#third time was awful. i fell asleep in the taxi on the way back from the airport and managed to stay awake until nighttime

[fingertipsmp3]

Might regret saying this & potentially jinxing it but I don’t feel jetlagged. I was tired yesterday but now I’m absolutely fine. I’m literally sleeping normally. I’m fine

[arvinsescape]

Drunk

A/N: Hope you enjoy, bit of cheese, bit of fluff! Been in my draughts for ages!! Hope you all enjoy 💕💕

Warnings: Swearing.

Summary: Tom takes care of his girl when she has a girl’s night out.

W/C: 4.5K... Yeah idk how it got so long either...

Tom watched as you fixed your hair before turning and looking at him, excited look on your face.

“How do I look?” You asked as you twirled for him.

“Beautiful, as always.” Tom answered easily, you really did. Your dress stopped just below your thigh, black tights covering your legs and a pair of heels to finish it off.

“You sure you don’t mind doing this?” You asked as he picked up his car keys and opened the door.

“Do I ever?” He said back, he was dropping you off for a night out with your friends and he’d said he’d pick you up.

“I know but I hate the idea of you waiting up for me, I haven’t seen them in a while and it might get late.” You said as you bit your lip following him to the car.

“I already told you, it’s fine. How many times have you picked me up from a night out?” He asked and you smiled as he opened the passenger side door for you. That smile was enough of a thanks for Tom.

“You’re the best you know that?” You said as he got into the driver’s side.

“I know.” He said and you snorted. “Just promise me you won’t let your phone die this time.” Tom smiled as he set off.

“I charged it this time.” You said and held up your phone screen as if to show the evidence.

“Good, that was a nightmare having to chase you around.” He laughed.

“Look, if you weren’t a celebrity I’d have been able to borrow a stranger’s phone to call you.” You shrugged and he smirked.

“You also probably shouldn’t have gotten split up from your friends.” He teased.

“That wasn’t my fault, I already told you, one minute they were there and the next they weren’t.” You said and Tom laughed as he shook his head and reached over for your hand.

“Just as long as you have a good night okay. You’ve earned it.” He said as he pulled up outside the bar you were meeting your friends in.

“I’ll try. Thank you Tom, you really are the best, if you want me to get a taxi just text me.” You said and he lent over as he placed a kiss to your lips.

“Not happening, I like to make sure you’re safe.” He said as he kissed you again.

“I do it when you’re away filming.” You said, you really didn’t want to put him out.

“Yeah and I always make you call me don’t I? Gotta make sure you get home safe.” He said and you smiled as he placed a final kiss to your lips and then a kiss to your cheek. “Now, go, have fun. I’ll see you in a while.” He said as he watched you leave the car, god knows how drunk you were going to get tonight.

**

Tom did his usual routine when he was on pick up duty, he got a good nap in before midnight to ensure he’d stay awake, a couple of coffees to help after he’d woken up. He knew you were having a good night, he’d received three photos and a video, smiling and shaking his head as he observed them.

The first two pictures where from you and they were fine, just ordinary pictures to let him know you were still okay, you told him it was easier than sending him a message. The third picture he’d received from your best friend, you were sat at the table with two drinks and two straws in your mouth as you drank from the two drinks. Your friend having captured it “we told her she was slacking,” he couldn’t help the smile that graced his lips, firing back a few of the heart eye emojis in response.

The video he’d received five minutes ago, from one of your other friends, told him you were indeed having a good night and you were going to be rather drunk when he picked you up. You were with your best friend and you were sat at your table singing your heart out to some absolute shite as you swayed, voice louder than when he’d dropped you off.

It was almost three am when he received four illegible messages from you that he knew it was his cue to put his shoes on and grab his keys, he was opening his car door when your name flashed across the screen.

“Hi darling.” Tom said, he could hear the chaos of the club you were outside of.

“Hi Tommy.” You said louder than you usually would and he smiled as he sat in the car. “I tried to ring but I kept getting it wrong.” You huffed and Tom laughed.

“That’s what those messages where about?” He teased. He didn’t miss your friends shouting a greeting down the phone at him either. “Where are you?” He asked as he started the car up.

“Outside that club, I can never remember its name, you know that one.” You said and he could tell you were trying to be quiet as you said it, failing but trying, and Tom smirked.

“Oh, that club.” Tom said. You’d once been out drinking together and ended up in this particular club’s bathroom together. “I’ll be ten minutes.” He said as you exchanged ‘I love you’s’ before he hung up and set off.

**

Ten minutes later and he found you outside the club with your friends and you were hammered. Tom laughed as he watched you sway as you tried to keep your balance, approaching you, watching the way your eyes lit up when you saw him.

“Tommy!” You practically shouted as you threw yourself into his arms and placed your head into his chest. “I missed you.” You mumbled as he brought his arms around you. Your three other friends were in just as bad of a shape as you.

“Come on, let’s get you guy’s home.” Tom said as he watched your friends stumble to his car, he looked down at you and you smiled up at him.

“My feet hurt.” You said and he laughed, he knew what you wanted, you liked to be in his arms when you were drunk, more so than usual.

“Do they?” Tom said and he watched as you nodded enthusiastically before he turned around and let you hop onto his back. Your arms slung around his shoulders as you kissed his cheek. He unlocked the car, watching as your friends climbed into the back seats. He got you into the passenger side with ease before getting back behind the wheel.

“Y/N, what have you done to this boy?” One of your friends asked. “My boyfriend doesn’t do that.” She huffed and you laughed.

“That’s because your boyfriend is an arsehole.” You said and Tom laughed, you pulled his hand into your own and played with it in your lap as he drove, not in the direction of home because he knew what was coming next. “Can we go to McDonalds?” You asked suddenly, gaze shifting to look at him.

“As always.” Tom answered and he watched as you turned to your friends and fist pumped.

“See, I told you he’d drive us there.” You said, Tom laughed, it was a ritual when you got this drunk to have McDonalds, he didn’t need to ask what you wanted. “Tommy’s the best.” You said and your best friend laughed.

“He’s whipped, no offence Tom.” She said with a smile.

“Can’t argue if it’s true.” He said with a laugh.

“I can’t believe he admits it.” She said again. “Y/N? Where did you find this guy?” She asked and you shrugged with a smile.

“I don’t know, but I’m not sharing.” You said and your friends burst into a fit of giggles as Tom smiled at you.

“But we’re best friends!” She teased.

“We are and I’ll share anything else with you just not Tom.” You said firmly and Tom laughed as he pulled into the much-loved fast food parking lot. “Yes!” You said as you got out of the car, Tom laughing as your friends followed.

“I thought your feet hurt.” Tom teased once he’d caught up and you looked up at him with a lazy smile.

“They do.” You said as you fell into his arms, waiting for Tom to place the order because he knew you’d get it all wrong, too drunk to read the screen properly. “Thank you.” You mumbled into his chest as you waited.

“You’re welcome.” He said as he kissed your head, you snuggling further into his chest. He eventually encouraged you to sit in the booth with your friends as he got your food. Once you were all done, he got you all back into the car, yawning as he sat back behind the wheel for the final time that night.

“I found something out tonight Tom.” You said, you had hold of his hand again as you rested it in your lap and Tom looked at you humming for you to continue. “Y/F/N has a crush on Harry, she told me.” You said and Tom laughed as your friend reached behind your head and slapped it playfully.

“I told you not to tell him!” She announced as your friends fell into a fit of laughter.

“I told you I tell him everything.” You laughed as you brought his hand up to kiss the back of it. “Besides, Tom would know if Harry had a crush back.” You said loudly and Tom laughed again.

“I don’t.” He clarified.

It wasn’t long before he was listening to you all reminisce about your night, fits of laughter filling his car as he dropped both of your friends off, the only drop of left being your best friend.

“Shit.” She exclaimed and you looked round at her.

“What?” You asked.

“I forgot my bloody house door key.” She groaned.

“Just call your boyfriend.” You shrugged and she laughed sarcastically.

“No, if he’s asleep there’s no getting him up. He doesn’t wait up for me like this one.” She said and Tom watched as you frowned.

“I don’t know why you don’t just leave him, he’s awful.” You said and she hummed in agreement. “Tommy?”

“Yeah, she can stay at ours.” Tom answered easily and you smiled at him. He would quite literally do anything for that smile.

It wasn’t long before you arrived at the house, Tom helping you get out as your best friend followed you both. You were on Tom’s back again, as you played with his hair, and he opened the door. He let you down and watched as you hastily took your shoes off and threw them to the side, Tom putting them where they belong.

“Where’s my baby?” You asked as you tore off into the living room, Tom laughing as you stumbled.

“Thanks again Tom.” Your best friend said and Tom smiled before encouraging her into the living room. He was not surprised to see that your haste to get in there was because of Tess. You were on the floor with her and cuddling her as she ran her tongue up your cheek.

“I missed you.” You were saying as you cuddled her. Tom’s heart did flips as he watched you interact with her. He loved watching the two of you. You turned around after a while and looked up at Tom with a lazy and sleepy smile. “I’m tired.” You said as you rubbed your eyes, almost like a child.

“Okay, bedtime then.” Tom said as he lifted you effortlessly from the ground. You wrapped your legs around his waist as you encouraged your friend to follow you upstairs.

“Guest bathroom is there, your bedroom is there.” You said sleepily as you pointed to both rooms in question. “If you need anything just help yourself.” You yawned as you laid your head on Tom’s shoulder. “I’ll see you in the morning.” You finished and Tom smiled as he kissed your temple, listening as the two friends said their good nights.

“You smell of something incredibly bloody sweet.” Tom said as he grimaced slightly, catching a very strong smell that clung to you.

“Some guy spilled his cocktail on me.” You said through a yawn. Tom lifted his hand and ran it through your now messy hair, getting to the tips and feeling the sticky liquid. “He was a dick.” You added. “Tried to dance with me. I told him to fuck off but he didn’t listen.” You said and Tom’s hands on your thighs tightened slightly.

“What happened?” He asked as he took you into the bathroom of your shared bedroom. Placing you on the counter.

“Y/F/N threatened him and he did a runner.” You laughed and Tom shook his head with a small smile. “He was just annoying and a complete dick.” You said as your head fell back against the wall with a thud.

“Yeah, he sounds like it.” Tom said as he wiped your face with a wipe, taking off the make-up. “Are you okay though?” He asked seriously.

“Yeah.” You said as you cupped his face and brought him in for a kiss. “I love you.”

“I love you.” He returned easily. “Come on, you need a quick shower.” He said.

“But Tommy it’s like four am and I’m so tired.” You said with a huff.

“I know darling but you’re very sticky and you have to get into bed.” He reasoned, knowing it wouldn’t help your hangover tomorrow to have the stench of alcohol clung to you. He encouraged you off the counter, laughing as you fell into his chest, your body giving into the drunken and tiredness it was feeling.

He lifted your dress to your waist and got on his knees as he pulled your tights from you. You held his shoulders as he placed a firm hand on your waist and helped you to get out of the material, laughing as you huffed in frustration, hands tightening around his shoulders as you swayed. He pulled your underwear down before standing to full height pulling your dress up and over your head.

“What happened?” He asked as his thumb ran over a very prominent bruise on your hip. You just shrugged in response; you had a habit of walking into things even when alcohol wasn’t involved. He encouraged you into the shower, taking his own clothing off as he joined you.

“You gonna have your way with me Tommy?” You asked with a cheeky smile and he shook his head as he put shampoo in your hair.

“Not tonight sweetheart.” He said and you hugged him, it made it awkward to wash your hair but he went with it.

“Why not? You did the other morning.”

“You weren’t drunk the other morning.” He reminded your drunken state.

“I’m giving my consent.” You said and Tom huffed out a laugh as he moved onto washing your body.

“It doesn’t work like that baby.” He said as he kissed your cheek.

“You’re too good.” You said, Tom was having a hard time now keeping your arms from him, he needed you to stand still so he could wash your body. He was careful, cautious as he made sure you were okay and didn’t slip.

“No sweetheart, it’s what everyone should do.” He said as he lifted your leg to wash it.

“I feel like my ex would have.” You were rambling now, saying things as they came to mind.

“Well he was a twat.” Tom said, he really had a dislike for your ex, he’d never met him but the way he’d treated you was awful. You laughed at his words, agreeing as he set your leg down, helping you out of the shower once you were clean and drying you off.

You made your way into the bedroom and Tom smiled in endearment as you went straight for his t shirt drawer and pulled out your favourite when you were drunk. Tom would never admit he washed it this morning so you’d have it for tonight. Your eyes lit up as you brought the material to Tom who pulled it over your figure with a smile.

“Come on.” Tom said as he moved you into bed and onto your side in case you were hit with a sudden urge to throw up. He watched as you snuggled into the sheets, almost childlike and his heart flipped at the sight. You were adorable. Tess made her way into the room, jumping up to sleep at your feet, she’d missed you this evening.

“Tommy?” You mumbled quietly as he got himself ready for bed, voice laced with sleep.

“Yes my love?”

“Cuddle?” You said and he joined you instantly, you snuggled back into his arms as he held your back against his chest. “I love you.” Where the last words you spoke before your breathing completely evened out.

**

It was 2 pm when Tom woke up, your figure clung to him, he smiled at your peaceful form, carefully removing your arms from him as Tess stood.

“Tess, no. Leave her be, come on.” Tom said as he encouraged his dog out of bed with him, she huffed but listened. He wanted to make sure you got all the sleep your body wanted you to have.  “Come on.” Tom encouraged quietly once he was dressed, making his way downstairs.

“Hey.” Your best friend greeted as she saw Tom. “Sorry, you guys weren’t up and I needed coffee.” She said as she placed a hand over her face.

“S’okay.” Tom huffed a laugh as he boiled the kettle. “How’d you sleep?” He asked as he let Tess into the garden, leaving the door open for fresh air that he was sure your best friend probably needed.

“Pretty well, I woke up like four times thinking I needed to be sick but your beds are so comfy, I wish I was rich.” She laughed and Tom smiled as he shook his head. “How’s Y/N/N?”

“No idea, she’s still asleep, probably gonna feel horrendous though.” He laughed as he made himself a brew.

“First thing she says when she gets up?” She asked and Tom raised a brow. “My bets on ‘I’m never drinking again.’” She laughed.

“My monies on ‘where’s Tess.’” Tom said as he sat next to her at the kitchen table.

“Let’s see who knows her better then.” She teased and Tom gave a ‘you’re on’ before sipping his brew. “Have you thought about, you know?” She asked and Tom furrowed his brows.

“About what?” He asked for clarification.

“You know, proposing?” She cleared up and Tom put his mug down.

“Yeah.” He shrugged and your friend smiled as she looked at him.

“How long have you been together now?” She asked. “Like 2 years?”

“Three next month.” He said and your friend smiled.

“You really do look after her you know?” She said and Tom shrugged.

“She does the same for me.”

“You didn’t have to look after us you know; her friends aren’t your responsibility.” She said.

“Yeah but, it’s good to make sure you all get home safe, I’m not a dick.” He laughed.

“True. Thank you for letting me stay.”

“Always.” He said as they fell into silence.

“So when are you thinking of doing it?” She asked and Tom laughed.

“Next month.” He said. “Got her dads permission already.” He said and your friend teasingly glared at him.

“What about mine?”

“Oh sorry. May I?” He teased back and she laughed.

“Yeah, you’ll do.” She laughed before groaning and holding her head. “Wait,” she suddenly said. “You mean you’re gonna do it when you take her on holiday?” She asked.

“Yeah, got it all planned out.”

“Tell me.”

“I will, just not when there’s potential for her to walk in.” Tom laughed and your friend nodded. They chatted away for a while, Tom offering her some food which she declined politely. It wasn’t long before Tom heard movement upstairs, moving to grab the glass of water and pain killers he knew would be needed.

You walked into the kitchen, shorts now on your legs to accompany his shirt, your eyes still looked tired and your hair was a mess on top of your head but Tom still found you beautiful, you looked incredibly hungover though. You didn’t say anything as you made your way to Tom who handed you the glass of water, smiling as you took it and sat in his lap.

Tom and your friend watched in anticipation as you downed the water and pain killers, before looking around the room, Tom smiled, already knowing what was coming.

“Where’s Tess?” You croaked out, voice probably hoarse from all the singing you’d done last night.

“Goddam.” Your friend said with a laugh and Tom gave her a look that said ‘see.’ As if she knew you were awake, Tess made her way back inside and placed her front paws on your lap excitedly. You stroked her head as you put the glass down, getting off Tom’s lap and wordlessly making your way into the living room, Tess behind you.

Tom followed after a moment, you and Tess cuddled on the couch as Tom sat next to you. You were curled into a ball as Tess curled into you. Your friend joined and sat on one of the other couch’s. You groaned as you held your head, moving to place it on Tom’s bicep as you rubbed your head against it.

“I feel horrendous.” You said and Tom laughed.

“I bet you do.” He teased and you slapped his chest with little to no energy.

“Shh.” You said as you moved to place your head in his lap, moving your legs out to stretch, Tess placing her head on your side as you looked in the direction of the TV.

“Here.” Tom said as he handed you the TV remote, watching as you scrolled through the apps, opening Disney plus. He placed the blanket he’d brought downstairs over your frame.

“What do you wanna watch?” You directed the question at your friend.

“Your house, you pick.” She shrugged.

“You ever seen ‘onward’?” You asked and Tom groaned.

“No.” Your friend said.

“It’s really good.” You said as your eyes scanned the TV looking for the film in question. “There’s this really hot guy that voices one of the characters.” You said and Tom’s hands fell to your now dry hair.

“Yeah?” Your friend asked with a knowing look.

“Yeah, Chris Pratt.” You teased and Tom laughed.

“Oi,” Tom said. “Take that back or you can find a new cuddle buddy.” Tom said and you shook your head as you buried it further into his thigh.

“No, stay. I didn’t mean it. It’s Tom Holland, I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of him but his voice is wow.” You said with a small laugh.

“Better.” Tom said as your friend laughed as the film started. The room falling into quiet, the only noise coming from the TV.

“For god’s sake.” Your friend suddenly said as she threw her phone onto the couch cushion next to her.

“What?” You grumbled, Tom’s fingers massaging your head, voice tired.

“He’s angry at me.” She clarified and you groaned.

“Just leave him. It’s not your fault he was asleep last night, should’ve waited up.” You said and she groaned.

“We can’t all have a Mr Perfect.” She said back.

“I mean no but at the same time, it’s not a big ask. Why’s he annoyed?”

“Because I stayed out, forgot my keys. Apparently, I’m an idiot for forgetting them.” She said with a huff.

“He’s a twat. I’d just be glad you were safe.” You said and Tom couldn’t help but silently agree, he’d never treat you so poorly.

“You’re probably right, but I don’t have the energy to fight him today.” Your friend groaned. “Do you mind if I take a shower?” She asked.

“Go for it. Towels are in the cupboard and I have some spare clothes in my drawer, take what you want, you’ll know which drawers are mine.” You said and Tom laughed, you were comfy now and that meant any hospitality had gone out of the window.

“You want me to root around in your bedroom?” She asked with a laugh.

“I’m comfy and I trust you.” You said and she shook her head with a laugh as she disappeared upstairs. You had now found ‘up’ and Tom’s hands were running through your hair. “I love you.” You grumbled out after a moment.

“I love you. Apart from the hangover did you have a good night?” He asked.

“Yeah, this really good-looking guy took me home.” You teased.

“Yeah? Did he take care of you?”

“Yeah, I think he took me for food as well.”

“I think he might have done.”

“Yeah, he’s won my heart over, think I might stay with him forever.” You said and Tom smiled as he awkwardly lent over you to kiss your forehead.

“Yeah, I think he might want that too.”

“I hope so. I heard he’s whipped, self admittedly so.”

“How do you remember this?” Tom laughed and you shrugged.

“Beats me.”

You spent what was left of the afternoon on the couch, no intent to move as you came to slightly, your friend had gotten an uber home, declining Tom’s offer of a lift. You were now sat eating pizza that you’d ordered in.

“I hope she leaves him.” You said referring to your friend.

“Yeah, I don’t like him much.” Tom said, he’d met him a couple of times and thought he was nothing more than a dick. Wanted to be the guy who didn’t look soft for his girlfriend.

“She needs a you.” You smiled and Tom laughed.

“You specifically told her last night that you won’t share me.” He teased and you laughed.

“No I won’t but you know, might be fun if she dated one of your friends, she had a bit of a crush on Tuwaine for a while.” You shrugged.

“Little match maker.” Tom laughed.

“We should invite them both out, get them to know each other better.” You said with a smile as you pushed your pizza box to the side. Tom did the same when he was done, moving you both into a comfy cuddling position on the couch.

“I’m so excited to go to Paris next month.” You said through a yawn and Tom’s heart soared.

“Me too darling. Extremely excited.” He said as he pulled you closer, nuzzling his head into your neck as you hummed.

“Three years.” You said in reference to your anniversary.

“I know, insane really, feels like I’ve known you forever.” He said as he played with your fingers.

“Yeah, I really hope you don’t ever leave me.” You muttered and Tom smiled.

“Definitely not on my agenda baby.”

[heresathreebee]

Old Stomping Ground

[Ava Starr X Female Reader]

Summary: One of the good things to come out of constant alien invasions are the abandoned ruins of New York, and you’re fixing to show Ava your favorite place. Previous Masterlist Next

Tag(s): 13+ | can be reader gender and race neutral reader but is written with woc readers in mind, no-snap au, post-Ant Man and the Wasp, Ava and reader on an adventure in post Avenger's New York, homelessness, alien trees and the power of community.

AN: no-snap au, post-Ant Man and the Wasp. No beta, we die like men. Just you and Ava having a short adventure.

You took three days off of work for this one. Packed two backpacks with food, water, clothes, and other supplies. Bedrolls and bug spray and hiking poles. Ava laughed at your enthusiasm but she seemed to vibrate with excitement right along with you. 

"Can you at least tell me where we're going," she pleaded. 

You ran through the end of the checklist for the third time, trying to be extra careful now that you wouldn't be hoofing it solo. You dodged the question expertly with a "it's not far and it's not dangerous so hush! Learn to enjoy the mystery, babe." 

Ava rolled her eyes playfully but stopped asking and let you finish. After that you ate a hearty breakfast and began your journey north by northwest. In the taxi, your girlfriend's eyes darted from building to building as you turned on every street and you mentally gave up on scolding her. She was too pragmatic to allow for that level of trust yet. 

You were surprised that it took her until you passed the ruins of the daycare you once attended that she whipped her head around to whisper, "is this… Leviathan alley?" 

You shush her but can't keep the excited grin from your face. "It's a bit more than just an alley." 

Once SHIELD was finished stripping for parts and gutting the cybernetically enhanced alien creature left behind in the Battle of New York, the rest was abandoned. The city's been planning to clean up and rebuild but there are scores in the earth where the leviathan crashed and crumbling, precarious buildings that need to be brought down first in the safest way possible. While the city’s been debating how to deal with the destruction, the poor and destitute had moved in and discovered the blood of the chitauri has some very interesting properties. 

"It's like it changes the property of concrete," you explained, climbing over rubble and reaching back to pull her up, "uhg– breaks it down into some kind of hyper fertilizer. There's this copse of trees growing where we think the stomach was and I think in its natural habitat, the creature was probably an omnivore of sorts and may have swallowed thousands of seeds–" 

"That's all very fascinating dear, could you please take this?" Ava shoves a canteen into your hands and cups your hands to bring it closer to your mouth. You've climbed for what feels like miles and hey, you are pretty parched. "Think we'd better rest and eat, maybe look for a safe place to set up camp and… oh, look over there!" 

Ava's sudden whisper makes you turn. It's green in that direction, though this 'alley' is shrouded in darkness due to the dome made from the spine and ribs of the leviathan, the sprigs seem to grow just fine, becoming taller as they moved farther away from you until they began to develop woody stalks and trunks. 

"That's the forest you were talking about," Ava whispered in awe. “I wanna get a closer look.” 

You gently caught her arm. “Camp first, eat. It’ll still be here tomorrow.” 

~ 

Ava didn’t expect you to take her into an encampment. There were two dozen people in tents, an open grill going and laughter. They seemed to recognize you. It was mostly older adults, a few elderly people wrapped in thick blankets and teens walking around asking anyone needed drinks. You grabbed the blanket from your pack and wrapped Ava in it as soon as she found a seat on a slab of concrete. 

"Comfy?" 

Ava smiled up at you, taking the proffered fruit slice from you. "Very." 

She examined the strange fruit. It had a thin violet skin with a spongy white inner layer and pink juice with black seeds  dripping from it. She leabed over your shoulder get a look at the fruit as a whole, and it seemed the pink goop was loose inside the fruit similar to a coconut. 

"Are these from the trees," she asked. 

"Yeah, they're edible don't worry. No side effects we've seen," you assure. 

Ava nods but as she's licking the tangy pink juice you continue, "well except for Nadia but she's a mutant." 

Ava flicks worried green eyes at you and slowly takes the fruit from her mouth. She's already swallowed on reflex so there's no turning back now, only managing whatever weird things would come next. 

"Uh… what do you mean by that?" 

You blink at Ava. "Oh it's not, like, bad or anything. Right, Nadia?" 

A dark skinned girl in an orange beanie looked up from her phone. "What?" 

"Tauri makes you, what, gassy?" 

The man on the grill threw his head back in a laugh and Nadia kicked a rock at you. "Ha hah, you're everybody's favorite clown in the circus. It doesn't make me gassy, you jerk, it makes me smell like roses actually." 

"Oh," Ava said, "that's all?" 

You and Nadia shared a knowing look. "It's strong. Not overpowering but strong like you've got your nose buried in a whole bouquet of them." 

"And your fingers tingle and you make sparkles– " 

"Nadia I think that's just you, baby!" 

People laughed and the conversation died down. Ava let the slip of tauri fruit linger in her grasp until you gently pried it out and ate it yourself. You were side eyeing her but kept your question to yourself and eventually Ava was able to relax. She fell asleep during Nadia's uncle Rodney's story with her head on your shoulder and dreamed of violet things. Violet dresses, violet paint, violet fires, and violet sprigs. 

All you could dream of was the smell of roses so close and so thick you could touch it. 

~

The walk through the natural path as the trees got thicker finally prompted Ava to ask the question that's been plaguing her. "How do you know them? Are they family?" 

You cast a quick glance over your shoulder and slowed your pace to match hers as your fingers tapped the straps of your backpack nervously. "Sort of. They were family when I had no home to go to. Then I got a job with enough money and a stupid good deal on my apartment because I had no priors. 

"Rodney and Jules and some of the others prefer it out here with the forest. Some of them have nowhere else to go or no way to take care of themselves. Nadia's been kicked out of every home she's ever been to, but she won't go to that gifted school for mutants in Westchester county. Can't say I blame her either." 

"School for mutants, eh," Ava said as she trudged on, "interesting." 

You walked along in silence, drinking in the inviting quiet of the forest and the tiny chirps and peeps of its new inhabitants. You'd almost say it would be a shame to tear this place down knowing it's a new natural habitat, but you know New York had a hundred bigger and more pressing issues to deal with right now. As long as any capitalist moguls kept their eyes elsewhere, the new jungle should be fine. 

As the forest becomes denser, you have to pull a rechargeable flashlight out to see the ground beneath you. Black bugs crawl under and over the brush and fallen twigs, and something no bigger than a cat scuttles away out of the path of the light. Ava puts a hand on your arm and you open your mouth to assure her you'd protect her, but as you look at her you realize she's ready to protect you. Arm poised out and eyes darting around for signs of sudden movement from the brush. 

You walk in silence for what feels like an fantastic eternity but when you look at the canopy you stop yourself. Ava looks up to, gently taking a hold of your hand to keep you close and it sends tingles up your arm. She rarely reaches for you but she seems to be growing more and more confident of it. 

Light dances beyond the thicket of the leaves. Green and gold flashes as a soft breeze creates gaps beyond the chitauri rib ceiling and every time a light flashes you feel warmth on your skin like soft little kisses. 

Something wooden creaks, and that creaking quickly turns to snapping. You unconsciously squeeze Ava's fingers as you spot a black tree trunk beginning to fall towards you. Suddenly, Ava's arms are around you and she pulls you down into a duck. 

Everything happens so fast it blinds you. You can't see, can only feel as shivers of warmth and cold jitter through your entire being, drowning you into sensations you've never felt before. It makes you feel fear more than anything. Is this how you die? Cowering? 

When the sounds of falling trees stop, there is only the wind and the rush of Ava's windbreaker against yours. You test your fingers to see if they still work and dig them into her back. Nothing broken, you're still standing if gravity is correct. 

She finally lets you lift your head from her embrace and survey the scene. That tree opened a spot in the canopy for more natural light to pour in which is good because your flashlight was lost among the thick bramble bushes. 

Ava brushes your forehead. "Are you OK?" 

It must be a trick of the light but she looks like she's shimmering. Perhaps you hit your head or something but it seems like you never fell. Your standing just beside the fallen tree but you could have sworn you'd almost felt it go through you. And then…

And then there was the smell of roses. 

"I'm fine," you say at last. "Let's get back, probably shouldn't have come here by ourselves anyways…" 

Ava gives you a look, it almost looks like trepidation. You steel your resolve and press on to retrace your steps, knowing you had a lot of walking to do before you would exit the treeline. 

Ava has powers and you're ok with that. You'll just let her tell you in her own time. 

[theonlygamergost]

Dream’s new friend -Dream SMP

I am an absolute sucker for Techno/Dream interactions, and them getting locked up together made me want to write about them, so here we are. 

English is not my first language so sorry for any grammatical error, I try my best. 

~~~~~~~~~~

They have a plan to escape, but it’s slow and very taxing on Dream’s frail body, so Techno tries his best to be a good friend and support him. Spoilers: he only knows how to be an amazing friend. 

~~~~~~~~~

Warning! Mention of torture, Swearing

Enjoy~

“Just so you know, I'm not breaking all of the blocks by myself, you're helping” he looked at the half-pig while his hands went in and out of the water, Techno grinned, “You really thought I'd let you do that all by yourself?” he let out a short laugh, “I just needed to exaggerate my inner anarchist and look lazy in front of chat, that's all. We can do a block per person” Dream smiled behind his cracked mask, returning his gaze in front of him. Meditating on thoughts while watching the water break every time he punched.

It had been a few days since Techno last streamed, they had just broken the second block, meaning that Dream was up for the third block. The bell hadn't been touched very much, Techno had ringed it twice to annoy the other man, but that was about it.

“Do you regret asking for the bell instead of freedom?” Dream was sitting not too far at a from Techno, just enough to have privacy while writing, “Not really” the pig-man was punching away the second block, “I mean, it would have been anticlimactic to get out of here in the first stream” Dream sighed, “Is the entertainment of the situation all you care about?” he looked at Techno, slightly annoyed. The men tilted his head, “Not completely, but you have to agree that getting out of here using DreamXD would have drawn even more attention on you, not only from Quackity” he noted, “But from all the server” the man with the dirty white mask looked up, resting his head on the wall behind him, “True…”. The pig-man took a quick glance at the other boy and returned his focus on punching, Dream had followed suit and went back to writing.

Dream had kneeled and started punching the third block approximately twenty minutes ago, Techno was relaxing his tired body by laying sprawled on the floor: he had underestimated how tiring the process was.

“I have been training constantly up until I came here and this has worn me out, so how are you holding up?” He turned his face to the man punching away, who laughed at the question, “I’m not, why do you think I slept so much right after?”.

Oh right, the sight of Dream huddled in a corner popped into his mind, the cellmate stayed dead still and silent for a long while after breaking the first block. Who could blame him though? He had been stuck in this prison for what- six, seven months? Techno doubted the first inmate of this cell trained daily, with the heat of the lava and the constant sweating, even he wouldn’t want to train.

“Well, it’s still admirable that you recovered from a day of punching just by sleeping it off” Dream nodded as a thank you. After a sigh, Techno went back to staring at the ceiling, this wasn’t the best idea he had ever come up with, but hey, it was the only subtle one since he couldn’t use withers and tnt to get out.

He closed his eyes and focused on the various sounds of the lava: boiling, bubbling, it seemed like a soup cooking, but the sound of the liquid flowing down wasn’t normal, he opened his eyes, “Dream, the lava is falling”. The other man stopped punching and got closer to the edge of the cell, as soon as pistons got into motion, he quickly leapt behind the netherite block line and almost got left out, as it raised from the ground. Techno scooted in front of the bell and Dream leaned on the barrier, curious to see who was coming.

Some dreadful minutes after, the lava finally revealed who was visiting: It was none other than Sam.

“Heyyy Sam!” Techno was quick to chirp a greeting, waving excessively. Dream simply gestured a salute, backing away from the netherite blocks and leaning on a wall. The man in armour hopped on the taxi platform and started making his way, still silent. “What brings you here Sam? Maybe you’ve decided to free me?” The pig-man got no reply, just a stare, “Are you here because I have called every book I signed ‘Sub to Techno’? Listen, I can’t really apologize about that-” Sam got closer, still no response. Dream eyed the bell behind his inmate and hoped that the guard wouldn’t get too close, what would even happen if he saw it? He feared nothing good.

The platform reached the cell and Sam stepped on the obsidian, Dream wanted to ask where was Quackity, why he wasn’t coming anymore, maybe Sam was here to torture him in his stead? But he stayed quiet, not wanting to wake up the sleeping lion.

“Oh I got it!” Techno snapped his finger, “You missed us so you came to see us!” Sam sighed as he started to fumble in his inventory, “Don’t be ridiculous Techno” the guard finally spoke, “I came to check if you weren’t trying to escape-” He plopped a bag on the netherite barrier, “And to bring you potatoes. I’ve heard you’re a big fan of them, Technoblade” A smirk slipped though, god was he tired of being teased with the whole ‘Potato lover’ joke.

Sam turned to  Dream and went back to rustle in his pocket, “I’ve also brought more journals and some ink for you, Dream.”. He also placed those on the barrier, the man with the white mask got off the wall and placed the bag of food on the floor while also grabbed the stationary, murmuring out a “Thank you”.

The guard looked at the two prisoners again, “You two better not be planning anything. Behave and nothing will happen to you” he said as he hopped back on the platform, and even when it started moving, he was still looking at those two. He only broke sight when he arrived on the other side, took down the netherite barrier and re-activated the lava.

Techno had been sweating throughout the entire meet-up, thankfully, the high temperature disguised his nervousness. Focusing on the slow dripping of the crying obsidian helped him avoid fidgeting or bouncing his leg. Dream was mostly focused on not looking in Techno’s direction too much, to avoid raising suspicion, he also restrained himself to tease or talk back to Sam, even though, thinking about it more clearly, in all the times Sam came to check up on him, he seemed lost in his thoughts, absent…

Both the inmates let out a sigh of relief when the lava-curtain dropped, Dream slid down the wall onto the floor, “I don’t know why he didn’t enter the cell like he usually does, but thank god he didn’t”, Techno let out a shaky breath, “That was pure stress… I thought hiding the bell was going to be easier”.

The two took a break from talking: Techno layed down again, placing an arm on his forehead, meanwhile Dream placed both books and food in their place. When he too sat down, Techno asked: “You should get some sleep before going back to punching” he tilted his head to look at the other man, who replied smiling at the friend’s concern, “Nah” he shook his head, “I don’t want to sleep, but I’ll post-pone punching for a little more” Techno nodded, closing his eyes for a little.

Silence fell again and the bubbling from the lava took over as the main noise, the elder guardian screech renewed their mining fatigue and Dream decided to close his eyes for a minute as well.

_________

The hard ground and the heat that wearing the mask had created were hard to ignore, his body ached a little and he was out of breath, “Oh wow that actually worked”, a faint voice made him realize that his mind was foggy: he had fallen asleep.

Slowly stretching his limbs, letting out a long whine and blinking a couple of times got him a bit more lucid, getting up to a sitting position. Scanning the room he realized his inmate was sitting at the edge of the lava cascade blocking the cell, fumbling with what, he couldn’t see.

“...Mh… Techno…” he mumbled with his morning voice, yawning right after. The friend looked over his shoulder to see a sleepy Dream rubbing his eyes, he smiled, “Good morning dear, I’m cooking you breakfast before you head for work”. The white-mask man smiled, “Very funny Techno…”, he stretched again. “Oh no I’m not kidding, I’m baking the potatoes” he turned to show the crispy tubers in his arms, Dream’s eyes widened. “Oh wow, you really did that” Techno nodded, getting up from his improvized ‘kitchen’, “I was surprised it worked as well honestly”.

The smell of food filled the cell, making the sleepy man’s stomach rumble, they both laughed at the sound: Dream had almost forgotten what hot food tasted like. “Here” Techno threw him a potato, almost dropping it on the ground because of Dream’s rusty reflexes.

He took off his broken mask out of excitement to taste the meal, not realizing his own action, but Techno didn’t stare at him nor asked questions about it, he simply sat down himself and didn’t speak a word, probably the easiest and more natural way he had ever shown someone his face, he silently thanked the other man for not judging him or reacting negatively.

Once he started eating it, a tear almost fell off his eye, the pig-man noticed, “Oh yeah… you’ve been eating them raw for a long time”. The potato expert looked over the hungry and content friend eating away, “I can always do more if you’d like, they taste better cooked either way” and he also took a bite. They ate in silence mostly, a couple of words were exchanged but nothing much.

When Techno (who wasn’t as hungry as Dream) finished his snack, he looked over at the ‘ex toilet’ and got up to sit down next to it, rolling his sleeves up. Dream noticed, “Umf...Whatf awe you doingf?” He asked with his mouth full, making the friend smile, “I’ll start punching so you can rest a little more, we can swap whenever you feel rested and full enough” and he did start punching, Dream nodded, looking at the potato in his hand.

Now he understood why Phil and Wilbur liked Techno so much: who he saw as friends were treated with the utmost respect and care. He glanced over at the pig-man once more. But if you never saw this side of him… how could you even try and trust him? That’s why Quackity was so traumatized…

He squinted, the view of Techno standing between him and Tommy flashed in his mind, Dream’s eyebrows knitted.

Then why did Tommy give away Techno’s kindness for a dying country and people that didn’t care for him?

A deep sigh came from the man in the corner, snapping Dream back to his obsidian cell.

As long as Dream was sincere with Techno. they would have been both down to help the other. He finished munching on his meal. Yes, Techno owed one to Dream, but now that he was alone, with no friends or allies, transforming that debt into a friendship seemed like a gift. A gift Dream would treat with respect and gratitude.

“Thank you Techno…” Techno smiled, allowing a content noise to slip out of him, “What, for cooking a potato?” Dream shook his head even if the pig-man couldn’t see him, “No… For being my friend” the man in question turned to look at the white mask- no, underneath the white mask. “I don’t have a lot of friends myself y’know, I guess you could say we are two lonely dudes keeping each other company”.

Dream giggled, they hadn’t interacted that much until now… but he was sure he was going to enjoy being around him.

[moondustaeil]

with love , Kim Doyoung

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ ⋅ with love,

⠀  ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀  

⠀ about  

⋅  genre : parenthood au : romance (angst + fluff)

⋅  characters : Kim Doyoung x fem!reader 

⋅  word count : 5.8k

⋅  warning : break-ups, mentions of miscarriage, idk what to think about this piece of writing, it wasn’t like i imagined. I listened to Yesung’s ‘Here I am’ + Block B’s ‘Don’t leave’

⠀ ⠀

⠀ summary

⋅  Each week Juna has to change her home because her parents are no longer together after suffering from a miscarriage. She sees both of her parents struggling and is determined to bring them again together somehow, little does she know sleep will interrupt her halfway through her plan.

“Juna, papa and mama need to have a little chat with you” Doyoung announced as he stepped into the living room, his eyes going to the tv that was playing a cartoon about a princess who was being held by the prince. He swallowed the lump in his throat at the sight, quickly turning his head to Juna who seemed to be immersed in the sight of the happy characters. Doyoung took the remote of the tv and turned it off after he heard the male voice say ‘I will love you forever.’ Words that he rather would have not heard at this moment. The fairytales were all made up out of lies: there was no happily ever after, or whatever they called it. 

Juna’s eyes drifted from the now black television screen, over to her dad who just stood there looking like he just had a long day at work. Her eyes scanned the facial expression he carried around, and with her emotional knowledge, she could conclude that her papa was sad. Her eyes were torn away from him as soon as she heard the slight footsteps on the wooden floor, smiling as soon as she saw you there. But you looked just like Doyoung did: sad, red eyes and a more bloated face.

She was too young to find a reason why the two of you looked so sad, if she found a reason then it was one of those who were childproof: like that the two of you had gotten dust in your eyes or a nightmare had kept you up at night. The only thing she knew, for now, was that she didn’t like seeing her parents sad like that. It was a feeling that lately, she had seen more often on your faces, but both of you had always dismissed that and acted as if all was fine.

Both you and Doyoung sat on either side of her, something you both discussed a couple of minutes ago in the kitchen. You both wanted to be next to her to support her in case she would break down, you both were her parents even though from now on you would live separate lives.

“We have to tell you something,” You said soft and tried to make eye contact with your young daughter, something she instantly returned but the big sparkly eyes brought more pain than joy at this moment. Your lips parted to say the news, ready to tell it in the way the internet had adviced you to. But at the same time, if you said the words now, you could never take them back. And even thinking about it formed regret in your heart.

Doyoung noticed that you couldn’t push the words past your lips, how you couldn’t say it alone. He gave you a slight smile, the one without feelings, as a sign, he would take it over from you, something parents did. Sharing responsibilities.

“Mama and Papa won’t be together anymore” He broke the news, his words making it sound simple and less complicated than it actually was between the two of you. Though by the way his voice sounded, it was clear that even he had a hard time saying it like that. “We will be living in two separate houses, and so will you.” He explained a bit more, reminding himself of the research you two did together. 

Once the words were out, Juna turned her head away from Doyoung and towards you instead. In her eyes, you could see that she needed to hear the same words for you, just so that they were confirmed. “We are sorry, Juna” you said softly instead of repeating the same words again. You knew Juna was too young to understand the reason behind it, so you wouldn’t bother her with it either. It was better if you didn’t, that way she later on couldn’t pick a side.

It was only you and Doyoung who knew what happened to get your family to this low point, not your parents, siblings or friends knew it was going bad between the two of you. They just saw the masks you two put on whenever others were around.

Although the two of you also put on that mask in front of each other, when Juna went to bed, the masks fell off and you were exposed like a commoner in the middle of a masked ball. Neither of you had been able to mourn properly which led to unresolved grief and hard feelings.

The little baby that was supposed to make your family even stronger, never had the chance to have that effect. Right after your third month, the day before you wanted to tell everyone, it had ended. It had ended before the real start came.

The awful day had been encrypted in your memories, yet there was no terrible story that would reveal the reason behind your miscarriage. Which maybe was more negative than positive, as not knowing why left you both clueless and worrying that either of you two were to blame but just didn’t know about it. That day, you woke up feeling normal, with Doyoung still asleep next to you. It was only when you went to the bedroom, that you noticed the blood in your underwear. Doyoung had still rushed you to the hospital while the neighbor watched Juna, but when you returned, it was with an empty stomach and a broken heart.

From that moment on, everything went downward. You and Doyoung tried to tell the news to Juna as she knew you were pregnant, but it was as if she had forgotten it or as if you had never been pregnant. Maybe better for her that she seemed like that but it was harder for you to mourn as a family. No remains were left of your little miracle, only the sad memories.

No matter how hard the two of you tried to get life back on track over the months, life went too fast for the two of you who had stood still ever since it happened. Especially when you had to start working again and do everything parents did. As no one else knew, there was no social safety net that could offer you help.

“It’s okay” Juna’s voice made you look up again as reality suddenly dawned onto you, the thought of the miscarriage was there at least once a day and each time it pulled you into another haze of memories. The girl smiled, a smile that was way too genuine for this moment thus, you concluded that she didn’t really understand what it meant. Maybe once it was so far, she would understand the concept of having separated parents.

Doyoung brought his hand up and carefully ran it through Juna’s dark hair, his fingers trembling slightly but that didn’t stop him from doing it. “Soon it will be different, Juna. But different doesn’t mean bad” he said and looked over at you, you nodded in agreement. Different wasn’t bad, at least not in this situation, neither of you were happy and it was better if your love ended. The strings of parenthood would always keep you connected anyway.

Doyoung looked at Juna who was collecting the things she definitely needed when she was going to swap from him to you again. In silence, he took the little suitcase she always brought and put it down on her bed. It always hurt him that on Sunday evening, he would unpack the bag, only to repack it one week later. But it was better than the sadness you’d both feel when you were still together.

He heard his phone ringing from his bedroom which made him stand up. “You can already pack some things, okay?” he said towards his daughter as he left the room to take the phone call he was receiving. He was just in time to grab his phone and pick up, even though he hadn’t checked the caller yet.

“Kim Doyoung, Hello” He spoke into the phone, first saying who he was in case it was a call from work or someone else that he didn’t know. He waited for the person to speak next but by the sight, he could already recognize it was you. “Doyoung, can you come and get me, please. My bus doesn’t drive and it’s raining so hard” you asked in a soft voice. Doyoung knew you had been away for a job interview today, and secretly had kept his fingers crossed all day in hopes that you’d get it. 

He didn’t hesitate at all when he heard your question. “Of course, send me the address and wait somewhere dry for me,” he told you, making him thank you, by the way you said thank you, he could tell that you were smiling. After that, you hung up the phone so that you could send him the address and wait at a place that kept you away for the rain for a little while. 

Juna in the meanwhile had run into the bedroom of curiosity, wanting to know who her father was calling with and what all was going to be said. “Who was it?” she asked with a smile, asking it the same way as she would always ask it whenever the call ended. “It was your mama, it was raining really hard, so we will pick her up with the car,” he said with a smile. All of the packing that still had to be done, was completely forgotten because of you.

Doyoung lifted up Juna in his arms and immediately went towards the hallway, putting his shoes on and quickly did the same for Juna before he headed out of his apartment. He didn’t waste time: going down to the garage of the building as fast as he could, just so that you wouldn’t have to wait in the rain for too long. He also deep inside knew you could take a taxi, but he preferred it when you called him instead. He’d lie to himself and say it belonged to parenting together, even if he still deeply was in love with you.

He helped Juna in the car and got in as well, driving out of the garage with ease. And one on the road, he drove past his speed limit, not much but still enough to realize that speed wasn’t the regular one. But he was willing to risk it, it was better for him to pay a fine than for you to get sick and pay a visit to the hospital instead. The rain made it harder to drive faster but he had all eyes on the road and dared to call himself an experienced driver after having his license for quite some time already.

Without using his phone for the right direction, he managed to drive to it from the way his head had figured it out, he knew his way around in the city pretty well. He only used it to look at the address whenever he managed to forget the name of the street that you would wait in. 

“When will we be there? Where is mama?” Juna asked as she was getting slightly impatient, shifting in her seat, just like she always did when she was seeing either of you two. Even though she loved you both, seeing the other parent after a week would always make her a bit of a nervous mess. “You should look through the window and tell me if you find her” Doyoung said even though the drive would still take a couple of minutes.

Not even a minute later, he heard the sound of Juna’s hand against the window. “There is mama!” She spoke loudly so that her words would be heard by Doyoung. Doyoung looked to his right to quickly check what his daughter identified as you, the least he expected was for her to be right. But he could recognize you: standing there under an umbrella but you were soaking wet anyway. He quickly parked his car on the side so that you knew it was him.

As soon as your eyes had caught the car, you smiled as you knew it was Doyoung. The rain had been bothersome but you had been offered an umbrella by someone who lived in the apartment above the place that you were standing, and you gratefully accepted the offer. You closed the umbrella after trying to shake most of the water off, in quick steps heading to the car that belonged to your ex-boyfriend. 

You opened the door to the passenger’s side and sighed in relief once you were greeted by the warmth and the dry seats. You sat down and shut the door, your head resting back against the seat. “Thank you” you breathed out with a small smile, happy you were finally out of the bad weather. Doyoung let out a small laugh at your behavior, but on the inside was proud of himself. “It’s fine” he said.

Your eyes drifted to the backseat where you saw your daughter sitting with a hopeful smile, waiting until you would say hi to her. “Hi little Juna!” you said with a smile, smiling brighter than your mood was but everything for your daughter. “Hi mama!!” she repeated, giggling out loud because you finally had noticed her. 

You turned back in your seat to come down from the stressful moments, it almost seemed like a cliché thing that it rained right after you came back from your job interview, even though the interview had gone well. You even thought you may have a big chance of getting the job, which was a good thing as you really were in need of a job to pay your rent and bills with, not to forget that you also had to take care of Juna.

“Do you think you have the job?” Doyoung asked as he had heard you talking about the job they needed last week, he knew how bad you needed it and would have helped you if it wasn’t for his job that required his attention. You shrugged your shoulders at the words “maybe, I did well so I hope I can get the job” you said.

It was silent for a few minutes as Doyoung wanted you to be able to calm down and relax a little bit before anything else happened. He knew you well enough to know when it was appropriate for him to speak again. “What if I make dinner tonight? I’ll drive you and Juna home after that” he suggested to you. The sweetness and helpfulness of him made you smile a little bit, how had you let a man like that slip from your life? But as an answer, you gave him a smile and a nod. “I’d like that, if it’s not too much at least,” you said, as you didn’t want him to feel awkward in his own apartment because you were there as well. 

When you noticed Doyoung was driving into the direction of his apartment rather than yours, you knew he was going through with his plan like it was no problem for him. It made you smile to yourself, glad that you still had him in your life to get through days like this. You had to admit that life had been a little hard on you since you two broke up, but that didn’t change the fact that he was always there to offer you help.

The rest of the drive to his apartment building didn’t take long but it was filled with a comfortable silence, occasionally Juna spoke when she saw something out of the window like a dog, making either you or Doyoung reply. But no other conversation was formed between the two of you.

When he parked the car back into the garage, you got out of the car and helped out Juna who had desperately opened her arms to be held by you. You lifted her up in your arms as you walked behind Doyoung to get up to his apartment. “Don’t judge how my apartment looks, it’s still a bit chaotic” Doyoung said as soon as the three of you were stood at the front door.

You nodded as a sign that you understood him: of course you did as you were in the same situation as him. Both of you had moved out from the place you shared and had gotten smaller apartments, all of that happened three months ago so it was still a bit chaotic but both of you were working hard to get each of your homes done and Juna-proof. The bigger apartment the three of you used to live in, was going to be sold once the two of you had the time to measure everything and find someone that wanted to sell it.

He opened the front door and let you go inside with Juna first, following behind you this time so that he could close the door after himself. “I will take over Juna and prepare dinner, in the meantime, you can get changed,” He said with a sweet smile although forgot about the fact that you didn’t live here, so had no clothes to wear aside from the soaked once that you were already clad in at this moment.

“How? I don’t have any clothes” You pointed out as you put down Juna who had been wriggling in your arms so that she could go and play for a little bit. Doyoung widened his eyes at the words and slapped himself on the arm as some kind of punishment. “Sorry, I forgot, let me find you some clothes of mine you can wear,” he said and started to lead you into his bedroom. 

The colors of the bedroom were pretty neutral but you didn’t expect much as like he said, not everything was done, and his room was the last priority he had at this moment. As long as he had a bed to sleep in, he was fine. He went to the wardrobe and started to go through the clothes he had. 

“Some sweats?” He asked but already took them out before you could say yes or no, he remembered by head the times that he had seen you in his sweatpants whenever a situation like this happened. While holding the sweatpants, he searched for an upper part of clothing with his free hand. “Here is a shirt for you,” He said and took out the light blue shirt but also took out a white t-shirt. Unknowingly dressing you in the things he liked to wear in daily life, the things that you liked to see on him and the things that he liked to see on you as well.

You took the clothes from him once he handed them over to you, smiling gratefully at his help. “Thanks,” you said to him and motioned to the clothes. “You’re welcome. You can change here and the bathroom is in the next room in case you want to refresh yourself a bit” he said with a small nod, realizing it was his cue to leave the room. Letting you change in peace.

Your eyes scanned the room once you were left alone, it didn’t look like the kind of room that you and Doyoung would share. But it wasn’t as if this was your room, and Doyoung not your significant other anymore so you had no right to judge. You sat down on the edge of the bed after you got yourself out of your drenched clothes, taking a few seconds of silence to calm yourself down. Suddenly your eyes fell from the wall towards the nightstand that was right next to you, nothing that caught your eye aside from that one little piece of paper and what was written on it.

‘Kim Junseo, Kim Junhwa

Those were the names I would have wanted, I’m sorry for screwing up what we had. I can’t forgive myself for letting you go like that, you will walk out soon. One day my heart will be completely broken, and I want you to heal it before it’s too late. I need you, do you need me?

With love, Doyoung’

Your fingers reached for the piece of paper, gripping it between your fingers a little harsher than you expected which formed a crook in the middle of it. Seeing the names written down brought doubt to your mind if these were the names he had for your baby, and the doubt began to turn into sadness once the thought of the baby was there. Even the other words hadn’t managed to really get into your mind, even if you knew it was meant for you but at the same time, it wasn’t.

It took a solid minute before your fingers tried to get the crook out of the paper, but it stayed there like the cracks in your heart. You put the paper back onto the nightstand. And another minute later, you finally started to change into the clothes that Doyoung had offered you. 

Once you had gotten changed into the clothes, you stood up and went to the mirror to take a look at yourself. The fashion was exactly like the things that Doyoung would wear in his daily life, you would be surprised if this wasn’t one of his favorite outfits. You took your wet clothes with you as you left the room but left them in a corner near the entrance for you to take home later on again.

Doyoung, who was making dinner hadn’t even noticed that you were back into the main room, maybe it was because he was distracted by his own thoughts. And the sound of the tv playing in the background kind of blurred out the other sounds in the room. Though it was Juna who had heard you coming back and immediately came running to you, breaking Doyoung’s rule of not running around inside. 

“Mama!” Juna shouted happily and ran, running straight into your barely-opened arms but you still managed to catch her just in time. You lifted her from the ground and up into your arms so that you could give her some love and carry her around. “I missed-ed you” She said and leaned up the last few centimeters, her lips pressing fast-paced kisses to all of the areas of your face that she could reach. The kisses made you laugh, they were cute and you had missed them all week. “I missed you too, sunflower” you whispered to her, capturing her cheek with your lips to press a kiss onto it.

Without either of you realizing, Doyoung had been watching you with small glances whenever the looking didn’t require as much attention. His broken heart tried to mend the pieces by its own when he saw you together with Juna: a sight that brought a mixture of detailed feelings. From an intense heartbreak to the homely happiness, also including all of the feelings in between. What could have been his life was now only half of it, a half family, a half heartbeat maybe?

He couldn’t bring himself to break the moment to say the two of you could come to the table and have a seat. Instead, he put down the kitchen supplies and carefully made his way over to where you and Juna were still caught up in soft giggles and happiness. “I want to have fun too, Juna!” Doyoung said with a fake whine, with his sudden appearance catching the eyes of his ex-lover and his daughter. 

Juna smiled happily and allowed her father to get involved in the random laughing and jumping, even though it probably didn’t look like fun, it was perfect for the three of you. Juna was shared between the two of you, bouncing in either of your arms as if she was dancing. The playing continued for a couple of minutes, it seemed as if nothing had ever happened, as if the three of you still represented the same happy family that you once had been. 

“Hug!” She suddenly yelled out loud and opened her arms, she was down on her two own feet onto the ground so that she had been able to show off her own individual dancing skills. Without thinking you and Doyoung moved down synchronically, two pairs of arms wrapping around little Juna. Which accidentally caused both you and Doyoung to be in a hug, sandwiched between you two was Juna. 

The giggles went silent, but Doyoung’s eyes met yours at an unexpected moment. Even Juna seemed to disappear once that happened. It was just the two of you staring at each other, sharing a conversation that was completely mute. If you had used words it would have been something along the lines of. “It’s been so long since we hugged” and either of you would then reply with a “please don’t let go.”

But in reality looks didn’t speak with such words and it might have looked different from both of your points, it only caused you to break the eye contact that was shared. “Sorry” Doyoung apologized first and pulled away from the double hug before you were able to say something in reply. The only thing that you heard was the whine that left Juna’s lips at the sudden lack of warmth around her.

“It’s time to eat,” Doyoung said and disappeared into the kitchen. The words were sudden but both you and Juna followed him to the table where dinner was going to be served. You placed Juna in her seat and just sat on one of the other chairs so that you had a good sight on your daughter while she was eating. Doyoung was quiet in the kitchen as you got settled down, only sometimes coming closer whenever he had to place one of the prepared things onto the table. 

You started to talk a bit to your daughter but as soon as you looked at her, you saw that she was thinking about something and clearly had no attention for your words. Though her eyes went back and forth from Doyoung to you, she wasn’t in the real world.

After a few minutes, Doyoung finally sat down as the last side dish was placed onto the table. When he sat down, also bringing Juna back from her little trip to another world. 

“Have a nice meal.” You and Doyoung said to each other but also to Juna who hummed with a small smile on her lips before she began to eat the things that had already been placed on her plate. It was silent after that, only the sounds of chewing and occasional shifting in the seats. You had to admit that it was weird to eat like this, at the same time it felt nostalgic to when the three of you were one happy family. It brought both sad and happy thoughts, and you had no idea which ones were overpowering.

Both of you looked at your daughter when she suddenly let out a quiet whine, pushing her half-full plate towards the center of the table. “I can’t eat” She whined and moved her hands in a small cross as a sign that she had no appetite anymore. In reality, she was very hungry though, but she had wanted to quicken the process on the little plan she had thought out a bit ago.

“Are you sure?” Doyoung asked her with a confused tone, she usually never said no to food and he had expected her to eat even better when you were also joining them. But Juna nodded her head a few times, then looked up and began to rub her eyes as if she was tired, tired way before her bedtime. The eyes of her parents made her know that she was being watched closely by them, she just knew such things. “I want home,” She said and reached over to you, slightly pulling at your sleeve.

You nodded your head and left the rest of the food on your plate untouched “we will go home” you said to her, believing that she genuinely was tired and in need to sleep. Aside from that, your week with her had begun so it was only normal that she went home with you and slept there. You stood up and took Juna from her seat, holding her in your arms. “We have to go Doyoung, I’ll come to pick up her clothes tomorrow,” you said but didn’t even remember that Doyoung was the one who drove you here and you were only able to take the bus or walk home. 

Doyoung stood up, he nodded his head and grabbed his car keys. You looked at him with questioning eyes but he let out a small chuckle. “I drove you here, remember?” he asked you which made you laugh as soon as you realized that he did drive you here. “That’s true,” You said and nodded your head. 

Both of you and Doyoung walked to the front door, putting on your shoes as quickly as possible to bring Juna to her bed at your house. Sometimes Doyoung glanced when he was reminded of the fact that you were in his clothes, one of his favorite outfits to be exact. 

Doyoung led both of you outside to the car again, trying to open the doors as quick as he could, the rain that had poured over you earlier, was now getting him wet as he was walking outside earlier than you. Once the doors were opened, he made sure you safely got the little girl in the car. Only when Juna had been in the car, he got in the car too and waited for you to do the same thing. “Let’s go” he mumbled once the three of you were seated and ready to go.

The drive to your home wasn’t long but the silence made the ride drag on longer than needed. Sitting in the car next to Doyoung, gave you the urge to hold onto his hand on moments that he didn’t need his second hand, but you refrained yourself from doing so each time the thought only crossed your mind. 

Though, instead, out of an old habit, Doyoung’s hand reached out for yours at an unexpected moment. You hadn't even noticed the change until the warm feeling seemed to engulf your hand, which made you look down slightly, just to see his hand holding onto yours. The same way it would be a long time ago, and the feelings hadn’t changed either.

“Sorry,” Doyoung said once his eyes had a second to follow your glance, the hand holding ritual had been back before he even had realized it, his hand just had that urge and he had been too focused on the road. Though, he said sorry, it didn’t change the fact that he was holding onto your hand.

You gave him a small smile, one that indicated that it was fine because even if you were hesitant about it, at the same time you wished he would hold onto your hand forever. “It’s fine” you answered after a couple of seconds, slowly intertwining your fingers together while you spoke to your ex-fiance.

The silence came back to you two, but neither of you seemed to really pay much attention to it. It was as if the two of you were slowly warming up to each other again, even if it sometimes consisted of the silence being between the two of you. Too bad, it didn’t last longer than those few minutes. Too bad, Doyoung pulled away from your hand before he pulled up to the apartment building.

“I’ll take Juna out” Doyoung said to you and gave you a smile before he already got out of the car, he got Juna from her seat in the back while you got out of the passenger’s seat. Both of you walked around the car to get to each other’s side, leaving both of you to meet halfway. “She’s asleep,” He said with a small chuckle as he held the sleeping girl a bit more comfortable in his arms, now that he had gotten her out of the car, he knew he could hardly place her down somewhere because she would wake up. You looked at Juna, smiling sweetly at the cuteness of the girl that resembled Doyoung so much. Neither of you had known about her plan, and in the morning she probably would believe she was the cause to the ending.

“Thank you” You told Doyoung and smiled a bit at him, tilting your head as your mind went over the day you had: the part of the day without him but mostly the part where he came to get you and everything that happened after that. Doyoung didn’t really reply to your words, instead, he just started another subject to talk about. “Did you read the note?”

Your eyes shot up towards him when you heard the question, you knew what note he was talking about, at the same time you wanted to immediately act as if you had no idea what he was talking about. Your silence gave Doyoung an answer unexpectedly. “I’ve had that note the day we decided to give up” He said honestly, trying to hold Juna with one hand as the other hand went to yours, to hold onto. “But each day, I remember how beautiful we were in the past. I know it won’t be the same again, but I promise I won’t make the same mistake again. So, please, don’t slip away from me” He said, expressing the words like they were deep lyrics that he had found somewhere. But even if they were, you believed them completely, you believed his feelings because you shared the same ones. 

“Doyoung?” You asked soft which made him hum immediately as a sign you had all of his attention while you wanted to speak up. “My note said: ‘don’t leave, with love y/n” you admitted. On your nightstand was the same kind of note that he had on his, but yours used fewer words, though it was a scream for the same words that he had been able to express. Your notes were far from the same, only the ‘with love’ remained.

Without any more words being said, the two of you stood closer. It felt like a sad embrace that both of you were holding each other in before your arms even collided with the other’s body. But once into the embrace, it was like a lost puzzle piece being found after being abandoned for so long. “I love you” he whispered, his lips moving to kiss your forehead. You couldn’t help but smile slightly at the words you hadn’t heard for so long “I love you too.”

The puzzle wasn’t complete, it never would be.

But at least the missing pieces found each other, and they would continue to find the other missing pieces

[aperrywilliams]

A Normal Conversation Ch12 (Spencer Reid x Maxine Brenner)

Masterlist

Ch01 Ch02 Ch03 Ch04 Ch05 Ch06 Ch07 Ch08 Ch09 Ch10 Ch11 Ch12 Ch13 Ch14 Ch15 Ch16 Ch17

———————

Chapter 12: The First Night Date

Summary: Spencer and Max have their first night date. How will it end?

Word Count: 5140

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences. “Fluff” mostly.

Warnings: References to sex, sexual tension, etc.

A/N: Maybe things shouldn't go so slow anymore ;)

——————–

Max didn't know how long they'd been sleeping, but when she woke up tried to move without disturbing Spencer. Managing to get up from the couch she saw Spencer hardly moved. It was evident he had not slept at all in days and was tired, so she did not want to disturb him by now. Max took a blanket from one side of the couch and covered him with it. Then she went to the bathroom to washing her face to feel more awake, filled a glass with water and sat at the desk turning on the laptop. Next day must to go back to school so wanted to prepare some things from work before that.

The clock was ticking around 7:00 p.m. when Spencer began to stretch. Max saw him move in the couch and slowly open his eyes as he yawned. When he was aware of being awake, sat up quickly and very confused.

“Easy there, you're in my place. You fell asleep on the couch”. Max said to calm him down. Spencer started rubbing his eyes with the palms.

"Max, I'm so sorry... what time is it?" asked in a sleepy voice.

"Almost 7 pm" Max replied watching as Spencer tried to wake up still rubbing his eyes. She couldn't help but think of how cute he was in that situation, like a little boy with tangled hair, half-open eyes, and messy clothes.

"Wow..." Reid tried to get up but was still dizzy from sleep.

"Hey, wait a minute. Don't get up so fast. You're going to fall”. Max ordered.

"Ok, ok... I’m fine... were you awake all this time?... you were with me when I fell asleep...". Spencer asked looking at Max.

"Yes, I slept a little too..." said Max. Spencer was already sitting on the couch, wide awake.

"I’m an horrible partner... I come to see you and I fall asleep. Great…”. Max laughed.

"Hey... don’t worry about that. You are the one who hadn't slept in days. Also I would not say it was a waste of time… you look so adorable sleeping… like Sleepy Beauty”. Spencer couldn't help but blush at Max's comment.

“Still, it's very disrespectful from me. Sorry…”. Spencer said putting his shoes on and tying his shoelaces.

"Don’t be sorry. I like you feel comfortable enough to sleep on my couch… for now” Max said winking. Spencer just could cleared his throat  at the comment.

"Ehm... and what are you doing now?" Spencer asked seeing Max's laptop on.

“Well, tomorrow I go back to school. I want to prepare a little before the chaos” she said laughing.

"Oh, I understand. Ok, I think I should go then". He got up from the couch correcting his clothes a little.

“You don't have to go if you don't want to yet. I can do something for dinner…” she said getting up from her chair.

Don't worry, it's not necessary. I don't want to disturb you, I also think when I get to my apartment I will eat something fast and go to bed again… ”. Spencer replied as he approached Max who was still standing next to her desk.

When he had her face to face, Spencer took her by the waist and stared at her. Reid had tangled hair and his tie to the other side of his neck. In Max's eyes the man looked irresistible. He smiled at her as he examined her features. Thus, an idea crossed his head. Max looked at him curiously as his eyes began to glow as if a light bulb had suddenly lit up.

"Max, I think we deserve a real date..." Spencer said solemnly and without letting go of her waist. Max tilted her head in doubt.

"Don't you think we've had 'dates' already? What are you thinking Dr. Reid?" Max asked playfully as she grabbed his tie and tried to pull it into right place.

“Yes, we had, certainly. But I'm talking about a date as classic definition of date is” said Spencer.

"Okay, and what would a ‘classical date’ be like for you?" Max asked laughing.

“First of all, such a date has to be at night. Secondly, a date like this deserves to me come to pick you up here at your apartment and take you to dinner in a nice and quiet place. Third, it is essential I give you flowers. Fourth, it has to be a date where we can talk a lot, looking each other in the eye, laugh a lot and... of course, another very important point: where I would kiss you while we are enveloped by candlelight" Spencer traced with his fingertips small circles down Max's back as he spoke. The combination of his words and his caresses made Max shiver a little.

"Wow, it doesn't sound bad at all, I must say... if your intention is to indulge me like that, I think I accept it" Max said with a smile as she got up to catch his lips with hers intensely. Spencer answered the kiss with the same intensity. He only broke the kiss a little to speak.

"Tomorrow then?" Spencer asked eagerly.

"Seems right to me. Tomorrow night”. Max replied.

"Perfect!" Spencer said with an open smile.

"I don't know where this romantic streak of yours Dr. Reid comes from, but I'm not going to complain..." Max said jokingly.

"I don't think I could say either..." he said as leaned forward to continue the kiss they had previously interrupted. When they felt lack of air, they both pulled away. "Now I must go. I have considerably abused your hospitality and time today”

"Ok. Tomorrow night then?" Spencer nodded. Giving her one last goodbye kiss, Reid walked to the door and left the apartment.

The next day Spencer had texted Max asking her if 8:00 PM was a good time to pick her up. She answered it was okay. It was close to 7:00 PM and Max was getting out of the shower going to the closet to choose the attire would wear that night. Max thought for a moment about what to pick. Since this was a date as Spencer described before, she thought a dress would be best option. She wanted to live up to the moment, and if meant stepping out of her comfort zone a bit, was willing to do it. The option chosen was a black dress. It will make her hips stand out.

The dress also had a moderate neckline. She thought if the idea was to only make Spencer “a little” nervous her outfit would work. Then Max looked for shoes to match the dress choosing a high-heeled ones to try, in part, to reach at Spencer's height, although was impossible to achieve anyway. She hoped date didn't include dancing, because if it did, those shoes wouldn't be a good idea to be honest. In her bet, told herself it would only be a dinner, so she shouldn't worry about it. Also chose a lighter colored coat to make a little contrast to the rest of her clothing. The makeup sought to highlight both her eyes and lips. Black and red would make a good contrast, she thought.

At exactly 20:00 there were two knocks on the door. Surely Spencer, with his usual punctuality, was the one who was there to pick her up. Max went to open the door.

"Hey!... on time as always" Max said to Spencer who was standing on the threshold with a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a smile impossible to erase from his face. He was also prepared for the occasion: full suit, white shirt, dark tie, and black shoes. When Reid saw Max, his jaw dropped four floors and couldn't help but look at her full body. "Wow..." he thought without being able to speak for a few seconds.

"Hey... I ... I brought you this..." he said as crossed the threshold and handed her the flowers.

“Spencer, thanks, they are so beautiful. I will put them in water right now”. Max took the bouquet and turned to the kitchen to fetch a vase. Spencer couldn't help but stare in awe at Max's figure and how good she looked in her dress. He also couldn't help but comment something about it.

"I must say that... you look ... amazing..." Max returned an open smile.

"Thank you. You look very handsome today too” said Max as she placed the flowers on the table.

"Thank you ... although looking at you I can hardly keep up on that ..." Spencer replied. Max couldn't help but laugh.

"Don’t say that!. Give me a minute I'm going to get my purse and my coat and could we go”. Spencer nodded, standing by the door waiting for Max.

They left the building and Spencer propped onto the street to stop a taxi. The car stopped and he opened the door for Max to get in, then went to the other side to get on. He gave the instructions to driver and they started off the trip. The time they stayed in the taxi both shared silent looks and smiles. Neither spoke, but it was evident their contemplative attitude towards each other said a lot about how nervous they were in that moment. The only physical contact they had during the trip was Max's hand, which reached for Spencer's to gently squeeze it and not release it until the end of the trip.

Spencer's heart was pounding. He wanted at all costs a special night with Max. In his mental scheme it was his first real date with her, so he was anxious and wished everything was as perfect as he had imagined it ever since idea came into his mind.

Few times in his entire life Reid had the opportunity to reach this point with someone. Point he considered ‘formal’ but lacking any label: no boyfriends, no lovers, no friends... or perhaps all of it together, but without giving it a specific name. For Spencer this is a moment with a thin line: either everything moving forward or everything moving backwards. He felt the bet was leaning towards 'moving forward'. Max's signs gave him confidence. But same confidence faltered the second his insecurities returned to torture him from time to time.

In her side, Max was curious. She wasn't thinking Spencer wants to prove something, or maybe he is, but for the confidence dynamic they'd begun to have over the past few days, tonight could mean a lot: rush things, staying in same way, or stop them. She didn’t like impression Spencer could feel he must exhibit all his courtesy to impress her. She had already made her bet on him and didn't want him to feel uncomfortable or feel compelled to do something just to please her. Max was not that type of woman and suspected Spencer already knew it. But it was true she had learned things from him also in this short time: clearly he was a very different man from the average and as such, full of surprises, then… why not let herself be surprised? With that last thought Max decided she was going to suppress any fear or doubt and was going to enjoy tonight as if it were his first meeting in the park or his first coffee date.

When they reached the place, Reid quickly got off to go open the door on Max's side. He offered his hand to help her down. They were in front of a restaurant located on one of DC's main avenues. It looked quite fancy. Both approached hall where a man asked them "Do you have a reservation?". "Yes. For two. Reid” Spencer replied. The receptionist searched his register. "Dr. Reid, please join me over here”. They crossed a large hall where there were several tables and many people siting. In one corner was another entrance to a smaller room. In that room there were only three tables. Of which only one was occupied. The man pointed to one of the empty tables for them to sit on as he asked for their coats and jackets to make them more comfortable. Then he left two menus and left, saying the waiter would take their order soon.

The room had warm lighting, which was complemented by candles arranged on each table. It was a quiet space, unlike the hall they had crossed where more noise could be heard. When they sat down, Spencer opened the menu while Max scanned the place with her eyes.

"Spencer, this place is gorgeous" said Max looking at her surroundings.

“And very calm, by the way. No one here can disturb us and we’ll not have the noise from the main hall either” added Spencer.

"Wow, I feel like in those '80s movies, with a lot of glamour" said Max laughing.

"If you'll allow me, I must say tonight you look perfect to fit on that description" Spencer said flatteringly.

"Dude, don’t you put me on that spot. I will have to behave as if I were a celebrity before thousands of paparazzis” Max said laughing as she imagined the scene.

"No no no. You don't have to feel that way. The plan is we enjoy tonight. I want you to be comfortable. If you are disturbed or disliked by something, we can leave at any time…”. Spencer said taking one of her hands that was resting on the table.

“Don’t worry Dr. Reid. I'll find for my balance” Max said smiling without releasing his hand and winking. "Well, what are we going to have for dinner today?" Max asked placing attention on the menu.

"There are many options here... I at least want to try the steak of this place" Reid said confidently.

"Okay. Let's see…”. Max started to look at the menu and decided for a stirred fry meat with grilled vegetables. When the waiter came, he took both orders. Spencer also pointed something on the drink menu which the waiter wrote down. Then waiter left in search of their order.

"Well, and how was the return today?" Spencer asked as he settled the cloth napkin on his lap.

"I think it was good. Exhausting, yes. I was only absent three days, but today I noticed immediately. Also, those kids had more energy than I had seen in weeks” said Max with a huff.

"Maybe they missed their teacher" Spencer joked.

"Well ... if so, I would prefer not to be missed so much..."

"Hard not to miss you, if you ask me..." he said winking her.

"How flirty Dr. Reid!" Max said teasing Spencer.

"Hey, you deserve all the praises I can give you. These are just a few. If I had better ones, believe me I would give them to you”.

"You know, I'm going to get used to it with all this. So much courtesy is not usual for me, if you understand what I mean. Now, I'm not complaining either, by the way” said Max.

"Ok, it's possible you don't be used to. But if it doesn't bother you, I'd love to keep doing it…”

"Only if you let me do the same with you handsome" said Max while Spencer smiled slightly flushed.

"Okay, I think we both can praise each other, why not?" Reid sentenced.

"For me, sounds like a very good deal" Max declared smiling. Spencer nodded. They stared for a few seconds in silence, until Reid began to speak.

"Moving on to another topic, have you heard any news from the Smithsonian?" Max winced with a shrug.

"Nothing. They told me the process was slow and I had to be patient. Maybe next week I will have the first interview. I'm nervous. I had already told you I would love to have that job…” she said accompanying her words with a sigh.

"Yes, and I'm sure you will get it, you just have to be patient, as they indicate…" said Reid trying to assurance her.

"I hope you're right!" Max said. At that moment the waiter appeared with a bottle of wine. He shows it to Spencer and he nods. The waiter opens it and pours some of it into Max and Spencer's glasses, then puts down the bottle. "Spencer ...? Are you going to drink wine?” said Max oddly.

"That's right, we'll drink wine" Spencer sentenced.

"But you told me you didn't drink..." Max interrupted.

"What I said... was I only drink on special occasions" Reid said smiling. "And for me, this is… indeed a special occasion"

“Wow! I’m flattered” Max said a little flushed.

"Shall we toast?" Spencer said raising his glass once the waiter had left after putting the bottle in the table.

"I think we must to do it. And make a toast for...? ” Max asked. Spencer was silent for a moment, wondering about words he was going to let out of his mouth.

“Ehm, well… I want to toast for our first night date... for you, thank you for accepting my invitation. I would also toast to have the privilege to have your presence... and I'm not just saying it only for today. Max, I'm really very… glad to have met you and... to be with you now”. Max nodded smiling, without saying a word, just raised her glass as they did the toast.

They talked for a while about the job Max was applying for. She related how her head hunter had come up with the notice and the requirements of the job, for which Max thought her fitted in quite well. After a while their plates came. While they ate they continued talking. Max asked Spencer how he got to work at the BAU. He related how his first approach with Gideon had been, and it was he who finally made it possible for him to join the BAU despite his young age. Spencer couldn't help but tell what Gideon's fate had been years later. But despite as sad as it had been, he hoped Gideon was proud of him, more than even his own father.

"And since when do you not have contact with your dad?" Max asked after Spencer told Max some more details about how his dad had abandoned him and his mother when Reid was still a child.

"It's going to be 12 years now... or maybe a little more..." Spencer said as he did the mental math.

"And there is no times don't you feel curious for to know about him...?" Max asked.

"I don’t know. He has been so absent in my life I would not even know what to talk to him. It's clearly not like the relationship you have with your dad"

"Ok. I understand. Although I didn't have much daily interaction with my dad when I was a child, well ... after my mom, I think things changed for the better between us and yes, now we are very close" said Max, taking a sip of her wine.

"It’s possible to see that clearly, same feeling with your sisters..." Reid declared as he assaulted his steak.

"Yes, my dad has been very understanding with me and all my disasters..." Max laughed. “Really, my dad has a golden patience with my sisters and with me. And I already told you the other day how things were between us…”

"Yes. I know. I suppose that's happen when you have children, you could do anything for them. I could say the same about my mom”. Max was going to ask something related, but before any word came out of her mouth she stopped. Spencer noticed her gesture and looked at her curiously.

"Were you going to say something? Why did you stop?"

"Nothing... I don't think it's relevant now. Besides we are having a very good evening, I don't want to ruin… ” Max was trying to see if she could change the subject but Spencer wasn't letting go so simply.

"Max. You don't have to be so restrained with me. I would love if we could continue to be open with each other. If you want to tell me or asking me something, you don't have to keep it to yourself”. Max nodded, as Spencer took her landed hand across the table.

"Ok… you’re right. Well… what ... what I was going to ask you was how you could managed yourself seeing your mom dealing with her illness. After all these years, being your only family... how could you do it?”.

Spencer nodded, pondering Max's question. "Do you see why I shouldn't have opened my mouth?" Max reproached.

“Don´t say that. It is a good question, really. Truthfully, and to be honest with you… I think it was only a few years ago I began to accept I could no longer do anything about it. I spent many years thinking I could do something, just as we saved people from serial killers every day, for a long time I wanted to believe I could heal my mom... and it’s curious, because even in her state of lucidity, she has been the one has taught me that it is beyond my hands and all she wants... is me being happy and... we can enjoy all the time we can have together, although we both know that it is uncertain” said Spencer with a bitter smile.

"A mother knows..." said Max squeezing his hand. Spencer couldn't help but smile at the comment. Max tilted her head, not fully understanding Reid's reaction. Spencer noticed and rushed to explain himself.

“My mom has always told me that. 'A mother knows'… and yes, it seems like that. It sure is the same thing your mom ever told you” Spencer replied. Max nodded smiling as she took a sip of wine. Spencer did the same.

Progressing the conversation, Spencer asked Max why she had chosen to study art history and if she had considered other options. While Max had already told him how chaotic the process of studying had been, they had not discussed why her choice in first place. Max told Spencer her mom had always encouraged her to take out her most spontaneous streak even though she considered herself much more structured like her dad. She thought a good combination of both was not to be an open artist, although visuals has always been one of her weaknesses, both painting and photography.

"And do you paint regularly?" Reid asked curiously.

“It has not been part of me for since many years. In fact, when I started teaching I stopped doing it. I have only taken the chance to explore a little more in photography, but not professionally either. But I really like it” said Max taking another sip of her wine. They had finished eating and were waiting for dessert and coffee.

"Well, it is clear I did not exploit that kind of seed very much. Although I find it very interesting. I could just try to mathematically replicate things but that's a complete lack of talent about it”. Spencer laughed.

"Although I could bet you admire aesthetics a lot..." Max intervened.

"I do, of course. But not to develop it by myself” said Spencer shaking his head.

“Ok, it seems fair to me. But I enjoy to know it's something you appreciate. I would have thought you only fit into hard science” said Max finishing her wine.

“I would like to think more about how da Vinci was in his time. The expressions of science and aesthetics can coexist, at least that’s what I think...". Spencer's reflection was interrupted by the waiter bringing the desserts and coffee they had ordered. They continued talking about the museums and places they knew. Max was not surprised when Spencer told her about all the places he knew throughout the country. She felt sort healthy envy upon hearing him.

"Wow, I have many places to visit before I die!" Max exclaimed eagerly.

"Let's say it's one of the benefits of working and traveling for many places... at least that could be called a gain" said Spencer.

“Still, I wouldn't want to have your job just to see museums across the country. I would only do it if I didn't have to chase psychopaths” Max said laughing.

"Yes, it's true" said Spencer, laughing too. He was fascinated seeing how Max laughed and seemed so relaxed. He couldn't help but hold her hand again and start rubbing it with his thumb. Max responded by squeezing his hand while caressed his palm with one of her free fingers. They were a few seconds in silence looking at each other. Max broke the silence after a moment.

“Spencer, I have to tell you this night has really been incredible. And… it’s not for all the wine I have drunk, I must clarify…”. Both laughed.

“I'm not going to blame the wine, either, but it's only fair I tell you… you look so gorgeous laughing at the candlelight. It was just as I had imagined… or better…” said Reid. Max looked down a little embarrassed.

"Stop it. You are going to make me blush… once more" said Max. Spencer leaned to get closer to her before speaking again.

"There is nothing wrong with that. If you knew how nervous still I’m now… and how craving am I for kiss you right now…” he said almost in a whisper. Max felt her body shudder.

“Spencer, you don't have to if you don't feel comfortable. Tonight is already perfect enough… ”

Ignoring her words, Spencer got up and sat in the chair right next to Max, without releasing her hand. With the other hand grabbed her chin and lifted it up enough to meet her lips with his. He closed his eyes and began to kiss her gently as rubbed her cheek with his thumb. Max grabbed Spencer's neck with her free hand still kissing him. When they broke the kiss looked at each other, both with a smile plastered on their faces.

"I hope you enjoyed this dinner as much as I have so far" said Spencer still rubbing Max's cheek.

"Of course I enjoyed it! It has been a marvelous night with you. I really loved it, thank you" said Max stealing another kiss from him.

After dinner, with the check paid and their jackets/coats recovered, both left the restaurant. Spencer called a taxi that landed just in front of them. They got on and as he gave the driver instructions to Max's apartment. Once there, he helped Max down again and went up to her apartment with her. They were holding hands walking slowly and laughing. They reached the door and Max pulled out her keys to open the door. Once with the door open, before getting inside and both being on the threshold, Max spoke.

“I already told you this, but again it doesn't hurt. Thanks Spencer. It was an amazing night, honestly"

"Tonight was perfect for me, too" Spencer said as he clutched one of Max's cheeks with one of his hands. "Thanks for accepting my invitation in first place…”

"I would have been a totally fool if I had refused" said Max smiling. Spencer smiled too and leaned down to kiss her. He did not dare to start the kiss, however, he was only millimetres away. It was Max who grabbed the lapel of his blazer to draw him to her so she could put their lips together.

The kiss became more intense, heating and longer while seconds passing. Spencer cupped Max's face with both hands as she had their arms around his neck grabbing as much as she could while her back rested against the door frame. Reid felt a tickle run through his body. He wanted to speak but did not dare to do it. The thought of inviting him come inside crossed Max's mind, but that kiss has been so intense enough to become something else between four walls. She doubted. What if she stopped thinking and just let herself go? Feeling his breath on her would be enough to make her lose sanity. She would like to pull him into the apartment and end that wonderful night in her bed. But something in the back of her head stopped Max.

Spencer expected her to say something to him or give him a sign. He didn’t want to presume something and ending ruin that wonderful night. Her scent was irresistible, and he could bet she too was having an internal struggle for the same reason. The more his mouth sank into her neck, the harder it was to think of anything other than touching her body. But he neither would give 'that' step. His fear of ruining it was stronger. Max was the one who finally broke the kiss and spoke.

"There is something with you and the kisses on the thresholds..." she joked. Spencer couldn't help but laugh, still with his mouth on Max's neck.

"It's possible. The door frames are very sexy…” he said muffling his words against her neck and starting give her short kisses in her collarbone and chin. Max was laughing as much at Reid's comment as at the tickling of his lips over her skin. When she pulled away spoke again.

“Ok. I think it’s time to you go home. Good night Spencer. Thanks for bringing me back and for the dinner, of course” said Max with a soft voice and fondling his hair. Then she rose on her feet to kiss him goodbye.

"You´re right. Good night, Max” Spencer said smiling. After looking at each other for a few more seconds, he turned and started making his way to the elevator. When the elevator doors closed, Max finally got in her apartment and closed the door.

Spencer left the building looking for a taxi to return to his apartment. A thin rain had begun to fall at that time of night. Little did he care about that. Despite not having gone further that night, he felt happy, almost like a teenager. He couldn't stop laughing alone. Max, meanwhile, lay on her bed taking off her shoes and looking at the ceiling. She was impressed and delighted at the same time. It had been a long time since she had a 'date' like this. In fact, she couldn't remember ever dating someone like Spencer before. Max thought it was the perfect combination of charming… and sexy. That last one thought made her sigh. "Maybe I should have invited him to come in... now we would be on something else" told herself as she covered her face with a pillow. "Max, stop it. You said this should be slow. Don't start with second thoughts now on it!”. Then she got up and went to the bathroom to get ready for bedtime.

——————–

[readbeneaththelines]

Repentance Pt. 14 (Finale)

Please read all warnings!

Characters: Hitman!Jimin x Reader

Warnings: some fluff.. finally

Word Count:  2070

Jimin was a skilled hitman in one of Gwangju’s notorious Mafia families. When tragedy struck him personally, he began to regret his lifestyle. He was haunted in his dreams by the lives he took and the families he destroyed. Setting a plan into action that would change everything, he went into hiding. Can a mysterious young woman who showed up at his hideaway doorstep convince him to change his mind?

WARNING: THIS FIC HAS MENTIONS OF SUICIDE. IF THIS IS A TRIGGER, PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION. ALSO IF YOU ARE UNDER 18, PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS, AS IT IS NSFW. DON’T THINK WE WON’T KNOW IF YOU DID, WE HAVE OUR WAYS

A/N: This is the final chapter. This has been an amazing journey, and I am thankful for each and every follow and comment you all have made. I will be writing an Epilogue, so keep your eyes peeled! 

Each of you had a backpack on your shoulder, a water bottle and some snacks. You made your way down along the side of the small creek, heading east. At one point, he helped you cross the creek, turning north and heading for the nearest town. There were several stops along the way, giving Jimin a chance to rest when his shoulder started hurting or when your legs ached from hiking over fallen limbs and slippery rocks. Two days later, you had covered several miles of woods and empty fields. Just as evening of the third day was about to set in, Jimin saw the lights just over the horizon of the small town. 

“We can rest here, or go on ahead and be there by dark. It’s up to you and how you feel?” he grabbed your hand as he hoisted you onto the large fallen tree that crossed your path. 

“How I feel? You’re in worse shape than I am. We can do whatever you want.” you scooted beside him, holding his arm so you wouldn't fall.

He took your hand, helping you down before taking off again. You figured that was his way of saying you were going into town after all. The sky was dark and the night air cool when the first street came into view. You looked back over your shoulder, a faint rise of smoke the only sign of where you had come from. Jimin led you along the two lane road, placing you to the inside, next to the guardrail. A few cars passed here and there, but nothing to alert Jimin of any danger. When exhaustion had settled deep into your bones, building came into view. There was a small motel with only two cars parked out front. The open sign flashed in bright neon red and blue. You waited outside while Jimin entered and came back out with a key. 

“I got a room for just tonight. We head back out early morning.” He opened the door, dropping his backpack beside the door. You dropped your by the bed as you fell face first onto the lumpy mattress. 

“I think I’d sleep better on the ground than this bed.” You mumbled as you tried to find a spot that didn’t poke you in the ribs. Jimin laughed as you grumbled and complained. Finally giving up on getting sleep any time soon, you helped Jimin change his dressing, cleaning the two areas with soap and water. You took a quick shower while Jimin got dressed and set out the meager servings of food. You heard the television turn on, the news talking about a small fire that had taken place in the woods. THey said the cabin was a total loss, nothing being salvageable from the charred remains. You wrapped your hair in a towel and joined him on the queen sized bed.

“Well, looks like we’re in the clear so far. Tomorrow, I will get a couple of burner phones. We can find a bank and get the money out. Anything you want to do first?” he had your hand in his, absently rubbing small circles in your palm with his finger. You knew exactly what you wanted to do first, if he was up to it too. You got up, searching in his backpack for the small bag. You held it up, eyes searching his for any reaction. His eyes closed hard against the thought of what that bag had meant to him just a few short days ago.

“I want to flush the stuff. You have no need for it, and keeping it around is just a dark reminder.” He nodded, rising from the bed and taking the bag from your hands. He headed for the bathroom, raising the lid of the toilet and placing the bag on the counter. One by one he took each syringe, pushing the plungers down as the liquids filled the water. When he emptied the last one, you pressed down on the handle and the two of you watched as the toilet drained then filled back up.

“No turning back now Jimin.” You smiled at him, your arm encircling his waist. He turned to face you, placing a kiss to your forehead. You felt him smile into the kiss.

“Only forward, Y/N. Only forward.” You stood the for a few moments, the gravity of the moment sinking in before you headed back into the room and ate while the news played.

You fell asleep at some point, snuggle against his side. You didn’t wake up when he rolled out of bed just after sunrise. You slept through him heading out and only woke up when the door opened and sunlight poured in through the doorway.

“Hey. Did you sleep well?” He asked as he joined you on the bed.

“Believe it or not, I did. Why didn’t you wake me up?” YOu looked at the two phones in his hands. He handed you one, the main screen coming into view. It had already had minutes put on it and it was ready to go. You looked through the various apps and numbers he had already entered. You asked who the numbers belonged to and he answered while he pulled up the internet. 

“Found it!” He hollered, making you jump in your place.

“Found what?” you looked over his shoulder at the screen. A bank was pulled up, and he was entering a password. The amount of cash in the account was staggering. Jimin was for all intents and purposes, a millionaire. When he had told you what he had would be enough for you to start over, you never would of thought he actually meant it.

“This? This is all yours?” You questioned. He simply nodded and continued accessing his account. He transferred the money to another bank and then closed out the account. 

“Okay, let’s get ready to go.” He stated as he packed up his clothes and handed you your backpack. Bags packed and key in hand, Jimin headed out the door with you behind him. He checked out and started walking down the street which was just now beginning to fill with people. You followed him to the bank that he had transferred the money to. You sat in a chair as he talked with the teller, withdrawing a large sum. She handed over the cash in large and small bills. He thanked her , the came over to you. 

“Time to ditch the backpack,Y/N. We need new clothes and some essentials for the plane.” 

You didn’t say a ward as you trailed behind him. You found a small boutique shop, gathering several new outfits as he did the same. You purchased them along with two new luggage cases. Placing all your items in the luggage cases, you headed back out. He hailed down a taxi and you climbed in while the driver helped him load the bags. 

This was it. You were both on your way to a new beginning, together. He sat down beside you in the back seat. You nervously fumbled with your new top as he told the driver where to go. After thirty minutes, you were at your first destination. You then changed taxis, heading in a different direction. This kept going for six more treks. At long last, the airport came into view. He took your hand and made you face him.

“This is it, Y/N. If you want to turn back now, we can. Once we board this plane, we can never come back, do you understand?” You nodded.

“I’m going wherever you go.” You stated as you left the taxi. The luggage was unloaded and you both entered the airport. He purchased two tickets with cash for a private chartered plane. One hour later, you were boarding and getting settled in your seat. You laid your head on his shoulder, his hand gripped tightly in yours.

“Where are we going, anyway?” he handed you a ticket, the destination at the top. 

“It’s a private island. I purchased it several years ago, with cash. It can’t be traced and we will be the only ones there. We are starting over, completely, just you and me.” He kissed you softly, his lips lingering on yours. When he pulled back, he looked you in the eyes. “I hope you don’t mind be stuck with me twenty-four seven.”

“You know I won’t mind, Jimin. As long as I have you, there’s nowhere else I wold want to be than in your arms.” 

The plane began moving, rising in to the sky as it took off. You peered out of the window, the town shrinking away into nothing but clouds as you embarked on your final adventure. Jimin slept in the seat beside you as you watched land fade away into a deep cerulean blue ocean. Jimin woke to his alarm, just as the plane began its decent. A small landing strip was on the far end of the island. When you had landed and were cleared to disembark, you followed Jimin off the plane. He paid the pilot a hefty sum for his silence, then watched as he took back off. You looked at your surroundings. Nothing but ocean to your sides and tress and jungle in front of you. There was a small hangar which housed two four-wheelers and a jeep. Jimin placed the luggage in the jeep and helped you in. The ride was bumpy but beautiful. Palm trees, native ferns and bushed lined the path. There was a clearing just ahead. When it opened up, there was two story log cabin. It was amazing and breathtaking. It looked like one you would find in a housing magazine. Inside was even more spectacular. It was an open floor plan, with a balcony that jutted out over the first floor. It was immaculately decorated but still simple and refined. Handmade furniture was strategically placed in the living room, and the kitchen was furnished with the latest appliances.

“How long have you had this place? Why didn’t you come here instead of where we were?” You had so many questions. Jimin watched as you toured the cabin, filled with awe as you entered each room. The single bedroom was filled with a king sized bed and matching loveseat. 

“Welcome home, Y/N.” he said as he came up behind you. “This was my place when I first started. I had it before I got married, before I had decided that I had enough of that life. I only came here when I wanted to get away from the craziness of city life. And yes, she came here too. But she never wanted to stay long, she lived for the city, for the lights and excitement. So I kept it up, just in case. I only have people come to clean it four times a year. Other than that, here it just sat, until now.”

“I love it, Jimin! It’s how I always dreamed my home would be like, peaceful and serene. And i get to make it a home with you.” When you said that, Jimin spun you around, wrapping you up in his arms. He smiled down at you, his features softening as you stared into each others eyes. 

“Will you make it a home with me? Stay here with me, forever? Wold you be willing to fill it with little ones, just us against the world?” When your head leaned on his chest, he worried that he had gone to far, asked too much of you too soon.

“Park Jimin, if that’s your way of proposing to me, then i accept.” when you lifted you head, you watched a tears filled his eyes. 

Jimin had finally found peace, when he thought he never would again. He had found a purpose to go on, to live his life to its fullest. He had found love again, and swore to never let it go, to never walk away from anything again. 

You had found a home, in every sense of the word. This cabin was going to be your physical home. Jimin was the home of your heart. When you had lost all hope, he had rescued you. He had taken you in, saved you, and gave yo a chance to change him. What you had found in him, you would never find anywhere else on this planet. 

You were both home. You were living again, renewed and whole.

@min-shookga-yoongi @beautifulseoulliar @agustd-suga-yoongii @astronomyturtle @aspaceformyself @dreamyoongi @holy-yoongi @trashkazuya @maxinaptak @micky1518@rosiemilas @karri570

@seoulsunshineandstories @kwonnansi @xjamlessparkx @berryjam17

[kimnamjooonz]

Blank Space - Episode 4

Welcome To New York

Songs that inspired this Episode:

 Welcome To New York - Taylor Swift 

Delicate - Taylor Swift 

Empire State of Mind - Alicia Keys ft Jay Z

Headlights - Robin Schulz 

''When we first dropped our bags on apartment floors, took our broken hearts , put them in a drawer''

It was like magic. Amanda, or better said Morgan, took one step outside and almost everything about her persona seemed to change. The way she walked, the expression on her face and even the way her black hair moved. She was every inch the star she was supposed to be. Taylor wondered if she had this rehearsed, she was an actress, after all. She was still in awe about how Morgan had changed her personality in seconds. ''Taylor!'' even the way in which she spoke had changed. ''What are you doing? You haven't moved in like a minute. We have to find a taxi.'' It was like magic again. She had only said that words when five employees from the airport carried all their luggage to a taxi that a sixth employee had found for them in record time. Taylor was starting to think that there was witchcraft involved. Morgan walked after the employees with dignified small steps. She had put on a pair of sunglasses that made her look even more majestic. People were staring at her which was weird as five minutes ago no one had paid any attention to her. But being surrounded by a troop of employees and displaying the personality of a beautiful but intimidating tigress was making its effect. That wasn't sarcastic but quirky Amanda Ward-Prowse. That was Morgan Llewellyn, the star. And there was a huge difference between both of them. Taylor walked behind her, passing completely unnoticed while the employees placed the bags inside the car. When they finished Morgan tipped them all generously and Taylor could have sworn that at this moment she had all of them wrapped around her finger. ''My Lady...'' one of them opened the taxi door for her. Taylor slipped into the taxi without anyone calling her 'My Lady'. Goddamned Morgan. She had stepped in New York ten minutes ago and she was already stealing hearts. ''What was that?'' asked Taylor after giving the direction to the taxi driver. ''You caused mayhem back there.'' ''Really? I didn't notice.'' And it seemed genuine. But this was coming from the same woman who had changed her personality in five seconds. They were too busy taking pictures of the city to keep with the same topic. These pictures would look great on Morgan's Instagram (her new verified account not the old Sebastian Stan fan account, thankfully that account was safely hidden with no chance of coming back to haunt her). ''Here we are'' said Taylor when the car parked in front of an elegant apartment building. Morgan had only seen the place in pictures but she wasn't disappointed at all. Taylor paid the driver and went straight inside the building to talk to the administrator who had to give her the keys. ''Miss Llewellyn!'' said the woman behind the desk, with a cheerful voice. ''We were told you were arriving today. Here are your keys. You're allowed to have pets but I'm sorry if you wanted to bring children. They're not allowed for more than a five hour visit.'' ''So, yes to pets, no to kids?'' Morgan asked and the administrator nodded. ''This place is paradise.'' ''You also have a parking place. I genuinely hope that you are comfortable here. It's an honour to have you here, Miss Llewellyn.'' Morgan's day only got better as they got to the actual apartment. It was big, beautifully furbished and a luxury to live in. And it was paid by the producers. It couldn't get better. Even Taylor seemed to have forgotten Josh and Caernarfon and was over the moon with the new place. She was exploring the rooms like a little kid. ''I can't believe I'll be living in an apartment on the West Side of Manhattan. What is my life'' she threw herself on the enormous couch. Morgan was looking through the window. The apartment was on the third floor and the view was pretty nice, All the buzz of the city was exciting to her and she couldn't wait to get out there and start conquering. Or at least take pictures at Time's Square or go to a Broadway show. ''Third floor on the West Side, me and you, handsome you're a mansion with a view, do the girls back home touch you like I do?, long nights, with your hands up in my hair, echoes of your footsteps on the stairs, stay here honey I don't wanna share, cause I like youuuuuuuuu'' she was mumbling that particular part of Taylor Swift's Delicate, a song that by some reason always reminded her of Sebastian Stan. Maybe she just wanted to recreate this particular scene. Well, she now had the apartment on the third floor on the West Side, she just needed the guy. It was better not to think about that. She didn't want to add more embarrassing thoughts to the list just in the case she ended up working with Sebastian any time soon. ''Morgan!'' Taylor shouted making her jump. ''I was talking to you.'' ''Sorry...'' she shook her head. ''I was falling asleep. I didn't rest very well on the plane.'' ''Why don't you go to sleep? I can wake you up at night in case you want to have some pizza.'' Morgan took her advice seriously and when she touch the bed she fell asleep immediately.

Morgan woke up the next morning feeling better than ever. She had slept through the previous evening and the whole night, not even waking up to eat. She was hungry but with a feeling of pure happiness. She found Taylor in the kitchen, surrounded by a wide variety of things: papers, pretty looking bags, cups of tea and a wide variety of cakes. ''Finally, you're awake. Many things happened while you were asleep.'' ''Tell me'' she grabbed a cronut and started eating it. ''You were officially announced.'' Taylor showed her an article on Rotten Tomatoes. ''You're the only confirmed casting choice for now.''

WELSH ACTRESS MORGAN LLEWELLYN CASTED AS MEREDITH HATHAWAY IN THE AMERICAN DREAM. 

Morgan read the title, smiling a little.

The highly anticipated movie by Oscar winning director Damien Chazelle (La La Land, Whiplash, First Man) finally has a lead in Morgan Llewellyn a relatively unknown Shakesperean actress. At 25, Llewellyn, will be making her debut in a big Hollywood production although her credits include numerous plays at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, the latest of them earning national acclaim with her portrayal of Lady Macbeth almost getting her a Laurence Olivier nomination. ''I literally crossed the Atlantic to see Morgan in action and I was left speechless.'' Chazelle explained. ''It was an absolute sham that she wasn't nominated to the Oliver back in 2016. She'll be a strong Oscar contender in the near future, I assure you of that.'' Chazelle didn't comment about the choice for Llewellyn's co-star but rumour has it that Tom Holland, Sebastian Stan and Timothee Chalamet are shortlisted for the role. 

''Well... I just hope is Tom or Timothee. I don't think I could bear working with Sebastian.'' Taylor was really surprised. ''Wasn't that your dream?'' Morgan, or back then Amanda, never said anything out loud about her obsession with Sebastian but Taylor just knew. ''Yeah, it still is but... I'll embarrass myself in front of him.'' ''How could you embarrass yourself?'' ''By existing!'' Morgan exploded. ''I've been drooling for him since 2013, I had a fan account dedicated to him, I read fanfiction about him and... yes, I was bloody jealous when I learned that he had a girlfriend, it's also true that I listened to Beyonce's angry songs imagining I was dedicating them to him. My whole existence is a joke''. It was hard for Taylor not to laugh. ''Look, he has no idea about all of that and he has no way of knowing. He can't read your mind. You just have to pretend that nothing happened and that's all. At the end of the day you'll be good friends or good castmates at least.'' Morgan made a dismissive gesture with her head and kept eating her cronut. ''You got sent this'' Taylor handed an envelope to Morgan who lazily opened and read the note inside of it.

Dear Miss Llewellyn, I have been noticed of your recent arrival to New York City and I hope that you are settling down nicely. I was hoping that we could have an interview as soon as possible to talk all things Vogue. I am looking forward to finally meet you. Notify me with your agent whenever you have a free evening. Wishing you the best, Anna Wintour.

Morgan almost fell from the chair. 

''How does she knows about me?'' was the first think she could think of.

''IMG Models. They are hyping you up. You're Hollywood hottest newcomer, everyone wants to be the first media outlet of your career. For what I see, Anna has your heart.'' ''It's Anna Wintour. If I get in her good books now I'll probably get an invitation to the MET Gala next year. And I really want it. Get me an interview with her.'' Taylor wonder how much time would take her to land her first Vogue cover. A couple of months, or maybe less, knowing Morgan. She was quietly strolling through her Instagram when she suddenly gasped. ''What happened?'' Taylor asked, hoping that Morgan hadn't choked with the cronut. But she just looked dumbfounded. ''Tom Holland just followed me on Instagram''. ''Maybe he got the role.'' Amanda didn't say anything. She was probably working with Tom Holland, holy hell. But the surprises didn't end up there. ''Or maybe Timothee got it'' she said with a shaky voice. Morgan showed her phone, with the notification that Timothee Chalamet had just followed her. ''Dammit'' now Taylor was curious. ''Maybe they're competing for the role trying to win you over. Don't expect Sebastian to get in the game. He's older than these two kids, he's doesn't need to pull these kind of tactics.'' Morgan had to admit that Taylor was right. Sebastian was social media numb and he probably still had no idea who she was. Well, maybe he knew, he was up competing for the role, after all so he probably was aware of who had been cast as the lead. Morgan wanted to sing. She was finally having her moment of glory. Her phone kept buzzing. She was getting hundred of followers and mentions so she decided to turn the notifications off before she went crazy. And she was about to do it when she saw a notification that almost made her drop her phone. She had to check thrice that it had the tiny blue mark beside the username because she still couldn't believe it that this was real. So, Sebastian Stan was in her list of followers and he definitely knew who she was. Her 2013 ass was shaking. ''What were you saying, Taylor?'' she showed her the phone. ''He's an idiot'' she glanced at the screen and winced. ''By the way, he's liking your pictures.'' She couldn't understand a thing of what Morgan was saying. It was a sort of gibberish. Then she shut up and smiled. Taylor had no idea what Morgan had on her head but she supposed it was nothing good. ''I'm going to have a shower'' she said with an innocent smile and Taylor immediately guessed her intentions. ''Don't you dare to start posting sexy after shower pictures for Stan to notice. Be decent for once.'' ''Do you think I'm missing this awesome opportunity?'' ''Yes, you are. Remember that the guy has a girlfriend.'' That didn't affect Morgan a little bit. ''And?'' she shrugged her shoulders with a gesture of indifference. ''Morgan! You're not going to go around New York stealing boyfriends. You're going to be nice and ethical.'' She just rolled her eyes. ''Why couldn't he wait two weeks single? He could have had this'' she pointed at herself. Taylor was speechless. ''Now everything is more complicated.'' ''Morgan! Stop.'' she took the phone from Morgan's hands. ''Remember that your co-star can be Timothee. Or Tom. Are you also mad at him because he's apparently dating Zendaya?'' ''Gosh, no. Who doesn't love Zendaya, she's awesome. You're just being wild, Taylor. Tom is a boy. He's not my man like Sebastian is.'' ''You're messed up.'' Taylor blurted out. Then she took a couple of tickets from Morgan's mountain of presents and showed them to her. ''What are those?'' Morgan asked. ''US Open tickets. To see Rafa Nadal tonight. I won't give them to you unless you stop with this madness and start behaving like a serious person.'' That seemed to get Morgan's attention. She could miss many things but not the US Open with Rafa Nadal involved. ''Okay, I'll stop. For now.'' That was enough for Taylor.

The next days passed in a rush. Morgan had been invited literally everywhere. From the US Open to Broadway shows and meetings with important people. Everyone wanted a share of Hollywood's hottest newcomer. Morgan was enjoying the attention but hardly had time to do anything. It was rare to find a moment to go shopping or simply go sightseeing. And she didn't want to think about what was going to happen when she started filming. She'd have to add extra hours to her day. The last day before the read through, Morgan decided to do something relaxing. The next day she was finally meeting the entire cast and she couldn't wait. For Morgan 'relaxing' meant buying a car for herself. She didn't listen to Taylor's advice about New York's traffic or about keeping it simple with her car choice. She had gone and bought the latest model of Porsche. Keeping it humble with Morgan Llewellyn. ''I can believe you bought this. You can't be more pretentious, seriously Morgan.'' But Taylor didn't have any intention of spending her evening trying to give lessons of humility to Morgan as she wanted to go to Central Park. In two weeks they hadn't had the time to go there yet. Morgan took this as a chance to drive her new Porsche around the City. ''Do you have any idea who my co-star is?'' Morgan asked for the millionth time in the last two weeks. ''They are announcing him tomorrow evening. You'll find out first though, at the read through. The odds are saying that Timothee is getting the role as Tom Holland looks way too young and Sebastian Stan's agenda is more messed up than your head.'' Morgan felt a mixture of relief, excitement and tiny bit of disappointment. She liked Timothee and wanted to work with him but Sebastian was her ultimate celebrity crush. Maybe it was for the best. They walked around for a long time until they ended up at the zoo. Unlike Morgan, Taylor liked to see the animals. ''Poor things.'' Morgan had a pained expression on her face. ''I'd set them all free if it were in my power. They deserve to be in their natural habitat not exposed for our entertainment.'' Taylor had forgot lesson number one: never go to a zoo with Morgan Llewellyn. ''I feel bad because I like these ones'' they had reached the Serpent Section. ''They are so majestic, just look at them.'' ''You don't really want to set the snakes free...'' that wasn't Taylor's favourite section. Snakes always crept the hell out of her. She couldn't understand why Morgan liked them. ''Maybe. They are not so bad, they are misunderstood'' there she was again, justifying the villains. ''They are quiet unless you step on them. Then, they'll send you to hell. Literally. Is there any snake merchandising around?'' ''No. But you can always go to the Taylor Swift merch site. Or to the Bvlgari store. You know better than I that their designs are heavily inspired by snakes.'' Morgan's eyes lit up. ''How could I have forgotten about that? Let's go. I need a lucky charm for tomorrow.'' ''Tell me you're not showing up with an snake necklace.'' ''Who knows. It's Bvlgari after all.'' she winked at an snake that wasn't even looking at her. ''One of these days you'll star speaking Parseltongue.'' ''I wish'' Morgan said with the biggest smile on her face.

P.S. Taylor is so done with Morgan. I’d be too, to be honest. My girl is a pain in the ass. 

[literary-chaos]

1. My Trip to Wrongway Revision Three

I didn’t include Two because it was kind of a half-assed edit. But here’s the third revision of the first story in the Wrongway series! 

A Wrongway Story

By Stephanie Hutton

I woke up with a yawn and silenced my alarm as I slid out of bed. 5am comes earlier every day, I thought to myself. I began my morning routine with feeding my tabby cat, Nigel, who wound himself around my legs like yarn around a crochet needle. I made some coffee and toast, brushed my teeth, and left for work on time (for once). As I waited for my regular 102 bus to work, I sighed at the humdrum routine my life had become. I wistfully remembered being so carefree and enjoying life in college. I had friends, went to concerts, went on hikes; Now it just seems like all I’m meant for is working my 9-5 job I can’t stand and still only being able to afford a tiny apartment in a not-so-great side of town. I can’t even afford a car for crying out loud. Oh well, I thought, at least I know what to expect.

 I always listened to my iPod on the bus, but today I guess I fell asleep… I tapped the bus driver on the shoulder and asked him,

“Sir, where exactly am I?” He looked bewildered and stammered through his bushy moustache,

“I-I thought everyone was off! Nobody comes out here to Wrongway.” Wrongway? What in the world is Wrongway? I had never heard of this place before.

“I’m sorry, is that the name of the town?”

“Well unofficially, yes. Nobody remembers what it’s really called anymore because it’s been abandoned for so long. I honestly thought they’d torn the whole place down before I started driving this route.”

I was confused, but at least I could call a taxi to come get me.

“No chance I can stay on and catch a ride to work from you, is there?” He furrowed his even bushier eyebrows in regret.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. I’d lose my job if I didn’t go through my route properly. Here’s the number to a cheap taxi. Good luck.” He handed me a basic business card with the name of a taxi service I’d seen commercials for once.

“Thanks…” I said, confused as to why he wished me luck. I stepped off the bus onto a cracked street with nothing but dilapidated buildings and broken down vehicles that looked older than I was. I glanced around nervously, then watched the bus disappear down the street. What in the world have I gotten myself into?

 I called the taxi service, only to discover they had never heard of anywhere named Wrongway before and without an address there was no way to send a driver out. I felt hopeless, but called a friend of mine hoping he had his car.

“Dave, I need help man. I’m lost. I have no clue where I am and I’m supposed to be at work in an hour. Can you come get me? Swear I’ll buy you drinks this weekend, all on me.”

“Sure man no problem. Do you see anything familiar?”

“No, the bus driver said I was somewhere called Wrongway? I’ve never heard of it before, have you?”

“Yeah I have. Once. I haven’t heard that name in a long time. Look, now’s actually not a good time for me. Can you call someone else?” Dave sounded terrified. Like even hearing the name of this place was too much for him.

“Don’t leave me out here bro, I need you. I don’t even know where I am! Please Dave, I’m desperate. ”

“I had a really bad experience there once, Trey. I can’t go back out there. You have no clue what it’s like… Oh man. We have to get you out of there.”

“What are you talking about? Just come pick me up!” I was shouting at this point, frustrated and confused. He sounded devastated even thinking of me being out here.

“I’m sorry. I can’t.” Dave almost whispered. Then the line went dead. I couldn’t believe my best friend would just ditch me like this. How the hell am I supposed to get home? And what did he mean I had no clue what it’s like? It’s just an old part of town, there’s nothing scary about this place. I started to dial my co-worker Gary’s phone number when my phone started to die. I looked through my pockets frantically for the spare battery I usually kept, but I must have left it at home. Who knew something as simple as a phone charger would be so valuable now? Guess I can look for a pay phone. I started walking in the direction the bus went, hoping to find someone to ask for directions. As I walked, I observed my surroundings. The town was older than most of the surrounding developments. Most of the buildings were faded and decrepit, beams collapsed and walls crumbled in messy heaps. I didn’t see anyone for the first 15 minutes of my walk. Odd, even for a remote side of town. Suddenly, I heard a scuffle of footsteps behind me and whipped around, startled. Maybe they know how to get out of here!

“Hello? Is anyone there? Please, I’m lost and I need help!” Another scuffle followed, and I walked in the direction of the steps. “Please help me! I won’t hurt you, I really am lost! I’m begging you!” A head poked around the corner suddenly.

“Don’t talk. Not here, no! Follow me.” The gravelly voice of an older man, maybe early 60s, answered and beckoned to the alleyway where he hid. I hesitated, but the sense of urgency in his voice wiped away any common sense I had left. I followed this wrinkled old man into the alley, and he rushed on ahead of me. He’s fast for his age; I could barely keep up, even being in my early 30s and in good shape. He’s so hunched over, it really is a miracle he can walk at all. He stopped suddenly by a weathered door and gestured for me to come inside. I followed, heart pounding, and was thrown into complete darkness. A bead of sweat slipped off my forehead and I realized how nervous I was. Dave’s words hung in my head like an abandoned ‘Happy Birthday’ banner post-party.

“Hold on, let me find the light sw- oh there it is.” A single bare light bulb illuminated the room. Everything was old, broken, and/or dirty. Kind of like the old man, I thought.

“D-do you live here?” I stammered, not wanting to offend the possibly crazy man I’d just followed into God-knows-where.

“For now. None of us stay in one place for long.”

“Us? Where are the others? What happened here? How do I get home?” All the questions I had came spilling out all at once as though they were a flash flood rushing into a valley.

“Slow down, sonny. Do you want something to drink?” I looked around the room, but didn’t see a refrigerator. Actually, the room was more bare than I’d noticed before. Save for the sleeping bag on the floor and a lone dining chair, there was no furniture. I saw what looked like a bathroom door in the corner, but no closets or rooms I could see. The carpet was stained and threadbare, seeming as if it had been walked on for decades without a good cleaning. The walls were in a similar state, streaked and cracked like an oil-filled parking lot. I shook my head, not wanting to know what sort of drink he would offer.

“Can you please show me how to get home?”

He grinned, almost toothless save for a couple teeth holding on for dear life.

“Nobody leaves Wrongway. Once you’re here, you belong to it. Always fighting, never winning. Friends dying, never leaving. It’s always wrong here. Always wrong… Always wrong! Wrong! WRONG!” He had started to scream. He glared menacingly at me and snarled as he threw the chair where I was standing. I managed to get out of the way in time, but I took this as my cue to leave, and bolted out the door into the alleyway. I didn’t stop running until I was sure I’d left him behind. I leaned against a dilapidated building, breathing deeply. “What was that? Oh man. I am so screwed. Oh my god.” I entered into a momentary panic and almost started to cry. How was I going to get out of here? I walked in the direction the old man had gestured when he talked about Wrongway like it was a person. Taking an old crazy man’s advice and walking towards the danger Dave had talked about was the last thing I thought I’d be doing today. Be careful what you wish for, isn’t that the saying? I couldn’t help but chuckle at myself.

 I had been walking for almost an hour and hadn’t seen sign of anyone. I leaned against another building, slumping to the floor. I sighed and hung my head, convinced I’d never find my way out of here.

“Psst, you… Hey, you! Over here, hurry! RUN!” I looked where the masked figure was pointing and saw three huge… I don’t even know. Things? Monsters? I didn’t stick around to find out. I got around the corner just in time for my new companion to push my head down and fire three times in the things’ direction. The masked person sighed and pulled off the black ski mask they were wearing. A rugged, scarred face greeted me from underneath. He was about my size, tall and lean with brown hair and dull, forest green eyes. He was wearing a torn tank top with a bandolier of bullets across his chest and a huge gun strapped across his back. He had a knife sheathed to his thigh, and a pistol in his hand. He sized me up as I did him, then we shook hands to introduce ourselves.

“Name’s Peyton. You ever seen one o’ them before?” I shook my head, his hand and mine still gripping each other.

“Can’t say I have. I’m Trey. Thanks for saving me from those things. What were they?” Peyton grinned, his top lip disfigured from a short, small scar. He chuckled a bit, then shook his head in awe.

“Can’t believe you never ran into them. How long ya been in Wrongway?”

How long had I been here? My phone was dead and I had never picked up the habit of wearing a watch.

“Only half the day, I believe. I’m not sure what time it is.” His smile faded, replaced by sadness and a bit of fear.

“Oh kid, you better find a way to get back to where you came from. But that’s what all us outsiders do, isn’t it, try to escape. ‘Fraid once Wrongway has ya, she has ya for good.” He hung his head for a moment, then perked back up. “Well I guess I can teach ya a bit about the fauna ‘round here. Those there were Stingers, like a giant wasp with a worse attitude. You can usually hear ‘em coming before you see ‘em, if ya know what to listen for. They have weak spots on their heads and torsos, so ya wanna aim there. Don’t get stung by one, or you’re a goner. Those needles pierce right through a human ribcage like a knife through butter. But they’re nothing compared to the big ones.” He shuddered, grimacing grotesquely. “We don’t have a name for them yet. They’re new.” I gawked at this Crocodile Dundee wannabe, not registering what he’d just said. GIANT wasps? Big ones? What the- man, this day just keeps getting worse. He continued his Animal 101, “Then there are the Harmless Nuisances, I like to call ‘em. They’re small and roam in groups, but don’t really hurt no one. They just get underfoot and eat your supplies if you don’t keep watch. And the last are the Shadows. They only come out at night, and they’re fearsome. Luckily, we can detect them with heat signatures so we all use thermal vision at night. Don’t wanna get snuck up on by a Shadow. You should have seen what happened to the last guy who did.” He shook his head grimly. I guess he saw how bewildered I was so he grabbed my forearm, pulling me up and through yet another alleyway. “Come on, let’s get you somewhere safe. Then you can meet the others.” Others?

“Now wait a minute, I’m not going anywhere with you. The last person I met freaked out and threw a chair at me. I need some answers first.” I crossed my arms defiantly and scowled at Peyton. He chuckled and shrugged, then said,

“What do ya wanna know, fresh meat?” I thought for a moment.

“What happened here? Why is this place the way it is?”

“Wrongway used to be called Kingston back in the 90s. It was a busy town, and home to a company called Raven Inc. Now Raven started out a healthcare industry, but developed… something. Something marketable, something every military in the world wanted to get their hands on. So Raven began human trials, but before the FDA even knew they were testing on humans the experiments went haywire. A pack of ‘em roamed through Kingston, killing and destroying as they went. They were supposed to be super soldiers, a monster army in place of humans. But they had the drive to kill, and no conscience.” He sighed and hung his head. “I was here when it all went to hell. I can’t describe to you the horrors of watching your loved ones and neighbors mauled by the most terrifying things you’ve ever seen. It was like something out of a horror movie, ‘cept this was real.” I stood there with my mouth open, not sure what to say. How do you comfort someone who’s lost everything and is stuck in a literal hell? This man had been through more than I could even imagine. I patted his back and gave him a sad smile.

“You’re stronger than most people, Peyton. I’m sorry this happened to you. You seem like a nice guy.” He chuckled and gave me a bear hug.

“Thanks kid. Now, any more questions?” I thought about what I really wanted to know. Some truths may be too much for me to handle.

“Okay, why can’t we leave?” He paled, then answered,

“The Wall. That’s why. There’s a wall of monsters around this town, all trying to escape. Only humans can pass the barrier, but they’re too dumb to realize that. They make it damn near impossible to reach the barrier because they’re all crowded around it, like a walking herd of nightmares.” Wall of monsters? No wonder nobody leaves Wrongway; it’s absolutely inescapable…

                                                END PART ONE

[pennywise-trashcan]

Date Night 🌃

(I have a part two up now)

You were running around the bedroom after your shower, slipping on underwear, picking out dresses, blow drying your hair.

Pennywise was watching this all unfold, sitting on your bed as you prettied yourself up, spending a few hours on your make up, ridding your hair of any kinks using an iron.

"What are you doing (y/n)?" He asked, not really used to seeing you even bother with make up before.

"I have his thing my friend invited me to, I'm kinda third wheeling but I don't really mind too much" You said under concentration of adding eyeliner.

"Third wheeling?" His face twisted in confusion.

"It's when a person tags along with another couple because they don't have a date or someone to hang out with them. When the numbers are odd" you say simply. He sat silently for a moment, processing the information. Then he finally spoke up again.

"Why not take me?" He asked, playing with beads from a necklace near by.

"Babe," you started, looking over at him. With his ruffled dirty clown, while pale skin, unnatural look. It's not that you were necessarily embarrassed of him, but he was literally the killer clown that would probably have angry mobs after him.

"Killer clown" you said to yourself, almost scoffing as you looking over at him, watching his "killer instincts". snuggling into a pillow, looking a little offended over not being invited to a simple evening outing.

"Why do you want to go so bad? You said you didn't even like the way (y/f) smelled" you turn back around, finishing off your make up and walking over to your closet.

"You could of at least mentioned it to me, you didn't even ask if I wanted to go.." he said, pouting grumpily. You sighed, feeling bad about not bringing it up to him. But also, in what way would it be normal to take a 6'5 pale vintage clown to a formal dinner? As much as you loved him the way that he was, it would definitely be the elephant in the room. You sighed and smiled at his adorable pouts, finally saying "fuck it" to yourself.

"Would you like to join me to dinner my love?" You said after a few minutes of just watching him, he perked up almost immediately, a toothy smile spreading across his face. You were unsure about how going out with him would look, but before your eyes he had turned into a more "human" looking man. Tall, handsome, brown haired goof ball with Penny's same blue eyes and wide grin.

"Shall we my darling?" He extended his hand towards yours, you still in a robe completely in aw of his human form.

"L-let me slip into my dress, yeah?"

--------

Later than night, you had showed up with Penny in his human costume. Girls turned heads when his large figure past tables, your friend seemed to almost completely avoid her date due to the admiration towards your dashing date.

"P-Penny was is? My my what a hunk" she would make jokes about it, and the guy next to her seemed jealous. But your favorite part of the entire night was how Penny would turn to you over nearly everything. Not only was he not used to being in public, but he also didn't want to say something to upset you. He would crack his joke though, and you swore a giggle escaped from every girl in the room. He had caught everyone's attention, but when you spoke with others, Penny would instead turn his head and admire you. He liked the tone of your voice and the elegance of the words you used to seem intelligent infront of people.

By the time the night had come to a close, you were exhausted. You sat in the back of a taxi leaning into Pennywise nearly falling asleep when you felt his lips atop of your head.

"How was I (y/n)?" His whisper interrupted the sound of traffic outside. You smiled and hummed a little. "Does that mean good or bad?" He whispered again.

"You were absolutely perfect" you said, eyes still closed, "but as soon as we're back home, I want my Pennywise back.

"Don't you like me like this better?" He asked, almost quieter as before. Your eyes opened as you pushed yourself up to face him.

"I think I fell in love with a clown, not a regular person. I like this look, but whoever I intend of holding tonight is my clown, yeah?" You said, pinching his cheeks slightly. He nodded, a bit of color coming to his cheeks as you leaned back into him again. "No more clowning around and get back to being my clown" You smirked at your oh-so clever line and kinda dozed off the rest of the ride in his chest.

//////

First off shout out to @fuck-the-clown

Second off, I gotta say I'm so grateful you guys allow me to write these things down and allow me to express myself. Gotta be free to be weird somewhere :-)

Lastly, if you don't like what I write then don't fucking read it.

Thank you guys so much for liking my last story, it really encouraged me to post this one. Love you guys, I'm signing off now, but have a great day! (Or Night) 🖖🏼

[followmkenziejyl]

Backpacking With The Beckham Boys (Romeo Beckham Imagine)

         Sweating and running around on the field, I accidentally kicked the soccer ball out of the field. Suddenly two elevated boys appeared passing my ball between themselves. "Can I have my ball back please," I asked casually, "Wait, I know who you guys are! You two are the Beckham sons right? Brooklyn and Romeo."

"Yes. Yeah we are," taller boy, Brooklyn answered, "here is your ball. You are?" Reluctantly, he passed the ball back to me.

"Sorry. I'm y/n. I am a huge fan of your dad. Sorry, I know you probably hear that a lot". After saying that, I ran back to resume the game.

"Do you mind if we play," the shorter and younger one questioned. I nodded. Shortly after we started, the two Beckhams were playing like a legend (which I found unbelievable). In the end, my team (with Brooklyn) won against Romeo's team.

Packing my bag for the trip, I sighed because I just didn't know what to pack. A few seconds later, I heard someone knocking the door. "Who is it," I required.

"It's Victoria and David Beckham. You are going to trip right," Victoria asked puzzled, "let us help you. Don't worry about packing. Just have fun." Nodding, I smiled kindly.

Lining up to get into the plane, I suddenly remembered to call my friend Andrea to tell her something. "Hey Poppy. I've heard Ariana Grande is coming to Hong Kong. Are you going to her concert," I said.

"Yup. I am," she answered.

The call lasted for five minutes when I sat down on my comfortable seat. I decided to watch a movie called Creed on my laptop after the take off. Creed was a movie about a man called, Adonis Creed whose father died before he was born. His father was a professional boxer that died in the ring. Adonis's dream was to become like his father but younger and not die. In the end, he did. After the movie I turned off my laptop and out it back into my bag so I wouldn't lose it. Soon, I slowly drifted to sleep.

I suddenly woke up because someone was shaking me wildly. "What? Who is it," I groaned sheepishly.

"It is time to go Y/n," someone said. Quickly sitting up, I grabbed my bag and checked if I left anything. I looked the airport in awe. Wow, I thought. The first thing me and the Beckhams wanted to do was go to the hotel and rest.

We used the Tube (a metro system) to get the hotel. Man, the hotel was as luxurious as Burj Al Arab in Dubai, the most luxurious hotel in the whole entire universe! Bam! The hotel we stayed in was called The Goring! You would not believe the where the hotel was! Just right across the street from the Buckingham Palace. It had a garden with stunning paths, statues, bushes, benches, flowers and trees that provide shade from the sun. In the hotel rooms, there were the cosiest beds, pillows and cushions in the world. In addition, the rooms also consisted two deluxe chairs with armrests. Secondly, there was even a mirror with drawers, a place to put things in from of the mirror and a chair. Third, next to the lovely window was a plant, a beautiful plant resting there and getting all the sunlight it needed. Lastly, there was a couch (or sofa) sitting there with two cushions waiting for someone to sit on it.

"Hey, go you want to hang out. You know have some fun. We can go around," Romeo the younger Beckham asked abruptly.

"Sure. Maybe after lunch," I suggested since it was ten o'clock in the morning and everyone was really drained.

For lunch, we ate at a buffet in the hotel, The Goring. It was fabulous. Apparently, I might have eaten a least a little bit of everything. Stuffed and glutted, we walked back to our room and I took a blanket and slept of the floor using my bag as a pillow.

The following fifty minutes (half – an hour of nap time), Brooklyn, Romeo and I, left the hotel quickly and left for the Tube. We went to some shops to buy a few extra snacks and a few pieces of clothes each. I bought a shirt, pair of pants and jacket from Jeep (not the car brand but its clothes shop). Personally, I thought they were amazing but the guys thought that girls shouldn't be wearing boys' clothes. Why? Because I couldn't resist buying some. At night, we went to the London Eye to look at the beautiful view of London. Kind of scared and frightened, I squeezed the boys' arms tightly so I wouldn't feel as scared. Why was I scared? Sadly, I was always and scared of heights. But I had to admit, the view was superb.

Arriving the hotel at eleven, we established that we were staying in England for a few days before heading off to our next destination, Scotland. If took a shower as quick as I could and grabbed the blanket and my bag and lazily fell asleep.

For the next few days, we basically, fooled around everywhere, made hilarious jokes about each other and did ridiculous things to each other.

"Wait a minute," I bellowed, "who is paying for the hotel? I can do it."

"Don't worry. Our dad already payed for it," Brooklyn explained.

On the way to Scotland, all of us watched the same movie, Mockingjay Part One. It was exciting and violent. But the movie ended with a cliff hanger.

By the time we reached Scotland, we went through the immigration and rushed to the hotel we were going to stay in, The Balmoral. Our room looked really modern. The window was a shape of a circle. There was a bookshelf and a plant on top of it. There were two satisfying chairs. There were a few white lamps. You wouldn't believe this! There was a telescope in the room as well. One if the reasons we went there was because we heard Scotland was remarkable. All of a sudden, I seriously felt like I should be Skyping my family. "Hey guys. I'm in Scotland with 'them'. So how's life in Hong Kong," I greeted.

"Everything is fine. How was London," my dad said sheepishly.

"It was amazing. 'We' rode the London Eye and you should check your Instagram feed. The view was amazing," I exclaimed happily. Me and my family talked for half an hour about London, Scotland and Hong Kong.

Today, we decided to go to the Loch Ness to see how it looked like in person. It was enormous. But it was really pretty. Listening to the waves splashing ashore we stared at the sky's sunset and afar to examine the view. You could see clear water like fresh mountain water, a few clouds here and there. You could also see a huge mountain like a cake covered in green icing. Next to us were some ruins that looked like it belonged to a castle. I wore a few layers because the temperature in Scotland was pretty low.

The next day, Brooklyn, Romeo and I went to the grocery store to buy some food. Again. Weirdly, we bought a little of everything that was food. As we were walking, I accidentally bumped into my old elementary school teacher, Mr Manson. We talked for a while and payed for our food. "How long are you three staying here," Mr Manson said casually.

"I'm not sure," I replied.

"We are staying here for a couple of days," Brooklyn said quickly, "maybe two more days?"

"Sure."

For two days, all we ate ate daily meals, ate junk food, did our daily routines. But that wasn't all. In a convenient store, we were just fooling around and we pranked a man. Quickly and swiftly we threw some realistic looking insects at the man. Screaming and panicking, the man shook the insect off of him at tried to figure out who did it.

Fifteen hours later, we woke up looking tired and all. Took our bags, took a taxi and went of to the airport. During the plane ride, I was so exhausted, I immediately drifted into deep sleep.

All of a sudden, the plane started to shake like there was an earthquake. Coming back to my senses, I realized there was a crazy turbulence. Quickly, I woke Brooklyn and Romeo and started to panic like a madman. "Please remain seated in your seats and buckle up. Please stay calm," the pilot said nervously.

"I don't think I can," I said.

"Well try to," Romeo replied.

Looking around, nervously, I saw the staff looking as calm as they could be but they were failing. Because. Of. Fear. "Probably not."

"Why."

"We are in a midlife crisis Romeo. We are going to die."

"We are not going to die. Just calm down. Calm down."

"I don't think so. Bye France. See you in my next life."

One, two, three. Giants sitting on top of all of us, made us fall quickly. 'Yay! I am so happy. This is the best time of my life. Falling from the edge of the world," I thought as sarcastically as possible. Cringing wildly, I felt my head hitting the overhead compartment hard. Trying to open my eyes, I felt like that was the end of the world. Trying to see what was going on, I could still feel the pressure on everyone as we fell. Things started to blur slowly. My head felt as heavy as a huge boulder. Second by second, things started to blur my sight until I was totally blinded.

"Dude wake up! Wake up! Come on! Please just wake up," Brooklyn yelled worried. Feeling really dizzy, I groaned because my whole body ached. I attempted to force my eyes open but I couldn't see properly. As soon as I gained sighted I stood up quickly.

"Okay fine. I'm okay now. Where the heck are we. Why are you two wearing dresses," I half joked, "now I bet we are in the land where people get the disease of wearing dresses." We looked and looked for hours but we couldn't find out bags until I found them on top of a tree. "Wow isn't that great? Our bags just magically flew. Yay! I am so going to get it," I commented sarcastically.

As we looked through our bags, the only thing we could find were extra clothes, empty bottles, snacks, empty plastic bags and worst of all, our electronic devices were broken! "Guys I think my phone is broken," Romeo exclaimed sadly.

"I think mine's broken too. We are so dead. How about yours Brooklyn?"

"Dead. I'm dead. We are all dead!"

"Stultus populus , qui sunt," a dangerous buff man holding a sharp spear said.

"Ipsi vero consideraverunt et infirmis," cried another.

"Quid hic?"

"Quid illi portantes?"

[bts-love-sweat-tears]

(Ice) Princess, Part 2

Title: (Ice) Princess, Part 2.

Pairing: Taehyung x Reader

Type: Fluff/ Angst

Rating: PG

Author’s Note: I’ve had an amazing response to my last two stories, so thank you so much to everyone who has read and liked! I meant for Ice Princess to be a one-shot, but I couldn’t stop thinking about all the directions it could go in. Please enjoy, and let me know if you have any feedback! I will likely update on Tuesdays nights or Wednesdays ❤️

Link to Part 1

Part 2

You weren’t sure if it was your ears or your phone buzzing when you first heard the sound the following morning. You hadn’t had that much, but since you didn’t drink too often, even a little had a strong impact. Soon though, you realized that it was, in fact, your phone. Opening one eye, you glanced at the screen, and saw that you had seven unread messages from Taehyung. He had saved himself as “Tae-oppa 🐶” in your phone. If your eyes weren’t still bleary with sleep, you’d have rolled them.

Annyeong! It’s Kim Taehyung, in case you forgot!!!!

How are you this morning? Thinking about me?

I hope you text me back soon, I’m bored, kekeke.

I’d invite you over to play Overwatch, but I don’t think my managers or hyungs would like that, since they don’t know how cool you are (YET)!!!

Let’s do something fun today! We could go to the park!!!!!!!

Or the aquarium!!!!!!!

OR PAINTBALL….I LOVE PAINTBALL. DO YOU LOVE PAINTBALL?!?!?!?!

His messages had increasingly more capital letters and exclamation points, and you could see the ellipsis at the bottom of your screen meaning that he was typing more. You decided to message him back as quickly as possible before he spontaneously combusted. But if you were being honest with yourself, you liked that he was excited to hang out with you-it was flattering. And if you were being even more honest, you were also feeling excited. Whether you would express that excitement to him was a different matter entirely.

Annyeonghaseo, you typed back. Tae, it’s 6 in the morning.

Within seconds of sending the last message, there was already another in your inbox.

Exactly. The day is new-let’s make the most of it!

His optimism was strangely refreshing.

I have meetings all day, from 9, and then a couple of international calls that will go late, you replied.

It’s okay! I have filming for our new MV (I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you!)  and then practice. We can go this morning! Live a little, Y/N!

How was his energy so boundless? Despite your hesitation, you found yourself wanting to go somewhere with him. Hadn’t you just been hoping for new friends or excitement to mix up your daily routine? This new development with Tae was nothing if not exciting. And if today went badly, you could use work as an excuse to avoid him.

I can’t go anywhere too far from the office. Let’s go to the park.

Tae sent back an obscene number of emojis, along with the promise to meet you at the riverfront park by 7. You weren’t sure why you had said yes, when it was completely impractical to the flow of your day, but you were excited nonetheless. You ended up throwing on an oversized rust colored sweatshirt, with black jeans, slip on sandals, and a black beanie, and ran out the door.

You had never seen him like this. The other day in the glitz of the Gucci store, he had looked refined, elegant, and a little cold. Today he was wearing a burnt orange sweater with holes (that looked suspiciously intentional, you thought), and black jeans. He had a black baseball hat, a mask, and shades he had on backwards for some unknown reason. Did celebrities think that they blended in when they dressed that way? you wondered.  

He was still wearing Gucci slip ons, but he laughed when he saw you.

“Yah, we’re already in matching couple clothes.” He laughed and beamed that boxy smile to which you were already more susceptible than you would like to admit. You smiled back, blushing a little. “Shall we walk for a bit?” he beamed again, offering you his arm. If you were blushing a little before, you were positively red now. Trying to act casual, you took his arm, which was solid under your hand. He was unexpectedly tall up close-you were surprised you hadn’t noticed it when you collided yesterday.

It was a misty morning down by the riverfront park, and there were few people out. There was a slight chill to the air that early, but you were feeling strangely warm with Tae. He had been talking about his family, hometown, siblings, cousins, and everyone else from back home in Daegu. it was clear he missed them, but you also noticed the same love when he talked about his team members.  You had thought him to be everything from a superficial playboy to a goofy kid, but you realized how deep his emotions ran when it came to the people he cared for. It was clear that he was super observant too, with the way he spoke about people’s little quirks or hidden traits. It was also clear from the small flowers he would notice at the side of the trail, or a new graffiti that hadn’t been there the week before. You wondered how many times your paths had crossed without even realizing. You were in awe of the complex person in front of you. Suddenly, you felt immense gratitude for the fashion trends of your mother’s friends.

He whispered into your ear, causing you to jump and snap out of it. “Penny for your thoughts?”

Even though you’d been feeling super soft, there was no way that you would admit to it.

“Just zoning,” you smiled up at him. “I probably need more caffeine or something.”

You weren’t sure he completely believed you, but he quickly moved his arm away. Just as you started to feel (secretly) salty, he laced his fingers back through yours, and sped ahead.

“I know a great place right near here!!” You weren’t much of a follower, but you let him lead the way.

Before you knew it, you arrived at the cafe. It was dark polished wood, overstuffed chairs, and dim lighting. It was much more noir and 1930s that you would have expected. Not that you ever knew what to expect with Taehyung. It was very sophisticated. Tae led you over to a cozy couch in the corner, and gently pushed on your shoulders until you sat down. The lack of caffeine really was starting to hit you. He laughed another one of those wheezy laughs as you sunk into the couch and closed your eyes.

“Hold our spot- I’ll get the drinks. What do you like?” he asked.

“I’ll have a flat white or whatever’s good!”

As Tae got the drinks, you soaked up your surroundings. He was rubbing off on you-everything seemed to look new and fresh. You were really seeing things that normally faded into the background of your daily routine. It was quiet, with just a few other patrons getting their morning fix.  You noticed the barista staring at him, and some unknown feeling twisted in your stomach. Anxiety?  It faded into nothing as he settled in next to you on the couch, drinks in hand.

“What did you get?” You asked, taking a careful first sip of your flat white, trying not to burn your tongue.

“Mocha-the caffeine content of coffee and the sugar content of hot chocolate.”

A snort escaped you. So much for being cute. “I don’t think you need either of those things.”

“Yah, what are you trying to say?” He leaned in, like he was about to say something, when a flashes began blinding both of you.

You looked up to see a horde of paparazzi. Before you could even register what was happening, Tae was trying to shield your face, frantically putting his shades over your eyes and pulling your beanie lower onto your head. Though you didn’t say anything, you knew it was a lost cause. You were a boring heiress, but an heiress nonetheless. The paparazzi knew your face too. He grabbed your hand less gently, and ran outside to a waiting black van with the darkest tinted windows you had ever seen. Did they have a tracker on him? How did they get there so quickly? Strange the details one notices, when trying to avoid the obvious: the two of you were in trouble.

The ride back to the BigHit office was silent, and you could feel the disapproval radiating off of the driver, whoever he was.  You had never seen Tae like this. The carefree, warm person was gone, and replaced with a blank exterior. You weren’t sure that you could get through to him right now even if you wanted to. And you didn’t because you were already thinking about what resources you might be able to leverage to keep these photos private.  You had enough difficulty getting people to take you seriously- you didn’t need your life to be tabloid fodder. Not that you had thought this far ahead, but you knew this was an inauspicious beginning to whatever this was with Tae. You sighed at your own selfishness. What would this do to his career, as well? You knew that the photos looked far more incriminating than anything that had actually happened. The paparazzi had waited until the exact moment he leaned in. In some twisted sense, they were truly professionals.

The car came to an abrupt stop, and Tae was whisked away to parts unknown. You were unceremoniously dumped on the curb, where you had to procure your own way home. You quickly flagged a taxi down, and arrived at the office at 9 on the dot, already feeling exhausted.

You spent the rest of your day trying to get through your business obligations, but you couldn’t stop thinking about the look on Tae’s face. You collapsed into bed, but couldn’t sleep. In the middle of the night, realizing that you wouldn’t be able to stop thinking until you sent a few messages, you texted Tae.

I’m sorry, you wrote. We should have been more careful.

A few minutes later, you sent a third message.

If it’s any consolation, I had an amazing time. You paused, and added one, solitary emoji at the end of your message, but it still made you nervous.

❤️.

After staring at your phone screen for a few more minutes with no response, you finally fell asleep, though you were plagued by restlessness and stressful, abstract dreams.

[pride35]

I read my first Cassandra Clare book when I was 13 years old. I was awkward and shy and often preferred books to people. To be honest all of that is still true but what is no longer true is that I was scared and closeted. When I first read the Mortal Instruments I had no previous experience with anything queer. Reading Malec's story showed me that the things I was feeling weren't unnatural. In fact I came out to my mom by saying I was like Magnus Bane, a freewheeling bisexual. The Shadowhunter Chronicles changed my life. Below is a fanfiction I wrote years ago to show my love for the characters that changed my life.

I hope you enjoy!

                                                         *****

Alexander Lightwood had a guardian angel. The first time he saw him was when he was five years old, but it certainly wasn’t the last time.

                                                           ***

They weren’t supposed to be playing outside of the Institute. But Isabelle had wanted to go outside and Alec wasn’t good at saying no to his little sister. They were throwing a ball back and forth when Izzy got a little over excited and threw it way over Alec’s head and into the street. Seeing the tears about to leak out of his sister’s eyes Alec ran out of the gates and into the street to fetch the ball. It was only when he was in the middle of road did he hear the honking of the car horns and then all he could do was stare as the yellow taxi cab beared down on him when suddenly he was lifted out of harm’s way. He looked down in amazement at the streak of blue sparkly magic around his waist carefully lifting him out of the street and back onto the sidewalk. Once his feet reconnected with the ground he looked in amazement at the sparkly apparition in front of him. The man before him had light brown skin and hair set in glittery spikes that seems to defy gravity. “Are you my guardian angel?” Alec asked in awe.

The man, a warlock Alec guessed, looked at him incredulously. “You're a shadowhunter aren’t you?”

“Y-y-yes,” Alec stammered, staring wide eyed at his guardian angel.

“Well, running in the road, not smart,” said the warlock with a grin. “You ought to be more careful, little shadowhunter.” He sauntered off leaving Alec staring confusedly after him before his sister ran to him with scared tears streaming down his face as she gripped him tightly.

This was the first time Alexander Lightwood was saved by his guardian angel but it wasn’t the last.

                                                       ***

When the young shadowhunter was eight years old he went through a clumsy stage. So one day, while distracted by other things he was walking down a hallway in the institute when he ran headlong into someone coming out of the library. He was knocked backwards and was only saved by a caramel colored hand decorated with a ridiculous amount of rings wrapping around his arm and pulling him upright. When he looked up to apologize to the stranger he was shocked to see his savior from three years ago.

“Running into people now, are we?” the man said with a grin and a wink. “You know you ought to be more careful, little shadowhunter.” He left Alec standing there spluttering and confused.

                                                     ***

The third time Alec Lightwood saw his angel was four years later when he was twelve years old. He and his sibling were on their first solo `mission. Jace and Izzy had gone around the other way to corner the demon. Alec had elected to go alone because he was the oldest and most experienced. As he slunk around the corner of the building and into the alley he smelled sulfur and reacted quickly but not quickly enough as the demon pounced on him before he got his seraph blade all the way out. He heard its sticky voice in his ear whispering things about how he was going to die in horrible ways. He yelled for his siblings and heard their answering shouts but they were too far away to help. He groaned, he would not die here today, on his first real mission. But then suddenly the demon lifted off of him engulfed in blue sparks and exploded into dust.  Alec jumped up quickly in case there was a greater threat on the way, but instead all he saw was a tall slim man at the mouth of the alley.

“My apologies,” said the man with a grin. “One of my clients was quite irresponsible with the demon that I so nicely summoned for him, but you know, mundanes are gonna be mundanes...” At the exact same moment they seemed to recognize each other. It was Alec guardian angel. His angel saved him again. “Well, I must be going little shadowhunter,” said the warlock with a grin. He turned away and was about to go when he seemed to remember something. He turned back around with a grin, “Oh and one more thing, you really ought to be more careful.

                                                         ***

The next time Alexander saw his guardian angel was three years later when he was on a stake out in a subway station. He was glamoured but he wasn’t focused on the mission. He was far away imagining what life would be like if the shadowhunters were more inclined to accept people for who they really are, instead of expecting everyone to be perfect and angel chosen. It was in the middle of these thoughts that Alec felt a tap on his shoulder which was immediately strange because he was glamoured. He reached for a seraph blade before he even looked to see who it was. Whoever it was just laughed at this action before saying, “Relax little shadowhunter, I’m no demon.” Alec looked up to see his mysterious warlock standing beside him. He jumped up eliciting another laugh from his guardian angel. Alec frantically tried to look more professional.

In the back of his mind he thought, Why do you care what he thinks of you? But out loud he said, “W-w-what do you want from me?”

The warlock only laughed again and said, “Nothing, dear angel chosen, I just thought you should know that your glamour is slipping.” Alec gasped and looked down at his glamour rune that was indeed fading. He quickly pulled out his stele and redrew the rune. “Ah, much better,” said the warlock, “Now it looks like I’m talking to thin air.”

Alec wasn’t sure whether he should laugh or unglamour himself or what. So he ended up just looking at taller man and then looking away when the warlock raised an eyebrow as if to say, Yes?

The warlock cleared his throat and with a laugh in his voice intoned in a would be serious voice, “Well, Master Shadowhunter, I’ll see you around.” He was about to leave when with a twinkle in his gold green cat eyes he leaned in towards Alec and whispered in his ear, “Oh and the demon you're looking for, just got on the subway. I would schadtle after him if I were you.” With that he leaned back and turned around calling after him, “You really ought to be more careful little shadowhunter.” Alec stared after him for a moment before remembering his mission and jumping through the subway doors onto the train before it left without him.

It took Alec all day to catch up with that demon and send it back to hell, so it was only later that night that he had a moment to think about the strange encounter with his guardian angel and the tingly feeling he gotten all over when the man had leaned forward and whispered in his ear. When he fell asleep his last words were still echoing in his mind, You really ought to be more careful little shadowhunter.

                                                      ***

The next time Alex saw his guardian angel he was almost eighteen and he finally learned the warlock’s name.

Jace had told him they were going to a party at a warlock’s house to try and help Clary find out what was going on in her head. The mention of a warlock made him think of his guardian angel. Maybe this Magnus Bane would know who his guardian angel was, maybe he could tell him where to find him, maybe... maybe nothing. He would go on this mission and came home and his life would continue in the same doldrum that he had existed in all his life. Nothing was going change that.

This thought festered in his mind all the way there putting him in a completely rotten mood so when the door opened and he heard a voice say, “Children of the Nephilim, well, well. I don’t recall inviting you.” He didn’t put together why the voice sounded familiar until he looked up and found a pair of gold green eyes staring right at him. These eyes glanced down to look at the invitation Isabelle was handing him and absently said, “I must have been drunk.” Then he grinned right at Alec before turning away and addressing the others. Alec didn’t hear. His mind was wiped clean. He couldn’t even form a coherent thought. This was perhaps the reason that as they climbed up the stairs Alec tripped. He did not fall however because a caramel colored hand grasped his arm and pulled him up right just like it had so many years before. Alec looked up onto the black rimmed cat eyes right in front of him. In the back of his mind Alec noticed that his friends had moved on but he didn’t care as Magnus Bane, his guardian angel, leaned in a murmured, “You got hot, you know that?” When Alec didn’t answer he leaned back and grinned. “You really ought to be more careful.” He said before turning towards a commotion behind him. He left Alec standing there shaking.

                                                         ***

This was not the last time Alec Lightwood saw his guardian angel. Indeed after this he saw his angel with more and more regularity. And this how, three years later, on Alexander Lightwood’s twenty first birthday, he lay in a bed in a hotel with Magnus Bane, his guardian angel, perched above him, their matching ringed fingers linked as Magnus leaned down and whispered in his lover’s ear, “I’m glad you weren’t more careful, my little shadowhunter.”

[helyercreative]

My Tinder Date and I Went To Rome, and All He Got Me Was This Lousy Reject Text

Part 2 of my first tinder holiday, and I suppose, the final instalment, if you can’t guess from the title. 

I actually had an extremely lovely time in Rome, and with my Tinder date, who me and my friends affectionately call ‘Doctor Rome’. But it came as no surprise to get a reject text from him upon returning home. 

He arrived at Cardiff Central train station on Monday afternoon, after I’d spent the day showing my new housemate Sam around Cardiff. It was nice to see him, and we got some errands done in town before dropping his bag off at my house, and heading straight out to the pub. Doctor Rome studied in Cardiff, and used to live near where I currently live, so he had fond memories of one of my favourite local pubs. After a few drinks we headed home and I cooked dinner for us and my housemates, which was nice as he had a few things in common with them and it wasn’t awkward or anything - also, bonus points to me because everyone enjoyed my food and I didn’t poison anyone. 

The next day we got a few last things we needed before my housemate drove us to Cardiff airport ready to fly out. Conversation flowed fine over a few pre-flight drinks, and we boarded the plane promptly. We’d checked in at different times so our seats were separate, and just as I’d got into a conversation with a lovely older gentlemen named Joe who I was sat next to, Doctor Rome announced he’d managed to get the man next to him to swap seats with me. Not gunna lie, the flight felt pretty romantic, sat hand in hand sleeping on each others shoulders as we flew into the sunset, total bliss. 

Arriving in Rome, Doctor Rome was in charge of directions and event planning (because if I was in charge nothing would’ve got done), we got a train from the airport to Termini station and walked the 15 minutes to our airbnb in Monti. After waiting for about 20 minutes for someone to show up, our host (along with her daughter, and pet dog, Lola) turned up. She was lovely and had a lot of awesome recommendations, which we followed all the food ones and weren’t  disappointed. Our apartment was really lovely, in a very historic old building in a tiny little street on a hill. That evening we went for a little walk around, because it was about 8pm by the time we’d settled in and we were both pretty tired. We found a cute little eatery that looked like it was popular and had some delicious food (Although Doctor Rome’s was a little questionable to look at), and then tried to hunt for a Gelato bar that had been recommended by his cousin. We unfortunately didn’t find it, but we found another one and I was not disappointed at all.

We settled down for the night with some Italian wine before I fell asleep on the sofa. 

Day 2 was reserved for Vatican City, as it was my only full day in Rome and it was the largest time consuming thing our tourist agenda had for us. We caught a metro and walked to the Vatican (Recommend to buy tickets online first to skip any queues, however we were there early enough that there were no queues regardless). I know nothing about history or culture of Italy, and I don’t have a strong desire to learn, but none the less it was still amazing to see everything this place had to offer. Lots of sculptures, and art works all incased within incredible architecture. You could look out the window and see St Peter’s Cathedral and beautiful views of Rome.

We visited the Sistine Chapel, which I was super excited for. I studied art throughout school/college/university, so obviously had seen Michaelanglo’s painting a few times, but I actually had no idea about the rest of the Sistine Chapel art work, and I was completely in awe. I looked up so much that I got neck ache, and I couldn’t stop smiling. I didn’t take any photos there because you weren’t supposed to, and I wanted to keep the image for my mind rather than immortalising it just for the sake of having a photo.

After Sistine Chapel we went to St Peter’s Cathedral, which again was beautiful. Our airbnb host had told us ‘you must go to the top of the basilica’, which we didn’t know was an option, but for €6 (or €7 to take the elevator) you can go to the top of the dome and walk around the outside. The walk was horrible, I am not a huge fan of unsteady climbing or enclosed spaces, and it was both of those combined for 551 steps up to the top.

Once we reached the top, we had a 360 degree view of Rome, but most remarkably was St Peter’s Square, which looked amazing, even in the pissing down rain.

Whilst near Vatican City I wanted to visit a Nespresso boutique I’d found was nearby (You can take the girl out of Nespresso, but can never take the Nespresso out of the girl). It was pissing down with rain, but we walked, and walked, trying to find it. We stopped at an espresso bar on the way through to dry off, and also in an amazing department store (like Urban outfitters crossed with Ikea), and eventually came across the Nespresso Shop-In-Shop within another department store. Not the grand boutique I was hoping for, but another one crossed off the list. Afterwards we had planned to stay out and visit Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps, but the rain had gotten to both of us quite badly so we headed back to our apartment via the metro. After grabbing some pizza from the local pizzeria next door, we decided we’d dry off and go back out to visit Trevi Fountain and the Spanish steps in the evening. It was still raining but we were still in high spirits. I wasn’t expecting much, and the Spanish Steps really weren’t anything special, especially being extremely conscious of how slippery they are to climb when it was raining so much, but they did give a great view of St Peter’s from the top.

We walked a little further towards where the Trevi Fountain was, having no idea how close we were it suddenly appeared. It was probably about 8pm and there were only a handful of people by it, but I fell in love with it, I found it really beautiful to look at. 

I didn’t want to leave the fountain, and honestly for me this felt like the most romantic part of the trip. Eventually we walked home and had an early night.

The third day was to be my last, Doctor Rome was staying for a further 2 days after I was leaving, so we decided to pack in all the things I wanted to see into the 3 days I would be there. Our airbnb was only a 10 minute walk from the colosseum so we woke early and walked over to it. Surprised by how close it really was (just a short walk through a dodgy park behind us) and it was another breathtaking sight. Tickets were cheap and we got a guided tour too. The tour took probably nearly an hour and was relatively informative, but again, I didn’t have all that much interest in it, but for only €5 I would say it’s a definite thing to buy.

Photo Credz to Doctor Rome.

After the colosseum we walked around for a little bit, and grabbed some food in another recommended restaurant. I had a dish that my housemates often make at home, so it was interesting to taste the real thing. Then walking back to the apartment we managed to find the gelato place we’d looked for on the first night. It was a vegan and gluten free gelato place, and the flavours were intense and amazing, but the consistency was a lot more liquidy than usual gelato so we had to eat them speedily. 

After walking back to the apartment we had a little bit of time to chill before we had to leave for the station. Everything was fine, but I kinda twigged that this holiday was the end of this Tinder Romance. We walked to the train station and we said goodbye and I left him to the rest of his adventure. Whilst I managed to fall asleep on the train, and arrive at the airport to find my flight was delayed by an hour and a half. Which wouldn’t have been too bad but I had a connection flight in Brussels with only a 1 hour 20 minute gap. Luckily the second flight was also delayed (it snowed in Brussels and they had to de-ice all the planes), I managed to make it back to the UK, however had missed my bargain £1 megabus by about 10 minutes so had to fork out £25 for a national express, plus £10 on a taxi home at 4am, ready to wake up for work at 10am. 

I didn’t hear from Doctor Rome (apart from telling him i arrived home and he said to have a nice day) at all, even after he would’ve arrived home. I asked him if he didn’t want to talk to me or see me, and told him it was ok but would be nice for him to tell me rather than ghost me, and that’s when I got the lousy reject text.

Better to have Tinder Romanced in Rome and Lost, than to not have Tinder Romanced In Rome at all, right?