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notmydayjob · 4 years

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Requited

This is my manifesto of my love for criminal minds and the lovely Dr. Spencer Reid. Also I know some of the ages are a little fucked up but just suspend your disbelief for a second.

Summary: You grew up with Spencer but after meeting again years later due to one of Spencer’s cases you find yourselves rekindling an old friendship and maybe a little more.

Warnings: all the angst you’d expect from a CM episode, and sassy sexy Dr. Reid being adorable.

It’s been five, no- six years since you’ve seen him. You tried not to keep track but that was easier said than done. He was your best friend in Elementary and Highschool but as you both grew up you grew apart as well.

You and Spencer were the most unlikely of friends as kids, the same age but nearly three grades apart. That of course was Spencer’s fault. You met in the third grade after your family moved to Nevada and Spencer was the only kid who was also sitting alone. After a while, you made more friends but none of them were as interesting as Spencer. He could read so fast and he knew so many things and sometimes you could even get him to recite books from beginning to end for you. He asked you things that you’d never really thought about like why the sky is blue or why the grass is green and when you said you didn’t know he’d explain it to you with big confusing words until you’d make him simplify it for you. You weren’t dumb but you weren’t Spencer, and part of you always knew he wouldn’t stick around. When you went to the fourth grade he went to fifth, spent two months there, and then went to sixth. You thought that would be the last time you saw him.

On your first day of Freshman year, you headed to the cafeteria with your friends and when you sat down and looked up you saw a kid your age, with long hair that curled at the ends, and big glasses, and was rapidly flipping through the pages of a book. One of your friends made a snarky comment and the other laughed but you stood up and quickly walked other to the boy, you honestly didn’t know why. Maybe it was because you hadn’t seen him since third grade or maybe it was because he had gotten so handsome in your time apart.

“Spencer?” You said to the boy which made him shoot his head up in confusion. You waited for a second to see if he’d recognize you but after a moment of silence, you continued. “It’s (Y/n), we knew each other in elementary school.”

“Oh, yeah I remember. I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize you.” He pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose and smiled up at you. Spencer didn’t really smile that much, not at people at least, but he always smiled at you. You sat down next to him, eager to get caught up.

“I figured you’d be finished with college by now,” You joked which caused him to chuckle softly.

“Next year, I’m a senior now.” He recognized the apprehension in his voice. Even when you were little Spencer got teased a lot for being ahead you couldn’t even imagine what it was like now.

“Are you even human?” You giggled. “What are you even reading that you haven’t read before?”

And so your friendship picked up again, exactly where it left off. Now instead of why the sky was blue, it was theoretical mathematics and physics.

The two of you spent the whole year together, you’d go to the library and he’d finish three books in the time you could finish chapter one, and still, if you were lucky you could get him to read to you. You were there when he got his acceptance letter from Caltech, he was so nervous when opening the email but he’d never admit it. Once you forced him to open the letter and you began to read it but by that time he had already finished it.

“I got in.” He said almost too calmly.

“What?” You gasped. He spun around in his swivel chair and looked up at you with a smile.

“I got in!” He shot up and wrapped his arms around you. You were taken slightly aback at the physical contact. Spencer was a slight germaphobe but you still found opportunities to invade his personal space...respectfully.

And then again he left. The good news was Caltech was only a few hours away, you still saw each other on weekends, sometimes you’d come to visit his dorm and sometimes he’d come back home and visit you. You were also there when he had his mom hospitalized, you both knew it was the best thing to do but it was still hard for him to do. That was the first time you ever saw him cry, not when his dad left although you were sure that he did just never around you. Now Spencer cried, he tried to hide it from you but he couldn’t, you would wrap your arms around his waist and let him lean down to cry onto your shoulder.

“I’m sorry.” He’d say to you after he had calmed himself.

“Why?” You asked as you ran your fingers through his long hair.

“I never want you to see me weak.” He’d always say.

“You’re the strongest person I know.”

As your senior year came to an end this time it was time for you to make the decision, stay, or go. Ultimately you stayed, applied to somewhere local, you didn’t want to admit that it was because Spence was close or because the town reminded you of him but you couldn’t deny it played a role. You hated Las Vegas, it was full of gamblers, pimps, and prostitutes and the heat was terrible. Sometimes Reid would take you to the Strip and you’d watch the people come and go, maybe that’s when he decided he wanted to be a profiler, you could sit there for hours and listen to him get all into people's business. Those were the memories you stayed for.

Your third year was when Spencer left for Virginia, two Ph.D. 's in Math and Engineering, working on a third in Sociology and he chose to go to the FBI Academy. You were so proud of him but your heart broke to watch him get on that plane. You both cried when you said goodbye at the airport.

“I’ll call you every day.” He said, and for a while, he did but after that first night when you stayed up past midnight waiting for him to call but he never did. That was when you realized it would never be the same. You spoke to him every day, every week, every month, once a year, but now six years since he left and you haven’t even spoken to him in five. Until today.

“What the hell is happening?” You asked your boss as you saw a group of men and women going through the files in your office.

“The Feds,” He nodded at the group on the other side of the windows. “They wanted information on a kid you used to work with...David...Dave… the last name started with an O I think.”

“Davies Ortega?” You knew exactly who he meant.

“Yeah, yes! They want everything you have on him, they have a warrant but you weren’t here-”

“Yeah well, I am now.” You sighed as you pushed through your colleagues who were watching with confusion.

“If you wanted to see my files you could have asked nicely.” You said as you came through the door.

“Dr. L/n, I’m SSA Aaron Hotchner with the FBI, were you Davies Ortega’s psychiatrist?” A tall man with dark hair turned to you.

“Yes sir, I was.” You crossed your arms over your chest. “You have a warrant?” A dark-haired woman handed you the paper.

“You got something to hide?” A fit man with dark skin questioned.

“The Ortega’s are a rich white-collar family and the father is the DA, I’m protecting my practice.” You quipped back. “Your warrant says you have the right to the Ortega files and the files you’re going through aren’t those so if you’d please stop invading my client’s privacy I’ll show you what you’re looking for.” Each of them dropped the files they were holding.

“Thank you,” You said and then made your way to your desk, opening the locked cabinet beneath it and pulling out several thick files.

“That much?” The dark-haired woman said. You chuckled softly and then pulled out yet another stack of files.

“That much.” You corrected.

“Ma’am we’re going to have to go through all of this and ask you a series of questions, I think it would be best if we did this at the police station… for privacy.” Agent Hotchner motioned to the crowd around your office.

“I think that’d be best.” You agreed.

The ride to the police station was horribly quiet and incredibly awkward. Luckily though it was very short. You walked through the front doors following Hotchner, you caught a glimpse of Davis’s photo pinned to a board next to the photos of several women dead. You couldn’t make out too much because someone called out your name from behind you, not Dr. L/n but Y/n. You quickly turned to see a tall thin, brown-haired man with his hands awkwardly in his pockets, Spencer.

“Oh my god,” You smiled as you rushed towards him, standing up on your toes, practically jumping and wrapping your arms around him. He wrapped his arms around your waist in return and tucked his face into the crook of your neck.

“The two of you know each other.” An unfamiliar voice said from your left side. You and Spencer jumped apart like two teenagers caught together behind a closed door.

“Uh, yeah,” Spencer spoke up. “We grew up together. We were uh… close.”

“Close, huh?” The blonde-haired woman smirked.

“What are you doing here?” Spencer turned his attention back to you.

“Davies Ortega,” You said simply to gauge his reaction. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, that’s not good.

“You’re his doctor?”

“I was,” You nodded.

“Dr. L/n, we shouldn’t do this here, follow me.” You grinned at Spencer before following Hotchner to a small room with a table and mirror, you were sure it was a window from the other side. You were left alone to fiddle with your thumbs and try to work out what was happening. After about 15 minutes the door opened...and Reid came in.

“I’m surprised you’re allowed to talk to me.” You grinned, that probably didn’t look good because of the circumstances but you couldn’t help it.

“I spent the last ten minutes convincing them that you would tell any of us what we need, but you’d be more comfortable with me, wanna prove me right?” He cocked his head at you.

“Anything for my genius.” Although it had been five years it felt just like you’d been teenagers walking on the strip just yesterday. “You think Davies killed those girls, he’s your unsub.” Spence talked about this stuff all the time even when he was in college, you knew how this worked.

“Yeah,” Spencer spoke softly and nodded. “That doesn’t surprise you?”

“No,” You said hesitantly. “I know this is being recorded, will the parents see?”

“No,” Spencer said, slightly confused. “Are you afraid of them?”

“I’m not afraid.” You said quickly and defensively and he raised his eyebrows at you. “ I told them that Davies needed to be institutionalized and they nearly got me fired. Rich people can do whatever they want no matter if their child is a total sexual sadist.”

“Sexual sadist?” He repeated. “Do you really think he is or are you exaggerating?”

“Oh come on Spence, you don’t need to do that.” You sighed. “I know he’s messed up, you know he’s messed up it doesn’t matter who says it doesn’t change that.” He chuckled slightly, he should have known he couldn’t pull anything without you knowing.

“Why did Davies come to see you?” Reid continued.

“He was adopted when he was six, removed from his birth mother’s custody for neglect. The Ortega’s adopted him not long after, he went from having nothing to anything he wanted, he began to act out and they couldn’t handle that. He killed the family cat too.” You explained. “Even they knew that was a warning sign.”

“Why’d he stop coming?”

“I suggested hospitalization, they didn’t like that so they found a new psychiatrist. No matter where they took him it was the same though. Eventually, they got him institutionalized just last year he turned eighteen and there was nothing they could do. With this kid, it was never a matter of if… it was when.”

“Alright, thank you, we’re gonna need to keep the files for now but you can go soon.” He sighed and stood up to leave.

“Wait, Spencer.” You stopped him. He turned to look at you and it nearly took the breath out of your lungs but you still continued. “You’re about to go to his house right?” He nodded.

“He used to write stories, they’re in my files, he wrote about killing but they all ended the same way. He said before they could take him he would kill as many officers he could before and then himself.”

Reid nodded slowly, understanding that was your way of telling him to be careful. You followed Reid out of the room and he told you to wait with the blonde-haired woman who would clear you to leave.

“My name’s J.J.” She offered you her hand. This wasn’t the introduction of an FBI agent but instead the introduction of a friend of a friend. “Wanna help me go through these files?”

You sat down with J.J. and helped her go through the files, every once and a while she’d ask you about Spencer.

“So were you ever...with… Spencer?” She asked with a hint of suggestion.

“No,” You chuckled. “I had a crush on him when we were teenagers but that was all.”

“Did he feel the same way?” She pushed a little further.

“Spencer is about as transparent as glass, I never got the feeling he did.” You tried to leave as much emotion out of your voice as possible.

“If I’ve learned anything from working with Spencer it’s that he can lie if he has to.” She chuckled.

Not long after you saw Spencer, Hotchner, the agents whose names you learned were David Rossi, Emily Prentiss, and Derek Morgan. They were all rushing out, wearing blue FBI vests, and fully armed. Spencer walked over to you.

“Hotch and the Sheriff said you can go, what are the two of you up to?” He said as he looked at the messy table of papers.

“I’m just helping J.J. with the files.”

“Well, we uh- gotta go.” He held out his last word, you knew he was just as worried he wouldn’t see you again as you were. “When we’re done… I’ll call you. I swear.” You just nodded and wrapped your arms around his waist before once again watching him leave.

“Doctor,” Hotchner called you. “You’re free to go,”

“Yes, sir I know…” You said apprehensively.

“But?”

“I think I’d like to stay until you get back,” Maybe you wanted to know what would happen to Davies, maybe you wanted to make sure Reid was okay, either way, he didn’t ask, he just nodded and left.

You sat there with J.J. for an hour as the team checked out the house and confirmed Davies was inside. J.J. got a message on her radio that they were going in, you both sat quietly at the table holding your breath and waiting for more news. Ten minutes went by before you got the next message.

Shots fired; Federal Officer down.

J.J. clasped her hand over her mouth and put her other over yours reassuringly.

Suspect has been injured and is in the ambulance but should make it.

A small wave of relief washed over you but the words Officer down were still stuck in your head. After about half an hour people began filing into the station, Hotchner, Prentiss, Rossi, Morgan, and finally Reid.

You and J.J. let out a sigh of relief seeing the whole team alive and well. Reid smiled at you, clearly amused by the worry on your face.

“You seem stressed.” He grinned.

“Oh shut up.” You smacked his chest before wrapping your arms around him and burying your face in it. “What about the officer?”

“SWAT got hit in the leg, he'll be fine.”

“I was worried.” You finally admitted before pulling away. “So, when do you guys go home?”

“Tomorrow morning, maybe tonight if Hotch is in a hurry.” He shrugged and you felt his demeanor change. “Y/n… I have to finish up here but afterward, would you want to… I don’t know, hang out?” His hands sat uncomfortably in his front pockets and his shoulders tense.

“Yeah Spence, I’d like that.” You smiled up at him.

“Cool,” He nodded with a proud and yet relieved smile on his face. “Meet me at The Strip...our spot, at 10 o’clock.”

“Of course Dr. Reid.”

“I’ll see you then Dr. L/n.”

The Strip was huge but you knew exactly where he wanted you to meet him, at the corner of the fountains facing the Ferris Wheel. By the time you got there at ten, you saw him leaning against the railing waiting for you.

“You got off early.” You said to alert him that you were there.

“Yeah,” He seemed relieved that you showed up. You stood next to him and leaned onto the railing as well. “I didn’t know you got your doctorate.”

“Yeah, I got my masters and started working but did online courses for my doctorate while I was practicing.” Sometimes you got self-conscious talking about education with Spencer and he seemed to notice.

“That’s impressive.” He said genuinely.

“I never would have done it without you.” You shrugged off his compliment.

“Me?” He turned to face you, his attention now peaked.

“Yeah, I mean...yeah, you always used to talk about Dahmer and Gacy and how fucked up their childhoods were. It just wanted to stop it before it happened but clearly… that didn’t work.”

“Hey,” He placed his hand on your shoulder. Spencer shockingly hadn’t changed much in the six years you’d been apart. His hair was longer than it used to be and much messier and curlier, he dressed slightly different as well. As a teenager, Spencer rarely wore clothes that accommodated his tall but thin stature, and he never quite knew how to style his clothes. Now, his clothes fit well, his long sleeves were rolled up to reveal his forearms and he wore a black sweater vest and a dark blue tie. He looked mature and put together but at the same time, still kind of looked like his mom dressed him for the science fair. His socks still didn’t match.

“That’s not your fault Y/n,” He looked you in the eyes making sure you were really hearing him. “Like you said it was just a matter of when. I talk to these kinds of guys every day, they’re irrational.”

“Yeah… I know.” You sighed heavily. A silence hung in the air, neither of you wanting to talk about the events of the day but not knowing how to proceed.

“So you like Psychiatry?” He said with genuine interest.

“Yeah,” You said unconvincingly, causing him to raise his eyebrows like you. “Well, yes and no. My boss is a total pushover and my co-workers are dramatic and invasive. I like what I do but not necessarily where I do it.”

“So what keeps you here?” He furrowed his eyebrows and leaned all of his weight on his right arm so that he could face you.

“Honestly,” You sighed and looked around, trying to come up with the best answer. “Nothing.” I guess that was easier than expected.

“What about your family?”

“Everyone’s all spread out by now, retired in Florida, the woods in North Dakota, you name it.”

“You hate it here, why have you stayed so long?” Spencer said, obviously confused now. He knew better than anyone that you should have gotten out of Vegas the second you turned 18. “Why did you even go to college here?”

“Cause you were close.” You looked down at your hands, suddenly feeling how long it had been since you’d talked to him.

“You stayed because of me?” His voice softened and was nearly inaudible.

“Yeah, I guess I did.” You looked into the fountain, squinting at the lights shining in your eyes. “We have good memories here, I guess that’s why I stay.”

When you finally looked back up at him he was already staring at you. You were tempted to dart your eyes away but you found it impossible to look away from him. And then faster than anything you’d ever experienced his hand was on the side of your face and lips were on yours. His hand was gentle on the soft skin of your face and it traveled slowly to the back of your neck desperately bringing you closer to him. Your hands rested on his chest, fingers digging into the coarse wool of his sweater in an attempt to keep him there. With one step towards you, he closed the gap between your bodies and pressed you against the railing. You arched your back, pushing your body against him to prevent you from bending back over the railing. Spencer’s other arm wrapped around your waist pulling you impossibly close to him.

The kiss had started slow and unsure but once you reciprocated it became desperate and hungry for what both of you had been wanting since you were teenagers. Spencer’s tongue grazed against your bottom lip requesting entrance which you gladly gave him. Your tongues danced together, not a fight for dominance but a dance between two equals trying to explore every piece of their partner. Spencer’s teeth softly grazed against your bottom lip pulling it between his before he reluctantly pulled his face away from yours but still kept his body pressed against yours. Both of you stood there not daring to move away from each other as you gasped for breath.

“I think I’m ready to leave.” You said between breaths.

“And go where? Virginia?” Spencer was obviously kidding but the way you looked up at him to gauge his reaction showed that you were completely serious. “Oh, Y/n no, you can’t uproot your life for me.”

“Oh come on Spence!” You slipped out from under him getting space to gain some confidence in your argument. “I hate it here, it’s hot, the people are terrible, I’m ready to quit my job after today’s fiasco.” Spencer just shook his head and chuckled, you continued.

“Come on Spence I love the East Coast, the people, the seasons.”

“The seasons? That’s why you want to come?” His smile turned into a proud smirk as he placed his hands on either side of you, pressing you against the railing.

“And good company.” You smiled before pulling him down to meet your lips.

“I missed you so much.” He said between kisses. You went to say something back but before you could Spencer’s phone went off in his pocket. He dropped his head and let out a loud sigh that made you giggle.

“Yeah, Hotch.” He said formally but rolled his eyes and grinned at you. There were a few seconds of silence but you could hear a deep muffled voice through that phone. “Actually, I was planning on staying for a while, I’ll catch my own flight back.” The two men exchanged a few more formalities before Spencer casually put his phone back in his pocket.

“You’re staying?” You looked up at him with a timid smile before he wrapped his arm around your shoulder and leaned his body against yours.

“Well, I gotta help you pack.”

#spencer reid x reader #spencer reid #spencer reid fluff #criminal minds #criminal minds imagine #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid imagine #mgg x reader #mgg imagine #mgg #matthew gray gubler #matthew gray gubler x reader #matthew gray gubler imagine

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curiousconch · 4 years

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Someone Else's Christmas Star

An OH Christmas One-shot

Synopsis: Casey performs in Edenbrook's annual Christmas charity concert. Set in the time jump of OH Book 2.

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x MC / Rafael Aveiro x MC

Words: 1.4k+

Rating: G / Fluff sprinkled with a little bit of angsty dust

Author's notes: This was mainly inspired by that Christmas Concert scene from Last Christmas where the adorable Emilia Clarke sang her own upbeat rendition of Last Christmas by Wham! (watch it here, I swear it gives off major Christmas cheer vibes). Disclaimer: all characters belong to Pixelberry, I am just borrowing them. Thank you for reading! ❤️

This will probably my last work this year. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas! 🌲❤️

It was Christmas Eve, and Edenbrook's atrium was a buzz with activity. Tonight was their Annual Christmas Charity Concert, where the first year interns are performing. It's been a long standing tradition and honestly the closest to an initiation rite the interns can have. As if Dr. Ramsey's snobbery wasn't enough torture.

"Dr. Valentine, can I talk to you for a second?" Esme approached the blonde doctor at the nurse's station, mustering the courage she needed to make her say yes.

Casey turned to face the young intern as she closed the clipboards of her last patient for discharge. "Mind if I sit down first?" Casey's feet hurt from standing up all afternoon, as a lot of their patients were in a rush to get home before tonight.

"Uhhh, sure," the intern nodded, leading them both into the cafeteria.

"What's up?"

"Well..."

Casey eyed Esme suspiciously, it was clear this was a situation she would rather not do.

"We don't have all day, Dr. Ortega. Spill."

"Can you be our lead singer tonight? Gary can't just freaking keep a tune."

***

Three hours later, Casey was wearing a green elf outfit adorned with multi-colored fairy lights all over.

"I did say no right? I said no so many times. Why am I here?" she asked her boyfriend, who was fussing all over her along with Sienna.

Bryce put on a matching green Santa hat on her head and grinned his effervescent megawatt smile.

"Because you're absolutely one talented singer, baby. And people can't miss out on that gorgeous voice of yours," he said as he kissed her forehead, making Casey's cheeks cluster.

Sienna giggled behind her while she secured the wide black belt around her waist, completing the costume.

"You'll do great, Cass, the kids will love you!" she said, mentioning the main audience of the concert, who was also the beneficiaries of all the donations from it.

Casey rolled her eyes, but couldn't help herself from grinning. She loved the kids, remembering her recent visits to the orphanage with Bryce. She was an orphan herself, so it wasn't hard for her to fit in with them.

Bryce pinched her cheek and planted a peck on her glossy lips. "You can do it, baby. I love you," he winked then playfully spanked her ass, then left the room with Sienna before she could retaliate. Casey felt her face burn, still getting used to the way she and Bryce fit like a glove. They were only dating for a few months, but theirs were so uncomplicated that it didn't take too long to be comfortable around each other.

Bryce was the one who were there for her all those nights. He was there when she was at the brink of death, he was there when she tried to wrestle with her trauma. He was there when she dealt with her heartbreak. And this Christmas, she wouldn't spend it alone, because her wonderful, lovely and magical Bryce was there to be with her.

She recalled how she spent last Christmas in an unimaginable demise, that she instantly pushed the very thought of it to the back of her mind. It wasn't long that Esme called her at the back of the makeshift stage, letting her know that their number was up next.

With a brief intro, they climbed the platform. Casey stood in the middle, illumated by the bright spotlights. As she waited for the other interns to setup, she waved at Gabriella, Tony, Chris and the other familiar faces of kids sitting in front. They beamed at the sight of her.

As the applause and Bryce's whistles receded, Casey's blue eyes caught a glimpse of the familiar green bomber jacket a few rows back. Her breath hitched as she saw his arms wrapped around the shoulders of another, making her freeze for a few moments.

"That's my baby! Wooh!" Bryce's cheer echoed though the makeshift concert hall, eliciting a few snickers and chuckles from the other surgical interns. She immediately snapped out of her trance.

She smiled back at her boyfriend, and took a deep breath, before singing the first line in acapella:

Last Christmas, I gave you my heart

But the very next day, you gave it away

This year, to save me from tears

I give it to someone special

With that the band came in, playing in an upbeat tempo to the synchronous cheer of the audience.

She repeated the chorus, but now to the accompaniment of Esme's electric guitar, Mitch's drums, Sokh's trumpet and Gary's tambourine.

She twirled around, smiling widely before she took the wireless mic and stepped down the stage to approach the kids, singing the verse as she patted each of the kids's heads:

Once bitten and twice shy

I keep my distance but you still catch my eye

Tell me, baby, do you recognize me?

Well, it's been a year, it doesn't surprise me

"Merry Christmas!" the audience shouted, participating into the song.

I wrapped it up and sent it

With a note saying "I love you" I meant it

Now I know what a fool I've been

But if you kissed me now I know you'd fool me again

In response, Casey walked down the space in the middle of the hall, nodding at the familiar faces of her patients who were spending their holidays in the hospital, as she continued the tune.

She sang back the chorus again, waving her free arm in the air. As the music transitioned to the second verse, she walked towards Sienna, Jackie, Elijah and Aurora, the group of friends she now could call as her own family.

A crowded room, friends with tired eyes

I'm hiding from you and your soul of ice

My god, I thought you were someone to rely on

Me? I guess I was a shoulder to cry on

She stepped towards her man, and Bryce didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her waist, dancing with her as she sung the next verses.

A face on a lover with a fire in his heart

A man under cover, but you tore me apart

Now I've found a real love, you'll never fool me again

Together, they danced, temporarily forgetting the hundreds of eyes watching, as Casey sang the chorus again and again.

Bryce twirled her one final time before he brought her back the front, and helped her climb back onto the platform, winking with pride.

She swayed her hips to the chorus one last time, as the rest of the audience clapped and sang along.

Last Christmas

I gave you my heart

But the very next day you gave it away

This year to save me from tears

I'll give it to someone special

As the instruments played the outro, she pointed at each of the interns laughing and twirling, as the rest of the stage lit up in a burst of joyful color.

Once the song ended, Casey and the interns bowed down to raucous applause that even Dr. Ramsey can't help but join in.

"Baby you were incredible!" Bryce gushed as he embraced her, lifting her petite figure up from the ground. "You're my sexy shimmering Christmas star!"

She squealed in delight, her arms enclosing his neck as she pulled him to a kiss.

"Get a room, you two!" Jackie belched, as Elijah, Aurora and Sienna approached the two and the interns.

"Yeah, it'll take a whole lot of Christmas miracle to separate this pair of lo-" Elijah was interrupted by the barrage of youngsters who stampeded towards Casey.

"You were awesome up there Caseeeeeyyy!"

"Yeah Casey so cool!"

"Way to go auntie Casey!"

She crouched down to talk back to them, Bryce lifting one little girl onto his shoulder to the kid's absolute delight. The interns were beyond amazed at the sight.

"Thanks, Dr. Valentine," Esme grinned, as she tackled a young boy who was pulling the Christmas lights around her.

"I was just trying to keep up with you guys," Casey winked, to the chuckle of rest.

Several paces away, brown eyes watched the joyful cluster with a mixture of sadness and longing. He knew she wasn't his anymore, that she was someone else's Christmas star now. Yet he couldn't stop thinking about the million regrets he had since last Christmas.

Nimble fingers tapped him on his shoulder, making him turn away from the sight.

"You ready to head back? Your vovo's waiting," Sora spoke softly, as she handed him a bag of goodies.

Rafael took it from Sora's hands, forcing a smile and nodded. "Let's go."

Sora took his hand and together they walked away. Raf looked sideways, catching a final glimpse of Casey and Bryce. It was at that moment that he began to doubt himself, when he started to realize that he didn't entirely move on. He realized much later, that he really chose not to.

Tags: @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

#open heart #open heart 2 #open heart fanfiction #choices fic writers creations #rafael aveiro #bryce lahela #choices fanfiction #bryce lahela x mc #bryce x mc #bryce x casey

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trvelyans-archive · 5 years

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bread & butter

a gift for @goblin-deity !!! i love pollux and ortega so much, we truly do stan <3

---

It only takes a few drinks for Ortega to get handsy.

He shouldn’t be drinking at all, really, you think, because it’s probably not safe for him to be drunk in the kitchen when you’re both working with such delicate things, but he is anyway and it’s too late to convince him otherwise. He has his arms wrapped around your waist while you knead the heavy white dough with sweaty palms, and you think about making a joke about how it’s going to ruin the bread, but he probably doesn’t mind. You two are the only people who are going to be eating any of it, after all, and you might not even have any of it, either.

And he’s humming against your neck as his hands roam across your clothed stomach and sides, and it’s very, very distracting.

“I’m trying to focus here, Ricardo,” you mutter, reaching over to dip your fingertips in flour before spreading it across the surface of the flattened dough and beginning to knead it again.

“Mmmm.” He kisses the slope of your shoulder and begins swaying back and forth, inadvertently dragging you along with him despite how rigidly you stand in his embrace. “Are you saying I’m a distraction?”

“Yes,” you say without the slightest hint of hesitation. “I definitely am.”

“Mmmm.” You roll your eyes as he kisses you again. “I like distracting you.”

“Ricardo…”

He giggles. Giggles. This is dangerous. You’ve only had two drinks yourself but you’re still feeling more inclined than usual to make bad decisions and Ortega giggling and smiling and kissing you doesn’t make it any easier. “I like it when you say my name like that…”

“Your mother would be ashamed in you right now, Ricardo,” you say, clearing your throat and focusing on the dough in front of you even though it’d be so easy to pick it up and throw it in the trash and forget about it entirely and pretend you had never even been working on it at all. “You have horrible kitchen manners.”

“Good thing my mom isn’t here right now.” He slips his thumbs beneath the waistband of your pants. “Do you really want me to stop?” he says in a low voice, not pushing any further while he waits for you to reply.

You should say yes, but you don’t. It’s your own fault, really - you shouldn’t have let him convince you that you both needed a drink before you started. All you’re doing is baking bread. You didn’t need a drink, and he didn’t need three. And yet you both drank them anyway, and now you’re tipsy, and that’s not very good. Not very good at all.

“I just thought you wanted to bake,” you say, which isn’t at all a response, and Ortega takes note of that.

“I do,” he murmurs. “I did. And then you put your hair up…” He drags one hand away from your stomach and raises it to your head, pinching your topknot and tugging on it until it draws a reluctant laugh from your lips. “And then you got flour all over your sleeves… and your face…” He traces his finger down your cheek, along your jaw, around to your chin. “… and you’re here, with me, and I love you, Pollux.”

It’s not like you’re not used to him saying things like this to you. It just seems so much more earnest when he’s drunk; less rehearsed. He stumbles over his words and laughs at himself under his breath and seems to stiffen ever-so-slightly when you don’t say anything back. “But if you don’t –“

“Mmm.” You pull one hand away from the dough to cement his arm around you, holding it there while you continue to work with your other hand. “I didn’t say that.”

“You’re a tease, Lux.”

“And you’re very drunk, Ricky.”

He laughs. “Maybe,” he says. “But maybe you’re sexy.”

You snort, shaking your head, grabbing a small handful of flour between your fingers and smearing it across Ortega’s forearm. “And you are distracting me,” you say languidly while your fingers glide across his skin, leaving waves of goosebumps in their wake. “So you can only stay there as long as you’re good and as long as you don’t mess with my bread.”

You know he’s not going to listen, but you’re surprised at how immediate it is. In a flash, Ortega leans forward to the bowl of flour, sinks his hand into it until it’s coated white, and drags it across the front of your top from collar to hem, covering you in white powder that weighs heavy in the wrinkles of your unwashed shirt. “Okay,” he says good-naturedly, as if that didn’t just happen.

Your mouth falls open in surprise as you stare down your clothes. “Ortega!” you exclaim.

He spins you around in his grasp, cups your face with his free hand, and kisses you sweetly. You’d be mad about him ruining your shirt if you really cared, but you don’t – instead you’re mad that he’s tempting you to do something you’re sure you’re going to regret. “Ortega,” you repeat, sounding smaller this time, softer. “The bread.”

“I don’t care… about the bread… Pollux…” Each few words is punctuated by a new kiss somewhere else on your freckled, flour-covered face. “Did you really come over here to bake bread?”

“No,” you admit as he kisses you again. “I came to see you because you asked me to. And you just happened to ask me to bake bread with you, too, and so I thought I’d do it...”

“Is there anything else you want to do?”

You feel yourself get weak at the knees and wrap your arms around his neck despite yourself. “Bake cookies, maybe?” you suggest.

He groans aloud against the crook of your neck and you can practically feel it reverberate in your chest. “Why do you love teasing me so much?” he whines.

“Because you like it,” you whisper in his ear. “Now, are you going to let me work or are you going to force me to keep teasing you?”

He looks up at you. “The latter?”

You push him away from you by the shoulders and turn around, beginning to knead the bread once more. “I was going to suggest that you bring this to Tia Elena tomorrow, but now it’s going to be bad, and I know you’d never want to take the blame for that.”

“I think she’d disown me,” Ortega says as he leans over and grabs a bottle of wine, opening it while he watches you. “You were really going to suggest that?”

You shrug. You were going to suggest it, but only because this seems like something you could be doing with her, too, right now, but that thought just makes you said. “You could say you were baking with a friend and had an extra loaf leftover…”

“You think Mama would believe I have friends I could just casually bake with?”

“Maybe.”

“Pollux.” He pours you a glass of wine, leaning over to give it to you accompanied by a kiss on the cheek. “You’re the only person I’d do this kind of stuff with.”

“What ‘stuff’?” you ask foolishly, because you know he’s just going to launch into another tirade about how much he loves you, and you’re not sure if you could handle that right now.

But it’s too late. You’ve said it, and Ortega’s going to answer.

“Domestic stuff,” he says quietly. “You know… washing dishes… cooking… baking… doing laundry…” He wraps an arm around your waist and pulls you against his side. “Both of our lives are so chaotic that the only thing we can do together is nothing. The only thing I want you to do with me is nothing. Do you know what I mean?”

“This is the alcohol talking,” you respond, “and my life isn’t chaotic. I’m retired.”

He nuzzles his nose against your head and kisses your temple. “I know what goes on in your head, Pollux,” he whispers, “and I want to help you with those things when I can. I thought maybe this would be nice and relaxing for you…”

“So you’re making me bake for you with ulterior motives,” you joke, because the kindness is a little too much right now.

“I made you come over with ulterior motives,” Ortega responds, “and those things include kissing you… and touching you… and a few other things…”

His hand slips down to your ass, to your thigh. “Only if you want to, though,” he adds, his breath hot and heavy against your ear as he takes your glass out of your hand and sets it on the counter, a movement too measured for a man who is as drunk as you thought he was, so you’re beginning to think the alcohol is wearing off for both of you, and that only thing influencing your decisions right now is the presence of him next to you.

You should be finished preparing the dough soon, and since you have to wait for a long time after that to continue baking the bread…

You tilt your head against his and smile. “You didn’t elaborate enough on your other ideas to let me decide,” you muse. “Maybe do that and we’ll see.”

He’s lucky that you were in a good enough mood today to begin with that you’re entertaining this idea, in the kitchen no less as he reaches up to run the pad of his thumb over the button of your pants. “I want to clean all of this mess off of the kitchen counter,” he murmurs, “and unzip your pants and take them off gently, slowly, just to tease you as much as you always tease me, and then I want to nudge your legs open and kiss your thighs…”

He trails off and you nudge him gently with your elbow. “And?”

“And… if you’ll let me…” He kisses the skin beside your ear and bites your earlobe. “I want to eat you out on the counter until you’re too tired to go home and then you can spend the night and I’ll cuddle you as much as you’ll let me.”

Unfortunately for him, you would never let him do anything with you in the kitchen. Even with the overheads turned off, the streetlights outside would still shine too brightly through the windows. “You’re too convincing right now to be drunk.”

“I’m not,” he responds with a grin against your face. “I was a while ago, maybe, but even then I wasn’t too bad.”

“You just seem really happy tonight,” you comment.

“Because you’re here,” he says, “and because I love you.”

“That’s it?” you ask.

“That’s it.”

You tilt your head to kiss his cheek, and he captures your lips with his before you can manage it. Against your mouth, he mumbles, “And I want to show you how happy you make me...”

There’s a moment of silence while he waits for you to make your decision, and finally you finish up with the last steps of the dough preparation, place it in a bowl and cover it, and turn to him with your hands on your hips. “You have an hour and a half to wait for that to rise,” you say.

“An hour and a half?”

“In the bedroom,” you add.

Ortega licks his lips. “Sounds good to me,” he replies, taking a step towards you and kissing a line down the bridge of your nose before bending over, grabbing you by the waist, and throwing you over his shoulder. “An hour and a half?”

“Yes,” you laugh in exasperation as he carries you down the hallway, except you have a feeling he’s not going to listen to you. Not that you really wanted the bread, anyway. Having Ortega for dinner will be much better. Or him having you, instead.

#my writing #chargestep #nsfw-ish #idk what else to tag this as. i'm baby.#anyway i love you sm owen you're a king

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choiceslife · 6 years

Text

When Worlds Collide: Part Eight (Limited Series)

Disclaimer: Based upon characters in Choices - Endless Summer, It Lives in the Woods, The Royal Romance, #LoveHacks, Home for the Holidays, and The Elementalists series. All characters presented are the property of Pixelberry Studios. I claim no ownership. This story is purely the work of the poster as fanfiction.

Overall Series Rating: 18+

Warnings: Adult Language, Adult Content, Sexual Discussions. Future chapters may contain SMUT and Gratuitous Sexual Descriptions

Overall Series Summary: The sisters are together again and Ava Cunningham believes only they can help her.

Author’s Note: This Limited Series is a companion/sequel to Divided By Circumstance. I suggest you at least read that series in order to understand this one. As with most of my stories, this is a crossover and is part of my interconnected Chromatic AU. My MC’s are as follows: Carrissa Monroe (TRR), Abby Bennett (#LH), Scarlett Joy (HFTH), and Taylor Reed (ES). Previous Chapters can be found in my Master List located in my header.

Tag List: @ladynonsense @cinnamonroll-duffy @darley1101 @brightpinkpeppercorn @debramcg1106 @regrettingnathan @katurrade @teamtomsato @luxurylives @akrenich @riseandshinelittleblossom @jlouise88 @thehonorarybeaumont @eileendannie @marshmallow-ortega @littlecrookedheart @i-choose-liam @tmarie82 @bobasheebaby @boneandfur @europeanguy @walkerismychoice @pixieferry @sstee1 @endlessly-searching-for-you

***

La Huerta

“I’m worried about him, Aleister,” Grace said as she stepped beside her boyfriend. The two looked over to see Lucas meticulously pouring over data in an effort to verify his calculations for the Power Core alterations. “He’s been so focused the past three days and has barely spent any time with his friends.”

Aleister respected the drive. He didn’t understand Grace’s concern at all. Seeing Lucas’ determination reminded Aleister of himself. “I don’t see a problem Grace. He’s a hard worker and on a mission.”

“And he’s completely suppressing that he’s hurting inside. How can you not see it?” Grace watched Aleister stare at her blankly with a shrug. Her boyfriend may be intelligent, but when it came to picking up emotional cues, he was severely lacking in knowledge. “I’m gonna go talk to him.”

“Okay love.” Aleister knew better than to protest Grace when it came to these things. She had much more emotional depth than him.

Grace pulled up the stool beside Lucas as he ran his fingers through his uncharacteriscally unkempt hair. She was sure the frustration of the task before him felt insurmountable because of his unexpressed feelings. “You should take a break Lucas.”

“I can’t Grace. I’ve gotta figure this out.”

Her heart went out to him. Lucas was hurting and Grace could see it plain as day. Sure, he could try to bury himself in work and solving this problem to get the Power Core to calibrate properly, but she knew that until Lucas actually dealt with his pain that progress would come to a grinding halt. “Lucas?” Grace placed a comforting hand over the young man’s own hand. His eyes met hers. “Talk to me.”

Everything about Grace Hall was trustworthy and Lucas knew it with every fiber of his being. That’s all it took for him to let the flood gates open. “He doesn’t love me,” Lucas sobbed as he wrapped his arms around Grace and buried his head into her shoulder. Despite not having any children yet, Grace’s maternal instincts kicked into gear. She pat Lucas’ shoulder and gently caressed the back of his head as he sobbed into the softness of her orange sweater. “I waited too long to tell him how I felt.”

Grace gently rubbed Lucas’ back in soothing circles. “I’m sorry. I know it’s hard when you have such intense feelings for someone, but they don’t feel the same way.” She really did. Grace instantly recalled the one summer in college that she spent in London visiting her mom, when she developed a crush on the one intern in her mom’s office. Paolo was cute beyond her wildest imagination, but his ambitions left little room for him to have feelings for anyone other than himself. It took some time for Grace to deal with her pain, but eventually she began to heal. “You might not think it now, but it will get better. One day you will find someone that loves everything about the man you are inside and out.”

Lucas stepped back from the woman comforting him and nodded his appreciation for her assurances. “Thank you Grace. You’re right. I know you’re right. I just wish I had actually told Dan my feelings instead of making up a lie, but I saw how he looks at your friend and I knew I didn’t have a chance. Dan looks at Jake with the same passion and desire that I have when I look at him. And I think Jake might see that too.”

While Grace had a feeling that Lucas was crushing hard on Dan, the revelation that Dan had feelings for Jake came as quite a surprise. At some point, Grace knew she would have to have a conversation with her friend. Everyone was here for Jake so they could help bring Taylor home and Grace needed to know that his heart was all there. If what Jake had told them upon arriving back to the island was true; that everyone’s love is what kept Taylor from fading from existence, then Grace needed to know if he was having any doubts whatsoever. “Go rest up for a little Lucas. It’ll help you clear your head. You can come back fresh later to tackle the Power Core calibration.”

As soon as Lucas left for his room, Grace excused herself from the lab, intent on finding her pilot friend.

___

Jake stretched his arms in the air before folding them behind his head as he sat on one of the elongated poolside lounge chairs. He never imagined that he’d be relaxing at The Celestial once again, soaking up the sun’s warm rays, but that’s exactly what he’d been doing for the last few days while the brain trust toiled away in the laboratory. He certainly preferred being poolside compared to being stuck indoors. Jake enjoyed the energy soaking into his skin, hoping it would give him a much needed tan. He watched the others, in various groups, frolicking in the water or conversing at the tiki-style bar, while he just sat back enjoying some alone time.

“He’s quite fetching, isn’t he?” An all too familiar voice asked.

The shaggy haired pilot turned his haze, arms still folded behind his head, to see the most unexpected sight. “B-B-Boy Scout?” He stammered.

Taylor looked at Jake with a playful smile before nodding his head in the direction of the pool towards the subject of his question. Jake’s gaze shifted from his long lost love to the muscular figure extracting himself from the distant side of the pool. Dan’s back muscles flexed as he hoisted himself up. The water rolled down his body, highlighting every definition Sexy Mop Top earned from hard work in the gym. Jake’s eyes instantly traveled to Dan’s tapered waist and, once again, fixated on the lower back dimples situated just above his round bottom.

Forcing himself to break his objectification, Jake turned back to Taylor. “How are you here? We haven’t performed...”

“I’m always here Jake. With you. I’ve never left.”

“But you did Taylor,” Jake challenged. He dropped his hands to his lap and turned to face his husband. Sure, it was an unofficial hand-fasting, but that didn’t make it any less real to Jake. Taylor was his soulmate. The first person to capture his heart and make him want to be a better man. Jake blinked several times fighting back the tears he felt forming. “You left me alone. You made the decision to sacrifice yourself to save us all, but we never really got to talk about it first. One minute you’re with me and the next...” Jake’s voice cracked and he trailed off unable to finish his thought. He lost the battle with the tears as a steady stream rolled down his cheeks.

Taylor reached over and cupped Jake’s face in his hands. He gently ran his thumb across his sobbing husband’s cheek while turning Jake’s face up to look into the pilot’s blue eyes. “If I did Hotness, I never would’ve had the courage to go through with it. I couldn’t stay and let the world burn around us. Rourke had to be stopped. In time, I knew you’d find room in your heart to love again.” Taylor softly turned Jake’s face towards where Dan was sitting and laughing with his friends. “I know you’re feeling something for him Jake. It’s okay. If for some reason this plan with The Sisters doesn’t work; I want you to be happy.”

For a few moments, all Jake could do was look at Dan while pressing his face to Taylor’s palm. “How can I...” Jake began to say turning to face his love, but he was no longer there. “Taylor?” Jake looked around the pool area frantically, but Taylor was nowhere in sight.

Jake opened his eyes to find himself still outstretched and lounging poolside. His hands were still laced behind his head and he realized that he must have dozed off. Jake saw that the others were still enjoying themselves in the pool area. Stacy sat atop Ava’s shoulders in the pool, battling Cade who was perched upon Varyn’s shoulders. Dan sat on the pool’s edge with his feet in the water beside Sean and Craig, the latter of which was animatedly miming football moves during conversation. Michelle sat under a canopied table sipping drinks with Carissa, Abby, and Scarlett, while Raj stood behind a nearby grill, no doubt whipping up something delicious. Meanwhile, Estella and Zahra practiced grappling moves on the nearby beach.

It must have been a dream, but it felt so real, so vivid. Jake turned his head and was immediately startled to see Diego sitting on the lounger beside him just staring. “Jesus Short Stuff. You scared me. How long have you been sitting there?”

“Long enough to see that something bothered you in your sleep. Wanna talk about it?” Diego placed a comforting hand on Jake’s leg.

“It’s nothing Diego. Just... just go back and have fun with the others.” Jake quickly got up from his seat, not wanting to discuss his feelings. He appreciated Diego’s concern, but Jake just needed some alone time. “I’ll catch you later,” he said before walking off towards The Celestial lobby.

From across the pool area, Dan noticed Jake depart, appearing to be upset. He excused himself from Craig and Sean and the football conversation they were having; quickly jogging toward the hotel.

___

The lobby was empty, as was the bar. Jake wasn’t in The Celestial’s massive fitness center either. Rounding a corner into another long corridor, Dan finally spotted his friend through the windows of the grand hotel’s large game room. He watched as Jake’s shirtless form stretched while rolling billiard balls by hand across the velvet table rather forcefully. Dan couldn’t help involuntarily hitching his breath as his eyes roamed over the pilot’s attractive body. Dan leaned his strong frame against the doorway as he folded his arms across his bare chest. “Hey,” he said lowly, finally exhaling that held breath.

“Hey Dan,” Jake replied without looking up from the pool table. He rolled another billiard ball across the table, sinking it into a corner pocket. “You didn’t have to come find me. I’ll be fine. You can go back and have fun with the others.”

“You’re not fine now though Jake. You didn’t even call me by my nickname.”

Jake glanced up to see his new friend smiling from ear-to-ear. He wanted to be angry, but how could he be when Dan was standing right there looking so damn adorable? Although he tried to fight it, Jake felt the corners of his mouth curl upwards ever so slightly. And he was pretty sure Dan noticed. “Why’d you come looking for me?”

“I can’t sit back and watch someone I care about struggle to cope,” Dan replied. He ran a hand through his slightly damp hair; still wet from his earlier dip in the outdoor pool.

Jake slowly made his way towards where Dan was standing. He got within inches of the younger, taller man who made him have conflicting feelings inside. “Why do you care about me? We barely know each other,” Jake whispered, his hot breath rippling across Dan’s neck causing goose bumps.

“I... uh... I...” Dan swallowed hard causing his Adam’s apple to bob in his throat. He was unable to find the words to express how he felt, but that didn’t stop his body from giving away his lust for the pilot. Dan felt his manhood grow, pressing tightly against the waterproof fabric of his swim trunks as it yearned to be set free. He could practically feel the almost invisible tiny hairs on Jake’s pecs tickling his own smooth, bare chest as he finally found words. “I don’t know why exactly. Something inside me just feels drawn to you. I know it’s wrong. We’re here to get Taylor back, but I don’t know how to make a feeling stop.”

“I’m confused too,” Jake replied. He gently brushed a stray lock of hair from Dan’s forehead before drawing the back of his fingers down the young man’s cheek. Jake brought his lips dangerously close to Dan’s, desperately wanting a taste. “If this were any other time, I’d be bending you over that pool table Sexy Mop Top.” Jake’s finger traveled slowly down Dan’s neck to the muscular divide of his chest eliciting a slight gasp. And then he took a small step back. “But Taylor has my heart. I’m a different man because of him. I’ve waited for him to come back to me and I have to believe he will return.” Jake pulled Dan’s forehead to his own. “I’m sorry.”

The two men stood together, forehead-to-forehead, for a few moments before Dan finally retreated. “You have nothing to be sorry about Jake. I completely understand.” Dan ran his palms down the front of his swim trunks and took a deep breath to regain his composure. While he was disappointed, he also knew chances with Jake were a long shot. “Taylor is a lucky guy and we’re gonna get him back Jake.” Dan gave Jake’s shoulder a comforting squeeze before he exchanged one final nod with the shaggy haired pilot and turned on his heel back towards the pool area.

Standing around the corner, Grace had heard everything. “So Lucas was right. Dan does have feelings for you.” Grace said as she made her presence known after Dan’s departure and approached Jake in the game room doorway. “And you have some feelings for him too?”

Jake was stunned to see Grace appear. “It’s not like that...”

“Just listen Jake,” Grace said raising her hand and cutting him off. “I heard what you said. You really need to be sure, without a scintilla of doubt that Taylor is the one. Everyone is here because we know what losing him meant to you, but if you’re not sure...”

The pilot placed both of his hands onto his friend’s shoulders. “Grace. I’m sure. For a moment my mind tried to tell me that Taylor would want me to find happiness with someone else, but when I saw Dan up here, I realized that it was just my fear that this plan might not work causing me to have doubts. In that moment, I knew I had to stop thinking that way. You all came here and had faith in me and supported me. It’s time that I have that same faith. I love Taylor and I know he will be back.”

Grace wiped the single tear from her cheek, content that Jake’s words were true. She wrapped her arms around his bare torso. “Good cuz if you said something else I would have hurt you.”

The two friends shared a laugh as Grace linked an arm into Jake’s elbow, about to walk towards the lobby when Aleister came running down the hallway.

“Oh good! I found you both,” Aleister panted breathlessly. “I’ve got it. I found the error that Lucas mentioned. I’ll have the Power Core fully recalibrated tonight and we can finally perform the ritual tomorrow.”

***

(To Be Continued)

#choices fanfic #Endless Summer #it lives in the woods #choices fandom #playchoices

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itsalliepg · 5 years

Text

The Bet - Zig x Chris (N*SFW)

SUMMARY: Zig and Chris decide to go out together, and things get hot when Zig proposes a daring bet.

PAIRING: Zig x Chris

RATING: Mature (N*SFW)

WORDS: 1902

NOTE: English isn’t my native language. I write to practice and learn, so please sorry any mistakes. I hope you like it, and if you do, I’d appreciate if you like/comment/reblog!

Tagging @thatspicegirlssong @choicesbyjade @lorirwrites @bobasheebaby @littlecrookedheart @walkerismychoice @nanieuniverse @emerald-bijou

Fanfic Masterlist

AO3 Profile

Over the next few days, Zig saw Eric almost every day. Zig felt good when he was with him, he was charming, fun and intelligent, definitely boyfriend material. When he realized Eric was really into him, Zig tried, but he couldn’t like him the same way. They hooked up again in Eric’s apartment twice, and Zig thought maybe that might change his opinion, but their feelings didn’t match. So why was he still hanging out with Eric? If Zig were sincere with himself, he’d have the answer.

This answer was the same if Chris thought why he also wasn’t as excited about Paige, as she was with him. He was getting to know her better, and they didn’t cross the line of the kisses and hugs, but he could tell Paige was a great girl, beautiful, sweet, always in a good mood, reflected in that pretty smile that never left her face. He could see himself dating someone like her. But he just didn’t like her enough for that.

Besides the lack of deep feelings for their new crushes, Zig and Chris also shared two things: how much they missed each other. And the fact they both had an idea for that Friday night.

After his classes, Chris entered in the dorm and found Zig getting ready. Did he already have plans? He noticed how handsome Zig was, as usual.

_Are you going out with someone? – Chris asked, tossing his bag on the bed and rolling his eyes discretely. Of course he would hang out with Eric.

_Yes. You – Chris arched his eyebrows – come on, get ready, let’s do something fun, it’s been a long time since we’ve hang out together, just the two of us.

_You know, I was just about to ask you the same thing.

_Really? – they smiled.

_Yeah. I’ll be ready in no time – Chris was excited. He got dressed, and Zig’s eyes flashed when he saw how that tight shirt looked good on Chris – so, where are we going?

_I think I’ve already mentioned a dive bar which I found when I’d just moved here. It’s a cool place, I think you’ll like it.

_Oh, I remember – Chris smiled – so, what are we waiting for? – Zig smiled as well and they went to Zig’s car. All the way to MacLachlan’s, they kept a cheering conversation, and soon the concerns of their days were forgotten. They arrived at the bar, and amidst beers, laughter and jokes, they had a great time that night. But Chris had to ask something – so, uh, how are things going with that guy…?

_Eric? – Chris nodded. He knew his name, but only the thought of saying that made him nauseated – well, we’re fine. We go out together, talk, these things.

_But…are you, you know, dating?

_No. And, I don’t know, I think I don’t like him enough. I mean, he’s great, but I don’t think that would happen – Chris felt relief taking him – and that girl, Parker, right?

_Paige – Chris corrected. Zig was mistaken on purpose. He didn’t like to hear that name either – we’re fine too. But just like you, I don’t know if I want to take things to the next step. We have fun together, and she’s a cutie, but…

_Lack of chemistry to dating?

_Exactly. I couldn’t say any better– Zig’s heart finally calmed down, and he didn’t realized how fast it was beating. An awkward silence formed between them. They looked around as they sipped their beers. In a moment, Chris’ attention was caught by the pool table – what about a little game? – Chris stood up and picked a stick, Zig followed him – the loser pays another round of beers.

_Actually, I wanted to bet something else – Zig said, slyly, and Chris arched an eyebrow.

_Oh, yeah? What? – Zig approached him, a smirk on his lips and a malicious look in his eyes.

_How about it: if I win, you’re all mine tonight. If you win, I’m all yours tonight – Chris licked his lips. The things he would do with Zig…he had to win that bet.

_Now things have become really interesting – Chris discretely ran his fingers over Zig’s arm.

_And I, kind of prepared a surprise, if I win.

_Oh? – Chris widened his eyes – what?

_Let me win and you’ll know – Zig winked.

_Things aren’t so easy, Ortega – they laughed and Chris started the game. He hit a ball in the corner, and smiled victoriously to Zig.

_Nice move, Powell – he grinned and leaned over the table. Zig shot and skillfully made two balls spin in two different holes. Chris clapped his hands, and they laughed again. The game was still fierce, but that didn’t mean Zig and Chris couldn’t exchange glances and smiles. Chris enjoyed the sight of Zig’s strong arms flexing when he was getting ready to play. Zig found sexy when Chris frowned at the thought of his next move. The flirtation was increasing after each play and the urge of feeling each other was almost uncontrollable. After a while, the game ended with Zig’s victory by a small difference.

_Congrats – Chris shook his hand, sending an electric feel through their bodies – and so…what was that mysterious thing you said before? – Zig came over and whispered into Chris’ ear.

_I have a special place in mind, where I’m going to get my prize – Chris shivered with Zig’s breath in his ear.

_Oh, where?

_You’ll see – Zig discretely kissed his cheek. Together, they walked to Zig’s car, and Chris almost could barely control his curiosity. After a short ride, Zig parked in front of the foot of a hill. The boys got out of the car, and Chris noticed Zig picking up a bag from the trunk.

_You’re killing me with this mystery, Zig!

_Just wait a little longer. Believe me, it will be worth the wait – Zig smiled, carrying the bag with one hand. He took Chris’ hand with the other, and led him down a trail which ended at the top of the hill. Zig smiled to himself with the sensation of walking hand in hand with Chris, and secretly wished this to happen more often. As they reached the top, Chris stared in amazement at a stunning view of Northbridge, lit by the full moon and stars.

_Wow, Zig! This is gorgeous! – Chris squeezed Zig’s hand. Zig put the bag on the floor, then leaned over and kissed Chris’ cheek again.

_Not as gorgeous as you – Chris turned to Zig and they shared a grin. He took Zig’s face between his hands and kissed him deeply. Zig wrapped his arms around Chris’ waist, pulling him closer. After a long, breathless kiss, Chris looked into Zig’s eyes.

_So, mister, do you want your prize now?

_Yes, but first – Zig crouched to open the bag, and took off a blanket and two pillows. He laid the blanket down in the floor, and placed the pillows on it – much better – Chris smirked.

_Always thinking of everything – he approached Zig again – so, I guess I’m all yours tonight – Zig rested his hands on Chris’ hips. How he loved to hear Chris say it – what do you want to do with me?

_Oh, a few things – he grabbed the hem of Chris’ shirt – they all involve you without your clothes – Chris smiled and lifted his arms, so Zig pulled off the shirt. Then Chris did the same with Zig’s shirt. Kissing, Zig sat down on the floor, pulling Chris with him, then put his back on the floor. Zig kissed Chris’ neck and collarbone as he unbuckled Chris’ belt and unzipped his fly – god, I was missing you so much…

_I was missing you too, Zig – Chris sighed, tangling his fingers in Zig’s hair as he kissed a trail from his chest to his waistband. Zig undressed Chris and eagerly caught his length with his mouth, sucking hard and stroking with one hand. Chris moaned and arched his back, enjoying the sensation of Zig’s mouth against his skin – oh, Zig… - Zig ran a hand over Chris’ chest, feeling his heart pounding and breathing fast. Chris groaned deeply.

_Come here – Zig pulled back and pulled down the fly of his own jeans. Chris undressed him quickly and took Zig’s dick with his mouth. Zig’s mouth let out a moan and its corners quirked up – I brought something – he reached for the bag and opened a zipper, then took off a lube. Chris chuckled.

_Were you so confident you would win?

_I know you would also enjoy it if you won – Zig winked as he squeezed the lube in his hand. His index and middle fingers thrusted into Chris’ hole. He sucked in a breath, then accelerated the pace at Zig’s length. After a few moments, Zig grabbed Chris by his hips and positioned him on his knees and fists, then placed himself behind him – I want you to tell me if you feel uncomfortable.

_Okay – Chris smiled. Zig was always thinking about him. He felt Zig’s cock sliding inside him, at the same time Zig sighed deeply. He started to move in a gentle pace, but Chris was desperate to feel him entirely – faster, Zig!

_I thought I was on charge today – Zig pulled out his length and teased Chris with his tip. Chris shudered.

_Please, Zig…I need you – he begged and Zig giggled, then bent down, resting his chest on Chris’ back. He thrusted again and accelerated his hips.

_Lucky you I need you too – Zig took Chris’ dick with one of his hands and stroked fiercely, matching the rhythm of his body. Chris followed him, moving his hips against Zig’s, trying to feel him deeper inside him. He turned his head and kissed Zig ardently, flicking their tongues. Zig slid his mouth to Chris’ neck, his lips burning in his skin. Chris was in cloud 9. Zig in charge was something. A few shoves later, Zig’s groans became louder – I’m gonna cum! – Chris tightened his grip on Zig, who finally felt the ecstasy taking his entire body and let out a cry of pleasure as he filled Chris with his hot cum – your turn now – Zig sped up his hand on Chris’ length.

_Oh, yes! – Chris groaned, surrendering to the feel of Zig’s hand rubbing him. He felt his orgasm and sent shots of milky cum to the floor. Chris fell to the blanket, resting his sweaty head in one of the pillows. Zig lay down next to him. They stared at each other for a while as they caught their breath, and then closed the distance in a kiss – you know, you won the bet, but I think I got the prize too.

_You’re right – they shared a smile and kissed again. Chris snuggled closer to Zig, who wrapped an arm around his shoulders – it’s such a beautiful night. How about we stay here for a while?

_Great idea – Chris kissed Zig’s neck and they stared at the starry sky for some moments, in silence – what are you thinking? – Chris asked when he noticed Zig sighing.

_I just…wow, I was missing being like this with you – Chris traced his finger on Zig’s tattoo.

_Me too – they kissed again.

_I was also thinking, this is, like, our first date, since we started, you know.

_Yeah…yeah, you’re right – Chris grinned and Zig kissed his temple. Much later in that night, they came back to their dorm.

#long post #n*sfw #zig x chris #chris x zig #the junior #fanfic #choices fanfic #choices #playchoices

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fallenhero-rebirth · 7 years

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200 subscribers! (actually 208)

I’ve pondered long and hard what to do, and came to the realization that I did not have time to write anything since I am right now working on book two. But, I wanted to give you a bit of fun, so I went back through my archives and found some outtakes. You remember when I said that Fallen Hero was originally meant to be a novel? Well, I thought I’d share some scenes from there that hasn’t made it into the game (yet). Be warned, this is from 2011, first person, Cyrus and Yasmin, a male Ortega and Dr. Mortus (not Mortum) and in no way canon anymore. Also a lot more swearing.

Snippets under the cut:

1: Yasmin runs into problems (cut from book one)

I am insane. It’s not the first time I have thought that in the last year, and it will probably not be the last. How did I ever imagine that I could pull this off? My mind is fire and ice as I face the gun aimed at my face, but Yasmin’s lips simply curls in a smile. “This is a mistake” I assure the gun, and the masked man behind it, my voice a honeyed mumble.

“No mistake bitch” the man with the gun replies, a faceless goon with high-tech weapons that rings bells I can’t quite make sense of. In Yasmin’s body I can’t read thoughts, only the body language of a man that really doesn’t care whether I live or die. “Word has it that you were the one that made off with the Aipherion, and I’ve been hired to retrieve it.”

The gun beckons, and I take a step towards it, flirts with death and pain as I let my eyes widen a little, confusion vying with worry on my face. “I had nothing to do with that” I lie, because stealing from heroes was one thing, but the mystical gem called the Aipherion had belonged to Lord Modius, and one did not play games with him. Who had talked? Dr Mortus? It seems unlikely, if he had I would be dead already and the gem returned to its owner.

“I am sad to hear that” the goon replies, the gun never wavering from my face. It’s large, imposing, and like all guns overtly phallic. “Because my sources all point to you being involved.”

I am growing annoyed at the presence of the gun by now, so I do the only thing I can. I take a step forward and lick the tip of it, whispering into the barrel “Listen, I don’t know what magic eightball you’ve shook to have my name come up, but you are barking up the wrong tree. I’m a tech-girl; the mystical is wasted on me.” As if to prove the point I wrap my lips around the barrel and is rewarded with a shiver I can feel through my lips. I pull my head away, glistening strands of saliva still connecting me to his weapon. My smile has turned sensual, as I slide my tongue down the gun, softly stepping even closer as I nudge the weapon to the side. Sucker.

“My sources…” he starts, voice distracted, and this is the chance I need. The gun was aimed past my head now, not at it, and I move fast as a rattler as I grab his hand and punch his elbow hard enough to almost dislocate it. His words turn to a scream and the gun drops from dead fingers.

“Fuck your sources” I swear, driving my fist into his stomach as hard as I can, but he’s a big man and well armoured, and doesn’t fold like I want him to. Damn. This could be bad.

“Bitch” he growls, left hand snatching out and grabbing my hair. I should have seen that coming, but I’m not Sidestep now, I’m Yasmin. I can’t see what people will do; I am no longer three steps ahead. I am caught, and he has longer reach and is stronger than me. I am fucked. He knows it. I know it. His knee catches me in the stomach and I fold, gasping for air. “You will pay for that” he snaps, and I don’t doubt his word.

“Wait” I manage to get out before his next kick drives what air remains from my lungs. I curl up on the ground, trying to protect my face. But he leans in and traps me against the ground with a knee, slaps my face a few times hard enough to make my ears ring. He doesn’t even take fighting me seriously, and the shame of that makes my cheeks burn from embarrassment as much as pain. I feel more helpless than I’ve felt since the farm, and I want to run and hide, withdraw and leave an empty doll for him to play with. But if I do, I can’t be sure if I would find my way back to her. I would have to give up two years of plans so very close to fruition. I need her, I need my Yasmin.

“Did you have anything to say to me?” He has me pinned down now, captured beneath his weight. I don’t need my telepathy to see that he is enjoying this. That he is enjoying my swollen lip and tearful eyes. He has me now, and he knows it, his gloved left hand caressing my bruised cheek.

“I’m telling the truth” I sob, deciding to play up the fear if I can’t escape it. “I don’t have it. But I can find out. People tell me things…” it is my final gamble, to play the girl to the end. To not be important, to be pretty and smart, but never dangerous. I was not the threat; I was a norm, a tool, like his gun. A sexy girl employed by somebody, just like he was. I did not know now, but I could find out.

“I’m sorry hon, that just ain’t good enough.” He backhands me again, and I taste blood and metal as bright spots distort my vision. “Can’t take the chance of you running off to Dr Mortus for help. I don’t care what the pair of you is cooking up together, but my instructions were clear.” He reaches down and grabs my dress, my breasts spilling out as the fabric rips in his hand. The sight distracts him momentarily, and I know I won’t get another shot at this.

I yelp and move up an arm to shield my nakedness, but the moment he reaches out to grab my wrist I lash out with my other arm and jab a piece of broken bottle into the side of his thigh. It doesn’t penetrate deeply through the coveralls, but it makes him shift his weight enough for me to crawl away as he struggles to pull it out. I crawl fast, on knees and elbows with the tattered remains of my Ungaro around my waist. I don’t get far before I feel his hand around my ankle, pulling me back. I didn’t get far, but I got far enough and oh God how I enjoy the look of terrified surprise on his face when I roll over on my back and shove the gun he dropped back in his mouth. I know I should say something witty in the line of ‘suck on this’ if I want to have a future in this profession, but my hands are shaking with rage so I simply pull the trigger and nearly deafen myself at the roar the gun makes in the narrow alley. Idiot. He didn’t even have a silencer.

I lay there on the ground, his bleeding corpse draped over me, ruptured head leaking brains over the remains of my dress. I should reach for my phone and call the police; I am clearly the victim here. But that would mean more exposure than I would like. Instead I swallow my pride and calls Dr Mortus. Let the man earn his keep and damn my dignity.

2: Yasmin and Ortega at the bar (Might happen in book two)

The bar is filled with the muted hum of drunken conversation, unrecognizable through the rockabilly blare of the speakers. The green velvet seats in the booth are greasy from decades of the unwashed and uncaring, and the light that filters down, does so through a haze of cigarette smoke. In a corner two men in purple suits are having a pantomime argument, while the hunched bear of a man at the bar hides his gang colors under an oversized trench coat. I don’t even want to know what else he has under there.

I shouldn’t throw stones.

We must be quite a sight where we sit in our booth. A bedraggled young woman in ill-fitting lab clothes and messy hair, and a middle-aged hispanic man in blue coveralls and stolen wellingtons. Honestly, it’s a miracle that we’re sitting here at all; I didn’t expect to escape from Dr. Mortus lab this easily. Granted, Liz had told me that he was gone for a few days, but in the back of my mind I expected him to pop up behind us with a plasma cannon just as we were getting out of there. He probably didn’t think I would try to escape. Maybe I was wrong about him. Maybe he trusted me. Maybe he really wanted to help. Or maybe we were lucky. Maybe it doesn’t matter. Ortega keeps staring at me in silence, and I keep the gun aimed at him under the table.

In front of us, both our beers remain untouched.

Not that anybody cares to take a closer look at us. That is the reason I dragged Ortega here at gunpoint. It is one of the many villain bars I combed through before settling on Joe’s as my favored haunt. This one, aptly named Garage Sale, always felt too low-brow. The people I wanted to meet didn’t go here; this is a place for the down and out, for the upwardly mobile henchmen and supervillains on the skids. In here, nobody cares and nobody smiles. Neither do we.

“All I have to do is make one phone call and you’ll be safe.” Ortega does his best to sound calm and convincing, but he just doesn’t look he part right now. His age has caught up to him and weights heavy on his brow, black rings shadow his eyes and he’s mottled with bruises where he had been hooked up to Dr. Mortus generator. That is the only reason I’m able to threaten him at all, his powers still hadn’t recharged, and for the moment he’s just as ordinary as I am.

But I have the gun.

“I won’t go back to jail,” I reply, my voice as cold as my face. I have no idea what I am supposed to do now, my brain has locked itself into a death spiral, and I don’t know how to get out of it. The crash seems inevitable, and the ground is painted with prison bars. That’s why we ended up in this bar; I needed someplace safe and neutral, somewhere where nobody would care or ask questions. And Cyrus would never come here. At least I hope that whoever stole his body still has an interest in keeping up the charade that he is a good guy. It’s too valuable to waste. I hope.

“It was a hospital, not a jail,” Ortega tries, raising the beer to his lips for the first time since we got here. As he moves he makes me tense up and I clench the gun harder, which makes him tense up, and the beer shivers a moment before he puts it down again. Very gently.

“It would have been. Once I’d recovered and given up whatever information I had. I’m not stupid, I know how this works.”

“Why do you still protect him? You said it yourself, the Annihilist threatened you, and you had no choice.” I almost feel sorry for Ortega, it is obvious that he wants to believe that so badly.

“It’s… complicated,” I sigh, the gun heavy in my hand. Part of me wants to let it go, wants to just confess and ask for help. I think I need it. But I know it’s never that easy. If I told Ortega about Cyrus, about who I am and what I did, would he believe me? Even if he did, he would be disgusted. I am not a victim, I’m a villain, and my acts are conscious choices. Nobody holds a gun to my head.

“Life is complicated,” Ortega finally admits, looking into my eyes. “I don’t believe you are an evil woman. You didn’t have to rescue me; you could just as easily have left me there.”

I could just as easily have killed him too. That would have simplified things. The thought nauseates me, so I distract myself with words. “It’s just that…” I have lowered the gun now, but he doesn’t know that. “It’s not loyalty, but you’re asking me to give up my life and my freedom. You can’t stop him, I’ll either end up in jail for what I’ve done, or I’ll end up dead. I don’t think he’d let me live through a plea bargain.”

“And what if you go back to him? Do you think he would ever trust you again?” His words hit too close to home, even if it is for the wrong reasons. I hope it doesn’t show. Because he is right, I can never return to what I was. Not without a means to get my body back. And to pull that off I need contacts and friends. I just crossed Dr. Mortus of the rapidly shrinking list. Ortega is about the only one left. The one bridge I’m finding it hard to burn.

“I can’t go back, but I can’t go to jail either,” I repeat, as if words would somehow fix the world. The situation is rapidly turning into one of those nightmares where it’s just too hard to continue to struggle. It’s much easier to just go limp, roll over, pretend to be unconscious and accept what is coming to you. But in this nightmare, I am the one holding the gun. I am still in control.

Things change so quickly.

“Hey, isn’t that Charge?” Words strike like a lightning bolt from a clear sky, and suddenly all eyes are on us.

“I always said you were an idiot for not wearing a mask,” I snap without thinking. Cyrus’ words from Yasmin’s lips, but there is no time for more than a confused look on Ortega’s face. I’m on my feet with the gun pointed at the men that spotted us, but a well aimed bottle from the bar knocks it out of my hand.

All hell breaks loose.

Ortega is on his feet and we’re back to back against the surging bar. It’s late enough for most of the patrons to be desperately drunk, trying to escape from the drudgery of their existence. But they are many, and I’m just happy that Ortega holds his own, because giving up is not an option. I knee a CerberUS henchman in the groin, slipping sideways as he crumbles. Ortega matches my step; moving into the spot that I left. I had forgotten how good it felt to have someone watch your back.

Someone you trust.

I am no longer a telepath, but apparently my reflexes are not gone. A movement in the corner of my eye makes me turn; reaching up to grab the descending arm before I even register what happened. His lack of balance makes it easy to turn his punch into a throw that sends him flying over a table. Bottles crash like firework.

I had forgotten how much I missed this.

I break into a smile as I break someone’s nose, the bottle splintering in my hand. People back away from my broken bottle, and I laugh in their faces, bolstered by the feeling of Ortega behind me, his back against mine. Then a sense of fearsome urgency hits me.

I’m not sure what it is that makes me push back hard enough to topple us both, but we hit the floor a moment before the blast hits the spot we just left. Suddenly the booth is on fire, the air aglow in freakish colors and I’m crawling for my life beneath the tables. The gloves have come off and the powers brought out, and if you shouldn’t drive drunk you probably shouldn’t wield biogenic flame or solid light constructs while wasted either. People are screaming, someone is on fire, the fight is escalating and it’s everyone against everyone.

At least until someone remembers that this wasn’t just about venting their frustrations, it’s about kicking a hero when he’s down and they can reach him. I watch Ortega disappear under a pile of has-beens wishing for a starring role in the story of Charge’s defeat. I don’t think I screamed his name out loud, and even if I did, nobody heard me amidst the chaos. I scramble free from the broken table I’d been hiding under just in time to dodge and shield my eyes as every single light in the bar explodes in a shower of sparks and glass. The mob around Ortega falls away, twitching and screaming as if they’d just pissed on the third rail. I am probably imagining the ozone, there’s no way that could ever overpower the stench of cheap alcohol, unwashed bodies and voided bowels.

Ortega untangles himself, pale blue lightning arcing between his body and the now empty sockets. The room is dark, but his eyes are throwing sparks. He’s shed the guise that he belonged here, another has-been slumming with the losers. Suddenly nobody seems eager to continue the fight.

“I think we will be leaving now,” he says, gesturing in my direction. Nobody protests. I straighten my back and walks out with Ortega, my hair alive with static electricity. My skin tingles from his aura, but I don’t bat an eyelash until we’re well outside the door.

And gone.

Two blocks of frantic running later we’re both out of breath, and Ortega looks less than imposing as he leans against a dumpster.

“Would you please accept my invitation and stay in my apartment at least? I’ve had enough excitement for one night,” he gasps.

“Not one night. Weeks. Technically you’ve been a captive for a couple of weeks,” I say, because I realized he had probably no idea how much time that had passed. My hair is tangled and sticking to my face so I wipe it back with a look of disgust.

“Weeks. Right. That’s good to know.” Ortega takes a step back from the dumpster; the smell coming from it is not pleasant now that he had regained his breath.

“Your powers. How long has it been since they recharged?” I’m through resisting the inevitable, but I need to know.

“On the way to the bar. I borrowed a jolt from a badly insulated lamppost.” Ortega looks sheepish, as if he was a bit ashamed of his subterfuge.

“So you could have taken the gun from me at any point?”

“You… looked like you needed it. I didn’t want to push you into doing something rash.”

I nod, defeated. “That was probably very smart. I meant what I said; I won’t go back to jail.”

“It won’t be jail. It’s just my apartment. You can leave at any time, but I really wish you wouldn’t. You’re too interesting to end up just another statistic.”

“Thanks. I think. Just don’t tell anybody I’m there.” It sounds more like begging than an order, even though the ‘please’ remains unsaid, sticking in my throat. “I need time to think. Time to make my own choices.”

“I won’t tell anybody. I promise. I respect that you need time. Do we have a deal then?” He holds out his hand, battered and bleeding from the fight.

The sad thing is, I believe him. I know how this works, the sympathetic ear, the understanding friend. You catch more flies with honey and all that. But it doesn’t matter. I’ve let him save me enough time in the past that one more time won’t make a difference. It’s the least painful of my choices, so I sigh “deal,” then grabs his hand and shakes it.

Probably a little too manly again, because he gives me another look.

This won’t end well.

#Fallen Hero #old stories #the novel that never was

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choiceslife · 6 years

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When Worlds Collide: Part Two (Limited Series)

Overall Series Rating: 18+

Warnings: Adult Language, Adult Content, Sexual Discussions. Future chapters may contain SMUT and Gratuitous Sexual Descriptions

Overall Series Summary: The sisters are together again and Ava Cunningham believes only they can help her.

Author’s Note: This Limited Series is a companion/sequel to Divided By Circumstance. I suggest you at least read that series in order to understand this one. As with most of my stories, this is a crossover and is part of my interconnected Chromatic AU. My MC’s are as follows: Carrissa Monroe (TRR), Abby Bennett (#LH), Scarlett Joy (HFTH), Taylor Reed (ES), and Donovan Bailey (TE). There will be an End Note following this chapter. Previous Chapters can be found in my Master List located in my header.

Tag List: @cinnamonroll-duffy @darley1101 @debramcg1106 @brightpinkpeppercorn @regrettingnathan @katurrade @teamtomsato @luxurylives @akrenich @ladynonsense @riseandshinelittleblossom @kinkykingliam @jlouise88 @kenjikatsoros @eileendannie @marshmallow-ortega @littlecrookedheart @i-choose-liam @bobasheebaby @boneandfur @tmarie82 @europeanguy @walkerismychoice @pixieferry @sstee1 @3pawandme @endlessly-searching-for-you

***

Somewhere Over the United States

The jostling of Jake’s private plane jolted Dan out of his uncomfortable sleep. He and Ava had expected to fly commercial from Louisiana to New York, but when Jake said he owned a plane, they thought it would be an awesome experience. It had been nothing of the sort.

The first leg of the trip, Dan had gripped the arm rest so hard, he thought he would leave finger impressions in the aluminum. For the second and final flight, Dan tried to sleep away his worry, but every slight movement the plane made stirred him out of his slumber. “I thought you said he was a pilot?” Dan asked turning to Ava who was seated across the aisle from him. Ava chuckled with a smirk before sliding a sleep mask back over her eyes. “Guess I’ll check on him myself.”

___

“Take a seat and strap in Mop Top,” Jake remarked after glancing behind him at the sound of the cockpit divider being opened. “There’s a lot of turbulence to deal with right now.”

Dan did as he was told, quickly sitting in the co-pilot chair and buckling up. He looked over at Jake wearing a vintage green bomber jacket over his snug black t-shirt. Even clothed, Dan couldn’t deny Jake’s natural sex appeal. “Only Mop Top this time? No Sexy?”

Jake playfully side-eyed his new friend. His heart remained firmly with Taylor, even more so knowing that there was some chance he could be reunited with his lost love. But it was nice to know that others still found him desirable, even though his peak physical condition faded months ago after Taylor vanished from his life. “Your shirt is on,” Jake replied as he flashed his signature underwear dropping lopsided grin.

A tiny laugh mixed with the faintest snort left Dan’s mouth. “I can fix that ya know,” he said with a wink. Dan saw the corners of Jake’s lips curl up slightly before the pilot refocused his attention to the controls. He knew Jake was taken and that he was working with Ava to help them reunite, but damn if something inside him didn’t ignite when he met the pilot. Ava had asked Dan to accompany her in this quest in case things didn’t work as she hoped and Jake needed someone to help him cope with the trauma. Dan was more than willing to help in that capacity, but he hadn’t expected to crush hard on Jake. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be flirting. Taylor is a lucky guy and I hope we can help bring him back.”

“No apology necessary Dan. My Bayou charm is impossible to resist.” A brief moment of silenced passed before the two men burst into a riotous laughter. “But I appreciate it and the help you and Ava are giving me. Come what may, you’ve given me hope again and I realized, I need to live for Taylor whether we are successful or not. He wouldn’t want me to be acting all sad and lonely.”

Dan fist bumped Jake to acknowledge their mutual respect. He sat quietly for a moment as Jake adjusted several control settings and verified their flight position. “So I gotta ask, how the heck did you afford a plane?” Dan finally inquired after Jake had gotten everything situated with the controls.

“Oh Delilah here?” Jake affectionally patted the control as he looked over towards Dan. “Long story, but let’s just say I won her.”

“Someone gambled a plane? Jeez! What did you wager?”

“My clothes.” Jake saw the absolute shock on Dan’s face at the revelation. Sure, Jake had omitted some key facts to the story, but Dan didn’t need to know that information. “I told you Mop Top...Bayou charm.”

Another fit of laughter and soon Jake and Dan were engaged in more friendly discussions and jokes. Dan learned about everything that happened on La Huerta, while Jake learned all of the strange happenings in Westchester. Before they knew it, the plane was descending towards their destination at a small airport outside of New York City.

___

Teterboro, New Jersey

The plane door lowered inside a private hangar allowing the three occupants to finally feel land again after hours in the sky. As Ava descended the stairs, her girlfriend Stacy bolted across the hanger as fast as her legs could carry her. The two wrapped each other in a tight embrace as they pecked tiny kisses all over one another’s faces.

From the top of the stairs, Jake observed Ava’s reunion with her girlfriend, as well as two gentlemen standing off in the distance. “I gotta admit, I’m pretty surprised that Hermione would date someone so peppy,” Jake remarked as Dan stepped beside him. “I figured Clark Kent or Pretty Boy was dating Cheer Squad.”

“You have an amazing knack for nicknames,” Dan laughed. “Cheer Squad would be Stacy Green. She and Ava started dating shortly after our near-death experience. Pretty Boy is Cade Phillips and he’s actually dating Stacy’s brother, Connor. And Clark Kent is Lucas Thomas. He’s one of the smartest guys I know and as far as I know he’s currently single.”

“That’s a good thing for you, Mop Top, because his eyes haven’t left you since we stepped off the plane.” Jake winked at his new friend before making his way down the stairs for the official introductions.

Dan stared at Jake in confusion before looking towards where Lucas and Cade were standing. He locked eyes with his smart friend and was sure he noticed his smile widen and cheeks blush. Lucas gave a little wave and in that moment Dan began to wonder if Jake was right. Hmm. Lucas Thomas huh? All this time we’ve known each other and I never noticed it. Dan waved back and made his way over to greet his friends.

___

New York City, New York - Manhattan

“So we’ve been following the sisters for a couple of days,” Cade said as he steered the large passenger van through the streets of New York. “It’s been tough to get anywhere near them. What with one being a Queen and all.”

Jake sat beside him in the passenger seat, holding on for dear life. He wasn’t a religious man, but Jake lost count of how many prayers he made since getting in the van with Cade. And people give me shit for my flying?

“Needless to say, but security is always around,” Lucas chimed in from the back of the van, momentarily distracting Jake from wondering when the inevitable side swipe of one of the many yellow cabs would occur. “But I read this morning that King Liam and most of his entourage are returning to Cordonia on business. The Queen is staying behind to get to know her sisters better.”

“And through some casual eavesdropping, we were able to find out which club they’re going to this evening,” Stacy added. “So we’ve gotta quickly get back to the hotel, devise a game plan, and change in order to not stand out like we don’t belong. And don’t worry gents, I had some clothes sent up to the rooms for you.”

“We might not make it there. Pretty Boy might kill us with his driving first,” Jake quipped. He ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair, letting out a puff of air in the process. “Can’t believe I flew up to New York to go to a friggin night club.”

Cade glanced into the rear view, making eye contact with Dan, after hearing Jake’s grumbling. A mischievous smile appeared on both their faces before Cade spoke. “Jake, ohmygawd, if you’re a tourist and looking for a good time, New York’s hottest club is Rumper Thumper.”

“Rumper Thumper?”

“Yes yes yes yes yes. Situated in an old processing plant in the meat packing district where Thomas Hunt once posed for shirtless photos during his underwear modeling days; this club has everything. Techno. Bubble baths. Stock broker’s on mobile phones from the 80’s. ‘Bare Mables.’

“Bare Mables?” Jake questioned as he looked at Cade in total confusion.

From the back of the van, Dan smiled before he spoke. “Yeah, it’s that thing where a shirtless muscle guy planks and you use him as a table.”

Everyone broke out in laughter. Everyone except Jake. He simply cocked an eyebrow at Cade until the noise subsided. “I’d much rather use a muscle guy for something much more fun than pretending to be a table. I’m sure I’m not the only one in here that feels that way.”

The others looked perplexed, but Dan knew what Jake was hinting at. He looked up towards the front of the van to see The Pilot smirking in his direction, before he noticed Lucas’ ears blushing from the seat beside him. Dan patted his friend on the knee. “This Jake guy, he needs to stick to flying instead of comedy eh?”

“Yeah.” Lucas shuffled his shaking hands into his lap, strategically covering his swelling length. He couldn’t have Dan notice that one simple touch caused him excitement.

___

Everything in the hotel hallway looked swanky. The art hanging on the walls, the design motif on the plush carpet, and the upscale decor contained in the nooks peppered periodically along the corridor - all of it looked fancy and more expensive than anything Jake owned. Not including Delilah. “Hey Clark Kent. How are we affording three rooms in this place?” Jake and Lucas were at the tail end of the group. Hermione and Cheer Squad led the way, with Mop Top and Pretty Boy close on their heels.

“My name is Lucas, not...never mind. Anyway, Stacy’s dad is loaded. When her parents split, he moved to New York and made a fortune on Wall Street. All she had to do was call and say she wanted to bring some friends to the city to shop and he got these rooms.” Lucas halted his conversation and walking when he noticed Stacy stop.

“Ava and I are in here,” Stacy said as she swiped her key card to unlock Room 309. “Cade and Lucas are next door in 311 and Jake and Dan are across from them in 310,” she said as she handed the other room keys to Cade and Dan. “Everyone be dressed and meet downstairs in two hours to go over the plan.” And like that, Stacy and Ava disappeared into their room. Jake swore he heard some giggling between the girlfriends as he passed making his way towards his room.

“Swap rooms with me,” Jake said placing a arm across Lucas’ chest to impede him from following Cade. “I need a south facing room or I won’t be able to sleep at all.”

“This room faces north.”

“That’s what I meant. Just switch rooms Clark Kent.”

“It’s Lucas.”

“Okay. I’m sorry. Please Lucas?” Jake playfully pleaded with the agitated young man.

“Ugh. Fine.” Lucas huffed and made his way into Room 310. Jake grinned as he entered 311 across the hall.

___

Lucas barely made it three steps into his new hotel room before stopping dead in his tracks. His mouth agape as his eyes blinked several times, trying to determine if what he was seeing was really happening. He always knew Dan was muscular - had to be in order to play football. Lucas just wasn’t expecting Dan to be that muscular. After a few moments of taking in his friend’s sinewy, shirtless beauty, Lucas cleared his throat. “Sorry. Looks like...” his mind ceased functioning mid-sentence when Dan turned to face him and Lucas saw his long time friend’s chiseled abs and defined pecs. “Jake needed to switch rooms. I’m gonna grab a shower,” Lucas blurted out rather succinctly, averting his gaze. He bolted into the nearby bathroom before Dan had a chance to realize what happened.

The shower clicked on moments later and immediately Dan chuckled. He knew exactly what Jake was doing. Dan grabbed the garment bag that had been laid out on the bed by the hotel concierge; the bag meant for one Jacob McKenzie. He threw open his hotel room door and was instantly met by the pilot, leaning against his own door jamb with an arm bent back over his shoulder holding the clothing bag meant for Lucas. “You’re a funny guy Jake. Poor Lucas damn near had a coronary when he walked in and saw me.”

“Told you he liked you Mop Top.” Jake extended his arm holding out Lucas’ garment bag.

Dan quickly exchanged the one he was holding with Jake. “You forgot Sexy, Jake.” The pilot looked at him curiously for a moment, clearly not recalling his earlier commentary. “I’m not wearing a shirt,” Dan reminded him before retreating back into his room and closing the door.

How could I forget? Sexy Mop Top. Jake chuckled before heading into his own room to get ready.

___

Hours of thumping bass music and drunk patrons were taking its toll on Mara. She knew the Queen wanted a fun night out to bond with her new sisters; she just wished it would have been anywhere other than a packed nightclub. Only two other member’s of the King’s Guard stayed back in New York with her. One served as a look-out up on the club’s balcony, while the other remained with their black SUV out front. Mara had the honor of standing guard near the Queen’s table; never more than a few steps away.

All through the night, Mara kept a keen eye out for any patrons that may wish to do harm to the Queen. Thankfully, most Americans had no idea they were in the presence of royalty. This made Mara’s night go by relatively uneventfully. There was one gentlemen that caught Mara’s attention. He was a heavyset man in a grey pinstripe suit. His being in the nightclub caused Mara’s hairs to stand on end. Something seemed odd about him and she swore when he smiled that he had what could only be described as fangs. He ended up leaving in a huff when an attractive business woman approached him and exchanged some words. Mara breathed a sigh of relief when the man left and shook the image of him from her brain. Fangs? Ha. Get it together, Mara.

“Ohmygawd! Is that, like, the Queen of Cordoba?” Stacy pretended to be drunk, peppy, and apparently from the San Fernando Valley as she approached the female body guard protecting the Queen. “I, like, totally need to get a selfie for my Pictagram.” Stacy turned her back towards the Queen and her sisters, aiming her phone up high, parsing her face to make duck lips, and pretended to take a picture.

“Miss, I’m gonna have to ask you...” Mara began before being bumped into by a tall, attractive woman with beautiful streaks of pink in her flawless hair.

“I’m so sorry. Is my girlfriend bothering you? Come on Stacy. Let’s leave these nice people alone.” Ava placed her hands on Stacy’s hips, pretending to try to escort her away. On cue, Stacy challenged Ava, knocking the two of them backwards into Mara and onto the ground.

Carissa, Scarlett, and Abby jumped from their booth as Mara and the two strangers fell. Cade and Lucas made their way over, pretending to be two concerned patrons just trying to help. As Cade reached down to assist the fallen trio, Lucas slipped a note into Abby’s palm.

“Please,” Lucas begged. “We need your help. This was the only way we could figure out how to talk to you.”

High above the commotion, one of Mara’s fellow guards saw what happened and tried to make his way down, but he got tripped up over the foot of Jake McKenzie. “Careful there bud,” Jake snickered as the Guard fell into Dan’s arms. Dan snatched the radio from the Guard’s hand and quickly shoved him into a nearby utility closet. He slammed the door shut and pressed his body against it until Jake pushed a couch over to block the Guard’s escape.

Mara bolted up from the floor, swatting hands away from her in the process. “Speed Racer get the car ready. Eagle Eye get down here. We need to extract Glitter Eagle and The Doves.” She received an affirmative response from Speed Racer in her ear piece, but silence from the other guard. “Eagle Eye? Report.”

“We have code names? So cool.” Scarlett giggled. She sipped her drink clearly reveling in the sudden action.

“Calm down Mara,” Carissa finally said. She had the note in her hand that Lucas had given to Abby. “I would like to chat with these...eager patrons.”

“Your majesty?”

Carissa handed the note over for Mara to read. Mara’s jaw went slack for a moment before returning the note to the Queen and resuming her professional demeanor. She stood attentively as Carissa motioned for the others to join her and her sisters. “So you need our help, but first...” Carissa placed the note down onto the table. We have information about your mother. “How do you know about the three of us and our situation? And why shouldn’t I perceive this as a threat?”

___

“The Learned One and her friends have made contact with The Sisters.” Zeph alerted the others that had been trying to observe the siblings via one of the many mirrors that lined the walls near the club’s seating area.

“We need to decide soon if we are going to do something,” Beckett remarked. “If The Learned One convinces The Sisters who they truly are, they’ll be in grave danger.”

“Beckett’s right. Everyone in the magick world felt something when they came together and the binding spell broke.” Griffin pinched the bridge of his nose before exhaling deeply. “But if they do a spell and there is no precaution in place, then those forces that wish to do them harm will be on them instantly. We gotta do something Donovan.”

***

End Note: Cade Phillips is the name of my MC from It Lives in the Woods. Also, special thanks to @endlessly-searching-for-you for letting me reference her fic, Plane Luck. The events of that story have a similar, corresponding event in my AU. If you haven’t read it, you should check it out.

#choices fanfic #playchoices #choices stories you play #long post #choices fandom

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innerpostmentality · 6 years

Text

Aftermath 1

This story features characters from the Choices book The Junior Book 1 Characters appearing: Amy (Main Character), Zig Ortega (LI) Rating: This portion is PG-13, subsequent portions may be NSFW Relationship: + The setting is immediately after the events taking place in Chapter 4 Now playing as Amy

It's late when you get home. Too late. And your head is pounding from the emotional stress of the day. (Please, please let Zig be asleep.) The dead bolt snaps as it unlocks and you open the door as quietly as possible. Zig sits on the couch with a text book in his lap looking straight at you as you come in the door.

He closes the book and carefully sets it on the coffee table. "Amy, we need to talk."

"Zig..." you sigh, "Could we not right now?" You can see the hurt on his face, the set in his jaw, the weariness in his eyes. "I love you." it's all you can think to say. A truth. A verbal olive branch.

He closes his eyes a moment and takes a deep breath. Then stands up and walks over to you and wraps you in a hug. There’s a tremble in his body as he embraces you. His voice is low, just a murmur "I love you too." Gently he takes your head in his hands and locks eyes with you for a long moment before kissing your forehead and then setting his forehead against yours. "Amy, I won't make you talk right now. But please, Please don't run off like that again. Please." There's a deep vulnerability in his dark eyes and they well with tears.

Tracing an escaping tear with your finger tip as it descends his cheek you search his eyes and realize that you really don't know what happened when Zig's dad left; or how badly running out like you did may have hurt him.

"Oh Love..." You kiss him gently. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm so sorry."

Zig bends down slipping an arm beneath your knees, he scoops you up in his arms to carry you to the bedroom. He sits down on the edge of the bed with you in his lap and rocks with you holding you close. Minutes pass as he holds you in silence just rocking you in his lap.

You close your eyes and lean into his chest listening to his breathing and his steady heartbeat, smelling the clean spicy scent that is so uniquely his and you feel the tension starting to drain away. He nuzzles your hair and murmurs in your ear. "I need to hold you. Can I just hold you tonight?"

You nod against his chest. "I'd like that."

He stands, still holding you then turns and gently sets you down on the bed. Standing before you he carefully removes each piece of his clothing, folding it and making a neat pile on the dresser before going to climb in the bed on his side. Zig watches you as you undress; and turns the covers down on your side of the bed. He adjusts his pillow to cushion himself as he sits against the headboard and waits for you.

You turn out the lights then go to the window and pull back the curtains. The full moon bathes the night in silvery light lending the sleeping town an other worldly quality. Zig's voice comes to you, soft almost reverent, "You are so beautiful..."

You look over your shoulder at him kissed by the moonlight his masculine perfection seems ethereal. "Thus was Selene's heart stolen by Endymion..." Slowly you turn and walk over to the bed and pull the covers off of him to expose him to the moonlight. Carefully you climb into bed over him. Sliding down to lie on your side against him, one leg across his thighs, your hand over his heart, your head on his shoulder. He kisses your head and plays with the silken strands of your hair with his fingers. You gently stroke the velvety steel of his abs. You lie together entwined in the moonlight. Sharing the warmth of your bodies. Listening to the synchrony of your breathing. Neither speaking. Neither sleeping. Just being exquisitely together.

Eventually you realize that you need to talk. That you want to talk. "Zig?"

"Hmmm?"

"Thank you."

You feel him move, adjusting to share his pillow with you and get on eye level. He looks in your eyes and kisses your nose.

"I need... want to talk now if it's okay?" You search his eyes.

He studies you a long time before he answers. And you know, you can almost hear his thoughts as he balances the need to talk with the peace so recently shared. Finally, softly, "Okay..."

You take his hand and hold it as you start, "It was a rough day. And I got frustrated. I know... now, that I let things get out of proportion. In the moment I was just afraid that I was going to say something stupid, even more stupid that I wouldn’t mean and that I'd regret even more later." You look down and he kisses your forehead.

"Amy, I know I talk a lot with my family. I love them. But I love you too." He closes his eyes a moment. "It's not that I'm intentionally being disrespectful. It's actually more because I'm so comfortable with you that I just don't think to edit my actions around you. I'm sorry. I know we talked about it."

You stroke his chest looking at the chiseled perfection before you. Wondering at the gentleness and sheer goodness of this magnificent man who says he loves you. "Zig... something happened tonight. I really need to tell you about." You feel him tense.

"Amy?" He's holding his breath.

"This is hard. I'm so ashamed."

"Amy, look at me." You look up into his eyes searching yours.

"When I left I went walking in the Quad. Nathan saw me," Zig closes his eyes when you say this and takes a deep breath bracing himself. "It's not... Zig... it's not cheating or anything like that. I wouldn't. I love you. With all my heart. Always." He opens his eyes and looks at you again and breathes.

Taking your hand he puts it over his heart. He looks at you for a moment, "I like to think.. I want to believe that even if something happened, something you didn't plan or something I didn't plan. I want to believe that our love is strong enough that we could forgive and find a way through together."

You search his face. "Oh Zig.... I love you so much. I can't imagine ever wanting anyone else... But I need to finish telling you this. If I kiss you now I won't stop. And I need you to know what happened."

He nods and laces your fingers with his.

"Nathan saw that I was upset and invited me to the Alpha clubhouse. When we got there the others, Beau, and Kassidy wanted to go out to an exclusive club." You shake your head and sniff a tear away. "I should have said no and come home. I can be so dumb sometimes."

Zig pulls you over and kisses your forehead. "You are never dumb, Amy. What happened, Love?" you feel his tension and his strength in his arms around you.

"Well we went to Belle Epoque and were allowed into their VIP lounge. And I was helping Beau get drinks from the bar and bumped into Claire Pierce and accidently spilled drinks on her."

Zig strokes your back soothingly. "She's the one you rescued me from?... The entitled one causing problems at the coffee shop?" You nod. He grins a little and strokes his finger across your bottom lip. "You know I might have to thank her someday... Her antics got the most beautiful woman alive to claim I was her boyfriend. Gave me hope and lots of ideas..."

You smile and look at him. "Well tonight Claire was as Claire as ever. She threw a fit and the Alphas stuck up for me." You frown. "And that should have been it."

"But Beau decided that he wanted to get even..." You shake your head. "And for the second time I knew, I KNEW I should have said NO and come home. Damn it."

Zig looks at you with sympathy holding you and rubbing soothing circles on your back. "You can tell me. I'm here for you."

‘"I did say I didn't think it was a good idea that it wasn't that big of a deal and we should just drop it. But they convinced me. God, they made it sound character building.”

“I'm such an idiot. Telling you now it's so stupid to think this was going to be anything but asinine. I'm so ashamed..."

"Hey Amy," Zig tilts your chin so you are looking in his eyes. "All of us, ALL of us make mistakes. We're human. When we get upset it makes it even easier to make mistakes. That doesn't make you dumb, or bad. It just means you're human. And maybe you put your trust when you were vulnerable in people who didn't deserve it." He kisses you softly on your mouth then your nose. "Now tell me what happened."

You look in his beautiful eyes, black in the moonlight, "I don't deserve you."

He lifts a brow and gives you that sexy smirk that always melts your heart. "Amy we are going to disagree about that later. For now I think you need to tell me what happened."

You nod, then sigh. "Beau said that we could prank her by putting honey in her shampoo. That sounded pretty harmless. We went to the store and Beau went in to get the honey. I waited with Nathan and I told him I thought the prank was a bad idea. Kassidy called a friend in the Kappa's to figure out which shampoo was Claire's. Beau would break in and do the actual swap. Nathan and I were on watch to keep Claire distracted should she show up while Beau was sabotaging her shampoo with the honey." You close your eyes and shake your head as the whole evening replays like a train wreck in your mind. "I saw her start to head to the bathroom and I rang the doorbell to keep her from catching Beau. I told her I was really sad and sorry about messing up her blouse. And she actually said not to worry about it.... I should have told her. Right then and there I should have warned her. I knew it. I KNEW it was wrong and I j-just walked away." "Th, then we heard her scream when we were leaving.... And, and Damn it... It wasn't honey he put in her shampoo... Beau put glue in it."

Zig gasps, "That could be dangerous!"

You burst into the tears you'd been holding back. "I know" .... "I feel so badly" ... "We heard her scream and ran away. I don't even know if she's okay."

He pulls you tightly to him stroking your hair. "shhh, shhh, Love, I know you didn't mean for that to happen. Beau needs to have a 'character building' ass kicking."

"Please don't... God, the only thing that could make this worse would be for you to get in trouble because of my..." You look at him and see him frown, "problem..."

Taking your hand in his he kisses it and looks at your thoughtfully. "Honestly, I think that is Nathan's job. He's their leader. Beau's friend in theory." Zig shakes his head. "Look, I'm not going to tell you what to do. I'm not happy with any of them. They betrayed your trust when you were vulnerable. They hurt you. And that is a short track to my bad side." He looks in your eyes again and smiles, strokes a lock of hair out of your face. "You are one of the most socially adept people I know. You're smart and so kind and forgiving... I've watched you repeatedly help your friends, even make friends out of enemies, Becca, Sebastian..." He shakes his head. "You are amazing, Amy. And I love you so much it feels like a heart attack sometimes because I can't believe how stunningly lucky I am to have you. I wouldn't change a freckle. And it just scares me to death that your gentle sweetness and positive outlook may make you a target for people who will hurt you, will take advantage of you."

He leans over and kisses you sweetly. "You know, no matter what I'll be here for you. Always."

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