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yourheartonfire · 4 years ago

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As requested, a continuation of the supervillain and protagonist story.

Part 1 here.

Part 2 here.

Thanks to @gingerly-writing for the original prompt!

And now the conclusion:

The logic went like this. A safe room was designed to keep people out, not keep them in. So all the electrical systems had to be behind the panels on the wall, removable with that flat metal clip from the stolen pen. The protagonist was hoping to find the door wiring. Instead they found the landline phone cable.

This was problematic. They could get a message out, but they had to assume that any comms would tag the supervillain too. In fact, they spent another precious day to see if they could find any other way out of the supervillain's safe room. They could not.

So the protagonist waited until their best guess of when the supervillain would be at work, smiling and pretending and plotting the murder of all the protagonist's co-workers. They crossed their fingers, sent the message and put their head between their knees to wait and see who would get to them first.

90 excrutiating minutes later, the door slid open. It was the supervillain, bloodstained and smoldering, their face streaked with sweat and soot, and their eyes burning as they braced against the doorframe.

"Oh gosh," the protagonist gulped, flattening themselves against the wall. "You look like you're in the middle of something. I'm sure I'm not a priority at this moment -"

The supervillain crossed the room in a stride. The protagonist scrambled as far the chain would let them as the supervillain let out a bellow of rage, smashed the bunk panel right off the wall to reveal the wires the protagonist had stripped with broken plastic shards from the pen, wired together with the uncoiled spring.

"How?" they breathed out, nostrils flared like a mad bull. The protagonist tried to pull further away and the supervillain pounced, hauling them in by the collar of their wilted party finery. To their horror, the protagonist saw something new in the villain's eyes. Fear. "You're not powered. You're not even that smart!" The supervillain shook them and the protagonist hung onto their wrists for dear life. "You've ruined everything!"

"Oh that's a shame but you're not gonna do something you'll regret because you still have an exit!" the protagonist said desperately. "You always have an exit. Right?"

"It's over, [Supervillain]," said voice like a trumpet behind them.

The supervillain spun around, hauling protagonist in front of them as an all-too-human shield. Superhero stood in the doorway, a fireball sparking in her hands. "Let [protagonist] go," she said, "and this'll go easier on you."

"Oh no," the protagonist breathed out, their own eyes on the fire in Superhero's hands. That was not a precision weapon. "Please, let's not do anything rash, guys," they said - and yelped at the press of that knife against their stomach again.

The supervillain laughed, the sound ragged and panicked in protagonist's ear. "If it's over," they snarled, their other hand tight in the protagonist's hair, "then why let them live?"

Superhero's eyes narrowed and sparked. The supervillain's grip tightened.

And then the future slotted into place and the protagonist shot their hand into the air.

"Wait, don't fight!" they cried. "You have to stab me!"

There was a moment of absolute silence.

"What?" said the supervillain.

"What did you do to them?" said Superhero in bafflement.

"No, no! This'll work," the protagonist talked fast. "You stab me - not there! Here." Carefully they nudged the supervillain's hand up a few inches. "Upward between the ribs, please. Then you smash through there, where you already started, and [Superhero] will have to choose between getting me to a hospital and chasing you."

Sparks fizzled off Superhero's hair to the cement ground as she stared, mouth agape. "What the f-" she started to say.

But the words were lost when the supervillain hauled the protagonist's head back for another kiss, messy and hasty and hot as hell. Tangled in the supervillain's arms, the protagonist couldn't kiss back at all this time. It was so unfair.

"You're wasted on them," the supervillain whispered into the protagonist's mouth. And then they drove the knife in.

The world splintered into agony. The protagonist felt themselves drowning, free falling, then caught in another set of arms somehow more... clinical that the supervillain's grip.

"Hang on," came Superhero's voice. "You utter loon, hang on."

The next thing the protagonist knew, it was day and they were very cold and sore and lying in a hospital bed.

"Ow," they moaned.

"I'll bet," said Superhero from the chair in the corner, putting down a battered paperback novel. "Try to relax. [Supervillain] got away but you're safe and you'll live."

The protagonist struggled to sit up, winced at the dull throb in their side. "I'm sorry -"

"Whatever for?" Superhero smiled her professional smile, tilting her head towards the monitoring camera in the corner of the room. "It's not like you told [Supervillain] to stab you."

"Oh? Oh!" The protagonist blinked. "Yeah, no. That would be nuts. Who would ask to be stabbed -?"

"Don't hurt yourself, kid," Superhero said, pressing them back down to the bed with a finger like a sledgehammer. "Thanks to your warning, we averted [Supervillain]'s plan, saved the company, and got you back. I call that a win for the good guys." The hero leaned over to press the nurse call button. "Now you get better. When you're back, I'm having you transferred to my team where I can keep an eye on you."

"Oh, wow," the protagonist said, head swimming. "Right! In case [Supervillain] comes back for revenge?"

The superhero looked at them, utterly deadpan, for a long beat. "Uh huh," she said dryly and leapt straight out the window as the door swung open.

The protagonist settled back against the pillow as the medical staff bustled in. Superhero's team! Nice - but they were really going to have step up their game. As the nurse fussed about with vitals and bandages, the protagonist closed their eyes and let their mind drift to supervillain. They would be ready.

"Get you next time," the protagonist muttered as the painkillers hit and they sunk into sleep with a smile.

#my fiction #heroes and villains #villains and heroes #protagonist x supervillain #gingerly writing #filled prompt #long post #happy 2021 may we all outwit our supervillains #100 #300

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morceid · 4 years ago

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Beating The Dead Swan

chapter 5: stuck in a city

read on ao3

<- chapter four

Summary: Derek wants to make sure Spencer’s okay

Word Count: 2.2k

Category: fluff

Content Warnings: none

A/N: today’s my mom’s birthday and i’m not sure if i should be writing this in spite of her or in honor of her

An entire week passed by with no new developments. Everyone on the team was starting to get worried.

“I’m concerned for him, Penelope,” Derek paced around her office.

“He’s fine, Derek, a whole lot better than he was when he first got here.” Penelope said, typing away at her computer.

“I know, that’s what it seems, but haven’t you noticed? He really doesn’t like mentions of the case, but he hasn’t really said anything about it either. We did our interview and that was it. He never says anything about it, he just does whatever he does in that little office we gave him. Shouldn’t he be grieving? At least in some way?”

“Derek, if you’re that worried, why don’t you go ask him?”

Derek sighed and sat on the couch. He thought for a second, and then came up with a plan. He left the office in a hurry, heading towards Spencer’s office.

“Hey, Spencer, can I come in?” Derek said, knocking on the doorframe.

“Yeah, sure,” Spencer opened the door and sat on the couch, moving his pillow so Derek could sit beside him.

“So, there haven’t been any new developments in your case in the past week, I’m sure you know that, but I just wanted to let you know that if your case doesn’t have any more activity in the next two weeks we might have to close the case. It doesn’t mean that we’ve stopped caring about you, it doesn’t mean we’ve stopped thinking about it, okay?”

“O-Okay, t-thank you, Derek, I really appreciate that,” Spencer said, fidgeting with his hands.

“That being said, I know that this has been really tough on you. You lost a really good friend. I was wondering, you know, you can’t leave the building without an agent, would you be comfortable with me taking you out to see this city? I mean, how long have you lived here and how many different stores have you been to?”

Spencer thought for a minute before laughing and saying, “The only places I’ve been to are a laundromat and a bakery, and then the place I got my ballet shoes once.”

Derek puts a hand on his knee and says, “Well, Spence, this city is about to rock your world. Change out of those pajamas and then we’ll go.”

Derek left the office with a new sense of pride in his heart. He sat at his desk until Spencer left the office, dressed in worn-out leather boots, black tights, a dark green plaid skirt, and a brown knit sweater. Spencer pulled at a string in the sleeve as his eyes traveled around the bullpen, looking for Derek’s desk. His eyes brightened and their lips creased as they smiled and made eye contact with him.

“Hey there, pretty boy, you ready to go?” Derek walked past him, Spencer followed behind as they moved towards the elevator.

“Y-yeah, do you think we could stop by my apartment? I forgot to put a few things on my list and I-I’m assuming it’d be okay s-since you’re an agent and-”

“Hey, don’t worry about it Spencer, of course we can stop by,” Derek cut him off with a gentle voice.

“T-Thank you, Derek.”

The two walked out to Derek’s red Ford Taurus and got in.

“Sorry about the mess. I haven’t really had time between cases to get it detailed,” Derek said, taking a bag from the passenger seat and moving it to the back.

“It’s fine, nicer than Camille’s. She really was a complete slob now that I think about it,” Spencer smiled, a bittersweet gleam in his eye.

Derek started up the car and they began the drive to Spencer’s apartment. Spencer watched the rain pour down the window and enjoyed the way the street lights blurred through the glass. He gazed at all of the shops and buildings until they arrived at the apartment building.

Both of them got out of the car and walked up the steps to the apartment. Spencer walked in, leaving the door open for Derek. His couch was still pushed back towards the counter from the last time he practiced ballet in the living room. He pushed it back to its regular place and went into the kitchen. They grabbed their favorite mug from the cupboard and placed it in the backpack he brought before walking into his bedroom. Derek followed and stood in the doorway.

His closet had been opened and a blanket was thrown onto the ground. He looked through the closet and pulled out their pointe shoes.

“You don’t have to just watch me, you can come in,” Spencer said, glancing at Derek.

Derek walked into the bedroom, looking over the sci-fi movie posters pinned to the wall. Spencer opened the drawer of a dresser and pulled out a couple pairs of knee-high socks. Derek looked over to a desk in the corner. He runs a hand over the wooden surface, admiring the finish. A blue box sat in the corner.

“What’s in here?” Derek said, picking up the box and opening it, revealing a stack of photos.

“O-Oh, that’s uh, I did some modeling i-in college for some extra money, n-nothing amazing.” Spencer stammered as he walked into the bathroom, crouching down to the cabinets.

“You sure these are just nothing? These photos look amazing,” Derek said, now standing in the doorway of the bathroom and holding up a black and white picture of a younger Spencer kissing another model. Spencer blushed bright red.

“Y-Yeah, they’re not all that much,” Spencer lied through his teeth as they finished quickly shoving three lipgloss tubes into his backpack.

They walked out of the bathroom, pushing against Derek and taking the box to put in his backpack. He zipped it back up and pulled the straps on his shoulders. They stood in the doorway of the bedroom, looking over everything to make sure he wasn’t forgetting anything again.

“Okay, I’m ready to go.”

The two left the apartment and as they walked down the stairs, Spencer in front, Derek admired the way his hair bounced and gleamed in the light. It was raining harder now and Derek saw Spencer start to pull at the loose sweater string again.

“Hey, it’s okay, I got an umbrella,” He said, pulling an umbrella out of the inside of his leather jacket.

Derek opened the umbrella and pulled Spencer closer so they could both be sheltered under the rain. He could smell the detergent in his clothes and the light caramel-like scent of the coffee he drank that morning. Derek smelled of gunpowder and men’s deodorant, something oddly comforting to the other. They both leaned towards each other before Derek quickly walked them to the car. Spencer giggled a little as they straightened out his skirt and Derek started up the car again.

“So, where did you plan for us to go?”

“Well, I was planning on taking you out to this farmer’s market today,” Derek said, “but since it’s raining and doesn’t look like it’ll stop soon and it’s almost around lunch, would you like to go to a cafe? There’s a library nearby, we could go there afterward.”

“That sounds like fun, thank you, Derek.”

“No problem, pretty boy. I’m paying.”

Derek turned onto a street corner and after driving straight for a few minutes he parked the car outside of a bakery. A light-up sign in the window said ‘Willow’s Eatery.’ Derek held the door open for Spencer and they walked in, Spencer took in the soft instrumental music playing, the yellow lights hanging from the ceiling, and the concrete flooring covered in many rugs and blankets.

“Wow, it’s really nice in here, Derek, are you sure you want to pay?” Spencer said.

“Yeah, I’m friends with the head baker, so I get discounts on a lot of things. Where would you like to sit?” Derek said and Spencer realized there was no one else in the bakery besides a cashier.

The two walked over to a table in the corner and sat in the cushioned seats. Derek ordered a tea and sandwiches for the both of them. They both talked about their lives, Derek described his childhood living in the Morgan Family household whale Spencer described all of the things he and Camille did. As Derek spoke his voice was sweet, much like the honey in the tea a mother would give a child to heal a sore throat. While Spencer’s was much the same, there was a taste of uncomfortable bitterness here and there. A sadness creeped in and out of their eyes when it felt the need to.

No one disturbed them as they talked. No one even came into the cafe, it was like they were the only two people in the world, laughing and smiling their hearts out.

When they finished their meal Derek paid in cash and they walked over to the library just a couple buildings away. Derek pulled Spencer under his umbrella again as they walked. The library was a brick building, covered in well-groomed moss. Inside, wood panelling covered the walls and blue carpet sat under their feet. A birchwood desk sat not far from the entrance and exit, where an old woman sat counting and cataloguing returned books. Spencer nervously stepped toward her.

“Hi, um, do I have to have a library card to check out books?” they asked.

“Well, technically you don’t. I could sign you into our system as a guest if you’d like, but getting a card will be a very quick process! What’s your name sweetheart?” The woman said.

“Spencer Reid,” he said, looking over to Derek for a second and then back to the woman, who’s name tag said Mary Lee, “I’ll just sign in as a guest for now, but your library looks fantastic and I’m sure I’ll be back.”

“Why, thank you, Mr. Reid, help yourself to anything you’d like.” Mary Lee smiled.

Spencer whispered a thank you before he walked towards a shelf filled with sci-fi novels, Derek following behind.

Each book Spencer picked out he felt the weight of before running a hand across the cover. They wanted each book to be comfortable in his lap when he read it. After deeming one perfect, they skimmed through the entire first chapter to see if the story had any appeal. By the time they had walked to the end of the shelf Spencer had picked three books. Derek offered to hold them, but Spencer declined until he got to the psychology section of the shelves and was holding nearly six books.

They checked out the books, Mary Lee reminding them to return them in a week, and walked out to the car.

“Hey, can I pick a place to go now?” Spencer asked as he settled into the passenger seat.

“Sure, pretty boy, but I can’t imagine any other place to go while it’s raining,” Derek said as he put the key in the ignition.

“Okay, I’m pretty sure it’s just two lefts and then you go straight for some time, and then a right.”

Derek followed the directions he was given and he parked on the side of the road, an empty lot of grass just outside.

“Are you sure this is the place Spencer?”

“Absolutely,” Spencer got out of his side of the car and ran into the rain.

Spencer danced and spun around, not caring about the puddle they were stepping in or the rain dripping from his hair.

“Cmon, what are you doing? Come out here with me!” Spencer said as Derek rolled down his window.

“Spencer, you’re gonna get sick! You don’t have a raincoat on!”

“Will you at least watch me?”

“Fine, but I’m bringing my umbrella,” Derek said, getting out of his side of the car.

Derek stood to the side as Spencer danced in the rain, spinning around and swinging his hips. He fell a lot, giggling as he stood back up each time. Derek loved seeing his smile and hearing the sound of his laugh was something that could only be described as enchanting.

“Camille and I used to come here all the time for picnics, and we’ve danced together just like this!” Spencer yelled over the now pouring rain.

Thunder began to crash in the sky.

“Alright, Spencer, this has been fun, but I think we need to go now!” Derek said, reaching an arm out to him.

“Aw, okay,” Spencer sighed, taking Derek’s extended hand.

In one swift motion Spender pulled Derek so hard he dropped the umbrella and the two started to dance together. Spencer led the two, smiling brightly even in the cloudy skies. Though Derek wouldn’t admit it, in this moment he was having fun. He was enjoying getting soaked in the cool, wet drops of rain that his mother so desperately warned him of. Eventually, Spencer stepped back into a puddle and slipped to the ground, taking Derek with him. They both smiled and laughed as more thunder made itself known.

The moment was interrupted by Derek’s cell ringing in his pocket. He took it and held it up to his ear.

“Hotch, what’s going on?”

“I’m still out with Spencer, why?”

“What do you mean there’s a new body?”

TAGLIST: @heavenlydevil @hotpotatowoman @party-poisxn @endingsbeginnings @d3pr3ss3d-w33d-wh0re @marko-fanclub @moss0ntherocks @scandinavian-punk @doctorenby @penemily @izzyl13 @leomo0n @tiedyedrose1705

#moreid #pluto writes #beating the dead swan #moreid fanfiction #spencer reid x derek morg #spencer reid #derek morgan #penelope garcia #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfiction #fanfiction #moreid fic #derek morgan x spencer reid #userpenemily #useryoshi

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beelsnack · 4 years ago

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Hi! I love your blog❣ Can I request a brother + undatables ( if you do that) reaction with a very obedient mc? Like they do everything they've been asking and stuff? Thank you in advance!❣❣

Aw, thanks a bunch, Nonnie! This will be a good test for me, since I usually end up writing snarky characters who fight authority. I hope you like it!

I’m going to stick this under a cut because it, uh, got away from me a little bit. I didn’t even do all of the undateables and I was over 3k. ^^”

Lucifer: “I’m sorry to keep piling tasks on you.”

With a grunt, the human set the heavy stack of books down on the table in Lucifer’s study. “It’s alright, I don’t mind.”

Lucifer let his professional mask slip for just a second to smile warmly at them. “If only my brothers were as agreeable as you.”

“At least they provide entertainment.” they laughed. “What are all these books, anyway?”

“Old spell books,” he removed the top book off of the stack, unleashing a cloud of dust that sent the human into a coughing fit. “In desperate need of some maintenance.”

“That sounds more like Satan’s territory.” they rasped as the couching subsided.

“It usually is, but I don’t need to give him any more ideas for his curses.” despite his words, there was a glint of fond humor is his eyes. “If you aren’t busy, could you give me a hand with these?”

“Sure!” they took a seat in the armchair across from Lucifer. “I’ve been studying all day, so I ind of need a break.”

“Oh? An dutiful helper and a diligent student?” he hummed, smoothing out the crease of a page that had been marked with a dog-ear. “I may just have to reward you.”

“What kind of reward?”

“Hm...” he pinned them with a heavily-lidded stare. “Anything you want. What kind of reward do you desire?”

“...Ice cream!”

Lucifer couldn’t hold back his surprised snort before he quickly devolved into laughter. “My, but you do know how to surprise me, my dear. Very well, a trip to Madam Scream’s as a reward, then.”

Mammon: They looked really tired.

“Come on, it’ll be fun! Promise!” Asmo was tugging insistently on their sleeve like a child begging for their parent’s attention. “You’ve never been to a club like the Fall, I guarantee it. It’s the perfect place to get up to something naughty ~”

Alright, that’s it.

“Oi, Asmo!” Mammon rounded on the other demon. “Quit trying to drag the human along with your gross BS!”

“Oh, but it’s fine when you do it?” Asmo shot back, amber eyes narrowing. “At least I’m not conning people out of cash.”

“Whatever!” Mammon grabbed onto the human’s upper arm, shaking Asmo’s hands off of their sleeve. “Come on, human, I need you to help me with somethin’.”

“Whoa, okay, um...maybe next time Asmo.” they managed to get out before Mammon dragged them into his room and slammed the door.

He was muttering under his breath so quickly and quietly that the human could just barely make out a few phrases. “...fuckin’ Asmo...advantage of...where does he get off...”

“Uh, Mammon?” they asked hesitantly. “You said you needed my help with something?”

“Huh?” he whipped around, looking slightly startled. “Oh. Nah, I was just sayin’ that so Asmo would let you go.”

They blinked, tilting their head like a puppy. “Why would you do that?”

“Come on, human, don’t lie to me,” he rolled his eyes, hands on hips. “You don’t want to go clubbing after spending the day running around like Lucifer’s little servant, do ya? You look like you’re about ready to pass out.”

Instinctively, their hand shot up to beneath their eyes, where there were some pretty prominent bags. “...Do I look that bad?”

Mammon flinched. “No! That’s not - I didn’t mean - ya look tired!” he scratched at the back of his neck. “It’ll look bad on me if you keel over from exhaustion, and since you can’t seem to say no to anyone, I’m gonna have to do it for you!”

For a moment, they just stared at him. Then, slowly, a big grin spread across their face and they stepped forward to wrap their arms around his middle. They only came up to his collarbone, and he was suddenly very aware of this fact.

“Thank you, Mammon.”

“F-For what?”

They laughed, squeezing him a little bit tighter. “For looking out for me.”

He stilled for a moment before resting his chin on top of their head and returning the hug. “’S my job, ain’t it?”

Leviathan: Knock-knock-knock.

“What’s the password?”

“I’ve got your Akuzon order.”

Levi practically ripped his door off of the hinges as he flung it open. “Yes! Thank you, thank you, omg!” he was already ripping the box open, leaving the door open in his excitement.

“What did you get?” the human asked, poking their head in the doorway.

“The anime adaptation for I’m A Human Who Accidentally Enrolled In A University For Monsters But They’re The Only School That Has My Major So I Guess I’ll Stick It Out! Anime based off of dating sims usually aren’t that great, but I loved the game so much!”

They laughed. “We played it together, remember? We had that big debate on the order we should do the routes.”

“Right, yeah, we did!” Levi paused for a moment, looking down at the cover, and then back up at the human with a slightly blush on his cheeks. “Hey, um…since you went and picked it up for me, and, like, you were just as into the game as I was, so…maybe, um, you would want to watch it with me?”

“Really?” they blinked. “You sure?”

“Yeah, marathons are always better with friends.” Levi was already popping the first disk in. “Hey, go get some snacks!”

Satan: “Oh, you’re still working?”

The human glanced down at him from their position at the top of the ladder, smiling sheepishly. “Yeah, it’s taking me a bit longer than I thought.”

Lucifer has asked them to clean the library earlier that day. Well, not just them - Mammon was supposed to help, but he had oh-so-conveniently remembered that he had something else very urgent that he needed to take care of. So, here they were, five hours later.

Honestly, the library wasn’t even that dirty. But it was quite a large room, far too large for a human to clean by themself.

Satan sighed, shaking his head. “Well, it’s a good thing I made a pit stop on the way home, then.” he set down the cardboard drink carrier in his hands. “Come down for a moment, will you?”

“Ah, yeah, just give me a sec.”

Satan heard the slight clattering of wood against wood, and looked up to the the ladder swaying slightly. The human was carefully picking their way down, seemingly painfully aware of the instability.

“Oh, here, I’ve got it.” one hand on the side of the ladder was enough to steady it, and he heard them let out a sigh of relief as they clambered down the rest of the way.

“Thanks, Satan.” they said as their feet touched the ground. “I didn’t realize it was shaking until I was already on it.”

“Mention it to Lucifer, he’ll do something about it.” Satan replied, brushing a bit of dust out of their hair. “Come on, I brought you some coffee.”

They followed him over to the table, and their eyes lit up when they saw the logo on the bag. “Starbats! Yes, thank you so much!”

“Did I get your order right?” he asked, plucking his own drink out of the carrier. “I was pretty sure, but…”

“Perfect, as always.” they beamed. “You’re the best, Satan.”

“Hey, come on, now,” there was a faint blush on his cheeks. “You’re the one who does everything around here. Buying you coffee is the least I can do.”

Asmodeus: “Well? How did it turn out?”

The human stared at their D.D.D, brow furrowed in concentration as they studied the picture they had just taken. Asmo had texted them frantically, telling them to hurry because the light in his room was just perfect for a photoshoot and he needed a full-body shot.

“I mean, it looks good to me, but you’ve nixed every shot I’ve taken so far…”

“Let me see it then,” he hopped up from the chaise lounge that he had elegantly draped himself over. His silk bathrobe just barely covered all of the essential parts, and the human had to make it a point not to stare. Not that Asmo would mind in the slightest, but still.

“This is it, darling, this is the one!” he pressed an affectionate kiss to the side of their head. “You’re a quick learner, I knew it. Text this to me, okay? I’ll tag you on Devilgram, promise!”

“Glad I could help.” they laughed as they began making their way out of Asmo’s room.

“Hm…wait a minute.”

The paused just in front of the door. Maybe there was an issue with the picture after all? They bit at their lip, ready to question Asmo, but he pressed his deceivingly strong hands against their shoulders and shoved gently.

“Go stand by the window for a second…mm, no, not quite, sit down for me…”

Confused, they obeyed his orders. They placed themself on the window seat, one of those fancy three paneled setups with a bench in the middle.

Out of habit, they turned to look out the window. Asmo was right, it was pretty out. The full moon cast a silvery glow over everything, but it was low enough in the lavender sky that it cast long, creepily elegant shadows all over the garden below. The whole landscape just screaming Gothic novel.

For just a moment, they forgot about Asmo and turned fully to gaze out at the scenery. The Devildom was always pretty in a morose sort of way, but very rarely did they get the chance to appreciate it. They shifted to get more comfortable on the window seat, pulling their knee to their chest and wrapping their arms around it while the other foot kept their balance on the floor.

“Perfect!”

When they whipped around in shock, Asmo was grinning victoriously. “Look, look, this is perfect!”

“Did…did you just take a picture of me?”

“Mhm!” Asmo bounded over to their side and handed them his D.D.D. When had he picked it up? His robe didn’t have pockets. Shaking their head, they looked down at the photo.

“...Oh wow…”

“Right?” Asmo cooed. “Don’t you look absolutely stunning? That longing stare, the way you smile, you look like the protagonist in a paranormal romance”

They blinked down at the picture. “Can…you text this to me?”

“Of course, darling.” he said. “Oh, but let me post it to Devilgram, okay? I want everyone to be jealous of me.”

He plucked his phone out of their hands, stealing a quick kiss from their lips.

“Well call this a reward for being good and obeying orders, okay?”

Beelzebub: “Where are we going?”

It was their lunch hour at RAD, but Beel was taking them in the opposite direction. He had asked the human to come with him, but hadn’t explained where they were going. He had just linked their hands together and smiled down at them, saying it was a surprise.

Finally, he pushed open a door that lead to one of the many internal courtyards. Rose bushes scented the air around them, and a stone path led to the middle of the courtyard where a gazebo stood. As they approached, they saw an amazing array of food spread out on a blanket.

“Beel…?”

“My brothers had you running around the whole weekend.” he said, running his thumb over the back of their knuckles. “You were so busy last night you didn’t get to make your lunch for today. So I asked Barbatos to make lunch for us.”

“Aw, Beel!” they wrapped their arms around his middle and squeezed. “You’re so sweet. Thank you for taking care of me.”

“I should be thanking you for taking care of us.” Beel hugged them bag, almost painfully gently so as not to squish them. “My brothers don’t appreciate you nearly as much as they should.”

“It’s fine, Beel, I don’t mind it.”

“I do, though.”

They backed away from the hug a little to look up at Beel, brows furrowed. They were about to say something, but, as usual, the moment was interrupted by a growl from his stomach. The confused expression broke into a grin, and they rejoined their hands, tugging him forward. “Come on, let’s eat.”

Belphegor: Finally, they were alone.

It was rare that Belphegor got to spend any alone time with the human. It almost made him miss being hidden away in the attic, if only for the privacy. But, today was apparently his lucky day, because when he had finally managed to drag himself out of bed, he stumbled - quite literally, he was struggling to keep both eyes open - into the human on their way back to their room.

“I mean, I’m going to be studying, but if you want to come over, you can.”

“You say that like I’m not going to be sleeping.”

They laughed, eyes crinkling at the corners. He really liked their laugh, especially when it was genuine.

He was almost home free. They had just made it up the stairs when -

“There you are!”

…Damn it.

“Oh, hey Asmo.” they greeted the other demon, smiling at him. “What’s up?”

“I left my makeup bag at RAD!” Asmo wailed like someone had just kicked his pet hell hound. “I have a date tonight, and I need to get in the bath, which you know is a solid two hour process. Do you think you could be a dear and run and grab it for me?”

The human was going to agree. Belphie could see it in their eyes. They didn’t want to, clearly, but that naturally agreeable disposition usually won out in these scenarios.

“Go get it yourself, Asmo.” he drawled, draping himself over their shoulder. “You’re a grown demon, aren’t you?”

“But - “

Belphegor straightened up from his perpetual slouch, one hand remaining on the human’s shoulder while he shouldered his way past Asmo. His shrieks of irritation were abruptly cut off when Belphie slammed the door to the human’s room behind him.

“What was that for, Belphie?” the human asked.

“You were going to do it.” he shrugged. “Even though you didn’t want to.”

“Well…”

Belphie made his way over to the bed, flopping down on his side with an oh-so-graceful thwump. “I don’t understand you sometimes.”

“I don’t understand me sometimes either.” they sighed, folding their arms. “It’s like, I feel guilty for saying no even if I’m perfectly within my rights. I don’t know why.”

“Eh…” Belphie hummed, sitting up a little bit. “Well, since you can’t seem to say no, I might as well take advantage of that.”

They recoiled a little bit at the wording, but he continued, opening his arms. “Let me cuddle you.”

For a moment, they were silent, and Belphie worried he might have put his foot in it. But, slowly, a smile tugged at their lips, and they clambered into bed with him. With a soft, contented sigh, they snuggled against his chest.

“It’s about time someone else took care of you, you know?”

Diavolo: “Lucifer needs to stop making you deliver his reports for him.”

The human laughed as they handed Diavolo they manila folder containing Lucifer’s paperwork. “I don’t mind it. The scenery at the castle is amazing to look at, it gives me an excuse to walk around a little bit.”

Diavolo grinned down at them. “Always so positive! You truly do brighten the room, my dear.” his molten gold eyes shined with a bit of mischief as he extended an arm to them. “Shall I make the trip worth your while? If you love the scenery near the entrance, you’ll be absolutely enchanted with everything else.”

“Oh,” their eyes widened slightly. “Is that alright?”

“Of course,” he beamed when they hesitantly linked their arm through his. “Honestly, you have enough on your plate without Lucifer using you as a mule.”

“I told you, Lord Diavolo, I don’t mind it.”

“I’m sure you don’t,” he replied, leading the two of them through a door that lead to a courtyard with a rose maze. “But I didn’t bring you here to be a servant. It’s unworthy of him to take advantage of your agreeable nature, even if he doesn’t realize he’s doing it.”

“I mean…” they glanced around the courtyard, avoiding Diavolo’s painfully earnest eyes. “The brothers let me stay at the House of Lamentation, so helping out wherever I can is the least I can do, isn’t it?”

“It’s not like you’re intruding.” there was a hint of laughter in Diavolo’s voice as he expertly guided the two of them through the maze. “You were deposited here with nothing but the clothes on your back, the fact that you’re thinking about paying them back is astonishing.”

He paused. They had reached the center of the maze, stopping just beneath a great stone statue of what the human assumed was a previous king, or maybe even the current one. Diavolo turned to face them and took their hand in his large one, bringing their knuckles to his lips while never breaking eye contact.

“It’s one of the many things I find so charming about you.”

#shall we date obey me #obey me #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me levi #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me asmo #obey me beelzebub #obey me beel #obey me belphegor #obey me belphie #obey me diavolo

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sandersstudies · 4 years ago

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Espresso-ly for You - Chapter Two

I liiiiiive! Or at least, my writing does. Like I said, I can’t and won’t promise regular updates on this one, but the sweet sweet coffeeshop AU will never let me go for sure.

Chapter One Here

***

“Hey there, long time no see!” Janus said over the top of his mug. It was the one he brought from home, with a snake for a handle.

“I saw you on Sunday,” Virgil said, slouching his backpack off his shoulder to store in the employee cupboard.

“Yeah, but so much has happened since then,” Janus said, and then sipped his drink loudly. “Did Logan tell you about the birds that were fighting outside on Tuesday?”

“No.”

“See, of course he didn’t, he doesn’t care about the fun stuff. God, you look exhausted, let me get you a pick-me-up, you raccoon.” He began to measure a shot of espresso.

“I’ve already been drinking way too much soda to stay awake,” Virgil said.

“I’m not giving you soda, am I?” Janus asked, turning on the steam wand. “I’m giving you sweet bean juice, it will give you things no other drink can.” The shots pulling from the espresso machine dripped like warm honey, and Virgil had to admit they looked enticing. Janus was the most skilled barista in the cafe, going to local barista competitions three years in a row, and making it to the final round the last two years.

“One of the benefits of working here is all the free coffee you want,” Janus said. “Might as well take advantage of it.” He’d barely looked at the machine while preparing the milk and espresso, but now, with a few seconds of intense focus, he guided his pitcher across the surface of the crema to create a delicate rosetta. “There, my nicest flat white of the day, all for you.”

Virgil took the cup and sipped. Perfect, creamy foam.

Janus picked up his own cup and slurped the last of the coffee inside. “Well, better prepare for the lunchtime rush,” he said, checking his watch. “How was it yesterday?”

“Not too bad.”

“If you want to run register and food the first hour, I’ll run bar and then we can switch,” Janus said, reaching behind himself to tighten his apron strings. “If it slows down I’ll do a restock but I think we should be fine.”

Janus had been the first barista to push Virgil to run the espresso machine solo. When the morning or lunch rush came and there was a line out the door, Janus would watch and speak encouragingly, but never step in to rescue him the way Logan did.

“See these two cups?” Janus had said one day when Virgil could barely hold a milk pitcher without shaking. “These two drinks are the only ones you need to worry about right now. All those other drinks, all those other people, they don’t exist to you. It doesn’t matter if there are three drinks or thirty drinks waiting, you’re always working on these two drinks, and two drinks only.”

Eventually Virgil learned how to fall into a rhythm where he prepped one shot as another one pulled, poured one milk as another one steamed. Janus would flit back and forth from the register to the hand-off, confidently ringing in and handing out drinks as Virgil’s hands shook too hard to stop cups from spilling.

“You don’t need me,” Janus had said. “Someday you’re gonna be stuck up to your elbows in cappuccinos and I’m not going to be here, and you’ll have to haul them out of yourself. If I rescue you now, you won’t be able to do it then.”

Virgil had burned with frustration that Janus wouldn’t help him. But when the line dwindled, Virgil found himself reaching for the next cup in line, and it wasn’t there. He’d done it, he’d seen only two drinks in front of him and had conquered a breakfast rush. The customers had become a blur, and he’d honed in on more lattes and macchiatos than he could count.

“The next challenge,” Janus had said as they shared coffee in the following lull. “Is to bring the customers into focus too. Two things matter in coffeeshops, the coffee, and the people. You can’t let either one distract from the other.”

“You want me to do all that and small talk?”

“It gets easier with time.”

The retrospect that proved Janus right didn’t help Virgil to not feel aghast at the suggestion. It was easy to envy Janus’ ease around customers, asking Wendy how her radishes were doing as he poured her coffee, telling jokes to kids, and showing them the swan he’d drawn in their father’s latte.

Virgil tied his apron and went to the front register. He ran his fingers over the screen. Pretending to type up a long order was his key both to eavesdropping and to looking busy, especially if he furrowed his brow just enough to look focused. Whenever a particularly angry customer started to complain at the other end of the counter, here Virgil would be, tapping like he was crafting a novel and not hitting the button for “doppio” a dozen times in a row. Meanwhile Janus, usually, would be the one at the end, silver-tongued and composed, listening with raised eyebrows and a soft smile. He’d turn around only when the cafe was empty to say “could you believe that jerk?”

A gaggle of college girls in matching volleyball t-shirts approached, and Virgil glanced at Janus, who cracked his knuckles dramatically. “May the coffee gods guide me,” he said as the bell on the door jangled merrily.

“Hi, what can I get for you?”

“Large iced vanilla soy latte.”

“Medium blended caramel coffee, extra caramel, whipped cream.”

“Small almond latte.”

And so on down the line. Janus remained unfazed, continuing to greet other customers who braved entering the store despite the line. He called out every drink he made and made eye contact with each girl who picked hers up, even (Virgil thought he saw) winking a couple times. The hum of the espresso machine and hiss of the steam wand filled the cafe, singing along to the piano playing over the speakers. Was this Logan’s playlist?

The line didn’t end, after that. The girls cleared and were replaced by tides of office workers in pressed clothes from the smattering of office buildings that hemmed in the coffee shop on all sides. Friendly receptionists and personal assistants were a favorite of Virgil’s, and were perhaps the only ones who called him by endearments that didn’t feel horribly awkward. Most of them tipped well.

The cafe chairs filled up, representing casual business talks, friendly meet-ups, and solitary breaks from long days. All the grind-never-stop types had the coffee to-go, and those taking a quick respite adored the cafe’s “for here” cups. Virgil liked to watch for the people who perked up or relaxed with their first sip. One of the personal assistants from the building across the street (Virgil thought her name was Jackie) put her cappuccino to her lips and leaned back into her chair, the tension around her eyes softening.

A moment came where a couple of middle-aged women paused to examine the menu, and Janus appeared as if by magic at the register.

“Tag team, let’s go! Your turn on the bar, kid.”

Virgil moved to the espresso machine. Janus had not only finished the drinks in front of him, but wiped down the counter and machine to leave Virgil the perfect surface to begin again. The middle-aged women put in their orders, and Virgil felt like his vision zoomed in as he began the two drinks in front of him, and the two after that, and the two-

He was getting better at this now, even managed a croaked “hello,” to most of the customers who walked in the door, and a “thank you” as they took their drinks. He let the steam wand run a few extra seconds to feel the warmth bead on his face every time he started to get anxious.

The lunch rush came to its merciful end, and Virgil took his break to chew a PB&J sandwich before Janus left for the day. As the clock hit two, the elder barista pulled his keys from the cupboard.

“I bid you adieu and an easy close,” he said, twirling his keychain around his hand as he clocked out. The jingle of his keys was followed by the jangle of the door behind him, and Virgil was alone in the cafe.

He brewed fresh coffee - they’d almost run out during the rush, and pause to sweep the floors and wipe down the counters. Running the store for the last three hours before close, and the chance to close the store by himself was both a responsibility and a chance for peace that Virgil appreciated. He liked helping customers, more spread out then before, and in between them finding little things to clean, extra minutes to practice his latte art - damn, how could Janus draw a rosetta so effortlessly? All Virgil’s came out looking like lumps.

He aerated the milk gently, and heard the front bell ting.

“Hey there,” Virgil said without looking up, tilting his pitcher so the foam was perfectly incorporated. He turned the steam wand off and gently groomed the milk to pour. “Sorry, I’ll be right with you.”

The milk texture was almost perfect. He guided his pitcher over the crema and… produced a haphazard rosetta. It was lopsided and a little mangled from Virgil swirling the crema too hard, but it wasn’t one of his worst attempts.

“Hey, that looks pretty good!”

Virgil looked up and felt his ears get hot. Roman was leaning slightly over the bar (oh wow, he was even taller than Virgil had thought), staring at the cup. “Could you do one like that for me?”

Virgil swallowed. “Yeah uh… yeah, sure.” Nevermind that it was much harder to make oat milk froth properly. Virgil grabbed his non-dairy pitcher.

“Oh, could you make it as an large cinnamon-”

“Yeah, I got it.” Oh no, I cut him off. In too deep now. Virgil felt Roman’s gaze on him as he made the latte. The cinnamon-sugar topping made a nice base to draw with, but Virgil didn’t have as much experience with oat and soy, and the rosetta was barely visible as he finished it. Roman stared into the cup.

“Sorry,” Virgil muttered. “Still practicing.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” Roman said, but sounded a bit disappointed. He left a ten on the counter. “Thanks for trying, the extra’s for you.”

He left the cafe, and Virgil watched him vanish down the street, but just before he was out of sight, he put the to-go cup to his lips, and Virgil saw his shoulders relax.

#virgil sanders #roman sanders #prinxiety #janus sanders #sanders sides #tsfic #fanfic #fanfiction #fic

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hailbop1701 · 4 years ago

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25 Days of FicMas

December 10th prompt: Secret Santa

Word count: 1,072

Oh Just open the Damn present

Okay so I wanted to try writing Kennex a bit differently! I want to try a more reserved shy tongue-tied Kennex. I hope you all like it! ❤ And Happy Hanukkah for those who celebrate it!

-H❤🖖

John Kennex stared blankly at the baseball cap that was thrust under his nose. He looked up at Rudy with a raised eyebrow, “What?” he asked and Rudy groaned in frustration. “It’s for the secret Santa!” he said wiggling the cap trying to make it seem enticing. “I think I’ll pass Rudy,” John said placing an index finger on the rim of the cap and gently pushing it away. Rudy made a face that seemed to be a mixture of a pout and the look of sheer annoyance, “Come on Kennex have some holiday spirit! Detective Paul is participating!” he said shoving the cap under John’s nose once more. The detective scowled and was ready to turn Rudy down again but he caught sight of you behind his shoulder walking into the bullpen with your MX. You smiled at Stahl and started to talk to her animatedly about one thing or another; sighing heavily John stuck his hand into the cap and pulled out a name. Without looking at it he shoved the little piece of paper into his pocket. Rudy grinned victoriously and moved on to his next victim Santa hat bobbing behind him. Shaking his head John turned back to his work, “not a word Dorian,” he muttered as the android sat down in an empty chair beside him. The DRN grinned “Aw come on John, I’m sure you didn’t get anyone too horrible,” he said narrowing his eyes at John’s outer thigh. Kennex smacked the android with a tablet, “I thought I told you to stop scanning me!” he hissed making Dorian chuckle. “I wasn’t scanning you, I took a peek at who you have to a secret Santa to,” Dorian said and he looked too pleased with the results John had to look at who he got. Pulling the scrap of paper from his pocket, ‘(Y/N) (Y/L/N)’

Kennex looked up surprised and snapped his head over to you; he sunk down in his chair resting his hand over his eyes with a heavy sigh. “When is the present due?” he groaned without looking at his partner. “Next Friday. You have a week John,” the DRN said with an amused smile. John didn’t hear the sound of footsteps so he jumped when the person said, “Hey guys…” he jumped. Kennex quickly looked up to see you with a hand over your mouth trying and failing not to laugh. “Sorry John. I was wondering if I could get that report from your last case so I can fill my part. I’m glad I could help you two out,” you said with a smile. Kennex gulped mouth suddenly dryer than Dorian’s sense of humor on a bad battery day. He tried to say something but nothing would come out; Dorian grabbed the report from the desk’s first drawer and handed it to you. “Here you go (Y/N),” he said kindly. You gave a confused half-smile, your eyebrows furrowed. “Thanks…”

Once you walked away John groaned and slammed his head down on his desk, “I’m going insane. When did I turn into a lovesick teenager?” he mumbled into his arms. He felt Dorian pat him on the shoulder sympathetically, “be thankful you didn’t talk, remember last time?” he asked with a snicker. John flipped off the DRN cringing at the memory where he dropped his coffee and fumble his words so bad you and he both thought he was having a stroke. “I have no clue what I’m going to do,” he muttered.

After several days John still had no clue what to get you for Christmas and the due date was two days away. Huffing John bit his lip eyeing your desk like it would provide the answers he’s been seeking. Tapping his stylus against his desk repeatedly his eyes zeroed in on the old novel resting on top of your purse, cocking his head to the side John finally smiled. A conversation he overheard between you and Valerie popped into his head; you told Stahl that you collected signed and first edition novels. Tapping the desk twice before tossing the stylus to the side Kennex grabbed his coat and made for the door. John spent the day looking through old dingy book stores; either he didn’t find what he was looking for or the book was the cost of a car. Scowling John checked his phone for the last bookstore in the city; three districts away.

On the day of the gift swap, John nervously played with the ribbon he painstakingly tied to the obvious and brightly colored package. He watched as you handed a present to Rudy with a big smile; the man was surprised and was incredibly pleased with what you had given him. You laughed at something he said and gave him a friendly hug with a “Merry Christmas Rudy,” John glanced at his own present from Valerie; a new self-heating coffee mug so he didn’t have to use Dorian anymore. Smirking at the present John swiped yours from the desk and slowly made his way over to yours. He gently set the gift in front of you took a step back hoping the slight distance would help his ability to form coherent sentences. You looked up from your work with a glimmer in your eyes excited, “wow John you did the secret Santa thing? I didn’t think you were the type,” you snorted. John rolled his eyes “just open the damn present,” he said surprising himself. You laughed and picked up the present you carefully pulled the ribbon so it unraveled, quickly tying the silk into your hair you tore the paper from the gift. Turning the book right side up you grinned happily. There in your hands was a hardcover signed copy of Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz, “how did you know I collected?” you breathed awed by the item in your hands. Kennex shifted, “a uh a little birdie told me,” he mumbled looking away ears turning red at the tips. You jumped up from your seat and pecked him on the cheek; stepping back you looked at the book again ��I don’t - how did you get this? Dean Koontz is expensive!” you exclaimed eyes wide. John chuckled nervously still shocked from the kiss you had given him, “I know a guy,” he said rubbing the back of his neck. He did not in fact know a guy.

Tags:

@thottiewithashotgun

@lauraaan182

@writerdee1701

@dw-writes

@marvelouslytrekking

@spenceneedsahug

#almost human #john kennex #john kennex x reader #Dorian #reader insert #hailey the queen of typos #25 days of ficmas

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let-it-show · 4 years ago

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And Their Hearts Began to Glow

WHEW HERE WE ARE. It’s like, 2 am, but I have a little fic for Anna’s birthday. I wish I could write this lovely little spitfire something incredible, but alas I’ll have to settle for something loaded with fluff and sap. Anna asks Elsa a question, prompted by this line from the graphic novel.

"How did you KNOW?"

Anna rolled on her side and looked at Elsa, eyes full of questions. She was happy, comfy on the thick blanket laid over the grass, and drunk off of delicious wine. The sky above them was clear and full of stars. All that could be heard around them was the crackling sound of the little campfire. Anna was cozily wrapped in a thin pair of black pants and a little light green nightgown. Elsa had decorated it with little icy hearts all along the bottom and a light blue ribbon tied around her waist.

Elsa stared back at her, clad in a simple light blue gown with white, snowy flowers on the chest and in her hair. She smiled as Anna reached for her hand. "What do you mean?"

"Every year you've told me when you first saw me, you loved me. How did you know though!?" Anna repeated, studying her. Elsa was three, how on earth did she know that? When Anna was three, aside from loving her sister she also loved flowers, chocolate, funny hats and sheep. While the love she had for Elsa was different than the other things, she never knew the depth of it. Apparently Elsa sensed differently.

"Oh Anna." Elsa laughed and squeezed her hand, propping herself up on one elbow. "I can't explain I just...knew. I walked into that room with some idea I was meeting someone special. Mother showed you to me and I looked at your face with you sleepy eyes, your cute little nose, I looked at your hands grabbing the blanket and your tiny, tiny feet...." She nudged Anna's foot with her own, bare against feet in little pink slippers.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Everyone loves BABIES. How did you know, how did you know how MUCH you loved me? I wanna hear it from your lips," she said, knocking her own feet against Elsa's.

"Where else would you hear it from?"

"I don't know..." Anna thought hard about that question. She started to say Elsa's tongue or her hips, but she knew where that would go but she was too drunk and giggly to focus on where she might want to kiss or be kissed. "Ummm...your...uh..."

"It-it wasn't that serious a question," Elsa answered with a laugh. She released Anna's hand to poke her nose. "You really want details, huh? Can't you just be content knowing you've always been loved?" she teased. A little breeze cruised through and Anna shivered only slightly in the otherwise warm air. "No! I want to know-I want to know stuff!" she demanded, smacking the blanket for emphasis. "Everything! How'd you still know when we couldn't see each other? When you said hi to me at your coronation party, was it because you knew? Story story story!"

"...." Elsa shook her head and then pulled herself up to a sitting position. She pointed her finger over her own shoulder and made herself a sturdy little ice column to prop her back up against.

"Woah," Anna gasped, lifitng her head from the blanket. "Sometimes I forget you can do that."

Elsa stopped suddenly and gave her an incredulous look. "How!?"

"I dunno. Sometimes I just think about how pretty you are and forget," Anna blurted. That was not at all how she meant to explain herself but she had immediately forgotten what she initially would have said. That have been some strong wine...

Elsa's braided hair did glisten under the moonlight, her features highlighted and her beauty more striking than ever. Anna not only couldn't believe she was in love with someone so beautiful, but that she even KNEW someone so beautiful. Her curves, from her lips to her legs, made Anna melt. A minute ago she had felt silly and then she wanted to run her palms over all that skin.

"-what I'll do with you. Besides, I'll tell you again and again how gorgeous you are," Elsa had been saying.

"Wait, what?" Anna snapped to attention. She's been lost in her thoughts.

"You weren't paying attention at all." Elsa shrugged and laughed, patting her thighs. "Come here."

With a big smile Anna crawled over and flopped down on her back with her head on Elsa's legs. She looked right up at Elsa's flawless face, blue eyes connecting with her own. Anna couldn't think of what to say for a minute and simply hummed when Elsa took her hand and held it on her stomach. Her other hand played in Anna's loose hair. It felt amazing.

"How did I know...how did I know," Elsa mused, watching her for a minute before taking a breath and looking to the stars. "I entered that room and laid eyes on you. Something seemed to take a hold of my heart, but not in a bad way. I remember feeling such warmth inside of me. I remember my fingers tingling, little sprinkles of snow falling from them. I was incredibly happy. That was the main part. I felt like...like some space in me I didn't know existed had been filled with exactly what it needed. This feeling surrounded me and welcomed me, and I welcomed it. All I knew was love."

Anna had been gazing at the sky above them as well when she noticed little fuzzy white flakes forming in the sky below the stars. They sparkled blue, pink and green as they formed little Elsa and baby Anna. "Wow!" Anna whispered. In little Elsa's chest an icy blue diamond began to shine, beating like a heart. So did a light purple one in Anna. Pink sparkly snow sprouted from the light purple diamond and flowed across the small space between the girls before touching Elsa and bursting into a glimmering cloud that surrounded her. Elsa hurried toward baby Anna and when they met...

Elsa pulled her hand from Anna's hair and raised it, palm up. She suddenly made a fist. The sky exploded with multicolored snow above them, falling down around them on their blanket. Behind the snow stars continued to glow brightly against the deep blue sky. Anna wore a big grin as the cool flakes kissed her face. "That feeling has always been there," Elsa continued softly. "Every day spent with you, and even those long years behind the door. I would know you were there even when you were quiet as a mouse," she said.

"Mouses-mice...aren't quiet. They squeak an-ooh. Sorry," Anna sheepishly smiled when Elsa stared at her and lowered her hand back down to her hair.

"Don't be. I love hearing you talk. Those days in my room, it brought me such joy to hear you ramble through the door. Sometimes you got tongue-tied in what you were saying or went off on tangents, or forgot what your point was entirely. I didn't dare laugh but I'd be covering my mouth and trying to control little spirals of ice flowing around the room and glowing pink and purple. I'm sure if my heart could literally glow I'd have blinded by the light you gave it." Elsa continued to look down at her with adoration. "I may not have actually realized what it all meant, but I did know I loved you deeply then."

Anna blinked up at her. "You...I wish I had broken down the door! I would have loved the ice and I would have hugged you so so tight!" Elsa constantly blew her mind with the wonderful things she said and Anna could hardly take it. After speaking she turned her head and tried to hide it in Elsa's stomach. Her face was burning red from a blush and the wine and her head swam with hearts of all the soft icy colors she could think of.

And to think some years ago she had dared think she would always feel lonely, think she was some spare that even her sister wasn't particularly interested in. She was just a princess who existed within the confines of a castle, her only escape the books that filled the library. Even knowing there would be a day when she could meet people, Anna had wondered if anyone would want her company. She had felt so isolated...

"Oh Anna." Elsa's stomach vibrated wonderfully as she giggled down at her and Anna tried to press her face closer to it. She loved hearing her laugh. "When I saw you at my coronation I didn't just want to hug you, I wanted to take you across the dance floor. I wanted to tell you thank you for never giving up on me, wanted to tell you I only loved you more each day. I wanted to tell you everything, but I was so scared."

"Powerful ice spirit, scared of what I might think," Anna murmured against her. It still surprised her.

"Scared too, of hurting you again." Elsa squeezed her hand. "But none of that now. I've answered what you asked me, and I don't want to revisit the fear and pain of being ripped away from you. Just let me spoil you, let me give you this moon and this sky and soon, the sun."

Anna slowly turned her head to look up at Elsa again. "You know you don't have to give me anything. Maybe more wine? But nothing else. Ummm...your presence I mean. So you and wine, but nothing else!" she rambled out, and then stopped and laughed at herself. What the heck was she even saying?

"I give you more wine and I'll soon be carrying you to the tent," Elsa pointed out. "If that's what you'd like however? Anything you ask Anna, anything you ask and I'll give it to you."

That, Anna knew, was the truth. It was the complete truth. Anna could ask for treasure from a far away land and Elsa would prepare herself to track it down for her. Anna could ask for the ocean, and Elsa would summon Nokk to help her wrangle it.

Anna didn't want any of that, though. It all sounded like too much effort and time away from Elsa. She was content playing tag with her through the castle hallways and tickling her when she did catch her. "Anything I ask..." Anna found herself repeating.

"Anything."

"Is there any ice cream cake left?" Anna asked eagerly.

Elsa laughed gently as she brought Anna's hand to her lips for a gentle kiss. "Of course there is. Ice cream cake, wine, and cuddles?" she asked hopefully. "Or you know, whatever you want."

Anna smirked and wiggled her hand free from Elsa's so she could pinch her cheek. "You are so, so cute, I love your cute everything," she told her. It wasn't terribly eloquent. She didn't care. "I'm so lucky that you are so cute." Who would have ever known that the icy queen of Arendelle was such a cuddlemonster? Anna was grateful for it every day.

She was rewarded by a blush from Elsa. "I'm...Anna you..." she faltered and just sighed. "I love your everything too," she finally managed.

Anna giggled then and pet the cheek she had pinched before. Another thought occurred to her. "Before anymore wine, will you make us in the sky again? Can we burst into color again? I want to see it over and over," she said shyly.

She saw Elsa's eyes light up at the request and immediately the snow began to form again. Above them there were two women with diamonds for hearts, and Elsa began to raise her hand once again. "As you wish, my love."

#Elsanna #ficlet #Happy Birthday Anna!#Anna the cutie #Anna and Elsa

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courage-a-word-of-justice · 4 years ago

Text

Fairy Ranmaru 3 - 5 | TWEWY 3 - 5 | HGPC 6 - 12, 22 - 24 | Back Arrow 7

Adding the tag for Fairy Ranmaru, because that's the only anime I have really set for this season.

Fairy Ranmaru 3

· Update: For some reason, I didn’t quite realise he was speaking English the first time and then repeating himself in Japanese. It’s only a very short scene, which is probably how it happened.

· LOL, that one well-timed beam that only vaguely obscured Uruu’s butt…

· If I heard small Uruu right, he calls her okaasama and not okaasan.

· LOL, Asahi (morning) = Yuuhi (evening) beer.

· I wonder what’s up with Houjou? Is he gonna be evil, like (SPOILERS!) the manager in Mahou Shoujo Ore? Why doesn’t Houjou have wings, anyway? Update: Notice the main quintet get rid of the wings in some shots and then conjure them when necessary. It might just be Houjou hasn’t needed his wings yet…

· Hmm…I’ve been thinking about how Japanese HypMic fans buy lots of CDs and merch (crazy amounts, have you seen the shrines???) to do something similar, but their purpose isn’t really to keep their characters’ careers going in as much as it is to further a plotline…so is it really on the same level as this [buying all the photobooks for the sake of helping the relevant celebrity succeed]? I dunno, you decide.

· LOL, conveniently-placed light beams are really terrible this episode.

· …wow. That got…uh…suggestive (?) (I was really shocked when I saw that the first time. How did they manage to get away with that on late-night TV???)

· We went from Madoka Magica -> moe world -> ukiyoe world…what’s next?

· …uh…suggestive? (x2)

· They really like the pot theme, huh…?

· I dunno if that was meant to be poignant that Ranmaru said Uruu was crying on the inside, but…I laughed at it.

HGPC 6

· Wait, so why was Nodoka’s mum unemployed? Was she moving for work? Update: Seems she quit her job because Nodoka was hospitalised.

HGPC 7

· (no notes, sorry!)

HGPC 8

· SKY appears to be “Sukoyaka”. Update: Yep, later you see Chiyu with the track outfit and it says SKYK.

HGPC 9

· (no notes, sorry!)

HGPC 10

· (no notes, sorry!)

Back Arrow 7

· This general with the big beard kinda looks like Archie (from Pokemon).

· Hmm…I think I like Prax already, with the sole exception her Briheight looks rather similar to a palette-swapped Muga.

TWEWY 3

· This song must mean so much more to people who’ve played the game…(The OP, I mean.)

· Shoumetsu…it means “erasure”, technically. Will wait and see if it means more in context.

· Subaru using his normal voice as Beat. I think Ichiro is also his normal voice, or slightly gruffer and/or lower.

· Tower Records, as anime fans know, is an anime/music store. They’re well known for their “no anime, no life” stuff (exhibit A: the HypMic Rhyme Anima version).

· Ooh, Shibuya Marui. Reminds me of the one I saw in Akihabara.

· One of the signs in the back says “Shibuya First Bank”.

· “…1 Days” (sic).

· Why do I seem to recall Neku can only use one of his badge powers as a time…? Where did I learn that from?...I don’t know.

· The final boss defeated in episode 3. There is surely more around the corner…

· Ohhhhhhhh! That’s a big twist!

TWEWY 4

· Parco = this department store chain. Known mostly for P’PARCO shopping centres.

· *opens calculator on computer* The square root of 10814 is 104…Shibuya 104. Update: It’s 109 in real life, but 104 here.

· Are those…crabs? *Crab Rave plays in background*

· The Reapers at the top have cardinal directions in their surnames, but Uzuki doesn’t. That’s because her first name means the 4th month of the calendar. Update: Kariya has the character for “hunter” in his surname, too.

· LOL, Yoshidaya (in the back, a parody of Yoshinoya).

· I wonder, why is Joshua’s power so similar to Neku’s fire pin…?

· Rhyme has “dream” as one of the kanji in her name.

· Kangaroo Noise…(*thinks about HypMic ARB* Not more kangaroos…) (<- kidding)

· Oh no! I read spoilers before this so I knew Beat was going to become a Reaper, but…oh nooooooooo!

HGPC 11

· Exploding dandelion seeds…now that’s novel!

HGPC 12

· Ah, so here’s Batetemoda’s intro…(he’s such a chuuni…)

HGPC 22

· Skipped a bunch of episodes because I saw them already.

· The decision to write “Asumin” without the U is a bit weird, I think, but still a valid one.

HGPC 23

· (no notes, sorry!)

HGPC 24

· (no notes, sorry!)

Fairy Ranmaru 4

· LOL, he (Juka) tossed poor Bakkun…

· LOL, censorship bottles.

· Brass ring. I’d never heard of the term before and I’m an English (kinda-)native speaker. (Technically Cantonese is my first language, but English is my best.)

· Did you see Uruu’s rubber duck?

· Bakkun’s a couch now! Cute!

· …so basically, Juka is a healer. Got it.

· Note how the F is green now…

· I always look away at the kiss scenes. They’re a bit of a waste of time, methinks.

· LOL, the randomly-placed effects and beams over Juka’s bits.

· Oh, Sunflowers. That would explain why Starry Night is Juka’s painting in the OP, like Uruu’s is the Great Wave.

· …and here’s Starry Night now, right on cue.

· JKRM???? (Shouldn’t that be L…?)

TWEWY 5

· The A in “CAT” looked slightly like it had cat ears.

· Wait, if this was with flip phones back in the day, did they still have apps then…? Or was it programs?

· Ooh, orange badge.

· ”Fresh Humburger”, LOL.

Fairy Ranmaru 5

· Note the opening segment has a plain chatreuse background for Ranmaru (aside from a scratched effect, like someone’s rubbed a pencil lead over it), fireworks for Homura, the Wave for Uruu, Starry Night for Juka and…I don’t know what Takara’s is, but it’s bright yellow and has spots on the edges.

· LOL, Bakkun’s use of sauces. If they only eat curry, why do they have tomato sauce and mustard, anyway…?

· I don’t think I ever properly understood what “out to lunch” meant…”temporarily not in command of one's mental faculties.” There you go!

· The sign’s F is gold this time…

· Yeah, around when she said “you bought all my vegetables”, I noticed the boxes said “carrots”, “potatoes” and so on. I didn’t even know “carrot” had kanji until yesterday, believe it or not (and I learnt that from a HypMic fan comic…*sweatdrops* Samatoki hates carrots).

· I dunno why, but men in anime sure seem to be proud of eating meat…

· LOL, weirdly-placed light beams over Takara’s butt. (I don’t know whether to call the staff “cowards” for refusing to showing the full butt or not.)

· Even the money has pots on it! I love how this anime keeps on going with that joke…(lel?)

· As it turns out, fuhen means “unchanging”. Yaochou likewise means “fixed game”, but it’s a pun on the word for “grocer” (八百屋, readyaoya and sharing the first two kanji, hence the English translation of “Fixed Grocer”).

· Oh! I had to think about it a little, but Ruise = Seiru (sale) backwards. (Update: Sort of, there's a line in the middle that has to be covered for with the I.) “Oshida”, I think, is meant to mean “authority”, so to put that with Fuhen would mean something like “eternal authority [over Ruise and her dad, due to their debt]”. Update: You know when the bull gets pushed out of the ring? That’s called oshidashi.

· Hmm? That star badge Takara wears in human form seems to be that yellow thing on his shoulder in fairy form.

· Hmm…come to think of it, “bull” was the name of a type of stock market speculator…What a pun!

· Why does Takara keep licking his lips???

#simulcast commentary #Fairy Ranmaru #Back Arrow #The World Ends With You #Subarashiki Kono Sekai #Healin' Good PreCure #Chesarka watches F-Ran #Chesarka watches TWEWY #Chesarka watches Back Arrow #Chesarka watches HGPC

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alexaplaysgames · 4 years ago

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Rules: Answer 30 questions and tag 20 blogs you are contractually obligated to know better.

Tagged by: @onlyhereforinteractivestories thank you so much this was a blast! 🥰

Tagging: I reallyyyy hate doing this because I don’t want to make anyone feel obligated to do it. So anyone that wants to do it, do it and tag me please!

Name/Nickname: You can call me Alexa or Alex, I don’t really mind which.

Gender: Female

Starsign: Aries ♈️ 🔥 I think I’m a Gemini moon sign or sum but I’m bad with astrology.

Height: 5’0 welcome to Whoville y’all! Haters can’t bother me cause I can’t see em.

Time: it’s 9:43 AM as I’m writing this.

Birthday: April 17th

Favourite Bands and Favourite Solo Artists (combined): Listen, I’m honestly not a huge music fan. This list would include: a wack of rock bands my middle-aged father likes, a whole bunch of French-Canadian artists no one has heard of, and the people that write Disney songs. I also really like Michael Jackson, The Bee Gees, Mika, Led Zeppelin. It’s a weird list.

Song Stuck in my Head: Well now it’s Beat It by MJ because I had to think about him. But before that, the House MD theme song. I have problems with a capital Need to Get Some Help.

Last Movie: I watched The First Purge with a friend it left me scarred... The world is fucked up man.

Last Show: The Queen’s Gambit and Beth Harmon can step on me please.

When did you create this blog?: uh... like a few months ago? Idk? For quite a while I did nothing on it. Just stalked people harder than Joe Goldberg.

What do I Post: Garbage, honestly. Tbh, it’s just like everything that goes on in my mess of a brain. It’s really unorganized in here fam. I probably should’ve made seperate accounts with the number of fandoms, but I am lazy. So, like my bio says: everything interactive fiction.

Last Thing I Googled: Other than school related stuff (which is boring), The Wayhaven Chronicles fics on AO3. I obsessively read fanfiction- it’s unhealthy.

Following: 102 (let me love you my pretties)

Followers: 91 and they are all my children so my mother can’t ever ask me why I never gave her grandkids.

Do I Get Asks: Not really, but tbh I wouldn’t ask me questions either. My parents don’t call me a disappointment for nothing.

Why I Chose my URL: Honestly? I was planning to change it and just wanted something that worked. Do you know how many users with Alexa in the name there are? A lot, apparently. Too many. I’ll have to kill them all to become the only one. I’ll probably choose a new one until then.

Average Hours of Sleep: I actually sleep quite a bit, somewhere between 6-8 hours per night which is healthy, so wow! I guess I have accomplished something in my life. Although I am a uni student, this term just started so it’s pretty chill. But it probably won’t last for long.

Lucky number: 6! It was my soccer jersey number for a long time.

Instruments: Look... I’m a band kid. The only instrument I can actually 100% play is the euphonium. It’s not a pretty instrument; it sounds equivalent to a tortured elephant. Don’t bother looking it up, I promise you it’s not cool. But I did take guitar lessons. I just sucked.

What I’m Wearing: literally a t-shirt with a huge ass picture of Rupert Grint’s face on it that just says Ron in a font that looks vaguely threatening. I got it from my cousin. Other than that, Roots sweatpants.

Dream Job: I’m currently pre-vet so it would be nice to actually follow that through! We’ll see how that goes though. Sounds like a lot of commitment.

Dream Trip: I would love to visit Australia or Japan! They both sound really neat. Also, random fact: did y’all know Chris Hemsworth lives in Australia? That’s... an odd coincidence.

Last Book I Read: In reality, it would be an IF book (Supernatural in New York, precisely) but in terms of an actual novel? The Hobbit. Actually no, it would be my Biology textbook but that’s boring. I’m a cool kid.

Favourite Food: I really love pasta. Like crazy obsession amount of love for any kind of pasta. I’m not even remotely Italian. Give me those carbs.

Nationality: Canadian! 🇨🇦 and I find Canadian stereotypes hilarious. I often laugh over them while drinking maple syrup and riding my pet polar bear.

Favourite Song: Once again, I’m not a huge fan of music. So I’ll put the song I’m listening to right now: Golden by Harry Styles. I didn’t even know the name of the song until I looked it up. I’m sorry.

Top Three Fictional Universes: The Percy Jackson universe has been one of my favourites since forever. I also love Middle Earth, the setting of Lord of the Rings (I sound so basic). Lastly, the MCU! I’m a huge superhero fan :) it would be cool to be a superhero but I’d probably die in 0.02 seconds :/

#about me!#thanks so much for this!#long post

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yiling · 4 years ago

Note

Give us a 3 for general, a 5 for ships, a 3 for story, and a 5 for fic!

Okay, 3-5-3-5 it is!

3. Manhua, donghua, novel, live-action, or audio drama?

Ah, I’m one of those plebs who didn’t know anything about the genre until CQL got big. I’ve read bits and pieces of the novel mostly for point of comparison, but I’ve yet to sit down and read it the whole way through. I’ve also made an attempt at watching the donghua but I...really don’t like the art style OTL

5. Platonic OTPs/BROTPs? Rarepairs? OT3+s?

Wow this question encompasses a lot. Here goes:

-Platonic OTPs: I love Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing’s relationship and while I’m not actually adverse to it as a romantic pairing, I’m way more interested in them as friends and allies and partners in crime, the bonds of loyalty and debt between them. (The words “thank you and I’m sorry” still crush my heart tbqh)

I also am really curious about Lan Sizhui and Wen Ning’s post canon relationship! I think there’s some really interesting stuff you could explore with their familial connection. Them traveling together feels so right and I’m really glad that’s where canon leaves them. I’m mad that their spinoff movie apparently sucked lol

Others: The Yunmeng Siblings in all their dysfunction. Whatever the hell was going on between Meng Yao and Nie Huaisang. Xiao Xingchen and A-Qing. The WWX+JC+NHS one brain cell trio. All the juniors’ friendships.

-Rarepairs: HAHA TOO MANY. The niche rarepairs in this fandom are top quality. I’ve been making noise about Xue Yang/Wei Wuxian recently because I still cannot believe that it’s a rarepair! Like, Xue Yang is flirting with everything in him in every scene they have in CQL, and the fact that they’re narrative parallels with each other is like...*chef’s kiss*. The fandom should be all over that shit

By far my rarest rarepair, though, is Wei Wuxian/Xiao Xingchen. There are three works on the archive for it, and two are in languages I don’t speak :’’’)))). I’d be fine with this one as a platonic pairing too tbh? But I just think they’d be sweet together. @veilchenjaeger wrote this banging post about why they’d get along really well and I’m quietly appropriating it as a ship manifesto.

Others: Jiggy/Xue Yang, WWX/NHS, Song Lan/Wen Ning, SL/LXC, LWJ/Jiang Cheng but it sucks and they don’t like each other, WQ/WWX sometimes, WQ/JYL

-OT3+: You should know this because I never shut up about it, but I fucking love Songxuexiao in all their component pairings and especially as a threesome. They’re just really screwed up and awful and fun, and I love seeing people in the fandom either find new ways for them to ruin each other, or wonderfully, impossibly finagle ways for them all to end up together and happy.

I was also running my mouth about it earlier, but I’m fascinated by the idea of a Songxiao+Wangxian foursome. It would be very poignant and poetic and also really hot. This is something I’m a little surprised isn’t more popular, especially in CQL where they all get to meet while everyone is alive, but foursomes are hard to write lmao, too many limbs to coordinate

Others: 3zun. Wangningxian. LWJ/MXY/WWX.

3. You can bring one character back to life, but you must pick someone else to die in their place. Would you do it? How would this affect the story?

Man this one is ambiguous. Can I pick someone who already dies during the plot, or does it have to be someone who lives? I’d definitely do it, mostly because I think certain characters got...really shafted, so here’s some thoughts.

Going with a strict interpretation of “die in their place”, as in, “literally dies where the other character does”, I would uh. Kill Song Lan and have A-Qing be the one who survives Yi City :’’’)))))). Sorry daozhang, but not enough girls live through the plot! It would be sad as hell, but I wouldn’t mind it if the implication is that Songxiao are together in death, and I really love the idea of A-Qing as a sentient fierce corpse tagging along with the juniors. (There is an excellent fic with this premise). A-Qing is the most human of the Yi City characters, and I think she has the best chance to be happy even with all she was put through. I think having her live would be kind of bittersweet and hopeful, honestly.

Here’s an even hotter take: keep Wen Qing alive but kill Wen Yuan. THIS ONE IS ALMOST TOO AWFUL BUT LIKE...idk! The fact that Wen Qing dies is truly some bullshit and I love her relationship with WWX well enough that I’m almost willing to sacrifice poor Sizhui just to see her reaction when he comes back. I’m not 100% on board with this one, because, you know, I really love Sizhui, and I think he has tremendous thematic importance. I think a lot of things wouldn’t work as well without him. But I love Wen Qing a lot, and I really wanna see her live :((((

Look, could I just kill Sect Leader Yao? Then I can resurrect whoever :V

5. Recommend a fanfic!! Can be yours or someone else’s.

Already recced Small Medium Large (3.5k, A-Qing and juniors) up top, but it’s really fun and good, so I’ll rec it again. A-Qing gets to live and terrorize asshole sect leaders, it’s wonderful

Devil on a Bed of Bones (9k, WWX/XY) is a stellar example of my favorite rarepair and you should absolutely read it, it should get more attention! Love some banter interspersed with creeping horror.

(and uh...I’m still pretty proud of pass the time (2.7k, A-Qing and Xue Yang) so you can read that if you like my stuff)

#sorry this took so long i had stuff to do #mdzs #cql #the untamed #mo dao zu shi #mine #asks #anon

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ysalamiri-queen · 5 years ago

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2019 Fic in Review

Inspired by @myevilmouse I’m going to sum up all the writing I’ve been up to the past year. I’m really proud of what I’ve accomplished, and thanks to you all for the encouragement to put my ideas out into the world! This has been a year of trying new things, and really growing as an author I feel… And wow according to AO3 I’ve written about 400k words in the past 12 months, damn. So let’s get to the list, going from the beginning of the year to the end, and as always please heed the tags on these before reading.

Note: As I go back, I’m realizing a lot of the links were messed up or are just straight missing. I am on the Mobile App so things can get messy. Please visit my works page on AO3 HERE to see all of these on my page under JessKo and my other pseuds.

1 Late Night at the Slab

Idea: Filling a prompt for the Thryce server in which some, uh, unique Chiss anatomy was assigned.

Result: A 3-way with Thrawn, Arihnda, and Eli and my first foray into the more Xeno side of things in a Modern AU setting. Yeehaw!

2 The Trouble With Free-Roaming Ysalamiri

Idea: Based on some adorable ysalamiri cuddles art by @strength-through-order I wanted to write some Thranto fluff.

Result: Ysalamiri-filled Thranto fluff X’D

3 Inquisitor’s Debt

Idea: What if the Grand Inquisitor changed sides at the end of Rebels season 1?

Result: Some fun throwbacks with Obi-Wan and Caleb Dume leading up to Quizzy defecting with Ezra.

4 Ancient Stems

Idea: Eli Week drabbles based on the Vanto Week prompts.

Result: A silly buzz droid narrative with Thrawn and some cute slice of life Eli backstory/Ascendancy days bits.

5 Charnsuka

Idea: Kinky stuff with Lord Garmadon when he’s an Anacondrai.

Result: Kinky stuff with Lord Garmadon when he’s an Anacondrai. Sorry Zane!

6 Caged Like Prized Birds

Idea: Again inspired by the awesome Chiss anatomy and Thrux drawings by @strength-through-order , I wanted to craft a narrative around Armitage, as a young man, stumbling upon a clone of Thrawn.

Result: Man, this might just be one of my favorite things I’ve ever written, had so much fun plotting it out and the smut is mmm! Tentacles everywhere~ I’ve gone back to re-read this a lot, I’ll admit it. I hope you all enjoyed it too.

7 Quiet On Set

Idea: Must. Write. Talos.

Result: A cute little platonic x-reader with everyone’s favorite Skrull. This was my first MCU fic too.

8 Diagnostic

Idea: Wanted to apologize to Zane for the damages done in Charnsuka with some Glacier shipping fluff.

Result: A silly glacier thing leading to a bit of foolery. I’m happy with it!

9 Heron Soaring

Idea: A continuation of the plot line from Heron Rising with Kanan and Thrawn.

Result: Too many feels… but some great sex to soften the blow, Kanera too!

10 Patron

Idea: Responding to a tumblr prompt from @wukeskywalker regarding Thrawn commissioning LOADS of artworks of Eli.

Result: More Thranto fluff! I see a trend here…

11 Black Heron

Idea: Kanan x Pryce for @myevilmouse , I think this was our first ‘collaboration’ on something!

Result: Juahir hires a special someone to show Arihnda a good time!

12 Red Heron

Idea: @star-wars-rebels-4 is always an amazing wealth of ideas for Grand Inquisitor, and encouraged a work featuring him and Kanan.

Result: Delicious back alley smut when an undercover Jedi is caught!

13 Warm Homecoming

Idea: Give my and a friend's OCs some cute fluff.

Result: OC fluff and a vacation to Hoth!

14 sowing the seeds

Idea: Add something cute to the spank war project.

Result: Another contender for my ‘favorite thing I’ve ever written’ rank. Two chapters of pining, cooking lessons, and sweet slick smut.

15 Red Frost

Idea: After watching “The Evil of Frankenstein” with @sneakybunyip ‘s amazing movie night group, I wanted to do something fun with Victor and Hans.

Result: A fun little adventure fic with some huddling for warmth to boot. Victor and Hans are the hammer-horror-verse Thranto send tweet.

16 a setting sun to hide the ruins

Idea: What if I tortured Kanan to the point he turned evil and joined the Inquisitors (and went a little insane in the process)

Result: Instead of torture, let’s just use some serum that drives him mad. Perfect. Smut ahoy, pretty much a dead dove type fic.

17 Pinktown

Idea: When browsing abandoned towns in Florida, I came across Flamingo… what if Thrawn had been exiled here instead.

Result: An alternate history of Thrawn’s exile and eventual discovery by the Empire. Huge thanks for @badgerandk on this one for the perfect epilogue and beta.

18 the sun rises to only illuminate the stranger i have become

Idea: Setting sun… part 2! But it’s actually what happens before sun?

Result: How Kanan ended up where he is for ‘a setting sun’... lots of imp smut and again, it's sort of a dead dove style fic.

19 Frozen Over

Idea: Ar’alani x Eli Vanto

Result: Somehow me and my writing partner ended up at sensory deprivation focus on this one.

20 Shape of Honor

Idea: Well, this one started in 2018 but ‘finished’ in 2019. Still working on the epilogue. Lots of tweaks… If you are not familiar, this is my AU in which it explores how the Thrawn novel and Rebels show would be altered if Palpatine distrusted Thrawn from their first meeting and accused him of being a Chiss spy. Vaguely inspired by the film The Shape of Water.

Result: Well it's nearly a novel now, isn’t it. This was a great adventure in learning how to create compelling story arcs. I’m extremely satisfied with how it is shaping (lol) up.

21 Datura Stamonium

Idea: Thrawnbine ovi smut.

Result: Oops it has plot now, a whole backstory with Eli and such and so fourth. Will need further stories told…

22 Desert Entropy

Idea: Luke/Wedge modern AU shenanigans.

Result: Also pulled Nath/Wyl and the Rogue Squad/Alphabet Squad peeps into this. Set in Vegas, Luke and Wedge meet and have a cute little romance, but some legal troubles set them back (Palpatine, as always, is That Bitch™) Very happy ending!

23 The Great Eli and Thrawn Prank War

Idea: See Chapter 1: Mullet Thrawn

Result: This thing really grew up, and thanks to all the contributors for allowing me to join in! My contributions were: 7-Bombs Away! In which a bit of drama brews and Thrawn makes a paint bomb that forces him and Eli back into being roomates. 11-Tooka Troube 2: Electric Boogaloo in which Eli finds his quarters slowly filling up with Tooka plush toys, and then something huge goes off in supply. 17-The Bitch is Back In which who knew Thrawn could sing?!

24 Clipped Wings to Keep Us from Flying

Idea: Continuing the story line from Caged Like Prized Birds

Result: Dragging Eli and the OG Thrawn into this, seeing that their stories were left untold in the first work. Also Armitage and the clone are up to all sorts of cool things. Still a WIP, on the list to keep working on this year!

25 I’ll do what I can.

Idea: Some Ronan/Krennic feels post Treason

Result: A Ronan character study that I really needed to get out of my system and finally a stable alliance between Krennic and Thrawn!

26 Purple Heron

Idea: @punk--kenobi and I concocted some fun Kanan/Zeb/Hera smut featuring Lasat heat cycles.

Result: Ah this came out so cool, full of emotion and wonderful imagery. Massive kudos to @punk--kenobi for beta-ing my portion and contributing some of the best smut one can find!

27 Ninjago Angst Week 2019

Idea: Do some 1-shots for Ninjago Angst Week

Result: ow right in the feels. Each character got a highlight in their own ‘dark retelling of a canon or canon adjacent event’ chapter.

28 Vertigo

Idea: Thing’s don’t go right planetside for Eli, Pik, and Waffle in Treason.

Result: Big oof. I hope Eli can one day forgive me… I even put strain on the end game Thranto! Bittersweet ending and lots of angst.

29 More Than Just a Treat

Idea: What is Obi Wan up to in the desert…

Result: Aunt Beau and baby Luke baked him cookies obviously!

30 Datura Metel

Idea: Continuing the Datura cycle…

Result: Just how Eli ended up where he did in the first installation.

31 Here & Now

Idea: Some Thranto Fluff! For @jewelliffer

Result: A camping trip for shore leave! And a marriage proposal for extra sugar.

32 Monster Under the Bed

Idea: Benevolent Boogeyman Chiss

Result: Modern AU Thranto spooky sillies. Bit of an intense climax but they talk it out!

33 Haunted by Sentiment

Idea: Nath is in denial of being the Squad Dad for @glassprowlers

Result: Nath’s very bad no good oh so terrible day! It's very silly and I really like how it ended up, the title is way more serious than the story itself XD

34 Pulse

Idea: Werewolf AU Lavashipping

Result: Oops Kai is a werewolf! Good thing Cole is here to help him figure out how to press on.

35 Stories from Area 51

Idea: remember the raid Area 51 meme? I do! Gotta clap them alien cheeks!

Result: Oh no it got PLOTTY! Pretty much all of my favorite characters and ships cherry-picked and plopped down into a Men In Black style facility in the middle of the desert. I really have a thing for the desert huh…

36 Good Day

Idea: The “truth” behind the “Good day, Lieutenant Vanto” from Thrawn in Treason.

Result: Oh stars the FEELS! Thrawn is in deep water and he KNOWS IT! GAH!

37 Fur Ball

Idea: Chiss are mogwai/gremlins…

Result: Silly Thranto fluff. Thrass shows up too! Feeding them after midnight is actually a good idea here… Grow your own ideal man!

38 Came Back Haunted

Idea: A mission fic centered around the @peters-pumpkin-day prompts.

Result: Ice planet survival with Tarkin, Krennic, Galen, and Ronan.

39 Sewn Together

Idea: This drawing actually is what lead to the fic-

Result: A fairly unique reuniting of Thrawn and Eli after both return to the Ascendancy.

40 Spiked Heron

Idea: Oh no… Kanan gets himself in deep poodoo this time.

Result: Devaronians really like humans huh? The next chapter is half way written I swear it is coming soon!

41 A Colder Embrace

Idea: Thrawn/Purrgil/Ezra and Luke/Wampa for SW Rare Pairs.

Result: It's very cold on Hoth… and even colder in space.

42 Surround

Idea: Luke/Wedge for SW Rare Pairs

Result: Luke has to confront Wedge post ESB regarding what is, essentially, his deserting the Rebels.

43 What Happens Planetside…

Idea: Eli/Pik/Waffle for SW Rare Pairs

Result: heheh a scrumptious Eli sandwich! And surprise tentacles because, well, why not?

44 Hesperidium

Idea: Fluffy Kylux for the Kylux Secret Santa event

Result: Ah its so sweet you might get a cavity

45 Reanimator

Idea: Lovecraftian eldritch horror Thranto

Result: This is the sort of project that it takes 2 months to fine tune each chapter, so bear with me, but I can promise a wonderful, creepy ride is ahead!

46 Floral

Idea: Luke/Faro for SW Rare Pairs. Enjoy the Jedi lovin’, @myevilmouse

Result: Sex pollen and accidentally defecting from the Empire. Whoops!

47 The Harch

Idea: Bouncing off of THIS art by @mamidlo , we worked together to create this plot. Very much inspired by the Hammer Horror films, such as Dracula and Frankenstein.

Result: A fun and spooky romp of Kallus and Zeb getting trapped in a creepy castle featuring mind controlled drones and a species-obsessed Harch. This was my first time posting the entire story at once, too!

Wow, I can not believe how much has been written this year. Thank you all again for reading and kudos-ing and your amazing comments. I’d not be here without the support and love <3 Cheers to 2020 and much more fic ahead!

#ysalamiri-queen writes #year in review #too many tags XD so im not even goign to try

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poisonivysparks · 5 years ago

Text

Not All Change is Good {Sam Winchester X Reader} Part One

So, this has been my baby for the past couple of months. I’m currently trying to work on a part two, but writer’s block has been hitting me hard lately. If you have any guesses to what the monster is, feel free to message me and I’ll tell you if you’re right!

The apartment was silent. The only noise I could hear was of the neighbors upstairs; The couple always fought, it was annoying when they first moved in, but as the years went on, it was tuned out. The apartment was cramped and nothing seemed to match, but it was home to me and my daughter.

I was a single mother, and sometimes, I struggled to make ends meet for me and my 12-year-old daughter. She still loved me, even if her father, my ex, seemed to have a better home for her. He did everything better than I ever could. He had money, a good job, a new wife who seemed to be much better at being a housewife than I was. It made me feel unworthy compared to her, but one moment with my daughter when she got back was all I needed.

Her freckled face slightly mirrored mine, but her smile was flawless. She didn’t inherit my crooked teeth or my blue eyes, but it all seemed to be alright. She had green eyes and blonde hair, cut short into a pixie cut. I didn’t mind it; she looked quite good, and I was in support of the change.

Her style changed shortly after her hair did, becoming more boyish and gender-neutral. She frequently “stole” some of my clothes, which I didn’t mind. She was much smaller than me by a few sizes, but she enjoyed the look, and if she enjoyed it, I did too.

I felt bad that most of her clothes were from thrift stores or were my old clothes from when I was in high school, and not pregnant. That was a bit hard to find in my closet since my clothes from high school and my clothes from when I was pregnant overlapped a bit. I got pregnant in the last half of my senior year, having Sadie in October. She was an October baby, and it was her absolute favorite month.

Starting in August, she counted down the days until October 1st, and when it came, her face lit up in joy. She got out the big box of Halloween decorations I scrounged together over the years. It was bigger than the box of Christmas ornaments we owned. We had many traditions around Halloween, but Christmas was usually taken over by her father.

When her birthday rolled around, she knew that I couldn’t afford big lavish presents, but when she asked for things, I tried to get them, but sometimes, that was not possible. For her tenth birthday, we ate cake together on the couch and watched her favorite movie. It was one of my favorite of her birthdays that we shared.

Sadie slept peacefully as I got ready for work, rushing around with my uniform on while trying to stay calm and not wake up Sadie until 5 minutes before. I felt bad that I had to take her to work with me, but I was afraid to leave her alone all day while I worked at the diner.

She understood it and always brought a book with her and her music to entertain herself. She loved the obscure horror novels and adult books more than she should have at that age, but I decided to allow her, it kept her happy and entertained.

That morning, I was almost late getting her up “Sadie, honey, we have to go soon, you’re going to have to be even faster than you usually do, I’m sorry. I’m running late, you’ll get breakfast at the diner, I promise,” I told Sadie, shaking her shoulder gently as she groaned, but sat up, going over to her dresser. She always picked out clothes the night before, and I admired her for it. It was one of her little quirks that never ceased to amaze me.

“Mom, you couldn’t have gotten me up earlier? It’s so quiet still,” She said, going into the bathroom to change.

I sighed, “Yes, I know, I’m sorry, I got up late myself, and I had to take the early shift this morning, Diane is sick, so I’m going to be pulling double today. Mr. and Mrs. Peterson are still fighting upstairs too, they never seem to stop fighting. I can try to see if we can afford a different apartment soon, I just, money’s tight right now,” I explained to her, though I didn’t need to, she already knew my situation, and tried not to comment on it.

“Mom, it’s okay, we don't have to move, I like this place, even if it smells like old people sometimes or the hot water takes forever to get hot.” She said from the bathroom, laughing a little bit as she did. It made me happy to hear. Every laugh, smile, and joke made my heart incredibly happy. I loved my child and the fact that she was happy, and laughing made everything that was happening to us feel normal and nice.

Sadie came out of the bathroom, dressed in a baggy t-shirt, a flannel shirt, and jeans. Her hair wasn’t brushed, but it wasn’t too out of place, so I decided not to make her brush it. “Let’s go, hon, I might be late, we have to go. Just pray that the car decides to start. Alex always has to cover for me and it’s embarrassing. I need to bake her some cookies or something someday.” I sighed and grabbed my keys and purse, going out the door while Sadie followed.

We headed to the car, and I quickly went to work, maybe going a bit above the speed limit at times, but I could not be late. I felt bad enough about it all. I rushed into work, going to the back room and clocking in immediately.

Alexis came to the back room as Sadie went to her tiny, two-person booth in the corner with her book and music. “Hey, Ivy, are you taking over for Diane?” She asked.

I nodded and ran my hands through my hair, a bit exasperated. “I have two shifts in a row. I feel bad for Sadie, she’s gotta stay here, and she’s almost finished with her book. She’s going to be bored all day. Maybe-maybe during my lunch break her and I could go down to the thrift store and get her some more books. I would never send her there alone though, I just, I can’t bear anything happening to her, there have been too many murders lately.” I said to my best friend and coworker.

“You don't have to do that, Ivy, I might have something for her, but I mean, no promises.” She said and went into the front. I followed her, grabbing a pitcher full of coffee.

“That means a lot, Alex, thank you,” I said, noticing a nice-looking vehicle drive up. It was black and slick-looking. Somebody took very good care of it, and you could tell.

“Oh, wow, look at those two hotties, you don’t see people like that very often here,” Alex said, chuckling a bit. She was always the one to point out when a hot guy came in.

Both of the men were tall, though one was taller than the other. The taller one had a more serious look on his face, while the other one seemed to be scanning the area. They walked inside, the bell above the door rang as I looked at Alex. “I’ll take it. You can fill up their coffee if you wanna flirt.” She nodded in agreement with my decision.

I smoothed out my apron and uniform before trying to put on my waitress smile for them. After grabbing two menus, I went over to them. They were talking amongst themselves quietly. I smiled and handed them their menus. “Hi, I’m Ivy. I will be your waitress today, if there’s anything I can get you, just let me know. Do you two have any idea what you would like for drinks this morning?” I asked them, trying to look happy and awake.

The blond one gave me a bit of a smile and said, “I'll just have coffee, thank you, uh, Ivy.” He said, his eyes drifting to my chest, where thankfully, for his sake, my name tag was.

“No problem, is there anything I can get for you, sir?” I asked the brown-haired one, brushing my hair back, writing what the blond one wanted on my notepad so I could remember it.

He seemed a bit nervous. “Sam, my name is Sam.” He said, seeming to blurt it out, which I found adorable.

“Well, Hi, Sam, I’m Ivy,” I said. “Is there anything I can get you to drink?” I asked him, glancing over at Sadie to make sure she was alright.

“Uh, yeah, just water, thanks,” he said, and I smiled, closing up my notepad.

“Alright, one of us will be right back with your drinks,” I said and walked away, going over to Alex.

“The blond one wants coffee, and the brown-haired one wants just water,” I told her before going over to Sadie's booth. I sat down, and she took her earbuds out. “Are you hungry? I could get you something now, maybe some orange juice if you want.” I suggested to her as she bookmarked her book.

She nodded, “Yeah, I could eat, but you know that I don’t like orange juice.”

“I know, I just thought that maybe if I offered it, you would try it again, but uh, how about I get you your usual? Two pancakes and two eggs over easy?” I asked, just making sure I had the correct order for her.

“Yeah, thank you, but you should get back to work, get everybody else's order before you get mine,” she said, being as selfless as ever.

“Fine, I’ll be back, I’ll get your order in after these guys,” I said and ruffled up her hair a bit before I left to go up to the two men.

I passed Alex on my way to the table. “Tall one is staring at you,” she whispered as she walked by. It made me blush a bit, but I tried to keep my composure.

“Are you two ready to order?” I asked them, my pen and notepad out.

Sam started, clearing his throat. “I’ll have the veggie omelet and bacon instead of sausage.” He said, and I nodded, writing it all down.

The blond smirked a bit “I’ll just have the special.” He said, his eyes following Alexis. “I’m Dean by the way,” he said, introducing himself.

Sam then spoke up "yeah, say, uh, we came out here to investigate the recent murders. We're agents from uh, a couple of states over, do you happen to know anything about it? The people involved?" He asked me.

I thought about it for a moment. “Well, my neighbor’s husband died, it seemed like some freak accident. He got his hand stuck in the garbage disposal. It sounds like something out of a horror movie, honestly.” I sighed. “I feel bad for my daughter. I don't want her going out anywhere by herself, just in case.” I took a glance over at the booth that Sadie was in.

Sam followed my gaze. “Is that your daughter?” He asked a kind and warm tone laced in his voice.

“Yeah, it is, that’s Sadie. She-she’s a real horror junkie, and she could probably tell you about every monster ever. She’s only twelve and shouldn’t know about that stuff, but she loves it.” I explained, brushing my hair back a bit nervously. “She’s a sweetheart, and I’d do anything for her.”

Dean nodded at what I had said. “That’s sweet, do you raise her alone?” He asked me.

“I, yes, I do somewhat, my ex has her two days a week, and then other days, she’s here with me. I don't think she minds it, but I feel bad for her. Yes, she has a lot of books to read, but nobody wants to stay with their mom all day at her work. I-I’m going to go put in your order now.” I said, feeling embarrassed for telling them so much, but it was nice to unload it on somebody that wasn’t my close friend.

I put Sam and Dean's order into the chef, and then Sadie’s order. I knew it didn’t matter what order I put them in. Sadie’s would come out first, and then Sam and Dean’s. I got the water for my daughter, making sure she stayed hydrated. “Hey, mom?” Sadie waved me over, seeming to want something from me.

I handed her her water and smiled “Yeah, what is it? I have a few minutes.” I said and sat down across from her.

“I-I was thinking that maybe we could talk soon? Like tonight or tomorrow night.” She said, and immediately my heart dropped. I hoped that it wasn’t anything bad, I wasn’t sure how I could handle it exactly.

I nodded “Yeah, yeah, of course, we can, baby, I-I don't want you to feel like you can't talk to me. You always can.” I said and held her hand, wanting her to feel safe and secure with me. “I’m your mother. You know I will never judge you for anything you do,” I told her.

She nodded, a bit of a smile on her face. “I know, mom, you’ve said it before, and I trust you.” She said, which immediately made my heart flutter with pride. She was my child, and she said that she trusted me. It was a moment that I knew I was going to keep in my memories for a long time.

“Okay, well, I’m not sure about tonight, I have to work.” I said and sighed “I’m really sorry, but maybe-maybe we can do it tomorrow night, I won't have to work that night, just morning shift.” I told her, hoping that she wouldn’t change her mind about telling me what she needed to.

“It’s okay, mom, we can talk tomorrow night. I can make dinner.” She said, and I immediately shook my head.

“No, no, baby, I don't want you to do that, you know I like your cooking, but you don't have to do that for me,” I told her, brushing a piece of her hair back.

She nodded and gave a laugh, “yes, mom, I do, I want to,” Sadie said, being firm, so I backed straight off.

“Yeah, okay, you can make dinner, just don’t burn yourself like last time.” I smiled at her even though that was one of the worst experiences of my entire life. Though I’ll admit, I had majorly overreacted.

She laughed a bit. “Mom, it wasn’t that bad, you’re the one who freaked out about it,” She accused, making me shake my head

“Sure, it’s not like-” I was cut off when the cook rang the bell, telling me that the food was done. “I’ll be right back,” I said and got up, walking off and getting the plate of food for my daughter, giving it to her. “Okay, now, eat it up. I’ll get you a grilled cheese later when it’s lunch” I told her before kissing her forehead as the bell rang again.

“Thanks, mom!” she called as I laughed and grabbed the two plates before going over to Sam and Dean’s table. Dean gave Sam and me a look, seeming to motion something to his partner through that.

I put down their plates. “Watch out, the plates may be hot you two,” I told them. “Do you need anything else? Maybe a milkshake or a slice of pie?”

Sam looked over at me. “Um, we were hoping that maybe we could schedule an interview with you here. How, uh, are you free after your shift?” He asked me, while I blushed slightly.

“My shift ends at 7, I have a twelve-hour day today, I'm sorry, but we could do one tomorrow if that works for you two boys,” I suggested. “Though if you wanted to do it tonight, I would be open to that,” I told them, looking over at my daughter and hoping that she wouldn’t mind it. It seemed important and Sadie seemed to understand what I had to do.

Sam nodded, starting to speak, but Dean cut him off. “Sam will be the one interviewing you. I have a couple of other people that we’re going to try to get statements from.” He said, a smug look on his face as if he had just done something.

“Alright, well, you two enjoy your meals, and I will see you tonight, Sam,” I said and started walking away.

“Wait! Ivy, I’ll get a slice of apple pie.” Dean said and I smiled, nodding and grabbing one for him, serving it up and giving it to him.

“Alright, I’ll be back with your guys’ check in a minute,” I said and walked off, going to the register and printing off their receipt. I was a bit nervous with Sam, and I knew it was a crush. I slightly fixed my hair, pulling it up a bit since I thought that I looked better that way. “Here you go, feel free to take your time,” I said, knowing that they probably would, they had books and newspaper articles out. Sam even had a laptop.

“Uh, thank you, Ivy,” he said, looking up from his laptop.

It made me smile “You’re welcome, Sam,” I told him and walked away, going over to Sadie’s booth.

Her book was already closed, and her earbuds weren’t in. “So are you flirting with him? The tall brown-haired guy?” She asked.

My eyes widened in embarrassment, my cheeks turning a light shade of pink. “I, maybe, he’s attractive and they’re both from out of town. They’re investigating the murders and after my shift, Sam, the taller one, he’s going to be the one interviewing me. I think he’s adorable, but I don't think anything would come from it, you don't need to worry,” I said and kissed her cheek, trying to be comforting. I wasn’t sure what she thought of me dating since I hadn’t dated since her father and I had broken up. “There’s no way that a man like that would be interested in your dear ol’ mom anyway,” I told her, trying to convince her that he wasn't. It was something I believed myself. Nobody that attractive would be interested in a single mother like me. I didn't wear makeup or dress nice. I never thought things through properly before I did them, I never was the most punctual, but in the end, I was always trying to be the best I could be for my child.

"Mom, don't say that. I'm sure he'd like you if he met you." She told me, trying to be encouraging, which made me smile. She had wanted me to date somebody for years now, but I was protective over Sadie. I didn't want my new boyfriend to somehow hurt her. It would hurt me deeply if something happened to her, that would be my fault in the end. Sam seemed nice enough, but I doubted that he was interested in something deeper than a surface level.

I shook my head. "I doubt it, but thank you, Sadie," I said, getting up and going to take another person's order.

The day dragged on as I worked. Nothing seemed to go right, but I was thankful that once Sadie finished her book, she found one of the regulars, an old guy named Mr. Taylor. He was a regular customer, and when Sadie was there, they'd talk for hours. I had no idea how he could do it, but he did.

Once the clock hit 7, I took off my apron, hanging it up in my little locker in the backroom. The bell above the door rang, and I rushed into the front, spotting Sam, who looked a bit awkward while standing there.

"Sam, hi, I just clocked out," I told him, getting his attention before pulling him over to a booth that we could share.

He followed "Hey, uh, Ivy." he smiled at me. I looked back at Sadie, hoping that she was alright. She gave me a thumbs-up, embarrassing me a little bit as I waved her off. "So, um, how was your day?" He asked, most likely wanting to make a short conversation before we got into the heavier stuff.

"My day was good, thank you. It was a bit boring, but that's normal for me. My daughter finished her book, but she talked to one of the regulars here, they always talk together, it's sweet." I smiled at him, brushing my hair back in a bit of embarrassment.

He chuckled and gave me an awkward smile. "Yeah, that sounds exciting enough. Um, now about the, uh, murders, did you know the victims well?" he asked me, starting to get into it, which I didn't mind.

I shrugged. "I knew them, but I didn't know them that well. They have a son, and his name is Luke, he's quite the troublemaker," I said. "Cheryl and John never fought. I would know out of everybody since our walls are honestly paper-thin, and they always came into the diner. I, uh, remember the screams though, it was late and Cheryl was working like she always does. It was just Luke and John. I, uh, it was the middle of the night, Sadie was asleep, but I-I heard it. I could hear his screams." I said, taking a deep breath. "It was horrifying, I'm the one who called the police, y'know. Sadie was there, the sirens woke her up. I-I'm just glad they took the body away before she could see it." I ended, thinking about that night. "That's all I remember about it, Luke was in shock, I think, and Cheryl was horrified."

He sighed and we made eye contact. His soft, warm eyes reeled me in. That's when I knew that it was a crush. It was just everything. His hair, his eyes, oh God, those eyes. He just seemed so soft and friendly, but you could tell there was something off. “I’m sorry to hear about your neighbor, Ivy, that sounds horrible,” he said, his voice feeling comforting to me.

I nodded “Yeah, it was, luckily I didn’t see the body. I like horror movies, but I could never see that in person.” A shiver ran down my spine from just the thought of seeing it.

Sam nodded, seeming to understand what I felt with that. “Yeah, I’m sure. Uh, thank you, Ivy. I think this will really help our investigation.” He said, his eyes lingering on me. I didn’t mind it, it was nice to actually have somebody look at me and notice me instead of just writing me off as a random waitress or just a single mom.

“It’s not a problem, Sam,” I said and started to stand up. “Um, I’m sure that you two know where they live if you’re investigating it, if you want to question me more by chance, I’ll be home at three,” I suggested to him, not sure if it was the right thing to do. He could have a wife or kids and not be interested in me.

He seemed a bit embarrassed. “Yeah, I yeah, I’ll drop by, Dean and I were going to go over there tomorrow,” Sam said, standing up as I went to go and get my daughter so that we could leave. Luckily, she was already coming for me, the finished book in her hand.

"Mom, are you done flirting yet?" She asked me, her arms crossed.

I gave her a playful glare so she knew she wasn't seriously in trouble. "Sam, this is my daughter Sadie, she's a bit... outspoken," I said, standing behind her.

He smiled "Uh, hi, Sadie, I'm Sam." He said as my daughter stuck her hand out to shake his.

"Nice to meet you, Sam." She said as he shook her hand. "I guess we'll be seeing more of you around, huh?" Sadie asked, embarrassing me a bit, but I didn't mind, she was still my daughter.

He seemed surprised by her words. "Uh, I suppose, yeah. My partner and I will be in town for a few days." Sam said, looking around.

"Well, Sadie, you ready to go?" I asked her, wanting to get away from the embarrassment, but also sleep.

She nodded "Yeah, let's go." She then grabbed my hand and started pulling me away.

"I'll see you tomorrow!" I said to Sam, walking with my daughter, a bit embarrassed, but leaving anyways, feeling fine about it.

We both got in the car, and I gave a sigh of relief. "So, you think he's hot right?" She asked as I rested my head on the steering wheel.

"Sadie, not now, please. I'm tired, and I want to get home." I said, a little bit annoyed with my daughter as I started up the car, pulling out of the parking lot.

She sighed and leaned back in her chair, turning up the music. The music didn’t annoy me, though I knew most parents would turn it off at the end of a long stressful day.

We got home and were almost immediately in our respective rooms. I was incredibly tired, so I changed into my pajamas, not even bothering to get under the covers. My pajamas were enough warmth for me. Once I set my alarm, I laid my head on my pillow and let sleep take over.

In the morning, I was not woken up by my alarm, but rather a hand that was shaking me awake. “Mommy, I’m hungry.” Said a voice that sounded eerily like my daughter’s.

It seemed a bit off, but I sat up, smiling a little bit. “Well, you’re up early, sweetheart,” I said and got up. Something seemed off with Sadie, she kept staring, her eyes following my every move. “Go get dressed and I’ll make you some eggs,” I said and went to the kitchen. She followed me, though I had told her to get dressed. She usually listened to me with those things, so I didn’t understand what she was doing. “Sadie, go get dressed, you’re going to have to eat fast, I have to go to work.” I sighed, putting my hair up. Something hurt on my neck, but I just interpreted it as me sleeping wrong. I quickly fried up the eggs exactly the way Sadie always liked it. She was only gone for a moment before she came out, fully dressed and ready. What seemed unusual was the fact that she was wearing a dress. She never wore dresses willingly. It was always a nice button-up shirt and a bowtie if she really wanted to get fancy. “Oookay, you look cute today,” I told her and plated up the eggs, putting them on the counter.

She looked up at me with admiration in her eyes. It made my heart absolutely soar. “Thank you, mommy.” She said as I went over to my room, changing into my uniform, and putting my hair up nicely instead of just essentially throwing it up.

Contrary to what I usually did, I put on some makeup, red lipstick, and some mascara. I hoped that Sam would be there, but perhaps they had found another breakfast place to eat. The only other place to eat breakfast was a Denny’s that really wasn’t all too good.

I opened the door and jumped. My daughter stood right outside of the door, looking up at me. “I’m ready to go now.” She said, which was odd. She didn’t have a book in her hands or her music.

I nodded “O-okay, you got it, sweetie.” I said and grabbed my purse and phone before kissing my child’s forehead, and going out the door. I sighed a little bit and got in my car. Sadie climbed into the back seat, which puzzled me. She refused to sit in the back ever since she was eligible to move up in the ranks.

Something seemed off with her. It just didn’t seem right. She was doing things that I hadn't seen her do for a long time. We rode to work in silence, but I took glances back at Sadie every so often. We went inside, and I sat Sadie in her usual spot.

Minutes after we walked into the restaurant, Sam and Dean were sitting down in a booth. I went over to them, a smile on my face. “Hey, guys, it’s nice to see you again,” I said and looked at Sam. Dean looked between us for a second, his eyes narrowed in thought.

“Yeah, uh, it’s nice to see you again too,” Sam said, giving me a good, genuine smile. It felt nice, and I could feel the affection bubbling up.

“Well, what can I get you two?” I asked, taking out my pad of paper and a pen.

Dean looked at me and said “I’ll have a coffee again and the meat-lovers breakfast, thanks” He said.

I wrote it down and then looked at Sam for his order. “I’ll have, uh, the veggie omelet again, and water, thank you, Ivy.” He told me as I wrote it down.

“Alright! I’ll be right back with your drinks.” I told them and turned around. Immediately, they whispered to each other. I heard it but didn’t want to confront them about it. I grabbed the coffeepot and then water, going back over to their table.

I handed Sam his water and then poured Dean his coffee. Sam looked like he was about to say something, but a tap on my shoulder seemed to interrupt him. “Mommy, can we go home? I feel good.” Sadie said to me, which just broke my heart. I never wanted her to be sick or hurting.

“Um, I have to go, I’m sorry, guys. My coworker Alex, she-she’ll um, she’ll probably be serving you guys, but, um, if you want to, you can still come over.” I said and went over to the back, telling the manager that I needed to leave work because Sadie was sick. She understood and let me leave.

We went to the car, and I quickly drove home, knowing that it would be okay for her there. She had been acting strange that day, after all. I was worried as we went inside our apartment. She was rushed into her bed, and I tucked her in. “Sadie, honey, how are you feeling? What hurts?” I asked her, hoping that she wasn’t coming down with the flu.

“My tummy hurts.” She told me, which was a bit odd, she was almost a teenager, she shouldn’t be using that language still. I would never judge her if she did, it just seemed odd to me.

I felt her forehead. She didn’t feel warm, or cold, exactly. She felt just fine. “I’m sorry, honey, you stay in bed, okay? Or we can set you up on the couch, watch movies.” I suggested to her.

“I want to go to the couch, mommy.” She told me, and I nodded.

We spent the rest of the day on the couch, watching movies, though Sadie seemed determined to keep my attention on her. I didn’t mind it until I wanted a few minutes of alone time. I wasn’t sure if Sam was still going to show up or not, but just in case he did, I went into my room and changed into my nicer lounge clothes. I sat on my bed once I was done, thinking of what I should do. I liked him, but he wasn’t from here, which meant that he’d be leaving. I didn’t want just a one and done relationship. At that moment, I decided that if that was what happened, it happened. Sadie would understand. I got up and opened the door. Sadie stood right in front of it, staring up at me. It was creepy and initially made me jump from fright.

“Sadie, honey, go back to the couch, I told you that you weren’t supposed to be up and about,” I said, a hand on my chest as I shooed her back to the living room.

She didn’t move, saying “But I wanted to see you, Mommy. I missed you.”

It was incredibly creepy and unsettling. I didn’t like it. It seemed like either she was playing a joke on me or something was wrong. It scared me, to say the least. She wasn’t one to do things like that. When I thought about it, nothing seemed right. Her behavior was completely off. She hadn’t called me mommy since she was 7 years old, and now she was constantly calling me it. What had happened to my daughter?

#oneshot #one shot #supernatural #supernatural one shot #supernatural x reader #mom reader #Sam Winchester #sam winchester x reader #sam winchester fluff #monster #roughly based on an spn episode #this is my baby please dont hurt her

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winchester90210 · 5 years ago

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The BH 90210 Rewrite. 1x03: Every Dream Has It’s Price Tag

Rewrite Masterlist

Read the previous chapter here!

Chapter Summary: Y/N pays a visit to Brandon at his new job.

Pairing: Patience is a virtue, guys.

Warning: Swearing, feelings, minimal editing

Disclaimer: My work is not to be reposted or edited without my expressed written consent. (Reblogging is fine and encouraged!!)

Word Count: Roughly 2,700

A/N: Third episode is up! It’s a little short this time, but I enjoyed getting into romance novel territory with the descriptions this time. Next episode is a doozy, it’s one of my favorites. The First Time– Brandon’s old girlfriend from Minneapolis pays a visit.

The bell rings as Ms. Rye finishes her lecture,

“Okay, papers due on Monday. Remember, I want you to explore how…one decision, one event can change one’s whole life.”

You and Brenda both shuffle to get your things in order before standing up. She turns to Tiff as she and Kelly walk out of the room.

“Hey, Tiff, that was really funny what you said,”

“Who was trying to be funny?” She responds, mocking tone in her voice. You weren’t sure who Tiff was, exactly. Rumors say she was best friends with Kelly until they had a blowout over some guy and it didn’t end well. You didn’t have the best feeling about her, whoever she is.

“Male, female, root for your school, West Beverly’s team on against Beverly High, no fail! And don’t get lured by that sweet sweet nitro sale s-s-sale sale sale!” Once again, the D.J’s voice calls out, which marks the end of another glamorous day at West Beverly.

You spot Brandon, taking down names and numbers off the corkboard, hair blowing lightly in the breeze.

“You job hunting?” You ask, looking up at the different flyers and ads sprawled out amongst the board.

“Yeah, I’m just doing my bit for car insurance, you know,” He studies the board, writing things down as he goes.

“Anything looking good yet?”

“Well, I got uh, “Garden Graphics, Veggie Heaven Produce, This Town Restaurant.” I think we’re talking slam dunk here, Y/N/N,“ He jokes, tapping his pencil on his notepad.

You laugh, brushing a piece of hair behind your ear. “Hey, if your mom is anything like mine, she’d kill for a discount at Veggie Heaven,” you jest,“I gotta run, I promised Brenda I’d go shopping with her and Kelly. Good luck!” You tap your hand on his arm before walking off.

“Thank, Y/N/N.”

“‘Inverted Nipple Trouble?’ Pass. ‘Are you always attracted to losers? Here’s how to break the cycle,’” Tiff laughs at the magazine in her hand while Kelly searches through the tracks.

“Ugh, here is the cycle,” Kelly groans as she walks past Steve, with David Silver at his side.

“Trust me, dude. They’ll drool over this stuff,” Steve convinces, spraying a little black bottle of cologne on the collar of the much younger boy.

“Aw, finally found someone your own maturity level to play with, Steve?” You tease, joining Brenda at the other set of racks. Steve rolls his eyes and turns away from you.

“Oh, hey Tiff. How is that waterbed?” He smirks, turning back to the gold cologne wall.

“Kelly and Tiffany got nuclear over Steve,” Kelly’s friend gossips. Wow. Steve was the guy that tore them apart? Who would fight over him? Doesn’t exactly sound worth it.

“Details, please!” Brenda leans into her, interest piqued.

“But It was intense fallout. They just started speaking this semester in English class.”

You all grab the things you want to try on, and all five of you scurry into the freshly painted dressing rooms. You find a blue floral mini dress with cropped sleeves. It was so cute. And so two hundred dollars. Bummer.

“Do you really think one event can change your whole life?” Brenda asks, muffled by the white doors of the dressing rooms.

“Sure, like in pretty woman? Sorry Julia Roberts, but I’d wear this on the plane with Richard Gere.” Kelly responds. Such a deep thinker, that girl.

“No, I mean like what Ms. Rye was talking about– one thing you do ruining your entire life… I dont know, forget it.” Brenda continues.

“I don’t know, maybe,” You ponder. Your mind runs through the events of that night at the Bel Age. What would have happened if you stayed? Just being there for 30 more minutes probably would’ve caused you to bang Dylan’s brains out. That couldn’t be a good thing. You barely knew him, for one. You had to handle one confusing crush at a time. I mean, not that your thing with Brandon was really a crush, more of an appreciation… for a friend… that happens to be attractive. You didn’t like him like him.

“Maybe it wasn’t ruined,” Tiff calls out, “Maybe he wanted it that way.”

You change back into your normal clothes, fighting with yourself over the dress. Your parents would kill you if you spent all of your money on one dress. It was a totally cute, show-stopping dress, though. Go for it.

You walk over to the check-out counter with Kelly. You may be smart, but at this very moment you’re feeling weak.

The next morning you trot into english class, setting your bag down with a thud.

“Do you remember, Jake kissed like a wall?” Kelly giggles, practically linked at the hip with Tiff.

“OMG yeah, but he was better than the Lizard remember?” She sticks out her tongue, making a gross slurping noise while she walks to her desk.

You sit at yours, next to Brenda.

Tiff turns to both of you, “Hey!”

“Hey,” You give her a half smile, taking your book out from your bag.

“Hey, cool dress!” Brenda smiles, a nervous tick in her voice.

“Yeah, it’s a kick for sure!” Tiff spins around, posing before sliding into her seat. You notice Kelly roll her eyes in annoyance before sitting down.

“How nice of you to model for us,” Ms. Rye jokes.

“Ms. Rye?” Brenda asks, sneaking over to the teacher, “Um, I was just wondering, who’s more guilty– someone like in Les Mis who didn’t want to steal but had to, or someone who wanted to but didn’t?”

“That’s an interesting moral twister, um, and we’ll get to that,” She’s cut off by the bell, “now.”

You’re lying on your bed, eyes closed, finally getting some wel deserved peace and quiet. Away from all the gossipy peers, drama, and Tiffany. She exhausted you. You feel yourself drifting off to sleep, but the deafening ring of the phone jolts you up. Who could be calling this late? Why?

You sit up and grab your phone, answering it with a groggy “Hello?”

“Did I wake you up? I’m sorry, I can call someone-” You can’t help but smile sleepily at the sound of his voice.

“Brandon?”

“Yeah…listen, can you pick me up? I took the bus to work today and they don’t run this late at night,”

“So… You need a ride? I can do that. This Town?”

“Yeah,”

“See you in 10,” You hang up, frantically fix your hair, and throw on that $200 dress. You tiptoe down the stairs and out the door, not wanting to wake up your parents. Hopping in your brother’s 1990 Red Mustang Covertible, you slowly back out of the driveway and over to the bistro.

You pull into the parking lot, and see Brandon anxiously pacing back and forth, muttering to himself. You step out of the car, the cool nighttime air almost cold enough to leave you shivering.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Brandon Walsh, Beverly Hills’ own Working Girl,” you tease, a smile on your face. He smiles back, pushing the long blue sleeves of his sweater up his arms. “You ready to go?”

“Yeah,”

Your tired eyes meet his own. You get lost in the blue of them, admiring the way the moonlight looks on his face… Until the clearing of a throat shakes you out of your trance. You both silently get in the car, and you pull out of the parking lot.

“How was it?”

“I’m beat, the job’s a total bitch,” He confides.

“Really? It at least pays well, though. Right?”

“You know, that’s what I thought walking in there…but I make next to nothing, and these guys I work with, these– Vietnamese, Portuguese, Israelites, they’re coming here with no money and they’re getting completely exploited. They’re working for pine nuts,” He explains, a frustrated tone in his voice. He’s always looking to make things better for other people, it’s something you picked up on quickly since moving to Beverly Hls. It’s one of the things you quickly grew to love about him… Something that shines brightly in times like these.

“Wow…is there anything you can do?”

He sighs, resting his head against the seat. “I don’t know,”

The streets are totally dead, totally quiet. Peaceful. Only the occasional car comes around every so often. The crickets are loud tonight, though. Filling up the empty space. You see something as you stop at a red light.

“Hey, Bran? What’s that?” You smirk.

You point over to it, a large automobile, stopped at a red light with “Beverly Hills Transit” painted on the side. He looks over, and a smile– a goofy, nervous one, spreads across his face.

He stays quiet for a moment, the smile sticking to his face, shaking his head slightly. “It’s a bus.” You both look at each other and then back at the bus, slowly. You start breaking into a fit of tired giggles. You slowly get Brandon, who’s majorly exhausted from work, going too. So now you’re both sitting at a red light, giggling ike idiots. At a bus. A bus that wasn’t supposed to be there, according to Brandon.

Instead of overthinking the situation, you just drive him home, both of you giddy from exhaustion. You pull into his driveway, putting the car in neutral. This has been a weird night. Fun, but weird.

“Thanks for driving me home,” he says, his voice soft and barely above a whisper. You give him a soft “mhmm,” in return. And, like earlier, you’re staring into his eyes again, and he’s staring into yours. You’re drifting closer and closer…

And then his mom comes out. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” You nod in response, leaning back to your normal sitting position.

“Goodnight, Brandon,” You sigh. Happily, sleepily, defeated.

“Goodnight, Y/N,”

Sunday night came, and you were getting ready to go out to This Town with Dylan for dinner, to go pay Brandon a visit. You had told your parents you were going to study at the library with a friend, which…okay, this time it was a total lie, but you weren’t doing anything illegal. So it’s okay. You apply your red lipstick before heading out the door. You see Dylan in his black Porsche Speedster ,parked down the street. Just far enough to avoid creating suspicion from your parents. Perfect.

“So, was this place any good when you went?” You ask, perusing the menu.

“It was alright. Small portions, fancy plates. Good cumin,”

“Brandon’s been running the entire time we’ve been here, I don’t think I’ve even seen him take a breath,” You chuckle, watching him make his rounds. He was nothing if not a hard worker.

“You really like him, don’t you?” Dylan inquires, watching you watch Brandon.

“Come on, we’ve been over this. Brandon’s one of my best friends,” you insist, setting down your menu. You pause. “Okay. maybe I…I do like him. But I wouldn’t ever act on it. He’s kind of attractive, so what? He’s still my friend.” Brandon makes his way closer to your table.

“Yo, boy!” Dylan gets Brandon’s attention, who’s getting swamped with dishes from other employees.

“Hey!” He calls back, turning around. You admire him in his all-white uniform. It shouldn’t look so good on him, yet you’re breathless.

“'This Town,’” Dylan begins, reading the restaurant’s menu, “'This Town is an eating experience for the morning moments, a medley of sages, cumin bouquets, fragrant vegetable jewels,’” he drops the menu onto the table, then proceeds to drop his head, fake snoring. You and Brandon laugh at his antics, but Brandon’s interrupted by his boss not long after.

“Many people would love your job,” She states, black curls hair-sprayed into place as she moves along.

“Yeah, love that minimum wage,” He remarks, sarcasm rolling off his tongue. An asian man steps beside him, helping him with his work.

“You get minimum wage? Congratulations,”

“Yeah, right, same to you,” Brandon responds, raising his eyebrows.

“None of us do,” The man replies. Brandon cocks his head at that, turning to the man.

“That’s illegal!”

“So? Who’s going to do anything?” His coworker walks back into the kitchen. You see the look on Brandon’s face and you can tell…shit’s about to hit the fan. He stomps over to his boss at the counter.

“Listen–”

“I loathe apologies, make it up to me, Brendon, the cumins need filling,” his boss nags, putting on makeup in a compact mirror.

“It’s Brandon! Brandon Walsh! I’m an investigative reporter for the West Beverly newspaper–”

You watch Brandon rant and rave from your table, not able to quite make out what he’s saying because of the loud music. He starts unbuttoning his white coat while he vents.

“Uh oh…uh oh…Dylan, why is he stripping?” You tap him on the arm frantically to get his attention.

“What, I thought you’d like that,” Dylan jokes, playful grin on his lips.

“Oh, shut up!” You laugh, taking the little ball of paper from your straw and throwing it at his face. “I hate you.” You manage to catch the last bit of the conversation.

“…How you scam your help for under minimum wage! So you can take your cumin, and you can shove it,” Brandon slams his white coat down on the counter, walking back to you guys. Wow. You don’t know whether to be amused, proud, or incredibly turned on. All three?

“Take a load off, Minnesota. ‘Dinner Delectable’ is on me,” Dylan encourages, pulling out a seat for Brandon. You can almost see the adrenaline pumping through his veins.

“Whew, free at last, free at last. Thank god almighty–” he stops the waitress, “Excuse me, can I get a round cup and a round saucer? And I’d like it before the second coming please,” Dylan shakes his head and silently laughs, while your jaw is slightly slack, loving whatever mood Brandon’s in right now. “Come on, let’s get out of here. ”

“Done deal, I know just the place,” all three of you catwalk out.

The Peach Pit

Brandon takes a spoonful of apple pie, “The job wasn’t just to support my car insurance habit,” he tells you. “My dad’s always worked.”

The owner of the diner leans in, both hands on the counter, “He sounds as bonkers as me.” You take a bite of your own pie as he continues, “I was 10 when I worked my first big character part in an old bogie film. There was a real pro with a sweet tooth,”

“Now I know why you dragged me all the way out here,” Brandon turns to Dylan, who’s on the other side of you.

“Best pie in L.A., food for real people,”

“Here’s to real cups and real saucers,” you quip, and all three of you raise your glasses. You look around the diner, pictures upon pictures on the walls, pink wallpaper, and rock and roll music.

“Take it or leave it,” The owner, Nat smiles.

“What I like, is you get a real cross-section of people, you know?” Dylan comments, bringing his tea to his lips.

“This really is a nice place you’ve got here,” You smile fondly.

“Listen, uh, Dylan here has been bugging me about hiring someone to help me out, I figure who would be nuts enough to want this bit? Take you, you look nuts enough,” He faces Brandon, raising his eyebrows.

“Take me!” Brandon exclaims. Oh, those were words you dreamt of hearing come out of this mouth. “I’m nuts enough!” Dammit. He’s so cute.

“I’ll vouch for that,” you giggle.

“Me too, I’ll even waive my commission,” Dylan says.

“So, when do I start?”

“How about right now?” All three of you exchange cheeky smiles.

The night ends after a few slices of pie, some milkshakes, and a curfew that’s about to break.

“Thanks for coming out with me tonight, Y/N/N,” Dylan thanks as you slide into the passengers seat. You smile at him as he pulls out of the diner’s parking lot, and turns down the street, his engine humming and the crickets chirping. You look at him for a moment, lost in your thoughts. You admire him, the night sky, and the fresh, cool, nighttime air. You speak up.

“I don’t want to go home yet,”

Tags: @be-patient-be-good @fangirl-imagines @lilo-1988 @bevelyhills90210

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softhaos · 6 years ago

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PURELY PLATONIC

pairing – joshua hong x reader genre – fluff description – you never expected to find a new friend due to ranting about lee chan. you also never expected to find a dumbass spreading the rumor that you and joshua were suddenly a couple. alternatively, you and joshua are really just friends without benefits but uh, everyone else begs to differ. warning – none word count – 4,774 words author’s note – for once, i’m not writing a crackfic, i think? it came out so much more different than i initially planned (which was basically three months ago sdjjk) either way i hope you enjoy xx

set in the victorious universe | can be read as a standalone

You are going to kill Seokmin. As soon as he fixes the mess, that is. You’d love to end his life right there and then, but his early death wouldn’t solve your wifi issue. There is no plausible explanation on to how Seokmin managed to cause a power outage in your apartment but the fact is: with no electricity available, there’s also no wifi.

Under normal circumstances, you wouldn’t make a big deal out of it. You could go several hours without wifi, that’s not an issue at all.

However, when you have to finish revising your article for the college newspaper and send in the final draft of your work before five in the evening because you value your wellbeing and don’t want Chan bitching at you for approximately a month, it becomes a very big issue. And as much as you like to joke about falling off the stairs, you don’t want to actually die due to Chan latching onto you and expressing his annoyance about your inability to report back in time.

You only have three hours left to edit the word vomit you produced and the next best location where you can work is the Pow Wow café two blocks away from the apartment complex. There really aren’t any downsides to the coffee shop: their coffee is heavenly and the internet connection works just as fine as your own. It’s a genius solution.

What you didn’t calculate into your brilliant masterplan is the peak time at Pow Wow. You realize that the moment you step inside the café.

The interior hits the mark of comfort and zero tackiness. Black and red pillows are lying on the couches and give the place more life besides the pale green and beige accents on the wall. There’s a reason why Pow Wow is pretty much considered the best café on campus grounds. The loud chatters blend in with the Bob Marley song that’s playing in a moderate volume from the speakers and become almost inaudible to you as you scan the place for a free table. The disappointment strikes you hard since all you are met with are unfamiliar faces. Whenever you spot a free seat, either the clutter on the table refrains you from claiming it or the person just returned from their refill back to their clutter. The odds are definitely not in your favor today.

At this point, you’re already dialing Mingyu’s phone number in the hopes that he could pick you up and let you abuse his (very shitty) wifi. Any internet connection suffices, you figure, and if the next best thing is Mingyu’s horrible wifi, you just have to suck it up. Your plan C for everything has always been Mingyu and so far, it has always worked out.

Except for this time, it doesn’t.

“Please leave a message after the–” you don’t bother speaking into the answering machine and slip your phone back into your pocket. Maybe you shouldn’t have expressed your desperate need to behead Seokmin, that’s possibly the reason why the odds are not in your favor at all.

Nonetheless, since you’re already here, you might as well get your hourly dose of caffeine.

“Anything else?” the barista – Minki is his name according to the name tag – asks as he writes your name on the cup before sliding it to his coworker. The overly bright smile that is bound to be a forced one never leaves his lips.

“A good wifi connection and some silence,” you shoot back intuitively.

Startled by the given answer, Minki raises a brow and nods understandingly. “Ah, I wish I could have those privileges too.”

He’s about to add something when one of the other workers call your name, a sign that your order is done. You send him an apologetic, fleeting glance before you scurry off and grab your drink.

Cup in one hand and phone in the other, you’re about to dial pretty much every contact you have in hopes that at least someone would be so kind enough and give you their wifi. You’re almost by the door when you suddenly collide against someone and stagger. But before you end up on the ground facedown, warm hands have a firm grip on your shoulders and prevent you from losing balance. Surprisingly, you don’t spill your coffee or drop your phone.

“Hey, everything okay?”

“Yeah, sorry, I–” your mind goes blank and the words lingering on your tongue are forgotten when you see his face.

“You sure?” he asks again, brows furrowed in worry. His jet black hair is messy from the wind and some strands reach down to his eyes. However, you still recognize him faintly even if his appearance is different than usual.

“You’re Joshua from Professor Ahn’s composing class, aren’t you?” you blurt out and immediately regret sounding so ecstatic. If it weren’t for your both hands that were already holding something, you would’ve clamped your mouth shut. Judging by Joshua’s startled reaction, you might have as well beamed at him.

“Uh…” he chuckles lightheartedly but is still weirded out, “Y/N, we’ve been in the same course since the beginning of the semester, which by the way, started a month ago.”

“I only ever see you with glasses, so excuse me for not recognizing you right away,” you improvise and scrunch up your nose when you brought up the glasses. Technically, you didn’t lie to him. Up until now, you’ve really only met him with specs perched on his nose.

You haven’t talked a lot with him – scratch that, you’ve never exchanged a word with him before. There has never been a reason for you to approach him and even if you wanted to approach him at the end of a lesson, he’d rush out the classroom as fast as the wind. If you’re not mistaken, he’s pretty much the first person to be present before the lesson and the first to leave the lesson.

Joshua seems to believe you and rubs the back of his head. “I really do look different without glasses, huh? But back to the point. You looked awfully stressed just a moment ago.”

“Karma,” you deadpan, “Or long story short: A friend of mine trashed my wifi, he’s fixing it at the moment but I have to submit my article for the newspaper in a few hours unless I want Chan haunting me.”

Joshua feels the pain to well and cringes at the mention of Chan as if you had set off a foul memory of his. “Chan can be… a handful.”

“Tell me something I don’t know. Who does he think he is, running around and acting as if he were God?” at this point, you already lost track of time just ranting about the head editor of the official college newspaper. You must’ve been complaining about your life dilemmas for so long that one guy rudely tells you to not block the way to the exit. That was the incentive for Joshua to pull you away and one moment later, you’re sitting right in front of him.

You’re about to let out all your pent up anger about Seokmin on him when he interrupts with a small smile and hand gesture.

“If you want to rant on, I’ll be glad to lend you an ear. But seeing as it’s five pm in a few hours and you still haven’t sent in the final draft to Chan, I suggest you work on that first.”

“That’s awfully nice of you,” you mumble after a moment of silence. That doesn’t stop you from pulling out your notebook and setting it on the smooth wooden surface.

Your comment triggers a wholehearted chuckle. Joshua slightly tilts his head back but quickly recovers after taking a sip from his refill. “Chan’s wrath? Been there, done that. I wouldn’t even want to have the people I dislike go through that.”

“That bad?” you inquire playfully.

“Think Professor Jang’s wrath but a little less Professor Jang.”

You almost choke.

“That’s it. I really have to pull myself together,” you say monotonously and open your article about this year’s talent admission contest. A quick glance at the clock suffices to get your gears working at lightning speed. You still manage to swallow a frustrated groan when you look at the word vomit and suddenly realize how much editing is really needed for this piece.

You may have successfully refrained your voice from exposing your misery, however, your face speaks for itself. You don’t bother to look up or you refuse when Joshua asks, “Need help?”

“If you can help me edit this article, you’re my lifesaver,” you shoot back instantly while keeping your eyes glued to the screen.

Joshua snorts in response. “I used to work on a project with him. Several times, actually. I don’t usually speak highly of myself, but I am confident that I know what floats his boat and what doesn’t.”

This time it’s your turn to let out a burst of laughter. “People still use that saying?”

“That’s Chan’s language when he’s feeling really artistic.” Joshua grins before he stands up and occupies the chair beside you. In the blink of an eye, he’s suddenly leaning towards you and meddles with your laptop so that he can also view the screen. You don’t miss how his eyeballs almost fall out of their sockets as he quickly skims through the words. “Did you write a novel or something? And you’re crazy enough to edit this monster by yourself?”

“Look, I get carried away easily–”

“Samuel Kim deserves better,” he reads out loud and you feel the blood draining from your face.

“...and I tend to be very subjective,” you trail off. Suddenly, editing your article by yourself seemed like the better option. Maybe even having Chan pestering you is the better–

Okay, that’s definitely a lie. You’re not going to finish that thought.

“Let me just share the link so I can access the draft from my own laptop,” Joshua suggests as if he were asking for your permission first. That seems to go down the drain as his nimble fingers are already working fast while he’s speaking. It doesn’t bother you though.

What follows after he accessed your article from his own device is comfortable silence. Besides the occasional comment from his side concerning your statements about some contestants (he was very persistent about the runner-up Ha Yoonbin in particular) and the background chatter, the main sound you perceive is your fingers feverishly hitting the letters on the keyboard.

The two of you are so engrossed in editing the article that you barely process the time. It’s when Joshua returns to the table after grabbing a refill for the two of you that you wonder how long you’ve been working on the text. Your heart stops beating when you realize that you only have five minutes left before the deadline.

However, after skimming through the visibly shorter word vomit than before, you deem the article as fair enough and send Chan the final draft.

With the weight finally lifted off your shoulders, a wave of relief washes over you.

“Joshua, you're my lifesaver. I'm dead serious here,” you say while gazing at him with an equally serious face. “By the way, thanks for the refill. Wait a sec, I'll grab my wallet—”

“It's on me,” he cuts you off and sets the cup on your table before you can refuse. “Seriously, it's no big deal. I'm glad I could help.”

Your eyes flicker from him to the cup and then back to his face. Shooting him an incredulous stare, you set your fist on the table to prove a point. However, he doesn't seem impressed judging by the quirked brow and waits for you to elaborate.

“It doesn't work like this. You don't spontaneously help me out with an over 20,000-word article and buy me a coffee. On top of that, you don't want to be paid back? That's unacceptable!” you declare and demonstratively repeat your action.

A fond smile paves its way onto his face. He attempts to say something but always pulls back in the last moment. So after what feels like a moment of silence too long, he proposes, “Fine, if you really insist, then you owe me one. I don't know when it'll come in handy but let's say I need some help with an assignment for composing class, you'll have to help me out. Deal?”

“Fine by me. But what about the coffee?”

Joshua’s eye twitches. It's a faint movement, barely visible if you don't pay enough attention yet you still pick it up. You refrain yourself from pointing it out though.

“How about you buy me one coffee as we continue our discourse about things Chan does that annoy us some other day?” he inquires after a while, fingers tapping an irregular beat on his cup.

You detect the playfulness in his tone but you also know he isn't completely joking regarding this matter.

A smile erupts on your lips.

“Text me whenever you're free or feeling like it.”

You really did spend several hours at Pow Wow ranting about Chan and his antics. Along the way, you might have found more topics you could collectively complain about or praise that led to a second platonic date.

And a third.

And more after.

Sometimes your conversations even escalated into a debate about the talent admission contest a few weeks back.

(“Ha Yoonbin should've won and any other opinion is invalid!”

“Well, in the end, you're Boo Boo the Fool because believe it or not, Yoon Jeonghan won the contest fair and square!”

“I don't deny his talent but Ha Yoonbin!!!”)

Either way, new topics led to more meetings and at this point, you lost count of the number of times you and Joshua have hung out. He’s easy to banter with and to an outsider, it may seem as if you two have known each other for ages. It’s borderline scary how quickly Joshua picks up your humor and therefore, it also doesn’t take too long for you to clown him the way you clown Seokmin–

You admit you clown him a little less than Seokmin. Nonetheless, his reactions are priceless and it’s not your fault that he gives you enough material to tease him about.

“One day, the broken glass song will rise again,” you promise him, observing his every reaction.

He groans in response and hides his face behind his hands. “Don’t you dare bring it up again.”

“How can’t I? Your meme-worthiness is on the same level as the backpack kid!”

He gives you a death stare but it comes off as a pathetic attempt of a glare, almost whimsical even. The cold look never suited him in the first place, you think because his features are all soft and it’s simply impossible to look unapproachable with his face.

“Don’t compare me with him, Jesus Christ.”

You chuckle lightheartedly and raise your arms in defense. “I was just messing with you! Okay, fine, I’ll shut up about it.”

“Thank you.”

“For now.”

Joshua looks like he’s about to kill you. His eyes might not say so but the rest of his actions do. You don’t miss the way his hands grip his mug tighter, causing his veins to show up slightly. However, he keeps his artificially sweet smile and resorts to changing the topic.

“Jokes aside, I need some help concerning a song.”

That catches your interest. “A song, you say?”

“I feel like some of the lyrics are off,” he explains and finishes his coffee. “Besides, you still owe me that.”

He’s right. While you have spent a lot of time together, the situation where he would need your help hasn’t arisen up until now. Of course, you haven’t forgotten that – even if your memory wasn’t the best, you couldn’t ever forget that he helped you with your article.

That’s how you end up in his bedroom of the apartment he shares with Kim Taehyung, another Seoul Arts student whose major you don’t recall. All you know is that he’s very invested in stage plays but is never the main role of any play. Oh, and he mixes very delicious cocktails.

Joshua’s room is fairly big, but it’s surprisingly very clean. His bed is neatly made, there’s no clutter on his desk by the window, there’s no book missing on his shelf and the several guitars he owns are standing side by side, right next to the closet.

Your eyes flit through the lyrics Joshua handed to you while he’s busy tuning his guitar. The lyrics are cute, endearing even – what else do you expect from a love song titled “falling for u”? It seems as if Joshua’s love (or addiction) for coffee is so strong that he even included it in his lyrics.

“So tell me truthfully–” you look up and smirk “– who is the muse for this song?”

At that moment, Joshua’s cheeks take a faint shade of red. “There is none,” he mumbles and adds in a louder voice, “Anyway, should I sing you the song?”

“Don’t bullshit me,” you scoff because there’s no way that he just came up with the lyrics without a person in mind. The words are too personal for that matter. “If it makes you feel more at ease, I promise I won’t tell anyone and if I do, I’ll buy your coffee until the end of the year.”

As if he doesn’t believe it, his eyes go wide. But as fast as he widened, he squints as you suspiciously just as swiftly. “You do know I drink a lot of coffee. Your wallet is going to suffer,” he points out slowly.

You roll your eyes and prop your chin on your palm. “Of course I’m well aware of that. That’s exactly why I said it.”

Joshua studies you hard, conflicted whether he should really trust you or not. His muse for this song must really be someone he’s really crushing on, you figure. While it is some very valuable information and definitely something you can tease him with, you’d never go behind his back and pass it on to others. That’s a big, red no-no.

“Fine, but you really can’t tell anyone else,” he warns and you nod frantically while you move to a sitting position on his bed.

“So uh…” he rubs the back of his head and avoids your gaze, “It’shmmnhung.”

You cock your head to the side, thousand invisible question marks floating over your head. “Who?”

Joshua stares at you, silently asking you if you were serious and turns as red as a tomato. However, he sighs once and repeats his sentence much clearer. “It’s. Kim. Min. Kyung.”

Your last functioning brain cells only process the name slowly. You blink at him dumbfoundedly several times until you finally matched the name with a face. When the realization finally hits you, you nearly fall off the bed.

“What?! You do know she has a girlfriend, right?! This–” you screech while waving around with the lyric sheet, “–is downright a confession, so what were you even thinking?!”

“Of course I do!” Joshua replies in the same frantic manner before elaborating, “This song was written before Minkyung and Yaebin got together and yes, I’ve stopped crushing on her. She was just the inspiration for this song and I find this song too good to dump it.”

“Good.” you nod appreciatively and cooled down from the shock. “I mean, not only good that you’re not going to be petty and break them up or something but good that you’re confident in your songs too.”

“I try to.” he shrugs.

“It’s a start.” you wave your hand as a sign for him to start singing. “Now show me what you’ve got, Mister I-try-to-be-confident-in-my-songs.”

You’ve never heard Joshua sing before, so naturally, you’re mesmerized by his voice from the moment he starts singing. His voice isn’t all too powerful and you doubt he can belt like Seokmin, but his tone is smooth and sweet like honey and the guitar just complements his vocal color. The song is simple in itself but you can already imagine the number of people listening to this while they study.

“I’m falling for you–” he sings with closed eyes and you note the small smile taking over his lips. He really must’ve liked Minkyung a lot.

And suddenly, the door flings open.

“Shua, can you believe? Jeongguk managed to get me tickets to that one show in Hongdae– oh?” Taehyung struts into the room, blue hair messily falling above his eyes but he instantly stops in his tracks when he sees you on the bed while Joshua’s sitting on the carpeted floor.

“–once again.” Joshua’s voice slowly drops into his normal talking voice and shoots him an incredulous stare.

“Uh, I didn’t know you had a guest. You should’ve texted me.” Taehyung’s eyes flicker from you, then to his roommate and then back to you. But once he has calmed down, he puts on a bright smile and addresses you. “I’m Taehyung by the way. I’ve seen you around campus, you’re an acting major if I remember correctly?”

“Yeah, that’s me,” you admit and return the smile. “I’m Y/N.”

“Y/N, huh? Isn’t Joshua just great at singing and composing?”

“I mean, it’s the first time I hear him sing so I can’t be the judge of that yet–” you earn a huff from the said boy but don’t react to it, “–but so far, he’s promising.”

“You hear that, Shua? You’re promising!” Taehyung beams at an irritated Joshua. “If only he was just as promised when it comes to getting a relationship,” he sighs and lays a hand on his chest as if he were in deep pain.

“Oh, cut it off, Tae. I’m perfectly fine.” Joshua rolls his eyes in a playful manner.

“Well, with this song, he definitely would have someone by his side by now,” you singsong and scrunch your nose. This was a golden opportunity to pull the former Minkyung crush card on him.

Joshua seems to take the hint and tries to silence you with a subtle glare. “Stop that–”

“He would?” Taehyung asks curiously, gaze switching from you to the other guy.

“Tae, stop asking and Y/N, don’t answer–”

“Definitely, if only things were different. Right, Shua?” you stick out your tongue at him as an act of rebellion.

By now, Joshua’s ears have taken on a shade of red and he can no longer hide his embarrassment. The scowl that follows just contributes to it. “I did not ask for this clownery.”

“Fine, I’ll leave. Have fun, you two!” Taehyung says, points finger guns at his roommate and sends him a suggestive grin before he leaves you alone and closes the door quietly.

“By the way,” Joshua speaks up a few moments later, “You’re the only one who knows the crush thing – not even Taehyung knows. So I’d really appreciate it if you kept it for yourself.”

That new information genuinely surprised you. You were quite positive that he also knew and would like to dig deeper. However, you know that he has his reasons for not confiding in his roommate so you refrain from doing so.

Instead, you just coo, “Aw, so I’m the only one trustworthy enough to know of your former crush on Minkyung. Cute.”

You’re pretty sure you weren’t drunk last night and married a stranger you met. You’re pretty sure you didn’t even go out last night.

But the handful of people congratulating you for landing a boyfriend makes you doubt your memory.

You’re busy packing out your lunch when Seokmin startles you from behind.

“I thought I was your best friend!”

“What?” you shriek and look at him flabbergasted, spoon almost slipping out of your grip.

“I can’t believe I heard the news from someone else,” he whines and occupies the seat beside you with a hurt and slightly offended expression.

“Hold up.” you freeze and squint at him. “What are you even talking about?”

“You dating Joshua and not telling me first! That’s what I’m talking about,” he groans as if it were the most obvious thing ever and sulks even more.

This can’t be happening again for fuck’s sake–

“Joshua and I are just friends,” you explain cooly and probably for the 30th time in a span of three hours.

“Oh yeah, and that’s why Taehyung found you in Joshua’s bed and flirting with Joshua when he came home,” Seokmin grunts before he raises a questioning brow at you and leans in closer. “Unless he’s not telling the truth?”

Your jaw almost falls open.

Oh. So Taehyung, huh.

“I mean, he saw me sitting on Joshua’s bed...” you start as you recall your first meeting, “...but that doesn’t mean–”

“So you’re not denying it!” Seokmin cuts you off with a slam on the table. You flinch at the loud smack but luckily, nobody else in the cafeteria seems to notice. The place is quite loud anyway, so no one was going to pay attention to you anyway. “I’m truly happy for you but I’m also disappointed in you for not coming to me first.”

The timing couldn’t have been any better. While Seokmin resumes sulking a fucking lot, a familiar figure enters your peripheral vision. At some point, Seokmin notices your disinterest in him and follows your line of sight.

“Hey, there’s your boyfriend,” he points out.

You don’t even bother correcting him and slowly set down your spoon. “If you excuse me,” you mutter halfheartedly before you get up and walk towards Joshua, who’s standing alone.

No words need to be exchanged for you to leave the scene and talk alone in silence. Just like you, he wears desperation and tiredness on his face and you conclude that he must’ve been bombarded with congratulatory wishes too.

Once you have found a somewhat lonely spot on campus, you go straight to the point.

“Nobody is buying my words when I say it’s a misunderstanding.”

Joshua doesn’t answer right away. He takes his time to choose his words carefully and sort out his thoughts. The sigh of exasperation that leaves his lips after a while makes his frustration clearer.

“God, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have–” his mind is a jumbled mess right now, you can tell, and he readjusts the glasses perched on his nose before starting anew. “Taehyung–”

“Look, it happened, okay? It’s not even your fault.” you shrug but can’t help but sigh too. “I admit, it’s annoying that everyone is now talking about it and I doubt they’ll shut up soon.”

You settle into silence. But unlike the previous times, this silence is deafening and downright heavy. There’s no comfort in this void as you just stand there and try to figure out what to say next. Normally, you would either crack a joke or resort to a different topic, but neither seem like the right option.

The silence is deafening and downright a burden and remains one even when you’re the one to speak up first.

“This may sound bad but I swear it’s not as bad as you think. Plus, I think it’s the only way to get out of this mess.”

“Hm?” is the only sound he makes to let you know that he’s listening.

“Why don’t we just go with it?”

You dare a peek at him and find him sending you wordless questions. His brows are scrunched together and he looks so helpless, trying to understand your proposal.

“Nobody will believe us if we keep denying it. We might as well act as if we were dating and after a while, break up,” you elaborate and look away. Now that you said it out loud, it’s really a ridiculous solution. It’s blatantly stupid and idiotic and the worst idea ever–

It’s the only idea you have though.

You want to say something but he beats you to it.

“So you’re saying that we should fake date.”

“Yup.”

“We just have to hold hands to make it believable and then fake a breakup. That should work out. We don’t have anything to lose anyway, now do we?” Joshua smiles weakly in an attempt to lighten the mood. You go along with it.

“Is that a yes?” you raise a brow at him, the corners of your mouth slightly tugging upwards.

His eyes twinkle as he links his arm with yours.

“I prefer boyfriend, but whatever floats your boat.”

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alleiradayne · 6 years ago

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Part I - Lesson Learned

Characters: Jared Padalecki, Me, Clif Kosterman Warnings: None, only fluff and mild angst here Word Count: 3,108 A/N: Assume all parties are single and absolutely no spouse hate!

In another minute, I’d have gone to bed.

In five minutes, I’d have passed out.

And in the morning, I’d have seen the post on Instagram and been pissed at myself all over again. 2016 might have repeated itself had I not learned my lesson the hard way that year.

Instead I sat in the chair at the desk of my hotel room, phone in hand, and flipped through every social media platform I had. I searched tags and pictures and an endless stream of fan accounts until I found that for which I willingly sacrificed sleep.

#spnfamily @jarpad Jared and me @ Sneaky Pete’s!

“Ugh, Sneaky Pete’s?! Really?!”

If you can’t tell, I’m not fond of that bar. Every time I’ve been there, someone starts a fight. Something about alcohol and open stripper poles enraging people.

But Jared was there. Though I desperately needed sleep, I wanted to meet him outside of the con. Just once. Just to get that sort of selfie with him. You know, blurry, half-drunk, overexposed, and hair in my face with his perfection right next to my hot mess. That selfie.

The handle of the hotel door clicked before I realized I’d left my chair, tossed on my N7 hoodie, and shut off the lights.

“What am I doing?”

Silly question. I knew exactly what I was doing. Stalking a celebrity. Yup. Real healthy. I know. An endless tirade of chastising thoughts raced through my mind as I walked down the hallway to the elevator. An eternity passed while I waited, and twice I nearly turned back for my room. But when the bell sounded and a door opened, I darted in and smashed the button for the main floor.

In the lobby, I rushed to a side door and avoided any eye contact. If I had looked at anyone, they would know what I was up to. They would know I was leaving my hotel to go to a bar because a celebrity I wanted to meet was there and that I had stalked him on social media. They would know the second they looked at me, with my red cheeks and wide eyes. Yeah, she’s on a mission. A creepy fanatic’s mission.

The cold November air hit my face with such force, it sucked the breath from my lungs. Again, so lost in thought, I’d lost track of myself. It happens from time to time. I get so caught up in my brain, I forget where I am. Usually it's because I’m planning out another piece of writing, whether it’s my novel or fanfiction. Better not think about that too much or your dumbass will end up telling him about it. If you’re even lucky enough to meet him…

I scoffed loud enough to scare a dog and their human as I passed. Should have taken a Lyft. But nope. I had not plan that far ahead. Too impulsive. And by the time I got to the bar my feet screamed for relief, not because of the long walk, but because I’d been on them all day. Saturday at a Supernatural convention is long. The Saturday Night Special had been entirely worth it though. I’d never look at Rob Benedict the same way ever again.

At the door, I handed the guy taking cover a ten-dollar bill, and I barely heard him over the music as he asked for my wrist to stamp. Not that I paid him much attention either. I had a mission. Unfortunately, Minneapolis complicated finding a 6’4” brown-haired, broad-shouldered guy. Loads of men fit that bill there, what with the plentiful Scandinavian population.

Through the entry, I scanned the crowd as I headed to the bar on my right. To my left, stripper poles stood in a line on their platforms, every single one packed with far too many people. Though I laughed at the idea of Jared on a stripper pole in a packed bar, I knew better. He might be silly, but he sure as hell wasn’t dumb enough to do that in public.

With the bar three people deep, I forced my way to the front, a few well-placed elbows and crushed toes parting the throng. The bartender, a harried woman who tried to put on her best smile, took my order, ran off for a glass and the bottle of scotch, and poured my drink. I avoided eye contact again as two men—boys, really, they looked barely old enough to be in the place—on my right tried to get my attention with terrible pickup lines that involved my drink. Not that I could hear them. Bass deep enough to shake the building thumped terrible party music accompanied by terrible lighting and shitty vocals.

Did I mention I hate Sneaky Pete’s?

I emerged from the crowded bar and headed for the stairs, still scanning for a set of shoulders above the sea of heads. When I saw nothing of note, I took the stairs to the speakeasy basement to find it nearly dead.

Nearly.

A few booths sat occupied, couples and smaller groups that wanted to escape the insanity of the main level, music muted to a dull roar. An older man sat by himself sipping a drink at the end if the bar nearest me. And the bartender—a woman about my age—talked with him. She’d get an extra tip with that sort of attention.

With a sigh, I turned back for the stairs, but something out of the corner of my eye stopped me. I looked over my shoulder, then turned back around as I spotted them. At the far end of the bar sat two people, one with long brown hair, and the other bald.

You know, leading up to that point, I never thought it would happen. From the second I’d left my hotel room, I imagined getting to the bar, getting a drink, sipping it down as I walked through the place once, maybe twice, then leaving.

But there at the bottom of the stairs I stared, dead-eyed, at Jared Padalecki.

At the back of his head.

Close enough.

My feet refused to move, though I desperately wanted them to. There were a great many things I wanted to do. But for the life of me, in that first moment, I balked. And it wouldn't be the last time. I damn near ran back up the stairs and out the front door.

But then Clif nudged Jared and pointed my way. He turned and spotted me, and Christ, I'll never forget that smile or his awkward wave. I'll never understand what about him then had managed to ease my nerves, but he had, and one foot stepped in front of the other until I passed him.

“Hey, Cliffy.”

Jared cackled as Clif leaned from his stool and hugged me. “She clearly knows the rules.”

“Get in good with the body guard, right?” I said as we parted. When I turned to Jared, I managed to keep my shit together as he hugged me in turn. “Nice to meet you. Again.”

Parted, he asked, “Were you here last year? What’s your name?” He motioned to the stool Clif had vacated.

By the end of this, you’re going to hate me. I hesitated yet again before taking a seat. “Jeanna,” I replied as I sat down. “And yes, I was here last year with my sister. We bought the very last J2 op Friday morning.”

“Well, then it was meant to be,” Jared teased. “Is that Jeanna with a G or a J?”

A long pull from my drink eased my nerves. That he even thought to ask that question set my heart racing “A J. We were J4 in that photo op. My sister is Jessica.”

“J4, I love it,” he said with a laugh. “So, how was the Special?”

“Rob kissed me,” I blurted.

Jared rolled his eyes, not missing a beat. “Rob can be a cheeky fucker sometimes,” he said. “How did he manage that?”

“They set up a sort of ‘pit’ area in the big aisles on both sides of the theater,” I said as I air-quoted. “A new friend and I stood the whole show. I got some amazing pictures.”

“You’ll have to show me after you get them cleaned up,” Jared insisted. “Twitter?”

“I’d love to…” I started as I looked around the bar. The conversation had started so well and had continued so easily, buy my confidence slipped. It was too good to be true. I had missed something, a sign or a phrase. Clif would escort me away any second. “I’m sorry, I should probably leave you alone. I don’t want to take up your personal time. You’ll be up to your eyeballs in fans tomorrow, and I’ll see you plenty then anyway—”

Before I slipped from my stool, Jared reached out with an unsteady hand but stopped short of touching me. “You don’t have to. You’re not bothering me. Not like there’s a million people trying to get my attention.”

I eased back onto the stool as I thought. I had imagined meeting Jared in public on occasion. But that simple fantasy usually consisted of a short greeting, getting that selfie, and then being on my way. Never in a million years would I have guessed that I’d have him all to myself for a personal conversation. “Are you sure? I mean, like I said, I’ll see you all day tomorrow. I’m in VIP, I have your solo photo op, I have your meet and greet—”

“You bought all that?” he asked.

“Damn straight I did, I love—”

Yeah, I usually say I love Jared Padalecki. But not to his ridiculously gorgeous face. “I uh… you’re my favorite.”

I’d tell you that Jared blushed when he regarded his beer, sipped from it. But the dimly lit bar masked his face in angular shadows so dark, I’d never know. “It’s okay, Jeanna,” he started. “You’re my favorite, too.”

“Wow. Thanks,” I retorted as I sipped from my drink. “I get it, I made it weird. Don’t rub it in. I’m not exactly… it’s not every day I get meet someone like you.”

Jared laughed through his nose as he spun the bottle of his beer on the bar between his thumb and middle finger. “Not many celebrities in the Twin Cities?”

For a moment, I stared at him, unsure of what to say. When he stared back with his easy smile and perfect hair curled behind his ears, I understood. “You are probably aware of this, but, you’re not just some random celebrity, Jared. You’re… you’re an incredibly important person to me. To a lot of people. Your compassion and empathy for people knows no bounds. You’re so selfless, I don’t know how you do it. I’d be exhausted all the time.”

Jared’s smile fell and I resisted the urge to scream, to take it all back the second the words were out of my mouth. Too late, Jared capitalized on the moment. “I appreciate your honesty,” he commented. His hand moved for my shoulder once more, but as before, he hesitated. “I’m… flattered to have had such a positive impact on people’s lives.”

“Good,” I stated, “you deserve it.”

I could have died a happy woman right then and there as Jared smiled in the wake of my words.

If I told you everything we talked about that evening, you'd have a novel on your hands, and a boring one at that. Sure, we flirted here and there, but I quickly understood that Jared was the type of person who truly meets people. He wants to learn everything he can about them before parting ways, take something profound, new, defining with him when he leaves. I told him about things I never imagined I would have—including my ideal final season for the show, complete with angels, demons, monsters, sex (not with monsters), love, and for once, a real shot at peace. Retirement. On a beach somewhere in Texas with a cooler full of Margie. As much as he liked the idea, he confirmed my suspicions. Sam and Dean’s story does not end on a beach with girlfriends (or angel boyfriends) and a cooler full of Wisconsin's fictional pride.

It was one o’clock before I even thought to check the time. We had talked for two uninterrupted hours. And as much as I wanted to stay, I needed to be back up at seven for my much-anticipated Sunday.

But before I said any sort of goodbye, I grabbed a napkin and my sharpie—always carry a sharpie with you at cons, just in case—and wrote down my number. When I slid it to him, Jared picked it up and squinted at it.

“I didn’t even have to ask,” he joked.

“Oh, gimme a fucking break, dude, you’re swimming in pussy,” I retorted.

With a crooked smile, he shook his head. “Not really. Do you think I do this,” he paused as he gestured between us, “all the time?”

“With that face and your body, I would,” I said. “Not to mention your heart and brilliant brain, too. You make conversation too easy.”

A distinct shade of pink slashed across his nose, distinguishable despite the dark shadows on his face. I waited for another witty retort, but nothing came. He simply stared at me, eyes searching mine with an intensity that rendered me speechless.

I had told Jared things about myself most people in my life did not know. And as I sat there, staring at him, I realized that Jared understood that. When he hesitated to touch me for a third time, I spoke. “Are you… scared?”

“Maybe a little,” he mused. “I can promise you, this isn’t something I normally do. Spending this much time with a fan… never struck me as a good idea.”

“And now that you have?” I asked.

Finally, his hand enveloped mine where it sat on the bar. “I'll say this. You’re a natural at meeting celebrities. You played it cool even though you were nervous. You talked to me like I was just… another person. And that’s incredibly refreshing.”

“You make it sound like most fans are cra—”

He shook his head, vehement in his disagreement. “No. You’re not. Ya’ll are amazing and generous and so full of love. I would never disparage any of you. Most engagements with fans, either at a con or out in the wild, are short or in a… sort of controlled or contained system. It’s kind of sterile. It sounds ridiculous when I put words to it, but there’s little margin for error and that’s intentional.”

“So, you’re saying it’s almost scientifically curated to go well,” I offered.

“Almost is the key word. There’s a reason Cliffy follows us everywhere,” Jared added with a coy smirk. “But more often than not, what we need is someone to take care of a crying fan because, if Jensen and I or any of the other cast had to handle that on our own every time it happened, we’d lose our minds.”

I recalled the first time I had met anyone from the show. “I thought I was going to throw up after I met Misha a couple years ago.”

Jared laughed his dorky cackle as he said, “Misha gets that reaction a lot.”

“He was all hands…”

“Oh, I am so sorry.”

“No, it was wonderful.”

Again, Jared cackled as if I’d said some sort of perverted innuendo. With his hand still on mine, he took it from the bar and held it. “See, that right there, that's... oh, how gross, I don’t want to say you’re ‘different’ and make this fucking weird. But… I don’t know, I’m not explaining myself very well.”

“I won’t let it go to my head,” I started, “But I think I get it. This’ll sound weird, too, and it might creep you out, but I’ve always imagined my personality was very similar to yours. I’ve always imagined that, at the very least, were we to have worked together on a set, we would have become really good friends.”

“You’re not wrong,” Jared started, “And it’s not weird. We could be friends.”

I tried. I wanted nothing more than to walk away from that night remembering the perfection of our conversation up to that point. But when disappointment contorted my smile, Jared saw it, and winced. When I started to talk, he spoke over me. “I didn’t mean it like that. We could be friends, sure. But…”

His voice trailed off as he thought, eyes listing to the bar. “But?” I asked.

“But I’m guessing at this point you were hoping for more than that.”

What constituted as “more”? Best friends? Friends with benefits? Long-distance lovers? “Look, I gave you my number as a hail mary.”

“What?”

Despite the seriousness of the conversation, I couldn’t resist the joke. “It’s a sports term. Like, slam dunk or…”

He grinned as he said, “Ball handler?”

I never thought I’d ever hear my laugh mixed solely with Jared’s. But laugh we did, singing a song I wanted to play it on repeat forever. I had to drop another joke to hear it again, to commit it to memory. With my pithy line readied, I sucked in a breath between laughs and spoke.

Not a single word made it past my lips, for Jared’s landed on mine with such sudden insistence, I froze. His massive hand warmed my cheek, fingers slipping into my hair, and he pressed harder, as if to remind me of what he had done. It worked, but not how either of us had wanted.

I promise, I’ll make up for how ridiculously I behaved here. When I squirmed away from him, I hated myself. I ended the kiss as quickly as it had started, slipped from his arms and off the barstool to race to the stairs. He didn’t follow me. And I didn’t look back. I couldn’t. I didn’t want to see the dejection on his face that I knew was there.

I was up the stairs and through the front door in seconds. I wasted no time heading straight back to my hotel, oblivious to the chilly November drizzle. Incessant ridicule ran through my head, berating myself for being rude, for being a bitch, for being just downright mean. And for passing up on spending a night with someone I knew that, without a doubt, would treat me with nothing but respect.

How fitting then that, when my phone rang, I answered it without thinking.

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