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outerbankspreferences · 4 years ago

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Is It Just Me? - Chase Stokes

Is It Just Me – Chase Stokes

Word Count: 2893

MASTERLIST

It's been way too long for me to find it this hard Sitting alone, my fingers picking the sofa apart An attempt to distract from the fact that I miss you I wonder if your friends have had to carry you home And stay for the night because they don't want to leave you alone Way before it was fun, it's becoming an issue

I know it's cruel But I kind of hope you're tortured too

It had been exactly 3 months and 13 days since you and Chase had broken up. You wished it would have been a shock to you, but you had seen this coming. Things with Chase were great in the beginning. He was caring and sweet towards you. You could remember a time someone had cared for you as he had. You always supported Chase with everything he wanted to do with his life. You met him when he had just started out acting, and you were proud to watch his career blossom to the extent it had.

But had someone told you 6 months ago that you guys wouldn’t be together anymore you would have denied the accusations. 6 months ago, you thought Chase was in love with you.

Chase had been going back and forth to North Carolina for auditions and eventually got the leading role in the television series. You spent the first month with him and his new cast mate Rudy, having the time of your lives with the other people on the show. The whole cast would go out to different clubs every weekend enjoying spending time together.

Just a little over 6 months later you were still going to clubs but this time on separate sides of the country. You couldn’t process what had happened in a healthy manner and instead turned to going out with your friends every weekend to keep your mind off things. It always ended the same, one of your friends dragging you up the stairs of your once shared apartment because you were too drunk to do it yourself. They had grown accustomed to the weekend ritual of getting you sleep wear and a bucket for the morning.

Then you would wake in the morning, puking the nights content in the bucket popping Advil for the headache and dragging yourself to couch, throwing on some stupid movie that you wouldn’t be able to watch anyways. Instead, you would pick at the loose strings of the sofa thinking of all the times you spent in the apartment with Chase.

Tell me, does your heart stop at the party when my name drops? Like you're stood at the platform when the trains cross Are you hurting, yeah you must be Or is it just me? Tongue-tied, screaming on the inside When I say that we broke up and they ask why Are you crying in the shower like a freak? Or is it just me?

As you sit picking away at the sofa, you mind wanders to Chase. You still follow everyone on Instagram, and you were still good friends with Rudy, so you could see everyone’s stories. Rudy had been the only one to keep in touch with you, which surprised you because he and Chase seemed to be such good friends.

You wondered if Rudy ever asked about you to Chase, and then you wondered what Chase’s reaction would be. Would his heart be in his stomach at every mention of your name, or would he simply shrug like you guys had never been more then distant friends?

You sat wondering if Chase ever thought back to the day at the airport. The way he let you walk through security with no more then just a side a hug you would give a sibling. Wishing you a good flight and see you later before leaving. He hadn’t even waited for you to board the plane.

There were so many things you had wanted to say to him. You want to tell him you loved him, that you would fight for him. More so you wanted him to fight for you, for the years you had spent together. To fight for the promises he made to you, the ones you made together and the ones to come. You wanted to apologize for not being enough, but you couldn’t find the right words, so you watched him walk out of your life.

I heard a rumor you've been spending some time With that blonde girl that you work with and I know she's exactly your type And my miserable mind's running wild with the picture Or are you there by yourself, dialing, redialing my number? And I'm calling your mother, spilling tears on my jumper again The way I am

I know it's cruel But I kind of hope you're tortured too

1 month later, Chase’s mother, Jennifer, had called you because she had seen the announcement on Instagram. The two of you had been close while dating Chase considering how close he was with her. Your mother lived down south, and you didn’t get to see her that often, so Jennifer was a close second.

You had heard rumors from Drew and Rudy about Chase and Maddie hanging out together more, and it didn’t come as a shock to you. In the last bit of your relationship, you played second fiddle to her on multiple occasions. “It’s probably nothing, it because they have scenes together.” Rudy would make excuses over facetime when he watched your face drop at the mention of her name. “Yeah, you’re probably right, nothing to get worked up over.” You responded in a less then convincing tone, “she seemed super cool the couple of times I met her.” “Yeah she is. I think under different circumstances the two of you could have been friends.” He encouraged.

When the nights started to get cold in LA again you found yourself struggling to sleep. It was at these times you would reread old text messages and look through old pictures of the two you. You knew it wasn’t healthy, but you weren’t ready to move on. Chase had extra time to mourn the lose of the relationship while you were still grieving. It was on these cold nights alone in the apartment you shared that you began to wonder if he was thinking about you. Was he sitting next to her thinking about you? Was he wondering whether he should call you or just delete your number?

It was early in the morning in North Carolina and Chase was sitting on the patio of his shared apartment with Rudy. The sun was just starting to rise in the distance as he found himself restless yet again. He had been awake for about an hour just laying in his bed when he finally decided to get up. He was careful not to wake the sleeping girl next to him. She felt different next to him compared to you. When the two of you slept together you always liked to be the big spoon. Chase let you, finding comfort being wrapped up in bed next to you. Maddie was different, she preferred to lay her head on his chest, letting the sound of his beating heart lull her into sleep.

Not soon after Rudy came on the patio too, and Chase cursed him for being a night owl. “Not tired?” Rudy asked pulling out the bong they kept under the table. “No, and I didn’t want to wake Mads’” Chase spoke up tossing Rudy the lighter next to him watching the blonde inhale the smoke.

“I can’t stop thinking about her.” Chase finally spoke up, keeping a hushed tone just in case. “Oh yeah?” “I shouldn't have left her like that. It wasn’t fair to her I just didn’t know what to do.” Chase explained and Rudy didn’t need to be a love doctor to know he was talking about you.

“It’s been 2 weeks, she’s okay.” Rudy explained and Chase gave him a confused look. “When you guys broke up, I stayed in touch with her. She was mine friend too, and I felt bad that we all sort of dropped her when you guys broke up.” Chase nodded his head in understanding but was still jealous that Rudy got to talk to you. “Why did you break up with her? Not that I’m judging, I just thought things were going good between the two of you.”

It was Chase’s turn to have a hit from the bong while he thought of his answer. “Shit man I don’t know. Things just feel different with Maddie then they did Y/N. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but it did.” “Are you sure you’re not feeling too much as an actor oppose to being a person. Sometimes having a love interest on show can be different and confusing.” The blonde tried explaining to him but even he saw the demise of the relationship before Chase start acting with Madelyn. “Do you think she’ll ever forgive me?” Chase asked looking at Rudy and he could tell by the look in his eyes that it was doubtful. “You hurt her man. I think maybe one day, but not right now. I think right now she’s just trying to figure out how to do this without you.” Rudy could see the few tears in Chase’s eyes, and he knew that this wasn’t easy on him ether.

Chase got up but before leaving he spoke one more time. “If you talk to her again, just tell her that I never meant to hurt her the way I did.” Chase still wasn’t sleepy but the effects of the marijuana did aid in his problem, so he finished off with a shower. He turned the water to steaming hot and then got in. He let the water soak his hair while he wondered what you were doing right now. It only took a few more minutes for the tears to start. Chase stayed another hour in the shower wondering if he made the right decision.

'Cause this would be one whole lot easier God, I know that's selfish but it's true If underneath some calm exterior You're all fucked up too

The first few months of quarantine had been rough on you working from home. You also felt alone all the time but seeing Chase’s Instagram post sent you spiraling down another unhealthy path. You had just started to get better. You weren’t drinking as much, and you had let your friends set you up on a group date. You knew you weren’t ready for another relationship just yet, but you also couldn’t hide in your apartment for the rest of your life.

You had also been talking to Rudy a lot more. He had been your biggest support through all of this. He had flown back to LA a couple weeks ago to help you move to a new apartment. You figured if you were going to move on you had to move from the place you spent the most time with Chase. It was bittersweet because not only did you have good memories at the home with Chase, but those memories extended to your other friends as well. Rudy had ensured you that you would make knew memories in your new place.

But when you woke up on June 14, 2020 you almost had a heart attack. It had been 3 months and 13 days to the day, and he had already moved on. Now you were stuck trying to grabble with the emotions you were feeling. In some messed up way at first you didn’t want him to be happy. You wanted him to hurt the way you did, but you knew it wasn’t right. There was a small part of you that was happy that he was now happy.

Then you were reminded that you owed Chase his half of the damage deposit. Rudy had told you they all moved back to LA and were waiting for season one to come out. You debated on just giving the money to Rudy for him to pass along, but you also wanted to face Chase, to show him that you were now okay even it was a lie.

You took the latter of the chooses and sent him a text. (Y/N) It’s Y/N, I have your half of the damage deposit from the apartment. I can drop it off or you can pick it up if you want. You stared at the text message for fifteen minutes before sending it. It only took five for him to answer and you dashed to look at the phone. (C) Oh shit I forgot about that. I mean if you want to keep it, that’s fine. You scowled at the text. You didn’t need or want his pity money. (Y/N) I’m fine without it, if your busy I can send it with Rudy the next time he’s here. (C) Okay, no that’s fine I can come by today and get it just air drop me your address. You did just that deciding against messaging him back.

Chase’s heart fluttered a little when he saw your name come up on his phone. He hadn’t heard from you in months, and he assumed it was going to be about the post on his Instagram. He made the decision that Maddie made him the happy he wanted to be and left you. He had just gotten back in town when you told him about the deposit, and he didn’t mind letting you keep the money. It was the least he could do after everything he put your though. His heart sank when you declined his offer but lite back up when you offered for him to come over.

He honestly thought of this as his chance to apologize for everything that happened. You didn’t deserve for him to treat you like that, and he owed you an explanation. He drove over to your house, white knuckled the whole way. You lived in a small, gated apartment building and he remembered Rudy telling Maddie B. about it. He remembered Rudy saying how excited you were for a new place, and he wasn’t sure if Rudy was just saying that to upset him. Every time Rudy mentioned something about you it always made his heart sink underground and he was reminded about the way he treated you.

Chase started to walk up the stairs to your apartment once you buzzed him in but to his surprise you were waiting outside on the step. You looked tired and had lost weight which worried him because you were small to begin with. “Hey.” He spoke not really knowing what else to say. “Hi.” You said and he could hear how sore your voice sounded almost like you had been crying. You were smoking, which was something new, but he figured this was just as stressful for you as it was him You handed him an envelope with his name on it. “Uh, I cleaned the whole apartment, and nothing was broken so we could all the money back. Your half is in there, so I just need your key to give to the landlord.” You explained looking at Chase. He pulled his keys from his pocket fumbling with the ring.

“Y’know, I never meant”- “Please don’t” “Please don’t want?” Chase looked at you confused. He thought you wanted an apology. “I can’t listen to it Chase. I know it’s mean, but I’m not ready to hear you apologize. I’m just starting to get better, and I don’t need you to set me back again.” You explained looking him the eyes. He flinched when you said again. He handed the key back to you. “Thanks, I hope everything works out. I’ll make sure to watch the show.” You smiled at him and he didn’t realize how much he missed seeing you smile. He returned the smile before turning on his heels to leave. “For the record Y/N, you weren’t the only one to get hurt in this.” And it was your turn to flinch at his words. “I guess grief looks better on some people.” And with that you escaped back into your apartment sliding down the door letting out a silent cry. What you didn’t know was that Chase was going back to his car to the same thing.

TAGLIST:

@drewstarkeysbitchh @taylathornton @jjmaybankzz @lemur46

#chase stokes #chase stokes x reader #chase stokes outerbanks #chase stokes x y/n #chase stokes x you #chase stokes imagine #chase stokes imagines #chase stokes angst #chase stokes heartbreak #chase stokes fluff #outerbanks

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ihearthes · 4 years ago

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Quarantine Christmas Part 1

Author: @ihearthes Pairing: Harry x y/n Rating: Fluff/Smut (Smut in Part 2) Word Count: 2826 (Part 1) Fiction Chalenge via @caitlin‘s fiction party via @sweetcreatureinthedark

December 23, 2020

My head spins as I haul my suitcase from the trunk, using two hands due to the heft of the dirty clothes inside. Setting it on the ground, I yank on the handle before grappling with the two shopping bags filled with presents, reaching back for the decorated Christmas tin that is filled with homemade cookies, fudge, and other delicacies baked by my colleagues at Apple Music.

Wrestling with my hands full, I close the trunk with an elbow, shivering in the chilly LA air. At the front door, I want to cry. Dammit. I could clearly remember that when Glenne had given me the code for the front door and the alarm, I placed them in my phone under her contact information.

“FUCK!” The primal scream is released from my lungs, likely scaring the neighbors if any of them are outside enjoying Christmas lights or having family celebrations on this Christmas Eve Eve. Balancing the tin of cookies on top of the suitcase, I set down the shopping bags to reach for my phone. My purse slips off my shoulder, knocking the container of sweets, and in the scramble to rescue them, I nearly fall head over heels into the bushes.

It isn’t until I punch in the numbers and drag my personal effects inside that it occurs to me that the alarm isn’t armed. Had Glenne and Jeffrey forgotten to punch in the code before they left for Palm Springs? Deciding I don’t care, I leave everything by the door as I drag my suitcase to the main floor laundry room, dumping everything in without regard to color or type of clothing. Since we’ve been working remotely the majority of the time for the last fucking nine months, “dressing up” encompasses blue jeans and the occasional blouse, but most of my clothing is sweatpants and t-shirts. Deciding washing the blue jeans and blouses with the sweatpants and t-shirts is the worst idea ever, I fish those out before pouring laundry detergent over the remaining garments and starting the washer.

Glancing down at the clothing currently on my body, it seems completely reasonable to drop them into the washer too. Stripping the t-shirt from my body, I toss it into the swirling water before adding my bra, socks, and leggings to the murky mix. Wearing only panties in the cool house makes my nipples bead.

Ha! I’m sure my nips are happy to get any action after almost a year with no dating of any sort because of the fucking pandemic. Which reminds me that I’ve forgotten my vibrator at home. Shit. Of all the things I don’t mind borrowing from Glenne, I do have a line I won’t cross.

Placing the tin of Christmas yummies on the kitchen counter, I grasp the handles of the two bags of gifts. It might be silly to put them under the tree since I’m the only one in the house, but it will make me feel better. More like I’m at home with my family in Indiana. Less like I’m stuck in quarantine in an empty house for my favorite holiday. Sniffling, I swipe at my nose with the back of my hand as I pad down the two steps into the living room to the tree.

Kneeling at the fake tree, I reach for the switch to turn on the lights. As the colors begin blinking, I carefully withdraw each present, reading the tag before gently placing the gift under the tree. Even my brother had sent a present through the mail which must mean he misses me his year. Right now, we should be challenging each other to the most ridiculous games to see who is the best. Inevitably, he would win some while I beat him at others until eventually we declare a tie. My mother would chastise us both with a grin on her face, implicitly encouraging us to continue our “reindeer games” as my father called them.

From behind me, I hear a shuffling sound. Hadn’t they taken Myles with them? No matter. I could use the company a dog would provide.

“Santa, you’ve changed!” a soft voice exclaims, and I jump, twisting around to find another human wearing sweatpants and a hoodie.

“It’s you!” Both voices exclaim simultaneously. “What the fuck are you doing here?” We both pause, “Stop saying what I’m saying!”

Out of breath, I stare at him. The Harry Styles. Fuck.

His eyes roam over my body, and it finally dawns on me that I’m wearing nothing but my Victoria’s Secret lace panties. Shit.

Pacing measuredly to the couch without openly cringing, I grasp a wool throw and wrap it around my chest regally like I’ve just exited the pool at some exotic locale near the equator. My shoulders straighten, and I face him openly.

“Are you joining Glenne and Jeffrey in Palm Springs?” My back is a board, and my tone is barely restrained.

“Nope.” His nonchalance combined with his truncated answer pisses me off, per usual.

“So you’re flying home, waiting here for your flight tonight?” The hopeful tone is obvious to me and probably to him as well.

“No.” Those green eyes of his rake over my nearly-naked body, and I shiver. From the cold of course. Jesus. Get your heads out of the gutter!

“Watering the plants prior to returning to the Soho?”

“Uh uh.”

Delayed dread begins to fill my stomach. “You mean --” I clear my throat -- “you’re staying here?”

“Yep.”

“Shit.” Running my hand through my hair, I ponder the impact and my next steps.

“You?” He asks politely, even though I know he doesn’t feel solicitude at this moment.

“Glenne told me I could stay here for a few days. I made arrangements for my place to be fumigated while I was in Indiana for Christmas.”

His raised eyebrow mocks me.

“I’m not going, though. Okay?”

“Why not?”

“Seriously? Where the fuck have you been, Styles? In case you didn’t know, there’s a global fucking pandemic, and all of Los Angeles is locked down. So no -- I am not getting on a plane with a bunch of potentially infected and contagious --” Emotion overwhelms me, and I have to stop and catch my breath. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I turn away from him so he can’t see the tears that form in my eyes.

“Whatever, Smith.”

“My name --” I draw myself up and gather my anger around me like a cloak -- “is not Smith.”

“Yeah, right. Which bedroom are you planning to sleep in?”

“Surely you’re not suggesting we both stay here?” Appalled, I stare at him with my mouth open. “I’ll get a hotel room.” When I realize my wardrobe is in the washing machine, I softly say, “As soon as my clothes are dry.”

He shakes his head. “Don’t be ridiculous, Smith. We’ll share the space. It’s only a couple of days.”

“Excuse me!?” Anger wells up. “Only the most important days in the entire year!” Superiority makes me stand up fully to him. “Besides, I’ve been quarantining for months. No way do I want to share germs with you!”

“Oh please! As if you’ve got a monopoly on quarantining! I’m perfectly safe. We get tested every morning before we film. When was the last time you were tested?”

“Two days ago!” She’s at her boiling point. “Look, if we're both staying here together, then we’re just going to have to avoid each other. It’s a big house. We can do that.”

“Maybe once you put some clothes on,” Harry comments, smirking in that way he has where the left side of his mouth tilts up.

Mortified, I glance down at myself. Briefly I consider scurrying for Glenne’s closet, but I pause. Why should I rush away? Because he’s male? Because he was here first? Because he’s sexy as fuck and my panties can’t take anymore?

“Fine,” I respond as I brush past him like the Queen of England. “I’ll find something to wear, and then we can hash out the details.”

“Great plan. I’m ordering something for dinner.”

My stomach growls, and I suddenly feel an irrational hatred for that part of my body. How I long to state that I’ve already eaten or that I plan to cook something! But alas, I’ve brought no food with me, and I’ve no clue what’s in the kitchen. If Glenne and Jeffrey even left anything.

“Does that mean you’d like some too?” He gloats, and as much as I would like to smack the grin off his face, I’ve not eaten since a quick bite for breakfast hours before.

Knowing I’m going to have to grovel, I face him. “I’m capable of ordering for myself.”

“Yes, but that’s not necessarily good for the environment, is it? Sending two drivers to the same address from different restaurants?” Pausing, he appears to swallow whatever snarky comment was forthcoming. “Can we agree on this one small thing? I’m thinking poke.”

Shit. Fuck. Goddammit. That’s exactly what I would have ordered. Fuck.

Casually, I shrug. “Yeah, whatever. I can choke down some poke.” As I saunter away, tucking the ends of the makeshift shroud under my armpits, I call back to him, “Spicy please.”

Quickly I make my way to Glenne’s closet, surveying the items there. Ripping down a pair of joggers and a Full Stop Management hoodie, I drop the covering I’ve been wearing and rapidly draw the clothes over my naked body. Nothing I can do about not having a bra, but the hoodie is roomy so I worry less.

In the bathroom, I run my fingers through my hair, combing out the curls as best I can in this environment. In no way do I want it to appear that I’m trying to look amazing for Harry. Biting my lip, I admit to myself that the opposite is true. I absolutely want him to fall at my feet.

Which isn’t going to happen, I remind myself. Give up the ghost of a fantasy.

Making eye contact in the mirror, I provide a pep talk for myself. “Listen,” I remind my reflection, “this is just one more fucked up situation in 2020. You’ve gotten through worse. It’s truly a giant house, so there’s no reason -- wait. Why is he staying here anyway?” For whatever reason, I had allowed him to dodge that incredibly simple question.

Tucking my hands into the hoodie’s front pocket, I amble to the kitchen where Harry is just disconnecting his phone.

“Food will be here in 45 minutes,” he promises.

“Why are you staying here again? I missed your answer earlier,” I prompt.

I’m confident I see a flash of embarrassment crossing his face as he lowers his head. “Wine?” He asks, gesturing towards the extensive rack of reds and then the chiller of whites.

Unsure as to whether I should allow the diversion or press, I examine him. His eyes look tired and sad. His clothes, while comfortable, aren’t upbeat. Nor is his current demeanor. Is he okay?

Planting his hands in his hoodie in an unconscious mimic of my pose, he glances at me before his eyes stray to the side, examining the marble countertop. That look tells me more than I need to know, and my empath side emerges as I toss him a life preserver.

“With poke? I think perhaps a Reisling.”

He nods, bending to look through the wines in the cooler before he extracts one, holding it up for me to inspect the label. My eyes start to widen at the vineyard, assuming the extravagant cost, but I calm my features. “Perf!” I declare.

Grasping the wine opener from a nearby drawer, Harry removes the cork as I snatch two wine glasses from the cabinet and place them near him. Carefully comparing the amount in each glass, he pours enough before recorking the bottle. Taking my glass, I move into the living room where I can view the tree. It’s Christmas Eve Eve after all, and I refuse to be deterred from watching the lights twinkle and celebrating the season.

Harry apparently has a similar idea as he fiddles with the sound system before a crackle of ‘Jingle Bell Drunk’ by RaeLynn starts playing which causes me to giggle.

I settle on one side of the sofa, and Harry plants himself on the other side. Separately, we each take a sip of the riesling. My tongue does a happy dance at the flavor on my tongue. “This sweetness will cut the spicy quite well. Excellent choice.”

“You made the selection,” Harry reminds me, and I cringe.

“Oh. Yeah.”

Silence descends as the song proclaims “I’ve been naughty. I’ve been nice.”

“If there was ever a year for this song, this is it.” I announce into the quiet.

“Yeah. It’s been quite the year.”

Sharply, I glance at him. Perhaps I had missed something? “Excuse me? You’ve had one hell of a year, Styles. Grammy nominations aside, there were how many music videos released during this global disaster? Plus a movie!”

“Agreed.” He’s quiet, his jaw clenched, and suddenly his words burst forth as though a gate at a dam has been opened. “But no tour. And almost no family time.”

Wait. Was this superstar feeling some of my emotions? He’d had a stellar year in anyone’s estimation. Maybe I could be more sympathetic.

“Yeah. I’m sorry about tour. I had tickets to Vegas and one of the LA shows.”

His head swivels to me more swiftly than an owl focusing on prey. “You had tickets?”

“HAVE.” I swallow. “Thanks for not canceling by the way. I cannot imagine the bloodbath for getting tickets in the future. You’ve become the ‘it celebrity’.”

A blush is followed by a sheepish smile. “You can always get tickets, Smith. Just ask.”

“I don’t do that.” My voice is filled with the prickles that I feel at his words.

“Do what?”

“Use my privilege to get tickets to shows.”

“Oh. I…” His words trailed off.

Suddenly, I feel less uncomfortable around him. Reaching out, I shove at his shoulder. “You’re a giant star, and you have a ton of fans who want to see you. Me? I’m just happy to be a member of the audience.”

“Really?” Incredulous is what I sense in that one word. “Why?”

“Seriously?” I’m appalled. “Do you not know what an amazing entertainer you are, Styles? Fuck. If I hadn’t been able to see your Fine Line show at the Forum last December, I probably would have cried. You know exactly what your audience wants, and you deliver it. Consistently.”

“But --”

“Hush. Don’t you dare negate your talent!” Taking another sip of wine, I reveal unabashedly, “Maybe it’s the wine talking, but I really enjoy your shows.”

“Smith?” He inquires, and my hand stalls with my wine glass halfway to my mouth.

“Yeah?”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you like my shows?”

Stalling, I run a finger through my hair and empty my wine glass before holding it out to him. “More please?”

He rises, but I can read his reluctance. Within moments, Harry is back at my side, handing me a second glass of the riesling. I can’t help but notice that he’s topped his own off too.

“Answer the question, Smith.”

“My name isn’t Smith. In fact, there’s not a single part of my name that’s related to Smith. Why do you call me that?”

“Tell me why you like my shows, and I’ll reveal the meaning behind the nickname.”

My head feels fuzzy from the wine and the headiness of being near Harry, and I watch the lights flashing on the tree for a few minutes while Meghan Patrick belts out her version of ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas’ over the sound system.

“You make your fans feel like they matter.”

“How?” His question comes rapidly, and I have to gather my thoughts.

“You...talk to them. Listen to them. Watch them. Appreciate them. It’s rare, Harry. I mean, I’m in this business too, you know. Not every artist does what you do.”

“False.”

“I’m fucking serious, you asshole.” I gulp down more of the wine. “You make your audience feel like they’re your closest friends. I wish more artists did that. Specifically the ones I represent.”

“Oh.” His single utterance is enough, and we sit in pure tranquility for several minutes as the lights blink and Ava Max sings “Christmas Without You”.

“Wanna watch the quintessential holiday movie?” I inquire, looking at him.

“Which is?”

“Die Hard, of course,” is my response. “What were you thinking?”

“It’s a Wonderful Life.”

“Nope. It’s pretty good. In the top five for sure.”

“Wait. What are your top five?”

“Oh, that’s easy. ‘Die Hard’, ‘Home Alone’, ‘A Christmas Story’, ‘The Santa Clause’, and ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’.

“You’re serious?”

“Deadly?” I giggle at the joke since ‘Die Hard’ is full of death.

“Fine. But we watch ‘Wonderful Life’ afterwards.”

“Deal.”

Part 2

#my writing #harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #caitlin's fic challenge #part1 #harry styles smut #harry styles imagine #harry styles x reader #harry styles fanfic #original writing

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oh-for-fic-sake · 4 years ago

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New Beginnings Chapter Two

Masterlist Summary: You move on into your new role, but little did you know that accepting the new job would be so life changing. Warnings: Implied Smut, Swearing, Fluff, Angst??, Tony Bashing, Avenger Bashing, Clark is a cheeky little shit, A/N: So here it the second part to my three part Marvel Dc crossover and Clark is in this part I hope you like it xxx Taglist: @two-unbeatable-beaters @magdelen69 @iloveyouyen @sofiebstar @thefangirlsblog @harrysthiccthighss @loserrlauraa @cheeseman @isitmine @tinabean37

Bruce watched his phone carefully as the 'plane' glided through the air coming to a hover a good few hundred feet above the Newyork tarmac. Tony was pissed it was clear from the way he had contacted his lawyers...The very same lawyers that actually worked for a firm Bruce owned. Victor was scanning the calls and emails updating him on the situation as it unfolded. He scoffed so you had mentioned his child and other mistress? Well good on you! The man needed a kick up the ass. Tony was grasping at straws trying to get back at you, or get you back but that wasn't going to happen. You were theirs now. He leaned back a smile on his face he twisted his chair hands behind his head as he saw a late notification. A charge on his card of thirty five dollars in the restaurant he had sent you for dinner this evening. It was a treat but also a way to see if you'd back out at the last minuet. He gave a self satisfied smirk. You'd not only had the courage to leave the situation you were trapped in with out a clue as to what you were going to be doing, but you'd got a little payback aswell, it was more then he could have hoped for. "So our new member is on her way, her bags have just got to the strip and are being watched by Clark, he said she's just making her way past security now she should be there in a few moments" Alfred said sitting down as the aircraft stilled hanging high in the air over the private airstrip the low humming of the engines holding itself steady. "Good, everything is ready at the tower for her isn't it?" Bruce asked in a low voice watching out for the lights of the small cart thats would bring you out to the landing spot. Clark’s voice broke threw the com built in system halting what ever Alfred was going to say. "She's on her way, I'm off see you when you get back" Bruce gave a thanks over the radio but it was to late the kryptonian was out of range. He sighed heavy taking his finger off the button. Alfred smirked giving a small chuckle. "Irritating isn't it Bruce~" he offered up casually at the exasperated look on the mans face. "But as I was going to say yes everything is ready and clean, I even filled the fridge~" Alfred gloated making Bruce’s scoff shaking his head. "How kind of you to feed her, your generosity knows no bounds...Look here she comes now best start our descent." Alfred left to the front of the craft and started the slow vertical drop to the tarmac.

You sat in the cart, the driver didn't say much just that you'd be picked up my Mr Wayne out here, he was to drop you off and leave. You clutched your bag with shaky fingers, sweaty palms trying to cling to the faux leather. You were nervous, super nervous this was it your new start, the big leap of faith. Faith in a man you didn't know at all. You were worried this was a mistake deliberated all throughout your meal, but it was to late now. Its was trust Mr Wayne of become homeless and jobless. You'll admit it was nice to be rushed through the airport, recognised and pulled from the line at first you thought you'd done something wrong. You quickly crushed that thought when you were sped to the front and down a side hall to a small private check in...Well there wasn't much checking in more a quick check of your Id then carted straight onto the back of this small golf cart type vehicle and sped down the run way. Which was a little scary as your driver weaved in and around these huge air crafts. But after all the excitement you were unceremoniously dumped here in a far quiet corner of the air field you twiddled your fingers a little trying to calm your self down as the cart raced back down towards the terminal. It was quiet for a few moments then there was a low humm, an echoing rumble that was both eerie and awe inspiring. Then suddenly out of no where there was a large gust of warm air from above sending your hair twisting about in the air wildly. You could just see a huge black aircraft coming in to view shimmering with an opalescent sheen flickering with what you assumed was some type of cloaking barrier. You gasped watching at the wings folded upwards onto itself. It was a magnificent sight to behold, instantly all regret was washed away as you took a few steps to the side trying to take in as much of the craft as you could view. The huge craft as it twisted around directing the back almost cargo like door opening as it lowered. You were completely awe struck seeing Bruce standing holding the top of the door as it descended the last few feet and finally landed. "Y/n I'm so glad you choose to joins us!" He said walking down the ramp but you couldn't speak your eyes were glued to the matte black marvel of engineering in front of you. Bruce stood beside you looking up at it. "Shes a beaut isn't she?" He said with a chuckle. You pointed to it and faced him.

"The wings? They folded? Like how did you- surly thats not- I mean how do you maintain structural integrity when shes flying? I doubt she's slow? And what type of cloaking was that? Did it cloak the sound to? Like I didn't even hear it!" You asked the questions in quick succession excited as you tiptoed trying to drink in a much of her as you could. Bruce smiled and grabbed two of your suitcases making his way to the craft. "The cloaking? It's Atlantean" he called over his shoulder you all but squealed. "I KNEW IT!!" You jumped for joy quickly snatching your other suit cases running into the craft overwhelming Bruce with questions your curiosity had been triggered and you were now shaking with excitement at the prospect of being able to play with tech no one had ever seen before-well on the surface that it. Once inside Bruce managed to wrangling you into a seat the upper deck. You couldn't sit still far to interested in the spacious air carrier? Plane? What did you call this!? "Bertha" Bruce offered as he shuffled through some documents on the table counting page numbers of what you assumed was your contract. You frowned and went to ask but he seemed to be concentrating so decided not to ask. Alfred came out from a small automatic door with a tray carrying three cups of coffee. He was going to stay for the festivities. You thanked him as he place a small cup and sugar bowl next to you. "What Bruce meant was we call this old girl Bertha, its nice to see you again y/n" he added sipping his own drink. Suddenly Bertha's deep echoing thwums became a low hum and there was a tiny pull and it was then almost silent. "Holy shit it does!? The cloaking reduces sound even in here!?" Bruce tipped his head up and grinned nodding to you making you giddy, you knew you were right! Outside you couldn't hear a thing! He moved the stack of papers over to your side of the table between you. You gazed down seeing the familiar disclosure's and a lengthy contract below it. You swallowed time to sign your life away. "Id like for you to read through these..Most is about confidentiality...I can't stress enough that Its the most important thing in this project. It could cost us all everything it'd be catastrophic if anything was ever leaked...You'll understand more when you meet the team but...I need to trust that you will adhere to it before getting to that" you frowned as he explained this to you it was...Frightening the seriousness of his tone the look in his eyes as if lives were on the line. You nodded to him and sat back readying yourself for a long read. Bruce smiled patting your arm as he got up leaving you to look over the thorough contracts in peace. It was a good hour and a half you'd finally finished. The contract was lengthy but relatively simple...And required finger prints?...Apparently the lab you'd be working in that was constantly referred to as 'the tower' would keep records of your bio metric data for security in the form of eye scans and hand and finger prints and blood samples?. You have to disclose all history including medical and criminal. That made you pause for concern you did have a conviction for causing a social disturbance...And assault. Beating the shit out of a creep trying to force a young neighbors kid intl selling drug for him. Yeah you could probably explain that one. Apart from that it was fairly the same as anything you sighed for the Avengers. You'd get room and board for free but this time it was a 'luxurious apartment' that you were allowed to redecorate as you saw fit. Your pay was just over five hundred dollars a week which was 'non negotiable' you'd be expected to work thirty five hours a week and be on call for emergencies at any given time and always have your coms on-there was a coms system in the building so you wouldn't have to have an ear piece all the time. You'd get full access to any resources and labs and work shops and be able to pursue any projects that may be beneficial to the team. Which in all honesty sounded like a dream.And all they asked in return was that they have the only sole rights to use anything you create. But you would hold the patents. Apart from that there was seven different discretion declaration's. Each saying the same thing in a different wording making it abundantly clear that you will not ever talk about what happens in the tower to anyone. Or mention your colleagues or anyone seen within the tower itself. You had scribbled down a few questions to ask Bruce but apart from that it all seemed pretty solid. And you got some super expensive private health and dental!

"You done?" You jumped looking up at Bruce and smiled nodding as he placed a fresh coffee beside you. "I err yes its all done ..A few things though I wanted to ask before signing..If that was okay?" He smiled nodding and sat down. "I'd be more worried if you didn't have questions. Fire away" he said seemingly more then happy to ease your worries. You cleared your throat and looked to your list. "Well I err have a mark on my record...Criminal, I was charged with battery and had a fine...A drug dealer trying to get my neighbors kid to sell for him threatening him so I...Yeah he was hurt pretty bad and I got arrested..He charged me went to court and he got put away for dropping himself in it and I got a slap on the wrist." Bruce smiled they already knew that but it was a good show of character you admitting to it straight away. He nodded smiling. "Not a problem, we already know but thank you for being honest anything else?" He asked polity you looked down nodding swallowing relieved that your past wasn't really going to effect your job offer. "Err the erm this bit here... Being able to research my own projects as long as it can be useful? I just...That is vague I don't want to sign if I end up being pushed into something I'm not comfortable with...Again." he nodded he couldn't blame you for being careful especially after that shit show you were in before. He sighed leaning back arms crossed. "Our team is...An elite league of individuals who... Protect innocents... We don't want to use lethal weapons, in fact we have a very strict no tolerance policy, no guns or the like. Not a single life should be lost if we can help it. But we still need equipment thats where you come in. Sometimes create completely new gear or prefect old gear. You can work on weapons, barriers, Armour, maneuver gear anything you want...Tracking devices the lot...All we ask is its not designed to take a life and that we are the only ones with access to it....And occasionally name it because...Well we all have our quirks" you chuckled feeling much more relaxed and crossed off the question...He'd answered a few there in his explanation. You looked down at the list. That was it apart from... "I get to have a pet, I get lonely" Bruce chuckled and nodded "Fine a pet but a small one, that can live in a cage or terrarium... And you stop calling me Mr Wayne, call me Bruce" you giggled at his terms "...Fine Bruce...What about a house rabbit?" He laughed out of the side of his mouth and held ot a hand for you to shake. "House rabbit? I'll have it added to the contract. Deal!" You smiled giggling and shook his hand. Within moments you he signed all the papers which Bruce locked into a smart silver briefcase. And called Alfred to bring her in. You frowned at him weren't you still flying. "We've be hovering above the tower just inside the atmosphere all this time, give us a few moments and we will be landing...Oh and let me be the first to welcome you to the Justice league" you froze the fucking what what?....What?! Your face must have been a sight as he laughed out loud. "What?! Wait what- you but who?-are you?...Gotham... Shut up your not the bat!?" You stuttered as he smirked sipping his drink then shrugged throwing his hands out. "You caught me, you'll be privvy to all our identities so I had to be sure but...I think springing it on you at the tower would be a little mean" he added you blinked fast trying to catch up with your thoughts that raced a mile a minuet. You swallowed holy shit your going to be...With them? Access to the bats arsenal? Atlantean tech? kryptonian tech? Fuck you were giddy just thinking about it you tried to wipe the grin off your face but it wasn't happening all the new tech and discovery's the tinkering and playing about you could do?! It made your heart nearly burst! It was then that Bertha made the load hum once again and rocked as the suspension rocked lightly. "Want to go meet the team?" He asked standing up you took a breath following like an over excited puppy. He moved through to the back as the ramp lowered you each collected two cases and exited. You were in a huge cavernous room on polished concrete and aray of matte black vehicle's each angular in the typical 'bat man' finish looking all cool and displayed. "Nice garage~ I thought Tony's was impressive-" you said trying to fill the silence but regretted it as his name filled your chest with what felt like lead weights. Bruce eyed you slowing to walk beside you. "Tony's not worth it, despite everything he is still a selfish narcissist..You never know he may be coming to you for help one day~" he said trying to cheer you up it worked sort of, it had only been a week but the wound was still raw open...But not was raw as it should have been? I mean on the scale of things you were fuck buddies never went out, or to his place or anything..You were nothing more then a quiet fling. You came to a set of double doors that opened as you approached. Slipping through you were all smiles, it wasn’t as...Showy as Stark tower. Clean modern, contemporary with polished natural looking stone walls with little flecks of almost gem like facets that caught the light just right. It was large and overall modest...No large gaudy art pieces or blown up photos of the league. You soon can to a stop at an elevator Bruce place his hand letting it take his print and it opened he motioned you to enter. "We can go drop off your cases and put your prints into the system then you can meet everyone, They are all hanging around to meet you..Been waiting a long time" he announced snapping you out of your revere. You nodded dumbly letting him push a button, it was only when it began moving that you realized the back wall was glass overlooking the floors as you glided higher. On the way up you saw a gym and pool...Labs then a common room floor large and open...Everything seemed calm here.

Within moments Bruce had whisked you away gliding down a short hall that had one door which seemed strange you frowned as the 'glass' panel beside the door looked like oil? A multicolour rainbow shimmering in the light with its movements..It was on closer inspection to saw it wasn't moving like waster but...Sand?super fine sand like the type or 'magic dry sand' children play with in waster. It was black and reached out in tiny inch long spindles. Making you cringe it did not look pleasant. "This is err your floor, this pad here is the lock is...It's safe I promise uses hand print scanning sort of...It will give a small finger prick to register your dna...Its like a two step verification, if for what ever reason your hand and finger prints don't work it'll let you in by repeating the finger prick" you eyed him cautiously...That thing was going to do a blood test? You moved your hand slowly to the door panel fingers trembling and twitching but froze just out of the tendrils reach. Bruce put a hand on you reassuringly. "Its safe I promise once its taken it it wont need to again well its been a few years and none of us have had to verify again, the kryptonian's were pretty clever...And after your prints are in your in everywhere..You'll have unrestricted access so its just a one off" he explained further. Your face lit up kryptonian? Alien security inside the fabric of the building? My god you were going to love it here. You sucked in a breath planting you hand tentatively on the pad and hissed jumping as the sandlike material molded to your hand growing warm then a tiny pinprick on your index finger drawing a few drops of blood. The process took seconds and your hand was released with a slow swirl and once again the door opened showing a huge open plan apartment one whole length of it glass letting in natural light like on of those ridiculous ultra modern show homes. It took your breath away as you wheeled in your cases behind Bruce. "Now I know what your thinking but they are mirrored the other side and no one can see in...Well maybe Clark but he is to much of a gentleman to be a peeping tom~" he finished with a chuckle and turned around to face you as you made small steps into the place. You were in love, this beats the basic room with a view you did have.This could be home.you pulled yourself out of your snooping locking onto what Bruce said. "Clark?" Bruce smiled letting go of your suitcases leaving them in the open area by the kitchen and modern wood beam partition that cornered off the living room. "Supes, you'll get to call up by our given names...Any way lets get going the sooner they meet you the sooner they will stop whining in my ear...Giving me a fucking head ache-yeah alright we're coming! Jesus" you giggled and followed him out again into the elevator.

You quickly soared up into a huge room split in two halves, one a huge round table with enough seats for everyone then a tinted glass wall with the tell tale illuminations of monitors that would put nasa's ground control to shame. "This is our office? Slash mission room...I suppose you could call it? We never really get the time to sit here and discuss missions most of the time there isn't time but at least we get to use it now as a meet and greet" you tried keeping calm, you'd done this before-it was just like the Avengers don't worry they are people...Except for the alien amazonian Atlantean and a...Cyborg...yeah this was a little strange. "Everyone meet y/n new member of the team!" The was a small cheer which made you chuckle and wave nervously. They each wore their appointed suit's. You got a little starstruck to be honest this was The Justice League...A band of superheros who each shared your ideals. You swallowed dryly as wonder woman came over shaking your hand. "I'm Diana- that’s Arthur, Barry ,Victor, Clark and Barbra..It's nice to finally have you here" you shook her hand smiling.

"Finally, you make it sound like you were waiting" you huffed a laugh trying to break t through your nerves with humor.

"We were...We wanted you two years ago but...well Stark got there first but we were always going to snatch you away it was just a case of when" she replied with a kind smile nothing false or off. You smiled nodding to her "Well I assure you if I'd had known two year's ago I'd have been here instead trust me" you said as she moved of to the side letting the others come and greet you. "Yeah well you were caught by that dick wad- good call getting out" you chuckled at Arthur's frankness and moved again Barry shaking your hand "I err yeah it was a shit show there but I'm over it" you said to them all trying not to exclude anyone and be rude. Before you knew it you was eye to...Chest with Clark...Wow okay fuck how is he more intimidating then Thor? He grinned at you a charming smile. "Well we are just glad you saw sense and finally found your way home to us. We have waited a long while to have you here talent Iike yours shouldn't be disregarded you can help us save a lot of lives" you swallowed trying not to notice he was impeccably handsome he was but...That was near impossible. Oh fuck. "Ah no pressure then...Thanks for that big guy" you said sarcastically trying to battle your nerves with humor which didn't help as he laughed smiling showing off his once thought handsome now perfect features. Shit. Double shit. The last thing you needed was a fucking crush. "Don’t worry we will get you up to speed on our...Foreign technologies then you'll be off doing your own thing in no time, we wont working you into the ground" you shivered at your take on being 'worked into the ground' but smiled covering any indication you were slowly creating sordid fantasies about the man in blue...And not the cap- thank fuck though that did you a favor any rising libido gone in an instant. Whew that could of got sticky. "I'd appreciate it your...Security system all but shook me like how the hell does that even do that..." he laughed out loud twisting to the final pair you'd yet to meet then back to you shrugging a pink tint to his cheeks...Well that was new, super-buff-superhero shy. It was refreshing. "You know I'm not sure, I just find it and bring it back Bruce, Victor and Barbra do all the engineering and tech work..I do the heavy lifting" he said chuckling away rubbing the back of his neck a little embarrassed that despite it being tech from his home planet he didn't have a clue. "Yes Clark is pretty handy to have around in the labs, makes things go much smoother when he can lift things so you can fit...Our very own walking talking car jack..I'm Barbra you'll be with me and Victor most of the time we are the appointed geeks" you shook hands with a blonde woman in a wheelchair that must have been up at the screens and Victor the half Cyborg? You nodded polity. "So I'm going to be learning the ropes with you guys?" They nodded casually grinning probably happy to have someone else to 'speak geek' with, you can appreciate that. "We will teach you a thing or two..But I have no doubt you'll be ahead of us in no time I've read all your research, I was impressed. Tried to build on some when we thought we'd lost you for good but didn't get anywhere...Whats your take on the electromagnetic film shield? Did you drop it or?" Victor asked and you perked up. "Oh no I haven't dropped it..I got a little stuck on how to increase the human electrical impulses to control it without effecting the sinus node or nervous. I need a link..A pathway that can be activated at will, Its what I hoped to find at Stark tower similar to To-Mr Stark’s arch reactor?... But he said it was a pipe dream so never got that far" Victor lit up that was a viable option and tipped his head. "So implants? What sort of thing?" He asked looking genuinely interested. You sucked through your teeth and hummed. "Yeeesss...Sort of was leaning more maybe something less permanent..Something based on taser pins? you know tiny barbs that can be removed at will" you elaborated Barbra gasped face lighting up.

"OH GOD! I never thought of anything like that...That would be more convenient, you could use the own bodies impulses like a power source...A human battery!" She exclaimed the new theory excited her and the three of you suddenly found yourself exchanging ideas between you forgetting the others standing off to the side watching. "Well they seem to have....Clicked look at them go!" Barry said watching at the three of you started bouncing ideas of of one another already any nerves or tension dissipated as you Victor and Barbra began geeking out. It was clear that this was the start of an incredible collaboration.

You'd been here just over eight months and was finally happy. It was incredible how much things could change in a short space of time, life was now the best it had ever been. Your spot in the team was secure and you'd made strong friendships with everyone...You were a family, sister to the league and a mother figure to the youngsters. Always fretting over them and helping them out when need be, normally you were helping the peanut gallery; which consists of konner, Jon, Damien and Tim..Occasionally Jason if the mood strikes him avoid the wrath’s of their fathers. You even got a fucking chart going a community service type deal they fuck around then they are in the lab helping you for a few days. Girl talk with Diana was fun if not a little daunting at first but you soon relaxed with her, despite her tendency to want to kick ass for you. Arthur and Bruce were like protective older brothers checking in all the time making sure you were taking care of yourself which was sweet. Barry was that kid who you constantly had to feed and was always up for trying new recipes, you were trying to come up with healthier alternatives to his junk food... And you'd made him frozen meals each week to take home, he collected them every Tuesday. You, Victor and Barbra were three peas in a pod you were always chatting with one another during your work and pushing boundaries together each day exploring creating throwing theories around enjoying finally being understood.

Then there was Clark. You'd been dating for five months and even though it was quiet at first it wasn't because he didn't want to be seen it was more...Only Jason had caught you making out and the little twerp had kept his mouth shut. Good job as well that had been your first kiss with the man. You and Clark had been stealing kisses and sneaking quiet dates since. It had been slow going your first assumption of him being shy was true, he was shy...At first then he became quite the little flirt. It had started after about two weeks of being here? He spent a lot of time around you getting to know you. Helping you when he could the rest of the time happy to sit around the lab passing you things making small talk. Then from there it was hanging around the common room, having coffee then he showed you around Metropolis and stuff just generally hanging out getting along. You'd offhandedly mentioned you wanted to try the gym out and get fitter but didn't have a clue how anything worked. Clark had seen the chance and grabbed it with both hands, he offered to train you. He was a slave driver in the gym not letting you quit when your arms were about to far off but the work was paying off, you were becoming toner, not buff or bulky but you felt better in yourself healthier, happier. You'd noticed that you felt different? With Tony everything had been forced? He'd never ever forced you but the feelings had been forced lathered on thick, heavy and unrelenting. You were shocked that you'd managed to move on so easily, things with Clark flowed it was smooth and relaxed nothing rushed you took pleasure in just being around one another which was a nice change of pace. You'd had your first kiss in the gym just over a month into your stay. It was sweet and then heated no pressure or desperation...But he was eager in a gentle way, romantic even though it was hot. You'd never felt it before. Tony had been your first regrettably and he was always so pushy? Not really the word he just wanted to get his fix and leave. It was a rush quick array of sucks nips then he quickly rutted into you and left with out so much as a thank you pulling his zipper up on the way out. He wasn't affectionate with you, he never took his time with you or spent much time with you it was always so callous and sarcastic you now realize it's because you were the butt of a sick joke. But Clark he was just there happy as can be kissing you. Sure he squeezed your ass but its not like you minded. The first kiss had been a surprise, you were on one of the rock walls climbing more for fun then anything he was lifting weights when he heard a whizz of unwinding rope, your harness came loose you barley fell a few feet and he'd caught you. You were in his arms before you even heard his weights slam onto the floor. It had been an overwhelming moment, until then you'd never really seen him in action he didn't take his powers lightly you'd only seen him in flight twice. The first time you'd screamed bloody murder at him for making you jump as he made the loud echoing boom as he entered the atmosphere from above you...You swear it was like a fucking bomb going off being so high up on your balcony you'd felt it in your bones.

But this time there was no sound to his movement he was just suddenly there with you in his arms catching you before anything could happen. Well his arms was a relative term, he had in his panic curled under you making you land awkwardly slumped over his chest front first one leg between his the other over his hip, chin and torso sprawled out over his chest. He moved tipping his head down panting lightly. He pulled and arm around your waist holding you securely then froze staring you in the eye. Time stopped for a few breaths as you both saw the opening, the opportunity to take things further. Surprisingly Clark took it tipping his head one hand coming to the back of yours and he pulled gently bringing your lips to his in a sweet kiss. You melted whining softly letting him moved his lips against yours in delicate movements. He pulled back and grinned cheeks tinting pink. "You should be more careful, you could get hurt" you smiled flushing his tone was something you hadn't heard from the man before. It had a dark rasp under his usual smooth voice, a growl full of hidden promise and his eyes blown wide black devouring the blue and half lidded giving the perfect man the most beautifully delicious expression. You smiled and moved forward whispering across his lips. "I doubt you'd let that happen~" you smiled and moved again pressing your own kiss to him moving your hands to smooth down his chin the light stubble grazing your fingers. He hummed moving his hands down completely forgetting you were a good thirty feet up in the air cupping your bottom pulling you across him further making your other leg rise over his other hip effectively straddling him. He pulled tighter digging his fingertips into the cheek of your ass making you gasp as he pulled them apart slightly. You pulled away panting down at him. It was then you heard footsteps and a loud curse you snapped your gaze down seeing Jason. "Are you kidding? This isn't fair! How the fuck am I meant to compete with that!? Dad I could of beat but thats a joke bitch I'm out you win uncle Clark" he said making a stretching his arms out wide in a defeated motion. Clark laughed out loud as Jason turned tail an left with a quick 'clean up after~' you flushed and blinked at the hunk of male you were straddling. "What was that about?" You asked not really following he rose a brow at you incredulously. "You mean you haven't noticed the boy flirting with you?" You blinked at him again and shook your head. "Well yeah but he's a kid...Thought it was cute-like in a younger siblings best friend kind of way...He was serious?" You asked him eyeing the door where Jason had left in a huff. "Yes and he just bowed out gracefully looks like I've won my prize~" Clark chuckled and tipped your head back to face him a smug smile to go with hos self assured words. You gave him your own smirk wriggling your brows and moved closer to him lips a breath away from his. "Oh really Mr Kent" you kept your voice light and teasing letting your bottom lip just graze his as you spoke. Clark hummed low the sound reverberating in his chest like a purr of a big cat you felt it in your bones. "Well your straddling my cock so I'd like to think so~" he quipped innocently hands squeezing your ass as if to make a point for a second you stuttered unsure if you heard him correctly did the super cute cheeky farm boy just say cock? you looked down and noticed he was right and panicked. "Oh god sorry!" You cried flushing when you noticed you were in fact pressed tightly to his groin, body weight centered over his cock. Quickly you failed about moving only for his hands to come up supporting your hips holding you steady with a chuckle you were so flustered you'd forgotten where you were. "No no please don't apologize I'm quite comfortable like this, can think of no better place to have you~...You best hold on tighter though you might fall~" you gaped at him this had been the first time that the sweet, polite considerate gentleman had sounded like a horny hot blooded male. And you fucking loved it! You peeked over the side of the huge chest and saw you were still quite a way's up he hadn't lowered an inch staying perfectly still. You latched onto him for dear life legs locking around his waist digging your feet into the cheek's of his perfect ass. Arms hugging his neck once secure he placed one hand across your rear the other at you back and finally moved to hover upright. the tilt made you cringe you wasn't really one for heights, you could somewhat ignore it when you were climbing with the harness but that was about it you never really strayed to far out on your balcony either sticking close to the windows and door in case it decided to fail and crack away from under your feet. "Oh my god get me down! Please please Clark I'll do anything!" You panicked suddenly feeling queasy as he moved, being upright instead of sitting on him was a very different experience and you really wanted to be set down now. You missed the quick dark playful smile on his face as your words registered. "Anything? Then you wont refuse dinner with me tonight?" He asked quickly not missing a beat. You eyed him gasping at the cheeky grin and clung tighter as he made to move his hands away from you with a chuckle finding this amusing. "No no don't do that-Hold me dammit!!- wait and are You serious?! Now! Your asking me out now?" You panicked stuttering wondering where this new devious Clark had come from but you didn't have long to wonder as he tipped his head eyeing you mischievously biting his bottom lip trying to fight of some more chuckles. He couldn't help it you were just so cute trying to be angry when all flustered and panicked and he'd admit he really liked you clinging to him tightly. "Well no time like the present~" he added making you squint at him but smile shaking you head you couldn't help find him cute when he was like this. Like a naughty little boy all tricks and charm. He dropped a few feet with you then stopped again making you squeal and hold him tighter if possible your face now level with his at how close you held him around his neck. You looked down then back to his eyes nodding enthusiastically before crying out your answer heart ready to burst. "I FUCK !! NO I-Fucking hold me Clark!! YES- Dinner- yes yes I'll go to dinner with you just please get me down!" Your voice was high and you squeezed your eyes shut face scrunching up as you tried to hold on to the man for dear life. He huffed a laugh as you squirmed uncomfortably. "Seal it with a kiss?" You growled at him ready to yell at him for being an ass but was cut off by another kiss. He dipped his head this time devouring your mouth with merciless accuracy. He was making war with your tongue before you even realized you'd opened your mouth. You moan as he tilted down further trying to steal your breath, tracing the inside of your mouth with ease unhurried in his exploration as though he was drawing a map you grunted letting him so as he pleased falling under his intoxicating spell the man had a way with you it seemed. In a few quick movement's you were sure he could be your undoing. The kiss was more than anything you'd felt, a deeper connection then just tongues and teeth like you both just knew one another without trying tilting and suckling in a sweet yet eager embrace. You parted and blinked at him his cheeky grin greeting you eyes sparkling with glee. "There safe and sound and you thought I'd drop you~" he announced teasing you lightly it was then you realized he was standing firmly on the ground you squeaked and unhooked your legs placing your feet between his. But he didn't release your ass instead squeezing it for a few breaths then exhaled stepping away from you with a light pat on your rump making you flush. "Well I'm going to go have a shower and get ready for our date, I'll pick you up at six" he turned walking to the exit making you stutter a few words then finally you found your voice. "And I'd have gone to dinner with you anyway!! You didn't need to you know!" You yelled out to his back he laughed loud calling out 'I know' over his shoulder making you grumble. Clark was a lovable ass.? With a lovely ass. You noted watching the pert cheeks tense as he moved turning around the door frame. "I can see you staring!" he called from the hall making you blush and clench your fists turning around running to the door poking your head around it before shouting down the hall behind him. "Well you got to fucking squeeze mine so we're even!!" he laughed a loud belly laugh as he opened the door to the men's changing rooms shaking his head at you as he entered.

Since then it had been a dream Clark was everything you wanted in a boyfriend and then some. Dates were well planned and could range from cliché and romantic to adventurous and sexy and anything in-between. The relationship wasn't a secret for long perhaps five weeks maybe six? either way the League had soon found out when he'd out of the blue spun your chair round to face him stealing a deep embarrassingly hot kiss in front of them when you parted asking what that was for he just smirked and shrugged stating he just 'wanted to taste his woman' and left telling you to 'finish up soon' leaving you to stutter out an explanation to a very amused team that you were a couple. Bruce; who you suspected had known for a few weeks before, had been really amused noting that you should 'hurry up before he came back down for seconds' and to you embarrassment you did hurry up and scurry back to your apartment where he was already naked in the bedroom placing a juice bottle next your side of the bed knowing you always needed a little break to re hydrate as he demolished you mind body and soul~. As it turns out Clark had told Konner and Jon before hand and they both wasn't bothered at first trying to act all cool. It wasn't until a few weeks ago they had become excited at the prospect of maybe having their very own Ma. Well excited in a teenage sense of trying not to show they cared but in fact both just wanted you to snatch them up and give the two touch starved boy much needed affection and snuggles which you did on mothers day getting you mothers day present a little silver locket with photos of them which you wore every single day. They were so terrified about it they hadn't asked if you even wanted them you remember their faces deliberating as they handed you the box mumbling uncertain 'happy mothers day' looking at all the cards and chocolates their cousins had given you. The gift was the most precious thing and you couldn't help but cry as you hugged them kissing them both. There was anxiety and tears all around but in the end you all got the out come you wanted, whilst all the youngsters were 'yours' by default konner and Jon were your special boys, they were your sons. Your relationship was incredible your job was a dream and you had a family if that wasn't enough? there was your aforementioned sex life...Sex? My god! It was out of this world, the best sex you'd ever had Tony was said to be one of the best lays but he didn't have shit on Clark! Clark's strength and stamina meant he would always last he had once fucked you for six hour's straight....That's not a few rounds that was one! One fucking round and you'd passed out only to be woken by a mind numbing orgasm that left you a babbling incoherent puddle of wanton female desperation. All because you'd teased him about how long he could really last. Your answer days that mans cock could keep cumming for days and still not be satisfied. Safe to say you never questioned his stamina again. You were at it like rabbits you'd been caught 'with your pants down' by everyone...Everyone. But you didn't care you didn't get a chance to Clark to your was a very goal orientated lover, his goal was to leave you a complete bumbling sticky exhausted mess. He enjoyed watching you fall apart over and over until you couldn't speak let alone move. His favorite was when you tiptoed about the next day, slow steps, bow legged and sitting on cushions letting everyone see that he had all but destroyed you the previous night aftercare helped but you were pretty much fucking a god there were consequences that a good bubble bath couldn't fix. And once you were fully seated on him there was nothing that could deter him, not even konner waltzing into your apartment to steal your snacks. Clark just kept at it as your son passed the sofa you were being rawed on to get to our snack cupboard, the teen didn't even bat an eyelash!! As embarrassed as you was you couldn't deny finding Clark's complete disregard for modesty once inside you was fucking hot. Like he was in a trance so focused on fucking you into your next orgasm he didn't bother worrying about anything else. And even when you wasn't being ploughed by the man things were still great! He was sweet funny kind and you showered one another with affection something you'd never known you'd missed out on. Things were great and the others didn't seem to have any issues with it sure they poked fun sometimes as you acted like a couple of teenagers but thats to be expected. All in all life was fucking brilliant here and you couldn't wish for anything better.

You moved about the lab tweaking the...Well your not sure what it was to be honest...Clark had been shooting off into the galaxy again searching for the abandoned Kryptonian outposts and bringing you back bits and pieces anything from trinkets to tech. This time he brought back a hover krypto-bot guard thingy and thought you might be able to get it up and running to help you and Barbra around the lab. You grumbled tweaking the bot trying to get the last few pieces in place before powering it up, it worked from solar energy much like Clark. You giggled at the thought and looked over to him. And the view wasn't bad~ you twisted eyeing the fit as fuck resident Kryptonian. Today he was wearing some 'tad to small but you wasn't complaining' sweat pants and a fitted white tank top....Yum. He was standing tall one arm extended above him holding a few tonne bat mobile like it was a bed sheet. Bruce's bat mobile was getting a suspension upgrade as it could now crawl up walls with its new 'tires'. He said aiming is hard when he is being jostled about but you and Barbra knew it was just a case of him having a delicate ass and wants a smoother ride~ You gasped as the bot rose hovering above the floor you'd done it? You'd got it working? Fixed a fucking alien robot! Fuck yes go you! you hummed watching as it rose to hover a foot and a half sides opening and closing looking like it was flexing, stretching after a long nap..In a way it looked cute. "Any luck-whoa babe step back a bit" You looked up seeing Clark peer over his shoulder at you eyeing the bot that was hovering in front of you calmly you stepped back Clark had told you what one of these had done to Lois when they met. He motioned for Barbra to back up and put the bat mobile down onto the ground eyeing the bot waiting to see if it attacks. It did Clark was caught off guard as the bot bypassed you instead completely ignoring you turning completely around and gunning for Barbra. It took seconds but soon the bot was ripped in two on the floor. You didn't mind hard work or no that thing had gone for Barbra. "Fucking hell!? Barb you okay?!" You called out jogging the few steps to the shaken woman. she nodded smiling thanking Clark assuring you she was fine. You sighed and placed your hands on your hips huffing seeing the pieces scattered all over. You wasn't mad you just don't like cleaning up oil spills. "Why did it only attack me?...Like y/n was right in front of it and the thing didn't even flinch" she asked Clark you frowned and pondered that yourself from what Clark said it should had attacked the first human it saw is it was going to attack. You furrowed your brows deeper and turned to Clark who was looking between the two of you baffled uming and ahing. "Yeah I'm wondering that to didn't it attack Lois on sight?" Clark nodded which made you turn to Barbra trying to figure it out. "Yes so shouldn't it have gone for the closest human? like if it was gonna turn it should have been you? Weird" you both looked to the now dead robot frowning that didn't make sense and you didn't like things not making sense. "maybe...It sensed my dna inside you?" Clark offered with a slight wave of his hand grasping at straws you frowned completely lost..Dna you wasn't pregnant or anything so that didn't make sense. "Inside y/n?- Wait ew no tmi thank you very much!" Barbra called wheeling herself off to the side giving both you and Clark a wide birth as she made for the exit. you stood there stumped as she did so Clark had a cheeky grin on his face but you really didn't follow. "wait what dna? Clark?" he shrugged cheeks tinting pink and motioned to you in a vague show of hands motioning to you making you even more confused. "Well this morning..I did kinda you know flood your pu-" you cut him off when you realized just what he was getting at. A very satisfying morning romp. "OH! Right well that would be it thank you Clark you can stop now" you spoke quickly in a high pitch trying to shut him up asap as Barbra laughed from the other side of the lab running a diagnostics on the bat mobile for the new parts shes added. you flushed and Clark grinned he loved everyone knowing you were his a typical alpha male pea-cocking, flaunting his prize. you smiled a small impish grin and turned moving to collect the robot. Clark beat you to it and helped move it to one of the work benches. "..Well then, I'm going to...Take him apart and see if I can locate and remove that scanning unit, if it can scan and match dna then I might be able to incorporate it into the security system...No more finger pricks?" you inquired Barbra turned from the screen she was working on "Shit that would be good the systems been buggy with konner and Jon recently I think they are getting sick of spilling blood for their snacks" you smiled to her nodding those were your thoughts exactly you thought the system might be tripping with the half human aspect of them but..If that bot did in fact see Clark's... Residue then it should work for Konner and Jon. "exactly no one likes to many finger pricks" you called out happily Barbra nodded then you both deadpanned as Clark spoke up in a scoff. "Well maybe not you love~" you scowled at him but it lost its bite as you flushed a bright red as he winked quickly sucking in his bottom lip eyes flashing mischievously at you. You just shook your head knowing better then to argue with him in this mood. When Clark got like this and you argued you ended up wishing you'd just kept your mouth shut he was a teasing little shit. "What? like you complain about my fingers babe~" you shook your head biting your lip when really you wanted to cuss him out and throw something at him for embarrassing you. Throwing things was a waste of energy he dodged or caught them. "Okay right I'm going on a lunch break if you two fuck don't break anything!" Barbra called deciding to excuse herself knowing this was going to be a playful spat that'd end up with you bent over something. just as she got to the door it opened the rest of the team filing in not looking to happy. Bruce broke the silence. "We need to talk"

You looked up to Bruce unsure of your next move. this was just bad luck. really bad luck. You eyed everyone this was ultimately being left up to you. You knew them most and honestly you wasn't sure. your gut was telling you to let them come, to help them out. but in your mind you wanted to fuck them off and tell them to do one. by now you'd opened up to them about your time there apparently their surveillance only saw so much. It didn't see the biting words or laughter which at the time you thought was banter but it wasn't. you'd spent some time reflecting and you realized you was being laughed at not with. "Do you know what it could be?" you asked Bruce who had taken the call he shook his head. "Nope.. Apparently a peter quil brought it in for them...Kryptonians were apparently thousands of years in front of everyone with tech, they know its kryptonian but are not sure if it holds a weapon or not they want to collaborate after all we do have Clark" you nodded heaving a deep sigh Clark placed his arm around you hand on your hip squeezing lightly bringing you to him.

"You don't have to we can say no-" you shook your head interupting him "No..No we cant Tony has wanted kryptonian tech since you popped up, he will find away to crack it... he will bust it open it he has to." you said thinking far to hard trying to calm yourself ideally you didn't want to see any of them again but this could be serious. if it was a weapon you didn't trust them. and if it had kryptonite? you really really didn't trust them hell the only person you trusted with that stuff was Bruce...Even then you didn't really like it being on this planet. "Y/n I can find a way to sneak in and steal it- we could get it and no one would know-" you turned to Barry and gave him a smile. "No..No thats very sweet of you but they would know where to look, they would storm this place looking for it we don't need a civil war between two superhero teams...You'd die, you wont kill them but the avengers don't piss about they would kill you...Tony will do anything to figure out what's inside it... "I would rather it be here where we have at least some understanding of the kryptonian systems...That and if it has kryptonite we can store it away safely, let them come I will be civil and work with them but I'm not going to be pally pally with any of them, and do not let Tony or Bruce or peter be in any labs alone, Barbra can we section of the lower lab for what ever they have? I'm not having them looking at our work fuck them-Victor watch your back Tony will try to charm you into letting him scan you if he does riddle Friday with the worst worms and Trojans you can oh god wait no do a malware to or adware!-fuck him" Victor nodded laughing to you seeing the claws come out Barbra whistled with Barry who both asked if adware was a little harsh receiving a glare from you which shut them up pretty quick, you smoothed back your hair stressed about it already

"Arthur, Clark the same goes for you they will try to butter you up and-" you were cut off with a laugh from the ocean master.

"Don't you worry I'm not going to be falling for any of the douchbags tricks you just keep yourself sorted okay? we can watch them you just do your thing" He said Diana nodded it seemed everyone was in agreement they will watch them and you just focus on the task at hand. "Okay how about we can have everyone staying here so we have more eyes, I'm sure the boys wont mind a week off school" you nodded to him knowing that Bruce was going to try and make this easier. "That would be helpful Bruce thank you...Avengers stay in the lower levels and they don't get access to our floors or our labs, none of them get entered into the security system...They stay in the dorm rooms and they share a bathroom!" you exclaimed laying out your terms Arthur chuckled crossing his arms grinning at you shifting on his feet.

"Seems like someones getting a little pay back~" he said tipping his head raising a brow the others chuckled making you flush a little for getting so wound up but you tipped you head high and scoffed.

"Damn right they're coming to my house now bitch-fucking give them a taste of their own medicine" it was agreed the Avengers were aloud to come and stay you felt a little better after they all reassured you on the protocols they had in place it would seem Bruce had been anticipating this for a long time. suddenly the bat of Gotham cracked a smile chuckling making everyone pause waiting to hear what he found so funny he shook his head waving at them.

"It's just...I told you one day Tony would be here asking for your help, imagine his face when he sees what your achieving here...And he had you at a fucking desk!" everyone laughed seeing the irony you smiled giggling a little tucking yourself into Clark's side unconsciously looking for a little comfort you were anxious about seeing Tony again. he held you closer kissing your head knowing you were dreading this you'd rather not see him again.

"You'll be fine, you have all of us and the kids and I doubt Konner and Jon will let him near you...Could you imagine?" you huffed a small laugh but it was empty you were worried you could imagine...You'd seen what the avengers could do and you worried about your boys no doubt they wouldn't die but if they did come to blows...Your boys could get hurt.

"And if he brings his suit?" you asked in a small voice Clark wrapped his arms around you pulling you into his chest turning slightly so you had some form of privacy away from the others, he knew you didn't like being seen crying and it sounded like you were close. "You think he'd stand a chance? He does anything and he will be answering you me that suit wont help him I assure you..Trust me I'll protect you... We will protect you" you nodded but couldn't help the dark pit on your stomach...You didn't want any fights you only wanted to have them here in case what ever they found was a weapon...or Kryptonite either in Tony's hands would be used at some point. You closed your eyes as Clark smoothed your hair nodding to the others that he had this handled.

#clark kent x reader #clark kent imagine #clark kent x you #superman x you #superman x reader #superman imagine #dc x reader #dc x y/n #clark kent x y/n #superman x y/n #justice league x reader #dc marvel

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moonflower-31 · 4 years ago

Text

I Won’t Forget You - Spencer Reid x Reader

Masterlist

Part 2

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader

Warnings: Descriptions of dead bodies and cases. Usual CM stuff.

Tags: @dra-reid, @eevee0722, @ceeellewrites

~~~~~~~~~

Okay, so, maybe you'd admit that sitting next to Reid on a plane was making you nervous.

After you had made it to the jet, you carried your go back to the back of the jet where they stored the luggage. Right as you did so however, your phone began to ring. You looked at your watch and sighed. You would have to answer the phone and get on the jet. Whoever it was was going to have to accept that it would be a short phone call.

"Hello?" You answered, adjusting your bag as you made your way back to the boarding stairs of the jet.

"So~? It's probably not your lunch break yet… but how did seeing mister teacher's pet go? Did he give you any hair care tips cause he looked good for having such messy hair."

You fought the smile that formed on your face, staying put near the bathroom so your phone call could be semi-private. Though you knew that Gabriel wouldn't have cared otherwise.

"Hello Gabriel. And for your information, I'm headed out on my first case. On an actual jet of all things. So don't expect me home tonight. I don't think these cases are usually as quick as a day."

"Ah okay. So you’re avoiding the question now? Jesus, you're really into this guy." He teases.

"Gabriel I swear-!" You growl. After a much needed sigh, you close your eyes and start your statement over again. "You tease me enough about my study habits. If you don't stop this you'll need to sleep with one eye open. Maybe start wearing a night-cap so I don't cut that hair of yours." You playfully threaten. Gabriel lets out an offended gasp.

"You wouldn't!"

"I totally would. Try me."

"Grr… Fine. Get me lover boy's number and I'll call it even. I'll tell Iris we'll be alone for a few nights~" You could hear his tell-tale smirk in his voice, causing you to roll your eyes.

"Don't you even dare. You know you'll wake up in the middle of nowhere in nothing but your rainbow underwear. She's capable of more than you realize." You laugh as you warn him of what you both knew Iris was capable of doing to him if he pissed her off.

"Yeah yeah, sure don't want that to happen again. Anyway, have a good trip with that pretty boy of yours~" Gabriel teased.

"What did I say?" You warned sternly.

"What? You didn't get me the guy's number yet, so teasing is still on the table."

"Leave it to you to find a damn loophole." You groan, rubbing the creases of your forehead out with your fingers.

"Everyone please take your seats, we need to go over the case, see if we can start building a profile." Hotch announces behind you.

"Sorry, I gotta go. We're about to take off. Don't die, please." You teasingly beg before you hang up and put your phone in the slot on your belt.

"So… Gabriel, huh?"

You gulp a bit and turn your head frantically until you find where Derek had sat on the jet. You roll your eyes and specifically choose the seat farthest away from him out of spite.

"Oh hush. He's my roommate. Not what you think." You insist as you grab your bag and place it in your lap, situating the case file in front of you. As soon as you get settled into your seat, you feel a presence suddenly sit next to you.

"Sorry, I had to grab something real quick."

You feel a slight blush grow on your face as you realize who the presence was. That was also accompanied by the sudden increase in the smell of mahogany wood and soft musk. It was pleasing.

"Don't worry about it, Pretty boy. We were just talking about L/N's little 'roommate'. Weren't we?" Morgan teases. Instead of taunting back you feel like almost sinking into your seat. Why did he have to bring that up right now? Especially when Spencer was here to fucking hear?

"Living with roommates is actually more common than you think. There was a study done recently that showed a total of 18-34 percent of people have roommates. It's more logical as it helps people afford apartments with minimum wages." He explains. You sigh with relief. You were glad for Spencer’s statistic. It moved the conversation away from you. At least you hoped.

"Whatever. Still. Who is this 'Gabriel'?" Morgan asked with a determined smirk, ignoring Spencer’s statistics. You sighed. You weren't going to get out of this as easily as you thought.

Spencer swallowed a bundle of nerves as Morgan pushed aside his attempt at changing the subject. If he was truthful, he didn't want to speak about the possibility of you having someone special in your life already. Although he doubted he ever had a chance. Who was this Gabriel though? He wouldn't deny that he was curious, at least to his own conscience.

"Fine," you sigh. "Gabriel is my best friend. Well… one of my best friends. He is gayer than a rainbow and is currently working as an FBI undercover agent. Happy?"

Morgan raised his hands in defeat, chuckling.

"I'm just asking baby girl, no hard feelings." He teases.

Spencer let out an undetectable sigh of relief, his unknowingly clenched fist loosening against his leg. "He's an undercover agent? How did he get hired as one as a new graduate?" Spencer asks. "Of course there are some rare occasions where recently graduated agents have gone immediately to a semi-high position, but that in itself is exceedingly rare. Almost impossible." He rambled, finally finishing and turning towards you.

"Oh, well I think it might've been because of his family ties. His father works in the CIA. Though I doubt that his father pulled any strings. He's kind of homophobic." You shrug. "But hey, it's not too impossible. It happened for you and me, right?" You asked, wiggling a teasing eyebrow.

Spencer chuckled a bit and nodded, laughing gently. "I suppose it isn't as impossible as I make it sound. Although it still is rare. We just both happen to meet the requirements." He answers, flashing you a genuine smile.

"For someone who's pretty private about her own personal life, you're pretty open about sharing your roommate's life." Morgan speaks up with curiosity. Spencer bites back a growl and glares at Morgan to knock it off.

"Don't worry, Gabe's not that worried about his own life being leaked. He's got a squeaky clean record, and he says anything that someone finds out from someone other than him is always hearsay in court without proof."

Morgan shrugged and pulled out the case file, getting the notion that the conversation was over.

"We should get started. We'll be touching down in Illinois in a couple hours." Hotch announces, gathering everyone's collective attention. Garcia's face popped up on Derek's laptop he opened up as Hotch began to go over the case. "Any outstanding details yet, Garcia?" He began.

"No sir, the only thing I could find was that each of your victims visited stores for newborns to toddlers. Babies R Us, Bottles and Babies, you name it. Each of them also had either a wife or serious romantic partner who had recently given birth." Garcia answered, looking up from her list.

"What kind of job would you have to have to know this stuff about your victims? I don't think our unsub is stalking them." Rossi spoke up.

"Maybe they work at one of the stores? Garcia I'm gonna need a list of employees at each of those locations." Derek started.

"No wait, if they're all different stores then the idea of the unsub working at one doesn't fit… do each of these stores have the same supplier?" You speak up, looking over the case details before looking up at the rest of the team.

"Uhh… yes, a company called Mommy and Me supplies all three of the stores these men visited." Garcia clarifies.

"Good work, (L/N). Garcia, I'm going to need that list of names." Hotch informed.

"I'll get that straight back to you sir as soon as I can. Garcia out." She says, disappearing from the screen.

"So what are we thinking about behavior? Why would our unsub attack these men? And why now?" Emily spoke up.

"The stressor in this situation is most likely to do with a partner. Or perhaps something to do with our unsub's physical appearance or self-esteem. Since each of the men are dark haired and left out for anyone to find." Spencer explained, laying the folder down onto the table in front of him.

"Maybe something to do with a child? This unsub might just be a customer at each of these places. Maybe their partner recently left them and they're lashing out at surrogates for that partner." JJ suggests.

"Are we looking for a female unsub?" Morgan asks.

"I believe so." You spoke up.

"Why is that, (L/N)?" Prentiss replied.

"Well, in one of the crime scene descriptions, it was said that the newborn of one of the men was fed after their father had been murdered. I don't believe any man could do that. There weren't any leftover bottles either." You answered.

"Actually, it is possible for a man to lactate. Although very rare, some men still produce the hormone prolactin even if they have a Y chromosome. This produces the process of lactation. But I doubt that is the case here, as most examples of this happening have been influenced by medical means." Spencer expressed, his eyes widening and sparkling with wonder at his fact.

Derek groaned. "I really, really did not need to know that man."

"But he's right. If there is no trace of a bottle having been used, or of one missing, we could be dealing with a woman." Hotch affirmed. "That paired with the obvious craving of power in the way the bodies are dumped and each victim is tortured."

"What if our unsub recently had a baby also?" JJ spoke.

"That would make sense, if our unsub is finding men at these different stores, then it could be plausible for her to have taken these men while alternating between stores." Rossi points out.

"Good work everyone. When we land JJ and I will talk to the families. Morgan, Prentiss, Rossi, I want you three to investigate the last dump site, see if we can gather any more information on this unsub's methods and cause. And (L/N) and Reid, I need you two to take a look at the bodies. See id there are any patterns we missed. However we need to be quick, or Galesburg is going to have another body on their hands very soon." Hotch divides the jobs, closing the folder for the case. "Reid."

Spencer looks up and turns towards Hotch. "Yeah?"

"Show (L/N) the ropes for Prentiss. Try to teach her if you can. This is a learning opportunity for her as much as this is a case for us." Hotch orders. Spencer nods in understanding, feeling nervous butterflies building up again in his stomach.

"Well, I guess you're stuck with me for a couple hours. I promise I don't bite too hard." You tease, nudging his shoulder. He smiles at your tease, letting out a soft laugh.

"Oh I know that. The question is…" he pauses, raising a teasing eyebrow. "..if I do."

You snort and laugh, shaking your head. "You wouldn't hurt a fly, Reid. No offense."

"Wouldn't hurt-" Spencer playfully scoffs. "You hearing this, Morgan?" He says with a teasing smile on his face.

"I've hurt a fly. I outsmarted its mother." Spencer insisted. Morgan snickered and looked towards Prentiss with a knowing look. She gave him one back, smiling smugly.

"Really? Outsmarted its mother? Reid, a human infant is capable of outsmarting a damn fly. But whatever you say, Fly Genius." You teased. Morgan let out a long 'Ooo' in response.

"You just got told."

"Whatever Morgan." Spencer playfully rolled his eyes, smiling still under his attempt at trying to look annoyed.

"You're just mad I ended up getting you to prove your innocence." You insist.

"You totally didn't." He retorts.

"Spence, you've always been innocent." JJ interjects.

"See? You can't deny that." You insist, a playful smile cemented on your face.

"Who knew of all of us to bond with, you'd choose Pretty Ricky first." Morgan teased.

"You're just jealous I got to talk to her first." Reid insists playfully. You roll your eyes.

"Yeah, cause without seeing a map I assume your sense of direction is terrible." You tease. He looks at you mock offended and laughs a little.

"Is not. Your eyes just met mine and you looked friendly." Spencer defended.

"Alright children settle down before you give me an aneurysm." Rossi teases in a playful sigh. You giggle and shake your head. You didn't expect that amount of welcome feelings coming especially from Spencer. But everyone was already warming up to you. It felt nice. You just hoped you didn't let everyone down.

○●♡●○

Walking off the jet, you immediately were greeted by the chief of the Galesburg PD.

"Hi, you must be the BAU. I'm Chief Anthony Sherwood. Thanks for comin' down so fast." The chief thanks, shaking Hotch's hand.

"Of course. I'm Agent Hotchner. This is Agent Morgan, Prentiss, Jareau, Rossi, Reid, and our trainee, Agent (L/N)." Hotch introduces. The chief goes down the line, shaking almost everybody's hands. (Spencer gave him a peace sign instead)

"So, a trainee huh? If we weren't so crunched for time to find this guy, I'd ask how you're liking the BAU. Come along now, we got everything you need set up at the station." Sherwood spoke to you before he gestured to everyone else and began to lead you all to the rental SUVs they had waiting for you all.

You gulp softly and sigh, clenching and unclenching your fists a couple of times before you begin to follow. It was your first case. You were a big bundle of excitement mixed with nerves that wouldn't go away.

Once inside the police station, you found a place for your things, setting them down in the main room that the Chief had set aside for you all to use.

Once you had everything settled, you began to head out to the SUVs again without much of an introduction to everyone else. Hotch had said to get to the morgue as soon as you could to take a look at the bodies. You told yourself you were just following orders.

You climbed into the driver's seat of the SUV that you had ridden to the station and immediately groaned, placing your now aching head against the steering wheel. With all the excitement of being on a case you hadn't been prepared to go on yet, you hadn't noticed you were having one of your head splitting migraines from your hyperthymesia. And lucky you, you had left the bottle of acetaminophen in your bag that you had left in the station. Great.

"Rough day already?"

You jumped with sudden fear, banging your head against the window of the car. You groan and rub the affected area, turning your attention to the owner of the voice who just spooked the shit out of you.

"Reid…" you sighed, turning back to the wheel. Of course he had followed you. He was supposed to go with you. How dumb could you get?

"Yeah… that's me." He says, a slight smile on his lips. "You okay?" He asks.

"Yes… No… No not really. With my condition, I get occasional head-splitting migraines. They usually happen at least once a month. I hadn't gotten one yet, till today. And I left my prescription in my bag." You groaned, running a hand through your hair.

"I see… but I don't think it's just the headaches."

"Guess you caught me. I'm just nervous about this being my first case. Trainee or not. I've thought about this experience plenty of times. But you can't predict what the case is gonna entail." You conclude, squeezing the steering wheel.

"That's understandable for any new agent, (L/N). Whether you're wide-eyed like Hotch and Rossi, or cautious, I think it's pretty normal. At least from my own experience."

You can't fight the urge to smile as he finished his advice. He really didn't have to do this. You were new. But then again, he probably just saw a piece of himself in you.

"Thanks Reid."

"Of course, (L/N)."

○●♡●○

"I've seen plenty of messed up injuries in my time, though I've never seen something as crude as this." The mortician said as she guided you and Spencer into the cold chamber room.

"Most places like this don't usually see much serial killer action, so it's to be expected." Spencer says, trailing off as the mortician pulled out the most recent victim.

"He looks pretty athletically built. Garcia texted me and told me they all were pretty active in the gym too. Not the same ones nor the same days though." You point out, pulling on a pair of gloves to take a look at the different injuries. "Each of these bruisings seem to be done by hand, no remnants of wood or anything else. So then how did our unsub subdue these men? They had to have been stronger than her." You questioned, looking over John McAllister's wounds near his neck.

"He wasn't strangled around his neck either… she might've used some sort of drug to temporarily paralyze the body. We've seen it before in a few cases. Was there any traces in their systems?" Spencer asks the mortician.

"Unfortunately, no. Nothing other than an increase in the production of glutamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and a few others." The mortician clarifies.

"Hm…" you pondered, crossing your arms briefly. "Are there any needle marks at all?"

Spencer considers what you say before he takes a gloved hand and tilts the head of the victim to the side. "Yes, behind his ear. Though the access to the blood supply would be harder to reach."

"I doubt that mattered to her." You remind.

"Can we see the others? Or have their bodies been claimed?" You ask.

"The first one, yes. But the second one no." The mortician says, putting the latest victim back in the cold chamber before pulling out the second.

"Is there a needle mark?" You ask, hoping this connection would help the case.

"Yes, around the same area too…" Spencer trails.

You turn your head to the second victim's file and narrow your eyes. "Hey… from this photo, our second victim is supposed to have long dark brown hair, our unsub is cutting the hair."

"She's trying to make them look like a partner." Spencer realizes, pulling out his phone to alert Hotch. You nod to the mortician and help her put the second victim's body back into the freezer.

Then you began to follow Spencer out of the morgue, your nerves finally having calmed down. Maybe this is what you had needed, as morbid as it was. Just to see the reality of the case instead of just your own worries and ideas of the case. You were going to be fine. You felt like a real profiler.

Of course it helped that Spencer was there, but still. It felt good. And you knew this case needed the good.

#spencer reid #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x reader fic #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x y/n #criminal minds #Criminal Minds Fanfiction #criminal minds fandom #spencer reid fanfic

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fiddlepickdouglas · 4 years ago

Text

Viva Las Vegas, Pt. 9 - A Case

Summary: Sunset Curve Alive AU, Willex, is it a lead?, 2k

@trevor-wilson-covington is the bestie who makes these lovely edits, we stan supportive friends

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8

Late the next morning, the guys stood with Julie’s family at the airport. Alex couldn’t believe that weeks of jamming together, writing music together, goofing around while Ray was filming, and dinners cooked by Julie’s aunt Victoria had all passed so quickly.

“It’s only another two months,” Julie was muttering to Luke, her eyes looking up into his with a special gentleness. Her hands gripped the top handle of her backpack with white knuckles.

“You’re gonna kill it out there,” Luke encouraged. The softness he applied was so different from what Alex usually saw, and he wasn’t looking forward to how miserable Luke was about to get in her absence. A painful thought told him it was probably similar to how he was at the moment, no matter how much he wanted to deny it. Having someone else reflect that wasn’t as nice as he thought it would be.

“Okay, kiddos, let’s get a photo!” Julie’s aunt was saying, shepherding them all together.

“Your mother asked me to take more pictures, so I’m taking all the pictures I can, sobrina,” Victoria came back.

“Tía,” Julie protested, rolling her eyes but smiling anyway.

Getting in formation, Alex positioned himself in the back by default, resting his arms on the shoulders of his bandmates while Julie, Flynn, and Carlos huddled together in front. After being uncomfortably squished into Reggie for a few seconds, he got blinded momentarily with the flash and was pretty sure he’d blinked. Then again, he was sure Bobby had been giving Reggie bunny ears, Luke was off balance, and Carlos had pulled a face, so it was likely that Flynn and Julie were the only ones who looked good in the photo.

“Ay, dios,” Victoria said afterward. “Your mamá is at least going to laugh a lot when she sees these.”

“I don’t know about the rest of y’all,” Flynn said, flipping her braids over her shoulder. “But I look amazing.”

Everyone chuckled and Ray picked up his carry-on.

“Alright, one last hug for everyone and then we’ve gotta board,” he said, pulling Carlos into his side. “You be good for your tía, alright?”

“Promise!” Carlos nodded with his typical grin.

Julie was already squished by Flynn and all the guys at once.

“Okay, before I get hugged to death,” she teased. They all let go of her. “I’ll miss you guys.”

“We’ll keep in touch, though, right?” Luke asked, his eyes wells of hope.

Julie looked up at him and smiled demurely.

“If you had a phone I could reach you with, then of course,” she told him.

“Yeah,” Luke muttered, pulling a Sharpie out of his back pocket. Alex smirked at seeing him be so prepared. Luke grabbed Julie’s hand and scribbled out a number, both chuckling lightly the whole time at how over the top he was being. “There, you’ve got my number.”

“Great,” Julie said with mixed awkwardness and amusement. “I’ll try not to wash my hands before I give you a call.” With that, she shouldered her bag and waved at them before joining Ray on the plane.

Bobby wrapped an arm around Luke’s shoulders and pivoted him so they could walk out of the terminal. Flynn and Victoria followed behind them while Carlos began running ahead of the boys.

“Don’t go too far, Carlos,” Victoria warned. “We don’t want to lose you.”

“You could still find me if you wanted!” he taunted, even though he made sure he remained in sight.

“He’s right,” Flynn smirked.

“Doesn’t matter,” Victoria said. “I’m taking a break while my sister needs support.”

Alex’s interest piqued at what he overheard.

“Wait, what do you mean?” he asked, pulling back from the rest of the group.

“I mean I’m putting my job on hold to help take care of my sister,” Victoria said, slightly confused at his question.

“Yeah, but what was your job?” he insisted, trying not to sound too intense about it.

“Oh,” she laughed. “I was on a team of investigators. We worked on missing person cases, mostly. But I’m taking a sabbatical.”

A mesh of things rushed into Alex’s mind and he wasn’t sure if he dared say them out loud. He had that strange feeling again, like he’d had when he first met Willie in the diner. That exhilaration.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” Victoria told him casually. “If you’re wondering about Luke, his case is through a completely different department, and I can’t do anything for or against him.”

“No, it isn’t,” he started. “What if there was evidence of a really old case? What would it take to pick it back up?”

She blinked at him.

“Well, if it’s a strong enough lead, then it would be worth looking into,” she said. “Why, do you think you know something?”

“No,” he said finally. “Well, it’s probably nothing, just a funny coincidence.”

Reggie’s words from last night echoed: sometimes a kid is just a random kid. Other arguments surfaced. There hadn’t been anything to tip him off that Willie had gone missing as a kid, it was just a poster with the same first name. Why did he get so excited about it? He gripped the strap on his fanny pack.

Victoria looked at him with mild concern.

“Okay,” she said. “Like what?”

Looking at the guys, Carlos, and Flynn in the distance, Alex breathed in nervously.

“I actually saw a poster for someone, and usually I don’t pay attention, but it matched the description of someone that I met a few weeks ago.”

“You mean, when you were in Las Vegas?”

He nodded.

“I would have to see the whole case, and reopening old ones takes a little more work. But if you truly think you know something, Alex, this is a very serious matter and I would need as much information as you could give.” She looked at him firmly.

Alex was caught on all the thoughts swirling in his mind as they entered the parking garage. He felt himself begin shaking. Maybe he was jumping the gun?

“Well, like you said, you’re taking a sabbatical. And I’m still thinking it’s a coincidence, so, I’d hate to take your focus away from Rose.”

Victoria smiled politely, although her eyes didn’t reflect it.

“Well, I appreciate that,” she told him as she made towards where Carlos and Flynn were already waiting at her car. “If you change your mind, just let me know.”

A car horn from somewhere else was heard and Alex saw the guys all waving at him to join them in the van. Taking in a deep breath, he nodded to Victoria and ran over to join his bandmates.

“Dude, what are you doing talking to Julie’s aunt?” Luke wondered.

“Nothing,” Alex responded. “She just has a cool job and I wanted to know about it.”

“You know who else has a cool job, Alex?” Luke asked. “We do. We have the coolest job. Don’t get distracted.”

Alex buckled himself in as Bobby pulled out of the garage.

“I’m not, I swear!”

Reggie just patted him on the back with his goofy smile. Alex rolled his eyes, knowing the guys meant well. He could feel that all of them were trying to be normal around him, so he couldn’t blame them for their efforts. He knew he hadn’t been as easy to deal with lately. It wasn’t anything major, but something had gotten him acting more closed off from them, and he was balancing letting the guys be aware of it and trying not to burden them with it at the same time. Maybe that’s why he wanted to connect Willie to the missing kid. It probably had made him think he could get closure after everything that had happened on the trip. He didn’t want to accept the saying ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.’

He couldn’t focus on that now, though. They had a few small gigs lined up and needed to get practicing. Opening for Julie had broadened their fanbase a little and things were going to change. Alex already didn’t handle change well. If he remained focused on something else, it was only going to make matters worse.

Later that night, they were just wrapping up practice in the garage. Bobby had popped a string on his guitar and ran into the house to grab a replacement.

“Alex, you were killing it, man!” Reggie was saying.

“Nah, I was just keeping it steady,” Alex shrugged.

“Seriously!” Reggie insisted. “You’re like the Energizer bunny! You know, always in pink, keeps us going, banging the drums - ”

“You should never make that comparison again,” Alex said, holding a hand up. “But alright, I was smoking, I’ll admit it.”

“Yeah,” Luke joined in. “Keep playing like that and you’ll be the next Neil Peart.”

Bobby reentered the garage.

“Hey, Alex,” he said. “You’ve got a phone call.”

All the guys, including Alex, looked confused.

“Okay...guess I’ll go get that,” he said, heading into Bobby’s house.

Finding the phone attached to the wall outside the kitchen, Alex picked up the receiver.

“Hello?”

“Alex, it’s Victoria, Julie’s aunt,” he heard on the other line.

“Hi,” he answered, even more confused than before. “How did you know I would be here?”

“The number your friend gave my niece. She said that’s where you kids like to practice. I guess I called at the right time!”

He simply nodded in response, even though she couldn’t see it.

“Anyway, I wanted to know more about this person you saw.”

“Oh, okay.” He tried to remember as many details as he could while he gave them to her. He was pretty sure he could even remember the address for the hotel. Victoria just said ‘mmhmm’ in between everything, like she was writing it all down. It got Alex sort of excited, even though he remained bewildered that she was asking him for all of this information.

“Okay,” Victoria sighed after a few minutes. “I need to ask a favor of you boys.”

“Yeah, anything,” Alex said.

“Look after Carlos for a couple days? I can pay each of you.”

“Uh,” he blinked in surprise. “Yeah, cool, we can do that.”

“Perfect! And Alex, muchas gracias.”

“It’s nothing,” he said, glad to recognize at least one phrase in Spanish. “Thanks for calling.”

“No problem, kiddo. Ba-bye.” She hung up before him.

Alex slowly put the receiver back in place as he stood there processing. What had he just involved himself in? Julie’s aunt hadn’t exactly explained why she suddenly wanted to know everything about Willie. As he went back into the garage, he tried to calm his nerves.

“Well, who was it?” Luke asked as they all sat around waiting.

“Julie’s aunt,” Alex told them. “She wants us to watch Carlos for a couple of days.”

“Aw, yeah!” Reggie exclaimed, pumping his fists excitedly.

“Why didn’t she just tell me, then?” Bobby wondered.

“Because she wanted to finish the conversation that you guys so rudely interrupted before,” Alex said, only half-joking.

Luke and Bobby shared a puzzled look, but let it slide.

“Did you tell her we have a gig in a couple days?” Luke asked.

Alex’s eyes widened.

“Oh, no, I forgot,” he said.

“He can just be our VIP,” Reggie stated, clearly unbothered about it.

“That works,” Alex said, gesturing to Reggie.

A cold realization hit him and he clenched his fist. He’d forgotten to mention more than their gig to Victoria: he also hadn’t told her about Willie’s amnesia.

Victoria looked down at the picture in her hand. It was familiar, since she had worked on that case when it first opened. One of the few that had gone unsolved in her department for a long time. She sincerely hoped she wasn’t about to make a mistake.

“So, where are you going?” Carlos asked as he chewed a mouthful of fries. They were sitting beside the wall of posters on the pier.

“I’m just checking on something,” she said vaguely. “If you want, I can bring back something for you.”

“A million dollars?”

She chuckled. “Unfortunately, I don’t think so.”

“Are you gonna be solving a case?” he queried.

Looking at the picture again, Victoria sighed and gave him a sympathetic smile. She knew he would want to help.

“I’m not sure, bendición,” she said. “But maybe.”

Checking the address she had written down and the map once again, Victoria stepped out of her car and into the hotel lobby. No one was at the front desk, so she rang the bell on the counter. A young man with dark curly hair appeared.

“Welcome to the Desert Oasis, how can I assist you?” he said cooly, and she recognized his Brazilian accent.

“Hi, I made a call this morning for a reservation? For a Victoria Mo- ”

“Ah, yes, I remember your call,” he interrupted. He looked up the room in his records and pulled out a key. “Your room will be on the second floor and then all the way down the hall to your right. Have a wonderful stay.”

“Thank you,” she said, taking the key, grabbing her one bag and heading up as fast as she could.

Hermana mía, por favor me perdones, she prayed silently in the elevator. If she was going to solve one case while she was supposed to be on sabbatical, it would be this one. She remembered searching high and low for this boy eight years ago and the devastation then. Rose would surely understand this, right? Victoria knew that if their positions were swapped, Rose wouldn’t be able to help doing something similar to help the people around her. It was just a family trait, she figured.

Getting situated inside the room, she pulled out the poster she’d pulled off the wall from the pier at Santa Monica and laid it on the table. Alex had called him Willie. She hoped they were the same.

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madmeridian · 4 years ago

Text

Beginnings

For Day 4 of Meronia event (@meroniaevent)

Ao3 Link

A/N: I tried to think of a fic following canon (or close to it) for this prompt but everything I wrote, I hated, so I did this dumb little AU of them meeting at an airport. It’s not the best, but I hope you guys like it

------

Mello despised the airport. Every time he went to one, everything seemed to go wrong. Security held him up, or his baggage got lost, or there was an issue with his ticket.

This time around, his flight was delayed. Though it was nearly noon, the sky way dark, snow falling in a heavy blanket outside. He couldn’t even see the tarmac out the window past the white cascading down in thick flakes.

The other people at the gate were scattered about, looking as disgruntled as he felt. At this rate, they might not even get on the plane until tonight.

The only person sitting near him was a white-haired man, shuffling a deck of cards. He looked bored out of his mind too.

“This sucks,” Mello started, gesturing towards the window. The man looked up at him, a brief flash of grey eyes meeting his, then staring out the window. “Can I play a game with you?”

“What?”

“A card game?” Mello prompted, nodding to the deck of cards. “To pass the time.”

“I suppose. Do you know how to play Rummy?”

“Yeah. I can keep score on my phone.”

The man, who introduced himself as Near, was exceptionally good at playing Rummy. Mello swore as he lost, again. Near raised an eyebrow at him, gathering up the cards.

“Perhaps we should play a different game,” Near suggested. “War? It’s a game of chance, at least.”

“I’m not mad,” Mello gritted out, clearly mad.

“You’re a bad liar.” Near began to shuffle again. “War, then. I would rather you not murder me before we even get on the plane.”

“If we ever get on the plane,” Mello muttered, watching as Near dealt out the cards with practiced speed. “Why are you going to New York?”

“Family,” Near answered. A small crease formed between his eyebrows as he thought for a second. “Sort of.”

“Sort of?” Mello prompted, picking up his stack of cards.

“I would not call us a normal family, but it is family nonetheless. What about you?”

“Work. I’ve got business there.” They both set down their cards. Mello swiped the two towards him, winning the battle.

“Have you been before now?” Near asked.

“Two or three times. I’m not a big fan of travel. Something always goes wrong.”

“I don’t like to travel much either.” Near didn’t elaborate any further.

“Hello everyone, apologies for the delay, but we will be boarding soon,” a voice over the intercom chimed out.

“Thank god,” Mello breathed, getting off the ground. Near packed up his cards, getting up too. “Thanks for humoring me. I think I would’ve gone nuts if I’d just sat here for any longer.”

“Likewise. It was nice meeting you,” Near said, shoving his cards back into his carry-on.

The boarding went thankfully fast. Everyone wanted to get on and get off the ground already. The delay had been long enough.

As Mello walked down the aisle towards his seat, he grinned. The person sitting in the seat next to him was none other than Near, who was already wrapped in a blanket and had headphones around his neck.

“I guess you aren’t free from me yet,” Mello said, swinging his bag into the overhead.

“No, I suppose not,” Near said dryly. “Though I’d rather it be you than another new person.”

Mello sat down in his seat, very aware that there wasn’t a lot of space between him and Near. The thought was stupid. You aren’t going to get a crush on a guy you met an hour ago.

“They’re supposed to be getting snow in New York too,” Mello said idly, looking out the window past Near. “I was at least hoping to get out of the bad weather.”

Near hummed in agreement, but didn’t bother to humor Mello with small talk. Mello did gather by now that Near wasn’t all that into talking to anyone. It almost reminded him a bit of Matt, who rarely went along with idle conversation like that.

As soon as it was announced that the plane would take off, Near put his headphones on. Mello waited until they were up in the air to put his own on, drowning out the quiet hum of conversation and snoring from the other passengers.

After settling in, he’d nearly fallen asleep, but was jolted up again when he felt a weight on his shoulder. Groggily, he glanced down to see Near’s head leaning on him. Near was completely out, drooling a little on Mello’s shirt while he slept.

You aren’t gonna fall for a guy you met like an hour ago. You aren’t. You aren’t.

Near scooted a little closer to him, wrapping his blanket tighter around himself

Shit.

----------

At some point, Mello had finally fallen asleep too. When he woke up, Near was awake again, watching the clouds out the window.

“We’re almost there. They made an announcement,” Near said.

Mello stretched as best he could in the small space, groaning. “Shit. I’m gonna sleep so much when I get to my hotel.”

“How long are you staying?” Near asked, eyes still on the window. Mello pretended that he didn’t see how pretty the reflection of the clouds looked in Near’s eyes.

“A week. Time to do business and some sightseeing. I’ve never actually walked around the city or anything.”

“There’s a lot of cool places to go.” Near turned to him. “My family has taken me around a bit.”

The topic seemed to strike an interest in Near, who gave him recommendations of places to go. Mello nodded along, almost wanting to ask Near if he’d come along too. He didn’t really want to go alone, but the words seemed to be stuck in his throat.

The plane finally landed and everyone seemed to give out a shared sigh of relief. Mello stared at the back of Near’s head as they got off the plane, wondering what to say. Hey, I just met you, but do you want to hang out? That’s fucking stupid, he wouldn’t say yes. I wouldn’t say yes if someone asked me. Just ask for his number or something.

Mello had already resigned to the fact it was probably too late, but Near pulled him aside just after they got off the ramp. He stuffed a napkin into Mello’s hand.

“I could show you around some places if you want,” Near said nervously, shuffling his feet. “That’s my number.”

“Oh, thanks,” Mello responded, dumbfounded. “I wouldn’t want to take you away from your family.”

“I might need a break from them.” Near looked over to where two figures were waiting. One looked completely disheveled, messy black hair and crumpled jeans. The other was wearing a full suit, a sharp contrast to the person beside him.

“Yeah, I think I get,” Mello muttered. “In that case, I’ll be sure to take you up on that offer.”

Near offered him a small, awkward smile. “It was nice meeting you, Mello.”

“Nice meeting you too,” Mello said. Near nodded and walked, dragging his feet to meet his family members. Whoever the hell they were.

Mello took another look at the napkin and grinned to himself. Well, not the worst flight I’ve been on.

#meronia #my writing #I'm sorry #this is so dumb :(

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crashdevlin · 4 years ago

Text

Satisfied- Ch. 15

Author’s Note: Happily Ever Eventually Masterlist, Satisfied Masterlist

Summary: Dr. McCaullife tells Y/n to get closure, which leads to confrontations across the board.

Pairing: none

Word Count: 3106

Chapter Warnings: mentions of cheating, mentions of mental breakdown, mentions of self-harm, mentions of noncon touching, bit of PTSD (it's a syndrome not a disorder😂🤣...in joke from another series),

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

My house is fairly small. I don’t need a lot of room. I spent more on the security system than anything, really. It’s a good one...a bajillion cameras running to a computer in my office closet, a doorbell cam going to my phone, a sensor on every door and window. I would love to say that I didn’t have Tom in mind when I bought it, but I was thinking of him more than I was thinking of paps and creepy fans.

He had to stay in Texas due to the probation agreement, so he bought a house, too. A converted barn on the outskirts of Henly...an hour away from my home. Too close. Too close for any sort of comfort...but the ADA assured me that he was going to adhere to the protection order. So, I spent a lot of money on a security system.

When my doorbell went off and I looked at my phone to see Danneel standing on my porch, my stomach twisted. I just got rid of Jay, sent him home from New Orleans to be with his wife and then she shows up on my porch? How’d she even know where I live? *Guess this is my opportunity to get done with her, too.*

I opened the door and bit my lip as I looked at her. She had her hair down and scrunched up in sexy waves. She really is incredibly beautiful. I will never think anything else. “Hey, sweetie,” she greeted, smiling softly. “Can I come in?” I nodded and stepped back, closing the door as she set her purse on my loveseat and turned to me. “This is a cute place. You chose well.”

“Figure I don’t need a lot of space. Just enough for me and the kids on the occasion I get to see them.” I took a deep breath and crossed my arms over my chest. “What can I do for you, Danneel?”

“Jay told me about your fight at the con and-”

“That wasn’t a fight,” I interrupted, shaking my head. “That wasn’t even a disagreement.”

“Sweetie,” she started, but I sighed and caught her eyes.

“No. Please, listen.” I took another breath and looked away from her. “I’m not mad. I haven’t wanted to fight. That’s why I didn’t reach out to you after I saw the video. That’s why I shut down...and shutting down wasn’t the best way to deal with it, but still, I never wanted to fight.”

“But isn’t Jay worth fighting for, Y/n?”

That sentence sent rage zipping through my chest, but I took another breath. Calm myself, move forward. “No one is worth that much fighting. Especially if they’re not willing to fight for me. He wanted you back, Dee. I was always the consolation prize.”

“He loves you.”

“I wish that were enough...but it wasn’t enough to keep him from cheating on me.” Her face fell and I could see she wanted to argue the word ‘cheating’ so I kept talking. “You both knew I didn’t want you touching each other while I was gone...and tell me that you honestly didn’t see that I had a lot of regrets after we fucked. Tell me you didn’t know that it was probably never going to happen again...and that’s why you took the opportunity while I was gone.”

She looked down, avoiding my gaze. “Jensen and I-”

“Danneel, it’s okay.” I smiled and swallowed down my residual sadness. “Seriously. You don’t have to feel guilty here, hon. You and Jensen never stopped loving each other. That’s a fact. I just got in the way of what never should have ended in the first place. I’m moving on. I’ll find someone eventually, but for now...you and Jensen should be together. You always should have been.”

“Y/n, you deserve-”

“I deserve to move on,” I snapped, before licking my lips and stepping closer. “You and Jensen need to be together...and I need to be alone for a while. So...don’t feel bad. Don’t apologize. Don’t try to get me to fight...because I’m done fighting.”

She started crying as I hugged her, but I just felt relief. It was done. Finally, there was closure. She’d leave my house and go back to Jensen and everything would be done. A short time later she did just that...and I sat on my couch and wiped my eyes and...did some affirmations and moved forward.

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

“Closure on two fronts. That’s good,” Dr. McCauliffe said at my appointment the Monday after.

“Yeah. Now I just need closure with Nate and Tom and maybe I’ll be well-adjusted some day,” I said sarcastically.

“You should,” she encouraged, leaning forward.

“Wait...what?”

“You should have a sit-down with Tom and with Nate. You have grievances. You should air them.”

I scoffed and shook my head. “A sit-down with Tom is almost impossible. There are protections in place to keep that from happening and besides, you...you don’t want me interacting with Tom.”

“Not through text messages from unknown numbers when you’re feeling numb and broken. That was unhealthy. With you like this? Making breakthroughs and getting closure? That can only help.” She tapped her pen against her clipboard and smiled. “I’m sure there’s a way for you to meet with Tom, with protections, and clear the air a bit.”

“Clear the air. What would I even say to him? What would I even...How could I even talk to him without letting my brain go back to…” I rolled my shoulders back and ran my hand across my mouth.

“You talked to Jensen without an issue. You stood your ground twice, under stressful circumstances, and you came out the other side. I feel like you could handle this with grace. And I will be right here to help with any fallout that might occur. Okay?"

It took a lot of cajoling from Dr. McCauliffe, and some from Misha and Kim, but eventually I decided that it might not be the worst idea for my mental health if I got some closure with Nate. If that worked, I might go for closure with Tom...with a bodyguard and some lawyers and a knife in my pocket, just in case.

I flew to Florida and took an Uber to Nate’s house. I had the driver wait, offered a $100 tip, and went up to the door. Jenny answered. I fought down a wave of anger at the sight of her. She used to be a friend. She was Nate’s friend first, a girl he told me was ‘one of the guys’ and not to worry about. I made friends to prove I wasn’t worried. I should have always been worried about Nate.

“It’s not your weekend,” she snapped.

“I’m not here for Nova. I’m here to talk to Nate.”

She scoffed and turned around to look at her husband, who was walking up from the living room. “It’s okay, Jen. I got this,” Nate said, stepping outside and shutting the door. “Sorry, she’s been kinda worried that you might decide you wanna come steal me back ever since she found out you and Jensen broke up.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not a homewrecker. That’s her job.”

“Whoa!” he exclaimed. “Don’t talk about my wife like-”

"Your wife cheated on her husband with my husband, ruined two families, and displaced three children all while smiling across the table at me during game nights and pretending she had never sucked your cock. She is as much a liar and a slut as you."

Nate's eyes went huge as I spoke. I really wasn't expecting to explode like that, but years of bubbling anger, I guess.

"What the hell, Y/n? You flew in from Texas to call me and Jenny names?"

"No, I flew in from Texas for closure. My shrink thinks it's a good idea to get the shit I've been holding back off my chest so I came to talk to you. Honestly? Probably never woulda said a word against Jenny if she hadn't answered the door, but she did." I shrugged. "Too late now."

"What could you possibly have left to get off your chest?"

"Do you even realize how poorly you treated me? No, I'm sure you can't be that delusional. Do you even care?" I took a deep breath and looked up into his eyes. Blue just like Tom. *Gotta get a brown-eyed boy next time. Haven't been fucked over by a brown-eyed guy yet. No. No guys. No dating. Just me.* "I loved you with everything in me, Nate. You were everything to me, and you used that, used me to make yourself feel better, to make your friends laugh at the stupid fat girl who didn't realize you were fucking around. I know Jenny wasn't the first. And I bet she wasn't the last, either. Bet you got a few skeletons hiding from her too. Because you don't change. You're the same exact piece of shit you were when we were in high school...and Jenny knows that or she wouldn't be so scared that you would run away with your ex-wife. Not that I'd ever take you."

He scoffed in anger and I laughed. "I've had literal models in my bed, Nate. How delusionally narcissistic do you have to be to think that I would take a pencil-dicked, scruffy-faced, beatnik-looking motherfucker like you back?" Well, that was almost Tara-levels of confidence. When did that happen? "Look, I know you never loved me. I'm not delusional anymore, but I keep hoping that you'll love Nova...she's part of you, that should play right into your narcissism, but the way you use her like a tool, like a weapon against me...I don't think you love her any more than you loved me. And if you damage her, I will bury you."

He scoffed again. "You couldn't even win custody cause you're so unstable. What do you think you could do?"

"I didn't say I'd bury you in court." My voice was calm, with an edge of threatening. "You damage my daughter and I will do whatever I feel appropriate to pay you back." I was walking away when a final burn hit my mind. “It must be heartbreaking to you that the only thing you have the least in common with Jensen is that neither of you could keep it in your fucking pants.”

Dr. McCauliffe was right. Getting everything off my chest was freeing. I hadn’t even gotten on the plane back to Texas before I was on the phone with my lawyer. “What do you mean, you want a meeting with him? The man tried to rape you! There’s a restraining order on him and a-”

“I have to talk to him. That’s all. Lawyers present, a bodyguard or a cop in the room. I have things I need to say...Things I need to tell him so that I can get on with my life. Please, make it happen.”

“This is a bad idea.”

“Yeah, maybe. But it’s my bad idea, so...make it happen.”

And he did. He got me in a meeting with Tom at my lawyer’s office, a security guard and both lawyers present.

I wore jeans, a baggy long-sleeved blouse, and I had my hair back and out of my face. I wasn’t there to look pretty. I was there for that closure.

My heart started pounding when I walked into that room and saw him. Obviously I wasn’t even close to over what he did...which is why I needed to talk to him about it. I sat across from him at a table in a conference room and my mind couldn’t help but replay being pressed into a long wooden table in the courthouse conference room, with a silk tie shoved in my mouth and my ass stinging. I took a deep breath and sighed it out as I sat down.

“I’d like to point out that I told my client that this was a bad idea,” Tom’s lawyer said.

“I told my client the same. She insisted,” my lawyer responded.

Tom smiled and my breath hitched. I was suddenly struck with the thought that I wasn’t ready for this. Maybe it was a bad idea. Maybe I should just walk out...but I’d already come so far. I averted my eyes from his, looked at the table instead. “My psychiatrist thought this would be a good thing for me. That I deserved closure.”

“Closure? You mean to say you’re completely done with me and want nothing to do with me in the future?” Tom’s voice made me shiver. “I have heard that one before...and you always text back eventually...Dear.”

“Closure means asking you ‘why’ and telling you all the ways you’ve hurt me, getting everything off of my chest so that I don’t have any regrets of things I should have said...and don’t call me that.”

“Why? Why what?” Tom asked and I looked up. Did he really not know?

“Why...our relationship, Tom. Our whole relationship and the way you treated me afterward. Why? Why did you treat me like that? Why did you try to own me? Why did you manipulate and hurt me? Why did you tell the world that Maverick was your son when you knew that you couldn’t be his father? Why did you make it seem like I was a cheating whore when you knew I wouldn’t cheat after what Nate did to me? Why did you try to rape me? Why?”

Tom sighed and looked to his lawyer, then back to me. “I’ve never met a woman like you, Y/n. You create these feelings in me that...I tamp them down with other women. You make me want to possess you. I knew the moment I saw you that I had to have you...completely. You’re the only woman I’ve ever possessed that way...and you did like it for a while, I know you did. I remember the way your body reacted-”

“That was in bed! You tried to take over my whole life and when I left you, you tried to ruin my life.”

“I wasn’t trying to ruin your life, I was trying to get you to interact with me. I was certain that you’d remember how you loved me if I got you away from Jensen. And look what happened. He left you, you started talking to me again.”

“He didn’t leave me. He cheated and I didn’t let him talk to me after,” I argued. I licked my lips and looked away, shaking my head. “I started talking to you because I was in a horrible place and I didn’t think I had anyone in my corner. I hated who I was and I thought it was a good idea to talk to someone who saw who I could be. It was a bad decision, just like the decision to date you in the first place.”

“But you were willing to talk to me when you were without Jensen’s influence. That’s all I was trying to do with the lawsuit. Of course I knew Maxwell isn’t my son but-”

“His name’s Maverick,” I snapped. “You never called Nova by her middle name, why do you insist on calling Mav by his?”

He shrugged. “I know that Jensen named that child. He’s an attractive young boy, deserves an appropriate name.”

“What about the rape?” I asked. “If all you wanted was to get me away from Jensen, why would you-”

“I saw you enter that room, there were several twitter accounts posting pics from inside the courthouse and...you were alone. For the first time in months, you were alone, so I went in to talk to you without Jensen or Jared running interference. I just wanted to talk, but...you got so defensive as soon as I walked in...and you called me a psycho.” He looked down and took a deep breath. “I just wanted you to remember that you loved me. That I could give you the things that you needed. Jensen never dominated you, never made you submit. I just wanted you to remember how you liked that...how you liked me. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just wanted you back."

I shook my head. "That wasn't the way to go about it, Tom. None of this was the way to go about it. I understand going a bit crazy over someone, but you...you went too far. Way too far. I wanted to love you, but you wanted to own me, and that's not the same." I stood and gave him a tight smile. "I'm glad you agreed to meet with me so that we could talk. Because I'm gonna say, with absolutely no doubt or question, I am done, Tom, and it's not because I'm with Jensen because I'm not. It's because you don't love me and you need to move on...because I don't love you. Okay?"

I started to walk out but I stopped at the door when something in the security guard's hand caught my attention. "You should get help, too, Tom. Therapy has done wonders for me. Have a good life."

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

"You should have recorded it!" Misha exclaimed when I told him about the meeting. "You should have recorded the whole thing! Then you could have released it to the media! Everyone would have seen him for the monster he is!"

"And then I would get in trouble for recording him without his consent and it would have blown back on me." I shook my head and chuckled, taking a drink of my Old Fashioned. "That security guard is gonna buy a brand new car when he sells the video he took, though."

Blue eyes popped wide on my laptop screen as he grinned in surprise. The blue eyes I can trust. "The security guard was videoing?"

"Yeah. I noticed on my way out, so I added a little flare at the end. I high-roaded and told him to get help. Therapy has done wonders for me."

"So video is gonna hit of him admitting to all the horrible things he did?"

"Yup. I don't know...kinda feels like it's finally over, ya know? I finally feel like I can move on."

"I'm glad. I'm happy that you can finally move forward and be happy too."

I hummed and nodded. “Happy sounds like a good goal. For now, we’ll call it ‘content’ or...Satisfied.”

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

Stay tuned for Another Second Chance, coming soon!

The Kitchen Sink - @emoryhemsworth @flamencodiva @wasabiwitteks @rainbowkisses31 @rissbennett @mariekoukie6661 @officiallyunofficialperson @dolphincliffs @mrs-meghan-winchester @gayspacenerd @foxyjwls007 @ilovefanfic86 @marvelfansworld @f-yeahfandoms @wonderlandfandomkingdom @hhiggs @sev3nruby @hobby27 @paintballkid711 @divadinag @thewhiterabbit42 @fantasymyth-1 @queenoftheunderdark @cosicas-cuquis @superfanficnatural @letsby @supernatural-bellawinchester @onethirstyunicorn @swinchester27 @chalicia @sunnyroadtrips @screechingartisancashbailiff @death-unbecomes-you Hunter Tags - @atc74 @sandlee44 @spnbaby-67 @kalesrebellion @tumbler-tidbits @hoboal87 @stoneyggirl @kbl1313 @cookiechipdough @mrswhozeewhatsis @winchesterxfamilybusiness @holylulusworld @pretty-fortune @screechingartisancashbailiff @we-are-all-a-bunch-of-idjits @imperiusimpala

Gaga For Green Eyes Tags- @typicalweirdbookworm @deanmonandnegansbitch @jadesupernatural @stoneyggirl @4fareader @squirrelnotsam @lyarr24 @akshi8278 @pretty-fortune @we-are-all-a-bunch-of-idjits

Happily Ever Eventually Tags- @deanmonandnegansbitch @jamielea81

#cassie writes stuff #spn fanfic #reader-insert #spn rpf #Jensen x You #mention of attempted noncon

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itsmyblogandillreblogifiwantto · 4 years ago

Text

Incredibly dense genius.

A/N: Hi everyone, Merry Christmas/Festivities, or have a relaxing December/January if you don’t celebrate. Just a little Matthew Gray Gubler fic for you all, so enjoy! This is set where reader is an actress on Criminal Minds.

Y/A/N- Your Agent Name, Y/A/S/N – Your agent surname

Trigger warnings: Case details, bodies being found in tanks, swearing, drinking (alcohol), smoking

“Tell you what, I’m really looking forward to the end of series wrap up party/Christmas party tomorrow night.” A.J said, as she sat down at the big table, getting ready for the next scene. “I hear that.” Thomas said, as he got into position. “Preach it sisters.” Kirsten giggled, “And Christmas is coming soon too!” “Morning guys.” You yawn walking in, as you were not needed for the last scene. You started on the show two years ago, and have been settled in since day one, making firm friends with everyone, but your best friends are Matthew and Paget. You have fancied Matthew since you started watching Criminal Minds when it started, and when you joined the cast, you had a boyfriend, and Matthew was seeing someone. Since then, you are now single, but you assume Matthew is still seeing someone. “Morning sweetness.” Paget smiled at you, knowing you aren’t a morning person. You get into position by the surveillance board as the director calls action. “Today we are going to Florida, and crime fighters, you are going to help the police solve the mystery of bodies showing up in storage tanks. Y/A/N, could you show the pictures please, whilst I look away?” Kirsten asked “Yep, sure.” You say scrolling through the photos, as Matthew walks in, looking handsome as always. “Sorry I’m late.” Matthew says ruffling his hair, “I drove in and forgot to apply for a parking spot.” “I did e-mail you about this Reid. Don’t let it happen again.” Thomas said handing Matthew a paper file. Matthew mumbles a, “What’s an email?” to himself as he looks through the photos. “The victims look pretty fresh. Has forensics looked at them?” “Not yet. They are waiting for us to get there but I suggested to preserve the evidence, and for us to find the un-sub quicker, they should do the autopsy now and call us on the plane.” You say “Good idea Y/A/N. Wheels up in an hour.” Thomas said as the director called cut, and you did the scene again a few times from different angles. As Matthew spoke, you thought about how recently he had been very distant from everyone, not as much to you and Paget, but very quiet and not his weird and wonderful self. You did ask him if he wanted to talk to you, and he would always politely decline so you chose not to push him. “Okay guys, we’re good here so if we all make our way to the jet we will shoot that scene next.” The director said. “Morning Gube.” You smile at Matthew “Morning Y/N. You okay?” Matthew asks you softly, with a smile “Yes. Looking forward to the party tomorrow. You good?” You ask “I’m good, just tired.” Matthew says rubbing his eyes and bites his lip, debating if he should ask you out or not. “Do you want to grab a smoke break later?” “You never need to ask.” You smile sitting down at the table. “Everyone ready, and action.” The director called as the scene started. “This body definitely looks more de-composed than the others. Between 8 and 10 days... Fuck wrong days.” You say as everyone laughs, “You’re all cunts.” You say laughing too, knowing you always get numbers wrong on your lines, and the writers always like to test you by making sure your character has all the lines to do with numbers. Most outtakes come from you, and your mistakes/swears always cause everyone to have a fit of laughter. “Re-set and action.” The director said whilst laughing. “This body definitely looks more de-composed than the others. Between 3 and 5 days after death, the human body starts to bloat and foam containing blood leaks from the mouth.” “And after that?” Paget asks you. In the show you are an agent, but your characters background was in forensics at NCIS as a Medical Examiner with a PhD in forensics. “The body starts to turn from green to red due to…” You start to say “The blood de-composing and the organs in the abdomen accumulating gas.” Matthew says finishing your sentence “That’s right Dr Reid.” You say smiling “I read all 54 of your papers before you started working here Dr Y/A/S/N.” Matthew smiled. “But I know you have published a further 6 since working here and I have started reading them.” “How long did that take you?” You ask “1 hour 55 minutes.” Matthew said “Same length of time as this flight then.” You say Matthew nods, doing his signature Spencer ‘frog face’ as the fans of the show call it. “Happy Wednesday my nerds.” Rossi said “When we get there, Reid, Y/A/S/N, Rossi, go to the forensics lab. J.J, Prentiss and I will go to the police station and see what we have so far.” Thomas said “What about me?” Shemar asked Thomas rolled his eyes, “Fuck. I genuinely forgot you were here.” He said as everyone laughs. After 4 hours of filming you break for lunch, and as there’s a long line, you decide to go over to Matthew. “How about that smoke break?” You ask him with a smile “There you are, let’s roll.” Matthew smiled, as he linked his arm with yours. “They really need to get together.” Paget said “They really do.” Kirsten said, “It’ll break my heart otherwise.” “Agreed.” A.J said “Even on their days off, they spend all day together.” Joe smiled “So, Gubler, what do you have planned for Christmas?” You ask taking Matthew’s lighter once he’d lit up “I’m seeing my Mum, sister, her husband and children for Christmas. New Year’s I’ll see my Dad and my brother probably.” Matthew smiled, “What about you?” You nod, “Probably just see my parents. I need a quiet Christmas after the year I’ve had.” You say, along with Criminal Minds, you write for a few TV shows and do a lot of voice over work. “I’m surprised you have time in your busy schedule to smoke with your best friend.” Matthew laughed “I always make time for people, you know that.” You say as Matthew nods, biting his lip.

After another 8 hours filming… “And cut! We’re officially finished for Christmas!” The director called and everyone cheered “Glass of champagne Y/N?” A.J asked holding two up, secretly knowing you don’t like champagne and made sure Matthew grabbed the beer “No thanks AJ.” You politely decline, never being one for it. “Beer Y/N?” Matthew offers, holding two bottles with a cigarette in his other hand “You know how to win my heart Gube.” You smile taking the beer off him and yawn “I’m not that boring.” Matthew chuckled You shake your head, “Not you. I had to do another two voice overs during dinner break, so I haven’t eaten since lunch.” “Hey Tom, don’t eat that pizza!” Matthew shouts, and grabs the pizza box and brings it to you. “Here lovely.” He smiles at you, noticing it was your favourite, double cheese and ham. “I love you.” You say to the pizza and scoff it quickly, but secretly you’re saying it to Matthew, in a more than friends kind of way. “I love you.” Matthew thinks to himself and lights his cigarette as you put your head on his shoulder, as he wishes he could tell you his feelings

The following day, it’s the party. You are at your apartment putting on a floral dress and converse, with cute hoop earrings when your phone rings. “Oh, hi Pag, everything okay?” You ask “Yeah, you excited for tonight? I think someone may get lucky…” Paget giggled “Have you started drinking already?” You ask as Paget went silent, “Take that as a yes.” You think to yourself. “You going to open your front door or not?” Paget asked You open your front door and Paget is there holding a bottle of wine, half-drunk from. “You are such a fucking weirdo.” You say letting her in, “And who exactly pray tell, is going to get lucky tonight?” Paget giggles again, “You silly.” You look at Paget confused, “What are you on about?” “Oh, come on Y/N, you and Matthew. It’s so obvious.” Paget says as you take a drag from your e-cigarette, since you don’t smoke cigarettes in your flat. “He really likes you.” “You are my best friends.” You say exhaling, shaking her comment off knowing Matthew would never be interested in you. Paget opens her mouth to say something but drinks from the wine bottle instead. “Shall I book a cab?” She asks you “No, I have booked one, should be here in 10 minutes.” You say checking your phone Paget nods, “Alright miss organised.” She smirked 10 minutes later you and Paget were in the cab, taking a few selfies and chatting to the driver who is a fan of the show. “You have a lovely night ladies.” He smiled, as you paid him giving him a tip too. As you are about to open the cab door, someone opens it for you, it’s Matthew in a full suit, looking stunning, well, he was a model after all. “Ladies.” Matthew smiled “Thanks Matthew.” Paget said squishing his cheeks and kissing one of them “Thanks Gube.” You smile as Matthew kissed your cheek and you kissed his cheek back, noticing he was wearing the cologne you brought him for his birthday. “You’re welcome.” He smiled, blushing slightly as you all walked into the venue. “Now I understand why Joe organises these things, this venue is stunning.” You say looking everywhere “Thank you bambino.” Joe smiled greeting you with two soft kisses on the cheek “Hi Joe.” You smile at him, “Thank you for organising this.” “Of course.” He smiled and kissed Paget’s cheeks softly, and shook Matthew’s hand, “Gubler, you and I need a word.” “Ooooh.” You and Paget say “Where is the alcohol?” Paget asked “Right here.” Kirsten waved over to you two as the music started playing meanwhile Joe brought Matthew outside “What is it?” Matthew asked fiddling with his converse “Well, pretty boy, we just wanted to say we all know you’re totally in love with Y/N and…” Shemar began “Am not!” Matthew shouted as he blushed even redder “Your cheeks say otherwise.” Thomas said “We just wanted to say, go for it. She totally adores you.” Joe added “We’d advise you make it soon or she’ll end up kissing someone else under the mistletoe.” Shemar said wiggling his eyebrows gesturing to the mistletoe by the balcony Matthew sighed, nodding. “I need a drink.” He said “Oi Gube, our song is on!” You say gesturing him to come inside as ‘Fireflies’ by Owl City comes on “Coming.” Matthew smiled at you and took one of the beers you were holding as you danced together for a bit. “What was that about?” You ask as you twirl around “Oh, Shemar wanted some advice on this lady he’s dating.” Matthew shrugged “Aw how cute.” You smiled. The evening progressed, and everyone was pretty drunk now. “Y/N… You can’t vape in here.” Kirsten giggled taking your vape off you You pout and sigh, “Fine. I’ll vape outside.” You say, taking your vape back, in the last hour you lost Matthew but knew he was still around somewhere. As you go outside, you’re lighting a cigarette and see Joe, Matthew and Paget talking, overhearing Matthew say, “I’m going to tell her. I’m so in love with her.” and your heart breaks into two, but you put on a brave face and walk over anyway. You sip your glass of water, “Hi sweetpeas.” You smile “Heeeyyyy it’s Y/N!” Matthew says all excited, opening his arms out, holding a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. “Can I join you all?” You ask laughing at how Matthew is a bit more drunk than you “Course angel face.” Paget smiled Joe nods, “You never need to ask Y/N.” “Can I have some of your water?” Paget asks you You sit down and hand it to her as you take a drag from your cigarette. “Those things will kill you.” Joe winked at you as he lit a cigar “Those things will kill you.” You winked back “Can I have a puff Y/N? I don’t want a whole cigarette, but you smoke my favourite brand.” Paget says You roll your eyes in a sarcastic manner, “All it is tonight is is Y/N pass me my wine, Y/N can I have some wine, Y/N can you go with me to the ladies room, Y/N can I have a puff of your cigarette. God, Paget, you’re so fucking needy.” You laugh as everyone else does, and you hand your cigarette to her “Thanks babe.” Paget says and you all take a few selfies putting a few on your Instagram. Joe’s phone rings, “Better tell the wife I’m getting a taxi home.” He says, “See you back in there.” As you all nod “Oopsies, I’m out of wine, I’ll see you both in there.” Paget says and waddles off as you laugh at her Matthew chuckles and lights another cigarette up as a cool breeze hits you both. “I should’ve brought a coat.” You say shuddering as Matthew takes off his jacket and drapes it over you. “Aw, thanks Gube but won’t you get cold?” You ask feeling bad Matthew shakes his head, “I’m quite hot.” He says wiggling his eyebrows as he exhales from his cigarette “Yeah, you are.” You accidentally say out-loud and bite your lip, so you don’t say anything else “What was that?” Matthew asked “Nothing.” You say shaking your head “Nu-uh Y/N. I heard you say something.” Matthew said poking your arm gently You groan, “I said you are hot. Happy?” “Well, I think you’re beautiful.” Matthew said, returning the compliment “Really?” You ask exhaling from your cigarette “Really, really.” Matthew said and looked up, “Mistletoe.” He said pointing at it “Mistletoe.” You repeated, “It’s okay if you don’t wa…” You say as Matthew brings you in for a deep kiss, letting it do the talking. After a few moments, you break the kiss and smile at him. “Y/N, I’ve fancied you, and been in love with you for years, even before you started on the show.” Matthew began, “But when you started on the show you were seeing someone else, and I was seeing some…” He rambled as you pulled him in for another kiss “Shut up.” You say giggling “So you’re not seeing anyone?” Matthew asked “I’m seeing someone now…” You smirk “Who?” Matthew asked “For someone who plays a genius with an IQ of 180, you are incredibly dense.” You laugh “Oh me?” Matthew asked You nod, “If you want us to be.” “I want us to be.” Matthew said holding your hand “Me too.” You smile squeezing his hand softly “Merry Christmas Y/N.” Matthew smiled as you put your head on his shoulder smiling to yourself “Merry Christmas Matthew.” You smile

Taglist (open): @pumpkin-goob , @andiebeaword , @hopebaker , @hotchsbabygirl , @hercleverboy , @cupcake525 , @gubetube , @aperrywilliams , @cosmic-psychickitty , @marleyhotchner , @gubler-me-up , @goldentournesol , @jenna-jd , @reidgraygubler , @g0ldengubler , @gcblers , @peachpitfics , @reidbuck , @spencerreid-mgg

#Criminal Minds #Matthew Gray Gubler #matthew gray gubler fluff #matthew gray gubler fiction #my fics

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tisfan · 5 years ago

Note

Prompt list 94. “Oh fuck it, will you marry me?” WinterIron. Pretty please !

Title: Somebody that I Used to Know Written by: 3023 @tisfan Square: T3 – Phone Sex Rating: Teen and Up Triggers/warnings: no archive warnings apply Tags: Make-up Fic, Tony Stark has a Heart, post break up, texting your ex, references to phone sex Created for: @tonystarkbingo Word count: 1,547

Prompt: Fuck it, will you marry me?

Bucky Barnes wasn't sure when Brooklyn had become a stranger to him. When he didn't quite feel welcome anymore. That he didn't belong.

Too many changes, maybe. Not the superficial ones, like that bookstore being a cafe and the Wash-a-teria boarded over, or a new Bodega on the corner. But the changes to Bucky.

It's a two week job, he told himself. Two weeks and he'd go home again. This empty hotel room and looking over the skyline… being in the same city with him.

Of course, if Bucky hadn't been stalking his ex on social media for months now, he wouldn't know that. Not for certain. He took out his phone, considering the idea of ordering take away from their favorite place. New York was always going to remind him of Tony.

God, those had been some good times. Fucking great times, really. He remembered their last fight, when they decided it just wasn’t going to work, they were done. Bucky needed to make something of himself, get out from under Tony’s shadow, and Tony was insisting that Long Distance could work, but then he kept getting swamped with SI stuff and not coming out to visit, and it just wasn’t fucking worth it. The heartache and disappointment. But man, he’d loved the hell out of that man. No one else in the last few years had come even half as close.

He scrolled through his contacts. He had a new phone, but he always just transferred everything to the new device. He flicked the screen a little harder than he meant and the list scrolled way past Knish Nosh and Stark, Tony was there on the screen.

He probably didn't even have the same number anymore. Or wouldn't know who Bucky was. New phone, who dis. New life, do I even know you?

Thinking about getting Potato Knish. You hungry?

He hesitated and then hit send.

Tony probably wouldn't even answer him.

Good. It was probably for the best.

His phone buzzed. New text from Stark, Tony.

Am now.

Bucky? It's been ages. How TF you been?

Bucky was just starting to type in a reply when his phone rang. Stark, Tony.

“Hey,” Bucky said, trying not to put too much meaning into it. It wasn’t a shoulder touch and a lean in and bedroom eyes, Hey. It was just a hey, how are you? That kind of hey.

“Are you close enough to actually get knish?” Tony was talking really fast, tripping over his words like he was scared he wouldn’t have time to get them out.

“They certainly haven’t got knish in Indiana,” Bucky said. “Yeah, I’m in the city for a few weeks, on a job.”

“Oh,” Tony said, and there was a lot of weight in that oh. What did oh mean, Bucky wondered. Oh, as in that’s good to know, or-- “A few weeks, yeah, that’s good, that’s good. I mean, not-- I mean, you’ll be in the city for a few more days?”

Bucky’s eyebrow went up. So typical. “Let me guess, you’re out of town for some SI thing and--”

“Yeah, you know, it’s a thing,” Tony said hastily, instead of trying to make excuses, which is what he usually did. “I’m on the plane right now, as a matter of fact, gotta love that inflight wifi. Hey, do you remember, back when I was on that trip in Beijing and the wifi cut out right when we were having the most incredible phone sex?”

Bucky couldn’t help but laugh, and it was a bitter sort of laugh, because that had been the beginning of the end. He wouldn’t be so shallow as to say that being left hanging had been the whole reason, just that it was a symptom of the problem. And the problem was, Tony was never there. Which just made it easier for Bucky to leave. “Yeah, I remember.” But Tony had come home, and taken a whole week off, despite the fact that his personal assistant had been screaming about it, just to spend it with Bucky, to be there for his sister’s birthday.

Huh. Bucky’d sort of forgotten about that, really.

“Well, you know, it’s not knish,” Tony offered, “but I could entertain you, I bet. Those were the days weren’t they, Bucky? I’ve been thinking about you recently, glad you texted. You know?”

Tony Stark had been thinking about Bucky? “Phone lines go both ways,” Bucky said. “You could have dropped me a line.”

“Yeah, no, I didn’t think I wanted to hear you hang up on me,” Tony said. “In case I was just somebody you used to know.”

Bucky swallowed an absurd lump of guilt. “I would never,” he lied. It was a lie, because he didn’t know if he would have, back when they first broke up. But he had never, so it was still sort of the truth. “I-- I never hated you, Tony, you know that, right?”

“I know,” Tony said, and it was wistful and sad, and a little like Han Solo going into carbonite. God, Bucky was such a nerd.

Tony was, too.

“I missed you,” Tony said.

“Yeah, I missed you, too,” Bucky admitted. He had. “It-- Indiana wasn’t… I mean it wasn’t bad, you know. But-- it wasn’t you. I… okay. When will you be back in the city? You want to get knish with me?”

“I would love to,” Tony said. “Um, Thursday? I think I’ll be back on Thursday.”

“I can do Thursday.”

“Great, I’ll call you with details,” Tony said. “I-- I mean, I’ll see you then.”

Was Tony going to say “I love you”?

And if he was, did he mean it, or was it just leftover muscle memory from when they had signed off their calls with I love you.

“I know.”

“Not that I’m not glad to see you,” Tony said, looking up from his phone, “but--”

Bucky threw the paper down onto the hospital bed, along with a bundle of cheap, sidewalk-seller flowers. The petals went everywhere in a storm. “Business trip?”

Well, Pepper had tried to keep it out of the papers, but apparently someone with a telephoto lens had gotten him as he went into the hospital.

“It’s what we were telling everyone,” Tony said. “Stock takes a hit if I’m not fit and fantastic, which seems unfair to me, but SI employees thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of people, and if the stock tanks too much, then the board starts hounding me for layoffs.”

“You could have died,” Bucky said. With those dramatic eyes and his penchant for hyperbole, not to mention the sort of face that wrecked a thousand ships, Tony always wondered why his boyfriend -- ex, ex boyfriend -- hadn’t gone into modeling. Or acting.

“But I didn’t, and now I have a brand new tricuspid valve, and everything’s going to be fine. Assuming you don’t kill me,” Tony added.

Bucky threw himself down in the guest chair. He probably regretted that immensely, since Tony knew they weren’t very comfortable. “How long did you know?”

Tony didn’t try to play dumb. “That I had heart problems? About two years, now.”

Right before Bucky had left. He watched Bucky come to that conclusion.

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“Honey, you-- you were leaving anyway, you wanted your dream and your career, and what sort of an asshole would I be if I made you stay here just because--”

“You were dying?” Bucky glanced at him, his entire heart in his eyes. “Tony, you could have told me.”

“Well, I’m telling you now,” Tony tried. It wasn’t a good attempt. He’d let Bucky leave. Practically driven him off, really, not wanting to be that guy, not wanting to spend the rest of their time wondering if Bucky was being nice because he wanted to, or because Tony was sick. Not wanting to emotionally blackmail the man he loved.

And, to be honest, wanting to make the break easier for Bucky. Didn’t want to leave him alone and mourning, if that happened. Tony had never been very good at that sort of thing.

“You asshole,” Bucky said.

“Well-established,” Tony agreed. “Look, I just--”

“I love you,” Bucky said. “I… you were putting the company ahead of me, that’s what I thought, and I know… I know your job is important, baby, but. All I wanted was to be first, and you-- you let me leave you when you were dying?”

“I’m not dying now,” Tony pointed out. “And I was going to meet you for knish on Thursday and tell you. I think I should get credit for that. I-- I just wanted… if it worked, if we could make it work, I wanted to be sure. I didn’t want you staying because I was smothering you.”

“Breathing free air in Indiana is not that damn important, Tony,” Bucky said. “I’ll quit, I’ll come home, whatever you want--”

“What?”

“Fuck it, will you marry me?” Bucky asked, then, because it was Bucky, and Tony, he added, “dumbass.”

“It’s pronounced Dumas.”

“Is that a yes?”

“Yes.” It was probably stupid and impulsive and rash, self-destructive and textbook narcissism. “I think-- I think we’ll be all right.”

#tonystarkbingo2020 #texting your ex #winteriron #tony stark x bucky barnes #fills #prompts #Anonymous

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sickcyclist · 3 years ago

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This is the story of my day. It actually starts yesterday, when a heaven-sent rain swept in and cleared the smoke and cooled the air and tamped down the dust on the trails. I went on a bike ride because days like that are a gift. I have exercise-induced hypoxemia, which basically means that my oxygen drops when I exercise for reasons that we still don’t understand. Exercising with oxygen helps, but I still drop into the mid-80s. I knew I was too sick to ride and that doing so would make me much more sick, but I needed it for my mind so I was willing to sacrifice my body.

So that’s the first lesson of being sick. Everyone tells you that you have to be active and it will make things better and all you have to do is just push yourself hard enough. We’ve internalized this message to the point that many people believe sick people could get better if they just PUSHED. But that’s not always true. Sometimes pushing makes you worse. Sometimes it makes you much, much worse. And that can be true even if being active and pushing hard is something you love so much that it feels like it’s core to who you are.

I knew I would have to sleep for 12+ hours to make up for the ride, and I knew that I would have bad oxygen saturation stats because of it. And since I don’t have a real job, it should be easy to just take a lazy day (or week, or month) and get better, right? But actually I do have a real job and that job is to keep myself alive. It’s the job of a lot of us who are chronically ill, and it’s not a profession I would recommend. It’s not fun and it’s not rewarding and no one admires you for it and you’re not asked to speak to 5th graders on career day and you rarely get to move on to a newer, more interesting project.

Here’s what this particular day at work looked like for me. I woke up to a voicemail saying that my pulmonology appointment for Friday had been cancelled. I’ve been waiting to see a pulmonologist since March and was supposed to have an appointment weeks ago, but that was cancelled because the doctor quit two days beforehand. The other doctor in town couldn’t see me until the end of October, so I looked for a doctor in a bigger town hundreds of miles away. She comes highly recommended and in a way I’m happy because I strongly prefer female doctors, but for whatever reason she had to “clear her morning.” My new appointment is five weeks from now. I got off the phone and sobbed, which is not a good thing to do when your lungs don’t work. I probably could have toughed it up and avoided crying if I hadn’t worn myself down so much biking yesterday, but such is life.

I emailed my primary care provider asking for a note saying I could travel with my portable oxygen concentrator. I was supposed to get this letter from my pulmonologist, but now I won’t have a pulmonologist before I travel. The letter has to say that I use oxygen for sleep and activity, but it also has to specify that I won’t use oxygen on the plane. Which is a little funny because airplanes have extremely powerful oxygen-producing systems for emergencies, but they don’t like people who need oxygen because they don’t like the risk that comes with having sick people on board (think emergency landings). So people who need oxygen all the time need their own oxygen concentrator and battery power for the equivalent of 1.5x the time they will be in the air. I’m going on an 8-hour flight and it would cost about $400 to get strong enough batteries for that length. So I need them to let me carry my machine, which has lithium ion batteries that are otherwise prohibited. But in order to carry my machine I need to prove that I won’t be needing it.

I have a great primary care provider. I knew she would write the note. Easy peasy.

My next voicemail was from the specialty pharmacy that my insurance provider uses for certain drugs. I am allergic to a hormone all women produce as part of the menstrual cycle. This allergy is so severe that it has been responsible for 5 miscarriages, and it also means that I’m more miserable than usual for half the month. The good news is that all you have to do to stop it is take out your ovaries, but when you do that you go into full menopause. Which is not desirable because it increases your risk of cancer and osteoporosis and just overall mortality. Like not even from one thing. Just people who go into menopause early die early from all causes and we don’t know why.

That gives you some perspective on what the benefits have to look like in order for the cost-benefit analysis to still auger in favor of ovary removal. But since it is such a serious choice, you have to be sure. And the way you make sure is to stop your ovaries from working with a drug. The drug has hideous short and long term side effects, so if you feel better while taking it, that’s a pretty strong sign that an oophorectomy is the choice for you.

Approval for me to receive this particular drug was in limbo because the provider accidentally entered the wrong diagnosis. I have, as you can imagine, a lot of diagnoses. Entering the wrong diagnosis in this case was particularly funny because I’ve spent the last 6 months fighting with Blue Cross to get an expensive medicine that helps with my allergies. This medicine (Xolair) is approved for chronic urticaria (hives). It is not approved for progesterone hypersensitivity. I have both, which means I itch a lot for two weeks of the month and itch so much that I want to peel my skin off for two weeks of the month. Blue Cross argued that I wanted the drug for progesterone hypersensitivity. No medical provider said that, but it was the diagnosis they could use to deny the drug. Xolair costs $4000 a month. At that price it’s worth it to them to grind people down and hope they give up. It took four appeals and my lawyer (husband) to get the drug approved because I do indeed have chronic urticaria. It’s worked wonders for me, especially being allergic to the sun. You have no idea how easy it is to descend into madness when you are itchy all the time.

I went over all this with my new OB. I explained that, while the allergy shot solved the itching, it didn’t fix any of my systemic problems, which is why I was still interested in removing my ovaries. And because the conversation focused on how this ovary-suppressing drug (Lupron) specifically wasn’t for urticaria, it’s perhaps not surprising that she accidentally listed urticaria as the reason for the prescription. It’s like when you’re afraid you’ll mispronounce someone’s name. You tell yourself, “Say Kee-a, not Ky-a,” so many times that you’re basically guaranteed to call the person Ky-a.

So my ovary medicine was denied, of course, but I contacted my doctor’s office last week explaining the problem and they were very quick to apologize and resubmit. I returned the call from the specialty pharmacy but apparently they had just wanted to let me know that they were sorry for the delay. It was very polite of them but maybe didn’t require a phone call.

Then I got an email from Blue Cross Blue Shield. I logged in to read that coverage had again been denied (no reason stated) and that if I wanted to appeal the decision I would have to appeal through their specialty pharmacy. They gave me the name and number. Of a different specialty pharmacy than the one I had been dealing with for the past month. The one that I had already wrangled account numbers and diagnosis codes and special customer service phone lines out of. I typed up a polite response inquiring why I need to change pharmacies. And then I cried, but only just a little this time.

Then I called Walgreen’s because my medication for muscle spasms had been delayed and I received a note saying the pharmacist needed to speak to me. I am hypermobile so my connective tissue is just a little too bendy. My joints slip in and out all the time and my muscles have to overwork to hold my body together. Frequently they overwork so much that they lock up. This happens much more frequently in the progesterone-dominant phase of my cycle. Physical therapy is the best treatment, but sometimes I need muscles relaxants before I can even start physical therapy.

The man I spoke to at Walgreen’s told me I didn’t have a prescription for that drug. Then he told me I had a prescription but it had expired in March of 2020. I knew that wasn’t true because I hadn’t used it for years but had to start again when I got COVID. So I had no prescription in March of 2020 but I definitely did in March of 2021. No big deal. Just a simple computer error. Totally understandable in a pandemic, and I knew my doctor would refill it anyway. But he apparently felt that it was a big deal and wouldn’t submit the refill to my provider. I have no idea why. Maybe he thought I was engaged in drug-seeking behavior. Or maybe he was having a bad day. But he wouldn’t submit the refill. I hung up the phone and screamed. Loudly. Which really is not a good thing to do when your lungs don’t work.

Murry came up and rubbed the spasm out of my shoulder and listened to me vent and offered to be my medical power of attorney so he could deal with these people for me. But he’s the one with the real job that earns real money and when I’m sick he also cooks and cleans and does the shopping and walks the dogs. I may not be any good at the shitty job I had, but there’s no way I’m going to make him do it.

I switched tactics and chatted with someone through the Walgreen’s app. He was lovely and had no problem submitting my prescription for a refill. Easy peasy.

My final task for the day was calling to find out about the status of my CPAP prescription. I don’t have sleep apnea but while I’m asleep my breathing does slow down significantly enough that my oxygen drops (hypopnea). I need a special CPAP that adjust the pressure to my breathing, but it will get me off of oxygen at night. I’m very excited for it.

My insurance does not require prior authorization for CPAP prescriptions. However, St. Pete’s has its own prior authorization department that I guess makes sure you are not lying about not needing prior authorization? This department is, apparently, understaffed. I called my oxygen “rep” to find out how it was going. She very kindly bypassed the prior authorization department and called Blue Cross directly. Blue Cross informed her, as had I, that a prior authorization was not necessary. She could officially get me a CPAP.

Except that there is a national CPAP shortage. So she will try her best to get me one as soon as they get more. Hopefully this month. Even the rare, wonderful people who try to help you are sometimes as helpless as you.

I didn’t cry this time. Crying doesn’t fix anything and I can’t risk losing more oxygen. So I turned to writing therapy instead.

This was a bad day at work, but there are rarely good ones. It sucks to be sick, but I’m smart, articulate, overly educated, wealthy, and white. It could suck so, so much more. Someday I’ll turn all of this knowledge that I never wanted into something that helps people other than myself. Until then maybe someone will read this and know they are not alone. If being sick is your job, I see you. I would give you a hug—or a bonus!—if I could.

#lupus #chronic illness #hypermobility #connective tissue disease #exercise hypoxemia #progesterone hypersensitivity #health care efficiency #health insurance navigation #immunocompromised #biking with oxygen #care coorination

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exoxobsession · 4 years ago

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Spring Days | Chapter 4 |

Characters : Kai x You, Sehun

Genre : Fluff, Angst, CollegeAU!

Description : Friends become strangers, trust is gone, he betrays their friendship, she moves on. What if they meet again? Will they become friends or stay as strangers with memories?

Part : 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, so many things have been going on lately.

[Time skip]

It’s been two years since you’ve been away from home. If you were to be honest, you could say you were hiding. You hated how much impact he had on your life. You despised him. No, you didn’t; you were disappointed but mostly angry. It was like a breakup, but worse. Many people asked why you were so hung up on him, but they probably never lost a best friend.

You were packing up everything, moving back home. You won’t hide anymore. Your parents didn’t know you were coming, you planned on making it a surprise. There was one more year left of University, and you were leaving, so you would finish in Korea.

Boarding the plane, you put on your headphones, and slept the 14 hours of travel. You made friends here, you even dated only for it to turn out disastrous. You didn’t have feelings for any of them, maybe attraction or lust, but never love, you were sure they were the same.

You had daily calls with your parents, and even Sehun. Your friendship was strong, he knew you every day, and you knew his. You didn’t have feelings for him; he was like your brother, plus he was younger than you, you didn’t like younger guys.

You reached for your pocket to turn the volume up but panicked when you couldn’t feel the familiar weight. Panic filling your mind. You searched your pockets like a manic, not caring about the weird looks you were getting. Deciding to check your bag, you ripped your bag open to find it in there peacefully. Letting out a sigh, you grabbed it and sat down.

You woke up at the feeling of someone shaking you, looking up to find a woman smiling at you, “We’ve arrived dear, wake up now.” she breathed with a gentle smile. She looked like she woke up as well. “Thank you.” You thanked her and grabbed your bag and hers too. Handing her bag to her, you departed the plane and fished through your phone to call a cab.

After you got into the car, you told the man the address. You looked out, noticing the familiar roads and shops pass by. You missed this place. It took around 30 minutes to reach your house. Exiting the car, you walked up to your house, only to find the smart lock, locked. What? You dialled your mom’s number.

“Hello?” You spoke first.

“Hey, dear.” she greeted.

“Are you guys not home? Why is the smart locked not working?” you asked, confused.

“Oh… no, we’re in China right now. And your dad disabled it, just in case. Wait. You waiting outside now?” she explained.

“I wanted to surprise you guys, but it turned out like this. When are you coming back?” you sighed.

“It’ll take a long time dear, some people aren’t cooperating.”

“Then where am I supposed to stay?” you asked, clearly not happy.

“Tell you what, the neighbours are a group of boys your age, you can stay with them, I’ll talk to them,” she suggested.

“MOM!” you shouted.

“Y/N, they’re nice and I’m pretty sure you won’t leave them alone if they do anything, right?” She joked.

“Fine,” you spoke with still a bit of laugh. Then she hung up.

A group of boys started walking in your direction. Not thinking about it much and started scrolling through Instagram, but a silhouette fell on you, making you look up. There stood a boy with perfect facial features, not too tall but a bit taller than you. “Yes?” you started not knowing what to say.

“Are you Y/N?” he asked, showing you his radiant smile. You cleared your throat, “Yes, I am.” you stated with a slight nod. You shoved your phone into your pocket. “I’m Junmyeon, your mother called me and told me about your situation,” he said holding his hand out, which you took and shook and let go.

“Let’s go?” he was nervous, you just nodded, trailing your suitcase behind you to the mansion. “Uh, Junmyeon, mom said that a group of you so, how many of you are there?” you asked, looking at his oh-so-perfect side profile. “Twelve of us,” he said, still looking in front. Your eyes widened at the high number of boys that lived in this mansion.

He opened the grand door leading you inside the house. You looked around, and your eyes landed on the bunch of boys scattered in the front parlor.

“Wow, Junmyeon, weren’t you dating Minji? Did you break up with her?” the one that looked like a camel said.

“What? No!” he denied before you could. Your eyes then landed on a familiar boy. He turned around and when your eyes met, he jumped off the couch and engulfed you in a bone-crushing hug.

“Sehun.” You breathed while wrapping your hands around his neck.

“I missed you. So much.” He nuzzled his nose into your neck.

“Me too, Sehunnie.”

He finally let you go when you heard someone clear their throat. “You know each other?”

“Uh, yes. We’re friends.” You responded.

“I think we should introduce ourselves,” someone said, and you turned to look at them properly. Now that you inspected them, you noticed that every one of them was handsome.

“Hi, I’m Jongdae,” the camel from before said.

“Kris.” The cold one briefly introduced himself. You tried to smile.

“I’m Chanyeol, nice to meet you.” he smiled, which you immediately mirrored.

“I’m Baekhyun, ho-”

“Bacon?” you accidentally blurted, your hand going to cup your mouth, but before you could apologize, you heard a deep laugh coming from Kris. Everyone turned to him, “Did you just laugh, Hyung?” Bac, Baekhyun asked, not at all hurt from the nickname you gave him, but mostly focused on Kris’ laughter.

“Wah, this is the first time I heard him laugh.” Jongdae retorted.

Kris immediately stopped and was about to say something, but the door opened, letting a few other boys in. That when you saw him. Jongin. What was he doing here?

“Y/N?” his honey voice called out. A small, inaudible gasp escaped your lips as you tensed up, feeling tears filling your eyes, memories flashing through your mind. You thought you could ignore him, but you weren’t as strong as you thought. Why? Why was he here? Is he living here? Millions of questions you had no answers to.

“You know each other?” Chanyeol’s voice broke through the air, while you blinked away your tears.

“I know her, she’s my-”

“I don’t know him.” You interrupted him, you didn’t want him to finish that sentence. “Can you show me to my room, I need to freshen up.” you politely asked Junmyeon before anyone can say anything.

“Sure, come on.” he led you out of the parlor and up the stairs.

“This is the guest room, you can use it. There’s a private bathroom in here, you can use it, and if there’s anything else, you can tell me,” he said before going back down.

The room was pretty decent; you didn’t want to unpack; you weren’t going to stay long. Walking around to the window, you saw that the view was beautiful; the sun was at its lowest point, the clouds different shades of red and orange. Deciding to take a shower, you opened your suitcase and took black shorts and a white tee.

After your shower, you were in a debate about whether or not to go down. That when someone opened the door, you immediately looked up. “Sehun,” you sighed in relief. “Come for dinner,” he grabbed your hand and led you down to the kitchen.

The kitchen fell silent as soon as you came. “Please, don’t be awkward because of me,” you said uncomfortably as you hid behind Sehun. “Of course not.” Chanyeol piped up. You were thankful for this giant because as soon as he spoke the tension reduced by a fraction.

Dinner was awkward, even though Chanyeol and Baekhyun made jokes. Maybe it was just you. You knew Jongin was looking at you, you could feel his eyes on you. Quickly eating whatever Kyungsoo made, you exited the kitchen. Walking up the stairs, you noticed another flight of stairs. You followed them only to be led to the rooftop. Your breath hitched in your throat at the beautiful city lights below you.

You don’t know how long you’ve been there but; you jumped a bit when you heard someone call your name. Turning around as carefully as you can, you saw Chanyeol sitting beside you. “How did you find this place?” he asked. “I just followed the stairs.” You said in a ‘duh’ tone. “Are you okay?” he inquired. You turned your head to face him, only to see him already looking at you.

“I mean, it’s none of my business but, but you looked kinda, I don’t know how to put it but, lost and scared.” He pinpointed your feelings.

You just gaped and turned away. “Jongin told me you both know each other, but you denied, and you were lying. Did something happen?” You could see him turning to face you, probably seeing your tears. He quickly added, “I didn’t mean to, oh god, you don’t have to tell me,” he panicked.

You laughed as tears in your eyes escaped. “We know each other, more than anyone. We know each other like the back of our hands,” you wiped the tears in your eyes. “I don’t what I did, he just started ignoring me, I tried talking to him, but he-” you choked on your tears, as he wrapped his arms around you. “he walked out of my life like it was nothing, so being the coward I am, I left. And seeing him again, I don’t-” You felt safe around Chanyeol. No, not that kind.

He rubbed your back as a way to calm you down, but you cried. You showed no one your tears, except your mom. “Y/N, look, I knew him longer than I know you, but let me tell you were an asshole for leaving you like that. I don’t know how it is like to lose a friend, and I hope I won’t either-” you let out a breathy laugh on his chest. “-but what I do know is that you shouldn’t waste your tears on someone who doesn’t care about you.”

“And instead of him, I want to take his place, because I just knew you were a nice girl, but I also saw that he broke you inside. I want to fix it. Not that way, I just see you as my sister.” he declared.

You just smiled at him, happy that someone as positive as him came into your life. “One question though.”

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everwitch-magiks · 4 years ago

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dance with somebody (ch. 19)

start from ch. 1 | back to ch. 18

Dex drives him to the airport.

Even though it's still too fucking early o'clock, Whiskey feels wide awake. He didn’t think he would – it’s not exactly like he got an abundance of sleep, last night. He’s supposed to be joining the Aeros for their practice, right after lunch, and unfortunately, he highly doubts this nervous energy is going to last him until then.

Whiskey closes his eyes, breathes in and out. It’s fine. It will be fine. Somehow.

"Hey," Dex says carefully.

"I'm okay." Whiskey forces his eyes back open. "Thank you for doing this. I’m so sorry it had to be this fucking early."

"No problem," Dex tells him firmly. "Just remember – if you need to get out of there, for any reason, don’t hesitate to call. Alright? I promise I’ll drive right down and rescue you.”

Somehow, that actually makes Whiskey smile.

"Sure. It's literally on the other side of the country, but sure."

"Just a few hours behind the wheel," Dex replies decisively, almost like it could truly be that simple. Like he actually means it. "Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask. Have you talked to Jack, yet?"

Wait. What?

"Zimmermann?" Whiskey asks doubtfully, and watches in disbelief as Dex nods. "Why would I… Dex, I don't actually know Jack Zimmermann. I've spoken to him once, maybe twice in my life."

“He’s Samwell Men’s Hockey alumni, isn’t he?” Dex points out. “And obviously, he knows more about these things than any of us. He could definitely help you get some perspective.”

“Maybe, but I can’t just… It’s not like I’ve even got his number.”

“Do you mind if I talk to him, then?” Dex suggests. “I’m sure he’d have your back, Whiskey. And if there’s ever a time when you should rely on all of your support systems, I think it’s probably now.”

“I suppose it can’t hurt,” Whiskey agrees, somewhat tersely. It goes without saying that talking to Jack equals getting Bitty in the loop, and Whiskey’s not sure if he’s completely ready for that, just yet. “You know, it’s really okay if… I mean, Jack Zimmermann is probably very busy.”

“Just leave it to me.” If Dex picks up on Whiskey’s discomfort on the subject, he doesn’t show it. “We should probably also consider how much I should tell the team, while you’re away? They’re bound to have some questions.”

Whiskey closes his eyes again, just briefly. Fuck. The team. Tango and Ford. Louis, Hops and Bully. Chowder and Nursey. Joyo and Jader. Pips. God fucking damnit.

“Tango and Ford already know,” Whiskey says, as evenly as he can manage. “As for the rest, could you just… Try to say as little as possible? At least for now.”

Dex takes a moment before he replies.

“They’re all going to be happy for you,” he says carefully. “You know that, right? Sad, too, and in some cases pretty fucking devastated. But happy, ultimately.”

“Maybe, yeah.” Whiskey attempts a casual shrug that he knows Dex will see right through. “I just think, if I’m really doing this, then I’m going to need to tell them all myself. So for now, just say that something came up and that I will be back on Saturday.”

“Alright,” Dex agrees. His tone is a lot gentler than before. “Sounds good.”

Whiskey nods, once.

They don’t talk much more for the rest of the drive.

Emily has booked Whiskey a first-class ticket, and that should be exciting or at least somewhat distracting, but it’s not. Whiskey barely takes in his surroundings as he moves through priority boarding and fully reclines in his very spacious seat. He manages to sleep a little on the plane, so at least that’s something.

A bored-looking driver collects Whiskey from the airport, and then they’re off straight towards the rink. Whiskey grits his teeth as he steps out of the car. This is it. This is actually fucking it.

Someone is waiting for him by the entrance. It’s one of the players Whiskey certainly knew by name even before he obsessively googled the Aeros’s current roster, the night before. Walt ‘Mickey’ Davis, team captain of the Aeros and one of the highest ranked defensemen in professional hockey.

Whiskey takes a breath. No big deal. Absolutely no big deal at all.

“I hear you’ve had a bit of a whirlwind, these past twelve hours,” Walt greets him. His handshake is firm, and Whiskey immediately likes the steady way he meets Whiskey’s eyes. If Walt Davis is at all concerned with the fact that two of his best forwards are out due to a broken collarbone and a torn meniscus, respectively, he certainly doesn’t show it. “It’s Connor Whisk, right? Let’s see what we can do with that. I go by Mickey.”

“I know,” Whiskey says, only to immediately feel stupid. Which, in itself, is stupid – the only reason he’s here is because he’s been explicitly asked to come, so if he somehow makes an utter fool of himself it’s actually kind of on them. Besides, all of this is just more hockey, isn’t it? Whiskey knows hockey. How fucking hard can it be? “It’s very nice to meet you. I’m really looking forward to getting on the ice with you guys.”

“Polite, eh?” Mickey smiles. “Come on. Let’s get you settled in as best as we can, before practice. I have to warn you, though – Ducky has this slight obsession with the Samwell NCAA team. He might have one or two questions. Just let me know if you ever need him to back off.”

Whiskey blinks. Right. What’s one more utterly baffling thing to navigate.

Ducky, it turns out, has a lot more than two questions. He instantly reminds Whiskey of Tango in the best way possible, which unfortunately makes Whiskey feel nauseous all over again – what the fuck is he even doing here – but he kind of also reminds Whiskey of Bitty in a way that calms him slightly, and of Chowder in a way that almost makes him smile.

“So obviously, there’s been a lot of talk,” Ducky says, after Whiskey has apparently satisfied his curiosity on Samwell’s defensive strategy during last season’s playoffs, “About Eric Bittle. You played with him, right?”

Whiskey stills.

“Uh, yeah. For two years.”

“That long, huh.” Ducky grins. “So, like, is there any chance you’ve got some intel on the whole jam situation?”

“Ducky,” Mickey says, somewhat warningly.

“No, I swear, it’s a whole thing!” Ducky insists. “I used to play with Poots on the Falconers, okay, and I’m telling you, Poots won’t fucking shut up about it!”

Slowly, Whiskey exhales.

“The jam is a whole thing,” he offers tentatively. “But, it’s not... I mean, Bitty’s jam is the greatest, yes, Poots is absolutely onto something there. It’s just, did he really not mention the pies?”

Ducky’s eyes widen.

“Oh my God. There’s pies, too?”

“Dude,” Whiskey says. He actually smiles. “The pies are where it’s really at.”

“Our nutritionist is gonna be all over this,” someone chirps – Lacer, if Whiskey’s not entirely mistaken. God, he’s gonna need fucking flashcards. "Are we talking, like, blueberry or apple, here? Or is there any chance for apricots?"

Somehow, inexplicably, the conversation about pie lasts all the way until they're lacing up their skates. It's only then that Whiskey realises they've talked a lot about Bitty, and at one point little about Jack, but not for one single second about Bitty and Jack. It just hasn't come up, even once. Whiskey's not entirely sure if that should make him feel relieved, or concerned.

Stepping onto the ice is like a breath of fresh air. Whiskey skates a lap, and then another, and it’s like he finally relaxes for the first time since last night. Pretty soon, Mickey calls them to order, and suddenly it’s all starting, but Whiskey still feels like he’s got a decent grip on himself. He’s got this. He can do this.

They run a bunch of drills focused on puck control, at first, and then split up into pairs to work on passing and receiving. And somehow, it all feels achingly familiar. It’s almost like Tango is right there next to Whiskey as he shoots the puck to Ducky over and over again – Whiskey gets the timing exactly right every time, but that's only because he and Tango spent all those hours fucking nailing their passes, last season. And later, when Whiskey races Mickey up the ice in a speed exercise that has him high on adrenaline, it’s almost like Pips skates furiously beside him, like always, pushing and pushing and pushing until Whiskey is giving it everything he’s got and then just a little bit more. It’s weirdly grounding, how every member of the Samwell team seems to manifest themselves through his playing, a constant reminder of how far they’ve all helped him come.

They play something of a mock-game towards the end of it, and Mickey has them changing up the lines again and again. By the time they’re wrapping things up, Whiskey thinks he’s played alongside each of the other forwards at least once.

They’re all good. They’re all really fucking good.

Mickey claps a hand on his back as they’re stepping back into the locker room.

“Not bad,” he says. “You’re fast.”

Not as fast as Pips, Whiskey doesn’t tell him. And neither are you.

“I try to be,” he says instead, and Mickey grins.

“You’ll catch up to an old man like me in no time,” he chirps kindly. “Now, I think Larsen wants to get hold of you sooner rather than later. Let’s try not keep her any longer, eh?”

Unsurprisingly, Emily Larsen is waiting for him when he steps out of the locker room.

“There you are,” she says brightly. “Welcome to Houston, Connor. We’re so happy to have you here at such short notice.”

He’s ushered off to something that turns out to be a meeting. There’s at least three different people who shake his hand on the way there – one of them is the nutritionist, who has somehow already heard rumours about baked goods.

Emily promises not to keep him for too long, but she does have a few things that apparently can’t wait. She goes over the draft of his contract, aided by someone from the legal department who is able to answer some of Whiskey’s questions, which is good. Or well, it’s at least informative. Then there’s the question of housing options, which Whiskey decides to postpone until all of this is actually completely settled. He’s in a hotel, for now, which is perfectly fine. Finally, Emily runs through a brief power-point presentation on the Aeros, their history, and some aspects of life in Houston. Which isn’t uninteresting, exactly, but Whiskey is sort of more fucking exhausted than he remembers being in last year’s playoffs.

“Almost done,” Emily reassures him as she changes yet another slide.

Suddenly, unexpectedly, the next headline captures Whiskey’s full attention. Outreach Activities – You Can Play & The Rainbow Puck Foundation. Our values and vision.

“Well,” Emily says. She looks at the screen, her expression almost a little confused. “This is, you know. What we stand for, and all of that.”

And just like that, she’s moved on to the next slide.

Right.

Whiskey checks into his hotel room, puts his suitcase down, makes it to the bed and sleeps for three hours.

When he wakes up, he’s got seven missed calls and more than twenty texts.

Most of the texts are from Miguel. Whiskey smiles softly while he scrolls through Miguel's more than familiar stream-of-consciousness. It's perhaps a little more chipper than usually, almost as if Miguel is making an effort to sound nothing but cheerful. Whiskey's heart aches desperately as he types up a few lines in response. got here okay. practice was fine. will call you tonight. I miss you so fucking much.

The calls are from Dex, Chowder, Louis and Pips. Pips has called twice, Dex thrice. Dex has also sent him five texts.

The last one contains Jack Zimmermann’s phone number.

call Jack, okay? he’d really like to hear from you. Bitty says hi, by the way.

Whiskey plugs in his phone, and gets up. If he’s going to have a heart to heart with one of the most high-profile players in the league, he’s going to take another shower, first, and his phone is going to have more than six percent battery.

About half an hour later, he’s put on pajamas, because fuck it, and settled into an armchair by the window with his hair still damp. His hands barely shake as he carefully types in the number.

Jack Zimmermann doesn’t pick up until the seventh ring.

“Connor?” he asks by way of greeting.

“Yeah.” Whiskey pulls his knees up to his chest and fiddles with the hem of his pajama pants. “Hi.”

“Give me just one second.” There’s a bustling noise, the sound of a door closing and then quiet. “There. It’s nice to talk to you again.”

“You, too.” God, Whiskey has no idea how the fuck he’s supposed to navigate this. “I hope this isn’t a bad time?”

“Not at all,” Jack reassures him. “How are you?”

“Um.” Whiskey grimaces. “Tired?”

“I can imagine,” Jack says, his voice surprisingly warm. “Dex filled me in a little bit, this morning. You’re already in Houston, right?”

“That’s right, yeah.”

“How are things, so far?”

“Not bad,” Whiskey decides, after a moment’s consideration. “I don’t really… I mean, I’ve actually barely had time to think about it.”

Jack hums.

“How long do you have, before you need to give them a definite answer?”

“Until Sunday.”

“Sunday. Okay.” Jack pauses momentarily. “That’s not unreasonable, on their part. Sometimes these things happen really fast.”

“Right. Okay.”

“Can I ask… Do you have an agent?”

“No, actually.” Whiskey runs a hand through his hair. “I haven’t really... I mean, I’ve basically been thinking that there would still be time before I’d need to consider these things more seriously. This opportunity was very unexpected.”

“Okay.” There’s another moment of silence before Jack speaks again. “Look, I’m just going to be very blunt about this. How much are these guys offering you?”

“Ah,” Whiskey says. He tries to remember – there’s been numbers mentioned, several of them, something about a signing bonus and a monthly salary and Whiskey’s barely registered anything beyond how that’s a lot of digits, holy cow. “I haven’t… Honestly, the financial aspect has sort of been the last thing on my mind.”

“Okay,” Jack says again, and there’s something of a smile in his voice. “I understand that, I really do. There are a lot of other important factors. It’s just, you should definitely think about getting an agent.”

“No, I know,” Whiskey agrees readily. “I, uh. This has all just happened really fast.”

“I’m getting that.” There’s no judgement in Jack’s tone. “But you haven’t actually signed anything yet, right? Not even some non-disclosure formality?"

“No, nothing. Nothing at all.”

“Then you’ve got the ball in your corner, still,” Jack says encouragingly. “Or, you know. The puck. This is all going to play out the way you decide is best, in the end.”

“... Right.” Suddenly, Whiskey wants to laugh. Fuck, he’s so tired. “The thing is, I’ve honestly got no clue how I’m supposed to figure that out. There’s no telling if I’ll ever get a better offer than this, and that’s... A major concern for me. This is what I want to do, and I don’t know if I can afford to pass up on this chance. But I never imagined that I would need to be ready to take this step so soon, and I… I just don’t know if I’m going to be.”

“Okay,” Jack says. And this time, he doesn’t need to pause and consider before he responds. “Look. The only thing you need to do, here, is make sure that you do right by yourself and what it is that you need. Okay? I know the Aeros are in a bit of a hurry, at the moment – I’ve heard all about those injuries and the estimated recovery times. They’re going to have several key players out for the rest of the season, and that’s certainly an urgent situation for them. Now, I’ve seen the way you play, Connor, and I’m more than familiar with your statistics. You’re good. Clearly, this is a move that makes complete sense for the Houston Aeros. The real question is, is it something that’s going to make complete sense for you?”

Whiskey closes his eyes for a moment. He exhales, and feels his shoulders relax a bit. Huh. When he opens his eyes again, looking out over the unfamiliar city outside his window, it’s like he finally has a moment of clarity.

“I don’t know,” he says, almost steadily. “I thought it might.”

“Well,” says Jack Zimmermann. He sounds almost fond, which is of course completely ridiculous. Clearly, Whiskey is having some sort of sleep-deprived hallucination. “Maybe don't rule it out after your very first day. But you might want to give that some serious thought, during the rest of this week.”

“Yeah.” Whiskey inhales, then exhales. “I guess that’s what I’ll have to do.”

Their conversation continues for a little while longer. Jack inquires about some of the Samwell team members, and coach Hall and Murray, and Whiskey finds himself surprisingly at ease as they take turns sharing a few personal anecdotes about Faber, and the Haus. It's never quite struck him, before, how much of a shared history he has with the generations of Samwell team members that came before him.

"I'd really like to stay in touch," Jack says before they hang up. Surprisingly, he tacks on something of a chirp. "If you're going to be my new competition, I'd like to know what I'm up against."

"I don't think I could give you competition," Whiskey tells him honestly, and if that reveals just a little more of Whiskey's deep and genuine admiration for Jack than he had maybe intended to show, well, so be it.

"Don't be so sure," Jack says plainly. "Take care out there, Connor. I'll talk to you soon."

ch. 20

#check please #omgcheckplease #omgcp #connor whisk #will poindexter #whiskey x oc #OC: Miguel #the houston aeros #hockey #like actual hockey #not just pie #currently looking at wrapping this up by chapter 26 #unless my outline changes somewhat #again #it's been known to happen #but it'll be around that number for sure #fanfiction #evie writes #dance with somebody

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calm-and-wine · 4 years ago

Text

(I’ll give you) the best years

part II (masterlist)

Hello hello, sorry it took a while, but here is part 2 and part 3 is already in the works (so is part 4 🙈). I’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas, what you’ll like to see in the future and whatever else is on your minds!

Once again huge thank you to Anna @silverrank for making sure my writing actually makes sense and isn’t complete gibberish. And a big thank you to @booksncoffee for this beautiful banner.

Enjoy!

PART II

September 2023

There was no other word to describe the first days of being married but bliss. Absolute pure bliss. And it wasn’t even because of the stunning scenery of Maui, their luxury little beach house and beautiful turquoise water of the ocean. It was the bliss of being able to spend every minute with the person you were madly in love with, with no worries occupying your mind, nowhere to go and nothing to do, but enjoy each other and celebrate the official new chapter of your lives. In a way, the wedding didn’t change all that much for Lucy and Niall; they already lived together and they had been sure of their relationship being the one for a while now. But somehow it did change their mindsets a bit. They always thought about their future together, but now it was a given, there were no questions, no hesitation when making plans or talking about growing old.

A part of Lucy had used to think of marriage as a piece of paper, and in some cases it probably was like that, but right now she saw it as a bigger union. Like she and Niall were a proper team now. They were a family, after all.

Lucy was never a person who could do nothing. She was used to some kind of practice usually two times a day, meeting with people, doing meal prep, analysing her games and thinking about strategy or possible improvements. However, she was quite surprised to find herself truly enjoying the honeymoon, even though as of now it consisted of spending most of their time in bed (or other places in the house), reading books on the patio, swimming or playing board games in between. There were worse things to preoccupy her time with than enjoying the body of Niall Horan and letting him adore hers.

“I have no idea how I’ll be able to play in a few days.” Lucy sighed between licks of her ice lolly. A lot of the places the tennis tour took place are quite hot, so the weather shouldn’t bother her too much, but she was never actually a big fan of heat. The ten days in Maui were just the start of their honeymoon, which had to be split in two, because she qualified for the WTA finals, where only eight best players of that year had the opportunity to compete. It was the second year she was lucky enough to be a part of that event and she was actually ready to withdraw, but Niall didn’t want her to (truth be told, she did have a chance of ending the year as number one player). So they were coming back to London for a week of training, which she’ll definitely need after not caring about her food or working out (although that might be debatable, as they did work up quite a sweat most of the times), then playing a tournament in Luxembourg to get back into the swing of things before going to China to prepare and compete in the finals. After that however, they would embark on the second part of their marriage celebrations, travelling to Italy and planning a road trip through Spain, Portugal and maybe some other European cities. Also, Niall was joining her on all of her travels in between, so she’d be working, but they’d still be together.

“Is this work talk I’m hearing during our honeymoon?” he asked tilting his head to look at her through the sunglasses perched on his nose. There was a laughing undertone in his voice, because they jokingly made a bet while on the plane who would be the first to mention work. But they always had this understanding about each other’s job, because it was extraordinary and it wasn’t just work, it was passion and a lifestyle. Even though their jobs were very different, they bonded over that from the start.

Lucy reached out and swatted his arm. She was so sure he’ll be the one losing a bet, seeing how excited he always was to get back to writing after touring, that she forgot to watch herself. And Lucy really didn’t like losing.

“Can’t wait for tonight.” Niall smirked, putting his hands behind his head and stretching his body on the lounger. At least the forfeit wasn’t that bad, but it did make Lucy blush.

“Weren’t we supposed to finally go out for dinner tonight?” she asked. They only left their little bubble once, for a little boat trip.

Niall hummed in thought. “We do have a reservation. Will you be okay with settling the bet tomorrow, then?”

Lucy met his eyes and licked her ice lolly quite suggestively, which made him pull his bottom lip between his teeth, before she spoke. “Yeah, I guess that could be arranged.”

Niall held her gaze for a minute before throwing his head back with a groan. His wife was the devil, he was sure about that. She just laughed and finished eating before getting up. She stopped by his lounger, bending down, giving her husband quite a view of her chest and planting a sweet kiss on his lips, her tongue tasting fruity from her lolly. “I’m gonna shower and start getting ready, have to actually dress up for a change”.

~~~~

“There’s actually something I need your opinion on.” Lucy said when there was a slight lull in their conversation after they started eating. They were sitting on the balcony of the restaurant, the vast ocean spread below them and the setting sun creating a beautiful hue. Niall was chewing on his food, so he gestured for her to go on. “Well, I’ve been considering keeping playing under my maiden name. And I want to know if you’d be okay with that.”

A little frown took over his face, but he spoke as soon as he could, shrugging a little. “Yeah, of course.”

“Really?” she asked surprised, not because he was fine with it, but because it seemed like he just shrugged it off, while she’d been turning it over in her head for weeks. “Just like that?”

Niall put down his cutlery and looked at the woman in front of him with a small smile. “Why, were you scared to talk to me about this?”

Lucy shook her head forcefully. “No, I’m never scared to tell you things. But sometimes I am anxious, because I don’t want to hurt you. And I just remember how big your smile was when I said I wanted to take your name.”

He sighed and reached for her hand that was resting on the table, intertwining their fingers. “You know I love the fact that you wanted to share a name with me, not even hyphenate it. That made me feel really proud and worthy. But it’s your career and you have so many achievements under your name already, so I understand why you’d want to continue building that. And.. well.. I kinda wanted to suggest it, but I also didn’t want you to think I’m against you using my name or something. It’s your decision and you have my full support either way,” he chuckled before adding, “but what else is new?”

She looked at him with gratitude, constantly wondering what exactly had she done to deserve such an amazing, supporting man loving her as much as Niall did. “Thank you, baby.”

“No need to thank me, silly. I was so excited that you wanted to take my name, but I would never force it on you, like, I would understand if you wanted to stay with yours, not just for tennis.” In a way it meant more to him that she was only thinking about it now, having already changed her name to his, just that knowledge that she simply wanted to do it, not even considering what it meant for her career or her future legacy.

“I appreciate that.” Some part of her actually wanted to have his name everywhere, be his wife in all aspects of her identity. However, the more rational part of her knew it was best for her, career wise. She hadn’t figured it all out yet, didn’t know what it meant for her future business moves, after she was done playing. But she knew one thing - that they’d cross that bridge together when the time came. “But I always wanted to have the same one with my husband. I did consider hyphenating it, but it’s just not for me. If we’re gonna do it, let’s do it right, yeah?”

“Go big or go home, love,” said Niall, his glass clinking against hers in toast.

She took a sip before looking at him with a devilish glint in her eyes. “Now, what do you say, should we skip dessert and settle that bet tonight instead?”

The words made him almost choke on his beer. “You’re something else, Lulu Horan.”

November 2023

Coming back to training was never as brutal as this. It wasn’t just Lucy’s lack of her usual regime while in Maui, it was lying on the beach next to her husband one day and sweating her ass off in the gym in London two days later. Coming back to reality was hard and part of her was a bit mad they decided to divide their honeymoon. She didn’t want to get out of their lovely bubble.

Lucy thought that during her training week in the city, Niall would use the opportunity to go to the studio and start writing again, usually after the tour he was itching to make new music. But to her surprise, none of that happened. He met with some mates, came along to a few of her trainings or waited at home with dinner ready. If he was going out, it seemed like he made sure to be back by the time she got home. It was nice; Lucy wasn’t going to complain about that, but it did make her worry a bit, because it was out of character.

She wasn’t about to blow it out of proportion, but she did ask him about it.

“Aren’t you excited to get back to the studio? I thought you’d jump at the opportunity this week,” she mentioned one night, when they were in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner.

“Um.. not really, no.” Niall shook his head while rinsing out dishes and handing them to Lucy to load them into the dishwasher.

“Is there a reason why?” she asked, looking at him with furrowed brows and pausing her actions for a second to gauge his reaction.

“Well, I mean…” He didn’t seem bothered by the questions, just a little confused, like he was trying to make sense of his own thoughts before sharing them. “I have ideas, but I’m not sure if I want to jump back in. I’m quite enjoying my honeymoon off time right now.”

He shrugged his shoulders and finally lifted his head to her face. She was looking at him, trying to get a read on his feelings, like she was searching for a sign that everything really was okay.

“Is that alright with you?” Niall asked with the slightest hesitation.

“Of course,” she said, giving him an encouraging smile. “Whatever makes you happy, baby.”

And that was the end of it. Niall flew to Luxembourg with her, coming along to most of her training on court and sometimes working on his own body alongside her in the gym, watching tv or reading books in the hotel rooms and cheering her on during her matches. They also came to China together and Lucy was more than happy to have her husband there, it was a really nice tournament, a special event, but it was also stressful, especially with the pressure to perform as well as possible and fight for the year-end number one spot. There were no easy matches and Niall’s presence and humour were perfect relaxers.

“Are we going out for dinner tonight?” asked Niall when she joined him in their hotel room after taking a cooling bath to recover her tired muscles. Lucy won her second game of the tournament, pretty much bagging herself a spot in the semi-finals, so a little celebratory dinner was more than deserved. (Even though they’d been going out to dinner every night since they got to Shenzhen).

“Yeah, I think so. Jordan was talking about this restaurant that’s supposed to be a mind blowing experience.” Lucy said, referencing her fitness trainer. She was busy unpacking her bag from the match, which made her miss Niall’s expression falling, his brows drawing together in a frown.

“Oh. I didn’t realise they were all going with us. Again.” Niall’s unamused tone made her look up instantly.

“What do you mean?” she asked, confused. Niall was the most friendly person she knew, he never had a problem with being around people, and he got along pretty well with her team. It wasn’t unusual, when playing tournaments, especially the big ones; they had been going out to dinner together as a little break from work, Niall had never complained about it during his visits, always more than happy to tag along, even joking that it made him feel like part of the winning team.

“Well, it is our honeymoon still, kinda.” His eyes were challenging, not leaving hers for even a second, but his next words were gentler, indicating he wasn’t looking for a fight, just wanted her to see his point. “We’ve been surrounded by your coach, trainer, physio, psychologist and manager for the past two weeks. I know you’re basically working right now and it’s your team, I do like them as well, but I’d like to have dinner with just my wife sometimes. Is it that wrong?”

She shook her head, her heart melting right away, seeing his reasons and thinking about any possible signs she might have missed, making a mental note to consider it in the future. “I’m sorry, you know I suck at saying no to people. Especially the ones I like.”

“And it’s your routine, it’s what you do, I know, but I’d like to still celebrate us a bit, you know?” His voice was still a little desperate, but he didn’t seem as frustrated anymore.

“I’d like that too. Thank you for bringing that to my attention, baby. I’m gonna text everyone, let them know we’re doing our own thing tonight.”

She went to grab her charging phone right away. As she was about to walk back to her bag after sending a message, Niall grabbed her by the hand and pulled her to stand between his legs, while he sat on the bed, his hands resting at the bottom of her waist.

He looked up at her and when she leaned down for a kiss, he went for her neck instead, then whispering in her ear, “You’re gonna let me blow your mind tonight, then? Don’t need any fancy restaurant to do that, hm?”

~~~~

Italy was the perfect place to drown your sorrows. That’s what Niall said when they were leaving China, even after Lucy assured him there weren’t really any sorrows to be buried. Sure, she didn’t finish the year at the top of the ranking, losing in the semi finals, but she did hold the number two spot and that was more than enough. Plus she was more than happy to be going back on their honeymoon and enjoying the world with no plan or pressure, just the two of them, before starting her pre-season training in a few weeks.

They flew down to Rome. Both of them had been in the city numerous times before, Niall for tours and Lucy for a tournament, but now they finally had the time to actually explore, see all the main attractions, as well as some more hidden gems. Then they took the train to Florence, which was the city Lucy was most excited about, having seen all the beautiful pictures and talking to some friends who had visited in the past.

Even though they both had seen a lot of places because of their respective jobs, there was something entirely special in travelling like that, together, with no other intent but exploring and enjoying the time and place. Both of them sometimes found it hard to disconnect, let go of stress and worry, not think about what needs to be done soon, what work awaits them. But walking around Florence, basking in the sun which was a nice surprise as it was the beginning of November, holding hands and admiring the beautiful city, they were both simply calm and happy, not a worry in sight.

“Shit, Niall, I’m dripping.” Lucy interrupted the calm with an exclamation, stopping in her tracks.

“Jesus, Lulu, we just left the church not even ten minutes ago, hold your horses, woman.” Niall had the smuggiest grin on his face and didn’t even move to hand her a tissue, her melted ice cream dripping down her hand.

She looked at him very bemused while he gave her an almost childlike grin, before finally digging through his backpack to help her.

“You are so not funny,” Lucy said, taking a tissue from him, a grumpy expression on her face.

“Sorry, I’m pretty sure there is a ‘no returns’ policy on husbands, so you’re stuck with me forever now.” He laughed putting his arm around her waist and squeezing her tightly against his side, before planting a kiss on her cheek.

Lucy kept a snarl on her face for a few seconds more, before letting a smile overcome her features and searching for his lips, letting him know she actually appreciated his ability to joke at everything, his easygoing attitude, which was truly irritating at times when they started dating, but she grew to not only love it, but admire it a bit.

In Milan they decided to rent a car and travel through France to Spain and then Portugal, where they would end their trip. The road tripping took Lucy back in time in a way, because she remembered many travels with her parents to different tennis tournaments, when she was a kid. However, travelling with Niall was immensely better. She barely ever drove, so he did most of it, only switching for an hour or so, when he was really tired, even though they didn’t pull super long distances, making pit stops in smaller places for a night or two. She really enjoyed watching Niall drive though, there was something so sexy about his confidence, one hand on the wheel, while the other usually rested on her thigh or was intertwined with hers, his head bobbing along to the music and singing to most songs, a carefree smile constant on his lips. There was no better word to describe her feelings than content. Just fully content.

“We should travel like this more often,” she said, when he looked at her with an arched brow, after she had been quiet for a while.

His face lit up and he raised their joined hands to press a soft kiss to hers.

“You enjoying yourself, then?”

She hummed happily. “Mmm, very much. First class flights and fancy hotels are always nice, but this is just special, I don’t know, like we’re actually seeing the world together. Maybe it’s because we fly around so much, I’m quite used to it. While I haven’t been on a road trip since I was around fifteen, probably.”

“Yeah, it’s nicely different. And it feels more chilled, I think. Like, if we want to stop, we stop. If we want to see something, we go there. There’s no rush. I’m really liking it too.” He agreed, taking his eyes off the road for a second to offer her a big smile.

“Let’s do this at least once a year,” she proposed. “Maybe not for two weeks, or whatever, it can be a smaller trip, but I’d quite like to make it our thing.”

“Deal,” he said, letting go of her hand just to wrap his pinky around hers. “Although I reckon you’re gonna regret those words once we have kids.”

Somewhere along their relationship, having kids stopped being an ‘if’ and became a ‘when’. They didn’t even talk about it, not really, but it was a natural progression none of them minded. Whenever Lucy heard it, it made her smile at her partner. It was almost like they subconsciously knew they both wanted it, their souls reading each other and wanting the same thing.

After travelling through France and most of Spain, they decided to rent a small house near the coast and rest for a few days. They were enjoying a glass of wine (well, beer for Niall) after dinner on the patio while playing cards. Both of them were snuggled in cozy sweaters (Lucy was wearing her favourite of Niall’s), but the air was so nice, although chilly, they didn’t want to go inside.

“Why don’t we have, like, a holiday house somewhere?” Niall asked after losing yet another game. Lucy was always better at games that required any type of strategic thinking, yet he was still grumpy after losing too many times.

She shrugged while picking up the cards to shuffle them for another round. “I actually don’t know. Properties are usually a good investment. We should look around.” She shrugged while picking up the cards to shuffle them for another round.

“We could spend a month in Spain or wherever,” he suggested looking around, as if trying to picture their future there.

“That sounds nice. But between that and our yearly road trips, I doubt we’d actually have enough time to enjoy it all.”

“Mmm, that’s true,” he hummed, thinking about it all. “But I’d really like a house in Ireland.”

“Why am I not surprised?” She let out a small laugh. Niall was nothing if not patriotic, always speaking about his country with a special spark in his eyes.

“Would you not?” He sounded almost offended, like it was an attack on his person. “I need to show you more of the country, actually. We should take some road trips there.”

“Well, it depends,” she said picking up her wine glass and taking a sip. “I think it’d be nice as a cottage, a get away house, but I don’t think I’d want to live there, not yet at least, maybe once we’re old or something.”

He was silent for a minute, sorting through his own thoughts and feelings. “Well, I always thought I’d move back one day. But you’re right, it wouldn’t be practical to live there now, not with our jobs and plans. You’re not crossing it out though, right? We’ll think about it in a few years?”

“Would you ask for a divorce if I said no?” she teased.

“Oh yeah, it’s a deal breaker for me.” Niall joined with the same joking manner, although his tone and face was serious. “We should have talked about it before, huh?”

“As long as we’d both be able to do the job we’d want to do while living there, I’m pretty open to it,” she said seriously. They’d both learned a long time ago that home was wherever they were together, the actual place didn’t matter that much.

He smiled brightly, leaning over the table between them to give her a happy kiss. “What about now, though? Would it be okay if we looked around? Got a little cottage in the middle of nowhere or something?”

She held to his neck to give him one more kiss before letting go and settling back in her seat. They only had this much space between them, so Niall would look into her cards, but maybe it was time to end the game. “Yeah, of course. That’d be nice, actually, our little escape.”

With both of their lifestyles being so hectic, they probably wouldn’t have too much time to actually spend there, but Ireland was close enough for a quick weekend getaway trip. She liked that perspective. Or both of them flying down from wherever they were and meeting there for a couple of days together, away from the noisy world. Just them and their little bubble. It sounded like heaven. This whole honeymoon made both of them wonder how were they supposed to go back on their separate travels soon, after spending so much time by each other’s side.

They had those bittersweet moments, when they were still together, but already missing the other person, even before they were gone. They’d catch the other looking a bit distant, a sad glint in their eyes and just know, making sure to squeeze the other person’s hand or give a specially tight hug or a reassuring kiss.

Even though none of them said anything, they both wondered how long will their life look like that, constantly apart, missing each other and living from one visit to the other. But in the end, there was never any doubt in their minds whether it was worth it. And that’s all that truly mattered.

#1dff #niall horan fanfiction #niall horan oneshot #niall horan fan fiction #one direction fanfiction #one direction fan fiction #dtl #down the line

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bluepenguinstories · 3 years ago

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Remoras Full Chapter XXXV: Lion-Drawn Chariot

When I woke up in the morning, I wasn’t planning on saving anyone’s lives. Then again, did anyone ever plan those sorta things? Like, “so at noon I plan to go out and save someone’s life.” Nope. That sorta thing just didn’t happen. Maybe it was a Superman thing, I imagine Superman didn’t wake up every morning and go, “I think I’m going to save some lives today.”

But lo and behold, when I woke up, I checked my phone right away (‘cause I’m always on that phone) and noticed a very concerning text.

Now, you may ask yourself, “Cybele, aren’t you exaggerating?” And lemme tell you, hypothetical ‘you’, no. No I was not exaggerating one iota:

Unknown Number: Could you please come get me? No pressure if you’re busy or asleep or anything. Take your time. I’ll probably be dead by the time you get here, anyway.

My eyes widened and I jolted up.

“Who?” Was my first question. Some unknown number just told me they’d be dead, and they listed the address to a hotel. Flags didn’t get much redder than that.

“Okay, think, think: Sunny might have gotten a new number,” I paced about and brainstormed as to who it could have been.

Yeah. That checks out. It’s just like Sunny to go off and get herself hurt. Of course she’d want me to bail her out.

It’s been a while since I’ve heard from Sunny. Probably a good six months. It was only a couple weeks ago that Ray finally gave me a call and explained the situation back at the diner. No wonder they went silent. I always figured Sunny stayed inside the diner with Ray due to the circumstances they faced, but it was true that she had trouble keeping still.

Yes, that’s true, but she’d stay at the diner with Ray if the circumstances are as dire as he said. I don’t doubt for a second that Sunny would help keep things together with Ray.

So if it wasn’t Sunny, then who? Frantic, I looked back at the phone.

What if I overslept and someone seriously was dying and now I’m too late?

Well, I could put that thought to rest: the text was only sent a few minutes ago.

“Still doesn’t give me time to shower...ugh...well, I’ll just slap on some deodorant, spray some rose water, and call it good. Whoever it is should consider themselves lucky that I’m showing up at all.”

No, that wasn’t the right attitude to have. Someone might have been dying for real.

“I’ll definitely save you,” I declared, still not totally convinced it wasn’t a scam.

To be honest, I was somewhat relieved to have an excuse to get back in my plane and fly around. Even if it turned out to have been a waste of time...no, it wouldn’t have been, because I’d be doing something I loved: flying.

Way back when Ray delivered that horrible news, I didn’t know what I’d do or where I’d go, but he had no problem with me taking the plane with me. It may have been the case that he figured if I took it with me, others wouldn’t have a means of getting to the diner, but whatever the reason, I just liked having it around. Things just didn’t feel right without it.

Oh, and it sure was a super fast aircraft, too! I arrived at the hotel parking lot within the hour. Now, as one could imagine, it was hard to find parking, so I had to park way in the back, and I was positive that there would be many a car furious with me for taking up so much space. But screw them, I wouldn’t be around that long, anyway!

When I stepped out of the plane, I looked around to find the parking lot near empty. Just a few cars here and there, kind of scattered like a tic-tac-toe board. Guess there was nothing to worry about (when it came to taking up space)!

“This is the place, right?” I was perplexed when I walked forward. Really, what did I expect to find? I had no idea and from the look of things, there was nothing to expect. It was just some normal looking hotel. OK. Layout: some tall, gold, fancy hotel, an awning, a few marble stairs. Some of the windows on the upper floors looked a bit busted, but aside from that, it had a sheen about it. Like, pristine sheen.

I continued to walk forward, in somewhat of a daze. It was rather early in the morning and I hadn’t had a coffee or anything like that. Closer, my foggy eyes not really clearing up, then my heart thumped on high alert in a single instant: blaring sirens of ambulances filled the air.

I shifted all around and tried to figure out what the commotion was. My head turned in a rapid manner, much more than a simple shake. Then, I spotted the culprit: a small body, collapsed and lying on the ground.

Take your time. I’ll probably be dead by the time you get here, anyway, those words echoed in my mind with an accelerating intensity as I sprinted toward the collapsed figure. Once I caught a better look, I filled with dread.

I recognize this person.

She was sprawled out, on her back, a fresh, dark wound on her right shoulder. Her hair was no longer green, it was blonde, and she wasn’t wearing any glasses, either. What she wore instead was a dark purple hoodie, jeans, and a pair of fingerless gloves. Fabric from her hoodie had been torn on the bottom and a fresh, gaping cut was visible and the blood which ran down from it obscured the skin of her stomach. It didn’t look deep enough to have penetrated any organs, but it was still a concern, nonetheless.

Just witnessing it put me in a sort of shudder, a repulsion which I had to fight back against. Nerves against my eyelids tightened and I felt a strain on my eyes along with a reservoir of tears ready to form from beneath the surface. It was as if a gust of wind had struck them.

I knelt down, my heart still on high alert. The rush of endorphins, not to mention the stress and adrenaline, was all the energy I needed to wake me up for the morning.

Please still be alive. Please.

I placed two fingers up to the nape of her neck, sucked up a small amount of saliva, and drew heavy breaths. Two seconds. I swear, the longest two seconds I ever felt. Rapid fire thoughts pounded against the edges of my skull. It was enough to make me wonder if my head was about to split open, or if my heart would give out, unable to handle the anticipation. My breaths were heavy to the point that I sounded like I was in some sort of frenzied state.

At last, I felt a pulse.

What a relief. What a relief. What a rel –

“Ma’am! Get away from the body!” I heard someone shout behind me.

I turned my head to see an ambulance parked (well, ‘parked’ was a little generous, as it had been swerved to its side and burnt skid marks could be seen just behind the vehicle’s tires) and two paramedics who looked ready to push me aside.

Of course. It just has to come to this.

“I think not,” I defied them, “I’m this young lady’s primary care physician and I’m going to take her to my clinic with me. She’s requested if in an emergency, then I am to come get her directly.”

They both looked at each other, confused.

“Can we see proof?” One of them asked.

I fished out a fake doctor’s license as well as a forged note. Such (illegal) methods weren’t used often, and it was never something I enjoyed doing, but it’s come in handy at times when I’ve had to bail Sunny out. Her idea, of course.

“Oh, well, uh, okay,” their confusion still showed through their voice, but nevertheless, they fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

“May I borrow one of your gurneys so I can get her onto my plane?” I asked them.

“Plane?”

I nodded.

“Yes. Do you have a problem with that?”

Acting was never one of my strong suits, but it turned out when you had just the right things to appear official, people tended to believe you. Needless to say, I got Demetria onto my plane and got right to work with the gauze.

Man, I’m really not a doctor. If only Cole-Slaw was here. She’d know what to do. Or she’d chew me out for not knowing what to do. Either way, I’m sure she’d be of more help.

In any case, she’d live. That much I knew for sure.

When I got home, I was too on edge to really do anything. I just sat on the couch and waited for her to wake up. Long stretches of time passed, and I would check in on the room I placed her in, with no such luck. It was concerning, to say the least, but I held out hope.

She needs rest. I’ll let her be.

Despite how serious it was, eventually the worry stepped aside and I got out my journal to write a couple of quick poems. Neither of them were all that good, but they didn’t need to be; their main purpose was to get my mind off of things. One of them started out like this:

Slumbers are a fickle thing.

So I go to the cupboard and pull out a box of cookies.

One by one, shoveled into my mouth.

Then I go back to bed, unable to sleep

due to the pain in my stomach.

But it was worth it.

What does it have to do with anything?

What is the meaning of sweetness?

An array of crumbs fall out of my pockets

and I’m visited by the sandman, who tells me

that he’s about to pour more crumbs in.

That bastard always gets the better of me.

Like I said, it left a bit to be desired, but I wasn’t done with it. Maybe in the third stanza, it would start to shine. But before I could get to that, I was interrupted by a rustling in another room, followed by a low groan.

I got up from the couch and followed the sound into the other room. Demetria stood hunched over in front of the bed I had laid her in. She propped herself up by holding onto the front-facing corner of the bedpost, but it was clear by the way she wobbled and her poor balance that she would fall back down onto the bed.

“Ow...ow...ooh,” she hissed and groaned, alternating between the two.

So she fell back down. Onto the bed.

“Owww...god damn it…” she moaned, adding, “I can hardly move. Ugh...I can’t believe I’m not dead.”

I shook my head and placed my hands on my hips.

“I swear, you’re just as bad as Sunny,” I scolded.

“Right, ‘cause if I’m going to have a role model, it may as well be Sunny,” she replied, deadpan in her delivery. She then turned her head and looked my way.

“So...you got my message?” She asked, her voice low and hoarse.

“Yeah. Mind telling me what happened?” I tapped my foot.

She looked away from me.

“I’d...rather not.”

That wasn’t what I expected to hear, nor really what I wanted to hear, but I respected her decision.

With her good arm (the one that wasn’t all covered up in layers of gauze), she covered her eyes.

“Can I...can I stay here a while?” She wheezed, then coughed.

“Judging from your injuries, I’m going to say you don’t have a choice. Now try not to move around so much, and please, get some rest.”

What she said next kept me from leaving the room.

“You shouldn’t have picked me up. I didn’t want to be saved,” I heard her say through her low mutter.

“I don’t believe that,” emotions welled up in me. Yes, she was in a great deal of pain, but there were quite a few mixed feelings I had. Feelings I should have held back or saved for later, when she was recovered, but I couldn’t help myself. “If that was the case, you wouldn’t have sent that text.”

“I’m not worth it,” she replied, though it didn’t feel like a reply at all. It felt like she ignored everything I said, and was just continuing off of the last thing she said.

Don’t say that, I thought. I almost growled it out, but I stopped myself.

“Get some rest. Please,” I told her instead, my voice not low, but instead weepy.

She gave a short nod and I noticed tears run down her cheeks. My head hung low and I had to force myself to turn away and step out of the room. Her clear pain and anguish had me at a chokehold and I felt a tinge of regret leaving her alone like that. But if she was going to rest, she would need her space, so I pulled up the curtain and ducked my head, then left the room.

This house I bought was rather large, much more space than I needed. But I was rich and since I could afford to, I wanted to get something nice. Not to mention the fact that I was so used to living in a large airport, even though I didn’t own the airport, it was still a home to me, and I just didn’t feel at home without the wide, empty spaces.

So I lived in a tall house, all to myself. Most of my stuff was relegated to one bedroom (of which there were a few rooms; they all sat empty, save for the one Demetria was now in). If I wasn’t there, I slept on the couch. My kitchen, though wide enough to have its own “island” (I never quite understood why they called that thing in the middle of kitchens in big houses an island), but that too sat mostly empty. There were a few things in the fridge, but that was about it. I didn’t cook. I could have, but I was rich, and I wasn’t used to cooking, so I always just ordered takeout.

The room Demetria was in was kind of a little architectural experiment, as it was originally a walk-in closet tied to a separate (empty) room, but I took down the closet doors and replaced it with a butterfly pattern tapestry that hung from the wall instead. No, I never planned such a thing, but I had a bed in that little room. It wasn’t an especially large bed, as it could only fit a twin-sized mattress, but it was the perfect fit for Demetria.

As I said, I never planned for her to stay here, but I always thought it would be nice to have guests over. I mean, I had a couple friends here and there, and they lived thousands of miles away, but that was nothing for me since I had my own plane. That said, no one ever expressed wanting to stay over, all telling me the same thing, that they “didn’t want to impose” (really, guys? It wouldn’t be an imposition if I was the one offering).

One questionable decision I made was removing the ceiling light and putting a lava lamp in the room instead. Yeah, it looked cool, but the way it lit up the room and reflected off of the curtain gave the room a distinct red tint. Like the room was on fire. Considering how bloodied up Demetria was, it seemed rather inappropriate now. Hindsight, am I right?

So I sat on the couch once again and flipped on the TV. Usually it just sat there and gathered dust, something which it was rather good at, but I decided to turn it on just to have some background noise. Channel after channel I skipped through until I stopped at a local channel and noticed it was a recording of an opera titled Atys.

No, I had no idea what it was about. It was an opera, did anybody ever know what was going on? Yeah, didn’t think so. But it was nice to see all the pretty outfits, and it sure sounded pretty, too. So it was settled, I’d watch a bit of that. Then, I too began to doze off.

My rest didn’t last long.

Shrill screams forced me awake and in a panic, I rushed to the room.

I found her, sat up against the edge of the bed, a look of shock, anger, terror, or a mix of all three filled her face as well as beads of either sweat, tears, or both. Her breaths were loud and heavy and she shook in place, as if paralyzed in fear. I looked to where Demetria stared ahead, but saw nothing, only the shadow of the lava lamp which sat on a table next to the bottom end of the bed.

“Is everything all right?!” I shouted, unable to hold back the concern in my voice. I rushed over and sat at the edge of the bed.

“Demetria...Demetria…” I tried to get her attention but my soft voice betrayed me. In a conscious manner, I sharpened my voice and shouted:

“Demetria!”

She blinked and then her eyes darted around and although she still heaved, her breath began to slow down and her eyes relaxed.

“Sorry. I had a nightmare,” she stated, as if it wasn’t such a big deal.

Not knowing what else to do, I leaned in and pulled her into my chest and held her tight.

“Ow, ow. My shoulder,” she complained and I let her go just as fast as I held her.

She sat there and rubbed her left eye, then her forehead.

“It just happens sometimes. Those same images haunt me,” she continued. I didn’t know what she could have meant, but that initial bout of screaming was enough of a concern as it was.

“Was it about something that happened to you?”

She gave a short nod, then buried her head in her hands. I heard no sniffles or weeps, but the silence itself was enough of a worry.

“Do you want me to give you some space?” I offered a rather foolish gesture, but the best I could offer without knowing what else I could do at the moment. As she gave no response, I waited a few seconds, then got up, figuring the answer was “yes”.

As soon as I started to get up, though, she tugged at my arm.

“Can you stay here? I’m afraid to go back to sleep,” she begged. For added measure, she lifted her head up and gave me puppy dog eyes.

“Yeah,” I gave in. As much as I hated to admit, those puppy dog eyes were adorable. “I don’t have anywhere I need to be in the morning. Making sure you’re well is my main priority right now.”

She let go of my arm, reeled it back to her side. Again, there was a lull, a standstill. Neither of us must have known what to do or say next. At least that was the case for me.

“You’re probably wondering how I got like this, huh?” She spoke up at last. Her face was still obscured, her voice muffled, but it was a voice nonetheless.

“Yes. I would like to know, but I’m not going to force it out of you.”

She lifted her head up and leaned it against the wall.

“To be honest, I’d like to know, too,” she replied with a dry, hollow reply. Even though she forced a slight smile, it was clear from her tone that she was anything but pleased.

“You don’t know how you got your injuries?” I was perplexed.

“I killed someone,” she answered. “Correction: I killed quite a few people, but the one who gave me my injuries was just one man.”

“My God…” the words escaped me. It wasn’t that I was all that shocked; Ray definitely gave off “former yakuza turned househusband” vibes and Sunny was a chaotic bundle of joy who I’ve had to pull out of messy situations several times. It might have just been that Demetria didn’t strike me as the violent type, but then again, my frame of reference was rather narrow, so it wasn’t like I had a complete impression of her. Maybe that would all change once I spent more time around her.

“I know, right? Not very heroic of me. For the record, I never considered myself a hero, but at the same time, I never thought I would be capable of doing such things. Let alone willing. But here I am, I went from someone who wanted to prevent the deaths of others to causing them. So much for protecting people.”

“I’m sure you had a good reason, though,” I argued. After all, rude as she may be, I refused to believe she was a bad person. She turned to me, her lips folded into a frown.

“Do you think that makes a difference?” Her eyelids were half-shut and she looked ready to nod off. “In my mind, I did it to protect others. But there could have been a better way to go about it. Maybe I just wanted to satisfy a bloodlust. I don’t know.”

“I don’t know, either,” I echoed her sentiment.

“Even now, I see the horror in their eyes. How they were torn to shreds.”

“Are you talking about the people you killed?”

She shook her head.

“No.”

I wasn’t sure what she was referring to, then. There was still so much she wouldn’t tell me, and maybe I didn’t want to hear the details, but I still wanted to help in any way I could.

“Have you ever seen someone being eaten alive?” She asked. It struck me as odd, just as random, if not more than her previous statement.

“No, I can’t say I have…”

“It’s not a pretty sight. That shit sticks with you.”

Just what kind of things have you experienced? I was a little baffled, to say the least. Just the idea made me shudder. She rolled her eyes, then turned her head away.

“I wanted to be badass so I could impress someone I had a crush on. Then...I was exposed to things I never should have witnessed. So my motivation changed. I wanted to be stronger so I could protect others. But I admit, I still wanted to impress her, too. I’ll think about back then and think of how if I were stronger, they would have survived. Or if it was someone else who went there, someone better. Someone who wasn’t me.”

“We all have things we regret,” I tried to tell her, which wasn’t really all that helpful, I know.

“You don’t understand,” she sharpened her voice. It wasn’t quite a shout, but it still had a bite behind it. “The reality is that if I hadn’t gone there, they would have met the same end. It’s easy to play the ‘what-if’ game, but there’s no way to know if there was anything that could have been done, and somehow that’s even worse.”

She paused again, closed her eyes. Part of me hoped that she hadn’t gone to sleep just because I didn’t want her to wake up screaming again.

“I’m stronger now. I’m badass. I got what I wanted, but at this point, I’d rather go back to being how I was before: meek, timid, someone who minded her own business. Hell, I tried to go back to being her, but I can’t. She’s gone now. Every attempt to return to my old self just felt like fighting back against a current.”

“I may not know what it’s like to go through all the things you have, but I do believe that even if you can’t return to how you were before, you can still be who you want to be. Even if that person is different from how you envisioned yourself to be. Hell, I know it’s hard. I know, but you can still find comfort in who you are right now.”

It seemed like the most poignant thing I’ve said all day, and yet everything I said in that statement was something that I continued to struggle with, myself.

Rather than reply, she drew a heavy breath. Her head slumped over to her side, and I realized that she had gone back to sleep.

I felt a faint spell overtake me as well and there must have been a couple of microscopic versions of me who struggled to hold my eyelids open, but to no avail. Soon, I faded away, into the sea of unconsciousness.

When I awoke, it must have been early in the morning as a bright light shone through the room. I struggled up and found myself in much of a haze. Then, a pounding came. Well, there wasn’t one. At first I thought there was, but it turned out to be more of a notion in my head or my heart telling me that someone was at my front door. There was no basis for such a feeling, but I was compelled to follow it, nonetheless.

Through the sluggish movements, I reached for the handle on the door, then pulled it open. Upon doing so, a blinding flash of light burst into the house and I couldn’t see anything in front of me. No front yard, no dirt, no grass, no neighborhood. Nothing but the flash of light.

Soon, that dissipated, and the shapes of the environment right outside my house took hold. It was a slow process, though, and it seemed to be sapped away, or drawn in to a particular spot in the middle of my peripheral vision. Right in front of me, a little below me, until I saw who, or what was at my door: a little girl with ashen hair, soot and dust. Her large, beady eyes, like what a stuffed animal would have. Corduroy, was what she reminded me of. That little bear from a picture book way back when I was about her age. She wore a thick cloak, hood off. Actually, it might have been a short-sleeved T-shirt and jeans. It was hard to tell which, as if whatever it truly was, my mind couldn’t decide what to see.

“May I help you?” I asked her.

She stared ahead rather than look up at me. Like there was something she was focused on, maybe something that she wished to steal from my home.

Oh, relax. She’s probably just a girl scout and trying to sell me cookies, I scolded myself. It was all I could do to feel at ease. Not that I felt dread around her, or that she held any malicious intent, but I still felt a little uneasy.

“Can I come in?” She looked up and asked at last, her voice soft and ethereal. She also didn’t look up at all. I didn’t see her head move, but I could tell I was the one being addressed.

Careful, Cybele. She might be a vampire. You know how those little girls who ask to come in are. First you say yes, next thing you know you’re strung up on the ceiling and a flattened husk of who you were, with a pile of your blood dripping down and staining your carpet.

...I really needed to get more sleep.

“Uh...Sure?” It must have been the tiredness in me, but if I was going to get eaten up by a vampire, it may as well have been early in the morning.

“Thank you,” she chirped, or blew forth the words, like a Magpie or a wind chime. But it was also gentle, and breathy as well. Neither a whisper nor a shout. Closer to the former than latter, but not really reaching the quietness of the former, either.

Another oddity was that after that, she didn’t move. I invited her in, but she didn’t walk in. I figured that was that when I closed the door and just chalked it up to a weird occurrence.

“Interesting home you have,” that same soothing and unnerving voice returned, and I turned to see her walking through my living room. Well, I could have said that, but she didn’t wander. She was close to the door. Right behind me, in fact. Despite her not having walked in, not even floated in (like a ghost would have at least been courteous to do), she was there.

For whatever reason, I walked over near where the room was where Demetria slept, but stayed outside the door frame and remained in the living room. Whatever that child wanted, she was already in my house now and probably wouldn’t leave until I figured what it was that she was here for. More than that, I needed to know who or what she was, if she was anything at all.

“So, what should I call you?” I blurted out the question. She didn’t seem bothered by it at all.

“I wonder…” She looked around as she replied, “what do you think you should call me?”

“Anything?” I blinked.

“You would call me ‘Anything’?” She asked, as if entertaining the idea.

“Well, I mean, if I can call you anything I want to call you...what’s to stop me from calling you ‘Lampshade’?”

“What’s to stop you indeed.”

That still didn’t seem right. Everything reminded me of ‘be not afraid’, that kind of angel vibe.

“Are you an angel?” I wasn’t satisfied with calling her a lampshade. It was just the first thing I could think of that was next to me (there was a lamp next to the television set).

“Is that how you wish to see me?”

Another odd question. It seemed neither meant to mock, be an admittance, nor denial. Just a genuine sense of wonder.

“I…I don’t know,” I was at a loss. “At least tell me your name.”

“My name?”

“You know, like my name is Cybele.”

She smiled, even if it didn’t look like her lips made any such creases.

“Ah, Cybele, the Anatolian mother goddess. If that be your name, you may be most wonderful, indeed.” “Gee, I don’t know about that. I certainly don’t want to be anyone’s mom. No offense, but I’m not interested in raising any kids.”

“Why would that bring me offense?”

“I don’t...uh, anyway. What brings you here?” I felt like I was getting nowhere, and worst of all, I didn’t even know what she wanted.

She walked forward in a way that felt more like a glide. Despite it being one foot over the other, it was fast, but also light, and didn’t look the least bit like a run. As she approached me, for whatever reason, I fell back to the floor, and she passed right by me, into the room where Demetria resided.

I got up and followed her in. There was no reason to suspect as such, but I still didn’t want any harm to come to Demetria. Especially when she still had her injuries.

But when I saw the mysterious little girl, all she did was stare at the bed where Demetria lay.

“She’s seeing disturbing visions right now,” the girl stated. Lampshade or whatever else there was to call her.

“How do you know that?” I asked. It was probably true, though, that she was having bad dreams, but I still wanted to know the basis of how she knew. Hell, how she knew Demetria at all.

“We met once before, under less comforting circumstances,” the girl replied.

“She told me she’s been having nightmares.”

“Nightmares...little imps who ride on horses?”

“No, like, bad dreams. Like, we humans get tired, and when we get tired enough, our body starts to shut down and we let our consciousness fade for a little while. We call it sleeping, and when we sleep, we often have dreams. They can be weird and unusual, sometimes mundane, though. Sometimes pleasant and sometimes terrifying. It depends less on the content of the dream, but more on the vibes the dream gives off.”

That was weird, too. I didn’t know why I felt the need to explain what sleep was. Not to mention, it wasn’t just people who slept, most animals did.

I saw a smile curve up from the side of her face.

“Thank you. I’ve been wondering what sleep was for a while.”

“What? You don’t know what sleep is?”

She turned her head from side to side.

“I’ve yet to experience it, but now that I understand the general concept, I am interested in finding out what it’s like for myself.”

“That’s odd. By the way, it’s not just humans that sleep. It’s most animals. Err...living creatures.”

She gave a single nod.

“I have met other organisms. Salamanders are one of my favorite, but I am partial to humans. They’re who I wish to study the most.”

“Are you...not human?” It seemed so obvious, but I had to ask anyway.

“I could be.”

I suppose simple questions warranted simple answers. Not that it answered anything, at least not in my mind.

“Tell me, Cybele, do you believe in reincarnation?” She asked at last and I jumped from where I stood, startled to be addressed by name.

So you know of such concepts like reincarnation, but not sleep?

“I’m not sure. I suppose it’s possible. Haven’t given it much thought.”

“What about resurrection?”

“Even less sure about that one. I’ve heard about people coming back from near-death experiences, but that’s it.”

“Recreation? Reconstruction?”

“Well, there’s facial reconstruction surgery. Why do you ask? Do you think it’s possible?”

She let out a soft laugh, like a giggle. It really took me aback that she was capable of such things.

“I don’t know, either, Cybele. I was just interested in what you believed in.”

“Well, I’m sorry. I guess I’m not all that interesting.”

“Quite the opposite; your perspective interests me as much as any human’s does.”

That sounded like a compliment. It might not have been, but I couldn’t help but blush and smile.

“So what do you want with her? Are you here just to watch?”

That time, as if I asked the magic question, caused her to give a definitive answer.

“I’m going to transfer some memories into her. They’ll be in an unused space in her mind, so she may not even notice.”

“Will it hurt?”

“It won’t hurt. She may have dreams pertaining to those memories, but it shouldn’t affect her personality. Not any more than her personality’s already been affected by her experiences.”

“Will it help with her nightmares?”

“Mm...it might. It might also give her new nightmares. I can’t say, as this is the first time I’ve done this.”

“Still...to think you’re capable of such a thing. Are you all-powerful?”

“I could be. However, there are things I’m much more interested in than that.”

She didn’t do anything with her hands, no magical beams of light shot out. There was nothing to indicate that she did anything to ‘transfer memories’, but after a few seconds of silence, she spoke up.

“It is done,” she stated.

“What was the purpose behind that?” I was a little awestruck at what little awe I had to be struck by.

“I’m just interested in seeing what might happen,” she stated, somehow both a definitive and non-definitive answer.

She shuffled out of the room, still the same gliding motion. Once again, I followed her. She hadn’t quite gotten out the door yet, so I decided I had more I wanted to ask her.

“Wait,” I tried to stop her before she could leave. “Before you go, I just want to know: am I dreaming right now?”

“Mm...You’re not sleeping, so by the definition you gave me, I don’t believe so. Unless it’s possible to dream without sleeping.”

“I don’t know...if it’s possible,” I yawned. That wave of tiredness I felt after Demetria fell asleep was starting to hit me again. I dropped down to the floor in response to my body’s demands. It wasn’t a pained collapse, I fell on my own volition.

“I’m starting to get sleepy,” I declared. Once again a yawn escaped me.

“How interesting. Would you like to sleep?”

I nodded my head. Now I felt like the kid in the situation.

“Can you sing me a lullaby?” I requested.

“Lullaby? What’s that?”

“You know, like a simple little song to get me to sleep.”

She lowered her head, as if deep in thought.

“Ah. I know one. Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are…”

With that, I drifted back off into sleep and the mysterious girl departed.

True morning was something far different.

For starters, the room was still dark. Well, I noticed light from outside the room. Of course, being that the ‘room’ Demetria and I were in was once just a big closet with no windows...yeah, it would make sense that it was still dark, even in daylight.

Oh yeah, that was the other thing: I woke up in the same place I fell asleep at in the first place, which was on the floor next to the bed Demetria slept in.

To my right was the bed. As I forced my way to a shabby half-awake state, I heard a shuffle from the bed and looked up to see Demetria sat up. She let out a low groan, her eyes squinted, then looked down where I was.

“Ugh...I just had the weirdest dream,” she rubbed her eyes with her palm and grumbled.

“Yeah?” I yawned. “What was it?”

“Well, I was in a fight with my cousin’s wife. We were both on a rooftop and she didn’t really seem like she wanted to fight, but I kept egging her on, and, well, she slashed me in the stomach, and I fell back. Last thing I remember was a stick being put in my mouth, then I woke up just now.”

That’s...disturbing?

“Huh. That is weird, indeed,” I commented.

“I know. We may not have gotten along much, but I wouldn’t want to harm my cousin’s wife. But I’m guessing it’s not so much because it was her, and it was more because of the fight I had at the hotel, and the guy who I didn’t want to fight slashed me in the stomach. Plus, my cousin’s wife did yell at me just the other night. But the context was a little different. She was upset, and I couldn’t blame her for that. Those people had no right to show up. I don’t know all the things she had to deal with, but I could only imagine how painful that was for her just to witness. As for rooftops…”

She scoffed, then gave a slight smile.

“Only thing I can recall is when I went to a place called Olympia and hid out on a rooftop to avoid guys shooting at me. Man, that place was a trip. Weird enough to have been a dream, but no, the actual dream I had felt real somehow. Like I lived it. Even if it may have just been a mishmash of various events over the past couple days...no, it didn’t feel like that at all.”

I was at a loss. From all the flakes of information she let slip, I could tell she’s gone through a lot. Much more than I would have expected from her.

“Well, for what it’s worth, I had a weird dream too,” I related.

“Yeah?” She sounded curious. “What was yours?”

I thought it over. I tried to think of what was weird about it. Actually, I tried to think about it at all, but couldn’t.

“Um...sorry. I thought I was gonna have something to tell, but I forgot,” I pouted.

“Eh. It happens.”

“So,” I hopped to my feet, “how about some breakfast in bed?”

“What are you, my housewife?” She groaned.

“No,” I frowned. “But it’ll be harder to recover on an empty stomach, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to get up much at the moment.”

“Are you gonna feed it to me, too?” She really wanted to make things difficult. Here I thought she’d have been more pleasant after a restful sleep.

“I...I haven’t thought that far. But if I have to, I will. Now, I’ve got yogurt and toast. That should be light on the stomach.”

She shrugged, then winced. For a moment, she must have forgotten how much pain her shoulder was in.

“Fine. I guess I can go for yogurt and toast. It’s something.”

It was settled: I made my way into the kitchen and pulled out a cup of Greek yogurt from my near-barren fridge.

“Greek yogurt, because...oh, never mind. Bad joke,” I scolded myself under my breath. Next was the toast. Whole grain, because that seemed like something she’d like.

After the bread popped out of the toaster and I had a spoon for the yogurt, I headed back into the room and handed them to her.

“Thanks,” she told me, then held up one of the slices of toast and bit into it.

“Ah!” I just remembered something very basic. Something which should never have been forgotten. “You’re going to need water. Lots of water. I’m also sure you’ll need to use the bathroom from time to time. Hmm...I don’t have one of those pee bags like doctors and nurses have…”

“Ew. I wouldn’t want to use one of those, anyway,” she spat. Ugh. Add that to the growing list of concerns: crumbs all over the bed.

“OK. Well, if you need help getting up, let me know and I’ll help you. I still don’t think you should walk all that much until you’re more healed, but at the same time you’re going to need to sooner or later.”

She nodded.

“Got it. You don’t have to act like my mom. I’m capable of taking care of myself.”

That kinda ticked me off, not gonna lie. Maybe it wasn’t the best time, but I just had to say something.

“I’m aware of that and from the way you say you didn’t want to be saved, you know what? Maybe I really should have left you there,” I hated every word I spewed out and I felt on the verge of tears.

“I’m sor…” She began, but didn’t finish the word.

“No. Even if I’m upset, you still need help. I don’t want to boss you around, I just want to help you. It seems like most of the times we’ve met up, I’ve done things for you and helped you, and in some cases, I just wanted to be nice. But even so, I can’t help but feel like I’ve been used.”

“I’m sorry. You’re right.”

Hearing her said that just about broke me. I didn’t want to hear such a thing. Yet she continued:

“You gave me a chance, you offered to be my friend, and I never once considered taking you up on your offer. For my part, I didn’t even want a friend, be it you or anyone else. It’s not that I don’t appreciate all that you’ve done for me, but at the same time, I used you. You were convenient and I took advantage of you.”

I was speechless, unsure whether to be angry or heartbroken. But all in all, what did I expect? We didn’t know each other very well, haven’t interacted much, and yet I chose to help her out time and time again.

“I...I know I shouldn’t when we don’t really know each other very well, but I still care about you,” I brought myself to tell her.

“Why? I don’t understand,” she objected. To that, I let out a hollow laugh.

“Neither do I. I just do.”

She took a couple bites out of her yogurt, then spoke up again.

“You shouldn’t,” she argued again.

“I never said that I should, just that I do,” I countered.

She scoffed, took a few more big bites of the cup of yogurt, then set the empty cup off to the side, on the nightstand.

“I’m such a hypocrite, aren’t I? Here I am, admitting how inconsiderate I’ve been, and yet I’ve been the same way as you.”

“You have?”

“I grew to care about others who never gave a shit about me. Some of them should’ve been expected, though, but I at least thought when I left that I meant something to Sunny and Ray. But no. Instead, he texts me saying he never wants me back and blocks me. Just goes to show how little I was valued. He’d probably still welcome Remora with open arms, but me? Not a chance. It’s like –”

“That’s not true!” I interrupted her. As much as I felt for her, I couldn’t let her keep going on about that. Maybe Ray didn’t want her to know, but I believed that she needed to know. “He probably told you that to keep you safe.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“He came clean with me about it recently, and it’s hard to believe, but if it’s bad enough that he wants to keep everyone away, then I have to believe it.”

“Believe what?” She leaned forward.

“He told me about a fog. Apparently people have gone through that fog and gotten all beat up. It’s not a blizzard, either. It’s like the air is still, and the air is warmer near the diner than the rest of the arctic. He said it’s like there’s these invisible enemies that bring harm to others. Many injured people have shown up at the diner and he’s been trying to take care of every single one, but the airport is closed off because he wants to try to keep the damage to a minimum.”

“Why would he tell me that, then?” She grew angrier, and the explanation had the opposite effect of what I was hoping for.

“I don’t know. Maybe he figured if you knew, you’d try to go back.”

“He’s goddamn right, too! What? He thinks he can take all that on his own?”

“I don’t think that’s the case, but even if it was, you aren’t the only one he had stay away. Where do you think we are right now?”

She looked around the room.

“I don’t know. I just woke up here,” she replied. Which, fair point.

“We’re at my house, over in Alaska. I bought it after Ray ordered me to leave. He gave me enough money to pay for a hotel, and I had enough saved up to buy my own home from all the funds he’s given me.”

“Damn, Alaska, huh?”

That’s what you focus on? What about the fact that I’m loaded? I’m totally not strapped for cash at all, it’s awesome!

“He didn’t even want Sunny to come back, but she was stubborn and came back anyway. So while I’m not quite sure who this Remora person is, I doubt he’s making any exceptions.”

She thought over what I told her, then asked:

“How long has it been like that?”

“Not long after I took you back home.”

“So months, huh? Are they still alive?”

I nodded. Thank goodness they were, too.

“Apparently it eases up sometimes, and he’s able to escort some people out, but he still wants to prevent others from entering.”

“Sounds like they’re doing fine on their own, then,” she concluded. I was rather surprised to hear her say that, considering how she said she cared about them and all. But at the same time, I didn’t think it was a good idea for her to try to enter, anyway. At least not while she had injuries of her own that she needed to heal from. She didn’t need any more.

“I wouldn’t go that far. But my point in telling you all that is this: you have more people who care about you than you think. Hell, I’m willing to bet you care about more people than you think, too.”

“Heh,” she managed a smile. “Maybe you’re right.”

“Now, I offered it to you before, and you don’t have to take it, but would you like to be friends?”

She looked down.

“I don’t know...I’m not really someone you’d want to be friends with. In case you forgot, I’ve killed people. I’m not a very good person.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

She pursed her lip. It looked like she was ready to pout.

“Yes. I’d really like a friend,” she said at last. Elation welled up in me and I felt like I could hug her, but I resisted, not wanting to exacerbate her pain. Still, I wanted to show her how happy I was to hear that, but it would have to wait as a vibration sounded off in Demetria’s pants pocket.

“Oh, my phone!” She sounded startled. She reached in and pulled it out, then answered.

“Hello?” She answered. “Oh, hey, Ves. Can I set it to speaker? It’s kinda hard to talk right now. Yeah, everything’s fine, it’s just kind of hard to hold my phone right now.”

I gulped. Like, do what you gotta do, but I felt like I’d be eavesdropping. Knowing that, I should’ve left the room. But to be honest, I kinda wanted to hear what was talked about.

“I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for yelling at you the other night,” the woman at the other end’s voice came through. She sounded a little weepy and mournful, but maybe it was just the reception.

“Don’t be. You have every right to react the way that you did. You didn’t deserve that.”

“Still, I don’t think you deserved that, either. Juniper helped me calm down and she suggested that you’re probably going through some difficult things, yourself. I want to be there for you, the way that Juniper was there for me when I dealt with difficult things. I don’t think you need to deal with it alone.”

“Thank you,” croaked Demetria in a near whisper. “Yeah, I was in a bad place. Both physically and mentally,” she looked over at me and smiled. “Now I’m only in a bad place mentally. I’ve got someone with me who’s helping me through some stuff.”

I couldn’t help but smile back at that.

“Are they like Juniper?” Ves asked.

“Sorta. Not really. It’s not romantic or anything. But I’m glad to have her around.”

“I’m glad too.”

“Thanks.”

“I just want you to know that you’re always welcome back here.”

“Thanks, Ves. I just think it’s best if I don’t right now.”

“I understand. Won’t you at least come back to get your stuff? You left it here.”

Demetria jolted upward.

“Oh shit, I did?! I’ll head on out right now!”

“No way you’re going out with those injuries,” I stopped Demetria. She was sat up and blankets pulled out, ready to hop on up out of bed. Once I told her that, she sulked.

“Injuries? Also, who was that?” Ves sounded like a smoothie blend of confusion and worry.

“Hi, I’m Cybele. She got pretty badly hurt, but she’ll survive. I cleaned up her wounds a bit and she’s all bandaged up right now, but I don’t think she’s in any state to be running around.”

“I see. That’s really concerning.”

“Yeah, well, if you want, I can get her stuff for her,” I offered.

“I don’t know...I don’t really like the idea of people I don’t know coming over…”

Fair, I thought. I bet I wouldn’t like that either.

“...But if you’re a friend of Demetria’s, I think I can trust you.”

“Great. I’ll be on my way.”

“Will do. Thank you, Cybele, and thanks for looking after my cousin-in-law.”

Ah, so she’s the one who Demetria had a dream about getting into a fight with. I wonder if I should ask her about that.

But I didn’t. She hung up and I stretched my arms.

“Looks like I’m heading out. Mind texting me the address?” I turned to Demetria and asked.

“Not at all. Thanks for doing this,” she began typing away at her phone.

“No problem. I’m sure at least some of those things are important to you. Now, before I go, feel free to wander around the house, but please try not to push yourself too hard.”

“Got it. See you in a little bit?” She asked.

I nodded, then waved.

“In a little bit.”

I flew out at once and I think the whole trip there took me maybe two hours at most? I wasn’t sure. Not that it mattered. Even if her stuff was way off in Indonesia, I’m sure I would’ve flown out to get it.

As soon as I found a nice empty patch of dirt to land in, I hopped out of the plane and approached their door. They lived in some remote place, far off from any cities or towns. Little bits of grass, some tilled farmland, a greenhouse, a shed, and a little chicken coop. Really, it looked like a nice place to hang. That said, I wasn’t sure if I could live there. As much as I was used to living in remote places, myself, I needed a certain...aesthetic that the country life they seemed to live lacked.

In any case, I walked up to the steps of their house, the wooden stairs creaked, and I knocked on their door. When the door opened, I was stunned at the beauty on display: a tall woman with glasses and near-white hair opened, and she was dressed in some kind of white robe.

“Whoa, you’re hot,” I blurted out. She raised an eyebrow.

“Do you always speak without thinking?” She asked.

“No, I swear I don’t. I’m sorry. Anyway, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise. You’re cute, yourself, with that ponytail and cap of yours. You remind me a bit of Juniper.”

I wasn’t sure who that was, but soon I did, as out stepped another beauty: a woman with blonde pigtails and muscular arms wearing a small tie-dye shirt and skinny jeans.

“And you’re cute,” I remarked.

Juniper, at least I presumed, beamed a bright smile.

“Thanks!”

“Isn’t she?” Ves gestured her arms as if to present her.

“Indeed! Anyway, I think I’m getting sidetracked.”

“Ahem,” Ves coughed into her fist, then changed into a more serious expression. “Yes. I as well. Tell me, is Demetria okay?”

“Well, like I said, she’s badly hurt, but she should recover. Her wounds don’t seem to be infected, and I don’t think she broke any bones. So at least there’s that.”

“Just what did she go through?” Ves mouthed out the words.

“I’m not sure if she wants me telling you, but I’m sure you can ask her.”

“Of course. I don’t want to pry.”

“I’ll go get her stuff!” Juniper declared, then walked off. As she did, I turned to Ves.

“Did you two get into a fight?” I questioned her.

“No,” she lowered her head, and turned to the side. “The other night I yelled at her. I had a mental breakdown. But it was nothing physical.”

“I’m glad to hear that. She just told me about a weird dream she had, so I got worried.”

“A dream?”

“Yeah, she said in the dream you guys fought on a rooftop, and then you slashed her stomach, and she fell.”

Ves took a step back and looked horrified.

“That’s...that’s…” She began, and it looked like I brought something out that she didn’t want to think about. “That’s strange. I don’t know what to make of that,” she said at last.

“Yeah, it was a dream, after all. Sorry, it was probably silly to bring up.”

“It’s all right. I appreciate your concern.”

I took a bow, then when I stood back up, I rubbed the back of my head.

“Oh, you know, it’s nothing special.”

Juniper came back out with a backpack and a couple pairs of shirts.

“Here ya go,” she handed them to me.

“This all?” I was a little surprised to see so little.

“Yeah, I guess she was a light traveler,” she shrugged.

“Well, I’m sure she’ll still appreciate it. Thank you guys,” I waved goodbye to them both, then hurried on my way back home.

Thoughts ran through my head as I approached the house.

Will Demetria still be there? She better, just so she doesn’t get herself hurt further. But at the same time, she does strike me as the type of person to run off.

It was a worry which turned out to be unfounded, as when I entered the house, Demetria was there in plain view: not in the room, but on the couch.

“Hey, I’m home,” I announced.

“How’d it go?” She turned and looked over to me.

“Eh, they seemed like nice people. Not really much happened. I just got your stuff, then left. How about you? How are you doing?”

“It’s been hard to get around. Had to prop myself up against the walls and stuff, but I managed. Found the bathroom and everything.”

“I’m glad to hear. I’m also glad to see you’re still here.”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be? I’ve got a destination in mind for where I want to go next, but I’m going to wait until I’m all healed up.”

“That’s good to hear.”

She seemed to be in brighter spirits than earlier in the morning. I went ahead and plopped down on the couch beside her.

“So, wanna order take-out?” I offered.

“Oh, hell yeah! I’m starving!” She roared.

“What do you like?”

“I’m cool with whatever...but also I’m vegetarian. So there’s that.”

“Fine by me. How about Chinese?”

“Totally! I bet there’s noodles and shit.”

I snorted.

“Yeah, there sure is.”

I went ahead and ordered online, then when I looked up, I gasped upon seeing what Demetria held up.

“By the way, I found this while you were away. Neat stuff,” she had a devilish grin on her face and I wanted to yank my journal away from her.

“Please don’t tell me you read it!”

“A bit. Here and there. Neat stuff. Though I’m sure I could write better.”

“Oh yeah?” I huffed.

“Yeah. Poetry’s easy. Anyone could do it. Here: ‘Roses are red. Violets are blue. Uhh...Fuck. I can’t think of anything else. How are you?’ See? Easy.”

I burst into laughter.

“Well, I had a good laugh, at least.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she dismissed. “I get it. I’m a comedic genius. No need to rub it in.”

The rest of our night went fairly well. We seemed to bond a bit here and there, something I never imagined.

Soon days passed and she walked around more and more as the days went by. On one occasion, I found her with her laptop open and sat up on the bed.

“I’m actually thinking of taking online classes to finish up my Master’s program,” she mentioned.

“Oh?”

“Yeah. It’s kind of a big deal for me. I dropped out for kinda stupid reasons, but truth be told I was losing interest in my studies, anyway. Still, I don’t like to leave things unfinished, so even if I’m no longer interested in marine biology, I’d still like to complete my program so I have something to show for it. For my own sake, anyway.”

“Well, I think it’s a good idea. I support your decision,” I gave a thumbs up. “Still, sounds difficult. I don’t think I could do online classes.”

“Eh. I don’t see myself liking them, either, but I don’t want to show up in person. I feel like I’d be a disgrace to whatever campus I ended up on.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t be like that.”

“I know...it’s just regrets and stuff.”

“I know how that can be, too,” I admitted. “Still, if you need any help with tuition, let me know. I’m pretty rich, after all.”

Gee, I really tried to brag about that whenever I could, huh?

“Thanks, but I got my own money,” she pulled out an envelope. “It was a birthday gift from...err...someone. It’s not important who.”

“If you got enough to pay for tuition for your birthday, sounds pretty important to me.”

“Trust me, it’s not. I feel bad even using it, but a gift’s a gift.”

I wasn’t going to press any more about the subject, but I was glad to hear that she was considering doing something meaningful.

All in all, it probably lasted about a month in total before she (at least said that she) was all healed up. I didn’t expect her to leave so soon, and her bag wasn’t packed, but by coincidence, I happened to be the one who sparked her departure.

“I’ve gotta say, this is a pretty cool place you got,” she wandered around the house while I sat at the couch and tried to think of another poem to write up.

“Yeah! I’m loaded! Ray paid me well!” I shouted. All I knew was that she was somewhere upstairs. “I didn’t even check my bank account before or after I bought this house, because I was pretty confident that I could already afford it!”

Yeah, it was shallow, but I had to take pride in something, I suppose.

“Whoa, really?” She called back. “How much you got?”

Out of curiosity, I decided to go on my phone and check. I figured I must’ve had like, a couple million or something? Seemed about right. However, once I checked my bank’s app and saw how much I had, my jaw dropped and I had to hold back a scream.

“No!” I wailed and kicked my legs against the base of my couch. “I’ve got less than a thousand! I’m running low on money!”

Demetria ran down the stairs and slid down the railing. I looked at her and was about ready to break into tears.

“I don’t wanna get a job!” I whined. “People might misgender me, and I might have to deal with customers. It would be horrible!”

“Why would they do that?” She tilted her head. “Oh wait, never mind. People are dumb, especially customers.”

“Argh. I should’ve checked my bank account sooner! This house cost me most of my money! Now I don’t know what I’m going to do!”

“Relax. I’m sure I can get you some money to get by.”

I looked at her, my eyes widened.

“Really? How?”

“Eh. I’m resourceful. You’ve helped me out, and it seems simple enough for me. I just need your help to get around a bit.”

Of course. I mean, I didn’t know how I could trust her, but I just had to. Between taking the word of a violent friend and having to find a job...well, the answer was pretty obvious to me. That, and, I didn’t mind so much helping her out, as long as I didn’t feel like I was just being taken advantage of.

“Great. I’m going to pack up. I was about ready to leave anyway, so this is a perfect opportunity for me.”

“So soon?”

“You know me. Always running around. I’ll try not to get myself killed before you get your money, at least.”

“All right,” I laughed a little. “So where to?”

“Chicago,” she declared.

Really? Chicago? What could’ve been so good about there? Well, if she was so confident she’d find what she needed there, then so be it.

#remoras full #writing #stories #fiction #drama #cybele #demetria #nightmares #dreams #memories

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