#season 8 can’t come fast enough ugh

[malewife-cas]

watching Oliver in into the badlands, watched Jennifer’s xmas movie, stalking Aisha and Kenny’s instas, watching old interviews w Oliver and Ryan. rewatching the show with my mom. reading and writing fics. watching edits nonstop.

AND ITS STILL NOT ENOUGH. i need them back with new episodes like asap. i’m having withdrawals.

[winter-leftovers]

Til The End Of Eternity || Chapter twenty two: For The Glory Of Merlin (22/?)

(Douxie Casperan x f!reader)

Summary: Y/n is trying to figure her life out but is going to be hard since her brother is the new trollhunter and she is plagued by dreams and feelings she doesn’t understand.

Chapter Summary: The trollhunter team enters Merlin’s tomb. Y/n can’t keep her secret anymore.

Word count: 2883

Warnings: canon death/suicide, a drip of angst?

(Season 3 Episodes 7, 8)

Song?: American Teenager by Ethel Cain

Previous - Next

Masterlist

The trollhunter team entered Merlin’s tomb ready to face whatever was inside waiting for them. Y/n was ready to let them face the tests on their own. She trusted her friends, she trusted her father if this was meant to be then they didn’t need her.

She felt like a scientist observing her little mice, getting excited when Toby accidentally stepped on the right tile but frustrated when he didn’t realize what the bag was for. Luckily, Claire quickly sprung into action solving the puzzle in record time. Putting the bag on the tile, taking the room back in time, planting the seed next to the wall they needed to climb, going back and taking the room back to the present with a gigantic plant that they could climb to get to the other side, all in less than five minutes.

Y/n had to bite her cheek to stop a laugh from erupting from her chest. She imagined her father seeing this, seeing Claire demolish his ‘oh so clever trap’ in record time.

“Claire, you’re a genius”

“Good work, Claire”

The team praised as they climbed the root to the other room.

The second room was dark. Here there was no light shining through the outside.

“Ugh” Toby grunted. He had tripped on a rock “Wish we had a light”

“Oh, wait” Claire opened her backpack and pulled out a flashlight “I hate it when my parents are right” she moved the flashlight trying to get a sense of the room.

Claire’s light hit the wall, they returned a green light. The girl frowned, pointing her flashlight directly to the wall not moving it this time.

“Whoa” Toby gasped.

The walls illuminated revealing drawings along them.

Toby ran to observe the drawings from up close.

“Great Gorgus!” Exclaimed Blinky “This appears to be a depiction of history. A timeline”

“The staff of avalon” Jim pointed out.

Y/n got closer to the wall to observe the drawings. She saw Morgana standing proudly next to Merlin, it was back when she was his student, back when hope was still enough. She saw her father standing tall, serious, a little more hair than he had the last time she saw him and then, down to the left, she saw herself with her staff, she was still a child. It was an anomaly that a child had won their staff but she’s her father’s daughter.

She caressed the indentation in the wall, her posture may indicate determination but she was still a child with sad eyes. Y/n smiled, her sadness indicated one thing, that Douxie wasn’t living in the castle yet. Her determination was a facade for the kingdom to see. She wishes she could go back in time to say to herself ‘Hang on! A raven haired boy and his cat are going to come by and save you!’

Y/n’s reflection is cut short by Aaarrrgghh’s roar. She turns around and sees Angor Rot attack the troll with his dagger.

“Run for your life!” Blinky screamed at the trio.

The kids ran as fast as they could but Angor was mad, focused on killing them. He was able to catch up with them by climbing the wall. He jumped and grabbed Jim’s arms, both of them falling to the ground.

“Trollhunter!” Angor Rot squeezed his dagger.

Jim screamed when he saw the troll face from up close.

Aaarrrgghh hit the wall creating an avalanche of stones, giving Jim the possibility to escape from Angor Rot grasp and the trollhunter team to escape from the room.

“Ha! Oh!” Toby laughed before he tripped on something hard.

They turned around and Claire illuminated the floor. Draal’s arm was squeezed into a gate on the floor.

“Draal” Jim took the arm out activating the sharp blades of the trap.

“Is a dead end” Claire said as the blades spun threatening to tear them apart.

Angor Rot screamed as he escaped his tomb of stones, dagger in hand.

“Plan! Plan! Plan? Anyone? We need a plan!” Toby screamed, stretching his arms, trying to protect his friends behind him.

“Draal’s arm. Gunmar must’ve used it to halt the blades” said Blinky.

“Here goes something!” Jim pushed the bronze hand against the blades stopping the mechanism.

Angor Rot growled and charged like a mad bull.

“Go, go, go” Jim was the last to jump, taking Draal’s hand with him.

“I’ll kill you” the troll screamed.

“Jim!!” Toby screamed as he lost his balance on the white quartz he was standing on.

“Wingman!!” Aaarrrgghh ran behind him, jumping to the void and grabbing the quartz as he was able to catch Toby by his pants “Gotcha!”

“Toby!!” Y/n ran to the border and saw the troll balancing himself with one hand while with the other he was holding Toby as they hanged over nothingness.

“I never thought I’d enjoy a wedgie so much” Toby laughed.

Y/n chuckled in relief, walking back giving Aaarrrgghh and Toby space to climb back.

Outside of the cave, in the event of danger, she had her magic, she could always step up if the situation needed it but here, in the cave where no magic was allowed, the only thing she had was a dagger that was useless in this situation.

“Oh, Nana was right. Gonna need those extra undies” Toby panted, fixing his pants.

“Toby” Claire screamed as she threw herself in her arms.

Jim put his free hand on his shoulder with a smile.

Y/n ruffled his hair.

“By Deya’s grace. It appears we’re in the innermost sanctum. The heart of Merlin’s tomb” Blinky admired the infinity cave illuminated by white crystals.

“If this is the heart, I bet Merlin’s staff is somewhere close” said Jim.

Angor Rot’s screams and struggle to get through could still be heard in the distance.

“Draal can’t be far. Look for the staff, I’ll get him back” Jim continued.

“I’ll go with you” Y/n looked at Jim.

“Y/n, no”

“Listen, there’s not much time and you can’t really win me in stubbornness”

Toby nodded

“So I’m going with you. You have no excuse this time. No armor, no sword, no amulet”

Jim took a moment to observe her sister and frowned “Fine” Jim nodded.

“There’s only one way to go” said Blinky

“Down!” Completed Aaarrrgghh

The siblings started to climb down the never ending stairs of crystals in silence. Y/n walked a little behind Jim.

‘He has grown so much’ she thought as she observed the way he walked. The determination in his face, his baby face that couldn’t grow a beard yet ‘Young. Much too young’

She wondered what was with the world and the chosen ones. Why must they be that young? Was it absolutely necessary for the plan? Was the sacrifice of the youth an element so necessary that we must use it again, again and again?

She had lived almost nineteen years next to her father and had never come close to understanding the why of the youngness of the victors, of the saints, of the greats, of the trollhunter in this case. Nine thousand nineteen years walking this earth and still she can’t find an answer as to why a sixteen year old. Why her sixteen year old brother?

Guilt brews in her stomach. If she was able to face Morgana without folding to the memory of what once was maybe this wouldn’t be happening.

“Nothing yet over here” Jim screamed to his friends “This place feels like it goes on forever” he said lower.

“I know, right?” Y/n said, trying to swallow the guilt.

Jim kept walking, gaining distance from his sister. A big growl made Y/n run behind him.

“Guys, I found Draal!” Jim's scream resonated through the cave.

“Hurry! We should regroup” screamed back Blinky.

“Are you okay?!” Y/n screamed when she saw her brother laying down on the ground.

Draal sighed. He was already resigned to the uncomfortable position he was in, multiple crystals holding him in place.

“I’m alright!” Jim stood up and went to help Draal, Y/n right behind him.

“I made an oath to protect you. I have broken that oath. I remember attacking you. I have lost my honor, failed you all!” Draal said, clenching his fist.

“No. It’s not your fault. Gunmar forced you to do things you would never have done yourself. You were under his control” Jim helped the troll put his metal arm and looked him into the eyes “You’re not just my protector, Draal. You’re my friend” Jim hugged Draal, surprising the troll but he quickly reciprocated it.

Y/n looked up trying to give them some privacy.

“Where is it?” Gunmar's angry screams echoed through the cave.

“Gunmar” Y/n looked at Jim.

“We gotta beat him to the staff” Jim turned to Draal “Come on, Draal”

“By my father’s name, he will taste vengeance!” The troll chuckled.

The three of them started to climb down the crystals.

“I see it!” Claimed Jim.

Y/n looked down and saw the green glimmer of the staff of Avalon. The staff was embedded in a crystal cut in half. She took a deep breath. They were halfway through their trip.

“Gunmar’s almost got the staff” Jim said as he slid down to a place Y/n couldn’t follow.

“You get to the staff! I’ll take care of Gunmar” Draal turned his back, inviting Jim to climb in “Hang on, Trollhunter!” He screamed as he jumped to the crystal holding the staff.

“No” Y/n whispered, extending her hands as if she could stop them. She hanged there as she saw Draal pushing Gunmar out of the way so Jim could grab the staff of Avalon. She let go of the worry she had stuck in her lungs in the form of a chuckle when she saw Jim wielding the staff.

“Trollhunter” Angor Rot fell from the sky falling onto the crystal Jim was standing, the strength of the fall breaking it.

“Jim” Y/n screamed.

The trollhunter fell backwards with the crystal clinging to it only with one hand.

“Give me the staff, Trollhunter!” Gunmar jumped to the sinking crystal and tried to take the staff from him.

Jim jumped to the side but the movements of the crystal made him fall.

“Gatcha” Drall caught him by the feet and threw him back into action.

Y/n dug her nails into the crystal, she felt every piece dug into her skin but she couldn’t feel the pain. She couldn’t intervene. She couldn’t help. She felt the tears burning her face as she saw Gunmar clawing Draal’s chest, as she heard her brother plead for the life of his friend.

“We are too late. Gunmar has the staff!” Blinky gasps.

Y/n shakes her head, trying to concentrate back in the present. She let go of the crystal she was holding and jumped to the one her friends were in observing Gunmar stealing the staff.

The group gasped. Angor Rot jumped, magic dagger in hand, ready to stab Jim but Draal stood in the way, getting stabbed instead. Draal quickly grabbed Angor Rot in a chokehold, if he was going down he was going to take the evil that killed him with him.

“You would give your life for a human? Why?” Angor tried to escape Draal’s grip but it was impossible.

“Because he’s my friend!” Draal walked backwards and looked at Jim one last time “It has been my honor, fleshbag” he said before jumping.

“Draal” Jim screamed, running toward the edge where his friend had jumped. Blinky and Toby followed him and dragged him out of the collapsing crystal

“Draal” Jim kept calling.

Y/n held Jim into her arms and whispered into his brother’s hair “He’s gone, Jim, I’m sorry”

“And without the magic of the staff, the cave is collapsing” Blinky warned.

They looked up and saw Aaarrrgghh stopping a crystal big enough to smash all of them.

“Go” screamed the troll as he toasted the crystal into the abyss.

The team ran following the light of an exit that was crushed by a rock big enough that not even Aaarrrgghh could lift.

“Too big” Aaarrrgghh said as he pushed the boulder.

“It’s okay, wingman. You tried” consoled Toby.

“It’s hardly okay” Blinky pushed past Toby. Y/n doesn’t remember seeing him leave “We’re on the distinctly wrong side of the cavern’s collapse. Merlin’s tomb will now apparently become our own” he screamed as he pushed the rock.

The cavern’s growls became more intense, suddenly the crystal started to fall more strongly and frequently. The team ran to Aaarrrgghh looking for refuge.

Y/n closed her eyes trying not to laugh at the irony of dying at the hands of the contraption she builded. As if the world was answering her, the falling of rubble stopped.

“Or we could go that way. There’s an opening” Claire pointed out.

“Thus affording us the opportunity to be trapped somewhere else” complained Blinky.

“Or it’s a way out, huh?” Said Toby “You just gotta think positive”

“I’m not entirely sure I know how” explained Blinky as they started to walk the new path.

“We can tell” said Y/n.

The team kept walking, hiking the falling crystals.

“We need to find a way to go up” said Jim.

“Hmm. Right. Yeah, look for some stairs or better yet, an elevator” Toby laughed

Y/n laughed. She was glad for Toby’s humor right now because she had no idea where they were.

“That way!” Indicated Aaarrrgghh.

Everyone followed and Y/n wished she could live in a moment ago, when she was ignorant of where they were.

“Great Globus, it’s him” announced Blinky.

“Is it really?” Asked Claire

“Must be” said Aaarrrgghh

“Merlin” Jim named him and the stone from the amulet that he kept in his pocket started to shine. He took it out and walked towards the sleeping wizard.

Y/n started to walk backwards, trying to blend with the walls. A part of her wanted to run to her father’s arms, the other just wanted to disappear.

Two small lights jumped from the stone to Merlin’s eyes. Jim got closer, illuminating the wizard with the stone trying to observe him closer. Merlin’s eyes opened wide and took a deep breath, swallowing the spiderwebs. Jim screamed in terror.

Y/n put a hand in his mouth, trying to keep the laughter from coming out.

Jim stood up and observed in awe at the one dead wizard now having a coughing fit.

Merlin, now calm down, lay back down and looked to the side

“Are you the trollhunter?”

“Uh, uh” Jim couldn’t speak.

“I thought you’d be taller” Melin said.

Y/n started to bite her hand so she wouldn’t laugh.

“Yes, I expected much taller. And older” Merlin dusted his armor of “How old are you? Ten?

“Uh, sixteen?” Jim smiled.

“I guess I was only off by, mmm…” Merlin lay back down and started to do the math in his head “Six plus four, carry the one…fourteen years”

Y/n’s laughter died in her throat, her hands fell to her side ‘He wasn’t expecting a child?’

“Holy Merlin. It’s really you!” Toby screamed.

“Just what kind of troll are you?” Merlin looked at Toby up and down

“I’m not a troll! I’m a Toby”

“And who is this lovely creature?”

Claire chuckled.

Y/n smiled. She remembered being a child and her father playing pretend with her. Dancing around his office and all his introductions starting with “And who is this lovely creature?”

“Blinkous Galadrigal, at your ser…”

“Not you” Merlin stopped Blinky and turned back to Claire “You”

“Uh, Claire Nuñez, sir” she walked out from behind Blinky.

“A pleasure, my dear”

“Oh, she gets to be “my dear”” Toby turns to Y/n and rolls his eyes.

Y/n opens her eyes wide. She looks back at Merlin, but he was busy cracking every bone in his body. She sighed in relief.

“Okay, then, first things first” Merlin rubbed his hands “Why haven’t you greeted me?” He lifts his brow.

The team looked at each other in confusion.

Y/n pushed herself out of the wall

“I…I…” her mouth opened and closed but no sound came out.

“I can see you” Merlin insisted.

The team turned and looked at Y/n.

“I thought…you may want to meet the team first” her accent heavy on her tongue.

“Come to the light” the wizard ordered but his voice was soft.

Y/n looked at her friends' confused faces and looked down, walking the few steps that separated her from her father.

She saw her father’s beard contour in a smile that she mirrored.

“Hi” she whispered as she looked up to his blue eyes.

“I’ve been away for a long time” He grabs her by the shoulders “You really have grown, birdie” he whispers only for her to hear.

Y/n smiles and nods, trying to hold the tears in place. She imagined a thousand times having her father back in front of her, she never imagined her anger would melt.

“I have missed you, father” she smiles, taking one of his hands.

“Whaaaaat?” Toby says.

A/n: this is my version of Merlin and you are so not ready for it!!!

how many chapters do you think it’s going to take me to use drywall by paris paloma or tolerate it by taylor swift? 🤔 i have a whole daddy issues playlist dont tempt me to use more than one song

[randynova]

♡𝓜𝔂 𝓦𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷♡

𝓖𝓾𝓷 𝔁 𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓮𝓻

𝑆𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑦: 𝐴𝑙𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑦 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒, 𝐺𝑢𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑜 𝐺𝑜𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛 ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑖𝑓 𝑖𝑡 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑠 ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒.

✦✦✦ ✦✦✦

𝑊𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔(𝑠):𝐹𝑒𝑚!𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟, 𝐹𝑙��𝑓𝑓, 𝑠𝑜𝑓𝑡(𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑝)! 𝐺𝑢𝑛

✦✦✦ ✦✦✦

“Why couldn’t this have waited until another day?” Gun muttered, unbuttoning his shirt, letting it slide off his taut frame, and neatly folding it, placing it onto the roof of his car. He was glad he hadn't put his jacket on, having left it in his passenger seat. “I can’t dirty my clothes again, [Name] will be mad if I get blood on it.” He rolled his broad shoulders until they released a satisfying crack, his thick muscles bulging as he stretched his arms across his scarred chest. Gun peered at a nearby store, the digital clock displaying in big white numbers, ‘7:45 PM’. He groaned, his lips curling into a scowl whilst his arms fell to his side. He didn’t have enough time to deal with this.

“Hmm, and it’s almost time for our date. Fuck.” Gun whispered to himself. He clenched his fists, narrowing his eyes at the man across from him. He removed his shades and revealed his dark gaze, placing his favorite accessory to his side as well. “I’ll make this quick, Goo. I have more important places to be.”

Goo laughed, grinning in his spot as he balanced a pole in his hands. He rolled his eyes, arching a brow at his partner. “Tsk, tsk, tsk, Gun, maybe if you didn’t spend all your time by [Name]’s side, we could have dealt with this matter much earlier. That girl has you wrapped around her pretty little finger, huh?”

“Shut it,” Gun said, already racing towards the blonde and thrusting his fist, knuckles colliding with metal. Upon the cold sensation meeting his skin, he wanted to absolutely kill Goo and rip him to shreds. This would take longer than he wanted, wasting his already precious, short time. He backed off, having a considerable distance between the two, stretching his fingers a few times before clenching them again. He growled, spitting venomously,  “You just like picking fights.” 

“You did too. Before you met her, y’know,” Goo tutted, waving his finger in the air. He scoffed, voice low, “Who would’ve thought? Gun going soft for a girl. Psh, pathetic. Never thought I’d live to see the day...” The blonde trailed off, his face becoming stoic, his mind wandering. You truly had to be someone exceptional if you managed to have a guy like Gun to fall for you. He always wondered who you were, how you looked like, what you did, but Gun had kept you a secret from the world of crime. He hid almost every known trace abou you and tied every loose end that implicated you existed. No one knew who you were and no one could find you — unless Gun allowed them to. 

Goo found it so irritating how he was unable to know the girl who made such a notorious gangster go soft. 

He only met you once and that was by pure sheer luck; dropping by unexpectedly at one of Gun's apartments, only to be met with the sight of you. Seeing how Gun reacted, he knew you were supposed to be kept hush-hush. But boy, did he have a field day the next time he saw the man.

Goo had to meet you again. Or at least, know you more.

Only when Gun’s fist connected with Goo’s face did the man snap out of his thoughts, the impact of such force throwing him a few feet backwards. He dug his feet into the floor, a high-pitched screech coming from his shoes as the rubber burned against the pavement. With his sleeve, Goo wiped his cheek, seeing a speck of blood staining his clothes. Goo chuckled, standing up straight with a grin, “If I can remember right, you told me you got Eli Jang in trouble for basically the same thing. What was her name again? Heather?”

Goo blocked the upcoming attack, his pole raised and crossed above his face. He pushed Gun back with an effortless swing of the pole. He tilted his head and scratched the back of his head with his free hand. “How is [Name] any different from Heather? What does she have on you?”

Gun twisted his neck gently until he heard a crack, looking back at Goo as he hissed with venom, “Nothing.”

“Let me think, let me think….” Goo hummed, racking his mind for any possibility that someone like Gun would stay with a woman longer than one night. His face lit up and he broke out into a wide grin, pointing a finger at Gun. “Aha! You got the poor girl knocked up, right?! See, I always tell you to wear protection! Just couldn’t keep it in your pants, hm? Shaaame.” 

“Ugh, fuck no. I don’t want kids and neither does she. We made that clear at the beginning," Gun said with a sneer, annoyed beyond comprehension at Goo's antics. 

“Awe, I really thought she held something over you. How about this: I’ll stop fighting you if you tell me why you’re still with such a pretty girl like [Name]? Deal?" Goo offered, slinging the pole onto his shoulder. His eyes darkened as he spat maliciously, knowing each word would wind and rile Gun's emotions. "She deserves better than a perverted gangster, you both know that.”

Gun stayed silent, the corners of his lips tugging down into a frown. Goo’s last words struck a chord in him, sending a pang through his heart upon hearing an insecurity he’ll never admit to. Of course. Everyone told you to stay away from a man like Gun. People kept telling you you will only get hurt in the end, that a better man will come along and sweep you off your feet if you just waited, or you could always do better than him. But you never listened. You stayed by his side, even when the whole world looked down on you two. Even for months, he tried convincing himself he felt nothing for you, but after a while, he finally accepted that someone managed to tear down his walls and enter his hollow, cold heart — you. 

You were just a different kind of girl - no- a different kind of woman. A special woman he had the pleasure of meeting. One he wouldn’t dare let go of now that he has the privilege of calling you ‘mine’. And by any god out there, he won’t be a stupid fool to lose you.

Gun sighed. “I tell you and you’ll put this stupid fight behind us, right?”

Goo placed a hand over his chest, replying shortly, “You have my word.~”

“[Name] is just that special person you meet once in your life. One you know you can’t let go of because there isn’t another like her. Simple as that.”

“What?! Ugh, don’t be boring! Tell me more!”

“You asked why I  stayed with her and I told you.”

“Yeah, but I expected a story, not some sad attempt at an old man’s wise words.”

A low guttural sound rumbled in Gun’s throat, his eye twitching. “Maybe when I’m in a better mood I’ll tell you, but if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with my woman.”

Goo groaned and tossed his pole to the side, rolling his eyes and grumbling, "Fiiine, but you owe me a story. "

"Whatever—damnit," Gun looked at the clock once again and his face contorted into one of pure irate. "I'm late."

'8:12 PM'

✦✦✦ ✦✦✦

Your head rested on your hand, balancing a glass of wine between your fingers, twirling the cup as the liquid swished around. Your eyes were looking down on the glory of Gangdong, the shimmering, blinding lights of the city mesmerizing you. The city always looked beautiful at this time of night. You just wished you could enjoy it with the person you cherished. A sigh leaves your lips and you look away, eyes trailing to the other tables over the balcony. 

The lingering eyes of many strange men didn't faze you anymore, the two burly boys surrounding your table always making them avert their gaze as fast as it landed. A courtesy of your boyfriend, who was at least thirteen minutes late, who insisted on you needing to be guarded at all times. You knew if he were here, no one would dare to even breathe in your direction, let alone glance. 

The cool air pricked your skin and a shiver passed through your body, reminding you of where you were. For a man as smart as him, Gun tended to neglect keeping the season in mind when planning your dates. Nonetheless, you were happy he went out of his way to take you out on such a busy schedule. 

You jumped in your seat, snapping out of your thoughts. A jacket was wrapped around your frame, warmth immediately enveloping you as the fabric made contact with your bare skin. You looked up and smiled. 

Gun stood behind you, towering over your sitting form as he made sure you were nice and covered. His coat basically swallowed you whole. A small stuffed animal was tucked under his arm, it’s fluffy fur peeking out. He walked over to take his seat, pulling the chair out, and wasting no time to slip in. He waved to the guards and they nodded, beginning to clear the scene of people.

“Sorry I’m late, [Name],” Gun started, taking the stuffie out from underneath his arm and presenting it to you. Oh, how adorable. "I brought you a gift as an apology."

A small brown otter sat in his palms, barely taking up Gun's hands. It’s beady, plastic eyes looked straight at you, a little smile stitched onto its snout. A snort left you. The sight of such a well-dressed, intimidating man carrying such an adorable toy was  amusing. "Really now? Just a cute toy, Gun?"

Gun sighed and sat up a bit from his chair, leaning over the table, and cupping your face as he planted a gentle kiss on your cheek. As quick as it started, Gun's lips left and he was seated once again. You pout. "Don't give me that look, [Name]. We can do more at home if you want but not here."

"It's not wrong to be disappointed in no kiss on the mouth after not seeing your boyfriend for such a long time. Don't you think I deserve it?"

Gun smirked, placing his shades on the table and taking your hand, intertwining your fingers together. He gave a light squeeze and you didn't miss a beat as you squeezed his coarse hand back. The way you pursed your lips and looked at him with such glossy, innocent eyes made his heart swell. With such a pretty, cute face, it was hard to say no to you. "Hmm, maybe. But Olly told me you crossed paths with Hostel A." Gun spoke, slipping his hands from yours and picking up his dinnerware, quickly cutting the savory meat into pieces. He didn't hesitate to put a piece up to your mouth, a hand underneath so as to not have the juice leak. "I was told you nearly broke the Uncles' bones and Big Daddy himself."

Your face scrunched up and you scoffed, shaking your head. You placed the stuffed animal to the side, petting it. "Figured those assholes wouldn’t tell you everything. The ‘uncles’ wouldn’t leave me alone and I thought Olly was another one of those bastards,” you snap, sitting back in your seat with a scowl. “How was I supposed to know he was trying to help when he dresses like that? I thought he was trying to assault me for God’s sake!”

Gun placed down his fork on his plate and his face twisted into one of fury, eyes turning cold and rigid as all the warmth disappeared whilst his lips curled back into a nasty frown. You almost thought his infamous scowl was directed towards you, but you knew better. You dear boyfriend wouldn't dare lay a single finger on you if it didn't bring you pleasure. "They what?" 

You smiled softly, placing your hand over his as it clenched into a fist. With your small attempt at trying to soothe him by rubbing small circles, you spoke with a bit of hesitation, "Ah, yeah. They kept trying to get my number and wouldn't let me leave the booth I was in. I had no other choice than to use the training you taught me. Since I never met Olly, I really thought he was just another one of them and I reacted before thinking, making me attack him too."

Gun scoffed, shaking his head as he listened to your explanation with disbelief, every word fueling his rage of someone daring to hit on his woman. Every fiber in Gun's body screamed, wanting to feel their skin underneath his fists as he pounded them into oblivion. But the only thing stopping him was his date with you. For now, he'll put his anger aside to be with you and keep you happy. Who knows how long he'll be gone and when he'll see you again. The man has to make every second count. 

Yet, he couldn’t let this go unpunished.

"Fuck." Gun leans closer to you and sits on the edge of his chair. Placing his hand over yours, he slips his fingers to grasp your palm, and lifts your hand to his lips, pressing tender kisses against your knuckles. His thumb grazing softly across your fingers and his eyes flutter shut. You couldn't help but stare in awe, never quite seeing him like this.

So careful with you, so gentle, you were surprised he wasn't seething in his seat and threatening to break their heads open. Gun opens his eyes and looks up at you, shaking in his seat. “I promise I’ll have those fuckers begging on their knees for your forgiveness. They should know better than to treat a woman with such rudeness and disrespect. Shit, I’ll go right now. I’ll beat them till-”

Your sweet laugh reaches his ears, cutting him off from his little speech. You lean in and pull in his hand to your lips, pressing a tender peck to his coarse knuckles. Gun felt his heart race and skip a beat at the sight, shock crossing his features. You look up, looking at your boyfriend with mirthful eyes. “As much fun as that sounds, I'd rather you stay here. Please? I want to spend as much time with you before you go back to work.”

The man stayed silent for a few seconds, taking in your words. He looked away, clicking his tongue before he broke out into a small smile, a blush blooming across his cheeks and the tip of his ears burning a bright red. “Of course, [Name]. Though, you could’ve just said you like spending time with me.”

Giggling, you lower your hands and shake your head. “Gun, of course I like spending time with you. You’re my favorite person and I love you after all.” Your voice said those three words with such fondness, it’s as if the man was in a dream. 

If your words from before didn’t send Gun over the edge, your proclamation of love surely did now. He looked down, grinning like an idiot, showing a soft, bashful side he’s never revealed to anyone before. He swore his heart would jump out of his throat from how fast it was pounding against his ribcage. Gun grasped your hand tightly and sighed blissfully, Gently, he spoke, gazing at you with loving eyes, “I love you too.”

You smiled.

The tension in the air grew to be too much and both of you found it unbearable, wanting to do what both of you have been waiting for for weeks.

Both of you sat up and leaned over the table, closing the gap between you two as your lips interlocked, slipping together like if you were made for eachother. The kiss sparked and fed the fire both of you held in your hearts, burning brighter with every moment you spent at one another’s side. Gun couldn’t help but smile against your mouth.

As much as he hated being apart from you for so long, moments like these made the long hours worth it. If working so much meant he could provide for you, then he wouldn't mind doing it for the rest of his life if you had a roof over your head and a nice, warm meal at night.

Afterall, you were his woman.

And he loved you.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

©𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚢𝚗𝚘𝚟𝚊 || 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚍 || 𝚗𝚘 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜, 𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚜, 𝚌𝚘𝚙𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚎𝚝𝚌. 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚌𝚒𝚛𝚌𝚞𝚖𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜 .

✦✦✦✦✦✦

[sprinklesandshatters]

A Review on NCT 127′s 3rd Album <Sticker>

So NCT 127 just came back with their 3rd Full Album <Sticker> and this is my first 127 comeback since I became a fan last year! Neozone is such a special album for me as it was their first album that I explored entirely. I've known NCT as the group who never fails any expectations so I've kept mine up although I know they'll exceed it anyway. And guess what, they did! I absolutely love their new album hence this review~

This isn't a technical music review—as I am not a musician myself—but rather a listener's honest takes, goofy notes, and interpretation on each of the tracks in the album. I admit I've also struggled to build my own opinions on some of the tracks until I listened to them over and over again.

I have also heard there are mixed opinions on the title track <Sticker> and a lot says it's another acquired taste. But I think it's not just that, as it can be a grower, just like how most of NCT's songs were for me. Maybe after a few listens and a right passage of time, it will grow on those people. The bottom line here is, I like it a lot! 😛

So I listed down the songs according to their respective track numbers and followed each with a bulleted list of my opinions and interpretations.

(Viewer/reader discretion: before you continue, minors, do not interact as there are few 18+ contents under the cut. Thank you.)

1. Sticker

THEY DIDN'T JUST PUNCH A NEW NOTCH ON THE BELT LIKE THAT

THIS SONG SLAPS, LITERALLY SLAPS… AND WHIPS 

The recorder at the intro boyyyy I thought something was wrong but then I remember it’s NCT lmao

It already stuck in my head from my first listen from the Instagram audio.

With Taeyong opening the verse with his divine rapping, I knew I'm in for a new ride.

STICK-UH STICK-UGH STICK-UGHGHGH

To those complaining it sounding like noise music, imagine it sounding generic. I don't think it would fit as the title track. Not a b-track or in their repertoire, even. They are called NCT because they define the NEO in the music culture and music technology!

It honestly was an unorthodox, just like all of their title tracks, which I’m inherently here for.

Literally, no one does it like them!

The growls and the vocal flexes and adlibs! (You can tell it has Yoo Youngjin's brand.)

The crisp metronome sound that’s consistently ticking except for the pre-chorus and the dance break adds depth to the soundscape. I love how it’s used instead of the usual snaps.

The production quality blew my mind. Like how can someone think those melodies would sound so exquisite? CAN I CALL THEM GENIUS?

The piano at the back, oh my God—Yes! It adds this mystifying element to the song.

I'm not sure if it's a midi violin at the pre-chorus, but it added thrill to the song. It was a great transition from the bass line in the verses to the combination of the flawless harmony with the same instrumental.

"You treat me like a boy, like a grown-up child chasing a dream" JUNGWOO BABY NO MORE HUH

Taeil, Doyoung, and Haechan—the bridge vocal trinity!

But why the heck are they cowboys? I dig the concept, but why? LMAO

BTW GUNSLINGER MARK I’M ON MY KNEES YEEHAW

This is easily one of my favorite tracks from NCT 127's entire discography 💚

2. Lemonade

(⌐■_■)

Jaehyun starting off this song with his deep voice eee

The song opens to a verse oozing with chill confidence. They're like, yeah you're lurking because we’re cool.

This is such a huge slap to their haters. NCT's not chillin' like a villain, nah they're the main characters!

Well maybe they’re villains, but still ya not cooler than them ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Funny enough how they could have just referred haters as simply lemons whose sour/bitter to the taste, but 127 squad's success is sweeter than all the haters' spiteful remarks so yeah, SIPPY SIPPY LEMONADE 🧃

"WOOF"

I might have just barked too wOW

Yuta’s vocals hooooO his voice just sounds so glamorous mhmm

Also Mark referencing their previous title tracks such as: Firetruck, Cherry Bomb, and Regular (it's Irregular in the lyrics) in his rap part 👌💅

I just love Mark's energy when he raps. HE RESOLUTELY BITES AND STRAIGHT UP EATS EVERY TIME HE DOES.

3. Breakfast

Now breakfast time, oh jeez!

AAAHAHFU—

Summer 127's bestie!

If Summer 127 talks about dancing all night long, Breakfast is the morning after.

You know what it is.

"Even if I gulp and drink you, it's not enough for me." oho Taeyong no you ha—STOP

Sexual innuendos aside, isn't it just sweet if someone tells you they'd want to have breakfast with you every day?  Okay maybe I'm melting at the thought 😩🙈💞

And I can see myself dancing to this song as I make breakfast (in the afternoon or at midnight bc I’m crazy)

This was an okay b-track for me at the first skim on the album, but boy it grew on me wildly.

Honestly one of my favorite tracks in this album.

4. Focus

Did I just invade a private call? LMAO

The analog voice filters make it like so.

Dude, this feels intimate in the level of eavesdropping a phone call between seasoned lovers. Then you realize you hear them whispering their kinks over the line and you're ooh, that's sexy! hfgklhfhf

My first listen to this, I almost went feral because,

"I can't wait to eat you…" when it's actually "I can't wait 'til we chill…" aahaha

"Baby call me when you want me." OKAY!

This sounds relaxing and chill. I'd love to play this on a late night drive or just before bed time along with Fly Away With Me, Sun & Moon, My Youth, and Long Flight.

Belongs to ‘make out session’ playlist  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

That was lowkey a playlist recommendation, huh?

I'd be kidding if I don't say I could touch myself while listening to this song AHAHAFGHFJFJ

I didn't know this would grow on me this much lol I love love LOVE THIS!

5. The Rainy Night

Ooh, the holy melancholy!

Piano at the intro—I knew I'd cry to this.

This song isn't just about break-up, but the heartbreak after one.

The yearning; the remnant pieces from the shattering of what was once there.

I think I crumbled from this one.

This hit so hard I felt like I fit in the shoes with the lyrics throughout the entire song.

What’s fascinating is I clearly forgot the title when I mentally said this sounds like a sad rainy day song from the first listen.

Something I’d turn up when it suddenly rains, just because I want to feel the blues.

Taeil and Haechan singing in lower register? I wanna cry :( they’re just one of the best vocalists in K-music industry right now.

Could have been also nice if they added Yuta to the vocals.

"My selfish heart who waits for you to come back," OKAY WHO HURT THEM?

And the fact that they sang it so good that it translated every ounce of the emotions well even before I looked up for English translations is the reason why I love this song too.

6. Far

Hmm… What the hell?! Do I like this? Wait...

Alright!

The jumpy vibe from the first verse to the pre-chorus set the mood for this song. It sounds merry and heavy. It was honestly too much to take until I’ve reached the chorus part.

Honestly, I think this song could fit NCT Dream better, as it gives off a vibe similar to Hello Future's b-tracks. If some credible source say this could have made HF’s track list, I might believe you too fast.

Also Dream’s Deja Vu where they go na nananananana na na na~

Playful yet confident! That’s what I mean!

As usual, the vocals are insane! Vocal flex from left to right!

I swear Jungwoo sounded a bit like Taemin at the second verse that I had to replay it hahaha

I love hearing Johnny as a vocalist! SM, how many signs do you need until you utilize his vocal talent???

Taeil's part where he sings, "go nuts, go nuts, 'til we go bust, go bust" IDEK BUT I SNORTED A LAUGH AT FIRST LISTEN HFCAHKFHK

Not my favorite, but still great though!

But wait it’s actually stuck in my head???

7. Bring The Noize

Yes, they never beat those noise music allegations

HERE'S SOME NOIZE, BITCHES

I love me some noisy percussions. AND THE BASS YO

This screams so much confidence!

The build up from the pre-chorus to the chorus—FIRE!

This song reminds me a lot of SuperM's Super Car, especially with the engine roar samples and the battle cry-like singing at the chorus.

JAEHYUN RAPPING? You mean Jaehyun the visual, the vocalist, the actor, the model, the funny dude, aka my everything?! (markie bb look pls look away for a moment)

THEY DELIVERED IT STRAIGHT FROM NEOCITY THAT'S SOME NCT MUSIC RIGHT THERE NO ONE DOES IT LIKE THEM

When I said I'd play Focus on a late night drive, and if I add this in the playlist, VROOM VROOM SPEED LIMIT WHAT

OUTTA MY WAY

“We got no shame” ouh TAEYONG’S FLOW IS JUST VERY HIM AND HE’S IN A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN

You know what's so clever about this song? It's how it ended with Mark's final rap without any instrumental, leaving you  standing there with a doppler effect-like post experience.

A super car on a super speed just whooshed past you and you look its way as it zips through the road. It's gone in an instant but you're floored dumbfounded at a sidewalk. That's how I describe this song.

8. Magic Carpet Ride

This song… Wow. Oh gosh it's so beautiful.

Their harmony in the chorus—it makes me want to kiss someone so passionately that I'd cry.

This makes me want to feel love that transcends the universe. Literally, just please take me on a magic carpet ride :(

The background harmonies too oh my goodness—HEAVENLY.

Jaehyun's voice is so warm and soulful it fits perfectly with songs of this genre.

Okay alright Doyoung Grande!

And Taeil makes me feel like I'm listening to old school R&B.

The first time I heard this from the track video, I can't stop replaying because it's just that great.

This makes me want to love. I think that sums it up.

9. Road Trip

This is such a soothing song for me, especially how I easily become nostalgic thinking about the road trips I've had.

Whenever I listen to this, my brain immediately conjures up thoughts of my ideal getaways. Gazing at the sky through the car window, stirring up from a nap in the middle of the ride, and   eventually reaching your destination.

Oh, to travel around anywhere... (curse you covid-19)

Okay that's it. I'M PACKING UP.

But where do I go—

I could also imagine Mark playing this on the guitar and the other members sing along together, something like that.

Just Wholesome™ vibes.

I love how it evokes such a nice emotion within me effortlessly.

This isn't my favorite, but I still love this.

10. Dreamer

Eyyyy such a refreshing song!

This song is so bright it makes me want to dance. I play this first in the shower!

It reminds me so much of Elevator (from Neozone)

The horns make it more lively I think!

Yuta and Jungwoo's voice suits lively songs like this.

The background vocal in low register in Taeyong's part in the first verse is so good ahhfhf

Taeil, the R&B vocal king you are...

There's this part where Doyoung and Johnny harmonized, that at first listen they seemed to clash, but it sounded actually fine after a few listens. Maybe it's just that I've never heard them do it before.

And I think it's Doyoung's laugh at the end of the bridge? Oh my goodness I really love this too!

11. Promise You

MY FIRST LOVE AND MOST FAVORITE SONG IN THE ALBUM!!!

The first time I heard this from their NCIT Sharehouse Sitcom, I fell in love with the song already.

It sounds like something you'd feel from a warm, welcoming hug.

The lyrics are so beautiful and endearing. It's definitely a be-there-for-you type of song that will touch your heart.

It definitely sounds like a promise.

A song about platonic intimacy.

This really fits to be the closing song of the album. It's like the end of it but holds a promise that says “see you soon.”

Because they cherish their fans like that.

It's also like I've watched a movie with a happy ending, where the camera pans up to the clear sky and this song starts playing.

Speaking of ending, I would love to hear them sing this as an encore stage in their concert. You know, that moment just before the stage lights die down at the end of the concert where they send final blows of flying kisses to NCTzens. Then you come home smiling and crying.

This wasn't supposed to be this long since I originally planned to write this with just simple phrases and emojis but I got too engrossed lol. I also meant to include my own ratings but I figured it’s pointless since I can’t really decide about them hahaha

I really enjoyed the whole album and I love how they're progressively defining what NEO means by breaking through standards. It's not NCT music if it doesn't make you say "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?" But then you realize it’s stuck in your head and you’re enjoying it already.

✨ OVERALL RATING: 127/10 💚

if you’ve reached until here, thank you for letting me share you a braincell or two 💞

[imagining-in-the-margins]

Here to Misbehave (Pt. 23 | S.R.)

Series Masterlist | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Finale |

Summary: Spencer’s birthday plans get interrupted by a case. Frustrated by Reader’s busy schedule, Spencer finds a unique way to spend time with her. Couple: Spencer Reid/Fem!Reader Category: Smut (NSFW, 18+) Content Warning: Mild exhibitionism, fingering, penetrative sex, unprotected sex, Dom/sub, light choking, degradation/praise, sub space Word Count: 7.3k

MASTERLIST

—————————————————

Waiting for Spencer Reid was an interesting position to be in. It was also, unfortunately, very, very common. You would think the IQ points would translate to efficiency, but you’d be very wrong. The only thing that boy does fast is read, and even that didn’t follow through to text messages, considering he’d read none of the six I’d sent him in the past hour.

So, naturally, as one does in an emergency, I called him. Unsurprisingly, the phone barely rang a second time before he picked up. Talking was, as we were both aware, his forte. Without even waiting for my greeting, his groggy voice came through the receiver with a song-like sound.

“Hello, little girl.”

But it wasn’t his turn to sing, and he knew damn well why I was calling. I could hear the smirk on his face so well that I could also envision exactly what he looked like in that moment, with his fluffy hair sticking up from constantly running his hands through it and his eyes only half-open as he tried to finish reading whatever horrible thing that he had in front of him.

It wasn’t how anyone should be spending their birthday. Especially not him. There wasn’t really anything I could do about it, though that didn’t make it any easier to hear the exhaustion and sadness behind that scratchy voice.

“What’re you doing up late? It’s past your bedtime, you know,” he chastised before I even had a chance to speak. He wasn’t wrong — It was 3AM where I was. But where he was, it’d just hit midnight.

“I just wanted to wish a happy birthday to my favorite old man,” I purred back once I’d managed to calm my fast-beating heart. I wondered if I’d ever get used to the brief rush of adrenaline and relief when I heard his voice for the first time after some time away.

I hoped not.

Spencer didn’t seem impressed by my reasoning, though. “You’re sweet. Go to sleep.”

“You’re up, too,” I whined, still picturing the way he would undoubtedly pull the phone further away to lessen the noise. I almost asked if he was also picturing me but stopped when I realized that whatever he had in mind was probably a lot more exciting than reality. Then again, he often told me that moments like this were his favorite. When we’re both too tired to keep our eyes open but too happy to be with each other to let them close all the way.

“Barely,” he corrected.

“Besides, I had to stay up. It’s your birthday.”

I’d meant to lift his spirits, but the long pause after I finished made it evident that my efforts were for naught. He almost seemed even more upset than when he’d answered, and I tried to convince myself that it had nothing to do with me. It wasn’t that hard, considering he was probably staring at images or words of dead people.

“Yeah, sure feels like it.”

His tone alone ensured me it was worse than my imagination.

“Put your work down and pay attention to me instead,” I suggested as softly as I could with the neediness bleeding through, “That’s the first part of your present.”

“You’re my present?” he asked through a gruff laugh that made my heart skip a beat, “I like that present.”

He was trying. I could feel it in his voice, and I wished more than anything that I could teleport to where he was and hold him until it was too difficult for his mouth to form a frown.

“You already have me. That’d be like regifting,” I pointed out with only a pinch of self-deprecation. It was still too much for Spencer, though, who swiftly shot back the ever cheesy, “Every day with you is a gift.”

“Gross, don’t get all sentimental with me,” I ordered playfully.

He returned the energy with all the sass I always knew he was capable of. Once his whining ceased, he mumbled, “Do you come with a gift receipt?”

“No returns or exchanges allowed, I’m afraid.”

Spencer just let out a strained sigh, and in my head, I imagined how it would feel to climb onto his lap as he leaned back in his chair. I could almost feel his arms wrapping around my waist and his lips peppering kisses wherever he could reach. I could feel his love for me flowing across the country, persisting past the cell tower obstacles to make its way back to me.

“I can’t wait to see you again,” he whispered, his first purely sincere statement of the night.

It was an unfortunate choice, too, because it also reminded me of the biggest bummer that I unfortunately had to share.

“Oh, I meant to tell you, it’s midterm season, so…”

He was, thankfully, not as bummed as I was expecting. He was almost certainly thrilled to have a chance to sleep spread out on his bed without having to satisfy the very needy girl beside him, but he still managed to come up with enough bratty energy to scoff, “Are you telling me that I don’t get my gift when I get home?”

“It’ll just be a few days. Promise,” I spoke through the biggest, cheesiest smile I’d had yet. “You’re very distracting, Dr. Reid.”

“When are your exams?” His enthusiasm gave away just how disappointed he was with the news, but any frustration was clearly aimed at my poor professors.

“My last one is on Wednesday.”

The gasp that left him was too funny not to laugh, followed by exasperated, blubbered nonsense that didn’t ever get much clearer. I barely managed to understand him when he cried, “Don’t they know Halloween should be a national holiday?!”

“You should call my professors and yell at them.”

He actually considered it for a moment, but then returned the same silly intonation, “Maybe I will.”  

“Do it. You’re probably more qualified than them to teach me, anyway.”

After a short silence that was filled with more sexual tension than I’d expected considering how the phone call started, I heard Spencer gruffly comment, “You’re a cocky little brat tonight.”

It was so familiar to me that I jumped on the opportunity, giggling through my sleep deprived delirium, “I’m in rare form for your birthday.”

The explanation earned me a chuckle, but not much else. At least, not that I could see. The static on the other end of the phone sounded a lot like the way it looked when Spencer leaned his face against his palm and tried to see something that wasn’t there.

But I was there. Sort of. We’d done a lot more with a lot less, after all. So, that’s what I offered him.

“You know… we could have a redo of the last time I called you late at night on a case.”

“That did not end well for me last time,” he droned. I tried not to laugh at the manufactured memory of Spencer holed up in a hotel bathroom because he just had to have me in whatever way he could.

“Only happy endings for your birthday. I promise.”

But then, as it always did, work got in the way. Filled with only the greatest sadness and regret, Spencer quietly but honestly replied, “As much as I would love to, I don’t think it’ll be possible on this case.”

“Is it that bad?”

“Unfortunately.”

I bit my lip because there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t help Spencer with his work any more than I could fix the distance. All I could offer him was a safe home to return to. He would always find that with me.

“Well, in that case, I will be equipped with cartoons and kisses upon your return,” I offered with grace.

But I wasn’t the only one in rare form. Without skipping a beat, Spencer corrected with a smug sadness, “You mean your return. Considering you’re abandoning me on my birthday.”  

“Oh my god, the drama!” I cried before remembering that it was, still, in fact, 3AM. The light grimace I gave after remembering would be the only apology my neighbors would get from me. I was too busy building a narrative happy enough to drown out the horrors in front of him. “You’d think I was the one who was away all the time.”

“I’m allowed to be selfish; it’s my birthday,” he sang, and I soaked in the sound, storing it away for any rainy days.

“Fine. What do you want, brat?” I asked in the worst attempt at an impression I’d ever given.

He was just waiting for the question. Drawing out the first couple of syllables, he laughed through the stupidest birthday wish of all time.

“I want… you to go to bed.”

“Ugh!” I yelled again, not even bothering to feel bad about it that time. My exasperation fell on deaf ears, both from a willful desire to ignore my suffering and a literal ringing from the constant yelling.

Still, that impossible man drummed up enough compassion to gloat with a simple, “I love you.”

“I love you, too, jerk,” I grumbled, only to be swiftly corrected with a playful, “Try that again.”

“I love you, too, old man.”

He was satisfied enough with that answer, despite the sarcasm dripping from it. He still knew that the words were true, and that was all that mattered. Any punishments that might be necessary for my broken promise to behave for his birthday could always be doled out later. When the distance between us was narrowed to inches and clothes could be removed like cheap wrapping paper.

“Thank you, little girl. Sweet dreams,” he whispered, reminding me once more of just how empty my bed felt without him. I stared at his pillow for just one second before I threw myself into it. He chuckled at the sound of rustling sheets over the receiver but said nothing else.  

“You get some sleep tonight, too, okay?” I asked, uncharacteristically and openly vulnerable in a way that used to scare me.

Spencer’s voice was filled with pride and love as he answered, “You can’t see it, but I am giving you a pinky promise.”

“Good.” Burying my face in his pillow again made it easier to remember that it wouldn’t be forever when I said, “Bye, Spencer.”

“Goodnight, little girl.”

—————————————————

Autumn on campus felt pretty similar to the rest of the year. I wished that it were different, a little more exciting, to reflect how I felt about the impending holiday. But no, it was just students stumbling into their usual classes and hectically scheduled midterms with hangovers and a total lack of holiday cheer.

It was, in a few words, a complete bummer. The only thing that kept me going through the last of my exams was the knowledge that I’d be seeing Spencer. Unfortunately, he was still doing that rather annoying thing where he refused to answer my text messages. It wasn’t until he ignored even my most ridiculous threats that I realized something was going on.

The ‘Read’ notification sat menacingly on my screen, and I was so fixated on it that I almost didn’t notice the familiar mop of brown curls visible in the front row of the auditorium. But once I saw it, the phone was forgotten faster than ever before. I ran down the steps at a ridiculously dangerous pace, dodging the others still grumbling from their previous exams.

I landed in front of him with only enough breath left to sneer, “You’re in my seat.”

“Surprise,” he said with my favorite smug, self-assured smile.

“Adorable. Now move,” I ordered with a wave of my hand. As much as I loved the guy, I wasn’t about to change my seating arrangement for him. It was beginning to make sense, though, why my friend told me that she wouldn’t be sitting with me today.

“Fine,” he sighed, taking his sweet time moving seats and watching me happily bounce on my feet in the meantime. I snuck behind him into the seat before he’d even fully stood up. That little amount of friction between our bodies seemed to be enough to cause the tension to mount. It’d only been seconds, but I was already seriously considering abandoning the class. To hell with the professor who’d already seen me.

But Spencer’s eyes locked on mine, and he leaned onto the armrest with that same silly smirk.  

“It’s a workday, Dr. Reid,” I whispered, forcing my arm next to his and watching the way his pupils grew as I came closer.

“I might have pulled a few strings,” he replied just as quietly, keeping the illusion of secrecy despite many prying eyes around us, “Might’ve told Hotch I was invited.”

“But you weren’t,” I snorted.

Spencer’s head hung in just a little bit of shame, but his wide smile never waned. It was still there, bright and pure in its simplicity as he softly admitted, “Yeah. I lied. But I’m here now.”

There were no complaints about that fact, either. His pinky reached out to mine, twining together in the dim light of the auditorium. Somehow, for a brief second, I forgot about everything else. The noisy chatter meant nothing to me, the two of us lost in some alternate pocket universe that felt safe and warm from the cold air outside.

But time resumed, and I watched as Spencer took his eyes off of me first, turning instead to the lecturer watching us with a knowing glint in his eyes.

“Good morning everyone! We have a special guest with us today.”

I wanted to pay attention to his little introduction, but I couldn’t. Every word that was said about him sounded so clinical. It felt so empty compared to the truth I knew about him. He was so much more than a collection of publications and PhDs.

He was… indescribable. Even as his mouth formed a flat line and his awkward handshake was granted to the crowds of disinterested students, all I saw was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Even if it was only from the shadows of his greatness. Then again, I don’t think he’d ever let me feel that way.

Speaking of…

"Dr. Reid, the only thing I ask is for you to give these wonderful students a chance to show you what they know,” my professor started with a laugh before he so kindly continued, “So go easy on them." 

In any other situation, I might have let it slide. I would have accepted the fact that Spencer was far beyond my intellect and not stand up for myself. But this time, Spencer was on my turf.

"All due respect to Dr. Reid, I don't think he needs to go easy on us,” I called from the front row, only audible to the other dutiful students that cared enough to sit up front. I heard Spencer laugh beside me, shaking his head just a little bit at the challenge. He didn’t say anything though, and I returned my eyes to the professor who was already familiar with my antics as I boasted, "At least not on me." 

While Spencer caught on to the fairly obvious double entendre, shifting his crossed legs closer, the professor just wrote it off as my usual academic pride.

“I did try to warn you that that one might get competitive,” he commented. At this point, everyone had definitely figured out my relation to the man next to me. It was kind of hard to hide a bullet wound from your school. But again, I was so caught up in the man beside me that I didn’t even feel a little shame at their playful teasing.

Spencer’s commentary was the only thing that mattered, and he gave it with a dreamy sigh. "I'm not offended at all. I'm sure she's very clever." 

The little bit of light left in the room started to fade, and once I was shrouded by the shadows, I felt confident enough in my plan to dig through the bag at my feet to pull out probably the nerdiest item in it.

A fucking back-up clicker. Which, I promptly handed to the man beside me.

“You’re in seat B4,” I whispered gruffly, earning yet another snarky chuckle from my boyfriend.

“Is that a challenge?”

I didn’t answer. Not him, anyway. What I did answer was the question that had appeared on the screen.

“Ms. (Y/n)?” My professor called, recognizing my seat number without even looking up.

Luckily for me, today was nothing but a review day of the midterm I’d already taken. While I knew all of the questions and, what I’d hoped were the right answers, Spencer had to read the questions from scratch. Really, it didn’t give me an edge. It just put us on equal playing ground.

As I gave my answer, I watched in my peripherals as Spencer’s eyes narrowed and tongue peeked out from lips that I still hadn’t gotten the chance to kiss today.

It was a bad thing to think about, because my brief reverie of the things that mouth was capable of reminded me of another one. I didn’t even notice another question had appeared on the screen, and when I heard the familiar buzz of an attempted answer, I shared my Professor’s temporary confusion.

“Ah, Dr. Reid,” he laughed, probably already regretting welcoming the bastard here, “Please explain the answer.”

But there was another thing working in my favor: My boyfriend’s giant fucking ego. Really, it should be impossible that someone who was normally super insecure could enjoy showing off as much as he did. My professor didn’t mind, because Spencer’s long-winded answer was a wonderful review of… basically the entire course, and I didn’t mind because it granted me the one thing I needed.

Time. Time to slowly remove my jacket and reveal the sweater underneath. Spencer’s eyes caught the motion, glancing over only a couple of times while he managed to give his answer. It wasn’t until I started to remove the sweater that he cut his answer short.

His throat clearing told me he wanted my attention, but I was still just too distracted for him. I fanned my chest that felt warm for reasons other than the temperature of the room, guaranteeing his eyes would stay there long enough for me to catch the next question before he had a chance.

Or so I thought. Because before the question appeared, I made the positively stupid mistake of meeting his gaze. As soon as I did, my mind was stuck there, drowning in molasses and honey and—

“Dr. Reid, please feel free to continue to do my job for me. Lord knows I would love a break,” the professor joked, and I almost felt guilty for just how genuine he sounded. Not like Spencer would have noticed passive aggression if it existed.

Not like either of us would have cared. Per usual, we were so lost in the space of B4 and B5 that we didn’t care about the rest of the alphabet. All we cared about was winning. It was growing more and more obvious to me, though, that I would have to become a little more ruthless if I wanted to bring down the bona fide genius.  

The sound of his voice rang through the auditorium loud, clear, and confident. He didn’t need to worry if he was right or not, because he knew he was. The smugness was grating to my ears. I knew I couldn’t trick him into making a mistake, but there was one thing I could do.

I’d learned one thing very well in my time with Spencer, and that was how to manipulate that pretty little voice of his.

For example, if I wanted to hear it catch in his throat and come out a few pitches higher, all I would have to do is touch him. The riskier the touch, the higher his voice would go. Which was why I spread out the jacket over my lap, making sure that our legs were close enough that it covered him, too. Then I waited, calmly and kindly listening to him drone along until there was a natural enough inflection to hide evidence of any nefarious actions. Just as his voice started to rise, I slid my hand over his knee.

Spencer barely stuttered, just enough for me to know he was affected, but not enough for anyone else to notice. He took the loss with grace, quickly ending his answer with a summary that contained only half as many words as he would have normally provided.

He kept a few for me.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he hissed, shifting close enough to me that I could feel his breath on my ear.

“All’s fair in love and war,” I hummed. His breath caught again when I began stroking my thumb over his leg that had just started to bounce.

“This is wildly inappropriate.”

“How perceptive,” I returned with my own little smirk. The interaction caught us both, trapping us in the alternate dimension that existed when we held each other. His hand found its way to mine, and his thumb brushed over the back and sent goosebumps shooting over my skin.

I’d practically abandoned our pursuits altogether when I heard my friend’s voice as she took the question that we’d both missed. I should’ve been upset for losing after all that I’d gone through for my strategy to succeed, but it was hard to feel anything other than butterflies when Spencer was still looking at me like that.  

Even when I looked away, he stayed, patiently waiting for me to take the final question in the review. I granted him a chance to take it, but he just shook his head, implicitly asking me to take the win for the both of us. Even when we were competing, we were always on the same team.

There were no more distractions as I explained the answer as simply as I could. I was positive the rest of the class was tired of hearing our voices, but Spencer never stopped smiling. I could feel the pride rolling off of him, his hand growing tighter around mine as he took in a deep breath.

“Very good, (y/n),” my professor announced, signaling the end and initiating a large sigh of relief from everyone else.

Spencer sighed too, although his was with a different kind of relief; a dreamy, soft sound as he muttered under his breath, “Just like I said. Very clever.”

The air felt positively electric, and I never hated my class more than I did in that moment. The rest of the period ticked by so slowly that I almost swore the clocks were broken. Once we were allowed to leave, Spencer insisted on sticking around to thank the professor for his hospitality.

I knew it was necessary, but that didn’t mean I had to like it. I tried to be as patient as possible, even though it seemed pointless. Spencer’s little grin told me he knew very well what he was doing. The conversation had dragged on for practically five minutes of agony while I idled by the door.

But then my professor passed, and I felt the adrenaline course through my veins in seconds. As anticipated, we didn’t even make it out of the building before the tension broke. We’d barely even made it down the goddamn hallway before I shoved his scrawny ass into the first empty classroom I found. Once the door clicked shut behind us, the roles were quickly reversed.

I hadn’t seen him that excited in so long that I’d almost forgotten how easy it was to get swept up in his undertow. I couldn’t keep track of his hands or his mouth as they marked any bare skin they could find. But no matter how frantic and uncoordinated the movements were, they never ceased to send chills down my spine.

“This is wildly inappropriate, Dr. Reid,” I managed to slur between sloppy, heated kisses. It was barely comprehensible through the pent-up lust that had driven us there in the first place, but it still felt worth saying.

Spencer, however, made his feelings very clear with a gruff, forceful, “I don’t care.”

His hands were already roaming over my hips, pulling me so close to the edge that I nearly fell off the counter entirely. While I was laughing at his haste, he was busy leaving angry marks on my collarbone, pulling the top of my shirt down to grant him more access. And despite how badly my body burned with desire and need, I drummed up just enough self-preservation to force out a few, regrettable words.

“Take me home.”

Even though I tried to make it sound more seductive than a normal request to stop, it brought the momentum to a halt. Spencer immediately stopped his kisses, but let his hands continue to stroke loving patterns over the sides of my thighs.

“Don’t you have other classes?” he asked. The feeling of his breath against my ears making me second-guess my already voiced decision. But as enticing as the idea was of having him now, having already waited over a week, I knew we could have so much more fun with a little bit of privacy.

“Don’t you have work?” I teased, hoping that it would spur him to take the action we both knew was safer. At the same time, I couldn’t stop myself from wanting to poke fun at the academic in him.

“Unless this is your way of telling me you've always wanted to fuck a girl in a lab because, I must admit I'd be more than happy to oblige." 

Spencer’s whole body tensed as he imagined just what it would feel like to take me in such a public place. After a couple seconds that I can only imagine were filled with fantasies and a reasonable fear, he pulled me from my seat on the counter and placed me back on the ground.

“Let’s go,” he said, pulling me by my wrist towards the door.

I only barely managed to stop him with both hands on his arm. He turned back to look at me like I’d done some horrible thing, but I was too busy trying to stop the laughter that was spilling from my chest.

“You’re uh—” I cleared my throat, pointing to the very noticeable tent in his slacks before I keened through the giggles, “You’re gonna have to do something about that.”

With a quick glance down, Spencer remembered the very unfortunately obvious trait of the male anatomy. “Fuck,” he stated plainly.

I couldn’t resist.

“I mean, I’m down,” I joked one final time.  

“Shut up!” Spencer laughed, too, trying and failing to adjust himself in his pants while I just enjoyed the show.

After all, we both knew that once we were alone, he would get a reprieve from my ridicule. He would get whatever he wanted.

—————————————————

The chaotic clashing of hands and mouths continued seconds after we’d reached our destination. The empty apartment had all of the sounds of our desperation echoing back to us, and after soaking in the melodious noise for a few seconds, I snapped back to reality.

“Okay, she doesn’t get home for another 30 minutes at the earliest so, we’d better hurry,” I urged, trying to shove Spencer off of me to convince him to move. It barely worked, with his arms clutching tighter the harder I struggled to get away.

Wrapped together just like that, the two of us barely made it a few feet before we almost tumbled to the ground. That was just enough of a reminder of our lack of coordination for Spencer to finally, begrudgingly, release me. Kind of. His hand still held tight to mine, and our laughter still combined the whole way to our bed.

From there, Spencer felt confident in our privacy to answer, “That’s fine. I usually tear open my gifts pretty quickly.”

It was a very good metaphor for the way his hands worked over my clothes. I didn’t even try to pinpoint the moment where being naked no longer made me feel nervous. I let the scar tissue show because neither of us were going to look at it, anyway. We were too caught up in the slight shifts and nuances of our faces as we rushed towards our one mutual goal.

“I missed you,” I mumbled, the words feeling as natural as breathing itself.

“I missed you, too,” he returned, and I felt the raw emotion, the sincerity and desire in every syllable. But once it was over and he had finally managed to remove everything but my underwear, all that was left was an all-encompassing, mind-altering level of lust.

“God, watching you in class was so fucking frustrating,” he strained, his upper lip curling with disdain as he watched my body squirm against the sheets.

“Why’s that?”

“I wanted you so badly.”

There was no denying that it was the honest truth, and I didn’t even want to try. I wanted to gloat and bask in the confirmation that his presence was dangerous for my academic career. Not to mention my sanity.  

“Like I said. You’re very distracting.”

Then, to prove my point, that brilliant bastard shoved his hand under the band of my underwear. He only held me softly for one second before he slid his fingers through the slickness and thrust them roughly into me. It hadn’t been that long, but the emptiness I felt before was even more apparent now that I had any part of him inside of me again.

“Am I?” he chimed with a smile.

I wanted to be bratty, to fight the tension that was building and appear unfazed by his ministrations, but there was simply no pretending. Not when my body was already on the verge of spasming around his fingers that seemed to stroke the perfect place within me with every movement.

“Jesus Christ,” I sighed. I should’ve known better than to give him ammunition.

“You’ve resorted to blasphemy already?”

Spencer partnered the tease with a ruthless thrust, burying his fingers to the knuckle inside of me and holding them there. He waited until I ran out of breath and struggled to take another while also trying not to scream in a mixture of frustration and devastating need for more.

“I thought I told you we had to hurry?”

“We’ve got time,” he shot back without pause, “You’re just being a needy little brat.”

“Yes, I am,” I whined just as quickly, “I’m a fucking brat and I need you.”

He almost seemed disappointed in my compliance. His fingers began moving again, eliciting noises that were louder, higher, and sweeter after the anticipation. He tried to draw the attitude out of me by stopping again, waiting for a quip that didn’t come.

“Awww, no fight?” he cooed.

“I can’t. It’s your birthday,” I grumbled before biting my tongue. The pressure was becoming so unbearable I thought I might honestly draw blood. But after another few seconds of torture that felt like a lifetime, Spencer withdrew his hand completely.

He was testing the limits, watching how far I would let him go before begging. But even when he took the same soaked fingers and began rubbing me from the outside of my underwear, I only opened my mouth to steal quick, soft breaths and give pitiful whines.

“Oh, I like this…” he laughed, apparently having gotten past his concern about my sudden compliance, “I could get used to you behaving.”

The song-like cadence got to me, threatening to spark and ignite everything I was holding back. I almost bit back. I almost let the desire scorch my throat with a few choice words for the very rude genius, but I didn’t. The only thing that stopped me was the feel of cotton sliding down my thighs as he removed the final barrier between us.

“You’d miss my misbehaving,” I said with a chuckle. The sound mixed with another, a deep moan that filled my chest when I felt him press himself against my entrance. My back arched, causing him to slip inside of me just enough for us to both lose our words.

“I don’t know…”

If I’d wanted to say anything, my mouth wouldn’t have let me. It was too busy singing his praise while simultaneously begging him to silence it. My lips floundered for a kiss that he hung just far enough away from me to deny. Satisfaction was painted over every feature as he started to enter me, brushing his lips against my mouth every few seconds just to pull away before I was granted the intimacy I sought.

“You do look rather cute when you’re begging.”

It was strange, the way my body started to predict his movements. I met him in the middle of every motion, and I swore even our breath became synchronized in its rapid firing. It wasn’t until his hand rested over my throat we broke the rhythm. I wasn’t going to complain, letting the energy flow down my spine that arched towards him on instinct. His hips never stopped, and I could tell by the way his breath hitched and his fingers grew tighter around my neck that the new angle was as wonderful for him as it was for me.

“You look so sweet when you let go of every ounce of self-preservation and dignity you have and put your life in my hands,” he whispered with an affection that almost seemed odd considering the context. But then there was something else in his moans, a genuine gentleness that made my already arrhythmic heart beat faster.

“You know I’ll take care of you, don’t you?” he asked as his movements stayed calm and careful. Loving and safe.  

I didn’t even notice my eyes had closed, but it ultimately didn’t matter. Because when I opened them, I saw the same man that existed in every image behind my eyelids. The only indication he got that I was still capable of communication was the gentle curve of my lips that dropped open in a pleased sigh as his hips continued a slow, tender pace.

It still felt like too much, but not in a bad way. It was too much in the sense that I was reminded once again just how ruined he’d made me. And the smug little shit knew it, too.

“You don’t have a single thought in that pretty little head, do you?” he cooed, dragging his hand up the column of my throat to force his fingers against my tongue. True to my word, I didn’t try to fight back. I soaked the digits that still tasted like me with my jaw left open. His pupils dilated as he watched the spit pool in my mouth that awaited his instruction.

“You just want to be used. Like the perfect little doll you are.”

Unlike my own, his smile was more of a smirk. A crooked, ever so slightly wicked quirk that made my muscles tense around him in their own version of an affirmative answer. He took it, happily. His body crashed into mine, but it merely felt like an extension of myself returning home like the waves meeting the shore. I could feel him claiming his rightful place at the deepest parts of me, making his home with every powerful motion of his hips.

I could hardly breathe, let alone think. I didn’t want to. It felt unnecessary.

“My sweet little girl,” he muttered with an unbelievably chaste kiss in the center of my forehead, “You’d do anything to make your daddy happy.”

I felt detached from myself in a way that didn’t feel me with fear or pain. I could feel myself through his hands, strong and working the pliable flesh of my thighs as he held them up so that he could drive into me harder.

His eyes, also only half open, burned with intensity. I could feel the determination, the undying desire to grant me a serenity that no one else could. His need for me to feel safe and loved with the seemingly contradictory brutality.

But it wasn’t contradictory. The power behind every movement, the insistence on being as close to me as he possibly could, might have caused some physical pain, but it was nothing compared to the pleasure of sharing this space with him. Of sharing my body with him just to see what he would do with it. I already knew, but I wanted to feel it again and again. Because with each stroke of his hand and thrust of his hips, I felt it.

Spencer had free rein to do whatever he wanted, and he chose to love me.

“I’m so close. You know what I want,” he pleaded despite holding all of the power. He handed it to me with a low groan, trying to kiss my lips while he commanded, “Do it. Come for me.”

My body obeyed his command, falling to pieces around him with shockwaves breaking over every inch of me. My vision went white, crafting a halo of light around him as he also found himself reaching a peak that seemed different than the times we’d shared before.

I tried to figure out what had changed, what about this time made it unique. But as the euphoria faded, all I saw staring back at me was the same face as always, radiating a joy and understanding that warmed damp, chilly skin. Spencer’s release provided a similar warmth within me, and my body clung to him even tighter despite the exhaustion.

My breathing took its time to even out, but I was in no rush to leave him. I would have stayed like that forever, with Spencer covering me like the silliest, boniest blanket. If it wasn’t for the dead weight he eventually dropped on me, we probably would’ve spent the whole day lost in the covers. But he could thank the scars for me being a little less forgiving.

Of course, thankful is not the word to describe him at all. Whiny was more like it. Even as I turned our bodies together so that I would still be sitting on his lap, he did nothing but groan and bitch about it. That is, until I silenced him with a kiss that barely brushed over his lips.

That was enough to turn his frown back to the dopey smile I loved so much.

“Happy birthday, old man,” I purred, enjoying the way his hands grabbed me tighter at the loving nickname. But age wasn’t what was on his mind. I could see it in the way his eyes tore past my defenses and he held me closer like we could actually become one if he tried hard enough.

“I’m so in love with you, it’s infuriating,” he whispered.

“I’ve heard that one before.”

Spencer wasn’t in a joking mood, though. All of his humor seemed to be expended earlier in the day, and now he was just left with all the mushy, romantic innards that I normally kept at bay.

It wasn’t that bad, though, I thought as his hands framed my face so our foreheads would touch. There were worse things to be trapped with.

“It’s true,” he mumbled with his voice still high and slurred together, “I look at you and there is just… nothing that can be said that would ever explain the way it feels.”

“Gross,” I joked.

“Get used to it,” he returned. And if that wasn’t enough to make me laugh, he stuck his tongue out in the most childish display I’d seen from him since he’d fucking licked my hand on our picnic. It was also just charming enough that I was willing to let the sappy stuff slide.

“I’ll be nice to you this time,” I grumbled. “But also, speaking of time, you’d better hurry up if you don’t want to do the walk of shame with an audience.”

Spencer’s arms fell limp with a dramatic cry before he used them to cover his face once more.

“Ugh. Go,” he ordered. Despite his words, he still made me fight against greedy hands to wrestle my way out of bed. It would have been smarter to let me go quickly. I really don’t know what he was thinking, but he would learn his mistake soon enough. Because as I was finishing up in the bathroom, I heard a very amused voice chiming down the hall on the other side of the door.

“Good afternoon, Spencer.”

I debated not opening the door and freeing Spencer from the unbelievably uncomfortable position he’d just found himself in, but ultimately decided it was too cruel. Still, the stalling had taken up enough time that the poor guy felt compelled to reply.

And, of course, the only thing he could think to say was a pathetic, high pitched, “Hi.”

Somehow managing to contain the absolutely riotous laughter I felt in my gut, I opened the door with the straightest face I could muster.

It wasn’t enough. Spencer saw the pleasure I took in his humiliation and practically shoved me out of the bathroom to take my place behind the doors. While I found the action endearing in the most awkward way, my roommate was mostly just confused about how the fuck I’d managed to find someone as stupid as me.

“I didn’t know he was coming,” she said once she managed to smile at the silly situation.  

Clearing my throat, I tried to sound sincere in my bullshit apology. “Me either, sorry.”

In a way, I think the fact I couldn’t pull myself together worked in my favor. Normally, she would have scolded me (albeit playfully) for not alerting her of what she might be walking in on, but this time, she just tried to withhold the smile that still stretched over her cheeks despite her best efforts.

“You’re fine,” she sighed, giving in to the desire to go against her usual grumpy demeanor before retreating to her own room. “Have fun, you hooligans.”

Once her door clicked shut, I heard shuffling on the other side of the door next to me. Spencer’s shadow was visible from the light peeking out underneath, and I waited a few more restless seconds before I announced, “You can come out now, Spencer.”

Cautiously, the door creaked open just enough for his head to poke out and confirm that I wasn’t trying to trick him.

“I’ve never been a hooligan before,” he said with a bounce in his step and his eyebrows halfway up his face. To think that he was the same man who threatened to arrest me for existing at a nightclub was, in a word, hilarious.

“Well, good news for you,” I purred, and the sound must have reminded him of my more devilish nature, because his jubilance quickly shifted back to an obvious anxiety. I wrapped my arms around him even when it meant that his muscles tensed, dragging him down so I could whisper in his ear, “I was just about to ask if you wanted to help me play hooky.”

“And do what?”

It felt strange to say that I hadn’t really thought about it. That the second I’d seen him I knew that the day would be good and free and fun. That everything felt so perfectly fine that I didn’t even want to challenge it with a schedule.

Spencer looked at me, his answer apparent in the way he started to relax the longer we stayed wrapped up in a shitty apartment hallway. It didn’t matter what I said. Spencer would have followed me, just like I would have done for him.

And without the angst or uncertainty of what could go wrong, there was only one thing left for us to do. With a shrug and pout, I proposed the riskiest plan we’d had yet.

“Whatever we want.”

—————————————————

| Finale |

[nbrook29]

💞 My ultimate Sobbe fic recs 💞

Recently, I have gone through Robbe/Sander tag on ao3 and I decided to compose a list of fics that are absolute gems for me. A few disclaimers first:

✔ I didn’t include works in progress (WIPs), however I did include fics that are only on tumblr

✔ the order of the fics below is random

✔ this is the list of my personal favorites so if your favorite fic is not on the list it doesn’t mean it’s bad or that I consider it bad - we just vibe with different things :)

✔ if there’s a fic on this list that you decided to give a shot and loved it, please remember about leaving a comment under it to let the author know that

✔ I’ve been trying to add the “read more” thingy but it doesn’t show, I’m sorry, I know long posts are annoying af

under 1k

we’re keeping it simple by noobishere | G

Summary: Sander comes over unannounced and attacks Robbe’s very person (a.k.a the one where Sander teases Robbe on Eenvoud)

This is a guaranteed mood lifter. It’s short, sweet, to the point, and oh so funny. The banter. And I’d die to see that in the show. 

1k - 5k

Fizzy Colas by Foxsake5 | M

Summary: Let’s say this is a clip (hopefully not as short as the standard 1:40 of this season) with Sander as the main on a ‘bros night out’ 🍻

This author is my queen/king alright? They take a simple idea and turn it into the most lovely/cute/soft story. This fic is exactly that. Sobbe’s chemistry here is out of this world and the banter is to die for.

high for this by flowersmaze (@bowieskam) | G

Summary: In which Sander remains a Flirt™ and in love with Robbe even when he can’t feel his face after a medical procedure

The summary says it all. Loopy Sander is the cutest and funniest thing.

Pull Me from the Dark by TheOceanIsMyInkwell (@theoceanismyinkwell) | T

Summary: Sander discovers that Robbe has recently been prescribed antidepressants, and Robbe opens up to him about the night he almost stepped off the bridge. Only love will show how much they’ve grown and pull them through.

This time, the boys talk about Robbe’s mental state which is unusual in fics. This oneshot is communication 101. And this line is just 👌🏻 “But after the dust of their first kiss and their first vows of commitment settled around them, Robbe took a look at the space in which he floated and realized, somewhere along the line, that finding the love of your life doesn’t fix you.”

diminuendo by noobishere

Summary: Waking up feels like an ordeal. His eyes are heavy, arms a dead weight, he isn’t sure if his limbs are even in the right places, but eventually, Sander comes to. (a.k.a a take on how Sander fairs after Robbe left for school.)

Sander’s POV after Dinsdag 7:27. It’s a great insight into his headspace during that time. This could be a scene in the show because it fits so well.

you’re wonder under summer sky by nothingbutniall | M

Summary: Two city boys go camping. What could go wrong? (Everything, apparently.)

Those boys are a chaotic mess okay? They’re such dorks. This fic has the best kind of grumpiness there is and sobbe is written so in character here.

if we can make it through december (maybe we’ll make it through forever) by nothingbutniall | G

Summary: Robbe and Sander at the Christmas market.

Can you imagine those two dorks at the Christmas market? Well you don’t have to anymore because this fic is everything you need and more. And this line “Couldn’t,” Sander sulks. “You can’t hold hands properly with mittens on.” makes me go all gooey inside every.single.time 😍

A New Sunday Feeling by Foxsake5 | M

Summary:  Sander before Robbe: Ugh, Sundays 😒 Sander after Robbe: 😏🥺🥰

The way this author writes sobbe’s intimate moments is just pure talent. They have such way with words.

memories painted with much brighter ink by nothingbutniall | G

Summary: Saint Nicholas is the perfect excuse for an evening of gifts and banter with the flatshare. (Basically all five of them being cute together, and then Robbe and Sander being cute with just the two of them.)

This is the perfect fic for an October evening, when Christmas is just around the corner and you’ve just made yourself a cup of coffee and want to read some heart-warming well-written christmassy fluff. 

5k - 10k

Let’s Dance by msleviss (@sander-driesen) | G

Summary: Robbe and his friends go to a club to check out Amber’s DJ cousin.

THIS PERSON PREDICTED DJ SANDER Y’ALL. And Robbe thirsts over him. And there is an instant connection. And Robbe dances. And it’s so cute.

video phone by tokyometropolis (@luludemauryyy) | E

Summary: AKA OH MY GOD, THEY WERE QUARANTINED…except not together, because life is cruel. Thankfully it’s 2020 and when Robbe has an…er…intense dream about Sander in the middle of the night, all he has to do is press one button and Facetime him about it. Thing is…sometimes FaceTiming isn’t enough.

Look. I get that smut fics are not everyone’s cup of tea. And that’s totally fine. But. If you’re looking for a well-written smut that’s in character and where you can feel the love between the characters, this is it. Hands down. Sorry not sorry 💁🏼‍♀️

10k - 20k

our camp of dreams by robbesanderx (@robbesdriesen) | M

Summary: a summer camp!AU where robbe and sander are both co-counselors

Misunderstandings lead to pining. Teenage angst at its finest. I really like camp stories, it’s my thing.

Falling For You by silver_etoile (@azozzoni) | T

Summary: Robbe only knows one thing about football: that Sander Dreisen is the hottest player on the FC Utrecht team. When Jens drags him to a match, the last thing Robbe expects is to meet someone so perfect, and it’s all he can do not to mess it up, but will he succeed?

Sobbe in a different setting with a bit different dynamic yet still having that special something. It’s a nicely written story of the development of their relationship, first meeting, falling in love, ups and down, all the best things in fics. And Sander as a soccer player is a pretty 🔥 concept (and I think Robbe agrees).

This isn’t our first time around by noobishere | E

Summary: One moment they are in the kitchen of their shared apartment, the next, they’re in this strange but familiar room.(a.k.a the au in which they accidentally go hopping through multiple universes)

The universe takes matters into their own hands and shows those silly boys that they are meant to be. Sign me up for the ride.

Coffee and Croques by peaceoutofthepieces (@peaceoutofthepieces) | G

Summary: Sander works at the on-campus coffee shop with Eliott, and he might just have a crush on the cute boy in the brown coat.

I’m a sucker for coffeshop fics. There is just something so good about them. This one is the coffeshop!AU that sobbe deserves. Oh the pining, and the secretive looks, the silly boys, and a pinch of Elu. Me likey ☕

The finest of the meadow by allforyoumylove | M

Summary: The universe brings two lonely boys together in a flowering meadow. They fall for each other fast and hard among delicate daisies, warm summer breezes, and shooting stars.

This is magical. My comment on the work was “So soft, so beautiful, so THEM, ugh.” and I MEANT that. This is just the right amount of sweetness. This is a must read. I’m not messing around. 

two side of the same coin series by MajorAccent (@acespaceacepilot) | E

Summary: the valleys and mountains of sander’s bpd

How the boys handle Sander’s ups and downs. Robbe being the best boyfriend ever. I love how good he is for Sander, being there for him, not treating him like a baby, and not controlling him. How much he tries to make it at least a little bit easier for him. If you don’t want to read explicit stories, at least give the first part a try since it’s not E rated. 

Zaterdag 9:58 by Foxsake5 | M

Summary: What happened after the croissants dropped to the floor 🥐🤭💕

I meant it when I said Foxsake5 has great way with words. Every single piece of theirs is just “chef’s kiss”. This fic is a definition of a domestic fic. Oh, and it happened. Totally. It’s my headcanon now.

its an unrequited love by eggsntoast | G

Summary: Sander works part-time at a museum every Sunday. Robbe is a frequent visitor.

A Sander POV fic. I was sold from the beginning. The development of their relationship here is so cute, and they’re being so stupid with their pining instead of just talking to each other and you just want to shake them but at the same time you’re rooting for them so hard. Oh and did I mention pining?

20k+

Jij Verliest series by ravenbrenna09 (@djsander) | M

Summary: For the past three months, Robbe’s life—and what it once was—had been stripped away and rearranged. Now, if anything, his life had become a bit repetitive: homework, stream, ignore Thomas’s Instagram, repeat. But one Friday evening, Robbe meets a hurricane in the form of a platinum-haired tattoo artist who just might show him everything that he’s been missing.

This is a long series okay? But oh so worth it. It’s captivating and you don’t want to stop until you finish. And once you finish you’re sad it’s over even though you’ve just spent 8 fucking hours reading it. It’s amazing. But you probably know that because it’s quite popular (rightfully so). The best thing is that you expect it to go bad halfway through because it’s difficult to keep the quality on the same level in a fic that long. But it doesn’t.

Visitations by lucidpantone (@lucidpantone) | E

Summary: Does Robbe and Sander’s relationship survive into adulthood. This fic takes place in two simultaneously timelines: the past and the present.The present occurs in one entire day. Both timelines are completely out of chronological order. Everything is in clips.You can be dropped in at anytime of the day in any timeline. So clip by clip you will need to piece together what happen to Sander & Robbe and why the present looks the way it does and what happened in the past that got them there.This love story is a journey. So be prepared.In the words of one of our Even’s. It’s a complicated love story between complicated people.

This is not a regular fic. The author put so much thought into it, there are so many gems, so many little things that you have to pay attention to because it.all.matters. And there is not one interpretation. Don’t you just love when a story forces you to think and use your brain? Cause I do. Not gonna lie: this story hurts, and like the author says themselves, it’s a journey. But oh my god get in because it’s amazing. And the ending is just sjsjsjsjsddhdhsdsgdsg 🤯

the night we met by themoongirl (@dearsander) | T

Summary: Robbe Ijzermans has a brain that won’t let him sleep, a chest that feels far too heavy and thoughts that never stop.During his first year of college he meets Sander Driesen. Robbe finds what he never went looking for.

A college AU. This fic is a journey of pain and fluff and humor. It has awesome friendships. And sobbe falling in love. And liminal spaces. I read it a while ago so I don’t remember it as well as the others but you know what? I still remember that it was great and I’m lowkey happy I don’t remember it that well because now I can go and read it again. 

The Stars Look Very Different by @peaceoutofthepieces 

Summary: Robbe is bored. He’s bored of listening to his friends talking about girls, and his other friends making out, and no one ever doing anything. He’s tired of having to put in all the work, of making his own fun. He’s tired of feeling nothing so he doesn’t have to feel like nothing. His party stunts are pushing the limit, his thrill seeking beginning to worry even his friends, and his carelessness is toeing the line of dangerous.

He’s a little tired of being ‘dangerous’, too.

Sander may or may not have a crush on the older boy with the apparent death wish. He wouldn’t mind a little danger.

Once I started reading this fic, each day I was waiting for an update at the edge of my seat which was a feeling I expected from s4 that did not deliver. TSLVD definitely delivered. My favorite sobbe social media AU

Ziggy Stardust Series by skamsnake (@skamsnake) | M/E

A collection of fics taking place throughout the season. Most of them are E rated so be aware of that but it’s a really cool mixture of fluff and spice *fans myself*

[freddie-weaselbee]

E2: The One in New York City//F.W.

Series Summary: FRIENDS but with Harry Potter characters after Hogwarts graduation, trying to figure out their lives and relationships. Non Voldy AU. Begins around the end of FRIENDS season 4 with The Wedding and semi follows plots in season 5. 

Pairing(s): Fred Weasley x Fem!Reader, Romione, Ron x Lavender, Hinny, Georgelina

Warnings: Language, mentions of sex, planned pregnancy

Summary: Years after Hermione came back into their lives, the gang finds themselves traveling to New York City for the wedding of the one and only Ronald Weasley. As tensions rise and feelings are revealed, the group has to take on New York and hope for the best. 

Word Count: 3.6k

A/N: A little taste of the story:  “I’d pee on you any day of the week.” “What the hell did I just walk into?” Message me to join the series or general taglist!

May 2004

“Guys, hurry up! The flight leaves in four hours! It could take time to get a taxi, there could be traffic, the plane could leave early! When you get to New York there could be a line at customs, come on!” Hermoine Granger was racing through the flat of Fred and George Weasley, the one above their infamous joke shop, Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. She grabbed clothing from their drawers and tossed it haphazardly into suitcases, while the twins in question were lounged out on their sofa observing the scene. 

You sat wedged between the two boys, leaning your head against Fred’s shoulder with your legs draped across George’s lap. You laughed as Hermione was practically hysterical about getting everything ready, even though she wouldn’t even be going to America. 

“Good thing she’s not gonna be on the flight,” Fred whispered into your ear. “A six hour trip to New York? That’s a lot of Hermione.”

Smiling you turned to look at Fred who was holding something in his hand. “What’ve you got there?”

He grinned cheekily and gave you a better look. “Condoms, Y/N! You never know what American hotties I might meet overseas.”

Rolling your eyes you turned to George, who was giving you the same grin. “And I suppose you’re just as prepared as your brother?”

“Of course! Y’know, I feel bad for poor Ronniekins, getting himself all tied down to one woman. Me and Fred, we know how to live, isn’t that right mate?”

“You said it.” You sighed and settled into Fred even more, relaxing for a few minutes before Hermione would drag you all to the airport and you and Harry would be stuck trying to teach the Weasleys how Muggle planes worked. 

There was an audible pop as Ron apparated into the room, standing off by the kitchen. 

“Hey!” he greeted, causing you to sit up from your comfortable position wrapped in Fred’s arm and go meet your friend with a hug. 

“Hey.” You squeezed him tight, noticing how his nerves had overtaken him. 

“Are you ready yet?” he asked, fidgeting with his wand. 

Before you could respond Hermione came barging out of George’s bedroom and threw two suitcases onto the twins’ laps with what could only be described as superhuman strength. “She’s ready. You have the tickets?”

“Harry and Gin do, they’ll be here any second.” The only current couple of the group, and an engaged one at that, suddenly arrived with another loud pop, startling Fred who had begun to count his condoms to make sure he had enough. 

“Hey big brother!” Ginny hugged Ron with enthusiasm, but not as much as Harry showed as he threw himself onto his best friend. 

“You’re getting married Ron!”

“I know!”

They stayed wrapped in their hug as they jumped around and around, George clapping along and laughing at the duo. 

“Don’t know why Lavender would want to marry a specky git like you,” said the younger twin, “but at least we get to travel to the states for it.”

“And have wedding food,” said Fred. 

“Oh and you can’t forget the hot bridesmaids, right boys?” you questioned jokingly. 

They shared a mischievous look. “Never.”

A loud bell sounded through the loft, signaling that someone had come in. 

“That must be Luna!” Ginny exclaimed. She sprinted down the stairs and wrapped the blonde girl in a hug, being gentle as to not crush her or her pregnant belly. 

“Hello Ginny, how are you?”

“Never better! Thanks again for offering to help Hermione watch the apartments and oversee the shop and employees. Ron really wishes you could make it to the wedding, but seeing as you’re about to burst--”

Luna interrupted her old friend with a soft laugh. She was 8 months pregnant with twin boys, and was left home alone for a few weeks while her husband dealt with a work issue in Eastern Asia. Which meant she had plenty of free time to make sure things were running smoothly in London while her friends were overseas. 

The two girls were joined by the rest of the gang who had been pushed down the stairs by a frantic Hermione. “Get going, all of you! You’re going to miss your flight.”

“New York baby!” The twins had jumped down from one of the landings, somehow managing not to injure themselves. Although they were now 26 they were never without their childlike energy. 

“I’m walking here!” cried Fred in a horrid New York accent. 

“Yee haw, cowboy!” said George, doing a little cowboy dance.

You sighed and slapped your head with your hand. “Okay, cause that’s not gonna get annoying.”

They ignored you and continued with their yelling and dancing, dragging as much luggage as they could out the front door of the shop. 

“Well,” said Ron, “we’re all here and ready. I guess we should get going!” Harry and Ginny gave Luna one last goodbye as they followed you out to the alley, leaving only Ron, Hermione, and Luna left in the shop. 

“So, we’re off,” said Ron, a little awkwardly. He and Hermione had a bit of a rough past, having dated on and off for the past few years. But that was all behind them now, and she was happy that he had reconnected with their friend Lavender from Hogwarts and had fallen in love. 

“Have fun, Ron,” replied the bushy-haired girl. 

“Thanks,” he said, giving his friend a tight hug. “Ugh, I can’t believe you’re not gonna be there!”

Hermione sighed and pulled back. “Oh I know, I’m sorry.”

“So-so come! Why don’t you come?”

“What?”

“To New York!” Ron was holding Hermione’s hands and jumping up and down. “Come to New York, please? It’ll mean so much to me.”

Hermione hesitated for a moment. She wanted to go, to have a great trip with her friends and visit the historical places she’d read so much about. But she didn’t have it in her to watch her ex-boyfriend get married to someone else. 

“Yeah, well, I gotta work, I’m sorry. The Ministry is really up my arse these days, pardon my language.”

“Mione, this is my wedding,” he said, giving her his best puppy dog eyes. 

You stuck your head back through the door and called out to them. “Alright, y’know what? Now we really are late, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”

Ron sighed and let go of his friend, grabbing his suitcase before heading out the door. “I’ll see you when I get back, Mione. Bye Luna!”

Luna and Hermione both gave small waves as Ron pulled the door shut. A resounding “New York, baby” could be heard even from deep inside the shop, and Hermione giggled as her friends made their way to the London airport. 

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

“Alright,” said Ginny as you all stepped out into the streets of New York City. “Harry and I will help the groom and bride-to-be get everything set up for their big day. Which means you, Y/N, get the honor of babysitting my older brothers.”

“Ginny I can’t handle them all by myself! We’ve been here for less than 5 minutes and look at what they’re doing already.” You all turned to look at the ginger twins, who were standing on top of a map of the city and staring down at it. 

“What is going on with you two?” you asked, but you were quickly silenced as Fred placed his finger on your lips. 

“We’re concentrating. We went in the map so we can figure out where we are.” He kept his finger there until you finally removed it and looked at the map they had made, complete with little pop ups of all the important places they wanted to see. 

“If you see a little version of me in there, kill it.” Harry laughed at your quip and grabbed Ginny’s hand, waving goodbye as the couple and Ron made their way to meet Lavender and her family. 

“We got it!” screamed the twins. They stepped out of the map and started walking right, on to their first tourist destination. “Here we go.”

“Okay, listen,” you said catching up to them, “we’re not gonna have to walk this way the entire time are we?”

Fred shushed you and George groaned. “Y/N, you made me lose it!”

George put the map down and stood back on it. “A lot harder when the map doesn’t change specifically for you and show you exactly where you are, huh?” you asked, referencing the parchment the twins used for years back in Hogwarts. 

They ignored you and took off down the street again, their long legs moving so fast you had to almost sprint in order to keep up the pace. This was going to be a long day. 

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

Meanwhile Harry, Ron, and Ginny had made it to the Brown’s apartment in New York. Although Lavender was raised in England and attended Hogwarts, her extended family lived in the States and her parents moved there after she graduated. The apartment was rather large, but that was no surprise as the Browns were a wealthy family. 

“Oh Won Won!” Ron was greeted at the door with a vibrant Lavender throwing herself into his arms. Ron laughed and spun her around, giving her a quick kiss before finally setting her down. 

“Hey Lavender, I missed you.” He smiled warmly at his fiancee, soon to be his wife. After Padma left him right before he was going to propose years ago, Ron decided not to waste any time in popping the question once he and Lavender started dating. They’d only been going out for a few months before he asked, but despite the worried opinions of their friends they were convinced that this was the right thing to do. 

Lavender pulled Ron down for another kiss, this one much more passionate than the last. “I missed you too.”

They were pulled apart by an awkward cough from Harry, an arm around Ginny who was covering her eyes to avoid watching her brother make out with someone in front of her. 

“Sorry Harry, Ginny,” said Lavender. “It’s great to see you both. Come on in, will you, we have a few last minute preparations to attend to.”

They followed the brunette into her family’s apartment, which was decked out in reception decorations that still needed to be set up. “Where’s the rest of your group? They are coming, aren’t they?”

“Y/N and the twins are out exploring the city,” said Ginny. “I figured you probably didn’t want Fred and George to be around anything important, especially with their history of pyrotechnics. And I don’t trust them alone in the city, so Y/N’s making sure they don’t burn down half of New York.”

Lavender laughed and poured some tea for her friends. “And what about Hermione, is she at the hotel?”

The room suddenly got very tense and Harry quietly sipped his tea, trying to disappear from the awkward scene. 

“Umm,” Ron began, “Hermione’s not coming. She can’t get time off at the Ministry and she’s helping watch over our apartments and take care of Luna.”

Lavender nodded sadly, sighing deeply at the news. “I guess it’s all for the best then. She never did like me, did she?”

“No, that’s not true at all,” Ron argued, taking his fiancee's hands. “She’s just...she takes a while to warm up to people. She really wishes she could be here, but you know how work is.”

The girl smiled slightly at Ron’s comforting words. “Yeah, thanks Won Won.”

He squeezed her hands gently. 

“Alright then,” said Ginny, “what needs to be done? Even though Parvati is your maid of honor and I swear I’m not upset about it--” Harry elbowed Ginny hard, “--I’m still one of your bridesmaids, and I want my big brother’s wedding to be as amazing as possible. So, what should we do?”

“Well,” Lavender said, clapping her hands, “I need a new venue. The one I had was going to be absolutely gorgeous, but they tore it down early, which means we need a new spot.”

Although Lavender said these words calmly, it was obvious that she was on the verge of tears and the stress was getting to her. 

“Got it,” said Ginny. “Let’s go check out the old venue and see if there’s anything we can do. I promise you Lav, this day is going to be amazing, for everyone.”

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

“This is going to be horrible!”

Hermione was pacing around her apartment, the one she shared with you and Ginny. She was packing up Ginny’s belongings for when everyone returned from the wedding. Once Ron moved out of his and Harry’s shared apartment across the hall, Ginny would move in with her fiance, leaving only you and Hermione to share the space. Hermione decided that packing for Ginny would help take her mind off of the wedding, but unfortunately her assumptions were incorrect. 

“What’s the matter?” Luna asked from the sofa, leaning comfortably against a pillow with the Quibbler in her hands. 

Hermione sighed as she continued to pack. “I’m just bummed about the way I left things with Ron. I shouldn’t have lied to him about having to go to work. He seemed so mad at me.”

“Oh, don’t be so hard on yourself,” the blonde said, not looking up from her reading. “If someone I was still in love with was getting married…”

Luna jumped as a vase hit the floor and shattered. She looked up to see a wide-eyed Hermione staring at her. “Still in love with?!”

“Yes,” she said matter-of-factly. 

“I’m not in love with Ron!” Hermione screamed. 

Realization flooded Luna’s face. “Oh, no, good! Yeah, me neither.”

Hermione sat down across from her friend, ripping the Quibbler from her hands and attention. 

“Luna,” she said, “I’m not going to Ron’s wedding because he is my ex-boyfriend and that would be really uncomfortable. Not because I’m still in love with him! I mean, I like Ron as much as the next girl. Clearly I still have feelings for him, but feelings don’t mean love! I mean, I still have loving feelings for Ron. But, but that doesn’t mean that-that I’m still in love with him! I-I have sexual feelings for him, but I do love him--oh!” she gasped at her own words. “Luna why didn’t you tell me?”

“We thought you knew!” she said, surprised that Hermione was for once in her life so oblivious. “We talk about it all the time!”

“You all know?” Hermione asked. “Does, does Ron know?”

“Oh no,” Luna answered calmly. “Ron doesn’t know anything.”

Hermione started pacing once again, this time much more frantically. “Oh, I can not believe you didn’t tell me!”

“We thought you knew!” Luna replied. “It’s so obvious. That would be like telling Ginny ‘hey, you like to play Quidditch,’ or you know, ‘George, you’re gay.’”

The pacing girl stopped dead in her tracks. “What?”

“Oh please,” replied the younger blonde, “she’s always got a broom in her hand!”

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

“Alright! The Empire State Building. Hands down, best State building I’ve ever seen.” George pulled out his Muggle camera, still trying to figure out which buttons did what. They were a lot smaller than the one Colin Creevey used to carry around at Hogwarts and George still hadn’t gotten the hang of using Muggle items. 

“What do you think of the Empire, Y/N?” Fred turned his head to you as he asked his question. Your legs had gotten tired from jogging to keep up with the ginormous twins so Fred had offered to let you ride on his back the rest of the way, an offer you couldn’t refuse. 

You hopped down and quickly covered your eyes to hide from the bright flash of George’s camera. “I don’t know, I can’t see it with that thing blinding me, George.”

He quickly apologized, but not before snapping a picture of Fred wrapping his arms around you and smiling while you glared at the camera. 

“Someone’s grouchy today,” Fred said, swaying you back and forth a few times before releasing his grip. 

“I’m just tired, jet lag y’know?” He nodded and pointed to his back, letting you know it was alright to get back on. You didn’t hesitate to jump onto the redhead as he followed his brother into the massive building in front of you. 

After waiting in line for what seemed like hours you finally made it onto the elevator to take you to the top of the building. George continued to take pictures of anything and everything, including you flipping him off from on Fred’s back. As the doors opened and you stepped out onto the observation deck, you were amazed by the incredible view before you. 

Thousands of tiny buildings filled with thousands of tiny people stood before you, or rather below you. It was like you were on your broom and flying high in the sky, except this time time you didn’t have to focus on keeping your broom in check. You could just stand and stare. 

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Fred came up next to you, leaning on a railing in front of him. He hunched down enough that his face was right next to yours as the two of you stared at The Big Apple. 

“It really is.” You looked around for George, but he was off pestering other tourists to take pictures of him and the city behind him. “Remember when we were playing Quidditch at the burrow, and I flew up this high and stayed there for hours?”

“How could I forget,” Fred laughed. “We had to send search parties for you, thought you had been snatched up by dementors or something.”

“Nope, just got a little distracted by the view.” You continued to watch the amazing landscape and incredible sky, not missing the looks Fred was giving you. “What’re you looking at, Weasley? Don’t tell me that I’m more enchanting than the city. I mean, we all know it’s true but try not to make it so obvious.”

You pinched his cheek and he swatted your hand away playfully. “Don’t be stupid,” he said. “I was just remembering the time I peed on you to combat the jellyfish sting.”

“Fred!” you whisper yelled, laughing as he put his hands up. “We said we would never talk about that again. I don’t need that reminder!”

“I’m sorry, it’s just too good of a story! Really shows the strength of our friendship.”

You rolled your eyes at your best friend. Technically you would’ve considered Ron to be your best friend, as you’d known him the longest and had been the closest with him for so many years. But the past few years, living close to Fred and hanging out with him almost every day, he had become the most important person in your life. He was always there to make you smile or laugh when you had a rough day, or wrap you up in a blanket and watch a movie after a horrid date with some arsehole. He was one of a kind, and you were so glad he was in your life. 

“Y’know what Fred?” you asked, scooting closer to him. “If you ever got stung by a jellyfish, I’d pee on you too.”

Fred wiped away fake tears from his eyes. “I’d pee on you any day of the week, Y/N,” he said, pulling you into a tight hug. 

“What the hell did I just walk into?” George was standing behind you and Fred, having only heard Fred’s last sentence. The two of you cackled with laughter, bringing George into the hug with you and just enjoying the moment. 

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

“Hey Luna?” Hermione called from her bedroom. She and her friend had spent the day discussing her feelings for Ron and trying their best to help her get over him. Apparently recounting the horrors of their relationship was not helping in the slightest. 

“Yeah,” Luna called back from the kitchen. 

“Do you remember where the pygmy puff food is?” Her muffled voice sounded rushed and anxious, even more so than Hermione usually was. 

“Yeah, it’s under the front counter of Fred and George’s shop. Why?”

Luna turned her head to see Hermione come flying into the room dragging a packed suitcase behind her. “Because I’m going to New York.”

The pregnant girl nearly had a heart attack at Hermione’s declaration. “What? What do you mean you’re going to New York?”

Hermione grabbed a few more essentials from around the apartment, rushing in order to catch the next flight. “Yeah, I have to tell Ronald that I love him. Now Luna, you take care, you don’t have those babies until I get back.”

“I--but what about all of the finding his flaws and burning his picture rituals we’ve been doing?” Luna asked, straining to stand up and chase after her friend. 

Hermione easily moved past the slow-moving girl, zipping up her bag and heading to the door. “Yeah, that didn’t work. I know he loves Lavender but I have to tell him how I feel! He deserves to have all of the information and then he can make an informed decision.”

Phoebe shook her head and continued to hobble around the room. “No, Hermione, it’s too late, you missed your chance! I’m sorry, I know this must be really hard, it’s over.”

The other girl paused for a moment and took a deep breath. “Y’know what? No. It’s not over until someone says ‘I do.’” And with that she took off out of the apartment and to the streets of Diagon Alley, on her way to another country to declare her love for Ron Weasley. 

[handonhaven]

So it looks like this week we might finally find out what happened to Landon when is was in the prison world. At least I'm hoping we do. Because we only have 9 episodes left this season 8 if you don't count this week's episode. If we don't find out soon I think I might lose it. I'm just hoping that whatever happened to him isn't too bad. I know it's going to be bad because he was stuck in a world full of monsters. I just don't want it to be too bad because he's been through so much bad shit in his life already I don't want him to go through more(also because I'm a bit optimistic and hopeful).

That being said I just this post that pissed me off a little. It said Landon is toxic to Hope(again with people just throwing that word around) because he's making her relive her childhood trauma(what? How?) And since he doesn't know how to fight she's always saving him. And how he just stands around when there's a problem going on. Like in 3x11 when that monster attacked he just stood there and Hope had to step in etc.

Okay let's be honest if Landon was really making Hope relive her childhood trauma does anyone honestly think Hope(or anybody else for that matter) would stay with that person. And if that was true Hope would be a complete mess 99% of the time. As for Landon not knowing how to fight, he did try to learn but Hope stopped him when the monsters came back and I wouldn't put it past Hope if she told everyone else not to teach him(I'm not bashing Hope or anything), just so she could keep him out of it. Also on the part about Hope always saving him thing. The last time before this season that she saved him was in 2x06. The rest of the time she was just worrying/trying to keep him out of it even though he want it to help. It also look likes this season Hope is realizing that Landon can handle his own and that she's gotten let him. As for 3x11 Landon was told that no monster could see or touch them while they were there. He was most likely so surprised when it could that he didn't know what to do.

The only thing that makes me more upset then seeing post like that. Is when people say Klaus, Elijah and Hayley didn't die for this. When Hope does something that don't like. When the reason they died in first place was so Hope could live(not so Hope could live the way they want her to).

P.s what do you think happened to Landon in the prison world? Since it looks like he has new powers now.

Yes it looks like we’re definitely gonna find out something, that’s what I’m hoping as well. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes a few more episodes for us to know everything, but I hope we will know all that happened soon! Because yeah, we’re over halfway through the season. They better get going with this, otherwise there won’t be enough time to explore all they’ve been building up to. But ikr, haha, me too! We’ve been waiting for months to find out! I really can’t wait much longer. And same! I’m honestly so done with Landon going through crap. Before he even came to the school, he had been through trauma his entire life, and he’s had even more trauma since! And I’d love for whatever he went through to not be too bad either, but with all the theories that have been going around, there’s not one that wouldn’t be traumatizing for him. And I get that this is tvdu and all the characters are inevitably gonna go through crap. But when it comes to Landon, it’s honestly so constant and extreme, it’s sick. I just hope he’ll be able to somehow recover after all of this.

Ohh, I think I know what post you’re talking about. I had started reading it and saw that as well and was done. Did not want to read anymore of it because that’s absurd. Literally, Landon has not done anything to make her relive any trauma, he’s done all he can to prevent that. I don’t even know what that person is referring to, Hope losing people because she keeps losing Landon? In no way is that Landon’s fault, that’s completely outside of his control. The writers are the ones who keep putting both Hope and Landon through trauma. It’s not because of anything Landon is doing. And Hope is always saving everyone, and she’s not had to save Landon as much as everyone thinks. And saying that Landon just stands around is absolutely not true. That person needs to go back and rewatch the whole show because I can give about a dozen examples of when Landon has done the complete opposite of just stand there. Even without fighting abilities, he’s done all that he can to help since day one with the strengths and abilities that he does have.

But yeah, I can’t see Hope staying in a situation where someone was making her relive her childhood trauma, because you’re right, she would be a mess. And she’s gone through plenty of more trauma while at the school, but Landon is not doing anything to cause that. He’s the one giving her peace and happiness through it all. And exactly! Landon wanted to learn how to fight, but Hope didn’t want to train him. And I could also see her asking everyone not to train him as well, just to make sure he didn’t get more involved in the danger. He never did get anyone else to train him, so who knows.

And yes, there’s this idea that Hope is saving him all the time when she’s really not? Even in season 1, she only really saved him twice, technically. From the headless horseman, and then she saved him (and also everyone else) from Malivore by jumping into the pit. She only saved him maybe a few times in season 2. If you want to count the cyclops that was going towards him in 2x02, the monster that grabbed him in 2x06, and from Pothos a couple times in 2x11 (before Landon was the one to ultimately kill him). And this season, she only saved him from the monster last episode. And I may have missed something, but still, it doesn’t happen as often as everyone says. Yes, she’s mostly just worrying about him, as she would with anyone she loves, because of the danger they’re in all the time. She’s often concerned about saving him but he’s also ended up being okay without her help. And I agree, she’s gradually been realizing what he’s capable of and has been letting him handle himself more. And I think we’re gonna keep seeing more of that.

Yeah, the monster in 3x11 was totally unexpected. It happened so fast and he was shocked and didn’t know what to do. Then Hope immediately jumped in to help, so what? Hope is always doing stuff like that because she’s used to it, that doesn’t mean Landon is always just standing there.

Yep, ugh, I’ve seen people say that too. You’re right, they died so that Hope could survive, regardless of how she might live her life. But according to those people, since Hope has chosen to be with Landon and they don’t like it, that must mean that Klaus, Elijah, and Hayley didn’t die for that? As if they wouldn’t want her to be with someone who makes her happy and to fight for them? I don’t care what people say, Landon is exactly the kind of person they would’ve wanted for Hope. They just wanted her to be happy and safe. And Landon makes Hope happy. And we’ve seen that Landon would do anything in order to protect Hope and keep her safe. He has proven that. So how could they not want that for Hope? The kind of happiness Landon gives Hope is what they wanted Hope to have. And I could go on for a while about Landon and Hope’s family, but that would make this post a whole lot longer than it already is haha. But I really do wonder if the people who say that have actually watched The Originals? Or if they did, they must have not paid attention or clearly missed some of the big points of the show.

And as for Landon in the prison world, I feel like the theory that he somehow split makes the most sense. I don’t know how though, but I feel like we’re seeing part of him right now and the other part of him could be the bone thing. And if he has new powers, like his strength in the trailer for the next episode, I have no clue what’s going on with that. I can see him getting stronger from the prison world, but that strong? I really don’t know. There are a lot of things that could have done something to affect him or cause whatever happened. There’s the artifact, there’s the dark magic in the prison world, whatever might be going on with Malivore, Landon losing his powers and then dissolving in 3x04... something weird definitely happened and I really hope we’ll get all the answers soon!

[hellokittymartian]

I need to get this out of my chest

I’m incredibly pissed at young justice’s treatment of m’gann’s character, i have always been, but i can’t even stay pissed bc this is the only appearance we have of young naive ‘’sweet’ megan outside comics so ugggggggggggh hear me out while i try to explain my toxic relationship with yj.

So is 2010, yj comes out, alright everyone liked that, but season 2 comes around and we miss martian’s fans found out that she’s been acting like a fuckin’ psycho frying people’s minds... okay i said back in the day, they are just givin her a little something, a lil drama, action whatever... but nobody liked that. Everyone started hating on her more than they already did (for whatever reason they hated her before. I have many things to say about that but that’s not the point of this rant, i can make another one for that) and started saying how she was awful and how she did not deserve to be forgiven and you know what more, we all know.

Fast forward to some years later, when i was finally old enough to read comics without having to change the screen everytime my mom walked in my room, i started reading teen titans and shit like that bc oui. So, i got to know m’gann better, and this whole ‘miss martian frying brains and trying to erase her beloved’s mind’ did not sit right with me anymore. Wtf was that about? what was that for?????? In teen titans (2003) she has codes and rules that she sticks to when it comes to using her powers on earth. She’s very concious that she’s an alien and only breaks her rules when it’s EXTREMELY necessary (like when they visited her in the australian dessert) soooooooo????? nevermind.

Then we got the amazing news that yj was coming back!!!!! yay i was super excited i thought ‘now is the time for m’gann to be explored and redeemed and understood. Fuck That, they said, because my girl got like 5 sec of screen time and i know she was a leader this season, that’s something, but most of the time i saw her being conner’s fiance than anything else. Not that i complain, and problably it isn’t true but that’s how i percieved it bc i expected more of her on season 3. I wanted her to be a BAMF like she is in the comics, AND THAT’S WHAT PISSES ME OF!

In the comics we have this beautiful sweet, naive alien girl who’s just so delicate and sensitive that even quit the teen titans after a fight! AND WOULD NEVER HURT ANYONE!!! in fact, in one of her first appereances in the teen titans comics she’s fighting against a thief (idk i don’t remember very well it’s been YEARS) and she’s like ‘promise you won’t do it again i don’t want to hurt you’ ‘if you promise you’ll never do it again i won’t hurt you’ and at the end she just gives the guy to the police! we only got to see that in s1 and still she was hated (ugh again, so many thing to say about that too) so it wasn’t really... joyful.

In yj it’s clear that m’gann has great power, that she’s increadibly powerful, even J’onn mentions it and then???? it’s forgotten for the rest of the series????????? noooo, the only time when we see how powerful miss martian is is when... u guessed it... she goes full psycho mod and starts attacking minds for no apparent reason beyond ‘they are the bad guys and we need the info idc’. WHY????? In TITANS (2016) we see how wonderful of a ‘leader’ M’gann can be and it’s AMAZING. Not only that but we see her being true to herself: she still has secrets, but she’s her sweet self and not some mind-intruder monster, plus she’s a lot more mature. 

In both Teen Titans (2003) and Titans (2016) we see her as we know her: kind, loving, caring, fun but serious when needed. It’s shown that she can cope with great responsabilities and we can see also how willing she is to sacrifice herself for others (i mean she doesn’t even think twice before projecting her astral self to save the rest of the titans even though it leaves her in a coma, a BAMF) and this is precisely why she’s my fav<3 why can’t a sweet girly girl also be a leader and one of the most powerful heroes of the world??

I see what yj tried to do: they wanted to give her sometnig more i guess... like what happened when she killed the Manhunter in teen titans and was kind of evil but fighting against it...but it ended up going in all the wrong directions. I feel like what happened with her in s2 was made just for the general plot and not really for her character development. People already didn’t like here as much as the rest of the characters in s1, so for the second they were like ‘ah whatever they dislike her already, what’s a little more going to do’. As each season passes i see her fading more and more to the background and it’s not fair:( bc yj is the most important and big Miss Martian appearence outside the comics, and still in the comics she’s not that studied. So now i fear i’ll never see the Miss Martian at her full potential outside the comics bc yj made everyone dislike her.

THIS is what i mean when i say that Miss Martian deserves better. I want to see her fighting villains with her 8 arms and laser vision, not being a ‘liar’ and fainting everytime there’s fire near or yes GIVE ME SOME FUCKING ANGST! so we can see the team caring for her!!! bc wtf??? you see your friend doing a villain move and you are just ‘oh never mind’ i mean Nightwing hears that M’gann, sweet naive loving im- going- to- bake- you- cookies -bc -i -love- u M’gann, fried Kaldur’s mind and he just goes :o WHAT? or Artemis being like ‘Now fix what u did and hurry up’ when they were in Manta’s ship I MEAN????????? do u really not care??? Ur friend is going through some shit right now, pulling a whole ‘I might turn evil’ stunt and u are like ...that’s something. Shouldn’t hey be asking like??? what happened to make her go like that???? they all just let it pass i mean C’MONNNNN

Okay so, what i mean is that i want to see the REAL Miss Martian, The Hello Kitty Martian, who asks what button’s for hugging when playing Playstation, but that can also kick your ass into another psychic world and then ask you if you are okay bc she didn’t mean to hurt you. THAT’S my Miss Martian. I guess I just stick around with yj bc 1. It’s fuckin great can’t lie (plot, animation, the rest of the characters, etc) 2. bc s i said before, it’s the only chance to see m’gann outside the comics.

Give me the M’gann I know and love, and give M’gann the chance to have fans who love her and get to know her.

[anepiphany]

okay wait everyone is doing these cute posts about their moots and so i’d like to write out what havoc a team of one of my mutuals and i would wreck if we were in the bau:

(this is me being dumb at 2 am and i’m definitely going to make some cute sort of post too but i felt like doing this)

((also this took me forever to do lmao so if there’s anyone i forgot i swear it is nothing against you i just did moots i felt like i knew well enough to explain this for))

@ellegreenawy : y’all celie and i would be an iconic team because we come up with so many good ideas but our best ideas are always in the middle of the night. so you best know if reid ain’t solving the case, celie and i crack it at 2 am. also, celie is definitely rossi’s favorite. she’s the only person he lets cook with him regularly, and i’m the one who definitely got distracted and forgot to put water in the pasta pot so i ended up setting the pasta on fire so i am banned from the kitchen most of the time (it’s not that i can’t cook, it’s that i got distracted that one time and rossi refuses to believe me). oh and her and i would definitely write a book together the way rossi did. and we’d guest lecture together too.

@babyblockcolorcat : fabs and i would def be in seasons 8-9 of cm together and we would get nothing done because this girl would not be able to function around alex blake. but also faby would rock a blazer. her and em definitely share a closet. faby around alex is like reid around practically any girl in the early seasons, and it’s kind of adorable but also the rest of us (me and the team) are standing around like “why the fuck is alex so oblivious” (of course this is an au where alex isn’t married). i mean the whole “good morning, faby!” from alex and then faby accidentally walks into a pole and spills her coffee

@reidsemily : bro bekah and i would be an elite partnership. we definitely spend our free time with penny and morgan because i feel like the four of us would be iconic together. also if we’re called in for a case in the middle of the night her and i are definitely the ones that show up and chug five cups of coffee before we can even say a word. and then someone (probably jj) is going to point out that my blazer is inside out and that bekah is wear two different shoes and we’re just going to drink another cup of coffee

@linguinereid : i would love to hear conversations between bee and reid because i’d probably learn more from them than my entire school life. bee is definitely a major part as to why we can solve all these cases, and i feel like her and i interrogating a suspect together would be interesting. i’d probably talk enough to bore the unsub to death, and then bee would just say things and psychoanalyze the suspect until they broke

@ssaemilyprentits : okay so i feel like steph and morgan have been in a prank war since she started working at the bau and somehow i got involved in it and now we’re just this chaotic mess of “ok ani wait you distract morgan and i’ll go mix salt into his coffee” and “steph keep derek busy so i can go and stick this sign that has his phone number and ‘call me for foot massages’ written on it on the back of his car”

@whiskey-fluent and @jenniferxprentiss : i wholeheartedly believe that h and ash would be the most sarcastic and upfront agents. like straight up would make the suspects tremble during interrogation. and they’d always be sent to do stuff together; they’d be the dream team. i know technically i don’t fit into this equation but like their energy together as fbi agents would be immaculate so i needed to talk about it. like that one episode where the unsub is morgan’s cousin’s husband who forced her to marry him and jj and emily walk into the interrogation room and are conversing about will and henry? yeah, that’s h and ash. i’d probably be penny in the trio.

@heat-waveee : ok i think lb and i would honestly be a very productive duo during work. like she’d def keep my procrastination in check on paperwork days and we’d be good at finding info together during cases. and lb would be great at talking to eyewitnesses and friends/family of the victim(s). but when the case is over? we’d be insane. like at dinner parties with the team, nights out at the bar- we’d be going crazy. oh also we’d be crushing on em so much

@apologetically-apologetic : so abbie and i would be great at coming up with theories because in the short amount of time i’ve talked to her we’ve had so many genius ideas. i think we’d observe crime scenes and just piggyback theories onto each other until we figure out a fairly solid one and then use evidence we find later and adjust or expand our theory and then we’d solve cases really well. also, i think if we ever got like trapped with an unsub or like taken together by an unsub we’d definitely come up with a good plan and there’s like an 85% chance that we’d be fine

@reidemandweep : roo and i would just be an organized mess tbh. our desks are for sure next to each other, and whoever comes in first makes coffee for themselves and the other person as well. we’d probably hold off on paperwork till the very last minute but turn it in right on time. i also think roo and i would make a great team when interrogating a suspect. like that one episode where jj and morgan pretend to be a couple and talk to that white supremacist guy? yeah roo and i would be the gay poc couple to annoy the unsub if they were bugged by that. also, we’d definitely be caught trash talking strauss. like “ugh she’s so annoying and messes stuff up for us a lot” and then everyone’s quiet and we’re like “she’s right behind us isn’t she”. we’d also tease rossi about dating her but in the end i don’t think we’d hate her completely because we’re nice enough to understand she’s doing her job but also we’d be like “no <3″ to most of the stuff she says

@eusuntgroot : hj and i would honestly be very nice people together i think. well, hj would be my better half. she’d be really good at talking to families of the victims, because she’s great at being empathetic and she’s so caring. the two of us would probably be sent to speak with victims and eyewitnesses because we’d be good together at calming them down and being there for them and trying to get information. also, hj and i would be great at talking an unsub down together if necessary 

@agenthotchner : honestly i feel like snow and i would be really badass undercover. like i get very “entropy” vibes from the two of us. like tara and morgan vibes in that episode. snow and i would most definitely find an unsub while undercover at a bar, lure him outside, and then threaten to hit him in the face with a pair of heels as we handcuff him and lead him to the cop car

@davidrossi-ismydad : sammy and i would have such chaotic energy during paperwork days- hanging out with penelope, locking jj and emily in a room until they got their sexual tension out of the way, sammy hanging out in hotch’s office doing god knows what. sammy and i would definitely make everyone laugh whenever they needed to but sammy would also come up with some of the most genius ideas that the others wouldn’t think of. he’d would definitely be the character that at the 30 minute mark of the episode is like “maybe we’re thinking this part of the profile wrong” and coming up with the correct profile and we’d be like “yes you’re onto something”

@cinnamon-rroll : okay jemma and i would be great at stakeouts. like we’d have the snacks ready and would have the most interesting conversations while watching our surroundings from the car with binoculars. i also think we’d be good undercover, too

@spideyspencer : listen avery would also be so good at interrogating suspects. like so amazing. she’d just be so good at intimidating them and not taking their shit whatsoever. and when we’d be chasing an unsub i’d definitely chase after them and she’d find an easier route and be standing there waiting for us. she’d be putting handcuffs on the unsub and i’d be wheezing and half out of breath like “how *wheeze* did you *wheeze* get here *wheeze* so *wheeze* fast?”

@prentiss-dinozzo : i feel like noelle and i would probably be like tara together: badass but also good critical thinkers and smart. and i think we’d do similar things to what reid did: go through case files, make geographic profiles, that sort of thing. and i also think we’d be good at guest lecturing together

(not me being dumb and forgetting caitlin because i did this at literally 2 am ugh!!)

@themetaphorgirl : okay caitlin gives me very much garcia vibes and i for sure think her and i in the bau would be best friends with penny. we’d be hosting parties/dinners and coming up with fun ways for all of us to hang out and we’d just have elite energy. we definitely convinced the bau to have a family bowling night and family game night and things like that. i think we’d also be good at talking unsubs down and definitely would be the ones talking to the friends/family of the victims. also, i have a feeling that caitlin would be good at making negotiations too! 

[rohobi]

Serendipity 10 | (m)

Story Description: After you reveal your inexperienced sexual status to your bestfriend, Jungkook grapples with the news, startled by the idea that the girl he always thought could get anyone, is a virgin. After finding his porn at 3AM, you decide that maybe it’s about time to stain the white sheets of your world with the colors of a forbidden fruit Jungkook seems to have in the palm of his hands. 

PAIRING— jeon jungkook x reader, friendwithbenefitsAU

GENRE/WARNINGS— smut, fluff, humour

← CHAPTERS → CHAPTER 11

It's 3 pm on a Monday.

You're in a soundproof meeting room in the library. It's one of those meeting rooms where the walls are completely glass; you can see out but people can't see in. It's horribly distracting but wonderful for those who love to people watch. You, however, dislike people watching and wish you were in bed instead.

There's a big white table in the middle of the room with eight white plastic seats around it. Some of us have come straight from lectures with fresh hot coffees held close to chests. Some of us have come before going to lectures or like you and Claudia, before going to the student council office.

The room is only meant to fit 8 or 9 people but in this particular case, we've fit about 12 people.

You came early with Claudia to grab the unbooked room, so you're in a chair comfortably waiting for everyone to arrive, nervously at your fingernails. People like Yoongi and Hoseok and Mabel are packed like sardines up against the wall.

And Jungkook has obviously come from the gym, his hair still damp from the shower he likes to have when he's finished working out. You haven't met eye contact with him but you checked him out when he was on his phone in front of you.

You sigh, as you think about how delicious he looks in his white cotton button-up. It wasn't fair.

That bastard.

"Sorry, I'm late," Wendy whispers, closing the glass door behind her, standing in front of it next to Yoongi. "The health department are having an influenza talk, wanted to make sure I had enough information."

"That's wise," you smile, swallowing the lump in your throat. "Is that everyone?"

Claudia does a headcount before finally smiling.

It was glamping season and Claudia had pulled Yoongi, Hoseok, Jungkook, the girls and you into a meeting to discuss how we'd utilize it. Apparently, this is an important part of university culture that you had blissfully ignored prior.

Ever since Halloween, you've been throwing yourself into group activities with the girls. It's actually been so nice just to be apart of a group of girls who are positive and optimistic while being study focused and career-driven. You've been blessed.

But you miss Jungkook.

It's been two weeks of discomfort with the way things were left last time.

He's been busy and you've been busy with study.

You feel on the edge.

Maybe a holiday is exactly what you need. You'll be refreshed by the fresh air, you'll be around more people, you'll have fun talking about non-Jungkook and non-law study things. You'll be comfortable and fed and warm and loved.

Whatever Claudia organizes, hell, you're in.

The excitement pulsed through you as you fantasized making smores with the girls, playing truth or dare, drinking and having fun.

As you daydream, the fantasy shifts to camping with Jungkook and you're eternally grateful to be pulled out of your thoughts as your phone buzzes in your pocket because hell, it was getting romantic all up in your brain.

Shaking your head, you pull out your phone and read the message.

Jungkook: Hey, you look nice today

You gape down at the plain blue jeans and Harvard grey hoodie. Your attire wasn't exactly aimed to impress.

You: I'm not dressing to impress but thanks

Jungkook: You're finally responding to me? Woohoo Jungkook: Hi

You: Focus

Sighing, you slip your phone back into your pocket. To be honest, you haven't spoken to or spent time with Jungkook in a while. The embarrassment of what happened on Halloween plagued your thoughts and you couldn't bare confronting those feelings around him.

So embarrassing.

And it's not like you're his girlfriend or anything, this was okay.

Jungkook leans on his chair to meet your eyes. You blush when he smiles. That stupid smile, making your heart flutter.

"Y/N," Claudia claps her hands, "I know Jungkook can be distracting but are you even listening."

You startle, looking away from him to Claudia. "Sorry, carry on."

"My fault, she's still not talking to me," Jungkook laughs, stretching his hands behind his head. You can tell he has more to say with words hanging off the tip of his tongue. "Do me a favor Claudia and put her tent next to mine. She can't run away from me then."

Everyone in the room groans.

"Excuse me?" Frowning at Jungkook, you raise your voice. "You ugly ass noodlehead. Imma make sure I'll be in the tent furthest away from you!"

"Oh yeah," Jungkook chuckles, leaning forward, he places his fists underneath his chin. "With who? You'll just end up in my tent anyway, who are you kidding here?"  

Heat dusts your cheeks. "That's not true! I'll just stay with Seulgi!"

"Oh hello," Seulgi winks, licking her lips at you. "You can stay with me in my tent any time."

Sinking in your chair, you cover your face with your hands. "Oh god. Seulgi, shut up."

"Don't worry babe, unlike Jungkook, I'll keep it in my pants."

Wendy laughs loudly, interrupting any opportunity to clap back. "Oh my god, this suddenly got way more fun. I'm coming!"

"Of course it did," Mabel adds, fanning herself with her book, "You're all a bunch of whores we get it. Will we have to sleep on air beds and is there an option to sleep somewhere else if we have to. I can't stand those things."

Jungkook agrees. "They make too much noise when you move."

"See? Thanks, Jungkook," Mabel smiles. "And they bloody deflate in the middle of the night. I don't want rocks in my ass."

"Mabel, we're on beds." Claudia groans, flicking her hair over her should as she takes out her computer. Connecting her MacBook with the big screen, she opens her prepared PowerPoint slideshow.

The first slide shows a glamping location in Busan that she liked. "Alright, my Busan babes in the room. Welcome to camp cozy."

To say the campsite was beautiful was an understatement.

There were four big khaki tents and they were already set up at the site with large beds and furniture within. Fairy lights all over the place, fluffy blankets, fluffy pillows, big bean bags. Christ. It was perfect. "From my expert research and communication skills, each tent comes with a double bed, so we have beds for 8 people."

Yoongi raises his hand. "I have a question."

Claudia nods.

"I don't want to share a tent with anyone else because I plan on having a lot of sex in my tent, where do I go?"

Everyone in the room snorts.

"What? I'm asking what you're all thinking?"

Wendy walks across the room to slap his back. She chuckles madly. "I agree."

"I'm not bumping uglies with you Wendy, don't act like we're on the same team," Yoongi shakes her hand off his back. "Although if my date doesn't turn up, I'm happy to cuddle and stroke your hair and talk about our boy problems."

She stands in front of him, blinking in confusion. "Are you being serious because that actually sounds so fucking nice."

He laughs loudly at her. "Of course I'm not."

Wendy pouts, raising her shoulders to her cheeks as she walks back to her side of the room. "Asshole."

Claudia clicks next on the slideshow, showing alternative options. "Our options are 4 big tents for 8 people or 10 if you're little, and if you want privacy, don't come," pointing to the beach she cheekily adds, "I hear the sand is a nice mattress, why don't you find out Yoongi?"

"I've never had sex on a beach before," Yoongi deflates, "Am I okay to bring my own tent then? I'll pitch it myself, I'll even drive down myself?"

"Sure," clicking onto the next slides, she goes through items we'll need and an estimate of the cost. "If anyone wants to help organize this?"

You're acutely aware your phone is buzzing in your pocket but you're also aware that it's Jungkook because he's on his phone and he's aiming it at you. Biting your bottom lip, you raise out of your seat.

"Should we split up into groups to help organize this? Transport, Food, Cleaning, Finance, Activities?"

Claudia beams, finally happy someone was contributing to the organization of it. "That's a beautiful idea, oh bless your little cotton socks."

Everyone mutters between themselves as Claudia opens up her google document. You watch as she types your name under food and Jungkook's under transport.

"Is Y/N a good cook?" Hoseok asks Yoongi, crossing his arms across his chest. "I bet she is. She can cook for me any day. We love a kitchen bitch."

"She can like totally hear you," Mabel says, rolling her eyes. "And she is like 100% taken you giant ass."

"No, she isn't," Hoseok holds his hands up in surrender. "Last time I checked, she was single."

"Ugh, who even invited you," she stands up, walking over to him. "You're lucky I find you attractive otherwise, you'd be blOCKED from coming. Aren't you studying sociology or something."

You don't need to look at Jungkook to know that he's beaming in delight and is now a big fan of Mabel. The tension in the air between Jungkook and Hoseok makes you uncomfortable. You've never been put in a position like this before giving you were just a virgin like a couple of months ago and had no idea what a peen actually looked like.

"Looks like I have a fan." Hoseok steps closer to Mabel and whispers into her ear. No one knows what he says but she blushes and rushes out of the room.

"What'd you say to Mabel?" You ask concerned, she's never run off so fast.

"I have seduction superpowers," Hoseok winks at me. "Want me to come over and whisper in your ear too? Bet I can seduce you in less than a second."

"No thank you," You gulp, unsure what to say to that. Jungkook stands out of his chair, glaring at Hoseok. "Leave her alone bro."

"What?" Hoseok chuckles, winking at you again. "I'm just having a bit of fun with her. She's so kitten-like, makes me want to get to know her a bit more."

There's a possessive tone to Jungkook's defense that's both intimidating and sexy. "Well, don't. Shut the fuck up. Leave the girls alone."

"Am I not allowed to? She looks like she's enjoying it?

Seulgi sinks into her seat next to you.

"No, you aren't allowed to," You've never seen Jungkook so angry before. "She's mine, back off."

The whole room goes silent at that.

The tension in the room is palpable.

And your heart is pounding against your chest.

"Is that true," he asks you, goading you to speak up with his eyebrows. "Are you Jungkook's girlfriend?"

Your heart is pounding so hard against your chest that it's deafening in your eats.

What am I supposed to say to that because I honestly am not his girlfriend officially, although it would be nice? This is not how I thought this meeting would go at all and quite frankly, I'm pissed. Jungkook's face is pink. It's the only thing I can focus on. I can't even remember what he asked me. He seems to want to know the answer to Hoseok's question as well, as though he doesn't know the answer either. Dumbass. They're all dummies. Who are these people and why are they putting me on the spot like this. I didn't ask for any of this, I'm just simple girl-

"Ooh, Jimin wants to get coffee," Yoongi giggles, interrupting your thoughts, softening the tension in the room as he gapes at his phone. "There's too much testosterone in this room, why not you both just fuck each other and get over it."

For a second you think Yoongi is referring to you and Jungkook.

Anger dissipates when Yoongi slaps Hoseoks ass. "Sounds like you both need to relieve some tension and normally, I enjoy a bit of torture but this is horrible. Claudia, message me with details, I'd love to come. It okay if I bring Jimin?"

She nods.

Yoongi doesn't say anything after that. He simply picks up his backpack, nods at Claudia before leaving the room. You wish you had the guts to do the same but you feel frozen and Claudia looks desperate for help now.

Hoseok sighs. "Looks like she's single my bro."

Jungkook says nothing to this.

He simply stares at you in an unreadable expression as you stand and walk towards him.

Gesturing for him to sit down, you pat his back to calm him, he leans into your touch like a kitten being scratched behind its ear. "Sit down and calm down, I don't know why you boys get off on tormenting girls but cut it out or I'll cut YOU out."

Jungkook apologizes while taking his seat.

"And you," Pointing at Hoseok, you scoff. "Who even are you? You don't get to speak to me or about me like that. Women aren't pieces of meat, we're human beings. Now, shut the hell up and keep your dick in your skirt and your tongue in your mouth."

The girls laugh behind you.

Claudia thanks you.

Fucking Hoseok.

You decide then and there, that when you go glamping, you'll piss in his shampoo.

Little bitch.

"Now that everyone's finished their periods. Jungkook, you're the team captain for transport, liaise with me so we can try and get a discount or something," she writes Seulgi's name underneath his, "Hoseok, how do you feel about organizing activities?"

He picks up his laptop bag. "I'm fine with any job you give me Claudia. As long as people aren't afraid of drinking games, we should be A-okay," he lifts his wrist, staring at his watch. "Naeun is pretty fun as well, can she work with me since Y/N can't?"

"Be careful Hoseok," Claudia warns, adding her name to the list, she finishes. "Anyone who isn't in a group by the end of the day will be on cleaning duties."

She then re-opens the map, showing us the trip location. You stare at the pictures as she flicks through them. There's something so nice about camping by the beach, a nice dip when it's too hot, a bonfire at night with the sound of cascading waves.

Your phone buzzes once more in your pocket. You pull it out, knowing it's going to be a message from the mousy brunette still huffing in anger.

Jungkook: Can we talk after this?

Looking above your phone, Jungkook tilts his head at you, a worried expression sits between his brows.

Taking a deep breath, you respond.

You: I'm hungry, want to get something to eat?

Jungkook: Can we go now?

You: When Claudia is finished.

"Claudia, are you done?" Jungkook asks, placing his hands together in prayer. "Please be done. I'm so hungry."

Seulgi frowns. "Is that what it is, hanger?"

Hoseok winks at Seulgi.

"Ugh, can someone fucking uninvite him," she gags loudly, "He might give us all ear chlamydia."

You watch the cocky little shit deflate. A bit of you feels sorry for him but after what he just pulled with you and Jungkook, hall hath no fury like a scorched betch.

"I guess this meeting is over then," Claudia sighs, closing her computer down as well. "I'll make us a group chat to discuss it."

Jungook loudly jumps out of his seat, the gloom worried appearance he previously wore, now replaced with pure happiness. "Yes, let's go eat Y/N!" He rushes over to your side of the table to help you pack up.

"Ooh, can I come?" Wendy and Seulgi both ask.

"No, "Jungkook pulls you out of your chair, patting your bum as you leave the meeting room. "We need to talk and eat, you guys can go eat and talk with someone else."

You don't even have enough time to say goodbye or apologies or tell Claudia you won't be coming to the council office because Jungkook is rushing you out of the room, down the aisles of the library and into the darkest parts of the university library.

You're going in the opposite direction to food as he takes you within the deep depths of the math and science department.

"Jungkook, where are you taking me?"

He hushes you. "We gotta talk."

Irritated, you stop. "Jungkook, I don't really want to talk, I wanna eat," turning around to face him, he grabs your shoulders, pushing you down the aisle backward. "JUNGKOOK!"

"You have no choice, we need to talk," He stops, then he looks left and right before softly pushing you up against the wall. It's clumsy and not at all sexy when Jungkook tries to bypass the big ass fake plant next to you and you slightly trip as he pushes you back up against the wall. His hold on you is strong, as he quite literally picks you up by the shoulders to help you stand.

"Now, You." he starts.

"No, you let me talk," You harshly whisper, "You gotta give a girl a warning and I'm starving so let's do this later."

Dropping his hands from your shoulders. He stares deeply into your eyes. "Shut up for a second will you? Or I'll make you shut up. I have that power you know."

"Jungkook, what the hell," you whisper, pushing his chest away from yours. "You could've just asked me to follow you, you didn't need to push me up against the damn wa-

You don't get to finish what you were saying because Jungkook slams his lips against yours, stopping the words from leaving your mouth. The kiss is startling but not unwelcome as you close your eyes and melt once again into him.

Moving his hand up against your body, he cups the back of your neck. He's unexpectedly rough as he grips on your hair, pulling your body against his. Your hands rest on his waist as you easily fall back into the rhythm.  

He kisses you like he's starving like he hasn't had food in days.

Oh man, this boy.

Raising your hands, you hold his face tenderly, hoping he gets the point to soften the kiss. Kisses with Jungkook are always magical but this one had so much feeling. Each movement of his lips and his tongue were filled with unspoken words, fears, and anxieties. It was startling how much a kiss could say and how much this kiss overwhelmed you.

He holds you close, not wanting to let you go.

Your body shivers, sensitive to his touch as his warm hands continue touching you.

He loosens his grip on your hair, resting his warm palm on the back of your neck. It's a feeling you're familiar with, being held so tenderly.

Pulling away from the kiss, Jungkook leans his forehead on yours.

You both pant from the intensity of the emotions, your eyes still closed.

"It's been hell without you, Y/N," he catches his breath, his voice a soft whisper. "I can't take this anymore. I've reached my limit."

"What?" Opening your eyes in panic, your heart stops as you stare into his gentle brown eyes. Is he ...is he dumping you. "Wait, what do you mean by that Jungkook?"

He steps back, unable to meet you in the eyes. "I can't do this anymore. I can't hold myself back anymore. I'm getting jealous. I want to have you around all the time. I want you to study with me. I want you to call me in the morning and before you go to bed. I want to hold your hand when we walk around campus. I want people to know that you're mine and that I'm yours. I want to kiss you. I want to fuck you. I want to hold you as you cum. I want all of it. "

You're confused. "What? Jungkook, I-

He presses his hand up against your mouth.

"I don't like this uncertainty of who I am to you, I'm creating a boundary right here and I want it around us," He releases his finger to let you respond, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

...

[covrtofnightmares]

✵ Alexander and Aurora

( 1 ) who spends hours putting up lights only to get tangled in them and storm off?

Alexander wants to get invested in this activity, particularly because it reminds him of the small and quaint Christmases he shared with his mother when he was a child. After telling Aurora (and so confidently, at that) that he had everything under control, Alex would first get stuck in the large, live tree they’d procured from Cloverwood Forest. After getting his foot caught in a tangle of wires and sputtering out a slew of curses, he spots a live squirrel that had been nesting inside of the tree. The squirrel, angry and frightened by the sight of an angry human man, flings itself at Alexander’s face. Alex fumbles about the living room as an adult, proceeding to get more ensnared in the lights with each step and swat of his hand against the screaming squirrel stuck on his face. By the time he finally manages to toss the rodent outside and yanks the Christmas lights off of him, Aurora is hiding a visible laugh behind her mouth.

When Alex comes out of his room after sulking an hour later, the entire tree is finished with a pristine, ethereal twinkle, as Aurora calmly sits on the nearby couch and leisurely flips through a magazine, as she gazes up at him and asks: “What, like it’s hard?”

( 2 ) who accidentally eats a whole box of christmas chocolates in one sitting?

Alexander devours the entire tin of chocolate chip cookies one of the Resistance members made for him. As he attempts to tell Aurora between mouthfuls of food, he’s just grateful someone other than Raymond took the reins of the holiday cooking this year. Aurora chooses to stick to her smoothie and tells Alex that she believes him. 

( 3 ) who insists on watching the cheesey hallmark christmas movies?

Aurora absolutely gets invested in having them watch these romantic movies together, all snuggled up on the couch, and every time a cheating boyfriend or leading male who fucks up crosses the screen, she simply turns and glares at him. By the third night of these movies, Alexander realizes she’s teaching him a lesson.

( 4 ) who insists on playing nothing but michael buble in the few days running up to christmas?

I get the feeling both of them listen to whatever comes on through the Spotify Christmas station radio or whatever music they’re listening to at the moment. Alex gets a bit excited whenever a Michael Buble song comes on, while simultaneously explaining to Aurora that he’s a pretentious-sounding little prick. This usually causes an ensuing argument, where Aurora explains that if Alex really felt that way, why didn’t he just change the channel? The argument, as per usual, is usually resolved by Alex bending Aurora over the counter and having his wicked way with her.

( 5 ) who gets their presents wrapped at the mall so the other cant go snooping

Alexander absolutely prefers to do things himself, and that involves Christmas shopping. But he has a feeling that Aurora is nosy and enjoys snooping, primarily because she simply can’t stand not knowing something, and takes to staying up late at night to wrap her presents once she’s fast asleep. He hides them throughout the house, in special hiding places she’ll never find, because he knows how much she likes to explore.

( 6 ) who insists on making snow angels?

Aurora is the first one to suggest such an activity, but the act of making snow angels soon turns into a snowball fight, one that Alex wins before pinning Aurora against the ground, glittering snowflakes woven through her golden hair, before kissing her. The temperature might be below freezing, and he’s bound in layers of clothes to protect himself from the chill, so why does he suddenly feel so very warm?

( 7 ) who put christmas outfits on all the pets?

Aurora wins this one without any hesitation whatsoever. Alexander would be absolutely horrified if he came home from hunting or working one day and found Brutus and Maximus, his two prized dogs, all dolled up to look like the Grinch and a Christmas tree. In fact, he very well might faint.

( 8 ) do they go to family’s or have a quiet day in? 

Both Alexander and Aurora have complicated feelings regarding families. After Alexander lost his mother as a young child, Lilianna and her parents became the closest thing to a family Alexander has ever known. Given the turbulent relationship he currently shares with the Shu Lei heiress, Alexander is concerned that he would be unwelcome at any holiday table prepared by Lilianna or her father, Jiang.

Aurora, similarly, knows a family within the Garden, but not much else. She has become so enmeshed with the very fabric of Alexander’s life at this moment that the thought of them spending the holiday season without each other seems...painful.

( 9 ) who insists on wearing matching ugly christmas jumpers?

Alexander would be able to see the humor in wearing ugly holiday sweaters, though Aurora would argue that she would never wear something with built-in lights and a twinkling reindeer nose stitched across a scratchy knitted sweater. Instead, she dons a piece of Christmas-inspired lingerie, decked in red and silver like a present waiting to be unwrapped.

( 10 ) who waits up until midnight to give the other their present?

Alexander rolls over in his bed, grumbling to himself in his sleep, only to feel a sudden pressure on his chest. He opens his eyes and finds Aurora sitting on his chest, a smile widening across her face as she holds a small, artfully-wrapped present in her hands. She spent all evening too anxious and nervous about his reaction to even consider sleep, so the moment the clock struck midnight and Christmas descended upon Astralis, she chose to take the chance to start their festivities a bit early.

( 11 ) who insists on hand-made presents only one year?

Alexander thinks it would be nice to do something simple for each other for the duration of the holiday season. Aurora (politely? Not so politely?) disagrees, as she’s seen Alexander’s skillset and would rather not wake up to some anonymous faerie’s wings wrapped in a box for her to open.

( 12 ) who puts mistletoe on every door frame?

Aurora absolutely does this and then pretends to get mad every time they both pass under the doorframe. “Ugh, I guess we have to kiss again.”

( 13 ) who gets too drunk at the work christmas party and has to be picked up at 9:15pm? who gets angry and almost tells kids that santa isnt real?

Aurora is somehow the answer to both of these, though it’s worth noting that Alexander would absolutely get irritated enough with a group of children whom he presumed to be little more than arrogant brats and tell them the mystical man in the sky was nothing more than a figment of their imaginations. Aurora would do it after a PTA mom scolded her for grinding on Alex in a Santa costume at a work party, angrily telling the woman “First of all, it’s none of your business. Second of all, it’s not like he’s fucking real.”

( @nymphcts )

[thorne93]

Inside the Criminal Mind (Part 8)

Prompt: You’re married to Dr. Spencer Reid of the BAU, and are a distinguished doctor yourself on the team. You’re sent down to Miami, Florida for teaching and as a side request from the FBI, to investigate a string of missing persons. When you think you’ve figured out who the unsub is, your life becomes more complicated than you ever could’ve imagined.

Word Count: 1241

Warnings: (throughout the fic –>) death, blood, gore, killings, language, disturbing mental notions, mentions of rapes/murder/etc (You know, Dexter and Criminal Minds related business)

Notes: Thank you so much to @arrow-guy​​​​, @carryonmyswansong​​​​, and @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo​​​​ - without each of you, I couldn’t have finished, written, or properly navigated this story. Each of you helped me fish out details that were incredibly important to me. Beta’d by @carryonmyswansong​​​​ and @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo​​​​… Aesthetic by @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo​​​​

This is a crossover of Criminal Minds x Dexter. First time writing Dexter.

Also, the timeline is after Season 1 of Dexter, but during season 14-ish of Criminal minds into Season 15. Enjoy!!!

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

A morning before your classes, your phone rang, the screen indicating it was your husband. A warm smile grew on your face and you answered it.

“Hello?”

“Hey, sweetie,” Spence greeted. “Are you in class?”

“No, not yet. I’ve got about another hour. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I wanted to let you know I got home last night. I got in late though, so I didn’t want to bother you.”

“So you solved the case?” you said, happily.

“Yep. It was actually the first victim’s brother.”

“Interesting, but that makes sense.”

“Hey, I wanted to let you know, I went ahead and called a place to come paint the bathroom and kitchen. I know you’d picked out the colors. I thought I might as well do it while you’re not here and I’m out on cases.”

This gesture reminded you of one of the many reasons you loved Spence to begin with. He was always thinking ahead and doing incredibly nice things for you. And here you were, about to kill behind his back, embarking on a second life he would know nothing about. 

“That’s great. Thank you. I can’t wait to see it when I get back.”

“Speaking of coming back, Rossi’s wedding is next weekend, can you make it?” 

“Yeah, absolutely. I can leave right after class and be up there.” 

Truth be told, you hadn’t seen Spence at all since you’d gotten down here. You never video chatted and making it up on the weekends just wasn’t an option when it came to Dexter’s teachings. 

But Rossi’s wedding wasn’t something you could get out of, not that you wanted to, but you only had so much time to learn absolutely everything for pulling off the perfect crime. 

“It’ll be so good to see you. I know the team’s missed you.” 

“I miss them too, and I really do miss you. It’s just that packing up to head up and come back would be expensive and exhausting and leaves little time for grading papers--”

In a soft voice, he assured, “It’s fine, Y/N. it’s me, remember. I know how hard it is to juggle being a professor and a profiler. We knew finding time together would be hard when you took this job, but it’s okay. We’ll survive it. It’s just a few more months. I’ll see you during Rossi’s wedding, and we have all of spring break.”

A sigh of relief came from you. “Yeah, you’re right. We’ll have plenty of time together.” 

“Oh, shoot, Garcia just called in case. Got to go. I love you! Have a good day.”

“You too.”

With that, you hung up and got ready for class.

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

“So what do you have for me tonight?” you asked when you entered Dexter’s apartment.

“We’re going on our first stake out,” he said with a raise of his eyebrows.

“Sounds exciting,” you stated. “Do I need to wear anything special?” 

“Nope, what you’re in is fine. I’m just going to show you how I get them.” 

“So is this your hunting outfit?” you asked, gesturing to his olive green shirt and matching pants.

“What? Oh, I guess, yeah.”

“Long sleeves, in Miami… That doesn’t stick out,” you retorted with a snide expression.

“Clearly I’ve caught no one’s attention so far,” he remarked.

“Touche.” 

“Okay, let’s go.” 

The two of you walked out and went to Dexter’s car before driving off.

“So who’s the target?” 

 “Local chef. People go to his restaurant and about a week later, they die.” 

“He’s poisoning a whole restaurant and no one is noticing?” you balked. 

“He chooses plates randomly and only does about one dish a week.” 

“That’s awful.” 

“Yes, it is. So, we need to stalk him, figure out his pattern, and strike when he’s vulnerable.”

“Sounds… tedious.”

“It is.” 

After a moment passed between you two, Dexter had found the restaurant he was looking for and parked in the back parking lot.

“So now what?”

“Now, we wait. We clock the time he comes out, how long he takes to pull away, and follow him.” 

“Ugh, even as a criminal, I have to deal with stakeouts.”

Dexter turned to look at you briefly. “Hey, the food can be alright.”

“Ah, yes, the lovely diet of fast food burgers and gas station burritos, what fond memories.” 

“Let me get you some real stakeout food before you knock it,” he encouraged.

You threw up your hands in surrender. “Fine, fine.”

The two of you watched the door in silence for five minutes before Dexter asked, “So, who do you want to be your targets?” 

“Hadn’t thought about it much really. If I do criminals that I arrested and that got off, might throw up a red flag.”

“True. What about criminals other teams have caught?” he offered.

“Still too close to home. Actually, if I’m being honest, animal abusers.”

He broke his focus on the back door to turn to you. “Really?”

Your eyes slid to his. “Yep.”

“Out of everyone in the world, you choose--”

“They don’t have anyone that can fight for them. People come by the droves to speak for kids. People rally together for women. Animals literally have no voice, they’re defenseless things that couldn’t have done or harmed anyone and some fucknut out there wanted to hurt them.” 

He seemed shocked, but didn’t argue with you. “Wow. Okay, so… animal abusers it is. And method?”

“Eye for an eye.”

“You realize that will be tedious, risky?” 

“No more risky than you running around Miami in a Henley and leather gloves,” you pointed out with a coy grin. 

“Haha, very funny. I’m serious though. You’ll have to suffocate, stab, shoot, strangle…”

“I have no problem with that,” you assured.

He bobbed his head. “Fair enough.” 

“I can tweak the cause of death if it’s too obvious but I’d really like to do that.”

“Hey, according to you and your area of expertise your MO can’t be changed.”

At this, it was your turn to roll your eyes. “Okay, I get it, you think my job’s a joke.” 

“I think the theories you blindly put your faith into is a joke, not your job.” 

“Thank you for clarifying that.”

A metal door slammed shut and you jumped. Dexter looked up. “That’s him.”

The two of you sat and watched for a short while, then suddenly, the silent chase was on. 

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

The following morning, you called your work to report back to them. 

“Ah, Special Agent Reid,” Director Robertson said into the phone. “So good to hear from you. I was starting to worry you’d become one of the missing persons.”

You laughed slightly at the thinly veiled acknowledgement of your slacking.

“Right, I apologize. School has kept me rather busy. I’ve just got done interviewing the families.”

“And?” she urged.

“And there isn’t a lot to go on, from them at least. I’m not done though. I’ve still got plenty more leads to follow.”

“Make it work. I’d like a suspect before you return from Miami, if at all possible. If any agent can crack the case, it’s you.”

“Thank you,” you said. You sighed when you hung up. This could be a huge career move for you, if you just gave them Dexter’s name.

But he didn’t deserve that. He deserved to be left alone. Right now, you were the only thing standing between Dexter and prison, and you intended to keep it that way.

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

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@esoltis280​

[jmblyajones]

Titans: E.L._.O 2x11

1. y’all see how the recap had Adeline say “they” and it showed Slade’s “discomfort”? y’all know what that meeeeans, we’re getting inTO it!!

2. OH MY FUCKING GOSH! WHAT ARE THEY DOING TO GAR?!! He didn’t say yes!! the audacity of this bitch! woooow. I’m ready to fight like..

3. BRUCE COMING WITH THE LOOKS, THE FACTS, AND THE TEA 👏🏾👏🏾 mmkay alazul we gon’ need your ass to pay attention now!

4. loving the core four on the title card :,))

5. everyone’s been talking about this whole Trigon situation and how Rachel isn’t in control because Trigon is in control. I wonder (if that is true) if this will cause Rachel to start heavily meditating and this chick she met would help her with that? (i’m trying to figure out this girl’s purpose lol)

6. LMAO i really thought kory was leaving 😂 but sis’s outfit though... sexy as hell PERIOD

7. what a cliché ass song lol... i’m literally bracing myself to see if dawns gonna sing again 😂

8. y’all can’t tell me that “hanged man” card didn’t look a little like comic book jericho, just a little

9. Y’all... these writers got me hot. Either kory and dick barely speak or they’re hooking up with other people. i’m packing up and LEAVING... y’all are not about to have me out here looking a fool. no ma’am

HOLD UP did she just say “which allowed me to discover new things... and love” ??

can i hold kory for like 5 minutes please?? 🥺🥺 ugh and that close up shot of kory, bellissima!

10. sooo... rose and jason just left to hook up and play heroes.. i hate to be that person but the last time we saw jason he almost tried to kill himself... homeboy needs mental help fr

11. aaaahahaha kory out here bopping her head! that’s my girl! rolling that neck like the rest of us!

12. see, ladies always gotta be the damn back bone to bring the family back together and slap sense into men because who runs the fucking world??

13. Donna and Dawn have irked the hell out of me, now they are leaving to save Gar and Conner, GREAT! but they are still riding on this high ass horse! Give me 5 minute alone with them pleeease!

14. is Rose really asking jason why HE is the asshole?? girl get the hell out of here 😂! bruh it’s like they are trying to be so damn comic book cannon but it just comes off corny, cringe and hella forced. and since when does jason speak so eloquently? lmao (it’s only because of how limited their interactions been this whole season that this is so hard to believe)

15. bruce vs dick, i love to see it. they got this old man out here kicking ass! ageism? we don’t know her. i can just imagine dick punching himself in reality through this whole scene lmao

(close enough haha) “bird of prey” y’all know the writers had some fun with that line 💀

16. AAAAAAWW SHIIIT!! LETS GOOOO!! Glad Dick came back down to Earth and took his recollection with him mmkay!! And i’m so glad we saw Slade’s ass signing!! This has me sooo hype y’all! (and shout out to people who caught on to Slade signing because they really only showed Slade signing for half a second and cut away quick, fast and in a hurry)

17. I SHOULD’VE STUCK WITH MY FUCKING GUT FROM THE BEGINNING!! I SAID ROSE WAS A FUCKING OP! I FUCKING KNEW IT!!! I FUCKING KNEW INSTEAD OF TERRA IT WAS GONNA BE THAT ONE EYED BITCH!! I’M SOOO HOT RN!

(this begs the question, how did she know about the orange soda? slade could’ve known about ellis bc he was tracking them and dr. light tried to kill hank and dawn but the orange soda was before slade killed garth? donna seems to keep to herself. so how could rose have known about it to place the soda??)

18. Of fucking course right when kory and rachel get to the jail, the jail bird escapes smh.

19. Mercy Graves is one trifling ass bitch. I hate her with all my fucking heart. I hope this is worth it for her. I hope this evil bitch is happy with herself!

(i hope Eve can come back and fix gar back before the mind control bullshit! and possibly be the one to help him expand his powers!)

overall solid ass episode 9/10! the lighting and coloring at the diner scene was phenomenal! that was so damn perfect! not to mention when dick finally came to his senses and we saw him recollecting to slade in his chair, coming to the realization about jericho! i am really trying to figure out when will we get everyone fucking unified! I hope it’s next episode so that at the end of e12 it could be a cliffhanger of them still not working as a team... retreating, figuring out their shit in e13 and finally drop kicking slade and rose’s ass!

[tvandenneagram]

You’re the Worst: Edgar Quintero - Type 9w1

Edgar is kind, calm and optimistic. He struggles with his PTSD from when he was in the war and can come across as overly anxious as a result.

At his best, Edgar is a kind and loyal friend. He begins to become more driven and starts to try and make a life for himself outside of the group. Edgar grows more confident and begins to have more agency. He begins to cope better with his PTSD after hitting rock bottom as he starts to take a more active role in his recovery. 

At his worst, Edgar overcompensates for others. He stops taking his various medications because he thinks he needs to for the sake of his relationship with Dorothy. When Edgar is off his meds, his PTSD symptoms are heightened and we see that he becomes very paranoid, suspicious and anxious about everything. 

Edgar is a generally kind and calm person. He is non-confrontational and has trouble voicing his opinion. Oftentimes, he will want to tell Jimmy something and will get spoken over. Edgar will often wrestle with the possibility of uncomfortable conversations and it takes a lot of effort for him to speak up.

Edgar struggles with PTSD from when he was in the war and is often overtly anxious as a result. He will be hyper vigilant and is often paranoid about what might happen. In the earlier seasons, Edgar was self-medicating and had issues with heroin abuse as a coping mechanism.

Edgar has trouble living in the moment and dealing with his anxiety so he begins to attend an improv comedy class to try and combat this. With improv comedy, Edgar finds something he is passionate about. He feels like he has finally found something he is good at and wants to share it with his friends. Edgar gets upset when nobody shows up at his comedy show, because he feels like nobody is noticing him or caring about what’s important to him.

Edgar is slow to anger and will often forgive people easily. Jimmy often treats Edgar quite poorly and uses him for housework. He is also often quite dismissive of Edgar’s feelings and problems. Despite this, Edgar cherishes his friendship with Jimmy and quickly forgives his mistakes. Sometimes, this almost reads to me as Edgar making excuses for the way he is treated by Jimmy and minimising his own feelings for the sake of his friendship with Jimmy.

Edgar has a tendency to not really know what he wants and can be easily led along as a result. When Dorothy takes him to an apartment that she can’t afford, he doesn’t hesitate to say they will move in together. However, when a drunk Jimmy tells him he has been manipulated he fights with Dorothy and changes his stance on moving in. It appears that Edgar was never really ready to move in and went with the flow of the situation. When he was pushed in another direction, his opinion quickly changed despite seemingly being sure at the time of what he had wanted.

Edgar has a wing 1 as he is more reserved and less likely to express his emotions than a wing 8 would be. 

Tri-type: 9w1 - 6w7 - 2w1

Some quotes and traits to describe Edgar’s traits and motivations:

“I didn't know it was a school.”

Tow Truck Driver: “Suicidal thoughts? You know the stats? 22 every day. Though, in truth, there are some Vietnam dudes that are jacking up our numbers, but still.” Edgar: “I thought starting today, things would get better. But they don't give a s**t.” Tow Truck Driver: “Here's what you got to understand. They're not evil. None of 'em are. The military's job is to sand down our humanity just enough to where we can take a life. That's it. Afterwards, some totally separate branch gets to deal with all these purposely broken motherfuckers. Not only is that impossible with the resources, that's just impossible, period.” Edgar: “Yeah, well, then, what are we supposed to do?” Tow Truck Driver: “Not wait for someone to help you. Figure out what works. My man Carter, he hunts all the time. This big chopper pilot I know, he goes to yoga. And we make fun of him, but it seems to work. Jorge hikes the PCT once a year. I got this companion dog. I wanted a big, mean dude, but the organisation gave me this little scrub. He saved my life, this guy. This other bro I know locks himself in his bedroom and stabs his closet door. I mean, he's not getting his deposit back, but once the rage passes, he's fine. I know you don't want to hear this, but the minute you stop looking for someone else to cure you, maybe you start living again.”

Edgar: “Yes, well, uh, we all know that I'm taking the prescribed steps to overcome the very common issues caused by combat situations.” Gretchen: “Ugh! We know. You were in a war. Get over it! And while you're at it, get over Lindsay. Have enough self-respect not to focus on someone who's still clearly obsessed with her lame, soft ex-husband.”

Edgar: “Whose house is this?” Paul: “My biking buddy Conner, his wife Mimi died recently.” Edgar: “What happened?” Paul: “Recumbant bikes have many good qualities but sometimes they're hard to see from up high. The driver of the semi never knew she was there, poor thing was dragged three miles. I've never seen Conner pedal so fast. He kept motioning frantically for the truck to stop. But the driver thought he wanted him honk. She was actually alive until the semi got on the freeway.” Edgar: “Well that's the most terrible thing...” Paul: “Sad thing is Mimi didn't want to go out that day because her safety flag had been stolen outside the junior high but Conner told her that they could stop at the bike store after they raced to Starbucks for tea.” Edgar: Please give my condolences to Conner... Paul: “The really sad thing, is that Conner wanted to let Mimi win, because her impetigo had been flaring up again, that's the only reason she reached the intersection first.” Edgar: “I don't really need to hear...” Paul: “The extra sad thing? The whole time she was being dragged towards the on-ramp she was texting Conner, her phone still accessible in its holder on the handlebars. I saw the texts...they're quite chilling.”

[gaamagirl565]

Matters of the heart S2 ep 12

Matters of the heart

Season 2 Episode 12

The alley girl {OPENING CREDITS} {Open to a slow zoom on Varian’s house as thunder rolls in the distance; lightning flashes and we cut to the bedroom where Varian tosses and turns} Varian: ngghh...no… {We see his nightmare; Isaiah falling off the cliff; Cassandra being tortured by her power; Quirin being devoured by a black mist in the shape of a wolf; everything fades to a black void with only Estelle in the room; her back is turned to him}

Varian: E-Estelle? {She turns to him with pink and green eyes and the cut on her neck visible; when she speaks it is Zhan tiri’s voice} Estelle: Is this your happily ever after, child? {Varian jolts up in bed with a shout and wakes Zapada in the process} Zapada: mn? Iubriea mea? {Varian gets up from the bed and pours water from the pitcher into the basin on the dresser} Zapada: Another nightmare? {Varian splashes his face} Varian: Probably for the best...it’s almost dawn and I have to be at the castle… {Zapada gets up and walks over to him; she takes his hand and he looks at her} Zapada: You have barely been sleeping…and it is falling rain outside. Varian: It doesn’t matter...what matters is finding that cult and destroying them. Zapada: Varian how do you expect to do that when you look like death himself? Varian: Zapada, please… Zapada: No! You will catch your demise! Varian: and they are causing people’s demise! They took my friend, destroyed an entire kingdom, killed Estelle, my dad, my son-! Estelle: Who was no less of a son to me than the one within me, Varian!...but very well. If you want to perish before you’ve even obtained victory...then be my guest. {She walks over to the bed and lies down} Varian:...fine. {He leaves and shuts the door; Zapada’s eyes water and she quietly cries into her pillow; Cut to the morning in the Dark Kingdom; Isaiah rolls over in his cave with a groan} Isaiah:...ugh...I can’t wait to have my bed back… {A distant scream rings out in the forest and Isaiah jolts up} Girls voice: NOT AGAIN! AHHHHH!! Isaiah: H-Hang on! I’m coming! {Isaiah runs through the trees and hops over rocks; he rushes as fast as he can and arrives at a clearing; cautiously he steps forward} Isaiah:...hello? Girls voice: Up here you pillock... {Isaiah looks up to see a young girl hanging from a tree branch by her foot} Isaiah:......*snerk* Girl: Snicker one more time and it’ll cost your tongue. Isaiah: heh...sorry, here let me help you dow- Girl: no I got it… {She takes out a shiv and starts cutting the rope} Isaiah: If you have everything under control why did you scream? Girl:  you ever heard of frustration?  also, I was yanked up into a tree anyone would scream! Isaiah: I-... I can't argue with that… {she cuts through the rope and starts falling} Girl: AH! {Isaiah lunges and catches her} Girl: Hmph! Get off me! Stinky boy! {She gets up and fixes the bandana on her head} Isaiah: Soooo...i’m Isaiah! {He puts out a hand and she stares at it for a moment before going to pick up her bag} Isaiah:....ookkkaaayy… Girl:...Verbena. Isaiah: huh? Verbena: my name is Verbena. Isaiah: O-oh! Okay! Cool! So what’cha doing out here? Verbena: Foraging. Isaiah: oh..cool..yup…… {She stares at him and then groans} Verbena: ...if your coming along, keep up and shut up. Isaiah: R-right! Got it! {he runs up and stays next to her} Isaiah:...so what are we foraging? Verbena: ugghh… {Cut to Catalina walking down into the dungeon; she looks disturbed and angry; she stands in front of Noremoths cell}Catalina: I’d like to talk to the prisoner in this cell, please. Pete:...you’re sure? Catalina: just open the door… {Pete goes over and unlocks the door; Catalina walks in and bares her fangs in a growl; Noremoth looks up} Noremoth: Catalina! {She slams the door closed} Noremoth: Cat I can explain! Catalina: Oh I’m all ears! But lets review! You lied to me, you’re part of a dangerous cult, you killed people, and you attacked Corona multiple times. Did I miss anything? Noremoth: nope that’s uh...pretty much it. {She throws her hands up and walks to the other side of the cell} Noremoth: ...I never meant to hurt you. Catalina: No you only meant to lie, kill, and steal. Noremoth: Technically I never lied- {She gets close to his face, baring her fangs and eyes turning red} Noremoth: BAH! Okay! Okay! Relax! Catalina: You don’t get it do you!? Noremoth: What!? Catalina: I trusted you! I..I liked you! And you betrayed me! You hurt my friends! You hurt my kingdom! And I hate you for it! I honestly wish I had the strength to end you I would gladly tear your throat out for my friend and family! Noremoth: Cat… {Catalina shakes her head and runs out of the cell and slams the door} Noremoth:...smooth ol’ boy...smooth. {Fade to the cult HQ; Larkspur sits in her room with messy hair and a disheveled appearance; she takes a knife and throws it at a Coronian flag she has on her wall; a knock sounds at her door} Vergus: Mistress? {She tumbles out of her bed and fixes herself} Larkspur: C-Come in! Vergus: Mistress,  we were badly battered from the recent battle.  we have many wounded and we're running out of supplies. Larkspur:  and our vessel? Vergus:   despite the doubtless psychological harm that she suffered she appears to be in good health. Larkspur: That is all you needed to say I really don't give a rat's arse about her “psychological harm” Vergus:  regardless mistress, we must obtain more supplies.  the dark kingdom has a trade port. it's about two days’ time from our hideaway. Larkspur:  then what are you still doing here? get together a small group of those that aren't wounded and go obtain things to replenish our supply. Vergus:  well there's one more thing mistress. Larkspur: of course there is. Vergus:  we wish to know what you plan to do now. Noremoth has been captured.  and he didn't exactly leave on the best terms.  he's a serious threat and could easily be giving away information.  we wish to know your orders. Larkspur: hmm.. well it is true he could be a threat.  but we can't just go barreling into Corona.  as you said before we're all wounded and need time to heal,  on top of everything we're low on supplies.  I suppose we should plan for a battle then. if we don't attack they surely will attack us. looks like this little war is at a standstill. Vergus: Mistress? Larkspur:  take a small group of the members that aren't wounded.  go to the dark Kingdom, obtain the supplies that we require,  but also try and recruit some new members. look for the lowlifes of the town.  people who are desperate, weak of heart, there should be plenty.  if we're going to fight a battle in the future we should have more able-bodied men and women. Vergus: Yes mistress. Larkspur:  and Vergus? don't disappoint me. {cut to Verbena walking into the kingdom gates with Isaiah in tow} Verbena: So let me get this straight.  you got separated from your family and you're here for at least another week until you can find enough reserves for a four day trip on foot back to Corona. Isaiah: That pretty much sums it up yeah… Verbena:  well you're doomed. Isaiah: Wait wha-Verbena! Benny! May I call you Benny? Verbena: no. Isaiah: Benny,  what do you mean I'm doomed!? Verbena:  look I've been surviving on these streets by myself for 2 years.  I have survived starvation, infection, and almost dying of exposure.  I’m a big girl and I can tell just by looking at you, you wouldn't last a day. Isaiah: oh ho really? How so? Verbena:  do I really have to explain?  from what you've been telling me you relied too heavily on the grown-ups around you. you can't do that when you're living on the streets. a street kid has seen no lesser than a rat.  you have to do what you can to survive which means doing things that you aren’t gonna be happy with. Isaiah:  how old are you? Six?  who hurt you? Verbena: actually I'm this many! *holds up fingers*  7 almost 8. my parents died in a house fire. I’ve been living on my own ever since. Isaiah:  why don't you just go to an orphanage? {She grabs his face and pulls him down} Verbena: I WILL NEVER EVER GO TO THAT MEAN PLACE! Isaiah: Okay! Okay! Geez! {she lets go and starts walking before they both hear a grumble; she turns and looks at him} Verbena:  are you kidding me? when was the last time you ate? Isaiah:... on the ship. Verbena: ugghh.. helpless utterly helpless.  come on stinky let's find you something to eat. {Fade to Lily looking out a window from the seat in her room; she sniffles and wipes a tear before a knock is at her door} Cyrus: Lily? It’s me!...it’s all of us really. {Eddard opens the door} Cyrus: Wow rude...she didn’t express we could come in! Eddard: Lily? You okay sis?{Her sister Rosie sits by her} Rosie: Your handmaiden said that you've been turning away all sorts of food even your favorite. Cyrus:  you love lemon meringue pie. Lily:  I just don't feel it… {They all look at each other concerned; Eugene walks in} Eugene: don’t worry guys...I got this. All: Dad! Eugene:  if you guys could give us the room I think your sister needs some one-on-one with her awesome dad. Cyrus: Yes father. {all but Eddard walk out of the room before Cyrus goes back and pulls him out} Eugene: Lily?...sweetheart you can’t keep doing this.  I know it hurts but- Lily:  no you don't know! You can’t possibly know! {Eugene jumps} Lily:  I should have gone with you. Eugene:  no.  that would have been ten times worse.  you could have been killed then. Lily:  maybe then I could have stopped them from killing my best for him. Eugene: there was nothing we could have done.  Lily none of this was your fault. none of this was anyone's fault. it wasn't supposed to happen this way. Lily: I liked ‘saiah… Eugene: I know princess… Lily: no I...I like liked him… Eugene: wait, you...OH...ohh… {Lily sobs} Eugene: oh princess c’mere… {Eugene picks her up and holds her in his lap; she snuggles into his chest} Eugene: It’s gonna be okay..it may not seem like it now but..it..it will...it will {he holds her tighter as it zooms out on them; cut to Varian tiredly exiting his Lab in the castle; he walks a bit before stopping and look up at the giant door he’s passing by; Zapada’s words from that morning ring in his head; he sets his stuff down} Varian:...Herz Der Sonne’s journal. {He looks around before he places a hand on the door} Varian:...I must be outta my damn mind. {Varian opens the door to the room and walks up to the journal; he sighs} Varian: I can’t believe I’m doing this… {He opens the book and flips through it; he stops at a page and stares at it before running his hand over it: he sighs} Varian: ….I really screwed up, huh?  failed to protect you...failed to protect our son.  Seems just yesterday we were here. {He smiles sadly and scoffs} Varian:  I really was still a stupid kid wasn't I?   thinking all of our problems would be solved because we signed a stupid book. {Fade to a flashback of him and Estelle sneaking in the room; Estelle runs over to the journal as Varian closes the door} Estelle:  has anyone seen us? Varian: not from what I've seen. Estelle: Good.  in my opinion, this has to be a private affair. Varian: indeed your grace. Estelle:  Ew don’t call me that. {they chuckle and Estelle opens the journal to a blank page; She then takes a quill but hesitates} Varian: …Estelle? You okay? Estelle: Oh! Y-Yes! Right as rain! Varian: we don't have to do this if you don't want to... I'm not going to hold it against you. Estelle:  no!  I want to do this. the last journal existed for hundreds of years.  I don't want there to only be a record of me being tied to that... Pompous duke!. Varian: won’t people find out? Estelle:  nobody goes back and looks at the other Pages until it's been decades maybe more.  please...Varian. I want to share a page with the man I love. The man I choose. {Varian looks stunned for a second but then his face softens; He takes a Quill and both sign the journal; Estelle kisses him; they stay in each other’s arms} Estelle: Well...it seems to be official now. Varian: yeah… Estelle: for better or for worse… Varian: No matter what happens… {Fade out and cut to the page with their names on it; a tear drips on the page; Varian sniffles and wipes his eyes before staring blankly at the page; with a cold stare he tears the page from the journal and stuffs it in his vest; cut to him walking out of the room and stopping to lean against the wall} Rapunzel: Varian! There you are! We’ve all been looking for you! Varian: for me? How can I help Rapunzel? Rapunzel:....you’re...not gonna like it. {Lance walks forward with a drink bottle} Varian: What is this? Eugene: a drink to share with Noremoth. Varian: ...Excuse me!? Rapunzel: Now Varian, please… Varian: No Hold up! You want me to share a drink with the man that murdered my family!? Eugene: Varian I know your upset with him but- Varian: Upset? you think i’m just UPSET with that man!? i’m 1000x more than that, Eugene! Rapunzel: okay enough! Both of you! Varian, We need information from him. from what we've heard him say he seems to be innocent of most of the crimes here. Varian: what!? Rapunzel:  from what he's been telling us it was mostly Larkspur giving the orders.  Quirin's death was an accident according to him,  he didn't know that Estelle was going to be the first target,  and Isaiah fell off the cliffs when Noremoth wasn't anywhere near him. It's the only information he was willing to give us. Lance:  he just keeps asking us to kill him and be done with it. Keira: and why don't we!?  okay so my Quirin's death was an accident but that means he still tried to kill Varian! And look at Catalina! Rapunzel:  I promise you, there will be consequences for him but right now his information is invaluable. If we're going to avenge Isaiah and anyone else that was killed at the cults hand we’re going to need his help. {Varian eyes the bottle before walking off with it} Catalina: Varian just...just don’t hurt him too bad… Varian:...no promises. {Cut to Isaiah in the marketplace of the dark kingdom} Isaiah: geez... bread here is so expensive. Verbena:  that's cause wheat doesn't do well here so we have to im-..im… Isaiah: ...Import? Verbena: yeah! import it from other kingdoms. Isaiah: seriously how are you alive? Verbena: I guess i’m just smarter than you. Isaiah: you little- Verbena: shh!...look! Isaiah: what? {She points to a small bag of moldy bread} Verbena: It's all we got. Isaiah: how are we going to the new convince him to sell us- {Verbena rushes in and grabs it before taking off} Baker: STOP! THIEF! Isaiah: BENNY!? Verbena: Lets go! {they both run through the street weaving around people as the baker chases them; At one point Benny trips and picks up as much of the bread as she can; The baker goes to grab her but Isaiah picks up an apple from a cart and throws it, hitting him in the nose} Baker: Filthy street pest! You broke my nose! Augh! {Isaiah runs up to her and pulls her into the alleyway} Verbena:...well...that could’ve gone better. Isaiah: Yeah i’ll say! What in the hell was any of that!? Verbena: I was getting us food! Isaiah: By stealing it!? I have coin! I could have bought food! Verbena: if I knew that I would have let you but like I said before, You gots to do things you don't like! Isaiah: Screw that!  I've never once even considered stealing food! if need be I would have gone to the forest and searched for food or dug in a trash can! I never would have stolen from anyone! now look what I did I broke some poor man's nose for you! Verbena:  and because of that we have dinner.  when it comes to survival sometimes you gotta be bad. Isaiah:  I would rather risk everything than hurt someone again! Verbena:...Again? {Isaiah jumps at his own words and gently touches his scar; Verbena sighs and hands him a stale roll of bread from the bag} Verbena:  ...here... just eat it. {Isaiah swipes the roll and takes a bite; Verbena grabs her own roll and picks the mold off before eating; she hears sniffles and looks over to see Isaiah wiping his eyes as he eats} Verbena:...why me? {She walks over and plops down by him eating her bread; Isaiah looks over to her leaning on him} Verbena:...sorry... {he smiles and leans on her as they eat; cut to Varian outside Noremoths door at night; Pete unlocks it for him and he walks in} Noremoth: Well.. this is a surprise.

Varian: be quiet… Noremoth:  did you really just walk in here just to tell me to shut up? Varian: and if I did? Noremoth: well not like I can do anything except call you a massive jerk. Varian: you see there's a lot of irony in the idea of you calling me a massive jerk. Noremoth:  whatever... what's that? Varian:  this? {he holds up the bottle} Noremoth:  no the Dancing Cockatoo on your head.. yes the bottle! Varian: thought you could use a drink. I can't imagine the water down here is very sanitary. Noremoth: What is it? Varian: I have absolutely no clue but all I know is it doesn't smell very good. Noremoth: then it is my kind of speed. {Varian pours two glasses and goes to hand him one} Varian: oh...wait… Noremoth: Yes Varian... I'll just levitate the glass with my unicorn powers. Varian: oh shut up… {He goes to unlock his wrists; Noremoth rubs them; Varian hands him the drink and he sits down on the ground with him} Varian: well this brings back memories. Noremoth:  drinking in a Cell brings back memories? Varian: the cell itself dingus...  I forget...it's been what.. 18..19 years… Noremoth:  yes I've heard your story.  I believe we only met after the death of Zhan tiri.  you went traveling right? Varian:  I was gifted the title of Royal engineer. but I needed a break from Corona after everything that happened.  I decided to go on a scientific Expedition.  I wanted to learn how the Sun Drop , the Moonstone, and the black rocks had affected other kingdoms.  I also wanted to learn more about me and see if there was a more scientific explanation for all of it. perhaps a new branch of science that we hadn't even discovered yet. Noremoth:  and then we came in and screwed everything up didn't we? {Noremoth smirks and sips his drink} Varian:  you can say that again. instead of a scientific expedition, I found myself trying to thwart you guys every time I entered a new kingdom. Noremoth:  we were very diverse with our recruiting.  Misfits of all the Seven Kingdoms joining together to create a new world order with help from the power of Zhan tiri and a vessel hosting the magic for us. Varian:... why Cassandra? Noremoth:... that was larkspur's doing. I grew up in Corona. I was here for that great battle. Varian:...What? I didn't see you at all. Noremoth: I don't know where I was born but I do know I grew up in an orphanage not too far from Corona.  orphanages paint such a pretty picture.  oh we care for orphaned so therefore we're Saints! puh!... I left the orphanage when I was 12 I couldn't stand it anymore and then I was a street child in Corona.  therefore I was useless.  I was here for everything. Varian: Everything? Noremoth:  yes... everything. how did you make your raccoon that size? Varian:  Okay moving on!  you never answered my question. Noremoth:  right... I told her about how Cassandra was the wielder of the Moonstone and how I saw her come into Corona many times.  I even told her about the time she practically destroyed the whole Kingdom with black rocks.  Larkspur insisted that that was who we had to have his The Vessel. I don't know why but I think it's because she thought she can handle it. Varian:  so why did you join the cult? Noremoth: I left Corona once I was old enough same as you. I met t Larkspur and she told me her ideas. I was sick of being treated differently for things that I couldn't control.  people assuming that I was filthy, uneducated, and just overall waste of space because I was an orphan Street child.  I want to spare future generations of that that's why I joined.  I've always had a code. never hurt women or children. Varian: BUT- Noremoth:  I was never near your son when he fell and that wasn't supposed to happen.  I didn't know that Cassandra’s first kill was Isaiah’s mother.  as for your father... I want you to know that I gave Larkspur hell for that.  I'm sorry. I tried to do good things for the world by joining this cult but it seems that I've only brought misery. I’m...truly sorry about that. {Noremoth picks up his cup; Varian watches him with a despondent look} Noremoth: ...Salut 

Varian:......Salut. {They clink glasses and both take a sip before Varian coughs and sputters and Noremoth laughs; fade to Isaiah leaning against a barrel in the alley asleep; Verbena walks over and kicks him} Isaiah: OW! Hey, what the- Verbena: Sh! C’mon! I gots to show you something! {Isaiah rolls his eyes and follows; she leads him out into the dark barren street} Isaiah: ...Okay, I'm out here now what? Verbena:  any second now… {They stand for a minute or two; Isaiah goes to say something to her but then notices a glow; He looks up to see colours dancing in the sky} Isaiah: Whoa... aurora borealis… Verbena: what? Isaiah:  Aurora Borealis is also known as the Northern Lights I read about it in my books back home.  I didn't know the dark Kingdom had such a cool view of it. Verbena:  I overheard some grown-up say that the lights only started appearing after the black rocks disappeared. that was way before I was born. Isaiah: and how old do you think I am? that's before I was born to! Verbena:  you're old and stinky! {Isaiah smirks and tickles her; she squeals and giggles} Isaiah: Oh am I!? I’m old and stinky? Well, you’re tiny and spiteful! {she squeals and giggles; Isaiah smiles and looks up at the sky with a sad smile} Verbena: do you miss your family? {Isaiah turns to look at her} Verbena:  I miss mine too. I miss my mommy. Isaiah:...me too squirt...me too.