#this is probably the fastest i have ever gotten a request done since it was an edit of a previous flag

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

Hey, can I request the “sit on face scenario with the rest of the dorm leaders + Jamil? (If that’s too many then just Leona, Malleus, and Vil?)

Accidentally Sitting On Their Face | Yandere Twisted Wonderland (P2)

Ft. Riddle Rosehearts, Leona Kingscholar, Azul Ashengrotto, Jamil Viper, Malleus Draconia

Last One

Riddle Rosehearts

Again the most bizarre circumstance there could ever be 

He’s probably rechecking the work you were doing  

Today you were helping Ace, Grim, and Deuce paint the roses red

A punishment for whatever shenanigans the trio of trouble have done

While he didn’t like how easily you came to their aid 

He did enjoy having you so close 

“S-so how have you been fairing with your work so far?”

“Oh its been okay. It’s a little hard having to learn everything in this world but its never boring.”

“G-good if you have any questions you should join me for tea.”

“Sure. But do you only want to talk about academics over tea?”

He blushed intensely at the teasing tilt in your voice

“W-well w-we can talk about other things–Good work, continue on!” 

In attempt to save himself from his embarrassment he tried to walk away from you 

You who was balanced on a ladder with paint in your hand

“Nyehehehe I’m the fastest painter of all!”

The little monster cat was dashing around weaving through other students who were hanging on to their own ladders and stools

But of course its yours that he actually bumps into making you stumble before flying 

And landing on The prefect of Heartslaybul’s face

With everyone’s eyes on you a silence falls over the others in the garden

“Did they just…?”

“Yeah.”

“On Riddle’s…?”

“Yeah.”

Disoriented it takes you a minute before you realize exactly what happened

But the hot breaths on your nether region helped you come back to reality

“Ow–huh? R-riddle?”

You quickly stand revealing the red faced Riddle to lay there as his vice wardens rush to his side 

“Riddle? Are you okay?”

“Uh-do you need a minute-?”

Oh Riddle needs more than a minute 

He’s burning hot 

His face and the garden

Its on fire and so are the students of Heartslaybul

But he isn’t mad and instead looking off into the distance

“Riddle! Riddle! Everyone’s on fire! Please!”

“#burning #alive #Riddle’sinlovewitdatbootay!”

It isn’t until he hears your meek voice and light tap of your finger

“Uh Riddle you’re not mad, right? If you are I’m sorry.”

The fire dies as he turns to you 

“Oh I’m just fine (Y/n)...Now about that tea session…can we make it soon?”

Leona Kingscholar

Leona has an awesome habit of sleeping just about anywhere he pleases

He’s no where near as bad as that Diasomnia weirdo

but he’s quite the master at catnaps

With such power comes the responsibility of his to know who was there before him

Point being he knows where he sleeps 

And he won’t deny or confirm that he knew what he was doing when you plopped down on his face

The feeling of the Lion’s inhale has you shooting up in embarrassment as you try to apologize

“Oh! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

“Don’t back out now, herbivore. Commit.”

You’ll think he’s joking as you try to leave with your dignity intact

But he’s not letting you

“Let go! Leona please! C’mon, I know you didn’t fall asleep with your hand holding my pants! Leona!” 

He snuggles into the couch to hide his smirk as he pulled you along 

He’d appreciate it if you didn’t hold back on your intimacy with him

The sooner the better

“Oi Herbivore either sit where your supposed to or get to sleeping. I’m not letting you go…ever.”

Azul Ashengrotto

Azul doesn’t have many times where he doesn’t have his glasses on

Being on land can do that to your eyes 

But he’s not completely blind 

And with his new contacts it makes it a lot easier to see 

“Oh wow Azul you look so different without your glasses.” 

He preened at your attention

Happily walking slowly in the same direction as you so he could keep talking to you

“Well I’ve recently been offered these contacts from the organization that helps students from the Coral Sea. I figured I’d give it a try.”

Since he had gotten you to work some days in the Monstro Lounge he’s happily taking advantage 

It also kept the most…persistent followers of yours on his radar

“Well its nice to see your eyes. You always see them from behind the glasses and they look gorgeous that way but your on full-blast now.”

Azul lets himself shiver in delight before habitually moving to push his glasses up

“R-really thank you!”

“Buuut it seems even you miss it!”

“Even? You miss my glasses?”

“Well, yeah there just so you…y’know?”

For a moment it was the most beautiful moment of his life

And then a patron spills something on the floor that has you flying

Now typically he’s no hero 

But this was you

And he may have mistaken his body for one of his tentacles

Nonethelss his face is being sat on and your both squabbling to stand up and away from each other

You might run into the kitchen in embarrassment definitely passing by the gawking and giggling tweels

Azul is no better, running to his office to try and relax 

He’s crying as…he relieves himself

Replaying the feeling of your warmth on his face

And the comforting hold of your thighs around his head

“(Y/n)...I can’t even handle a mere compliment from you!”

Wouldn’t be surprised if he made a contract with sitting on his face as a stipulation

“This is purely for business reasons but your going to have to do this again…I mean that is if you want Grim’s debt to be nullified.”

Jamil Viper

Jamil’s pretty agile 

As a servant of many talents this but a single trait

Which makes basketball for him so easy

And he’s so happy he gets to share that with you

“I haven’t played this in so long. I’ll doubt I’ll be much help.”

“No worries (Y/n). I’m sure by just being here you make things better…kind of like a lucky charm.”

And he’s right just because he’s having fun watching you dribble the ball around makes him much more eager to make a fool of everyone on this team

And he does smiling internally at the clubmates falling as he jukes them

He’s guarding you from the more..determined club members 

Trying his best to keep these heathens them from rubbing up on your back and front as they try to block/guard

He’s doing so much better

Thriving off the way you rely on him to so much as throw the ball to someone else

That’s why he’s the one who is lovingly being your cushion at the moment

You jumped to make a dunk on the hoop

This was fine

You hung on a bit longer making you swing

That was fine too

Finally letting go to land

That’s fine

But he could already tell your footing would be wrong and you’d fall on your butt

That was perfect

“Oh! Oh my gosh! Jamil are you okay?”

He smiled under the smother of your behind 

When you finally got up he waved it off

“No worries (Y/n), really but if you really want to apologize how about you spend the night in Scarabia. We still have that spare room from the last time.”

Two rewards in one day, he deserved a treat or two

Vil Schoenheit

“Uhhh Vil? I really don’t get why you have to uh inspect the outfit like this..”

“Didn’t you hear me before? I need to see the way it’ll fit on a live model.”

“Yes but why this way!”

You were wearing a dress with frills, a cutesy design you’d sooner see on Epel then yourself

He demanded it’d be you

Why?

“Obviously you have the body type I need to pull this off. Now stay still.”

He was supposedly sewing something under the skirt giving him a shrouded view with the thin barriers of your underwear

When you originally protested he scoffed about how he was a professional

Which completely juxtaposed the blushing model between your legs

He admitted this was very Rook-esque but this was an opportunity he just wouldn’t miss

“Now lower yourself I must inspect this seam closer.”

You whimper as his hand grazed your thigh

You do as he says hoping no one comes barging into the room

“Closer!”

“C-closer?!”

“Did I stutter?”

You try to ultimately losing your balance and sitting on his Vil Schoenheit’s face

When you try to crawl away he’ll hold the skirt of your dress pretending to sewing a loose seam before releasing you

He tells you to change and that your free for the day

Refusing to turn around to look at you as you quickly slipped out

When your gone he’ll move to his vanity mirror

Smiling as he registers the smudging of his make up

“Well isn’t that nice. They’ve taken evidence of me home with them…a minor step but one towards the right direction.”

He eyes the pink bubbling potion in the rear view of his mirror

“All in due time, my beauty. All in due time.”

Malleus Draconia

“Do it again.”

Its an accident so they all say+

He likes appearing behind you because your surprised face is cute

But recently you had joined him in stargazing 

With both of you joining one another on the dewy grass of night

He decided to just get a head start already laying on your favorite spot in the grass

Not even bothered by the way you backed away from the tray you had set up with your hot drinks

“Woah! Tsuno? Dude! What are you doing?”

You immediately stand up catching yourself so fast

He was a prince for seven’s sake!

But your met with that determined look on his face as he repeats it

“Sit on me again, (Y/n).”

“B-but thats really–”

“(Y/n).”

So pushing aside your bashful tendencies you try to hold yourself just above his face 

Hoping that would satisfy him

It did not 

���Child of Man! Do you think me so weak not to be able to take it?! Sit. On. Me.” 

His magic flares around him as he demands you let your full weight on him

And who are you to deny him

Especially when some unknown pull has you doing exactly as he says

If you give a dragon a taste of cake 

you musn’t deny him a slice

who are we kidding he's gorging himself on all of it

[queerheartflags]

[ID: Nonbinary flag with three hearts one big in the center and two smaller hearts near the bottom of the flag to either side of the center heart. The larger center heart is greysexual and bisexual flag split vertically, inside of this heart is a smaller heart with the trixic and demiromantic flag also split vertically, inside of that heart is another small heart of the venusic flag with the sapphic flags flower in it’s center. The left small heart is the demigirl and agender flag split vertically with a smaller genderfluid heart inside of it that has the catgender symbol which is colored like the catgender flag. The right smaller heart is the lunarian, nebularian and stellarian flag split into three equal parts vertically. End ID]

  Edit of a previous flag

[castleshadows]

Baby Fever

When Casteel and Poppy go to meet Kieran's new little sister, Casteel underestimates just how much seeing his wife with a baby will affect him.

18+ Content: Smut

Requested by Anonymous

Written May 28, 2021

Kieran’s new baby sister was one of the most loved babies Casteel had ever seen. Practically the entirety of Evaemon was in and out of the Contou residence, bringing presents and good words, or just a request to hold the little girl. She wasn’t even six months old, and yet she had a collection of toys so large he doubted it would all fit in one room. He supposed that was what happened when you were born a Contou. The whole family was famously one of the warmest households in Atlantia, and the children had been adored by all from the moment they entered the world.

Currently, however, the large town house was empty save for he, Poppy, and the Contous themselves. The house was quiet, their footsteps the only sound as Poppy followed him down the long hallway. He made several turns, so many that his wife looked like she was about to kick something. Hopefully not him. But then again… He wouldn’t be entirely opposed to it.

Casteel reached back and gripped Poppy’s hand, tugging her to walk alongside him. He threaded his fingers through hers, meeting her eyes as he brought their joined hands up to his lips, giving the back of Poppy’s fingers a slight kiss. He relished the way she blushed, the pink spreading across her cheeks and overpowering the slight dusting of freckles across her nose. Her emerald eyes glinted brightly from the sunlight pouring through the window behind them, and as always, the light of the eather shone behind her pupils.

Today, she was yet again wearing that deep blue dress that had become a favorite of hers. The first time he’d seen her in it had damn near knocked him off of his feet, and it was no different when she’d stepped out of the closet this morning. His eyes freely perused her body, and her sweet scent heightened, the familiar smell of honeydew wafting towards his nose. Casteel smirked, the corner of his lip peeling up to reveal the tip of a fang. Poppy glanced at it and then to the side at the dimple that had no doubt formed in his cheek.

“Whenever you two are done…”

Poppy’s eyes shifted away from him to glance at Kieran, who was leaning against the wall several yards away. The door next to him was cracked open and Casteel could hear the sounds of quiet conversation drifting through the opening. A baby’s laugh sounded in the near silence and Casteel smiled.

He hadn’t been around when Netta was born, having been taken the month before. He hadn’t gotten to meet her until she was well into adulthood. As the Prince of Atlantia, he’d held many babies before. Some willingly, others practically shoved into his hands as their parents stood by, eyes filled with giddy excitement. However, being the Dark One had been a full time job, and playing with children hadn’t exactly been at the top of his priority list.

“Sorry Kieran,” Poppy said, practically sauntering towards the door, though her smile told him that she was not even remotely sorry. Casteel couldn’t blame her. He wasn’t either.

“You don’t sound sorry at all,” Kieran echoed dryly. He didn’t say anything more, only held open the door as Poppy passed through.

As Casteel made to follow her inside, Kieran put a hand on his shoulder, a knowing look spreading across his face. What the wolven thought he knew was beyond Casteel. Kieran only smirked and patted his back, sending him inside after Poppy.

He probably would’ve been weirded out had he not been used to it by now. It seemed that Kieran liked confusing people with vague statements or looks that no one could understand

The nursery was brightly lit, several windows lining the walls and letting in the soft afternoon sunlight. Kirha and Jasper sat on a plush rug, the former leaning back against her husband’s chest as he raked his fingers through her hair. The baby sat against her mother’s stomach, chewing on her little fist and waving the other hand around in the air as she cooed. At five and a half months she already undoubtedly resembled her family. Her hair was a bright silver, and curled in short strands on top of her head. Her eyes were the ice-blue of the wolven and her skin the same shade as Kieran’s, a dark brown-beige.

Poppy had stopped just in front of him and was also staring at the little girl, her face a mixture of awe and awww. Casteel chuckled, and moved to sit on the carpet, bringing Poppy to do the same.

Kieran came up behind them and handed Casteel a drink. He offered one to Poppy, but she didn’t seem to see it, so he set it on the side table instead.

“How are you two?” Kirha asked once everyone was settled in, “I know it’s been a difficult few months for both of you, and I’m sorry I didn’t get the chance to come check on you Cas.”

Her gaze was loving and concerned and felt like a hot mug of tea on a cold night. Kirha had always been like a second mother to Casteel and he was extremely grateful for her naturally kind nature. He loved his own mother to death, but she didn’t have the same warm feeling that Kirha did.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, taking a sip of his drink, “And I’m fine, really.”

Kirha gave him that look that meant she knew he was lying, but she seemed to sense that he didn’t want to talk about it and backed off.

His time spent with the Ascended had always been a sensitive subject. He didn’t like to talk about it, for doing so always brought back memories he’d worked hard to bury. This recent capture was no different.

Casteel shoved any thoughts of the Ascended to the back of his mind, instead focusing on the present, something he’d learned to do many years ago.

“Well I’m glad you’re feeling better,” she said, turning her attention back to her daughter who was now chewing on the hem of Kirha’s shirt. She patiently wrestled the fabric from the girl’s mouth, and gave her a wooden rattle instead. Immediately the room was filled with the sound of wooden beads clacking against each other.

“Sorry,” Kirha said, adjusting herself to better face them, “She just started teething.”

“Already?” Casteel asked in surprise. Usually wolven pup’s teeth didn’t start growing in until around seven or eight months old.

“We were surprised too,” Jasper replied, “Sabel’s been a quick developer so far, though the Healers predict she will slow down soon. She’s been the fastest of all our children so far.”

“Who was the slowest?” Poppy blurted out. Kieran sighed, and Casteel could vaguely hear him complaining under his breath about random questions. He only smiled, amused by his wife’s random curiosity. Kieran them muttered the word stupid.

Not taking his eyes off of his wife he punched Kieran in the shin to get him to shut up. It worked.

Kirha laughed, “Kieran definitely,” Jasper nodded his agreement, “He was extremely content to take his time with everything, including during labor. I almost swore off children after that.”

“Oh gods Mother, not again,” Kieran complained and Casteel laughed, knowing Kirha was probably about to launch into the story of all the things the Healers tried to coax Kieran out into the world.

Instead she only leaned back more fully against Jasper and smiled at her eldest’s pained expression. “Don’t worry, that story is for dinner guests only.”

“Well maybe we’ll have to stay for dinner then,” Poppy said innocently, and Kieran glared at her.

Sabel made another cooing sound and Poppy glanced towards the baby.

“What did you say her name was again?” She asked Kirha.

“Sabel,” the wolven responded as Sabel threw her wooden rattle across the floor, continuing to chew on her knuckles when she realized it was gone.

Jasper snorted, grabbed the rattle, and handed it back to his daughter who immediately threw it again.

“Can I hold her?”

Kirha nodded, picking the girl up and handing her carefully to Poppy, who looked like she was more scared than excited to hold the little wolven.

Out of the corner of Casteel’s eye, Kieran reached out a hand and tapped his shoulder. He turned and raised a brow, nodding when he read the silent request in the wolven’s eyes. They stood up and dismissed themselves quietly.

“So… How do you like having another sister?” Casteel said when they had moved towards the back of the room.

“I’m nervous, and excited I suppose,” he paused for a moment, “I wasn’t there to watch Vonetta grow up. I mean I was there, but not really.”

Casteel didn’t say anything. It was rare that Kieran talked openly about how he felt, and he’d learned from experience that the wolven would shut down the moment anyone responded. So instead he stood there quietly, watching Poppy as he listened.

Her copper hair had been pulled back into a low ponytail at some point, a style that she had discovered several months ago and had been obsessed with ever since. In her arms was Sabel, who had her tiny little fingers wrapped around two of Poppy’s much larger ones. His wife giggled and the little baby smiled widely, making Poppy’s eyes shine. She carefully wrestled away her fingers, smiling back at the little girl as she covered her face with her hand. Little Sabel reached for the finger she’d had a hold of earlier, but before she could grab them, Poppy revealed her face and quietly booed the little girl. Sabel shrieked with laughter, bringing a smile to Poppy’s face. Casteel’s lips parted at the beautiful expression. She did it again and Sabel laughed even harder, which sent his Queen into a fit of giggles. Kirha and Jasper watched on with fondness, but he barely noticed them as Poppy continued to make the baby laugh. She brought her hand down and tickled Sabel’s small tummy which brought forth another round of frankly adorable laughter.

Poppy moved Sabel so that she sat against her chest and little hands came up to grab a fistful of copper hair. As patiently as a mother would, she pulled the little girl’s hand away, instead letting Sabel grip her thumb. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kirha and Jasper get up to retrieve drinks, but he was unable to take his eyes off of his wife. The whole world seemed to shrink down to her, and suddenly they were no longer standing in the Contou’s town house, but their own chambers. Poppy was sitting on the rug cradling their own baby, with dark copper hair and bright golden eyes. There would be freckles across her nose, and eather in her eyes, and her laugh would be perfect, just like her mothers. She would giggle and smile at everything, and when she grew older she would ask question after question. But, Casteel would never mind. He would answer them all and more, teaching her everything he knew, feeding her curiosity, and encouraging it. He would read her stories and tell her about the lamea, which would piss Poppy off... On second thought maybe he wouldn’t tell her about the lamea. No one really needed to know about a creature with fins for legs and tails for arms. With that thought, the vision popped like a bubble and fell away, revealing reality once again.

Poppy no longer sat on the rug. Instead she was near Kirha, handing her a wriggling wolven pup.

“I should’ve warned you, sorry about that” Kirha was saying, “She was pretty calm today so I figured she wouldn’t shift too much, but it was bound to happen eventually.”

“It’s no problem,” Poppy replied, “It just took me by surprise that’s all.”

“Casteel?”

A hand waved in front of his face and Casteel jerked, suddenly remembering that Kieran was still standing beside him.

“Are you done creepily staring at your wife or would you like to continue,” he said dryly, leaning one arm against the wall.

“No I’m done, sorry,” Casteel shifted a bit, trying to assuage the slight heat in his groin. Good gods, was he aroused? That seemed wrong. But then again, the thought of Poppy as a mother, holding a swaddled infant in her hands as they built a family together…

The love in his heart wasn’t the only thing that swelled.

Kieran cast him a knowing look.

“Look Cas. You’re my brother. You know that. But, I swear to the gods if you do not get yourself under control right now I will shove you out a window, because I do not want to have to smell your arousal all day.”

Casteel was about to respond with another apology, when he noticed Poppy making her way over to the two of them.

“Hello,” she said, plucking her previously ignored drink from the side table, and dragging a small wooden chair over to sit in front of them.

Casteel crouched so that they were even, and locked eyes with her, letting his desire show plainly in his gaze. He finished his drink off, smirking as a blush started to creep across Poppy’s cheeks and down towards her breasts.

“Good gods, you two,” Kieran groaned, “Please for fuck’s sake go get a room.”

“I think we’ll do just that, won’t we Poppy?” Casteel raised a brow, holding out his hand and setting his empty glass on the ground.

Poppy placed her smaller hand in his and allowed him to pull her out of the room, even as Kirha asked where they were going.

“We’re not going to have sex here, are we?” Poppy asked, eyeing the door that led to the nursery.

“Why not?”

“Well, I don’t know,” she paused, “It feels rude I guess.”

“Not if it’s in my own quarters.” He said, leading her up a flight of stairs.

“You have quarters here?”

“I have quarters pretty much everywhere, Poppy. When you’re a Prince of Atlantia, you tend to rack up a lot of places to stay. Besides, the Contous are like a second family to me. I have designated rooms in pretty much any house they own.”

They stepped into a short hallway, his chambers the fourth door on the right. With every step the anticipation grew, until Casteel was aware of every place they touched. Every piece of skin Poppy’s body brushed up against. He could smell the sweet scent of honeydew coming off of his wife, and his mouth watered. He longed to get his mouth in between Poppy’s thighs. To taste every drop of arousal that coated the inside of her cunt.

His hands shook slightly as he opened the door to his quarters. Poppy started to look around the room, emerald gaze snagging on the various furniture and decorations. Casteel however, wasn’t as patient, tugging at Poppy’s arm to get her to face him.

“What?” she chuckled, the laugh turning into a gasp when Casteel reached a hand to cup her breast.

“I’m sorry to have pulled you out so quickly,” he said, running his finger along the curve of her chest and then in tight circles around her nipple, never quite brushing where she wanted him to. He smirked as she squirmed under his touch. “But seeing you like that… I couldn’t control myself. I needed…” He paused, “I just needed.”

“You always say that,” Poppy replied, “But you never tell me what you need.”

She lifted her hands and ran them across his chest, her fingers making their way down his stomach and stopping at the waistband of his breeches. Each place she touched erupted into goosebumps, and he could feel his pants getting tighter.

“That’s because I don't know what I need, Poppy,” he buried his face in her neck, licking a nipping at the sensitive skin there. She moaned, “My mind is so completely and utterly consumed by you that I’m unable to form another coherent thought.”

He brought a hand up to her cheek, cupping in and then sinking his fingers into her long hair. The other hand he used to deftly untie the thong that was holding her hair in place. Free from their constraints the copper strands fanned out across her back, falling several inches lower.

Poppy took her own hands, and gripped his backside, pulling him to grind against her stomach. He let out a low moan and allowed her to cover his mouth with her own. It wasn’t a soft kiss by any means.

His heart raced as she moved her mouth possessively along his, their lips sliding across each other’s. Their teeth clacked together, tongues meeting. Casteel used her hair to pull her closer, still grinding his cock against her lower abdomen. He ran his tongue lightly across the roof of her mouth, smirking as best he could when she jerked at the sensation. He did it again as he brought his hands to grab the backs of her thighs, pulling her up so that his cock was pressed against her softness. She wrapped her arms around his back pulling him in impossibly closer. Sinking her hands into his hair, she pulled away just long enough to gasp “Bed.”

And then they were on each other again, frantically pulling as clothes, limbs, hair, anything they could reach. Poppy dug her fingers into his backside again, grinding against him. The scents of their combined arousal filled the room. Casteel pushed Poppy back onto the bed, using the monetary separation to grasp the hem of his tunic and pull it off. Poppy’s hands were immediately on him again, tracing the muscles underneath his skin.

They locked eyes just as Poppy did something completely unexpected. She took both of her thumbs and ran them lightly across his nipples. The action sent a series of shivers down his body and straight to his groin. Her swollen lips twisted into a smirk and she did it again.

“Fuck,” Casteel choked out, digging his fingers into the bedsheets.

“You like that?” Poppy asked, her tone less dirty and more genuinely curious if he actually liked it.

“Yes,” she did it again, harder this time, and his eyelids fluttered closed, “Yes I like that.”

Things were slower this time. There was less pulling and grabbing and more slow, seductive, acts. Poppy gripped the waistband of his breeches, slowly popping the buttons open one by one, freeing his cock from it’s constraint. He kicked off the offending fabric, throwing it onto the floor as Poppy’s tongue made its way into his mouth again, pressing against his teeth. He moaned into the kiss, pressing his wife down farther into the mattress as he let his weight settle onto her.

Reaching behind her, he undid the laces on her gown, pulling the cinched bodice down her front and revealing her breasts, the nipples peaked from arousal. Without hesitation, he enveloped one breast in his mouth, while his fingers played with the other one, pressing down in places he knew she liked. He swirled his tongue across her nipple, teasing his fangs on the soft skin. She panted, squirming underneath him. Poppy’s fingers explored his stomach and then lower, brushing up against his cock. He jolted, groaning around her breast. The vibrations seemed to travel straight to her groin and she shuddered beneath him.

“Casteel,” she said, her voice rough, “Oh gods.”

Casteel pulled his head away from her chest, giving each breast one last lick as he moved to focus on the real treat. Running his hands up her thighs, he moved the skirt of her gown to gather around her waist. His nostrils twitched as the scent of honeydew emanated from between her legs. He could see her arousal gathering and the sight of it was enough to send a pulse of pleasure through his body. He grunted, grinding down slightly on the mattress. Poppy lifted her hips towards him, grabbing the back of his head to try and pull him to her.

“Greedy,” he commented, and then buried his mouth between her thighs.

The first lick was heaven, and the second was even better. The taste of her filled his mouth, and the rest of the world fell away. All that was left was his wife, her taste, and the perfect noises she was making as she writhed in her pleasure. He rubbed his tongue between her fold, momentarily slipping it inside her and licking slow and deep.

“Casteel!” she moaned, grinding against his face. He delved deeper into her, the taste of her arousal coating his mouth and coursing down his throat. Her muscles locked up like they always did when she was close.

He rubbed his tongue across her clit, applying just the right amount of pressure to—

“Wait.”

He stopped at once, pulling back to make sure she was okay. The word was like a bucket of ice falling over him. His pleasure became completely inferior to the need to make sure his wife was taken care of. Had he hurt her? Did she just need a break?

“I want to try something,” she said istead, and the ice started to melt.

“Okay,” he replied, shifting so that he was above her again, “What do you want to try.”

She grasped his shoulder, pulling him down so that he was laying beside her on the bed. His breathing became shorter as she ran her eyes down his body, and his cock hardened more if that was even possible. The dress was quickly discarded and thrown into a pile on the floor.

Casteel lay there patiently waiting. It was obvious Poppy was nervous, so he didn’t say anything, only let her take the lead.

She came to kneel by him, placing her hands on his hips and then lifting her leg to straddle him backwards, her cunt positioned right above his face. She shifted a bit, bringing her knees up so she was closer to his mouth. Her head was right near his cock and he could feel every breath she took.

“Is this okay?” She asked, her voice muffled, “I don’t want to suffocate you.”

“This is just fine Poppy,” he said as he blatantly stared at the wetness between her thighs, “Perfect actually.”

Her breathing got heavier as he spoke, and just for fun, he blew cold air directly onto her clit. She cursed quietly, jerking at the feeling of the sensation on her most intimate part.

Casteel smiled at her reaction and then let out a loud moan as Poppy enveloped the head of his cock in her warm mouth. He throbbed, resisting the urge to thrust up into her throat. Oral sex was still new to her, and he didn’t want to scare his wife off of the deed forever.

He pulled his attention away from the pleasure slowly rising in his groin, and instead focused on the dinner before him. Casteel blew another breath of air onto her clit, jerking as he felt the responding moan throughout his cock. He used his tongue to circle the bundle of nerves, passing over it as she took him deeper.

He used one hand to grip her thigh, and pull her more fully against his mouth, the other he brought up to her entrance, groaning at the abundance of arousal that had gathered there. Taking his ring finger and middle finger, he teased the entrance, pressing up against it slightly. He felt her clench in response to his touch and he followed that slight suction, sinking two fingers into her tight channel.

The response was almost immediate. She was quite worked up from when he’d almost taken her over the edge just minutes before and he could feel her muscles starting to grow taut again. Similarly, his own muscles tensed, and he could feel his groin get tighter, the feeling growing as Poppy took in more of him.

Wetness surrounded both his cock and his fingers, and it was hard to focus on the task at hand when his wife was so perfectly sucking at his sensitive skin. Casteel could feel her reach a hand downwards, massaging his balls, then going lower, to the small expanse of skin just below. She massaged that too, and something deep inside him was stimulated to the point of almost pain. He moaned into her cunt, the vibrations sending shudders down her body.

Wanting to give her the same amount of pleasure she was gifting him with now, Castel removed his hand from between her legs and replaced it with his mouth, licking and sucking at her clit with renewed vigor. The taste of her filled his every sense until there was nothing but the flavor of honeydew running down his throat.

Poppy gave one more hard suck and pressed down on that expanse of skin, and Casteel exploded. Waves of pleasure shot through him, and he fell off of that cliff at an impressive rate. His cum filled Poppy’s mouth and he could feel her struggle to take it all as she too orgasmed on his tongue. She shuddered one final time, falling limp as he did the same. He gave Poppy a last lick, before gripping her waist and carefully rolling her off of him.

Her limp and sated form fell to the bed, and she stayed like that for several seconds before opening her eyes and giggling.

“What is it?” he asked hauling himself up to come and lay beside her, their feet on top of the pillows.

“Nothing,” she rubbed her thumb across a drop of cum that hadn’t made it into her mouth, “You just taste funny that’s all.”

For a moment Casteel wasn’t able to muster a response. Finally, after several seconds of trying to come up with something to say to that, he burst out laughing, surprising Poppy enough that she jumped.

He struggled to breath, his laughs deep and real. It went on for so long that his stomach hurt, and he gripped it, trying hard to get control of his breathing.

As he gasped for air he looked over at Poppy, whose face was as red as a tomato. She avoided his eyes and muttered a quiet “sorry”.

Casteel immediately felt guilty, pulling Poppy back towards him. Her face was still red, but she allowed him to pull her close and lay his head on her breast. He entangled their legs and then lifted his head to look her in the eyes.

“I’m sorry Poppy, I didn’t mean to laugh.”

“It’s fine I shouldn’t have said that anyway.”

He opened his mouth to tell her it was fine, that he found it more funny than anything else, but she said something else that caught his attention.

“Why did you bring me up here?”

Casteel was silent for a moment, contemplating how best to tell her he’d gotten aroused at the thought of her as a mother. At the thought of them starting a family. Together. They’d never talked about it before, not beyond the contraceptives talk. He didn’t even know if that was something she would want in the future. Children. Their children.

“Cas?” She poked at his face with a finger, “Are you still there?”

“I’m here Princess, sorry,” he replied, grasping her hand in his, “I took you up here because I love you, and the sight of you with little Sabel, brought forth many thoughts that I don’t know if you would approve of.”

“What kind of thoughts,” she sounded suspicious, yet curious.

“You, me, and a child,” he traced the lines on her hand, not daring to look at her expression, “Our child. A family that I hope we’ll one day get to have. Maybe once everything with the Ascended is over.”

Poppy was tense in his arms, and he was tempted to completely retract what he just said. Instead, he sat there, letting her think and relax again before meeting her eyes. Poppy was crying.

“Are you okay?” he cupped her face in his hands, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to upset—”

“I would love that,” she whispered, taking his hand and kissing the knuckles, “I would love to have a family with you. Not now of course, but once we’re at peace again. If we survive that is.”

She said it lightly, almost as a joke, but Casteel knew that not surviving the coming war was a very real fear of hers.

“We’ll survive,” he reassured her, “We’ll survive and after that we’ll have a family. Two beautiful children.”

“Oh, so you’ve already planned everything out I see,” Poppy teased, running her fingers down his chest.

“I have my Queen,” Casteel snuggled in closer to her, “We’ll have one girl and one boy, and the girl’s name will be Rue because I’ve always liked that name.”

“What about the boy’s name?”

“The boy’s name can be whatever you want, as well as their middle names. You can choose.”

“Ian,” she said without hesitation, “I want to name the boy Ian.”

Casteel nodded, “Then we will name him Ian. And they will be the most perfect children in the world. Better than even Sabel.”

“That’s a lot of pressure,” Poppy said, rolling Casteel under her.

“I have no doubt they will exceed my expectations.”

Poppy laughed and then pressed her lips to Casteel’s, pulling him in closer, and positioning herself to grind against his cock—

An angry knock sounded on the door, and several seconds later, Kieran yelled, “You do realize everyone in this house can hear you two moaning in there right?”

[lloydskywalkers]

let me just start out by saying i love ever single one of your stories!!! i’m pretty new to the show and your works just add so much more feeling to everything and it’s sooo good!!! i don’t know if you ever do requests or not, so don’t bother with this if you’re busy!! but if you ever get a chance could you write smthg abt Jay and Kai? their friendship is so underrated but so good and i live for the moments in the show when Kai’s big brother instinct(tm) kicks in for him as well as Nya and Lloyd

aH thank you so much!! i’m so glad to hear that :D and this isn’t...exactly what you asked for, but Kai and Jay have this fun of dynamic that reminds me a lot of me and my brother, and i’ve been tossing around little bits of interaction between them for a while now, so i tried to make something coherent out of those :’D

Jay likes to think he’s pretty good at the whole compartmentalizing thing, for the most part. Mainly because he actually knows what it means, and it is not, for instance, locking your team up in a literal compartment while rushing off to fight the other compartment that is your resurrected homicidal father into submission.

“That was one time,” Lloyd will grumble, as if he’s only almost-died once. And then Jay will flinch, because that’s where his compartments come into play.

(Nadakhan gets one, Unagami gets another, the whole fun-times adoption reveal another, and everything else can get stuffed into the metaphorical attic since they won’t pay rent.)

Unfortunately, the attic is where the bad stuff lives.

Metaphorically.

If Jay had a nickel for every time he almost lost all of his friends, he’d have two nickels, plus another nickel for Cole falling into the fog, and another for Lloyd getting crushed by a roof, and another for Zane blowing up, and another for Nya in that awful dress with paling skin as her breathing stutters and the light in her eyes draining and —

And Jay is way, way too familiar with how it looks when his family dies, and all the nickels in the world won’t help that.

So while Jay likes to think he’s pretty good at compartmentalizing, he also thinks he’s got a valid excuse for the way he reacts when Lloyd goes down in the fight that afternoon. Sure, some vague part of his mind remembers that they’ve got a plan they’re running, and Lloyd should easily be able to handle a tiny little stumble — but Jay’s mind is stuck in glaring oranges and health bars, the unsteady gasping noise Lloyd had made before he went down, dissolving into digitized cubes just like everyone else, and Jay—

Jay can’t handle that, compartments or not, so he clears the space between them in a heartbeat just in time to take the bullet that comes hurtling Lloyd’s way.

It’d probably be a very noble and touching scene, if one) Jay didn’t make a hideous squeaking noise when it hit because bullets hurt, and two) the bullet would have missed Lloyd by a good two feet anyways.

Ah well, he thinks, as everything devolves into panicked yelling. It’s the thought that counts.

Except thoughts do not count when Kai is involved, apparently. Or any of the rest of the team, for that matter.

“What is wrong with you?” Kai hisses right in his face, eyes wild and sparking. “I was covering Lloyd, what were you doing?”

“Filling in for you, obviously,” Jay retorts. He has an excellent followup to that, real snappy and all, except that’s the moment Kai’s hand clamps down on the bullet wound in his arm to stop the bleeding, and Jay ends up stifling a shriek instead.

Great, he thinks, fighting back stinging tears of pain as he tries not to take Kai’s apparent wrath too personally. At least Cole looks worried, along the the rest of the team, who are dutifully concerned for his wellbeing like proper teammates should be.

“He’s going to need the hospital,” Zane informs them, his voice a lot steadier and calmer than his words make Jay feel. Zane’s eyebrows furrow as he studies his arm. “Stitches, probably.”

Jay swallows, trying not to curse. There’s a sharp scream as Nya finishes taking out another attacker just beyond them, and Jay figures that’s good enough.

“Okay,” Lloyd says, squeezing Jay’s wrist briefly. Either in comfort about the stitches or thanks for trying to cover him, Jay’s not sure. It’s a nice gesture, nonetheless. “Kai, Cole, can you get him there while we finish up? Sooner the better.”

Cole gives a sharp nod, and offers to take Jay from where Kai’s got him in a death grip. Kai shakes his head, and Jay’s stomach sinks. Sure enough, as soon as they’re clear of the scene, Kai starts going off.

“What did you mean, ‘filling in for me’,” he grinds through his teeth, clearly not about to let this go.

Jay bristles in response at his tone. “I meant,” he bites out, through a hot flare of pain in his arm. Kai’s always merciless with the bandages, even when he’s not in a mood. “That you weren’t there. So I covered.”

He should leave it at that, but Jay’s in a foul enough mood to finish with a condescending, “You’re welcome.”

Kai’s expression grows thunderous. “You didn’t need to. I was right there, you shouldn’t have — you weren’t needed, you should’ve held back.”

Jay feels his chest go tight. His head is clouding with anger, and the pain in his arm isn’t helping, but — ‘you weren’t needed’? Kai really didn’t skimp on the jerk juice this morning, did he.

“Oh, like you could’ve done so much better,” Jay glares. “Lloyd would’ve been toast by the time you got to him.”

“I could’ve made it!”

“Yeah right—”

“I would have, and I wouldn’t have gotten hit!” Kai snarls back. Something in Jay snaps. Or maybe it’s just the steadily increasing blood loss, but of all the nerve—

“Well you didn’t, ‘cause you weren’t there!” he snaps back. “You were too slow, which is real funny since your brain is too!”

It’s not his best comeback, he’ll admit, but Kai looks as if he’s about to light him on fire, if he weren’t stuck carrying Jay like the cover of some awful romance novel, blood getting all over his uniform as they both scream at each other. Maybe Jay will get lucky, and Kai will combust, and they’ll both go up in flames before they can remember that Cole is right there watching them.

“Cut it out, now!”

Oops, too late. For all the incensed authority in Cole’s voice, there’s still a traitorous falter that lets them both know they’ve screwed up. They fall silent, the atmosphere heavy with the lingering tension and new sense of guilt.

And the disgusting sound of Jay’s blood leaking through the makeshift bandage and hitting the ground, truly revolting, he hates blood.

“Just…no more. Please, shut up until we’re at the hospital.” Cole marches forward, snatches Jay from Kai’s arms, and proceeds to beat the fastest route to the hospital at a militant pace.

Jay still looks like some helpless romance cover heroine, dangling from Cole’s arms like he is. It occurs to him that he doesn’t even need to be carried — it’s his arm that’s hurt, he can still walk—

But any protests die rapidly at the look on Cole’s face. And at least this way, Jay thinks sullenly, he can fixedly ignore Kai.

Then again, Kai’s got a killer glare, and Jay’s always been garbage at ignoring people when his feelings are hurt.

* * * * * * * *

Despite the fuss everyone makes, Jay’s arm really isn’t that bad. They hook him up with some pretty sweet meds so he remembers zero of the actual arm-fixing, and he wakes up just in time to complain about being held in the hospital for ‘observation’ or whatever.

“It’s to make sure there’s no infection, or that you don’t rip your stitches out,” Nya tells him pointedly. Jay cringes under the look she gives him at that last part. Geez. You get kicked in the stitches one time after sneaking out early and suddenly no one’s got any faith in you. Typical.

“Why couldn’t we have just gone to medbay,” Jay grumbles. “Pixal gives way better stitches than this, anyways.”

“Gun wounds get hospitals,” Nya reminds him. “And it’s not fair to put that kind of pressure on Pix when we can avoid it.”

“It wasn’t that bad.”

Nya glares at him. “It most certainly was that bad.”

“Oh, so when you get your arm crushed by a car, it’s fine,” Jay glares back. “But when I get a tiny little bullet nick, it’s that bad.”

Nya rolls her eyes, ignoring him. “Just think of it this way,” she says. “Now you have a little more time before Lloyd starts weeping apologies all over you.”

“Aw, no,” Jay groans, leaning back in the hospital bed. “Tell me he’s not blaming himself, Nya.”

“I think we had a promise about not lying to each other, or something,” Nya says, sympathetically. She winces. “Pretty sure he made the connection, too.”

Jay frowns. “What connection?”

Nya shifts, her eyes darting from side to side. “The, uh, the whole…Prime Empire, thing.”

Jay stares at her for a beat, trying to reconcile his blatant shock with the roiling nausea at the mention in his stomach. Nya looking at him all kind and sympathetically isn’t helping, either, because she might have made it down to the final two, but she was never all alone, and the reminder that she’d have been fine if Jay hadn’t gotten her killed twice is—

Bad. Real bad, not good, zero out of ten stars. Maybe he can take a bullet for Nya, next, and that’ll — that’ll help things, maybe. Equivalent exchange? Restitution? Some kind of fancy word that means Jay swears he’s gonna make it up.

In the meantime, he smothers the rising sickness in his throat and sinks lower into the bed, sulking. “It’s too easy to recognize trauma in this team.”

“I hear you,” Nya sighs, wearily. She nudges his shoulder, rising from her seat near the bed. “Speaking of. Someone’s got something they want to say to you.”

It takes Jay a second, but his eyes widen as Nya heads for the door. “Wait, wait wait wait, don’t you dare—”

“Love you,” Nya says cheekily, before taking her merry leave of the room. There’s a brief scuffle from outside, and the sound of Kai yelping, before Nya shoves him through the door, slamming it shut behind him with a damning click.

For a second, Jay’s tempted to hit the ‘call nurse’ button as hard as he can, in some desperate attempt to escape. Then he gets a good look at Kai, who’s turned a pale, queasy color that frankly looks awful on him, which is saying a lot ‘cause there isn’t much that doesn’t look good on Kai, but the expression he has on now—

Aw, man, now Jay’s feeling guilty and it isn’t even his fault. Stupid moral conscience center, he curses himself.

“So, uh…” he begins, because far be it from him to let this kind of awkward silence stretch on any longer. “Nice, ah, weather we’re having?”

Kai doesn’t respond, staring fixedly at the floor, and Jay sizes up the ‘call nurse’ button again. Just for the both of their sakes, of course.

But then Kai takes a deep breath, blows it out, and rocks back on his heels, fiddling with his hands. “I, um. I’m sorry.”

Jay’s jaw drops open. Which is probably an overdramatic move, all things considered, but unless he’s suddenly lost the ability to understand words, Kai just apologized to him.

Kai apologized. To him.

It’s not that Kai apologizing is some great big deal — Kai might have his pride, but he’s also an intuitive and good-hearted person who knows when he’s messed up. But to him?

Jay knows how he and Kai work. Kai knows how he and Jay work, and he’s breaking the rules. Because Kai and Jay don’t apologize to each other. Unless it’s some awkward expression of sympathy, they’ve never needed to. They fight dirty, aim for each other’s kneecaps, swear eternal vengeance and hatred at each other before storming off, then an hour later Jay’s bounding into Kai’s room to show him dumb meme videos and neither of them even remember what they were fighting about.

Acknowledging said fight with something as gushy as apologizing is not only useless since they both forget what they’re apologizing for anyways, but also useless because it’ll take too much time, and counterproductive on top, because it’ll most likely end in another fight about who apologized better. So for Kai to walk in and say sorry—

“Oh no, who did you kill?” Jay says, paling.

Kai spears him with a look, but it’s so pathetically watered-down and miserable that Jay forgets to glare back.

“Sorry, sorry,” Jay mutters. “I just—”

“No, no, I’m the one who’s sorry,” Kai interrupts. He hesitates, then sighs. “But that’s fair. I — I was unfair. To you, back there. Like, really unfair, in a bad way, ‘cause you were shot and I know you meant well, but you—”

Kai gestures wildly with his hands, his stream of words cutting off. Jay is left to stare open-mouthed at him again. Babbling like this is Jay’s thing. Kai is breaking all the rules today, huh.

“I just…” Kai trails off, ducking his head. “I don’t like watching you guys get hurt. I don’t — I don’t like watching you get hurt. And I get scared, but it comes out angry, and then I make a mess of things so I’m — sorry. Really sorry, for biting your head off.”

He exhales, a little shaky, fingers balled up in tight fists as his head hangs low, refusing to meet Jay’s eyes. Something softens in Jay’s chest, like gooey melting butter or something else equally pathetic. But it’s rare that Kai vocalizes this stuff, despite the fact that Jay knows he cares, and it’s nice to hear it, so he figures he’s entitled to all the butter he wants.

Jay’s own gaze falters, and the something starts to twist. He bites his lip, tugging half-heartedly at the bandages around his arm.

“Well,” he pauses, thinking of the way his brain had shifted to autopilot when he’d watched Lloyd falter, the razor-sharp shard of terror that always splinters through him when any of their teammates come too close to the awful images of death left in his head. He swallows. “I guess I don’t really have any room to talk,” he murmurs. “Be pretty dumb if I blamed you for that.”

He’s preparing to sink back into his own well of self-pity and loathing, resigned to spending the next few hours until they check him out of the hospital replaying bad memories in his head, when Kai’s next to him all of the sudden, shoving him over on the hospital bed.

“Hey, hey, what’s the big idea—”

“Move, c’mon. You don’t need that much room, you’re a stick,” Kai grumbles, before grinning brightly in success as Jay makes him space. The contrast in expression is enough to startle Jay into silence, and Kai takes advantage. “I know that look. But you already got shot, so you gotta cheer up now.”

“So you’re forcing me into cheerfulness by stealing my hospital bed,” Jay scowls, but the sting is lost in the sudden surge of affection as Kai elbows his way on the bed with him, a steady warmth by his side.

“I’m gifting you my presence, you should be celebrating,” Kai huffs, as he pulls his phone out. “Now stop looking so sad and watch this video I got of a bunch’a geese chasing Zane at the park the other day.”

“You’re such a jerk,” Jay says, but he’s already snickering as he leans his head against Kai’s shoulder to get a better look.

He’s forgotten to tell Kai he forgives him, but like most things between them — Jay doesn’t really need to say it out loud.

[penaltbox]

no promises - cole caufield

here’s a little fic that i’m actually pretty proud of and i owe so much credit to @puckyess​ for always helping me get these ideas rolling. if you like it let me know! feedback and reblogs are much appreciated!

word count: ~5.9k

__

The image of the gold chain he always wore dances behind your closed eyelids for the third night in a row. You swear you can hear his ragged breath in your ear, his mumbled profanities mingling with the gasps you let out when he checks to make sure you’re still okay, and the brief mentions of something gone wrong during the game. It’s like he’s right there, pushing you both closer to a release of emotions that you played no part in aggravating. You’re ready to lose it when you shoot up in bed, your phone lit up on the side table next to you with a notification. You take a deep breath and steady yourself, not even realizing that you’d fallen asleep. You rub your hand over your face and grab the device to check who was contacting you at such a late hour. You had a feeling you knew who…

‘Speak of the devil’, you thought as you unlocked your screen and tapped on his message. You realize then that it’s just past one o’clock in the morning and you connect the dots that he’d probably just gotten back from their trip to Ohio State. 

‘come over’

Never a please. Never a ‘would you like to’. Never a doubt that you wouldn’t do exactly what he asked of you.

And you had yet to prove him wrong. You slip out from under your covers quickly, grabbing some clothes and sneaking into your bathroom with your fingers crossed that your roommate wouldn’t hear you. You shower quickly and shave, slipping on the lace underwear that he’d probably hardly notice and some comfy clothes before brushing your teeth and heading for the door.

“Where are you going?” Your roommate asks, head peeking over the back of the couch as you jump in surprise. She was rarely up late, but of course, some west coast hockey game had kept her up well past her bedtime on that night of all times. You were so wrapped up in your own thoughts that you hadn’t even noticed the TV still on when you walked out.

“Uhm, nowhere,” you lie, knowing she’ll see right through you, “I’ll be back tonight though.”

She sighs and turns back around, “you know he’s just going to hurt you.”

And that… that was probably true, but it’s something you refuse to think about in that moment. Instead, you slip your shoes on and grab your keys, heading out just as suddenly as his request had come in. You made a half-hearted mental note that this needed to be the last time you did this.

__

You hate how quickly you get to his place but you can’t help it. It’s like second nature at this point and you could get there on autopilot if needed. Some nights it felt just like that but tonight you had a weird buzzing under your skin. It wasn’t like you were doing this for the first time or anything. Far from it, in fact. You try to brush the feeling off as nerves and stop two doors down from his actual apartment, sending him a text that you’d arrived, just like he always asked you to do. 

It takes a few minutes but his head pops out of the door suddenly and he smirks, “about time.”

You roll your eyes playfully and walk towards him, leaning in to kiss his cheek before making your way towards his bedroom. Brock barely spares you a glance from the couch, focusing his eyes on the TV as he watches the replay of the game your roommate had caught earlier. You blush and turn towards Cole’s room, but manage to catch Brock telling Cole to keep it down in a less than pleased voice. 

You ignore it and make your way into Cole’s room, peeking out the window at the city below that was much quieter than you were used to with it being such a late hour. 

“Miss me?” He calls from behind you, catching your attention.

You turn and find him still donning the smirk he’d formed when he first saw you that night, “wouldn’t you love to know.”

He scoffs a little and you watch his demeanor start to shift. Cole never called because he wanted to see you. No, it was more that he needed you to be there. Cole had a short temper ever since getting to Wisconsin. He found himself easily agitated and regularly frustrated at how his game had gone from smooth and easy with the NTDP to always struggling with the Badgers. 

And then one night he met you. He didn’t mean to start hooking up with you but you knew enough about hockey that he could talk about what went wrong if he wanted to, but you also knew when you just let him have his turn to get his frustrations out. His mouth turns down in a scowl as he locks his bedroom door and closes the gap between you two. His stare is constant and you feel your cheeks heat up almost instantly. He had control over you that you’d never given up to anyone and it made for addictingly good sex. 

“This last game sucked,” he mumbles, backing you against the wall and resting a hand on your hip. He’s so close you can feel his warm breaths as he seems to disconnect from the world suddenly. 

He goes silent but you don’t need any other explanation. You’d watched the game and saw he got his shit rocked on a couple different occasions. You would bet there was a bruise somewhere under his clothes that you’d be finding in no time. 

He presses his lips roughly against yours as his free hand comes around your waist, holding you tight against him. His hand slides up from your hip and slips under your shirt until he gets up to your bra… or where it should be. 

“Fuck,” he hisses, pulling back and lifting your battered Wisconsin crew neck over your head, “no bra? I love it.”

Your heart stalls a little at the l-word, not expecting him to say that. You don’t get time to react though as he kisses you again, slower this time, and angles you over towards the bed. He lets you fall back on it and you smile, reaching a hand out for him. He takes it, giving you a grin back that makes the buzzing under your skin worsen. 

Cole was always different once he got you in his room. He didn’t say much when you got there or left, but when it was just the two of you? He was all hands on. He was vocal; he checked in on you, he praised you, and he always made sure you finished. But he never looked at you when he did. 

He’s quick to shed his own clothes and tug your joggers off, wasting no time as his lips found as much skin as they could. He left a couple marks, but not anywhere they’d be visible. You did your best to keep up, gripping his shoulders as you rolled your hips up against his. 

He’s settled into you and creating a pace before he says another word, his tone strained as he says, “can’t believe that goal didn’t count. Fuck that ref. We hardly got enough chances on net. Shit, I’m getting close, baby.”

“Just a little longer,” you squeak, digging your nails into his back as the pet name rolled through your thoughts. He never called you by name during sex. It was a red flag that stood tall but you still ignored it every time it happened. 

You could feel every failed play in the way he moved. You knew there were missed shots and poor passes that resulted in them losing. You watch the wheels turn in his head as he holds you down just a little harder, blunt nails digging into your skin. His left bites the skin above your collarbone and you know it’ll leave a mark but it still pulls an obscene noise from your lips. 

He presses his forehead into the crook of your neck, lips melting against your warm skin. He slips a hand down to help you along and it works much faster than you expected. You hated how he knew what would make your body react fastest as you tumble to your end. You try to catch your breath below him, knowing the hold he had on your hip would leave bruises. It usually did. He rolls onto his back, staring at the ceiling for a couple minutes when he’s done. 

He looks over at you, the corner of his lips just slightly pulled up, “are you good?”

“I’m good,” you laugh, still a little out of breath, “just don’t make me stand up right this second. My legs feel like jello.”

“Deal,” he laughs, letting his hand slide over, hooking your pinkies together in the small space between the two of you. 

Once you finally feel up for it you slide out of his warm bed, grabbing your clothes and sliding them back on. Cole pulls sweatpants on and waits until you’re ready before walking you out. He stops at his own door first though and leans down, giving you a much more gentle kiss than the first that night. He lets you both linger, arms wrapped around each other, and leans his forehead on yours when he finally separates his mouth from yours. 

“I’ll see you next time?” He asks, but you both know the answer. 

“Yeah, of course.”

His demeanor turns back to friendly versus affectionate as he walks you to the front door. You notice that Brock is no longer taking up space on the couch and you feel embarrassed when you think of what he must have heard. 

Cole tells you goodbye, but there’s no hug and definitely no kiss this time around. He watches until you get safely into the elevator and leaves you with a nod of his head. You really wondered why you stuck around but when you remember the last kiss he’d given you, you can’t help but press your fingers to your lips as the buzzing under your skin heightens again. 

��

You watch the time tick down off the clock, wincing when you watch Cole smash his stick off the wall at the buzzer. They’d gotten destroyed by Minnesota and you already knew what type of mood he was in. The announcers make comments on the bad attitudes the Badgers were toting, mentioning multiple things they’d done wrong that night. You mute them but leave the feed running just in case they interviewed someone you’d want to hear from. 

It was a home game so there was no flight to wait for but you had a good feeling you’d be getting a text in an hour or two so you moved from the couch to your bathroom, not wanting to make him wait with how he was acting already. 

As soon as you wrap the fluffy towel around your body and tap the screen you see three messages waiting from Cole and one from a number you didn’t have saved. You frown and open it quickly, tapping the unknown number first. 

‘Hey it’s Brock. Sorry if this is weird but the doors unlocked and I’m gone for the night so deal with my brother please and thanks’

You laugh a little, knowing he must be way more worked up than you expected. ‘What a shit show this is going to be’, you think to yourself. You skim Cole’s messages next that range from ‘come over’ to ‘I’m dead serious get over here’. You’re about to type out a response when his contact pops up on your screen. He’d never called before. 

“Hello?” You answer, brow furrowed in confusion. 

“Why are you ignoring me? Get over here,” He grits out, sounding so tense your jaw drops a little. 

You sigh, tucking the phone between your shoulder and cheek as you hurry to your room to grab clothes, “I am, I promise. I was just in the shower.”

“We don’t make promises, remember? The front door is open when you get here.”

You’re about to tell him you knew that but the line goes dead, leaving you to stare at the blank screen in your hand. You’re baffled at the attitude he was projecting onto you but you get your things together anyways and finish getting ready. ‘

You don’t hurry to his place this time, knowing he was on edge either way, but you still get there in under 20 minutes from when he’d called. You bite your lip as you try the door handle, finding it unlocked just like both Caufield boys had said. You take a deep breath and walk in, locking the door behind you

“Cole?” you call out, looking around the small space. He’s not in the kitchen or living room so you head down the hall. His room is dark, leaving you confused, but then you hear the shower. You tap on the door and peek your head in, “Cole?”

His head pops out from around the corner, a frown so prominent his forehead was creasing. It eases off his face a little when he locks eyes on you as he calls for you, “will you come here? Get in with me.”

Your face heats quickly. You’d never done something so intimate with him and you were wondering if it was really the best idea. Your skin starts to get that all-too-familiar buzz under it now and you were starting to think it was permanent around him. 

“Are you sure? I just took one and I don’t mind waiting in your room until you’re done.”

He sighs, pouting a little, “please.”

You really wished you had more willpower in that moment but when it came to him you just didn’t. You nod and make your way into the small room, striping your clothes off as he watched. It makes you feel so much more exposed than usual but somehow it’s not uncomfortable. You push him back gently as you go to step in, smiling a little.

“You better make room if you want me in here,” you tease, putting your hair up in a bun to keep it dry.

Cole smirks and pulls you into him, eyes still scanning your body, “I’ll do whatever you ask.”

You snort at that and roll your eyes, “we both know that’s a lie. You’re the one who calls the shots around here.”

He’s silent for a moment before he smirks and leans down, kissing you hard. He bites gently on your bottom lip, much to your surprise, and lets a hand trail down the side of your thigh. He looks like he’s up to no good when he pulls back, making you let out a little laugh. You knew when you were in trouble with him. 

“Let’s see what it’s like in the shower. I bet you sound amazing in here,” he says, his tone low enough to make you shiver a bit. You didn’t hate the idea. You were pretty sure anywhere the two of you chose would be worth your time, but the bathroom was… well lit. He’d see every inch of you and you were pretty sure he hadn’t yet.

“Are you sure?” you check in, half hoping he’ll change his mind for some reason. 

“Yeah I’m sure. I think it’ll be fun,” he nods, but stops when he notices your hesitation, “unless you’re not cool with it?”

“No! I’m okay with it! I just was thinking we’ve never really done anything with so much, you know, light and stuff,” you blush, looking down at your feet then and feeling a little silly for your admission. 

Cole reaches out to tilt your chin back up towards him, “I’ll let you call this shot.”

And you agree. You end up losing your footing a couple times, he has to hold your waist almost always, and you can’t help but laugh at the awful noises that are being made at an awful volume in the tiled area. It’s simultaneously the worst yet most fun sex the two of you had dealt with yet. It takes longer than normal to finish for you both so you’re exhausted by the time you both lean on each other to catch your breath. 

“Wonder what time it is by now,” you mumble, cheek pressed against his chest as you hug his waist tight. 

He looks down and leans to kiss your forehead so gently you can’t breathe suddenly, “probably pretty late. Did you just want to spend the night?”

You sigh and try to step away but his arms hold you tightly in place. You give him a look, trying to remind him that you both know better than to even think about doing that. This was still just a hookup. Or at least it was supposed to be. 

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” you sigh, leaning your cheek back onto his chest to listen to his heartbeat rather than catching his stare. 

“You’re right,” he agrees, but he doesn’t sound very convincing. 

He carefully slips from your arms and out of the shower, grabbing his own towel before searching for an extra for you. He shuts the shower off and wraps the towel tightly around you, giving you another forehead kiss. He was really pushing boundaries for the night and you were struggling to keep saying no. 

You both dress in silence, but it’s far from awkward. You can see the tension is gone in his shoulders and he just looks exhausted now. You’re still determined to leave and keep things casual, but if you weren’t, you’d have him wrapped in your arms in his bed while you played with his hair. Luckily, or maybe not, you’d never know that was struggling not to think of the same thing. 

He catches you by surprise yet again that night when he kisses you at the front door. He usually played it cool and acted unattached in any of the common spaces but tonight was much different. You had so many thoughts in your head from the way he was treating you and you knew you needed to go. 

A quick goodbye and one more fast kiss, or you wouldn’t leave, and you were walking a little quicker than usual to the elevator. Maybe it was time to start telling him no. You laugh at your own thoughts immediately. You were way too gone for him to ever do that.

—

‘Let me know when you land and I’ll get ready’

You stare at the words that you’d texted, wondering if you blacked out when you sent them. You can’t take it back, unfortunately, and you’re left with the gnawing feeling that you shouldn’t have done it. Cole was always the one to ask you over. 

“You sent him what?” Your roommate asks, her eyes wide as she leans over your shoulder to read it, “oh my god, are you in love with him or something?”

“What? No!” You yell back, but truthfully you weren’t sure about that, “I just figured I’d check in with him first? I don’t know, I guess I just thought I’d get the ball rolling earlier today.”

Your face feels hot to the touch as you press your hand against your cheek. You know you must look like a lost puppy because your roommate wraps her arms around you immediately, rubbing your back soothingly. 

“Just be careful, okay? I know you have fun when you’re with him, but boys suck. You can’t trust him.”

You swallow hard and nod, knowing she was telling the truth. You nod as a silent agreement and tell yourself you need to start pulling away. It’s not that you want to. You always enjoy being with Cole. It’s more that you need to. 

Cole turns his phone on once the flight lands. A few messages popping up right away. He’s about to ignore them all when he sees your name ding on the screen right before he can lock it. He feels a little tug in his chest as he reads the words you’d sent him. He tries to shrug the feeling off but the smack on his shoulder grounds him more than anything. 

Brock stares at him, an almost knowing look on his face, “is that who I think it is? I thought you were the one who always reached out first.”

“I mean, I usually am. This is a first,” Cole says, looking back down at the message that has his face quickly turning up in a smile. 

“You know this isn’t a good idea,” Brock mumbles as he gives his little brother a side eye, “when are you going to stop playing with her emotions and make a decision? Because it sure looks like you’re getting your own feelings involved at this point, too.”

“I’m sure she just sent it because she knows by now. We practically have a routine at this point so she’s really not out of line or anything,” Cole justifies, starting to type out a message right away.

Brock laughs a little before standing to get off the plane, “just don’t come crying to me when things go wrong because you two wouldn’t talk about things and one of you ends up heartbroken. Or both of you.”

Cole sighs and tries to shake off the words from his brother because honestly, he knew what Brock was saying was the truth. He’d always said he wasn’t going to get into anything serious because everything until the NHL was just a short-term stay. He hadn’t listened to that rule in high school though and so far he was having a hard time listening to it at college as well. Despite the advice from his brother he texts you back, wanting to just go with what made him feel good. 

‘Don’t be late’

He throws a winking emoji on at the end, quickly softening the formerly demanding message. You nearly choke on your own breath when it comes in on your phone. You’d spent the last half hour pacing your apartment and overthinking the worst case scenarios that could come from your choice to text him first. You’re surprised that he’s so casual about it, if you’re being honest, but you chalk it up to it being a routine thing that you guys did after his games. It’s all you need to hear though and you finish getting ready while trying not to think too hard about what it meant that you were both showing a desire to be together. 

Cole barely drops his backpack down in his room when his phone lights up. He smiles subconsciously and opens your message as he’s walking back towards the front door. Brock happens to be walking in the opposite direction and gives Cole a solid shove on his shoulder, mumbling something about how soft Cole was getting. He ignores the comment and pulls the front door open quickly, looking over at you.

“Well look who it is. Get over here,” he says, directing his smile at you.

You blush when you see how happy he looks and it makes your stomach flutter. That couldn’t be a good sign, but you can’t help it. You walk over and lean in, testing to see where the boundaries were that day. He leans down easily, kissing you gently, and making your brain go haywire. He’d never done that in the common space. He takes your hand, lacing his fingers through yours and giving a little squeeze as he takes the familiar path to his room. You were pretty sure you could walk the apartment with your eyes closed by now and you mark another little red flag in your head. They were tallying up faster and faster lately.

“You split the series, huh?” you ask, needing to break the silence with something to stop your thoughts from scrambling any longer.

Cole grins back at you, “yeah, they were decent so I’m glad we got that first win yesterday. Is that what it takes to get you to text first? A split?”

You can hear the teasing in his voice and it makes you blush, leaning your forehead on his arm, “stop, I thought you were back already. I didn’t mean to text early.”

He laughs, kissing your forehead and shutting the door behind him, “it’s okay. I didn’t mind it. We do kind of have that routine by now.”

“Yeah, we kind of do, huh? I just didn’t want to step over any lines with it,” you mumble, looking down where your hands are still connected.

“You didn’t,” he says quietly, grabbing your other hand and putting them on the back of his neck so he can wrap his arms around your waist, “don’t be afraid to do it again.”

You can’t form any words, opting to give him a little nod as your fingers play with the curls at the nape of his neck instead. He kisses you then and it takes your breath away. It feels like more than the ones you’d had before and maybe that was from his confession that he didn’t mind hearing from you whenever you pleased, but it’s a lot. In fact, the whole night is a lot.

He takes his time once he lays you down, picking you apart and finding every soft spot on your body. It isn’t rushed and aggressive like the hook ups usually were and you both were well aware of what you were doing. You even take a chance, tracing a bruise on his side with kisses to see if he’d let you. Usually he took charge and did things his way, but he lets you do what you want, making him whine and squirm like you’d never seen. You’re both exhausted by the time you’re done. You’d spent time, and for once, a lot of emotion on each other that wasn’t how things used to be. He pulls you against his chest after as he gently dances his fingers up and down your back.

“Same thing next weekend?” he jokes, getting a laugh out of you instantly. The sound makes the tug in his chest come back and he tries to push it away.

“Hmm, I don’t know,” you say and pretend to think about it, “what if I have other plans or you guys win both games?”

“Why don’t you text first again and we’ll see what happens?” 

You bite your lip and start to sit up, knowing you needed to leave before you got too tired or lost your willpower to tell him no. Cole frowns immediately and you catch the look right away, teasing him, “you aren’t so tough after all, are you, Caufield?” 

“Just stay,” he says, his tone low enough to make your stomach flip as he catches your wrist, “you already broke your rules once today. Do it again.”

You toss the idea around in your head, knowing this would go much farther than it should. It would step over so many lines, but your composure wasn’t very good around him anymore. You nod, leaning down to kiss him before settling back against his chest. He wraps his arms around you and kisses your temple. You hate how happy you feel with him as you remember all the red flags he’d given you in the past. You close your eyes and just try to relax. Next time you’d discuss what was going on. That was one promise you wanted to keep for yourself.

__

You and Cole go silent for the rest of the week after spending the night, but that was normal. You two didn’t talk any other time and you didn’t reach out unless it was after a game to sleep together. Still it manages to nag at you and you kick yourself. You caught feelings. You should have known better and cut things off weeks ago when you’d first started to get butterflies. Now it was too late and you knew you needed to have the ‘what is this’ talk with him sooner rather than later. You couldn’t keep wasting your time on someone who wasn’t going to stick around. You manage to make it through the week without reaching out to him, saving the interaction in case they lost their games that weekend and you’d inevitably hear from him then. 

Except they win.

Except he texts you immediately after the game with a message you’d never gotten from him.

‘Can we talk tonight?’

Your heart hammers in your chest as you read the four words over and over and over again. They’re burned into your memory by the time you look up, realizing your eyes had begun to tear up. You knew you needed to talk but you weren’t ready for the request to come from him. You send back a thumbs up emoji, not knowing how to string together any words that would make sense. You go on autopilot after that as you play through every possible situation that could come from this. 

Realistically it could either go really well or really poorly. He could say he also had feelings for you and that he wanted to make things work. Or, the worst option, he could tell you he didn’t have any feelings and he was done hooking up for good. You run through both options until your mind goes static and you have to force yourself out of the shower that’s run cold from being in it so long. You go through the motions of getting yourself to his place and sending the ‘here’ message that was customary at this point.

When he opens the door he doesn’t give you a smile, but waves you over. Neither of you go for a kiss and the air feels heavy around you both. It does nothing to calm your nerves or the churning in your stomach. You knew you weren’t there for a hookup that night, that much was obvious. It’s Brock standing in the living room that surprises you most. You catch his gaze and the soft, almost apologetic, smile he gives you sends you into overdrive. What the hell was going on?

With a hand on the small of your back, Cole ushers you towards the one room that usually offered privacy and relief, but this time it looked like a death sentence prison cell. His hand feels hot on your back and not in the good way that it used to. You lean against his desk when you get in there, immediately crossing your arms across your chest to get away from him. He shuts the doors softly and shoves his hands in his pockets as he stands in front of you. He still has his game suit on, minus the jacket, and you let yourself look. He looks ridiculously handsome and you commit the image to memory, having a feeling this was the one and only time you’d be getting that view. 

“Would you just tell me already?” you whisper, knowing that the worst was coming. 

He runs his tongue across his bottom lip, nodding, “I don’t want to hurt you. I really don’t. It’s exactly why I’ve always said we can’t make promises to each other.”

You frown at him, “so then don’t. It’s literally that simple.”

“It’s not though,” he says with a little laugh, “I already made my promises to someone else.”

Your blood runs cold at that and you realize you hadn’t thought of one very awful possibility of why he wanted to talk. He had someone else already. Your throat feels so tight that it’s hard to breathe and you try to suck in a deep breath that doesn’t help at all. You shake your head and tighten your arms more across your chest, praying it helps hold your heart together for just a little longer. 

“Who is she?”

He hangs his head like this entire thing isn’t his own fault, “we were together in high school and now we go to separate schools. I didn’t want to hold her back but I don’t know how to let her go either.”

“So you’re a cheater,” you spit out, tears falling fast before you can even try and hold them back, “you’re cheating on her and I’m the other girl. What the fuck is wrong with you, Cole?”

“It’s not cheating!” he tries to justify, holding his hands up and stepping closer to you, “we’re not official right now.”

You push him back, hand firm on his chest to give yourself space, “fuck you. You’re as official as you can be and you still slept with me for the last four months. You knew what you were doing and you didn’t care. You didn’t have her here so you found a good substitute. That’s awesome, thanks for fucking up my life and emotions in the process.”

“Stop, I told you I didn’t want to hurt you. That’s why I’m being honest right now.”

“Honest?” you raise your voice, well aware that Brock could probably hear everything at this point, “you call this honest? You’re a liar and a cheater, Cole Caufield! I can’t believe I let you play me for this long.”

“I’m sorry, okay? I swear I didn’t mean for this to be the way it is,” he says, practically pleading at this point. 

You shake your head, bottom lip wobbling as much as your voice, “you broke my heart. Are you happy with that? Was everything a joke to you? Sleeping together, forehead kisses, holding hands, spending the night? Or did you just picture her the whole time and I was just a stand in?”

“No,” he mumbles, trying to reach for you, but you smack his hand away and start to back yourself towards his door, “I swear it was real with you. I didn’t mean to take it so far but I started to like you, too.”

“You are unbelievable. I can’t believe I let you in so easily. I hate you.”

He swallows around a lump that appears in his throat suddenly. This wasn’t at all how he’d planned things. They were never supposed to go this far with you, but he couldn’t let you go. He couldn’t but now he had to. He had no options anymore and he would probably lose everyone in the process. 

“I promise I will hate you for the rest of my life,” you whisper, cheeks wet with tears despite your best efforts to try and rid yourself of them before you left. He didn’t deserve to know how much he was breaking you.

You rip open his door and all but run out of the apartment. Brock catches your gaze from the living room as you open their front door. Immediately his heart breaks a little. He knew the entire time and never saved you from this. He was just as guilty as his brother was. Cole stays frozen in place where you’d left him in his room, heart hurting despite everything. He’d let you keep your promise about hating him. That was one he deserved to carry with him.

[doc-pickles]

right where you left me

I think this is the fastest I’ve ever finished a two part series haha. I honestly thought I was done Saturday but decided to add some more to it and the whole thing ended up being almost 9K words so.... I hope you guys enjoyed this! I had a lot of requests for this fic and I really enjoyed writing it :) and if you need it here’s a link to part one

Sunday 10:38 AM

You two doing good?

doing fine, just a little tired

Need me to bring anything by? I’m off at 2

I think we’re okay, i’ll text if I think of anything

thank you :)

No problem. Talk soon.

Sunday 11:15 AM

I’m going to grab a late lunch. Do you want anything?

Sunday 11:52 AM

Heading into surgery, shouldn’t be too long.

Sunday 1:47 PM

About to head out.

Sunday 2:08 PM

Missed Call from Alex

Sunday 2:15 PM

Missed Call from Alex

Sunday 2:22 PM

You okay? I’m getting worried

Sunday 2:39 PM

On my way over.

Sunday 2:45 PM

Missed Call from Alex

Jo is exhausted if she's honest with herself. At six months pregnant she’d thought that things would get easier from here on out, but she’d been foolishly wrong. She’d been dealing with a nasty resurgence of her morning sickness the past three days and her once abounding second trimester energy had now dwindled down to practically nothing. After leaving work the day before she’d barely gotten out of bed, only leaving the warm blankets to go to the bathroom or grab a snack.

She’s laying in bed, finally settled down after another bout of morning sickness, when the door to the loft slides open loudly. She ignores it at first, knowing it’s probably Alex coming to check on her, but she bolts up from her position in bed when he starts practically screaming.

“Jesus Christ Jo! I thought you were dead, you can’t reply to a text or pick up your damn phone,” Alex is clearly frantic as he paces the loft, barely acknowledging Jo’s presence. “I’ve been worried sick about you.”

“I’m sick Alex, I’ve either been asleep or throwing up since I texted you,” Jo’s voice had an edge to it as she stared Alex down. “And I don’t need you coming in here and trying to guilt trip me or whatever this is.”

“I’m not trying to guilt trip you, I’m trying to make sure you and our kid aren’t dead!”

“Well now that you know we aren’t you can leave Alex. You probably wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for Meredith getting sick,” Jo could feel her anger boiling as she looked at Alex. She knew her words were a low blow, but her anger and her hormones won out as she continued to yell at him. “I am more than capable of taking care of myself and our son without you constantly keeping tabs on us. That’s not your job anymore, you’re not my husband! You’re just the guy who knocked me up and then left for three months after telling me for years that you would never leave. You left and you weren’t coming back and the only reason you did is because I’m pregnant. If I wasn’t then you wouldn’t be here acting like you care… Do you think I don’t realize that? I get it, I’m nothing to you anymore and you’re only here for the baby. Well your son is fine and I’m fine too so please just get out.”

There was a moment of silence as Jo and Alex stared at each other, her eyes alight with anger and frustration. She settled herself back into bed with her back facing the door, holding her breath until she heard the door to the loft slide shut again and Alex’s footsteps retreat downstairs. When she finally released the breath she had been holding, a shaking round of tears followed it.

She didn’t know if she believed the words she’d spat at Alex, at one point she did but now she wasn’t so sure. He’d shown her over and over that he genuinely cared for her outside of his parental responsibilities to their son, even if he had left her behind. In truth, no matter how many therapy sessions she went to or how much her and Alex talked things out there was still a gaping hole in her chest created by the man she loved. She’d work through it, she always did, but right now all she wanted was sleep.

-

She sleeps for three hours, the longest stretch in the past few days that she’s been able to manage without throwing up. When she finally wakes her stomach is growling at her which almost makes her roll her eyes because she hasn’t been able to keep anything down lately. Jo slowly rolls out of bed and heads to the kitchen to find something to eat, but instead stops at the sight of her dining table.

There’s a large bouquet of tulips, her favorite flowers, along with ginger ale, soup, and her favorite snacks. Next to that she spots the tiniest blue striped onesie she’s ever seen, the sight bringing tears to her eyes. As she scans the spread once more, she grabs the card on the flowers and reads the barely legible writing.

Jo,

I’m sorry for the past few months. I know I’ve put you through hell but I’m trying my hardest to make it up to you and I promise I won’t stop trying. I’m a better man because of you and I hope I can be that man for you and our son.

Alex

Wiping up her tears, Jo grabs her car keys and heads down to her car. She knows she probably looks a hot mess but she drives the few blocks to Alex’s apartment anyways, barely noticing the thick sheets of rain that soak her thin pajamas as she bolts from her car into the brick building.

When Alex opens the door, she knows she looks insane but she forces the words out before he can say anything, “I’m sorry for snapping at you, you didn’t deserve that. I said a lot of things I didn’t mean because I was angry and my emotions are all over the place. That doesn’t make it right, it’s just… I’ve had a hard time lately. With everything. And I lashed out at you and I shouldn’t have.”

Alex stared at Jo for a moment before stepping into the hallway and pulling her into his embrace, “I’m sorry too, for freaking out on you, that’s the last thing you need right now. I meant what I said, I do want to be better for you. For both of you.”

“And I’m sorry for telling you that we’re having a boy by yelling it across the room at you,” Jo let a quiet laugh out as she looked up at Alex, a blush forming on her cheeks. “Maybe we can just talk things out from now on? And try to contain our tempers. Oh god, I hope our kid doesn’t have a temper.”

Alex chuckled, pressing a light kiss to Jo’s hair as he ushered her inside his apartment, “He's probably going to but you can teach him how to throw stuffed animals at the wall.”

+

“Hey, how’s your day going,” Jo tried to act as casual as she could as she leaned against the wall next to Alex who was typing up something in a chart. “Just out of curiosity, you know for a patient, how do you tell the difference between Braxton Hicks and real contractions?”

Alex’s head whipped up, eyes moving from Jo’s bump to her face. She had kept a calm demeanor as she left her surgery early, but now standing next to him she felt nervous, “You’re having contractions? Are you in labor?”

“If I knew that I wouldn’t be asking you would I,” Jo huffed as she pressed her hand against her stomach. The movement didn’t seem to calm Alex as he stared her down, his own hand coming up to sit right above hers on her belly. “I don’t think I am, I’ve just been super uncomfortable since last night. I spent an hour just sitting on the couch because I was in so much pain I couldn’t move. Actually I was kinda convinced I might just give birth then and there, but my pain went away and I got a few hours of sleep.”

Alex pressed his hand against Jo’s back as he led her down the hallway, his eyes not leaving her as they walked, “I don’t like you being alone in there all the time. What if you had actually gone into labor?”

“Then I would’ve called you.”

“And what if you couldn’t reach your phone? Or you lost too much blood and passed out,” Alex stopped walking and braced his hands on Jo’s shoulders. “I’m just worried about you and the baby. You know I always am, especially with your due date being so close.”

Eyes narrowing, Jo reflected on the past few months as she stared Alex down. After their blowout fight, Alex and her had begun to slowly work on their relationship and building it back up. It wasn’t an easy task, there had been a lot of yelling and crying and talking through things, but she was happy with where they were as the weeks leading up to their son’s arrival dwindled away on the calendar. She didn’t know what the future held for them, but she was content to just have him by her side for now.

“Well I’m not moving out of the loft if that’s what you’re insinuating,” Jo crossed her arms across her chest. “I know you’re worried but I’ll be fine.”

Alex fixed her with a serious stare, one hand coming back down to her growing bump, “Well then I'll move in, I mean if that’s okay with you. I really don’t want you to be alone and I can help when he gets here. I’ll even sleep on the couch.”

A groan left Jo as she looked up at Alex. She appreciated his help, but she didn’t need to be under constant supervision, “Alex, I’m fine. I love that you’re worried, but I don’t need a babysitter. Now I am going to go home and take a long nap, I’ll see you later.”

Jo walked away from Alex, not letting him get another word in as she headed for the residents lounge to grab her things. She knew being due next month meant that things would only get harder from here on out, but she was determined to do as much as she could by herself.

-

“Jo? I brought you dinner.”

Jo’s head popped up from her position leaning against the back of the couch, her body protesting at the sudden movement. She held back the groan she wanted to release as she watched Alex throw a takeout bag onto the kitchen counter. She’d been trying to relieve the pain that had been building in her back all day, but it seemed to have heightened as soon as she got home.

“Hey, sorry for barging in but I figured you were hungry,” Alex eyed Jo for a moment, brows crinkling when she didn’t verbally answer him. “You okay? You look a little pale.”

Jo nodded, but immediately dropped her head to her hands and let out the loud, pained groan she’d tried so hard to hold back. Her hips and back were on fire, the baby’s positioning not helping matters at all. As she tried to hold back another frustrated moan, Alex came up behind her and settled his hands on her lower back, fingers working down into her skin to release some of the pressure building there. The feeling was the first relief she’d felt all day, prompting her to immediately burst into tears. For his part, Alex was unfazed by Jo’s outburst, his fingers continuing to rub her back as she let out loud sobs.

“Hey, look at me,” Alex’s voice rang out softly after a few minutes, prompting Jo to turn and meet his eyes as he held her close. She cursed her heart as it beat out of time, stuttering at the intimacy of her and Alex’s positioning. “You don’t have to do all of this on your own. I know you can, but I’m here and I want to help you. Will you let me help?”

Pressing her head against Alex’s chest, Jo nodded as she took a deep breath. She hated to admit it, but Alex was right, she did need a little help. She hadn’t slept properly in days, her back was on fire, and her Braxton Hicks were coming at an almost constant rate now. More than anything, Jo just needed someone to support her and Alex was the best person for that role.

“Good, now let’s get you in bed. You look like you haven’t slept in a week,” Alex chuckled as he pressed a kiss to her head. The small move sparked something in Jo, despite Alex having done it more than once since returning home. Her fingers curled into his shirt, eyes turning up to meet his with a dark glint behind them. “What? What’s that look for?”

Before he could say anything else, Jo moved one hand to tangle in his hair and bring his lips down to hers. The feeling was indescribable, something she’d craved since she had dropped him off at the airport so many months ago. As if sensing the same thing, Alex kissed her back hungrily, his fingers readily finding purchase against her hips. After a moment, he pulled back and met her eyes.

“You were just crying and now you’re kissing me,” Alex chuckled, brushing back a strand of hair from her face. “I think you do need to get some sleep.”

“Will you lay down with me, I haven’t been able to sleep for like three days,” Jo’s eyes were pleading with Alex as she crawled under the covers. “He calms down when you’re around, I might actually be able to sleep for more than an hour.”

Alex obliged, kicking his shoes off and crawling into the other side of the bed. As he wrapped one arm around Jo’s expanding stomach, she closed her eyes and let her mind believe that this was a normal day for them. That they’d come home from work and were settling in for the night, that they didn’t sleep in separate apartments, that they weren’t divorced and Alex had never left. For a moment Jo let herself believe everything was okay.

Those thoughts and Alex’s presence lulled Jo into the most peaceful sleep she’d gotten in weeks. Her mind drifted off, letting her aching body rest and giving her much needed relief.

-

“He’s gonna be in the bassinet for the first few months, I don’t see why you insist on setting up the crib now,” Jo groaned as she sat herself on the couch, propping her bare feet up on the coffee table. “Can you just shove your clothes in the dresser and come sit down? Your nagging has exhausted me.”

A chuckle leaves Alex as he settles himself across the couch from Jo, reaching for her feet and pulling them into his lap, “Sorry that all of my heavy lifting and asking you where I should put things has bothered you.”

A noncommittal groan left Jo as her eyes fluttered closed, one hand floating down to her bump as Alex rubbed her swollen feet. He’d been at the loft every night since their agreement last week, making sure that he was able to help Jo sleep and stopping their son from keeping her up all night. Jo was thankful for the reprieve, even more thankful when Alex hadn’t batted an eye at her request for help relieving some of her more… primal urges that had sparked since her raging hormones had taken over her body. She’d fight anyone that insinuated that her and Alex were together, because they definitely weren’t, but she had a hard time denying the fact that sex with him was just as great if not better than it had always been.

Even being so far along in her pregnancy, Alex seemed to know what her body craved even more than she did. The way that they still worked so well on a physical level was no shock to Jo, but Alex’s uncanny ability to make her come undone and feel completely satisfied still shocked her. The first time they’d had sex again Jo had come three times before he’d even taken his pants off.

“You want me to order dinner? We can get Chinese if you want,” Jo barely registered Alex’s voice as his fingers moved across her skin. She could tell her body was already reacting to the feeling of him so close to her, her mind desperately trying to fight off the growing heat between her legs. “Jooooo? You in there?”

Jo peeks her eyes open, meeting Alex’s gaze with a grin. She moves one hand to grab his shirt and pull him closer to her, a chuckle leaving him as he understands exactly what she’s asking for.

“You’re insatiable,” Alex’s tone is light as his lips trail down to Jo’s neck. “I wouldn’t be shocked if sex is what sends you into labor.”

“Your dirty talk needs some work,” Jo groans as one of Alex’s hands trails up her body to brush against her breast. “But you might have a point…”

+

When Jo rolls over to glance at the clock, she's beyond frustrated that it tells her it’s midnight. She’d fallen asleep not even two hours ago after tossing and turning for 45 minutes trying to get comfortable between intermittent Braxton Hicks contractions. Resigning herself to another night of insomnia, she rolls out of bed and heads for the bathroom.

“You know, you’re being a real pain in the ass,” Jo groans as she looks down to her belly, a kick hitting her bladder as she flips on the bathroom light. “Yeah, you’re definitely a Karev.”

Finishing up in the bathroom, Jo walks quietly back to bed and settles herself above the covers. She knew she’d have to pee again soon and didn’t want to bother climbing all the way into bed again only to climb right back out.

After her scare early on in her pregnancy, Jo was just grateful to be carrying her baby still. But with only a few days left until her due date, she was growing more and more frustrated as her body began to prepare for labor. She hated how she couldn’t go more than an hour or two without feeling like she was going to pee her pants, how her back was constantly in pain no matter how she laid herself across the bed, how her son was now so large that even taking a deep breath was a monumental task.

It didn’t help that she’d been on maternity leave for the past two weeks and had been home alone bored out of her mind most of the time. She’d cleaned the loft, organized both her and Alex’s dressers, washed and folded all of the baby clothes, and watched every season of Friends. Jo almost wanted to go into labor just to have something to do that wasn’t cleaning.

Just as she’d predicted her bladder began screaming at her once again, prompting Jo to pull herself off of the bed and head back towards the bathroom. To her shock however, a loud pop sounded as soon as she stood, her feet instantly soaked by the rush of liquid now pooling on the ground.

“Alex… Alex! Wake up,” Jo tossed her pillow at Alex’s sleeping form across the bed, watching as he slowly began to wake. She felt bad knowing he’d just come off a long shift the night before, but she needed him. “Alex!”

The lights in the bedroom flicked on as Jo let out a low groan and reached for the edge of the bed, a sharp pain running through her stomach as she clenched the blankets tightly. A warm hand settled on her back, calming Jo slightly as her mind began to race, “How long have you been up?”

“Twenty minutes, but my water just broke,” Jo took a deep breath as she blindly reached for Alex’s hand. “Sorry I woke you up.”

“Don’t be sorry, what else am I gonna do right now,” Alex pressed a kiss against the side of Jo’s head as his hand continued to rub soothing circles into her back. “Will you be okay if I go throw the bags in the car real quick?”

Jo nods at him, but as soon as his hands aren’t on her anymore she wants to call out and bring him back to her. She’d gotten used to being so close to Alex, his hands constantly near her as he rubbed her aching feet or back and moved his hand across her belly to feel the baby’s movements. She’d even made it a habit of curling up next to him when he crawled into bed after a long shift, his hands always moving to pull her closer as she buried her face into his chest. When he’d moved back into the loft to make things easier when the baby came she’d been hesitant, but Jo couldn’t help how comforting she found his presence.

“Cars packed and I called the hospital so they know we’re on our way,” Jo looked up, Alex’s voice startling her out of her thoughts. His hands fell to her lower back again as she leaned against his chest, the feeling relaxing Jo as another contraction rushed through her body. “Those are pretty close together, how long have you been having contractions?”

“On and off since you left for work yesterday morning,” a groan left Jo as she braced her hands on Alex’s shoulders, the pain radiating through her stomach growing stronger. “Nothing this bad though.”

“Well let’s get going then, I’d like to avoid you giving birth in my car,” a small chuckle left Jo as Alex led her out of the loft. The next time they’d walk through the doors they’d have a baby with them. “Hey I was wrong! Sex didn’t put you into labor!”

“Shut up Alex.”

+

The exhaustion that falls over Jo as she leans into Alex is only surpassed by her joy at the squirming bundle that’s being placed on her chest. A head of dark curls greets her as she presses the infant close to her, fingers coming up to brush the soft skin of her son's cheek.

“You’re here, you’re real,” Jo laughs wetly as she looks down at the baby in her arms, her son, tears instantly welling in her eyes. “Oh my god your head is huge.”

“Sorry about that, that’s my bad,” Alex’s voice rings out from behind her, prompting Jo to shift closer to him as he presses one hand on the baby’s back and another against her arm in a comforting gesture. “You did so good, you’re a freaking rockstar.”

As she sits with her newborn snuggled against her and Alex’s arms wrapped around her, Jo thinks that she could stay right there forever. The pain, the heartbreak, the worry, all of it fades as she relishes in the feeling of the two people she loves most by her side. She’d been through so much in her life, lows she never wanted to relive, highs she would remember forever. All of it seems to pass by her eyes in a flash as she zones into this moment, the one moment she’s sure she’ll never forget as long as she lives.

In a second, without warning, Jo realizes that nothing else mattered. What had happened before, the grudges she’d held, the words spoken and not between her and Alex over the past year didn’t matter. He was here, with her and with their son and she knew he wasn’t leaving. He didn’t have to say it, didn’t have to promise anything or beg for her to let him in. His arms holding her close and his fingers brushing at their son’s curls reminded her that things had changed so much already.

“I love you,” Jo whispers as she lays her head on Alex’s chest, her eyes still trained on the baby in her arms. “I love you so much Alex.”

There’s a pause, a stillness in the air as Alex freezes next to her. The words that they’d exchanged so freely before now held a heavier meaning, they meant more this time around. His fingers moving slowly up and down her arm stop for a moment, continuing again as he presses a kiss to her temple, “I love you too Jo.”

She doesn’t know how long they sit like that, both of them staring down in awe at the little boy they’d created together. Alex tells him about how he was certain that they’d conceived him in the backseat of his car, Jo chuckling at the ridiculous story as her eyes fought to stay open. She’d been in labor for almost five hours and had been pushing for another, the event taking its toll on her as she leaned against Alex and shut her eyes.

“You sleep, I'll take him and we’ll be here when you wake up,” Alex grabs the infant from her arms, Jo peeking her eyes open to marvel at the sight of their son nuzzled against him. “Tell mama to take a nap, she deserves it.”

Jo watches the two for a moment more before closing her eyes and letting the joy she felt wash over her, lulling her into a peaceful sleep.

+

Jo wakes to small cries and the sound of someone singing softly. The cries lessen as the singing gets a little louder, the rough melodic voice singing some rock song that was not appropriate lullaby music. Sitting up in bed, she lets her eyes adjust before making out the silhouette of Alex rocking their two week old son to sleep.

“Is he hungry? I can take him,” Alex’s head popped up in surprise at Jo’s voice, his face illuminated by the low light shining from the kitchen.

“No, he’s almost back down. I gave him a bottle already,” Alex rocked back and forth a few more times before smirking up at Jo. “You go back to sleep, you need it.”

Settling her head back into the pillows, Jo watched both boys for a few minutes until Alex settled the baby back into his bassinet. Satisfied that the infant was going to stay down, he crawled back into bed and pulled Jo into his arms, “I thought I told you to go back to sleep.”

“Mmm yeah but you and Max looked too cute,” one hand trailed up to Alex’s face as Jo snuggled against him. “Besides it gets cold in here without you.”

A chuckle left Alex as his hands wrapped around Jo, bringing her flush against his chest as his lips brushed a kiss against her hair, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Jo settled her head against Alex’s chest, letting the steady beat of his heart calm her own body.

Jo’s eyes close again, her mind drifting to think of Luna, of the concern she’d had that her son might end up alone and scared like she had been. She knew that the little girl was probably sleeping in her crib at home, her mom healthy and snoozing beside her, the thought comforting her slightly. As she thought of Alex and the way he cared so deeply about her and Max, Jo knew she’d never have to worry about either of them being alone again.

[nighttmaire-writing]

FAHC: Sweet Sauce

This is my first time writing for the FAHC. I haven’t really ever written anything like this before, but after reading some of the stories on Tumblr and watching a GTA I had missed from months ago, I was inspired to cover a duo that I haven’t seen on here. Hope you enjoy!

Axial never really goes in the field. Not because he doesn’t want to, nor because he’d be incredibly less effective than any of the others. He tends to hang back to work on the comms and hacking for the team because he knows he’s the best at it. No one else could co-ordinate the communication between the chaos within The Fakes, it takes someone with a will of steel like him to ignore all of the snark and push back with both authority and advice. He also knew that, without specific instructions, no one else in the gang could hack into any targeted building like he could. He also is one of the best at on-the-fly adapting when shit goes south and a plan needs to change. When it comes to field duty, however, he makes exceptions on special occasions. In particular, he will go into the field if requested. 

As it turns out, Matt’s actually pretty adept in at more than just communications, planning and hacking. He’s a stellar driver. This fact wasn’t well known to The Fakes until he trounced them in another Mario Kart tournament, to which a drunk and furious Mogar loudly proclaimed that he could outrace Axial in real life any day of the week. Once everyone was sober, Michael doubled down – and got beaten by Axial. It was a close race, since Michael was brilliant at driving, but Axial had something he didn’t. Knowledge. The hacker knew the city like the back of his hand due to his life on the streets, and once he was told the destination he knew every turn and how to safely make them. Everyone was stunned, as Michael shook Matt's hand with a smirk, calling him a piece of shit. 

Matt only drove for the crew on missions when requested personally, leaving his communications job to The Boss while he would hack remotely from the car. He’s only ever done so for three people, up until this point. Once for Rimmy Tim, since he knew it would be fun. Once for The Golden Boy, because he knew he’d get a good laugh out of it. And once for The Sauce. Almost everything in The Fakes was an unofficial competition. Who got the most kills on a job, who could escape the cops the quickest, even who could piss off The Vagabond first. And there was no one more competitive in the group than Alfredo. Even though these contests meant little-to-nothing, they meant everything to him. He had to win.  And, most of the time, he would. So, when he was told the next job involved multiple hits at different locations, utilising teams of one gunman and one driver, he knew exactly who was going to drive him. 

Convincing Matt wasn’t as hard as The Sauce had thought. Deep down, he had a competitive streak that was just shy of Alfredo’s. All it took was the promise of victory over Gavin, Jeremy and even The Vagabond to convince him. It was getting everyone else on board with having one of their least experienced members in the field to leave the penthouse, to go on a mission with just one other person, that was harder. They knew he could handle the driving job, but they also figured there must be a reason he locked himself in his room during a Heist. The pressure could get to him, and that could get one or both of them hurt. Besides, he’d only ever driven before and this particular job required the use of covering fire from the driver to assist in the gunman’s run inside. As far as The Fakes knew, Axial had no training with a gun. 

With a face that reminded the others of the calm before a storm, Matt pulled out a pistol no one had ever seen on him and cleanly shot three of The Kingpins most expensive vases on the other side of the room in as many shots. As he put his gun away without a word, everyone was quick to agree – Axial was on the mission. 

The robbery teams were; Axial and The Sauce, or 'Sweet Sauce’; Supernova and The Golden Boy, or 'Chungə'; and Rimmy Tim and The Vagabond, or 'The Battle Buddies'. Each team would be simultaneously hitting a different building. Each building was the home of one of the many idiotic celebrities living in Los Santos, those with lots of money and little security. The plan was to steal as much expensive looking gear and/or cash as possible and leave. This was, in turn, a distraction for the main job. With the simultaneous big-name robberies, the police would be spread incredibly thin, allowing Mogar and the Pilot, or 'The Betting Buddies', to 'covertly' enter LSPD headquarters to locate and take information the cops have compiled on The Fakes. Or, as covertly as one could do a job like this with Michael. 

Once Alfredo had recruited Matt to his team, he began to really play up the sense of rivalry they all had. He made sure they all knew the newly christened ‘Sweet Sauce’ were planning on doing everything the best. Fastest to the house, fastest in, most cash grabbed, fastest back to HQ. He enthused with the utmost confidence how they were going to destroy everyone – with a silent grinning Axial standing behind him. The others eventually got riled up enough that they laid down a bet. The team who did each aspect of the job the best would win $1000. Everyone involved in the job, even The Boss and The Wildcard who would both be staying at the penthouse as comms and backup respectively, put in cash to make a prize pool of $3000. Due to the constant feed that would be going to The Boss, he was going to be in charge of timing each team’s work. Michael and Jack then began a betting pool to see who would win the most cash, for those who weren’t participating to have some fun too. In the end, only The Kingpin placed a bet on Sweet Sauce. Everyone thought Matt too inexperienced and Alfredo too cocky. But, for some reason, Geoff saw something different. 

The job was simple, and it went off without a hitch. Each team did their job even better than they normally would, since they had a lot riding on it. Chungə tried to focus on just getting one part as fast as possible. As such, they broke every speed limit and ran every red light to get to their house the fastest. And they succeeded, beating both Sweet Sauce and The Battle Buddies to their destination, both earning $500.  

The Battle Buddies, however, wanted to humble Alfredo, and figured with Matt on the job it would be fairly easy. Even so, not wanting to take the risk, they tried their hardest at getting each aspect as quick as possible, with Rimmy behind the wheel and The Vagabond storming the woefully unprepared home to rob it of as much as he could, before they raced home at record pace. 

They were shocked to see Sweet Sauce had arrived in the garage just seconds before them, with two full duffel bags of loot. Axial and The Sauce had worked incredibly well together, even more so under pressure. It was Matt’s idea for them to take a gamble and both storm the house. If it worked, they’d clear it quicker and they could steal double the gear. The risk was potentially losing their car, which was one of The Sauce’s personal vehicles. Shockingly, he didn’t bat an eye at the idea. Even if, at most, he was only going to make $1500 on this bet and would be losing a far more expensive car the victory itself would be absolutely worth it. And so, they executed their plan to perfection. Axial found the most simplistic and expedient route to their target, they both entered the premises with guns blazing, loaded up their bags and left in complete unison with Alfredo behind the wheel, Axial giving him directions from the passenger seat. Even though he was famously not as good at driving, the two of them wanted to rub in their victory. Matt and Alfredo had just gotten $1000 richer. 

Their victory in two of the three categories had pipped Geoff as the biggest victor in the betting pool, winning a cool $400. After returning from the successful police headquarters heist, Michael was thrilled to learn he won $200 by betting on Chungə. Everyone else don’t make any winnings by betting on ‘the sure bet’ of The Battle Buddies, much to Jack’s dismay. 

This was not the first time that Axial would work out in the field with The Sauce. Doing this job was one of the many reasons that the resident computer expert had decided to be out in the field. It didn’t hurt when The Vagabond tried desperately to earn his winnings back, and The Sauce requested his assistance again. They wouldn’t always work together, but whenever they did it was damn near impossible to top them. 

Hope you guys liked it! I don't know how much FAHC I will be writing, but this was a fun thing I liked in my head. I might try to write more dialogue next time. This sort of recount style fit this story but I want to try my hand at figuring out these characters a little more. If I do more, I think I'll probably focus on Axial/Matt. No surprise, but the boys my favourite.

[emeraldwaves]

Title: The Sweetest Girl Pairing: KateAaron, Andreil Rating: T Word Count: 5,009 AO3

Summary:

Aaron doesn't consider himself a good Postmate. He doesn't particularly like his job. However, there's one bakery that he doesn't mind picking up orders from.

This was written for the @aftgexchange for @thetallwinchester ! I hope you enjoy this silly little Bakery AU! :D Thank you for the prompt!!

The phone buzzes on Aaron's dashboard and he looks at the device with disdain. If looks could kill, the thing would've exploded right there in his damn car.

[You have one new delivery request!]

Aaron regrets everything.

The small line is slowly moving down his screen. He's running out of time to accept this order and though he really doesn't want to, he knows it's either this one or some other shitty food pick up.

He taps his screen, accepting the order, and sighs.

Postmates sucks. Not as bad as Uber, cause there is far less human interaction with Postmates, but people can be so damn finicky about their food.

He pulls up the order on his phone screen. Fox Bakery, three miles from where he is now. Not bad, though he's never heard of this place. The person wants some cookies and a bagel. Interesting combination, but not the weirdest order he's ever gotten.

Putting the car in drive, he follows the map on his phone, annoyed he even has to do this. Postmates isn't a difficult job, but it's not ideal. It's tedious, it wears down Aaron's car, people are rude, and the list of awful shit goes on and on, but it pays the damn bills well enough.

Living with his brother and his cousin in their tiny apartment also isn't ideal, but he tries not to complain about that either. At least, not out loud. It's a place to live, a means to an end. Eventually, he'll be done with medical school and he'll be making so much money he'll be able to buy multiple houses. Houses he won't have to share with Andrew and Nicky.

It takes him a minute to find the damn bakery. It's actually not on the road it says it's on. It's down a side alleyway, sort of around the back of the street. Without the stupid little Postmates app, Aaron would definitely have gotten lost.

The front entrance has a few paw prints on it, and the logo is orange: Fox Bakery. A fox sits behind the text, it's tail making the curve of the 'y'. Aaron's just happy he found the damn place.

He pulls the door open, a small bell jingling at the top. The place smells heavenly, Aaron can't deny that. He doesn't have his brother's sweet tooth, but stepping in here, he can see the appeal. It smells like freshly baked cake and sugar. The smell wraps itself around his body and Aaron could take a nap right there on the floor, letting the comfort take over.

"Welcome!" A chipper voice calls out, and a girl pops up from behind one of the counters. Her long brown hair is tied up into a ponytail, a bow wrapped around it. The ribbons almost look like little fox ears. Lame. Her smile is wide, her dark eyes glistening with excitement.

Honestly, no one should be this excited working in the customer service industry, but she's certainly owning it, and Aaron can't fault her.

"Can I help you? We just took some cakes out of the oven if you're looking for something fresh!" Her voice takes on a bit of a sing-song, the lilting tone soft, yet tempting. Aaron's mouth goes dry.

For a second he forgets why he's there. Between her beautiful face, and the delicious smell, he tries to focus, but he just keeps staring.

"Uh," he says finally. Real smooth. He needs to get out of here. "I'm picking up for... Jeremy? Postmates," he says, holding up his phone.

"Oh! Great! Of course!" The girl beams at him and makes her way to a small shelf near the back. There are a few bags there, probably waiting to be picked up. "Here you go! Three cookies and an everything bagel," she says. "Do you know if they want cream cheese?"

"Just... throw some in there," he says, waving his hand to the side. He doesn't really care either way, but getting to stay here for a couple additional seconds isn't all that bad.

"Sounds great!" She tosses a few tiny cups of cream cheese into the bag and wraps it up, putting a cute fox sticker on the edge of the bag to keep it shut. Reaching over the counter, she hands it to him.

"Thanks," he mutters, taking it from her. Orange looks horrible on everyone, but somehow she makes it work. His eyes fall on the name tag on her sweater: Katelyn. Cute.

"Katelyn," he says, not realizing he said anything out loud.

"Yes? Oh! Yes! That's my name," she giggles. "Do you want to try something? I mean, since you came all the way here."

Aaron glances around the case. He really doesn't have much of a sweet tooth... "Uh, no thanks."

"Oh." Her face falls and she presses her teeth into her lower lip before smiling again. "No worries! Happy delivery!"

Fuck, he's dumb. He mentally kicks himself for saying anything. How is it he loses his mind so quickly over one pretty girl? He's not normally this awkward. Actually, that's debatable, but whatever. "Thanks," he mutters again, and rushes out of the store.

At least the bakery is out of the way, so not many people order from there. Maybe he'll never go back.

~~

The problem is, Aaron wants to go back. He can't stop thinking about stupid Katelyn and how cute she is and the soft orange ribbon in her dark brown hair. She's stunning. Absolutely stunning, and as much as he hates his damn job, he's secretly waiting to get pinged for Fox Bakery.

But it never comes.

He supposes he could go there himself, and actually order something, but Aaron tries not to go to restaurants in his free time. He saves money by cooking at home, and why would he want to go places he always has to go for work? Still, he's actually tempted to go back and buy something just to see her one more time.

Creepy.

No, he's not a creep, and he won't go back for no reason.

But he will go back if he gets another order from there. Which, thankfully, a week and a half later he does. It's probably the fastest he's ever accepted an order.

The little bell jingles when he enters the place, and a short guy stands by the register. He's got bright blue eyes and messy brown hair and he looks entirely uninterested in being there. Disappointment washes over Aaron. Of course Katelyn doesn't work there everyday and he shouldn't expect her to always be there.

Sighing, he makes his way to the counter, taking the loss. "Hey, I'm picking up a delivery for Postmates."

The guy looks up, face unchanging. "Yeah, okay. Name?"

"Uh, Laila," he says, glancing down at his phone.

"'Kay." The guy walks over to the shelf right as Katelyn opens the door from the back, stepping behind the counter.

"Oh! Hey! It's the Postmates guy!" She laughs, and gestures to him.

"You know him?" The other worker asks, pulling the bag from the shelf.

She turns to look at him, her dark eyes full of excitement yet again. How someone can be so happy working in a bakery is beyond Aaron. "Well, sort of! He's come in before." She looks down, her cheeks flushing. "Sorry, I actually never got your name."

"Aaron," he says, reaching over the counter.

"Katelyn!" She smiles, waving at him. Though she quickly straightens up and gasps. "I-I mean I guess you already knew that from my name tag!" She gestures to the small badge on her shirt.

"Yeah," Aaron says.

The guy next to them scoffs, and clicks his tongue. "Shouldn't you deliver your order?" he asks.

Immediately, Aaron frowns. Who the hell is this guy? Maybe he's Katelyn's boyfriend and he wants Aaron to leave cause his girlfriend is obviously one of those people who is nice to everyone. Or maybe he has a crush on Katelyn and is jealous her attention is elsewhere.

"Oh! Neil's right!" she says. "Sorry for keeping you."

He wants to urge her that it's not a big deal. Worse case, he just gets less of a tip, which honestly, he wouldn't mind if it was because he stood here talking to her.

"Do you want a small sample to go?" She asks, and Aaron glances around the store. He should probably take something. It would be the polite thing to do, but Aaron really doesn't know what to take.

"I should... probably get going," he says, gesturing to the door. So much for staying and talking to her.

"Right! Of course! Good luck, Aaron!" She bows her head toward him and he stands, watching her. He waves, after what seems like both an eternity and not long enough, and heads back out the door. He wishes things had lasted longer than that.

~~

He notices the bakery popping up more and more on his Postmates app. It's like everyone suddenly realized what a hidden gem this is. For once, Aaron doesn't care. He doesn't even care that he has to park on a side street and walk all the way around through the alley just to get to the damn place.

It's worth it when Katelyn is there.

He's been lucky. The majority of the time he goes, Katelyn is there. She always greets him, popping up from behind the counter with a cheery: "Hello Aaron!" A few times he's even smiled at her.

Every time he leaves, she asks if he wants to try something, and he always says no. Each time, he starts to regret it more and more. He just... panics when she asks, never sure what to pick.

A few times he goes, and Neil is there working by himself, and Aaron hates those times. Neil is nothing like Katelyn. The guy is completely uninterested in everything, and even though they both know each other's name, the conversation is always as short as it can possibly be. Aaron grabs his order and practically dashes out the door.

He wonders if Neil notices the difference between when Katelyn is there or not there. Aaron spends a grand total of 10 seconds in the store when it's just Neil but with Katelyn he always lingers for at least a minute. Or two.

It's stupid because he never actually talks about anything with her. Usually she talks about the specials or asks how Aaron's deliveries have been. One time, she talked about a rude customer who had come in just moments before. Aaron's honestly thankful he hadn't been there, because he probably would've punched the guy’s face in if he saw someone being rude to her.

One day, he gets a particularly large order: a dozen donuts, some cupcakes, and a half dozen cookies. He's hoping he gets there early, before the order is ready. Hopefully Katelyn will be there too.

Aaron doesn't really understand what it is about the girl that interests him so much. Honestly, he should despise someone as peppy as her. Yet, he can't help but find her endearing. He loves the way she giggles, and how her hair is always pulled back into a signature ponytail. He adores the way she says his name. Somehow, she always manages to punctuate the 'A's like they're really important.

Making his way down the side alley, he pops into the store, the tiny bell jingling. "Hi Aaron!" He hears her voice immediately, the high pitched tone cutting through the small room.

"Hey Katelyn."

"You know," she says, leaning against the countertop. "I was hoping this big order would be you. We're just waiting on the cupcakes!"

"No problem," he says, and for once he actually means it. Waiting for this order will be anything but torture.

"I can go check on them if you'd like! I know people can be mean when their food isn't on time," Katelyn says, a gentle sigh slipping from her lips.

"More bad customers today?" Aaron asks, looking around the empty bakery. He's glad when he's in here alone, it means he has the chance to try and talk to her, even if he often sucks at it.

Katelyn shakes her head. "No... the other day, my roommate gave our Postmate a horrible tip because he couldn't find our apartment. I felt so bad, I couldn't stop thinking about you and how hard you work. Even if a Postmate is slow, I try not to tip them too badly."

Aaron's cheeks light up. He's not even that good at his job. He doesn't even like working for Postmates. "Oh, uh, well, you know, not everyone is a good Postmate."

"I know, but who knows, maybe they legitimately got lost! Our complex is a little confusing," she explains.

Aaron is about to say he understands because he's gotten lost before but he gets cut off when a woman with long dark braids steps out from the backroom, carrying a hot tray of cupcakes. The smell is overwhelming, and it actually makes his stomach gurgle.

"Hello!" The woman says, placing the tray down. "Is this a regular?"

"Sort of!" Katelyn laughs. "This is Aaron, he's a Postmates driver."

"Oh! Hello!" The woman smiles. "I'm Dan. My husband Matt and I own this place. Thank you for coming by."

"Oh, cool," Aaron says, mostly because he has no idea what else to say.

"I'll get these bagged up for you," Katelyn says, and carries the tray over, wrapping up the cupcakes. "Are you sure I can't interest you in one? You've been in here so many times and never tried anything."

Aaron purses his lips. He always feels guilty saying no, and especially now, in front of the owner. This probably isn't the time to refuse. Swallowing, he nods his head. "Yeah, I'll uh, I'll take a cupcake." He supposes he can give it to Andrew.

Katelyn's face lights up, her eyes shimmer. She claps her hands together. "Of course! It'll be my treat! I promise you'll love it. I think cupcakes are our specialty... though, I do like the chocolate chip cookies too. A classic, you know?" She wraps up the treat and puts it in a separate bag, holding both out to him.

Nodding, Aaron takes the bags from her, separating the two. "Thanks."

"See you soon!" she says, waving, her beautiful smile lighting up her face. Holy heck she's so cute, Aaron wants to bury his head and never look at anything else again.

"Yeah," he nods, trying to stay cool. "See ya'."

He really does hope he'll see her again soon.

~~

"What the hell is this?" Andrew asks, holding the cupcake in his hand. He twists it around and gives it a glare. "You poison this?"

Aaron rolls his eyes, clicking his tongue. "Yes. When you eat it, you'll finally die."

His cousin pouts, looking at the sweet treat in Andrew's hand. "You didn't get me one?"

"Nope. She only gave me one freebie. I wasn't gonna buy more," Aaron shrugs, hopping over the couch to take a seat.

"Dammit, Aaron! You should've handed it to me, at least I would've shared with Andrew-wait," Nicky says, stopping in the middle of his thought. "She?!" He gasps loudly, and makes his way around the couch, cupcake completely forgotten. "Aaron, do you have a girlfriend?!"

"Gross," Andrew scoffs, unwrapping the cupcake on the couch.

"...I don't... have a girlfriend..."

"He hesitated!" Nicky screams, bouncing up and down on the squeaky cushion. "Who is she, and why is she giving you free cupcakes?!"

"I dunno, she's just a girl at this bakery," Aaron says, shrugging. He sinks back into the couch. The last thing he wants to do is tell them about Katelyn. He'll never hear the end of it, and Andrew might hunt her down and murder her. So, better to keep his mouth shut.

Next to him, the wrapper crinkles, and Andrew tosses the trash on the table in front of them, ready to dive into the treat.

Nicky scoffs loudly. "Aaron, your cheeks are red. You're lying!" He hums loudly, bouncing up and down once again.

"I'm not lying!"

"You are!"

"Fuck," Andrew curses next to them and both Aaron and Nicky turn to look at the unruly blond. "Where the fuck did you get this?"

"Uh... why?" Aaron asks, immediately skeptical. The last thing he needs is his brother snooping around in his business. He likes Katelyn. As much as he hates to admit it, he likes her. He likes her smile, her hair, how she probably smells like freshly baked treats all the time. He likes going into the bakery; he doesn't want his brother and his cousin to ruin this for him.

"Aaron. I asked you where the fuck you got this," Andrew repeats. He's holding the cupcake in his hand, bouncing it up and down, a large bite missing from it. He's got a bit of frosting on his nose, but Aaron isn't about to point that out.

"Just a small bakery in town."

"We're going," Andrew says, shoving the rest of it into his mouth.

"What?"

"Tomorrow," he says, after swallowing. "We're going to this bakery."

Needless to say, Aaron knows he doesn't have much of a choice.

~~

Katelyn blinks when Aaron steps into Fox Bakery with his twin. He supposes it's pretty jarring, seeing two people who look exactly the same when you don't expect it. "Hi Aaron! You didn't tell me you had a twin." Katelyn smiles her glowing smile.

"Yeah, this is Andrew," he says, gesturing to his brother who is eyeing all of the sweets behind the glass counters.

"Can I help you?" Neil asks, looking down at the blond. Andrew tilts his head up, stares at Neil and scoffs, like he's seen the most disgusting thing in the world. Only, Aaron knows his brother well enough to know that disgust means Andrew is interested. Of course his brother would be interested in Neil. The two of them can be uninterested assholes together. It's oddly perfect.

"No," Andrew clicks his tongue and Katelyn immediately looks distressed.

"Is he okay?" She whispers the question, leaning over the countertop.

Aaron rolls his eyes, looking at the way his brother continues to scan the treats, his eyes constantly flicking back toward Neil. "Yeah," he says. "He's just like that. It's fine."

"Oh," Katelyn says, narrowing her eyes at the two boys. "Well then, are you here to pick up an order?"

"Nah, my brother..." He pauses, realizing he doesn't want to tell her that he didn't eat the cupcake she gave. For some reason, he thinks it might hurt her feelings. "I gave him some of the cupcake and he really liked it. He's got more of a sweet tooth than I do."

"I see!" she says, smiling. "I can give him suggestions-"

"No, just... let him do his thing," he says, but then quickly turns back to her. "You can suggest stuff to me, though." Even if he ends up giving it to Nicky this time, at least he can get her talking.

"Oh! Okay, well, I'm gonna force you to pick a chocolate chip cookie. Like I said, classic," she giggles, pulling one off of the shelf. "I'm also a fan of the fudge, but if you don't like sweets I think that might be too sweet!"

Aaron honestly stops listening to the specifics of what she's saying and just watches her talk. He's ignoring everything else. He doesn't even notice the stare down Andrew and Neil seem to be having. He watches as Katelyn gestures to various treats, her eyes lighting up as she talks about each one. She's really passionate about working at this bakery, unexpected, since Aaron can't imagine working around people and food in a serious way. But Katelyn seems to know everything about what they have in the bakery.

She's put together a variety of treats for him to try and he doesn't even know what half of them are, but she's so excited about it he doesn't wanna disappoint her.

Neil slides a tray of more sweets down to the register. "These are for him," he says, gesturing to Andrew. His twin looks vaguely amused, and pleased with his selection.

"I'll ring you guys up," Katelyn nods. "You'll have to let me know what you think the next time you come in."

"Yeah," he says. "I'll let you know." He wishes he could share the treats with her, but that would require him to ask her to spend time with him outside of their little encounters and, well, he's just not ready to do that.

~~

Later, he actually tries some of the treats Katelyn gave him before Nicky steals the rest. She was right, the chocolate chip cookie was the best, by far. It's so good, in fact, he wouldn't mind having another one. Some of the cakes are a bit too sweet, but he tried.

Andrew is absolutely addicted to the Fox Bakery. He goes all the time now, usually without Aaron, and he buys shit for himself. Aaron can't complain, but he does get a little jealous of the fact that Andrew is always going there. A couple of times he thought to go with his brother, but he doesn't want his brother to see him around Katelyn. Nicky and Andrew have already teased him enough for it.

There's a part of him that wants to ask Katelyn out, but he has no idea if she's interested. Hell, she might have a boyfriend! Maybe it's Neil? Either way, Aaron isn't ready to just jump into asking Katelyn out. Besides, why would she be interested in someone who barely talks to her, despite how nice she's been to him?

Aaron likes to think he can keep his mind off her, but what really does him in is seeing Neil at their apartment a few weeks later. He's stopped into the bakery a few times to make a few deliveries, and Neil never once said anything to him. Yet here he sits, on their couch, leaning against Andrew.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Aaron yells.

"Uh, I'm hanging out with your brother, my boyfriend," Neil says, shrugging as if he's so confused why Aaron is so mad.

"Your what?!

"Unlike some people, I take what I want," Andrew says, popping a mini cupcake into his mouth. Aaron hopes the idiot gets fat from all the sweets he keeps eating just to, apparently, go and hit on Neil.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Aaron growls, folding his arms over his chest.

Nicky pokes his head out of the kitchen, carrying a large bowl of popcorn. "It means that you've been pining over Katelyn for months now and have done nothing about it."

"W-What?!" Aaron scoffs, taken aback. "You've never even been to the bakery!" He yells, trying to shift the focus to Nicky.

"No, but Neil and Andrew told me all about it," Nicky shrugs. "Plus, I know you! You probably just stand there, all quiet like an idiot, barely talking to her!"

"I talk to her!"

"Barely," Neil scoffs, reaching forward into the bucket to grab popcorn. "Not like she's any better. She's always talking about you, hoping every time we get a Postmates order that you'll be picking it up."

Aaron's heart skips a beat. Katelyn talks about him? It's not just him who is constantly thinking about her, hoping an order for Fox Bakery will pop up. She wants to see him? She wants him to come in? "S-She is?" He asks the question before he can stop himself.

"Yup," Neil shrugs.

"Oh man, so you're both pining fools! It's perfect!" Nicky yells, laughing as he leans back against the couch.

"Shut up!" Aaron yells, glaring at his cousin."You know what? I'll go right now!" He stomps toward the door and grabs his jacket.

"It's closed," Neil calls out.

Huffing, Aaron slams his jacket back onto the hook and storms into his room. "Fine, I'll go tomorrow!" He slams the door shut behind him. Stupid Andrew, asking out stupid Neil. How the hell did his brother just swoop in and get this guy? At the very least, Neil is just an asshole, and not interested in Katelyn.

Still, Aaron has no idea how he plans to ask her out, but he knows if he doesn't he'll never hear the end of it from the rest of them.

~~

Aaron tries not to think about how weird it is that he's going to the bakery alone for no reason than to ask Katelyn on a date.

A date.

He swallows, the word circling around in his head like a scary demon he has no idea how to face. It's not like he's never asked girls out before, but the thing is, he's never asked Katelyn out before. Katelyn, with her perfect smile, her passion for bakery treats and her signature ponytail that bounces against her neck every time she walks around.

Swallowing, he yanks the door open. He can do this. He's been walking into this bakery for months now. She knows him, he knows her, it'll be easy and not creepy at all.

He smooths out his jacket and steps inside, the small bell jingling as he does. Aaron sees Katelyn right away, bent over, slowly sliding pink and yellow cupcakes into place. She's humming softly, singing along with whatever basic pop song is playing on the radio.

When the bell jingles, she looks up and immediately stands, her ponytail bouncing with her body. "Aaron! Hi! Good to see you! I feel like it's been a few days. Though, your brother came in to see Neil. Are they dating? Neil won't tell me," she pouts.

Her words fire at him quickly and Aaron blinks, staring at her curious eyes. "Uh, I think so," he mutters, rubbing his forehead. "About that-"

"Oh, I know Neil seems a little blunt, but he's a really good guy. Pretty funny actually! So, don't worry about your brother," Katelyn giggles, reassuring him. She waves her hand up and down gently.

"I don’t. I mean that's good," he says.

"Mhm!" She nods, and heads over to the shelf where the delivery orders are. "Picking up?"

"Actually, uhm, no," Aaron says, swallowing.

"Oh! Did you come for your brother? Or... did I sway you with the treats I picked out?"

"The chocolate chip cookie was really amazing," he says. "You did sway me there." He rubs his hands together, leaning against the counter. How is he supposed to just ask her out? Will she think he's only doing it because of Neil and Andrew? Stupid Andrew, jumping into this random relationship with Neil.

"Great! I can give you more, or other things to try, if you want!" She offers it so genuinely, saying it with such a huge smile on her face. It makes his heart flutter, his cheeks growing far too red for his own good. He has to ask, he can't keep standing here staring at her like a total idiot!

"What if... we tried them together?" he asks, the question so quiet.

"Together?" She tilts her head. "Well, I've already tried pretty much everything in the store."

Shit, of course she has! What a stupid way to ask her to spend time together! He mentally slaps himself and exhales. He can do this, he can explain.

"No, uh, okay. Maybe we could get sweets somewhere else then?"

"Oh, but I mean, I'll still show you what's best here," she says, waving her hands back and forth quickly. "I don't want to be biased, but I think we're the best bakery in town."

Dammit.

Shaking his head, he slams his hands down on the glass. "No! Katelyn, I'm asking if you want to go somewhere with me! We can go, you know, on a date!"

She freezes, blinking once and then again, staring at him while his cheeks grow redder and redder. "Oh..." she whispers. "O-Oh!"

He's a fool. An utter and total fool. Neil probably just told him Katelyn was interested to trick him into looking like a total idiot when his brother had done everything right and perfect or whatever.

"Look, you don't have to it was a stupid-"

"What? Aaron! Of course I would want to... go on a date! I-I just was so surprised you asked, I thought you never would," she yells, her words slurring together as she rushes them out.

Huh? What? She really... had been waiting for him to ask!?

"To be honest, I was getting really close to just asking you myself, but there was a small part of me that was hoping you would and... yes! I would love to go out!"

Aaron tries not to look like more of an idiot by doing a stupid dance or something, so instead, he smiles, unable to stop himself. He pulls out his phone and pushes it across the counter. "Put your number in, I'll uh, I'll call you and we can compare schedules?"

"Sure!" she says, picking up his phone while she hands hers to him. "You do the same."

"Great," he mutters, the two trading back their phones.

"I'm... really excited!" She laughs, the sound echoing in the small bakery.

He has no idea what they're going to end up doing, but he has a feeling he's going to love it no matter what. He honestly doesn't care what they do, as long as he gets to learn more about her, and listen to her laugh and talk. Maybe even kiss...

He doesn't want to get too ahead of himself.

"Yeah, I'm really excited too," he says, a smile stuck to his face while he stares at her excited dark eyes.

He can't believe he found Katelyn because some idiot wanted to order some dessert on Postmates. He supposes he can't hate his job all that much, if it led him to the sweetest girl.

[nerdy-bookworm-1998]

Audiobook of Love

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes x Reader Words: 846 Summary: Steve and Bucky are missing their best girl while on a mission, but she has a special surprise  for them. Warnings: Fluff A/N: This was an anonymous request: “If your requests are still open, can we please have a one shot of stucky being on a mission and missing their girl, and she likes to read so she sends them audios of her reading chapters from the books? Maybe they play them when they are feeling worn out or sad? I know it sounds cheesy as hell but I honest to God have done this with my boyfriend when he was working two states away and we missed our reading sessions”. Hope you like it nonnie! Please leave feedback/reblogs. If you want to be tagged in future works please send me an ask.

Steve and Bucky have been out on a recon mission with Sam for the past week, which wouldn’t bother them, except for the fact that they were missing story night with their best girl. Ever since y/n had officially moved in with them, they had developed a tradition where every night before going to bed, they would take turns reading chapters from a book. They were currently up to the fourth Harry Potter book. Sure, they could always just read it on their own, but it didn’t feel right to do that without their best girl snuggled comfortably between them.

They had retired to their hotel room for the night, leaving the cameras and motion sensors they had planted outside the mark’s room to stand guard while they had dinner and got some sleep. Steve and Bucky had just changed into the warm flannel pajamas that y/n had bought for them and were snuggling together under the covers of their bed when Steve’s tablet chimed with an incoming message. Steve leaned over and retrieved the device from where it was charging on the nightstand. Upon opening the notification, he sees that it’s a video clip from their girl. He leaned back against the pillow with Bucky tucked firmly into his side to see the screen and tapped play.

On-screen, they see y/n nestled into their bed at home with the Captain America and Bucky Barnes bears they had gotten for her from Build-A-Bear to keep her company on occasions when they couldn’t be there. She had turned on the fairy lights she insisted be strung above their bed along with the bedside lamps to give her just enough soft lighting to be visible on camera. “Hello, my loves,” she smiles tenderly. “I know that you are probably very busy trying to catch the bad guy, but I also hope that you are keeping each other as safe as possible until you can come home. I am also really missing our storytime, but I thought that this might help make it slightly easier to bear until you’re both back in my arms. I’m going to read aloud to you both and send you the audio clips and videos, that way you don’t have to miss our tradition and you have a little piece of me with you while you're gone,” she grins at the camera before lifting the large book in her hands, clearing her throat and starting to read the first chapter.

The men both let her melodic voice wrap around them like a warm blanket on a cold winter night. Before they know it, the chapter is finished, and she is closing the book. “I love you both so much and I can’t wait for you to get home,” she signs off by blowing a kiss and waving at them.

The room is silent for a long moment while they cling to the figurative warm blanket wrapped around them from their best girl's gesture, she always seems to know exactly what they need before they even realize it themselves. The silence is broken when Bucky sniffles softly and wraps himself further around Steve, clinging to his big, blond boyfriend like a koala and mumbling into his neck, “I wanna go home.”

“I know, Buck, so do I,” Steve whispers as he puts down the tablet and wraps his own arms around Bucky, burying his face in the brunet’s soft locks that smell like the vanilla and coconut shampoo y/n always uses.

For the rest of the mission, they receive an audio file every evening which they play as they snuggle under the covers of the bed that feels too large and cold without a third body wedged between them. When they are finally able to go home after catching the mark in the act with a spectacular shoot-out ensuing as they tried to flee, both men are almost giddy with relief and anticipation. So much so that after only half an hour of being airborne, Bucky kicks Sam out of the pilot's seat and takes over for the rest of the flight, consequently getting them home in half the scheduled time.

After debriefing with Tony and Fury, Steve and Bucky make quick work of the walk to their quarters, flinging the door open they find y/n curled up on their bed under a soft blanket with the bear they had gotten to keep her company for when they were separated during long missions. She had just picked up her book to start recording the next chapter for them.

"Don't start reading yet!" Steve yells as he and Bucky drop their duffel bags and scramble to get out of their gear.

After the fastest shower of their lives, both men have dressed in comfortably sweats and soft t-shirts with damp hair and socked feet as they cuddle close to their best girl. She can't help but giggle at how much they remind her of two puppies as they gaze up adoringly at her while she starts reading the next chapter aloud. Her boys were finally home.

Tags:

@mcdesij @spiderrrling @arrow-guy @interestedbystanderwrites @murdocksmartinis @gwendelerynan @here2have-fun @bookscoffeeandracoons @bambamwolf87 @loricameback @rockrchick51 @love-nakamura @baebeepeach @timelordy-fangirl2 @jewelofwinter @caramell0w @jewels2876 @ladysergeantbarnes @notawritergettingtherethough @patzammit @fanfictionjunkie1112 @lumar014 @kirstie-evans-writes @robertdowneyhiddleston @lil-lex1 @dragonrosegardens @bookgirlunicorn @shadymidge @kaithezaftig @that-place-called-middle-earth @marshyrebelcloud

[doyelikehaggis]

Rowing the Rarepair Rowboat: Barry Allen x Iris West x Leonard Snart (The Flash)

Requested by @wonderdoves

He's not allowed to go anymore. It's all Barry hears in the lecture he gets from Joe when he brings him back from the prison again. Third time this week, he catches, refusing to look at him. Have to stop.

"No," Barry says flatly. And then he's running up the stairs and slamming the door to his bedroom shut. It's not his bedroom. It's just some guest room, currently holding the poor foster kid he had to take in.

True to his word, Barry doesn't stop. He wants to see his dad. He knows he didn't do it, no matter what anyone says. But apparently Joe swayed the prison into not letting Barry visit. Makes a point of telling him as much at breakfast, as if he can sense his plans.

Barry doesn't say a word about it, just eats his cereal in deliberating silence. And as soon as he's done and on the path to school with Iris, he takes a left turn in the wrong direction.

"Barry," Iris says, making him pause to look back at her. Her expression's confused, but her eyes are full of worry. "Where are you going?"

"Anywhere," he says, shrugging. Then he takes off.

He's never exactly been the fastest runner. Still, Iris doesn't try to follow. It's good, he wouldn't want to get her in any trouble. He doesn't care the same for himself.

No one questions the little kid wandering the aisles of a store, no one paying enough attention to see him slipping candy bars and strange little juice things barely the size of his hand into his pocket as he goes. Not when he actually has money to pay for the two things he sets on the counter when he's done.

Then it's back to wandering through the streets of the city, but at least he has chocolate now. It's not what he would like to be doing, but it's better than being at school and abiding by all of the dumb rules they're trying to enforce on him because he's "out of control" according to his teachers, and Joe, even the headmaster.

But around comes lunch and he's bored, so he finds himself slipping through a gap in the fence into the playground. He spots Iris. Alone. She's just sitting on the ground, back against the wall, flipping through homework.

It brings a small smile to his face. Approaching her, he sits down beside her unnoticed until he taps her knee with one finger.

She startles and her head whips up, eyes wide. But then she sees it's him and her features relax. Not too much, he notices; she still seems tense.

"I didn't think you were coming," she says, but her voice gives away that she's glad he did.

He starts to respond, mouth opening, but he's cut off by quick and heavy footfalls rounding the corner they're tucked behind.

A couple of boys. One's who have never liked Barry, and Iris through association. He can already tell that this isn't going to end well by the looks on their faces when they come up short and realize they're there.

In all honesty, Barry doesn't catch much of what happens. He's gotten used to tuning insults out that his brain just sort of automatically does it on its own. But he hears the words "mommy", "dead", and "orphan", and none of them are used with all that much sympathy.

Next thing he knows, he's on his feet and swinging for the closest one. His fist makes contact, hard, and he just keeps going. There's blood, he thinks, but he can't figure out where it's coming from as they end up on the ground.

There are rough hands pulling at his shoulders and he thinks Iris' voice is there somewhere. But all he can focus on is the bubbling anger that's been boiling inside of him for weeks now, at the man who really killed his mom, the police, Joe, even his dad for not fighting to see him.

The other boy isn't fighting back, he registers faintly, his hands pushing at him instead to try and topple him. Then a fist makes contact with the side of his face and he falters, thrown off balance.

It's long enough for them to shove him off. His elbow scrapes off the ground and his head hits it with a thud that makes a dull pain shoot through it. But it doesn't feel so bad. It actually feels good. Even the stinging in his hand.

There are shouts now, deeper, older voices. More footsteps hurrying in their direction.

He tilts his head, catching a glimpse of the boy, being carefully hauled up by his friends. There's dark splotches on the ground, and when Barry manages to look at the boy's face, he finds it covered in red. Blood streaming from his nose, his forehead, his mouth, even the back of his head. And he's crying. Kind of screaming, actually.

Barry feels a hand taking his and he looks to his left. He finds Iris next to him. Holding his hand. His hand that's scraped at the knuckles and covered in someone else's blood.

Her eyes are wide and terrified and shining more than he wants them to ever. But she swallows and just holds his hand a little tighter with a smile. One that says I'm with you. No matter what. Even after that. It makes him feel a little less lost and alone.

~

Security cameras. How did he forget to avoid the cameras this time? Because he's eleven, and it just didn't really cross his mind.

But they did. Joe has to talk to other police officers because of it. And because of that kid. A broken nose, concussion, and some damage to his mouth. They said he was lucky there was no permanent damage to his eyes as well.

Barry feels a little stir of regret. He just snapped. But the kid started it, and he didn't even want to be at school in the first place. He wanted to see his dad.

Joe's talking to the principal, too. The parents aren't happy. The store owner isn't happy. Barry hears him try to come to his defence; he's eleven, he's a kid, he's traumatised and grieving, he's in pain, he just needs help and support.

Maybe he's right. But Barry doesn't want his help. He doesn't want his support, because he won't give it to him where it matters most. He still doesn't believe him.

This isn't the first time he's been in trouble.

"He's been caught stealing before," the store owner says.

"He's violent and aggressive and is in fights far too frequently," the principal says.

"He's broken school property." "He's damaged store property." "--public property." "Truancy." "Vandalism." "Theft." "Fights." "Hospital."

"Acting out." "Scared." "I can help him."

"Pressing charges." "Needs discipline." "Out of your control." "Just a foster kid."

Barry chews on the inside of his cheek, biting it until he can taste blood. Iris is silent next to him, but he can feel her fear. Not his own. He's not afraid.

"A juvenile detention facility will just teach him a lesson that he needs to learn. It'll be better for him."

The hearing goes through. A couple hours of community service. It could be worse, Joe reasons. Barry doesn’t say anything.

~

Cleaning graffiti from windows is his punishment. Barry doesn’t entirely think that this is an eleven year old’s job, but apparently complaining about it will only make it worse. Not that he cares either way, but it at least gets him out of that house.

It’s working in silence mostly, the other kids scattered out in the vicinity, doing other jobs. The supervisor is around somewhere, but not close by, fortunately. It’s actually kinda boring. Right up until--

“Psst. Barry.”

He glances around for the source of the familiar voice, and he finds it. Iris’s head, peeking out of an alley on his left. He relaxes, starting to smile, then hesitates.

“What are you doing here, Iris?” he asks, trying his best to sound disinterested, and with real suspicion. A touch of bitterness. “Did your dad send you here to keep an eye on me?”

She looks hurt. “No. I told him I was going to Dinah’s house to study. I just wanted to see you. You’re always in your room.”

Barry softens, and he lets himself smile this time. Iris then glances at the graffiti-ed window and her face scrunches. 

“That doesn’t look fun,” she notes. “At all.”

“Wanna give it a go?” he jokes.

Iris scoffs. “And do it all for you? I don’t think so.”

Barry rolls his eyes, but he laughs. A laugh bubble up out of her chest as well, and it makes his heart skip a beat. As if it’s a few months ago, when everything was good and fine. It feels so familiar.

Then his eyes dart off to the side and he catches sight of a group of boys making straight for him, and he knows he’s in for it. Especially since the leading boy has a black eye and bruised face, and his nose looks a little wrong in some way. And he looks pretty intent on revenge.

“Go,” Barry quickly tells Iris, who’s eyes are wide now that she’s spotted them, too. But she shakes her head. “Run, Iris,” he hisses. “Run. Please.”

She listens. He watches her take off out of the alley and down the street. The boys pay her no mind; she’s not the one they want. Unfortunately for him, he can’t even run away this time unless he wants more hours of service.

Barry swallows, but stays where he is, tilting his head up. A bad move, he decides, because suddenly the kid’s on him and he’s just given him access to land a blow on his jaw.

It hurts. A lot. It throws him enough that he doesn’t have time to react before the boy’s throwing another punch, straight to his stomach this time. It winds him and he doubles over. Then it’s punch after punch, the sharp kick of a shoe. He doesn’t try and fight back.

The numb pain is actually soothing. Like all of the turmoil, the anger that’s been boiling like a brewing storm thundering inside of him, it’s all draining out of him with each blow. 

His head’s starting to feel like it’s detaching from the rest of him and sitting up high on a cloud when there’s a shout. For a moment, he thinks it’s just from one of the boys, probably mistaking a laugh.

“Get out of here unless you want me to show you how this pocket knife works,” an unfamiliar voice says, strangely calm, but low in a dangerous way. “Or I can just get my buddy to light you up. How do you like the sound of feeling your skin sizzling and peeling off your bones until you’re just a puddle of flesh?”

The blows stop coming. Barry faintly catches the sound of hurried footsteps, now running in the opposite direction. Someone actually scared them off, he thinks in disbelief. That’s a first. 

He cracks his eyes open, and it feels like an effort for at least one of them. A boy comes into sight above him, standing over him. His expression matches his voice. Calm, but something dangerous in the cold, glinting eyes. Like ice. 

But he reaches a hand out to him. Barry gingerly takes it, and finds himself faced with Iris appearing at the mystery boy’s side. She’s crying. 

“Your girl ran into me, and she was a mess, so.” The boy waves a hand like it’s a good enough explanation for a question that wasn’t asked. He eyes him, then the window. “Ah. You’re the new kid, right?”

Barry’s eyebrows furrow, his attention divided between taking Iris’ hand to reassure her he’s okay. “Uh, new to...to...?”

“The legal system. Juvie.”

The boy raises an amused eyebrow at him. Barry’s finally able to register details about him and notices that he must be a couple of years older, maybe thirteen, fourteen. Probably why the boys ran off. That, and the good few inches he has on all of them, not to mention the threat of a pocket knife that Barry can’t help but glance at his pockets for any sign of now. Just in case. 

Barry just stays quiet. 

“Thank you for helping...” Iris steps up, raising her chin. She trails off pointedly.

The boy stares for a moment. His eyes that Barry are realizing aren’t just cold like ice, but are the colour of it as well, flick between them. Then a slow smile spreads across his face. 

“Snart,” he answers her silent prompting. “First name’s Leonard, but call me that and I will shiv you. Don’t have to be in juvie to carry one on you.”

Iris’ hand tenses in Barry’s, and admittedly he’s a little intimidated. But then Iris laughs. He glances at her like she’s out of her mind, but the pain in his head must be getting to him, because a slight chuckle escapes him as well.

“Noted,” Barry says.

“Does that mean that people call you Leo?” Iris asks, and she’s teasing. She is teasing the older boy who just threatened a group of kids with a pocket knife and clearly knows his way around the legal system better than them. “Or is it just Snart?”

“No one calls me Leo,” he answers coolly, but there’s a quirk at the corner of his mouth. “Besides, I highly doubt I’ll be seeing either of you again. No need to be on an any name basis.”

He turns his stare back to Barry, and something about his expression tells him that his own face isn’t looking so good right now. He winces for him, actually looking almost sympathetic.

“Piece of advice for you, kid,” he says, “run away next time. Or find yourself someone to look out for you. That’s what I did, and I’m still alive.”

He then turns and walks away. Finally, he pulls his other hand out of his pocket, flipping a knife between his fingers like it’s a game. 

Iris tugs on his hand, bringing his attention back to her concerned gaze, her hand gently reaching up to his face but not quite touching.

“Come on, we need to do something about this,” she says, and she makes him abandon his window in favour of finding the supervisor.

~

Barry’s community service is due to end, but apparently skipping out on doing it only lengthens the punishment. He’s sure that stealing a couple more things from a store probably didn’t help. 

Breaking the rules of his community service, they say to Joe. Needs more extreme measures. Isn’t learning anything. Not enough discipline. Barry could already feel what was coming.

His community service doesn’t extend, but becomes a two-week sentence to a juvenile detention facility. Joe tried to fight that, too, but he seems wearier. More hopeless. Like he’s slowly realizing that nothing he’s doing is working on him.

And he hasn’t exactly been too happy about Iris hanging out with him when he’s skipping his hours. Or accepting half a stolen chocolate bar from him, waiting around the corner. Barry doesn’t see the problem. That doesn’t seem to help.

So, when the sentence is given, there isn’t as much of a fight. From Iris, there is, but Barry shrugs it off and says it’s fine. He’s only been at the facility a couple of hours, but it doesn’t feel so bad. There’s a room, and food. 

And it’s boring. 

Then, at last, he gets a sliver of hope that these two weeks aren’t going to be as dull and torturous as they seem. He spots Snart across the room, sat on a table, in conversation with a slightly taller, slightly older, even more intimidating boy. 

It’s probably a huge risk to just approach someone in juvie, Barry thinks. So, he does exactly that. Walks right over to them, practically unnoticed by mostly everyone else as one of the smallest people in the facility. 

“Hey,” Barry says when he reaches them. 

Snart keeps talking, as if he hadn’t heard him. The older boy doesn’t show much acknowledgement either.

Barry considers tapping Snart to get his attention, then remembers the pocket knife, the threat, and just the overall general unspoken rule of not touching anyone in juvie if you want to keep your hands.

He tries again, addressing Snart this time. It works. Snart stops talking, his eyes sliding to him, sharp and like a cat’s narrowing. Recognition flickers in them.

“Beat it, pipsqueak,” the older boy next to him grunts out, menace flashing in his eyes. He doesn’t have the same cold glint, but it’s still harsh, but more blazing, like burning flames rather than ice. 

“Well, well,” Snart says, ignoring his friend’s comment. That same slow smile is curving his mouth as he seizes Barry up with subtle disbelief. “Proved me wrong. Tell me you and that girl didn’t get yourself thrown in here for fun.”

Barry chuckles, but shakes his head. “No."

“You know this kid?” his friend asks in confusion.

Snart shrugs, a tilt of his head. “Stopped a couple of kids from killing him during community service a few weeks ago.” He turns his head, smirking at his friend. “Sound familiar, Mickey?”

His friend grunts again, clearly displeased. “It’s Mick. I’ve told you to cut that out or I’ll shiv you myself, Lenny,” he shoots back, and Snart glares. 

Mick then looks back at Barry. He doesn’t seem any more eager to have him standing there, but he doesn’t protest as much anymore. 

“What’d you do, kid?” he asks. “Set something on fire? Rob a bank?”

“I’m eleven,” Barry says in confusion. “How would I rob a bank?”

Mick shrugs. “Easy. Just--”

“Just, answer the question,” Snart cuts him off, tone somewhat gentle, but sending an exasperated look Mick’s way. He turns back to Barry. “What’d you do?”

“Just stole some stuff,” Barry says flippantly, brushing it off. He pauses. “And... I sort of vandalised a cop car.”

Both of them light up, interested. Mick laughs, and Snart looks fairly impressed. 

“All right,” he says, nodding, then throws a glance around, “and, uh, your girl?”

“Iris isn’t here. Just me.”

Barry can’t help but notice the flicker in Snart’s expression when he mentions Iris’ absence, almost as if he’s disappointed.

“Does just me have a name or am I gonna have to keep calling you pipsqueak?” Mick asks.

“Oh, it’s Barry,” he answers. 

Mick’s eyebrows draw together. “That short for something?”

He’s clearly asking for a reason. One that Barry is not going to give him to him considering the nicknames he’s sure he probably already uses on Snart. 

“Nope,” he says, shaking his head. “Just Barry.”

The answer’s accepted without question.

“Alright then,” Mick says. “I’m Mick, and that’s Len. Though, personally, I recommend you call him Leonard. He loves it.”

“You do remember that you have to share a room with me, right?” Snart asks him, the implications clearly there. “You really want to be pushing that one knowing that?”

Mick glares, looking like he very much wants to. But he doesn’t. He presses his lips together and breathes a sigh out through his nose, but says nothing else on the matter. A wise decision by the sounds of it. 

“Okay,” Barry says, grinning. “Got it. Guess we’re on an any-name basis, then.”

Snart--or Len, Barry decides--catches his eyes with a knowing look. He’s smiling, almost secretive about it. Then he’s rolling his eyes but motioning for Barry to join him on the otherwise empty table. He does, and Mick starts talking again about something or other. Juvie could be worse, Barry decides. 

~

Visitation isn’t like it is in the proper prison. Instead of being separated by panels of glass and having to talk through a phone, there’s a room filled with soft chairs and two-seated couches in four rows with a table in between each seat. 

Barry sits across from Joe and Iris. Joe keeps looking around like he’s unsure about something, questioning, searching. Barry just focuses on Iris the entire time. They talk, they laugh, it’s surprisingly nice. Then again, every moment with Iris is usually. 

When Joe excuses himself for just a second to go and talk to one of the guards, or whatever reason he gives that Barry doesn’t listen to, he feels someone drop down beside him on the couch. Iris’ eyes widen. 

“Was wondering when we’d finally meet again,” Len says.

Barry rolls his eyes, but turns to him, shoving his arm. “You’re not allowed to be here. Isn’t Lisa missing you over there?”

“She’s talking to Mick,” Len says, as if that’s practically the same thing. 

“Wait, you’re in here, too?” Iris blurts out, over her inital shock already. She then aims a light kick at Barry’s foot beneath the table. “You didn’t mention him!”

Barry starts to open his mouth, but Len’s beating him to it, feigning a gasp.

“You didn’t mention me yet?” he asks. “I’m hurt, Barry, truly.”

“I haven’t had a chance!” Barry says in his defence, and quickly waves a hand between the two of them. “Iris, this is Len, Len, this is Iris. There. Happy?”

Iris quirks an eyebrow as Len suppresses an amused smirk. 

“So dramatic,” Len jokes, addressing Iris with a shake of his head. 

She nods back, her laughter kept in her mouth, even as she says, “He always has been. I don’t think he can help it, but I’ve gotten used to it, and it’s now one of the reasons I love him.”

Barry’s heart jumps. Love. It means a lot of different things, he reasons, but his heart still grows and beats a little stronger when he catches her eyes and she smiles that cute, happy little smile at him. 

“Yeah, I can see why,” Len agrees softly. Then, when Barry looks at him in surprise, he rolls his eyes and gives his knee a nudge with his foot. “Though you’ve been a real pain since you got here. Honestly, can you go one day without getting in trouble?”

Barry grins. “But where would the fun in that be?”

“All right, I’ve been leaving you with Mick for too long, you’re gonna start setting fire to things soon.” Len turns to Iris. “Would you be willing to commit a minor offense to get thrown in here and take him off my hands? I’m going to go crazy.”

Iris laughs now and she shakes her head. “Sorry, boys, but I plan on staying out of here if possible. I’m not so easy to corrupt.”

Len’s eyes narrow, but the smile stays on his face. Sly, secretive, curious. 

“Perhaps,” he says. “Or maybe you just need to see that there’s fun to be had in a little corruption. It’s not all bad.”

“You’re in juvie,” Iris says blankly, raising an eyebrow.

Spreading his arms around them, one on the back of the couch, Len replies, “And it’s not so bad. We’re having fun, aren’t we? I’m just saying.”

“Do not get yourself thrown in here,” Barry says to her, laughing. “This is enough. Seriously. I’ll be out before you know it.”

Joe starts to come back over, and Len makes his exit. He only lingers long enough to wave a goodbye to Iris with a wink and promise Barry he’ll see him later before he hops back over the couches, settling back down beside Mick across from a girl about the same age as Barry and Iris, and an old man. 

~

So, Barry was a little bit off when he said he would be out in no time. He accidentally gets into a fight, and his sentence is lengthened by a couple more weeks. And it kind of just keeps happening. It’s not intentional, obviously. But he will admit that juvie isn’t all that bad. He has Len, and even Mick.

Time just passes. It doesn’t even really feel like it’s been a year and a half. But it has. And as the months have gone on, Joe’s grown more reluctant to let Iris visit. He says it’s affecting her. Making her distant and constantly worried about him, finding it hard to concentrate in school. Acting out. 

Of course, he says none of it to Barry’s face, but he overhears him saying it to his probation officer. When asked why he thought it was better if she visited less when it clearly makes both of them happy. But Joe’s firm. He stops Iris from coming. So, Barry eventually refuses to see him, too. 

He’s a little more miserable, to be honest. But Len’s there, cheering him up, at least. Mick’s... well, Mick.

But Barry’s probation officer talked to him a couple of weeks ago, bringing a little bit of news. Bad in their eyes, of course, but very good in his. 

He’s not allowed to see Iris the day she’s brought in, letting her get settled into her room first. Just down the hall from him. Apparently juvie in Central City doesn’t care about separation. 

But the next day, when they’re forced to go to class, he finally sees her and takes the seat right next to her. She lights up right away.

“Really, Iris?” he asks jokingly. “I know you missed me, but Len was kidding when he said you should join us.”

“No I wasn’t,” Len says from the seat behind him with a grin, shaking his head. 

Iris smiles. Something that people wouldn’t expect from someone on their first day in a juvenile detention facility. 

She shrugs. “What can I say? You made it sound fun.”

“What did you even do?” Barry asks, leaning across in his seat. He catches Len doing the same, shifting just a little, his curiosity obviously piqued as well.

“I was just skipping too many days of school...” she says, fiddling idly with a pen, “...stealing too much from the same store...but in my defence...I missed the chocolate you kept stealing for me, and it’s really not as much fun without you.”

Barry grins. “So, what you’re saying is, you missed me.”

“Maybe,” she says, rolling her eyes. She then points a thumb back at Len, adding, “But it’s his fault, too. If he hadn’t interrupted every one of our visits just to tell me what you guys have been up to, I wouldn’t have felt like I missing out. Or like I should be rescuing one of your from the other. Still haven’t decided which one needs it more.”

Barry scoffs, but Len’s smirking, a happy glint in his eyes. It’s a rare sight, one that Barry sees now and again. It’s how imagines he must look when he gets that heart-skipping feeling around Iris.

“Definitely me,” Len drawls. “I’m going out of my mind, Iris. Mick’ll agree with me, won’t you, Mickey?”

Mick groans from two seats in front of Iris, turning to look back at them over the empty one between them. “Stop dragging me into this. I’m tired. And I don’t care. Kill each other, please.”

Iris raises her eyebrows and looks at the two of them. But they both laugh and just wave it off as Mick slumps in his seat, his arms crossing. 

“You’ll get used to him, if you stay long enough,” Len says. “He grows on you. Eventually. As do I.”

“Eh, he’s alright,” Barry says when Iris looks just at him. 

“Rude.”

Barry leans back in his seat, grinning at him upside down.

“Kidding.”

Len’s eyes narrow. Barry had once thought they looked like cold, harsh ice. Dangerous and terrifying. They still kind of do, as does Len in general. But it’s like a softer ice now, in the middle of melting but not quite there. But slowly getting there. 

“So, Iris,” Len turns back to her, a mischievous look replacing the feigned glare, “tell me, do you like heists? Because, you definitely need to for this to work. Barry, Mick, and I are already planning our future for once we get out of here, and there are many heists involved. Are you in?”

“So much for subtle,” Mick mutters. Len ignores. 

Barry shrugs helplessly when Iris shoots him a questioning, almost disbelievingly amused look. They’ve talked about a couple of heists. Jokes. Maybe. The ideas aren’t so bad, and at this point, Barry isn’t sure what his future’s looking like. Maybe bank robber is his destiny. Hell, maybe they could break into Iron Heights and get his dad out. 

A genuinely thoughtful look crosses Iris’ face as she hums in consideration. 

“I’ve never really thought about it,” she admits. “How high are our chances of being caught? Because, my dad’s a cop, and I really don’t think it would be good if he caught us.”

“Not to worry about that,” Len says. “I always have a plan.”

Iris takes another moment, pausing. “All right. If it’s a good enough plan, and if Barry’s in, then sure.”

“I’m in,” Barry says, grinning. “Let’s rob a bank.”

~

“Why does stealing from the CCPD seem like our dumbest idea yet?” Barry whispers, but he keeps walking, careful not to make a noise in the deserted hallway. 

He glances at his watch. Seven minutes left. He can make it in and out in seven minutes. As long as he’s fast. He can do fast. 

“It’ll be fine,” Len assures him through the comms, his voice that soothing calm. “Just get to the lab. You remember where it is, right?”

“Yeah.” Barry turns the corner and spots the big sliding doors. “Right here. Okay, so, I go in and--”

“And you find the evidence,” Iris finishes for him, confirming. “They can’t afford to pull any of our fingerprints, or hair, or just any DNA off of it. Grab whatever they have on us, then get the hell out. My dad’s going to be there in six minutes, forty-three seconds.”

“Okay. Got it.”

Barry reaches up, flipping the little switch on the side of his goggles. Everything quickly turns shades of blue and orange and yellow. No red. No human heat signatures nearby, and none in the lab.

He slides the door open and walks in, flipping the switch back. Setting the gun in his hand down on the nearest surface, he quickly looks around the lab. It’s immaculate, not a thing out of place. 

“Thank you, Mr. Albert,” he mutters under his breath. Makes his life a hell of a lot easier if he’s not having to rifle through a mess of papers and other pieces of evidence. 

Instead, it only takes him thirteen seconds to locate exactly what he’s looking for, and another sixteen to carefully pull the evidence from the machine mid-test. Thirty-two to find the file, swipe it, and stuff it in his bag, which he keeps away from all surfaces. Eleven to grab the two other items of evidence they have against them, and then twenty-four to delete the digital file and the half-run tests. Not a single thing left to indicate there was even a case in the first place. 

Stepping back, he closes up his bag, grabs his gun, then makes back for the door. “Okay, we’re all good here.”

“Wait, Barry, see if you can find the evidence from the Laurdon case as well,” Iris says. 

“Good idea,” he says, quickly recalling their uncertainty over whether or not they had accidentally dropped something at the scene. 

He backtracks, heading back over to the case files. There’s a flash of light from the corner of his eye and he glances over at the windows. Probably just lightning, he reasons, or some part of the launch tonight. The particle accelerator finally being turned on gave them the perfect opportunity to clear their tracks since nearly everyone is over at S.T.A.R. Labs to watch it.

Finding the file, he flips through it. One bit of evidence, still being processed. 

Barry sets the file back and quickly moves over to the shelves. It said something about a chemical test that he remembers trying out a good few years ago. It’s just a matter of finding the right one. 

Fortunately, it’s not so hard. He grins, triumphant as he spots the beaker up on the second highest shelf, filled with a red liquid and a tiny strip of fabric. 

He reaches for it when there’s another flash outside, brighter this time. For a brief moment when he looks back at the windows, he thinks he was right in it being a storm. But then he takes in what he’s seeing. The lightning isn’t coming from the sky. It is, but it’s like it’s being controlled by some beam shooting up into the sky right from S.T.A.R. Labs.

Confused, he takes a step towards the window, then falters, glancing back at the shelf. The air feels like it’s filled with static. That’s not a good sign.

“Barry?” Iris’ voice asks. 

He’s going to respond. But his eyes fix back on S.T.A.R. Labs just as something happens. He can’t even explain what; a surge of powers, but accompanied by a bright light, shooting out from the building and sweeping all over the city. Coming straight towards him.

His eyes widen, but when it hits, he just feels the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck stand up. The lights go out. Every light, not a single dot within the whole expanse of Central City. 

“Barry? What the hell was that?” Iris asks, alarm in her voice now. They felt it, too. 

“Barry,” Len says sharply. “Answer.”

“I--I don’t know,” Barry says. “Something must have gone wrong with the particle accelerator, I think. There was like this power surge, and lightning, and--”

Thunder rumbles overhead. Right above him, actually. Far too close to be safe, especially when he still feels like he’s just stuck a knife in a toaster. 

“I’m leaving,” he says. 

He moves to make good on that, but stops short at rain pouring into the room. His eyes flick up and find a hatch in the roof. Open, of course. CCPD really has some geniuses on its payroll. 

Ignoring it, he moves to head for the doors. But as soon as he steps beneath the hatch, he can feel the shift in the air. The dread and panic already creeping up his spine, latching its claws into his shoulder. The taste of something metallic fills his mouth. 

He barely has time to lift his eyes back to the sky to see the bolt of lightning come straight down. It strikes him, and he’s aware, somewhere, of his body being thrown across the room by it. Of his back hitting something hard and metal, of things crashing down around him, and a burning beneath his skin and on it, like acid seeping through into his veins while he’s set alight. 

~

Speeding straight through the doors, Barry then skids to a halt and quickly slides it shut. When he turns around, he’s met with raised eyebrows and pointed looks that he’s all too familiar with.

“Damn it,” he groans, feeling the burn in his shoulder now.

He whips his shirt off, throwing it to the stone floor to stamp the flames out. 

“He’ll learn eventually,” Len says wryly, voice coated in sarcasm. 

Iris grins from her comfortable position in his lap, legs stretched out across the couch. “It’s been a year.”

Barry groans again, saying, “It’s hard, all right? You don’t know, it’s easy to forget that I can just--accidentally set myself on fire because I ran too fast!”

“I’ve accidentally set myself on fire,” Mick says, and Barry nearly startles, finding him sitting at a table in the corner of the room, drinking a beer. “Wasn’t pretty.”

The room falls silent at that. Barry just looks over at Len and Iris, and they all have a similar thought process of just let it be. It’s Mick. They’ve been used to it since juvie. 

“Alright then,” Barry mutters. Then, clearing his throat and in a more audible voice, says, “But anyway. Thought you’d like to know that I got it.”

Iris’ eyes widen, and she perks up, head lifting. Len’s expression isn’t quite as expressive; it never is, but Barry can see the glimmer in his eyes, the spark that comes alive.

“You got it?” Iris asks. “As in, it?”

Barry grins and produces the little leather pouch from his pocket. He holds it up and now they’re definitely both brimming with excitement and amazement, all knowing what’s inside. Even Mick is eyeing it with interest. 

“I got it,” Barry says again. He shrugs. “Perks of being a speedster, I guess. Some geniuses they are. S.T.A.R. Labs didn’t even have any alarms in place. I went straight in by them and straight back out with it.”

He crosses over to them and tosses the pouch for Iris to catch, which she does with both hands perfectly. In return, she briefly moves her legs to let him drop onto the couch before she throws them back over his lap. 

“Does it work?” Len asks, glancing at him. 

Iris is already pulling the strings to open it and tipping it upside down. A triangular device tumbles onto into her lap. 

“Don’t know.” Barry shrugs, spreading his arm over the top of the couch. “I haven’t tried it out. I was obviously waiting to get back here to you guys for that.”

Len smiles a little. Then all eyes are back on the device, now between Iris’ fingers as she turns it over slowly, careful. It’s grey and blue and definitely looks like what he was expecting. If he was to build one, it would pretty much be the same.

“If this works, you realize we can go anywhere we want now, right?” Iris says, voice as full of excitement as she seems, looking at the two of them. “Any planet. A different universe, even.”

“So many banks to rob, so many heists,” Len says dreamily, almost mocking.

She shoots him a look and presses her lips together in a smile. “Seriously, though. If this extrapolator is the real deal...”

“Would be pretty cool,” Barry agrees. “So. Let’s test it out.”

Iris holds it out, aiming at the empty space in front of the couch. She hits the centre with her thumb, and it shoots out a small beam of light that quickly expands, becoming a huge glowing blue circle in the middle of the room.

They all stare in awe, even Mick, his mouth hanging open with his beer halfway to it. Barry breathes out in disbelief, then shakes his head and turns to Iris and Len. 

“The universe awaits then, I suppose.”

[kreactionsentertainment]

Exo Reaction ~ You Saving Them Pt. 2

Admin Eva: As stated in Part 1, I do not take credit for writing this reaction. A very good friend of mine helped me in a huge way by writing this reaction. I also want to state that this blog does NOT own any of the gifs used unless stated otherwise. Once again this reaction does have a part for Jongdae, however as stated before this is the last romantically inclined reaction that will be on this blog. I will still write sibling requests or just general exo requests, but none will have Jongdae and a romantic interest. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding~! 

Jongdae

Jongdae was intensely focusing on his battle with Chanyeol, if anyone was winning, it was him and not that stupid flamehead. He charged up several lightning bolts and threw them at Chanyeol like spears while he tried dodging all the fireballs being thrown his way. The two hit each other and caused a big explosion, throwing both men miles apart. You sensed something was wrong and immediately went to Jongdae's location. When you saw him, he was lying motionless on the ground, bleeding profusely from what looked like deep cuts and ash? Being a healer, you focused all your energy on sealing up his wounds and helping his body repair itself. You sat back and looked at Jongdae disappointedly after you finished healing him. 

“I know your awake Jongdae.” The said man opened one eye to glance at you before closing it straight away, hoping you didn’t catch that. “You know, I keep telling you that it's not smart to battle Chanyeol when you and him have destructive powers. Now I’m going to have to report to Suho and ah ah don’t say anything, you brought this upon yourself Kim Jongdae.” Despite his whining, he knew what he did was dangerous… he just didn’t want to have to listen to both you and Suho lecturing him at the same time, but for sure he was dragging Chanyeol with him whether he got caught or not.

Chanyeol

As the lightning spears barely scraped by Chanyeol, he added more heat to his flames, causing the fireballs he threw to be a blue color. He wasn’t looking when his flame hit Jongdae’s spear and blew up, sending him into the air along with Jongdae before they both smacked into the ground. Chanyeol called out to you because you would be able to hear his voice no matter how quiet or far away you were. Your body appears as if the wind carried each particle and built you back in front of Chanyeol. You rush down to his body and start inspecting all the burns. With a quick sorry, you pushed your powers into Chanyeol as he bit down on a piece of cloth. 

The winds felt like it was cutting up his body internally, but your powers of wind were fueling his powers of fire, causing his body to regenerate quicker. Like magic, the existing burns from Jongdaes thunder looked like they were being erased in front of your eyes. With one last force, you fell on him and laid there to rest. Chanyeol could hear Jongdae’s girlfriend nagging him about being reckless and here he was just hoping you’d forget this after you wake up so he wouldn’t have to listen to your lecture about “being safe” and “taking precaution”. With a little kiss on the nose, he smiled softly. “Don’t think you're getting away with this, I’m just too tired right now, but you already know Suho’s hearing about this.” And just like that, his smile was gone and he was back to worrying how he’d deal with you and Suho for the nth time.

 Kyungsoo

“Find him! Don’t let him get away!” Kyungsoo had been on the run ever since he stole that guy's wallet, and boy did he regret it. The polished black leather wallet had looked too expensive but expensive was good, expensive meant money and that meant he could eat for the week, a month maybe if he was extremely lucky. Turn out the amount of cash in this wallet would be enough to feed him a whole year, that’s discarding all the cards because a smart person would just suspend it or track him down. Speaking of, he was currently being tracked down right now, but instead of the police sirens, he was hearing gunshots and yelling.

Kyungsoo ran and ran until he couldn’t anymore. He had once prided in his ability to run fast, a thief who couldn't was a dead thief anyways. Today proved him wrong, that the people he outran before were normal people, those who were easy to escape from. Today he was being chased by those who seemed serious in getting this wallet back. He found a hole that looked his size and crawled in. He didn’t expect to see someone already sitting in this small space. The girl in front of him starred unblinkingly as she ate what looked like a small piece of stale bread. “Hi!” You exclaimed at the owlish boy. Kyungsoo backed away in fright only to hit the metal scraps that served as a wall to your home. “Oh.. sorry, umm..” You took in his appearance and grabbed the wallet once you saw it. Opening it up, you saw a familiar face, not that you personally knew the guy, just that he was well known around these streets. “Oh boy! Did you steal this from Mr. Mouse? That's a bad idea you know! He goes bang bang when he’s upset..” Kyungsoo snatched the wallet back from you as he squinted at your speech. “I think that bread you're eating is causing you to go crazy.” He took the piece of bread from you, only to realize it was a dried piece of chicken. He suddenly dropped it out of shock while you scrambled to pick it up again. “That's my dinner! How rude!! No wonder you’ll go bang bang in 13 minutes! 15 if you’re lucky!!”

Kyungsoo was too busy wondering how a piece of chicken could be as dry and crusted like stale bread. He even wondered if it was safe to consume, “wait, 13 minutes? 15? How do you know?” The numbers seemed too accurate unless she was truly crazy... “Mr. Mouse has a clock! 30 minutes or bang! The lizard finishes in 10 minutes but he’s away today. The next fastest is the little deer! He doesn’t like to be called that though~” You giggled at the thought of a mad deer. “And.. the deer finishes in 10 to 15 minutes?…” He wasn’t sure what you meant by Mr. Mouse, the lizard and or the deer, but he assumed they were code names made by your loopy mind. “Bingo!~ Hehe~” You tried taking another bite of the chicken when it was suddenly taken away again. “Hey!!”, “Show me the way out of this city and I’ll buy you better food.”

Kyungsoo soon found out that you were incredibly smart, just that your mind stored information in a very simple way. After he safely got away, he offered you to come with him with the promise of better food and living conditions. You guys would still be on the streets sometimes but it was never as bad as that metal shelter, especially now that you had someone to keep you company, one that didn’t think you were completely insane.

Zitao

Gunshots were being heard throughout the building and Tao didn’t know where to go. He just kept running until you pulled his arm and dragged him in the opposite direction. “Are you crazy? The exits this way!” You whispered as loudly as you could afford to. Working in a bank was definitely boring for you, but that didn’t mean you wanted robbers coming into ‘spice’ up your day. You guess this guy was new as he didn’t have the exit routes memorized yet nor did he seem to understand that you don’t run towards the sound of gunshots. Opening the exit doors to the stairs, you warned him to follow you as quickly and quietly as he could. For some reason, Tao managed to stay pretty quiet, with the occasional scream, but he remembered right after and covered his own mouth to prevent the robbers from finding them.

After what felt like too long, both of you got out and together you ran to the nearest cafe before calling the cops to let them know the updated situation. “Th-thanks” You had forgotten about the guy for a brief moment but waved that it was no big deal. He hadn’t gotten you more in danger and it just seemed right, rather than letting him run around the building like a headless chicken. “Let me buy you a coffee!” Tao quickly went to the counter and order two things he felt would taste good. He tried to calm his racing heart down but he wasn’t sure if it was due to the adrenaline or if it was because of you. That day on, Tao would always stick close to you when he can and you soon found out this guy had a lot of fears. But it was cute, that and afterwards he always bought you something to eat or drink when he got scared.. and when he simply wanted to.

Jongin

You jumped into the ocean after waiting what felt like forever for Jongin to pop up. You guys had gone cliff diving with friends and while you all had done it numerous times, you felt uneasy when Jongin wasn’t surfacing. The others assured you, he was probably just playing a joke, but you thought differently. Jongin wouldn’t scare you like this, this was too long to be a simple joke, so here you were swimming in the warm ocean trying to find your boyfriend. You rose multiple times to take a deep breath before swimming down again. Your friends saw how panicked you looked and jumped down to help you search for Jongin too.

He had jumped down into the warm water and man did it feel great. His friends had already known he would pull a prank at one point. So when he entered the water for the fifth time that hour, he held his breath for as long as he could. A few minutes passed by and he was starting to feel uncomfortable. As he tried to swim back up, he realized his foot was caught in some plastic netting and other plants that floated in the ocean. Jongin did his best to unraveled the webbing around his foot but he was starting to desperately need air. His body started to panic and he wasn’t thinking straight anymore.

You had finally found him and called your friends to come help. Everyone took a deep breath and swam down to where Jongin was. You carefully cut away the plastic and saw that it was stuck to heavy rocks, no wonder he wasn’t able to getaway. Once Jongin was free, the guys swam back up as you and the girls followed along, making sure there was nothing to get caught on around them. Back on land, you immediately performed CPR and prayed that Jongin was okay. A few seconds later he was bending over to cough up the water in his lungs. His chest and sinus stung like crazy as he was gasping for the much need air. Jongin pulled you into a tight hug once he felt a little better. He told you how thankful he was over and over, promising to never pull a prank like that again.

Sehun

Sehun had his breath knocked out of him as you tackled him to the ground. “Idiot!” You yelled at him as bullets continued to fire his way. He hadn’t realized he was getting shot at, as he was too focused on watching your back. The two of you had been partnered up together on a few missions years ago. Soon after, you both started to go on every single assignment with each other. Little did you know, Sehun had been requesting to work with you, and you did the same for him. How embarrassing it was when your boss yelled out “Finally!!” at a work party. Only then did you guys find out how silly your actions seemed when it would’ve been easier to say it face to face.

Sehun focused his attention on you to find any scratches and luckily there weren’t any. He kissed you deeply, too caught in the moment of feeling how grateful he was that you were okay. You immediately pushed him down in panic, what was he thinking? You both were in an active shooting zone and here he was kissing you? He let out a soft groan as his back hit the concrete floor, maybe he should show you how much he appreciates you once you both were safe at home.

He gave you another peck on the forehead and told you to be safe before he headed off in a new direction. Although he was always extremely grateful to have someone like you watching his back, he needed to remember that they still had a dangerous job to do. Often times you would save his life and he would save yours. Despite that, there was never a moment that either of you took it for granted, as your life was too precious to him and you cherished him.

[bubbleblower]

Minor Details Ch 3/?

AN: Oh Man you guys. You guys! I'm so touched and flattered and freaking out right now. I've gotten like 33 new follow requests since posting this story and I just don't even know what to do with myself. Thank you all so much for the kind words. I really hope you continue to like the story

Ao3 Ch1 Ch2 Next

Adrien knew she was Ladybug. ADRIEN KNEW SHE WAS LADYBUG. Alya was being akumatized again but ADRIEN KNEW SHE WAS LADYBUG??!?!?! Marinette let herself be dragged down one hallway after another, too busy panicking to really pay attention to where they were going. Before too long they halted in front of a custodial closet, Marinette teetered a bit at the abrupt stop.

"This should do nicely, there's no-one around" Adrien said turning to meet the still panic stricken face of his friend. He smiled, so widely that it tipped up at the sides. "Marinette, snap out of it bugaboo, Alya needs you right now. You can transform in here" he said scooting her into the closet.

"What?!- But... Adri-.. I'm not.. How??" She spluttered as he closed the door. He paused, smiling softer now.

"Who else could she possibly be other than you?"

Marinette stood in the dark of the closet for a moment catching her breath. Tikki floated out of her purse, a serious expression on her face.

"I told you that was a bad idea, Marinette."

"I'm sorry Tikki, I'll figure out a way to fix this. But for now we need to transform and save Alya. Spots On!"

Ladybug dashed out into the commons, she had seen Alya transformed a couple of times now, both as Lady Wifi and as Rena Rage, but this form was new. Alya floated above the ground in a full suit of silver armor with red detailing, and was carrying a large shield in the shape of a Ladybug. Below her cowered most of the student body, eerily silent. In her other hand, held outstretched, Chloe dangled limply in her grasp. As Ladybug tiptoed closer to get a better look Chloe turned her face away from Alya, tears rolling down her cheeks, her mouth and hands were completely missing.

Marinette must have gasped in terror, because Alya turned to face her. Alya's face was paler than Marinette had ever seen it, and her hair and eyes were both bright red.

"Alya.." she said, taking a step back from the Akuma.

"Alya isn't here. I'm the Defender. You verbally attacked innocent citizens on the Ladyblog last night, be prepared to never communicate again."

Ladybug jumped and somersaulted out of the way as multiple jets of red light shot towards her from the center of the shield. Great, another ranged weapon Akuma who could fly. If Alya hit her, she wouldn't be able to summon her lucky charm, or cast the miraculous ladybugs to fix the damage the akuma caused. The Akuma seemed to sense Ladybug's distress firing round after round of energy at her, not giving her a moment to rest. Oh, how she hoped Chat showed up soon.

"Funny, I thought the phrase was 'Cat's got your tongue' not Ladybug." A familiar and incredibly welcome voice commented as Chat bounded into the room, extending his staff and knocking the Defender sideways.

"Chat!" Ladybug crowed, the relief evident in her voice. "The Akuma is in her shield. We've gotta work quickly on this one so she can't take away our ability to summon our powers. Lucky Charm!"

Chat nodded knocking the Defender sideways again before summoning his own

"Cataclysm!"

Marinette's summoned object fell back into her hands.

"A hand mirror?" She looked helplessly around the room. Chat's hand and the Akuma's shield both lit up in polkadots. Just then Alya got a hit in, sending Chat flying past Marinette, a jet of red light following him at a rapid pace. Jumping into action, Marinette held up the mirror in one hand, reflecting the beam back at the Defender, and with her other lassoed Chat with her yoyo slingshotting him back as well.

The Defender ducked down, raising her shield above her head to deflect the beam, putting her Akumatized object right into Chat's trajectory. Just as Marinette had known would happen, Chat slapped his hand down onto the shield, disintegrating it with his power, releasing the butterfly for Ladybug to purify.

"Pound it!" Ladybug grinned holding her fist out as the magical Ladybugs rushed around the room. Chat smiled back engaging in their ritual, and they both jumped out onto the roof of the school.

"That might have been the fastest we've ever stopped an Akuma My Lady. Well done."

"I couldn't have done it without you Mon minou" Chat's smile softened.

"You didn't have to defend me like that last night you know. I know what people say about me behind my back, and they aren't always wrong. It means a lot to know how you feel about me, but it's not worth getting Akumatized over." He sighed, slipping into a sitting position with one leg dangling off the roof. Marinette huffed dramatically, throwing herself carelessly down next to him.

"I meant every word, Chaton. They're wrong. You're the best hero I know of. And I can't stand to hear them say such horrible things about you. Especially since..." Marinette swallowed guiltily. "Especially since I'm actually the screw up."

"My lady?" Chat began, an edge to his voice that conveyed both confusion and a willingness to argue the point.

"Oh, Chat. I really messed up. Someone discovered my identity. I thought I had been careful last night hiding my room from view of the camera. But I must've missed something or let something slip, because he knew who I was today when I came to class." Chat tried very hard to look natural and concerned, but he wasn't quite sure he managed it.

"He? Who is this guy? Are you in danger? Would he tell the press or anything?" Chat managed to ask, proud that he didn't fumble over his words.

"Oh, no!" Ladybug said, shaking her head vehemently. "Not Adrien. He's the most thoughtful and trustworthy boy I know. He would never intentionally endanger me. In fact if he wasn't so busy with his modeling I would have offered him a miraculous long ago." Chat could not contain his grin, getting to hear Marinette defend both of his selves in a single day. She really was just the nicest person he'd ever met.

"Modelling, huh? You wouldn't be talking about Adrien Agreste would you?" For the second time that day, Marinette froze solid in shock and horror. "So this is your school then, huh?"

With a groan, Marinette buried her face in her hands. Chat laughed outright.

"Well, Bugaboo, I know I've wondered a few times if we knew eachother in real life, and it seems I may have been right." He winked at her as she peeked through her fingers. "Don't worry. If this guy is really as great as you say, then your secret is probably safe. In the meantime you should probably pay closer attention to these minor details you keep letting slip" He tugged gently on the end of one of her pigtails, just as their miraculouses started to beep. "Cat-ch you later My Lady" he said pole vaulting off across the roof top.

Marinette watched him go, readying her own escape from the roof.

[gothamstreetcat]

Requested by Anonamous: 

I

It’s 2AM on another cold winter’s night in Gotham City as Selina Kyle walked among the moon. Fingerless gloves shoved deeply into her armpits having no place warmer to go. No place warm to take shelter like their owner. 2AM when the nearing payphone begins to ring stopping Selina Kyle at her feet in the dead of night because even in Gotham, no one tries to reach a payphone at this hour. Though tough and strong she is startled ultimately from being alone and 2AM is the hour between the hours when the crazies and weirdos start to come out. More dangerous and terrifying then the ones that walk amongst the citizens in the daylight. Selina, herself being the exception. As a cat, she is on the prowl. Restless and yet so tired at the same time.

She came toward the ringing payphone in its boxed framed, thankful that if it was ever to rain she would at least have shelter from that. Yet, the phone was still wailing its annoying sound and Selina was worried the noise was going to draw attention to her. She hesitantly picked it up anyhow.

“I need you,” was all it said. The voice on the other end. “I need you,” breathing deep into the receiver of the phone and Selina knew exactly who the voice belonged to. Not even bothering to wonder how in the world he’d found a way to contact her, yet instead, took notice of the sound of his voice. A sound like he’d been crying, or perhaps, crying still. Selina didn’t even hesitate after that, not a second longer before she said “I’m one my way,” and rushed from the phone booth back into the cold to find the fastest way to Wayne Manor she could acquire. Walking would take her an hour or more--he lived three miles from the city for heaven sakes--and he sounded desperate, scared. She had no time to waste. She had no time to play it safe.

Running down the strips of parked cars she slammed her fist into the handle of each door and pulled as hard as she could trying to imagine that the entire door might just yank free. Except none of them do since people in Gotham had somehow become smarter about locking their cars at night. Giving up, she smashes one of the driver side windows instead. The glass shatters against her leather clad elbow and she is thankful no alarm goes off. Locked doors or not, it’s easy to get robbed in Gotham.

Immediately she goes to work getting inside the vehicle and under the wheel. She’s never hotwired a car before but “she knew a guy,” once. However, getting the car started in considerably easy. The hard part is driving. She’s never done that before either, but when the old junker purrs to life beneath her feet she can’t tell if she’s nervous from fear or nervous from excitement.

She tries to push her feelings aside. There’s no time. “I need you,” was all he said. No contect, no explanation. Maybe she didn’t even give him a chance. Maybe it was Alfred. Had he gotten hurt? Was Bruce hurt? She wasn’t even sure where he was. Hospital or home? It was her gut that told her to drive fast, yet steadily to the Manor. The dial measuring her speed going up more and more as she finds herself flying down the narrow streets with such ease. Dogging the bit of stray cars in her way. Her foot resting more and more relaxed on the gas pedal as she makes it to Bruce’s house in a fraction of the time then had she walked.

She jumps out of the seat, not noticing to undo the seatbelt she never even bothered to throw on. Sneaking around the back like a robber clad in black through the night. Seen only when she wants to be and heard as nothing less than a crickets chirp, Selina makes it to the window fast enough. Her fingers curled around the knob feeling like Ice before she can even begin to process what she’s going to find on the other end. Still, she turns the handle and throws it open barging in.

There, she finds Bruce, standing swiftly and turning around from the couch. Teary-eyed and almost sobbing again when he sees she’s come. He says nothing and rubs his eyes. Clearing on the edge of crying all over again.

“Come here,” she crosses the room to him, arms outstretched.

It was just another nightmare. 

II

2AM when the phone rings in the pitch dead of night while Alfred sleeps peacefully in his quarters upstairs and Bruce lies awake staring at the ceiling. He rushes to answer the call as fast as it came to him to not disturb Alfred. Though, nervous as he was about the caller on the other end there was also only one name he knew would come to mind in regards to the hour.

Yet, when he picked up the phone and remained silent for such a long seeming time… there was no voice. No words. Just ragged breathing. A small sound that was barely there. Seemingly so far away that it forced him to speak from his own end.

“Selina?”

She can barely talk and his palms are both shaking and sweating as he grips his father’s desk. Both trying to stay as calm as he can while he presses the receiver further into his ear so he can hear her better.

“I need you.”

Her words come out broken as she tries to blurt out an address. Thankfully she does manage to get out: “the alley beside the pharmacy,” which he knows of. So he heads as quickly as he can to the kitchen and flings open one of the cabinet doors displaying an array of vehicle keys in the garage.

He snatches one up and hurries to the garage where he finds its owner fast enough among the rows of shiny cars. The engine comes to life as soon as he turns the key, breaking the silence of the dark. He’d never driven before except once with his mother. In the parking lot at the pier against his father’s wishes because his father felt he was too young. But his mother was a rebel—like with this car, bought with her own money despite not having too. It was a fixer- upper back in her day. An average car for an average person. “Seen better days,” his father would say. “But the best are yet to come,” his mother would reply.

He pulled out of the garage as silently as he could and prayed that Alfred would not have awoken and found him missing. Thankfully, the city was not that far away and if he stepped on the gas in clear roads he could make it soon enough.

He parked on the side of the street in a jagged fashion—noticing the payphone not too far away where Selina had probably called him. He stuffed his hands deep in his trouser pockets while exiting, realising he’d forgotten a coat in all the commotion, but when he saw a figure lying in the alley beside the pharmacy he forgot how cold it was instantly. Rushing to be at her side he called her name and come down flying to his knees.

She did not jerk into an upright position or startle at his hands shaking her shoulders as her face was buried in the gravel. Yet, when he maneuvered her onto her back he could see--just by the faint trickle of streetlight from the road--a thin trail of blood running past her lips and down her chin. Yet, it was not just the trail of crimson on her pale flesh that caused him shuttering concern, but the fresh smell. More prominent than just the tiny bit he could hardly see. He started compressing, staring at her arms all the way down to her stomach where he stopped cold. Wet blood. Warm and cold all at the same time, coating his hand from his fingers to his palm. Selina whimpered as he pressed gently.

Selina… He panicked. “Hospital,” was the first word that passed his lips. He could carry her to the car possibly, help her walk if she was able. However, by the time he attempted to help her up she was struggling against him and murmuring solf words he couldn’t hear. He bent close and she whispered to him again.

“Unlocked.”

The Pharmacy. The back door to the Pharmacy was unlocked, presumably Selina has unlocked it right before she had lost consciousness. He rushed in, luckily within an area he found himself comfortable. A stab wound. He need gauze, peroxide, badges, something to stop the bleeding and something to stitch the wound. Needle and thread. Luckily, he’d seen his father sitch up patients many times before from the doorway of the kitchen. Sounding more morbid then it is, his father would fix up up those who could not afford medical care right over their kitchen table. Bruce would come down in the hours he could not sleep and watch him do it while his mother played nurse. They were a team, the two of them, and he admired seeing his father in his true area of comfort. Not just sitting high in a chair at the Wayne Enterprises board. Working for the company was his duty but helping people was his passion.

When his father had finished and his patients were free to go the kitchen looked like a slaughterhouse. His mother would douse the countertops and floor with a mixture of water and bleach. By the time she was done everything looked perfect and spotless.

He gathered the last of what he needed into a plastic basket and snatched up a flashlight along with some batteries as well. Better to see in the dark he figured while he was sewing her back together. He rushed back out into the alley, slightly relieved to see Selina now a little bit more together and in a sitting position with her back pressed against the building bricks for support.

He crouched, fumbling in the near black with his fingers prying open the packages of batteries and bringing light onto Selina. The lamps in the street and the fluorescent colouring of the Pharmacy’s sign too far out of site to help him. Somehow he manages. Selina beside him breathing heavy without saying a single word. He flicked the switch on the flashlight and instantly the burning light flickered into existence. He shined it at Selina and surveyed the damage, pushing her leather jacket out of the way to get a better look. A stab wound, no telling how deep but deep enough to leave a decent sized stain on the black of her hoodie. Red blood and black fabric mixed together he could barely tell it was there but instinct made him sure. If he didn’t work quick he knew Selina had to protection to bleed out and die.

He got to work fast, pulling the medical contents out of the basket. Instantly Selina attempted to reached for something but her hand fell back to her side as quickly as it was raised.

“Let me help you,” he said to her.

She nodded and that's when he noticed with the burning light in his hand, a fist sized bruise covering Selina’s eye. Black and blue and swollen shut. How did she get such a way? Somehow it didn’t seem as important to him. Selina couldn’t speak and if he waited for figure an answer she wasn’t going to be getting the help she needed.

He took her in his arms and did his best to maneuver her onto the gravel while she helped. There he removed her jacket, unzipped her hood, and pulled her shirt up just enough to expose the wound. Selina shivered from the cold and that’s when he realised his own horrid chills going up and down his spine. However, he couldn’t let that slow him down. Selina’s body was already cold like ice. Her skin smeared in red.

He went to work, removing a pair of scissors he found in the desk at the cash register. He needed something to help stop the bleeding, so he took the only thing coming to his mind in the time of crisis. His sweater, which he removed before cutting it into large strips. Again, his body convulsed against the cold, but he found the faster he worked the less the cold seemed to bother him. Then he popped the cap on the alcohol bottle. “This is going to sting,” he told her, right before pouring the contents right over her burning wound. She screamed through clenched teeth and Bruce began pressing into the wound with shredded remains of his sweater.

“I know, I know,” he whispered. “I’m sorry.”

He started to feel guilty for hurting her more as she buckled beneath him while he pressed harder into the laceration. The pain was however necessary. Then he let the cold air breath over her to take some of the sting out.  

Selina’s hand shook in the darkness both from the cold and pain. She reached for the needle that was now occupying his fingers but she only caught his hand instead.

He held her hand for only a second to bring her comfort. “I can do it,” he said.

She groaned. Cursing under her swollen lip as she shut her good eye and prepared for a hack job. Yet, Bruce was gentle, either from an abundance of numbing pain or just because he was lucky, but Selina could barely feel a thing. Nothing but a pinch against her flesh on what felt like a monster sized mouth wound.

The smell of the blood made Selina nauseas while it’s pungent Odor somehow made Bruce more calm and focused as the tip of the needle weaved in and out through her flesh. Like cotton, so impossibly simple and easy. Selina’s skin was soft. All the while pulling the thread just a bit at a time while he worked. Check back at every little bit to see the look on Selina’s face as she winced. Her skin came back together by each pull. Beginning to look like it was almost perfect again. His stitching was impeccable, the wound was clean, the bleeding had mostly stopped. Selina was going to be fine; and while it was not the most ethical thing to do, it was Selina’s way of things and Bruce respected her for it. She was strong and tough. A survivor which he admired her for. If she wanted to be taken to the hospital she would have said so. She could have potentially made it anywhere for help, yet she called for him. Had the door unlocked by the time he arrived. This was her plan all along.

Now all stitched up and perfect he gave her one last look around to make sure she wasn’t bleeding from anywhere else. Then, he helped her back up from the ground to the wall and handed her a cool water bottle he snatched from one of the refrigerators. He placed it against her eye.

She threw something at him. He looked down at this lap and realized it was her jacket. His eyes went back to her face and he smiled. Selina’s lips twitched upward in the same, her fingers reaching up to cover his over the water bottle.

“You’re going to be alright, Selina.” His words are a comfort. 

III

2AM at the Sirens club and the lights are still burning fresh and hot. Selina weaves herself through the various party goers and young drunks. 2AM with the club partying still going hot. Booze and bodies flying around in a dizzy of heat and lights.

“I need you.”

They had been smart enough to get burner phones at this point but preferred more to talk face to face. They hardly ever used their flip cellulars unless in the case of an emergency—which Selina assumed this was.

“I need you,” he coughed deeply into the phone half sounding like he was puking and half sounding like he was just dry heaving. Even as mad as his recent behaviour had made her, and the overall display of a fool he was portraying, Selina wouldn’t be able to find it in herself to forgive if something bad had happened to him. Like if he’d had too much to drink and was steadily dying of alcohol poisoning or was too incapable of moving himself and was choking on his own vomit as she rushed to find his whereabouts. Worse, if someone had stumbled upon him and decided to take advantage of him in some sort of way. She had seen the way the girls forced themselves on the boys when they become too intoxicated. She tried to intervene when things such as those started happening but that was before Barbara stepped in and ridiculed her for doing it.

“Bruce Wayne,” she murmurs over the loud roar of mix of Gothic and Punk music. “Have you seen Bruce Wayne?”

Most people slur something and ignore her. But a group of kids in particular, who she seems to recognise point her in the direction of the gentlemen’s bathroom where she heads stomping her feet and balling her hands into fists.

She barges in. Screaming at all the people inside to leave before slamming the heavy door on their backsides and locking the key. Turning, she finds Bruce lying there in the handicapped stall, covered in vomit and looking like a mess. His pants pulled partly down his hips and the last couple of buttons undone on his nice blue-collared shirt.

She rushes over and collapses to her knees in front of him, holding her hands out and realizing how badly they are shaking when they hover over his shoulders. He smells putrid, but all she can come to understand is how drunk and disheveled he is. How sad it’s become of him living in such a state that it’s eating him alive.

Someone bangs on the door from outside and yells something neither one of them can hear. Shaken, Selina turns her attention back to Bruce who seems to have noticed her presence.

“Selina… is that you?”

She knows nothing else and grabs his hand. “Yeah.”

“Don’t leave me,” he cries.

“Don’t worry,” she assures him and squeezes his hand. “I’m going to take care of you.”

She starts by pulling his trousers back up over his hips, trying hard not to think or imagine how this could have happened. However, by the second she starts on the buttons of his shirt--removing them all she has to ask.

“Who did this?” is the question, rather then “What did they do to you?”

Unfortunately, Bruce doesn't give her any names. He only moans as he shifts himself around on the floor. She doesn’t press, knowing it’s neither the time nor the place for it. She thinks of calling Alfred to come pick him up, maybe even Detective Gordon. Yet, when she was in the process of removing his shirt she noticed his face become red with what she only associated with shame. If he wanted to call Alfred for help he would have. He called her instead. “I need you,” she recalled the message again in her mind and noticed his phone still open and lying beside him.

When she finally removes his shirt with success he tries his best to cover himself while she pushes the silk to the side. She throws her jacket over him for cover instead before she takes off with his blue shirt to the sink. Stupidly she begins washing it off with hand soap and hot water. The stink starts circling the drain.

If Bruce could have spoken to her their where she seemed far enough away and could not recognize the tears leaking from his eyes, he would have told her about the faces. Young and old, men and women. A blur of nothing but faces. He would have apologized for dragging her into such a disgusting mess. He would have choked on his tears before anything else.

Selina on the other hand, had realized then that even if his shirt was clean he could not wear it wet so she took it in its entirety and threw it into the nearby wastebasket. She came back to Bruce and told him she’d be right back, she was locking the stall door, and under no circumstances [not that he could] was he to open the door for anyone if they were to not figure it was unlocked. He was not to make a sound and he was not to go anywhere.

She headed out of the bathroom and back into the blaring soar of undersaged drinkers and bright lights. Avoiding everyone she followed the route that took her up the stairs into Barbara and Tabitha’s loft where she made a direct B-line into their bedroom and started rifling through the clothes in the beuro for a t-shirt. Oversized and baggy enough for Bruce to wear. Unfortunately, she never caught either one of them wearing clothes like that anymore. It was all about the club scene and appearances, yet she was sure Barbara would have at least something stashed away she could never rid herself of. In a drawer, a box, somewhere…

Which prompted her to check the closet, where she pulled the cord on the lamplight. There, high above her head was a brown box amongst various other frills and pink packaging. Tight dresses and short shirts with fancy tops hung on the racks before her though she could have cared less about all of it.

She reached under the lot for Barbara’s chair belonging to her make-up desk, and put her messy shoes over top of it to reach for the box. She bent it down toward her just enough to pull one of the flaps open and peer inside. Perfect. So clearly seen under the burning fluorescent closet light--one of Jim’s old GCPD T-shirts. She snatched it from the box and put everything back where it belonged before heading all the way back down into the bathroom where Bruce was still lying, untouched and unmoved.

She goes to him and touches him gentling over the leather. He’s stopped shaking and his eyes pop open as he stares at her hazily.

“Put this on.”

She helps him, of course, and this time he does not shy away from her gentle hands and soothing voice. He does not ask about his shirt or this shirt, nor does he ask where she acquired it from. It smells clean and comforting. Afterwards, Selina takes him in her lap lets him rest there saying: “only until you feel better.” Then they shall go.

She call tell he falls asleep quickly, which reminds her of the times they shared living together on the streets, Rough sounding but considerably better circumstances when she would cradle him during sleep and the nightmares became overwhelming. They would be sleeping in the bathrooms of train stations and gas stations. Those first couple of night were hard, but Selina smiled knowing know they were the best times of their lives.

IV

It is 2AM in the morning of Gotham General. 2AM in the black darkness where even the staff and patients are all fully asleep or trying to for the very least. Shockingly with not a single soul heard through the halls or the rooms. Everyone quiet. Even Bruce who was busy pacing down the halls in his state of unrest.

While doing so he hears a voice call out which gives him pause.

“I need you,” the voice calls out.

Even though like a whisper and very soft, he recognizes the voice immediately. Selina.

He comes in quickly but composed enough as to not frighten her. His hand traces the metal railing at the edge of her bed where he sees Selina lying down and fidgeting uncomfortably.

He finds a nearby plastic chair and pulls it to her side while he takes the hand lying across her stomach and lays his other in her hair. His heart jumps.

Is she scared? Is she in pain? What does she need? He waits for some kind of answer before Selina chokes and tears fall.

“Don’t leave me.”

That’s all he needs to hear for him to stay.

[makeste]

BnHA Episode 39: It’s Freestyle

Previously on BnHA: Pretty sure this takes place just after the whole “Deku goes to the shopping mall with his pals! WHAT COULD POSSIBLY HAPPEN -- oh. Oh, no” incident. Deku, Shigaraki is coming. OH MY GOD HE HAS AIRPODS ON. HE CAN’T HEAR US. OH MY GOD.

But of course it all turned out fine and Tomura skipped back home to plot how to destroy All Might by something something kidnapping Bakugou.

Today on BnHA: 

It snowed, and I went home from work early. So I turned on The Pool Episode of the BnHA anime because WHY NOT. 

Just FYI, I’ve only watched this once before, several months back, and don’t remember too much of it except that everyone has a very loose concept of what freestyle swimming is, and that I very much enjoyed it.

This recap will be manga spoiler-free since we want everyone to be able to have a fun time! So as long as you’re all caught up with the anime you should be good to go. I think I made a few references to the forest lodge arc but that’s it.

okay so the episode opens up in the ol’ villain bar (man I miss this place), with some All Might TV special playing, until Kurogiri switches it off

and now he’s turning to Tomura and they’re just like. staring at each other

and now Tomura is grinning and saying “I figured it out”

again, if you recall, he’s just had the epiphany that his purpose in life is to fuck up the Symbol of Peace in whatever way he can. so he’s pretty happy. I think it was Mark Twain who said, “the two most important days of your life are the day you were born, and the day you go to the mall and realize you just want to make All Might really sad”

so he’s recapping that the reason why Stain and the U.A. Wunderkinds piss him off so much is because of All Might, and All Might pisses him off because he’s always smiling “so thoughtlessly”

and now he’s running off somewhere. probably to plan the kidnapping

alone again, huh Kurogiri

he’s so cute lol

he’s looking at the photo of Izuku that Tomura conveniently left sitting on the counter, and mentally summarizing who Izuku is and what his most notable accomplishments are. because this is lowkey a clip show filler episode to ease people into the anime’s third season. but it’s pretty well done though

and now we’re cutting to Deku’s apartment, and he’s narrating about how they’ve finished their first semester at U.A. and have now started their summer vacation!

au contraire, Deku. this episode begs to differ

so he’s continuing his workouts to prepare for the upcoming training camp

I’m sure that camp is going to go great, by the way

and now we’re getting a flashback to that video of All Might rescuing people. the one that baby Deku loved so much

and he’s thinking about how All Might gave him his power. you know. just to remind anyone who’s only just now tuning in, for whatever reason. and they’re like “what is this weird show and who is this green-haired person who gives me weird Tsuna vibes”

and then the doorbell rings, cutting into his reverie!

and LOOK WHO IT IS

how do you guys know where Deku lives. and you do know that Bakugou also lives just like the next block over, yes? I mean. since you’re here and all

no one would ever do this, by the way. wear a long-sleeved black button-down shirt in Tokyo in August, I mean. but also, no one would just randomly visit someone’s house just to ring the doorbell and invite them to go someplace when they could have just texted them instead

but that is indeed what they are doing! they have come to invite Deku to go with them to the school pool! for training. wink

and now we’re cutting to Vlad and Aizawa as they plan the training camp

but before that, Vlad has a favor he’d like to ask Aizawa

“all twenty of them. in detail. but also, like, don’t take too long, though. just maybe kind of summarize it and give me a presentation that’s roughly, let’s say, about two minutes long”

and Aizawa just agrees. just rolls with it with no hesitation at all

and starts rattling off his students in alphabetical order

meanwhile my mind starts wandering and I start to wonder if Horikoshi intentionally planned it so that Izuku would come directly after Katsuki in an alphabetical list of the class 1-A kids. or if that was just a coincidence. he puts so much thought into the names that I wonder if he rejected any last names that started with an H or a P or a B just so he could do this

anyway now Aizawa is done. it actually took two and a half minutes

obviously there’s no time for that, Aizawa!!

lol and he’s interrupted by Deku, Kami, and Mineta barging in and asking if their request to use the pool was approved

you mean to tell me you guys dragged Deku all the way here and you didn’t even know if it was okayed or not

thankfully, Aizawa says that the school did indeed approve them to use the pool until 5pm

[shifty eyes] yep. endurance training. you know us. fuckin’ love to endure. and train. yessirree

there is no way he actually bought that even for a second, right?

but anyways, he’s telling them to do their best

he probably doesn’t actually care. or he just bought it because Deku was there, which of course was Kami and Mineta’s plan the whole time

and now we’re cutting to the pool, and sweet, innocent Deku genuinely believes they’ve really come here to train. “what a great idea, Mineta!”

he’s also excited because since they’re at school they can also use their quirks

which yeah, I forgot that would normally be forbidden at the ocean or at a municipal pool or whatever. for reasons which will later become apparent in this very episode

anyways, so Kami and Mineta are all, “[shifty eyes] [snrrk] that’s right! PLUS ULTRA”

I fucking love how Deku is just the ultimate rube here

meanwhile Kaminari is telepathically communicating to Mineta that inviting “the diligent Midoriya” was a good call. he really does lend legitimacy to the whole operation

Mineta is telepathically communicating back that if it had just been the two of them, they might not have gotten permission

wow they’re actually having a whole damn conversation in this manner

so now Kaminari (still via telepathy) is asking “by the way, there’s no problem with that, is there?” and Mineta is all “nah I overheard all the girls saying they were gonna meet up at the school pool over the summer break”

except he doesn’t get to the point right away, and we actually see a cute flashback scene with the girls all talking about how the school said they were supposed to refrain from taking any long trips over the summer

meaning that poor Momo had to cancel her vacation plans

sorry Momo, instead you’re just going to have to settle for being attacked by a monster with chainsaw hands, and saving Bakugou’s life. when life gives you lemons

and then they go on to plan the meetup at the pool

and there’s a scene of Mineta and Kaminari fantasizing about the girls in their cute swimsuits. but it’s tainted by Mineta’s perverted aura

and now the two of them are running down the hall heading for their paradise

ONLY TO FIND

oh right, this was the episode when I realized that Iida Tenya and Ryuugazaki Rei = maybe the same person?? I don’t know, what do you guys think. it’s just a theory

anyway so all these cuties are also here

hey hey hey indeed

because it’s The Pool Episode, Mineta. listen, we’re going to see Todoroki without a shirt. whether you like it or not

Deku says that since they were doing endurance training, he messaged everyone to see if they wanted to come

doin’ god’s work there, Deku

and like, we already knew this, guys, but Iida Tenya is fucking ripped. like, he is built. he is SOLID

I’m just saying

now Kaminari is clutching a fist woefully and saying that Deku is too diligent

but Mineta is telling him to calm down and that the girls are still here too

and they are!

hey ladies

anyway so Kaminari is annoyed that they’re not wearing bikinis, but it’s still good enough for Mineta

I don’t know why I’m detailing their antics, but I mean they are responsible for getting us here in their own roundabout way, so

anyway, now this towering Muscle God is coming up to them and congratulating them

it’s like his arms are made of Cotati metal fibers

and now he’s cheerfully lugging them off to come exercise with them

oh wow we’re doing the commercial break thing. so we’re already halfway through the episode. how bout that

so the girls are splashing around with a beach ball and having a blast, and it’s very cute

meanwhile the boys are taking a 15-minute break, and Kami and Mineta are lying on the ground already exhausted

and Iida is opening up a cooler full of orange juice

Kami is bitterly asking why Mineta applied to use the pool for endurance training when they could have gotten permission to use it for sunbathing like the girls did

meanwhile poor Aoyama is shivering and clutching his stomach, having apparently overworked himself

so my takeaway from this though is that his navel laser is waterproof. technology is so cool

Iida’s walking over to Deku and handing him a drink, and now Iida is getting all reflective on how far their friendship has come

which is of course a means of segueing to more flashbacks (of the U.A. entrance exam, and their first battle training exercise at Ground Beta)

and then at the end of all that reminiscing, Kacchan decides to make his grand entrance!

and of course since this is a filler, full Flanderization is in effect, and he’s pretty much immediately establishing his personality as Hates Everyone But Especially Deku by stomping over towards Deku like he wants to fight him for basically no reason

but thankfully this guy’s here too

and of course, Kiri’s own Flanderized personality is basically just The Bakugou Whisperer

Bakugou is all “HEY SHITTY DEKU YOU WANNA SETTLE OUR SCORE RIGHT NOW” lmao

and Deku is all “eh heh, no thanks”

BUT!

Iida Tenya has other ideas!

and now he’s raising his hand high into the air and loudly asking if the other guys want to see which one of them can swim 50 meters the fastest

yesssss Iida. somebody realizes he’s in a filler episode! time to get our pointless competition on!!

and now the music is picking up and the other guys are like “YEAH! THAT’S A GOOD IDEA!”

and the girls are volunteering to help as well! because Momo also realizes she’s in a filler!

Ojiro does not realize he’s in a filler, apparently, if he’s asking a stupid question like this

no, Ojiro, you’re just going to spend the rest of the episode swimming like normal people. pssh. as if. who tf would watch a whole anime just about a bunch of hot guys swimming. who would watch three whole seasons of that. who would watch three seasons and four movies of that. god, Ojiro

anyway, Iida is like, yes, duh, quirks

Bakugou is grinning and stomping over to Deku and he’s all “I’LL CRUSH YOU, DEKU.” because you know Bakugou. all day long, he’s just, “gotta crush that Deku!” all day erryday

oh wait, and we can’t forget about that other guy too

“why am I involved in this, I was just sitting here quietly”

so now that we’ve established how Bakugou wants to crush everyone, we’re cutting to our first race!

and it’s Mineta, Tokoyami, Kouda, Bakugou, and Kaminari

Momo’s telling them to take their marks

and of course, as soon as she blows her whistle, Bakugou activates his quirk and just blasts off to the other side

Kiri and Sero are all WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘HOW WAS THAT’, YOU DIDN’T EVEN SWIM

and Bakugou is all

which is honestly the best joke of the entire episode ngl

so then next are Satou, Kirishima, Sero, Aoyama, and Todoroki

and given what we just saw from Bakugou, it’s pretty obvious what’s about to happen here

thank you filler gods

and then Iida, Deku, Ojiro, and Shouji

and by this point you have to figure that Shouji and Ojiro already know they’re screwed

amazingly, even though Iida activates Recipro, Deku still somehow beats him to the other side. we’ll all agree this is blatantly impossible and that Iida for whatever reason just let him win. Iida would have already been at the other side of the pool before Deku could even fucking say the words “full cowl”

and now Todoroki is watching Deku help Iida out of the pool, and he’s flashing back to the sports festival when Deku broke all of his fingers in the name of love and friendship

lol and Iida’s flashing back to all that Hero Killer arc stuff

it’s so dramatic. you’re at the fucking pool guys. calm the fuck down

then for some reason we briefly cut over to the police station where Naomasa is showing All Might a slideshow of stuff that he already knows, and summing up the rest of the League of Villains’ activities up to this point

and now we’re back at the pool where the three main char -- I mean, the winners of the previous three heats, Deku, Bakugou, and Todoroki, are going to race each other for first place

and Bakugou’s telling Todo not to hold back like he did at the sports festival! and Deku too!

and they’re all lining up! and their squads are cheering them on!

baby~ this is what you came for~

and Iida blows the whistle, and they all leap into the air -- !

BUT THEN

oh my god I forgot about this part

I’m laughing so hard

and everyone is all WHAAAA

and Sero is holding up his hands in confusion and he’s all “their quirks were erased?”, as though it’s a complete and utter mystery how something like that could ever possibly happen!

and then this mofo walks in announcing that it’s now 5pm

and he’s telling them all to go home

they’re starting to argue with him that they just got to the good part

but Aizawa is all

and they’re all “LOL NOPE”

so then we cut to Bakugou and Kirishima walking home, and Bakugou is complaining about how Aizawa stopped the race

and he’s thinking that he won’t lose to Todoroki and Deku

and meanwhile Deku is standing on Dagobah beach, and All Might walks up to him

and there are a few more quick flashbacks about One for All being passed down to Deku, blah blah blah

and then All Might is all “Midoriya-shounen, the training camp will be tough,” which may just be the most hilarious understatement of all time

and that’s it! that’s the episode!

I gotta say, even with it basically being just an excuse for flashbacks, I still enjoyed this ep even on the second go-around. this should be a template for all future BnHA anime filler. just have all the class 1-A kids hanging around doing stupid stuff. that’s it. I’m easy to please lol

[trashcanmarvelfan]

Best. Job. Ever 9/13

Summary: Reader gets a job on the set of Spider-Man: Far from Home for the 3 weeks they are shooting in New York City as what she thinks is a production assistant, but a twist of fate has her reassigned as Tom Holland’s personal assistant. As she & Tom grow close during filming, will their budding friendship turn to more or will they go their separate ways after filming concludes?

Warnings: Language, but that’s pretty much it? This is basically a PG-13 rom-com. (Legal) alcohol use as well but since it’s legal do I really need to tag it?

Word Count: 1600 for chapter 9.

Author’s Note: As this was written WAY before Spider-Man: Far from Home was released (actually before Avengers: Endgame was as well) I’ve kept plot details and which scene was being shot on what day extremely vague. Also, I’m American but tried to write Tom as British as possible, although I do think he’d try to stay(ish) in character and use as much American slang as he could while he’s still playing Peter.

Chapter-Specific Author’s Note: :|

Requests are always open!

Cross-posted at AO3.

Y/N had just gotten dressed to go meet Tom and Harrison for brunch when her phone chimed with a text alert.  A bright grin bloomed on her face when she unlocked it.

Tom: Good morning.

Hi, she typed back.

Tom: I’m heading downstairs. Want me to go ahead and order your coffee when I get to the restaurant?

Sure. I’ll be right down.

She did a quick check in the mirror before grabbing her purse and heading out the door and down to the restaurant, where Tom and Harrison were already seated. Y/N’s coffee was waiting for her, already fixed to her liking.

Y/N glanced at Tom as she sat down, who gave her a shy smile as he sipped his own coffee.

They had a pleasant but mostly quiet brunch.  Y/N kept sneaking glance at Tom whenever she thought he & Harrison weren’t looking, remembering the kiss from the night before and blushing into her french toast. Professional, Y/N, she kept reminding herself. Keep it cool in public.

At one point she looked up and noticed Harrison watching her. He glanced back & forth between her & Tom and raised an eyebrow.

Y/N felt herself blush again. Shit, he caught me staring at Tom. She was relieved when Harrison turned to Tom and asked a question about plans they had made for when Tom was back in London.

The rest of brunch passed without incident, and as they stood to leave Y/N gave Harrison a long hug and a quick peck on the cheek. “It was so great getting to meet you.”

“It was great getting to meet you too,” Harrison replied. “Stay in touch, and if you’re ever in London let me know.”

“Sure will. Have a safe flight.” Y/N turned to Tom. “I’ll see you later for our meeting?”

“Yeah, sure,” Tom replied.

“Bye, guys.” Y/N headed back up to her room to get some work done before her meeting with Tom.

She set her reminders for the upcoming week then decided to start reading one of the books she had bought at the Strand the previous day.  She became so absorbed in the story that she was startled when her phone rang.

“Mmmlo?” she answered.

“Y/N,” came Laura’s voice. “Have you seen the Celebrity News Report website today?”

“Of course not,” Y/N replied. “You know I don’t read that gossip rag that calls itself a news site.”

“Well you have to at least see today’s front headline. Here, I’m linking it to you.”

Y/N’s phone chimed with a message and she tapped on the link.

HAS SPIDER-MAN FOUND HIS SPIDER-LOVE?

“Oh shit,” Y/N blurted. Above the article was a grainy photo of her & Tom at the nightclub the night before. From the looks of it, it was taken right before their almost-kiss. Luckily, it was dark and of super poor quality like it had been taken with a cell phone from a distance and Y/N’s face was turned away from the camera, so there really was no way to identify who was in the photo.  Y/N quickly scanned the article.

Spider-Man actor Tom Holland, who is in New York City filming Spider-Man: Far From Home, was spotted getting awfully cozy with a mystery (Y/H/C) at an undisclosed NYC hotspot last night.  Sources say that Holland, 22, has been spotted at several different NYC restaurants over the past few weeks with the same woman. Has he moved on from co-star & rumored flame Zendaya, or is he playing the field? Keep it here at the Celebrity News Report to find out more as the story progresses!

Y/N groaned. “They didn’t even mention that Harrison was there as well. I danced with him too, you know.”

“I know,” Laura replied. “You didn’t post anything on your Instagram from the club though, did you?”

“No, of course not. I only sent you that selfie.”  Y/N sighed. “I actually haven’t posted anything on Insta since I’ve been in New York.”

“Besides, it’s not like there’s anything going on between you two anyway.”

Y/N was silent.

“Wait, right?” Laura asked. “Y/N… Nothing *is* going on, right?”

“Umm, well…” Y/N hesitated. “Tom and I kissed last night.”

“WHAT?!?”

Y/N quickly moved the phone away from her ear so she wouldn’t go deaf from Laura’s pterodactyl screech.

“I want deets, girl! SPILL!”

“Ok, well, when we first got to the club Harrison insisted that we all do tequila shots to start.”

Laura clicked her tongue. “Y/N, you know what happens when you drink tequila. Remember the Delta Pi party sophomore year? You almost wound up naked with the captain of the collegiate swim team!”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. I chased it with lime juice this time like I’m supposed to, how was I supposed to know it’d still hit me like it did? I’m used to the cheap stuff!”

Laura laughed. “Anyway, go on.”

“So we did a couple of shots, then Tom left to go get me a drink while Harrison went dancing.  Oh, then  this creepy dude hit on me and Tom pretended to be my boyfriend when he got back. Then Harrison came back and Tom and I hit the dance floor, which is probably when the picture was taken.  We…err… we *almost* kissed on the dance floor but someone bumped into us, so I said I was hot and needed to go to the restroom.  We had a few more drinks in between dancing and it was late when we got back to the hotel.  We all took the elevator up and Harrison got off at his floor and told us good night, and Tom and I had initially parted ways once we got up to our floor, but Tom had my phone and ID and stuff so he walked over to give it to me so I could get into my room and one thing led to another and… he kissed me.” Y/N sighed at the memory.

Laura squealed. “Ooh, girl, you are so lucky!” She paused. “Hey, listen, I’ve got to go, there’s an early call time on set today, but I want to hear more later, k?”

“Ok,” Y/N replied.

“I’ll talk to you later. Bye!”

Y/N hung up and flopped back on her bed. Shit, what am I going to do?  She’d have to lay low for the rest of the filming. She couldn’t be seen in public with Tom or else someone might figure out that she was the girl in the picture, suss out her identity and create a media frenzy of speculation. Neither she nor Tom needed to deal with that, Tom being a pretty private person outside of scheduled interviews and what he personally shared on Instagram and Twitter and Y/N beginning a new job in a few weeks. She definitely didn’t want to be the subject of company gossip when she was just starting out.

Her phone dinged with a text.

Tom: Hey, Haz just left for the airport. Can I come by?

Y/N replied, Give me like 15 minutes?

Tom: Sure.

Y/N hauled herself out of bed, took what was probably her fastest shower on record, and dressed in flannel lounge pants and an oversized sweatshirt.

Not long after she had dressed, there was a knock on her door. “Y/N? It’s me,” came Tom’s voice.

She opened the door. Tom stepped in, holding 2 coffees.

He held up had holding one of the coffees.  “I was downstairs and thought you might like this.”

“Thanks so much,” Y/N said, taking it.

Tom rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.  “Before we get to next week’s schedule can we talk about something?”

Shit, shit, he saw the article, Y/N thought. Of course he did, his agent probably stays on top of any kind of news about Tom.

“I suppose you’ve seen the gossip sites this afternoon...”

Y/N nodded. “I hadn’t, but Laura called me a while ago about that picture floating around the internet of us dancing at the club last night.”

“Well… umm,,, also speaking of last night -- I mean, after we got back from the club, that is…” Tom looked uncomfortable.

Shit, he regrets kissing me, Y/N thought. Give him an out. She waved him off. “Oh, the kiss? That was no big deal. Don’t worry about it.”

“No big deal?” Tom echoed.

“Psh, yeah. We both had been drinking, and ya know, with oxytocin and sciencey brain chemical stuff combined, things happen. We can just forget about it, chalk it up to a drunken mistake.”

“Right.” Tom fiddled with the sleeve on his coffee cup for a second, then pointed his thumb towards the door. “You know, actually, I just remembered I have something to do now, so I’m gonna go. You can just email me my schedule for next week, yeah? I’ll see you later.”

And with that, he turned, and for the first time in almost two weeks, Tom left without at least giving Y/N a hug goodbye.

As the door clicked shut, a pang hit Y/N in the solar plexus. She wanted to run after Tom and tell him that she didn't mean it, that the alcohol had long since worn off so she had kissed him with a totally clear head, and that it had been the best kiss of her life and that she would remember it forever.

Instead she curled up in her bed and cried herself to sleep.

Taglist: @laureharrier @thoughstofaredhead & @greenarrowhead

[princessesofauradon]

Lana: Isle vs Auradon

a/n yes it is I, Bianca, aka @darlingsteveharrington , back from the dead and ready to write for Descendants again. So I posted these a while back and I have since revamped them and I am so much happier with these. My babies have been reborn!!!! I’m so happy to be writing for them again I missed them so much anywho (also requests anyone?)

also shoutout to @askhaylieooc I saw your ask and I have no clue what happened but it’s not there anymore :( I did see it though and thank you 1000 times over for showing interest in my OC's and inadvertently helping me start writing for them again <3

Lana on the Isle

All through her childhood Lana never once stepped foot on the Isle. She was raised in the Underworld by her father. The closest she ever got to it was her father’s restaurant and even that place was nothing compared to what was outside its walls. Her mother died on the Isle of the Lost and, despite what most people thought about him, Hades was almost overprotective of Lana.

She has on occasion visited Mount Olympus though. It was always when there was a meeting of the Gods. Her father, being the God of the Underworld, was invited to them (albeit a little reluctantly). The Gods were different than the people down on Auradon. Staging a failed coup wasn’t the worst thing one of them had done and so they always greeted Lana with open arms. It was during one of those visits when she met Kellan wandering around the gardens.

That was the first time Lana had had a living friend. A few days later Yen Sid delivered a letter to the restaurant. Kellan had sent it to her from Auradon. They exchanged letters back and forth and Yen Sid soon became her designated messenger, not that he minded much.

Hades was quite possibly the only parent on the Isle who genuinely cared about his kid. He had a temper, for sure. More times than one he banished people’s souls but still, that was tame compared to some of the more…spirited villains. It was part of the reason why Hades had avoided sending her to both Dragon Hall and Serpent Prep. Instead, he sent her to Elysium three times a week to be taught by some of the better ancient philosophers. “C’mon Lana, who doesn’t want to be taught by some dead guy who everyone thinks is so great”

Hades actually tried to talk Lana out of finally heading up to the Isle. “Lana, those people are crazy. Trust me, you don’t want to be around them” “Can’t be any crazier than the ones down here” After a lot of arguing Lana finally convinced him to let her see the Isle. They compromised and he armed her with a dagger that was said to be able to rip the soul straight out of your body.

Lana was a bit of an urban legend around the Isle so there was a lot of talk when she finally left the Underworld. Mal and Jay were the first ones to approach her. “It’d be in your best interest to fall in line with us. I’ll even teach you everything you have to know about his place personally” “Sorry, I don’t fall in line very well”

That day she went to Yen Sid to pick up her letter and that was when she was approached again. “Your Hades’ kid?” “Who’s asking?” “He came to the Chip Shop a few days ago and told us you’d be heading up soon. Recommended we take you under our wing” “Did he? And who might you be?” “Uma”

Uma and her pirate crew adopted Lana almost immediately. They called her ‘the purest thing on the Isle’. Lana hadn’t been exposed to enough of the chaos to become as corrupted as the rest of them and it had made her more than a little naive. She was trained to defend herself by Uma’s best, Harry and Gil.

It wasn’t long before she ran into Evie in the markets. Lana caught her trying to take some fabric from one of the little shops. “You really should get better at that, you know” They talked for hours and eventually somehow ended up in Evie’s castle looking at all her designs. They exchange some scraps they had gotten ahold of and at the end of the night they’ve successfully made each other a new outfit. Lana becomes almost as close with Evie as she was with Uma and the crew.

Lana told Evie about her single encounter with Mal and she laughed. Ultimately she did convince Lana to talk to her one more time to try and fix things. Reluctantly, Lana followed Evie to Mal’s loft and although she didn’t think she was the best, at least they were on speaking terms. Jay she thinks is pretty okay. Besides Evie, Carlos is her favorite.

She watches him tinker with whatever objects he can find. Eventually, she develops a habit of stealing items from the pile of things that had been confiscated from the new souls. She takes whatever she thinks Carlos will like and gives them to him. They have a lot of surprisingly meaningful talks late at night as he’s messing with whatever object she’s brought him.

The more time Lana spent up on the Isle, the more she realized why everybody, didn’t matter where they were from, looked towards Auradon with longing. It was just out of arms reach, taunting them every single day and she too grew tired of it quickly.

Two guards, each with the symbol of the palace, found Lana one day and handed her two letters. She recognized the one from Kellan and opened it immediately. You’re going to love it here, Lana. I convinced Ben to let you come along and I’m already making a list of everything you have to see first. Lana protested going to Auradon all the way back to the Chip Shop.

“There’s no way I’m going off to Auradon while all of you stay here” “You’re going Lana” “No I’m not. Good luck making me” “You can’t just turn down the prince of Auradon” “I can and I will” “No you won’t” “I’m not leaving you all behind. You’re all more deserving of that place than I am” “Then go and you can help get us there next”

It took hours of convincing before Lana agreed to consider going. She went back to the Underworld to talk to her dad about it. She was more than a little surprised by his answer. “Take the chance to leave while they’re giving it to you” “But what about you?” “I’m gonna be fine, Lana. Besides I got Cerberus to keep me company”

Lana watched the Isle disappear from the back window, almost melancholy.

Lana in Auradon

Lana’s foul mood disappeared quickly once she saw Auradon up close for the first time. She stepped out of the limo that was sent to pick them up and immediately more whispers started. Everybody had a good feeling about who she was for two reasons. One, she was obviously not completely human: the children of the Gods were always exceptionally radiant in a way no one could quite put their finger on. Two, Kellan hadn’t stopped talking about her.

Kellan wasted no time in rushing through everybody, running past Ben and Audrey (almost knocking over Fairy Godmother in the process) and practically tackling Lana as he shouted her name repeatedly. The two of them talk animatedly back and forth for a few minutes, not paying any attention at all to what Ben is saying. It’s not until he clears his throat, telling them he’s about to start the tour that they pay him any attention. Kellan literally begs Ben to let him take Lana. “Come on, babe! I promise I’ll bring her to you in one piece later. (Ben agrees, mostly because he is almost incapable of saying no to him)

Lana takes to Auradon immediately. By the end of the day, she’s caught on to plenty of things and talking to dozens of people. She even talked to Chad for a while, whether it was completely civil is up for debate. As promised, Kellan takes Lana to Ben and needless to say she had a lot of things to say to him. Ben had never been so intrigued by somebody the way he was with Lana at that moment.

It doesn’t take very long for Fairy Godmother to realize that Lana is way ahead of the others academically. “Please, the schools on the Isle are a joke. Maybe if you spent more time trying to educate people other than the royal kids we would have genuinely reformed villains kids” Her constant remarks are what land her in Remedial Goodness 101 with Evie, Carlos, Jay, and Mal.

Lana spends a lot of time learning the politics of everything and what the best way to get her friends off the Isle would be. She asks Ben a lot of questions, after all, who better to ask than the future king? More than a few times she’s been found sitting where ever faces the Isle, a guilt-ridden look on her face.

Lana quickly becomes a huge fan of tourney. Kellan drags her to practice one day and she gets probably way too into it. After one practice Kellan offers to show her the ropes and she quickly finds out she’s terrible at it. Nonetheless, she still enjoys watching and a couple Friday nights later she starts getting way too into the games.

After Jay, Carlos, Evie, and Mal get a call with their parents Lana gets one with her dad. They spend a good hour or two talking and only stop when Kellan joins them. “Oh hey Uncle Hades” “Kid, I’m not your uncle” “You kind of are though”

The longer she spends in Auradon, the better Lana gets at hiding how mischievous she really is. She’s able to talk her way out of whatever trouble she gets into. Usually anyway. Ben is the only one she just can’t seem to convince and it drives her insane.

Speaking of, she hates the fact that Mal opted to use a love potion on him. True love is a big concept on Auradon and although Lana didn’t quite believe in it herself it wasn’t fair to be manipulating it. It causes a huge rift in her already rocky friendship with Mal. “Oh come on, your dad is a villain just like our parents. Don’t act like you don’t want what we do” “Of course I do but manipulating somebody into thinking they love you just to use them to do your bidding is terrible on a whole other level!”

She may not agree with Mal’s method but she still takes her side after the whole incident on family day. Lana was easily the one who had fit in on Auradon the fastest and easiest. Her father had been declared a villain and so that made her a villain’s kid, despite people’s opinions that she ‘didn’t count’.

Later that day is the first time Lana’s hair turns to flames. Some snide comments from more than a few people set her off. She starts screaming profanities, her eyes go dark, and her hair turns to blue flames. She ends up being dragged away from the scene by Jay. It takes close to four hours for the flames to die down.

She has to be carefully guarded until everything dies down. It means Kellan gets into a lot of fights that week. At one point it’s the about the twelfth time he’s late to class and Lana has had enough. “What do you think you’re doing?” “I’m defending you” “I can handle myself, thank you very much” “Yeah well it’s been proven that you’re scary when you’re angry so trust me, getting punched by me is the better option”

Evie requests Lana’s help in getting their coronation outfits ready and the two of them have the time of their lives. One conversation leads to another and somehow they decide to create their own label if all goes well.

Lana’s thrown off by the entire coronation. She quickly comes to the realization that she doesn’t like the spotlight. A lot of her time is spent beside her family who all came down just for Ben’s coronation. She spends it mainly with Persephone, who reminds her of a lot of home and her father.

She’s a little bit surprised after the whole fiasco that happened at the coronation. But she can’t deny that the second Maleficent shows up she begins plotting how to get her friends off of the Isle. Her attention is taken, however, by Mal insisting that she wants to change. If she’s honest, she had no idea that was going to happen. But still, she helps defeat Maleficent and watches as everybody comes to again. “What was that?” “That was me taking into account what you said. Turns out you were right, Lana”

Lana and Evie offer to make Adelaide and Eva outfits for some event they both have to go to and they love them. Soon the two of them are getting commissions from most of the girls in school. They send Kellan and Jay on runs to get more materials for them and they quickly establish a system that works near perfectly.

Two months after the coronation Lana starts spending a suspicious amount of time with Ben. Suspicious in the sense that he always seems to be around, whether it’s while she’s hiding in Kellan’s room or running into him in the most random of places.

It works to her advantage eventually. Even as time passes she doesn’t forget about trying to get her friends off of the Isle of the Lost. She has her fair share of arguments with Ben about laws and proclamations and such. “It’s not as simple as you make it seem” “Isn’t it though? I’ve been through countless pages of documents and there’s not much standing in your way. You’re the King of Auradon, Ben!” “You are insufferable you know that?” “Likewise”

There is so much tension between the two of them and everybody starts noticing it. It isn’t until a conversation Lana has with Mal one day that she realizes it herself though. “You know even while under that love spell, which is one of the most powerful, mind you, Ben always found a way to bring you up” “No he didn’t” “Oh I can assure you, he did”

Lana is the most stubborn person and so the next day she very begrudgingly asks Ben if he wants to go to some postseason party Kellan is throwing with her because “everyone says we have tension and I kind of think they’re right so here I am embarrassing myself and I get-” “It took you long enough” They’re officially dating the next morning.

Lana finally draws up a proposal that both Ben and his committee agree on and not even a week later Uma, Harry, Gil, and the rest of the crew are on Auradon. She is so excited and literally will not leave them alone. It’s then that she understands Kellan’s enthusiasm when she first arrived. “Lana that’s the fourth bathroom you’ve shown us, I think we’re okay for now”

Exactly a day later she’s causing trouble with them again and it’s like she never left them. Lana also may or may not have gotten a little emotional. “You said you’d get us here and you did” “How could I possibly leave you guys behind?”