#this past weekend i was sitting on a bench and reading a book at the park and this guy sat down next to me

[ncityzen]

.

[valleydolli]

Only You | Chapter One

CW 𝜗𝜚 MDNI, Stalking, Obsessiveness, Controlling Behaviour, Love Bombing, Murder, Fluff, Kidnapping, Smut, Toxic Sukuna, Yandere Sukuna? Readers a sweetie, (Touch her you die… like actually…)

𝜗𝜚 Series Masterlist…

𝜗𝜚 Chapter Two…

𝜗𝜚 WC: 1.5k

Oh…

Who is she?

Sukuna knows faces. He knows everyone’s face. But you? He has never seen you before. How? How could he miss such a beautiful, darling thing like you. You’re perfect. The way you’re holding your book perfect. The way you just crossed your leg across the other? Perfect. He needs to know you. He needs to hold you. He needs you. He needs to get out of his head and go up to you.

You’ve already infested his mind, you're like a parasite, infesting every inch of his body. His brain, his heart, his soul, everything. You’re infecting him. Why? Who are you and What's your deal?

~~~

It’s finally transitioning from the wintertime to springtime. Usually you adore the winter since it’s the season your birthday falls, but spring always has a special place in your heart. the flowers, the freshly cut grass, the shining sun that isn’t too hot. Everything is perfect for you during these months.

It’s a Saturday, and you’ve been meaning to go out and actually enjoy the spring sun. The weekends aren’t long enough for you. There’s so much more you’ve been meaning to do but there’s not enough time, there’s never enough time. Juggling your school work and teaching, you’re exhausted. You need to treat yourself to something, at least a day in the sun, drawing or reading, anything to calm you down from your hectic days.

Maybe a walk in the park will suffice, there’s a book you’ve been meaning to read but of course you haven’t had the time to actually sit down and enjoy it.

~~~

You start to make your way to the park by your apartment complex.

The cool breeze tickling your soft skin as you make your way to the park

When you arrive at the park, you take a seat on a wooden bench that that views the entire park and begin to be invested in nothing but your book.

You suddenly feel the warmth of the sun disappear but you're sure the weather app said clear skies, but it’s not clouds covering the sun it’s a man, a tall, handsome man. He's staring at you intensely, with beautiful salmon pink hair, deep maroon eyes and a birthmark covering the right side of his striking face. You’re in awe.

“Hi there… You’re kind of blocking the sun.” You laugh as you look up at the man before you, and oh how perfect that laugh is, paired with your pearly white teeth. Is there anything about you that isn’t amazing? Maybe you’re an angel sent from heaven, just for Sukuna. No one else but him.

“I'm sorry, I just— what’re you reading? You seem really invested in whatever it is,” he questions.

“Oh, it’s about a couple who can’t seem to get past how obsessive the boyfriend is. I'm not too far along but I'm excited! I'm into obsessive guys, well I think I am. I've never… dated anyone before.”

You’re an over sharer, you just met him and you’re already telling him your type. Are you interested in him too? He should ask you out or is that too forward? No. he can’t let you slip away. ask her.

“You’ve never dated before? no boyfriend, ever?”

You shake your head confirming that no, you’ve never had a boyfriend.

Perfect. Sukuna thinks to himself, you’ve never been touched. You’re not… tainted. Or are you? Have you had your first kiss? You could have slept with a guy for fun. No, you don’t seem like the type. You’re a lover girl, you want to be loved. Oh, Sukuna can give you that, all of that.

Sukuna charmingly smiles at you, “would you like to go out sometime? To a restaurant, a walk in the park, whatever you want, my treat.”

It’s almost as if your eyes sparkle after he asks you.

He’s made you feel this way. He's made you… happy.

You stutter out frantically, “yes! i— sorry. y-yes, i’d love to.”

Why are you stuttering? Is he making you feel nervous?

“Can I get your number?”

You hum in agreement and begin to pull out your phone from your bag. It’s an organised bag everything is right where it needs to be. Is your house organised? Probably. If it’s not he’ll be there to help you out.

You both swap phones, putting in each other's names and numbers.

He has your number.

He has your name.

He snaps out of his trance when he hears you say his name,

“Sukuna…”

Perfect

“I love your name, I've never heard of it before.”

“Not many people would name their kids, Sukuna… that’s why you’ve never heard of it.”

Sukunas parents hated him. I mean he had to have hated him. His name means “two faced” while his twin brother's name means, “kindness,” “benevolence.” They clearly fucking hate him. When he has kids with you, he’ll never treat his kid the way he was treated…

Kids…

With you…

Yeah… twins… two boys— no, two girls. yeah…

“Um Sukuna?” He hears you say. “I need to go, I have some work I need to get done, but text me! obviously. I'm excited to see you again!” You smile, as you stand up from the bench ready to depart.

“I could walk you home? Do you live far?”

“Oh no, I live just over there, the tall complex!”

Oh angel, don't tell strangers where you live… You live… surprisingly close to him actually. The stars are quite frankly aligning. The universe is routing for you two to be together can’t you see?

“That’s funny, I live just round the corner from there. It’s crazy we’ve never crossed paths before.”

Seriously, how the fuck has he never seen you before. Did you just move here?

“No, I’ve lived here for quite a while now,” you answer back.

Did he say that out loud?

“Well I hope I get to see you more often. It’s almost as if you’ve been hiding from me,” Sukuna jokes.

(He’s not joking.)

“No, I’d never! I love meeting new people, I’m just as shocked as you. But we’ve met now, so we can get to know each other more, okay?” You practically sing. You’re so perky and he’s so grumpy, (according to his family and few ‘friends.’) But who wouldn’t be, this world is shit, but with you by his side I’m sure he’d be just a perky and happy as you.

“Yeah, we’ll definitely get to know each other more.”

~~~

The moment Sukuna stepped foot in his apartment he was searching for you. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Anything. He can’t find you. Why the fuck cant he find you.

Think, Sukuna.

Think!

Does the book your reading have an Instagram page? Maybe you follow them…

Jackpot.

He mutters your name…

Your page is public, you’re 22, a university student and you’re a teacher… a preschool teacher… is that his nephew's preschool?! You're a teacher at Yuji’s Fucking school. The amount of times Jin asked Sukuna to pick him up from school. He could have met you… he could have had you all ready.

Stupid.

He’s so fucking stupid.

Sukuna is frantic at this point. How could he be blindsided by this. How the fuck did you hide in plain site. Right under his nose…

He needs to know more.

Toji.

Call Toji.

Sukuna and Toji are… friends. Well, Toji thinks they’re friends, but Sukuna just sees him as a co-worker he speaks to… regularly…

“Toji,” he practically yells into the phone.

“What?” He mumbles

“I need you to do some research on someone.”

He tells Toji your name

“A girl? What’d she do to you,” Toji inquires with a mouthful of food.

Oh my god

“Toji, she’s done nothing, I just want information on her. Can you do that without bombarding me with fucking questions?”

“Damn, okay, I’ll let you know what I find.”

“Great,” Sukuna mutters as he ends the call.

He continues to stalk your social media, your tagged posted with your friends through the evening, but it’s not enough he needs more, he needs Toji to hurry the fuck up, that’s what he needs right now.

Wait. Jin. He could pick Yuji up from his nursery on Monday.

Jackpot!

Sukuna hears his phone ping. Tojis found information about you already?

No.

It’s you. You messaged him. And here he is smiling to himself like a complete and utter fool, what are you doing to him?

‘Hi, Sukuna, it's me! Girl from the park…’

“Girl from the park…” you’re so precious.

‘Hi Angel, I was going to message you first but you beat me to it’

Obviously you beat him to it. He's been too busy stalking you for the past hours.

‘I’m quite busy during the weekdays with school and work, but I’d love to see you next Saturday, if you’re free? :3’

Oh angel, he’ll make sure he’s free for you, but you’re going to see him way sooner than that.

‘I’m free, I already know where I want to take you.’

‘Oh perfect I can’t wait!’

‘Neither can I’

No, Sukuna would lose it if he had to wait until Saturday to see you again, but lucky for him, he has a cute nephew that happens to be at your place of work.

‘Jin, I’m picking up Yuji from preschool next week.’

𝜗𝜚 Chapter Two…

a/n: so… what’re we thinking chat? i’m pretty proud of this for my not first but new to writing!! i’ve started on chapter two! but hopefully i can keep it up 😔🤞🏾

[rhiandoesfandom]

Ficlet: I Thought I Could Forget You

I love writing ficlets, I'll write angst, I'll write some love too a da da da da I love writing ficlets and today it's gonna be some idiots in love.....

Timeline Summary: Two years after Apology Tour, Stolas and Blitz never talk to each other again. Until today at the park.

"Go to fuck outside", Loona pulls Blitz off the couch and kicks him towards the door. He groans and tries to crawl back to the couch but she blocks him.

"Loonie I don't wanna", he whines, "I just wanna watch the new MLP".

She groans, "We can watch it tonight asshole, you need to touch grass. You've been inside all weekend, drinking off your ass".

"Hey I'm sober today!" He points and she rolls her eyes, reaching out her hand. He groans and hands her the joint from his pocket.

"Weed doesn't count!" He yells and she snorts, "you'll get this back when you come back. I want you out there for at least one hour".

"What! What am I supposed to do for one hour?"

"Stare at the sky! Listen to some birds, get a fucking coffee, I don't fucking care. Just don't come back til you've touched grass", she pulls out his wallet that she keeps from him and hands him a five. He reluctantly takes it and narrows his eyes.

"Fine", he attempts to grab his keys but Loona uses a little levitation spell she learned and keeps them away from him, "uh uh".

He sighs and leaves the apartment, slamming the door. He really needs to rethink this whole 'giving his daughter all his things to hold onto' thing. But to be fair he hasn't exactly been responsible with any of it in the last two years. The van was totaled. They had to get a new car.

Their rent wasnt paid for three months because he spent it all on booze and they almost got evicted. And he almost lost M&M because of his attitude at work. It's been an extremely shitty two years to say the least.

All because of he who must not be named. They don't say his name anymore. He hasn't heard it since maybe a year and a half ago?

Until today.

He walks past a black car dropping someone off at a park and pays no attention to it until he hears someone in the window say,

"Stolas will you be alright at the park by yourself?"

He freezes. Hands trembling. He knows his voice is next. His eyes widen. His hearing dialing in.

"Hah, yes Vassago I shall be fine, thank you. Come back in about an hour". It is him.

Blitz runs, looking for somewhere to hide. He finds a wide tree and attempts to climb up but he gets dizzy and settles for hiding behind it. Staring at the man who he has tried to stop thinking about for the last two years. Prince Stolas. The owl who ruined his life.

He watches him sit down at a bench and pull out a book. Doesn't look like erotica, just some fantasy novel. He looks around. Loona said to look at the sky and listen to the birds but everything feels muted now. There's nothing but him.

He decides to play it safe. He walks past him while he's reading. Slowly. But then he doesn't notice him. He does it again. And again. Then finally he just stands in front of him.

"STOLAS!" He says loudly, startling the owl and he drops his book.

"What-" Stolas starts then Blitz continues, "Fuck I'm sorry..." He bends down to pick up the book and their hands and foreheads touch, and all of Stolas's four eyes widen. Blitz holds the book to his chest.

"Blitz! What a...surprise to see you here", he says softly, with no malice in his voice. It makes Blitz want to throw up. He's been...fine? Wasn't he the one in love with him?

"...yes", was all he could say. Stolas eyes Blitz then the book.

"Right...uh...Blitz do you want to give me back my book?" He asks then blinks as if he realizes what he just said. The same words he said the one night. The full moon.

Blitz swallows and squeezes it tighter, shaking his head no. Stolas reaches out to him, "Blitz are you alri-" Blitz runs with the book. Stolas runs after him,

"Blitz what is this?! That's not the grimoire?" He yells but he continues to run. Stolas breathes heavily as he chases after him, quickly catching up and pinning the imp against a building. His sunhat and polo tossled now.

"Blitz what the fuck?!" He asks desperately. Blitz cries, letting go of the book, letting it drop to the floor. Stolas widens his eyes again and pulls Blitz in an embrace.

"You're...clearly going through something".

"AND YOU ARENT?" he yells, making Stolas step back, "What?"

"I waited for you to call. To answer me. ANYTHING!" I tried to visit you again and again and you-you weren't there. They had to house arrest me because I wouldn't stop trespassing on your palace. No doubt your doing I guess", he says, spiteful and Stolas puts a hand to his chest.

"What?" Stolas replies, "Blitz I was going through divorce proceedings and I lost everything. Everything. Via, my palace, my title, my phone, hell even that obnoxious bag of toys you got me! The only way I was able to live the last two years was because a friend took me in".

"You could have called!" He cries, holding onto Stolas.

"Shhh" Stolas rubs the back of his horns and he feels comfort for the first time in two years.

"With what knowledge my dear? I didn't know where you lived, I didn't have my phone, and you-you were my only friend", he looks down and Blitz's mouth hangs open. He's really been sabotaging himself for the last two years over a misunderstanding AGAIN.

He cries in Stolas's arms a little longer when Stolas's phone pings.

"Shoot, that's my ride", he says, frowning, picking up his book.

Blitz clenches onto his shirt, taking his phone and putting in his contact.

"You better not fucking lose it this time", he squeaks and Stolas smiles, kisses his forehead and turns to leave.

Blitz sits against the wall, rubbing his face, wondering if he can even feel like himself again after the last two years.

[neh2351983]

=Retail Therapy by Proxy=

Kevin & Thea, 970w // shopping by proxy and the stress of moving into a new city. Intended to be the start of a WIP for a different pairing, but can be read as a standalone and with KevThea implications if preferred!

“MAC, it’s a MAC lipstick, Kevin. Are you sure it’s the MAC one?”

Kevin would sigh, but with his phone tucked between his ear and shoulder so tightly, he’s not sure he wants to hear how Thea might react to that. Instead, he rolls his eyes and prays it’s not too telling that he did when he mutters back.

“Yes, yes, MAC, it’s MAC.” If he hears that name one more time he might keel over and die. “I’m looking at it right now, why would I lie about this?”

“Oh, good question. Why would Kevin Day lie about something? Let’s remind the audience how clean his track record is.”

Oops. He walked into that one. Rewind, placate. “O, right? The name of the lipstick? It says it right here, Thea. I promise my reading comprehension is good enough to comprehend a single letter. I set the curve for my Rise and Fall of the Ottoman Empire midterm exam back in—”

“Your junior year of college, yes, I know, we know, the world knows, my mother knows.”

Kevin straightens up in pride. “Does she actually?”

“I don’t talk to her about you.”

She should. It was a hard class, and there were even two Turkish students sitting in for it. He’s about to mention that detail before his nostrils are attacked with some combination of cinnamon and alcohol from the giggling teenage girls trying out the perfumes behind him. Better wrap this up—he’s out of his element here, referring to past successes like some layabout pen pusher that peaked with his local highschool football career where he was benched for finals. Picking makeup out of a platform should be a quick, effortless task for him.

“Okay, it’s this one and what else, wait, argh.” He switches his phone into his other hand and reaches into his back pocket, taking out the crumpled list of products he had been given this morning. “Nars… Orgasm? Jesus, Thea. What the hell are these names? This is makeup?” Maybe he can’t do this.

“It’s a blush.”

With little effort, Kevin manages to catch the eyes of one of the workers, who blushes, possibly to the colour of Nars Orgasm, before making her way over. He simply points at the list and—his eyes drop to her name tag—Kiera wastes no time directing him towards a different stand with a different name and a thousand bottles of the exact same looking products as everything else in this building.

“Well, it sounds like a sex thing,” Kevin says to the phone. Kiera plops an unopened box into his waiting palm and he mouths a thank you, offering her a practiced smile as she nods sheepishly and scurries away.

“Yeah? And what would it consist of, orgasming?”

“I mean… yeah.”

“Oh, Kevin!” Thea’s at her limit, she can’t even find an insult to use, his name is enough. She huffs with desperate impatience. “If I knew you were going to be this helpless about it, I would have gone myself!”

“No! I’m doing it. I told you I wanted to do it, and I did.” It was as good of an excuse as any to familiarize himself with the area and get used to running errands in the city. Plus, an easy opportunity to pay Thea back for her help. One of the many instances, Kevin is sure. It’s the least he can do.

“Is there a reason you had to blow up my phone to do it, since you’re so capable and set curves and everything?”

It’s only slightly embarrassing. Kevin doesn’t let his shoulders shrink, but he lowers his voice a little.

“Sorry. Just wanted some company.” The other end of the line is quiet for a moment. “I’ll leave you to it then. Let me know when the second moving van arrives.”

Thea finally sighs. “You’re real high maintenance, you know that?”

“I know.”

“I’ll be here for the entire weekend. What are you freaking out about?”

“I’m not freaking out. I don’t know—are you sure you don’t want to stay in the apartment?”

“When I’ve already booked a hotel room with complimentary breakfast and a bed twice the size of your unmade couch? Let me think about it.”

“Point made.” He can’t even fault her; he’d choose the hotel even if his apartment was fully furnished. It’s a good fucking hotel, Kevin was very fussy when looking for one that would impress her. “Let’s go out for dinner tonight. On me.”

“Oh, you really are freaking out,” Thea says in a very serious tone. “Okay, why don’t you just come settle in first, Kevin? We can talk about dinner plans later. You don’t have toilet paper, by the way.”

“That’s not a no.”

“It’s not a no.” She’s smiling, at least. He can hear it in her voice. “Toilet paper.”

“Toilet paper,” Kevin says, and it works as a cue for an odd farewell before the line goes flat. He tucks his phone into his back pocket and heads for the checkout with a rejuvenated sense of enthusiasm for the day, mostly overtaking the dread that was still sitting like a rock in the pit of his stomach. He wasn’t sure when that settled. He wasn’t sure when it would go away. For now, all he can do is pretend it’s not there and greet the cashier with as much of his tailored propriety he can muster.

“Did anybody help you out today, Mr. Day?” She asks, chipper as a bird. That must be practiced, too. He never gave his name.

“Thea,” Kevin says, then blinks away his surprise. “Sorry, I meant… Kiera.”

“Ah, sweet girl.”

“Yeah, very.”

He doesn’t really know if he means it, but he smiles anyway, because he’s in a new city and it’s the nice thing to do.

[crimsonblackrose]

Ten people i’d like to know better!

Tagged by @mauvecardigans

last song: one of the songs from Wicked or the opening/ending themes of hunter x hunter.

favourite colour: so many? Jewel tone blue and greens, but also enjoying a bit of pink lately too.

last book: I just finished "Fearless and Free" a memoir of Josephine Baker. My oldest sister accidentally sent it to me instead of to herself so I told her well I'm reading it then. I'm also reading three books by Sarah J. Maas at the same time for a bookclub. The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin which was gifted to me by a friend and has been sitting on my shelf for a few years and am about ready to start The Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe for another bookclub.

last movie: I watched the Wiz and Wicked (again) over the weekend at a birthday party.

last tv show: New Night Court (I binged the original while moving and it's now like a favorite), Hunter X Hunter (Cookie started posting this right after I finished Mr. Queen and needed something new to watch so I joined the bandwagon because I loved Mr. Queen right up until the last 10 minutes and I have so many feelings about that)

sweet/spicy/savoury: sweet and savory. spicy hurts my super taster taste buds. I had some apple banchan at a restaurant over the weekend that was spicy and everyone around me was like well maybe we shouldn't eat that and I had to be like no, if you like spicy you're good, I just can't.

last thing i googled : the library because my local library where I moved to is kinda...sad? And I realized that to find books I'm going to have to go on a scavenger hunt through the city and was hoping that book I haven't started for the other bookclub would be nearby but it's actually a bit of a hike.

current obsession: I want to pick something other than media because I feel like those are obvious. Looking at things on maps and furniture. I know I need more furniture but it's a game of how on earth would I get it up to my place? So I've been reading all the fine print on websites to try and see who charges extra to carry furniture up to your unit, who includes it already? And then looking at what's out there. Like I have no where for a guest to sleep unless they want to sleep on a wooden bench with cushions. And the looking at places is like well if I want to go to the library what else of interest is out that way? If I go this way instead what will I walk past? Anything of interest? Are those places hosting events? How much are they? How far away is this other library? What events does that library host? What is there to do around there? Would I eat there or bring my own food/eat before I left to save money? So I guess day dreaming of future outings and my eventual home?

looking forward to: Sailor moon musical, a japanese music event, hanami, a tea festival, eventually trying the ice cream place near me that I opened recently, camping? I think that's what we're doing, eventually having people over, potentially getting my hands on a few native shrubs and planting them since the building gave me permission. But first I gotta find them lol. Uhhh feeling better? Overdid it the last couple of weeks and my body has been pissed.

tagging: @wicked-jade, @zappedbyzabka, @inkfowl, @jinkx-monsoon-season, @dream-beyond-the-fantasy

[confidently-regretful]

I’ve been stressed so long because of college and worrying about not having friends and not being able to envision what my life will be like in the future and just,

Today I went to my first drag show. I didn’t stay the entire time because I got a headache from all the loud noise but I enjoyed it. Even if it was just me, alone in a crowd, it’s something I never had the chance to do before and I’m glad I went

And afterwards I sat on a bench outside and just enjoyed being by myself. I enjoyed the cooler temperature from the night and I watched random students walk past me, all doing their own thing. I just finished a book I’ve been putting off reading for a long time and I really enjoyed it

And like now I’m sitting here and it’s just, I know what I want. I want to live in a small house, maybe an apartment, all by myself. I want a bookshelf full of books I’ve finished and have never read. I want to fill my home with random trinkets that make me happy. I want my house to be brown because it looks nice and green because it’s my favorite color.

I don’t think I’m ever going to be someone’s best friend again, and I highly doubt I’m gonna end up in a relationship. I’m always going to be the side-friend, the second choice, and I’m happy with that. I enjoy my alone time, but I also enjoy having friends to talk to every now and again. I don’t want to be the main friend because that much social interaction gives me anxiety and exhausts me.

And it just took one good day to feel like this. I’m going to be chasing this day all week. And next weekend I’m going to do the same thing. I’m just going to go outside, read a book, and I’m going to just enjoy myself for a little bit

[dreamescapeswriting]

Detention ~ BC & LF [Request]

⤜WORD COUNT: 6.1K

⤜PAIRING: Chan x Fem!Reader x Felix

⤜GENRE: Hogwarts au, polyamorous relationship, established relationship, all of them in their seventh year at hogwarts, hidden relationship, mentions of bullying, comforting from the boys, angst with a fluffy ending

⤜Copyright: © DreamEscapesWriting - May 2022

⤜MASTERLIST

A/N: Writing this has made me want to reread the books AGAIN oh my haha I hope this is okay for you my love!

Your time was supposed to be spent studying for your N.E.W.T.s that were coming up and yet you couldn't seem to force yourself into focus mode. You were spending countless hours in your room or the library practically living off of food that wasn't exactly good for you. Junk food and whatever else you could find that your parents had to you thinking you needed care packages. It was nice that you had this sort of thing to fall back on but you knew it was only going to end badly when you got sick from not taking better care of yourself.

The care packages were always your favourite thing in the world whenever they arrived, they were always filled with your favourite things. Though your parents still didn't quite grasp the idea that the school was taking excellent care of you and that you got fed three meals a day...Only when you went down to the dining hall that was, which was a lot more recently. 

Chan and Felix - your best friends since your first year and your boyfriends - always made sure to take you to get food. Even if you told them you'd eaten they would take you down, just a break away from the books and to make sure you have some social interaction with other people in your year. Not that you wanted to that is. At least at Lunch, you had the chance to sit with them in the hall but for the other two meals, you were forced to sit with the Slytherin house.

Everyone around you seemed to dislike you and those that you thought liked you didn't. All because you were a muggle-born witch who spent a lot of time with Chan and Felix, sometimes you thought people could see through your relationship with them and know what it truly was between you but no one ever voiced it aloud. The relationship with them had always been the topic of debate in the halls, even Fred and George had gotten in on the topic. They were the two people in the school you figured wouldn't start something with you, they knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of bullying with the "Weasley is our King" song.

But no, they'd created badges and posters with debates about whether or not you were dating the boys or not but that was nothing compared to what Pansy and Draco had done. 

You thought that since you were in Slytherin that they would go easy on you or at least try and stop the others but it was much worse. They created rhymes and songs to sing whenever you were around them and even in the common room which never felt like a safe place for you. 

The only Mudblood that was known in Slytherin meant you were constantly belittled for it, constantly spoken down to as if you didn't belong there. But the sorting hat had placed you in the house for a reason,

"hardworking and desire success." That was what it said and that's exactly what you were, though it didn't seem to come across that way to others in your house. They never looked past the fact that you were a mudblood and wouldn't look at your achievements or your plans to get through life.

"I was thinking we could head down to Hogsmeade and get some snacks for this weekend," You told Chan as he came to sit beside you on the benches in the courtyard, you had a book in your lap and your wand in your hand. You found that sitting out in the courtyard always helped clear your mind and stopped you from procrastinating a lot which was what you'd been doing all morning.

The original plan was to go to the library and study but you'd stopped yourself when you saw Draco and his friends heading inside and opted for staying out of the way instead. You'd choose to read through your books in the courtyard while moving your wand in the way you needed to practice. 

Chan knew he would find you in one of two places, here or the library and it was dumb luck that he stumbled to you first and he was happy about it. Pansy had just been making her way up behind you only stopping when she saw Chan coming through the archway.

"Sure, are we apparating there?" He smirked a little, Chan knew that you were still trying to get the hang of your apparating but you were doing well so far. He was proud of how far you had come with doing so, both he and Felix had passed that first try not that they would ever brag about it to you. They just always made sure that they could help you if you needed it.

"Yes, I think...I have the hang of it now." You trailed off slowly still not completely sure of yourself but you knew with the confidence that the boys gave to you, you would be able to do it. Least of all, if they were there and you happened to get stuck in a wall they'd be able to get you some help straight away. 

"Felix was helping me last night-"

"I bet he was." Someone sniggered from behind you but both you and Cha ignored the laughter. Pansy and her gang of giggling girls were always walking behind you and waiting for you to slip up in public whether that be to slip so she could laugh at you for it or accidentally spill the beans on your relationship with the boys. 

The relationship that you shared with Felix and Chan was always well hidden, you never saw one another romantically where you could be seen. You would sneak off somewhere private in Hogsmeade to make sure that no one could see you and outside of school was easy. Nobody knew where you lived or where Chan and Felix spent their summers and you were free to be with one another however you pleased. Mostly at your parent's home though since your parents always loved to hear the stories the boys would tell them from school. It was as if they could never get enough of the stories you would tell and were always hungry for more.

"Ignore her," Chan whispered smiling weakly as he looked at you, he knew that he couldn't do anything in response to Pansy or anyone for that matter. It would only make the rumours and bullying worse for you and only you. 

The difference between you and the boys was their popularity. While you were nothing but a nobody and a "filthy mudblood" Both of them were quidditch players and both amazingly talented both academically and in sports. You were constantly left feeling as though you never belonged with either of them, in both friendship and relationship but you stayed with them. Hopelessly in love with them.

"How about I don't go to practice and I help you?" Chan suggested as he looked down at the page you were on, you looked as though you were just re-reading basic things wanting to remind yourself of everything. That was the thing about you, you always wanted to study no matter what but both Chan and Felix made sure you took breaks when appropriate. Just as when you would get them to study when they needed.

"Channie, why don't you come and help me study. I've been stuck trying to do some of my muggle work," You hated the fact that while you were looked down upon for being muggle-born but Felix and Chan were praised for it. They were looked up to as if they were the shining light in the world but you never held it against them. It wasn't their fault that they seemed to have everyone's love and attention and you knew it was because of the house you were in that you were singled out. It was very uncommon for a Slytherin to be of muggle decent.

"Shouldn't you be off with Draco? I'm sure he will have much better use for you than me." Chan grumbled not wanting to get involved with her or her friends. His eyes were back on you as you smiled warmly at him, he did his best to protect you whenever he could but Chan wasn't around all of the time and neither was Felix.

"You have to practice if you miss it again Angelia will kill you," You told him as you carefully shut the book, by now the library should have been empty - or at least Draco and his buddies would be gone. They didn't have the brains to rub their wands together to create fire never mind stay still long enough to study for a spell to do it for them.

"Hogsmeade for snacks, okay?" Chan asked as he looked at you. The two of you were planning on going to the Hufflepuff common room with Felix later to eat and watch movies on a portable DVD player one your parents had sent to you with DVDs as well. 

"Sure...Tell Felix the plan?" You whispered looking over your shoulder to see Pansy glaring daggers at you, you were sure she would have turned you into an animal by now if she was allowed. Your eyes went back to Chan who was smiling at you already, trying to take your mind away from Pansy. 

Part of you wanted to keep Chan by your side but he had to go down to practise and you knew the second he walked away the torture was going to get worse. As if he could read your mind he got up from the bench, taking your book into his hand and watching you closely.

"I'll walk with you to the library, okay? It won't matter if I'm a little later than usual," He winked at you as you both began to walk away, sighing in happiness as Pansy seemed to stay in the courtyard ignoring you as you walked away. 

"Thank you," You breathed out as you and Chan rounded the hallway and headed down to the library,

"Anytime. I'll get Felix to come up and join you, he should have just finished in the showers and he's in desperate need of help with his studying." He chuckled softly as he looked around quickly, placing a gentle kiss on the top of your head as soon as he knew that there was no one around. 

"I'll see you later, I love you." He barely spoke above a whisper but you smiled feeling your entire body heating up from the small interaction with each other.

"Love you too." You mouthed as he began to walk with you the rest of the way to the library. 

Chan had done a quick look to make sure no one was inside when you first got to the library but that was an hour ago and it was beginning to get busy again. Felix had come up, dropped his bag off and headed down to sneak some food away from the kitchen since he was close with some of the house elves. 

"I was thinking of adding another verse to the song," Your whole body turned rigid as you heard the familiar sound of Draco behind you, followed by the most annoying giggle known to humans. 

"How do you think it should go? I want to add something about crossing wands and little slut into the mix." Your hand tightened on the quill you were writing with, you didn't dare turn around or even say anything. 

"Don't forget useless and filthy mudblood," You stopped still as you realised something, they weren't talking to you. You doubted they even knew that you were sitting inside of the library hidden behind a bookcase near their table. 

"We could ask her, next time we see her we can say them around her and see what bothers her the most," You looked down at your paper that was now covered in a large splot of ink where you'd angrily knocked off the ink holder.

"Have you thought about it though? Maybe she slipped them a love potion." Another voice spoke but this time it was from in front of you, the desk you were sitting at was positioned between two large bookcases and you were perfectly hidden away. Though you felt completely exposed since everybody seemed to be speaking about you openly.

"Why? It would only run out if she didn't keep it topped up enough." You didn't know the voices in front of you but from what you could see through the books they were second years or third years at best. You weren't just the talk of the seventh year, you were the talk on everyone's lips and your whole stomach dropped.

You could deal with people in your year talking about you, that would be over in a matter of weeks or months depending on how long you go through your exams but the whole school? Suddenly it felt as though you had a target on your back and everyone was taking aim at you. Ready to bash you with rumours or nasty little whispers that they didn't have the guts to say to your face. 

"She's probably sleeping with them both, fucking them so she can keep them around." The two girls giggled as they looked at each other, you began trying to gather your things up quietly, sliding the papers into your bag and looking for your books.

"I heard Felix telling someone they're only friends with her because she's always alone." You knew Felix would never say something like that, not about you or anybody for that matter. Felix was a ball of sunshine and happiness, a living breathing embodiment of what it meant to be a Hufflepuff.

"Not true, you can tell Felix likes her by the way he watches her." You knew he watched you. You always felt whenever Felix's eyes were on you and not to mention whenever you would catch him staring he would turn a bright red colour. 

"Dumbledore probably pays them to be nice to her. Can't have someone be too lonely here," You had enough of listening to them and you gathered everything up, putting your bag over your shoulder only to knock over the candle that had been on your desk and watching as the glass holder smashed. The entire library went silent, so silent you were sure you would hear a pin drop, so you held your breath. Maybe if you didn't move or breathe no one would come and check what the noise was but it was wishful thinking.

"Young lady! I do hope you intend to clear that up!" Nearly Headless Nick boomed out drawing attention to you, Draco was the first to look at you and a devilish smirk appeared on his face.

"N-Nick, I'm going to I just-"

"Right now!" He yelled out as you began to use your magic to clear everything back up, staring at the candle instead of around you. By now there were around five students all staring at you and chanting the song Draco had originally made about you. 

"She doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as them," Someone laughed, Nick turned around to say something but the second his back was to you you ran. Sprinting out of the library and into the hall where you nearly knocked Felix over. 

"Yn?!" He called out but you kept running, all eyes were turning to look at you and you could feel all of them judging you. All turned to laugh and point at you as you made your way to the stairs.

"She's a mudblood you know, a Slytherin mudblood." Someone giggled as you got onto a moving staircase, your eyes staring straight ahead as you just waited for the stairs to stop.

"You don't even deserve to be friends with them, you know that right?" Someone asked as they roughly grabbed you by the robes but you ignored them, trying to keep yourself from crying.

Tears were building up inside of the corners of your eyes and you could feel your lower lip beginning to tremble,

"The little slut is going to cry! You did it Tabby!" Two girls high-fived before sliding one another some money, great. Now bets were being placed over you.

"Dirty tramp whore. Bet she keeps her legs wide open for them," The stairs stopped and you rushed off, not paying attention to who you bumped into or who decided to splash nasty comments at you.

"Dirty whore." You stopped at the entrance to your common room and standing there was Snape and a gangle of other people from your year.

"You walked out on a mess you created?" Snape quizzed, arching an eyebrow as he looked you up and down. Seemingly ignoring the comments people were making about you in regards to you being a "slut" or a "whore."

"I cleaned it up, ask Sir-"

"Do not lie to me. You have four weeks detention," You said nothing but nodded your head, talking back to him was only going to create more issues for you but it seemed as though not talking did the same.

"Two months,"

"Sir!"

"Shall I make it four?!" You stayed perfectly still as you heard people giggling, a first-year Slytherin stared at you looking you up and down before snapping at you.

"Tramp," Snape said nothing so you moved past her, knocking into her before she began crying loudly, holding her arm as though you had stabbed her rather than moved past her. 

"You're going the right way to be expelled," Snape informed you as he uncrossed his arms from his chest and stared at you, your chest ached from the way your heart raced against your ribs. 

"And they're not? calling me a slut, a tramp?!" You finally had enough as you screamed back at someone, you weren't going to stand by this anymore. You didn't deserve to be shit on because of who you were friends with.

"Well, you did spread yourself a little thin." The whole world felt as though it had stopped for you as you heard the words fall from a professor's lips,

"E-Excuse me?" 

"Between two young men? It's atrocious behaviour." The words were only meant with an uproar of laughter from those around you, your eyes flicked over everyone. A small crowd was beginning to gather around you and you took in sharp deep breaths, 

"Little Slytherin slut!" Someone screamed from the back of the crowd but you didn't think straight, all you knew was that you wanted to get out of there. Your mind went to all of the different places you could go, anywhere but here. The secret hideout that you had with Felix and Chan was your best option but with everyone around you, you couldn't see it clear enough in your head. Another barrel of laughter came out as you began to cry, tears rushing down your face before you dropped everything onto the floor and apparated out of there.

When you never showed back up to the library Felix figured you'd gone to class but when he went to meet you and you weren't there he knew something was wrong. Chan had practically raced from the pitch to see what was happening, there were all kinds of rumours that spread like wildfire.

"Someone told me she'd been expelled," Felix explained as he stared at Chan who let out a deep sigh, why would you have been expelled? You were always well behaved, you kept your head down and always did your work on time. Both of them knew you were well on your way to passing your N.E.W.T.s and wouldn't risk anything getting in the way of you getting your grades.

"I heard Draco telling Pansy that she apparated outside of the common room," Chan told him as he looked over at Draco who was smirking at both of them. Neither of them knew you would have been expelled but if you had in fact apparated then you were on your way to it. Apparating was allowed but never in front of a teacher or while you were being scolded, least of all in front of Snape of all people.

"We should check all of her spots first, it's YN, she wouldn't have done something stupid." Chan reminded Felix as both of them nodded their head, starting to head around the school in search of your hiding spots.

After knowing you for almost eight years they knew you better than they knew themselves and always knew where to find you. If you weren't in Hogwarts you were going to be in Hogsmeade somewhere there was no way you could have gotten far. 

"There you are," Chan whispered as he walked over to your booth, you were sitting with your hood up and staring down at the drink in front of you. You had no idea how long you'd been sitting in the three broomsticks but the waitress had given you five drinks and a meal without saying a single word to you. She could clearly see you were in need of being left alone,

"What are you doing here? How did you know I would be here?" Felix heard the crack in your voice and the sniffle from your nose and he sighed, sliding into the seat beside you as he wrapped an arm around your waist. The Three broomsticks was the one place you could be with each other without judgement, no students came here besides Luna and yourselves. The rest of the bar was filled with old people who barely looked up to give anyone the time of day and didn't care about anybody's business except their own.

"When are you going to learn? We know you, we knew you'd be here or out by the old house." Felix whispered, pressing a gentle kiss against your shoulder. Normally, the gesture would warm you up and fill you with joy but it only made you feel worse. The crushing feeling of everyone telling you that you don't deserve to be with them and then the sickness you got for being called a slut when it wasn't the truth. Just because you were in a relationship with them both didn't give anybody the right to label you that word.

"You should go, it won't be long until they come here and I'll be labelled the slut again." You hissed, taking the cup in front of you and drinking from it when Chan frowned. 

"Who called you a slut?" His whole body was boiling with anger, he thought that everyone believed it was a friendship. The whole point of hiding so well within the school was so that no one was able to say vicious words like that.

"Everyone does. Even Snape said I spread myself too thin between you both." The boys exchanged looks with one another as you downed the liquid and slammed the glass down onto the table. Neither of them knew what to say.

"Yn..." Felix trailed off,

"Don't, don't say my name like that. Like you understand what this is like when you don't!" You snapped a little loudly, eyes turning to look at you but quickly looking away. Felix's heart broke as he stared at you, you'd never once yelled at him or even raised your voice in his direction.

"We do know." Chan tried to say but they didn't. Neither of them knew a fraction of what you went through on a day to day basis. They only ever saw a hint of what people say about you and to you, 

"No. You don't. Because you're Chan and Felix. The stars of the school who everyone loves." You didn't mean to sound as bitter as you did but you'd finally had enough of everything, you knew it wasn't their fault but you couldn't help but feel bad that it was different for them than it was for you.

"Yn...Come on." Felix mumbled, annoyed at you for even thinking that way about them,

"Come on what? You don't have to go to class every day wondering what the next rhyme about you will be. or if you'll get kicked and spat at in the hall." Chan stared at you, he had no idea it was this bad for you. All he'd ever heard was a rhyme about you always being around them. That was because the song changed, if the boys were around it was something a little tamer than what it truly was.

"Or have to deal with being constantly belittled because you're in love with two people and no one would ever understand that," You broke down into a sob and Felix wrapped his arms around you, bringing you to rest against his chest as they stared at one another. Neither of them knew it was this bad and seeing you break down like this only made them ache. 

"Yn. Why didn't you tell us it was this bad?" Chan quizzed, reaching his hand out to yours and rubbing it softly as you sniffled against Felix's chest.

"You can't do anything, they all love you. They adore the ground you walk on when we're the same. All muggle born but for some reason, I'm the disgusting one." Felix looked at you before frowning. Disgusting? How did being a muggle-born witch or wizard ever make someone disgusting?

"I'm the filthy slutty mudblood-" You couldn't say anything more as Felix leaned down to kiss you, sighing as you cried against his lips. Kissing him back a little before you pulled away, trying your best to get out of his arms,

"Go. Before they come here and make it worse." Neither of them said anything but Chan moved to join you on the side of the booth, squeezing in so you were sandwiched between the two of them. You could feel their hearts racing against their chests as they pulled you close to one another. 

"Baby girl, why didn't you come to us? Seriously, we could have done anything. Made sure you were never alone." Chan suggested as he thought back on all of the times you were too scared to walk to class alone or even come to lunch when he forced you to. All of those times he'd caught you crying in the library but you told him that it was nothing.

"I'm alone in the common room." You reminded them, which was where it was at its worst. Pansy wouldn't leave you alone for even a second, you'd thought about taking a room here instead but you knew it would never work. You didn't have the money to pay for a room and you were sure Snape would use it against you in one way or another.

"I would have snuck you into mine," Felix whispered as you looked at him, shaking your head. There was no going away from this. It followed you everywhere like a dark cloud above your head. Besides, if anyone had seen you going in or coming out of the Hufflepuff common room things would escalate into something far worse. The rumours would be branded as facts and there would be no stopping the rumour mill as it would continue to produce them.

"It's everywhere. I figured I could deal with it, only a few more weeks until we can leave but then snape...and it got too much." You admitted as a waitress handed three drinks to you along with some food on a plate. It was dark outside so you knew all three of you were missing dinner at the hall but right now you didn't care. Going back there was the last thing on your mind.

"You know we don't think you're a slut right? We love you," Chan spoke as he pressed a kiss to your cheek, you felt your body warming up as you locked eyes with him.

"I know...I love you guys too but-"

"We will get to the bottom of this, we'll make it all stop," Felix said as he took your chin in his grasp, slowly turning your head so that you were looking at him.

"There's nothing they could say that would make us love you any less," Felix assured you as you looked at him,

"It's not about that...They're going to keep saying things and they're right...I don't deserve either of you." You switched your gaze between the two of them but they refused to move, you couldn't say anything that was going to make them move and you knew that.

"You do, in fact, you probably deserve better. If we were better boyfriends we would have seen how bad it was," Chan sighed as he wiped away a tear from your cheek, your face snuggling into his touch automatically.

"You're great though, you both are."

"And so are you," Felix whispered pressing a soft kiss on your shoulder as you laid your head down onto Chan's arm, relaxing against him a little. 

"We're going to make sure nothing ever happens to you again, okay? I'll take you to practice with me and you can study there," Chan told you as you nodded your head a little, you knew it was going to be hard to deal with but at least you had them now. Now that they knew it felt as though it was going to be a little easier to deal with or at least you'd have someone to support you.

"There's something we could do, it might be dumb though..." Felix whispered as both you and Chan turned to meet his gaze,

"Tell them the truth. Confirm we're dating and if anyone has anything to say-"

"They can take it up with us personally." Chan finishes, looking to you as you thought it over. It wasn't as though you would have to deal with it for much longer. If you took your early exam you would be out of Hogwarts within a matter of weeks and if the boys told people not to touch you...Would they listen? 

"Would they listen to you? I mean...We're friends in their eyes and they still do what they do..." You reminded them but Chan shook his head,

"I can almost bet they would leave you alone if we confirmed the rumours...No one would even know what to do if we confirmed it." Chan thought about it aloud, looking at Felix who was staring at you already.

"But we would only do this if you wanted to. If you wanted to hide until we left school we'd be okay too," You smiled weakly, thinking about both options. 

Confirming it would give you a small sense of comfort knowing that nobody would say a word to you now that you were their girl but would it get worse? There was a chance that confirming it would only make the comments you would get worse. 

"We don't have to think about it right now," Chan added as you nodded your head at them both. 

"Right now, we need to make sure our girl eats," Felix ordered as he dragged the plate of food closer to you all making you and Chan laugh a little. 

"You mean you eat, you can't go five minutes without thinking of food." You teased softly, poking Felix's cheek as he began to flush at you.

"I'm a quidditch player. I have to make sure I eat enough." He reminded you as you pushed some grapes into his mouth, only to have him do the same with a strawberry for you. 

"I love you," Felix whispered pressing his lips to yours before Chan turned you so that he could kiss you this time,

"You taste like strawberries and sweets." He chuckled as you kissed them both once more.

Time seemed to pass by slower while you were together and you enjoyed every second of it, you got to bath in the warmness of your boyfriends and not have to worry about anything else. They had spent the last three hours comforting you in any way that they could, playing darts with you, cuddling you and even just listening to you tell them about your study material. 

Soon your worries from that day had begun to pass and you felt more relaxed around them and a little better about what you had done. You knew there were going to be repercussions about apparating away from Snape but you didn't care anymore.

"You feeling a little better?" Chan asked as Felix went to the counter to get you more drinks, you turned to Chan and nodded leaning up and kissing him softly. His arms wrapped around you as he smiled against your lips, bringing you closer to him as you hummed against his lips.

"Thank you," You whispered, pulling away and leaning your forehead against his.

"For what? Being a good boyfriend and comforting you?" You nodded and he let out a small laugh, kissing you gently. Your whole body felt as though a weight had been lifted from you as you spent more time with them.

"You don't need to thank us for being decent humans...Wizards." He laughed as he looked at you, pressing a kiss to your temple as you shook your head at him,

"We should tell them." You said randomly as you plopped some chocolate into your mouth, you had enough hiding and being here with the boys right now only fills you with confidence. 

If people in here didn't bother to judge you then why should you let people at school bother you?

"Babe...We don't have to decide anything right now." Chan reminded you but you shook your head, smiling brightly at him and over at Felix as he placed three glasses down onto the table.

"You seem brighter, what did I miss? Was Chan making a joke about my freckles again?" He asked defensively, covering his nose as you shook your head.

"I love your freckles," Chan whined at him, sipping on the water before looking at you. 

"We tell them. I'm doing being scared." Neither of them seemed so sure about what you were saying, especially after the day you'd had.

"We can still think about it," Felix reached his hand to yours and you smiled, it wasn't going to change your mind about this anymore.

You were nearly done with school, you were in the best relationship of your life and you weren't going to let a bunch of school kids and mean comments take that away from you anymore. 

"I've been scared nearly every day of my life...I'm done letting it control me," Chan couldn't help but smile at you as he nodded in agreement, carefully raising his glass in the air. 

"Then, cheers! To telling people." He toasted as you and Felix joined in with him, clinking your glasses together in happiness.

You'd been right about telling people, once they knew the truth no one seemed to bother you much anymore. There were the passing comments from lower years but they were never as bad as they used to be. You'd been given detention from Snape for back talking and apparating but the boys had instantly decided to get themselves thrown in with you once they knew you were going to be there for a long time.

"I was thinking, we could sneak out and get snacks before we go to detention," Felix suggested as you walked through the halls, there were eyes on you but by now you were used to people looking at you and staring. How could they not? You had two beautiful boys around you at all times and their arms were around you nine times out of ten. 

"Snape will only give us more detention if he sees us eating." Chan reminded Felix as he wrapped his arm over your shoulder, kissing the top of your head as you grumbled at him for messing up your hair. 

"We leave in two weeks...It's not going to make a difference." You nodded and looked up at Chan,

"He has a fair point." You laughed as Chan rolled his eyes at the two of you. He knew he was going to say yes to you eventually, he never really had the strength to say no to you.

"Fine, but can we not apparate in a race this time? The last time I got stuck in the three broomsticks' basement and no one came for me." He whined as you kissed his pouting lips, nodding your head.

"We'll send Lix, he can gather everything he wants since it was his idea." Felix playfully glared at you both but agreed anyway, kissing you goodbye before he left in a quick flash. 

"He forgot his money, give it two minutes and he'll be back." Chan laughed, shaking his head at the space where Felix had once been standing. 

Tagline: @minholuvs​ @taestannie​ @sw33tnight​ @acciocriativity​ @mwitsmejk​ @taeechwitaa​ @justbangtanthingz​ @stillwithlix​ @lolalee24​ @yubinism​ @ethereallino​ @aerastus​ @kimahnjung98​ @halesandy​

[cwritesforfun]

(Criminal Minds) Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader: Lunch Date

Based on 1st Season Spencer Reid Spencer met Y/N at a bookstore. He asked her out and his date is tomorrow.  Got facts Spencer will day from these websites - Wikipedia, PubMed, Journal of Sleep Research, and college grad program website **I don't own these characters except for Y/N and the waiter, Alex** **Y/N = Your Name**

Master list

Spencer's POV

We just got back to Quantico from our last case in Florida.

I pack up my things to go home and Morgan walks over. He asks "Doing anything this weekend?" I answer "Reading Lord Of The Rings, a date, and catching up on my soap shows." Morgan nods and then his jaw drops. He asks "A date? Damn with who pretty boy?" I laugh and answer "A girl from a bookstore." He replies "Don't do anything I would do. Actually scratch that man, do what I would do. Enjoy yourself." Garcia stops by and asks "Enjoy himself? Hey, remember when Reid did his physics magic and it exploded at Hotchner's feet? He was enjoying himself then." We all laugh. Morgan says "He's going on a date." Garcia smiles and hugs me. She says "Omg I can't believe it. Tell me everything." I reply "There's really not much to tell. She was in the fantasy genre section of the bookstore on 5th Street named BooksAMillion. It was actually row 16. I was browsing nearby and I thought she looked pretty. I walked over and we talked about books for a little bit before I asked her out. The bookstore worker wasn't happy about us talking semi-loudly, but I could tell she likes to see a relationship blossom at her store. She let it pass. That's it." Garcia laughs and replies "Of course, you met her at a bookstore and remember exactly where you met. Please invite me to the wedding and the proposal you should have there." I reply "Garcia, I haven't even gone out with her yet." She laughs and replies “You always know when it’s the one.”

Y/N's POV - Next Day!

I'm meeting Dr. Spencer Reid for our date tonight. He's literally the same age as me and has multiple PHD’s. I feel so unaccomplished. It's fine though. After getting a double Master's, I was done with school.

We're going to lunch at some random place he picked then we planned on picking a book out for each other at the bookstore we met at. I think it'll be cute. I'm very excited.

I arrive at the lunch place on time and see Dr. Reid sitting on the bench outside. He sees me, waves, and stands. I walk up and exclaim "Hi Dr. Reid! How are you doing today?" He replies "Please call me Spencer. I've had a good day so far. I finished rereading the entire Lord of the Rings Trilogy and started rewatching episodes of my soaps."

We head inside the restaurant and we take a seat at an empty table.

I ask "Finish the trilogy again? Wait did you read all 3 today or just the last one?" He answers "All 3. I can read 20,000 words per minute." I reply "Damn I wish I was you. That would've made school so much easier." He replies "Not for me. I was bullied in school. I reply “I’m sorry to hear that. I’m glad you made it out in one piece.” He smiles and says “Yeah, I made it out one piece physically. My reading speed did help with my 3 BAs and 3 PHDs that my bullies don’t have." I smile and reply "Wow what a flex. I was wondering why you were called a Doctor. Personally, I only got two Master's and then I was done with school." He replies "More than 16 million people have a Master's in the U.S. That is roughly 8% of the population. Did you know that the amount of students in college now who are pursuing their Master's is higher than in the past decade?" I answer "That's so interesting. Huh well, I think it personally helped me get the job I have, which is good."

A waiter walks up and exclaims "Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm Alex. I'll be your server this afternoon. What can I get for both of you to drink?" We both tell him our drink orders then he swiftly returns with drinks. We tell him our food order and he leaves.

I ask "Have you ever been here before?" He shakes his head and answers "My friend, Morgan, told me about it. He goes on a lot of dates. It seemed to have a good selection from the menu, so I'm glad he suggested it." I smile and nod. He asks "Any plans for the rest of the weekend?" I answer "Get some sleep tonight to be ready for the week and maybe bake some kind of bread to eat for breakfast this week." He replies "Oh... According to PubMed, people don't just adjust to a routinely disparate weekday and weekend sleep schedule. You think you do, but you don't. Not to mention, the Journal of Sleep Research says we get about 30 minutes less sleep than we would ideally need on each night of the working week... sorry I got a little carried away there." I smile and reply "No problem at all. It's super interesting. Did any of those articles ever say what to do instead? Because if you aren't catching up with your sleep, then what? He answers "Mainly it said to keep a normal sleep schedule and not to change anything." I reply "Is that cool? Yes. Will I try it? Maybe not. I love not having a healthy sleeping pattern." He laughs.

Food arrives and we eat.

After lunch, we walk down the street to BooksAMillion for the next part of our date.

I ask "So do we have a time limit or book limit or price limit or anything?" He asks "Do you have an idea of what you want to get already?" I nod. He says "Ok so do I. We can do 15 minutes and a 2-book limit." I reply "Deal!"

We separate and I start walking to fantasy. He seems like a Star Trek & adventure-loving guy, so time for my first book. I grab my first book and then head to the nonfiction section for my second one. I pick it up and head to the checkout line. I wait in it and checkout.

As I walk towards the exit, I see Spencer by the entrance holding a bag plus two cups. He hands me one and says "I got you a coffee. You seem like a two-sugar and half-n-half girl to me. I hope you don't mind and I hope I got your order right." I reply "Omg wow yes that is my order. Thanks, Spencer. Shall we?" I motion to the door and he nods.

We leave and head to the park across the street. We sit on a bench and I ask "Who first?" He answers "You seem excited. You start." I smile and say "Ok... here ya go. I shall explain why as soon as you see them." I hand him the bag and he sets his coffee down. He takes the bag and opens it. He pulls out the first one. I exclaim "Ok so my first one. Now based on our one conversation from last time, you gave me Trekkie vibes like you just seem like Star Trek would be your thing. Am I right?" He nods and I continue "Awesomeness wow! So my first one is Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik gives me very much Kathryn Janeway vibes. Ooh I hate that I've said vibes twice in the span of 5 minutes. Ew. Sorry ok so... Kathryn was the first Federation captain to successfully traverse the Delta Quadrant, encountering dozens of new planets and civilizations over the course of seven years. Then in the book, the plot revolves around three amazing women and a stubborn resistance to cultural norms. Have you read it before?" He shakes his head and replies "No I can't say I have. Nice call on Star Trek. So now book 2!" He pulls it out and I exclaim "Ahh ok so book two is The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. I recommend it to so many people because I think there's something in there that will resonate with everybody. It makes you believe in yourself and not feel so uninspired by work. I don't even know if you feel that way, but it's helped me and I thought hey why not?" He replies "Well thank you. I'm sure I'll like it. I'm excited to read them." I smile.

I set my coffee down and he hands me my bag. He picks his coffee back up, sips it, then exclaims "So the first one is a classic, so I really hope you haven't read it yet. The Once And Future King by T.H. White is a retelling of King Arthur and his life. The book is divided into four parts, which are The Sword in the Stone detailing the youth of Arthur. Then, The Queen of Air and Darkness was published separately in a somewhat different form as The Witch in the Wood. Next is The Ill-Made Knight (1940), dealing mainly with the character of Lancelot. Lastly is The Candle in the Wind. I hope you like it as much as I do. My second book is quite the craze among people at the moment. It is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. It was originally written in Portuguese, but I picked the English version for you. It follows a young Andalusian shepherd on his journey to the pyramids of Egypt, after having a recurring dream of finding a treasure there. I hope you like them." I smile and reply "I'm excited to read them. Thank you so much, Spencer." His phone rings and he says "Oh... one minute." He walks off with his phone.

Spencer shortly returns and says "This was a fun date. Thank you for coming. I hope we can do this again. Unfortunately, I have to head to work." I reply "Aww yeah I had fun too. This was a great date! Well, I guess I'll see ya Spencer!" He grabs his bag and coffee then he leans forward to kiss me on the cheek. He says "Bye Y/N." I wave bye and he walks off.

I head home right after to start reading my books.

Spencer's POV

On the jet, I pull out my books and set them on the table. Morgan asks "You got new books? What about that date? Did you miss it?" I answer "No. In fact, she picked these books out for me. One was because she guessed I was a Star Trek fan and one was to inspire me plus it's one of her favorite books. I gave her The Once And Future King plus The Alchemist." He laughs and replies "Nerds. Geez. So you had fun?" I answer "Technically fun is enjoyment, amusement, or lighthearted pleasure. I have fun all the time. If you mean, do I think we'll go on another date? I kissed her on the cheek and she let me ramble. I'd say yes." He laughs.

........................................................................... THANK YOU FOR READING!!!! :)

[walkingdaryls]

domestic life with loki

i hope you enjoy this, it’s super fluffy (but it has some minor nsfw at towards the end!). enjoy :)

while loki is the god of mischief, and brings a little too much chaos with him practically everywhere he goes...

you and loki’s settled life together was anything but chaotic. it was pure tranquility in everyway possible

you were convinced this is what heaven was like

you and loki, once you two decided to settle down together, decided to leave the states

and so the two of you found the nicest place to live in ireland

with loki’s magic and what not, you two built a cottage in the middle of a beautiful, endless forest on a large hill

it was the kind where if you followed the path down the hill, it’d lead you to a lovely stream

sometimes you two would spot harmless wild animals pass through the area

there was not another home in sight, but if you walked a couple minutes up and over the other side of the hill, you’d find yourself amidst a gorgeous tiny town

full of locals, cute shops, bookstores, and more

every single morning, without fail, you’d wake up with the rising sun in your face coming in through the windows, before loki pressed a soft, warm kiss on your forehead

he’d make his way out (and you’d admire his shirtless back as he walked away) and into the kitchen, where he’d be awaiting you with a cup of tea or coffee

“good morning, darling” and he’d wait for a passionate kiss first before giving you your drink

every. single. morning.

your day to day routines would vary a little bit each day

sometimes you two would hop on your bikes, or walk into town hand-in-hand

you’d stop at a farmer’s market, as loki chose all of his favorite fruits

he’d pull you into the bookstore and would have you close your eyes as he gently dragged your pointer finger along the shelves until you said “stop”

he’d stop, pull out the book, and try to read to you the most romantic passage he could find in it

you blushed every single time.

little shit had such a way with words

you’d stop for some lunch or dessert at a local bakery nearby

if you were feeling really up to it, you and loki would catch a train and visit dublin, or perhaps go all the way to england for a weekend trip

your cottage had a long, winding garden out in the back, so some days you’d tend to it as loki was reading inside, or on the swinging bench

you had music playing while you worked out in the dirt, so you wouldn’t hear loki as he’d come behind you, grab you gently by the waist and kiss you so passionately, you’d drop your gardening tool on the grass

he’d chuckle at your funny gardening hat, kiss you once on the nose, and say “c’mon inside, love. i made tea. you deserve a break”

when it was rainy (which was more often than not), you two would sit outside on your swinging bench under a covered area, and just listen to the sweet sounds of nature

you’d lay your head in loki’s lap as he ran his cool fingers through your hair tenderly

“is this what true peace is?” you’d whisper, just barely over the pouring rain

loki would sigh contently, remembering all of the chaos, violence, and stress from his past. he’d take one loving glance at you, run his fingers over your cheek and say,

“i’ve never known peace until you.”

you smiled shyly, “i love you.”

“and i, you, darling. until the end of our days, and so on.”

“and so on...” you closed your eyes, soaking in the feel of his touch

your absolute favorite pastime with loki, though: baths.

you two were very much fans of skin on skin, not even in a sexual way

loki would magic away the lights, leaving only the soft dim of candles lighting up the bathroom

he’d take you gently by the hand, discard you of the thin robe you were wearing, and carry you into the tub

you two would take turns shampooing and lathering one another. it was so quiet, so peaceful...it was almost meditative

the only sounds you’d let out were soft moans when his fingers would scratch just the right spot on your scalp. he’d laugh softly at that.

there was nothing more tranquil to him than the sounds you made

you’d lay on his chest until the water got cold, then he’d help dry you off and get into bed

but not before another long kiss

(a little nsfw) with you and loki’s home being in such a quiet, secluded place, you two ravished each other and made love almost any place you possibly could

he’d take you on the bed. in the bathtub. on the kitchen table after a candlelit dinner on your anniversary. in the living room while some old movie kept playing.

one time, you and loki had a romantic picnic out in your garden

and he ended up making love to you right there and then on the ground

every moment intimately spent together was nothing short of sweet whispers of affirmations, pleasureable moans, and pure passion

you and loki would also take advantage of the view, and you’d make your way down the hill, and sit by the stream late at night to star-gaze or watch the full moon

loki would point out the stars and tell you the history about them. and if he didn’t know it, you two would name it together

“you see those two stars over there? the ones that look almost...attached by the hip? we can call those after us.”

“you mean our names?”

“yes.”

“you fucking sap.” but you devoured him in a kiss anyways.

sometimes you and loki would turn on soft, intrumental music, and blast it in your living room

you’d walk in wearing a nice, long sundress that drove loki mad, holding two glasses of wine

and he’d pull you in close to him, and you two would sway in each other’s arms for what seemed like hours

when you two were tired, and ready for the day to be over, he’d pull you into him in bed, wrapping his arms around you

you’d press a warm kiss to his neck, and he’d leave one on your forehead. then you two would meet in the middle with a kiss on the lips.

you guys sleep with a window open, letting the sounds of nature filter through

as your eyes began to droop, loki whispers softly by your ear, sending light shivers through your body

“my little dove, i am yours forever.”

pure tranquility. and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

[coolcattime]

The noir magic au has had me in a chokehold since I first read it. I hope it’s alright with you coolcat but I just had to write that bar scene.

Another day, another dead end. They were getting nowhere these past couple of weeks, so they made plans to see if money could get them anywhere. She is fine with that. Now, anyway. It was rough the first few times having to deal with the conflicting morals of wanting to do it all by the book and making deals with people who are known to break the law. She’s made peace with it, it’s just information she always reasons. It’s fine.

Tucker had already been stating his grievances about how it felt like losing having to pay for information that might not even be new Sonja, I bet you she’s gonna make us spend way too much for info we’re carrying ourselves! He made sure that she knew his exact feelings for the entire twenty minute walk to the bar. He’s being very fussy for a man who’s about to enjoy his night drinking his weight in whiskey.

For an early Thursday evening the bar was decently full. Not the almost max capacity of a regular weekend night, a horror show trying to find or do anything in that building. It was nice right now though, with the last rays of a setting sun they both entered through the glass door, the bell above ringing at its movement.

Tucker makes a beeline to the first free booth in sight, and Sonja can’t help but feel disappointed when he chooses the bench facing the door. She heads over to the counter and waits for Jordan to finish serving the person sitting a couple of seats away from her.

“Is Capsize in yet?” She asks quickly as he rushes to grab a bottle of tequila.

“Hi Sonja! I’m doing great thanks for not asking. You’re doing great too? Wow so glad to hear we’re both having a great day today and you’re gonna buy an expensive drink to make it-“ There’s a fake smile plastered on his face, one typical of those working customer service jobs, although this smile and tone are greatly exaggerated.

“Jordan, I really need something from her. It’s important.” His faux cheeriness falls instantly at her exasperated response. He walks away for a moment to deliver some shots to the people down the counter. As he makes his way back he looks to a clock across from his bartending area, a worried look betrays what’s usually a neutral expression.

“Yeah, you and half the people sitting here. Look, she’s running late today, okay? I don’t know when she’ll be in.”

“Okay. Then could you bring Tucker his usual and me the…um” She trails off thinking back to the last drink she had. It had been ordered on her behalf so its name escapes her. “It had a blackberry after-taste. Turned my eyes gray for an hour..?”

“Oh that’s an expensive one, yes I’ll bring it to you right away.” His mood brightens at getting to run her tab up so early in the night. She’s not too peeved, on their first meeting Capsize had told her that the drinks are on me lass, don’t you worry about it. Even if that conversation was ages ago now, the drinks always were so she never did. Proof be damned, as sweet of a gesture it is, Sonja’s sure the informant does this for all her friends.

Sitting down across from Tucker, she laments being stuck having to listen to the bell ring every time a patron walks in. And walk in one does. Bell rings and she turns her head to look. It’s a woman, short red dress and a white jacket, she’s pretty but not who she’s waiting for.

Soon enough they get their drinks and a small basket of chips to go along with them. They sit in silence, neither wants to talk about the case so openly and going over evidence would just lead them both back to frustration. Tucker sips his drink slowly, she doesn’t get a chance to taste hers. The bell rings again, and she turns her head to the side to see a small group of college kids who head for a pool table in the back. As she watches the group settle into a game, her eyes pass over a well dressed individual who meets her gaze. He smiles as she grimaces.

“Tucker, I want you to take a deep breath for me. This is going to be painful.” She looks back down to her untouched cocktail, mentally preparing for the proverbial torture currently walking towards them. Not like he could actually do them harm here, shame the reverse is true though.

“Well well, I saw you admiring my new suit. Real cute right, do ya like it? You’ll never guess who paid for it.” Thomas “the man who has this city in his back pocket” Syndicate. What a stupid last name she remembers thinking all the way back when she first read it in his file. And because their day couldn’t get any better here he is standing before them. “Your precinct! These are your holiday bonuses I’m wearing.” She hopes he’s lying, knowing what he’s capable of, she understands he’s not. Tom makes a show of it. Doing several poses in what is a very expensively tailored pinstripe suit.

Tucker says nothing. Opting out of playing along with whatever Tom’s game is today. She follows his lead and takes a chip, which gets snatched out of her hand, ending up in the mouth of the mobster before her. Unbeknownst to them Jordan keeps as close of an eye to the trio as he does the clock.

She can wait the whole night if need be. They’ve been getting close to nowhere city with this case, nothing to lose sitting at a booth drinking good and eating chips. Tom opens his mouth again and it’s an immediate realization that, no actually, she will be losing something if this goes on for any longer. Her sanity. Here she was hoping to keep that for a couple more years.

He says he should sit here at their booth and join them for a drink, that it’ll be a grand ol’ time. A mob boss, a p.i, and a cop all sitting in a bar together. Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, she’s just hoping the punchline doesn’t get any worse.

The bell rings again and in walks Not her. She had barely turned her head to the door this time. Perhaps if she had kept her eyes on it for a second longer she’d have seen a familiar figure slip in before the door could fully shut. Perhaps if Jordan hadn’t crouched down to clean up a spill he would’ve seen her too, stopped her before his days without incident sign went down to a zero.

Tom is too busy making a grab for her drink to see hands grab at his shoulders. There’s a surprised yelp from him as Capsize throws him into Tucker’s side of the booth, pinning him to the bench. They all yell her name as drinks go spilling on the table with Tom's hands waving in a panic frenzy unsure of what to do. Having him now pinned on top of Tucker, she screams at him, hands tightly grasped on his white dress shirt. None of what she’s saying is discernible, slurring her words and having chosen volume over sense, Sonja has a hard time making out what she’s screaming. Over the chaos of the scene the rest of the bar gets quiet.

What feels like hours but is actually just seconds, Jordan rips Capsize off of Tom. One of her arms is being held in an uncomfortable position to her back, while a hand has her by the neck. He says nothing as he leads her away from them, more focused on keeping her contained than anything else. Sonja now notices the injury as her bloody arm attempts to claw at Jordan.

“Tell your Dianitee worshiping bastards to give me my brother back!” Is the last thing they hear from her as she’s led to a room beyond the pool table. In that moment she and Tucker meet eyes. There’s a look of shock on his face that she matches. This is it, their break.

“Capsize is incredibly apologetic for the disturbance she’s caused, the next rounds on her!” Jordan says as he walks back into the bar, all eyes now on him. Conversation starts up again as he makes his way to their table. He motions to Tucker and Tom “As an apology for tonight I’ll be covering both your tabs. As for you,” He turns to her now. “Can you do me a favor, and follow me?” It’s a question meant as a statement. He goes back to the counter, leaving her no room to argue. Handing her a glass of water, he tells her that she’ll find a closet with a medkit to her right and an injured Capsize on the third door down from it.

Back at the table Tom stays seated next to the private investigator. Still confused at the event that just transpired.

“Tom, if I asked you to look at some pictures, would you?” He takes a short breath before letting the grip on his shirt go. His and Tucker’s eyes meet.

“Now why would I do that?”

“Because for once in my life, I actually believe you’re an innocent party in something.” He stares confused at the investigator sitting beside him, mouth slightly agape.

“What are you talking about, when am I ever-“

“We should continue this somewhere more private.” Tucker motions for him to stand up and they both make their way through the same door as Sonja

(This is all I have, I hope you enjoyed reading <3)

Holy shit this is so good! Of course I'm good with you writing this!!!

I love the way you've written all the characters.

Jordan is just the right amount of worried and done with everyone. He's so clearly in control when the choas happens in a way that I love.

Sonja is a great, I just love everything about her portrayal. Her looking at the door whenever someone comes in, just the mounting annoyance at Tom (and no Sonja, Capsize almost certainly buy expensive drinks for all her friends, go be gay).

I love Tom. He's one of my favourite character types: someone is being really annoying and overconfident unaware that they're about to get their shit wrecked. He's both so fun and I also am so glad he gets pinned to the bench and his suit ruined (also I love his seeming offence to being called innocent in something).

Yes to Capsize! She deserves to just so absolutely feral! She is perfect and I love love love her.

Obviously, Tucker is quieter than the rest of the characters, but I do love just how done he is with everyone but the moment there's information he gets immediately to work.

[original ask]

[noforkingclue]

Hey, if you write for Natasha, could I request something with her and a single mother reader?

Here you go anon. Once again this turned out a lot longer than I expected! Hope you like it!

Title: A Happy Family

MCU tag list: @geocookie21, @greeneyedblondie44, @purebloodwitch

Everything tag list: @greenrevolutionary, @imjustassaneasyou

“Let me help you.”

“Oh,” you looked over your shoulder, “There’s no… need.”

Your voice trailed off as you looked at the woman behind you. She raised an eyebrow and you felt the blush slowly creep up your neck. She was beautiful and she looked familiar but you couldn’t put your finger on it. Your daughter looked up at you and tugged on your coat distracting you for a moment.

“Mum,” she whined, “Hungry.”

“Not long now,” you said as you turned your attention back to her, “Just a moment.”

“Here,” the woman took one of your shopping bags, “I’ll help.”

“There’s really no need,” you said embarrassed, “I can manage.”

“I’m sure you can,” she gave you a small smile, “But you are blocking the doorway.”

“Am I?” realisation dawned on you, “Shi- I mean, oh no. I didn’t to.”

The woman didn’t reply as she helped you carry in your shopping.

“I’m y/n by the way,” you said awkwardly, “Thanks for your help.”

“Natasha,” she replied with a small smile, “Nice to meet you.”

*

It was one of the rare days when you parents were looking after your daughter. You loved her dearly but sometimes it was nice to have a day to yourself. You hunted for your door keys in the pits of your bag when you heard a familiar voice,

“Hello again.”

You glanced over and you hand grasped your keys. You hurriedly pulled them out of your bag as you felt yourself once again get hot under Natasha’s piercing gaze.

“Natasha right?” you said, “Hey.”

“No daughter?”

“Oh no,” you muttered, “My parents are looking after her for the weekend. They love spoiling her and they want me to give some time to properly relax.”

“Can’t your… partner help?”

“Ha,” you let out a bark of laughter, “Him? He’s useless, doesn’t want anything to do with her. We’re better off without him anyway.”

“Must be tough,” Natasha walked over towards you, “Being on your own.”

“It is,” you admitted as the two off you walked out of your apartment building, “But seeing her smile is worth it. You know, I never actually thanked you for the other day.”

“You did at the time.”

“That’s not what I mean. Would you like to get a coffee some time?”

“Coffee?”

“Yes.”

You felt yourself get slightly uncomfortable under her gaze. It was like she could see into your soul and was able to read all of your thoughts. Once again you could feel your blush rise up to your cheeks. You never knew that another woman could pull this reaction from you.

“I’d like that.”

“You would?”

“Yes,” she held the door open for you as the two of exited into the crisp fresh air, “Although I’m busy today. Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow is good.”

“I’ll see you then. We can work out details later but unfortunately I have work I need to complete.”

She waved goodbye and headed towards two people who were clearly waiting for her. Your eyes followed her and suddenly your blood turned cold when you realised who was waiting for her. One of them was Captain America.

You had just asked out Black Widow on a date.

*

“Do you ever regret it?”

“Regret what?”

“Asking me out?”

You looked over at Nat. You daughter was currently asleep on her lap and Nat was looking down at her with soft eyes. You scooted closer to her and rested your head against her shoulder. Nat wrapped an arm around your shoulder.

“No. Do you ever regret accepting?”

“Not at all.”

“Even though I have a daughter?”

“Why should that bother me?”

You sighed deeply before saying,

“Most people do care. They don’t want someone with ‘baggage’.”

“Is that how people treat you?”

Her grip on you tightened slightly and you hesitated slightly. Your daughter shifted on Nat’s lap and the two of you looked down at her in concern.

“Sometimes,” you said quietly, “They can’t see passed the fact that I have a child and that she’s one of the most important people in my life.”

“I understand.” said Nat softly

“And you don’t care?”

“No. You treat me like-“

Nat cut herself off and looked away. You saw uncertainty flicker across her eyes and you sat up quickly. You turned her chin so she was facing you.

“What’s wrong Nat?”

“You treat me like anyone else,” she said quietly, “Despite everything I’ve done.”

“Oh Nat,” you rested her forehead against hers, “The person you were in the past is not the same as the person you are now. You help people Nat, you’re an Avenger and I… I love you.”

For a moment Nat didn’t reply. Anxiety curled in the pit of your stomach as you worried that it might’ve been too soon.

“You don’t have to say it back,” you said quickly, “I understand-“

Nat cut you off by gently pressing her lips against yours. She pulled you closer to her and she remained close when she broke the kiss. She stood up and lifted your daughter into her arms and you quickly followed you. While Nat didn’t always vocalise her feelings towards you she clearly showed them to you in other ways and you wouldn’t have her any other way.

*

“Got any milk?” said the man in your kitchen

You rubbed the sleep out of your eyes before glaring at the figure. You walked quietly over to the fridge and pulled out the carton and handed it to Clint.

“It’s early,” you said, “Do you know what time it is?”

“You’re awake already,” said Clint as he made the two of you a cup of coffee, “Hope you don’t mind me crashing here.”

“It’s not like I have much of a choice.”

Clint handed you the cup and you quickly took it. You had learned that Clint made a far better cup of coffee than Nat and it was one of the few things you liked about his visits. The two of you stood in silence for a moment before you said,

“What are you doing here?”

“Like I said, needed a place to crash.”

“It’s not too far to the tower.”

“Right.”

“Don’t bullshit me Clint, I’m not stupid.”

“I know.”

Silence once again fell between you. You rolled your eyes and walked towards your sofa. You were finding your apartment strangely quiet whenever Nat was away.

“Nat asked me to keep an eye on you,” said Clint from your kitchen, “She worries about you.”

“Keep an eye on me?”

“She has a lot of enemies, we all do.”

“And you’re what? A bodyguard.”

“Better than a stalker.”

You snorted before looking back at your coffee cup. It was very Nat to ask Clint to look after you. It would explain a lot of strange things that had been happening lately. You ran your thumb along the rim of your mug as Clint moved to sit next to you.

“I never sleep well when she’s away,” you admitted, “I worry about her.”

“I can tell,” said Clint, “You look like shit.”

“Thanks.”

“If it helps, she’s alright. She’ll be back soon.”

“Can you be more specific?”

“Can’t.”

“Confidential?”

“Yeah.”

“Clint?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks. My daughter will be happy to know that her other mum will be back soon.”

*

You sat on a park bench as Nat pushed your daughter on the swing. You smiled at the domestic nature, a picture so perfect it looked like it should belong in a picture book. A tap on your shoulder made you look over as Steve offered you a cup of coffee. You gratefully took it as he sat down next to you. You looked at your hands nervous around the America hero.

“She make her happy,” he said at last, “You’re good for her.”

“You’re not the only person who’s told me that,” you said, “Do you have to leave?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“It’s complicated. The less you know the safer the both of you will be.”

“Can’t I come with you?”

By now Nat was looking over at you and Steve. You gave her a pained looked as she walked over to you, your daughter excitedly running up to Steve.

“I’ll let the two of you to talk.” Said Steve

Once he was out of earshot, and distracting your daughter, you turned back to Nat.

“Please,” you said taking her hand, “Stay or at least let me come with you.”

“I can’t,” said Nat as she sat down in Steve’s place, “You’ll be safer out of my world. Our daughter will be.”

You closed your eyes forcing yourself not to cry. Nat cupped your cheek and brushed a thumb over it.

“I’ll be back,” she said softly, “I’ll never leave you alone. I love you, y/n. I’m not going to abandon my family but I need to do this.”

“I know,” you said, “But it hurts being away from you.”

“Same.”

“Nat, promise me one thing.”

“Yes?”

“Stay safe.”

“For you, anything.”

*

A pounding at your door caused you to run over it to. You dropped you mug and heard it break as it crashed on the floor but you had bigger concerns. You flung open the door and Clint turned around. For a moment it was like nothing had changed, the awkward silence settled over you, before you flung your arms around him.

“Clint,” you said, “It’s been too long. I heard about your family… I’m so sorry. Are they…”

“They’re back.”

“What a relief.”

“Uncle Clint!”

You let go Clint as you daughter ran up to him and wrapped her arms around him. Clint couldn’t help but smile as he lifted her up.

“You’re getting big now,” he said, “To big for this old man to lift up!”

“You’re not thatold.”

“Thanks kid.”

He put her down and ruffled her hair as she looked behind him. The was one person missing from your happy family as Clint said,

“Hey kid I need to speak to your mum for a bit.”

“Can’t I hear?”

“It’s adult stuff.”

“I am an adult!”

“Now dear,” you said kneeling down, “Listen to Uncle Clint. I’m sure if you do he’ll treat to you an ice cream later!”

“Promise?”

“Never broken a promise to you kid.” Said Clint

“Alright!”

As your daughter ran off to the backyard you folded your arms and said desperately.

“Where is she Clint? Where’s my wife?”

Clint put a hand on your shoulder and said,

“Why don’t you sit down? We have a lot we need to talk about.”

[randomshyperson]

WANDA X READER - 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU - Final

Gif is not mine.

Summary:  Pietro Maximoff is handsome and popular, but he can’t date before his twin sister. The problem is that no one can get close to his sister, Wanda Maximoff. To resolve the situation, a girl interested in Pietro bribes a colleague with a mysterious past to go out with Wanda and, who knows, try to win her over. Or The one directly inspired by 10 Things I Hate About You.

Words:  11,620K (Complete)  /// Read on AO3 too || Part I

Warnings: PG, fluff, language.

She doesn't answer your messages during the weekend. So you don't press her. But then you are on the field, in physical education period, and she is practicing.

You sit on the bleachers, trying to focus on the math homework you needed to finish, when Monica joins you on the bench.

- Hey, girl. - She says hello as she sits down. And noticing your gaze shifting from the notebook to Wanda, she comments. - What happened between you two?

You sighed angrily.

- I did the right thing. - You comment with irony, but seeing Monica's frown in confusion, you add. - She wanted to kiss me after the party. I refused because she was drunk.

- But the plan was working! - said Monica.

- So what, you called the whole thing off.

Monica giggled, and raised her eyebrows slightly.

- Yeah, I know, but it was...it was before what happened. - She said, and you looked at her with confusion. - Pietro kissed me.

You blink and then laugh, shaking your head. And then Bruce comes to join you two.

- I just talked to Wanda. - He says. - Look, she said she hates you with the intensity of a thousand suns.

You let out a dry laugh, running your fingers through your hair.

- Thank you Bruce, that's very comforting to hear. - You tell him wryly, and he nods uncomfortably.

- Maybe she needs a day to calm down. - Monica says, and the three of you look toward the field, where Wanda was training veritably.

- Maybe two days. - You comment as you watch her knock a girl down.

//-//

You managed to fix most of your motorcycle. And then you found out that your mother punctured the tires, and you stormed angrily into her room.

- Have you completely lost your mind? - You shouted, and she just took off her glasses and crossed her legs while looking at you. - You slashed the tires on my motorcycle?

- I told you that you were grounded.

- That's ridiculous! - you say. - You don't have the slightest respect for my things.

- Don't talk to me that way. - She warned, and you let out a wry laugh.

- Be damn sure that when my bike is up and running, I'm out of here!

You shout before leaving the room, slamming the door.

You were coming out of geography class when Pepper Potts came to talk to you again.

She pulled you into a far corner behind the closet, and held out a hundred dollars to you.

- Take her to prom. - She said. - It's all here, limousine, clothes.

She pushed the money in your hands, but you pushed it back.

- I'm done with this game, Potts. - You retorted, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

You started to turn to leave, but Potts stepped in front of you.

- Hey, hey, wait. - She asked, and then pulled three more bills from her purse. - Three hundred dollars, okay? Come on, it's just a date.

You swallowed dryly as you accepted, trying to push to the back of your mind how wrong it was. And Potts smiled mischievously, then left.

//-//

You went back to the same record store in front of the laundry room where you found Wanda that other day. And you tried not to be so nervous.

Looking around, you found her walking around the shelves, and she was admiring a guitar. You put your hands in your pockets as you watched her put on the headphones and try the instrument, sitting down on one of the stools in the store.

You moved closer, and could see her reflection in the mirror a few feet away, but Wanda didn't see you, as her eyes were closed while her fingers danced on the guitar strings.

You smiled at the image, she looked so peaceful and comfortable. You couldn't disturb her. So you just left the store.

//-//

You saw Wanda again the next day. You didn't give up talking to her, and ended up going to the only bookstore in town that you knew sold the poetry that Wanda liked to read according to the list Monica had given you.

And while you were browsing the shelves, you found her looking distractedly at a stack of books. You walked over to her, following her across the opposite shelf, and when the shelf was over, you ended up in front of each other.

- Excuse me, miss. I'm looking for an Avengers comic book, have you seen any around? - You joked, but Wanda didn't smile, looking annoyed.

- What are you doing here?

- I hear you like poetry. - You answer and she sighs impatiently.

- You're so...

- Charming? - You interrupt with a smile, Wanda rolls her eyes as she walks away from you. - wholesome?

- Inopportune. - She says irritated. You bite your lip and walk toward her.

- You're not as mean as you think. - You tell her.

- And you're not as bad-ass as you think you are.

- Oh, someone still has her panties in a twist.

- Don’t for one minute think that you had any effect whatsoever on my panties.

You let out a smug chuckle.

- And where did I provoke?

- You provoked my vomit, nothing more. - She retorts, then grabs a comic book from the stack of books in front of her and slaps it against your chest, walking away.

You stare at the Avengers comic book in your hand for a few minutes before handing it back, completely impressed by the dialogue.

//-//

At break time, the day after your argument with Wanda, Monica and Bruce approach you in the snack line.

- She's still mad at me, people. - You tell them as you put some noodles on your tray.

- Look, you embarrassed her, you need to apologize. - Monica said and you frowned.

- I'm not going to apologize for not taking advantage of her drunken state! - You retort. - It's not my fault she's stubborn, and would rather be angry than admit she's wrong.

You finish your lunch and get out of line, Bruce and Monica follow you to the table. They don't sit with you, but watch you sit next to Carol at one of the circular tables.

- Come on, Y/N, try to think of something to please her. - Bruce says, and you roll your eyes.

- You can sing your apologies. - Mocks Carol from beside you, making you laugh. But then Bruce and Monica have serious expressions and you frown.

- Not a chance! - You warn them, but they are already letting out excited exclamations.

Carol starts laughing next to you.

- I have the perfect idea! - Monica says. - You can sing a romantic song in front of the whole school! Any girl would love it.

- I'd kill anyone who did that to me. - Carol mumbles humorously, and you laugh.

- Can I at least finish my lunch in peace? - you say, and Monica and Bruce nod in agreement. You point to the free chairs at your table, and they are very happy to sit with you.

//-//

And then you ended up outside the school again. After infiltrating the upper booth of the soccer field and getting a microphone and access to the outside speakers. You also had to pay the band guy, but you figured it was only worth it.

- You're just too good to be true. - You sang into the microphone as you walked out of the booth toward the stands. Your voice echoing across the field - Can't take my eyes of you. - You continued as you walked. All the students were looking around trying to figure out where the voice was coming from. - You'd be like heaven to touch. I wanna hold you so much. At long last love has arrived. And I thank God I'm alive - You sing and finally become visible to the people in the field. - You're just too good to be true. - You look for Wanda in the crowd in the distance, and sing the last part while looking and pointing at her. - Can't take my eyes of you.

And then the band starts playing, and you follow the beats, continuing to sing the song, as the crowd claps their hands and enjoys your performance.

You keep looking at Wanda throughout the song, and even as the security guards pull you off the field, you see that she is blushing, and smiling.

//-//

You end up in detention after hearing from Principal Harkness that she was impressed that you did romantic acts, and you laughed before leaving the office.

And then Professor Thanos was walking around the detention room, and stopped at the desk next to yours.

- You look nervous. - He said to the student who was sitting down.

- A little bit sir.

- You are sweating like a pig. - said Thanos.

- Yes sir. - agreed the frightened boy.

- Your eyes are red. - He said.

The boy nodded nervously, looking down at the table.

- You have pot, don't you? - said Thanos angrily, and the boy turned pale. - Hand it over right now.

After confiscating the boy's weed, Thanos walked back around, and then the door opened. You raised your head when you heard Wanda's voice.

- Professor Thanos, may I speak with you please? - she asked, entering the room and walking towards the man.

- What can I do for you, Miss Maximoff?

- I have some ideas for improving the team. - She says.

- Great! But we'll talk about them later. - Thanos replies with a serious expression, and as he looks across the room, Wanda looks at you, and quickly signals the window of the room. You blink in confusion, and when she whispers "window," Professor Thanos turns to her again.

- As you know, we have an important match against the Panthers coming up. - She starts to say, clearly trying to distract the man. You rush to gather your backpack and sneak out of his field of vision. - Wow, your muscles are huge! - She comments with a false sweetness in her voice, pulling the professor along and enabling you to run behind one of the pillars. The floor is very noisy and Wanda is trying to keep the man distracted by talking about match tactics, and when you finally reach the window, there is a metallic clatter and you think Thanos is going to see you, but then Wanda is pulling you by the arm again, and lifting up her own blouse.

The whole room makes a celebratory buzz and you try not to blush at the image of Wanda's exposed breasts, hurrying out, around the building on the fire escape and out the side.

//-//

It takes a while, but Wanda joins you.

- I can't believe you showed your breasts to a professor. - You remark with a laugh when she arrives.

- I can't believe you sang in front of the school. - She replies with a smile.

You shift the weight of your feet, staring at the ground for a second.

- Do you want to do something now? - you ask, and Wanda smiles as she nods.

You sneak off the school grounds, avoiding being seen by any security or teachers.

You end up in the city park, on the pedal boats in the middle of the sea.

- I can't stop thanking you for getting me out of detention. - You say with a smile as you pedal along together. - That was really nice.

- No problem.

You are silent for a moment, before you decide to ask her what she wants to know.

- What is your excuse?

- For what? - she asks confused.

- For behaving the way you do.

- I don't like to do what everyone expects. - She says. - Why should I meet other people's expectations and not my own?

- So you disappoint from the start, and then you don't have to worry?

She smiles lightly impressed.

- Yeah, something like that.

You nod, looking away.

- So you failed.

- How so?

- You've never disappointed me. - You confess, and Wanda looks at you. You smile at each other for a moment, before you look away again.

A few meters from the edge of the beach there is a paintball field.

- Hey, are you in? - you ask, pointing to the place.

- Yes. - Wanda agrees, slightly excited.

When you get off the pedal boat, you race to the paintball field, and Wanda absolutely beats you to it. You are laughing as you pay the entrance fee, watching her excitement.

After you put on your protective clothing, and get the paint ammunition, she moves first into the field, and hides, causing you to lose sight of her. You walk around looking around, and then feel something cold hit you on your back.

- Cheater! - You shout cheerfully, as you grab some paint from your ammunition pouch, and run toward Wanda, who is laughing as she tries to run away. You hit her in the leg.

And you stay in this race for several minutes, throwing paintballs at each other while laughing and trying to dodge the shots. At some point between ducking behind one of the obstacles, you corner Wanda, but she looks so cute that you don't have the heart to throw paint at her.

So you just put your hand down and smile. But seeing your hesitation, Wanda laughs and jumps at you, knocking you into the hay as she falls on top of you. You both laugh but your laughter dies down when you notice how close you are. And then she gets that look in her eyes again, and you want to kiss her, so you do.

And you kiss against the hay for many minutes, the feeling of having her against you makes you absolutely satisfied. And you continue there, until Wanda sighs against your lips, and you are warm, and it is better to stop before you are thrown out. And when you part, Wanda hits you on the head with a paint ball, and the moment changes completely. Soon you are back to playing and running.

//-//

On the way back to Wanda's house, you talked about the most varied subjects. When you are arriving, you start talking about the rumors that have been made at school about you two.

- I've heard that you sold your liver on the black market. - She remarked, making you laugh as you turned off the car.

- Those things are lies. - You retorted sheepishly as you got out and walked towards her backyard.

- The parole story?

- False - You deny it laughing. - The fight that ended in death in the parking lot?

- Rumor. - Wanda says with a laugh. - The robbery in New York?

- Just gossip. - You say. - And the kick in Tony Stark's nuts?

- True, he deserved it. - She says. - I'd do it again, he tried to grab me in the cafeteria.

You nod in agreement.

- What about your accent? - you ask curiously.

- I thought it was one at a time. - She jokes, and you shrug. You sit on her balcony. - It's real. My family is from Sokovia, we moved here when I was eight. - You grumble in agreement, waiting for Wanda's question. - Where were you last year? Since the parole story is a lie?

You laughed, looking away for a moment.

- I was in Colorado, living with my father. - You tell, and then look at her again, tucking her hair back behind her ear.

Wanda looks at you with curiosity and tenderness.

- Tell me something true.

- True? - you repeat with a thoughtful tone. - I hate peas.

She laughs lightly.

- No. Something real. - She clarifies. - Something no one else knows about.

- Okay. - You agree by coming closer. - You're sweet. - You tell her by lowering your head to her neck and kissing. - And sexy. - You kiss the skin on the other side. - And you're completely crazy about me. - You say as you bump your foreheads together, and Wanda laughs, pulling away a little.

- You have a huge ego, anyone ever tell you that? - she scoffs.

- I tell myself that every day. - You smile back, before kissing her. - Come to the prom with me.

- Is that a request or an order?

- Come on, go with me.

Wanda sighs.

- No.

- Why not?

- Because I don't want to, it's a silly tradition. - She explains.

- Now, nobody expects you to go.

- Why are you so insistent about it?

You look at her in surprise, feeling your heart race. Then of course you get defensive, because Wanda can't know. At your lack of response, she asks:

- What's in it for you? - She sounds suspicious and irritated.

- Now I need a reason to be with you?

- You tell me.

You look away, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

- You need therapy, you know. - You say back. - Has anyone ever told you that?

- Answer my question.

- Nothing. - You exclaim without patience, looking at her. - I get nothing, just the pleasure of your company.

You look out into the yard again, and Wanda lets out an angry exclamation before getting up and walking into the house, slamming the door.

You run your hands through your hair, hating that you accepted the damn money in the first place.

//-//

You thought Wanda was angry, but she calls you the next day after school. And she accepts the invitation. You are surprised, and feel guilty, but you are also happy to spend time with her.

She says she will accompany her sister, and meet you at the dance. So you stand at the entrance to the party, wearing your best clothes and trying not to look so anxious.

Wanda doesn't see you as she walks up the stairs to the party, and you bite your lip, impressed by how beautiful she looks.

You approach slowly, and whisper a hello in her ear, which startles her slightly, but she smiles turning to you.

- You look stunning. - You say breathlessly.

- So do you. - She replies with a smile.

You offer your arm for her to hold, and she accepts. You walk together toward the ballroom.

- How did you get such a fancy outfit? - she asks with a slight irony.

- Oh, I had kept it at home. For situations like this. - You joke.

- What situations?

- A date with a pretty girl. - You retort with a smile, and Wanda laughs lightly.

You walk to the entrance of the photos, and you lean against the pillar.

- I'm sorry I questioned your motives. - she says when you stop. - I was wrong.

You swallow dryly, feeling guilty. But you try to cover it up.

- You are forgiven.

Wanda smiles.

- Are you ready for the ball?

- Yes, miss. - You agree with a light laugh as you turn toward the party.

You dance together for a few minutes. The songs are terrible, but with Wanda, it's fun.

You also see Pietro and Monica dancing together, and Wanda exchanges a pleased look with her sister.

- Girl, have you seen him? - asks a redheaded girl walking up to Wanda. You know they are friends, and that her name was Nat or something like that.

- Who? - Wanda replies, confused.

- William! - she replies. - He asked me to come here.

You and Wanda exchange confused and amused glances.

- Natasha, please don't tell me you're hallucinating.

You were going to ask what they were talking about, but then you looked toward the stage and understood. You signaled for the girl to look, and she cracked a big smile when she saw Bruce Banner dressed as William Shakespeare waving at her, and walked off in your direction.

- I'm not even going to ask. - Wanda remarked with a chuckle before she went back to dancing with you.

And then the music is ending again, for a romantic one to take its place. You turn Wanda in your arms, kiss her tenderly for a moment, and then dance again, feeling her rest her chin on your shoulder.

And you dance for several minutes, and then someone pulls you away.

- Girl, what is Pietro doing here with that asshole? - Pepper asked aggressively as she pulled you away. - I didn't pay you to go out with Wanda and get nothing for it.

It was as if a bucket of cold water had fallen on you. Your gaze returned immediately to Wanda, and she was already looking at you with teary eyes.

- You have nothing to gain from this, have you?

she retorted wryly before walking away, bumping into you. You gave Potts one last look before following her.

- Wanda! Wait! Please! - You shouted as you walked out of the hall. She then stopped walking, and you let out a sigh. - Give me a chance to explain.

- You were paid to go out with me by the person I hate the most. - She retorted. - I knew it was a trick.

- No, Wanda. It wasn't like that.

- How was it then? An advance, and the rest of the money when you sleep with me?

- No! - You denied it with a shout. - I didn't care about the money! I cared about you.

Wanda shook her head, incredulously.

- You're different than I thought you were.

And then she turns and runs outside, and you sink your hands into your face, trying to calm yourself down.

- Where did she go? - You hear a male voice, and take your hands away from your face to see Pietro standing in front of you.

- Away. - You retort, feeling your stomach clench. - I screwed up.

- We did. - He says upset, putting his hands in his pockets.

- At least you got the girl. - You comment wryly before turning and walking away.

You think you're crying, but you don't care as you leave the party.

//-//

Your first lesson is literature the next day. And you know you will see Wanda, but you are hating yourself so much right now that you don't care. You arrive early for the first time in the whole school year, and sit in one of the back chairs.

As the other students arrive, you keep your head down, trying to distract yourself with your cell phone, even though you know that all your attention is on the girl sitting two chairs in front of you.

When Professor Fury finally starts the class, he is all excited.

- I guess everyone had time to finish the poem I asked for. - He announces standing at the front of the room. - Except for Mrs. Potts, who has an excuse. - He scoffs lightly, mentioning the confusion that occurred at the dance when you left, where Monica punched her in the nose. And now she was wearing sunglasses to cover up the purple. The whole room giggles at Fury's words. - Okay, does anyone want to start the reading?

The room is silent, but then Wanda raises her hand.

- I will.

- Lord, here we go. - Comments the teacher as the girl gets up, and stops at the front of the room. Wanda begins to recite the poem:

-I hate the way you talk to me. And the way you cut your hair. I hate the way you drive my car. I hate it when you stare. - She narrates, without taking her gaze from the notebook - I hate your big dumb combat boots, And the way you read my mind. I hate you so much, that it makes me sick, And even makes me rhyme. - She pauses, taking a deep breath - I hate the way you're always right, I hate it when you lie. I hate it when you make me laugh. - She looks directly at you, her eyes filled with tears and her voice trembling. - Even worse when you make me cry. I hate it when you not around. And the fact that you didn't call. But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you, Not even close, Not even a little bit, not even at all.

Wanda lets the tears flow as she finishes, and the room was too shocked to react. She rushes out next, grabbing her backpack on the way, and slamming the door.

You are trying to hold back your own tears as you stand up.

- I'm going to the bathroom, Mr. Fury. - You grumble as you leave, without waiting for permission.

But you don't find Wanda, and you decide that you’re simply not in the mood for school today.

//-//

You sell your motorcycle. You hate that it has the parts for the money Potts gave you, so when it is fixed, you call Carol, and she finds you a buyer. This means you are stuck with your mother for a longer period, but it seems like the right thing to do.

And then you text Wanda, asking her to meet you wherever she wants. She says she won't leave the house to talk to you, so you end up at her front door, shifting the weight of your feet before you decide to knock.

Wanda's father looks stern, and he doesn't smile when he sees you.

- Are you the girl who made my daughter cry? - he asks with a serious expression.

But then Pietro appears at his side, patting him on the shoulder.

- My God, Daddy, don't be like that! - he asks, smiling at you. - Y/N, you are here to apologize, I imagine. Let her talk to Wands.

Mr. Maximoff takes one last look at you before entering back into the house, and Pietro smiles, nodding his head for you to enter.

- Thank you, Pietro. - You tell him, and then he takes you upstairs.

He drops you at Wanda's door, and you take a deep breath before knocking.

- Come in. - You hear her voice on the other side.

Entering the room, you are slightly overwhelmed by the amount of visual information. Wanda has many posters. And she is sitting on the bed, with a book on her lap.

- Hey. - You greet her, closing the door. You leave your hands in your pockets, deciding whether to stand.

- Hi. - She replies, placing the book on the bed and crossing her legs. - What did you want?

You swallow dryly, and decide to sit on her bed, keeping your distance.

- To apologize. - You clarify, and she looks away. - Properly apologize.

- I don't know what you want me to say.

- I just want you to listen. - You retort and straighten your posture, feeling your heart soar. - I'm sorry I took Potts' money, because regardless of my motives, it was wrong to put your feelings on the line.

- Wanda frowns slightly, as if deciding whether to believe you or not. You clear your throat.

- I never should have accepted it in the first place, but mostly I should have stopped when I realized I was falling in love with you. - You say, and Wanda looks at you, surprised by your confession. - But I didn't stop, and I lied to you and kept deceiving you, when I should have told you the whole truth. I'm sorry I hurt you, Wanda. I swear I didn't think all of this would happen.

You take a deep breath, running your fingers through your hair. Wanda just stands there, looking at you as if trying to read your mind.

- I just wanted to say that. - You tell her feeling flustered,

- Are you in love with me?

Wanda looks at you intently, and you just smile shyly.

-Very much so.

And then Wanda approaches you, and when she is close to your face, she says:

- I'm still mad at you. - And then she kisses you. You have missed her lips, and unfortunately the kiss doesn't last long.

When you open your eyes, Wanda has already moved away again, leaning her back against the headboard.

- When you are no longer angry, can we do something together? - you ask her tenderly. Wanda stares back at you, as if to say something.

- I received my acceptance letter today. - She tells you suddenly, and you blink in confusion. Before you can congratulate her, she adds. - In California.

You look at her in surprise, feeling your heart race. Wanda was leaving.

- Oh. - You swallow dryly, shake your head slightly, and smile. - I'm proud of you, Wanda. Congratulations.

- I thought you'd be upset.

- No, it's okay. - You give her a sad smile. - I'll miss you, but it's amazing that you're going to college.

Wanda lets out a sigh, keeping quiet for a moment.

- What did you need the money for?

You are surprised by the question, and look away from her, feeling slightly uncomfortable that this subject is back. But you decide that Wanda has the right to know whatever she wants to.

- I needed to fix my motorcycle. - You tell. - My mom is... hard to deal with. We had a fight and she broke some parts with a hammer. The next day, Potts was offering me the money I needed.

Wanda looks at you for a moment, seeming to be absorbing the story.

- Did you fix it?

- Yes. - You confirm, but let out a humorless chuckle. - But I sold it later.

The girl looks at you, frowning in confusion. And you shrug.

- I felt bad about everything. I decided to try to do the right thing then. - You explain. - I think I'm stuck with my mother for a while now.

Wanda looks surprised at your conclusion, and you let out a sigh, flopping down on the bed as you stare at the ceiling. You are silent for a moment, and then Wanda crawls over to you and lies down beside you, looking up at you.

- What if you leave with me? - She whispers, running her fingers across your face, and you blink in surprise.

- What?

Wanda smiles shyly.

- I have a car. - she says. - And you could work, and we could share an apartment.

You straighten your posture, leaning on your elbow and looking at Wanda in amazement.

- Are you serious? - you ask, smiling, and she nods slightly. You let out a happy exclamation, and move in, kissing her on the mouth. Wanda giggles against your lips, but returns the kiss.

You quickly let go and sit down on the bed when Wanda's father suddenly opens the door.

- Keep this door open! - He warns with a stern look, and you swallow dryly.

- Yes, sir. - Wanda says with humor.

When he leaves, you throw yourself on the bed next to Wanda, and she goes back to reading while you lie beside her.

- Any chance you have any comic books around here? - You joke, and Wanda giggles, denying it with a nod.

You don't mind though, her company is enough to keep you distracted.

//-//

You end up using the money from the motorcycle sale to pay the deposit on the apartment you find for yourselves, fifteen minutes from her college. You get a job the same week, and you finally read the poetry that Wanda likes as you both drive towards California.

[behindyourbarrette]

Star Light, Star Bright

summary: The team goes camping on a long weekend. Turns out, it’s really easy to tell someone how you feel when you’re under a starry night sky. 

pairing: spencer reid/reader

category: fluff, start to finish

warnings/includes: mention of food, a mild burn

work count: 4.1k

a/n: this is my fav thing i’ve written in a HOT SECOND. enjoy! pls reblog if you feel inclined, it helps me out a ton!

check it out on ao3

---

You’ve never found chicken pox to be more of a miracle.

In truth, you are a little saddened that Jack’s Boy Scout troop all got sick and their camping trip had to be postponed. This does not change the fact that you’re elated at the opportunity to nab Hotch’s campsite reservation. The team jumped at the chance for a vacation, the promised long weekend only truly promised in places without cell service.

You pick Spencer up early, the first of many people you’ve offered to drive out to the mountains. After tossing a very heavy-sounding duffel bag into your trunk, he clambers into the passenger seat. He strikes you as a little nervous—he won’t quite look at you as you wind your way out of D.C and towards the countryside.

“I’ve never been camping before, actually.” He says it quietly, mid-conversation about Boy Scouts and the safety of camping with children. There’s a 5-mile radius around Quantico where work is the only thing you can really think about. As you turn onto the highway, hands flexing against the wheel, you’re glad to be free of the office.

“Really? Never?”

It makes sense, the longer his sentence sits on your tongue. Vegas isn’t the most hospitable environment to camp in. You make a mental note to thank your parents for raising you on the East Coast, where the forests are frequent and the soil is actually fertile.

“Yeah. I’m not sure, I’m, uh, really suited for it.” You look at him now, the slight sadness in his eyes, and there are a thousand things you’d like to say. Instead, you reach across the center console, squeezing his hand in yours. Before he can say anything, you’ve returned your hand to the wheel, eyes fixed on the horizon. 

---

You’ve lived in Virginia for a few years, but somehow you’ve never found it this breathtaking. You have no idea how you got roped into driving, given that Derek and Emily usually take the wheel, but you’re far from complaining. As you wind through the forest, the canopy of leaves casting a filter of sunshine over the ground, you’re left speechless. The trees part in favor of the dirt road, and you find yourself absorbed in the surplus of green and foliage as you drive.

“There’s over 15,000 acres of this. It’s the largest protected land preserve in the tri-state area.”

You turn your head to watch Spencer murmur, still absorbed in a book. For the first time, you notice that he’s wearing a polo shirt and a beanie that Penelope knit him for Christmas. The whole sight is so...un-Spencer like that you’re torn between finding it endearing and concerning. You gulp down everything you want to tell him, swallowing all of the unidentifiable feelings in your throat.

“I’m excited. I love camping. My dad used to take me here all the time.” He perks up at this, and closes his book. You nod, pursing your lips into a smile. You steal a quick glance at the backseat, where Penelope and Derek have fallen asleep.

“Can you keep a secret?”

You have Spencer’s attention now. He nods so vehemently you laugh, tearing your eyes away from his in favor of focusing on the road.

“I wanted to be a park ranger when I was younger.” You’re only a little embarrassed of this; the jump from environmentalist to federal agent is just laughable enough to warm your cheeks. Spencer’s eyes widen.

“Really? How did you—I mean, when did you decide to be a—actually, I take it back. Hugging trees is beneficial for your health, after all.” He smirks, and you reach out to punch him on the arm. He rubs the spot absently, a grin forming on his face as your blush deepens. You try to portray yourself to the team as someone who’s a little tougher than the little girl who cried when she found out that people litter in National Parks. With Spencer, it’s different. Still, you can’t bank on what he will or won’t tell Derek.

“If you tell anyone, I will kick your ass. Forget it.” You get the sense that you are not going to live this down. To your advantage, it’s Spencer who blushes this time, his cheeks warming a delicate pink.

“I can’t forget it, actually. I have an eidetic—ow!”

---

The campsite is glorious.

Or, as Penelope would put it, rustic. It’s the perfect happy medium between the forest and the lake nearby, with a trail leading to the beach just a few feet from the site. The trees filter out just enough sun so that it’s pleasantly warm out. There’s ample space for a few tents, and a bear locker. You’re seated at a picnic bench with the girls, unloading the food and cooking supplies as the boys attempt to put together tents. From what you can see and hear, it sounds like Derek is muscling his way through it, much to Spencer and Hotch’s chagrin.

“You’re glowing. What’s got you in such a good mood?” Emily nudges you in the side, a sly smile on her face as she screws the propane line into the campstove. You flush, and shrug your shoulders.

“I love camping. I’m just excited to be here with you guys.”

Penelope reaches across the table to hug you. She’s dressed perfectly for the occasion: you don’t think you’ve ever seen bedazzled hiking boots before, but there’s a first time for everything.

“You know, I’m surprised Spence came. He normally skips out on these kinds of things.” JJ looks back at you from the bear locker, where she’s stacking cans of soup and Hotch’s cooler. Her gaze lingers on you for a moment, but you look towards Spencer before she can say anything else. He’s managing to put up his tent surprisingly well; he’s only struggling with the final few posts as he stumbles around the uneven ground. You turn back to JJ, shrugging.

“I mean, I think he can appreciate the outdoors. He’s probably read Walden.”

Emily laughs, and you feel as though the conversation has finally let up. JJ has a point, but as soon as you had asked Spencer if he was coming, he had agreed. He doesn’t look particularly out of place, either. Over the course of the past hour, he’s somehow inherited a pair of sunglasses and a red flannel. You look away, pursing your lips.

“Okay, I think we’re done.” Derek calls, waving his arm to catch your attention. There are now five small tents, only a little crinkled and trampled over. Emily nods in approval, nudging one of them with the tip of her boot. It only shakes a little.

“Good job, guys. They look...structurally sound.” Hands on your hips, you bend to inspect the guys’ handiwork. Spencer winces as you tug on a tent’s zipper, and it whines in protest. You shrug, smiling as you straighten.

“We should check out the lake.” Derek gestures to the blue expanse of water in the distance, and Penelope squeals. You hear the sound of metal clinking together, and turn.

It’s Hotch, holding what you assume to be a fishing pole. While this should be very surprising, you can’t come up with anything funny to say. Emily makes a joke about the catch of the day, and Hotch doesn’t laugh.

“Are there canoes involved? I didn’t bring a suit.” JJ asks, arms crossed over her chest. You nod, pointing to the rental shack on the eastern side of the lake.

“You guys ready to get some sun?”

---

“You look cute in hiking boots, princess.” You should not find this as funny as you do. Maybe it’s the fact that Derek definitely had Penelope apply some sort of oil to his biceps while they were in a tent; there’s no way that he just naturally glistens like that. You squint up at him, shrugging your shoulders. While your outfit is a little unorthodox—you remembered to bring a bikini, but forgot water shoes—it’ll work just fine. Spencer enters your peripheral vision, wrinkling his nose in Derek’s direction. You resist the urge to smile at this.

“Spence.”

You get his attention, catching up to him in just a few steps. The beach is pretty, lacking in sand but perfectly cool and sunny. He’s wearing too-big sunglasses and, surprisingly, Bermuda shorts. You trudge along the rocky path, handing him a bottle of sunscreen.

“Come on, I need your help. Sunscreen me.”

He seems shocked, fiddling with the bottle. You turn your back to him, raising your arms as you walk backwards, waiting to hit him before you stop.

“Is sunscreen a verb?” His voice is a little hoarse, and you smirk.

“Would you prefer lotion? Massage?” You tease, and you can practically feel him tense up.

“N-no, I wouldn’t. Hold your hair up.”

You oblige, and it takes everything in you not to sigh as he rubs the cool sunscreen into your back. He has really, really big hands and nimble fingers. Biting your lip, you conjure a mental image of them. You feel a little silly for imagining his hands when he’s right there, but you don’t want him to stop touching you. He coats your skin, movements deft and purposeful. You turn, reaching for the bottle.

“Take off your glasses. Your turn.” You like being a little bossy; he flushes as you reach up to spread the lotion across his cheeks, dabbing gently. He exhales slowly, relaxing into your touch.

“Let’s go. You’re my canoe buddy.”

His mouth falls open in surprise, and an evil part of your brain wonders how it would feel to kiss it. The thought is gone before you can act on it, though, and you wave him towards the shore. He stands still, lingering by the campsite.

“I was going to read on the beach, actually—”

“Nope. Come on! I need a partner.”

—-

The lake is cool, and you make yourself busy by being a very unhelpful canoeing partner. Spencer is rowing surprisingly well, scooping water from below and propelling the boat forward. You, on the other hand, are focused on stretching out in the boat. The sun is deliciously warm on your skin, and the occasional splash of water is heaven to the touch.

“You know, there are two sets of oars. We’d get the most momentum if you rowed, too.”

“Okay, fine, I’ll row. I’m not any good at it, though. That’s why I needed a partner.” You pat him on the shoulder affectionately, reaching for the other oar. The motion tips the canoe forward a little, and panic flashes across Spencer’s face.

“Don’t do that again. I do not want to end up in this lake. Do you know how many bacteria are in most man made lakes? You don’t want to know.”

You are many things, but you are not a quitter. Testing the waters, you lean forward again as you row, a little out of sync with Spencer’s strokes.

“Please don’t capsize,”

Hotch calls out from the shore, and Spencer shoots you a look as if to say listen. You shrug, continuing to row and occasionally shifting your weight. The look on his face is worth it.

“You know how to swim, right?”

You ask, voice low and as inconspicuous as you can manage. This backfires—Spencer turns around to shake his head, unbalancing the boat. He lets go of his oar, tightening the strap on his life vest. You cling to the sides, laughing as you try to steady the canoe.

“Not funny. You know, boating related accidents are incredibly common.”

His voice drifts off as Derek and Emily’s boat passes by. Their sportsmanship is admirable; they’re working as a perfect unit, quickly propelling their canoe forward with quick rowing and a lot of effort.

Spencer is scolding you half-heartedly when you get caught in their wake. You couldn’t have steadied the boat if you tried; and before you can react the canoe is upside down and you’re cast into the cool blue.

“I’m going to contract a brain-eating amoeba.”

Spencer coughs, bobbing to the surface. You emerge a few moments later, laughing, and reach for him.

“Worth it. You have plenty of brains to be eaten, genius.”

You watch him try to contain his smile the entire way to the shore.

---

You’re drying off as the sun sets, splashes of pink and purple coating the sky. It’s incredible; over the lake you can see the entire expanse of fields and forest, laid out like a painting.

“You guys brought food, right?”

Emily calls out from the picnic bench. She’s toweling off, sunglasses in her hair as she jokes with Morgan. You nod, turning back to Spencer.

He’s thoroughly drenched. You feel a little guilty for tipping the boat over; he’s spent a decent amount of time wringing out his clothes, and as night falls a chill builds in the air. After pulling a jacket on, you toss him a towel.

“That was fun.”

Your eyes widen a little, genuine surprise lodging itself in your throat. He takes in the look on your face, smiling lightly.

“Better than reading on the beach?” You offer, but this is too good to be true.

“Marginally.”

You frown, suppressing a smirk as you catch the scent of propane drifting through the air. You both head in the direction of the camp stove, where Hotch is fiddling with the gas tank.

“That looks...unsafe.” Spencer mutters, brow furrowed.

Hotch shoots him a look, and you both back off in favor of finding Morgan and Garcia, who are attempting to start a bonfire.

You don’t expect this to happen.

Spencer is arguably your best friend. He’s been there for you through thick and thin. For better or for worse, you’ve had each other. This trip was supposed to be unifying, and a small part of you had even hoped that maybe, just maybe, it’d give you the bravery to say what you’ve been thinking for a while.

“I cannot believe you intentionally burn your marshmallows.”

Spencer is looking at you like you’ve committed a crime; you are very familiar with this expression, but being on the receiving end of it is new. Thankfully, you’re ready to defend your stance to near-death. A somewhat maniacal grin on your face, you stab another marshmallow onto a skewer and shove it directly into the fire.

“I’m with Pretty Boy on this one. That’s just cruel. It doesn’t even heat it all the way through.” You scowl in Derek’s direction, turning back to your now on-fire marshmallow. You pull it out of the flame, watching it sear as the group murmurs in distaste. It only took three hours to start a fire, and by that time Emily had managed to heat a can of soup on the campstove. Spirits were relatively high, all things considered.

You watch in wonder as the marshmallow curves, melting just how you like it. Before you can stop it, it falls straight down onto your leg.

“Shit. That’s like, on fire.”

You say, your voice rising in pitch and volume as it becomes increasingly clear that not only is the marshmallow very, very hot but it is not coming off. The group springs into unsure action, voices loud and panicked as you push away from both your chair and the fire. The physics of melting sugar be damned, Derek manages to scrape it off with his skewer, and you’re left with a very attractive hole in your pants and a patch of tender skin.

“How do you love camping?” JJ asks, eyes wide as she watches you brush yourself off. Stabbing another marshmallow onto your skewer, you shrug.

“It’s all part of the fun.”

This time, you don’t set your marshmallow on fire. You mimic Spencer, who is carefully rotating his marshmallow. There has to be a system for what he’s doing; he’s laser-focused on the fire, his entire face lit up by the flickering red and orange light. You lean in, and before long you fall into a rhythm of roasting a marshmallow to golden-brown perfection, then pressing it into a graham cracker. Emily is incredible at assembling s’mores, and by time the fire is just a few crackling embers everyone has a little chocolate smeared over their faces.

“I’m really glad we did this.” JJ’s voice is just above a whisper. She’s leaning against Emily, the two of them sharing a blanket as the fire slowly fades. Hotch nods sagely, a rare smile on his face.

“It’s nice. A break. Some fresh air. Trees.” You gesture to the forest around you, unable to contain a sheepish grin. When you look to your right, Spencer’s smiling too. Penelope squeezes your hand. As you watch the last log burn into ash, you wonder how you got so lucky.

---

Later, everyone is too tired to stargaze.

This fact wounds you deeply. Stargazing is your favorite part of camping; there is absolutely nothing that parallels the experience of driving away from the city and looking up into the constellations. To your dismay, everyone is in their tents by the time it’s dark enough to see the winks of light overhead.

You begrudgingly get ready for bed; stepping around the campsite, it’s clear to see that everyone has mostly turned in for the night. Derek and Penelope’s tent is dark. Emily, Hotch, and JJ are all snoring at varying volumes. Spencer’s light is on; you can see his shadow, leaning over to peer at a book. You brush your teeth, swatting bugs away as you stumble towards your tent.

You manage to spend thirty minutes in your tent before you lose your patience. This entire camping trip has been a dream; no work, no cell service, and the people you care about. You’ll be damned if you let it pass you by without checking absolutely everything off your list. You step, a little wobbly, towards the front of your tent. You tug the zipper open, trying to stay as quiet as possible.

On shaking legs, you tug your hiking boots on, the evening cold nipping at your ankles. Despite your attempts to lessen the noise, you watch Spencer’s shadow waver.

“Spence!” You stage-whisper, praying to every deity you can think of that he’s awake and the rest of the team isn’t. To your immediate relief, you watch him tug the zipper of his tent down and emerge, swatting at a few lingering mosquitoes. He looks a little cold; his cheeks are pink and he’s rubbing at his arms. The sight of him in a hoodie and flannel pajama pants is more endearing than you’d expect, and you exhale to clear your head.

“What’s going on?”

He rubs the sleep out of his eyes, and you point to the sky. He takes a cursory glance up, and you watch his jaw fall slack as he takes in the starry skies.

“Come on. We can see better from over there.”

You wave him towards the beach. You know exactly where you’re headed; while you’ve never camped in this specific spot, you know how to reach your favorite place to stargaze. Spencer looks at you with something between curiosity and admiration as you lead the way with a flashlight. The forest is still awake and responsive at this hour, crickets chirping and leaves rustling as you step through the greenery.

You find it quickly; the boardwalk is unmistakable. It’s a field, like the ones you’ve been surrounded by all day. Spencer identifies the leaves as rhubarb plants as you step onto the wooden pathway. While any field would work, this one is ideal; the sky opens up as far as the eye can see, the trees parting to admire the world above.

“Here.” You turn off your flashlight, allowing your eyes to adjust to the low, blue moonlight. Spencer follows you as you crouch, laying with your back to the boardwalk. This is what you came for.

“Oh my God.” Your face splits into a grin once you hear Spencer’s voice, low and gravelly against your ear. The sky above is endless; all you can see is the expanse of the stratosphere, stars bright and darkness vast over your heads. You tear up a little; you always do. It feels like the universe is leaning down to meet you in the middle, pressing its face to yours.

“Tell me what you see. I know that you know what we’re looking at.”

You scoot a little closer, trying to absorb a little of his warmth. Eyes still fixed on the sky, Spencer begins.

“There’s so little light pollution. I...I’ve never seen this many stars at once.” His eyes narrow a little, and you watch as he absorbs the world above him.

“That’s Orion.” He points to a collection of stars to your left, a few brighter than the others.

“Those three in a row, that’s his belt. You might be able to see his bow, too, to the right.

The brightest one is six hundred and forty light years away. Betelgeuse.” His voice has dropped to a whisper, and you follow his every word. You can see the warrior above you, the stars winking at you as Spencer describes them.

You fall quiet after a few minutes, and the only sound is that of your slow, synced breaths. You feel as though Spencer has peeled the sky open and revealed it to you; with him, you can see another world entirely.

“We’re looking into the past right now.”

You turn to look at him, a laugh ready to bubble past your lips. You look back up at the sky, where he’s pointed to the Big Dipper.

“That’s Dubhe. We’re seeing light from before we were born.”

You nod, a tear sliding down your cheek and cooling before it reaches your nose. There is so much you would like to tell him before you are both light, visible in this moment from somewhere far away.

As you stare up into the starscape, you gasp. There’s a shooting star, dragging across the Pleiades and heading towards the western skies.

“Make a wish,” You breathe. Before you lose your nerve, you reach out to Spencer, lacing your fingers together. Turning your head, you watch as he grins up at the sky. His features are softer when drenched in moonlight; the slope of his nose, the arch of his cheekbones, the line of his jaw all bathed in a dreamy quality.

After the shooting star winks out, trailing across the dark and blinking into nothing, the silence feels heavier.

“What did you wish for?”

You’re sure that he can hear your heartbeat. The steady thrum of your heart against your ribcage is a drum, urging you forward. You watch his brow knit in consideration, before his gaze finally meets yours. His eyes are more hazel than you’ve ever noticed, each fleck of gold striking you as a star.

“If I tell you, it won’t come true.”

His voice is soft, laced with something solemn beneath the surface. You nod, stealing a glance at the sky before you swallow your fear.

"I wished for you." You say quietly.

You don’t know who moves first, only that there’s a brief shuffle before you’re holding each other. He reaches to cradle your face in his hands, pressing a kiss to your forehead, then your nose, before finally reaching your lips. Your hands ghost over his jaw, trailing down his neck as he laces his fingers into your hair. You can’t quite breathe, nor think, only repeat a simple refrain over and over, a prayer passing over your lips and into the dark.

Spencer.

---

The sun rises lazily, pink and orange brushstrokes against a blue sky. You’re awake early—to put it lightly, Spencer’s tent is cramped—and it feels good to breathe in the morning air. The team is still asleep, a few yards away as you stretch and take in the cool dawn.

You think maybe, this is all a dream. You’re not sure how else this would exist, so perfectly and wholly true. The universe is a benevolent thing, after all. There is no other explanation for Spencer Reid, the man the world got right.

“You have pancake batter in your hair,” You say, a little mournfully but still laughing. Still layered in jackets and hats, you feel as though you’re being warmed from the inside out. Spencer’s eyes widen, and he reaches up with a batter-covered hand to feel his hair. You laugh again, a little too loudly this time, and he shushes you between chuckles.

The campstove is quiet, the gas running blue as Spencer flips a pancake over. You neglected to tell him that folding the pancake mix in slowly would prevent...explosions. If you had warned him, you wouldn’t have the chance to kiss the flour off of his face, smiling against his cheeks. With a mittened hand, you brush the powder off of his eyelashes.

“Chocolate chips, right?”

You smile, nodding. He remembers how you like your pancakes. Turning away from him, you rifle through a storage bin for something you packed.

“Are you looking for syrup? It’s over here.” He calls, his voice soft against the hushed sounds of morning. The birds have begun to chirp, calling to each other in alternating duets. You shake your head, and present him with a contraption.

His eyes light up, and he looks at you with something a little wild and entirely resembling devotion. You reveal with your other hand a bag of coffee grounds from the coffee shop near your house, grinning up at him.

“I can’t believe you brought me a French press.”

You grin, turning your face as your cheeks burn. Maybe you had hoped this would happen, in slightly different words. After you both tuck into your pancakes, leaning over a plate on the same side of a picnic bench, you watch the sunrise. A bundle of puffy jackets and intertwined hands, you press your back into Spencer’s embrace.

As you watch the moon recede into the horizon, you hope that your past is standing hand and hand, gazing at you fondly.

[iliveiloveiwrite]

Just The Way You Are// D.M.

Request: Hi can you do a draco x reader where they are in a relationship and her parents are like as**oles and they always bother her about her weight so one day she is with draco and makes a comment like “maybe i should stop eating so much” or something like that and Draco is like WHAT and tells her that she is beautiful and all that and he is like really worried Thanks!!

A/N: MY 100TH FIC!!! MY 100TH FIC FOR HP!!! Of course it has to be Draco!! I didn't think I would ever reach 100 fics as well as get over 1000 followers yet here I am. I am so thankful to all of you who have read everything but have also motivated me into continuing to write even when I doubt my own abilities (which is a lot). Thank you so much for requesting, lovely! I hope I have done your request justice! I enjoyed writing this, I ended up writing it all in one sitting. Please read the warnings before you read! And as always, I hope you enjoy!

Pairing: Draco Malfoy x Fem!Reader

Warnings: food, weight issues, shitty parents, swearing (I think) BUT DRACO IS CUTE DAMMIT.

Word count: 2k

Every morning in the Great Hall, breakfast is served at seven am sharp. This gives the students enough time to eat, socialise and let their food settle before classes begin promptly at half past eight. It also gives the students time to read over any mail that should fall with the Owls upon their arrival at eight am.

As your family owl drops a letter inscribed with the familiar handwriting of your mother, you don’t know whether to scream in frustration or burn the letter without reading. You knew that it would be filled with her usual criticism rounded off with a few sweet lines about the renovation to the house or how your cousin was doing so well on her internship abroad.

You flip the letter in your hands a few times; wondering whether the Howler from your mother would be worth it once she never got a reply from you. However, you eventually decide that the Howler would not be worth it and that your mother’s vitriol is better off read in silence.

Rolling your eyes, you try not to let the letter affect you so much. Her words are always poisonous and toxic, but this time, she cuts you where it hurts.

“My dear, how on earth is the Malfoy boy supposed to stay with you if you continue to gain weight? I’ve enclosed a new diet regiment for you to follow – stick to it, this is not an option.”

You scrunch up the letter and the included diet regiment in your hands. Crunching them up until they resemble litter rather than the foul words scrawled onto parchment.

You had never felt you had issues with your weight; there wasn’t any need to necessarily – the meals at Hogwarts were scheduled and there was enough exercise done through the day in order to get to classes on time, and this was before the weekend walks to Hogsmeade or the ambles around the Black Lake with Draco.

You don’t feel like there should be an issue with your weight, but your mother’s words are venomous barbs that stick into your brain. Her words on replay in the forefront of your mind.

There was no real excuse for the way your mother harked on about appearances and reputations. Your family hailed from an ancient line of witches and wizards; even going so far as to state that your ancestors were among the very first to attend Hogwarts when the founders were teachers.

So for your mother, everything since then had to be perfect.

Perfect hair. Perfect dress. Perfect manners.

Perfect weight, apparently.

Any appetite you had before has now dissipated. It’s funny how three lines of a letter is enough to put one off their morning meal.

You felt like a rule change should be implemented at Hogwarts; no mail until the evening - that way students don’t have the time to sit and worry about the thoughts of their parents.

Pushing your plate away from you, you bring out your reading book from your bag. Flipping through the familiar pages, you find the dog-eared corner from where you rounded off last night before falling asleep.

It’s easy to lose yourself in the pages having read the story over a thousand times before, but the niggling voice in the back of your head that sounds suspiciously similar to your mothers has you reading the same paragraph over and over again.

A kiss being pressed to the top of your hand is the first greeting from Draco. The next is a quiet good morning as he pours himself a glass of pumpkin juice.

You smile at the blonde-haired teenager, looking up from your book, but the smile doesn’t quite reach your eyes.

“Love, is everything okay?” Draco asks; immediately spotting that something is off.

You shake your head, “It’s nothing to worry about, love. I just didn’t sleep very well last night.”

Draco chuckles; not entirely convinced but happy to wait until you come to him. “It’s because you didn’t stay with me last night.”

You roll your eyes with a grin, “I’ve stayed in your dorm the last three nights; it’s only a matter of time before someone says something.”

Draco shrugs; leaning over to peck your cheek, “Let them, I don’t care.”

“You will when we get caught out by Snape on a random inspection,” You comment with a light laugh.

Draco smiles broadly at the idea of the Head of Slytherin ever completing a random inspection of the dungeon. He grabs a slice of toast from the rack and reaches for the marmalade.

His eyes wander over the lack of food in front of you, “Already eaten?”

You nod, smirking, “And all alone as well since you take so long in the mornings.”

He laughs, “It takes time to look this good, darling.”

“Sure it does,” You comment, leaning in to peck him on the lips. He hums against your mouth happily, but all too soon, you pull away, “I’m off to the library before class, I want to get ahead on the History of Magic essay. I’ll see you later.”

You drop another kiss to Draco’s mouth before hoisting your bag onto your shoulder and departing from the Great Hall.

Draco shakes his head at your retreating figure; something about you was off, but he couldn’t place his finger on what. He wasn’t going to pester you as it would only make things worse, but he knew he had to address it before you lost yourself from overthinking.

Draco bites into his toast; already thinking of the ways he can talk to you.

----

Your days are always filled with little highlights; seeing the first flower bloom after a long winter or reading your favourite part of your book without being interrupted or it’s finding Draco waiting outside your classroom after every lesson of the day.

You find him waiting opposite the door to your class; leaning against the wall with his robes open, showing the white buttoned shirt underneath. His rebelliousness highlighted in the undone top button and untucked shirt. You shake your head as you make your way over to the teenager that made your heart stutter.

He grins, holding his elbow out to you, “Lunch, my love?”

“Lead the way.”

The Great Hall is loud upon your arrival. Students shouting, laughing, grabbing for food from the centre of the tables. It’s a ruckus, but it makes you smile as you take a seat across from Draco at the Slytherin table.

“Is that all you’re eating?” Draco asks with a frown at the sight of your plate.

You nod your head; your mother’s words from this morning making another round in your head, “I’m not overly hungry.”

The frown doesn’t leave Draco’s face, and through lunch, he glances between your face and the plate, wondering what’s changed for your appetite to have disappeared.

Draco walks you to your next class after the bell rings signalling the end of lunch.

He pauses outside the classroom, keeping a tight grip on your hand. His other hand reaches up to caress your cheek; a rare form of PDA from the Slytherin Prince who was more than happy to kiss and hold hands but would rarely show his feelings so openly.

“You’d tell me if something was wrong wouldn’t you?” He asks; concern alight in his eyes.

You hold his hand to your cheek; pressing a kiss to the palm, “I would.”

He nods silently. Kissing your forehead, Draco turns away, striding to his next class.

Guilt stirs within you like a lead balloon; weighing you down for the rest of the day. Even the ringing of the final bell of the day wasn’t enough to lift your mood.

Draco continues to meet you after every class; his arm always ready for you to slip yours through. But he’s quieter; more sombre as he leads your through the bustling corridors and staircases.

At the end of the day, he escorts you to the Great Hall. The level of noise quieter from lunch but still loud as students discuss their plans for the evening over the food laid out on the long, wooden tables.

Dinner is a feast by any standard, and Draco tucks right in, piling food onto his plate – ravenous after a day filled with exam preparation. You take your time with your meal; selecting more and more vegetables as you think back to the letter and diet regiment now burning a hole through your bag.

Draco sighs as he watches you pick at your food. He reaches over, checking your temperature with the back of his hand on your forehead, “Well you feel fine,” he murmurs, “Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve picked at your food all day, and you’ve become more distant as the day’s gone on.”

“I’ll talk to you about it in the common room,” You state.

“You will?”

Nodding, you promise,  “I will.”

Draco makes his way through the rest of the meal; drawing you into a conversation after conversation about how the day has been. When his plate is empty and yours has been pushed to one side, Draco stands from the bench. He takes one last drink of his pumpkin juice before holding his hand out to you.

The walk to the common room is quiet; you think over the letter in your bag, wondering about the reply you’re going to send back to your mother. One cross word from you and you wouldn’t be surprised if she, herself, showed up in Dumbledore’s office demanding punishment for your insolent words.

It was tiring, you realise, to be her daughter.

The Slytherin common room is silent when Draco leads you through the door; all students either still eating in the Great Hall or ambling about the castle. You settle on the black leather couch in front of the already lit fire; you hum at the warmth it gives off – holding your hands out to warm them through.

Once your hands are warm enough, you lean back into the couch. Feeling Draco’s eyes on you, you shift your head, facing him with a small smile.

Draco tucks a strand of your hair behind your ear, “What’s going on in that pretty little head?”

You sigh, opening your bag and pulling out the letter. Handing it to Draco, you say wryly, “Dear old mama wrote, that’s what.”

Draco scans over the letter; getting to the three lines that have played on your mind all day and have affected your eating habits so quickly.

Draco folds the letter carefully into the three; he folds it ever so neatly before ripping it to pieces in front of your eyes, leaning forward and throwing the tiny pieces into the fire.

“I hope you don’t believe a word she’s written.”

You shrug, fiddling with your fingers, “Maybe I should stop eating so much.”

Draco leaps up from the couch; spreading his arms wide, “There is absolutely nothing wrong with your weight – you do not need to lose, you do not need to gain. You are perfect the way you are. I love you to pieces, but darling, your mother is an awful person. What sort of person sends that to their child?”

He kneels on the ground in front of you, “I will love you no matter what. The sky could be green, and the clouds could be purple hedgehogs, but even that would not distract me from my love for you.”

He gestures to the pieces of parchment now turning to ash in the flames, “Everything about you is beautiful; from the top of your head to the tip of your toes – there isn’t anything about you I don’t adore. Reply to your mother if you must; tell her that you’ve let me read the letter and that I absolutely disagree with her words.”

Draco surges forward, kissing you soundly. He shifts slightly, beginning to press you into the couch, “I love you – just the way you are.”

******

General (HP) taglist: @chaotic-fae-queen @obsessedwithrandomthings @harrypotter289 @dreamer821 @kalimagik @heloisedaphnebrightmore @nebulablakemurphy @the-hufflefluffwriter @figlia--della--luna @bforbroadway @idont-knowrn @summer-writes @big-galaxy-chaos @black-lake-confessions @annasofiaearlobe @imboredandneedalife @levylovegood @mytreec @haphazardhufflepuff @teheharrypotter @chaoticgirl04 @accio-rogers @msmimimerton​ @izzytheninja​ @slytherinprincess03​

Draco Malfoy taglist: @the--queen-of-hell @obx-beach @obxmxybxnk @sycathorn-slush @dracomalfoyswifey

[shes-a-gryffindor]

Of Apples and Psychological Lapses

A @jilytoberfest submission. Prompt #12 - One overhearing something they're not supposed to.

That day, on an otherwise uneventful morning, it started with an apple, of all things.

James Potter sat straddling the bench at the Gryffindor table, poring over what Lily supposed was a textbook, elbow on a knee with an apple in his hand.

Only half listening to Mary’s recitation of the ingredients for the Draught of Living Death that they were supposed to be brewing later that day, she chanced upon another look at him…. the muscles in his jaw jumped as he bit into his apple, and as she watched him laugh at something she couldn’t hear, Lily found herself wondering whether he’d always had that dimple in his cheek… before she’d had the chance to mentally scold herself for her apparent loss of self-control, James caught her eye; grinning roguishly, he winked at her before taking another bite…

“You’re doing it again,” said Mary,

Lily’s neck snapped so quickly away from James she thought she might have whiplash, “doing what?”

“Making love eyes at Potter” she sniggered.

“Don’t be daft,” responded Lily dismissively, “I was not giving him love eyes” she added, silently cursing the blush now creeping up her neck, “…anyway, the ingredients…for today, you were reading them…” a lame attempt at a change in subject.

Mary smirked at her for a moment before returning to her textbook; relieved that she’d been let off the hook, Lily focused intently on Mary’s recitation, despite already knowing the ingredients from memory, she was determined not to look over again at the group of boys sitting only a few feet away from them.

Thinking they’d get a head start on the swarm of students that would soon be filing out of the hall, they packed their books and downed the last of their pumpkin juice. As she stood, Lily glanced quickly over at James again, he was in animated conversation with Sirius, the apple hanging loosely from his fingers at his side… and a ridiculous idea crossed her mind.

Deliberating over it in the seconds it took them to reach the spot where he was sitting, before she’d even really decided upon it, she’d snatched the apple out from his hand, twisting her head round to wink back at him, before taking a bite of what was now her apple.

“Shut up,” she smirked at Mary, who was looking at her with raised eyebrows.

The rest of the day continued in a similar fashion; she felt his eyes burning into the back of her head during Transfiguration, then found herself loitering after class, trying to chance perhaps walking out at the same time as him… before realising she was behaving like an idiot and walking quickly out alone.

History of Magic was, in particular, a challenge. It was, as usual, rather impossible to focus on the monotony that was Professor Binns' lesson.

Serenely unaware that no one seemed the least bit interested in his thorough breakdown of wand legends through time, he droned on… “The Death Stick, The Wand of Destiny…” and by the time the lesson was over Lily and James had shared several silent exchanges across the classroom.

Potions that afternoon was perhaps, although short-lived, her only reprieve. Lily was quite comfortable in her element, happily brewing her Draught of Living Death. Having already reached the ideal halfway stage, she smiled contentedly down at the smooth, black currant-colored liquid in her cauldron.

Just as she was about to start chopping her roots, she caught James, brow furrowed, curiously observing her potion, before looking back at his own - which appeared to be eliciting a sort of blue-ish haze, not horrible but certainly not what it should have been doing by that point… better, if nothing else, than Peter’s… who was looking more distressed by the minute at the now foul smelling, brown concoction bubbling in his cauldron.

“Care to share your expertise, Evans?” Asked James, grinning over at her. With his sleeves rolled up over his elbows, his forearms were tense as he shifted his body weight onto them, leaning over the table toward her… and Lily thought quietly, that the dimple in his cheek was obviously not the only thing she’d failed to notice.

“Afraid not, Potter,” she responded, “see If I told you, I’d have to kill you… although, could be doing myself a favour there,” she added, smirking at him.

“Better not then, otherwise you might actually get some peace and quiet… can’t have that,” he said seriously.

“Merlin forbid,” she mumbled, in mock exasperation.

“Merlin forbid,” began Sirius, “all this terrible flirting makes me throw up in my cauldron.”

Mary and Peter burst into a fit of giggles, even Remus, it seemed, found it amusing, while James just grinned down at his cauldron.

“Your potion can’t get any worse than it already is Black… I say try it,” Lily mocked.

Sirius, however, had cast his attention elsewhere.

From the corner of the next table over, having apparently overheard the entire exchange, Severus was looking darkly over at them. His eyes flickered briefly between James and Lily before returning to his potion. She knew she’d been shamelessly flirting with him, for days, weeks really… what she hadn’t realised was how blatantly obvious it was becoming, to everyone even beyond their friends; blushing furiously and feeling rather sheepish, she scowled at Sirius, who was still grinning smugly over at Severus, before returning to her own potion.

As she made the last of her rounds that evening, her mind once again wandered to what was fast becoming something, or rather, someone, she thought about much too often. He’d looked a little too smug after catching her at dinner - watching, as a Hufflepuff in the year below them asked for his help with a Transfiguration essay that weekend… in addition to self-control, she was now apparently also losing her common sense… it was perfectly acceptable that he help another student with an essay, why should this bother her…? But honestly an essay over the weekend, she thought… ask the bloke out and be done with it, what a stupid excuse… Surely he knew the girl fancied him.

The sinking feeling in her stomach at the thought of them, tucked away in a quiet corner of the library poring over an essay together, was extremely disconcerting, this sudden interest in who he was spending time with… He’d made his existence impossible to ignore for the better part of six years, perhaps now that he wasn’t asking her out at every turn her mind was playing that stupid game, the one where you only want something because it’s not as easy to get anymore, not because you genuinely want it… some psychological lapse in judgement… yes that must be it; so trying to force her thoughts back into some semblance of order, Lily resolved to get a grip.

She met Remus in the dungeons and together they checked the last of the corridors before heading back up to the common room, chatting about weekend plans, their upcoming exams and whether they had anything planned for the summer holidays before their seventh year.

Lily was careful to steer the conversation in another direction anytime it got a little too close to James, so she wasn’t exactly thrilled (maybe a little bit) when they stepped through the portrait hole to find James, Sirius and Peter sitting alone in the common room. With a warm smile, Remus bid her goodnight and went to join his friends in front of the fire.

“All right, Evans?” Asked James, grinning that lone-dimpled grin as she walked past.

Shooting him a quick tight lipped smile, she trudged up the staircase to her dormitory with an infuriatingly pink face; she had just reached the top of the staircase, however, when she heard Sirius snigger -

“Reckon she might actually prefer you to the giant squid now.”

Failing in her resolve to get a grip before she’d even begun, and apparently not above eavesdropping now either, Lily stopped and stood there at the top of the staircase, dead silent, craning her neck to listen to them.

“What?” Asked James, “What makes you say that?” In his voice, Lily heard a hint of what she thought sounded like hope.

“Are you daft? Or do you just want to hear it all back?”

“A bit of both I think,” chuckled Remus.

“Did you not see Snivelly’s face in potions? Even he can tell she fancies you mate,” said Sirius, dryly.

“Looked a bit put out, didn’t he?” Chuckled James.

“A bit? Looked like he didn’t know whether to cry or hex you,” chortled Peter, “d’you reckon him and Evans… you know-”

“What? Asked James, cutting him off, “went out?”

“Nah,” answered Sirius quickly, “who’d want to go out with that? Didn’t they know each other from before school, or something?”

“Yeah… they were friends,” said James, with finality in his voice.

“‘Till he showed his true colours,” scoffed Sirius, “…bit naive of her though, don’t you think? To think that he’d be anything but the slimy git he is.”

Lily had half a mind to go down and give Sirius a piece of her mind, until…

“Nah,” said James, “I reckon she knew who he was the whole time… she just chooses to see the good in everyone, y’know? Even a slimy git like Snivellus.” When no one said anything, he added, “Personally, I don’t think she should change that about herself.”

There was silence… and then someone made a dry-retching sound like they were throwing up, followed by scuffling and a series of thuds, “gerrof!” Came Sirius’s muffled voice, over Peter and Remus’s laughter.

Deciding she’d heard enough, Lily tiptoed quietly into her dorm; and as she pulled the scarlet hangings of her four-poster around her that night, she thought perhaps her interest in James Potter wasn’t a psychological lapse in judgment at all.

[tomtenadia]

Remember Us - 8

Weekend surprise!

-----

Rowan had another tough week.

His headaches had been almost constant and some days worse than others. He had bouts of dizziness and on a couple of occasions he had felt disoriented and confused again. He had been terrified. All of a sudden he had no idea where he was, who he was and it just sent him back him in the hellhole of the first days he had woken up.

Aelin had took him to the hospital and his doctor had ran some test and explained that what he was experiencing were some common symptoms with a head injury. The spells of disorientation should disappear soon but he had said that headaches might linger a bit longer. He had prescribed some painkillers but Rowan had decided to take them only when the headache was unbearable. The first time he took them he was knocked off for an entire day and did not like the idea.

That morning he was home alone. Aelin was at work, Thomas at his nursery and Evalin had taken Freyja with her while running some errands.

He was sitting on the sofa with a book in his hand. He had asked Aelin to show him the book where Thomas’ namesake was. He had joked saying that he was keen to meet his competition.

Things between him and Aelin had improved. He still had his fears, he was still scared of not being enough for her but she had been a constant presence at his side and never pushed. They had shared some nice moments and in bed at night he had started sleeping with her in his arms and his hand on her belly.

Slowly he realised that the feeling he had for her had been real. His attachment to her was growing day by day. More memories flooded back and in the past few days their friends made an appearance as well and he had talked with Aelin about those moments and now he could put names to faces. They had discussed the possibility of meeting them in person, but Rowan was not sure how he felt about it yet. A part of him wanted to, was curious, but the other felt terror at the idea.

He sighed and went back to the book and read the same page for the millionth time. He had discovered that he was also struggling to concentrate, another annoying side effect. Exhausted, he placed the book on the coffee table. He was about to go back to bed but someone rang the buzzer of their house. He was not expecting anyone. So he stood, grabbed his walking stick and reached the door. Once he opened it he found a tall dark-haired man with a baby carrier at his chest and a baby in it. Lorcan. The man was Lorcan. His partner at work. Aelin had filled him in.

“Hi,”

“I am Lorcan,” said the man.

“I know.”

“Sorry, I was taking Allison for a walk and I got to this area and decided to pop in for a visit.” He explained “I can go if you don’t feel like having visitors.”

Rowan shook his head “I guess I need to start to interact with the outside world.”

“Fancy some fresh air?”

Rowan thought about it and nodded. He hadn’t left the house since he came back from the hospital. “Let me change.”

He came back a few minutes later and left a note to Evalin, explaining that he had gone for a walk with Lorcan “you need to be my guide, I have no idea where to go and how to get back home.” He locked the door behind him and pocketed phone and keys.

“Don’t worry. I checked with Aelin and she said that it was okay if you felt like it and that fresh air might do you good.”

Rowan nodded and took a deep breath of fresh air. “Just don’t run, I am still very slow.”

“I was just going to the park down the road. Elide is at work today so I am on babysitting duty.” And caressed his little girl’s head.

The baby was fast asleep against Lorcan’s chest. “She looks lovely.”

“She is her mother’s daughter, she is basically an Elide in miniature.”

They walked in silence to the park and then sat down on a bench and Rowan sighed in relief. That had been the most he had walked and his leg complained. It was getting better and Dorian had recommended to keep using it as much possible to get used again to the weight on it. Also, he had muscle mass to rebuild and the man had given him exercises to do at home.

“Silly question, but how do you feel?”

Rowan sighed “definitely better than a few weeks ago. Memories are coming back and it’s not as scary anymore as it was before.”

“How is it going with Aelin?”

Rowan paused and looked at the park around him. That was a loaded question and he always had to sort out his feelings “We are growing closer, or actually is me. My feelings for her are slowly getting clearer.”

Lorcan chuckled “you two will go back being attached to the hips in no time.” And the comment surprised Rowan “as soon as you two decided to stop fighting you became this disgusting cheesy couple. You have been together forever,” he continued “and after what you have been through, this is a stroll in the park. I am not sure another couple would have survived it.”

Rowan looked away, the pain of those memories was always vivid. He had dreamt the night she had woken up in a pool of blood. He had wondered the same thing. How their marriage survived that level of loss.

“Elide would probably make fun of me for saying this but you are soulmates. Elide and I had to work hard, mostly because of me. Before her I was not the relationship type.” He told him, rocking gently from side to side to prevent his daughter from waking up “you and Aelin had a deep connection from the start, even when you called her a spoiled brat and she called you obnoxious bastard. There was something there, among all that fighting and you were the only ones who did not see until much later.” Lorcan kept talking and Rowan listened interested. He needed to know more about them and this was exactly what he needed. An outside perspective on his relationship with Aelin “that bond, that connection brought you back together after those dark weeks.”

“I felt it since the first time she stepped in my room after I woke up.” Then he looked at the man and decided to learn more about their relationship.

“How did we meet? You and I.”

“Uni.” Said Lorcan with half a smile “First year and first day. We sat at the back of the class. I showed up with no pen or paper for taking notes thinking it was not needed for our first day. But the professor dove straight in. So you gave your spare notepad and spare pen.”

Rowan laughed at the memory.

“We became friends instantly.” Allison stirred so Lorcan stood and paced in front of Rowan “Once we graduated we applied for jobs and we landed in two big law companies but after two years you left them and then a while later you came to me with a plan. I resigned the next day.”

“Do you regret leaving a high paying job?”

Lorcan shook his head “not in the least. It was driving us mad and killing our lives. We had no time for anything. Too many ungrateful bastards to deal with. Elide and I broke up for two months because of it. No, I have no regrets. What we do now is good. We actually help people.”

Rowan played with his wedding ring in a nervous gesture “what if I can’t get back to my old job?”

“You have probably heard this a lot, but take your time. Things are under control. When you feel ready you can ease back in, but there is no rush.”

Rowan sighed “I need something to do. When Aelin is not at home Evalin looks after Freyja to give me space.”

“You probably still have your law books. Get them out of storage and read and see if anything comes back. If not, they are handy if you are struggling to sleep.”

He laughed and in that instant Allison woke up.

“And she is awake.” He gave the girl her pacifier “come on I’ll take you home.”

***

Lorcan took him back home and Rowan was now back on the sofa trying to go back reading the book but only managed a few pages before the headache came back.

He groaned in frustration and then paced a bit around the house like a caged animal. He stopped at the window and looked at the tree in front of the house and he had an idea.

Slowly he reached the closet and found a few spare duvets and grabbed one of the colourful ones, then a couple of pillows and dragged them outside. He had to abandon his walking stick so the job had proved harder, but not as hard as the second part of his plan. He had to get the stuff in the treehouse. The weather was nice and he was going to prepare some adventure for the kids. He had no idea what, but he would think of something. Climbing the wooden stairs with the duvet in his arms had proven hard, but now at the top he dropped the blanket and took a deep breath then very carefully made his way down and grimaced at the pain in his leg. With a heavier limp he made his way back in the house and grabbed a backpack and started to add some toys, books. Then he found battery powered fairy lights in the closet and grabbed those as well. Finally he grabbed the pillows and left the house once more and went to the treehouse. Rowan climbed half the stairs and threw the backpack inside, then grabbed the pillows and finally got in the house and sat down ignoring the blinding pain in his leg. He had gone too far for one day.

Crawling around the place he started spreading the blankets to make it cosy and warm, then the pillows and eventually he attached the fairy lights around the walls. He switched them on for a moment and the effect was perfect. He laid out the books, the toys and eventually lay down to relax.

He had finally managed to read a bit more of the book and was now engrossed, Thomas was still the alleged bad guy but he had just discovered that he had confessed that the enemy had taken POW and begged his captor not to glass the base that still had their people on. He had started to like the man and could start to see why Aelin loved him.

He reemerged from the book when he heard some familiar voices. With caution he crawled to the edge and popped his head outside and saw Aelin with Thomas in hand and Freyja in her stroller pushed by Evalin.

“Good afternoon,” he greeted them. 

Aelin lifted her head and gasped when she saw him inside the house.

“Dad!” Shouted Thomas, freeing himself from his mother’s grip and running to the wooden ladder.

“Careful,” Aelin was at his side and helped the boy climb.

“Fancy joining me?” Rowan extended his hand to Aelin and she smiled.

Evalin nodded at her daughter “go, I’ll take the stroller inside. Stay with your family.”

Aelin lifted Freyja in her arms and slowly climbed the ladder. Rowan waited for her at the top and grabbed the little girl and allowed Aelin to climb easier.

When she reached the top and peeked inside she gasped “did you do all this?”

Rowan gave her a grin and nodded “I was bored and I tried to do something so we could spend some special time as a family.” He winked at her and Aelin kissed him “I love you,” she whispered and he kissed her back. He could not utter those words yet but he wanted to show her how much he cared already.

Aelin lifted the blanket and squeezed underneath after she and Thomas had removed their shoes. Rowan sat at her side and brought her close to him. The kids sat in front of Rowan in between his legs. Thomas passed one of the books to his dad but Aelin took it. She knew Rowan was still struggling with reading for prolonged time “now, is everyone cozy?”

Thomas screamed all excited and leaned his head against his father’s chest and Rowan placed a hand on his head and Freyja snuggled closer as well.

Aelin pulled up the blanket to cover them and tucked under Rowan’s arm and opened the book

“In a distant and magical land there lived a princess. She was young but loved her kingdom very, very much…”