#tried to get the best view of each dress! even if it wasn't. uh. the. /best/ possible view. if you catch my drift

[waddingham]

the COSTUMES of LADY BELLASTON in TOM JONES (2023)

[dyns33]

Flufftober 2024 - 11 Javi G

Y/N had been working for the Gutierrez family for a long time. A bit before the father died.

A brilliant accountant, she had quickly become friends with Gabriella, and without really trying to with Javi, who would soon become her boss.

It seemed stupid and cliché to fall in love with him. First, because it was not a good idea to have a relationship with her superior. Then, because he was too good for her. And finally, it seemed obvious that something was happening between him and Gabriella.

She liked them both very much, readily acknowledging that they went very well together, so Y/N never tried anything, staying in her place.

Several years had passed, Javi's cousin was in prison, he had started in the cinema with the help of the famous Nick Cage, and everything was going well in the best of all possible worlds.

Except perhaps from a romantic point of view. Even though they now had free rein to show the world their love, it seemed that Javi and Gabriella were too shy to admit their feelings to each other. Y/N didn't dare something, it wasn't her business. But she wanted them to be happy and was starting to get impatient.

When she learned that a Halloween ball was going to be organized, she thought she could subtly push the two idiots to talk to each other.

"What will your costume be, Gabriella ?"

"I don't know yet. I don't even know if I really want to dress up, I'm not a child anymore."

"No ! There's no age limit for having fun, and Javi will be disappointed if you don't come."

"Probably, but I'm the one who's going to manage everything so that the party is perfect. I can still wear a costume I guess, but I don't know which one."

"Why not something in common with Javi ? That would be really funny !"

"Hmm. I'll see. And you, what are you going to dress up as ?"

Y/N didn't know yet either. She hadn't really thought about it, not considering it to be of great importance, totally focused on her mission.

Like a good friend, Gabriella decided to help her by giving her some advice, eventually convincing her to choose Little Red Hood. Simple and fun disguise, among those who would be disguised as monsters.

When the big night arrived, it was a surprise to see her friend as a witch, and Javi as what looked like to be a trapper. Maybe they hadn't managed to find a common idea.

She asked him after a few drinks, when he came to keep her company on the balcony.

"A common costume ?" he wondered. "She didn't tell me about that. On the other hand, she insisted a lot for me to be a hunter."

"You're supposed to be a hunter ? But you don't have a gun."

"I'm a nice hunter, my knife is mostly used to cut my cheese. And you, Little Red Hood ?"

"Yes. Gabriella's idea."

"Ah."

A slight silence settled between them, their gazes falling on the ocean, as their brains began to understand their friend's plan. The latter was gesturing at them from the ballroom, grimacing, trying to make them understand that they had better things to do than stand there like that.

"Hmm." Javi said with an embarrassed pout. "She had spoken of a wolf too, for the wild side, before opting for the hunter, the hero who saves the girl."

"I don't really understand why your lover would want such a thing… If it's to make fun of me…"

"My lover ?"

"It's okay, Javi, everyone knows. You two are perfect together. I suspected that she had understood that I was… But I never said anything, it's not nice to do that."

"Wait… But I'm not with Gabriella. We're just friends. She knows I'm in love with y… Uh…"

"In love with ?" Y/N asked, turning to him, her eyes full of hope.

"I…"

"But damn it, kiss each other !" Gabriella yelled from across the room. "I've been putting up with this for an eternity, that's enough !"

With all eyes on them, Y/N and Javi felt even more embarrassed than they were before, realizing that they had loved each other for years, without ever having thought that their feelings were reciprocated.

The last to know, those around them were impatiently waiting for them to stop behaving like idiots. Even Nick Cage had noticed what was happening, even though he had just met them.

Shyly, Javi placed a kiss on her cheek, which made the assembly scream with joy. But if he didn't dare do more in front of witnesses, when they were alone, he quickly demonstrated that he could very well have chosen the wolf costume.

[reubyocs]

"Is he okay?" Speaks Elliot, who's looking towards the new guy. Shane and Harvey both turn their attention towards the man.

"That's the new farmer right?" Shane asks as he continues to watch him talk with Pierre.

"Nathan is his name." Harvey talks, turning his attention back to the others. "He came into my clinic a few days ago for his introductory check up. Medically, he's okay."

"Okay... but is he okay?" Elliot asks again, putting heavy emphasis on "okay".

In perfect view of the trio, Nathan bids farewell to Pierre as he begins go make his way throughout the festival area. He's sheepishly looking around, trying to decide if he's going to talk to anyone else while he's here. He looks so out of place, wearing his suspenders and dirtied farm shirt. Everyone else is wearing lovely spring dresses or light blue suits.

"Look... he's all alone." Elliot coos sadly. "Perhaps, one of us should ask him to dance at least. To make him feel as though we're welcoming him to town."

"Not me." Shane abruptly speaks. "I promised I would dance with Jas. She really wants to... and I couldn't say no as her godfather." Harvey smiles, admiring the father-like love he has Jas. He then looks to Elliot, raising his eyebrow at him as though to propose that he should ask Nathan.

"Oh Harvey, not me." Elliot refutes. "I'm already taken by Leah."

"Go on." Shane speaks, pushing Harvey towards Nathan's general direction. The doctor stumbles, attempting to stop himself from falling over. This action catches Nathan's attention, causing him to make his way over to Harvey.

"Hey." Speaks Nathan as the clumsy doctor approaches him. "You alright there doc?"

"Oh yes. Totally fine." Harvey nervously laughs. He tries his best to not look at Nathan, awkwardly trying not to make eye contact with him.

"S-since you're new in town..." Harvey begins to speak. "I know you don't know many people here other than myself, Gus, and Pierre." He pauses, trying to figure out how to propose his idea to him. Nathan continues to listen to Harvey, wondering where his nervous speaking was taking him. "I was wondering if you'd like to dance with me?" Harvey finally manages to ask.

"Oh Doc." Nathan smiles, looking up to the nervous doctor. "Thank you for looking out for me, but I think I'll decline your offer."

The doctors warm, yet nervous smile dropped immediately into one of surprise. He wasn't expecting him to say no.

"I didn't think anyone but Pierre and Evelyn noticed me here, so I was just going to slip away and go back home.... get some more work done." A quiet laugh escapes from Nathan, as he watches people go to the dance floor together. Everyone's so happy and cheerful."Besides, this seems like an event for friends. You know, where the people actually know and like each other?" It feels rather awkward for Nathan to outrightly admit that, but it's the truth. He gets it. Small communities like this often stick together and the new people typically struggle to fit in. He's used to it. Harvey looks rather concerned by his response.

"Look. I don't really think people like me yet- and that's fine with me. I just don't want to overstep my boundaries with you all considering I'm new." The music begins to kick in, and people begin to dance with each other. So calmly, so beautifully. Everyone is happy and enjoying everyone's company. Nathan can only watch on in some awe before turning his attention back to Harvey. Before Harvey can even attempt to refute Nathan's talk, Nathan speaks once more.

"Sorry, I'll let you go and enjoy the festivities. Have a good day Doc." He nods towards Harvey, before turning on the spot and heading back out of the field. The grass crunches beneath his feet as he hurries away. Harvey is left standing there, he's speechless,. For a moment, he attempts to piece together what just happened. For once, it wasn't him running away from a social situation. Someone else did the running for him.

"Uh, take care Nathan!" Harvey yells towards Nathan's direction, having finally broken out of his silence. "Make sure you get some rest today... doctors orders!" Nathan gives him a thumbs up moments before he disappears from view.

That was certainly a strange encounter, but he hopes Nathan will be able to find comfort in his new home soon enough.

[nuriaredgrave]

Prompt #18: A Fish Out of Water

Dane trudged onward through the Coerthan wastes, nearly up to her knees in the thick snow. Even under 3 layers of clothes and a heavy scarf the freezing wind was no slouch, nipping at her skin and forming a thin layer of frost around her tail. Just as the harsh conditions began to wear on her, she spotted a dim light just ahead through the wintry haze. A rest stop perhaps? Her pace quickened as she stomped toward it.

As it fully came into view, she realized it was nothing more than a cheaply built shack with a lantern hanging from its roof. Likely just a storage shed or something. No sooner did she sigh with disappointment and begin to turn back, than did the door violently swing open. Practically leaping from inside came a pale redheaded man, diving into the snow wearing nothing but boxer shorts. She stared in bewilderment as he gleefully rolled around in the deep frozen powder, and couldn't help but let out a confused chuckle. Who the hell was this guy?

She watched him roll around for a short while before he suddenly stopped in place, slowly turning his head toward the Raen stranger. The two of them stared at each other curiously for a moment, neither saying a word. The man looked to his door, then to her, then down at himself, then back to her. "I uh..." he muttered, "I was just...it was...I was, uh...the porch." Dane raised an eyebrow, "...The porch." She glanced behind him. If there was anything this place didn't have it was in fact, a porch.

The man jumped up out of the snow, dusting the clumps and frost from his body. He put on his best "I'm not a freak, I promise" smile and tried to greet her. "Name's Nuria! Or...well, actually I guess you didn't ask. Probably not gonna come through here like, basically ever again either so that was probably weird to do.." She took a step toward him. Despite making the strangest first impression she'd ever seen, he didn't seem half bad. She didn't feel threatened or even uncomfortable, this truly was just a weird little guy out here by himself. He did make her laugh, for whatever that was worth.

The Au Ra lowered her scarf. "Nah, it's cool. I'm Dane." Nuria's face glowed with excitement. It was rare that he met anyone out here, let alone someone who stuck around long enough to exchange names. He suddenly felt twice as awkward in his less-than-dressed state and scrambled closer to the door. "Well Dane, it was cool meeting you! I'm gonna...get back inside now, I think. See you around, maybe?" Dane thought on that for a second. "Actually.." she said, "I was looking for somewhere to take a break. Can I come in for a bit?"

Nuria's eyes lit up and he grinned from ear to ear. "Of course!! Gimme a sec to throw some clothes on and you're good to stay as long as you like. I'll put some hot cocoa on and everything!" Just like that, the snow-dwelling oddball disappeared into his shack to make himself presentable. Dane stood there waiting, wondering whether this really was the best idea. She knew quite literally nothing about this strange fellow, yet here she was about to hang out with him. Wasn't this kind of dangerous? "Nah" Dane said to herself, smiling. "This guy seems alright."

[leaderintitleonly]

Said with a Quartet Inspired by As the World Falls Down and Pride Month

Doc (it's a me) / Arvin (@wishingxuponxstars ) , former king and Snow White's Father All fluff, baby!

---

His chosen family didn't fit in at fancy functions, though the princess did her best to make adjustments in order to tame more wily personalities. Grumpy had balked at the dress code, stolen a whole pie, and fled to somewhere to enjoy his spoils. Happy was enjoying himself with a particularly handsome viscount. This left Doc uncomfortably tugging at the white tunic that had been threaded with a fancy, shiny thread. He had never worn white in his life, let alone something that sparkled when the candle glow caught him. Just like a diamond from the mine, he mused silently. He could shine all he wanted, but he felt strange among these taller people. Self conscious, maybe. More prone to stuttering and sputtering, most certainly! There was the truth that eyes were judging him. Humans always did. Taking in a large exhale, he teetered just off to the side of the floor where everyone had gathered to dance. They were perfect. Perfect humans with swirling dresses that had caused the floor to sprout into a colorful garden, guided by more perfect humans dressed in fancy perfect doublets. It was a world simply not meant for him. It was too tall, too beautiful, and all forbidden. He could try but he could only hear hundreds of years of rejections. Doc's heart began to quiver within his chest. Lovers were arm and arm. He hadn't forgotten Happy finding a place for himself tonight. Where did that leave him? Snow White had been so gracious to invite him and yet... His heart felt like it was falling. The band was playing a waltz and through it all, his heart plummeted to 3/4s time into his stomach. He'd just have to retire to his quarters, thank the princess profusely, and compliment her decorating skills. That was it. Not a sound out of him, lest he embarrass himself for trying to exist in this beautiful world any further. Good for Happy, though. He'd have to congratulate him later. Doc's shoes clicked against the marble. The princess had gone out of her way to try and make him feel so welcome... No! He didn't belong here! And if he tried to strike up a conversation, he'd just humiliate himself. He wasn't one of them! He couldn't even hold a conversation. Head down and amber eyes focused on the ground, he sped off with the mission to get some air and retreat to the upstairs room. Maybe Grumpy would share some food in order to keep his mind off of feeling so utterly seen. "Oh! I was hoping you'd make it!" The voice was tired. It was a voice that had seen much of the world and endured far too much. Arvin looked a great deal like the princess and there was a warmth the family seemed to carry within their eyes. He was looking at Doc. Yet another moment of being stared at. Doc tugged at his neckline and forced himself to look at the former king. Bathed in moonlight, he looked handsome. He had viewed a few paintings that would add an otherworldly glow to their subjects. Right now, Arvin had that beautiful glow that made each grey hair in his hair seem as if it was earned from some sort of worthy battle. That was the dwarven upbringing leaking through within Doc, even though it had been a long time since he had heard such stories. Yes, like a warrior of old who had aged since he had last seen battle. Romantic.... Romantic!

Doc looked away, flustered and trying to hide the blush. "Yer, uh... uhm... Not, yer not..." Arvin shook his head. "I dislike crowds, my friend." Friend. Friend, that's right. A mutual interest. He had cared for Snow White. Friends... friends! Friends? The elder dwarf forced a lump down his throat. How did the king make him feel so completely weak in the knees and warm in the cheeks? If only he had more whiskers to cover it... Doc kept his distance and watched Arvin curiously. "The quincess- winesss- she uh, planned it real nice... Picked out my clothes." "I don't see you in there, either." Arvin's smile was sad as he reached up for a winding vine and plucked a blossom. The vine was woodsy and rough; covered with thorns. Doc was about to voice concern but the weary king's fingers were nimble, even though they ached from age. Immediately, the greying dwarf deflated, causing Arvin to chuckle as he approached Doc. He crouched down and slipped the blossom behind his ear. Somehow, it matched the sparkling outfit. The princess didn't pick out his outfit, this was now something Doc was certain off. "Are you planning on retiring?" Arvin spoke softly and tried to hide the disappointment. His eyes flashed immediately, betraying a twinge of hurt. "I don't believe the quartet has warmed up yet. I've been told you're excellent with strings, perhaps you could give me your opinion on the entertainment?"

Well, the king was asking. There was a time when their correspondence had been warm, though it was about business and through the courier. It was the same courier Doc had stolen his glasses from. Finder's keepers. Besides, the poor dwarf had been going blind... Turning his head, he tried to focus on the music slipping from the open windows as it took flight into the night air. It was beautiful... "Ain't much like dwarven music, but if y'can dance to it, it ain't shatter- uh, tatter- I mean, good company an' music makes fer a fine night." Silence. It was an odd silence. Not tense. It was two beings breathing and afraid of what would happen next. Would speaking words aloud shatter it all and send the start of the dream back into a waking world where the sun burned too bright? The moon was beautiful and alluring. The breeze was cool and inviting. Arvin and Doc were inching closer. "Doc, would you care to dance? It would be a shame if you left before you had one dance?" "Y'mean a waltz? Yer majesty..." Doc chuckled softly and held a hand over his head. "May not be so uh run fer ya, I mean, fun. Short dance partners ain't really pace an' groise- I mean, grace an' pose." Arvin's face fell. He should have guessed. Doc held up a finger and scampered to the railing, climbing up. He was still shorter than the king, but he smiled. "No big steps now!" The dream could continue for the two of them, just a little longer. Hardly a waltz and barely a dance, but they could look into each other's eyes with a love that was just beginning to flutter. 

[anantaru]

𝗗𝗢𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗚𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗪𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗚 !

˖˚˳⊹ double date gone wrong! feat. diluc : kaeya x gn! reader

˖˚˳⊹ genre: fluff : crack

˖˚˳⊹ first version with diluc being your s/o and kaeya your best friends s/o

The amount of countless hours and negotiating finally took an end as Diluc admitted defeat, agreeing on going on that stupid double date your best friend and you so desperately wanted to have. Listen, Diluc is all for meeting your friends and getting to know them, wouldn't there be one teeny tiny problem which was in your best friend dating the person he despised more than anything else.

Of all the people, it was Kaeya who was in a relationship and god knows how amusing the cavalry captain found the situation the both of them were in. Yet it was anything else than amusing for Diluc since there were hundreds of other things he would love to do then listen to Kaeya's annoying stories that partially were either exaggerated or pure fiction.

Yet he did it for you, that's what he kept telling himself over and over again as the both of you approached the couple who already ordered their drinks in the tavern. Because Diluc insisted of throwing the double date in his tavern, no way in hell would he gone somewhere else with that maniac Kaeya who would only embarrass him in front of you. NO WAY he would let Kaeya win tonight.

You hugged your best friend all happily, for a second not giving attention to Diluc while he just stood next to you like a goddamn tree. "Oh my- who do we have here? A rare occurrence seeing you here Master Diluc." and there we go, "This is my tavern." you knew that if looks could kill, Kaeya would be long dead and six feet under because the way Diluc looked at him was beyond scary.

"Uh- we should sit down." you couldn't help it but tug on Diluc's jacket and as he locked eyes with you, you gave him the cutest and most innocent expression ever, trying to make him behave somehow so this date wouldn't end in a total disaster of those two beating each other up to a pulp.

As the night went on it wasn't as bad as you thought it would be in the beginning, Diluc was groaning here and there in response to literally every single word that came out of Kaeya's mouth but in the end he actually didn't say much. You found it beyond cute on how he was trying to keep his composure for the sake of you, because he did promise he'd behave.

In moments like these you knew that he was really trying to make this relationship work, if he was even willing to sit through a whole dinner with a guy he doesn't even mention by name when talking about him.

"(Y/n), you look absolutely breathtaking tonight." Kaeya suddenly expressed with an somewhat apathetic cheer, "It seems like it wasn't Diluc who choose your clothing for this oh so nicely planned dinner."

"So you have a problem with how I dress? Is that it?" Diluc's angered gaze retorted to Kaeya who was drinking his wine as if he just won the lottery in which in this case, he probably viewed angering Diluc as winning the jackpot.

Barbatos if you're listening right now, please let us get through this night.

˖˚˳⊹ second version with kaeya being your s/o and diluc your best friends s/o

To say you were frightened on asking Kaeya to go on this double date your best friend and you planned was an understatement. Knowing how much tension the relationship between him and Diluc was. Yet your best friend really wanted you to meet her new boyfriend since you only ever heard of Diluc from them or from Kaeya which to note, wasn't always positive, or ever.

So it was only normal to you to be beyond surprised when Kaeya agreed on going with you without any sort of hesitation. It's almost as if he was begging you to go and oh well, did you know your boyfriend because you knew this guy had something planned.

You told him multiple times that if he tries something or even say anything disrespectful towards Diluc, you wouldn't let him touch with you for a whopping two weeks. But our favorite troublemaker Kaeya Alberich reassured you that he had nothing in his mind and only wanted to spend some quality time with you and meet your best friend you always talked about.

So there you were now, at your home, preparing dinner while Kaeya got the wine ready. It wasn't of a long wait when you heard someone knock on the door, running excitedly to see your best friend and finally meet their new boyfriend. "You're here! I'm so happy."

For a second you actually forgot that Kaeya was peaking from your shoulder like a scared child while also returning some sort of mixer between unamused and irritated face while Diluc just stood there and groaned. He literally just groaned and for a second there was this awkward silence you weren't going to forget for your whole life. It's like they were killing each other in their minds and actually thought your best friend and you wouldn't notice.

Quickly, you guided the both of them to the dining room in which everything was already prepared, the only thing missing was the food and drinks which were waiting in the kitchen. Everyone took their seats as you quickly walked over to grab the wine from the kitchen counter, pouring it into each glass when-

"Oh, I apologize I should've mentioned I don't consume alcohol." the sentence alone made Kaeya almost loose his shit, rolling his eyes like the true drama queen he was, "We only have alcohol in this house", Kaeya exclaimed all apathetically in front of you, like he was performing in a theatre in front of a thousand people.

"That's not true Kaeya and you know it." at this point you were over it really. Your life flashed before your eyes until this moment and you questioned yourself, was this really a good idea?

do not! share, copy or repost my work. ✎ ©ANANTARU 2022

[buckybarnesdiaries]

white wolf: “the story of a first date”

first part — second part — third part — fourth part (soon)

© @capsgrantrogers

bucky barnes x reader. ⎢ masterlist.

Sam helps Bucky to ask you out for a date and it's a disaster, but he gets it.

word count: 3.147 words. (not sorry, it worth it, i promise!!!)

warnings/tags: none. bucky being the cutest gentleman in the whole wide world, and sam keeping an eye on him.

author notes: as it happened with the first part, i'm not really happy with the result but i had so much fun writing it and i think that that made this writing perfect, so i hope you enjoy it as much as i enjoyed it. none of my stories contain reader’s body descriptions to be inclusive.

Join the tag list here.

The car stopped because of a red light, a moment where Sam took the advantage to turn at his copilot, glancing at Bucky from top to bottom in complete silence. Analyzing him. The soldier tilted his head raising an eyebrow, showing his curiosity about what the hell he was doing.

“What are you gonna wear, uh?” Sam asked then, maintaining a serious gesture on his face.

“Clothes”. Unworriedly, he put back his eyes to the front window.

“You probably look good naked, but that’s not what I’m talking ‘bout”.

“Just… some jeans, a shirt, and a jacket”.

“And shoes, I guess”.

Bucky turned on his seat towards his friend, squinting confused for the interrogatory. “Who cares?”

“About the shoe—”

“About the clothes”.

“Man, it’s a date! Do you wan’her to remember this night as the night Bucky Barnes shown up as a Russian bum?”

“I’m from Brookl—”.

“Yeah, but you look like mother Russia just spat you to the world”.

Sam rolled his eyes as a sigh escaped his mouth. Shaking his head, he took the next corner to the fifth avenue changing the planes they had in mind. A good outfit meant a good date. A good date meant happy soldier. Happy soldier meant no trouble. See the point? So the Falcon would take care of the Winter Soldier today. If only Steve could see them. He’d feel proud, that was for sure. They visited a couple of shops, finally letting Sam take control over the situation and pick the clothes he would wear for you. He had good taste, everybody knew that, and Bucky couldn’t complain about his choices.

Even less when the distinctive black suit dressed his anatomy to perfection. Spinning around in front of the mirror, he felt different. He looked different. He looked good, but not as he’d like. Holding the bucket of flowers once he was ready, Bucky left his apartment straight to the garage under the building. He was nervous, he couldn’t lie. But he had that sensation inside him that made him believe everything would be okay for the first time since he woke up.

The road didn’t take him more than ten minutes, not really worried about the time given that he had planned to arrive a little sooner than accorded. Life seemed like it was smiling at him, finding a parking lot in the same entrance. Landing his blue eyes on the rearview mirror, Bucky took a last view at his reflection, brushing back his hair as he used to do in the forties. He grabbed then the flowers he bought for you and stepped out of the car, trying to remember the advice Sam gave him. Resting his back against the copilot's door, he waited impatiently for you.

“Hey, you”.

His heart stopped for a second, raising his orbs to the man coming closer. Before he could react, the man in question tucked a hand beneath Bucky's jacket. Patting him down.

“What the hell are you doing, Sam?” He questioned irritatedly, slapping his hands and causing him to laugh.

“Just checking you didn't bring the notecards again”.

“Yeah, very funny…”

“Man, look at you! Should be illegal to look this good, uh?” Sam helped him to put on the jacket again, receiving another slap from his friend.

“Don't touch me”. Scowling, he fixed the flowers in his left hand, wanting them to be perfect. “Anyway, what are you doing here?”

“Watch you till (Y/N) comes. Lemme take a picture, I feel like a proud father on his son's prom day”.

“You're not m— Get the hell outta here, Sam”.

“Fighting again, kids? Should I call your mama?”

As Bucky heard you scoff, his soul abandoned. His pupils dilated. His legs trembled. And he could swear that everything disappeared around him when he watched you going downstairs, swinging your hips unconsciously sensual, with a black dress fitting you like a glove. If this morning Bucky wanted to marry you, now he wanted to spend the rest of his life by your side. Your makeup was on point, just like your hair, not being too formal but enough to run him out of words.

“Steve is off-duty, so, what 'you gonna do, soldier?” Sam mocked, an instant before noticing how pale Bucky was. He couldn't help but slap the back of his neck to bring him back to reality.

“I, uh… flowers… I bought you…”

“You're not Yoda”. Sam whispered as the other offered you the present.

“C'mon, stop messing with him”. You clicked your tongue, right before you drew an adorable smile on your lips, leaning to kiss Bucky's cheek. “Thank you”.

“You're welcome”. He just answered, responding to your same gesture while opening the door for you.

“Such a gentleman…” His playful murmur made Bucky frown and nudge him, trying to stop him from saying anything else and ruin the occasion.

“I'll bring him back at ten”. You joked palming his chest.

“The point is to not bring him back to me”. Sam cackled, shaking his head and taking a step back.

Once in the car turning on the engine, James joined the road after checking you were good. Never in his life he had driven with so much care as if he was carrying a bomb by his side. He set on the radio, not really knowing how to start a conversation, watching you through the corners of his eyes caressing the flowers over your lap. No one had bought you them before, thinking it was a thing that only happened in movies. But then, you met Bucky. An old-fashioned man, making yourself wonder how he was the same the news used to say he was a cold-blood assassin.

“What have you thought?”

“Uh?”

“About the date”.

“Sam told me about a rest—”.

“Okay, okay, Bucky. Pull over”. You couldn't help but burst into laughter, as his face was pale again thinking you were about to step out and end the date.

“Sorry, did I…?”

You swiveled at him on your seat, kissing your teeth and squinting inevitably. Studying his face you knew how afraid he was, and it was the most adorable reaction ever. You could have kissed at that precise instant, but it'd have been a little awkward.

“Where do you wanna go?”

The question didn't take him by surprise, actually. He was still getting used to doing the things he desired and not what other people asked him to do. The restaurant was a fancy place with a distinguished menu according to what his friend explained to him, but it wasn't the kind of site that he'd normally go, or that represented him.

“When I, uh… came back, I discovered that my favorite burger joint in Brooklyn was still standing”. Bucky told you, facing you after finishing the sentence. “They prepare the best burgers of the whole New York and you can decide what ingredients add, and the bread, and the kind of meat. And it still having the original decoration”.

You reclined on your seat, just staring at him talking with that kind of burning passion about something he loved. Puckering your lips, you nodded your chin. The fact that not only he wanted to take you to a different place, but a place that he used to go to when he was young made butterflies flutter within your belly. Bucky wanted to make you part of his future, but also his past. That made the difference.

“Sounds good to me”.

“Really?” He inquired funnily confused, wrinkling his nose and forehead.

“Really”.

The shine that appeared within his eyes made you place a hand on his cheek to urge him to turn his head and drive again. An innocent gesture that provoked him a lively giggle. If that man knew all the things he caused you, he'd have taken the step months ago.

As the night went on and Bucky was losing his shyness, he talked to you about the good old times. Before HYDRA, before the winter, before the war. When he was a kid with no worries more than keeping Steven safe from the bullies. It was nice to disconnect from the present, from the gazes around the two of you, from the back talks, only enjoying your dinner and your conversation. You talked to Bucky about how was to be raised on a farm, surrounded by open fields and animals, to join the army years later. Without going into details that could make him remember the old bad times, you told him about what you used to do, your missions, and how you were wounded in combat after being shot and fell from a helicopter.

Bucky felt confident enough to compare it with how everything started. Falling from a wagon to the snow. But as soon as his voice became lower, you couldn't help but hold his gloved left hand and intertwine your fingers with his. And you could swear you felt him shaking for a brief moment because of your touch.

“So, what, uh? It was a forties trend to jump into the void?” You tried to joke, wanting to feel relaxed.

“Yeah, seems like”. He mumbled curling up his lips. “Listen… I really want to… open up, and I know it’s easier with you because… y’know, you work doing this”.

“Hold on, Bucky”. You laughed waving your free hand, shaking your chin as you closed your eyes for a second. “That has sounded really bad”.

“Wait, wh— Oh, shit, no, no, no”.

For the first time since you walked into the small restaurant, his laughter was lively, unworriedly, honest.

“Take it easy, just kidding”. You grinned, nailing your elbow on the table to rest your cheek on your palm. “But… this isn’t work. We’re not doing therapy, we’re… knowing each other. And I don’t want to pressure you to talk about something you don’t feel prepared to, okay?”

“I know”.

Bucky couldn’t believe how much you seemed to empathize with him, not judging his acts nor his past, not deciding that the date wasn't a good idea nor running away. He couldn’t believe the less importance you were giving to his arm made of vibranium; usually, people used to freak out, to feel frightened somehow about the things it could do. But you were there, fingers playing with the others as if it was the most common and natural act in the world. And, for you, it was. That was you in all your best. Considerate, smart, patient, lovingly. The rainbow after a stormy life. Everything that Bucky needed in his life to start from scratch and be his better version. A shoulder to lean on and a reason to come back home.

“Was afraid of asking you out”. He confessed after some seconds admiring each other. Any person closer would say you had been dating for a long, long time by the way you had to keep silent and not feel uncomfortable.

“Why?”

“You came from war and made your world a place to live. I’m still stuck there”.

“I have my own red flags”. Clicking your tongue, you rolled your eyes.

“Oh, really? Please, surprise me”. Bucky teased you sitting up on his chair, not loosening the gentle grip around your left hand.

“I put the milk before cereals”.

“Oh… Oh, God”. He let out, pretending to be horrified and running a hand on his face. “Goddammit… you’re a monster, ma’am. I don’ think this is going to work”.

“Excuse me?” You chuckled, parting your lips in a breath while leaning over the table to palm his right shoulder. “It wasn’t me who added lettuce to the burger”.

“What? What’s the matter with that, uh?”

“Lettuce kills the savor!”

“Y’know what kills the savor? Ketchup. Today, people use ketchup literally with everything… And that’s disgusting”.

“Okay! Next time, no lettuce, and… no ketchup”.

“That’s a big challenge”. Bucky scoffed tenderly squeezing your hand between his cold fingers.

“I’ll live, Sergeant Barnes”. You narrowed your eyes and crinkled your nose at the same time.

“I was talking about a second date, not about your issue with ketchup”.

“So was I”.

A goofy smirk appeared on Bucky’s face, biting his inner cheek as he assented with his head. Seeing you again, knowing that you wanted it —that you wanted him—, made him trust Dr. Raynor’s words. He was having a second chance to do the right thing. To live and to be.

You wanted to add something else when the clock in his wrist started to beep. Curious, you raised an eyebrow. “We have to leave”.

“Why?”

“Sam told me you work tomorrow at eight, which means you’ll get up at six and a half… maybe seven. While I pay, take you home, all that stuff… I don’ want you to be tired in the morning”.

Bucky would never stop to amaze you, looking up to him in silence to contemplate how he called the bartender and beckoned his free hand to ask for the bill.

“What…? What are you doing?” He chuckled embarrassed, taking his beer to sip.

You cleared your throat when you realized how stupid you should look right now, shaking your head as you freed his cold hand from yours to find unlock your phone as soon as the guy brought the dataphone.

“Hey, no, no. I asked you out, I pay”. Bucky began to fight with you, provoking some laughs on the table as you tried to put your screen above the tpv.

“Well, welcome to the twenty-first century”. You hummed as the operation was confirmed.

“I’ll pay next time”. He declared licking his incisors, prior to his lips.

You wished the ride back home to last forever, not wanting to end the date. But the car reached your neighborhood in a blink of eyes. You couldn't help but sigh barely appreciably for your companion, gazing through the window until double parking in front of your apartment. You turned towards him, hearing the engine shut off. Bucky seemed disappointed like you, not being able to remember when was the last time he had a break, he had fun. The date was nicer than he expected but the idea of not knowing exactly when he was going to see you again was killing him from the inside.

“I'll accompany you”. He declared undoing his seat belt as you did to step out.

You reacted with a delicate smile, holding the bucket of flowers against your abdomen while walking to the front door of the building. That moment was a little uncomfortable, not being sure about how to say goodbye, just looking like two teens in love.

“Thank you for tonight, Bucky”. You uttered without thinking about it. “It's been the best night I've ever had”.

“Next will be better, I promise”.

“That's a big challenge”. You chuckled repeating his words a while ago in the restaurant.

“I'll live”. He nodded convinced, glancing at you bowing down your interest to the red roses between your hands.

How could you tell him that you were dying to be together again? That you wouldn't mind waking up sooner and having breakfast? You bit your inner upper lip, trying to find the correct words to say, without sounding like you were feeling something else to a physical attraction. Bucky was hot as hell, that wasn't up to debate, but he was the kindest and charmingest man you had known. He was sensible and strong at the same time. You both complemented the other like the pieces of a puzzle and you never thought something like that could happen to you. To find your other half and having it so clear you didn't want anyone else.

“I am, uh… free tomorrow”.

His words pushed you out of your thoughts, putting up your attention to a Bucky almost flushing, stroking the back of his head, and having the impression that he could scare you.

“Got a break for lunch, if you want”. You proposed without hesitation.

His eyes sparkled with happiness, holding your left hand with his to bring it to his mouth, placing a fond kiss on the back. Such a gentleman, like Sam said, inducing your cheeks to burn. And then, you saw him doubting about taking another step. You wanted it too to happen, tho, leaning forward to press your lips together. Your eyes snapped closed at that precise instant, not having any rush, tasting each other's and shortening the distance between both of you by his free arm getting wrapped around your waist. The kiss was innocent but passionate. It was warm, intimate, trying to transmit all the chemistry you woke up within the other with only one look, with only one smile. Breaking it —much to your regret— when you needed air to breathe. And even so, Bucky rested his forehead against yours freeing your hand to place it on the right side of his neck.

Neither of the two of you opened your eyes, extending the moment as much as you could. You felt he craved to spend the night with you, and you desired it too, but you also felt that he needed some time to get used to this new world he was living in. It wasn't easy. You thought back to the months after the war, the recovery, the loneliness you forced yourself to be in. You were in Afghanistan for three months. He had been fighting since nineteen forty. And he didn't want to ruin what you were building together.

“I should leave”. Bucky murmured against his wishes.

“See you tomorrow”.

At the moment you opened your eyes to meet the pale blue ones, your whole body felt weak. You saw the brightness in them after letting him know that the second date was going to happen and that it wasn't just a formality before disappearing, wiping out any minimal doubt by kissing him again. The last kiss. A good night, I'll dream with you kiss.

“I'm gonna play this on your wedding day, definitely”.

You screamed because of the unexpected metallic voice coming closer, clinging to Bucky's neck as his heart raced too. Redwing was suspended in the air some steps away from you, being controlled by Sam. Who else is not him, uh?

“I'm starting to think you have separation anxiety”. The soldier growled trying to hit the flying device with his flesh hand, hearing you laughing against his chest.

“Good night, kids”. You chuckled separating from Bucky.

“No kiss for me, soldier?”

“I'm not gonna kiss that thing, Samuel”.

“What about a howl, White wolf? Would be very appro—”.

“White wo—”.

“Please, don't. Don't ask”. Bucky begged you, licking his bottom lip while rubbing the back of his head, clearly ashamed.

“Hope you show me one day what it means…”

“Oh, he will… Just wait till the full moon”.

“Sam!” Bucky and you yelled in unison, you playfully, he annoyed.

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[the-bau-quinjet]

Please Don't

Summary: Hotch and Y/N have been pining for each other but everything changes after they go undercover for a case.

Warnings: Criminal Minds level violence, angst

Word Count: 2289

a/n: Thank you for this request!! I love a good Hotch moment. I hope you like it!

Masterlist

"Alright ladies! Here's the first round." Emily smiled as she set the four glasses down in front of you all.

Girl's night had just started. It being Penelope's turn to pick the nights events meant you, Emily, and JJ were in for a long night of bar hopping.

"Yes!!!" Penelope nearly screamed, grabbing her drink and taking a large gulp. "First question of the night goes to Y/N."

Your eyes widened as everyone turned to look at you. Whatever game Penelope was trying to play was clearly not going to go well for you.

"Oh, God. What is it?" You grimaced, eyes flitting between the three of them.

"When are you going to do something about your crush on Hotch?" Emily wasted no time in getting into the hard hitting questions.

"And don't even bother denying it! It's so painfully obvious." JJ added on, eyeing you skeptically.

"First of all, rude. Second of all, fine. I have a hopeless crush on our boss. Are you happy now?" You playfully glared, knowing there was no use in even trying to pretend.

"So? When are you going to do something about it?" Penelope was giddy, always one to celebrate new relationships.

"Uh, never." You deadpanned.

"Why not?" She whined in response.

"Pen, he's my boss for one. Plus it's highly unlikely he feels the same. I mean, how would I even bring that up?" You shook your head, trying to avoid the conversation.

"Y/N, Hotch is totally into you-" Emily's rant was cut off by the sounds of all of your phones buzzing.

You all shared a glance before confirming your suspicions.

"Another girl's night cut short." You shook your head. "Who needs a ride?"

The four of you quickly made your way out of the bar before piling into your car and heading to the Bureau.

-

"Damn ladies, looking good." Derek greeted you when you piled into the elevator together.

You hadn't thought about changing before coming in. None of you were wearing anything wildly inappropriate. Your outfit was just a bit more form fitting than a typical day in the field required.

"Thanks Derek." You rolled your eyes, stepping out of the elevator and immediately heading for the conference room.

Aaron's eyes were on you almost instantly. He always looked for you first when a new case came in.

"You ever gonna tell her?" Rossi asked from next to him.

"I have no idea what your talking about." Hotch kept his face neutral despite knowing there was no real point in denying it to Dave.

"I see the way you look at her. You know, I see the way she looks at you too. you deserve to be happy, Aaron." He replied easily, a smirk on his face as he took a seat in the conference room.

Hotch merely shook his head, trying to supress the smile forming at the idea of you returning his feelings.

He quickly moved on to debrief the team ultimately telling everyone to meet at the jet.

-

Three days later, another couple was dead, and you were no closer to catching the guy.

"Wait, there's a new pattern." Reid jumped up, pointing out the abduction sites on the map. "He's moving south, alternating between 11th and 14th Street. Each abduction happened at a different club on those streets. If he follows pattern the next abduction will be tonight at Cameo." He pointed out the next club on the map.

"So we'll stakeout the club, stop him before he gets another couple." Morgan suggested.

"We can't risk a takedown inside the club." Hotch ran a hand over his face.

"What if two of us go undercover? Pretend to be a couple and then we can stop him when he tries to abduct us." You suggested a new plan.

"That could work." Dave added on, sending you a nod. "You and Hotch fit his victimology."

"What d'ya say, Hotch?" Your heart was beating rapidly, but you refused to let it show. "Wanna go on a date?" You playfully nudged his side.

"It's our best plan." He nodded resolutely. "Go with Emily to get something to wear."

You smiled at him before turning to see a mischievous look on Emily's face. She whispered in your ear as you walked out of the room.

"Get ready. Hotch won't be able to keep his eyes off you tonight."

-

"Are you sure I should wear this?" You pulled the dress down a bit, trying to cover more of your thighs.

"Yes. You look amazing, and this is definitely going to catch the eye of our unsub." JJ complimented as she added a few finishing touches to your hair.

"It's just now dawning on me why we don't do undercover work." You flinched away from Emily as she attempted to add a third layer of mascara.

"Oh, hush. This was your idea. Everything will be fine. Better than fine if you're lucky." She winked, capping the mascara and throwing it back into your makeup bag.

"Em, this is work. I'm absolutely not making a move on Hotch while trying to lure an unsub to abduct us." You deadpanned.

"I'm not saying make a move! This is your opportunity to flirt a little and see how he responds." She shrugged casually.

You were about to provide another rebuttal when a knock sounded on the door to the bathroom.

"Y/N, you almost ready?" Derek called from the other side of the door.

"Coming out now!" You nearly ran out before Emily or JJ could try to convince you to flirt with Hotch again.

"Damn, L/N." Derek smiled when you exited the bathroom. "Looking good. You know who else might think so?"

"Can it, Derek. I'm in no mood." You swiftly walked past him. You could hear Hotch arguing with Rossi about something as you walked up to the conference room door.

"Dave, cool it will you?" Hotch rolled his eyes, not noticing you yet.

"I'm just saying Aaron-" He tried again.

"Well, don't." Hotch's playfulness rarely came out on cases, but you could see a glimpse of it in the way he bantered with Dave.

"Ready to go?" You asked from the doorway, putting your comm's device in your ear. You felt a blush creep up your cheeks at the way Aaron looked at you.

"Ready." He gave you a tight smile, diverting his eyes from your tight dress.

"We'll be right outside. All the exits covered." Dave reminded the two of you, nodding as you walked out the door.

-

"Here you go, one vodka cranberry." He winked when he passed the glass over, a subtle reminder about the lack of alcohol coursing through you.

"Thanks." You shifted awkwardly, unsure of what to do now. You'd been by the bar for about an hour, and nobody suspicious had caught your eye.

"Do you want to dance?" You surprised yourself by asking the question, watching as Hotch's eyes widened slightly. "I just, the other couples? Didn't witnesses say they were dancing?" You whispered the last part, obviously trying to limit anyone overhearing your conversation.

"Right. Of course." He looked nervous, but you chalked it up to not doing undercover often.

You lead him to the middle of the dance floor, trying to find the best view of the doors. It took a few minutes of awkward swaying, but the two of you found your rhythm.

"Behind you, there's a man watching us." Hotch whispered in your ear sending a shiver through your spine.

You nodded slightly in response before turning around. You pressed your back to his chest to cover the movement, eyes flitting around the room to observe anyone suspicious.

It didn't take long for you to spot the man Hotch was talking about. You moved your arms up around his neck, pulling his head closer to you so you could whisper to him.

"Got him. How do we get him outside?" You suppressed the urge to grind your hips against Hotch's. It was hard enough to deal with the feeling of his hands on your hips.

He spun you around, pressing your chests close together. Again, he moved his mouth close to your ear to whisper, "we just need to give him a show."

He pressed his lips to yours lightly, waiting for your response. You kissed him back with passion, relishing in the feeling of his lips moving against yours.

Your breath caught in your throat when he pressed a series of light kisses to your neck. You involuntarily tilted your head to the side, giving him more room to work.

"I think we've got his attention. Let's head out the back door." Hotch grabbed your hand, pulling you behind him toward the back of the club.

The cool night air sent a chill through your body, but you didn't have long before the man burst through the door behind you.

Hotch easily overpowered him, knocking the gun from his hands. He pulled handcuffs from his pocket, quickly securing his hands behind his back.

"Morgan, we got him out back." You spoke into your comms, turning slightly when movement in the shadows caught your eye.

"Y/N, get down!" Hotch jumped in front of you just as you heard a gun being fired. He fell into you, slumping against your body. Everything happened so quickly.

"FBI, drop your weapon!" Morgan yelled, running closer to the man in the shadows.

He quickly handcuffed the partner, leading him to a waiting officer while Emily collected the other unsub.

"Aaron?" You looked at him in your arms noticing the blood soaking through his light blue shirt. "I need a medic!" You called down the alley, watching in terror as two medics removed Aaron from your arms.

You were frozen in place as they put him on a gurney and pushed him into a waiting ambulance.

It wasn't until the ambulance was completely out of sight that you realized Reid was talking to you.

"Y/N? Are you okay?" He gestured to the blood on your dress and hands.

You nodded silently, pointing to where the ambulance just was.

"Let's get you to the hospital okay?" He spoke softly, not wanting to add to your distress. He grabbed a shock blanket from a paramedic before leading you to an SUV. Derek and Emily sat in the front, ready to drive as soon as you got in.

You don't remember the ride to the hospital. You don't remember JJ helping you wash the blood from your hands. You don't remember a nurse updating you on Hotch's surgery. You don't remember anything except the look in Aaron's eyes as he bled out in your arms.

"Aaron Hotchner?" The doctor called out into the waiting room. All six of you stood up, eyes fixed on the woman in scrubs. "His surgery was successful. I can take one of you to see him."

The whole team gestured to you, knowing how you felt and how much you needed to see that he was okay.

"Follow me." The doctor lead you down the winding hallways to a recovery room where Aaron was asleep. "He's still under anesthesia for now. It should wear off in a few hours."

You nodded as she left, still unable to form any words as you took in his pale appearance.

"Aaron." You whispered his name, eyes brimming with tears. You pulled the chair as close as you could next to his bed, both hands wrapped around one of his.

You must've fallen asleep because before you knew it, the hand in your grasp was squeezing you back.

"Aaron?" You lifted your head from the side of his bed, eyes focusing on his. "Oh, thank God." You felt the tears brimming again.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm okay." He murmured softly, moving his free hand to wipe your tears.

"No. You're an idiot who jumped in front of a bullet for me." You whispered back, voice breaking.

"I'd do it again." He took no time to craft his response, only causing more tears to fall down your cheeks.

"Aaron-"

"Y/N, I don't have anyone else in my life quite like you. I haven't in a long time." His eyes never left yours as he spoke. "You make me feel like I could be happy again. Like Jack could have two people to provide him unconditional love everyday in his life again. Like maybe, just maybe, I could love someone again. I would jump in front of countless bullets for you because I can't imagine my life without you in it."

"Please don't." You whispered, eyes still watery.

"What?" Hotch could feel his heart breaking at the thought of you not returning his affection.

"Please don't jump in front of anymore bullets for me. I don't think I could survive this feeling again." You took a deep, shuddering breath. "Watching them wheel you away on that gurney... it felt like my heart was being cut open. Aaron, there's not a day that goes by where you don't make me smile. Even if it's just the thought of you. I can't imagine my life without you either."

He continued to wipe tears from your face as you spoke.

"Would now be a good time to ask you out to dinner?" He smiled when you laughed.

"I think now is a great time for that." You smiled, leaning your head into his hand.

"Perfect. So, will you get dinner with me?" He nearly whispered.

"I'd love to." You pressed a soft kiss to his lips before setting back against your chair.

It didn't take long for him to fall back asleep. This time, when you leaned your head against his leg, your heart felt full.

Permanent taglist:

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@measure-in-pain

[rikumorimachisgirl]

Title: Eyes on you

Pairing: Shaw x You

Genre: Fluff

Word count: 2,901

A/N: You (Y/N) are not the MC in MLQC. This is a plunny that's been bugging me for quite a while, I had to write it. I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own MLQC or its characters, but I do own the concept of this fic.

There were a few mysteries in this world that the esteemed Archeology Graduate Professors at Loveland University can't explain - for instance, the formation of the Stonehenge, the exact location of the lost city of Atlantis, the origin of the Nazca lines… and your presence at the Metro Art Gala dressed to the nines, positively gleaming as you strode arm in arm with your classmate and Thesis partner Shaw, who seemed like the perfect gentleman that evening. Thanks to your work at the Loveland Museum, you scored two invites to the gala featuring the recently discovered works of a well-known artist - an event any Archeology fanatic wouldn't let pass. The two of you walked along with LFG's Exhibition Hall, pausing occasionally to admire one of the recently discovered sculptures by the Renaissance artist D'Romani. As you both looked at the intricacies of the artwork in front of you, your charming companion would lean in slightly and whisper something in your ear, causing you to roll your eyes or stifle a giggle. 

To the guests in the prestigious gala, the two of you looked like two young people at the cusp of falling in love, but the members of the Faculty of the Graduate School of Archeology saw it differently - this was a real-life mystery if they'd seen one. 

As your eyes swiftly swept through the entire room, you could see that your professors only had one question in mind - how'd this happen? How did two people as different as day and night, who argued with each other throughout Graduate studies, end up amiably enjoying each other's company tonight? 

You drew a sharp breath and sighed. The answer was simple: Your Thesis defense was right around the corner. You needed him to cooperate, you were willing to go to great lengths to make it happen. And your Thesis partner (unfortunately) was ready to take full advantage of the situation. 

***

"Tell me why we're doing this again, " you said through the door that separated you and your date, as you were putting on the dress you bought (or invested on, as he casually stated) for tonight's gala, which he insisted on attending with you. It was six in the evening on a Friday, and you had just arrived home after cramming your workload at the Loveland Museum and foregoing your meal breaks just so you could leave work at exactly five-thirty. 

"I already told you a couple of times - you want me to cooperate with you so you can pass our Thesis, and I need a reason to be around her," the purple-haired man waiting at the other side of your bedroom door called out nonchalantly. "You can drop your fantasy about me asking you out because I'm attracted to you."

You hissed silently at his snarky remark and counted to ten. You haven't even left your apartment yet you already wanted this night to be over. "How do you even know she's gonna be there?"

She - the Miracle Finder Producer, the object of your Thesis Partner's fantasies, and as fate would have it, his brother's girlfriend. 

"They're doing a show featuring our Thesis adviser. Didn't he tell us about it during our last consultation?" He asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"I wasn't listening," you shot back, as you took off your ponytail and started styling your hair with your curling iron. You chose a one-shoulder fitted black dress that stops right above your knees, so you thought of wearing your hair down for a change. 

"Ah, yes. You were too busy looking at your notes, trying to prove me wrong as always."

You closed your eyes, as you continued to make big beach waves and prayed to the gods you wouldn't commit murder tonight. 

"How much longer are you gonna take?"

"Excited much?" You asked, smirking while you now removed your glasses and put on your contacts. "You sound like a teenager excited to see his crush in a school fair!"

"Don't compare me to you!" 

"I don't have designs on anyone in the party," you called back. "Unless your brother's attending the event, that is. From what you've been telling me, he seems like a great guy."

Silence. You arched an eyebrow as you strained your ear to listen for any sign of life outside your bedroom door. What must your grunge-rock skater boy-turned-date-for-the-evening be thinking? 

"Do you want to pass our Thesis or not?"

You struck a victory pose at his remark. Finally, one point - you, Shaw - about twenty. 

"Are you done yet? This suit is really uncomfortable. Damn, why do people even wear these?"

"Because they're decent?" You shot back. "You know, you can always go home if you're not comfortable in your attire because when we get there, you need to act decent, too. Can't have your usual swagger in a formal affair."

"Just hurry it up already!"

You rolled your eyes as you applied your nude-colored lipstick to finish off your look before putting on your black stilettos, and stuffing your phone, wallet, and your makeup in your purse. 

"All done," you replied, as you finally emerged from your room. 

***

A part of you wished that the dynamics between you and Shaw were different. While he was a pain in the neck, and too carefree for his own good, you also thought he made for a good intellectual sparring partner, quite attractive, and it was hard to deny that he's got your heart beating double-time whenever he got too close for comfort like he was at that very moment. 

"My, you two kids seem to be having fun tonight."

You gasped, at the sound of the voice behind you, and you felt your date nudge you ever-so-subtly while straightening.

"Hey, Professor Adler," he said in his usual unruffled tone, his lips stretched into a smirk as he held his hand out to your Anthropology professor and Thesis adviser, who watched you both amusedly. His gesture made your eyes shot wide open, you thought they'd fall right off. Shaw shaking someone's hand? That's one for the books. 

"Shaw. Fancy seeing you here," the stout middle-aged man greeted while shaking your date's hand. "This isn't your usual scene though."

"Yeah, I know, but I can't exactly turn a pretty lady down, can I?" 

"I can see that," your professor said as he looked at you appraisingly. "Well, well, you clean up well, Miss (y/n)."

You fought the urge to squirm at the older man's words when you heard your date cluck his cheeks with his tongue and suddenly felt his arm around your shoulders, pressing you protectively close to his side. 

***

"All done!" You happily announced as you stepped into the living room of your small apartment where your date was impatiently waiting for you. 

You could've sworn he was stunned for a second or two before he shook his head and tried to regain his usual impassive expression. Finally, he stood and walked closer to assess you better. 

"You're not wearing your glasses. I thought you said you're practically blind without them?" 

You cocked your head to one side. Out of all the things he could've complimented or called out, that's the first thing he noticed? 

"Wouldn't it look awkward if I wore glasses to a formal event?"

"Your hair is all curly," he continued as if you didn't say anything. "And your shoes are so tall, won't you trip? Also, surely you have a jacket to go with that dress, right?" 

You stared at him in disbelief. Why did this carefree, bass-playing skater boy turn into your dad all of a sudden? 

"Uh…"

"Well, at least you're not wearing red lipstick. You don't have to try too hard to look sexy. Geez! I've got plans of my own this evening, so don't expect me to be your bodyguard," he continued to mumble as he circled around you. Before long, you felt something warm and heavy on your shoulder. His coat?

"It's just until we get to the venue," he shrugged as he led you to the car he borrowed for tonight. "I don't want people seeing you freeze to death."

You sighed, your shoulders slumped as you followed your date to the car. You already expected he wouldn't throw you a compliment for looking like a proper human tonight, and you cursed yourself for feeling gutted over it anyway. 

 ***

"So, which one of these sculptures did you like best, Professor?" You sighed in relief as Shaw changed the subject, his arm still wrapped around you, making you blush furiously. 

"Oh, I have to say I liked Eros and Psyche best. In case you haven't seen it yet, it's located a little further down the hall near the bar area," the older man was starting to explain when someone tapped his shoulder from behind. 

"Excuse me, Professor Adler," a gentle voice called out, making both the professor and Shaw jump. From behind the old man, a pretty petite with brown hair and big brown eyes, and the biggest smile on her face stepped up. "My name is MC from Miracle Finder."

Almost immediately, Shaw withdrew his arm around you, almost causing you to stagger backward. He straightened up and feigned disinterest. 

"Hey. It's a little rude how you stepped in while I was talking to the Professor," he said, his tone teasing. 

"Oh, I didn't notice you here. Do you mind if I talk to your Professor? We've invited him for an interview about the exhibit," the girl said sweetly. 

Based on how unconsciously coy she acted around Shaw, and the way he kept egging her, there was no doubt that this was the girl he was crushing on. You felt like the odd person out all of a sudden and needed to step away. 

You backed away slowly, careful not to rouse their attention because it would probably suck if you knew how Shaw would introduce you to his little crush. As soon as you were in a safe distance, you turned and walked aimlessly down the hall, pausing briefly at paintings or sculptures that caught your fancy, looking at its intricacies as you did so earlier. But somehow, it wasn't as fun as it was before, so you moved on quickly, to give way to the other guests who also wanted to view the artwork.

Finally, you came upon the bar and decided to rest your tired feet at the far corner, hidden from the rest of the world. Sighing, you slipped your feet off your stilettos and quietly watched as the guests around you - mostly couples - happily chatting away as they enjoyed the beauty of the art around them and the wonderful music that filled the air. You knew somewhere in the crowd, your date was fawning over his lady love, probably getting in the way of her filming your professor. 

Tch. 

You knew he liked her - he always told you he did. And why wouldn't he? MC was pretty, seemingly sweet, and dainty - the kind of girl any guy would like to protect. And you. You were the opposite. You lived for your work, were 'one of the boys', and didn't need anyone to protect you - that's just how you were - and now you started to realize that maybe guys don't exactly like that. At least not Shaw. 

Wait, what were you thinking? You scolded yourself as you shook your head. Why were you even thinking of what he liked when you don't even like him to start with. Or did you? 

"Ugh. What the hell is wrong with me?" You groaned when a cold bottle of beer and a frozen glass was placed in front of you. 

"I was gonna ask you that myself." 

You straightened up in your seat and shot a look at the guy seated beside you. Dressed in a nice grey suit, he smiled as he raised his beer bottle in front of you. 

"You look like you needed a drink. I hope the beer is okay. They don't have fruit beer or soda," he said calmly, his amber-colored eyes never leaving yours. 

"Y-yeah. Beer is perfect," you replied while pouring the amber liquid into the glass. "Thanks," you muttered before raising the glass to your lips to gulp down some liquid courage. 

"I saw you with Shaw earlier -"

The name on his lips drove you to a coughing fit, as you choked on your drink. "Sorry, " you mumbled in between coughs. 

"No, I'm sorry," the brown-haired guy said, as he cautiously and politely patted your back. "I didn't mean to bring that up. I was just curious."

"It's fine," you replied when you finally regained your composure. "Yes, we're just classmates in Grad school who decided to check this exhibit out for the heck of it."

"Classmates, huh?"

"Yeah, that's what we are," you said, taking a sip off your glass. "Grad school classmates."

"Are you telling me or telling yourself?"

You looked up and saw him smiling. There was something about Dreamy McHandsome who was seated beside you that felt so familiar yet different at the same time, but you couldn't point a finger at what it was exactly. 

"We're classmates, and we're working on our thesis together. But we're not friends - far from it even. We hate each other's guts."

"Can't blame you for doing so," he shrugged as he drank his beer. 

"Yeah. He dragged me here so he can get with someone he's been crushing on for so long," you rambled on, frowning. 

"Oh? And who might that be?"

"The Miracle Finder Producer. You know, the pretty girl in a blue top and white skirt. He's been going on and on about her for weeks…"

"You mean my girlfriend?" 

His girlfriend. You choked on your drink once again. "Y-y-your girlfriend? You mean to say…" You gasped. Has the beer made you stupid? You've barely drunk half of it, you thought as you fought to regain your dignity. This was Shaw's brother you were talking to - and boy, we're they blessed with good genes…

… And the same social awkwardness, you noticed, judging by how he kept his hand at your back, but not exactly touching it, as if trying to assess if he had to pat you or not. 

When you finally calmed down, he cleared his throat and gave you a small smile. "Don't worry. She talks to me about their conversations. I know what that guy is playing at, and I most definitely know he's not after my girl," he said, his voice broke no room for doubt. "My name is Gavin..."

"Yeah, I know…"

"You - what?"

"Oh," you said, tapping on your glass nervously. "Shaw kinda mentioned it in passing before."

"I see."

"So, what were you saying earlier about Shaw?"

"Oh. From what my girlfriend tells me, he's got his sights set on…"

"Ahem," you heard someone say loud enough for you and Gavin to turn your heads around. And there, standing behind you, was an angry-looking Shaw. You sat up, your gaze shifting between the two brothers as the air started to thicken with tension. "I talk to someone for a minute and the next thing I knew, my date walks out on me and right into the one person I'd hate for her to meet."

"Well, if you were just honest with her as with a lot of other things in your life, maybe she wouldn't have left your side earlier," Gavin retorted flippantly. "Is she finally done with filming?"

Shaw simply grunted in reply as he watched his older brother finish his bottle of beer and stand. "Well, Miss, there's a lot I've heard about you. Seems somebody couldn't stop talking about you, but I'll leave it at that." 

With a wink and a mischievous smile upon his face, the brown-haired guy sauntered off to look for his better half, as you and Shaw watched in awkward silence. 

He cleared his throat and glanced at you. "Hey."

"Hey," you replied, shakily. 

"So, about what that jerk said -"

"Yes?" You asked, feeling your heart hammer against your chest by the second.

"Whatever he said is not true," he said dismissively, as he took his coat off and draped it over your shoulders. "I told you before, I don't find you the least bit attractive."

You felt tears starting to sting your eyes, as he continued with his harsh commentary. "You're tough, highly opinionated, and you always want to come out on top. I don't find those attractive at all," he said. "I prefer a damsel in distress. I want someone clingy… someone, needy."

"I know that -"

"Oh do you?" He teased, his amber eyes twinkling. "You seem to know a lot about me."

"We've been working together for months now," you said. "Of course, I'd know more about you."

"I see," he said, as he took a step closer to you and touched your cheek, rubbing the stray tear that had managed to slip down the side of your face. "So, you must know I'm also a good liar. After all, I've kept all these feelings to myself for quite some time."

He snickered when he saw your frown deepen and he bent down just as he had done so earlier, to whisper. "I made you think I liked someone else when in fact," his low voice made you shiver. "I've always eyes for you."

The End.

[caramelcal]

Two Worlds Collide

In which ghosts are known, and there is a deep rooted rivalry between them and lifers.

Ship: Ghost!Luke x Alive!Reader

Warnings: This talks about deep-rooted rivalry and segregation. 

If this is good though, should I start a taglist?

Luke Patterson Tag: @rachmmb @phantompogues 

also, i started up a wattpad “rosemoonmist” if you could give that some love, i would be so grateful <3

Masterlist

Night had long since fallen on the town, stars twinkly bright in the sky overhead, a soft breeze passing by that moved your hair ever so slightly. Your knees were up against your chest, chin leaning on them with your arms wrapped around them, trying to stay small to keep your body heat in. You sat in the shadows, on a random balcony at the top of the building, overlooking the town you had lived in your entire life.

The buildings on the side you were on were dingy and dull, high built buildings that were not pretty, and instead built for housing people. Your eyes drifted over to the other side of town, where luxurious houses stood, plants that were well cared for, streets that were free of trash. It angered you, that for simply being alive you had to live in such poor conditions, that you were looked down on by ghosts. You were forced into dingy housing, old and ripped clothes, just because they were untouchable.

It wasn't always like this, not until Caleb Covington took over. Ghosts and lifers used to work together, but when Caleb took over he created a barrier, made ghosts feel that they were superior to lifers and now you were stuck into this life. It sucked too, because Caleb somehow managed to make it so that he controlled who became a ghost, and so far, it was becoming more of an exclusive club that free choice.

It was illegal to pass over to their side of the town, because apparently lifers shouldn’t be allowed to walk on their soil unless they wanted you to, yet they could roam free here. Not that they would want to, this side of the town was a train wreck.

When you were a child, you didn’t understand why they would ever separate from each other, especially when they worked together only years before you were born. All the lifers were scared, what you didn’t know at that point was why. There were all these new rules implemented, and lifers couldn’t fight against them, not when everything was against them. The legal system was overrun with ghosts, from police officers to lawyers; everything.

Life was awful, for those with a heartbeat anyway, and life only seemed to get worse as the years got on. Slowly, ghosts and lifers could no longer go to the same school, then you couldn’t talk to each other, and it slowly got worse until any lifer that didn’t do what a ghost wanted was punished, severely.

You had only ever seen ghosts passing, and some nasty things that they did to lifers, but you tended to stay out of their business. You had never crossed over to their side of town, and you knew it was extremely dangerous to do so; you would get caught out, you knew that. Maye that’s why you hadn’t done so yet...

Luke knew that he shouldn’t have been on the other side of town, but he often found himself drawn to lifers. He wasn’t sure why honestly, they just seemed a lot more fun than the other ghosts. Ghosts were entitled and thought they were all better than each other. But Luke? He just wanted someone to hang out with. Sure, Alex, Reggie, and Bobby were cool, but he was used to them, he wanted to meet someone new, and the lifers were a lot more interesting than the other ghosts.

Maybe that’s why he found himself on the rooftop above the balcony you were on, feet dangling over the edge. You remained scarily silent, hoping that whoever it was would eventually go away, and you wouldn’t get in trouble for being on a random person’s balcony. However, it seemed that the person knew you were there, “Are you coming to join me or what?”

Silently, you found yourself climbing up the metal ladder and joining him on the balcony, awkwardly shifting to sit next to him, yet still staying several feet away. Your eyes caught onto him, the hood of his jumper sitting over his head and blocking his face from view.

You can tell a lot about the people from the way they’re dressed, that’s something you had been taught from a young age. You were taught to be able to notice ghosts straight off the bat, so you knew who to talk to and who not to. He wasn’t dressed as elegantly as ghosts were, and the number of layers he was wearing was a clear indication that he was a lifer. Lifers wore layers to combat the cold weather, weather that ghosts were easily protected from with their built-in heating systems in their houses and cars, and their weird powers that seemed to combat harsh conditions.  

“Sorry uh- I didn’t mean to intrude on your house I was just trying to get some peace and quiet,” You said, biting your lip as you turned back towards the night sky. Your legs dangled over the edge of the roof, shoelaces undone with your hands gripping on the edge of the building. It wasn’t the most comfortable seat, but it definitely did have the best view and you could tell exactly why this person sat up here.

A soft chuckle sounded from beside you, bringing a small and almost unnoticeable grin onto your face before he spoke, “It’s fine, I don’t live here either.”

“That’s great,” You replied, looking back over to the boy beside you who’s eyes remained on the landscape in front of you, “at least if we get caught, we’ll get caught together, right? Plus I don’t think they’ll care all too much.”

“Probably not,” The boy agreed, nodding his head before you both fell back into silence.

You found yourself often up on the rooftops of buildings that were near the ghost side of town, peering over and looking at their perfect little houses and picturing what could have been. How perfect your life could have been if you were a ghost, how much easier it would be. Ghosts didn’t even need to eat, yet they constantly had any food that they could have ever wanted simply for the pleasure of eating, whilst lifers were starving. It was crazy, yet it was how life unfairly worked.

Despite finding peace in fantasizing of another life alone, at that moment, with the boy beside you, you found peace in his company. You didn’t find yourself talking to others often, so the fact that you were sitting with a boy in your ‘escape place’ should have felt invasive, but you didn’t mind it.

“What are you doing up here anyway?” You asked, trying your best to start up a conversation with the boy beside you, turning your attention towards him, “I’m normally the only one up here.”

“I’ve never been up here before. It has a nice view though, I might start coming here more often.”

His eyes were on the ghost side of town as he said that, and you couldn’t help but nod as your eyes went back towards there too, “Yeah, it does have a nice view. Too bad we have to view it from this side of town, huh?”

He glanced over to you nervously, gulping slightly but you never realized, your eyes still on the scenery. Your hair is slightly messy, yet it’s still pretty, layers of clothes on to protect you from the cold of the night. In Luke’s hesitation, he figures out exactly who you think he is; a lifer.

“Yeah, those ghosts are really lucky,” He replied, his voice battling out the nervousness. He doesn’t know why he felt compelled to lie, but he knew that if you knew he was a ghost you would not be talking to him right now.

“Lucky is an understatement. Imagine living in one of those big houses, where you didn’t have to worry about being hungry. Bastards don’t even need to eat, but they have more food than any of us ever will,” You snorted lightly, but Luke can tell from your voice that you think it’s unfair. He frowned a little whilst he thinks about it, what you said is true, he knows that a lot of lifers have it bad, but just hearing about it from a lifer makes him sad. When you don’t get a reply from Luke, you sigh lightly, “Sorry, I don’t really think that’s what you want to be talking about when we first meet.”

“Nah it’s alright, you seem chill,” Luke sent you a smile and you smiled back. You could hardly see his face, the shadow from his hoodie’s hood covering the majority of his it, but you could see his mouth, and the smile he was giving you.

“Well,” You started, moving your legs up to the rooftop before standing up. You face towards the boy, holding up to fingers, and playfully salute him, “I need to get going, I’ll see you later, rooftop boy.”

Somehow, by the time Luke tried to look back at you, you were gone. It was like you disappeared from thin air but he knew you didn’t poof out as he could. He could hear the heartbeat in your chest, one that very clearly showed that you were a lifer.

It’s moments afterward when he realized he didn’t even catch your name, but it makes him even more curious about you. Right from the get-go, he had been taught that as a ghost he was better than the lifers, but you seemed interesting. You were the first lifer he had ever gotten to talk to, and you seemed interesting.

Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to come back to the rooftop tomorrow...

[blackbutlerfandomnerddomain]

Title: Just Gotta Stay Calm

Word Count: 3966

Fandom: Gravedale High

Ship/Pairing: Vinnie Stoker/Reggie Moonshroud

Tags: First Dates, Vampire Family, Tradition, Awkward Crush, Vampire Boyfriend, Werewolf Boyfriend, First Kiss, Dorks in Love, Awkward Dates, Boys in Love, Friendship/Love

Warnings: First Works of the fandom, swearing(small), awkward, fluff

Vinnie let in a breath as he examines himself in the special vampire mirror on his bedroom wall. He quietly checks every inch of his face closely before opening his mouth to check his fangs.

Good, He thought with a charming grin to himself. No pimples, no stuff in my teeth, no flaws in sight.  Vinnie went to his dresser and takes out some cologne he bought specifically for today, a scent of calming forest rain, and sprayed some on his neck and a little bit in his shirt. Not a lot just the basic stuff to seem simple and posh.

Vinnie and Reggie are finally getting themselves a date.  A real, really real, true date.  Just the two of them.  And Vinnie could be more happier then this moment!

Vinnie has been meaning to ask his best friend out for quite some time, since the first moment he noticed his feelings were a bit more then platonic bashful moths in his chest and stomach actually.  It took him a total of two full months to completely wrap his head around the fact that he - Vincent "Vinnie" Stoker - was wings over heels in love with the world's one and only Reggie Moonshroud.  However, it took him nearly a YEAR to get up all the courage to ask the boy out. Honestly, if it weren't for his friends this day might've never happened.

The young vampire left his bedroom and hurries down his stairs, only to be stopped by the voice of his old man, "Vincent, can you come here please?" Vinnie let out a silent shutter as he mentally cursed himself.

He slowly turned his body fully towards the older vampire sitting in his velvet chair with a pipe in between his lips, small puffs of the smoke emerging out the ends. The teen slowly walked over. "Y-Yea pops?" His voice rarely stammers when speaking, hasn't since he was in the 6th grade, at least not when he nervous beyond his wits like when he tried to get the chance to ask Reggie out and plan out what to do on said date.

"Are you going to go on your date soon?" Asked Mr. Stoker. Vinnie nods some in reply, his hands fumbling into his jacket's pockets. This was not what he wanted to do.  The older vampire stood up from his chair, pipe still puffing out smoke, his eyes focus out the window of the chilly autumn gray skies. He takes a puff before continuing, "I want to give you some simple advice for your first date Vincent. Vampire to vampire." Vinnie practically shrunk his head down into his coat's collar.

Defiantly not what he wanted to do. . .

"That's okay pops, I got it covered-" He began as he slowly creeped his way to the front door. "The year was 1880. . ."  Vinnie bite back a groan, knowing very well that once his dad starts it's hard to stop him.  "I was simply a beginning apprentice to the one and only Dracula. Mostly paper work and long mornings. I thought I had everything cut out for me, a great job and nice home, until I realized I was missing something important when I first saw your mother wandering through the local cemetery." Mr. Stoker smiles fondly as he light strokes his black beard. "She is my first and only love as I'm sure you know. And it took me decades to ask her on a single date, I feared she might not want a simple vampire apprentice who barely knows how to turn into a bat, but alas she surprise me with a yes."  Vinnie nods, "Yeah yeah I know. And you two spent many years together, got married, had two kids, and lived happily ever after. Dad, I know the story pretty well you know."

He didn't mean to interrupt his father's tale, he just already has his nerves up through the roof and he just want to hurry for the plans.  His father turned and looked at his son right in the eyes as he spoke, "I know you do. I'm just trying to tell you that last night I was certain to give you some advice for your date, a vampire tradition my father gave me as his father gave him and his father so forth. I know you're nervous and it's perfectly natural. Just remember, be courteous. Be engaging. And above all, have a plan." Vinnie nodded. "Don't worry pops, I got it covered. Now can I go and do the date itself?" He asked the older vampire, who nodded to his please. He didn't wait any few seconds to open the front door and flying off with a snap.

This will go well, He thought to himself as he feels the wind go through his black hair. Reggie will enjoy the date I have planned for us. This is a piece of blood orange pie. Vinnie smiled as he spaces out on today's plans. Slowly, though, his brain began to swim to a memory of when he got the nerves to finally make that choice he's been walking back and forth on. . .

~   ~   ~

Vinnie taps the heels of his shoe onto the cold hard floor of the school's classroom as he watches the clock tic away, his eyes going to the clock and to the werewolf just a desk away from him.  Today was the day, Vinnie told himself throughout the hours. Today I'm going to do it.  As if proving his luck, the bell rings out around the school, signalling everyone to grab their stuff and hurry the Hell out of there for the weekend.  Vinnie stood onto his feet, catching Gil and Sid giving him a thumbs up as they run out the classroom, and looks over at Reggie who is still putting his stuff away.

The vampire took a breath in and walked his way over to the red head's desk, his feet feeling kind of heavy as he gets closer. Be cool Vinnie, just do it. "Hey Reg." His voice called out suddenly, the rest of his body slowly just going with the flow.  Reggie turned his head and smiled up at his friend. "Hey there Vinnie. You usually are gone by now, is Mr. Schneider Sir seeing you after class again?" He asked as he puts his books away in his bag. Vinnie smiles warmly, he enjoys Reggie's voice. The way his small lisp happens between the small gap of the front of his teeth.  The way his voice cracks sometimes in the right moments. Just generally how comforting it is...

The vampire quickly shook his head when he finally notices Reggie is standing up and looking at him with cocoa brown eyes that warm up Vinnie's dead chest, "No no. I just wanted to know...if...um...i-if you don't mind me asking...I uh..."  "Yes Vinnie?" Reggie pressed on. Honestly, it's like he knows what he's doing to me. Vinnie took a gulp from his dry mouth before he spoke a retry, "I just wanted to know...if...if...well...if you're free this weekend? Maybe...we could...go out?" He didn't know if he sounded needy or not but he didn't care, he finally said it!

Reggie blinked a few times before replying, "Of course we can hang out Vin. We often times do already."  "No, Reggie, I meant...go out...like a...date...?" Vinnie was so scared to look at Reggie in the face yet he has to in order to watch his reaction.  And boy was it a reaction... His cute wolf ears were perked down in a way his shyness shows, hard to tell but behind that fur his cheeks were very rosey and red, just looking at him gave Vinnie so much heat on his face he for sure thought he was going to die.

~    ~     ~

Vinnie chuckled softly when Reggie's face on that day came to mind.

Well, yeah, the reply was a day late but nevertheless he said yes.  And the day has finally came.

Vinnie soon landed at Reggie's place, a pretty big home of four stories with a even bigger yard surrounded it of 6 aches each side. He knew Reggie's family owned a big home for such a big family but he honestly wasn't expecting something so... human dream life. A white picket fence wrapping around the areas of land, green grass in perfect height, the house painted in a nice paint of soft blue with the windows having a white coat to the edges, a cute porch sticking out from the big dark brown oak made front door, and to fit so perfectly a nice little porch swing with a small coffee table.  In all honesty neither Vinnie nor Reggie been to each others' houses despite being friends for years. Always staying at the dorms the school gave them for half the week.

The vampire slowly made his way to the porch and gently pulled the rope that rings the door bell loudly it echos around him and to the forest not far from the house itself. He tripled checked in his head the plans of the date as he waits a few seconds before the door opened and Reggie's head popped into view. "Hey Vinnie." Reggie said with a smile and opened the door already for him to step out. "Hey there Reg-" Vinnie nearly chocked on his words upon seeing Reggie. He wasn't wearing anything out of his comfort zone but something Vinnie was expecting obviously... Let alone something his heart was ready for.  There standing in front of him with the shine of the afternoon sun glimmering a special effect through the tree leafs Reggie wearing a typical white button-down shirt and well ironed dress pants but wears also a well knitted beige and blood red pattern pullover sweater vest and a black Letterman jacket with a big red R stitched to his chest's right side, his hair combed in a messy side bangs style to the left side of his face. Honestly, Vinnie doesn't know if this was more cute or sexy and he was pretty scared of both.  "I-I could change if you want..." Reggie stated, snapping Vinnie out of his daze to realize he's been staring holes into the poor werewolf. "No no you're okay Reg. Just uh...caught me off guard is all. It's cool." Vinnie spoke up with his hands up in defense.

Reggie giggles some, causes Vinnie's undead heart to for sure jumble in beats like a drum.

The first stop of this little date for the two monsters was a nice little fly over the town to the date's main destination. Reggie clings to Vinnie from behind, his face so close to his their cheeks are barely touching softly, his eyes watching the town below them. "Gee Vinnie, this is beautiful." He whispered but Vinnie heard it very well, his warm breath gently dancing across Vinnie's ear, his cheeks warming up in a soft shade of pink, a smile appearing on the vampire's lips. If anything, if he had a chance to say it, Reggie was the most beautiful thing to Vinnie's eyes. Though as a sad as it had pained him he knew he would crash into something if he doesn't focus.

His eyes scanned around the area before carefully landing in front of a cafe looking place. Reggie looked around the place when he climbed down from the vampire's back as he tucked in his wings. "Um... Vinnie." Reggie mumbled softly as he dragged his feet closer to Vinnie. Vinnie let out a hum, "Yeah Reg?" "Correct me if I'm wrong but this is a human cafe is it not?" Indeed it was.  "Yeah. I figured to have a nice bite here for a change." "True it's just... don't you rather want to go to Ms. White's Diner? It's one of your favorites right?" Vinnie had to fight back the urge of going to his favorite 50's diner and share a monster shake with Reggie, he had a plan and he's sticking to it. He gently takes his paw and said, "This is just as good Reg, promise. Plus they serve your favorite here. Trust me."  Reggie looked at the place and at Vinnie, seemed to be small on numbers of humans... So it could be okay right?

The two monsters entered the cafe and walked it's way to a table right in the center. The place was nice, clean, quiet, cute, and had a nice nature aesthetic with potted plants hanging from the ceiling and the smell of coffee and tea with some sweets filling your sense of smell. "This place is nice." Reggie said, his eyes focused on every little detail around him.  The V-Man couldn't help but smile proudly, the date's going so well so far.

A waiter walks over to their table with a notepad and spoke to the two teenage monsters, "Afternoon gentlemen. What can I get you for drinks?" Vinnie opened the menu.  "I'd like a black coffee with a side of milk creamer."  The waiter nodded and looked at Reggie waiting for his answer.  The werewolf quietly looked through the menu, his eyes widening like space saucers. "O-Oh my...Um...w-water would be fine..."  The waiter wrote the orders down before hurrying to the back.  Reggie looked at Vinnie with a raised brow, "This place is expensive Vinnie. They don't even serve your favorite drinks here. And I think you need it, you look ill..."

Vinnie knew Reggie was worried, he can hear it in his voice, but he can't simply explain it... Since the night before last he hasn't had a drop of blood to nibble a sip from due to how stressed and nervous he was getting over asking Reggie out and planning out this perfect date. Black coffee was the best he could get to that bitter goodness. And if not, the creamer would do the trick.  Still, he knew he can't say all that to Reggie, not to seem not cool in front of his crush but also because he doesn't want the werewolf to feel bad or blame himself. Instead he just smiles his traditional smile and leaned back in his chair as he coats his voice with soothing calmness, "It's fine Reg. Everything fine actually. I just... had a big batch during breakfast and need the coffee here is good as I'm told. Plus, the money, don't worry. I got it covered." He finishes with a wink and another smile which caused Reggie's shoulders to calm down slightly.

After a few more seconds the waiter returned with their drinks and a notepad still in hand, "Here is your black coffee with a side of milk creamer and your glass of water sirs. May I interest you into something to eat?" Vinnie glances at the man's meaty neck and silently licked his fang out of sights, his brain wracking him inside his skull to try and not accept the urge to chomp down onto that neck and drink up. His hand quickly grabbed the coffee cup as soon as it was set and took a big gulp of it. Bitter. Not as bitter but still helps a little. He thought, feeling his nerves calm down a bit more.  He glances over at Reggie and smiles, "Why don't you order first? I'll follow after."  Reggie fixes his glasses and looked over the menu, a few times his eyes peeking at Vinnie as if asking for his help. "G-Gee...there's a lot of good options... Um..." He pondered out loud, Vinnie could see the human tapping his pen in a annoyance type manner. He bite down on his bottom lip some to fight back his new urge to range his neck.  Before the urge could happen for real, Reggie's voice rang out to Vinnie's ears, "I-I guess I can have the Pea & Carrot Soup with the Greek Salad as the side?"  "And you sir?" Vinnie had to remember how to talk before he took a quick glance at the menu before blurting out his order, "I'd like a French Onion Soup." And like before the man walked away after writing the orders down.

Vinnie noticed Reggie seemed more awkward and fidgety then his usual form.  "Everything alright Reg?" Vinnie asked, his voice truly worried. He truly is worried for Reggie. Maybe he caught that waiter's rudeness towards them because of their race? Maybe it's the fact it's clearly two boys out doing things beyond friends? The vampire's head is just about to explode over the thoughts on what could be wrong with his Reggie- My Reggie? Vinnie thought of having Reggie of his very own before... I mean it did sound nice to him but would Reggie be down to being...

Reggie softly shook his head with a mumbled, "It's nothing, really..." But Vinnie knew something's been bothering his pal. Maybe... Vinnie felt sick thinking this, Maybe he's not comfortable being on a date with me... Before he knew it the food had arrived but the two didn't seem in the mood to enjoy it... Vinnie gulped down the rest of his coffee and stared down at his dish.

Great, my nerves are all over the place now and Reggie ain't having a good time... He thought as he watched Reggie gently nibble on his soup and salad, the two barely having one or two small conversations. This date is going terrible...

The two left the cafe quietly and quickly after paying for the bill. The two were still pretty silent. Reggie broke this awkward pause in the air with a smile, "The food was pretty good Vinnie." Vinnie doesn't reply. "Vinnie..?" Suddenly, the second monster on this date let out a groan like sigh before slumping his body down a grass area in the side walk, "That stupid waiter! 50 bucks and all he had to do is make it nice!"

Reggie tilt his head at this and quietly asked, "What do you mean...?"  There was a pause when Vinnie looked away with no answer, causing it to click to the smarter of the two.  "Vinnie Stoker, did you pay a human waiter for our date?"  Vinnie sighed, "Not just paid Reggie, I paid the guy $50 to hold off any other reservations so it can be just us... I know you don't like really crowded places but that guy ruined it. I wasted 50 from my allowance just to have a guy be rude to you." Vinnie covered his face with his palms. "I'm sorry Reg...I really am..." Surprising Vinnie, Reggie grabbed his hand and pulls him up before guiding him somewhere.

"Hey Reg, where we going?" He asked, but his question fell on deaf ears as the werewolf still guided him silently.  Suddenly the vampire began to feel a new kind of nervous. Was Reggie mad? Was he going to yell at him for bribing a human? Does he know he hasn't been drinking his daily sips of blood?  He felt sick at the ideas of any of those being true and he blew this date... His one chance... And he blew it major time... There might not even be a second chance in this... "Look Reg..." Vinnie started, hanging his head low in shame. Reggie stopped him, "You didn't have to do any of that Vinnie. I would be perfectly fine going to any place we usual go."  Vinnie did not want this date to be ruined. He did not want his friendship to be tainted. All Vinnie wanted to do was do what he planned, even if it was sudden...

"I like you Reggie!"

Reggie stopped suddenly and whipped his head around so fast he must've felt dizzy.  No turning back now huh? Vinnie thought, taking a deep breath in, "I've always liked you Reg... And I mean really like you... Like...Like... I always get happy in the mornings because I get a chance to be near you at school, it's the only reason why I don't ditch as often. And when you're not there I feel sad...so sad I feel sick... I often re-read the messages we send back and forth after school because I miss talking to you that much... A-And that time when I was running for School President and you were helping me... Reggie, I felt so happy just being around you...seeing you so happy at what you were doing... I know this isn't stuff you want to hear instead of a apology...but I swear to you it's truer then true Reggie... I really like you... I've liked you for so long...I don't know when but I know when I figured it out... when you were fallin from the sky and I was running to you... All that's been runnin' around my head was "I can't let him go"... Reggie... you matter to me so much the idea of you not here with me is killing me..."

Vinnie was so scared to look up at his friend, scared he made it worst... "I just...I know this date ended up bad... but I-" Vinnie's words were cut short when he lifted his head to finally face his nerves, quickly his lips were covered by the soft fur of Reggie's lips.  The teen vampire felt his undead heart beat for miles and miles as every second slowly passes by between them, his eyes widen more then the usual wide but slowly his body began to melt by the warmth of Reggie's lips and they slowly blinked to a close while his lips push pressure back into the kiss.

The kiss lasted about a extra minute before the two pulled away, Vinnie's ears catching a soft small puppy like whine coming from deep back within Reggie's neck. "You like my lips that much Reg?" Vinne asked with a tease in his voice, smiling more when see that same expression of bashfulness Vinnie witness when he asked Reggie out in the first place. "Okay, I'm sorry... does...this mean you like me too...?" He asked, hopeful of his words being a positive. Reggie giggles softly, "Of course it means I like you Vinnie... Why else would I agree to go on a date and kiss you?" Vinnie felt stupid asking such a obvious question.  "And...why else would I do this?" After Reggie said that, he guided Vinnie again towards a secret spot. A nice little isolated hill spot overlooking the entire town and beach. Reggie...planned this? The vampire looked at Reggie in disbelief, now noticing the blush fur on his cheeks. "I... I like you too Vinnie... A lot... I've always had felt it too but that day when you risked everything just for me was when I realize it was more then a simple crush... And I wanted to show you how I felt since then...but I was too chicken to even bring it up in conversation... So, when you asked me out, I was nervous that I might miss my shot...so..." "So you ended up setting this up?"  Reggie nodded some, his bangs sweeping over his warm brown eyes in a cute shy manner.

Vinnie smiles softly and wrapped his arms around Reggie's frame, his lips lightly touching a small peck on his cheek. Sure, this wasn't the date I had planned... Reggie giggles and gently sat on the grass, Vinnie following after. The sun was just about going darker as the stars began to appear above them like candles they used to have lit from their old fears of the unknown... Vinnie could help but smile when seeing Reggie's happy face when he cuddles into him.  But I honestly couldn't ask for anything better.

[nightshadeshadow123]

Teasing: Part 2 (Ratched)

Here is part two for those that wanted it. I hope ya'll enjoy. I'm gonna change the story line a bit as I see fit because I don't want to turn this into a whole unwanted story book if I fit the whole original story line in at a slow pace and time line. 

Gwendolyn followed behind Mildred, easily catching up to her as Mildred spared her a side glance, eyes softening for a moment.

"Can I help you Ms Briggs?" She asked, trying to keep her tone of voice emotionless and authoritative as ever.

Gwendolyn shot her a warm smile stopping next to her as Mildred came to a stop at a door before turning to her.

"Maybe, yes. I just wanted to ask if you'd like to go out with me and (Y/N) to a restaurant tonight?" Gwendolyn asked, trying to play off her nerves and hoping for the best.

Mildred raised a dark eyebrow at the blonde. "Why would I do that?"

Gwendolyn rolled her blue eyes before giving her another smile. "Oh come on, it will be a adventure. Just for tonight after work." She urged.

She was really hoping that the red haired woman would say yes. She's just as interested in her as much as you are after meeting her for the first time. She was intrigued when you've started talking about the red haired nurse when the two of you were out somewhere or at home and she definitely knew why you were so intrigued by her after meeting her.

Mildred slug her shoulder for a moment, eyes focused on the older blonde woman.

"Okay fine, I'll go on that supposed adventure with the two of you." She agreed reluctantly, fighting of a blush trying to spread across her cheeks.

Gwendolyn gave her a closed eyed smile. "Wonderful, (Y/N) and I will pick you up later. Just tell me where."

"Sealight Inn." Mildred informed her before taking a hold of the cold door knob and unlocking it with the key she had in her other hand.

"Pick you up at 7." Gwendolyn confirmed with her before turning around and walking down the hallway.

Mildred listen to her footfalls until it's just distant before shaking her head and walking into the room.

-*Timeskip brought to ya by Ratched's juicy peaches.-*

"Hurry up back there love. It's almost time to go!" Gwendolyn said excitedly, popping her head around the corner into your room and seeing you messing around with a strap on your dark grey dress.

"Just a minute. This stupid strap won't cooperate with me tonight." You huffed out in annoyance. "I hate dresses."

Gwendolyn let out a laugh and strides over to you and assisting you with the dress strap and giving you a peck on the lips before pulling away, making you send her a pout.

Gwendolyn laughed again at you. "Oh hush, there will be plenty of kissing later. Now let's go pick up that nurse before she gives us a labotomy for being late." She pulled you out of your apartment, almost growing impatient as you locked the door first.

"Oh hell to the fuck naw woman don't even mention that. Doctor Hanover was a pain in the side with that whole thing. God his whole idea of turning people straight is ridiculous but yeah I have to refrain myself from knocking him into oblivion." You grumbled and got into the the passenger seat of Gwendolyn's car.

She got in as well and shot you smile before starting the car and reversing out of the parking. "Honey I know, he have a weird way but yeah that's just how some people are. But at least he haven't caught onto us yet."

You hummed in agreement and interlocked your fingere with her other one hands fingers that is not on the steering wheel as she drove down the mostly empty street.

Gwendolyn shot you another smile, blue eyes sparing you a loving brief look before focusing back on the road ahead again and tightening her hold on your hand comfortably.

After a few minutes of driving you decide to break the comfortable silence.

"I still can't believe you've managed to get Mildred to go out with us on one of your fun 'adventures'."

The blonde woman laughed under her breath at you, hold once again tightening on your hand as you used your other hands black painted finger nails to trail against her soft skin in a unknown pattern, goosebumps rising on her skin as you smirked to yourself.

"Hey my 'adventures' is always fun. You love it even if you try to hide it. And ofcourse she would, who can resist not to come on one of my adventures?"

"Apparently no one. You've nagged me day and night to go on one when we've first met and you wouldn't stop until I've finally agreed." You chuckled.

Gwendolyn snorted at this. "Hell, getting you to go out on a date with me was one heck of task, you and Mildred are both as stubborn as a mule."

"Pfft, I'm just hard to be impressed and my dad wasn't so amused at you turning up at random times and he threatened to blow your brains out and honestly that wasn't something I'd like to see happen to you. And Mildred be like that but it makes it all the more fun to tease her." You mused out, keeping up the pattern on her soft skin, taking joy in the way it makes goosebumps rise to her skin as she tries to keep her cool.

"Well, I gotta agree with you there on the last part. God that father of yours was a pain but it was so worth it in the end because now I have you and he's a whole lot nicer now."

You kept up your small talk for another half hour before Gwendolyn turned into the drive way of the Motel where Mildred is staying at.

Mildred stood with her gloved hands folded together as she watched Gwendolyn's car pull up next to her, a unreadable look on her fair face.

You eyed her head from toe from inside the car. She was wearing a red and black attire and black gloves and with her hair in its usual updo with a small black hat resting comfortably upon her red hair.

Mildred looked behind her at the motel for a brief few moments before focusing her dark eyes back on the car again and began to approach the vehicle.

She got in the back seat of the car and softly closed the door behind her before looking at you and Gwendolyn as you both turn to greet her.

"Hey Mildred." You greeted, a warm smile grazing your red painted lips as you eyed the red haired woman.

"Hello (Y/N) and Gwendolyn." She greeted back, a hint of a smile ghosting across her lips as she eyed you both, hands crossing together again in a way to steel herself from the bit of nervousness creeping up on her after seeing the two of you.

Gwendolyn shot her a friendly smile too and greeted her excitedly before starting the car up again and driving once again after getting on the road again.

-*Another Timeskip brought to you by ya less than impressed goth mother-*

It didn't take long for you to find a table after arriving at the restaurant, sitting down at a table near the windows that had a nice out view of the sea outside.

Mildred sat in front of you while Gwendolyn sat next to you, her soft hand subtly on your clothed thigh in a caring matter, occasionally rubbing it slightly as you flip through the menu while Mildred, as subtly as possible scanned the dark grey dress you are wearing that have a low neckline that just give enough tease of your breasts and a fang necklice that's dangling between your breasts, her dark eyes focused on the small glimpse of skin for a longer while until Gwendolyn playfully nudged her lower leg with her heeled foot, giving her a smirk and teasing wink.

Mildred could feel a blush creeping up at both being caught out and the teasing wink and quickly averted her eyes, gloved hand going to her red painted lips and pretending to cough into it.

"Can I get your lovely ladies orders?" A rather slim looking waiter asked after stopping at your table, a nervous smile on his face and pen and notebook in hand.

All three of your focus snapped to the blond waiter.

"One large platter of oysters and lemon please." Gwendolyn ordered before looking at you as you slid your menu away.

"I'll just have some cooked salom with a side of potato slices with creamy sauce please." You orered and gave the nervous waiter a polite smile.

He quickly jotted that down before looking up again. "Will that be all?"

"Yes, thank you." Gwendolyn dismissed him with a flick of her hand and watch as he speed walked away.

The blonde chuckled and put her hand on your upper leg again and gave you a warm smile as you looked at the older woman with adoration as you put your hand on top of hers, and using the other hand to swipe a lock of your hair behind your ear.

Mildred watched the two of you with a small smile, finding it cute at the way the two of you look at each other with adoration. This whole thing was new to her and made her a bit on edge but deep down she knew she was having fun and couldn't help herself from smiling and getting that strange flutter feeling in her stomach that made her feel tingles all over, wondering if that's how the two of you always feel when looking at each other.

The three of you chatter in small talk until the food arrived.

Mildred eyed the oysters nervously and you bite back a amused smile at the red haired woman, sifting in your seat until you are more comfortable before picking up your fork and knife.

"Uh...I've never eaten oysters before. I-I'm not sure how to...do this." Mildred sputtered out embarrassed, skeptically eyes the oysters.

Gwendolyn let out a laugh before giving her a reassuring smile.

"Oh, don't worry. (Y/N) over here didn't either until I taught her but then again she's not one for many type of seafood as you can see. She pretty much hate oysters and would only eat one every once in awhile if I beg her and feed her one." The older woman chuckled and nudged you with her side playfully as you gave her a playful death glare. (Sorry ya'll seafood lovers but damn that shit is enough to send me throwing tf up)

Mildred looked at you and let's out a soft laugh as you smile at her before cutting into your piece of salom.

Gwendolyn then proceeded to explain and ' demonstrate' how to eat it to red haired woman while you watched the older two women in both adoration and amusement.

As Gwendolyn leaned over the table slightly to feed a oyster to Mildred you sneaked your heel cladded foot out and ever so slowly brush it against Mildred's tight causing her to jump slightly and almost choke on the oyster.

Mildred looked at you in surprise, not having expected that but you only gave her a smug smirk, leg still brushing up against her smooth leg while you continued eating as Gwendolyn caught onto what happened and smile to herself.

The red haired woman fought back another blush, trying to ignore the goosebumps appearing on her skin as your soft leg brushed against hers in a sly way that have her getting wet.

"So?..."Mildred started, trying to keep her nervousness and arousal at bay.

"How and when did you two met?" She asked both genuinely curious but also to distract herself from the feeling of your leg against hers.

Gwendolyn looked at you and putted a hand on your upper leg again, squeezing it slightly, enjoying how you clearly enjoyed that and the way you are getting the nurse worked up with your other leg.

"We met at once at a bar, I tried getting to know her better but she wasn't too keen on that but I just knew I had to keep on trying. After she left I thought I never see her again but we did end up meeting again when her father had a business meeting with The Governor two months later, she was helping her father out as a assistant at the time." Gwendolyn began to explain excitedly while you continued to mess with the stoic nurse and getting amusement from her clear struggle to keep up her exterior.

"Her father didn't like me at first, he hated me in fact because as he like to put it, I was making googly heart eyes at his daughter and wanted to steal her and he was being protective." Gwendolyn chuckled um used lying at the memory of that day he said that.

You decided to join in on the conversation. "Yeah. He was ready to kill you after you've sneaked me out a few times and also get us in trouble or when you'd show up knocking at his door at two in the morning and your continued persistent urge to see me."

Mildred was listening with intrest now, a smile spread across her lips as she decide to be bold and sneaked her hand down and grabbed onto your lower leg that is brushing against hers causing you to pause as she eyed you, her fingers digging into your soft skin before tracing patterns on it as you gave her another teasing look, your hand dropping to Gwendolyn's hand on your tight.

"I know, but at least he likes me now. It took two years but I regret nothing and neither does he I think." Gwendolyn finished, looking at you again with a loving look you mirrored mixed with lust as she sneaked her hand to ghost dangerously close to your already throbbing center, the tips of her fingers skimming against it over your dress.

Mildred bite her lower lip subtly as she saw the look that the two in front of her is sharing, having a great idea at what they must silently convey with each other without uttering a word.

You slowly licked over your lower lip, (e/c) eyes darkening as Gwendolyn's blue lust filled eyes flicked down to your lips at the motion until she squeezed your thight again and your eyes met again until you gave a silent nod to the blonde.

Gwendolyn called the waiter over and told the nervous waiter to bring the bill and then focus to look at Mildred that is still watching you, her grip firm on your lower leg by now.

"Would you like to come back to our house?" The older woman dared to ask, having clearly noticed the way she have watched the two of you with her dark eyes, clearly aroused after the teasing you've done and they look the two of you had shared.

Mildred snapped her eyes back to Gwendolyn before clearing her throat, her tights rubbing together after she released your leg.

"Uh...Sure. I think so." She agreed reluctantly, not sure if she should.

Gwendolyn smiled at the waiter as he brought the bill and quickly paying for it and sending him off before grabbing her car keys and getting up with you.

You linked one arm with Gwendolyn and held a hand out to Mildred, waiting patiently for her to take it.

She looked down at your hand for a moment before taking it firmly and allow you to drag her along as Gwendolyn led you out of the restaurant and right towards her car, relishing your arm to open the passenger door for you and the back door for Mildred, not even bothering to hide her excitement as she watched the two of you get in.

"Thanks for this night out. It was fun." Mildred said in her raspy voice, one of her hands sneaking over the seat and resting on your shoulder and the other one on Gwendolyn's shoulder after Gwendolyn pulled out of the parking lot and started driving.

You both shot her a smile before Gwendolyn spoke up.

"It was a pleasure having you with us. Thank you for agreeing to come out."

Mildred smiled at this.

"But I bet we'll have even more fun at home." Gwendolyn eyed the red haired woman through the mirror of the car, smirking when seeying the other woman blush slightly and feeling the grip on her shoulder tightening.

"You don't say. Well then I can't wait."

You looked between them and put a hand on Gwendolyn's upper leg, notching how the older woman tense up for a moment as you sneaked your hand to her clothed center in a agonising slow pace.

Mildred smirked at this and as the two of you made eye contact you gave her a wink she just seemed to understand and decided to play along with your game by slipping her hand lower on Gwendolyn's shoulder slowly too, sneaking in beneath her light grey dress as the older woman tensed more at the unexpected moves from you both.

Mildred teasingly sneaked her fingers through the top of Gwendolyn's dark bra, her cold fingers groping her left breast  while your hand disappear between the blondes legs, cupping her aching center firmly as she try to hold back a tiny moan.

"Don't...distract me." The blonde tried to be stern but she only let out a broken moan as Mildred leaned more over the seat and began to kiss a trail up her shoulder up towards her neck while you decide to sneak your hands into her panties and rub at her now wet clit.

"Fuck!" Gwendolyn hissed out under her breath, her grip on the steering wheel tightening until her knuckles turned white when you slipped a finger between her slick folds.

A low register chuckle fell from Mildred's lips at this, taking great pleasure in hearing the blonde woman getting so worked up by the touch of you and her.

"What the matter? Can't handle a little teasing Gwen?" She husked into the older woman's ear, dark lust filled eyes trailing over the goosebumps appearing on the other woman's skin.

You chuckled too, sharing another look with the red haired nurse before you lower yourself and leaned over to Gwendolyn's lap, pulling her panties down her legs, forehead leaning against her upper leg as you inhaled and then exhaled a warm breath against her upper leg right where her center begin making the woman glare down at you.

"Don't you dare do that now while I'm driv-" the blonde tried to warn sternly but was cut of by whimpering when you licked her clit teasingly, a finger gingerly rubbing between her soaked folds as you looked up at her with a smug smirk.

"Holy shit. Just don't hunt me if we crash." Gwendolyn's glared daggers but couldn't help but take joy in your and Mildred's minestrations, leaning her head back against the Mildred's as the red haired woman kiss up against her neck once again while you slip a finger inside of her.

All she knew was that she can't wait to get back to your shared home and get the two of you back for this teasing.

-End or to be continued(if enough people desire a smutty threesome part)😏

Hey ya'll, I'm not making the readers father a homophobic in this part but my father and whole family is homophobic in real life so pretty much I just want to write one that Isn't. Sorry for this shitty part but honestly I'm not good at writing. Lol I didn't exactly plan on making this part as smut teasing as this but eh shit happens and I couldn't control myself. Eh and let's pretend reader and Gwendolyn owns a house where they go to.

[mithranqueersmusings]

I Think I'll Love You Too I

Chapter: 1/?

Rating: E

Summary: George and Ringo have been going out officially for a couple of months. Ringo anticipated that dating a stripper would be complicated, but he didn't understand exactly how complicated it would be.

Tags: Modern AU, Smut

Pairing: George Harrison/Ringo Starr (Background McLennon)

AO3 link here / Fic masterlist here

"Are you sure about this?" Ringo asked tentatively, running the strips of leather through his fingers gently.

George gave him a look which needed no further explanation, the severity of his gaze enough to silence Ringo's worries. It hadn't been too long ago that Ringo had fantasised about having George all to himself yet now that dream had become a reality, he was nervous. Nervous about what exactly, Ringo didn't know, but ever since George had decided to reveal his extensive sex toy collection Ringo had been dreading the day he'd actually be required to use any of them. It wasn't that he didn't want to use these array of objects on George - the images they conjured in his mind kept him up late on several occasions - but he worried he wouldn't know how to do it properly. George seemed far more experienced with kinks and toys and everything really.

"We can try something else if you like." George was lying on his bed in nothing but a silk - Ringo couldn't tell whether it was real or not - dressing gown that was a deep shade of blue.

"Like what?" Ringo put the whip he'd been holding down onto the bed gently as though it had a mind of its own then scooted around to peruse through George's box once more.

"How about..." George began, scooting down the bed to get a better view "Wax?"

It took Ringo a few moments before he spotted the candles tucked away in the corner, they were thick and red like ones you might see in a horror film. Candles didn't seem that intimidating, at least compared to some of the other contraptions in here. Ringo wasn't even sure what some of them were called, and he was far too embarrassed to ask in this moment.

"Have you ever done it before?" George asked, his voice soft and sultry.

Ringo shook his head and chuckled "How hard can it be? I mean... It's candles."

"Precisely my thinking." George smiled at Ringo, quieting any anxiety he had.

"So... Uh- how do you wanna do this?" Ringo asked feeling rather helpless, picking up two of the candles from the box and giving them a smell - cherry scented, he guessed.

"Well." George began, the excitement in his voice evident, getting up from the bed and crouching beside the box "We're gonna need these."

These referred to a pair of handcuffs and two pieces of ribbon-like material which were a dark maroon colour. Ringo couldn't help himself from staring at George's face as he concentrated, his dark brows knitting together with his expression serious. Even though they'd been dating for a month or two now, Ringo still couldn't believe his luck that he was able to tie down - no pun intended - someone as stunning as George. Light stubble was brushed along his sharp jaw, only accentuating the bone further, his hair was messy yet still enticing and the paleness of his skin was clear to see as the robe slipped over his skin freely.

"We could do a blindfold too, if you wanted." George lowered his voice in concentration "Maybe some... No, I'm getting carried away."

George laughed to himself and returned back to his full height, clutching the aforementioned items before chucking them onto the bed with little consideration. Then he rummaged through his bedside table for a lighter, there was always one in the bedroom due to the cigarettes they tended to smoke after sex. Successful in his search, George threw the lighter to Ringo without warning but he managed to catch it all the same. Ringo cursed himself for feeling so flustered, but it was difficult knowing what was to come. No matter how many times he slept with George, no matter what kind of depraved acts they got up to, he still felt as anxious as the very first time; that was just the effect George had on him.

"I'm gonna hop in the bath real quick, then we can start. Okay?" George threw off his robe casually, letting the fabric slide from his smooth skin into a pile on the floor.

"Sounds like a plan." Ringo nodded, finally putting the candles down beside the bed.

Ringo watched George with hungry eyes as he sauntered off into the bathroom, the way he swung his hips made it clear to Ringo that he knew he was being looked at. The door shut with a gentle thud, leaving Ringo alone to gather his thoughts and prepare for what was to come.

"Comfortable?" Ringo asked after clicking the handcuffs together, pulling George's slim wrists to the top of the bed.

George nodded with a small smile, wiggling his limbs to test the strength of the restraints then nodded again. This was a small moment of intimacy that occurred every time they ventured into kinky territory, the calm before the storm in many ways. Ringo smiled back then flicked the lights off, leaving nothing but a lamp in the corner to light the suppleness of George's body. Ringo's nerves seemed to dissipate in the relative darkness, his breath steadying as he moved back over to the bed. First, he captured George's soft lips in a gentle kiss that quickly grew heated. George wasn't the most patient when it came to the bedroom, his teeth already pulling at Ringo's bottom lip. It took a great deal of strength for Ringo to pull away, fighting the temptation to forget all about the candles and to start spreading George open.

The candles had already been lit, sitting on the bedside table flickering slightly, and it was now that Ringo made his way over to pick one of them up. The sweet smell of cherry wafted around the room, something usually so innocent now suddenly turned erotic. The look in George's eyes was hungry, his hands were already fiddling with the handcuffs as best they could from the awkward angle, watching Ringo experimentally tilt the candle sideways so that the wax began to drip down. First it fell onto the bed, Ringo didn't want to try it directly onto George's skin at first. How much was this going to hurt? Ringo supposed he didn't really have to know, George knew and more importantly wanted desperately to feel the sensation.

"Come on..." George whined, rattling his handcuffs against the metal bedframe in protest.

Ringo moved his hand further, hovering the candle over George's hairless stomach before tilting it once more. The wax dripped down instantly, burning the soft skin for a moment before solidifying; its rich red colour made it appear almost like blood, a sight which no doubt spurred further depraved fantasies in George's mind.

"More." George demanded, his pupils dilated both from the darkness and his exponentially growing lust "And take your fucking clothes off."

Ringo gulped, unsure as to which command he was meant to follow first. It was difficult to think with this enticing display laid out before him: George's cock was beginning to harden and it made Ringo's mouth water. He decided to carry on with the candle for a few more moments, teasingly tilting the candle back and forth so that the wax never fell when George was expecting it. Ringo slowly began making a pattern which gradually grew closer to George's erection, each drop pulling a sharp hiss from his lips.

"Clothes." George repeated impatiently, it was moments like this that reminded Ringo why he'd been so intimidated by George when they'd first crossed paths.

Ringo didn't wait to be told a third time, even though George was helpless to administer any punishment even if he'd wanted to, undoing his trousers and shirt sloppily and tossing them behind him. He hadn't realised how hard he'd become until his erection sprang free from his boxers, evidently George wasn't the only one enjoying this little experiment. Candle back in hand, Ringo carefully shifted himself onto the bed to straddle George's thighs - careful to ensure they were never close enough for their cocks to brush together, that'd be making things too easy - before he tilted the candle once more. This time Ringo aimed for George's nipples which were hard with the coldness of the room, only missing by an inch or two. The second attempt was successful, landing directly onto the target, leading George to groan breathlessly.

"Feel good?" Ringo asked with a raised eyebrow, his free hand rubbing over the clean nipple.

George nodded "Stop holding back. I can take it."

Ringo smirked, jerking his wrist swiftly to administer another hot drop of wax onto his nipples "You wanna tell me where you want it, baby?"

George growled in response, a noise Ringo only heard every so often "My cock." The word sounding so filthy in George's rough tone, his tongue playing with his sharp teeth.

"You sure?" Ringo asked after a pause, his nervousness returning only slightly.

"Yes, I'm sure." George whined, thrusting his hips upwards as best he could to demonstrate his desperation "Now, do it."

Ringo couldn't deny that George's bossiness was a complete turn on, although he'd never let George know exactly how much of a turn on it truly was. He tried his best to silence the anxious thoughts plaguing his mind. Before committing to George's demand, Ringo wrapped his fingers gently around George's erection which earned him a few soft pants. Now or never, Ringo told himself before tilting the thick candle once more and letting the wax fall onto the hard cock gripped in his hand.

The noise that left George's mouth was something Ringo had never heard before, a mixture between a gasp and a deep moan, though it was certainly one he wanted to hear again (and again, and again...) It was difficult to not admire the strange beauty of the wax trickling down George's erection, which was now rock hard.

"Fuck..." Ringo couldn't keep the words from spilling from his lips, only waiting a moment or two before spilling more hot wax onto the reddening skin.

George let out a grunt, sounding far more in pain than he had previously, and for a moment Ringo worried he'd taken it too far but the look on his face was of pure ecstasy.

"More." George moaned, his wrists struggling in the constraints.

"Now, now." Ringo teased, a sly grin on his lips "There's a nicer way of asking that."

The look George gave Ringo made him very appreciative of the restraints for without them, George might've slapped him. He knew George's aggression wasn't genuine, it was just sexual frustration, but that didn't make it any less terrifying. A few moments passed in which the two of them just looked at each other, George's mouth tight with anger as he waited for Ringo to give up this act and carry on following his orders, but the time never came. Ringo only raised his eyebrows further, tilting the candle just so that it never dropped any wax.

"I'm waiting." Ringo spoke with a lilt, his grin widening.

George rolled his eyes and scoffed, looking like a disgruntled child "Please give me more, Ringo..."

"More of... what?" Ringo pushed his luck, he decided he may as well make use of George being helpless like this for as long as he could.

George's stare was deadly but it melted away when Ringo gave his cock a few loose jerks "Please pour that hot wax on my cock, please. I've been good, haven't I?"

Ringo found it difficult to refuse George whenever he opted for the mock-innocent route, so he decided to stop the teasing and snapped his wrist suddenly which led to three separate droplets of wax falling onto the sensitive skin of George's cock. George practically shrieked, his body jerking upwards but failing to move more than a few inches off the bed.

"Fuuuuck." George breathed, his eyes struggling to focus "Do that again."

For a moment Ringo debated teasing George further, but his own erection was growing uncomfortably hard and he wouldn't be able to ignore it for much longer. In a quick motion Ringo grabbed the second candle, unleashing a shower of wax down onto George. The noises were pained yet still erotic, Ringo couldn't help moaning himself as he watched the pain and pleasure washing over George's face. When George and Ringo's eyes finally met once more, Ringo could tell that George's vision was a little fuzzy.

"Can you use wax as lube?" Ringo asked, his mouth opening before he'd even considered what he was saying.

George's hazy eyes lit up "We can try."

Only now did Ringo realise the commitment he was making with that question, although it would have been foolish to pretend the idea didn't excite him thoroughly. It wasn't the smoothest transition but Ringo managed to undo the restraints on George's legs and get him into a position where the wax could drop directly onto his entrance.

"Are you sure?" Ringo asked cautiously, his free hand running circles up and down George's thigh to soothe him.

"Do it." George ordered once more, biting down on his lip.

Ringo shut off the barrage of voices telling him to stop, that this was taking things too far, and let his wrist flop down. George was incapable of making a sound, his mouth agape with only sharp breaths pouring out. However much it hurt, Ringo was certain he didn't want to know, but it was clear that George approved of whatever it was he was experiencing.

"Jesus." George panted "Feels so fucking good."

"Oh yeah?" Ringo asked, letting another two drops fall onto his hole "Tell me."

"Fuck!" George yelped, his wrists rattling in the handcuffs "Hurts so much... Don't stop."

Ringo tried to ignore the potential contradiction, pressing his finger roughly inside before spilling more wax from above; a drop fell onto Ringo's finger and stung for a moment or two before the pain subsided. George was falling apart before him, sweat dripping from his forehead and sticking his dark hair onto the skin in strands.

"I don't need your fingers." George squirmed "I want your cock, Ringo. Now."

"It's not-" Ringo began but George silenced him with a glare "Alright."

Ringo shifted himself on his knees, pumping his finger a few more times before pulling it out entirely. It didn't take too long for Ringo to learn the telling signs of when George was getting close: his toes would start curling, he'd bite his lip just hard enough to draw a drop or two of blood and his eyes would grow so dark, the pupil engulfing the iris completely.

Even Ringo was getting too frustrated to be overtly considerate, letting the wax fall liberally down onto George's arse, coating his cock and his entrance as a cacophony of moans and shrieks filled the room. It was getting to a point that Ringo was concerned that George might break the handcuffs completely, the skin on his wrists clearly irritated.

"Ringo..." George cooed, it was impossible for Ringo not to be enticed by his own name being said so sweetly "I want you inside me."

No further words were needed, Ringo spit into his hand and lathered up his cock before lining up with George's entrance, now covered with red wax. Fortunately it hadn't solidified completely and Ringo was able to fashion a makeshift lube out of the soft wax and his own spit, it wasn't his most dignified moment but in the heat of the moment all he needed was to feel his cock stretching George out. As the head pushed past the tight ring of muscle George began clawing at the bedframe, sweat dripping from his skin as he moaned at the sensation.

"I swear you get fucking bigger every time." George breathed, his hand gripping the metal frame to expel some tension.

"I'm not getting bigger, you're getting tighter." Ringo groaned, thrusting himself in deeper as the smell of cherries wafted into his nose.

It was difficult to move at first, the lube was hardly effective and without any preparation it was a struggle. More spit was needed and eventually more wax, Ringo was as careful as he could manage to not drop any onto his own cock but it was only possible to a certain extent; the further they went the more he found himself enjoying the burning sensation although he was certain he wouldn't be able to endure as much as George had.

"Not complaining are you?" George cocked an eyebrow and pulling Ringo closer towards him with his legs.

Ringo moaned gruffly "You know I'm not."

"Fuck me harder, then." George began writhing again, desperate for his own cock to be touched.

It was a complete sensory overload: the cherry scent so strong now that Ringo's head was swimming, the wax occasionally catching on his skin which would cause him to suddenly thrust forward into George who was so tight that Ringo wanted to scream. George was practically wailing at this point, his lip smeared with red as he tried to keep his eyes locked on Ringo's as he fucked him deeper.

"I feel like I'm gonna pass out." Ringo admitted, the fuzziness of his mind slurring his speech just slightly.

George looked concerned for a moment, it wasn't often that his sultry persona was shaken but it was difficult to hide; Ringo reassured him with a weak smile, gripping onto George's thigh and quickening his thrusts. He was getting close, George seemed to have been on the edge of orgasm for an impossible amount of time.

"I'm close, I'm close." Ringo repeated, cascading more wax down onto the few areas of George's chest that were still bare before blowing out the candle entirely and chucking it onto the bedside table as accurately as he could manage.

"Touch me." George pleaded, barely able to keep his eyes open.

Ringo wrapped his hand once more around George's coated cock, the wax had started to crumble and create a mess all over the bed but neither of them paid any attention. The intensity of his incoming orgasm almost scared Ringo, he'd never felt anything like it before. George hadn't stopped babbling, whether he was whining for release or muttering incoherent yet clearly filthy things.

"Need your fucking cum." George managed to speak with some clarity "Fuck! Give it to me, give it to me... I want your cum."

Ringo gripped George's leg tighter for some stability, expelling his final burst of energy as he fucked into him roughly and sloppily. Both were groaning, dripping with sweat and wax and desperation. If Ringo had known this experience would be this enjoyable, he would've suggested it sooner.

"Shit, shit." Ringo panted "I'm close."

"Mmmm." George whined, his voice nearly wrecked "Come on, baby, give it to me. I wanna feel your hot cum deep inside me. Please, please, please, make me dirty. I wanna be dirty for you."

"Fuuuucking hell." Ringo's hips stuttered as he chased his orgasm, his eyes shut tight as the ever-familiar sensation began deep in his stomach "You're unbelievable, George."

Then he was coming, the orgasm striking Ringo with such an intensity that he released a noise he didn't even know he was capable of making. With these final shreds of energy Ringo desperately jerked George's cock until he was finishing too, shooting cum all over his wax-covered skin. The climax hit like a huge wave, crashing into the both of them as utter ecstasy washed over their sweaty bodies. It took several moments for the both of them to recover, Ringo hadn't even pulled out while they tried to catch their breath.

When Ringo finally felt capable of opening his eyes and returning to reality, George was looking directly at him with a smug expression.

"What?" Ringo asked, sitting down onto the bed and brushing his sweaty hair away from his forehead.

"Nothing." George replied innocently "I just can't believe you did all that."

"Is it really that surprising?" Ringo leaned over to finally release George's aching wrists from the handcuffs.

"Maybe not." George let his arms flop onto the bed "But if you'll do this, maybe there's some more shit in that box we can try."

"I'm gonna need at least 3-5 working days to recover from this." Ringo huffed, lying himself down beside George "Then we can talk."

[houseisekai]

House Isekai: A Realm Reborn - Part 2, Through the Maelstrom (2 of 3)

House Isekai ARR Masterlist Here

—

Client: Hilda Valentin Goneril

Refusing to work with the newly reformed House Isekai due to Class VII, Duvalie takes her orders and storms off to Goneril territory, trying to get home faster. Not wanting to leave Duvalie completely alone, Raelyn and Fireteam Alpha-Nine accompany her.

Reports indicate of a giant serpent-like beast terrorizing the ocean trade routes near Goneril territory, and an unknown entity accompanying it…

—

(Raelyn) “I will accompany her to ensure their survival. Until then, House Isekai.”

Raelyn turned to the portal and walked through it.

After getting the minimum knowledge required about the Abyss Mages, Buck and his squad followed her through the portal.

(Kazuma) “…Wait a second, none of them knows anything about Fodlan. Why did we let them go anywhere alone?”

(Sitri) “…That’s a good question.”

When Duvalie stepped through the portal, she was still muttering to herself angrily.

(Duvalie) "Ugh, the nerve of those people! As if we can work hand in hand like nothing's ever happened!"

Her ranting continued, even when Raelyn stepped in behind her, looking around his environment.

(Raelyn) "...Duvalie, was it?"

(Duvalie) "And that jackass, Rean! What on EARTH ever made him think we were friends?! I ought to-"

Raelyn sighed and holstered his bolter. Even his footsteps didn't alert her.

(Raelyn) "Cease your complaints."

Duvalie spun around and opened her mouth about to continue until she realized she was only up to his lower chest. Her head tilted all the way up for her to even see Raelyn's helmet.

(Duvalie) "Listen you giant yellow tin can, you don't know what they're like!"

(Raelyn) "They seem calmer than you."

(Duvalie) "Tch, whatever. Why are you even here anyway? I can handle this on my own!"

(Raelyn) "Ah, then I assume you know the layout of the land? The person we're supposed to meet? What the state of the world even is?"

(Duvalie) "...I-I...I can just figure it out myself!"

(Raelyn) "Indeed."

Raelyn turned to the portal and saw the ODST squad walk in.

(Buck) "Right, we got the information we need. As for lay of the land, think one of the locals is about to tag along."

Aigis and Kazuma were on the other side nodding about to say something before the portal suddenly closed.

(Mickey) "...Or not."

...

Everyone was confused on why the portal closed.

Sitri made sure no one was looking at her as she whispered.

(Sitri) "Sothis?"

(Sothis) "Uh, don't look at me. I wasn't even the one who opened it."

(Sitri) "Wait, then where did...?"

...

(Romeo) "Great. Now we gotta wander around and pray to god it's the right way."

(Dutch) "Not even sure the good lord would poke his head out in wherever this is."

(Duvalie) "Wha-DID THEY CLOSE THE PORTAL ON US?!"

(Raelyn) "You were the one who wanted to do this alone."

(Duvalie) "IF I WANT YOUR INPUT, I'LL ASK!"

(Buck) "Enough of the shouting already! Complaining isn't going to do us any good. Besides, we got the data we need, we'll be fine...probably."

(Duvalie) "Fine, whatever."

Duvalie had her hand on the sword sheathe as she stormed off.

(Duvalie) "Let's get going then."

(Mickey) "Wrong way. It's behind us."

Duvalie quickly marched towards the direction Mickey pointed to, muttering something.

Raelyn slowly walked up to the squad.

(Raelyn) "I cannot speak for her, but it is a pleasure to fight alongside you."

(Buck) "Feeling's mutual. Come on, we should hurry before she pops a vein."

The five walked casually behind Duvalie who stayed in the front.

Fodlan, Goneril Territory, Evening...

[Stilness of Night - Trails of Cold Steel 3 OST]

The group eventually found a path leading towards a town inside Goneril territory, and continued on it until the sun began setting.

(Buck) "Huh. Place doesn't look half bad with a sunset."

(Dutch) "Yeah, somethin' you'd see from a storybook."

(Raelyn) "I have not had the pleasure of experiencing a world as quiet as this before."

(Duvalie) "Hm. My world was something kind of like this, but not as primitive to not have lamp posts at least."

(Romeo) "Think you're the most primitive out of all of us here, lady."

(Duvalie) "Excuse me?!"

(Mickey) "Changing the subject, just how far is this place?"

(Buck) "Shouldn't be more than a few minutes. The town according to that Sitri lady is about to come into view right about...Ah, there we go."

They eventually reached the top of a hill and saw a small fishing town with the sunset directly shining on top of it.

(Raelyn) "Excellent. We should reach the town by nightfall."

They all continued walking silently until Dutch spoke up.

(Dutch) "So uh, any idea what that creature is like?"

Everyone had read the report given to them by Sitri, but no one actually knew what they were in for.

(Romeo) "It said a serpent, so maybe an underwater snake or something."

(Mickey) "We aren't strangers to alien life, but I doubt it'd be simple to kill. This place seems to have magic after all."

(Raelyn) "It matters not. If our guns can work, then we can kill it."

(Duvalie) "I'm more concerned about those weird floating chubby things the Knights of Favonius mentioned."

(Buck) "What did they call them...Abyss mages?"

(Dutch) "Think that's it. They don't seem that tough to beat."

(Romeo) "Especially when we can put a round between their eyes from a hundred yards away."

(Duvalie) "If that's the case, then why are they so dangerous?"

(Mickey) "Guess we'll find out soon. Until we actually fight one, don't think we can properly assess the situation."

Finally, they reached the town's entrance. The concrete path shook beneath their equipment, gathering strange looks from the townsfolk.

Some mothers hid their children behind them while some of the men passing by whispered to each other.

(Romeo) "Think we might be standing out a little."

(Duvalie) "You all maybe, I look perfectly fine. Might be mustard bottle over here that's getting all the looks."

(Raelyn) "...You are referring to me?"

(Duvalie) "Duh! Who did you think I meant?"

(Raelyn) "What is 'mustard'?"

(Buck) "Good lord man, just how far in the future are you?"

(Raelyn) "It is the 42nd millennium."

(Dutch) "...Damn. That explains why you don't really seem to lighten up."

They made their way to the center of town, where multiple people kept staring at them.

(Romeo) "Any particular reason why we're standing out in the open like this? Not exactly doing us any favors with the people here."

(Duvalie) "Shut it, trying to find a tavern or something. There's gotta be one here."

Mickey and Buck helped Duvalie look around their surroundings to try and find a tavern. Romeo and Dutch shrugged and made sure the townspeople weren't going to try anything.

Raelyn was about to help when he heard small footsteps approaching.

It was two children who were chasing each other, most likely playing. They had failed to notice the offworlders they were running towards until a girl hit her head on Raelyn's leg.

(Girl) "Ow...! What in-"

Her eyes went wide when she stared up at the 8 foot tall Space Marine looking down on her.

Both the kids look terrified until Raelyn knelt down, trying to get on their eye level the best he could while taking off his helmet. He made sure his Bolter was strapped to his back.

(Raelyn) "My apologies. Are you hurt?"

(Girl) "N-...No sir."

Raelyn offered a hand to the girl. His hand was massive compared to the child, he could effortlessly crush her head with one hand.

Yet, he was extremely gentle in making sure not to harm or intimidate the children, the girl grabbing his hand and standing up.

(Raelyn) "If I can bother you for a moment more, do you know where the Tavern is?"

(Boy) "Um...It's to your right, mister. The building next to the docks."

Raelyn nodded and motioned away from them.

(Raelyn) "Thank you. Get home safe, now."

(Girl) "Thank you, mister."

The two kids appeared to be put at ease despite the size difference, and continued playing as if nothing happened. Something that shocked the adults watching.

The ODST's and Duvalie watched the exchange and were surprised that this walking ton of armor managed not to utterly terrify the two kids.

(Raelyn) "You have your tavern. Let us get to it."

(Duvalie) "...Right."

They continued off to the Tavern, still noticing all the adults watching them, albeit slightly more at ease.

(Romeo) "Now that sweet moment's over, time to see how well you work with a bar full of drunkards, big guy."

(Dutch) "Come on, I'm great with people."

(Mickey) "Sure, you are. How about Raelyn? Actually can he even get through the door?"

Duvalie was the first to enter, followed by the ODST's with Raelyn the last one.

He stared awkwardly at the doorframe, and back to his armor.

Even if he tried to crouch, he would break the doorframe.

(Raelyn) "I...will keep watch out here."

(Romeo) "Put those people skills to work."

(Buck) "Think you should be worried about doing that yourself."

[Another Round - Final Fantasy XIV OST]

Everyone inside the bar stopped talking when they saw Duvalie march in with the ODST's.

Duvalie saw the bartender and sat down on a stool.

The bartender was a bald middle aged man who had clearly seen better days. He had a scar over his left eye and a beard that was barely kept clean.

(Bartender) "...Can I help you with something missie?"

(Duvalie) "We're here on request of...what was her name?"

Buck stood next to Duvalie, making his visor visible so the bartender could see his mouth.

(Buck) "Hilda. Ring a bell?"

(Bartender) "Ah, Lord Holst's sister. And who exactly do I owe the pleasure of speaking to?"

(Duvalie) "I'm Duvalie."

(Buck) "Call me Buck, and this is my Squad. Fella outside is with us too."

(Bartender) "I see. And another question, who exactly ya workin' for? Don't see people dressed like yer group at all."

The people in the nearby tables began whispering. Mickey was the furthest from the group but he was only able to hear snippets of conversations.

(Man) "Hey, you think those are those House Isekai freaks? The ones from the calamity?"

(Man 2) "They sure as hell don't belong here, that's for sure!"

(Man 3) "Worse, they could be spies for the seppies'!"

(Mickey) "Think we might got a problem..."

Duvalie was clearly getting impatient, and before she could open her mouth and start a bar brawl, Buck butted in.

(Buck) "Mercenaries. We work for money."

The bartender raised an eyebrow as he eyed them up and down. Finally shrugging, he dropped the question.

(Bartender) "Fair enough. We'll send a letter to let 'em know people have arrived to take care of the problem. Shouldn't be more than a day or so. Now, ya buying something or am I going to have ta' throw your asses out?"

(Duvalie) "Hmph. Thought bartenders were supposed to be friendly."

(Bartender) "And I thought customers were supposed to be paying."

Now Dutch decided to intervene.

(Dutch) "Apologies for the lady. She's got a temper on her. Surprise us."

(Bartender) "Can do. You got gold?"

Everyone looked at each other awkwardly.

(Romeo) "Oh you have got to be kidding..."

(Buck) "Think we can get this one on the house?"

(Bartender) "This isn't a charity. And you're mercenaries, right? Surely you got some gold on you to get all the equipment on yourselves."

This got more people talking, and it was clear some of them were getting riled up.

Raelyn could hear the conversation from outside, and saw some of the adults from earlier getting a closer look at him.

(Raelyn) "..."

Raelyn's visor picked up more signatures. Some of them were armed. He used one hand to knock on the doorframe, alerting Romeo and Mickey.

(Romeo) "Hey, Gunny. Think things are about to get real ugly."

One of the customers stood up from his table and shouted with an ale cup in hand.

(Man) "Come on, pay the damn drink and quit causing a scene! Mercs always got coin on them! You one of those damn offworlders?!"

(Man 2) "Nah, worse than one, he's a seppie!"

(Man 3) "WE DON'T WANT ANYMORE TO DO WITH YOU, KEEP YOUR SEPARATIST MOVEMENT OUT OF HERE!"

More and more people riled up, making the ODST's keep a finger on their triggers.

Duvalie kept her cool on the outside, ready to lash out if someone dared make a move.

Raelyn grabbed his Bolter and calmly held it in his hands, watching everyone suddenly stiffen up.

(Bartender) "...Well?"

(Woman's voice) "Sorry, sorry. We'll pay, they're with us."

Everyone suddenly turned to a girl who seemingly appeared out of nowhere, putting gold onto the table.

Duvalie made a noise that no one could decipher if it was a swear or a gasp.

Buck turned to the girl who had just saved them from a potential firefight.

[End Song]

(White-haired girl) "They just forgot to bring their gold with them...Again."

(Bartender) "Hmph. Aren't you a little young to be the boss of a mercenary team, kid?"

(White-haired girl) "Could say the same for the second Blade Breaker."

(Bartender) "Hah, got me there."

(Duvalie) "I...You...!?"

(White-haired girl) "If you wanna complain, do it later and not in front of customers. Gives us a bad rep."

(Buck) "...Thanks boss."

Everyone quickly played along.

As Raelyn was about to point the Bolter at everyone, two more people got in front of him, motioning to the left.

(Blue haired girl) "Hey, got our room. Quit standing around all scary-like."

(Orange haired boy) "Come on, it's this way!"

The orange haired boy winked at Raelyn, and having no better idea, he played along.

The blue haired girl looked at Fie and nodded.

The white haired girl slid the gold to the Bartender and sighed.

(White-haired girl) "We'll take it to go. Keep the change."

The white haired girl turned to the group and pointed at the blue haired girl.

(White-haired girl) "Follow her and don't cause a scene again."

Duvalie looked like she was about to scream when she saw the blue haired girl. Not wanting to deal with this mob, Buck shoved her along.

(Duvalie) "H-Hey, what the?!"

(Buck) "Shut the hell up and move it, the last thing we want to do is start a fight!"

The ODST's, Raelyn, and Duvalie followed the orange haired boy to what appeared to be a rented out building. Amazingly, Raelyn could actually fit through the door.

When everyone was situated, the blue haired girl put a device on the door and window, and with a little static noise, she nodded in satisfaction.

(Elliot) "Whew, man! Things looked SUPER bad there..."

(Laura) "Oh...It's you. That would explain how the townspeople became aggravated so quickly."

(Duvalie) "Believe me, you lot are doing the same to me...!"

(Elliot) "Wait...Duvalie?!"

(Romeo) "Jesus lady, just who DON'T you know?"

(Raelyn) "More friends like Rean, I presume?"

(Duvalie) "WE ARE NOT FRIENDS!"

(Buck) "Clearly. Anyways, thanks for pulling our asses out the fire. Where's that white haired one?"

The door opened, and she was carrying some mugs of ale in her hand.

(Fie) "...Hey."

She casually gave most of the group their mugs, leaving Duvalie without one.

(Duvalie) "...Really?"

(Fie) "Figured you didn't want one...Actually, we didn't figure you'd be here at all."

(Romeo) "That's great and all, but mind explaining just who you people are?"

(Elliot) "I'm Elliot! That's Fie and Laura, and we were part of the original House Isekai. Class VII, to be specific."

(Dutch) "And clearly you know Duvalie."

(Laura) "For better or worse..."

(Raelyn) "Seeing the situation we are in, I would rather not alienate the only help at talking to the locals here."

Despite the fact he had a helmet, she could feel a piercing gaze shoot straight through her.

(Buck) "Agreed. So, what brings people such as yourselves here?"

(Fie) "Hm. Long story short-..."

===

Doomguy's Base, 1 Day Earlier...

[Briefing Time - Trails of Cold Steel 3 OST]

(VEGA) "All attempts of establishing a secure line has failed. It appears something is blocking our ability to respond."

Doomguy frowned as he checked the screens. Nothing was damaged on anyone's end, yet he was only able to receive Sitri's distress call.

He said nothing as he turned to the teleporter. It appears someone was finally arriving.

(VEGA) "Signatures detected. Class VII members: Elliot, Laura, and Fie. Authorize access?"

Doomguy nodded as he put his helmet on, letting the three former House Isekai members materialize onto the pad.

The first one was Laura, quickly followed by Elliot and Fie. Elliot appeared to be staggered while the other two were barely fazed.

(Elliot) "Oh man, still not used to that!"

(Fie) "Doubt we ever will."

(Laura) "Instructor. It's been quite some time."

They turned their attention to Doomguy who gave them a nod.

(VEGA) "It is a pleasure to see you all well."

(Laura) "Likewise. I only wish the circumstances were better."

(Fie) "Tried contacting everyone else we could, but they were either busy or didn't respond at all, so for now we're all you're getting.

(Elliot) "We received a distress call from Sitri. Is everything alright in Fodlan?"

Doomguy shrugged and motioned for them to follow him out the room.

(VEGA) "A distress signal was sent out, and normally we would have been able to respond, but an unknown variable has been preventing us from doing so. However, we are still able to keep track of any movement via teleportation of former House Isekai members."

(Fie) "If it has the ability to block dimensional calling, that's pretty strong, whatever it is."

(Laura) "Has anyone else been able to respond this entire time?

(VEGA) "Yes. Rean Schwarzer, Towa Herschel, Satou Kazuma, and Aigis have been the only four to do so."

(Elliot) "That explains why we couldn't call Rean and Towa."

(Laura) "Aigis I can understand, but for Kazuma to show up? That surprises me."

(Fie) "Guessing you haven't been able to ask them what's going on either?"

(VEGA) "Your assumption is correct."

(Fie) "Guess that means we gotta get our hands dirty."

Fie checked her gunblades and stretched her arms.

(Laura) "Hopefully combat won't be necessary."

(Elliot) "Buuut that doesn't really seem possible, if I'm being honest. Trouble tends to follow us no matter where we go."

Doomguy checked his shotgun's ammo as he opened up the door to another teleportation chamber.

(VEGA) "We thank you for responding regardless, but we will ask if you may investigate this phenomenon on our behalf."

(Fie) "Sure. Things are pretty stable back home."

(Elliot) "So, if we're going into Fodlan, how are we going to keep in contact?"

(VEGA) "We are assuming there will be a total communications blackout. If you do not respond within a week in Fodlan's time, we will directly intervene."

(Laura) "All right then. Looks like our goals are to find former House Isekai members and find out what's going on."

(VEGA) "Affirmative."

(Fie) "Mission parameters established then. Let's begin."

(VEGA) "...Strange. There appears to be a teleportation to the Goneril territory."

(Elliot) "What's so weird about it?"

(VEGA) "It was not activated by Sothis, but rather the tower itself."

(Everyone) ?

(Laura) "But there is no one there. Right? Instructor Byleth made sure of that."

(Fie) "Guess that's another thing we gotta investigate. First let's head to where that teleportation took place.."

(Elliot) "That's Hilda's last name, isn't it?"

(VEGA) "Hilda Valentine Goneril. Unofficial retainer to Claude Von Riegan."

Doomguy stood behind a console and pressed several buttons and looked at the members of Class VII.

(Elliot) "So three things to do, got it! We'll see you soon!"

(VEGA) "Good luck, Class VII."

Doomguy gave them a thumbs up before he pulled the lever.

They were absorbed into a beam of light and were taken to the location VEGA reported...

...

===

(Buck) "So...that portal wasn't theirs?"

(Fie) "No. Something else pulled you here, and we came to find out why, among other things."

(Elliot) "On top of that, we have to find out specifically why you all were brought here. Our group didn't have much reason other than it being chance but yours it seems almost deliberate."

(Raelyn) "I fail to think of anything unique happening to where I'd be brought into a world like this."

(Dutch) "Same with us."

(Duvalie) "Agreed..."

(Laura) "Well, despite the unusual circumstances that has brought us here, the former members of House Isekai ask to join forces with your group."

(Raelyn) "No objections here."

(Romeo) "It's either work together or be stuck in this place forever, so we might as well."

(Mickey) "You got our support."

The ODST's and Raelyn turned to Duvalie.

She crossed her arms, barely able to keep her anger down.

(Buck) "How old are you, exactly?"

(Duvalie) "SHUT UP! FINE! FINE! WHATEVER, YAAY WE'RE BEST FRIENDS! NOW ENOUGH!"

(Elliot) "Hah...g-glad to see she hasn't...changed?"

(Raelyn) "There is nothing about her personality that I have seen thus far that you should be glad about, Elliot."

(Duvalie) "EXCUSE ME?!-"

[TO BE CONTINUED]

[daydreamingintheimpalax]

The Frat house

Prompt: “isn’t is fascinating? you don't even have to open your mouth to make my head hurt.” 

Dean X reader ( Dean is 20, Reader and Sam are 16).

Warnings: Um, none? I don't think.

Dean Winchester was a royal pain in your ass. His smart mouth and sassy one liners made you want to punch his pretty face in. Most of the time, you could avoid him, ignore him and just hang out with Sam who was much more chill and cool. You were thankful you only ever had to see the oldest Winchester once in a while when his father didn't need him on a hunt. 

Sadly, tonight wasn't one of those nights. Your father and John had gone off on a hunt with some other hunters, it was going to be a day or two and sadly, Dean hadn't tagged along with them, John and your father insisted he stay behind and keep you and Sam out of trouble. Little did they realize most of the time, Dean ended up being bigger trouble than either of you two. 

You heard the light knock on your bedroom door, you'd opted to stay in your room for most of the night, hoping they'd think you were on your period and leave you alone. You felt bad not hanging out with Sam, but you really didn't want to be annoyed by Dean. That boy could give you a brutal migraine in less than 10 minutes. 

You got up from your bed, abandoning your latest journal entry before opening the door. There stood Dean, a half smirk on his pretty face dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans. 

“Ugh, what do you want, Winchester?” you rolled your eyes, making your way back over to your bed.

“You should be nicer, y/n. Boys would like you better if you didn't have such a bad attitude.” He speaks, making you gag.

“Ah, yes, my mission in life, to please all the boys.” You mock him, rolling your eyes yet again before prying as to what the hell he wanted from you. 

“So? To what reason do I owe your presence?” you sass him and he smirks again. 

“Sammy and I are going to go have some fun, taking the kid to his first college party, you in?” He winks, your eyes wide as you squint at him. 

“Sam and I are 16, there's no way we can get in to a college party.” You shrug, shaking your head at his idiotic idea. He clicks his tongue and laughs.

“Who’s going to know? Sam will probably go unnoticed, and you can put on something skimpy, do your makeup and you pass for 18 tops, ain't no one going to question you.” He eyes you up and down and you punch his arm. 

“Owww, what the hell!” He shouts, rubbing his arm. “That’s for being a pervert, and no, I'm not going to whore myself out just to go to some college party with you, besides, our dads told us to stay put, I ain't about to break the rules, your dad will kill you if he finds out.” You raise an eyebrow, making your way over to your bed. 

“He won't if he doesn't know about it, we'll be back way before they will, and I never said whore yourself out, though, I'm sure a night of fooling around with some guy would adjust that stick up your ass. We're going, come, stay, I don't care but you got 15 minutes to decide or we're leaving.” He states, winking at you before shutting the door behind him. 

You hated Dean Winchester. Well, maybe hate was a strong word, you really heavily disliked him. He was a constant pain in your ass, a headache that seemed to never go away. However, you wondered if maybe he was right. You had only ever had sex with your ex, and that had ended last year, you could use a night out, and a hot college guy could possibly just be what you needed and just like Dean said, no one would know you weren't 18. 

You sighed, not believing the idiot outside had actually convinced you this was a good idea. Taking his advice, you got dressed in your “sexiest” dress, a simple black one that always enhanced your curves and paired it with your favorite red pumps, you put some effort into your makeup, a dark Smokey eye and a bold red lip, your winged liner perfected after years of practice. Dean was right, at this rate, no one would question your age. 

You met the boys by the front door, Dean throwing on his dad's old leather jacket that was twice his size as he headed over towards you, maybe one day he'd grow into the coat. 

Sam's cheeks turned a shade of red as he complimented your look. You smiled politely as you thanked him. Sam was always the more gentlemanly of the two. When Dean finally noticed you, he smirked, letting out a wolf whistle as he passed you towards the impala.

“You clean up nice y/n, if you weren't practically my little sister I'd take you home myself.” He chuckles, smacking your ass as he passes you. You let out a squeal and it makes him chuckle before you let out an annoyed groan. 

“You’re such a pig, as if I'd ever go to bed with you, who know's what you've contracted.” Once again rolling your eyes at him in distaste. “You roll your eyes a lot y/n, one day you're going to get stuck like that, also, I'm not stupid, I use condoms and always get tested.” Dean smirks, biting his lower lip before throwing himself into the drivers seat, unknowingly to him just how much he affects you. Maybe that's why you tried to hate him so bad, you refused to admit the older Winchester got to you, making you flushed most of the time you spent around him. 

“And you talk too much Winchester, I mean seriously, do you ever stop talking.” You sass, throwing him a fake smile. He winks in return, “Only when I'm using my mouth for other things.” He stares back at you from the rear view, making a motion with his hand and tongue to signify what he means. 

“Can you two stop, this whole conversation is becoming gross. Let's just go.” Sam pipes up, blushing more than he should. “Don't worry, Sammy. One day you'll learn, my little virgin brother.” Dean chuckles, ruffling Sam's hair. 

“I’m not a virgin, I just don't announce it to everyone so explicitly.” Sam grits, trying to avoid you hearing. “Yeah yeah, sure thing sammy.” Dean smirks and soon enough he's driving off. 

You'd been at this party for three hours and had yet to find a decent human to talk to. Sam had wandered off over an hour ago with a cute petite brunette who seemed very fond of him, you had a feeling she'd be dragged here too, and Dean, well, Dean was around flirting with every girl who would give him the time of day. His cheesy pick up lines failing most of the time, sometimes you wondered how in the hell Dean got as much action as he did, his lines were usually horrible. 

You took a sip of your beer, people watching as a bunch of jocks screamed and yelled, doing keg stands, a group of girls stood off to the sides, some of them eyeing the jocks and giggling to each other. 

“You look a little lonely.” A voice booms out over the music and you turn, coming face to face with a cute blonde haired guy, he's wearing a muscle shirt that's probably one size to big, a pair of Jean's that aren't baggy but not fitted either. He's got a beer in his hand and he's smiling softly at you.

“Just checking out the scene. This isn't a bad party.” You shrug, sipping from your red Solo cup. He chuckles. “Yeah, Rick always throws the best parties, everyone literally shows up. So how come your not with your friends? You go here right?” He asks making conversation, and your brain works overtime to come up with something. 

The conversation between you and what you now knew was the guy named Eric and that he was 18, had flowed nicely and before you knew it, you'd spent the last 20 minutes taking shots with him and now here you were, pressed up against the kitchen island as he kissed you, his lips soft and warm, he smelled like fireball but you didn't care, you just wanted to be kissed, having almost forgotten what it was like to make out with a cute guy. He pulls away, smiling at you, breathing heavily as he speaks. 

“I’ll be right back, gonna check if any rooms are clear.” He states before shooting you a wink, you pull some hair behind your ear and bite your bottom lip, smiling at him nervously, suddenly not sure you wanted to be here.

You turn around, ready to grab your solo cup and refresh yourself when you come face to face with Dean. He's on the other side of the island, leaning over on it with his elbows, drink in his hand and he's smirking at you, he raises and eyebrow and before he speaks, you groan. He shoots you a shrug.

“What? I didn't say anything.” He speaks up, smiling stupidly at you. 

“ Isn’t is fascinating? you don't even have to open your mouth to make my head hurt.” You spit out, already annoyed with him. He laughs. 

“You having fun?” he asks and he seems genuinely concerned. “Yes, as a matter of fact I am. Thanks, you were right I needed this.” You give him a soft smile before you start to bite your lip, eyebrows furrowing. 

Dean watches you carefully, noticing the mood change. “You okay?” he asks and you pipe back up, letting go of your lip as you shake yourself back to reality, “Yeah, yeah i’m good it's just uh....he asked me to go upstairs, he's older and I uh- um, you know what, nevermind.” You shake you head, taking a giant sip out of your cup. 

“Y/n, if you're not comfortable, say no. Point blank, and if tries anything else, call me. I'll deal with it. You don't have to have sex if you don't want to, okay?” He assures you, and you take a deep breath. 

“Yeah, I know, thanks Dean.” He shoots you a small nod, and it's the first time you've seen him have your back, full support with no judgement or jokes or inappropriate remarks. 

“I know, uh, I know I can be a dick sometimes and I annoy the hell out of you, but I need you to know when it comes down to it, I got your back, y/n. Always.” He smiles, you give him a small smile back, moving around the island to get closer to him, you lean up using your tip toes to get closer to his height, placing a small peck on his cheek. 

“Thanks Dean, You're not always so bad.” You smirk, before leaving him to his night, making your way over to the dancefloor. 

Dean watches you for a bit, smiling as he watches you laugh when that frat boy joins you, it was nice to see you having a good time and letting loose. He would never admit it, it wasn't like him to be so attracted to someone he'd known all his life or feel for someone so much, but you had always been different. 

He kept his distance for the most part, he wasn't stupid, you were 16, and it wouldn't be in his best interest or smart to make a move, plus John would kill him, you were still underage, but maybe eventually, when you turned 18, maybe he'd consider doing something about the dreams that woke him up every night sweaty and heated. 

One day, you'd see he wasn't as annoying as you thought. For tonight, he'd have to settle for watching you from afar, knowing damn well he’d be going home alone yet again. 

[nicolewoo]

I’ve been Dreaming about you

Pairing: Joe Anoa’i X Reader

Warnings: None

Fluff Fluff Fluff

It was a silly radio call in contest.... Win tickets to Smackdown live plus backstage passes. I grabbed my friend, Laura, to go with me.

We were escorted back stage before the show started, and got to see the set up. Our tour guide, Danny,  led us through the arena's backstage area showing us everything from catering to dressing rooms to the gorilla. It was definitely worth going early for the full tour. We learned about how medical set up, how the wardrobe department worked, even a little about the broadcasting. I was eating it all up.

Laura was a little less enthusiastic. In truth, she was only interested in the talent.... particularly Braun Stroman. So when she wasn't paying attention to the tour and noticed an open door, she peeked her head in. I went to pull her back to the tour when my eyes locked with Roman Reign's eyes. He was in the room seated on a table in the back of the room surrounded by other talent. Of course, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins were next to him. It was a mere second before the door closed behind us, but it was enough to.... connect? Was that the right word?

Oh please! I was being crazy. Roman can have any girl he wants. I'm sure he was just surprised at seeing a new face backstage or bored of whatever meeting he was in. Either way, I knew that was going to be the best moment of the night. I focused back on the tour guide and enjoyed the rest of our tour.

Then we took our seats ringside. I'd had good seats before, (4th row, 7th row) but I'd never been in the front row before, and we were seated just at the corner of the ramp and the ring. We had the perfect view of everything. Some of the talent even slapped my hand as they made their way down the ramp.

Nia Jax beat Ember Moon in a killer match. Laura nearly squealed when Braun Stroman came out, and I practically had to wipe her mouth as she drooled over his every move. As he slammed Baron Corbin into the mat, I swear I heard her growl in desire. He wasn't my first choice, but if she liked him, that's fine by me.

There was one more match.... The Shield vs Jinder Mahal, Bobby Lashley and Dolf Ziggler. This was going to be one hell of a match, and as the music began and the “heels” started their way to the ring, the crowd got louder. It was infectious. I was getting more excited, as the crowd got hyped.

When The Shield's music hit, the crowd began looking for where they were entering through the crowd. Normally, they were across from the cameras at the top of the first tier of seats. The whole crowd looked there, and then looked around. They were nowhere to be found. As the crowd found them, they turned toward us. I looked behind me to find the Shield headed straight for us. Their normal “security” followed behind with our tour guide, Danny who looked very out of place.

As soon as Roman found me, he locked eyes with me. All three of the Shield members looked upset, but I saw one corner of Roman's mouth quirk up when he saw me. “Is he smiling at you?” Laura asked me. I couldn't answer. I was completely stunned by his eyes. Roman only looked away from me to watch where he was walking. I watched as they jumped the barricade next to us and as Roman stared at me from the ring. “Why are they all looking at you?” Laura asked again.

I tore my eyes away from Roman for a moment to see that she was right, Dean and Seth were looking at me too, although they looked unhappy to see me. “Girl, what the hell is going on?”

I was getting ready to tell her I didn't know when a hand tapped my shoulder, “Y/N,” I turned to find Danny, the tour guide. He handed me a note. I opened it and scanned it quickly.

Please stay after the show. Danny will come get you. I need to talk to you, Roman Reigns.

“What the fuck?” Laura said eyeing the note over my shoulder.

She looked from me to Danny who simply shrugged. “I was just told to give her the note and come get her after the show. He didn't explain it to me, and I've never seen anything like this. Not from Roman” He said. “I'll come back for you after this match.” He said as he walked away.

I looked up to the ring. The Shield was hamming it up.... drinking in the adoration of the crowd, but before taking his corner with his brothers, Roman looked at me again. He mouthed PLEASE to me, and I nodded yes. The corner of his mouth curled up in a smirk again.

The match seemed to go on forever. The fans cheered as the talent put on a great show, and everyone was completely wrapped up in the show.... except me. I was so confused. I was pretty sure Roman looked at me a few more times before he got tagged in. Once he entered the ring though, he was completely focused on what he was doing, which is good. I don't want to see anyone get hurt.  Honestly, I didn't want Roman to get hurt.

I watched as he speared, super man punched and dominated the rest of the match, finally pinning Dolf. As the Shield exited up the ramp, Roman was sure to come to me and hold my hand for a split second before exiting.

It was time. Danny would be by to take us backstairs soon. The wait was frustrating. We watched as the arena emptied out almost all the way. Laura talked about the show and how great it was, but she could tell I was..... what was I? Confused? Shocked? Scared? She could tell I was off... that my mind was backstage already. She tried to distract me, but it didn't work.

I was just about to give up on Danny when I saw him come down the ramp. “I'm sorry I took so long.” He said as he moved the barricade so we could come through. Distracted or not, I was still fan-girling about walking up the ramp, about being backstage, about the whole day. Instead of walking in to the gorilla, Danny took us to a side entrance. We ended up back in the room where I'd first seen Roman.

We were reviewing the pictures Laura had taken of the show when I heard a voice behind me, “Ladies?” I turned to see Seth and Dean. They didn't look mad anymore, but they didn't look happy either. They looked.... leery. “What are you doing here?” Seth asked.

Was I in the wrong place? “I... uh.... Danny brought us here.” I said meekly.

“No. What are you doing at the show tonight? How did you get a tour backstage?” Dean asked rather rudely.

The tone of voice made Laura bristle, and I saw a protective vibe come over her, “She won tickets from a radio station.” She said it as she took a step in front of me like a mama bear protecting her cub.

I stepped in front of her then, “Mr. Rollins, Mr. Ambrose is everything ok?” I asked as nicely as I could.

“Actually,” Seth started, “I'm Colby Lopez. This is Johnathan Good. Mr. Anao'i, that's Roman's name, will be out soon. He is still showering. What’s your name?” Seth sounded much calmer now. “I'm sorry if we sounded like jerks. We're just looking out for our brother.”

I'm sure my confusion showed on my face. “I’m Y/N. What are you talking about?”

“Doll,” It was Dean/Johnathan this time, “Ya gotta understand. Our brother is special. We want to make sure you're not some sort of gold digger.” I waited for him to start laughing, because this was obviously a joke.

“Gold digger?” Mama Bear Laura said, stepping between me and the two men. “All this woman has done is come take a tour and see a show. She won those tickets fair and square.” Her voice got louder the more she talked.

I placed a hand on her elbow, “Calm down, Laura. Let's find out what's happening before we go on the attack. I looked to the other men as I drew Laura back to stand beside me. “Mr. Lopez, Mr. Good, We aren't hiding anything. We don't have some secret agenda. We won tickets, we came, then Danny brought us back here. That's all.”

“Is it?” Seth said turning a chair and straddling it so he was sitting backwards on it, but facing me. He crossed his arms over the back.

“Back down, Colby!” Roman's voice boomed from the door behind me. “Sorry, they're a little over-protective.” He said calmly to me. I turned to find him freshly showered in slacks and a button down shirt, hair up in a bun. Our eyes locked on each other's again. “Hi,” he reached to shake my hand, “I'm Joe.”

He towered over me, but instead of finding it scary, I felt safe in front of him. “I'm Y/N.”I answered.

Joe's voice got softer as he talked to me. “I don't have a lot of time here. We are headed to Kansas City tonight, but I had to talk to you.” Logically, I figured that Joe was trying to get a booty call, but looking into his eyes, I saw something else. Something I couldn't decipher. “These guys have agreed to wait ½ hour to leave so we can talk.” He gestured to Dean and Seth. “Can we... uh... can we talk alone?” He asked tentatively.

“No.” Laura said. I chuckled at that.

“At ease, soldier.” I laughed to her.

“I'm not leaving you alone with him.” She demanded.

I looked to Joe who grinned slightly. “Laura, can you and the guys go out into the hall? We'll keep the door open, mom.” I teased her.

Dean chuckled with me and Seth gathered he and Laura up. “Come on, I'll buy you a cup of coffee.” Seth offered to Laura.

Once they were all gone, I felt a sense of relief. No more evil looks from The Shield brothers and no more over-protective Laura.

Joe motioned to a chair, “Have a seat.” Part of me was on high alert... wondering what the hell was going on, but when I looked at Joe, I calmed down. Something about him just seemed so comforting.  We both sat down at a little table. “I...... uh....” He stopped talking. He just chuckled to himself as he looked down to the floor. “Sorry.” He looked back up and I saw a blush starting to form on his cheeks. “I.... I don't know how to say this. It sounds crazy, even in my head.” He struggled to find the words. “I've been” he paused “dreaming about you for months.”

I was stunned. Truly stunned. “What?” I asked.

“I don't know how else to say it. I've been dreaming about you for months.... actually.... for over a year.” He said again. He stood up and started pacing for a second, but then sat back down and looked at me. “For a year now, I've dreamed about you..... your hair, your voice. Three or four times a week.”

Surely this was a pick up line. It had probably worked dozens of times on other women, but not with me. And yet, as I looked at him, all I saw was him being vulnerable. “Are you serious?” I asked.

“I am.” He looked down and shook his head in disbelief. “I've been dreaming about you for over a year. I never thought you were a real person, until I saw you tonight. I don't know what to do now that I found you, but I do know I want to get to know you.”

Ok. I resigned myself to the fact that he was trying to hook up. This had to be an act.  I opened my mouth to talk, but couldn't figure out what to say.

“Like I said, the guys have given me a half hour to figure this out. So, first, can I have your phone number?” He smiled up as he handed me his phone. Still stunned, I grabbed his phone and typed in my number. “Say something, please.” Joe pleaded.

“I... I don't know what to say.” I admitted which made him smile warmly and something about the smile made me melt a bit inside. “Is this..... are you trying to hook up with me?” I hadn't meant to say that out loud, but there it was.

Joe laughed harder. “No.... Listen, I'm not kidding. I've honestly been dreaming about you. Now that I found you, I don't know what to do, but I know that I can't let you go until we figure this out. I'm not looking for a hook up.”

His smile was infectious. “Good.” I smiled back at him.

He reached out and took my hand between his, “I know this sounds insane. Trust me, I feel insane saying it out loud. Seth and Dean are really concerned about me. They've been hearing me talk about you... well... the dreams about you, and then I just see you. It's.... I don't know. It's something.”

“It's something alright.” I had to admit, I loved the feel of his big hands holding mine.

He chuckled again. “Lets start with this. Do you live here in St. Louis?” he asked.

“Actually, I live across the river in Illinois. It's about a 20 minute drive here.”

He looked surprised and pleased. “Can I come visit you on Tuesday?” he asked suddenly.

I was stunned yet again, “What?”

“I have Tuesday and Wednesday off. Can I come see you? I'd like to take you out on a date. Maybe take you out to dinner?” he rubbed a thumb over my knuckles. “I'll stay at a hotel. I'll be happy to get you a room if you don't want to drive back and forth or not. It's up to you.”

“Are you serious?” I asked. “We just met.”

“He's serious,” I heard Seth say. “We've been hearing about you forever.” I looked to find Seth, Laura and Dean coming back in the room. “He's got it bad for you.”

The comment made Joe blush again and he looked down at the floor before taking a breath. “He's right. I don't know how or why, but I know.......I don't know..... I just need to get to know you.” He smiled so warmly at me with a look of slight embarrassment. It made me melt a little more.

“They've been telling me all about his dreams.” Laura said as she handed me a bottle of water. “He's telling the truth.” She reassured me.

I thought for a second before I tried to answer, “Well,” I looked into his eyes “Yes. Yes we can go out to dinner on Tuesday.”

That made Joe smile even more. “All right! Ok, we've got a bit more time. Tell me everything about yourself.”

I laughed a bit, “My whole life in what... 15 minutes?”

He laughed with me. “How about just some things...... What do you do for work? What do you do for fun? Are you  wrestling fan?”

“Oh yeah she is,” Dean interrupted, “I saw her following the match closely. She even winced when you took the kick to the chest from Dolf and landed wrong. She knows wrestling.” He was incapable of standing still... instead he paced back and forth. “She knows.”

I smiled and nodded at Joe. “Yes. I follow wrestling. I have for a few years.” I answered. I work for a marketing firm, and I love to paint.”

“Painting... like art?” Joe asked. I nodded yes.

“What do you do for a living?” I joked.

Joe just laughed. He looked up to Seth, “How does Finn say it?” He looked back to me, “I wrestle grown men in my underwear.”

We all laughed at that, which seemed to calm our friends who were now hovering over us. I felt  like we had chaperones. Laura and Seth took a seat at a table on the other side of the room, and Dean paced between the two tables anxiously.

Joe and I settled into a conversation. We talked about our lives and our beliefs, and time flew by.

“Joe.” Seth called from across the room. “5 minutes.” He warned, which shocked both of us.

“Ok, Like I said, these guys want to get to Kansas City.” He stood up, taking my hand in his again and leading me to stand. He turned so he was between our friends and us, and his broad frame almost completely blocked them out. “I can't believe you're real.”

“I'm real. I promise.”

“Can I text you later tonight?” He asked shyly.

“Yes.” I shook my head at him. He stared into my eyes for a second before bending down to give me a chaste kiss on the lips which brought a big smile to my face.

“Thank you,” He said. “We'll make plans for Tuesday over the phone, ok?” I nodded in agreement.

“Come on, loverboy!” Seth's words broke us up. “You can talk to her on the phone.”

Joe pressed a sweet kiss to my forehead and said goodbye.

Laura and I were left in the room..... both confused a bit.... me a little weak in the knees.

“What the fuck?” She asked.

“I don't know.” I answered her.

We started walking out to our car, “Do you believe this whole dreaming of you thing?” She asked.

I thought for a minute before I answered. “I think I do.” I answered.