#realization AND a rush to the airport confession that's SO)

[lisbonsteresa]

you don't get how crazy i'm going over this

[yiichan]

KYII'ᔕ TᕼOᑌGᕼTᔕ Oᖴ TᕼE ᗪᗩY 🌷💌 — ANGST

IMAGINE — friends!95line x gn!you.

WARNINGS — hanahaki au, vomiting,/puking, blood.

WRITER'S NOTES — since i got no time to write again here is some scenarios lol. and also let's have a break from NSFW guys please you're flooding my requests when i said that it's full ):

speical mention — @sousydive

back | navigation | main page | kofi | ao3

YOU had a crush on Seungcheol for a very long time. You had been childhood best friends, attending the same schools together throughout your lives. You were there during his most vulnerable moments as well as his proudest achievements. Over time, Jeonghan and Joshua joined your little group, making it complete.

Jeonghan was like the Loki of your group, always coming up with sneaky ideas. Most of his shenanigans got the four of you in trouble, but you never once regretted them.

Joshua, on the other hand, was the calm one. He often watched as chaos unfolded (most of the time, it was between you and Seungcheol), occasionally deciding to join in. In those rare moments, you found yourself enjoying a different, more playful side of Joshua.

As you grew older, you began to realize your feelings for Seungcheol. Through all the time you’d spent together, you had fallen deeply in love with him. But on the day you finally gathered the courage to confess your feelings, fate had other plans.

Seungcheol confessed to you first—he was in love with Jeonghan.

You could only swallow your words as Seungcheol confided in you, sharing his feelings. A dull pain spread through your chest as you listened. When he asked for your support, you gave it without hesitation, even though it hurt.

Before long, the two of them started dating. You teased them alongside Joshua, masking the ache in your heart with laughter. But no matter how much you smiled, the pain lingered.

Then, one day, you noticed something strange. You began coughing up petals.

At first, you dismissed it. But as time went on, the pain in your chest grew more intense, and more petals emerged from your throat. You hid your condition from your friends, pretending everything was fine—when, in reality, it was anything but.

When the four of you graduated from high school, you made the excuse of wanting to study abroad. Seungcheol, Jeonghan, and Joshua saw you off at the airport, and as your plane departed, you couldn’t help but feel a whirlwind of heartbreak, loss, and relief.

The separation helped, at least for a while. You avoided any news about Seungcheol and Jeonghan, choosing to text Joshua only when absolutely necessary. Over time, your condition seemed to improve; the frequency of petals appearing dwindled. Though you still coughed them up occasionally, you believed you were getting better.

But then Joshua sent you a wedding invitation—for Seungcheol and Jeonghan.

The moment you saw the invitation, a wave of nausea overwhelmed you. Your phone slipped from your hand as you rushed to the bathroom. The retching was violent, your chest engulfed in excruciating pain.

Petals spilled from your mouth once again, now stained with vomit and streaked with blood.

You felt pathetic as you collapsed onto the cold tiles of your bathroom, clutching your chest. Silent tears rolled down your cheeks.

You were dying.

When you boarded the plane back to Seoul, you knew there would be no return for you.

At their wedding hall, you appeared thinner and sicker than Seungcheol, Jeonghan, and Joshua remembered. You approached your old friends with a brave smile, meeting Seungcheol’s eyes as you congratulated him and Jeonghan on their marriage. You also apologized for the long silence and loss of contact.

“You’ve lost a lot of weight,” Seungcheol remarked, his hand brushing against yours. You discreetly recoiled from his touch, keeping a light smile on your face.

“I wasn’t really used to the food overseas, and work’s been overwhelming,” you replied simply.

Jeonghan pouted, his hand coming up to gently squeeze your shoulder. “Don’t be so hard on yourself,” he said with concern.

You managed another faint smile, but the familiar metallic tang rose in your throat. You excused yourself quickly, slipping away to the bathroom.

In the first empty cubicle you could find, you fell to your knees and retched violently. Blood and petals spilled into the porcelain bowl as you clutched your chest, the pain tearing through you.

A warm hand landed on your shoulder, stopping you mid-breath. You froze, dread pooling in your stomach as you slowly turned to look behind you.

Joshua stood there, his face pale, his eyes wide with shock as they darted between you and the mess in the toilet.

“You...” he whispered, his voice trembling. “What’s going on? What's happening to you?"

© yiichan, 2024 origin of divider

[asapeveryday]

THE LOOK OF LOVE - HQ

basically: the exact moment they realized they liked you

featuring: (timeskip)hinata, (high school)kageyama, tsukishima, yamaguchi

warnings: none!

a/n: lmk what we think of this!!! I can take requests for any other characters you wanna see with this prompt :)

♡HINATA - didn’t realize until you came to visit him in Brazil for the first time. he’d become accustomed to the foreign country and learned to live with the little aching feeling inside that he was missing out, but still something more than melancholy emotions would fester every time he’d open his phone to see this Lock Screen: a picture of his high school volleyball team seniors with you as a manager included. When you let him know you were coming to Brazil for vacation he wasn’t just excited, he was nervous. Absolutely nervous, like, pre-game nervous, and he had no idea why. You two were good friends during school. He enjoyed spending time with you, he sought you out to help him study, to go for bike rides or just to pepper in the gym till evening. When he came to meet you at the airport and you ran to hug him tight, your touch practically burned and he wasn’t expecting to feel you so plush against him, hearts beating against each other. The sound of your voice and the sight of your face after so long turned on a light bulb in his head. Right there in the middle of the airport he understands why he once craved your company over others, why he’s jittering at the thought of your eyes on him. The saying “absence makes the heart grow fonder” had never been more true…not that he would know of the line anyways.

♡KAGEYAMA - is almost frustrated at first. He’s laying on his bed tossing his volleyball towards the ceiling while thinking his usual thoughts. Going pro, quick attacks, tough classes, new training. It’s his nightly routine, it’s practiced and comfortable. Until his mind drifts to you and the ball hits his face. He’s not sure why his steel-like focus is being tested now, and he’s not sure what you’ve done to cause this, but it’s alien and hard to avoid. For every distraction he thinks of, a scene of you plays in his mind in retaliation. For a moment he stops tossing the ball and just holds it to his chest, brows furrowed and mind racing. He lets the thoughts of you run rampant, a memory of you watching his game, another of your interactions in class, a conversation he should have forgotten but he hasn’t. He brushes it off still, until he sees you at school and he gets this lurching, elevator-dropping feeling in his stomach at the sight of your smile. It’s terrifying and it’s exhilarating, like pulling off a new combination during an important game. That’s when begins to understand that despite the newness of his interest in you, despite how different you are from volleyball, the thought of your hand grazing his gives him that same rush he usually only feels on the court. He’d do anything to feel that rush.

♡ TSUKISHIMA - is aware almost immediately, he’s not one to deny his feelings or be oblivious, though he’s not exactly about to confess either. It starts with little things: he catches himself staring at you and looking away just before you catch him, he listens to songs you like on repeat in some effort to feel what you feel when you hear them, he gets the urge to tease his teammate’s a little harder when you’re around (not that it impresses you much, but he can’t help it), he enjoys standing next to you even in silence, he appreciates your maturity and even when you act stupid he takes note of the fact that he doesn’t mind in the slightest. It’s during one of these little actions that it truly hits him though. He’s staring at you again, taking in your features as if it’s the first time he’s seeing them. Unfortunately he’s too slow to avert his gaze and you finally catch him in the act. You don’t break eye contact, it’s just held for a moment across class as if you two are the only ones in the room. He hates how his hands are sweating, and he hates how he’s the first to look away in attempts to seem uncaring, but he knows then for a fact that he likes you. He probably makes it a point to never make it so obvious again, though.

♡YAMAGUCHI - is by far the most emotionally mature of all of them, however he’s not used to girls liking him back. He’s had crushes and he’s grown used to one sided interest, to secret and unrequited affection. For his feelings to truly be validated he’d need the green light from you first and foremost. The turning point for him, from hopeless pining to full on crushing it takes a heartfelt conversation. You’re walking around with him after practice, Tsuki is farther ahead in hopes of getting home earlier, but Yamaguchi doesn’t mind lagging behind if it means talking with you. It’s dark out and the air is crisp, you’re sucking him in with talk of an ambitious future, fruitful sports seasons and eagerness regarding his improvements as a player. Your hands are just next to each other, dangerously close to a brush of skin. He has the electrifying urge to let his fingers meet yours but the idea is shut down like it’s muscle memory. You, however, don’t suffer from rejection just as bad as he does, because your pinky entwines with his as your conversation carries on. The two of you both don’t acknowledge the small act of pda, but there’s a mutual expression of giddy content that wasn’t quite there before. It’s all he needs to know you’re someone he’s willing to pursue.

[elllisaaa]

how seventeen would confess to you - pu vers.

-> pairing : svt pu × gn!reader

-> words count : 2.9k words

-> genre : svt members crushing on you, fluff

-> warnings : while make you giggle and kick your feet, sex implied in chan's part

-> sorry if I made any mistakes, english is not my first language.

-> reblogs and feedbacks are appreciated !

-> masterlist | svt masterlist hhu vers. | vu vers. | pu vers.

MOON JUNHUI - RUSHED

to me, he really has two different sides.

sometimes, he’s a goofball, joking along with you, making you laugh to the point you’re crying.

would 100% do something ridiculous if it made you at least smile. 

he’s also very happy about the fact that the two of you have some inside jokes that only you understand and can laugh about (makes him feel like he’s special). 

and the rest of the group would look at the both of you giggling like maniacs without understanding a word you said. 

besides that, i think he’s very observant and knows a lot of things about you and your body language.

he would certainly notice the little changes in your mood by the way you act or talk, and he would be more than delighted to get you out of uncomfortable situations.

he loves it every time you rely on him for little things like opening a jar for you or getting things from the higher shelves, whether you could have reached them or not.

 and all this feels so domestic that he doesn’t even quite realize how much he needs you until he’s about to go on tour again.

he’s spiraling every night, thinking about how he’s not going to be able to live without you being so far away and suddenly he needs to see you, even if his plane is going off in less than two hours. 

“- Jun !? What are you doing here ? Don’t you have to go to the airport soon ?”

He was completely disheveled, his hair ruffled by the wind that also colored his cheeks and nose. And he seemed lost, as if he didn’t even know why he was there in the first place. But the moment his eyes found yours, it was as if the world around you two blurred out. Suddenly, he wasn’t thinking anymore, the only thing in his mind was you.

“- I- I had to tell you something.

- Well, you could have told me over text, you’re gonna be late !

- No, no, I have to tell you in person. It’s important, please.”

He sounded desperate, you had never seen him like that, never seen him so anxious. You simply nobbed, encouraging him to go on with his thoughts. Jun took a deep breath, but he knew that he had to say it right now. If you said yes, he’ll be the happiest man on earth, and he would hold on to the thought of you during his tour. But if you said no, at least, he’ll be away and would not have to see you everyday, he could let you process everything. Either way, it should end relatively well, even if he hoped for the first option. 

“- I couldn’t leave without telling you this, and I know that I’m selfish to do it just before going away for months but I couldn’t find it in me to tell you before. You can ignore me all you want if you’re not okay with that but I hope you won’t because I need you so bad, I need you to be part of life for everything to be alright.” 

A small smile was tugging the corner of your lips, having figured where his speech was going. You could’ve stopped him, but he was so cute, fumbling over his words, talking with his hands out of nervousness, his eyes focusing everywhere except on you. You leaned against the doorframe, listening patiently to his rambling. 

“- And I guess what I’m trying to say is that I love you Y/N… I love you so much I can’t even bear the idea of not seeing you, of not having you by my side everyday. And I know that you’re probably not feeling the same, we're supposed to be friends after all, and friends don’t dream about kissing each other, but if I have the slightest chance of bei-”

Jun’s next words died in his throat when you grabbed him by the collar of his jacket, forcing him to lean down, just enough for you to meet his lips. He freezed for several seconds, making sure that this wasn’t another crazy dream, but the way he could feel the tiniest movement of your lips against his definitely grounded him into reality. He let his own hands slide to your waist, closing the space between your bodies and finally kissing you like he fantasized about. 

“- You’re an idiot Moon Junhui. You’re an idiot for thinking that I would turn you down, because I’m in         love with you too. And you’re also an idiot for telling me just before leaving. I’m going to miss you even more…”

“i promise i’ll make it worth the wait, i’ll take you out as soon as i’m back.”

KWON SOONYOUNG - SMILEY

he’s a funny guy, really funny and you’re a funny person too so be prepared to always laugh when you’re with him.

he knows that no matter what he’s on, you’re going to follow him and he loves that you’re in the same mood as him.

act as if he’s annoyed everytime you tease him along with his members, but truly, he’s all warm inside whenever he thinks about how comfortable you are around the other guys. 

bet that he would not miss an occasion to tease you either, finding you especially cute when you playfully hit him, with your cheeks all red. 

will bicker with you about everything and anything, just like an old couple fighting. 

the moment he really fell for you was when you offered him a little tiger plushie that he could hang on his bag for his birthday, saying it was nothing when it meant the world to him.

it wasn’t even that deep, he was aware, but it was so cute of you to encourage him in his little (big) obsession. 

everytime you participate in his horanghae agenda, he’ll smile like an idiot.

i think that mario kart nights will be a regular thing between the two of you, always making stupid bets to challenge each other.

“- Kwon Soonyoung ! I warn you, if you do that, we’re not friends anymore !”

How hot you looked when you were angry didn’t deter the said Soonyoung as he hitted you with a red shell. Your scream of frustration made him burst into laughter as he drove past you and won the race a few seconds later. He didn’t even have the time to celebrate his victory that you were already pushing him on the floor, ready to take revenge.

“- You really are a little piece of shit ! Why did you do that !?

- Because it’s funny seeing you all mad about nothing.”

His cocky smile was soon wiped off his face when he noticed that you were picking one of the cushions of the couch, apparently ready to hit him without any regrets. Soonyoung grabbed your wrists just in time to stop you, not giving in when you tried to squirm out of his hold. 

“- It’s not my fault you’re bad at this game !”

His snarky remark infuriated you even more, and you knew very well that he was doing it on purpose. It was obvious from the look on his face, but you gave in to his provocation anyway. You finally freed your hands, throwing the cushion aside and going to tickle his sides instead. Soonyoung couldn’t help the little giggles that escaped him, trying to wiggle away from your touch.

“- Ahah ! Please Y/N ! Please stop, I’m sorry !

- Not stopping until you beg my pardon !”

And you kept your promise, tickling him to no end, even straddling his lap to get better access to the exposed skin of his tummy. But as you leaned in, you finally realized how close to his face you were, your eyes zeroing on his lips. Soonyoung didn’t know who kissed the other first, he just knew that he didn't want to let go of you. Soon enough, you were forced to anyway, desperately needing to breathe. He held your gaze, and tenderly tucked a rebellious strand of hair behind your ear.

“- Please, tell me that it wasn’t just the spur of the moment. I might cry if you say yes.

- It wasn’t, don’t cry you big baby.”

The pout aborning his lips was really cute, but he didn’t let you focus on that, circling your waist with his arms, pulling you down on top of him. You gasped out of surprise, but quickly, you relaxed into his warm body, while Soonyoung buried his face in the crook of your neck, not once thinking about the fact that you were still laying on the floor of your living room.

“i may be a baby, but I’m your baby.”

XU MINGHAO - LONELY

he’s not very talkative at first, only greeting you when you arrive, saying goodbye when you leave and if he really needs something. 

but he always makes sure that you don’t want something, or are uncomfortable (my sweet guy). 

one time when the guys invited you for dinner, you sat beside minghao, and as the night went on, you found some common interests with him.

you ended up spending the whole dinner passionately debating with him.

he’s indeed a very smart man and it’s really interesting to discuss with him, even if you don’t always share the same opinion about things, he’s always respectuous and interested in what you think or say.

and that’s what minghao feels for you at first : respect.

he admires you so much, because you’re such a clever person, you’re doing a job you love and for which you worked very hard, and you also find the time to laugh with him too.

and even if you’re more educated on a subject than him, you never make him feel like he’s stupid, always explaining it to him in such a simple way.

and adding to that, you’re beautiful, breathtaking, which is not helping him to hide the crush he developed on you. 

Minghao stood in front of his mirror, he was there for a good thirteen minutes, trying to recite the text he so carefully wrote. He spent all his free time perfecting every little detail of his confession, because he wanted it to be just as amazing as you were. And even if it has been almost two weeks since he finished preparing his speech, he couldn’t bring himself to tell it to you. Every time he saw you, it was as if everything else dissolved, the world around was suddenly blurred and the only thing in his mind was ultimately you. 

That’s why he repeated to himself that he should practice. By now, he knew every word by heart, not needing to check the written text anymore. He spent hours and hours telling it to his reflection in the mirror, but it didn’t compare to what it was when you were in front of him, looking him in the eyes and smiling so brightly. Minghao took a deep breath, trying to convince himself that what he did was effective as he started over again. 

“- You always say that you have a rational and logical mind, but still, you believe in ghosts, fate and soulmates. You always say that you don’t like romance movies, but still, you cry in my arms everytime we watch one. You always say that you don’t like it when people do something for you, but still, you always ask me for help. And I find all of that so cute. Because even if you’re the smartest person I know, it reminds me that you’re not coherent sometimes. And I’m not either. I have never been when it comes to you. Everytime you look at me, I feel like I don’t even know how to breathe anymore. You make me forget about everything except you. Since both of us are a little silly sometimes, maybe we could be silly together.”

He stopped, looking at himself and shaking his head in disappointment. 

“- Gosh… This is so stupid, I am ridiculous…”

It’s only when he had finished talking that Minghao noticed you, standing close to the door. He met your eyes in the mirror, and they grew wide in surprise. For how long were you there ? Did you hear his whole confession ? And if it was the case, how would you react ? He felt his cheeks grow warm, and he nervously ran a hand through his hair. 

“- You know, I don’t think you are.”

The puzzled look on Minghao’s face made you smile even more than you already were, unable to hold back your grin now that he was finally looking at you. 

“- You’re not ridiculous. Try it out on me if you’re not sure.

- I… I just… Okay…”

And Minghao told you again, this time trying to look into your eyes, also trying to control his shaky voice. When he reached the last word, you stepped towards him, until your face was only inches away from his, one of your hands coming up to stroke his cheek. 

“- That’s a lot better, don’t you think ? Now I can tell you how much I would love to be silly together.”

“it’s all i’ve been dreaming of.”

LEE CHAN - COMPLICATED

part time idol, full time comedian.

he’s so funny for real, and it’s what you like about him first, that he’s able to make you laugh so easily. 

he loves to know everything about you, and he remembers even the slightest detail about everything that you love and don’t. 

and that transfer in the bedroom because after some time, you fool around while being drunk and until there, you didn’t stop. 

he knows you and your body like the back of his hand, and that’s quite practical as well as it is annoying because he can always tell when you’re in a good mood or not. 

likes to make you discover the music he appreciates and encourages you to do the same. 

has such sweet gestures for you, even if you’re just supposed to be fuck buddies and everyone can see how in love he is with you. 

but it’s only because he wants more with you but doesn’t want to cross the already blurry lines of your relationship, or even worse, lose you. 

that’s why he treats you like his girlfriend without saying that it is what he wants, and it's confusing and hurtful for the both of you.and if you want to get out of this situation, you’d have to take the matter in your own hands. 

The more Chan spent time with you, the more he found himself unable to leave your side in the morning. That was his only unspoken rule : he could stay the night, but he would always go away before you wake up because he had “things to do”. And you respected that, that he needed to settle his own limits. But still, it hurt to find his cold and empty space in your bed every time, his smell still lingering in your sheets. You wanted him to stay, to really stay. 

It hurt even more when you fell asleep in his arms almost every night. What was supposed to be only meet ups from time to time ended up being an everyday thing. When you came home from work, he was often already here, having cooked for you and ready to get all the stress of the day out of your body. And then, you drifted off in his embrace, with Chan kissing you all over your face. You craved all of that, you craved him, his presence, his affection, his love.

“- Chan… Don’t leave me, please…”

The boy jumped at the sound of your sleepy voice, turning around to look at you, still half naked. He wanted to stay, he really wanted to, but he knew that if he did that, he was going to fall even more deep, and he couldn’t stop it. 

“- I-I can’t, I have to go.”

Chan tried to not let you hear how much his voice was shaking as he focused on searching his discarded clothes on the floor. He heard you shuffle in the sheets behind him, but he was not expecting your arms to sneak around his waist, your warm body pressed against his back.

“- I know you’re lying. Please, stay with me.”

The butterflies erupted in his stomach, but at the same time, he felt a heavy weight on his heart. Was this what he was thinking ? Or were you just emotional for some reason ?

“- Don’t do this to me, it’s already hard enough. If it’s like that, we better stop.”

Tears were prickling at his eyes as he tried to not melt in your hold. He knew he was going to harm you so much, that it would mean the end of everything but it was certainly better like that. 

“- I don’t want it to stop. I want it to last forever. I-I think I’m in love with you…”

Your eyes were closed, as if it could help you forget what you just said. But to your surprise, Chan only turned around so he could hug you tightly. His head fell to the crook of your neck, and your eyes grew wide as you felt some tears soaking the material of the shirt you were wearing - his shirt, in fact. Your hand flew to his hair, grazing his scalp with your nails to get him to calm down. 

“i think i’m in love with you too, i think you’re all i ever wanted.”

-> i don't allow any copies, reposts or translations of my work.

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[boldlyvoid]

I Know Places 2: Minimal Loss

18+ Aaron Hotchner x Fem Reader | Masterlist | AO3 link

Summary: Away on a case with Reid, he and our dear reader are held hostage by Libertarian Cult Leader, Benjamin Cyrus. It's now Aaron's turn to try and keep his cool while Leading the Hostage Recovery and Support mission at the same time he's realizing he's fallen in love with his subordinate…

Warnings: Canon Typical Violence (child sexual assault, hostage situations), hurt/comfort, Drug use tw, unrequited love (so he thinks), mutual pining, angst with a happy ending, drug-induced love confessions

Word count: 10.3k

It’s weird being in the office without her. She flew out to Colorado with Reid last night, the two of them stayed in a hotel (one with two queen beds this time) and she texted him this morning before she headed out for the case. He missed her. He missed picking her up this morning. He missed their coffee banter and how every morning without fail she got the same breakfast that always left his car smelling like a buttery croissant.

He smiles to himself as he thinks about her. He wonders how she’s doing, he can’t wait to call her tonight and catch up… hopefully, the interviews don’t take more than a day. He’d miss her too much if he didn’t get to see her tomorrow too. Maybe he could pick them up from the airport? No. She drove herself and Reid there, so maybe he’ll bring her a baked good and they can watch TV together? Either way, he wanted to see her as soon as she got home.

When they were approached by Colorado child protective services, they received a copy of the 911 call that sparked the investigation and a short summary of the alleged unsub. Libertarian cult leader, Benjamin Cyrus of the Fringe Religious group called the Separatarian Sect. was being accused of being inappropriate with the young teenage members. The age of the caller who made the 911 call is 15. This was a crime, no matter what the libertarians personally believed, under Colorado state law, he was breaking the law by having any kind of sexual interaction with a minor.

Sending Y/N and Spencer was a no-brainer. They couldn’t send JJ because she was pregnant, but they wanted a woman there to make the children feel safe. Spencer went because he’s memorized the entire bible and most historical quotes, he’d be able to deal with a libertarian cult leader the easiest. He had faith in—

“HOTCH!”

With his door open, he’s able to hear Morgan's scream even better, he’s immediately up and out of his seat, rushing towards the door when he notices everyone watching the TV.

“The TV, Y/L/N and Reid,” he points to the screen.

The report on screen is standing a few miles from the compound, showing footage from a raid and cutting back to his face as he speaks. “No one knows for sure how many people are inside. It is believed that at least three child service members are still trapped inside the compound.”

His heart drops into his stomach as if he just fell 30 feet in 10 seconds. His eyes widen, he steps towards the railing outside his office and grips the metal pole for dear life.

This can’t be happening.

She can’t get hurt.

He can’t lose her too.

Just then every single phone in the office starts to ring, he’s pulled back to reality and he catches his breath, “alright, that means we’re the lead with Hostage Rescue and Support. Let’s go!”

He runs to his office and grabs his go bag, he shoves his phone in the bag, makes sure his gun is still on his hip and his badge and wallet in the back pocket of his suit pants. He doesn’t bother bringing his suit jacket, he honestly doesn’t even remember to take it as he bounds down the stairs and runs to the elevator.

They all rush to the plane as quickly as possible, it’s always fueled and ready to go, so getting into the air takes less than 15 minutes. Once in the air, they open up their laptop and Penelope patches over a live feed of the Colorado news.

“It turned deadly when the Colorado state police officers tried to serve a warrant. Colorado attorney general, Jim Wells, says the reclusive cult has been the subject of a 6-month weapons investigation”

“6 months?” Morgan repeats. “We didn’t check?”

“Oh, we did,” JJ pipes up, visibly pissed. “I had ATF call Wells and he told ATF there were no pending state investigations. He lied.”

“Why?” Rossi asks, not understanding why he’d lie about that.

“Wells is challenging the governor in the upcoming election,” JJ explains. “He thought that ATF were going to poach his big election-launching weapons bust. Now, it’s clear he didn’t know there were FBI agent’s there, he just thought the best time to serve a state warrant was when the kids were safe inside the school being interviewed.”

“What do we know about the sect?” Rossi poses the question to the group.

Penelope, listening in on a video call the whole time, flips the screen from the news to her face. “Liberty Ranch was founded in 1980 by Libertarian Leo Kane. He created it as a self-sustaining commune.”

“Libertarians believe that everyone has the right to do what they want as long as they aren’t infringing not eh rights of others,” Derek points out.

“But libertarians aren’t religious,” Dave reminds them. “Clearly this sect abandoned libertarian principles.”

Aaron takes a deep breath, he’s still anxious, and his heart is racing but he has to get his head in the game. “Benjamin Cyrus, the current leader, introduced religion 8 years ago when Kane left.”

“Garcia, what do we got on Cyrus?” Derek asks her.

“Oh, we got bupkis,” she sounds disappointed. “It's like the guy never cast a shadow on the known universe… however his predecessor, Leo Kane, is doing a 17-year stretch at Deerfield Federal Prison… apparently libertarians do not like paying taxes.”

“17 years for tax evasion?” Derek laughs.

“Oh no, that would be 2 years for tax evasion and 15 years for going after four IRS agents with a Louisville Slugger…” Garcia pressed her lips together awkwardly, what a dumb crime to commit.

“Let’s have Kane brought to the scene,” Hotch instructs her to get the paperwork going. “He’s our best chance at finding out some idea of who we’re dealing with.”

“You got it,” she cheerfully agrees and turns off her camera.

They all settle into their plane seats then. It was a 3-and-a-half-hour flight, all he could do was prep negotiation teams and worry about Y/N. He worried for Reid's safety too, of course, Spencer was like a son to him… his heart just yearned for Y/N and after losing Kate, he can’t bare going through that kind of loss again and so soon.

He felt as though he was destined to only know what it was like to be left, not loved. He had such a tumultuous relationship with his ex-wife, being high school sweethearts also came with high school drama. He graduated a year before her, he was in college and she wanted to see other people. So they took their first break. He was doing law school and she was in teacher's college and they took a second break because his studying took up too much of his time and she felt as though she needed physical attention he couldn’t give her… then he went to Scotland Yard, back when he didn’t know if he wanted to work for Interpol or the FBI and once again distance caused them to go on break a 3rd time. He met Kate Joyner, they had a thing and when he returned to the States he asked Haley to marry him. He should’ve known that she would run once his attention shifted to things other than her. He thought maybe having a baby would change that about her. He thought maybe she loved him— loved their family enough to stay.

He was wrong.

Now he’s divorced, Kates dead and… and he thinks he might be falling in love with his subordinate.

He takes a moment to go to the bathroom on the jet just for a chance to get away from everyone. He leans against the sink and puts his hands over his face, shaking his head with disbelief. It all happened so fast. One minute they’re co-workers and he enjoys working with her and the next she was filling the void in his heart. Mind you, he knew her when he was married, he didn’t have the capacity to see her as anything other than a friend… now that’s all changed.

He took the ring off and his heart searched for warmth. For comfort. For morning coffees and laughter on the drive to work. For late-night chats and gossip about celebrities. For a hand to hold. For a body to cuddle into in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere. For someone to care for him. For Y/N.

He doesn’t know how he’s going to do this. How he’s going to stay calm and cool and collected while he knows she’s in there? He doesn’t know what he’ll do if she’s hurt. He isn’t sure how he’ll make judgements and do the negotiations knowing that every decision he makes could have consequences.

He heads back to his seat to see everyone else is also doing their best to stay calm. They all love Reid and Y/N, and each of them wants to bring their friends home in one piece… he’s not alone in being anxious and worrying for their safety. Maybe he can play it off, maybe they won’t guess he loves her in a way that differs from how they do.

—

Once they land they’re met with bureau issues SUVs and given an escort to the crime scene, all their sirens on, they speed down back county roads causing dust to fly behind them and rocks to flick up from under their wheels, hitting the car behind them.

When they arrive at the Hostage Negotiation and Support Command Centre, Aaron lets Morgan and JJ head in to set up and he pulls Dave aside. “They’ve left the choice of negotiators up to me.”

“I taught most of the hostage negotiation unit,” Dave reminds him. “You want a recommendation?”

“I’m making you lead negotiator.”

“Me?” Dave can’t believe him.

“why go to the students when I have the teacher,” he simplifies his decision.

“because the teacher is emotionally involved,” Dave spits back. “So is the agent in command.” He stares Aaron down, watching for any facial moment that would give way to just how much he cares for Y/N. Of course, he knew.

He gives in, looking down to the ground, he can’t explain how much this is hurting him. “I know I am. This is a unique situation. We have two agents who could affect the outcome on the inside.”

“True, but I can’t be objective. I know them too well!”

“This outcome depends as much on our ability to predict the moves of Y/N and Reid as much as it does Cyrus,” Aaron explains. “That’s why you’re the best man for the job.”

“Assuming that Spencer and Y/N—” he puts weight on her name to make Aaron know he caught that. The use of her first name and Spencer's last, it’s a hierarchy of needs. He knows Aaron subconsciously wants her safe just the tiniest bit more than Reid. “Are still in a condition to make moves.”

“I-I know how bad this is,” Aaron says, voice dropping down to a whispered tone. “That’s why I want you doing the talking. I need you doing the talking.”

“Alright,” Dave gives—.

“You’re obviously not in charge, I can see that!!!” A man's voice bellows through the air.

“I’m sorry sir, I’m under direct orders from the FBI,” one of the hostage negotiation team members explains.

“I’m the attorney General of this state, I demand to know why I wasn’t told the FBI was sending undercover agents into the Separatarian Ranch?”

It’s Wells. The man who got them stuck in the position, to begin with.

Aaron starts walking away from Dave, driven by anger, he walks right up to the man. “The only thing that you’re in a position to demand is a lawyer.”

“Who the hell are you?” The man asks as if he’s about to laugh at Aaron's voice of authority.

“I’m Aaron Hotchner, Unit Chief. I’m the guy who’s going to tell the Attorney General of the United States whether to charge you obstructing a federal investigation of negligent homicide,” Aaron spits back, getting more in this man's face.

“You can’t talk to me like that.”

Aaron takes another step in, towering over the man, “Get off my crime scene.”

And just like that, the man cowers, running away to his car and driving away.

Aaron turns to the other man, the one who was trying to answer Wells’ questions before. Aaron knew him from the bureau. “Hey Dan, you know Dave Rossi?”

“Sure do,” Dan smiles, reaching over to shake Dave's hand.

“We’ve been here before, haven’t we?” Dave jokes.

“Waco, Ruby Ridge, Freeman standoff,” Dan recounts. “Let's hope someone listens to you guys this time.”

“Oh, they did more than listen. They put us in charge,” Dave announces, hands on his hips, ready to go.

“So bring us up to speed?” Aaron asks.

“I've sent the state police packing. They started this mess and lost a man in the process. I hope that’s okay?”

“If you hadn’t we would’ve.”

“Good.”

“The county Sheriffs have had no run-ins with the sect, so we’re using them as support. We’ve had no contact with them so far. they’re got power. Solar. We can shoot out the panels if you think—

“No, no that’s an escalation,” Dave shoots that down.

“Okay, that means they have access to the news,” Dan reminds them.

“I’ll get JJ to talk to the press. Are your men ready to be briefed?” Aaron asks. Dan nods. “Let's go.”

Inside the trailer they’ve set up for secure meetings, Derek, Dave and Aaron start to give the preliminary profile and brief. There’s only a handful of men, which is best. Having too many cooks in the kitchen leads to chaos. 6-10 people, that’s much more manageable.

“We call this the Minimal Loss scenario,” Dave explains. “Every person we get out is a life saved. We won’t save them all. All of us have t be prepared to accept that situation.” He looks over at Hotch and then presses his lips together awkwardly.

Derek steps up to the whiteboard and picks up a marker, “cults are structured like pyramids.” He explains while drawing a triangle on the board. “You got the leader at the top, die-hard believers beneath… and the biggest group, the base. The followers.” He makes a point to circle that group and look at the other men. “Women and children are in this group. These are the people we can save.”

“The ‘trickle, flow, gush’ strategy is designed to get the base followers out,” Aaron explains. “First one or two, then three or four, then as many as we can, as fast as we can. And if at any point it starts to go bad. We go in.”

“The leaders are charismatic sociopaths who target the most susceptible to their seduction. They have the ability to see what each person needs and then they become that thing. We have to undermine their perception that we’re an invading army laying siege to their homes,” Dave explains.

“We’ll lose the fatigues,” Dan assures them. Losing the army look will make them much more approachable. “Ranchers clothes work for you? Like we did at the Freeman standoff?”

“Perfect. Anything we can do to demilitarize the situation,” Dave agrees. “But that’s about it… we have to make first contact and then we can act accordingly from there.”

“We have a phone set up for you guys outside by the lookouts,” Dave explains. “Nightfall is coming, they’ll be the most in need when it’s dark. We should call then.”

“Agreed,” Aaron nods.

--

Dave hits the speed dial button for the ranch, they wait for 5 or 6 rings and then they answer. “you killed my mommy and daddy, are you going to kill me too?” A little girl's voice answers, on speakerphone for everyone to hear.

“No one is going to kill you, honey,” Dave assures.

“This is Benjamin Cyrus, who am I talking to?” Comes down the line mere seconds later.

“David Rossi. I’m an FBI agent. We’ve sent the state police away, there’s just us and the local sheriff now. All we want to do is resolve this before anyone else gets hurt,” he explains.

“Then leave us alone.”

“I’m afraid we can’t do that, Benjamin, one of the police bled out on the way to the hospital,” he explains, wondering if they haven’t watched the news yet. “So let's just stop this before things get worse. Please, just put the guns down and come out.”

“we’re believers Dave,” Benjamin starts. “We believe that god says what he means and means what he says. His laws don’t depend on what state you live in.”

“I have no issue with your beliefs,” Dave reminds him.

“You don’t. But the state does,” Benjamin is clearly pissed off that any of this happened today.

That makes two of them.

“I can’t answer for other people,” Dave states.

“God will answer for everyone in the final battle that I’ve foreseen.”

Aaron sighs, leaning his head back and shaking it. He hates these religious types. Rossi makes eye contact with him as he keeps talking, “That’s why I’m here. To make sure that this is not that battle.”

“We shall see…”

Sounds more like a taunt.

“Now the three child services workers—

“one is dead,” Benjamin interjects.

Aaron's heart sinks down to his stomach further, he feels like he could be sick. They all have the same look on their faces.

“It wasn’t us,” Ben assures them. “It happened in the standoff, a stray bullet flying into our chapel clipped her.”

“We need a name, so I can alert the family,” Dave explains. Hoping to pry it out of him.

“Nancy Lund,” he says and everyone lets a wave of relief selfishly pass over themselves.

“Okay, now please, Benjamin, send out your wounded. I promise you they’ll be taken care of,” Dave asks. Trying to start the trickle.

“With enough supplies, we can tend to our own,” Benjamin explains. They’re not leaving any time soon.

“Okay, I need a few hours to put it together,” he explains. “I’ll bring them up myself at first light.”

Without a goodbye or a thank you, Cyrus hangs up.

They head back into the trailer after that, prepping med kits and retrofitting any electronics that get sent in with small microphones so they can spy on their every movement and plan. Aaron’s just excited for the chance to hear her voice again and know she’s okay.

“I’m going to go in and double-check that the kids, Y/L/N and Reid are okay,” Dave announces as he walks back into the trailer.

“Rossi, at least let me go with you?” Derek bags.

“No,” he shakes his head. “This is about building trust. I go alone.”

“I want the parabolic arc mics fixed on every window in that structure,” Dan announces to the rest of his crew.

“They won’t pick up much,” one of them pipes up. “They have blinds on all the windows, unless they’re shouting the glass won’t vibrate enough for us to get audio.”

“Well if they’re not shouting, these bugs will pick 'em up… at least until the batteries die,” Dan assures them, screwing the back onto an electronic thermometer. “How familiar are your agents with our playbook?”

“The BAU wrote the CIRG handbook,” Aaron reminds him. “They’ll know that we’re trying to get ears in there at all times.”

“Good, let’s hope they can get these people talking.”

“They will.”

—

At first light, Aaron sits at the listening station with a mug full of freshly brewed coffee and his headphones on, listening to everything as Rossi drives up to the compound.

He hears their introduction, muffled through the boxes of supplies. He hears Cyrus spout some more godly bullshit and claim he’s trying to protect the children. He’s not ready to let any of them go now, so Dave shakes his hand and heads out on his way. As soon as the door is closed, Cyrus says: “Prepare the wine.”

There’s a shuffling sound as everyone moves around the room, the elders no doubt do everything Cyrus says and the women and children stay seated. After a few minutes, he hears Cyrus again, muffled but there, saying something about being 1 day closer to god…

“Look at Jessica's body language,” Y/N’s voice can be heard as though she’s standing right beside the box of supplies. “The way she looks at him.”

“She literally worships him there’s no way she made that 911 call?” Spencer questions next.

Derek and Aaron look at each other, nodding with a small smile, they’re okay. Not safe, but okay.

“Look at how she comes between Cyrus and her daughter,” Y/N speaks again. “She’s inserting herself between them…”

Cyrus is getting everyone to drink just as Dave is running back into the trailer. “Reid and Y/L/N are okay.”

“what about Cyrus?” Derek asks.

“He's too calm? It's like he was waiting for this to happen?” Dave suggests. “And now that it has he feels vindicated.”

“Hey guys,” Dan calls their attention back to the headsets.

“We’ll be with him soon. We have drank the poison together,” Cyrus’ voice is heard.

They all turn to each other with horrified expressions. “What the fuck?” Aaron exclaims, “I thought you said he was calm?”

“He was! He wanted me to think nothing was going on, he’s a master manipulator! We have to take everything he says and does with a grain of salt,” Dave reminds him.

“We need to go in!” Derek shouts, gathering his things with Dan.

“If we go in there people are gonna die!” Dave shouts.

“People are already dying!” Aaron shouts back, headset pressed to his good ear, he’s still listening to Cyrus preach.

“What do we do?” Y/N whispers.

“Nothing,” Spencer assures her.

“We have to do something these people just took poison!” She snaps back at Reid.

“I don’t think they did?”

“Wait! Wait!” Aaron gathers them all back towards him. “Listen,” he switches the audio playback to the speakers.

“Cyrus just told them they did, I think he’s bluffing,” they hear Spencer’s whisper loud and clear.

“Why do you think that?” Y/N asks.

“Just after he told them they took the poison he waited for them to react and then he nodded to Cole who started to note down everyone who looked sad, look…. They're scanning the audience for the people who are fine with dying now and who are a bit skeptical. This is their way of narrowing down the true believers and those who he can send out to Rossi,” Spencer explains. “He’s smart enough to possibly know our strategies, he wants to send out a trickle of people and then do something during the gush…”

“Jim Jones pulled the same stunt,” Rossi reminds everyone, agreeing with Reid. “They did a test run just like this years before they did the real thing.”

“Dan, prepare your men to go in but not before I give you the go-ahead,” Aaron points back to him. “We need to wait just a few more minutes, if I hear Y/L/N or Reid say anything about people falling sick or passing out, we go in.”

“Got it!”

Aaron covers his hand over his mouth and hopes to god he doesn’t have to send men in there. They already lost one social service member in the crossfire, he can’t lose his agents too.

“Be still, there was no poison,” Cyrus speaks. “Instead a test of faith BECAUSE YOUR ADVERSARY THE DEVIL WALKETH ABOUT AS A ROARING LION!! Choosing who he may devour. Watch each other for signs of weakness. You are your brother's keeper.”

“Dan!” Aaron calls out to him, he comes popping his head back into the trailer. “Stand down, Cyrus said it was a rouse.”

JJ comes walking in behind him, “The former sect leader just arrived.”

“I got it,” Derek volunteers himself. “call me if there are updates.” He says as he leaves, holding his phone up to assure them he has it.

“Charles Mulgrew, convicted in Kentucky at the age of 18. Three counts of statutory rape,” Penelope says through the phone, recounting her findings to the whole team now… well, the free 4.

“So we need to talk to the warden,” Derek says with a sigh.

“Way ahead of you there, honey,” she assures him, making Derek crack a small smile. “Mr. Kentucky Warden said that once inside, Mulgrew found religion and became a model citizen.”

“Well it’s not that hard to behave when you’re in protective custody,” Derek reminds her.

“General populations a rough place for a child molester,” Hotch adds.

“No, no, no, I don’t think guys understand he was a Model Citizen. This guy volunteered at the prison hospital,— the aids ward, he was reading to prisoners dying of HIV… he was emulating saint,” Penelope explains father.

“Good stuff, mama,” Derek compliments her the way he always does.

“Damn straight now you get our friends back, baby,” she says before clicking off the call to do more digging.

“Well,” Dave stands a little straighter and sucks in a deep breath. “This makes things worse.”

“What? That he’s a model citizen?” Derek laughs.

“That he’s been to prison,” Dave looks at him, he’s completely serious. There’s no room for giggles now.

Derek closes his eyes for a moment and his shoulders drop, “right. He knows what happens to child molesters there…”

“If the current sexual allegations are true and he thinks we know it, he’s not coming out of there,” Hotch agrees.

“Then we have to make him think he’s not going back to prison,” Dave assures.

“JJ,” Aaron calls back into the main tent for her. “I need you to release a press statement saying that we have absolutely no evidence of sexual allegations.”

JJ comes marching back over to them, sweaty and exhausted, she rests her hands on her pregnant belly and shakes her head, “You need to see this, pop the laptop open. Click on the news tab and play the audio…”

They follow her instructions, gathering around the laptop they see the same news guy from yesterday, he’s set up a little camp for himself in the hills somewhere. He has a perfect view of the ranch and he’s keeping his voice low.

“Now well into its second day, the standoff at the Separatarian Sect Ranch is now been taken over by the FBI. There is much speculation in regard to hostages, but anonymous sources inside the state attorney general's office have told us there is an undercover FBI agent currently being held inside the ranch. Hostage negotiators say they are making headway with the sect's leadership and are hopeful for a positive outcome. There is still no word as to why an undercover FBI agent was sent in alone…”

“Are you fucking Kidding me?” Hotch stands, anger than ever before. “I’m going to I’m going to wring that fuckers neck. I’m going to make his life a living hell.”

“Hotch,” JJ can’t believe those words left his mouth.

“You two,” he points at Derek and Dave, “you get to the parabolic mics and listen in as best as you can. JJ I want you to circle back with Penelope and tell her she can dig into Wells' life as hard as she can and you can reach out to the press with dirt on him. He wants to win the election so bad he’s willing to get federal agents dead, then we’re going to air all his dirty laundry.”

“Got it,” JJ likes that idea and runs back into the tent to make her calls.

Dave and Derek run to the parabolic mic station, leaving Aaron to head back inside and listen to the other spy mics they sent in.

There’s a silent chatter in the church, the mics are picking up more now that they’re not trapped inside boxes and surrounded by supplies. There are a few different angles they get based on what supply was places where. They’re all synced up, playing at the same time and able to be pinpointed for spy-in on individual conversations.

Suddenly, they hear the sound of a struggle, “Get off me! I can walk without you pulling my fucking hair!” Y/N’s voice shouts back.

“FBI scum like you don't get to give orders,” one of Cyrus’ goons speaks back to her and then he hears a slap.

Y/N groans at the pain and Aaron covers his mouth. He’s never been this anxious in his whole life. He wants to run down there, break in and kick the shit out of anyone who laid a hand on her. And then it gets worse.

More mics pick up the sound of the struggle. They hear what Aaron supposes is her body being dragged as she struggles and then the sound of her smacking the concrete. It sounded hard. Like she hit her head.

“I thought I told you not to put me in this position!” Cyrus shouts. Slamming the door behind himself.

Of course, he wouldn’t do this in front of the members.

He slaps her again, the sound of her struggle makes Aaron want to throw up. He doesn’t know what to do with his hands. One second he’s covering his mouth then holding the headphones to his ears and the next he’s just holding them out for no reason. He listens in as she keeps getting hit. Punched, kicked, slapped… he really hopes that this is the extent of Cyrus’ abuse. If he had to hear anything else…. He would actually throw up all over everything.

“We’ve gotta go in,” Aaron says as he takes the headphones off. Derek and Rossi come running into the trailer then.

“We can’t go in,” Dave reminds him. “We’d be risking the lives of everyone in there.”

He knows Dave is right, Dan’s put the sound of her struggle on the speaker for everyone to hear and Aaron can’t escape it. The sound of her being hit again and again, moaning from the pain, she’s struggling to defend herself.

“Get up!” Cyrus says, hauling her up and then punching her in the face again. She slams into something this time, there’s the sound of a window or glass or something shattering and then her crying.

“Proverbs 20:30 tells us blows and wounds cleanse evil,” he spouts his bullshit at her. Then he growls, tossing her in another direction and she falls to the floor once more.

She cries, breathing in sounds like it hurts as she whines as she does so, “I can take it!”

“Oh, you can take it?” Cyrus just gets more pissed at that. He slaps her again and she cries more.

“I can take it!”

“Listen to what she’s saying…” Dave suggests.

“She’s antagonizing him!” Derek gets defensive, on Hotch’s side and wants to go in.

“She’s not talking to him, she’s telling us not to come in,” Aaron agrees with Dave, bowing his head, he hates that he’s right.

He can’t take this anymore. He gets up and leaves the room, Dave can listen to the rest. He has to step outside, away front he watchful eye of everyone there and around behind the trailer. He rests his back against it and sinks down to the floor, his face in his hands. He cries.

The weight of everything comes crashing down on him in that moment. He lost his wife. He hasn’t seen his son for more than a few hours in the last 6 months, his friend and colleague died in his arms in the middle of the street and he almost died too. The only good thing that’s happened in all of this is that he’s gotten closer to Y/N.

If anything happens to her he’s going to actually go insane. He may have joked about it before, when he was off work and had nothing to do… but now it feels real. He can’t lose her. He can’t go through the trauma of burying another friend. He can’t imagine losing another woman he loves. Cause he does love her. He loves her more than he should love a co-worker.

It all started when he got divorced. He never had eyes for any other woman but his wife, however, after the divorce… he found himself enjoying her company for reasons other than friendship. Sure, getting coffee together in the mornings was nice and he didn’t care for her choice of TV shows but hearing her talk and knowing her opinions on things felt special to him. He knew a side of her that no one else on the team knew.

And sleeping beside her didn’t help his crush either. She was so soft. She cuddled into him like she was always meant to be there. When he woke up that next morning, spooned into her, he could smell her hair and he had his hand on her stomach… under her shirt. As if in the night they got even closer than either one of them ever thought possible.

Derek comes out to find him just a few minutes later. Aaron’s managed to wipe his tears and pull himself together a bit, he accepts Derek's hand and gets pulled back up to his feet. “They took her to another room but there are blinds on the windows so we can’t hear anything.”

Aaron just nods. “I don’t know why she did that, why she put herself in danger like that.”

“He probably held a gun to one of them and got them to confess, he did that to get Kane out of the ranch, too,” Derek theorizes. “Maybe she confessed to get him off Reid? Reid’s only in there because he knows the bible so well, he can get on Cyrus’s good side and help us out. She knew that.”

“Still,” Aaron can’t really argue.

“I know you love her, man, but we’ve got a job to do,” Derek whispers. “I feel the same way about Spencer.”

Aaron’s a little shocked to hear that but then again, not? It makes sense. The teasing, the closeness, the room sharing… that time Spencer missed his flight to hang out with another man he knew as a teenager. There were signs there from both of them, he just never thought to read them until now.

Aaron stares into his eyes, the two men would do anything for their team already, knowing they both loved someone in the ranch, which made them even more eager to do this right. “So let’s get them out of there.”

Back inside the trailer, Rossi has the speakers on still, and Reids talking. “Nancy said she was a child abuse interview expert from Denver. In the four years I’ve worked with her, Nancy’s never lied to me before.”

“As far as you know,” Cyrus spoke, believing him. “Their law says that a 15-year-old girl is a child when just 50 years ago that same law said that a 14-year-old was an adult. Have children changed so much in 50 years?”

“I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve investigated abuse charges against small religious groups… most all of them turn out to be false,” Reid lies to him. Successfully.

“What do you think of that?”

“What does it matter what I think?”

“It matters to me,” Cyrus assures him.

“Why?”

“Because god wants to save you,” Cyrus spouts.

“I swear to god if Cyrus comes out of there alive I’m going to beat him to death with my bare hands,” Derek mumbles under his breath to Hotch.

“Get in line.”

“I mean, that’s why god sent you here, isn’t it?” Cyrus poses, making reid feel like he’s a part of them now.

“I think… on the next call you should test them,” Reid suggests. “Test the negotiator. Make him prove that he isn’t a liar.”

“How would you suggest do that?”

“Ask for the identity of the FBI agent—

“We already know her identity,” his goon responds for him.

“They don’t know that we know,” Cyrus agrees with Reid.

“but the FBI would never tell is that?” The goon responds again.

“They keep asking you to release people, say you’ll release a kid only if they tell you her identity and if they really care about the children they’ll have to tell you her identity,” Spencer tries harder to get Cyrus on his side.

“You’re trying to get us to release a child!” The man fights with Reid.

“It’s one kid,” Spencer talks to him like he’s an idiot. “If they don’t hold up on their end of the deal then you know they can’t be trusted.”

“He’s right,” Cyrus ultimately agrees.

“Reid has ‘em,” Rossi turns back to them, clearly proud of the kid.

“What is it, Christopher?” Cyrus asks his friend.

“Well… some of them have been talking about… leaving?” He poses the suggestion.

“Leaving?” Cyrus repeats.

“yeah…”

“Wake the baby. Let them see the orphan they’ve made.”

“Okay, everyone!!” Hotch calls out of the trailer, getting the other's attention. “We’re about to get a call, we should expect some members to be released shortly. Get ready for phase one.”

Everyone rushes around then. Preparing to make room for the followers, cars are called in to collect people and take them to a hotel for the night and a few ambulances show up in case anyone is in need of medical support.

But no call comes in.

They wait all night until the sun comes up. But nothing.

“They’re probably going to ask when we call them,” Rossi suggests. “I’ll give my morning call at 6.”

“Okay,” Hotch agrees. “Morgan, I want you to take the truck up to the ranch and collect the little girl, if anyone else is released, Dan will come up and help escort them over here.”

“Yes sir.”

—

Rossi calls in right at 6. They haven’t heard anything else over the mics or through the windows. Most of the members must’ve been asleep in the chapel overnight. Sleeping in pews or on the floor… they all must be exhausted and mostly ready to leave now that the condition of their stay has changed.

“Good morning, Ben, how are you today?” Rossi speaks to him cheerfully.

“We are prepared to release a child if you tell me the identity of the FBI agent promise no harm will come to them from this point forward,” Cyrus leads right into it.

A wave of relief washes over Aaron.

“I can’t give you that information,” Rossi eggs him on.

“I will send the child now.”

Aaron waves his hand to Dan who’s got eyes on the ranch, a little girl has started to walk out of the compound and is standing in the gravel driveway. Dan motions to Derek who’s already taking his gun off and handing it to Hotch who hands him a radio in return. He takes off to the truck then, one of the other men drives Derek up and they watch on the cameras as Derek calmly collects the little girl and gets her into the truck safely.

“I’m taking a big risk here Ben,” Dave tries to play it cool with him.

“Trust is earned,” Cyrus reminds him.

“Her name is Y/N Y/L/N,” Rossi says her full name. “She came in with two child service workers to talk to the girls.”

“There’s a good chance we can work this out, Dave” Cyrus assures him. “I’m gonna provide another sign of good faith.”

“You’re doing a good thing here,” Dave assures him. Hyping up his confidence, getting on his good side.

Cyrus hangs up after that and they rely back to the microphones. “Assemble everyone in the chapel. Get agent Prentiss back down here,” Cyrus orders Christopher.

“This is it,” Aaron assures Dave and Dan. “We’ve started the trickle, it’s about to flow. We need to be prepared for women in children to be released as well as some of their husbands who’ve lost faith in Cyrus.”

Just as they thought, 10 minutes after the order to gather everyone, Cyrus starts to explain why he has them all gathered there. He points out that some of them have lost their faith, that he no longer can support people who don’t support him and his god. And then he starts to name names.

“He looks pissed?” They hear Y/N whisper.

Of course, the two of them would stand where they could be heard the best by the others.

“It’s not as bad as it looks,” she assures Spencer.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispers to her.

“Look at who he’s releasing,” Y/N says again.

“It’s the ones who failed the loyalty test,” Spencer explains. “I’ll get word to the team. You wait for a sign from the outside that will tell us when the raid will come.”

The room goes quiet for a few moments and then they heard, “Take her back.”

Y/N was being sent back to whatever room they had her locked in, in the first place. They need to figure out where that would be… they need to be able to find her during the raid and get her out of there safely.

“Those of you standing, collect your belongings and meet in the main hall immediately,” Cyrus orders.

Not long after that, they start to see a bunch of people start to leave the chapel. Just then, Cyrus calls them. They send Dan and his guys out to collect the survivors and Hotch listens in on the phone call.

“We will surrender tomorrow at noon, we want the press there to make sure that we’re treated fairly,” Cyrus makes them a deal. “We’ll discuss the details tomorrow at our 7 am call… I’ll see you then Dave.”

“I look forward to it,” Dave agrees.

“Oh, and one more thing, could you send in some food in?” He requests.

“Sure, what would you like?” Dave pretends to be hospitable but by the look on his face, Aaron can tell he rather take a bite out of a leather shoe than keep this act up.

“Fried chicken, all the fixings.”

“You got it! I’ll have it brought right up to you.” Dave hangs up and shakes his head. “I hate this mother fucker.”

“I don’t understand, why did you let them go?” Another goon asks, more like, demands to know from Cyrus.

“They weren’t prepared to do what was needed of them,” Spencer butts in.

“Yeah, no offence but you’re not one of us so shut the fuck up,” he spits back at Spencer.

“Listen to him,” Cyrus sides with Reid. “Tell him, Spencer.”

“They failed the test,” Spencer explains. “They-they had a chance to prove their faith when Cyrus told them that they’d sacrificed themselves for god, but instead they showed they weren’t worthy…. That’s why he wants the media to bear witness to your true final act of sacrifice.”

“how do you know that?” The man asks.

“I’m always looking for signs of things to come.”

“Spencer’s asking us for what time to expect the raid,” Dave understands his meaning right away. “He’s telling us this is it! Time is running out! We’ve gotta go in!”

—

The food arrives around mid-day, and they have it delivered to the trailer first. They examine it all to make sure nothing's been tampered with by the restaurant and then they get it all boxed up and ready to go.

“We obviously can’t spike the food 'cause there are kids,” Aaron explains to Dan. “So we need to find another way to alert Spencer that there is a raid coming…”

Just then he picks up a red Sharpie marker and writes on the lid of the chicken box. “New management, open until 3 AM tonight!!” He underlines it a few times and then repeats it on the boxes for the corn and mashed potatoes and biscuits. Spencer has to see it somewhere.

Aaron and Derek are so positive that Spencer can find a way to prepare for the raid inside and figure out a way to get the women and children out of harm's way when Derek, Dave and Dan come crashing through the doors. He’s not going, he has to stay back with JJ and oversee the whole operation. He hates it. But it’s his job.

Derek and Dave go up to the ranch to deliver the food and just as there’s a commotion at the door and everyone is busy at the ranch, the parabolic mikes pick up Y/N’s voice.

“AARON!” Dan yells for him from outside, causing him to rush down to him.

“What?” He fears for the worst.

“it’s Y/N, she’s listening to the blinds with her high-heeled boot and we can hear her, listen,” he hands him the headphones.

“If you can hear me, I know you’re coming. I can try to get the women and children down to the tunnel but I need to know when you’re coming.”

She keeps repeating those two sentences over and over.

“come on,” Aaron gets up, grabs a riffle with a laser scope and they head to the hill closest to the ranch. Dan follows behind him with the transmitter, listening in on what Y/N’s saying still.

He points the gun right at the window and she sees the laser shine against the wall in the room she’s trapped in.

“I got you, what time are you coming in?”

He blinks the laser 3 times.

“3 am?”

He keeps the beam steady and nods the gun, up and down, as if he’s nodding yes.

“Got it. Reid is on the first floor somewhere with Cyrus, and please remember there are children here... someone's coming,” she’s quick to pull her foot away from the window and they lose signal with her.

Dan starts to retreat, leaving Hotch there with the gun and a hopeful feeling. “Hang in there, sweetheart.”

—

At 2:15 AM they start preparing for the raid. Swat is called in, they’ve got a supply of Humvees supplied by the army, weapons, ammunition, and tear gas. They’re ready to go. All without Aaron.

Aaron has his headset on and his radio with him, listening in on the Sect while also in contact with the team as they make their way closer to the ranch.

They know somethings up, that somethings coming… they should’ve cut the lights to the Humvees and gone in there blind.

Cyrus heads outside of the chapel, points his gun in the air and starts shooting the sky, gathering attention from the media just over the hill. He wants them to see how this all goes down.

Luckily, Cyrus just doesn’t know how much they know. When Derek met with the previous leader, Kane, he drew them a map of the whole facility. Secret tunnels, bunkers, you name it, they know where it is. So that’s where they go in.

On the radio he hears Dan give the go-ahead for phase one, the men storm the tunnel exit and surprise the guard down there with flash grenades and tear gas, subduing him. The men force their way inside, they drag the guard to the corner and cuff him up so he can’t cause any trouble and within seconds, Derek is on the radio.

“Y/N’s here, she got the women and children down to the tunnels,” Derek alerts him. “I’m sending them out to you, Dan.”

“Ten-4, I have a vehicle ready to transport them to safety,” Dan responds.

“They’ve wired explosives,” Derek alerts through the radio. “We need to move, now!”

Aaron throws on a bulletproof vest then and starts to run out of the tent, “where are you going!?” JJ calls after him.

“to help get them as far away from the blast as possible this is an all-hands-on-deck situation!” He yells back and keeps running.

He runs as fast as he can, following the dimly lit dirt road up to the chapel, he can see the women and children running out of the tunnels and towards the front of the building. “Over here! This way!” He calls to them, “Over here! You need to get away from the building!”

“Aaron!” Y/N shouts, as the last one to leave the tunnel, she ushers the women and children towards him and hobbles along as fast as she can.

She runs right into his arms, and they both make an audible “oof,” as their chests collide but he holds her close. “You’re okay?”

“I’m okay,” she assures him, pulling back, she turns to face the others, “Keep moving, follow the lights, head to that tent back there!”

They usher them up the road, keeping them at a safe distance from the building, he rests his hand on her back and when she turns to him again, he uses his other hand to cradle her face. He can’t really see in the dark, but he can tell she’s all beaten and bruised, “are you sure—

“I’m fine, we need to go back in there, they have Spencer,” she worries, almost in tears. “It’s bad Aaron, the whole building is rigged to go, they have TNT and gas everywhere, in every hallway way, doorway, support beam… it’s going to go up like a fucking tinderbox.”

“Dereks got it,” he assures her. “They’ll be okay.” She doesn’t look like she believes him, so he pulls her in closer again and cradles her head. “It’s going to be okay.”

They hear a few shots then, followed by the chapel door flying open, Derek and Spencer come running out of the building, and Dave comes running out of the tunnel exit with Dan just as the building goes up in flames.

“Jesse,” Y/N whispers, shocked.

They rush to the building, running up the few concrete steps toward where Derek and Spencer were knocked down by the blast. Aaron picks up Derek, Y/N picks up Spencer and as a team, they retreat away from the fire. At a safe distance, they all stop, turn to the blaze and realize they made it. All of them.

Y/N pulls Spencer into her arms, breaking out in a sob, she crumbles. Her knees give way and Spencer does his best to keep her upright, Aaron steps in and supports her, and Derek too. “We did it,” Spencer whispers, “we’re okay.”

“We’re okay,” she repeats, absolutely exhausted from everything she’s been through.

“We need a medic!” Aaron calls, “Someone, please, get a stretcher over here!”

“I’m fine, I’m okay,” she tries to push them away, standing on her own two feet again but she’s wobbly.

“No, you’re not,” Aaron argues with her. “You got beat up, I heard it all. You’re not okay, I don’t care how strong you think you are you’re—

She reaches out and covers his mouth, “Stop yelling at me, my head is killing me.”

“Sorry,” he apologizes, wrapping his arm under her to support her, he helps her down the stairs just as the ambulance is pulling up to the church.

—

It doesn’t take long for both Y/N and Reid to get checked out by the paramedics. Spencer has some general ringing in his ear from being so close to a blast, and Y/N has a concussion and severe abdominal bruising. They don’t suspect any internal bleeding, but they advise her to have someone watch her all night and to go to the hospital if she feels sick or light-headed.

Derek offers to drive himself, Reid, Rossi and Y/N back to the hotel, JJ and Hotch just have to finish up a few things and then they’ll join, but she turns down Derek's request. “I’m going to stay with Aaron and JJ,” she whispers, not really wanting to talk unless she has to. “You guys head out, it’s okay.”

“Are you sure?” Spencer gives her his puppy dog eyes.

She nods, giving him a sweet smile, “Yeah, I don’t think I can handle Derek's driving right now.”

“Fair enough,” Rossi pats her shoulder, heading off after Derek.

“Okay,” Spencer understands the real reason why she isn’t going, he looks at her and then at Aaron. He’s not dumb. Far from it, actually. Of course, he knows there’s something going on between them… Aaron just wonders what it is on her side.

“Spence,” she stops him, pulls him in for another hug and holds him there. She whispers something in his ear, something Aaron can’t hear, but by the look on Spencer’s face, it’s sweet. When she pulls back, she speaks louder. “You come get me if you need anything, I mean anything… okay?”

“I will, thank you,” he smiles before turning away and heading off to the SUV.

She comes to sit beside Aaron after that, he’s filing out some paperwork about the supplies they used and Dan’s signing off on everything, too. JJ’s wrapping up from things on the phone with the state, and firefighters are now on the scene putting out the blaze… it’s a commotion, but he doesn’t care about anything other than Y/N.

He reaches out for her hand, under the table, he holds it and looks at her. Asking if she’s okay with just his eyes.

She nods, “I’m tired.”

“I can do the rest of this,” Dan offers.

“Yeah?”

He nods, “Yeah, you guys go get some rest, you’ve done more than enough for us.”

“Okay,” Aaron doesn’t fight it, he simply lets go of her hand and starts to stand up, helping her up too. “Come on, let’s get you out of here… JJ?”

She’s still on the phone but peaks her head over, asking what’s up with her facial expression.

“We’re heading out, come on.”

She holds up her finger, asking for just a second, which is good. It gives him a chance to pack up his things and help Y/N into the passenger seat of their SUV. JJ comes rushing over not 2 minutes later, the phone still pressed to her ear, she gets in the back seat and all they hear is “Thank you so much, half our team should be there in a few minutes, we’re about 30 minutes out… thank you, again, bye.”

“Good to go?” Aaron asks.

“Yeah, and I got us all hotels for tonight Rossi is alone, Derek is with Reid and I will partner with Hotch tonight so Y/N can be alone and—

She cuts JJ off. “I don’t want to be alone,” she says in a low tone. It hurts to talk. “Not with my concussion.”

“Oh,” JJ didn’t expect that. “Um, I guess we can be together, Hotch can be alone?”

She shakes her head, “No, mama you go be alone for the night, I’m sure you’re exhausted. You’ve done so much these last two days, Hotch can babysit me, make sure I don’t die in my sleep.”

“Don’t even joke about that,” he looks over at her, completely serious. “You’re okay, the paramedics said it’s not too serious, you’re going to be fine.”

“I was kidding,” she gives him a sweet smile.

It doesn’t take long for them to get to the hotel, they check in, they’re handed their room keys and off they go. The double rooms are on the same floor, they’re just across the hall from Derek and Spencer, JJ’s a floor above them and Rossi is on the top floor. He really doesn’t care how much money he spends, he always wants the best rooms.

He carries both their bags upstairs. He had someone go to her other hotel, the one she and Reid were sharing when they arrived, and get her things. He sets them all down on one of the beds and she just stands there, sore and tired. She looks like she wants to cry again. She’s bruising slowly, everything’s getting worse and darker in colour the more time passes.

“Are you okay?”

She nods, “Yeah… I just hurt all over.”

“I don’t want this to come off as weird, or anything,” he prefaces. “But do you need or want help changing? Do you want to take a bath? I can help you get in or out— I won’t look, I promise. I just want you to feel better.”

She laughs lightly, but it hurts to do that. “I don’t think I need help… but thank you.”

“You took such great care of me last month, I just want to repay the favour,” he gives her a small smile.

She takes a step towards him and wraps her arms around his middle, resting her head on his chest. He carefully holds her back, his cheek resting against her head. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“You need a lot more than a bomb to get rid of me,” she teases. He said the same thing in the hospital in New York.

He smiles, dragging his cheek across her hair until his lips are pressed to her head. He kisses her gently, “Come on, let’s get you ready for bed.”

She sighs as she pulls back, “Would it be weird to share a bed tonight? I really don’t want to be alone.”

“Not weird at all,” he assures her.

“Good,” she smiles.

He brings her over to the one bed that their bags are on, they each zip open their own bag and start digging for their things. She takes out her pyjama shirt and her shorts, her little bag of toiletries and her phone charger and then she remembers she doesn’t have a phone anymore. “I can’t believe that fucker blew up all my stuff.”

“We’ll get you a new phone when we get back tomorrow,” Aaron assures her. “Penelope knows to call me if anyone calls work looking for you.”

“Okay, good… I’m going to change in the bathroom first, I’ll call you if I need help?”

“Okay,” he agrees.

He takes the chance to change in the room, he slips out of his khakis and dress shirt and quickly replaces them with a new pair of boxers and a fresh white shirt. It's what he slept in beside her before… that was the best sleep he’s had in years. Even beside his ex-wife he never slept that good.

He heads over to the empty queen bed that their shit isn’t on and folds back the covers for them. He fluffs the pillows and even sets a complimentary bottle of water on each of their night tables, that’s when he remembers he still has medicine in his bag. She emerges from the bathroom soon after, all changed with a soft smile on her face. “Tada?”

“You look nice,” he compliments her. “I uh, I still have some medicine— the T3s…”

“Ooo,” she thinks about it. “I was just going to tough it out but that sounds like a much better option.”

“I just don’t like the idea of you hurting all night long, you’re supposed to be resting,” he reminds her, handing her the pill bottle once she’s closer to him. “There’s water on your side.”

She takes two of them, sets her water down and starts to get into the bed, Aaron stands at her side, watching as she hisses. “Are you okay?”

“Mhm,” she hums. “Getting punched and kicked in the gut sucked, I’m surprised I don’t have internal bleeding.”

His heart breaks even more, “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she waves it off. “Come get in bed.”

Before he does that, he flicks on the lamp on his side of the bed and heads back over to the door to turn off the main light. When he finally slips into bed, she reaches over for his hand and pulls him over so he can spoon her. She just wants to be held. He gently places his hand on her stomach, he doesn’t want to hurt her at all. She lets out a deep sigh, relaxing into his arms and waiting for the pills to kick in.

“I’m really glad they put you in charge of everything,” she whispers. “The second Rossi showed up in the church I knew we were going to be leaving okay.”

“You should’ve heard Morgan scream for me when the situation popped onto the news in the bullpen,” he recounts, still astounded by it himself. “I was just thinking about you when he called for me and then all the phones started going off and I knew we’d be the ones doing the rescuing.”

“You were thinking about me?” She repeats. “What were you thinking about me for?”

“Oh…” he feels suddenly embarrassed. “Just that it was weird not having breakfast together and I was thinking if you didn't drive to the airport, I would’ve driven you home.”

“Awe,” she swoons, she places her hand over his and interlocks their fingers. “We can get lunch together tomorrow after we land… before you take me back to the airport to get my car.”

“Sounds like a plan,” he whispers. “But we’ll have to take it to go…”

“Why?”

“I don't want anyone to think I did that to you,” he explains, a sick feeling in his throat at the mere thought of someone thinking he could hurt her.

“Oh, oh yeah,” she forgot. “Sorry, I’m starting to feel the medicine… if I fall asleep on you, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, go to sleep if you have to,” he assures her. “I’ll be right here all night if you need me.”

“Thank you, Aar,” she mumbles out, already slipping into her slumber. “Love… you.”

His heart skips a beat, he wants to say it back but he doesn’t know how much of that is just the medicine and him taking care of her and how much of it she really, truly means. He doesn’t want to risk it, so he just snuggles in closer, kisses the back of her shoulder and attempts to fall asleep with her.

General Taglist 

@ncsls0515 @stevesmunsons @reidsbookclub @sweetyyhippyy @manuosorioh @mrs-dr-reid @k-k0129 @squishyturtle @katsukis1wife @babybisexual @marsmunson86 @buckleyhans

IKP

@southernraven @alluringshawn @lambsheepsheeping @lmg-stilinski24 @louderfortheback @deludedfruitcake @kleff03 @mrs-ssa-hotch @maxinehufflepuffprincess @lokifanfic2021 @art-and-thoughts 

[ihaveathingforwomen]

Mock Trial - Professor AU

Professor!Alex Cabot x Fellow!Casey Novak

Chapter 7 - Masterlist

Word Count: 4.5k

Summary: Casey asks for Alex's help, they make the most of the situation.

A/N: First of all, I'm sorry (Not) for the feelings I am about to hurt. I know ya'll are thinking this is it, it's finally happening. But there's so much more in store - please, I'm begging- bear with me. ALSO Thank you SO MUCH to my lovely partner, @novelsandlove, for helping me write the cross-examination. I didn't realize I would have to become a fucking law student to write fanfiction but here we are.

Alex’s flight home brought great relief for her. The daydreams on her flight were filled with her friends, Toby, and, of course, Casey. The clock had run out for her patience and she was beginning to mill over how she was going to confess to Casey. Before getting on her flight, she messaged George and Liv, asking to meet with them so that they could advise her further. During the flight, she took her legal pad and made notes of possible ways to talk to Casey about her feelings and possible opportunities to do so. 

One of the first opportunities she considered was when Casey picked her up at the airport. Though, she decided against it when the time came. Casey looked stunning, waiting patiently at baggage claim for Alex. It was one of her more casual outfits, jeans and a sweater as it was cooling down at the beginning of November. Their drive was comfortable and fast, Casey driving in consideration of Alex’s jet lag. Casey gave Alex the opportunity to discuss the conversation with her father, how her cousin was doing, and how annoying the rest of her family had been. In between, Casey told her about how her students were fairing and how her classes were doing as she prepares for finals which are quickly approaching. 

The next opportunity was going to be when they arrived back at Alex’s apartment. The outlook was bright as their conversation never ceased even when Casey helped Alex unpack her things and get settled back in. At one point, they stood in the kitchen together where Casey made Alex stand still so that she could detail everything she had bought in terms of food. Casey, fully aware that Alex does not have time, energy, or skill to consistently cook for herself, made a point to buy or make things that Alex could manage. With all of the time they’ve spent together over the last year or so, Casey was able to recall many foods or meals that Alex enjoyed. She prepared and froze a few casseroles, desserts, soups, and a few miscellaneous other things, and made sure to leave Alex a stack of notecards with instructions for them. Casey also made a point to buy “safe foods,” as she and Alex called them, that Alex could eat on bad or busy days. Frozen chicken tenders, Alex’s favorite mac n cheese brand, an assortment of nuts, protein bars, granola, cereal, and so on. 

As Casey detailed these plans she’d made, Alex couldn’t keep her eyes off of her. Her mind watched for every moment in which she could reach out and grab her hips, pulling her in for a kiss, which she hoped would be reciprocated. When Casey finally finished her lecture, she approached Alex with a smile, apologizing for spending so much. Alex, of course, deflected her apology and expressed sincere thanks, pulling her into a hug. While in their embrace, Casey happened to glance at her watch, and gasped. She exclaimed that she had a study group with Charlie that she was going to be late for, and rushed out of the apartment. Alex held no hard feelings about the sudden departure, but she realized she would have to actually plan the right moment rather than waiting for it. 

The days in November ticked away, and Alex still felt hesitant about each plan that she had made. They went back to their normal routine, distancing themselves as Casey had believed they should in her blissful ignorance of Alex’s intentions. Even if she had been made aware, it’s likely they would not have seen each other much more anyway, as the stress of the semester was beginning to increase. Their office meetings were now times where Casey would recline on Alex’s couch and read or review cases for her own classes while Alex worked, occasionally staring at her crush. Their texting became sporadic too, as Casey now attended many study groups or different meetings for the associations she was a part of to wrap up the semester. Of course the circumstances cause them both to feel twinges of sadness every now and then, but it allowed for Alex to plan a potentially perfect time to express her affections. 

The staff and faculty plan a small holiday party for the fellows at the end of the semester. Alex normally is heavily involved in the planning, but because of her family emergency, she was unable to participate as much. Instead, she offered to provide whatever supplies the committee requested. Since her responsibility lowered, Alex was now capable of distancing herself from responsibility at the party, allowing her to potentially spend more time with Casey. She inquired from Liz about details she would need, of course: date, time, location, foods, alcohol, et cetera. This year, the party is going to be held on the day of the last final, with winter break starting promptly afterwards. 

With that information, Alex made it up in her mind that she was going to ask Casey if she could drive her to the party, offering to be her designated driver. Ideally, Casey will accept and Alex will pick her up. They would have a good experience at the party and Alex would take her home, hopefully not too intoxicated, and tell her then. Her mind spun with excitement at the thought, dreaming up all of the ways that Casey might respond. With high hopes, she geared up for positive responses only. Whenever she engaged with Casey before that point, her demeanor was elated. 

The Friday before finals week, also before the holiday party, Casey spent most of her day in the library. Feeling as though her eyes were about to bleed and fall out of her skull, Casey closed her textbooks and picked up her phone. Her phone has been silenced for days now, dead week taking over every bit of energy she had left. 

Casey: Are you in your office? I have a question for you.

Sending the message, she hesitates, something else on the tips of her fingers. Even though they haven’t seen each other as much, Casey feels like their chemistry has exploded. 

Casey: Also, I miss you

Turning her phone off, she takes a deep breath as she packs up her belongings. Yet again, Alex’s words from more than a month ago ring clear in her mind. Don’t let the good ones go. She tried over and over to decipher what Alex was experiencing and what she could’ve meant. Her heart naturally assumed that her cousin had encouraged her to pursue their relationship. Though, her brain, still in disbelief that Alex ever liked her in the first place, pushes that assumption back and exchanges it for a more reasonable one. Perhaps, Alex was merely advocating for the position her father told her about. 

That one left Casey feeling conflicted. She had just started her application for a position as a junior assistant district attorney in New York City. The application is long and thorough and very selective. She knows that any offer she receives, if she gets one at all, will depend on whether or not she passes the bar this coming summer. On the optimistic end of the spectrum, Casey gets the job of her dreams and passes the bar exam. The only thing that taints that dream in obscurity: Alexandra Cabot becoming her boss. 

Starting to feel queasy at the thought, Casey’s phone dings to distract her. 

Alex <3: I miss you too, Case. I’m in my office, have been all day. :) 

Casey smiles, her adoration (or dare she say love) for Alex suppressing any anxiety she has about the future. With her things gathered, she begins her trek up to Alex’s office. She steps into the door frame, knocking lightly against it before coming in and closing the door behind her, as is routine for them by now. 

“Hi,” Alex greets her happily as she closes a few tabs on her computer and turns to watch her favorite visitor. 

“Hey,” Casey sets her things down on the couch and goes to Alex’s desk. She rounds the edge, coming onto Alex’s side and pushing herself onto the desktop, her hands bracing against the wood behind her. 

Alex, feeling breathless already, looks Casey from bottom to top, eyes lingering at her knees and throat. “You have a question?” 

Casey grins and nods, avoiding Alex’s eyes. “Yes, I do.” 

Alex leans back in her chair, trying not to stare at the younger woman before her. “What is it?”

Casey licks her bottom lip, taking it between her teeth and releasing it in distress as she answers. “Could I come over and could you help me with my oral arguments for Trial Practice?” 

Alex grins and screws her eyes shut for a moment, nodding. “Yes, of course, Casey.” 

Casey sighs in relief, “thank you. Professor Taft has been an asshole and I feel like I haven’t learned anything from him.” She turns to Alex, inspecting her demeanor as she notes. 

Alex fights a grimace, “That’s what I’ve heard. I try to avoid him,” she states. “He’s tenured.” 

Casey rolls her eyes, “I know. I can’t believe they let him get tenured.” She shakes her head in defeat and turns back to Alex. They hold each other’s gaze for a moment, something they’ve been doing more of lately. Neither of them know that they both think about the other’s lips. 

“Also,” Casey starts, breaking their tension, “I will make dinner for us when I come over.”  

Alex starts to shake her head, leaning forward and putting a reassuring hand on Casey's knee. “You don’t have to do that, it’s okay. I think I still have frozen dinners from when you watched Toby. You need to save your energy for exams,” her eyes traveling up Casey’s figure. Casey hesitates for a moment, the vision before her sending shivers up her spine. Alex reminds her of a devoted apostle looking up at her deity. 

She smiles, placing a hand on Alex’s cheek and stroking it softly with her thumb. “I want to make you dinner, Alex. It’s payment for helping me, okay?” 

Recognizing the power she has over Alex, she streaks her thumb across her lips before withdrawing her hand and getting off of the desk. She grabs her things, her chest heavy with arousal, and starts to leave. “Tonight, at seven?” 

Alex looks up, the air only just starting to return to her lungs. She nods, “that works.”

----------

That night, a little after seven, Casey arrives at Alex’s with a quiet knock. Alex pops up from her couch, trying to convince herself she wasn’t twiddling her thumbs while impatiently waiting for the redhead. Opening the door, she finds Casey with her arms full of books and groceries. 

“Oh my God, are you moving in?” She quips, trying to take things from Casey’s arms. 

“Not unless you ask me to,” Casey responds without thinking. Her face turns a light scarlet as soon as she hears her words. She avoids Alex’s eyes and makes her way into the apartment. 

Alex, recognizing Casey’s desire to avoid her own statement, ignores it. “Why did you bring so much stuff?” She laughs, setting the books on the dining room table. 

“Well, I couldn’t remember what you had here. So, to be safe, I brought some of my own things to cook with and I bought some ingredients too.” 

Alex stares at all of the things spread out on the table now: Textbooks, Casey’s laptop, legal pads with notes scribbled all over, sticky notes, colored tabs, pens and highlighters, noodles, chicken broth, seasonings, and so much more. Her eyes scan the table, watching as Casey organizes everything into piles. She decides to start their conversation by straying from the topic of cooking, trying to get a sense for how to help Casey. “Trial Practice, is it for criminal or civil?” 

Casey continues rearranging without looking up, “criminal.” She gathers the groceries she’d displayed on the table and makes her way into the kitchen. “Hungry yet?” She asks Alex with a grin, her dimples clear in her cheeks. 

Alex grins and goes to sit at the bar to keep Casey company. “Starving,” Alex tells her, eyes twinkling as she watches Casey search for utensils. Casey’s cheeks burn a faint rosy shade, imagining in her mind that she’s cooking for her girlfriend. Ever since she spent the week in Alex’s apartment, she began to come to terms with just how much she liked Alex. At first, she believed her feelings to be pure infatuation due to her physical attractiveness and their power dynamic. But, since spending more time together this fall, she finds that there are many attributes about Alex that she adores. Alex’s intelligence, kindness, considerate-nature, her conversation, and their natural connection have all led to her developing legitimate feelings for her professor. 

While Casey cooks, Alex starts to wonder if her moment is quickly approaching. Casey seems to be laughing more and even flirting. Nearing the end of her cooking, Casey allows a few things to simmer. And as she does, she sets her elbows on the countertop across from Alex, resting her chin on her hands so that they are at eye level, their lips just mere inches apart. Their conversation is quiet and sweet, discussing anything that comes to mind and giggling whenever jokes arise. While they speak, Alex’s eyes consistently drift down to Casey’s lips. Each time, she imagines herself whispering to Casey that she loves her and kissing her softly. When she imagines this interaction, her lips tingle and blood rushes to them. Eventually, the timer sounds and Casey is done cooking, abandoning Alex at the bar to plate their food. 

While they eat at the dining table Alex never uses, Alex questions her about her Trial Practice final. Casey explains that it’s taking the form of a mock trial, as it normally does, in which four professors will act as witnesses for the students to question. She explains that she was chosen to argue the prosecutor’s side. With that came a contest between her peers to see who would deliver the opening argument for extra credit. She won the contest, which initially excited her, but Taft’s behavior as of late made her nervous. Alex then questioned her on the evidence they were utilizing in the mock trial, aiming to be sure Casey knew each item in as much detail as possible. 

When they finished eating and Alex was content with how well Casey knew her evidence, she offered to clean up for them. Casey declines and Alex insists, reasoning that it would be a perfect opportunity for Casey to rehearse her opening argument and focus on her tonal delivery. Alex recalls her time as a prosecutor, wishing someone had guided her more in law school about the importance of tone. Word choice and body language do wonders to compensate for tone, but it does not resolve all issues. While Alex washes the dishes for Casey, she instructs her to start her opening argument. Casey does as she’s told, pacing behind Alex rather than sitting. 

Occasionally, Alex will interrupt and ask if Casey is insinuating some emotion with the tone she slipped into. Casey will, of course, object and correct herself. After a couple of run throughs, Alex finishes the dishes. She turns around, leaning against the counter and drying her hands on a towel. She smiles, her eyes twinkling, as Casey finishes the end of her opening statement. 

“That was perfect, Casey. You’re a natural,” Alex compliments. 

Casey diverts her gaze to the ground, smiling softly, “Thank you.” She takes a shaky breath, her throat sore from speaking clearly and for so long. “Now, on to questioning?” She asks wearily. 

Alex folds the towel and sets it on the counter. She smiles sympathetically at Casey, remembering how dry her throat felt when she did her first mock trial. “Yes, do you want more water first?” 

Casey nods, feeling pathetic, but thankful she didn’t have to ask. Alex turns and grabs a glass from the cabinet then fills it with ice and water from the refrigerator, handing it to Casey. Their fingertips brush against each other and Casey thanks her with a nervous grin. She exits the kitchen, Alex close behind, and sets the glass on the dining room table. For a second, Alex feels the impulse to walk up behind Casey and wrap her arms around her waist, kissing her neck and praising her, encouraging her work. Taking a deep breath through her nose, she diverts her impulses to the couch. She takes a seat cross-legged and waits patiently for Casey to organize her evidence the way she wants it. 

Casey sighs, and walks over, handing Alex a sheet of responses. Over dinner, Alex agreed to play the witness so that Casey can practice cross-examination. Alex reads over the facts while Casey paces the floor in front of the coffee table, thinking and murmuring questions to herself. Alex nods along as she reads and then sets the paper in her lap. 

“You can start whenever you’re ready, Case,” she directs her, watching as her hands start to tremble. 

Casey takes a deep breath and turns to Alex in a panic, “what do I do with my hands?” 

Alex laughs, “I used to put mine behind my back unless I was making an expressive gesture.” Casey nods and continues pacing, putting her hands behind her back. “Casey…” Alex asks, hoping to get her attention. She does not turn her head and instead murmurs an unintelligible response. Alex tilts her head, watching Casey with concern, “You’re going to do fine. But we’ll never know for sure if you don’t start.” 

Casey halts in her spot and turns on her heel, making eye contact with Alex. “You’re right…” 

Alex never thought she’d hear those words. Casey tends to err on the side of defensiveness, rarely conceding to fault. “Just breathe…You know what questions you’re asking and you know what answers you need. You are in control. Okay?” Alex offers from her seat, trying to give Casey a reassuring smile. It’s been so long since she’s seen Casey this nervous. As of late, Casey has radiated confidence, especially when it came to her academics. Maybe tonight was not going to be her moment, Casey may need more reassurance than other emotions. 

“Okay,” Casey takes a deep breath through her mouth and exhales it with pursed lips. “You’re ready?” Alex nods, smiling softly and sitting up straight, watching Casey closely. “Miss Cabot, is it true that you were shopping at the seventeenth street convenience store on the night of the incident?” 

“Yes,” Alex answers cooly. 

Casey nods and begins to pace, hands behind her back. “Is it true that in your statement to the police, you stated that you were not aware that the defendant was in the store?”

“Yes,” she responds, her eyes tracking Casey. 

“How often do you visit the seventeenth street convenience store?” 

“I couldn’t say an exact number,” Alex excuses. 

“Use your best judgment on an estimate.” 

“Three to four times a week,” Alex states, scanning Casey up and down. 

“So would you say that you’re familiar with the layout of the convenience store?” 

The questioning went on for some time, Alex’s pride growing with each step. Here and there, she would interrupt to adjust Casey’s body language or her choice of words with a question. But the further Casey went, the better she sounded. Alex wasn’t sure whether it was the right time to admit it, but she’s actually quite impressed with Casey’s skills. Her intuition with the witness’s responses and her knowledge of the evidence make it easy for her to improvise if an unexpected response comes along. When she does improvise, she does so eloquently, as though she had actually planned the question in advance. By the end, Casey manages to flip the defense witness in her favor, leaving them both breathless. 

Content with her work, Casey walks over to the couch and collapses beside Alex, slinking onto the pillows. “Jesus Christ,” she exhales with a laugh, resting her forearms on top of her eyes and focusing on her breathing. 

“How do you feel?” Alex asks, beaming, trying not to distract Casey from her own feelings. 

She removes her arms and sits up, draping her legs over the edge of the couch and looking over at Alex, still sitting cross-legged. “Like I just spoke for two hours straight.” 

Alex giggles, “it wasn’t that long, I promise.” She looks down at her watch, noticing Casey’s thigh flesh against her own. “Only thirty minutes, that’s pretty average. Maybe better for your first final.” 

Casey looks down, setting her elbow on her knee and resting her head on her hand. “Well, that’s a relief,” she mumbles. 

They share a moment of silence and Alex uncrosses her legs, dangling them over the edge of the couch as Casey has done. Their thighs are practically sandwiched next to each other, arms having nowhere to go but next to each other. Casey’s cologne, a light scent of amber and vanilla, makes its way into Alex’s nose. She examines Casey’s features longingly and her body takes control from there.

She raises her hand to Casey’s face, pushing strands of her hair behind her ear. “Casey…” Alex begins. Casey turns to look at Alex, her cheek burning where Alex’s fingertips brushed across. Her eyes promptly go to Alex’s lip and she bites her own before her eyes travel upward, meeting Alex’s sapphire. 

“Hmm?” Casey says, her eyes captured in Alex’s grasp. 

“You did so well,” she praises, her eyes flicking between Casey’s eyes and lips. “I’m really proud of you.” She subtly nods her head, her eyes returning to Casey’s and holding her gaze for a moment longer than they have lately. Her lips begin to burn. Palpitations pick up in Casey’s chest, blood rushing to her throat and lips as she loses time in Alex’s eyes. 

“I love you,” Alex whispers, unable to control the words as they tumble out of her mouth and into Casey’s lap. 

Casey’s eyes begin to stir, pupils widening and her gaze narrowing. It startles Alex from her dreamy state. 

Alex closes her eyes and shakes her head, blood rushing to her cheeks and ears. “Oh, Casey…” a regretful smile plagues her face, baring her teeth, “I’m sorry. That was…” she takes a deep breath and sighs, “out of line.” Her eyes open to find the green ones across from her. She peers into the aventurine before her, searching for reassurance and sympathy. 

A charming smile tugs at Casey’s cheeks and her hand reaches up to Alex’s cheek. She shakes her head softly. “Don’t be,” she whispers, her eyes landing on Alex’s red lips. Her hand cups Alex’s cheek for a moment, then slides back into her hair, gripping lightly. “I love you, Alex.” Her whispered confession echoes in Alex’s ears, scorching them. Casey pulls her in, their lips brushing against each other as waves and sand. Casey takes Alex’s bottom lip between her own, sucking lightly, running her tongue over the warm flesh. She takes Alex’s cheek in her other palm, pulling her closer. Alex’s leg moves on top of Casey’s. One hand goes to her hip, the other braces itself on the couch, steadying them. Their breaths pick up pace, sharing inhales and exhales as their lips pulse and release. 

For a few seconds, their minds are silent, focused only on the sensations on their skin. Alex’s face burns beneath Casey’s palms, Casey’s hips spasm beneath Alex’s fingertips. Casey swirls her tongue over Alex’s lip, unable to get enough of the faint taste of sugar. Alex glides her hand further into the curve of Casey’s hip, hooking her thumb against her pelvis and gripping, pulling her closer. Casey allows a hand to abandon Alex’s cheek, pausing at her neck and stroking, then proceeding down her ribcage, hips, thigh, and finally hooking at her knee. With her fingers hooked under her knee, she pulls her further into her lap, deepening their kiss. Alex takes this as an opportunity to mingle their tongues, sucking Casey’s and nipping at her lip. 

A moan leaks from Casey’s mouth and her mind wakes. Anxiety begins seeping its way into her veins, her heart racing and stomach flipping, not in the way she’d hoped. For the first time, her mind flashes vivid scenes of being expelled, of Alex getting fired, of never completing law school, and never becoming a prosecutor. Her heart aches as the visions play, but her mind is already gaining back control. She retracts her tongue, and begins to break the kiss as the remaining hand on Alex’s cheek slides down to her shoulder, pushing her gently. 

“I’m sorry,” she whimpers, her eyes pleading as they catch Alex’s. 

Breathless, Alex furrows her brow, “what’s wrong?” 

Casey feels a lump form in her throat, examining Alex’s face longingly. She runs her tongue over her lip, parting them as she prepares to speak. “I can’t do this right now,” she whispers. 

Alex takes her leg off of Casey’s and slowly removes her hands, “Did I do something wrong?” 

Alex fights back tears and Casey closes her eyes, pushing air through her nose, “No,” she starts to say baby but refrains, “No, Alex. You haven’t done anything wrong.” Casey’s hands search for Alex’s, taking them and intertwining their digits. “I just…” she hesitates, her own tears making an appearance, pushing past her eyelids. “I can’t right now. I’m really sorry, Alex.” 

Disbelief overruns Alex’s mind, leaving her paralyzed, eyes unable to look up at Casey. Panic sets in and Casey untangles herself, getting up and hastily gathering her things. She sniffles a couple of times, keeping her eyes down as she moves about the apartment. From afar, Toby sits atop the counter in a regal position, observing them, his tail swiping in agitation. Alex runs her hands over her face and stands, trying to approach Casey. She keeps her arms to herself, crossed against her chest as she tries to stand within Casey’s line of sight. 

“Casey,” she attempts to get her attention, “can we talk about this?” 

Casey shakes her head, offering no further response. 

“Case,” Alex pleads. Casey begins to gather her belongings in her arm, having far less than she arrived with. “Casey, please,” Alex’s voice becomes strained, “I’m sorry. I just thought-” 

“Thought what, Alex?” She whips around just as her hand grips the doorknob. 

“I-I thought you felt the same,” Alex stammers out, stepping closer and extending her hand to caress Casey’s elbow. 

Casey closes her eyes again, the lump in her throat growing. A tear streaks down her cheek. “I do, Alex…” 

Alex tries fervently to meet her gaze as she tries to avoid it. Alex takes a deep, defeated breath, her stomach aching as her eyes soften. “Then, what’s wrong?” 

Casey scoffs, a dejected look smeared across her face. She tries to swallow, the sensation painful, practically choking. “Just not now…” her voice is strangled, each word pointed as she utters them. She turns away from Alex, opening the door and disappearing down the hallway. 

The door falls shut behind her and Alex’s face slips, eyes empty and sunken. The remaining air in her lungs sinks like a weighted balloon. In all of her concern about her own timeline and feelings, she hadn’t considered how close their clock was on its last second. 

[jujitto]

▬▬ [ 𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗭 ] AS LOVE TROPES [ MAKNAE LINE ]

𝖺𝗍𝗓 𝗆𝖺𝗄𝗇𝖺𝖾 𝗅𝗂𝗇𝖾 ׂ ۪ 𝗑 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋 ⭒ ۪ ׂ ۪ genre ۪ ׂ 𝖿𝗅𝗎𝖿𝖿, 𝖺𝗇𝗀𝗌𝗍, 𝖼𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗄 ⭒ ۪ ׂ ۪ cw ۪ ׂ ۪𝗇𝗈𝗇𝖾 ⭒ ۪ ׂ ۪ wc ۪ ׂ 𝟢.𝟧𝗄 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝖽𝗌

CHOI SAN [ 최산 ] ; SURPRISINGLY I HAD NO IDEA ABOUT SAN AT FIRST UNTIL I THOUGHT OF SOMETHING! Okay, imagine being in a love triangle with San and whoever (preferably one of the members). I DON’T KNOW WHY BUT I CAN SEE SAN JUST BEING IN ONE! I'm not explaining myself. I feel like San would be the character that the protagonist has known they have been in love with like forever! SAN IS THE CHARACTER EVERYONE LOVES BECAUSE OF HIS PERSONALITY! The protagonist is low-key going to piss off the reader for her stupid decisions. (Kill her off at this point!) SADLY SAN ISN'T THE ONE YOU FALL FOR! BITCH I’M SOBBING! OR MAYBE HE IS? It all depends on how you want it to play. But make a scene where the protagonist and he are standing in the rain as he confesses! GIVE ME THAT SANTISFACTION 😉! WAIT SAN IS JACOB IN THIS SITUATION?!? 😧 WRITE IT!

SONG MINGI [ 송민기 ] ; I WANT TO SEE FRIENDS TO LOVERS WITH MINGI! GIVE ME THAT SATISFACTION! I know I wrote a story about yn and Mingi being just friends, even though they were dating lowkey, but I want the actual plot of friends to lovers tropes! I want the realization that they were in love with each other, I want the beginning story of how they became friends, I want the crying, the angriness, I want EVERY EMOTION that needs to be in a friends to lovers story trope! I want a confession in the rain! Or one of them, leaving to go to another country, and the other one rushing to the airport to tell them how they feel about them! Give me that trope! GIVE IT TO ME PLS!!

JUNG WOOYOUNG [ 정우영 ] ; NOW YOU AND I BOTH KNOW WOOYOUNG GIVES VERY MUCH ENEMIES TO LOVERS ENERGY. But wait hold on I’m not finished. This would be the most FLIRTY enemies to lovers trope I have ever seen. Imagine it….you and him hating each other but each time you see him, he would send you a WINK!! (wink wink 👁️👅👁️) But that’s not what pisses you off it’s the fact that you like it which you shouldn’t because you guys don’t like each other. This shouldn’t be happening. You shouldn’t be feeling this way about him. Now hold on don’t get confused. THIS IS HAPPENING OVER MONTHS, OK?! Wooyoung is a tease and so of course he has to build the tension. HONESTLY, I CAN HEAR HIM SAYING, “You wanna kiss me so bad.” I’M NOT OK!

CHOI JONGHO [ 최종호 ] ; OK FOR JONGHO I may be writing this, but I am suggesting you guys write this OK! I want to see a soulmate AU for him! Not just any soulmate au, but one where they have their future soulmate’s words they will hear them say tattooed on them! And for Jongho, I think the tattoo should be the most stupidest shit ever just so he could be mad at the reader, or his future soulmate, when he first meets them! I CAN SEE THIS! OMG THE RELATIONSHIP FOR A WHILE IS THEM PURELY HATING EACH OTHER UNTIL THEY FINALLY REALIZE WAIT THATS MY SOULMATE?!?! OMG WRITE IT! Write it!

[kendallroydefender]

Somewhere only we know - Chapter 13 (Kendall Roy x Reader)

Masterlist

Series summary: You met Kendall when you were six years old. You have spent every summer together and now years later you and him are still just as close. This story follows Kendall and his best friend through their lives. Will they realize their feelings for each other before it’s too late?

Chapter summary: While the Roys are at their mothers wedding you get a phone call that is turning your world upside down. Following the events he makes a decision that could change his life for the better and yours too.

Authors Notes: We’re so so close to an confession!! I hope you like this chapter! Much love to everyone who’s still keeping up with the story! 🤍

Wordcount: 3.1K

You hear you’re phone ring. The caller ID says Connor wich makes you furrow your brows. Why would Connor call you from Caroline’s wedding? You accept the call, with a weird feeling spreading in your stomach, remembering last time you got a call from a Roy family member that wasn’t Kendall while they were out of the country.

”Hello?“ You ask slightly wary. He says your name in a somber tone before telling you ”Something happened.“ You take a deep breath the dark feeling starting to grow.

”It’s about Kendall. There was an accident and he, yeah, he almost drowned.“ He says and your breathing stops

”He fell off a pool float, he was drunk. We don’t know if it was an accident or..“ Tears gather in your eyes ”Is he..?“ You ask even if you’re afraid of the answer of how bad it is. If he died you don’t know how you would cope. ”He is stable, they’re keeping him til tomorrow.“ You close your eyes and exhale a shaky breath ”Can you send me the name of the hospital? I will be there as soon as possible.“ You ask him. ”Y/n you don’t have to-“

”No. Con, I need to.“

He mumbles an okay and take care, you tell him you’ll be in contact with him and if there’s any news about Kendall he should call or text you.

While organizing a jet you get a suitcase out and throw in anything you can catch. It feels like you’re almost in some kind of trance, you’re almost too calm. In less than 15 minutes you are out of your apartment and on the way to the airport.

You board your families jet, Connor has send you the name and address of the hospital Kendall was admitted to. You have also texted with Jess and Roman. You haven’t contacted Kendall himself, maybe you’re scared he will tell you not to come and because he was still not awake when Connor called you. You aren’t even sure if he knows that you’ve been told about what happened.

You know you should use the next hours to sleep but how are you supposed to when you don’t know what happened to your best friend, the man who you are in love with. You open your phone and go to the folder with all the pictures you have of him. There are funny ones of the two of you together and others where you attended galas and dinners together. You stop when you reach one where Kendall is sleeping. He looks so peaceful and carefree. You’ve taken it a year ago when he fell asleep on your couch while watching some movie. You wonder when it all went so wrong, you remember when he carried you all the way home on his back to your parents summer house after you cut your foot at the beach. Or when he rapped along to his new favorite song on your dorm bed. The way you two danced through the night in Shanghai’s clubs. All these memories rush through your head and you can’t stop yourself from crying.

You arrive at the hospital after an exhausting 10 hour flight and a taxi ride. You had slept for about an hour before waking again, too anxious to drift off again. You knew Kendall wasn’t doing well but you hadn’t thought it was this bad. You feel like you should have noticed how bad he was doing.

You ask to see Kendall but you really haven’t thought this through because you’re met with an ”I’m sorry signora, we can’t let unauthorized people to him. Only family.“ you nod, turning around contemplating what to do. Connor told you they weren’t going to the hospital but will see him after he’s released. You see Comfry on her phone. Jackpot.

You walk over to the blonde woman who smiles at you and gives a little wave. After she hangs up, she brings you to Kendall’s room. She stops outside to tell you about what happened, when and how he was found, that he’s mostly fine now but they kept him overnight to be sure.

You open the door to his room, he is resting on the bed, awake and looking out of the window. ”Kenny.“ you get out before tears come to your eyes. His head snaps towards you fast, he’s shocked to see you here. Who told you? Why did you come? It reminds him of the press conference where you appeared seemingly out of nowhere. He knows it was Roman who told you what was going on but still it feels like you always know when he needs you most by his side.

He says you name and you walk towards his bed, crushing him in a hug. He strokes your hair and after minutes you let him go. ”Sorry, sorry.“ you say wiping your tears. ”It’s okay, please don’t cry.“ he tells you cupping the side of your face. ”You shouldn’t have come, nothing happend. I’m fine, really.“ Kendall tells you to wich you shake your head. ”Kendall. No - of course.“ you tell him. Did he really thought you wouldn’t come after you heard what happened? ”Connor called me and I knew I had to get here. I just needed to see you.“

You don’t pry him about the situation knowing he will talk to you on his own terms. You just lay with him on the hospital bed. Pressing kisses onto his shaven head. ”My Dad- Uh, he won’t let me leave.“ Kendall says to you in a low distant sounding voice. ”What?“ you ask confused, since you’ve read the birthday card where he offered it. ”We had dinner yesterday. I wanted out but he- yeah, he said no.“ Kendall answers you and you feel like you swallowed a hot stone, you’re so mad at his father. Logan’s constant psychological abuse of his children. ”God. Kenny.“ is all you get out and just from that the man knows you’re mad. ”It’s okay.“ he assures you and you turn so you face him. ”No it’s really not. God i hate him so much.“ you can’t help yourself ”I’m so sorry Kendall. You don’t deserve being treated like that. You deserve so, so much better.“ he feels tears well up and he blinks fast, tries to swallow all these feelings again.

Instead he asks you if you’ll come with him to his mothers wedding and of course you say yes.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Comfry comes into the room a few hours later with one of the doctors, Kendall is being released. A car is already waiting outside.

You arrive at the house his family has rented. You catch Sophies eyes and give her a small wave and a smile. She smiles back, happy to see you. You eye Logan warily who sits next to the kids. Suddenly acting like a grandfather, you fight the urge to scoff. He looks at you but you avert your eyes quickly, turning toward the siblings who sit around a table playing monopoly. They make some jokes about Kendall’s accident slash attempt and you roll your eyes, wich Connor catches. But you don’t care, you’re here for Kendall. Connor sounded worried yesterday when he called you, you don’t understand how they can act like that now, not even a day later.

”Kids! Come on we’re leaving!“ Kendall shouts and you wrap your arm around Iverson. ”What are you doing here?“ Sophie asks with a mischievous grin. She’s not opposed to you and her father dating. She was old enough when her parents divorced to know it was better that way, she heard them fighting. Iverson took the break up harder and you can’t blame him. ”What? can’t I just go to the wedding of my best friend mother?“ you say to her jokingly.

”But you weren’t here yesterday?“ Iverson asks ”Y/n had a work thing she had to attend, that’s why she’s late.“ Kendall says quickly. He loves how well you get along with his kids, even if that means having Sophie asking him questions about you two later.

While Kendall is off to a meeting with his siblings, wich unbeknownst to you is an intervention, you and Comfry go to find you a dress to wear for the festivities. You have grown to like the woman even though your relationship with her is definitely not as deep as yours and Jess.

You buy a dress that fits you perfectly and is fitting for Carolines wedding.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••

You attend the wedding alongside Kendall. You give your congrats to Caroline and her soon to be husband, who’s name you already forgot. You’re sitting with Willa and Connor. Kendall wanted you to sit with him at the family table but you assured him you’re fine. He argued that you would be his plus one for this event but you declined. Your eyes find each other’s during the speeches multiple times, sending small smiles across the lawn.

When the eating part is over you and Kendall stay close to each other, holding hands the entire time, his arm around you. It just feels natural and you both just want to keep physical contact after everything that had happened who wouldn’t try to seek some comfort.

Maybe it’s the fact that he could have died but you just need him close to you, to feel that he’s alive. And he feels the same, he doesn’t want to get away from you. He doesn’t care about all the guest around, not really keen on striking up a conversation with anyone that isn’t his best friend.

You’re leaning into his shoulder while he smokes when Shiv and Roman come and ask to talk to him. He shrugs and tells them that he’s not interested but they are consistent and it seems like it’s urgent, so he relents and excuses himself from you for a moment. He kisses the side of your head goodbye and you hear Shiv ask ”So what? Are you together now?“ as they walk away.

The next time you’re hearing from Kendall is while you’re with Connor and he tells you about his upcoming campaign when you get an incoming call from Kendall. You excuse yourself for a moment and walk a bit away from the other guests before you answer the call. ”Y/n! We had to leave the party. We’re going to kill dad.“ he says and you furrow your brows ”Metaphorically speaking of course.“ he adds ”Wait- what? Who?“ you stammer, still confused on what is going on ”Me and the sibs.“ then he explains their plan before telling you, you can’t tell anyone about this but you wouldn’t anyway. Before hanging up he promises to call you as soon as he can and you promise him to stay with his kids until then. You stay at the ceremony, sitting with his children, you talk to Willa about her engagement and Connor reminisce about your childhood. You dance with Sophie and Iverson and briefly talk to Greg who tells you about his Comfry / Duchess dilemma and you laugh at his words. ”Nooo Greg, you can’t treat Comfry like that. She’s so nice to you“ you tell him honestly.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

”How did killing Logan went?“ you ask once Kendall comes back into the house he’s staying in. It’s late and Sophie and Iverson are already in bed. You had texted Rava earlier that you had taken the kids back to the house. You knew she was feeling better if you looked after them then when Logan did, after all he had hit iverson before. She had called to talk to the kids and you had spoken to her afterwards.

You’re sitting on the couch, skipping through the tv channels when he comes back. You glance at him as he steps into the living room and you can tell it didn’t went down smoothly. ”Tom fucked us.“ he says and your eyebrows shoot up „Are you serious?“ he sits down next to you, his head leaning back against the cushion, staring at the ceiling ”Yeah he told him about our plan.“ you would have not thought Tom would go like this against his wife. ”But the sibs and me, we’re gonna do our thing. Without dad.“ he tells you before saying ”I told them about uh, Shivs wedding.“ you know instantly what he’s referring to.

”It’s funny, Roman said the same thing you did.“ he says and you turn, so that you’re facing him ”It’s the truth Ken. It was an accident.“ you say and he looks at you, nodding a little, it’s really faint and you could have easily missed it.

”Are you hungry? The chefs already left but I got some leftovers in the fridge for you.“ he thinks then that he doesn’t deserve how much you care about him. You flew here as soon as you heard about what happened to him and now you make sure he eats. He loves you. More than a friend and he has known this for some months now. Your love is the purest most unconditional kind of love he has ever been given and he knows he needs you in his life, you make him a real person. You don’t see him as an extension of his Dad, or some famous douchebag, a Roy. You don’t see him as a killer. You see him. Kenny. Kendall. And he thinks he would like to come home to you every day. He wouldn’t dread his apartment anymore. Maybe it’s the fact that he could have died that day but he feels like he needs to get better and to confess his feelings to you finally. He can’t let this chance you two have go away again. Not if it could be everything he wanted for a long time.

"Thank you.“ he says then and you know that he’s not only talking about leftovers. "No need to, Kendall.“ you scratch his buzzed head. "I appreciate it, really. It uh it means a lot.“ he says and you answer him "Well you mean a lot to me.“ and he can’t help the smile forming on his lips. While you put the food into the microwave Kendall goes to say goodnight to his Kids. He eats on the couch next to you and after you watch some tv show you go to sleep. There are like thousand rooms in this house but it’s not a question that you are sharing a bed.

You’re laying on your side and Kendall rests on his back when he starts speaking

”I know things are difficult right now, uh with me and I know im putting a lot on you too.“ Kendall admits and you know this is hard for him. ”Its okay, Kendall. I know you’re going through some things at the moment and that’s not your fault.“ you tell him before adding

”And you don’t need to apologize, its beyond your control and of course im there for you. Like you’ve been with me when I was going through hard times.“

”Yeah but I feel like its my fault with the-“ he clears his throat ”With my relapse.“ He finally says and you swallow. Its progress that he can admit that he’s struggling again instead of telling you its fine.

”I feel like, I- I- am maybe at my breaking point.“

He turns on his side, facing you now.

”I think I need to, I need to get better. For my siblings. For you.“ you take his hand in yours ”For me, uh for me too.“ he says at last

”I think that’s a good plan, Ken.“

You whisper "I love you.“ as he drifts off to sleep and he lets himself feel a shimmer of hope that everything could get better.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••

You flip through the papers Jess had dropped off at Kendall’s earlier. They’re rehab facilities he could go to. Its a few days later and you’re glad he’s still planning to go.

”Do you already know wich one you’re going to?“ you ask

”I think the one in Denmark sounds good. It has an eight week programm.“ he answers and you flip to the clinic he meant.

Reading over the text it does sound nice and the pictures look good too.

”When will you go?“

”They have a spot in two days open.“ you nod

”Do you want me to come with you?“

”To Denmark? You don’t have to.“

You give him a smile ”Yeah, but that’s not what I’ve asked.“

He takes a breath looking at you sincerely

”Of course I would like you to come but I, uh, I can’t let you do that. You’ve already done so much for me.“

You shrug now

”When does the jet leave?“

••••••••••••••••••••••••

He takes his shirt you’ve worn the night before with him. It smells like you and he needs something that reminds him of you. He doesn’t tell you, but you’ve seen him put it in the suitcase. But you don’t care, you kept one of his too and there are still multiple ones around your apartment. And two months is a long time for you two to be apart.

”What happens to us if I go now?“ he asks when you’re in bed that night. His fingers drawing shapes onto your arm.

”We’ll have all the time in the world when you come back. But now you need to focus on yourself.“ you tell him cupping his face. It’s the truth but it’s also a promise. You are aware that whatever is going on between you isn’t purely platonic anymore and more than just a crush now. It’s seems like it’s always on the brink of spilling over. You hope that you can talk about it once he returns, but he needs to be clean for that so you can be sure it’s what he really wants.

”I’ll be right here.“ another promise, he won’t come back to find you in a relationship.

You’ve waited such a long time these few months won’t matter.

”I’ll be back soon.“ he says

”Take as much time as you need.“

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

There are a few photographers and you’re glad for the darkened windows of the car. You arrived In Denmark yesterday evening and spent last night in a shared hotel room.

His hand is still in yours. Since it’s a private clinic with high privacy values you’re being driven through big gates that close behind you. You give him a long hug

”I’m really proud of you.“

He holds you a little tighter.

”I love you.“ he answers

”I love you too, Kenny. So much.“

”Thank you. For, uh for everything.“

”Always.“

You sit for a few more minutes holding each other before he knows it’s time to leave. He releases his arms from around you

”Goodbye Kendall.“

”Goodbye Y/n.“ he tells you and you press a lingering kiss to his cheek.

[sirthisisa-wendys]

i absolutely love "start over : rindou x reader"!!! it has been stuck in my head for weeks now. i'm begging you to make a part 3 because it's just so good 😔. i love the angst so much. honestly, i wonder what u put in your fanfics because they got me so addicted *biting my nails aggressively*

Done, done, and done! 🥰

Start Over (Final Part): Rindou Haitani x Fem!Reader

wc: 1k

tw: angst

masterlist

It's not like you to go missing.

Rindou knows that it's just a fluke, a random occurrence that you hadn't spoken to him in over eight hours. And that you left him with your son.

It's even more annoying that your phone is going straight to voicemail.

Part of Rindou wants to rush away from the house and go looking for you in the streets - he couldn't bear to confess that you'd gone missing to anyone. It would eat at his pride.

But...

Rindou takes a glance at that maid who is cradling his toddler son, whispers, "fuck it," and takes off for the garage.

"Mr. Haitani," the woman shouts, but he ignores her cries of fear. She can handle a child. She's a woman, after all.

"I'll pay you extra," he tosses to the frightened woman and shuts the back door on her roughly. He can hear his child's cries from outside the home, but he doesn't care. It's one thing for you to take some time away from the home - scheduled time, that is. But this random disappearance?

That's not in the plan.

Rindou is halfway down the highway when his phone begins to ring. It's only when he picks up that he realizes he's been riding in absolute silence the entire time.

"The maid called," Ran mutters. Rindou grunts, scanning the streets of the inner city with hawk eyes. "You alright?"

"I told the maid I'd pay her extra."

"Rindou." Ran's voice drops to a whisper. "Rindou, has she run off?" The silence between them only confirms this, and Ran sighs. "What is it with the Haitani family and runaway wives?"

"Beats me," Rindou answers on auto-pilot, but he feels like shit when his brother grumbles to himself. Ran went through this not too long ago - his wife left him for South Terano after a cheating scandal - and now, Rindou is looking at a missing wife, too. Except--

"You're not going to get her back." Ran's proclamation makes Rindou huff a laugh.

"Who says?"

You're in a small room, staring at the ceiling with no emotion.

"How are you feeling, miss?" Your eyes glance at a nurse by your side, her eyes hopeful and waiting.

"I'm fine," you reply, but truthfully, you feel dizzy and tired. When you get out of the bed, you steady yourself on the ground before walking out into the main area of the clinic. It's not like you to be seen in this office, but then again, there were lots of things you'd done in the last twelve hours that weren't like you.

You'd left your child and home and found yourself in the streets of a downtown area without permission from your overbearing husband. And now...

You stand in front of the clinic, fully free but too close for comfort.

So you run.

Not literally, but the airport is only a cab fare away, and you had ample cash taken from the two year's worth of allowances in your purse. You know you'll regret leaving your child behind, but it was the only way to avoid being charged with kidnapping.

When you get to the airport, you stand at the ticketing counter and look through the destinations you could travel to.

A flight to Kyiv at 2. A nonstop airfare to New Zealand at 3. A trip to California leaving in two hours. Where did your husband's reach expire? When?

Before you can make your choice, you feel a hand on your shoulder. A disgruntled passenger, perhaps, looking to hurry you along. When you turn to face the irate traveler, you're met with your brother-in-law's violet gaze.

"Y/n."

Your blood rushes through your veins so fast that you think you might pass out right there.

"I'm not going back." Your words don't even phase the older Haitani.

"I understand," he replies, tugging you out of line. You follow him to a bench, and he sits you down before wrapping his arms around you and holding you close. You smell his expensive cologne and stiffen, but when he doesn't let you go, you feel tears prick at your eyes.

No one had held you like this in a long time.

"I don't want to go back," you sob, and Ran hums in acknowledgment. "I can't go back."

"I don't know what's going on between the two of you," Ran murmurs. "But this won't solve anything. Running away doesn't make things easier." You don't make any movements, but Ran pulls away, looking at your tear-streaked face.

"I don't have a choice. I can't stay there any longer." Ran pauses, thinking.

"What if we got you two marital counseling? I'm sure some things would be resolved that way." When you don't reply, he adds, "You should stay with your son and be able to watch him grow up."

Finally, you nod.

"Let's get you home, y/n."

And, with your brother-in-law, you stand to leave.

"Wait," you whisper. "I..." Ran waits patiently, cocking his head to the side. "I got an operation."

"Operation?"

"I was... was..." You look down, ashamed. "I was pregnant." Ran smiles sadly.

"That'll be kept between you and me." He takes your hand and pats it gently. "I promise."

When you're in Ran's car, a question comes to mind. "How did you know where I was?"

"It's not hard to find someone who is running away," Ran replies. He locks the car doors and pulls out of the parking lot with ease. "I always look for the person walking the fastest."

"What does that mean?"

Ran doesn't answer you immediately, but his face suddenly becomes serious.

"I've chased many people down over the years. Only one has ever gotten out of my grasp." His ex-wife. You don't remember much about her other than she was kind and beautiful. "And I won't let it happen again."

And slowly but surely, you come to the sad realization that neither of the Haitani brothers would let you go. Not without a fight; no matter what.

[itsasweater]

HSMTMTS thoughts before season 4 pt. 2 continued.....

Just a continuation of my thoughts on the ships after my re-watch of S1 through 3 before the final season airs. The first part of pt. 2 only touched on Rini, I wanted to fit more ships in but it would have been way to long of a post so here is the rest. Once again just a warning that I'm going to be brutally honest about the ships on the show.

Portwell (Gina and EJ):

The common question with this pairing that I see asked is, why put them together just to break them up? Well, because they were a plot device. Simple as that, you can be mad at that but the evidence and hints were there all along.

They had no romantic undertones at all until EJ all of a sudden has feelings for Gina in ep5 titled The Quinceanero in S2. Gina is upset in this episode, wants to leave again and we are shown EJ looking longing at her. Just bam out of nowhere, he's interested. Nothing from the previous 4 episodes or previous season that would explain it. Also, remember that before this EJ has a whole discussion with Ashlyn of how much older he feels compared to her and how young she seems but now he is interested in her best friend. What? Was this pairing not rushed and out of nowhere.

Let's get into some of the evidence and hints that the show gave that should have made people realize that this pairing was just a plot device. First off, one of the big ones that just slapped the viewers in the face is the flashback scene between Ricky and Gina at the end of S1. The show filmed and kept that for a reason. They inserted that to plant the seeds to the audience that they're story was not over and to be prepared for that. They put it right in the next episode after they show that EJ may be interested in Gina, almost like they were saying this pairing between Gina and EJ might be happening but remember this moment for the future. Also, just like how in order for Rini to get back together they had to remove Gina, they had to completely stop all interactions between Gina and Ricky for Portwell to happen. This tactic that shows use of removing a character and or stopping communication between the two characters so that one of them can bond with someone else is always a red flag too me. A light bulb just always goes off in my head when this happens. That just tells me that the show knows that those characters bond is so strong that in order to make a pairing with one of them with someone else believable or shine they have to remove them from interacting with each other. Like, if I am supposed to take them seriously, why do you have to remove all communication between Ricky and Gina for them to work. People always bring up the couch scene that Gina and EJ have as this big great moment, yes it was a nice scene but they always miss something that was said. EJ says something along the lines of "you know" or "you know what I mean" and Gina immediately responds with a NO. Parallel that with her discussions with Ricky and how they understand what each other mean and or say. This stuff isn't by accident, it's seeds being planted. Even the episode where Gina is in the airport and she meets Jack, it's all tied to Ricky if you re-watch the episode. Jack even mentions taking the safest seat on the plane (hint: this is EJ). We get to the finale of S2 which is a whole mess to start out with and Gina's brother Jamie mentions EJ being a big brother to her lol The show was not even taking them seriously as a pairing. Which leads to once again just like S1's finale having a hard to watch scene with the Rini confession, S2 outdoes it with the cringe. Making Gina say will you be my first kiss to EJ across a parking lot, run to each other while it's very obvious the actors were not taking it seriously, playing circus music in the background and then having no payoff in seeing the kiss. Please people, the show didn't take this relationship seriously.

We get to S3 ep1 and Gina mentions experiencing a summer of first's including a first boyfriend, funny how a big thing about Gina is not doing thing anything right the first time. That dialogue is not by accident. At the end of ep 1 we get EJ saying nothing is going to ruin his and Gina's perfect summer together but Gina say's who said anybody would and right as she say's that Ricky shows up right in the middle of them in the frame. Media literacy people, that wasn't by accident. Next, EJ mentions to Gina about being surprised by Ricky showing up at the beginning of ep 2 and Gina immediately changes the subject, go back and look at the face she makes. The show was not exactly subtle with the seeds that were being planted about where the season was going and which pairing was going to happen. To make it even clearer they have Ricky play Kristoff and Gina play Anna, with EJ stepping in at certain parts to play Hans. Kristoff literally asks Anna what Hans last name is and she doesn't know, paralleling that with Gina not knowing what EJ stands for in the same episode. Come to think of it, the show was really making it obvious to the audience what was going to happen. You literally had to close your eyes and plug your ears to not see or hear what the show was telling you.

Finally, would I have preferred that these two were never put together like many others have said if they were just going to break them up? Sure. I also think you couldn't put Gina with Ricky before having her experiencing a relationship first and learn about what she want's and needs from one before that happening. Did the show have another choice but EJ to pair with Gina for her to experience all of this, not really. I also think the show should have just kept EJ the way he was in season 1, he was fun and caused problems. Every character doesn't have to be good and nice. I hate when shows do that.

In the end, you fell for a plot device ship that had a lot of hints and slapping you over the head signs telling you that they were not going to last. Like I said on previous posts it certainly seems like most people, not all but most who shipped Portwell was because it kept Gina and Ricky apart as opposed to actually liking them. So, undercover Rini's/Jolivia's whatever you want to call them.

This turned out long again lol My apologies, I always end up just rambling on. Probably won't be able to talk about the other ships before the new season airs but will still probably post my thoughts.

Thanks for reading and hope everyone enjoys the final season.

[roamwithahungryheart]

Those rom-com references in 3x08. Hmm.

Michelle's favorite movie, French Kiss (1995)

Kate plans to confront her straying fiancé who stays in France. On her way she meets Luc, a thief, who hides a stolen necklace in her bag. Her life changes when she falls in love with Luc.

Kate's fiancé gets cold feet about marriage and falls in love with another woman in Paris. Kate initially hates Luc, her mustachioed seat partner on the plane to Paris. Together, they concoct a scheme to help Kate win back her ex, and get Luc out of trouble in the process, but she eventually realizes that she no longer loves him. She's actually fallen in love with Luc. There's a classic rush-to-the-airport moment and a love confession when Luc finds out about everything Kate has done for him. He tells her he wants her to stay with him, and they kiss. Happily ever after.

(Also a Meg Ryan movie!)

A couple of quotes:

"I had this feeling about him, same for him. It wasn't exactly a thunderclap, or a lightning-bolt, it was more like a --" "Light drizzle?"

"Why are you chasing after him after what he's done to you?" "Because I love him. And I'm afraid that if he doesn't come back that I'll -- it'll hurt so much that I'll just shrivel up and I'll never be able to love anyone ever again." "You say that now, but -- after a time, you would forget. First, you would forget his chin, and then his nose, and after a while, you would struggle to remember the exact color of his eyes, and one day you wake up and, pfft, he's gone: his voice, his smell, his face. He will have left you. And then you can begin again."

"And I am thinking, you should not be flying anywhere."  "I shouldn't?" "No, in fact, I am sure of it. I am thinking, I want you." "You want me?"  "That's all. I want you."

The episode ends with a French version of the song 'Come Softly To Me' which was used in the 1988 film Crossing Delancey.

Isabelle "Izzy" Grossman spends her time going from her tiny, solitary West Side apartment to that of her grandmother on the Lower East Side. In between, Izzy builds a glowing reputation at the swank bookstore where she works. While her grandmother plots to find her a romantic match, Izzy is courted by a married, worldly author, Anton, yet can't seem to shake the down-to-earth appeal of Sam, a pickle vendor.

Izzy is initally dismissive of Sam and cold towards him, but she eventually warms to him and - you guessed it! - falls in love with him. When Izzy thinks she's messed things up between them and Sam disappears, but thanks to intervention from her scheming Bubbe, she stops Sam from leaving and they reconcile.

He had his eye on her for a very long time, but she never saw him.

Much to think about.

[ironwoman18]

I know you got my back, and you know I got you

Xavier was heading to the airport as his mind started to analyze his school year and, without a doubt, the last weeks had been the most exciting he ever had.

He finally got to see her again after six years. She saved his life, she confessed she did it out of curiosity, thinking it was because she thought his grandmother was cheating death and tried to escape.

But still she saved him that day. 

He remembered her as a cute but weird girl, back then she was taller than him but puberty hit and he grew up and now he's one of the tallest in his class. But that option changed now, she is still cute but you can add beautiful and even sexy, and if you added that she can play the cello, she can use a bow and arrow, she can do fencing, she is super smart and sassy, you can say she's a match made in heaven.

But... She has a little problem, she doesn't show emotions and is sadistic. And he couldn't understand why he liked her, why he couldn't stop trying to be close to her or be her friend.

As he remembered, a song began on his iphone.

Common love isn't for us

We created something phenomenal

Don't you agree? Don't you agree?

You got me feeling diamond-rich

Nothing on this planet compares to it

Don't you agree? Don't you agree?

Their first interaction was after he saved her from Rowan's attempt to murder her. But before that he saw her in the fencing class, when Bianca, his ex girlfriend, beat her.

She saved him and he paid the favor. Then she discovered the monster was human but the evidence disappeared thanks to the rain. He believed her mostly because he wanted to try to create a friendship with her but it was hard.

When the Rave'N dance was right about the corner, he was on a cloud after she invited him outside of his studio. She even looked nervous about that situation but it was all a lie and Xavier was so unhappy he even asked Bianca to use her powers to make him forget about her.

Who needs to go to sleep when I got you next to me?

But he was an idiot. Not even that song could make him forget about her. Especially if she was in the same school as he was.

All night, I'll riot with you

I know you got my back, and you know I got you

So come on (come on), come on (come on), come on (come on)

Let's get physical

Lights out, follow the noise

Baby, keep on dancing like you ain't got a choice

So come on (come on), come on (come on), come on

Let's get physical

And she was making it difficult since she played the cello every night and he realized that she played ALL his favorite songs.

He was called the tormented artist mostly because of his style but also because he loved to listen to sad songs while painting and now Wednesday was becoming his muse and his tormentor.

The worst part was that if he saw her in trouble or in danger he would help her and deep inside he knew she would do the same for him.

He felt like he didn't get a choice. He just had to. And it was clear when Things and Enid told him and other guys about her birthday.

He could do anything to make it special even celebrate it in a cript or getting a cake pitch black with creepy things on it.

Adrenaline keeps on rushing in

Love the simulation we're dreaming in

Don't you agree? Don't you agree?

I don't wanna live another life

'Cause this one's pretty nice

Living it up

When she accused him for murdering all those people and sent him to jail his heart broke even deeper but he should know better that she would do it after expressing her theories about him being guilty.

But what broke him even more was when she told him she kissed Tyler, the guy that bullied him a year ago. He should know she would kiss him, at the dance he could tell they were dying to but still he was hopeful she didn't.

But even after this he couldn't help but hope to be released to see her again and spend more time around her.

Who needs to go to sleep when I got you next to me?

All night, I'll riot with you

I know you got my back, and you know I got you

So come on (come on), come on (come on), come on (come on)

Let's get physical

Lights out, follow the noise

Baby, keep on dancing like you ain't got a choice

So come on (come on), come on (come on), come on

Let's get physical

So after Thing released him he ran back to the school and get his bow and arrow and shoot in that evil pilgrim man but he used magic and turned his arrow in his direction, he got ready for the impact but it never arrived because she took it for him.

Again she saved his life, she got his back and she knew he got her so, at least, she trusted him.

In the end Wednesday and Bianca defeated Crackstone and they all reunited in the woods.

Rowan's mom might be right about her prophecy but she was also wrong thinking Wednesday Addams wouldn't fix what she caused. 

And at the end of the day, Xavier can't understand why he has a crush on her, doesn't understand why he kept trying to be her friend or building a friendship with her but he wouldn't change a thing because she was worth the try.

That's why he got her a phone and took the bold decision to add his number in. She knew she wouldn't contact him but... If she did? If she dared to contact him when she had a writer block or if she was bored because it was a sunny day?

Who knows... But he will keep that door open.

OOooOOooOO

Hope you liked this little one shot about Xavier reviewing his time with Wednesday.

I had this story in mind since I watched the season finale.

Let me know your thoughts.

[abbeyctt]

the afterwards || self para

The last few days were a blur. Ever since leaving Boston, Abbey had been moving on autopilot, unable to process the whirlwind of emotions crashing over her. When she arrived at the airport, her first instinct was to book a flight to Florida, to run back home where it was safe. "Run, hide out, cry, and wait for everyone to forget," a voice inside her urged. She considered it even before Rudy suggested they go their separate ways for good.

The pain hit her like a punch to the chest, so intense she almost doubled over right there in the terminal. The finality of Rudy’s words sank in deeper with each step she took towards the main gate. She stood in line at the ticket counter, paralyzed by indecision.

Going home meant finding refuge in her family’s unwavering support and the comfort of old friends. That place had always been her sanctuary, the only thing that kept her grounded when life got overwhelming.

But Abbey also knew that running back this time would come with consequences. She had been going home more often over the past year, more than ever before, seeking comfort and escape from the turmoil that seemed to follow her everywhere. Her family, always kind, never judged, but she could sense their growing concern, their unspoken questions about her well-being. Showing up again, heartbroken and tear-streaked, would lead to questions she wasn’t ready to answer. She couldn’t bear to face their worried eyes, not now.

"LAX, one way," Abbey finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. She couldn’t run away, not this time.

On the plane, Abbey spent the seven-hour red-eye flight staring out into the dark, her mind a storm of thoughts she couldn’t calm. She replayed every moment with Rudy, all the instances he claimed not to understand, all the ways he seemed blind to her pain. These weren’t new problems; the truth was, she had felt a dark cloud over their relationship times before. She had pursued him despite sussing out he had feelings for someone else—a lingering shadow from his past with Madison. He had confessed his feelings for Madison once, a long time ago. It was why when she'd rushed out of the rest room and midnight on new years to kiss him, she saw him kissing or nearly kissing, madison -- she hadn't said anything. Things had been going really well, we all make drunken mistakes, right? but from then, it seemed any comment or compliment or like on social media about the opposite sex, piled up. hurt extra. until she began wondering and maybe believing she had been right, he hadn't actually wanted this with her.

Maybe she had become the kind of woman she never wanted to be—the type who tries to "fix" a man, to mold him into something he never wanted to become. That wasn’t Abbey, or at least it wasn’t who she thought she was. She didn’t want to be someone who changed people, who tried to force them into a box they didn’t fit into. But deep down, she had hoped that with time, Rudy’s interests would be fully satisfied in their relationship, that the past would fade and they could build a future together.

Yet here she was, on a plane to Los Angeles, with the realization that maybe Rudy had always been searching for something she could never provide. And maybe, just maybe, she had always known that. if not, he would have fought for her, right? but he threw in the towel without even a call.

As the city lights of Los Angeles came into view, Abbey felt a mix of dread and resolve. She loved Rudy more than she could put into words, but she couldn’t keep living under the weight of his uncertainty and her own insecurities. Life was too short for that—Chance’s death had shown her just how fleeting and precious time could be. She knew she needed to confront her fears and face the reality of their relationship, no matter how painful it might be.

Just because she knew it, didn't mean she was going to. and probably not tonight. jamming her key into the door she managed to get it open. her and her bags had made it safely inside with the door deadbolted until the actress finally lost it. If you were to ask her a few days later just how long Abigail had stayed on the floor on her apartment crying, should won't be able to tell you. welcome home.

@pankowtt

[lonespektr]

OCTOBER 18TH HORROR WATCH

Into the Night (2020) 1x1

Now this sounds vaguely familiar (the concept not the name there are a half dozen shows and films with that tiltle) but I never even saw it any where tbh even though it's on Netflix it's Belgian 🤷🏿‍♀️

So the sun is killing people and they are on a plane moving around the globe to stay ahead of sunrise

Ok start ✨

Woman - widow

Missed her flight shes pissy and mean airline clerk says too damn bad returning her energy i will switch both tickets for you though miss pissy

She drops the urn on the desk i only need one ticket changed

Clerk changes her tune because she's compassionate lady upgrades her to first class

On another flight no charge

That's her husband in that jar i think they were both ex military 🤔

NATO guy clearly knows what's up so?? Why is he rushing to get on a commercial fight?

Celebrity is aboard

Airline attendant is preggars

Her work buddy is nosey as hell but observant 👀

Kid on the flight is getting surgery in Moscow

It's already happening obvs because the nato guy is rushing but celebrity's lil friend literally just died on a phone call

Now it's hitting the news

NATO made his move

Okay very few ppl on the plane obvs thru think it's a highjacking

Co pilot tries to be a hero and gets shot but just in the hand

Fuck every thing widow says shit ill fly it

It's preboard basically the sick kid first class a mechanic was trying to fix something few folks only

West, were going west.

Racist guy sees a nervous middle eastern guy praying and thinks terrorist

THIS IS BEFORE THE HIJACKING

Terrorist don't let people on and out of the cockpit or leave without hostages

There's like 5 ppl on that plane

And 3 staff

There's one extremely calm business man

The co pilot basically got grazed in the hand

But the hand is sensative

There's a home health aid

That helped the pilot

Business man took the gun from nato but oh ho ho he wants to know about the sun

Because he knows it's not a regular terrorist situation

Pilot confesses nato's crazy story to everyone and nato is locked in the bathroom shouting

They regain control of the plane and plan to land in Iceland hopefully they are far enough ahead they land, find out the true story and hop back in the air that would be hilarious 😂😂

Ohhh

Iceland airport is on fire

Whoa racist nato

Hes obviously not arab bro

It's Mehmet Kurtulus 😂😂

Lol they have him back the gun cause they wanted information

He just out the safety on

Influencer/celeb leaving her last video message realizing she doesn't have shit to say

Middle Eastern guy is dying back there

Omg lol he said he swallowed diamonds

They landed in a derelict Scots airport and of course everybodys phone is going nuts

Here comes a car

Title drop

Nice pilot 👍

[wehavefoundthestars]

"Well, the flight wasn't that long." He points out with a grin. "No don't! You're right I would have worried," Elio confessed with a sheepish smile, "It's like you read my mind and took my worries away before I even had them." His heart swelled when he realized that Daithi knew him well enough to foresee all of this or perhaps he had been thinking about their reunion just as much as he had. Had this been his way to make sure everything was perfect? Either way, it made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

"Wha-… You don't have to pick them both!" He protests flowers still in hand, but it looks like the other is not going to listen to his protests so instead he decides to sniff the flowers which smell sweet and fresh. They were perfect. Now he comes to think of it he can't remember ever being gifted flowers before. It was something he could get used to.

Elio follows Daithi towards the exit and nods, "Glad to hear you didn't need to wait too long." A laugh escapes when he sees the bewildered expression on the other his face when talking about how busy the place got. "You see that's the thing with airports people tend to come and go all hours of the day. Unless it's the middle of the night but then again there won't be many flights then."

"You did get a good parking spot." He complimented him once they arrived at Daithi's car. A thank you was uttered when the male opened the car door for him and he slid into the seat, careful to lay the flowers on his lap. "I can wait for dinner, I had some snacks on the plane, besides I'm sure there will be a mini-fridge I can raid at the hotel if I change my mind." Gathering up some of his courage he asks, "Can we just be together for a bit for dinner? I mean… I haven't seen you in so long. We can hang out and talk for a bit." Not that he would be opposed to doing more than hanging out but he still wasn't sure where they were standing and he had only just arrived better not to rush into things too fast.

was this a little crazy ? it could be considered so . daithi had heard of plenty people doing this without ever meeting the person in the first place , but viveka had calmed his nerves plenty before the set up . and yes , even after they had concreted plans together meet up and see one another again . he wasn't sure what to call their 'relationship' , really , but he didn't mind the teasing comments that he finally got to see his boyfriend . daithi knew elio had been his only other focus in terms of dating wise and he's thankful they could finally spend time with one another .

the embrace from the other felt warm and like a second home , he's happy to feel the touch reciprocated by elio . talking for months via the phone and computer was definitely different than in person and the real time reaction to the presented flowers warms his heart . there's a breathy laugh as he's complimented on being amazing , shaking his head . ' says the one who flew out to see me , ' he teases softly . ' i brought a vase because in my mind , i worried about you worrying about it and i didn't want that -- it sounds absurd , i know ... thinking ahead , i guess , ' he laughs softly . at least he knew elio could enjoy the flowers for the duration of his stay . could the other's flushed cheeks make him any more attractive ? daithi knew the mutual giddy like feeling coursing through them made it a solid choice to finally be able to spend time with one another in person .

daithi is quick to pick up not one , but both of the bags from the ground when given the okay . slight refusal to make him carry his own bags when he could do it , and elio could look adorable with his bouquet of flowers . a small shift and he's moving towards the doors of the airport . ' didn't wait long at all , actually . i parked and hung out a bit beforehand since i wanted to make sure i had a decent spot without fighting all the incoming traffic for people picking up or having to leave their cars for onboarding flights . these places tend to get crazy ? ' his brows furrow and making a small frown before laughing . he hadn't flown but a few times so far but the times doing so , parking always seemed to be a mess .

daithi is moving towards the parking garage , giving brief stop to let a couple pass before them and taking an easy lead since he knew where he had parked . once they're close and spotting his lakeshore blue silverado , he's unlocking the doors from the key fob . he opened the passenger door and nodded his head towards the cab . ' you go ahead and get in and i'll get the bags in . did you want to grab anything before we headed to the hotel or wanted to wait for dinner ? '

[twinkleimagines]

Hiii drew smut where they meet from Madison and have been talking and then the cast plus y/n go out clubbing and they confess there feelings / also can drew be rough.

*Keep it on the low*

Warning: smut and language.

I got carried away with this one so I hope you guys like.

“ I just feel like we never see each other anymore “ you spoke over the phone Bailey.

“ I know” she whined out. “ listen we’ll fly you out this weekend so we can hang and you can meet my friends okay? You’re going to love them “ she insisted.

“ okay” you agreed, the feeling of excitement rushing through you. Madison was your best friend since middle school and it had been a touch transition since she began filming her new tv show, Outer Banks. Of course you talked on the phone but it wasn’t the same, and you missed her truly.

You had almost became envious of her new cast mates because they were daily posting videos and pictures with each other and it made you miss her more than ever .

You quickly went back to your bedroom, packing a suit case- the weekend couldn’t come any faster .

****

“ I’m walking down the escalator now” you spoke as you sat on the phone with Madison trying to find your way to her.

“ okay - wait I think I see you” she spoke out.

“ y/n!” You heard someone yell from in front of you. You lifted your head only to see Madison standing at the bottom of the escalator, her hand waving at 90 miles per hour.

“ Maddy!” You yelled before jogging your way down the already moving steps.

“ oh my gosh!” You yelled out as you both wrapped each other in a tight hug.

“ I’m gonna cry “ she spoke as she squeezed her arms around your shoulders.

“ ugh I know I’ve missed you so much” you poured .

“ c’mon we’ve only got the weekend and I have soooo much to show you” she insisted, tugging on your arm .

****

The ride to Madison’s hotel that she was staying it a was a bit of a drive from the apartment. She was staying pretty close to the beach and Charleston was probably one of the most beautiful cities you had ever laid your eyes on.

Madison had updated you on a lot, including a new girl she was talking to as well as her new friends and their characters on the show.

“ this Rafe guy sounds like a dick” you joked.

“ yeah but you’ll love Drew he’s literally polar opposite than his character . “

******

"Ahhh she's back!" a blonde headed boy beamed, running over towards your friend, ingulfing her in a hug.

"Rudy this is Y/n" She said with a wide smile, pulling you over.

"Hi" You beamed holding your hand out but Rudy instead pulled you into a hug.

"So glad you finally made it. Maddie over here wouldn't shut up about how much she missed you" He joked.

"Awe Maddie " You said with a sympathetic pout.

"Shut up" She laughed while rolling her eyes before pulling you further into the hotel.

"Guys" She spoke out loudly to a group of people sitting on her couch causing all of their eyes to advert towards you. " This is Y/n" She announced pulling you up next to her.

You awkwardly waved, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks as she practically put the spot light onto you.

"I'm Chase" One guy said leaning over the couch, holding his hand out.

"I'm Madelyn " The blonde girl next to him said standing up, walking over towards you. " it's nice to meet you" she beamed, pulling you into a hug.

'Okay so everyone is big into hugs,' you thought. You smiled widely at her before you looked over at another one walking towards you.

"I'm Jonathan Daviss, but you can call me JD" He spoke. you nodded excitedly.

"That's a cool nickname" you beamed, causing a smile to form on his face. You then looked over towards the last face on the couch.

Woah.

Now this man- he almost took your breath away. He stood up, his tall figure stretching high towards the ceiling.

"Hi, i'm Drew" He spoke, his voice the perfect tone, almost sounded like music to your ears. He had these sky blue eyes, perfectly pink lips, a little bit of fuzz on his jaw from being recently shaved, and brown hair draped over the sides of his forehead, parting perfectly down the middle. Your heart began to pound as he reached his hand out for you to shake. You hadn't realized you were staring until Madison nudged you with her elbow, bringing you out of your trance.

"Oh uhm yeah- i mean hi I'm y/n" You stuttered embarrassingly. He smiled a bright smile, his white teeth shining perfectly on his perfectly aligned face.

You sighed deeply. You never believed in love at first sight until now. How perfect this stranger was to you. If it weren't for you not wanting to humiliate yourself even more than you already were, you would've continued looking at him with admiration, but instead you turned your head to look at Maddie, trying to not to creep the poor guy out.

"okay guys I'm starving" Chase spoke up as the room filled with silence. "who wants to go eat?" He asked throwing his hands up. You grinned , already loving everyone's bubbly personality.

You sat your bag down onto the ground before tucking your hair behind your ear, watching as everyone began to make their way out the door.

"After you" Drew said, you and him being the last ones left in the room.

"Thanks" you said softly, walking out in front of him as he held the door open for you.

Who would've known that this would only the beginning of a very special relationship.

********

"Drew" You spoke out before his lips placed onto yours once again, his hand placed firmly on your thigh as your were tangled in his hair.

"Hmm" He hummed against your lips, his teeth nibbling on your bottom lip.

"We should tell them" You breathed out in between kisses.

"Mmm" he mumbled, his eyes closed as his lips trailed down your jaw towards your neck.

"I'm serious Drew I don't want to hide you anymore" You responded pulling away from him.

He stopped his movements, making eye contact with you.

"You sure?" He asked.

You and Drew had instantly hit it off that first weekend Madison brought you over.

It had happened the first night you had stayed the night. Everyone had fallen asleep and you and Drew stayed up for hours on hours endlessly talking about anything and everything. The sparks were flying. You were so engaged in every word that came out of his mouth, his sentences sounding like lullabies to your ears.

Before you had left you both had exchanged numbers and before you could even make it to the airport you were both texting each other. Throughout the first week you both spent every night on the phone until one had fallen asleep. It had almost became addictive the way he made you feel.

Neither of you spoke of your friendship to anyone though. Mainly wanting to take things slow but you also didn't want to upset anyone or cause any issues between Drew and Madison. He assured you it wouldn't upset anyone or cause issues but at the same time he wanted to respect your wishes and keep things a secret.

You both had been virtually seeing each other for three weeks before he flew you out for a weekend, just the two of you. You had stayed with him the whole weekend, movie nights and a lot of sex.

This week though you were invited by the whole group, and right now you were hidden off in Drew's hotel hiding from the group with Drew laid on top of you, the both of you shirtless.

"We can tell them tonight okay, i just want to enjoy the time we have together right now" He insisted. You simply nodded before leaning your head forward before placing your lips against his once again.

Drew sat up, smirking at you as he tugged on your jeans, pulling them down your thighs, exposing your pink laced panties that complimented your skin so well.

"So beautiful" Drew mumbled as his hands massaged against your thighs before reaching up towards your panties pulling them down as well. He reached over to the nightstand grabbing the condom on the top before pushing his own pants down, exposing his hardened pink shaft, the veins popping out the side.

You stared in admiration at the size as he placed the rubber over him.

"Flip over" he instructed. You quickly obliged, your face in his pillow. He tucked his arm under your waist, pulling your hips bag some to wear your bottom was pointed upwards.

You gasped loudly as you felt his tip insert into you, stretching your walls around him.

"fuck" you moaned out as he pushed into you, his hips pressed against your cheeks before he pulled back out, letting your own juices help lubricate him before he pushed back in at a faster speed.

"Fuck you're tight" Drew groaned out as he slowly pulled himself of you again, leaving just the tip in. You looked over your shoulder, smirking up at him as he looked down at you, his Adams apple poking out. Drew sighed heavily , closing his eyes for a brief second almost coming undone right then and there just from the sight of you.

He finally regained his composer, looking back down at you before pressing his hand onto the back of your head pushing your face further into the pillow before he began moving his hips once again, this time at a much faster pace.

"God Drew" you cried out as he hit your spot with each thrust, your hands balling in a fist around his sheets as you struggled to breath, overwhelmed by the amount of pleasure you were receiving. You arched your back further against Drew, giving him more access to go deeper into you, your hips moving causing your walls to tighten around him.

"Fuck" He breathed out, lowing his head some as we watched himself sliding in and out of you, his abs flexing with each thrust.

"Oh yes daddy yes "You moaned out, reaching behind you, grabbing hold of his hand that was placed on your bottom.

"You like that baby?" He asked before placing a firm smack against your left cheek. You hissed out , biting down on your bottom lip as your eyes focused on his body jerking forward over and over again, every inch of his body flexing as he moved himself in and out of you.

Since that first weekend you and Drew had spent together alone, he had learned more and more ways to work your body, especially when he realized you enjoyed it rough like him.

"Pull my hair baby" you pleaded, attempting to tug on his hand that had a firm grip on your hip while your body continued rocking back and forth.

Drew quickly obliged, reaching up to grab a hand full of your hair, pulling you back towards him, your back arched to where your arms stretched out, your hands placed against his pillows.

"God yes" You winced out, a slight stinging as he had a tight grip on your hair.

"Fuck princess" he groaned feeling his climax beginning to build. His thrusts began to speed up, your tits bouncing in the air as he continued to pound into you. You leaned up some, arm wrapping around his neck . You both began to lower, you practically sitting in his lap as he leaned back, propped up on one arm as the other had his hand wrapped against your throat. His thrusts were now at a steady but rough pace, slamming up against you as he placed sloppy kisses alongside your shoulder.

"God" He groaned out as his thrusts slowed down, turning more into grinds as his cock pulsed inside you, his warm load filling the condom. You begin rocking your hips back and forth along him riding your own high out, moaning his name out loudly as your toes curled, your climax euphoric. You climbed off of Drew, flopping your body down onto the his bed, breathing heavily as you ran your hands through your hair.

"That was amazing" you breathed out. Drew nodded, himself out of breath as well.

"I'm gonna get a shower" He responded as he stood up, his member beginning to soften. "We gotta meet everyone in two hours. Wanna join?" He asked. You smiled up at him before nodding, grabbing ahold of his reached out hand.

*****

"Finally" Madison groaned as she saw you climbing out of the black SUV that escorted you to the night club you and the gang were linking up at .

"Sorry got caught up" you responded brushing the hair out of your face as the wind blew against it.

"I can see" she chuckled, her eyes focused on the round purple hickey on your collarbone. Your eyes widened, you had almost forgotten about it. You had saw the hickey as you did your make up and Drew's shower but had forgotten to cover it.

"Who were you with?" She asked out of curiosity but you only shook your head, pretending to be shy about your actions.

"ugh okay come on everyone else is inside" She responded. You nodded before tugging slightly on your black dress as it rode up your thighs. You had your hair down with white sneakers on, a simple butterfly necklace and a skin tight strapless dress on that barely that went down a few inches on your thighs.

The music was loud, everyone definitely lit as you both walked in. Your eyes roamed the club. It was definitely a party style. There a lot of people around dancing, and neon objects glowing in the black lights. Madison guided you to the corner booth your shared friends resided in, including Drew.

""You look so cute!" Madelyn beamed as she wrapped you in a tight hug.

"You too babes" You responded, well yelled as you placed your chin on her shoulder, only to see Drew standing behind her, his eyes focused on your body. He almost looked upset. Seeming how you were still on the low about your relationship you didn't confront him, but you did check him out from afar. He stood on the side next to JD black denim jeans with a white striped button up collared shirt, with his signature gold chain around his neck and a black watch on his wrist.

Despite just getting your back blown out by Drew, you had to leave before anyone came searching for you so you didn't get to see Drew dressed up, the last image you had of him was of him in a towel and his wet hair slicked back.

He was looking so good at this point you had to distance yourself from him before you made it obvious of your secret.

"Come dance" Madelyn pleaded tugging on your arm.

"I need to be drunk before i get onto the dance floor" You joked. Madelyn though took you serious and walked over to the bar, ordering at least two shots for everyone since you were each going to be getting an Uber back to the hotels.

"Okay drink up" She responded holding both yours and her shot in the air. You quickly glanced over towards your secret boyfriend who was watching you intensely before you tossed your head back opening your throat, letting the alcohol burn its way down your throat.

"phew" you said, a shiver following shortly after.

"Okay, One more " Madelyn insisted. You didn't plan to get shit faced of course , but you were definitely interested in a good time so you obliged, repeating the same action again, this time the liquids going down a bit easier. You both stood for a second in silence before she shook her head.

"I think one more with do us justice " She grinned. You chuckled, already feeling a slight buzz coming as the alcohol spread through your blood stream.

"Don't you think you've had enough?" You heard someone mumble from behind you. You looked over to see Drew standing behind you. You furrowed your brows together. How the hell did he get over there so fast?

"Don't " you mumbled before looking down at the table trying to avoid his gaze. "You're making it obvious" You responded before taking a step away, turning your back towards him.

Unfortunately you didn't notice how much those words actually upset Drew. IT had almost felt like he was an embarrassment to you with how much effort you put in to hiding him so he walked away, finding his way back next to JD.

"You okay man?" JD asked as he saw the obvious frown on Drew's face.

"Yeah man" He mumbled as he looked across the both of them, watching you quickly gulp away yet another shot of alcohol, bursting into laughter shortly after with Madelyn. He shook his head in disappointment. Of course he wanted you to have fun but he just didn't want you to get so waisted you end up doing something you regret and him not being able to help you since you didn't want him to show his affection towards you in front of everyone.

"Want a shot?" Drew asked glancing over at JD who also looked not too amused at the moment with the environment and in need of some lighting up. They both watched you and Madelyn make your way to the dance floor, merging in with the crowd as the quickly took their first shot, both of them sighing heavily as they attempted to mask the burning feeling.

You immediately began swaying your hips to the upbeat music, the alcohol coursing through your body, giving you an almost out of body type feeling, something you usually didn't get unless you were in bed with Drew.

You didn't intend to jump into the party that fast. after 2 songs Chase had came by with more shots, unaware to the previous t3 you both had taken but neither of you denied them, quickly throwing your head back, wiping the drips off your chin as you looked over at Drew who surprisingly paid you no attention. You dancing slowed down as you realized the group Drew was associating with.

You could see JD and Rudy with Drew which was not an issue. it was the 3 bimbos standing with them too, one in particular standing too close for your comfort towards Drew, her index finger twirling in a poorly curled strand of hair.

You rolled your eyes, jealously now running through you. It was obviously intensified from the alcohol but you wanted to drag him away from the girls and show those girls exactly who he belonged to but you knew you couldn't say anything considering you and him were a secret.

"Hi" You heard from behind you. It was a tall brunette guy, pretty stocky with what looked to be hazel eyes and curly brown hair. At least that what you guessed since the dance floor was only lit up from black lights above you.

"Hi" You said with a friendly smile before turning back around, a frown forming as you noticed Drew laughing at whatever the girl closest to him just said.

"You got a name?" The guy asked, dancing behind you. You turned your head, almost ready to tell him to piss off until you glanced over towards Drew who still had not even given you a glance.

"Y/n" You responded as you turned your body completely around, facing towards him.

You studied his face. He looked cute, or maybe that was just the alcohol clouding your judgment. To your drunken eyes, he favored Timothee Chalamet to you, which was some one who was a sight for sore eyes.

- but, never the less, he wasn't Drew.

The guy mentioned his name back to you but between the alcohol and the music , you didn't hear him clearly. You looked to your side to see Chase and Madelyn in their own little world so you shrugged your shoulders, turning back towards the tall boy.

"You come here with someone?" He asked as he took a step closer, his body swaying along with yours to the music. You glanced over your shoulder towards Drew, the same scenario playing as earlier . You rolled your eyes becoming agitated with Drew before you looked back forward trying not to be obvious.

"I thought i did but it's looking like they didn't come in with me" You said, your lips close to his ear as he leaned forward to hear you.

"Huh" He responded leaning back. "That's to bad. You're very beautiful" He responded. You grinned widely, enjoying the attention.

The song changed, turning to a slower song, a more sensual vibe to it. You turned around, swaying your hips up against the guy as his hand wrapped around your waist.

You usually wouldn't do this, but between the alcohol and your jealousy towards Drew, you were enjoying every second of it in hopes Drew would catch on and realize what he was losing.

And surprisingly , that's exactly what happened.

Drew tried to play things your way. He tried to pretend that there was nothing going on between the two of you. He even gave other women attention to make it believable but it was all fake smiles and laughs when really all he wanted was to hold you. He did try his best though, that is until he looked up to check on you only to see your body being held by another guy, your ass pressed against the guys crotch as he practically dry humped you from behind.

Now Drew didn't drink as much as you did, but he did have 1 to 2 shots , enough to help spark a fire inside of him, rage flowing through his veins. Drew didn't hesitate to make his way over to you, his mind only focused on removing the guy from his girl.

"Y/n what the fuck" He spat out as he tugged on your hand, trying to remove you from him. Your eyes widened, guilt instantly flowing through you. You didn't mean for any of this to happen and seeing Drew standing in front of you fuming, you couldn't help but to feel embarrassed by your actions.

"Man back off alright she's just having a good time" The guy said with a cocky smirk plastered across his face.

"Fuck off " Drew scolded before looking back at you, completely brushing the guy off.

"This is really how you want to sell it ?" He said, his voice louder than normal because of the music, but those surrounding him including Chase and Madelyn hearing.

"Oh go fuck yourself Drew" You scoffed, rolling your eyes. You began to march off of the dance floor, making your way towards the table you were previously at, leaving the stranger stranded.

"REal mature Y/n" He responded following closely behind you. The rest of the group followed behind, beyond confused as to why the two of you would even be arguing like this.

"Oh but you weren't doing the same thing over here with the chick ? Laughing at every little thing she said" You spat out.

He threw his hands up.

"Y/n i was trying to play your little game of secrets" He argued back.

"Wait what secrets?" Madison spat out. The both of you stared at each other, unsure who was going or not going to spill the truth.

"No point in hiding it anymore Y/n" Drew argued. You furrowed your brows in frustration, crossing your arms over your chest as Drew spoke. Which he was absolutely right which upset you anymore.

"Somebody better start talking in point two second or -"

"We're dating" you interrupted, looking over towards Madison.

Everyone's jaw dropped except for JD's, his response was jut of him shaking his head.

"What!?" Madison yelled out in shock.

"Like talking?" She asked, looking between the two of you. " Or like, dating dating?"

"More like dating dating" Rudy butted in, pushing his index finger into a circle he made with his other hand, indicating intercourse.

You quickly placed your head in your hand with embarrassment.

"No fucking way" Chase responded, a wide grin on his face.

"Bro why didn't you tell me?" Chase yelled out placing his hand on Drew's shoulder.

"We didn't want anyone mad at us or like, i don't know it ruin this friendship we all have" You responded, lowering your head in disappointment.

"Y/n are you delusional? Why would that make any of us mad ?" Madison replied with a wide grin on his face.

"You guys, i called it" JD finally spoke, a cocky smirk across his face.

"Whaattt? " you responded looking over at him with confusion.

"You guys have been clung to each other since you first met. I'm not stupid" He laughed. You shook your head, a grin forming on your face.

"Okay the cats out of the bag so you guys don't have to continue pretending okay? " Madelyn responded. "Can we please get back to dancing?" She pleaded. They all nodded before the group once again went their separate ways, leaving you and Drew alone at the table.

"I'm sorry" You responded stepping closer towards him, placing your hand on his.

"ME too" He responded looking down at you.

"I kind of want to get out of here, yanno" You said with a smirk on your face. He grinned back, nodding his head.

"agreed".

*****

Hope you guys liked!

✨feedback as well as a like and reblog is always appreciated 💗✨