#still didn't clear up the milkshake part though

[eliasbouchard]

If you're wondering about the milkshake ducked thing, it refers to a tweet where a lot of people on the internet find something funny only to realize a little while later that the person who posted it is actually really horrible

yeah i was way off on what i thought it meant lmao, thanks for clearing things up

[romantic-disarray]

Childhood Friends to Lovers Pt. 2

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Part 2 of my mini series ft. Itoshi Rin !

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Note : I'm a bit busy with school atm so I'm sorry if the grammar sounds goofy 💀

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Warning : Takes place on and after the U-20 match. Includes suggestive stuff at the end but doesn't continue, probably next time when my ass isn't the one being fucked by school works 🙏 also includes cursing, but come on everyone curses

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Despite being friends with Rin for the longest time—you weren't exactly safe from his ludicrous insults and excessive use of the word lukewarm. If anything, it seemed that his frustration and need to do so only grew whenever you were around, which was a bothersome thing in the beginning yes—but overtime you just grew used to it.

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Though the question 'Why?' still circled your head like a cartoon bird.

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Your thoughts were cut short when many gasped on the sidelines right beside you, your eyes went up from the floor and onto the field, seeing Rin running at insane speed, with his... Tongue hanging?

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“Damn bitch put it away...” You murmured with furrowed brows, before cheering him on. Oh come on, he was still your best friend so who were to judge?

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Exactly. You were his best friend, and if not ONLY friend so you had the right to do so. Being Rin's friend definitely felt like an honor, but were you ever gonna let him know that? Fuck no, you'd rather swallow a milkshake of bird shit than admit anything. “YOU BETTER SCORE THAT GOAL YOU BASTARD!”

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He did, not in fact, score that goal. And with that, the match concluded with Blue Lock leading by 1 point. You screamed at the top of your lungs and had the sudden urge to hug someone when you realized you came here alone. So much for boasting about how lonely Rin was.

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You patiently waited until the players were finally allowed to leave the stadium, meaning you had to wait for over what? 1 and a half hours or so? You didn't even know how long it'd been considering the fact you fell asleep throughout it.

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If it hadn't been for someone oh so kind enough to shake you awake then you probably would've been kidnapped and sent to germany for god knows what. You slowly opened your eyes, and spotted someones arse sitting just right beside your head. A shudder went up your spine when your eyes trailed up that persons body and was met with blinding blue ones.

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How ironic.

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Before you could even stand up from the bench—a jacket fell from your waist. The both of you silently stared at it, and that's when it registered in your head that Rin had actually been thoughtful enough to cover you up in this throat aching weather.

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You robotically turned your head in Rin's direction, making sure to keep eye-contact while you picked up the jacket from the ground. The thought of spiting him with the neutral expression on your face that held every bit of smugness was the best thing about your reunion.

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You stood up from the bench and stared at him silently, before clearing your throat. “Were you actually sleeping?” Rin stated the obvious, a deadpanned expression on his face, “Did you actually cover me up with your jacket?”

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“No, I didn't.”

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“How thoughtful of Sae to cover me up then, with this 'Itoshi' jacket of his.” The sudden mention of his brother earned you a visible scowl on his face. You raised a hand and rubbed your neck to warm it up, “Too far, okay get it.” You awkwardly chuckled, and in attempt to lighten the mood—you tried to jokingly slap his arm, when he suddenly caught your wrist in his calloused and rather, cold hand.

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Your eyes widened, usually you weren't all that shocked when Rin decided to do something unexpected, but since the two of you have been separated for far too long—it seems that ability was thrown and disregarded out the window. You looked at him as if you were waiting for something, however nothing came from his tightly zipped mouth.

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You pushed all the teasing aside and tried to put a hand on his own, “Rin? Is there something wrong?” Your question was quickly followed by a gasp when Rin had suddenly pulled you in a warm hug. His hand slithered from your wrist and onto the back of your head while his other arm wrapped around your waist. His chin rested peacefully on your shoulder as he inhaled a deep breath. Was it out of embarrassment or lack of air? Don't know, but your pride said first option.

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You slowly let out a chuckle and hugged back, placing your hands onto his back as you felt him shudder slightly. “Aww, you missed me.” Rin grumbled a quiet, ‘No, I didn't.’ The two of you stayed in that position for a while, silently enjoying each other's company as your holds only seemed to grow tighter with many more seconds passing.

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You wouldn't admit it, but you liked it. You liked hugging him. You liked him.

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“You did great out there Rin,” you murmured into his scarf, feeling his hand comb through your hair as he listened. Rin felt smitten. He always liked hearing you talk, ever since the two of you were little kids. He just wishes he could've listened more.

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“But you mind wanna talk about that tongue action on the field?” Way to ruin the moment. Rin tugged at your hair.

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“Shut the fuck up.” Rin threatened in an annoyed tone, a grin graced your lips as you looked up at him with a cat-like smirk. “Makes me wonder what other things that tongue can do.” You tried saying with a straight face, but ended up breaking into a fit of laughter at how cringed out you were.

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You were pulling away from him, “I can't, let's go home dude—” “But you wanted me to show you, right?”

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Andd you were forcefully pulled back into the hug. Your eyes widened as your cheeks flared a bright red color, “What?” Rin stared at you, his eyes never wavering. “You said you wanted to see, right.” Despite the right at the end of his sentence—it felt more like a demand rather than a question. Your eyes twitched in annoyance, ‘Fuck you.’—is what you wanted to say, yet nothing came out.

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You gulped a lump down your throat, “Are you being serious right now?” You awkwardly laughed, freezing when he leaned closer to whisper in your ear. “How about you find out?”

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Next up: Nagi Seishiro ‼️

[corvarrow]

NE Vacation lets gooo

So I'm still really worn out but less than I ended up being yesterday so HERE is a post about the trip I just went on! It's gonna get real big and have a couple photos so I'll just go ahead and cut it here lol

-We went to visit family in Rhode Island...I have been to NYC a couple times but not any further north than that so anything in New England was a brand new experience. I was not a fan of the humidity (pretty arid here at home lol) but I like ocean and forest so I thought it was super pretty! I could not believe all the flowers and blue/purple hydrangeas EVERYWHERE

-We did fly in and out of Providence airport...but since it is super tiny we had to do connecting flights both ways. Wednesday last week we had to get up at 3 AM (after I had a full work day the day before) to get to the first plane, and on this Tuesday the layover between flights was REAL tight so both travel days were kind of brutal.

-ANYway, we ended up going to the Brimfield Antique Show in Massachussetts for two days. I don't think we covered a quarter of the show, we didn't expect it to be as enormous as it was. I ended up getting an antique inkwell shaped like a shell (it rotates on its stand), a metal dog, some vintage postcards (I love old landscape photos and interesting buildings), an old fan with a beautiful mountain painting on the front and a funeral home ad on the back (wtf lol), and a vintage travel guide to Rome with a lot of pictures but everything in Italian.

-Some other family from New York ended up coming with us to the antique show, as my aunt had rented a Vrbo (first time I've been in one) and there was plenty of room. One of those days we got takeout from a local restaurant and there was a machine in there dispensing pokemon cards for 50 cents...I thought "Sure why not" and got one - it ended up being a Dark Energy card instead of actually anything so I thought that was extremely funny

-We also went to Boston for a day - very pretty as well! I liked it way more than NYC to be honest. I had NO IDEA there were so many tunnels! Rained on us a ton though it cleared up by the time we did a bus tour. I am a big fan of brutalist architecture so I thought the one government building (the bus tour guide called it the Hurley building, I think) was REALLY cool. Wish I had gotten a picture of it but I was on the wrong side of the bus. Also: Bostonians, I am very sorry but your green line subway train makes possibly one of the worst sounds I've ever heard.

I thought the top of this building, whatever it was, looked very neat. Very art deco.

And this one with the dark windows forming triangle shapes. Not super exciting but I like this kind of thing

Can't forget about the gothic cathedral

Also spotted this cool unicorn at one point

-Uhh, what else did we do....after that we did actually do stuff in RI. Went to Ft Adams, went to Blithewold Manor, did a scenic ocean drive...I love how none of those Beachfront Home buying shows actually show the wild amount of traffic caused by people trying to get to the beach - parking whereever and blocking lanes constantly. I'd never live that close to the water to begin with as I'd be too afraid of flooding or my house falling in, but I had no idea how bad the traffic situation actually was. 8'D

-We did get a milkshake from Newport Creamery! I'm not normally a milkshake person but we tried them anyway and it was soooo good. Really enjoyed all the local chains in general.

-On the last day we did a lighthouse tour on a large catamaran and that was super awesome, I think it was one of my favorite parts of the trip. There was a Karen on our boat throwing multiple tantrums as the tour did not start fast enough for her liking but that just ended up being also extremely funny. The guy actually doing the tour was great and I'm actually quite curious about the history of the area, as I had no idea there were so many pirates o_o

This one boat moored near Ft Adams was rad af

[floripire]

What plot points would change due to the inclusion of your character in canon?

what if flori was canon // @kennheir

S1

in this is the part where you run, there is a five foot four vampire named floribeth dalisay present during the scene where lizzie talks to rafael at the sports field. this vampire wears a braid, pastel colored sweater and a skirt. this vampire will be seen again at the end of the episode, during the party at the old mill, where she keeps to herself, drinks a blood bag and stares at the werewolves being rowdy; she stares at one werewolf in particular: jed tien.

during some people just want to watch the world burn, flori is present at the annual flag football game for wade and wade only. even if he doesn't really have that big a role. he's still her friend and she's there to support him. she's not really a big sports fan so it's no skin off her nose whether the salvatore stallions win or lose.

(the dragon girl that hope kills in the woods, however, is the dragon princess from the night world, tying the show to the books.)

the next time flori appears is in we're being punked, pedro which means that she, too, got in trouble. well, she got in trouble by proxy because some of the timberwolves taped the flag football game, questioning kaleb's sudden agility. flori hacked their devices and deleted the video in question and now she's joining mg, lizzie, hope and josie in the town square.

during this episode it becomes clear that she mostly hangs out with mia hirsch / @fellvespers who is flori's best friend, together with loren bennett / @founderscouncil.

there is an extra scene in which flori laments about getting in trouble for doing the right thing.

during this episode flori sees donovan lockwood / @shadowbrn for the first time but the two won't interact at all until donovan triggers his wolf curse and transfers.

connor throws the milkshake on lizzie and acts as though it was an accident but the milkshake hits mia too. fortunately it's strawberry and not chocolate, otherwise things would have ended up very ugly. donovan - a bystander to all of this - doesn't say anything and flori leaves with mia, disappointed in his actions.

once they're back at the school, lizzie refuses to go back to the square and goes to help out the tiny witch kids which includes everyone's favorite kiddo pedro.

flori vanishes to her room after double checking and making sure that mia is okay, leaving her with loren; though she promised emma, dorian and alaric she would quit hacking, she intends to get into dana and connor's devices, either scrambling it or extracting information to be used at a later date, for what they both put mia through.

flori is present in the assembly hall when alaric gives his speech, but she's only half listening to what he's saying, busying herself with thoughts of vengeance on certain timberwolves.

so of course she'd want to join the team during hope is not the goal. connor and dana hurt one of her best friends and this cannot go unpunished. emma tig, however, knows what makes flori tick and explicitly forbids alaric to send flori to mystic falls high. for once, he listens to her.

this means that she's at the school and present during lunchtime when jed and rafael have their stand off in the mess hall, as she'd been sitting with josie who has been pouring over the curriculum.

later, when it turns out that dana and connor are both incapitated, flori feels bad. they were terrible people, yes, but they didn't deserve to get hurt and potentially die for it.

flori abandons her short lived revenge plot but fiercely wishes she went through with it when connor and dana end up at the salvatore boarding school as the only pair of arachne's in existence, in the know about the supernatural.

in malivore, flori wants nothing to do with the honor council. she's got her own things going on and being on that council would only interfere. so flori votes for mg but when kaleb gets the spot, she doesn't contest it either.

weirdness aside, landon seems like a nice enough person. flori's gotten used to his presence and will miss seeing him around - he's one of the people aside from wade and mg who speaks nerd fluently - but she also understands why he got voted out.

ironically enough, due to her trying her hardest to avoid dana and connor, flori gets roped into giving them the tour. during the tour, they heckle her and while flori tries not to take it personally, she ends up yelling at them when they bring up mia (and loren) because she still hasn't forgiven them for hurting one of her best friends.

flori is warmer to donovan and is willing to be his friend, seeing in him a lot of what she sees in jed: someone who hides his good heart, someone with the potential to be more than what he is right now; someone who needs a person in their corner. flori is willing to be that person. provided donovan apologizes properly to mia first.

during mombie dearest, flori drops by the twins' bedroom while they're getting ready to drop off her presents for them mere minutes before penelope shows up to deliver the bad news about caroline.

she's not a party person at all but she shows up for a moment, wearing this dress and yes, it's not the only time she'll wear this dress during this season.

jo and cassie aren't the only ones brought back: the necromancer also brings back flori's mom selena, citing that it's easier to pull people back to life who have a connection to the supernatural. when asked why her dad isn't here, the necromancer says that her dad already found peace and wouldn't budge.

flori spends the rest of this episode with her mom, catching her up to speed, only for her to reveal that she knows most things already. selena had been at peace together with raul and they'd been watching her.

when they're walking to the old mill, she apologizes for the fact that her actions led to their deaths. selena hugs her and says that she is forgiven and that her dad forgives her too.

flori tells her mom that she's a vampire and her mom takes it in stride. says that she figured it was something like this. it reminded her of the poetry slam flori took her and her husband to before she came out as pansexual. instead of a poetry slam, it's a zombie slam.

they briefly talk about her friends and about the guy she's got a crush on. flori's mom tells her that jed's rough around the edges but that she likes him so much more than doug carson.

unfortunately they're attacked by zombies again and both flori and her mom flee, finding refuge within the school.

while the twins siphon the magic keeping her alive from jo, selena crumbles to dust in flori's arms.

(flori initially assumes that the connection that the necromancer talked about was her being a vampire. later, she'll find out that selena harman is actually descended from a powerful witch bloodline and chose to erase her memories and bind her powers.)

rememberance day is never a good day for flori. but during death keeps knocking on my door, she writes two letters as she does every year: one to her parents and one to sue carson.

turns out that the latter also got revived due to having unfinished business.

while the necromancer is being held in a cell, mg and kaleb are snacking on humans and rafael and alaric are figuring out what happened to cassie, flori just wants to spend as much time with sue as she can and lays everything out in the open, apologizing for everything.

sue doesn't believe her at first, thinking this is all an elaborate joke and expects doug to be in on it, so flori has to show sue her true face. then, sue goes from thinking it's a joke to being understandably horrified. she backs away, saying she wants to go home; she wants nothing to do with flori, either. not even when she feels her end coming.

though it breaks her heart to do so, flori says her goodbyes and tries her best to honor that decision.

flori ends the episode with putting the letters in an old shoebox at the back of her closet in which she keeps them all. but not before taking a picture of them on her phone. for safe keeping.

in maybe i should start from the end, flori is still reeling from everything that happened prior.

not only is she still mourning her parents and sue all over again, her roommate, a witch called drusilla kamiya, makes it clear that she's gonna have loren in her coven - drusilla collects powerful witches, see. it sucks because drusilla had been nice at first. perfectly pleasant, if a bit dark. she also badgers flori about her very obvious crush on jed, reminding her that there's a chance she'll have to bury him - and everyone she'll ever love - in the end.

landon's brought back home and when flori overhears hope muttering something about triad industries to herself, she once again resumes digging into them again.

exam week rolls around soon afterwards and not even flori - who has always been a meticulous student and is known for her good grades - is immune to stress, nightmares and the trappings of the night hag slash oneiroi in what was hope doing in your dreams?

flori's nightmares are mostly about sue and her parents but there are also flashes of the memory she's repressed about the time she got turned into a vampire by derek machado (who is, indeed, related to ethan, maya and sherriff mac) and other deep seated fears like getting captured by triad industries and having her fangs pulled out of her mouth without anaesthesia.

she ends the episode in the library at first, talking to dorian. he suggests, gently, that she should go and see emma.

in there's a world where your dreams came true, flori appears in each of lizzie's quote-unquote 'dream worlds'.

in the first reality, flori has arrived shortly before jed does and watches while he gets the tour. when asked why she stuck around in the first place, flori reveals that she has nowhere else to go.

in the second reality, flori is a transfer student from maple hollows high and a bit of a delinquent who uses her skills for favors or extra cash; she hides the fact that she's a vampire but yearns for a place where she can openly flash her fangs. when the students of the mikaelson school roll up, flori is quick to leave with them.

in the third reality, flori is on her own while triad wages war against all supernatural creatures. flori's attempts at exposing triad for being shady backfired: her parents died and sue died as well. wade died in front of her eyes too and she's lost sight of loren and mia. after getting out of the triad industries detention facility, her plan is to wait it out in one of the bunkers she stumbled upon. but when jed accidentally breaks into said bunker, flori joins forces with him and, together with jed and kaleb, takes lizzie to find alaric and the resistance, where flori earns her keep by helping with communications.

flori is determined to once again stay out of the limelight in we're gonna need a spotlight. she knows how to warble a tune and hold one too but has a severe case of stage fright. when pressed, flori says that just like landon, she doesn't sing in front of people. connor and dana make fun of her for it.

later, kaleb and mg rock the house down and flori sits in the front row, cheering loudly. she also cheers during the talent show redo when josie sings and when the vampires do a sit in protest during the second go around, flori slips out the door, intending to hang out with loren and mia, whose enrollment in the school is now finalized.

during there's a mummy on main street, it is revealed that flori is actually the one who told josie about the biggest ball of yarn in the country. it is also revealed that flori hails from maple hollows.

there would be an extra episode detailing flori's backstory pre enrolling as a year-round student at the salvatore boarding school, including the way in which she got turned.

it is set before the boy who still has a lot of good to do and after there's a mummy on main street in season 1 called the girl who does not remember where she came from will never reach her destination. which is a mouthful but it's chosen for a reason.

this is actually a filipino proverb that not only ties into flori's culture - i feel like her dad, especially, would be fond of proverbs like this - but also introduces her as a character because the way flori got turned by derek was so traumatic that she repressed the memory until she worked on it and through it with emma.

(personally i also feel like that episode title nods to finch, who is also filipina, too because finch repressed the memory of her turning into a werewolf as well due to it also being traumatic.)

it also ties her to her mom selena harman-dalisay who drank from the cup of lethe, binding her magic forever and deliberately chose to forget after she thought she lost not only her younger sisters but their kids as well.

(fortunately, the kids survived, but that's for later seasons.)

this episode title deliberately mirrors mg's, tying their triad stories together.

in the boy who still has a lot of good to do, flori joins the impromptu roadtrip to visit mg's parents but never comes back. most of the events play out as they do on the show, except veronica recognizes and remembers flori and remembers her hacking into the triad industries database.

veronica knocks her out with vervain and holds in the basement of the greasley house where veronica intends to question her, making it clear that she is not above using extreme methods, if necessary.

during let's just finish the dance, flori's not present and wade gets more and more pissed off with the fact that people are having a fucking pageant instead of looking for floribeth! like, hello?! priorities, people!

when it becomes clear that neither the super squad nor the adults give a fuck, he takes matters in his own hands and informs his crush brock - who sees it fit to inform rafael and jed, just in case wade calls upon brock to help out - as well as mia and loren.

wade leaves a note for donovan, too.

throughout the episode, it becomes clear that wade only pretends to be a bumbling fool; he's actually rather shrewd and cuts deals left and right. he knows what's going on in and around the school at all times.

in i'll tell you a story, flori awakens at triad industries, next to landon.

veronica tells flori that she's the one who ordered the hit on her parents after she caught flori hacking into the database; she actually wanted flori dead for her transgressions but when it turned out she wasn't home, she ordered her firing squad to take out flori's parents instead, to send a message. out of the goodness of her heart, she told them to make it look like an accident, too. veronica didn't have to do that, but she did. because she's no monster. and really, if flori hadn't been snooping, none of this would have happened in the first place.

she tells clarke to prep flori for transport to the triad industries detention facility. she also tells clarke to tie up loose ends and throw landon into the pit.

then, she leaves. clarke unties landon, who in turn unties flori. clarke beseeches landon to help him, but he refuses at first. flori, on the other hand, is more willing to cooperate. even if everything about triad is shady as hell.

clarke escapes with landon and wade rescues flori. they hug and wade mutters wetly that they're even now because flori got him out of zetes. he's asked about what or who zetes is but doesn't elaborate.

triad storms the school in there's always a loophole and flori runs into kaleb while he's trying to get the kids out and to the bus. she, wade and the others help with that.

after the siege, flori is one of the many students sitting in the assembly hall. alaric comes clean about everything and gets voted out.

the episode ends with loren and flori laying on the floor of loren's bedroom; flori reads a text aloud, it's from mia telling them she's on her way from the kitchen with snacks. loren tells flori that bonnie will come back to teach at the salvatore boarding school in the fall now that alaric's booted out.

S2

i'll never give up hope (the premiere of s2) would be longer because there would be quite a few scenes detailing the growing connection between jed and flori and their quote-unquote "break up".

there would be multiple scenes involving loren and mia and flori as well. they've become the anti squad to the super squad, after all.

and now that bonnie's come back to teach, there will be scenes dedicated to that change too.

in this year will be different, emma assigns flori homework: she is to write about what she wants for this year and then chase after it with all her might.

thing is, though, all she wants is for her friends to be happy and healthy, the malivore problem to be solved and jed. she wants jed. except alyssa chang's hanging off his arm at every social function.

so to forget about that, she throws herself into researching malivore and comes up with a working theory: malivore is part of the dark dimension and it is so much bigger than people initially suspected. unfortunately, there is no way to test that theory so flori keeps it to herself.

during you remind me of someone that i used to know, flori joins rafael and landon at mystic falls high. they go there for hope. flori goes there because she caught wind of ethan and maya machado. she recognizes the surname instantly; her sire has the same one. turns out, they're related. derek is ethan and maya's uncle.

during the timberwolves vs stallion football game, flori watches as josie breaks ethan's arm and she visibly winces.

in since when do you speak japanese? flori's role is small. she researches and looks stuff up about the oni, passing on that information to the anti and super squad alike.

there is an 80's decade dance in screw endgame and flori attends.

no shortage of celebrations this year, it seems, because commonwealth day gets celebrated during that's nothing i had to remember; flori doesn't help with the celebrations, however. she's too busy with her research on malivore and digging into the machado family to find out how much they know of derek.

she's also trying her hardest not to be where sebastian is.

during this episode, josie restores everyone's memories, including flori's.

in it will all be painfully clear soon enough, flori catches wind of josie's risky plan to close the malivore portal and decides to help out, sharing all her research up until this point.

when she hears about the prophecy, flori lights up; she loves a good brain teaser. she has a brief conversation with the sphinx before lizzie does - conversing in snippets of poetry and philosophical questions - and admits that the sphinx is her favorite malivore creature thus far.

flori is absent in this christmas was surprisingly violent but is mentioned by name.

during i couldn't have done this without you, flori remains in the background until alyssa drops a plate and slices herself. dorian calls for the vampires to go and for the wolves to form a packline around alyssa but sebastian talks mg through his bloodlust. elsewhere, jed does the same for flori and they share a moment before he walks her to mia and loren.

she's also seen in this is why we don't entrust plans to muppet babies. normally flori has nothing to do with coven day but loren is a bennett and now, with bonnie back at the school, flori decides to sit in on one. wade reveals himself to be a fae and alyssa makes fun of him. connor and dana join in.

afterwards, wade and flori have a conversation about the zetes institute, emmanuel zetes and wade's past. she mentions something that the necromancer said: souls with connection to the supernatural are easier to pull back to the land of the living. at first, flori thought that her being a vampire was the connection. but it isn't.

together, they dig into the harman family and discover that there is so much more to the supernatural world than they thought; there is so much more than they knew.

flori finds out that the harman family is basically witch royalty - next to the bennetts - and that her knack for mind dives, reverse mind dives and compulsion stems from the magic she would have been able to do, had she not been turned.

flori reveals this to her best friends and confronts alaric about the night people afterwards. he reveals to be in the know, revealing emma and dorian to be in the know too.

during what cupid problem? flori gets hit with an arrow too, lowering her inhibitions. she seeks out jed, intending to confess to him. but when she sees him with emma tig, she runs from the scene; emma rejects jed and then he follows her. they have a conversation afterwards.

flori is absent in kai parker screwed us but is mentioned by name and is called a genius as well as a "swiss army knife if a swiss army knife was a person".

flori's role is relatively small in you can't save them all. she briefly talks to alyssa when the former is being held captive in the werewolf transition cells, trying to get her to switch sides but it doesn't work. alyssa tells her that she knows about flori's crush on jed and gets under flori's skin with a few well timed sneers about her and her family.

in order to deal with their recent trauma, emma suggests group therapy in the form of the therapy box. they end up in a noir film called: there's a place where lost things go. noir flori is seen at the salvatore hotel, in charge of communications. she's also seen at mg's workplace, working up the nerve to go inside and ask if he or his colleagues can help her find her estranged family after he clears his case. before flori can enter the police station and set everything in motion, she gets killed by the murderer and gets ejected from the simulation.

flori is present during the tough, bloody and final fight between lizzie and josie during life was so much easier when i only cared about myself. the room is awash with magic, however, and it knocks her out so she doesn't know which one of the twins has won.

dark josie (who is really just josie) runs rampant and alyssa returns in facing darkness is kinda my thing. flori wakes up and fears that this means that josie has won and all is lost. however, mg fills her in on the plan and flori gets on board.

later, when everything has blown over, flori tells that she is glad to find her alive. even if lizzie might've told her that she's not super squad material.

and while flori is getting really tired about the make-up/break-up ad infinitum vibes between landon and hope, she does promise rafael to look into ways to wake both hope and landon back up again.

(hope isn't in a magical coma because of landon - not really. she's in a magical coma because she's continously been on and on and on and up and up and up, expending energy and magic and time because everyone asked her to and how could she say no? now her body's entered a state of shutdown to finally make her rest up. it just so happened to coincide with landon's coma.)

S3

the next school year begins in we're not worthy and flori is fighting the urge to fall asleep at the assembly. she perks up at the mention of a field trip, however, and participates in the games.

a green knight shows up, effectively ruining the field trip. several students - including jed - try to attack him and much like josie, flori makes a face when alyssa flirts with jed.

flori connects the dots and figures out that this green knight is gawain, who had a wife named florie. once she says his name, his armor falls away - but according to loren, the enchantment sticks because it's been building up for ages - and flori sees a tall boy about her own age with green eyes and dark hair. he collapses and she vamp speeds towards him, catching him and holding him close. he dies, thinking he finally made it back to his wife like he promised he would. flori plays along to give him some comfort in his final moments and sobs as he passes away.

alaric dies in goodbyes sure do suck. bonnie takes over as headmistress until caroline's return. dana and connor have since skipped town. flori is still trying to befriend donovan lockwood.

no one really wants to put on salvatore: the musical, especially when one of their own just died. but it happens anyway.

flori is furious when bonnie doesn't appear to be in the musical at all and lets landon know, in no uncertain terms, that the disrespect disgusts her. she lifts the veil on the fact that bonnie bennett saved the town and it's inhabitants a bunch of times without so much as a thank you. and if he really cared about writing a musical about everything that happened, he ought to include the massacre of the tennesee wolf pack and derek machado's story too.

despite this, she still helps jed run his lines and watches the musical for him and kaleb and the saltzman twins. afterwards, she goes to find loren and mia.

in hold on tight, both hope and landon are awake again which frees up flori's time for her own projects: cataloguing the dark dimension, finding out everything she can about the machado family, taking tentative steps to reach out to the remaining harmans / @soulmateprinciple, researching eastern vampires and hanging out with her best friends as well as jed.

it becomes clear, however, that things have taken a turn because there are more witches in the hallways practicing malevolent magic than before; there are more and more vampires who bite their fellow students - not just behind closed doors but out in the open.

(this continues throughout the rest of the show.)

the therapy box returns in this is what it takes and this time, it's a slasher movie. fortunately, flori has seen every scream movie and three seasons of the tv show. so this time around, she makes it to the end despite making out (and going further) is technically speaking a clear horror movie rule violation. she finds her safe word, becomes self aware, and leaves the simulation.

the next day, flori hears that a lot of families pull their children out of the salvatore school in to whom it may concern which, yeah, fair. she helps out with trying to recruit new students. one of wade's friends, gaby rodriguez, is also one of flori's penpal friends. penelope returns from belgium.

in yup, it's a leprechaun all right, flori helps out with the first ever salvatore fundraiser but ends up leaving early.

long time, no see is all about blind spots; flori's blind spots are her best friend, the man she loves, her other friends and classmates and her estranged family. tensions rise between hope and lizzie.

do all malivore monsters provide this level of emotional insight? the answer might be surprising. landon returns, cleo gets voted into the super squad and flori sighs in relief because this is what cleo deserves.

during all's well that ends well, mg tells ethan that he's a vampire. flori tells ethan that he's related to her sire as well, finally coming clean about everything.

hope recruits flori for the research part about the banshee's words, citing that there is always a loophole.

you can't run from who you are, right? finch is revealed to be a werewolf. lizzie comes to flori for help first but she refuses to do a headdive, causing her to go to mg, who does it instead.

flori joins up with kaleb and cleo to go back to triad industries. flori smiles to herself when kaleb flirts with cleo while they all look through the files. kaleb catches her smile and shoots back that he had to listen to jed getting bitten amorously and see the bites, which causes flori to blush something fierce.

it is only when they get back that mia and loren tell flori about how hope turned into some kind of creature before landon and josie helped her.

jed and landon apparently hang out now. who knew? in i was made to love you, flori teams up with mg who tries to keep ethan from turning into a vampire. flori tries to impress upon him that it's not all fun and games and superheroics. she even goes as far as detailing her own harrowing transformation into a vampire.

flori is glad that finch has transferred to the salvatore school in one day you will understand because it feels good to have someone to share her culture with. to share food and idioms and proverbs and just know.

despite the fact that finch and josie are together, flori does clock the fact that josie is still drawn to hope and vice versa. flori is surprised to hear that cleo left but not as surprised to find out landon's left as well.

in this feels a little cult-y, flori is close to putting all the pieces together when she finds more on the triad industries detention facility, the very place veronica greasley wanted to send her to. it has ties to the zetes institute.

flori is absent in a new hope but is mentioned when kaleb, mg and jed talk amongst each other while burying the newest malivore monster.

she appears in fate's a bitch, isn't it? together with other members of the super squad and the anti squad to confront malivore for once and for all.

S4 AND POST CANON

in season four hope turns into the tribrid and flips her humanity switch. but this season is divergent because both saltzman twins become heretics, thereby solving the merge. also, i don't vibe with the gods plotline.

so instead, season four centers around graduation and passing the torch. caroline returns and becomes the headmistress with bonnie as her right hand woman.

for flori, this season is about growing up and growing into yourself. she's in touch with her family members, she's taking steps to fully immerse herself in the night world, and after graduation, she helps jed find his sisters.

flori's ex boyfriend doug, his ex boyfriend joe and doug's current girlfriend tami have all decided to become hunters. their first target? flori. doug wants revenge for sue and flori gets lured back to maple hollows. jed joins her, given she helped him with finding his sisters.

once there, tami wants to pour liquid sunlight down flori's throat but doug stops her. if only so joe can perform the magical variant of a headdive and pulls everyone into flori's head and memories until she - with help from jed - evicts them from her mind.

derek machado returns, however, in a desperate attempt to slay flori, hoping that her death will pave the way to hope mikaelson's eventual demise too.

the super squad and the anti squad come together once more.

afterwards, flori busies herself with night people business and ends up working for the salvatore school, making sure that no footage of supernaturals exposes them to the outside world.

[babymetaldoll]

"Victory" (Spencer Reid/ Reader)

Requested: Yes

Summary: Spencer's daughter hates her father's girlfriend. But when he is in prison, life pushes them to finally get along.

Warning: Cursing, a little angst, a mean teenager, and fluff.

Word count: 5,4K

A/N: Hello, pretty people! How are you? I've missed you! Life has been a little messy and filled with angst, so writing hasn't come easy in the lastest weeks. Hope you like this story, and I hope I can bring you a new one soon 😉

Masterlist

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Spencer's daughter hated her dad's new girlfriend. And she wasn't subtle about it. She hated that her father was now dating, 'cos she didn't want to share his love. So now she didn't even want to be around him anymore 'cos he was so happy, it was annoying.

It wasn't that she hated her father, 'cos she loved him. But she was never going to face the fact she was jealous. She didn't want to share Spencer with anyone because he was all the family she knew, and they were a team.

Victoria Reid was twelve years old. She had grown up alone with her dad 'cos her mother had ditched the two of them soon after she was born. Spencer had tried to explain to his daughter her mom had left 'cos she wasn't ready to deal with the responsibility of being a mother, which was true. He, on the other hand, was happy to know he was going to be a father, and he repeated over and over again she was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

That was true.

When Spencer and his ex found out they were going to be parents, he was ecstatic. He couldn't wait to hold his baby in his arms and watch them grow. He didn't know his girlfriend had other plans, though, and soon after Victoria was born, she had left the two of them and never looked back.

Spencer wasn't going to lose the chance of being a dad. Even when he knew he was too young, Reid was ready to raise that baby on his own and give her all the love he had.

That's why he and Victoria were so close. Spencer was the only parent she had ever had. He was her world. And though Spencer was only 24 when Tori was born, he had given her his best.

Tori was the BAU's baby girl. Everybody in the team was a part of her life because she had grown up with them. Penelope was her best friend and godmother. Victoria would spend a lot of time with her while her dad was away on a case. Derek was her cool uncle. He helped her train to get into the basketball team and taught her how to dance. JJ was the closest to a mother figure in her life. Tori would spend time with her after school, playing with Henry. Spencer always said JJ was like a sister for him, and that's why they were all like family. Tori actually called Henry and Michel her cousins.

Emily was like her best friend. They could talk about anything, and at least twice a month, they would go out together shopping, just the two of them. Spencer always respected his daughter's relationship with his friend 'cos they were their little extended family. Tori called Rossi "Nono." He had taught her himself, and she loved going to his mansion, 'cos he always had new video games to play with her.

But then came (Y/N). She had joined the team when Victoria was only six years old, and for the first five years, they got along just fine. (Y/N) would come along shopping with her and Emily, sometimes she took Tori out for some pastries, and talked about bands, boys. Victoria loved her.

That until the incident.

She hated (Y/N) after the incident.

Victoria refused to talk to her after THE INCIDENT.

It was a warm spring afternoon, Spencer and (Y/N) had the afternoon off, and they were at his apartment... heavily making out on the couch. That's why they lost track of time.

(Y/N) and Spencer had started dating a few months before. They had been in love with each other for years. Still, neither of them had acted on it until Rossi's birthday party, when they had a little too many drinks and finally confessed their feelings. They wanted to take things slow, but when you make out in front of the whole team, it might be a little harder imagined.

But they had decided to wait for the right time to tell Victoria. But, unfortunately, the right time didn't come soon enough.

- "Dad!! I'm home!!"- Victoria opened the front door and froze in shock at the scene going on in front of her. The twelve-year-old had asked her best friend's mother to drop her home earlier when Penelope told her Spencer had already gone home. In Garcia's defense, she had no idea what was going on in Reid's residence, and if she had known, she would have never let Victoria know her dad was home.

(Y/N) widened her eyes and quickly grabbed a pillow to cover herself. She was shirtless, sitting on Spencer's lap. She still had her bra on (thank god), but anyone could tell that scene was leading to the bedroom in a few seconds.

- "Shit!"- Spencer whispered and closed his eyes as he realized what was going on. (Y/N) held her breath as she stared into the young teen's eyes. Victoria didn't know what to do or what to say, so she simply ran to her room and slammed the door.

- "Ok... so I think Tori knows about us"- (Y/N) tried to ease the mood and smiled at her boyfriend as she put on her shirt. But Spencer sighed and covered his face with both hands- "Oh, come on. It doesn't have to be a bad thing. Let me talk to her."

- "No, (Y/N), let me talk to her first."- Spencer stood up and kissed (Y/N) 's nose- "I know she is mad, and I should be the one dealing with her anger."

Reid knew his daughter well enough to anticipate her behavior. People had often told him he could be a little passive-aggressive when he was upset. And his daughter was just like him.

- "Victoria, open the door!"- he said and waited a few seconds after knocking.

- "Go away!"- the teenager yelled, laying on her bed. She felt betrayed and confused. But most of all, she felt angry that her father had decided to have a girlfriend. He had no right to do such a thing. He had to take care of her and her grandma. No one else.

- "Victoria, we need to talk about this!"

- "You seemed too busy with your girlfriend to talk to me, dad. So go away!"

- "Victoria Marie!"- Spencer knocked on the door but got no answer from his daughter. (Y/N) heard it all from the couch and tried to think of a way to fix things with the young girl.

Sadly, it wasn't going to be easy, and in the months that followed, everything was far from being normal again.

- "I hate her!"- Victoria huffed and left her book aside. Spencer was trying to explain to her why (Y/N) would stay with her and Diana while he took a short work trip for the weekend. But the girl didn't want to hear a word about it.

- "You used to get along with her just fine until we started dating."- Spencer tried to dialogue with his daughter. Still, it was honestly getting harder and harder each time they touched the subject.

- "Used to. You just said it. I have the right to change my mind about people. Why can't I stay with auntie Penelope for the weekend?"

- "Because I want you to make an effort and try to get along with (Y/N) again. Victoria, we've been through this before. I love you, and that's not going to change just because I am dating (Y/N)."

- "This is so unfair! I hate you!!"

Spence tried to stay calm, but after over four-month having the same argument almost every day, he was losing it. Victoria stormed out and slammed her bedroom door behind her back. Maybe it was better not to push it, Spencer thought, defeated, and called Penelope to ask her if his daughter could spend the weekend with her, 'cos he had to travel. Maybe Victoria and (Y/N) weren't going to get along if he forced them to spend time together.

Everyone had already tried to talk to her about what was going on: JJ, Emily, Penelope. But Victoria wasn't ready to give in. She wanted to hate (Y/N), and nothing was going to change that. Or so she thought.

The day Penelope showed up in Victoria's school and announced her something had happened to her dad was engraved in the girl's memory forever as the worst day of her life. Her father had been arrested in Mexico, but Garcia had assured her, the whole team was working to bring him home safe. Meanwhile, she would stay with her in her apartment (she was already there anyway), and Diana would stay home with her nurse.

Victoria's heart was broken. She was basically alone in the whole world. Her father was her anchor. Her protector. Her superhero. Her best friend. And now, all of a sudden, he was gone, and though everybody told her it was going to be ok, she knew it wasn't.

- "Hey,"- (Y/N) walked into Penelope's office and found Victoria doing her homework- "Pen told me you were here, and I thought maybe you'd like one of these."

The young SSA said and handed the girl a box of fresh chocolate frosted with sprinkled donuts and a strawberry milkshake. Her favorites.

But Victoria didn't reply. Instead, she looked at (Y/N) right in the eyes, not moving a muscle, and then returned to her homework.

It had been two weeks since Spencer had been accused of murder, and he had been transferred to Virginia. But the team was far from solving the case.

- "Ok, Tori, please stop this. I know you don't like me dating your dad, but this is not the right time to fight. I know..."- (Y/N) made a short pause and took a deep breath before resuming her idea- "I know how you feel."

- "No. You don't."- Victoria Reid's voice was loud and clear, like thunder, hitting earth with anger. So clear, in fact, (Y/N) widened her eyes when she heard her.

- "You have no idea how I feel. Your dad ain't in jail accused of killing some woman in Mexico. You have no right to tell me that!"

- "My boyfriend and best friend in the whole world is in jail right now, and it doesn't matter if I work myself to death 18 hours every single fucking day; I still can't find the way to help him. I feel lost and alone, and most of all, scared, 'cos I've come to realize I have no idea how to live without him anymore. I'm guessing that's very close to what you feel."

(Y/N) poured her heart with complete honesty to her boyfriend's daughter, fighting the tears back, though you could feel the desperation in her voice. She didn't know if it would be of any use, but she had to take that from her chest. She missed Spencer so much she felt she was going insane. She had no idea what to do.

Victoria stared at her, furrowing her eyes and pouting. She didn't want to cry in front of (Y/N) 'cos she didn't want her trying to console her.

- "Just because you are dating him doesn't mean you have to take care of me. I can take care of myself."- Tori said and looked at the donut. She was hungry, they looked delicious, but the teenager didn't want to accept any gift coming from (Y/N).

- "I am not here because you are my boyfriend's daughter. I thought you were a cool kid way before I fell in love with him."- (Y/N) tried to calm herself down and sat across the table from Victoria- "And I am not trying to steal him from you. I just wanna... make him happy."

- "We were happy,"- the teenager's comeback was like a slap on (Y/N) 's face, but she did her best not to take it personally. She knew it was useless fighting with a teenager.

- "I have a visit scheduled for tomorrow. If you'd like, we could go together."

Tori held her breath. She hadn't seen her father since he left for Mexico. Of course, Victoria wanted to see him and hug him. It was all she wanted in the whole world. But... she didn't want to be friendly with (Y/N).

- "If I go... it doesn't mean I like you."- the young girl whispered.

- "I know"- (Y/N) nodded, feeling already triumphant.

- "And it doesn't mean I'm ok with you dating him."

- "I understand. I just know you miss him, Tori. I really know how you feel, and I'm gonna help you whenever I get a chance."- Victoria didn't answer; she just sighed and grabbed a donut. (Y/N) tried not to smile, feeling she had a small victory.

Spencer couldn't believe it when he saw his little girl waiting for him sitting next to (Y/N) instead of his lawyer in the small grey room. Victoria stood up and ran to him the second the door opened and wrapped her arms around her father as tight as possible.

(Y/N) looked at the guards, thankful neither of them had tried to stop the teenager.

Spencer kissed his daughter's cheek a few times and whispered how sorry he was to put her under those circumstances. He didn't know what to do or what to say. He was speechless. A part of him hated the idea of his daughter visiting him in jail, but he also missed her too much to argue with (Y/N) for bringing her over.

- "I'll go fill a few forms. Be right back"- (Y/N) whispered and saw Spencer's warm smile as he mouthed "Thank you," still hugging his daughter. She whispered, "I love you," and walked outside the room. She knew Victoria would appreciate a few minutes alone with her father, and she didn't want to take that away from them. She really wanted to make Spencer and Tori happy, and spending time together was what they needed.

- "I know this is hard, peanut, but we'll get through it. I'll be out in a few weeks. I promise"- Spencer held his daughter's hands as they sat across the table.

- "I miss you"- her voice was a soft whisper, as she kept trying not to cry anymore. She didn't want to make him feel guilty, sad, or anxious.

- "Me too. How are you? How is living with aunt Penelope going?"

- "Ok... we watch a lot of movies."

- "And school?"- Tori shrugged.

- "Ok, I guess."

- "Victoria..."

- "I got a C on my history paper."

- "Baby..."

- "I know, I know, I should have tried harder, but I really didn't want to do it."

Spencer was torn between lecturing his daughter for getting a bad grade and actually telling her it was ok, 'cos they were going through a rough patch. It was obvious she might get bad grades, all things considered.

- "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you"- it was all Spencer managed to whisper.

- "Don't say that, dad. I'm sorry I slacked off."

- "You know, you could ask (Y/N) for help,"- Spencer suggested, but Tori just rolled her eyes, annoyed- "She has a master in the subject..."

- "Dad, please don't force me to talk to her."

- "I'm just saying... you don't have to be her best friend, just ask for help when needed, especially when it comes to school. Besides, it's clear she isn't a bad person if she brought you here today."

- "She just wants to win me over."- Tori mumbled and crossed her arms on her chest. But she knew her dad was right in one thing: (Y/N) had done a pretty good thing taking her to see her dad and letting them spend time together on their own.

Victoria thought she was losing her mind after three months had passed and her father was still in jail. It didn't matter that (Y/N) took her every Saturday morning to visit, played her favorite music, and bought her all the pastries she loved. She needed to live with her father again and do all the small things they loved: making breakfast together, playing scrabble, taking long walks in the park, eating ice cream. Tori even missed her father's annoying habits. She missed his rambling and how he always had an answer for everything, even for the things she didn't want to talk about with him.

Spencer was an amazing father, no questions asked, and Victoria Reid knew she couldn't ask for a better dad than him. She just wanted him back.

But things weren't going to improve soon.

When the team found out Diana Reid had been kidnapped, (Y/N) had to take a minute and lock herself in the bathroom to cry her heart out. She felt bad things were never going to cease, and she didn't want to tell Victoria. The girl had already been through so much, adding the abduction of her grandmother wasn't fair. Tori was just twelve. She shouldn't be going through all that.

- "Victoria?"

Prentiss decided she was going to be the one to tell the girl what was going on, and (Y/N) offered herself to look for her. She was in Rossi's office, reading a book curled on his comfy couch. That poor kid almost lived at the BAU by then.

- "My homework is done."- she replied, not taking her eyes from the page she was reading.

- "That's good. And what are you reading?"- Tori sighed and showed her the cover- "Something Wicked this way comes," I love that book"- (Y/N) smiled and took a look around.

- "Figured my father forced you to read it."

- "Actually, I read it when I was ten, and it's one of my favorite books."- (Y/N) looked at Victoria, but the teenager kept pretending to read, ignoring her- "Emily needs to talk to you."

- "And why are you here? Why didn't aunt Emily come? Are you her secretary?"- there was something about Victoria's attitude that reminded (Y/N) of Reid.

- "I wanted to see you, see how you were doing, and take you to the conference room"- Tori sighed and stood up. She hoped Emily had good news about her father, 'cos she was honestly going insane.

But of course, Prentiss didn't have any good news.

- "I'm sorry, Tori, but... you are going to have to stay here tonight"- the girl frowned, confused, and looked at the whole team around her. Everybody looked like they hadn't slept in days. Which, by the way, was very accurate.

- "Why?"

- "'Cos we are going to have to..."- Emily paused and held her breath, staring at her niece's eyes.- "I'm sorry, Tori, but this is the truth: the woman who framed your father has kidnapped Diana, and I'm scared she might try to get you too. So until we catch her, the safest place to be is here, at the BAU. With us."

Tori gasped and covered her mouth with both hands as tears filled her eyes in a second.

- "Nana? Is she ok?"

- "We don't know yet, but we are working to bring her home safe as soon as possible"- JJ caressed Tori's arm and tried to hold her, but she pushed her away mad frowned.

- "You keep saying that, you keep telling me you are working to bring my family home safe, but so far, you haven't done anything!! I am still alone! Dad is in jail, and everybody knows he is innocent! And now nana is gone too!!"

- "Baby, we know it is hard, but..."- Emily wanted to explain to Victoria everything was more complex than they had expected, but the girl covered her ears and shook her head, yelling as she stormed out of the room

- "I don't wanna hear you!! I want my dad!!"

It was painful to hear those things, 'cos the team was doing the best they could for Reid and his family, but they could understand the frustration and, most of all, the fear that little girl felt.

- "I'll talk to her,"- (Y/N) said and turned to Emily- "You guys continue what you were doing. I'll try to calm her down."

- "Are you sure you wanna go?"- Emily asked and cut (Y/N) a short smile.

- "Yeah, for once, she is mad at all of us, not just me."

The young SSA walked to Garcias's office, where Tori was hidden underneath a desk, crying.

- "Hey."

- "Leave me alone."

- "I know I'm the last person you wanna be with right now, and I am sorry I can't do anything to make you feel better. I can only promise you this: we are doing all we can to bring your dad and your grandmother back home safe." - (Y/N) whispered as she walked slowly towards the girl, who sobbed, whipping off the tears from her eyes.

- "Just leave me alone. I want to be alone,"- Tori mumbled and wrapped her arms around herself, sobbing.

- "I'm not gonna leave you alone, Tori. You are not alone here with us."

- "I am alone!! I want my daddy!! I need my daddy!!"- the girl continued crying her eyes out, hidden underneath the desk. (Y/N) kneeled next to her and sat on the floor.

- "Come here"- it was a bold move, 'cos (Y/N) knew the girl was going to reject her, but she didn't care. She couldn't deal with her sadness, and it scared her to think how bad the child was feeling. So, (Y/N) opened her arms and moved the teen closer to her.

Surprisingly, the girl didn't reject her. Instead, she cried against the fabric of (Y/N) 's sweater and sobbed, shaking, as (Y/N) caressed her hair carefully.

- "I swear, we are not gonna rest until he is free and until Diana is home."

- "I want my family back,"- Victoria mumbled and sighed.

- "You'll get it. I swear, I'll do everything I can to bring them back to you."

That was the first time since (Y/N) started dating Spencer that Victoria let her close. In the middle of the mess they were all lost into, it felt like a little break of peace. Another small victory for the young woman.

(Y/N) didn't mind spending the whole night awake going through an endless pile of files if it meant there was a chance to bring Spencer back home. Tori stayed in Rossi's office, where she made something that looked pretty much like a fort on the couch, with blankets and pillows, to hide from the rest of the world.

It was heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time, looking at the girl hidden there, trying to read, trying to draw, trying to do anything to take her mind from reality. Penelope brought her something to eat, but she rejected it, saying she wasn't hungry. Emily and JJ had tried to talk to her, but Tori kindly said she wanted to be alone. Even Morgan had called her and announced to her he was taking a plane from Chicago to help the team looking for Diana.

None of that cheered Victoria up.

- "I bought you this,"

Around ten, (Y/N) opened Rossi's door and walked in, holding a box of frosted chocolate donuts with sprinkles.

- "They always cheer your dad up, so I'm counting they will do the trick with you too"- the young woman tried to joke but found Victoria crying quietly insider her fort.

- "Please, just leave me alone,"- she whispered and hid her face with both her hands. (Y/N) didn't pay attention and sat with her inside the fort.

- "Not a chance."

- "I really don't wanna do this now, just leave me alone,"- the girl sighed, defeated, and continued crying.

- "Come here, I told you, you are not alone."

- "I am alone, (Y/N)! My dad is in jail, my grandma is kidnapped, and my mother left me 'cos she didn't love me!"

- "No, baby, don't say that"- (Y/N) wrapped her arms around Tori and kissed the top of her head.

- "I know my mom didn't want to have me, and maybe she was right... maybe I am cursed, and all this is my fault."

- "Victoria Marie Reid, you are talking senseless" (Y/N) held the girl's shoulder and looked into her eyes.

- "You are an adorable young girl who deserves the best in the world. Why did this happen? I don't know, bad shit happens in life, and we must try to learn something from it. That's it. There's no reason or cause. Shit happens, baby, but we must raise stronger than before. You are an incredible young girl, and I know your dad is proud of you. I am proud of you, 'cos you've been so courageous and brave."

- "You are just saying that 'cos you are with my dad."

- "No. I would say that even if I hated your dad. You know why? 'Cos I am not lying, you are awesome, and I love you, get that into your head. And you are not alone, 'cos I am here, see?"- (Y/N) ran her thumb on Tori's cheek, whipping off a few of her tears- "I'm here even when you don't want me to be, so I don't know if you can tell, but you are doomed, you can't get rid of me now. I'm like a disease, but a good one... I don' know if there's a good disease. I'm sure your dad would have the answer for my random comment right now."

Both Victoria and (Y/N) chuckled at the same time, and the girl nodded.

- "He definitely would..."

- "He would also lecture me why I shouldn't give you sugar after dinner, but he is not here, and I am not telling him, so please don't tell him 'cos he is going to be mad at me... and at you."- (Y/N) handed Tori the box of donuts, and the girl smiled.

- "I won't tell him."

- "Great, we have our own little sugary secret. Eat all the donuts you want; I'm going to be with the team in the conference room. Emily has a meeting early morning with the judge."- (Y/N) kissed the top of Vitoria's head and stood up.

- "If you need anything, I'm across the hall."- the SSA said, and the girl nodded, chewing a donut.

- "Thank you, (Y/N)"

By the next day, the miracle had happened. Victoria couldn't stop crying when (Y/N) announced she was taking Spencer back home. Tori stood in front of his father's girlfriend and felt how the tears filled her eyes in less than a minute. Happy tears, for once.

(Y/N) smiled at her, glad to know the young girl was going to have her life back. It surprised her when Tori hugged her, wrapping her arms around her tight. (Y/N) stayed still for an instant, trying to understand what was happening. She hugged Victoria and kissed the top of her head. The child was crying, and suddenly, so was she. The nightmare was over. At least a part of it. They still needed to find Diana. But the fact they were going to have Reid back was already giving everybody the peace of mind they needed to finish the task.

(Y/N) held Spencer's hand tight all the way from the prison to the BAU. He kept his eyes locked on their hands, fingers tangled together. He couldn't believe it was actually happening. He couldn't believe he was a free man.

- "How's Tori?"- he whispered and turned to his girlfriend. Penelope and Luke were in the car with them, but somehow, Spencer could only register the presence of his girlfriend. Not because he didn't care about his friends, but because he could only take just a small amount of information at the time. It was all too much for him at that moment.

- "Good. She has been incredibly strong."

- "Did you tell her about mom?"- Spencer was afraid to ask but needed to know what was going on with his daughter. (Y/N) nodded and sighed.

- "We decided it was better if she knew what was happening, we had to keep her at the BAU, and she was going to get suspicious she couldn't go to Penelope's... sorry."

- "Don't be. You did what was best for her."- Spencer turned to his girlfriend and smiled at her for a second. It was a short, sweet smile. Almost shy. But it was enough to warm her heart and wake the butterflies in her stomach. She was so in love with Spencer Reid, everything he did fluster her.

Victoria thought her heart was about to burst as he waited for her father to arrive. Spencer looked at (Y/N) one last time, and she squeezed his hand kindly, smiling when the elevator door opened, and all he heard was:

- "Daddy!!"- Tori yelled and ran to hug Spencer as soon as she saw him. He couldn't even step out of the elevator when his daughter nearly tackled him, wrapping her arms around him tight.

- "My baby!"- he whispered and spun her in the air a few times- "Are you ok?"- he held her face with both hands and took a good look at her. She was crying but smiling as she nodded.

- "I'm so happy to see you, dad."

- "I missed you so, so much"- Spencer kissed the top of her head and sighed. (Y/N) smiled, and whipped off the tears from her eyes as she stared at the scene. Garcia and Luke stood next to her, enjoying a brief moment of happiness and peace.

- "Me more,"- Victoria whispered and hugged Spencer again- "I swear I'm never going to fight with you again."

- "I'm taking a mental note of that,"- he answered and felt her body shaking as she giggled. Spencer hadn't heard his daughter laugh, giggle, or even watched her smile in the three months he had spent away from her. And that sound was sweet and warm, like a balm to his soul.

- "I'm sorry, Spencer... but, we have to..."- Emily interrupted the moment and smiled at her friend. They all knew they still had to do one more thing before celebrating. They had to take Diana Reid back home safe and sound. Victoria let her father go and smiled at him.

- "I love you, dad."

- "I love you too, princess."

And as the team walked to the conference room to brief Spencer about the case and update him with the latest information, (Y/N) felt someone hold her hand.

- "Thank you,"- Victoria whispered and cut her a smile that warmed her heart.

- "Come here,"- she answered and turned around to wrap her arms around her for a second. Spencer looked at them, and for once, he didn't know what to say. Victoria and (Y/N) just stood in the middle of the hall, hugged for a few minutes, and Reid couldn't believe it. It was so heartwarming and emotional; he really didn't know how to react.

- "Come on, dad!! You are going to miss the movie!"- Victoria yelled and set the popcorn on the coffee table.

- "You can pause it!"- Spencer yelled from his desk, where he was finishing writing a letter for his mother.

- "Or you can hurry!"- Tori answered and sat on the couch.

- "Here's your tea, your highness"- (Y/N) walked to the girl holding a tray filled with cups and more snacks- "Come on, honey! We are not waiting for you!"

Three months after prison and life had never been so good for Spencer, Victoria, and (Y/N).

- "I had never seen you so eager to watch a Marvel movie, since when are you two fans of Thor?"- Spencer walked to the living room, hearing his girlfriend and daughter laugh.

- "Always, huge fan."- (Y/N) smiled and tapped on the couch. Reid sat between his two women and sighed.

- "I can smell the sarcasm in the air."

- "No, honey. We love Thor, right Tori?"

- "Yes! Big fans, huge, the biggest fans"- Spencer looked at his daughter and raised an eyebrow.

- "Ok, I'll buy it. Let's watch the movie."

(Y/N) and Tori giggled at the very same moments like they were sharing a secret joke Spencer couldn't understand, but he didn't really matter. He was happy, his heart was content, and there was nothing more perfect that minute, 'cos his family was all on the same couch, watching a movie, enjoying an afternoon together. Like he had always dreamt of.

----

Spencer taglist

@calm-and-doctor

General Taglist

@all-tings-diego @spenxerslut @ash19871962 @babebenhardy

[tyvn]

beomgyu x fem!reader

warnings : fluff, literal tooth rotting fluff.

word count : 1.5k

continuation of the prompt : 3 am, what a perfect time to cry. y/n didn’t expect her night to go this way, crying at an abandoned playground at three in the morning, but here she was. despite everything, she was somehow able to end her night with a warm feeling in her heart.

it had been a week since you last saw beomgyu, contemplating contacting him, even when everything in you wanted to. the breakup with your boyfriend was hard, though, it was easier with yeonjun by your side. some part of you knew that beomgyu could help you feel better, but another part didn't want to burden him with all of your problems.

it was a wednesday night when you finally decided to text him. a simple 'hi', and he responded within minutes, and you could practically feel the excitement from his messages. the two of you talked for a little while, before agreeing to meet up at a diner by your campus.

the diner was open twenty-four hours, which was good, because it seemed as if you and the ebony haired male only met after midnight.

you were wearing his hoodie, it becoming your new favorite clothing item, finding comfort in it, a memory of a shitty night that ended well. the closer you got to the diner, the more clear his figure became, leaning against the glass of the building. his attire was similar to yours, just a simple hoodie and pants.

his hair, still slightly long, had part of it pulled back into a ponytail, while still framing his face. you were reminded just how pretty he was just by that one look of him. you were now standing in front of him, looking up to see him already looking at you with a fond smile, genuinely happy that you were with him. no words were exchanged as he opened the door for you, letting you enter first before leading you to a booth in the far back corner, near a few retro looking arcade games and a jukebox.

"beomgyu, it's always good to see you here. it's even better to see that you're not alone." a server, a female most likely around the same age as you two spoke as she got to your table, only one menu in hand as she sat the menu in front of you. based on what she said, beomgyu must be a regular, so she most likely already knew his order. taking a quick look at the menu, you decided on what you wanted.

"can i just get an order of fries and a chocolate milkshake, please?" you spoke, looking up at the girl with a small smile. she let out a chuckle, nodding, but not writing anything down.

"so just two of beomgyu's usual?" she asked, and the boy across from you gave her a nod, a goofy smile spreading on his face as he looked back at you.

"looks like we had the same idea today. i always come here when there's something on my mind, it's like my own little place. nobody usually comes at night other than me. and i don't usually bring people with me either, but you're special." beomgyu spoke softly, answering a few of the questions you wanted to ask, looking out of the window, the passing cars illuminating his face even more than the fluorescent lights and neon signs.

in that moment he looked breathtaking, and he wasn't even doing anything. before you even realized it, you snapped a picture of him, the fondest smile on your face as he turned to look at you, eyes wide, shining as if all of the stars in the night sky had been taken and put there.

"what was that for?" he asked, a soft laugh escaping his parted lips.

"you looked really pretty." you said as if it was nothing, watching as the tips of his ears turned a soft shade of red, his cheeks a matching color.

your food arrived soon after, and the two of you ate, talked, and got to know one another more. of course, you made jokes, took pictures, and threw fries, but that's not the point. it was as if all of your problems became nothing when you were with the male, nothing else mattering but him, and watching that smile, the one where you could see his teeth, and his nose would scrunch up a little, and you could tell that he was genuinely happy, it was that smile that made everything better. it was the only thing that mattered to you when you were with him.

it was the same for him. he could see in your eyes that a lot was on your mind, but that look would turn into joy, and he loved the fact that it was because of him that the sparkle in your eyes was back. he didn't know how it was possible, but from the moment he laid eyes on you at the park, alone on the swings, he knew that he wanted, no, needed you in his life.

after that day, most of your nights were spent together in that booth. some nights you would be seated across from him, stealing glances at one another while the other was looking somewhere else, quickly averting your eyes in an attempt to not get caught. other nights you were seated right next to each other, close enough for feel the warmth radiating off of the other, hands occasionally brushing, followed by soft and shy apologies.

the first time the two of you hung out at his house, it was somewhat awkward, neither of you knowing what to do, but that was quickly forgotten about when the male gave the idea of binging a new drama, a secret stash of your favorite snacks that he would sometimes surprise you with. he never failed to amaze you, always remembering the little things, the small details that you shared with him at four am.

that night went rather well, with the two of you settled on his rather large bed, sharing the blanket as opened snacks sat around your bodies. the two of you eventually fell asleep, his arms wrapped around you protectively, your face buried in his chest. that was the first of many moments that made you realize that you fell for him, fast and hard.

beomgyu knew it too. he knew that he wasn't the only one with feelings, but he didn't want to rush into things. he knew how bad things were with your ex, and he wanted to make sure that you knew he would be nothing like that.

months had passed since the two of you realized your feelings for one another, nobody making a move, for you were too nervous, and beomgyu was waiting for the perfect opportunity to make you his. that day came surprisingly soon, though. your birthday was quickly approaching, and beomgyu thought it was the perfect time to ask you out, seeing as though you wanted to celebrate with him, yeonjun, yeji and ryujin, your closest friends. he'd asked them for help in setting up the perfect plan, wanting everything to go smooth.

the day was now here, and beomgyu told you to meet him at the diner, and that the rest of your friends would be there too.

you weren't exactly used to being there in the daytime, but it was something you could get used to with the way the sunlight lit up the small building. you could see your friends inside, which made you rather excited, and you entered the diner with a wide smile on your face, making your way over to the usual booth you were always situated in, sliding into the seat by beomgyu. the rest of your friends had menues, looking over them intently, before greeting you with a chorus of happy birthday's.

the server from the first time you came, lia, greeted you with a big smile, placing a menu in front of you, despite already having your usual orders down by heart. you didn't say anything about it though, and began to look through it.

that's when you realized it wasn't a normal menu, and instead, where each item or meal would be, it was a brief description of you and beomgyu's hangouts, and instead of a price, it was the day of the encounter. you thoroughly read each one, and by the time you got to the last memory, you were teary-eyes.

at the very bottom of the menu, in beomgyu's messy handwriting, the one sentence you'd been waiting to hear for months was written. 'will you be mine?' it was simple, but you loved everything about it.

instead of giving the male an answer, you wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug as a few tears escaped, a happy and content laugh leaving your lips that were pulled into a wide smile. the male immediately hugged you back, his head resting in the crook of your neck, holding you even tighter if possible. neither of you wanted that moment to end, the feeling of joy you both felt was like nothing before, and you both wanted to savor that feeling forever.

lia was recording the whole moment, a proud smile on her face. over the past few months she watched the two of you grow closer, and with having known beomgyu for a few years, it was like he was finally letting go of the past that was haunting him, letting himself be open to not only receiving love, but giving it as well. neither of you knew it then, but that night was the end of a terrible relationship, and the beginning of a beautiful one. maybe three am was your new favorite time.

taglist : @higamersitsbarney @idyllic-acid @harlirosie @enhacolor @ashxxkook @moonsluvr-rawrz

[spookybias]

wheresoever you go ‣ [ choi yeonjun ] ✧

pairing: choi yeonjun x gn! reader

genre: fluff, angst | established relationship au | long distance trope.

description: yeonjun as your long distance boyfriend. in this one, the reader lives and goes to college in seoul, south korea (at first).

warning: insecurities. brief mention of suggestive content.

word count: 1.4k

⠀ ҉ PRE LONG DISTANCE

yeonjun was a clingy boyfriend. when he greeted you, he'd give you a big hug and kiss the top of your head. he always insisted on walking you home, whether it was day or night when the two of you would part ways. and since both of you had pretty busy schedules, yeonjun would make time to talk to you or meet up with you whenever he could.

when you broke the news that you were moving, yeonjun wasn't too phased at first. in his mind, there was nothing in the world that could tear you two apart. you were in love with each other and that was all that mattered. but as soon as he learned how far you were going, the weight of the situation became too much for him.

you picked a tile on the cafe floor and decided that you'd keep your eyes there so as to not see the look on yeonjun's face when you told him the bad news. "yeonjun, my family's moving and i want to go with them."

yeonjun gave you his famous smile, the one that was reserved for 'you're so cute' moments. he chuckled, "that's so sweet of you. where are you guys going? daegu? ansan?" he stirred his drink with his bendy straw and you watched as the chocolate milkshake swirled around. that, along with the bomb you had to drop on your boyfriend, was making you dizzy. you had chosen the cafe for a reason; neither of you were bold enough to make a scene in public.

you swallowed, but couldn't seem to make your throat feel less dry. "outside of the country, jjunie."

yeonjun stopped stirring his milkshake. he leaned back in the brown leather armchair of the cafe. "like, japan?"

you blinked back tears and tried not to think about crying. "farther than that," you replied, twiddling your fingers.

"singapore?" yeonjun's eyes darted back and forth. he looked like he was about to start gasping for air, maybe even lose consciousness. you hated that the place was much farther. why couldn't it had just been a couple cities over? why did it have to be in a different continent?

after giving him all the details, yeonjun chuckled and ran his hands through his hair repeatedly. you knew he wasn't losing his mind, but he sure was losing himself over the situation. he tried to convince you that you didn't really have to move with your family. you were an adult now, and you couldn't quit school. he said you could move in with him and the others, live at their dorm, but you knew that the idea was unrealistic. neither of you were ready to move in together and his boss would never allow it. you explained that you chose to go with them, and that you could transfer universities. yeonjun wanted to get mad at you, but instead, he respected your decision.

yeonjun got used to the idea of you being away from him for some time. that's just it, he got used to the idea. it hadn't actually hit him that you were moving far, far away until one day he came over, and you showed him pictures of what your family's new house would look like.

that's when yeonjun started to feel overwhelmed and anxious. he kept thinking that when you finally went over there, you would find someone within reach who was better than him in every possible way. so to fulfill his own insecurities, he would come at you with expensive gifts and outstanding dates. but then one day you told him that the two of you needed to talk and his fear of being broken up with went from a level 2 to a level 7. every time you tried to discuss the fact that you were moving away, he'd distract you with more expensive gifts and physical affection. afterwards, he always pretended to fall asleep or that he had to rush home so that you couldn't break up with him.

yeonjun wasn't sure what to do next. even the others knew there was something going on with him. it was two weeks before you would be leaving, and he was too afraid to talk to you because he thought you were going to dump him. though, he knew he needed to talk to you if he wanted you to stay with him.

it didn't take long for you to figure out what was going on with your boyfriend. so one day, you asked him out to breakfast, acting as if it would just be a regular date. yeonjun was stressed out the night before, wondering if you'd mention that you were leaving soon. when he showed up he had bags under his eyes and his hair was a mess. he picked at his food the entire time, awaiting heartbreak. however, you weren't going to break up with him, and you needed to make that clear.

you reached across the table and took the fork out of yeonjun's hand. you intertwined your fingers with his and looked him straight in the eyes. "jjunie, why don't you talk to me anymore ?"

"y-you still call me jjunie?" yeonjun sniffled, but he refused to cry. you had your reasons for dumping him and he would just have to accept it.

"why wouldn't i call you jjunie?" you squinted at your boyfriend and sighed. "yeonjun, i'm not breaking up with you. i know you think i am."

yeonjun relaxed his shoulders. it felt like the weight he had been carrying for a few months had finally lifted. he closed his eyes, leaned back in his seat like he did the day you broke the bad news, and took a deep breath. he covered his face with his hands and asked in a tiny voice, "why did you want to talk to me?" he concluded himself to be a total loser.

"jjunie, are you dumb?" you giggled. "you're my boyfriend. i wanted to talk to you about what the plan was. you know, like what time is best to call, when you think we'd be able to see-"

yeonjun leaned over the cafe table and kissed you hard, cutting off your sentence. he loved you so much.

the day of departure, yeonjun accompanied you and your family to the airport. he held you in his arms, and tried to ignore the fact that it would be a long time until he got to hug you again. he wanted to put the moment in a bottle so that he could return at any time, and hold you for as long as he wanted. but he you knew he was okay. he knew the two of you would be okay.

⠀ ҉ POST LONG DISTANCE

yeonjun is still a clingy boyfriend. you guys would always shower each other in romantic gestures, but now it's triple the cheesy messages, double the cute playlists, and a whole lot of phone calls and video chats.

when he visits a new place, he always takes a picture to send to you and adds, "when you come back, let's go here together."

he sends you a whole lot of videos and voice messages, and you do the same, especially if it's a very busy day for one of you and you know you might not get the chance to talk. yeonjun's favorite thing to do is send you a voice message right when he wakes up so you can hear his raspy voice, and send videos of him blowing kisses at the camera.

it's much easier to tease you now. when he sees an outfit that's cute and a little sinful while walking past a store, he takes a picture to send to you and goes, "you would look cute in this. should i ship it to you so you can call me while wearing it?" please forgive the man, he doesn't get any action now that you're gone.

you spam him with tons of selfies. he saves all of them... until he runs out of storage and has to choose which ones he loves more and it's harder than any exam he's ever taken.

the idea of seeing him again is always on your mind. you miss the times he would walk you home, kiss your forehead, let you sit on his lap. and yeonjun constantly thinks about all of your old cuddle sessions and movie nights. he misses you so so much.

as far as insecurities go, yeonjun isn't worried about you ending things with him anymore. you, on the other hand, get a little nervous whenever you're on the phone with him and hear a charming voice in the background. yeonjun senses you're uneasiness, and has no problem explaining who it is and what's going on.

there's nothing to worry about, though. neither of you are going anywhere. long distance is a piece of cake to yeonjun now, and you know you'll hold each other soon.

all rights reserved | © spookybias. do not repost, translate, moderate, or copy any of my works.

[deepbluexocean]

Even though he had just met this guy, and even though that meeting had taken place in unusual circumstances, there was something about his manner that calmed Ocean. Aristotle was a lot different from Ocean on the surface. While Ocean was awkward and not memorable in the slightest, Aristotle was just...cool, or at least Ocean thought so. He had this quality about him that made him feel different from the people Ocean usually spent time with, and even though he still felt awkward, Ocean was also glad to be getting time to talk to the other man. And it really felt like Aristotle really understood how Ocean felt, and that helped put him at ease too. "So you understand," he replied quietly, feeling just a little bit less awkward. "And you'd think with that trouble finding people like us so often, we'd be used to it by now and would better know how to get ourselves out of it, but that's not how it is, at least not for me. It's just like the new trouble piles on top of the other trouble that was already there, layer upon layer, and then I feel like it's just...crushing me." As soon as he was done saying this, Ocean's face burned again. "I don't know why I said all of that stuff," he said softly. "Sometimes I ramble too," Ocean added, eyes downcast.

But then he looked back up at Aristotle, smiling a little. "I couldn't just leave it," Ocean told the man. "How could anyone?" He had seen the cat and saw it needed help, and Ocean hadn't even thought about it. "It was all alone." It was pretty clear that Aristotle wasn't going to take no for an answer, and besides, Ocean found that he wanted to accept the man's offer, if only so they could keep talking. Even though Forest was here with him in Cardinal Hill, Ocean was still lonely sometimes, so whenever he could talk to someone and actually feel somewhat good about it, he was going to take it (and hope he didn't ruin it). "Alright, but maybe next time I can pay?" Ocean said before he could overthink it. Here he was assuming Aristotle would want to hang out with him again, but maybe he would. For now though, Ocean would have a milkshake with Aristotle, and he smiled, giving him a little nod.

"Yeah, my family is really close," Ocean confirmed. "I miss them. It was hard to leave, but..." He trailed off, unsure of how to explain why he had left when most of the people he loved were on the commune. Finally Ocean told Aristotle, "It was harder to stay." There were so many other things Ocean could have said, but Aristotle was new, and Ocean wasn't about to dump all of his problems on the guy. And besides, Ocean barely knew how to talk about the way that he felt anymore. Whenever he tried, he always felt like he was wasting the other person's time; why would they even want to listen to him? "Different how?" he asked. Maybe that was a little bit of a personal question, but Ocean had asked it, so he just had to hope that he hadn't gotten too personal.

What scared Ocean about riding the motorcycle wasn't the motorcycle part - it was having such close contact with Aristotle, and man he'd just met who was also kind of intimidating, though it wasn't because of anything the man was doing. It just felt like he had lived a lot of life, knew things, the opposite of Ocean basically. And besides, physical contact was always kind of a tricky thing with Ocean - it depended on the person really. But this was happening, and the last thing Ocean wanted was the go flying off the back of Aristotle's motorcycle. Even with the playful way that the man was explaining the best way to stay safe, Ocean didn't feel like he was being condescending or mocking him; it felt more like the way friends might tease each other. Was Aristotle going to be a new friend? Maybe...though Ocean had learned to not hope for anything like that. "Okay," he replied when Aristotle was done explaining, and he tightened his grip around the man's waist. "I'm ready whenever you are."

Aris couldn’t help but smile at Ocean’s awkwardness. There was something endearing about the way the guy seemed to trip over himself, as if the world was always pulling him into trouble. It reminded Aris a little of how his own life used to feel—chaotic, always on the verge of spiraling out of control. Though, he was never awkward - just a punk.

"Sounds like you and I have that in common," Aris said, his tone light . "Trouble just... finds us sometimes. But you didn’t chase that cat into danger. You tried to help, and that’s what matters." He gave Ocean a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, noticing how tense he was. Aris knew the feeling—the instinct to pull away, to protect yourself—. "Trust me, man, I've seen people cause a lot more damage while not trying to help."

When Ocean mentioned the milkshake, Aris chuckled. "No, that doesn’t sound stupid at all. Sometimes, it’s the little things, y’know? When everything’s going wrong, something as simple as a milkshake can make it feel like there’s still something good. That’s not dumb—that’s just finding your own kind of magic in the middle of a mess."

As Ocean continued to struggle with accepting his offer, Aris felt a flicker of something familiar—a reluctance to take credit, to believe he deserved anything good. It reminded him of his younger self, back when he thought he had to earn every bit of affection or help, as if it came with a price. "Listen, I’m buying the milkshake. You don’t owe me anything. Just enjoy it. So, shut up and accept it, yeah?"

Aris smiled when Ocean started talking about his family and their nature-themed names. It sounded so different from his own upbringing—chaotic but full of warmth. "Ocean, huh? That’s a pretty cool name. Your family sounds... close," Aris commented, a hint of wistfulness present. "Mine was... different." He didn’t offer more than that, but his thoughts drifted to his mom, Keyelin, and her own wild spirit, her way of seeing the world as a place of beauty even when it wasn’t.

When Ocean hesitated about where to put his arms, Aris grinned, amused but not unkind. "Yeah, you’re gonna want to hold on," he said, glancing back at him with a smirk. "I’m fast, and I don’t want you flying off the back of the bike."

Aris felt Ocean’s loose grip around his waist and chuckled softly. “Nah, you’re gonna need to hold on tighter than that, Ocean.” He reached down and gently tightened Ocean’s arms around his waist, making sure his passenger was secure. “There we go. Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall off, but you gotta help me out a little here.”

With a playful tone, he gave a mock-serious safety overview. “Alright, quick lesson on being a good backpack on a motorcycle. First rule: hold on tight. None of this half-hearted shit, or you’ll be eating pavement, and trust me, it’s not as tasty as that milkshake we’re about to get.”

He turned his head slightly, grinning. “Second rule: lean with me, not against me. If I lean left, you lean left. We’re a team now, gotta move like one. And third rule…” He glanced back, eyes gleaming with amusement. “No screaming in my ear, unless you see a cat we actually need to save.”

Satisfied that Ocean was secure, Aris revved the engine, the familiar hum of the bike sending a thrill through him. "Ready?"

[graceful-ashes]

Part 3:Break my heart not this bond

A few days pass. Tension growing thicker in the Winchester household as John frequently doesn't return home. Sam, Dean and Cas try their best not to pry, as Mary is under enough stress as it is, working double shifts at the hospital. 

Cas and Dean spend a lot of time trying to distract Sam from the tense atmosphere. However, Sam isn't stupid - so he often sees through their attempts but allows it, anyway. Because the atmosphere is tense, to the point it's almost suffocating to be in the house when John actually is home

 Even when they're not arguing, the silence is deafening. 

Safe to say, Dean spends a lot of his evenings either out with Lisa or picking up extra shifts, even when he's dead on his feet. Anything to avoid going back home. 

Cas and Sam have started frequenting The Roadhouse for dinners, or even just evening sodas and milkshakes. Ellen has taken pity on them and extended Dean's 'on the house meals' to his family on nights he's working. Charlie occasionally joins them but she splits her time between them and Gilda these days and in between that she's swamped with coursework from her AP classes. 

When Dean is home, however, he spends most of the evening dicking around with Sam and stays up late into the night talking to Cas. Sometimes Cas will even let him touch his wings - which, is fucking awesome. 

Cas' wings are Dean's new favourite thing. When he catches glimpses of them, they inspire a reverence in him he didn't think he was capable of. They are large and loom over Cas like his own personal guardians. They're also dark, not quite black as they reflect a spectrum of colours, but close. Dean had been imagining white, fluffy things but Cas' are a stark contrast to that vision and unbelievably soft, but also silky and give off an unnatural shine. All in all, they are devastatingly beautiful and badass to boot. Surprisingly, though they're not completely solid to see or touch, sometimes they're more translucent than other times, it's a strange feeling to stroke something that is essentially textured air. A feeling that Dean is quickly becoming accustomed to nonetheless. 

However tonight, Cas is holding out on him in favour of making clear his disapproval. His disapproval of the fact Dean has yet to tell their parents that he's experiencing some kind of magical side effects, also including the fact he's still been hiding the handprint as not to initiate such a conversation. 

"They already have enough on their plate. No point stressing them out further until we have some answers." Dean slumps down on his bed, when it becomes apparent Cas isn't going to let him touch his wings. "Besides, you haven't told them that you're coming into the rest of your abilities." 

Cas looks down at that, frowning. Ha gotcha! 

Cas' eyes immediately flick back up and he scowls at Dean. 

"That's different. My abilities aren't an issue that needs addressing. Mary and John are well aware that I should be coming into them soon enough." 

Dean smirks at him. "Yeah? Then why haven't you made them aware that soon enough is actually right now, hm?" 

Cas looks away. "It hasn't come up." 

"Bullshit. You don't want to worry them anymore than I do. They're stressed as it is." 

Cas just looks at Dean for a long moment. Dean holds his gaze, defiant. Eventually Cas' shoulders sag in defeat and he stands to walk over to his dresser. 

"Are we going to Bobby's this weekend?" Cas asks. 

Dean quells down the triumphant thrill rising in him and sighs. "Well he's expecting us, says we can drive up to see a psychic friend of his. Just not sure how to get around tellin' Mom we're going up there again without takin' Sammy." 

"Perhaps we should take Sam with us?" Cas turns to face him. 

Dean grimaces. "This is kind of a… private thing. And I don't want to worry him unnecessarily either." 

Cas sighs. "I understand." 

*******

Escaping to Bobby's without Sam turned out not to be too difficult. Mary had given them a vaguely suspicious look but, distracted as she was with the paperwork she was reading through, she didn't question it. It also helped that Sam was at the movies with some friends, so they didn't have to deal with his interrogations either. 

Bobby's friend turns out to be called Pamela and she is one hell of a flirt. She even has Bobby blushing, let alone Cas and Dean. 

"Right, lets see this love bite of yours, sweetie." Pam says settling down at the table and gesturing for Dean to sit in the chair beside her. 

"My what?" Dean looks at her, mortified. 

"Bobby here, says you were left with a nasty mark from a healing attempt. Somethin' you've been hiding from your parents?" Pam gives him a knowing look. 

Dean looks over at Bobby in shock. Bobby just raises his eyebrows. "Boy, you still ain't told your parents?" 

Heat creeps up the back of his neck. "I-I didn't want to worry 'em." He mumbles. 

Bobby doesn't look impressed but he doesn't get to say anything more because Pam is redirecting his attention. 

"It's on your left arm, isn't it?" Pam smirks. 

All Dean can do is nod. 

"Lift up your sleeve, sweetie." 

Dean does as he's told. He feels rather satisfied when Pam draws in a surprised breath - Ha, doesn't know everything then. - and spares Cas an impressed glance. 

"Oh hun, you worked him over good." She comments. 

Cas blushes and turns his gaze to the floor. 

She places her hand on the mark and let's her eyes drift closed. She's still for a moment then her breaths begin to come out more ragged and her brown furrows. Her eyes flitting back and forth beneath her eyelids. A shiver runs through her and she begins to jitter. Dean shoots Bobby a concerned look. Bobby shrugs, unfazed. 

Suddenly her eyes snap open and stare at Cas, intensely, something akin to reverence in her eyes. She pulls her hand back. 

She looks at Dean. "You were touched." Her eyes flick back to Cas. "By him." 

Dean turns to look at Cas sharply 'I told you' clear in his features. 

Cas' eyes widen in surprise. "I don't understand. I'd know if I had used my powers" He frowns. 

"Not recently." Pam assures. "Your essence is deep within him, binded to his soul. There's a vitality to it like I've never felt before. It's been there sometime." She looks back to Dean "I sense since your birth." 

This time it's Dean's turn to look surprised. "Since my birth? How's that even possible?" 

"I'm not sure. I doubt Castiel knew what he was doing, which is why you're experiencing these side effects. The bond isn't complete."

"The - wait why am I experiencing the side effects now, if this isn't new?" 

"You likely have been experiencing the effects all your life, Dean. But I'd hazard a guess that they're more apparent now 'cause Castiel's abilities are developing. You're getting a feedback loop through the bond, but as it's only partially complete it's unnatural and volatile." Pam tone has taken on a strangely serious tone and she almost looks concerned. 

"I ain't never heard of any angel bondin' with a human before, is that safe?" Bobby asks, clearly just as shocked as Dean and Cas. Though Cas has become unusually quiet as he processes this. 

Dean watches Cas for a moment before Bobby's words register and he turns wide, worried eyes back to Pam. 

" Neither have I. So I don't know for sure, but I sense that while the bond remains incomplete, it's dangerous for Dean. Maybe fatal, when Castiel's abilities reach full capacity." She eyes Dean with a concern he's not ready to digest. 

"How do we break it, then?" Dean grits out, glaring at the table. 

Something awful tugs at him and his eyes snap back up to Cas'. He looks distraught and confused about it. 

Dean looks away. Cas clearly doesn't want him to die, so it makes little sense that he'd be upset about stopping that from happening. 

"I don't know." Pam looks to Bobby. 

Bobby's frown deepens. "As far as I know, Angel's mate for life." 

Dean's head snaps up at that. Mate? He turns to look at Cas who is frowning at the floor. Right now it's difficult to get a read on the guy. Cas isn't exactly the easiest person to read but Dean's never had much trouble with it, except for right this moment, when he could really do with knowing what Cas is thinking about all this. Because it's crazy, right? Cas is his brother, technically anyway. They can't be… be mated or whatever it is Bobby's implying. 

Cas is literally going to be the death of me. Dean thinks, darkly. 

"What if we completed the bond. Would that reduce the risk?" Castiel speaks up, his tone low and cautious. 

Dean looks at him, startled. 

"I ah, I suppose." Bobby frowns, looking to Pam in question. 

"It couldn't hurt. It would stabilize the connection, for sure. However, I have no experience with a human being able to accept an Angel bond, so nothing is certain." 

"Do you know how to complete a bond?" Cas asks. 

Pam shakes her head. "It's a highly personal thing. It's different for everyone, as far as I understand. 

Cas frowns. 

" Great. So we either complete the bond or break it but we don't know how to do either, and if I stay like this - I'm screwed." Dean drops his head in his hands. 

"Boy, I think it's time you tell your parents." Bobby mutters.

******

Deciding how best to tell your parents you are basically mated to your brother and are very likely going to die because of it - well it's hard. Beyond hard. And Dean's been making light of the situation - Great material for dark humour, right? - but telling his parents… it made it real. 

Him and Cas had gone back and forth over whether it was better to sit both their parents down or just tell them one on one. In the end, John's general absence made the decision for them. And while Dean sobbed into Mary's shoulder as she pulled Cas into the hug too, John came home and found them like that. Whatever their parents' issues with each other, they put them aside in favour of consoling their sons. 

Obviously, Mary and John had a lot of questions but, thankfully, Bobby took it upon himself to fill them in. As much as he could with his limited knowledge on the subject. He'd been buried in Angel lore since they'd returned from Pam's but he was no closer to finding a solution. 

Things between Cas and Dean have been strained since they got back. The tension so thick, Sam had picked up on it long before Mary explained the situation to him. Honestly, Dean isn't sure what kind of tension it even is. His moods are swinging so rapidly, one moment he wants to throw punches and the next he wants to bury his face in Cas' shoulder. He can't do either, however, the former being self-explanatory and the latter likely just being a consequence of the bond. God, he doesn't even know what's real anymore. 

His skin prickles and itches. And that eternal frustration is back with a vengeance. The last week or so he'd been feeling a lot better, things had been good between him and Cas - belatedly, he wonders if those two things are related - Cas had let him pet his wings. Which, now that Dean thinks about it, is kind of a strange thing to do. Especially, considering how much Dean enjoyed it, to the point that it even turned him on, on occasion. That said, Dean is almost always turned on recently - supposedly his human body's confused reaction to craving something as intimate as the completion of the bond, or so Pam speculated, anyway. - so maybe not quite that strange. 

Speaking of which, what the hell was he going to tell Lisa? He's been subtly evading her since he got back but he can't do that forever. She'd already had questions when he'd refused to take his shirt off during sex, but she'd let it go probably assuming he had body dysmorphia issues or something. He kind of feels bad, but how is he supposed to explain this to her? 

No one outside of his family and Charlie even know Cas is an Angel, but this? This is bizarre even by Angel standards. All that aside, how is he suppose to tell the girl he's been dating for a few weeks that he might be dying? 

Dean growls irritably, sitting up in bed and running his hand through his hair. He's pent up physically and emotionally, and it doesn't help that he can physically feel Cas' presence from all the way over in his own bed, sleeping fitfully. His nightmares are getting worse but since they're not exactly on the best of terms right now, he hasn't mentioned anything to Dean. Yet Dean knows, he knows when Cas is distressed, he knows when he's awake and when he's asleep, he knows when he's feeling guilty - which at the moment, is all the goddamn time.

 He's just hyper aware of Cas, all the time and it pisses him off. 

Dean flings his covers off and stomps over to Cas' bed. And before he can think better of it, he yanks up Cas' covers and climbs in. He wraps his arms around Cas and pulls him to his chest. 

Cas settles for a moment before he blinks open his eyes and startles. 

"Dean?" 

His voice is hoarse with sleep and Dean finches as a spark of pleasure jolts through him. 

"You were keeping me up." Dean growls, probably more unkindly than is warranted. 

"Sorry." Cas mumbles. 

"Just go back to sleep." Dean grits out. 

 Cas looks up at Dean with sad eyes for a moment. Then abruptly he rolls into Dean, sliding an arm over Dean's waist and burying his face in his chest. 

Dean tenses. Then relaxes, resting his chin on top of Cas' mop of dark,brown bed hair. 

It's hard to stay mad at Cas. But Dean is terrified of the alternative. 

Just a suddenly as he relaxes Dean tenses back up and pulls away, turning his back on Cas' bewildered expression. 

[nicoliharu]

Happy birthday Agatha!!!💕

Option: Happy birthday.

Agatha: Thanks so much...Oh heavens i'm still so surprised >w<

Agatha: To be honest didn't expect a party like this, i still wonder how they found day of my birthday.

Agatha: Although was able to jot down everyone's birthday, i like to make presents.

Agatha: I remember in school i liked to write little notes on bottles and give them to my classmates, it was fun.

Option: Did you have a good relationship with your classmates at old high school? You miss them?

Agatha: Ah yes i miss them, but each one followed a different path and naturally we separated from each other imean, that's normal.

Agatha: I enjoyed playing baseball with a bunch of persistent guys, they said '' you're weak '' but i won every high school baseball and runne championship...They were very stubborn and proud, maybe because i spent so much time with them, it's easy spending time here in NRC, i can handle so many guys without be afraid. Well i don't get intimidated easy!!! UWU

Option: And your family?

Agatha: Ahh...I miss my parents so much, i spent a short time with my father, he was a surgeon but unfortunately he died due to an accident when i was younger...i remember too when i was a child we took a lot of milkshakes together...it was good to see them both smiling.

Agatha: My mother was a teacher, she was amazing and strong... I have many good memories with her, if i could go back in time, i would like to live again the same way with her... I lost her to an illness but despite everything as she taught me, the two will always be with me.

Agatha: You needed to taste her cupcakes!!! IT’S SO GOOD <3

Option: Oh my feelings.

Agatha: Don't worry this happened 5 years ago, i'm fine now!

Option: You have any favorite food?

Agatha: YUP! Milkshakes and cupcakes, remind me my parents.

Agatha: One day, i asked Trey to help me make the same cupcakes my mom was make. And as soon as we finished and i could taste them, i cried with hapinnes to taste my mum's cupcakes, but was a mess because they thought Trey had upset  me because they saw me crying, but thanks to Grim everything was cleared up.

Agatha: Sorry again Trey-san XD

Part 2

Option: What's more important to you?

Agatha: Fellowship. Even though we must be independent deep down we must not share things alone.

Agatha: Be it feelings or situations, we shouldn't mainly carry heavy burdens alone. Even happy times with the right company can be even better, whether with friends or a partner.

Agatha: I like spending time with Jack exercising, with Riddle at the club or Bucchi!

Option: I hear you spend a lot of time with Ruggie, how do you feel about him?

Agatha: Hummm...Many good feelings...I mean! This conversation will stay between us right? O////O 

Agatha: When met him i didn't like him for some reasons, but we soon worked together at Mostro Lounge and became good friends.

Agatha: So we shared a lot of things and spent more time together... We declared ourselves to each other and... and....>///<

Agatha: Y-you know!!! But he's a hardworking, smart, nimble and kind guy, I really admire him.

Agatha: I would love to be skilled like him, i can't understand why he ''complains'' about not having muscles or being tall like the other Savanaclaw students, he's amazing and doesn't understand clearly.

Agatha: He taught me a lot of things and animal language too, i'm delighted to be able to talk to some birds sometimes.

Agatha: I usually help him with some chores, but i always end up getting stressed with Leona, he never lets Bucchi rest but after a while i could understand the situation better.

Agatha: I admit I love watching the sunset with him in Savanaclaw...Oh please I've already told you enough U///U

Option: Oh right, you really want to go home?

Agatha: To be honest no, i want to be with Grim and the friends I was able to make here.

Agatha: If it's possible, i want to stay, i can start over and learn many things... Not to mention that there's someone i don't want to let go...hmmm YOU KNOW WHO DON'T ASK ME AGAIN!!!

Option: Oh thanks for giving us the scoop. Again, happy birthday.

Agatha: Hihi <3

Vil: Agatha come, you need to touch up your makeup!

Agatha: Yup!

[doubleshotofsomething]

To Hell & Back

Part Two: “Lucky for me, your kind of heaven’s been to hell & back”

Summary: You still hate Bucky. But you need him to keep you from going to jail... So, what’s the harm in inviting him over to dinner?

Prompt: “I don’t want to live on this planet anymore.”

Warnings: Angst?? (i think). Probably typos( which will be fixed). Implied violence. 

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x Reader

--

Part one [In case you missed it]

----

It's Saturday.

Your day off. Well, what used to be your day off until it was turned into a family therapy session.

Well... Not an actual therapy session. It is literally just dinner with your family, including your sister's husband - a man you refuse to identify as your brother in law for reasons that will end in you being called the j-word. The husband, because he's the only son-in-law your parents have, has been dubbed the "referee" of the Saturday Sessions.

Each session, since you've been discharged, has made committing murder seem more and more appealing.

So appealing, that you're standing in front of your neighbour's door with a basket of muffins and a please-keep-me-from-committing-felonies smile.

Bucky, because he just spent the afternoon searching for a new bar, is standing on the other side of the door. Both confused and frightened to see you at his door voluntarily.

"Is there a bomb in that basket?" He asks, eyes roaming over you suspiciously. "Believe me, it's not gonna work."

You blink at him, then at the basket. Then back at him. "Why would I put a bomb in a muffin basket and then hold it?"

He raises a sceptical eyebrow at you.

You huff. "Fine, they're poisoned. I accidentally added laxatives while making them-"

"Accidentally?"

"Yes, accidentally-" you glare at him. "-they're not for you. They're from us."

He blinks at you, confused. You haven't spoken to him, actually spoken to him, for a few months. You avoid him like he has a disease and when your paths do cross, you just glare at him like he threw your cat into on coming traffic.

It's been a few days since the coffee machine incident. He has a brand new one - better than the last one - sitting on his kitchen counter, waiting for him to develop the courage to give it to you. It should be easy. He has mastered the art of making amends.

But... He can't, for some reason, bring it to you.

"Wait-" he frowns, your words finally registering in his head, "-did you just say from us?"

You set the basket down. "So, remember when you broke my one shot at happiness?"

"Oh god." He forgot how dramatic you are, as well.

"Yeah, you can fix that little error by being a doll and-" you pause, then frown, struggling to find the right words.

"Muffin poisoned your tongue?"

"I'm trying to ask you to be my plus one for tonight's dinner-" you grit your teeth, your blood beginning to boil. "-at my parents house."

You didn't look him in the eye when you said that. And by the sounds of it, he doubts this is something he should be going to. Or something you should be going to. Not if it brings out this side of you.

"Who are the muffins for?"

They were for your sister. You broke her nose last week, which was never your intention, and the guilt has been eating you up alive since. The punch was meant for her asshole husband.

"You coming or not?"

"Let me grab a wine and the keys."

"We have muffins. No need to waste your good wine on mediocre tastes."

"I'm bringing the wine."

"If you make us stop to pick out flowers, I will watch porn with the volume on full blast every night for a week."

"Why are you always so violent?"

--

"So, how bad is it?" Bucky asks.

You've been in the car for a half an hour, because you chose the busiest route and the most congested during rush hour, and that's the first thing either of you have uttered since you politely dragged him out of his apartment.

You shrug. "Three roads lead to this one, so we'll be here another half hour."

"I mean the situation-" he drums his fingers against the wheel. "-you literally chose to be in a car with me, for the longest time possible. Either you want to get there late or you don't want to get there at all."

"Maybe I just like spending time with you."

Bucky scoffs, but doesn't question you further.

The car is silent, aside from the traffic outside, and you could almost relax. For just a moment, you could close your eyes and imagine you're somewhere else.

But you can't. Because you're not. You're on your way to a dinner that shouldn't be happening and is only happening because you're part of your neighbour's redemption list.

Because he just had to have a conscious.

"I punched my sister last week," you mumble.

Bucky wants to laugh. He wants to laugh so badly. He has met your sister, a handful of times - at the hospital, outside your room and outside your apartment door.

Every time she'd come over, she would knock hard enough to make him think she's part of SWAT team. And each time, he would could hear you scramble to switch off all devices that could alert her of your presence inside.

One time, you'd both arrived a few minutes after each other. His door was closer and already open, so you shoved your grocery in his hand and dived into his apartment to hide from your sister. He had to pretend he hasn't seen you since you left for work , and that the packet of sanitary pads that fell out were for his girlfriend.

He didn't have one.

He wants to laugh, because he doesn't like her at all. But he doesn't, because she's your sister. "What did she do?"

"She married an asshole-" you scoff. "-and decided to get in the way and I tried to punch said asshole."

At this, he grins. "And you need me there because?"

"I need you to keep me from trying to kill him," you begrudgingly admit. "I'm too high maintenance for prison."

"How bad is this guy that you need me to help you not kill him?"

"Bad enough that I'm gonna need you to park a few blocks away from the house," you turn to look at him, his confused eyes meeting yours for a quick second. "I told them we're taking the bus."

"Wow."

"Which means we only get to spend less than two hours there, if you drive a little slow-" you pause when he drives passed a McDonald's. "-hey, can we stop and get milkshake?"

He deadpans. "We have dinner plans with your parents."

"I get that you and them might have gotten along since you decided to be a hero," you glare at him. "But they're not as cool as the hospital visits made them seem."

Your parents have invited him over to dinner a handful of times, and each time he had to decline. You and him weren't on the best of terms, and he didn't want to make things worse by showing up for dinner without your knowledge.

He knows, first hand, that a few interactions aren't enough to give the full depth of a person. But he saw how devastated they were, how heartbroken they were, at the sight of tubes and needles sticking out of you.

He doesn't believe, he can't believe, for a second that they're as bad as you say they are.

But he won't argue with you. Not about this. "We'll get milkshake after."

"Hey, remember that coffee machine you br-"

"Oh, fuck you!"

***

You're not a fan of wine. At least, not the wine Bucky brought to the dinner.

An hour into the dinner and you've already had enough glasses to have Bucky worried. The wine is halfway to empty by the time dessert rolls in, and when your sister's husband clears his throat, you abandon the glass and drink straight from the bottle.

The second hour into the dinner is where things got interested. Interesting enough for Bucky to take the bottle from you before you could throw it at someone's head. Mainly because he wanted to throw it at someone's head. Your sister's husband's head to be specific.

Just as your mother gets up to start making tea for the muffins you brought, Bucky is the first on his feet and the first to use the 'we have to get going before we miss the bus' excuse.

You grin at him, vision slightly hazy from the wine you drank on an empty stomach.

"Mhmm," you hum as you cling into him to get to your feet, "the bus. We gotta- the bus. Bah-yeee."

"I'll make sure she gets home safe," he promises to your parents and they believe him.

Hell, you believe him. If there's one thing you can trust your neighbour to do, it's to save your life. But not your coffee machine.

He guides back to the car, which is parked exactly where you told him to, and he's never been happier to have listened to you. You sing all the way back, some ridiculous song about when you're fat and old, and you're the most content he's ever seen you.

Drunk off wine, eyes glassy and smile wide, as you try to mimic his steps. You sigh when you get into your seat, even though you fight him on opening your own door, and fumble lazily with your seat belt until he helps you clip it in.

Your struggle to find a comfortable position, but forget all about that when he parks the car outside your favourite coffee shop. You're out before he can even unclip his seatbelt and you're inside before he makes it to the door.

"Hi," you whisper-yell as you lean against the counter. "Pssst. Hi. Hello."

The barista blinks at you. Bucky cuts in before he can get a word out. "We'll take coffee. Filter. And anything that's bread-"

"-don't listen to him, he breaks hearts for a living. Sometimes he rips them out." I jab your pointer finger against the countertop. "I will take the strongest coffee you've got. I'm in the mood for bad decisions and-"

"We'll be at the booth, in the back." Bucky gently pries you from the counter. "One coffee and two bottles of water-"

You try to smack his hands away. "Why must you be so- Barnes, I swear to god, I will take your parking space."

He shoves you into the booth, then takes a seat opposite you. You attempt to make a break for the counter, but the glare he fixes you with is enough to keep you in your place.

It should scare you. The look he gives you. You know what he is capable of, without mad scientists to control him, you know the damage he's done. It takes a special kind of strength to face people like the flag smashers, and a special kind of crazy to go after them.

Bucky is both. And yet, his glare doesn't scare you. So much so, that you return it.

"I hate your brother-in-law-"

"Sister's husband," you cut in to correct him. "I refuse to recognise him as my anything."

He nods. "Right. So, let me get this straight-"

Bucky pauses as the barista sets down the coffee, the water, two croissants, some breadsticks and a garlic roll. When he's satisfied that there's nothing else, he leaves you alone with Bucky and the breads.

"You got work tomorrow-" he puts sugar into your coffee and stirs, before handing it to you. "-so you're gonna need to eat as much, so that it absorbs all that wine."

You glare at him but still do as he says. He's right and you'd rather sulk than admit it.

"So," he clears his throat to get your attention. "Your sister is an asshole, that married an asshole. And your parents are enablers of all that bullshit?"

You nod, practically shoving the garlic bread into your mouth. You didn't touch the food your mother cooked and, other than that milkshake Bucky bought you, you haven't had anything to eat all day.

"Instead of just sending you to therapy-" he scrunches his face in disgust at the thought. "-I can't fucking believe I'm advocating for that, but instead of paying for therapy. They do that? Host a dinner, sit a circle and kumbaya the problems away?"

Taking a sip from your coffee, you continue to nod. "Is it helping?"

He frowns, meeting your eyes. "What?"

"The mandated sessions-"you swallow. "-I heard you and Wings talking about it."

Thin walls. Shared balconies. Despite not being in each other's life, both of you know more than enough because of your apartments.

Your balcony and his are separated by a small barrier, but you can still hear his conversations - and visa versa- if you leave your glass door open enough when he's out there.

The wall that separates your apartment is thin enough for him to pick up on your habits. You don't think you're a creature of habit, but he would disagree.

He can tell, just from your foot steps, what you're going to watch or do in the living room. From the little sounds you make, he can tell which series you're binge watching for the umpteenth time and which one is on just for background noise.

If you weren't a creature of habit, he wouldn't have found you in time. You wouldn't be sitting in front of him, asking about his wellbeing, instead of dealing with yours.

"Wings is Captain now," he corrects, and you accept the deflection.

You would never overstep, or push. Not with him. Never with him.

"If Captain, why Wings?"

Narrowing his eyes, he pushes the bread sticks closer to you. "Fine, Captain Wings."

Again, you obey the silent instruction.

"Where were we-"

"We were plotting an asshole's abduction," you tell him, "and then dropping him off at the bottom of the Atlantic ocean. If that's not available, then maybe near Dyer Island."

He raises an eyebrow at you. “Why would we drop your sister’s husband on an Island?”

"It's a place, with a shitload of great white sharks."

"And you know this because?"

"I like to always be prepared."

"For what?" His brows furrow. "Do you just know random places to dump people that–"

You cut in. "–will lead to an inevitable death by natural causes? Yes."

He stares at you. Actually stares. Openly, at you. He can't remember the last time he did that, looked at you, for no other reason than to just look.

You didn't always hate him. When he first moved into your apartment building, and the landlord introduced you too, you were indifferent. He didn't think you knew who he was, most people don't at first glance, so he was relieved. Indifference was definitely better than everything else.

That was until you walked passed him and Sam in the lobby of the building, a week after he moved in.

"Sarge–" you nodded at him, as you checked your mail. Then nodded at Sam as you made your way out of the building. "–Wings."

You knew, you always knew who he was, and just didn't care. That was refreshing, to say the least.

The hate only came that night, or the following morning, he wasn't sure. All Bucky knows is, he meddled, and now you hate him for it. For saving you.

He's tried to talk to you about it. Countless of times, he's tried, and each time you hate him a little bit more. Or so it seems.

He wants to talk about it now. It's obvious in the way he's looking at you, like he can't believe you're here, in front of him. You can't either, but you won't ever admit that to him.

Hell would sooner freeze over before you actually admitted that maybe, just maybe, he should have meddled sooner.

You won't. So, instead, you put down the bread stick and sit back. "I know a really cool coffee place... If you still need a new place to hang."

It's an olive branch. You don't ever say what you really mean, he knows that, and he smiles at that little fact. That he knows that, he knows you.

"Is the barista as dramatic as I hear?"

"Only to strangers that break down her doors," you shrug. "Oh, and guys who break her coffee machine–"

"You're never gonna let that go, are you?"

You grin. Because you're just as petty as he is.

---

Tags: @sunflowerxbarnes , @ginger-swag-rapunzel​ , @arctic-duchess​

[ofmoonlitmagic]

It did not even occur to him they wouldn't like her, too far beyond the realm of possibility, even as he noticed the shift in her. "This is a good thing, Bill," he assured her, "add it to my list of promises." He knew it was a lot of change all at once, and he still remembered clear as ever wondering if he should even dare to hope this wasn't something transitory and fleeting, that the two women who became mothers to him wouldn't give up one day. He didn't blame her for not fully trusting in a good thing; they were too alike in that regard. Then with a teasing smile to bring her out of those thoughts, he said, "no big announcements or trumpets when we get there. We'll just slip in, get you settled first, okay?"

His thumb traced lightly along her cheekbone as he breathed out, "trust me." He didn't know how to navigate everything ahead, or if he'd let her down again, but what he did know is that they were together now. They had a second chance, and for now, everything was alright. He had hope, and it was hope enough for both of them.

His eyes briefly glanced down at their intertwined fingers, hands palm to palm. He didn't know how to describe the feeling or the way it reverberated in his chest, as though it changed the very rhythm of his heartbeat. All he knew was he didn't want it to end.

As his gaze returned to hers, they remained locked there a moment longer, seeing that renewed confidence in her. The OEA had tried to break her, but they hadn't. They'd left their marks--some permanent--they'd even taken her life, but they had not broken her. Not completely. Now she could have a life she deserved.

"'Course we are!" His words thick with laughter, even more so with the sound she made. He wasn't sure he'd heard one like that from her before--he didn't hate it, kinda liked it actually. "You'll drink liquor today that will prove how cheap some of the shit we used to drink really was." He had free permission to talk, and he could fill all the time between here and the compound. Taking just a second to give instructions to the bartender to get someone to bring the milkshakes to the compound, it was enough time for the weight of it to hit him.

He had a lot of happy stories for her, about his family, about Riley, about being disgustingly rich now. But he couldn't say it had all been, or that he was even okay now. In this moment, he was. More than okay, but everything before he heard her voice, it had been borderline if anything. "I've lived, I've been happy...in moments," he started as he guided her out of the restaurant and toward home. He paused for a second, murmuring a quick cloaking spell to get them safely through the streets before continuing, "but it's not--it's not all been great. So maybe I just skip the bad parts?" He could tell her everything, and he should--he knew he should. The effects of the prison world, all the losses, all the fear, weren't going to vanish overnight. But he didn't want to, he wanted so badly to give her the comfort he'd been happy, even when he hadn't.

The promise that there were more people to meet sounded slightly terrifying and Billie unwillingly recoiled into unhappy thoughts. What if they didn’t like her? and they could see her for what she was; an unpredictable orphan with a heated temper and inkling for death. What if they knew that she wasn’t good for Briggs to be around? Or felt that she didn’t fit into the mould of the life he had, the life that he deserved.

She couldn't let that matter; she couldn't give into the worry. Their moment was far too pure for her to allow her thoughts to ruin it. She begged herself to allow this; to dream for a moment that things were going to change. 

Her eyes remained fixated against his own, lost within the curves of each features as she held onto his very image. Each place she had seen a bruise or a cut, now healed and she could only hope the same for him, that this family of his had helped him to heal in ways that she couldn’t. 

Billie’s gaze followed his hand as it dropped towards her own and without missing a beat she threaded her fingers through his, determined to keep him close. She worked tirelessly to ignore her thoughts, content as her thumb ran against the side of his hand. Each touch reigniting a sense of comfort within her, accomplishment for having found him again, just as she had always promised that she would. 

The way that he was looking at her brought with it a vital reminder. Before him no longer stood the girl that refused to believe that she deserved to be cared for, or even to be wanted. Instead, in her place stood a woman that was determined to know her worth. Even if she couldn't quite believe that right now, she deserved to fight to believe it. She owed herself that. No. It was owed to her. Briggs possessed the unique ability of making her fears fade away with a single exchange of a glance. He quelled her insecurities, eased her doubts and settled her weary mind.

Her focus remained upon him; soaking in each word with sincere belief. "Oh are we?" her words came with a giggle, but the sound proved a smidgeon too girly for her liking. "I wanna hear everything." With her free hand, the banshee scooped up a worn rucksack, one that contained a few lifted items of clothing; her sole possessions. Slinging the strap over her shoulder, she made sure that her other hand remained in his as she glanced towards him. "I want to hear that you've lived and I don't want a single detail left out." A fleeting sigh eased from her lips, her hand gripping his just a tiny bit tighter as she murmured softly "I wanna know that you've been happy. That you've been okay."

[jjmaybanksbaby]

Where It Leads (Rafe Cameron)

Summer II

Part 03: Been A While

series masterlist | previous part

summary: Your second summer in the Outer Banks becomes a whole lot more complicated when you realize a year away from Rafe hasn't changed your feelings for him at all.

a/n: And we're back with summer two - the summer before sophomore year whoop whoop! Writing this gave me butterflies so I hope you have the same feeling reading it! I always love hearing y’all’s commentary so don't be shy to scream about your favorite parts back at me.

word count: 2.5k words

Your mom reached over and tapped you gently on the arm.

"Put your phone away please, y/n. You can text Evan when we land."

"We're not even moving yet." You replied.

As if on cue, the pilot's voice echoed over the intercom. "Good morning passengers. This is your captain speaking. Welcome onboard Flight 4B7 with service from Portland to the Outer Banks. We ask that you please fasten your seatbelts at this time and secure all baggage..."

You stashed your phone in the pocket of the seat in front of you and closed your eyes, hoping that by the time you woke up you would be landing.

After the way last summer had gone, you were surprised when your mom announced that you were spending the summer in the Outer Banks again.

Frankly, you weren't that happy to be headed to North Carolina. Alice and Kensie, your two best friends back home, had opted not to go to camp this summer so the three of you had planned to spend every day at Alice's pool, biking to the Dairy Queen a few blocks away or begging of your moms to drive you to the mall.

Plus, there was Evan. Your boyfriend of six months. You'd both been cast as the understudies for the leads in the fall musical. Because of some freak food-poisoning accident, both you and Evan had to go on as Cinderella and Prince Charming in the final show. When he kissed you under the bright stage lights, it had felt like more than just a stage kiss. He'd asked you out at the cast party later than night and you'd been dating ever since.

Evan was great. He really was. He was thoughtful and cared about you. But ever since your mom had bought the plane tickets to the Outer Banks back in March, every time you kissed Evan you could only think of Rafe Cameron.

☼☼☼

You trailed behind your mother on the way to baggage claim, bent over your phone responding to the texts Alice and Kensie had sent in the group chat while you'd been in the air. Apparently, they'd bumped into Kensie's crush and need to analyze every detail. A feeling of jealously you hadn't anticipated crept into your chest, weighing you down. Even indoors, the muggy heat of the Outer Banks made it clear how far from Oregan - and from your people - you were.

You looked around the airport, searching for the baggage claim with your flight number and noticed an incredibly familiar head of blonde head of hair standing nearby.

"Sarah Cameron?" You asked.

Sarah spun around a joyful smile on her face. "Oh my god! Y/n!" She ran over, wrapping you in a hug. "Are you back for the summer?"

You nodded your head which elicited another excited scream from her.

"What are you doing at the airport?" You asked her.

"You'll never guess! We're getting a house in the Bahamas!" She gushed.

"Sarah!" A deep voice called. You looked up to see another older-looking version of Rafe headed in your direction.

Your mom froze beside you. "Oh dear," she whispered.

The man's gaze didn't leave your mom. "Heather," he said.

"Ward," she responded.

Oh, you thought. So that's Rafe's dad.

"It's good to see you," your mom continued. "You look," she paused for moment, "good."

"You as well," Ward responded.

The carousel behind you started to move and luggage streamed out.

"That's us," your mom said, pointing over to the moving carousel. "We should go."

"I'll tell Rafe you're back," Sarah whispered to you. "He's gonna be so excited."

You smiled down at her knowing that you'd already made a vow to yourself to avoid him all summer. You refused to let Rafe ruin what you and Evan had and the only way you could guarantee that was making sure you didn't see him at all.

☼☼☼

Sarah bounded in the front door of the Cameron's house. "We're home" she called out, her sing-songy voice echoing through the big house. Ward entered after her, carrying their luggage.

"Welcome home," Rose said, greeting Ward at the door with a kiss.

Sarah rolled her eyes at the exchange. It wasn't that she actively hated her step-mom, she would just have rather her dad not married her. Though he was buying her a house in the Bahamas as an anniversary present so maybe she wasn't all bad.

"Is Rafe upstairs?" Sarah asked.

"I think so," Rose replied.

Sarah ran up the stairs, skipping every other one, the way Ward always told her not to do. She came to a sudden stop in front of Rafe's closed door.

"Rafeeeeee," she yelled, knocking rapidly until his voice bellowed back at her through the wall.

"What do you want Sarah? Go away!" He yelled.

"Fine," Sarah said. "I guess you don't care that y/n is back in town then?"

The door swung open just a few seconds later. “What did you say?” Rafe asked.

“Y/n was at the airport. She’s back in the Outer Banks for the summer.” Sarah turned on her heel and sashayed her way to her own bedroom leaving Rafe in his doorway to process the information.

Maybe this summer will be a whole less boring, Rafe thought.

☼☼☼

The summer was going exactly how you'd expected. It was surprisingly nice to have your younger brother to keep you company and more importantly, keep you busy. You spend your days either on the beach, tanning, watching your brother splash in the waves, and making your way through the reading list of the Honors English class you had opted to take next year or at the Club's pool, eating chicken tenders for lunch and washing them down with the thick chocolate milkshakes.

Rafe's friends frequently made an appearance at the Club. You watched them sneak vodka from flaskes into cups of spirit from being your shaded sunglasses. So far, Rafe had yet to join them.

Currently, Phoebe was flirting hardcore with Sawyer, begging him to put sunscreen on her back so she wouldn't burn. It was all too predictable.

You turned your attention back to Nick Carraway and his descriptions of Gatsby's grand parties momentarily.

You heard Sarah's voice before she appeared next to you and plopped down on the chair your brother had been occupying before he decided he needed more ketchup for his fries and had ran off.

"Y/n," she started with the same youthful energy she always talked with, "has Rafe invited you to our Fourth of July party yet?"

"Umm," you hesitated. "No, he hasn't said anything about it."

"Ugh," Sarah threw her head back in a dramatic motion. "I told him to text you about it. He's useless. Anyway, we throw a huge party for the Fourth every year and you have to come. There are fireworks and everything..."

Sarah's monologue faded to the background as you looked up and noticed Rafe standing at the top of the steps that lead down the pool. Your stomach flopped in the same way it always did when you saw him.

Rafe started walking down the steps and a small panic set in. His own eyes wandered across the pool deck and it was only time before he recognized you. You shifted your body slightly, trying to use Sarah to block yourself from his view.

You turned your attention back to his younger sister, afraid that you'd accidentally make eye contact with Rafe.

Crap, crap crap, you repeated in your head. Rafe was for sure heading in your direction. Even as you forced yourself to focus on Sarah, you couldn't stop yourself from watching Rafe out of the corner of your eye and he was walking straight toward you. Your 'avoid-Rafe-all-summer' plan was going to be impossible now. With every step he took, you could feel your heart beating faster. It felt just like last summer.

Rafe stopped in front of the chair Sarah was sitting in and you couldn't stop yourself from looking up at him, a smile threaten to slide onto your face. The same warm but dangerous feeling you only got when Rafe was around took ahold of you.

"Sarah," he said, cutting her off mid-sentence. "Ward's looking for you."

She jumped up with a sudden spurt of energy, "Okay, I'll go find him!" She leaned down engulfing you in another hug. "See you around y/n." She said before running off.

"Bye Sarah." You replied.

"You know, you're like my sister's favorite person," Rafe said, still standing above you. "She mentioned you were in-town for the summer..." He let his sentence trail off.

But I hadn't seen you around. You finished for him in your head.

"Yeah, we got in about a week ago." You said. The tension that hung in the air between the two of you was exactly the reason you were trying to avoid him. The last time you had seen him he'd kissed you in a way you hadn't been able to get out your head for months afterward. It was a dangerous game. Nonetheless, here he was standing in front of you and you were barely holding it together.

Your phone began to ring and the photo of Evan kissing your check from homecoming popped up with the caller id. Rafe's eyes glanced over it and an unreadable expression crossed his face.

Right, it was 4 o'clock on Wednesday. The time and day you and Evan had decided you would call each other every week.

"Uhh, I gotta get this." You said to Rafe, reaching over and picking up the phone.

"Yeah, okay. See you later y/n." He replied before walking away from you and to his friends.

Your eyes followed him all the way even as you clicked answered and Evan's voice filled your ear.

☼☼☼

A feeling of nervousness set in as you approached the Cameron's, the absurd number of cars parked outside confirming you were at the right place. You glanced over each of your shoulders worried that your mom would pull up any second to drag you back home after you lied about where you were spending your evening. You felt decently bad about saying you were going to the Club to watch fireworks and coming to the Cameron's instead but you knew your family's stance on Rafe and his dad.

It seemed like the entire population of the Outer Banks was spread across the Cameron's backyard. Adults sipped festive cocktails as little kids, hyped-up onto much sugar, weaved in between their legs, chasing one another around. You looked around hesitantly, thankful when Sarah emerged from the crowd, frosting smeared across her face.

"You made it! I'm so happy you're here!" She screamed.

"Sarah," you laughed. "You have blue frosting all over you." You used your finger to wipe it from her cheek.

"Rose ordered the most delicious cake you've ever had. You have to try it. I can get you some. Do you want some?" She asked eagerly.

"I'm okay right now. Thank you though. Have you seen Rafe?" You asked. You were at his party, after all, it wasn't like there was any point in avoiding him now.

Sarah turned and pointed to the dock where Rafe and his group of friends were standing. "He's over there."

"Great. Okay! I'm going to go say hi."

"Have fun!" Sarah replied with a smile before running off in the same direction she's appeared in.

You made your way through the crowd to the dock, the groups' attention turning to you as you approached.

"Hey," you said, shyly.

Cleo and Riley jumped up from where they had been sitting with their legs dangling in the water.

"Y/n, right?" Cleo asked before leaning in for a hug.

"Yeah. Hi! It's good to see you guys again." You replied.

"You too! Rafe said you were back in town and I was wondering when you'd finally make an appearance." Cleo said.

You look over at Rafe to find him already watching you. He pushed through Cole and Milo and was suddenly in front of you

"Um, y/n and I need to get the fireworks." He said to the group. You watched Riley shoot Cleo a confused look but Cleo just shrugged it off.

Rafe grabbed your hand and pulled you along, leaving you no choice but to follow him. You walked in silence, other than the sound of your heart beating rapidly.

Rafe stopped at a small brick shed on the side of the house. He pushed the door open and stepped inside, pulling you in after. There were kayaks and paddleboards hanging on the walls and some old lifejackets littered the floor.

"Rafe-" you tried to start but he cut you off.

"Y/n, I seriously can't go one more minute without kissing you again."

Rafe looped his arm around your waist, cupped the back of your neck with his hand, and landed his lips on yours.

For a moment, you tilted your face upwards and leaned your body into his before your senses came rushing back to you and you shoved him backwards off of you. Surprise registered on his face.

"Rafe. No. I can't do this." Your voice broke, panic coursed through your whole body. "God, I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't have come here today or followed you here."

"Y/n." Rafe said but held your hand up warning him to say quiet.

"I have to go. I have to go," you repeated. "Tell Sarah I'm sorry I missed the fireworks. I know she'll be disappointed. I have to go."

You turned to leave but Rafe grabbed your wrist and his eyes locked with yours, his expression begging you to stay.

"I have a boyfriend." You blurted out. The weight of those four words settled on Rafe's face and you jerked your arm out of his grasp. You spun on your heel and walked out the shed and putting distance between you and the boy making your life so complicated.

You crossed the Cameron's yard, trying to gather yourself and slow your chaotic, unsteady breathing. You hurried down the long driveway, making it to the road without any tears slipping out of your eyes.

Rafe had tried to kiss you. He hadn't tried, he had kissed you. And you sorta kissed him back. No, not sorta. You kissed him back. But then you stopped. You pushed him away. You realized it was wrong. You didn't want to hurt Evan. You weren't gonna hurt Evan.

The fireworks began to explode behind you, large booms thundered across the sky, their big colors illuminating the night. You didn't dare turn around watch them. They reminded you too much of Rafe: the boy pulling your head and your heart in two different directions.

taglist! @oreoenthusiast13 [drop a ☀️ in my inbox or messages if you want to be added]

[fayeimara]

Meant To Be || One For Every Billion

6. By My Side | Pt 5

It takes you just a moment to understand his last message but you're already looking up as the dots are being connected and there he is, walking towards you with a real smirk on his real face.

So when he reaches you, you immediately say, "Definitely cute." and watch his mouth drop as he blushes.

Pretty boy didn't think you'd say it, did he? People should really know better than to dare you.

Although he gathers his composure pretty fast, responding after a beat, "Not cuter than you."

You laugh and shake your head, finishing the rest of your drink before standing, "Do you want anything?"

"I'm good, I just had a milkshake from the snack bar on the corner."

He moves to let you pass by him, following your lead as you move to exit the lounge and comment, "That's how you got here so fast. Where are the others?"

"Decided to do their own things, I guess. I think Maki was tired. I don't know what Iwa-chan and Mattsun are up to."

"Uh huh." You had a pretty good idea. They're probably busy being some of the best wingmen ever. That or Toru just ditched his friends, but you don't think he'd really ever do that.

But he'd also be complaining a little more that they ditched him if he didn't have some sort of idea so... you don't know what to think. Which is becoming a constant issue in his presence but it doesn't feel bad or scary.

At this point, you're not going to question it. If everyone is okay and happy, then you're going to focus on the now. Toru is really good at bringing that out in you, you realize as you come to a stop in the warm night air.

Turning to face him with a smile, you ask, "So, then, any requests from the birthday boy?"

His eyes light up with excitement and he responds, "Yes, but it's a surprise!"

"Okay, but.. shouldn't I be surprising you?" You question as he starts to lead you away from the lounge entrance.

"You already did! Now I know we have all night to enjoy the rest of the park."

"Or at least until it closes in a couple hours."

"Then we can gather anyone who's still up and have a party in my room!"

"Yeah, that's real ambitious. We'll see on that but- what's first?"

He stops briefly when he sees a cotton candy stall and answers in his sing-song manner, "First, something sweet for my angel."

Oh he's so cute. Seriously. But you let him buy it for you before prompting, "And now?"

"And now," he looks over at you with a satisfied smile, "we enjoy a ride down a river in a boat." He reveals, just as the two of you reach the entrance to the small, peaceful dock.

"Don't they close the river rides after dark?"

"In ten minutes, actually. So we should hurry because it'll drop us off to our next destination."

You look at him in surprise as you both join the relatively short line. Did he have this planned for before, when he thought you were going to leave? It's a little bittersweet because that's really thoughtful but, it also makes you sad to realize that would mean that maybe he thought the two of you wouldn't see each other again until the next time you visited. It also made you question... Were you unintentionally pushing him away when you visited?

Or you're just overthinking as per usual and he just puts this much effort into it every time he's spending time with a girl he might like. Right.

The two of you reach the front of the line in just a couple minutes and listen to the instructions from the staff member who tries to hand you down into the automated boat. You say 'try' because Toru's hand cuts in between and he helps you instead, giving the guy a pretty condescending smile. He's not even threatened, just.. acting like there was no other possibility because, well, it's not even a contest. You can't lie, you like it.

You settle down and he gets in after you, pretty steady himself as he elegantly plops down into the seat next to you, his arms stretching forward for a brief moment before leaning back into the seat, shifting his legs forward, and placing his hands in his jacket pockets. And whatever he just did there.. that's pretty hot too.

As your boat moves away from the dock, you're struck by the romantic atmosphere of the ride. The quiet melody of the water you're gliding through, the trees dotting the sides of the river that sway with a breeze every so often, their branches reaching towards the water like the leaves are looking for a cool, gentle place to lay. You and Toru, under the stars that are peeking slightly out of the sky, like shy observers to your secret little adventure.

He isn't saying anything either, studying the environment and in his own thoughts you suppose, but you don't mind the silence. You do, however, offer him the cotton candy, tilting the base of the cone you're holding so it's angled towards him. He pulls a hand free from his pocket to reach out and grab a tuft of the cloud-like candy before popping it in his mouth with a smile.

"Do you think about where you want to be in the future?" He's looking up at the sky, head tilted back against the seat, when you look over at his question.

You bite your lip, considering what he's asking. You think way too much about it sometimes, you suppose. "How far in the future?"

He looks over at you in surprise, like he expected a quick answer instead of your clarifying question. Now it's his turn to think. "I guess in a few years, after graduating. What do you want to do?"

"What I want to do is probably very different from where I might be, I think."

"How so?"

You're both looking at each other, lost in another bubble together, so you try to be as honest to yourself as you want to be with him, "In an ideal world, I would either write or play volleyball. Realistically, I'll end up tied to... my family business more than I'd like. Which means I likely won't have the time or energy left to do the things I love."

His eyes are wide, you think he's realized he just turned a mountain, not a rock. Maybe even you wouldn't know what to say in response to someone who just said what you did. But then he surprises you yet again, "If you know what you want to do, what stops you from making sure that's where you end up instead, no matter what?"

"You know," you smile at him softly, "That's exactly the battle I'm currently fighting. So we'll see how it turns out, I guess."

"So," his voice turns teasing, "will you pick writing or volleyball, when you win?"

"Probably writing," you answer with a laugh, releasing the weight that just took a break on your shoulders.

"Why?"

"You love volleyball, right? So much that you can't see yourself doing anything but that for the rest of your life?"

He sends another shocked, wide-eyed look your way but you're surprised he doesn't realize how clear that is to read on him, how easily you figured it out really early in the course of your correspondence this past year. You tuck that away for another day and continue your answer to his question.

"I love both like that and, the way I see it, I'm lucky to be able to love more than one thing at a time. And because I do, they'll both always have a place in the future I want. So it's not really that I'm making a choice between one or the other, I'd be incapable of that. Volleyball will always be in my life, even if it isn't the same way it is now. It's just that I'll pursue writing as my vocation while continuing to enjoy volleyball however I can."

"So you won't go pro." He doesn't state it as a question but it sounds like there's still one in there somewhere.

"I don't think so. That's... a little more complicated."

He shifts to turn more towards you, pulling another piece of the cotton candy you're holding between the two of you and encouraging, "I've seen your videos, Y/n. You're as much, if not more, talented than either of your cousins."

You laugh again, "Aren't you a little biased, Oikawa?"

"Sure, but I'm still telling you the truth as I see it. You've already filled the gaps they lack as players, you almost seem to have none. You're part of the powerhouse teams in your region, even country. And you can only improve from there."

"Yeah. But it's not talent or skill or even anything about volleyball itself that makes me so sure about its role in my life."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I promise, I will another day. But I know it'll be a long discussion and I want to hear your answer."

"My answer?"

"Where you want to be after you graduate."

"Don't you already know?" His lips pull up into a confident smile, "Because you said it, Y/n-chan. I can't see myself doing anything but playing volleyball for my future."

"No matter how you get there?"

"No matter how I get there." He confirms, watching you with a tilt to his head, "But I will get there."

"Of that, I have no doubt. I've seen you play, too."

And like that, his smile twists into a satisfied smirk, "Just on video, huh? You still have to come to one of my games in person, though."

"Oh, I do, do I?" You're grinning as the two of you fall back into lighthearted teasing.

"Of course. I think there's still a thing or two I could teach you."

"I'm sure. Without a doubt."

By the time the boat reaches the end of its line, the cotton candy is completely gone, much like any space between you both. The two of you are just short of leaning into each other, your sides already pretty much pressed against each other for most of the fifteen minute ride, as you and Toru talked and joked about various things with only the blinking stars and swaying trees as your witnesses.

You take a deep breath in as your boat approaches the dock, starting to pull away from him slightly, but you also catch the now-familiar scent of some product Toru uses and it smells divine. It's the sort of scent that makes you want to lean into his chest or neck and just relax while he holds you.

Oh my god. You need to slap yourself. That was pathetic, right? And after just one romantic boat ride, holy shit. You still have another hour and a half to go unless you completely bail on him. And for what? Because you caught yourself slipping? Again?

Ugh. No. You're here to be a good friend. And okay, take it slow and see what else could be between the both of you. But that shit wasn't slow.

You've pulled away, physically and metaphorically, by the time your boat docks but you still accept his hand as he helps you off, blocking the attendant yet again. He doesn't pull away though and neither do you, so you're still holding hands as you and Toru walk to your next destination.

Just taking it slow. Right... Shit.

Turns out your next destination is the carousel. You two keep switching horses, messing around until you're politely removed. After which you hit up some of the rides like the one that spins really fast so that you're pressed back against the reclined wall, or the one where you sit in a claw that swings you up, down, around, etc.

Following that, it's mini coasters and then upgraded back to some of your favourite thrill coasters from earlier in the day. You tell him it's a completely different experience at night. After the first one, he agrees. So you two hit up four more.

By the time the two of you get off the last one, teasing and laughing about who was screaming louder (it was him, obviously), you only have a little over twenty minutes left before the park closes. So your hand finds Toru's, your fingers lacing together with ease and electric familiarity by now, and you pull him along in order to run back to the hotel through the remaining crowd.

"Why are we going back?" He's barely even out of breath as he easily catches up to race beside you, but you guess neither are you. Thank you, conditioning.

"It's a surprise!"

The concierge barely startles when he sees two teens just run through, raising his hand to call out before lowering it in defeat. You're already gone anyways. You reach the elevator bay and hit the button for your floor, thankfully the door to the middle one opens immediately with a smooth tone. When the two of you get in for the ride up to the top floor, the pace steadies and you're just looking at each other while you each catch your breath, then you burst out laughing again.

"Okay so you're still not going to tell me?" There's a little bit of mock attitude in his tone but it's washed away by his genuine smile.

"Just wait."

The elevator dings as it reaches your floor and you're pulling him out with the doors barely open. The two of you reach your room and you swipe the card over the lock, opening the door, pulling you both through and closing it in swift motions before letting go of his hand and running to the balcony.

"Come on!"

You look back to encourage him forward as you open the double doors and he strolls up to your side before you both step out together. Just as you reach the rail, faint music starts to drift up from the park's speakers, getting louder and louder until you can hear its strains clearly, playing the orchestral melody that indicates the park will be closing in fifteen minutes.

It's what you can see only from up here that you wanted to show him. Because with the music that plays, there are lights quite literally at every inch of the park that turn on in an incredible show.

Many people gather on the streets or at particular locations for the ground level view. But those are always crowded and honestly a pretty limited view of the show's true scale. It's the guests who have park facing rooms and know to stop for the view from their balconies at this time that experience the true and complete nature of the stunning spectacle.

"Wow." He barely says it, it's more like a word he releases with his breath, but you're so happy knowing you were right.

This is the perfect ending to an incredibly special day that deserves no less. You and Toru stand there, side by side for the full fifteen minutes, still under the carpet of stars that seem a little closer from up here. The two of you hold hands, arms and sides pressed against each other as you both lean on the balustrade and listen to the crescendos and decrescendos, glancing at each other with smiles and the occasional comment. Sometimes pointing to a corner or edge of the park laid out beneath you to pull the other's attention with a tug on your linked hands.

And when the music starts its final rise only to move into its final descent, you look instead at Toru and find him looking back at you. With your hands still linked, you lean into him further to place a soft kiss on his cheek, mirroring the one from a year ago, this on his other side. Then you lean back to look at his flustered but happy face with a soft smile and add your wish for him to your blessing-

"Happy Birthday, Toru."

Prev | Next

Masterlist

Behind The Scenes!

-ngl but that moment when Toru takes a seat in the boat was fully inspired by my memory of him at the Karasuno vs Shiratorizawa match, just after Iwa hops over the seat like wow, but then the way Oikawa stretches out from his previous position... just more wow. Sorry, I can't explain it. I love that scene (and the others with those two that follow) and I don't know if I'm the only one it stuck with like this...

A/N: Okay...time for the vent... I will be the first to say that I love Kuroo and Suna primarily, and both the Miyas are a close second.. but I DO NOT KNOW HOW OIKAWA KEEPS PULLING THIS ON ME like... this whole episode really got away from me again. I mean, I did like Oikawa as a close second to Kuroo (who's been my steady the whole time, js, it's unwavering) for a LONG time before being intro'd to Inarizaki but... then Suna just came in and turned my head until I was like.. Oikawa, who? But maybe this just goes deep, so I didn't know he was always still in there. He IS incredibly lovable after all, you can't change my mind about that, and I really respect him as a complex character and okay, yeah, I honestly can't remember who was my first between him and Kuroo at this point because I was simping for them both before I really even remembered their names (and was trying to avoid being teased by my bf for rewatching scenes with them since he had to bribe me to watch the show in the first place). Anyways, I don't know what I'm saying anymore since I desperately need to go to sleep, maybe for a whole day, so I hope you guys like this one! Because.. just, yeah. Toru <3 I guess

Taglist: @delusivist, @prettyinblack231, @kac-chowsballs, @sakusasimpbot, @hawkthekinnie, @poppi144

[quirkdotcom]

The Arrangement //

Shoto Todoroki x Fem! Reader

Part One: The Mall Incident

Part Two

Summary: Your father is a particularly strong pro hero, and owns his own agency, however, he seemingly has picked an opportunity for you to be the tie between his agency, and pro hero Endeavor's agency.

Authors Note:

One; I'm planning this to be a three part fic, my next update hopefully on Friday May 15th ! Let me know if you'd like to be on this specific taglist, or even a taglist for anything I post !

Two; I wanted to have a little fun in this, so I added in an OC of mine! I made the reader attend an unnamed school, where her friends wouldn't be main characters from MHA, and decided to throw in Maiko (my OC) anyways, I hope you enjoy !

"A student from UA? Is father okay? I thought he hated that school?" You had to stop yourself, had you really heard your mother right?

She sighed heavily, shaking her head slightly, "He does, however, your father is willing to look past the fact as long as everything goes according to plan" 

This time, it was your turn to sigh.

This 'plan' was one of you meeting some student, your parents meeting, and at the end of the day, agreeing to a marriage after graduation.

You knew that you really had no choice in the matter, which is why you had never put up a fight about it, but it didn't mean that you were particularly happy about it.

Quietly, you stood up, excusing yourself from the table and your mother, leaving the dainty tea cup where it sat.

"Well, since the meeting with this student will be this weekend, I'm going to go out and buy an outfit for it." You bowed your head slightly before turning and leaving the room.

Now out of sight of your mother, you stretched, stifling a yawn as you made your way to your room, grabbing your phone from your pocket, sending a quick message to your closest friend, asking if she'd accompany you to the mall.

The two of you attended a private academy focused on teaching it's students to not only strengthen their quirks, or accelerate their academics, but also in etiquette and manners. Everything was about being proper and elite.

It was the very same school that your father had transferred to after his time at UA.

You personally didn't quite like it there, at times some students tried to pick on you, or the teachers would reprimand you for even the slightest mistake.

But, just like the marriage arrangement, you had no choice in what school you attended, your father was hellbent on you following his steps, and staying the hell away from UA.

Regardless, you had eventually made some friends, and for the first few years, you scored in the top of your class.

"Oh, (Y/n) while you're out, would you mind picking up a few things for me?" Your mother's voice rang out from behind your door, breaking your train of thoughts.

"Just make me a list, and leave it on the counter!" 

It didn't take long for you to change out of your uniform and into something comfier, or for you to grab your messenger style purse, or to find the list from your mother. With your father gone, there were no distractions or unnecessary lectures.

What took the most time was getting to the mall. You could have driven, but it was nice out, the sky was clear of clouds, and there was a light breeze that flowed through the leaves in the trees.

So, you took to walking. Though, when you got to the mall, your best friend was standing with her arms crossed and a bored look on her face.

"(Y/N)! There you are! I've been waiting for hours!" She gave a dramatic sigh as you walked over.

"Calm down Maiko ! " you chuckled, she was almost always over dramatic, something that had drawn you to her in the first place.

She gave you a playful wink, and nodded her head to the doors, starting to walk inside, "Whatever, we both know that I can't calm down," she paused, giving small jazz hands, "I've got constant anxiety" 

"Ah, the curse of having a third eye quirk," You followed behind, then moved to the side of her. 

"Oh! What's the occasion for today's trip?" Maiko tucked a piece of light brown hair behind her ear, eyeing you as she waited for a response.

You hesitated, she still didn't know about the whole arranged marriage, and it had been about a month since you had found out.

"Oh...my family and I are meeting another family for some business thing, so I needed to get a new outfit in case they have a son or daughter our age, " You spouted off a lie, knowing that she'd fall for it, only because she trusted you.

"Ooooh another potential merger for your dad's hero agency?" 

You nodded, pausing as your stomach gave a quiet rumble. 

Despite the lunch you were having with your mother earlier, you didn't really eat. 

"Hey, let's get something to eat first," You point to the nearest food outlet.

Before you know it, Maiko and you are each tossing fries to the other, both failing to catch most in your mouth, but you are having a good time regardless.

Once out of fries, you and her are left with your milkshakes, hers chocolate, and your's strawberry. Something kind of impulsive as you haven't had one strawberry flavored in a few years.

"Hey, I think we could probably take these with us to go look for an outfit," Maiko picks hers up, already a third of it gone.

With a nod, you stand up, grabbing your shake and bag, waiting for Maiko before heading off to your favorite store.

"Hey what about this?" She held up a pleated, light blue skirt, it would stop just above your knees, and complimented you very well, "It even has real pockets!"

"And I could wear it with this shirt...and maybe the jean jacket we found earlier?" You smiled happily, holding up a plain white t-shirt, a small v neck cut, nothing too extreme but not too plain.

Your friend placed the skirt into your basket, and you followed suit with the shirt. All that was needed now, would be to grab the jean jacket from earlier.

However, as you turned, you ran into a...hard surface and along with you, came your half finished milkshake.

You stumbled back, eyes wide as you realized what had just happened.

"Oh my gosh, I am so-"

But the male cut you off, his voice monotone as he did, "Save it, just move out of the way, I need to clean my shirt," 

You quietly moved to the side, watching as the moody stranger walked away, leaving you and Maiko to recover.

He had red hair...well only half of his hair was red, and the other half was white, leaving you to wonder how much hair dye it had taken to get it to look so perfect. 

"Well...I wish I could've helped you see that coming...but uh..I got the jacket?" She smiled sheepishly, causing you to let out a nervous laugh, releasing the tension you didn't know you had.

"Okay, cmon lets go pay!" You turned, still reeling from the encounter with that guy..but hey, at least you wouldn't be seeing him again! 

So, with that thought in mind, Maiko and yourself brought your chosen outfit to the front counters, paid and left the store.

"Hey, are you doing anything tonight?" You turned to Maiko after some five minutes, a thought in the back of your mind, nagging at you since you had left the house to meet her. 

"I don't think so! Why, is your mom cooking tonight? Anything she makes is always better than your dads...or yours," she poked her tongue out at you.

"Wha?! Hey! Im not that bad of a cook!" You pouted and crossed your arms, turning away from her, "Well I did have something to tell you but now its not happening," 

She immediately moved in front of you, "Wait no! Your cooking is good! Just tell me the news!" 

"It'll have to wait for my house, it's kind of big news…"

And with that, the two of you set off for your house, Maiko calling her mom and letting her know where she'd be for the night. 

The walk was spent talking about anything and everything, and at one point Maiko tripping and you having to catch her, but hey, that's what friends are for. 

As you approached your house, you spotted your fathers car in the driveway, causing you to screw your face up in dread. 

Hopefully he didn't have a lecture for you, especially if Maiko was here. You had always hated how he seemed to pick on you whenever your friends were over.

And much to your dismay, when you walked inside he met you with a sour look, "(Y/n), where have you been? Don't forget about this weekend's meeting, not to mention the exams coming up," 

You bit back a response about how the exams were two months away, and instead just nodded your head, busying yourself with slipping your shoes off, "I was buying a new outfit for our meeting. I told mother before I left."

He paused, now eyeing you and Maiko, "And came home with...Fujino was it?" 

She nodded, even though she practically lived at your house for a week at a time due to the amount of sleep overs you had, your father had barely bothered to remember her name. 

"Im sorry for not telling you ahead of time, Sir." She bowed her head slightly, only really apologizing because she knew that if she didn't, it would come down on you. 

"Make your way to (Y/n)'s room, I still need to have a few words with her," he commanded, waiting for her to go up the stairs before he continued.

"And (Y/n), do not forget how important this marriage arrangement is. The Todoroki family is powerful, Endeavor is rising in his ranks as a hero, and his son will follow suit. You have to make sure that you are seen as exemplary, no mistakes can be made. Do you understand?" 

You paused, heart hanging heavy, "Yes father…" 

Once he let you go, you made your way to the top of the stairs, seeing that Maiko was waiting for you, a worried look in her eyes, "So...a marriage proposal?" 

"Welcome to the news I had for you…" 

You two moved into your room, the bag of clothes dropped onto the floor, and you climbed onto your bed, grabbing an orange bunny plush, hugging it to your chest.

"Okay so I wanted to tell you about the arrangement but...I dunno, its hard. I'm having my choice taken away from me and for what? So my father and this other hero to have a more powerful agency?" 

"(Y/n)...im so sorry that you've been going through this alone. I'm here for you, whatever you need!" She moved to a swinging chair you had, sitting in it carefully as she thought for a moment, "So, you've never met this guy or his family?" 

"At most I know his family name. But Im too busy focusing on school work to pay attention to how his father is "So high up the ranks" or whatever. Its like my father thinks that this 'Endeavor' guy is the number two pro hero or something…" You puffed out a breath of air, pursing your lips as you thought quietly. 

Maiko stared at you for a few minutes, blinking a few times as she tried to break the news to you. 

"Uhh..Endeavor...as in Enji Todoroki?" 

You looked up, nodding quietly at her puzzled look. 

"(Y/n) he is the number two hero...or wait..if All Might retired a few years back... then number one actually!" She hummed as she herself started to think but eventually shook her head, eyes widening. 

Maiko quickly pulled out her phone, typing hurriedly into it and gasping, "(Y/n) wait! His son goes to UA! His son is reportedly one of the Big Three of his class!" She stopped, scrolling, "uh oh…" 

At this, you scrambled from your spot to her, pulling the phone from her hand to look at what the cause of this 'uh oh' was. 

It was a picture.  A picture of Endeavour's son. He had red and white hair, and a glare so deadly it probably would kill someone on sight. 

But what got you more was the fact that this was the guy from the mall earlier.  You had totally spilled a strawberry shake all over the number one hero's son, and the guy who you would be marrying after graduation. 

"This is...this is fucked. Im so screwed! Not only did I embarrass myself but now I've probably made it seem like im a clumsy girl who likes to shop all the time and now this...Todoroki guy is going to tell his father about me and then it'll ruin the arrangement and my father will kill me." You spouted off more worries until Maiko grabbed your shoulders, shaking you lightly.

"Hey! We aren't planning your funeral yet! Maybe we can meet up with him before you have to meet with his dad! I think I know one of the students at UA!" 

You looked to her, your breathing returning to normal as you nodded along, maybe that could work after all.

"Okay so, we ask whoever you know to get his number and text him about how it was me who spilled the drink and I wanted to apologize...and that Im also the girl he's meeting this weekend!" 

Maiko punched her fist into the palm of her hand, "Okay, lets set this plan into action! I'll text Kirishima!" 

You eyed her, realizing that you had never questioned how she knew anyone at UA, "While you do that, mind explaining to me about whoever this Kirishima is?" 

She only smiled for a moment, putting her phone down after sending him a message about Todoroki, "Oh! He and I work in the same coffee shop! Not everyone is super rich you know, but he's pretty nice guy, kinda cute too. But, you know how my mom is. Im surprised that she let me be friends with you, I swear, she's scared of anyone!" 

You gave a 'Mhhm' to her, knowing full and well that this was the coworker who she tended to talk about but never named, knowing that you'd probably show up to her work to try and get more information.  But hey, you'd leave it at that for now. 

"Well...I guess that now we wait for Kirishima to hopefully send us Todoroki's number?' 

"Now we wait! And with our good luck, by Wednesday we can smoothen out what happened at the mall…" 

You nodded once, as much as this plan seemed rickety, you were willing to take the chance. While you hated the idea of a marriage to whoever this young hero may be, you know that if you messed it up, your father would never let you live it down. 

[roswelldetails]

RNM 2x06 - Sex and Candy

EPISODE SUMMARY:

Maria’s (Heather Hemmens) investigation into her mother’s disappearance leads her and Alex (Tyler Blackburn) to the home of a mysterious boot maker named Travis (guest star David Anders). Meanwhile, on her journey of self-discovery, Isobel’s (Lily Cowles) night out leads her into the arms of someone unexpected. Finally, after making some major scientific strides, Liz (Jeanine Mason) is dealt a devastating blow. Geoff Shotz directed the episode written by Rick Montano & Vincent Ingrao (#206). Original airdate 4/20/2020.

DETAILS:

Max and Isobel's fight:

Lights start flickering when Max starts getting aggressive and then get brighter as he gets more worked up.

The first attempt to expel it seemed like he was causing an earthquake.  He blew out all the windows in the gym, knocked Isobel down, and there was shaking.  But it didn't seem to go beyond that room - no damage is seen when Michael arrives or around town.

Note, after the earthquake thingie the lights go out 

His hands are doing the electric power thingie and THEN he also grabs the lightning.

I think Isobel used her telekinesis to stop it and then push it away, which seemed to work...but if so then why couldn't Noah do that last season? 

Was it the sheer volume of electricity? There was definitely MORE than with Noah.

Michael uses his telekinesis to manually reset Max's heart.  This is very smart of him. Note that he's using his own heart/pulse to get it right.

They are using the antidote to Liz's serum to try to heal Max's mind. 

Michael says that they've been giving him antidote injections for three days (time jump).

Three days of antidote and no new memories for Max.

Isobel remembered her blackouts within a few hours of getting injected with the antidote in 1x10.

Note: Liz hesitated using the antidote this way in 1x10 because Isobel could still be dangerous and they didn't know about the 4th Alien yet.  There doesn't seem to be a similar hesitation with Max. Because Liz trusts him more? Because him forgetting her is more personal? It's not like there isn't a chance that Max is still dangerous…

Maria arranged a Mexican market in the Pony parking lot to subsidize her income.

Buffy the Beagle is Forrest's dog!

Maria comments that the meteor shower makes animals act strange. And humans too.

Forrest and Maria are organizing an open night mic at the Wild Pony.  Free drinks for performers.

Maria clearly approves of Forrest and Alex getting to know each other.  She smacks Alex for his awkward flirting.

The bootmaker's farm is about an hour outside of town.

The Science:

Kyle and Steph are watching a "surgical separation of craniopagus twins".

Craniopagus Twins = twins attached at the cranium/head. (Aka not a heart surgery).

"Did you know, ever since 1947, twin births in Roswell are higher than the national average? Maybe it's aliens."

Speaking of awkward flirting…. "You're just my favorite person I can't stand."

The Spanish:

Le cambio una bolsa de chiles para mi papá...for the free fries next time you come to the Crashdown.

Liz is bartering.  She says basically, I'll trade you a bag of chiles for my papa for free fries next time you come to the Crashdown. 

Note, the captions for this are wrong and use the Spanish word for grasshoppers instead, but you can clearly hear Liz say chiles. Thanks to @rosaortecho for pointing that out to me.

Max says:

I'm trying to eat clean. Uh, tiene carne seca sin como se dice, preservativos.

He's trying to say, basically, does the jerky have preservatives. 

Quiere carne a sin preservativos?

Basically, you want meat without condoms?

Lo siento. Uh, no lo entiendo.

I'm sorry, I don't get it.

Él quiere decir conservantes.

He means preservatives.

Gracias. Estoy embarazado.

Thank you. I'm pregnant.

Michael asks Max who he's texting. Max says everyone has been messaging him but Cameron is the only one who hasn't responded, which isn't like her.

Wildly curious who he was texting though.  It's not like he's a social butterfly. His mom? The sheriff? Who? As I pointed out to some friends the other day, he spent his 21st birthday getting trashed with his SISTER. This is not a trait of a guy with lots of close friends.

Just as another note, Michael says he ghosted her. When exactly was that? Yes, Max ran out on her in the middle of a handy in 1x03, but they addressed that the next day.  She "broke up" with him in 1x07, but they were still good right up until she left town. 

Isobel:

"Does he seem different to you?"

Alex and Maria playing "Never have I Ever" in the car. Good way to do background on characters.

Maria has never cheated on a boyfriend

Alex has never been in a real relationship. Not even "Kellie Sommer-something".

Alex says that whenever he was with a woman he was trying to disappear.  Except for Sophomore year after Battle of the Bands. Seven Minutes in Heaven in Haley Moore's hall closet. Alex and Maria kissed and it was Maria's first kiss (and boob graze).  She always thought she'd marry Alex. Had to come up with a new plan after he came out. 

Alex says "I did too."

"Kissing you in that closet was the first time in my life that I enjoyed touching someone."

Max picks up Liz for their first date…

Just as a note, Save Tonight was the opening song in the pilot of OG Roswell. During the "oh, Max Evans is staring at you again." exchange between Liz and Maria.  So, it might go well with new beginnings or something ;-)

The Science:

"Psychogenic amnesia limits retrieval of stored memories, but if we light up your limbic system and gustatory cortex with some familiar signals…"

"Your milkshake might bring all my memories to the yard?"

**Note, second reference to this song in the context of Liz bringing Max milkshakes. First was in 1x06 by Isobel. Hmm. 1x06 and 2x06… maybe they should crack this joke in 3x06 too.

"Sometimes when people wake up from comas they have different personalities, different tastes even…"

Everything you ever wanted to know about psychogenic amnesia:

But, my main takeaway is that it's a specific type of amnesia where there's abnormal memory function but no brain damage or other clear cause of it.

Limbic system:

Basically the part of your brain that stores emotion, behavior, and long term memory.

Gustatory cortex:

Basically the part of your brain that processes taste.

Maria compares Michael to Chad because he starts fights and lies.  Alex disagrees and lists ways that he was doing good things:

He lied to protect his family from Alex's family.

He shouldered the burden of a murder he didn't commit for ten years so that Isobel didn't have to.

He pushed Maria away to protect her - which might be a good thing too because of all his baggage. 

First Date:

Max went to Ranch camp one summer and dislocated his shoulder while trying to read Lord of the Rings on horseback. #nerd. 

Liz references the gala as not their first date, but there was also the desert in high school.  I guess she doesn't count that either. 

Side note: Cam and Liz talked about him peacocking in 2x03, but that kinda felt out of character at the time to the Max we knew.  This Max DOES seem like he's peacocking a bit. Got dressed up, taking Liz horseback riding. He admitted to trying to one up whatever they did together before. Just an interesting (to me) observation.

Liz looks panicky when Max suggests truth serum (because Science!Liz probably could make truth serum), but once she realizes he means whiskey she's like, "oh yes, that's fine." Oh Liz… 

Diego details:

They were engaged just last year

Liz left without saying goodbye

Bioengineer 

They were working together on the Denver study

They would come home and keep talking about work

He had ideas to help improve it

They both spoke The Science

He pushed her to get better at The Science

When the funding was cut she realized she loved the work more than him

Liz couldn't figure out how tell him that so she packed her things in the middle of the night, hit the road, changed her phone, and blocked him on Facebook.

**This is the first time LIZ has mentioned social media. Interesting given the crap Maria keeps giving her about it!

Travis and fresh warm milk. What is up with it??

"Nice ring. Does it keep you from burning up in the daylight?"

David Anders introduces himself as Travis.

Just as a point of interest, Maria researched enough to find the bootmaker, figure out where he lives, but she didn't get his name??? 

Vampire Diaries/Originals reference.

Travis says he can't help with car stuff.

The milk was from a cow named Jennifer.  He milked her for the last time today. (Creepy).

Weird contradictory statements from Travis:

"You're the best thing I've seen in a long time."....

"Mm, I'm sorry. So many customers and all their ugly faces get all sewn up and stitched together in my mind."

"Yeah, that's the woman that bought them boots. While back. Nice lady. She paid cash."

Second reference to animals behaving strangely during a meteor shower:

"Meteor shower's got my girls singing a bit off key tonight.  Jennifer, she likes a good lullaby."

"Okay this guy is going to turn us into skin suits." (OG reference? Or just general sci-fi?)

Meteorchella at Planet 7 (Coachella-style party during meteor shower?) with any excuse to add sparkles!

Kyle says he's at Planet 7 because he's trying not to hang out with people from high school.

Isobel says she's trying to have fun without feeling like prey.

Don't think the details of Kyle/Isobel dancing matters all that much, but as a point of amusement I'll share that in the panel on Tuesday night they shared that Lily whispered something different to Trevino on every take...And they got progressively dirtier to the point that she finally felt like she crossed a line and profusely apologized.  Also the lick was a Lily addition. 

Max's confession about killing the drifter:

Kind of an interesting thing, comparing the first version of the drifter story in 1x06 to the 2x06 version. 1x06 was more dramatic, but 2x06 was more personal, I think. 

1x06

"There are moments that define our lives, and there are moments that divide our lives. Incidents that separate us into two different people: who we were before and who we will be after. Forever…One day we were children and the next we were something else. I was a killer. Michael an accomplice.  And Isobel...Isobel was broken."

2x06

"I killed a man once, on a camping trip. This drifter came out of nowhere, attacked Isobel.  I wasn't even thinking. I killed him. With this. I arrest people who kill people. Most of them usually regret what they did. You know, you can just tell that they're forever broken. It's like a piece of them dies with their victims. So when I could feel that darkness, like I had to kill, I wanted Isobel to let me die. Because I couldn't risk hurting even one innocent person. Cause life just wouldn't be worth living."

Kind of an interesting narrative choice to confess to murder on a first date and then have the girl just brush it aside. 

"No, it just hit me why you're so happy and idealistic, and I feel like an idiot. You are that way because you don't remember me. It's a clean slate.  It's like when you got out of the pods with whatever memories you had erased it's probably for your own good."

"Last I heard you were the love of my life."

"Your cohorts, they left out some details. Cause if you had your memories I'm positive the worst thing that's ever happened to you is connected to me. And I can't bear the weight of making you remember that again."

**Note, second time this has been implied.  Last time was by Michael in 1x08 regarding the alien symbol.

"...it's gotta have some connection to us right? Maybe it was something we saw somewhere before the crash."

"Sorry, are you, Max Evans, acknowledging that we must have had lives before we hatched out of the pods? You never want to talk about home."

"Hey, Roswell is home. Look, I'm sorry man. You're right. I've spent a lot of time not talking about where we come from or why we're here.  Keep thinking I can pretend the past away and just be normal. But if Isobel's blackouts are some alien thing, then I need to know more. Okay, and this symbol? That's all I have to go on. I mean don't you think it's strange that we don't have any memories? I mean, no parents, no language. We weren't infants, man. We were seven."

"I just figured our memory faded. Over 50 years in those pods. Maybe it was just time. Or maybe whoever put us in those pods doesn't want us to remember."

Travis and Trevor's house...with added bonus of his ring that Alex comments on.

Leather ribbons/strips on the wall are for (from?) Hayley and Gertrude. More cows, I presume. 

There's also a framed Purple Heart on the wall next to a photo of Travis?

"War really messes with a man's mind.  Gets it all twisted up.

Timeline issue!! Alex says Mimi was missing for 3 weeks, but according to the clearly established timelines in 201-203 it was 4 weeks (or a month ish).  I wrote about this here:

Maria put her jacket on a scarecrow to trick Travis. And did she leave it there?

(Answer: yes. She doesn't wear it for the rest of the episode. Smart of her, actually).

Michael sees Trevor come out of the house and is about to shoot him. Maria immediate knew it wasn't Travis and threw herself in front of Michael's gun

Trevor shoots Travis.

A bullet from the Crashdown shooting falls out of Max's journal.  Does it look like it has blood on it? Or maybe just ketchup? If it's THE bullet it would make a lot of sense that he kept it hidden - evidence that Liz was shot. See this comparison between one of Wyatt's bullets in 1x02 and the one Max finds in 2x06

"Sorry about my twin here. He's had a rough go."

"Combat does not make you an axe murderer."

"No, it wasn't the combat. It was the R&D. If a paramilitary group ever asks you to take part in a study, you run the other way. He showed up a few weeks ago. Locked me up out back. Lucky y'all showed up when you did. Gave me a chance to escape."

R&D is a military acronym for Research and Development. (Aka...The Science.)

Priscilla - the cow Mimi's boots were made from.

This is literally the only direct information gained about the boots from this little sleuthing excursion. 

Well, and that Mimi paid cash, which isn't like her.

Side note - I didn't really know what Paramilitary meant, so just in case any of you are also not good with military stuff, Paramilitary groups are like private armies. Like, I dunno, the private security firm that Jesse and Cam discussed in episode 2x04. 👀

Male doctor operating on Steph clearly states:

"All right we're approaching an arterial junction."

A female doctor replies and its less clear.  What I hear is...Blood gasses are back? Anyone else hear something that makes more sense than that?

He replied something like...the stint through here

She says something about pH levels.

Max admits that he didn't know what would happen when he decided to bring Rosa back.  He just wanted to fix the worst thing that ever happened to all of them.

"I can't believe we were Shyamalan'd by an evil twin."

I think Alex is referring to the twist ending? Or maybe just the insane axe murderer stuff.

M. Night Shyamalan wrote and directed the Sixth Sense, Signs, Split, etc…

During this scene is the first time we see Michael's tattoo… it's on his arm. I struggled with getting a cap of it, but I know there are gifs going around.

I had every intention of detailing the dialogue in the trailer scene, but before I could get to it, Carina posted the script, so I didn't think it was a good use of my time. Here's the script:

The next morning, Alex calls the Sheriff from outside the trailer for an update.

The Sheriff tells him that Travis and Trevor burned their home and ran...weren't caught by the sheriff.  Which means we may not have seen the last of them.

The Spanish:

"Oh my God. Dios mio, Max. I took off your pants before I even said I love you. I'm some kind of zorra."

Dios mio basically is Oh My God! So Liz really was spiraling. She went, "Oh my God, Oh my God..."

Zorra - female version of Zorro. Basically a vixen, bitch, prostitute… the internet has all sorts of fun words that it translates into. 

"I call this one Visceral Werewolf Part 2, dedicated to my boy Chee Chee, may he rest in peace."

Can we have more Bert? Bert is the best. Also kudos to his goofy friend who is wayyy too excited about this.

Forrest's slam poem:

Locked up for days,

Time slipping away,

On my knees I would pray to break free from this cage.

But bargaining for keys, you forget hidden fees.

And wishing for what you’re missing ain’t the same as living the dream. 

And now I’m fighting to stay on this side of the cage.

Even though I know a part of me wishes I’d stayed. 

Ain’t no prophet or rebel or savior or devil

Could have predicted, fought, cheated or leveled. 

A life with potential that’s squandered, 

A comfortable cell is a question I ponder. 

Am I a free man or a prisoner wanderer?

Max's memory flash:

Young Max, chained to the ground as described in 2x03. 

Max looks scared.

He's dressed all in white like the 1947 aliens after the crash (As shown in 1x12 and 2x03).

He's in a cave or something like a cave. 

Holes in the wall are glowing an orangey red color.

The ceiling is like the alien ship material with the alien symbol in it.  

A figure approaches from behind him, bends down, and places a hand on his shoulder.

It mirrors the figure approaching Nora in 2x03 and touching her shoulder before burning the military men...probably the same person? Noah? The stowaway? Someone new?

After the figure touches Max, he looks at the hand, and then a red glow lights his face.

MUSIC:

1. Xocoyotzin Herrera "Esperanza"

2. Jose Luis Lepe "La Carreta"

3. Eagle Eye Cherry "Save Tonight"

4. Lousiana Red "I Done Woke Up"

5. Whissell "Magnetic"

6. Stop Dead "Alchemistress Dance"

7.  Orville Peck "Turn To Hate"

8. Kim Petras "Close Your Eyes"

9. Orville Peck "Queen Of The Rodeo"

10. Moontricks "The Fall"

11. Years & Years "Hypnotised"

12. Jordan Critz Feat. Birdtalker "Through Your Eyes"

This time I couldn't find the Whissell and Stop Dead tracks on spotify - however the Stop Dead track is referenced at being by Chelsea Dawn in the closed captions.  Which I did find. Trying to confirm this. Let me know if anyone else had better luck!