#val: 'relax' he said. 'this is gonna help you to relief some stress' my as$

[decoloraa-old]

if stressed or tired, pls do a little stretch instead of grabbing your 6th coffee

[trashcanfanfics]

So that val x virgin reader was really good! As like almost a opposite of that could you do a really stressed Valentino coming home to his (afab) s.o and they take care of him sexually? I know you said your not the best but imo your one of the best smut writers I've seen!! Thank youuu!!

Listen, it takes me forever to write smut because I want it to sound believeable, so hearing that my efforts are appreciated is incredible, so thank you!!

Valentino has been coming home more and more stressed lately. You don't know why but you've decided to do something about it. A whole night planned to get him relaxed and show him how much you love him. You made his favorite dinner, paired with the perfect wine, scented candles of his favorite smell vanilla and patchouli, dimmed the lights, picked out some bath bombs and set out the body oils in the bedroom for sensual love making thinly disguised as a massage. Now all you had to do was wait for him, which didn't take too long after you set the table and switch on some smooth jazz.

Val entered the house with a sigh. You went around the corner to greet him, watching the way he slid off his coat. He was tired, that made your heart ache. You vowed to not initiate sex tonight unless he wanted to. If he was too tired, you wouldn't even try to convince him otherwise.

"Hey, babe, how was your day?" You looked up to him as he hung up his coat and set his cane in the holder. He turned to you and gave a small smile and, though he didn't have pupils, you could tell his eyes were checking you out. You had dressed up a little, just a nice button down and some dark jeans, business casual.

"Mm, fine, is there a reason you dressed up?" He stepped towards you, his smile widening as he put his lower set of arms around you, the other two patting down your hair before resting to hold your face. "I don't think it's an anniversary."

"It's not, I just want to spoil you tonight." You smiled back up to him and pulled out of his arms before grabbing his lower right and tugging him to the dining area. His eyes widened as he saw what you had spent all day on. "Ta da!" You saw his eyes soften before he looked back at you.

"This for me?" His smile was full of adoration and warmth. You nodded and tugged him to his chair, pulling it out for him then pushing it back in as he sat. "Such a gentleperson." He chuckled as you went to your own seat.

"I've noticed how stressed you've been lately, so I prepared a night of good food and relaxation." You looked up to his eyes and gave him your sweetest smile. He thanked you sincerely and dug into the meal. A moan escaped him as he tasted your cooking. You hoped that wouldn't be the last you pulled from him this evening.

~*~

"That was delicious, precious. Thank you." Val leaned back into his seat with a sigh. You giggled and stood up.

"That's not all on tonight's itinerary." You went over to him and held out your hand for his. "Come on, my love." He took your hand and followed you to the master bathroom. You turned on the water, plugged it when the water was warm enough.

"Will you be joining in this bath, sweetheart?" His hands trailed up your sides and to your shoulders. You hummed and shook your head as you stopped the water and plopped in a lavender and rosewood bath bomb. His disappointment was palpable.

"It'd be hard for me to massage your shoulders from inside the tub." You turned to him. "I can help you get undressed, though." He perked up and gave you a sultry smile. You understood that as a yes and went to work on unbuttoning his pants while he made quick work of his vest and shirt. Val kicked off his shoes then let you pull down his pants and boxers before he stepped out of them. You slipped off his socks and stood up, placing a tender kiss to his thigh before looking him in the eye. He caressed your face and setpped into the tub.

"You're too good to me, Y/n." He slid down into the tub and sighed happily. You were quick to grab the stool you set aside for this purpose and sit, beginning the promised massage. He groaned as you rubbed and kneaded out the knots that built up. His head leaned back to rest on your chest. You began to hum softly, a soothing love song to further relax your bug lover. Happiness bubbled up in your chest at the fact that you can help him in times like these.

~*~

The tub drained and Val in a robe, you lead him into the room where he can finally see the oils you lined up. Waiting for you to use them. He looked to you with an amused smirk.

"What's this?" He leaned towards you. "Are you trying to seduce me, gorgeous?" You huffed out a laugh as you tugged him to the bed.

"I was thinking more along the lines of working out the rest of your knots and go from there." You pat his leg gently to encourage him to get on the bed. He obliged and crawled up onto the bed, rather seductively. His playfully sultry look your way as he was on his hands and knees made you giggle. You crawled up after him, shedding your shirt, pants and socks, leaving you in your undewear while he slipped out of his robe. With the slight prompting of your hand gently pressing into his back, he flopped down on his stomach.

"You know, precious, you are a true blessing in Hell." He didn't get a response as you grabbed up a sweet soothing cedarwood and cinnamon oil and poured a bit into your hand. You rubbed your hands together and got to work on his back, paying extra attention to both sets of shoulder muscles as well as the spinalis muscle on both sides of the spine. He groaned and relaxed further under your touch. When you got to the lower back just above the glutes, he moaned loudly into the pillow.

"Does it feel good, baby?" You received a low hum in response. You traced your hands up his sides and pressed into his lower shoulder muscles before placing a kiss on his upper right shoulder. He suddenly flipped onto his back, causing you to stand as he turned to stay above him. His lower hands grabbed your thighs and pulled you down to straddle him as his upper hands rested on your hips.

"I love you." He looked up at you in adoration. You smiled and leaned down to give him a sweet kiss. He deepened it, moving one hand up to your face to hold you there. His tongue licked your bottom lip and you opened it in response. You wouldn't playfully tease him tonight, he needed the relief. Your tongues moved around each other in a passionate dance as his other upper hand reached up to squeeze your buttcheek. You giggled and parted from him, gently biting his lip as you did so.

"I love you, too." You gently held his face in both hands. "Do you want to go further?" In your peripheral, you see his adam's apple bob as he swallows. You feel like you know the answer but you need to hear it to make absolute sure, in case you're reading the signs wrong.

"God yes." That was all you needed as you gave him another passionate kiss. His neck received attention next, you leaving marks and little bites before trailing kisses down until you straddled his hips. You stood up on the bed to gently remove the last bit of cloth that kept your most sensitive areas from view. Your eyes stayed on his as you slid them off. His gaze was on your movement. His cock twitching at the sight of you fully nude.

You slowly lowered yourself to hover just above your lover's erection. Lining him up, you finally lowered yourself slowly until he filled you completely. His head fell back against the pillow with a groan. You moved your hips and moaned at the sensation. Beginning to lift up and back down, you braced yourself on the bed beside his slender frame. You picked up the pace and eventually lifted up without bracing yourself, bouncing up and down as you moaned. Val's voice mixed with yours as he began to meet you with thrusts. You lifted up, almost off of him completely before dropping down to take him all in. That made Val grab your hips with a stutter moan. He started bouncing you, using you like a fleshlight. You moaned and called out his name as he went harder.

"F-fuck! Oh shit!" You huffed out, throwing your head back, almost losing yourself in the pleasure. As if on their own, your hands gripped his wrists. You squeezed around him, trying to get him to cum first. That was your goal and you focused on it. By fuck, if you were going to cum it had to be after him. It was his turn to be pampered and pleased. He moaned loudly as his hands dug into your hips, bouncing you faster on him.

"Y/n! Oh fuck! I'm gonna-!" You squeezed around him again as he used his thumbs to press into the sensitive flesh covering your lower hip joints. He knew that was your sweet spot. The bastard was trying to get you to cum first. You weren't about to let that happen; you squeezed around him again and reached one of your hands down to grip his hip, squeezing and digging your nails into it slightly. This did the trick. He practically screamed as he slammed you down onto his cock and came deeply into you. He thrust up a few more times, grunting. You came soon after, the thought of giving him so much pleasure and the feel of his thick seed coating your inner walls pushing you over the edge.

The both of you came down from your highs, huffing. His hands loosening around your hips as you fell onto him in exhaustion. You gave a kiss to the skin you laid on before shakily lifting yourself up and off his, now limp, cock. He huffed as he lifted up to rest on his elbows, watching you as you slid off the bed and hobbled over to the bathroom to clean up. You heard him get up to join you in the shower you started, helping you clean up.

~*~

"Did you have a nice night?" You asked once you two had finished washing the sweat and cum off, in the newly changed sheets and pajamas. His arms, that were wrapped loosely around you, pulled you closer to him as he curled around you.

"Very much so." He kissed your forehead and you nuzzled into his fuzz. Your arms wrapped around his ribs as your leg matched the action to fully attatch yourself to him.

"I'm glad." You smiled as you heard his breathing even out, lulling you into sleep shortly after him.

[rat-father]

Part 7! Pora needed some love, so they got it

I'm just having fun writing this

Tagging; @skunkandgrenade @jordanstrophe

-- tw;; slave/captivity whump, collars, restraints, gags, dehumanising, intimate whumper, starvation, passing out, burning, cruel whumper, torture --

The wind had been rough for a couple days, and Pora was convinced the tents would be sent flying with how much they got pushed back and forth. All the shows had been canceled, which meant Mynci would get stressed trying to figure out how to reschedule things. And him being stressed only meant bad for Pora. They had to clean the entire place by themselves, and make sure it was all spotless. At first it wasn’t so bad, but they quickly got tired out, their hands aching from scrubbing the floor. They were forced to keep going until they passed out. When they did, Mynci kicked the bucket of hot water over them to wake them up, and told them to redo all of it. When they were done with half of the tents, they got to take a break. Gratefully Pora sat down panting against one of the stages. Their whole body was shaking, despite them feeling like they were on fire. 

The break didn’t last long as Mynci quickly grew impatient. He pulled Pora up by their hair and told them to continue scrubbing. They cleaned as fast as they could, just wanting to get it over with. Their stomach growled, begging for food. He had been starving them for days, forgetting to feed them. But he said they’d get food if they did well, and they were desperate. After hours and hours of cleaning they finally finished. Happy to have it over with they followed Mynci to the back room, stumbling the entire way.

“You’ll be taking care of the horses tomorrow. You better rest.” He threw a slice of bread at them and left, locking the door behind him.

They sighed in relief, crawling back into their corner. They ate the bread slowly, savoring each bite while trying to regain some energy. It wasn’t much but they were grateful nonetheless. Anything was better then nothing. Shivering, they fell into a micro sleep. Footsteps neared and they jolted awake, instantly relaxing when they saw Val. She gave them their thin blanket, too thin to stay warm, but at least they could cover themselves. They both knew Mynci would take it away again as soon as he saw Pora with it, but they could enjoy it temporarily. Quickly they wrapped it around themselves and tried to stop their shivering. Even though they were exhausted, sleeping was difficult. They dreaded the moment Mynci would be back again. They tried to disappear in their mind, focus on anything else. Nothing seemed to work. Dark thoughts constantly loomed in their head making them feel terrible. Tears just kept rolling down their face without them even realizing. Nothing felt right, everything hurt, ached, burned.

Eventually they fell asleep, and for once they woke up feeling well rested. They still had their blanket, meaning Mynci probably forgot they existed. It happened before in the past, and they had tried to use it as an opportunity to escape, but they got caught. What he did to them afterwards was something they’d rather not think about. Pora used what little time they had to rest some more. When Mynci did come to get them, he wasn’t happy that they were still sleeping. He ripped the blanket off of them and kicked them in the ribs. They woke up with a gasp, tears filling their eyes.

“Did I give you permission to sleep longer, slave?” Mynci asked in a stern tone.

“No, sir.”

“Then why did you do it?”

Pora quietly pushed themselves onto their knees.

“I’m sorry sir.” They managed to whisper.

“That’s not what I asked.” He snapped. “And since you decided to break my rules, I’ll need to punish you, maybe then you’ll learn.”

He took them by their upper arm and roughly dragged them to his room. He threw them on the floor, watching them scramble into a kneeling position.

“I know a perfect punishment for you,” he opened a drawer, taking multiple things out. “Open your mouth.”

Hesitantly they did and immediately got a ball gag shoved between their teeth. He strapped it on tight making them whimper. Without warning he ripped their shirt off, and tied their wrists together behind their back. Lastly he attached a leash to the collar to finish the look. He chuckled and pulled them back up to their feet.

”Aren’t you just adorable like this?” Mynci held them close, softly stroking their cheek. They tried to squirm away from the touch. “Like a cute little pet, all mine for the taking.”

Pora started to panic, pleading with their eyes. He pressed a long kiss against their cheek before taking them outside. The wind was still rough and ice cold against their skin, their thin shorts not helping them stay warm. He took them to the back and tied the leash to a pole. He patted them on the head and silently walked back, leaving them alone in the cold. They tried to beg for him to come back but the gag muffled any noise they made. Silently they pulled their knees up to their chest, letting the tears roll down their face. They hoped he wouldn’t forget about them this time. The sound of wind blowing next to them was all they heard for hours.

For the first time, Pora was actually happy to see Mynci walk towards them. He untied the leash and hoisted them up over his shoulder. They rested their chin on his shoulder blade, wanting to hold onto the warmth. He gently placed them into his bed and tucked them in under the blanket.

“Do you want me to take off your restraints? Get you something to drink too?” His tone was soft and kind.

They nodded desperately, hope glistening in their eyes.

“What was that? You’re gonna need to speak up, and ask me politely.”

Their expression turned to fear as they tried to ask, beg, but only muffled noises came out. He sighed and shook his head in disappointment.

“If you don’t want anything, then I’ll leave you alone.”

He got up and left the room, ignoring their muffled cries. They couldn’t lay comfortably, their whole body still ice cold, they didn’t want to be alone.

[vegetacide]

TaG: Bloodlines (Part 6)

Veg • notables: Little something for Fluffember .. works for several prompts... Brothers,  warmth and together...

Any errors in this are strictly my own

Ty to @gumnut-logic and @scribbles97 for the brainstorming help and the encouragement.

Previous: Part 1 | Part 2 Bit 1 & Bit 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Rating and General warning: Mature content head. If you are not a fan of medical issues of a female nature in relation to pregnancy please proceed with caution.

Characters: Virgil, Kayo, (V/K)  Scott, Alan,  John, Gordon and Grandma.

Location: TaG-verse AU | Tracy Island

E N J O Y

8-8-8

Part 6 - Keluarga

The flight home was thankfully an  uneventful affair.

Kayo had fallen asleep almost as soon as the jet’s door had been closed and Virgil had been by her side holding her hand the whole way back to their island.

When the island finally came into sight there was a collective sigh of relief. The stress of everything having sucked the energy right out of all of them and home meant safety, comfort and more importantly; sleep.

Tucking Kayo safely back into their marital bed saw Virgil relaxing for the first time since… well since he’d woken up that morning..God, had it only been twelve hours ago? It felt like a lifetime and the exhaustion weighed on him furiously.

Not that he would be able to get much sleep tonight.

Leaning over his sleeping wife,  he adjusted the sheets and brushed her forehead with a kiss.  She stirred slightly and turned into him, always one to seek his heat even on a tropical island and her eyes blinked open myopically.

“Shhh,  it’s okay.  We’re home.  Go back to sleep.”

Kayo snuggled further under the covers and quiet ‘Love you’  drifted his way as he emptied his pockets of his ID, wallet and personal communication.

A light knock on their door, had him turning and he toed off his boots to muffle his movements before he traversed the short distance.  Opening it he was only mildly surprised to find his brothers on the other side..  All of them.

Holding up a finger he glanced back into the room to make sure everything was in order and that Kayo would have everything she needed. Not that it looked like she would be rising anytime soon.  The whole affair of the day had done her in.

Truthfully, he was happy she was finally getting some rest even if it was ordered and dismantling Shadow had been in his back pocket as a way to convenience her.

Surprisingly though after going through all the details with his family when they were discharged, Kayo looked like she wasn’t in the mood for any more lecturing so the Shadow card hadn’t needed to be played.

She’d barely moved since they’d left the hospital except when he’d move her.   He’d woken her up long enough to pour a drink of electrolytes down her throat and a protein bar into her belly and she’d been out again barely after swallowing the lot.

An uncomfortable trip to the bathroom later which his Grandmother had seen to though he had been hovering just outside the door in case he was needed.  A change of clothes and into bed she went. Out like a light again before her head even hit the pillow.

He was done in himself but his brain was running in circles which didn’t look like it would be giving up anything time soon. So the company just outside the door was a welcome distraction.

Satisfied that his wife would be alright.  He set his comms to alert him if she woke up and carefully crept out the door.

“Hey Virg,”  Alan whispered, stepping up to his brother and giving him a hug.  “How’s Kay?  She gonna be alright?”

Virgil hugged his brother back,  taking the opportunity to ruffle his hair while he was at it.

Alan grumbled at the action and wiggled away.  Smoothing his hair back into place as soon as he was free  and Virgil couldn’t help the smile that upturned his lips at the disgruntled look his littlest brother shot him.

“Hey Space Case.  She’s sleeping but Doc said she’ll be alright. She just needs to get some rest.”

“Looks like you could use some yourself.”  Gordon observed and moved in for a hug as well.

“Thanks, Squid.  Glad you noticed.”

“Well someone has to keep you honest and Kayo..” His eyes did a sweep of him from head to toe. “Well, she’s blinded by all that muscle."

The swat Virgil sent the aquanau's way as easily dodged as he danced out of reach.

Laughing as he used Alan as a human shield who protested loudly at being manhandled,  he tossed out  “All that bulk is slowing you down,  you should lay off the protein shakes.”

Virgil just rolled his eyes.  Trust Gordon to do whatever he could to lighten the mood with whatever tomfoolery he had at his disposal.

It was at that point that he noticed John standing in the back of the crowd of brotherly forms.  “John, when did you get here?’

John just shrugged,  “Not long ago.  I came as soon as I could but that storm system off the coast made taking the elevator down impossible.

“It’s good to see ya in the flesh.” Virgil smiled, stepping forward enveloping the communications expert in a hug. John’s hugs were rare but the returned squeeze was given freely, a testament to the support system his brothers were offering.

“You too, brother mine.”

Scott stepped up next, though he’d been at the hospital with the couple. “Anything you need, let us know.”  He offered and the round of hugging continued.

“I know and I appreciate it.”

He could always count on his family when the chips were down,  there was no doubt about that.

Scott released him, one hand giving his shoulder a squeeze and tipped his head towards the door at Virgil’s back. “Doc’s made arrangements to come out in a couple weeks' time.  Just had the call come through with the details. Shouldn’t be a problem getting him out here for it.  Between us and Aunt Val we have plenty of pilots who can give him a lift.”

“Great,  I’m sure Kay will be thrilled.” The hand on his shoulder squeezed again and Scott gave him a knowing look.

“She’s a fighter.  Hates being benched just as badly if not more so than we do.”

“That’s what I’m worried about..”

“Meh don’t worry about it.  With the Great Doctor Sally Tracy with her sights set on her,  Kayo doesn’t stand a chance.” Gordon piped up.  “Trust me on that one. She’ll be lucky if she can manage to wiggle a toe without Grandma noticing.”

“Well she had to be super vigilant with you, Gordo. We still have no clue how you managed to change the electronic audio to Spanish from the couch.”

Gordon stood up taller,  primped in all his mastery of everything prankster.  “Trade secret. If I tell you, I would have to kill you.”

This time there was no dodging the swats directed at his head from three older siblings though Alan yet again shrieked in protest as he was tossed about like a sac of meat. 

Sally was a practical woman with simple tastes and simple pleasures.   A night of bridge with the girls at the local social club,   bocce ball every other Tuesday with fellow medical alumni and curling once a month with her bereavement group who had become like an extended family to her after her husband had passed.

Simple things, never extravagant.

She grew up with the mentality that to get what you wanted took hard work and determination.  Blood, sweat and tears was her motto through her years of medical training and her intern placement in one of the busiest hospitals in the U.S.

She’d worked hard to get where she was today despite the trials and tribulations of being widowed, dealing with her own grief and that of her son’s and taking charge of his young brood while he wallowed in his pain.

She didn’t fault Jeff for his actions,  she understood them intimately.  She’d lost herself in taking care of the boys to help keep the pain at bay.  Oftentimes pushing them just as hard as she did herself. In the end though despite the odds, she thought everything had turned out all right.

Was the road easy?  No.  Far from it.   Was there things she wished she had handled differently?  Of course.  Her son disappearing into a bottle of despair being one of them.  But the boys had been raised well by their dear mother even if only for a short time.

The eldest who remembered her memory took that care, love and devotion their mother had been known for and poured it into the younger two.  Doing everything within the power of their shattered world to keep the family in one cohesive piece even when their father was absent both mentally and physically.

They’d survived and come out the other end stronger than anything she could have imagined and she wasn’t afraid to admit it and how proud she was of every single one of them.

And true form when one of the brothers stumbled the other four were right there to steady him and get him back on his feet. Providing whatever support that was needed in their own individual ways.

When others would bolt,  her boys rallied.  Diving in head first to shore up whoever was in need.  It’s what made them great at what they did. That core strength of love and support radiated out of everything they touched and because of that they’d helped more than she could count.

Here she was,  coming to check on her adoptive granddaughter and her loving boys where right were she expecting them to be.  Standing as a unit outside Virgil’s door.  Surrounding him and holding him up with hugs, pats on the back and caring words.

She stopped and kept back a few paces, letting them have their moment and watching all the love. They deserved this moment cause they were few and so far in between.

Rescuing the world didn’t leave much time for brotherly interaction and these precious moments needed to be cherished.

Leaning against the wall, she allowed a soft smile to grace her lips.  Something in her movement must have alerted her boys though because no sooner had she settled than one by one they turned her way.  Not surprised in the least to find her there.

She looked at them, taking in the details of the men they had grown into and she locked the details away for safekeeping.

Scott with the little licks of grey at his temple a sign of the stress the last years had put on them all but his eyes sporting the beginnings of laugh lines.

Virgil,  his quiet nature and artist spirit.  Steadfast even with his wife just feet away resting with their babe growing in her belly.   As worried as he was for he felt things more deeply than all of them he put on a brave face. Not wanting youngest brothers to see him waver even though she knew he was.

His eyes spoke volumes.  She could see the exhaustion and fear in them but even so he graced her with a small smile in return.;

John, her star baby.  When had he come down?  Shocked, she frowned slightly as she took in his uniform. He’d need to wear that for a while until he acclimated to Earth’s gravity again.. A downside to living in the stars so far away.   How he managed the isolations, she had no idea. He’d grown up in a house so full of life until there hadn’t been but he’d silently held on.  Striving to be the best at what he did.  

Next was the vivacious Gordon.  Beams of sunshine in his hair and mischief in his eyes.  He’s seen and done a lot in his short life. Days so dark with despair as his broken body healed.  She’s spent many an hour sitting with him in the VA hospital watching and keeping him company as his body painfully knit itself back together again after every surgery but for all of it. He never complained with the exception of food.   Just grinned and bared it though she could see the cracks.  He'd come through it all, scarred and sporting a motley collection of surgical steel plates and bolts and kept on smiling.

And lastly her baby boy,  Alan. Her rocket man.   He’d missed so much in life.  A normal childhood, school, friends and typical boyhood misadventures.  First date,  prom, graduation but he’d still done the family proud and held his head up high.  He flew the stars and was living a dream most kids his age could only dream about.  A tender age but the top of his field and he got to fly a rocket ship.  What kid wouldn’t love that? 

Her boys.  No, her men.  Through diversity and trauma they all stood tall and together.

Pushing away from the wall she went to them and was lost in a sea of hugs.

8-8-8

TBC

NEXT

[dameronology]

rockstar {s.r x reader} - 2

summary: it’s been two months since you sunk your chipped black nails into steve rogers’ heart. it’s bliss - maybe you’re living in a dream world. {part one here}

I’M SORRY THIS TOOK ME SO LONG but part 2 is finally here! and i don’t even have an excuse because i’ve literally been doing nothing in lockdown. also this has two new characters, the bandmates, they’re only side characters/kinda comic relief but they were so much fun to write 

i’m gonna make a taglist so if you want to be added, let me know xx 

- val xx 

One month.

One month with you.

And the best month of his life. 

Steve couldn’t quite bring himself to say that he loved you - at least not to your face. He was certainly infatuated by you; obsessed with every sarcastic word that rolled off your tongue, entranced with every curve of your body and every mark on your skin. He was drawn in by every bold grin and cheeky wink; enamoured by your very state of being. 

It was a cold Wednesday morning; you’d turned on the heating in your apartment, but there was still a chill in the air. You were sat at the piano in your living room, a half-finished cigarette resting between your lips and a cup of black coffee resting atop the instrument, steam forming against the glacial air. 

You were surrounded by hundreds of pieces of paper; some were scribbled with lyrics, others with melodies and musical arrangements. They were scattered across the rug, and both your coffee and dining table. Getting musically stressed was all in a day’s work for you, but this particular song was being stubborn. 

Steve, who had still been asleep when you traipsed out of bed thirty minutes previous, was stood in the doorway of your bedroom. He had your sheet wrapped around his shoulders, watching as your hands absent-mindedly floated across the keys. You were wearing his shirt; it hung off your shoulders, a few tattoos peaking out the top. He’d seen a lot of beautiful sights in his life but this one certainly took the top spot.

He watched as creased your brow - something you always did when you were in deep concentration. 

‘Come back to bed?’

You jumped at the sound of his voice, turning to face him with a tired smile on your face. You dropped your pen and took the last sip of your coffee, jumping from your seat and skipping across the room to see him. He took you by the waist and you leapt up, wrapping your legs around his waist and pressing a kiss to his nose.

‘I would love to come back to bed but I gotta work, baby.’ you sighed, your hands wandering through his tufty blonde hair. ‘This song is stressing me out.’

‘I know a way I can help you relax,’ Steve’s face twisted into a grin.

‘You make a convincing-’ you were cut off by someone knocking excitedly on your door.

You groaned, dropping your head into the crook of his neck. There was only two other people who had access to your front door without buzzing through; you loved them both dearly but they were a real pain in your ass (especially when they were cock-blocking your chances with Captain America).

You leapt down from Steve’s waist, pressing a kiss to his lips.

‘Put on some clothes,’ you ordered, pushing him towards the bedroom, ‘and fix my sheets, Rogers!’

You heard Steve mutter something about how you were killing him, doll. You rolled your eyes and smiled to yourself, grabbing some black skinny jeans that had been strewn on your sofa. You tugged them on and then jogged to the front door, preparing yourself for the two clowns that awaited you.

‘What do you two morons want?’

You were met with the grinning faces of your band-mates. Alex was a six-foot-tall man child who still dressed like a My Chemical Romance fan circa 2005; Damian, meanwhile, was a self-described bisexual disaster with tufty brown hair and a never-ending collection of flannel shirts. And, above all, they were your absolute best friends. Platonic soulmates, if you will.

‘We haven’t heard from you in three days.’ Damian elbowed past you, swaying into your apartment.

‘We thought you were dead,’ Alex chimed in.

You folded your arms tightly across your chest, watching as your band-mates sauntered in. You didn’t intentionally spend three consecutive days locked in your apartment - it just sort of happened. You and Steve had met up on Friday for a drink, and he was still here on Wednesday. Time sure did fly when you were getting fucked by a super soldier. 

‘I’ve been busy.’ You muttered.

‘Doing what?’

‘Her new boyfriend, probably.’

‘He’s not my-’ you paused. Was Steve your boyfriend? You hadn’t that conversation yet. 

You hadn’t had a boyfriend for a long time. You weren’t short of casual flings - not by any means. It was simply that you hadn’t met anyone worth giving the time of day. And Steve Rogers, you found, was worth giving every second of every one of the rest of your living days.

‘Is he hot?’ Damian asked.

‘Very.’

‘Can we see - ‘

‘- sweetheart, have you seen my shirt?’

You felt the air leave your lungs when a shirtless Steve Rogers exited your bedroom. It was partially to do with what a glorious sight it was and half to do with the fact he hadn’t met any of your friends yet. And, aside from Sam and Bucky, you hadn’t met any of his either.

It wasn’t because you were ashamed; rather, it was au contraire. Whatever this thing was, it was close to your heart and it was close to his. It was your little secret; a tiny world you’d built together. It was too precious to expose to the world - not yet. 

Steve stopped talking when he saw the two other men in the penthouse. He recognised them from the photos on your wall. Except, in the pictures, they were sharing the same, menacing glare that you had. Now, they were grinning like two Cheshire cats.

‘Fuck my life,’ you murmured quietly, hiding your face in your hands, before taking a sharp breath and gesturing between the three. ‘Steve, this is Damian and Alex.‘

‘Right, great to meet you guys.’ Steve, momentarily forgetting his shirtlessness, flashed his beautiful smile, sticking his hand out for them to shake.

‘Believe me, Captain America. The pleasure is all mine.’

‘My eyes have been blessed-’

‘- right, that’s it!’ You snapped. ‘You two, out! I’ll see you in the studio later.’

‘But we have so many questions, sweetheart.’ Your nostrils flared at the use of Steve’s nickname.

‘I will throttle you, Damian!’ You threatened, showing him towards the front door.

‘We love you, Y/N!’

You scrunched up your nose, opening the front door. ‘I love you too. Now fuck off.’

You let the door shut behind them, dropping your back against it. You covered your face with your hands and let out a groan as you slid down it, collapsing into a pile on the floor. Steve, who was still stood in the centre of the room, pulled a face at you, as though he were pitying you. 

‘Don’t look at me like that, Captain America.’ You pointed a finger at him. 

‘I’m not looking at you like anything,’ he couldn’t hide the grin on his face. ‘You’re just so overdramatic. It’s very funny.’

‘I am not overdramatic!’

Steve shook his head and marched over to you, slamming his own back into the door with an over-dramatic groan. He slid downwards - exactly as you had - until he was sat next to you, mimicking your exact actions.

‘Does that look familiar, doll?’

‘It’s easy for you to say. You work with the Avengers, not Tweedledum and Tweedledee.’

‘They seem nice.’

‘I...’ you bit your lip, eyes wandering off ahead of you. ‘They called you my boyfriend.’

Steve furrowed his brow, his head dropping onto your shoulder. ‘Why do I get the feeling that you’re not ready to have that conversation?’

You took his hand on yours, playing with his fingers. They were almost twice the size of yours (and they did things, so many things) and you loved holding them. He towered over you in every way possible. You’d never been the kind of girl who wanted a man to protect her but with him, you didn’t mind so much. 

‘I like what we have now. You and me, and no-one else.’ You murmured quietly. ‘The minute you put labels on things, it creates pressure.’

‘Pressure to do what? Be together?’ He tried to hide the coldness in his voice. 

‘To take the next step!’ You said. ‘You start dating, then you’re official, then people expect you to get married and have babies-’

‘- Your bandmate called me your boyfriend. I didn’t propose to you.’ He stood up, and you immediately yearned for his touch as soon as it left you. 

‘Steve,’ you grabbed onto the door handle, steadying yourself as you leapt up. ‘Commitment just freaks me out, okay? It always has.’

He bit his lip, eyes glued to the floor. ‘What are you saying?’

‘Nothing. I’m not saying anything-’ you took his hands in yours. ‘I’m just asking you to be patient with me. Please?’

--

Later that day, Steve was sat in his office at the compound. It had been a slow morning; there wasn’t much in the way of missions and the reports he’d been working on were dull. He kept picking up his phone, checking to see if you’d texted him.

He still smiled every-time, nonetheless. His background picture was one he’d taken of you; you’d gone on a date to Central Park, and he’d got a snap of you with ice cream on your nose, signature scowl on your face. You had a pair of dark-rimmed Ray-Bans resting on your nose, a black beanie covering your hair. It was his favourite picture of you, because you were adorable and terrifying in equal measures. 

You still felt too good to be true. Before you, every attempt he’d taken at dating had been so complicated. Modern dating was a thousand times harder than it used to be. But, you were simple. You were so open about your feelings that he knew where he stood. It wasn’t exactly like you wore your heart on your sleeve but you were brutally honest. It surprised him sometimes, the way you just came out with things. The way you just said it how it was. 

You’d left things up in the air that morning. You and Steve both had to get to your respective workplaces, and you hadn’t yet had the time to properly sit down and talk. Part of him was terrified for it – what if you were going to end it?

‘I need your advice, Buck.’

Bucky looked up from his laptop, a frown across his features. For a minute, Steve felt bad for distracting him from his work, before he saw the Sims 4 loading screen on his desktop. 

‘What’s up?’ He asked. ‘Your girl getting you down?’

‘She’s not my girl,’ he shot back. ‘I mean…Y/N freaked out this morning when one of her bandmates called me her boyfriend.’

‘You’ve met Alex and Damien?!’ Bucky’s eyes widened, but he quickly cleared his throat. ‘I mean – not relevant. What did she say after?’

Steve rolled his eyes at his friend. ‘Told me she had some issues, asked me to be patient. I think it kinda opened a can of worms.’

Bucky paused, drawing the end of his pen along the table as he thought for a minute. ‘Figures. I think she’s right – you guys have been pretty intense. She probably just needs some time to find her bearings.’

‘What if I’m waiting for something that’s never gonna happen?’

‘Is she worth the wait?’ His friend raised his eyebrows. ‘Only you can decide that.’

--

Across the city, you were in the studio. You were sat on top of a piano, a guitar resting in your lap as you quietly strummed at it, waiting for inspiration to hit you. You were three quarters of the way through finishing the particular record that the band had been working on – but the last part was dragging. Your mind was a thousand miles away as it was, the face of a particular super soldier at the forefront of your mind.

‘You got anything?’ Damian called across from you. He was sat at his drumkit, occasionally whacking at a cymbal hopelessly.

‘Nope.’ You replied ‘I was thinking something like this-‘

‘-we have company!’ Alex announced, entering the room.

You glanced up from your guitar, eyes widening when you saw that Steve was with him. He shared a similar expression to you – nervous, perhaps. You cleared your throat and put the guitar to the side, hopping off the piano. Your boots clipped the key on the way down, a few notes emitting from the instrument as you walked across the room to face him.

‘We’re going to go and talk outside.’ You announced. You took Steve’s hand, pulling him out the room.

You exited the studio, heading out into the backlot of the building. The ground was wet with rain, a few droplets still falling from the sky. The sky was grey, air still thick with damp from the weather. You leant against the wall, boots crunching under the gravel of the ground, scrunching your nose up as a gust of wind hit your face.

‘I’m sorry that I freaked out this morning.’ You finally broke the silence between you. ‘I just…I guess I that I was enjoying that little bubble that we were living in a bit too much.’

Steve smiled, nodding. ‘I know. Me too, doll.’

‘It’s just that things are going so well between us that it freaks me out.’ You continued. ‘Because I know that means it’s going to become serious.’

‘So, what are you thinking now? Where do you want to go with this? With us?’ He took a step closer to you.

‘Every time that I’ve got to this point in a relationship before, I’ve ended it.’ You sighed, but immediately panicked when you saw the look on his face. ‘Oh god, I should not have lead with that – I mean…You’re the first person I’ve met that I want to take that step with. It freaks me out but I want to do it. You just gotta me halfway, yeah?’

Steve’s face softened, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He wrapped his arms around your torso, pulling you into his chest. The action was soft, filled with relief and maybe – just maybe – love.

‘So, does this mean I can officially call you my girlfriend?’

You nodded, beaming. ‘I might freak out the first few times you do it, but of course.’

You pressed your lips to his, hands running through his soft hair. You both fell back against the wall, but you broke the kiss before it could become too heated. You knew where it was going and you weren’t going to put it past you and the super soldier to try and find somewhere to get off in the studio.

‘We gotta back to work,’ you sighed. ‘But I was thinking – the guys have been banging on at me all day about wanting to meet the rest of the Avengers.’

‘That’s funny,’ Steve chuckled, ‘because Bucky has been secret fangirling over them.’

‘Maybe we could go out for drinks?’ You asked. ‘Tomorrow night?’

He pressed another kiss to your lips. ��It’s a date.’

‘Good.’ You beamed at him. ‘D’you get a cab here?’

You fumbled around in your pockets, producing a lighter, a crumpled-up piece of paper and a set of keys. You tossed the keys to him, and Steve caught them. He’d been dropping hints about wanting to ride your bike again – it was the other thing he’d been obsessed with since the night you two met.

‘Take my bike.’ You said. ‘I think it needs to be ridden by someone who doesn’t grind its gears.’

‘And here I was, thinking you couldn’t get any better.’

You rolled your eyes, pressing one last kiss to his cheek. ‘Now go! I’ve finally had some inspiration for a song that I’ve been stuck on.’

Was it soon to be writing songs about him? Probably. Did you care? Absolutely not.

[jamkookies]

Sike

Description :  A trip to Malta for the shooting of Bon Voyage seems peaceful enough until the moment things take an unexpected turn...

Word Count : 2.4k

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The continuous knocking on the door is starting to get on your nerves.

You groan and put the pillow over your head, trying to block out the noise.

What kind of person on his right mind would be up so early? The sun hadn't even come out yet.

"Y/N!"

Knock knock knock.

Oh, for the love of all things...

You shove the pillow away and shoot to your feet, swinging the door wide open.

"What?" you say, sharply.

Valentin is standing on the doorstep, his red uniform spotless, not a single wrinkle in sight.

"Your boyfriend is asking for you again."

You scrunch your brows together, frowning.

"Pardon me?"

"Your boyfriend. You know, the muscular guy with the nice-looking hair."

"Who? Jungkook? He's not my boyfriend."

"But that's what he said."

You grind your teeth together, ready to throw a punch at Valentin's face.

The black haired guy had apparently taken courage from your little peck last night, calling himself your boyfriend and all, you think to yourself.

And what exactly did he want? He had been pestering you non-stop for the last twenty-four hours and it seemed like he wasn't anywhere near stopping.

"Tell him to wait. It's too early."

"He said it's urgent.”

"What are you - best friends with him now? Are you gonna braid each other's hair or something?"

"In my defense, he tipped me quite generously last night."

The flood of memories overwhelms you once again at the mention of his words.

"That reminds me, how dare you sell me off to him?"

Valentin simply shrugs.

"If he's your boyfriend, then I think he deserves to see you from time to time.

I mean, he basically kept looking at you with heart eyes, for crying out loud."

A furious blush spreads across your cheeks and you lower your head, scratching the back of your neck in the process.

"I got the message. You can go now."

He salutes you with two fingers and scuttles away, whistling a tuned out melody.

"Jungkook and Y/N, sitting in a tree, K-I-S--"

"Shut up, Val!"

You sigh in exasperation, wondering what could Jungkook possibly want at the crack of freaking dawn.

* * *

Your knuckles have barely brushed the door, when it immediately opens, revealing a slightly dishevelled Jungkook on the other side.

"Care to explain why you're depriving me of my precious sleep?" you ask him with a raised eyebrow.

His expression softens upon catching sight of you, the creased lines on his forehead smoothing out and his eyes crinkle when he smiles.

"Good morning, Y/N."

You can't help but mirror him, too weak to resist his charm.

"Good morning. Is everything okay?"

His smile faints a little and it is replaced by a grave expression.

"We have a problem."

~

"That son of a-"

"Y/N!"

"I'm gonna kill him!"

"Honestly, we should've seen it coming. It's not like he was gonna let us both go that easily." Jungkook says.

"But I'm the one he doesn't want, not you. I don't understand why he cut your money off." you protest.

You had been discussing this for quite a while, hands intensely choking the air every time your manager's name came up.

Apparently, Jungkook had awoken from his peaceful slumber only to find out that his credit card was rejected when he'd tried to order some breakfast.

"Why did they even ask for a credit card in the first place?" Jungkook wonders aloud.

"Breakfast is not included." you explain.

He pouts, his little nose scrunching in dissatisfaction. 

"I bet the bodyguard saw us together. That's why Sejin invalidated my card."

"Yeah. He got out immediately yesterday." you add.

"How do you know?"

"Val told me.”

"You seem to mention this Val guy quite a lot."

Your lips twitch as an amused expression appears on your face.

"Same goes to you."

"Do you happen to find him...handsome?" Jungkook observes you carefully, waiting for your answer.

"Nah, not really." you say and could've sworn that his face lit up in relief, but his hopes crush when he hears your next words.

"Actually, there is another guy working at the kitchen. And boy, is he good looking!"

He pouts again and reaches to tug at a string of your hair.

"Not funny." he grumbles.

You tip your head back and laugh heartily, enjoying the conversation a little too much.

Still, it only takes a minute or two for the reality to settle in on you.

"What are gonna do now?" you ask.

He gnaws at his lower lip, thinking, scheming, weighing the possibilities.

You were no less stressed.

It was quite obvious that he didn't have a single penny in his pocket, having spent them on last night's dinner, but at least he had paid in advance for his stay in the hotel.

There was no way you could buy plane tickets to Korea now. Not with your insufficient "salary" and Jungkook being added to the list.

You were both doomed.

"We're gonna figure something out." he replies, eyes still unfocused, staring at nothing in particular.

"Jungkook, where are you gonna stay? I can work for a while longer and make some money for both of us, but what about you? They're gonna kick you out if you don't pay for the hotel room on the next days.”

"I'll make do."

"How?"

"I don't know. I'll try and make some money too. Then we'll fly off to Korea together, I promise. Just have some patience, alright?"

He approaches the table and takes a tentative step in your direction.

As he comes closer, your body instinctively reaches out, welcoming him with open arms.

He gladly complies to your silent request, wrapping you in a cocoon of warmth as his arms join at your back.

"Jungkook?" you say.

"Hmmm?"

"Why do you keep telling people you're my boyfriend?"

His whole body shakes when he huffs a muffled laughter. He pulls away just a little so he can have a look at your face.

"I'm not lying, am I?"

"I don't remember ever admitting such a thing."

"You not admitting it doesn't make it less real."

"Uh, you know what? I think my shift is about to start. Yup, gotta go."

You try to disentangle yourself from his arms and head for the door, hurriedly scurrying away.

"Wait, where are you going?" Hey!"

You turn the door knob and manage to crack it open an inch, but a large hand appears in your line of sight, slamming it back shut.

"Here we go again." you roll your eyes and let out the longest sigh. " Jungkook, I have work to do."

"But you just got here."

"And now I'm leaving. Move."

He blocks you from opening the door, covering the knob with his hands behind his back and he looks genuinely terrified.

"No."

"Jungkook."

"But I don't have anyone to hang around with and I get boooored."

You reach behind his back, fumbling with the door knob in an attempt to pry it open but then, your hand meets a soft but solid surface.

He freezes.

"Did you just grab my butt?"

You flinch, retreating your hand with lighting-speed

"It was an accident."

A mischievous smirk creeps on his face and it only grows bigger as you shrink in embarrassment.

"Taking things to the next level, I see." he continues and starts advancing on you, but you beat him to it, pushing his shoulders back with a force you didn't know you had.

At first he's surprised but then he relaxes, waiting for you to make your next move.

You smooth your hand horizontally, till it meets the base of his throat and crook your fingers on the collar of his shirt.

His adam's apple bobs when he gulps, dark hooded eyes intensely boring into yours. As if by instinct, one of his hands reaches for the small of your back but you lead it away from you, pressing it flat against the door and intertwining your fingers together.

His skin is burning to the touch- you can feel it radiating heat in your direction.

You come closer.

He takes this as an affirmation to arch into you, still tacked to the door.

There's no contact whatsoever even though the tension makes it look like it.

From the moment his eyes close, reaching for you, you swerve on the side and whisper into his ear.

"Sike."

Before he can react, you push him aside, using his moment of distraction and open the door, hurriedly getting outside into the safety of the hall.

As you bolt for the stairs, you can still hear the sound of his laughter, a hint of betrayal and astonishment in it.

Your lips quirk in amusement.

You'd be lying if you said you hadn't enjoyed that.

* * *

It had only been a couple of hours but you couldn't get rid of the worrisome sensation that would not let you focus on the work at hand.

You rub the surface of the table with a wet cloth over and over again, not realizing you had been doing so for quite a while.

Your thoughts kept drifting off to Jungkook, wondering if he'd had any success on getting the job.

Earlier on, some hushed whispers from Liena had been enough to tell you that the guy had pursued the intention of getting a job at he hotel.

However, you weren't so sure if his honey-sweet words were enough to convince the manager to add another foreigner to his list of employees.

You abandon the cloth and rise to your feet, seeing the room worthy enough to be called clean and head outside.

The amount of rooms you'd had to clean this week had really worn you out.

The utter exhaustion made you pass out as soon as you laid your head on the pillow

You climb down the stairs and enter the kitchen, ready to have your lunch break but you are greeted with a sight you least expected - Jungkook and Liena chatting animatedly while picking at some of the fruit lying on the table.

The former doesn't look too happy, depressingly popping strawberries into his mouth, but when he catches sight of you, he stops chewing and you can see a hint of guilt in his eyes.

"Y/N, ġejjin!" Liena says and gestures with a hand for you to join them.

You grab a chair and take a seat, eyes intently fixed at Jungkook's form.

"He didn't get the job." Liena says in a thick accent when she notices the way you're looking at him.

Your stomach sinks to the bottom of your feet.

"Jungkook?" you hesitantly try.

"I'm sorry." he replies. "I tried, but it didn't work. He said he couldn't allow himself to recruit any more inexperienced employees."

A black suitcase lying at the side of the table intrudes the corner of your vision. All his belongings, ready to be out there in the streets, unprotected.

"It's alright, Kook." you say softly and pat his fluffy head. "We'll find something else."

He leans into your touch, but says nothing, eyes closed in surrender.

Liena takes this as her cue to leave, but you stop her, grabbing her by the wrist.

"Tibqa ’miegħu." you say in her language so he doesn't understand.

Stay with him.

She looks confused but nods nevertheless, trailing her eyes after you as you exit the kitchen.

"Wait, Y/N where are you going?" you hear Jungkook shout.

"Work." Liena assures him.

You make determined steps and head for the manager's office.

There was no way in hell you would let Jungkook sleep on the streets like some abandoned orphan.

As the familiar brown door appears in front of you, you knock twice and take a deep breath.

* * *

"Y/N!"

You turn your head and you're immediately swept off your feet when two strong hands join at the small of your back.

The corners of Jungkook's lips are stretched on either side of his face in a blinding smile. He looks up at you  through the long strands of hair curtaining his eyes and you see actual joy.

"Y/N, I got the job!" he exclaims and finally puts you down.

You flash him a smile.

"I knew you would. It would be their loss if they didn't."

You crouch down and start picking up the cleaning utensils you dropped when Jungkook lifted you from the ground.

He quickly joins you, grabbing as much as his hands can fit.

"I'm gonna work as a porter for a while. We can collect some money together and then we'll get out of here. You'll see."

"Good job, Kook." 

You beam at him, overjoyed at his eagerness to finally prove himself to you.

"Did they give you a room?" you ask.

"Yeah, but I haven't seen it yet. I came to you as soon as I heard the news."

"You better go and unpack, then. From the moment you put on that uniform, you won't even have to time to breathe."

"Aren't you gonna help me?"

You slightly kick him in the shin.

"Stop acting like a spoiled kid."

He smirks and comes closer, grabbing the hem of your shirt.

"Maybe I like getting spoiled."

Mortified at his shameless act, you grab a broom and hit his arm, brushing him off.

"I have another room to clean and it's past 10 pm. Go away before I kick your ass."

His smirk only grows wider.

"You and your weird obsession with backsides." he teases.

"You're about to catch these hands, boy!"

"Okay, okay. I'm going." he says as he gets up, but you don't miss the mumble escaping his lips. "As if you weren't the one who teased me earlier-"

"Did you say something?" you interrupt.

"Nope.”

"That's what I thought."

Another hour goes by, filled with only the sounds of your cleaning and scrubbing.

You close the door behind you, exhaustion seeping out from your every limb.

It wasn't that big of a deal, of course.

Every day you'd had to face sleepless nights, airport to airport, practicing dancing and singing and shooting and more than anyone could ever imagine, but still, the idea of actual physical labour was unnerving

You drag your feet towards your room, too tired to grab something to eat.

Carefully removing the shoes from your aching feet, you lay down on the so called 'bed'.

However, your moment of relaxation is short lived.

A soft knock on the door is heard.

Who could it be at this hour?

With sluggish movements you crawl to the door and crack it open an inch.

Two doe eyes peer at  you.

He's a wearing a loose T-shirt and shorts.

Really short shorts.

"Y/N, can I sleep with you?"

[teamwitcarson]

DWTS LIVE: A Night to Remember - Charleston, WV - Tour Experience

Hello! I figured that it would be fitting for my first post to be about my tour experience, so I’m gonna try my best to explain it all from start to finish! I have never been to an event like this, & I was nervous beyond belief for it, but I hope my experience encourages others who are worried that their anxiety will be their worst enemy that night to take that step & have a blast!

MEET & GREET:

The doors opened at 4:30, but the photo op didn’t begin until 5:30, so I was sitting there shaking in my boots for an hour. I kept looking down at my lanyard, still unable to process that it was real; it was REALLY happening! I’ll skip the boring stuff, like being so nervous the night before that I wanted to throw up, the frustration of finding the venue, & what a struggle it was to find parking. I’ll get straight to the part where I was at the venue & in my seat at the mingle. About 5 minutes before the pros + Milo came out, they began calling group numbers to line up for the photo op. I was one of the first to stand because I was in group 1, which was both exciting & nerve-wracking. I kept saying a silent prayer that Witney would be in my photo op, but I didn’t have much hope because she tweeted me the same morning saying that she wasn’t scheduled for it that day. Even though she told me that she’d see what she could do, I had a feeling the odds were slim to none. Still, I appreciate her kindness & effort more than she will ever know. I feel guilty for even admitting this, but when the pros + Milo began walking toward the curtain, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. I wanted to meet Witney so bad I couldn’t stand it, & I was crushed when I realized that I wouldn’t get to. At that moment, so many thoughts were running through my mind, & I didn’t know how to deal with not being able to meet my idol. Still, I took a deep breath & forced myself to shake it off for the moment & go in & enjoy meeting some pretty awesome pros & Milo! So that’s exactly what I did when it was my turn. It was so funny because Alan was standing at the curtain peeking his head out going “who’s neeeext?” to everyone. He was honestly SO adorable & set the mood for the entire thing. When it was my turn, I smiled at him as he opened the curtains for me. I hugged him first, which I don’t even think I had a choice because he acted like you had to get through him to get to everyone else, lol! After hugging him & saying my hello, I hugged Artem & Val. Now, I am in NO WAY trying to say that I don’t care for Val or Artem. They are two AMAZING pros & even sweeter people, but my brain could only think about getting to one thing: Milo. He happened to be at the end, so he was the last one that I hugged. Before I could hug him, he says “hi, I’m Milo!” & I just thought that was the cutest thing ever! When I hugged him, surprise really struck me. I honestly didn’t think he’d be as tall or as, er, built as he was. I was expecting to meet someone my height, but when I had to look up at him, to put it simply, I was what the cool kids call shook. I then stood next to him at the end because I wanted him to be next to me in my photo, but he said “no, you get the middle” so I went to the middle & asked if I could have Milo & Alan on either side. Milo goes, “yes! I was waiting for her to say Milo!” & Alan goes “wait, did you say Alan?” like he was so excited that someone wanted him in the middle. It was so precious! I don’t even think I responded, I just smiled because that’s all my mind would allow me to do, lol. He keeps going on & on during the photo about how I said Alan, & I just thought it was the most precious thing! Now, as for the pose, I had all intentions of getting a Witlo hug, but Witney not being in there really threw me off. Not only that, but I was so shocked to be in there with them that I couldn’t even remember to ask for the pose, so I just kept my arms around Alan & Milo. Alan looked at me after the first picture & goes “you get two pictures just because you said Alan” & I kept the same pose. I tried to lean into Milo, but Alan had his arm around me pulling be back toward him. I knew I loved him before, but he somehow made me love him even more in person. That goes for everyone, honestly! After the pictures were taken, I quickly wrapped Milo into another hug & told him how nice it was to meet him. He said the same, then I ACCIDENTALLY skipped over Val & Artem & hugged Alan. Now, in my defense, Alan is very clingy (in a good way) in the M&G, so that really messed with my head & made me go straight to him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Artem throw his hands up as a joke, & I quickly went in to give him a hug. They were all amazing huggers, such sweet people, & it was SUCH a positive M&G experience! I have to add that VIP Nation was absolutely PHENOMENAL. It was so much more relaxed/ fun than I thought it would be, and part of that is because the staff were just so chill about everything as long as you followed the rules. I can’t thank them enough for helping to make my experience so great, because I am a person that normally gets too nervous to do that sort of thing. I am definitely NOT a good picture taker, so I didn’t have high hopes for a good photo op. However, these photos hold so many memories, & I can’t stop looking at them! I did warn people before I even saw them that my smile would be bigger than my face, but it definitely wasn’t fake & it makes me smile again just to see how genuinely happy I was. :’)

MINGLE:

The mingle was something that I stressed out about from the very beginning. I’m pretty introverted, and I was really nervous that people would be going crazy in the room trying to get to them first & I would begin to panic. I was beyond surprised & relieved that it was SO calm. The two pros went around to each & every person & took their time speaking to them & taking pictures. Emma & Brandon were in my mingle, & they were both so very sweet! Out of every pro I met, Emma was probably the easiest to talk to. She was so social & kind, & it felt like I had known her forever. She was even more beautiful in person & was just a pleasant treat for the mingle! Brandon was also SO awesome! I took a selfie & normal picture with him. He was so sweet, & I have to add that he smelled AMAZING!

PERFORMANCE: 

The venue was a little odd to me, because after the M&G was over, we had to leave for about an hour because the doors didn’t open until 7. Like I said before, this was my first time doing this, but it doesn’t seem to make sense that you’d have to leave with VIP. I’m sure it’s not like that at all venues, but it worked out for me this time because there was a mall right across the street. I came back at 7 & went inside. I was SO surprised to see what an amazing seat I had! I knew it was going to be close to the stage, but I had no idea HOW close I was! I couldn’t have wished for a better view. 

From the beginning of the performance to the end, I felt like I was in a different world. I knew it was going to be amazing, but I didn’t realize just how into it I would be. You can see the dedication & joy on stage, & it’s amazing to be able to witness such talent in person. I’m beyond grateful that I got to experience it for the first time, & seeing my favorite partnership (Milo & Witney) in person was beyond anything I could have ever wished for. It was definitely a must-see show!

BUSES:

When it was over, I felt guilty for feeling so down. I just had the time of my life in the M&G, mingle, & watching the show, but I came into the day wanting to meet Witney. I was fully convinced that it was over & I wouldn’t have a chance. It was pouring the rain, my head was pounding, & I just felt sick all around. Still, I went to the buses to stand in hopes that a miracle would happen. Security informed us that chose to stay that they were getting spray tans before leaving the venue, & the chances of them coming out to take pictures in the pouring rain AND with fresh spray tans were slim to none. No one at all was expected to come out. Even with that, I still stayed put. Something inside of me wasn’t letting me leave until I did everything I could possibly do. I had to try everything I could to meet Witney that night, or I’d never forgive myself. 45 minutes went by & the rain kept pouring down. Somehow, I felt more & more hopeless, but I couldn’t move from that spot. I heard people begin to say Witney’s name as she walked to the buses with her belongings, & my heart started beating out of my chest. I smiled seeing her, but my heart dropped because I just knew that she was going to get on the bus. I completely understood, because it was a VERY nasty night, but against all odds, she started at the beginning of the line & began talking to fans & taking pictures. The feeling I had in that moment was something that I’ll never be able to describe or forget. I couldn’t believe that in a few short minutes I was going to be meeting my idol for the first time. I began tearing up as I looked up at the sky, but somehow forced myself to keep it together so that I could talk to her & tell her what I wanted to. When she got to me, I thanked her for coming out first thing, & she said of course & thanked me for waiting. Her voice was so sincere, & she was an absolute sweetheart! I gave her a hug & told her that I talked to her earlier, & she goes “are you Heather?” It meant so much to me that she didn’t remember me by my username on Twitter, but by my actual name. I told her I was & she told me thanked me time & time again for the support. We took a picture & I told her I loved her, & she said she loved me back. All of the time in the world would never be enough to tell her what she means to me. After she moved to the next person, without even realizing it, I began to cry. I couldn’t believe that, against all odds that night, I had just met my idol. It was a moment of pure joy & relief that I will never forget as long as I live.  I think everyone feels a little nervous meeting the person who they look up to & has helped them through so much because they feel like they may be different in person than what you imagine, but Witney was somehow more amazing & kind than I had dreamed. She was everything I ever want to support, & I am so glad that I have accounts dedicated to her. She truly deserves every bit of it.

Next, Sasha came out! He was so kind, kept calling everyone “love”, & when he walked away, he said to take care. He is just such a sweet person & deserves the world! He also gave amazing hugs!

Hayley & Britt were next! They were both TOTAL sweethearts! They truly made me smile with how kind they were. I hugged them both, & I asked Hayley to take a video saying hello to my friend, & she seemed so excited to do so! They were both gems!

Then Milo came bursting out of the buses! He went to the bus first after walking out of the venue for roughly half an hour, so no one expected him to come out, but he had other plans! What you see on screen is what you get with him. He is SO kind, loves to hug, and is just a pleasant person to be around. Like with everyone else, he didn’t disappoint. When he got to me, I of course wanted a hug & he said “I’m bringing it in, I’m bringing it in” and gave me the biggest hug! He even held the camera for me to take our selfie. He said “wait, let me do it. I have longer arms!” He was just so cuddly & sweet! I somehow adore him even more than I did before! I will never forget the pleasure of meeting that boy. 

Emma was the next to last one to come out. As mentioned before, she was the easiest to talk to. She hugged me & after I took our photo, she told me that I smiled so bright & she loved it. Oddly, I haven’t stopped smiling since. :’)

Alan was the last one to come to the buses. He was an absolute delight to get to meet, & SOMEHOW even more attractive in person! He hugged me & we took a selfie, but he slipped the phone out of my hand & said “I got it, I got it” then sort of looked at me for a minute to make sure I wasn’t mad for taking it, haha! I find the picture I took with him SO FUNNY, because I clearly wasn’t ready for the pic, but it’s a very humorous memory to have! 

Guys, I cannot put into words how much that night meant to me. I have never been so happy in my entire life, & I somehow only get happier through the days knowing that I met my idol + so many amazing people. If I could change one thing about that night, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t even put Witney in the M&G, because I will never forget the feeling or tears I cried of pure joy when I met her at the last minute. I will forever be grateful for that night, & in my 23 years of life, it is the best memory I have. I will always hold it near & dear to my heart.

Friends, I want to thank you again for being so supportive of me & hoping that I got to meet Witney. I kid you not when I say that I was absolutely shattered, because I wanted to meet her more than anything, & it was looking like it was right next to impossible that night. People still had hope even when I didn’t, & that means more to me than anyone will ever know. I can’t describe the feeling of having an overwhelming amount of support, but it is right next to meeting the person that gives me meaning & inspires me every single day. It truly was a night to remember. :’) 

A message to you:

https://twitter.com/witneysdisney/status/1078510264763514882

[imagineteamfreewill]

Want Me To

Title: Want Me To

Pairing: Mermaid!Reader x Mermaid!Dean

Word Count: 4,202

Warnings: Physical pain

Summary: A morning mishap causes Y/N to have to return to the water, and a scare causes Dean to realize that he can’t truly forget who he is.

A/N: This is part three of the Back to the Start series! Feedback is always welcome. Enjoy!

X

Back to the Start Masterlist

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_______________

The morning after Dean yelled at you, you got up earlier than he did. The sun wasn’t even up by the time you were crawling out of bed and slipping into the bathroom, and you had to admit that you didn’t like getting up early. If you’d learned one thing about living on land, it was that mornings weren’t as beautiful, nor were they as easy, as they were underwater.

Yawning, you headed down the stairs and into the kitchen, where you began to pull the things out that Dean had used when making scrambled eggs. He’d shown you how to make them earlier in the week. He had been incredibly patient throughout the whole process. You’d asked lots of questions, yet he never seemed bothered by any of them. Dean did, however, laugh when you admitted to him later in the day that you still didn’t understand why they were called “scrambled” eggs.

You were just beginning to beat the eggs when Dean came shuffling down the stairs.

“Good morning,” you greeted him, hoping that he wasn’t still angry with you.

Much to your surprise, Dean grumbled sleepily and made his way to the coffee pot.

You watched him for a moment before returning back to cooking. The rest of the cooking process passed in silence, and when you finished, Dean was waiting with two plates.

“Thanks,” you murmured.

“Let’s eat, sweetheart,” Dean replied. He took the plates over to the table and set them down, then sat and began to eat without another word.

Confused, you turned off the stove and followed him, sitting down and beginning to eat your own eggs. The two of you sat and ate in silence.

“How did you sleep?” you finally asked, unable to take the silence any longer.

Dean glanced over at you. His mouth was still half-full of eggs when he replied, “Pass the salt.”

You stared at him for a moment, trying to decide whether you should pass the salt to appease him or press the question. When you didn’t move, Dean sighed and reached over your plate for the salt shaker. In the process, however, he knocked the glass of saltwater you’d made for yourself onto your lap. Your pajama pants were soaked through in seconds, causing your tail to appear as the water touched the bare skin underneath them. A cry left you as the scar on your human leg stretched and changed to the glittering scales of your tail.

Dean leapt to his feet in surprise. Almost immediately, he was scooping you up in his arms and rushing out the back door of the old house.

“Dean, what are you doing?” you asked. He didn’t reply, and you coughed as your breath moved from your lungs to the gills on your neck that had been inactive over the past weeks. Using the gills to breathe in actual air instead of getting your oxygen from the water burned the small flaps of skin. Tears filled your eyes as you tried to force yourself to breathe using your lungs, but it didn’t work.

“I’ve got you, Y/N. I’ve got you,” Dean murmured. He knelt down on one of the rocky shores that surrounded his house, then gently placed you in the shallow water.

The salt immediately soothed the irritation left behind by Dean’s sleeves rubbing against your scales, and you gratefully slid into the slightly deeper water. You ducked underneath it so that you could breathe in through the saltwater. When you came up again, Dean was watching you with obvious concern.

“I’m okay,” you told him, sighing in relief as your gills relaxed and you could breathe much easier. “I’m okay, Dean, I promise. You did the right thing for me.”

He nodded, his expression changing into one of relief. “Good. I’m glad.” The two of you stayed quiet for a moment before he continued, “You could probably swim home now. Your tail looks alright to me.”

Looking down, you watched the morning sun reflect off your scales, clearly illuminating the jagged, scale-less line where your scar was. Dean was right—you probably could swim. The question was, did you want to just yet?

“I don’t think so,” you replied, the words coming out before you’d even given the question proper thought. “It probably needs to heal for a few more days. Maybe a week, who knows. I’m not a doctor.”

You didn’t miss the hope that flashed across Dean’s face.

“Oh, okay. Do you want to hang out on the shore for a while?” he asked. “Getting your tail back seemed pretty stressful and the water might help.”

You nodded in response and he gave you a soft smile before standing once more and heading into the house. Not knowing why he’d left, you stayed where you were and flicked your tail underneath the waves, then watching as the sand swirled around you in response. The water felt good, and you couldn’t deny the fact that you felt stronger than ever. Maybe being on land had been good for you.

Lost in your thoughts, you didn’t realize that Dean had come back with the rest of the breakfast food on a tray. He was already sitting down on the rocks when you blinked and saw him there, and you smiled up from where you were sitting.

“You didn’t have to bring breakfast out here, Dean,” you said as you took the plate he offered you. “I could’ve eaten later.”

Dean shook his head. “I’m not gonna spend my day off eating by myself when I can eat out here with you,” he replied.

“Your day off?”

“Yeah, I texted my boss this morning and told him I was sick.”

“You don’t look sick,” you commented, raising an eyebrow at him.

Chuckling, Dean replied, “That’s because I’m not, Y/N. I just… had some things I needed to take care of around the house and I decided that today would be a good day to do them.”

You nodded in response and began to eat the rest of the eggs. When you finished, you reached over and put your plate back on the tray, then sighed and laid back. All but the tip of your nose was under the water, and when you opened your eyes you could see Dean smiling down at you from the shore. You smiled back, happy that he didn’t seem to be mad at you like he had been the night before.

Dean gestured for you to sit up, and when you did, you realized that the shirt you were wearing was one he had loaned you, and now it was completely soaked.

“Oh, Dean, I’m sorry. I forgot that this was your shirt. It’s all wet now…”

“Don’t worry about it,” he told you, the smile still on his face. “How about you hang out here while I go get some stuff done in the house? You seem to be enjoying yourself, and I’d hate to be the bad guy and take that fun away from you just so you could help me fix some floorboards. I can come get you when lunch is ready.”

You smiled and nodded. “That sounds great, Dean. Thank you.”

He got to his feet and picked up the tray, then headed back up the rocky outcropping. You watched him from your spot in the water, your smile still on your face. Dean was attractive, you had to admit, and the realization that you were ogling him made you blush.

“That’s enough, Y/N,” you murmured to yourself. “Don’t act as if you’re staying long enough to have anything with him. He’s a human and you’re a mermaid. It won’t work!”

The scolding you’d just given yourself dampened your mood a little, and as Dean turned the corner to go around to the side door of the house, you sighed and laid back in the water once more. It was cool, but the sun’s rays kept you from getting too cold. You’d forgotten how absolutely wonderful the water was during your time on land. Closing your eyes, you let your mind drift off as you tried to enjoy the water to the best of your ability. If you wanted to spend as much time with Dean as you could before you left, you needed to get your fill now so that the rest of your days could be spent on land.

You must’ve fallen asleep, because the next thing you knew, Dean was reaching under the water and shaking you awake.

Blinking away your grogginess, you sat up and yawned, “Is it lunch?”

“Sure is, sweetheart,” Dean replied, wiping his wet hand off on his jeans. “You feeling alright?”

You nodded and gave him a sleepy smile. “Scoot over so I can sit on those rocks and swing my tail up.”

Dean was just about to move when you realized you didn’t have anything to cover yourself once your tail went away.

“Wait!” you cried, stopping him in his tracks. “Do you have a towel or something I can wear? No offense, but the tail is personal enough. I don’t need you to see me naked or anything…”

You could’ve sworn that Dean’s cheeks turned pink at the mention of nudity, and you bit back a smile as he got to his feet.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, his voice a little gruff. He turned on his heels and hiked back up the rocks, then returned only a minute later with one of your towels in hand. Dean tossed it to you and you caught it with ease, being careful all the while not to let any part of it touch the water.

A few minutes later you were climbing the steps to Dean’s porch.

“So you’ll be going back soon, huh?” he asked. He didn’t glance your way as he spoke, but you had a feeling that Dean was trying to act more nonchalant than he felt.

“Maybe,” you carefully replied. “It depends.”

“Depends on what?”

“On you.”

Dean stopped and looked over at you. “What?”

“It depends on you, Dean. Do you want me to stay longer?” you asked. Your hands went to fidget with the knot you’d tied to keep the towel around your bare waist and you had to stop yourself. It wouldn’t do any good if you accidentally dropped it because you’d messed with the knot enough that it came undone.

“Yeah,” Dean answered. “I do.”

With that, you nodded and opened the screen door, then stepped inside the house. Dean followed close behind, and as you sat down at the kitchen table you could feel his eyes on you.

“What, Dean?”

“Why would you stay longer if you’re well enough to go back?” he asked. “Don’t you miss your family? Hell, don’t you miss the ocean? Staring at it from the bedroom window probably doesn’t make you any less homesick. You were really enjoying yourself out there today.”

You sighed. “Sit down, Dean. Let’s just eat lunch. I’m staying, and unless you’re kicking me out, why does it matter my reasoning? If you want me to stay, I’ll stay.”

Hesitantly, Dean sank down onto his chair and began to put condiments on his burger. You could tell he was still curious, but he wouldn’t be getting any answers out of you today. There was no need for him to know that you were staying because you simply didn’t know how you’d live without him. If he were a merman, it would be a different story. If he were a merman, the two of you could swim back home and you would introduce him to your family. You could be friends and spend lots of time with each other, and if he was as willing as you were, the two of you could be together.

It would be a fairy tale ending, you thought as you took a bite of your food. My parents would want us to be married, and I’m sure that Dean’s parents would too.

_______________

Days passed and you and Dean spent almost every moment possible together. He showed you how his prized Impala worked, explaining to you that he’d bought it for almost nothing, then rebuilt it from the ground up. You’d been incredibly impressed, but not as impressed as when he showed you pictures of the house before he began repairs on it. The old house had been in a horrendous state of disrepair; it was a miracle that it was still standing today.

Now that your tail was healed and you’d gotten a taste of the water once more, you were craving it. You had to spend some time in the shallow pools around Dean’s property each day or your legs would begin to ache and you’d grow too tired to function. Dean compared your need for saltwater to the need of a drug addict. Of course, then he’d had to explain what a drug addict was, but as soon as you understood the concept, you’d agreed. It was the same feeling you had about Dean; without the sea, you felt as if you would die.

Dean was also teaching you how to cook more things than just scrambled eggs. You didn’t have a need to cook, but you’d agreed simply so that you could spend more time with him. Plus, you liked to see him work. He was incredibly capable with his hands, and watching him cut up vegetables was like watching the sun set over a calm sea—it was beautiful and mesmerizing from start to finish. You would never admit that to Dean, though. You didn’t want to give him anything else that he could tease you about. Your need for saltwater provided plenty of material for him to use.

The first step in cooking, Dean had explained, was to get the food that you wanted to cook. So, he’d taken it upon himself to show you around the grocery store on his day off.

“Do we need this?” you asked, turning to Dean and holding up the box of minute rice.

He shook his head and reached down to get a bag of rice from one of the bottom shelves. “That stuff is nice, but this’ll taste better. C’mon, we gotta get through the rest of the aisles before it gets too late. I don’t want to be eating lunch at dinnertime,” he retorted.

You rolled your eyes at him, then began walking again, figuring that Dean would follow you with the cart like he had been. You were just about to pick up a can of vegetables to ask if you’d need it, however, when you realized that you’d assumed wrongly.

Turning around, you frowned when you saw him bent over, his hands pressed against his shins. “Dean? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Y/N,” he replied. His voice was strained, and you couldn’t help but feel a little bit more worried when he stood and you saw his eyes. They were filled with pain.

“We should get home, Dean. You don’t look okay,” you pressed.

“I told you I was fine, and I meant it. Let’s just get these groceries,” Dean said as he began to push the cart again. He only made it a few steps before he was bent over again.

Quickly, you hurried over and placed a hand on his back, leaning over slightly so you could see his face. He was pale and his breath was coming in short pants. Dean was definitely not okay, and ice-cold fear crept into you. You didn’t know anything about medicine or human health. If Dean was sick, you had no way to help him.

“Dean, we need to go home. You need to lie down,” you told him, leaving no room in your tone for argument.

Thankfully, Dean gave you a tight nod. He let go of the cart as you wrapped your arm around his waist and began to limp toward the exit. His steps were slow and jolting, and halfway to the automatic doors, you began to wonder if the two of you would even make it to his car.

By the time you finally arrived at the Impala, Dean was practically bent in two. You could tell he was in a lot of pain, and when you let go of him so you could dig the keys out of his jacket pocket, he almost fell. He would’ve crumpled down onto the hard pavement had he not braced himself against the metal of the car.

After you’d gotten the keys from his pocket, you opened the driver’s side door and moved to help him in.

“No,” he groaned. “You’re gonna have to drive, Y/N. Help me over to the other side.”

“What? Dean, no! I can’t drive! I’ve never driven!”

Panic welled up in you as Dean lifted his head to meet your gaze.

“Y/N, you’re gonna be just fine, sweetheart. I’ll talk you through it, but right now I just need to get over in that seat. The sooner you help me over, the sooner we get home.”

Swallowing thickly, you nodded and wrapped your arm around his waist again. You helped Dean limp around the front of the Impala, and once he was settled in his seat, you went back around and got in the driver’s side. Your hands were shaking as you buckled your seatbelt like he’d shown you earlier that day, and when he let out a moan of pain you bit down hard on your lip.

“I can’t do this,” you whimpered. “Dean, I can’t drive your car! What if something happens? You love this car!”

“I don’t care about the damn car, Y/N!” he replied, his voice almost a shout as he grit his teeth against the pain. “We just need to get home! Can I trust you to get me home?”

You nodded hard and fought the fearful tears that threatened to well up in your eyes. I can do this, you thought. It’s probably not as hard as it looks.

“Okay. The first thing you need to do is stick the key in that little hole there and then twist it toward the front of the car,” Dean instructed.

Picking up the key from where you’d dropped it on the leather seat, you did as he said. The car rumbled to life beneath you and you let out a sigh of relief. That wasn’t so bad.

Dean continued to instruct you as you fumbled your way around the instrument panel of the car, and soon you were maneuvering the car onto the street that ran through town. Thankfully, most people were just getting into work and the road was just about empty.

“What’s wrong with your legs? Did you get hurt working on the house?” you asked as you slowed to a stop at the only stoplight in town. There weren’t any other cars at the intersection, and you frowned as the light continued to stay red.

“I just need to take a hot bath,” Dean replied. His voice was still tight with pain and you felt sympathy well up in you. “It’s probably just a muscle spasm or something like that.”

You nodded in response and pressed your foot against the gas pedal, quickly apologizing when Dean flew forward and hit his forehead against the interior of the car. He waved you off and stayed bent over, one hand on his legs and the other pressed against his head.

Finally, you pulled the car into the driveway of the house. As soon as you’d tugged the key from its spot, you raced around to the passenger side and helped Dean out. He almost fell when he tried to stand, and you had to take a shaky breath so that you’d be calm enough to help him inside. He was troubled enough already; Dean didn’t need to deal with both the pain and you freaking out.

“Do you want to go upstairs?” you asked as you began to help Dean towards the front door. He gave you a jerky nod, then reached out to support himself against the wall of the house. Once you were sure he was steady, you let go of him and opened the front door. Dean was ready and willing to accept your support almost immediately. You helped him all the way to the bathroom upstairs, but that was where Dean began to grow belligerent.

“I can take care of myself, Y/N,” he grumbled as you went to turn on the bathtub faucet for him.

“Dean, it’s just a bath, let me help you. You’re in serious pain!” you replied.

“Y/N, please, just go! I promise I’ll call if I need anything. Just let me take care of the bath myself.”

Reluctantly, you pulled your hand away from the knob and stepped back into the bathroom doorway. “You’re sure you can do it?” you asked.

Dean grit his teeth against a wave of pain. His eyes squinted shut for a long moment before he finally opened them and looked up at you. “Yes,” he answered, his jaw still clenched tightly. “I’m sure.”

After a few seconds, you nodded and stepped back again, this time into the upstairs hallway. You shut the bathroom door and stayed put for a moment, listening to make sure Dean made it into the bathroom without slipping or falling down onto the tile. As soon as you heard the water turn on and Dean sigh in relief, you headed down to the kitchen to figure out what you could make for him to eat.

_______________

Dean had put it off for too long, and now he was paying the price.

Y/N hadn’t figured out why he was in so much pain, thankfully, but as he slipped into the saltwater that the extra pipes he’d installed had pumped into his bathtub, he wondered if she even suspected him of being a merman. He didn’t think he’d given her any reason to, but she seemed smart. A slip-up of any kind could be enough to clue her in.

Sighing in relief, Dean closed his eyes as his bare legs shifted into his tail. When he opened them, he frowned. His scales were duller than normal.

Is that because I’ve been out of the water so long?

All Dean could do was hope that his tail would return to its normal sheen, so instead of dwelling on it, he sank down into the water and took a deep breath through his gills. The burn from breathing air disappeared almost immediately and Dean let out another sigh, this time of contentment. He’d missed the water. Why did he ever try to pretend that he could be a normal human? It was foolish to try and forget who he really was, especially since Y/N was always around to remind him of it. If he wasn’t so scared of facing his past, maybe he’d consider swimming back with her. Surely she had a pod that he could join, and maybe they’d even let him join with the other men to help protect the group. He was out of practice when it came to fighting, but he could hone his skills again if he had some time.

Shaking his head, Dean pushed himself up above the water and reached over to turn off the faucet. In the quiet of the bathroom, he could hear Y/N in the kitchen beneath him. She was probably trying to cook again, and Dean made a mental note to make sure that he got food she might be able to cook the next time he was in town for work.

A knock at the door made him flinch. His tail knocked a soap bottle off the edge of the tub, and Dean saw the door handle jiggle as Y/N tried to open it from the other side. He silently praised himself for having the insight to lock it before he’d shed his clothes.

“Dean?” Y/N’s voice was muffled by the door, but he could hear the worry in her words almost as if she were in the tub with him.

Now that’s a thought… Y/N in the tub with me…

Dean cleared his throat and shifted so that his tail wasn’t pressed uncomfortably against the metal faucet on the wall.

“I’m fine, Y/N,” he called back. “What’s up?”

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah, I am. The hot water helped a lot. Did you need something?”

It was silent for a moment before Y/N replied, “No, I… I just wanted to make sure you were alright. I was worried.”

Her concern made Dean smile. It was nice to have someone that cared about you around. It made you feel… loved, Dean decided. He felt loved.

“I’ll be down soon, Y/N,” Dean replied. He paused for a second before continuing, “I’m glad you stayed. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you weren’t there with me.”

“I’m glad you wanted me to.”

The smile in her voice was clear as day, and even though she couldn’t see him, Dean smiled in response.

_______________

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[leroyparker]

we were here

So months and months ago, I was stuck in Dublin airport after my flight was delayed, delayed some more, and then cancelled.  @elevenknope, being the wonderful soul she is, inspired me to write a stoncy fic about it.  I never finished it (because I suck) but then yesterday, Val got stuck in an airport, and it only seem right to finish it for her.

Jonathan’s leg was shaking incessantly, bouncing up and down at a rapid pace.  He pressed his hand to his knee, trying to get it to still, but it stubbornly persisted.

His entire body was tense, and he felt like an elastic band about to snap.  The seat was too small, too stiff, and there wasn’t enough damn leg room for him to relax.  He stared at the seat back in front of him, the hum of the plane only serving to put him more on edge.

He shouldn’t have agreed to this.  He didn’t know how he’d let his mom convince him that being stuck in a small metal container moving at a hundred miles per hour was worth attending a stupid photography workshop.

It’s not stupid, it’s a big deal, his mother’s voice rang out in his head.

He had sleeping pills that would knock him out easily, but his first flight was only 2 hours long.  There was no way they wouldn’t keep him sleeping through all of that, and the only thing worse than having to fly was flying somewhere he didn’t want to go.  So while he saved the pills for part two of the trip, he’d have to get through this part on his own.

There were people all around him, trapping him in.  He thought the window would be a good idea, being able to see exactly what was going on outside, but now it felt like he was suffocating.  He was alone in his row so far, but soon enough there wouldn’t be.  What if he needed to run?  What if he needed to get the hell out and he couldn’t?

He stared towards the front of the plane, wondering if it was too late to make a run for it.  He’d checked his bag… he’d be out of some valuable things for a while, but he could live without it.

He was currently sorting through how mad his mother would be if he just left now when a voice interrupted his internal debate.

“Hey there,” a kind voice spoke up from above him.  He looked up, eyes landing a couple that appeared to be about his age.  The woman who had spoken to him smiled. “I think we’re seat buddies today.”

Jonathan blinked at her.  His flying anxiety was suddenly gone, replaced with a new sort of social anxiety that he only got around beautiful people.  She tilted her head at him, still smiling despite the crease on her forehead.  He glanced down, spotting his black camera bag on the seat.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry,” he scrambled to remove it, feeling mortified.  The woman just let out a small chuckle, setting her bag on the floor and kicking it under the seat before sitting.  “No rush,” she said happily.

He tried not to watch them openly as they got situated, but he always had a tendency to people-watch.  They were dressed nice but casual, plenty comfortable for a flight this long.

They really were beautiful, but not in some New York supermodel sort of way.  It was a quiet beauty, small town almost.  It was the kind of thing he was comfortable with, and he wished he knew how to say that without sounding creepy.

The couple began to talk quietly to each other and Jonathan didn’t listen in, already drowning in his own thoughts again.  Every inch of his body still wanted to get the fuck off that plane.

The plane suddenly jerked, beginning to move in reverse towards the runway, and Jonathan flinched wildly at the movement before he realized what was happening.

“Not a frequent flyer, huh?” The man in his row asked with a grin, clearly sensing Jonathan’s anxiety.

“Um, no,” Jonathan muttered back.  “I’ve never actually been on a plane before.”

“No way, seriously?” He asked, sounding surprised.  “How do you get anywhere?”

Jonathan fixed him with a look, trying not to be offended.  “I drive.”

“Seems easier to fly,” he mused, and Jonathan couldn’t help but glare.

“Seems cheaper to drive,” he shot back without missing a beat, and the man raised his eyebrows, like the thought hadn’t even occurred to him.

“Steve shut up, you’re being an ass,” the woman quipped at her-- boyfriend? Husband? Jonathan wasn’t quite sure.  She turned to Jonathan, smiling slightly.  “Sorry.  He’s been flying since he was a kid, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have manners.”

She stressed the last word with raised eyebrows, and the man-- Steve-- grinned at her.  “Sorry,” Steve apologized, sounding light-hearted but genuine nonetheless.

Jonathan shrugged.  He hadn’t really been bothered by the exchange-- he was used to privileged people not understanding money and the concept of, well, not having it.

“I’m Nancy, by the way,” the woman introduced herself.  “This is Steve.”

Jonathan smiled at her politely and nodded.  “I’m Jonathan.”

“Why the trip to Minneapolis, Jonathan?” Steve asked from Nancy’s other side.  He let Jonathan’s name roll of his tongue like a drawl, like it was some rare name instead of what it actually was.

“Oh.  Well I’m going to Seattle, actually, I’ve just got a layover in Minneapolis,” he explained awkwardly, wondering if they actually cared.  To his surprise, they both brightened at that.

“No way!” Steve threw out.  “Same here!”

Nancy smiled and nodded to confirm.  Jonathan just blinked, not completely sure why it would matter.  He was sure a lot of people here were doing the same thing, after all.

“What’s in Seattle, then?” Nancy asked curiously.

“Um, just some workshop thing,” Jonathan stammered shortly.  His eyes were on flight attendants who were ushering the last few people into their seats.  “For photography.”

“All the way to Seattle for a workshop?” Steve asked, incredulity in his voice.  “You must be some bigshot, huh?”

Jonathan blinked at that, tearing his eyes away from the smiling women up front.  He looked at Steve and Nancy, who were smiling as they waited for a response.  “Huh?  No, no, definitely not.  It’s not a big deal.”

“And yet you’re taking your first cross-country flight for it,” Nancy pointed out, a smile playing on her lips.

Jonathan floundered, having nothing to say to that.  He didn’t know how to explain to them that he was just lucky that he’d been picked to attend, talent had nothing to do with it.  His mom hadn’t believed him-- he somehow doubted they would either.

“Why are you heading out there?” He said instead, ready to change the subject.

“Vacation,” Steve said happily.  He leaned back and stretched his legs out, despite the fact that he didn’t really fit.  It made sense why he’d chosen the aisle seat, what with his long legs.

“Family,” Nancy countered, looking at Steve firmly.  “My cousin lives up there, she just had a baby.”

Jonathan nodded, focusing on their story instead of the fact that the plane was currently speeding down the runway and at any moment they’d be in the air.

“It’s just an excuse though,” Steve pointed out.  “I mean, no offense to Patty, but I’m not flying to Seattle to see her baby.  I’m going to Seattle to go to Seattle.  Your words, not mine.”

Nancy elbowed him in the side, making Jonathan chuckle in surprise.  She blushed slightly, looking sheepish.  “Alright, maybe it’s a vacation.  But I’ve never been, and Steve’s been twice.  It’s only fair.”

It was raining.  No, scratch that, it was pouring, and Jonathan was in the fucking sky.  They were only a few minutes away from the airport for his layover, but suddenly Jonathan couldn’t imagine them making it.

“I’m gonna die in fucking Minnesota,” Jonathan muttered under his breath.

Steve and Nancy-- who were lovely people, by the way, why the fuck did they have to die on this plane too?-- both looked at him in concern.

“Hey, it’s fine, Jonathan,” Nancy assured him.  “We’re almost there anyway.  Planes fly in the rain all the time.”

“Yeah, you know, once when I was nine, I could stuck in this thunderstorm over the bay.  That was way worse than this,” Steve threw in.  Jonathan looked at him in disbelief, and Steve looked a bit ashamed, like he realized maybe that wasn’t the best thing to say.

“Get ready for just a bit of turbulence folks.  It shouldn’t last long and we’re starting our descent to Minneapolis now,” the pilot’s voice rang out overhead, making Jonathan’s eyes widen.

“Oh fuck,” Jonathan whispered as the first turbulence hit, making the plane jump and shudder.  He held onto the armrests for dear life, squeezing his eyes shut.  Nobody else seemed to be freaking out like he was, but he didn’t see how anyone could be calm about this.

Something warm weighed down on Jonathan’s hand causing a small spark of relief to ignite in Jonathan’s chest.  Without opening his eyes, he let go of his death grip on the armrest and turned his hand over, gripping onto the new presence tightly.  To his surprise, he felt fingers lace in between his, holding tight.

It felt like it would never end.  There were more shudders and dips and then a loud noise that Jonathan was sure was just death itself.  Then a gentle voice spoke up again.

“Hey Jonathan,” Nancy said beside him.  “It’s over.”

Jonathan took a breath, opening his eyes in surprise.  Nancy was smiling kindly at him, and he blinked, stunned by her.  His eyes flickered down and his heart jumped when he saw their hands interlaced.  Oh.

“Oh,” Jonathan said, pulling his hand away.  It was sweaty, and he wiped it on his shirt quickly.  That wasn’t embarrassing at all.  “Sorry. I don’t… like flying.”

“No shit,” Steve said from the aisle seat, but when Jonathan looked at him, there was a bit of concern in his eye.  “At least it’s over now, right?”

Jonathan nodded, grabbing his bag as he saw passengers begin to make their way to the exit.  He didn’t speak anymore, heart still pounding from the leftover anxiety.  He rarely had anxiety attacks like this, and he was glad.  He didn’t feel like he’d be able to take many of them.

They were quiet as they exited the plane and made their way back to the gate. When they were all outside, Jonathan managed to take a deep breath.

Steve was watching him carefully, a thoughtful look in his eyes.  “You need a drink,” he said decisively after a second.  “We all need a drink.”

Jonathan blinked, readjusting his grip on his bag as he looked between them.  He expected Nancy to admonish for the idea, but she was simply nodded in agreement.

“What about our flight--” he started, though he wasn’t sure why.

“This weather isn’t going to get better for a while. No way that flight’s gonna leave on time,” Steve dismissed.

Nancy smiled at him, a light in her eyes that he made him somewhat nervous.  “Trust us,” she insisted, pulling him gently by the hand.  Steve linked his arm through Jonathan’s, and he let them drag them away.

“One, two, three--” Steve counted before bringing the glass to his mouth and slamming it back, Nancy and Jonathan copying obediently.  They all made equal noises of disgust as the tequila slid down their throats, but they were laughing all the same.

Jonathan really wasn’t sure how he’d been roped into doing shots with strangers in an airport bar, but he wasn’t complaining. Besides, Steve and Nancy had stopped feeling like strangers about two hours ago.

He’d learned more about them in that afternoon than he’d learned about most of his peers and acquaintances in four years.  He learned they were both from Hawkins, a crazy coincidence since he himself had grown up not an hour away in Indianapolis.  They had gone to school together since they were kids, and been dating since high school. They’d gotten engaged last summer, but were waiting until Nancy got through grad school to actually tie the knot.  Steve had dropped out of college after his second semester, but was considering going back to get a degree in education.  Nancy had two younger siblings-- Mike and Holly-- who she talked about so much that Jonathan felt like he knew the kids.  When he’d asked Steve about his family, he’d just mentioned that he was an only child before changing the subject. Steve was a baseball fan, his favorite team being the St. Louis Cardinals, and he’d looked close to hitting Jonathan when he’d lied about preferring the Cubs.

The weird thing was, it wasn’t just the couple doing all the talking. He talked about his mom and his brother, mentioning briefly the terrible scare they’d had when he’d disappeared all those years ago.  He told them about his photography, and how he’d gotten into it.  He told them the truth about the workshop and how he’d been selected out of his entire class to attend, and how nervous he was for it.  They’d been so excited about that, congratulating him excessively, like they were proud of him despite having only known him for a few hours.

Steve had been right about the flight.  There had been an announcement an hour ago explaining that the flight to Seattle was one of many delayed flights that wouldn’t take off until the storm had passed.  According to local weather channels, before the night was over.

Steve flung an arm over Jonathan’s shoulders and pulled him close, laughing brightly.  Jonathan smiled bashfully at the gesture, revelling in the embrace.  He hadn’t felt this comfortable with anyone new in a while.  He wondered how much of that was the alcohol.

“Johnny boy, you may just end up outdrinking Nance, which is an accomplishment, let me tell you,” Steve teased, and Nancy grinned at him, her eyes bright.

“You don’t seem drunk,” Jonathan shot back.

“I don’t get drunk.  I’ve got that high school jock endurance thing going for me.  Never been hungover either.” Steve jested with a wink, and Nancy giggled from his other side.

“Right.  So the morning after our engagement party, you were…” she faded off, eyebrows raised challengingly.

“Sick with the flu,” Steve finished confidently.  Jonathan snorted to himself, and Steve shot him a betrayed look.  “I was!  I felt off the whole night, and then, sure enough, I was sick in the morning.”

“You felt off,” Nancy emphasised with air quotes, “because you were drunk.  Give it up, Steve, you’re not a teenager anymore.”

Steve gasped dramatically and pulled Nancy to his chest, though he didn’t let go of his hold on Jonathan.  He watched as the couple smiled at each other and kissed chastely.  He knew he should probably feel awkward, being this close to a couple showing affection, but he could only feel at ease.

“One more round?” Steve asked happily when he looked away from Nancy, already flagging down the waiter.  Nancy and and Jonathan groaned in unison, but didn’t protest anymore.

The night arrived soon enough.  The storm was still beating down heavily with no signs of stopping, and it’d been announced that no flights would take off until the morning. 

The crowds died down, and the noise levels dropped as left families lingered and the only people running around were tired businessmen. The restaurants closed one by one, and soon enough it felt like a place that you Weren’t Supposed to Be.

Jonathan didn’t care.  He was sandwiched in between Steve and Nancy as they sat in a row of seats overlooking the runway.  He was tired from the alcohol and food that he’d consumed earlier.  He hadn’t intended on paying for airport food, but Steve had bought it before he’d realized what was happening.  He supposed the alcohol had helped with that.

“It’s so pretty,” Jonathan breathed out.  He didn’t use that word much, never having many things in his life that fell into the category, but it was the only word for that view.  It was still raining hard, no planes taking off, but it didn’t matter.  The lights flickered along the roads like reflections of stars, and he stared at them for a long time.

“Yeah,” Nancy agreed from his right.  She gave a long sigh with faded into a yawn quickly.

Jonathan bent down and found his camera with ease, slipping the strap around his neck and removing the lens cap.  He stood up, crossing closer to the window, peering through the viewfinder as he struggled to get a shot of the outdoors.

“The photographer in action, huh?” Steve drawled, his voice low with exhaustion.  Jonathan didn’t turn around.  “Oops, shouldn’t disturb him in his natural habitat.”

Jonathan couldn’t help but snort at that and through a look over his shoulder.  Steve and Nancy were both watching him peacefully, small smiles on their faces like they were trying to figure him out.  It was odd, but he liked it.  He turned back to the window and snapped a few shots as he listened to the conversation behind him.

“Man, I’m tired,” Steve sighed.  “Fuck, why is it so cold in here?  Nance, don’t you have a blanket or something?”

He heard Nancy grumble something in reply and then start to rifle through her bag.  

Jonathan allowed himself to stare out at the runway in a daze for a while longer.  It really was beautiful.  He still hated airplanes… but he got the appeal of this place.

Airports were in between places for in between people.  He liked the idea of being one of them.

Time didn’t seem to pass the same in airports, which was strange, seeing as the whole system relied upon time.  But there was something off about it-- it lingered, then passed all too quickly, like it was just trying to leave you behind.  It felt like these last few hours were some sort of bonus time in his life-- you weren’t supposed to hang around in airports, and yet here he was.  It felt like he was cheating the system somehow.

“I wanna stay in this airport forever,” Jonathan said.  He wasn’t sure why he said it out loud, but he felt like he wanted to hear it.

There was a pause.

“Living your whole life in an airport isn’t a viable option for avoiding flying,” Nancy teased gently from behind him, and he finally turned around to look at them.

She’d moved over to sit next to Steve as they shared a nice-sized knit blanket that Jonathan had no idea how she managed to fit into her bag.  Steve was breathing slowly like he was on the cusp of sleep, and Nancy didn’t look much better as she leaned tiredly against Steve.  She smiled at him though, and he smiled back.

“Maybe not,” he replied, but her eyes had already slipped closed.

Jonathan waited a moment longer before raising the camera to his eye and focusing on the pair of them, taking care to capture the airport around them as well.  He knew he should’ve asked permission, but he didn’t want to risk it.  He knew this was something he needed to remember.

When he lowered the camera, satisfied with the shot, and looked up, he was surprised to see Steve looking at him gently.  He wondered if he should apologize, but Steve just smirked at him.

“You’re gonna freeze to death over there,” he mumbled.  “Come on, get some sleep.”

Steve nodded to the seat beside him and Jonathan didn’t argue.  The alcohol had drifted to the back of his mind, creating a layer of exhaustion, and he didn’t fight it.  He sat down beside Steve, smiling as the other man helped push the blanket towards him.  He closed his eyes, surprised at how quickly sleep found him.

“This is for passengers on delayed United Airlines flight 1295 to Seattle.  The plane will be departing at 7:45, and will begin boarding at 7:20 at Gate 7.  Please arrive at the gate with plenty of time.  Thank you.”

Jonathan blinked his eyes open at the announcement, brain clicking on at the mention of his flight number.  He blinked the blurriness out of his eyes and sat up a bit straighter, blinking down at the blanket that fell to his lap.  After recognizing the pattern, he glanced to his side to see Steve, still fast asleep with his head tilted back.  Nancy was on his other side, her head leaning against her fiance’s arm as she breathed slowly.

Jonathan couldn’t help but smile at them both.  He felt a slight headache starting to creep into his temples, no doubt from all the drinking, but he didn’t let himself think about it.  He pushed the blanket off of him carefully and glanced down at his watch.  6:40.  He had time.

After double checking he had some cash in his pocket, he left quietly for the nearest coffee shop.  He winced at the prices, but also reminded himself on how much Steve and Nancy had dropped last night for drinks and dinner.  He successfully procured three coffees-- black, with some cream and sugar packets tucked away in case-- and three muffins of different kinds, balancing them carefully as he made his way back to the seats.

Nancy was awake when he returned, frowning thoughtfully until her eyes landed on him.  She brightened, that small intimate smile of hers creeping back onto her face.

“Hey,” she greeted as he sat on her other side, not wanting to disturb Steve.

“Good morning,” he offered quietly.  He held out a coffee to her and the small bag of cream and sweeteners, and she took it gratefully.

“Thank you,” she said pleasantly, grabbing a couple of cream containers to dump in her coffee before taking a sip.  She smiled at him as she swallowed.  “How’d you sleep?”

Jonathan opened his mouth, ready to reply with his normal fine, but he paused.  For sleeping in a crappy airport seat practically freezing his ass off, he had slept surprisingly…

“Good,” he said with a small smile.  He gave a small laugh.  “I think the alcohol helped.”

Nancy grinned and took another sip of coffee.  “Aren’t you glad you came with us yesterday?”

Jonathan didn’t bother lying.  “Yeah, I am.”

They drank their coffee side by side, not speaking too much.  It didn’t feel like they needed to.

Steve woke up eventually, announcing his presence with a large yawn and a full-body stretch like he was a cat.  He blinked over at them, eyes flickering between them.

Jonathan practically held his breath, waiting for the awkwardness to sink in.  He wondered if they wished he’d left, like they weren’t sure what he was still doing there.  He wasn’t quite sure himself.

But they didn’t suggest anything close to that.  Steve finally smiled, sleep quickly vanishing from his features.  He gave a sound of delight when he spotted the muffins, reaching for them happily and throwing Jonathan a happy look.  He slipped onto the floor to get to the coffee, leaning against Nancy’s legs as he fixed his coffee.

“Jonathan, you’re a lifesaver,” Steve said happily as he tore off a piece of the cranberry muffin. 

They ate breakfast peacefully.  They were all clearly still tired from the night before, but none of them were close to grumpy, though Jonathan suspected Nancy had as much of a headache as he did.

At 7:15 they were done eating and began making their way to their new gate. Conversation never dipped between them, and it made Jonathan’s heart hurt. He’d never managed to connect to people like this.  Why did it have to be now, when they were getting ready to board a flight and most likely never see each other again?

Jonathan didn’t even remember boarding the plane, a stark difference from the hyperawareness he’d felt getting on the first one.  It was different when he wasn’t on his own.

They weren’t sitting together again, which made sense, because that would have to be some crazy coincidence.  They reached Jonathan’s seat first, and suddenly their conversation about music died.

“This is me,” Jonathan said pathetically, not sure why he bothered.  It felt weird saying goodbye when they’d spend the next two hours on a plane together, but he felt like it needed saying.

They smiled at him.  “Have a good flight,” Nancy said, and before he knew it was was pressing a kiss to his cheek.  He blushed immediately, eyes flickering to Steve, but the man was still smiling.

“You too,” he stammered after a second of silence.

“Don’t forget to take those sleeping pills, yeah?” Steve reminded him.  “Take them now so they kick in in time.”

Jonathan gave an awkward smile but nodded.  “Yeah, um… thanks.”

“Scream if you need us,” Nancy teased, winking at him happily, making him snort in amusement.  They both grinned at him and raised their hands in farewell before turning to make room for the other passengers.

Jonathan stood in front of his seat watching them continue to move back in the plane before an older woman beside him coughed pointedly and looked at her seat.  He scrambled to his window seat and sat down so she could join him, Steve and Nancy out of sight.

He looked down at the pills in his hand, pulling them out of the small bag and throwing them back dry.  He focused on the memory of Nancy’s hand on his and their concerned looks and shut his eyes, willing his anxiety away.

“Sir?” Jonathan blinked slowly, looking around.  There was a flight attendant in the aisle, her hand resting on his shoulder as she frowned down at him.  “Sir, the plane’s landed, it’s time to go.”

Jonathan sat up and wiped at his face in confusion.  He realized with embarrassment that he was one of the only people left on the plane.  “Sorry,” he murmured, his voice gruff with sleep.

The flight attendant smiled patiently at him.  “That’s alright.  Oh, and your friends asked me to give you this.  They didn’t want to wake up you up, but they seemed to be in a hurry.”

She handed him a folded piece of paper which he took unsurely.  He felt a bit sick at the thought of Steve and Nancy.

In case you get bored in Seattle-- we’re staying at the Marriott downtown. Ask for Steve Harrington.  x