#some year I'll actually clean the kitchen cabinets out and like. put things in them.

[cantankerouscatfish]

have been gifted 2 cassettes (Tears for Fears and The Police) and a stack of plates with sunflower patterns on them that my mum garbagepicked 🎉🎉🎉

[gloomysoup]

home is where you are

@steddiebingo prompts: hurt/comfort (main card) and home (christmas card)

rating: Teen+ | word count: 2400 | tags: omegaverse, alpha eddie, omega steve, mpreg, insecure steve harrington, hurt/comfort, fluff | ao3

Eddie came home from work to absolute chaos. Addie and Violet were sitting on the living room floor, arguing over whether to put the white lights or the colored lights on the Christmas tree, which he had put up the night before. Addie wanted white, but Violet wanted colored. Eddie was almost certain none of their lights from last year were even going to work, so they'd have to buy new ones anyway. James and Lucy were fighting over an orange crayon at the coffee table, two blank pieces of paper and a whole assortment of other colored crayons in front of them. Steve and their youngest, Grace, were nowhere to be seen, but Eddie could hear movement in the kitchen. Eddie quickly slipped his boots off at the door and swooped in to de-escalate all the arguing.

He started by grabbing a second, emergency, box of crayons from the cabinet that held the art supplies. He pulled out an orange one and handed it to Lucy, so she would stop trying to take the other one from her brother. Then he moved to the older two girls, squatting down in front of them and picking up two strings of lights.

“Why don't we put the lights away for now, my loves? They probably don't even work. I’ll take you both to the store this week and we can pick some new ones out together. How does that sound?”

They easily agreed, and Eddie was incredibly grateful that everything was solved quickly tonight. Once all of the pups were settled and occupied, not a single argument left to be had, Eddie moved to the kitchen. He stopped in the doorway to smile at what he found. Steve was standing at the stove, stirring a pot of boiling macaroni noodles with Grace on his hip. He was swaying back and forth, softly humming a lullaby as he did.

Eddie slid up behind him, leaning in with a hand on Steve’s other hip to kiss his cheek. “Evenin', beautiful,” he whispered. Steve smiled and turned his head to get a proper kiss.

“Hey, baby. How was work?” Steve asked after they had separated.

Grace was grinning, trying to scramble from Steve’s hold while saying, “Da!”

Eddie shrugged, taking Grace into his own arms. “Nothin’ new. Missed you, though. How was your day? Pups drive you too crazy?”

Steve hummed in consideration. “Hectic. Lots of arguments today. Oh, Lucy broke one of the nice glasses that Joyce got us. She was trying to be like Addie and Violet and help put the dishes away, but she dropped it and it shattered. Everyone was okay, though, and I’m pretty sure I got all the glass cleaned up.”

Eddie’s hand looped around further to rest on Steve’s swollen belly. “And how was the little one today? Not causing too much trouble, I hope?”

Steve huffed a small laugh. “Not letting me actually get anything done today.” He put down his spoon and leaned back into Eddie’s chest. “Every time I finally got the rest of the pups settled down enough to do something, I either had to pee or sit down for a little bit. By the time I was done, someone else needed something, and the cycle repeated.”

“That's okay,” Eddie murmured, nuzzling his nose against the shell of Steve’s ear and taking a deep breath of his scent. He always loved how much sweeter his mate smelled during pregnancy. It was one of his favorite parts of the experience. “I'll finish the chores for you after dinner. You just worry about relaxing.”

“Eddie, no,” Steve argued, moving to stir the pasta again. “You just worked a ten-hour shift. You shouldn't have to come home and do everything here too. I'll take care of it.”

“You will do no such thing.” Eddie adjusted his hold on Grace, who was snuggled against his chest after not seeing him since the night before. She had been the only one still asleep when Eddie left for work that morning. “You chased our little pack of hooligans around all day while growing a pup. You deserve to put your feet up and relax for the evening. I'll take care of everything else. Don't worry about anything.”

Steve glanced over his shoulder with a frown. “At least let me help. Then we can get everything done faster.”

Eddie smiled and kissed Steve’s cheek again. “Whatever makes you feel better, my love.”

Dinner in the Munson household that night was quite the affair, as it usually was with five kids under the age of eight. Afterwards, Eddie corralled all the pups upstairs for baths and pajamas while Steve cleaned up in the kitchen. By the time everyone was clean, clothed, and settled on the couch for one last movie before bedtime, Eddie was wrecked. He loved his children more than anything in his life (except maybe Steve), but they were exhausting. He had no idea how his mate did it all day long.

Finally, he started the movie and went to track down his superhero of a partner. It didn't take him long at all. Steve was in the laundry room, loading the washer to get one more in for the evening. Eddie came up behind him, wrapping his arms around his husband and kissing his cheek. He pulled Steve back into his chest and swayed gently. He reveled in the way Steve instantly sank into his hold, body going lax and a sigh of contentment leaving his lips.

“Have I ever told you how much I love you?” Eddie whispered.

“Mmmm, tell me again?” Steve replied just as softly.

“I love you so so so much, my love.” Eddie gently tightened his arms around him. “You are an absolute wonder. I don't know how you deal with our little gremlins all day and not just completely lose your mind.”

Steve hummed, a soft smile on his lips. “They're not so bad. Most days. It helps that Addie, Violet, and James go to school five days a week.”

“A saint,” Eddie said, slowly releasing his hold on Steve to dramatically collapse to his knees in front of him. “I worship on my knees in your holy presence.” As Steve laughed, Eddie leaned forward with his hands on Steve’s sides to press a kiss to his belly. Their pup moved beneath his touch. Eddie would never get tired of the feeling. It always amazed him, just what Steve’s body was capable of, especially when it came to creating life.

“Come on, up off the floor,” Steve finally said, grabbing Eddie’s hand and starting to pull him up. The alpha went easily, rarely one to say no to his omega.

With the pups suitably distracted for at least a little bit longer, Steve and Eddie set about the quiet routine of getting evening chores done. They didn't speak much, just moved around each other in a comfortable silence. Eddie did the day’s dishes and wiped down the countertops while Steve folded laundry at the table. The movie in the living room was still going when Grace started getting fussy. It wasn't long before Violet was calling for them to make her stop.

“I'll get her,” Eddie said softly, not wanting to break the calming atmosphere in the kitchen. Steve nodded, still folding laundry, while Eddie headed for the living room.

Grace was pushing at Lucy when Eddie walked in, and Lucy was quickly losing patience with her little sister. Eddie picked Grace up, trying to remedy the situation, but that just caused a full blown tantrum. She kicked and screamed, fighting against Eddie and her own exhaustion. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. No matter how hard he tried to put out a calming scent to soothe her, it was all for naught. She just kept screaming and kicking and writhing. Steve quickly appeared in the doorway, looking a little worried. As soon as Grace saw him, she reached her arms out.

“Give her here,” he said gently, coming over to take the screaming toddler from Eddie’s arms. “I'll sit with her.”

Eddie nodded and passed her off to Steve, watching as Grace instantly began to calm down. He made sure Steve was comfortable on the couch with Grace curled into his body before leaving to finish cleaning up the kitchen and folding laundry. By the time he was done, the movie was over. All five of their pups were fast asleep on the couch. Grace was curled up on Steve’s lap, her head pillowed on his chest. Lucy was situated firmly in Steve’s side, while the older three were piled up and stretched out across the other cushions.

Eddie was extremely careful in his extraction. He took Addie and Violet upstairs to the room they shared first, then James to his room. When he came back, he slowly picked up Lucy and let her burrow into his neck while Steve carefully tried to stand up with Grace. It was a lot harder the further along this pregnancy got, but Steve was nothing if not determined. He never let anything slow him down; not even being nearly eight months pregnant. Again, superhero. Eddie was obsessed with him.

After a very long, very chaotic night, all of the pups were finally tucked away in their beds. Eddie and Steve could actually take a minute to breathe without someone needing something. As they did every night, once the children were tucked in and sound asleep, they curled up on the couch together with some random movie they'd seen a hundred times before. It was more for the noise and familiarity than the movie itself. Steve was tucked against Eddie’s side, his head resting where he could hear Eddie’s heartbeat, just like every night. Eddie held him close, breathing in Steve’s scent and letting himself finally relax for the first time all day. They both remained quiet for a while.

Something deep down in his gut was telling Eddie that something was wrong. Something was bothering Steve, festering in his mind. Before he got the chance to ask, Steve was opening his mouth to speak.

“Do you think we’re making a mistake?” he asked so softly, Eddie almost didn't catch it. If their house hadn't been so quiet, he might not have heard him.

“What do you mean?” Eddie tightened his arm around Steve’s shoulders.

Steve shrugged as best he could from under Eddie’s arm. “I just- Do you think all of this is just a big mistake?” Eddie’s heart shattered at the broken lilt to Steve’s voice, the tremble of his words. “Is having another baby a mistake?”

Eddie frowned, trying so hard to control his scent. “Of course not. What's wrong, baby? Where is this coming from?”

Steve sniffled a little, pressing his cheek a little more firmly into Eddie’s chest. “I don't know. I just- We already have five kids, Eddie. Our- our house isn't that nice. We don't really have a whole lot of extra money. And with Grace’s medical bills… maybe- maybe we should have just stopped after James, or Lucy. Maybe everyone was right, and this is all just a big mistake.”

Eddie shook his head, feeling the fabric of his t-shirt start to dampen. “Absolutely not,” he said. He pulled away, shifting so he could fully look at Steve. “Baby, this is not a mistake. I don't know who’s putting these ideas in your head, but they're wrong. So what if we don't have the nicest house in Hawkins? That's never mattered. Not to me, not to the pups. It's just a house, Stevie. And so what if we don't have all the money in the world? Our family has a roof over their heads, clothes on their bodies, and they never have to worry about going hungry. Our pups are loved. Why should anything else matter?”

Fat tears rolled down Steve’s cheeks. Eddie caught them with his thumbs as he cradled Steve’s face in his hands.

“I love you, Steve Munson,” he continued, unable to stop now that he was on a roll. “I love you, and I love our pups, and I love our life. I don't care about money, or our house. All I care about is our family. Our five little pups, who bring me so much joy every single day. Sweet little Sophia, who is going to be so loved, just like her siblings. You, the love of my absolute life, who has given me so much to be grateful for.”

Tears were welling up in Eddie’s eyes against his permission. He just loved Steve so much, and he hated seeing him so upset.

“Eddie,” Steve whispered, voice shaking with his emotions.

“Stevie, honey, I cannot even begin to tell you just how amazing I think you are. How strong, capable, loving, and wonderful. The greatest gift of my life is getting to be a dad, and you have given that to me six times now. I am so deeply in love with you, and our big family. I would never trade any of our pups for anything in the entire world. I don't need a fancy house or money, because you and our babies are my home. I don't care what anyone else has to say about it. I am obsessed with you and our six little pups, this house with its scattered Christmas decorations that we haven't had the time to put up yet, and every single other thing about this little life we’ve built for ourselves. Fuck everyone else. This is the only thing that matters.”

Eddie held Steve to his chest as he cried, rubbing his back and whispering all of his love into Steve’s ear in the hope that it would sink beneath his skin and stay there forever.

Later, Grace will wake up and need Eddie to put her back to sleep. Later, Lucy will crawl into bed with them and cuddle up to Steve. Later, Eddie will help Steve make breakfast before going to work. Later, they’ll put up decorations and stick the Christmas presents under the tree. Later, they’ll have a newborn in the house, someone else for Eddie to love with everything he has.

Later, Eddie will still be deeply in love with the home that he and Steve have built together, regardless of what anyone else has to say about it.

[somethingusefulfromflorida]

My little sisters and I all live in the same apartment complex, but I've never been over to their unit because they've never invited me inside and whenever I had to pick them up or drop them off they'd tell me to meet them in the parking lot. This morning, I had to go over and help them deal with an overflowing toilet because maintenance is closed on the weekends (god forbid you have an emergency on 2½ out of 7 days). I got it fixed no problem, but I noticed something fundamentally different between the three of us.

Their apartment is the exact same model as mine, same layout, same 4 bedrooms, same kitchen, everything is the same, but theirs actually looks like a home. They and their roommates have decorated everything for Christmas. There's a tree and lights and stockings, and the kitchen counter is full of appliances and a knife block and a drying rack. They've rearranged the furniture and hung up paintings and have little knick knacks everywhere, it looks lived in and welcoming.

Mine is a cesspit hovel.

My building had a terrible roach infestation all year, so my roommate and I can't leave any dishes or appliances out in the open. The fridge is safe, but the cabinets and drawers were crawling with the bastards, so I had to keep all my food in baggies inside sealed tubs in my bedroom.

The living room is as barren as the day I moved in; it looks like an empty model apartment they'd show off to prospective renters. It's cold and gray (well, actually landlord beige), and I didn't realize why I hated it so much until just now.

Ever since college, I've lived out of boxes because I've been afraid to get situated anywhere; save for the few years I lived in my childhood bedroom at my parents' place, I've lived in a different place every year since 2014. I didn't bother unpacking because I knew I'd have to repack it all up at the end of the year anyway and move somewhere else, so I've never been able to make a space my own. My sisters move apartments every year, and they just deal with it; they don't mind packing and unpacking, that's just one of the things they gotta do, and their apartments are always so much cozier for it.

I've sprayed Raid all over the kitchen and swept out behind the fridge and stove and called pest control two or three times since I moved in in September, and come to think of it, I haven't seen any roaches in weeks. I think the infestation might have been dealt with, this afternoon my roommate has started moving his utensils into the kitchen, so I think I'm gonna unpack for real. I'm hesitant about food, but after a personal inspection I feel confident enougn to put all my pots and pans and plates in the cabinets.

If I'm wrong and the roaches come back with a vengeance, I'll clean everything and repack it back in my room, but for now I think I can finally start to relax. I'm gonna hang some posters in the living room, maybe put out some coffee table books, move the couch and chairs away from the wall. Once I get some money, I'll buy a bookshelf and put all my tapes and DVDs out there for easy access.

This is going to be nice. 2023 has been unrelentingly horrible from start to finish, but 2024 will be better.

[qs63]

I'm actually curious about more than one of them, so I'll ask and you can choose one, or share a snippet or each, your choicr

1. Barril's because I've read the ch1 and I'm intrigued

2. Roy de-aged

3. Rebecca's fic

4. Marianne's gift

Thank you for asking! I'm more than happy to provide an answer for each of them. x)

Barril's

So yes, this is now called "Voices of the court" (named after a Hiroyuki Sawano song "Voices of the chord") and the first chapter was posted earlier this week. This is the same continuity as "The King's Counselor" and it's set almost a year after that fic. I don't want to give out too many plot details yet, but it is a bumpy ride for Roy and Riza. Here's a little excerpt from chapter 2:

Riza rolled the sleeves of her jacket and walked into the small kitchen. She occupied herself washing the dishes and throwing away some of Roy's spoiled food while she waited for him to finish showering. She was just putting some glasses inside the cabinets when Roy's larger hands pressed against hers, effectively stopping her from moving.

"You don't have to do that."

"You told me to make myself at home."

She couldn't see his face from that angle, but she could practically feel him glaring at the back of her head. He'd never liked when she cleaned after him. Not when he'd been her father's apprentice, and not now that they were sleeping together. He allowed it more at work, and even then that had taken her years of reminding him that taking care of him was part of her job.

She expected him to shush her away and take over the cleaning like he usually did. Instead, she was surprised by the weight of his chest against her back, and by the feel of his lips against the scar on her neck.

Roy de-aged

This is a very silly fic that started because of THIS tomochingus art and a conversation with Scienceoftheidiot. It's about Fuhrer Roy getting de-aged into academy Roy, and discovering all the wonderful and horrible things his future has for him.

The door suddenly opened, and a beautiful blonde lady entered the room. She looked at him and frowned. "What's the meaning of this, Havoc? Where is my hu–"

Roy squinted hard at her. There was something utterly familiar about her appearance. She looked just like… "Riza?"

Her breath hitched. She blinked and turned back to him with an increasingly fearful expression. "Roy?"

Wow.

What the hell.

Was that really little Riza Hawkeye?

Rebecca's fic

This one —also referred as the Hayate fic — is about Rebecca finding out Riza is sleeping with Roy thanks to Hayate. It's fun but also very angsty. This is almost complete and probably what I'm posting next.

"You're telling me that, all these years, you have been pinning after this dumbass and you hadn't jumped him?"

"It's complicated."

"Oh, I'm sure it is. Starting with the fact that you could get Court Martialed for it. But seriously, how stubborn can you be?" Rebecca sighed. "At least tell me you're getting a transfer request."

"No," Riza said immediately. For some reason she looked scared. "I can't. I– My duty comes first."

"Then what? You'll be the Mustang's dirty little secret until one of you retires? You can't seriously be okay with that, Riza. You deserve better than that."

Marianne's gift

I have posted about this one before. The code name is snow. This is about one of the East-Briggs training exercises going wrong and Riza getting injured. Roy is out of his mind with worry, and Lieutenant Ross is done with it all.

"I see an arm!" Sergeant Grey yelled. Roy was immediately running after him.

Please, let it be her.

He prayed with no small amount of guilt. He should be equally worried about all his men, but he'd never quite mastered how not to separate her from the rest. He needed her to be alright. He wasn't sure what he would do if she wasn't. She was his tether to sanity. The only thing keeping him from wandering off the right path.

Roy took a deep breath, and put his fear back inside the box at the bottom of his soul. He had no time for it right now. He had a role to play.

current list of wips for ask

[alloftheimaginess]

Christmas

"Hey welcome back" I say when Sam comes into the kitchen.

"Hey" he says smiling at me and I smile back.

"Everything smells delicious in here" Dean says coming in and I smile at him.

"The place looks nice" Sam says and Dean looks around.

"You did all of this by yourself?" Sam asks and I nod.

"If I would have had more time it would have looked so much better but for now it's what we have for a last minute celebration" I say and Dean comes over wrapping his arm around me and I hug him back.

"I think it looks good" he says kissing me before grabbing a beer out the fridge.

"Thank you. How was everything? I see you guys aren't bloodied up too bad" I say

"Well we had Cass with us" Sam says.

"You had Cass?" I ask and Dean hums tipping his beer bottle back.

"Is he coming or going back to being Cass?" I ask.

"He's going to drop Jack off so he'll probably be here any minute" he says.

"Good because as you all know it's Christmas and I have gifts for all of you" I say.

"Yn" Dean says and I shake my head.

"No" I say.

"I get Christmas isn't really your thing but it's mine and you will not ruin this for me" I say because I know he’s going to say some stupid shit about Christmas and I start the Christmas music over him and he quickly nods holding his hands up in surrender and Sam laughs.

"Now go get washed up because when they get here we're having dinner, both of you" I say and Sam gets up first and he heads out and Dean comes over to me.

"You're a little mean today" he says and I smile at him patting his chest.

"Because if I'm not you won't listen" I say already frustrated at how the day has been going and he smirks.

"Jokes on you, I think it's hot and I'll purposely not listen just so I can hear you be mean" he says kissing me and I kiss him back and before it can go too far the bunker door opens.

"What is all of this?" Jack asks and I pull away from Dean.

"Merry Christmas Jack" I say ducking under Dean's arm and going over to him and pulling him into a hug and he hugs me back.

"It's your first Christmas and I couldn't just sit around and not do anything" I say.

"Christmas" he says confusion in his voice.

"It's a day where everyone exchanges gifts and eats food" Castiel says.

"That's the short version yes" I say.

"I like your sweater" he says.

"Thanks it's an ugly Christmas sweater" I say.

"I don't think it's ugly" he says.

"Perfect because I have one for everyone. I sent Sam and Dean to go get cleaned up so you go and then we'll eat when you guys are done" I say and he nods going to his room and I smile at Castiel and he gives me a small smile back.

"Are you sticking around?" I ask.

"I was just dropping Jack off" he says and I frown.

"But you're family and it's Christmas and Christmas is a time for family" I say pulling on my best puppy dog face and he sighs shaking his head.

"I'll stay" he says and I cheer running to the table and passing him his sweater and he looks at it.

"It's really simple to put on, you just pull it over your head" I say.

"I know how to put on a shirt Yn" he says and I laugh walking off.

"Okay, just saying" I say grabbing the camera and I turn it on and Sam comes downstairs.

"Where are the rest of my shirts Ynn?" He asks wearing the sweater.

"I just figured that you wouldn't wear it unless it was your only option" I say turning around to face him and he laughs shaking his head.

"You look good though" I say snapping a photo.

"Did you do the same to De-"

"Son of a bitch!" Dean yells cutting Sam's question off and I smirk at Sam and Dean comes storming into the room and I snap a picture of him and he glares at me.

"Why?" He asks and I smile.

"Because we all look good" I say and Jack comes down the stairs in his sweater.

"I like this a lot" he says and I snap a picture of him and he looks up smiling at me and I snap another one of him smiling and Castiel comes around the corner and Dean starts cracking up.

"Dean" I say sternly.

"Do not laugh at Castiel, unlike you he was actually willing to wear the sweater" I say and he still laughs and my timer goes off.

"I’ll be right back" I say going into the kitchen and I lean against the cabinet sighing as I run my hands over my face.

"Are you okay?" Dean asks scaring me and I jump and when I calm down I hum in response.

"Yn I know you" he says.

"Everything is okay. I just want things to be perfect" I say.

"Why?" He asks and I sigh.

"It's Jack's first Christmas" I say.

"No there's something else" he says searching my eyes.

"I just want you to like Christmas so I'm trying to make everything perfect so you have no reason but to like it" I say.

"Why does it matter if I like Christmas or not?" He asks and I sigh, frustrated from the hormones.

"Because I want to have something as a family" I snap and I close my eyes to calm down because it’s not his fault.

"A family?" He asks.

"I want us to do things together that could be our traditions for when we kids and their kids can do it and so on but you hate Christmas and I love Christmas more than anything and it kind of super sucks when I want to celebrate but you always say no or you always take a hunt knowing it’s Christmas" I say and he grabs my shoulders.

“We can start celebrating” he says.

“I just I never thought of that. I’ve just always associated Christmas with the bad memories that I had but we can make some more, we can do things that are us and turn them into traditions” he says.

“Okay” I say nodding at him and he kisses me and I kiss him back and he pulls away.

“You seem in a rush to start traditions” he says staring at me and I smile at him.

“Because this time next year our babies will be celebrating their first Christmas” I say.

“Babies?” He asks and I nod pulling out the ultrasound.

“Babies” I say.

[fics-n-stuff]

Empty Castle

Pairing: JJ x reader

Summary: Three weeks after John B and Sarah Cameron were lost at sea, Kildare is still reeling from the dramatic events surrounding the death of its sheriff. JJ in particular has been struggling to get back to normal, so Y/N goes to try and help him get back on his feet. Sequel to Holding Cell.

Warnings: tiny bit of swearing, v sad JJ

Word Count: 4.2k (about double what I originally intended)

A/N: This took way longer than expected and I didn't mean for this to be so sad but it got real sad, so there isn't really anything beyond platonic until towards the end. I would highly suggest that you read Holding Cell first (perhaps because I worked hard on it and I want people to read it) but if you really don't want to then all you really need to know is that JJ and Y/N were childhood friends but hadn't spoken for two years until they both got arrested on the same day and they decided to be friends again. Cool, enjoy! :)

The bell for the end of school rang and the crowd of teenagers swarmed out, and you made your way to the bike rack along with your friends.

"So, my house for movie night?" Jess said, and the rest of your friends chorused in agreement.

"Actually, I have something else to do." You replied, fastening your helmet. "I'll come by after if I finish up in time."

"What are you doing?"

"I need to go see someone." You replied, quickly getting on your bike before any further questions could be asked. "Later guys."

You cycled out to the house that you knew was where John B lived - basically the entire island knew where he lived after everything that had happened - and left your bike on the porch. The front door was open.

"JJ?" You called tentatively. "Are you here?" You heard movement from one of the rooms and turned towards it, seeing JJ walk out a few moments later. He looked disheveled, shirtless and with messy hair.

"Y/N?" He asked, surprised. His voice was slightly gravelly, like he'd woken up not long ago. "Why are you here?"

"I came to find you, JJ. School started on Monday, you've missed the whole week."

"School started?" His question made you frown in worry. "Wait, how did know I'd be here?"

"Because you're not anywhere else." You answered, putting down your school bag. "Nobody's really seen you. I stopped by at your house and your dad said-"

"You did what?"

"Relax, JJ, it's not as if he has any idea who I am. And he told me that you haven't been home in two weeks."

"I'm surprised he's kept track." JJ muttered.

"Clearly you haven't." The comment made JJ pause. He ruffled his hair and let out a long sigh, looking down at his own appearance. "What have you been doing these past weeks?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "It's kinda blurred. I go to work, I go fishing, I smoke. I really didn't realise that school had started." He crossed the room to the sofa and grabbed a tank top off of the back of it, throwing it on before making his way to the kitchen.

"So I take it you've just been living here." You stated, looking around the mess that had accumulated in the house.

"Yeah. Pope and Lie have been staying away from the place ever since, uh..." He trailed off, pushing his tongue against his cheek and clearing his throat. "But me, I'm here basically all the time. They use Heyward's boat so I've got the HMS Pogue all to myself; they use Kie's car, I get that busted up van." He laughed, but there was a real sadness behind it.

You watched JJ as he made himself a sandwich, and even from a distance you could tell that there was barely any food in that kitchen. A few seconds passed and you spun on your heel, starting to collect empty food packages from around the room.

"What are you doing?"

"Cleaning." You answered matter-of-factly. "If you insist on staying here, I insist that you keep it clean."

"Why do you even care?"

When you turned around to face him JJ was leaning against the kitchen door frame. He wasn't looking at you, rather he was staring at the floor. His body language was relaxed but you knew that that wasn't how he was feeling.

"What happened to the 'giving to whole friendship thing another try' deal?" You replied. "I'm just trying to live up to my side of the agreement."

"Maybe that wasn't such a great idea."

"Okay." You muttered after a stretch of silence. "Let's try this again later. You go off back to your bedroom or whatever, I'll clean up here and we can reconvene at a later time." You pushed past him into the kitchen to look through the cabinets for trash bags, and when you found them you pushed past him back to the living room.

"Y/N-"

"I'm not leaving, JJ, so don't even try it." You interrupted, throwing empty bottles and cans into a trash bag. You heard him mutter something under his breath and disappear down the hall, slamming the door shut behind him. You scoffed and continued clearing the house.

You got rid of all of the trash from the living room and the kitchen before knocking on the door to the room JJ had shut himself in. By now he'd had about half an hour of preparation for a civil conversation.

When you opened the door he was lying on his back on the bed with a hat covering his face, but you knew he was awake because he kept fiddling with his fingers and tensing and untensing his jaw.

"You ready to talk about it?" You asked softly, taking a seat at the foot of the bed.

"No." He mumbled, his response muffled by the hat over his face.

"Want a hug?" He didn't answer, so you took his silence to mean 'yes but I don't want to say it out loud'. You kicked off your shoes and shuffled up the bed so that you were lying beside JJ, draping an arm over his body and resting your head on his chest. He let out a long sigh and slowly wrapped his arm around your body, pulling you in closer.

You stayed like that for a long time, just listening to yourselves breathe while you waited for JJ to be ready to talk to you.

"We really ran off a cliff, didn't we?" He finally broke the silence, his voice quiet and full of emotion as he removed the hat from over his face. "Pope lost his scholarship, I've become a complete pothead, John B and Sarah are missing. We don't even have the gold."

"Gold?" You questioned.

"We found the wreck of the Merchant, Y/N." He whispered, staring up at the ceiling. "And we found the gold, underneath the Craine house, and Ward Cameron took the whole lot out from under us while the town was on a manhunt for John B."

"Oh my god, JJ!" You exclaimed, sitting up. "You seriously found the Merchant gold?"

"Yep. To finish what Big John started. But it doesn't matter now, it's gone. Just like John B." His voice broke as he said his best friend's name, and you lay back down beside him.

"I'm sorry."

"They could still be out there, right?" JJ murmured. "I mean, they found the Phantom but they didn't find John B and Sarah. Maybe they got picked up by a ship."

"Yeah of course, that's totally possible." You nodded. The silence stretched out again, JJ sniffling every now and then as if holding back from crying.

After a while you sat up, getting JJ's attention and he turned his head to look at you.

"Let's go grocery shopping." You said. "There's barely any food in this house, you need some supplies."

"I haven't really got the money, Y/N."

"My parents just left town and I never spend all of the money that they leave so we can use that." You replied adamantly. "You need to get some human contact, okay? So let's go."

You climbed off of the bed and put your shoes back on before pulling JJ up as well. Reluctantly, he put on some shoes and grabbed the keys to John B's van.

+++

The two of you were out for about an hour. You stopped off at your house to grab the cash before going to the grocery store, where you ended up leading the shopping trip because JJ apparently had basically no knowledge of nutrition. Being with another person seemed to bring JJ out of the haze that he had been presumably for the past few weeks; he even smiled at a joke you made while you were at the checkout.

"I didn't expect you to have enough money for a full grocery shop." JJ said as the two of you packed the food away in the kitchen.

"Well, because my parents don't talk to each other they also don't coordinate their trips out of town which most often results in them both leaving money for me." You explained. "I never tell them, I just keep the extra cash as compensation for the neglect." You smiled, closing the cabinet you had been packing things into and turning around to take a seat on the counter. JJ finished putting away the last of the groceries and leant against the wall opposite you, folding his arms over his chest.

"Why'd you really come find me?" He asked.

"Well, after John B and Sarah got lost in the storm it was obvious that you weren't going to be doing the best." You answered, watching him carefully to gauge how he was feeling. "And when you didn't show up for school all of this week, I figured that you might need a friend to bring you back to reality."

"I, uh, I appreciate that." He nodded, his lips turning upwards into a small smile.

"Happy to help." A silence settled between you again, as it had many times throughout the evening, but it felt a little different this time; slightly more tense, but not in a bad way.

"Do you wanna go out on the boat?" JJ suggested. "The sun's about to set."

"Sure. Sounds nice." You replied, hopping off of the counter. His smile grew and he kicked off the wall, adjusting his hat on his head as he headed back to the front door, you following after.

You took a seat on the bow of the boat while JJ got it going, and you stayed in silence as he drove you out into the marsh. The sky was orange and violet when he anchored the Pogue, and he came to take a seat beside you.

"It's nice, isn't it?" He said quietly, looking out at the sun setting over the water. "I come out here most nights if I'm not still at work."

"Yeah, it's beautiful." You nodded. "What's your job?"

"Busboy in a hotel restaurant. You got a job?"

"Nah, I've got my absent parent money." You looked over at JJ and you could see sympathy in his eyes. "Don't feel bad for me, it's really not so terrible." You chuckled. You didn't need sympathy; certainly not from JJ, who was in a far more difficult situation than you.

You talked idly as you watched the sunset and when the sky turned dark you had settled into silence and lay back on the boat to look up at the stars. The two of you were lying with your hands on your stomachs, your elbows touching with the proximity in the small boat.

"What if they're not out there?" JJ whispered, barely audible.

"Then... we learn to keep going." You answered, turning your head to look at him. "Look, JJ, I was never as close to John B as you were, and I have no idea how you guys became friends with Sarah Cameron, but whether they're out or not, and whether they cane back, you'll always have them with you."

He turned to look at you too, tears shining in his eyes, and you reached a hand out to grab his and interlocked your fingers.

"I know it's cliché, but it's true." You smiled reassuringly. "They left you a piece of themselves to keep in your heart, and nothing can ever take that from you." He held onto your hand tightly, a single tear escaping his eye as he tensed his jaw to try and hold back any more.

"I really miss him, Y/N." He sniffled. "He was my brother, you know." You quickly moved to hug JJ, your body half on top of his as he wrapped his arms around you tightly and buried his face in your shoulder as he started to break down.

You maneuvered the two of you into a sitting position so that you could wrap your arms around him properly, cradling his head in your hand. He held onto you tightly, his tears soaking through your t-shirt and his body shaking with his sobs.

Minutes passed before JJ calmed down, and you held onto his shoulders as you broke away from the hug.

"You'll be alright. Okay?" You said softly, and he nodded. "I'll drive us back." You wiped away the tears on his face with your thumbs with a smile, before getting up to bring up the anchor.

JJ stayed where he was sat while you drove the boat back to John B's house. You docked the boat and went inside, the atmosphere heavy. He took a seat on the sofa while you flicked on the lights.

"Can I tell you something, Y/N?" He asked.

"Yeah, of course."

"I used to have the biggest crush on you when we were kids." The confession left you a little shocked, but you didn't show it, and JJ continued. "John B used to tease me about it all the time. When we were thirteen, after, like, four years of pining after you, he told me that I just needed to man up and tell you... but I never did, and then our friendship kind of just fell apart."

"Why are you telling me this now?" You questioned, and JJ let out a sigh before shrugging.

"I don't know. With John B missing and you suddenly back in my life... it just feels weird." He answered. "But I'm glad that you're here. I think I really need it."

"I think you do too." You chuckled. "Now, I'm gonna make us something to eat."

"Us?"

"What, you don't want me to stay?"

"No!" He defended himself loudly, making you laugh. "No, that's not it at all. I just wasn't expecting you to."

"Well, I have nowhere else to be." You smiled before disappearing into the kitchen.

You busied yourself in cooking, cutting up some chicken and vegetables and throwing them into a stir fry. You were completely absorbed in what you were doing, humming to yourself while you pushed the food around the pan with a wooden spatula, so when you felt a hand on your shoulder it made you jump.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." JJ apologised quickly, taking a small step back. "I said your name but you didn't hear me."

"Oh, really? Sorry." You chuckled. "What did you want?"

"Just... You weren't weirded out that I used to have a crush on you?" He asked tentatively.

"No, of course not." You shrugged turning back to the pan. "I'll admit it was a little surprising, but we were kids and we were super close. Jess used to tease me about that all the time."

"About us being close?"

"Yeah. I remember one time she totally freaked out because you called me pretty. Can you get a couple of plates out for me please?" You heard JJ open a cupboard and take out a couple of plates.

"For what it's worth," He said, setting the plates down on the counter beside you and taking out some cutlery. "I still think you're pretty."

"Aw, thanks JJ." You smiled. "You're not too bad yourself."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He countered, feigning offense, and you laughed.

"Nothing. You're a good looking guy; not at all like the chubby cheeked little kid that I used to know."

You dished up your meals and you and JJ went back to the living room to eat. You kicked you legs up onto the sofa with your plate on your lap and tucked in. It was later in the evening than you would usually eat, so you were eager to get some food into your stomach. Even still, JJ practically vaccumed in the food and finished before you did. He took the plates back through to kitchen when you finished.

"You gonna head home any time soon?" He asked.

"I'm not in a rush." You shrugged. "I'll just be going back to an empty house." JJ hummed in acknowledgement. He lifted your legs up to sit on the couch beside you, putting them back down on his lap once he'd gotten himself situated. Maybe him being in such a vulnerable situation earlier had accelerated your connection, but it was like those two years that you didn't talk at all never even happened; you were just as close as ever, if not more somehow.

"You're gonna stick around, right?" He said, turning to look at you. You tilted your head slightly.

"Of course." You reassured, smiling. "I'm not gonna leave you now, of all times. Besides, I missed you and we were supposed to be trying the friendship thing again anyway."

"Yeah, the friendship thing." He muttered, downcatsing his gaze, and you frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"JJ, you can tell me." You took your legs off of his lap and crossed them under you, shuffling forwards towards JJ and lowering your head to try and catch his gaze.

"I..." He began but trailed off immediately. He let out a loud sigh, running a hand over his face and through his hair before taking a deep breath. "I know that I might just be saying this because I'm kinda fucked up in the head with my friends being lost at sea and all, but I think I still like you Y/N. As more than a friend." He rambled.

"JJ, we didn't speak to each other for two years." You replied, taken aback by what he was saying and trying to introduce some reason into the conversation.

"I know- I know that, Y/N, but... it doesn't feel like anything has changed for me." He explained, mirroring your body language and crossing his legs under himself to face you. "I get it, it's stupid, but I can't help that. I mean, I know that we were literally twelve years old but when we were friends before I think that there was something there. Maybe I'm biased because I liked you, but maybe..."

He looked at you, his eyes searching for any tell of what you were thinking, and there was a long pause while you thought.

"Even if there was something." You started slowly. "We were kids, JJ."

"We still are kids. We're sixteen." He argued. "When we were at the sheriff's station I felt something there, even though we hadn't spoken for two years. Tell me you didn't feel it too."

You looked away from him and took a deep breath. You would be lying if you said that you never had any feelings for JJ - he was probably the first real crush that you had - and it was probably your feelings for him that made you react so strongly when he would get himself into trouble. And you did think that being with JJ again felt much the same as it had done back then; plus, you hadn't been lying when you said that he'd grown up to be pretty handsome. Even still, he was going through an incredibly difficult time and you didn't think it would be a good idea to start any kind of relationship.

"Maybe... Maybe there might be something." You mumbled. "But right now really isn't the time to try it."

"Why not?"

"Because... well, you..." You struggled to articulate what you wanted to say.

"Y/N, I know it's a really messed up time, okay? Two of my best friends are lost at sea and I haven't spoken to the other two in weeks. I have lost all of the people closest to me and I feel completely alone, so maybe the fact that you're literally the only person that I have right now is making my feelings more extreme - I recognise that - but that doesn't mean that they're not real."

"JJ, I can't in good conscience agree to pursuing anything with you right now." You replied softly, shaking your head. It hurt you to have to say no.

"Don't you want to try?" He asked, voice a little weak as he looked into your eyes. "It doesn't need to be a huge commitment, we can just give it a try."

You looked over his face, the cogs turning in your mind as you thought through the situation. You really did want to give it a try, you were just worried that it might do JJ more harm than good. But the longer you ĺooked and him and the more you thought about the possibility, the more you wanted to pursue it.

"No promises, no big commitments... but I'll stick around." You smiled slightly, and you put a hand gently against JJ's cheek when he smiled back. "I just don't want you to get into something that's not good for you." He chuckled, taking your hand from his face and holding it in both of his.

"You've always been looking out for me." He mumbled, brushing his thumb over your knuckles. "Where would I be without you?"

"Somewhere messy I'm sure." You smiled.

"Definitely."

You sat in silence for a minute. You were watching JJ's face while he fiddled with your fingers. He let out puffs of air every once in a while like he had just remembered something funny, and it made you smile. You yawned, suddenly realising that you were actually really tired.

"Since I'd be going home to an empty house anyway," you began, breaking the short silence. "Would you be alright with me maybe staying here for the night?" JJ looked up from your hands with an amused smile.

"Of course." He answered happily. "I could use the company."

"Great."

He stood up from the sofa and gently pulled you up after him. Your hands remained connected as he walked you through to the same bedroom as earlier and flicked on the lights.

"This is where I've been crashing." He said, quickly scratching the back of his neck. "You can stay here with me if you want, or you can stay in the other bedroom if you'd rather do that." He became noticeably more tense at the mention of the other bedroom, and you just knew that it was because that was John B's room even though you'd never been there before.

"I'll stay here." You smiled, giving his hand a comforting squeeze. "Can I borrow a t-shirt?"

"Yeah, sure." He let go of your hand and crossed the room to a duffel bag in the corner. "There's stuff in all the drawers so I've kinda just been living out of this thing." He pulled out a t-shirt and handed it to you.

"Thank you." You smiled as you took it. JJ nodded awkwardly and shuffled past you out of the room, pulling the door shut after himself.

You quickly rid yourself of your school clothes and put on the t-shirt that JJ gave you - which was long and baggy on your body - before hopping onto the bed and covering your legs with the covers. He came back in not long later carrying two glasses of water.

"I figured you might want a drink at some point." He mumbled, setting the glass down on the bedside table. You gave a grateful smile and quiet thanks as he turned on the bedside lamp and then went to turn off the main light.

"We used to have sleepovers sometimes when we were kids." You mumbled as he walked around the bed and climbed in beside you. "Do you remember?"

"Yeah, of course I do." He smiled, lying down. "We used to stay up until midnight thinking that it was a big deal."

"It was back then. Midnight is really late when you're ten years old."

"I miss when little things like that could be so exciting." He sighed, staring up at the ceiling. You looked down at him thoughtfully, absentmindedly reaching out to brush a piece of hair out of his face.

"Well, anything can be exciting with the right company." You said softly. His eyes shifted to connect with yours and he smiled ever so slightly. "We have the whole weekend ahead of us, maybe we could do something fun. Go surfing, like old times, maybe?"

"That sounds nice." He murmured.

You shuffled down the bed to rest your head on the pillows and reached over to flick off the table lamp. You lay on your side facing JJ as he remained looking up at the ceiling. With the moonlight coming through the window you could just see the silhouette of his face and a slight shine where the light reflected off his eyes.

"What are you thinking about?" You whispered after a while.

"Lots of stuff."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Maybe tomorrow." He answered with a sigh, turning his head to look at you. "But thanks."

"No problem." You smiled. "We'll talk tomorrow." You shuffled towards JJ and curled into his chest as he wrapped an arm around you. You felt him press a very light kiss to the top of your head and it made you smile. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He replied, holding you a little tighter, and you fell asleep in each other's arms. For the first time since John B and Sarah went missing, JJ had some comfort and you were happy to be the person to provide that for him.

[barnesandrogersfanfics]

Ocean Eyes - Part 1

Summary: Your past with Chris catches up with you.

A/N: Can’t say more than that or it gives stuff away! 😂 Taglist is open, if 

you want to be added let me know 💕

After a long day working at the local coffee shop the last thing i wanted to do was go to a club! But it was Sadie's leaving party so i had to make an appearance or id never hear the end of it.

It had actually been a really fun night, my first night out in what felt like years and after a few drinks i let myself enjoy it. I even had a couple of guys offer to buy me a drink! Just after midnight i caught a taxi home and left the younger girls to carry on with their partying..... how they did it i don't know! Most of them had had far too much to drink already and no intention of stopping any time soon. God i miss the days where i could do that!

When i finally got home i dropped my bag and my jacket next to the front door, went to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water and headed up to bed. I managed to throw on an oversized t-shirt before crashing face first into bed, the make up removal would have to wait til the morning i was too exhausted to care.

I woke up to my cell phone blaring loudly in my ear, i patted around for it keeping my eyes closed already feeling the hangover! I mumbled a 'hello' then heard the soft chuckle of my mom.

"Had a good night did you?"

"Mmm it was okay, i'm so not used to drinking anymore Ma. How do people do this every weekend?" I moaned as i slowly opened one eye then the other.

"I remember when you'd be out every weekend, you even ended up in Vegas that one weekend...."

"I remember believe me!" I said as i finally sat up grabbing the bottle of water from the bedside cabinet draining half of it.

"I was just wondering what time you were coming over?.... you said 10am but its almost lunch time"

"What??!! are you serious?.... shit. Okay let me go get a cup of coffee and take a quick shower and i'll be there"

"Okay sweetheart, no rush"

"Everything's okay?"

"Yeah yeah all good. I'll see you soon"

"Okay, bye mom".

I had just finished my coffee and was heading upstairs for a shower when the doorbell rang. I was going to ignore it but then whoever it was started knocking.

"Jesus.... give me a second" i muttered marching to the front door, i opened the door just a crack hiding behind the door due to my lack of pants! When i looked through the gap i gasped.... the last person i ever expected to see was stood on my doorstep.

"Chris...."

"Hey" he smiled nervously "sorry for just showing up like this but i didn't have your number. I tried calling the one i had for you but it was out of service"

"Yeah i had to change it a few years back..... wh...what are you doing here Chris?"

"Can we talk inside?.... i don't really wanna do this through a crack in your door" he laughed a little but it was more of a nervous laugh.

"Erm, sure can you give me a couple minutes to go put some pants on?... i was just about to get in the shower"

"Sure"

I nodded and closed the door before quickly rushing upstairs and grabbing my jean shorts from the chair where i had discarded them yesterday. I was just about to leave my room when i passed the mirror and caught a glimpse of my reflection "fuck!" I quickly grabbed a makeup remover wipe and cleaned my face of smudged mascara and run a brush through my hair.... it was no good,  the hair could not be saved! I quickly tied it up in a messy bun not minding the loose bits that fell out, it would have to do!

The living room was a mess so i closed the door leaving just the kitchen visible. Then i rushed over to let Chris in before he thought id run off and forgotten about him. He followed me through to the kitchen and took a seat at the table while i made us both a coffee.

"How you been? Its been a while since ive seen you" he asked softly.

"I guess it has been.... erm i'm good" i shrugged casually keeping my attention on the mugs as i made the coffee.

"Im glad. Seemed like you disappeared off the face of the planet, you just left. No one heard from you...."

"It was for the best, fresh start and all that"

"Im sorry for how we... how i left things"

I shrugged shaking my head

"you really don't have to apologise Chris, you made a choice...."

"A stupid choice..... i was young and very stupid...."

"Whats done is done, theres no point rehashing it... its been almost 7 years i'm over it" i scoffed picking up the mugs and joining him at the table.

"You are?"

"Of course!"

"Thats great" he nodded avoiding eye contact.

"Okay so spill it.... i don't mean to sound rude but i've got somewhere i need to be soon and i'm already running late....."

"Still cant handle your drink huh?" He finally looked at me smirking.

"Apparently not.... how'd you know?"

"Ive seen you hungover enough to know the signs, the hair and the face full of smudged makeup...."

"you saw that huh?"

"Yeah" he chuckled looking me over.

"So....."

"Right... i um....i need you to sign this" He said reaching inside his jacket and pulling out some papers.

"Sign what?..... what could you possibly need me to sign?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion as he pushed the papers across the table to me. I leaned forward to get a better look and the first thing my eyes landed on... "Petition For Divorce".

I felt my heart start to race as i looked up at Chris..... "what is this? I signed these 7 years ago Chris!"

"I know. I never filed them"

"What?! you mean we're still married?!"

"Yeah"

"Why? You told me you'd take care of it all...."

"And i was gonna, but i couldn't bring myself to do it"

"Jesus christ Chris!"

"Im sorry Y/N" he started to say but I shook my head as i got up to get a pen, when i sat back down and signed them without hesitation Chris made this noise, like i had offended him by signing the divorce papers without an argument.

"What?"

"Nothing, its just you signed them pretty quickly...."

"Chris, i signed these 7 years ago when i loved you.. why wouldn't i sign them again? There's no reason not to..... what we had has been over for years"

"I just thought maybe somewhere down the line we'd work things out"

"I didn't. Any thoughts of us working out ended when you broke up with me because your career was taking off and you liked the attention from all the girls"

"I was an idiot i know, i was just a kid...."

"Bullshit! If you were old enough to get married....you were old enough to know what you were doing".

He looked down shaking his head again, he actually looked ashamed of how he had acted. Maybe he had grown up.

My phone started ringing and i saw my mom's name flashing on the front.

"Hey mom..... oh god, yeah okay.... i'll be there in like 15 minutes i promise" i hung up after saying goodbye to her.

"Im sorry, but i've got to go. You got what you wanted" i shrugged pointing at the papers on the table, he folded them neatly and tucked them back inside his jacket.

"Thank you"

"Can i ask you something?"

"Anything"

"Why now? You didn't bother for 7 years"

"Ive been seeing someone..... its getting kinda serious now...."

"Right, i get it. Your ready for a new wife...." i shook my head suddenly feeling very sad about my past life with Chris "i didn't even get the chance to be your wife.... not really. That ain't worth shit" i pointed towards his jacket where i knew the papers were.

"Its not like that Y/N i swear, i just.... i want the option to be there if the time comes"

"Well i hope it works out better for you this time. Look i have to go......"

"Right okay, sorry. I'll get out of your way" he got up quickly and followed me through the kitchen and to the front door.

"It was good to see you, make sure you file those this time" i said as he walked towards his car.

"You got it, it was great seeing you too" he smiled before getting in his car and driving off.

"Hey Ma!" I called walking into my mom's house.

"Your late" she called from the sofa, i made my way to her and dropped down next to her.

"I know im sorry, you'll never guess who just turned up at my house??!"

"Who?"

"He who shall not be named!" I said quietly, my mom's eyes widened as she gasped "you mean...."

"Yep!" I nodded "turns out we've been married the last 7 years! He never filed.... he came by to ask me to sign them again"

"That boy has some nerve showing up here...."

"Yep"

"Did you sign them?"

"Of course i did"

"Just like that?"

"Yeah, just like that" i shrugged "like i told him, i already thought it was done and over with, i haven't seen him in 7 years.... why wouldn't i sign them"

"Sweetheart....." my mom started to say something but was interrupted by the excited yell of 'MOM!" right before a small body crashed into mine.

"Hey buddy" i laughed hugging my baby close "have you been behaving for nana?"

"Yep, i'm always good" he rolled his eyes before wrapping his arms around me "i missed you mom"

"I saw you yesterday baby" i chuckled running my hand through his brown hair before kissing the top of his head.

"I still missed you"

"Awww ain't you cute! I missed you too".

"Hey! I thought you liked staying with me? We had so much fun" my mom said trying to act offended but smiled when Mason started laughing.

"We had fun Nana, but i missed my mom" he looked up at me with his big blue eyes and i felt my heart swell with love for my baby boy.... well he wasn't a baby anymore, it was hard to believe he'd be turning 6 in a few days.... how time flies.

Everything taglist: @jesseswartzwelder @dumblani @barnesandrogersworld @patzammit

[artificialqueens]

Gimme Love, 6/9 (Miz Cracker/Blair St Clair) - Grinder

AN: Welp, I'm back from travelling! For anyone interested to know how it went; it was great (if you love stress). Liverpool is a lovely place but I've destroyed my bank account :D

Anyway! We got 4 more chapters of this fic! This is where the conflict begins. I hope yall enjoy.

TW for this chapter: Homophobia, homophobic slurs

2020

The cake was in the fridge. We'd be seeing him later. For now, we settled for some spaghetti. It had become a sort of tradition for Jujubee and me for moments that needed celebrating. But we hadn't done it in so long, what with the stress of work.

"So, Juju, as you can see, I've labelled the pages you're allowed to read, so don't go looking at other shit, OK?" I asked, chopping up a red bell pepper.

"Why? If I do, am I gonna find some porn-y shit?" She quipped, running a hand along with the butterfly print book.

"Honestly, you know all of those details anyway." I gave her a smirk, taking a piece of pepper and throwing it over to her.

I almost expected it to fly past her head, but she caught it in her mouth. Skill.

"OK, but what's in the box, though?"

I almost forgot what she was even referring to. But following her gaze, I saw it, sitting on the kitchen counter beside the fridge. "Oh, that?" I scraped the peppers into the saucepan, "That is my memory box."

"Ooh, that's even more exciting." She beamed.

"No. We're not opening it." I moved on to an onion.

"Aw, why not?" Jujubee whined.

"Because I made my Mom promise me she wouldn't give it to me until I turned 50. But I was weak and begged her to give it back. So now, I've promised myself to not look inside until I turn 50." The air was no longer clean, poisoned with the acid from the onion. My eyes were beginning to sting.

"Aw, Brie, you don't need to get all emotional about it." She had to go and joke about the tear now trickling down my cheek.

"Girl, this is torture," I wipe my eye along my wrist, pretty sure my eyeshadow has been fucked up. "Did I fuck up the smokey eye?"

"Nope." I knew she was lying to me, but she couldn't take her eyes away, "You look absolutely gorgeous as usual."

"Not as hot as you, though." I sniffed. I needed her to focus on reading so I could finish chopping the onion as soon as possible. "Anyway, you wanna read something in there?"

Jujubee opened the book and immediately laughed, "Jesus Christ, Brie, bit dark."

She showed me the first page, childlike scribblings read 'Brianna's Diary. DO NOT TOUCH! Or this will happen to you!' An arrow led to a picture of a grave.

"I never even noticed that before," I chuckled.

"With a warning like that, I better find some crazy shit in here." she cleared her throat, "So starting in 1994, 'Diary Diary, Today, I had a fight with Jujubee. She really upset me, but I upset her too. I should say sorry. That's all. Bye.'" Jujubee lowered the diary, "you bitch, why did you upset me?"

"I have no idea, girl. I mean, didn't we do that a lot back then?" I shrugged.

"I bet you started it though," She lifted the book again, a coy smile on her face. "OK, moving on to 1995," she cleared her throat, "'Dear Diary, today Mommy and Juju's Mommy took us to see Pocahontas at the movies. It was very good. Goodnight.'" Jujubee paused to giggle, "God, I love how detailed this is. You could have added so much more."

"Girl, I was 8 years old. Writing more than 4 sentences was like writing the bible to me." I countered, finally scraping the onions into the pan with the peppers.

"Yeah, but we did so much more that day. We went to McDonald's after, we found that little frog pond in the woods." She pointed out.

I hadn't even remembered that. Now I kind of wished my younger self would have pushed herself to write more.

I was too busy rifling through my messy cabinet for oregano to notice Jujubee just flicking through page by page.

"But, you wrote 3 pages worth of poetry to Blair St Clair?"

Once I found the spice, I spun around to look at her, "Juju, I told you to only look at the pages that were labelled."

She held a hand up, "OK, I'm sorry." She closed the book.

I felt bad, thinking maybe my harsh tone brought the fun to a grinding halt. Squeezing my eyes shut, releasing a sigh, I said, "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for."

She took a sip of her water while I added the oregano to the saucepan.

"So, did you text her back?" She played with the glass in her hands.

I pursed my lips and shook my head. "Why? Do you think I should?" I asked quietly.

"Nah, not really."

"Well, why not?"

Jujubee shrugged her shoulders and went to look at her nails. "Don't know."

I clicked my heel, my tongue running along the top row of teeth behind my closed mouth. "Well, I've been thinking about it. I mean, maybe that's the problem. Maybe I could be a bit more responsive."

She made a humming sound. I was unsure what it was supposed to mean.

"OK, what's going on?" I put both hands on the counter.

"I don't know. I just think…" she paused, trying to find her words, "I don't see the point because the same shit will just happen again."

"The same shit?" I repeated, "what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, her speaking all but 10 words to you and then completely ignoring your existence." She put a hand under her chin.

"Well, maybe that wouldn't happen if I actually spoke to her like I wasn't terrified for once," I suggested.

She squeezed her eyes together, "Oh no, Brie. I knew this was going to happen."

"What was going to happen?"

"The whole Blair thing. I thought you were over it. Well, until she messaged you recently, I had a creeping feeling that it was all gonna come back."

"Juju, listen to yourself. You're talking like this is an actual problem."

"I hate to say it, but it is. Do you remember the time she hung out with you in the library? You were so excited the next day. I hadn't seen you so happy in so long. You wouldn't stop talking about how she would probably be there again." She paused, "But she wasn't. And you were so disappointed."

"Yeah, but things could be different now."

"And how's that?"

"Well, I'm a different fucking person now, that's one thing. I'm successful, I'm smart, I'm hot as fuck, rich as fuck - -"

"And you think that's gonna be the game-changer for her? That she's gonna come running into your arms? Because if that's the case, that says a lot about her." Jujubee rolled her eyes.

"Well, I'm a big girl, now. If it happens again, I'll just get on with things. I'll move on.

"That's a lie."

I squinted my eyes. "Why are you being like this right now? You're so salty just because I fucked wrote a private letter to her as a child."

"This isn't about the letter, Brie. You know why I'm being like this. You shouldn't need to ask." But she continued, "You've never dealt with never having parents. You think that if Blair was to suddenly be truly interested in you, you'd get over the feeling of being unwanted. Yet you're surrounded by people who love and support you, who'd stick with you to the end. But right now, you don't give two fucks about them because you're too busy panicking about some girl from high school."

I lift my head again, putting one hand on the desk and the other on my hip, "Well, congratulations, Juju. Sounds like you got me all figured out. Hey, you wanna talk about my Grandpa next?"

She only reacted to that with a scowl. And she spoke again.

"You remember the prom? Do you remember what happened? Do you remember how she didn't do anything to stop Trevor?"

My eyes shifted away, just for a second. "She told him to stop."

"Which did nothing."

I wanted to argue how she was unfair. How it was so wrong to blame Blair for the prom incident. But I was distracted by a burning smell. Only now did I notice the onions and peppers blackening.

I quickly moved the saucepan off the heat, feeling it only radiating in my own face. I put a hand on the counter, the other on my hip. "OK, Juju, maybe you should leave."

It was safe to say Jujubee was taken aback. She remained still for a second before pushing her stool out. "So that's how it is? Kicking me out when you're faced with the truth?"

"Juju, just leave, please." I felt my hands clench around the edge of the counter, my nails digging into my hip.

"I am!" She grabbed her coat and stormed from the kitchen. I flinched upon hearing the door slam shut, and only then did it sink in - the dread, the feeling of regret.

I looked at the hob, the burnt vegetables unsavable. So they went in the trash. My stomach grumbled. But I couldn't bring myself to start over again.

Opening my fridge, my eyes were immediately on the cake. And I glanced over my shoulder, looking where she had sat, now feeling a sense of emptiness. Not in me, but the room. Like I was alone.

I was alone.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." I repeated as my hand clenched on the door. The cool air from the fridge felt nice but not enough to stop my panic.

I looked at the cake again, feeling the urge to throw it out the window. Or maybe just send it back to her.

Bitchy, I know. But I couldn't help it. I wouldn't be feeling like this if she hadn't acted the way she did.

I slammed the door shut, kicking it for extra measure. And in my heels, I almost tripped.

Filled with more anger, I paced around for a few minutes, aggressively cussing to myself.

Don't get me wrong, one part of me said she was right about Blair.

No. She isn't. I was going to prove Jujubee wrong.

I picked up my phone from the counter, found the message and began to type with trembling fingers.

"Blair…" I panted, "So sorry...for getting back to you so late... I'm a busy woman, as you...probably already know...Look... I'm just gonna say it...I really like you...I always have...You make me feel so confused...yet so happy at the same time...I feel a connection between us...I always have...I don't know whether you ever felt it or not...but I do hope so...I would love to meet up with you sometime soon...and maybe have a coffee...I don't know...maybe even some wine, if you want. I look forward to hearing back. Brie x"

My thumb hovered over the send button. The only sound I could hear was the ticking of the clock. Not even my own breathing.

I pulled my thumb away, closed my eyes and breathed out. "Brie. You sound fucking crazy. You sound insane. You can't just send shit like that." I repeated words of the same nature to myself, trying to usher myself off the edge before I could do something idiotic.

"Jesus Christ." I opened my eyes again, which were now glossy with tears. I wouldn't blink. I wouldn't let them fall.

Big mistake.

I thought I tapped the chat bar, going to delete the message. But my blurred vision said, "haha, no."

I tapped the button next to the chat bar. The send button.

The little noise my phone made as it was sent may as well have been the same as a gun clicking.

"Oh, God." My eyes couldn't tear away from the small screen. My heart rate increased. "No, no, no, you fucking idiot!" I pressed my thumb down on the message.

There was a delete option.

I clicked it.

'Are you sure? The recipient may have already seen the message.'

I backspaced to check.

There it was, the tiny version of her profile picture falling to the bottom of the screen. She was reading it.

"Fuck!!" I blurted.

I put the phone down on the counter, began pacing for a moment, and looked back at the phone. This went on for a few minutes. I wanted to be as far from my phone as possible. But also needed to know if she had replied.

This was it.

Blair was going to know how I was weirdly obsessed with her.

She was going to know I was checking her out in the library that one time.

She was going to know that I had fingered myself so many times at the thought of her.

What were my options?

Suicide - Not gonna happen.

Running away - But the project.

Reply with 'Hey, sorry! My friend took my phone, haha' - did anyone ever believe that excuse?

Block her before she could reply - then she'd think I was even more crazy.

Call up her place of work and somehow get her phone confiscated - why, though? That would involve Facebook stalking her again, trying to think of an excuse. Even if I did so successfully, she still saw the message.

All of the options just lead to cons. It was hopeless.

With shaky fingers, I switched my phone off and practically threw it onto the counter.

My body sank to the ground, now holding my head in my hands.

What do I do? What do I fucking do?

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

2004

I was shaking. Only slightly.

There was something about the prom that made me feel so on edge.

Maybe it was all the people, all together in one room.

Perhaps it was the fact the chess boys asked to make out.

Or perhaps it was the fear of missed opportunities. Opportunities that involved a certain someone.

I watched from the side of the room as Blair took pictures with her friends on her pink digital camera. There was a feeling of regret causing my stomach to twist, my fists clenching onto my purple dress.

That could have been me.

I felt a hand moving a curled lock of hair from my shoulder.

"Just think, girl; we're almost there," Jujubee appeared in front of my vision, "College is just around the corner."

"I can't wait to be out of here," I spoke quietly.

Everyone turned their attention to the stage as Rosé appeared, announcing it was time to crown Prom King and Queen.

"Well, it's pretty obvious who our queen is." Jujubee crossed her arms.

I knew who she was thinking of. To be fair, it was pretty obvious. But I wasn't complaining.

Trevor was our Prom King, not my King anyway. I scoffed as he cheered, being pushed up to the stage by his team.

"Jesus Christ, who would have thought." Jujubee took a sip of her punch, spilling a drop on her lilac puffy-sleeved dress.

"And your Prom Queen is…" Rosé paused, pulling the result from the envelope.

3...2...1…

"Blair St Clair!"

I smiled for the first time since walking into the place. I applauded her victory as she walked up onto the stage.

Blair hugged Rosé and whispered something in her ear. I had no idea what it was, but I was too distracted as Trevor just stared.

"You wanna make a speech, girl?" Rosé joked into the mic.

Blair laughed, covering her face with embarrassment. She turned down the offer.

"OK. Everybody," Rosé held a hand to Blair and Trevor, "You're King and Queen of 2004."

Blair looked slightly uncomfortable as Trevor put an arm around her waist. Why couldn't he get the hint she was done with him?

The two got down from the stage, Trevor's gaze following her in confusion as she moved far away from him.

"Aren't they supposed to do a dance now?" Jujubee asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know, Juju. I've only seen proms in movies, and they're quite obviously exaggerated."

My eyes landed on Blair once more. Trevor was whispering something in her ear, and she shook her head, rolled her eyes and walked away. Yikes, he was desperate.

"Jesus, I'm fucking nervous." Rosé was approaching us now, well, the punch table we stood beside. "Getting up on stage gets my body shaking, you know?"

"Wish I could do that." Jujubee replied.

"Yeah, well, sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do." Rosé replied.

I eyed her suspiciously. This was odd; she'd never really spoken to us before.

"But of course," she looked left, then right, before pulling a flask from her bra and pouring it into a cup, "this helps. You ladies want one?"

"Nah, I'm good," Jujubee made a stank face.

Me, on the other hand, having never drank alcohol in my life, piped up, "Actually, yeah. Could you just pour me a shot of whatever that is?"

"Yeah, of course," and she didn't lie. She poured me a shot of vodka. No spitting in the cup, no adding anything sneakily, no hostility.

She passed the cup to me, giving a mischievous wink.

Tossing it back, I was totally shocked by the burning sensation it caused to my throat. I began to cough and splutter.

"Girl, chill out, or you're gonna draw attention to yourself." Rosé looked around.

I placed the cup down on the table, the plastic practically crumbling in my hand.

"This is it. The beginning," Jujubee joked, dabbing the corner of my mouth with her pinky. I didn't even know there was a drop of liquid there.

And I didn't know there was a hair out of place either. Because she was stroking a soft hand down my temple to my cheek.

"Brie, do - -"

"Juju, I'm gonna ask her to dance with me," I said all too loud.

The hand dropped instantaneously, her smile falling in a matter of seconds. Of course, I expected this shocked reaction. Even Rosé had nearly choked on her drink.

"For real?" Jujubee asked after a silent moment.

"Yep," I answered proudly, putting my hands on my hips.

"I guess you've never touched a drop of alcohol in your life, loser." Rosé leaned close to me.

"Something like that." I felt slightly uncomfortable now that she was dangerously close to me.

She snorted a laugh, holding up her hands as she walked away, "I'm not responsible for this."

So this was what they called liquid courage. Yeah, it was one shot, but it was my very first. And I was already feeling it. The buzz.

I turned to make my way to the girl I loved when Jujubee grabbed my hand, "Brie, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Yes," I replied too quickly, tugging to pull away.

"Are you sure?" Her brows knit, "You're not gonna be upset if she says no, right?"

One final strong tug was enough to release her grip on me, "No, Juju. I'll be fine, just...stop questioning me, OK?"

She was silent, her arms dropping by her side.

But I continued on in my mission, vision slightly blurred, insides warmed.

Everyone around us was gone like they had just stepped into another world, leaving Blair and me in this reality. Or maybe it was the two of us who disappeared, somehow falling into the wormhole and ending up in the other world.

Or maybe it was just liquid courage.

There were only a few metres between us now. "Blair?"

She had been taking a sip of her coke when she looked up and noticed me. Wiping the corners of her mouth, she put the can down.

"Brianna!" She beamed. Her eyes looked me up and down, causing a brief moment of panic, "wow, look at you. You look great."

"Yeah, right, compared to you." I stifled a laugh.

"Oh, shut up." She smirked.

"So, um…" I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, looking away and to the ground, "I was just...wondering...if you'd wanna dance with me?"

I didn't lift my gaze. Only now did I understand what Jujubee meant. The girl hadn't even said no yet, and my heart was already sinking.

"It's just...this song is so good, and it's the end of the year, and we may not - -"

Before I could continue rambling, she cut me off.

"Sure. Yeah, I'll dance with you."

I lift my gaze to see her glittering smile. Like in the library, time didn't feel real anymore, and I needed to remind myself to breathe. "Really?"

"Yeah, of course." She briefly knit her brows like it shouldn't have been questioned. She took my hand in her perfect french manicured one, "Come on."

As we made our way to the dance floor, I was only now reminded that there were people here. So, we didn't slip through a wormhole. This was real. This was reality.

Blair found a spot on the floor, turned to me and wrapped her arms around the back of my neck.

For a moment, I was unsure of where to put my hands. I glanced over her shoulder, noting the couple also slow dancing. She has her arms around his neck. He had his arms around her waist.

I was hesitant at first but eventually gave in. Blair didn't mind. And I felt myself relax.

She just stared at me, the sweet smile still on her face. The music echoed around us. The lights were low. Pink tinted.

"So, how does it feel winning Prom Queen?" I asked. Of course, it felt amazing for her, but I needed to find an excuse to speak. Anything to avoid the somersaults my stomach was doing.

"I mean, it's nice, I guess. But, it's all bullshit anyway?" Her smile faltered, "Not something anyone in the future will give a fuck about, right?"

I disagreed. If I were to win prom queen, I would feel validated. And I would make sure I'd bring it up to everyone I ever met. Pathetic, I know.

"Well, I can't think of anybody better," I admitted. "Maybe they could have chosen a better King."

"Agreed." She nodded. "You know, literally just now, he tried to use this whole King and Queen thing to 'try again'. Not even that long before you came up to me. Brianna, I've already given him another chance. And he blew it."

"During the Summer?" I recalled.

"Yep." She pursed her lips.

"What did he do, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh, he just had some major anger problems," her eyes widened for a moment, "He never hurt me, though. He just...got so angry over the dumbest shit. It was just too much."

She puffed out a breath, the frown on her face appearing.

"You don't have to tell me any more," I said quickly.

"Sorry, I don't wanna get emotional." She looked back at me. "It's just... it's hard not to. You're a good listener."

How should I have felt knowing that was her analysis of me from very little time spent together? She really trusted me. "Blair... I'm sorry about that time in the library. When you mentioned my Grandpa. I feel terrible now."

"Please, don't. You were grieving."

'Was I really though?' I held back from saying.

"I never really had a Dad," I smiled, seeing his stupid smile in my head, "But he was the closest equivalent to that."

"I know what you mean." She began, "My Dad…" she trailed off for a moment, "He wasn't the best. You probably remember that one time I ran away as a kid. When you walked me to my Grandma's."

I wasn't even tense in the first place, but my body felt like it relaxed. "You remember that?"

"Of course I do. It really meant a lot, Brie." Her thumb stroked the back of my neck. I don't know if she did this intentionally or subconsciously. Was she even thinking about it? "That day, I never went back. Ever. My Grandparents took full custody of me, and they became my second parents. The ones I always deserved."

I felt my body relax even more like this was normal. "Blair, I wanna carry on something my Grandpa started."

"What's that?"

"It sounds crazy," I pause, "But he wants me to find a parallel universe."

I paused to take in her reaction. She did look taken aback for a moment. Could you blame her? "Is it even possible?"

"I mean, at first I thought he was a bit out there asking me something like that, on his deathbed and all. But I've been studying really hard, and I think it's achievable."

"That's interesting." She nodded. "So, what are you gonna do at college?"

"Drugs." I giggled before the smile dropped, "OK, not funny. Bad joke."

"I'm laughing, though." She was.

"Um, no. I'm gonna do Astronomy and Space science."

"I didn't know that was a major you could do," Blair replied.

"Me neither. What about you, though? Something in theatre?"

Blair lowered her gaze for a brief moment, "I dunno, Brie. I honestly don't see college as a me-thing. I'm constantly torn between theatre, fashion merchandising, cosmetology, politics..."

"Politics?" I laughed and instantly hoped she didn't take offence to that.

"What?" She smirked. "What's funny?"

"I just…" I paused, feeling my heart skip a beat as a particular memory came back. "This is crazy. I can't believe I remember this. All I can think about right now is the day we met. Remember the first day of elementary? On the bus? I told you I wanted to be a politician when I was older, just 'cause they liked to shout a lot. And you couldn't say the word right."

"Oh fuck, now that you mention it, I do remember." Blair laughed, "That was such a long time ago. We were so little." She looked away as if her mind had transported her to that moment. Did she remember it like I did? Did she remember how she held my hand and told me she was my friend?

And then never sat with me ever again?

My eyes had drifted away, looking over her shoulder at nothing in particular. The bad thoughts were taking over. I didn't want them to. I wanted to enjoy this moment forever. Just swaying back and forth with Blair in the middle of the dance floor.

She stroked her thumb on the back of my neck again, causing a spark to course through me.

Blair's looking at me again. "Brianna, how come we never talked more?"

I don't know if it was just me fantasising again, but her face was moving closer to mine, ever so slowly.

I had the answer to her question. But it couldn't ruin this moment. "I don't know," I whispered.

She was closer now, head tilted to the left.

And I found myself doing the same.

This was another fantasy. This isn't real.

I felt her breath on the corner of my mouth.

It felt real.

It was.

There was a frustrated roar.

A tight fist clenched around my arm.

I was pulled back forcefully.

My feet gave way.

I was on the ground.

"Are you kidding me??" Trevor stood in front of Blair, his face red with anger, "You won't fucking dance with me, but you'll dance with her??"

Everyone around us was just standing there, too shocked to do something.

"Trevor, what the fuck??" Blair went to move around him, trying to get to me. He only pushed her back.

"Of all the people, why her??" He grilled Blair with more questions. She looked afraid now.

Why the fuck wasn't anyone doing anything??

I felt a hand on my shoulder, but looking around, I saw it was actually Rosé. "Trevor, what the fuck??"

He turned to look as if offended that anyone else got involved. How could they not? Seeing her helping me stand must hit a nerve. Because he's snatched a cup of punch from a bystander, "Why are you defending the dyke??" And he threw the cup forward, the liquid drenching my hair and splattering my dress.

That was the final straw. I could feel my chest heaving.

I ran to the nearest exit. Running from the school. As soon as I felt the cool air on my skin, I wrapped my arms around my stomach. I was bent over, throwing up all the panic. Sparks of the bile dotted the bottom of my dress and shoes. I didn't care. My dress was already ruined.

I heard the door open behind me and immediately began to move again.

I tried to run, but the heels made it hard.

The person was in front of me now, hands on my face, tears streaking her face.

I expected it to be Blair.

But it was Jujubee.

"Brie, it's alright. I punched him for you." She whimpered, her hands on either side of my face, holding me tenderly.

My breathing was rugged, trying so hard to listen to her reassuring whispers. But in my head was the sound of the crowd gasping and Trevor shouting.

No one was going to forget about this. I'd be reminded by the stares in the corridors, how they'd whisper to each other.

"Let's go to my house. You can stay over if you want." Jujubee's sweet voice brought me out of my thoughts.

Words still failing to surface, I nodded.

As soon as we got in, she ran me a hot bath. Whilst I cleaned myself of the sticky punch that covered my hair and face, she made chocolate mug cakes with ice cream.

Sitting there in her room, dressed in her fluffy pyjamas, eating her food, I should have felt better. I should have been happy. But I just stared at the mug in my hand, still thinking of Trevor's anger and Blair's distressed face.

Jujubee took the mug from me, set it aside along with her own, and enveloped me in a hug. "Don't cry, Bri. Please, don't cry."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know I was crying." I wept.

"Don't apologise." She shushed me, "It's OK. You're OK."

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

2020

And even now, I didn't realise I was crying again. And as it was too late to stop myself, I remembered sobbing into Jujubee's shoulder, holding her tightly, like she was the only one who could get me through it. She was the only one who could get me through it.

The events of the prom left me scared, always so on edge when walking those school corridors. Just terrified that Trevor would round the corner and do something worse.

But Jujubee was there for me every time. She'd hold my hand, not giving a fuck about who looked at us weird.

I know I should have grown a backbone and defended myself, and what had actually happened shouldn't have been as damaging as it was. But, hey, I was only human.

Jujubee got in a lot of trouble for punching Trevor in the face. But she didn't mind. "Just as long as he got what was coming to him," she had said.

Hearing her retell the event, I wish I had been there. She had jumped on him, tackling him to the ground and punched him over and over again.

But as exciting as that all was, I didn't speak to Blair again. I didn't think about her. I didn't talk about her. I didn't even look at her. Blair wasn't the one to come after me that night. She never even approached me to talk about it. She didn't give a fuck.

So I kept my distance.

And just as life went on without her, she just had to go and message me. After years of silence, she couldn't have left well enough alone.

I finally lifted my head. I reached up and grabbed my phone. Turning it back on, I immediately deleted Messenger, hoping to never see Blair's response.

This would be the beginning of my journey toward happiness.

Yeah. That was it. That's what I would do.

[skzluvs]

Piece of cake 🎂; Yang Jeongin

Genre: Fluff! Friends to lovers au!

Warnings: mild swearing

Word count: 2.8k

A/N: Happy Birthday to our cute maknae Innie, he has grown so much. I’m beyond proud of him, he’s such a beautiful soul I wish nothing but happiness for him. I’m so soft for this boy I’m legit crying.

You were all gathered in the living room.

The four boys standing in front of you staring at each other with confused looks. There was a moment of silence before you snapped at them in annoyance. There was no way they could be any more stupid.

"Do I really have to explained it to you again you doofuses" You raised an eyebrow in disbelief at the sight of the obvious lack of understanding your friends had. Seungmin just moved his hands encouraging you to repeat the plan one more time. You took a deep breath, before continuing, "For the last time, Hyunjin is in charge of distracting jeongin, until we finish decorating" The boy nodded in agreement, he understood his role was probably the most important one, " Felix I need your lungs to blow those balloons" You pointed at the table covered with bags with deflated balloons. "Seungmin and I are in charge of baking the cake" He smiled in excitement. " And I think that's it, simple right, it's a piece of cake"

Someone cleared his throat behind you, clearly irritated at the fact that you didn't assigned him an important task like the others.

" What about me Y/N, what am I supposed to do" He said pouting.

" Jisung you have the most important part" You said reassuring.

" Which is?" He asked euphoric. Clapping his hands.

" Stay here and make sure to not open your huge ass mouth, I promise your contribution is the most helpful one" You said smiling sarcastically. " If anyone dares to ruin this surprise I swear for my life I'll haunt every single one of you in your sleep for the rest of your miserable lives, and you would see what's to live a nightmare with your eyes open, understood" A few scared whispers and some sighs at the end they all came to agreement. Working together as a team to give the youngest, undeniably the best surprise party, needless to say this was carefully planned by you over the course of the last few weeks.

Everyone left, not before settling that Hyunjin would come back exactly at 6 with Jeongin, therefore everything had to be ready before that.

You got into Seungmin's car, he turned on the radio, letting you choose the next song, you both sang along to Taeyon's spark, on the way to the supermarket.

" Get a shopping cart we need to pick up a few things" You said to him, as you entered the local market. Pulling up a list from your bag with all the items needed.

He got the cart and followed you behind like a puppy, through the aisles, helping you pick now and then when you were torn between certain brands.

"So should we make it a chocolate cake or a vanilla cake?" You asked him staring at the two boxes in each one of your hands.

" That's such a simple question Y/N, Chocolate superior" He said looking at you obvious.

"Alright, alright Chef Seungmin let's do chocolate" You said throwing the box into the cart. " Ohhh" you exclaimed fascinated. "We have to get this" You pointed, jumping in the excitement at the cute cake toppers. "Jeongin is going to love the tiny fox sprinkles" You smiled at the resemblance between your best friend and the furry animal.

" You are so whipped Y/N" Seungmin said teasingly.

"Shut up, he's like a little brother to me" You stared at your shoes trying to hide the blush creeping into your soft cheeks.

"Not so little, remember he literally just became an adult today" Seungmin was right. Jeongin was just a year younger than the rest of you, that's why your group tended to baby him the most, and he hated it so much. Now that he was all grown up you wondered if his attitude would change towards your antics.

Once you finished shopping. Seungmin and you went back to the house. You got the groceries from the trunk carrying all the bags, with your hands full, you struggled finding the key to open the door.

"Call Jisung and tell him to move his lazy ass from the couch so he can come and help us" 

You heard him comply through the phone but in less than a second the door opened revealing your friend who still looked half asleep.

" Don't stare just stare at me, help me carry these" You said handing him the heavy bags that were already leaving bruises on your wrists.

"Did you guys went to buy cake ingredients or the whole grocery store" He said complaining at the amount of things you got.

" I got a little carried away okay" You confessed taking your shoes off at the door and walking straight to the kitchen.

Seungmin got ingredients from the bags and laid them on top of the kitchen table. You got the molds and the mixer from one of the cabinets, and tied your apron from your waist.

"Crack two eggs" You signaled Seungmin, as you poured the batter into the mixing bowl.

You were spraying the molds with butter so Seungmin could pour the batter and it wouldn't stick to the bottom once the cake was completely cooked. When your phone in your back pocket began to vibrate. You decided to ignore it, since you were extremely focused on your task. But after a couple of more rings you couldn't bear with the annoying sound any longer.

You picked up right away. Not before telling Seungmin to put the molds inside the oven.

"Hyunjin why are you fucking calling me right now " you leaned over the counter trying to wipe off your apron that was covered on white flour and sugar.

"He's been sulking all day Y/N, I even took him to the amusement park but he seems so down is actually depressing, He literally just said to me "This would actually be fun if Y/N would've come with me and not you" I'm deeply hurt, never imagined he thought of me as your replacement" He sighed dramatically.

" Just deal with it, you can have another of your existential crisis later" You rolled your eyes at your dramatic friend.

"Can you at least call him? he's just acting so weird, he just told me he wants to come home I don't know what to do" He whispered nervously.

"I'm trying to bake a cake hyunjin I can't give him a call right now" You said clearly. " But you are talking to me right now and the cake doesn't seem to be stopping you from doing it" He backfired.

" Ugh you are so annoying, maybe I can't call him because I'm busy and my hands and covered in flour and, Seungmin Lower down the temperature I can smell something burning!!!" You yelled. "I don't know hyunjin, keep him occupied, after all is your job, you better not come any earlier than we accorded. I’m warning you, I got to go" you said ending the call abruptly. Rushing rapidly to the oven where smoke was starting to escape from the sides of it.

" Fuck Y/N I think we burned the cake" Seungmin said panicking.

"Oh you think so" You responded sarcastically. Trying to extinguish the smoke before the alarm went on.

You opened the oven only to see your chocolate cake, all spilled, dark carbon colored batter dripping from the mold.

" Why you said we would bake the cake, if you had never done it before, don't just blame it on me!" He yelled back at you.

"Maybe I just wanted to do something nice for my fucking best friend, Seungmin"  You replied infuriated at the boy's words.

You walked away trying to not lose your calm "everything it's okay Y/N just take a deep breath" you whispered to yourself.

Your three friends standing in front of you not wanting to say anything, terrified to even move an inch knowing you could break down at any moment.

" Felix those balloons are not going to blow themselves!" You exclaimed.

" You ate the snacks I left on the table, didn't you, I told you earlier those were for later" You pointed at Jisung who only raised his hands innocently.

You were frustrated to say the least, overwhelmed,

Tired, you wanted to cry, the perfect party for your best friend was a complete utter disaster. You looked at the clock half an hour until Hyunjin brings jeongin back. You stepped out of to house because you began to feel suffocated. You needed some air. In desperation you remembered the person who was always one call away.

You dialed the number hoping he would pick up the phone, he was always busy working on his studio, so you didn't actually expected for him to pick up after the first tone, you were surprised when he did.

"Hey Baby girl"

"Chan" You whined at him.

" What's wrong?" He asked concerned.

" I need your help" You said.

" I'm all ears" He laughed softly. Chan was your supportive friend. He took care of you since he was older, he was always there when you needed him.

You ranted the catastrophe of your failing attempt of birthday party.

" Can you please bring me a cute cake? Jeongin might be on his way and I can't let him have a burned piece of uncooked batter for his birthday" You asked, hoping not to disturb him too much, knowing how busy he was most of the time working on his new tracks.

" Sure thing baby girl, I was heading out either way, I can't come empty handed" He said and you sighed in relief feeling like that heavy weight was lifted from your shoulders.

" You are the best Channie, I'll see you in a bit" You said your goodbyes and ended the call, you were extremely grateful towards him.

You opened the door entering the house. Your friends gathered looking at you with concerned expressions. The three of them instantly running towards you, the minute you crossed the doorstep, wrapping you in a group hug.

" We are sorry Y/N" They said unison.

"We know you've been under so much stress trying to make everything perfect" Seungmin said apologetic.

"And your stupid friends have ruined it all" Felix added teary eyed.

" We'll make it up to you, Let's get to work we have to give Innie the best birthday party ever" Jisung encouraged all of you to stop being so emotional and get on top of your game.

With you basically running out of time. You all began to work at a unquestionably high speed. Felix blowing balloons like crazy. Seungmin cleaning the mess in the kitchen. Jisung restocking the snacks and the drinks. And you dusting off the living the room. Everyone was so focused that no one even listened when the bell rang. Until you stopped the vacuum.

You opened the door, Chan was standing there smiling so bright, showing his dimples, you almost jumped on top of him if it wasn't because the cake he was holding with both of his hands was in the way.

"Channie, I've missed you so much" You said clinging yourself to his back.

" It's been a long time baby girl"

The boys immediately stopped what they were doing to come greet their brother.

" Chan mate you finally came to visit us" Felix said hugging the other Aussie.

" I wish I could come more often but this college life man, it ain't easy plus I've been working on some songs with Changbin" He said looking for Jisung, turning to talk to him directly. " We can't wait for you to graduate, without you we can't be 3racha"

" Just a couple more months, It's going to be awesome man, the trio reunited again" Jisung said with the eyes filled with excitement.

Chan helped you decorate with a couple of party decoration supplies he brought. You looked around one last time. Unable to contain the tears at the sight of how everything came together at the end. Proud of yourself and you also had to credit the hard work your dumb but amazing friends.

An upcoming text brightened the screen of your phone. It was hyunjin announcing that they were 5 minutes away from arriving. That was your cute, You all went to hide in different spots, after turning off all the lights. You headed directly to the kitchen and grabbed the cake, crouching behind the counter.

The house was dead silent until you heard the sound of the key clashing into the lock. The door opening slowly.

“Why is it so dark in here?” Hyunjin said playing along while pretending to looking for the light switch.

“ Wait I thought you said Y/N was not home, why are her shoes here?” Jeongin asked confused, with certain affliction in his voice.

“ Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Innie, Happy birthday to you” You sang as you made your way towards him. The cake lighted up by the incandescent light from the single candle placed in the center.

The rest of your friends joined you while screaming

“SURPRISE”

Jeongin was loss for words, his cheeks stained by the beautiful tears that were sliding carefully. Like an open faucet, unable to control them. He smiled through them. Flashing his indistinguishable pearly white teeth. Alluring dimples. Stars that flashed on those sparkly eye pools as he stared directly at you. Like you were the only thing he was able to see in that dim room.

He closed his eyes and blew the candle wishing for something his heart desired for so long.

Everyone clapped and congratulate the boy who was no longer a baby but now a man. Hyunjin turned on the lights and you all gathered at the table to eat.

As you were walking to the dinning room, someone softly pulled from your sleeve.

Your eyes instantly meeting with his.

lost in his angelic aura.

You had been crushing on the boy for long enough

That you truly wanted to impress him with this whole surprise party idea. It seemed like your planned worked at perfection when he wrapped you in his arms.

“No one had ever done something like this for me, thank you so much Y/N” He whispered into the crook of your neck. The proximity making your limbs froze and your skin tingled due to the warmth he provided.

“ It’s nothing, Im glad you liked it Jeonginnie” You replied with a loving smile.

“ You know I was mad at you all day” He laughed bittersweet.

“Sorry for missing on riding the Ferris wheel with you” You said making fun of him.

“ I actually wanted to ride it with you instead of being stuck there with Mr. Dramatic for 45 minutes” a sigh escaping from his pink soft lips.

“ Is it because he becomes all clingy as it goes up, he’s such a scary cat” Laughing at the memory of hyunjin clinging into your arm like his life depended on it, the last time you all went to the amusement park.

“ That and because I hoped to hold your hand” He said staring into your eyes, trying to tell you something, but you were unable to read through the lines.

“ You do that all of the time Innie” It was not a novelty the amount of skin ship you and your best friend had.

“ You can’t possible be any more dense Y/N” He spoke a little irritated at your ignorance.

Your friend was rather shy, this sudden confidence had you all bewildered.

“ I like you, you idiot” He said obvious, tired of hinting something that was crystal clear.

“ You what...?” You were puzzled, your jaw almost hitting the floor in disbelief.

“ I know we’ve been friends for such a long time but I be always seen you in another light, will you let me be the one who holds your hand forever?” He asked extending his hand to grab yours softly, sliding his palm on top of yours and intertwining fingers.

“ Yes” You whispered hiding your face in his chest “I’ve liked you since the first time I saw you”

He untangled your hands to grab your jaw softly, so you would look at him, Bodies shaking, an adrenaline rush, and fireworks exploding the moment he laid his lips on top of your, delicate and with such sincerity, a kiss that revealed the profound innocent love they had one for the other.

“ Best birthday ever” He said stealing one more peck at your lips. He became addicted to the taste.

“ It was a piece of cake” You winked at him. “ For your information Seungmin burned your original cake, The one I baked with so much love”

“ Oh that’s why it smells like barbecue” He said. Both of you exploding into laughter. “ At least you didn’t burned down the house, I need to keep you as far away from the kitchen as possible sweetheart”

[nothingbutfangirlsmut]

The Girl Out of Time

Pairing: Bucky x Reader & Sam x Reader

Rating: Story will be overall MATURE but not every chapter. There will be strong language, talk of both mental and physical abuse, some good ole angst, and some eventual smut once the story reaches that point.

Chapter 9

It didn't take long for me to get back to the apartment. The door was still open and Kate along with two others were standing in the hall. She stepped away from the men when she saw me.

"How is he?" She asked with clear concern.

I just shook my head then pushed past her. When I reached the open door to our apartment one of the men stepped in front of me.

"You can't go in there." He said sternly.

"I live here. I can do as I please." I said coldly.

The man just looked down at me with hard eyes. I huffed out a breath of frustration then grabbed the man around the waist. I picked him up with ease then sat him back down to the side out of my way. I walked inside the apartment quickly grabbing two backpacks. I stuffed some of Steve's clothes in one then I did the same with my clothes in the other bag. I threw them both over a shoulder then left. I ignored the two agents trying to talk to me as I left.

It was late morning now. The sun would be up shortly. I decided to take the leap and see if Sam was on a run this morning. We lived close to the area we usually ran. I stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. I could see someone running in the distance. I stayed on the steps waiting for him to make his way back towards me. It was a good 20 minutes before he got close.

I picked up the bags I had throwing them back over my shoulder. I jogged down the stairs then stood in the middle of his running path. He noticed me immediately and started to slow down until he stood right in front of me.

"What do I owe this pleasure? Not looking for a race I hope." He smiled at me.

"No, I was just hoping I'd find you here." I said matter of factly.

The sun was coming up on the horizon painting the sky a light pink.

"Oh, so you were looking for me?" He asked raising a brow at me.

"Steve asked me to find you. Somethings going on or about to happen. All I know is he wanted me to grab some clothes then find you then wait on him to call." I explained quickly.

"Alright, you hungry?" He asked as we both started walking.

"Starving actually" I chuckled lightly.

We walked back to his apartment which wasn't far. He unlocked the door then gestured for me to go in first. Once inside I took in my surrounds. It was a nice place. Well decorated and very clean. There was subtle hints of his military background. I was able to spot them due to living with Steve. He did the same things.

Sam was in front of me suddenly. He was smiling ear to ear. He leaned closer to me. My breath caught in my chest. My heart started pumping faster. His grin turned into a smirk as he grabbed the bags from my hands. He winked then walked away down the hallway to my right.

He was back in the room a few seconds later. I followed him into the kitchen as he started grabbing a few things.

"Water?" He asked holding a bottle in his hand.

I nodded. He tossed the bottle to me then grabbed another for himself.

"I put your bags in the bedroom. You can crash in there. I'll take the couch." Sam said as he worked.

"What? No! I'm not taking your bed Sam. The couch is totally fine." I told him waving my hands dismissively.

He chuckled and glanced up at me.

"I know I don't look like it but I am a gentleman. No way in hell I'm gonna let a pretty lady such as yourself crash on the couch." He explained while smiling down at the food he was cooking.

"How chivalrous" I chuckled.

Sam had me pull two plates out from his cabinet and set them on the counter. He made us both a plate then sat at the small table in the corner.

"Thank you for the food." I told him.

"Anytime gorgeous" he winked at me.

We were silent for a few minutes as we both ate.

"So how do you know Captain America?" He asked leaning back in his seat.

"We grew up together." I stated simply.

"Wait, you're from the 1940s?" He asked in surprise.

"I told you when we met I was in the same situation as Steve." I chuckled lightly.

"That's not what I thought you meant." He shook his head.

"Yea, I was born in 1920. I lived in Brooklyn where I met Steve when we were kids. We were inseparable after that." I informed him

"Wow, so that makes you what? 94 years old?" He asked with a humorous grin.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you not to mention a lady's age?" I asked smirking at him.

"Can I at least say you look incredibly stunning for your age." He smiled.

I couldn't help but laugh. His energy was very infectious.

"So what happened to you?" He asked leaning on the table.

"Not sure really. Last thing I remember is walking home from my volunteer shift in May of 1946. I was kidnapped by someone. Then I woke up here in 2013. It's hard to believe I've already been here for almost a year."

"Why would someone want to kidnap you?" Sam asked.

"Not sure. Still trying to figure that one out. They also altered my memories and froze my in a mountain in the Swiss Alps. There's a lot of questions I have but no answers."

"They altered your memories?" He asked looking very intrigued.

I nodded.

"How?"

"Don't know. My sister and Steve have both told me about a man I was friends with along with Steve. I apparently had feelings for him. There's even photos of us together but I have no memory of him. I only know his name because of Gracie and Steve." I explained.

"This must be really hard for you." He said simply.

"Not really. I've come to feel more comfortable in this time than I was back then. There were so many rules and so much expected of women. They had to find a good husband to take care of them. They had to take care of the house, have kids and raise them, and cook and clean. I never saw that kind of life for myself. I wanted to support myself. I never wanted to depend on a man. Now, I can literally do whatever I want. Nothing is expected of me."

Sam just stared at me like he was seeing me for the first time. His face broke out into a wide grin then he chuckled. Sam took the plates and laid them in the sink. We moved from the table to the couch.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked turning to look at him.

"Of course" he answered turning to face me.

"You keep calling me pretty lady. Is that because you actually think that or you're just being nice?" I asked trying to hide the blush creeping up my face.

He chuckled lightly.

"I think you're gorgeous. You're very interesting. Normally I don't go for woman with such a large age gap between us but I think I can look past it this once." He grinned at me.

I laughed playfully slapping his arm.

"I'm a science experiment. You know I'm just like Steve right?" I asked him.

"Super soldier?" He asked raising a brow.

I nodded. He scooted closer to me. His leg was brushing against mine. Just that small amount of contact had my heart racing. What is it about him that keeps making me so nervous?

"I'll just lay this out there. I'm only slightly intimidated by the fact you can easily bench press me without breaking a sweat but there's just something about you. You're beautiful and a total mystery it seems. I would love to be given the chance to figure you out." His smile was warm and charming.

"And what would happen if you figured the mystery of me out?" I asked while trying to keep my heart from jumping out of my body.

"I honestly don't think I ever could solve it completely. You seem the type that would always be full of surprises and always keep me on my toes." He chuckled softly.

"Would you like to go grab some coffee or something?" I asked hesitantly.

I hope he would catch on to what I was trying to ask. I've never done this before.

"Willow Roffe, are you asking me on a date?" He questioned narrowing his eyes while trying to hide his smirk.

"Yes" I said quietly.

His smile grew as he chuckled. My stomach was turning into a mess making my want to throw up the breakfast I had just ate.

"I would love to." He finally said.

I was suddenly overcome with a happiness I had never felt before. I was suddenly excited and nervous and very aware of how close he was to me. He stood up and reached his hand out to me. I grabbed his hand letting him pull me to my feet.

"Why don't we go for a walk?" He asked still holding my hand.

I nodded unsure if I could actually form words in that moment. He smiled and pulled me out of his apartment. Once we were outside he didn't let go of my hand instead he tangled his fingers around mine and squeezed lightly.

I was a smiling like a fool as we walked around the city just chatting and getting to know each other better. I had to remember to thank Steve later for sending me to find Sam. After a while of walking we stopped in a park and sat on one of the benches under a tree.

"So, there's something you should know." I said quietly.

"What?" He asked looking down at me.

"I've never done anything like this before." I confessed.

"You've never been on a date?" He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Never. I was always with Steve getting into some kind of trouble. I never took the time to be interested in anyone. Unless you want to count the man I don't remember." I chuckled.

"Nah, we won't count him." Sam laughed.

Sam placed his fingers under my chin. He moved my head for me to lock my eyes with his.

"So, if you've never been on a date before does that mean you've never kissed anyone?" He asked glancing down to my lips.

"I don't recall ever kissing someone." I said quietly.

He smiled making my heart leap into my throat. He leaned close as he watched me carefully. It felt like he was taking an eternity that I didn't want to wait on. I reached up to him closing the distance between us. My lips pressed against his and my body came alive. It was like everything was brand new. Every nerve I had was at attention and screaming for joy under my skin. Sam pulled back leaving his forehead against mine. I felt breathless.

"How was your first kiss?" He asked softly as he brushed a strand of my hair behind my ear.

I didn't answer him. I couldn't. There was no words I could use to describe how I felt. Instead, I grabbed his face and pulled him back to me. The kiss was harder this time as I seemed to gain a confidence I'd never felt before. Sam was the one to pull away again.

"Why don't we head back to my apartment. I could use some lunch." He smiled down at me.

I nodded standing to follow him.

---

Masterlist

[littleangel4996]

My Fate Pt 3

Summary: After (Y/n) takes care of Michael,he wakes up in the morning confused as hell and wants answers same as her.

Warning: reader undressing Michael but keeps her eyes on his face, Michael wrapped in a towel, cursing, mentions of virginity.

Michael faints in my lap after he told me who he is. Thank my fucking ancestors that I'm a witch because this man weighs a ton for a skinny.

I use transmutation to teleport to the bathroom and get him clean. This is going to be very difficult for me because how am I supposed to bathe him while he's out ? Again he's heavy.

I'm going to have to wake him a little bit, but he's so peacefully asleep I don't want to wake him up. Let me look up online on how to bathe someone unconscious.

I look it up and nothing except either bathing with him (which I rather avoid) or bathe him in bed (now that's a good idea) or even better, let him sit on the tub while I bathe him so I could avoid getting my clothes wet and not be naked with a stranger. I set the shower for warm temperature. As I wait for the water to be warm I start to take off his jean jacket, yellow dirty shirt and start to unbuckle his khaki pants throwing them in the hamper behind me. The last article is his briefs. Holy crap oh God. I've never seen a actual penis except on a porn website that I accidentally saw when I had to borrow Madison's laptop. I've actually never even done it with a man.

I have to suck it up, I have to suck it up.

I keep saying it like a mantra. I take a deep breath and remove his underpants. I just kept my eyes on him not his “thing”.

-----

This was the hardest task for me than performing the seven wonders.

I had a little strength to help him to the guest room is as he lands perfectly on the bed. I made sure a towel is wrapped around his waist and I finally tuck him in the covers removing the bangs from his face. He looked so much like an angel. The fire alarm goes off in the kitchen as I go downstairs I see smoke coming from the oven. I quickly open up the windows then quickly opened up the oven to be greeted with black smoke in my face. I ran the near drawer to find a rag as I fanned out it out the best I can.

As for the pizza, well there is no point in eating it unless I enjoy burnt pizza then I'm probably crazy.

Instead of a warm meal for dinner I thought a nice (f/f) ice cream was a good way to cool things down after one crazy night. Especially when you just moved in to your new home.  Selene, now soundly asleep in bed while watching a little bit of TV as myself start to go into a deep slumber and deal with the situation tomorrow.

Next this is Michael's POV

Michael's P.O.V

After grandma threw me out and not caring or worrying about where to go. She basically doesn't care if I sleep on a fucking bench. None other less I still love her, maybe if I go to the park for a little bit and then maybe I can return home so we can forgive each other. That happy thought was soon cut off as I was struck by someone's car. I laid  on the ground hurt. I can barely move. The car stops probably going to check on me. The person behind the wheel backs up their vehicle and runs me over again

Again.

Again.

And again.

I wake up gasping for air. I'm back in my old room.

"It was only a dream. Ha it was just a bad dream" I chuckled as I laid back down rubbing my eyes. Or is it my room.  Looked around closely to see that I'm laying in a king size bed, instead of my dresser being white they were mahogany and a flat screen TV ? Where is my video game system and my desk along with my shelf with my other stuff. Well I guess there is a shelf that's stacked with books and bored games.  I decide to climb out of bed and look down at myself with only a towel wrapped around me and surprisingly clean. I remember a girl, the one who hit me in the face.

Could she be the one who cleaned me. Probably that's why I'm naked. I hope she cleaned my clothes, maybe there are clothes in the dresser.

I walked over to the dresser as I open to find it empty. Figures. Okay, as long as I'm wearing the towel around my waist I'll still be covered.

As I come to open the door there she appeared in pink pajamas with mices printed on them and about to reach the knob. It was the girl who cleaned me. Wow, I've never seen anyone that looks so beautiful. Her (h/l) (h/c) so healthy I bet it never has split ends, her skin looks so soft, her (e/c) eyes can hypnotize anyone and...she is holding my clothes.

“Good morning Michael”

“Good morning umm” She hands me my clean clothes.

“(Y/n) (/l/n) but please call me by my first name” she says nervously. “Oh when you are dressed you may come down for breakfast with me and Selene”.

“Selene?” I gave her a questioning look.

“Oh my cat, she's friendly of course. But enough with me talking you must be dressed you won't be naked. okay I'll be gone.” The girl name (y/n) leaves down stairs heading to the kitchen I believe.

(Y/n) P.O.V

I just got done with pancakes and bacon placing them each on the plate. 2 pancakes and 5 strips of bacon. I don't know if he prefers orange juice, milk or coffee. I'll just ask him when he comes down. He may actually fit into my ex-boyfriend's clothes and shoes. I heard the padded footsteps coming from the stairs to see Michael dressed in his old clean clothes.

“Hey, you're just in time for breakfast. Would you like coffee, orange juice or milk “ I've asked him.

“ Umm I've never tried coffee before, how is it ? “ He asked.

“Well to me it's good, would you like to try mine” he nodded his head. I pass him my cup as he takes small sips of mine until he almost drinks the whole thing. I start to giggle and say “ You can keep it, I'll pour myself another cup”.

I take a cup from the cabinet, adding stuff to my coffee and take a seat across from Michael. He looks at me as if he's waiting for me to give him the go ahead to eat.

“ Please, eat. You've been underground for since God knows when.” He doesn't wait for me to tell him twice as he eats like he's never ate before, like literally. I began to eat as well. This is so fucking weird. I've never thought I would be having someone from the grave to eat breakfast with me.

“Hey, Michael. May I ask you some questions?” I asked. He pauses before putting another pancake in his mouth, dropping the fork.

“I as well would like to ask some questions to Ms. (Y/n)” .

“ just (y/n) please” I say to him and he nodded.

For a little bit of awkward silence until I broke it.

“So Michael, if you don't mind me asking what happened to you like how did you die.”

Michael was hesitant at first but he answered.

“ Well first of all, this used to be my home until you moved in. Actually is this year 2015 still” he asked.

“ Wait no, this is 2020. You've been dead for 6 years.” His blue eyes widened, shocked that he been dead for 6 years. Damn Id be in the same position as Michael. Michael explains what happened to him.

“And second off, My grandma and I had a fight and she told me she never wanted me nor see me again then-”

“Oh my god she killed you ?”

“No” he retorted. “But she did left me on road for dead after she told me to go to hell”. Wait what? He tells me his grandmother didn't kill him but left her grandson on the road for dead after telling him to go to hell.

“Did you get a good look at who killed you” he shook his head. “All I know is that a black car hit me. I don't know what kind of car it was, I'm sorry.” He looked like he wanted to cry.

“I probably deserved it, after I killed the animals and the priest I should have stayed dead. I'm a monster” he cried. So the dead animals were his doing...and a priest, what priest? But I'm not the kind of person to judge, a wise woman once  taught me ‘

‘those who judge will never understand and those who understand will never judge.’

I rubbed my hand on top of his as he looked up at me with his teary blue eyes.

“Listen Michael,what you did was in the past. People can change and deserve a second chance” I finished.

“Why do you want to help me” he wipes his tears away.

“I just told you, everyone deserves a second chance in life. Even if you done plenty dirty deeds. You probably have questions for me too, don't  you.” He nodded his head.

I take a deep breath and “ Michael I was the one who brought you back to life. My cat Selene found dead animals from yours and grandmother's backyard and I guess when I brought them back from the dead I also brought you.” He's getting confused, oh dear.

“ Michael what I'm trying to say is that I'm….well... a witch” I admitted. “ And no not like wizard of Oz, Sabrina the teenage witch or any sort. I'm talking from the old age witch. I came from a private school in New Orleans, Louisiana called Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies where young witches are automatically enrolled once their powers have been uncovered.we've been taught the history of our kind on how to practice witchcraft, to discover and control our abilities” I finished. I was waiting for Michael to laugh at me or be scared of me but he crossed his arms cocking his head.

“Prove it”.

“What ?” I tried to replay what he just said but I thought he just told me to prove it to him that I'm a witch.

“It's the only way that I'm going to believe you” he said. I took a big sigh using one of my powers, pyrokinesis. I concentrate on the coffee cup as it boils then flames erupted from the cup making Michael jump out of his chair. Then I transmuted behind him poking his shoulder turning around so fast that he's seen a ghost.

“That-that”

“Michael please relax I'm not going to hurt you” I reassured him.

“Was awesome!” He exclaimed having a smile on his face.

“Wait really, you ain't scared of me” I asked, I'm very shocked because if I show these abilities to normal people then they'll run away screaming monster. Well not really but still

“Not at all, I think you would have killed me again if you were a bad evil witch but you are a good awesome witch” he finishes. Selene rubs up against me as I picked her up, rubbing her face against mine. Michael tries to pet her but Selene immediately hisses at Michael. He steps away from her.

“Selene will get used to you Michael don't take it offensive” I said. Michael tucks both his hands in his pockets and nods.

This is going to be one hell of a strange adventure.

-Now as you can see this was a long ass fucking chapter 😂. But I'm glad I took my time with this chapter and thank you for the people were patient ❤️.

@barbie-solecism

@sodanova

@yourkingcodyfern

@kylolangdon

@theghostoflangdon

@miskwaadesiwag

@whysosadmcfly

@creativedogs

@kaccatus

@lxngdonscoven

@captainskyline

@gracethegeek9902

@castiel-saved-me-from-myself

@let-me-try-mom

@edward-nygma-is-my-addiction

@amortentiaxo

@langdonsdemon

@poisedphantom

[elrianarseid]

New Year, New Resolution

Harmony's cast and how they enjoy New Year, alongside some difficulties.

Michael runs back to the cabin, overjoyed like little kid after getting balloon, decorative tape and many more to put the cabin in a festive mood. Since he— and every other person there never celebrate new year for reasons unknown, he's determined to make everyone happy.

"Um... Since the storage room is barely used, I'll prepare everything there. This will make a great surprise!" He exclaimed to himself.

At the other side of the cabin unseen by him however, Elrian heard the whole thing and only smiles. *Too bad I know of this already, but I'll also do my best to surprise you, Mike.* He thought to himself. He quietly move out before anyone sees him, and started on his own plan.

"Hey, Vi, don't you think El and Mike is acting strange these days? They seems to avoid us, you know?" A girl asked to Vi, or her actual name Victoria because their partner is barely seen by both of them. Victoria only shook her head, uninterested with the topic. She then said that it's the boys own businesses and they shouldn't intervene. The girl pout at that answer before giving up and decided to clean the cabin.

Aurora watches over the frozen lake, still as clear as its regular state. She chose to stay outside because she's used to the cold, and also because she's the only one to be able to communicate to nature. She lets a bird to stay on her shoulder and even wrap it in her palm to keep it warm. She has her suspicion regarding the boys action past few days, but keep quiet about it because it doesn't threaten anyone. She kinda hoped that they'll do something fun for everyone.

Elrian is lurking in and out from and to the kitchen, making sure no one seen or caught him preparing for special dishes he thought of. He feels anxious because Sylvia is nowhere to be seen, and he can't feel her aura if she decided to conceal herself. He decided to stop for the day and peek at Michael regarding his progression.

"Hm-mm! Everything is done! Now, I have to find a way to send them off unsuspiciously, so I can put all these at the room. But how... Ah! We're really running out on firewood and training dummies, so I can told them to get some for me. Yep, perfect!" Michael exclaimed loudly inside the storage room. Elrian smiled gently at that sight, thinking that Michael can be cute at times. He slowly sneaks away to let him be.

"Okay, then. He's done with everything, so we should give everything we got!" Elrian yelled inside the kitchen to pump himself up. He nimbly move around the cabinet full of food material, and quickly took them out one by one. Sylvia suddenly knock on the kitchen door, startling him.

"El, We're going out to buy supplies! Are you joining us?" She then proceed to open the door slowly, scaring him even more.

"It's okay! You can go, just have fun with everyone!" He quickly respond to try to hide his nervousness, but Sylvia catched up to it. She decided to let him be, hoping that he'll tell her what's going on before finally leaving the cabin. Elrian lets out sigh of relief and started to work again on the dish. His movement were elegant yet practical, and he shows his true extent to work on the best meals he will make for the occasion.

"And done! It's almost time, so I'll just hide it for now until Mike done with decorations. Let's pretend to sleep." He talk to himself once every foods is finished. He quietly snuck up to the bedroom and before long, he heard a familiar footstep moving nimbly to decorate the cabin. Elrian quietly smiles and went to bed.

The sun has almost set when Michael done with the decorations, and just in time for everyone to come back from restocking. Before the girls enter, Michael already turned off the lights. This gave Elrian time to put all the food at the table without him noticing.

"Guys... it's not funny. You better come out now or else." threaten Victoria, thinking that this is another one of unfunny prank Michael pulls. Suddenly, the lights got turned on and Michael exclaimed loudly at the center of the room.

"Surprise! Are you scared? Then sorry, I didn't think that far, hehe~" He said it playfully hoping for an opening to escape Victoria's lecture. What he got is a hard slap at the back though. Aurora only laughs at how harsh Victoria on Michael. Sylvia is confused however, because she didn't see Elrian anywhere until she found out a lot of food, still fresh at the table.

"Mike... Are you cooking?" She asked him.

"What? No, I don't have time for that... Whoa! Who made all of this?!" Michael look visibly confused, did not remember that he also cook or order the foods on the table. He suddenly heard a laugh from upstairs and he found Elrian, still giggling because he managed to surprise Michael.

"You look dumbfounded, you know? Anyway, that's my surprise, and sorry because I know your plans in advance~" he said it in the calmest voice possible, still holding his laugh. They only laughed it together at the end.

Aurora seems to enjoy the merry atmosphere, while Victoria focused on how Michael made all the decorations himself. From wreath, ribbon, and even the glittering wall. Sylvia decided to scold Elrian for keeping everything secret, but forgaves him at the end because he offers her her favorite raspberry cake. And Michael scarf down the whole menu at the table without hesitation. At the end, everyone is happy, so there's no need for the others to be mad forever.

They mightn't have the time for such a festive in the future, but they promised each of themselves so they will enjoy this world a bit more.

[misslucy21]

Some more Salty Piracy

There has been progress in the quest of the clean apartment. There has been a LOT of junebugging, so while a number of things are cleaner than they were, no one thing is actually done. But it seems to be working and eventually, I'll run out of things to clean? I guess? Whatever, there has been progress.

About half the cardboard has gone out to the dumpster and that made a much bigger difference than I expected. Like, oh, wow, this room isn't quite as much of a mess as I thought, because 80% of the mess is Amazon boxes. Good to know.

I've cleaned off the counter in the bathroom and done some preliminary organizing of things. Also accepted that I am not a person who uses mouthwash and so I should STOP BUYING IT. Ahem. The sink has been more or less cleaned. It's not fully clean, but it's cleaner.

I've moved things around in the kitchen and so now my tupperware is in an upper cabinet where I can actually see it and don't have to bend to put it away, because that was causing problems. My parents did this recently because my mom's back is screwed up and I thought it was brilliant (a definite, "I wasn't aware that was a thing you could do" moment). The big counter is mostly cleared off.

All the dishes and junk around on my desk and the shelves next to it has been removed. Still need to get the floor, but that required getting down there and I wasn't up for that when I was cleaning stuff up that day.

This weekend, I'm hoping to drag most of the rest of the cardboard down to the dumpster because it's warm enough to do that. I also have to pack up a couple returns so I can take them to the UPS Store on Monday. I'm experimenting with identifying some load-bearing items so that's going to require a few tasks to continue the experimenting part. But it kind of, maybe, sort of, be starting to be somewhat possible that I could have a clean apartment by New Years.

(could I add more conditional words to that sentence? Probably)

[5hfanfiction]

if you hold me (i'll be your only)

Lauren Jauregui tries reconnecting with one of her best friends, Lucía Vives. Hooking up in the past took a huge toll on Lauren, and now she can’t seem to shake the feelings off even after not seeing each other for almost a year. Before trying anything serious, though, she wants to rebuild their friendship, but their hormones have other plans. After being fed up with the amount of unrequited feelings Lauren detects, she plans on showing Lucy that what she feels for her runs deeper than their sexual encounters. [non-au]

-

December 2015

Lauren’s like, a minute away from collapsing on the ground.

The gruesome and boring Jingle Ball tour came and went, and now Lauren is back at home with all the time in the world (in her terms, that means two weeks). She checks Instagram twice to see everyone getting hyped about the new year, pacing around her house as she does so.

Lauren lost contact with one of her best friends over the past 7-or-so months. Lucia Vives; the girl’s rock, the girl’s hookup for alcohol at 16, was now but a stranger among the masses. Hanging out with some of her UCLA friends had introduced the 19-year-old to a new crowd with new people, and since Lucy was not mutual friends with them, it inevitably led to the demise of Lauren and Lucy’s friendship – though not purposely. Lucy was also in the same situation, the the girl having her own friends as well.

The stone-cold truth is, Lauren misses her best friend. She misses their late night sleepovers as preteens, gossiping about boys. She misses the soft strands of Lucy’s hair tickling Lauren’s neck while half asleep and groggy (the girl smelled a bit like peaches and a whole lot like love, but Lauren would never tell her that flat out). Though, most of all, Lauren kind of misses pinning Lucy down onto the mattress, pressing hot kisses down her neck and towards her chest.

The last time they hooked up was when Lauren was around 17, almost 18. Lucy had come out to the black-haired girl almost a year before things stalled. Since then, the sexual tension was undeniable and inevitably one day Lauren decided she wouldn’t let the universe stop her from kissing Lucy. Or, maybe it was the alcohol talking. Either way, they fell into a routine of making out and touching over their clothing while Lauren was on breaks. Their situation was a recipe for disaster – and for unrequited feelings. It goes without saying that those feelings were developed, grown, and hatched right inside of Lauren herself.

She had a feeling Lucy wouldn’t return them, so Lauren never spoke of them anywhere besides her brain and her journal. The girl still writes about Lucy to this day, her heart racing if her mom even so mentions the Colombian girl quickly in a sentence. They surprisingly did not have a fallout – just drifted apart, which left them no time to be hormonal teenage girls letting out their frustration through sexual acts anymore. Lauren tries not to recall the sinfully inappropriate noises and expletives from their hookups when she needs to “get the job done”, so to speak, but sometimes it gets way too hard not to when she remembers how loudly Lucy would moan when she sucked on…

“Fuck.”

That’s Lauren, mumbling the word quietly to herself as she waits for a text back from the one person she always lets her thoughts drift to.

She made her decision to text Lucy a few nights ago, while drunk out of her mind. The girl was luckily smart enough to know not to do it at that exact moment, for she would end up embarrassing herself and Lucy would probably think she’s a true drunkard. Lauren settled on today – a tranquil, December day where she’s sober and ready to talk without a million typos and the slight probability of spilling her feelings.

The raven-haired girl’s phone suddenly chimes in her semi-shaky hands. Lauren quickly averts her eyes to the top of the screen just to have it say Camila. Or rather, Camila’s new phone 2 (Lauren isn’t very creative in that field). That’s disappointing, she mundanely thinks. Her finger presses on the screen and reads what pops up.

[Camila’s new phone 2] 6:35 PM getting sooo fucked tonight, you in?

Lauren blankly stares back down at her phone for about a minute. Seriously, what is this girl on?

[Lauren] 6:37 PM Tmi, Camila. Not into threesomes

[Camila’s new phone 2] 6:41 PM of course that’s what your mind goes to. I meant i’m gonna be trashed later, got some connections for good shit. thought you’d wanna join for a little new years fun yanno

Lauren rolls her eyes at this. Maybe two-months-ago-Lauren would agree, but in this moment, she decides to decline. It’s a scene she dragged Camila into and hopes she can eventually lead the brunette and herself out of it.

[Lauren] 6:44 PM I’m gonna have to say no. Besides, I might be with friends later anyway.

[Camila’s new phone 2] 6:45 PM is that group of friends including the girl you’re head over heels for?

[Lauren] 6:46 PM Go fuck yourself 🙄 I’m not in love

[Camila’s new phone 2] 6:49 PM yeah, and Miley pretended she wasn’t Hannah. but she was. and it was obvious. so I don’t need to hear your lies

Lauren doesn’t even question the smaller Cuban’s antics anymore.

Just as she reads that text, she gets the one she’s been waiting for. Her completely straight face transforms into a shit-eating grin at the notification.

Lauren quickly texts Camila that she has to go, and that they can hopefully catch up some time during break – no alcohol involved. The brunette responds with a picture of her saluting and she’s off to checking her text from Lucy.

[Lauren] 6:01 PM Hey, Luce. It’s Lauren. I’m not sure if you have this number saved because I’ve had to change it a bunch of times. But, I wanted to ask… would you be down to meet up with Keana, Britt and I later? We’d all love to catch up with you

[Lucy] 6:50 PM sorry for the semi-late response. it’s really good to hear from you lauren :) i’d love to. text me the time and place will ya

Lauren, at this point, stops her pacing and falls backwards onto the soft cushions of her living room couch. Eyes shut and jaw slack, she dramatically sighs a sigh that is the epitome of dreamy, and fist pumps to herself. She quickly tells herself she looks like a love-sick high school student on a shitty sitcom, and drops the act by planning her reply.

[Lauren] 6:55 PM My house, at 8. I’m going out on a limb to say you know how to get here

[Lucy] 6:57 PM lauren, i probably know the coordinates to your house at this point. why would i ever forget? i’m good for that time and really excited to see you

Lauren tries to ignore the fluttering she feels in her stomach at how Lucy only mentioned being excited to see her, and not her other two friends. She shakes the thought off, though, because she realizes how much of a reach it truly is.

[Lauren] 6:59 PM I’m excited to see you too :)❤️

After Lucy doesn’t reply, Lauren decides she should spruce up the house a bit and fix herself up. She managed to get her parents and siblings to leave her alone for a few hours; the bunch decided on dinner at a restaurant. They weren’t bothered by Lauren’s request to have the house to herself and bail the family outing. Besides, they know how much Lauren adores Lucy. The girl still has a few weeks home before going back to L.A., and her family will eventually plan something out for all of them.

She decides to put on a grey v-neck that Lauren makes sure is tucked neatly into a pair of stonewashed jeans. She doesn’t bother with any shoes because it’s her house, and she’ll rock fuzzy socks any day.

When Lauren comes back downstairs, she retrieves one of those cheap dusters from her kitchen cabinet and begins Operation: Make Your House Look Decent For Your Best Friend Slash Crush Slash Old Hookup

The Cuban grins as she thinks about updating Lucy on how crazy life has been for her in Fifth Harmony over the last year. She does a little twirl as she grips the duster and lightly dusts the living room end table while humming a tune that sounds a lot like Straightjacket by Quinn XCII. It’s going to be a good night.

**

One hour.

That’s how long it takes Lauren to dust – one hour. She hopes her parents will at least be appreciative for the hard effort she put in when they get back home.

She notices the time when the doorbell rings and, shit, she remembers she’s having company. The raven-haired girl was too busy singing around her house and actually having fun cleaning to have the thought cross her mind.

Lauren places the duster back where she found it in her kitchen, and slowly trudges to the door.

“I’m coming,” Lauren announces loudly, her voice taking on a higher pitch at the end.

The person behind the door just presses the doorbell that much harder and faster.

“Son of a fuck–”

The rest of her sentence dies in her throat as she opens the door. It’s Lucy, and she’s even prettier than she remembers. Not that she would ever not be pretty, but shit, Lauren feels as if she’s in a trance.

The girl dons a striped black-and-white t-shirt that hangs very low off of the shoulders. Her ripped black skinny jeans have more holes than she can count and Lucy’s hair is in a beautiful, almost intricate, french braid that rests on one of the said bare shoulders. The bright motion light of Lauren’s front porch illuminates the Colombian girl’s face even more, her face taking on a beautiful glow.

Lauren finally collects herself after gawking for a few moments. “Wow, Luce… you look amazing.”

Even under the light, Lauren misses the slight blush that rises over Lucy’s cheeks.

“Thank you, Lauren. You don’t look too bad yourself.” Both girls stand there giggling at the typical response. “Mind if I, uh… come in?”

“What kind of host am I? Of course.” As Lauren slides over to let Lucy through the doorway, a loud voice rings out from her front yard.

“We’re here for the booze.”

Both girls strain their necks to see who said it. It’s no surprise that Britt comes walking out of the seemingly dark shadows, like something from a movie. As she approaches the porch, her features are illuminated as well and her infamous septum piercing shines in the light.

“Keana’s in the car. We brought a lot of fun stuff, but we’re hoping you have what we’re still too young to buy ourselves,” Britt says, patting Lauren on the back as she walks through the door.

Lucy and Keana finally get in the house, and Lauren brings her record player from upstairs to put something chill on while they talk. Britt immediately raids the fridge for a Mike’s.

“If you’re looking to get drunk, that’s not going to get you there,” Lauren says, as she reaches her hand over Britt’s head to grab a water.

Britt shrugs before shutting the refrigerator and turning to face Lauren. “I’m not looking to be seriously crossfaded tonight, so this’ll do.”

Lauren does a double take for a moment. Crossfaded…

She immediately changes her face into a scowl. “Oh, no. We are not getting high in my house. I don’t want to get in trouble. Just because I’m hardly home does not mean my parents wouldn’t still kick my ass.”

The other girl laughs. “Lauren, chill. Honestly, I think you need to get high with us. Or if you’re not into that, Lucy brought cigars. I don’t know why you’re so adamant on not smoking.” Britt pauses for a moment, “also, why in the hell are you drinking fucking water?”

Lauren still glares at the girl across from her, crossing her arms before taking a sip from the bottle. “I’m trying to not drink as much, okay? Every time I do, I end up being out for the count by like, 10 PM. And if you wanna get high, do it in the backyard or something. I’m gonna go back over there,” Lauren flatly states and points her thumb over her shoulder towards the living room. She leaves Britt to her own thoughts.

Lauren herself doesn’t know why she hates smoking so much. It may be the smell, it may be the thought of inhaling smoke, it may be the risk factors that come alone with it. Either way, she isn’t doing it. That is final. Although she feels like a party-pooper and a SADD advocate, she’s stubborn and keeps her own word unless some divine intervention could tell her otherwise.

Lauren swiftly arrives back to the couches and plops down next to Lucy, striking up conversation. It seems so weird to her that they’re quickly falling back into what used to be – though, she wonders if the sexual part of what used to be would too. The Cuban reminds herself she’s being a dumbass and forgets she even thought about that.

Lauren and Lucy are talking about some cute moments from their childhood when Keana speaks up.

“We’re going outside to smoke. Lauren, uh, you coming?”

It is her get-together, so she has to accompany the three other girls. Lauren decides she’ll just stand back and watch.

Lucy looks over at her with what seems to be slight concern in her eyes. “I’ll stay inside with you if you want. I don’t want you to be alone and I know you don’t like to smoke, so…”

But Lauren puffs her chest. Really, what is she so damn concerned about? She counters with herself before standing up abruptly and leading herself outside. 

The rest of the girls take that as a yes, and follow her through the sliding glass doors in the kitchen. Lauren’s backyard is scattered with many lawn chairs and the girls retrieve them from various spots before huddling around the patio table.

They retrieve what they have from their pockets and place them out on the table. Lauren supposes this is the divine intervention God apparently wants her to have.

Lucy turns to face Lauren in her chair, and smiles softly at her. She gives her a smile back and nods at the stuff on the table before Lucy starts grabbing what she needs.

The girls silently decide on weed and get to work. Lauren decides, again, that she is a dumbass.

Keana, Lucy, and Britt roll the blunt themselves and take turns passing it around. Like a chain reaction, each take a drag out of it and blow it out into the semi-chilly Miami air. It smells disgusting, but Lauren complies.

The girls giggle to themselves and make useless conversation. Lauren, however, sits like a vegetable. The only person paying attention to her is Lucy, and she seems pretty out of it after a few long hits.

So, to make herself interested, Lauren pays attention to Lucy’s lazy stature. The Colombian girl doesn’t notice her staring until a few minutes after Lauren has a full fixation on her lips.

Lucy’s voice is raspy, tinged with seductiveness, when she finally speaks. “Don’t you want to try, Lauren?”

She inches closer, joint held skillfully between her pointer and middle finger. Lucy keeps her eyes locked on Lauren as she slowly moves it towards her lips, pulling the smoke in, before pressing her lips to Lauren’s mouth which was agape in shock.

The raven-haired girl slowly breathed in what Lucy begins to blow into her mouth down her throat, their eyes scarily boring into each other. Neither of them blink.

What happens next is basically a sum-up of Lauren’s life. She immediately coughs up a storm, right in Lucy’s face, and essentially ruins the mood.

The whole rest of the group begins to laugh at Lauren with her red face and her furrowed eyebrows. But Lucy is still staring, farther away now, with a look of endearment in her brown eyes.

Lauren is sort of frozen everywhere, but she can still feel Lucy’s parted lips on hers – the feeling now but a dull tingle. The thing she feels the most, though, is the heat bubbling in the pit of her stomach that has not gone away, and an even worse feeling of butterflies fluttering softly in her stomach. For the third time that night, Lauren recalls that she is indeed a dumbass.

-

hey!!! i submitted on here before but i never really updated the fic because i wasn’t interested in the storyline anymore… but i’m really planning on getting into this laucy one. i hope you enjoyed reading it, you can also find it on wattpad HERE

[kissmymongoose]

Really want to start a side blog for cleaning and organizing. The more I do, the more excited I am about it. By Christmas I'm gonna get out junk room clean and set it up,for the kids. They really need their own space, and I believe I can do it in about 3 days. I don't want them to know I'm working on it, so next Monday, while they're at school I'm gonna start it. Then on Christmas morning I just wanna lead them in there and be like "ta-da"! With all their stuff set up for them, all their toys divided up and put in their own storage spots. I wanna get an old school deal for them to share also, so they can do their homework one at a time at their desk, so they can have portly of bodily support, and an old school school desk may make it more exciting and fun for them. I had one as a child and it was great. I'd go have a seat, do my homework, and when I was done that was it. We didn't use it for anything but school work. Helped me stay in the zone and focused.

The sky is beautiful this morning.

Ready to take my boos back the the fair one more time. Saturday were taking the kiddos, then Nanny is gonna pick them up at the gate and me and David will get to ride some rides and hang out without kids for a few hours.

I've beat the elite 4 on Pokemon fire red. I'm in the sevii islands and I can fight the elite 4 again, once I train a little more. I always enjoyed the Pokemon games that let you fight the e4 more than once and with the e4 having different and stronger Pokemon. I really enjoy catching the 2nd gen pokemon, and if my old silver version wasn't messed up, I'd play 2nd gen.

My fig trees are about ready to come in, it's been pretty dang cold the past week. I have 4 out of 5 figs that survived. Which, with my usual luck, is pretty damn good.

The elderberry grove is doing great and this spring I will be moving a hand full to start a new, separate grove.

I get to go see Mikey at 9. David is supposed to go, but he's being an ass this morning. He will probably still go, but he won't be super happy about it. I wanna make some ham steak and some toast and coffee. I wish I could take him some sugar cookies. Gonna talk about all the stuff I'm making for thanksgiving and Christmas. Hope I don't make him too hungry. I will of course promise him to make whatever he wants to eat when he's home again.

I'm gonna clean the bathroom and hallway today, then I'm gonna work on my mountain of clean clothes again. I actually got ALOT done in the past 2 days. Made a huge dent. The end is almost in sight. And man am I ready to stop looking at a big ass pile of clothes! Starting with a lot of clutter, this was a very difficult task. When you're pulling out half of your clothes because they don't even fit anyone or because it's got a huge hole in it from ages ago.... Bleh. Over time I've put most of these useless items aside and planned to sell, donate, or use as crafts, but somehow they always creep back onto the couch full of clean clothes. So I sort through them over and over! No wonder I was getting no where! Now I get them out of the living room completely if it's not a good set of clothes. I'm getting there.

And that's why I want a side blog. All of the cleaning and organizing seems so difficult and like a huge task. We were literally drowning in clutter when I started it all. My brothers, their girlfriends, they children, me and my brothers as children, my aunts, uncles, cousins, my mom and dad... We have all had a hand in cluttering this house. And my momma Sheila doesn't deserve everyone dumping on her house, then dipping out without taking all their bullshit. This has been going on for like 30 years! So now I'm stuck dealing with the carnage. And that's okay. Its not gonna get done otherwise, and my, my family, and my momma deserve to feel happy when we walk into our home. We deserve to be able to find what we were looking for easily, and overall we just really deserve a functioning home. I'll say this again, when I was a teenager, we ate at my grandmothers, never at home. Our kitchen became so cluttered that it wasn't even usable! The stove was covered in empty pots and pans. The cabinets were covered with pans. The table was just a pile of junk! Now, we have a fully functioning kitchen, plenty of counter space, and I clean the fridge and freezer once a month. The stove is always wiped down. And now, at any given time, if I wanna hop up and make something, it's so easy and actually nice. I can find all of the supplies and utensils I need. I'm actually gonna make some cut out sugar cookies in a bit, and I don't have to wonder if I'll be able to get it done, because I know I have space to work, and my ingredients are all put in their spaces nicely and neatly.

It has made a huge difference in my mood. And the same with the rest of the family.

Gwen and Adon said I was doing a good job and that they loved their house. Makes me feel good, because as a child, I was always embarassed to have company. The only thing I want to look into now, is maybe an air purifier. Our house is pretty dusty, even though I air it out a lot and I dust it often, I just can't seem to get rid of it all. I think an air purifier should help suck up A lot of the dust and other impurities in the air. Anyway. I guess it's smoke time then I'm gonna get ready to see Mikey.

I'm sure David forgot about our visit.

Anywho. Gonna go do the damn thing.

[alloftheimaginess]

Little Morgan

Ooc Spencer Reid.

Wordcount : 2727

After filming her latest movie After, overseas for the last year 26 year old Yn Morgan was seen headed to Virginia

I hold my phone in my hand as I pose for pictures with the fans I ran into at the airport even though I look like a literal pile of shit. I work with what I have which is filters and when they are done taking photos on their phone I pull out my phone and I go to my Snapchat and I use my phone to take selfies with fans and I take like 8 before adding them to my Instagram story, getting all of their instagrams so that I can tag them.

"Arrived home to so much love. I love you all 😘💕" I add to my Instagram story as well.

"Thank you so much Yn" one of them says.

"Of course no problem" I say hugging them again before my phone starts going off.

"It was nice meeting you all, I'll follow you when I get home" I say walking off and picking up my phone.

"Hey dad" I say as soon as I pick up.

"Hey baby did you land?" He asks.

"Yeah, are you here?" I ask looking around as I grab my suitcase.

"Yeah, I'm walking up right now. I had to park pretty far" he says.

"Okay, I'm making my way to the entrance" I say putting my suitcase down and wheeling it behind me and when I see him, I run over to him and he catches he, pulling me into a hug and I hug him back.

"Hi daddy" I say kissing his head.

"Hey baby. How was the flight?" He asks and I smile at him.

"To be honest I don't know. I was so excited to see Hank that I slept the whole time because if I didn't I would have exploded" I say and he laughs.

"How long has it been?" He asks.

"I only seen him when he was in the hospital and then I was filming supernatural and then when that wrapped I had to fly out from Canada to London to start filming After" I say.

"It's going to be so good to see him in person and not just over FaceTime" I say and he grabs my suitcase.

"Well he's waiting so let's go" he says leading the way.

"Are you okay?" He asks as he gets in after putting my suitcases in the trunk and I nod.

"Yeah, it's just a little weird if I'm being honest" I say buckling up.

"I haven't seen Savannah in so long and I don't want to feel like I'm intruding" I say and he quickly shakes his head.

"I understand, it's a new place. But take your time it's no rush to get use to things. And it's only two weeks but if it was longer you wouldn't be intruding. She's waiting to get some girl time in with you" he says smiling at me before he drives off.

"A few of my former colleagues are coming over for dinner tonight. So I'm just letting you know so you have time to shower and get ready" he says.

"Thank you for the warning. I need time to get presentable" I say smiling at him.

"Welcome home" he says opening the door and I walk inside happy to finally be here instead of living out of a hotel for the past year and a half.

"You did such a good job with the house, it looks nothing like how it use to look" I say looking around.

"Hey sweetie" I hear and Savannah walks around the corner.

"Hey" I say and she hugs me and I hug her back.

"I just started dinner, so you have time to get ready" she says and I nod and Hank runs around the corner.

"Ynn" he says running over to me hugging me.

"Hi Bubba" I say picking him up.

"You've gotten some big and cute. How old are you now?" I ask kissing his head.

"I'm three" he says holding up four fingers and I put one down, smiling at him.

"That's so crazy. I remember seeing you in the hospital as a little baby" I say.

"You seen me in the hospital?" He asks and I nod.

"Yeah, I was one of the first people to hold you" I say brushing his hair out his face.

"Hank, let Yn go shower" Savannah says.

"We'll finish this conversation later" I say putting him down and holding out my fist and he fist bumps me before running off into the kitchen.

"Everything is pretty much exactly where it was it's just updated so you should have no problem finding your way" my dad says and I turn to him nodding.

"Okay" I say going up the stairs to shower and get ready.

I walk down the stairs and I hear a lot of talking and laughing and I tug on my dress before walking around the corner "hey Yn come here" my dad says opening his arms and I walk over and he hugs me, wrapping one arm around my shoulder.

"This is my best friend Penelope, Penelope this is my daughter Yn" he says introducing me to the first person I see.

"You didn't tell me your daughter was the Yn Morgan" she says and I smile at her.

"Well I feel like I'm the only one" I say laughing.

"But it's nice to meet you" I say going to shake her hand but she pulls me into a hug.

"You are so beautiful" she says and I hug her back.

"Thank you" I say smiling at her.

"This is Matt and his wife Kristy, Hotch and his wife Renae, Luke, Tara, Rossi, JJ and her husband Will, Emily and Spencer" he says introducing me to everyone and I shake all of their hands.

"It's really good to meet you all" I say smiling at them.

"I'm with Penelope here. You didn't tell us who your daughter actually was" Luke says and I turn to my dad.

"It never came up" he says and Renae laughs.

"Never came up? We've known you for like 17 years" she says.

"Geez it's almost like you're embarrassed of me" I joke and he laughs rolling his eyes.

"How long are you with your dad?" Matt asks.

"Two weeks, I'm off from filming for a while so I decided to visit them" I say and he smiles at me and I smile back and Savannah hands me a glass of wine and I sip on it.

"You're an actress right?" Kristy asks and I nod.

"Yeah I am" I say smiling at her.

"What's that like?" She asks.

"When I was younger it was a really hard time for me, I started out on a show and then my mom made me join another cast at the same time and I was doing two shows at once and I wasn't use to it so I was very moody and always tired and then after that I did a season of a show and I was quickly done with that because it sucked so I moved on to movies to let myself relax" I say taking a sip of my wine.

"And you do both now right?" JJ asks.

"Yeah, recently I started doing tv again" I say.

"You were in the Netflix series. I think it was called a Time" Will says and I nod.

"Yeah, that's what made me want to start tv again and then I did a show called euphoria with one of my best friends who is like a little sister to me and then I did supernatural and went to work on a movie" I say.

"My girlfriend and I watched Euphoria" Tara says.

"What did you think?" I ask.

"You were so good. We talked about how you and Zendaya played the roles you got so good that it seemed so real" she says and I laugh awkwardly because for me it is very real.

"She told me the day she started filming that Savannah and I weren't allowed to watch it" my dad says wrapping his arm around Savannah.

"Her parts in the show weren't as bad as others but yeah as her parents I wouldn't watch it" she says and everyone laughs.

"What else are you in?" Spencer asks.

"Im in a new series called the umbrella academy. It came out earlier this year and I occasionally do a show called 9-1-1" I say.

"So you've been busy?" Renae asked and I nod.

"Extremely, but I like it. It helps me stay active so I don’t have rid to start thinking" I say drinking the last of my wine.

"I'm going to get a refill. Does anyone need anything?" I ask and they all shake their head continuing on the conversation and I go into the kitchen and I go to the wine and I pour me a glass and I take the plastic baggie out my bra and I put a little on my finger and I stick the bag back in my bra and I hear the door open so I brush it off and I look up to see Spencer and he smiles at me and I smile back.

"Hey" I say.

"Hi, can you top me off?" He asks setting his cup on the island and I nod pouring him a glass and I sit on the cabinet refilling mine.

"So Spencer" I say smiling at him.

"Yeah?" He asks, awkwardly smiling back.

"What do you like to do in your free time?" I ask.

"I don't really get free time but I guess I would have to say I like to read" he says.

"Oh yeah I can see that" I say and I grab my purse that’s on the far end of the cabinet, pulling the book out.

"You've probably read this but if you haven't you should give it a read and let me know what you thought about it. I just finished reading it on the flight here" I say handing it to him.

"How am I going to do that?" He asks and I pull a pen out and I open the front of the book, quickly writing my number in the top of the front cover.

"There you go. I don't know how fast you read but it took me three days so I'll be waiting on the call" I say.

"It's actually not going to take me that long" he says opening the front page again and he reads the first and second page in like 30 seconds.

"Oh my god I totally forgot you're like a genius" I say and he laughs.

"I'm not a genius" he says.

"Something only a genius would say" I say laughing and he looks up as I'm drinking my wine.

"Are you sure you want to give this to me?" He asks and I nod.

"I mean it's a bit too late, I was trying to be cute and write my number down" I say and he blushes a little.

"Yeah, you're right" he says quietly and I giggle.

"Hey, nothing to be embarrassed about" I say holding up my wine glass and I nod to him and he holds his up.

"Here's to fast friend outside of our careers and good books" I say and he taps his glass against mine at the same time I go to tap mine against his and I fall forward applying too much pressure and I catch myself but I break both glasses and the wine falls out and I instantly start laughing.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry" I say and he laughs with me and I jump down to grab some paper towels so I can clean up and he helps me and I hear the door open and I look up.

"Everything okay in here?" Savannah asks and I look up quickly over the island.

"Mhm" I say.

"All is good" Spencer says and she raises a brow.

"Whatever you heard nothing is broke" I say and she laughs.

"If you need another glass they are in the cabinet beside the stove" she says and the door closes and I finish cleaning and I sit back on the floor, with my back pressed against the island and Spencer grabs us more glasses and refills them and sits beside me handing me one.

"Thank you" I say and he smiles at me.

"Here's to fast friends outside of our careers, good books and extra wine glasses" he says and I snort laughing.

"Here here" I say gently tapping his glass and we both drink at the same time.

"Anyone ever tell you how easy it is to get along with you?" I ask and he quickly shakes his head laughing.

"Never and you only say that because I've had to stop myself from pulling out all the ramblings and unwanted facts" he says and I laugh.

"Don't let me stop you, I'd love to hear some of your best facts" I say and he smiles at me and I smile back and I start to lean in and the door opens and we both quickly pull away.

"And that's when I walked out of the Emmy's" I say and my dad clears his throat and I stand up.

"What's going on in here?" He asks.

"Well I was coming in here to refill my glass" I say.

"20 minutes ago" he says.

"And Spencer came in and we started talking and I gave him a book and then I went to cheers his glass and I broke both of ours and had to clean it up and then savannah came in and told us where the spare glasses were and then we refilled our glasses" I say and Spencer stands up.

"Leave them alone" Savannah says coming in to check dinner and I laugh at my dads face and Spencer's phone goes and he looks at it and he sighs.

"I have to go" he says and my dad nods.

"I'll walk you out" I say.

"You don't have to" he says.

"I know but I want to" I say.

"Be careful and I'll see you Sunday" my dad says hugging Spencer who hugs him back and then he hugs savannah as I walk into the living room.

"There you are Yn" Penelope says and I smile.

"I'll be right back to talk, I'm going to walk Spencer out" I say and she nods and Spencer comes to say bye to everyone and I walk him out.

"It was nice getting to meet you, you are way cooler than what I've heard" I say laughing and he laughs and it dies down and it gets awkward.

"Okay I'm just going to come out and say it because I've learned my whole life to just be bold but I like you, like really like you and the time I've talked to you has been the most fun I've had in like the past year and I know it might be weird because our age gap and the fact that I'm Derek's daughter and you're probably taken because only an idiot would ever turn you down and now I'm regretting even saying anything about liking you but it's true and I'm sorry if things are weird between us now but I thought we were having a moment in the kitchen earlier but I'm an idiot and I don't actually know if it was what I-" he cuts my endless rambling off with a kiss and I kiss him back before he pulls away.

"I'm sorry I don't know why I did that" he says.

"It's okay, I don't mind" I say smiling at him.

"I wouldn't normally do that but there's just something about you" he says and I push his hair out of his face, my smile growing bigger and I clear my throat.

"I should head back inside before they get suspicious but call me when you finish the book" I say and he squeezes my hand and I smile at him running back inside and when I get into the house I watch him pull off and I shut the door.