#the answer to both is sour creme

[justanothersanjilover]

One Piece Modern Gym AU Wip (Part 16)

After Sanji’s nosebleed stopped, they finished eating in silence - both a little lost in their own minds. Zoro thought about the possibility of Sanji getting a nosebleed because of him and not because of high blood pressure. Sanji, on the other hand, thought desperately about anything different than Zoro, saying he has a vagina paired with his very hot body! Fuck he always knew he was into guys, too - maybe even more than into women. But if a guy had a vagina? He felt the tickle of another nosebleed and thought about dead dog puppies and sad things like that to stop it.

“What’s for dessert?” Zoro asked with an impatient smile.

Sanji looked up. Fuck him; if he were a bit more confident, he’d say “me”. But he couldn't…He couldn't say that, right? He didn't even know if Zoro was into him.

“Vanilla ice creme with hot Raspberries, if you want? Since you don't like sweets too much, I thought the sourness of the Raspberries would be a good pair with the ice cream.”

“Never tried it, so why not?”

Sanji beamed at Zoro, and honestly, that was enough to endure a bit of sweet food. Zoro helped put the dirty plates into the dishwasher and sat down on the bar chair again. He already loved watching Sanji cook - even if he just heated a bunch of frozen Raspberries. He took out two fancy-looking bowls and put the ice creme into it - topping it off with the Raspberries. They took the bowlers over to the table again and sat down. Sanji’s eyes were glued to Zoro as he took the first spoon.

“Aaaand?”

“It's…not as bad as I thought?” Zoro offered - despite the sour Raspberries it was still too sweet for his taste.

“You’re a bad liar!”

“I just don't want to make you feel bad.”

“Thanks for that,” Sanji smiled. “If you want, you can leave this for me and take the rest of the Raspberries.”

“You sure?”

Sanji nodded, and Zoro pushed his bowl over to him. After that, he went to the kitchen again and grabbed the pot with the warm berries. Coming back over, he heard Sanji snort and look at him unquestioningly.

“Seems to be delicious when you can't even get another bowl but eat straight out of the pot.”

“Am I not allowed to?” A tint of red colored Zoro’s cheeks.

“You are! I just found it funny, that’s all. To me, it’s just such a single live behavior to do that. You don't worry about a plate just because it seems unnecessary to dirty it if the pot is already dirty, and you can also eat out of it.”

“That is exactly what I tried to explain to Nami for years!”

“Well, you don't have to explain it to me.”

They both smiled and ate in comfortable silence again. It was Sanji breaking the quiet atmosphere with a blurred-out question that made his face red as a tomato only a second later.

“Are you single?”

Zoro choked on a spoonful of Raspberries and started coughing.

“Sorry! I shouldn't have asked out of nowhere! You don't have to answer! Sorry!” Sanji’s voice became more and more shrill as he spoke.

He shot up from his chair, his face now completely red, took the two bowls, and headed to the sink. Busining himself with washing the dishes as Zoro stared holes into his back while coughing.

“I…” Zoro rasped, clearing his throat a few times - choking on Raspberries wasn't pleasant; it stung and burned.

“You really don't have to answer,” Sanji said again.

Why did he even ask? The possibility of Zoro being in a relationship was so high! He didn't want to hear that he was taken. Not knowing at least meant he could pretend that this was a date. A bit fucked up, but that was what his mind was set on since Zoro agreed to come over and let Sanji cook for him.

“I am.”

Zoro’s voice came from behind but not from way back at the table. He stood behind him, Sanji realized. What did he say?

“Hm?” Yeah, such a brilliant way to ask him to repeat his words…

“I said I am, Curly. I’m single - for a while now, actually.”

“O…kay…Great…” Sanji blurred out - again without really thinking about his words. “I mean, not great! I’m sorry! Should…should I be sorry?”

Zoro chuckled behind him, and Sanji blushed an even deeper red.

“Sorry, I’m not good at this…fucking shit, this is so embarrassing…”

“I think it’s cute,” Zoro laughed - his voice even nearer to Sanji than a second before.

Sanji felt his heart taking a leap, and he felt breath ghosting over his hair. Shit, Zoro was standing close. Another breath, and he shivered so much that one of the bowls slipped out of his hand and splashed water onto his shirt as it fell into the sink.

“What about you?” Zoro asked casually.

“W…what?” His brain seemed to be turned off.

“Are you single?”

“Yes…”

Another breath, a deep one directly at the back of his head. Hell, what was Zoro doing to him?! His whole body shook, his heart seemed to want to break his ribcage, and his cheeks were burning like on fire.

“Good,” Zoro said. “Otherwise, this would be a bit awkward.”

“What do you mea…”

Sanji swallowed the rest of his question as Zoro’s arms wrapped around his body. He could feel his face pressed against the back of his head, inhaling deeply. A low sound - almost like a grumbly purr - came from Zoro and made Sanji shiver. At first, he was stiff as a plank, but he relaxed quickly and let himself sink against Zoro’s body.

“Go on a date with me, Curly?”

“I…”

“Please?”

Sanji wanted to tell him that, at least for him, this was already a date. But maybe it wasn't for Zoro? He didn't say anything about it, just smiled as he felt Zoro’s hand softly brushing over his belly.

“Yeah, I’d love to do that.”

Prev/next

First part

[campmurderparty]

zach & reagan.

Reagan was one of his best friends, but she was still a bit of an enigma. The information he knew about her past was always given in short, casual vignettes, little stories she’d breeze through before zach even had a chance to ask about the previous one. It was all a puzzle, her life, and zach was constantly given new pieces. Maybe in a few years, he’d be able to complete it and say he knew everything about the mystery called reagan tucker. “Well, you can be one of my cousins, if you want. We’ll just say you’re my extremely white-passing cousin.” The idea made him a little sad, that she didn’t have a big family like he did. Though he wasn’t as close to his girl cousins—as they had always been called, even when they were kids—due to distance and a slight age gap, he didn’t know what he would do without daniel. They functioned as best friends and quasi-brothers, and while dan’s personal life was just as messy as zach’s, he could always rely on daniel for some advice (that zach would seldom follow) or a night of getting high and playing call of duty.

“Ah!” zach squeaked suddenly, a dreamy expression coming over his face as he held out his hands like a romantic hero, “the whispers of the morning of lovers sleeping tight…” he began to sing, exaggerating high pitched, but he quickly stopped when the few other patrons looked at him with accusing eyes. Hater café! Café full of haters! He thought, dropping his hands and refocusing his attention on reagan. Her explanation about cake over sex made him laugh. “Okay, cake freak, I get it. I won’t yuck your yum, or whatever the phrase is.” he was willing to be convinced, however. “This better be some damn good cake. If you hyped it up so much just for it to be bad, I'm going to steal your wallet.” he made up the threat on the spot, laughing at his own creativity. For a brief moment, he was able to forget all about his heartbreak. “Banana is the best flavor, dude! Banana milk was always my favorite growing up, and I always took the banana laffy taffys out of the bag before anyone else could. People always think I'm crazy when I tell them, but they’re the ones who are nuts.”

When the waitress greeted their table, he jumped in his seat a little at her sudden appearance. It didn’t matter, though, because the waitress and reagan were talking as if he wasn’t even there. Damn, I see how it is. His eyesight was still a little blurry, but he was squinting at the both of them with a slight smirk on his face. He gave his order of the banana cake, then watched as the waitress walked away. Zach gave reagan a knowing smile. “Hmm, alright. She was pretty cute.” but the talk of cute girls and sex made his stomach sour a little bit. His brief reprieve from thinking about katie was now over, his expression turning wistful. He tried to get over it and answer the question. “I don’t know… I had this creme brulee once at this restaurant that I might've cried eating, but nothing coming close to… coming.” he barked out an uproarious laugh. Of course that was when their cute waitress returned with their cake slices! Zach grimaced, still laughing. “Sorry.”

[someotherdog]

reagan was one of his best friends, but she was still a bit of an enigma. the information he knew about her past was always given in short, casual vignettes, little stories she’d breeze through before zach even had a chance to ask about the previous one. it was all a puzzle, her life, and zach was constantly given new pieces. maybe in a few years, he’d be able to complete it and say he knew everything about the mystery called reagan tucker. “well, you can be one of my cousins, if you want. we’ll just say you’re my extremely white-passing cousin.” the idea made him a little sad, that she didn’t have a big family like he did. though he wasn’t as close to his girl cousins—as they had always been called, even when they were kids—due to distance and a slight age gap, he didn’t know what he would do without daniel. they functioned as best friends and quasi-brothers, and while dan’s personal life was just as messy as zach’s, if not more so, he could always rely on daniel for some advice (that zach would seldom follow) or a night of getting high and playing call of duty. mostly the latter.

“ah!” zach squeaked suddenly, a dreamy expression coming over his face as he held out his hands like a romantic hero, “the whispers of the morning of lovers sleeping tight…” he began to sing, exaggeratingly high pitched, but he quickly stopped when the few other patrons looked at him with accusing eyes. hater café! café full of haters! he thought, dropping his hands and refocusing his attention on reagan. her explanation about cake over sex made him laugh. “okay, cake freak, i get it. i won’t yuck your yum, or whatever the phrase is.” he was willing to be convinced, however. “this better be some damn good cake. if you hyped it up so much just for it to be bad, i’m going to steal your wallet.” he made up the threat on the spot, laughing at his own creativity. for a brief moment, he was able to forget all about his heartbreak. “banana is the best flavor, dude! banana milk was always my favorite growing up, and i always took the banana laffy taffys out of the bag before anyone else could. people always think i’m crazy when i tell them, but they’re the ones who are nuts.”

when the waitress greeted their table, he jumped in his seat a little at her sudden appearance. it didn’t matter, though, because the waitress and reagan were talking as if he wasn’t even there. damn, i see how it is. his eyesight was still a little blurry, but he was squinting at the both of them with a slight smirk on his face. he gave his order of the banana cake, then watched as the waitress walked away. zach gave reagan a knowing smile. “hmm, alright. she was pretty cute.” but the talk of cute girls and sex made his stomach sour a little bit. his brief reprieve from thinking about katie was now over, his expression turning wistful. he tried to get over it and answer the question. “i don’t know… i had this creme brulee once at this restaurant that i might’ve cried eating, but nothing coming close to… coming.” he barked out an uproarious laugh. of course that was when their cute waitress returned with their cake slices! zach grimaced, still laughing. “sorry.”

"like i said, at least they talk to you. i don't know if my cousins would even recognize me if they ran into me on the street." reagan often wondered if she would have turned out differently had she been granted access to being close to her family. or if her parents had even wanted her to begin with. growing up there had been a part of her that had resented them for not just giving her up for adoption. at least that way she had some kind of chance to find someone who actually like having her around. but that was definitely not where her mind wanted to go and she let the karaoke conversation pull her away. "ballad master and cats enthusiast? oh zach, i don't know how people don't just fall over you every day," she teased, but she had to admit she was kind of excited to see him sing. if only for her own entertainment. "i very much request your rendition of the power of love. i can't say i'm a musical theater person but i will absolutely sing my heart out to that number song from RENT. believe me, your cats secret is safe with me."

reagan laughed at his words, again finding them endearing and despite the terrible lighting, she was already grateful that they had chosen this spot as a stop tonight. "oh believe me, i am always fucking right. it's just sometimes food is able to do things that no orgasm can't. and i love sex. but god do i love cake so much more," she admitted, sure that wouldn't have been the case when she was younger. but she was older and wiser. and late nights indulging in a good piece of cake was a hard feeling to beat. "not here i haven't no. i'm always a bit touch and go with a banana desert but i do love anything banana cream. like i said, order whatever you want, it's my treat," she told him with a wink before laughing at herself.

when the waitress came to take their order, reagan smiled sweetly at her, complimenting her earrings and exchanging compliments back and forth a bit until they finally ordered. "oh i am totally getting her number," reagan said offhand as she sat back, her stomach already grumbling for the order they had just put in. "not but really, you've never had a meal or a dessert or any kind of food that made you think for a moment..damn, this is so much better than sex? i call bullshit if not."

[lioryaakov]

Broke: sour creme vs apple sauce on latkes

Woke: sour creme vs salsa on migas tacos

[mostlymaudlin]

@carryon-countdown day 25: sleepover

rated T, 2k. part of stoner au. :D

tags: penny & baz are besties, sometimes u just have to remind ur friends u love them, friends for a reason friends for a season friends for life type beat, this is about friendship simon has like 2 lines, girls night, absolutely no toenail painting

PENELOPE

Sometimes it really does feel like I need to make new friends. It’s hard, though. I don’t like introducing new people into my life — I don’t like people.

Agatha used to just be my friend. We didn’t have many similar interests, but we lived in the dorms together freshman year and it just sort of worked. We’d sit in our room, me reading, Agatha painting her nails. Every so often, one of us would tell the other a bit of gossip, or describe something weird we saw someone do that day. It was chill. It was fun.

We stopped hanging out as much when she started dating Simon. That was okay, too, because I had started dating Shepard. What wasn’t fine was how Agatha ghosted me when she dumped Simon. It was all kind of harsh. She was graduating early, and then she fucked off to a graduate program in the States. Doesn’t even answer my texts.

So until recently, it’s just been Simon, Shepard and I. But the balance is off. Simon’s a Shepard hog, to be honest. And Shepard’s a Simon hog. And I’m obviously ecstatic that my best friend and my boyfriend get along so well. But sometimes I feel like I’m third-wheeling them.

Sometimes it becomes really apparent that, even though they both love me, they just get along better with each other. I don’t like sitting around and watching stupid shit and rolling joints. They don’t want to read my book recommendations, and they don’t understand when I get stressed out about exams.

And that’s all fine. We all have roles to play in each other’s lives, and I love the roles they play in mine. I just wish I had someone in my life who not only understood and accepted me, but also was a little bit more like me.

I used to think that maybe Baz could be my outside-of-the-friend-group friend. We got on well in classes. Sometimes, we’d teeter on the edge of hanging out beyond the library. But now that he’s dating Simon, he’s been sucked into his vortex.

It’s fine fine fine. I try not to be jealous. I try to remember that I’m luckier than most — that I couldn’t be lonely if I tried, not with the way the three of them hang off me. But there are moments like this where I can’t help but turn sour.

“Baaaaaaaabe!” Simon calls across the library, ignoring all the irritated glances he gets from all the people in our vicinity. Baz is such a stickler about being respectful in the library, but he’s preening at Simon’s attention. When Simon gets close enough, Baz reaches up to pull him into a sloppy, lazy kiss. I try to focus on the study guide Baz and I have been building, but they’ve decided they’re competing for the Guinness Record for loudest, grossest kiss in the world.

Simon releases Baz’s lips with a wet pop, then turns his beam toward me.

“Pen!” he says, setting a large, sweet-smelling Starbucks cup down in front of Baz. I raise my eyebrows at him, and he blushes a bit, lowering his voice when he speaks again. “I didn’t know you’d be here. I’d have gotten you a tea!”

“That’s my bad,” Baz says, eyes apologetic. “I forgot we were meeting up when I sent him my caffeine plea earlier.”

“Whatever,” I say, shrugging. I’m used to it.

Simon litters Baz’s face with kisses before he takes off again — apparently there’s some damsel in distress. (The distress is that there is peanut butter clogging her phone’s charging port.)

When Baz finishes staring dreamily at Simon’s disappearing figure, he turns back to me and nudges his Starbucks cup toward me.

“We can share, if you want?” he says. I wrinkle my nose.

“What is it?” I ask, knowing the answer will be disgusting.

“A creme brulee latte,” he says, and I stare at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. His lip quirks up on one side. “With a shot of vanilla. And whipped cream. Topped with caramel drizzle and cinnamon.”

“They’re going to poison you one day,” I say, sliding the cup back toward him. He laughs before taking a sip.

“I had Simon leave a $20 tip,” he says. “I try to make up for my coffee sins.”

I laugh a little, despite my tetchy mood.

“Sorry I didn’t think to have him get you something,” Baz says again. I’m being too transparent, I think. He keeps shooting me these worried glances, even as he starts setting his pens and highlighters back up to start working again. (He has a system. For everything. It’s mad. But he’s brilliant, so there must be something to it.) I shrug, tapping my pencil against the table as I wait for him to set his writing utensils in a straight line.

“I’m used to it,” I mutter. Baz’s hands pause, and he looks up at me with an eyebrow raised.

“Used to not getting tea?” he prods. I look away, a bit embarrassed. Baz is definitely clocking the heat I can feel in my cheeks.

“Never mind,” I say, sliding a textbook toward me. “Let’s get back to work.”

Baz’s hand lands on my wrist, tugging a bit. I meet his eyes, and they’re concerned.

“Is everything okay?” he asks. His voice is low (respectful of the library) and gentle (respectful of my feelings).

And everything is fine. I’m fine! To even imply that it’s not — that’s why my chin is wobbling a bit. His ridiculous question has tears welling in my eyes. Because it’s ridiculous.

Baz drops his pen on the table. It rolls into his other supplies, disrupting them like a row of dominos. A pencil drops to the floor as he comes around the table to sit in the chair next to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder to pull me against his chest.

It is mortifying to cry in the library. But I woke up early this morning for work, and I’m a little stressed about this exam we’re studying for even though it’s not for a week. And my mother sent me a passive aggressive text that I haven’t gotten a chance to tell Shepard about yet. And my little sister told me she didn’t want my help finding a dress for a school dance. And Simon didn’t bring me tea, because Baz forgot about me, and I’m just not having a great day! I’m not my best! I’m crying in the bloody library, my face stuffed in Baz’s expensive shirt collar, tears soaking into his skin alongside his fruity, woodsy cologne.

Baz is rubbing my back, making comforting noises. Nobody is giving us any trouble. Baz and I have discussed this before — crying in the library is the exception to the noise etiquette. When I’ve calmed myself to snuffles, Baz pulls back a bit to look at my face.

“Tell me what’s going on,” he says. It’s a demand, not a question, which for some reason makes me less apt to go into waterfall mode again. I hide my face against his chest again. He lets me.

“I feel left out sometimes,” I admit. Baz squeezes me tightly, but doesn’t say anything. He’s letting me say my piece. It all comes tumbling out. “I don’t smoke or drink, and I know I can be a buzzkill when I’m always wound up about work or school. And I know you get wound up with those things, but you’re also so wound up in Simon. It just makes me feel like an outlier.”

Baz rubs my back for a moment, waiting to see if I’m done.

“I’m sorry we’ve made you feel that way,” he murmurs. “But Penelope, you have to know that you’re the glue of this group. I’m so thankful to have you in my life — and all our friends by extension.”

I sigh, pulling away.

“Don’t feel bad,” I say. “You have nothing to apologize for. I’m thankful for you too, but it’s not like we were friends before you started dating Simon.”

Baz frowns, then flicks my arm. I glare at him.

“I thought we were friends,” he says, brow furrowed. “In class. Not as close as we are now, obviously, but I’ve always enjoyed your company.”

“We’re close now?”

Baz laughs, but it’s strained — color blooms in his tan cheeks, and he runs a hand back through his hair.

“Christ, Penelope, now I might cry in the library,” Baz says. “It’s embarrassing to say this now, but I consider you to be one of my closest friends. I know I’ll never surpass Simon in your friendship ranks, but I was hoping I was a bit higher on the list.”

I smack his arm, and he puts his hand over the spot as if I’ve mortally wounded him, giving me wide eyes.

“Basil! Simon’s different — he’s like my brother. But you’re definitely higher on the list. Right at the top.”

Baz’s face cracks into a smile. Mine mirrors it. It’s ridiculous, is what it is.

“I feel like we just DTR-ed,” Baz whispers, making me laugh at a volume inappropriate for the library. “Bestie status achieved.”

“Bestie status achieved,” I agree.

Baz takes his phone out of his pocket, and I watch as he pulls up our group chat with Simon and Shepard. (Simon's contact is “Light of My Life<333” in his phone. Shepard’s is “Love<333.” With satisfaction, I notice I’m labelled “Girl Genius<333.”)

“What are you doing?” I ask. My phone vibrates as with the text he sends, and our friends’ rapid responses, but I read over his shoulder instead.

Baz: Simon, you’re staying at Shepard’s tonight. Penny and I are having a girl's night.

Love<333: I want to have girl’s night!

Light of My Life<333: Can I come back late for snuggles?

Love<333: Are my snuggles not good enough for you?

Simon and Shepard devolve from there, reassuring each other of their love for one another. Baz rolls his eyes, pocketing his phone and grinning at me.

“I’m not doing face masks and painting your nails,” I tell Baz. He’s up now, neatly putting his school supplies away. I suppose our study guide can wait. This exam is a week away.

Baz scoffs at me, waving his perfectly manicured black-painted fingernails in my face.

“I only let professionals touch my nails,” he says, oozing every bit of his trust fund baby status. I laugh.

“You let Simon paint your nails just the other day!” I complain.

“Those were my toenails, and he begged with puppy dog eyes!” Baz defends. “Do you have Simon puppy dog eyes? Do I need to let you touch my feet to solidify our friendship?”

“No,” I laugh. We’ve gathered our stuff now, and are headed out of the library. “I already said I didn’t want to paint your nails. Especially if your stinky feet are involved.”

Baz sniffs, but doesn’t argue.

“Well, if we’re not having a spa night, what should we do for this epic sleepover?” I ask. We’re in the elevator now. Baz hits the button for the ground floor, then scratches his chin.

“We could check out that bookstore pub that just opened? I think they rent out board games too.”

“That sounds lovely,” I agree. We’re out on the street now. I burrow my hands into my jacket pockets against the chill, bumping my shoulder against Baz’s. (Well, against his elbow, practically. The bastard is ten feet tall.)

“Then, we could go home and drink wine. And judge people on reality television?”

“Best girl’s night ever,” I say, and Baz beams down at me. I give him a serious look before I speak again. “Thank you, Baz. Really. You’re a great friend.”

Baz shrugs, but his eyes soften.

“Anything for you, bestie.”

[i-am-a-bad-influence-writes]

To Love or To Lose

Sebastian Stan masterlist - Full masterlist

Summary: Antony convinced Sebastion to take a small vacation to Europe with him. In a mixup of sorts, they end up at the small town bar you work at. There’s a spark between you and Sebastian but they’re only there for a few days before they have to leave again. You’ll be damned if you let Sebastian go that easily.

Pairing: Sebastian Stan x Fem!Reader

Word count: 3145

Author’s note: Hi, I wrote this very, very quickly at 1am because this was in my dream last night and I couldn’t get rid of it in my head. Yes, this is fully just a story I thought up for myself to insert myself in. I am Dutch. 

‘We’re lost.’ ‘We’re not lost.’ ‘Just admit we’re lost.’ ‘We’re not lost.’ ‘We can just use our phone-’ ‘We’re not lost!’ Sebastian sighs and looks around while Antony tries to figure out the cyclist map they bought in town. He’s sure they’ve cycled for miles but they must’ve taken a wrong turn somewhere. Now they’re in the Dutch countryside, surrounded by fields and farms. ‘Oh, look at this.’ Antony pulls Sebastian’s attention back to the map. He points at a street sign and then to the street as indicated on the map. ‘There’s a town just a little bit away from here.’ ‘Good, let’s go.’ Sebastian hops on his bike faster than Mackie can fold the map and is almost down the street when Antony joins him. They are surprised by the fact that there is a huge intersection just around the corner. ‘I guess you were right,’ Sebastian admits. Mackie just laughs and presses the button for the traffic lights. They cycle down the street to a roundabout and decide to take the first exit even though it seems less busy. ‘We could have a drink,’ Sebastian points out when they pass a small, roadside café. ‘We’ll have a drink at the next one,’ Antony says, still a bit sour that they’re not where they’re supposed to be yet. And no more than half a mile later they spot the next café. ‘Fine,’ Antony sighs. They cross the street and set their bike’s in their respective places in front of the bar. ‘Must be a bunch of alcoholics in this town if they have two bars in the same street,’ Mackie jokes, knowing that half of the people won’t understand him if they aren’t paying attention.

The terrace is quite full but there’s space. They walk up to a small standing table that has a sign on it. Neither of them can read it but they suppose it means something like “Wait here for service.” They see a tall, lanky man with a beard and messy hair walk around the terrace, delivering drinks to the patrons. He makes eye contact with the two and nods at them to let them know he’s coming. ‘Ik kom zo bij jullie.’ A girl rushes past so fast that Sebastian barely gets the chance to look at her. She carries a tray full of tap beer to a table across the terrace with such ease that it looks like second nature to her. Antony nudges him. ‘What do you think she said?’ ‘Probably something about coming over here to help us?’ ‘Yeah, sure.’ Together, they watch the girl as she stands by a table with rowdy men giving her lusting looks and strange smiles. They’re quite obviously very drunk. Sebastian takes a second to take her in as she stands with her back towards them. She has her hair in a kind of half-up, half-down style and wears a copper wrap dress with white specks on it. From the side, Sebastian can see a tattoo peek out from under her dress. She wears white tennis shoes with creme-colored ruffled socks poking out of them. When she turns around with a smile on her face he can see her red lips and blushy cheeks. She walks incredibly fast for someone her height, though she is a bit taller than the average American woman she still looks quite short compared to other people around. ‘Wat kan ik voor jullie betekenen?’ She speaks in Dutch and then she does a double-take. There’s recognition in her eyes as she speaks again: ‘Oh, sorry. How may I help you?�� ‘We’d like to have a drink and some help with our map,’ Antony tells her. ‘Of course,’ she smiles and looks around the terrace, ‘I have a spot down there on the benches or a few under the parasol.’ ‘Seb?’ He takes a look around and finds a nice spot that doesn’t have too much sun but isn’t quite in the shade either. Plus, it’s a bit more secluded. ‘That one over there. Is that okay?’ She looks down at the paper in front of her and nods. ‘Yeah, that’s alright. Have a seat. I’ll be right there.’ ‘Thank you.’ ‘No problem.’ She runs back into the bar to do whatever she has to do. They sit down and watch her dart all over the terrace, stopping shorty to inform her colleague with the beard of something, and then walks over to them. ‘What can I get you?’  She smiles brightly at the two. ‘A beer please,’ Antony says. ‘Make that two,’ Sebastian adds. She nods. ‘Two beers, coming right up.’ And she’s gone again. Before she reaches the door, she seems to be stopped by a guest whose glass is still full. She talks to her briefly and while the woman talking to her seems very serious, she keeps laughing it off. All while darting short glances at them and then the woman she’s talking to points at them. Of course, Antony takes that opportunity to joke around. He points at himself with a questioning look as he catches the woman’s eye. She shakes her head and points at Sebastian. The girl waves it off and quickly runs inside. It takes less than a minute until she’s outside again and standing at their table. ‘What was all that about,’ Antony asks her as she puts the beers down in front of them. ‘Oh, she’s a regular and she was curious why she heard me talk English.’ ‘So why the pointing?’ Her cheeks turn bright red as she clutches her tray with two hands but the look on her face seems to tell a whole different story than her body language. She chuckles. ‘She knows my love life is a mess and she knows I fall for guys like you,’ she tells the two as she looks at Sebastian, ‘I might have to prepare you for her. She’s quite the woman and she’s tried to set me up with guests before.’ Antony laughs. ‘I’m sure we’ll be able to handle her.’ ‘You’re American, right?’ He nods. ‘I’m not sure you’ll be able to handle her.’ With those words, she walks away with a huge grin on her lips.

‘En?’ The woman looks anxiously excited for your answer. You laugh and wave her off. ‘Heb het niet gevraagd.’ I didn’t ask. ‘Waarom niet?’ Why not? ‘Hij komt alleen voor een drankje en ik ben aan her werk. Ik hoor niet met gasten te flirten.’ He’s only here for a drink and I’m working. I’m not supposed to flirt with guests. ‘Dus? Hij is je type en je bent al bijna een jaar niet uit geweest.’ So? He’s your type and you haven’t gone out in a year. You sigh and shake your head. ‘Ik ga hem niet uit vragen.’ I’m not going to ask him out. ‘Dan doe ik het.’ Then I will. ‘Be my guest.’ She gets up from her chair and limps over to the two Americans sitting across the terrace. You can’t help but watch what she’s going to do and your coworker joins you. ‘Wat gaat Sanne doen?’ What’s Sanne doing? ‘Ze gaat een date voor me regelen.’ She’s getting me a date. He looks over at the two men and looks a bit confused. ‘Wacht, zijn dat-’ Wait, are they- ‘Sebastian Stan en Antony Mackie. De winter soldier en de falcon.’ ‘Maar die zijn toch al veertig ofzo?’ Aren’t those two like forty or something? You shrug. ‘Sanne stond erop. Op deze manier laat ze in ieder geval even met rust.’ Sanne insisted. At least she’ll leave me alone for a while after this. ‘Je gaat ervan uit dat ze niet me je uit zouden willen?’ You’re assuming they wouldn’t go out with you? ‘Antony is getrouwd en ik ben vrij zeker dat ze beter dan mij kunnen krijgen. Er staan letterlijk modellen voor ze in de rij.’ Antony is married and I’m pretty sure they can get better than me. Modells literally line up for them. ‘Ze ziet er anders vrij tevreden uit.’ She looks pretty satisfied. We watch as Sanne walks back towards us with a victorious look on her face. ‘Tom, je moet haar vrij geven. Hij zei dat hij met haar uit zo gaan als ze zou helpen met hun kaart. Ze zijn verdwaalt ofzo.’ Tom, you have to give her the rest of the day off. He told me that he’d take her out if she’d help them with their map. They’re lost or something. You could sink into the ground right there and then. Tom checks his watch and seems to seriously consider it. ‘Ja, ga ze maar helpen. T is toch rustig.’ Yeah, you go help them. It’s not busy. Your jaw drops. Tom can be quite lazy and often keeps you on until closing so he doesn’t have to do everything alone. ‘Je maakt een grapje.’ You’re kidding, right? He nudges you towards the door of the bar, knowing that you’ll have to write down your hours and grab your phone before you sit down with them. ‘Nee, kom op. Dit meen je niet.’ No, come on. You’re not serious. ‘Y/n, maakt niet uit wat er gebeurt, dit is een geweldig verhaal om te vertellen op feestjes. Ga gewoon.’ Y/n, it doesn’t matter what happens, this’ll still be a great story to tell at parties. Just go. Sanne puts her hand on your shoulder as she says it. You sigh and take your loss. Or win. However you want to look at it. ‘Wat wil je drinken?’ What do you want to drink? Tom asks as he trails behind you into the building. ‘Doe maar een biertje.’ A beer would be nice. He nods and gets to tapping while you fill in your hours in the folder behind the bar and take your phone out of a drawer under the coffee machine. ‘Ik haat je.’ I hate you. ‘Tuurlijk.’ For sure. Tom hands you your beer and you head outside to sit down with Sebastian and Antony. You grab a chair and pull it towards their table. When you sit down, both men have an astonished look on their faces. ‘They actually gave you the day off,’ Antony asks, ‘all because your love life isn’t ideal?’ ‘You clearly underestimated how terrible my love life is,’ you joke. ‘Well now you’ve gotta tell us everything,’ Antony urges as he leans back in his chair. ‘I don’t have to tell you anything.’ ‘I’m supposed to take you on a date, so I would like it if you did tell me something,’ Sebastian says. ‘You really don’t have to,’ you tell them, ‘I know she’s a scary woman but she won’t kill you or anything. Besides, you won’t ever see either of us again once you leave.’ ‘That’s fair but this is a great story,’ Sebastian shrugs. You scoff and scoot your chair a little closer. ‘Sure. Now let’s see this map of yours.’

“We found it.” Sebastian sends the text and drops his bag in his room. It takes only a few seconds until you send a message back. “Yay, good job.” He smiles as he sits down on his bed and types his response. “Nah, that was all you.” “I wouldn’t be too grateful. I am going to cyberbully the shit out of you.” “Sure.” There’s knocking on his hotel room. He calls for the person to come in, knowing it’ll probably be Mackie and it is. ‘Hey man,’ he says and sits down in a nice chair across the room. ‘Hey,’ Sebastian replies, ‘you got a good room?’ ‘Great. Say, are you going to go back to take our tour guide on that date?’ Sebastian shrugs. ‘I was thinking about it but she’s quite a bit younger.’ ‘That’s what I was thinking,’ Antony says with a nod. ‘But I still think you should do it.’ ‘Hold on, why?’ ‘She said something on the terrace that kind of stuck with me.’ He gets up from his chair and walks over to the window to look out over the busy Amsterdam streets. He looks a bit disappointed by the view. He preferred the small town. ‘You will probably never see her again after you leave.’ ‘What?’ ‘She’s from a small town, she works in the town’s bar, no one has a clue who you are around there. And I saw how you looked at her. So why not take a chance? Best case scenario, you have a fun date. Worst case scenario, you have a great date and are stuck with feelings for a woman who lives across the world. Either way, she’s fun to be around.’ Sebastian is shocked for a second but Antony is spitting straight facts. Y/n was a joy to talk to while she was helping them figure out their next move and what does he really have to lose? ‘You’re right.’

~Two months later~

‘Sebastian, we heard you finally took a trip with Antony Mackie. Do you have any stories?’ The fan looks smug as she asks it like she knows something. Like she knows what he and Mackie know. He adjusts himself in his seat and puts the microphone to his mouth. ‘We went to the Netherlands and when you’re there you have to go cycling. We got lost and Mackie refused to use his phone to look for where to go so we ended up in a small local bar where the waitress helped us find out that we were actually cycling towards the wrong city. We wanted to cycle to Amsterdam and we ended up in Amersfoort.’ And then I fell for the waitress who showed us around the city to make sure we had a good time either way even if we could’ve just taken a taxi to Amsterdam. We stayed longer than we should’ve and I miss her. But he doesn’t say that. He couldn’t. ‘The waitress,’ the interviewer asks in disbelief, ‘she could speak English?’ ‘The Dutch are actually great English speakers.’ ‘Was the waitress cute?’ Sebastian laughs. ‘She was adorable,’ he says, trying to play it off as a joke, an exaggeration, ‘but she was really smart. She helped us figure it out and even helped us to get back to our hotel.’ ‘You didn’t sneak her in, did you?’ ‘Oh, no, no. She just told us what to do and where to go.’

Sebastian walks through his apartment when his phone goes off. He checks the screen to see Mackie’s name pop up and he sighs. He knows what he wants to talk about. The interview went up just an hour or so ago. ‘I know,’ Sebastian says as he presses his phone to his ear. “Just for good measure, I’m going to tell you anyway. Call her.” ‘I can’t do that to her.’ “To her or to yourself?” ‘It’s too much of a distance. Even for long-distance.’ “She told you she’s thinking of moving to Canada.” ‘Doesn’t mean she’ll move here with the probability of a relationship. And a relationship in the spotlight.’ “So you’re going to deny you felt something?” ‘I’m not going to deny it, I just-’ “You’re going to bottle it up until it eats you alive in hopes of losing feelings.” Antony sighs. “Seb, this girl was made for you.” His phone starts beeping. ‘Hold up, I’m getting another line.’ “Sebastian, don’t-” He hangs up and picks the other call up without checking who is calling. He just wanted to get rid of Mackie for bothering him about Y/n again. ‘Hello?’ “Oh, hey.” Sebastian freezes at the sound of your voice coming through the speaker. “I didn’t think you’d pick up this fast. I need some help.” ‘From me?’ “Yes, I seem to have taken a wrong turn while cycling to Amsterdam.” She giggles softly. “And now I’m lost in New Amsterdam.” ‘New Amsterdam?’ He feels his stomach tingle at the words but he isn’t sure if she’s hinting at what she’s hinting at. “No, wait, they don’t call it that anymore. New York.” ‘You’re in New York?’ “Yeah, some dude with a gap in his teeth dropped me off in front of an apartment complex in SoHo but I think I’ve been scammed.” ‘In SoHo?’ He rushes to his window, struggling to open it with one hand. “Yeah, you know anyone who might have a place for me to rest my head until I figure out how to get back?” He finally pulls the window open and sticks his head out to look down and there you stand. You smile up at him and wave. “Oh, there you are,” she says through the phone. ‘I’ll be right down.’ He doesn’t waste another second. He pulls on his shoes on his bare feet, hopping as he goes. Snatches his keys from the table and sprints out, not really caring that he looks a mess. He runs down the stairs, not wanting to wait for the elevator, and bursts out the door. You smile at him and he freezes, suddenly realizing you’re really here. ‘Wow,’ he mumbles, ‘it’s you.’ ‘Hey,’ you say as you bite your lip. He leans in slightly and then Sebastian becomes awfully aware of the prying eyes on the New York streets. He wants to hold you, kiss your lips, but he can’t on the street. Not when you just came here. ‘Come in,’ he says as he starts to usher you inside. He walks you to the elevator and presses the button. It opens right away and the two of you step inside. He notices you study his face and he feels himself getting nervous. ‘What are you doing?’ ‘Trying to figure out if you’re actually happy to see me or just scared that I’m a stalker.’ ‘I’m happy to see you,’ he tells you as he suppresses a smile. You don’t. You smile brightly as you take his hand. The feeling is familiar and yet a little nostalgic after being apart for two whole months. ‘I’m happy to see you too.’ The elevator door opens and he shows you to his door. It’s only then that he notices you don’t have anything with you. ‘Did you jump on a plane like this?’ ‘No, I got a hotel room just in case I read you all wrong when you left.’ You take off your shoes as you step inside, something you also did at your own place when you took him home. He smiles and wraps his arms around your waist. ‘You didn’t’. Your arms slide around his neck as if they’re meant to be there. He slowly dips down and presses a kiss to your lips. ‘Good, ‘cause you’re stuck with me two weeks.’ ‘And after that?’ ‘I either introduce you to my parents or I go back.’ ‘Go hard or go home.’ ‘Exactly.’

[therenlover]

Brutal (A Demon!Daniel Bruhl x Starlet!Reader Ficlet)

(So, this is the first little ficlet in my Sour series, which can be found HERE! I hope you enjoy it! Also, enjoy blurry Checo, because he’s who @creme-bruhlee and I imagine as demon!Daniel)

“And I'm so tired that I might / Quit my job, start a new life / And they'd all be so disappointed / 'Cause who am I if not exploited?”

Synopsis: A crime of passion accidentally summons a handsome demon who offers to make your deepest desires come true... for a price, of course. 

Rating; M (16+)

Warnings: Vague Allusions to Past Dubcon/Noncon, Explicit Language, Implied Sexual Content, Non-Explicit Murder, Making A Deal With A Demon, Maybe A Tiny Bit Of Monsterfucking???? If You Squint??? Not Really Though

Word Count: 1500~

-------

“What is it that you desire?”

The man- no, creature- before you was shrouded in the darkest corner of your dressing room, perched languidly upon the chaise lounge that had been oh so kindly included in the rider of your contract by whatever filthy fucker decided they wanted to have you this time. He didn’t matter now, though. No, not now that his brains were splattered against the carpet. The only thing that mattered anymore was the creature in the corner. 

Even in the darkness, you could see its razor-sharp teeth glinting in the low light. 

Trembling with unused adrenaline, you smiled back at it, hands still covered in blood. “I’m not answering that until you answer a few questions of my own,” 

Surprisingly, the thing seemed to lean further back into its plush seat as it nodded, long pointed tail undulating slowly, like a python preparing to strike. “Very well. It makes no difference to me how long you draw out our little deal,” slowly, the thing chuckled, “Besides, for you, pretty one, I’d wait all the time in the world,” 

You groaned at his exaggerated wink. 

Still, it was too late to turn back now. With the blood on your hands for the death of the man at your feet, both physically and metaphorically, there was nowhere to go but forward. Maybe making a deal with the devil wasn’t your original plan, but it sure as hell was better than prison. With a sigh, you sat down heavily into your high-backed makeup chair. 

“So I’m assuming you’re a demon?”

The creature in the corner made some sort of deep, proud noise in its chest as its two, shadowy hands came up to stroke its curved horns, much like a goat’s, with a certain puff-chested reverence. Even while beholding it in that darkness, its features shrouded in black, there was an allure to the strange monster, a strange, sick draw. You were helpless to whatever had appeared before you and all its powers. Somehow, though, you had seemed to intrigue it despite your comparative weakness. 

“I go by many names, but demon is one of them,” it purred, red eyes glinting with something more than bloodlust, “I prefer others,”

“What should I call you then?”

“Whatever you please,”

You scoffed. “You said you had many names, why can’t you tell me even one?”

It huffed a long sigh, and if you didn’t know better, you would’ve said that you saw smoke erupt from where its nostrils should be. 

That being said, it didn’t seem like the thing was frustrated. If anything, the creature seemed amused. From its words, you could only assume it had been hundreds of years since it had last entertained itself on the human realm. You could only hope your rage was entertaining enough to keep any of its less desirable emotions at bay. 

“Names have power, Schatz. I can’t just go around telling everybody who I am,” it’s accent felt thicker as it leaned back, “but I suppose, if you and I were to make a deal, that I could allow you to name me something. Or I could choose one for you,”

“What if I didn’t make deal with you?” you challenged the creature with a smirk. 

It hummed low in its chest as it pondered your question. “Now that would be no fun,” 

“For me or for you?” You asked, crossing your arms over your chest. Time was getting short now, with the clock on the wall ticking down the minutes until someone would arrive at your dressing room door to lead you out towards the set where the rest of the cast and crew were waiting. If they found you with the body it was over. Things with the demon needed to be resolved, and they needed to be resolved fast. 

Thankfully, it didn’t toy with you any more than you expected it to. 

“For both of us,” it replied, tail flicking almost excitedly, “I can’t touch you if we don’t make a deal, for better or for worse, and even then your soul wouldn’t be mine to toy with until the deal was complete. That being said, you’re in a pretty sticky situation. I think you need me just about as much as I need you, so I’ll ask again; What do you desire?”

You swallowed thickly. 

On one hand, you couldn’t imagine things would end up very pleasantly for you once the dark shadow who had staked its claim on that awful chaise lounge finally did have a chance to get its clawed hands on your soul. On the other hand, though, you had nothing left to lose. Fame, especially so young, always came at a price. You would wager to guess that even if your soul hadn’t been claimed by a demon, that it had already been stolen away by the producers and directors that pulled the strings of your life like you were some obedient little puppet dancing for an audience who wanted to devour you whole. 

In the end, an eternity in Hell with whatever was grinning at you like the Cheshire cat from the shadows might even be preferable to the horrors you’d already seen. 

Slowly, you answered its question. 

“I want to make every single person who ever took advantage of me suffer the same pain they put me through,” 

The creature’s face split into a toothy smile. 

“Now that’s what I like to hear,” 

Moving like smoke on water, it stood from its place on the chaise lounge, morphing in shape and size as it approached and held out it’s newly human-shaped hand to you. In his new form, at least, you assumed it was a he, the creature was handsome, all dark eyes and slick hair. He looked young, and somehow, even with his new, thin lips and human teeth, he retained his signature smile. You took his hand and shook it without hesitation.

Even with your heart beating almost out of your chest, you had to admit that, with a demon at your side, you felt more empowered than you ever had before. 

He noticed. 

“I am known to my kin as Asmodeus,” he cooed, long eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks as he drew near to you. You couldn’t bring yourself to mind, “You, though, my sweetest pet, may call me Daniel,” 

Daniel. 

Somehow, even after you had seen the faintest traces of his beastly form, you had to admit that the name suited him. Maybe not as well as Asmodeus, but it worked well enough. You looked up at him through lidded eyes. “I’m-”

Before you could answer, he pressed a finger to your rouged lips. 

“I know everything about you sweetling, no need for introductions. There is one last thing we need to do to seal the deal, though,” 

A pit formed in your stomach as you gulped, caught in Daniel’s entrancing gaze. You had to assume there was some sort of magic to it, a spell that kept you trapped for all long as he could stare down into your eyes. Still, it would do you no good to fight it. Besides, the pangs that were making their way through your whole being weren’t fear. 

Oh no, they were something much worse. 

“What do we need to do?” You asked, wetting your lips with your tongue. 

Daniel replied with a sly smile and a soft chuckle. “I need you to kiss me, of course,” 

Who were you to disagree with the expert?

With all the strength and bravery you could muster, you surged up and met Daniel’s lips with your own, melting into the kiss as he quickly took over, skilled tongue darting into your mouth to claim it as his own. He bit hard on your lip, hard enough to draw blood, but you couldn’t bring yourself to mind, not when your hands were busy exploring up under his shirt and finding purchase on the firm muscles that waited below. 

To be fair, he wasn’t exactly keeping his hands to himself either.

Sooner than you would have liked, though, Daniel was pulling his lips away from yours. It was just a fraction of an inch, your swollen mouths still connected by a string of saliva tinted a dark red with your blood, but you were already keening from the loss of him the second you caught your breath. The sound pleased him. 

“What are we to do first, sweetling?” he purred, letting his nails run gently against the soft skin of your waist, “I’m at your command,” His breath was hot against your fact, and he smelled like gun smoke. 

It drove you wild. 

You snuck a look at the clock before turning back to him, eyes aflame. “In about ten minutes we’ll need to have the mess in here cleaned up with any evidence gone, but before we do that, I want you- no, I need you to fuck me. Can you make that happen?”

Daniel beamed. 

“Oh, sweet girl, anything is possible with me at your side,” As he whipped you around to push you against the chaise lounge, licking his lips, he couldn’t help but add, “I believe this is the beginning of a very beneficial partnership,” 

And against all odds, as you hooked a leg up around his waist and pulled him in for another searing kiss, you had to agree.

--------

a/n: WOW WOW WOW THAT WAS GARBAGE BUT I LOVED IT. I finished season 5 of Lucifer yesterday, so I was in the mood for some demonic shit. I hope it was at least semi-enjoyable despite being straight up shitty writing lol. 

Taglist: @tatestripedsweater , @elaineygrace , @multiyfandomgirl40 ,  @lovelymischief , @be-cautious-around-bri 

[chicgeekgirl89]

Country Roads, Take Me Home: Chap. 4

Fandom: NCIS LA

Characters: Marty Deeks, Kensi Blye

Read Chapters 1-3 Here

                                    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Deeks and Kensi were up early the next morning to start their drive to Nevada. All was quiet from Bill and Carol’s RV and they were able to leave without saying goodbye to their whacky neighbors. 

They stopped for breakfast on their way out of town at a small local diner that, according to one Yelp review, had “the best donuts in the world.” Kensi couldn’t disagree, they were pretty amazing.

“So, onto Nevada?” she said around a mouthful of Boston creme.

“Great Basin. Should be awesome. I thought we could tour the Lehman caves and maybe do some stargazing.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her. “Although thanks to your creativity we both already saw stars last night.”

She kicked him good-naturedly under the table. “That was a one time only. You have to come up with your own creativity next time.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” he said with a grin. His gaze caught on something above her head and she frowned. “What do you think happened there?”

Kensi turned to follow his gaze. On the wall was a large blank spot with some exposed wiring. “Looks like there used to be a TV there,” she said.

He raised his eyebrows and Kensi immediately shook her head. “I know what you’re thinking and there’s no way. It is not possible that we’ve stumbled onto yet another crime. Not on this vacation. We promised. We said nothing like this could possibly happen this year.”

“Can I get you anything else?” Carmen, their server, interrupted their conversation.

Deeks nodded toward the empty spot on the wall. “Hey Carmen, something happen to your TV?” “Yeah,” she said. “So weird. Somebody stole it the other day. Emptied the register too. Owner’s pissed about it.”

“You didn’t catch anything on your security cameras?” Kensi asked.

She shook her head. “We only have the one and it’s at the back door. Police are investigating, but it’s not a high priority, you know?”

“Sorry to hear that,” Deeks said. “I think we’re all set here, just the check when you have a second.”

“Stop thinking about it,” Kensi said as they walked back to the RV.

“How do you know what I’m thinking about?” Deeks asked. “You’re not in my head.”

Kensi rolled her eyes. “I know you and your detective brain. You’re still thinking about that TV.”

“Well you have to admit it’s a hell of a coincidence,” he said. “Bill and Carol show up with a TV, a TV near the campsite goes missing…”

“Maybe you need to stop thinking with your detective brain and remember with your lawyer brain that that is called circumstantial evidence and will not hold up in a court of law.”

“I’m not saying we need to do anything I’m just suggesting…”

“Well stop suggesting and start driving. Our cave tour is at three and we don’t want to miss it.”

Kensi dozed off as Deeks drove, waking up as they crossed the border into Nevada. “Hey there Sleeping Beauty,” Deeks said as she stretched and rolled out her neck. “Welcome to ‘The Silver State.’ Want to make a detour to Vegas and get hitched?”

She rolled her eyes at him. “We’re already married.”

“Vow renewal?”

“Only if I get another wedding cake out of it.”

“I think I can make that happen.”

They made it to the RV park with plenty of time to spare before their cave tour. “Stay here,” he said after he’d parked.

He stepped outside and made a big show of looking around.

Kensi wrinkled her nose. “Deeks what are you doing?” 

He poked his head back in. “Checking for Bill and Carol. Coast is clear. You can come out.”

“Oh thank god,” she said, walking out to check out the view. Even from the parking lot it was beautiful. “I’m ready for some peace and quiet.”

“No baseball games.” Deeks wrapped his arms around her.

“No dogs.”

“No sex advice.”

Kensi nodded. “Definitely no sex advice.”

Half an hour later they met up with their guide and a small group of other tourists including a few kids at the mouth of the caves. “Okay everyone, my name is Marcus, I’m going to be your tour guide today,” he said. “We’re just waiting for a couple more people so we’ll give them about five more minutes and we’ll get started.”

“Nope! Hey! No need to wait! We’re here!”

“No…” Kensi said in quiet horror as she and Deeks both turned to see none other than Bill and Carol hustling toward them.

Bill was dressed in his finest vacation dad attire; a pair of cargo shorts with about twenty pockets and socks pulled up to nearly his knees with hiking boots. Carol on the other hand was sporting a necklace that, had it been real, would probably have been worth hundreds if not thousands of dollars and was definitely not standard spelunking attire.

“Bill and Carol Weekes reporting for duty!” Bill said, both of them out of breath. “Sorry we’re late. Had a dog problem.”

“That’s okay,” Marcus said. “All right everyone please listen carefully I’m going to go over a few of the rules for our tour today.” “I cannot believe this,” Kensi said under her breath as she plastered on a smile and answered Carol’s excited wave. “How is this possible?”

“Did you tell Carol our entire itinerary when we met them on the side of the road?” Deeks hissed.

“No! I mean…I mentioned some of the places. But I never expected them to decide to follow us the entire trip!”

“Hi! Please make sure you’re paying attention,” Marcus said pointedly, causing them both to clam up and continue listening to directions about not disturbing or touching anything in the caves and to watch out for low spots in the ceiling. 

“Make certain to watch your step and if you have children with you please keep track of them at all times. We don’t want anybody left behind,” Marcus finished. “Now you can all follow me single file as we enter the caves.”

Try as they might Kensi and Deeks ended up directly in front of Bill and Carol and once they were inside there wasn’t really any space to move further up in the group. “What a surprise,” Bill said, clapping Deeks so hard on the shoulder that he almost stumbled into a stalagmite.

“Yeah it really is,” Deeks said.

“Well you know we were just thinking about how wonderful it would be to see these caves so we rushed right over here and wouldn’t you know, we made it just in time!” Carol said excitedly.

“Once my Carol gets an idea you can’t get her off it!” Bill chuckled. “She wants to see a bunch of old rocks, a bunch of old rocks it is!”

They proceeded through the entire tour with Bill cracking jokes and elbowing Deeks in the ribs like they were old pals, while Carol oohed and aahed with every new rock formation. They’d opted to take the longer tour, and Kensi regretted every single second. The caves were beautiful, but the company was not.

By the time they exited the last cave Kensi had a raging headache and Deeks looked more sour than she’d ever seen him. The only saving grace was that Bill and Carol hadn’t obtained a parking slot within the park, but instead had needed to park at a separate campsite nearby. “Oh please come on over for dinner, I’m making beef stew,” Carol pleaded as they walked down the trail.

“Next time,” Deeks said. “The little lady’s got a headache, gotta get her home.”

“You two are racking up quite the number of rainchecks!” Carol said. “All right then, have a good evening. Toodles!”

With a little wave she and Bill scooted away to hopefully go wreak havoc on some new neighbors.

“Have I mentioned that I hate them?” Kensi asked, rubbing at her temples.

“Me too.” Deeks wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Come on. Let’s get you back so you can take a nap and get rid of that headache.”

She woke an hour later feeling considerably better. When she sat up she found Deeks sitting at the table, laptop in front of him. “What are you doing?” she asked as she sat up.

“Sending pictures of Bill and Carol to Eric so he can run them through facial rec.”

She sat up. “What?!”

“Did you see that necklace Carol was wearing today?” Deeks asked. “She didn’t have that on the other day.”

“Women change their jewelry Deeks.”

“Remember the cruise ship? And Hawaii? And Jacksonville? When you just knew something was up?” He looked at her pointedly. “And your loving husband humored you and you turned out to be right and we took down the bad guys together?”

She rolled her eyes and scooted to the edge of the bed so she was closer to him. “Yes, I remember. Are you saying it’s my turn to trust your intuition?”

“I just feel like something’s up. We’ll run the background check and then we’ll know.”

“And then we can continue our vacation in peace?” She bent over and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

“Yes, then we can continue in peace.”

They’d just finished dinner when Eric called. “Hey Eric, you’re on speaker,” Deeks said, setting down his fork.

“Hi Eric!” Kensi said.

“Hey Kens, how are the parks?”

“Gorgeous. We’re totally loving it.”

“That’s awesome. So listen Deeks, I ran background checks on both Bill and Carol Weekes and they came back pretty clean. A couple parking tickets here and there, but no arrests, no domestic disturbances, nothing that would make them seem at all suspicious.”

Kensi shot Deeks a pointed look. “You’re sure Eric?” Deeks asked. “No incidences of dog violence?”

“Um…no?” Eric asked confused. “I didn’t specifically check for that though.”

“That’s okay,” Kensi said. “Thanks Eric, we appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome.”

“You didn’t mention this to anybody, right?” Deeks asked.

If he had, they’d never hear the end of it. “No I didn’t, but is everything okay?” Eric asked, tone turning concerned.

“Yep, everything’s great, just my paranoia kicking into overdrive,” Deeks said quickly.

“Are you sure? Sam and Callen could be there in—“

“Bye Eric!” Deeks hung up. “How long do you think he’ll hold out before Callen and Sam interrogate it out of him?”

“Depends,” Kensi said. “If they’re at the mission right now we probably have until tomorrow morning. If they’re not, we might have until tomorrow night.”

“We could ditch our phones and turn off the wifi.”

“Eric would just track our plates. They know our basic plan, we won’t be hard to find. Was it worth it?”

“I guess.” He shook his head. “I just really had a feeling something was up with those two.”

She reached across the table for his hand. “It’s okay if you’re losing your touch. You are getting older.”

“Hey!”

She stood, pulling him along with her. “Come on old man. The stars are waiting. Unless it’s past your bedtime already?”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Pretty soon you’ll be wearing cargo shorts and talking about how the price of cable keeps going up…”

He growled catching her around the waist and hoisting her over his shoulder. “Oh, I’ll show you who’s an old man!”

[slothgiirl]

shadowplay part 10

Breanna smiles at you like you're a friend of her parents she got home to find sitting in her house. She's pretty in a girlish way. Though her personality sours the beauty fast. It's going to be a long week if this goes on. 

Not that Matt or Alex notice. Having not shut up even if their conversation is quiet. Matt skewing towards the more serious side of subdued than Alex's melancholia. Though it's probably more because you and Breanna are here then anything.

Dumbass boys. 

You sit in her Martha Stewart kitchen. Alex's hand on your thigh as he talks. After the fourth attempt at conversation with the woman you'd given up, shamelessly studying Alex's profile. There was nothing like seeing him open up, unguarded. It always had your chest filling with warmth. 

You were waiting on Miles and Zack to arrive. Zack having the car you'd be driving up North. So far you'd gleaned that you'd be taking a scenic route. Not that you'd be driving, having never learned how. 

Breakfast was a poor plating of a slice toast, half an avocado, some mysterious root vegetable that was perhaps a health alternative to potatoes, one egg, and a single strip of bacon. A clear compromise between Breanna and Matt's dietary choices. 

You wish you'd indulged more at the french restaurant last night. Stuffed some bread in your purse. 

"-so what do you do," Matt asks. 

You blush as you realize they're all looking at you. You having gotten lost in thought. No clue how the conversation had even reached you. Your eyes glancing at Alex, which is the wrong choice, because you end up having to cover your hand as you burst into giggles. Made acceptable by Alex also laughing. 

Matt glances back and forth between the two of you, shoulders squared like a protective older brother. You'd expected nothing less. Sam's opinion of Alex heavily depended on how heart eyed you were as you talked about him. 

"I'm a tailor," you offer. Before waving your fingers in front of your face like a cartoon witch and adding, "or as the french would say, petit mains."

"We met at a coffee shop," Alex adds, leaning dangerously close to the truth.

You roll your eyes, trying to keep the story straight, "My work doesn't have eyes and ears here." Then tell Matt, "we met while I was fitting him."

"Can you get fired for that," Matt asks bluntly. 

"It's highly discouraged," you admitt, "but that didn't stop Mr. Carmichael from carrying on with the embroider. His wife came in one day and threw a brick through the shop window."

"No way," Breana says, gaping as she leans forward, arms on the table. 

"She was fired but I have a feeling it was the whole window stunt that did it." It had been a wild day. "Work was let out early," you add conspiratorially  "for obvious reasons."

The conversation soon moves on. The last two arrive, filling the house with noise. Noise curtesy of Miles. Miles who runs up to Alex, wrapping his arms around him and planting a kiss on his temple. "Alex you fucking wanker!"

Alex results in kind, wrapping his own arms around Miles and grinning. Matt rolls his eyes, taking a swing of his beer. It's only eleven in the morning. Zack nods at you as he takes a seat next to you, "fall in love with any more rockstars while having them fitted?"

"Well Thom Yorke was in the other day but I dunno if I could date an alien," you joke.

"I would've gone for it," Zack laughs, helping himself to some of the toast Breana laid out in the middle of the table. "Man's a legend."

You snort. "I'll be sure to let 'im know."

"-how's," Alex starts to ask Miles, who's still firmly sitting in his lap and stealing his coffee, "Sydney was it?"

Miles shakes his head, tsking. "It's all about Isabella now," he corrects, twirling his hands about, mimicking flamenco dancers. A true born showman. 

"Can't exactly keep up with the girl of the week." Alex notes lightly with a sly grin on his lips, his eyes meeting yours and god you were so fucked. Should've shown him how much last night. But you'd both curled up in the guest room, tucked into each other, as soon as you'd gotten back. 

"Oi," Miles protests, "I'm young. They're young. We can't all be settled in this disgusting domestic bliss." He waves the mug around the kitchen, clearly taking a jab at Matt and Breana. "Dunno how blissful it can be what with this awful health bread," he mutters pointedly. 

"Fuck you Kane," Breana says, glaring cooly at him, "it's gluten free bread."

"Disgusting," Miles enunciates every syllable.

She flips him off. 

Miles gets off Alex, sliding into the last empty chair, across from you. His eyes yellow like a particularly preening hawk zero in on you. He's clad in skin tight creme jeans paired with gucci loafers from the eighties, leather cracked at the toe, and an outrageously bold tiger print shirt. 

He raises a well groomed brow. 

You smile in response. 

Miles pivots, "yah going to Arielle's wedding Al?"

You know Alex is a hard no. But in that moment, Alex shrugs uncomfortably. Reading him perfectly, Miles replies, "ya have to go! You can't not go. She invited you. You've gotta show your face!"

"I hate to say it," Matt observes, "but he's right."

"That's literally what I've been saying," you add, tired of just sitting there. It was going to be a long week if you didn't jump off the deep end and start trying to make friends. 

"Yes," Miles grins, pointing at you, "this one is fookin' right Al! You gotta have the stiff upper lip." He puffs his chest out, back straight, "your briddish after all."

Alex only rolls his eyes. Unwilling to be baited into doing anything he doesn't want to do. 

"Let's get going yeah," Matt wonders out loud, trying to coral everyone. And he somehow does, beer in hand, get everyone into Zack's large black SUV. You've never seen anything more american than that. Even with everyone's things, three guitars between the six of you, there was plenty of room inside. 

Zack takes the wheel and Miles doesn't miss the opportunity to control the music in the passenger seat, spending most of the first two hours of the drive, the ocean right there outside your window, head turned back and talking back and forth with Alex and Matt. He perches like an overly large bird on the seat, pushing the top of his belt aside. Sunglasses doing nothing to dim the continuous energy that pours out of him as he waves his hands about and mimics accents to make a point, jabbing the air with his cigarette. 

Matt sits next to Alex, barely spearing you a glance, leaving you next to Breana who you hope will warm up to you at some point in the next 11 hours. Hopefully. 

Your phone's down to 67 percent. 

There's no way you'll make it. 

You look over at her looking down at her phone, all california cool, "your nails are so cute! what do you do to keep them so nice though? Mine always chip so I've given up." Which wasn't a lie. A nice pale pink with hot pink tiger stripes overlaid. Your nails lasted an hour if you were lucky before chipping. 

"Oh, thank you," Breana says, looking up, "I model and have a business with my sisters so I guess it helps that I'm not working with my hands a lot."

"True," you answer, looking down at yours. There was definitely some scars, Thicker skin around your nailbed where the thimble had built up a callous. "I use thimbles. I'm the literal one person market audience for those tourist thimble, and my fingers still get nicked by a needle now and then."

"Those little cheap cup things," Breana asks for clarification because thimbles are only useful for sewing. A complete grandmother pass time. 

"Yeah," you replied  relaxing in your seat as the conversation gets going. Breana making it obvious she isn't just going to brush you off. Maybe she was close with Arielle? You'll have to ask Alex. 

"I used to get those because they were so cheap," Breana exclaims, "when I'd travel. Perfect souvenir  Small and cheap. No clue where they are now."

You laugh, settling in for the next few hours. 

[theangelssecondwing]

Chapter 15

„Sephiroth...“

„Not now. We can talk about this later. After I‘ve had a chance to… calm down.“

I looked ahead again, and only when I got out my key to open my front door did I see how much I was shaking. But once we were all inside, We just let ourselves drop onto whatever seat was closest.

„I… I‘ll go get us something to drink“, I said quietly and walked over to the kitchen. Sephiroth followed.

„What were you thinking?!“, he asked once we were alone. „You could have died!“

„I know, but I… we had to see Genesis.“

Sephiroth remained quiet for a short moment… and then pulled me into his arms, holding me close like it would be the last time. „Don‘t ever be so reckless again.“

I reciprocated the embrace, pressing my face into the crook of his neck and inhaling his scent. „I‘m sorry.“

He held me like this for a moment. Then he let go, so I could get to preparing the drinks I had promised.

„So… what now?“, Zack asked once everyone had the chance to calm down a little. „Genesis seemed to calm down pretty quickly after what Sephiroth said to him.“

Sephiroth stared blankly into his drink for a moment before looking up again. „He‘s probably going to contact us soon. He knows that we‘re on his side now.“

„We might have to leave Midgar to help him though“, I mused.

His cat-like eyes darted over to me. „You don‘t have to come along. It will be dangerous, and I won‘t force you to leave everything you have ever known behind.“

„Hey, in for one Gil in for a million. You‘re not getting rid of me this easily.“

„We‘d have to make some plans first, though“, Angeal replied. „So we won‘t be leaving right away.“

Zack got up. „Okay. I‘m in, too.“

My cellphone rang, and I picked up. „Hello?“

„Cora, please tell me you weren‘t really running through the Shinra building in the middle of an attack.“

„Hi Rufus. Nice to hear from you again. Hope you‘re okay.“

„Answer the question.“

I scratched the back of my neck. „How do you know I was there?“

„I know everything going on in the company. You know that even the Turks can‘t protect you if you WILLFULLY put yourself in danger, right?“

„I know. I‘m sorry.“

„Does Sephiroth know what happend?“ I could almost hear Rufus impatiently tapping his fingers on his desk.

„He does.“

„And he was fine with this?“

„Of course not.“

Rufus sighed deeply. „Anyway, good to hear that you are unhurt. My father is currently organizing the repairs we need. And after the damages have been dealt with, he wants to hold a party to show that ‚Shinra doesn‘t bow to terrorists‘. You are invited. In fact, he was very insistent that you come and that I personally invite you as a guest of honor.“ He lowered his voice. „He dropped certain hints after he found out we were on speaking terms again, so he‘s definitely planning something. Stay on guard, and keep Sephiroth close to you.“

„Okay. Thanks for the warning.“

„I‘ll talk to you later.“ Click.

Sephiroth looked at me with a raised eyebrow. „Bad news?“

„We‘re invited to a party once the Shinra building doesn‘t look like a battlefield anymore“, I stated flatly.  

Repairing the damages and renovating the Shinra buildung ended up taking a whole month, during which we planned what to do after leaving Midgar. The biggest problem was that we had literally no idea where to start. We didn‘t hear from Genesis, either. Had he not understood the message after all? Or maybe he held off on contacting us while we were still in Midgar, knowing that Shinra would find out if he did?

I tried to feign normalcy as much as I could during work hours, but my stress clearly showed. The only positive thing I noticed was that Justine was leaving me alone for the most part, probably as a Thank You for saving her.

Working for Rufus was mostly the same as working for my father had been. Simple secretary jobs, fetching coffee for both of us, taking documents to the archives, and so on. We were both tense because of the upcoming party.

And then, finally, it was time.

„How do I look?“, I asked softly, twisting and turning in front of my bedroom mirror to try and zip up my dress. I wore simple knee-length a black dress with a tulip collar and a belt with green rhinestones all over it to spruce it up a bit.

„Don‘t worry. You look fantastic.“ Sephiroth wrapped his arms around me from behind and kissed my ear before gently grabbing the zipper and pulling it up.

I was still staring into the mirror, now much more used to seeing myself with Sephiroth. And we did make a cute couple, actually.

„I still got a bad feeling about this“, I told him.

„I‘ll be with you the entire time“, he promised. „Come on, we need to leave or we‘ll be late.“

The party took place at the Shinra family‘s estate, and all of the big names of the company were present. I hadn‘t even fully entered yet when I was ushered away from Sephiroth and dragged over to Rufus, who was standing with his father and looked just as uncomfortable as I felt. I looked over my shoulder over to Sephiroth, who held eye contact with me the entire time. Angeal and Yui soon joined him. Yui gave me an awkward thumbs up, appearantly trying to tell me that everything was going to be okay. If only I could believe that.

More and more people arrived. Business partners, high-ranking Shinra officials, the creme de la creme of the city. And when finally all guests had arrived, President Shinra took a glass of sparkling wine from a waitor and clinked a fork against it to gain everyone‘s attention.

„My dear friends and associates.“ I could almost feel the word ‚friends‘ sour on his tongue. This man did not do ‚friends‘. „The attack on Shinra last month has left the whole city shaken, and yet like a phoenix from the ashes, Shinra rises, as it always will. Today‘s festivities are just a reminder that we will not bow nor quiver before terrorists. We press on, to give a better future for all generations to come. And to fully emphasise that, I have a very special announcement to make.“ His cold, icy blue eyes darted over to Rufus and me, and I suddenly felt defiant. If he thought he could pressure me into marrying Rufus like this, he was dead wrong. „It is well known that there was always a certain person I wanted my Rufus to marry. Someone who would bring the necessary knowledge and assets into the marriage to expand Shinra even further, until the company can guarantee a comfortable life to everyone in the world. So it is with great joy that I announce the official engagement of Rufus to Miss Cora Hunter.“ People politely applauded.

„No“, I said firmly, and could almost hear the record scratch.

Shinra Sr looked at me as if I had suddenly sprouted a second head. „Excuse me?“

„She said ‚no‘, father“, Rufus answered. „So do I. We were not informed of this, neither have we given our consent.“

It was quite obvious that Rufus‘ father had not anticipated us to openly challenge him and cause a scene. His face was pale at first, but then became beet-red with anger. Then he grabbed both our shoulders and turned to the crowd. „Excuse us for a moment.“ Then he dragged us out of the room.

„What do you think you‘re doing?“

„Putting a stop to whatever you‘re planning“, Rufus replied. „You know we do not want this.“

„Have I ever asked about what you want?“ The bright red colour drained from Shinra Sr‘s face as he regained his composure. „You do realize that your friend‘s family is completely dependent on me? If you two do not agree with what I have decided, I can easily render her and her precious father destitute.“

I clenched my hands into fists. Damn bastard.

Rufus took a deep breath. „Okay. Fine.“

„What?!“

Rufus gave me a look and slightly shook his head. Then he turned to his father again. „But maybe we shouldn‘t announce it right away, after the scene we just caused. Give Cora and me the chance to prepare a proper announcement for ourselves.“

Satisfied that he got what he wanted, the President gave us a small smile that didn‘t quite reach his eyes. „Fine. I suppose I can at least give you that.“

The room was abuzz with gossip when we finally joined the other guests again.

„What was that all about?“, I asked Rufus once his father was out of earshot.

Rufus looked ahead blankly before turning to me again. „Tonight, after the party, I will drive you and Sephiroth to the courthouse. You can also invite Ms. Yuuji and Angeal, if you want. It‘s not the most romantic thing, but my father can‘t force you to marry me if you‘re already legally married. I‘ll serve as a witness. After that, it‘s probably better if you leave the city for a bit.“

„What about my dad?“, I asked softly. As rocky as my relationship with my father had been lately, I did not want him to suffer from all of this.

„I‘ll make sure he‘s taken care of“, Rufus replied. „Don‘t worry. I got this.“

We approached Sephiroth, and the first thing I saw was a blonde head cozying up to him.

„Get lost“, he told Justine firmly.

„Oh come on. You just heard it, she‘s engaged to someone else now. And I know you think I‘m hot. You sure acted like it during that night-“

„That was a one time thing, and it was years ago. Now leave.“

What...?

„Are you really planning on being a homewrecker? And for the Shinra family, no less?“ Justine‘s voice was dripping with false innocence. „Now, Sephiroth, I would have never guessed-“

Finally, Sephiroth spotted me and dashed forward, wrapping his arms around me possessively. „Cora. Please tell me you‘re really not going along with this.“

„I‘m not. I promise.“ I stroked his face. And in a lowered voice, I told him:„Rufus has a plan. It‘s happening tonight.“

[juleswolverton-hyde]

Hold the door (BC x Reader)

Genre: Fluff

Pairing: Bangchan x Reader

Warning: Spoilers for GoT S4 & S6 E5

Summary: Fantasy can be brutal yet be addicting after a long day of work. Fortunately, a dearly loved kangaroo knows how to lessen the pain of the politics of Westeros.

Author’s Note: Top o’ the morning!

This is my first piece for Stray Kids since they are slowly taking over my life and especially Chris (Bangchan). Hopefully, despite this being not BTS-related for once, it is still an enjoyable read.

For any Stays reading this and who are not acquainted with my works as of yet: I hope I do not disappoint.

Masterlist

A good story evokes emotions with its imagery and plot line, even more so when actors play out the scenes which are craftily adapted to a visual new format despite being written first in ink. The series ‘’Game of Thrones’’ is a splendid example of what might happen in a scenario in which the story hits harder than expected, beloved characters dying left and right while the audience can merely look on in horror.

Or cheer in delight in Joffrey’s case.

The day at work at the café in the centre of town had been hazardous, the arrival of spring break ensuring lots of tourists to come in to taste and photograph the seasonal specials while enjoying the gradually becoming warmer sunny weather. The entire shift literally consisted of creating soft sweet sakura custard buns and sweet lush green mochis decorated with a rice dough cherry blossom and petals, slicing up the slightly floral cheesecake with a pink inside that had to be remade perhaps four to five times due to the high demand. Not to speak of the effort to deliver with making the time-consuming coffees and hot or cold cocoas befitting the abundant fall of sakura around the village. However, such are the duties of being part of the already small team: each person has to be able to work all-round when this time of the year comes despite there not being too much patronage otherwise since the city is not that big nor well-known.

But every exhausting shift makes a mini-marathon in the evening of the new season of ‘’Game of Thrones’’ all the more deserved, simply sitting back on the comfortable creme-coloured love seat with a cup of freshly prepared ice coffee and either a tub of cookies and cream ice cream or a protein bar in the same flavour. Fortunately, it is not minded by the boyfriend of one and a half years since the blonde athletic boy can mostly be found at the gym in the evenings when not hanging out with friends.

Nonetheless, Chris’s absence is more of a curse since the first episode of the night has a grander impact on the psyche than expected, making a firm hug that is mostly tried to be escaped from under normal circumstances now dearly desired. Too many impactful emotional events follow each other up at the end of the sixth season’s fifth episode, triggering the rare reaction of tears in eyes that can merely watch and a palm wrapped over a speechless mouth.

The response is even powerful enough to miss the click of the front door of the shared apartment and the dull thump of the ashen buffalo bag filled with sports gear in the tiny entryway leading to the studio, much less so the giggle following the habitual greeting of “I’m home, babygirl”, which is still awkward despite the many times it has been uttered.

‘Hey, Y/N, are you, wait, are you crying?’ As soon as the credits roll over the screen and the DVD is paused, fingers unclasp from paralyzed lips to wipe away the watery traces of the damage done by mere yet gripping fantasy which stirs the youth to rush over to the couch and rapidly take place on the empty spot formerly occupied by bare feet, making a sorrowful being bounce slightly with the impact of the sudden additional weight. Firm veiny arms are immediately clung onto when they initiate an unbreakable embrace, one slender hand placed protectively on the top of the head, cradling it against the shoulder. ‘What happened?’

No answer comes per direct, first throwing out every bit of frustration thanks to fantastical explicit cruelty while holding on to an oversized sweat-soaked onyx shirt but not minding the hint of sourness to the characteristic scent of minty soap. The golden-haired lad resembling a kangaroo when fired up with energy has taken on the tranquil appearance of a koala, its counterpart, and simply waits patiently until the incoherent blabbering attempts at voicing a reason for the silly behaviour gain a sense of logic. Simultaneously, the left upper arm is being rubbed in uncomprehending close solace, chin resting on the crown of the head when not giving soft caring forehead kisses and whispering soothing nothings.

At last, after a good while of crying, it is dared to look Chris in the eye to tell what forms the reason for the curious distress. Nevertheless, it is an obvious fact the thumb caressing the cheek while explaining forms one of the support pillars which keeps speech steadier than it would be without. ‘Geo- George R.R. Martin is a bastard. He- He let Bran’s wolf be killed by Whitewalkers and- and... Hodor...’ A heavy sob. ‘M- mea- means “ho- hold the door”...’

The very vivid thought about the death of the kind giant at the door arises, initiating a continuation of the lament created by a splendid bastard of an author’s writing. The hug tightens, a rumble in the trained chest beneath the slick flowy fabric resulting in an adorable chuckle as tears stream down a pale neck. ‘You take it way too seriously, Y/N. It’s just a story. Nobody’s actually dead, everything is fine.’

‘Shut up, Chris, you do- don’t know what power George has.’ It is incredible how ‘’Game of Thrones’’ has escaped the attention of the Australian platinum youth, but at the same time places him in a disposition of ignorance about how sensitive talk about the show can be. Certainly for long-time viewers who have likely seen their favourites be brutally murdered in favour of plot progression.

‘No, I don’t, but how about you show me and I’ll try to protect you from it?’ Hazel irises light up at the prospect at one of the most loved things aside from the steady relationship with a girl who gets carried away into fantasy too often and, judging by the broad smirk that begins to form, the continuation of the proposal is nothing surprising yet deliciously loving. ‘With food?’

‘Tha- That’s your solution to ev- everything, isn’t it?’ A careful curl of the corners of the mouth forms out of the sorrowful expression at seeing the genuine giddiness at a second dinner or, rather, late night snack together. Although, it also arises out of the vivid images quickly flashing by of the personified koala’s silly movements whenever something tastes incredible, the funny habit always a cause for affectionate laughter and a source of confidence in the at times doubtful personal cooking skill.

‘It always makes you smile,’ a stray strand is tucked behind the ear, plush roseate lips placing a sweet kiss on the forehead, ‘I’ll first take a shower and then prepare some tteokbokki. How about that?’

Unconsciously, a consenting eager nod is already given before the reaction can be even thought about, the stomach having overtaken demeanour out of anticipation of the small rice cakes. ‘Extra spicy?’

A slight nervousness slips into attitude, eyes holding a silent plead for toning down on the spice levels because the last time they were too high for most to handle, Cris’s friends who came over for the monthly movie night all frantically reaching for cucumber and milk to nullify the impact while trying to save the fellow Australian of the group at the same time. Withal, howbeit while clearly contemplating to adjust the amount of gochujang regardless of the request, the proposal is agreed to. ‘Sure, extra spicy it is. Now, don’t you dare continue in the meanwhile or I won’t cuddle you for the rest of the week.’

A sceptic roll of the eyes, finding no credibility in the statement considering the personality of the speaker. ‘Oh, come on, we both know that’s an empty threat.’

The slightly loosened embrace tightens to a literally breathtaking degree once more, but now it is tried to be escaped as is normally the case when the blonde youth tends to get cheesily clinging. ‘Or I hug you to death, your choice.’

‘Let me go!’ Any type of resistance results in the opposite, becoming more and more the prisoner of secure loving arms instead of a free woman. Notwithstanding, it cannot be said it is minded, though the rumbling in the stomach betrays the recently realized craving for food that can only be had when giving in.

‘Not before you answer.’ The heavy weight suddenly tipping the scales cannot be prevented from being the oppressor of the strength that is unable to lift it, head hitting the soft pillows of the sofa on the other end as the sporty lad with dewy skin maintains the firm hug. A delighted playful chuckle sounds at the realization of having the held figure exactly where she is apparently wanted, unable to be freed before having made a decision. ‘Well, what’s it gonna be?’

‘Either way, you’ll suffer. Option one leaves me alive but you’ll get cuddle withdrawal symptoms. Option two leaves you without your favourite squishy.’ An eyebrow rises in challenging mockery which will only worsen the circumstances though the sarcasm cannot be helped. Just as in the brutal series, if you play smart, you shall survive. And this preferred victim of affection, this most beloved fighter of clinging hugs, has plans to survive the night.

‘Aren’t you clever, turning my own words against me?’ A lopsided smirk forms on the koala boy’s face, eyes illuminated by playful lights.

‘In the Game of Thrones, you live or you die and I intend to do the former.’ Henceforth, a cute sweetness slips into speech as lips irresistibly pout, manipulating Chris even further into hurrying up in fulfilling the promise of tteokbokki and stop stalling the rest of the well-deserved marathon. ‘I’m hungry.’

Blonde locks bow in amused defeat, shaking briefly with acknowledged surrender before gazes lock again. ‘I have no idea what that reference means, but you win this time, Y/N. Can’t let my babygirl starve.’

The characteristic awkward laughter accompanying the nickname by default ends the topic of debate, the kangaroo boyfriend lifting himself off a half-crushed no longer entirely torn by fantasy figure to finally shower. In the absence filled with the lingering traces of songs sung with an angelic voice, more pillows and a thin ornately decorated blanket are gathered for properly snuggling up with delicious food and an amazing but heartbreaking brutal show.

Sweater paws clad in a soapy mint oversized sweater wrap around the platinum youth’s waist to give him a taste of his own medicine, trying to show how inconvenient it can be when a person is basically glued to you during household tasks, which lets them become increasingly more complicated due to the loving gesture. Withal, it does not have the intended effect as the young man manages to get along with making the rice cakes coated in a fierce red sauce just fine although it does pose a bit of a risk when a small hand reaches out for the gochujang tub to add more to the sauce and the chef obviously not consenting to this idea, the dispute resulting in play fighting that almost turns the fire pit open too far without further notice.

The tickling almost results in burns and burned clothing, the just as touchy retribution barely short of ending in a trail of sauce stains leading from the kitchen floor to the fake black leather loveseat thanks to fingertips poking sides. Regardless, it is managed to be reached without further ado, the cruelly incredible series resuming with one strong arm wrapped around the shoulders, a warm meal split in two put into two laps sitting side by side. Occasionally, a chewy tteok is fed with a content smile from the bigger portion of the athlete eating like a starved man, who is evidently as happy with the result of the obstructed cooking as the appreciating look in the eyes of the accepting mouth, going by the happy wiggles accompanied by tuneful hums.

And thus the imaginary intriguing political game synonymous to crimson onslaught continues, because the questioning, at times shocked, comments made out of ignorance brighten the mood due to their silent request for an explanation, delighting the nerdy fangirl within to no end.

Keeping the worst of silly emotions at bay.

Holding the door.

[ecofinisher]

Wedding in Japan - Chap 10

Chapter 10

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18972931/chapters/49817807

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13295790/10/Wedding-in-Japan

https://www.wattpad.com/792477346-wedding-in-japan-chapter-10

Mrs. Tsurugi sat at dinner time along with her husband and vice verse to her sat the mother of the groom and beside the woman a raven-haired Japanese and a much younger man eating ramen from their bowl. "I beg your pardon for my daughter's absence again Mrs. Miyamoto" Mr. Tsurugi apologized gazing at the woman. "Kagami is on her way to us, but it's taking longer cause she couldn't find an alternate flight on the previous airports and has to look for one at Vladivostok, " "You're forgiven. Circumstances like this may happen and that's something we can't stop" Mrs. Miyamoto told. "It's a little extreme for her to travel across Russia all by herself," The older Mr. Miyamoto said earning a nod from his wife and the son. "I hope she's doing fine. During travels you encounter the strangest people nowadays, sometimes it gets me anxious about it, "The young man explained. "What makes me a little relieved about the trip is that she wasn't the only one in this chaos, also an old friend of hers, which was also on his way to Tokyo. He's accompanying her so that both would get here without any problems' Mrs. Tsurugi mentioned, making the younger Miyamoto raise his eyebrows. "Who is that guy?" "Why does that matter to you, Hiroki?" The mother interrogated the man. "Just out of curiosity" Hiroki added and looked at Mrs. Tsurugi. "If this question isn't wished, I'll have to..." "He's just an old childhood friend of hers from Paris. They used to go to fencing together and she was along with him the best combatants" "I think Kagami told me about him, wasn't his name Adrien or something similar?" "Oh did she talk to you about him?" "Yeah quite an amount of time, but that was like a year after we met and then she didn't tell me anything more and I thought something had happened, but I didn't want to bother her with it" "They had a very good liaison with each other, I don't think there would be a problem between the two, " Mrs. Tsurugi mentioned making Hiroki nod. "I think Adrien was a very special person in her life" Hiroki confirmed, then shrieked as his mother placed her over his shoulder. "Just forget about him, you're engaged to her and nothing is going to get you two away from each other" "Yeah...." "Adrien Agreste is just a guest at the wedding, but if there's a problem with that we can talk about it" Mr. Tsurugi suggested earning a no from Hiroki. "No there's no problem and if she would like him to be present he can be there. For me, it doesn't matter" The young raven-haired man added. "Sure as long as he won't be a problem" Mrs. Miyamoto said seeing Tomoe Tsurugi nod. "Don't concern about him. He's history for her" Tomoe mentioned proceeding with the meal, followed by the others and Hiroki felt a little unsure about Tomoe's words, afterward he continued to eat to avoid the visitors to ask any questions.

Nino and Alya sat together at a cat coffee waiting for their order and Nino patted an orange tabby, that lied on his lap. "So you don't only get here coffee, but you also get the chance to pet a random cat in order to release the stress of work or something?" Nino asked earning a nod from Alya. "There over 100 cat coffee shops in Japan and for many people it's and tourists, it's a joy to be able to pet them and cuddle, when the cat allows it" "This one totally likes me, listen to him purring," Nino asked Alya which leaned closer to his lap to listen to the cat's noise. "Aww yeah, he's a nice guy, giving you so much love, right?" Alya asked patting the cat too, holding her hand closer to Nino's, who started to feel a little abashed at how close the woman got to him. "D...do you have any pets at home?" Nino questioned the woman, which nodded. "Back in France I and my sister Nora have Labrador mixed breed. Nora is most of the time out with her running and keeping herself fit with her. She's belongs more to Nora than me, but I still like her. She's like a best friend to me, she's always there when I feel sad" "Yeah dogs are great family members. A uncle of mine owned one for nearly 14 years and he said as he died it was for him as he lost his own child." "Yeah it's true" Alya agreed, then saw the waitress appear with their order and she sat back to let the waitress pass and place the coffee for the two in front of them. "Thank you," Both said taking their cup. "How many days is Adrien away to arrive Vlasdivostok?" Alya asked looking at Nino. "One day and a couple of hours now." The Moroccan answered. "He would call me, when he arrives Vladivostok or knows when he's able to come to Tokyo" "That's great, maybe although this wasnt planned he could enjoy the sight he had during the train ride" The journalist noted. "Just during cities and some landscapes. Otherwise he wasn't really excited about it." "Well they sat almost an entire week in a train, at least you get to see the greater things as you get in a 12 hour flight" "Yeah, that's true" Nino agreed taking a sip from his coffee, then widened his eyes as the tabby caressed the man with his back passing the tail under his chin tickling him, making Alya giggle. "Sweet" Nino grinned embarrassedly as the feline ribbed himself under the tan-skinned man's face and jumped down at the floor walking off. "Any plans for tonight or are you going to work?" The Morrocan asked as the woman drank a little bit of her coffee. "Work until late" Responded Alya. "Jordan and I still need to finish our research before we're done" "Nice" "Eventually the other day we could hang out again if you're interested" "You really want to?" Ninno asked astounded at the woman her question. "If you're interested of course, " "I don't think there's a problem" Nino responded making Alya smile. "Then that's a deal" The Martinic descendant woman responded taking her cup up to drink, followed by Nino which smiled at the joy of her company.

At dinner time around the Russian timezone, Adrien and Kagami sat in the bistro wagon eating Pelmini, a ravioli-like specialty filled with mashed meat. "I thought you would have liked this more than Olivierssalad or that crepe-like food with the sour creme filling" Adrien clarified to the woman, which listened to him while nodding slowly at the understanding. "It's alright, it's delicious just a little bit heavy for the night" "Yeah I think you're right" Adrien replied agreeing with the woman. "We could do like we did once at that fencing tournament in Lyon, jog around after the dinner?" Adrien suggested making Kagami chuckle. "Where? Outside the train?" Kagami asked making Adrien laugh. "Okay that's probably the most unrealistic suggestion unless we do it in the corridors of the train, I mean we did fence on the first day using two umbrellas, except I got myself hurt on one point, " "That was silly but I also enjoyed it" Kagami admitted earning a nod from the blonde. "Hey do you remember that morning we were supposed to be at the fencing practice, but instead we left through the wardrobe to meet Alix and Kim at the Trocadero to witness their challenge?" The Frenchman asked earning a nod from the woman, which grinned as she recalled that day. "Yes, I remember. Kim felt so embarrassed on that day, he thought he was going to beat her at some disciplines, yet he lost against her on all, " Kagami responded earning a nod from the blonde. "Yes and remember when he asked you during P.E lessons to climb the rope up to the top in less than ten seconds and after you demonstrated him it in nine seconds he was so convinced to beat your record to show off, that he lost his focus during the climbing and fell on top of Ivan?" "Oh yes I felt so bad for Ivan, he has been in the next days off school, because he had got from the crash a concussion." '"Yes that was even painful to see" "What about the sports day, where we both were rivals at the sack race and then I tried to guide you off the finish line and as I tripped and fell on the ground you tripped landing over me starting to laugh along with me and in the end all overpassed us and we were the last ones" "That was mean, you distracted me" Adrien protested which made Kagami laugh. "At least you succeeded in taking my spot at the first place away" "What about that time we went to London and at the Buckingham palace and you asked the guard for directions and he didn't tell you anything because he was on duty and wasn't allowed to move a muscle. Remember that, Kagami?" "I was so mad at you, why didn't you tell me that?" The Japanese descendant woman asked. "I legit didn't know that, " "That was so funny Kagami. Sorry, but I couldn't, " The blonde explained followed by the blue-haired woman laugh at the past memory. "Those times we spent together were remarkable. I miss our old times together" "You're not the only one missing them, Adri," Kagami said placing her hand on the table next to the glass with a plastic-made light formed like as candlelight. Adrien smiled at the mention of his nickname Kagami used to call Adrien once in a while when they were pre-teens. "Rarely I have heard someone nickname me again, mostly from you," Adrien mentioned dropping his hand on the other side of the candle. "We haven't seen us for what....five years?" Asked Kagami making the blonde nod. "I would still have called you like that when you liked it, but we both were separated" "That separation was hard for me to deal with. I lost a great friend" Adrien told the woman sadly. Kagami smiled a little at the blonde's confession about how he felt after the separate ways they had to go. "It wasn't only difficult for you to deal with" Kagami referred to the blonde placing her hand over his patting it to cheer him up. "I was so used in living in Paris and have you there as my best friend and your classmates' hospitability and silliness. It was so much harder to let go and move on in Japan. It's my home country and every I was back in Japan to see every one of my family I was happy but.....there was something that kept me somehow holding me back, " Kagami explained the blonde, which listened carefully at her words and took his other hand to place it over hers. "Have you ever found it out, what it was?" Adrien asked gazing into her brown eyes as she had eye contact with the blonde locking hers with his emerald green eyes. The light in the wagon got dimmed lowly, making a few passengers that were dining along with the two childhood friends in the same wagon look around wondering why it got dark. From behind the bar, where the guests can order the food in front stood Luka Couffaine watching the cashier hand out to him the microphone and he whispered at the person next to him, which picked up the microphone and observed Luka open the case of his guitar to take it out, then he leaned back on the counter and waited for the guest to hold the microphone in front of his mouth. "This song I dedicate two friends I've met here on this train after having never seen them for over a couple of years," Luka stated then plunking on his guitar to play his solo. Adrien and Kagami looked at each other and back to Luka, which kept playing his notes, soon as he was ready he started to sing. "Have you ever expected? That we would meet again or did you do? All my life seemed so dull with your full absence. Never felt so empty....." Kagami glimmered surprised at the voice of the man, that sang for her and Adrien, then saw Adrien on his seat watching Luka's performance, soon few passengers got up to dance together and as Adrien saw it he looked at Kagami, which observed the people dancing and he got up from his chair, then before he stepped up in front of his crush he took a deep breath and exhaled the air out and gazed down at the girl holding his right hand out, causing her to pay attention and look up at him to see him holding hid hand at her. "Do you like to have the honor to dance?" Adrien asked making Kagami smile enamored with the idea and placed her right hand over his. "I'd love to" Replied the Japanese woman getting up from the chair, following the blonde to the middle of the wagon to dance along. "Have you ever expected? That our lives would cross like that again and give us this new chance" "This makes me think of something" Kagami mentioned observing Adrien look at her to listen, what she was going to say. "When we all were called to dance at the royal wedding" "Right I was afraid on that day I wouldn't be a quite good dancer, but it went better with the time" Adrien recounted watching the woman smile. "I had a private dance teacher at home and I had sometimes to dance with Nathalie to practice how to guide a woman during the dance" "Ah, I remember you told me that at the Royal dance too." "Yeah, I did" "You're quite good at it. I'm impressed" Kagami complimented the blonde, which smiled pleased with the results of the past lessons he had a long time ago. "Have you ever felt this way for me as I have felt it for you. Is this what love is? I'm feeling different. Is that what love is, love is?" The two attempted to go along with the rhythm of the melody of the French guitarist and they kept their eyes locked at each others with a soft smile plastered on their face. "I lived being used to misfortunes and broken promises, but you were the only one to satisfy then and With the time I've begun, reciprocating your own desires. Starting to enjoy the new path of my journey and living the life on the brand new line" Adrien and Kagami had glanced at the raven-haired singer and back at each other liking the song he had presented the passengers in the cabin, then Adrien smiled a little abashed and rolled his eyes away from then girl, which smiled amorously at the blonde and leaned her forehead on his making him wide his eyes in surprise at the move of the Japanese woman. "Have you ever felt this way for me as I have felt it for you. Is this what love is? I'm feeling different. Is that what love is, what love is" Luka paused with the voice and played a short solo on his guitar for his song, then observed the pairs around the room dancing and then he searched for a certain blonde and witnessed him dancing with his crush, which now lied her head on the blonde's chest, making the blonde open his mouth in surprise and look at Luka with an excited face at Luka's plan having succeed. Luka winked at the friend, which observed the Japanese woman with a soft smile enjoy the stay in the warmth of his arms and he appreciated the presence of the woman in his arms, slowly moving to the song of the man, which continued with the next verse of the lyric, eventually leading the man into the second time in performing the original new product.

[lillianwrites]

Sad Hearts And Black Eyes

A/n: honestly I’ve been working on this for close or probably longer than a year, and I’m so scared to post it, but I hope someone enjoys this🖤 I’m going to try updating every Monday and Wednesday after today🖤All triggers in the tags, please check beforehand.

Words: 1,756

__________________________________________

Black tires screeched to a stop as the old light guarding the town turned straight from green to red. Phil groaned, as this added just another minute to his trip, and he was so ready to just get to the Kingston police station, and start working, he had travelled over 600 miles for this case, and he needed to stretch his legs and kill some ghosts.

Phil Lester was a hunter, no, not a bambi hunter, those who believe their tough because they took down a defenseless animal, but a hunter of the things that go bump in the night. His father had been a hunter, and he had taken after his footsteps after he had died sixteen years ago, relying on his “uncle” Bobby Singer, to show him the ropes, and to go on hunts with him, as he had been fourteen at the time.

He had travelled all the way to kingston, after he had read the paper, and saw the pastor had been brutally murdered in his own home, ripped literally form shred to shred. Phil had almost looked past it, usually spirits that angry had a personal feud with the deceased, meaning no one else would be in harm's way, and most likely it would be gone, until he saw the pastor had an eighteen year old son, who had been away when it had happened.

Phil had never heard of a personal spirit leaving close family alone, and the pastor's wife died in childbirth, so most likely, this kid was in danger, and Phil couldn't just let it happen when he saw the picture of the pastor and his son, who had brilliant, innocent brown eyes. So here he was, now taking off once the light was green, and travelling into kingston.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

The first thing Phil noticed, was the sidewalks were empty. Every single picture Phil had ever seen of Kingston, people were walking to their destinations, enjoying the sun, it was august, so it wasn’t cold, so most likely, people were too afraid to walk, too afraid of to them, who might have done this.

The police station was small only fifteen or so cars all together in the parking lot. It was a white and grey building, with steps leading up to it. Phil sighed looking out of his car, and then grabbing the secret box of fake badges out of the storage compartment, and placing it in his coat pocket.

He walked up to the door, and pulled it open, immediately getting hit with the smell of cinnamon and coffee. A tall lady sat at the desk, flipping through files, until she heard the bell ring and looked up. She had long brown hair, and what appeared to be grey eyes, and stood at at least 6’0. She had a kind smile on her face as he walked up to the desk, and he couldn't help but give her a grin as he pulled out the badge.

“I'm here with the fbi to handle the pastor case.” he said, looking at her before putting his badge away.

She grew a sad smile on her face, before nodding. “The chief's office is right through that door to the left, last door, let me know if you need anything.” She said, before looking back down to her papers, as Phil walked to the office door, heaving a sigh before knocking a few times.

“Come in.” Called a woman's voice, and Phil slowly turned the handle, walking in, to be met with a shorter lady, with a blonde ponytail, and green eyes. She wore a smile, but it seemed tense, and her eyes did not match the light in her smile.

“what can i do for you?” She asked, looking over Phil before sitting down in her chair, and crossing her arms.

Phil once again pulled out his badge, showing it to her, before putting it away and saying “My name is Garrett O'brien, i'm with the FBI, I've been sent to work on the pastor case.”

Just as the other woman at the desk, her smile turned sad as he mentioned the case, like they were close friends, and judging the size of the town, they probably were. It seemed like everyone around this place was in a sour and sad mood.

“I see, well, what do you need?” She asked, looking at him. She appeared content that someone else would be taking over on the dirty parts of the case, and maybe he felt the smallest hint of regret.

“I need the original file case, and a pass to the scene, alone.” He said looking at her. Hopefully she wouldn't question it, and he would be granted both.

The lady nodded, writing something on a sticky note, before placing it on a huge file of papers, and handing him a privilege badge. She then held out her hand.

“My name is deputy Garden, come to me if you need anything, or the lady who took you in the front. And please,” she cut off with a short break, an Phil prepared himself for a sob story, before she surprised him, her eyes a sad grey as she finished. “-find whoever did this, whatever did this, please bring this case justice. We’ll be here to help in anyway you need.” Before she sat down, giving him a final nod as a farewell.

Phil walked out of her office, exiting the station before walking to his car, his prized possession, his 1970, Pontiac GTO. It was a classic two door, matte black. He called her Baby, and whoever dared to talk down to his car was sure to receive a few broken ribs. He got in, not bothering to put on his seatbelt as he started the car and began driving to the pastors house.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Mrs. Garden had called him two miles into the drive to warn him the pastors eighteen year old son was at the house, and was willing to answer questions, but asked that he wouldn't be showed a picture of the body, his son had been the one to find him, and he couldn't unsee it.

When he pulled into the driveway, he noticed this was the picket fence house, a white fence around a big front yard, with an oak tree in the front yard, and a white and gold front door, with a wreath with a scripture engrave into the log in the center.

“Wow, this is what i was missing.” he mumbled to himself, as he got out of the car and went to knock on the door. He honestly felt very unholy surrounded by the garden Angels glaring at him beside the garden of Lilys in the front.

He stood on the doorstep for a minute, before the door was opening, and the son stood in front of him. Phils first thought was that pictures do not give him justice.

He stood probably around 5’6, short for a dude but nothing drastic. He had brown hair, that was in a curly mess upon his head, like he couldn't be bothered to brush it, and Phil didn't blame him. His eyes were a bit of a darker brown than his hair, and the sadness in them made Phil feel a little sick, he knew this was how Bobby must have seen him, why he said it hurt so much to watch him grow without his father.

The boy looked up at Phil's 6’2 frame with distrust, before most likely remembering that Mrs. Garden had told him he was stopping by.

“Are you Mr. O'brien?” The boy asked, shyly standing in the doorway.

Phil nodded “That's me, you must be..” cmon Phil, you read it. “Daniel.” He finished looking at the boy to make sure that he was correct.

Daniel nodded, before stepping back and opening the door farther so that Phil could step inside.

“I found him in his bedroom.” He spoke softly, like as if saying it loud and clearly made it real. Phil could understand that. “His, his insides were, well, outside.. and he was still warm, which really scared me, whoever could have still been here, i could have been killed the same way. But i wasn't?” he said, before shaking his head and making his way up the stairs, looking back to make sure that Phil was following him.

He led him to the upstairs level, and down the hallway, before stopping on the second door to the right. He then took a deep breath, before opening it up.

Inside the walls were a beige coffee creme kind of color, perhaps with more yellow undertones, there was a large bed in the middle of the room, with a brown comforter and three or four white and red pillows. A nightstand stood on the left side, and a dresser ln the right of the room. A huge white sliding door stood in the corner, obviously the closet door, and the room slowly turned into a thin hallway, leading into a bathroom that appeared to be the same color.

In the middle of the room, a huge red stain laid across the white carpet, clearly the police haven't finished reviewing it yet.

He heard Daniels breath hitch, and he turned to him. “Hey, if this gets too much, just tell me kid, don't worry about staying here just to help.”

Daniel nodded, but didn't leave, heading to the bed and sitting on the edge.

Phil looked around the room, usually if it was a spirit, something would have emf.

he turned to Daniel again “Would you mind getting me some water?” He asked turning back. Daniel nodded looking happy to leave this room, as he stepped out and went downstairs.

Phil hurriedly pulled out the small contraption, before he turned it toward the wall, peeking through the room. Just as he was about to lose hope that this was a spirit, a pissed off one at that, the machine spiked setting of a loud beeping sound, as he passed the closet.

He heard Dan rummaging inside the kitchen, so he figured it was safe as he opened up the closet door. It smelled of cinnamon, and the clothes all looked ironed and clean.

He rummaged around, passing things with the device before itg spiked yet again, over a box hidden at the back of the closet, he was beginning to lift up the lid and peek inside, when Dan's voice sounded from behind him.

“What the hell are you doing?”

[angstmongertina]

The Most Disastrous Holiday Party Ever (ft. the RFA)

The last of my holiday ficlets, posted on the first day of spring because that’s how much of a disaster I am. :P

For @bloomingninja, with four prompts:

7. “You invited over HOW many people to the holiday party?!” 9. “Wait, did you spike the eggnog?” 45. “No, you’ll burn the house down.” 38. “You’re under the mistletoe so stop stalling and just kiss.” (which is made funnier if the people saying this are completely drunk).

AO3 Link

It took Eunbyeol what felt like hours to push her way through the crowd that had gathered in the room, even though she could have sworn she had only moved a short distance. Regret for having ignored the party planning weighed down each step, tempered only by the knowledge that she really didn’t have the time, considering her exams, and she had trusted Jaehee’s judgment.

She had, however, forgotten that Jaehee could do little when it came to containing everyone else’s enthusiasm for the event, and between the excitement of having their leader returned to them and the general Christmas spirit, the small holiday party she had originally envisioned had spun utterly out of control.

Finally, she sidestepped yet another unfamiliar woman before arriving in front of Jumin, who raised an eyebrow at her, no doubt questioning her somewhat disheveled appearance. He, of course, was as impeccably dressed as always and seemed utterly unaffected by the mass of individuals pressing in on them, even when more than a few of them seemed intent on capturing his attention in whatever way possible.

Damn him and his unflappable attitude.

“Jumin, what on Earth is this?”

He offered her a placid blink. “A Christmas celebration, as you requested, if I recall correctly.”

“If I recall correctly,” she said in as mocking of a mimicry as she could manage, “I requested a small celebration. And instead, you invited over how many people to the holiday party?!”

His expression didn’t change. “A few dozen, perhaps. It’s hardly worth getting worked up over.”

Staring at him for several seconds in disbelief, jaw practically hanging open at the hinges, would only amuse him and she knew it, but she still couldn’t stop herself. As expected, the hint of a smirk curled his lips, though thankfully, she was saved from further ridicule by Jaehee materializing beside her, clad in simple but elegantly festive gold attire and carrying her typical clipboard.

Unfortunately, the other woman’s expression did not bode well for the general state of the party and she heaved a sigh, somehow already exhausted despite it still being early evening.

Jumin, on the other hand, seemed completely oblivious; he turned to her, expression frustratingly constant. “Ah, Assistant Kang, there you are. Have you seen Jihyun?”

Jaehee’s lips thinned. “No, but I believe we have bigger concerns, such as identifying who thought letting Seven go anywhere near the refreshments before the start of the party was a good idea.” Glasses glinting disapprovingly, she turned and nearabout plucked the hacker in question out of the crowd.

Eunbyeol watched as bright golden eyes darted from Jaehee to her before Seven grinned, angelic enough that suspicion crawled up her spine, even as Jaehee���s expression soured even further. “What’s the issue here?”

Before the other woman could begin to formulate a response, she cut in, holding out what she hoped was a placating hand. “Jaehee, why don’t you see if you can salvage whatever mess Seven left with the refreshments?”

The look she received in return could only be described as skeptical, but Jaehee left nonetheless, thankfully just before Seven’s smile turned into a mock look of outrage. “What? Little ol’ Seveny, leave a mess by the food? I would never!”

She heaved a sigh, barely resisting the urge to massage her forehead; the festivities had only just begun, after all. “Seven. What did you do?”

“Eunbyeol?” Before Seven could reply, Jihyun’s voice cut through the din and she turned to find him with a bottle of… Was that… rum in his hand?

Her heart sank. “Seven!”

Something about her tone must have caught his attention; he started, something resembling guilt working its way into his features… or maybe that was just concern for his own wellbeing. Still, he schooled his face into some semblance of innocence with terrifying alacrity. “Yes, our dearest party coordinator?”

“Would you care to explain to us why you were by the refresh—? Wait…” Her gaze darted from the bottle in her boyfriend’s hand to the faint look of worry in Seven’s eyes. “Saeyoung Choi, did you spike the eggnog?”

He didn’t answer, though since that was because he had dissolved into a fit of giggles that would put an infatuated schoolgirl to shame, he certainly didn’t need to. The urge to slam her head against the nearest hard surface intensified, especially as Jihyun snickered, an indulgent grin on his face.

“Seven!” Her exclamation cracked through the air, loud enough that several guests turned to look. Waving them off with the most reassuring smile she could muster, she lowered her voice with some difficulty. “How could you?”

He shrugged, mostly unrepentant. “It’s not like anybody here is underaged.”

“Irrelevant. Besides, that doesn’t mean everyone here necessarily wants spiked eggnog, or can handle… how much rum did you put in there anyway?”

She wasn’t sure whether it was foolishness or self-preservation that kept his mouth shut but at that point, she hardly cared. Instead, she—barely—restrained herself to a glare that vowed painful retribution post-party, which he blithely ignored as he turned away, given his parting inquiry of whether he could prepare a Honey Buddha Chip creme brûlée as the centerpiece for dessert.

“No, you’ll burn the house down.” Her snapped response was perhaps louder than required, especially given the number of guests who seemed already curious as to what had her in such a tizzy, but given the circumstances, she frankly couldn’t care less.

Especially since, beside her, Jihyun made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a snort.

Thankfully, Jumin proved to be considerably more helpful than her significant other and offered both a pen to change the label and to pacify potentially discontent guests while she rectified the situation and pointedly ignored Jihyun’s hastily stifled laughter. Offering two final disdainful glances and one grateful one, she hurried to the refreshments table.

Much to her relief, the eggnog appeared to be mostly untouched, though whether that was from lack of interest or from experience, she couldn’t quite be sure. At any rate, it wouldn’t change the extra security which came from having a proper label, and ideally prevent the occurrence of any drunken mishaps.

Said hope was swiftly dashed as soon as she spotted Yoosung across the room with what must have been a second or third cup of eggnog; he had been a lightweight when she first met him and the ensuing years had done nothing to change that, judging from his slight swaying. Meanwhile, Zen seemed to be too busy entertaining the rest of their guests—and being fawned over by the multitude of women whom Jumin had apparently decided to invite—to notice much of anything, much less the predicament of his pseudo-sibling.

Spectacular.

Sighing, she wove her way through the neverending crowd, wondering how Jaehee had ever managed to maintain order in the past. Whatever Jumin paid her could never be enough, not that she was going to complain at the moment. Making a mental note to request Jumin grant his assistant a long vacation, she arrived beside Yoosung just in time to stop him from downing his most recent glass.

“Eunbyeol!” His exuberant cry of her name was worryingly slurred, though admittedly not as much as she had feared.

Still, it was enough so that she cast her gaze about until she spotted Zen, still engrossed in enchanting the guests around him. There was no subtle way of attracting his attention, not against the fawning masses, and if she were to be entirely honest with herself, any such method wouldn’t have been enough to assuage her frustration after having to deal with Seven’s latest escapade.

Instead, she contented herself with snatching Yoosung’s wrist and bodily tugging him in Zen’s direction. She still had a polite smile affixed to her lips to assuage the concerns of the guests around them, but it was something, at least, to vent her exasperation.

Luckily for everyone involved, their resident musical celebrity was surprisingly willing to keep an eye on Yoosung, even in spite of the still ongoing party. It was enough so that, in any other situation, she would have dared to question whether Zen was still working on convincing Seven to create a babysitter license for him. In light of her frustration with Seven, however, she only thanked him again, the hint of desperation in her voice apparently audible enough that his brow furrowed with concern and he turned to her.

“What happened?”

She made a face. “Seven.”

“Ah.” Sympathy colored Zen’s tone. “What did he do this time?”

“Spike the eggnog and I’m not even sure what else but I’m sure there’s something.”

She received a wry chuckle in return. “No doubt. It’s Seven we’re talking about, after all.”

“I just hope he holds off until after this is over.”

Keen red eyes met hers. “Not the party you were hoping for?”

The sound that escaped her lips could only be a snort. “That obvious, huh? No, I was thinking something much smaller. I’m just glad Jumin decided to play host; I don’t even want to think about having to clean up my apartment after a soirée of this scale.”

“Would you look at that? The Trust Fund Kid is good for something after all.”

“Zen…”

He grinned back with an air of feigned innocence. “Old habits die hard?”

She rolled her eyes, though with a smile of her own, as she lightly swatted at his arm. “To be fair, he’s being much more helpful than Jihyun is. He at least helped with mitigating Seven’s mess while our glorious leader just egged him on.”

“Hey!”

At the loud cry in her ear, Eunbyeol jumped, nearly bowling Zen over. By the time she had regained her equilibrium, Yoosung was already trying to cut a stumbling path through the crowd, seemingly fixated on something in the distance. Or perhaps more accurately, the two women frozen underneath, both looking upward.

“Jaehee!”

At Yoosung’s second drunken bellow, she leapt forward, catching him before he could move any closer and manage to draw more attention to the scene than he already had, gesturing wildly at the woman in question. As it was, Jaehee was already turning a very interesting shade of pink, sneaking occasional glances at her companion, a tall, thankfully amused looking woman she vaguely recognized as the owner of a little cafe that had opened just down the street from the C&R building.

Though, was that mistletoe hanging from the ceiling?

God, there was no way this could end well.

Before she could ruminate farther on the best punishment for Seven and likely Jihyun as well, Yoosung broke out of her grasp and pointed a finger at the duo. “Hey, Jaehee, you’re under the mistletoe so stop stalling and just kiss already!”

She froze, torn between a horrible desire to laugh or to slam her head repeatedly into the nearest wall in the face of the mess that her innocent suggestion for a party had become. Luckily, Zen’s reaction time was not similarly impaired.

“Yoosung!” He darted forward, face torn between amusement and concern, and pulled the boy aside, covering his mouth with one hand. “That’s enough for you, kid.”

Ignoring the muffled protests coming from behind their makeshift gag as Yoosung was dragged away, she turned back to the pair still frozen under the mistletoe to find Jaehee slowly turning a truly impressive shade of vermillion. From behind the fake spectacles, frantic brown eyes darted from the plant hanging innocently over her head to the woman standing across from her in rapid and undisguisable panic.

Before Eunbyeol could attempt to calm the situation, however, the other woman quickly met her gaze with what could only be described as a reassuring glance before stepping closer to Jaehee. Warmth sparkled in her eyes, along with mischief and… interest?

Well, that certainly explained why she had run into Jaehee there every time she chose to visit the cafe, at least.

“May I?”

Cheers erupted from her other side even before Jaehee, eyes wider than she’d ever seen them, nodded and Eunbyeol turned to find that in the chaos, Seven and Jihyun had maneuvered closer and were both grinning at the spectacle, the former with an expression of pride. Said triumphant grin morphed into a smirk as soon as he noticed her gaze and she groaned at the inevitable gloating she’d no doubt soon be on the receiving end of before returning back to the dessert table and the spiked eggnog.

God, she needed a drink.

[ilovehighhats]

Facets of Perfection, ch. 04

Woo-hoo, just finished my beer and this chapter, both at the same time. Who doesn’t like a simultaneous ending, eh? ;)

The small-talk during dinner was ghastly.

Selina and Bruce tried valiantly to keep the conversation flowing, but all they got in return were monosyllabic grunts from Bane and increasingly flabbergasting comments from Victoria. She was on her third glass of wine before she had her second bite of the salad.

“So, Vic, what are your plans, job-wise? You weren’t idle when you were back across the pond?” Selina tried, plastering a fake smile on her lips. The itch in her throat was getting worse, and her nose started to run the moment they got back home from the airport. Patching up family dinner to at least look civil was the last thing she wanted to do.

"I did an odd job here and there during studies, of course. But now that I finished my postgraduate I'm going to start my career in earnest. Just don’t know where exactly, yet"

"Any offers?" Bruce inquired over a bite of pasta.

"A few prospects."

One less, than there should be, Victoria thought. But that was in the past.

"Here?" It was Selina’s question this time.

Victoria shook her head.

"Most of my contacts are back there. But I'll be visiting."

No one at the table really believed that.

Selina decided to brighten the mood and turned to the other guest.

“How do you find yourself in the holiday season, Bane?”

“What do you mean?” The man asked, clearly caught off guard. His bewilderment replicated in Bruce's surprised stare.

“Aren’t you the one who always stresses the importance of practicality and utility? Just curious how you manage with all this excess around you.”

“I’m not averse to some... Frivolities,” Bane admitted begrudgingly.

Victoria made a face, badly trying to conceal that with her wine glass.

Bane pretended he didn’t notice. He stayed turned towards Selina.

“Would you mind if I used the pressure cooker and slow cooker in the morning?”

“Not at all. What are you going to make?”

“Porridge.”

Victoria snorted into her wine.

“What time do you usually have your breakfast?” Bane kept on asking, without missing a beat.

“Half past seven,” Bruce supplied. “What would you like to have for breakfast, Victoria?”

She leaned back in the chair, squinting her eyes and pursing her lips. She made a show out of thinking about the answer, swishing the wine in her glass pensively, and humming. But then, there was wistfulness on her face, a softness in her eyes when she finally said. “Pop tarts.”

This time Bane snorted into his drink.

Victoria shot him a pointed stare as if she didn’t do the same just minutes before.

“Do you have pop tarts?” she asked the host.

“I don’t think we do,” Bruce said, shaking his head.

“We do,” Selina corrected, quietly. She shared a knowing smile with Vic. “Strawberry and marshmallow.”

“Perfect,” Victoria said before taking another sip from her glass.

“Can I have one too?” Tim asked, an expectant glimmer in his eyes. “Please?”

“Sure, honey,” Selina smiled at him and straightened a non-existant errant lock of hair back behind his ear. The boy giggled.

“Just don’t make a habit out of it. It’s a special treat,” Bruce cautioned.

All through the evening, Cassie was sitting silently in her place, but at this statement, her eyes met Vic’s with a clear enquiry.

“It’s special to me and your mom because it’s all we used to eat for breakfast when we were little.”

“Why?” Tim asked, somewhat absentmindedly, as he seemed more focused on getting a giant serving of pasta into his mouth.

“It’s cheap, and we were dirt-poor,” Selina answered.

“And it’s really easy to make. Just pop it in the toaster,” Vic supplied.

That was the theme of hers and Selinas childhood. The least amount of work, the least amount of money, the least amount of effort were all their moms could give them. Anything beyond was a fairytale seen on tv. Vic promised herself, she’d never settle for mediocre.

That’s why she was so disappointed in Selina’s mundane family.

The little voice in her head told her she really was jealous of the stability and happiness her cousin had, but Vic snuffed it quickly with another swig of wine.

“So, what it is that you do exactly?” Victoria asked, getting comfortable on the living room couch before the TV. Selina and Bruce retreated upstairs, ostensibly to put children to bed, but probably just because they both looked absolutely drained. Vic wouldn’t be surprised if they slept on the spot.

Before they went, Bruce placated his guests with some warm spiced cider. Vic took to it like a parched man on the desert. Bane eyed his glass somewhat suspiciously.

When Vic asked him the question he was in the middle of tentatively sniffing its contents.

“I do this and that.”

“Fascinating,” she said, in a voice that clearly showed it was anything but. “You’re in security, like Bruce?”

“You could say that.”

“Selina mentioned you’re waiting for your next assignment.”

“Did she?”

“So, you’re like, looking after shops and malls and stuff like that?”

The glass stilled mid-air when he tensed.

“Stuff like that,” he replied. His breath misted the thin rim of the glass and he took the smallest sip, barely wetting his lips.

If Victoria were less inebriated she might have noticed some strain in his tone. As it was, she happily refilled her drink and idly watched the screen before them. The tv was turned off, so she could only contemplate their reflection.

“Yeah, you look like one of those guys.”

“Those guys?” Bane echoed.

“You know. A bit past your best years, cashing in on your, hm, shall I say - training?”

“Cashing in…”

“Well, I’m sure you’re great at what you do.” She looked him in the eyes and patted his knee condescendingly.

A strained muscle throbbed when Bane’s jaw tightened.

“There weren’t many complaints,” he hissed out.

“See, that’s the good way to see it. Not many complaints, so most of your, erm, clients were probably somewhat satisfied.”

“Somewhat, probably,” Bane grunted and took a large swig of his drink this time.

“And you know, you can’t expect yourself to be on the same page as all those youngbloods fresh out of school, full of energy and motivation. If that next assignment will be a long one coming, you can always think about changing career paths.”

Bane was stupefied. In the last couple of years, no one offended him as much as this little slip of a woman did in this one evening. He was a master spy, seasoned shapeshifter, investigator, fighter and a tactician. He was the absolute creme de la creme of the security business. His name opened doors, his skills were highly sought out and his reputation was spotless.

Usually, he would be glad that he didn't look the part of a scary mercenary. It was an advantage, an additional way to surprise your foes. But this was a day when he was just himself. He didn't pretend to be anything else from who he felt like. What he felt like was a warrior. Seasoned and battered, but proud and strong. Experienced.

And she thought he was some kind of ageing and sad mall cop, waiting for his next job.

It stung. His self-esteem was deeply hurt, even though he knew better. An opinion of a thirty-year-old alcoholic shouldn't matter to him at all.

The way she regarded him as if he was just an uneducated muscle, just a simpleton she graced with her wisdom out of a sheer abundance of good manners… It infuriated him.

“Speaking of careers, what are those prospects you mentioned at dinner?”

“Why do you want to know?”

An obvious deflection. Like any predator, when Bane smelled blood he knew he would be getting his prize…

“I’m curious, as to what grand plans you might have. Selina mentioned,” he gleefully used the same words she poked him with earlier, “that you intend to stay here indefinitely.”

“Oh, not as long as you, I’m sure,” she threw offhandedly. For a little while, when Bane stewed in his anger, she appraised him, her demeanour somewhat chagrined. In the end, she sighed deeply and settled more comfortably on the couch.

Something caught her attention, which in turn alerted Bane. He felt her slide towards him on soft cushions.

Could it be...

“Whatch’a ‘ave in there?” Vic asked. She was aiming for cute, but it came out slurred and pathetic.

It soured her mood further. Bane’s answer didn’t help in improving it too.

“None of your business.” everything in his posture screamed that she better keep to herself.

Victoria didn’t really want to listen to him anyway, whether he’d communicated verbally or not. She leaned in, almost spilling her drink on his lap.

“It’s a list!”

One could think the discovery was monumental, from the tone of voice she used. Archimedes and his wimpy ‘Eureka!’ couldn't hold a candle to her delivery.

However, Bane didn’t seem too impressed, for some mysterious reason.

“You’re drunk. You should retire for the night.”

She straightened and tilted her head to look at him down her nose. It was extremely difficult because of the difference in height between them.

“Is this a contest in stating of facts, sir? Because I am a champion in that part-” Her fuzzled brain struggled with the word. “Parci-, no, it was partishu-”

“As I was saying,” Bane commented with an air of annoyance, “It’s advisable for you to get some rest.”

He got up and started walking away towards the kitchen.

“Why would you have a to-do list, you burly ape?” Victoria whispered to herself.

[soulful-ofevans]

Back Where I Belong - Chris Evans

request: Can you do an imagine where the reader and Chris are dating and she meets him at the airport after he's been away filming for months?

people: Chris - Reader (You) 

warnings: FluFFY 

word count: 1000+

a/n: This is a request that someone asked so long ago, I’m so sorry I neglected your request, anonymous person! Thank you for this lovely idea, though, I’ve had this tucked away for so long.

“These seats are hurting my ass. God, now I know why airport seating is so fuckin’ painful, they want you to be motivated so you haul ass to get to the plane,”

I stopped to laugh at my joke, chuckling loudly enough to awaken the elderly lady next to me who was waiting for something she was not willing to talk about.

“Would you, for the millionth time, shut up! It’s three in the morning!” Across from me was this bitchy woman around my age, most likely a lot older. She had this weird orange hair, that I knew was dyed but she still had ginger-like looks to her face. She had the whole nine yards of freckles, ginger-tinted brows, and even wore green just to brighten her orange complexion.

“No! It’s three in the morning and I’m here because I’ve got someone to pick up that I’ve been waiting for. For four months!”

The Irish-wannabe looked at me and smirked, giggling to herself like I wasn’t ten feet away from her. “Who are you picking up? Your boyfriend you ordered off some sex website?”

Jesus, when will Flight 4301 land, dammit! I don’t have time for this!

Smiling sweetly, I got up and grabbed my bag along with my third cup of Starbuck’s black coffee. “Yes, you got me Lucky Charms, I ordered a sex companion. His name is Julio and we’re gonna get married in Vegas. Good day.”

Ginger-snap wasn’t fast enough to shut her wide opened trap that had fallen when I was quick to reply to her. Walking off I went to sit at another set of empty seats, hopefully not causing controversy with whoever lands up near me.

Chrispy Creme:  I land at BOS @ 4:45 baby! Sorry it’s so early :/ I love you xxx

It was two to forty-five and no signs of his flight were announced. Deciding to let it be, I plugged in my earphones and brought up my Itunes, clicking on a much-needed song right now, one that would ease the ache of Chris’s arm not being wrapped around my waist right now. It would numb my lips that could almost feel the pressure of lips on mine.

Humming along to the beat of Alicia Key’s ‘If I Ain’t Got You’ I closed my eyes that burned with lack of sleep. I hadn’t even slept all night because I got too excited about Chris finally coming back home. So I made myself an espresso and watched musicals that would make me stay awake because I could never sit through one without getting up and dancing to the beat of the melody or singing along with the cast. I was hitting my breaking point, though, my head throbbed, and my ass still ached, my eyes were burning with tears now, from sleep-induced stress. I felt my chin waiver as I silently prayed for Chris to just get here soon, I was waiting for him, Dodger was waiting for him. Then tonight there’d be a huge surprise party for him courtesy of Lisa, Carly, Shauna, and I. My fingers roughly rubbed my sunken eyes, I cannot fall asleep! No Sleep, no sleep, no sleep-

“Flights 4305, 4308, and 4301 have arrived. The gates are open for you to pick up your guest, thank you for choosing Boston’s Logan Airport. Have a nice day!” With that I grabbed my bag and abandoned my coffee, running to the sea of people who seem to have magically just appeared out of nowhere.

Now, I’m not the tallest bean in the stock so my only resort of finding Chris was jumping up and trying to get a glance of a NASA Cap, some blonde hair with ashes of brown in it, or those blue eyes that we're quite hard not to miss.

After my twelfth jump with no such luck of a glimpse of him, I gave up on that plan and went with sour plan b. “Humph..Ugh! Fine, people. I’ll go to the back you asswipes.”

Leaving the crowd I went to the terminal area, watching the people pass by with their collected loved ones as I stared at them angrily, pissed that I wasn’t one of the lucky ones. I didn’t lose hope, though, I waited for a good twenty minutes before finally, I caught sight of a very familiar looking button down.

I don’t know whether it was the possible dangerous amount of coffee in me or just the adrenaline of seeing him again but I bolted down the hall.

“Chris!” I yelled just in time to have him catch me in his arms, wounding me tightly around his hips. I was a koala bear that refused to let go of him. The numbness of my subsided when he kissed me fervently, almost clawing at my hair with a desperation to be closer to me, than he already was. we already were.

Pulling back just enough to let himself whisper breathlessly to me, I couldn’t help but kiss away the tear that leaked from his glassy eyes. “You..have no idea...how long... I’ve waited for this.” Beaming with a smile that hurt my cheeks I laughed sneaked a kiss from him again.

“Oh love, you have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for you… but… now that I have you back-”

“Oh I’m never fuckin’ leaving again, that’s for sure.” Both of us burst out laughing at Chris’s words.

I let my feet hit the ground and soon we became just another couple walking out of the terminal, smiling with each other’s arm wrapped around their waist. We looked so ordinary, so normal. No one asked Chris for a photo or even a question. They just smiled as we passed, on our way to my car in the parking lot.

I felt Chris let out a sigh of relief, feeling his fingers dig into my hip a bit, as we walked out of the airport. “It feels good to be back home...”

“It feels good to just have you here...” Chris smiled down at me when I softly answered back to him. 

I stole another glance at him again, just wanting to see that face once more. Letting it sink in that he was actually finally here. Finally in bed with me at night, eating my terrible made up foods, and listening to my awful karaoke. I let a few tears fall to the earth, not caring if my mascara made me a raccoon or not. 

All that mattered was he was here with me. His burly arm around my lower waist, cuddling into me like no time had placed since he’d last held me like this. 

“I can’t believe I went so long without seeing your face, Y/N. God, it hurt sometimes just to think of seeing you on skype at night because I couldn’t reach in and just grasp your hand,” His arm left my waist and he took my left hand into his right, interlocking our fingers. “Or just see your eyes in the real sunlight... I don’t know how you summoned the strength because I sure as hell was caving in on week three...” 

Giving only a smile, sincere smile, I kept his hand clasped with my own, holding his palm just a bit tighter to mine as I felt my throat tighten with a sob I refused to release. “Oh love,” I replied. Staring at his beautiful face while Chris looked at the sun rays starting to beam their light down on us, letting the skies lighten with a blue color so beautiful it lifted his spirits even higher. 

Just looking at his widening eyes, and dopey smile and felt a sob and chuckle come out at once. God, I’m in love with this man...How did I get through these months away from him? Lord knows it was spent sometimes with my face in a pillow or my body tucked under the sheets all day... all of it, though, I’d do again and again just to be able to hold that face...

How hard was it to be away from you, Chris? 

 Love, you have no idea.

Tell me your thoughts! I wrote this on a whim so constructive criticism is always welcomed haha! - R .xx 

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