#the second best thing is how visibly cheery I was on my last day there

[humanmorph]

it's crazy to me that everyone keeps saying the people at the archive are sooo nice because I kind of fucking hated it there. oh the people I found so unpleasant to be around that I started taking walks in the rain during my lunch break at 8°C in November so I didn't have to be inside? yeah haha (gritted teeth)

[artistic-izzy-multifandom]

Izzy's (second) Heavily Improvised Essay on Bambi 2

*rolls back here*

Okay so uh, my first essay was made back in... *checks notes* May 9th! And since then I've had more than enough time to think of what else to write for the movie (because like I said before, I’m 100% normal about it I swear), I figured I’d do it now!

Revisiting my first one, I mentioned a part regarding a possible parallel between the dream sequence and the cliff scene near the end.

Well today I’m here to elaborate on what I mean, by examining the scenes (and probably over-analyzing them, what can I do?) and in essence explain what makes both of them my absolute favorites of the whole movie.

(Oh, and probably there’s gonna be a side tangent regarding the tracks “Love is a Song that Never Ends” and “Bambi and the Great Prince”. They’re gonna be important.)

So first things first, we’ll start with the Dream Sequence, happening near the end of the first third of the movie.

It starts with Bambi having to wait till his father comes back to take him home. This is essentially one of the few points where we see him at his most vulnerable — dare I say, most of his cheery attitude from earlier, be it with his friends or even his father when trying to keep up with him, was a facade.

Only further indicated when Faline offers to accompany him to the den, and he declines - and visibly stammers. “M-my father’s coming for me.”

As if he was correcting himself even before he said it.

Not helped by the fact that he’s watching all other kids leaving with their mothers; it’s a somber, unspoken reminder of his loss. Still, he never admits to anyone out loud how much it hurts him, plus there’s the implication that it’s been but a couple days since it happened, considering his friends already knew of him living with his father.

This is all before the Great Prince’s speech on ‘ignoring one’s feelings and doing what’s best for others’, mind you! Maybe the apple didn’t fall far from the tree after all.

As Bambi lays down to wait and eventually gets sleepy, the movie’s main theme plays in the background in a solemn way — and in a sense, having a tiny sliver of hope in it. Let’s put a pin on that part.

Then, as soon as Bambi falls asleep completely, that’s when the sequence starts — with a vast meadow bathed in golden sunlight, and Bambi gleefully chasing away some butterflies. And then, we hear a voice call out to him, and he turns to see who it was.

Atop a small hill is his mother, surrounded by those same butterflies in a heavenly manner. And Bambi, overjoyed at seeing her again, rushes up the hill to reunite with her — the two nuzzle each other as soon as he makes it there.

She comforts him all the while, reassuring her son that things would be alright, then pulling away from the nuzzle to explain to him “why did [she] have to go”. And so comes her quote about “everything in the forest has its season”.

All the while she looks saddened, even when first comforting him — like she knew she can never come back to him and still try to reassure her son through it all.

Also, take a look at the butterflies; in many places, they symbolize joy, freedom, hope, transformation, rebirth, and new beginnings. Now, when you have the mother’s full quote:

“Everything in the forest has its season; where something falls, another grows. Maybe not what was there before, but something new and wonderful all the same.”

Whether you believe his mother truly was there or not, it doesn’t matter here; what matters is what the dream is trying to convey to Bambi.

Where something falls (the death of his mother), another grows (being taken in by his father). Maybe not what was there before (nothing can ever replace her), but something new and wonderful all the same (him and his father eventually bonding).

Still, as Bambi said himself near the end of the dream: he feels alone. The last reassurance she can give him before he wakes up, in her own way of saying it, is that she'd always be with him in his heart and memories. Her very last words as the dream dissipates are: “I’m here.”

Okay so, here’s the mini tangent on the tracks “Love is a Song that Never Ends” and “Bambi and the Great Prince”, plus a fun fact!

The former is the main theme of the first movie, but it also makes a total of three comebacks in this movie; the first two are very brief so it’s easy to miss, and the third happens in the dream sequence.

The first instance actually happens at the start of the movie — the three first notes of the midquel’s theme play when the Disney logo appears, and then after the logo fades, plays a very short chorus rendition of “Love is a Song”.

The second instance, just as short, happens at the very beginning of “There is Life”, the singer humming the notes before starting the lyrics.

And the third and final instance is the entirety of the dream sequence — but here’s the fun fact:

In the movie itself, the theme is played in an orchestra manner and then switching to an oboe/flute rendition when Bambi’s mother speaks.

However, in the official soundtrack, the theme is only played at the orchestra part; the rest of the track is the “Bambi and the Great Prince” theme in that same flute/oboe rendition, switching to violin at the very end.

In a sense, at least in the context of the movie, it’s almost a musical rendition of the quote itself by having “Love is a Song” associated with Bambi’s bond with his mother (an unchanging tune), while the midquel’s theme is associated with his bond with his father (a theme that evolves as time goes on).

(unrelated side note, I wish they had released the entire soundtrack of the movie and not just a few tracks, I’d pay for that to happen T_T)

(okay, side tangent over for this section, back to main topic)

But of course, we are to be further reminded of the tragedy one way or another.

When Bambi wakes up, he’s still hearing his mother’s “I’m here” out there in the woods — it gives him the hope that she’s actually alive and searching for him.

He ends up facing the meadow but still too wary to go out there for obvious reasons. He begins to turn back when there’s no immediate answer to his call, like he’s internally berating himself for believing she was there. Until the voice calls again, and continues.

He does gather courage to step into the meadow, but this time not as hopeful as before; hope is still there, but it’s fickle compared to his more than justifiable fear of the meadow. Part of Bambi knows there’s something wrong, but he can’t let go of his hope yet.

And doing so almost cost his life when Man’s dogs appeared from the bushes.

It all ends up unceremoniously crushed when his father, after saving him, scolds him for falling for Man’s tricks and freezing in place when told to run. All he could do was apologize, having tried to explain why he’d followed the voice but giving up halfway through the reprimand.

Then when the Prince calms down and takes Bambi back to the den, the latter sadly asks: “She’s never coming back, is she?”

And the Great Prince, after a few seconds of silence, can only reply in an equally solemn tone: “No.”

This end of “act” serves as a reinforcement of Bambi’s sentiment in the dream, only now he’s faced with the full certainty of his mother’s death — he feels alone, now far more than ever. Therefore it is no surprise that he starts becoming more and more desperate for recognition on the Great Prince’s side.

That if he could be brave just like him, then maybe, maybe he’d be worthy of his title as a Prince, and therefore worthy of having any sense of approval.

Before we head to the other scene, allow me to ramble a bit on one aspect of the movie that I feel gets slightly overlooked: a sense of misunderstanding on both sides of the story. While it is true that the Prince never told Bambi of his original plan to send him away with a doe, and it nearly cost the bond between them, at the same time Bambi never fully told his father how he felt in all of this mess or how alone he was.

And it makes sense why — because they didn’t have much of a bond to begin with, just talking things through with each other wasn’t an option. Especially not when the reason they’re stuck in this, as in the death of Bambi’s mother and the Prince’s mate, is one that cannot be talked about as how things are at the moment.

It’s quite saddening to think about in hindsight, because when you see the movie from the Prince’s perspective; everything he’s doing, it’s because he genuinely believes it’s the best for Bambi, even the whole ordeal with telling him to stay at the den where it was safe.

Bambi thinks it’s because the Prince doesn’t want him around, therefore he has to prove that he’s brave enough to go on patrols again.

However, the truth is that the Prince didn’t want to risk losing his son, not after losing his mate mere days earlier. It’s not a punishment, it never was; it’s a misguided attempt at keeping him safe and away from danger. Even when he does go through with the plan, the Prince’s not happy with the decision, but still does so because he thinks it’s the best for his son.

Okay, so with that section out of the way, time to talk about the other scene of this essay, and why I personally think it serves as an indirect mirror to the dream sequence: the cliff scene.

Before it happens, there’s the chase scene, which was kickstarted by Ronno goading Bambi into a fight. (also interesting to note: before this and the dream happened, Ronno made an appearance, at first to gloat about taking on Man but also telling the truth about the ‘I’m here’ calls, and later him kickstarting the climax by ramming into Bambi and accidentally bumping into Mena and setting off a trap)

The first time there were dogs coming and Bambi couldn’t even think of running, this time he managed to snap out of it and flee. At first for himself, but upon listening to his then-adoptive-mother Mena’s words, he realized they were the exact same words Bambi’s mother told him before she died.

It was enough to make him turn back and lure the dogs away to prevent another tragedy from happening. He’s seriously risking his own life by doing this, but why wouldn’t he? He’s a Prince, so in his mind he’s supposed to make sure neither Man or his dogs hurt anyone. Especially to make sure he doesn’t lose another parental figure in his life, however short it was with Mena.

When all’s said and done, Bambi manages to defeat Man’s remaining dogs — but then gets pleasantly surprised when he realizes his father was watching from a nearby cliff.

As the audience, we knew that the Great Prince went after Bambi to try and save him from the dogs, going as far as rushing through the meadow (which everyone knows is extremely risky to do as explained in the first movie, on top of a thunderstorm happening) just to reach his son in time.

But Bambi had absolutely no idea that he’d done that. Had no idea that his father had somehow followed all the way to find him, to witness him defeat the last dogs.

So, as soon as he realizes, Bambi runs up the cliff to reunite with his father, leaping over a rocky ledge in the way. And they smile at each other.

However, the joy is short-lived when the ground beneath Bambi’s hooves, moments ago briefly shown to be unstable beneath the Great Prince himself, gives way and he falls.

The Prince cries out his name, his own voice echoing as he rushes down the slope, until he halts in complete horror and shock.

At the bottom of the cliff is his son just past the mist, unmoving and surrounded by some grass amidst the rocks. And the Prince, almost overwhelmed with emotion, slowly approaches him, and tries to call him.

He urges the fawn to get up, voice almost breaking the second time, then tries to steel himself with his own mantra: “A Prince does not…”

But he never finishes it. As if the reality of it all at that moment finally caught up to him.

It was never about being a Prince or what he does or “does not” do, nor was it about just being brave. It was about Bambi needing someone, anyone to be there for him no matter what — to reassure him that he wasn’t alone. It was about Bambi needing his father. And for all the Prince knew at the time, it was just too late.

Still; if the Prince couldn’t be the father Bambi needed him to be, if he couldn’t show him just how much he truly cared about his son before the latter’s (apparent) untimely death, he would now.

Nearly the entirety of this sequence is spent in silence, with only the pitter-patter of rain gradually fading away, a gentle chorus singing in the background (which at points sounds all too similar to the notes of the movie’s main theme…), and the Prince’s own barely audible sobbing as he tenderly nuzzles his son, crying and mourning him.

It mattered not that he was the Great Prince of the Forest, the one protecting everyone from the dangers of Man — the title meant nothing if he couldn’t protect the last family he had left.

At that moment, he was just a father grieving his son.

So when he pulls away at last and prepares to leave, only one thing stops him in his tracks.

It’s Bambi’s voice weakly calling out to him: “Dad?”

And as soon as the Prince turns around to see his son alive and looking at him, still tired and recovering from the fall, the very first thing the Prince does? It’s to reassure his son, bending down to nuzzle him again and saying these words twice in a gentle tone:

I’m here.

They remain like this for quite a while, embracing each other as the clouds part and reveal the night sky with a full moon and a shooting star, their shared theme playing one final time in a heartwarming reprise — marking this as their reunion and reconciliation.

What connects both scenes together is the bond Bambi has with his parents, down to how each sequence began and ended, on top of their contrasts and similarities.

The dream starts in shades of yellow, gold and orange, and then fades to blues and purples once Bambi wakes up. The cliff sequence is entirely in greys and blues, but soon gives way to a pale gold hue when the moon appears at the end of the scene.

Both instances involved Bambi being asleep/unconscious in one way or another — on the first he’s being comforted by his mother in the dream until he wakes up and finds himself nuzzling a rock; on the second, before and after he wakes up, he’s nuzzled by his father. Both times it ends with “I’m here”.

Although differing in context, the meaning is the same:

His mother, although truly gone now, would still be with him in his heart, in his memories, in his dreams. And his father, now fully committed to being a parent to his son, would be there for him from then on and, alongside Bambi, finally allow himself to grieve their shared loss — and heal from it together.

...

… Wow, several months working on this, but I regret nothing. Goes to show how much I love this movie, no joke. (still normal about it tho I swear!!!)

I might end up not writing a new essay (or maybe I will, who knows?) but I’ll be compelled into sharing more of my Bambi fanart in the future! But for now?

I said everything I had to say, therefore I can take my leave~

*rolls offscreen again*

[ivymyers]

Omg pretty please do a part two to broken. I need to knowwww, but I hope it ends in fluff bc my heart is fragile

Broken Part Two (Sidon x Reader)

Around 1,300 words so a little longer than part one.

(Link to part one: https://www.tumblr.com/ivymyers/719634738273452032/broken-part-one-sidon-x-reader )

Warnings: Physical injury, torture, Yiga Clan, sharks(?), tears

You sat Sidon down on your bed and took a few steps back. You didn’t want to witness his reaction to what you were about to tell him.

“I was behind the waterfall. The Yiga Clan held me captive there.”

A sharp inhale was heard from Sidon as you paused, barely getting the first words out. This was going to be a long night.

“They, well uh, had me tortured, I suppose.” You whispered this so quietly that Sidon hardly heard. When you looked over to see his reaction, you instantly regretted it. You could see his tears welling up. All this crying was new to you, Sidon has been so joyful for as long as you could remember, were you really this important to him?

“They started with the electricity.”

—---- (…)

You woke up with all your limbs bound behind your back. The last thing you could remember was leaving the stables and then…black.

Looking around at your surroundings you could see you were in a dimly lit room. The fire light was visible through the cracks of a wooden door across from you. You could feel the rope around your wrists as you felt the stone wall behind you.

You heard some whispers from behind the door.

“The girl, she’s the Zora prince’s lover?”

“Yes, I’m sure of it. I began following her after she departed from the domain.”

“Good. We need to use this chance to our best advantage. Is everything prepared?”

“Yes. This should work. We need to break her. It’s the only way to get through the prince’s cheery attitude.”

The door opened and with wide eyes you witnessed 3 Yiga members walk through.

“Why hello there little Hylian. When we finish with you, all of Hyrule will have heard your screams. The only way you are getting out of here is with an exchange, the Zora prince for yourself.” You shuddered at the thought of them getting a hold of Sidon.

“Tell us where he is and we’ll let you go. But if you don’t…” He grabbed your face and whispered close to your ear, “You’ll regret ever being with him in the first place.” he added “Better to quit while you're ahead.”

Without even considering your options for a moment you looked the Yiga member who had spoken to you dead in the eyes, “Not ever.” Sidon was literally your world. Not for a single second would you ever betray him.

“Have it your way then”

The Yiga Clan members began reading a list to you. “Electricity. Water. Sharks. Physical injury. We believe that these…weaknesses will affect Sidon the most. If we can get you to fear them, it would absolutely break the Zora Prince.”

So they started with the shock arrows. Zora’s fear electricity the most, therefore the Zora Prince would feel sick with what went down. One by one they rubbed them down your arms and back until burn marks and scars formed. They kept it going past your screams of terror and shed tears.

The water came next. Zora’s thrive in water, the thought of Sidon’s beloved fearing what he practically lives in would kill him. The Yiga members left you to drown over and over and over again. They continuously dragged you under until your vision went dark and blurry, until you were on the very edge of death itself.

It was now that they saw how broken you were. You didn’t fight back and you didn’t make anymore remarks in response to the insults they threw at you. You felt your heart crack a little more each day until the pieces all fell beyond repair. You couldn’t remember when you finally shattered, you just knew you had.

“Am I really going to die here?” How you longed for even a glance of your prince. The one you knew had already forgotten you with the amount of time that passed.

Then, as if your prayers had been answered, you saw him. A red Zora burst through the door. I had to be Sidon. You would recognize him with the blurry vision and how shaken up you were…Right?

—----

(…)

The reality of it hit Sidon so hard. You saw the fear in his eyes, tears threatening to make their way down his cheeks.

“My Pearl…wait- I found you though, on the road.” His eyes went wide as you confirmed his suspicions. “It wasn’t me was it.”

You looked away from his face, “No. It was fake. I’m not sure how but, they…faked a rescue four different times. To get my hopes up I suppose. I- don’t really want to talk about it.”

“Hey, you have every right to keep everything to yourself. I understand if you need a lifetime to recover, just know I will never stop being there for you-”

You cut him off by running into his arms. Despite your hesitance toward him, you knew he would never hurt you. The two of you stayed in an embrace for a long while.

“Love?” SIdon questioned softly. “How did you end up on the road?”

“Well. I’m not exactly done.”

—---- (…)

Sharks. Sidon was one, or resembled one you guess. So when they dangled you inches from the danger of real ones you knew the purpose of this attack. The scars from edges of teeth and near death from the sinister creatures would be there always as a reminder of the danger sharks pose. Or at least that’s what your captors said.

Last came the beatings. Over and over and over and over came the punches and kicks. The only thing you could do to prevent the pain was stay quiet, not let the tears flow. This was your only defense.

One night a storm hit, one so bad that rocks slid down blocking most of the cave's entrance. Without a clear way to continue, the mission was practically ruined and the Yiga left you there to die. You pushed and pushed until eventually the rubble fell a little faster and a little closer and broke your chains. Finally, after a day without food or water you pushed your way out from the small cave behind the waterfall and passed out on the path.

—---- (…)

You knew there was more, the little details, but you thought it best to spare Sidon more pain. This was a lot to take in, you knew he loved you, but you weren’t sure if any feelings left after you told him your tale of pain and torture.

“My love, my pearl. Please don’t hate me.” Sidon’s pained expression visible on his face.

“Why would I hate you? If anything I’m the one who should get the blame, it’s- Sidon I’m not worthy of you and everything you have given me. All these chances and how patient you are…why wait for me when you could have any of these Zora women?” “Stop y/n. You can’t put that weight on yourself. You matter to me more than anything ever has. During that time you were missing- it pains me to even think about what you went through- if anything at all the attack was targeted toward me. If it meant to frighten me then it definitely worked.” He glanced up at you, looking tired and pained by everything. Sidon knew he couldn’t change the past and it was eating him alive. Everything would be different now, how he wished he could get the old y/n back. He knew he would do anything in his power to help you for a fast recovery, whatever that meant.

“Y/n?”

“Yeah?”

“May I hold you?” after a pause he added “I totally understand if you need time and-”

“Always Sidon.”

You both spent the night clinging to each other, both getting the best sleep you had gotten in months.

---------

Hopefully that was something along the lines of what you wanted, thanks for the request!

lmk if you want some headcannons in the same general storyline for events that occur after this? Or I could do a part three not sure yet.

[hereforhalstead]

Period Pains

*Gif not mine, credits to the owner*

• Pairing: Jay Halstead x Reader.

• Requested: Nope! Just fancied some soft!Jay

• Warnings: pure fluff besties 

• Summary: Jay looks after you as you experience a rough period, unlike anything you’ve felt before. 

• Words: 2482.

• A/N : When I tell you this is the ugliest thing I’ve ever written lmao. I’m so weak for soft!Jay at the moment and had just came on my period when i started this  a few weeks ago.. I have a few ongoing requests at the moment that I’m working on, promise I’m not ignoring them but I just don’t want to post them until I’m happy with them! 

Hope you enjoy!

You notice the bed beside you dip with Jay’s weight as he joins you, fresh from the shower as you feel the heat radiating from him. You attempt to shift and face him, craving the feeling of having your head against his chest with the rhythm of his heartbeat soothing you to sleep. You wince as a cramp hits your stomach, slinging your arm across your stomach as a natural reflex for when the wave of pain arises. 

Jay places a hand on the edge of your shoulder, gripping round your skin as he moves your hair to one side to place a delicate kiss to the exposed shoulder blade “Stay facing that way, I’ll be able to rub your stomach” he whispers into the nape of your neck and causing a shiver to run down your spine at the softness of his words. 

You happily do as you’re told, still in somewhat of a half consciousness as you doze in and out of sleep with the thought of knowing he was there beside you helping the pain drift away. 

“Life your hips for me baby” he softly demands, encouraging you to lift your side for just a few seconds to allow him to slip his arm under you to rest a hand on your stomach “You’re burning up” he tuts, removing the hot water bottle you had pressed against you and placing it on the the other side of the bed “Don’t want you getting too warm, you’ll make yourself ill”. 

His firm tone made your heart flutter, he always had your best interests at heart and made the smallest of actions seem natural to him. You’d happily let yourself curl up under a blanket with a hot water bottle until you were burning hot but it would always leave you feeling faint and you’d end up cooling off in a cold bath or shower which really defeated the object..

You laid in a comfortable silence with Jay, cursing under your breath as another wave of pain hit "Why am I a girl” you mocked, digging your head further into your pillow as some form of distraction. Jay would take it in his stride, dropping a kiss to your back and chuckling as you swear under your breath to take your mind off the intense cramps. 

The motion of Jay rubbing his hand softly over your stomach didn’t stop, you expected it to after a while but it never did. He was constantly tracing shapes across your skin, running his fingernails back and forth under your shirt and laughing as you occasionally flinched if it tickled. Whether it was a placebo affect or not, the cramps would ease under his touch and helped you get a brief moment of sleep. 

You awoke just under an hour later to an empty bed, turning over to see the covers thrown back and Jay’s side of the bed vacant made your heart sink. He was the one helping you through this and even though the painkillers had kicked in, you still missed him just being beside you.

You would often be the first one up in the mornings, heading to the gym before work or just wanting to be awake to make him a morning coffee meant you weren’t used to being in bed alone. He was always there with you, even when you teased him for how long the pair of you would spend in bed on your days off, you loved it and wouldn’t want it any other way. 

In replacement of Jay’s hand, you must’ve reached for the hot water bottle in your sleep and that was a mistake. You were now sweating, the clothes clinging to your skin as it glistens with sweat, feeling clamy and gross wasn’t what you needed right now.

Trudging over to the bathroom and catching a glimpse of yourself in the mirror was an instant regret, you were hunched to try and relieve the cramps, hair disheveled and your body was covered in red blotches from the hot water bottle. If you didn’t feel horrendous before, you did now. 

You always worried in your relationship that you weren’t good enough for Jay, he woke up and looked perfect, would finish an intense workout and look like a sports model or even concentrating on some paperwork he would look flawless and here you were looking the complete opposite.

You let out a deep sigh, running your fingers through your hair in some attempt to regain a sense of decency but there was no point. Your feelings were being intensified from your period and leaving you feeling worse than ever, wanting to curl up in bed and cry was seeming most appealing but before you can enjoy a good ole pity cry you hear the keys turning in the lock.

Quickly wiping the tears from your face and using Jay’s tshirt that you were currently wearing to try and remove the stains from your cheek was useless, you panicked. Jay seemed to have unnatural ability to tell when you’re not feeling yourself, and this is no exception. Just from taking one look at you he’d be able to tell you were upset and you didn’t want that to be the case, you’d already had a pity day and the last thing he needed was to see you were feeling worse. 

You chugged some water that he had left on the side and took another glance at yourself in the mirror, the red blotches had made their way to your neck so were now much more visible and your normal cheery smile was no where to be seen. 

“Baby?” you hear Jay call out, rustling around with some bags in the kitchen before making his way over to the room you shared. You were sat on the edge of the bed with your arms folded across your stomach, leant forward in pain as you rested your head on your knees.

His heart pulled at the sight, you were in pain and there was nothing he could do about it. He prided himself on always doing whatever he could to help you in any given situation and not being able to take away the hurt was killing him. He’d helped you through many periods in the past but this was the worst one by far, you’d be able to take some paracetamol and carry on but this was defeating you.

You barely had a chance to respond before you heard the footsteps getting louder as he made his way towards you, letting out a deep sigh as he sees you scrunched over in pain. The noise of bags rustling comes to a stop as he crouches down in front of you, resting his hand on the back of your neck and the other on your knee to hold himself steady as he balances.

“What happened baby?” his smooth voice was music to your ears, he didn’t even have to do anything and he was already soothing you more than you ever could. You sniffed before bringing your attention onto him, watching as his eyes soften when he see’s the redness in your cheeks and the hurt in your gaze. 

“Nothing” you lie through your teeth, already knowing he won’t fall for it but thinking it was worth a shot. Instead of giving you the normal ‘are you forgetting how well I know you?’ speech, he simply tilted his head to the side and lifted his hand to rest on the side of your face with a doting look “We’ll talk about it later”.

You were grateful for how well he knew you, knowing not to push you and that you weren’t in the mood to be interviewed like a suspect. Normally you loved it, thinking it was cute how he always craved to prove how well he knew you and could tell you were off just by a simple look but in doing this he knew best to leave it until you were ready. 

“Did you have to go back to work?” you question, still absentmindidly leaning into Jay’s touch as he gently moves his thumb back and forth to caress your cheekbone. A simple shake of his head made you smile, you were secretly hoping you’d have him to yourself so when you awoke to the empty bed you just assumed he’d been called in. 

You couldn’t hide the frown that formed as he removed his hand and stood in front of you, reaching for something on the bed as you stayed hunched over below him. “I got your favourite ice cream” he comments, holding the tub out to you with a grin spreading on his face as your eyes light up “I thought they stopped selling it?” you questioned, already peeling off the plastic from the lid. 

“They did in our local, I asked around and drove to the only place they said still sells it” the pride in his voice was unlike anything you’d heard before as he carried on rummaging around the bag before pulling out 3 more tubs “Didn’t know how many you wanted so I stocked up” he chuckled, placing the tubs back into the bag and watching as you nibble round the edge of the container, too impatient to wait for a spoon.

“You don’t want these then?” you looked round to see him holding a family size bag of crisps, a handful of candy bars and even a box of your favourite instant hot chocolate that you used to have as a child. “How did you know” you probe, reaching for the box and examining the text.

Struggling to remember the last time you saw the packaging in a shop, let alone holding it in your hands. The box feeling so much smaller than it used to from when you were young, bounding to the cashier with 5 or 6 boxes to buy with your pocket money.

 “On our first date we passed a shop that sold them and I’ll never forget the look on your face. You told me how your mum would always make you one if you were having a bad day and they’d always make you feel better” he smiled and could feel the tears brimming in your eyes.

You and Jay had been together nearly 8 months and he still remembered the tinist detail from your first date, something you had even forgotten about. A little remark you made as you passed the shop on the way back to the car park, not thinking much of it as who would remember about a box of instant hot chocolate that probably didn’t even taste good? Jay did.

“Get into bed and I’ll get some bowls for these” he collects the items and puts them back into the bag, his tone still gentle despite the excitement you knew he had inside from presenting you with everything you needed without being asked.

You shook your head, standing to wrap your arms around his torso. Nestling your head into his chest as you feel it vibrate from a silent laugh “I told you to get into bed baby” you felt the shivers run down your spine as he rested his hand on the back of your head, allowing his hand to roam up and down your back in a soft motion. 

“What did I do to deserve you” you mumble into his chest, feeling him rest his head on top of yours as his hand settled on your lower back to push you further into him “So I did good?” you could practically hear the smirk on his lips, pulling back to examine the glowing grin peering back at you as his eyes glistened.

You reached to place a light kiss to his lips, a soft kiss that told him everything he needed to know “Are you gonna make me tell you to get into bed again?” he joked, tapping your back to retract yourself from him. Begrugingly you did so, already feeling the slight cold from the lack of contact you now craved from him. 

Picking the bags up from the bed to pull back the blanket, you felt the weight of something still in the bottom. You opened the carriers to see what must’ve been atleast 5 boxes of different sanitary products rolling around in the bags “What’s this?” you asked, confused as to why he went out of his way to buy you the snacks but you never would’ve expected him to know what products to buy you, or atleast try and guess as you always joked about how little men knew about the whole thing. 

“I didn’t know if you needed any” his voice was timid, reaching to rub the back of his neck with his hand which was a sign of nervousness you’d picked up on over the past few months . “Jay, how much do you think I bleed?” you were grateful to see the corners of his lips lift in a smile “Well, I realised I’ve never bought you any so I wanted to get a few so I had more of a chance of getting the right ones” he admitted, your hands falling to your sides as you allowed the bag to drop to the floor. 

Your feet were bounding over to him before you could even think, all you wanted to do was throw your arms around him as you had no words for everything he had done. “I can’t believe how much I love you” your voice slightly cracked as you felt the lump rise to your throat, as much as Jay loved to care for you, you never would've expected this. 

“I’m sorry I can’t take the pain away” you felt him plant a kiss to the top of your head, another one of his small guestures that made you week at the knees without him even knowing. “You’ve helped more than you’ll ever know” you smiled into him, cringing at your cheesy confession but knowing he loves to hear these things from you, adding to his ego of how well he looks after you. 

You both stood in a comfortable silence, basking in each other presence with the simplicity of the background noises coming from the streets below. From someone looking on, the way you were standing probably didn’t look very comfortable. The way you were entangled together, your arms hanging from his neck as his moved around your body to press his fingertips in the various parts he knew you were probably feeling pain. When Jay finally breaks the silence, he mutters the words that at the moment sounded better than ‘i love you’ when they fell from his lips “Do you want some ice cream, baby?” 

**

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[fallingforunrealisticromance]

I've got you - Derek Morgan x Fem! Reader

A/N: Do you guys like longer stories or should I stick to smaller, one-shot type ones? Let me know:)

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of being attacked

Word Count: 4803

***= time skip

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

Being the target of unsub was very different then how I imagined it to be. From what I heard about most BAU cases, I’d probably be kidnapped or lured away by someone who presented themselves in such a way that I trusted them. Then once they had me I’d most likely be brutally tortured, held in a remote location and probably end up dead. But it’s nothing like that. At least not at the moment. It could change, I don’t know. Right now – I’m just waiting.

“Hey you!” Penelope’s cheery voice came through the phone.

“Hey Pen. How are you?” I said chuckling.

“Well thankfully today I don’t have to sift through a hundred different photos of some poor persons mutilated corpse as we have no cases. So right now, I’m pretty much up to nothing. I was sorting through some files, you know just tidying things up, but that got boring.” She explained happily. I could hear her twiddling with her fluffy pen in her hands as she spoke.

“Sounds perfectly uneventful.” I replied.

“It is and I couldn’t be more thankful.” She stated matter of factly.

“So can I do for you my love?” She asked.

“Well, I was just thinking I could swing by the office, maybe we could grab a bite to eat? I’m bored out of my mind.” I said sighing.

“It doesn’t surprise me; I still can’t believe they fired you!” Garcia exclaimed. I just rolled my eyes.

“I know, they literally had CCTV footage of Ryan throwing himself at me, yet they still think I was lying, it’s ridiculous.” I huffed.

“I could always do some digging; I’m sure your boss has some type of dirt on him. You could use it as blackmail to get your job back?” She suggested hopefully. I laughed at her words.

“As someone who works for the FBI I really don’t think you should be encouraging me to blackmail someone Pen. But thanks for the offer, I don’t really want to go back there anyways.” I explained.

“Understandable. But anyway, back to the point, yes we can go for lunch.” She concluded happily.

“Brilliant, I’m on my way I’ll be there in 10.” I hung up the phone and grabbed my stuff. It had been so long since I’d seen Garcia, or any of the BAU lot. Despite us being friends for a while now, our different schedules made it hard to see each other on a frequent basis. I checked how I looked once last time in the mirror before making my way out to my car.

********************************************************************

As I made my way up to the BAU offices, I could feel the nerves growing inside of me. It was stupid to feel this way, these guys were some of my closest friends. But it had been a good few months since I’d last seen them in person. I just really didn’t want things to be awkward.

“Y/N!” I heard a familiar voice call from behind me. I turned to see Emily stood with a huge grin on her face.

“Emily, hi.”

“Oh my god it’s good to see you.” She said pulling me in for a hug.

“It’s good to see you too, I’ve missed you guys.” I replied, a smile spreading its way across my lips.

“What are you doing here?” She asked.

“Oh I’ve come to get Garcia, we’re going out for lunch. You can join if you’re free, she mentioned you didn’t have any cases today.” I explained.

“Yeah lunch would be great. I’ll go find the others they’d love to see you.” Emily replied before darting off to find the others. I could see Aaron sat in his office, looking very intensely at some files. I made my way up the stairs and knocked on his door.

“Come in.”

I poked my head round the door and smiled at him. “Hi”

He looked up, his stern expression quickly replaced with a smile.

“Y/N, hi!” He stood up from his desk and walked over to me. He gave me a quick hug. “How are you?” He asked resting on his desk.

“Yeah I’m doing alright.” He raised an eyebrow at me, clearly not believing me. Bloody profilers

“What’s going on? He asked.

I sighed, smiling at him. “It’s nothing bad.” I didn’t really feel like explaining that I’d been sacked. Even if wasn’t my fault. I shouldn’t feel embarrassed, he wouldn’t judge me, but it was still awkward.

“If it’s nothing bad, then why don’t you wanna tell me?” He asked light-heartedly. He wouldn’t actually make me tell him if I didn’t want to, but he wanted me to know I could talk to him.

“I kind of got fired” I confessed. Hotch looked shocked.

“What happened?”

“Some guy was like non-stop flirting with me. But not just flirting, it was really weird. He kept asking me twisted personal questions and would always take pictures of me.” As I explained, I could see hotch getting visibly annoyed. “Then one day, he actually put his hands on me. In a proper gropey way. So, I told the manager and he told me I was lying to ruin this other guy’s career” I rolled my eyes as I finished, the memory of the incident replaying in my head. Hotch was quiet for a second before replying.

“We can lock him up if you want” He suggested causing me to chuckle.

“I’ll consider it.” Hotch smiled.

“Seriously though, that’s messed up. I’m sorry.” He patted me on the shoulder. “

It’s fine, it was a boring job anyway.”

“I’m sure. Well let’s go down, I’m sure the other will wanna see you.” He made his way to the door, and I followed after him. As we came down into the bullpen, I saw JJ, Emily, Reid, and Garcia all stood together. They all turned and smiled as they saw me coming down the stairs. We exchanged hugs and ‘how are yous’ before settling down.

“So, are you ready?” Garcia asked, grabbing her coat.

“Where you guys off to?” JJ asked.

“We’re gonna grab a bite to eat, you guys should come” I offered. They all agreed, and we went to leave.

“Hold up” A voice that made my heart skip came from behind me. I turned and saw Derek Morgan, flashing me that heart melting smile, walking towards me.

“So, you just thought you could walk your fine self into my place of work, and get away with not coming to see me?” He asked smoothly.

I laughed. “Good to see you too handsome.”

“Come here” He swung his arm around my waist and pulled me into him. Besides Garcia, me and Derek were the closest. He was my best friend. I cared about him more than I cared about myself. And if I’m being honest, I miss him more than anyone. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck and buried my head in the crook of his neck. I felt his hands holding me close to him. Being in his arms again, as cliché as it sounds, it felt like home. After what felt like forever, we finally let each other go. I tried to hide the few tears that had managed to form in my eyes but when you’re surrounded by a team of profilers that can be quite difficult. Morgan placed his hand on my shoulder.

“Hey, don’t cry gorgeous.” He said comfortingly.

“Ugh I know it’s stupid.” I groaned wiping the tears away. “I’ve just missed you all. So much.” I chuckled slightly.

“We’ve missed you too, sweet girl.” Garcia said nudging my arm.

“Morgan the most though. Your all he’s talked about for a while now.” Reid chipped in, earning a look from Morgan. I raised my eyebrows at him playfully.

“Oh, am I you now?” He rolled his eyes jokingly at me.

“Now don’t start okay, it’s not like that” He said chuckling. We all laughed and made our way out of the building. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Morgan punch Reid in the arm. “You’re gonna pay for that pretty boy”.

*******************************************************************

I shouldn’t have been nervous. I’d been back with these guys for what, 3 hours, and it felt like we’d never been apart. I wiped away a tear that had escaped as I laughed at a joke JJ had made.

“So, Y/N, besides your boss being a complete idiot – what's been going on with you?” Hotch asked.

“Um not much to be honest. I’ve been helping my sister out with her son seeing as she’s back at work now.” I explained.

“He’s the same age as jack right?” Hotch asked, a smile forming on his lips. I nodded.

“She’s thinking about relocating, you know trying to be closer to me and her work so she doesn’t have to be away from him as much so they might end up being in the same class.”

“I’m sure him and Jack will be great friends” Hotch replied happily. A comfortable silence fell over us for a second, before JJ piped up.

“How’s the love life then Y/n?” She said smiling, her eyes flickering from me to Derek. I noticed him shift slightly next to me but didn’t think anything of it.

“Yeah, got your eye on anyone?” Emily chipped in.

“Um no, still as lonely as ever.” I joked.

Garcia scoffed. “Not true.”

I glared at her, willing her to shut up but of course she ignored me. “What about that absolute hottie you’ve been out with?” She smiled at me mischievously as she spoke.

Derek turned to face me. “Absolute hottie?” He repeated.

I felt my cheeks flush red with embarrassment.

“It’s nothing, just a couple of dates.” I said hurriedly.

“Well tell us about him” Emily said leaning forward.

“I don’t know guys it’s nothing serious.” I really didn’t feel like talking about him, mainly because of who he was.

“I don’t care I wanna know. Where’d you meet him?” She pressed. I sighed, she obviously wasn’t going to give up and by the look on everyone else’s face they were just as curious.

“We have mutual friends. And I went out for a drink with them one night and he was there.” I explained.

“Very nice.” JJ confirmed.

“What does he look like?” I was about to reply but Garcia beat me to it.

“Absolutely gorgeous. He has this beautiful sort of surfer boy hippie type blonde hair. And his eyes, ohmygod, I feel like he could stare into my soul. And don’t even get me started on that jawline. I could grate cheese with it.” Garcia gushed, placing her hand over her heart. Everyone chuckled before looking back at me.

“Sounds like a real dreamboat” Derek muttered. I glanced over at him, there was something about his tone that made me feel bad about talking about my date.

“What does he do?” Reid asked, finally deciding to join the conversation. I shuffled uncomfortably, glancing at Aaron.

“Um h-he’s a chef” I stuttered avoiding eye contact. Aaron chocked slightly on the mouthful of food he’d just placed in his mouth. Of course, he’d figured it out. My face was defiantly burning bright red right now. Everyone looked awkwardly from me to Hotch.

“What’s his name?” He asked, his voice steady.

“Sean” I said quietly. Everyone fell silent. Garcia’s mouth fell open. I’d never told her who he was, only showed her a picture but I guessed she’d never met him. Everyone waited for Hotch’s reaction. He put his cutlery down and crossed his arms. He just stared at me, not saying anything. I’d never felt more embarrassed. He cleared his throat before he spoke.

“Did you have fun?” My eyes widened. Safe to say that was not the reaction I was expecting.

“Well, yeah. He took me to a few really cool places, and he’s a total gentleman.” I replied. I thought I saw a hint of a smile grace his lips.

“I’m glad.” He said before turning his attention back to his food. We all looked at each other awkwardly.

“I-is that it?” I stuttered. Hotch turned his eyes to me.

“Y/N you don’t need my permission to date someone.”

“Yeah I know, but he’s your brother.”

“And?”

“Well, I don’t know, I just didn’t want things to be awkward.” I mumbled.

“Y/N, it’s fine. I don’t have an issue with it. If anything, I think you might be good for Sean” I let out a sigh of relief.

“Um well thank you Aaron” Everyone turned back to their food and after a few moments, conversation picked back up again. I looked over at Derek. He’d barley spoken to me since Garcia had mentioned I’d been on a date. I nudged his leg under the table causing him to look at me.

“You doing a sponsored silence I’m not aware of?” I joked. He offered me a tight-lipped smile but he didn’t reply. My brow furrowed.

“Hey, what’s up?” I asked. He’s not one for being silent.

“Nothing, I’m all good pretty girl” He replied but he wouldn’t look at me.

“You don’t seem ‘all good’.” Whatever was going on in his head must have been important, we never kept secrets.

“Look at me.” I said, my tone soft. Derek sighed before he turned to face me, reluctantly meeting my gaze. I searched his eyes trying to figure him out. “What’s going on with you?”

“I said I’m fine would you drop it?” He snapped. I don’t think he meant it to sound as harsh as it did, but it took me by surprise. Everyone clearly heard the aggressive tone and snapped their heads to face us.

“Am I not allowed to care about my friend?” I shot back, not caring about the prying eyes on us. He scoffed at my words causing me to raise my eyebrows at him. “Something funny?”

“God can’t you just leave me alone? Just accept the fact that maybe I don’t wanna talk to you right now.” He said visibly aggravated. His words shocked me. He’d never spoken like this to me before and if I’m being entirely honest, it hurt. By the collective gasp that came from the table, it’s safe to say the others were just as surprised. I could feel tears beginning to prick in my eyes. I never cried if someone was rude to me but for some reason the fact that it was Derek, hurt like a bitch. His eyes flickered with regret.

“You know what fine, it’s not like I’ve been waiting to see you for the past 3 months. If you want to sit here and strop like a little kid then you do that Derek. But I’m not sitting around to watch it.” I grabbed my stuff and stood up “Here’s the money for my stuff” I placed the money on the table and turned to leave.

“Y/N, wait don’t go.” JJ called. “I’m sorry guys, it’s been great to see you. I’m sorry it was ruined.” I replied shooting a glare at Derek. Annoyingly, as he caught my gaze a stray tear fell down my cheek. I hurriedly wiped it away before practically running out of the restaurant.

*Third person POV*

Back at the table everyone glared at Derek as they watched Y/N run out the door.

“What the hell was that about?” Emily asked angrily. Derek leant back in his seat, refusing to make eye contact with any of them. He hadn’t meant to upset her. But the way she spoke about Sean, it shifted something inside of him. A feeling he’d never felt when it came to her. Jealousy. He had no reason to be jealous, it’s not like him and Y/N were together. They were friends, and she could date whoever she wanted. In fact, he’d even set her up a few times. But for some reason tonight was different. Maybe it was the fact it was Aaron’s brother? Maybe he was just upset at how the girls had gushed over him? But why would that matter?

“Derek.” Hotch’s voice came. Derek looked up, not realising he’d been ignoring them. “What gives you the right to speak to her like that? She was just looking out for you.” Hotch said his voice stern.

“I don’t know.” Derek mumbled.

“You need to apologise.” JJ added. Derek nodded before getting up.

“Actually, could you give me a ride? Y/N lives the road across from me and I need to grab some things to take back to the office” Reid piped up. Derek let out a small chuckle at Reid’s poor timing.

“Sure. Let’s go, kid.” The boys placed their money down before making their way to Derek’s car.

*1st person POV*

I closed the door to my apartment. and slumped down on my sofa, letting out an aggravated sigh. I could still feel the dried tears on my cheeks. Derek’s words replayed over in my head. Had I done something wrong? He was fine in the office? Whatever it was, I wasn’t going to get an answer by sitting on my sofa replaying the events in my head, so I dragged myself over to my kitchen sink. Turning on the tap I splashed my face with cold water. Suddenly I heard my text notification go off. I went over and saw Sean’s name pop up.

“Hey, you, how’s your day been?” I smiled at the words. Sean was so sweet. I had enjoyed the dates we’d been on and he’s definitely someone I want to keep in my life, but I wasn’t entirely sure if he was what I was looking for in a relationship.

“It’s been good. I was able to go to lunch with the BAU lot which was fun. Although, your brother may or may not have found out about the dates we’ve been on.” I typed back a reply. I decided to leave out the fall out me and Derek had, not wanting to explain it to him just yet. Within a few minutes the notification sounded once again.

“He’s going to kill me” I chuckled at his response.

“He was surprisingly okay with it. Even said I might be good for you 😉” I put my phone down and went to change out of my jeans, the food I’d had earlier – as nice as it was – was causing some serious bloating. I threw on a pair of joggers and pulled my favourite grey sweater over me before curling up onto my sofa. I’d barley been able to turn the TV on before I heard a knock at my door. Sighing I got up to answer it. The door swung open and there stood Spencer and Derek, who straightened up when he saw me.

“Hey.” He said sheepishly.

“What do you want?” I replied shortly. I was still pissed at him. He had no right to talk to me the way he did.

“To apologise. I was a complete dick.” He admitted.

“Yep, you were.” I agreed leaning against my door frame. Spencer looked around awkwardly

“Are you going to tell me why?” I pressed. Derek sighed.

“I don’t know, I got jealous I guess.” My eyes widened slightly. Jealous? Why was he jealous. “Just the way you and the girls were gushing over Sean, it just annoyed me.” I scoffed at his words causing him to furrow his brow.

“Since when has my love life been any concern of yours?” I snapped. His reason was bullshit.

“I-It’s not I just-“ But I didn’t let him finish.

“Exactly it’s not. First of all, me and Sean have been out 3 times. It’s nothing serious. Second of all, even if it was that doesn’t give you the right to talk to me like I’m a piece of shit. I was just trying to be good friend and make sure you were okay and that’s the response you gave me?” I could feel myself getting increasingly more annoyed. I saw his eyes glaze over with frustration.

“Well, I never asked to sit there and listen to how perfect Mr surfer boy was did I?” He replied. Spencer slowly backed away seeing where this was going and clearly not wanting to be around for it. I laughed at his words throwing my hands in the air.

“Why do you care so much? It’s not like you’re trying to take me out. I can date who I want Derek” I said frustrated.

“No, I’m not but I want to be able to see you. I don’t need some guy hanging around with you as well.” He said just as angrily. I stared at him. He couldn’t be serious right now.

“Well, I’m sorry Derek but you can’t control me okay. I deserve to be happy with whoever the fuck I want and if you can’t handle the fact that someone might be interested in me then that’s your problem.” I yelled and slammed the door in his face. I couldn’t believe him. He didn’t own me, it’s not like we’d ever dated, or he’d shown any type of interest in me. Yet somehow he expects me to just push Sean away because he doesn’t like him. I ran my hands through my hair annoyed. On the other side of the door, I could hear Spencer trying to talk some sense into Derek but I doubt he would be able to. I closed my eyes and leant against the wall trying to calm myself down. Suddenly I heard what sounded like someone running towards me. I opened my eyes and saw just that. Someone dressed in all black was suddenly running at me and before I had time to move had pinned my up against the wall. I tried to screaming but the person pressed a cloth over my mouth. I thrashed my arms about trying to escape their grasp. Luckily, my leg was positioned in between theirs so with all my strength I brought my foot to connect with their groin, causing them to fall to the floor.

“DEREK. SPENCER HELP” I screamed, praying the hadn’t left. As I went to open the door, the person grabbed my ankle and pulled me to the floor, dragging me backwards until they were on top of me. I flailed my limbs about trying my hardest to push them off of me or at least prevent them from doing whatever it was they were trying to do. I screamed desperately for the boys, tears streaming down my face. I was so scared, so wrapped up in trying to protect myself, I didn’t even hear the door burst open. It was only when the person from on top of me was dragged away that I opened my eyes again.

“Y/N! Y/N, it’s me. It’s Morgan baby you’re okay. I’ve got you.” Derek pulled me into his lap and held me tightly as I sobbed into his arms. Spencer had the man on his back and was cuffing him. I pulled myself up so I could wrap my arms around Derek’s neck and held onto him for dear life. As I begun to calm down I opened my eyes. I looked behind Derek and saw another person, dressed in all black, stood in the corridor leading to my bedroom.

“SPENCER.” I yelled pointing toward the person. Both of the boys whipped their heads round and saw the person just as they took off running towards bathroom.

“REID GET HIM” Derek yelled as he put himself in front of me protectively. Reid took off after him. As they disappeared into my bathroom, I heard a few shoots go off causing me to flinch and cling onto Derek’s arm.

“Reid, you alright?” Derek called out.

“I lost him. He jumped out the window, down the fire escape. I tried to hit him, but I missed. I don’t know where he went.” Reid replied, his voice flooded with guilt. Derek groaned irritably.

“Okay. Call Hotch, get them down here to come collect this guy. Make sure the whole team gets here, we need to go through her apartment. Figure out how this happened.” Reid nodded before dragging the guy out into the hall and calling Hotch. Derek turned back to face me. I was still sobbing and shaking violently.

“Hey, baby, I’m gonna need you to listen to me okay. “ He said, placing his hands on my shoulders. “Look at me.” His voice was soft. I lifted my eyes to meet his, still crying frantically. “There we go. Okay I need you to take a few deep breaths with me. You ready?” He took a deep breath in. I tried to copy him but thoughts of being attacked kept flooding back, making it impossible to focus on anything else. “Hey, your safe. I’m here with you now and I’m sure as hell not leaving your side. Nothing’s going to happen to you, I promise. Just breath with me okay.” After a few moments, I was able to calm my breathing, but I was still shaking like crazy. Derek pulled his jumper off and wrapped it around me. I pulled it close to my body, enjoying the warm I was gaining from it. Morgan helped me stand and we waited outside for the others. Soon enough, the black SUV pulled up down below us. I saw everyone jump out and practically hurl themselves up the stairs.

“Where is she? Where’s my girl?” Garcia’s voice bounced off of the walls causing a small smile to pull at my lips. When she caught sight of me she rushed over, her arms open. “Oh my god. Come here.” She wrapped herself around me in a tight embrace which I allowed myself to relax into slightly.

“Okay easy babygirl, don’t go crushing the life out of her.” Derek joked, prying her arms off of me. Garcia glared at him.

“If you weren’t the one who saved her life just now, I’d be slapping the hell out of you right now for how you spoke to her at lunch.” Derek’s eyes flashed over with guilt momentarily before Hotch walked over. “

Are you okay?” He asked me placing his hand on my shoulder. I nodded my head slightly. I wasn’t alright, I was terrified, but I knew they would need my help with this, so I just swallowed my feelings down. “Okay we’re going to need to run through some details with you to try and figure out who would have done this. Anything you can remember would be useful.” He explained.

“The first person-“ I began but JJ cut me off.

“No, not now. You need to rest. We’ll catch up with you first thing tomorrow okay?” She said offering me a small sympathetic smile. My eyes flickered over to my open apartment door. I didn’t want to go back in there, especially not alone. As if he’d read my mind, Hotch spoke up.

“You’re not staying here tonight. Morgan take her back with you, we’ll get cops posted out front as well. Just in case.” He instructed.

“You think the second guy, h-he’ll come back?” I tried to keep my voice as steady and as calm as I could, but I couldn’t hide the stutter. Hotch sighed.

“We don’t know enough about him yet. I would like to believe that he wouldn’t, but I can’t make you any promises. I’m sorry.” The relunctancy was evident in his voice, he knew that was the last thing I wanted to hear but he also couldn’t lie to me. I could feel the anxiety seeping its way back into me when I was suddenly snapped from my thoughts but an arm falling over my shoulders.

“hey, I’m gonna be right here with you the whole time. I won’t let anything happen to you; I swear it.” Morgan said comfortingly. I leant into him slightly, wanting so desperately to find safety in him.

“Is there anything you need from your flat?” Emily asked softly. I nodded.

“I need my hairbrush, a-and I left my phone. Maybe some spare clothes?” I replied.

“Okay, do you want me to go get them?” She offered.

“No, it’s fine I can go.” I replied and begun walking over to the door. I stood in front of it, willing my legs to just move forward.

“Hey.” A voice came from behind me. It was Emily with Morgan.

“We’re right here with you okay. We’ll help you get everything.” She spoke. I entered my flat, the two of them following close behind me, scanning every part of it just in case. I gathered all the things I needed and quickly exited the place.

“Come on, let’s get you home.” Derek said leading me to the car after we’d said goodbye to everyone.

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

Part 2 anyone??

[jeonqqin]

man up. [m] | pt. 1

h. jisung x reader | netflix teen rom-com au

— ❝Even with classes, annoying brothers, and an unrequited crush, you still figured your first year of college was going pretty well. Until you managed to get your first boyfriend, and suddenly your brother and his stupidly attractive best friend were attached to your hip for the whole damn ride.

or alternatively;

Why did Jisung care about you so much, and had his eyes always been that pretty?❞

WORD COUNT: 4.8k

CONTAINS: brothers best friend au, teen rom-com au, sorta crack fic, love triangle au, college au

WARNING: language, eventual smut, minho is a little bitch

A/N: I pulled little tropes from pretty much every Netflix teen rom-com so if you see those little allusions then that’s why,, also I hope you all don’t mind that I made this into a series!

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CHAPTERS:  01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 +

blog masterlist | ⟲ fic song

© jeonqqin 2020

Your eyes blurred over the words that were held out in front of you, every page harder to remember than the last. 

It was your fault you were in the library studying during lunch period. You were the one that decided to procrastinate after all. But you also had no idea what was going to be on the exam in your statistics class. How could you start studying when you had no idea what you were meant to be studying? At least, that was your genius excuse for not touching your statistics book all week.

Resting your head on your hand, your eyes briefly wandered off of your book and directly up into a pair of pretty brown ones. They were already looking at you; gaze intense and flirty. It had you quickly looking back down at your book on instinct, this time without the intention of actually reading anything. 

No way. 

The boy sitting directly across from you was cute—no doubt about that. It was hard to disregard just how pretty he was with his classic big brown eyes and flat brown hair. At least, you couldn’t ignore him when he was clearly looking at you. Peeking up to make sure you weren’t seeing things, you caught his gaze again. And as his lip quirked up, you knew it wasn’t just a coincidence—he was deliberately looking at you. A childish giddiness flooded your stomach at the realization. 

He smiled at you; charming and sweet. 

“Do you know anything about political science?”

It took you a second to process what he asked, but you eventually shook your head with a smile. “D’you know anything about the statistics exam next Wednesday?”

He shrugged playfully. “Not a clue.”

“Well, it looks like we’re in the same boat then.”

“Utterly screwed by the school system?”

Snorting loudly, you instantly received an unhappy glare from the librarian and a followed up hush. An apology was on the tip of your tongue, but with the newfound fear of making another noise, you opted to send her a timid wave. Neither you nor the cute stranger moved until she returned to her book. But then he was slinking over and taking the seat beside you. 

You could’ve squealed—imagine being such a teenage girl that you were so ecstatic to sit next to a cute guy. You were practically bouncing in your seat. 

“At least I know that there’s someone else who can understand my worries,” he whispered, turning in his chair to face you completely. 

You scoffed, eyeing the librarian for a moment before blinking back at the boy in front of you. 

“Yeah right. You could ask the entire student body and they would all reply in one collective groan.” 

“You’re not wrong there.” He hummed. “Thanks for not making me feel like a complete loser for procrastinating.”

“Oh, you’re still a loser for procrastinating,” you said, attempting to hold back your smile as he looked at you with a raised brow. “You’re just not the only one now.”

He made a playful noise of anguish, nodding his head with a silent laugh. “Ouch. That hurts coming from a mystery girl.”

You shrugged coyly, letting him take that as your answer before you leaned back against your palm. 

“Maybe,” he paused for a moment, glancing around to the occupied librarian and continuing, “After classes, we could go out for coffee. Y’know—to get better acquainted. Unless you wanted me to keep calling you ‘mystery girl’.”

You pretended to weigh your options in your head, eyes flicking up towards the ceiling and an uncontrollable smile slipping onto your lips. 

You were getting asked out. And every possible thing was going right; he was cute, he was witty, there was a connection, there were no interruptions—

“Are you free at six?”

Your mouth opened to reply a quick “yes”, but suddenly there were a set of hands landing firmly on your shoulders and you could feel the familiar brush of soft hair against your cheek. 

“No sir, she is not free.” 

The subtly stern voice of your brother replied, and the color of the stranger's face in front of you went pale as his eyes darted between you and the intruder beside you. “But thanks for asking.”

“Sorry, Minho—man, I didn’t know she was your girlfriend. I swear.” Came the panicked reply. 

You winced, expression going sour as the apologies flew out of the boy’s mouth at a rapid pace. 

“Sister.” Minho corrected, a sickeningly sweet smile plastered on his face that read disaster. 

And then after a few more unsettling glares and passive-aggressive comments from your older brother, the guy was gone, his head lowered to his chest. You had seen worse. There had been many more that happened to end in bruises and a visit from campus security, so a little humiliation wasn’t so terrible. 

But fucking hell—there goes another one. 

“You need to stop doing that,” you said, swiping all your books into your bag as your brother watched the poor soul leave the library with satisfaction. 

Minho scoffed. “What? Weeding out the losers that run at a little sign of conflict?” He tisked patronizingly. “Do you really want to be in a relationship with someone who pisses themselves because your brother was being a little protective? I’m not going to be here forever, and who will be the one to watch out for you then? Certainly not Mr. Are-You-Free-At-Six.”

A heavy sigh left your lips. You had heard his speech before and you had been infuriated. But after years of the same response and lecture, you grew numb to the feeling of anger towards your brother. 

“Who said I even needed protecting?”

“Me. I’m your big brother, I know what’s best for you.” He replied curtly, grabbing your bag from your shoulder and slinging it over his own. 

You scowled, following him as he charmingly waved at the librarian on your way out. She chuckled under her breath and fluttered her fingers towards Minho, absolutely no intention of even glancing at you. Minho was a very likable person. He had always been able to use his endless pool of charisma to get on anyone’s good side, and that had opened up many opportunities for him. 

Unfortunately, your brother had many sides to him, and one of them had manifested from his obsessive need to keep you away from any and all possible danger in life. That part of him was what had every guy running for the hills. 

You were a freshman in college, and every relationship you had was ruined, courtesy of your older brother. 

The two of you merged into the crowded halls filled with unrushed university students, several people greeting Minho with friendly gestures that you couldn’t keep up with. It was as if no one even saw you—you supposed that was also Minho’s fault.

“I have class now,” you huffed, tugging your bag from his shoulder and nearly making him stumble into a wall. “Okay? Am I allowed to continue my education, oh great brother of mine?”

Minho made a mocking face in your direction. “Haha. Very funny, young lady. Now don’t go seducing any more good-for-nothing’s while I’m gone. Got it?”

“I’m going to kill you one of these days.”

Minho snorted, spinning on his heel towards the direction of his own class. 

“And I’ll be waiting with open arms, little sister!”

“Eat shit, Minho!”

With a visible bounce in his step he disappeared behind the corner, supposedly heading to his next class, but you knew it was just a matter of time before he would get sidetracked and distracted along the way. He was always excited to see you around campus, seeing you—his baby sister—just made his day better. 

Generally, you found yourself smiling after a good interaction with your brother, but then he would go and pull the ‘protective brother’ card and suddenly you had the urge to rip his throat out. Minho knew you were growing up and pretty soon his intrusions wouldn’t be seen as just a nuisance, and they would turn into more of an invasion of your personal life. But you could see how much that realization hurt him, so you held back. 

You settled into your seat as one of the first people in the lecture hall, watching as your professor rubbed his eyes and set up the slides for the class. 

On your second day of class, your professor had snapped at one of the students for being late for his lecture, and it scared the shit out of you. The next day he apologized and used the excuse of being hungover and hungry, and it opened your eyes to the fact that you weren’t in high school anymore. You were surrounded by adults—careless and irresponsible adults, granted, but they were old enough to understand your professor’s woes. 

Still, you would never find yourself arriving late, just in case you caught him on one of his bad days. 

“Y/n,” 

The cheery voice startled you out of your stupor. 

“Good morning, my darling.”

Your eyes rolled back, though a smile still grew on your face. A fleeting thought ran through your head, you shouldn’t have been surprised, he did it every morning. You offered him a sparing glance as he stepped up to your seat, falling back into the uncomfortable chair beside you. 

“Hi, Jisung,” you chuckled as his arm swung around your shoulders. 

You decided to ignore the way the cut of his sleeves allowed you to get a glimpse of the muscle that was starting to form.

Han Jisung was your brother’s best friend, an annoying loud-mouth who was in too many of your classes for it to be a coincidence. He had been by Minho’s side for most of his life, and therefore, most of yours. And he flirted with you for as long as you could remember. 

Just as the majority of the students started to flood the hall, Jisung pulled an apple out of his bag, holding it out for you to take. 

“I noticed that you hadn’t gone to lunch with Felix today, and I figured since you’re looking berry cute today—” He grabbed your hand, placing the fruit into your palm. “Sorry. I didn't have any lines for apples.”

And the pickup lines—the many, many pickup lines.

“Really? Nothing?” You asked.

His head shook, eyes coy. 

You aided him, shaking the apple in front of his face, “You’re the apple of my eye?”

“Ah…” He nodded in realization, seemingly bummed for not thinking of that one before. But then suddenly a smirk flickered over his features and he was pinching your cheek, “I knew you were in love with me.”

You turned away from his grabbing hand, fighting back the urge to roll your eyes. His talent was finding a way to flirt with you, and at times you had wondered how he was so good at it. 

Practice made perfect, you guessed. 

You smiled. “Uh-huh.”

If you didn’t know any better, you would’ve thought he was in love with you—

“Hyunae told me to start eating more fruit, so she threw the apple into my bag when I wasn’t looking.”

—but Han Jisung had a girlfriend, and she was so much more than you could ever be. 

Not that you cared at all. 

“So you two are doing well?” You asked, feigning interest as you reached into your bag and pulled out your laptop. Maybe if you were stealthy enough you would be able to sneak in some studying while your professor went on about how traffic signs affected climate change—or whatever it was that he was talking about that week. 

No wonder why you had no idea what you were doing.

Jisung hummed, leaning back in his seat. “Yeah. She’s still bossy, but that’s just Hyunae.” 

“I heard she got into quite the discussion with Hyunjin this morning.”

You were swinging pretty low, but you weren’t the biggest fan of Hyunae to begin with, so there was a small part of you that enjoyed picking at the scabs she left behind. 

Okay, there was a pretty big part of you. 

“Don’t remind me,” he grunted. “One day their fights will end with murder. And it’ll be me who is found dead.” 

“Next time they get into an argument just slip away and let campus security deal with the mess. Let the bitches be bitches.” 

Your suggestion was in the form of a joke, but really, you meant every word. 

Hyunae easily rivaled Hyunjin’s bitchiness, and in your group of friends, that statement had weight to it. Not just anyone could argue with Hyunjin and step away unscathed, but she managed to do so just about every day. You would’ve been impressed had she ever shown you any kindness, but she hated you from day one. You were only returning the favor by rooting for Hyunjin until he somehow figured out how to kill someone with his words. 

He had come close before, so you kept your fingers crossed.

“Well that bitch is a goddess in bed,” Jisung snickered, his voice just loud enough for you to hear. “And frankly it’s hot when someone’s bossy during sex—”

“Are we talking about Hyunae or Hyunjin now?”

Jisung laughed sarcastically, throwing a sneer your way. “Bravo. You want a medal for the joke of the year?”

“Nah, I have plenty of better jokes that imply that you like boys.” You absentmindedly glanced back towards your professor as he began the lecture, his voice as uninterested as your gaze. “Though I have yet to make one about your secret relationship with my brother.”

Jisung nodded with fake enthusiasm and said, “That’s nice but I’m not listening to you anymore.”

“The girls on campus would pay big bucks for that sex tape.”

“Shut up before I throw up on you.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you didn’t like me.” You pouted half-assed, typing notes that you would never use solely because their only purpose was to make it seem like you cared. Though by the look of it, the professor probably gave less of a shit than you anyway. 

Jisung’s teasing and inappropriate comments hardly bothered you anymore, especially since you knew how to counter them with your own. 

“I don’t even know why I’m here,” he mused, though you both knew the reason why he was taking the class was because he needed the credits and the teacher didn’t care if you botched all of your tests as long as the final was double-spaced and had your name at the top. 

“Because I’m your favorite.” You whispered, lifting your pointer finger to your lips. “And don’t worry, I won’t tell Minho.”

“As if. Get your head out of your ass.” 

“Duly noted.”

You loved Jisung.

You loved him in the same way you loved your brother; you didn’t want to love him, but for whatever twisted reason, the universe made it so. Too bad you didn’t think of Jisung as a brother—the game of life was cruel that way. It sucked that he was such a good… everything. Han Jisung was a good friend, a good boyfriend, and annoyingly one of the best people you had ever met. 

Not that you would ever admit that to him and risk his head inflating to the size of Felix’s stuffed animal collection. 

Dammit, you really didn’t want to love that moron. 

Maybe you could get away with being in like with him instead.

“Y/n!”

Your head swiveled, just barely catching a flash of ridiculous purple hair before a hold on your wrist was stopping you mid-stride. 

“Owie,” was what came out of your mouth, your gaze set into a glare at your aggressor.

Though, Felix wasn’t fazed by your scowl. He was too excited—or pissed, it was hard to tell—about whatever he wanted to tell you. But knowing him, his news probably had something to do with the meme he posted on Twitter that morning—you did see it, and no, you weren’t very impressed. You expected better than the overused picture of the woman yelling at that cat at the dinner table. Caption be damned, that meme wasn’t even good anymore. 

Felix was followed by his shorter but considerably stronger lackey. Without even looking at him you already knew Changbin’s biceps were popping under the black shirt he wore, the whole aesthetic making him look way more intimidating than he was. 

“Where were you?” Felix asked, smacking your arm hard enough to gain your attention. “You didn’t meet us for lunch.”

“Maybe because I don’t appreciate your abuse.” 

“Haha. Seriously,” he griped, crossing his arms over his chest. “Why’d you ditch me?”

You had been friends with Felix for who knows how long, but you would never get used to how needy the boy was. You and your brother sure grabbed a couple of good ones. 

“I had to study.” You admitted with a huff, though you already knew your excuse wouldn’t be enough for Felix. 

“Okay, one—you never do that.” He countered before flashing you a look. “And two—liar.”

You set your gaze on Changbin for some support, but the boy simply avoided your eyes as his way of saying “you’re on your own here”.

You turned back to Felix with a groan. Changbin never helped you ever, the bastard. 

“Lix I have a dumb test in statistics next week and for whatever reason, all I can remember right now is that the SREB3 gene in zebrafish can cure cancer or something.”

“That has nothing to do with statistics—”

“And is also very wrong. Are you even paying attention in biology?” Changbin asked, his face scrunched up in a mix of confusion and disgust. 

You motioned to Changbin to prove your point. “Hence the reason why I was in the library.”

Felix suddenly tilted his head back and did that thing where he looked like he was trying to convince himself that living was worth it. 

He sighed. “Okay, I’m calling Seungmin—”

At his words, you all but shrieked, a hand swatting Felix’s shoulder instinctively.

Seungmin was a friend of Hyunjin’s, which indirectly made him a friend of yours. But the relationship between the two of you could only be classified as rocky considering he felt the need to tell you just how much he wanted to, and you quote, “throw a rock at your head”. Ironically enough, the feeling was mutual. 

But you would never say that to his face because that would most likely lead him to complete the task.

“You promised to never do that to me again!” You cried, throwing yourself against Felix’s boney shoulder. 

This time was Felix’s turn to look at Changbin and search for help, but he was met with the same passive reaction as you had received. Honestly, you didn’t know why anyone tried anymore. 

“He’s not that bad, Y/n.”

You gaped, disbelieving of your friend’s words. “You can’t be serious. He’s the devil! He preys on the weak, and then spits out their bones, Felix.”

“He tutored you once and you got a ninety-eight on your exam.”

“After hours of torture and anguish.” 

Felix gave you an unsympathetic look before plucking his phone from Changbin’s back pocket, “I’m calling him.”

With a glare, you folded your arms over your chest. “Remember this moment the next time you ask me to revise your Tinder bio.” 

“Joke’s on you. Changbin gives better advice and he doesn’t laugh at me.”

You snorted despite yourself. 

But before Felix could lift the phone to his ear, Changbin’s began to ring obnoxiously in his pocket, and you were ready to bow and praise whichever deity in the sky that decided to bless you with such luck. 

And like a child, you stuck out your tongue. 

“What’s up?” Changbin hummed, turning away from the two of you. “Did you get all of your stuff in the apartment yet…?”

Changbin and Minho were roommates and had been since Changbin was a freshman. The two worked well together in the sense that they were both loud as hell and could (and hopefully never will) sleep through a stampede of elephants in their living room. 

Felix slipped his phone into his pocket, unabashedly listening to the conversation just as you were. 

“They must’ve finally found someone interested in moving in.”

They had always talked about renting with someone else, but along with being the worst people to live with, the duo was picky as hell. Pigs would fly and snowballs would be living in hell the moment they let someone else move in with them. 

“Okay, but is Minho going to let you turn the office into a recording room?”

You froze, a remark on the tip of your tongue. 

Changbin was talking on the phone about recording—an activity that you knew for a fact that only two people in your life had ever taken part in—and moving into Minho and Changbin’s shared apartment. 

Now, you weren’t the brightest crayon in the box but connecting all the dots wasn’t too difficult. 

“Are you crazy?” 

Not only was the idea of Jisung moving into Minho’s apartment a terrible one, but it would also compromise the only place you could relax in peace. Your dorm was hell (for reasons you didn’t want to relive) and you weren’t allowed anywhere near the boys' dorm. You were currently on the RA’s shit-list ever since the misunderstanding that went down last semester—

Bad timing for a room check one night when you, Felix, and Hyunjin were in a compromising position.

If Jisung moved in with Minho, you would then be spending more time with him, and all the hard work you spent on keeping your distance would’ve been for nothing. You’d probably see his monster of a girlfriend around regularly as well, and you didn’t want to witness any of that in your lifetime. 

Time to welcome the snowballs to hell, because that was where you were headed. 

Hoisting your bag over your shoulder, you positioned yourself to run.

“Lix, I’m sorry but I have to go beat some sense into my brother! Maybe we can talk to Seungmin on a day when I feel like dying from blunt force trauma.”

You didn’t bother to wait for the yelling as you took off through the quad. 

The wind slapped you in the face the moment you were away from the cover of the university buildings, and you were suddenly second-guessing the escapade. Though, you simply chalked your reluctance up to laziness and continued forward. Minho’s apartment wasn’t far from the university, and after his little stunt in the library, you were looking forward to kicking his ass in the privacy of his home. 

You pulled your spare key from your bag as you finally approached the complex, eager to get away from the nipping wind. Because fuck you for wearing a t-shirt in forty-degree weather.

Pushing the door open, you threw your bag inside recklessly, “Minho, you flat-faced asshole. You tell me right now that Jisung isn’t your new—” 

But you screeched to a stop as your eyes locked onto someone who definitely wasn’t Minho. 

“Roommate.” 

You swallowed. 

A man with perfectly styled black hair and no sleeves on his shirt sat on your brother's couch, a pair of thick headphones covering his ears and a laptop resting on his thick thighs. His eyes darted up to meet your gaze as the door closed behind you, and a single brow raised as you stood in front him in a stupor. 

“Hello,” he pulled his headphones down to hang around his neck, cocking his head in amusement. “I am neither Minho nor Jisung, and I really hope I’m not a flat-faced asshole. Can I help you?” 

You floundered for a second, mouth open. “I mean—I was looking for my brother. Changbin was on the phone with their new roommate, and I just assumed…”

“You thought that Jisung was his new roommate?” He snickered, carefully placing his labeled laptop onto the couch and lifting to his feet. 

You were tempted to hang your head in shame and leave with your confidence shattered. But his attractive gaze was enough to convince you to stay put. 

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Well,” the stranger’s expression softened, his hand reaching forward. “I’m Chan. Your brother’s new roommate.”

You gave his hand a quick glance before taking it. 

“I’m Y/n.”

“Nice to meet you.”

New roommate: not as terrible as you expected it to be. 

The more you looked at him, the more you wanted to tell him how beautiful he was. Though you would have to be delusional to actually admit that out loud to a complete stranger, it was surprisingly tempting. 

And… you were still holding his hand. 

“Oh, uh—sorry.”

Releasing his grip, you laughed awkwardly, feeling the heat rise up your face and engulf your ears. 

Damn your brother and his affinity for making friends with every gorgeous person that crossed his path. He was going to kill you eventually, between his protectiveness that shattered your social life and all his model-like friends that continued to claw their way into your heart. 

A pleasant beat of silence passed between the two of you while you both took a second to consider each other. Chan wasn’t your conventionally beautiful person like Hyunjin, nor was he completely rough around the edges like Changbin. His hair was a bit wild, possibly due to the lack of product, but it was combed through and hung around his eyes nicely. A stark contrast from the gelled and styled boy you had been infatuated with.

Your eyes fell onto the coffee table between you, neck growing warm as you realized your thoughts had drifted back to Jisung, even with such an attractive stranger standing right in front of you.

You shut your eyes, stilling yourself as you took in a deep breath.

“So…” you drawled, avoiding his amused gaze. “Recording, huh?”

That settled it, you were an idiot. 

Chan snorted out loud, finding your innocent question cute.

“I’m a producer.” Chan supplied, shifting closer to you in order to lean against the couch. “I haven’t been able to record my own songs for a while though. That’s why I’ve been trying to convince Minho to let me turn his office into a recording room. I have all the soundproof padding and everything, all I need is to guilt-trip him into letting me put it up.”

You nodded in understanding, glancing over towards the not so office that Minho was currently using as a storage room. 

If anyone was ever surprised by the number of bundles he had in his room, they would drop dead at the sight of what was behind that door. 

It was bundle hell. 

Your voice rang out, “That would probably take you all day on your own. It’s pretty disastrous in there.”

“Is there an implication there?” He snarked, mock question in his voice. 

“I help you clean, and you show me what you have on that little laptop of yours.”

Chan hummed, his eyes tracing over you and then over to his precious laptop resting off to the side. He had always been cautious about showing people his music, there were too many outcomes that he didn’t like thinking about. But you were looking at him with this excited little grin and he was finding it hard to say no. 

You were dangerous.

“I can get behind that deal,” Chan concluded. 

“Great,” you chirped without a second of hesitation. “Let’s go.”

But Chan’s strong grip stopped you as you attempted to pass and you couldn’t help but focus your eyes on the veins that ran up his bare arms. 

His eyebrow raised, amused. “We’re just going to barge in there and start cleaning?”

“Would you rather wait for the bundles to gain consciousness and invite us in?”

Chan couldn’t help but bark a laugh at your sarcasm. “Of course not. I just wanted to ask for Minho’s permission first—”

You paused him with the raise of your hand, “There’s one thing you will learn about my brother; he never says yes.”

Sensing a seriousness behind your tone, Chan nodded, suddenly open to all of your suggestions. 

“Lead the way then.” Chan encouraged, gesturing forward and releasing your arm. 

“My pleasure.”

But just as you were about to reach for the handle of the spare room, you remembered something—

The fact that you were a (stupid and unemployed) college student currently paying for a failing test grade in her statistics class.

You cursed under your breath, pausing in your stride long enough to prompt Chan’s questioning gaze, and damn it, it was adorable the way he cocked his head to the side. 

“Something wrong?” He asked. 

Your face twisted in thought, “Probably…”

“And…?”

You cleared your throat, finally pulling your eyes away from the chipping white paint of the door.

“Do you perhaps know anything about statistics?”

[heliads]

Best Kept Secrets (Part One)

Based on this request: “Wanda and the reader are married and the reader mom is Agatha but the reader does not know that...Then Agatha watches the reader having a good time with her family and Agatha is happy but sad because we get another flashback of the reader snapping their finger in order to destroy thanos and his army.”

masterlist / part two

Lights flick on in the studio. Cameras start rolling. Title cards disappear, show is live.

Wanda sits on the sofa, legs folded primly in front of her. Her best friend, Agnes, is seated one cushion over, arm flung over the back of the couch, similar to Wanda in excitement but less so in decorum. Classic, charming 1950s dresses are resplendent on both; Wanda’s is plain, Agnes’ checkered. The scene is set, the black and white filter flickering over them both.

The friends are in mid-conversation when Agnes stops suddenly to point at a ring on the other woman’s hand. “Why, Wanda, I didn’t realize you were married! Who’s the lucky sucker, and how come I haven’t met them yet?” Wanda holds out her hand, and both of them admire the shiny band on her finger. “Their name is Y/N, and you don’t know because we were only married recently. The ceremony was just a short while ago, but I feel like I’ve known them all my life.”

There’s a knock on the door, and Wanda flies from her seat, hurrying over to answer. “In fact, I think that will be them right there. Oh, this is swell- I’d been hoping the two of you would meet.” Wanda opens the door to reveal her spouse, sporting 1950s attire as well, a briefcase clasped loosely in one hand. Y/N leans over to kiss their wife, then glances over at Agnes, who has risen to her feet, a somewhat stunned expression on her face.

“I see we have a guest! I don’t believe we’ve yet been introduced, my name is Y/N.” Y/N holds out their hand to Agnes, who shakes it after a second. “Agnes, dear, I’m Agnes.” The neighbour glances over at Y/N’s clothes, then flashes a cheery grin. “I love your fashion sense, honey! You’ve got to tell me where you got those slacks.” Y/N laughs. “Odds and ends from around town. I saw this purple shirt and I just couldn’t resist picking it up. I think purple’s got to be my favorite color.”

Agnes' smile twists slightly, as if thinking about an inside joke that only she happens to know. “It’s my favorite color too, dear. Looks like we have that in common.” Y/N smiles at that. “I’m afraid I’m rather late to meeting you, though. I have work in the city, which ran a little overtime.” Wanda, after taking Y/N’s coat, rejoins the two newly formed friends. “Y/N’s magic at computing. Magic’s just the right word for her, actually.”

Y/N flinches at that, turning to Wanda with a frozen smile. “Wanda, honey, I thought we weren’t supposed to be bringing that up.” Wanda just waves a hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it-Agnes already knows everything about me. She won’t be worried by a few things that are out of the ordinary.” Y/N visibly relaxes. “That’s good to hear.” Y/N faces Agnes once more, smiling. “If you know about Wanda’s magic, then I’m assuming you’ll know about mine. I’m still not sure when to tell people or not. I don’t want a whole Salem Witch Trial on my hands, you know? That could get kind of messy.”

Agnes grimaces. “You have no idea.” A faint ripple of laughter cascades down from the audience, and Y/N smiles fondly at Wanda. “That’s part of how we met, actually. We both have similar abilities, except she’s in red and I’m in purple. It certainly helped bring us together- I don’t think anyone can really understand everything about me except her.” Agnes clasps her hands together. “That’s just darling, honestly. You two are the cutest.” 

Camera zooms out on the scene, screen fades to black. 

Agatha walks out of the house while Wanda is busy setting up the next scene. There’s no way Y/N could be- absolutely no way. But there are too many similarities between herself and Y/N for a coincidence- the purple, the magic, the resemblance? It couldn’t possibly be true, but yet, Agatha still has a dawning realization that Y/N could maybe, possibly, just be-

Scene opens to a new episode. The audience cheers, action!

Y/N stands, holding their young son Billy in their arms as he carefully tapes the last edge of a banner to the wall. Y/N adjusts their grip slightly, Billy’s shoes several feet above the ground so he can properly affix the banner. There’s a whooshing sound from behind them, and Y/N glances over to see their other son, Tommy, just arriving in the room. He flashes a thumbs-up and a big grin to his parent. “Everything is set. We’re ready to go!”

Y/N smiles, putting Billy back down on the ground once the banner is secure. Billy gestures excitedly to Tommy, who pulls a card out from behind his back. “We made this for you!” The boys say, identical broad grins stretching across their faces. Y/N beams at them, flipping open the card to read the message inside. “Aw, you guys are the cutest! Thank you so much!”

There’s a sound from the staircase, and all attention is instantly diverted away from the card and to Wanda, who is descending from the upper floor. She begins to enter the room. “What’s all this noise I’ve been hearing?” Wanda freezes in her tracks, taking in the room, the banner, the decorations. Billy and Tommy run up to her, shouting “Happy Mother’s Day!” to their mother and wrapping their arms around her. Wanda laughs, glancing around her with a look of awe. “You put all of this together?”

Tommy smiles exuberantly. “Well, Y/N helped us too.” Wanda nods understanding, gaze cutting across the room to her spouse. “That doesn’t surprise me.” Y/N laughs, leaning over the boys to kiss Wanda. “It was an important occasion.” Wanda grins, then her voice drops to a whisper. “Have you really been up decorating with them since early this morning?” Y/N’s eyes widen in exhaustion. “Yes. I’m going to bed at 5 tonight to make up for it.” Wanda grins. “You’re the best.”

Already, the twins are tugging at Wanda’s sleeve, pulling her over to the semi-edible breakfast they’ve prepared. Y/N watches them go, but once all eyes are off of them their grin fades away and they stand alone, looking on in melancholy. Once Y/N’s sure their family isn’t watching, Y/N slips away, out of the house through a door out back. They walk into the backyard, breathing in the refreshing air of morning. 

However, it doesn’t look like they’ll be alone today. There’s a shout of greeting from the sidewalk, and Agnes starts to walk over to them, but her friendly grin drops when she sees the look on Y/N’s face. “You alright, dear?” Y/N sighs, looking away. “I should be fine, it’s just-” They break off, hesitating a few times before continuing on. “When I was very young, my mother left. My father was already out of the picture, and it was just us until, well, it wasn’t. It was one thing to have to learn how to take care of yourself when you’re so small, and it was a whole lot worse when I had to figure out all this.” Their voice drops off as they hold up a hand, purple sparks and streaks flying around their fingers.

“I was scared and alone and I had no idea how to control my magic. All I knew was that my mother abandoned me, probably because of all this.” Agnes’ face drops, and she looks shattered. “Oh, honey, I had no idea. I’m so sorry.” Y/N laughs bitterly. “It’s alright. Sorry to burden you with all of this so early in the morning, it was just strange seeing the boys so excited about Mother’s Day and all that. I was wondering why I didn’t have any memories like that with my mom or if I should be calling her and then I remembered.”

Agnes sighs in sad sympathy. “Well, I don’t know if this will do anything, but if it makes you feel better you can consider me your mother for now. I know it doesn’t solve anything but at least you’ve got me, you know?” Y/N smiles ruefully at that, glancing over at the dark-haired woman. “Thank you, actually. It means more than you’d think.” Y/N laughs quietly. “In that case, I think I should give you this. The boys found it from the highest quality of Hallmarks.” Y/N pulls the slightly bent card out of her pocket, and hands it over to Agnes.

Agnes laughs. “I’ll treasure it.” Y/N laughs as well. “Well, I’d better get back inside.” They start to head back over to the door, and then turn back to face their neighbour once more. “Oh, and Agatha? Thank you.” With that, they disappear through the door. Agnes stands alone in the backyard, suddenly frantic. “Wait- how did you know-that’s not my name- how did you-?”

Cameras cut to black. Ad break begins.

Agatha feels sick to her stomach. Seeing Y/N so hurt, so sad over the disappearance of their mother? It was strange seeing them like that- Y/N was always happy, always smiling, always there. Yet in the flash of an eye, their guard had come down, revealing the person within, who was far more battered and broken than Agatha could have thought. And then Y/N said Agatha’s real name-

She doesn’t know what to think. As she crosses back over the road to her house, Agatha’s head is spinning. She doesn’t want to go back to that time, to revisit that memory, but the scene is already building before her eyes. It happened many years ago, but Agatha can still see it as plain as day.

Agatha stands in the center of the witch coven, one she’d found only recently. She’d been hoping for another group of women to teach her power and control, but it had been a mistake. She can see that now, see it in the way they stand and why they’ve come. Agatha’s voice is raw with begging and pleading. 

“Please, no! You can’t take my child! I’ll do anything- leave, use my power for you, anything. Just don’t take them. They’re just a child! They won’t know how to survive!” The coven shakes their heads, and the leader steps forward. Agatha shrinks away, but the witch still approaches. The leader casts a spell, one that freezes Agatha in place. The woman draws closer, takes the bundle wrapped in blankets from Agatha’s arms. The witch stares at the bundle, at the face of the child inside. “You knew the rules. They cannot be broken.”

The witch walks away. The coven melts away to follow her, and they all disappear into the night. Agatha isn’t sure when the immobility spell breaks, or if it matters at all- she couldn’t move an inch if she tried. All Agatha can think about is the child that has been ripped from her grasp, the child she was just beginning to raise as her own. 

Y/N. That was the child’s name. That was the child Agatha could have had, and the child that is now gone from her forever.

Agatha’s eyes snap shut, sealing her away from the world around her. She can’t think about this anymore. She gestures idly, sending out a magical message to the show. Continue on with the episode, further the plot. Anything to distract Agnes from the pain of the past.

Return from the ad break. Scene opens with an overhead shot of the city. B-Roll is being filmed for the title sequence.

Agatha stands from a distance, watching the figures before her. Y/N and Wanda have decided on a picnic, something cute where they can bring their children along. It was a good move on Wanda’s part- they’re not saying any important lines, and park picnics are always adorable and simplistic enough to make excellent material for her next title sequence. Y/N has recovered from the memories of their past with their mother. Agatha wishes she could move on as easily, although she has a feeling that Wanda took note of her spouse’s unhappiness and wished it away in the changing of the decades.

Y/N is laughing now at a joke one of their children told them. It was a terrible joke, certainly, barely makes any sense, but that doesn’t matter because it’s a beautiful day and Y/N is happily content here with their family. Y/N reaches over to muss up the hair on Tommy’s head as the boy attempts to use his super speed on a Rubik’s Cube. Wanda hands them a sandwich, and Y/N kisses her lightly on the cheek as a thank-you. They look so happy here, so peaceful. It’s hard to imagine that it’s all happening within Wanda’s barrier, that all of this is only happening because Wanda called it up.

Y/N kneels on the red and white checked cloth of the picnic blanket, reaching for a water bottle. It’s an innocent scene, perfectly charming and everything, but Agatha flinches just for a second. It’s that movement right there, Y/N kneeling and their right arm raised in front of them. It reminds Agatha of something she saw in Wanda’s head, when she was searching for a reason as to how Wanda conjured up this entire place. Agatha winces, trying desperately to stem the flood of memory, but it’s no use. The moment is called up before her anyway.

The battleground is desolate, armies of heroes and alien mercenaries clashing all around. The sky is dark with dust and debris. Tony Stark, or the famous human hero Iron Man, sees the Infinity Gauntlet torn from Thanos’ mighty fist and begins to lunge for it, but he’s stopped by another figure, who holds out an arm to block him. Tony turns, sees a familiar face. Y/N shakes their head. “I’m not letting you do this. You have a family who needs you.” Tony puts a hand on their shoulder. “You can’t do it either. You have a life in front of you.” Y/N smiles, though it is sad and broken at the thought of the life they’re about to give up. “There are people depending on you. Tell Wanda I love her.”

With that, the witch sprints away, meeting Thanos at the gauntlet just in time to be knocked aside to the ground with a blow that shakes the earth, a blow that would have killed anyone who didn’t have Y/N’s power. The other Avengers charge Thanos again, desperately trying to fight for a world where Y/N won’t have to make the sacrifice they know is coming. It doesn’t matter. Thanos still rises, still strides towards the gauntlet. 

The Mad Titan slips the gauntlet onto his hand, grimacing in agony as the power rushes over him. There’s a silence on the battlefield. Y/N claws their way out of the cracked ground around them, stands and locks gaze with the Sorcerer Supreme, who holds up one finger. Just the one, but it is enough. Y/N nods, eyes flickering shut for just a second as they reconcile themselves to what they’re about to do.

Thanos stands triumphant. His fingers are about to come together in a snap when a figure flies out of nowhere, violet magic lighting them up and making their eyes dance in a purple haze. Y/N’s hands lock around the Infinity Gauntlet, and they begin to pull it off before Thanos backhands them into a rocky outcropping.

Thanos smiles a crooked leer, speaking one last time to the assembled warriors. “I am inevitable.” He snaps his fingers, but nothing happens. Confused, he turns over his hand to see that his gauntlet is empty, and whirls around to face Y/N once more. Y/N, who is kneeling on the broken ground, whose hand is enveloped in a gauntlet of purple light, Infinity Stones displayed proudly across their knuckles. The power of the Stones should be too much for them, almost is, but they keep their cries of agony buried deep inside.

“Not anymore.”

The sound of their snapped fingers echoes across the battleground. Around them, enemy ships crumble to dust, scores of fighters turning into ash. Even the Mad Titan himself decays away, although he is the last to go. The heroes turn to each other in awe, but their smiles of victory slip away as they realize the cost. The final cost, one that cannot be erased by another snap of gauntlet-clad fingers.

Wanda flies down from the sky in a cloud of scarlet, her face a mask of calm. She rushes to Y/N’s side, helps them sit down against an overhang of metal. Wanda smiles at her love. “You saved us, Y/N, you saved us all. You did it.” Y/N opens their mouth to speak, but can’t, and settles for a quiet smile of their own. Their face, arm, entire right side of their body is split open from the brunt of the Infinity Stones, a hundred scars and gashes crisscrossing across them. Wanda cradles Y/N’s face in her hands. “I love you. I love you so much.”

Y/N nods, just the once, and then their eyes lose that light, the light they’d always seemed to spark and carry. The last remnants of purple charms and magic fade from their body. It is only now that Wanda allows herself to lose her painted picture of serenity, allowing her face to twist with the grief and sadness of a lifetime. Y/N is dead. Y/N is dead. Y/N is dead.

Agatha stares at the happy family in the park, at Y/N in the center. Y/N L/N, Avenger, was buried a couple of weeks ago. Agatha came to Westview to find out how Wanda had so much power flowing right at her fingertips, and was later joined by S.W.O.R.D. or whatever that organization was called. Between the two of them, there’s no doubt that Wanda will be forced to leave this daydream behind and join reality, but Agatha doesn’t know if she can take it. Agatha doesn’t even know if Agatha can take it, to be honest. At some point in the future, there will be a time when Agatha will have to watch her own child fade away into nothingness once more, gone at last.

It’s strange to think that Agatha technically hadn’t met her child at all, that this Y/N is just a projection of Wanda’s power, but they’d grown so close. Agatha bites her tongue, trying to focus on the physical pain instead of the knowledge that haunts her, that she’ll have to say goodbye to her child once and for all. Then she turns, and walks away. The family remains at the park, one witch among them smiling and laughing for all to see.

[cobaincreates]

touch pt. 2

warnings: smut (surprise), oral (female receiving), 18+, language, literally no plot & i’m not sorry

count: 3k+

part two part two part two baby! thanks for all the love on the first! ✨taglist is open✨ i’m smoochin’ all your faces

— — —

sarah bustled around her room like it was on fire. her clothes were thrown messily on her floor and she had half of her hair up in a crazy-looking bun. you laughed from where you snuggled into her pillow. you were still rubbing the sleep out of your eyes, having woken up to the closet doors groaning open.

“oh my god, where the hell did i put them?” sarah said, but you knew she wasn’t asking you in particular. her hands dug through a basket in her closet.

sitting up, you figured now was as good a time as any to get moving. with sarah leaving soon, you didn’t feel comfortable just lying in her bed like she insisted. given that you were best friends, and her house was your house, and vice versa, you jumped at the opportunity of leaving. she always offered the possibility of you staying longer than you wanted because she was a good friend.

which was why when you cleared your throat and tasted her brother, your cheeks lit up with a steady burning fire. you were glad her back was to you as she switched bikini tops, replacing the blue for the yellow. were you ashamed or reminiscing? there wasn’t time to think about it as she finished getting ready.

“you’re more than welcome to stay, you know. i feel bad running out on you.” sarah repeated once more.

“it’s fine. go have fun with john b and fill me in later.” you wiggled your eyebrows at her as you gathered your things and threw on your sweatshirt.

“how about we order some takeout and binge watch how to get away with murder next weekend?”

“that would be great.”

sarah beamed at you before leading you out of her room and down the stairs. you kept your eyes straight but noted the ajar door to rafe’s room. maybe he had already left for the day.

“morning!” rose chirped happily as you followed sarah into the kitchen. it all seemed very familiar as you walked in, even though you’d been in the cameron’s kitchen more times than you could count, but also because the last time had been less than six hours ago.

everybody was awake and doing something. wheezie was eating freezer waffles, ward had a few manila folders splayed in front of him on the table, and rose was cutting up oranges. sarah gave her a hug from behind as she passed and then turned to smack rafe’s back lightly as he cooked something on the stove.

you breathed in sharply at the sight of him. you blinked last night’s events away given that his entire family was right in front of you and now was not the time to think about it. you reminded yourself not to give anything away with your best friend in the same room. but you also wondered if rafe thought the same thing. would he try to hide it?

“you two sleep okay? i turned the air off since it was so nice out last night.” rose said.

you caught rafe’s eye when he looked over, that tiny jolt going up your arms. your feet melted into the floor and rose looked over at you with a sweet smile as sarah leaned on her other side.

“i was pretty comfortable,” sarah shrugged and took a slice of orange.

“you girls hungry? i’m sure rafe could make something up.”

“i’m going out with john b. he should be here in a few minutes.”

“y/n?” rose lifted her perfect brows as you stood at the end of the island, holding all of your things tightly.

“i’m actually going to head out,” you said. “thank you for the offer though.”

“aw, are you sure?” rose set down the knife on the cutting board. rafe glanced over his shoulder as the contents of the pan sizzled.

“yes. thank you though. i’ll see you guys again soon.” you hugged rose when she came toward you and you waved to sarah and the rest of the family at the table. you and rafe looked at each other once more before you walked out.

—

“oooh, look at these! i love these! how much?”

“12 dollars. they would go great with your top actually.”

“you’re so right! i’ll take them.”

the customer beamed at you as they handed over the set of sea glass earrings. you rang them up and returned some change before wrapping the jewelry in tissue paper and sealing it with the boutique’s sticker. you placed the wrapped gift carefully into a tiny reusable bag and handed it over.

“have a good day,” you smiled your noteworthy customer service smile and relaxed once they left, the front doorbell going off.

it wasn’t that you hated your job. but you hated your job. the main reason was that it was part time, and the second main reason was because you hated working in retail. it was exhausting having to put on a fake smile and answer stupid questions like whether or not you sold earrings when you literally worked in a jewelry store. it was tiring really, if only for four hours a day.

thankfully, you were due to clock out in about fifteen minutes and you couldn’t wait. you busied yourself with cleaning a few displays then restocking some with new styles your boss, the owner, had batched out the week before. 

“hey, y/n,” you looked up at your co-worker coming through the front door. your shoulders tensed as the cheery doorbell went off, but the arrival of your co-worker was always a relief.

“did you dye your hair again?” you eyed their bright locks as they went behind the counter and situated themselves for the rest of the day.

“yup and i think i’ll stick with it for a while. you like?”

“it’s bright.” you tried to say it as politely as you could. “maybe you’ll bring in more customers.”

they laughed at your comment and disappeared into the back. you turned to the display and set a few necklaces down.

once you gathered your things and said goodbye to your boss in the back office, you waved to your co-worker and toned out the bell above your head as you left.

the main street where the boutique was was swarming like a beehive. it was tourist season after all and there was nothing better to do on the island than shop or laze around at the beach. the island was perfect since both activities didn’t require much travel.

you glanced into a few windows as you walked down the sidewalk, dodging a couple kids with heaping amounts of ice cream on a tiny cone. the sun beat down from above and it was a wonder that the ice cream hadn’t already melted down their wrists.

your ears perked up at the sound of a car horn and a second later a truck was pulling up right beside you. looking over curiously, you recognized the gray truck and the person behind the wheel. your stomach leaped.

“hey.” rafe called from his seat as you both came to a stop.

“hi.” you said, feeling frozen momentarily.

“do you want a ride?” he asked in a hopeful tone that you couldn’t stop thinking about once it left his mouth.

you hadn’t seen or heard from him in a couple days since your sleepover with sarah and a part of you didn’t think you’d talk to him again until you went back to his house. you thought it was weird that he didn’t text you or even call, but then you reminded yourself that he was your best friend’s brother, and she didn’t know about what had happened between you two. you wondered if she would be angry with you.

you thought about accepting his offer, seeing no real harm in it. it was only a fifteen-minute walk otherwise. but something drove you to say yes and before you knew it, you were grabbing ahold of the door handle.

“thanks.” you said as you settled into the passenger’s seat. he pulled away from the curb easily as you put your seatbelt on, listening for the satisfying click of the lock.

“you just get out of work?” he asked, making small talk.

“yeah.” you nodded and glanced at his arm. the vein taunted you as he reached out to fiddle with the radio. you shifted in your seat. “what were you doing?”

“i had to drop some stuff off at the post office for my dad and work. i saw you walking and figured i could offer you a ride. even though you don’t live far.” he said with a soft shrug.

“i appreciate it.” you said and looked out the rolled down window.

you watched the cement walkway disappear and turn into the fine sand along the shoulder of the road. houses started to litter the street instead of the businesses and storefronts. you could hear the sand under rafe’s tires and you closed your eyes for a moment to focus on the breeze. you opened them back up when you felt the ghost of rafe’s fingers in your hair.

looking away from the dusty shoulder, you set your gaze on the road stretched before you. rafe kept a lose hand on the very top of the wheel, his other resting in his lap. you swallowed and licked your lips. 

“rafe?”

“yeah?”

willing yourself to look up at him, trying to act quickly before he reached your house, you stared at the side of his face. he glanced over quickly then back to the road.

“don’t bring me home.” you said in a small voice, hoping the question didn’t lead to rejection.

his eyes flicked to your face, his jaw flexing. “okay. where do you want to go?”

you let your gaze waver, wandering down his chin to his neck where he visibly swallowed. did you make him nervous?

“just somewhere private,” you said.

you wet your lips when he looked at you again, your eyes trailing from his neck to his face. your hands were itching to reach across and touch him, but they settled on fidgeting in your lap. when you looked out the windshield again, you saw your yellow front door pass by as rafe continued to drive. you took a deep breath in.

after a couple turns and the road turning into more sand, rafe pulled to a dead end in front of the marsh. the engine cut off with a turn of the ignition key and fizzled out to let the lapping water fill the car. you kept your eyes on the small bay ahead, spotting a dragonfly whizzing by over the water. letting the marsh sounds fill your ears, it seemed to calm your nerves.

you nervously glanced at rafe in the quiet cab of the truck. you wondered what was going through his head. he turned his eyes to you, letting them linger around your face. you swallowed.

giving a mental swift kick to your own rear, you looked over your shoulder into the back seat and unbuckled yourself. you slipped the strap of your bag off your shoulder and left it in the seat as you twisted and crawled over the console. rafe watched you, a dumbfounded smile making its way onto his lips.

you laughed when you saw it. “come on,” you patted to the seat beside you and scooted to the right so he’d have enough room.

rafe looked gigantic when he turned in his seat, bumping into the wheel and nearly pushing on the horn. you grinned as you watched him, the simple journey into the backseat seeming so wild. it felt like you were somewhere you shouldn’t be with someone your parents had warned you about. your parents loved rafe actually.

his knee bumped into yours once he was settled and situated. the space was too small for the two of you but you liked feeling his skin against yours. it also felt much more private than the open windows in the front.

looking over at rafe, you let your hand fall easily to his knee. he shifted his top half and closed most of the space between you, bringing an arm to rest atop the seat behind you. you breathed softly, trying not to show how fast your heart had started to thrum.

your eyes flicked down to rafe’s lips and you thought about how you didn’t know what they felt like.

“what are you thinking?” you asked as you licked your own lips.

rafe reached a hand up to your cheek, finally touching you and nearly drawing a moan from your throat as you leaned into his touch. when had you become so touch-starved? well, you could probably answer that.

“how badly i want to kiss you right now.”

you let out a breath as he looked down at your open and ready mouth. you both leaned in and finally kissed, rafe’s lips capturing yours and yours capturing his. your hand moved to his neck. his fingers on your cheek traveled into your hair again. you didn’t mean to make a noise but come on! you loved feeling his fingers in your hair.

“how i have you in my truck, in my backseat.” he pulled away to say, in a near whisper, then kissed you again. he licked into your mouth and it was difficult to find the words to portray just how amazing it felt. needless to say, your underwear was going to be soaked any second now.

you opened for him and moved closer to eliminate any space between you. he parted from your lips to travel downward. you leaned your head back, happily giving him the access he craved. your breath was coming out heavier now, but you didn’t have that panic of losing your breath like drowning. it was a good situation to lose your breath.

“how it’s been two days and i haven’t stopped thinking about the other night.” he admitted into the thin skin under your jaw. he switched hands, one holding your head in place and the other skimming over your chest. he nipped at your flesh.

“rafe,” you moaned and grabbed a fistful of his shirt.

“what do you want?” he asked, his hot breath blowing across your cheeks. you peeked your eyes open and saw tiny flakes of brown in his eyes. his hand traveled further until it landed on your thigh, squeezing and triggering the sweetest of shivers.

“i want your mouth on me.”

pressing a kiss to your lips, rafe pulled away again to look over your face. “are you sure?”

you nodded and let go of his shirt to touch his cheek. you just wanted to feel his mouth everywhere on you.

“please,” you said. you shuffled away from him reluctantly so you could situate yourself on the seat. your head and shoulders rested against the back door and you brought your legs up over his lap, already having slipped your shoes off. he watched you intriguingly. your stomach sank a little, hoping he wasn’t going to turn you down.

when his hands reached toward your bottoms, you couldn’t help the smile that took over your face. he undid the button and tugged them down. lifting your legs so you could open them for him, he leaned forward and pressed a sweet kiss to the inside of your knee. his fingers traced your calf as he shuffled and bent down as awkwardly as possible in the cramped space. you felt bad for a moment until you saw the way he looked up at you. he wanted this just as much as you did.

keeping eye contact with you as he placed his mouth right over your pubic bone, you moaned faintly. it was so delicate and soft that you didn’t expect it to feel that way. he caressed your calf as he pressed another kiss over your underwear, moving lower and lower to where you had soaked them through. your face went a little red, anticipating his reaction to it.

he looked godly as he stared up the expanse of your torso and to your eyes, all the while his lips pressed against your clothed entrance. his groan at the state of your underwear sent ripples out from the exact spot he kissed, like the vibrations of him sent shockwaves through you.

“you’re soaked,” he breathed against you and had you wanting to close your legs. instead, you slipped from his grasp and took your underwear off.

pressing your left leg into the back of the seat, you opened for rafe again. he looked down at you in front of him and licked his lips hungrily.

“god, you’re fucking pretty.”

you bit your lip at the way he looked at you, like he wanted to go to town. you were all for it really, but with the way he’d been touching you so far you had a feeling he’d be super gentle.

taking your leg and guiding it over his shoulder, he pressed a kiss to your thigh. then he finally tasted you with a savoring lick between your folds. it felt so good that he even hummed against you. you moaned in return and slipped your eyes closed. you needed something to hold on to. searching for the seat, you reached up to that tiny metal pole of the headrest and curled your fingers around it. it was cool and grounded you to where you were.

rafe licked another stripe, making a delicious noise with his tongue. you were sure if you weren’t so aroused that you’d gag at the sound.

one of his hands moved to your hip now, his skin rough and warm against yours. a gasp left your lips as you flinched without much thought, your leg over his shoulder tightening. they were all caused by rafe’s tongue brushing over your clit, something you hadn’t expected yet. you surely welcomed it when he did it again after feeling your reaction. he did it softly the second time around and you felt him shift below you before one of his fingers appeared at your entrance.

“fuck,” you whispered mostly to yourself. rafe pulled away a second later and you gasped as his finger coated in your arousal before pushing into you at the same time he reconnected with your clit.

you moaned lowly from the back of your throat. “rafe, that feels so good.”

he spent a few seconds sucking on you until he disappeared again. “look at me,” he said with a squeeze to your hip. his finger continued to move.

you breathed through your mouth as you opened your eyes and looked down at him. his seemed a smidge darker, but he held a sweet and fascinated smile on his lips.

“do you want another?”

“y-yes, please.”

you reached down and grabbed ahold of his wrist on your hip. your fingers tightened around the headrest at the same time. rafe pushed in another and returned to your clit, his tongue moving. you moaned as you watched him, wondering why you had even closed your eyes in the first place. he looked heavenly between your legs, and it felt even better.

pulling his fingers out, he brought them to his lips and licked them clean. “fuck, you taste so good, baby.”

you whimpered the next moment when he wrapped his hand around your thigh and licked up your folds. both of your hands let go to attach to his hair, your fingers spreading and pulling.

rafe’s mouth worked over you a bit quicker this time and you could tell he was losing himself in it, but you were enjoying it. it was startling when his tongue dipped into you and he pulled away only to spit, but it blew your mind. he licked widely up to your clit then, mixing everything in to one as he closed his mouth over the sensitive mound.

“oh my god.”

you felt your muscles tightening in your abdomen and the familiar feeling of wanting to move, of wanting to release. your feet tensed, a white-hot fervor starting in your toes.

“fuck, rafe, i’m going to come.” you gasped. “make me come, please, please.”

rafe obliged, his tongue flicking over you and causing your muscles to tighten even more. your eyes pricked with tears; your legs tightened on either side of him. he held them open and you wanted to curse him out for not letting you close them, to trap him in place and never have him stop.

your hips lifted off the seat, bucking against his face as you grew closer. you thought you were ripping his hair out when you came undone, moaning loudly out into the truck, to the marsh. seconds later, your grip loosened on his scalp as he licked you clean, catching everything on his tongue.

pressing a kiss to your thigh, rafe pulled away slowly and sat up. you lay there for a moment, collecting yourself and catching your breath. the muscles in your legs felt like they liquified, but you could feel them harden again to help you move. the fire in your toes died out, a pulse still existent from your release. 

“thank you.” you said to rafe as you sat up and pulled your underwear back on tiredly. you looked over to find him watching you with a soft smile and a subtle dent in his shorts. “can i do something for you?” you asked, nodding toward his lap.

rafe glanced down then shook his head at you. “no, that’s okay. i liked just tasting you.”

he didn’t say anything else as he brushed your hair over your shoulder and pressed a kiss there. his hand ran down your back. you grinned at your lap, holding your shorts and wondering where to go from there. rafe’s hand felt nice, his thumb rubbing gently. when you looked over at him, he leaned in and kissed you slowly. his hand moved up to the back of your neck while one of yours reached to touch his jaw.

“i should get home,” you said when you broke apart. you found those brown specks again and wanted nothing more than to analyze them further, but if you didn’t show your face at home soon, your phone would be interjecting in your time with rafe.

he nodded in understanding and moved apart from you so you could pull your shorts back on. “when can i see you again?” 

it was such a stupid thing to make your heart leap in your chest. it even made your body flush as if it already wasn’t.

you grinned at him. “you have my number.”

he nodded again and moved in for another kiss. you reciprocated and gave it your all, hoping that if he hadn’t already decided, that he’d call you or text you tonight. it was thrilling to think about the next time you’d see him.

⭐️taglist of beauties & babes!⭐️

@tovvaa​ @fttayla @dontjinx-it @moniamaybank @drewstarkeygf @cheshirecat107​ @jjmaybankzz​ @obxcunt @honeyyhemmings @dvakat @macey730 @twinklelilstarkey @disrecpectful @prettylilwolf-blog @jjcanloveme @ityagirljay @igotmajordaddyissues​

[alisonsfics]

Guilty and Ashamed

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader

Request: “Hey, what do you think of angst where Bau!reader discovers that she is pregnant when Reid goes to prison, but she ends up having an abortion, and one night after Spencer returns home, he finds reader is in the room crying and she tells him about the abortion and that she had not told before because she felt guilty and Spencer comforts her.” - @paulaern

Word Count: 1.7k

Warnings: abortion, depressive thoughts, extreme guilt

You were sitting in your bathroom, crying. Looking down at the pregnancy test in your hand, you were overwhelmed with emotion. You were equally ecstatic and terrified. You and Spencer had been dating for about four years now and you both always talked about wanting to start a family.

Now that that day was here, you were so nervous to tell Spencer. What if he wasn’t ready? What if it was bad timing? What if he had changed his mind? There were so many questions floating around your head, you knew what you had to do.

You grabbed your keys and you decided you were going to drive to Quantico to tell him right away. He deserved to know, even if made you a little anxious.

You got into your car and before you started driving, you glanced down and saw that your phone was ringing. It was Emily.

She had grown to be like a sister to you. Spencer had of course introduced the two of you, and you had gotten along great.

You pressed the answer button. “Hey Em, what’s up?” You asked her, you noticed that you still had a big smile on your face from finding out about your pregnancy.

You tried to act cool and collected, if you didn’t, Emily would know something was up in a second.

“Y/N...it’s— it’s about Spencer” she said, hesitantly. You could hear the dread in her voice.

You had a million possibilities running through your head of what it could be. What if he was hurt?

“What do you mean? Emily, what’s wrong with Spencer?” You asked, panic in your voice. You saw your future flash before your eyes. You prayed with every fiber of your being that Spencer was okay and he wasn’t hurt.

“Y/N, Spencer got arrested” Emily said, sympathetically. You could hear ringing in your ears. You had no idea what that meant, or how long that meant Spencer would be away from you.

Emily explained the whole thing to you and assured you that she was always there for you. She hung up the phone and then you broke down sobbing in your car.

You couldn’t believe what Emily had told you. Spencer was in prison and you had no idea when you would see him again, or if you would see him again.

You looked down at your lap, and you remembered the life that was growing inside your stomach. Your heart broke. For the first time in your life, you felt completely lost. You didn’t know what to do.

Two weeks later, you decided to get an abortion. You didn’t think you could have cared for a child all your own. If you were going to be a mother, you needed Spencer by your side.

You never gave up hope on Spencer. You went down to the prison and talked to him twice a week. You would fill him in on everything new in your life.

The one thing you never told him about was the abortion or the pregnancy. You don’t know why you didn’t tell him, you just couldn’t bring yourself to do it.

You always put on a brave face for Spencer, you didn’t want him to think you were weak in any way. So you put a smile on your face and you told him how much you loved him and that you would see him soon.

But, almost every time you left the prison, you broke down in your car. The one thing you wanted more than anything in the world was to hold Spencer in your arms. Even if it was just for a moment.

You were sitting at home, sending your boss an email, when your phone began to ring. You glanced down at it and you saw that it was Emily.

You quickly answered the phone and put it to your ear. “Emily! How are you?” You asked, putting on a cheery front. You hadn’t really been truly happy since Spencer had been arrested.

“We did it! We did it, Y/N! Your boy is coming home!” Emily said, excitedly. You almost dropped the phone. You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. You jumped up out of your chair and started tearing up.

“Please tell me you’re serious” you begged Emily. “I promise, three weeks from today” she exclaimed. “I can’t believe this, this is the best day of my life” you told her, screaming in excitement. You started jumping around, not knowing how to contain your excitement.

You didn’t sleep for those three weeks, you were too excited. Spencer was finally going to come back home. He would be back, safe in your arms.

You would be able to tell him you loved him, without a security guard present. And you could let him hold you. And you could kiss him. And you could fall asleep in his arms. Everything was going to perfect again, you just knew it.

Nine months. Four days. And thirteen hours.

That is how long it had been since you had last seen Spencer. You were waiting outside the prison with the rest of the team. You could tell your excitement was obvious.

Then you saw him. He was walking out with two security guards. You couldn’t stop the tears that were welling up in your eyes. You had never been so excited to see someone, in your whole life.

He walked over to the group of you and Derek immediately enveloped him in a hug. “It’s good to have you back, brother” he said, holding Spencer tightly. You had ended up behind most of the team, probably not even visible to Spencer.

“Someone else is here to see you too, Spence” Emily said, laying a hand on Spencer’s arm. The whole team moved out of your way.

As soon as Spencer’s eyes landed on you, you felt your heart swell. You both just looked at each other for a second, and then you ran into his arms. He wrapped his arms around you tightly.

You buried your head in his neck. You were afraid that if you let go of him, that he would disappear.

“I’ve missed you so much” he said, his voice cracking. You just held onto him tighter. Eventually, the two of you pulled away, but Spencer kept his arm wrapped around your waist. He kept you right by his side as he said hello to everyone again.

Emily had offered to drive the two of you home and you gladly accepted. You both got into the backseat, holding onto each other the entire way home.

For the next month, Spencer and you were attached at the hip. You both took some time off of work and just enjoyed spending time with each other.

It had been four months since Spencer had come home, and things were back to normal. Spencer was on his way home from work, he had texted you telling you that he had picked up some Chinese food for the both of you.

You were sitting at home when the news channel you were watching, switched to a story about a local baby that had been born on the plane. The baby had been named after the flight attendant who helped deliver the baby.

Then, for the first time since Spencer had been back home, you thought about the abortion. You had been so busy with Spencer being back home that you hadn’t given it a thought.

You realized that you still hadn’t told Spencer. You felt cruel and manipulative. He deserved to know, it was his baby too. You didn’t think it was right to keep it from him.

Then you started to think about what he would say when you told him. What if he got mad? What if he felt like you violated his trust? What if he left you?

You started to spiral, and you ended up in your bathroom, sobbing. You didn’t even hear the front door open, when Spencer arrived at home.

Even though you didn’t hear him, he heard your sobs, coming from the bathroom. He threw the food down on the table and ran towards the bathroom.

He walked into the doorway and saw you, sitting all curled up on the floor. He didn’t have any idea what happened.

He sat down right next to you. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Spencer asked you, simultaneously looking to see if he saw any injuries.

“You’re going to be so mad at me” you said, barely above a whisper. His facial expression softened and he held your hands in his. “I promise, I won’t be mad at you. Just tell me what’s going on, sweetheart” he said, softly.

“The day you got arrested, I found out I was pregnant. And then I lost you and everything around me was spiraling and I didn’t know how to care for a baby. So I got an abortion, and I’m sorry I never told you. I should have talked to you about it. I just didn’t know how to bring it up. And I just started thinking about how wrong that was to you. And I’m so so sorry” you told him, through the tears.

You saw him take in what you said, and begin to process it. “I am not mad at you, Y/N” he said, endearingly. He brushed some of your hair behind your ear.

“But I never told you about it, and we could’ve had a family. And it’s all my fault that we don’t” you said, guiltily. “Hey, who says we can’t still have a family. We can still have kids, or a dog, or whatever you want. Even if it’s just us, me and you are a family. I love you more than anything in the world. And I know I have put you through hell for the last year, and I’m sorry for that. But I don’t want you to feel guilty at all. Nothing you did was wrong. And I love you” he said, leaning in and kissing you.

“I love you too” you said, wiping your tears away from your eyes. “Now come on, let’s go eat” he said, helping you up off the floor.

taglist: @reniescarlett @thelovelyrose @shyinadarkplace @azghedaheda @meowiemari @averyhotchner @katerinaval @millipop18 @airiloveskuromi-chan @k-k0129 @ssareidbby

Let me know if you want to be added to my taglist for all my imagines or for a specific character!!

Requests OPEN

[deadaccount2424]

our love is like water to a tulip

yandere!reader x dabi

hiiii,, this is the first chapter to my story on AO3 !! its a mature/dark story so be warned :))

cw: violence, yandere themes [towards the end], possessiveness [lmk if i need to add more]

some would call it fate. others call it luck, but you simply played your cards right. being dealt with a shit had just gave you more hope, desire and yearning to succeed.

his scent would flow, your nose picking it up and inhaling like its your last. his dreamy musk of rotten flesh and dirt made your heart and eyelids flutter in pleasure. oh how you wanted to cherish him. but, oh how you wanted to break him. doors and floorboards creaked as one. you hoped to go unnoticed but it seems others just have a keen eye, better than you thought. the door you had just stepped through had swung and collided with the wall, almost breaking at its hinges because of the force. of course, this startled you and now you'd been seen. surrounded by two much larger men, you had no way to wriggle out of your current position, and to your luck, the temporary invisibility quirk you had manifested from someone else was fading, making you even more visible and recognisable.

before you had time to move, a void man had quickly thrown you through one of his own detached voids, and with a yelp, you fell through, arms flailing behind to to catch yourself on the ground.

"ow, my ass.." you grumbled in a bruised pain, regret sinking in after you opened your mouth. looking down at yourself it was clear that you were clear, clear as day. "well? explain yourself." a throaty voice barked at you, his tone a neutral between anger and nonchalance. his voice muffled due to the hand he had covering most of it. his head turned now to face you. "dirty mutt doesn't know how to keep their nose out of other peoples business, huh?" a sarcastic chime flooded his speech, although you were unable to see, you could feel his brows raising high. in a sudden flash, the young man had grabbed a fist full of your hair, his index finger standing up. "speak then bitch, why are ya' here then?" he yanked your head so you were face to face. through the fingers of his hand mask, you could see his shadowed eyes. his chest heaving up and down, heavy breathing from the kick he was getting out of this. "what-, what are you talking about?" you had tried to say confidently, but you had repeated yourself in a small stutter, the opposite of confidence. the iron grip on your hair did not loosen a bit, your eyes clenching shut and the sudden spark of pain, when a female voice sprung. "hmm, shiggy please let me have a turn. you always hog intruders to yourself !" with one eye opening slowly, you looked in the general direction of the pouty voice, and stood what you assumed was a cheery schoolgirl. the more you opened the small slit of your eye, the more detail in her figure you saw, definitely not innocent or "cheery". "shut the fuck up, and don't use my name in front of 'em." he snarled at her, never taking his attention off you. with a harsh pull, he hauled you onto your feet, by the lock of hair still on his grasp. you followed suit, stumbling with your balance and seething through your teeth, doing your best not to react loud, in slight fear of what they would do.

after placing you on both feet, 'shiggy' turned his head towards someone else in the dim bar room. before you could fully open your eyes, after relaxing your tense shoulders, you were thrown towards the bar and folded over it, spluttering at the sudden force. he laughed at you, catching your breath. you lifted yourself off the bar top with your left arm, slowly tucking your right arm in, preparing the force of your next move. he took a few steps towards you and went to reach for you hair again. "silly little thing should know not to eavesdrop, you have n business being here, do ya? didya get sent by anyone?" as he finished, you swung your arm out suddenly punching the side of his face, the hand attached to it had fallen and rolled away from the pair of you. he turned his head back to your, rubbing his cheek with all but one finger, a grin rose and a small sigh left his mouth. his first reaction was to grab you, but a croaky voice from the tattered sofa in the corner of the room halted him.

 "shigaraki, its not worth it. doubt they heard anything anyway." still being pinned to the bar, you searched for him. a cloaked figure rose from the couch, and headed over to you and shigaraki. he pushed shiggy out of the way, keeping one hand pressed against your back, trapping you against the bar. "did you hear anything?" he said casually, an eyebrow raising, prompting you to answer. you kept a neutral expression, “honey, i didn't hear anything you didn't want me to,” a small chuckle followed your ballsy statement. his brows dropped, “you fuckin' brat, get out already.” “just-, deal with them dabi. don’t make a mess.” shigaraki sighed, picking the hand from the ground, and walking towards the bar, and then out of sight. he pulled you up from the bar, one hand wrapped around both of your wrists, mocking the restraint of a criminal and officer dynamic. he held you in front of him and started to walk you towards the door. “we don't have time for smartasses” he threw you out the door, cutting you one last look as you stood yourself up. "well make some time for me, hot stuff. i'm free at 8 on friday. call me," you winked at him, right before he slammed the door on you. you huffed, brushing yourself down of the small patches of dirt. in reality, you didn’t collect any information, just squabbling from the group. you weren’t sent by anyone. you were just too curious, but this time it had paid off. dabi. from what you could tell in those 40 seconds of interaction, you could see that he was taller than you, scarred a dark purple, with piercings? or staples? connecting his supple pale skin to the sensitive ridges of his scarred skin together. oh, how you wanted to run your fingers along his jaw. daydreaming of his reaction, the moment of when you would finally have him in your grasp. he would become the one thing on your mind. he infatuated you. sparked you in ways killing and violence had never done before. this was an ache. A want. a need to have him. he was your tulip. even if he fought your effort to water his roots, to keep him alive. he would always need you, or he’d perish.

[jalapeno-princess]

Hey Santa

Mark Tuan X Reader

Word Count: 2.8K

Genre: Fluffity fluff 

Summary: Christmas has always been your favorite holiday, but you couldn’t find it in yourself to be all that happy this year since your favorite person in the entire world is currently thousands of miles away on a business trip. However, Santa always seems to have a few tricks up his sleeve and this Christmas turns out not that bad after all.

The lights and festive decorations surrounded all throughout town were a constant reminder that Christmas was just around the corner—five days to be exact. As excited as you wish you could have been right now, especially because winter just so happened to be your favorite season and Christmas was your favorite holiday for many different reasons, you couldn’t find it in yourself to really get in to the Christmas spirit this year. 

If anything, you felt like the grinch. Witnessing how happy everyone you were surrounded by—your family, friends and colleagues did make you feel the least bit jealous. 

Just last year, you were the one trying to get everyone in to the Christmas spirit. You set up your Christmas tree in your apartment a week before Thanksgiving. You stayed up with your boyfriend Mark making dozens of different cookies to pass out, the two of you decorated the tree to the best of your abilities—or at least tried your best to. 

You’d cuddle up on the couch together watching a bunch of your favorite Christmas movies and hummed along to some of the best Christmas songs; new and old while washing dishes or doing the laundry. Last year had to be the best year, especially because it was your first Christmas together as a couple. 

He brought you to see the lights; something you’ve been indirectly hinting towards wanting to do, you brought him ice skating—one of the only activities you did better at than him, he invited you to go snowboarding and sledding with his family up in the mountains and on Christmas Day, he gave you the prettiest heart shaped necklace and told you he loved you for the first time after five months of dating. 

Maybe it was because you had the time of your life the previous year with the man you called your soulmate and now you were miserable and lonely. Mark was currently away on a business trip in Japan, trying to secure one of the biggest business deals that could bring his company a lot of success. 

You had a hard time understanding why his boss felt the need to send him just days away from Christmas but you didn’t want him knowing that it bothered you. Your boyfriend was one of the youngest department supervisors at one of the top technology companies in the country. 

Not only was he extremely intelligent; graduating with his master’s degree in business at only 24-years-old, but he was very passionate in his field of work and he did anything and everything in his power to help bring the company as much publicity and prosperity as he possibly could. You admired his work ethic and how determined he was to excel in his career, but you would have preferred for him to be with you right now. 

It was currently snowing in California and there was nothing more that you wanted than to be cuddled up in bed with Mark—a tangle of limbs underneath your blankets watching the snow fall against your window while drinking some hot chocolate and stealing sweet kisses from one another. 

If Mark were to come home and saw how dull and empty the current state your apartment had been because you had no desire to do anything merry—he would have been upset. He loved Christmas as much if not just a little bit more than you did—so you were sure he wouldn’t have been too happy if he found out you were having such a horrible time. 

On the day that he found out about his trip, he was visibly upset. He wasn’t as verbal as he was physical with you—clinging on to you like a sloth. Following you all around the apartment like a lost puppy and holding you in his embrace as you cooked dinner for the two of you. It was then—mid bite of his shrimp pasta—Mark admitted that he tried to prolong telling you about the trip because he knew you would be devastated. 

Honestly, that had to be the understatement of the year. You were heartbroken beyond belief. This year, your grandparents were flying down for your younger cousin’s graduation and it’s been at least two years since you’ve seen them, so you expected this holiday season to be one for the books. However, you didn’t take his absence so lightly. Your boyfriend has left on business trips multiple times for weeks and even months on end. 

Sure, you hated any moment spent without him by your side and talking to him through your phone and computer screens weren’t the same as having him there with you in person—but you did your best to be a supportive girlfriend by not showing an ounce of distress. It’s just that—Christmas came around once a year; you suffered through work and school; crying while staying up and studying for exams—being scolded at work for things that were out of your control. You waited all year for this one day and now it was ruined.

You hated the fact that you were acting so childish, there was nothing he could do. It wasn’t as if he could tell his higher ups that he didn’t want to go—no matter how much he didn’t want to. Mark even nonchalantly tried to reschedule the trip, but the director already purchased his ticket. 

He made it a habit to call you right before a meeting, before he went to bed, right before you went to sleep and when you woke up in the morning. Hearing that Japan was decked out in Christmas decorations and how even their food was festive made you wish you could have taken off from work to be there with him. You didn’t care where you ended up spending the holidays, all you cared about was who you spent it with and the only person whose presence you craved the most was more than 5,000 miles away and 19 hours ahead of you. 

Working at your family’s Christmas annual “Santa’s Workshop” that they held every year since before you were even born never failed to bring you so much joy. When your cousin was diagnosed with Leukemia when the two of you were only 6-years-old, your aunty decided after seeing all the children in the hospital not able to celebrate Christmas as they probably would have wanted to—that she would give them and their families a chance to have their own little private festival in one of the hospital ballrooms so that the kids could get a visit from Santa Claus along with toys that were donated from families all across of California. You loved being able to do something like this; you wanted to give back to the less fortunate and seeing the bright and hopeful smiles on all the adorable little children’s faces always seemed to make your heart flutter. 

How could you be so selfish—letting the fact that Mark wasn’t there with you get in the way of your happiness when there were little ones who were suffering through some really tough battles. But you were only human; you hardly ever got to see Mark as it was—and that said a lot considering that you lived together. His job took up most of his time and you did your best to hide the fact that being his second priority bothered you. 

Trying to take on more hours at work in order to take your mind off of the distance in your relationship wasn’t enough to cover up how much you were falling apart at the seams. Mark Tuan was the love of your life—your life revolved around him. He was genuinely the biggest blessing that you couldn’t even fathom in to words how grateful you were to be the lucky one who got to love him and was vehemently loved by him. You missed him even when you were with him. You felt pathetic—allowing someone to have this much power over you, but that just showed how much you loved him with your entire being.

As much as you would rather have been locked up in your room watching home alone reruns while stuffing your face—being dressed up as an elf and assisting the children as they made their way one by one on to Santa’s lap; telling him what they each wanted for Christmas wasn’t all too bad. It was actually the best thing to happen so far since December came around. You found yourself smiling every time one of the patients beamed up at Santa Claus. 

Honestly, nine hours went by faster than you would have expected it to. Observing the way the kids would grin in delight after receiving a present tugged on your heartstrings and opened your eyes to the idea that Christmas was so much more than asking for and getting all the items on your Christmas list. It was seeing these hopeful little faces gleam even for only a few moments. You might have missed your boyfriend dearly, but you knew he would make up for lost time once he finally arrived back like he always did. 

After the last child got a gift from Santa and made their way back to their hospital room, you and your cousins began to close up shop—turning off the lights on the tree, folding up some of the poster boards and just preparing everything for the next day when you heard someone gently whisper your name. 

You smiled softly at the older man; he was a friend of your uncle’s who has been dressing up as Santa for longer than you could remember. You made your way towards him and laughed softly to yourself when he patted his lap. 

“Do my old eyes deceive me or is your smile not as sincere as it usually is? what’s wrong y/n? you’re always so bright and cheery this time of year but these days, your excitement seems so forced.” 

Releasing a sad sigh, you were well aware you couldn’t lie to him; he already knew there was something bothering you so there was no point in hiding what was currently clouding your entire thought process. 

“You’re going to think it’s silly—“

“Your feelings aren’t silly y/n. You’re only human, it’s okay to be sad sometimes, even during the most wonderful time of the year. I’m sure you haven’t told anyone else what’s wrong, so why don’t you tell Santa? Maybe I have a gift for you that might uplift your spirits.” 

You were too busy staring at the ground in disappointment to notice the glint in his eye—but you didn’t want to keep him waiting. It was late, you were sure he wanted to go home just as much as you did, so you poured your heart out to the older man. 

“My boyfriend—he’s currently on a business trip in Japan and I just—I don’t know, I miss him dearly and I just wish he could have been home for the holidays and now I feel like a grumpy little scrooge.” 

He laughed lightly while gently squeezing your arms as a way to comfort you. Admitting it out loud sounded so pathetic but it also made you feel lighter in a way. Telling someone else of your problems felt good; it took a huge weight off of your shoulders, but it didn’t feel the void Mark always seemed to cause whenever he had to leave. 

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with moping around because of that. The holiday season is the time you want to spend with your loved ones the most. Your parents told me about him a few months ago—Mark is it? He sounds like a really great guy and your mom seems impatient waiting for the two of you to get married. I’m sorry about the unfortunate situation y/n, but just think about it this way, you’ll have many, many more Christmases to spend with him. Don’t let this one circumstance ruin the way you look at this glorious wintertime. If you’ll excuse me, I have to use the bathroom, I’ll be right back.” 

He was right; it has only been almost two years since you and Mark began dating, but you knew he was the man you wanted to spend the rest of your life with. You sat there for a few minutes, looking at your phone to see if Mark had gotten in contact with you and you let out a sad sigh when you realized there was nothing. He did say he had meetings to attend the entire day—so you understood that he was probably busy, but it didn’t make you feel all that much better. 

Finally, you could see in your peripheral vision that the older man arrived back and motioned for you to get up before sitting back down and had you take your spot back on his knee. 

“I’ve never felt this way about anyone before—I love that man with every single breath that I take. Waking up next to him—feeling his heartbeat against mine, I can’t explain how exuberant he makes me feel. Every time we’re together, it’s like we’re in our own little worlds. He’s been so busy these days and sometimes I feel as though I’m a burden to him. I’m sure he’s probably exhausted after coming home from work, but he never fails to do whatever it is that I want to do together just to make me smile. I want nothing more to marry him one day—maybe I should fly up to Japan and surprise him—“

“I don’t think that would be the best idea right now.” 

You frowned at his words; wasn’t he encouraging you earlier to try and make the best of the next two weeks until the new year? What made him change his mind in the few minutes while he was away? Before you could ask him about what he could have meant, he wrapped his hands around your waist and placed his chin on top of your shoulder. 

You were surprised at the sudden movement—you didn’t want to seem rude and push him away because you were now feeling uncomfortable, but you didn’t know how to feel. However, before you could say or do anything, he brought his mouth up to your ear and whispered softly before placing a gentle kiss right below your ear. 

“If you go to Japan, then we won’t be able to celebrate the holidays together babe.” 

Your eyes widened in shock—how could you not differentiate between the two voices? Maybe you were too deep in your self pity to notice—but you flung your arms around his neck and smashed your lips against his. Your boyfriend smiled against your mouth and depend the kiss as his hands made their way down to your lower back. 

“Mark you ass! I was about ready to sock a family friend in the face, why didn’t you tell me you were coming home? You knew how miserable I’ve been—“ 

He stole a wet kiss from the corner of your mouth; his way to silence you before playfully squeezing one of your thighs. 

“I’ve been just as miserable baby. I’m sorry, I was actually debating on whether or not I should tell you—but your mom told me that it would be a lot more fun if I surprised you. You’re well aware that I can’t keep secrets for shit. I almost blurted it out last night when you told me how rough your day was. None of that matters though—I’m here now and I have a lot planned for us. I’ve missed you so fucking much baby. Don’t get me wrong, Japan is such an amazing country—but fuck, I feel so numb when you’re not by my side. By the way, I feel the same exact way about you y/n. You’re my entire world. I love you so—so very much. I don’t think there’s enough words in the English dictionary to form a sentence perfect enough to describe what it is that I feel for you. I’m sorry—so fucking sorry that you think my job means more to me than you do. Nothing in this entire world means even half as much to me as you do. I’m at fault for making it seem that way, but I plan on spending the rest of my life showing you and telling you otherwise. Now, there are a few mistletoes that have our names on it—why don’t you let me make up for not being around as much as I should. This Christmas will be a lot more astounding, that’s a promise.” 

He reconnected your lips together, not being able to stay away from your lips for too long. You really did miss this. Being held by him, feeling him lick on your bottom lip—nonverbally asking for entrance, having him run his fingers through your hair. Mark was your home—you always felt so safe in his arms and God, you’ve been homesick for quite some time. After a couple minutes of fervently making out, you grabbed at his hand and pulled him up with you—laughing at how the santa suit he was currently wearing practically swallowed his silhouette. 

“You’re such an adorable Santa Clause.” 

He playfully rolled his eyes at your comment as you led him to the back in order to get your things. Mark made sure you weren’t paying attention as he tapped on his leg to make sure the velvet box was still safely in his pocket. If you thought his early arrival home was already quite the surprise, he couldn’t wait to see the look on your face when he were to pop the question he’s been wanting to ask you from the beginning of your relationship. This Christmas was definitely going to be one for the books, and he couldn’t wait.

[astringofmadhousefloozies]

Sardines, or Professor Vargas is an Asshole

Another fic from someone who’s only half-read everything. Told in second person, starring a female Yuu.

Content warnings for coarse language, kidnapping, sexual harassment along the lines of Vargas being similar to Gaston, and being deeply, direly self indulgent.

As always, please let me know if you enjoyed it, I live and breathe for positive feedback.

You do not like Professor Vargas, and the feeling is mutual.

It wasn't like the almost amiable vitriol between you and Schonheit, which, while having its ups and downs, was usually at a level of shooting a few insults at each other in between whatever dorm prefect business had you talking to each other, and parting ways with a hair flip on his part and a rude hand guesture on yours. And hell, the other teachers seemed almost fond of you. Trein appreciated you passion for history, even if annoyed at your preference for layman-oriented literature, and would let you sound off about whatever strange bit of lore you'd recently found out, and even once down and listened very patiently as you tried to explain who Emperor Norton was before he said you needed to leave so he could mark papers. Crewel and you had reached an uneasy truce where he did not call you a puppy, and you did not start going "what happens when these go together" in potions class every time he called you that in protest. (You may be a bitch, but he certainly isn't allowed to imply it, even in the most roundabout of ways.)

But Vargas. Vargas hates your soft belly, your unwillingness to push yourself to the point of exhaustion, and most of all, he really, really hates that you're a girl that won't throw herself at his feet. You were trundling along at a swift walking pace on a broom, a mere few feet off the ground, when he stopped yelling at your classmates to pick on you instead.

"Too weak to do better than that?"

"I'm not magic. That I can do this at all is impressive." You're pointedly looking ahead, not looking at him jogging up beside you.

"You can go higher!"

"Professor," you say with barely contained irritation, "I am a beginner, and would much rather have the basics down before I attempt to turn myself into a fine paté from a hundred feet up."

He snorted. "Ashengrotto goes high; you can too."

"Azul's damn near in tears by the time he comes down because he didn't even have legs before a few years ago. He's not a good example."

Vargas, being a wretched asshole who should not be allowed to teach, instead tipped the end of your broom up. Only the broom shot into the air, you merely went ass-over-teakettle onto the grass, and stayed there because if you got up you would attempt to bite his nose clean off.

"Such poor balance! But I can fix that with some private lessons!" Oh, Christ. "You come by here after dark, I know all about teaching a girl how to ride -”

At that, you kicked him in the shin, and while he started back in pain, you shot up and started walking off the field, vibrating with the strength of your disgust.

"You can't hit a teacher! You'll regret this you stupid-" And you've picked up to a jog, because fuck if you were going to listen to that piece of shit try and pick up one of his own fucking students, what the actual fuck.

~*~*~*~

You relayed this whole mess across the supper table, afterwards, and your host was just as grossed out as you were.

"Keep an eye out next class," Azul said to you. "He holds a grudge."

"First hand knowledge?”

His silence was telling.

"You think I could get an exemption? Or like, permission to do a treadmill when everyone's out on a broom?"

"Who do you think you have to ask about all fitness-related things?" Azul had a faraway look that recalled war films. "It's not going to work.”

"What if I start skipping class?"

He gave you a look that could wither an evergreen. "Don't you dare, or he'll start picking on me again."

You shrugged. "Aight. I got three days to figure out what to do, then. You got any ideas?”

He folded his hands and rested his head upon them. "What would you pay?"

"No."

"Come on."

"What do I even have that you want?"

"I can think of a few things. The wave in your hair, or the gleam off your teeth."

"Because you need more curl to your hair."

"Someone might want to contract me for them."

"No. I got three days, Azul, we don't have to resort to your contracts.”

As it turned out, you did not have three days.

~*~*~*~

The next day's gym class was a motley bunch. Idia couldn't miss any more gym days this month, Lilia was doing his stretches, Floyd was... being Floyd, resulting in everyone who wasn't Rook giving him a wide berth, and Leona appeared to be skipping class and was therefore not present for the upcoming bullshit.

"Sorry I'm late!" Cater jogged in, cheery as sunshine though the clouds, and Idia rolled his eyes so hard it was a miracle they didn't strain. "Laps today?"

"Vargas said we're doing Capture the Flag. Dunno how the teams'll go." Lilia was doing something complicated with his hands as he stretched his arms. "Kingscholar's absent, so they'll be uneven. And," he thumbed over at Rook, who was looking into the forest with the coiled intensity of a greyhound waiting for the rabbit to spring, "he's got an advantage, he knows the woods best."

"Yeah, but I've got unlimited data and a GPS." Cater patted his chest with a smile, the outline if his phone visibly through a pocket.

"Can't count on that for everything."

"Alright students!" yelled Vargas, strolling out of the woods with a bruise purpling one cheek. "Capture the Flag today. Use your brooms to navigate the forest, grab the flag, whoever brings it back gets the flag as a prize."

"It's in the forest, hanging from a pole in a clearing, you cannot miss it! All in white, too..." The professor brought up a little screen, showing off a live feed of his flag.

The flag, of course, was you, trussed up with rope and you legs hanging freely, still in last night's sleep shirt. Your voice came out, tinny from the speakers: "I did not consent to this, asshole."

The students were torn between looking at Vargas in shock, looking at the phone in shock, and muttering between themselves.

"Don't forget to have all the fun you want with the flag before you bring it back to me! When else will you get the chance?"

This just had everyone looking at each other with shifty-eyed suspicion.

"Every man for himself! Go get your prize!"

~*~*~*~

Vargas couldn't rig worth a damn. You're twenty feet in the air with just one rope suspending you, tied at the base with a simple knot. Everything hurt from chafing, you were cold, and you couldn't help but worry over what the hell was going to happen, depending on who found you. Vil still hadn't forgiven you for projecting a gorefest of a film across the walls of Pomefiore, so he might leave you to rot or use the situation to put a particularly vicious curse on you. Idia would probably drop dead of exhaustion after reaching you, leaving you both stuck. Floyd, well. As much as you enjoyed his company, it was like hand feeding a pet tiger; eventually he'll decide your hands tastes better, it's just a matter of when. You're running the numbers on most likely scenarios based on who shows up, when some twigs snap by the meadow's edge and you look towards a small "Hi."

Little ears! Little hands! Little all over, and looking up at you with curiousity as his tail swished. Chen'ya? No, no, other Ch- name. "Cheka! Hi, sweetie, honey, baby, can you get me down?" You'd already been here an hour and your hands were nothing but tingles.

"... Okay! Why're you up there?"

"Bad man," you say as he starts to tug at the rope. "You got it?"

He shook his head. "It's hard."

"Can you go get help, honey? Bring them back to get me down?"

He nodded. This was a big boy job, he could do it. "I'll get Uncle Leona."

Please don't, you thought to yourself, but instead said "Okay, please be quick, Cheka."

He started off towards the school, and you could have sworn he vanished before he actually hit the treeline.

~*~*~*~

He was only gone for a few minutes before you realized that you were starting to move. Turns out Cheka, despite being so small, had pulled enough at the rope before he left that the knot was unraveling.

"Oh shi-" is as far as you got before you're in freefall, and you yelped as you hit the ground feet first, wheezing. Fuck. You can barely move to survey the damage, because a certain asshole had put your hands behind your back, and every move made your ankles wail in pain. The only saving grace was that the ground was soft.

At least someone had landed by you, looking you up and down.

"... Hi, Yuu."

"... Hi, Lil."

Lilia pointed up. "You're supposed to be up there."

"Vargas was too busy trying to get upskirts to secure a fucking knot, apparently." You wince as he worked at the ropes. "My feet?"

"On the right way." You gritted your teeth and hissed as he prodded at them. "Both badly sprained, left worse than right. You're not walking out of here."

"Figured." You sat up and held your arms out. "Come on, old man, you're stronger than you look."

He was, but was too small to leverage you correctly.

"Can't you fly?"

"Yes," He said as he tried to balance you on the broom. 

"Then carry me.”

"You want me to drop you?"

"Nope."

"Do we just wait for the others?"

As if on cue, you heard distant yelling and what was maybe an explosion.  

"Yeah." Lil brightened, and snapped his fingers. "I saw a place, hold on."

Said place was either a nice treehouse or an okay deer blind, wide enough in the floor that you could lay flat out as he surveyed the damage. "This should be a good place."

"What the hell is going on out there?”

"Everyone's looking for you." Lil's settled crosslegged, with an amused smile. "Vargas said you're the prize, so everyone's trying to get here first. Isn't it good I found you? Who knows what they're planning."

You set your arm over your eyes and sighed. "Brave words from someone who's broken into my room more than once."

He shrugged. "You need looking after."

"De-organizing my things isn't looking after, you damned goblin."

He bristled. "I'm not a goblin."

"What is a goblin, Lilia."

"Small little fae who like to cause trouble."

"Exactly."

You couldn't see it, but you could feel the eye-roll.

~*~*~*~

It was five minutes at the most after that before Rook climbed in the door, looking so fresh-faced and joyful to see you it made you want to swat him. "Bonjour, my Trickster! You're living up to your name, hidden away!"

"Salut, Rook." You squinted at him. "You have first aid anything?"

"Hm," He said, prodding at your calf. "I have water, but these need wrapped."

"Give." Lilia took a sip of water before passing it to you. "The uniform denim won't tear easily-”

"Oh, we use this."

"Oh no you do not," You said as you tugged the hem of your sleep shirt from his hand. "No one here gets to see my underwear."

"I don't care about your panties, I care about this," he said as he brushed an ankle, making you jerk back. "It'll get worse if they aren't wrapped. There is fabric to spare.”

You huffed before you told him not to mention it to Vil, and between him and Lilia, you had two wrapped ankles and a dangerously short hemline. At least you'd actually put underwear on before Vargas decided to kidnap you, otherwise this would be a whole other level of distressing.

~*~*~*~

"You have a phone?"

Lilia pulled his from a hidden pocket. "You want to play Sweetie Scrunch?"

"No," You say as you take it from him and start flipping through his contacts. "I'm calling help."

It took him a whole three seconds before he realized who help was. "... Nope, nope, you're not getting Malleus involved, he will eat Vargas alive, we are not causing an international incident."

"Would you rather he find out after? And he knows how to heal." You'd already texted him a brief explanation one handed, the other keeping Lilia away.

"She is not wrong, monsieur... And it would be a delight to see him raise hell."

"See?" You gave Lilia a smile that would be very sweet if it wasn't full of the devil. "C'est bon."

~*~*~*~

Mal hurtled through the window so fast it was a miracle he didn't go clean through the far wall, before he was on top of you, fussing over his precious Child of Man.

"Mal, I am fine, please fix my -"

"Dreadful, simply dreadful." He was already working a prickly green light around your bruises. "And he did that, too?" he growled as he guestured to your ragged hemline."

"No, we did that to wrap my ankles. As much as I'd love to see it, we do not need to turn Vargas into - Mal. Mal. Put your clothing back-" He'd already managed to wrap you up in his green-trimmed uniform coat. "You don't have to do that."

"Yes I do." He already had you cradled in his lap, both arms around you in a vice grip. "You won't heal immediately, I must keep you safe until then.”

Lilia raised an eyebrow at him, but said nothing. You were about to ask, before a dreadful wheezing started up from outside, and familiar pale hands had the bottom of the doorframe in a vice grip. "Help."

"Shit, Idia! Get him in here before he falls!"

~*~*~*~

Idia looked downright grey in your arms as you tried to get him to drink some water. For someone who had the physical fortitude of an overboiled noodle, he'd pushed himself to his limits looking for you, and then some.

"You're okay? Full health?" Idia sounded horribly raspy, and you fussed over his scrapes as you picked half-charred twigs from his hair. He was too tired to protest you holding onto him in much the same manner Malleus was holding onto you.

"Bout three-quarters. Fifty before Mal got here." Idia's eyes flicked to just behind your left ear before he shrank back.

You turned your head around, and Mal gave you his sweetest you're-my-best-friend smile. You looked back at Idia, who was attempting to shrink into something microscopic, and then back at Mal.

"Play nice. He's my friend too." 

Mal turned his face as innocent as he could muster. "Whatever do you mean, my friend?"

"You know what I mean."

"I do not." He wasn't looking at your face anymore.

"Yes you do. And he's you're friend too-"

Idia raised one hand tentatively. "We only play Dragon-Kun with each other."

You guestured down at Idia, still looking at Mal, looking anywhere but you. "You love your Dragon-kun. And maybe," you say as you nudge Malleus's cheek, "If you made more friends than me, you wouldn't have to be jealous when I have other friends?"

Mal's pupils were so narrow as to be barely visible when he glanced out of the corner of his eye at you, but he nodded, and mumbled a very quiet apology as Idia faintly relaxed.

"Impressive. I haven't been able to do that in years."

"That's because you're his dad."

"Do you think anyone else will show up, my Trickster? It's getting cramped in here."

You looked around and considered. "I mean, probably."

~*~*~*~

"Sevens?"

"Go fish."

"And that's when they added a dance emote, but it cause a glitch so the top half of your body started to spin around while the bottom half went normally, which would be okay, but if you collide with a wall then you clip about a mile above the ground and die from fall damage, and when they went to fix that -"

There were eight people in the treehouse, and no room for more. Mal had you in his lap in a corner. Idia was gesticulating wildly as he talked about what you were sure was this universe's version of Fallout 76, tucked against you at an angle. Floyd insisted on you using his lap as a footrest while he, Lilia and Cater played card games with an ancient deck Lilia had produced from another pocket. (You were not certain that Floyd's guesture was innocent, since he kept poking at your toes until you said you'd take them away if he didn't stop.) Rook was skipping this round to keep an eye out the window. There was maybe a half foot total of floor showing. Despite the magic fired and fists swung earlier, as soon as everyone had realized that no one was running to your rescue simply to perform their own indignities, everyone had relaxed.

Overall, it was very cozy, and as long as you could keep Idia talking instead of realizing he was crammed in a tiny room with a whole bunch of people, you could stay here quite comfortably for ages. Your ankles were currently only sore, with twinges of more, no one was at each other's throats, and as long as no one else fucked shit up, you could wait out Vargas, go home, and think about how in the hell you can report a teacher at this school for harassment.

"Trouble's coming."

Ah, shit.

Trouble, unfortunately, had figured out where they were due to the cluster of broomsticks at the base of the tree, flew to the window, and started spewing bullshit.

"What are you all doing? You abandoned the game," and here he guestured towards you, "and didn't come back with the prize. None of you would know what to do with a girl if she begged you!"

What a piece of shit, and he couldn't even read a room with eight sets of eyes glaring murder at him. He was still talking, but you weren't paying attention. Instead, you drained the last of the water, wiped your mouth on your arm, and took a deep breath.

"Get his ass."

~*~*~*~

Everyone scattered after that, not ready to deal with the consequences of ganging up on their teacher, even if he thoroughly deserved it. Everything will be dealt with tomorrow, when you can put weight on your legs without your knees buckling. Mal was walking you out of the woods personally in a princess carry, when he stopped in place.

"See, she's down, you didn't have to bug me."

You'd completely forgotten that Cheka had gone to bug Leona for help. "It's been hours."

He ignored that. "Draconia. What would your grandma say?"

"Mal-"

"I would hope she would be proud of my helping a friend." He held his head high, and brushed by Leona without another word.

"Bye!"

"Bye Cheka." You waved back at Cheka before the two lions were out of sight.

~*~*~*~

"Mal, you know you could just take me to my dorm, right?"

"Someone should keep an eye on you until you are fully healed," he said as he pulled out a pair of silk pajamas.

"Which you could do at my dorm, instead of." You guestured to the hangings on his bed. "Here."

"It's far more comfortable here than your dorm."

"I'm not kicking you out of your bed, Mal."

"You're not in a state to argue." He set the pajamas beside you, before turning to face the wall.

"About that."

He did not move a muscle.

"I'm surprised you didn't just heal them outright."

Silence.

"I know perfectly well that you can. So why didn't you?"

He still said nothing.

"Be that way, Malleus. But you know that's not okay." You flung the remains of your shirt at him, managing to catch it on one horn. "If you want me to stay over, just say that instead of conspiring to keep me dependent for an evening."

He turned, pulling the cloth from his horns, before his eyes nearly popped from his head and he hurriedly turned back to the wall. "I... am not used to this."

"Neither am I. We're going to have to have a little talk about boundaries and healthy friendships. You can turn around now."

He did, you patted the side of his bed, and he joined you.

"How do you want to do this, Mal."

"I do not."

"Tough titty, said the kitty."

He raised an eyebrow.

"I know I'm the first real friend you've had. I've been on both ends of that. You know what happens when you cling real fucking hard to your friend, and try to isolate them because you don't wanna share?"

His face was a practiced mask of emotionlessness. "What is that?"

"They suffocate, and draw away because the intensity is way too much. And then no one's happy."

Mal frowned, but said nothing.

"I do want to be your friend. I like you. You're funny, you're deeply sincere, and you're still the same person I knew when I just called you Horned Boy. But I will cut this off if you try to isolate me. I do not want to, but I will have to. If you can't play nice with others, you don't get to play with me at all."

He's so clearly trying to hide his distress and irritation, but he could not help a sigh. "You are not wrong, Child of Man. And..." He looked away. "You won't live forever. Or be here forever, at that."

"I will not. You won't either, but like, you'll outlive me. Eggs in one basket, and all. Another reason to attempt to make more friends."

"Hm." He stretched out beside you, staring at the ceiling. "With who should I start? My reputation precedes me."

"Well," you smiled, "If I've learned one thing, forced proximity does wonders with forcing Idia to like you, and he's already somewhat used to you."

He smiled at the ceiling. "I do like him."

"Me too. You'd like his little brother."

"The creation?”

"Yeah. Look, I'll network for you with other people. And I'll make sure to invite you places."

"A promise?"

"Of course. Now, are you going to take me home, or put up with the rumours of keeping me in your room all night after beating up Vargas to get at me?"

"... Oh dear."

"Yeah."

After a moment, "... I am alright with the rumours."

You snorted. "You could just ask for a sleepover next time. Don't wait for an injury."

"I will ask."

"Make sure Sebek doesn't eat me in the morning."

"I would like to see him try." He gripped your closest hand and squeezed it.

"Me too."

You lay there a few moments, scary lonely dragon boy and strange lonely human kid, hand in hand.

"Do you have any tales from your home you could tell me?"

"Mostly ones you already kind of know."

"I would still like to hear."

Even a dragon wants a bedtime story, it seems.

[bubblyani]

Bail Out : 02

(Bruce Wayne x Reader)

A Bruce Wayne Multi Chapter Series

Chapter 02: Unrequited

Summary: One fateful, drunken night gets you arrested for assault. However, once you get bailed out by Billionaire Socialite Bruce Wayne, surprising obstacles get in the way, forcing you to question all your choices in life, career, and in love.

Word Count: 7213

Genre: Angst, Fluff

Warnings: Swearing, Hints of Mugging and Violence

Author’s Note: Very happy to see the response I received so far. Hope you will enjoy the progression of this story. Enjoy!

Songs Mentioned:

Ain’t no Stopping us Now- McFadden & Whitehead

Eyes off You- M-22, Arlissa and Kiana Ledé

Chapter 1 HERE

(Saturday 3 am)

Rubbing sleep out of his eyes, Alfred Pennyworth rose up from his chair upon seeing Bruce Wayne enter the Penthouse with haste. The sudden need to spend one’s late hours on a riveting novel was certainly coincidental, for tonight the Butler had been awake for two valid reasons, as it seemed.

“I’m a little relieved you didn’t come back home with Ms.Natasha…” Alfred said hoarsely. Loosening his tie, Bruce flashed a soft smile in his direction.

“I take it that you don’t like her, Alfred?”

“Oh! Her talent is admirable” the elderly man replied, watching the younger man rush over to his bedroom, “But her arrogance is simply unforgivable” he continued, increasing the volume of his voice so that his master could still hear. Alfred’s eyes subtly squinted with curiosity when Bruce returned with his laptop.

Sitting on one of the dinning chairs, Wayne made himself comfortable ,before typing up some words in it. “Trouble, Master Wayne?” Alfred inquired. “I need to look up someone…” Bruce answered, whilst accessing the Wayne Enterprises Internal Server. “And who may that be exactly, Sir?” “My knight …” Bruce began, his index finger grazing over ENTER button,“….in shining armor…” Finally pressing it, he managed to open the Personnel File required, “…apparently” Both men spent the next few minutes, studying the profile in complete silence and fascination. The owner of the profile was female, appearing to an employee of Wayne Enterprises. Swiping through every page, Bruce made sure to pay close attention to every little detail. Until finally, he spoke up. “Alfred…” Bruce said, looking over to him, “We’re gonna need some bail money…” Mr.Pennyworth flashed him a small smile in turn. “Of course you do, Sir…” He replied, although there was indeed a hint of sarcasm.

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

(Monday)

The rhythmic clicks of your stilettos were interrupted by the ring of your cell phone. Monday morning, the beginning of a new week. Thus, more work awaited you, similar to everyone else in the world. Digging inside your oversized handbag, you rummaged through, forcing you to stop in your tracks on the pavement, only a few feet away from Wayne Tower.

Few seconds passed by, yet you still could not find your phone. Although those few seconds seemed adequate, for the chilly morning breeze to caress the back of your neck, and for the cup of mocha to keep your hand warm like an invisible glove, or even for the delicious sandwich inside your bag to tease your nostrils with it’s aroma. Bless the caller’s patience, you thought. When you finally grabbed it from the bottom of the handbag, you smiled, upon seeing the name that appeared on screen. “ ’Morning Ali! What’s up?” You answered, in a cheery tone. With your working schedules being different, Allison would relish the opportunity of sleeping in. Unlike you. “Hey Sweetie…” Allison spoke, her deep voice sounding even deeper in the morning, “Just FYI, they’re sending someone to fix the Wi-fi today…” “Oh Thank God!…” you exclaimed, “Finally I can do some catching up…” you said, backing unto the wall to allow the passerby’s to walk past. To both of your dismay, the Wi-fi connection seemed to have a breakdown during the weekend, causing what could be called as an ‘unexpected detox’ from all forms of social media and internet access. But now, relieved about the good news, you began to walk once again, your rhythmic clicks getting their groove back. “Um…Sweetie?” 


“Yeah, what’s up?” You asked. Allison grew quiet for a few seconds, which confused you. “You might wanna…” she paused, “…keep off the web today…” she added hesitantly, “Or… even for a few days…” You raised your eyebrows, as you approached the entrance of  Wayne Tower. 
“Why?” You asked, “What do you mean?-Hey Bill !”

Amidst your cheerful greeting, Bill the Doorman grew nothing but speechless as you passed him by. And it surprised you. ‘Babbling Bill’ was what you would tease him with, yet there he was, quiet as a mouse. And he was not the only one. “Hey! You there?” Allison asked, seemingly concerned by your own silence. Gripping on to your phone tightly, you felt discomfort. “Ali, I gotta go…” You said, hanging up whilst you walked through the lobby. A walk through the lobby of Wayne Tower was usually a busy walk. Your voice would get the warm up it needed with many a greetings, when at the same time, your upper limbs would get the stretching required from all the waving. Yet today, this morning, it was all too different.

All those who passed you smiled, yet no words were exchanged. Speechless would be most common word to describe it. The moment you would pass anyone by, it was quite noticeable how some quickly gathered into groups of two or three’s, followed up with hushed whispers. Uncomfortable was clearly the word you would use to describe your situation, thus you looked straight ahead and walked towards the elevator hall. The more eyes washed over you, the stronger you wished for the elevators to be closer in distance. You did not want to walk anymore. Oh how wonderful would have been to float anywhere in flash! What could possibly have happened for all to look at you this way? Your eyes widened. Could it be? The Friday night incident? Allison’s advice, could that be in relation to this, by any chance?

You finally caught the elevator, being the last one to get in. With a packed and quiet crowd standing behind, the doors closed and you watched the floor numbers of the panel, change with every second. But then, whispers began: “Is she the one who-”

“Yep…”

“Oh! Wow…”

It seemed that whispers were what you could not escape from. If it was another day, you would have gladly turned back to spot the culprit. But today was not your day.

So, there. Everyone knew. But what exactly?

8th Floor, HR Department of Wayne Enterprises. Stepping out of the elevator, you grew nervous. Being the Department that dared not attract attention of this sort, what could possibly be the reaction of your peers and colleagues? Taking a deep breath, you entered the office space, ready to face the music.

Except, you were greeted with actual music.

And the loudest of cheers.

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

Never have you been this confused. And never had you seen your Staff in HR worked so collectively in any activity other than this. All 20+ of your junior staff, up from their chairs, visible from their booths. Never have they clapped so zealously before. “Ain’t no Stopping us Now” by McFadden & Whitehead played in the background the moment you entered the large room. “Ain't No Stoppin Us Now! We're on the move!…..”

Instead of feeling relieved or euphoric, embarrassment washed over you.

“…Ain’t No Stoppin Us Now! We've got the groove!”

The disco chorus would normally tempt you to break into dance, but all you could do was to cover your face, to hide the redness that deemed visible. What could have possibly been showed to these innocent people for them to act this way around you? And most importantly, you did not know if these cheers were of genuine support, or sheer mockery.

“HR is cool again! Whoo!”
“Literal chills, Boss!…” “You…are…amazing!” “You showed them! Fight the power!”

Nodding with a shy smile, you acknowledged everyone’s comments as you walked towards the direction of your office, uncomfortable by cheers for the first time in all your years of existence.

“Well done, boss…Well done!” Greg Cohen, Assistant Manager cried out as he joined you. Given his track record, you were convinced this was all a prank. “Alright alright…” you muttered with a smirk, “…message received” yet prepared for an unexpected surprise in the end. Except Greg never looked this happy. “Are you kidding?” He said, “The way you stood up to that jerk? Pure bad-assery, Boss!” “Is your hand okay?” Paula Yang, one of the Senior Executives jumped in with concern, following you over to the office with Greg. “Yes, Paula.” You answered kindly, showing your hand, “And I was only ‘badass’ cause I was highly intoxicated, Greg!” You pointed out to him with exaggeration. To which he laughed. “Yeah! We can’t forget how crazy you get when you’re wasted…” he said with a wink, watching you finally sit down,“Oh! Remember that one time you willingly joined the junior staff to do a Taylor Swift Karaoke-off?” Eyes widened, that embarrassing memory played in your mind like a fast forward clip. “Oh my god-don’t!” You cried out with frustration, covering your face. All in the midst of Greg’s laughter. “I remember you sang 22 with such gusto, it was classic!” “Do you think HR is gonna be in trouble for this though?” Paula asked. You were struggling with an answer: “I-” “Nah!” Greg waved his hand frantically, “There worse things going on in Gotham right now” “That’s not the point-” you interjected, or tried to. “So many worse things-” “GUYS!…” Your interjection finally silenced the both of them, although the music was live and kicking outside. Taking a deep breath, you began: “As much as I appreciate all this…would you mind giving me some space for a little breather? I mean…” you paused, showing your coffee, “ I just got to office so…” you said, hinting their exit, “...Thank You” you added as they nodded frantically. “Sure! of course…” Greg said, “You’re the best, Boss!” Giving a thumbs up, he disappeared. “Yeah! Yeah!…” You said with raised eyebrows, “Paula…the door, please!” You added courtesy as you looked at her. The young executive obediently closed the door behind, leaving you alone at last. Never did you expect this. Especially when the title of Senior Manager was crowned over your head.

Pressing the space button of your computer, you watched the screen come alive, welcoming you with Google Search on your Browser Window. Staring at blinking cursor, you were tempted. Highly tempted to do the unthinkable. Should you act on it? Or would it crash and burn your day altogether? Yet, how unfair was it that everyone else knew but you.

Exhaling deeply, the last thread of patience left you. No more. Taking a deep breath, you proceeded to let your fingers press the keys.

Brring!

The ring of your office phone made you flinch in a flash. Holding your chest with shock, you looked over to the phone screen, forcing you to hold yourself tighter.

878. Boss!

You gulped with fear, fingers almost shaking as you answered the phone: “Y-yes?” Your stutter was called for. “My office…now!” A voice spoke from the other side. It was stern, it was expected. Sighing with silence, you nodded whilst replying low and with obedience : “Yes…”

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

Sitting with your hands over your mouth, you watched it all. You watched the entire Friday night incident caught on video.And it was more vivid than you could remember.

“Don’t you DARE say things like that!”

“Why? What are you gonna do? Threaten m-OW!”

“You take that back! I mean it”

“Wha-? OWW!! ARGH! MY NOSE!”

“SECURITY!” 


Your eyes squinted with discomfort. The manner in which you spewed your words in rage, and surprise him with your amateur yet deadly punches; this was a side of yourself you had never glanced upon before. As the video stopped playing in the laptop, you looked back at the title above it:

“Sucker Punch! : Woman engages in assault at Famous Hotel”

With your eyes glued to the title, you let it sink in to your system. No wonder everyone downstairs appeared speechless. You dreaded to look away from the screen at the two people watching you from the other side of the table. And you chose not to. “So…” You attempted a casual tone, “…has this…gone viral?” Ted Hawthorne, one of the Legal representatives of Wayne Enterprises, cleared his throat: “Truthfully, I’m inclined to give a sarcastic remark right now” he said, in his bass tone. “Please…” you sighed, “…by all means” you said, eyes still on the screen. Taking a deep breath, Ted began: “If only this was viral, kid” he said, proceeding to point at the screen, “This…is mega viral. Spreading faster than wild fire” he continued, “Media is already calling you ‘The Bruiser’” Your boss however, still kept silent. Sighing even heavily, you looked at Ted. “Okay, be straight with me” you said, “What am I in for? How much did I anger this Henderson guy?” Ted scoffed, “You seriously don’t know who you’re up against? Erik Henderson of Henderson Incorporated?” Your jaw dropped as low as it could. Henderson Incorporated had always been one of the Rival Companies of Wayne Enterprises. How could you not possibly put those two together? “Wait! No…” you exclaimed, “But what about Magnus Henderson?” “That’s his father.” Ted said, taking the laptop, “He retired….” He added whilst typing, “ …and passed the company over to Erik.” Flipping the laptop back to you. It now showed an article, “It all happened so fast last week. So I guess I don’t blame you for not knowing” he said, sitting on the chair right next to you. Your Head remained silent, still. “Anyways, back to the point…” Ted said, as you scrolled through the article,  “The usual legal practice from his side, would be pressing charges for assault…” A certain someone warned you about this a few days before. Someone who unknowingly caused warmth in your poor heart. As you looked down at your right hand, at the tightly wrapped bandage, that warmth seemed more evident to you. Ignoring that, you grew worried. “Yeah but…” you began,  “What if something like this happened between two drunk friends at a bar or something? Does that mean someone will be pressed charges?” “Well, are you two…friends?” Ted questioned with a raised eyebrow. Silence came over you, along with a heap of embarrassment. “….no…” you muttered low. Closing your eyes, you sighed. Your disgraceful behavior had caused shame, it was obvious. Shaking his head, Ted crossed his legs, his deep, brown skin shining from the fluorescent light as he ran his hand over his bald head. “…as I was saying, before getting interrupted…” he looked at you sternly, to which you mouthed an apology, “… pressing charges would be the usual practice, but it seems that Mr. Henderson was more than generous and decided to not do either of that…” your eyes widened instantly by his words, “…except he demands some things in return…” “Which are?…” “A public statement of apology” “Oh…” “And immediate termination of your job at Wayne Enterprises…” “WHAT????” You yelled. Gripping on to both arms of the chair, you involuntarily looked at both Ted and your Boss. Could this really be your worse nightmare come to life? Did you really punch yourself into your own undoing? “Calm down, kid!” Ted raised both his hands, “Damn! let me finish…” he muttered under his breath worriedly, to which you nodded. Whilst taking deep breaths, you watched him continue: “Yes, his latter request seems a bit exaggerated, the Board completely agreed on that. However, your performance will be considered for a special evaluation during the upcoming few months. And then the board will come to confirmation whether to keep you in the company or not. It’s just a special precaution. I’m sure it’s not a big deal” There really was no apt response for any of this. All you could do was to let the silence take over. All the sudden, you felt nothing but emotionally exhausted. Sensing this, Ted offered a sympathetic glance. “Just keep your head down and read the statement, kid” he said, getting up “The press will be arriving at around 11:30…Good Luck!” Giving a nod to your boss, Ted headed out, leaving the two of you alone. At last. Lillian Foster, Head of the HR Department at Wayne Enterprises, was no doubt, an exceptionally brilliant woman. Rising through the ranks in the department with ease, she holds the position of Head at the age of 40, and possibly one of the youngest black women of power in this company. And this was possibly the longest period she had ever been silent with you.

And it frightened you.

With the density of silence increasing in the atmosphere, you kept looking down. You simply did not have the heart to look back at her. Along with the silence, the tension was equally thick, enough to be sliced into several stacks. Which begged the question: who will speak up first? Being the perpetrator, it seemed only fair you speak up. Except, she finally did before you could. “I had to watch this…” She began calmly, “…for more than ten times…just to even understand and accept that it was you doing it”. Though she was calm, the disappointment in her was evident, “How did you think I feel?” Your heart grew heavy. Nothing felt worse than disappointing Lillian. Not only was she your boss, she was also your mentor. She was the woman who took you in like family from your very first day in the company. In the company with a majority of men, she was a maternal figure, a sibling and teacher. You owed her to the stars. Clearly her question was a rhetorical one, for she continued: “You should be really grateful that Mr. Wayne was kind enough to bail you out himself. That’s as kind as you can get” she said, getting up from her chair to walk over to you, “The man must have woken up from the right side of his bed that morning…praise that man!” The shape of her heavily pregnant belly was quite visible in her navy blue dress. Yet she managed to handle everything with the boss persona that she owned so well. Taking the seat next to you, it was only fair to match her eye-line with yours. “Last week, I was so sure and ready to leave the responsibilities to you, and take my maternity leave with liberty…”she continued with a sigh,“But now…I’m beginning to get worried…” “Don’t say things like that, Lillian…” You shook your head frantically, “Just think of the baby…” you said, pointing at her belly. You still remember the number of times you spoke to that belly with adoration, hoping the little one inside would hear you. “I don’t understand…” Lillian said with frustration, “I’ve never seen you like this…”she said with concern, “Sure, you had a hard time with your temper with some people on the first few years here..” “Cause the people were jerks-” You added through gritted teeth, instantly recalling the horrible staff mistreating you back then. “Yes they were…” She nodded, “But then you realized, being in HR means we have to put up with all that, but still be the ones people turn to…” she spoke with such eloquence, “…handle everything with a smile and composure…” she added, making you nod, “And I’ve seen you grow… and do many great things…”, you smiled upon hearing that. “But punching someone?”Her informal tone just broke free, “What the hell?” “I really don’t know why, Lillian…” You replied with honesty and equal frustration, “I wish you were there…you didn’t hear the things that man said about Mr.Wayne…about the company” your jaw tightened, “…that man maybe the new CEO of Henderson Incorporated, but he had no class!” “But still-” “-violence is never the answer…I know” With a sigh, You finished her sentence. Silence followed suit for a few seconds. Until Lillian’s lips finally curved upright. “I kept hearing the others say how badass you were…” she said, with a chuckle. You turned to her, suppressing a smile, “A part of me wants to agree…but… how can I?” She said, tilting her head. Chuckling back, you shook your head once again. “And I don’t want you to either…” you replied, “It was just a massive screw up…” Taking a deep breath, you groaned as you covered your face: “And now…I have to fix it” you said, looking up. “Do you have those pearl earrings with you?” Lillian asked. You nodded: “It’s in my bag, always…” “Good…” She said, getting up, “You’re gonna need them! ”

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(Evening)

The Mikimoto pearl earrings, possibly were the most expensive, most precious pieces of jewelry you ever possessed. The mere glance of it always reminded you of the hard work and effort put into saving enough money to purchase a worthy pair of the famous brand of pearl earrings, for pearls were your favorite. And you were glad of your purchase, for it always brought class to any occasion.

Including making a public apology before the entire press of Gotham City.

Leaning forward against the back of the couch, you folded your arms, watching your own zoomed image on the television screen. It was the Late Night News, and the Apology was broadcasted once again on the News Rerun. Allison did not miss this. Sitting on the couch, her eyes were glued to the screen with concern. You both watched. The flashing lights of the cameras attacking you selfishly, symbol of greedy journalists on the mission to get the perfect shot of your remorse. In your formal office attire of skirt and jacket, the earrings highlighted your face, as you stood behind the podium alongside many representatives of Wayne Enterprises, including Ted Hawthorne. When you watched yourself read the speech, you remembered the words echoing in your head:

“….I would like to extend my sincerest apologies to Mr. Erik Henderson. It was not…” you watched yourself pause,

“…my intention to cause him such harm and pain. I am aware that my actions were tainted with irresponsibility and unprofessional-ism. I would also like to apologize to all staff in the hotel, and to all the other customers present that evening. My actions, as I mentioned earlier, were simply irresponsible and certainly not to be ignored so easily. I will make sure to adhere to the necessary measures that will be taken by Wayne Enterprises to compensate the loss and shame I have brought upon them. Thank you! That’ll be all”

“You did good, Sweetie…” Allison murmured gently, as the both of you watched the version of you on the screen slowly exit the podium. The screen transitioned over to the News Anchor in the studio:

“…However, several eyewitnesses have anonymously claimed the attack could indeed be provoked by Henderson himself, by making comments of defamation against billionaire socialite Bruce Wayne, of Wayne Enterprises…”

Your stomach formed a knot the second a video of Bruce Wayne was played. Possibly from that night. But the knot tightened with pain as you saw the woman who stood next to him. “Quick question…” Allison asked, pointing at the screen, “Was that Natasha person really pretty as she looks on camera?” “Nah…not really…” You flatly replied, folding your arms. Except a few seconds later, you realized you merely said that out of spite. Because you felt sour. And it was not true, “What am I saying? Of course she was pretty …” you chuckled, “She is pretty, just like you”. Shifting towards your direction, Allison sensed your emotion. After all, she was a woman too. With her blonde tresses illuminated by the lights of the television in the midst of the dark room, Allison’s expression changed. It was difficult to decipher, but it changed. “Sweetie…” She uttered with sympathy. A vacuum began to form within you, and you found it hard to breathe. Unable to take that in, you merely shrugged your shoulders. “Well that’s it…you saw the speech…” you said, pointing at the screen nonchalantly, “Goodnight, Ali…” your greeting was short, walking away before she could even respond. The door closed quietly behind you. Staring at the comfortable bed, all you longed was to get in it. Feeling the bouncy mattress brushing against your knees, you slowly crawled across the bed until you reached the window in the corner. The pavement was clearly visible as you opened it. Observing the hubbub outside, your mind began to wonder, it began to ponder. You did it. You gave the speech. And being in your good behavior was never going to be an issue, since you were never a troublemaker.

Therefore, why must you be filled with such emptiness?

“Never underestimate the power of probability…”

“You’ll have to be more specific”

“We will see each other again…”

“I think…I like Bruce Wayne...”

Looking at your bandaged right hand, you sighed heavily. Of course, you knew why.

Ever since that fateful day, ever since you were brave enough to admit to yourself how you had accidentally fallen for Bruce Wayne, he was all you could think of. Every waking moment, every thought flavored with leisure, it seemed as if he had secretly kept you company in your heart. You kept recalling that conversation in his Lamborghini, which seemed far from superficial. The manner in which he treated your wounds and healed you, the manner in which he bailed you out of jail himself, they were certainly many a kind and intimate acts rolled up into a singular moment. No wonder you were blissful in the corners of your imagination during the Wi-fi breakdown that weekend. Like a woman glancing upon her hand with a new engagement ring, you took the pleasure of glancing at your right hand every single time with a smile and giggles that soon followed. After ages, you were stirred by someone. He excited you, he made you look forward to the days ahead. For it would open the door to so many possibilities. One being the possibility of bumping into him again. You had fallen for him so hard and so fast, you chose to still keep the thin bandages on, even it was no longer necessary.

For the bandage was merely the physical remnant of his concern, his kindness to you.

But, when the sun rose on Monday, and the cold, hard reality hit you in the face in so many forms, you were forced to face the bitterness as well. Bruce Wayne was wrong. You could estimate the power of probability, for the probability of meeting someone like him again was certainly low. With you being a mere Senior Manager in his company, and him the sole owner of his family inherited business, it seemed literally impossible to win his heart. Always photographed and seen with women of beauty, power, class and high society, he was indeed a man of regality. Meanwhile, you were just a middle-class Gotham native, currently sharing an average apartment with her friend, hoping for an upgrade in life. You closed the window, yet permitting the city lights to rest on your bed as you crawled under the sheets. You chuckled to yourself. Funny how you desired for someone of the least attainability, yet searching for a thread of hope. His kindness that day was certainly a product of sheer pity. In truth, it could be a possibility that you were merely fooling yourself. Besides, in technicality, he was indirectly your boss, your employer. Thus, causing these feelings to be unprofessional to the fullest, something you never stood up for.

Silly crush, it was just a silly crush. Just a silly crush, you thought to yourself. Why must you fall for people this fast? A trait that you clearly despised. A weakness indeed. Running your fingers through your hair, you held out your right hand in front of you. The tightly wrapped bandage stared at you with innocence. That symbol. It was his reminder. But also the reminder of your foolishness, and the reminder of your pain. It had to go. That was the only way. Through gritted teeth, you slowly peeled it off from your skin. Sincerely hoping your feelings would be peeled off from your poor heart as well. For they were an inconvenience.

Especially when they seemed so hopeless.

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

(One Week Later)

The Annual Charity Dinner of the Wayne Foundation, had always targeted to raise massive funds for the most essential of charities that needed financial assistant. It was also an event that never failed to cause stress on you. Whether it was the overseeing, planning, and of course, tending to the guests.

But this year, it was the polar opposite for you.

“I’ll gladly be checking everything on the night…” you assured to Lillian few days before, “But I am not attending the dinner…” you insisted with much exaggeration. Truthfully, you pleaded, “It’s bad enough I caused enough embarrassment already…” you added, rubbing your temples with frustration.

And with very little chance of Bruce Wayne attending, there was no reason to attend at all. Wait! your brows furrowed at that thought. Why would that even matter?

Two hours before commencement, the HR organizing staff  had gathered in the Hotel Banquet Hall. Whilst the waiters continued to set up the tables and decorations, you held responsibility in briefing the group. With your juniors and colleagues all dressed to the formal nine’s, you chose to punish yourself with all black semi-formal attire instead, in the form of black pants and a sequin embellished top with spaghetti straps. Regardless, you managed to fit in with the help of your rouge lipstick, which made an astounding difference.

“I believe all you are familiar with the schedule already…” your voice was rife with clarity, “….so to sum it all up: Make sure the guests arrive after proper check up…” you continued, as the others took notes nodding, “….make sure the drinks are served on time, make sure the entertainment will be ready when the starters are being served, and make sure-”

“-not to punch anyone?”

The sudden inquiry from Greg, caused unintentional laughter amongst the whole group. Nodding along to the silliness that was yet to be forgotten, you smiled tightly.

“Yes! Exactly, Greg!” You said, looking at everyone, “Don’t get too drunk and punch anyone like I did…” inciting more laughter, “Okay? Well...Good Luck! And Enjoy!”

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An hour had passed. You listened to the speeches and the formalities made. You coordinated the needful with the convenience of a walkie talkie. You ticked away every task on your notepad. All the while you were willingly caged in the VIP sitting room right next to the Hall. Finally, with the toasts were in completion, Dinner was served, Live entertainment was ready, the real fun had begun. And you were finally free. Yet, with you choosing to remain in the room, you figured you deserved all the similar luxuries at your own privacy.

Which also included alcohol.

A young waiter entered the room with a bubbly persona. "Good Evening, Ma'am. You ordered Whiskeys for two, am I correct?" he inquired, subtly looking around as you approached him. “You certainly are…" you replied with an equal bubbly tone, "You see…One for this guy…" you said, as you left hand picked up one glass, "...and One for this bad boy right here” you added when your right hand took the other. "Cheers!" you sniggered, watching the unimpressed waiter walk away shaking his head. You did not blame him. Your jokes were only so-so.

This unexpected pressure to be on your best behavior certainly did not help you with your patience, forcing you to drink even without a scrap on food in your stomach. A sense of freedom was always offered to you the moment the whiskey touched your lips. Suddenly all the stress that littered in your brain were gone, and it felt nothing but sparkly fresh. The moment the alcohol began to wind your body up like a toy, you knew music was the one missing element.

A cool spray of dance synth reached your ears in a progressive manner. Hearing the first few seconds of the song, you were intoxicatingly elated to find out what the song was. Freeing your tresses from the constraints of the half ponytail, you stood up from your armchair, swaying to the introductory verse of “Eyes on You” by M-22, Arlissa and Kiana Ledé :

“When I feel your tempo and I hear you echo Don't let go, don't let go You set the rhythm, I take my position Position, position...”

Your chest began to pop in double time as the song progressed to a faster pace. Infused with the side swaying, your drink however remained intact. Taking another sip whilst you danced, your right hand forced you to glance at it. There may have not been a bandage anymore, but the thin healing scars were visible enough to bring the reminder: Bruce Wayne.

“Can't take my eyes off you, my eyes off you No matter what you do, no, no way...”

Throwing your head back, the body slowly rolled in rhythm. During which that mind of yours, truly began to wonder about the craziest things. Would he, the great Bruce Wayne, enjoy this? Would you be better at this than the other girls he had been with combined? With eyes closed, the confidence in your dancing swelled. He was indeed quite desirable, that Bruce Wayne. Your drunken self was clearly unfiltered with opinions. Ah! Bruce Wayne.

“Ahem!" Someone cleared their throat, forcing you to quickly open your eyes.

Only to find the actual Bruce Wayne, standing a few feet before you. And just right then, the heart did not hesitate to signal its beat to increase in deathly speed.

Like fuckin’ beetle juice, you thought to yourself.

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Sharply dressed as always, never did Bruce Wayne fail to look attractive, ever. Truthfully, it seemed possibly impossible for him to do so. Though your body reacted to the sight of him with devotion, your intoxicated heart had other plans.

“Ah! Mr. Wayne! ” You cried out louder than you should. Lifting your glass, the intoxication was evident in your tone, “Welcome …to my Private party…”, followed by a giggle, “…You here to tinkle?” Your inquiry was full of mischief.

“Actually…Yes, I am…” the Billionaire replied. How exactly he said it, you had difficulty remembering, “Are you alright?” He asked with concern. A concerned voice laced with his signature softness. You scoffed with disbelief. “Me? I’m FINNNE!” You answered, your last word seemingly elongated and possibly dragged, “But …wait a minute…” squinting one’s eyes, you pointed at him bravely, “W-Why do you keep…seeing me drunk??”, You slurred, “WAIT! You know what?…” you cried out, before he could even answer, “Don’t care…” you said proudly, as you turned away. “Gonna quit this job anyways…” you muttered to yourself, rolling your eyes. Yet you danced, in hopes he would stand there and watch you. You danced, in hopes he would have a spark of interest somehow. With your intoxication unlocking the doors to the inner desires of your heart, you now had access to them all. And that was what you actually desired for. His attraction, his approval, his validation, his love. Taking in more sips to burn your tongue, you felt braver and energized. You felt cheeky too, in fact.

You wanted to turn back, facing him with such confidence that he could not resist you. But you only managed to sink your heart instead.

For he was gone.

Landing on the armchair once again, you wondered if what you just saw, was just an illusion. Regardless, you knew one thing for sure: You never felt so foolish. Gulping down the last of your drink, you collapsed to the armchair once again. Clarity had finally dawned on you:  You were never really over him. You were just that stupid, foolish girl, hopeless about someone who will never care back.

Curse these emotions! This heaviness that lingered in your chest burdened you. Unrequited emotions could never be as torturous as this. For it would be the constant sadness that will remain. Desire leads to impatience, impatience leads to disappointment. The disappointing fact that Bruce Wayne will never look your way, even though you hope to.

You have never felt sorry for yourself. But being drunk, it was easier to do so. And with your inhibitions lowered in a rush, it did not take long for that pitiful heart to sink in further deep. And it certainly did not take long for the tears to slowly form around your eyes as well.

The truth was to be faced, you were worthless, you were never good enough for him. Blind and hopeless, this was just a ridiculous idea in the first place. Bowing your head down, you allowed your self to cry softly, reaching out for the other glass. Tonight, it seemed the only company you had were the echoing music, the burning alcohol and your salty, never ending tears. Truthfully, they may possibly be obliged to keep you company forever.

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

Two glasses of whiskey got you incredibly intoxicated, especially with no food in your system. As it should. Yet, you were conscious enough to make an exit before causing any more trouble to anyone ever again. Sneaking out into the lobby from the secret exit of the room, you managed to head out in peace. With your handbag slung over your shoulder, you were on a dire attempt to wipe off the smudged mascara, sniffing softly as you exited the hotel.

Only to sigh in frustration when there were no taxis at this hour.

With the possession of two working legs on you, it was decided to walk further down the city to hail one. Unexpectedly, you found yourself walking down a smaller street, dark and lonely.

“Can't take my eyes off you, my eyes off you No matter what you do, no, no way…”

You sang to yourself quite lazily, as you made your way. Clang! The sound of a garbage bin falling down made you halt. Quickly turning back, you felt a slight dizziness in your head. Holding your head to stop the spinning, you took a few deep breaths. But when you looked back, there seemed to be nothing. Rats maybe, you thought, turning forward to resume your walk.

Only to scream as you found three men standing before you. Dressed in ragged, dull clothing, two of the men held out guns, while the other stood empty handed. Muggers, possibly?

“Gimme your wallet, Lady!”

The man wearing a beanie yelled out threateningly, brandishing his gun at you. Confirmed, they were indeed muggers. Though intoxication was in your system, sobriety took over for a few minutes to save your life.

“Okay…” you slurred, “…take it easy” you added calmly. The man furrowed his eyebrows. “You bossing me, bitch?” He yelled angrily. 

“No! No! I was… talking to myself…” You answered quickly. Putting both hands up, you took a deep breath, “Let me just slowly…reach into my bag…” you said, while your right hand dug into the bag with certainty, “….and-ah shit!” Your heart sank immediately. “WHAT IS IT??” “I left my wallet…” you answered in all honesty, “ I-” “PUT YOUR FUCKING HANDS IN THE AIR!!” The man bellowed. “Okay okay okay…” You responded. Maintaining your composure to much surprise, you tried not to stumble, “Listen…gentlemen…” you added, “This is not worth the trouble, okay?” You took a deep breath,  “I’m drunk… and from the looks of it…” you showed your two hands, “…incredibly destitute! I have nothing to offer you-” You paused. The empty handed man was surprisingly quiet compared to the other two. Your eyes widened the moment he decided to finally weaponize himself, with a knife instead.

Seeing the sharp, shiny object, sent immediate signals of fear throughout your system. This man, he seemed to be more in control of his actions. His features were ambiguous, yet he seemed certain.

Very certain of the fact he will kill you tonight.

Before you could even flee, the other two had you surrounded from both sides. With your heart beating fast, your breath began to quicken. If money was out of your reach, then why would they still bother?

“What? Why are you doing that? Did I offend you in some way?” You pattered, watching the knife wielding man, “Did you think I was underestimating my self worth or something-ah crap! You’re coming closer” you said meekly, seeing the man confidently walk towards you. Leaving no choice, you put your bare fists up in defense. Yet you groaned with fear, “Oh!...Why the hell am I talking so much when I’m nervous-”   The moment you almost felt the side of the knife graze your arm, the moment you almost had your life taken, your eyes caught the sight of a giant black figure jumping on top of him. “ARGH!!” Falling on your back from the indirect push, you looked on to see the knife wielder cry out loudly. You sat up, gasping as you watched the him being incapacitated, and instantly tied to the nearest pipe. All by that Dark Figure. The figure whose cloak blew to the side by the sudden gust of wind.

It was Batman. In the flesh.

Distressed, the other two muggers began to fire shots,  only to have those pitiful bullets be deflected weakly, leaving them powerless even with their weapons. Batman charged towards them in the form of a walk, whilst they kept shooting, all until their bullets finally ran out. Skillfully avoiding their amateur punches and kicks, Batman’s responsive blows were godlike by nature, leaving them down on the ground faster than expected. With added aching pains. Getting up on your feet, you watched the caped crusader tie them up.

“You alright?” He asked, in a gruff voice. You nodded frantically, awestruck by his power and presence. “Yeah…” you replied, clasping both hands together, “My god…That was-” “Hey Ma’am! Do you want me to call 911?” An older, good samaritan cried out from the other side of the street. It was possible he may have heard gunshots from a mere few seconds ago. Looking over to him, you smiled. “Yeah, that would great, Thanks” you yelled back politely. Sighing with relief, you knew your gratitude was deserved by someone else, “And thank-” You quickly towards Batman, “….you” Only to find him gone. Poof! Disappeared into thin air.

The culprits appeared far from powerful as they rolled around and groaned in pain, hands tied to various stationary objects on the ground. You could not fathom what just happened. But most importantly, you could not believe you were still alive. All thanks to him. The Dark Knight.

Your heartbeat increased once again. To make matters worse, a strange feeling formed in your stomach, a feeling that traveled all over your body. It made you uneasy and sweaty. Not to mention the quickened breathing. Before you could even dare to decipher these sudden effects, life decided to answer that riddle for you. The moment you collapsed to the ground to hurl up a thin stream of vomit. As you went through the horrid process, your tongue certainly was stained with the taste of whiskey and bile. “Er…Ma’am?”   You heard the kind man from afar once again, “Are you okay?” “Yeah, I’m good…” you said hoarsely, waving your hand with assurance,  “I’m good…I-Argh!-”

Assurance had very little battery life when you continued to vomit even more. An apt punishment for drinking two whiskeys on an empty stomach. You earned this for sure.

——————————————————

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I Hope Part 4 | Roman Ahcan & Brock Caufield

Thank you to all who voted! I appreciate everyone reading and sending in kind words, I never thought this would turn into a 4 parter...with that being said, I do have an idea for a part 5/epilogue. Would that be something y’all are interested in?

Italics mean in the past

*** FEEDBACK IS APPRECIATED ***

Words: 7.4k

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3

You felt Brock untangle himself from your arms in the morning and though he knew you were awake, he readied himself for practice without a word. You tried not to stare at the bruise on his ribs, or the way his face wasn’t quite the same because it was swollen, or the way his lip was split and felt rough when he placed a hurried kiss to your forehead before walking out the door.

Last night still felt like a bad dream. The images of Brock and Roman exchanging punches, Roman’s face when he saw you enter the room, and Brock letting loose on top of Roman all flashed in your mind on repeat. You barely slept a wink, even though you were physically and mentally exhausted. You knew the boy that had wanted to be wrapped up in your arms last night was hurting and you also knew that the boy who was laying alone was too, but neither of them would say as much.

Your boyfriend came out after talking to the media and pulled you in for a quick hug, informing you he’d be going out with some of the guys tonight. You nodded in understanding, knowing he meant subtly that you weren’t invited tonight. More of the guys filed out, all mumbling a greeting but not hanging around long, all but the boy you were waiting for. You could tell Roman was getting inpatient having to wait for Brock so you sent him on his way and told him to be safe. He hurried away and you were left waiting alone.

Your boyfriend came out after talking to the media and pulled you in for a quick hug, informing you he’d be going out with some of the guys tonight. You nodded in understanding, knowing he meant subtly that you weren’t invited tonight. More of the guys filed out, all mumbling a greeting but not hanging around long, all but the boy you were waiting for. You could tell Roman was getting inpatient having to wait for Brock so you sent him on his way and told him to be safe. He hurried away and you were left waiting alone.

Cole comes out before his brother, sighing and opening his arms for you to come wrap yours around his waist. He had become your little brother and you felt for him as much as you did for Brock.

“Don’t be offended when B comes out in a bad mood” he warns you.

Brock can hear his brother’s warning to you in the quietness of the lobby. He couldn’t bear to face you after just single handedly costing the Badgers the game. He was angry, frustrated, and embarrassed and couldn’t take seeing your face looking at him with such a soft expression as if you knew he was beating himself up over it and wanted him to forgive himself. He just couldn’t take it. He didn’t deserve the kind words he was sure you would supply him with and to be honest he was surprised you were even still waiting there for him. He had taken as long as he could, hoping to avoid you and yet you had stayed.

As if on cue, Brock emerges from around the corner and storms right past you, not even looking in your direction. You’re surprised by his action and so is Cole. He calls out to his brother but it’s as if he said nothing at all because Brock keeps on walking until he’s out the door. You were a little hurt to say the least. Sure, he was entitled to be mad but to completely ignore you was not okay.

Cole, with his arm still over your shoulders pulled you along and apologized for his brother’s behavior. “He’s taking this one hard I guess”

“Should we stop and get some cookie dough ice cream before we go home?” You ask looking up at him.

Cole gets a small smile on his face. “That could be a good idea, maybe it’ll sweeten him up a bit.”

“That’s what I was hoping”, you say with a grin.

-

“B, we brought you some cookie dough” you call as you walk through the door. You’re barely heard over the slamming of a cabinet.

Brock frowns when he sees you flinch at the noise, “What’re you doing here?”

Cole shoots his brother a look, telling him to knock it off, but you push forward knowing Brock isn’t mad at you. “You’re mad” you say simply, stating the obvious.

Brock scoffs, reaching to open another cabinet, not having found what he was looking for in the first one. “Yes, I’m mad. I couldn’t make a shot to save my life tonight and we lost because of it” and he slams that cabinet shut too.

His words are harsh, but not directed at you, they’re directed at himself. You knew he’d be beating himself up over not getting that goal, but you’d assume he’d shut down, not lash out.

“Brock, it’s not your fault, we all could’ve made our shots, we could’ve not broken down on D, we could’ve held our lead and we wouldn’t have been in that situation to begin with” Cole attempts to bargain with his brother.

Brock whips around then and says, “Yes, it is my fault, it’s all my fault because when it came down to it I had the chance that could’ve won us that game and I blew it, I missed, no goal, no win. Not the whole team, the team got me the puck and counted on me to hit the net and I didn’t, me. So yeah, it’s my fault and yeah, I’m pissed the fuck off”. He slams the glass he’s holding down on the counter as he says the last word with such force and you’re surprised he doesn’t break the glass.

“Just break the glass, why don’t ya” you mumble under your breath and now his attention is on you.

“Do you have something you’d like to say?” he sneers.

And then an idea pops into your head. “Yeah, actually I do. Why don’t you break the glass? You’re obviously mad, just break it”

His anger turns to confusion as he stares at you to see if you’re serious. “Do it, you won’t”, you challenge him. It’s a simple phrase that has gotten everyone in the room into a whole lot of trouble before.

The next thing you know, he’s hurling the glass at the pantry door. He stands there for a moment in shock like he can’t believe he just did that, but then he’s pulling another one down from the cabinet. It shatters the second it hits the wood. You’re cheering him on and you can visibly see the stress and anger leaving his body with every dish he breaks. Eventually he hands you and Cole plates and you let out a whoop as you throw it in front of you on the floor. Cole still stands there with a bewildered look on his face and you and Brock start chanting “Cole, Cole, Cole”. He caves and lets it go, throwing it at the now damaged door and there’s a smile on his face when he straightens back up.

Was it the safest thing? No, not by a long shot and you honestly weren't sure how you were going to clean this up without someone getting hurt. But was it working? Yes. Brock was down right cheery by the time he cleaned out the cups and plates cabinet and you and Cole were both feeling lighter with your rock feeling better.

“Alright, alright. You guys need to go shower, I’ll clean this up. Might want to wear some slippers or something when you’re done though, I’m sure glass flew everywhere” you say, trying to shoo them down the hall and doing your best to not step on any shards. Luckily you had never gotten the chance to take off your shoes when you came through the door.

The boys follow your command until Brock turns around and asks “Did you say something about ice cream earlier?”

You have to laugh at his timely memory. “I did, now go! You can have some after you’re clean. I love you, but you both stink!”

“What’re we going to eat in Brock? You broke all the dishes” Cole grumbles.

Brock rolls his eyes and shoves his brother, “The carton, duh”.  

A smile takes over your face then at seeing your goofy best friend back to his normal self.

--

You’re pulled from your thoughts with the sounds of what sounds like a group of boys entering the apartment. In walks Brock, along with Cole, Owen, Dylan, Mike, Ryder, and Shay. It’s a whole damn party.

He barely acknowledges you besides saying “I invited some of the boys over, hope you don’t mind” as he walks past you to open the fridge. The boys share looks and Dylan and Owen nervously look between you and Brock. They can sense the tension hanging between you and the boy who is suddenly very preoccupied with the contents of the fridge.

“We can leave if now’s not a good time?” Owen offers.

You shake your head and assure him with a smile that everyone’s welcome to stay as you make yourself at home on the couch.

Touche, Caufield, you think to yourself. He doesn’t want to talk so he thinks if he has the boys over you won’t bring it up. And he’s right, you won’t. You’ll act like everything’s fine and wait until he wanders off to his room to change and then you’ll corner him. Two can play this game.

After watching them goof off and play video games all afternoon, you see your chance as he does exactly what you’ve been waiting for. He quietly gets up and slips into his room and you follow him.

He sighs. “I knew you’d follow me in here. I don’t want to have this talk right now, Y/N.”

“I know, isn’t that why you brought them over in the first place? I’ve entertained them all day, you can’t put this off forever”

“And I won’t, I just don’t want to talk about this right now. The boys are out there and they don’t need to hear our business” he snaps.

“Well it’s not hard to figure out when you both have shiners the size of Texas in your faces” you point out. You don’t say Roman’s name, but you don’t have to for Brock to know who you’re referring to.

“Yes, thank you, I hadn’t noticed” he says with heavy sarcasm.

“Brock” you warn him.

“What?” He stupidly asks.

You stand there with your hands on your hips and give him the sassiest look you can manage.

“Fine. You know what? You wanna do this now, we’ll do this now. He started it!”

“Brock! You guys aren’t two! You should be able to use your words and not your fists. And if I remember correctly, you were the one who threw the first punch”.

He shakes his head then. “See that’s the thing, is you only seem to remember what you want to. You seem to forget the part where he showed up to my apartment and got in my face and tried to take my girl! You always take his side, Y/N. You always have and apparently you always will!” He wasn’t yelling at you but his voice is definitely raised.

“Brock, come on that’s not fair. I already told you-“

“Yeah. I know. You already told me. But that doesn’t change that you were out with him all night. And that doesn’t change the fact that he can hold that over my head now just like he did last night and just like he always has. You can believe whatever bullshit he feeds you about being changed, but the Roman that wanted to rub it in my face the one night he got with you was the same Roman as before and I’m done taking his shit so yeah I punched him, yeah he deserved it and yeah I’d do it again. So if you can’t accept that answer then I don’t know what to tell you but I’m done talking about it”. Despite his words he sits on the bed and waits to see if you’ll question him further.

You can tell by his tone that he’s done talking and he clearly wasn’t going to let you say anything seeing as how he’d cut you off and then put his foot down on the matter. You grabbed your phone that you had thrown on the bed and opened the bedroom door to walk back out to where you were sure everyone was listening.

“Where are you going?'' he asked, suddenly alarmed when instead of resuming your place on the couch, you grabbed your coat.

“Out” was all you said as you headed out the door, not missing the shifting eyes of the seven boys you were leaving behind.

He was obviously still angry about last night but it wasn’t like him to not hear you out. It was more like the boy whose apartment you were headed for. Funny how the roles had changed you thought to yourself. Roman used to be the one cutting you out and Brock’s place used to be the place you’d go after an argument. Now it was Brock who you were fighting with over the same jealousy issues and Roman’s place you so desperately wanted to get to.

—

Roman’s eyes widened when he took in your face. You looked tired, really tired and he was sure he was at least part of the reason why. You always worried about the people you cared about.

You rolled your eyes at his reaction when he opened the door. “Yeah I know, I look like shit, can I come in?”

He smirked, there was the snarky girl he fell in love with. “Hey I’m sure I look worse” he says, moving to the side for you to enter.

His face somehow managed to look worse today than it did last night. His face wasn’t as swollen but it was a dark black and purple color and very noticeable.

“What’re you talking about? You look like a beauty” you joked.

There it was. Another one of his terms he’d used and you’d stolen from him. He’d noticed it over time how his vocabulary, words that sounded so natural coming from a hockey player, started floating out of your pretty mouth too.

“I know you’re lying, but thanks” he says moving to the stove. ”I’m making some dinner. Do you want some?”

Now that he mentioned it, you could smell something on the stove, and the smell was really familiar. “Are you making...chili lime tacos?” You asked with a bright, teasing smile on your face.

He rolls his eyes at you but you see the blush that creeps it’s way onto his cheeks. “Maybeee” he drawls out, tending to the chicken cooking on the stove. You follow him peering around his shoulder to check out what was going on in his pan. Your heart squeezed a little at the fact that he was making a recipe you had introduced him to while you were dating.

You were laying on Roman’s couch with a book in your hands and your legs thrown across his lap. He was sitting at the other end, playing video games with Mike, his arms resting on top of your legs, hands twiddling away at his controller.

Finally when your stomach grumbles for the third time in ten minutes you drop your book to your stomach and nudge your boyfriend with your foot. You messed him up in whatever game he was playing and he scowled.

“I’m hungry” you whined.

“We can order something in a second, I’m almost done” he told you. You could hear Mike’s protests on the other end of the headset and rolled your eyes. If Mike whined enough, he’d sucker Roman back into another game.

You gave Roman a look and he nodded. “Not this time, Mikey. My girl is hungry and we don’t mess her when she’s hungry”

You smiled with satisfaction thinking about the pout that was probably on Mike’s face.

“Alright, where do you want to go?” He asks after logging off.

“I was thinking maybe we make something here? Nothing elaborate, maybe some tacos and margs?” You throw out. You had a new Pinterest recipe and it looked easy enough.

He acts like he’s thinking about your suggestion but you know he’s already given in.

“Do we need to hit Festival?” He asks you, trying not to smile.

“I’ll race you to the car, loser does the dishes!” You call, already unlocking the door. You pull it closed behind you and race down the hallway, Roman of course already on your trail. You’re both giggling the whole way and you can’t help but feel so in love.

He beats you to the car of course, giving you a nice little check when you’re actually close to maybe beating him. It's harmless and he’s gentle, clearly not about to actually check you but it’s enough to throw you off balance and put you a few steps behind. He sends you one of his signature smirks over his shoulder as he opens the car door and you shake your head at your competitive boyfriend.

-

“What’re you making, babe?” He asks, snaking his arms around your waist from behind and resting his chin on your shoulder.

“What’re weee making” you correct him.

Without even seeing his face you know it’s scrunched up. He hated cooking unless it was grilling and even then he preferred to critique one of the boys as they did it. He loved eating whatever was prepared though.

“It’s not hard, see it says in the title: Easy Chili Lime Tacos” you tell him holding your phone with the recipe in front of his face. He glances over the directions and the ingredients laid out on the counter and scrunches his nose again.

“But I don’t like lime, remember” he whines.

He may have had a very rough night with some lime drop martinis one time and now won’t go near anything with lime, but that’s what you get when you go to a sorority pregame where they only drink claws and skinny martinis.

“Ro, lime in cooking is different from straight lime with alcohol” you try to explain to him.

“If I throw up, it’s your fault,” he says, giving you one of his looks.

“You won’t, you big baby. I promise” you told him and you hoped you were right.

He doesn’t look like he quite believes you but he asks “so what should I do first?”

You loved cooking with Roman, you learned together and had your fair share of laughs in the kitchen. Bless his heart but he managed to misread and misinterpret virtually every direction in the kitchen, to the point where you now made him clarify what he was doing before he did it.

“So I just put all this stuff in the bag with the chicken?” he clarifies.

You giggle for probably the millionth time and confirm his question. You had to let it marinade for a few minutes so he got to work on your margaritas, something he was very good at and you were not. You had a heavy hand when it came to mixing drinks but Roman was like a pro bartender.

You watched him work from across the counter, perched on the barstool. He looked as confident as he did when he was out on the ice. His tongue occasionally poked out of the side of his mouth as he measured and poured and mixed.

When he’s satisfied with his concoction, he slides it across the island to you and you can’t help yourself as you ask, “hey Ro what’s the difference between a man and a margarita?”

He quirks an eyebrow at you, an amused smile on his face. “I don’t know, you tell me”

You try to maintain an innocent look as you deadpan and say, “A margarita hits the spot every time”

He nearly spits out his drink as you casually take a sip of yours. The smirk that sits on your lips widens when you set down your cup. He’s still coughing as he tells you “you’re going to regret that later babygirl”.

You shrug, trying not to show how excited you are for that promise. “We’ll see. You need to get the chicken on the stove though. I'm still hungryyy”

“Me too, but not for food” he says easily.

You throw your head back, his timing, as always is perfect. “Chicken. Cooking. Now” you tell him, still laughing. This boy would be the death of you.

He did as he was told and you occasionally stirred it around, making sure it was all getting cooked. In the meantime you sipped on your drinks and danced around the kitchen with Roman. He picked some salsa music and swung you around the kitchen effortlessly. He moved his hips against yours and his feet danced across the floor like they were skating on ice. He dipped you and kissed your neck and for a minute you almost forgot about dinner.

He knew what he was doing, with every light, fluttery kiss he left on your skin the tension within you and between you rose. Between him and the alcohol you were ready to cash in on that promise from earlier, now. But suddenly he was very interested in dinner and made you sit out on the balcony and wait for him.

He came out, without a shirt and served you a plate of tacos and a fresh drink, along with a bag of tortilla chips and a bowl of queso. You were pretty sure this is what your heaven would look like. You gave him a little glare for being shirtless once he settled in across from you, but you couldn’t say you didn’t enjoy the view.

“So what do you think?” You asked him excitedly as he took his first bite.

He chewed and smacked his lips obnoxiously before admitting, “alright you were right. This is really, really good. You can taste all the different flavors but not really lime, it's just kind of a zing? It really brings out the chili and that little bit of sweetness”

You laughed at how descriptive and rambly he had just gotten but appreciated his commentary nonetheless. “I’m sorry, can you repeat that first sentence one more time? I don’t think I heard you” you chirped.

He rolled his eyes but gave in, “you were right” he said again.

A victorious smile was on your face as you finished off your plate. You went to do the dishes, Roman following close behind. “Hey, I lost I can do them”, you say as he starts to load the dishwasher. You always paid up on bets.

“I’ll help”, he shrugs with a little smirk, “I didn’t exactly play fair”.

“You never do, Ahcan”.

The following day, Roman ate all the leftovers. And then asked if you wanted to make it with him again the next day and then made all the guys try it, assuring them that it doesn’t like lime.

“You were pretty unsure about this recipe when we first made it” you laughed.

He grins at you over the stove. “Yeah well you knew how I felt about limes. It’s turned out to be a favorite though. I still make it all the time” he admits.

You’re quiet, reminiscing and letting it sink in that something so small has you feeling this way. “It smells just how I remember it”

As he’s making you a plate, you can tell he’s debating whether or not he wants to bring up whatever’s on his mind or not. If you’d learned anything during your time with him, you knew not to push. If he wanted to talk about it, he would.

Finally deciding to address the matter head on, he says, “Not that I don’t love having you here again, but I’m sure you didn’t come to eat with me. Why are you here?”

His question seemed to mock you. Why were you here? You had a boyfriend and your own issues with him at home so why were you here with the person who was the root of all your problems.

“We both know you shouldn’t be here” he says, as if reading your mind.

You look away, knowing he’s right. “Why are you playing nice now?” you mumble under your breath. Any other time he would’ve loved to have your company, especially at the expense of Brock.

He snorts in response, as if he doesn’t know why he is either. “I just know the feeling of having your girlfriend run into the arms of the person you can’t stand and as pissed off as I am at him for everything, he can’t say I didn’t at least try to be the nice guy here”

His comment brings you back to last night and you ask him what you’ve been wondering this whole time. “Why did you stop fighting back when I came in the room?”

Now it’s his turn to look away. “I don’t know. I just looked up and saw you standing there in his apartment, in his shirt, and the look on your face and I just froze. I didn’t want you to see me the way the look on your face saw me, I told you, I want to be better. And honestly, I didn’t want to hurt Brock either. Yeah, I went to his place looking for a fight when I found out for sure that he had been part of sending that picture, but I was really just mad at myself and was ready to take it out on him. I never actually thought we’d end up punching each other”

You took in all of what he was saying and there was one thing that stood out to you and you knew it shouldn’t have considering everything else that he had said, but curiosity wins when you ask, “What do you mean you found out for sure?”

“Vorlicky may have spilled the beans. It doesn’t take much to get information out of him”

“Why are you so concerned with figuring out that night now, Roman? It’s in the past. No matter who sent it, it doesn’t change what happened. So why are you going after Brock now and again after all this time?” You were tired of arguing, with both boys, over the same subjects, each other all the time.

“Because..fuck, Y/N, it does” he groans, struggling to find the right words. “And I know, Brock’s not the one that fucked everything up, that was me even without the picture but that’s exactly where I can pinpoint where my life got so screwed up”

“You mean you don’t think when you started cheating was where your life got screwed up?” You angrily asked.

He knows he messed up. “Well yes, that’s where I screwed everything up but it didn’t start to fall apart until he sent that picture”

“It didn’t start to fall apart until you got caught, is what you mean”, you say standing up. You go to grab your plate but he stops you.

“No wait! Okay, yes I totally messed up and hurt you and I’ve told you before, I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you”, he pauses and swallows hard, waiting to see if you’ll let him continue, “but I miss you, Y/N in every way. I don’t want to wonder what you’re doing at 10 in the morning and then again at 1 in the afternoon and again at 10 at night, I just want to be there with you. I don’t want someone else by your side while you’re making dinner or walking down the street. I don’t want someone else buying your drinks or carrying your groceries. And I hate knowing someone else sleeps next to you and gets to know you like I did. And that’s just my life now because I was selfish and hurt you but please, please hear me when I say I need you back, Y/N. I still love you, I just need you to let me prove it to you”

His grip on your wrist loosens then and he releases you, falling back into his seat and waiting to see if you’re still going to bolt. If you were smart you’d get out of there while you were still in one piece. But your heart wins out and you tell him that you miss him too.

“I can’t just leave Brock though, Ro. He’s been there for me. And though I don’t love him like I love you”, you admit, “I do love him”.

Roman doesn’t know what he was expecting you to do or say once he told you he needed you, hell he hadn’t expected to see you tonight at all. He had a plan to win you back before he spilled his heart but his emotions got in the way and it just so happened to be tonight that everything came out. It hurts more than he wants to admit to hear you say that you love Brock even though he knew you did all along. He has to swallow the lump in his throat at hearing you say those three words about someone else.

“I’m not asking you to go leave him right now, I know that’s not fair, but I need you to know how I feel”

“You’ve never played fair, Ro” you sigh, remembering those same words you said to him before.

—

When Brock stupidly checks your location and sees you’re exactly where he thought you’d be, his heart sinks. He knew going into this battle that there was a slim chance he’d actually win, but his brief period of happiness with you gave him false hope and now he was left standing here with his heart in your hands and he was afraid you didn’t want it.

He knows it should be the last straw, Roman was always going to be a sore subject in your relationship and he had seen how that played out with him being the sore subject in yours and Roman’s relationship. While he had no intention of cheating on you, he didn’t want to make you unhappy either. He didn’t want you to stay with him just because it made him happy, he wanted you to want him as much as he wanted you too. And lately it didn’t feel like you wanted him at all.

When you walk back through the door hours later, the boys are gone and the only person in the room is Brock. He looks just as stressed as you’re sure you do.

“You’re home?” he says and it breaks your heart a little at how surprised he sounds.

“Of course I’m home”, you tell him and he crosses the room to wrap you in a tight hug.  The way he’s holding you, is like he’s afraid he’ll lose you if he lets go. It feels final, like there’s a goodbye attached to the end and you have to steadily work to calm the rapid beating of your heart.

“I think we need to talk”, he mumbles. It’s funny how those cliche words can capture the same dreadful feeling everytime.

You can’t find your voice so you just nod. He releases you and takes your hand in his, leading you over to the couch. He sits you down next to him and angles his body so that his knees are touching yours. He never lets go of your hand, holding both of yours now in his. He takes a deep breath before beginning, staring right into your eyes.

“I need to know if I’m in this alone. I get it, okay? I know I’m not Roman, I’m not hot headed and not as exciting. I’m not some intense, flirty guy. I’m not always confident and I’m not some superstar on the ice, but that doesn’t mean I'm not worth it, Y/N” he pleads his case to you, desperately, “I know I can love you, I know I love you. I know I’ll treat you with respect and give you everything I have to show that. I know I can show you what love looks like, how you should be treated. I know I’m good for you, but if you don’t feel the same and you still want him, then please just let me go”

Even though you’ve had back and forth feelings lately because of Roman’s confession, hearing Brock speak his peace again solidifies what you’d known in your heart for a while now. Brock was the one for you. And now you had to show him as much.

“B, you’re not in this alone, baby I’m right here. Ok? I know you’re not Roman, but that’s why I love you. I’m not looking for crazy, I’m looking for consistent and you’ve showed me time and time again that you’re there for me and that’s what I love. I love that after you rock it out on the ice, we can come home and lay on the couch, i love that you’re not always the center of attention. You make me laugh, you treat me so well, and you are so good for me. I’m sorry that I haven’t made you feel the same way” you tell him honestly.

“You have, it’s just Roman. I get crazy when it comes to him. I always feel like he’s just gonna take you away from me so easily” he admits.

You think about his statement and you can see why he’d think that. You haven’t been giving him much to convince him otherwise.

“You’re just going to have to trust me when I say that I’m yours and I’ll do my best to show that to you” you say sincerely.

He nods and reaches out to pull you into his chest. “How are you going to do that?” he mumbles into your hair.

“Oh I can think of a few ways”, you smile, picking up on his shift in mood.

He grins, “Prove it”.

--

Your smile has always been a sight he swears he could stare at all day and today is no exception, even if it’s not directed at him. He’s watching you laugh easily with Brock across the table. You look relaxed and like the you he remembered, a complete contrast to the last time you had seen him in the middle of a bar with Brock, a pained expression on your face. You had been having fun until you caught sight of Roman and then there was pain on your face, knowing that you being with Brock was hurting Roman. It was crazy to him that you still took his feelings into consideration.

It had been a while since he had seen you this carefree and happy and that’s when he realizes what he’s done. He’s put his own happiness above yours, again.

He didn’t think he was a bad guy, not as good as you of course, you were golden, inside and out, but not a bad guy. But now when he thinks about all of the times he’s dropped the ball, and let you down he starts to think that maybe he is a bad guy. He broke you before and he was doing it again, making you choose between him and Brock.

Brock was better for you and Roman knew that, he’s always known that and that’s why he’s fought Brock so hard for so long. Brock was everything you needed and everything you deserved. He made sense for you and as much as he hated to admit it, Roman knew Brock could love you better than he could, better than he did.

He made himself promise then, that he would never get in the way of your happiness again. He had had his chance with you, you had been so gracious with him and loved him the best you could, giving him every opportunity to love you back and he let you slip away. He took you for all that you gave him and he continued to stretch you thin. He couldn’t do that to you anymore and so he was going to remove himself from the equation. He wasn’t going to give you ultimatums or task you with weighing his feelings. He was going to push you toward Brock and he was going to do his best to be happy for you. It was going to kill him, but he knew it was what he had to do.

Later that night he sends you a quick text, asking if you’ll go with him down by the water to your thinking spot.

I’ll pick you up this time :)

You read his offer and chew on your lip thinking about whether or not you should go. Things were good with Brock right now. Besides the weight of knowing Roman’s feelings and not quite knowing what to do with them, you were pretty darn happy with Brock. You went on your early afternoon walks, had your picnics, date nights, movie nights, and wine nights. You made time for each other, things were relaxed and back to normal with him. You wanted to respect his feelings.

But you also hadn’t seen Roman since that night in the bar when you caught him watching you dance with Brock. You could see him hurting and couldn’t do much to change that without hurting Brock. You hadn’t gotten the chance to talk to him that night, as he had left soon after.

You knew you wanted to see him, so you put confidence in your relationship with Brock and sent Roman a text back.

Ehhh I think I’d rather walk ;)

You followed that up with a text to your boyfriend, wanting to be completely up front with him. You told him you were meeting Roman, but that you didn’t plan to be out all night and you were pleasantly surprised when he sent one back thanking you for letting him now and that he trusts you.

A short time later Roman shows up at your door, true to his word. When he starts down State instead of to his car, you stop in your tracks.

“Wait, where are you going? Where’s your car?”

He turns around with a big smirk on his face, “You said you’d rather walk. Now, come on” he gestures with his head.

You shake your head as you hurry to catch up with him. “Very funny, Ahcan. You’re lucky it’s nice out”

He laughs, “No, you’re lucky it’s nice out”.

The walk is leisurely, he sets the pace, taking his time. He spends the time catching up with you, soaking in every second since he knows this could be the last time he sees you in a while.

The whole time you’re walking, you can’t help but feel a certain sadness like this is the end with him. You hadn’t expected him to wait around for you, but knowing this could be the end of your story with him breaks your already worn heart.

When you reach the end of the street, you  lean on the white railing and look at the man by your side like you had so many times before. And just like every other time, he’s already staring at you.

“This is the end, isn’t it?” you ask with a sad smile.

He nods, wearing a matching sad smile. “I think it has to be. You deserve someone like Brock, someone better than me, you deserve to be happy.”

You frowned at his statement and while you agreed with parts of it, the middle is what you took issue with. “Come on, Ro. That’s not true”

He shakes his head, you were still giving him the benefit of the doubt. “I broke your pretty heart. What does that say about me? That I could do you like I did and then come back and wreck you again by breaking up your happiness with Brock and putting you through the hurt of choosing between me and him. There’s something not right with that, Y/N, something not right with me. I need to let you be happy and you’re happy with Brock. I need to work on myself because right now I’m not good for you”

You felt your eyes well up with tears when he first began. You hated knowing he felt this way about himself, like there was something wrong with him for feeling his feelings.

“Roman there’s nothing wrong with you for having feelings. And you act like all you did was hurt me, but we’ve had some great times too. We’ve had a good run. We’ve grown together, a lot of good has come from us being together.”

He’s quiet, reflecting on what you’ve said and all of the memories come flooding back to him. He remembered the first time you chirped him in the hallway and how nervous he was before your first date. He remembered looking for you in the crowd before every game, and the way it felt to jump into the boards in front of you after every goal, the way your face would light up and how hard you would cheer for him. He remembers all of the late nights out on the dancefloor and in dark corners of the bars. He thinks about all of the sunsets and sunrises followed by brunch he’s gotten to enjoy with you. He remembers how much more you had gotten him to love, from cooking, to dancing, to just living in the moment.

You really had had some beautiful moments together. You had changed him for the better and continued to motivate him to grow. He doesn’t like feeling vulnerable, but that’s exactly what he feels when it comes to you.

“And it’s not that you’re not good for me, because I know you’ve been working to prove that you’re a better person, it’s just the timing, Ro. Our time isn’t right, right now”

He knows that he’s the one that wanted to bring you down here today and set you free, but it was easier said than done. He felt like his chest was on fire and you were the only one who could save him, but he didn’t want you to get burned.

“I just want you to be happy, and I know me making you choose between me and Brock is hurting you so I’m setting you free. I don’t want you to think about my feelings anymore, I just want you to let Brock love you because I know he does”.

“So you’re just making the decision for me, now are you?” you croak out, trying to crack a smile.

“I am, yeah”.

“Well that doesn’t seem very fair”.

A smile ghosts his lips as he says, “I’ve never played fair”.

You recognize the line and it’s your last breakwall to come down, letting the flood gates open. You hold onto each other for the last time, sharing tears and whispered goodbyes as the sun sets over Lake Mendota.

When he finally walks you to your door, you place a kiss on his cheek and tell him “I hope you find your happiness too, Ro”.

[callieshipman]

Virals Valentines

Written for the Virals Valentines Exchange using the stuck in an elevator prompt! This one is for our benevolent organiser herself, @themorrisislandpack! I hope you enjoy it <3

“Okay,” Tory says, after pressing every button on the elevator multiple times. “So. This is bad.”

Ben looks over at her, says nothing. His hands fly over the keyboard of his phone, probably texting Hi and Shelton begging for rescue from an awkward situation.

“You have service?” Tory asks, in lieu of anything better to say because they’ve been silent around each other the last few days.

“Mm.” Ben, chatty as ever.

Tory slides down the wall and sits on the floor opposite him, legs crossed. She can see her own reflection in the mirror, a shock of red hair and sharp, pale limbs. His is visible too, just the curve of his jaw and nose, slightly distorted by the glass.

The next few moments are painfully silent without the hum of the elevator in the background. Tory thinks she shouldn’t even be surprised that they’re stuck in an elevator on Valentine’s Day two days after an explosive fight. They have wolf DNA, this should be a walk in the park. Go figure.

“Just so you know,” she says dryly. “If you keep up the silent treatment, you’re actually second to last on the list of people I would want to share an elevator with.”

“Last is Chance?” Ben asks without looking up.

“Whitney,” she answers. Then, after a moment of thought, “Actually, you’re right. Fuck Chance.”

Ben cracks a smile for the first time in a few days, then snorts and ducks his head in the way she’s always thought is unfairly adorable. It makes her insides melt. Gross.

She can’t help but laugh too despite everything. Ben Blue is a massive dork, even when they’re fighting.

There’s another long pause, but it’s warmer than before. She can feel him enjoying her company. 

“No reply from Hi and Shelton?”

“Nope.” Ben taps a few buttons. “God knows where they’ve run off to. For all we know, this is a scheme.”

Tory’s heart sinks, because oh no, they absolutely would do this. Sometimes being friends with Hi and Shelton is like being parents to unnaturally intelligent toddlers who are upset that mommy and daddy are fighting, and okay it’s time to steer away from that thought experiment, because it’s getting a little scary.

Ben, luckily, has not read her thoughts this time. It’s recently established Virals Policy that they all keep out of each other’s brains without express permission (or in an emergency, she has added, fully prepared to distort the definition of an emergency beyond recognition) before they completely ruin their relationships.

She thinks she and Ben might be on their way to that anyway. They’ve been avoiding each other for days over something stupid as all hell, and she’s not sure how much longer she can grit her teeth through it.

But he still laughs at her jokes, and that has to count for something.

“They’re probably sending someone to rescue us now,” she says. Then, after thinking it through for approximately three seconds, “You’re still my best friend.”

Ben’s head flies up to look at her, and his expression softens into the one she likes best. He looks so fond again, and just a little bit amused, like he’s been waiting for her to cave. Maybe he has. She knows she’s stubborn as a mule when she wants to be, and they can read each other like a book even without the added bonus of literal mind reading.

“You’re mine too,” he says eventually. “And Hi and Shelton.”

Tory knows he’s only saying that to blunt the edges of the emotion, but he means it, and her heart melts.

“I don’t want to lose you,” she admits. “I really, really don’t.”

“Did you think we were going to break up?” Ben’s brow furrows. “Tory, I didn’t mean for it to turn into a thing.”

“No, you just mooned around sadly for three days until Shelton had to call me and ask what was up your ass!”

“That’s true,” Ben concedes, only sulking a little. “Poor Shelton. Hi just thought it was funny.”

“It was a little bit funny.”

“A little bit.” Ben is trying to hide a smile now, but she can feel it in her own head, a burst of warmth that spreads through her like a hot bath. “Okay, looking at if from your perspective-”

“I was totally right and you were being a clown?” 

She’s just teasing him now, and he knows that. It’s part of the unspoken game they play with each other every time they fight and make up, poking fun at old wounds until they warm up to each other again and everything is just like it was before. It’s a ritual Tory sincerely enjoys once they’re done with the stupid fighting part.

“Alright, alright.” Ben rolls his eyes and stretches his legs out so that the tips of his scuffed shoes touch hers. “If we’re done with the fighting like petty teenagers, I hate to be the one to point it out, but we are still stuck in an elevator.”

Tory kicks the wall, and Ben laughs at her as it clangs and she swears. 

“This is exactly like when we got stuck in those caves,” she says, fake morosely. “Enclosed space, no one around, smells bad.”

“At least there’s no rising water?”

“We’ll always have that,” she says dryly. “You know I love you, right?”

“I know,” Ben says gently. “I love you too. Stop talking like we’re going to die in a mall elevator though. Please.”

Tory doesn’t even have to consider this plea before the lights in the elevator suddenly flick back on, and then they’re moving downwards with a groaning sound that’s only marginally alarming after everything they’ve been through.

“Hey, look at that,” she says, turning to grin at him. “We live to see another day.”

Ben says nothing, but gives her a quick kiss on the cheek. Just so they know where they stand.

When the doors creak open, they’re greeted by a small crowd of maintenance guys looking mildly bored, and Hi and Shelton looking like they’ve just won the lottery.

“Heyyyyy guys!” Hi drawls as soon as the doors have fully opened. Then, to the maintenance men: “Thank you guys so much. They owe you their lives.”

“Shut it, dumbass,” Ben tells him, and he darts behind Shelton, still grinning.

After they’ve thanked the crew themselves, not at all trusting whatever Hi and Shelton have said to them, they converge on them, both grinning.

“You look cheery,” Shelton says. “When you went in there, we thought you might kill each other and the doors would just open on your bodies.”

“Imagine our concern when they didn’t open at all!” Hi takes a very loud sip through the straw of his smoothie cup. “I said we should call in Ella’s FBI contacts.”

“When did you get a smoothie?” Ben frowns. “Did you not get all my texts asking for help?”

“Of course we did,” Shelton says smoothly. “Actually, Hi can tell the next part, I don’t want to be the messenger for that.”

“Throw me under the bus like that.” Hi shakes his head. “Together five years and he throws it all away. Check this guy out.”

“I’m fine with being a widower,” Shelton says.

“You’re the worst. Ben and Tory, Bory if you will-”

“I will not,” Ben says.

“Whatever, I like it. We may have given it a few minutes before going to find help. We kind of, sort of, maybe thought if you were left in there a little longer you would stop fighting and killing our vibe?”

“Hiram.” Tory folds her arms.

“Goodbye, Shelton,” Hi says. “Don’t inform my mother of this until they’ve left the country.”

“It worked,” she admits, and then punches him in the arm for good measure.

“Thank god,” Shelton says, looking openly thrilled with himself. “That was excruciating. And on Valentine’s Day of all days!”

“We hate Valentine’s Day,” she says, at the same time as Ben rolls his eyes. “Couldn’t care less.”

“Don’t care, you fixed it, we can talk about something else whilst we’re watching Friends now.”

Ben lunges after Hi, who ducks away, shrieking about security cameras, and behind both of their backs, Tory mouths a thank you to Shelton.

[lunetheaveragefan]

one day...

Hi! This is the beginning of the first fanfiction that I’m posting here! I hope people like it!

A Sander Sides high school AU

Pairing: Prinxiety and some background Logicality

Summary: Virgil is used to being alone. He only has one friend, Logan. But when Logan makes a new friend, things begin to change as two more join their group. Roman, a boisterous theater kid, seems determined to destroy Virgil’s lonely, average life. How much will Virgil’s life change?

Warnings: Some cursing and quick mentions of anxiety/a panic attack. If you notice anything else, let me know!

Word Count: 1,691

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

CHAPTER ONE

Virgil Tempest is having a bad day.

First of all, he’d woken up late. 30 minutes late, to be exact. That left him only 10 to get ready for school, so he didn’t have time to put on his foundation. Now, the feature he hated most about himself — his freckles — would be visible for all to see. 

Secondly, his favorite hoodie was in the wash, so he had to wear his old, plain black one that he hadn’t worn since at least seventh grade. It was buried in the way back of his closet, wedged between a leather jacket he’d completely forgotten he owned and the suit he had only worn once, at a funeral for some distantly related family member.

Thirdly, he forgot his headphones at home in his rush, and so now he had to suffer the whole day, unable to block out the noise of his idiotic school. He thought he had a spare pair in his backpack, but when he looked once he got to school, there weren’t any in sight. 

Earlier, he thought it couldn’t get any worse, but he is sure now that it was just building up to this.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” Roman Princeford apologizes loudly from above him. To say Virgil dislikes Roman would be an understatement. Roman has a ridiculously pompous name and a personality to match. The star theater kid, popular king of the school, and friend to everyone. Well, everyone except for Virgil. Even Virgil’s only friend, Logan Wise, a class-A nerd, likes Roman. 

Needless to say, Virgil doesn’t see Roman’s appeal. Maybe, if Roman could stand to be a whole lot less arrogant, say, every day, or if he stopped being so excessively extra, or if he just took the time to do something other than theater and bragging, he might be tolerable. The key word there being ‘might.’

“It’s fine,” Virgil mumbles from the floor, where he had landed after Roman knocked into him while Virgil was walking. Roman had been talking to his usual group of fans, taking up most of the hallway since pretty much everyone wanted to listen to him, and had thrown out an arm in one of his usual grand gestures and pushed Virgil right over. He’d landed on the floor, books strewn everywhere, being watched by the whole hallway. Of course, it’s more crowded than usual thanks to the tall tale Roman was describing that apparently no one could afford to miss out on. It didn’t help that Roman had decided to make a big deal out of it, either. 

Wishing this terrible day could just end already, Virgil shifts to a crouch and begins to gather his books. To his utter dismay, Roman bends down to help him. Annoyed as he is, Virgil can’t get up the courage to tell the other boy to leave him alone. Even so, the work goes quicker with the other boy helping, and, as much as he would hate to ever admit it, Virgil appreciates it. 

They both reach for the last book on the ground at the same time, and their hands knock into each other. 

“S-Sorry,” Roman says, and Virgil thinks he hears a stutter in his voice. Roman Princeford, the theater prodigy who never messes up a line, stuttering? But when Virgil looks up at Roman, there’s a blush working its way across the other boy’s tan cheeks. Strange. This close, Virgil can see the bluish specks in the other boy’s green eyes. 

Roman must feel Virgil’s eyes on him, because he looks back at him, handing him his last book. Dread settles in Virgil’s stomach as he realizes that Roman must be able to see his freckles. Just as he remembers, Roman’s eyes drop to the other’s nose, where the freckles are the most noticeable. Shit, Virgil curses. 

Yanking the book away from Roman, Virgil turns away and stands up, and Roman soon follows suit. There’s a redness on both of their faces now, but on Virgil’s pale skin, it’s much more visible. How long was I staring at his eyes? He shakes his head, letting his dyed-purple bangs fall over his face. 

Resituating his books in his arms and weaving his way through the people, he starts the walk to his next class, art.

“Have a nice day!” Roman calls from behind him. Virgil sighs and pulls up his hood, wishing now more than ever that he had his headphones.

“Whatever,” he mutters, but the whole next period, all he can think about is Roman Princeford’s bright green eyes, tan skin, and wavy blond hair. 

I must be going crazy, he decides. I mean, I know I’m gay, but gay for Roman Princeford, of all people? I don’t know him at all, and from what I’ve heard — and experienced — he’s not someone I would ever get along with. There’s no way I could possibly have a crush on him. 

Right?

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

At lunch, Virgil drops down in the seat next to Logan with a thud. 

“Greetings,” Logan states professionally. “Am I misperceiving your body language and demeanor or was your day thus far below average in terms of relative happiness and unpleasantly abnormal?” Virgil looks at him around his bangs, puzzled.

“What?” Is he even speaking English? Virgil wonders.

“Pardon me, I forget that you are intellectually compromised when it comes to my copious vocabulary. Let me rephrase,” Logan proclaims. He clears his throat and lays his hands on the table, his fingers pressed together to form triangle-like shapes. “Did your day suck or are you just being your—” Logan waves a hand at Virgil’s body— “regular grumpy asshole self?”

Virgil is taken aback for a second before he rolls his eyes. 

“Roman fucking Princeford bumped into me in the hallway, and then had the nerve to say, ‘Have a nice day!’ afterwards in that disgustingly cheery voice of his!” Virgil complains, poking at his food. He doesn’t really intend on eating any of it; the school’s food is terrible, and besides, he isn’t too hungry anyway. He has some crackers in his bag if he really needs something to eat later.

“I do not understand why you antagonize him so often, but I suppose if you refuse to change your opinions of him, there isn’t much I can do on the matter.” Logan pauses, and Virgil has a feeling he knows what’s coming next: one of Logan’s rare discussions of emotions. “But you shouldn’t just assume that everyone is out to hurt you, Virgil.”

Yup, there it is. Virgil likes Logan’s company because he isn’t too tied up in his emotions, unlike Virgil. He knows the facts, and that’s relieving when Virgil is in the midst of a period of overwhelming anxiety. But sometimes, Logan thinks he knows what’s best for Virgil, especially when it comes to matters concerning Roman Princeford.

Scoffing, Virgil crosses his arms and leans against the back of the chair. “Whatever,” he sighs.

Logan takes a deep breath, obviously trying to calm his temper, which has a habit of getting out of control, and responds, “Virgil, this is unhealthy. You have—” But before Virgil can find out what Logan thinks he has to do, another voice cuts Logan off.

“Heya, guys! How are you?” Virgil looks up to see a shorter student standing there. This new kid’s hair is a mess of amber curls, tumbling over his forehead and slipping behind his round, wire rimmed glasses. Tan skin covered in freckles and a round face gives him a youthful look, but Virgil knows that he’s a junior just like him. 

His name is Patton Hart, and Virgil, surprisingly, doesn’t hate him.

Patton is known for being one of the kindest people in the school. No matter who it is, Patton will find a way to cheer someone up. Back in December of their freshman year, Patton helped Virgil calm down during a panic attack around finals. Virgil harbors no ill will towards the kid, but it’s still strange that he’d show up at their table randomly. 

Then, Virgil remembers that Patton’s best friend is the one and only Roman Princeford. 

Roman probably sent Patton to tell me something. Damn, I hate that stuck up asshole. Before Virgil can open his mouth to ask Patton what he wants with them, since Logan and him are the only ones anywhere near, Logan talks first.

“Hi, Patton!” His voice is so upbeat and joy-filled that Virgil has to look over at Logan to make sure he did, indeed, speak. In the seat next to him, Logan’s face is lit up with a smile, and he looks so…well, not-Logan. And, wait, is that a blush on Logan’s cheeks?

Virgil raises his eyebrows in shock and blinks a few times to make sure what he’s seeing is real. When nothing changes when he opens his eyes, Virgil ignores the strangeness of whatever’s happening next to him and looks back at Patton. 

“Hey, Patton,” he greets. “What do you need?” He tries to keep his voice annoyance-free, so not to hurt the other kid’s feelings. Patton’s a little puffball of innocence and positive energy, and the whole school has made an unspoken agreement to keep it that way.

“Oh, I just came over to talk to Logan about our science project!” 

“We were paired together as lab partners today,” Logan explains, still with that wide smile on his face. 

Weirded out by the scene unfolding in front of him, Virgil pokes at his food one last time and decides he’s not so hungry to risk getting food poisoning. 

“Alright, then,” he says, standing up, “I’ll leave you guys alone so you can talk about your nerdy physics stuff.”

“Actually, Virgil, it’s chemistry we’re taking,” Logan informs him, some semblance of his usual professional manner returning. 

“Well, it’s still science, and it’s still nerdy, so my point stands.”

Patton giggles, and Logan seems to blush, but at this point, Virgil doesn’t trust his own eyes. 

“Well, goodbye, kiddo!” Patton exclaims, waving. Virgil laughs at Patton’s use of ‘kiddo’ even though they're in the same grade and waves back. Telling Logan that he’ll see him later, he turns and dumps his try, finally exiting the noise of the cafeteria.