#they'd look up at me who was smiling nervously and just be like “nah... that thing aint anxious”

[moongoddesssimp]

Sometimes I genuinely forget I've been diagnosed with severe anxiety until I'm sobbing in my room about all these overwhelming feelings and thoughts that I just numb and forget about. Like damn, how silly of me to forget how terrible my anxiety and anxious attachment issues are.

[agentstarkid]

MY THOUGHTS WILL ECHO YOUR NAME ✦ DR3

✦ PAIRINGS: daniel ricciardo x famous!latina!reader

✦ CHECKERED FLAG: 1K words

✦ TRACK LIMITS: female!reader, latina!reader, fluff, there's a nine-year age gap. This is completely from Daniel's POV and what happened after he met Girlie, so it's pretty much him-centric.

✦ MAY'S RADIO: TA-DAAAAA!! y'all thought I'd leave you without Daniel simping over Girlie the night they met? Nah lol and btw, not my first language, sorry if there's any mistake <3

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He watched her walk away with her friends, he couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment. The night had flown by, each moment with her more captivating than the last. Her laugh, her eyes, the way she listened so intently—it all felt effortless and real. He couldn't shake the memory of how nervous he'd been earlier in the night when he first saw her across the crowded room. It had been a long time since he felt that kind of anxiety—he hadn’t felt that way since the night he approached Jemma, his high school sweetheart, in that nightclub years ago. They had broken up in 2016, and since then, no one had made him feel quite as excited or uncertain.

He noticed how she sighed and smiled as she gently steadied her friend, showing her caring nature even amidst the chaos. When she glanced back at him, their eyes met, and he felt a giddiness he hadn't expected. He waved, hoping she saw the sincerity in his smile.

Lost in his thoughts, Daniel replayed the evening in his mind. He remembered how his palms had grown sweaty and his heart had raced when he decided to go talk to her. He had been drawn to her laugh, her smile, the way she exuded warmth, a presence that reached him even when he was standing far away. Approaching her felt like stepping into uncharted territory, a thrilling mix of fear and anticipation.

Just then, his friends came up behind him, breaking through his reverie with playful nudges and teasing grins. “Hey, Romeo,” one of his best mates, Blake Mills—a.k.a. Tall Blake—, called out, “you were pretty into her, huh?”

“Yeah, bro,” this time Blake Friend—a.k.a. Manager Blake—chimed in, “we've never seen you like this, bro. Must be something special.”

Daniel chuckled, trying to play it cool, but he couldn't hide the genuine smile spreading across his face. “Maybe she is,” he admitted, his gaze still lingering on the spot where she had disappeared.

As Daniel's friends continued to tease him, he couldn't help but smile, their light-hearted jabs contrasting with the seriousness of his thoughts. “Come on, guys, give me a break,” he said, though his grin betrayed how much he enjoyed their banter.

“Seriously, though,” Carlo—Rigolini, who, as well as Blake Mills and Baz Martino, was a childhood friend—said, sobering slightly, “you looked really happy talking to her. Haven't seen you like that since, well, you know…”

Daniel nodded, appreciating his friend's unspoken reference to Jemma without needing to delve into it. “Yeah, she was different,” he admitted, his mind drifting back to the brief, intense connection they'd shared. “I haven't felt like this in a long time.”

Baz clapped him on the back. “Well, you better hope she felt the same way. Maybe you'll get another chance.”

Daniel nodded, his thoughts swirling with possibilities. He knew he had to take the initiative if he wanted to see her again, and suddenly his phone felt invaluable with the new number saved on it. The memory of their laughter, the way her eyes sparkled under the lights, and the easy flow of their conversation all played over in his mind, making him more determined.

As they started to leave the party, Daniel's thoughts remained with her. The night had been a whirlwind, and he hadn't expected to feel this way again. The prospect of seeing her again filled him with a mix of nervousness and excitement, much like when he first approached Jemma all those years ago.

“Alright,” he said, turning to his friends with a renewed sense of determination, “let's get out of here. But mark my words, I'm definitely going to see her again.” His friends cheered, playfully encouraging him. 

As Daniel and his friends began to gather their things and head out, Martin approached them, his usual confident grin plastered across his face. “Hey, guys, had a good night?” he asked, his eyes twinkling with the afterglow of the party's success.

“Yeah, man, it's been great,” Daniel replied, still buzzing from his encounter. They chatted for a few minutes, exchanging stories and laughs about the night's events.

Finally, Daniel scratched the back of his head, looking slightly sheepish. “Listen, bro, I know you wanted to introduce me to someone tonight, but I ended up meeting an amazing girl on my own.”

Martin's grin widened, and he clapped Daniel on the shoulder. “Dude,” he chuckled, “that was her!”

Daniel blinked in surprise. His brown eyes widened and his lips formed an "O". “Wait, what? That was her?” he whisper-screamed dumbfounded. 

“Yeah, man,” Martin said, laughing at Daniel's astonished expression. “I saw you two hitting it off and decided to let things play out naturally. Looks like it went pretty well, huh?”

Daniel shook his head, a smile spreading across his face as the pieces fell into place. “I can't believe it. She's incredible.”

Martin nodded. “I had a feeling you two would get along. Glad I was right.” The Dutchman then gave Daniel a playful nudge. “So, did she end up being your New Year's kiss?”

Daniel blushed slightly, making a face that showed both regret and disappointment. “Mate, I didn't kiss her, and I should have,” he admitted. “but I didn't want to come on too strong.”

At this point, Daniel's friends joined in the teasing. “We can't believe you even had the guts to go talk to her on your own,” One Blake said, giving him a playful shove.

“Yeah,” the other one chimed in, “you've been out of the game for a while, bro.”

Daniel chuckled, though the blush on his cheeks deepened. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, guys,” he said sarcastically, but he couldn't hide his grin.

As they wrapped up their conversation, Daniel felt a renewed sense of excitement. This unexpected twist only deepened his determination to see her again.

“Thanks, Martin,” he said earnestly, feeling grateful for his friend's matchmaking efforts.

“No problem,” Martin replied, waving them off with a knowing smile. “Good luck, man.”

As Daniel and his friends walked out into the cool night air, he couldn't stop thinking about her. The laughter and teasing from his friends continued, but his mind was already planning how he might see her again.

One thing was certain: this New Year's Eve had marked the beginning of something special. And as they made their way back to their hotel, Daniel couldn't help but feel that this was just the start of a new chapter in his life.

✦ may's radio: would you guys like to read about any other specific scene in the fic? 👀

[good-beanswrites]

Drabble for anon -- Fashion with Mikoto and Muu! It took a bit to think what sort of relationship/interactions they'd have, but I think Muu would keep things pretty straightforward if they had common ground.

If, several months ago, someone had told Mikoto he’d be sitting side by side with two murderers who’d killed children in broad daylight, he would have laughed at them. If they told him he’d be the guilty one and they’d be the innocent ones, he would have replied that they were crazy. If they told him they’d all be discussing fashion tips, he would’ve walked away from the conversation altogether. 

Yet there he sat with Muu and Haruka, as she chatted about the shoes she’d requested for the boy. The two didn’t seem to think there was anything bizarre about the situation. Mikoto, meanwhile, hadn’t been able to feel any sense of normalcy for a while now. 

“He insists on wearing those ugly pants, but I figured with the right accessories I can dress it up a bit, you know?” She fluttered her hand, flashing perfect nails. Haruka didn’t mind the comment about his pants.

“Yeah…” Mikoto was trying his best to follow the conversation. He watched the wearily, unsure why they’d come to sit with him in the first place. Most of the prisoners had been pretty forthcoming about their fear of him these days. Even now, Haruka stayed completely silent, his eyes flicking nervously to Mikoto every now and then. Not that he blamed them. He was just as frightened of himself.

Mikoto had removed himself from the sessions with the smoking group. He spent more time in his cell than in the common area. He never missed a meal, though. He had to keep his strength up, he would tell himself, though he was never sure what for. 

Well… part of him did know what it was for. That’s exactly what scared him.

“What about you?” Muu asked, cutting off his rapidly spiraling thoughts.

He looked up quickly. “What about me?”

“Are you going to try to style that uniform at all? I thought you were a designer.” She said it with a hint of disgust toward its current state: nearly torn to shreds, featuring patches absolutely filthy from prison grime. But Mikoto felt himself perk up at the words. At least someone remembered who he was. Just a simple designer from the city. A normal guy who was good at normal things, like fashion. 

“I hadn’t put much thought into it, to be honest.” He looked down at himself with a weak smile. “I don’t really know if any sort of outfit is salvageable now, anyway…”

“Of course it is!” Muu looked at him like he was crazy, but not in the way he’d grown used to recently. “You’ll need to go for a specific aesthetic, obviously. Like grunge, or something you could play off of the whole distressed look. But you can definitely do it.”

Though he knew she meant it differently, he certainly did think his appearance was rather ‘distressed’ these days. “I appreciate it, but I don’t know if I’m in the mood for all that.” He couldn’t imagine dedicating any attention to his appearance with everything going on. “I haven’t really… I haven’t felt myself lately.”

“That’s the exact reason to do it.” Muu rolled her eyes. “I thought you went to school for this.”

“Eh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“The surest way to feel better about yourself is to dress your best. There’s a reason depressed people never change their clothes.” 

Mikoto’s face scrunched up. He opened his mouth, but she continued, “I mean, look at Haruka! He’s really come into himself now that he’s wearing something more flattering. I’m sure you’ll feel more yourself once you get something that suits you.”

Growing bored with the topic, Muu returned to talking about her own outfits. 

Mikoto smiled. She may have had a few things backwards, but the suggestion wasn’t a bad one.

“So I was thinking about some lavender earrings --”

“Nah,” Mikoto spoke up, “your hair is such a unique color, sticking with the gold is a good idea.”

“You think?”

“Yeah, and then it’ll coordinate with your uniform, too.”

“Oh my god, you’re right!”

“But I do like the shoes you chose, it’ll be flattering with the whole look.”

“Thank you! Now, what do you think about this skirt…”

[hopefulromances]

royjamie #10 for the ask 1k game

#10: Violet - Bad Suns

"I saw a red light up ahead And so I took a left instead We soon get lost and park the car You find your way into my heart"

Jamie was driving. It was always a bad idea when Roy let Jamie drive. He clutched the safety handle as Jamie sped up on the empty back road, giggling manically.

"Jesus, Jamie, slow the fuck down!" Roy barked, shifting nervously in his seat.

Jamie just slammed his foot down on the pedal again. "I can't believe you haven't let me do this before."

Roy rolled his eyes as Jamie made a sharp turn down another empty street. "Never happening again."

Jamie laughed again and Roy smiled. Yeah he was terrified but damn did Jamie look good. His eyes were sparkling with joy, his smiling nearly blinding as he sped down the road. It was impossible not to smile at his joy.

Roy glanced back at the road. "Jamie that's a red light."

"Nah, I'll just take a left here instead," Jamie brushed him off, changing lanes.

"That's not what the directions say," Roy tapped the phone with the maps on it. Jamie grabbed the phone and threw it in the backseat. "Oi!"

"Who cares where the map says, I'm taking a left here."

Well, they did get lost. Turns out Jamie had no sense of direction and ended up getting them in some random parking lot.

"I fucking told you," Roy growled, digging around the backseat looking for his phone.

"Aye," Jamie grabbed Roy by his hips and pulled him into his lap. Roy furrowed his eyebrows as Jamie settling his hips over his thighs. God, Jamie had sturdy fucking thighs. "Maybe I did this on purpose, yeah?"

Jamie waggled his eyebrows at Roy, pursing his lips dramatically.

"On purpose?" Roy quirked an eyebrow up, letting himself relax into Jamie's lap. He brought a hand up to brush Jamie's hair out of his face, cradelingJamie in his hands. "Why? So I could do this?"

Roy leaned down and kissed Jamie. Jamie hummed in affirmation as a hand dragged along Roy's cheek. Slow languide kisses as they settled into each other, Roy's hips starting to grind down into Jamie's pressing the youngerman into the seat.

Jamie let out a whine as Roy's hands slipped under his shirt, up and down his torso before snagging into his shorts. Roy growled kissing down Jamie's neck just to hear his heaving breath and whimpers as Roy sucked a dark mark onto his neck.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Jamie let out a yelp as a knock on the window forced the men to separate from each other. Well, as much as they could with Roy sitting in Jamie's lap. Jamie hid his face as Roy rolled the window down to see a police man standing outside the door.

"Evening, sir," Roy greeted, nodding at the man.

"Enjoying yourselfs, are we?" The copper asked, looking back and forth between Roy and Jamie. His eyes lit up in surprise. "Wait, aren't you-"

"What the fuck do you want?" Roy interrupted, leaning further over Jamie to hide his body behind his.

The cop glared at Roy before replying. "You can't be staking out here, go on home to do your dirty work."

"Fuck off."

"Goodnight, lads," The cop dismissed before walking off.

Roy rolled the window up, Jamie snickering as he did. Roy smacked Jamie's head. "Shut it." That just made Jamie laugh harder. "Alright, move over I'm driving us home, dickhead."

Jamie schooched out from under Roy, sliding into the passenger seat. Roy was pissed but once again, Jamie's fucking smile was making it impossible to frown. The two of them had just been busted by a fucking police officer like a pair of horny teenagers, ignoring the possibility that if anyone found out about the two of them they'd be on the news before the end of the hour.

But right now, Jamie was in his car, laughing and that's all that mattered. Roy couldn't help but lean over and grab Jamie in one last searing kiss.

"You fucking idiot," He murmured fondly against Jamie's lips. Jamie bit his lower lip, smirking devilishly. Roy growled giving Jamie's cheek a smack before turning back to the wheel. It was going to be a long night.

Send me a number between 1-100 and a name and I'll write a fic off the song it represents in my Spotify Wrapped playlist

[helloalycia]

teenage dirtbag [three] // wanda maximoff

summary: Wanda's boyfriend continues to be an aggravation in your life, causing some distance between you and Wanda

warning/s: none

author's note: i really appreciate the feedback you guys gave in the last part – it’s always motivating to read your reactions/comments 🥰

part one | part two | part four | part five | masterlist | wattpad

Sorting things out with Wanda made everything return to normal in no time. So much in fact that she decided I was worth inviting to her and her brother's birthday party.

Never in a million years did I expect the most popular girl in our grade to know who I was, let alone invite me to her birthday party, so to say I was surprised was an understatement.

"It's not a big deal if you can't make it," she said when she handed me the invitation in class. "I mean, I'd love it if you could, but yeah, no pressure."

I was in awe, accepting the invite and reading it quickly. It must have been a pretty expensive party if she was giving out special invites, that's for sure.

"You want me to come?" I asked, still unsure whether this was a joke or not.

"Only if you want to," she said quickly, eyes darting around the room and anywhere but at me. "Like I said, you don't have to. It's not a big deal and– I– yeah." She pressed her lips together and stopped rambling, offering me a small smile.

"Thanks," I said quietly, slotting the invite in my notebook. "I'll, er, I'll think about it."

She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and faced forward, nodding. "Yeah, sure, no rush."

After that awkward conversation, I discovered she'd also invited Y/BF/N, the two of them developing a little friendship the more she'd hung out with me. He didn't mind going, but only wanted to do so if I went.

"I feel like I kinda don't wanna go," I admitted to him after school as we were studying in the library.

"Oh?" He rose an eyebrow. "And why's that?"

I played with the pencil in my hand. "I don't know, it's just– it's gonna be full of all of her other friends. And they don't really like me. Plus, her dick of a boyfriend is gonna be there. I just think she might have invited me to be nice. Like she might have felt like she had to because we sit together, y'know?"

"I think you know that isn't true," he said knowingly. "Maybe, just maybe, she actually wants us there, wants you there, to celebrate her birthday."

I chewed the inside of my mouth, giving it some thought. But the idea of going to Wanda's house party and seeing a bunch of people I didn't care about getting pissed wasn't comforting. Besides, even if I went, I'd probably see Wanda once before she'd get scooped away by Nate. What was the point?

"Nah, I don't think I'm going," I decided. "She won't notice. I'll just get her a present instead."

Y/BF/N sighed, clearly not impressed with my answer. Nonetheless, he said, "Okay, suit yourself."

"You can go if you want," I added, knowing his presence wasn't linked with mine.

"No Y/N, no party," he said with a dismissive shrug, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Such a good friend," I said teasingly, but there was truth to my words. And I knew he knew that. 

When I saw photos and videos of Wanda and Pietro's party all over my social media the day after, I knew I'd made the right choice in not going. It was the same visuals of everyone getting drunk, doing stupid shit and making a mess. Call me a loser, but that wasn't really my scene. Pietro and Wanda both seemed to enjoy it though, judging from the pictures.

Instead, I bought her a birthday present, knowing I didn't have to but I kind of wanted to, and planned to give it to her when she turned up to class. It was her birthday today, despite throwing the party over the weekend, so I hoped it would make up for my absence (thought I doubted she noticed).

She showed up and settled beside me as I was writing the date in my notebook, making me look up to see she'd made an extra effort to dress up for her birthday, looking fancier than usual. I couldn't help but smile at the giant '18' birthday badge pinned to her jacket.

"Happy birthday, Wanda," was the first thing I said when I saw her. "You look amazing."

A bashful smile appeared on her lips. "Thank you, Y/N."

"I hope your party went well," I said, giving her my full attention whilst trying not to drool over how beautiful she looked.

Surprisingly, her smile faded and her eyebrows knitted together. "Yeah, it did... could you not make it? I tried looking for you and– yeah..."

I opened my mouth to speak, admittedly a little embarrassed that she'd caught me out. I was sure she wouldn't notice – the pictures made it seem like there were loads of guests, I'd definitely have blended in if I were there – but clearly I was mistaken.

"I just thought–" she began, before shaking her head. "Never mind."

"Sorry, I thought–" I started, but like her, didn't know what to say. "Parties aren't my thing," I admitted truthfully. "But it looked fun. You enjoyed it, right?"

She nodded, a small forced smile on her lips. "Yeah, right. It's cool. No biggie."

I swallowed awkwardly. It seemed like a biggie and now I felt bad.

"I, er, got you a gift," I blurted, hoping to change the subject. Reaching into my backpack, I pulled out the terribly wrapped present and held it out nervously. "I hope you, er, like it."

Her eyebrows raised as her eyes flickered between the present and I. "Oh? You didn't have to. I wasn't expecting anything."

Was it hot in here or was it just me?

I pulled my collar away from my neck, hoping to circulate some air. "I wanted to. It's not a big deal."

She accepted the gift, fingers brushing mine and making me even more nervous, before opening it up. Her eyes sparkled with delight as she revealed a brand new leather paintbrush carry case.

"The one you always carry around is tattered and falling apart, so I thought I'd get you a new one," I explained, feeling like I had to. "I mean, unless the other one has some sort of sentimental value, then in that case, I can just return this."

"Are you kidding? I love it!" she exclaimed, looking to me with a grin. "It's beautiful, Y/N. I don't even know what else to say."

My shoulders relaxed, a relieved smile tugging at my lips. "Good. Th-that's good. I'm glad you like it."

Without warning, she moved forward off her stool and wrapped her arms around my shoulders, pulling me in for a hug. I was startled, unable to think straight with her body pressed so close to mine and her floral perfume wafting into my nose. Why did she have to smell so good?

"Thank you," she muttered, pulling away but not quite letting go. Her eyes were glowing as they watched me carefully, accompanying her weak-in-the-knees smile. I was sure I'd melt. "It means a lot."

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak for fear I'd say something stupid. I resisted the urge to look down at her lips, which were pulled into a small, appreciative smile. She let go of me, looking to the case again and unravelling it. I caught my breath meanwhile, my senses still on override as her perfume lingered.

She was just so damn beautiful.

—

"Okay, how about this – robotic or organic aliens. Which would you rather invade our planet?" Y/BF/N asked.

I chuckled at his question. "Definitely haven't thought about that one, but let's see..."

We were hanging in the bleachers out near the football field as we waited for football practice to end. Y/BF/N had a Film project to do and needed to film the field, so I offered to help like the good friend I was.

"Probably organic," I answered as I balanced on the bleachers, standing up and tiptoeing down them like steps. "At least we could reason with them if they tried to kill us because they'd have a conscience. Robotic aliens would just be programmed to take over and that's it."

Y/BF/N seemed against the idea as he played with his camera. "Yeah, but if they were robotic, all we'd have to do is launch a missile at them and they'd explode. You can break metal. It's harder to break organic matter."

I stifled a laugh. "You've given this much thought, I see."

He gave me a knowing look. "You telling me you don't think aliens exist?"

I stopped tiptoeing and stood still as I looked down at him with humoured eyes. "You know I know aliens exist."

He waved his hand like that was enough reasoning. "There you go then!"

I laughed, wondering how he thought of this stuff, then continued to balance as I walked down the bleachers. Probably the wrong choice as when I heard a voice call me, I looked up, saw it was Wanda, then proceeded to miss a step and fall onto my arse.

"Oh God, Y/N, are you okay?" she asked, moving forward to help me.

My face heated up as Y/BF/N laughed his arse off beside me. I accepted Wanda's hand and let her pull me up, before letting go immediately when I could handle it myself. Her presence always made me nervous, but this was just terrible.

"Yeah, I'm good," I said, glancing at her and freezing at her piercing gaze and suppressed smile.

"You sure?" she asked, glancing at Y/BF/N, before trying to hide her own laughter.

Fuck me, why was I such a mess whenever she was around?

"Very sure," I said, though my back began to ache from where I hit it. "What's up, anyway?"

Y/BF/N finally shut up, to my relief, and Wanda minimised her laughter before scratching her head.

"I'm waiting for practice to end so I can take Pietro home," she said, nodding to the field. "I saw you both sat here and thought I'd say hi. Are you guys watching practice?"

"Not really," I answered, before tilting my head to Y/BF/N. "We're just waiting for it to end so Y/BF/N can film for his project."

"Ooh, that sounds interesting," she said, intrigued and looking to him now. "What's that about?"

As he caught her up on it, I found myself checking Wanda out without realising. She was animated as she listened to Y/BF/N talk about his assignment, eyes giving him all of her attention, and a permanent smile was fixed on her lips as she listened to him. Though it wasn't directed at me, I felt butterflies swirling a storm in my stomach and clutched it, hoping they'd go away. I loved and hated the feeling all at once.

Breaking me from my reverie, a football flew past all three of us and hit the bleachers, startling us all. We looked in the direction it came from and saw the football team looking back at us, some laughing and some disgruntled. Two players ran towards us and when they got close enough, I made them out as Pietro and Nate.

Nate was laughing as he looked between us all, before his gaze fell on me. "It's Y/N, right? I feel like I'm always throwing that thing at you. Sorry about that."

But his constant laughing and lack of guilt refuted his words. I merely clenched my jaw and narrowed my eyes his way, not that he seemed to care nor notice. I was a mere fly in a world that revolved around him. He'd never notice.

"Babe, I'm sorry, I didn't even know you were over here," he added, looking to Wanda. "You okay?"

Wanda crossed her arms and seemed frustrated. "I'm fine, Nate. Just get your ball."

He shrugged and grabbed his ball. Before leaving, he pressed a kiss to Wanda's cheek which made me wince, but she made no attempt in enjoying it. He didn't seem to care as he took off running back to his team. Pietro smiled apologetically at the three of us.

"I'm sorry," he said genuinely. "He can be such a dick sometimes."

That was the understatement of the century.

With that, he turned and ran back to his team to finish up. Wanda sighed, running a hand through her hair, as Y/BF/N and I exchanged glances.

"I should get the car running," she said awkwardly, pointing a thumb over her shoulder and towards the car park. "Good luck with your assignment, Y/BF/N. And I'll see you tomorrow, Y/N."

Waving goodbye with an awkward smile, I watched her leave and wondered the same thing I always did whenever Nate decided to make an appearance in my life.

How could she be dating such a dick?

—

Apart from the birthday party I didn't go to, I'd never been invited (or had a reason to go) to Wanda's house. I'd seen it, rode my bike past it, but never actually been in it. So, when she invited me to her place to work on a project we'd been assigned in class, I was unsure how to feel. She was adamant though and I had no reason to say no, so the only thing left to do was say yes. Even when she offered to drive me there after school.

"This is your car?" I asked with disbelief.

I knew absolutely nothing about cars, but I wasn't blind. Hers was a gorgeous deep red colour with a convertible roof that was currently lowered so anyone in it would feel the sun on their back and wind in their hair.

"Yeah, you like it?" she asked as she got into the driver's seat.

I gulped and sat in the passenger's seat, throwing my backpack at my feet. "It's so nice. You sure you don't mind me drinking in this?"

I had a Pepsi bottle in my hand and was deathly afraid of opening it now in case I spilt it and the cleaning bill would be more than I made in a year at the pizza parlour.

She laughed, already pulling out of the car park. "Of course. Don't be silly."

I glanced in her direction, trying not to get distracted by how good she looked in the driver's seat. She was wearing a red leather jacket, funnily enough, matching the exterior of her car, and she had dark eyeliner around her eyes, accentuating the shape and colour of them and leaving me speechless whenever she looked my way.

"There's CDs in the glove compartment," she was saying as she focused on the road. "Or you can mess around with the radio. It's up to you."

"CDs?" I asked, it piquing my interest. I reached into the glove compartment, adding, "What is this, the 2000s?"

She rolled her eyes playfully, accepting my teasing, as I flicked through the small stack of albums.

"I don't know, I guess I just like having the physical version," she said with a shrug. "It's kind of like a collection."

I chuckled at her need to explain herself, watching the way she rubbed her neck nervously, smiling with embarrassment. Looking back to the albums, a particular one grabbed my attention and I plucked it out with raised brows.

"Oh my God, you like Paramore?" I asked, looking to her with surprise. "Now it's definitely the 2000s."

Her cheeks flushed as she grew flustered. I nudged her in the side gently, getting her attention briefly.

"I'm kidding," I reassured, tilting my head her way playfully. "I actually love Paramore. They're my favourite band."

"Really?" she asked with surprise as I put the CD in her car. I hummed in response, to which she continued, "Have you ever seen them live?"

As For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic played quietly in the background, I nodded my head. "Yeah, once. It was a few years ago, but the tickets were shitty and I could just about make them out on stage in the distance."

Wanda laughed, the sound making my heart skip a beat. "No, that's so sad!"

I chuckled in agreement. "Yeah. It was, but oh well. They have a tour coming up this summer, right? Maybe I can get better tickets this time 'round... what about you? Have you ever seen them live?"

She hummed, making a turn at some traffic lights and chewing her lower lip as she focused on doing so. It was definitely the wrong time, but I found myself admiring how attractive it was, especially when her jaw tensed and her defined jawline was on display.

"Yeah, I saw them a few times," she finally responded, pulling me from my stupor. "Some really good seats, some really shitty ones." She giggled at the end, making me smile. "Maybe we could go to that concert in the summer. If you're up for it?"

This seemed like one of those times where you made plans with a friend that you knew would never happen, so to not cause an awkwardness in the conversation, I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, maybe."

She glanced at me and I mirrored her smile, the flash of excitement in her eyes knocking me breathless.

When we reached her house, I was awestruck at how big it was from the inside. I mean, it looked huge from the outside, but the inside was even better. Her family were rich, I knew that, but this was some other level of rich.

"Here, c'mon, I'll get you a drink, then we can go into the dining room to start," Wanda said, failing to recognise my amazement and instead leading me to the kitchen. "We have tropical juice, apple juice, water, Sprite, Cola... which d'you want?"

I settled at the island, taking a seat and subtly admiring her kitchen. "Er, apple juice is fine with me."

She smiled brightly before pouring me a glass, whilst pouring herself some Sprite. Standing opposite me, we both took a moment to have a drink, but didn't get chance to exchange words as her mum entered the room and noticed me instantly.

"Y/N, it's so lovely to see you again!" she said kindly, patting me on the shoulder before heading to the fridge. "You girls hanging out? Studying?"

"We have a project," Wanda filled in as I nodded in agreement. "We alright to claim the dining room?"

After grabbing some water from the fridge, Wanda's mum pressed a kiss to her daughter's cheek. "Sure thing, sweetie. If you need anything, just let me know." Smiling once more at me, she said, "It's good to see you, Y/N."

"You too," I said with a friendly smile before she left.

"Come on," Wanda said, motioning for me to follow. "We have tons to do."

The next hour and a half was spent with Wanda and I planning out our project, our work sprawled along the dining table messily. We were making progress, until she got a call suddenly. It seemed serious as she gave me an apologetic glance and excused herself. I let her go and leaned back in my seat, wondering what I could do as I waited for her to return. That thought was resolved quite quickly when Pietro popped his head in the doorway and spotted me.

"Y/N! What an honour to welcome you to our humble abode," he exclaimed, entering the room fully. "What brings you here?"

Pietro's presence always brought an amused smile to my lips. "Wanda and I are working on a Chemistry project. She's just nipped out for a phone call."

He tutted dramatically, crossing his arms. "Well, well, well. We can't have that! Wanda needs to learn to entertain her guests. C'mon. I was about to head to the gaming room and could use the company."

I was visibly surprised. "You have a gaming room? Dude, that's awesome!"

He laughed. "C'mon."

Joining Pietro, the two of us headed to this so-called gaming room and I was not disappointed. There was a huge TV with a PlayStation and Nintendo Switch connected to it, a snooker table, a foosball table, a dart board, some old arcade games – it was amazing, any gamer's biggest dream.

"What you feeling, princess?" he said with that flirtatious smile of his.

I rolled my eyes playfully. He was being overtly flirty, more so than his sister was – was it a Maximoff personality trait or something? – and I wasn't sure whether he meant it or was just being his usual self.

"Are you flirting?" I deadpanned, tilting my head curiously. "I can't tell."

He pocketed his hands, swinging back on the heels of his feet. "That depends. Is it working?"

Despite my lack of interest in him like that, I felt my face heat up at the attention. "Pietro, I must tell you that any moves you attempt to make kind of won't work."

"And why's that?" he asked, sitting on the edge of the snooker table with a cheeky smile on his lips. "Am I not your type?"

"Unless you change into a girl, then no," I played along, making him flush with embarrassment. "Hate to break it to you, but I'm gay."

"Okay, I guess that makes sense," he mumbled to himself, before sighing and meeting my eyes. "We can still be friends, right? Or is that forbidden since you're already friends with my sister?"

I laughed and approached him. "Friends works. I don't think Wanda will care. I certainly don't."

He grinned. "Awesome! Well, d'you wanna play a round of foosball?"

"Sure," I said with an amused expression. "Bet I can kick your arse."

He pushed himself off the table and feigned surprise. "Oh? Game on, Y/L/N."

I didn't realise how long Wanda had been on the phone until I managed to get through three rounds of foosball and was in the middle of a snooker game with Pietro.

"You may have beat me at foosball, but you're terrible at this," he pointed out with stifled laughter.

I'd missed my third shot and it was more funny than it was embarrassing.

"Your talking distracts me," I said dismissively, before lining up the next shot with my cue.

He watched as I tried to take my shot before sighing loudly. I glanced at him with a quirked brow.

"You have a thought you'd like to share?" I asked playfully.

He hesitated, moving forward to correct my posture. "Look, if you just aim it like this–"

"Don't even think about it, Romeo," I said jokingly, standing up straight and pushing him away gently. "I know what you're thinking."

He laughed. "What? I was just going to help you aim!"

I gave him a knowing look. "So holding me close is just a bonus?"

"Fine, take your shot without my help and see what happens," he said dismissively, waving his hand.

"I'll do just that," I said with confidence, before bending down and taking my shot. The ball hit the other and neither were pocketed, which was an achievement as I'd got the cue ball in several times before, but still pretty shit as I didn't score any points.

Pietro smiled with satisfaction, leaning on his cue. "You happy with that?"

I held in a laugh as I looked to him. "Shut up."

He chuckled before bumping me out the way. "Now for the professional."

Bending down to take his shot, he pulled back his cue before hitting the balls. They rolled around on the table and one ball was about to go in, but I quickly grabbed it before he could get the point.

"Y/N!" he shouted between laughter. "That's cheating!"

"Technically we didn't establish rules," I pointed out, before moving backwards as he tried to grab it from my hand. "What do you say to calling it a draw and playing something else?"

"I say that's a childish way to admit you've lost," he responded, before moving forward quickly. I dodged his attempt and he pursed his lips. "Y/N."

"Pietro."

He smirked. "Seriously?"

I grinned.

He tried to grab it again and ended up chasing me around the room as I avoided giving in. Taking the piss out of Y/BF/N enough times had prepared me for moments like this, so I was able to avoid Pietro long enough to run into whoever walked through the door.

"Shit, Wanda, I'm sorry," I said between laughter, steadying both me and her.

She smiled with confusion, about to speak, but Pietro caught up to me and lifted me up, throwing me onto the couch before I could protest.

"No more cheating," he said sternly, as I lifted my head from the pile of cushions on the couch to look up at him.

"You're an arse," I said, pushing myself up off the couch.

"And you're a sore loser!"

We had a mini staring competition before the two of erupted into laughter.

"You're not half bad, Pietro," I complimented as he helped me up.

"Thank you, princess," he said, the flirtatious smile on his lips again.

I shoved him in the shoulder playfully before looking to Wanda, who was chewing on her lip as she looked between Pietro and I with an unreadable expression.

"So, what prompted you to leave Y/N alone for an hour?" Pietro asked, wrapping an arm around my shoulder, making me shove him away. He grinned at me before looking to Wanda.

"Nate called," Wanda responded carefully, arms crossed as she continued to look between us. God, I hoped she didn't think Pietro and I liked each other. That would be embarrassing.

Pietro scoffed from beside me, making Wanda sigh with annoyance.

"Don't start, Piet," she said and gave him a look which he seemed to understand.

By the sounds of it, Pietro didn't seem to like Wanda's dick of a boyfriend either. That was strange since wasn't impressing the brother the first part of being in a relationship with someone? And they were on the same football team, so I figured he'd at least tolerate him.

"Are we alright to get back to studying?" Wanda asked, directing her stare to me. The annoyance she held for Pietro was still present in her eyes and I suddenly felt nervous when she looked my way.

"Yeah, of course," I said, before giving Pietro a half-smile. "Rematch at snooker next time. Sound good?"

"Try to keep the balls on the table and we'll see," he teased, before nodding to Wanda. "You should get back to your project before Wanda kills us both with her deadly glare."

I smiled awkwardly, looking back to Wanda as she was indeed glaring at her brother. Clearly there was some sibling rivalry going on here, and I definitely didn't want to get in the middle of it, so I headed to Wanda, signalling I was ready to leave.

The two of us headed back to the dining room in an uncomfortable silence. I felt like I'd done something wrong and she was giving me the silent treatment which was strange. Then I figured it was probably something with Nate that made her annoyed, so didn't question it too much.

We sat back down and I looked at what we'd done so far to try and pick up where we left off, but then she spoke out of the blue, taking me by surprise.

"Do you like my brother?"

It was so abrupt that I took a moment to acknowledge it, blinking. "What?"

"Pietro," she clarified, saying it with such dismissiveness like it wasn't a big deal. Her attention was on the books before us as she continued, "Do you like him?"

I tried not to laugh as I shook my head. "No, Wanda. I mean, don't get me wrong, he's a great guy. But yeah, no, I don't like him like that."

She chewed her lip, nodding, but I swear I saw a hint of a smile on her lips. I hoped it wasn't the thought of Pietro and I that made her annoyed. I wasn't that bad, was I? I know she cared about her brother and was probably overprotective, but me being his girlfriend couldn't have been that bad, right?

We got back to work in no time, getting a lot done. I didn't realise how late it was getting until Wanda's mum poked her head in, asking if I wanted to stay for dinner.

"Dinner?" I asked, eyebrows raising with surprise. I checked my watch and realised how long I'd been here. "Damn, maybe I should head back."

"Nonsense, you must stay," her mum insisted. "Y/M/N won't mind. A daughter of hers is a daughter of mine."

"You can even sleepover if you want," Wanda offered, and I almost choked on my own spit. "It's getting pretty late."

I shook my head, forcing a small smile so they wouldn't get offended. "Honestly, it's fine. I can head back."

"Please?" Wanda asked with a hopeful expression. "It's the least I can do. I kinda wasted your time for an hour earlier..."

"I should ask my mum," I said, chewing on the inside of my mouth.

"Oh, I'll ring and let her know," Wanda's mum said breezily, before looking to Wanda. "D'you think you can clear your things up? Your brother is gonna set the table."

"Sure, mum." Wanda smiled her way as she left, before looking to me. "I've got clothes and a spare toothbrush you can use tonight."

I smiled awkwardly, nodding. Sleeping over at my crush's house wasn't how I thought I'd be spending my Wednesday evening, yet here we were.

[wweassets]

Whenever Daniel Bryan puts Roman into the yes lock it brings out the slutty bottom out of Reigns fr- his back arches and he sticks that cute ass up in the air and he looks so fucking wrecked

And Adam Pearce being the one to get Daniel Bryan off of Roman Reigns on smackdown tonight... Stop feeding me so well...

Last time I wrote about Roman punishing Adam... Maybe it's time he rewarded him for getting Daniel off his ass (when Daniel was busy showing everyone how much of a bitch Roman truly is)

Adam was backstage, scrambling to fix the clusterfuck Bryan had made with his rampage.

He knew he had to think of ways to placate Edge and Roman because after tonight, they'd surely be out for blood.

Especially Roman.

Adam shivered; it won't be long before Roman takes tonight out on him, of course. His mind flashes back to the last time he made Roman angry- the man had handcuffed him to the bed and rode him mercilessly, never allowing Adam to come. His dick twitched in his pants at the memory and Adam shook his head.

Now isn't the time, he has to fix this mess before Roman-

"Pearce!" Heyman's shrill voice called out, and Adam flinched. Looks like he'll be facing the results of the shitshow sooner than expected. Fuck.

"Yes?" He turned around, anxiety making his heart pound. And for good reason, Heyman looked scared as fuck.

"He wants to see you."

Adam sighed, this is exactly what he didn't want to hear.

"Alright, let me go talk to the producers first-"

"Now," Heyman interrupted and Adam frowned at home, "You know how much Roman hates to wait."

He had a point, so naturally, like with all things concerning Roman, Adam gave in.

"Alright, take me to him," Adam said and Heyman nodded and let out a sigh of relief.

"Right this way." Heyman lead him to the physician's office. Concern struck Adam. He turned around to face Heyman.

"Roman's not hurt, is he?" Adam asked. A Wrestlemania main event with Bryan and Edge would not be as big a draw.

"Oh, of course not, the Chief's just making sure he's in peak physical condition!" Heyman rushed to explain and Adam nodded.

Heyman pushed the door open and ushered Adam in just in time to catch a shirtless Roman, sitting on top of the examination table, yelling at Jey.

"You embarrassed me, and our family, again! You keep on fucking things up over and over! How the fuck is Adam Pearce, who's been nothing but a stick up my ass, more helpful than you? He got me out of the fucking Yes Lock while you laid there in the ring, laid out like a little bitch!" Roman growled at Jey, who looked like he was going to piss himself, a feeling Adam could resonate with.

"Roman, I-'" Jey started, but Roman wasn't having it.

"Shut your ass up, I'm speaking! You don't even deserve to be in the same room as me. Get the fuck out of my sight!" Roman ordered and Jey silently nodded, quickly leaving the room, head hanging low.

"Now, you," Roman turned his attention to Adam, who gulped nervously.

"Yes, Roman?"

"C'mere," Roman crooked his finger at him, and Pearce hesitantly moved forward, stopping right in front of him.

"Closer."

Pearce shuffled closer. "This okay?"

"Nah, closer," and Pearce complied, so close that their chests were touching. Roman locked eyes with him, and then his hand shot out and grabbed Adam's tie, yanking Adam down so that their heads were level to each other.

"Daniel Bryan just made me his bitch tonight. The fact that his hands were on me makes sick. So I'm going to need you to own me tonight," Roman growled, and Adam gulped.

"Own...you?" Adam repeated dumbly and Roman sighed and rolled his eyes.

"You're going to pull out that nice, fat dick of yours and come on my face. You broke the Yes Lock and you deserve a reward." Roman told him, smirking and fuck, heat shot through Adam's veins.

"Oh," was all Adam could say, but to be fair all of his blood was headed south.

Roman released his grip of Adam's tie and Adam stumbled a bit.

"C'mon. Don't make me wait, unzip those slacks and pull out that dick," Roman ordered and Adam hurried to comply, pulling himself out, shivering at the cool air. He wasn't fully hard yet but his dick was definitely showing interest.

"Looks like someone's happy to see me," Roman said and Adam gave him an uncomfortable smile.

"Okay, enough games, spit in your hand, get that pretty dick hard for me," Roman said, eyes on Adam's prick and Adam shivered before doing as Roman told him, wrapping his fingers around himself.

I don't want this to be too long so I'll end it here for the first part.

MA’AAM THIS IS SO HOT... you are so good with your words i- wow

[kpophours]

One Love || part IV

➵ SF9: Youngbin x fem. reader / series, werewolf AU / fluff

➵ warnings: slight cursing

➵ word count: 3.4k

previous. | next.

The day was passing way too quickly for your liking, and when you finally left your department building that evening - already too late for the movie night -, you hadn't even managed to finish your last edit on the research paper Inseong wanted to publish soon.

You hurriedly left the campus, almost running towards your car. When you started the motor, your phone began to vibrate - Dawon’s caller ID showing up on screen. You quickly answered: "Hey Dawon."

"Where are you? Are you lost again?!", he asked without greeting you back, and you huffed. "I'm not! I only just got out of work, so I'm running a teeny tiny bit late - I'm sorry!", you apologized, but the man on the other end of the phone just laughed. "Well, you’ll just have to stay longer tonight, then - to make up for the lost time."

You rolled your eyes, but had to grin nevertheless. "I will, I promise. I'll just go by my apartment real quick to change into comfy clothes and then I'll drive over, okay?"

"Perfect! Please don't get lost again."

At that, you simply hung up on him and carefully navigated out of your parking spot, speeding away.

Half an hour later, you were already driving towards the farmhouse. You had managed to find it without any problems this time, and parked directly in front of it. You quickly got out of the car, grabbing your bag from the passenger’s seat and followed the path towards the porch and front door. At home, you had quickly changed into comfortable clothing, so now you were wearing a pair of black leggings and an oversized knitted jumper, some fluffy socks in your bag to put on later. You had also bought some snacks for the movie night - salted tortilla chips and double chocolate chip cookies.

When you rang the doorbell, you were greeted by Zuho who immediately opened the door, surprising you. "Were you... waiting for me?", you asked, a bit baffled, before entering, letting him pull you into his arms for a short hug. The handsome man grinned. "Yes, Dawon didn't want us to waste any second."

You just laughed at that, kicking off your shoes and jacket and following the tall man into the living room. Dawon had transformed it into an even cozier place for tonight: fluffy throws, a somewhat ridiculous amount of pillows as well as some mattresses where all placed in front of the giant tv screen mounted to the wall. "YOU'RE HERE!", Dawon immediately yelled upon spotting you, jumping up from one of the mattresses and running over to you, hugging you enthusiastically. You laughed, returning his hug. "Hello, Dawon. Sorry I'm late - I brought snacks though.", you said playfully, shoving said snacks into his arms. "Ohhh, you're forgiven - double chocolate chip cookies, my favorites!" His eyes shone while he walked back towards the couch where Jaeyoon laid sprawled upon. He only lazily waved at you from his comfy looking place upon the many pillows, and you smiled at him. Just then, Rowoon entered the living room, hugging you as well and smiling cutely, showing off his dimples. "Found the way this time?", he asked playfully, and you rolled your eyes. "Great, I'll never hear the end of this...", you murmured, only half-serious, making the others laugh.

"Nope, never!", Dawon shouted, already munching on a cookie. You fell down beside him, quickly putting on your fluffy socks - white with little pink hearts on them. Dawon eyed them with raised eyebrows. "Jealous?", you asked teasingly and he nodded.

"Immensely."

You giggled and grabbed for the cookie he had just taken from the box. "Hey!", he protested, and you grinned widely.

"Sharing is caring." With that, you shoved the whole cookie into your mouth, beaming. Dawon immediately began to tickle your sides, which caused you to laugh and then choke on the cookie. After your coughing fit didn't stop for some seconds, Dawon looked slightly alarmed, beginning to gently smack your back in the hope of freeing your windpipe again. Thanks to that, you were finally able to breathe again, but tears had filled your eyes from almost suffocating. You just looked accusingly at Dawon, still unable to talk.

"I'M SORRY!", he immediately shouted, somewhat panicked.

"Great, we have her over for only the second time ever and you almost manage to kill her off. Good job, Dawon.", Zuho commented, gazing at the older man in an amused manner and gently flicking a finger against his head. "Hey! That hurt.", the other man complained, rubbing the sore spot on his forehead and stealing another glance at you - who was still slightly red in the face, but had finally calmed down a bit.

"Sorry.", he mumbled again, and you smiled at him. "It's okay. But I sure as hell won't be stealing another cookie from you in the near future." He laughed at that. "Good."

Thanks to his wolf's hearing, Youngbin had known you’d arrived the second you had parked your car in front of the house. He had also heard you greet his pack members as well as your bickering with Dawon and your coughing fit. He wanted to go downstairs and greet you as well, but he was nervous - what if the others noticed you were his mate?

Jaeyoon and Dawon weren't known as the... subtile kind of people, so if they found out about this, they'd probably start giving hints or making inappropriate jokes and innuendos. Zuho and Rowoon wouldn't to anything like that - both were way too thoughtful for that. But Zuho was also very perceptive, so if one of the others would find out... it would definitely be him.

Youngbin sighed deeply, lost in thought, and looked at himself in the mirror mounted to the wall beside his door. He was wearing black joggers and a tight long-arm shirt - comfy clothes for a relaxed evening in front of the tv. Still, he couldn't bring himself to leave his room and go downstairs to join you just yet - even though his wolf was purring inside him, demanding to see his mate who was SO close to him.

"YOUNGBIN!"

He sighed even deeper this time.

"KIM YOUNGBIN!" That was Dawon, of course. "WE WILL START WITH OR WITHOUT YOU!"

"Do it without me then.", he murmured and ruffled his hair, slightly exasperated.

"Y/N MISSES YOU ALREADY!"

At that, he stopped mid-gesture, heart beating way too fast inside his chest.

"DAWON!" That had been your voice, sounding rather squeaky and shocked. Youngbin couldn't help but smile, chuckling to himself at your obvious embarrassment.

Meanwhile, you - still sitting downstairs in the living room beside Dawon - were mortified.

"What? You just asked for him!", the cheeky man just said, looking smug, and continued to munch on another cookie.

"I- yes, b-but...", you began to stammer, but Dawon immediately interrupted your rambling: "No but! Apparently, you seem to miss him - why would you ask for him otherwise?”

"I- just... I mean, he said he would join our movie night! I just wanted to know where he is... because he's not here... and I thought that maybe he went out or something like that...", you murmured, feeling your cheeks grow hot.

"I'm not out, don't worry. Tadaa, here am I.", that was Youngbin’s voice, sounded rather amused. You looked up, feeling his burning gaze on you when you saw him standing in the doorway of the living room. Your cheeks were definitely red by now, you were sure of it. "Well, obviously.", you answered, trying not to sound or seem too affected by him: did his shirt HAVE to be that tight?!

He grinned at you and plopped down onto the mattress beside you, shifting around until he sat comfortably. His leg brushed against yours, and you felt your breath hitch a little, but you stared stubbornly at the tv screen in front of you, determined to ignore him.

"Sooo... Now that we’re all here - what movie do we want to watch first?", Jaeyoon finally asked, absentmindedly sorting through the dvd collection. "Black Panther!", Dawon immediately yelled, his loud shout making you jump. Youngbin beside you grinned, and you shoved him playfully. "Don't laugh at me!"

"I wouldn't even dream of it.", he replied, eyes sparkling with mischief. You stuck out your tongue at him and quickly looked back at Jaeyoon again. "Any Marvel movie sounds good to me.", you finally said diplomatically, "Except for the old Spiderman ones. Those ones are way too cringy - especially the third one."

Zuho nodded in agreement. "I'm against those ones as well. How about Lord of the Rings though?"

"I just watched all of those last weekend. But I love them, so any of those would be fine with me.", you said. "Harry Potter?", Rowoon proposed, and before you could happily exclaim your approval, Dawon interfered: "Nah, we always watch those during our movie nights. How about Star Wars?"

You continued to argue for almost fifteen minutes before finally settling on Black Panther, Dawon’s first suggestion. You quickly snatched one of the fluffy throws before the boys began to fight over the rest of the blankets, happily cocooning yourself into the duvet. Youngbin beside you was the only one not trying to get one of the comfy throws, and you looked at him, a silent question on your face. He just shrugged. "I don't want to fight with them.", he explained quietly, and you smiled at him, offering to share your blanket. At first, he looked a bit taken aback by your offer, but began to smile after a few seconds. "Thanks." With that, he quickly scooted closer, slipping under the blanket as well. Your heart began to race at his close proximity, but you tried to seem unaffected by him. Youngbin could almost feel your nervousness, which was pretty much mirroring his own state of mind.

You didn't manage to concentrate on the movie the whole time - you were way too occupied with Youngbin sitting directly beside you. You were almost cuddling, sitting so close to each other. After a while, you grabbed the edges of the throw and pulled it up and over your shoulders, now completely covered by the blanket.

"Are you cold?", Youngbin murmured quietly so only you were able to hear him. You shrugged. "Not really, but it's cozier like this.", you whispered, not looking at him. "Mhm.", he gazed at you from the corner of his eye and pulled the the blanket higher as well. After a few more minutes had passed, you felt the lightest of touches on your wrist. Your heart stopped for a second before sputtering to life again and pumping way too much blood through your whole body. Your sharp intake of breath was thankfully drowned out by the loud sounds of the movie. You finally moved your hand a bit and it easily slipped into Youngbin’s bigger one, your fingers interlacing. You couldn't suppress the small smile playing on your lips and out of the corner of your eye, your saw it mirrored on Youngbin’s face as well. You stayed like this for the rest of the movie, Youngbin’s thumb tracing light patterns on the back of your hand. Your pulse was still too fast, he could feel it thanks to your hands being pressed together - but it only mirrored his own heartbeat. It took him every ounce of strength to not simply wrap both arms around you and pull you onto his lap - he only held back due to his younger brothers being in the same room as you two.

After Black Panther ended, Dawon jumped up from his many throws and pillows, running towards the dvd collection. "And now?", he looked at the others, raising one eyebrow when he saw you and Youngbin huddled together under one blanket, looking very cozy with each other. It was only thanks to Rowoon’s warning gaze that he didn't say anything - yet.

"Deadpool?", Jaeyoon proposed, grinning widely. Dawon groaned. "Your obsession with that movie is getting out of hand, Jae!"

"Hey! That's not true - but it’s just... so good!"

The other man just grumbled something inaudible and gazed at you. "What do you want to watch?"

You raised both eyebrows, shifting a bit in your place. "Uh... Deadpool's fine with me?", you answered diplomatically, earning yourself a radiant smile from Jaeyoon. "Same goes for me.", Youngbin nodded in agreement, quickly followed by Rowoon and Zuho. "Mhm, fine.", Dawon mumbled defeated, putting the dvd into the player and quickly snuggling back under his blankets.

Rowoon, Jaeyoon and Dawon all fell asleep during the third movie. Your own eyes got heavier and heavier with very passing minute too, until your head finally dropped down on Youngbin’s shoulder. He inhaled sharply, looking down at you, not even realizing that Zuho was observing him. He smiled softly at you - his mate -, burying his nose in your soft hair and inhaling deeply. You smelled fresh and sweet and just like… home, in a way.

You mumbled something inaudible before shifting a bit and burying your face in the crook of Youngbin’s neck. Carefully, so as not to wake you, he finally wrapped his arms around you. "Mhmm.", you made, eyes still closed, but your arms wrapped around his torso as well. It was only then that Youngbin noticed Zuho observing him. "Is she your mate?", the younger man asked, his gaze steady. Youngbin froze for a few seconds before he finally nodded.

"That’s what I thought. Does anyone else know?", Zuho inquired further, a soft smile on his face.

"I don't think so. I just… didn't know how to tell you guys...", Youngbin murmured.

The other man sighed. "Well, I get it. Just... don't let too much time pass. Tell Inseong, at least - he deserves to know."

Youngbin closed his eyes for a few seconds before he nodded. "Yeah, you're right - it just... never seemed to be the right time so far."

Zuho tilted his head to one side, observing his alpha for a second. "He will understand. It's not as if he’ll be able to say anything against it."

"I know, but I still feel bad after... well, you know what happened." Youngbin looked defeated, but Zuho just shook his head. "The past is the past, Youngbin, you can’t change it anymore. You have to try and forgive yourself - so that you can have a brighter future with your mate."

"I know. I will try. I just need some more time to figure everything out. Could you-"

"I won't tell."

Youngbin smiled at his younger brother. "Thank you. We... we're going on a date tomorrow. After that, I will tell Inseong and maybe the others too."

Zuho grinned. "She's already fallen for you, so don't worry too much."

Youngbin raised his eyebrows. "And how do you know that?"

"I'm the proud owner of a perfectly working pair of eyes. Everyone who's only a little observant can see how she looks at you. And by the way - you're not even half as good an actor as you think.", Zuho said, amused, making his alpha groan.

"So, maybe you're not the only one who has noticed...?"

"Nope. Pretty sure Inseong already knows what's up too - and Rowoon, Hwiyoung as well, maybe."

"Well, great...", Youngbin murmured, immediately looking down at you when you shifted in his arms, making a small whimpering sound in the back of your throat, hands fisting into his shirt.

"Hey, Y/N.", he whispered, shaking you gently, "You're just dreaming. You’re safe."

"Nooo...", you whined again, eyes moving fast behind your closed eyelids. Youngbin shook you again, this time really trying to wake you up. "Y/N, you're having a nightmare - wake up.", he said, a bit louder this time. You finally opened your eyes, scanning your surroundings in mild panic. "W- what happened?", you murmured, still not completely awake yet.

"You had a nightmare.", Youngbin explained softly.

"Oh... I'm sorry.", you whispered, ducking your head in slight embarrassment.

"Don't apologize! What... what did you dream of? Are you okay?"

Your heart began to flutter when you realized that Youngbin’s arms were protectively wrapped around you - and that he was gazing at you with soft, understanding eyes, his face only inches away from yours. "It... it doesn't matter.", you whispered, still holding onto his shirt with both hands. "You can tell me.", he murmured, his eyes darting to your lips, before he looked into your eyes again.

You just smiled. "I know. But not tonight, okay?"

He simply nodded - and in that moment, Dawon groaned and rose from his many pillows, dark hair sticking out in different directions. You and Youngbin immediately separated, bringing some distance between your bodies. "What time is it?", Dawon asked, tiredly rubbing his eyes. "A bit after three in the morning.", Zuho answered, making you jump - you had completely forgotten about him, as he was sitting on the sofa behind you. "That late already?", you gasped, throwing the blanket from you, "I need to get home!" Dawon looked at you in a slightly incredulous manner. "Are you serious? It's way too late for you to be driving! You're staying the night.", he said, shaking his head at your protest, "And that's not debatable."

You helplessly looked at Youngbin, but he just shrugged. "I agree with Dawon. We don't want anything to happen to you - and we have more than enough rooms for you to stay in."

"I... I don't even have pj's with me! Or a toothbrush!", you said, already sounding defeated though. Youngbin grinned. "We can provide, don't worry."

"Well... alright then?", you finally agreed.

"Yay! A sleepover!", Dawon yelled, managing to wake Jaeyoon and Rowoon with the noise.

"Hey, what's going on?", Jaeyoon asked groggily, looking around in a confused manner. "Y/N’s staying the night.", Dawon declared happily, already jumping up. "I'll get you some pj's from me and show you your room."

"No, I'll do that.", Youngbin intercepted immediately, the wolf in him growling at the prospect of seeing his mate in Dawon’s clothes. "I- what?", the younger man looked taken aback, eyes big and round in his face. "Just let it go, Dawon.", Zuho said, poking the other man with his naked foot. "Hey! That's not very sanitary!", the latter one complained, throwing a pillow at Zuho.

"Oh lord, let's move - this will not end well.", Youngbin murmured, hurriedly pulling you with him out of the living room. He didn't let go of your hand even when you had already left the room - he just pulled you with him up to the second floor, pointing at one of the many doors. "That's one of the bathroom, it's mostly used by the other guy's mate- uh, girlfriends. There are fresh toothbrushes under the sink as well as towels, wash cloths and so on. And this will be your room for the night." With that, he opened another door, leading to a small yet cozy room with a single bed, an almost overflowing bookcase and an old rocking chair. "I'll bring something for you to wear to bed.", Youngbin said, smiling softly and disappearing into a room a bit further down the floor.

You stepped into your room for the night, immediately walking towards the bookshelf and looking at the many books. You knew some of the titles, but not all of them - some of them were in different languages, Latin and Greek, some even seemed to be Japanese, Korean and Chinese.

"Here you go."

You jumped when you heard Youngbin’s voice behind you, not having realized that he had entered the room again. You turned around and took the dark clothes he held out towards you. "Thank you. I... we are still on for tomorrow, right?", you asked, somewhat shyly all of the sudden. Youngbin leaned against the doorframe and smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "Definitely. I’ve been looking forward to this the whole week."

You immediately beamed up at him. "Me too."

"Well, then... sweet dreams. If you need anything - my room is the last one at the end of the floor, on the right side.", he murmured softly, one hand reaching for the doorknob.

You flushed at the idea of going to his room while he was sleeping, but nodded nevertheless. "Thank you - you sleep well too." He winked at you and finally closed the door behind him.

After recovering from his wink, you quickly changed into Youngbin’s clothes - a pair of dark shorts that reached past your knees as well as a big, comfy shirt. Both smelled of laundry detergent, but also a bit of him. You’d never admit to having buried your nose into the shirt - even though it definitely did happened. After quickly removing your make-up and brushing your teeth, you slipped between the unfamiliar covers of the single bed, closing your eyes. 

Just seconds later, you were already fast asleep again - no nightmares haunting you this time.

[next chapter] | [all chapters]

[mithranqueersmusings]

Starrison Week - Day 2 - Hamburg

Rating: G

Summary: George has always found himself drawn to Ringo, eventually he'll admit that it isn't just because of his drumming ability.

Tags: One Shot, Hamburg

Pairing: George Harrison/Ringo Starr

AO3 link here / Fic masterlist here

Another wild night in Hamburg, with John wandering on stage with a toilet seat hanging around his neck, Paul committing acts of arson in the streets and George sitting on his own in the club watching Rory Storm and the Hurricanes play, maybe that wasn't as wild as his band mates but it was all the thrill George needed. The band were fairly good, they were a big deal back in Liverpool and certainly made The Beatles look like a bunch of classless ruffians.

"Not so much a hurricane, more like a light drizzle." John had commented once.

George wasn't here for the music, not that the music was especially bad of course, instead he was here for one band member in particular: Ringo Starr, you don't get a cooler name than that. Ringo was the drummer, and a talented one at that, The Beatles all agreed - excluding Pete - that he was the most capable member of the band. Ringo had a name for himself back home, mostly for drumming but also for being quite the ladies' man. George completely understood why, with the white streak in his hair and the full beard, George had more hair growing inbetween his eyebrows than he did on his chin. But the aspect of Ringo's appearance that George enjoyed the most was the bright pink suit he had to wear while he played, it was so ridiculous that it was gorgeous. They couldn't look more different to the dark, leather-clad Beatles.

At this point in the night George would sit and watch the band play, afterwards he'd join them from drinks in the hopes that he'd catch a conversation with Ringo. They'd spoken quite a bit, George figured Ringo took a shine to him because he was so young - George constantly tried to remind him that a 3 years difference was not that large at all. On occasion Ringo would be a little preoccupied with women, they seemed to swarm around him, which meant George would have to sit quietly either waiting for them to leave or just leaving himself. Paul and John loved to tease George about it, they thought the issue was jealousy rooted in the fact that George was still a virgin - a fact John loved to relay to almost strangers - when in fact George didn't want to be with any of those girls sitting in Ringo's lap, he wanted to be them.

After a few more drinks vanishing down his throat, the band finished and trailed lazily over to the bar, all except for Ringo who headed towards George.

"Now was that shit or really shit?" Ringo asked with a huge smile.

"Is really really shit an option?" George asked, pushing his drink towards Ringo who accepted it gladly.

"Everyone's a critic." Ringo sighed, passing the drink back over "Where are your boys tonight?"

"Fuck knows." George chuckled nervously.

"Why don't you join them? Instead of watching little old me." Ringo batted his eyelashes enthusiastically.

"You're not that little." George teased "Besides, I like watching you guys play. And the last thing I need is getting involved in their shenanigans and getting deported again."

Ringo laughed "Ah, yes. George Harrison, the vicious criminal guilty of being unsupervised."

George shoved him lightly "Piss off, I'm not that young."

Ringo smiled at him "If you're not young, I'm not small. Nobody's perfect."

"Speak for yourself." George scoffed then took a sip of his beer, his eyes drifted over to the bar where the rest of the band were drinking and laughing "Aren't you gonna join them?"

Ringo followed his gaze and looked over at his band mates "Nah, I'm alright. I'd rather sit here with you." He seemed to regret his words and then added "Can't leave you on your own, might get deported again."

"Ha ha." George said dryly.

"I'm surprised you don't get approached sitting here on your own, looking all moody and mysterious." Ringo stretched his legs out under the table, they brushed against George's for a mere second.

"I do get approached." George grinned.

"Oh really? And where are these lovely ladies, did I scare them off?" Ringo scanned around the room.

"I never said any ladies came over." George took another swig from the bottle, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh." Was all Ringo said, silence enveloping the both of them.

After a few minutes George sputtered into laughter "I was talking about you, you idiot."

Ringo began to laugh nervously "Oh, right... For a second there I thought you were-"

"Pfft, come off it." George interrupted "That's just something Paul likes to say about me."

Ringo took the beer and finished the final swig "I wouldn't care if you were, just so you know."

George stared at him inquistively for a few moments then laughed "I should've known. Nobody would wear that much pink unless they were hiding something."

"Don't think they'd wear that much leather either." Ringo quipped back almost immediately.

George was stunned for a moment, he looked at Ringo alarmed as he tried to decide what was best to say next. Ringo seemed to notice his momentary panic, so he scooted up closer towards him and threw an arm around his shoulder. Ringo felt ridiculously hot, George almost flinched at the contact.

"It's nothing to worry about, George." Ringo lowered his voice, it made George want to shudder "I had an inkling ever since I heard a pretty boy like you was still a virgin."

George gulped but tried to maintain his composure "Pretty? I'm no bird, don't get it twisted."

"Oh, I'm sure." Ringo moved even closer so that he was practically kissing George's ear "Why don't you show me just how manly you are?"

George couldn't help letting out a nervous laugh "How'd you mean?"

Ringo backed away then, standing up smoothly like he'd been having a normal conversation "I fancy a smoke out back, care to join me?"

George had never moved so fast in his life.

It was safe to say that George learned very quickly why Ringo had earned his reputation, and it was certainly deserved.

[orange-waterfalls]

Favorite Things

Captain Magnum x gender neutral!reader

@rattyships ty for the request!

A/N: YES the title is a quote, YES it's from That One Song™, YES I based this fic off of that idea, leave me alone. Uh... Christmas. Yeah. Captain Magnum seems way too calm in this fic for my own liking, but y'know. Reader can paint even though I am physically unable to, so. There's that. Fluffy. Rated PG because there's one two "hell"s and one "damn" and that's it. It's cheesy and that's why it's great.

Word Count: 2.0k

--

You paced around your cabin, very anxious. Christmas was in three days! What were you supposed to get everyone? You didn't know what anyone liked! Or that they even celebrated…

Well, who says no to a gift, right?

You went over to your secret chest (nobody on that damn ship knew how to share) and opened it up to see how much treasure you had. Not much, but it was there. You could buy a lot in normal markets with these. Maybe you could convince the Captain to take you back home for the holidays?

Well, you never know until you try, right?

But what would you buy? They have quite enough gold and jewels, none of them seem to have any interest in anything, you doubted they'd like something homemade…

This was gonna be difficult.

You sighed and closed your chest, walking over to your door. You opened it to find said Captain standing there, the rest of the crew behind him.

"Hi, Captain," you blinked in surprise. You probably should have been more confused than you were, but this boat was already super weird. He was smiling at you.

"Mornin', first mate!" He greeted. "We found a treasure map on a ship we were lootin'. We're about t' start searchin' fer treasure!"

"Oh. Alright. Gimme a minute," you smiled and closed the door. You sighed and rested your back on the door. Maybe you could find something on the island to give them…?

"Yeah, they'll love a nice flower crown…" You snorted at your own idea. You sighed and grabbed up your stuff, opening your door and walking over to the crew. They were all talking about how they couldn't wait to find more treasure. You rolled your eyes. Don't they have enough of it? You took a head count of how many of them there were. Five… five crewmates, five presents. Captain Magnum noticed you and smiled.

"Thar ye be! I thought ye would lock yourself in yer cabin th' whole day!" He, along with the rest of the crew, laughed. You smiled saltily. "Wha' were ye doin' in thar?" You looked around, trying to come up with something.

"Um… I was… I was…" you looked out onto the horizon for a moment, your eyes softening. The crew looked at you.

"Y/N?" One of them called to you. "Are ye-"

"Painting," you interrupted.

"What?" Magnum asked.

"I was… painting…" you looked back to them. They all stared at you for a minute.

"You… you paint?" One woman asked. You smiled and nodded at her. All of the crewmates looked at each other for a minute.

"Uh… wha' d' ye paint?" The other woman asked. You shrugged.

"Whatever, really. Animals, landscapes, whatever's in my room…" you looked over at Captain Magnum to make sure this was okay. He sighed and plopped himself down on a stair. You smiled and turned back to the group.

--

You explained painting to the crew for 15 minutes. You had no idea they'd be so interested in your hobby. They asked so many questions, some of which you'd somehow never heard. How long had these people been at sea?

Eventually, you looked over to see Captain Magnum looking impatiently at the island the ship landed at 10 minutes ago. You chuckled at him and stood up.

"Captain's getting a bit annoyed, guys. Let's go," the crew complained, but got off of the ship as you walked over to the Captain. He raised an eyebrow at you and you mimicked the action.

"They find ye mighty interestin'," he commented. You smiled.

"Yeah. Not more than you though. I doubt anything could be more interesting than those logs you have for legs." You both looked at each other for a moment before laughing. He stood and you both followed the crew off of the ship.

He lead the way to where the treasure was, the rest of you trailing close behind. One of the crewmates, a boy who looked no older than twenty-one, took your arm. You raised both eyebrows and looked at him.

"So… wha' were ye sayin' about watercolors?" He asked softly. You smiled as the other crew members gathered around you again. You looked up at Captain Magnum, who was smiling at you all. He chuckled and turned back around, continuing to lead the way. You sighed.

"Alright… so watercolor is probably one of the most well-known types of paint…"

--

You had found treasure on the island, and most of the crewmates became interested in that, but the boy who has asked you about watercolors stayed as you explained how people originally made paints from flowers. You saw the curious look in his eyes, and decided what you were gonna get everyone for Christmas.

You were gonna paint for them.

What, you weren't sure. But you sure as hell were gonna paint. Maybe… their favorite animals? Or maybe an object they really liked…

You decided to ask them what they liked.

The woman with the bandana really liked sea creatures. Specifically, narwhals. They were very pretty and could also impale people. She liked that about them. You didn't think she noticed you scribbling everything she said into a small notebook.

The woman with the eyepatch really liked swords. She knew a lot about them; names, origins, uses… it was slightly unnerving, but you couldn't judge.

The boy liked plants. He liked the fact that they were living beings, just like people and animals. Only, they were smaller and couldn't talk. They could, however, feel. And he liked that. You couldn't get over how soft he was…

The man who was first mate before you liked… hats. He liked that they all basically had the same function, but looked so different. You could respect that. Hats were very cool.

The next day, you decided to paint them pictures of their favorite things in their respective color schemes, and added a different color for each background. A blue and white narwhal with a green background, a red and black sword with a navy blue background, a black and orange flower with a dark green background, and a brown and maroon hat with a pastel red background (no, not pink. There's a difference). You spent an entire day painting the pictures. They turned out very well, in your opinion. You just hoped the crew felt the same.

After you were finished with those, you asked Captain Magnum what his favorite thing was. He thought for a moment, stroking his beard.

"Well… I suppose it'd be treasure!" He answered. You knitted your eyebrows together.

"Really? Treasure?" You asked, hoping for something more.

"O' course, treasure! I be a pirate aft all! Wha' would I like if it nah be treasure?" You sighed in slight disappointment. You thought that you would find something new about him but, nope. He loves treasure the most. You nodded and turned around.

"Well, that or ye." You stopped dead in your tracks. Did you hear that right? You slowly turned back towards him. He looked away from you, towards the horizon. The setting sun illuminated his face, tinting it orange, pink, and yellow. He looked like he was ripped right from a movie...

"What was that?" You asked, slightly distracted by how beautiful he looked.

"Treasure be a pirate's fav'rit thin' o' course. But, since ye showed up... I reckon me fav'rit "thin'" be me first mate. Ye." He said nonchalantly. A small smile creeped onto your face. Magnum looked at you, since you hadn't said anything in a while.

"So, you're saying… you love me?" You asked, fishing for compliments. Magnum flushed a bit. It was mostly hidden due to the sun, but you could still see.

"Well… er…" He scratched the back on his head, thinking of how to respond.

"Cause that's what I'm hearing here…"

"Um…"

"Exactly how much do you love me, Captain?" You smirked, leaning on the side of the ship, your cheek in your palm. Magnum finally took a deep breath and looked in your eyes.

"More than all th' treasure in all th' seven seas…" he stated. Your eyes widened as your smirk fell. You felt your face heat up and you turned away from him.

"Well, uh…" you coughed, "I should… get to bed… wanna be up early tomorrow, so…" you shuffled away.

"First Mate Y/N!" He called. You turned back towards him.

"Merry Christmas." He said. You smiled.

"Merry Christmas, Captain."

--

You walked into the deck, the crew already gathered. You figured Magnum must've gotten them. You took a deep breath and walked over, the paintings in your arms. The crew all waved and greeted you. You smiled and stood in front of them.

"So, uh… it's Christmas as you may or may not know…" you explained nervously. "So, um… I decided that, as gifts, I was going to paint for you all… and these were the results." You move forward and pass out all the works you painted. All of the crew seemed happy with their pictures. They showed them to each other and gawked over the detail and bragged about how good they looked. You finally walked up to Magnum, who was steering. You held out a painting to him.

"Wha', fer me?" He raised his eyebrows and took the picture. It was of a red, blue, yellow, and black ship with a sunset in the background and sparkling green and blue waves. The words "a pirate's life for me" were written on the back. He laughed heartily and pulled you into a hug.

"Oh, ye really outdid yourself, mate! 'tis wonderful!" He complimented. You managed to pull yourself out of the hug after a minute or two and handed him an envelope. He looked over at the rest of the crew and, upon seeing that no one else had one, tilted his head a bit.

"It's from her," You explained, pointing. Magnum nodded and looked over at the woman who was showing off her narwhal. She glanced at the Captain and winked as the boy with the flower painting giggled. Magnum plopped down onto a step, but you stayed standing. He opened the envelope to reveal a card. On the inside, it said "This thing you two have is special, more special than anything I could try to get. I can, however, make you realize exactly what you have". You frowned.

"What's that supposed to mean?" You asked. Magnum shrugged and gave you the envelope. You looked inside, seeing something green. You took it out and your eyes widened.

Mistletoe.

Mistletoe?

Where the hell did they find mistletoe?!

You looked at Captain Magnum, who was staring at you. He raised both eyebrows at the plant in your hand. You were holding it between you two accidentally (on purpose).

"We don't 'ave t' if ye don't wants t'..." He told you. You took a deep breath, telling yourself to stop being so weird about it because you knew he loved you back. Besides, the crew had all left to put their gifts in their rooms. You leaned down, since he was sitting, and softly connected your lips. He sat there for a moment, eyes wide, before closing them. You both stayed like that for a few seconds before you pulled away all too soon. His eyes looked hazy as you smiled.

"Merry Christmas." You whispered and walked to your room, leaving Magnum to process what happened.

You entered your room and leaned your back on the door, smiling widely.

"Well, that was the best Christmas present ever…" you mumbled to yourself. You started to giggle as you continued to think about it. You put your hands on your face in embarrassment. It was only a couple seconds, why were you being so weird? You jumped a bit when you heard a gentle knock at your door. You turned around and tilted your head. Who could that be? It was getting late and the crew had already shown their appreciation…

Unless…

You opened the door to reveal, you guessed it, Captain Magnum. He was holding the mistletoe you had left on the deck. You looked at him and raised an eyebrow. He smiled.

"Do ye... Uh... Wanna do that again?" He asked sheepishly. You laughed a bit before smiling up at him.

"Absolutely."

[nicolewoo]

Meeting Joe

Pairing Joe Anoai X Reader.

Warnings: none. This is pretty darn fluffy.

I had just gotten to the arena when I spotted red hair down the hall a bit. I slipped behind Becky and tapped her shoulder lightly. With a start, she stopped her conversation with Colby and turned around to see me standing there. She immediately screamed in delight and we fell into a great big bear hug.

“Bloody hell! What are you doin' here?” Becks asked as she pulled back to look at me.

I grinned from ear to ear. “I got called up.”

The news sent Becky into another bear hug as she said, “Why didn't you tell me?”

“I wanted it to be a surprise.” I pulled away from the hug and smiled at her.

She placed her hands on my arms and looked me over. “Never had a better surprise!” She smiled. Our glee was interrupted by Colby clearing his throat. A look of slight panic ran over her face as she realized what she'd said, “I mean, except for the day you proposed,” she said to him as he wrapped an arm around her waist. “Colby, t'is is Y/N. My very best friend from mah indie wrestlin' days. Y/N meet my fiance Colby.”

I was totally fangirling inside, but I managed to keep my calm as I shook his hand. “Oh, you're THAT Y/N?” he quirked an eyebrow at Becky. “I've heard all about you,” he smiled back at me.

“Whatever she told you,” I paused for effect. “It's probably true.” At that Becky and I both bust out laughing.

“Come on. Come on. We've gotta catch up.” Becks said grabbing my suitcase and heading down the hall with me in tow. “We can share my dressing room tonight.” She was walking so quickly down the hall that she didn't realize the puzzled look Colby shot her as he stopped dead in his tracks.

“Um, Becks.” I called to her from a few steps behind her. “I think we broke him.” I said turning back to Colby.

She turned to see the look on her fiance's face before realizing what she'd said. “Oh, Yeah. Sorry babe,” she reached out to grab his hand when he came closer to her. “Um, Y/N. We share a dressing room.” She pointed between she and Colby. “I got so excited, I forgot. Is it ok to use the general dressing room?” She asked.

“Actually,” I said as we continued down the hall, “I don't want to be treated special because I know you. I deserve to be in the general dressing room.”

Becky linked her arm in mine. “You're right, of course. You always are.” A look of incredulity crossed Colby's face.

“I've never heard her say those words before.” He said in mock wonder, which caused me to laugh.

“Really?” I quirked an eyebrow at him. “Because Becks used to tell me I was right all the time. Of course,” I looked at Becky and we both smiled before saying in unison. “I'm always right.” We both laughed at that.

“You two are gonna be trouble, aren't you?” Colby sighed out.

Becks went to him and wrapped her arm around his waist. “Of course we are darlin'. So just smile and go with the flow.” Again, we both laughed heartily at ourselves.

Becky got me settled into the locker room, making sure to introduce me to some of the other girls, so I could make friends. Being the new girl in a locker room is always an unnerving experience. Yes, the rest of the talent tried to be warm and welcoming, but there was always an underlying feeling of wondering if I was going to take their place. I was kind of used to it by now. I'd been the new girl in 4 companies. After the first few days, everyone always warmed up to me. One of the tricks I'd learned to ease the tension was to get to hair and makeup before anyone else. Most of the girls preferred to have their hair and makeup done just before going on stage, so they could look fresh. Since my hair was straight, and I wore only one braid in my hair so I didn't care when it got done. My hair would hold up for hours. As long as I didn't mess up my makeup, I was good.

Becky and I had agreed to meet in the mess hall at 5 pm. I felt a bit deflated when I realized I arrived before her. In fact, I was sitting alone at 5:05 when Dana Brooke approached me and invited me to join her table.  

Becky and Colby came in shortly after, with Joe Anoai tagging behind. Once they'd gathered their food, they joined us. “Joe, this is my good friend Y/N.” Becks began. When I looked up to greet him and our hands touched to shake, my eyes locked on his, and my heart stopped. Literally stopped for a beat. I thought that kind of thing only happened in cheesy romance novels, but apparently, my heart thought this was a cheesy romance novel, because it really did skip a beat.

“My pleasure,” His voice was low and raspy, and for a second I thought I could feel it inside me.

I tried to keep my wits about me as I shook back, “The honor is mine.” Should I stand up? Should I stay seated? I thought of a million things to say to him. I'm a big fan. I prayed for you when you were sick. Can I please give you a lap dance? Just take me now! I was just shaking off my immediate thoughts when he smiled down at me, which made me almost swoon. Thankfully, they all sat down, Becky on one side of me and Dana on the other. Joe sat across from Seth on the other side of Becky.

There were a lot of the normal first day questions. Where have you been wrestling? Who trained you? Everyone wanted to know about me, some out of kindness, others to see if I was a threat. Becky was happy to start rattling off my accomplishments, but I stopped her by changing the subject quickly. “Becks, what was the name of that song we used to sing all the time?”

I saw her face change, as she processed what I was doing. “Oh Yeah... I would walk 500 miles...” she trailed off.

I pretended that I didn't know and she'd just reminded me. “Yeah! That's the one. Remember singing it at O'Connell's Pub?”

“I LOVE that song,” Nikki Cross interrupted and started bouncing in her chair as she sang out the chorus. That got everyone at the table involved. Then the next table over chimed in, and soon the two tables were singing lines of the chorus back and forth.

My plan had worked. I grabbed my phone quickly and text Becky, “Hey, let's not talk about my accomplishments. I don't want anyone to think I'm bragging.”

I waited a second as she text back. “You're not bragging. I'm bragging for you!”

I sighed as I read her response. “Just, please, let's drop it.” I sent the message and waited for her to nod in response. Dinner was outright fun after that. There were lots of tales told and laughter shared among the two tables. A few times, when Joe was talking, I got to stare right at him, but when he wasn't talking, and he was pretty quiet tonight, I stole a few glances at him. A couple of times when I stole a look, I found he was already looking at me.

After dinner, I returned to the locker room with a few new friends in tow. I was so happy to be accepted so easily. Being friends with The Man was a good thing. As I stretched out, my mind wandered back to dinner. Well, not dinner so much as Joe. Was he trying to steal glances at me? Was he as affected by our touch as I was? Was that why his voice was so low when he greeted me?

I shook off the feelings. I shook off my suspicious. After all, I was here to work, not to hook up. This was the biggest opportunity in my life. I had to stay focused. I tried to think of Joe as a friend. I tried.

After wrestling, showering and changing into my street clothes, I headed to the common area where everyone was watching the show. I found Joe sitting by himself in the back. Immediately, I tried to calm the feelings that were rising up inside of me. I'd have to sit in front of him to keep myself from staring at him, because quite frankly, he was beautiful and I wasn't sure I could NOT look at him. I headed for a seat by Nikki when he beckoned me to sit by him.

“Hey,” He said as I sat beside him. “Did you get all settled in?” He asked sweetly.

“Yes,” I nervously brushed some of my hair behind my ear, and instantly regretted it, because I knew I looked stupid with my hair brushed behind my ear. How could I fix it without looking like the nervous Nelly that I was? Shit. There was nothing I could do now except hope I could get it to fall down again. .

As my mind went into a spiraling mess of nervousness and lust, he asked, “Is everyone being nice to you?”

The sincerity of his voice touched me. He really cared about it. “Yes. I didn't have any troubles.” I smiled at him, and he smiled back.

“Listen, Colby, Becks and I were talking. We've got a free seat in our car if you want to ride with us after the show.” As soon as he said it, he looked like he wished he hadn't.

“Um, you don't have to do that. I'm sure I could catch a ride with someone else.” I looked down at my feet.

“No. You should ride with us.” He seemed so calm about it. He didn't seem to be nervous like me. Of course he's not. I thought to myself. He's just being nice. He's not attracted to you. My mind reeled off a dozen negative thoughts Well shit. I had to ride with him now or it would look suspicious.

“I guess if you don't mind.” I paused as he smiled at me. “Thanks.” I said shyly and focused my eyes on the TV. Colby was just starting a match, and Joe's face changed. He was glued to the TV watching the match intently so I did the same.

“Wow. Did he land wrong?” I asked when Colby went down at an awkward angle.

Joe leaned closer to talk over the din of the room, “Nah. He's fine. Watch... he'll start forgetting to limp on that leg.” I watched and sure enough, after a bit of time, Colby forgot to limp.

“You called it.” I said, laughing.

Joe laughed back, “He always does that.” He looked down and shook his head in disappointment.

“I'd hate to hear what you say about my wrestling.” I teased.

“Nothing.” He looked at me, so I turned to face him.

“Um. What?” I asked.

Joe started fidgeting with his hair. Is he nervous? Of course not. One of the best wrestlers in the business is about to give you tips. Listen to him and get your head out of the gutter. “I've seen a few of your matches. You do an awesome job. Better than some of the most popular wrestlers.” He said it so matter-of-fact that I ignored the desire to ask what he meant. I simply looked back at the tv and thanked him.

After the match, Joe said, “I'm gonna go finish packing. Meet you here at 10:30?” He quirked an eyebrow at me which made breathing difficult for me. You need to get over this NOW. You're not going to be able to avoid him, so you need to bottle up these feelings. As the new resolve rushed through me, I agreed to the meeting time and went back to the locker room to gather my things.

“There she is,” Colby said as I entered the room.

I looked at Becks, Colby and Joe. “Am I late?”

Joe smiled as he walked up beside me and placed his hand on the small of my back leading me out to the hallway. “Not at all.” He said as Becky and Colby followed us. I expected once we were headed the right direction, Joe would remove his hand, but he didn't. Don't read anything into it. Everyone in the WWE was touchy/feely. He's just being nice.

“Shotgun!” Colby yelled as he went to the passenger side door.

“I figured you guys would want to nap in the back.” Becky said.

Colby climbed in the front seat, “Nah, it's only a 2 hour drive. I can make it.” He told Becky.

As I climbed into the back seat next to Joe, I sighed. God, if you're trying to be funny, please stop. I can only be tempted so far. We settled in for the drive. Becky and I were talking about old times, basically shutting the guys out of the conversation. We were only about 30 minutes into the drive when I noticed Joe starting to nod off next to me. He looked pretty silly too. His head was falling back, his mouth was open, his eyes closed. I tapped Colby on the shoulder and pointed out Joe.  “Yeah, he's a lightweight. Always falls asleep in the car after shows.” He chuckled.

Becky and Colby started talking, and I looked out the window at the passing farmland while I listened to the sound of Joe's breathing. Now, in the near silence with nobody talking to me, I began to feel tired too. I removed my jacket and balled it up to use as a pillow. I leaned it against the seat and curled up for a nap myself.

“Y/N” I heard a beautiful low voice say my name. I sighed. “Time to get up. We're here.” I knew that voice, It was Joe. I opened my eyes to realize I had my head in his lap. My jacket was spread over me like a blanket, and Joe was stroking my hair.

“What?” I said in a panic.

“We're here.” He smile down at me.

“But....” I sat up and stretched my arms out. “How did I end up in your lap?” Should I apologize?

Joe smiled kindly at me, “You started falling over, so I led you to lay down, and I put your jacket over you to keep you warm.”

“I'm sorry?” I half said/half asked.

He just chuckled, “No worries.” He smiled as he got out of the car.

[morgemuffel]

MALEC. ➰ DON'T LET ME GO.

This story takes place between episode 3Bx15 & 3Bx16.

I adapted the story and put my own thoughts & ideas into to it. What are MALEC up to when you don’t see them on screen?

*(Part 2 of my series: our heart beats like one)

Mmm... I love to feel his warm bare chest underneath me. His fine and soft dark chest hair like a fluffy pillow on my cheek, which tickles my nose every now and then when I move my head, to cuddle up to him. The familiar aroma of... of what exactly? It's hard to describe, but it's my favorite fragrance. Not like shampoo, perfume or laundry detergent, no. It is his own body odor. The scent, you only get to smell on your partner in the mornings, before he makes himself fresh and tidy for the rest of the world. Magnus loved this fragrance. It's a scent that evokes the memory  of a cool sunrise in spring season. The feeling of love and secureness.

As Magnus lies there half asleep, he slowly noticed that something wasn't right anymore. The warmth and the fragrance he loved so much, slowly faded away. He reluctantly opened his eyes and winked the sleep away as he looked around without moving. He was in Alec's room at the New York Institute. He remembered falling asleep in Alec's arms, one more thing he loved. He slept so well in Alec's arms, as he hadn't for years. Carefree and happy. But where was Alec? Magnus lay across the bed, taking up the whole space and his head was carefully draped on a pillow. Alec didn't want to wake him up and exchanged his warm muscular chest with his pillow. Also very cuddly Magnus had to admit, but no comparison to Alec's soft fragrant skin. As he raised his head, he looked up directly into Alec's already freshly washed face. "You sleep ok?" Alec asked worried. Magnus stretched as he answered "like a rock." Alec looked at him in a mix of nervousness and expectation so that Magnus wondered what he had overlooked, until his eyes moved over the bed and he noticed the romantic gesture of his boyfriend. A smile crossed his face. How was it possible that this man could always surprise him over and over again? In front of him was a tray with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and a small bouquet of flowers. The glass was filled to the top, not like Magnus' attempt from last week. When he could only squeeze enough juice from two oranges to reach the middle of the glass. "Oh. Freshly squeezed orange juice and a full glass. "He grinned at the memory. Alec blushed a little red but tried to suppress it. "One of the perks of living at the institute," he said with a smile. Magnus nodded impressed, but his attention was yet on the forced question, forming  itself in bold capital letters, inside of his head . It was by law not allowed for Warlocks to be in the institute. Nor to live there. Although he welcomed the loving offer to stay here until he had found a new home as well as the confident manner his boyfriend showed, but they both knew that this, also if only a temporary situation, was pretty tricky. Magnus didn't want to get Alec into trouble by staying here longer than necessary. Alec tore him out of his thoughts. "Come on, get out of bed. Breakfast stops serving at 9am." Theatrically, Magnus let himself fall back into the bed. Why did shadowhunters have to get up so early? No wonder most of them were always in such a bad mood. And walking into a warlock in this early hour must be the icing on the cake. So he started a half-hearted attempt to convince Alec that they didn't necessarily had to have breakfast with the others in the community hall. “Alexander, I appreciate the hospitality, but doesn't the clave have rules against downworlders living here?“ His boyfriend looked at him with that peevish smile as he hesitated “oh they‘re not rules, they‘re suggestions.“ Magnus sighed, his Alexander, who interpreted his life according to the rules is now only looking at them as a recommendation? He didn't want Alec to bend himself completely because of him. That just wasn't right, and yet his statement triggered a comforting feeling in Magnus. Alec went on to say, "You're not living at the institute, you're just visiting for an extended period of time." his arguments weren't bad, Magnus thought, but he hated to be the outsider. Not that he cared what others thought, but what if Alec suddenly felt uncomfortable? Magnus asked him "and what would your fellow shadowshunters think of a warlock wandering the halls?" "They'd be fine with it Alec clarified in a calm tone. "Let's go." With these last challenging words he turned around and disappeared through the door to brush his teeth in the bathroom. Magnus sat undecided on the bed for a moment. He urgently needed another apartment, but his  real estate agent had died years ago. But his good friend Cat has recently moved, so Madzie could have her own room. He took out his phone and wrote her a short text message:

Wanna have lunch today? I could need your help... Do you know a good real estate agent in New York? 🏠

Cat answered almost immediately. Magnus was looking at his phone while it indicated that Cat was about to formulate a message.

Yes sure, I have break at 12.30am. You can wait outside the hospital. Are you and Alec already taking the next step? 🐾

Magnus read the message and rolled his eyes in amusement.

He had told her that Alec had asked him a few weeks ago to move in with him and that he had refused his request. She agreed with Magnus that it was too early. But in the meantime, Magnus himself wasn't so sure about his decision anymore. With Alec everything felt so good and right. He had never dared to take that step before, but if he did, he could only imagine this scenario with Alec. Since losing his loft, he'd thought about asking Alec several times. Ask him if they wanted to look at apartments together and maybe even wanted to move in together. But he was too unsure, what if Alec didn't wanted that anymore? He still remembers how hurt his shadowhunter had looked at him, when he said it would be a nice idea for the future. Magnus had considered his decision as the best in that moment. But now he wasn't so sure anymore, so he didn't ask. He answered Cat with a maybe..., two thumbs up and a steak emoji, then he got up to get dressed.

Alec had just brushed his teeth when he started searching for Underhill. As he knew Magnus, getting dressed, styling his hair and putting on his make up would take a while even with his regained magic. When thinking of his boyfriend, who couldn't decide what to wear and what mood he wanted to present the world today, he had to smile. There was no one like him, and he belonged to Alec. He hoped to catch Underhill before breakfast, since he was Alec's only friend next to his siblings, he wanted to hear his opinion about Magnus' new living situation. He himself knew that his decision to let Magnus live in the institute went into the grey area, a real dark grey zone and that not all of his companions would be enthusiastic about it. But he didn't care he had a plan. Well it was more of an idea than a plan, but before he could enforced this plan, he had to go through the shadowhunters protocol again. If someone could help him with that then it was his friend Underhill, the head of security. Alec walked down the hall and knocked on Underhill's room. Nothing stirred. He was about to leave, as the door swung open and Underhill stood in front of him, dripping wet and only wrapped in a white towel around his waist. Small  water drops trickled down his trained torso like glistening pearls. "Uhm ... hey boss ... uh ... Alec?" He said clearly confused about meeting his buddy so early in the morning. "Does your head hum as much as mine?" He asked laughing as he grimaced. The two men hadn't been friends for a long time, and Alec hadn't even seen him in swimming trunks before. They were out for a beer the first time yesterday having a spontaneous men's night after work. Alec had told him about his fears and relationship issues after being Underhill's wingman. But a drunk soul striptease and checking out other men together was something completely different than this. Their friendship wasn't on the I can see you without your shirt level yet. Rather more on the I kinda trust you and we can talk about deep stuff basis. It was therefore an unprecedented situation for both of them. "Alec is enough, we're friends now right... aren't we?" Alec found himself wandering over Underhill's upper body. Well, yesterday they've talked about attractive men and they were all reasonably passable but he haven't really realized that Underhill himself was actually pretty attractive. No comparison to Magnus, Nobody is able to hold a candle to him, but he couldn't deny that Underhill was good looking and handsome. Stop look at him so closely Alec! He realized that he had been staring at his friend for quite a long time now and blushed. Thus, the situation was now officially a bit awkward. Is looking at others, even if in that harmless way, allowed in a relationship? Or oh God had he just cheated on Magnus? No, no, no calm down Alec. Magnus once said that it's natural that you want to look at beautiful things. Not that Underhill was an object. "Yes sure...we are friends", Underhill nodded slowly and became a little red himself. Oh damn it, pull yourself together Alec. Just open your mouth and before you even notice you'll be speaking. The warm steam escaping out of the room and into Alec's face finally brought him back from his thoughts. "Nah no, I'm feeling pretty good." He cleared his throat and asked, "Could you prepare the keys for Magnus, so he can come into the institute by himself?" Underhill frowned as he slowly asked: "So your boyfriend is suddenly living here now? What about the rules?" But Alec wanted to get out of this somehow embarrassing situation, as quick as possible so he answered curtly. "Just the keys Jack okey? Thank you." And walked in the direction of his own room. The protocol could wait.

Magnus felt the breakfast was... very weird, as expected. He was in the training room of the institute now and completed his morning Tai Chi exercises. These slow flowing movements and the meditation calmed him. He had spiced up the routine with his own flair and let a magic ball circulate between his hands. However, it was difficult for him to concentrate, because his thoughts repeatedly wandered somewhere else. - Everyone had stared at Magnus as if it was the first time they've ever saw a warlock. He had mumbled to Alec, "you know it's not too late to go out for breakfast, right?"But Alec ignored the others and asked in shock: “And miss pancake day? No way“. How could Magnus have denied him his favorite breakfast day at the institute? Nevertheless, Magnus would rather have sinked into the ground, preferably right through to Edom. But Alec stood proudly next to him and would have probably beat up everyone's ass or sent them to Wrangel Island for character-building, if they had dared to say something mean against Magnus. They had sat down with Izzy, Jace and Clary and explained them his current living situation. They all seemed genuinely enthusiastic and happy about him living here, which calmed him down a bit. Even though Alec was a huge fan of pancake day at the institute, Magnus preferred a fruit salad and a Mimosa cocktail, somewhere was definitely happy hour already. When he snapped his finger and his new breakfast had appeared, he heard a loud,  glaring and high ringing in his ears. It hurt it was getting harder and harder to repress and ignore the symptoms. He decided to talk to Cat about it later. Magnus was glad when Biscuit's cell phone rang and replaced the ringing in his ear. It was Luke who briefed her about the vampire attack at Jade Wulf. Soon after, everyone dedicated back to daily-shadowhunter-businesses. He returned to an upright position and stretched. He felt ready for the next hurdle now. He looked at his phone to reads the time 11:42, time to get his keys and get ready for lunch with Cat. Alec had told him where to find Underhill, who provided the new keys for him. So he made his way there.

After Magnus recovered from the let's call it a slightly unpleasant dining which topped any previous encounter with Maryse Lightwood (before she became nice) by lengths, he went to the security department. He wondered for the second time today if he should ask Alec to move in with him. He was torn between his feelings. And all of these high-tech machines and huge screens were giving him migraines. How did his Alexander endure that? He was looking for the big blond shadowhunter which he should get in touch with. Jack Underhill, Magnus thought. Alec went out for a drink with him yesterday, right? His heart suddenly felt heavy and an unfamiliar feeling spread throughout him. Well, it was more like several emotions at the same time and he couldn't exactly assign them. It was a mixture of fear, suspicion, and a bit of anger. Magnus didn't like these feelings, especially because he didn't understand them. He had only met Underhill once and he made a sympathetic impression. He was also good-looking, tall and muscular, bright blue eyes and well-haired blond hair. He was quite handsome Magnus thought. Underhill nodded to Magnus as he approached him. "You're here for the keys?" He asked curtly. "Yes, is this the reception to check in at the Shadowhunters Inn?" Magnus tried to lighten the mood with a joke. But the joke was bad so they just looked at each other silently. Underhill cleared his throat and instructed: "Please stand here and don't move. This is a retinal scan. If you move, we have to start all over again."Quite the soldier Magnus thought to himself, with these monitors all day long he would probably have a bad mood too. As he stood there so motionless, he wondered if Underhill thinks Alec is attractive. What a stupid question Magnus your boyfriend is a walking sex bomb! Everyone with eyes in their heads could see that Alec was attractive. And the most attractive thing about him was that he wasn't even aware of it. Hmm on the other hand... does Alec think Underhill is attractive? Before Magnus, Alec had no relationships, but his almost wife - Lydia was blond, Underhill is also blonde So maybe... Damn it, Magnus what's up with you today? You have no reason for such thoughts. He takes a deep breath and concentrates on the monitor with the built-in scan. After less than a minute - RETINAL SCAN COMPLETE - appeared in green on the screen.

"That'll do it" Underhill growled. "I'm finished?" Magnus asked in surprise, he had expected to have to stand there for hours. "Yeah," Underhill said curtly and gave him a bunch of keys. “These are your keys. I‘d explained what doors the open, but to be honest, I‘m not totally sure. Most of the shadowhunters just use the unlock rune. So good luck.“ Magnus at first thought that Underhill was just in a bad mood like all the other shadowhunters, because Magnus was around. But somehow he had the feeling that he had annoyed the man in a different way maybe with something he didn't noticed. He felt the urge to ignore his thought just like the ringing sound in his ear earlier at the breakfast table. That's why he just answered "Hmm" and turned to go. But then it occurred to him that Alec had just made friends with Underhill and he didn't want anything to stand between the two men. So he stopped and turned back to him. "I'm sorry, have I done something to offend you?" He looked questioningly at Underhill. "No, of course not." Underhill said but hesitated and crossed his arms over his chest before continuing. “I guess I‘m not sure having you moving in here is such a great idea.“ And here we go Magnus thought. He's one of them... as he said, “hmm because I‘m a warlock?“ Underhill interrupted him immediately. “No. No, no, no. Personally, I don‘t mind, but we‘ve got protocols against this sort of things.“  Magnus was surprisingly relieved to hear that it wasn't about him being a warlock. He should have known, Alec had a good sense for people, most shadowhunters were just poled to follow the rules. That someone like Alec suddenly starts to break the rules can be quite disconcerting. “Don‘t worry. I don‘t plan on living here longer than I have to. I love Alec but, these screens are giving me migraines" Magnus said and hoped to soothe Underhill a bit. Behind this serious expression seemed to be a nice guy, who actually meant well. He looked at Magnus with a honest expression and said something quite unusual for shadowhunters. “I‘m sorry. I didn‘t realize this was a temporary thing“ Magnus had already forgiven him and raised his hand to a let's forget it gesture and nodded smiling. Jack continues visibly relaxed,“and hey, for what it‘s wort, I‘m glad that you and Alec managed to work everything out“ Now Magnus was confused. What was he talking about? "Excuse me?" He asked perplexed. “Yeah, he... uh, told me you were having some differences.“ Underhill said. There it was again. slight anger, fear, suspicion and a light sting in his chest. These feelings were annoying. What was it about this blonde Shadowhunter, that Magnus suddenly felt so vulnerable? It somehow bothered him that Alec had discussed private matters with someone else, had discussed them with him. “Oh, he did, didn‘t he?“  was everything he managed to say. "Yeah," said Underhill again short tailed as in the beginning. He had noticed that, his statement somehow came across a bit strange. “Excuse me.“ Magnus said and made his way to the exit. He needed to talk to his best friend now.

45 minutes later, Magnus stood in front of the Beth Israel Hospital in New York and waited for his good old friend Catarina Loss. The young dark-skinned and black-haired woman came out and smiled at her friend. "There's my favorite seriously-in-love warlock," she said, pulling him into a heartfelt hug. Magnus had to grin. He loved this woman, he had already experienced so much with her and she was one of the few people whom he practically trusted blindly. "Hello my dear old house," Magnus teased back. They walked for a while until they came to a small alley and Cat opened a portal to Zurich. Magnus was glad that she took the initiative and opened the portal, he still didn't know how to confess to her about the unpleasant symptoms he was having lately. But Cat had a totally different taste in food than him. "Don't you just only eat cheese in Switzerland?", he thought. Cat rolled her eyes as she noticed his hesitation. "Come on, I know a great hip brasserie at Zurich Hardbrücke, they serve the best tapas and seashells believe me." Magnus frowned, seashells weren't really his cup of tea either. He was more kinda the old-fashioned guy always ready for a good piece of meat, medium rare. And he's just barely escaped, the tasteless cardboard which the Institute calls pancake, today. "If you don't like it I'll pay", Cat tried again. So, Magnus gave himself a jolt, today wasn't really his day. Arriving at the restaurant, Cat ordered, in her fluent Swiss German, two portions of Moules et Frites and two cocktails, with hers being non-alcoholic, as she had to work quite long this evening. 20 minutes later they sat at a table outside on the terrace, laughing, smacking, reveling in memories and enjoying the sun. Magnus had to admit that the seashells were really excellent and that his wise friend could still introduce him to new things after so many years. Yes, she knew him so well, as almost nobody else does. "Cat because of the real estate agent, can you recommend me someone?" he asked. She nodded eagerly "Yes, I know the perfect man for you, he is from Brooklyn and knows the area, as I know you, this is very important to you. I've wrote him already and made an appointment for tomorrow, I assumed you would like to move out of the institute as soon as possible?" she looked at Magnus amused "It's not that terrible," Magnus said sheepishly. "Alec is trying so hard...and..." Cat interrupted him "speaking of Alec... I didn't know what to tell the agent about the apartment your looking for, I mean I know you and your expensive taste, but if you two are really about to take the next step...? she blurted out. "How many rooms would it need ... are we about to expect some small mini Alec's any time soon, I mean I know how good he is with kids?" Magnus' eyes widened and he blushed slightly. The two broke out in laughter. Magnus loved the direct nature of his friend. He valued her opinion and knew that he could always expect an honest answer from her. "Don't you no longer think that's it a bit too fast?" Magnus asked uncertainly.

She thought for a moment before answering, "Magnus you deserve to be happy and if it makes you happy to move in with him, then do it." You've never dared to take this step with anyone else before and I haven't seen you so happy, as with Alec, for a long time now. You're good for each other and if you don't try it, you'll never know how it could have been. After her speech, Magnus couldn't stop smiling. There's something else I wanted to ask you about, he started hesitantly. usually he has got the gift of the gab, but what he wanted to ask her next was a little embarrassing. "Do you think .. um... well... that I'm a jealous person...?" Cat looked at him pleasant as she spoke,"well, well, well, a jealous Magnus Bane, never thought that I'd live so long to ever experience that. Hmm...the fact that you have to ask me that answers everything, don't you agree? " Magnus rolled his eyes, knowing she was right. He had wondered the whole morning, what was it about these new curious feelings? and then it finally fell from his eyes like scales. Jealousy. He, Magnus bane was slightly jealous of Underhill. He didn't want to admit it at first, because he was embarrassed and he thinks Underhill is actually really nice. But here he sat in front of his best friend who could read him like an open book and knew she was right. "Magnus Alec adores you, how comes you feel threatened by someone?" She asked in surprise. Magnus sighed heavily, "Oh, Catarina, it's all me, my self-doubts are coming back. I feel that everything is going too good, that I don't deserve it and I'm just kinda waiting for something or someone to come across and take that happiness away from me...you understand?" She understood him all too well, all these dramas with Camille in the passt have left their marks. Cat reached for his hand on the table and looked at him seriously. "Stop sabotaging yourself. You deserve this ok?" She looked at him so intensive, he didn't dare to turn away his head from her. "You are worth it Magnus and don't let someone else tell you otherwise,...talk to Alec about your fears, but don't let those feelings get the upper hand. A little jealousy is okey just don't overdo it okey?" Magnus was reassured, Cat always knew what she had to say to cheer him up. He didn't want to destroy the moment by telling her that his body was rejecting Lorenzo's magic. Even as she looked at him questioningly with her tell me about the last thing that's bothering you expression, he just shrugged. "Thanks, Cat, I needed that, let's head back, I should probably talk to Alec." She nodded knowingly, he would tell her when he was ready she thought and the two made their way back to New York.

Back at the institute, Magnus went straight to Alec's office. Alec once told him he doesn't always have to knock, he rarely had someone really important visiting and the big meetings were mostly held in Alicante. So, Magnus just enterd. Alec wasn't sitting at his desk as usually, he was chilling in a comfortable armchair beside his little table and studied some reports. He looked up as Magnus entered the room and asked: “how was your first day? You all set up?“ Sitting down on the armchair next to him, Magnus resolved to begin this conversation rationally. “Hmm. Good to go.“ he started before failing miserably as he continued to speak,“Your handsome friend took care of everything“ Alec frowned and thought about what Magnus just said before asking hesitantly “Underhill?“ Magnus after that quick like a shot and curiously wide-eyed,“you think he‘s handsome? The second the question left his mouth, he regretted it. Damn it Magnus, he thought, we already had this topic. Now stop with this jealousy game. You don't need this. Alec looked at him sheepishly, as the awkward bath towel situation of this morning came back to his mind, when he answered uncertainly,“I guess?“ Magnus took in the new information and tried to find the right words to tell Alec what was on his mind. Alec got a bit nervous and added,“Is that a problem?“ Magnus saw that Alec was afraid he had done something wrong and said soothingly  “No.“ Alec wasn't sure if that was true, but still devoted himself back to his reports. “Yes“ Magnus corrected and decided to be honest. Cat had advised him to talk honestly about his feelings, so he did. “I just don‘t know if I feel comfortable with you airing out our dirty laundry to the entire Institute...“ Now Alec was quite confused for a second he had thought Magnus was jealous, but it sounded quite as if something else had happened between him and Underhill.“What are you talking about?“ he asked. Magnus sighed: now or never Magnus, come on. “You told him we were having relationship issues.“ Alec wasn't sure were Magnus was going with this conversation. “So I‘m not allowed to talk to people about my problems?“ he asked in confusion. Magnus realized how childish this sounded, of course Alec was allowed to talk with his friends about his problems. It was just... what was it that disturbed him? “Well, sure. But him? You barely even know him.“ Magnus was right Alec thought and he was sorry, not about him in principle talking to others about his problems, but that Magnus was feeling uncomfortable and he somehow understood him. He hardly knew Underhill that was true, but that's how friendships start. You get to know each other and Alec trusted Underhill. He would have thought Magnus would understand that.  “I just didn‘t think it was a big deal.“ Alec finally said. Magnus had a guilty conscience, he didn't want Alec to feel bad just because he couldn't control his feelings. After all, it wasn't Alec's fault that he felt that way. He tried to choose his words carefully when he started: “I know. I just feel... Sometimes, I...“ All at once Alec could see it very clearly. he hadn't been wrong before. Magnus was jealous! His boyfriend was truly jealous.

Alec was neither hurt nor angry at this newfound fact. He had asked Magnus last night already, after he went out for a beer with Underhill at Hunter's Moon and Magnus denied it. Weak denied, but still. Alec haven't been thinking about it afterwards. And he couldn't imagine, that Magnus the most beautiful and confident man Alec knew could be jealous. He smiled from ear to ear as he finally said it,“wait. You‘re jealous.“ Magnus contradicted slightly offended when he realized that he had just been caught,“I don‘t get jealous.“ Alec kinda liked the idea of a jealous Magnus, because from his perspective there was no one who could ever compete with Magnus. He couldn't stop grinning. No one has ever been jealous of another person because of Alec. Magnus was kind of sweet when he was jealous so Alec wanted to savor the moment and tease his boyfriend a bit.“You‘re jealous. You‘re actually jealous.“ Alec stated. Magnus had no chance, the cat was out of the bag now. But he still acted a little pouted when he said: “I‘ve never gotten jealous. This is not...“ Alec's phone rang and Magnus took the opportunity to pull himself out of the affair. “Answer it.“ Magnus command and Alec just kept grinning to himself as he answered the call.

After Heidi's death and turning in Rafael to the Clave, Alec became painfully aware again of how important rules are. He loved having Magnus in the institute, but he would prefer to live with him. Having a joint home, their Home. He had asked Magnus once back then, and he didn't want to. It was too early he said. Not much time had passed since then and yet it felt like an eternity. And Alec was a stubborn person so he decided to ask one more time. He wanted to ask Underhill for advice this morning and then didn't do it cause of sheer shame. He took deep breath and went to visit his friend again. He needed a bit of courage and assurances before launching his plan. That's why he asked Underhill for the official shadowhunter-regulations when he arrived the security compartment. Alec: "Jack, are you sure the head of the institute doesn't have to live in the institute?" Jack was still rummaging in a few other documents as he spoke, "pretty sure... aha here it is!" He pulled out the thick, brown-inlaid, rather dusty book and looked for the corresponding page with the inscription."So here it is," said Underhill, reading aloud:

RULES FOR THE HEAD OF A SHADOWHUNTER INSTITUTES

RESIDENCE AND ACCOMMODATION

Art. 23 para. 7 - the head of the institute receives a suitable room in the institute, where he/she can retire and plan his/her further steps if needed.

"Hmm ... yes you're right it's not written that you have to actually live in the institute. Only that you'll get a room to use, as a place to think." Alec said slowly. "So could I help you?" Underhill asked, smiling. "I think so, thanks for everything," Alec responds, lost in his thought and already turned to leave. Should he ask Magnus again or would that be too intrusive? He didn't want to force himself on Magnus but he could see their future clearly in mind. He knew that he was ready and wanted make all these new experiences with him. No matter how scared he was of another rejection, he would try it again.

"Magnus had realized that he had acted very irrational previously and he should apologize to Alec. Full of anticipation he opened the door to Alec's office and entered. "You where looking for me?" he asked, willing to admit his mistake. Alec looked down in distress and nodded "Yeah." Magnus, now ready  to stand the ground started his apology, which he had practiced in his head for the last half a hour, because that's the way to do it in a healthy relationship. Communication is everything. "Alexander if this is about what we were talking about earlier, I was wrong. You have every right to talk out your problems with your friends, no matter how good-looking they are."he started frantically. But Alec interrupted him gently,"this isn't about that. This is about you living at the Institute. "Oh." was the only thing Magnus could answer, he hadn't expected the conversation to lead into that direction. Alec spoke slowly, choosing each word carefully. "Believe me I want to live with you, but you were right. Having a outsider live at the Institute that is against the protocol. And how can I expect everyone else to follow the rules, if I don't follow them myself?" Magnus didn't blame Alec, he knew it was a logical conclusion. He was more than thankful that they had even tried. "I understand. I'll move out first thing in the morning "Magnus replied understanding. But Alec wasn't finished yet, something important to him, still seemed to be on his mind. "However, there is no protocol that says the head of the Institute has to actually live at the Institute. So when you find a place, I was hoping that we could...both move in...together." Magnus heart was racing, yes Alec had milled his plan to ask him to move in with him this time, but Magnus couldn't care less about that now. This time, Magnus didn't have to think about it, it made him so unbelievably happy that Alec really had the courage to ask him again. He had played with this thought all day long and having Alec ask him again made his self-doubt disappear. You deserve to be happy he heard Cat's voice in his head. He didn't expect Alec to bring up back this sensitive topic but his Alexander never ceased to amaze him. This time he was ready. He wanted Alec and he wanted everything with him.  At once, that throbbing pain in his head started off again and slowly but surely he couldn't ignore it anymore. But he pulled himself together cause he needed to answer this. He needed this, he needs to  make this promise before it's too late. "Only if I get my own walk-in closet."he answered while smiling full of love and Alec could hardly believe it. He was so nervous and surprised at the same time because he had already suspected a NO in the back of his head. "You mean that?" he asked in disbelief. "Of course. I love you." Magnus said and took a step towards him to kiss him. But in that moment, the ringing in his head began again harder and louder and everything around him began to turn. My body, what's going on with my body? His body cramped and blood shot out of his nose and then out of his mouth.

"Magnus?" Alec asked worriedly. Magnus coughed and turned away. Even now he tried to hide the pain from Alec. His stomach turned and he felt the warm blood in his mouth. "Magnus?" Alec asked worriedly. "I'm fine." He could just say before spewing huge amounts of blood on the floor and collapsing. I can't speak, I can't think straight, Magnus thoughts were a wild mess. Alec is holding me I'm not falling anymore, stay with me Alec, please don't leave me. Words, where are the words? I can't speak I can't invoke the right language."Magnus?" Alec is  calling me and I hear myself speaking. Why am I talking Indosnesian. "Magnus?" I hear him scream again. Pain, more pain. My head is pulsing. It's getting worse. Oh no my head is going to explode. "Magnus?" Alec yells. I can hear his fear and desperation."Medic! Somebody get help!" he screams. I feel like everything is slipping away. "Magnus!" Alec's voice is so far away now and even the pain feels dull. "Someone get help!" I hear him say and suddenly everything is dark.

[clownsgobeepbeep]

Support Ace and Lennie. I feel the mother issue with them would be something they'd def understand each other for

Was gonna write something more angsty with a certain bitch but, have this instead ^^

It had been quite the awkward situation, and it made it even more awkward that Jelly was off in her room doing something while Ula sat in front of the television as she watched a video of It's a Small World. Right behind her on the couch, was Lennie sitting next to Ace who was clearly angry.

They weren't exactly next to each other since Ace made sure to sit on the opposite end of the couch as he waited for Cosmos since they would be hanging out while Lennie waited to leave with Jelly. Surprisingly, it had been calm despite the tense atmosphere, until Ace cleared his throat and made Ula turn around. 

She gave him a look which made him tug on his collar nervously, Lennie noticing, right before she gave him a normal sweet smile that seemed a bit off. Ace widened his eyes and turned away, avoiding her gaze before she sat down in between them, leaning close to him which made him lean away with obvious fear. 

"Ula, kiddo, can you go check on Jells?" Lennie interrupted, Ula nodding before she ran off to Jelly's room which now left them alone.

"I didn't need you doing that."

"Doing what?"Lennie asked, turning to look at Ace who turned to glare at him with his usual snark.

"Why are you still talking? Just shut the fuck up before I throw you at that kid." Ace replied with a huff, turning to the front as he frowned at the television.

"Why Ula? Do you think she's scary?"

Ace snapped his head to look at Lennie with an angrier face, then leaning in with a scowl and grit teeth.

"Fuck no! She's just fucking weird a-a-and she knows t-too much!"he stuttered out before covering his mouth with the back of his hand. "I don't trust her."

"Ula? The quiet, very sweet girl?"Lennie questioned a bit surprised, though he did consider the fact that not much was known about her. She could have been putting up some sort of an act, maybe just tricking everybody. Nah. That would be ridiculous the only one, or well, ones capable of doing that were...

"You should, she's really sweet. Loves Jelly and probably just likes to mess with you."

"Mess with me!? That kid straight up-"Ace stopped himself, not wanting to remember what she did when left alone with him. He cleared his throat, then sitting back down with a leg crossed as he sighed. "She knows a lot, like...about that bitch...Missy."

"And spiders?"

"Who the fuck told you about that!? Wait, who cares? I'm gonna beat you to a pulp the size of an ant-"

"Alright kid, that's nice and all but come on. I get you, I deal with...the same thing." Lennie said, his last words ending as a whisper before Ace slowly turned to look at him. "It sucks, it really does. Missy and...Thyone...they're awful and they say and so a lot..."

"Yeah...so?"

"Just know-"

"Okay, okay. You better not say some shit like 'I'll be here for you' or 'I support you' because it's all bullshit. You can't do shit, and I can't do shit." Ace blurted out as he shook his head.

"Maybe, maybe not, but who knows really? Thyone's said all sorts of stuff to me, she knows where to hit."

"Pfft."

"And, I know Missy's just like her...they say things that...they know what hurts you most and use it against you, give you these bad thoughts..." Lennie said as he fiddled with his fingers, then turning to pat Ace's arm. "But we at least have...friends."

"Friends? I don't have any friends. Nobody cares about me and I don't care about anybody."

"What about Star boy? Or Cuckoo? Don't you hang out with them?"

"Yeah, but-"

"And I'm sure that deep down inside, Jelly does care about you."

Ace looked at Lennie with a not so defensive expression now. He bit his lip as he gulped, not knowing what to say before he stood up and waked away, but not before standing in front of Lennie with one final glare.

"Guess...I can see why she really likes you. Hurt her, and I break you."

"Sure thing kid."

[trademarkblue]

100 Days of R/Hr: Day 9

Prompt: "To Build a Home” by The Cinematic Orchestra (ft. Patrick Wilson)

Prompted by: @herrmionejgranger​

Here we are, finally catching up to Sunday's prompt! AHH!

So, I have a weird (optional) hand canon, which is more just because of my obsession with hurt/comfort and less because I actually think this is how things went down, but I've been leaning a lot recently on the idea that Hermione's parents didn't come back from Australia, and, though she had been so independent for so long, this really crushes her because, before, it was her choice to be that way, and now it's like they're choosing to leave her on her own. So, Ron helps her through this a lot, even though he has his whole family around him, and he was closer to them than she was to hers, so he didn't develop quite the same independence, but he does that for her, without really thinking about it. In a way, this makes a lot of sense, because he’s a real family sharer, you know? Like Harry was part of the family almost instantly. Hermione was, too, but in a very different way, until much later.

Long explanation. Sorry. 

TL;DR - Ron is my favorite, here are 3K words about that. Hope you enjoy! x

Ron had just finally walked through the door to Grimmauld Place after way too long a day at training. He had taken one arm out of his cloak, thinking of all the leftover food from the previous night's takeaway that he was going to consume, when Ginny's Patronus materialised by the coat rack.

Ron, come to Hogwarts if you can. Not an emergency.

The silvery horse in front of him galloped in a circle before vanishing.

Ron's arm immediately stuffed itself back into his cloak sleeve. He'd never really gone to Hogwarts on a whim. Visits were planned around invitations to school events like Quidditch trials and matches or Hogsmeade weekends. But he wasn't about to waste time worrying about the details of exactly how he was going to get through at half eleven on a Friday night. Ginny must have some sort of plan to have asked him to come. And the words "not an emergency" weren't registering very deep.

With a short, scribbled note to Harry to explain his disappearance, he headed back out into the crisp, February night.

She had found her way to a dark corner of the castle, hidden behind a tapestry. No one ever came by here, and she suspected the only other people who even knew it was here were Ron and Harry, who, of course, weren't going to be popping by any time soon.

She'd received a owl at dinner, transferred from Muggle post, and the words were burned into the backs of her eyelids, apparently, because she couldn't think of anything else. She'd managed to hold back for a couple of hours, but she could no longer ignore the growing void inside, reminding her how alone she was, how far away her parents were… that they weren't coming home. They’d chosen to stay in Australia, but she hadn't given up hope that they might change their minds. Give them time, she'd thought. They'd been through a lot. But, now, that hope was gone.

We've sold the house in London.

It still struck her as an impossible reality, but it was true, and she was here. And Ron was at Grimmauld Place, with Harry. God, she missed him. It seemed that every time she became consumed with loneliness over her parents, she would quickly think of Ron, and, tonight, with her mother's letter crumpled in her hand, she couldn't catch her breath. She had come here to hide, knees clutched to her chest, and she was running out of tears to shed, eyes burning, head throbbing, and a numb sort of misery washing over her in increasingly powerful waves.

There was a scrape of trainers down the corridor, on the other side from her hiding place, and she held her breath, waiting for whoever it was to please go away. But the sounds increased, and was that Ginny's voice?

Her eyes scanned up to stare at the dark, opaque tapestry a metre in front of her. And then-

"Hermione?" Ginny called, leaving no time for a reply before her hand pulled back the tapestry to reveal herself... and Ron, standing on the other side.

"Ron?!” Hermione cried, hardly believing he was right there.

He passed Ginny and crouched on the floor in front of her, and Ginny dropped the tapestry back in place, hiding them again.

"Hey."

He placed a tentative hand on her knee, and she stared back into his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered.

"Ginny sent her Patronus. She thought maybe-"

He paused and shrugged.

"-maybe you'd want me to come see you."

"I have no idea how she knew I was upset, but oh my God, I'm glad you're here."

She gripped his hand tightly, and he gave her a sad smile in return.

"What's going on?" he asked, softly.

"My parents," she sighed, sucking in a breath as she held back another sob. "My parents sold their house."

He stared for a moment, looking puzzled, and she realised her mistake.

“Our house,” she corrected, “in London. It's g-gone. They aren't coming back…”

She held up the parchment, half crushed in her fist, allowing him to take it from her. He shifted to sit closer, opening the letter. As his eyes darted across the page, she could picture all the words written there as he was silently reading them…

Hermione,

We've sold the house in London. Your father thought you should have a portion of the sale, so we've made a deposit into your savings account. The rest of your belongings will be transferred to our storage room in Surrey, and we'll leave a key in your safe deposit box at the bank. As always, visit any time. We're staying in the house in Adelaide for now.

Love, Mum

“Well,” Ron began, clearing his throat, “she sounds a bit more positive toward you than last time, at least.”

“Ron, she sold our house!”

She knew it wasn't fair to shout at him. She could tell by the way his forehead creased that he was trying very hard to hide his true reaction, hoping to avoid making her feel any worse. But it wouldn't make a difference, and underneath what she felt about her parents, she really was so relieved to see him.

“I know. I'm sorry…” he said, eyes softening.

“I really thought they might still change their minds and come home,” she sniffed, wiping tears from under her eyes as they fell.

He shifted even closer, so his legs were bent up by her back and his elbow was resting on her knee. His free hand pulled one of hers into his lap, and he ran his fingertips up and down her palm before threading their fingers and meeting her eyes.

“They should have talked to you before they did it,” he said, quietly.

“It's my fault. I sent them away to begin with.”

“You know what I'm gonna say to that.”

“I did it for them, to save them, I know,” she said, managing a small smile as her eyes blurred with tears again. “But now…”

She closed her eyes for a second and gripped his hand tighter.

“I don't even have a home, anymore. Aside from Hogwarts and holidays with your family, I've lived there my whole life, Ron.”

“Yeah,” he said, a bit hoarsely.

He might have been about to say more, but her thoughts shifted suddenly back to the details of his appearance.

“How'd you even get in here this late?”

“Ginny met me at the gates to let me through,” he explained.

“And she knew I was up here?”

“Nah, this was about the tenth place we checked,” he said, tugging the corner of his mouth up precisely enough to be considered a lopsided smile.

She sighed and ducked her forehead to his forearm, his elbow still resting on her knee. He brushed his thumb across her knuckles before dropping her hand to run his fingers through her hair.

“I owe Ginny,” she muttered.

“No way,” Ron countered. “Already told her she's still working off the Viktor Krum thing… She'll have to sneak me into Hogwarts a few more times to even us out.”

In spite of everything, Hermione actually heard herself laugh, and she was once again so relieved to have him next to her.

“What are you doing to make us even for that, then?”

“Dunno. What’d’you want?”

She turned her head to the side, cheek against his forearm, so she could see his face through a frizzy tangle of her hair.

“Sneak into Hogwarts a few more times,” she suggested, softly.

“Done.”

She stared at him quietly, for a while, calmed by the feeling of his hand continuing to play with her hair. But there was still a dark shadow, looming over her.

“It just doesn't seem real,” she said. “Don't know why I kept hoping they'd…” She paused, closed her eyes again. “And now I've got to figure out what to do when I leave here.”

Though she couldn't see him, she could feel a sort of tension emanating from him before he spoke.

“I've got some ideas on that,” he said, in a low voice.

She opened her eyes and lifted her head, and his hand dropped to the side of her neck.

“Like what?”

Her heart was beating a bit faster than she could make sense of, just yet.

“You could move in with me and Harry,” he suggested. “Or… we could get our own place, if you want…”

He licked his bottom lip nervously, but she felt suddenly so much lighter. Smiling, she laid her arm across his, fingertips on his knuckles.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” he smiled back, evidently encouraged by her positive response. “I know it's not the same, and it's not what you wanted, but-”

“It’s definitely what I want. I hadn't thought living with you was on the table back when I was planning to go home after Hogwarts…”

“Well…” he shrugged, “I just hadn't got around to mentioning it.”

“You aren't just offering because I don't have anywhere to go?” Her voice was a bit higher pitched than she would have liked, but she was mostly over the idea of being embarrassed around him. Mostly.

“Not at all, but you can pretend I'm being that generous, if you want,” he grinned.

“I’d much rather you not be, honestly…”

His hand moved against the side of her neck, and her eyelids fluttered for a moment. Her head was still throbbing and her eyes were burning, and all she wanted was to crawl into a cozy bed and fall asleep next to him.

“I love you,” she whispered. “I'm so glad you're here.”

“Love you, too,” he said, just before he closed the gap and kissed her.

It was so soft and gentle, and her hands moved together to his cheeks, warmth spreading through her as she felt his familiar stubble, her bottom lip between his. It was over too soon, but then he was wrapping an arm around her and she was half-sitting in his lap as she realised her tears were back again, damn them.

She clutched his shirt, her head on his shoulder, until finally, her eyes popped open.

“Oh, my books!”

She felt him inhale before he spoke.

“What?”

“My parents emptied the house, which means they've moved the rest of my books, and they’re all crammed in that horrible, damp storage room!”

“Oh. I could go rescue them, bring them back to Grimmauld Place and keep them in my room til you graduate-”

“Seriously?” She lifted her head from his shoulder to stare at him in awe.

“Yeah,” he shrugged, slightly puzzled by her reaction. “Why the hell not? I've got extra space.”

“You never have any idea when you're being bloody amazing, do you?”

She kissed him again before he could respond, but he caught up quickly and spread his hand up the back of her head, tangling in her hair.

Slowly pulling apart, moments later, she gazed at him and considered that her tears had finally stopped…

“Is it just me saying the word ‘books’?” he teased, grinning as she rolled her eyes playfully.

“Oh, but the key to the storage room,” she said, expression changing to disappointed as she remembered. “It's in a safe deposit box, and you won't be able to get it.”

“You can't just… let them know to expect me?”

“Doesn't work like that. It's like a Gringotts vault, aside from the dragons…”

He smiled at her joke but then returned to an expression of contemplation, trying to work out the problem…

“Hang on. This is a Muggle bank, yeah? And you realise I'm a wizard?”

“What, are you going to Polyjuice into me and then-”

He raised a brow, and she realised it was an actual solution, though slightly insane.

“Can't promise I won't have a look while I'm changing clothes,” he smirked, and she smacked his arm.

“That's a lot of work for you just to save my books…”

“Nah, sounds like a normal Tuesday afternoon when you think about our lives so far, y’know?”

She laid her head on his shoulder again, breathing more steadily than she had all evening as his arm tightened around her. She thought about the shore, near her parents’ new house in Australia, and the evenings she had spent there with him, in silence. He'd held her, just like this, and she'd realised not only did she love him more than she'd thought was possible to love anyone, but that she was going to spend the rest of her life with him, as long as he never changed his mind. Fortunately, she'd been nearly convinced that he felt the same way, and his suggestion to live together in a few months was going to be a bright spot at the end of everything else.

She closed her eyes and listened to the steady sounds of his own breathing as she drifted farther and farther away from Hogwarts and crumpled letters from Australia…

When she opened her eyes again, she was surrounded by maroon and gold and flickering candlelight. Slowly regaining awareness, she realised she was lying on the common room sofa with a very cozy blanket over her, and she remembered she'd just been sitting on the floor behind a tapestry with-

“Hey.”

He was sitting on the floor, leaning against the sofa, holding an open book.

“What…” she started, trying to piece together how she'd gotten here and how long she must have slept.

“Yeah, you fell asleep, so I brought you back here. Ginny gave me the password earlier. Almost forgot I couldn't take you up to your room." He smirked as she blinked at him. “Would've been a fun way to wake up, sliding down the stairs with me…”

“No way you carried me…”

“Why? Wasn't that far, and you weigh close to nothing.”

“Liar,” and she sat halfway up to investigate the book in his lap.

“Want me to prove it?” he suggested, closing the book, evidently unaware of her query, and crawling to his knees, shoving an arm under her. She laughed too loudly for the common room after midnight and wriggled away from him, but he tightened his grip and tugged her to the edge of the sofa.

“Stop!” she shrieked. He gently covered her mouth with his hand, laughing, and her eyebrows shot up, suddenly aware of how loud she was being.

“Wanna get me kicked out?” he whispered, now being overly cautious, but still smiling. She shook her head, and he removed his hand, releasing her waist and sitting back on the floor.

She pressed her lips together, eyes slightly widened, and he grinned, abandoning his retreat and sitting right back up on his knees again to kiss her. She gripped his shirt and closed her eyes, kissing him back until his lips parted from hers very slowly.

“Sorry,” he whispered against her mouth before he settled back again, leaving a hand on her arm. She stared at him for several dazed seconds before remembering.

“Oh, what book were you reading?”

“Hm? Oh, right.”

He reached over to where he'd dropped it to the floor and picked it up again to show her.

“Fell out of your bag when I picked you up.”

She shook her head at him in mock offense, and he shrugged.

“Anyway, I didn't want to leave just yet, but I was bored as hell and couldn't risk falling asleep, so…”

“So, that's what it takes for you to read.”

He hit her leg lightly with her own book, but she grabbed it and turned it to see what it was.

“You're reading a Muggle fiction book?”

“Same question to you,” he said, raising a brow. “Have you run out of material in the Hogwarts library?”

“Shut up. I do occasionally read fiction… occasionally.”

“Right, so what's this one about? You woke up before I got past the first page.”

“I should make you wait to find out…”

She stretched out on the sofa, face level with his shoulder as he leaned back again and opened the book to the first page.

“Ron?” she said, in a very quiet voice.

“Hm?”

“My mum used to read this to me, but I didn’t care for it when I was little. I would get bored and want to read something else. When we went back to the house, after Australia, I thought I’d try it again, but I haven’t started it yet. I wasn’t really fair to it, the first time… and I think Mum really… really loved this one.”

He turned to fully face her, resting his arm against the sofa and still holding onto the book, open across his knees. And, as she gazed back at him, eyes watering a bit again, he took her hand and cleared his throat. "Chapter one..."