#was clearing out old tabs on my phone and GUESS WHAT I LEFT OPEN

[mobbothetrue]

the epic highs and lows of high school football fic searching <- spent like 2 hours looking for a fic with negative success only to find it in my ao3 bookmarks

[viridiansworld]

Chapter 2: Cat & Mouse

Collateral Damage Masterlist

Pairing: Changbin x Original Character [Rory] x Lee Know

Includes: Underground Crime Member Changbin, vigilante original AFAB main character, antihero district attorney Lee Minho

Word Count: 3.2k

Warnings: 18+ only, NSFW, mentions of criminal behavior (theft & robbery), angst, mentions of knife & gun violence, tattooing

He thought he was covert. Parking his motorcycle down the street in an alley. It had been 5 days since the incident at the museum and the last 3 nights he had been watching me. Or more like watching my building. From 10 pm till about midnight he kept tabs on me. Only watching, never confronting me. I wondered if tonight would be the same.

"If he dies I'm coming for you alley cat." his words running through my mind again. I was still living and breathing so his friend must be ok, right? So why only watch me?

I sat in the open window straddling the window seal. One leg inside with my foot resting on the hardwood and one leg outside with my foot rested on the old metal safety barrier. I leaned back against the window frame behind me and took a deep breath. The sounds of night life in my old neighborhood drifting through the air.

I had figured if Batman wanted to spy I should give him a show. Make it easier for him. Let him have me in clear view if he wanted to watch. As much as I wanted to be curled up in bed in sweats, messing around on my phone, I opted for jeans and a leather jacket. Waiting to see what tonight brought.

The familiar roar of his bike could be heard at around midnight telling me that another night had come and gone and he was heading out. Little did he know, tonight was going to be different.

I waited until he had driven past my apartment and down the street. I quickly slipped down my fire escape fetching my street bike parked below. I whipped on my helmet and floored it, peeling away from the curb. I didn't have any plan aside from catching up to him. After that I had no idea what I was doing.

My street bike ate up the asphalt in front of it, it's roar echoed off the buildings around me. I had lost sight of his bike, he could have turned off anywhere and been lost to me. If he had, then I guess I'd wait till tomorrow, assuming he'd come back to watch me and I'd try again. Lost in my thoughts the sudden rush of another bike speeding past me caught me off guard. It was him on his lean, loud rumbling Harley.

Even with our faces hidden I could tell he was scanning me up and down. I was doing the same to him. His tight black tshirt hugged his body and showcased the ink that ran down his muscled left arm. His ragged, worn jeans perfectly hugged the strong thighs that straddled his bike. He reved his engine and sped forward, snapping me out of my thoughts and leaving me staring at his back.

"Alright, let's play." I huffed under my breath as I shifted gears and gunned it.

We played a game of cat and mouse weaving through the city, I didn't know where we were going or what the hell we were doing, but I went with it. I knew we couldn't do this all night long so after a while I decided to take the lead. My bike was faster, hands down either way, and I knew just the place to go with him following me.

Every so often I'd check my mirrors to make sure he was still behind me. He was always there, weaving in an out of the city traffic. My destination was in reach and he had to know exactly where we were going. I sped up leaving him stuck at a light giving me a lead in the race. When the place I was looking for came into view I quickly braked and parked my bike right in front of the brick building. The red neon lights from the Wonderland bar across the street cast a warm glow on me as I pulled my helmet off awaiting the arrival of my sudo "partner in crime". I could tell my hair was a hot mess since I had hurriedly put my helmet on and chased after the biker. I tossed my hair a few times to try and even out it's chaos as the rumble of his bike was heard coming down the street.

He came into view and he slowed down, lazily taking his time as his bike rolled up to park in front of the shop right beside me. His heavy boots hit the asphalt, balancing him and the bike in place as he turned his head to look me over in person.

"Nice place you got here ." I spoke smoothly.

He put his kickstand down and dismounted his bike. I got a wonderful view in the process. His thighs flexing in those sinful jeans. He pulled his helmet off. It was almost unfair how good looking he was. He smiled and shook his head, a dimple popping up in his right cheek.

"So the alley cat can hunt too...full of surprises." He walked to the front door of the building as he sifted through his key ring.

"I'm assuming your friend Ji is ok since I'm not currently dead?" I stayed rooted where I was but turned to face him.

He found the right key and put it in the lock, opening the door. "Yeah, he's alive and kicking. Maybe the idiot will stay in the van next time instead of picking knife fights." He pulled the door open, motioning for me to go in. "Ladies first." He smirked.

I walked past the front windows of the shop decorated with scrolling font. 'Broken Compass Tattoo' it read across the top with an elaborate compass underneath. Identical to the one I saw the other night that was tattooed on his neck.

It was what led me to connect the shop to him. Sort of by accident, because I knew the area pretty well but I had known his tattoo was familiar, I just couldn't put my finger on it. That is until I was driving by the other day and almost all but wrecked my bike when I recognized the compass. After Yeji did some digging, it was easy to confirm a Jisung that was affiliated with the business, as well as a Changbin and several other people.

I walked into the dark shop, feeling his presence behind me as he let the door shut. He locked it, securing us both inside.

"A little reminiscent of our first night, hm?" He hovered against my back as he spoke, his breath ghosting over the shell of my ear. Standing in the dark, senses heightened, adrenaline coursing through each of our veins. Same as in the museum.

"Brings back so many pleasant memories Batman." I breathed out.

He chuckled before walked around me and turning on the lights that lit up the lobby area. They had a small reception desk and a cozy leather sectional in the corner. He sat his helmet on the reception desk as he breezed by.

"Come on back." He said as he flipped on another set of lights and walked deeper into the shop. They lit up the rest of the place, revealing low dividers that separated several tattoo booths. I followed him, placing my helmet on the desk beside his before continuing in his footsteps. I was on edge and at ease all at the same time. I felt unsure of this guy because I knew nothing about him outside of what the Yeji could find, which wasn't much, and somehow I felt comfortable with him.

"Take a seat." he motioned to the tattoo table in the last booth on the left. I sat on the table and crossed my ankles.

"Do you have any tattoos?" He asked as he sat down in a roller chair that was in the corner.

"A few." I peeled my jacket off and laid it beside me. My tank top underneath exposing my half sleeve tattooed on my arm. "Looks like you have a couple yourself." I leaned back supporting myself with my hands.

"A few." He joked, "Nothing too crazy though." Moving to rest his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped in front of him. He was looking at the ground for a moment before he tilted his head up, some stray hairs had fallen in his face and he raked his hand through his hair trying to tame the medium length dark locks.

"I'm assuming you know my real name if you know my shop. Care to share your name with me?" His eyes danced with mischief as he prodded for information.

"I certainly enjoy calling you batman but it is nice to know your name...Changbin, you're telling me you haven't figured out my name yet?" The smirk on my face had to kill him. Being bested didn't sit well with him at all.

He shook his head and bit his bottom lip before he spoke. "Well Jisung is the hacker. He's down for the count recovering, no thanks to you, so I'm at an unfair disadvantage."

"I would like to point out that he pulled a gun on me first." I leaned forward, my hands gripping the edge of the table now "and then also he was the one who charged at me while I was holding a knife- definitely shouldn't let him out of the van ever again- and let's face it, I was just trying to get out of there. You guys crashed MY job." I narrowed my eyes at him and crossed my arms.

"And what about your damsel in distress bullshit you pulled with me?" He scoffed

"First off, I am no damsel. But I certainly needed you to think I was so you would let your guard down." I uncrossed my arms and shrugged, "I hope your head didn't hurt too much after that roundhouse kick." Man I loved pushing his buttons. "And secondly don't tell me you didn't like being on top of me. Having me pinned to the ground. I'm sure that fed your ego. Or maybe when the guard came walking by did you enjoy feeling like the big strong man protecting me?" I made a fake crying motion of rubbing my eyes as I mocked him.

If looks could kill, his stare would have killed me right on the spot. Silence was shared between for a long moment before he spoke. "What if you were the one who liked it?" His voice deep with a hint of gravel to it.

"Oh you wish, big boy." I scoffed.

"Play your games all you want." Venom in his words. "I know you stole that diamond out from under me and hell I even let you get away with it. But only..." His voice softened, no venom to the words that followed, "Only because you tried to help Jisung."

I decided to stare at the walls. Give the staring contest with Batman a break. My eyes roamed the artwork that was on the walls for a moment before I spoke again.

"I stole it fair and square. I was better than you. You're just too macho to admit you got beat."

"Whatever you wanna tell yourself alley cat." His smooth drawl was almost cruel with how sexy it was.

The room was quiet again, the hum of an air conditioner was all that could be heard. I scanned the walls some more, taking in artwork that was plastered in the walls of the neighboring booth. When I scanned back across to Changbins booth I found him yet again staring at me. Unreadable eyes.

"I'll tell you my name on one condition." I finally spoke, an idea having crept up in my mind.

"And what would that be?" his interest peaked.

"You let me tattoo you-"

"Tattoo me?" He cut me off holding up a hand. "You're crazy."

"Yes." I said flatly. "I am crazy but if you let me tattoo you, anywhere I see fit, I'll tell you my name...and no one knows my name except me, my boss, and my back up. You should feel honored I even offer."

He sat there for a moment thinking it over, but soon a smirk crossed his face and he shook his head. He stood, heading to the counter where he started getting things out of the drawers and making a setup on the rolling tray nearby. He didn't have to say yes to the proposition, he was obviously on board. He got the tattoo gun set up and finished laying everything out.

"Is this your first time?" He turned to ask as he set the box of gloves on the counter nearby.

"No, I'm not a virgin." I cut my eyes at him playfully.

He almost dropped the bottle of ink that he had just picked up. "I-I'm talking about tattooing!" He stammered.

"So am I Changbin, jeez what a dirty mind you have." Our eyes met and I quirked an eyebrow in his direction. The satisfaction that teasing him gave me was intoxicating.

"Forget it!" He quickly turned away getting back to filling the tiny ink cup up. I didn't say anything back, only laughed to myself because this was way too fun.

"That's everything. I only gave you black. Nothing fancy, ok?" He said as he wheeled the tray over in my direction. I got up off the table and examined everything he had put together.

"Don't worry, that's fine. Take a seat for me." I instructed and motioned to the tattoo table I had just gotten up from. He looked at me a little apprehensively but complied, sitting at the end of the table just like I had been.

A little theatric anticipation building never hurt anybody, so I walked around the table slowly. I made a full circle round before I rested my butt against the counter in front of him, debating what location I should choose for his tattoo. Changbin watched my every move and I wasn't complaining. Having power over a handsome specimen such as him was quite euphoric. I moved to slide the tray closer to the table as I made my final decision on the location I wanted.

"Lay back for me." I said. He eased back, leaving his legs hanging from the knees down at the end of the table. Once he was comfortable he laced his hands together across his broad chest waiting to see what else I was going to say or do. "I think......Here." I pointed. "You got some free real estate here?"

Changbin looked down to see where I was pointing. He paused, eyebrows shooting up as if to say 'are you serious?' I returned his look with a slight nod and a smile. We were about to get acquainted very well and on a whole new level.

He laid his head back with a huff and began to undo his belt. Next was the button and the zipper of his jeans. He raised his left hip ever so slightly to tug them and the waistband of his briefs down just enough to reveal the smooth bare skin that would soon be marked by me.

"No ink down here yet I see." I sassed at him as I grabbed a pair of gloves from the box and began to prep his skin. He didn't reply back but i could see him worrying his bottom lip the entire time. He put his arms behind his head and damn it almost made me forget how to breath as the sleeves of his tshirt rode up on his arms revealing more of the muscles he obviously worked hard for. The lower half of his stomach was more exposed now too. A soft happy trail leading down into the delicious V that was literally right in front of me. I thought picking this spot would be funny but somehow I had only managed to flip the script and turn myself on.

Clearing my mind of my dirty thoughts I finished prepping his skin. I nudged the rolling stool over to the table with my foot so I could sit and start tattooing but I had a thought. "Do you trust me?"

"I'm letting you tattoo my crotch if that says anything."

"It's not your crotch!" I complained jokingly "It's your hip. And I take that as a yes you do trust me." I laughed. "Care if I get cozy?"

"Cozy?" He tilted his head up to see what I meant.

Sitting on the rolling stool I wheeled myself right between his legs. I grabbed the tattoo gun and rested my arms on each of his upper thighs. My chest flush to his crotch.

"This kind of cozy " I quipped, smirking at him.

He swallowed hard. "You're mad you know that?"

"I'm not the one letting a stranger tattoo them!"

"I-...Just get it over with." He groaned, resigned to be at my mercy. I tested the weight of the tattoo gun in my hand. I tested the foot pedal, the feel of the gun and the speed of the needle, all before I finally felt ready to start my art project. It had been a minute since I tattooed somebody but it was sort of like riding a bike, right? Once you learn you never forget.

Scooching up as close as possible I rested my left hand on his lower stomach to steady myself as I tattooed with my right hand. I dipped the needle in ink and then got to work. In less than 3 minutes I was done with the line work and sat the gun down. He popped his head up being curious. "No peeking!" I scolded. So he laid back down with a grunt.

I grabbed the green soap and a towel to clean the small mess of black ink on his hip. The cool feeling of the soap made him jump which I couldn't help but chuckle at. This man really had let me mark his hip with anything I wanted.

"Alright...you can look." I said softly. Honestly a little nervous. I slid the chair back just a bit but I was still sitting right between his legs. I peeled the gloves off and chucked them in the trash bin to my right as I waited for his reaction.

He sat up, only looking at me first, apprehensive of what he was about to find. Our proximity to each other very intimate but I don't think either of us minded. He leaned back on one arm, holding his shirt to his stomach with the other to keep it from blocking his veiw. He stared down for only a moment at his hip before a chuckle racked his body. No bigger than a quarter, I had put the outline of 2 cat ears, a nose, and added 3 whiskers on each side. A cat.

"Alley cat." Was all he said as a stunning smile flashed across his face as he admired his new tattoo.

"Or you can call me Rory." I spoke up, clearing my throat. He immediately looked at me almost like he had forgotten that was what all of this was for.

"Rory..." He repeated, seeing how it felt on his tongue. He move his right foot behind me and used his heel to push the stool, along with me on it, back closer to him. A small gasp of surprise escaped me. Being trapped between his thighs wasn't a bad place to be at all. I let my hands rest on them, not backing down from his advances. The intense eye contact making my skin heat.

He leaned down, "Nice to meet you Rory." Was all he said before he captured my lips in a breathy kiss and snaked his hand into my hair.

Next Chapter>>>

A/N: I realized this week my Christmas Changbin one shot I have posted to my page is also a Tattoo Changbin story💀 now it's been almost 2 years since i posted that one but ...like damn, I'm really exposing myself here with the tattoo kink💀 hahahaha

Anywayyyyy, enjoy! Thanks for reading! ♡

[wayward-dreamer]

Life’s Lessons - Good Enough

Pairing: Mechanic!Dean x Female!Teacher!Reader

Word count: 6,372

Summary: Y/N and Dean are planning their wedding, but a reminder from the past gives him doubts about his relationship and whether he’ll ever actually be good enough for her.

Warnings: Swearing, Dean’s past with Lisa comes back to haunt him, ANGST, Tears, Dean’s self deprecation rears its ugly head, Making up, Fluff.

Music: Love Of My Life - Queen (Dean bar scene)

Life’s Lessons Spotify Playlist

A/N: The next time stamp is here! Stay tuned for another announcement soon about the saga! Hope you all like the time stamp! As always, happy reading and enjoy! :)

Life’s Lessons Saga Masterlist

Divider by @firefly-graphics​​​.

Y/N pressed the ‘end’ button on her phone, throwing it beside her on the couch with a loud groan of frustration.

Looking down at the coffee table in front of her, she shook her head at the sudden overwhelming feeling. The whole surface of the table was covered in bridal magazines, brochures, printouts of venues, her laptop with multiple tabs open, and everything else that came with planning a wedding. She kept hitting brick walls with every place she was looking at being unavailable for the date that she and Dean had decided on. The only thing she had managed to do was finalize the guest list, which was at 80 people. It wasn’t a big number, but knowing she would have to do the invitations as soon as a venue was decided, it was a lot of people. Luckily, it was everyone she or Dean cared about, without having to make sacrifices for their special day.

Y/N heard the key in the door and Dean’s boots on the wooden floors as he walked through the house. He smiled when he saw her, walking over quickly and leaning down, kissing her softly.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he muttered against her lips, kissing her again.

“Hey,” she sighed, a relief washing over her now that he was home. “How was work?”

He huffed out a breath as he leaned back against the couch. “Busy. Having the new guy on today didn’t help. I felt like how you must feel with the kids in class, keeping an eye on him most of the time.”

“He’ll get better soon enough, don’t worry,” she reassured him, leaning over and kissing his cheek.

Dean glanced over the coffee table, leaning forward and resting his forearms on his knees. “That looks like a lot. You okay? Anything I can help with? Not that I know a damn thing about weddings.”

He smirked with a small laugh, kissing her cheek. Y/N smiled and shook her head, looking down at the table and sighing heavily.

“I keep hitting dead ends with venues, that’s all,” she stated, shrugging.

“Hey.” Getting her attention, he cupped her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. “Everything’s gonna work out. We’ll find something and it’s going to be amazing. I know it.”

She nodded, even though she didn’t really feel better despite his comforting words. “I guess I’m just worried about a lot of this.”

“You know whatever you need from me, I’m here, right? Say the word and I’ll do it,” he told her, his hands leaving her face and taking hers.

“I know,” she whispered, smiling softly at him.

“Don’t worry about anything, sweetheart,” he said, smiling at her. “We got this, okay?”

“I know, I just…” she stopped herself, unsure of how to express herself.

“Something’s wrong,” Dean frowned, sensing something wasn’t right. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” she reassured him, smiling softly. “But… I just need to know you want all of this. I know you keep saying you want me to have the wedding I want, but I want us both to have that, Dean. I want what you want too.”

“Don’t go thinking I don’t want all of this. I wanna do this for you. For us.” he said, smiling reassuringly. “I do. I promise you, I do, sweetheart.”

“Okay.” She nodded, her worried expression morphing into a soft smile.

“Okay, good. Now, take a break from all this stuff and let’s make dinner. Sound good?” he asked, smirking.

“Yeah,” she replied, smiling wide as she leaned in and kissed him.

As they got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen to start cooking, Y/N breathed a sigh of relief, as she felt a pressure lift off her. Dean always had a way of doing that. It was incredibly cute to see Dean so excited, even if he didn’t understand what she was saying when she mentioned something to do with the wedding, but he secretly loved getting involved.

They couldn’t wait to get to the big day and start the next part of their journey together.

The doorbell rang, alerting Y/N that her guests for the evening had arrived. It was a Saturday, and unfortunately Dean had to go into work because of some problem with one of the cars, so Y/N was left to do more of the wedding planning herself. Dean felt guilty as he left, but she had assured him that it was more than okay.

She walked to the door and opened it, smiling wide as she saw Mary and John on the other side. They all hugged each other, before Y/N led her into the house.

“So, how are things going?” Mary asked, as they walked into the kitchen where Y/N had been making dinner.

“Things are… stressful,” Y/N replied, huffing a small laugh. “Though I managed to book a venue yesterday, and that’s taken a lot of pressure off. I was going to tell Dean first, but do you guys wanna know?”

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” Mary exclaimed. “Yes, absolutely!”

Y/N opened her laptop that was kept to the side on the kitchen bench, bringing up the photos of the outdoor venue. “Dean was telling me once that you guys used to drive up here a lot when he and Sam were kids, and I thought I’d try it out. The land is owned by the ranch close by that’s a wedding venue and I asked if we could use this space. They said they had an opening for our date, so I booked it straight away.”

She showed them the photos of a beautiful location, surrounded by trees and a lake. It was perfect for the ceremony, and the clearing nearby would be perfect for the reception.

“Y/N, this is…” John shook his head, speechless as he looked over the photos. “God, the boys used to love going there.”

“Y/N, it’s stunning! Oh, it’s going to a beautiful wedding,” Mary told her, her smile radiant as put her arm around Y/N and brought her close.

“Do you think Dean will like it?” Y/N asked, nervously.

“He definitely will. We used to take the boys fishing there. They never caught a damn thing, but they always loved going,” John replied, reassuringly.

“Okay, good.” Y/N nodded as she closed her laptop. “Because we initially thought about having it here, we don’t have room for 80 people.”

“Well, this is perfect,” Mary said, smiling.

“It is. I can’t wait to show Dean,” Y/N smiled, before standing up and walking into the kitchen to finish preparing dinner.

“Anything I can help with?” Mary asked, leaning against the kitchen island.

“Nope, almost done,” Y/N replied, smiling over at her. “John, there’s beer in the fridge. Mary, wine?”

“I’ll take care of that,” John insisted, taking a beer out before finding the wine Mary liked on the small rack.

In the garage, Dean pulled the Impala up and cut the engine, turning off the car. He sighed tiredly as he leaned his head back against the seat, closing his eyes. It had been a long day, and the last thing he had wanted was to go into work on a Saturday, but being the boss, he was needed. He hated that he couldn’t stay home and help Y/N out with whatever she needed and enjoy time with her, but at least he was back in time to have dinner with her and his parents.

Getting out of the Impala, he locked it and walked around the back of the car to the other side. He tried to slide past his work bench, but rammed right into it, cursing as the edge dug into him, sending a few tools flying to the floor.

“Fuck,” he groaned, closing his eyes.

He blinked a few times, crouching down and picking up the screwdrivers that fell on the floor. As he did, something that had fallen behind the bench caught his eye. He reached behind it, taking out the notebook that had gotten stuck. Opening it, he flipped through the pages, seeing old calculations and notes of his, knowing that they weren't of use now. Suddenly, a page fell out, falling at his feet, with unfamiliar writing on it.

“What…” he mumbled to himself as he held it up, reading over the page properly.

His face fell as he read over the words that were no doubt written by Lisa, recognizing her handwriting now that he could see it properly. She must have used this from his office in their house when she couldn’t find anything else.

Stubborn. Too close to his family. Doesn’t earn enough. Just a mechanic.

It was a pros and cons list. She had made reasons for whether she should stay with him or not. The only thing written on the pros list was that he was a good father figure to Ben. However, the cons outweighed everything as he read over them again. He didn’t earn enough. His job wasn’t good enough. And if that was true then that meant he wasn’t good enough. He knew he shouldn’t care what it said considering he was with Y/N now, and they were engaged, with his relationship with Lisa practically ancient history by now. Yet he couldn’t stop reading over her words.

Crushing the paper into a ball and shoving into his pocket, he shut the notebook, tossing it in the paper basket kept next to the bench. He walked over to the door that led into the house, closing it behind him and walked down the hallway, hearing Y/N’s infectious laugh coming from the living room.

“Hey!” she exclaimed, seeing him enter the room.

“Hey,” he said, walking over to her, kissing her softly as he leaned down. He went over to his parents and hugged them before sitting down next to her.

“How was work?” she asked, smiling at him.

“Tiring,” he replied, huffing slightly, but offered her a smile. “But good. Glad to be home though.”

“Well, I was telling your parents, but I can tell you now,” she started, sharing a smile with John and Mary before she turned back to him. “I found a venue for the wedding.”

“That’s great, sweetheart,” he said, smiling softly as he kissed her again.

Y/N frowned slightly as he pulled away, sensing something wasn’t right with him, but she let it go for now. She hoped that he was just tired from work and that was it.

“Do you want to hear about it?” she asked.

“Yeah, of course,” he replied, too quickly. “Actually, I’m gonna wash up and why don’t you tell me over dinner.”

“Sure,” she agreed, nodding. “Well, food’s ready. We were just waiting on you.”

“Okay,” he muttered, standing up and walking out of the room.

“Does he seem a little off to you?” John questioned, frowning as he looked between Mary and Y/N.

“Something must’ve happened at work,” Y/N sighed, worriedly.

“Well, let’s just hope it’s nothing too serious,” Mary added, her expression matching Y/N’s.

Dean returned after freshening up, just as Y/N, Mary and John walked over to the dining table. They all sat down, each of them taking turns to put food on their plate. They ate in silence, worried eyes glancing between each other and discreetly looking at Dean as he ate. Sensing they needed a distraction first, John and Mary exchanged looks, before she cleared her throat.

“So, we actually have something for both of you,” Mary announced, looking at John, giving him a firm nod.

The elder Winchester took out a small, folded piece of paper from his shirt pocket, and slid it across the wooden table to his son. Dean frowned curiously and Y/N’s eyebrows furrowed, as she looked over Dean’s shoulder. He opened it, both of their eyes widening as they saw what it was. He opened and closed his mouth several times, unable to speak.

“That’s from us, and after we spoke to your mom and dad, we decided to split things between us, so there’s should be coming to you soon,” Mary told Y/N, smiling.

“Mary…” Y/N trailed off, shaking her head as she was still in shock. “We can’t accept this cheque-”

“Guys, this is insane,” Dean finally said, frowning as he looked up at his parents.

“I thought you’d say that, but-” Mary started but Dean cut her off.

“We’re not taking it, mom,” he interrupted, his frustration getting the better of him.

“Dean,” Mary sighed, thinking about how to make him understand. “We’ve been sitting on this money since before you started renovating this place. We tried to hint then too, but you didn’t take it, wanting to do everything yourself. Had you never had this place we would’ve given it to you on your wedding day to put towards a house, just like we did with Sam and Eileen. Considering you have this place now, the least we can do is help with the wedding.”

“You’re really sure about this?” Y/N asked, completely unsure if this was a good idea. Clearly Dean wasn’t accepting this.

“Absolutely,” Mary replied, smiling. “And don’t even think about paying it back, it’s for both of you to use, however you want. Put it towards the wedding, if there’s anything left, put it towards the honeymoon, or savings… whatever you want.”

Dean shook his head, the frown still evident on his face. “So what? This is a pity offer?”

“No,” Mary gasped, eyes wide with shock. “Of course not, Dean. How could you think we would do that?”

He scoffed, turning to glare at Y/N. “I don’t make enough money, right? That’s what this is. You asked them for money.”

Y/N looked at him, unable to get over her shock at the way he was reacting. “What? No. No! Dean, how can you think that?”

Dean chuckled bitterly. He looked down at his food, suddenly losing his appetite. He quickly stood up, pushing up his sleeves as he pushed his chair out. Y/N felt her heart banging repeatedly against her ribcage, as she watched him get up.

“We’re not taking this. No fucking way,” he hissed, pushing the cheque back across the surface.

“Dean,” John’s voice bellowed around the room, staring up at his son with a stern expression.

“Dean, we just wanted to contribute, that’s all, honey,” Mary reasoned, trying to calm the situation. “If this is how you feel, then it’s put to bed. Let’s just enjoy dinner.”

“Yeah, damn right that’s how I feel,” he snapped, as he turned to face her.

“I’m sor-” Mary started but he cut her off again, turning to Y/N.

“Do you think I can’t do this for us?” he asked, his voice eerily calm but the shakiness gave away how upset he was, as he faced Y/N.

Her eyes narrowed in upset as she stood up too, looking at him. “Of course I think you can do this, Dean. How could you even question that?”

“Because it’s exactly what it looks like, Y/N!” he yelled. He scoffed and shook his head, scrubbing a hand down his face. “What I do isn’t good enough. I’m not good enough.”

She visibly flinched; her eyes widened as she looked at him. She had never seen him this upset. She felt tears brim her bottom lids, threatening to fall. John and Mary watched on in horror, unable to understand what was going on with their son.

“What?” she scoffed, shaking her head. “How could you possibly think that?”

“Because it’s true,” he muttered, looking away from her, his jaw clenching tight. “And if you haven’t already, you’ll realize it one day.”

“Dean,” she breathed, a tear rolling down her face as she saw how dejected he looked.

“That’s not true.”

“If you don’t want this anymore, Y/N, there were easier ways to tell me,” he spat, turning away from her and storming off.

“Dean, stop! What’s gotten into you?” she yelled, following behind him.

“I can’t fucking do this right now,” he scoffed.

Mary and John were hot on their heels too as they stopped in the entrance, watching Dean pick up his keys and make his way to the door.

“Dean, where are you going?” Y/N asked, choking as a wave of sadness washed over her.

“I can’t be here,” he muttered, shaking his head. “I need to think.”

“Think about what?” Her voice was cracking, the tears finally falling down her face. Everything was falling apart in the span of a few minutes, and she had no idea why. Why was he acting like this?

“I don’t know, Y/N, okay?” he snapped, turning to pin her with a scowl. “I just… I gotta get outta here.” Gesturing around him, he turned to open the door.

His mind was cloudy with all the doubts he was having at that moment. He needed a drink and some time to cool off. He walked through the threshold, not looking back at Y/N.

“Dean, wait-” she started but the door slamming as he left, cut her off.

Y/N felt knots in her stomach, tightening and moving into her chest. She tried to breathe normally but started to feel as if her throat was closing off, cutting off her air supply. Tears stung her eyes as they continued to flow down her face. She began hyperventilating, her hands cupping over her mouth as she began to cry. Her body shook with the force of her sobs. Her legs felt like jelly, like any minute she would collapse and wouldn’t be able to get up again.

“Oh, honey,” Mary whispered, as she wrapped her arms around Y/N tightly.

“I don’t… k-know what I did to-to make him think-” she stuttered, stopping as she sobbed.

“You didn’t do anything, sweetie. I just… There's something wrong. I didn’t think he would act like this. At most, he would be annoyed and then eventually give in. But this?” Mary tried to figure out what was going on, but shook her head as she couldn’t think of what could be wrong with her son.

“I’ll go talk to him,” John offered.

“No, he just needs space to process whatever’s going on in his head,” Y/N sniffled, pulling away from Mary as she looked between them. “You can head home if you want to. I’m so sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” John stated, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, and hugging her as she was between him and Mary. “Everything’s gonna be okay, don’t you worry.”

The silence made her mind wander off into irrational directions. Had she done something to make Dean this upset? Had she said anything to make him think he wasn’t good enough? She loved him so much, and she wanted nothing more than to be his wife, but if she had really made him feel that way, then she was the one who wasn’t good enough for him.

She managed to convince John and Mary that she was fine enough for them to leave, insisting they take some food home with them. They said their goodbyes, and Y/N headed upstairs, completely exhausted after the whirlwind evening. As she got changed in the walk-in closet, she felt more tears sting her eyes. They rolled down her face, but she didn’t make a move to wipe them away as she changed.

She just wanted Dean to come home so that they could talk and forget about what just happened.

Dean drove around town for a while, the words he said to Y/N plaguing his mind. He was just so angry after finding that list from Lisa, it just came out in the worst way possible. He reached the regular bar that he would go to with the guys, needing at least one drink to calm himself down.

Sitting down at the bar, he ordered a whiskey double, neat, and gulped the first one down in one shot. Asking for another, he nursed it as he thought about everything that had happened in the past half hour. His anger had dissolved quickly and had morphed into fear. Fear at what he would or wouldn’t find when he got home. As a Queen song played in the background from the jukebox, he quickly realized how much it was mirroring the situation they had found themselves in.

Love of my life, you’ve hurt me

You’ve broken my heart, and now you leave me

Love of my life, can’t you see?

Bring it back, bring it back

Don’t take it away from me

Because you don’t know

What it means to me

He realized how he had overreacted, that his parents, just being the people that they are, would just give the cheque to them. He shouldn’t have taken his anger out on them and Y/N. Hell, she didn’t even know what he was upset about. That considered, he knew that he wasn’t good enough for her, especially now. Taking out his phone, he looked at the screen and saw a few missed calls from her and a few texts. Gulping the lump in his throat, he opened the messages and felt his heart sink into his stomach as he read over them. There were three, and as he read the words over again, he felt tears prick his eyes.

She had nothing to be sorry for. He was the asshole that let things blow out of proportion, all because he let one stupid note get to him. Determined to make it home and fix everything, Dean paid for his drink and left the bar.

He hoped like hell that he hadn’t ruined his whole future in one evening.

Dean entered through the door from the garage. Not a single light was on as he walked further in, seeing the kitchen, dining and living area completely dark. Taking a deep breath, he turned towards the stairs and began the climb to the second floor, knowing he had to face whatever came next, even if he was fearing it so much that his stomach was in knots.

He walked towards their bedroom and stood at the threshold, his heart breaking at what he saw. Only one of the bedside lamps was on, providing the only light in the room. Y/N was lying on the bed, her back to the door, her knees drawn up as she laid in the foetal position, her shoulders shaking. She was sobbing quietly, the sounds low but somehow so loud in the quiet room. With every cry, a piece of his heart felt like it was shattering into smaller shards.

He moved slowly towards the bed, sitting down on the edge, watching as her head slowly turned. Her eyes were red and puffy, wet from the tears she had shed. She looked at him, sitting up slowly, their eyes meeting. Suddenly, she launched herself into him, wrapping her arms around him tightly, crying into the crook of his neck. He felt tears prick his eyes, letting a few escape as he felt his sadness wash over him.

“Y/N,” he choked out. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I never should’ve said the things that I did, I shouldn’t have reacted that way.”

“I was so scared,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I’m sorry for whatever I did, please, just tell me.”

“Sweetheart,” he whispered, pulling her away and cupping her face, looking her deep in the eyes. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m so sorry.”

“How could you ever doubt how I feel about you?” she asked, her voice croaky from how much she had cried. “How could you ever think you’re not good enough for me? What did I do to make you think that?”

“You didn’t do anything, sweetheart. I promise. This was… this was all me and my crap,” he said, shaking his head.

“What did I do to make you doubt me?” she cried, fresh tears making tracks down her face.

“Nothing, sweetheart,” he reassured her, frantically moving towards her, grasping her shoulders. “You didn’t do anything, okay? This… this is the reason I overreacted.”

She frowned as he handed her the paper, but opened the folded page and read over the words written on there. She was confused, knowing she didn’t write this, her eyebrows lifting in realization as she read over the “pros” column.

“I’ll kill her,” she growled, looking up at him with a ferocity in her eyes. “I’ll… God, I wanna hurt her!”

Y/N stood up from the bed and paced the floor, her whole body shaking with how angry she was at that moment. She couldn’t believe that something like this could come between them, showing that Lisa still had a grip on Dean’s mind.

“She doesn’t get to do this to you anymore, Dean!” she yelled, holding up the piece of paper. “She doesn’t get to ruin our future!”

He scoffed a chuckle, shaking her head. “I nearly let her.”

“So, don’t,” Y/N said, walking up to him. She cupped his face in her hands, making him look up at her as he sat on the bed. “You are good enough for me. Every part of you. I love you for exactly who you are, and if I have to spend the rest of our lives together trying to convince you that you’re my one, my everything, that there’s not a doubt in my mind that you’re so right for me, then I’ll do it.”

Wrapping her arms around him, his forehead rested against her chest as she laid her cheek on his head. She held him tightly, neither of them wanting to move away from the other.

“I’m sorry, I’m an idiot,” he muttered, his hands on her hips, feeling the material of his black t-shirt she was wearing against his skin. “I just saw that cheque, and I thought about that list, and I just overreacted.”

“No, you’re not,” she stated, kissing the top of his head. “You were upset.”

“That’s no excuse,” he whispered, hating himself for taking it out on her. “You didn’t deserve that. I uh… I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to end this-”

“Dean, stop,” she choked out, pressing her forehead to his, combing her hand through his hair.

He shook his head, lifting it to look into her eyes. “I’ve been… I’ve been thinking about this even before finding that list. I’m always scared I’m gonna say or do something to give you a reason to leave me. If that happened… I know I wouldn’t survive it.”

Y/N frustratedly wiped her tears away, looking around the room for her sweats. Finding them, she roughly pulled them on and slipped on her sneakers, putting on a light shirt over the black t-shirt she was wearing. Dean watched her; confusion riddled his face as she moved around the room.

“Sweetheart, what are you doing?” he asked, his voice wavering as his mind started to make up horrific scenarios.

“Come with me,” she said, firmly, a determined look on her face as she held her hand out.

“Where are we-” he started but she cut him off, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from the bed.

“Shut up,” she muttered, scowling as she dragged him behind her, down the stairs and out of the house, just as she picked up her keys from the table at the entrance.

Knowing he couldn’t argue when she looked so distressed, he followed behind her as they made their way to her car.

“Get in,” she demanded, harshly.

He was shaking, wondering what the hell had come over her suddenly but again did as he was told without saying anything that would possibly make her angrier than he already had. He couldn’t tell what he had done, but she was upset with him.

Dean looked on in silence as Y/N backed out and turned the car, the tires screeching as she sped off down the road. He gulped as she drove, his mind trying to talk itself out of thinking she was possibly going to kill him and dump his body somewhere. However, he also found her anger strangely arousing. They drove ten minutes before he recognized that she wasn’t going to do that, and that she had turned down a very familiar street. They drove past several houses before she stopped, pulling the car up to the curb and cutting the engine.

“Get out,” she ordered, leaving the keys in the ignition and opening the driver’s side door, slamming it shut as she stood on the road.

He got out, closing the passenger door and following behind her, looking around the dark street and quickly realizing they were standing in front of her previous rental house, just across from his and Lisa’s, all that time ago. She pulled at his jacket and he stumbled, straightening when she pulled him to stand in a specific spot next to the curb. She looked up at him, standing directly in front of him as the deep glare, her eyes riddled with sadness, was still on her face.

“Do you remember what happened here?” she asked, her eyes welling with unshed tears.

Frowning, he shook his head as he was unable to think straight, his mind clouded by the sudden change in her demeanour. “Y/N, I-”

“Do you remember what happened here, Dean?” she repeated, her voice cracking slightly as she raised it.

He sighed, glancing between the two houses, giving her a curt nod. “Of course I do.”

“Tell me,” she ordered, not breaking her eye contact with him, the scowl still present.

“It’s…” he cleared his throat, pushing down the lump in his throat as he looked at her. “It’s where I helped you with your stuff. It’s… it’s where we met.”

“Yeah,” she whispered, a tear rolling down her face as she nodded slowly. “And it’s also where my life changed forever. Even if I didn’t know it at the time.”

“Y/N,” he breathed, trying to reach for her hand but she pulled away, making his heart sink. She had never done that. Never.

“Do you remember what was happening in that house?” she asked, the tears flowing freely down her face as she looked across the street.

He looked over, breathing heavily, his breath shaky as he exhaled but said nothing. He remembered all too well.

“You thought you were happy. You thought everything was fine… but you were losing yourself because of-” she choked, shaking her head, overwhelmed as she thought about those early days and her first impressions of his relationship with Lisa. “Because of her, and you didn’t even know it.”

He was silent, unable to say anything or even try to deny it, because he knew it was true. Turning his head to Y/N, he saw her looking up at him, the glare finally disappearing, her eyes holding a determined look despite the tears.

“And now, you could lose yourself because of her again if you don’t stop yourself from thinking that she's right,” she stated, stepping closer to him. “She was never right and she never will be. She didn’t know you like I do. She didn’t love you like I do. She’s gone from our lives… so don’t bring her back into it by going back into the shell she put you in.”

His jaw clenched as he shut his eyes, squeezing them tight as a tear slipped down his right cheek. Lifting her hand, she cupped his cheek and brushed it away with her thumb, stroking his jaw. She pushed up on her tiptoes, capturing his plump lips between hers, kissing him hard and desperately. She needed him to see there was nothing there to leave him over.

Pulling away from the kiss but keeping close, she looked at him as her thumbs stroked along his cheeks. “You’ll never give me a reason to leave you. Not now, not ever.”

“You got a lot of confidence in me, sweetheart,” he muttered, a slight scoff in his tone.

She smiled softly, knowing that if he couldn’t see it himself, she’d spend forever showing him he was worth more than he gave himself credit for.

“Yeah,” she said, nodding. “I do.”

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers.

“Don’t be,” she whispered back, her eyes closing, content to be close to him again. “We’re going to be okay.”

“You think so?” he asked, his voice laced with hope, as he lifted his head to look at her properly.

“I know so,” she replied, a soft smile on her face. “You’re not getting rid of me any time soon, Winchester.”

“You still wanna marry me after that?” he asked, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“Yes,” she said, simply as she pushed herself closer into him. “You can’t let something she thought affect you because it’s not true. It doesn’t matter what she thinks. So… promise me, right now, that you’re going to let this go. All that matters is you and me.”

Looking deep into her eyes, he remembered everything they had been through together, and thought about all the amazing things they still had to experience. He wasn’t going to let someone from his past ruin his future.

“I promise,” he said, firmly.

She smiled up at him, moving in and capturing his lips, kissing him passionately. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, sweetheart,” he whispered. “So fucking much.”

“Let’s go home,” she whispered back, stroking her hand lightly over the back of his head. “I think I need to show you just how much I love you.”

He hummed against her lips, kissing her softly. “Yes, please.”

She laughed, biting her lip. “I scared you a little, didn’t I?”

“Well, when I didn’t think about how you could be plotting to kill me,” he joked, smirking as she chuckled, “it was kinda hot to see you pissed off.”

She shook her head, rolling her eyes as she giggled. “You’re crazy.”

“Hey,” he called out, pulling her closer, his hands sliding down to her hips. “I can’t help the fact that it turned me on, sweetheart. It’s just the magic of you.”

She felt her cheeks heat up, pressing her lips together as she tried not to smile. “Let’s go before someone sees us out here.”

Hand in hand, they walked back to the car, separating as they got in. He glanced back at the old house once more, feeling an enormous weight lift off him as he looked at the place that held a lot of pain before Y/N came along. That weight had resurfaced when he saw that list that Lisa had made, but as she always did, Y/N had been there to stop him from losing his way. She was the one who built him back up to the person that he used to be, the one who reignited his spirit. He had known early on how special she was, and she proved time and time again that she was there to stay.

And now, he was never going to lose sight of that. He let Lisa get into his head again, but for the final time, he was putting an end to that. He had someone by his side who wanted to be with him forever, and he was never going to forget that ever again.

Y/N sat at the dining table the next morning, her coffee in hand, all of her plans for the wedding spread out in front of her. She smiled as she sent a few texts out to the girls, asking them if they were available the next weekend to start looking for her wedding dress. As she was looking at photos, she flinched slightly, feeling Dean’s lips against her neck, moving down to her exposed shoulder, the sleeve of his t-shirt she was wearing having slipped down.

“Oh my god, Dean, don’t look!” she yelled, hiding her screen with her hands.

He chuckled, shaking his head as he sat down beside her. “Babe, you haven’t even found a dress yet. I’m pretty sure it’s okay if I can see those.”

“I know, but I don’t want you to see in case I do find something like this,” she explained, smiling sheepishly. “I want to surprise you.”

He smiled as he leaned forward, kissing her softly. “You’re gonna knock me out no matter what dress you pick. Just sayin’.”

“Even if I look like a frosted cupcake?” she teased, giggling.

“Well, yeah,” he agreed, his lips hovering close to hers. “‘Cause then you’ll look good enough to eat.”

“That’s so cheesy,” she snorted, laughing.

“You love it,” he grinned, chuckling along with her.

She pressed her lips to his, kissing him lightly but he had other plans, his arms wrapping around her and pulling her off her chair, onto his lap. She moaned softly against his lips as his fingers ran lightly over her bare thighs, the t-shirt riding up as she straddled him.

“So…” she pulled away from the kiss, reaching for the cheque on the table and showing it to him. “What do we want to do with this?”

“We use it,” he replied, nodding confidently as he smirked. “If there’s any left, we save it for the future, including anything your parents are sending.”

She beamed, brushing her knuckles against his cheek. “Sounds good.”

As they sat there together, having breakfast and coffee as they talked about the plans, Dean was leaving all the negative thoughts behind with the confidence that the woman sitting next to him wasn’t going anywhere. With the promises already made the previous night, he smiled as he thought about all the new ones he would make on the day she finally became his wife.

On the day the next chapter of their lives started.

A chapter he couldn’t wait to explore with Y/N by his side.

-x-

Tags: @deanwanddamons​ // @winchest09​ // @downanddirtydean​ // @jensengirl83​ // @wonder-cole​ // @that-one-gay-girl​ // @whatareyousearchingfordean​ // @flamencodiva​ // @danneelsmain​ // @ellewritesfix05​ // @roonyxx​ // @akshi8278​ //@hobby27​ // @michellethetvaddict​ // @spngirl05​ // @kyjey​ // @440mxs-wife​ // @stoneyggirl​ // @stoneyggirl2​​ // @deanswaywardgirl​​ // @redbarn1995​​ // @marianita195​ // @babypink224221​​ // @deans-baby-momma​​ // @parinarain​​ // @thoughts-and-funnies​​ // @mandalou29​​ // @jerkbitchidjitassbutt​​ // @supernatural-love14​​ // @vicmc624​​ // @prettyboyswow​​ // @lunarmoon8​​ // @irmcpar​​ // @compresshischest09​​ // @weepingwillowphoenix​​ // @xlynnbbyx​​ // @whiskey-infused-dreams​​ // @perpetualabsurdity​​ // @verytoadpapersoul​​ // @pink-sparkly-witch​​ //

[golbrocklovely]

remember me // colby brock (pt 2)

A/N: as i mentioned before in a different post, this took me FOREVER to write. i loved writing this story but something about it just made me drag it out for so long. nonetheless, i love this and i'm excited to see what you all think. please lmk what you thought about this. thank you to everyone that has supported me and sent me kind messages. yall are the best ! hope you enjoy :) also lmk if you want another part...

prompt: she's the only one that remembers colby, or so they both thought.

trigger warning: ANGST, heartbreak, AU mention, friendship problems, cursing, happy-ish ending (but not the end...?), kissing

word count: 5526

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

Colby was relieved that the waitress, the only one that remembered him, decided to help. The moment she agreed, Colby gave her his number and left. She texted him not too long after, and he realized for a moment she never said her name. He planned to ask her the next day when they decided to meet up at his place.

It was weird to come back to his apartment, knowing that down the hall his best friend, his brother, lived there and didn't know who he was. Usually when Colby felt lonely, he would walk down the hall to Sam's and hang out for a bit. It was always nice to talk to Sam about anything and everything.

But now... he couldn't do that.

Colby tried to sleep during the night, but barely any rest came from it. He tossed and turned, hoping that when he would wake up, this would all just be some weird-ass nightmare.

When his cell phone rang the next morning at 9:34 A.M., it was an unfamiliar ringtone. As he rubbed his eyes awake, he glanced at the caller, the name 'Waitress' appearing on his screen.

I guess this wasn’t a dream after all.

"Yeah?" Colby groaned, squinting his eyes at the sunlight.

Her voice came through cheery, the tone too loud in Colby’s ears. “Let me up to your apartment. I'm here.”

He cleared his throat. “This early?”

“I figured you would want your normal life back as soon as possible, yeah?” She sassed.

He rolled his eyes. “Alright, give me a second. I'll come down and get you.”

Colby stumbled out of bed, running his fingers through his hair as he threw on a random shirt and jeans, slowly trudging down to the lobby of his apartment. She sat on a couch, tapping her foot against the carpeted floors. Her eyes were staring out the door, almost like she was looking at someone. When she heard Colby’s footsteps, her gaze pulled away from outside.

“Did I wake you?” She frowned, grabbing her bag next to her and standing up.

He shook his head. “You can't really be woken up if you barely slept.”

“I'm sorry to hear that.” She lightly bit her lip, following Colby to the elevator.

He shrugged tiredly. “It's okay.”

They both slowly got into the elevator, climbing up to Colby's floor. The loud 'ding' of the elevator broke their silence moments later. They walked to Colby's apartment, and he unlocked his door quickly.

She whistled quietly. “Woah, nice place.”

A half smile spread across Colby’s face. “Thanks.”

“No offense, but how do you pay for this place if you're not a social media person?” She questioned, stepping into the kitchen.

He raised an eyebrow. “That's... a good question. From what my mom told me over the phone yesterday, I worked all throughout high school and college, so maybe it's from that?”

“You only worked at Dairy Queen while you were in high school. You must have gotten a better job in college because there is no way you can afford this place.” She disagreed.

Colby smirked. “How'd you know I worked at Dairy Queen?”

“Well, for starters, my friend told me. And also, I did some research about you. But I'll get to that in a second.” She continued, her voice falling to a serious tone, “So... would you like to hear my theories?”

“Theories?” He puzzled.

“As to why everyone forgot about you.” The waitress explained.

Colby sat down on his barstool, exhaling. “Let's hear it.”

“Okay. For argument sakes, you're gonna have to just go with me on this. Because otherwise, I literally have no way to help you.” She started, already pacing slightly.

He cautioned. “...okay?”

“So last night, I tried to think of a reason why everyone would collectively forget about you. And the only conclusion I could come up with is that you're in an alternative universe.” She hypothesized.

Colby’s eyes widened, bugging out of his head. “A what?”

“An alternative universe. Basically, everything is pretty much the same in your life, except a few minor details,” she revealed. “That’s why you still live in this apartment, but you didn’t get here the same way you did in your other life, your real life.”

“This... it's way too early for this.” He grumbled, astonished.

She sighed, her hands resting on her hips. “The only other option is that this is a very long-winded prank that your friends are still pulling on you. Have you tried talking to any of your other friends besides Sam?”

“No, everyone else’s number is gone in my phone, which I can only assume means they don’t know me either.” Colby retorted. Then he took a deep breath as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “But, this doesn't make sense. How did I end up here if this isn't my life?”

“I’m not sure how you got here, but I think you’re here for a specific reason. I think you’re here to right a wrong that this Colby Brock did. I’m just… not entirely sure what that wrong might be.” She answered, unsure.

He huffed. “Okay… what am I supposed to do then? Stay here and hope we figure that out soon? I don't even know who I am in this universe.”

“And that's where my research comes into play.” She pulled a laptop from her bag quickly, placing it down on the counter and opening it. She scrolled through her browsers until she came across Colby's Facebook, which surprisingly looked active for someone who hadn't been personally on it in years.

I use Facebook? Gross.

“First, I started by seeing if you and Sam were friends on here, but that didn’t amount to much since Sam doesn’t have a Facebook. However, what I found out is that you and Sam did live in the same town, go to the same high school, and played in the same marching band. Sam talked about his early years before he was ‘famous’ in one of the first videos he posted, and I crossed referenced that with your profile and it all matches up.” She informed.

“That's strange,” he mumbled. “What did we do after high school?”

She stated. “You went off to college and majored in Business Management with a minor in Philosophy. You graduated early too.”

Me? Graduating early? I couldn’t even get through math without Sam’s help.

“What did Sam do?” He asked.

The waitress scrolled to another tab, opening it to show a search of Sam. “Well, a very quick Google search shows that he actually went to the same college as you but dropped out once his Vine career started to pick up. Then he went on to Musical.ly when Vine died. He moved out to LA in 2017 and started a YouTube channel after he met Katrina, and slowly met all of his- your, friends that way. He got a bump of followers once he started dating Kat because of her following.”

Colby’s mouth gaped at her words. “That can't be true. He would have never wanted that. I mean, I had to convince him that we should be on social media so that we could spread our message. Plus, he hates those channels that use their relationship for views.”

“Not this version of Sam. Or at least, it doesn't seem like it.” She commented.

He covered his face, groaning into his hands. “What the hell am I here for? What wrong have I done in this universe?”

Her voice low, she replied. “I think it might have to do with Sam.”

“But... he doesn't know me.” He dissented, sitting up.

She nodded. “I thought so too. However, after scrolling through all of your public photos, I found this.”

Colby squinted at the screen, an old photo of him and Sam stared back. They looked super young, probably sophomores in high school. They were both smiling, laughing at something. He vaguely remembered this day.

“So, we did know each other.” He bit his lip softly.

She hummed. “Yeah. And weirdly, it’s the only photo of the two of you on your profile. But it’s not the only strange thing.”

Scrolling to a different tab, she pulled up an old tweet of Sam’s. It read ‘Never thought you would be the one to hurt me. But I guess everyone can be surprising.’

Colby noted the date. “That was back in high school.”

“Yeah, and there’s a bunch like them. He talks about being betrayed and someone hurting him deeply. He never mentions, of course. But his tweets line up with some that you were tweeting at the same time.” She confessed.

The waitress clicked on a different tab and another tweet showed up, one from Colby’s account. He gazed at it, reading the words ‘If you hate me… imagine how I feel about myself.’

Colby’s face dropped. “Wait, what?”

“You don’t tweet that often, but when you do, you talk about righting wrongs and fixing things you fucked up.” She added, “You also hate on yourself a lot.”

He doubted, crossing his arms. “You think they’re connected?”

“I do. I think in this universe you fucked up somehow and hurt Sam. And I think you are here now to fix what the other you did.” She explained.

He ranted. “This is all so fucked! When I saw him yesterday, he acted like he didn’t even know me. How am I supposed to even go about this? What, do I just go down the hall and apologize for something I don’t even remember doing?”

“No. Sam's not in his apartment anyway. I saw him leave while I was waiting for you.” She mentioned nonchalantly.

He grunted. “Great, he could be anywhere in LA right now.”

“I know exactly where he is.” She smirked.

“What? How?” He questioned.

The waitress divulged. “This version of Sam has a favorite restaurant he goes to all the time. A lot of his fans know about it, thus one look through any of his fan accounts and you'll see it. It's called ‘Paradise’.”

“Sounds like a strip club.” Colby deadpanned.

She pouted. “It's not. But he goes there all the time, and I got us a table there last minute.”

“What exactly are we gonna do when we get there?” He crossed his arms.

“I was planning on going up to his table and talking to him, maybe asking him about you, see how he reacts.” She described.

Colby furrowed his brow, confused. “And what about me?”

She slid her laptop into her bag, zipping it up hastily. “Well… I didn’t really think that far ahead. But hopefully, whatever you did is forgivable, and we can just fix it right there.”

He murmured. “That's a lot to hope for.”

“It's better than sitting here and wasting daylight.” She grabbed her stuff and headed for the door. Colby followed suit, grabbing his keys.

He spoke as he locked his door. “What if this doesn’t work?”

She turned back to him. “It will. It has to.”

~~~

Paradise was a themed restaurant, which Colby thought was strange because his Sam never really liked those types of restaurants. The theme was nice, however, tropical and Hawaiian. It felt like something he, Sam, and a few friends would have gone to after a fun, drunk night.

As Colby and the waitress were escorted to their table, they both kept an eye out for Sam, glancing around nervously for the blonde boy.

“I think the worst thing about this universe version of me is how messy my car is,” Colby joked. “It’s like I live out of it.”

She shrugged, smiling. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“You should see my real car. My honey wagon is spotless.” He expressed, waving his hand.

“Honey wagon?” She queried.

“Long story,” he chuckled. Then abruptly, he gasped. “Holy shit, I just realized I never got your name.”

She cocked her head. “What? I never told you?”

He blinked. “No.”

She started. “It's-”

“Hi, I'm Tony, I'll be your server for today. Can I get you something to drink to start you guys off?” Tony greeted, cutting her off.

“Yeah, sure. A water for me.” She blurted out.

Colby added. “Coke, please.”

Tony smiled. “Okay, coming right up.”

Once Tony left, the waitress started scoping out for Sam again, her eyes widening once she saw him.

Her body stiffened, turning back to Colby. “He's over there, three tables down to your left.”

Colby gazed over his shoulder at his friend. Sam looked lost in thought, staring at his phone as he ate his food.

“Why is he alone?” He muttered.

“From some of the blogs I read, he likes to go out and eat by himself. Also, apparently, him and Kat are on the rocks.” She admitted.

“They love each other so much, it's kinda gross to be around them sometimes,” He quipped, but shook his head. “So to hear that...”

“I'm gonna head over.” She announced quickly.

Before he could speak, she left the booth. Colby watched her walk over to Sam, listening closely to their conversation as he ducked his head down.

“Hey... sorry to bother you, but are you Sam Golbach?” She asked sweetly.

“Yeah I am. Did you want something?” Sam stared blankly at her.

“Um, yeah?” She almost scoffed at his tone. “I’m a huge fan and I know this might be a weird question, but do you know someone named Colby Brock?”

Sam’s face remained stoic, but his eyes intensified. “No, I've never heard of that name before.”

“Are you sure, because I'm pretty certain that you and him are best friends.” She insisted.

He raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”

Colby watched nervously as she pulled out her phone and showed Sam the photo. Sam scrunched up his face, his eyes scanning the image. “Yeah, no. Still don’t know who he is. What was his name again?”

“Colby Brock.” She stated.

“...Sorry. I’ve never heard a name like that before.” He mumbled, almost inaudibly. “Sounds stupid anyway.”

She cocked her head. “Wait, what?”

Colby clenched his fist, unable to hear this conversation any longer. He needed to come face-to-face with Sam. He slid out of his seat, walking hastily over to Sam and the waitress. Sam’s eyes narrowed as he gaped at Colby.

“Sam…” Colby started.

Sam growled. “Are you fucking serious, Colby? Did you really have to get one of my fans involved?”

“What?” Colby puzzled.

Sam jumped out of his seat, grabbing Colby’s arm and pulling him out of the restaurant. The waitress followed behind them, confused just as much as Colby. Sam’s feet stopped behind the back door of the building, turning to Colby without warning.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Sam barked.

Colby stepped back, surprised by Sam’s anger. “...Uh, I don’t know what you mean by that.”

Sam scoffed. “Why the fuck are you here? After all this time?”

“So, you do remember me.” Colby remarked.

“Yeah, I do. When you showed up at my place yesterday, it took me a minute to realize it was you, since you decided to dress up like a Hot Topic employee, but yeah, I knew it was you. Are you really gonna pretend in front of her that we don’t know each other?” Sam teared his eyes away from Colby’s, staring at the waitress suddenly. “Let me guess, he hasn’t told you the whole story, right?”

“I guess not.” She shrugged uncomfortably.

Sam chuckled darkly. “Of course not. If he told the whole story, he would have to admit he was an asshole, and God knows he’s not gonna do that.”

“What are you talking about?” Colby panted.

“Do you not remember? Well, I’ll give you a refresher. You and I became friends freshman year of high school. You were my best friend and I was yours. I trusted you. I trusted you with a lot of shit that I’ve never told anyone. Senior year of high school, right before we were about to graduate, right as we were starting a social media career, suddenly you don’t want anything to do with me; which would have been bad enough, but then I go and find out you and my girlfriend were hooking up behind my back,” Sam snapped, catching his breath for a moment. “So yeah, I remember you, Colby.”

Colby’s mouth fell open, his breathing speeding up.

None of this sounds like me. I would never hurt Sam like that.

“And now, you have the fucking audacity to show up when everything in my life is going great and I’m succeeding. I have fans, friends, and a girlfriend that all love and care about me, and you’re here trying to what? Stir up drama? Get some clout from me?” He demanded.

“If your friends and girlfriend love you, why are you eating all alone?” The waitress jeered.

Sam glared at her, biting his tongue. “And you made one of my fans hate me. Dope, dude.”

“Sam, look; I’m sorry for what I did. But that was years ago. I’m not who I was back then.” Colby choked out.

“I don’t care. I don’t want you in my life. Do you not understand what you did to me?” Sam persisted.

“I know I was an asshole, and I apologize for ever hurting you like that. But I miss you, and I want to work things out. Let me prove to you that I’m better.” He trembled, getting closer to Sam.

Sam backed up, blocking Colby. “No. No! You don’t get to miss me. You don’t get to miss a relationship you fucked up. It took me years to trust again. Hell, I’m still going through it. You don’t get to decide whether or not you’re in my life. Not anymore.”

“Sam… please.” Colby whimpered.

“Don’t show up at my place again. Don’t talk to my fans about me. Don’t act like you care about me. Because I’m done,” Sam stared into Colby’s eyes before going back into the restaurant. “I don’t care about you. Fuck off forever and leave me alone.”

Sam’s words punched Colby hard, taking the breath out of him instantly. He caught himself against the wall, his legs turning to gelatin under his weight.

He stuttered. “I… gotta leave. I-I have to…”

“Colby, relax. It’s gonna be okay.” She grabbed his hand.

He shook off her embrace. “What? No it’s not! Did you not hear what he said? Why would he want to be friends with a piece of shit like me?!”

“You were eighteen when this all happened. Give yourself a break.” She argued.

“No. I’m fucking terrible. This version of me is terrible. Of course he doesn’t want to be friends with me! I don’t even want to be me.” His voice quivered with anger, his body racing away from her.

She furrowed her brows, trying to keep up with him. “Where are you going?”

“I just need to leave. I can’t be here right now!” He grunted, his pace picking up.

She called after him, but Colby didn’t care. His heart slammed against his chest over and over again. Tears weld up into his eyes, blurring his vision as he began to run. He wanted to keep running until his legs gave out, until he couldn’t remember all the words Sam had said to him.

It dawned to Colby how much worse this universe was.

He wasn’t just stuck in a universe where Sam didn’t know him.

He was stuck in a universe where Sam didn’t want to know him.

In a universe where Sam didn’t love him.

And he had no way of escaping.

Colby must have blacked out while he ran, somehow maintaining to stay upright, because once his thoughts started to subside, and his body basically gave out under him, he noticed he was in a part of LA he had never been before. Some random neighborhood that was unfamiliar.

He shoved his body up against a metal telephone pole, sliding down to the ground. He tried catching his breath, gulping back breaths as he forced down the nausea overwhelming his senses. He wiped his face with his sleeve, feeling more tears rush down his cheeks.

His throat and chest burned with each sharp inhale. He whimpered into his hands, covering his face from the slowly retreating sun.

He slid his phone out of his pocket once he caught his breath, calling the only number he knew.

“Hey honey. What’s up?” His mom’s voice rang back sweetly.

Colby’s voice was monotone, exhausted. “You know who Sam is, don’t you?”

The line went quiet for a moment, all Colby could hear was her light breath.

“You told me not to talk about him. After you two stopped being friends, you said you never wanted to hear his name again.” She exhaled deeply, “I was taken aback when you asked about him yesterday.”

“He’s out here… in LA.” He responded.

She gasped lightly. “Did you run into him?”

He laughed bitterly. “You could say that.”

“Oh, Colby. I’m so sorry.” His mother consoled.

“There’s nothing to be sorry about, mama. I just…” Colby trailed off, unable to explain.

“Why don’t you come home this weekend?” She offered. “I miss you, you know.”

“I would love to. But…” His chest heaved as hot tears drifted down his cheeks. “That’s not my home.”

“Nonsense. You will always have a home here.” She assured him, her voice almost trembling.

He wiped a fallen tear, a broken smile coming to his face. “That’s good to know. I love you.”

She hummed. “I love you too, baby. Call me again soon.”

“I will. Bye.” He uttered breathlessly.

The sky was getting darker and darker, and Colby remained against the phone pole. He didn’t know how much time had passed, but suddenly his phone vibrated, a new message from ‘Waitress’ asking where he was. He sent his location, and she arrived twenty minutes later in his car. He stood up, stumbling to his passenger door. His legs were weak from the sprinting he had just done. As he got in, the cool AC blasted the sweat and tears off his face.

They didn’t speak, a quiet radio station playing in the background the only sound. She drove through the hills of LA, eventually hitting a peak. She parked the car as it overlooked LA, the lights looking like stars on the horizon.

She got out a minute later, walking over to the hood and leaning against it. He could see something in her hand but didn’t recognize it. Colby sat in the car by himself, not able to physically move his body from how exhausted he felt. Eventually, he achingly stepped out of the car, sitting next to her on the hood.

“I’m fucked.” Colby breathed.

She started. “I don’t think-”

“Please don’t try to make me feel better. I know you mean well, but I am fucked,” he rebutted, his voice dark. “I’m stuck here, in this universe, where Sam hates me. And as if that weren’t bad enough, I did terrible things, things I know I would never do to him. How the fuck am I supposed to apologize for those mistakes? I wouldn’t take him back if the roles were reversed.”

“Read this.” The waitress stated, handing him a journal.

He glanced down at the leather-bound book, slightly faded from years of writing. He unclicked the lock and opened it, looking down at the pages. It was his, a journal full of writings he had done.

“Where did you get this?” He inquired.

“You were right about your car being messy. But you’d be surprised what you fine if you just look.” She teased.

Colby read over the words, the first entry catching his eye. It was dated a year after him and Sam had graduated high school.

Sam is succeeding without me. I knew he would. He was always so smart when it came to business decisions. He just hit 10k followers on Vine. That’s crazy!

“What the hell is this?” Colby questioned.

She answered quickly. “This whole journal was you keeping up with Sam without him knowing. This version of you always paid attention to what he was doing, even if you guys were no longer friends.”

“I’m obsessed with Sam? That’s great.” He deadpanned.

“You’re not obsessed with Sam. Read this entry.” She skipped a handful of pages, finally stopping on one and showing it to him.

I hate myself everyday for the hurt I caused Sam. I can’t believe what an idiot I was back when I was 18. We could have gone so far together… but I had to go and fuck it up.

He scowled. “Am I supposed to be sad for myself?”

“Keep reading.” She pushed.

The night I chose to never speak to Sam again, I knew I made the wrong decision. But I had to. Sam was ready to go on and do bigger and better things. I was just gonna hold him back. I was terrified of failing, not only myself, but him. He deserves success. That’s why I had to ignore him. I have never been as smart as him. I would have ruined our chances of doing something great. And I have been proven right by how far he has gone without me.

“You stopped being his friend because you were scared, not because you didn’t care anymore.” She repeated.

He slid off the car, scoffing. “So what if I was scared to fail? Sam didn’t deserve the hurt I caused just because of that. And what about me cheating with his girlfriend?”

She jumped off the car, striding up to Colby. She grabbed the journal from his hand. “You didn’t cheat, look.”

She pointed at the bottom of the page, his eyes following her finger.

“Me and Lexi were never together! I hate her for telling him that. One night, they had a really big fight and she came over to my house to ask what she should do. I told her to break up with him if she really didn’t care anymore. And then she tried to hit on me. I told her off and threatened to tell Sam, but she got to him first. She must have told him her and I were together.” The waitress read aloud.

“Wait, if I never hooked up with his girlfriend, why wouldn’t I tell him that?” Colby hissed.

“I think at that point, you wanted the friendship to be over, and I think this solidified it.” The waitress responded.

“All this time I could have been friends with Sam, but I ruined it because I was scared? What a fucking idiot.” He spat.

“You weren’t an idiot,” She interjected. “You just disliked yourself so much you didn’t think you deserved happiness. At least now you know that this version of you isn’t as terrible as you thought.”

“Even with that being the case, Sam’s never gonna accept my apology. Why should he?” Colby lamented, “I let him down the worst ways. I broke his trust and loyalty.”

She shook her head, stepping towards him. “Give him some time. You might be surprised."

Before Colby could speak, his phone rang. He took his phone out of his pocket and looked at the number. It looked familiar, but he couldn’t place it.

“Hello?” He answered.

“Did you really mean it when you said you were sorry?” Sam spoke, his tone hesitant, but dry.

His breath hitched at the sound of Sam’s voice. “Of course. I never meant to hurt you, Sam.”

Sam paused for a moment, before breathing out. “I’m giving you one more chance. Tomorrow. Come by my place. You apparently know where I live.”

“Yeah,” Colby laughed awkwardly. “I’ll come by. Thank you… Sam.”

“Don’t thank me yet. I’ll see you later.” Sam stated, hanging up.

Once the call ended, Colby’s eyes stared down at his phone widely. He almost couldn’t believe that happened.

He inhaled sharply. “Sam just called me. He wants to meet me tomorrow.”

“That’s great.” Her voice just above a whisper.

“He wants to hear me out… he wants to give me another chance.” His face dropped with confusion. “How did he get my number?”

It hit Colby like a brick as he gazed up at the waitress, who bit her lip hiding her smile. “You…?”

“You weren’t the first person I showed the journal to,” she explained. “When you ran off, I was gonna go after you. As I got in your car, I saw this journal sticking out from under your seat. I read through it and… I knew I had to show Sam. I went back in and talked to him for an hour, showing him how much you were actually sorry. How much you had beat yourself up over hurting him. And then I gave him your number. I wasn’t sure if he was gonna call but-”

“Oh my God, you’re amazing!” Colby ran up to her, grabbing her by the waist and spinning her around. She gripped his shoulders tightly as they spun, laughing loudly into his ear. As her feet touched the ground, he stared into her eyes, his smile the brightest she had ever seen it. His hands glided up her body to her face, cupping her cheeks quickly. He smashed his lips against hers, his heart pounding as he did. Her hands lowered to his chest, her grasp on his shirt tightened as she felt herself lose her footing and back up into the car.

As they stumbled, he realized what he was doing, pulling away quickly. “Shit… I’m sorry. I-I shouldn’t have-”

“No, it’s okay,” She giggled. “I’m just… surprised.”

He exhaled, letting his arms fall away from her body. “Me too.”

They leaned against the car, keeping a slight distance from each other. A light blush rested on both their faces; however, it was hard to see with the setting sun, something they were both grateful for.

The waitress sighed, breaking the moment of silence. “I think I know why this happened. Why I was the only one who remembered you…”

He raised an eyebrow, slightly side-eyeing her. “Really?”

“I lied to you when we first met. I wanted to seem a bit cooler than I am, but I don’t think I can hide that anymore.” She began, nervously.

Colby’s face relaxed a little, surprised at her words. “Okay.”

“My friend didn’t introduce me to you guys… I introduced her… to you.” She confessed.

A soft grin came to his face. “I had a feeling.”

She rolled her eyes. “No, you didn’t.”

“Yes, I did! I totally did,” he snickered. “Not every fan knows I worked at Dairy Queen. And… no average fan would have helped me get Sam back the way you did.”

“I think there’s a reason for all of this. I think in your universe, your life… you don’t know me.” Her voice dropped suddenly, making Colby turn to her.

“That’s true, I don’t.” He nodded.

Her eyes met his, a sad glint reflecting in the moonlight. “But I think the reason for that is because… you’re not supposed to.”

“What do you mean?” He replied, his face twisting in confusion.

“I think you and I are only supposed to have met here, in this universe. But not in yours.” She glared up at the sky, “Maybe in some weird way, I’m your guardian or guide or something.”

Colby’s thoughts raced. “So, what you’re saying is-“

“This might be the last time you’ll ever see me. You did what you had to do. You got Sam and you to talk again.” Her voice cracked as she held back tears, “You can go home.”

He grabbed her hands, holding them close to his body. “But… I don’t want to leave if it means I don’t know you.”

A hitched breath fell from her lips, a smile appearing from his words. “If we’re meant to be, we’ll see each other again.”

“That’s not fair.” He shook his head, a deep frown settling on his face.

“I know, but it’s how it has to be.” She whispered.

He rested his forehead against her, breathing deeply. “Can I… get one more kiss?”

She bit her lip softly. “I thought you’d never ask.”

They leaned in, his breath fanning across her lips for a split second before he pulled away.

“Wait…” He shuddered. “I never got your name.”

A soft smile came to her lips. “I’ll tell you after.”

His arms wrapped around her, pressing her body into his as their lips collided. He held onto her for dear life, terrified that the moment he pulled away, she would be gone.

He could feel things around him slow down, almost melting away, but he couldn’t tell if it was from the beauty of their kiss making him dizzy. A whirling silence overcame his senses. A burning sensation sliced through his abdomen; his breath ripped from his lungs.

A heavy darkness overtook his vision and for the briefest of moments, he felt absolutely nothing.

Except her lips.

<< |

[the-slasher-files]

Hii, i saw your requests are open so I guess I could try asking,

Can I ask how would Michael and Jason (and the other slashers if you'd like) react finding out that it's their S/O's birthday. Like they noticed how much food they prepared but s/o didn't mention the occasion because it's not that big of a deal to them but still celebrates it in a way.

Hey, thanks for the request! I love this idea and it was really fun to write.. also added more slashers so I hope you enjoy 🔪💕

MASTERLIST

SLASHERS REACT TO THEIR S/O BIRTHDAY

INCLUDES JASON, MICHAEL, BO, VINCENT, BILLY and STU

JASON VOORHEES

How he finds out: when you left your wallet face open with your drivers license out.. boy was curious

Ever since living out at the camp you just kind of forgot about your birthday, it never really mattered, you were happy just as is with what you had

but he plans it for weeks, Jason can’t give you much in the day to day and he just wants to spoil you and give you the best day after years of looking after him

Waking up in the morning you smelt fresh coffee and sweets, which was more than unusual in the cabin

Rolling over to look at the nightstand you found your favorite mug steaming with hot coffee and Jason had put in your preferred creamer, just the way you liked it. Beside the mug was a small little note sloppily marked with drawn hearts and the words “I love you”

Jason melted your heart on a daily biases but this... it made your heart feel like it oozed right out of your ribcage

Propping yourself up to sip the coffee there was a sudden crash in the kitchen making you jump out of bed... was there an intruder?? was Jason in danger??... grabbing the heavy machete that was resting against the nightstand you faltered to the kitchen, hair dishevelled, barefoot, only wearing one of Jason’s ripped oversized shirts

oh... OH.. it’s just Jason cooking??? flour was everywhere, about 10 different bowls were scattered along the counter, the bacon was smoking and the pancakes? were burnt

Turning around owl-eyed, with flour on his mask and tattered clothes, Jason gives his biggest grin and signs “happy birthday!!”

Once you help him with breakfast he will be glued to your side all day.. more than usual.. Jason wants to give you back rubs, hugs and kisses as much as he can

His gift to you is a bracelet his mom had worn, it is the most meaningful gift Jason could ever give, and it’s beautiful

In the evening he will take you to a new trail you had never been on, old camp lanterns to light your way through the woods and into a large meadow. A large blanket covers the damp grass and there is a small basket with all your fav snacks

A picnic to watch the sunset and stargaze... perfect

MICHAEL MYERS

How he finds out: Michael knows everything about you, he had watched you for a solid year before you even knew, but it will take him a long time to get comfortable and trusting with you so it will probably be like the 5th year together before he really does something for you

Now Michael is not affectionate and caring is just not in his nature so your birthday is going to be interesting... to the average human it will seem like it is a shit birthday but knowing Michael the way you do it is the best birthday he can give you

All these years together he had done nothing on your birthday so you expected it to just be another day, but nope

Waking up to the smell of fresh tea or coffee (which ever you prefer) a steaming cup was on the nightstand

Michael was still in bed with you which was unusual but it was even stranger when he was running his large hands all over you.. gently

There will most likely be some morning sex but he is oddly gentle, making your pleasure a priority over his own

Michael will allow you to touch him for however long you want and where you want without protest, but ONLY today so take advantage

Going to the living room you will see a present you had been eyeing for yourself for a while now. It could either be a really nice blanket to clothes to cookware to a laptop. Michael is observant about everything so he will notice the tabs in your phone or that time you walked by a clothing store and almost screamed at how nice the shirt was in the window

of course he stole it and there might be a tiny amount of blood on it but who cares lol

That is honestly about the extent Michael will go with you and that’s more than enough for you

BO SINCLAIR

How he finds out: Bo isn’t exactly a gentleman with a lot of things so he really doesn’t mind just asking how old you are or when your birthday is

Most likely Bo will forget when it is the first 2 years but the 3rd year.. oh baby he’s got it now... with the help of Vincent reminding him

Birthdays have never been big for the Sinclair brothers, especially for Bo, he literally has no idea what to do

One of the only ways Bo knows love is through fast pleasure... aka waking up to him eating you out. Like Michael, he will put your pleasure first today and is going to be gentle with you, so enjoy it

Be careful because he might want to spend your whole birthday in bed if you don’t stop him

Your presents will probably be some lingerie he bought you (which is basically his present) and a night out on the town, going to your favorite restaurant and taking you where ever you want

Even in the truck he will let you pick the music which is honestly a miracle

Bo will try to bite his tongue as much as possible and try to be the best gentlemen he can be until you get home ;)

Going home to Ambrose he takes a different road, up a hill that’s long and twisted, Bo just smiles when you ask where you’re going, man is saying nothing for once and it might freak you out

Getting to the destination, it’s a small walk in the woods until there is a large clearing and a small lake to your right, this is where he used to go swimming as a kid and this is sometimes where Bo will disappear to on bad days

He will lead you to the dock and will lay you down, watching the stars and hearing the splashing of the water mix in with the Louisiana nature... It is pure bliss

Bo cannot help himself and will initiate a heavy make-out session

This is the way of showing you he loves you

VINCENT SINCLAIR  

How he finds out: Baby boy is far more observant than his brother thank god, so he will probably check your drivers license if you left your wallet out

Vincent will honestly plan something for weeks if he can

Usually he is a night owl but today Vincent will get up nice and early cooking your favorite breakfast, well at least trying, honestly he can make fantastic omelets

Waking up you will see a small tray of food at the edge of the bed, an omelet, bacon, a glass of juice and some small bouquet of native Louisiana flowers he had picked

Along with a little note card saying “happy birthday” probably with some little doodles on the sides making it fancy

Waking into the room Vincent will have either your coffee or tea, handing it to you with a gentle kiss

It will probably be just a slow, gentle, quiet morning with wandering hands, little kisses and soft words

Today he will let you do whatever the hell you want and will try desperately to get Bo to leave you alone for the day

If you want to go for a walk he’ll go with, if you want to stay inside all day in your sweats watching movies that’s perfect.. whatever you want

Towards the evening Bo will come home with your favorite foods, since Vincent hates leaving town. Dinner will be candle lit with soft music in the background. Vince will try to dress nice and in something that isn’t covered in wax

After dinner he will take you to the theater, watching the old movies you grew up on, even though half of the time you are only paying attention to the tongue down your throat  

For some reason my head kept saying slow dancing in the rain, so I guess when you are coming home it starts to rain and you guys slow dance in the streetlight

Once home he has 2 boxes for you, lovely wrapped. In one box it is your very own knife with a carved handle of your favorite animal to match his blades. In the next box is something you had been looking at getting for a long time, a new pair of boots he watched you look for online

BILLY AND STU

How they find out: Honestly they’re probably just going to ask you

Stu is probably going to be the more outgoing one and screaming happy birthday to you when you first wake up, Billy would just let you sleep in and drink his coffee beside you, running his hands on you and gently whispering happy birthday to you instead

Stu would make you a big breakfast and even try to make you a cake but something would be so off lol.. he tried

Billy just takes a store bought one from the fridge that he had saved just in case this happened

yes, they want cake for breakfast

Whatever you want to do that day they will make it happen, honestly it’s going to be fun regardless with them

An arcade or bowling or crashing some little kids laser tag party is probably going to be it for your afternoon. Winning silly arcade prizes, stu will get you a stupid whoopie cushion and Billy will probably win a little stuffed bear for you

Driving home Billy will let you play your music and he will just drive around the city, just signing your hearts out and laughing and just making memories, watching the nightlife and city lights

Ending up at the City viewpoint, seeing all the lights in the dark never looked so pretty with your boys, it might even leave Stu speechless

Whenever you are ready to come home a horror movie is defiantly on the list, whatever one you want and they will order pizza

Honestly Stu will probably pass out on the couch from the long hilarious day and Billy will quietly drag you to the bedroom.. really getting to show how much he loves you ;)  

[reidscookies]

All The Things I Could Not Say

More writing is done, because I procrastinate best when doing things that have no deadline. Read it on AO3, or under the cut! Angst with a happy ending!

Summary: When Spencer heard a knock at the door, he thought Derek might have forgotten his keys again.

"Dad? What are you doing here?"

-

Or, William Reid hears about Spencer's engagement, and wants to know where his invitation is.

TW: Implied Domestic Violence, Implied Child Neglect.

Read it on AO3

When Spencer heard a knock at the door, he thought Derek might have forgotten his keys again. It had been known to happen, and Spencer was already forming some sort of way to tease his fiancé. Opening the door, he started with a small chuckle. “You’re no better than Emily-“

On the doorstep was not his fiancé, but William Reid. His hair was thinner, and he looked tired. His long trench coat practically consumed him, his chest puffed trying to seem bigger than he really was. “Spencer.”

“Dad? What are you doing here?” Spencer asked, mouth going dry.

William motioned his arm towards the foyer. “May I come in?”

Too shocked to say anything else, Spencer stepped aside. “I… Sure, I guess…”

They sat in the living room, Spencer taking his reading chair and curling into it for comfort. His father sat on the sofa, hands nervously wringing. “So, I read the news that you go engaged. It was in the alumni section for your school's old newspaper.”

Spencer groaned internally, recalling Penelope’s efforts to share the news with the entire world. “Yeah, I am. We’re getting married in October.”

William nodded, slightly awkward. “That’s nice, very nice. Um, where, though? And when?”

Spencer raised an eyebrow. “I don’t see how that concerns you, seeing as you haven’t been invited. And I don’t plan for you to be.”

William narrowed his eyes. “Don’t be nasty, Spencer.”

“Screw you, William! Screw you!”

“Don’t be nasty, Diana.”

“Don’t talk to me like a child!”

“Then stop acting like one!”

A crash came from the kitchen. A slap followed directly after. In the morning, Spencer would find his father’s favorite mug shattered on the counter, and the shape of his father’s hand marked red across his mother’s cheek.

Spencer’s expression became hard and cold. “Never say that to me again. Don’t ever speak to me like that. Being honest is not being nasty. While you were busy running away from us, I was a child learning to survive with no father, a mother who grew to need more assistance than her ten-year-old son could provide.”

William crossed his arms. “You know why I left! I’ve explained this to you before.”

“Yes, because you couldn’t bear the idea of Mom getting in trouble about Gary Michaels. See, I’ve thought about this, and I think there’s more to it than that. If you’d been discovered, Lou Jenkins would have gone to jail. Mom would likely have been institutionalized. Both of these have happened anyway, only it’s been 20 years. The only difference now is that Mom has not been charged as an accessory to murder.”

“Spencer, where are you going with this?” William asked, voice shaking slightly.

Spencer paced with ease around the room. “You didn’t really care what would happen to her if she had been discovered back then. Hell, you weren’t even concerned as to how Mom being institutionalized could affect me as a child. No, you only cared about your reputation.” He looked back at his father. “Congratulations, your good name remains intact, not to mention a now relatively successful son who you brag about to your coworkers but never seem to have had the time to return calls to when he was living at home.”

William was red in the face at this point. “You don’t understand. Spencer, I couldn’t stay, I had to get out of there. I kept tabs on you to make sure you were safe, don’t you realize I care about you?”

A cold, barking laugh tore itself from Spencer’s throat. “Care? When have you ever shown me that you cared, genuinely? Was it when you’d tell me to shut up when I was trying to share something I learned about things you liked? Was it when you forced me into little league even though I told you the helmet made my ears hurt? Was it when you sent Mom by herself to pick me up from first grade when you knew that type of social scenario would be too difficult for her? Was it when you left the invitation to my Doctoral Thesis presentation in the mailbox long enough for it to come back to me with “Return to Sender” stamped all over it?” He felt his eyes burn slightly. “Was it when you weren’t there when I had Mom taken to Bennington? God, Dad, I was eighteen! Don’t you understand how scared I was?! How scared I had been for eight years trying to keep both myself and Mom above water?!”

“God, you sound just like your mother, poison tongue and all!” William shouted before thinking. “Spencer-“

Spencer interrupted him. “The thing is, I used to want you to care. I used to hope and dream that you’d come home and help me. But I grew up, despite the bullying and the bills and Mom’s decline, I pulled both of us out to safety. And I have a family now! I have a wonderful family of friends who care, who put up with me despite my facts and lectures, who truly care about what I have to say. I’m engaged, I have a wonderful fiancé who doesn’t ask me to change anything about who I am or how I am. He brings out the best in me when I’m at my worst, he stays despite my “poison tongue” and when I get overly invested in my work. When I write to Mom, he signs the letters too, and a lot of times he’ll even add a few pages of his own. He knows every part of me, he is the person I want to be with for the rest of my life. So no, Dad, I didn’t send you an invitation. Partially because I honestly didn’t think you’d come, but mostly because I don’t need you there. I have who I need, and it’s not you.”

William was stunned into silence. Clearing his throat, he straightened his coat. “Well, then. If that’s how it is.”

“That’s how it is.” Spencer nodded. He looked towards the door where Derek stood quietly with the grocery bags.

Derek had a look of concern on his face, but he kept it relatively masked in front of William. “Everything okay?”

Spencer nodded. “He was just leaving.” He lead William to the door, thinking to himself that his father wasn’t unlike a dog with its tail between its legs. When the front door closed, it was like a note of finality. Something was done, and honestly, it felt good.

Spencer grabbed one of the grocery bags and headed for the kitchen, starting to put items away. “How much did you hear, Derek?”

Derek joined him, putting the milk and juice in the refrigerator. “I only got back a few minutes ago, but probably about the part when you were talking about who your family is now.”

Spencer hummed, folding the reusable bags and placing them in the corner. “He heard about the wedding from the local newspaper announcement Garcia insisted on. He wanted to know why he hadn’t received his invitation.”

“Well, you made it abundantly clear that he isn’t going to be getting one.” Derek said, moving closer. “Need a hug?”

Spencer smiled and let Derek hold him close. “Honestly, love, I really am okay. I was able to say a lot of things I never thought I’d get a chance to. Him leaving is always going to hurt in a lot of ways, but he’s made his choice. I think it’s okay that I get to make mine, too, and that includes who I have in my family.”

Derek gave him a soft kiss on his forehead. “I absolutely think it’s okay for you to make those choices. You’ve got us, baby, no matter what.” He looked at his watch. “You still up for meeting everyone for dinner? Or do you need it to be just us tonight?”

Spencer thought for a moment. “Would you mind if we invited everyone here for pizza instead? I don’t want to go out, but I want my family with me.”

“You’ve got it, pretty boy. I’ll let them know.” Derek gently pulled away and grabbed his phone to reach out to the team. Spencer smiled to himself, letting all traces of his father’s unwelcome visit start to ease off his mind. He had what he needed, and there was no way he would ever change it for anything.

[voidaus]

Final Goodbyes

Summary: Your a Youtuber and in a stream you see this pen-pal app and download it, creating an account. This all happened months ago. The guy you met on there was amazing, and you talked for months until he just... stopped.

Genre: Angst?

warnings: swearing, fighting

Requested? No

Word count: 1402

I believe everyone deserves a second chance. No matter how difficult things are. No matter how ugly things got. But maybe sometimes, the problem is that I believe too much. Seeing good in every person, while of course, some people are just... not good.

But that's not how this story goes. No, he is good. I am a hundred percent sure of that. The question is, 'is he willing to change and show that side of him?'. I guess we won't find out if I don't reach out to him huh?

The grey laptop is on my couch, still warm from the last time I used it just an hour ago. Grabbing myself some hot chocolate I lay down on the soft pillows and pull my blanket up to my chest. Whilst finally deciding I'm comfortable in this position I grab the laptop again and open it, typing in my password. The device starts up, letting me in.

"miaow" a soft purring comes from the ground. My cat, Athena, jumps on the couch as soon as I pat it. "Hey there gorgeous" I greet her. The laptop dings, making it clear that it's ready to be used. I give it my full attention again. Should I really open Zaira?

Zaira is an online penpal app where you can anonymously make friends. I signed up about 2 years ago and never really managed to find someone I really hit it off with. You know, I just couldn't find the words to talk to any of the people who messaged me. My anxiety not really helping with making friends, of course, I thought meeting them online would be easier. I was wrong. 

No one understood me, which isn't really surprising. I'm a bookworm, but also a gamer. I have lots of hobbies but not quite the energy to pursue them. The only thing that still has me uploading videos and streaming is the money and my supporters. My supporters standing first on the list, of course. I upload mostly gaming videos under the name Void. I go faceless. I never really liked my appearance for that matter.

I hesitate but still open it. The familiar logo greets me and only a moment after that my only friend on the site shows up, bringing back memories.

Zaira? What's this? "An online penpal app where you can add strangers and make friends. Now free in the AppStore!" I read the description out loud for my viewers. "Should I download it guys?" I ask the live chat, hoping they would say yes. Soon enough I get the confirmation from them and I click the button, hoping it won't take too long to download. I create a profile typing in my bio: 'Bookworm, Gamer, Weeb :)' The chat confirms that that pretty much describes me making me laugh. "Perhaps we can actually meet some cool people on here guys! Who knows?""Alright." I scroll through the site, reading people's bios until one of them spots the fans' eyes. The comments are going crazy fast right now. "click them!""omg Void, you have to message Sasori!" and more comments like that. I click on the profile, reading it's bio. Their given name is Sasori Matsudo. I laugh, explaining to some of the viewers that don't watch anime that these are names from Naruto and Death Note. "I suggest you watch them. those are some good animes!".

I smile at the memories and click on his profile. "Sasori Matsudo" the name rolls off my tongue. I chuckle "not a weeb huh?" Slowly looking through the messages, the familiar empty feeling enters my body again. To be honest, it never left. Ever since the fight, it was always there, following my every step. I close my eyes, letting the painful memories flood in again.

"I just don't understand why you can't talk about it with me!" your voice is slightly raised as you hold the phone in your shaking hand. "Because I just can't, okay! I can't keep throwing all of my shit onto you. you know I could never do that!" The man you know as Corpse yells back. You're both stressed out and upset, and this is the worst fight you ever had. You had decided to message 'Sasori Matsudo' on Zaira, and you two grew close very quickly. After 4 months of chatting on the site, he gave you his number. Not long after, he told you That he's the famous Youtuber known as Corpse Husband. You began to watch his videos and enjoyed them a lot, telling him so. In the fifth month of you two knowing each other, You started to call each other once in a while. That turned into calling every day, and soon you were calling more than 4 hours a day.

Your voice softens at his upset tone, realizing you're not the only one hurt here. You give a deep sigh before talking into your phone again. "I'm always here for you Corpse. I don't care how many times you call me, even if it's in the middle of the night. You make me feel better, you make me happy, and I want to be there for you. Please don't shut me out like this." you're practically begging at this point. He can't shut you out! Not like this.

"Void... You know I love you. Please, keep doing what you're doing, keep making videos and baking, and all the little things I love about you. But I just can't continue doing this to you. I'm sorry." He speaks up. The low voice you adore so much is soft and trembling. He sounds like he could break down crying any time now. "No, please, Corpse! Please don't leav-"

your phone lets out a long beep cutting you off. Breaking down crying, you hurl your hand against your mouth, attempting to silence your sobs. On the other side of the line, the man with the curly black mop on his head is doing the same. Tears flow down both of your eyes as void fills your hearts.

It hurts, but he knows he had to do this. He was always troubling you with his feelings, and he couldn't even show you his face! What kind of friend is that? Loud sobs take over his apartment, as his heart hurts, knowing he can't talk to you again.

And he didn't.

You lay on the couch, clenching your blanket awfully hard. You don't notice the tears streaming down your face till Athena climbs onto your lap and licks them off. You cuddle her in an attempt to comfort yourself, as the dark feeling in your chest grows stronger. 

You open a new tab and type in his number. All the old messages show up. He probably blocked you, but you have to try. He wanted you to be happy, but then why did he leave you?!

After that night, he never messaged you again. Did he really not want to talk to you anymore? You ask yourself.

But all Corpse has been doing is lay in bed and upload videos once in a while. His followers noticed something is off, and so has his friends. He's acting off whenever he streams and rarely jokes around anymore. 

You text him a simple 'how are you' and close your laptop after. The next day you check if he's replied. Nothing. You keep checking for two weeks, but nothing comes in. It's over. He's not coming back. You begin sobbing and lift yourself from the couch, scaring a sleeping Athena. You jog to the kitchen and shove everything off the counter, breaking some cups and plates in the process. Sliding down against the sink, you put your face in your hands, letting out an ear-piercing scream. The weight of the world is crashing down on you, and all you can do is cry and scream. The daydream is finally over.

Corpse saw your message.  He's tried messaging you so many times, but each time he holds himself back. All he wants is to talk to you, but he knows he shouldn't. Well, that's what he believes is best. Every day he thinks about you, thinking that you have already forgotten him, though it's the opposite. You think about him every day, remembering all of the memories. 

All the laughs and all the cries. All the comforts, to final goodbyes.

Hey Guys! I hope you're okay after this lil angsty piece of crap lmao. I tried my best. Anyways, if you have any comments or feedback, I always appreciate it! Oh, and 200 notes on 'Grocery Shopping'?!!??? Y'all are crazy, thank you so much!

If you liked this, my taglist is always open and so are my requests!

@persephone-sideblog @reinyrei @cherry-piee @alienvarmint @divine-artemis @milanienne

[bleh-bleh-blehs]

Home

Mob!Tom Holland x Reader

A/N- Finally! So I am back with a shitty ending to my shitty fic. I am really sorry if anyone doesn’t like it. Feedback will be appreciated :) and requests are open!

Warning- feelings, mentions of death, angst

word count- 2.6k

Home or whatever people called the place where they belong. You were going there, after waiting for your whole life you were finally going to meet your parents. Your real parents who you thought were dead. You learned everything about your abduction from Tom.  

And now you were going to finally meet them; your real parents. You were finally going to your actual house. You can’t help but feel overexcited. Tom on the other couldn’t even describe what he was feeling. 

“Hey, we are leaving tomorrow. Get some rest.” Harrion told Tom through the office door. He entered the office upon hearing no snarky comment. He found Tom sitting on his chair; eyes red from crying, hair disheveled, a whiskey bottle in his hand and air pods plucked in his ears. 

Harrison was shocked to find Tom like this. The man that made others cry was crying himself today. Tom paid no attention to his best mate. Tired of his shit Harrison snatched his phone to turn the music down. 

“You have been listening to ‘Let her go’ on repeat? Oh my god Tom what is wrong with? When did you become this love sick puppy? What happened to that playboy, who hooked up with any girl he wanted? Uh? And I am damn sure that you haven’t confessed to her too. What are you..”

“Shut up! Shut up! Just shut up!” Tom shouted, running his hands through his hair. “Why do you think she would ever be with me. I am not her knight in shining armor, okay. And she would run away from me once she is aware of my deeds.” Tom believes that you will never love him. 

“Tom she knows what you do for living, and her feelings for you are completely obvious. You are just stupid…” 

“No Harrison! She still gets nightmares about you and Harry beating her; nightmares about her foster parents beating her. She would be scared of me when she finds why everyone is so scared of me.” Harrison was not clearly amused by Tom cutting him off in the middle of the sentence. While Tom was just being anxious. 

“Aren’t you the one that calms her after every single nightmare? Aren’t you the one that makes her feel safe? Come on Tom only time will tell. Her past will only haunt her and I feel guilty that I gave her more ptsd. But you made her some good memories with her too right? And it’s not like you will never meet her again after she reunites with her family. You can still keep tabs on her right? Just tell her before it’s too late.” Harrison sighed at the end. 

“Wow! I can’t believe you are talking so sensibly. Who did this to you, mate? When did you start to talk like a mature person?” Tom couldn’t control his laughter while Harrison just rolled his eyes. 

“Hahaha very funny. I don’t know, maybe Stacy made me a mature man.” Harrison chuckled. “Yeah, yeah. Now get out of here you div.” Tom snatched his phone back from Haz’s hand. 

“I am going but you better think what I told you.” Harrison made a serious face.

“Get out!” Tom said while smiling. Just tell her before it’s too late. As if it was that easy. 

*

When Tom finally decided it was half past 1am. Lazily he made way towards his room but stopped in front of your room. Thinking whether he should check up at you or not. And decided that he should leave you alone. And kept on walking.   

What he did not expect, was you sitting on the armchair beside his bed. It was clear that you were waiting for him. But why!

“Hey Tom.” you said as you sat straight. “I thought you would be asleep right now.”  Tom wondered out loud. “I can’t sleep. I am too excited to sleep. And you were the only awake at this hour. So I thought I could talk to you.” you said cheerfully. There was not a single ounce of sleep in your eyes. 

“Alright what do you wanna know about?” he asked while taking a seat on the armchair beside you.

 “I don’t know. We never talked about your parents right?” 

“We never have. What do you wanna know?” all of tom’s tiredness vanished with you excitement. 

“Everything! Like how are they? How are parents in general?” 

“They are amazing. Best parents i could ever ask for. My father is a strict man and he was the one who forced me to take after him; he is an amazing father though. He loves my mum a lot. I have three brothers, Harry lives here with me but Sam lives with mum, dad and Paddy. just in case if they need him.”

“I didn’t know about your youngest brother. Why did you never tell me about him?” you gave Tom a questioning look. 

“You never asked.” Tom said simply.

“Why does he never visit here? How old is he?” you asked. You have seen Sam around a lot.

“Mum doesn’t like homecoming here, mainly because of the exposure to the danger. He's sixteen, can’t defend himself quite yet.'' Honestly Tom missed his brother. He just wanted to spend some time with Paddy like he used too. 

“I don’t know if I have siblings. Guess I will find tomorrow.” you chuckled. You looked at Tom as before you left the room. Really looked at him. Taking in his features. He looked tired; eyes were a bit swollen and red.

You could smell the alcohol off him. Over and all he looked tired. He stood up too. Slowly walking towards his closet. “Tom?” 

“Hmm?” 

“Do you have anything to say to me?” he had. He wanted to confess to you. Wanted to tell you everything then and there. But he was not brave enough. Harrison’s words went spiral through his brain again and again.  

And there you stood waiting for him to say anything. You were not ever even sure what you wanted him to say. Tom came out of the closet and stared at you for what seems like forever. You can see that he was in deep thought. 

“I will miss you Y/N.” he finally said. You smiled, a little disappointed. You have no idea what you want him to say. “I’ll miss you too, Tom.” with that you finally left his room. Leaving Tom with his thoughts

*

Was much more dreadful for Tom. You were leaving. He felt like he was drowning. He was sad, yes but what he felt wasn’t sadness only. It was a mixture of emotions. Emotions he can’t name. He never felt this uneasiness before. 

On the other hand you felt the same. Excited to meet your birth parents. Not wanting to leave the mansion you once dreaded. Not wanting to leave Tom. Slightly scared because you were not sure about your parents reaction. There are many possibilities that they might not be as good as thought. 

And there was a strange tingling in your guts that made you feel uneasy. But you put it all aside. 

“Harry, you take the other car and Stacy, you are going with him. Just maintain some distance. Look out for danger. Inform me if you find anything suspicious. Alright?” with that everybody left for their vehicle. 

The whole ride was eerily quiet. No one uttered a word. You sneaked a glance at Tom; his face was completely emotionless. He noticed you staring but did nothing about it. He never felt these many emotions at once. 

He didn’t want you to go. But he had to. He can’t be this selfish now can he? You were finally getting what you always wanted. A family. Parents you always wanted. He can't replace them but he was the one who found them, he was the one reuniting you with them. And that is the biggest thing he could do for anyone. 

Your hometown was not far from London. It only took two hours of driving to reach there. 

You started to grow nervous as you reached the residential area.  The retardation in the speed of the car indicated that you had reached your destination. The car eventually stopped in front of a small cozy house. 

This was it. You were finally going to meet  your parents. You always imagined this moment but can't really believe that it is happening in real life.

“Y/N.” Tom’s voice brought you back from your thoughts. 

“Humm.” you hummed; not knowing how to reply. You composed your posture. Trying to get hold on your thoughts. This is now or never. You thought. And got out of the car. The boys did the same.

Harrison called Stacy to ask when they would be here. While Tom came to stand near you. “How are you feeling?” he asked. That was the worst question ever. You had no answer to it. You couldn’t describe your emotions that easily. 

But before you could answer Tom’s phone rang. The screen lit up with ‘Adam’s name’, you knew who he was. Adam was the most trusted person in the mob. No one could compete with his loyalty for Tom. 

Tom immediately answered the phone. Adam never directly called Tom unless it was an emergency. 

“What is it?” Tomasked rather harshly. To be honest, Tom didn’t want anyone to drag him to work today. He didn’t want to put his brain through that stress on top of his feelings. 

“Sir, sir, please don’t go to that place. The L/Ns were killed years ago. Rick is a mole, sir.” 

“Get in the car.” Tom shouted. He opened the door and pushed you in before getting in himself. Harison took the driver's seat. And then you saw any people coming out of their hiding places. All armed. 

“What is happening?” Harry’s voice came from the phone. “Drive! Harrison. Drive!” Tom shouted on top of his lungs. The people now started to circle the car. You have never been this scared in your whole life. 

The people started to shoot; making you more scared. Tom brought his arms around your body protectively. You leaned into his touch. Hiding your face in the crook of his neck. Your whole body was shaking with fear. Clutching Tom’s clothes. You were never so grateful for the bulletproof car till now. 

“We are attacked, Harry. Turn back the car.” you heard Harrison say. But Tom hasn't said a single word. You were sure that those people were following your car. What about your parents though? You heard Adam said something about them but you weren't sure but you knew that they were. Maybe your gut feeling was telling you about this. 

You finally opened your eyes when the car stopped moving. “What happened?” Tom asked while checking for danger. “I don’t think that the car can take more damage.”

“So do you think that we’re gonna run barefoot from here?” “No! But the car will blast and we should start running if we don’t wanna die.” both of them argued back and forth. “Stop! What are we gonna do now? What about Stacy and Harry?” you had tears in your eyes.  

“We are gonna and they are safe.” Harrison answered, looking for any trace of danger. “We are completely outnumbered, we have no chance of putting up a fight against them.  Therefore, we are gonna run without looking back.” Tom explained to you. 

“One the count of three.” he held up his three fingers. All of you prepared yourself for running. “One.” he held your hand tightly. “Two.” you swear to the god that your heart will burst out because of the speed of every beat. “Three.” a fire was shot. 

All you felt was pain. You were sure that it originated from your lower abdomen. But course through your whole body. All you was Tom’s face, you tried to focus his and you connected hands, his skin. Tried to take his beautiful features in. 

“You know where he grew weak boys.” an annoying voice said. “He became weak for enemies when he made his feelings completely obvious for this girl.” the man spoke again. He walked closer and closer, cockng his gun at Tom’s head. 

“Any last words, thomas?” he laughed overdramatically. Tom leaned in to give your forehead a kiss. “I am so sorry, love.” he mumbled, his lips still pressed at your forehead. 

You closed your eyes. Thinking that this was the end. You didn’t want to see Tom get shot. You heard multiple bullets fired. Way too many bullets to kill two men. 

“Let’s get out of here, boss.” you were not fully in your consciousness but you recognized the voice. It belonged to Adam. “we have to take her to hospital.” Tom’s voice was desperate. He got a hold on his tears. After all he couldn’t cry in front of his men. 

* 

You reached the hospital in no time. The doctors took you to remove the bullet and top the bleeding. Despite being scared shitless one nurse came to update Tom about your condition. Which was very critical. You have lost a lot of blood and the chances of you recovering were very thin.

“I should have said it, Haz.” Tom finally let his emotions take control. “I should have told her about my feelings. And now it’s too late. I’m gonna lose her.” Tom sobbed on Harrison’s shoulder, hugging him tightly. 

“It’s alright, she’s gonna be fine. You have a lot of time with her.”

“You think so?” 

“I know so.” Tom chuckled. “Mr. Holland.” This time the doctor came to talk to them. “The patient is out of danger. She is resting right now. You can meet her just don't wake her up.” the doctor smiled awkwardly and left. 

“Go meet her. This is your chance. Tell her everything.” Harrison motivated him.

With that Tom left to meet you.

*

This is it. Tom thought that this was another chance he had with you. But he knew that he fucked up. He putted your life in danger and most important of all that he made you believe that you parents were alive. 

“Y/N. i'm so sorry, love. I  put you through this all and I-” Tom never cried this hard for anyone. “And I just couldn’t man up and tell you about my feelings. I-I made you believe that your parents are alive-  I couldn't keep you safe-” Tom collapsed on the floor. 

“I never thought I would love anyone the way I love you, Y/N. And i am really sorry for everything-” he tried to get up; using the bed for support. 

“I hope you forgive me.” he pleaded and leaned in to kiss your forehead. 

“I hate it when you kiss my forehead when no one is stopping from kissing my lips.” you smirked while Tom stood there in shock. 

“Hi baby. Please don’t beat yourself for everything that has happened to me. You only protected me or tried to. And my parents, I know how to live without them. You, Stacy and surprisingly the boys are my family. And I love you too.” Tom smiled at your confession. 

“You little shit, you were listening to me the whole time.” Tom accused. “And what were you saying about kissing you on the lips. Huh?” 

“Kiss me on the lips, tommy.” you giggled as Tom kissed you on the lips. Both of you sighing at the feeling. Meanwhile Harrison, Stacy and Harry watched you both from the door. 

“Don’t you think watching them make out is creepy and gross.” Harry made a face in disgust. “Shut up Harry! My baby boo is in love.” Stacy said while weeping. 

In the end you stayed with your real family.

Permanent taglist (including one shot and series and both tom and pete):-@calltothewild // @fancyxparker  // @pearly-pisces // @justanothermarvelmaniac // @sarcasticallywitty15 //

Tom Holland taglist (both one shot and series):-  

@justanamesstuff​

Innocent taglist:-

@uwucorpse

[aerinsfables]

I would die for a part 4.... You have me hooked.

HDJSKAKDJJR IM SO GLAD YOU LIKE MY SPUR OF THE MOMENT THINGS THAT TURN INTO UNINTENDED PROJECTS!!!

——

Flower Shop AU, part 4 (I should probably give this thing a name at some point)

Read part 3 here!

——

After Bracken opened the store the following day, he sat down in front of the computer near the register per usual and started the day off with his normal routine; check emails, send a few out, check for online orders, then get started with phone calls and new floral arrangements. His father would be joining him again later in the day, but he’d mostly be doing deliveries, which left Bracken alone with the store for a large portion of the day. He didn’t mind. It wasn’t that he didn’t like having company, because he did, but he was also comfortable being by himself for long stretches of time.

He took a sip of his morning tea and opened the shop’s email, then scrolled through a few messages which contained more returned surveys and a couple of general inquiries. Upon replying to one of said inquiries, he clicked “next” and found another message from Kendra. Bracken sat up straighter in his seat and read her words. She’d apparently sent the email long after closing last night.

I’m safe. Thank you for your concern. And thanks again for your help earlier… I don’t know what would’ve happened if you and Warren hadn’t been there.

Bracken paused before he chose to reply. Social interactions were admittedly not his strongest suit, and he didn’t want to inadvertently stick his foot in his mouth, nor did he want to make her feel uncomfortable, but ultimately his curiosity was eating away at him.

If you don’t mind my asking - and feel free to ignore me if you don’t want to talk about it - who was that man?

Again, you can ignore the question if you don’t want to answer it. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. I hope you were able to get some good rest last night and are feeling a little better today.

There were no other emails in the inbox, so he opened a new tab and checked for new online orders. Three had been placed between last night and this morning, one for an apology bouquet as a rush request to be picked up that afternoon - he’d need to prioritize that - a “get well soon” arrangement, and a “congratulations” basket with both flowers and balloons to celebrate a new baby.

Bracken examined last night’s prepared arrangements for today’s customer pick-ups, called the customers to whom the flowers belonged, and started working on the apology arrangement. He idly wondered who was apologizing for what. They’d specially chosen an interesting flower as a focal point, as well, but Bracken wasn’t sure if they actually knew flowers like he did; most people chose flowers based on colors and styles, not symbolism. This particular patron had indicated that they wanted a purple calla lily in the center of the bouquet, which, sure, went well with the purple hyacinths and the scarlet geraniums and white tulips, but purple calla lilies indicated passion instead of ‘I’m sorry.’ Whatever. Maybe the flower held special significance for the recipient and/or the gifter.

The bells on the front door chimed, and Bracken turned to greet the newcomer. This one was a tall-ish young man, maybe 21 or 22 years old. He looked Bracken up and down, then stuck out his hand for a handshake. “Hi,” he said.

“Hello,” Bracken replied, a little confused as to why he was shaking hands with this person. “Can I help you?”

“I’m Seth,” he explained. “Kendra’s brother. Warren said you helped beat up Gavin, so I came to invite you over for a barbeque this Saturday. One o’clock. Are you busy?”

“I normally work on Saturdays-“

The bells chimed again, and Bracken’s father walked into the store. “Good morning,” he greeted. “Give me a moment to get settled, Bracken, and I’ll dive in.”

“You’re working on Saturday? Ugh. We’d all hoped you’d be free,” Seth stated. “Another time, I guess. We’ll shoot for a Sunday.”

“What’s this about?” Father spoke up.

“I’ve been invited to a barbeque on Saturday,” Bracken explained. “I normally stay ‘til closing those days and won’t be able to make it.”

Father seemed to think for a moment. “You covered your sister’s shift yesterday,” he said. “She should be able to return the favor.”

“I don’t want to bother her,” Bracken replied. “She’s young and in love. Let her have the weekend with her new fiancée.”

“I’ll take your shift for you, then,” Father stated.

Bracken opened his mouth to say that wouldn’t be necessary, but Seth responded first.

“Seriously? That’d be great! Everyone’s looking forward to meeting this guy!”

“It’s settled,” Father said. His eyes crinkled in the corners, and seemed to glimmer with his cheerful smile.

Bracken felt his mouth bob open and shut a few times before he asked, “How many people? I’m sorry. I’ve only just met you, and I hardly know Kendra. A barbeque with a bunch of people I don’t know doesn’t sound particularly appealing.”

Father clamped his hand on Bracken’s shoulder, which caused him to wince in surprise. “Go make friends,” he encouraged. “This young man seems particularly delightful.”

“Warren and Dale will be there,” Seth said. “You know them, right? They own the cafe across the street.”

In passing, Bracken wanted to say, but Father answered for him.

“Yes. Wonderful people, both of them.” He looked at Bracken. “What do you say? I’ve got your shift covered, you’ll know a few of the people in attendance. I think you should go.”

The hidden message was clear to Bracken: Agree to go, or I’ll tell your Mother and you can deal with her nagging until you agree to go.

Bracken held up a hand in surrender. “Okay,” he relented. “I’ll need the address.”

“What’s your phone number?” Seth asked. “I’ll text it to you.”

He couldn’t believe he was giving out his personal cell phone number to someone he’d just met only a handful of minutes ago, and yet before he knew it, he received a text message from Seth with the address for Saturday’s gathering.

Seth waved a cheerful goodbye soon after and exited the shop.

“He seems nice,” Father stated. “He’ll make a good friend.”

“I don’t even know him,” Bracken replied.

“All friendships start somewhere, son,” Father said. “And it’s about time you started to make real friends of your own. You’ve been focused on work for much too long. Time for you to get out of your shell.”

Bracken supposed his father was correct, but what none of his family seemed to understand was that he enjoyed working. He liked interacting with customers, he liked working with flowers, and he liked being in the shop. If he was going to give up time in the shop, he wanted it to be for a reason he would equally enjoy, and he wasn’t sure that a barbeque with a few people he barely knew and more that he flat out didn’t know would be worth the cost.

Oh well, he thought. I can always leave early and go home if it’s terrible.

It wouldn’t be terrible, though.

——

Read part 5 here!

[nightshade-minho]

-Blue Book- (4)

Warnings:

Word Count: 2.6k

The next morning, Chan made sure to come to school early, since he wanted to talk to you. He found you leaning against your locker, and quickly made his way over to you.

"Hey~" 

You looked up, a wide smile growing on your face as you removed your earphones.

"Chan! You don't usually come to school this early..."

"Uh yeah, I know. I kinda wanted to talk to you without my friends breathing down my neck."

"Hm, makes sense."

Chan let out a sigh, leaning back against the lockers. "My friends are kind of possessive...I wanna spend more time with you, but then at the same time I don't want to ignore them and hurt their feelings."

You raised an eyebrow. "Oka-"

"Which is why I want to introduce you to them. We can hang out together..."

"Oh, um. Your friends..." You sighed uncomfortably, clutching your book harder. "...I don't think they like me very much..." 

That was an understatement. Minho's insults, Hyunjin's teasing remarks, Seungmin's glares whenever you answered a question right...it was clear that Chan's friends weren't fans of you.

"It's fine. They'll be fine once they meet you."

Chan came closer slowly, almost caging you against the locker as he tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear, smiling. "I like you a lot...so I'm sure they will, too." 

Leaning in a little closer, he mumbled in your ear. "And if they don't...well, they can suck it. All I know is, you're my girl now and I'm not letting you sit alone at lunch."

"W-wait..." you looked up, blushing. "I'm your...what?"

He chuckled, pulling away from you and winking as he walked away. 

"See you at lunch!" He called.

***

You stood there with your tray, nervously looking over at Chan's table. Just a few steps more...

Your heart was beating fast as you told yourself to suck it up. Inhaling deeply, you made your way to the table, trying to smile.

Chan looked up as he saw you approach, grinning as he raised his hand and waved. 

"Y/n! Come over here~" He patted the empty seat next to him.

You sat there, nervously avoiding eye contact with everyone at the table. A second later, you felt Chan wrap an arm around you, pulling you close.

Minho tilted his head in amusement at the gesture, exchanging glances with Seungmin.

"Guys, you know Y/n..." Chan introduced, looking around the table.

"Hm, how could we not? She's always yapping away in class." Seungmin said, leaning back in his chair. "Damn, the rest of us can't even get a word in." 

You knew this would happen. Why had you agreed to this?

"Look, I'm alright sitting at my old tab-"

"No." Chan turned to Seungmin, harshly glaring. "Shut up."

There was an awkward silence as Hyunjin rolled his eyes, going back to texting on his phone. 

"So...Y/n, why don't you tell us about yourself?" Felix asked slowly, trying to break the ice a little.

You pondered for a while, wondering what to say. "Um, well...I moved here with my mom. I like drawing..."

"Hmm, yeah. In that little book of yours, right?" Changbin mentioned.

"How- um, yeah...I mean-" You tripped over your words as Chan widened his eyes, shooting him a death glare. He was going to kill them.

"Um, do you have any hobbies?" Jeongin spoke up quickly, trying to divert your attention.

"This is kind of starting to feel like a job interview." You giggled, sitting up a little. "Well it's drawing and journalling, as I mentioned before. I also quite enjoy studying."

"Trust me. We know." Minho snapped, leaning back in his chair. "God, I'm bored. Who let this bitch sit here, anyway? Are you trying to turn us all into social pariahs, Chan?"

You couldn't sit there and just take it anymore. You stood up, chair screeching against the floor as you stormed across the cafeteria, leaving out the back door of the school. Leaning against the wall, you tried not to cry. 

They were just a few insults, right? It wasn't full on bullying, per se...but it still hurt. So much. 

Deep down, you were a little thankful. This had served as a wake-up call...you simply didn't belong in Chan's world.

***

Chan couldn't control his anger. As soon as you left, he groaned, glaring at Minho who was chuckling to himself.

"Honestly? I expected you to try and sabotage this, especially since it's your bet." He turned to Seungmin. "But you. I never expected it from you. You're supposed to be the mature one. Now how the fuck am I going to get her to trust me?" He snapped, running a hand through his hair.

"Maybe...maybe you should go check on her..." Felix suggested. 

"Yeah that's what I was going to do, anyway." Chan rolled his eyes, standing up and following you.

***

"Psst."

You looked up, wiping your teary eyes.

"Listen...don't take what they say to heart. It takes time for them to warm up to people."

"I don't- I just can't do this." You said softly. "I'm sorry."

"But...you can! I...I like you. Please don't leave me."

You frowned at the ground, not knowing what to say. "Look, Chan...I like you too. Maybe more than I should, but-"

"So stay! Please. If you like me, then it shouldn't matter what my friends think."

"I guess..."

"Please. I need you to come to that carnival with me. If you spend just a little more time with them, I promise they'll like you."

You sighed. You did want to go to the carnival...and you definitely didn't want to go alone. 

"Okay." You mumbled.

"Good girl." He said softly, tilting your chin up to face him. "I'll pick you up at 5. How's that sound?"

"Yeah, alright."

"We're gonna have so much fun, you and I."

***

You looked in the mirror, wondering if you looked good. You hadn't worn a dress in months, and were surprised that your old dress from 6th grade still fit you.

It was a cute dress, navy blue with tea-cup sleeves. Combined with your usual saddlebag, the outfit looked more put-together than anything you'd worn in years...you hoped Chan would like it.

Exiting your room, you went downstairs to try and find your mom, so you could ask her for some pocket money to use at the carnival. When you found her, she was passed out on the couch, a bottle of beer on her stomach, her hair sticking out in every direction. You rolled your eyes, shaking your head. 

Honk honk.

You perked up when you heard Chan in his car, deciding to pull the blanket over your Mom further before leaving out the front door, carefully locking it.

As you walked towards the car, you felt your heart sink as you realized he wasn't alone. 

In the passenger seat was Minho, one of Chan's friends...probably the one who hated you the most out of all of them. You carefully ignored him as you smiled at Chan, who grinned right back.

"You look so pretty." He really did think so. It wasn't the dress, or the way you did your hair, though that was nice as well. It was the huge smile on your face, radiant with happiness as you got into the backseat, greeting him.

"Thank you! You look good too...like always."

Chan's cheeks turned a light shade of pink as he took in the compliment.

"I'm so excited...I've never been to a carnival before." You said, smiling.

It was almost contagious, your enthusiasm. Chan chuckled as he started the car, Minho glancing over and frowning at the way he was smiling softly to himself. Huh...

"Well, I can guarantee you'll have fun. There's so much stuff to do." 

The rest of the ride, you chatted with Chan as Minho looked out the window, grumbling to himself as he ignored everything around him.

"Fucking finally, we're almost there." Minho noted, snapping. "If I have to spend one more fucking second in this car with her, I'll combust."

You inhaled, the anger building up in you. Just who did this guy think he is?

"I have a name, you know."

"Like I give a fuck." Minho chuckled, pushing the door open before Chan could even park the car properly. 

Chan watched as Minho left, walking towards Jisung, Changbin and Hyunjin who were standing near the entrance.

Wait...there was a fourth person.

Chan gulped as he realized it was Miyoung. His Miyoung. His heart started beating impossibly faster as he looked away, turning to you.

"About Minho...I'm sorry. He can be a little cold..."

"A little?" You scoffed. "Right. Well, whatever. I don't care as much as I did before."

You opened the car door, getting out and dusting off your skirt as you tried to put a smile back on your face.

"Come on, I want to go get some cotton candy~"

Chan smiled, tucking his car keys in his pocket as he joined you. He watched as Minho reached the small group, going in for a hug with Miyoung. A wave of jealousy crashed through him, and he looked away, trying to focus on you.

"The last time I had cotton candy, I was like 5..."

He slowly decided to take your hand in his as you continued talking. When your brain finally registered the warmth of his hand holding yours, you looked up in slight shock, forgetting what you'd been talking about.

"Is this okay?" He asked, squeezing gently. You nodded after a second, cheeks burning as you looked down at your intertwined hands. 

***

Changbin watched as the two of you approached, his eyes noting your hands with a frown.

He nudged Jisung lightly. "Wow, Chan's really intent on making her think he likes her."

"Uh huh. The dude's got dedication, for sure." Jisung nodded, as his eyes travelled from the two of you to Minho who had noticed as well.

Frowning, Minho quickly took Miyoung's hand in his as well, not wanting to be one-upped. The girl blushed a little, staring ardently at the boy whose glare was aimed right at Chan.

"Am I the only one who finds this kind of funny?" Changbin asked, laughing as he observed.

"Nope. This whole thing was a joke from the beginning, anyway." Hyunjin shrugged, looking up from his phone. "Also Felix, Seung and Jeongin said they'll be here in a few minutes, guys. They told us to go ahead."

Chan greeted his friends, his eyes glancing at Miyoung from time to time. However, the girl paid absolutely no attention to him, her enamoured gaze focused on Minho, who was engaged in a conversation with Hyunjin.

He felt frustration bubble up in him. Why wasn't she interested in him? 

You cleared your throat, making Chan look at you. "I believe I was promised some cotton candy..."

Chan smiled. "Yes I did, baby. And you'll get it, but first, let me win you a plushie." He said, glancing at Minho and Miyoung who had already separated from the guys, heading towards a game booth.

"Oh...sure!" You nodded in excitement. He pulled you along, walking faster as he reached the booth, standing next to Minho.

"Ah, Chan. Wanna compete?"

"You always know I'm down for a good ol’ competition."

You stepped back, and so did Miyoung. Looking over at her, you decided to smile. She hesitated a bit before smiling back, sidling closer tentatively.

"Isn't it hot, them competing to impress us?" She giggled, clapping her hands in delight as Minho scored, making Chan grumble. "He's soo macho..." 

You sighed inwardly. "Yeah...I guess." You watched, bemused as Minho landed another goal, Chan letting out a string of curse words. 

"Oh...don't worry, your boyfriend is nice too! Chan, isn't it?"

"Mmhmm."

"He's cute. He just isn't my type, you know? But it's okay if you like jocks." She smiled giddily as Minho turned to wink at her, before he went back to trying to score. "I prefer the sexy, mysterious type."

You were trying really hard not to roll your eyes, now. Nothing about Minho was a mystery- he was just another high school bully with hidden insecurities which he hid behind smirks and winks. 

As Minho scored the third goal, Miyoung cheered happily and went towards him as he wrapped his hand around her waist, grinning at Chan. 

You patted his back, Chan's glare softening as he turned to look at you. 

"It's okay. You'll win next time." 

Chan felt humiliation rise in him as he nodded at your words, still staring at Miyoung, who decided to press a kiss to Minho's cheek. Chan boiled with anger, shrugging your hand off him.

"Darn right I will. Hey, Minho? You and me, but at the ring toss. I'm better at that game."

Minho looked up, rolling his eyes and smirking. "You're such a bitter loser. But sure, you're on."

***

An hour and a half later, Minho and Chan were nowhere near done. You sat on the chair with Miyoung, bored out of your mind as you watched them go for another round at the ring toss, again.

Fine, whatever. If Chan wasn't going to get you cotton candy, you'll just get it yourself. You smiled at Miyoung and asked her if she wanted some too, an offer which she politely refused. 

You walked to the confectionery booth, which was fairly close. However, just as you reached, you realized you didn’t actually have any money.

As you turned to leave, you came face to face with a boy, almost bumping into him.

He was one of Chan's friends. Felix, you think his name was. Your eyes widened as you apologized. 

"Sorry, I didn't see you there-"

"No, no it's okay!" He smiled at you, and you noted how warm and genuine it was. Hmm, maybe not all of Chan's friends are bad. 

"I was just going to get ice-cream for me and the guys. Did you want some too?" He asked slowly as he approached the booth, still looking at you. 

"Um yeah, but then I forgot to bring my money, so-"

"Oh, that's completely fine! It’s my treat.."

"But-" 

"No buts." Felix grinned. "What flavor do you want?"

You giggled as you moved closer to stand next to him, peeking at the flavors. "I'm partial to the cookie dough, but strawberry does hit the spot sometimes."

He chuckled as he fished out the money, handing it over to the booth runner. "One chocolate and a half strawberry, half cookie dough scoop, please."

You smiled as the person behind the counter handed Felix the cups of ice cream. 

"Here you go~" he gave you yours, smiling as you took a small bite. "How's the combination? Do you like it?"

"Oh, it's actually really good! Wanna try?" You asked, raising the spoon to his face. He chuckled, nodding. "Of course."

Meanwhile, Chan finally scored another goal, making him the winner of the last round. Miyoung cooed at Minho, her hands on his chest as she nuzzled into him. "It's okayyy~ You won the most games anyway."

Chan looked around, wondering if you'd seen the way he'd scored the last goal. For some reason, the way Miyoung was cuddling up to Minho at the moment wasn't bothering him all that much, as he noticed you were missing.

His eyes searched his surroundings, frowning as he couldn't see you anywhere. Just as he was about to ask Miyoung, his eyes finally caught sight of you.

You were standing there, feeding Felix with a spoonful of ice-cream. The latter chuckled as he spilled some, smiling as you used a tissue to wipe it off his chin.

An uncomfortable emotion rose up in him, so sudden and out of the blue that he nearly grunted. It was an emotion he'd felt a lot of times before...but never caused by you.

Chan's eyes darted from Minho and Miyoung to you and Felix, throat going dry. 

It was jealousy, mixed with confusion. He stood rooted to the spot, his heart thrumming loudly as he tried to make sense of his emotions. Why did he feel like this?

[rjhpandapaws]

When the Music Plays

Chapter 1: Jimmy's

Tw: Hank alcoholism and suicidal ideation.

A/N: just a reminder that I am playing fast and loose with Canon

Hank wasn’t the best with technology, for that and other reasons he kept clear of androids; but even he knew things were changing. Androids were going missing with more and more frequency. An alarming number of people were reporting being attacked by their androids before they disappeared. It was something bigger than programing issues he suspected, and he also knew he didn’t want to be anywhere near it when things finally fell apart. As usual though it seemed fate wasn’t all that inclined to listen to him. He was doing what he normally did on days like this; avoiding his responsibilities and making a valiant attempt to drown whatever braincells were stubborn enough to stick around. Old Fashioned had gotten too complicated a few hours back so he had moved on to straight whiskey hoping that his consciousness would get the hint and move on as well. He’d pass out at the bar in his usual fashion and Jimmy would wake him up at last call; he’d drive home and pray to get in a wreck, feed Sumo if he survived, sleep, then repeat everything again if he woke up again. Except that tonight his consciousness was too stubborn to leave. He was hunched over the bar, all but face first in his whiskey when Jimmy’s hand came into his line of sight. Once he had Hank’s attention he pointed over his shoulder. Hank turned to look, and standing right there in his sanctuary was a fucking android. Fucking fantastic.

The things Hank has liked about Jimmy’s had been that there were no androids allowed on the premises and everyone would mind their own damn business, too busy drinking to worry about what was happening around them. Except now there was an android in the middle of the bar and everyone was staring at him. What had been a sanctuary was no longer safe. The android was talking and the nice thing about being Deaf was that he could easily ignore him simply by not looking at him. So he turned back to the bar to continue nursing his whiskey. The thing had the nerve to sit beside him. It gave Hank time to finish his whiskey before it tapped on his shoulder to get his attention. Hank thought about trying to ignore him again, but he had the sneaking suspicion that wasn’t going to work. It had after all made itself at home in a clearly anti android bar. It was either here for him, had no sense of self preservation; or if Hank was particularly unlucky, both. He sighed and turned to face the android. Immediately it started talking again. Hank withheld the urge to bash his head against the bar as he picked up his hands to sign, ‘I Deaf.’ The android took a moment of pause. The Led om his temple blinked for a few cycles. It returned to blue and began to sign, ‘You Lieutenant A-N-D-E-R-S-ON?’

Hank wanted to groan, ‘Yes.’ He signed the letter ‘A’ and tapped it over his heart for his rank and name sign in one making things easier, ‘You Want What?’ ‘I Look For You.’ The android signed sharply, ‘I Find You After Five Bars.’ ‘You Want What?’ Hank repeated going as far as to tap the android’s chest. ‘I Sent For You. Active Case.’ It signed, ‘My Name C-O-N-N-O-R.’ He took a moment to to sign ‘machine’ but with the letter ‘C’. ‘I From CyberLife.’ Of course it was. Androids had taken every other job, and at long last it seemed they were coming after his. He sighed and rubbed at his face. ‘Tough Shit. I Not Join You.’ He didn’t even get back to facing the bar again before Connor tapped his shoulder again. Hank groaned and turned back to it. ‘If I Buy Drink You Will Come With Me?’ Connor asked and tipped his head to emphasize the question. Hank figured he had nothing left to lose. Connor had already made it clear he had no plans to leave him alone. So much so that he had made himself comfortable in a place that he clearly wasn’t welcome. ‘Sure. Why Not.’ There was no getting out of this as it was, so he might as well get a free drink out of it.

Hank didn’t see the bill Connor had slid across the counter, but after a long moment Jimmy slid him another whiskey. He took his time with it. He had to work this evening, which most likely meant dealing with Gavin and that wasn’t something he wanted to do sober. Connor just lingered. He sat stiffly in the corner of Hank’s vision, a constant reminder that he was one mistake away from being replaced. He didn’t know what Jeff was thinking with this, but Hank was certain he wasn’t going to like it. Unfortunately, a single glass of whiskey could only be made to last so long. Not to mention that Connor was just outside his line of sight as a solid reminder that there as no getting out of this. He sighed and set the empty glass down on the bar then stood. Connor followed him to the end of the bar and watched him settle the tab. It was creepy as all fuck. He got in his car and Connor got in on the passenger’s side without prompting which unsettled him. Hank reached across the car and opened the glove box. He felt around until he found his hearing aid case. He took them out and put them in, he turned them on, then put the radio on a volume where talking would be unpleasant if not difficult. With everything settled he made his way to the location that Connor had sent to his phone. Hank found androids as a whole to be off putting, not the least of this was because of how real they looked. This of course extended to Connor as well, but there was more to it than that when it came to him. He looked young, innocent almost and it was uncomfortable. Hank didn’t trust it. Androids had no reason to look like that. Something was up, and Hank had a feeling he was going to find out whether he wanted to or not. This android had sought him out and there was a reason for that. It was a mystery he would rather not solve, but he knew that wasn’t up to him either. So in his usual fashion, he planned to ignore it until it became unavoidable. They pulled into the scene and Hank turned off the radio and then turned to face Connor, “Stay in the car.” He said firmly and went so far to sign ‘stay’ as he spoke. “Got it.” Came the android’s response. His voice was somehow both earnest and emotionless. It was added to the list of things Hank found unsettling about Connor. Hank didn’t trust that he would actually stay in the car but he still got out. As much as he disliked it, he still had a job to do. If he got it done quickly enough he might even be able to go back to Jimmy’s and finished his night the right way. Drunk enough that none of this would stick around, or be a distant memory at the very least. He didn’t even make to the police line before he heard the other car door close. As he had suspected, his orders were not the ones Connor was designed to follow.

He waved at Ben who responded in kind then looked over Hank’s shoulder with a perplexed expression. Hank could hazard a guess at who or rather what he was looking at. Connor who was dutifully following him like some overly eager rookie. “I didn’t think you one to get an android.” Ben remarked with notable confusion to his voice. Hank gave another sigh, his annoyance mounting further, “He’s not mine. CyberLife sent it to try and figure out what is going on, I’m just along for the ride I suppose.” Ben eyed Connor and he and Hank both crossed the police line. Hank changed his focus to the scene, though it took longer than he would have liked given the whiskey coursing through his system. He kept one eye on Connor as he looked over the scene. He wanted to know what had happened here as well as what Connor was capable of. From what he had gathered from the landlord Carlos Ortiz hadn’t been the best tenant, or even a good one at that. A Red Ice addiction and an android, those two things never mixed well as it was. Now the guy was dead, and like many androids as of late, his has vanished. Hank figured Connor was here for the android and he would be left with the homicide. It made the most sense. So with that plan in mind he made his way into the house.

The house was a mess, which Hank had for the most part expected. His years spent as a detective were the only things that kept him from losing his stomach at the smell. He talked to some of the other officers that were present before he went over the scene itself. Once he had an idea of what had happened he stepped out of the way to let Connor do his thing. Whatever that happened to be. He watched Connor go over the scene. It was unusual. The android would stand in one corner of the room or a doorway and observe the room as though he was watching something that Hank was unable to see. After that it would go through the room and observe the evidence. The LED would cycle between yellow and blue. What Hank was by no means ready for was when Connor swiped two of his fingers through god only knew what and then licked it. “Jesus Christ. Connor what the fuck?” Hank groaned as he looked away. “My apologies Lieutenant.” He didn’t sound the least bit sorry, “I have a fully functional forensic analysis unit and I wanted results on the thirium before it evaporated.” “Just don’t do it again.” Hank replied as he turned back toward Connor. “Got it.” Connor responded in the same empty earnest tone from the car that Hank didn’t trust for a moment.

They moved through the house and the process repeated itself, save for the licking of mystery substances thankfully. The bathroom was a sight to behold. They both agreed that it was the android’s doing, but it was strange. As Hank understood it, android’s didn’t think. There was no way for them to develop beliefs, faith, or create something this ritual. Yet there it was. It was concerning in how unusual it was, and Hank was once again uncomfortable. This android, wherever it was, was defective and dangerous; but it also seemed like something more was going on. Hank couldn’t place what and he was getting more suspicious. Connor was looking up at the ceiling like he could see something that wasn’t there. Hank looked up to be sure, and other than the latch to the crawl space there was nothing up there. Connor’s LED rolled yellow and stayed there for a long moment. He passed Hank on his way out of the bathroom and Hank hesitated before he followed. Connor met him in the hallway with a chair from the dining room and Hank’s confusion only grew. “Connor, what are you doing?” He asked as he turned toward the bathroom. “The android is still here.” Came the distant reply. His voice was still emotionless and flat, but somehow colder at the same time. It teetered on dangerous and Hank didn’t like it.

Hank waited in the hallway because he had the feeling he wouldn’t want to be in the way when Connor came down with that android. He couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling from having heard Connor’s voice so dangerous but flat at the same time. It didn’t suit how he had been built to look, though Hank supposed that was the point. As it stood, the fact that CyberLife felt the need to get personally involved in this; as personal as sending an android to do your bidding could be; made him uncomfortable. Why send an android liaison? What were they trying to do? All of it was suspicious. There was more going on than they were being told, he just needed to figure out what. A commotion from the attic brought him out of his thoughts. Connor had found the android and apparently it didn’t plan to come quietly. Hank moved back toward the main part of the house; he didn’t want to be caught between two androids with something to settle. Connor and the other android got into another smaller scuffle in the front yard before they made their way back to the station to try and question the thing. There had the be a reason for it to have snapped like that. The alternative was that it was only a matter of time before every android out in the world did something like this; and that was not a line of thought that Hank was too keen on entertaining.

Gavin was waiting for them outside of the interrogation room when they got back and Hank had decided that he was way too sober for this. Hank pushed to have Connor question the android, it was the only way he could think of to get answers from it. Though as he watched Connor effortlessly manipulate it he came to regret that. Everything about Connor made him nervous, and that was before the other android had decided to self destruct in its holding cell. As Hand drove home in what was now the early hours of the morning he had the feeling that this was going to get so much worse before it got better. That, and he had better get used to this ever-present discomfort because he likely hadn’t seen every side of Connor yet.

[fictionalabyss]

Doc.

Pairing : Sam x Reader (near the end), Del, Crowley.

Word count : 2,899

Written for : @samwinchesterbingo​​

Square : Doctor!Sam

Prompt : 'A doctor who lost their license and ability to practice, so they take up a job in organized crime doing surgeries for gang members who get shot/stabbed'

Warnings : Sam's POV, Mafia AU, Alcohol consumption, injuries, blood, bullet wounds, pain meds

A/N : A big ol’ giant thank you to my girls @sorenmarie87​ & @iflostreturntosteverogers​ for their help with this one.

Masterlist • Patreon • Ko-fi.

Sam Winchester Bingo Masterlist.

Sam was pissed and drunk when he found himself in a bar, hammered beyond belief, but giving a complete stranger medical advice. “They may have taken away my license, but I’m still the best fucking doctor in this state.” he’d muttered, whiskey half way to his mouth.

“You got a number, doc?” The man in the suit asked. “Ya know, in case I need any more medical advice. I can pay in cash.”

“Yeah, why not.” Sam dug out an old business card and slid it over. “Office number is obviously no good, but the cell is.”

“Thanks doc. Hey, James? Doc’s tab is on me.” Sam got a pat on the back before the stranger left, leaving him with his drinks.

“Bring me the bottle.” he ordered, downing the last of his glass.

Sam had forgotten about that night at the bar, it blurred in with all the others, until a call came through. “Hello?”

“Hey, doc. Still need some patients? I got a few, but I need you here quick.”

“Uh.” Sam’s brow furrowed as he thought about it for a second. “Sure, I guess. Where do you need me?” Sam jotted down the address before saying “I can get there in about 30 minutes-”

“You’ve got 20. See ya there, doc.”

The line went dead, and Sam stared at his phone for a minute before he realized he had better get moving if he wanted to get paid.

Sam was confused to find himself at a bar. An empty bar. The only person to be seen was the bartender casually washing a glass. Had he gotten the address wrong? He pulled out the slip of paper from him pocket and checked it again. “Hey, is this-”

“You the doc?” the bartender eyed Sam and the bag he had slung over his shoulder.

“Yeah.” Bartender motioned to a door at the back, just behind the bar. “Thanks.” Sam nodded and headed for it. Opening the door, he was met with a dark stairway, concrete walls and shaky wood that smelled with the start of mold. He made his way down cautiously. It was dark, at first. The musty area he stepped down into made his brow furrow, but hearing a noise coming from the back had him moving deeper into the darkness.

Suddenly, as if they heard him, a door opened and light spilled out, forcing Sam to blink past the blinding light. “You’re late, doc.”

Sam glanced down at his watch and grunted. “And yet, I cut the commute down by 5 minutes. Next time, need me closer.”

“Real fucking comedian, ain’t you.” As soon as Sam was within reach, he was grabbed by his jacket and pulled into the room. “Got three guys here you need to look at.” He motioned to each man, once of who was laying on a table in obvious pain and covered in blood.

Sam froze taking them in. Expensive suits and the occasional gaudy jewelry were a big giveaway on the kind of people these guys were. Weapons scattered around confirmed it. “I don’t-” Sam was cut off by a hand hitting his chest. When he looked to the man he’d first met at the bar, then down to the hand on his chest, his mouth shut.

“That's 10k cash, doc. Just for looking them over and keeping your fucking mouth shut. How’s that sound?”

Sam nodded, taking the cash and pocketing it before stepping further into the room eyeing the guy on the table. “What happened?” No one answered. “If you expect me to help-”

“I’ll pay you an extra 5k not to ask stupid questions.” With a sigh, Sam nodded before pulling off his suit jacket and rolling up his sleeves. “Good.”

Sam felt eyes on him the entire time he worked. He pulled bullets out of holes, and then stitched them up as best he could. Got grumbled thanks before he moved on to the next person, and when he was done, when he was wiping his hands clean, he got a compliment.

“Nice stitch work, doc.”

“Don’t move him unless it’s to a hospital. He had internal bleeding. I stopped it as best I could, but.. I don’t have what I need here.”

“I’ll try and get you what I can for next time.” Sam was handed another wad of cash. “5k as promised.” Sam just took the money and nodded before grabbing his bag, his jacket, and heading out.

Sam had been getting the calls for over a year now. There were times the calls were more frequent than others, and then there were times where he didn’t hear anything for over a month. But they always called, and he always went back to that dank little bar’s basement.

When he saw the familiar number light up his screen, he grabbed his phone and started for his bag, accepting the call and tucking the phone between his ear and shoulder. But this time it was different.

“Doc?”

“Yeah, Del, it’s me.”

“Where are you?”

Sam froze, his usual bag in his hand. “At home. Where do you need me?”

“No time, doc. I’m coming to you. Get ready for company.”

Sam looked down at his phone confused as the line went dead. They never came to him, they never risked anything but that bar basement. How bad could it be if they couldn’t go there? He’d looked the other way for over a year, but now.. Now it was coming into his home. What had he gotten himself into?

When his door burst open, he jumped as 4 guys came in, guns out and eyes all around. He knew them, he’d stitched them up countless times but he’d never seen them like this. “Where can I put her?”

Sam's eyes went back to the door and his eyes went wide. It wasn’t one of the men, it wasn’t some big burly guy with a gun. It was a young woman, her beautiful dress covered in blood and her body limp in Del’s arms. “What the fuck-” he stopped himself from asking, knowing he wouldn’t get an answer. “Uh- upstairs. Any room.” Del nodded and hurried up the stairs and Sam grabbed his bag, ignoring the four other guys patrolling around his house.

Once Sam got up the stairs, he found Del putting her on the bed in the first room he’d found. Sam’s room. Sam hurried in, rolling up his sleeves as he gave her a once over to find the source of her bleeding.

“I uh- I need to call the boss, tell him where we are.. You got her?”

“Yeah.” Del just nodded before heading out of the room, blood covered hands digging the phone out of his pocket. “There’s a bathroom two doors down, and another off the kitchen if you guys need to clean up. Is anyone else hurt?” Sam looked back at him over his shoulder.

“No.. No just her. Everyone else is fine.” Sam gave him a nod and turned back to the girl bleeding out on his bed. “That’s part of the problem.” Del muttered, phone going to his ear.

Sam had carefully cut away a part of her dress to uncover the wound in her right shoulder. He winced when he saw it, he had to be careful. He needed to clean the area, needed to get a good look at what he was dealing with. Turning from her and towards his bag, he started pulling out everything he’d need. He glanced at her as he did, the poor girl had probably passed out in shock, but she was about to get a rude awakening.

He wasn’t wrong. As he poured water over the wound to clean it, she shot up screaming. Del came running back in to find Sam struggling to hold her and clean the wound. “She’s fucking strong.” Sam cursed as Del came to help.

“‘Course she is. She’s the boss's daughter.” Sam’s eyes shot to Del, and he just gave Sam a shrug. “Now you know why we ran to you.”

Her screams died to sobs as they let up, Sam working to get the area clear. “Which direction was she shot from, you know?”

“No.”

“Gonna need to check her back, help me roll her.” She whined as they rolled her and Sam noticed more blood on her back. “Looks like it went right through.”

“It burns.” she whined, and Sam’s eyes shot up to meet hers.

“Yeah, it’s gonna. Can you sit up?”

“I don’t know..”

“It would be easier for me if you can. If you can’t, that’s okay, I’ll make it work but then I’ll have to move you around again.” She looked down, like she was taking in the sight of her torn and bloody dress, and then she glanced to Del.

“He’s the best doctor we got.” Del assured her.

She glanced down again and Sam seemed to understand. “I don’t think that’s what she worried about, Del. I had to cut her dress and her bra strap.” Del looked to Sam, then her and he seemed to almost pale as it hit him.

“Oh shit, yeah, I-” He cleared his throat and stood. “I’ll uh- call if you need me. Your dads on his way, kid.”

Once Del was out of the room and the door was shut, Sam turned his attention to her again. “Do you want a clean shirt? You can borrow one of my buttons ups-”

“No.” she answered quietly, trying to sit up. Sam reached his hand out, and she took it, letting him help her sit on the edge of the bed. “I don’t want to ruin your clothes. Maybe after, though, if the offer still stands.”

“Okay. Looks like the bullet went right through. I’m gonna give it a poke to be sure, but I think you got lucky with this one.”

“Yeah.. lucky.” She was looking down at a hand in her lap while the other clutched at her dress to keep her decent.

“I’ve treated much worse.” She hissed, her body going stiff  when he pushed a finger into her wound and felt around to be sure.

She was quiet and stiff until he was done. “You really a doctor?”  He nodded. “Why do you work for us? Why not at a hospital?”

He glanced from her wound to her eyes as he reached for the bag and brought it onto his lap. “I made a mistake. Lost my license.”

“What mistake was that?”

Sam sighed, not speaking as he worked, the bag eventually falling back to the floor. She hissed again when he started to stitch up the wound in her back, and that's when he finally answered. “I trusted someone.” She turned to look at him over her shoulder. “I had a relationship with a nurse. We kept it quiet, workplace romance and all, but when it ended.. She took it bad, then made it her mission to take me down.”

“What a bitch.” she spat through teeth clenched in pain.

Sam chuckled softly. “You don’t even know her.”

“Doesn’t make it less bullshit.” she answered. Sam nodded, not that she saw it. “Jesus fuck!” she cried out, body jerking away from him.

“Hold still.” He put a hand on her shoulder to hold her in place.

“Where is my bloody daughter!” came a booming voice from downstairs. “Del!”  A moment later, Sam’s bedroom door burst open. “Love?”

“Hi, daddy.” she breathed out.

“Oh, love.” He stepped towards her, taking her face in his hand, making her look up at him. “Are you alright, Darling?”

“I will be. Right?” she asked Sam, not taking her eyes off her father, though she hissed again.

“Yeah, went right through. As long as you keep it clean and take it easy, you should be good.”

The man turned his gaze to Sam. “Who the bloody hell are you and why is my daughter half-”

“Daddy.” she cut him off, and he looked at her again. “He’s the doctor Del’s been using. He’s taking good care of me, I promise.” She shifted again, her shoulder moving as she winced in pain.

“Do you not have anything for the bloody pain?” he snapped.

“You’re going to need to see someone with a license for that.” Sam answered curtly as he finished and wiped the area clean again. “But I might have something leftover in the bag. No promises though. Del knows what to look for. Del?” Sam called out.

“On it, doc.” he answered, rushing in from where he’d been standing outside the door. Del rooted through the bag while Sam bandaged up her back. “Lucky you, three left.” Del held up the prescription bottle and rattled them around. “One or two?”

“One.” Sam finished up with her back and turned his attention to the wound in the front.

“I’ll get you some water.” Del told her after handing her the pill. He left the room and a minute later returned with a bottle of water from Sam’s fridge.

“Nothing stronger, huh?” she teased, taking the bottle.

“Not while on those, no.” Sam shut her down. “Ready for round two?”

Knocking back the pill with a mouthful of water, she took a moment after swallowing to nod at Sam. “Yeah. I think I am.”

Sam was washing his hands in the en suite while the girl in his room changed out of her dress. “Sorry I don’t have anything that fits you better.”

“It’s fine.” she called back. “Not easy getting dressed with this, though.”

“Do you need help?” Sam’s head turned a touch more towards the door, though he remained focused on getting the blood out from under his nails.

“I think I got it..”

Once his hands were clean, Sam waited, his ass leaning on the bathroom counter. It was quiet. “You good?”

“Give me a damn minute.” she snapped. “Buttons are hard when you can barely move your arm.”

Sam chuckled. “I can help with those. You decent enough?”

“I guess.” she muttered, glancing up when the door opened.

When Sam saw her, he did his best not to let it affect him. He tried to keep his face schooled as he crossed the room and reached for the buttons. She’d gotten two in the middle done, but the rest remained open and she did her best to clutch the shirt closed since her bra was now as trash as her dress. He tried to focus on the material between his fingers, and not on the girl staring up at him. Sam licked his lips as he did one button after the other.

“Love.” Her father's voice sounded from behind Sam. “Let’s go, we’re leaving.”

“I think I should stick with the doc, daddy.” she answered, never looking away from Sam.

“Not bloody happening.” he snapped.

“Who better to take care of me and my wound?” she answered, using logic as Sam finished up the buttons. “I mean, if it gets infected, or it gets re-opened, you’re just going to call him in to fix it, right? I might as well stay for a few days. You know, until it’s healed enough for me to do things on my own.” Finally tearing her eyes away from Sam she looked to her father. “Who’s going to help me at home? Del? You want him helping me out of my jammies at night, daddy?” He narrowed his eyes at her. “What about in the shower? Would you like Del to-”

“Enough.” he snapped.

“The doc is profesh, daddy. One hundred percent. Didn’t even try a glance at my tits once.”

“You touch my daughter and-”

“I got it.” Sam answered. “She’ll have her own room and you can visit any time.”

“Like I’d let you bloody stop me.” he growled out at Sam. “You’ll call, love?”

“Like clockwork, daddy.” She smiled innocently at him. With a grunt, the man left, and Sam hoped he took the others with him. He wanted to freely move around his own space again without bumping into some suit with a gun. “Can’t believe he agreed to it.” she chuckled.

“I feel like I know him.. Like I’ve seen him before.” Sam mused as he started stripping his bed of blood soaked linens.

“You are our doctor.” She pointed out, moving to stand aside and watch him.

He shook his head. “I’ve never seen anyone higher than Del.” Sam answered. “I don’t even know who’s above him, who I technically work for. I get paid for no questions.”

“I noticed.” she pointed to his dresser, and when he turned, he saw what he expected to be his usual wad of cash payment. “My father is who you work for, technically.” her eyes were back on Sam again. “His birth name, back in Scotland was Fergus MacLeod.”

Sam’s brow furrowed as he yanked off the fitted sheet to join the rest. “Never heard of him.”

“You might know him by another name. When he came to America, he chose a new one. Crowley.” Sam froze, turning to look at her. That's a name everyone knew, and everyone knew to avoid it. “Welcome to the family.” she gave him a half smile. “Now, are you really going to make me stay in a different room than you?”

“Yes!”

“Bummer.” she pouted before heading out to explore the rest of his home.

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[takoyakitenchou]

masquerade ch.8

7? idk but this one isn’t on ff or ao3 yet i think

12:58 PM Nakiri Erina: Hi, it’s been a while. Are you free the day after tomorrow?

1:03 PM Yukihira Souma: how’d u get this #?

1:04 PM Nakiri Erina: Alice gave it to me. 

1:04 PM Yukihira Souma: sup

1:05 PM Nakiri Erina: I’m opening Kiralyno Haza. It’s not like I want you to show up or anything.

message opened

1:37 PM Nakiri Erina: Hello?

2:40 PM Yukihira Souma: hey sorry i just got on break. congrats nakiri!

2:41 PM Nakiri Erina: It was expected.

2:41 PM Yukihira Souma: surprised it took you so long to open. hurry up and get your 3 stars bubs then we’ll really see who’s the better chef

2:41 PM Yukihira Souma: and did you get tired of shinomiya or did he get tired of you?

2:42 PM Nakiri Erina: I got tired of him. Duh. Are you not coming?

2:42 PM Yukihira Souma: save 4 seats for me. i’ll be a balloon by the time im done w your food also i hope you have enough ingredients for a shokugeki after

“Ugh. You’re as shit at texting as ever,” Erina groaned, throwing down her phone, but then she picked it up again to stare at those four particular characters. Bubs. God, it had been so long since she’d seen that in her messages.

(under the cut to see souma and erina start to get their shit together lol)

To think that she had been the one to break the radio silence between them — good lord, that was fucking annoying. It was weird to think about. There had been plenty of opportunities for them to talk again, and yet they’d somehow managed to evade each other since they’d run into each other at Nakiri Mansion. Whether this was coincidence she had no idea, but Souma hadn’t been at the official Totsuki-sponsored 92nd gen alumni reunion, and Shinomiya had dragged Erina to some culinary conference that made her miss the freshman training camp where Souma threatened the living shits out of the poor first years but ended up not cutting anybody from the roster.

Erina had done her best not to linger on the fact that she had had to ask Alice for Souma’s new number, but goddamn would that remain at the forefront of her mind for the week following Kiralyno Haza’s debut until she got frustrated enough to the point where she damn near chucked her own phone out the window.

It was thanks to Alice that her condo was still in one piece.

The COO of the Nakiri-Totsuki Group was sitting next to her at a bar in Budapest, helping herself to her third shot of tequila, a few empty glasses and a growing tab between them. “Yukihira’s coming?”

Erina nodded, smiling despite herself. “Yeah. I guess he is.”

Taking sudden interest in her drink, Alice remained silent for a thoughtful moment before she said, “I haven’t seen you this happy since you two broke up.”

With a half-hearted huff, Erina scoffed, “Yeah, right.”

Alice gave her a long look. “I’m not kidding, Erina. Who was that other guy you were seeing? Darren?”

“Aaron. Darren was before him.”

“Doesn’t he have a 3000-seater concert hall named after him?”

“I couldn’t care less.” Erina said, and Alice knew it was 593% true. 

Whenever tolerating a guy got tedious, Erina had extinguished whatever spark he thought he had ignited, pretended to be hung up on it, and started over, systematically breaking hearts left and right, all the while building titanium defenses around her own.

And then, a year and half ago, she’d seen Yukihira Souma at Nakiri Mansion, and everything had changed. 

So. Much. Pining. Alice was more than a few years past sick of how long those two idiots were dragging their shit out.

Erina picked up her belongings. “We should probably stop day-drinking.”

“Sure,” Alice said, paying the tab before Erina could get her wallet out.

“I’ll pay you back for that,” Erina promised as they left the bar.

Alice put a hand on Erina’s shoulder. “You can pay me back by not fucking up your confession again.”

At this, Erina frowned. A withering counter should’ve been second nature, but she found herself incapable. She wanted to believe that whatever piece of her heart that had clung to the hope that Yukihira Souma would come back to her was nothing more than a memory. More than anything, she wished the voice at the back of her head telling her to move on and forget him and their past would finally win out, because there were people in her present waiting for her, and it would be a sin to ignore that.

But she couldn’t say the words; her heart belonged to Yukihira Souma — would always belong to him — and all broken promises and relationships notwithstanding, that was something she could not deny.

-

Although Souma technically hadn’t been invited to the kitchen for shift drinks when the front doors closed, he had taken the liberty of bringing a bottle of cab sauv that he and Erina finished in like ten seconds flat, to hell with sharing with staff, family, and friends.

The second she felt the words wanna come over? slip out of her atmosphere-drunk mouth, she knew it was going to take more self-control than she had not to demand he stay with her forever. 

“So, Yukihira,” she said like they hadn’t been catching up for the last two hours when they were sitting on the couch in her living room with pinot noir. “How’ve you been?”

The corners of Souma’s lips twitched. “Not bad,” he replied. “Mostly cooking. A few interviews and shit. I’ve been keeping up with all your stuff, by the way. Three tastings in twelve hours next Monday seems like too much, Nakiri.”

Erina frowned. “Even if you were as talented a stalker as Mimasaka Subaru, how the fuck would you know that?”

He held up his phone. “You were signed into my calendar app when I last downloaded a backup copy four years ago. So every time I get a new phone, I transfer all the old data.”

Erina stared at him, horrified. “Holy shit. You’ve seen everything?”

Shrugging, Souma said, “Not everything. Just… your dates with Darren. And Aaron. Also, I knew about Kiralyno opening before you texted me so I’d already cleared out my schedule by then.”

Erina had stopped listening halfway through. “Wait, Yukihira…”

“It’s okay, Nakiri.” Souma waved it off. “You’re here with me now. All that matters. Let’s not look too far into our past, yeah?”

“Don’t look into my future either, idiot! Sign out of my Google calendar right now!”

Souma shook his head seriously. “Sorry, Nakiri, I don’t think that’s possible.”

“Why the fuck not?”

He gazed at her intently and rested his chin on his fist. “I need to make sure I’ll still be in it.”

Erina rolled her eyes. “Don’t say sappy shit like that. It doesn’t suit you.”

“What if I just stayed?” he asked.

She sighed. “I think the question is, would I even let you? I thought we’re putting the past behind us? Don’t you want this back?” She pointed at the white cloth she was wearing on her wrist. His white cloth.

Souma ignored the second question and pulled Erina to him by her waist, close enough that she could feel his warm breath as he spoke, forehead brushing hers. “Another thing we both know is that you and I could never be just friends.”

“Take your hands off me or I swear I’m either going to spill my wine or kiss you, and I seriously do not care which.”

He leaned back with a sad smile. “You wouldn’t let me stay, would you, Nakiri?”

“I couldn’t,” she said helplessly. “We don’t even know where our lines are.”

“Do we need lines?” Souma asked, finishing his glass and balancing it on his knee. “You and I are beyond this dimension.”

Erina stared at him, memorizing every last square centimeter of his features — the way his hair seemed to get shorter every time they met until he somewhat resembled someone of his culinary pedigree; the way the creases formed on his sleeves along the contours of his toned arms.

“You know, Nakiri, if you let me stay, you wouldn’t have to stare so much.”

She tore her gaze from his collarbone, her whole face turning red. In all her twenty-one years, that had to be the most embarrassing moment of her life. “Shut up! I’m not staring!”

He was watching her with wistful eyes. “I wouldn’t mind if you were…” 

And they both heard it.

I wouldn’t mind if you were mine.

[alleycat97]

Slippery Slopes Pt.2

Part two y’all! Sorry it’s late, I’ve been busy. Should be one more part to finish this up!

Tag list: @samanthadalton @fundamentalromantic @avalawrencefl @penda-bear @queen-arabella-of-cordonia @kamilahsayeet2063

It had been an interesting 24 hours since the accident on the slopes yesterday. No word had been passed on about Emma and that left her suitors restless. Mason couldn’t cope with the fact that his father or ex best friend had committed such a cruel act that hurt Emma.

Noah couldn’t believe he was even in this situation. He should have never trusted Jennings but he let his guard down for the sake of the trip and Emma, and this is what he got. He was looking at charges for trespassing and endangerment while Principal Jennings seemed to be clearing his name.

Mack couldn’t stop pacing, Dr. Price was doing an awful job of updating his own daughter on her sisters progress. Ava wasn’t fairing much better. She had organized their room over and over trying to make sure it’s perfect for when Emma came back to the lodge.

It was just a sit tight and stand ready type of situation. None of them had a personal car available, so trapped at the lodge they were.

Ava stopped her cleaning when she heard a cellphone go off, to no surprise it was hers and the caller was Bayla. She grumbled and put the phone back down, she had called 4 times already today. Ava couldn’t bring herself to talk to her girlfriend knowing Emma was hurt in the hospital. She would sound weak, vulnerable, all red flags Bayla didn’t need right now.

Another call rang out across the house, this time it was Mack’s phone, and judging by her facial reactions, it was with her father. Mack nodded enthusiastically and ended the call, yelling out to find Mason.

“Emma is ready to come back here, dad said she will be ok, we need to go and pick her up. Spare keys are in his room, I’ll grab them and we can go.”

“What all was wrong?” Ava rushed out of the room and into the foyer.

“He didn’t say. I guess we will know when we all get back.” Mack said noticing the gloom placed on Ava’s features. “She’s gonna be alright.”

Ava went and tidied up the room once more and without knowing what Emma would require, she just cluttered the entire nightstand with odd and ends eliminating the guessing.

The front door slamming was her queue to come running, she leaned over the balcony railing only to see Jennings and Noah.

“I don’t know how you got those signs in my bag old man, but this isn’t over.” Noah hissed shoving his way past Principal Jennings.

“Maybe you should think twice before doing illegal activities. You’re never going to learn trailer trash.” Jennings barked stopping Noah dead in his tracks.

Jennings was an asshole. This dude seemed to get off on making teenagers lives miserable. The tension was unbearable.

“I know you knew about the course being closed. I just can’t figure out why you’d try to hurt Emma. You’re a sick bastard and if I go down, you’re coming with me.” Noah said inching up into Jennings face.

The scene was split up when Mack came through the door. Mason in tow pushing an unconscious Emma in a wheelchair. She had a cast on her leg and looked so cold. Dave brought up the rear looking like hell. Looks like sleep wasn't an option for him either.

“Ah yes there she is. How did everything go?” Jennings asked unfazed of what transpired.

Mason ignored him and tried to walk past to the staircase with Emma sleeping.

“I said how did everything go?” Jennings said jerking Mason back almost causing him to fall. Noah shoved Jennings aside helping to stabilize Mason so Emma wouldn’t fall out of the chair.

“Ask Mr. Price dad! Let go of me, Emma needs to be in bed!” Mason snapped shoving his fathers hands away from him.

Jennings jumped at the outburst and gritted his teeth, turning to Dave. “Let’s talk in the kitchen, I’ll have the Chef whip up some coffee.”

With the adults gone and the room de-stressed, Noah assisted Mason in carrying Emma up to her room, Ava steering clear of them until Emma was placed in bed.

“Ok boys thank you. I can handle her from here.” Ava shot out shoving them aside to check on Emma.

The boys looked to each other confused but didn’t say anything about the outburst. Mason needed his own rest and Noah had a busy day ahead of him with Jennings and the ski patrol assholes.

“Just let us know when she wakes alright? Mr. Price has her medicine.” Mason said closing the door leaving Ava alone with a sleeping Emma.

Ava had no clue why she wanted the privacy with Emma. She was a taken woman and Emma was her bestie. Nothing else, she tried to convince herself.

But the longer she sat and stared at Emma, the more her heart pounded, the more she wanted to wake her and kiss her all better. The thoughts of such activities made her dizzy and she had to get away. But it was Emma, she had this way of keeping her grounded and for the life of her, Ava couldn’t drag herself away.

So she continued to sit in silence, begging for Emma to wake up, because quite frankly? She didn’t look too well.

Ava easily got up and slipped out of the room and looked for Mr. Price. She heard some quiet commotion from the kitchen, what a shock.

“Now you listen here Jim, I don’t know how it happened, all I know is my little girl just underwent a major leg surgery after she took place in your little race.”

“Now I know how it looks Dave, I’m quite sorry that it happened, but Mr. Harris is the culprit here. I should have known not to place trust in him. What a terrible thing, taking down those signs.”

Noah heard his name and flew into the kitchen,

“I told you Jennings! I didn’t take down any signs!”

“Quiet scum! Adults are talking here! Don’t you have a meeting with the ski patrol?” Jim teased.

“I don’t know how you twisted this on me, but I’ll get you back.” Noah inched closer so only Jennings could here, “Maybe I should call off our deal?”

Whatever was said, Jennings went pale and cleared his throat. Removing himself from the conversation.

“Mr. Price?” Ava said entering the room. “Emma is still asleep. And she’s so pale, she looks sick.”

“I feared that. It’s her medication, she should be awake anytime now for another dose. Here, please give her one of these when she awakes. I’m going to get some rest.” Mr. Price said handing over the medicine.

Ava returned to the room with the meds and hot tea to find Emma slowly awaking.

“Hello sleepy head.” Ava rushed over with a smile.

“Where am I?” Emma groggily spoke out.

“Back in the bedroom with good ol me.”

Emma rubbed at her eyes trying to get them to open, “Are you an angel?”

Ava snorted, “Oh now you wanna shoot your shot huh.”

“Worth a try.” Emma laughed. “I feel terrible.”

“You look it.” Ava agreed dodging the pillow Emma tossed.

“Here Mahomes, here’s your pill and I made your favorite tea.” Ava giggled as she sat down next to Emma to help her take the meds and give her a sip of tea.

“Psh, Mahomes wishes he had this cannon for an arm.” Emma tried laughing but she done exhausted herself.

“Relax, you just underwent surgery. I’m actually impressed they released you so quickly.”

“Perks of having a doctor for a dad. I’m not about that hospital food.”

The two sat in silence for a moment while Emma sipped her tea. It was so nice just the two of them, Ava had Emma all to herself, no intruders, no boys, and no Bayla. Crap....Bayla was still her girlfriend.

Ava came to and realized she was stroking Emma’s delicate hair, resting her hand on Emma’s soft cheek. She quickly composed herself and stood abruptly, creating as much distance as possible.

What was this? What were they? Friends? More than friends? Ava knew what the answer should be, but the timing was terrible. Bayla was her own girlfriend, and Emma had her own issues.

A text shot through to Ava’s phone, it was Bayla. “Speak of the devil.” Ava whispered. She had been putting her off for long enough and by judging by the text she received, Bayla wasn’t happy.

“Ava?” Emma called out oblivious to Ava’s aggressive texting.

Ava turned immediately to face her, “Yeah?”

“Where are the boys?”

Ava doesn’t know why, but with her issues with Bayla and her feelings for Emma, hearing her ask for the boys really added fuel to her blazing fire.

“Idk. Mason is resting and Noah and Jennings are with the ski patrol.”

Emma could hear the aggression in Ava’s voice, but she couldn’t tell if it was at her texting or towards her about her question.

“Is everything alright Ava?”

“Yeah. It’s just Bayla. She’s bugging me because I haven’t responded in awhile.”

“Oh. I wonder what has her in a twist.” Emma asked innocently.

Ava knew why. She told Bayla before she left the arrangement, so naturally she had to keep tabs on her at all times. Trust between the two were slipping, but Ava wasn’t helping her cause and Emma wasn’t either. “Because that’s what a good girlfriend does!” Ava snapped surprising Emma. “She’s just concerned!”

“Oh. I understand, I’m sorry.” Emma apologized.

“No Emma you don’t! You don’t understand and you never will!” Ava said slamming her phone down on the counter and stomping towards the door.

Something told Emma deep within this was more than just Bayla being worried, she couldn’t help but think this was all her fault and the reason Ava was upset.

Ava had to get out and breathe, she loved Emma, but she couldn’t take her indecisiveness. She couldn’t stand competing for her hand any longer, it was time to set the record straight. She stepped back in to grab her phone before heading back out again.

“Where are you going?” Emma tried.

“I’ve got a phone call to make.”

[monsoonblooms12]

Detectives By Chance: Chapter 4- Seeking and Chasing

A/N: Hi, how is everyone doing💫💛? I finally completed the 4th chapter, phew. I am really sorry for the delay, It has been some time ( a month to be precise). But I hope that you enjoy reading this💛. Thank you for all the love that you have given the earlier chapters and I love you all very much 💛

Thank you so very much @ohramsey​ for everything. I love you x infinite and I will miss you so much😭🤍❤

Series Summary: It was supposed to be a usual weekend for the four. Coffee, fun, friends and love. But an unexpected case changed their lives in a way they had never imagined. A mystery - a murder - many secrets… Will Ethan, Pooja, Alexandra and Mark, be able to survive? Or will the circumstances twist and break their lives forever?

Pairing: Ethan × f!MC (Dr. Pooja Sharma)

Disclaimer: PB owns most of the characters. I only own the OCs and my MC.

Word count: 2.3K 

Triggers: Mentions of blood, murder

For Ethan and Pooja, a mutual day off was once in a blue moon thing. So whenever they had one, they would put the world out of their mind and remain engrossed in each other.

And now, after getting a cherished day off for the first time in at least one and a half months, they were sitting here scrutinizing the clues they had assembled from the crime scene.

They sat down on the couch, opened their laptops and kept auxiliary notebooks with them to note any admissible details they could find. Ethan took the three pieces of paper and stationed them down on the coffee table.

The first one was the third bloody note that Pooja had received.

It said: "Ahh, here you are. I knew, I knew you would come. You bastards are as obstinate as I am. But don't worry, I like it. So, did you like my pretty little portrayal that I had made for you? All this is just a sprinkle of my intuitive plan. The real game hasn't even begun yet. Just wait and be on your guard for my twisties and turnsies."

"Hasn't this person done enough? What the freaking hell does he want?" Pooja said, on the brink of tears. She was literally done with this pathetic game of blood.

Ethan hugged her tightly. "Calm down, Love. It hurts me to see you like this. We will find out everything. We will find this person, and we will make them compensate for their sins. I promise." 

"Ethan, I love you so much. Please be with me ad infinitum." Pooja planted a featherlight kiss on Ethan's cheek. 

"I will, Baby, I will, I love you too," Ethan assured her, while tenderly wiping off her tears. 

"And... you don't have to use fancy terms to tell me to love you forever."

At this, Pooja let out a tee-hee.

After she had calmed down, they looked at the second piece of paper. It was a drug store receipt.

"Propofol?"

"If this is a receipt left-back by the murderer, then why Propofol, did they feel remorseful for Davis? " Pooja scoffed. 

"Remorseful? I sure as hell that's not the case." 

Pooja's question lingered in Ethan's mind. Why would, he thought, the murder make the patient unconscious? So that he doesn't shout?

Maybe. Maybe not.

Poke Poke. Pooja poked at his side, bringing him back to reality.

 "A penny for your thoughts?"

" Just thinking about propofol."

" And what does the mind of the world-class diagnostician say about that?"

" As for now, it says nothing essential."

"But?"

"there is a what if."

"And that is?"

" What if the criminal is right in our plain sight?"

" So, as I understand, you are suggesting that the murder is someone-"

"From the hospital. It would be the easiest for a staff member to do everything, isn't it?"

" Hmmm. Although it is a stab in the dark, it is a pretty commendable reasoning. Good job Mr Mitter."

"Mr what?"

"You don't know Mr. Mitter??!! You need to catch up on your detective knowledge, Ramsey. We need to go on a mystery novel-reading spree, ASAP!"

"Don't you think that's just irrelevant to what we are discussing?"

"Excuse You! How the hell are mysteries irrelevant in a discussion of mysteries?" 

Pooja made a phoney, angry face that made Ethan laugh.

" Okay, so number one you are looking ridiculous with that face and number two maybe, I agree with you, just a little."

"WAIT"

"Did you just... give in and agree with me? The Ethan freaking Ramsey accepted his defeat?"

"How is this def-"

"I will write about this day in golden letters in my autobiography."

"Autobiography?" Ethan was chuckling like an idiot.

"Hey, what do you think? I can't write an autobiography or what?"

"No, no, of course, you can! But I really wanna know if you are going to write about your escapades with Jenner or the sleep-talks you do all night. Or maybe about the variety of chocolate you like."

"ETHAN!"

"Okay Okay, I will stop. Let's look at the third bit of paper." 

The third paper was a visiting card. Or something that looked like visiting card held together with a lot of tape. The name on it was too faded for them to interpret. However, they could make out the address and the designation which, surprisingly, was Dr.

All the lingers of laughter and joy from the previous exchange dispersed and seriousness took its place.

"So, this person is a doctor. Very Peculiar!" Pooja remarked.

"What about all this is not uncommon, Poo? Even if they are a doctor, why target you and Alex? How does this person even know you both?" Ethan said, a tinge of anger lingering in his tone.

Pooja absently fiddled with the card while suddenly something caught her eye. In tiny handwriting, the letters D.I.B.S.15. She presented it to Ethan.

"What is this supposed to mean?"

"It looks like some cryptic message to me. Maybe the murderer wrote it absently on this card. We need to infer its meaning. It can be crucial."

"Hmm. Seems, like we have a lot of investigation to do. But at first, let's note down the enigmas we need to find the answers of."

They grabbed a notebook and wrote down all the lingering inquiries and matters about which they were going to seek.

Who is Mr Davis? Why was he targeted?

Why did no one from his acquaintances never come to question about him?

Why did the murderer target Pooja and Alex? How does he know them?

How was the murder perpetrated?

The addresses

MedMinder Drug Store

D.I.B.S.15

"Ethan?"

"Hmm?"

"Should we call the medical store? They might have vital information about the person who bought their stuff."

"Sure they will, reckoning that the person who bought the stuff is the same as the one who murdered Mr Davis."

"Or, you know, we can go there. Like check out both the addresses personally? So many facts are not present on the 'net. We may find something worthwhile for the case or maybe, even find the mastermind?"

"I was contemplating the same thing. But I wanted to take Mark and Alex with us. After all, four brains are more dependable than two." Pooja snickered a little. 

"Sure. I will shoot them both a text to meet us up after their shifts get over." 

But there was no need to do that. When Pooja unplugged her phone from the charger, she saw their texts. Both of them had taken an off early and were en route to Ethan's penthouse.

After fifteen minutes, Mark and Alex arrived. Ethan and Pooja filled them up with everything they had come across.

Then they told them about their plan of visiting the two addresses. 

"That would be incredible. But before that, you both should know the autopsy results." Mark said. 

"The Autopsy result came?" Pooja asked. 

"Yup, this morning. And guess what?"

"The cause of death is not the throat slit. It is Acute Cyanide Poisoning. The throat was slit afterwards." Alex informed them.

"What the hell?" Pooja remarked, wide-eyed.

"All this is so seriously messed up, isn't it?"

"The person has a medical history. They would know the dosage. Also, looking at the kind of criminal he is, it would not have been too difficult for him to arrange the cyanide." Ethan stated. 

"But Why Mr. Davis? I don't understand" Alex queried curiously. 

"Let's get going. I am sure we will get at least some of our answers from these two addresses." 

The four grabbed their coats, took the three clues, packed their tab and set off. The first address on Lyon Avenue was not far from Ethan and Pooja's place. 

They arrived there in ten minutes and spent another five minutes in searching the store.

The drug store was not very busy, dimly illuminated and smelt fusty. 

The man at the counter didn't even notice them coming until, 

"Ahm" 

Ethan cleared his throat. 

The man almost jumped out of his seat. Regaining his composure, he said, "How, ahem, How may I help you?" 

"We need some information. Can you remember who was the person who bought these from you?" Pooja said, handing him the receipt. 

"I am sorry, but information of our customers is confidential. We can not reveal it to anyone except security personals or family member."

Uh Oh. Now what? Nothing a sprinkle of drama can't resolve. 

"Um, Actually the person who bought these from you was most probably my brother. And he is missing for the last three days. So we are searching for information which can lead up to him." Mark said.

Either The shopkeeper was disinterested in their explanation or whatever he said about confidentiality was a lie because he didn't question Mark. He just eyed him sceptically and revealed,

"It was four days ago. I don't remember quite well, but I can give you some information. It was a man of medium height, wearing a high collared black jacket. He wore sleek black sunglasses and a mask. He did not speak anything but handed me the list of items he needed.

He made his payment in cash. When I asked if he was a medical professional, he showed me his visiting card. The card seemed pretty old and unkempt, but the designation Dr. was visible. So I didn't think much and gave him his things. That's all I can recollect."

"Was the visiting card that he showed similar to this?" Ethan asked, presenting the visiting card they had.

"Let me see."

"Yup, the font does seem similar." 

"Seems like this might be our man. Thank you very much for the information." Mark said before they started to exit the shop.

"Wait a sec." The man at the counter beckoned them.

They turned back.

"What is it?"

"I just remembered something. The man, he gave me an extra 20 bucks. When I informed him that he had given me extra cash, he gestured me to keep it. Also, when he was handing over the money, he folded up the left sleeve of his shirt, and there were numerous cut marks on it." The man at the counter told them.

The instant they heard about the cuts, they got the confirmation of their lingering suspicions.

This man was the murderer, and he was the one who was sending them the bloody notes.

The four thanked the man, and as a gesture of gratitude handed him some bucks. Then they left the shop and set off for their next destination.

Once seated back in the car, Pooja said, "So now we know that we are following the right person. Maybe the second address will tell us more."

"Mark, How did you deduce the murderer to be a man?" Alex asked.

"Just took a wild speculation. And because I have,"

Mark stopped.

"had a brother, that came out spontaneously." Mark's voice held traces of pain and brought out the confrontation among his thoughts.

But he quickly regained composure and said, "But thank god the guess was right. If not, we would be in a hell of a mess."

Mark laughed a bit, but his laughter sounded somewhat void.

For the rest of the journey, there was no conversation. A deafening muteness fell in the car, but no one tried to rip through it.

The journey to the second address took 20 minutes.

But they were a bit taken aback from the situation of the place.

It was a cryptic, morose part of the city, and it was awkward for a doctor to set up their practice here. In the entire street, darkness lurked. Flickers of light were visible in some of the houses.

Ethan, Pooja and Alex started to walk down the street slowly to locate the private clinic, but Mark stayed behind.

It was as if distasteful remembrances came to him, inundating him, due to the sight in front of him.

There was a glimmer of identification of the area in his eyes.

After walking a few steps, Alex realized that Mark was not with them.

At first, she began to panic, but when she turned around and saw Mark standing by the car, sighed in relaxation.

"MARK, MARK" Alex beckoned him.

Alex's voice caused Ethan and Pooja to turned around. They, too, detected Mark and the three started to pace towards the car.

"Mark, what happened?" Alex asked after arriving at the car, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Then she spotted the tears rolling down Mark's face.

Before she could say anything, Mark hugged her and broke into stringent sobs. His entire body was shuddering with every cry.

Ethan and Pooja quickly went beside him, trying to calm him down while Alex held him in her embrace.

"Mark, Honey, what happened? Is something wrong? Are you feeling unwell or something?" Alex asked, panic apparent in her voice.

Sensing her dread, Mark tried to regain his composure. And he succeeded a bit.

Breaking himself from Alex's embrace but holding her hand for strength, he levelled up. The other three looked at him, concern and curiosity both unambiguous on their faces.

"T-T-This place, I k-know this place." Mark began, voice trembling a bit.

"You do?" Pooja asked.

"Y-yup. This place, it endures as the beholder of the pain my family went through. All our sufferings, all our cries started here and ended h-here." Mark said, on the verge of tears.

"Mark, if you don't want to talk about it, it is okay, you don't have to," Ethan said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"N-No, I have to say this. I have to tell you."

Mark took a pause.

"T-T-This place is where m-my c-childhood home is."

The grief that we hide from the world, that we bury deep in our soul, when it comes out, it twists knives in a way that rips through all our soul leaving us as shredded as we were when we encountered it.

PS: This case had pulled strings which no one had expected. But will these strings tug the answers with them? This chapter feels like the beginning of the end. What do you think, is Mark's dilemma? What about Pooja's childhood? And what new challenge will the murderer place in front of them?

Every question will be answered and every Mystery will be solved. They might be Detectives by chance but their skills know no bound.

If you enjoyed the story, please like, leave a comment or reblog. Your feedback keeps me going 💕. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have a great day ahead.💕💕

[theydontknowaboutusimagines]

The Set Up - Harry Styles One Shot (Part 2)

Part 1

Harry sighed at his sister’s words. He knew that should never set him up with someone that wasn’t a good person, but he just wanted to find someone naturally. Then again, how many times had he gone out with someone through mutual friends, so why would this be different just because he was his sister and his mother behind it. 

Looking over at you, chatting and laughing with the man at the bar. His annoyance level was beginning to rise and he didn’t know why. Maybe it was because he was slightly jealous. He wouldn’t say he was a shallow man, but as with most human beings he noticed how beautiful you were. Your smile and what little bit of your laugh he could hear brought a smile to his lips. 

“Go and talk to her,” Gemma said. “Just have a few minutes of a chat. We’ll be leaving soon anyway, so might as well get it over with now.” 

He rolled his eyes, downing the rest of his drink and handing the empty glass to Gemma. 

“Oi, what am I supposed to do with this?” She asked. 

He shrugged with a smirk before making his way over towards you and the man. When he approached the two of you, he cleared his thought, making both of you look over at him.

“Uh, hey, Y/N,” he smiled. 

“Hey,” you smiled back looking over at him. 

“I uh, I hate to interrupt,” Harry started. 

“It’s uh, it’s okay,” Alex said. “When you said you came here with a friend, I didn’t realize-” 

“Oh, we’re not-”you started, but he had already excused himself. 

“Sorry,” Harry winced. 

“It’s fine,” you said. “So, did you need to tell me something? Is Gemma ready to leave?” 

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you,” he said. “I thought since I invited you to come along, it would be rude of me not to.” 

You sighed, looking at him, “Before we continue this, can I ask you something?” 

“Sure,” he said cocking his head to the side in confusion a bit. 

“Are you only doing this because Gemma put you up to this?” You asked. 

“So, you know about the whole set up thing, too?” He asked. 

“I knew it,” you sighed. “You know what, you don’t have to take pity on me for your sister. In fact, I shouldn’t even be here right now. I’ll just go and you can carry on about your night.” 

You grabbed you jacket and hopped off the stool to make your way towards the door, when he grabbed your arm. You stopped, feeling this weird sensation in your body from his touch. You turned around to look at him. You two were standing closer than you had been all night. 

“I’m not taking pity on you,” he said softly. “Do you want to know the real reason I came over to talk to you?” 

You sighed shaking your head, “Why?” 

“Because when I saw you talking to that guy, I was a bit jealous,” he whispered. 

“Okay, you’re drunk,” you said. “And if you’re just looking for someone to fuck tonight, you need to look somewhere else.” 

You went to leave again, but he pulled you back. “I’m not-Okay, maybe I’m a little bit drunk, but I’m not looking for someone to fuck tonight.” 

You rolled your eyes, “So, what? You saw me talking to some guy and got jealous, for god only knows and now what? You don’t even know me.” 

“Exactly,” he sighed. “I don’t even know you, yet I got fucking jealous over someone else talking to you because I wanted to be the one to talk to you.” 

“Well, now’s your chance, what do you want to know?” You asked. 

**

When you left your flat that night to go to the award show, you never imagined that you would find yourself grabbing ice cream with Harry Styles at one in the morning. After the little scene at the after party, he had asked you to join him for ice cream and you found yourself saying yes. 

Which brought you to where you are now, stopping at the supermarket to grab a pint of ice cream, since all the shops were closed. You were sitting out on a park bench taking turns taking bites of the ice cream. 

“So, my sister said you worked for The Mixtape?” He asked.

You nodded, “I do, although technically, I’m co-founder,” you said. 

“Wait? Really?” He asked. “That’s been around for ages.” 

“You know it?” You asked. 

He blushed, “I may have listened to a few podcasts and read the magazine a bit.” 

You smiled, “I started the blog when I was sixteen with one of my best friends. I mostly posted about my favorite songs, albums, how music easily music could take you back to a place or a memory. I would also talk about different shows or bands I had found. Then it sort of just took off... turned into more a website after we found a few other writers because it was too much for the two of us to handle. Next thing I knew, we were printing a magazine with interviews with different artists and other music fans. And now we’ve started a podcast to really dive into topics.” 

“Wow,” he said. “That’s amazing.” 

“Thank you,” you blushed. 

“Now, I do have to ask,” he said. “Since you own a music website, I assume you’ve listened to my music before?” 

“I have,” you nodded. “Let me guess, the follow up question is going to be... am I fan?” 

He laughed, “Perhaps.” 

“I’ll be honest with you. I am a fan,” you said. “But as far as keeping tabs on who are as a person, I’m not that type of fan. The only things I do know about you are from Gemma and your mum.” 

“Oh god,” he laughed. “I feel like I’d rather you google me.” 

“Stop it,” you giggled. “They never told anything bad... except maybe not to try anything you’ve cooked.” 

“I swear I’m never going to live that down. It was one time. I was watching a cooking show and I thought I’d give it a go, but I didn’t exactly have all the proper ingredients, so I improvised,” he laughed. “It was horrendous.” 

You giggled, “How old were you?” 

“Twelve, I think?” He said. “I was trying to be nice and cook my Mum dinner instead we ordered pizza.” 

“Well, it’s the thought that counts,” you smiled snagging another bite. 

You noticed him watching you, staring at you, with a smile causing you to blush, “Uh, what’s wrong?” You asked. “Do I have ice cream on my face?” 

“No,” he laughed. “Nothing’s wrong...well maybe a little.” 

“I’m not following,” you laughed. 

“I’m going to have tell my sister she was right,” he said. 

“About what?” You whispered. 

“That I would like you,” he said. “I know it’s a little premature and we technically only just met, but I would really love to see you again, if you uh, also want to see me again.” 

“I’d really like that,” you smiled. 

**

It wasn’t until a few days later when you met up with Harry again. You two had briefly chatted over the phone trying to figure out where and when you see each other. During your conversations, neither one of you mentioned or referred it to as a date, but you had to admit you were hoping it was. You both decided on some doing something casual, a simple dinner at a nearby restaurant and then you said you would take care of the rest of the night. 

Harry was on his way to pick you up and you could feel the nerves bundling up inside of you. You changed your outfit five times before finally deciding upon a pair of dark wash jeans with a gucci belt paired with a long sleeve see through black top. You wore your hair in a curly half up do with a bun on top, slipping on a  few of your favorite rings and necklaces. 

Once you were fully dressed, you took one last look in the mirror before throwing some necessities into your bag and heading into the living room. Just as you were grabbing your coat, your phone alerted you that you had text message. It was Harry saying he was outside. Instead of going through the letting him in process, you decided to just meet him there. 

Pulling on your coat, you grab your bag, locking the door behind you and heading down to the main floor. You looked around, seeing Harry parked just down the street a little bit. You smiled knocking on the door, which he quickly got out to open the door for you. 

“Thank you,” you smiled. 

“You’re welcome,” he smiled. 

The drive to the restaurant consistent of mostly small talk. A bunch of how was your day, how have you been, etc, etc. When you arrived, Harry gave his keys to the valet before following you inside. He had placed his hand on you back as the two of you walked in. 

“Reservation?” The hostess asked. 

“Yes, two for Styles,” He smiled. 

“Right this way,” she smiled taking two menus and walking towards the back fo the room. 

“Is a booth okay?” She asked. 

Harry looked at you and you nodded, “It’s fine.” 

“Your server will be right with you,” she smiled. 

“Thank you,” both you and Harry smiled. 

“If you’ll hand me your jacket, I can hang it with mine,” he said. “There are hooks over here.” 

“Oh, thank you,” you smiled slipping it off and handing it to him. 

Even though he was trying to be discreet, you could easily see him looking you up and down. You felt heat rush to your cheeks before sat on your side of the booth. Harry joined you on the other side taking the menu in his hands. 

“Have you been here before?” He asked. 

“Once,” you said. “Actually, it was uh, with someone from work.” 

“Uh-oh,” he said. “I feel like there’s a story there.” 

“Nothing gets past you,” you joked. “But yeah, there’s a big, fat, shitty story there.” 

“I’m all ears if you ever want to share,” he laughed. 

You laughed before skimming back over the menu as you gave the waiter your order. 

“Okay, so what’s the plan for after?” He asked. 

“Well, there’s pub that has a songwriter night a few times a week,” you told him. “I usually go to scope out any up and coming artists to profile on the site. I thought maybe we could check it out tonight, if that’s okay with you.” 

“It’s more than okay,” he smiled. “I’d love to go.” 

“Great because I already got us tickets,” you smirked. 

“What would you have done if I said no?” He asked raising an eyebrow. 

“Oh, I would have just found someone else to join me,” you shrugged. 

“You wouldn’t,” he gasped. “You know for a fucking fact that you wouldn’t have near as much fun with anyone else.” 

“Hm, I guess we’ll just have to see about that,” you smirked. 

“Guess we will,” he smirked. 

**

The rest of dinner had gone great, in between bites and sips, the two of you found yourself laughing and joking about different things. At one point, you two were laughing so hard, tears started filling up your eyes. After Harry paid for the bill, you both got up and he helped you slip your coat on. You smiled pulling your hair out from under the collar and grabbing your bag. 

“So, I need to tell you something,” he said as the two of you waited for the valet to bring around his car. 

“Should I be nervous?” You asked. 

He laughed shaking his head, “I have that exact same shirt, but it’s in white...” 

“Oh my god, you do not,” you giggled. 

“I do,” he laughed. “It’s a possibility for tour.”

“Well, if you do, you know I’m going to do a who wore it better, right?” you smirked. 

“You, definitely, you,” he smiled. 

“Thank you,” you said looking down a bit. 

The pub you were taking it him to was a few streets over, so it didn’t take entirely too long to get there. You smiled getting out of the car after he parked. He headed towards the entrance to wait in line, but you pulled him back. 

“Follow me,” you smirked heading towards the back door. 

“Well, someone’s a bit of a rebel,” he joked. 

“Or I know a guy,” you smirked. 

“Should I be jealous?” He laughed. 

“That does seem to be your thing,” you laughed. 

“I promise I’m not like a jealous, controlling type boyfriend,” he said quickly. 

“Boyfriend?” You raised an eyebrow. “Already throwing the b word around? What sort of girl to you take me for, Styles?” 

“I well, I mean, you know... Im just going to shut up now,” he said. 

You laughed, “I’m just taking the piss out of you.”

“You know my sister said you were nice, and I’m starting to think she was lying,” he smirked. 

“Remember how I said I could find someone else to join me?” you smirked. 

“Fair enough,” he laughed. 

You showed your tickets to the security guard, who let the two of you in, and Harry followed you over to the VIP section. 

“Damn, you are quite official aren’t you?” He asked. 

“That I am,” you smiled. “I mean it’s not exactly a suite or side stage tickets to an Ariana Grande concert.” 

He laughed, “Maybe not, but it’s cool nonetheless.” 

“Pst, I know,” you smirked. 

In the hour that had passed at the club, you two had seen about 3 performers, finished a small cocktail and somehow had inched closer together at the booth. His arm had made it onto the top of the booth, which made you even closer. You found yourself looking over at him throughout the night whenever you sipped on your drink or bopped your head to the music. Luckily, he never caught you, but there were times you could feel his gaze on you. 

Since the music was pretty loud in the smaller space, it was hard to make conversation. 

“Are you having fun?” You asked him once the performer was done. 

“I am,” he nodded. “I can’t believe I didn’t know about this place before now.” 

“Well, glad I could be the one to let you in on a little secret,” you smiled. 

“Maybe next time I can be the one letting you in on a secret,” he smiled. 

“Ooooh, so not only have you brought up the b word, but you also want to see me again?” You smirked. 

He blushed with a laugh, “I’d be a fucking liar if I said no.” 

“Well, that’d make two of us,” you said turning towards him. “If I said I didn’t like the sound of that.” 

Smiling over at you, you could feel him leaning closer towards you with a glance down to your lips. Instinctively, you moved your head closer to his, and just when you both were about to close the remaining distance between you, when music started playing again, causing the two of you to jump out of your little trace.

**

It had gotten late, so the two of you decided to head out. Ever since the almost kiss, the tension between you was growing. You weren’t sure if it was your own need or his as well, but you were practically itching at wanting to press your lips against his. Of course, you wouldn’t be opposed to taking it past way more than kissing, but this was still new and you didn’t want to just bed your best friend’s brother in case it didn’t work out. 

When Harry pulled up outside of your building, he turned the car off and looked over at you. 

“Do you mind if I walk you up?” He asked. 

“Not at all,” you smiled. 

He nodded as you both got out of the car and headed into the building. You typed in your code and then got onto the elevator. Neither of you said anything on the ride up, only once you were standing outside your door. 

“Well, this is me,” you said. 

He nodded running his hands through his hair, “Tonight was fun.” 

“It was,” you smiled. “Thank you for inviting me out.” 

“Anytime,” he smiled. “I meant what I said about seeing you again. I’ve uh, I’ve got to go to New York in a few days, but I’d love to see you when I get back.” 

“Sure thing,” you smiled. “Just let me know when you get back.” 

“Well, I uh, I was hoping I could call you, while I’m gone?” He asked putting his hands in the pocket’s of his coat. 

“You better or I’ll hunt you down,” you joked. 

He laughed, looking down as he shuffled his feed, “I should probably go. It’s getting late and I’m sure your neighbors don’t want to hear us talking out here in the hallway.”

“Right,” you nodded. “So, I guess I’ll just see you when you get back then?” 

“Yeah,” he nodded. 

You nodded again waiting for a spilt second to see if he would try to kiss you again, when it was apparent he was not, you grabbed your keys out of your purse and unlocked your door. 

“Goodnight,” you smiled with a wave. 

“Goodnight,” he smiled back. 

You turned to head inside, when Harry’s voice stopped you. 

“Wait,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. 

“Yes?” you asked looking back at him. 

He walked closer to you looking down into your eyes as he put his hands on the sides of your face. Your gaze dropped down from his eyes to his lips and back up again. Next thing you knew, his lips were against yours and you felt as if your heart was going to burst. 

**

Sooo... this one shot has now turned into more than one part. I don’t see it being super long... but we’ll see where this goes.