had one minute prior. Although he could see what was going on, unable to move and body frozen to the floor, you confirmed the situation with two simple words, “i’m bleeding.”

shawn tag-list; @imaginashawnns @fallinallincurls @mendesficsxbombay

[castielscarma]

Undercover

Part 9 of the #SpnStayatHome challenge @bend-me-shape-me​ @helianthus21​ @pray4jensen​ (it’s long. 11.5k) 

Dean paced back and forth in the Bunker kitchen, playing with a slinky. It was the metallic kind that had a heavy, sweet feeling to it as he held it in his hand. And the sound wasn't too bad either. It almost felt soothing, like the tick-tock sound a hypnotist used to lull his victims into a creepy sleep.

“Dean, would you stop that?” Sam looked up from reading his newspaper, an irritated frown on his face.

“What? Does the sweet sound of the magic spiral disturb your sudoku-solving abilities? Or is it crosswords this time?” Dean played with the slinky as he raised an eyebrow in question. “Come on, Sammy, don't tell me you're not even a little bit tempted to play with this wonder of technology?”

“The only wonder is that I haven't grabbed your slinky yet and thrown it out the window,” Sam muttered.

“Good luck with that, we live underground.” Dean grabbed hold of the slinky while taking a handful of peanuts from a small bowl on the table.

Sam reached for the bowl and pulled it towards himself. “Dude, these are meant to be for the Pad Thai later.”

Dean looked affronted. “Hey, you can't just put nuts in the snacks bowl – and the bowl is in a public space, so it's a free for all anyway – and expect the nuts not to get eaten. They're practically begging for it. Roasted, salted, and with a touch of sour cream. It's 'Nuttylious'. Man, they really were on point with that slogan.”

Sam just sighed and pushed the newspaper towards Dean. “You've been without a cause for almost fourteen days. You need to go out and hunt, Dean, and more importantly, I need you to go out and hunt. We need to do something while we try to find a way to defeat Chuck.”

Dean frowned and went for the bowl again. It earned him a slap on the hand. “Hey, I bought those!” When he saw that Sam wouldn't budge, he frowned. “Fine, I'll take a look at the creepy case. Let's see.”

After Sam had given Dean a few minutes and Dean still hadn't said anything, he couldn't be quiet anymore. “So, what do you think?”

Dean looked longingly at the peanuts. “I think it's really not cool for you to stash those nuts away.”

Sam smacked him on the arm. “I mean about the case, Dean!”

Dean sank down on the chair next to Sam. “You mean the killer that targets grooms?”

“Well, not just grooms. The second vic was a newlywed. The wedding had been less than three weeks earlier. The wife, Mrs. Karstark found Mr. Karstark on their kitchen floor. Body was drained and the heart was missing.”

“Mrs. Karstark felt betrayed. He cheated on her. I've seen Game of Thrones. They're a bloodthirsty lot.”

Sam shook his head. “Funny, Dean. The first victim was a groom. Found dead in the bedroom, two days before the wedding was to take place. Same m.o. No blood whatsoever left in the body and both the heart and stomach were gone.”

Dean sniffed. “Well, it looks like there's a monster lurking about. What do the local authorities say? Any leads?”

“Nope, they are going by the theory that a madman is on the prowl.”

“A madman? What about the drained blood?”

“They have no clue. Oh and this was also found on the scene – “ Sam pushed over a photo and a piece of paper towards Dean.

Dean looked at the photo at what appeared to be horizontal stains on a wooden floor. “What am I looking at? So the Karstarks were messy? We thinking the monster has a grudge against bad housekeeping? Maybe it just wants them to keep the area nice and clean. Would explain the loss of blood in the bodies. A bleeding body is a bitch to clean.” Dean glanced at the paper next to the photo. “Hold on, Sammy? These all happened in the same neighborhood?”

“Yes and from what the police think, the attacks happened at night time.”

“Mm, must be someone close by then. So either a monster or maybe a witch with a spell? Okay, I'm game. Let's go.”

Sam grabbed the papers and photos. “To Okay it is.”

Dean frowned. “I already agreed, Sam. Just gonna pack. Need my driving snacks.”

“No, the town's called Okay. It's a five-hour drive.”

Dean grinned. “Okay. Something is definitely not OK in Okay.”

“Then we're on the case?”

“Hell yeah.”

Six hours later Dean, Sam, and Cas arrived in the small town of Okay and pulled into a parking lot.

“It wasn't any five hours, but we're finally here. The fine town of Okay.” Dean looked around. “It looks kind of deserted to be the buffet table for a monster but hey, what do I know about monster diets? So, we going with the FBI thing or?”

Sam shook his head and smiled. “The trip only took that long because of you, Dean.”

Dean clicked his tongue. “It was a Thai buffet. You sample everything, that's the rule.”

Cas nodded. “He does like his Thai food, Sam.”

Sam cleared his throat. “Yeah – About the FBI thing, Dean. I've given this some thought, and I think that it's in the best interest of the case that I don the FBI coat.”

Dean blinked. “What? You? You as in you solo? What about me and Cas?”

Cas looked back at Sam, an eyebrow raised. “You have a better idea than going in as FBI?”

Sam cleared his throat again and smiled slightly. “I was thinking that you and Cas need to be in the thick of it. We need to lure this creature out, whatever it is. And the common denominator is – “

“That it leaves its victims dry? That the victims all drove a Prius? I won't abandon Baby for some goddamn – “

“They were all in relationships newly formed, just married or really in love.”

Dean blinked. “So... you want me and Cas to do what? Play house?”

“Yes, let's call it that. I knew you guys would agree. There's a vacant house for rent on the same street as were two of the victims lived. I sent in the application yesterday. Since you were the only ones that applied and your records were spotless as were your references, and the recent murders make them eager to rent – “ Sam pointed at his phone “ – you're now officially renters, Mr. and Mr. Krushnic.”

He slid over an envelope that Cas grabbed. “I must say, Sam, you've been working very diligently with this case. We'll solve it in no time.” Cas opened the car door and stepped outside.

When Dean didn't follow, Cas poked his head back in. “If you don't like Krushnic we can always go with Plant.”

“It's not the last name I have a problem with! “Dean sputtered as he stepped out of the Impala.

Both Sam and Cas looked at Dean with patient but questioning faces. When Dean didn't elaborate further, Cas spoke. “If you're worried about our normal routines in the Bunker not being followed, nothing will change, Dean. I'll still make you coffee in the morning.”

Sam got out of the car, a smug look on his face. “See, nothing will change, Dean.”

Dean looked at Cas with huge eyes. “That's not – You know what? Gimme that folder, Sammy.”

Sam smiled and handed Dean the folder with the case information. “There's also some pamphlets for the local restaurants in there. Don't forget your bag, Dean Krushnic.”

“You couldn't have picked a better last name? What kind of name is Krushnic?”

Cas spoke up. “It does have a certain ring to it. I like it.

“The house is right over there. You'll receive the key shortly. Oh, and Miss. Lee, fiancee of the first victim lives right next door. I'll go and interview Jessica Karstark and we'll keep in touch on the phone afterward.”

“You not coming over?”

Sam shook his head. “You don't think it'll look suspicious if the FBI-agent that interviewed the people that last saw their loved ones dead under odd circumstances visit the new couple that just moved in? You just stay put. Act as normal as you can” – Sam raised a meaning eyebrow at Dean – “and I'll call you later.”

Dean grabbed the bag from the trunk. “I don't like this. Who says this monster, whatever the hell it is, will fall for me and Cas playing bait? Didn't you say relationships needed to be newly formed, like what? I've known Cas for over a decade. The monster will not fall for a stunt like that.”

“I'm sure you and Cas will be very convincing.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Sam reached out and snagged Dean's keys.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

Sam smiled patiently as he walked over to the Impala's driver seat. “I'm the FBI-agent. I need a car. Besides, you and Cas need to be at the house to lure out the creature. Try to find out what kind of monster we're dealing with.”

“You just gonna leave us here while you go play cop?”

“That's the plan. I'll play cop and you'll play house.” Sam pressed the gas and Baby roared to life.

“You got to be gentle! And don't park to close to the – “

Sam honked once as he drove off with the Impala.

Dean turned to Cas. “He better take care of Baby or I swear that – “

Cas grabbed his bag. “Sam is very much capable of taking care of Baby if you just let him.”

“Let him?! Did you see how he just floored – “

Cas was already a few steps ahead of Dean. “Come along, Mr. Krushnic. We have a house to move in to.”

The house was way better than a motel, so Dean couldn't really complain even if he wanted to. The kitchen was nice and modern, and Dean shouted excitedly at the garden out the back, not necessarily for the garden but for the huge outdoor grill that graced the space.

“Sweet, Cas. You see the size of that monster? We can barbecue some nice steaks on that grill.”

“It's very impressive, Dean.”

Back inside, Dean sat down in the L-shaped couch in the living room. The flatscreen was mounted on the wall and the house even had a minibar. “Oh, hell yeah, I'm really gonna like it here.”

Cas headed to the rooms upstairs. “We're not gonna stay here permanently, Dean.”

Like he didn't know that. “The screen is huge, Cas! Imagine us with a bowl of popcorn and a Western flick on, or a horror movie. 'Hatchet-Man 4 - the dull axe.' A classic.”

“Which side are you gonna take, Dean?”

Cas' voice sounded muted so Dean got up from the comfortable couch, – almost too comfortable, he felt himself dozing off – and followed him upstairs. “What are you shouting about?”

“I was just wondering which side you prefer?” Cas was standing in the bedroom.

There was a wardrobe there and the wall was painted in a soft blue-chalk paint. The huge window on the right side of the beds allowed the natural light to flood the room. Dean could imagine it being a nice view to wake up to. He could see another door that probably led to the on-suite bathroom but his eyes kept flitting back to the bed. He had totally forgotten about the sleeping.

“Um, I'm not really sure.”

“You do favor sleeping on your right side, Dean, so I'd suggest the right side of the bed. The additional closeness to the window will make it easier for you to wake up in the morning. Natural sunlight does wonders for when you want to wake up feeling refreshed.”

Dean swallowed. He was going to sleep in the same bed as Cas. They were gonna sleep together. Heat curled inside his stomach. Of course, they were not gonna sleep sleep together but Cas was going to be right next to him.

“Dean?”

Dean nodded. “Um, yeah Cas. That works fine. I'll do the right side.”

“Fine. Now that that's settled, let's see what we can gather about this case. We can shop for new bed linen, towels, and whatever else we need later.”

“Shopping for bed linen, Cas? Take it easy, there tiger.”

Cas gave him a strange look, so Dean cleared his throat. “I'll set up the laptop.”

An hour later, they had reread the police reports three times and not found any new leads.

Cas spoke up. “I think we should go over and interrogate Mrs. Lee. That way we can take a look at the crime scene. Maybe there's some hidden hex bags that the police overlooked?”

Dean rubbed his eyes. “So you think it's a witch?”

Cas got up and walked over to the kitchen. “That seems the most plausible scenario.”

“Yeah, what about the blood? What kind of vamp leaves them completely dry? I've looked at our vamps and the Carpathian kind. Might be a muroni. The bodies were drained of all blood.”

“Muroni? But those markings were not made by an animal, even by the looks of it, though the authorities might go for that angle.”As Cas opened a kitchen cabinet, he made a pleasing sound. “Not the usual, but it'll do.” He grabbed something and bend down, opening another cabinet.

“Cas, we're talking case here. What are you doing?”

“Well, since we're doing this husband chicanery I think we should go all in, Dean. So, as any good husband, I'm making you coffee.”

Dean's heart beat faster, which was ridiculous. It was just coffee, which Cas made him every morning. It was not like this coffee was different. “Uh, thanks.”

Cas was putting the ground coffee in the machine when he turned to Dean. “What do you prefer, honey, or sweetheart?”

Dean turned to Cas, all thoughts about what he'd just read erased. “I don't follow...”

“Since we are married, we need to have an affectionate nickname to call each other. That is standard among married couples I think.”

Cas seemed to be taking the marriage- ruse very seriously. As he should, Dean mused. They wanted to catch this monster, and if Dean needed to go all in – all in, in the name of the case of course – then he would. It was just the professional thing to do and Dean Winchester was a pro.

“I think honey would work.”

After he turned on the coffee-maker, Cas returned to the table. “Honey it is. How about you? What will you call me?”

Cas stared at Dean with such an honest expression that Dean had to turn away. “I don't know, it's not like I have given this much thought.” Which was a lie. In the deepest recesses of Dean's heart, he'd given much thought about how a life with Cas would be like, a slightly different life where they were more than just best friends hunting monsters together.

“I have a few suggestions that will pair nicely with honey,” Cas mused. After a beat of silence, he said. “How about 'hubs?”

“You're not going to call me 'hubs' in public, Cas. No way. Let me think.” He was silent for a few seconds, then he smiled. “ I got it! 'Beeloved'? You get it? Bee cause I'm the honey and you're the bee that...” Dean saw something flicker over Cas' face but it was gone so fast, that Dean was not sure if it hadn't just been his imagination.

“It is a nice joke but I do think we need to take this more seriously if we want to lure out the monster.”

“Yeah, monster.” The nickname was on the tip of Dean's tongue without a second thought. “Angel.” He cleared his throat. “Angel would work.”

Cas' smile was so earnest that Dean had to look away. “Honey and angel.”

A sudden knock on the door interrupted them. Maybe that was for the better, this whole fake marriage thing was getting under Dean's skin and only a couple of hours had passed. He needed a beer.

A woman dressed in a yellow summer dress flashed her smile as Dean opened the door. She had her hair up in a tight ponytail and her slanted eyes crinkled in the corners as she smiled. “Greetings. I'm Chiyoh Roman. I live just across the street and I'm the president of the HOA committee in this area. I'm so happy to have you here. Here.” She handed Dean a tiny basket stuffed with tea, candies, and fruit, all neatly wrapped in cellophane.

Dean looked at the basket and back at Chiyoh. Candies and fruit. Where were the beer and coffee?

“Here, let me take that, honey.” Cas swooped in and grabbed the basket from Dean. “Leaf tea? How thoughtful, we love this, don't we, Dean?” Cas casually kissed Dean on the cheek.

It was just a swift kiss but Dean's body reacted as if it was a love declaration. His stomach swooped as an unnamed feeling washed over him. His mouth went dry.

Cas had kissed him.

Dean's rational mind tried to tell him that it was all due to the undercover gig they had going on but his heart refused to listen to that. Already hope surged inside him, that maybe, just maybe Cas felt the same about him as Dean did.

Cas noticed that Dean was silent and gave him an odd look. “Thank you so much for the welcoming gift. Excuse my husband, it's been a long week with the move and all. He's usually more well behaved.” He extended his hand. “I'm Castiel Krushnic and this is my husband Dean.”

Chiyoh laughed. “Oh, I totally get that moving is rough.” She shook Cas' hand. “Chiyoh. Nice to meet you.”

Dean finally found himself and cleared his throat. “Sorry, Castiel is right. It was a long drive, moving can be exhausting. I'm Dean.”

“Nothing makes me happier than a handsome couple like you gracing our neighborhood with your presence. As long as the relationship is thriving, and not the grass, we'll be good.” She laughed again, a shrill sound that grated.

Dean narrowed his brows in confusion. “The grass?”

“Yes, HOA regulations stipulate that the grass might not grow above two inches. I suggest you buy an automover. It's much easier to keep the grass short that way, and we don't have to pollute our neighborhood with noise. Well, I'm off but I'll see you around the neighborhood.”

As the door closed behind them, Dean looked at Cas. “We are solving this case quickly. “I'm not going to buy an automover. HOA! What does that even stand for? Homeowners outright anal? Two inches!”

“I don't think you have to be a homeowner to enjoy anal, Dean.”

Dean blinked. “What? That's not what I –

Cas titled his head in confusion.

Dean shook his head. “Let's go over and see what we can find out about miss Lee and her late fiancee.”

As they closed the door behind them and walked on the small walkway to the neighboring house, Cas' hand snaked into Dean's.

Dean stopped and looked at Cas in horror, sure that it had been a mistake. He didn't want to be caught showcasing one inch of his true feelings towards the angel. But Cas laced his fingers tightly with Dean's and gave him a short smile. His voice was low and he spoke carefully. “I hope this is good?” After a brief pause, he added. “For the case.”

Dean could only nod. “Yeah, for the case.”

When they arrived at the door, Dean couldn't bear to let go of Cas' hand to knock. Sure, he might have drenched Cas' hand in sweat but it felt wrong to let go. It was nice to have Cas' hand in his, to feel that strong hand against his own skin. Dean pictured Cas relaxing even more, his thumb casually stroking Dean's skin.

He knocked harshly on the door with his other hand, banishing all fantasies.

A buxom woman opened. Her hair had light brown curls but they seemed matted and it looked like she had slept in her pants and hoodie. They were wrinkly and when she smiled, it seemed hoarse. She was guarded as she spoke. “Yes?”

“Hi, Ms. Lee. Sorry to bother you. We just wanted to say hi. We're your new neighbors, moved in today actually. I'm Dean and this is Castiel.”

Cas nodded. “I'm Dean's husband.”

Dean tried not to shake his head.

“Oh, I'm Laura. I wasn't aware that – “ She stopped and chewed her lips. “I'm sorry, come in. Me and my – .“ She paused, and her face twisted.

As Dean closed the door, Laura started sobbing. “I'm so sorry. I don't wanna burden you, it's just... I'm having it really rough right now. I just lost my fiance. I don't know why I'm telling you this, you're strangers.” She wiped at her eyes. “I'm sure you don't wanna – “

Cas put a comforting arm around her. “Sometimes an unburdened heart helps, even if it's to strangers.”

They sat down in Laura's living room; an open space with a huge couch, dark wooden floors and windows with curtains that were closed.

“It's messy. I sleep down here since... I can't step foot in the bedroom. I'm heading out of town this evening. Going to be with my sister for a while. The police have my number. I'm sure they'll have more questions.” Her eyes flitted to a wall with a picture of her and her fiancee. “It's hard being here. Everything reminds me of William.”

Dean nodded in sympathy. “Do you have any idea of who could've wanted to harm William?”

Laura shook her head. “No. We moved here a year ago. William was the kindest man, always saw the good in people. I think that's one of the reasons I fell for him. We met in college, and sure, he goofed around like any other guy there but there was this genuine, sweet feeling about him you know.” She wiped at her eyes with her sleeve. “And this is a good neighborhood. With good people...”

Dean reached out and stroked her hand. “I'm very sorry for your loss, Laura.”

Laura looked up and nodded. “I... I need to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back.” She moved past him and Cas.

Dean and Cas looked at each other and stood as one. They searched quickly and when they found the bedroom, they silently opened the door.

Everything looked normal which – Dean figured – made it harder for Laura. With a room that was disturbed or contained evidence that something gruesome had happened, the mind at least had something tangible to cling to, even though the heart refused.

Cas headed over to the headboard when something made him stop. “Dean.”

Dean was there and looked down at the floor, where Cas was pointing. “It looks like some marks on the floor, like something wet was trailed along the wood. It seems out of place.”

Cas bent down to the floor and sniffed it.

“Dude, no.”

“I don't smell anything besides human blood. And I can't sense any residue of magic, angelic grace, or anything demonic.”

Dean grimaced. “That's good but next time don't stick your nose in it. You still thinking witch?”

“It's a possibility.”

They searched the room quickly, looking for hidden spaces in the wardrobe or secret hideouts in the walls or bed were a hex bag could've been stashed. They found nothing.

They were back in the living room as Laura come back.

Cas' voice was sympathetic. “We are heading out. It was not our intention to bother you.”

Laura shook her head. “It's alright.”

They parted at the door. As they were heading out, Dean noticed a pamphlet on the dresser. Welcome to Perfection Peak. Where we peak beyond perfection. HOA greetings and guidelines.” He doubted Laura would think her time in the neighborhood was perfect. Dead fiancees hardly screamed peak perfection. What did that even mean?

Dean looked at Cas. “Alright, let's talk case but first we need to go shopping. I'm starving. We need to put food in the fridge, and pour some drinks down our throats.”

Luckily, the local Wilmart was just a fifteen-minute drive away.

Cas took a cart and they strolled in together. Dean worried his underlip. Maybe he should hook his arm in Cas' arm? But that would make it awkward to push the cart and they were supposed to act as husband and husband, not a couple of lovesick teenagers that couldn't get enough of each other and went all touchy-feely in the middle of the supermarket.

Dean had a sudden vision of Cas' ripping his shirt off, buttons flying everywhere in the middle of the fruit aisle and them kissing with all the gusto from a couple in a romance novel.

“Honey. Honey... Honey!”

Dean startled as he realized Cas was calling for him. “Yeah, wings, what's up?”

Cas arched an eyebrow as Dean walked over to him. “Wings? I thought we agreed on angel. Wings sound like you want to eat me.”

Dean swallowed harshly and pushed down the positive answer, that yeah, he wouldn't mind that at all.“I improvised.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry for going blank there, I was just uh, thinking about the case and everything we know so far.”

Cas answered in his gravely voice. “It's OK. Yellow or red bell peppers?”

“It's not Sam you're married to. I don't eat red stuff if it ain't meat... or ketchup.”

“Your doctor said that your cholesterol is high, Dean. I just think some vegetables would go nicely with our tacos. I'll go grab the avocados.”

“Ourdoctor has never said – “ Cas just winked at Dean and headed over to the pre-smashed guacamole section.

Dean grumbled and grabbed some dressing. He was not sure what he'd put it on, but it would come to him eventually.

“We can do some chicken wings and oven-baked potatoes. I already bought potatoes,” Cas announced proudly.

“Good thinking, Cas. I bought dressing. For your uh, bell peppers.”

“Our bell peppers. We can shop for two meals in advance. Roasted chicken in the oven and tacos. Quite fortunate, since it's a Thursday today. We'll do Taco Thursdays. Like everyone else.”

Dean felt a pang of longing in his chest at Cas' words. Sure, he knew what he was. A badass hunter, the gatekeeper against evil, the guy that saved the world. Together with Sam, Cas and Jack of course and he liked doing that. He was good at that. But he was also acutely aware of what was missing in his life.

He glanced at Cas who was perusing the taco aisle, picking up salsa, tortillas, and nachos. He'd have Cas any way he could. If that were just as friends, cause he had no delusions Cas liked him as more, then so be it.

The phone rang just as Cas looked back at Dean. He waved at him to go ahead and took the call.

“Hi, Sam. What you got for us? Any leads?”

“So get this. I talked to Mrs. Karstark. She was understandably upset but agreed to talk. The police report matches up. She found him in the kitchen, body completely drained. Heart and stomach were gone.”

“Right. Same as our first vic. Maybe the monster was in a rush for the second killing and only had time to take the heart.”

“Maybe. And judging by the police report both attacks happened at night. So it probably means that this is a creature that's nocturnal, and sleeps during the day. Or it can be in hiding, either somewhere safe or walking disguised as a human.

“Cas and I talked to Ms. Lee. We did some off-the-record investigating and nada on the hex bags or anything like that. But Cas did find some odd spot on the floor. Almost like something wet had been dragged – “

“ – dragged along the floor.”

“Huh, I hear it's the same as with Mr. Karstark.”

“Yes, but it was more than an odd spot on the floor. I saw blood.”

“Hmm. And it can't be Karstark's and Lee's cause their bodies were drained so we know it came from our mystery monster.”

Cas came up to Dean and stroked his arm before pulling at him gently. A rush swept over Dean with feelings he didn't have time to dissect, especially not at a freaking Wilmart. “I think we're done, honey. I grabbed the last items so we're ready to head to checkout.”

“Thanks... Ca – “ Dean stopped himself when Cas looked at him intently. “Angel.”

Cas seemed pleased as he walked away.

“Honey and angel, eh? Seems you and Cas are doing pretty good on the whole marriage thing.”

“Fake marriage, Sam. This is just a trap for our monster, alright. We need to ace this.”

“Well, no worries there, you're really nailing it, Dean. Oh, I also found an opened letter from the HOA, signed from a Ms. Chiyoh.”

Dean perked up at that. “Really? What it say?”

“It was a notice for them to maintain their lawn properly. Cut the grass and prune the apple trees.”

Dean rubbed his eyes. The HOA really was everywhere. Dean stopped. “Did Mrs. Karstark say anything about a fight or her and her husband not getting along? Him cooking meth on the side and hiding his cancer kind of thing?”

“What, no? No, they had barely been married a month. From what I gathered from her, and the written statements from friends and family that were interviewed, they seemed happy. Extremely so. They'd been together for years before tying the knot and friends said they acted like they'd just met.”

“Alright, let's keep in touch. I need to finish grocery shopping now.”

“How domestic.”

“Shut up, Sammy.”

“I'll text you the address to my hotel. We'll talk later tonight after we hit up the lore books now that we have more to go on.

“Right, lore books...”

“You did not pack any... Fine, see what you can find online then. Bye, Mr. Krushnic.”

“Bitch,” Dean muttered into the phone, but Sam had already hung up.

Dean grabbed a bag of barbecue coals and a six-pack of beer. They were not doing the chicken wings in the freaking oven. No, Mr. and Mr. Krushnic were barbecue-pros and since it looked like they'd be in the house for some time, they were making the most of it.

“The potatoes are in the oven, thyme and salt on them.” Cas handed Dean a beer.

He opened it and sighed in satisfaction as he sat down on the recliner in the backyard. “This is nice, Cas. Sun is out, meat is getting charred, cold beer in hand, you and me just chilling. ”

“I don't think charred meat is that pleasant but I agree with the rest of your sentiment.” Cas took a gulp of his beer and grabbed Dean's hand. “You don't have a ring on.”

“So put a ring on it.” Dean laughed but Cas looked serious.

“It is a custom that husbands have rings. It's an outward sign of claim. Do you want a ring?”

“I'm sure that people will believe we're married.” Dean eyed Cas' blue T-shirt, how it fit snugly, highlighting all the muscles that the usual trench coat outfit hid. He licked his lips. “We're already at the coordinated clothes stage.” Dean pointed at his own blue T-shirt. “See, we're practically married anyway.”

Cas squinted at Dean but didn't say anything.

“I mean in theory. I'm not saying that we – we are married, it's not like we have a marriage license. Not that I wouldn't say no... but for the case...” A marriage license? He needed to shut up, like yesterday. “I'ma go and see if the chicken wings are done. Go set the table.”

“I already did that. And made the bed, and cleaned the bathroom.”

Dean shook his head. “Wow, Cas. You're the Energizer bunny. When did you have time to do all that?”

“When you tried to achieve the 'perfect marinade'. It's good to know that one of us is organized.”

“I'm organized. Who did you think fixed all the dirty laundry Sam created when he was a teenager? Or who had to clean up all his messes when he was in his terrible two's – which went on way beyond him being two I might add? But marinades take time, Cas. It's like the finest spell work, each ingredient necessary for the final product. You can say I'm a marinade magician.” Dean flashed a smile towards Cas.

“Let's not say that,” Cas grumbled. “Do you want us to do some more research before dinner?”

Dean knew that they should; they were not in Okay to have dinner parties and sunbathe but for once, one part of the hunt was to actually do some R&R, and Dean wanted to just savor that moment. Savor time alone with Cas. “Nah, let's just enjoy ourselves for a moment.”

“I can't believe that you actually think Val Kilmer is the superior Batman. Do I even know you, Cas? Have you not seen the recent Batman movies?”

Cas chewed on a potato, shaking his head. “No, it wasn't on your list.” He paused for a moment. “If you want we can watch one of the Batman movies with Christian Bale. To rectify that mistake.”

“Alright.” Dean tried not to get too excited. They were actually doing Netflix and chill in the literal sense, nothing else.“I'd love to.” A buzz in his pocket made him jump up.

He fished up his phone. It was a message from Sam. I think I found it. Look up the Manananggal.

The man and the gal? “Time to hit the computer, Cas.”

“I think this is it, Dean. A cannibalistic vampire that sucks its victims dry.”

Dean took a sip from his beer. “Sure fits the bill. Anything on how it chooses its victims?”

Cas was silent for a moment, reading. “It says here that the manananggal haunts newlyweds and couples in love. I wonder why Sam thought we would be able to bring it out.” He looked at Dean quickly before averting his gaze.

Dean coughed slightly. “Um, the fake marriage thing. If it thinks we're married, it might just go for us.”

“We are in a fake marriage, Dean. You think this will be sufficient?”

“Hope so.”

“I think the best course of action is to 'lay it on real thick' as the kids say. Make the manananggal believe we're married.”

Dean took another swipe of his beer but it did nothing to mitigate the dryness in his throat. He and Cas had been holding hands all freaking day outside. Not that Dean objected but what else could they do? “Provoke it and goad it into attacking us. So we need to exude love and sunshine?”

“I wouldn't put it exactly like that but yes.”

A line further down caught Dean's attention. “Check this out. The word manananggal means “the one who separates itself. Apparently it hunts at night and hides the lower body somewhere since it's vulnerable. It becomes immobile. The upper half of the torso sprouts wings and off it goes hunting for couples. It was left at the altar so that's why it targets grooms.”

“That makes sense with which people were attacked.”

“Oh, and it drags its body along, entrails hanging out and sucks its victims dry with an elongated tongue. You remember those marks we saw on the floor. God, that must have been... fluids left behind from its inside bits saying hello. Gross.”

“Nothing on how to kill it though. Maybe Sam can check his lore books, there might be additional information there. You can pour salt in the corner of your house to shield yourself from it.”

“Mm, but we don't want that, Cas. We want the son-uva-bitch to come to us.”

Cas leaned into Dean, their arms pressing against each other. A flush of warmth passed over Dean. He needed to stop, Cas just wanted a better look. “You see this, Dean?”

Dean read the paragraph. “Great. It's can disguise itself as a human during the day. So we're looking for something that looks like a human.”

“Yes. But we still don't really know how it knows who is in love or newly married.”

Dean shut the laptop down. “No. If it poses as a human, it must be someone who knows everything about the neighborhood. A person that's nosy. An old lady! They're nosy. Always spreading gossip and chit-chatting about Sudoku. We know about any old neighbors around?”

“No, most seem to be fairly young or families with kids.”

“Great.” Let's just try to refocus tomorrow. Now we have a lead at least.”

The hours passed quickly and Cas seemed to enjoy the movie. “Are you still gonna claim Val Kilmer is superior?” Dean spat the toothpaste foam in the sink and continued brushing.

“This Christian Bale had his points. But I do think his voice was rather gravely.”

Dean shook his head and paused his brushing, the toothbrush hanging by the corner of his mouth. “There's no such things as a voice being too gravely, Cas. People dig gravely voices... Your voice is gravely.”

Cas stopped his brushing. “It is. Do you... dig my gravely voice?”

“Uh, I mean, not that I've put much thought too it but. I – You do have a gravely voice, I've noticed that.”

Cas cleaned his toothbrush. The harsh bathroom light did nothing to hide the intensity of the blue in his eyes. He leaned in close to Dean and put the brush back in its place. “Mm.”

“It's nice. Your voice I mean.” Dean tried not to think about how Cas' body pressed against his own and how much he enjoyed the feeling.”

“It is nice. But do you like it?” Cas waited patiently like this was some goddamn quiz that Dean needed to pass.

Dean was under no illusion that he was gonna ace this, he was failing miserably. “I do?”

Cas just hummed and raised his finger to Dean's cheek. Casually he swiped over Dean's skin. “You have something there, honey.”

The touch left a burning trail behind and Dean feared to speak. He was wide-eyed and trying not to moan with the sheer hotness of it all.

“Some toothpaste.”

“Mm, I'm a messy brusher,” Dean whispered.

“I know.” It seemed that Cas wanted to say something more but he turned and left Dean alone with his very confused feelings.

Dean sat down on the toilet, only to stand up again. He splashed his face with some water but it still felt like his face was on fire. He needed to remind himself that this was only fake. Cas did not love him for real, not like that. This was all in the name of catching some two-piece winged vamp monster.

As Dean walked into the bedroom, he saw Cas in bed. Under the freaking covers.

His body went cold. He had not thought about sleeping arrangements at all. “I see you picked a good spot there, Cas.” He laughed hoarsely.

“Yes. Husbands sleep together, you can join me.”

Dean chased away all the images of himself and Cas his mind provided at Cas' statement. “Right. Of course.” He slipped down under the covers and tried not to be acutely aware of the warmth coming off of Cas' body. He was like a furnace or maybe it was Dean's own body that was on fire.

Cas turned off the lights. “Good night, Dean.”

“Good night, Cas.” Dean exhaled slowly and turned to the side. He realized that he was facing Cas' face, mere inches apart from his own. Who the fuck made this bed and how on earth was this considered a proper size for two adults?

Cas looked at him. “I don't require much sleep. I think I'll meditate for a while.”

“Like that? With open eyes?” “I can get up if you want.” Cas paused.

Dean waited for something more but when it didn't come he broke the silence. “No. Stay. I can sleep anyway.” Dean turned the other way and stiffened when he felt Cas' groin pressed against his ass. He didn't know what to do. If he moved, then things would get really awkward. If he didn't move... well, things were already awkward.

Dean decided to go for option number three: breathe slowly and hope sleep would find him quickly.

The light shone through the blinds. Dean stirred slowly, squinting against the sun. As he turned, the fleeting thoughts from a dream came to him. Someone that had intimate knowledge about the area and its people. Someone who greeted him and Cas as soon as they moved in. The HOA woman, Chiyoh Roman!

Dean was about to shake Cas awake to tell him his Eureka moment when he became aware of things that were not his body. During the night, Cas had snuggled in close or maybe it was Dean and now they were clinging to each other like overcooked spaghetti.

Dean realized that his left arm was heavy and numb. It was stuck under the pillow and Cas had put his head over it, effectively strangling all blood-circulation for God knew how many hours. His arm was draped over Dean's waist and their legs were touching each other.

He stayed like that for a while, pretending that this was mutual. Something that they both wanted and not an accident of nightly sleep movements. Cas stirred in his sleep, turning more towards Dean.

A smile bloomed on Dean's face. Cas really was beautiful. He never had time to really look at Cas unapologetically but now he took it. Cas' disheveled hair, the fullness of his lips, how his eyelashes cast tiny shadows underneath his eyes. The smoothness of his skin. Dean wanted to reach out and touch him.

Azure blue eyes looked at him suddenly.

Dean startled and tried to move away but his arm was still stuck under Cas' pillow. He pulled harder and Cas' head flopped up and then down on the pillow again.

Cas flew from the bed but where he was elegant, like a swan or some other bird creature – Dean did know jackshit about birds – he managed to tangle himself into the bed sheets and fell face-first on the carpeted floor.

He groaned and wished that the earth would swallow him.

Cas was by his side and pulled him up to kneeling. “Dean, are you alright?”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks to whoever invented polypropylene, right?”

“You do have a thick skull, I think you'd be fine even without the carpet.”

Dean glared at Cas, and suddenly the embarrassment he felt earlier was gone. It quickly came back when he realized he was staring at Cas' groin. He hurriedly got up on his feet.

Cas cleared his throat. “Here.”

Time stopped as if this was a pivotal moment. Dean imagined touching Cas purposefully, taking his hand and holding it to his chest as any husband would do. Husband. If things could be so effortless between them. Not necessarily that Dean wanted to marry Cas but to know that Cas loved him like he loved Cas, that would have been a good thing.

Dean smiled slightly, red coloring his cheeks – he really enjoyed looking at Cas when he slept, although it made him sound like a creep. “I can't,” he chuckled.

“What do you mean?”

“My arm is asleep. I couldn't move it if my life depended on it.”

“Oh,”. Cas looked surprised but sprang into action. “I'll do it.” He spread the cover and went around Dean. Wrapping his arms around Dean's waist, he tied the cover off.

“Thank you,” Dean whispered.

“You're welcome, honey.” Cas' hands lingered on Dean's skin and when they fell away, a stab of disappointment hit Dean.

“Anytime angel.” After a moment of silence, Dean groaned. “Crap, we were supposed to eat tacos yesterday! It was Thursday and all.”

“I don't understand Dean, it was you who insisted we barbecue. And I fail to see how this is so relevant that you jump out of bed.”

“It's not about the tacos, Cas, even though that was a huge mistake. Don't worry, I'll make it up to you when we get back to the Bunker. It's about the house lady!” He pointed towards the window.

Cas looked at Dean and spoke slowly. “We don't have... a cleaning service.”

Dean shook his head, and grabbed a pair of jeans and pulled them on. “No, no. You remember how we read that the Manananggal could shift? The HOA person! Chiyoh! It's the perfect disguise. If she doesn't suck your energy dry by wanting you to mow the freaking lawn four times a week and grow yellow tulips, then she sucks you dry literally because she's jealous of your awesome love life.”

“That sounds plausible, but we don't exactly have a love life, Dean.”

We could fix that, Dean wanted to say. But he was not that big of an idiot. “We do as we've done in this marriage until now, Cas.” Dean grinned. “We fake it.”

Cas was more efficient than Dean and had already put on causal clothes while Dean was still fiddling with his T-shirt. “I mean, think about it. It all makes sense. She greets all the new-comers, probably does a whole fucking interview while spilling all HOA-rules and there she has time to do her manananggal magic and sniff out the ones that are high on the love-juice.”

“That may be, but how do you propose we get close to her?”

“Oh, I have a plan.” Dean walked over to the wardrobe and dove in. After a few seconds, he pulled out a pair of binoculars. “Ha, look at these babies, Cas. Premium quality, for Wilmart anyway, and most importantly, they have night vision!”

During breakfast, they called Sam.

”Hey, Mr. Krushnic and Mr. Krushnic. How is life?”

Dean swallowed a mouthful of scrambled eggs and drank a sip of juice, letting the silence drag on.

“Dean?”

Cas raised an eyebrow but Dean shook his head.”

“Dean, can you hear me?”

“Nope, Mr. Krushnic is deaf to bullshit.”

Sam sighed on the other end of the line. “Alright, sorry. Now tell me why you called.”

“Chiyoh, the HOA-lady. Her name come up during the investigation?”

“No, I mean, yeah, since they found a card with her name on it. They talked to her briefly but let her go. There was no physical evidence whatsoever to tie her to the crime scene – the card could've been from an earlier time. And no motive according to the detectives. You thinking she's the manananggal?”

“Yep. I think we should pay her a nightly visit and check if she has a penchant for blood-sucking.”

“Alright, so what's the plan?”

After relaying the plan to Sam, Dean and Cas agreed to meet later in the evening.

“You think the bait will work?” Cas sounded skeptical.

Dean nodded. “Of course, angel. We fake it until we make it.” He smiled but the words tasted bitter on his tongue. He got up.

“Where are we going?”

“Nowhere, just need to clean my gun. You can never be too prepared.” Grabbing his plate with some leftover eggs, Dean moved to go to the kitchen.

Cas intercepted him, a hand on his arm holding him back. His blue eyes shone with concern. “Dean, are you alright? You haven't even touched your coffee.”

Dean glanced at the full mug and cleared his throat. “Mm, I'm fine, Cas.” The truth was that he wasn't fine. He was glad they were close to catching the monster, but a substantial part of him dreaded them leaving the house. Sure, Cas was not really his husband, but the stolen glances, and hand-holding – how they had slept close together at night – he was going to miss that.

Cas smiled weakly. “A marriage requires honesty.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Funny, Cas. Fine... I'm just gonna – miss this.”

“Sleep-ins, a hearty breakfast and monster hunting. We do that all the time.”

“Yeah. Yeah, we do.”

As the day progressed, Dean got antsier. It was an odd combination of preparing for the night's hunt and losing something that he'd finally gotten a taste of, something that he wanted more of. He wanted not just more, he wanted all of it. If his want was a spine, he was ready to crack it open and suck that marrow out.

They were almost home from an evening walk Cas insisted that they take. Dean had complained but it felt nice and it was yet another excuse to hold Cas' hand. He ignored the voice that added 'one last time' to his every thought.

“Tacos tonight?”

“Sure, Cas.”

“Alright, honey.” Cas smiled proudly and waited. When Dean didn't say anything, Cas poked him in the chest.

“Fine. Alright, angel. Tacos sounds good.”

Cas squeezed Dean's hand. “Can't wait for those bell peppers to be eaten. I've prepared them. I read somewhere that cooking food can be a good way to bring couples together.”

“So can fucking.” What was wrong with him? Did just a few days with Cas playing at being his husband rob him of all common sense?

Cas was silent for a beat, then a small smile played on his place. “So can fucking. I'll start with the tacos.” He turned, hesitated for a brief second and then leaned in close to Dean, giving him a soft peck on the cheek.

Dean was almost starting to think that Cas flirted with him... but on the other hand, he was probably just really into capturing the blood-sucking creep.

The tacos were good, even with the bell peppers, Dean had to give Cas that.

“So I trust I'll see bell peppers on the table from now on when we have taco night?”

Dean wiped his mouth and opened another beer. “Sure, Sam will be ecstatic. What time is it?”

“Soon eight.”

“Since we're not getting any shut-eye tonight, let's watch a movie or... do you have something else in mind?”

Cas seemed thoughtful for a second. “I've been thinking. We should maybe do something that really brings couples together. Just to solidify this... husband bond so that the Manananggal really picks our house tonight.”

Dean's mind flashed to them in bed, legs tangled together, Cas' arm draped over him. “Uh, sure.”

Cas walked over to a cupboard and picked up a Wilmert-bag. He opened it and brought out a square-shaped box.

Looking at the box, Dean huffed out a small laugh. “You want us to play Scrabble?”

“It's a fine game, Dean. Competitive, hones your word-skills and we get the satisfaction of doing something together.”

Dean grabbed a rag and wiped down the kitchen table. “When we agreed to do this whole fake-marriage thing I should have specified what stage of marriage. I had in mind more newlyweds and less old retired couple-vibe. But hey, we are doing something together so that's always something.”

After too many games to count, Dean finally glanced at the clock. “It's way past midnight. Let's go.”

They both left the game standing and walked upstairs to the bedroom.

Cas picked up his phone, his fingers flashing as he typed a message. “There, message to Sam is sent.”

Dean checked his gun and grabbed the tiny bag he'd prepared earlier. “Man, all the sneaking will be ruined by this stupid bag. She will smell us a mile away.”

“It's one of the few things that can hurt it according to lore and if your plan works, she won't be near us anyway.”

“I know but still. It's a ton of garlic.” Dean grabbed the spare covers, pillows, and blankets they had and bulked up their bed. Then he pulled the covers over it. Finally, he put a detached mop head on the pillow.

“What's that supposed to be?”

Dean smacked his tongue. “Hair, Cas. And in the dark, she won't see that it's grayish.”

Cas walked around the bed, surveying Dean's work. “What about my hair?”

“You don't need hair. Your head is under the covers.”

“Really? That's a strange sleeping position.”

“Yeah, you always had weird sleeping habits. Thankfully, Mr. Krushnic loves you anyway.” Dean froze and glanced at Cas.

Cas walked up to Dean slowly. “He does?”

“Yeah...” Dean's voice was hoarse.

“That's good to know.” Cas looked intently at Dean, as if he waited for something more to be spoken. Finally, he spoke, his voice cautious. “Any specific reasons why?”

If silence could thunder, Dean's mind would be a freaking storm. After what seemed to be way too long, Dean found his ability to speak again. “Uh... I mean you're an awesome person, Cas. Strong, loyal – I don't know how many times you've stood by me, even when you shouldn't. You're smart as hell, smarter than Sam and that says a lot – that guy was basically born with a book in his hands. You're... I mean Dean Krushnic would say that you're easy on the eye. From a purely neutral standpoint.”

Cas smiled faintly but there was an odd fire there. “I see.” He reached up and touched Dean's cheek.

Dean was sure he would spontaneously combust, right on the spot. “Yeah,” he managed to rasp out.

“Dean Krushnic seems like a catch. I'm curious about another man though.”

A faint but sudden burst of jealousy coursed through Dean. He tried to relax his face, as not to frown. “Who?”

“What does Dean Winchester think about me? Does his sentiment echo Dean Krushnic's?” Cas dropped his hand but his gaze commanded attention. “Do you... love me, Dean?”

Dean had no idea how this had happened. He tried to recall how they ended up with Cas asking Dean, not the fake Dean, but the real bacon-loving, beer-drinking, song-singing Dean– and came up blank. But he knew by all that he held holy that he did love Cas.

“I – “

Suddenly Cas moved away from Dean and ran to the window.

Dean was confused for a brief moment before realizing what was happening. He grabbed his night-vision binoculars and ran to the opposite side of the window. “Where?”

Cas pointed to a window on the first floor, in the house across the street. “There, by the kitchen.”

A small movement flashed in the room before it was gone. It didn't have to mean anything; a lot of people were up after midnight but Dean was sure that Chiyoh was not like other people. He was sure she was not people at all.

Dean squeezed his googles and let his gaze go to the left. There, behind another car, he saw the Impala. Sam would go in as soon as she left the house. Two huge trees grew nearby and together with the darkness of the night that would provide enough cover.

Cas opened the window slowly. The cool night-air drifted inside. It smelled faintly of the neighbor's roses and with it came the sound of insects and night birds. It was not the normal cacophony of sound though but more subdued as if even nature itself held its breath.

The front door to Chiyoh's house opened and she flew outside. The lower half of her body was gone and dark, leathery wings had sprouted from her back, She flapped them and hovered for a few seconds on the porch, before flying across the street.

Dean shook his head. “Look at her, so confident. She isn't even in a hurry. Didn't lock the door. Well, your day nap will be longer than usual.”

Cas was silent.

“It'll be longer cause she'll... she'll be dead, Cas.”

“I figured that, Dean. If it was a joke, the very act of explaining it defeats its purpose.”

Dean grumbled. “Maybe you should've laughed then. Whatever. Sam would've found it funny.”

They could hear a tiny rattle coming from downstairs and soon the tell-tale sound of a door slowly being opened came to them. It was showtime.

They jumped out of the window and landed with a soft thud on the grass.

Sam was already skulking around the trees, seeking the darkest shadows.

Dean and Cas sprinted across the street and sneaked inside.

“Alright, let's stick to the plan. Me and Cas will take the downstairs, Sam, you take the upstairs. “Time to find some legs.”

“You got some garlic and salt,” Sam wondered.

“Yep, we're good to go. Let's hurry. I don't think the makeshift pillow bodies will work for long.”

Sam arched an eyebrow but didn't say anything. He quickly ascended the stairs.

Dean was not sure if the salt would work on the Manananggal's own home but he quickly sprinkled salt on all the window sills and the front and back door, just in case. “Gotta tell you, she sure lives dangerously. Why would she go hunting just a few hours before sunrise?”

“Maybe it's complacency. Encounters with hunters being rare? I'll start in the back. There are only so many places were you can hide legs.”

Dean made a face. “Tell me about it.” He opened the restroom and pulled back the shower curtains but found it empty. Next, he rummaged through some closets in the hallway but found nothing. He could feel the seconds ticking away. Any moment now she'd be flying back in a flurry of rage.

“Kitchen is clean,” Cas shouted.

“Son of a bitch, where are you? Sam, anything?!” Dean cried.

Cas was checking the living room and Dean wanted to laugh. It was not like the legs were just chilling on the couch.

Sam came running down the stairs. “Nothing, I didn't find anything.”

“Well, search again!”

The door busted open, pieces of wood flying everywhere and there Chiyoh was. Her wings flapped furiously, but oddly enough it sounded like it came from far away. Blood dripped from her hanging entrails. She tried to cross the threshold and Dean held his breath.

When she shrieked in frustration, Dean exhaled. The salt line held for now but he couldn't count on his luck to last. Experience had taught him it could always get worse.

Chiyoh glared at him and beat her wings, disappearing from sight.

Dean realized she was in the back yard when she beat on the door, her claws scraping against glass.

The legs had to be in the house! Dean went back to the kitchen, his gaze sweeping over the floor and desk spaces, but nothing. Then he saw it. A thin, rectangular outline right on the wall behind the door to a storage room.

He shut the door to the storage room and opened the thin door. Bingo.

The bottom half of Chiyoh sat there, bloody and gory. “Found her!” Dean shouted. Fucking gross, this was worse than witches and the bloody rags of skin the shapeshifters left behind. Dean pulled up his bag, hesitating.

Sam was behind him. “Dean, what are you waiting for? Do it!”

Dean dropped a piece of garlic on the legs but Sam objected.

“You have to smoother the legs, rub it in! Hurry!”

Dean grimaced but grabbed a fistful of garlic and rubbed it all over the legs. He carefully avoided the bloody top parts. When he was done, he sprinkled it with salt for good measure.

Outside the house, an unholy sound escaped the manananggal's throat.

Dean and Sam ran out of the kitchen and into the living room just in time to see the first sunlight touch the world.

Chiyoh turned, her huge, leathery wings beating as she tried to escape but as the sun washed over her, they stopped beating. She screamed and hissed. “No!” It was a last protest, shouted in disbelief – garbled and wrong – nothing a human voice could produce.

She fell down with a thud, unmoving.

“It – I think it worked. She's dead.” Sam exhaled in relief.

“Let's just wait a few more minutes. I want her dead dead.”

Cas came to him. “I think Sam is right, she's dead, Dean. And we need to go. Neighbors are waking up and they'll have questions soon. Questions we can't answer.”

“Alright. Me and Cas gonna' head back to the house and grab our stuff. Sam, you wait in the car. Don't you dare sit in the driver seat.”

They were driving out of Okay seven minutes later, Dean's foot heavy on the gas pedal.

They talked about the hunt, Sam's sleuthing, what they had done during their hours separated. Dean didn't tell Sam anything about the more domestic things he and Cas had done while doing the whole fake marriage but Sam made small jokes here and there. Dean let him have it.

One hour into the drive home, Sam was knocked out. Dean had counted on it. Sure, they were used to little to no sleep but when they were safe and opportunity arose, Sam always took a chance to nap.

Silence reigned for a few minutes until Dean thought it was unbearable. Yet he remained silent.

The thought of knowing was worse. No, that was a lie. He wanted to know but he wanted it to be the right answer, the good kind of answer.

The answer he hoped for.

Dean gritted his teeth. Better live in uncertainty than know the truth and be forever disappointed and heartbroken.

Cas cleared his throat. “You never answered my question.”

Dean's mouth turned drier than the Sahara desert. “There's been a lot of questions during these couple of days, Cas. Yes, I like cheese. Nope, I don't take too long showers. And I guess, fine, bell peppers are OK on tacos.”

Cas' gaze hit him like a ton of bricks. His eyes were serious – it was the look of an angel that had been the leader of a garrison, commanding, and present – but Dean also detected a hint of sadness there.

His heart plummeted down into his stomach.

“That wasn't the question I was referring to. I was talking about – “

“I know which question you're talking about Cas...” Dean gripped the steering wheel tighter. Just fucking say it. It's just three goddamn letters. Just say it. Y-E-S. Yankee, echo, sierra. Yes, yes. Yes!

It came out much more quiet from Dean's lips than the bombastic declaration it had been in his mind. “Yes.”

Cas stilled.

Dean could feel it. Like a shift in the air, an aura of something that pushed against him, a heaviness that wrapped around him. Maybe he was having a heart attack.

“D-dean?” Cas sounded uncertain and hopeful.

It wrecked Dean. Not the hopefulness, never that but that Cas felt uncertain and hesitant. And that he was the cause of it. He never wanted Cas to doubt his feelings for him again.

Dean cleared his throat again, his eyes flitting to Cas for a second before he decided that his best option was to have them steady on the road. “Look, Cas... shit's complicated, our lives are complicated. Monster hunts and apocalypses every other week. And if it ain't that, then it's freaking God going all SuperSaiyan on us. Billie is hiding Jack somewhere so he can achieve his Jedi-status and everything just keeps piling up on us.”

Dean licked his lips and dared to look at Cas.

He was looking at Dean intently, waiting for him to be finished.

“And you were gone, after Mary and Jack.. I was a fucking douche for saying those things but I said them. And you came back. You always come back. And now this case, and the whole fake marriage thing, I just – Look I don't wanna marry you, Cas.”

Cas narrowed his eyes. “You're... confusing.”

Dean shook his head. “You still have that mixtape, Cas?”

“Of course. I... listen to it regularly. It means a lot to me.”

“I'm not good with words, always been a doer but even that doesn't seem to mean much when all that I try to do turns to dust. But this case, you and me 'playing house' as Sam called it... I saw a glimpse of what I could have. With you. And I'm tired, Cas. So fucking tired. So yeah.” He paused. “I love you. Have for a long time.”

He felt Cas' eyes on him like a fire, burning heat enveloping him. He was afraid to turn and look at Cas, afraid that he'd misread the whole situation, that everything had just been an act to catch Chiyoh. He was so fucking tired of being afraid but here he was nonetheless, fucking drowning in the emotion.

Dean grabbed the steering wheel tighter, bracing for rejection.

“Dean.”

A gentle touch on his arm brought him back from his dark musings. “Dean?”

Finally, Dean dared to look at Cas.

Cas was glowing. It had nothing to do with his grace or with him being an angel. The sun played no part in it, even though the rays that danced across his face as they continued their drove home painted a gorgeous picture.

No, Cas' eyes shone. The soft lines around the corner of his eyes deepened as a breathtaking smile overtook him. “I love you too, Dean.”

“You do...?” Dean had a hard time processing what had just happened, so he nodded sheepishly and looked back at the road. “That's... wow... You love me.” Dean blinked but nonetheless tears formed, threatening to spill over. “You love me.”

“Are you alright, Dean? Baby is all over the place.”

Dean blinked again; a tear escaped and rolled down his cheek. “Baby is exactly where I want her to be.” He looked at Cas again. He looked the same but something was different. He seemed at peace. What a cliche sentiment that was but it didn't make it any less true.

Holy shit. Cas loved him back. Was it possible to pass out and be conscious at the same time?

“Dean?”

Dean grabbed Cas' hand, his heart hammering in his chest the whole time. He imagined Cas' flinching, yanking his hand away, laughing and declaring it all to be some huge, awful, joke.

Normally, Dean was totally against driving Baby with only one hand. She was a beauty and deserved a two-hand grip on the steering wheel but these were hardly normal times.

“I'm good, Cas. I'm good.”

Cas' voice was deep, dark, and content. “Good. That's all I ever wanted for you. To be good. Happy.” He squeezed Dean's hand once.

Dean exhaled and couldn't stop his smile from breaking out. “I'm happy, Cas. No question about it.”

“When are we gonna tell Sam and Jack?”

Dean barely heard the question, still marveling at the sensation of Cas' heavy hand in his. “Um, soon. In the Bunker. You and me are gonna have some alone time first.” His cheeks turned red. Christ, he was giddy as a teenager again.

The landscape flew past them – occasional trees, neighborhoods, other cars. Even a Prius. It was all very mundane, just another drive home from a successful hunt. It was all the same, yet suddenly it struck Dean, the beauty of it all. Chuck was a fucking douche that needed to be stopped, monsters lurked and there was evil in the world.

But the world had two badass hunters, one kickass, angel and one juiced-up Nephilim kid. The world would be fine

Everything would be fine.

“Alone time?”

“Yeah, alone time. Just you and me, no prying eyes. You know how many times I've dreamt of kissing you? A kazillion times, Cas.”

Cas nodded, that content glow still present. “A kazillion is a significantly high number.”

“Yeah.”

“To the Bunker, then.”

Dean shook his head in amazement. “To the Bunker, Cas.” https://archiveofourown.org/works/24487438

[bellaireland1981]

Lights, Camera, Coffee in LA

Ok, this is my absolute first time posting a story I’ve written and I am anxious as hell about it lol. Please be kind! 

Summary: Elena “Lena” is off to LA for the summer to visit her brother. Her summer gets off to a great start when she ends up sat next to none other than Chris Evans on the plane. (I suck at summaries!) Thank you SO much to @denisemarieangelina​ for reading and providing feedback, and a WAY better title than I’d managed to think of! You’re AMAZING! 

Characters: Chris Evans x OFC Elena

Word count: 4921

Warnings: None... absolute fluff

“I’m boarding the plane now, Mikey,” I gasped, out of breath from running through the airport.

“Oversleep again, Lena?” He asked laughing on the other end.

“Actually, my Uber was late and then we hit traffic on the freeway, thank you very much!” I said, indignantly, making my way down the gangway and onto the plane.

“Ok, well safe flight, I’ll see you in a few hours.” he responded, “Love you, Sis!”

“Love you too, Mikey! Can’t wait to see you!” I was excited to see my big brother. He’d moved out to L.A. when I was 12 years old to pursue a career in acting. He’d made a name for himself on a soap opera, but had decided he preferred being behind the camera instead of in front of it.

I quickly located my seat and stowed my carry-on in the overhead compartment before dropping into the seat by the window. One perk of having Michael book my tickets was an upgrade to first class.

I had just finished another year teaching 2nd grade and was looking forward to spending time in California with my big brother. Due to budget cuts, we had ended up with overcrowded classrooms this past year (meaning I’d had a class of 30 second graders as opposed to the normal 20 I was used to!). Needless to say, I was exhausted and needed a break.

“Can I get you something to drink before we take off ma’am?” a flight attendant asked me, smiling.

“Do you have any tea?” I asked, smiling back at her, I hadn’t had time to stop for caffeine on my way to the airport and wasn’t firing on all cylinders yet. “Or at this point, I’d drink week-old coffee resembling mud.”

“We can’t have you drinking mud, I’d be happy to get you some tea” She replied laughing, “Any milk, sugar, or honey?”

“Just plain, please!” I replied, “You’re seriously a life-saver!”

“All part of my job title!” She said before collecting the pre-flight drink orders from other passengers settling into their seats.

“A fellow caffeine addict, huh?” A smooth, deep voice sounded next to me. It appeared as though my seat neighbor had arrived.

“Not even ashamed to admit to that! “In all fairness though, it is before 8 in the morning, and a Monday no less.” I smiled up at the newcomer, and almost swallowed my tongue in the process.

Chris freaking Evans was standing less than a foot away, placing his bag in the overhead compartment. He had on a gray Henley with the sleeves pushed up, jeans, and a NASA hat pulled down to help disguise his identity.  Pull it together Lena, do NOT fangirl on the poor guy!

“Both fair points!” He said taking his seat and turning slightly towards me. Even with the added room in first class, he was still insanely close to me. I could smell his cologne or aftershave, which didn’t help my already overloaded senses.  “I’m Chris, by the way.”

“Elena” I replied, smiling, “Everyone just calls me Lena though.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lena” He replied with a smile of his own. Ugh, his azure blue eyes were seriously going to be my downfall. “What has you headed to L.A?”

“My brother lives there. I’m just going to visit for the summer. “A much-needed break from reality.” I replied, impressed that my inner fangirl wasn’t showing through...at least I hoped it wasn’t noticeable to Chris.

“I can definitely understand the need for a break.” He said, “The whole summer, huh? Must be a teacher?”

“Very good deduction skills!” I said laughing

“My older sister is a teacher as well, it was an easy deduction to make” He smirked, winking at me. “What do you teach?”

“I’m a second-grade teacher, although there are days I’d say ‘kitten wrangler’ would be a better job title.” I replied honestly. “Especially this past school year.”

“An entire room full of, what… 8-year-olds?” His eyes widened, “That’d be like a room full of my nephews… yeah, you need a break!”

“Yeah, 7 and 8-year-olds… 30 of them to be exact.” I replied, “I’m a kitten-wrangling ninja, what’s your superpower?”

He threw his head back at that and laughed, his left hand coming up to grab his chest. I smiled like an idiot at the fact that I was able to make him laugh hard enough to get the left boob grab.

“Super-human strength, quick healing abilities, and I look damn good for 100!” He replied, cheekily.

“Your tea Ma’am” the flight attendant interrupted, bringing my much-needed drink.

“Thank you so much!” I replied, taking the steaming cup.

“Can I get you anything, Mr. Evans?” she asked Chris, batting her eyelashes at him. I turned my head away to quickly stifle the snicker that was bubbling up.

“I’m good for now, thanks though.” He replied, then turning back towards me.

“Get that often, Mr. Evans. Or do you prefer Captain?” I asked as the flight attendant walked away.

“So, you do know who I am. I wasn’t too sure if you did or didn’t know.” He replied, laughing nervously.

“Yeah, figured that one out as soon as I looked up.” I replied gently, “But, honestly, I get that constant public adoration can get old, so I kept the fangirling to a minimum.”

“Fangirling, huh?” He asked, his smile getting bigger. “So, you’re a fan?”

“I may or may not be team Cap” I replied, my inner nerd shining through.  “I’m also team Thor though, so…”

“I’ll take it!” He replied laughing, “You said team Cap first, so that’s all I’m hearing.”

It was my turn to throw my head back laughing at his child-like response. It was nice to see the playful side of Chris, the true person that he is not the actor everyone knows.

“Welcome aboard flight 723 with non-stop service to LAX.” One of the flight attendants announced, “We will be pushing back and getting underway here in the next few minutes. At this time, we ask that you make sure that your seatbelts are fastened and return any seats and trays to the upright position. We are right on time, and should be landing at LAX at approximately 9:55 am local time.”

“Ugh, this is my least favorite part of flying. I wish I could just click my heels and arrive wherever I want to be.” I admitted to him in a nervous manner.

“Not a fan of flying?” He asked sympathetically, looking over at me.

“In general, flying is fine” I responded, trying to keep my breathing normal, “It’s taken off and landings I’m not exactly fond of.”

“Did you have a bad experience?” He asked out of curiosity.

“Nope” I replied, “But the way I see it, if something goes wrong at either takeoff or landing, you’re close enough to the ground still where chances are it’s going to hurt. When you’re in the air, you’re high enough up where if you crash, you’re just dead and won’t know how much the pain sucks.”

Chris was momentarily speechless as he processed my theory. I’m sure the theory is flawed but hey, fears are generally irrational right?

“Wow” he said finally, “I can’t say I’ve ever thought of it that way before.”

“I’ve never actually put that into words before, and I will admit that it does sound absurd.” I replied, “It sounded much less insane in my head.”

“No, not insane.” He quickly reassured me, “Probably has some validity to it...somewhere.”

“You’re way too nice!” I replied smiling, “Let’s pretend I didn’t disclose that information, and you don’t know the level of my nerdiness.”

“We’ve all got some nerdiness in us,” he replied with a flirty smile, “But I have to admit that the nerdiness is pretty damn adorable on you.”

I could feel my face heating up at the compliment. Holy shit, Chris Evans just called me adorable. My inner fangirl was screaming.

Before I was able to form a response, the plane started moving away from the gate. I could feel anxiety starting to boil in my gut. I gripped the armrest of my seat, knuckles turning white.

“Hey” Chris said softly, pulling my attention away from the window, “Keep breathing, Lena” His

right hand reached over and gently engulfed my hand in his own. I took a deep breath and forced myself to relax.

“I promise I’m not normally such a spaz.” I said apologetically, looking at him.

“None of that,” He said smiling, “We all have things that make us anxious. No judgement here.”

“So, are you heading back to L.A. for work or is that your home base?” I asked, trying to focus on something else.

“A little of both actually.” He replied, “I’m meeting with a director about a film I’m really interested in doing, but I do have a house in L.A. that I spend a lot of time at. Home though… that’s always Boston. Where is home for you?”

“I live in Providence, but I grew up in Newport.” I replied, “With the exception of my brother, the rest of my family is all still in Rhode Island.”

“Another New Englander!” He said smiling broadly, “It’s not Boston, but… you’re in the right region!”

“The only time I’m ever in Boston is when I’m catching a flight.” I admitted, “I always tell myself I’m going to drive up and spend some time there especially Salem, but something always comes up.”

“What!?” He exclaimed, “There is so much more to Boston than the AIRPORT!”

I laughed at the shock and dismay displayed on his face and in his voice.

“I’ll make a point to get there before I go back to work this fall.” I laughed, crossing my heart like the second graders I taught often did.

“I’ll hold you to that” He said, attempting to give me a stern look...but failing, as the laughter in his eyes gave him away. “What are you planning on doing while in L.A. this summer?”

“My brother actually lives in Malibu, so I will be spending as much time at the beach as possible.” I was very excited to spend time in the Pacific Ocean, surfing and hopefully diving at some point. The Atlantic was great, but definitely much colder. “I will also be buying an annual pass to Disneyland so I can go as often as I want and get my Disney fix. Once will definitely not be enough.”

“You’re a Disney fan too?” Chris asked, eyes growing wide, “You’re perfect you know that?”

“Far from it, I assure you.” I laughed, “Just ask my brothers.”

“Are you a Patriot’s fan?” he asked, turning his whole body towards me now. “Because seriously, if you are, I’m marrying you as soon as we get off this plane.”

I laughed and tucked a stray piece of brown hair back behind my ear nervously.

“I’m not really into football…” I replied smiling, “I’m more of a soccer fan. I enjoy baseball too.”

“I can accept that” He replied smiling widely, “I don’t know much about soccer, but what’s your favorite baseball team?”

“The Red Sox.” I replied, “My dad is a huge Sox fan, as are all my brothers. Mikey tries to play like he’s a Dodger fan now that he lives in L.A, but honestly that’s just to mess with my dad.”

“I was right, Lena.” Chris said teasingly, “You're legitimately perfect.”

“Even if I’m not a football fan?” I laughed. Butterflies were swarming in my belly for a whole new reason now. My fear of taking off, long forgotten. I glanced quickly out the window to realize we were in the air. Chris had kept me occupied to ease my anxiety during takeoff.  “Well played, Evans.” I said, looking back over at him. He shrugged and gave me a boyish smile.

“Sometimes it helps to keep the mind busy when you’re anxious so that you aren’t focused on what is causing the anxiety.” He replied, seemingly from experience.

“Thank you” I replied simply. I wasn’t sure what else to say.

“So, what’s your favorite ride at Disney?” He asked, changing topics.

“Is it acceptable to say that I love them all?” I asked him hopefully. Seriously, how do you choose just one ride?

“Nope. You got to pick one,” he said, shaking his head, “No cop out answers.”

“Ok, well I adore Space Mountain, but I also love The Matterhorn. The Haunted Mansion though is also a favorite…” I replied, “Best I can do is Top 3 favorites.”

“Fair enough, I suppose,” He conceded, “Good choices too. You went with the classics.”

“What are your favorite rides?” I asked, “And no ‘cop out’ answers either.”

“Space Mountain.” He said without hesitation. “That’s the one I could ride all day.”

“Favorite Disney movie?” I asked him.

“Of all time? Dumbo” he replied, “But I honestly love all the Classic Disney movies, and the newer ones too. What’s yours?”

“All-time favorite… Pinocchio.” I replied thoughtfully. “I adore Jiminy Cricket. But I also wore out two copies of the Oliver and Company movie.”

“I love Oliver and Company!” He exclaimed, “My dog, Dodger, is named after the Dodger in that movie!”

“It’s a great movie.” I agreed, “Where’s Dodger now?”

“He’s back in Boston with my mom and sister.” he said, a sad smile on his face. It was obvious he loved his dog. I’d read and watched interviews with him, whenever asked about his dog he lit up like a kid at Christmas.

“Are you going to be in L.A for a long time?” I asked

“Depends on my meeting with the director, I guess.” He replied, “If it goes well, I’ll bring Dodge out and we’ll stay out here until filming ends. I don’t have anything else on the schedule at the moment. Just finished my contract with Marvel.”

“It’s got to be a good feeling to have the freedom to just relax and pick what you want to work on.” I said, “I won’t lie though, I’m heartbroken you won’t be Captain American anymore.”

“It was hard to walk away after the last day on set, but it was definitely time. I was burning out.” he said honestly, “I feel like I went out on the right note though.”

“I’ll admit that I literally ugly cried in the theater during Endgame.” I confided in him, “Complete with crocodile tears, blotchy eyes...the whole nine yards. You broke my heart into a million tiny pieces.”

“But it’s not like Cap died!” he reasoned, “He just finally got the chance to live out the life he wanted!”

“Although that part did make me teary, the part that broke me was watching Cap get his heart broken when Natasha and Tony died.” I explained, “The scene where you’re sitting there and the tears are falling… ugh.”

“If it helps, it was extremely difficult for us all to make it through that film.” He said, “We were all emotionally attached to the characters.”

“That does make me feel better, thanks.” I replied.

The rest of the flight was spent talking about anything and everything. I was so caught up in the

conversation that I never even heard them announce we were beginning our descent into L.A., so when the plane touched down and started to taxi up to the terminal gate, I was shocked.

“Again, well played Mr. Evans” I laughed looking back over to Chris. “Thank you”

“I really enjoyed this flight, Lena.” He said smiling, “I’m actually kind of sad we’ve landed.”

“I can honestly say, this is the best flight I’ve ever had.” I admitted, a blush spreading over my neck and face. “I wouldn’t have been sad if it had been longer.”

The plane had taxied into the designated gate and came to a stop. Around us people were rushing to gather up their belongings.

“As crazy as this sounds, I’d really like to see you again.” Chris said, looking anxious for the first time since he’d introduced himself. It was as though he doubted, you’d want to see him again, which made absolutely zero sense! 

“It doesn’t sound crazy, Chris” I reassured him softly. “I would like to see you again too.”

“Put your number in my phone and then I’ll text you so you have mine.” He said handing me his phone.

I quickly typed my number into his phone before handing it back to him. He finished saving the contact info and then sent a text to me. I heard my phone’s notification ping, alerting me to a new message. It was if the ping of my phone set off a swarm of butterflies in my belly. The anxiety from earlier in the flight was back, but for a whole new reason.

I opened up the message from Chris and quickly saved his contact info. Chris grabbed his bag down out of the overhead compartment then grabbed mine down and handed it over to me.

“I’m assuming since you’re here for a while, you’ve got more luggage checked” He laughed,

“Either that, or you travel extremely light.”

“Honestly, I probably over packed” I laughed, rolling my eyes at myself. “I never know what I’ll need or want when traveling so I just throw it all into the luggage and go with it.”

“That’s one way to do it, I suppose.” He winked at me, “If you don’t mind, I’ll walk with you that way.  I’m getting picked up at arrivals anyway.”

“I don’t mind at all.” I replied, “My brother is supposed to be picking me up. I’m guessing he’ll be at arrivals too.”

We walked towards baggage claim, making our way through the large crowds at LAX. I noticed

Chris kept hat down low over his eyes, doing his best to blend in and not be recognized. He stayed close to me, trying to avoid being separated.

We arrived at baggage claim right as the bags were starting to appear on the conveyor belt.

Luckily, my bag came around quickly. I grabbed it off the belt and turned around, almost running straight into Chris. I hadn’t realized he was so close.

“Sorry!” he said, a boyish grin on his face, as he steadied me, “I didn’t want to lose you in the crowd.”

“No worries” I said breathily, enjoying the close proximity to him. “I think this is the fastest my bag has ever gotten off the plane. Thankfully, it wasn’t lost this time!”

“That’s happened before?” His eyebrows shot up in shock, “That must have sucked!”

“It did” I agreed, “I was in Germany too, which made it even worse. I was with a student group and we weren’t staying in one spot, so it was quite the production getting my stuff to me!”

“Well at least had it happened here, you’d have been stationary” He laughed, “How long did it take to get reunited with your luggage?”

“It took 3 days for it to catch up with us.” I said, “Thankfully, I had enough in my carry on that I was able to survive the separation.”

“LENA!” I heard a familiar voice yell. I quickly looked up and around for the source of the voice to find my sister in law, holding a neon green sign with my name in pink sparkles. I laughed, shaking my head at her.

“Talia!” I giggled heading over to her and hugging her. I adored my sister in law, in fact, she was probably my favorite. “Was the sign necessary?”

“Of course, it was!” she replied laughing, “I’d hate to be accused of being basic!”

“Extra… yes” I laughed, “Never basic.”

“I see you’ve made a friend already” She said, glancing over to where Chris was standing, his eyes dancing with laughter at the exchange.

“Talia, this is Chris.” I said making the introduction. I figured she had already figured out exactly who he was. “Chris, my sister in law, Talia.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Chris” She said smiling brightly. Talia is also a huge Marvel fan, but she’s more team Iron Man/ RDJ. Being married to my brother, she was used to being around celebrities and has perfected the art of remaining cool. I had a feeling I needed to take a page from her book this summer if I was going to survive in my brother’s world.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Talia.” Chris responded warmly.

“Ok, let’s get out of here!” Talia exclaimed, “Michael gave me strict orders to bring you straight to him before going to the house. I think he missed his baby sister.”

“I’ve definitely missed him too” I said, excited to see him.  

We all headed out of the airport and into the balmy California weather. I smiled looking around at the palm trees and feeling thesunshine beat on my face. It was going to be a great summer!

Straight ahead of us was a pick up line filled with limos, black SUVs, and sedans along with their drivers holding signs with the people they were looking for.

“There’s my ride,” Chris said, seeing his name in the line. He wrapped me in a quick hug before pulling back and smiling. “I’ll text you later Lena and we can make plans to get together.”

“Sounds great!” I beamed, trying to remember how to breathe. Chris Evans just hugged me!

Talia and I quickly made our way across the pickup lanes and headed towards the parking garage attached to the airport.

“Already making friends with Hollywood Heartthrobs before even landing in L.A., huh?” Talia joked as I threw my luggage into the back of her black Land Rover.

“He’s super sweet, Lia!” I gushed, “He kept me occupied the entire flight, especially during takeoff and landing, so I wouldn’t freak out. We talked about everything, and he never made me feel like a major dork.”

“Michael has mentioned several times that he’s very down to earth and a genuinely nice person.” She revealed, “He’s actually meeting with Chris this week about a part in the film he’s directing.”

“Ohmygod!” I exclaimed, “THAT’S the movie he was talking about? He said he was in town to meet with a director but never said what the film was or which director. What is the flipping’ odds he’d be meeting with my brother?”

“Hollywood is actually not that big” Talia said laughing, “Everyone is essentially connected to someone through a mutual friend. Not that shocking he’d know Michael. I’m guessing Chris didn’t put it together?”

“My last name never came up honestly” I replied, “Well, I guess this means I’m guaranteed to see him again!”

Being that it was past rush hour, it didn’t take too long to get from the airport to the studio lot where Michael was preparing for his next film. Talia found a parking spot close to a large building that I assumed contained a sound stage.

“Alright, he’s inside meeting with a few set designers. He said to come straight in when we got

here.” Talia said getting out of the vehicle.

We walked into the building, which currently looks like a cross between an airplane hangar and a warehouse.

“There’s my Little-Bit!” Michael said jogging over towards us. He quickly scooped me up into a hug, lifting me off the ground and spinning me around. “I’ve missed your kiddo!”

“I’ve missed you too, Mikey!” I said laughing, “I hate that we live on opposite sides of the country now!”

“I know, Kiddo.” He said setting me back on my feet and taking a step back, “You know, there are plenty of schools out here you can teach at.”

“Don’t tempt me!” I joked, “We just had one of the worst winters in over a decade this year… the temptation to leave it all behind is strong.”

“I know you probably want to get settled and freshen up from your trip, but I couldn’t wait to see you” He said, “I have a few more meetings but should be out of here by early afternoon, so we can make plans to go out somewhere for dinner tonight.” 

“Perfect, I am in desperate need of shower and clean clothes.” I replied, “Other than that, my social calendar is wide open.”

“For now, at least.” Talia teased, bumping into me and smirking. “I doubt it stays that way.”

“Yeah, I’m totally on the prowl to fill my calendar” I rolled my eyes, trying to play her comment off so Michael wouldn’t ask questions.

“That’ll be hard to do if you spend all summer at Disney, Little-Bit.” Michael teased, “Although, I hear Goofy is still single.”

“Oh wow, all have jokes today.” I laughed, turning towards Talia “On that note, I’m ready to leave now.”

“OK, you’re chariot awaits milady!” She responded, “I’ll see you at home, baby.”

“Drive safe, stay out of trouble.” He said, “Love you both.”

________________________________

I woke the next morning to my cell phone alerting me to a new message. I sat up and grabbed my phone. I was shocked that I’d managed to sleep past nine. I leaned back against the queen-sized headboard and opened up my text messages.

C: 7:35AM Hey Lena, I’ve got a meeting this morning about that project I mentioned but would

really love to see get together later if you’re available. Maybe get some coffee, or another beverage?  

C: 8:00 AM Ok, that sounded really lame. Let me try again. Lena, would you like to go out for a drink later?

L: 9:04 AM Hi! Sorry, I just woke up! You didn’t sound lame at all. I’d love to get coffee...or another beverage with you later! I don’t think I have anything going on today. Let me track down my brother to make sure he didn’t plan anything.

I pushed the covers back and got out of bed, my bare feet sinking into the plush carpet in the guest bedroom I was staying in. I pulled my long brown hair up into a messy knot on top of my head, deciding to deal with it later, and headed downstairs in search of Michael or Talia to see what the plans for the day were.

Once I reached the bottom of the stairs, I could hear voices on the back patio that overlooked the beach. I detoured to the kitchen first to grab a bottle of water from the fridge before heading out to the patio.

I opened the French doors and stepped out onto the cool bricks, before stopping dead in my tracks like a deer caught in headlights.

“Morning, Little Bit!” Michael said cheerfully, oblivious to my panic. “This is Chris, I’m trying to recruit him for my current project.”

“We actually met on the plane yesterday,” Chris said, winking at me with a smirk, “Morning, Lena. Love your shirt.”

I quickly glanced down, forgetting what I was wearing, and realized I still had on my old Red Sox tank and a pair or navy-blue sleep shorts.

“Thanks” I laughed nervously, “Good Morning.”

“Grab a seat Lena and join us for breakfast” Michael offered, “Lia had to meet with a client this morning, but will be back later.”

I sat down, next to Michael, which put me directly across from where Chris was sitting. I grabbed some grapes from the fruit bowl and placed them on the plate in front of me. Michael passed a platter of bacon and toast, so I added some of that to my plate as well.

“Lia made sure to make some of the bacon extra crispy for you too” Michael said shaking his

head, “although by that point it’s like eating straight bacon bits.”

“I’ll only eat it when it’s crispy because I can’t stand the idea that I’m gnawing on pig fat.” I replied, sticking my tongue out at him. “You’re lucky I’m even eating pork again.”

“There was a time you didn’t eat pork?” Chris asked, his eyebrow cocked.

“I had to dissect a pig in my honors biology class sophomore year.” I replied, “my lab partner was a little over zealous, and after a week of picking at a pig carcass, I couldn’t bring myself to eat pork anymore.”  

“She wouldn’t eat any meat for about a month.” Michael added smiling at me.

“What made you decide to start eating meat again?” Chris asked curiously.

“I missed cheeseburgers” I shrugged, “Being a vegetarian wasn’t working for me, so I decided to be a porketarian instead.”

Chris laughed, shaking his head, “How long did you go without eating pork?”

“I just started eating it again about a year ago.” I admitted. “So, about 20 years.”

“That’s a long time.” he said looking shocked, “What made you decide to eat it again?”

“She missed bacon” Michael replied.

“Pretty much” I agreed. “I missed BLTs… and turkey bacon wasn’t the same.”

“Fair enough” Chris said.

“So, what’s on your agenda today Mickey?” I asked my brother, steering the conversation away from me.

“I have a couple of meetings at the studio but I should be wrapped up by late afternoon, I was planning on grabbing steaks on the way home so we can throw them on the grill tonight.” He replied, “What are your plans for today?”

“I was thinking of going to grab coffee, or a beverage of some kind today” I smirked at Chris.

___________________________

That’s all I’ve got! Should I make a part 2?? Thanks for reading!!

[simsadventures]

Better Like This: Chapter 10: Why

Summary: Your attacker goes into a full bad guy mode, and explains why she did what she did. At the mean time, Bucky and the team do everything in their power to save you.

Warnings: angst, mentions of death, mentions of abuse, dominant Omega, swearing

Word Count: 2692

A/N: I truly can’t thank you guys enough for sticking with this story and being so invested in it. Love you all. IT’S SHOWTIME xx

Series Masterlist __ Masterlist

< Previous Chapter

You didn’t know how much time passed since you got abducted. You still had the blindfold tightly tied on your face, so there was no way to see if it was still night or the next day already. You wanted to concentrate on your surroundings, to find out if you were next to some road, next to the water, docks, anything that would help you determine the place where you were hidden.

You didn’t know yet what you ‘d do with that information, but you desperately wanted to find out your own location. Even if it were the last thing you did.

Your whole being was on fire from pain. You could feel the tension in your arm from all the bleeding, your face must have been puffed, if you looked at it, from the blows you received and your mating bond was probably red and angry. You couldn’t know that for sure, but by the way it hurt, burned and itched, you could only imagine what was happening to it.

It was extremely dangerous for newly mated couples to be without each other for this long. Even Bucky’s trip to work made you feel uneasy, and the uneasiness now transformed into a pit in your stomach, growing by each passing minute. Just the thought of Bucky made your stomach turn.

He must have been so scared when he came home only to not find you there. You weren’t mated for a long time, but you could vividly imagine his face when realising you’re not there. You just hoped he’d know you would never walk away willingly. That after he opened up to you about everything that happened to him, you would never leave him alone. You prayed, you could tell him that.

You were utterly oblivious to what was happening outside the blindfold as you were thinking, so the voice of your attacker scared the hell out of you. “C’mon, princess, you can’t be in your head forever. I got a nice little plan for the two of us.” When you felt her cold hand touching your arm, you flinched and started to struggle against the ropes tying you to the chair.

She just laughed coldly, pinched your cheek and whispered to your ear, her breath raising the hair on your neck. “Don’t you struggle, Y/N. There’s no way out of here, you hear me? I’m the last person you’ll be with before you die. There’s nothing you can do about it, so why fighting it?”

“Oh, bitch, I’m not gonna go down that easily.” This earned you a slap, and you suspected she used her hand this time, because while it stung, you luckily, couldn’t feel blood on the tip of your tongue as with the previous blows. You needed to figure out a way out of there, you just didn’t know how, yet.

—-

Bucky couldn’t sleep. He laid on Scott’s sofa, staring at the ceiling, and thinking of scenarios that wouldn’t result in your abduction. You should have never gone to work, or you should have gone with him, so he could be sure you’re safe all the time. He was your Alpha, you should have protected you, and when you needed him the most, he just wasn’t there.

A single tear found its way from his eye down his cheek, and he just let slide down to his neck. He missed you. You’ve been a couple for a week, and he already lost you. NO! His mind yelled at him. Right, he didn’t lose you, he just couldn’t find you yet.

When the first shock melted away, he started to concentrate on your bond, and he could still feel it buzzing. Which was a good sign. He realised that if you were dead, he would probably die of grief too. It would be such a shock for his body, that he wouldn’t be able to survive it. At the same time, however, he could feel your distress. He could swear he felt your fear and pain. He always heard stories about how connected the true mates were, but he never really paid close attention to those myths. Now they all seemed to be true.

While he hated to feel your pain, he was glad he did because it meant that you weren’t dead and he still had time to find you and finally hold you in his arms. God, he would do anything in the world to just hold you in his arms, hearing your sweet giggles that never failed to draw a smile on his own face.

So while he couldn’t sleep, he tried to think of people from his past, and from what you’ve told him, to try and find the person who did this. What he didn’t understand why the Strangler felt the need to abduct you. She always attacked ex-prostitutes or girls desperate for money. You were neither of those things, and he just couldn’t figure out how you fitted in her MO.

As he was laying, he tried to figure out other things too. Like who would like to hurt you, the nicest person on this fucking planet. He didn’t know you long enough to see if some people held any grudges. But just from knowing you, he assumed that it was improbable. Then he tried to think of people in his own past who would try to hurt him by taking you.

There were the perps he put to prison, some of them were already out so he could imagine they could have come out their ways to hurt him, but this just didn’t feel like any of them. Other than that… There was one person who suited all the descriptions and his blood suddenly ran cold. It couldn’t have been her, could it?

He sat up straight and thought. Female Omega who wanted to dominate others, Omegas or not. He didn’t want to believe he was that insane, but just by picturing her in his mind, his whole body shuddered, and he suddenly felt like throwing up. Amber wasn’t his favourite human, to say the least.

It must have been her. She was always nuts, but this would have been crazy even for her. It didn’t matter. He could have been wrong, but at the same time, he didn’t want to underestimate her. He tried to think of a way to approach her, to find her so that it’s according to all those stupid laws. They could just say they had a probable cause, really, and if it weren’t her, he would apologise to her and continue to try and find his lovely Omega.

He immediately called Steve and even though it was 6 AM, he could hear that he didn’t wake him up. Bucky told him all about his theory, and to his surprise, it all made sense to Steve. Not really the other victims, but Y/N? Yeah, that could be her. They agreed to meet at Bruce’s lab to try and track her phone, someone else visiting her apartment. Steve would deal with the legal shit later. Your life was at stake, and no-one wanted to wait another minute.

About an hour later, most of the team was standing behind Tony, who was now trying to track Amber’s movement, her cards and her phone. Only Sam and Nat were missing, but they were currently driving from Amber’s apartment, which was empty. Weirdly so, her neighbour told Natasha, because Miss Amber never goes out before 9 AM, she likes to sleep in, apparently.

It all made more, and more sense, which only fuelled Bucky’s fear for you. He knew what she was capable of in her “right” mind, he experienced it first-handed. And if she really turned out to be the Strangler, Bucky feared he knew where your abduction would end up. And he wasn’t about to let that happen.

“I got her phone,” Tony hollered, trying to pinpoint the exact location. Everyone held their breaths. If she was really the Strangler, this was the closest they’d ever been to finding and arresting her. And even if she turned out not to be the serial killer of New York, they gladly take just saving you, for now.

“Here, look. She seems to be in this little workshop, but it seems to be closed. So what is she doing in a closed workshop, at 7 AM? Weird!” Tony muttered the last part and tried to find some cameras so that he would have an online look at the place, but it was well hidden in one of the old houses in Brooklyn. “That’s Amber’s father’s workshop!” Bucky yelled. “He used to work with steel and stuff, but when he died, it just laid there abandoned.” Everyone looked at Bucky, and it all seemed a little more real now.

“Alright, we don’t know if she’s really holding Y/N, but for the time being, let’s assume she does. I want everyone on this, we’ll try to not spook her, so Natasha, I want you to knock on the door when we come there, asking if the shop was opened, and stuff like that, we’ll try to see if Y/N is there, and if so, we’ll just barge in, save Y/N, and try not to kill that bitch so that we can put her on the stand. Understood?” Everyone just nodded, checked their guns, and went to their cars.

Steve put a hand on Bucky’s shoulder, which immediately stopped him. “Steve, I know what you want to say, but I’m coming. If Y/N is there, I need to be as close to her as I can. I won’t even mind Amber if Y/N is there, I’ll let you take care of her and everything, as long as my Omega will be ok.”

“I know buddy, I would never try and stop you from coming with us. I just want to say, and trust me, I hate to say this, but if Y/N will be hurt, or worse, you can’t just shoot Amber.”

Bucky clenched his teeth at the image of you not making it but nodded nevertheless. He needed to see the whole thing with his own eyes. He just hoped they wouldn’t be late.

—-

Meanwhile

The blindfold disappeared from your face, and you had to blink harshly to get used to the light in the room. You could see that it was already morning, and that wasn’t a good sign. You were there far too long by now. You then try to have a look at the crazy woman who attacked you.

She was pretty. That was your first impression, but you could see she was far too skinny to be healthy, the bags under her eyes far too prominent. You suspected she was on something, but you couldn’t be too sure.

“I don’t even know you, what the fuck do you want?” You scream-said. “Oh, but I do know you, princess. You are just a submissive little thing who stole my Bucky from me.”

You looked at her, confused. You didn’t steal Bucky. He was very much single when you two met. And then, suddenly realised what she was talking about and who she was.

“You must be Amber, then.”

“So my boo told you about me? Of course, he did, I mean I’m the love of his life, he just hasn’t realised it yet.”

You wanted to give her some snarky comment about that, but then something behind her caught your attention. It was a golden glove, which seemed to be custom-made, with some gemstones on it.

“You like my gauntlet? I created it just like Thanos’s one, you know, from the comic books? He wanted to get rid of the wrong people, and I’m doing the same, honey. I mean, this world doesn’t need whores like you or those bitches that came before you. I’m just purifying it.”

Before you? Did she mean-? “Wait, so you are the Strangler?” You asked in disbelief. You really thought it was an Alpha, for some reason. But the second Amber told you, you could totally imagine her doing all those vicious things. “Purify my ass, bitch. You lost your mind? You can’t just decide who lives and who doesn’t based on their past jobs.”

“Oh, but you can. They all needed money, and I offered it to them, and they let me dominate them. Amy, the first one, really was a mistake. I didn’t mean to squeeze so hard, and it was actually me calling the ambulance. She was a good whore. But once I realised she was gone, this weird energy filled me up, you know? I felt great, and I wanted to see what I can do with it. So with the second whore, I just watched the life leaving her body, and honestly, I’ve never seen anything this beautiful. It was almost poetic, you know? And now I’m pretty much addicted, but with a good cause, don’t you think?”

You tried to think of your training, on how to talk with this type of maniacs, but all logic just left your body. You had been strapped there since last night, you were thirsty as hell, your whole being hurt, and you knew what she wanted to do to you. And for the life of you, you couldn’t make a plan of survival.

“Look, I didn’t even mean to hurt you, at first. But then I saw the mark on your neck, and I thought that it was supposed to be on my neck. Bucky was supposed to learn how to be submissive for me, and we could’ve been happy. And we will be happy once I get rid of your ugly face.”

“Hey, Amber, I understand what you did, I really do, but you don’t want to kill me. I’m with the police, you’re going to draw the biggest target on your forehead because of this. You can find someone better than Bucky and-“

“There’s nobody better than Bucky, bitch.” She smacked you across your face, now wearing the gauntlet and you understood that this was the weapon with which she was hitting you last night. “He’ll miss you for a second, sure, but I’ll be the shoulder on which he can cry, and he’ll see that we’re meant to be. And he doesn’t even have to know what I do as my hobby.”

You scoffed. “Hobby? You’re killing people, Amber. You’re playing God, and that’ll bite you in the ass soon.”

“Maybe, but you know what? You won’t be here to see that.” With that, she hit you one more time, and suddenly pressed her hand (now entirely wearing the gauntlet) against your throat. You feel a prickle of blood running down your forehead, but that was the least of your problems.

You struggled against the ropes and against her hand, but it was fruitless, none of it budged. This wasn’t the way you remembered to go down. You at least hope you could take the perp with you, and not dying here alone, in some dusty worship, with the ex of your Alpha choking you to death.

You tried to stay conscious as long as you could, but then you felt your eyes being heavier and heavier. The ringing in your ears was getting stronger with each passing second, and you felt like your brain would explode.

And still, the only thing on your mind was Bucky. You could see him, laying above you in bed, tickling you so that he could see you smile, then lightly kissing your nose, cheek, eyelids, and finally your lips. You knew he was your heaven, and you didn’t want to leave him this soon. At the same time, you were thankful you met him at all. That you knew what love should look like. That even if it was for a few days, those days were filled with laughter, safety, and love.

When you blinked for the last time, you could have sworn Bucky was entering the room. You smiled, feeling yourself losing consciousness, with the image of Bucky in front of you. It was a good way to go.

/ Next Chapter >

Tags: @kneel-begyourpardon @starkrobb @crazybutconfidentaf @waiting4inspiration @boxofteenageideas @hiken-no-stark @get0verit  @mywinterwolf​ @cat-of-your-eye​ @iheartsebastianstan​ @slender--spirit​ @this-is-serenaa​ @henderwhore4life​ @owlyannah​ @rohaintahquil​ @libbymouse​ @chubby-dumplin​ @dumblani​ @laughsandlivia​ @kiki5283​ @rippedpiece​ @marvellover1819 @barbar126​ @p8tn0lish @atomicfandombomb​ @queen-of-elves​ @benditlikegumby​ @queen-of-nerdiness​ @daydreamerinadazedworld @kenzieam @bbmommy0902​ @eteramfools​ @sunshine-2324​ @dyanna-corona​ @carlya65 @supermassiveblackhope

If your name’s crossed out, Tumblr won’t let me tag your for some reason, I’m sorry xx

If you’d like to be tagged comment/message/send an ask. If you like the story, please reblog :) any comments are appreciated, even the critical ones. Always a space to get better, so let me know what you guys think.

[moccahobi]

It’s Raining Sharks Part 1 [TaeGi]

Summary: A sharknado! They’re real! Follow surfer Tae, badboy Yoongi, drunk Jimin, and intelligent Namjoon as they try to survive!

Genre: Sharknado AU, Horror (if you count sharknado as a horror movie), action, angst, 

Warnings: Gore, Excess alcohol use, grossly incorrect use of sharks, smoking, cussing, blood, a few sharks eat people, sharknado, guns, major character death

WC: 3.7k

A/N: This is for @thebtswritersclub​‘s monthly prompt! This month is monsters! And... @aroseforyoongi​ wanted a sharknado au! So... BOOM! And I am activly working on a part 2! And is also my submission for the Taegi square for @btsholidaybingo​!

Happy screams filled the cloudy skies as adults and children alike were running and playing along the soft sand. Frothing white waves crashed in the surf, people riding on top of them with concentrated faces. Despite the cloudy skies, it was a clear day and the lifeguards on duty were spread out on their perches, relaxing and taking the job easy. 

One of them, a caramel skinned man with deep purple hair and classic red lifeguard swim trunks on was even reading instead of doing his job. A slender finger pushed his round (and very dirty) spectacles back to a secure spot on his nose, the pair seeming to slide down endlessly in the heat of summer. Every once in a while, he raised his eyes and looked around the beach slowly to make sure that everything was ok and when everything was ok (as it always was), he went back to reading. 

Next to the reading lifeguard was a good looking brunette with sharp eyes and strong brows sprawled out on a rainbow beach towel, his other supplies sitting in the sand next to him. He’d been training for the past hour, his small speedo gently cupping and accentuating his body while allowing him to tan almost every part of him. Once he felt like he had been tanning for long enough, he got up and started to apply more low spf sunscreen. Through thick brows, the brunette checked out the lifeguard, his pink tongue momentarily peeking out and running across his lips, a small mustache and goatee framing them. The lifeguard didn’t notice or didnt care. 

Once the sunscreen had dried, the brunette took out a wetsuit from his duffle bag and got suited up, his board resting just a little ways away. Once suited, he picked up his board and ran off to the water. Silently, he looked back at the lifeguard to see if he was watching. His eyes were glued to whatever book he brought with him. 

In reality though, the water wasn’t nearly as safe as everyone thought it was. Rough skinned, mangled fanged sharks on their migration path south were passing by the beach. Blood thirsty and hungry, they could easily mistake a swimmer or surfer for a tasty snack. Yet as long as they didn’t breach, no one seemed to pay notice of the stalking swimmers as they leisurely patrolled from below, looking for a quick meal. One of the sharks wasn’t too stealthy though. It breached the surface of the water and its fin caught the attention of one of the working lifeguards. Very quickly after the fin was spotted, lifeguards were blowing their whistles, putting up a red danger flag and helping to get people out of the water. None of the sharks even had a nibble before the waters were cleared of people.  

Shortly after that, the purple haired lifeguard was back to reading his book and counting down the minutes until he could clock out and drink at the nearest bar. He had forty five minutes left. At the parking lot was the brunette, now in an unbuttoned hawaiian shirt (his chest was on display for all to see) and blue board shorts. He’d begrudgingly trekked back to his car after the red flags were raised, upset at only catching one good wave. The only thing that could have made his day worse was if it rained. That would completely ruin his plans of drinking a smoothie and relaxing in the sun. 

The sour stench of cigarette smoke drew his eyes up to a somber looking man in dark blue skinny jeans and a black leather jacket, his lips loosely puckered around a cigarette. He took one last drawl before throwing it on the ground and snuffing it out under chunky black boots, a wink shot at the surfer as he did so. 

Slowly he licked his lips and gave the brunette a once over, “I’m Yoongi.”

“I’m Taehyung.”

“Would you want to have a drink with me?”

“Sure.”

“Now?”

“Sure.”

“Well then… sure.”

Yoongi started to walk towards the closest bar as Taehyung quickly locked his car and ran to catch up with the gloomy man that he felt an attraction to. The two of them walked to the bar in silence, Yoongi focused on getting a drink in him and Taehyung struggled to find something to talk about. Once seated at the bar, Yoongi ordered two scotches.

“Oh. I don’t drink. I’ll have a sprite though!” Taehyung told the bartender.

Yoongi grunted, “How come?”

“I don’t like feeling drunk. Plus I don’t find most alcohol tasty.” 

“Makes sense. Alcohol is an acquired taste. I remember not liking it when I first had it.”

“And you like it now?” 

Yoongi snorted, “Yeah. Otherwise I wouldn’t drink it. Getting drunk is fun and all but I want to enjoy what I drink as well.”

While the two continued to talk (after finally finding something to talk about), the purple haired lifeguard came in, finally done with his shift, the man making a b-line to one of the bars regulars and a long time friend: Jimin. He had pastel pink hair that made him stick out like a sore thumb in the bar and always reeked of vodka… even when he wasn’t at the bar.

“They say a hoard of sharks are coming this way. Should we be scared, Doc Namjoon?” His words were slurred and he looked over at Namjoon with hooded eyes as he downed another shot of vodka. 

Namjoon snorted and rolled his eyes, “Of course not, Jimin. What the hell kind of conspiracy theories do you watch? Most sharks are completely harmless to humans. Some even really enjoy human interaction.”

“I watch really really…” Jimin smacked his lips, “Good things. Like three am documentaries on the… science channel.” 

“Wow. You must be so smart!” 

“I am! Like… I read one about… WOAHHH! You wouldn’t believe it,” Jimin giggled and grew animated, “A fucking tornado that… it… it sucked up sea life and took it allllll on land! It was… insane!”

“Sounds like a conspiracy theory. Or someone who doesn’t understand how nature works.”

“It’s true though! I promise!”

Namjoon snorted and gently patted Jimin’s shoulder, “Sure, buddy, and the movie The Meg is written about a real live event. Megalodons are totally real.”

“Well now you’re just being mean. Who's to say that sharks can’t be sucked into a tornado and survive?”

“Logic.” 

The two of them settled into a comfortable quiet, Jimin watching the nearest tv and Namjoon reading his book. The bar animated and alive as people celebrated a good day and relaxed after a hard day. Occasionally one could hear the loud laughs of a good conversation from Taehuyng and Yoongi, the two seeming to have hit it off well. The life in the bar suddenly stopped when the walls around them started to creak and groan, high winds pushing against them angrily. The only noise that one could hear was the newscaster on the tv talking about a tornado warning in the area.

Namjoon sighed and shook his head, turning to Jimin and speaking, “Whelp, you can’t drive and we should get somewhere safer than the beach so… come on up, Jimin.”

“What?! Namjoon, we have had so many tornadoes, why would this one possibly be different?” Jimin complained, grabbing the bar stool he sat on nonetheless and following behind Namjoon. 

“The fact that you haven’t been hunkering down is alarming.” Namjoon sighed and shook his head, not even paying mind to Jimin trying to steal the bar stool.

Before they even made it halfway across the bar, something heavy hit against one of the bar walls and shook the whole establishment. Everyone stilled as Yoongi slowly got up and looked out the window but aside from the grey skies of an approaching tornado, there wasn’t anything they could see.

WHAM!

Yoongi ducked down quickly, narrowly avoiding a whole shark as it came flying through the window, its tempered glass shattering into millions of small cubes. The thing flopped around angrily biting at anything and everything it possibly could. People anxiously jumped out of the way and ran towards the exit, even the bartender abandoned his post to leave the building. Yoongi was the first of the four left in the bar to reach, him grabbing one of the stools and jabbing it furiously at the shark with an angry yell. One of the dull legs of the seat punctured the sharks rough skin as blood spurted out from around it. 

Yoongi stabbed the shark a few more times, a grunt leaving him as he did so before the shark eventually stopped snapping at its surroundings. 

“WHAT THE FUCK! THAT WAS A FUCKING GREAT WHITE THAT-” Namjoon couldn’t believe what he just saw. 

A great white shark was flung through the bar’s window by a tornado.

“A SHARKNADO! I TOLD YOU IT COULD HAPPEN!” Jimin yelled happily, climbing over the bar to grab the entire bottle of tequila.

“Wha… what the hell?” Taehyung muttered, anxiously looking at the shark as if it was about to come alive again and kill him.

“It’s ok Taehyung. I will protect you. You have a big car right? I don’t think it would be safe for me to ride my motorcycle home.” Yoongi asked, turning his attention to Taehyung and trying to comfort the shocked man.

Taehyung could only focus on the blood splatter on Yoongi’s face as he silently nodded, opening and closing his mouth anxiously as he tried to formulate more words. 

“E-excuse me?” Namjoon spoke up suddenly, interrupting the tender moment between Yoongi and Taehyung and blushing as he did so, “Y-y-you probably don’t know me but I see you around a lot and I drank too much to be able to drive right now and,” He looked over at Jimin who was cuddling his chair as he nursed the bottle of tequila, “My friend is not in a state to drive… could you drive us to a safe place too? I promise we aren’t bad people!”

Yoongi coughed and gave Namjoon a once over, clearly not liking the idea.

“Namjoon, right? We’ve talked a few times. You’re the lifeguard who never actually works.”

Namjoon nodded.

“Sure… you can… just please make sure your friend doesn’t vomit in my car.” 

At that the four of them cautiously exited the bar before making a run (well as fast of a run as possible with Jimin) as people around them panicked and sharks were crashing into various objects. Namjoon even watched in horror as a large goblin shark crashed into his beloved lifeguard tower and started to eat the wood! Goblin sharks never got this close to shore, let alone on it! What type of craziness was this?!

By the time that the four of them had managed to get into Taehyung’s car, a fucking megamouth shark plowed through the bar. A gnarled brick and wood pile laying where the bar once was. 

“WHAT THE FUCK! WHAT THE FUCK! THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING! THIS ISN’T LOGICALLY POSSIBLE! TWO DEEP FUCKING SEA SHARKS JUST… WHAT THE FUCK!” Namjoon was yelling, tightly holding onto Jimin in fear as he looked out as flying sharked swallowed people whole.

 “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING, DUDE?! DON’T LEAVE- HE’S LEAVING THE CAR WHY IS HE LEAVING THE CAR?!” Namjoon continued to yell as Yoongi ran to his motorcycle and grabbed his concealed gun. 

“Woah. Yoongi, I don’t know about having a gun in here.” Taehyung said quietly as he cautiously eyed the gun that Yoongi clasped tightly. 

“Taehyung, how else are we going to fight these sharks? We don’t have another stool… other than… What’s your name?” Yoongi leaned back and looked at Jimin who scoffed and said his name. 

Taehyung sighed and shook his head before he started driving, quickly trying to drive away and avoid the flying sharks. Before their car could even get a mile, a large wave crashed over them and pushed Taehyung’s car almost half a mile away from where they had started. It shook the car violently and they could hear some sort of things hitting his car with loud THUMPS and THWAKS as water rushed by them. For the four of them, it felt like the moment was going to last a lifetime (and possibly be their last), but it only lasted half a minute before they had stopped moving, maybe an inch of water coating the ground now. 

When the waves finally did stop, the car was dead silent, Yoongi having instinctively grabbed Taehyung’s hand and Namjoon fearfully holding onto Jimin as he looked anxiously out at the car. 

Taehyung looked down at Yoongi’s hand and blushed, gently intertwining their hands before he looked around. He couldn’t be sure from the sharks squirming around the land and biting at everything in their path, but he was fairly positive that at least one of the things that hit their car was not a shark. Carefully he surveyed the road now in front of him. There didn’t seem to be any real dangerous things in the road that could pop one of their tires and with that in mind he once again started to drive, the car silent and tense. 

Of course none of them were prepared for what was to come. No one in the entire city would ever be prepared for the monster that the tornados had seemed to conjure up. The tornado seemed to suck up a beast that was more ferocious and scary than any of the other ones combined. And it was angry. Very angry.

Above the water, a water filled tornado had already made its way on land, spewing sharks every which direction that were causing mass destruction. From the tornado itself consuming whole buildings and leaving rubble behind to sharks flying angrily through the air and consuming anything that got in their paths before eventually dying from a lack of air, nothing and no one seemed to be safe. 

“All I am saying is that you often see these waves come in bouts of three… the last of which is always the strongest. If you really want us to get to safety, you need to put the pedal to the medal, Taehyung. I don’t want to be around water by the time the third wave comes.”

“I get that, I really do, Namjoon… but the cops here are ruthless. I don’t want a ticket. Natural disaster or not, I don’t want my record being tainted.”

Namjoon scoffed as Yoongi shook his head with a light smile, “Don’t worry, Namjoon. I’ll protect us.” 

“With your gun?! Are you crazy dude!? There are literal fucking sharks eating people whole and the water tornados! You really think a gun will do shit?”

“Totally. Plus, we can always stop somewhere and get extra stuff. I am pretty handy. I’ve dealt with sharks a ton in the past.” A distant look crossed Yoongi’s face, his mind clearly off in a distant land.

“Hey Namjoon?” Jimin mumbled from Namjoon’s embrace (who was still using the poor drunk like a stress ball), “Do you think that we’re going to die?”

“What? No, no. We won’t die, Jimin. Don’t worry. I’ll protect you. We’re going to survive.”  Namjoon punctuated what he said with another squeeze of Jimin before he finally let go and seemed to grow his composure.

“We probably want to actually think about where we are going… instead of just generally going inland.”

“Hmm… I was thinking that we could go to the inland. Like the part of town.” Taehyung said, anxiously tapping his steering wheel as he maneuvered around sharks.

“Taehyung.”

“Yes?” 

“The inland isn’t actually inland… you know that, right? It’s literally half a mile from the beach! Just slightly north!” Namjoon started shouting angrily.

He opened his mouth to keep yelling at Taehyung, another harsh wave crashed into the side of the car. From the force alone, the windows shattered and from Taehyung’s reflexes with driving, the car suddenly stopped. Jimin, who forgot to put his seatbelt on, went flying forwards and roughly hit his head against Yoongi’s seat before falling limply in his own lap. Namjoon on the other hand, was once again screaming, salty water filling his open mouth as he looked into the mouth of a large bull shark excitedly swimming into the now broken passenger window. In the rush of the wave continuing to pass through the car, a new, redder liquid started to merge. By the time the car passed, everything (and everyone) was coated in a faint pink color. 

Once the wave had passed the car, Taehyung and Yoongi were left staring back in horror at the bloody and half eaten body of Namjoon, their minds rushing to process what had happened. When Taehyung’s mind finally caught up, he immediately rushed to leave the car, his fingers stumbling to unbuckle himself and unlock the door before leaving the car with a strangled cry and budding tears. By the time Yoongi had left the car and reached Taehyung, the man was hyperventilating and crying. He hadn’t known Namjoon well but the two of them talked every once in a while and he never wanted him to die. Hell before he met Yoongi (and if things with Yoongi didn’t work out), Taehyung was still playing with the idea of asking Namjoon out. 

Yoongi shushed Taehyung quietly and gently wrapped Taehyung in a hug, the soft gesture seemingly uncommon for the stiff man. The two stayed there for an unknown amount of time before a scream from the car changed their attention. Jimin was clambering out of the broken car window, his eyes wide with fear before they landed on Taehyung and Yoongi.

“Were you fuckers going to just leave me in there?!” Jimin yelled angrily, walking over to them and wiping the fresh tears off his face. 

“Sorry, Jimin.” Taehyung looked down sadly, “I was shocked too… I… Fuck. This is such a scary time. I don’t know what to do.” 

“We need to go to a gun store. That is what we need to do.” Yoongi said calmly.

“What?”

“A gun store. We need to go get more guns. The wave ruined the only gun I had.” 

“We need to get to safety! That is what we need to do.” Jimin yelled again, “Namjoon said so!”

“And how can we get to safety without a gun?! We can’t use your fucking barstool to keep sharks at bay.”

“You used a stool before.”

“Guys…” Taehyung’s weak voice interrupted them with an uncertain wobble, “Can we please get a move on and not fight? We can find a store that sells guns and some other things… I don’t want to be here here or without something somewhat protecting us from any more waves.”

Yoongi looked over at Jimin as if to ask if that was ok before the three of them started walking along the road, neither of their electronics working. They were forced to walk along the road and take the first exit. At one point the three of them climbed up a tree at the edge of the road and waited for another wave to pass as wind dangerously whipped at their faces, hoards of sharks rushing past. They didn’t risk climbing down until all the sharks that were left in the area by the wave had passed. In the sky, they could see a tornado angrily throwing sharks left and right almost 100 miles ahead of them. None of them smart enough to notice that they couldn’t see its position change… which meant that it was on a path right to them… none of them observant enough to notice one specific, ancient looking shark that was angrily twisting and turning in the tornado. Somehow they managed to make it to an almost completely abandoned parking lot in front of a run down Hilton Hotel, one large, lone truck. 

Yoongi stopped and eyed it, Jimin distractedly meandering ahead and Taehyung waiting for Yoongi to say something, “We should steal it.”

“The… the car?”

“Yeah. We won’t make good headway on foot and we can’t easily guess when another wave will come. It would be safer.” 

“It’s illegal, Yoongi.”

“It would save us time and protect us from another wave, Jimin.”

“The last car didn’t protect Namjoon.”

“This one has larger wheels though. And it protected us during the first wave.” 

Before Jimin had any chance of arguing more, Yoongi tried opening one of the doors before grabbing a rock nearby and smashing one of the rear windows open to unlock one of the doors. 

“Well now that one of the windows is broken how will it protect us!” Jimin yelled angrily before going off on a rant as Yoongi worked on hot wiring the car and Taehyung floundered between the two. 

He had no idea what to do or what was better but as he anxiously looked at the still tornado, he knew he didn’t want to be outside for much longer and quickly climbed into the shotgun of the car. With a breath of relief from Yoongi, the car reved to life and Yoongi buckled in. 

“Well?” Yoongi looked over at Jimin who was angrily standing a solid ten feet away and gripping his barstool tightly, “Are you going to get in or is this where we part ways?” 

“I will not take part in illegal activities. A natural disaster or not. If you’re smart, Taehyung, you’d join me.”

Taehyung anxiously looked between Jimin and Yoongi, both of which were looking at him and waiting for his decision. What was he supposed to do? This was a matter of life and death… surely it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he did a few illegal things to stay alive… but did he want that hanging on his conscious? 

With one anxious look back at the tornado… which… somehow… seemed to look a little close, he resolutely closed the door and buckled in a small “Sorry.” leaving his mouth before Yoongi drove off, leaving Jimin in the dust, his frame getting smaller the farther they went. 

[buckthegrump]

Whenever You’re Ready

Summary: Bucky lost the love of his life three years ago and he’s still trying to figure out how to deal with that. But that gets harder when he gets an unexpected visitor.

Warnings: Mentions of death, angst, so much angst, fluff, a whole lot of feelings y’all 

Word Count: 6.2k

A/n: I had this thought and needed to write it

“I’m sorry, sir,” the officer said, “We have reason to believe that -”

Bucky stopped listening after the officer said ‘I’m sorry’. The words ‘I’m sorry’ were never followed by good news. Or even just neutral news, it’s almost exclusively followed by bad news. Especially when the ‘I’m sorry, sir’ comes from a doctor or a police officer.

But it didn’t matter that Bucky had stopped listening because he knew what they were about to say. They were going to tell him that they couldn’t find her body and that they were presuming her dead. But she couldn’t be dead. Y/n had promised that she wouldn’t die on him.

“We also lost his trail,” the officer finished.

“What?” Bucky’s head snapped up.

“He disappeared.”

* * *

Bucky sat up. The room was dark and silent. He glanced at the clock already knowing what time it was 1:35 am. The exact time that he was told that his fiance had been killed. No, not killed. Murdered.

It was the same dream, same memory, every year on the same day and he woke up at the exact same time. He was positive that no matter how many years passed it would be the same. He didn’t know if it would be worse if it was a happy memory that reminded him of what he was missing, or if he should be glad he was stuck with the worst night of his life.

The dream happened for months after and then it slowed to once a month until it only happened on the day.

He could roll over and try to fall back asleep but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to. He threw the covers off of him exposing his legs to the cool air of the room. He got up and made his way to the bathroom.

The water from the shower was as hot as it could possibly be. The hope was that it would get so hot it would burn away the pain, but nothing he tried was taking away the pain. The grief group he went to was just starting to make the pain a little less but -

Hours passed and the once nearly boiling water turned to ice against his back. All he wanted was to stay in the shower but he was meeting friends soon.

At 9:30 Bucky got into his car and drove to the cafe. Sam and Steve were waiting for him when he walked in. His friends decided that day when Bucky found out that he shouldn’t be alone on that day and so every year on that day, they would take the day off and spend all day together.

Sam was the first one to spot Bucky, he smiled and waved. 

“You were almost late, Barnes,” Sam said calling Steve’s attention to the new arrival.

“Well,” Bucky said as he sat down in the empty chair at the table, “I don’t think I could be late anywhere.”

Sam and Steve chuckled slightly at this. They remember the countless fights that Y/n and Bucky got into about being late versus showing up at least five minutes early. Y/n won and now ever since Bucky’s been on time for everything.

“How are you doing, Buck?” Steve asked. Bucky shrugged. “Did you have the dream again?”

“Yeah,” Bucky whispered. “I pulled out one of her dresses the other day, it doesn’t smell like her anymore. And I’m having trouble remembering the last time I told her that I loved her. But the day I found out she was dead -” he laughed humorlessly, “that day I can remember perfectly. It’s really fucked up when you think about it.”

Sam began talking about one thing or another and the conversation started flowing easily. And for a while, Bucky’s heart didn’t feel as heavy as he knew it was but it was nice to feel lighter.

After their coffee, they all went to watch a movie that ended up being terrible. It was about a man who didn’t know the ‘real’ value of life until his wife left him and took the kids. Sam leaned over and whispered snarky comments in Bucky’s ear. Bucky only heard about half of them, the ones he did hear were rather funny.

But Bucky couldn’t help but think about how lucky this guy was that he got a second chance. That he was able to go back to his wife and tell him everything on his mind, and Bucky would give anything to have that chance.

* * *

After the movie, Bucky got into his car and when he looked into the rearview mirror he saw Y/n. He gasped and looked out the windshield and then back into the mirror but she was no longer there. He let out a sigh of relief.

“What’s your problem?”

Bucky’s head snapped to his passenger seat where Y/n sat. She was looking at him.

“What?” She asked with a cheeky smile.

He turned back toward the wheel of the car and started driving.

“Did I do something?” She asked clicking her seatbelt into place. “Are you mad at me? Is it because I said that Star Wars isn’t as revolutionary as Legally Blonde? Because I’m right I don’t know why you’re trying to fight it, I’m always right? Also, do you think Firefly might be overrated? Because I have a theory that if they had more seasons it would’ve been one of those shows that started out great but then just ended terribly.”

Bucky gripped the steering wheel as tightly as he could. His bottom lip was shaking and every breath felt like it might be his last. She continued to talk like this was an everyday occurrence. Like Bucky hadn’t been slowly dying from the inside out because the love of his life, his soulmate had left him to live in this world without her.

“Ok, baby blue,” the nickname made Bucky tear up, “what is up? Is this because of the Star Wars thing? Or have you changed your mind about marrying me?”

“Never,” he whispered. He glanced over at her half afraid that once he acknowledged her she would disappear. She was still there beaming at him with her wild eyes that sparkled and her hair pulled back in two french braids.

“Good, because I was thinking about some things that should happen for the wedding,” Y/n continued to talk wedding the rest of the way home.

At every turn, Bucky was sure that she would vanish but she didn’t, she just talked and didn’t mind that Bucky wasn’t saying much of anything (which wasn’t too different than when she was alive). He was just going to see this time as a gift. Live in this fantasy for the rest of the day because there was no way that this would continue after he fell asleep.

While Bucky was getting ready for bed Y/n sat in bed and watched him.

“Wow,” she said in her best Owen Wilson voice, “My fiance is hot as fuck.”

Bucky snickered and rolled his eyes. He climbed into bed, he laid on his stomach head faced towards the ghost of his dead fiancee.

“Goodnight gumdrop,” he muttered.

“Sleep tight, baby blue,” she whispered and Bucky could’ve sworn that he felt her kiss his forehead.

And for the first time in what felt like forever, Bucky Barnes fell asleep with a smile on his face.

* * *

The first thing that registered was a horn blaring past him. He blinked his eyes a few times trying to figure out what was happening. He was in his car stopped on the side of the road off of US 26. It was dark outside and he was on the portion of the highway that was surrounded by a forest.

He looked to his passenger seat but just like he suspected Y/n wasn’t there. The more concerning issue was; how did he get here? And why was it 2 am?

He chalked it up to sleepwalking and drove back home. He flopped back into bed instantly going back to sleep.

* * *

Bucky spent most of his day at work on autopilot, but that was no different than any other godforsaken day. Tony, his business partner, barged into his office an hour before quittin’ time.

“What do you want Stark?” Bucky asked not taking his eyes off the screen.

“I was thinking about something the other day,” Tony paced in front of Bucky’s desk, “I know we mostly work with veterans who are dealing with PTSD but we should set up a foundation that also helps with the spouses and the significant others of vets or people who died overseas.”

Bucky froze before actually looking at Tony. He didn’t say anything so Tony, being a babbler, started to babble.

“I mean we could open it up to everyone else that lost someone because I know that you had a tough time coming back to work, and it’s ridiculous that society puts a time limit on grieving. So I was thinking that we set those up. And before you ask yes I was a little apprehensive about bringing this up to you because I wasn’t sure how you would react -”

“I like it,” Bucky cut him off.

“Good, because I kind of already set the plan in motion.” Tony gave him a thumbs up and promptly left the office.

This wasn’t an unusual thing, Tony having an idea and setting it in motion before consulting with Bucky. Luckily over the years, Bucky had gotten good at retroactively putting things to a stop when needed.

Bucky really did like the idea of setting up another foundation that helped people with the grieving of a lost loved one and mentally kicked himself for not coming up with the idea himself.

* * *

Bucky had snagged a coveted seat on the light rail train that ran through the city. It wasn’t a subway because it wasn’t underground, which Bucky (and most of the people in the city) found ridiculous because that meant when it got too hot outside the train was only able to go so fast.

And being the end of July the annual heatwave was rolling into town. The AC on the train was only doing so much during rush hour and people were packed in tight.

Bucky was doing his very best to ignore the discomfort by reading a book, but the book was getting boring and had recycled the same plotline about three times now and he was only halfway through. 

Just as he was closing the book the train came to an abrupt stop and someone fell into his lap.

She looked at him wide-eyed. 

“Sorry,” she grimaced.

And it felt like the whole world froze. There was no one else in the world but them and she literally took his breath away with one word. He was certain he’d never seen anyone quite as beautiful as she, just as he was sure he would never find someone more beautiful.

“It’s ok,” he breathed. “I’m Bucky.”

She smiled at him and Bucky’s heart nearly burst out of his chest. “Y/n.”

“So,” he was very conscious of the fact that she hadn’t moved out of his lap, “do you make it a habit of falling into people’s laps?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you trying to flirt with me?”

“Is it working?”

She chuckled softly and got out of his lap. “If it was, how do you see this conversation ending?”

“Best case scenario?” He asked and she nodded. “Exchanging numbers and dinner plans.”

She pulled out her phone, quickly unlocked it, and handed it over to Bucky. “Let me apologize for literally falling into your lap.”

“There’s really no need to apologize,” he said as he took her phone and put his number in.

When he handed it back she typed something in then looked back at him. “This is my stop. I’ll see ya around Bucky.”

Bucky watched dumbstruck as she hopped off the train at the stop. A second after she disappeared into the crowd his phone buzzed. An unknown number had texted him a simple message: Y/n Y/l/n.

* * *

The next time Bucky saw Y/n was when he went to get after-work drinks with Tony, Steve, and Sam. It had been a month since the anniversary and the next day Tony and Bucky were launching their new foundation.

Steve was telling a story about a date he’d had recently and Tony and Sam were just taking the piss out of him for everything that he’d done wrong on the date.

Bucky looked up in the middle of the story and found Y/n standing next to the jukebox staring at the options. She turned her head towards him and smiled. He blinked and when he opened his eyes she was gone.

He didn’t see her again for the rest of the night.

But the next morning around 5 am, a full hour before he would get up to go to the gym, he woke up on the side of the road again. It was the same spot as the last time. As Bucky drove home he kept his eyes peeled for any hit and runs, he wasn’t sure what he would do if he ended up hitting someone with his car while he sleepwalked.

* * *

Her skin was soft beneath his fingers as he drew lines across her skin. She let out a sigh as she slept next to him soundly. Bucky had woken up with the sun on that particular Saturday and he knew for a fact that Y/n would be pissed if he woke her up.

So he laid there with her and watched her sleep. He pressed a soft kiss to her bare shoulder and she shifted so she now she was laying on her side with her nose nuzzled into her pillow.

“Y/n, are you awake?” He asked softly. He smiled when she didn’t answer. “You don’t know this yet, but I’m going to propose to you. I don’t know when or how but I have the ring. I think you’ll like it, and I hope you say yes. God, I have no idea what I’ll do if you say no. Please don’t say no.”

She continued to sleep soundly, breathing deeply. He brushed his thumb across her eyebrow. The only time she looked this at peace was when she was sleeping, or after Bucky had shown her what she did to him.

“I love you,” he whispered.

A few seconds later she groaned and made the same noise she always did when she woke up, a small whimper that her night’s sleep was over. She opened an eye and looked at him.

“Were you watching me sleep again?” She asked in a hoarse voice. Bucky h’mmed in response. “You fuckin’ creep.”

“Oh yeah, because I’ve never caught you watching me sleep,” he chuckled.

“Uhh, when I watch you sleep it’s to make sure that you’re still breathing. Some times you’re sleeping so deeply I’m afraid that you’re dead,” she argued fully awake now. “Please don’t die on me.”

Not caring that neither of them had brushed their teeth yet, he kissed her lips softly. “I won’t as long as you promise to wait until we’re both well into our 80s or 90s.”

“Deal, but I hope you know that when I do die, I’m going to come back and haunt your ass so you’ll never actually be able to get over me and date someone else. I’m selfish like that.”

“I don’t want anyone else,” Bucky admitted.

“Well, when you say things like that it makes me feel bad for finding Sam really attractive. I hope you know that if you break your promise, I’m definitely turning to him for comfort and then we’ll fall in love and have a million babies,” she teased.

“Oh, a million babies?”

“Oh yeah, one million babies, and they’d be so much cuter than any babies you and I would have.” She smiled smugly until Bucky poked her sides and started tickling her. She giggled. “No!” 

“Take it back!” 

But she didn’t she just kept laughing and swatting at his hands. After a minute or two, he stopped and kissed her again. He paused and looked at her, really looked at her in the morning sunlight that peaked through the drapes of their bedroom window. He leaned over to his nightstand and opened the drawer and dug around for something.

“What are you doing?” She sat up and leaned against the headboard. Bucky turned around holding a ring. It was simple enough, it was a white gold band with a blue sapphire with two smaller diamonds on either side of it but the gems on the ring were huge. “What are you doing?” She repeated.

“I have been waiting for the right time, the perfect time to do this but I realized that when doesn’t matter. The perfect time wouldn’t make a difference, what matters is the person. You might not be a perfect person but neither am I, but you are the perfect person for me. So Y/n, I’m breaking one of your rules and asking you a question before breakfast,” he extended his arm slightly so the ring was closer to her, “Will you marry me?”

Y/n gasped shakily as tears welled up in her eyes. “Yes, of course!”

Bucky took her left hand and slid the ring on her finger, thanking the heavens that it fit. He stared at the ring as it sat on her finger.

“Are you not going to kiss me or anything?” Y/n asked snapping Bucky out of his daze.

“Neither of us have brushed our teeth and your morning breath is so bad -”

“My mom just called, she says that I can’t marry you.”

Bucky shook his head at his fiancee. “Shut up,” he chuckled and kissed her.

* * *

One Saturday, early January, Bucky was eating his cereal staring at Y/n or her ghost or whatever she was.

“Can I help you?” She asked cocking her head to the side.

“Are you a ghost?” He asked.

“You already know what I am, Barnes,” she answered solemnly. “You’re just afraid of what it means if you’re right.”

“But if you’re a hallucination,” his voice broke as he spoke, “that means you’re not real.”

“If I was real then you wouldn’t be keeping the fact that you can see me a secret?” She leaned back in her chair.

“I could just have a fever,” he reasoned.

“You’ve been seeing me off and on for months. If your fever had lasted this long you’d probably be dead,” she propped her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand.

“So what’s wrong with me?” He asked, cereal long forgotten.

“I don’t know,” she shrugged then gasped. “Maybe I’m a vision from a god or some higher power. Here to tell you that you’re missing something.”

“But what would I be missing?” Tears began to fall down his face.

“Do you not miss me?”

“I miss you every goddamn day but there’s not much I can do about that.” There was a brief silence and Bucky found himself wishing that she was actually something he could touch, not an uncommon wish for him. “I should go see a doctor, shouldn’t I?”

Y/n gave him a sad smile and Bucky pulled out his phone.

* * *

Y/n was sitting on the couch with Bucky, her legs on his lap and he was going over something that Tony had sent him. Bucky was petting her legs.

“Why are you petting my legs like a dog?” She asked pulling one of her headphones out of her ear. “You know I’m not into pet play.”

Bucky stopped his movements and glared at her. “Must you make everything dirty?”

She grinned. “Yes.”

Bucky shook his head and put the stack of papers down on the coffee table. He crawled over so his head was on Y/n’s stomach without missing a beat she started running her fingers through his hair. He moaned at the feeling and closed his eyes.

“What are you listening to?” He asked his voice muffled but the fabric of her shirt and her tummy.

“The podcast My Favorite Murder,” she said. “If you just gave it a chance you might enjoy it.”

“Why are you so obsessed with true crime?”

“Well if I’m prepared for it then I have a better chance of surviving and listening to how fucked up people are, helps me learn what to do if I’m ever in that situation.”

He chuckled softly, he lifted his head and looked at her. “You realize the chances of you getting murdered are very slim right? Besides, I’ll protect you if that ever becomes a real possibility.”

“Yes,” she rolled her eyes, “You’re very strong and manly. Will you please just listen to this one story about people who live on an island and one of the couples shares a pair of stainless steel teeth?”

Bucky didn’t really have that much of an interest in true crime, but he’d be lying if he said that story didn’t sound interesting.

“Fine, but just that one story,” he said, “You’re not going to hook me on this.”

He lied, she got him hooked on that podcast and any time they came out with a new episode they either listened to it together or texted the other if they were apart.

* * *

Bucky was listening to the podcast that Y/n had gotten him hooked on. He was sitting in the waiting room for the doctor and Y/n was in the chair across from him watching him closely. He was doing his best to just listen to the podcast but her stare was making that hard.

“Barnes?” A nurse called. 

Bucky sprung up from his seat and followed the nurse back into the exam room.

“Bucky Barnes,” the doctor greeted when she walked in.

“Dr. Cho,” Bucky greeted.

“What seems to be the problem?” She asked settling into the office chair in the room.

“I keep seeing my dead fiancee,” he said bluntly.

Dr. Cho pursed her lips and nodded her head. “Are you sleeping well?”

“Yeah,” he said completely forgetting about the sleepwalking he’s been doing.

“How long has it been going on?” She asked making a note in her chart.

“It’s off and on for a few months.”

“But not all the time?”

“No.”

Dr. Cho sighed. “Well, it might be a psychological thing if that’s the case the next plan of action would be to see a psychiatrist.”

“And another option?” Bucky asked though he already knew the answer.

“That you have some sort of brain tumor,” she answered and Bucky’s entire body sagged, “So I will schedule you for an MRI, but I would also like fo you to talk to someone.”

Bucky nodded silently agreeing with her.

After he got home that day he looked into some highly rated therapists and when he talked to his friends about it they all had suggestions for him.

* * *

The hauntingly familiar sound of a horn blaring startled Bucky awake again. He was sitting in his car that was idling with the radio playing quietly. The clock in his car told him it was 4 am. When he looked around he noticed that it was the same part of 26 that it usually was.

He really needed to find a way to stop himself from sleep-driving.

* * *

The room was eerily quiet. Bucky picked at his jeans pretending to rid them of pieces of fluff that didn’t exist. He’d been sitting in this room for almost half an hour silently, other than the initial hellos.

“You won’t know if this works until you talk to me and we are able to start a discussion,” Maria Hill, his new therapist told him.

“I know, I just don’t know where to start,” he said.

“Start from the beginning.”

So he did. He told her the story of how he met Y/n and falling in love with her and then proposing. He only wavered a bit when it came to the birthday party he’d planned for you.

* * *

“Are you sure you sent her the right time?” Natasha asked.

“Yes,” Bucky answered.

Natasha had asked that question about five times and it didn’t matter that Bucky had shown her the text that said he’d told Y/n to meet him at the restaurant at 6:30. Nor did it matter that Y/n had texted at 5 saying ‘hey love, I’m going to be a little late the meeting is running long and I still have to talk to some people afterward.’  

No, none of that mattered to Natasha who was nervous that Y/n would hate the surprise.

Bucky had set up a dinner for Y/n’s birthday. She thought it was just going to be her and him but Bucky had also invited all their friends because Y/n had started complaining that they didn’t all hang out together anymore.

Natasha was th only one who was worried for the first ten minutes of Y/n not showing up. After that everyone started to get more and more concerned about her unusual tardiness. Until they all decided to call the cops.

* * *

“They didn’t believe us at first,” Bucky told Maria. “They said that we had to wait 48 hours before we could officially file a missing person’s report. But we knew. It didn’t matter to them that Y/n was never late and if she was she would’ve called or texted. They thought she was running from me.”

Maria was quiet as Bucky took a tissue to blow his nose. 

“They never found her body either, isn’t that just a kick in the nuts?” Bucky laughed sardonically. “And the last thing I told her to her face was ‘just so you know you lost the game’ which might be the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Maria gave him a confused look. “The game?”

“It’s this thing where once you start playing the game you can never stop and the way to win the game is by not thinking about it but once you think about it you’ve lost the game,” Bucky explained.

“That’s counter-intuitive.”

“That’s the game.” Bucky shrugged. “I’ve also been seeing her.”

“Natasha?”

“No, Y/n. Not all the time but sometimes. We talk and I know it’s crazy but I like being able to talk to her again.” Bucky bounced his leg as he thought for a moment. “I’ve also been sleepwalking. More like driving.”

“What?” Maria looked shocked.

“Not all the time, but sometimes I’ll wake up to find myself in my car stopped on the side of the road. It’s the same spot every time, I never hit anyone or anything as far as I can tell.”

“Well, there are ways to get around sleepwalking maybe have a friend spend the night to stop you from getting into your car, set up an alarm system, I can send you a list of what some of my other clients have found helpful.”

* * *

A week after his therapy appointment Bucky was in the hospital for his MRI. 

It wasn’t until he was in the machine when he heard her voice.

“I hope you still have that amazing insurance because MRIs are not cheap,” she said and Bucky held back the urge to roll his eyes, “Are you ignoring me because you don’t want to look crazy in front of the doctors? Because you know that they know why you’re here right? They already know you’re crazy.”

As Bucky lay there for the rest of the scan Y/n sang a song that had been stuck in Bucky’s head for the past week. When he came out of the machine she was standing there in the corner of the room. He didn’t say anything but he made eye contact with her.

“You’re still missing it,” she said. He furrowed his brows at her. “Bucky you’re missing it.”

An hour later Bucky was sitting in front of a neuro doctor.

“There’s nothing showing up on the MRI,” Dr. Banner told him, “Medically? You are fine, Mr. Barnes.”

“Thank you, doctor.”

* * *

It happened again. He woke up on the side of the road in his idling car. But this time the sun was just beginning to rise. Bucky slammed his hands against the steering wheel before turning his car around to head back home.

He was about halfway home when something realized something. It was what Y/n had told him about missing something.

Every time he’d woken up on the side of the road it was after he’d seen Y/n. That’s the only time he’d sleepwalked was the night after all of the hallucinations. Which made him wonder, why that particular spot?

He could’ve gone home and just ignored his thought for the rest of the day but that might actually kill him.

He flipped a u-y and drove back to the spot. He pulled over on the shoulder. When he got out of the car he took a few deep breaths. 

Not really knowing what he was going to find or if he was going to find anything be began walking through the forest.

“This is the part of the horror movie where I die because I’m walking through a forest because a hallucination told me to. If Y/n could see you now she’d kill you for being stupid. Also if you get murdered they are definitely going to make fun of you on all the podcasts for being a complete idiot,” he mumbled to himself as he stumbled through the foliage and brush of the forest floor.

He walked for about a mile or two before he came across a small cabin in the middle of nowhere.

“What the hell?” He whispered to himself.

Then someone from inside the cabin let out an ear-piercing scream. Bucky finally had a logical thought and pulled out his phone to call 911. They told him to stay on the phone with him and they were sending units to him.

The screaming had stopped and Bucky almost went into the cabin. It was only a few minutes later when he heard the sirens and the officers came and two pairs walked over to the cabin and went in. Bucky was standing next to an officer who was told to wait with him.

There was a gunshot, not long after one of the officers made a call over the radio for an ambulance because there was a girl in the cabin who needed medical attention.

The officer that hung around with Bucky took his statement as they waited for the ambulance. Giving the statement to the officer was a blur and he tried to find a way to tell the officer that visions of Y/n had led him here without actually telling him that.

When the EMTs made it through the forest the ‘girl’ was escorted out of the cabin and Bucky’s heart dropped. There was a woman walking with the officer who looked so much like Y/n but her hair was unkempt and looked like she hadn’t eaten in years.

But then her eyes met his.

“James?” 

“Y/n?” He asked and his voice broke. Bucky didn’t wait for her to answer again as he ran over to her, how he managed not to trip over anything was a mystery to him. He stopped right in front of her. “Is that really you?”

Y/n let go of the officer and lifted her hands to his cheeks. She gently touched his face and he leaned into her touch. He was almost sure that at any moment he was going to wake up from this dream to an empty bed.

“You found me,” Y/n whispered before collapsing into Bucky’s arms.

* * *

Bucky sat next to her hospital bed and watched her. He was afraid that she would disappear. But he could touch her, he could feel her again. But he wouldn’t. Not until she made the first move, he wouldn’t make her do anything she didn’t want to do, he didn’t even know what’d happened in there.

The detectives that had come around informed him that any number of things could’ve happened during those three years and she would be a very different person now. That she would need countless hours of counseling.

Y/n had been unconscious since she fainted outside the cabin. Bucky knew he should call everyone, tell them that Y/n was alive, but he also knew that they would all want to come and see her so he settled for the two people who needed to know. Tony, because there was no way in hell Bucky was going into work today or anytime this week. And Natasha, because Nat would kick his ass if he kept this from him. 

Everyone else could wait until Y/n woke up and was ready for visitors.

* * *

Natasha had come in an hour after Bucky called and cried into his shoulder. She’d stayed for a while before Bucky told her to go home and that he would call her the instant Y/n woke up. Natasha had been reluctant at first but agreed because it didn’t look like Y/n was going to wake up anytime soon.

Which wasn’t true because an hour after Natasha left Y/n’s eyes fluttered open. She looked over to find Bucky wide awake watching her sleep.

Y/n gave him the smallest of smiles that somehow still took his breath away.

“You were watching me sleep,” she croaked.

“I thought you were dead -” he stared and had an apology on the tip of his tongue but she cut him off.

“Don’t apologize for not looking for me,” she ordered.

“But -”

“No,” she said firmly. “You were working with what you had.”

“How ok are you? Scale from one to ten.”

“If one is I’m dead, I’m gonna go with a one-point-five.” A tear fell from her eye and Bucky wanted nothing more than to wipe it away. Her lip began to tremble. “Um, he uhh -”

“You don’t have to tell me,” Bucky cut her off. “Not yet.”

There was a silence that Bucky didn’t know if he should fill or not. He knew what he wanted to tell her, but he wasn’t sure if he should if it would be what she wanted to hear.

“I’ll understand if you don’t want me anymore,” she told him. “I know that three years isn’t really a long time but if you don’t -”

“You can’t get rid of me that easy, gumdrop,” he told her and a sob escaped her lips. “I’d go get you another ring tonight. I meant what I said when I told you that you are the perfect person for me. And I still want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“But baby blue, I’ve changed. I’m not the same person I was. I’ve done things -”

“Y/n, neither of us are the same person we were three years ago. And whatever you did, kept you alive,” he said, he could feel the tears welling up in his eyes. “So yeah, we have some stuff to work out but my heart belongs to you and you alone. And I’m not giving up on you.”

Y/n reached out her hand for Bucky and he took it. Her frail hands wrapped around his one, they were cold. He could only imagine the rest of her body was just as cold.

“You still wanna marry me?” She asked softly.

“Do you still want to marry me?” He pulled over a chair not removing his hand from hers and sat down.

She nodded. “But I’m not ready to. Does that make sense? Like, I wanna be ready.”

“I would wait forever for you,” he told her.

“So you lied,” she sighed and he furrowed his brows at her. “Clearly, you couldn’t have changed that much you’re still the cheesiest person on the face of the planet.”

Bucky scoffed and pressed a gentle kiss to her hand. “Promise me you’ll let me know if you don’t want me to do something. Like if I touch you in a way you don’t like, you have to let me know. I never want to be the reason you’re in pain.”

“Ok,” she whispered. “Where’s everyone else?”

“I only called Natasha and Tony today because I wasn’t sure how you would react to a room full of people wanting to see you. I can call them if you want and get them here.”

“Not yet, I haven’t seen you in three years,” she played with his fingers. She hadn’t let him go as if she had been touch starved for so long.

“Ok, whenever you’re ready.”

And yes they had things that they would have to work out together and individually, but Bucky meant it when he said that he wasn’t going to give up on her.

[getitinbusan]

Jinnuendo

Jinnuendo Submitted by @befriendswithj​ is the first fic for our Campfire writing game. Jungkook, Jimin And Yoongi coming soon. Taehyung, Namjoon and J Hope are still open!

Camping with your friends was supposed to be fun- you could only agree, now that Jin had made camping even funner. 

 Jin x Reader

8806 Words

Genre: Fluff, Friends to lovers, Smut, Crack,

Warnings: Alcohol consumption, dirty talk, fingering, outdoor sex, unprotected sex (wrap it before u tap it, kids), Jimin’s cakes, The title… Well, there’s no excuse for that, sorry

I think that’s it?

_______________

“Yikes, I wouldn’t wanna be her right now”

Said the bus boy standing next to you, crossing his arms as he watched the restaurant manager approach the newest addition to the waiter team, who was currently involved in a rather heated discussion with a guest,

“It’s a shame she’s gonna have to leave, she was nice…”

You added and both of you sighed heavily and returned to your duties while the poor girl was being fired for standing her ground. She was the third one this month alone. To be fair, your manager was not an easy man to please, so it only made sense that new additions to the tea would be examined even more closely than you and the others, who had worked here for longer. The only thing keeping you safe from the manager’s wrath was your natural ability to fake-smile for hours on end. It was a gift as much as it was a curse but it had secured your job in the customer service sector so far.

And soon you will have survived another painful day of serving bitchy, rude and entitled Karen’s and Chad’s for the sake of financing your studies. At least they tipped well if you smiled hard enough.

This was your last day of work before you could look forward to two weeks of uninterrupted relaxation time. You handed in your last paper for this semester last week, so all of the work for university was also

done and nothing would interfere with your plans to sleep for three days straight and then spend the rest of the time at the beach, cooking in the sun.

“See you guys in a few weeks”

You yelled into the kitchen after you gathered your things and clocked out for the night. A few hurried goodbyes reached your ears before you exited through the back door of the restaurant and finally breathed in the fresh air, smelling of freedom and definitely not the burger grease stench coming from the kitchen AC vent.

No, it was definitely freedom and it was glorious.

_________

After a hot shower and big glass of wine you were slumped on your couch, ready to pass out any second now, when your phone went off and almost gave you a heart-attack.

You took a deep breath and checked the caller ID to see your friend Seokjin calling,

“What is it?”

Normally, Jin calling was a thing you were happy about, however, being interrupted while passing out after a 10-hour shift at your job, was not a happy occasion and you couldn’t mask the annoyance in your voice,

“Whoa, what’s got your panties in a twist? Did that guy at work steal your tips again?”

He asked and you breathed a heavy sigh,

“No, I think he learnt his lesson after I cut out the butt on all his work pants…

You answered, slowly sitting up and reaching for your wine glass to empty it with a last few sips before continuing the conversation

“Why are you calling so late? I was about to fall asleep…”,

“I just wanted to remind you to pack if you haven’t done it already. Which you probably haven’t. Case in point”

Pack? You creased your brows. Pack for what?

“YN? You still there?”,

“Uhh, yeah I am I just… can you remind me what I’m supposed to be packing for?”

If you weren’t so tired, you’d probably be a little more embarrassed,

“Seriously? It’s that time of the year, YN! It’s blackout week! Joon send everyone reminders months ago! And then weeks ago! And then again 2 days ago! How could you forget the most magical event of the year?”

You needed to hold the phone at a slight distance as to not go deaf at the sound of Seokjin’s friendly reminder. He was right, though, how could you forget? Blackout Week was the one week that you and your group of friends all looked forward to collectively every year. A whole week of camping in the mountains near a beautiful lake and no one was allowed to bring any kind of electronic devices, unless it was absolutely necessary for survival. A flashlight would be an exception but other than that you guys were pretty adapt at reverting your way of life back to the good old dark ages.

You were lucky that Jungkook and Hoseok had been part of a group of boy scouts or else blackout week would have ended in a disaster each time. Yeah well, maybe you had exaggerated when you said that all of you were pretty adapt at this stuff… But nevertheless, you were all very determined, which was just as important,

“Shit, you’re right, I completely forgot…”

You ran your hand across your face and sighed,

“Of course, you forgot, why am I even surprised…”

Jin sounded more upset that he actually was, you knew him by now. You just needed to work him a little bit,

“How early are we leaving tomorrow? Can I do it in the morning? I’m so tired…”

You probably sounded a little whiney but that usually did the trick with Jin,

“I told you to be ready at 5, you know how long the drive is. Ah YN, I still can’t believe it, you’re so careless sometimes…”

He already sounded a little softer,

“I’m sorry, I’ll start packing right now, ok?”,

You made sure to sound like the helpless damsel in distress you wanted Jin to believe you were and you were sure you had cracked him. You heard him sigh heavily on the other end of the line,

“Do you need help packing? I’ll come over and help you, it’ll be quicker and you can get more sleep”,

“Are you sure? It’s late already…”,

“Just stay awake for the next fifteen minutes and open the door when I knock, ok? I’ll be right there”,

“Ok…”

He hung up and you smiled to yourself. There were a few advantages to knowing how Jin’s mind worked. And knowing Jin, he would never not come and help you out and you were grateful to have such a selfless friend. He knew you were an absolute mess and he didn’t mind picking up your slack once in a while because you took care of him in turn. It wasn’t like you turned up whenever he called, like he usually did for you but you were the type of friend to think of things he forgot to do for himself. You had been friends for so long, that he had given you a key to his apartment a while back and you used it to make sure his fridge was always stocked, and his plants were taken care of. He worked a lot. Way more than you and the little things like self-care and chores sometimes got put on the back burner. Since you had a little more time on your hands you would take care of these things once in a while.

Before you got up off the couch to put on some comfy pants, you stretched your tired limbs and pressed play again to let Netflix run in the background.

Jin knocked right as you finished pouring two mugs of coffee, which both of you would probably need to undertake the monumental task of packing your camping bag. You opened the door and let him inside, handing him the mug right away and watching a smile creep onto his face,

“Coffee was a good idea”

He said and slurped loudly after he closed the door,

“Thought it would make me feel less dead. I have yet to see that theory proven”

You sipped on your coffee, too,

“Thank you for helping me, though, I completely forgot about the trip”

Jin waved you off,

“At this point I’d be surprised if you actually had remembered it. I know I’m usually the busy one but this semester you’ve had so much stuff to do, that I can’t even be mad you forgot everything not related to uni”

You smiled at him. Even though Jin loved to get his Dad mode on and get all red-faced and out of breath from all the scolding, he was a softie at heart and everyone knew, no matter how hard he puffed up his chest, he never really meant any harm. He was all bark and no bite and none of your friends took anything he said seriously,

“Let��s get started then”

He said and put down the mug in your sink before waltzing off towards your bedroom and digging around in your closet until he emerged with your suitcase. You watched him zoom around the place for a second until you joined him, sitting down on the bedroom floor and grabbing some clothes to roll up and place in the case,

“You want some snacks?”

You asked Jin in case he wanted some food in addition to the great entertainment you provided with Netflix in the background, your loud combined breathing and the rustling of useless stuff around you as you moved it around to find viable things to pack,

“I’m good, thanks, though”

He said and dived head first into a pile of clothes to look for your warmer sweatshirts. The end of summer was in sight and you would be staying pretty high up the mountains, so better be prepared,

“Although… do you still have some of those mini pretzels?”,

“Yeah, sure”

You got up and got him the bag of his beloved snack and then it was time to get some real work done.

_________

“Thank GOD we finally made it!”

Jin jumped out of the car and went to kneel down to kiss the ground but you stopped him before things could get ugly. What a baby, you thought to yourself… so what if you sang along to Cotton Eyed Joe for three hours straight? It’s a timeless masterpiece,

“So what if I sang along to Cotton Eyed Joe for three hours straight, it’s a timeless masterpiece!”

You argued and Jin’s eyes almost bulged out of his head,

“A timeless- can you even comprehend the unspeakable agony I was in? It felt like my soul left my mortal body and only the haunting of Cotton Eyed Joe remained…”

He could be such a drama queen sometimes. You rolled your eyes and sighed; deciding to be the bigger person really should be considered a virtue,

“Anyway, we made it here on time, didn’t we? You sure know how to burn some rubber when you don’t like the music I play…”

Jin pulled himself off the ground, holding onto the car door. His joints weakly cracked while he got up,

“I aged like 30 years during this trip and it’s only just starting…”

He mumbled to himself, shaking his head and making his neck crack in addition to everything else,

“What was that?”

You asked and Jin quickly went to unload the trunk,

“Nothing, nothing”

He answered, avoiding an even longer discussion about Cotton Eyed Joe.

You quickly joined him and had your bags unloaded in no time.

It seemed like you were the first ones to arrive at the camping site and when you informed Jin of that, his mood immediately shifted,

“We get to choose our spot?”

He looked at you in disbelief,

“Seems like it…”,

“Finally, we don’t have to sleep next to the dumpster!”

You never got to choose your spot because you had never been the first ones to arrive,

“Jin, there isn’t even a dumpster here, were in the middle of literal nowhere, nothing but lake, mountains and forest for miles”,

“True but somehow, the garbage always ended up being next to our tent because it was the only space left”

Ok, well, you guessed that was kinda true. You didn’t mind it though, you were a heavy sleeper,

“Ok, so let’s pick a good spot this time, hm?”

You said, clapped your hands together and looked around to assess the available spots,

“How about over there?”

You pointed to the edge of the clearing, where the trees began to grow thicker and taller. Jin squinted and pursed his lips,

“Hmmmm….”

He hummed and you guessed you wouldn’t be setting up there,

“What do you think about setting up here?”

You walked into the middle of the clearing, near the stump where the campfire would be set up later and Jin immediately pursed his lips even harder and hummed louder and you quickly suggested more,

“Ok, so near the lake then? Work with me here, Jin”

You walked down to the soft grass near the shore and presented it as appealingly as possible and Jin lips formed a smile. He nodded, finally. He walked towards you with the rolled-up tent under his arm and you planted it firmly in the ground. Not a second to soon, too because right after you set it down, another car approached and parked right beside Jin’s,

“Ah, the cavalry arrives”

You commented and just as you and Jin had planted the last fixture and the tent was stable, the car doors opened and the three Musketeers exited the vehicle in style.

Yoongi, sporting his usual urban-grandpa-couture, adjusted his tinted glasses and ran a hand through the hair that stuck out from his

headband, before he casually nodded at you and Jin in greeting. Hoseok and his brother Taehyung waved at you enthusiastically in their brightly coloured jackets and each held up a bag filled with goodies that looked extremely promising,

“Woooow! You’re here early!”

Hoseok could barely believe it,

“And you even grabbed the best spot, well done guys!”

He congratulated you, genuinely surprised that you made it here before anyone else for the first time,

“be honest, did you ever expect this to happen?”

You asked him as he came over to hug you and Jin simultaneously,

“Not in a million years”,

“But we’ve been rooting for you guys ever since we started this tradition”

Tae said as he leisurely strolled over and hugged you tightly,

“Thanks, it only took us almost 10 years to get here, so we’re gonna make sure to rub it in your faces whenever possible”

Jin piped up and you chuckled to yourself,

“If you got here so early you could have prepared the fire already instead of being lazy”

Yoongi grumbled and trudged over, as well,

“Missed you too, boo bear”

You cooed at him and went to pinch his cheeks,

“Goochie goo, look at you, you put on weight”

You loved treating him like a baby. He also loved it when you did it but he would sooner die than ever admit to that,

“Ugh, don’t touch me”

He weakly tried to wiggle out of your grip on his pinchable cheeks and after they presented all the goodies, they brought with them, you helped the guys set up their tent. Then you actually did prepare the fire.

The last of your friends to arrive were Namjoon, his baby cousin Jungkook and Jimin. Even more pinchable cheeks for you to victimize, you thought, rubbing your hands together evilly.

When they arrived, the rest of you were sitting around the fire and you only noticed their arrival when you heard their voices approach through the trees. Apparently, they had chosen to hike here,

“I’m never listening to you again… hiking here, I can’t believe I thought this was a good idea”

Joon said, sounding somewhat out of breath as he and Jungkook stepped into the clearing. He dropped his bags and drew in a long breath,

“Come on, it wasn’t that bad! And it’s not like you couldn’t use a little more exercise…”

Jungkook said, mumbling the last part of the sentence,

“What was that?”,

“Nothing, nothing…”

Jungkook picked up Joon’s bags in addition to his and marched on towards you guys, sitting by the fire. Jimin stepped out of the woods last and looked just as ethereal as everyone remembered. As he ran a hand through his hair, the sun immediately took a step back to let him take the place in the spotlight.

A collective sigh ran through your group and a couple of awkward glances and coughs were exchanged before you all got your bearings back. He smiled when he saw you and gave a little wave that made you giggle like a little girl when you waved back. Jin could only shake his head in disbelief. Sure, Jimin was hot. Even he could admit to that; but surely you thought Jin was handsome, too, right?

“Sorry we’re late, guys!”

Jungkook said as he reached you and set the bags down,

“Don’t worry about it”

Hoseok got up first and hugged the younger boy tightly before the rest of you got up and said hi. Joon and Jimin walked over, too and the hugging continued for a little longer than usual hugging because everyone took a little more time to get an extended hug with Jimin. It was honestly ridiculous how thirsty all of you were for him. And the poor guy had no idea.

______

After all the tents had been set up, everything was prepared and all of you had settled back around the fire, you watched Yoongi and Jimin prepare dinner, while Hoseok and Taehyung played UNO and Jungkook was scribbling something in a notebook. Jin was sitting next to you and reading through the gas grill’s user manual, Jimin and Yoongi were currently trying t get to work,

“Are you sure, you’re not holding it upside down?”

You asked him and reached out to grab it from him but he held it out of your reach and sighed,

“YN, I know how to read a damn…- hold on, it’s actually upside down”,

“Wait, really?

You were only joking about the upside-down thing,

“NO, of course not! How incapable do you think I am?”

Jin slapped your shoulder with the papers and you laughed as you tried to lean away far enough,

“Very, and I’m not even sorry for it”

you said and Jin’s mouth dropped open and he coughed out a laugh,

“With a friend like you, I really don’t need any enemies”

He said and you leaned back in to look up at him and channel your cutest pout,

“This is why you love me, though”

You were right, he thought, no one could make him feel so dumb, yet so happy at the same time. Especially with an annoyingly cute pouty face like yours,

“You’re lucky, that’s true”

He continued flipping through the manual and soon, the grill was working and he saved Yoongi and Jimin from their misery. Just in time, too because Tae was getting hungry and no one wanted to deal with that.

_______

“Aw man, that was so good!”

Jungkook said, stuffing the last food from his bowl into his mouth, chewing loudly,

“You want the rest of mine?”

You asked him, holding your bowl in his direction and he nodded eagerly, big eyes getting even bigger,

“There you go, big boy”

You smiled to yourself and handed him your bowl,

“God, where is all that food even going?”

Yoongi said, as he watched Jungkook devour the additional food he had just received,

“Shhh, let him eat”

You shushed Yoongi with a pat to his leg and watched Jungkook munch happily,

“Anyone want some rice cakes?”

Jimin piped up and opened up a Tupperware filled with the juicy looking sweet treats,

“Oooooh, Jimin, they look amazing!”

You couldn’t believe your eyes; they were your favourite,

“I knew you’d like them”

Jimin said as he watched your eyes and smile grow bigger,

“Have some”

He added and held the box your way,

“Oh yes! Thank you”

You got up and tiptoed around the fire to kneel in front of him to munch on his cakes.

You looked at him with glossy eyes, happy that he remembered your favourite treat. And they were good, too. So good, that you had to close your eyes as you had the first bite,

“Ohmygod”

You mumbled with a full mouth,

“Amazing”

You said and Jimin smiled proudly. Jin watched the interaction quietly from his seat.

Damn, he thought, he should have remembered to bring some rice cakes for you. He wasn’t really jealous of Jimin and his cakes. Really, he wasn’t. He was convinced that little crush of yours was completely food related, so he didn’t really think there was anything more to it. All he wanted was for that interaction to have taken place with him and also, for you to give all your attention to him and not Jimin. That seems like a reasonable mindset, right? So, in conclusion, he wasn’t jealous, at all.

However, when Jimin took a second rice cake out of the box and held it to your lips, time seemed to slow down for Jin and not in the good, romantic way he would have preferred it. Jimin gently placed the cake in your mouth and your lips closed around his finger for a second before he slowly pulled away. You moaned in pleasure as you started chewing and Jin had to bite down on his tongue to not lose his mind. To the others this was a completely normal and innocent thing to witness; just two friends sharing some food, what’s wrong with that? Everything, according to the way Jin was currently staring Jimin down and tried to telepathically communicate his disdain for the way he fed you food in the most erotic way possible. Ok, maybe he was a little jealous, after all.

Why was this suddenly getting to him? He knows that the relationship you have with him isn’t purely based on friendship, since the both of you had had some ambiguous moments of will they, won’t they before but it was never really anything you acted upon or even talked about. Nothing to take seriously.

Maybe, by watching you and Jimin flirt so innocently, he had just realized now, how precious you really were to him and that he wanted to try and incorporate a romantic aspect into your relationship.

Or maybe, he just never felt threatened before. Never felt like his place in your life was about to be taken away from him by a guy with sweet, juicy and delicious cakes.

Damn Jimin’s cakes! Jin got up and started collecting everyone’s dishes. He didn’t want to continue watching you basically crawling in Jimin’s lap and sucking the cakes off his fingers.

Maybe he went a little too hard with the whole dish collecting thing because as he ripped Jungkook’s bowl from his hands, the younger hadn’t completely finished I and yelled after Jin, as he went down to the lake and started vigorously scrubbing everything.

However, Jin didn’t know that he had absolutely nothing to be jealous of because as soon as he had left the circle, Tae, who was sat next to Jimin, made him feed him cakes, as well.

Let’s just say that even someone as oblivious as you knew when some actual sexual tension was developing. You decided it was time to awkwardly retreat to your seat now, before you were sandwiched in between the two boys. Only now did you notice that Jin had left the comfort of his camping chair,

“Hey, were did he go?”

You asked Joon, who was wrapped in a thick jacket with his hands around a warm cup of tea. While someone outside of your circle might be a little confused at the sight of someone with such a warm jacket on in this warm weather, you had stopped wondering about his weird habits a while ago. He slurped his tea and pointed down to the shore where, if you squinted heavily, you could faintly recognise the outline of Jin’s body in the dark. You excused yourself from the others and walked the short distance to join Jin in washing the dishes. He was slumped over, kneeling at the shore and, apparently, hadn’t noticed you approaching. So you yelled and gripped his shoulders from behind:

“Careful!”

The high-pitched scream he let out almost burst your eardrums but it was definitely worth it to see him almost jump into the water in shock,

“What the hell, YN? Why would you do that?”

He was clearly very upset about the whole thing but you only snickered like a mean little kid and kneeled down next to him,

“I’m sorry, I just couldn’t resist”

You said and took the knife he was scrubbing out of his hands. Safer this way. Even in the dark you could see his eyes, big as saucers and it only made you laugh more. You took his hand in yours in apology and Jin didn’t resist, he just yelled louder like he usually did,

“You’re such a brat! I volunteer to do the dishes and what do you do? Wow, the disrespect is off the charts!”

His yelling was like an affectionate pat on the back by now because you knew he would never actually yell at you in anger. He knew you loved it because you always laughed even harder when he started ranting. And when you squeezed his hand a little tighter, he was sure there was nothing he enjoyed more than making you laugh by making an ass of himself,

“I’ll stop, I promise!”

You bowed your head and clutched his hand to your chest, still smiling,

“Tsk, empty promises”

He shook his head and you looked up at him,

“I’ll make it up to you, I’ll help you with the dishes”

You said eagerly,

“And also, I snagged one of the rice cakes for you”

Jin listened up,

“I know you love these things even more than I do”

He heard some shuffling and then you held your hand up in front of his face, a tiny cake sitting in your palm,

“Open up”

You said, taking the cake between two fingers and holding it up for Jin,

“For me?”

He asked, just to make sure he wasn’t imagining this,

“Of course, for you, you genius”

Jin slowly opened his mouth and you gently placed the treat in it, like Jimin did with you. However, Jin didn’t think of Jimin in this moment, he only thought about the way your thumb lingered on his lower lip for a few seconds before you pulled your hand back. He felt his affection for you stir in his heart again.

He also felt something else stir in a different bodily region at the feeling of your fingers on his lips.

He quickly turned away and swallowed the sweet cake before clearing his throat,

“Thanks”

He managed to mumble and went right back to washing dishing and willing away the growing problem you were responsible for,

“Move over, I’ll help”

You said and crowded his space again to help him with the dishes and then a comfortable silence set in, only interrupted by the occasional loud laughter from the rest of the guys.

_________

The last night approached quicker than all of you would have liked. After all of the days spent on the lakeshore, basking in the sun and eating smores at night around the campfire, it was finally time to return to your normal life. You and Jin had gotten used to the tent situation quickly, even though it wasn’t the most comfortable or convenient.

Well, for Jin at least. After the you had gone to sleep on the first night, Jin lay awake for a while longer, not being able to get your small fingers and your gentle touch out of his mind and it didn’t help that you were right here next to him, bodies only separated by a thin sheet you used as blanket.

And it had only gotten worse.

Tonight, the silhouette of your body, illuminated by the dying light of the fire outside, made Jin especially weak. He, like you and the others, had a few drinks to celebrate your trip and commemorate your friendship and, surprisingly, alcohol didn’t do a lot to enhance his self -control. More like the opposite,

“You good? Are you comfortable?”,

“Yeah”,

“Ok”

You and Jin had finally arranged yourselves into the bed rolls and were about to go to sleep. You were turned away from him with not a lot of distance between your bodies. It had been an especially hot day and even though it was already dark, the air and the ground hadn’t begun to cool down, yet. Jin was uncomfortable in the heat and he had already stripped down to his briefs; just being in the tent, next to you, not even a sheet over your bodies, to avoid even more heat, he felt like his body was heating up even more. He heard you shuffle around a little and then your thin top was flying over his face and you wore nothing but your underwear,

“I’m sorry if this makes you uncomfortable but I feel like I’m melting”

You said and fanned your face to feel even the slightest relief from the heat. Jin didn’t say anything for a few seconds, too caught up in the realisation that you were in nothing but your underwear, right next to him,

“It’s fine”

His voice betrayed him, sounding breathy and thin. He cleared his throat,

“Don’t worry about it”

There, he sounded super manly again,

“I’m dying over here… it was nice when we were in the water but now? I’m not made for this weather”

You lamented and turned to Jin, tucking your hands under your head to be comfortable. He was glad that it was so dark because if there were even a little bit more light coming in from the outside you would have seen him staring shamelessly at your tits, pushed together between your arms,

“Yeah it’s uh… really bad”

Very smooth, Jin, managing to answer even though his briefs were getting uncomfortably tight, he thought to himself. The fire outside finally went out completely and the clinking of glasses and the sound of another tent zipper let you know that the last of your friends were about to hit the hay, as well,

“Do you mind if I open the zipper? Let some more air in?”

You asked and sat up already,

“No, go ahead, can’t be worse than this, anyway”

You felt around for the zipper and dragged it down until the flaps of the tent opened and a slight breeze greeted you from outside,

“Well, it’s not much but I can breathe a little better”,

You fell back into the bed roll with a sigh and Jin suddenly had an idea,

“Hey, YN”,

“Hm?”,

“How about we just go down to the lake? Put our feet in the water, cool down a little, you know?”,

“Mhmh, I guess”,

“It’s probably more effective than just opening the zipper”,

“Yeah, you’re right”

You sighed again and sat up in the tent,

“Ok then, let’s go. We gotta be quiet though, I think everyone’s sleeping already”

You said and Jin sat up, too, to crawl out of the tent and help you stand up after you crawled out, too. He grabbed your hand and slowly you navigated the dark clearing in the full moon light down to the soft grass around the lake shore until you felt the water gently lap on your feet.

Both of you sat down on the grass and let the waves envelope your feet on their way up,

“Ugh, I already feel so much better”

You relaxed and lay back on the grass, stretching your overheated and tired limbs,

“Same”

Jin stretched his legs, tapping and tickling your smaller feet with his and making you giggle,

“Jin, that tickles”

You tried to wiggle away, and escape his big gorilla feet,

“Is this an unexplored fetish of yours?”

you asked, making Jin laugh and trying to not be too loud,

“The tickling or the feet?”,

“Oh my god is it both?”,

“Are you kink-shaming me?”

“Definitely! Feet are gross”

You smiled and pushed yourself off the grass back into a sitting position,

“I don’t have a weird kink, calm down”

Jin loved riling you up, just as much as you did it to him,

“Anyway, I’m gonna go in, I think.”

He announced after he was done teasing you and slowly waded into the shallow water,

“you coming?”

You looked up at him, shaking your head,

“I don’t think so, I don’t have my bathing suit. Don’t wanna sleep in wet undies”

“Suit yourself. But don’t complain about the heat”

He simply said and turned around, walking until water reached up to his ribs.

It probably wouldn’t be so bad to get your underwear wet; in this heat they would be dry in no time anyway. But another thought crossed your mind and you contemplated just going commando. Even though yours and Jin’s relationship had never been anything more that friendly, except for a little flirting here and there, you felt like it could be more. There could be more to the flirting and the innocent hand touching. And times like these made you want to just cross the line. Despite Jin thinking he was pretty subtle about everything, you had noticed how, during the trip, he eyed you and Jimin curiously whenever you were talking. You had also noticed how he tried to put as much distance between you as possible in the tent as to not push his very obvious hard on anywhere near you. By now you just wanted to see if he would cross the line first.

Watching him, you unclipped your bra and slipped your panties down your legs, before you also let the cool waves roll against your body. He had already made his way a little farther out and you stopped where your feet could still feel the ground and the water just reached around your clavicle,

“Guess the heat finally got to you, hm?”

Jin said, as he noticed you approaching,

“Right, the heat”

You mumbled and he swam closer, back to your,

“Not worried about the clothes anymore?”

You shook your head and smiled,

“What clothes?”,

“Your under- Oh”

Jin stopped in the middle of the sentence after he had realised what you meant. His mouth fell open as his eyes took in the naked line of your shoulders, no straps in sight,

“I didn’t wanna get them wet”

You said and Jin has to swallow hard. You’re naked under the blurry sheen of the water and he doesn’t know how to handle the situation,

“Yeah, no, I get it, convenience and all that, right?”

He laughs awkwardly and tries and fails to cover up his sudden insecurity about your naked boobs just a few inches away from his face,

“Yeah, I just thought I’d let the girls breathe, you know?”

You looked down and Jin could see your hands covering your boobs right under the surface,

“Yeah, yeah, no big deal, just let the… the girls out”

He took a deep breath and tried to look anywhere but your hands encasing your tits. The trees were pretty in the dark, so out there. And their crowns looked so big and full and round in the moonlight. They were probably very soft if he were to submerge his face between them.

Yeah, trees really were something; He had always been a tree guy.

And he probably should take a step back so he wouldn’t accidentally poke you in the stomach,

“Are you ok? Am I making you uncomfortable?”

You asked, your voice sounding all soft an innocent,

“Do you want me to put it all back on?”

Jin whipped his head around at that and held his hands up,

“No! No, I mean…”

More awkward coughing,

“Don’t bother, you’re comfortable. I’m completely fine”

You giggled cutely and Jin felt his self-control pack its bags and jump out of the window,

“Are you sure? You seem kinda bothered…”

You took a step forward and Jin escaped immediately,

“I think I’m gonna go back out, it’s freezing in here, don’t you think?”

He stuttered and rushed through the water so fast that I splashed you in the face. You smiled to yourself, fully aware that Jin was definitely not unbothered by your boobs. A fact, that you would use to your advantage.

And Entertainment.

You also swam back to the shore, where Jin was already standing on the grass again, his back turned to the water. When the water wasn’t high enough to cover up your nakedness anymore you wanted to get Jin’s attention again. You slowly exited the water and walked towards Jin, who was currently picking up your underwear carefully. You noticed him stalling a moment and feeling the soft fabric of your panties between his fingers before he spoke up,

“YN, I’ll leave your stuff closer to the water, ok?”

He said, thinking you were still swimming around without a care in the world,

“No need”

You said from behind him and he jumped, dropping your things, then tripped and landed on his ass, as he tried to put some more distance between you again,

“Ah… you scared me again”

He said, sitting on the floor and covering his eyes with his fingers immediately. He was only able to see your face through the gaps between his fingers. You didn’t say anything; you just stood there for a few seconds, making Jin suffer even more,

“I uh, do you wanna go back by any chance? I’m kinda tired”

He tried to find an excuse to flee again but you weren’t having it. You knelt down and placed your self firmly in his lap, straddling him,

“I don’t wanna go back, yet”

You mumbled and gently wrapped your small fingers around the wrist of Jin’s hand, trying to get him to uncover his eyes and look at you. He resisted. Not at all cost but it was enough to give you pause and make you doubt your intentions,

“Jin, it’s ok, you can look”

You tried to soothe him a little but he didn’t relent,

“YN, please, I’m trying so hard”

He whispered, hoping you would get the message.

It wasn’t like he didn’t want to look, he definitely wanted to. He was sure, the hard dick poking you in the thighs told you so very clearly. It was just that he wasn’t sure what would happen, if he gave in. Your friendship was something he treasured and was thankful for every day, no matter how annoying you could be at times,

“Would it be so bad? We’ve been friends for so long, have you never thought about it?”

Your soft voice slowly but surely worked on dismantling his determination,

“Of course, I thought about it. Multiple times, actually. Especially this week”

Jin answered and he felt you shift slightly above him,

“So, if you thought about it, does that mean… you don’t want to?”

He thought he heard something like disappointment in your voice and he was never good at ignoring when you felt down,

“Are you kidding? You think I’d be this hard if I didn’t want to?”

He tried to lighten the mood and let his free hand move up and down your thigh,

“I’ve been wanting to do this for ever, YN, I just don’t know if this is a good idea”,

“Jin, please…”

He swallowed as he felt you move again, this time you were pushing down on him, grinding against him and he had a hard time to keep his eyes covered,

“Shit”

He cursed at the feeling of you grinding on him and you moved his hand higher from your thigh while you tried again to remove his hand from his face. He slowly let you but he kept his eyes closed,

“Jin, look at me”

You now held both of his hands in yours and you slowly moved the up your body until they cupped your breasts. You sighed and squeezed Jin’s hands around them making him moan and his head fell forward, against your shoulder,

“YN, fuck, you need to stop… I’m a weak man and your tits feel amazing”

He started squeezing on his own and slowly rubbed his thumbs on your nipples,

“Touch me, baby, please”

Your pleas were making him so weak and he knew there was no way he would stop now, that he felt your soft skin under his hands. He turned his head just a little, placing his lips against your neck and kissing you gently. He listened to your moans and let you move against him, rub yourself against his dick in his briefs and it made him so hard; shit, you just felt so good against him, warm and soft and your tits were so fucking nice he couldn’t form a coherent thought anymore. He wanted more, needed more, needed to touch more and taste more of you, so he quickly spun you around and pushed your body back into the soft grass and hovered above you,

“Kiss me”

You whine and he wants nothing more than to kiss every inch of your skin. Starting with your pretty lips; you pretty lips which were always pouting smiling, making him crazy and making him wish he knew what the felt like around his dick. He leans down and they’re so soft. So damn soft like your beautiful tits, which he went right back to squeezing and massaging, making you moan into his mouth. Then it’s wet; tongues finding each other, wet bodies grinding together and your wet pussy rubbing against him. God, you’re so wet. He even feels it through his boxer briefs. He never thought he’d be able to get you this wet. When you lift your legs and wrap them around his hips, he can’t hold back any longer,

“Shit, you feel so good, YN, so fucking soft”

He starts kissing your neck again, moving along the smooth skin down to your collarbone and then further down to suck one of your nipples into his mouth. You moaned and ran your hands through his hair, tugging slightly and running your nails along his scalp,

“Feel good, baby?”

He asked, voice rough as he switched sides,

“So good…”

You managed to answer through your bliss-clouded mind,

“Want more”

You added and weakly grabbed one of Jin’s hands to move it lower, between your legs,

“More? Want me here? Want me to touch your pussy?”

You never would have guessed Jin would be so vocal during sex, you always thought he’d be the sweet and vanilla type of guy but you weren’t about to complain when his fingers felt so good rubbing your lower lips,

“Yes, touch me, please, want you so much”

you pulled his face back down to yours to kiss him as he let his fingers slide through your wetness and moaned into the kiss at how fucking good it felt,

“Shit, you’re so wet… so fucking warm, fuck”

He started rubbing your clit lightly and you broke the kiss to bury your face in his neck and muffle your moans,

“Ah, Jin…”,

“Like this?”,

“Fuck, yes”

He made you feel so good, you wanted to do the same. You worked your hand between your bodies, too and started rubbing Jin through the fabric of his briefs. The feeling of his hard dick in your hands made you want more and you slipped your hand inside, wrapping it around him for real and gently moving it until you felt his fingers lose their rhythm on your clit and all you could hear were the pleasured moans he failed to hold in,

“Am I doing it right?”

You knew you were doing it right but you also knew Jin loved it when you acted helpless and cute. Could only apply even more in this situation,

“Yeah, you are… So right, so good, shit”

He sucked on the skin of your neck and slid his finger from your clit down and slowly, gently slipped it inside of you, moaning at the warm wet feeling that greeted him. You couldn’t find any words that would accurately express your thoughts at this moment; you could just tighten your legs around him and try not to be so loud you’d wake the others,

“You like that, hm? Feel so tight, baby, can’t wait to fuck you”

Jin moaned in your ear and you felt a heatwave run through your body,

“Jin, fuck me, plea- Ah…”

right as you begged him, he slid in a second finger,

“That what you want? Want me to fuck you?”

He pushed his fingers in deeper and you tried to not lose the rhythm you had going on with your hand around his dick,

“Mhmmh”

You couldn’t form a decent answer at this point,

“You sure, baby? I could make you come like this and then fuck you; make you come again”

He kissed you slow and deep this time, moving his fingers in tandem with his tongue. You shook your head, tightening your legs again, pushing his fingers even deeper,

“No? You want it now? Want me to fuck that tight little pussy?”

Jesus, you thought, you never knew words could turn you on so much,

“Then you’ll get it, baby”

He pulled his fingers out slowly and you watched as he stuck them in his mouth to suck them clean,

“Mhm, fuck, I’ll eat you next time, don’t even try to stop me”

You spread your legs as he sat back on his haunches and pushed his briefs down, finally. You couldn’t make out his size in the dark but you had already felt that it was a little bigger than what you were used to.

Jin gripped himself, moving his hand along his dick and sighing,

“Can’t believe this is happening…”

He said and leaning back down, hovering over your body,

“Wanted this for so long”

He continued and you let your hand travel over his naked chest as he guided his dick to slide through your wetness. You watched him shudder and a breath hitched in his throat as his dick made contact with your wet, warm centre,

“God, feels so good already, Jin, don’t tease me”

He bent down and kissed you,

“I won’t, I just…”

He hesitated for a second and took a deep breath,

“I don’t have any condoms with me, I wasn’t really planning on this to happen”

You smiled at the sudden insecurity in his voice and gently ran a hand through his dishevelled hair,

“It’s fine, I have an IUD, you don’t have to worry”,

“I can come inside you? You sure?”,

“I want you to”,

“Fuck…”

Jin went right back to kissing and sucking on your neck,

“Please, Jin, fuck me, come inside me… want you so bad”

The way you sounded so fucking whiney and sweet; he moaned into your skin and rubbed his dick along your pussy before he slowly pushed the head inside. Unprepared for the incredible feeling of your wet, tight pussy around his dick, he pushed in even more, swallowing all your moans and pleas. Never had he felt this good before, literally never. Your pussy felt so damn good around him, he wasn’t even completely sure this was real,

“Ah, Jin!”

He could tell you tried to be quiet,

“Shit, it’s so big…”,

“You ok? Want me to go slow?”

He asked for your comfort, yet he wasn’t sure he could do anything about it because his dick was definitely pushing itself deeper inside you of its own accord. He probably couldn’t stop, even if he wanted to,

“No, I’m fine, it feels amazing”

You threw your head back into the grass and Jin bent a little to suck your nipple back into his mouth, adding to your pleasure even more.

He pushed in deeper and deeper, moving his hips until they wouldn’t go any further and he was balls deep inside you. Even if you didn’t, he needed a moment to come back to reality and not finish before he had even started. You held him so tightly and he squeezed every bit of skin he could reach as your hips moved against his, stealing his breath and making him feel so fucking good,

“You feel so good, YN, so fucking good”

He closed his eyes and let himself get lost in the feeling of your body against his,

“So wet, so tight- this pussy’s made for me”

He mumbled against your skin and kissed and sucked what his lips could find. He wanted to be more in control, wanted to be more focused on your pleasure but it just felt so good. He could only hope he was making you feel as good as he possibly could,

“Jin, touch me…”

He heard you sigh and he placed one last kiss to your lips before he pushed himself up to sit back, so he could bring his fingers back to your clit,

“Like this?”

He asked as he rubbed you and immediately felt you clench around him,

“Yes, ah… like that”,

He lifted your leg onto his shoulder with his other hand, spreading you even more for him. This new angle had him hitting you deeper and Jin did his very best to hit all the right places. He already felt his end approaching and he knew he couldn’t hold it off for long,

“Jin, fuck, I’m close, don’t stop”

Your words were music to his ears. He held your leg tightly to his chest, fucking you deeper and harder, working his fingers as close to the rhythm his hips were setting as possible,

“That’s it, baby, come for me”

He ben forward slightly, wanting to be closer to you, wanting to see your face when you came,

“Come all over my dick”

His words made you feel hot all over and you felt your muscles contracting, bringing you closer to your end,

“Ahh, I’m gonna come”

Your voice was strained and you put both of your hands over your mouth, knowing this was gonna be a loud one. Jin was captivated by the pure look of pleasure on your face and devoted all of his movements to making you come, desperate to see your face and feel you clench around his dick,

“Gonna come for me? I can feel it, baby, tell me what to do”,

“Just like that, don’t stop”,

“You’re so beautiful… look so good like this; I want you so much”

He told you all the things he always wanted you to know and more until he felt your pussy tighten around him and your leg spasm in his grip while you moaned through your hands in a desperate attempt to deafen the noise as you came around him. He pushed in so deep, revelling in the feeling of your orgasm and letting his own take over.

He bent down, pushing your hands out of your face and capturing your lips in a slow, deep kiss that made your toes curl like that orgasm just did. He came so deep inside you, filling you up so good and holding you so tight and close, you never wanted him to let you go.

As your muscles relaxed and your breathing evened out again, just like Jin’s, he took your hands in his and kissed them before intertwining your fingers and pressing another long, deep kiss to your lips,

“Jeesus, Jin, I never would have thought you’d talk so dirty to me”

Was the first thing that came to your mind as he slipped out of you and lay down next to you. He let out a hearty laugh and ran a hand over his face,

“I don’t know what came over me”

He said and you smiled,

“I just bring out the best in you, don’t I?”

He squeezed your hand lovingly,

“My best is definitely in you, yes”

He snickered and you slapped his shoulder,

“You’re so nasty, Jin!”

You both giggled as suddenly a loud voice rang through your post-orgasmic bliss,

“You’re both nasty! Fucking like horny teenagers while all your friends are trying to sleep? What are you, 16? Get a damn room next time, fuck!”

Both of you recognized Yoongi’s voice. You probably woke him up or kept him from sleeping,

“Whoops…”

You said, hiding your face in Jin’s neck,

“You should be happy it’s only happened now! Otherwise you wouldn’t have gotten any sleep at all!”

Jin yelled back and you laughed even harder.

He had exactly zero shame and that was probably why you worked so well together. And you continued to work well together two more times that  night. And then you continued to work even better together for a lot more years to come.

Submitted by @befriendswithj​

[cilldaracailin]

Play The Game

Hello my Tumblr Lovely’s!

At last and about forty minutes later then I expected, I am finally ready to post after I kicked the internets butt (I really actually had a shower, got my stuff ready for work, got mad at the internet as it refused to work, turned my laptop on and off, disconnected and reconnected the internet and had a little moan (I say little, I mean a lot..) and finally it worked!

But anywhoo, the next part of the Play The Game! Hope you all enjoy...

Suze xx

*Little disclaimer, I did a little research for this part so I got the details as best as I could...*

2

“A friend is one of the nicest things you can have and one of the best things you can be”

It was a rainy Saturday morning in London that met Robyn as she wheeled her case through the exit of Heathrow airport and she stayed under the cover of the airport to keep dry. She pulled out her phone to call Taron but saw a text message waiting for her. She read it with a grin and made her way towards a blacked-out car that was parked near the end of the pick-up point for cars.

“Hello Robyn.”

“Hey Anthony!” Robyn grinned as the driver stepped out and she recognised him immediately. “What are you doing here?”

“Thought that might be obvious chicken.” Robyn looked to the back window of the car that was slightly rolled down and she could see Taron’s eyes peeking through. “We are here to pick you up from the airport.”

She grinned and thanked Anthony as he took her case. “Please wait Robyn. I will get the door for you.”

“Anthony, I can get…”

“I will get it Robyn.”

“Okie dokie.”

Robyn stood patiently at the boot of the car and waited while Anthony sorted her case and once he was finished, followed him around to the opposite side of the car and after he had opened the door, slipped into the back seat and was met with a wonderfully large grin on Taron’s face and a bunch of daffodils.

“Hello chicken!” Taron’s excitement levels had been on overdrive and he was finding it so hard to stay in the back of the car, let alone sit still. Robyn had told him she had planned on taking the tube to Tottenham Court Road and walk the quick ten minutes to The Mandrake hotel, the one Taron had organised for them and meet him there but Taron had other ideas and arranged a car to pick her up. He just hadn’t told her that he was going to be in the back waiting for her. “These are for you.” He handed over the daffodils to her, knowing they were her absolute favourite.

“Taron!” Exclaimed Robyn not expecting to see him until she was at the hotel, but here he was right beside her. “Aww wow thank you. My favourite.” She took the flowers from him. “These are beautiful.” Robyn placed them beside the door, which was now closed as Anthony was back behind the wheel, driving them away from the airport and to their hotel for the night. “I want my squishy hug now.” She said with a firm voice and enjoyed hearing Taron’s laugh in person and how he shuffled closer to her and wrapped her up tightly into his arms.

“This is a different take on the hug. The sitting sideways squishy but I am so happy to see you. It has been much too long since we have seen each other in person.”

“Hey that’s all on you. I am not the big movie star spending my time in New York re-shooting a movie and I am training free at the moment. I’ve been spending my weekend with cwtch.”

Taron grinned as he leant his nose into her neck and rubbed her back. “Not my fault the weather in New York was shit and we had to wait for the snow to melt a little.”

“Ok I will give you that one.” Robyn slowly moved her fingers through his hair at the back of his head, smiling that he hadn’t had the chance to cut it short because he needed the length for his Eggsy re-shoots. “Nice to see you too by the way.” Robyn moved away from him and smiled. “And Anthony too.” She said giving a nod towards the driver seat.

“I asked Elton for a favour and once I mentioned you, he was very willing to help me out. Anthony more than happy to help too when he heard it was you. What is it about people just wanting to do things for you?”

Robyn blushed a little. “People don’t just do things for me.”

Taron chucked against her. “You have no idea the power you hold over everyone chicken. Me, my family, the kids you work with, Stella, Elton, Anthony, Richard? The list is endless.” He smiled as she tugged his hair a little in protest. “I just tell it like it is Robyn.” He gave her one more quick hug and moved back from her.

Ignoring his comment completely, Robyn lifted her eyes to look at him and grinned. “Hey you don’t look tired! That’s a first.”

“I have been in London since Wednesday and literally spent the last two days sleeping but you do.” Taron frowned a little as he gently ran a fingertip under the dark circles under her eyes. “You been sleeping?”

After having her eyes closed and very much enjoying the feeling of his fingers on her skin, she looked to him. “Been a busy two weeks.”

“Still sorting that paper work shit out?”

“It is finally sorted. I didn’t want to have to be at it next week as the date for it to be finished is next Wednesday, so I didn’t leave the office till after nine last night.”

“Robyn…” Taron was ready to frown at her but she interrupted him before he could.

“Yeah I know but if I had to look at those forms again, I was actually going to go mad and I sent the last one off all corrected and filled in. It was such a load of bollocks anyway. Moving the date of registration and then giving out more paperwork to be filled in and then I was chasing parents for forms that had been sent home and trying to catch them because they had missed a place to sign and it was just…” Her long-winded sentence was cut off as Taron pulled her in for another hug.

“You needed this weekend huh?”

“More than you could imagine.” She answered taking one long deep breathe, cuddling a little more into him, though it was a little awkward in their sideways position.

“How about a nap when we get to the hotel?” He asked her, carefully letting her go and once out of his arms, used his two hands to brush her hair away from her face, his fingers separating soft strands the whole length of her hair. “And I know you got your hair cut.”

Robyn grinned. “I told you I was going too.”

“You told me an inch.”

“I did get an inch.”

“This is more than an inch.” He said, gathering her hair around her shoulders, fanning the long strands out, frowning when he couldn’t find the colour he was searching for. “And you took the pink out.”

“It mostly washed out and my hairdresser was mad at me!” She laughed. “Not impressed at all. She changed it all back to blonde.”

“I liked the pink.” He said sadly.

“I am a bit old for the pink.”

“Never.” He smiled, moving to sit back against the seat. “Can’t believe you cut your hair. I specifically didn’t get a haircut because I know you like my hair longer.”

Robyn laughed as she moved to sit right beside him, their legs touching. “You are such a liar and a bad one at that. You just told me you spent the last two days sleeping. There was no time for you to go and get a haircut, especially when you have only just come back from New York.”

Shaking his head, Taron realised he had been caught out. “Alright fine but you did cut more than you said you would.”

“And it has grown a lot since I have seen you last.” She chucked at his face when as he stared at her. “You are a little protective of my hair.”

“I just like it long that’s all.” Taron turned to kiss her temple, his lips lingering a moment longer than necessary on her skin.

“I like it long too. You know it has taken me years to grow it out. It just really needed a good trim. I am never going to cut it short and it is still really long Taron. I mean it goes down past my shoulder blades.” She took in his doubtful face and smiling tapped his nose as she always did when he was giving her his best frown. “Hair grows Taron.”

“Yeah I know.” He tapped her nose back. “No sign of those freckles coming back either.”

“Taron…” Robyn’s voice was playful.

“Anyway, moving on, so you all set for this evening.” He asked her.

“You brought my dress?” She asked him.

“Yep. In the boot.”

“Then I am all set. I am looking forward to it.”

“To the musical or the red carpet?”

“The musical.” She whispered.

“I got the red carpet covered and I know Lyndsey has called you.”

“She has. Gave me some tips and answers and I promise to follow them.” She replied. “As best I can.” She added with a second thought.

“Do I get to see fiery Robyn tonight?” He asked her.

“Hopefully not. I promise to be good.”

“I know you will chicken.” Taron re-positioned his body a little against the back seat, rolling his neck and his shoulders when he felt a little uncomfortable twinge seep in before he settled.

“You ok?” Robyn asked him watching as his eyes closed and a little whimper left his lips as he rolled his head again, his right hand moving to the nape of his neck to rub the slight ache he obviously was feeling away.

“Just a little stiff and sore. Re-shoots are always gruelling. Trying to cram as much as we can into the last few hours we have. Instead of being tired I am just a little tender.”

“Am I getting flashbacks from when you came to my home and every move you made hurt you?”

“No you’re not. Just some of the perks of the job. Sleeping constantly over the last two days hasn’t really helped. I will be right as rein for this evening and you don’t have to give me that look. I am just fine. Our bathroom has a rainfall shower. Might take extra advantage of it this evening.”

“Bet you are glad to be finally finished.”

“It’s been one of the longest shoots.”

“Didn’t help the break in-between either.”

“No, it dragged it out but it’s done. I am glad I am not in Matthew’s shoes. He has just under a month to edit and get the movie ready for release.”

“Surely it would have made more sense to just push the release date back?”

“In theory yes but in reality, no. Not with all the promotion already organised and booked. It’s just a logistical mess and editing a movie is much easier when it comes down to it all.”

“You are going to be busy in April.” Frowned Robyn.

“You too.”

“Not as busy as you.”

“Seven shows as Mimi?” He countered

“Yeah but I have one show an evening. You have a gazillion interviews and press thingy-ma-bobs one after the other in a gazillion different countries.”

“Sounds about right.” Laughed Taron. “Press thingy-ma-bobs. You’re still going to get me a ticket to your show?”

“Yep as soon as they go on sale.”

“And a front row seat?”

“I will get you a good seat Taron. Maybe not front row cos it is quite close to the stage. Sometimes a few rows back are best.”

“Perfect. I am very happy our dates don’t clash.”

“Me too but you are straight into promotion on the Monday after you come to see RENT.”

“I will be fine. I always get a fabulous sleep in your bed. It can be my last cosy duvet sleep before the madness starts.”

“Did you plan this whole thing yourself? Talk to the musical society so our dates wouldn’t clash with yours and that you would be able to have at least one decent sleep before you went on your promotional tour?”

“Dammit, my secret is out! The promotion is always so tiring so I will need a good sleep before it starts and I have always had a wonderful sleep at your house.”

“You can bring your throw with you when you are working.”

“That is exactly what I am going to do. That throw has been a life saver to me.” As Taron spoke, Robyn yawned rubbing her eyes. “You are in need of a nap.”

“I don’t nap.” Replied Robyn through another yawn, frowning as it left tired watery tears in her eyes. She wiped them again but it made no difference as she found herself just closing her eyes as she was struck with a bout of yawning.

“You are going to make me start soon.” He chuckled watching as she tried to stop herself from doing it again but failed. “Hey Anthony, how long till we get to the hotel?”

“About half an hour Taron.” He replied looking in his mirror to him, “Traffic isn’t that bad at the moment.”

“We’ll be there soon Robyn and I think a nap is on the cards. I don’t want you falling asleep on me tonight at the musical.”

“Me sleep through a musical? Never but a nap would probably be a good idea.”

“How many hours have you worked this week?” He asked slipping his arm around her waist.

“I started at seven most mornings.”

“And finished at?”

“Probably after six and then last night a little later.”

“Robyn that is a near sixty-hour week!” Taron exclaimed. “And you have musical rehearsals twice a week too.”

“Actually, it was fifty-two.”

“You are going to burn out Robyn. Please tell me you have some holidays coming up soon.”

“Well actually, St Patrick’s Day is in three weeks so we get a day off for that.”

“Wow a whole day. That’s a fucking wonderful holiday.” He replied sarcastically.

“And if you let me finish, I was going to see about taking the day after off…”

“You need more than a day off.”

“And again if you let me finish this sentence which is a particularly long one….” She turned to look at him and he gestured with his right hand for her to continue. “St Patrick’s Day is on a Tuesday this year so we get the Monday off anyway but I have already put my request in to get the Wednesday off and it would be three days off along with the weekend and…” Robyn covered Taron’s mouth with her left hand as she saw him about to interrupt her again. “And I was going to see if you were free to come and visit and spend St. Patrick’s Day with me and Jesus Taron! Stop with the licking!” Taking her hand away, she wiped her palm on his t-shirt under his shirt, adoring the feeling of his chest moving as under her hand as he laughed.

“I can go and be Irish for a day?” Taron asked a little excitedly, his voice deepening, his accent getting stronger as it always did when his tone lowered.

“Yes if you have no plans, you wanna come over to be Irish for the day?”

“Can I get back to you? I am almost sure I am free and would love to come over but I am working with my agent at the moment for a new role and I want to make sure the screen test isn’t that weekend.”

“Of course. So which script is it? The desperately in love man who can’t get the girl or the son who lives in an abusive household.”

“The second one.”

“Taron that’s fantastic. I know how much you had wanted that part.”

“Hopefully you can rub some Irish luck on me before you go tomorrow so I can have a hells chance of getting it.”

Robyn ran her two hands down his face smirking enjoying the boyish chuckle he made. “There ya go and just ask if you need more. Also don’t sell yourself short Taron. You are an incredible actor.”

“You have to say that. You are my best friend.”

“I said it before I was your best friend. You know that.”

“Yeah I do and thank you and if the screen test isn’t then, I will definitely come and be Irish with you. Top of the mornin’ to ya!” He laughed.

“Oh Taron, no sweetheart no.” Robyn slid from around his arm, patted his thigh and turned her body to face him. “If you are coming to Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day there are some rules and the first one is, no typical Irish puns in dreadfully clichéd Irish accents. You will be slaughtered!”

“Alright ok. What is rule number two?”

“Wearing green is obligatory as well as half a shamrock plant.”

“I can do that. Anything else?”

“Nope that is it.”

“Well if I go, I can follow those rules easily. Can I add a third one?”

“Sure.”

“A pint of Guinness. I must have a pint of Guinness.”

Smiling, Robyn lifted his arm and slipped back under it. “We can definitely get you a pint of the black stuff.”

Grinning Taron nodded. “As soon as I know if I am free, I will let you know.”

“Great. It will be low key St. Patrick’s Day Taron. I actually hate Dublin on Patrick’s Day. It is so horribly busy but Kilcreen has a parade and my choir normally puts on a little concert in the town square afterwards and there is a duck race and a few other things.”

“A duck race?”

“People can buy a yellow plastic duck in the town for five euro. Then all the ducks are launched into the canal at the locks and they float, very slowly, under the bridge towards a finish point and the person who bought the winning duck gets a prize.”

Taron chuckled. “Obviously a very traditional Irish activity.”

“In Kilcreen yeah.”

“Well chicken, if I can go, I will wear my best green outfit and buy a duck.”

Robyn smiled. “Great.” Another yawn left her lips and she shook her head. “Jesus sorry Taron.”

Using his right hand on her cheek, he guided her head to his chest. “Just close your eyes.”

Doing as he asked, Robyn closed her tired eyes and allowed herself to melt into him, enjoying the warmth his body always provided her. As much as she loved coming to see Taron, their time together was always so short and as she sat against him, listening to his heart beat and feeling his chest rise and fall with every breathe he took, she wished they were able to have more than forty-eight hours together just once.

It was a pleasant ten minute cuddle they got with each other as Anthony drove them to their hotel and once they had pulled up outside, Robyn had already opened the door before Anthony could get to do it.

“Shit sorry Anthony.” She apologised as she closed the car door. “It’s just habit, you know getting out of a car myself.”

With a grin, Anthony opened the boot of the car and took out their cases, handing Taron the two garment bags.

“So I will see you both at six?”

“Perfect. Thanks so much.” Agreed Taron. He went to take their cases but saw that Robyn had already lifted them both up onto the curb. “Robyn...”

“Don’t you start.” She said as he joined her at the curb, pointing her bunch of daffodils at him.

“It’s just they have a luggage service here chicken. You really don’t have to do that.”

Robyn turned to see a very well-dressed man walking towards them. “I can take those from you ma’am.” He stood beside Robyn and smiling, took the two small suitcases from her. “And sir, those as well?”

“Please.” Taron handed over the two garment bags.

“And the name sir?”

“Egerton.”

“I will bring them to your room.”

“Thank you very much.” Answered Taron and moved the two steps to stand beside Robyn who had that look on her face when she was getting ready to disapprove of something.

“Taron Egerton, didn’t I say specify simple and that you weren’t to go all out for a hotel room? Luggage service?”

“I didn’t.” He answered. “I didn’t even pay for the room.” He smiled, feeling all the love in the world at that current moment for how innocent Robyn really was when it came to being involved in his events and it just warmed his heart so much. He loved watching her get to enjoy the finer things in life his job gave to him and he was so happy to be able to share them with her, especially because this kind of luxury was an absolute treat for her and she became almost childlike with excitement. “It was an option that came with the tickets for the evening. We had a choice of hotels and I picked this one because it was the less extravagant of the three.”

“You get your room included in events you go to?”

“Not normally but for this one yep. So, you can’t be mad at me for anything to do with the hotel because I had nothing to do with it.” Taron linked his arm with hers. “Now shall we go and check in?”

“Sure, why not? Have you stayed here before?” She asked him as the doorman opened the door for them.

“Nope. This is a first for me too.”

Robyn actually stopped mid-step as she took in the grand luxury of the lobby, Taron pulling her a little to get her waking again. The dark grey wooden floor was shining and the burgundy sofas near the reception were a shade lighter than the dress she had picked. Expensive artwork decorated the walls and the green marble desk of the reception was a stunning emerald colour.

“Welcome to the Mandrake.” The receptionist said cheerily as they approached.

“I have a reservation under Egerton?” Explained Taron, trying not laugh at Robyn as he could see her looking around the lobby, her eyes wide.

“Ok great.” The receptionist typed the name into her computer. “Perfect. I have you here Mr. Egerton. You are booked into one of our terrace rooms for a one-night stay with your guest?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Fantastic.” After some more typing, the lady took a piece of paper that she had printed off from the computer and slid it towards Taron. “Could I just get you to sign here please?”

“Sure.” Taron took the pen and signed his name as instructed.

“Thank you. You are in room seven.” She explained as she handed him a key. “Along with our terrace rooms, comes an automatic reservation for a meal at Jurema, our restaurant beside the terrace rooms, so if you would like to use that, please just ring reception and we can organise that for you. With your room, you also have full access to the Waeska bar, again which is right beside the terrace rooms and there is some beautiful seating in the courtyard of the bar. Your room also a set of double doors which opens onto a private little terrace of your own.”

“That sounds perfect.” Taron picked up the key.

“To get to your room, take the left at the end of the reception where you will come to the lift. The terrace rooms are located on the fifth floor. Once onto the decking, you will see a sign which will guide you to a small corridor to the left of the lift. Once down the corridor you will see another sign that directs you to your room which is to the left. It is the very last room on that row, in the corner. It is one of our quietest rooms.”

“That sounds even better.” Smiled Taron. It was just what he had hoped for. A quiet room in a quiet area of the hotel.

“Check out tomorrow is at twelve and if you need anything at all during your stay, please don’t hesitate to call us here at reception.”

“Thank you very much.”

“You are more than welcome. Enjoy your stay here with us.”

Giving a nod, Taron slipped his hand in Robyn’s and with a pull, he guided her back down the lobby. “Cat got your tongue?” He asked her as they stood in front of the lift. “It is rare that Robyn Quinn is speechless.” Taron reached forward and pressed the button to call for the lift.

“This place is insane. I mean I have stayed in what I thought was a luxury hotel in Gran Canaria but it is nothing compared to this.”

Taron grinned. “Events like these have nothing but the best Robyn.”

“And didn’t you say this was the least expensive of the three.” Taron nodded and Robyn shook her head.

“It’s just the way it is chicken.” He replied giving her hand a squeeze. “All I can say to you is just enjoy it.” The lift dinged open with a little jingle and Taron looked to her. “Yeah, I know, Robyn. I know.”

“What’s wrong with a simple ding?” She asked as they walked into the lift, Taron pushing the button for floor five once inside and as the doors were closed, he gave her a hug. “What’s this for?” She asked against his shoulder.

“Just thought you needed one. I think you knew Elton’s was going to be, well Elton, but this weekend is a whole different ball game for you and I wanted to know I am so glad you came with me.”

“You gave me one of your vouchers Taron and I have already told you that I wanted to come. I wanted to see you and if it has to be in a hotel that probably costs a week’s wages a night for me then I guess it has to be so. Do you think there will be chocolates on the pillows?”

It was wonderful laugh that filtered through him. “I should hope so and if not, I will ring reception to ask for some.”

“You remember what happened the last time we were around a lift?” She asked him, a ridiculously stupid plan quickly forming in her mind.

“Vaguely.” He answered and although he laughed as Robyn moved her head to place a kiss on the side of his neck, his heart jumped out of his skin and he felt his legs buckle. His feelings hadn’t changed since they spent the few days over New Years together and while his friends continued to give him stick over his serious crush on the woman he was holding tight, they only increased when she slid into the car beside him earlier and now the kisses she left on his neck and jaw were burning his skin alive. “Ok ok!” He chuckled. “That’s enough of that!” He placed his hands on her shoulders and gave her a little push away from him.

Robyn’s face was in a full grin. “Just returning the favour.” She replied shrugging as the lift dinged again as it stopped at their floor.

Again, he found himself alone in the lift as Robyn walked out and he took some steps to follow her but nearly knocked her over, his hands wrapping around her stomach tightly to keep her standing as she stalled right in front of the lift. “Shit sorry Robyn.”

“Wow.” Was her answer to him as to why she had stopped and when he looked up, he repeated her words.

It looked like they had stepped out of a hotel and into a small tropical paradise. A pristine wooden decking covered the edge of the fifth floor and with the sturdy railings to the left and right of them, Robyn presumed those railings provided the privacy for the balconies each room had. Robyn walked over to the railing in front of her, Taron’s hands falling from her stomach and looked down to the fourth floor below them. Wicker chairs with white cushions and glass encased wicker tables were spread evenly along the fourth floor and there were two chair swings against the wall on the left side of the floor. There was a garden in the middle of the fourth floor surrounded by the same railing she was leaning on and within the little garden were palm trees and large tropical plants which only added to the serene atmosphere the terrace floor provided. To the right on the fourth floor was a wooden bar and more seats and tables which were decorated with candles. Above the bar, the railings for the private balconies which were covered in leafy green vines. More vibrant vines climbed the walls and trellises around the two floors and the sunlight from the windows flooded everywhere with a stunning brightness which helped create the outdoors feeling.

“This is incredible.” Commented Robyn. “I don’t feel like I am in London any more and that is for sure.”

“Definitely something else. Shall we go and find our room?”

“Yes.”

Grinning at Robyn’s change in attitude towards the fancy hotel, he let her lead the way down the small corridor beside the lift as instructed and once they reached the next set of decking and greenery, Robyn turned left and walked down the hallway to the very end. “Number seven, right?”

“Yep.”

Robyn stopped outside a wooden door and waited for Taron. “You want to do the honours?” He asked her.

“Nope. That’s ok. You go ahead.”

He held the key against the keypad and once he heard the click, pushed down on the handle and opened the door. “After you and now I see you wanted me to open the door. So, you could get in first and take the chocolates from the pillow!”

Robyn was laughing as she walked into the room but again stopped misstep, Taron having to come to a sudden complete halt behind her. “You need to stop doing that Robyn.”

“Wow.”

It seemed to be their word of the hour as once again Taron repeated it. The room had a small hallway with a wooden wardrobe to the right of them and once they moved through the small walkway, it brought them into the actual room. Taron was prepared for Robyn stopping this time and side stepped around her. The room was a generous size and to their left, against the wall, a large king bed, with a wooden head board, white spotless sheets, duvet cover and pillows and two red decorative cushions. The cushions matched the long floor to ceiling curtains which hung in front of four wide glass panelled doors. In front of the bed, a light brown couch, four more red cushions adorning it. An oval coffee table with two glasses and jug of water sat on a large square mat in front of the couch. A very large flat screen TV was mounted to the wall at the right-hand side and underneath that a desk that spanned the length of the all and under the desk a fridge and mini bar. To the right of the TV was a mirror and under the desk at the mirror a very comfortable looking chair.

“This is beautiful.” Robyn walked into the room and dropped her shoulder bag and flowers on the couch. She made her way to the right and into the large bathroom which was decked out in white marble with grey swirled through it. A large oval mirror was sat on the wall over the sink and the shower had glass doors with two white dressing gowns hung on them.

“That my rainfall shower?” Taron asked as he stepped in beside her.

“I think so.” Robyn opened the doors of the shower. “Yep.”

“Fantastic. I have been looking forward to that since I heard there was one.”

“Your shoulders must be really sore Taron if you have been looking forward to this all week.”

“Just a bit. We were doing a lot of hand to hand combat scenes and I got knocked to the floor a lot, landing on my shoulders.”

“Maybe you should have brought your shoulder massage voucher.” She winked.

“Maybe I did.” He winked back.

“Well if not, you will have to make do with the shower then.” She laughed as she walked past him and back into the room noticing that the suitcases were just outside the bathroom door. “Hey our cases are here.”

“That is why they were taken when we arrived chicken. Our clothes are probably in the wardrobe too.”

Curious, Robyn walked back to the little entrance hallway and opened the wardrobe. On the railing hung the two garment bags. She was about to open Taron’s to look at his suit when he called her name, so instead she closed the doors and followed his voice. He had opened the balcony doors and was standing outside on the decking. She joined him and was tempted to say wow again but held it in. Their corner room gave them a slightly bigger balcony and they could see right over the whole fourth floor, the railing entirely covered with the vines giving them complete privacy from anyone looking up.

“I feel like we are actually outside even though we aren’t.”

“We were really lucky with this room. Right away from the bar. It will be nice and quiet here.”

“I want to have a go on those chair swings.” She said excitedly pointing towards the chairs handing from the metal chains.

Taron laughed. “You do have your own chair swing.”

“Yeah I know but it has been in my garden shed since the end of September. Can’t use it when the weather is shitty.” Robyn turned to lean on the railing. “Thanks Taron. This is amazing.”

“I didn’t do anything Robyn.”

“You invited me.”

“Because of a present you gave me for Christmas.”

“Because I wanted to do more things like this with you, to spend more time with you.”

“And normally this is where I throw in the part about how I am here because of you but I won’t because I know you are going to do that!” Taron laughed as she gently poked him in his side. He went to poke her back but as she moved and he threw his arms around her instead and hugged her close, giggling with her, smiling a little sadly as she yawned again. “How about that nap?”

“No Taron. Let’s go explore this place. I am dying to see what the other floors are like.”

“We have the whole weekend to do that Robyn. You are exhausted and I know you want to enjoy the evening tonight and if you are tired, you won’t be able to thoroughly do so.”

“But this is your weekend too. I don’t want to be sleeping when we are together.”

“Robyn, being here with you is all I need and I am happy to lay on this bed and get some rest too. It’s only ten in the morning. We have the whole afternoon to explore. Anthony is coming back to get us at six so we have time.”

As another yawn filled her whole body, Robyn nodded and agreed. She was extremely excited about going to watch The Prince of Egypt on stage and knew that even if she wasn’t too fond of taking naps, to be fully awake and on her game for the red carpet, a little bit of sleep would do her the world of good. They walked back into the room and Taron closed the balcony door and locked them too and turning around laughed as Robyn jumped backwards and landed on the bed with a bounce, one of the cushions falling onto the floor.

“It is comfy?” He asked as he pulled the curtains closed.

“Not as good as mine it will do.” Robyn turned and moved up the bed so she was laying on the left-hand side. She full belly laughed as Taron walked up the alongside her side of the bed and crawled over her to get to his side. “Ugh you’re a proper tosspot.” She giggled, pushing his legs off her, rolling onto her side so she could look at him as he lay on his back.

“But you love me.”

“Sometimes I wonder.” She replied enjoying the fake look of hurt he gave her. “Yes, I love you.”

“Right then. Nap time. Get over here.” Taron patted the edge of the pillow he was laying on and Robyn shuffled over to him and lay her head there. He reached for the TV controller on the locker beside him and turned it on.

As Taron flicked through the early morning programmes, Robyn snuggled a little closer to him, glad when Taron moved his arm so she could lay her head on his shoulder. Being close to Taron felt so natural to her now and it was just a warmth and comfort she couldn’t get anywhere else except from him. Her stomach twisted in knots and though she thought it was nerves as her appearance on the red carpet with Taron creeped closer, in her heart she knew it wasn’t. It was the true and honest love she knew she had for the man who was slowly running his hand up and down her left arm. She hoped he couldn’t feel her heart racing in her chest as she lay cosily against him. She couldn’t help the content little sigh that left her lips and nestling her face a little closer to him, she decided that if this was how good naps were, she would take one every day.