#we’re gonna eat breakfast and open presents and chill until they leave

[threnodians]

spent christmas eve hanging out and laughing with my irl bestie and her husband, he cooked dinner (steak + green beans + mashed potatoes) and then we got high and watched some of the twilight movies which was a wild experience

[potatoes-is-are-food]

Made For Each Other [Part 1]

~4500 words (I may have gone a little overboard I just really love poly erasermic)

Yandere erasermic x reader / soulmate au 

| NSFW warnings: noncon, threesome, vague threats of violence

I’m gonna be putting this into parts (I’m thinking around 3?)

The first few weeks had been especially bad. Waking up with a chain connecting you to the floor in a bed that wasn’t yours in clothes that weren’t yours had been terrifying. You’d been scared of your captor, Shota Aizawa, to the point of tears at first, but now you were sitting on a barstool in his kitchen watching him make dinner.

“Hizashi is coming back tomorrow. You’ll have to get used to him being around, too,” he said, capturing your attention away from the book he’d given you, “He’s loud and excited to see you, but I’ll try to keep him calm.” You nodded when he looked at you, turning back to adjust something on the stove. You weren’t allowed all the way in the kitchen yet, but he said if you behaved you’d be able to soon.

“Wait, Present Mic? Why is he coming here?” You asked when he didn’t elaborate.

“He’s my husband,” he answered flatly. You furrowed your brow, but didn’t question it out of politeness. You nearly laughed at yourself aloud, worrying about being polite to someone who literally kidnapped you.

It had been on your way home from work. You got off the train at your usual station but much later than usual, having to stay late that day. Walking home didn’t seem too dangerous since you lived in a safe area, but that had been a terrible decision. Before you could process what was happening someone had come up behind you, dragged you into an alley while you kicked and attempted to scream, and been shoved to the pavement.

You’d taken some hard hits from your assailant when Eraserhead saved you, tying the guy who attacked you to the dumpster and scooping you up just as you lost consciousness. The newspaper you’d seen the other day said you were missing and there were no leads. There was a separate article about how a vigilante had tied some petty criminal to a dumpster but he still died from his injuries. How convenient.

Realizing you’d been staring at the same page for several minutes, you sighed and closed your book. You set it on the counter and leaned back, boredly swinging your legs and listening to the music Shota had put on. You didn’t recognize it, but every now and then he would hum along for a second.

He set a plate in front of you and handed you a glass of water, watching you carry both to the couch and taking his own to join you. It had become a routine in the last week that you’d both sit on the couch together and he’d put on something to watch while you ate. It was an unspoken agreement that you’d talk to him if he wanted and he wouldn’t touch you or stare you down.

You glanced at him, settling into the cushions and trying to relax. He still made you nervous, but he hadn’t done anything to hurt you, just threatened to chain you up again if you tried to get away, which you hadn’t. He scared you way too much to try before you knew you could get away with absolute certainty.

He settled on some sit-com you knew he didn’t care about, signaling he’d want to talk today. You moved your food around with a spoon (he wasn’t allowing forks or knives yet but also used a spoon in solidarity), waiting for him to say something. He didn’t.

“It’s good,” you said softly, fidgeting a bit awkwardly. His intimidating presence chilled you, making you want to subdue anger he probably didn’t even have. You quickly added, “Thank you.” He grunted in response, shuffling slightly closer to you.

“Y/n, eat all of that and drink all your water. I’ve been lenient until now but you’re going to have to eat more and stay hydrated now. You’re going to have rules now,” he said sternly, sliding your glass a little closer to you. Obediently you took a sip and another bite of your food, letting him continue as you chewed,

“You’re sleeping in my bed from now on,” he took a sip of his drink nonchalantly as you looked away, feeling blood rush into your face. The most he’d touched you was to pat your head a few days ago and that had made you jump. He continued, unaffected by your flustered disposition,

“I wanted to give you more time first so I won’t get mad if you slip up, but ‘Zashi coming home sooner than planned changes things,” he explained softly, bringing his hand up to stroke your hair. Your breathing sped up and you resisted the urge to get up and run.

“Why…” you breathed, finally looking at him with tear-filled eyes. One spilled down your cheek and his finger gently caught it, wiping it away.

“You can’t see it, but I’ve got a red string on my wrist attached to you and Hizashi. And he had our names on his arm. Didn’t you notice yours before now?” He arched a brow at you, watching as your eyes widened almost comically.

“I…” you thought back to when you first could see colors. You’d been young, only 12 when you’d been saved by Present Mic, but in all the chaos of the villain attack you couldn’t tell who was the cause and you were too young for it to matter. Your second mark was on the back of your neck, a timer counting down to when you’d meet your other soulmate. Since you couldn’t see it and had been preoccupied the past several weeks, you’d forgotten how close it was to hitting zero.

“We’re all made for each other, kitten,” his face had been slowly approaching yours as you’d had your epiphany, now centimeters away. More tears fell down your face, too shocked to move as he kissed them away. You couldn’t deny the pull you felt toward him, unconsciously leaning into his touch. He placed another kiss to the very edge of your lips and a final one to your forehead before leaning back, taking the plate you were very close to dropping and setting it on the coffee table.

“B-but then why-” your voice trembled and caught in your throat. You choked back a sob, clenching your hands in your lap. You felt sick, the dinner your soulmate had made threatening to come back up. Your head felt fuzzy, like you’d been drinking.

“We had to, sweetheart,” he cooed, wrapping an arm gently around your tense form, “you thought it was a good idea to walk home alone at night, your job was stressing you out, and you wrecked your car not too long ago. You need us to take care of you and getting attacked was the perfect opportunity,” he pushed some of your hair out of your face.

You crumbled, sobbing and letting him hold you, so desperate for comfort that you actually clung to him, wrapping your arms around his neck and crying into his neck. You couldn’t see it, of course, but he was smiling as he swiped his fingers soothingly along the timer on the back of your neck that would be at 00:00 forever.

When you calmed down he handed you your water, rubbing your back as you finished it and leaving you on the couch to take the dishes away. You sniffled and let him pick you up, carrying you into the bathroom and getting ready for bed together in a daze. You even let him change your clothes, settling into bed pliantly as you figured out that he probably put sedatives in the food.

The next morning you woke to Shota’s warmth pressed against your back, an arm slung around your waist. You sat up, nearly falling over again groggily. You turned to look at him and saw his eyes open, locking onto you instantly.

“Hey there,” he husked, his morning voice catching you off guard. You pursed your lips, scooting away from him slightly,

“Did you drug me, Aizawa?” You crossed your arms, moving to sit on top of the covers and create some distance. He groaned softly, sitting up,

“Don’t call me Aizawa.” His reminder made your face heat up. He’d let you get by with awkward “hey”s and tapping his shoulder, but you had a feeling he wouldn’t be doing that anymore.

“Did you?” You press, voice a little softer in an attempt to accommodate him. He blinked at you, waiting. You relented, “...Shota?” His expression softened.

“I couldn’t have you running off. Besides, you needed a good night’s sleep. I know you’ve been tossing and turning,” he shrugged, stretching and standing up. You took his hand when he extended it to you, still a little “softened” by whatever he’d dosed you with.

He lead you into the bathroom he’d been having you use, completely idiot-proofed with no way to hurt yourself or anyone else or an escape route. And with all that he still made you keep the door open, doing stuff on his phone while you did whatever you had to do. You saw him pull up a messaging app as you entered, running the shower and stripping, shyly glancing at him often to reassure yourself he wasn’t watching.

When you got out he gave you something new to wear, an actual dress instead of one of their shirts. You didn’t question where he’d gotten it, simply thanking him quietly and putting it on when he turned around to give you the illusion of privacy. He hadn’t given you anything to wear under it, though.

“Um, Shota?” You called, looking everywhere but directly at him. He turned around, looking you over and giving your head a pat. You shuffled your bare feet awkwardly, “Can I have something to wear under it?” His hand rested on your waist lightly, eyes roaming your figure leisurely.

“I’ll have to go out and buy you some. Hizashi bought this a while ago when we figured out your identity,” he smiled, probably recalling a fond memory with his husband. Your other soulmate. You really didn’t want to admit it, but it felt nice that someone had been so excited to meet you that they’d gotten you a gift.

He made breakfast, insisting for the first time that you sit on his lap to eat. The day was mostly uneventful, you read and Shota let you make tea while he supervised. By six you were sitting at the bar in front of the kitchen, watching him chop vegetables.

You almost jumped out of your skin when you heard the door open, Shota eyeing you to make sure you wouldn’t try to run.

“Babe?” You heard Hizashi call, recognizing his voice easily from all the times you’d listened to him since you’d been there and even before.

“In here,” Shota called back, still tending to dinner. You looked at him for direction but he either didn’t notice or didn’t care to give it. Footsteps sounded behind you and you spun in your stool, facing your other soulmate for the first time since he’d saved you as a child. He dropped his bags, keys, and a water bottle he’d been holding, jaw dropping as he stared at you.

“Sho you didn’t,” he breathed, and for the briefest of moments you thought he’d be against this and rescue you again, but that was not the case.

“Happy anniversary,” Shota appeared, pulling the blonde in for a kiss. Hizashi tore his eyes from you and cupped the other man’s face as he repeated the expression. They really looked in love.

“She’s even more beautiful in person!” He beamed, closing the distance between you so fast if you’d blinked it would have seemed like he teleported. He immediately pressed his lips to yours, holding you tightly as you weakly struggled, tugging his sleeves and making muffled protests against his mouth.

“’Zashi, calm down, I haven’t trained her and I’ve barely touched her,” Shota placed a hand on his shoulder and he pulled away, leaving you panting and slightly panicked in his grasp.

“Aw, come on, Sho,” he whined, continuing to hold you against him, “She seems like a good girl she probably barely needs any training,” his hand stroked your hair and he pressed his cheek against the top of your head. You gave Shota a wide eyed look,

“Trained?” You asked nervously, squirming a little in Hizashi’s arms. Shota’s tired expression morphed into something more devious, the corner of his lips twitching up,

“We need to be sure you’re not gonna run off on us, kitty,” he cooed, “We need to…” he paused, searching for the right word, “house train you, so to speak.” His tone made you nervous, shrinking into the arms holding you.

Shota pecked your cheek and returned to the stove, giving the food a stir and asking about Hizashi’s trip so casually you’d think he hadn’t just implied something sinister. Hizashi picked you up, sitting in your stool and pulling you into his lap as he chatted with his husband. You fiddled with the hem of your dress and vaguely wondered if they intended on getting a special license to add you into the marriage as they did for people with multiple soulmates. You really hoped things wouldn’t get that far.

A hand trailed along your thigh, massaging the soft flesh and making your dress ride up a bit. You shifted, pressing your knees tightly together and making sure it didn’t go too high as another settled on your waist, gently rubbing up and down, dangerously close to your breast. You were suddenly very aware of your lack of underwear, nipples pebbling and sticking out against the fabric. You shuddered.

“I picked this out for you, doll,” he said quietly, breath tickling your ear before he stooped and planted several light kisses on your neck, “Do you like it?” You writhed slightly, but stopped immediately when you heard his breath hitch and felt something stir under you.

“Please…” you whispered, trying to plead with him the way you had Shota, whose head snapped around to send you a look that had tears instantly welling in your eyes.

“Y’n,” he said, staring you down. You sniffled, brows knitting together as you fought a sob.

“It’s fine, Sho,” Hizashi said calmly, stroking your shoulder and kissing the top of your head, “sweet little girl just needs some guidance, isn’t that right?” his voice dripped condescension and he pinched your cheeks, chuckling lightly as his had whetted with tears.

Shota sighed, “Tell ‘Zashi you liked the dress,” he started plating the food, leaving Hizashi to comfort you. He seemed to enjoy the task, wiping your face and kissing your temple. You told him you liked the dress.

You let him dote on you, clamming up when his hands wandered to uninvited places. You were seated in his lap again in the dining room as you all ate, the two men making light conversation and Shota telling his husband how he’d kidnapped you and your progress from terrified mute to scared yet willing to seek comfort from your captors.

“She’s done well, overall. I think once we solidify things it’ll go even faster. We could probably start making wedding preparations by October,” Shota discussed you casually, like he was telling Hizashi about the weather. Like you weren’t there.

“Wedding...preparations?” You asked nervously, picking at your food with a fork for the first time since you’d been stripped of freedom.

“Of course,” he continued, giving you a slight smile, “you’re our soulmate.” They discussed plans to get you more clothes, making you tense as taking your measurements was discussed. When you finished dinner, Shota cleared the table and tended to the dishes, leaving you alone with Hizashi for some bonding time.

“And if you want, we could do a destination honeymoon,” he rambled, ignoring your borderline catatonic state as you stared off into space, sinking further and further into a mental space you didn’t understand. Wedding? Honeymoon? How long would it be before you’d be able to escape?

“You’re gonna overwhelm her,” Shota’s soothing voice came from behind. He patted your head when you turned to look at him, taking note of the way your eyes looked a little glossier than usual, “Come on, we should head to bed. You must be tired.”

Hizashi grabbed his bags, following as Shota took your hand and lead you back into the bedroom. You sat on the bed, yawning as you realized constantly being made to go to bed so early had you tired already. You expected them to toss you another big t shirt and a pair of sweats too tall for you, but instead Shota pulled you up so you were standing in front of them.

“Are we going to bed?” You eyed the dresser, unsure if they wanted you to choose or something. Hizashi snorted, working the buttons of his shirt open as Shota turned you around to unzip the back of your dress. He ran his hand down the bare skin of your back, sliding the fabric forward off your shoulders.

Your hands shot up, pinning the covering to your chest as your breathing sped up,

“Shota?” you looked back at him over your shoulder as he rubbed along your skin. He didn’t answer, pressing his lips to your shoulder and gently coaxing the dress down until it bunched around your ankles on the floor. Your lip trembled as you tried to cover yourself with your hands, arms crossing your chest.

“So pretty,” he murmured against your shoulder, sliding his hands up your sides and gently tugging at your arms. Tears spilled onto your cheeks as Hizashi joined, stripped to his boxer briefs, dropping to his knees in front of you. He kissed the center of your chest just below your breasts, hands settling on your hips. You shook your head,

“Please don’t,” you whimpered, “d-don’t look,” you crossed your legs, arms locked against your chest as Shota rubbed them, attempting to get you to drop them yourself.

“But you’re so beautiful, angel,” Hizashi spoke softly, trailing kisses down your stomach while Shota wiped your tears away and pulled you gently into a kiss. It was the first time you’d kissed him properly, and the sense of fulfillment that settled into your chest made you both gasp against each other, making you melt a little.

Hizashi’s lips trailed along your hips, not wanting to distract you from kissing Shota. When your mouths parted you felt warm, nearly sinking into his adoring gaze before remembering how he’d kept you chained, cold and alone as you screamed and cried in that room. He must have sensed your conflict, kissing you again before trailing down your neck and giving Hizashi’s jaw a little tap.

Lips departed your hips as the blonde stood, leaning down to kiss both your tear-stained cheeks and then your lips, the jolt from him significantly less intense thanks to him pouncing on you earlier. It still felt good, though, as much as you hated to admit it. His hands cupped your face and without thinking you placed yours over them. You felt Shota move lower, caressing your hips and kissing along your back, lingering where it dipped at your waist.

You squeaked, flinching away from Hizashi as you felt Shota’s hands kneading your ass, spreading and squeezing your cheeks. Your arms wrapped around Hizashi’s neck as you tried to wriggle out of the other man’s grasp. He chuckled, holding your hips still for his partner rather than helping. You whined, burying your face in his neck as fresh tears fell onto his skin. He rubbed a hand soothingly along your back as Shota continued, kissing and then biting the flesh.

You sniffled, breathing shakily and hard into Hizashi’s neck, fingers tangling in his loose hair. He shushed you like a child, hugging you close and nearly groaning at your breasts being pressed flush against his chest.

“Maybe we should’ve given her wine at dinner, Sho,” he said softly, brows furrowed as you sobbed softly on him, “She’s nervous, aren’t you love?” Gently, he pried your arms from around him, leaning back to look at you.

“She’ll be fine, taking both of us so close together will probably help a lot,” Shota stood, sweeping your legs and making you fall into his arms. He deposited you onto the bed, licking his lips and kissing you heatedly, lapping at the inside of your mouth. You groaned against him, holding onto his shoulders in an attempt to ground yourself.

Hizashi tugged at Shota’s shirt, making him break your kiss to let him remove it. He straddled you, pressing his bare chest to yours and resuming his tongue’s exploration of your mouth. You whimpered, feeling him shifting atop you as Hizashi rid him of his clothes, placing a playful smack to his ass once it was bare. You felt his cock, hot and heavy, tap against your thighs, making you clench them together and sob against Shota’s lips.

He leaned back, wiping the trail of saliva that followed away, and crawled off of you. Settling behind you, he pulled you up into a sitting position so you rested against his chest, instantly grabbing and pinning your arms as you tried to cover yourself. He kissed your head, murmuring little praises as his husband pried your legs apart, settling between them to take in the view as close as possible. You writhed, Hizashi pinning your legs as you struggled, openly sobbing,

“Please don’t do this,” his face as he gazed at your twitching, wet pussy looked euphoric. He inhaled deeply, eyes rolling back at your scent.

“Sho, she smells good enough to eat. And she’s wet,” he smirked, swiping his finger along your slit and holding up the glistening digit for his accomplice. Shota groaned in your ear, trapping both your wrists in one hand and kneading at your breast with the other.

“Eat her, then,” he growled, husky voice making your back arched a little involuntarily.

Your soulmate obliged, not needing to be told twice as he closed the distance, flattening his tongue and smearing your juices up to your clit. You cried out, trying to wriggle away as he circled his tongue around the little bud. It was like he already knew how to make you tick, flicking his wet appendage along every spot that made you squirm and hitting your sweet spot the second his fingers penetrated you. In seconds you were moaning, tears drying on your face as you bucked your hips against him.

Shota flicked and toyed with your nipples, leaving your hands free. You reached up, tangling your fingers in his hair and tugging it as the pleasure continued to build. You groaned his name and then Hizashi’s, occasionally still babbling for them to stop. Your orgasm sent waves of the most intense pleasure you’d ever felt jolting through your body, making you writhe and cry out as your soulmate lapped up your fluids.

You started to cry again as he continued past the point of pleasure and into painful territory, fingers leaving black locks to pull at blonde ones. He groaned, pumping his fingers faster and harder into your throbbing heat and flicking his tongue harshly against your overstimulated nub. You came again, muttering incoherently as he slowed to a stop, leaning back and wiping his face with a satisfied grin.

“She’s so cute,” his hand trailed up your thigh, “You should try,” he told Shota, watching your cunt twitch and chest heave.

“Later,” you looked up to see him licking his lips and watching you heatedly. You shuddered, sniffling as he wiped away a stray tear. Noticing Hizashi watching, you closed your legs, sitting up and bringing your knees to your chest.

“Are we done?” Your voice came out quiet and coarse, a little shaky as your eyes continued to flood. You bit your lip, looking between the men.

“Not quite, kitten,” Shota’s lips pressed to your back, working up between your shoulder blades and sucking when he reached your neck. He left several bites and hickeys as his husband cupped your face, kissing you softly and slipping his tongue past your lips. You whimpered against him as Shota abused the sweet spot on your collarbone, one hand on your thigh and the other in Hizashi’s hair.

He broke the kiss, planting another soft one on your forehead, “How did you hold back so long, Sho?” he breathed, nuzzling his face against your hair and sighing happily as Shota pecked his lips.

“Wanted to let you go first,” he murmured, kissing him again before readjusting you to the same position as before, resting against his chest with your wrists in his hands, “go ahead.”

Hizashi pulled your hips forward a touch, spreading your legs with his knee and spreading his pre against your weeping slit. His tip against your clit made you twitch, back arching as he toyed with the sensitive nerves. When he’d finished he lined up with your entrance, pressing in slowly to avoid overwhelming you.

Your mouth opened and your eyes clenched shut, head falling back against Shota as he pushed in, inch by inch sliding in until he was buried to the hilt and his hair pressed against you. He groaned sinfully, humping shallowly as you got used to his size. A choked sob left your throat as he started thrusting, pulling out nearly all the way and sliding back in as gently as he could manage when your cries made you pulse around him.

“You feel so good,” he panted, “Good girl,” his thrusts got rougher as he leaned forward, tongue slipping into your open mouth and swallowing your half-pained half-pleasurable moans. Shota let go of your wrists, stroking your hair as well as Hizashi’s as he took in the sight. With your arms free you desperately clung to the man pounding you into his husband, crying against his lips and swirling your tongue against his in a bizarre attempt at seeking comfort from him.

Shota’s fingers intruded on your kiss, collecting saliva from both of you and making it drip down your chins before moving the slicked digits to roll circles into your puffy clit. You gasped at the contact, eyes opening and rolling back into your head as the blonde broke the kiss, licking up the tears lingering on your cheeks. His hips sputtered, lewd squelching noises reverberating through the room as Shota continued his assault on your abused bead.

You came first, back arching, tongue flopped out of your mouth, eyes half-lidded and rolled up into your skull, head braced back against Shota’s chest as you spasmed, clenching around Hizashi’s cock and milking him for all he was worth. He released deep inside, cumming directly against your cervix and rolling his hips to hump against you, riding out both your orgasms. As it subsided, you fell limply against your dark-haired soulmate, completely spent and feeling as though you were floating, disconnected from reality. You felt hands caressing your thighs, hips, and gently pushing sweaty strands of hair from your face.

“...re so good for us,” you focused enough to take in their praises, still shaking as your cunt twitched and drooled Hizashi’s seed. You blinked a couple of times and saw him staring at it, reaching down to collect what was dripping and push it back in, making you whimper weakly. He licked his fingers clean and crawled over you to kiss Shota, both men shifting and gently readjusting you until you were pressed back against Hizashi’s chest. Shota settled between your legs, thumbs spreading your pussy apart for his inspection.

You felt fresh tears stinging your eyes, “Please… please no more,” you croaked, weakly squirming. He leaned down, kissing your inner thigh and inching closer to your fucked out hole.

“Shhh, kitten,” he gently licked up your folds, smearing Hizashi’s cum across your skin and making you flinch when the muscle flicked your overstimulated clit, “You can handle a little more for daddy, right?”

[give-grian-rights]

Bets Against The Void c7

ok i really like validation so its back again this week

crossposted on ao3

Whitelist AU by @petrichormeraki​

next chapter

last chapter

first chapter

They never quite fell back to sleep.

It took only three hours for them to start rolling out of their makeshift bed, and back to scrambling around the hobbit hole and making the most of the resources.

The two teens didn’t really talk, after how their last conversation finished.

Tommy peaked down into what looked like a not-so-hidden stripmine, before Tubbo’s head perked up.

“Someone’s at the door,” The brunett chimed, carefully striding their way over.

It was once again Grian, with a shulkerbox in tow.

“Sorry to bother you guys again,” Grian gave a sheepish wave while balancing the box against one arm and his chest. “I remembered last night that I didn’t leave any cooking supplies, or open up where the kitchen is.”

“It’s not just you,” Tommy decided to add, turning back towards where the entrance was. “That fuckin’ bird showed up again this mornin’. Woke us up.”

At that, Grian groaned. “Yeah..He does his own thing in the early mornings and at night. The hobbithole was basically his house. I’ll enclose him tonight, sorry for that.”

Moving the box under an arm, Grian tilted his head. “Can I go back and show you where the kitchen’s hidden?”

Tommy merely raised a brow. “It’s your house, ain’t it, dickhead?”

Tubbo lightly jabbed Tommy’s side.

“I made it, yeah, but you two are staying in it. As long as you’d like it, it’s yours and I won't come in without your explicit permission.”

With a second of baffled confusion, Tubbo cleared their throat and nodded.

“Yeah! Uh. Come in, I guess..?”

It took only a few minutes for Grian to expose the tucked away room by the super smelter setup Tubbo and Tommy were yet to investigate.

“I didn’t feel like decorating a kitchen since I already had so many plans with my megabase..If I had it my way I wouldn’t have made a kitchen at all, but the Jungle Gang of Hermits would’ve been severely disappointed if I was only having menu-crafted food.” He’d casually explain, pulling out a paper towel roll from the shulkerbox as he swiped down the tops and barren counters.

“How many Hermits are in the jungle?” Tubbo asked, brows furrowed. Their tablet’s visual narration was muted, as it repeatedly described Grian wiping off the dust from the counters.

“Ehh..Five? Including me? There’s also Ren, but he’s right on the edge, down in a masa. Beautiful setup he’s got going on.” He’d breezily explain.

Nodding along, Tommy glanced around the room.

“This is cool ‘n all but we don’t have to use this space. You left.. Shitloads of stuff, in the chests.” The blond had pointed out, turning back towards Grian.

With a shrug, Grian hummed dismissively. “Real food’s a much better idea, and i’m fairly certain steak’s most of what I got left, down here. Maybe for dinner but..Not really for breakfast, or anything.”

Tubbo shrugged. “Fair enough, yeah..We don’t exactly..Cook much? I mean- I know I certainly haven’t had the time to get much in me, other than coffee.” 

“Ooh, yeah, definitely a good traditional-prepped item.. Other than tea on occasion, I don't tend to stray from crafted food. Even on the days I sit down and eat it like a proper meal.” Grian nodded along, glancing off as he dropped the paper towels he had been using to clean into a little bin.

Tommy sighed, leaning against the wall. His head was pounding from the lack of sleep. “What’s the d-”

He was cut off  by a not-so-distant firework bang.

Tubbo flinched and ducked their head down, throwing their arms over their head. Tommy, on the otherhand, lowered to the ground, eyes sealed shut with his hands slammed against his ears.

“Hey! Hey, it’s okay, they’re duds, they’re fireworks! No firework stars, either, just a puff of smoke. You’re both okay. You’re in the hobbit hole. It’s fine, everything’s good.” Grian hushed, giving exaggerated movements as he demonstrated slow breathing.

The blond boy growled, turning to snap at Grian- “We’re not babies!  We’re fine.”

Grian nodded, stepping back to give them both more space. “Okay. It’s okay. And it’s alright if it’s not okay. That was probably just Scar. He’s gonna be in and out of there. He’s the closest neighbor.” He had calmly explained to the pair.

Tubbo had deflated, taking a breath. “Thank you. Sorry. Uh. Y-Yeah.” They nodded numbly.

Tommy raised, folded his arms and didn’t meet the gaze of Grian. His face was twisted as he glared down at the floor. He felt weak.

Taking a small breath, Grian tentatively stepped back towards the door. “I’m going to head out and let you guys cool down, okay? You’re both free to go anywhere you want.”

With that, he departed, leaving the two teens alone.

A brief, tense silence fell between them.

“..That was fucking stupid.” Tommy scoffed.

Tubbo’s brows furrowed, turning towards him.

 “Excuse you?” They spoke, voice edging towards accusatory.

“They’re gonna fuckin’ think we’re weak, Tubbo-”

“I’m sorry that i’m not a fan of explosions! Yeah- that- that one’s my bad, Tommy.” Tubbo growled, going to step away.

Tommy grabbed their arm with a loose grip. “That doesn't matter, Tubbo, we’re- we’re supposed to be able to do better than that! We look like kids to him. We look like cowards-”

“I’m not a coward, Tommy! Oh, void, can’t you just drop it?” They hissed out, yanking their arm free.

“For the love of Prime- Tubbo. Tubbo, I'm not mad at you! So I need you not to be mad at me-”

“Too late for that!” They spat, rushing themself out the door with a slam.

Left behind was Tommy, tense and red in the face with a growing pit of guilt.

...

The people slowly started to pour back into the server. With everything going as expected, the admin breezily flicked and dismissed his communication screen, leaning back as he rested atop the incomprehensible mess of community chests.

Frequent pings and beeps ran through his ears as the comms went off, mixed with alerts and chatting as people settled back down.

He hadn’t bothered to check the messages until an hour in, when a high-pitched chirp emitted. A private message.

Summoning his screen back, he read over it.

ItsFundy: Hey Dre? My messages aren’t reaching Tubbo. Why aren’t the two back yet?

Dream quietly laughed. The server could use a quick break from them. 

It only took a quick flick of the wrist to pull up Tommy and Tubbo’s info. They were both in a world. With the MCC servers closed to the public for maintenance at night, Dream could only assume the two had scampered off to Hypixel or something of the like.

Upon a brief investigation, the servers were left as unlisted.

...Nonetheless, Dream will allow himself to revel in some peace for now. Let them get a little scared. A little more respect for the server-

Dream sneered.

They’re lucky they’re as tolerated as they are, here.

...And without them present, well- that sure will leave L’manburg in an interesting situation…

Dream: Can’t say I know. Sorry. They probably ran off, dont worry too much about them.

Making up his mind, Dream scrolled back to the Player information.

“It would be a shame if they went M.I.A, especially with how fresh the wound on L’manburg is..” He mused.

A click or two on the screen and it was done. They were locked from the server. 

“Enjoy yourselves, idiots.” He yawned, kicking his legs off the chests and onto the floor.

His axe was summoned to his hand, and he stalked off, a chill running through the air.

[estrel]

The Christmas Compromise

merry christmas, @lilliankayl !! ‘tis i, your secret santa! this ended up getting a little long, so there will be multiple parts up...soon. here’s the first one, which you will also eventually be able read on ao3 when it’s complete. hope you enjoy!!

Part One.

Dean feels his mouth start to form a lazy smile.

Through the winter chill and the foggy annoyance that his blankets are skewed around him to provide the least amount of heat and warmth, there is a distant recognition that the smell of coffee in the air isn’t just any brew.

Despite the effort to untangle the sheets from his legs and feet, Dean manages to bare his skin to the winter cold of his room, provided the damage to his heater. He makes a mental note to fix that later, after they come back. Dean can last a few days until then.

He can practically see his breath hanging in the air when he yawns, pulling on warmer clothes as quickly as his stiff muscles and numb fingertips will allow him. Sweats, then t-shirt, then hoodie, because he isn’t expected to be anywhere until later and he can always change before that if he needs to.

Better to die comfy than in plaid.

It’s early morning, judging by the darkness outside and Dean’s alarm clock that blinks 5:30 AM at him in white block numbers, but he can’t find it in himself to care that he’s awake to see hell freeze over. Lucky for him, there’s a quick fix to his sleepiness less than twenty feet away.

The socks take entirely too long to fit onto his feet. When they finally do, Dean yanks his door open and pads down the hall, stopping at the entrance to his kitchen.

It’s a modest kitchen—a modest home, really, but it does it’s job—and it’s empty save for an occupied chair at the kitchen table.

Dean stares for a second.

He’s allowed to notice clothes and posture before that second is disrupted by Miracle making a racket coming into the kitchen, and Cas turns to face them.

“Morning,” Dean greets him. The smell of coffee is much stronger here, and Dean can feel his mouth beginning to water.

Cas pushes a full mug towards Dean’s seat.

“Good morning, Dean. I made you—”

“My favorite brew,” Dean finishes for him. He sits, letting his fingers thaw under the ceramic of the mug and breathing in the heavy scent of Cas’ coffee.

“It’s everyone’s favorite brew,” Cas says, taking a sip from his own cup. “That’s why it’s the priciest.”

Dean levels a look at him.

“I have to make money somehow,” Cas defends.

“Yeah, yeah,” Dean waves him off, bringing the drink to his lips. The first taste is hot—too hot—and it burns his throat on the way down.

“You never learn,” Cas says. Dean doesn’t need to meet his eyes to know that they’re squinting at him. “You’ve been burning your tongue on my coffee for years, you’d think it’d make an impact by now.”

Dean only frowns and mumbles into his coffee something about “not every time,” to which Cas rolls his eyes.

They can only pretend to be angry with each other for a few more minutes before it subsides into companionable silence. Dean lightly kicks Cas’ foot under the table to get his attention.

“You gonna need a ride to work?”

Cas sets his mug down and shrugs. He’s still in his night clothes: a white t-shirt—Dean has never understood how Cas can stand the cold—and borrowed sweats, but he’ll probably burrow through more of Dean’s wardrobe to get his outfit for today. The guy might as well live here with the amount of time he spends at Dean’s place and the fact that Dean’s closet is practically Cas’, too, now.

I could always just ask him…

Dean swallows the last of his drink and stands before he can contemplate the question again. He busies himself at the sink, and then ducks under the counter to get Miracle’s food from the cabinet.

“Yes,” Cas says eventually, evidently having gone through every other option before arriving at that one. “Is it a bother?”

Dean pokes his head over the counter to look at him.

“No, man, you know I like driving Baby around. Besides, I’ve got some shopping to do, and, y’know…”

“Free breakfast,” Cas adds for him, a teasing note in his voice. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed the muffins that go missing every time you drop by.”

Dean sets down Miracle’s food and whistles softly, standing straight once Miracle trots into the room and to his bowl to eat.

“Hey,” he points a finger at Cas, “Consider it a compromise since you never pay for gas.”

“It’s not like I haven’t offered,” Cas meets Dean by the sink to wash his cup out. “Do you want me to pay for gas, Dean?”

He’s standing close in that way that Cas always stands close—in the way that Dean has stopped correcting for years now. That’s just how he is, he reminds himself, and puts visible effort into keeping his eyes trained on Cas’ blue ones.

“No,” he says, “You don’t need to pay for gas. All I’m asking is that you look the other way when I happen to find a cookie just laying there for the taking. Do that, and it’s free rides for life.”

“When you say ‘laying there,’ I assume you mean in the casing, behind the counter, where only employees are allowed,” Cas sasses back, face stripped of emotion except for the slight furrow to his brow. Imperceptible, if it wasn’t Dean that was staring.

“So now I’m an employee?” Dean asks, finally pulling away from their bubble to pretend to clean the counter. “Jee, Cas, you shoulda told me. I would have put my apron on.”

Cas punches him lightly on the shoulder, done with washing his cup but fingers still wet from doing so. It leaves an imprint on Dean’s hoodie, which Dean acts like he hates, but it gives him a motive to attack Cas back.

They scuffle, elbowing each other and pushing each other around the kitchen—Dean even manages to try for a few tickles to Cas’ armpits and stomach, but still to no avail—until Miracle joins in and they stop so as to not accidentally step on a paw.

“I’m going to take a shower,” Cas says, once they’re done with the rough housing. Patting Dean’s back once, he leaves the kitchen and enters Dean’s room down the hall.

Warmer, now, with the extra movement in him, Dean leans against the counter to catch his breath. At least that’s what he tells himself, watching Cas mill around from door to door until he hears the bathroom shut and the shower start.

When Dean is sure that Cas is out of hearing range, he pulls out his phone.

“Bitch,” Dean starts, pressing the cold surface to his ear and cheek.

“Jerk.��

He smiles. “How’s it goin’?”

“Same old, same old. Got a case about to close up here real soon, so. Expect to see me at the Bunker in a few days.”

“You’ll be there,” Dean confirms. “Glad to hear it.”

“And you? Everything good?”

Dean shifts at the accusatory tone in Sam’s voice.

“Yeah, man. All good. Shop’s runnin’ just fine. Bobby says hi.”

A huff of laughter. “He still kickin’ your ass?”

Dean nods, even though Sam can’t see him. “Bobby’s Bobby. You know how he is, never a moment’s rest. Come to think of it, I actually had to remind him that it’s Christmas this week. The guy was asking if I’d be in on Friday. Had to tell him he wouldn’t be in on Friday, crazy bastard.” He hears Sam chuckle. “Oh hey, by the way, I think Rufus is coming with this year.”

“Really? Haven’t seen him since—”

“Yeah, I know. Well, he’ll be there—you can recount the tall tales of Rufus and Sammy to everyone as a Christmas present.”

There’s a pause, and Dean checks to see if the call had cut off before returning his phone to his ear.

“—coming?”

“Sorry, what?”

“Is Cas coming?”

Dean hears the shower shut off. The guy makes quick work.

“I was assuming,” he says.

“Well, you should ask.”

“Why?” Dean scoffs, “It’s pretty much a given, dude, he always comes.”

He can practically feel Sam’s eye roll over the phone.

“What?”

“I dunno, Dean, c’mon. You can’t just expect him to come whenever you call. He’s got his own family, you know, and—”

Dean grimaces, folding an arm over his chest. “No, he doesn’t. We’re his family. Those dickheads are—” He sighs, tries to contain the outburst before it can be unleashed. In…out.

“Trust me, Sam, he doesn’t want to see them. He’ll be at ours on Friday.”

“Dean—”

“Nice talkin’ to you, Sammy. I’ve gotta go, taking Cas to work.”

“Wait, he’s there?! Hang on a second—”

“Bye!”

He cuts the call before he can hear another word out of Sam, and just in time to see Cas in the bathroom doorway. He’s looking at Dean with his head tilted curiously, and Dean’s breath immediately catches in his chest.

“Was that Sam?” he asks. As if his hair isn’t all wet and towel-rustled, as if he isn’t dressed in Dean’s clothes.

“Yeah,” Dean croaks. He clears his throat. “Yeah, yes. He says hi.”

“I’m sorry I missed him,” Cas frowns, making his way over to Dean. Dean stills.

“It’s six,” Cas continues, “I should be at work by seven, if you can manage it.”

When Dean just stares back, Cas adds, “You should get dressed.”

“What’s wrong with this?”

“You’ve been wearing that hoodie for three days straight and you’re beginning to smell like Miracle,” he deadpans. “Go shower, I can wait.”

Dean pushes himself off the counter and brushes past him. “Thanks, Cas. How considerate.”

-

When Dean parks Baby in front of Heaven and Hell Cafe, he does so in his grey henley and several layers of long-sleeves, with jeans that do nothing to combat the cold.

Shivering, he follows Cas inside, and warmth envelops them upon entry, along with the jingle of the door bell.

“Cas!” comes a familiar voice. Dean hears more than sees a set of doors opening, and Jack is suddenly in front of them wearing a huge smile.

“Oh, Dean! Good to see you,” Jack lifts a hand in greeting, but it looks more like he wants a hug. Dean smiles back at him and waves.

“Hey, kiddo. Everything alright?”

Jack nods. “Yes. Although, I…I do need to see Cas for a second.”

“Oh, um. Of course.” Cas glances at Dean with a look that says ‘I’ll be right back,’ and follows Jack through the double doors that lead to the kitchen.

Dean trails after them half-way, stopping behind the counter to sleuth after some morning treats. He decides on what he thinks is a cinnamon roll, pulling it out of the casing and shutting the door as quickly as he’d opened it.

He stuffs the pastry in his hoodie’s pocket for later, and thanks the universe that it’s wrapped and won’t get covered in fuzz this time (he’d learned the hard way).

“—makes sense. Just let me know if anything changes.”

Cas appears through the doors looking slightly stressed. Dean fights to urge to get up and soothe, to run his hands across Cas’ shoulders and ease the tension there.

“You good?” Dean checks instead. Cas nods.

“Fine. Just…It’s fine. Didn’t you say you had shopping to do?”

“Are you kickin’ me out?” he jokes.

“No, but the shop opens in thirty minutes. Feel free to stick around if you’d like.” Cas’ eyes drop to Dean’s crotch area, and he quickly looks down to see what Cas is looking at.

“You can eat that here. No point in hiding it since the gig is up.” Dean lets out a breath. Cas had been staring at the lump in Dean’s hoodie pocket, where Dean was keeping his breakfast. What happened to ‘looking the other way?’

“Thanks, but you’re right, I should probably get going. I’ve gotta do errands and be at the shop later to work for a few hours. You coming over tonight?”

Cas pauses in the middle of putting his apron on, contemplating the question.

“No,” he says slowly. “Not tonight.”

Dean tries not to frown. Suddenly the weight of his phone in his pocket is ten times heavier than it was a few seconds ago. ‘Well, you should ask,’ the little voice inside his head that sounds like Sam, says. He sighs softly.

“How about, um. You’re—you’ll be there on Friday, right? Do you need a ride? I was planning on leaving on Thursday, if you wanted to come with. I know Claire’s heading out earlier. Jody, and all them, too…so.” Dean forces himself to meet Cas’ eyes. Something in his chest feels tight when he notices Cas’ expression has only gotten worse.

“I,” Cas starts, gaze falling to his shoes. “I don’t know, Dean.”

That thing in Dean’s chest solidifies and sinks to his stomach, settling there uncomfortably. 

“Don’t know what?”

Cas starts rummaging through the bakery cases, adjusting things that don’t need to be adjusted, meticulously cleaning crumbs from platters and making sure the little banners with the pastry names on them are all straight and perfect. 

“If I’ll be able to go,” he says finally, not looking up. “It’s the holidays and I’m busy here this season, people have been ordering pastries for Christmas, and I don’t know if I plan to close on Christmas day, because my regulars might want to come in still, and—“

“Cas,” Dean stops him, leaning over the counter. Cas notices and lightly tries to push him off so he can start on the counters, but Dean grabs his wrist to get his attention. 

“You’re going to work yourself to death, man. It’s the holidays. Your regulars will understand if you don’t show up on Christmas, okay? And you’ve never had this issue any other year, so...” Dean makes Cas look at him. “What’s really bothering you?”

to be continued...

-

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[random-mha-thoughts]

Night Drives (Shinsou x Reader)

Pairing: Shinsou x Reader 

Genre: Fluff/Comfort, College!AU

Summary: You’re having a rough and stressful week, and Shinsou helps by taking you out for a late night trip.

Word count: 1,814

Tags:  @yuki-osaki​ @liviitehe​ @iamsoftsodonttoucheume-blog​ @bunnythepipsqueak​

a/n: I know I promised angst, but I really wanted to write this little comfort/fluff piece for anyone who might be facing a mid-semester funk/depression like me.  I was inspired because I went out to pick my cousin up from the airport late last night and I never realized how therapeutic night driving can be.

I also wasn’t really sure which character I wanted to write for this (bc they would all fit one way or another), but I chose Shinsou bc I haven’t written for him in a hot minute and he deserves some more love.

I hope you guys enjoy it, and I hope it helped some of you and maybe helped cheer you up 😊

I sit at my desk, hands carding through my messy hair.  Pouring over my notes is the most stressful thing I could be doing this weekend, I'd rather be sleeping or doing something more relaxing.  Weekends before exams are always the hardest because it's when I get my biggest chunk of studying done, so I'm usually holed up in my room the entire day.

It's also times like this when the dark thoughts roll in.  I've always been a smart kid, but being in college really makes me question it.  Getting low B's and high C's on exams in my major classes don't mean the end of the world, but I rethink who I think I am because of it.  I still get A's in my other bullshit classes, so why am I struggling in the classes that are supposed to teach me the skills I need for my future career?  Should I rethink my future?  Do I even want to go into my chosen field anymore?  Am I making a huge mistake being here?  I'm wasting my entire scholarship money if I decide to start over from scratch.  My fingers close in on my scalp.

"Kitty?"

The warmth in his voice jolts my head up.  "Oh, hey."  I straighten my back, not even realizing how hunched over my back was.

Shinsou's eyebrows are furrowed at me.  "Are you okay?"  His large thumb brushes over the wetness clinging at the corners of my eyes.  "You're crying."

I tug at the sleeves of my hoodie.  "Yeah, I'm fine."

He studies my face carefully, his own dark circles standing out against his pale skin.  He knows how I get when I'm in this mode, staying respectful of my study habits.  Since I don't come out of my room, he'll let himself in and stay in my bed, reading, sleeping, doing his own studying, or watching something on his laptop until I'm finished.  Just a few moments ago when I peaked over my shoulder to see what he was doing, he'd fallen asleep with his headphones on, lightly snoring.  He doesn't bother me.  It's something I appreciate about him.

Shinsou crosses his arms over his chest.  "When was the last time you ate?"

My stomach admittedly feels empty.  I've only been snacking when I felt hungry.  Looking at the clock, it's almost midnight.  "Since breakfast," I answer feebly.

A sigh escapes his lips.  "Are you finished now?  You've been like this all day."

I cast a dreadful look over the pages of notes.  There's still a few chapters I need to look over, but my brain feels that it might explode if I try to cram anymore information in.  The worst part is I don't even feel like I've retained anything I've read in the past few hours.  I start closing my books.  "Yeah, I'm done."  And utterly defeated.

Shinsou gently takes my hand in his, calling my attention to him.  "Come on, go wash your face and change.  We're gonna go eat."

He leaves me to go to his room and fetch his wallet.  Trudging into the bathroom and following his instructions, I wash my face to wake myself up, change into some jeans, and pull on a hoodie that's more presentable for going out into the world.

Shinsou returns, changed into a pair of jeans, hoodie, and denim jacket, and we head out of our dorm building.  The air isn't as cold as I thought, but it was just as deserted.  The scattered lamp posts across the pavement are the only illuminations in the parking lot.  I walk with my hands in my pockets and my hood up.

How the hell am I gonna learn everything by Tuesday? I despair.  I hate how I always end up thinking about work even when I don't want to.

Shinsou closes the distance between us and snakes his arm around my torso.  "Have you ever considered getting a hoodie with cat ears on them?" he asked casually.

I'm thrown off by his random question, but I have to laugh.  "Uh, no?  Why would I wear it?"

"So I can pull at the ears, duh."

"You and your cat addiction needs to chill."  I want to shove him away, but his warmth feels great to touch.  "Where are we going?"

"Noodles?" he offers.  "It's been getting pretty cold."

"Is it wrong that I want something...filling right now.  And no, get your mind out of the gutter!" I shove Shinsou before he can say anything.

"I wasn't even thinking it, who actually has the dirty mind, hm?"  He pokes the side of my head.

After I'm done pouting at him, I suggest, "Do you think there's a tempura place open around here?  Actually, I just really want fries and something else."

"Anything else, your royal highness?" he smirks and unlocks his car.

"Mmm," I hum as I settle into his passenger seat.  "A pet dragon would be nice too.  Or full payment on my college education."

Shinsou chuckles at my sarcasm.  "Anything for you, kitty."  Holding my hand, he kisses my palm before starting the engine.

As he drives down the abandoned road, I lean my head against the window, staring out the windshield.  The sky's already black, but there's too much light and the car's moving too fast to count the stars.  Something about the emptiness of everything at night calms me down.  It almost feels like Shinsou and I are the only 2 people in the world at this hour.  Even the parking lot of the fast food joint down the block is deserted.

"I'll get it to go so we can eat in here, what do you want?" my purple haired prince asks me sweetly, unbuckling his seatbelt.

"10 piece nuggets and medium fries.  And a diet soda, I'm watching my calories."  I whisper the last part.

"Coming right up."

.

"Are you sure it's okay to eat in your car?" I ask, tentatively opening the paper bag of food goodness.  I didn't realize how hungry I was until the smell of high calorie fast food wafts in front of my nose.

Shinsou's eyes are on the road as he drives down the roadway.  "Yeah I don't care, it's not like my car's new or anything."

I dip into the bag and grab my box of nuggets.  A smile graces my face when I notice he remembered the sweet and sour sauce.  "Why are you so good to me?"

"Because you're my kitty and I love you," he answers without missing a beat, his large hand messing up my hair.

A familiar fuzzy warmth fills me as I lean into his touch.  Digging into my nuggets, I end up completely demolishing them, the hole in my stomach finally filling  at the process meat.  I don't care how old I get, I will always have chicken nuggets at fast food restaurants.  Every once in a while, Shinsou would ask for one of my fries, and  I'd happily feed him.

I have no idea where we're going; for some reason, we're on the highway.  I just quietly finish my meal and sip my drink.

Shinou's eyes glint with mischief.  "Since we're alone on the highway..."

My eyes widen.  "Babe, no-!"

The engine revs to life under my boyfriend's lead foot and the car jolts forward.  I clutch my fries and almost choke on my soda as we speed down the highway.  The biggest grin spreads across his face.

"Hitoshi, I'm not ready to die!"

He takes his foot off the gas and the car relaxes, as does my heart.  But he knows how much I secretly love it when he does that.  "At least wait until I'm not about to choke before you do that!"

Laughing at me, he passes me his phone. "Play whatever you want, kitty."

Oh, it's over now.

I select a playlist of hype songs we both love, belting out the lyrics from the top of our lungs as Shinsou speeds down the highway. A mess of screams, laughter, loud music, and singing fill the entire space as we zip past all the lights on the highway.  It reminds of what it might feel like rocketing through space. The pit of my stomach feels weightless from the excitement and the speeding car.

Are we crazy?  Maybe.  Did I savor every second of it?  Absolutely.

Shinsou finally slows down and exits down a beach.  Pulling into an empty space, he parks the car and gets out, waving for me to follow him.  We end up sitting on the hood of his car, eating our food under a blanket he keeps in his car.  A nearby streetlight dimly illuminates our dark space.

I snuggle Shinsou's left arm and look out into the dark expanse.  I can finally count the stars, between stealing bites from Shinsou's burger.  Clutching my end of the blanket over me, I lay my head on his shoulder.  "It's so strange sitting on the hood of a car."

"Guess you've never done it before," he replies quietly, balling up his empty wrapper and placing it back in the bag.  Both arms wrap around me, resting his head on top of mine.  "I used to come here when I wanted to clear my mind.  There's just a whole lot of nothing and silence."

I can't agree more.  The darkness - the absence of light - makes everything seem quiet and empty.  Something about it feels liberating, letting all my emotions flow out in front of me freely and let me just be.  A breathe in and let it rattle out of me.  The endless void surrounds us, isolates us, encloses us so our thoughts can't bother us.

Shinsou brings me closer, letting me sit halfway on his lap, placing a gentle kiss on my temple.  "Are you feeling better, kitty?  I know you're pretty stressed, more so than your usual anxious self.  I figured bringing you out here would help somewhat."

My heart swells with warmth.  I hug him tighter and close my eyes, leaning my head to his chest.  "Thank you, Hitoshi.  You've done a lot for me, I really appreciate it.  You really went out of your way  for me."

"Nothing's out of my way for you."  His large hand rubs my scalp.  "You work so hard, you deserve this."

I snuggle deeper into his chest, my eyes slowly closing as the rhythm  of his heartbeat calms me.  "What did I do to deserve you?" I mumble.

"Well, maybe you saved an entire country," he jokes, pressing another kiss into the top of my head and running his fingers lightly on the back of my head, "But I think you just being perfect deserves all the happiness I can give you."

"You're too sweet."  I drift off to a light sleep in his arms, surrounded by his warmth, choosing to think about life some other time.

[hiddles-evans-hallucinations]

How Did We Get Here? - 5

Summary: The pictures of (Y/N) and Chris keeps on getting out in the media for the public eyes. The fans are going crazy, but as they tried their best to hide it and keep their relationship to themselves, their feelings to flaunt each other is bigger.

Pairing: Chris Evans x Famous Reader

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: AGE GAP 

Note: a sucker for a fluff and fanfics or imagine that makes me UWUUUUUU so imma push myself to write and smiling like an idiot the whole time for the last chapter!!! // Also using celebs paparazzi shoot’s pics bc it kinds of matches with the mood I’m going for. And for the last chapter I’m using dakota and jamie cause they’re really cute on and off set. HOPE YOU LIKE IT. 

*gifs and pics are not mine*

PART 1 - PART 2 - PART 3 - PART 4 

Chris and I had to fly separately to Italy for the premiere, I was there first as I was talking to Judd when I heard a loud scream from the fans. I look to my left and found Chris smiling (gif), escorted by two men in black suits. 

My face lights up when I see him, but apparently it looks like he already saw me first before I did. 

He looks so good. 

Chris waves to the screaming girls as he approaches me and swing me around. “Hi, handsome.” I whisper. 

He pulls away and take a look at me. I was wearing a black dress. Chris bites his lower lip as he checks me out. I pull out my tongue and scrunch my nose at him making him laugh. “So beautiful.” he said with a hand on his chest. 

“Don’t cry now.” I pat his shoulder making him laugh again. 

The fans were screaming as we talk to each to each other. “KISS!” one shouted and followed by another loud screaming from them. Chris and I laughed as we hug each other one more time. 

The premiere was like usual, we spend time sometimes together for a quick interview sometimes we do it alone. I spend most of the time talking to people, taking pictures with fr I was so tired and my feet hurts that when everything and everyone seems to forget about me and I’m glad, I ask Pammy to take me to the SUV in the parking lot to chill. 

The driver turn the AC on and leave me alone as I texted Chris. 

(Y/N): ‘I’m probably gonna go before you, my feet hurts so bad.’ 

As I lay my head back and put my phone on my stomach, just when I was about to shut my eyes, the door was open. “There you are.” Chris said as I smile tiredly at him. 

“I just texted you,” 

Chris pulls his phone out of his pocket. “You did, baby?” he checks his phone and nodded. “Oh yeah, you did. 

“How did you know I’m here?” 

“Pammy told me.” 

I nodded my head. “Right, she loves you that much, she’d spoil where I am hiding to you right away.” 

“Were you hiding from me?” 

I shook my head smiling goofily. “No.” 

He jumps into the seat next to me after calling the driver. 

I stay quiet  the whole ride, I didn’t even know where we’re going, we did make plans that we would stay together on tour since we didn’t have any other movies to shoot currently. Pammy told me that tomorrow or in 1.5-hous is Chris’ birthday, I have his presents in my suitcase just before I flew here. I had to double check to Wikipedia to make sure Pammy isn’t fucking with me. 

“Hey, did you booked the hotel already?” 

Chris turns to me, his eyes are tired, “Of course, booked it two-weeks ago.” I look at him surprised. 

“Really?” 

“Yeah, I wanted to spend my birthday with you.” 

I raise my brow at him with a smirk. “Oh... so you’re telling me tomorrow’s your birthday?” Chris smiles, amused. He slides his arms around my waist shifting me closer to him, I shyly place my head on his shoulder as he puts another arm on my stomach and rest his chin on my head. 

“Do I get a special treatment for my birthday?”

I chuckle. 

“Special treatment? You wish.” I huff. 

When we arrived, there’s no paparazzi, Chris let himself out first, and as I was putting my heels back on, Chris opens the door for me. I smiled at him, puckering my lips as he leans forward to kiss me quick. 

He grabs my heels and carry it for me. I just can’t stop looking at him and think of how lucky I am to have him. Chris is hands down the most kind and caring person I have ever met in my life and now me being with him, I just feel more and more lucky every day. 

“I need to go to the bathroom first, give me the spare key.” 

I was thinking if Chris went up first I can ask for a cake for him upstairs. But, of course, “No, baby, I’ll wait for you.” I can’t help but smile.

I look around if I can have the front office guy look at me. As the guy, take a glance at me, I gesture him to follow me. Chris was looking at his phone, so for now, I’m safe to make a plan. 

“Can I help you Miss?” 

“Could you please send a slice of cake to our room at 11:58 on the clock?” 

He looks back to Chris then to me. “Right, what kind do you want?” 

“What do you have?” 

“We have the cheesecake, red velvet, classic chocolate-” 

“Classic chocolate it is.” I said to him with a smile. “Thank you. And I need one candle, and also please don’t knock, at 11:58 I’ll be right out.” 

He smiles back at me as I make my way to Chris whose eyes wanders around the interior design with its historical pictures on the wall. 

We walk into our room with him still carrying my heels. I didn’t let go of his hand until he has to open the door. I’ve never felt like this before and it’s weird, I never dated guys who were older than me until Chris, but with him, my heart race like I’ve never been before and I feel safe and I never felt like this dating guys my age. 

I look at my phone it’s 15-minutes until his birthday, Chris took off his jacket and say, “I’m gonna go shower.” I nodded my head. “I’ll do it in the morning, I’m too tired.” He smiles and kiss my head. 

Every time he kisses me, or even just a peck on my forehead, it sends electricity through my veins. 

I take off my dress, grabbing one of his white t-shirt and put it on as I remove my makeup while he was in the shower. I check my phone once again, 5-minutes. 

Chris walk out wearing the bathrobe and threw himself to be, opening his arms wide for me as I jump next to him making him chuckle. 

I keep on counting the minute. 

“I’m gonna get a drink, do you want some?” 

“That’d be great, thank you, baby.” I peck him on the lips and make my way out to the door. 

The guy from the front office stood there with a slice of chocolate cake with the candle in it. I specifically ask for one candle, ha, because of course, who likes it when your candle drizzles down to your cake? Nobody. 

He lit it up for me as I walk slowly to the bed and sing, “Happy birthday to you..” 

He looks at me with the cutest reaction (gif). 

“Happy birthday dear Chris... Happy birthday to you.” 

I stood there for a second, biting my lower lip nervously at him as he stood up. Kissing me passionately before looking at the cake and back to me. “Make a wish.” I said. 

He shuts his eyes for a minute and blow the candle. 

“Thank you, (Y/N)..” 

“The surprise isn’t over yet!” I said handing him the cake and went to my suitcase to get his present. 

Chris placed the cake onto the table near us and open the present and pout in response of how cute it is. 

A matching sweater for him and Dodger, his got Dodger’s face on it and Dogder’s got Chris’ face. 

“Oh man... this is the cutest thing ever...” 

I look at him excitedly, I knew he’d like it because if my puppy’s still alive and someone give me those sweaters for my birthday, I would probably cry. 

“Thank you, I love it.” 

I kiss him once more. 

. . . . 

I took a shower when Chris was still asleep, and as I was having breakfast in the balcony looking at the view of Venice, I open Instagram and uploaded a picture of us together on set.

‘Happy birthday America’s ass @chrisevans there wouldn’t be Nala if Benji don’t exist. You are the reason many people smile today, including mine.’  

I smiled at the picture, it was the first time we had our kiss on set but many more off set. I put my phone and eat my breakfast with my feet up on the balcony wearing bathrobe and a towel wrapped around my head. 

A solid ten-minutes later, my phone didn’t stop buzzing from the notifications. I remember I turn off my notifications for Instagram. “What is going on..” I look it up and there was people tagging me in a photo by Chris. 

‘IS THAT @(Y/N/L/N)?!?!?!?! OMGGGGGGG!!!!’

‘Tell me that’s her and I’ll die happily’ 

‘Omg they’re spending his brithday together i can’t do it.’ 

‘ITS HEEEERRR!!!’ 

It’s a picture of me, right now. 

‘Buongiorno, Venice.’ 

I look back and find him leaning against the door looking at me. I blushed. 

“Good morning.” 

“Good morning, birthday boy.” 

Chris walks to me and kiss my cheeks. 

“You’re so sneaky.” 

He laughed, “You look so good baby, I can’t just do it!” he jokes making me laugh. 

“Shall we go for a date today?” he ask. 

I nodded. 

After we went for a brunch, we were standing outside of the restaurant looking at the view. Chris has his hand wrapped around my waist as we talk about how we’re going to work “us” out when our schedules are busy. 

“Well, you’re more famous than me so, I can make the time for you.” 

He pfft’ed me. “No, I’m not.” 

“Oh yes. I mean, aren’t we supposed to be ready if things doesn’t work out?” 

He stays silence.

“But, it sucks if I have to meet other people or see you with someone else and I have to adapt to someone new, I don’t think I want that anymore.” 

I nodded my head, I feel the same way, I know I might be younger than him but exchanging one man to another is never my style. I’m not saying I’m ready to get married but, it’s nice to just have one person for as long as you also want it. 

Meeting people constantly sucks, and I feel too comfortable with Chris that I know for sure I never felt anything like this before. 

“You’re right.” I said. 

Chris just looks at me and say, “Gosh, I love you.” 

My eyes widens in shock. 

“W-what?”

Chris’ face turns blue, even green and yellow looking at my reaction. “I’m sorry was that too soon?” 

I bit my lower lip, I am so nervous. 

We just stood there in silence, looking at other ways. I can feel tension between us in this silence, but I know I feel the same way. 

“Chris?” 

He turns to me. 

“I love you too.” 

His face lights up, the biggest smile I’ve seen. 

“You do?” 

I nodded my head as he grabs me by shirt closer to him and kisses me passionately. Deep and passionate, and we stay like that for as long as I wish it to be. 

And he said, it was easy to love me, but little did he know that it was easier to love him and it’s hard not to. 

I want time to stop ticking just for us. 

Articles about (Y/N) and Chris: 

‘Chris Evans and co star (Y/N/L/N) shares a passionate kiss in Italy!’  - X

‘It’s official! (Y/N/L/N) finally taking it to public with Chris Evans!’ - X

‘(Y/N/L/N) wishes Chris Evans on Instagram. The reason she smiles today!’ - X

‘Chris Evans take (Y/N/L/N) on  a romantic stroll in Italy holding hands.’  - X

. . . . .

@patzammit​ @joannaliceevans-fanficblog​

[luvshuas]

the art of flirting

pairing - son of aphrodite!jun x child of harmonia!reader

tags - demigod!au + one-sided (?) enemies to lovers + fluff

synopsis - flirting was almost like a second language for jun. he believed he could have anyone swooning over his words in a matter of seconds. so much so that when he’s dared to make the child of harmonia fall in love with him he accepts without hesitation. however, he didn’t consider his reputation to build a pre-existing wall between him and the other demigod

word count - 5k

through the mist masterlist

©

It was hard not to know about Jun’s reputation. Whispers about who his next ‘victim’ would be would drift around camp from time to time, but all they would do is boost Jun’s confidence. Not that he needed a confidence boost in the first place. One could say he was overly confident in his ability to flirt, but that just made it all the more fun for his friends.

“Who’s next? Jun? Truth or dare?” Soonyoung asked, though he knew exactly what Jun would choose. Jun’s grin said his answer before it even left his lips.

“You already know I want a dare, Soon.” He said, leaning against his bed post. Soonyoung’s grin widened as Jun said those words. He wasn’t planning on giving him an impossible dare; no, it was merely meant to see if Jun could live up to his brags.

“I dare you to make that Harmonia kid fall in love with you.” Soonyoung’s grin turned into a smirk, but Jun remained unbothered. It wasn’t like him to make someone fall in love with him. Sure, he flirted enough to cause feelings, but never enough for it to go that far. Jun stood up from his position against the bedpost and made his way towards the door of the Aphrodite cabin. “Where are you going?” Soonyoung stared after him.

Jun grinned,”To make the child of Harmonia fall in love with me.” He stepped into the cool night air, and made his way towards the campfire. In all honesty, he had no clue whether you’d be at the fire or sound asleep in the cabin where the children of minor gods and goddesses stayed. The closer Jun got to the fire the less hope he had, until he caught a glimpse of you standing up behind another demigod.

Apologizing, Jun pushed past some of his fellow campers to try to catch up to you. “Hey! Wait up!” He called after you, hoping you’d slow your brisk pace. Without realizing it, your pace had slowed from a quick, angry mum walk to a saunter slow enough for Jun to finally catch up to you.

“Damned charm speak.” You murmured quietly. You kept your gaze fixed on the dirt path below you as you walked alongside him in silence. You knew what he wanted, but so would anyone if he walked up to them. During all the years you had spent at camp you had come to learn that Jun didn’t go up to people in the hopes of starting a new friendship, it just wasn’t like him. “What do you want Junhui?” You asked, keeping your gaze on the dark path.

“Oh we’re using full names?”

You rolled your eyes, “I’m not calling you by a nickname. We’re not friends.” You squinted into the darkness, hoping to make out the outline of your cabin. You knew you were close to it, but it felt as if the building moved farther back with every step you took. “You can go back to your cabin, Junhui.” You suggested, noticing he was still walking in step with you.

“You’re probably right. It’s getting late, but you also shouldn’t be walking alone in the dark. Who knows what’s out there? What if a cyclops got you?” His voice quieted as he said ‘cyclops’, though the look you gave him was far more dangerous than whatever monster he has come across.

“The camp is protected, dumbass. Nothing's gonna jump out and eat me.” You gestured to the space around you, indicating that nothing would be lurking in the shadows. You let out a thankful sigh as your cabin -- or your safe space away from Jun -- finally came into view.

“I guess. Alright, I’ll come get you tomorrow!” Jun said, quickly taking off afterwards. A smile spread across his face as he heard your protests. He knew this would be a challenge, but what’s the fun in giving up when presented with a little bump in the road? Jun slowed down his pace as he neared the dying fire. Most of the campers had returned to their cabins out of fear that they’d stay out too late and be forced into kitchen duty by one of the Furies.

Jun quietly slipped back into the now quiet Aphrodite cabin. He figured his friends would’ve been kicked out once Jun left to find you, but he didn’t particularly care. Jun wandered through the dark cabin until he felt his knees hit the edge of an empty bed -- his bed. He felt a tinge of excitement for tomorrow as he climbed into his bed, sleep beginning to tug at his consciousness.

_____

You weren’t the least bit surprised when one of your cabin mates shook you awake to tell you Jun was waiting at the door for you. You half expected him to give up with his obvious pursuit of you with how uninterested you acted last night, but if he really came all the way to your cabin then maybe you had underestimated his determination. You pulled a jacket onto your arms and made your way to the front of the cabin.

“Wen Junhui, do I need to directly tell you to get lost for you to leave me alone?” You asked, opening the front door to step out onto the wooden deck that wrapped around the cabin. Jun stood up from where he was sitting on the steps the moment he heard your voice. A smile spread across his face as he took in your messy hair and still-tired eyes. He could only describe the way you looked as homey.

“Good morning, love. I’m here to take you to get breakfast.” Jun extended his hand for you to take. He watched you consider his offer before you turned around to retreat back into your cabin. “Hey! Are you seriously just going back to bed?” He asked, bewildered that you’d turn down breakfast with him.

“Chill. I’m just gonna change.” You rolled your eyes, entering your cabin once again. You thought it was strange how determined he was, but then again he was like that ever since you met him on your first day at camp. Jun had arrived a year before you, and in no time he was claimed by Aphrodite. His flirtatious habits and charming personality had been a dead giveaway for his parentage.

You tried to be quick with changing and making your bed. You always thought of your need for harmony, especially in domestic settings, as a curse from your mother. After checking yourself in the mirror one last time you returned to the deck where Jun was still waiting. “You didn’t have to get all dressed up for me. We’re not going on a date, unless you want to?” Jun smirked, his last sentence subtly suggesting that you and him should go on a date.

You walked past him, “You’re here to take me to breakfast, not to flirt with me.”

“Who says I can’t do both?” Jun quickly moved to catch up with you. He walked proudly beside you, as if  you were a gem he’d finally gotten his hands on. The walk to the mess hall was short, and, much to your surprise, quiet. Jun hadn’t said a word as he opened the door for you and followed you through the buffet.

“Go to the Aphrodite table, Junhui.” You said, taking a seat at your cabin’s designated table. You nudged Jun’s elbow away from your plate, but he didn’t budge. He sat there as still as a rock as you continued to eat your breakfast. “If you’re gonna stay here then stop staring at me while I eat. It’s weird.”

“Why won’t you call me Jun?” He asked, lifting his head from his arms. After years of being called by a nickname he wasn’t used to hearing his full name. Jun didn’t necessarily mind you using his full name, but he just found it strange that you opted for the long version over what everyone else called him.

“Nicknames are for friends. You’re just an annoyance.” You stated matter-of-factly. You bit into the last piece of toast you had on your plate to suppress a small smile as he groaned. You could admit that you were slightly impressed by his determination to get you to like him, but at the end of the day you still knew nothing good would come from falling for Jun.

“If I’m so annoying then why’d you agree to go to breakfast with me?”

“You made someone wake me up, and I would’ve gone eventually. You just happened to ask so I agreed.”

“I think you like me.” Jun smiled as you stood from your seat, walking over to the table of dirty plates. He stayed seated while watching you head towards the door. He knew he got you. 1-0, he thought.

_____

After your breakfast ‘date’ with Jun you hadn’t seen him for the entire day leading up to a game of capture the flag. The spontaneous announcement that the entire camp would be participating in the game didn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Demigods gathered in groups around the entrance to the forest where the game would take place. In order to separate cabins names were pulled out of a hat. The red team was made up of Athena, Apollo, Zeus, Demeter, Hecate, Hades, and your cabin. The blue team had Ares, Poseidon, Hermes, Hephaestus, Dionysus, Nemesis, and finally Aphrodite.

“Let’s make a bet.” Jun said, quickly finding you in the sea of identical orange t-shirts. “If blue team wins then you and I are going on a date, and if your team wins then you can decide on whatever you want.”

“Deal.” You stuck out your hand for him to shake and finalize the bet. You didn’t have any intention to lose to Jun, and with the cabins on your team you didn’t expect to lose. A grin spread across Jun’s face as he shook your hand. To anyone who managed to get close to him his smirk would’ve given away hints that he had something up his sleeve, and with the Hermes cabin on his team there was no telling what that could be.

Once both teams had placed their flags on opposite sides of the forest a conch shell was blown, signaling the start of the game. Demigods on both sides took off running through the woods, using whatever powers their parents gave them to their advantage. You stayed behind to watch the flag with a few other demigods while the majority of your team raced to find the other flag.

Everything was dead silent around the flag for around ten minutes. Then the sound of metal piercing wood invaded the quiet space. Your eyes widened as you took in the grappling hook buried in the tree adjacent of you. You stayed crouched in the bushes as the sound of metal against the cord rang out. Neither you nor the other demigods watching over the flag made any mood to stop the two boys from the opposing team from taking your flag. You didn’t need to.

“Ah, so that’s why you didn’t seem bothered by two people planning on stealing your flag.” Jun said, suddenly crouching next to you. You tore your gaze from the two opposing teammates as they dangled from the rope traps your team had set up to Jun. You hadn’t heard him sneak up behind you so to say his sudden appearance startled you was an understatement. You fell on your butt as you tried to grab the knife from the sheath handing on your hip. “Woah, no need to stab me. I’m just here to get your flag.” Jun raised his hands in surrender.

“Wen Junhui you almost gave me a heart attack!” You whispered harshly. You could’ve sworn he was able to hear the louding thumping of your heart with the smirk he gave you.

“Well it’s a good thing I didn’t otherwise I’d have to go on a date with a corpse.”

You rolled your eyes at his pout, “You haven’t ev-” The horn signaling the end of the game cut off your sentence. You shot Jun a confused look, but only received a shrug from him. The same infuriating smirk from earlier was once again plastered on his lips.

You stood up from the ground and followed Jun back to the front of the forest, leaving your teammates to cut down the two demigods who were still caught in the rope trap. Your nerves quickly began to overtake you the closer you got to the entrance of the forest. You scoured your mind for any memory of whether or not your team’s flag had been taken. You surely would’ve noticed it was gone when you were leaving with Jun. You tried to convince yourself that your team had won as you and Jun joined the crowd of demigods.

“It was a very close call!” The camp director’s voice silenced the whispers among the sea of orange campers. “But the winner is...blue!” Cheers erupted from the winning team. Congratulations, cheers, and even grumbles echoed throughout the camp.

“I’ll be at your cabin by eight.” Jun smirked, patting your back. You turned to complain, but he was already walking in the opposite direction. The gods were seemingly against you when it came to not falling into Jun’s hands.

You still had four hours your dreadful date with Jun. A date, you thought. More like an elaborate plan to ruin me. But that was the problem. No matter how hard you thought about it you could never figure out why he was going so far to just leave you high and dry in the end. Of course the possibility of this all being a dare had crossed your mind, especially with the way he approached you the other night, but in all your years at camp with him you’d never seen him so determined.

Your mind clouded with explanations as to why he could be doing this as you wandered back towards your cabin. “Someone doesn’t look very harmonious today.” Soonyoung said as you entered your cabin. Him being the son of Eos, the goddess of dawn, also landed him in the cabin full of children of minor Greek deities.

“You wouldn’t be happy either if you had to go on a date with someone known for playing with other’s feelings.”

“A date? With who?”

“Wen Junhui.”

Soonyoung stared at you in shock, “You agreed to go on a date with him? Wait but you’re supposed to be hard to get! This isn’t going to be any fun if he gets you so easily.” Soonyoung groaned, throwing his head back in annoyance. You didn’t have the slightest clue what he was rambling about.

“What do you mean by ‘fun’?” You asked. You would’ve never guessed that Soonyoung, one of your own cabin mates, would have a hand in Jun trying to get you to fall for him. Soonyoung fiddled with his thumbs, clearly growing nervous under your stare. “Are you the reason he’s been trying so hard to get me to like him?”

“When you put it that way then yes, but it’s his fault! If he wouldn’t be so cocky about his ability to flirt then I would’ve never dared him to make you fall in love with him!” Soonyoung chuckled nervously.

“You dared him to what?”

“Make you fall in love with him?”

You sighed, trying to calm down the growing anger building up inside of you. “Ok, well, two can play at that game.” You gave Soonyoung a thin-lipped smile as you left to your room within the cabin. “If he thinks he can make me fall in love with him then I’ll just give him a taste of his own medicine.”

_____

The hour of the date came by slowly. You wanted to look your best to impress Jun, and when he showed up at your cabin door he was definitely impressed. “You know, I really think you like me.” Jun said upon seeing you. You shrugged as the two of you began to walk in step. You had no clue where Jun was taking you, but that gave you a tinge of excitement. You followed Jun down the dirt paths until you could see the lake coming into view. How cliche, you thought.

“I know this is where most dates happen, but there’s really no where else to go in camp. I tried making it kind of pretty thought.” Jun said, leading you across the sand and towards a blanket. The setting sun cast hues of red and orange across the water. If you didn’t absolutely despise Jun you thought you might really enjoy the date. Jun brushed some sand that had been blown onto the blanket back off before offering you a place next to him.

“You really outdid yourself, Junhui.” You smiled as you sat down next to him. You leaned back on your arms, taking in the sunset. Jun couldn’t help but watch you. It wasn’t like him to take anyone on a date, even if said date was won through a bet, but he felt himself wanting to do it again. He found satisfaction in planning something that would impress you.

“Still not at the nicknames stage in our relationship yet, huh?” Jun said, keeping his eyes fixed on your profile. He would be lying to himself if he didn’t find himself attracted to you. You kept him on the edge of his seat, dying of curiosity everytime your mouth opened.

“You wish we were in a relationship.” You laughed, pushing his arm. Jun couldn’t help but smile. A part of him felt regret that he only pursued you because of a dare.

“I think it’s the other way around.” He said. Jun turned his gaze to the lake in front of the two of you. The sun was starting to hide behind the horizon as the evening grew dark. “We should go back once it gets dark.”

This time it’s your turn to watch his profile. Before then you’d never really looked at him closely. From afar he was undeniably handsome, but the closer you looked at him the more his sharp features looked elegant, especially in the orange light. You felt yourself wanting to trace the highpoints of his face, if only to get to know him better. In the four years you had been at camp -- Jun having arrived a year before you -- you never thought to let yourself get close to someone like Jun. He broke hearts, you’d remind yourself. Don’t get your heart broken by a demigod.

“Thank you for taking me to watch the sunset. It was really nice, even though all you did was lay out a blanket.” Your heart momentarily stopped when Jun turned from the water to meet your gaze. You despised how attractive he was, but you more so despised that you wouldn’t let yourself fall for him, opting to play his little game of love instead of just giving into him.

“I’d like to see you think of a better spontaneous date.” Jun scoffed. Silence washed over the two of you as your attention locked onto the sunset. You used to imagine going on dates like this and watching the sunset with someone who you were head over heels for, but instead you had Jun. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.

“Challenge accepted. I’ll come find you sometime this week and we’ll go on a date.” You were speaking before you could comprehend what you were saying. Don’t be nervous, you told yourself. It’s all to play him the same way he’s playing you. Jun’s attention returned back to you, a foreign feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. He assumed this is what butterflies felt like. The fluttering feeling spread throughout his body like a blissful poison the more he thought about the prospect of you taking him on a date instead of the other way around. Maybe this was beginning to become less of a dare for him and more of a personal want.

Your sudden movement to get up from the blanket startled Jun, pulling him from his thoughts. “Hey! What’re you doing?” He asked quickly. His brain was racing a hundred miles per hour as he tried to think of anything that would get you to stay with him a little longer.

“It’s getting dark, Junhui. We have to go, unless you want to get caught and put on kitchen duty for the next week?” You reached a hand out to him to pull him up from the blanket. Jun, who clearly didn’t want to leave, grabbed your hand and let you pull him up. “Don’t be such a baby. You’ll probably end up bothering me tomorrow since you can’t seem to stay away from me.” You said teasingly. In truth you had begun to enjoy Jun’s constant presence the past few days.

“It’s not considered bothersome if you like it.” He said, winking at you. You felt your heart jump as he held onto your hand, leading you back towards the cabins.

“Aren’t you forgetting the blanket?”

“I took it from Soonyoung so it’s his responsibility.”

_____

The days following your date with Jun you tried your hardest to avoid him to keep true to your promise of a spontaneous date. Well it’d be spontaneous for him, but not so much for you. Staying clear of Jun was easier said than done, especially once he figured out you were avoiding him. It was both terrifying and amazing how he never failed to end up in the same area as you.

“Wait! Why are you avoiding me? I thought our date went well.” His usual smile was contorted into a frown as he spoke to you. It was strange not seeing his smile plastered to his face. You hated it. The way the corners of his mouth edged down or how his eyebrows furrowed together. You didn’t want to admit it, but you felt evil being the reason his face wasn’t beaming with joy as he looked at you.

“I was planning a date, and I didn’t want you to figure out what it was.” You mumbled, looking anywhere but at him. The frown that was previously on his face quickly turned back into its normal smile. Jun knew he was in too deep the moment his heart began to pound against his chest at the idea of another date with you. He couldn’t figure out why he liked you so much. It felt normal to him.

“Oh, in that case keep ignoring me.” Jun’s smile beamed at you despite your confused look. “Hold on, I meant like keep planning the date ignoring.” You couldn’t help smiling at his flustered attempt to back-track.

“I know what you meant. I’m just teasing you.”

Jun’s attention was pulled from you as he heard his name being called. In a matter of seconds Soonyoung had run up to Jun, slinging his arm around his friend’s shoulder. “Everything ok in love-ville?” He asked, a shit-eating grin already starting to take shape.

You rolled your eyes, “We’re not in a relationship.” Your eyes met Jun’s has you spoke. You could’ve sworn you thought you saw something flash in them. What is he thinking, you wondered. Jun turned to look at Soonyoung once again. His face mimicked his friend’s.

“You know I can’t be tied down, Soon. It’d make the Jun fanclub sad.” Jun dragged a finger from his eye down his cheek as if he was crying, earning a barking laugh from Soonyoung. You felt a pang in your chest. He was still the Jun you knew. The same boy who flirted mercilessly with anyone who looked at him. The same boy known for breaking hearts. How would you be any different?

“I gotta go. See you later, Soonyoung.” You began walking off, not bothering to acknowledge Jun’s confused questioning. He’s Wen Junhui, you reminded yourself. He’d break your heart before you could even chip at his own.

As you walked back to your cabin you made a promise to yourself. You’d cut him off, and the past few days that you spent with him glued to your side would become a buried memory. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and you can’t teach Jun to tie himself down.

Jun groaned and pushed Soonyoung’s arm off of him. He knew he said something stupid in order to protect his pride. “What do you want Soonyoung?”

“Just wanted to check in on how your dare is going, and it didn’t look to be going too smoothly.” Soonyoung shrugged. His uncaring demeanor bothered Jun, though he couldn’t pick out why.

“Whatever.” Jun said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Seems like you’re bothered about them leaving,” Soonyoung gasped dramatically. “Has Wen Junhui developed feelings for someone?” Jun shot him a glare.

“No, I don’t get crushes. I have to go to the archery range. See you later, Soon.” Jun walked off without waiting for Soonyoung to respond. He knew his friend would’ve seen straight through his lie if he kept the conversation going.

_____

As the days passed by Jun began to miss you. He tried time after time to speak to you, but everytime you would spot him you’d immediately turn in the other direction. He was sure you wanted nothing to do with him, but could he blame you? He said he wouldn’t settle into a relationship right in front of you after you had told him you’d take him on a date. This was entirely his fault.

“I need your help.” Jun fiddled with his fingers, keeping his gaze on his feet. He knew he’d never hear the end of this, but he was becoming desperate to just talk to you.

“With what?” His voice sounded amused. “What could Wen Junhui need help with?”

“I need you to ask someone down to the beach tonight.”

“That’s it? Alright, who?”

“The child of Harmonia. They won’t say no to you. Hell, no one would; you’re a son of Zeus, Mingyu.” Jun knew Mingyu didn’t like using his parentage to get what he wanted, but it was such a rare thing for Jun to ask for someone’s help that Mingyu couldn’t turn him down.

“You’ll owe me after this.” Mingyu smiled, patting Jun’s back. He would be lying if he wasn’t the least bit curious as to who you were, especially if Jun liked you enough to ask for someone’s help. Jun felt relief surge through him as Mingyu agreed to help.

“Thank you so much! Ask them to meet you at around 7 o’clock.” A giddy smile spread across Jun’s face. He was finally talking to you tonight. He was finally going to fix everything. He just had to make it a few more hours.

Jun thanked Mingyu a few more times before stepping out of his cabin. Briefly he caught a glimpse of you heading towards the archery range, but he didn’t feel the need to try to rush after you. “Everything will be fixed.” He mumbled to himself, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

_____

You waited down at the beach for Mingyu. The cool air nipped at your skin as the sun began to set below the horizon. The longer he took the more you considered just leaving instead of possibly getting stood up by Mingyu. Yet you stayed and continued waiting for the boy to come find you down at the beach. “Did he electrocute himself or am I being stood up?” You asked aloud. You were sure there was no one at the beach besides you, but his voice was unmistakable.

“No, cause I’m here.” Jun stood up from where he was sitting. Any reasonable person would’ve felt terrified seeing someone suddenly appear from who knows where, but you didn’t blink twice.

“What do you want, Junhui?” You felt your heart drop as he stepped closer to you.

“I need to talk to you. Please just stay and listen.”

“I’m here to meet Mingyu so it’ll have to wait till another time.” You crossed your arms. You studied him for a moment, taking in the pleading look he had in his eyes.

“About that…” Jun’s sentence trailed off. You got stood up. Great, you thought. “In his defense, I asked him to ask you to come here!”

“I’m never trusting anyone here ever again,” you sighed. “But what do you want to say?”

Jun smiled, relieved that you were letting him explain himself. “The other week, when I said I couldn’t be tied down, it was a lie. I wasn’t thinking, and I knew that Soonyoung would make my life a living hell if I didn’t say something cocky like that. The truth is that I do like you. A lot.”

“How am I supposed to believe that? You’re not exactly known for being a picture perfect boyfriend.” Your words sounded harsher than what you intended. Jun’s smile faltered. You were right.

“Have you noticed I’ve been trying to chase after you every time I saw you? And why would I ask Kim Mingyu to help me get you down here to talk to me if I didn’t mean what I was saying?” You paused. He had a point, but you still had a hard time believing him.

“I don’t blame you for being hesitant, but I swear to you I’m being truthful.” Jun reached out to grab your hand, and you let him take it. You searched his face for any hints of deception.

“Okay Jun,” you said quietly. “I’ll believe you.”

If your past self could see you, holding onto Jun’s hands and looking into his eyes, you would’ve called yourself stupid. And maybe you were stupid for beginning to fall for him, but he was falling just as hard for you.

[mraaronwhite]

THE GOLDFISH

We sat in the conservatory of my weathered, beach side cottage, overlooking some tomato plants and a splintered oak bench that I collectively called my back garden. Now, being a cottage, you would be forgiven for thinking that this was a small affair, the kind of cottage that malicious, child-eating witches would inhabit deep in the woods. Not this cottage though. There was actually too much room believe it or not. Well, too much room for a man and his cat at least.

You see, I grew up in a cramped, narrow excuse for a flat in Edinburgh. Usually being able to touch two opposing walls at once. So, when I inherited this place, a fortnight ago, from my recently deceased Aunt, it was a breath of fresh air to say the least. It felt like the perfect excuse to have a party. Not to celebrate my Aunt just dying (she was a grumpy old boot, mind you) but rather the fact that after twenty-three years of always wanting a place of my own, I finally had it.

I messaged the group chat, letting them know of the upcoming shindig to mark my housewarming, informing them that they would all be coming. None of them having a choice in the matter, I joked. There were ten of them in the group, eleven including myself, and we had been inseparable since the later years of high school. That fact surprises most people actually. Given that when folk head off to university, college or go backpacking through Asia, they normally lose contact. After all, it’s a perfect chance to reinvent yourself, and doing that sometimes means saying goodbye to some folk.

Not us though. We had to be different. Having nearly been out of high school for as long as we were in it, our collective friendship was as strong as it ever. We hadn’t all been together in nearly a year as well, so when I sent out the invites, they all jumped at the chance.

 The night itself exceeded my wildest expectations. We laughed, we sang, we laughed again. It was a night of pure merriment and happiness and it will live forever in my head as one of the high points of my life.  As I sighed a breath of relief when I moved into my sand surrounded home, I did the same when I saw all my friends together again that night. My face literally started to hurt with the amount of smiling I was doing, which only made me smile all the more.

All good things must come to an end though I thought, and as the clock flashed one in the morning, the designated drivers began ferrying home their passengers. Before they left however, we had but one tradition to enact. An exclusively Scottish ritual that you have to do at the end of a good party. Listening to Runrig’s Loch Lomond at full volume and jumping up and down like a bunch of toddlers on a sugar high. Once the song was over however, the party was too unfortunately. One by one, they said their farewells and staggered down my grassy strewn path. They waved and honked their horns until eventually they fell out of sight, becoming part of the jumbled mess of streetlights and other late-night travellers.

 I ventured back inside my new home and couldn’t help but feel lonely. Lonelier than I had in a while. At least I had Bean though, I thought to myself. She was my ashen-haired feline companion, and we’d been through thick and thin together. I don’t know what I’d do without her to be honest. She’s a nervous wee thing though and doesn’t do well around crowds, so had been chilling in the spare room for the night. That was until I opened the door of course, and then she was out of there at damn near mach four.

As she sniffed and scratched her way around the room, I flung myself into the heap of cushions and blankets people had sat on in the conservatory, their lazy attempt of tidying up before their departure I concluded. I sighed, letting out a small chuckle. Planning on just kipping there for the night, I shut my eyes and soon felt myself drifting off into the endless depths of my unconscious.

A distant toilet flushing filled the house and swiftly brought me back to reality. Then click clack, click clack, click clack. Footsteps. They were closing in and at this point I was on my feet, starting to panic. I had never been in a fight before, but I was about to be if my theory of a murderer checked out. In my drunken state, I never thought to question why someone would go to the toilet before killing me. I looked about the conservatory, trying to see something I could use to defend myself and grabbed the first thing that came to me. A tube of Paprika flavoured Pringles. In hindsight, I could have probably picked something a little more useful, but hey ho, that’s what a night of binge drinking and anxiety gets you. Then as the “Murderer” got closer, she appeared in the doorway. Clio DeLuca. My best friend.

 “Where did everyone go??” she said, cool as a cucumber, leaning on the frame of the door.

“They left like half an hour ago” I replied, my face a picture of confusion “What the hell are you still doing here though?? We all thought you left ages ago” I asked, half laughing, while letting out a sigh of relief.

“Funny story. I went to the toilet and kinda just fell asleep half way through.” She told me, sitting down the arm of the raggedy couch. Then flopping onto my makeshift bed, that I had been nice and comfy on only moments before.

“What are you like??” I said, now properly belly laughing. “You might as well get comfy, the buses stopped at eleven.” I paused “Sooo, do you want another drink?”

“Yeah but my heads splitting, nothing hard.” I was about to offer her some of the special stuff but she got in before me “Oooh in fact, have you got any hot chocolate??” She asked, looking up at me with those wild green eyes, that I first met oh so long ago.

“Now we’re talking” I exclaimed with glee “I’ve got just the thing!” I then marched off into the kitchen, meeting Bean as she was having a nibble at some of her biscuits. I flicked the kettle on and shouted through “What one you fancying then?”

“I dunno - hic” she mumbled. The sounds of her then rolling off the couch and wandering through soon followed. “What kind - hic - you got?” she asked, parking herself at my breakfast bar.

“Weeeell” I started, opening my cupboard I that housed my secret obsession “I’ve got your normal supermarket kinds - Cadburys, Galaxy, Bournville?”

“Yeah, one of them is fine” she chimed in.

“Nah, that’s the boring stuff. I’ve also got white chocolate, orange, peppermint, vanilla bean, salte” Bean scuttled into the room, hearing this, thinking I was talking to her, to which prompted Clio to scoop her up.

“Well hiii, where have you been hiding all night??” Bean purred, gladly accepting the cuddles and attention. Clio looked back up at me, staring through her shadowy locks that fell onto her face like a waterfall in the night. “Please continue” she smiled, nodding at the cupboard, all the while still scratching Bean’s belly.

“Ah yes, where we, so we’ve got salted caramel flavour, cinnamon, apple pie and the Pièce de résistance of my collection, genuine Peruvian hot chocolate.” I turned back to her “Think I’m gonna go for the Peruvian blend, you?” I asked. She was back looking at Bean again, given her some more lovin’. She’s always had the attention span of a goldfish, and I always found it quite funny. “I’ll just make the you the same” I laughed.

“Sorry, aye, sounds lovely.” I spooned the mixture into two bulky mugs, hearing purring and some meows coming from behind me. “Sooo” she started, “When did you become the Ramona Flowers of hot chocolate?” she jested.

“What you talking about, I’ve always been into hot chocolate?” she started to speak before I cut her off “Cream and marshmallows by the way??”

“Ooh yes please” Her eyes lit up “But yeah, I know you’ve always liked it but this is like obsessed. Like I’m scared if I don’t like this” she paused, while pointing her head at our mugs “that you might actually kill me.” She looked so sincere as she told me this.

“Shut up” I pleaded, in the moaniest voice I could muster “You know, I don’t have to let you sleep here tonight, I’m doing it out of the pure goodness of my heart.”

“Nah I’m being serious, and once the papers find out, you’ll probably get a cool nickname as well. The hot chocolate killer, perhaps? Whadda ya think, Bean?” She gave a solemn meow.

“Fuc..” she cut me off, looking aghast, while covering Beans ears.

“There’s children present” she shot back, with a hint of faux anger and a wry grin. I then simply mouthed my retort, all the while giving her the finger. Then, just as quickly, she flipped it right back at me. We then both had a good giggle as I stirred our drinks, plopped in the marshmallows and squirted the cream on top.

“Shall we?” I asked, while gesturing to the conservatory with my head as my hands were full. She cradled Bean like a new-born, stood up and we both made our way through.

 I gently placed our steaming mugs down on the glass topped coffee table, moving some meekly filled beer bottles out of the way to give us some room. We both fell back into the warm embrace of the couch, prompting Bean to hop out off Clio’s lap and curl up between the two of us.

My Bluetooth speaker, which sat in the corner atop some books, echoed out the tunes of my Spotify playlist which I had shuffled at the beginning of the party. Turning it to a whisper when folk left, I turned it back up again to fill the room with some life.

Looking about, the room, and the rest of the house was an absolute state. Crisps everywhere, too many cider cans to count and an embarrassing amount of smarties lay scattered about the floor, from when I was trying to toss them up and catch in my mouth earlier in the party. A dozen or so polaroids were sprinkled about the place as well, and when one caught my eye lurking under the armchair in the corner I got up and quickly collected the rest. “Get any good snaps?” Clio asked, while taking a generous sip of her hot chocolate, leaving a lovely big creamy moustache under her petit, turned up nose. I smiled, deciding not to tell her. “Daaamn, this is gooood!” she exclaimed, in a warm, satisfied tone, telling me she loved the drink just as much as I did.

“Told ya!” trying to not look smug “Let’s see here” I pondered, thumbing through the small pile of photos. “Hmmha” I grinned, looking at Clio, who was puffing her cheeks and making her eyes go crossed “That’s a good ‘un” handing it to her. She flung herself back onto the seat, seeing the picture.”

“Oh my God, what the hell is wrong with us?” she chortled, leaning forward again to take another sip of the sweet goodness. Her face then quickly soured “Can you skip this one, it reminds me of when I worked in Asda. They played the same six songs on repeat. It was actually hell.”

“Us!?” I asked her, while I pulled out my phone, skipping to the next song “Speak for yourself! I take only good photos.”

“Is that right?” she laughed back, cocking her head, proceeding then to snatch the bundle of photos from my hands. “We’ll see about that” in a determined tone, while furrowing her brow. I took the opportunity to indulge in the heated sweetness of my mug and no less than ten seconds later “Here, look at this, what the hell are you doing with your lips?” shoving the polaroid at my face.

“Its called blue steel, look it up” I confidently hit back.

“I dunno what that is but you LOOK like a goldfish”

“I think you’ll find I look damn sexy” making sure to sound as cocky and arrogant as I could.

“And by sexy” doing air quotes with her fingers “I take it you mean the lesser known definition of the word, meaning to look like you live at the aquarium at Dobbies?” she ranted, putting one her best condescending voice as she could.

“You know, sometimes, your words, they hurt.” Looking back at her, attempting to appear actually upset and offended. She could always see right through my piss poor acting skills though, and we both just started giggling again.

This is the norm for when me and Clio hang out. I make fun of her, she makes fun of me, we laugh about it and on and on it goes. It’s been our routine since primary four, when we first met, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The rest of that night was no exception, we bantered about for a bit then did some actual serious talking as well. Our sexuality, putting the world to rights, family shit. The usual kind of deep topics you chat about after a night of drinking and partying, and before we knew it, I looked at my phone and it flashed 4:33AM.

  Bean had migrated over to the open window by this point, she was doing some serious loafing. Presumably to cool down I thought. The dregs of our hot chocolate sat in the now cold mugs and the two of us were cosy under a massive blanket. Her head gently rested on my shoulder.

I peered out through the double doors that lead to my garden, amalgamating into the sands and shells of the dark beach. The North Sea lay before me, stretching as far as the eye could see, eventually bleeding into the never ending abyss of space. An army of stars littering its canvas, shining down on us mere mortals below.

I stared at the colossal entity that was the cosmos, trying to make shapes out of its burning suns. I was at a loss at how the early astronomers of prehistory were able to see anything apart from a jumble of distant polka dots. “Hey” I whispered, gently nudging my shoulder.

“Hmm” She softly moaned to let me know she was listening.

“Do you see anything up there? You know, in the stars.” I continued, still whispering. She craned her neck back and opened her wild grassy eyes to look up at the sky above.

“I dunno” she looked from corner to corner, eventually pointing toward the right of where we were sitting “There’s Orion’s belt.”

“Nah like I mean something new, not an already existing constellation.” I prodded.

“I really can’t say. What can you see?” she asked, shutting her eyes getting comfy under the blanket again. I gazed about the dark blue sky with great curiosity. Then, directly in front of me, high above the wispy clouds I faintly made out the shape of goldfish. Probably because it was on my mind from earlier, but nevertheless, I could see it clear as day. I jostled Clio’s head once again.

“Look, there, right in front of us. Can you see a goldfish?” Groggily sitting up, she focused to where I was pointing and tilted her head.

“Yeah, I can actu…” She trailed off, as did my music. Both of us were looking at the fish in the sky, but now, the stars in our newly discovered constellation were twitching and swirling. They also began glowing much brighter than the other stars in the sky. Both of us were transfixed. The whole thing eventually started pulsing. Going dim and then shining bright. It was slow at first but then gradually got faster and faster. Then, and I’ll remember this moment until my dying day, it appeared in front of us.

 There, in the obsidian blackness of the sky, it shone down on us. A gargantuan, glowing goldfish. It swam about as if we were looking through the cold, wet glass of an aquarium. Darting about the night sky as easily as it would have underwater. Its visage, although similar to a normal goldfish, was still very different. Apart from the obvious size distinction, the one before us existed purely as an outline defined by the stars. Its body was see-through, the same inky darkness as the rest of space. I couldn’t believe my eyes, and neither could Clio given her jaw was almost touching the floor. We were both outside by this point, wanting to get as clear a look as possible.

“Te.. tell me you’re” I mumbled “you’re seeing this as well” I eventually mustered, breaking the silence.  Clio simply nodded, staring unblinkingly at the godlike being as it swished and swooshed through the cosmos.

“Okay” she finally said “Either we’ve fallen into some weird sci-fi novel or you spiked my hot chocolate” trying to make sense of the impossibility of what was happening.

“Why isn’t it cold though? I asked, looking up and down the beach, and after a few moments had passed, she eventually processed my question prompting her whip her head at me.

“There’s a massive floating fish made out of stars in the sky and you’re worried about the weather? She half yelled, with great incredulity.

“Clio, its 5 in the morning. In February. In Scotland. It should be freezing.” She thought about what I was saying and looked about as well. “Its warm though, and there’s no wind.” I paused “And no noise for that matter.” I paused again ���I don’t understand”.

“It’s weird” she started “I feel like I should be scared or freaked out or… something” she looked at me “But.. it feels right. It feels like we were meant to be here. To see” she paused, looking back at the fish who was still merrily swimming about the sky “whatever this is.”  I felt the same way, in my gut. I knew that whatever was happening wasn’t meant to hurt or frighten us. So, I began walking forward, taking Clio’s hand as I did so. We walked far onto the beach. It was still warm, still completely quiet.

We eventually reached the waters edge, as close as we could get to the being in front of us, when we notice that the sea itself had stopped. It plateaued to a complete halt. No waves. No tide. Nothing. It looked like a gigantic mirror, that stretched out past the horizon. Reflecting everything that was happening above. I bent down and dipped my fingers in, expecting it to be solid but it was just as wet as the normal sea. Just completely still. As if someone had hit the pause button.

 I sat down, cross legged on the shore, as did Clio, and we watched the fish for hours. It swam to the left, to the right. It swam far away, getting smaller, then past the horizon only to jump up again as if it was a dolphin doing tricks.

The sky was gradually getting lighter, now a dusky blue, and we both knew that the fish’s departure was upcoming. Potentially any minute now. It suddenly came to a gentle stop, high in the twilight sky. It was looking right at us, into the deep-seated depths of our souls.

Now, I’m not an emotional man, it takes a lot to upset me. Even the most heart wrenching of films doesn’t evoke a reaction. But at the very moment, I couldn’t help but shed a few tears. Not out of sadness, or even happiness. It was just raw emotion. I could tell by Clio’s sniffling that she was having a similar reaction.

Then, as mysteriously as it arrived, it vanished. Its image fading back into the now pale blue of space. The stars that made up its outline, in their original position. It’s retreat from our world meant that it was back to normal, and in perfect synchronisation, the temperature dropped to just above zero, the wind blew at our backs and the once static waves drenched us in salty seawater.

Needless to say we both screamed out in discomfort, then looking at each other deep in the eyes, we embraced. I hugged her tighter than I had ever before, never in my life had I felt as close to someone as I did in that moment and I could tell she felt the same way. We swiftly then ran back to my cottage to warm up. After a nice warm and soapy shower, a fresh change of clothes (her having to borrow some shorts and a hoodie) she joined me on the couch, where we first saw the big fish, only a few hours ago.

 We sat in the conservatory, in silence for the most part. My tomato plants blew in the wind, gently tapping against the glass of the doors. Bean now sitting, curled up between us. Purring softly as I patted her silvery fur. Clio eventually spoke.

“Y’know, no one is gonna believe us” she said, in a solemn tone.

“No” I sighed, while shaking my head.

“Then why should we tell them” she exclaimed. “They’d think we were insane”. I acknowledged her sense; everyone, anyone we told, would think we were mad.

“I just don’t get why” I interjected, to which she looked puzzled “Why did that happen to us, what does it mean?”

“Does it have to mean anything?” I couldn’t help but furrow my brow, not being content with her answer “Look” she began again “When you see a sunset, a deer in the wild or you’re caught in the middle of a thunderstorm, do you ask why?” She paused, looking at me “No, you just enjoy them for what they are. Beautiful acts of nature.”

“But what we saw, Clio. It was Impossible. It shouldn’t have happened. It defies all the laws of physics that we know.”

“So?” she said, shrugging, casually as ever.

“So, don’t you want to know how all of that was possible?”

“Of course, I do, but even if I did, it wouldn’t make what just happen any more meaningful. In fact I think it would detract from the whole thing.” She could tell I was confused, which only made her smile, sit right next to me and take my hand in hers “When you see a magic trick, when you see a magician pick the card you were think of from thin air, what’s the best bit about it?” She said, looking right at me, with her wild green eyes. I thought about it for a few seconds.

“The trick” she smiled even wider “The mystery of it all and the trying to work it out.”

“And if you knew how it was done?” she continued

“It would ruin it.”

“Exactly.” I finally got what she meant and appreciated our night-time visitor all the more. I put my arm around her, pulling her into another hug. Gently kissing her on the side of her head.

 Things aren’t beautiful because we understand them or know when they’re going to happen. It’s the fleeting mystery and spontaneous nature of it all that truly makes it exciting. The late-night conversations, when you can’t stop dancing with your pals, warm hot chocolate, a cat’s affection, silly photos with funny faces and stargazing with your best friend. Its moments like these that make you really appreciate the wonderfully weird gift of life.

[mintchocolateleaves]

On The Fantasies of Moonlight (4/4)

Summary: Aoko deserves someone who won’t lie to her, who won’t be selfish with her. And Kaito…? Kaito is selfish.

[Part One]  [Part Two]  [Part Three]

Kaito can’t believe he’s doing this.

But at the same time, he’s always known himself to be the type to do stupid, insane things, so – at the same time, he does believe it. It’s a conflict of belief, one that forces him forward.

He waits until the following morning, of course. When he’s sober and his blood has a lower alcohol content inside, the aftermath of drinking at the blue parrot brushed away with a good night’s sleep and a few painkillers to erase the impending hangover.

Now, he stands outside of Aoko’s front door, early enough that he’d managed to catch the sun rising as he’d left his own apartment behind. The sky had been a mixture of coral and lavender as light peered through the clouds, illuminating his face as he’d gotten onto his bike.

“You’re procrastinating,” Kaito tells himself, and he wills himself to rid the tension from his voice, to roll out the ache in his shoulders, where the muscles are so bunched up. The plastic carrier bag that he’s brought with him rustles as he moves, swinging back and forth. “Stop that.”

Okay, he just needs to go for it.

Kaito isn’t a coward, he knows he can do it. Just bridge the gap and hope that Aoko is as much of an early riser as she always claims that she is. He balls his hand into a fist and for the first time in years, he knocks.

And he waits.

In fact, Kaito waits for long enough that he’s beginning to think that Aoko either isn’t in, or she’s just not an early riser. Which kind of sucks, because Kaito doesn’t really want to wait on her doorstep, waiting for the moment she becomes available for him to talk to again.

He’ll do it, because he’s trying to prove a point, but that doesn’t mean he really wants to. Even if it’s light outside, there’s still a chill to the morning that he doesn’t usually see at midday.

Part of him considers lifting the pick set from his back pocket and just entering the house, but that’s probably not the best idea when he’s trying to even things out. Trying to make sure that Aoko sees him on her terms.

Well–

Okay, maybe it’s not so much her terms, since he’s the one initiating the contact, but… well, he’s trying to make her feel comfortable, in her own space. Somewhere she can kick him out of whenever she wants to stop looking at his face.

The door swings open and Kaito, pulled from his thoughts, jumps back, almost tripping over the curb and back into the street.

Aoko, still dressed in her pyjamas – a long baby-blue shirt with the words ‘I am enough’ printed across them, and small white kitten shorts – stares out, barely awake.

He kind of gets the impression that either Aoko has only been up a little while, or, he’s the one responsible for her leaving the warmth of bed blankets behind.

“Ka–” Her expression shifts from sleepy to annoyed in a way that Kaito is all too used to. “What are you doing here?”

Kaito takes the second to lift the carrier bag, lets his lips twist upward in an attempt at something apologetic. He’s never been good at saying the words ‘sorry’, but he’ll try to, for her. “I thought I’d bring breakfast.”

Aoko blinks. She lowers her chin, staring at the bag as if it holds more answers than he does. “Wha- Kaito, it’s six in the morning.”

“Breakfast starts from five-thirty,” he says. And then, quieter, “I wanted to talk, and I’m impatient.”

Her exasperation flees her face, chased away by regret and a frown. Aoko says, “right, whatever, close the door behind you, I’m gonna go get dressed.”

Kaito barely has his foot in the door before she’s disappeared down the corridor, practically storming away. He deposits his shoes, mutters ‘sorry for intruding’ under his breath, and closes the door behind him.

-

When Aoko comes back downstairs, into the kitchen, she is more presentable.

The knots are brushed out from her hair, the tiredness is gone from her eyes and she’s dressed in jeans and a jumper. The jumper, with stripes, is one that Kaito has mentioned being too big for her in the past.

It kind of makes him imagine her wearing his clothes, because the fabric is baggy and sort of swallows her up.

Which is something he shouldn’t be thinking of at the moment, there’s a reason he’s here, and thoughts like that can come later, if everything goes well. God, Kaito hopes it goes well.

“Breakfast at six a.m.,” Aoko mutters as she glances at the food Kaito has prepared, warmed up on the table. “Breakfast at fucking six a.m., with KID, who just so happens to be Kaito.”

Okay, so maybe six a.m. breakfast has the beginnings of a mental breakdown in it. He probably should have expected this.

“Yeah,” Kaito says, “come sit down. It’s your favourite!”

Aoko squints. She says, “I’m pretty sure pancakes are your favourite.”

“We’re sharing,” Kaito says, waving a hand past the pancakes on their plates, to the other food on the table. “There’s also egg omelette, and rice porridge here, isn’t there?”

“You never make porridge,” Aoko says, slowly. She pulls out a chair, hesitating. Kaito doesn’t blame her for it.

“I made it today,” he shrugs his shoulders. “I make it sometimes.”

Having her sit down shouldn’t feel so satisfying, but honestly, it warms him slightly when Aoko pulls her chair in behind her. She grabs one of the porridge bowls, settles it in front of her, and grabs a spoon.

“You used the setting for it on the rice cooker, didn’t you?” She says, raising an eyebrow. “I doubt you even know how to cook it properly.”

“I can cook.”

“Doubtful.”

Kaito opens his mouth, retort on the tip of his tongue, and pauses. Are they really going to act like yesterday didn’t happen, just fall back into a routine that feels almost foreign now.

Even if Aoko had mentioned his being KID, she’d given in too easily, hadn’t said anything about it further. Not denying it, but not exactly accepting it either.

His expression falls, and Kaito frowns at his pancakes. He hadn’t really felt like eating before arriving, nor when he’d been setting the food out, but he’d convinced himself that he’d have some food anyway. For an attempt at normalcy.

Now, he doesn’t really feel like there’s even a slither of appetite left.

“Right,” Kaito pauses, pokes his chopsticks into his pancake. “Aoko – I think we need to talk.”

“About how you need to learn how to cook?” Her voice sounds almost strained as she says it, and she fills her mouth with porridge so she doesn’t have to say anything else.

“About me being KID.” Kaito says. Quiet. His voice barely above a whisper.

“I don’t want–” Aoko’s expression darkens. For a moment, it seems like the reminder steals the light from her eyes. “I just want to have breakfast, and not… talk about that.”

He can’t deny that the idea of skirting around it forever, neither of them mentioning it, sounds… like it would be a lot easier. But Kaito can’t do that. He can’t leave this hanging, not when this could have all been avoided if he’d just been… open from the beginning.

Again, he pokes at his pancake, before placing his chopsticks down and looking her in the eye.

“I don’t really think we can avoid it,” Kaito says. “Well, we can, but I don’t really think that we should.”

Aoko settles her spoon on the table.

“Well, what do you want me to say?” Her voice is weak, the words wavering, not nervous, but pained. It hurts to know that he caused that. “You lied to me for years, and the only reason you told me was because you wanted to hurt me.”

“Aoko, I–”

“Because that’s it, isn’t it?” She cuts him off, and it’s not hard to realise that she’s been sitting on these words since she left yesterday, letting them stew, designing just what exactly she wants to say. “You get upset and rather than explain things rationally, you lash out instead.”

God, Kaito doesn’t know what to say now.

“I mean, you’ve had over eight years to tell me you were KID,” Aoko says, “but you chose yesterday to tell me. You lied to me, and you used the truth to punish me for loving you?”

No. No Kaito hadn’t meant to – that’s not –

“I don’t want to punish you,” Kaito says, “I wanted you to realise you deserve better.”

“Did you ever think that maybe it’s not up to you to decide who I deserve?” Her voice is sharp, loud. It echoes in his ears. “You think there’s some goddamned hierarchy deciding who deserves who? Of course not!”

“You hate KID!”

Aoko leans forward, pressing against the table as she pitches herself up, standing, staring down at him. As if she’s incapable of sitting still, of remaining sat in place. “Well, I love Kaito!”

Brain short-circuiting, Kaito blinks. He’s never known how to deal with this, with the vivid ferocity in which Aoko feels things, and as such, he feels his brain scramble, frying as he tries to keep up.

“That doesn’t change things,” Kaito says, finally. “You hate KID. You can’t pretend that loving me doesn’t mean you hate me too.”

She stiffens. Drops back into her seat almost as if her legs have given up on her, the muscles weak as she collapses down. Kaito almost wants to ask if she’s okay – but that would be stupid? Wouldn’t it?

How could she be, right now?

“Of course, I hate you,” Aoko says and Kaito can’t hurt the stab of pain that runs through him, slicing him open, making him feel like he’s bleeding out at the kitchen table. “You can’t expect me not to.”

Kaito closes his eyes, reminds himself to breathe.

“I mean,” Aoko continues, and her voice is softer now, “I’ve hated KID for… Pretty much a third of my life, I can’t just will that away in a day.”

…What?

“There’s always going to be residual anger there,” Aoko says, and when he reopens his eyes, she’s watching him, trying to read his expressions. Kaito, used to hiding emotions away, finds that it’s not too unsettling to let her. “But I think we should both be expecting that, shouldn’t we?”

“It’s only natural,” he murmurs.

“And honestly,” Aoko continues, “I think it might take me a while to figure all this stuff out. I mean, you lied to me for years, you – it was your heists my dad was always ditching me for. And I mean, Dad always told me KID was in danger, so that means you were running into danger.”

“…I was.”

“I’m not going to lie and say that I don’t hate you a little bit for that,” Aoko says. “That you put yourself in danger, that dad focused more on you, that I was alone because of it. But – some of that anger is irrational, and I know that.”

She leans forward, snaking her hand around the plates and bowls, grabbing hold of Kaito’s hand. He tenses, an unconscious response, but she pays the movement no mind.

“You’re allowed to feel angry,” Kaito sighs, “anger isn’t irrational.”

“And I’ll let myself feel that,” Aoko agrees, “but I know when I need to admit some things are irrational. Like – my anger at dad choosing to go to all the heists and not come home. It was always easier to place it on KID, than on him, so I did. That wasn’t you.”

It is easier, after all, to place the blame on someone who isn’t present, isn’t a part of her life with any immediate relationships. Easier for Aoko to shift the blame and to avoid being angry at those she’s closest too.

“Okay,” – his voice sounds hollow to his own ears – “yeah, that’s understandable.”

A pause.

“So, what happens now?”

Her lips part, eyes widening. Aoko asks, “what do you mean?”

“I mean – with this. With KID. Me.” Kaito’s foot taps against the floor, his shoes clacking, a fast rhythm that isn’t enough to alleviate the sudden anxiety. “I mean, I’m a criminal, a thief – and your division catches them. So, what next?”

The fact that Aoko pauses, considering, her eyes glancing away as she thinks, shouldn’t be as nerve-wracking as it is. But Kaito can’t deny that it’s sobering, watching her.

“Well, it’s not like I can arrest you,” Aoko says. “I don’t have any evidence that KID is you. Well, I have a confession, but there’s no recording of it, so it would just be my word against yours.”

Kaito takes in a deep breath. Holds it for five seconds, and then exhales for eight.

Then, with a quick flourish of his wrist, a magic trick he’ll give no explanation for, he places KID’s monocle on the table. Aoko lets out a small gasp as it clinks against the wood, staring at the eyewear as if it’s going to disappear if she doesn’t watch it.

“There’s your evidence,” Kaito whispers. He lets out a shaky breath. “Aoko… You’ve wanted to catch KID for a very long time… so… if you want to catch me, then the evidence is yours.”

Conflict.

That’s the only word Kaito can think to explain what flashes across her face, pained conflict that threads her brows together, her lips pursued.

“I guess this is the part where you plead your case to me. Why I shouldn’t arrest you?”

Kaito shakes his head. “No.”

“Okay then,” Aoko says. She brushes hair from her eyes, looping it around her ear. “Then answer a question for me. KID has been gone for a while now, you left that moniker behind… Do you think your reformed?”

It’s a question that honestly, Kaito has been asking himself for years now. Something he’d never really wanted to get into, because he’s always been nervous what the answer would be.

But now, he kind of knows what that answer is.

“Honest?” He glances away, “I don’t think so.”

Aoko’s smile tightens, and it’s all Kaito can do to force himself to look back at her. To try and read her eyes, no matter how difficult that is.

“I can’t deny that I enjoyed it, being KID. That there isn’t a part of me that looks back on my heists and wants to host another. In a way, I don’t think I’ll ever be reformed, because there’s always going to be a part of me that loves being that person.”

“Then why stop?”

Truthfully? Because there’d been no way to justify it after he’d found Pandora. Because there was no need to keep risking his life once he’d gained his justice – his revenge – and he’d known that. Because his mother had been worried that one day he’d end up like his father, dead, leaving her even more alone.

So many reasons. All of them mingling together. Only one of them to do with Aoko.

“I found what I was looking for,” he answers. “There was no need to do it anymore.”

“Okay,” Aoko says, “that was then. What stops you now?”

The answers are fluid, readily available without even needing to be thought out. Almost as if for years he’d been dying to say them, except, no one had ever thought to ask because they either didn’t know to or didn’t think the question was necessary.

“I want to be better. I don’t want my own personal history to always be defined by KID. I don’t want to be a thief forever.”

“I don’t know what reformed means in your head,” Aoko says, “but to me, it sounds like your well on your way.”

She lets go of his hand, collects the monocle in her hands. And then, just as quickly as picking it up, so presses it into Kaito’s hand.

“This is yours. Not mine.”

Kaito blinks. “You– Aoko are you–”

“I’m sure.” Her eyes light up, and for a moment, all Kaito can do is watch her. The curve of her lips, not a full smile, but the beginnings of one. Something that can be built upon, with so many different expressions that it’s shocking to think that it’s not overwhelmingly expressive in its own right.

He puts the monocle away, dropping it into his pocket. He hardly feels the weight of it.

“…So, what else is stopping you?”

Kaito frowns, “excuse me?”

Aoko smiles. The first full smile during their conversation. Brightening, reminding him of sunshine. Sometimes, it’s shocking to remember that she has dimples, like he should have known that, like it’s something he should never have overlooked.

She’s as she usually is.

Beautiful.

“Well, you said that you would ruin me. And I would ruin you.” Kaito’s lips part, but no words come out. “But I don’t feel altogether ruined. So, tell me, what else is stopping you?”

“Nothing,” Kaito says. “Nothing at all.”

-

*Notes on the ending:

Because I know that some people might be wondering why I decided not to go with a traditional, overly romantic ending: Well, because Aoko has only just found out the truth about KID. It would be unnatural and frankly, a little unhealthy if they just ended things on an overly romantic note. Did I want kisses and hugs? Sure? But in this fic, it would be unrealistic.

The fact that they both admit at the end that nothing is holding them back - Aoko is not ruined, and nothing is stopping Kaito - shows that they're still prepared to give things a shot and that their feelings are still present. In the end, they choose each other, and that's it. And honestly, I think that this is a more realistic and fitting end to this fic.

[miss-bunny-who]

June 11th, 2019

Hello :)

It’s been a few days, so I’m checking in: how have you been doing? (I’m tagging a few people @improvingovertime @fatmaninalittlesuit @toughenoughtiffany @evolutionofacosfitter  @akatyeh @i-feel-like-a-joan @i-go-bananacrazy but if you’re not on the list and we’re mutuals, I still want to know how you are^^)

Here it’s been a difficult couple of days. 

I’ll start with the positive things: today was weigh-in day. I’ve been doing WW for three weeks, and I lost 0.3kg this week (that’s almost 0.7lbs). It might now seem much, but I’m very happy with that result since in the last few days, I’ve eaten twice at the restaurant (and I ate what I wanted to eat, so those choices were not the healthiest, but they were the most pleasurable), pizza yesterday evening (bacon, lots of cheese, potatoes, cream...) and a big ass cake (black forest, my favorite) on Saturday. So to get -0.3kg is GREAT. So, 3 weeks, -2.1kg, I’m very good with that result!

Now for the less positive things. 

You might know my partner has a daughter. She turns 9 today, but since she’s only with us on the weekends, we had a party for her on Saturday. She doesn’t have many friends. Actually, she has one. Whom I invited, of course. Anyway, the weekend was very difficult for me. I did almost everything for her birthday: I chose and bought her presents (plural, and let me tell you, we are not rich. with what we spent for her birthday we could buy 3 weeks worth of food. But I didn’t buy eveything at once: a little bit in April, a little bit in March, put some money aside to be able to get her something she would like); I invited her friend and went to get her (her parents NEVER make the efforts of driving her to our place, or of inviting ours for that matter) and that’s 30min away from here (so 1h round trip), I ordered the cake and went to get it ; I asked her father to ask her if she wanted a special dinner ; I shopped for what she asked and cooked everything (all of that with a running nose, a massive headache and a fever). The only thing I didn’t do is the guacamole because she requested her dad do it. 

At the end of it, she said Thank you to her dad for the guac, and I didn’t get any love. She opened her presents and barely looked at them and overall acted like all of this was absolutely normal and she was entitled to it. 

The next morning, we were in the kitchen getting ready for breakfast, and she came in, said a big fat cheery hello to her dad, and sat in front of me not saying anything. She then proceeded to ask me if she could use my knife to butter her bread, to which I responded “maybe if you said hi first, I’d be enclined to talk to you”. She then decided to ignore me for the rest of the meal, got jam instead of butter for her bread, and then left and never talked to me again. 

I literally burst into tears after she was gone. I’ve been busting my ass for her, getting out of my way to make her feel welcome - and believe me, it’s been difficult for me, who never wanted kids, to accept the fact that this kid, that I hadn’t chosen, had such an impact of my life. I am forced to certain things because 9 years ago, my BF decided to have a child with another woman. (who is a major pain in the ass by the way, and even that is too nice). That particular life choice is not mine, and I have to live with it every single day. as you know, we’ve moved. I wanted to move, that’s for sure. But believe me, the town we are now was not my first choice. We moved there because we wanted to get closer to her, so my BF could ask for shared custody. I took the steps to sell our flat. I put the papers together, I was the one who was there when the buyers visited it over and over again. I looked through the ads to find our new place. Took all the appointments. Did the papers again. Took on my time to check with the realter, the bank, the notary. Did most of the boxes. All the while preparing for my exam, going to my doctors appontments, taking care of the housework, the shopping, the cooking. I’m supposed to be resting. I’m on sick leave. I have been for the past 9 months. This has been a stressful two months. I did all of this, for them. Not even for me. Once again, I sacrificed myself for the well-being of another person. Because I love them. Even this little ungrateful cunt, I love her. Not so much right now, but you get the picture. And this is the thanks I get? Being ignored when I tell her to say good morning? watching her father getting all the credit when all he did was fucking guac? 

There are so many times during this weekend when I just wanted to end things. 

I told him I wouldn’t talk to her until she said hi and sorry. She finally did. Because her father made her. She wouldn’t have otherwise. That evening we went to a restaurant and it was alright. So before she went to bed I took the opportunity, since I had had time to calm down, to talk to her. I told here I was very sad and hurt by her behavior, and explained, without incriminating her father, why I was sad. I asked her if there was some kind of problem with me, and that it was absolutely okay if there was, because I’m guessing having a step-mom, even if it’s been 3 years, is not an easy thing. But if there was any kind of problem, I would like her to tell me, wo we could work on it. She was really sad that she’d made me sad, and that touched me. We went to bed happy and all was well. 

The next day, I knew the minute I entered the kitchen that it was going to be a hellish day again. She got up on “baby” mode. Suddenly, she’s like 4 or 5, and it lasts all day. All she wants to do is cuddle her dad, sit on his lap, she’ll talk like a little girl and act like she’s 5 again. And I fucking hate it. Because when this happen, HE lets her. And I hate her when she does that, and I hate him when he lets and even encourages her. 

She’s messy. She doesn’t take care of her things, her room is... I don’t even know what to call her room. But honestly, I don’t care: it’s her room, I won’t go in there unless I’m invited, and I don’t clean in there. She knows how to mess things up, she’ll know how to tidy. That’s my take on it and I won’t budge. But when she takes her mess into the common rooms, I am not happy. I had already told her to tidy her things in the bathroom - shampoo and soap she’ll leave on the shower floor, soaked in water, dirty underwear on the floor, hairties in the sink.... I had told her twice, nicely. On Monday, I didn,’t tell things so nicely. Here dad, who was behind the door, waited for her to come out and kissed her. Like poor baby, you’ve been scolded I’m gonna kiss your sadness away. WHAT IS THAT?! he knows I’m right, but he always comes in like a superhero, and I’m always the bad guy. He never tells her off. He says he doesn’t see her that much and doesn’t want to ruin the time he has with her by doing so. I understand, I do. But it doesn’t mean it’s the right thing. It’s not good for her, it’s not good for him, it’s not good for us. Mostly, she’s a good kid. But she’s still a kid and she likes to test the limits. I’m always the one who tells her when she oversteps. He never does. 

It happened 3 or 4 times yesterday, and everytime he stepped in to take his kid’s side. I’m telling you, this has got to stop. I’ve been pretty patient. I’ve changed a lot of my ways to accommodate them both. I know I can be difficult to live with, but I’m making so many efforts, and he knows it. He knows all I do or say is in their best interest. But every time he does that, he’s teaching her she can do anything and she will always be right and I will always be wrong. And that pisses me off. 

Every time this happened this weekend, she shot me a look that meant “see? I AM his favorite. Say what you want, it’s always gonna be me”. And don’t tell me I’m exaggerating: my friend H was over, and she saw it too. I didn’t even have to tell her anything. 

I don’t know if I can go on like this much longer. 

I spent most of the weekend crying. My BF apologized and told me I was right, but when she wasn’t listening. He said he’ll try to do better. He admits to having let himself live: I’m too god at what I do, it makes life easy for him, and he took advantage of it. It made me so happy that he would say it. But I honestly don’t know if he’s capable of change. You could say I could let things go... and chill if things are not done right away. But I can’t live in a mess, knowing some papers have to be taken care of, that the bank is waiting for something, that the school needs this, there’s that doctor appointment to think of, this brthday coming up, her mother to call for mother’s day... he won’t do any of those things if I don’t do them, or 3 weeks later. And that gives me anxiety. And I already have plenty of that so...

Anyway, that was a long ass post and I’m sorry, but I needed to get it off my chest. If you want to comment, please do. Sometimes I’m ranting and I don’t want people to comment. This is not one of those times. Any two cents will be appreciated.   

[sambukasam]

Wildest Dreams

Summary: Gabriel fulfils your wildest dreams

Square Filled: Grace Kink

Pairing: Gabriel x Reader

Warnings: invisible tacky porn-esque highway sex?? did that make sense??, dirty talk

Word Count: 2104

Created for @spnkinkbingo

Kink Bingo Masterlist ↔︎ Normal Masterlist

You opened your eyes groggily and were met with your smirking archangel boyfriend leaning over you.

"Nightmare?" he asked, and you blushed as you remembered what you'd just been dreaming of seconds before he shook you awake. It wasn't a nightmare, quite the opposite if you were honest with yourself.

It wasn't often that you had sex dreams, but when you did you were always blown away by how realistic they were. This one was no exception.

It was you and Gabriel having sex in broad daylight, on the side of the motorway like they did in tacky pornos. His grace kept you both invisible, hidden from the cars busily driving by and minding their own business. Okay, maybe it wasn't a realistic dream for everyone, but it could probably be achieved for you if you worked up the balls to bring it up to Gabe.

You didn't trust the shit eating grin on his face though, so you assumed he already knew you had a sex dream, he didn't need to know the specifics because they would only serve as more information for him to tease you over.

"Don't wanna talk about it?" He asked, and the smirk was gone and instead replaced by a sympathetic face. "Get dressed and I'll take you out for breakfast, get your mind off of it."

You nodded and got ready quickly before you slid into the passenger seat of your car. You couldn't help but blush, the car reminding you of your dream. You hoped Gabe wouldn't notice, but that wasn't realistic. He noticed everything, especially when it could be potentially embarrassing.

However, when he got into the car he took one look at you and didn't say anything, turning on the stereo and letting your favourite band play quietly in the background. He put a hand on your thigh, the way he usually did when he was driving, but it was pure torture for your poor sexually frustrated self when all you wanted to do was hop over to his seat and ride him off into the sunset.

You tried to ignore his hand, but it was hard when it was so close to where you wanted to touch and he seemingly had no idea what he was doing to you, humming along to the song playing absently.

You grew confused when he pulled onto the highway. Why was he driving to another town when there were plenty of great breakfast places where you lived? "Where exactly are we going for breakfast?"

He ignored your question. "Still don't wanna talk about that nightmare?"

You sank lower in your seat and covered your cheeks with your hands, feeling them grow hot from you blushing. Of course he knew it was a sex dream, you must've been moaning so loud that they'd be able to hear you in Australia. "Oh God," you groaned.

He chuckled and turned to look at you for a second, a smirk on his mouth and his eyes brimming with mischief. "Wanna ask me where we're going again?"

"Where are we going," you mumbled from behind your fingers.

"Well, because I'm the best boyfriend ever, I'm about to make your wildest dreams come true."

He pulled the car over and onto the hard shoulder on the side of what was probably the busiest intersection near your house. If you weren't confused already, you definitely were when he got out of the car and walked around to open your door and seatbelt.

"Gabe?" You were beginning to grow suspicious, this all seemed way too familiar and a sense of déjà vu washed over you when he smirked and held a hand out to help you out of the car.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" He asked, his voice similar to that of an MC. "Strip!"

"You're ridiculous," you giggled and shook your head.

He tilted his head to the side and frowned, but it wasn't in genuine disappointment, it was more mock frustration over how long it was taking you to catch up.

Then it dawned on you. This was the exact same place from your dream. That cheeky son of a bitch had entered your dream and was attempting to recreate it now. "You've got to be kidding me."

"No, I'm not. You're gonna get fucked seven ways to Sunday on the side of the road like the little minx you are. Scout's honour," he held his fingers up. "Though since I was never a scout, I'm not sure how much you can trust me. Anyways, you're taking too long," he snapped his fingers and your body was suddenly naked, the cold air surrounding you and covering every inch of your skin in goosebumps.

You yelped and covered yourself up as good as you could, not really in the mood to flash some innocent people going by in their cars, though no one seemed to be paying you or your pulled over car any mind.

"Can't you feel it?" He asked, and you frowned at that, still trying to resist the urge to cuss him out. When he said that it got you thinking, so you tried to think about what was happening. There was something tingling around your body, you noticed once you were focusing on it and could distinguish it from the chill in the air. It was warm, not solid or liquid but everywhere and it was warm and felt golden and then you realised it was his grace.

"You're really gonna do it?" You asked with a raised eyebrow, feeling considerably less worried now. If his grace was surrounding you, you were definitely invisible by now.

"What kind of guy would I be if I left my girl high and dry?"

You giggled in disbelief. "You're a piece of shit, you know that right?"

"Please, honeybuns, save the dirty talk for when I'm inside you."

You rolled your eyes and dragged him in for a kiss, smiling against his mouth when you felt his clothes disappear against you, leaving the two of you naked while cars continued to drive by obliviously.

He pushed you back until your back was pressed against the side of the car and hooked one of your legs around his waist. You rocked against him, grinding desperately for the slightest bit of friction on your clit.

"Calm your horses," he chuckled against your mouth, pulling back and leaning his forehead against yours. "Although I am pretty fond of the whole fucked out slash desperate thing you've got going, I don't wanna come anytime soon."

"Well I do," you said with a cheeky smile on your face, going right back to grinding against him.

He tutted. "Not your wisest move when I could expose you to the general public at any moment."

You paled, because even though you knew it was an empty threat there was always a slight air of uncertainty with Gabriel. It was what made him both the most exciting and most annoying person in your life. "You wouldn't."

"Let's not find out."

He slipped a hand in between your spread legs and brushed it against your soaked pussy, his fingertips dipping in but not filling you properly. When you glared at him silently he smiled like he wasn't doing anything and pulled his fingers back, theatrically slipping them into his mouth and making a great show of enjoying the taste.

"I think I could write love poems on how much I love what your pussy tastes like."

"Maybe later," you laughed before he kissed you, and you could taste yourself slightly lingering on his tongue.

He slid his dick in between you both and ran it along your cunt, gathering your wetness and covering his cock in it. You wanted to just slip him in you yourself but the kiss was too good to break so you let him do it whenever he decided to.

Your patience was rewarded when he nudged forward slowly, filling you up with his hard length and bottoming out. He pulled back from the kiss and leaned his forehead against you, making eye contact as he pushed into you slowly, building up his pace.

A car beeped in the background and you jumped, forgetting just how out in the open you were.

"Calm down sugartits, no one's seeing you unless I want them to," he promised, kissing you again.

"Gabe?"

"Yes?" He asked, stilling his hips.

"I vaguely recall you saying I'd be getting fucked seven ways to Sunday. When does that start?" You hinted, not wanting to outright say that you wanted him to harder.

"Ah yes, the dickening," he smirked before he whirled you around and bent you over on all fours in the back seat, keeping his position where he stood outside the car. Without wasting any time letting you adjust to your change of scenery he immediately pulled your hips back to meet his, filling you again and making your toes curl at the onslaught of pleasure.

He didn't take it easy, the whole car shaking from the force of his thrusts as your boobs bounced from the power. Your new position left the highway right in your line of sight, and it made it a lot more intense when you could see just how busy it was.

You tensed up as a car drove by slowly in the lane right in front of you, because despite Gabriel's ever-present reminder that no one could see you, you couldn't help but panic. It felt so wrong, to be out and exposed where anyone could see you if Gabriel's grace faltered for a second.

"I could stop hiding you," he grunted, sensing your train of thought while his hips bruised yours and your knees were getting sore from leaning on them for so long. "Would you like that? For anyone who drives by to see you getting ruined? Maybe some people would even loop back around for a second look."

You moaned wantonly and tossed your head back, moving your hair out of your eyes to give you a better view of just how busy the road was.

"What if I only showed you? And kept me invisible? Imagine what they'd think."

His words went straight to your core, making you clench desperately around him. He knew just how to tease you and get you desperate, and that's what you loved about him.

"Thinking you could hide your little sex dream from me," he chuckled darkly and slapped a hand harshly on your ass once, twice, three times before grabbing your hips and digging his nails in slightly, making you wince from the sting.

His grace was everywhere all at once while it worked to keep you concealed, making the air around you thrum with energy that brushed against every sensitive nerve ending in your body in ways that you didn't think you would ever be able to get used to. And it was all Gabriel. That's what made it so much better, was knowing that you were completely at his mercy and really had no say on whether or not he could take it all away, leave you exposed in such a public place.

Later, when a dick wasn't rawing you to the next century you'd come to your senses and realise that it wasn't a practical fantasy at all, but at the moment the threat was tantalising and there was a part of you that wanted him to expose you, if even only for a second.

"You're gonna come on the side of a highway like someone in a cheap porno, and you're going to love every second of it," he growled into your ear, and you felt his grace focus on your clit, an intense pressure that had you hurtling to the edge in seconds. "Let go," he commanded, and you did.

You came with a loud moan, your arms giving under you and your legs damn near doing the same, or they would have if Gabe wasn't still holding onto your hips tight, holding you up so he could keep pounding into you as your orgasm continued.

"Fuck you're squeezing my cock so well," he groaned before he was coming too, pulling out shooting his load along your ass and lower back.

You flopped onto your stomach on the car seats and Gabe sat down on the space beside you. He ran his fingers through your hair and hummed to himself, sounding ridiculously pleased with himself.

"Stop humming," you complained, trying to smack his fingers away from your sweaty hair but giving up when he kept going.

"Would you rather I kazoo?"

"That is so not a verb," you laughed.

"Mayhaps it isn't."

"I hate you."

-

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[iwantthedean]

Take It All Back

Part Six

Summary: As the couple overcomes their problem, big news comes for Journey and Jensen.  Pairing: Jensen x OFC (Journey) Word Count: 1640 Warnings: Implied sexy times, pregnancy. 

Masterlist

“Don’t make me go,” Jensen groaned. His alarm was sounding off far too early, and his packed bag by the door wasn’t making getting out of bed any more enticing.

Journey rolled over, snuggling up against him. Her mouth stretched into a sleepy smile. “You don’t have to go. I’ll let the school know I won’t be back in the Fall, we’ll sell everything, take that money and our savings, and go live in the Caribbean.”

Jensen couldn’t help but laugh. Since the lake resort, their relationship was exactly as Jensen remembered. They bantered back and forth, shared secret glances that said more than any else could decipher, and made love every chance they got. He was glad he stayed, but even with Journey back to her old self, Jensen had no desire to go back to the life he had known before.

“Oh, I wish we could do that,” he sighed, kissing her forehead. “I’m gonna get in the shower.”

Journey nodded, her eyes still not open. “Okay. Gimme a few minutes. I slept really good but I’m still so sleepy.”

Jensen pushed her hair away from her forehead. “You’re not coming down with something are you?”

“I don’t think so. I feel okay, just tired.”

“Well, stay here in bed, babe. I’ll call a cab.”

“Jay, that’s silly. I can drive you, I just –”

He silenced her with a kiss. “Sleep, Journ. I’ll be back in a couple of days after this pre-season game, and if you’re feeling up to it, you can pick me up at the airport.”

Her sleepy state forced her to accept his offer. “You won’t be mad?”

“I won’t be mad,” Jensen promised, kissing her lightly. “I’ll come kiss you again before I leave.”

Journey nodded against the pillow. Before he was out of the bedroom, she was asleep again.

 When Journey finally woke, she had a message from Jensen that he had landed safely, and two missed calls from Jovi. She tapped out a message to Jensen to let him know she was up and was looking forward to him coming home, then returned her sister’s call.

“Hey sis,” Jovi greeted. “Uh, listen, we need to talk. Can you meet me for lunch in an hour?”

Had she slept that long? Journey glanced at the clock. “Yes, of course. I can’t promise to be my most presentable self.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you at the salad place you love so much here soon.”

Journey ended the call with Jovi and scooted herself out of bed. Salad would be good, since she was hungry, but the sound of anything heavier than a salad made her want to vomit. Perhaps Jensen was right; maybe she was coming down with something.

Dressing in shorts and a loose t-shirt, Journey pulled her hair into a ponytail, slipped into some flip flops, and was out the door.

Jovi was just a few minutes behind her, but Journey didn’t mind. It was nearing the end of July, and she was enjoying the last couple of weeks before she went back to work. She wasn’t in much of a rush to be anywhere or do anything.

The sisters ordered their salads and took a seat at a table near the window. Jovi was eating so quickly, Journey finally rolled her eyes.

“C’mon, Jo. You said you needed to talk to me, and now you’re stuffing your face so you don’t have to say anything. I know that trick. I taught you that trick to avoid questions from Mom and Dad at dinnertime.”

Jovi set her fork down and let out a breath. “Yeah, I guess I should have known you would catch on to that. I’ve got to tell you something, Journey, and I wanted you to hear it from me first. Maybe we shouldn’t be doing this in public …”

“You’re pregnant,” Journey said, setting her own fork down. “Jovi, that’s great. It’s really great.”

“Really?” Jovi said, her eyes brimming with tears. “I wanted to tell you at the lake, but you and Jensen seemed to be getting along so much better and I didn’t want to ruin things for the two of you.”

“The lake? How far along are you?” Journey asked with a smile.

“Eleven weeks,” Jovi grinned, happy that her sister seemed to be okay with all of this. “You really aren’t upset?”

Journey shook her head. “I’m really not, I promise. Things are so much better with me and Jay, and I know our time will come. Plus, I get to be an aunt again! Do you remember how much I doted over you when you were pregnant with Blake? Get ready for that all over again, sis.”

Jovi laughed and the girls spent the rest of their lunch date chatting about Jovi’s pregnancy so far. Although Jovi still seemed a little concerned about Journey by the time they left, Journey was nothing but excited – excited for her little sister and excited for the time she would get to tell Jovi that she was going to be an aunt.

 Journey wasn’t going to sleep through Jensen’s return if her life depended on it. She missed her husband terribly when he was away, and she could hardly get them both back in the door of their home before she was accosting him on the living room couch.

“Damn, Journey,” Jensen chuckled afterwards, as they laid on the couch together, covered by a throw blanket. “I left thinking you were getting sick and I come back to you attacking me. What gives?”

Journey shrugged, enjoying the chills running down her back from the circles he was tracing on her bare skin with his fingers. “I missed you, Jay. Not even just this trip, but our rough times – the first rough times we’ve ever had – were so hard for me. I was losing you – hell, I thought I had lost you. You’re my best friend and the man I love. It felt like we were never going to crawl out of the hole we were in. I missed you.”

“Hey, don’t cry,” Jensen said, sitting the both of them up. “I’m here, Journ. I’m yours.”

She nodded. “I know. I’m sorry for crying. They’re happy tears, I promise.”

“Well,” Jensen said, running his fingers over her collarbone and down the valley in between her breasts. “Let’s make those tears, happy or sad, go away. Shall we?”

Journey smiled against her husband’s lips, just as anxious as he was to make the tears go away.

 The next morning, Journey woke to a realization. She made Jensen’s breakfast, got him off to work, then called the doctor. Thanks to a cancellation, they were able to get her in that day, and she was more than grateful for that – there was no way she could live with the suspense for longer than a couple of hours.

The doctor’s diagnosis was bittersweet; Journey left the office a mix of emotions. Her first thought was to call Jensen, but then, she decided that just wouldn’t do. So, she stopped at the store to pick up his favorite dinner and a couple other things, then headed home.

When her husband came home, she was showered, put together, wearing his favorite of her summer dresses, and just finishing up supper. He smiled and kissed her as she walked the green beans over to the table.

“What did I do to deserve all this?” Jensen asked, taking a seat.

“You’ll see,” Journey smiled, handing him a small gift bag.

Jensen eyed her carefully, then reached in for the contents of the bag. He pulled out a navy blue onesie with the Dallas Cowboys star on it. In a cute font, it read, “Daddy’s Little Star.”

He jumped out of chair. “Journey? Does this mean? Are you …?”

“I’m pregnant,” Journey said, the first time saying it out loud since leaving the doctor’s office. She shrugged, and repeated it again, as the nervous, scared side of her took over. “I’m pregnant.”

Jensen swept her into his arms and off the floor. He kissed her soundly and twirled her around. “It’s going to be great. This is our time, Journ, I can feel it. This baby – this is going to be our first baby.”

Journey smiled as he hugged her again, but she couldn’t help her heart breaking a little when Jensen said it would be their first baby. It wasn’t, not to her.

Those feelings will pass, Journey told herself. Don’t ruin the moment for Jensen. The two of you have come so far since all of the bad stuff.

So, instead of telling her husband about her fears, she pasted that smile on her face and sat down to dinner with him while he excitedly talked about baby names and who they would tell first and all of that.

When supper was over, she cleared the table quickly, and set about doing the dishes. Jensen pulled her away from the sink and took her face in his hands. She didn’t have to tell him about her worries for Jensen to see it in her eyes.

“I’m here, Journey, every step of the way. We’re going to do everything we can to keep you and the baby healthy. Okay? I shouldn’t have said what I said about this being our first – we’ll never forget our first baby.”

Journey shrugged. “I knew what you meant. I’m just a little in shock, I think. Maybe we don’t tell anyone else for a while?”

“We’ll wait until you’re comfortable. I promise.”

Journey nodded and kissed him. She knew then that it was better to wait to be together again when everything had smoothed out. Had things been like they were before the miscarriage, she knew there was no way she could get through this pregnancy.

[let-it-go-and-let-it-live]

Cupcakes and Birthday Spanks

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUCKY BARNES!!

Bucky Barnes x Aria

Word Count: ~3600 (definitely a lot longer than originally planned)

Summary: It’s a chill kinda day as Aria and Bucky celebrate his 100th birthday. We’re talking Netflix, take-out, and shenanigans while making cupcakes. Smut shall ensue by the end of the day, and it will be sweet, both literally and figuratively. There’s also some language and a bit of fluff.

I stay in bed beside him, the cover pulled up to my nose as I watch his sleeping face. After another few minutes, he groans softly as he stretches. I smile, ducking under the covers as he turns to look at me.

“What are you doin’?” he whispers, his voice rough.

I crawl onto him, straddling his hips as I sit up and let the covers fall down from my shoulders.

“Well,” he smirks, trailing his hands up my bare thighs, “I can get used to waking up like this.”

I push him back down when he tries to sit up, “Oh hush.” I reach out, brushing his hair to the side with my fingertips, “Now, it’s my understanding that on this day about a hundred years ago, a certain somebody was born onto this earth.”

“Oh god.”

“That’s right, Bucky Barnes! It’s your birthday!”

“Come on, doll, you know we don’t have to do anything special.”

“That’s the thing, babe. We’re not doing anything.”

He arches an eyebrow at me, “What?”

“We’re not doing a damn thing today. We’re just gonna hang around here, maybe binge some stuff on Netflix, make some cupcakes. I’ve got all the numbers and menus for any and every take-out place that delivers in the area. As a matter of fact,” I pull my bottom lip between my teeth as I lightly drag my nail down his bare chest, “I might not even put on pants today.”

“No objections here.” He mutters, his hands now moving around to my butt.

“We’ve got all day for your nonsense.” I giggle, grabbing his wrists and pulling his hands away, “I’ve told everyone to steer clear of our front door for the next 24 hours.”

“Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out.” He chuckles, threading his fingers with mine.

“More or less.” I shrug, “So what do you want for breakfast?”

“Can I have you?”

I roll my eyes, shaking my head, “Pancakes it is.”

When I move to get to my feet, his arms wrap tight around my waist and he flips me, pinning me to the bed beneath him.

“James?”

“Yes, doll?” he whispers, ghosting a trail of kisses along my jaw line.

“What are you doin’?”

“Not a thing.” He answers, shifting down the bed and slowly raising up my shirt.

“Then would you care to explain to me why I’m still looking at our ceiling and not in the kitchen making pancakes?”

“I don’t know, baby doll.” He kisses my hip, “Sounds like a personal problem.”

I squirm slightly as his lips continue across to my other hip.

“Bucky…” I whine.

He sighs, pushing himself up to sit on his heels, “Fine.”

I pull myself up, taking his face between my hands, “Like I said,” my thumb grazes his bottom lip, “we have all day.”

He smirks, standing and pulling me with him before grabbing my waist and hoisting me over his shoulder. I giggle, giving his butt a light spank as he carries me from the room.

“Hey!” he laughs, returning the favor.

“You have to get your birthday spanks, Buck.”

“As long as I get to return the favor later.”

“Agreed.” I smirk.

He sets me on my feet and immediately goes to getting the ingredients out for our breakfast. Once his back to me, though, I give his backside another swat.

“That’s two.”

“Just for the record,” he sighs, pulling the milk out of the fridge, “biologically, I’m like 30.”

I grab a bowl and the measuring stuff, “I thought Steve was younger than you?”

“He is, but he woke up first so he’s got a couple of years on me now.”

I hum, nodding my head in response.

As we cook, Bucky starts to become more aware of me, also becoming more careful not to turn his back to me. In the end, however, it’s all in vain because I get up to twelve.

“Thirteen!” I laugh, watching him try to fight back a smile as he carries our now empty plates to the sink.

I stand up, slowly moving toward him. Just as I’m going in for number fourteen, he catches my hand and turns me so that my back is to his chest.

“I’m warning you, baby doll.”

“You’ve got seventeen more, baby, and you’re gonna get ‘em.”

He sighs, kissing my shoulder, “So what’s next then?”

“How about a shower and then we find something to watch for a few hours.”

He nods, “After you.”

He keeps his hands on my hips, a smirk playing at his lips as I wash his hair. He even lets out a little satisfied hum when I start to massage my fingertips against his scalp. Once I’m done rinsing his hair out, I comb my fingers through it to push it out his face.

“I might cut my hair.”

“Why?”

“You don’t think it’s too much?”

I shake my head, threading my fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck, “I think it’s just enough.”

He groans when I give it a little tug.

“Just a trim then.”

I scoff, turning my back to him and turning off the water. I slide open the glass door and step out. Once he steps too, I throw a towel over his head. He huffs, yanking it off and shaking his head rapidly, flinging water all around him. I laugh and uselessly shield myself with my hands.

“You’re right.” He chuckles, scrubbing the towel over his hair, “Maybe I’ll grow it out instead.”

“Any longer than that, and I will have Steve help me hold you down while I cut it myself.”

“Good luck with that, baby.”

Narrowing my eyes at him, I close the distance between us, “I have my ways, James.”

“You don’t scare me.”

“Maybe that’s all part of the plan. I’ll lull you into a false sense of security with my unequivocal cuteness and then attack when you least expect it.”

He nods his head slowly, wrapping his towel around his waist, “Okay.”

I watch after him as he leaves the bathroom. I follow him after a moment. Our bedroom is silent aside from the opening and closing of drawers. Once he’s dressed, he disappears back into the bathroom to brush his teeth. I join after I put on my own clothes, which consists of nothing but some underwear, a bra and a fresh tank top from my drawer.

He leans down a bit to spit in the sink so I seize the opportunity presented to me.

“Fourteen.” I mumble through a mouthful of toothpaste.

He rinses out his mouth and his toothbrush. I can see the mischief brewing in his eyes, and I can’t help but feel that I’m going to be paying for my little game later this evening.

“I’ll be in the living room.” he says softly, smiling in my direction.

“Okay.” I reply, running my toothbrush under the faucet, “I just need to dry my hair.”

“Take your time. We have all day.”

His words arouse suspicion in me, but I shake it off and proceed to blow dry my hair. My bangs fall into my face once the length of it is pulled back into a ponytail.

My jaw drops when I step out of the hall and into the living room. He’s on the floor, nestled in a pile of pillows and blankets, leaning back against the couch.

“I thought we could use a pillow fort.”

“I think it’s exactly what we needed.”

He holds his hand out to me, “Well get over here then. I can’t start the show without you.”

I cross the room to him, taking his hand and allowing him to pull me down into the pillows. He presses play on the remote and sets it aside. As I settle into his side, he pulls a blanket over us.

“Once Upon a Time? Really?”

“Yeah. I thought we could finally start season 2.”

“It has been a while.”

A few hours later, the show is paused, and I’m straddling his hips, pointing at the screen behind me.

“You are not going to sit here and tell me that he does not look like you.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying, doll.”

“How do you not see it?”

“I don’t know. I just don’t.”

I huff and groan, flipping my hair out of my eyes, “I’d continue this argument, but I’m hungry.”

“Then let’s order some food.”

“I’ll get the menus.”

I stand up from his lap and skip into the kitchen. I gather the stack of menus from the drawer I stashed them in and quickly return to him. Foolishly, he has rolled onto his stomach so I get in another hit.

“Fifteen.” I laugh, sitting on his back.

He pushes himself onto all fours. I toss the stack of papers up, lunging to wrap my arms and legs around his torso so I don’t fall. He sits back on his heels with me still wrapped securely around him.

“You’re a jerk.” I grumble, releasing him and falling to the pillows beneath me.

I swat his butt again, “Sixteen. Now what do you want to eat?”

“Throw me some options.” He says, picking up a few of the scattered menus and looking them over.

“Well, we have the usual: Chinese, pizza, Thai, Indian…”

“Pizza sounds good.”

“Pizza it is.” I bite my lip, “Um… do you have your phone on you?”

He groans, falling back on me.

“God, you’re heavy.”

“That’s rude.”

“Just get up and go get your phone.”

“Yes ma’am.”

I groan with a little exaggeration as he rolls off of me, but once he’s on his feet, I add another hit to the count.

“Seventeen.”

I watch him disappear down the hall to our bedroom before cleaning up the rest of the menus and returning them back to the kitchen drawer. As I’m walking back to our pile, he catches me around my waist and lifts me up with one arm.

“Why?”

He drops me into the pillows and offers me his phone, “Because I can.” He lays down next to me, once again on his stomach. “Go ahead.”

“It’s no fun if you let me do it.” I say, dialing the number to the pizza place.

“So the appeal is in my resistance?”

“More or less.”

I put the phone to my ear and once the call is answered, I place our order. I thank the guy on the other end of the line and hang up.

“So we have thirty minutes.”

“And what do you propose we do with that thirty minutes?”

“We can make cupcakes.”

“I have to stand up again?”

“Yes, you do.” I pat his butt twice, “We’ll call that eighteen and nineteen.”

I get up from the makeshift bed and go to the kitchen. I set the preheat on the oven and take the cupcake mix from the cabinet. I get everything else I need and get to mixing the batter. Bucky doesn’t come into the kitchen until I’ve added the batter to the cups, put the pan in the oven, and set the timer.

“Thanks for the help, babe.”

He chuckles, grabbing my hips and lowering his lips to my shoulder.

“We still have around twenty minutes.”

“Uh-huh.”

I close my eyes, leaning against him as his lips move to my pulse point, his teeth gently nibbling at the spot.

“I know the perfect way to pass the time.”

“And how is that?”

He turns me in his arms and picks me up, my legs wrapping around his waist. He sets me on the kitchen island. His hand moves up to the side of my neck before moving to gently grasp my throat as his lips come down against mine. He starts to lay me back, his lips moving down my chest.

His hands move beneath me. His fingers curl around the band of my panties. My hips bounce as he yanks them down, quickly sliding the thin fabric down my legs and dropping it to the floor.

“Bucky…”

He shushes me and moves to bury his face between my thighs. My fingers thread into his hair, pulling in time with the movements of his tongue. The countertop is cold against my heated skin. His fingertips dig into my thighs as he keeps them apart.

He moans against me. My own noises reach the ceiling.

His tongue teases my entrance, slowly working me higher. All of his movements are slow, painfully slow, agonizingly slow. I know he’s trying to drag this out as long as he can, taking full advantage of his twenty minutes.

I practically scream his name as the timer goes off and FRIDAY notifies us of the pizza’s arrival.

“That was quite the appetizer.” He mutters, a satisfied smirk spread across his face.

“Fuck you.”

“Later.”

I shake my head, “FRIDAY, can you let security know they can send the delivery guy up?”

“Of course.”

I hop off the counter and collect my panties from the floor. I pull them back on and grab a towel from the counter to take the cupcakes out of the oven. I leave them to cool while Bucky meets the guy at the elevator and pays for the pizza. When he joins me in the pillows again, he gives me the pizza box and picks up the television remote.

“Now, do we keep watching this or are you going to keep comparing me to the Mad Hatter?”

“I’ll drop it.” I reply reluctantly.

“Good.”

He leans in and kisses me. Then he starts the show and opens the pizza box in my hands. We both take a slice, enjoying the comfortable silence as we eat and watch the show. Over the next few hours, as the light in the room dims with the setting sun before completely giving way to night, we eat the entire pizza and order Chinese; we frost the cupcakes while we wait on the food. I also get up to twenty-eight.

He takes a dab of frosting onto his finger as I finish up the last cupcake. I watch him out of the corner of my eye, weary of his intentions. I take a slow deep breath as his finger graze my neck, his tongue slowly following the line in succession.

“Why?” I sigh.

“Because you only have two more, and I intend to earn them.”

“Then you gotta work harder than that.”

He nods, stooping to lift me over his shoulder and taking the container of frosting into his hand. He carries me to the bedroom and tosses me onto the bed. He sets the frosting on the nightstand and pulls his shirt off. I giggle, biting my lip and watching him as he climbs onto the bed and kneels between my parted thighs. He eyes me, arching in eyebrow at me.

I roll my eyes and follow his lead, taking off my tank top. For the added effect, I let my hair fall free.

“Much better.”

He reaches past me to grab the frosting and takes another dollop onto his fingertip. He trails his tongue down the midline of my abdomen, starting at the valley between my breasts and stopping just above my belly button. I lick my lips as he dips down, tracing the line in reverse with a broad stroke of his tongue.

“You know, there’s food on its way here right now.”

“And when it gets here, I’ll pay for it and leave it on the counter while you keep your sweet, little ass right here.”

“Is that an order, Sergeant?”

“You sure you wanna play that game, sweetheart?”

“Yes, Sergeant, I am.”

FRIDAY’s voice prevents his next statement, “Your meal has arrived.”

“Send it up.” He says, his gaze never wavering from mine, “You stay put, and yes, that’s an order.”

“Yes, Sergeant.”

He growls softly before backing off of the bed. When he turns his back to me, I move to catch him for the twenty-ninth time, succeeding in the endeavor. He gives me a warning gaze before turning and leaving the room. I can hear him speaking to the delivery person. He thanks them and sends them on their way. Once he’s back in our doorway, he leans against the threshold.

“FRIDAY, please make sure we remain uninterrupted for the remainder of our twenty-four hours.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Also feel free to shut down for the rest of the night.”

“As you wish, Mr. Barnes.” There’s a short pause, “And Mr. Barnes?”

“Yes, FRIDAY?”

“Happy birthday.”

“Thank you.”

She bids us a good night and shuts down as requested.

I reach out for him. He smiles, taking my hands and threading his fingers with him. As he comes further onto the bed, he pins my hands above my head and kisses me, sweetly at first and then harder as the kisses become more fervent. His hips rut slowly against mine, his hard length grinding against my clothed core.

I turn my face away from his, a wanton moan erupting from me as he presses hard into me.

“Bucky…”

“What?”

“Sergeant, please…”

He releases my hands and pulls away abruptly. He twists the fabric of my panties in his hands, tearing them to shreds. He stands to takes off his shorts and boxers. In the next moment, he’s hovering over me, his fingers teasing at my entrances, slowly pushing in and stretching me equally as slow.

“Come on, Sarge…”

“Patience, baby doll. I’d hate to hurt you.”

I roll my hips into his touch, urging him to give me more in the only way I know that doesn’t involve begging. He chuckles, pulling his fingers out and sucking them into his mouth. My bottom lip is held tight between my teeth as I look into his eyes.

“I love you.” he whispers.

I smile, raising my hand to the side of his neck, “I love you too.”

He positions himself at my entrance. I sigh in content once he’s fully seated inside of me, his hips flush to mine.

“Fuck…” he groans, his head dropping as he begins to pull back.

My nails dig into his shoulders as his pace begins to pick up. I roll my hips up to meet his thrust for thrust. He clenches his jaw, his eyes squeezing shut.

I gasp when he pulls completely out and lays on his side beside me. He turns me onto my side, one hand on my hip and the other against my back angling me forward. The hand on my hips moves down to hook around my thigh. He hooks my leg over his before he repositions himself and quickly slides back in, the new angle providing a direct pass to my g-spot with each thrust.

I prop myself up on my forearm, my hands fisting around the sheets. My soft moans become choked screams as his pace become hard and unrelenting. When his fingertip begins to move in circles of the swollen bundle of nerves at my apex, I take in a sharp breath.

I suppose a few minutes pass before the knot in my lower abdomen comes undone. My body convulses against his as my walls tighten around him, pulling his release from him.

I fall flat to the mattress as his arms wrap around me.

“I should make you wait more often.”

“It wasn’t so bad waiting.”

“Did you have a good day?”

“I did, but it’s not over yet.” He kisses my neck, “How about another shower, some cooled Chinese food, a cupcake or two and one last movie before bed?”

“Sounds perfect.”

So, a little while later, we’re settled back into our pillows with our Chinese food and cupcakes. We watch some random romantic comedy while we eat. I’m falling asleep against before it’s halfway over. He kisses the top of my head and turns off the TV. When he turns to put the remote on the table beside him, I remember that I owe him one more.

“Thirty.” I mumble sleepily, “Happy birthday, Bucky.”

“Thank you, baby, and thank you for today.”

He holds me close as I drift to sleep.

MEANWHILE…

“This would have been a lot easier if they were here.” Natasha says, glancing up from the newly loaded magazine in her hand.

“I know, but she’s been planning this for two weeks.” Steve replies, adjusting the belts on his suit, “All she wanted was twenty-four hours. I just couldn’t tell her no. Besides, they’ve earned this, and it’s not like we knew this mission was coming.”

“He’s right.” Tony adds, his eyes focused on a tablet in his hands.

“Did you just… Did he just agree with Steve?” Clint gasps.

“Just look at this and shut up.”

Tony offers the tablet to Steve, who stands closest to him. Steve takes it, smiling softly when he looks down at the screen. Natasha and Clint step to either side of him, looking at the screen as well.

“What’s a few more hours?” Natasha whispers, taking in the sweet sight on the screen.

Lying there, his arms tight around her, Aria and Bucky sleep in a mess of pillows and blankets on the living room floor.

“Happy birthday, Buck.” Steve whispers, turning off the tablet screen and setting the device down.

[camdallasfanfics]

What now? - Chapter 11

Cameron Dallas fanfic - Sequel to I’m not that kind of girl

Word count: 1′698

Previous Chapter

two months later - February

I was back in New York. My semester is about to start again. Jen was over at my place. We were both working on our stuff for class. „So what’s up with Danny?“ She asked out of the blue. I shrugged. „Nothing. Why?“ I looked up to find her staring at me. „I don’t know I was thinking because of you and him hanging out so much lately.“ I smirked. „Aww is someone jealous?“ I chuckled as did she.

„Sure I am. You know I always dreamt about you and me! Us!“ She cried out over dramatically. „But for real though. What’s up between you two?“ She asked after our laughter died down. „I don’t know. It’s not really a dating thing. It’s more like a friends with benefits type of thing right now.“ I sighed.

„What about lover boy?“ She smirked and caught my attention yet again. „First off please don’t call him that. He is not my lover boy. Second there is nothing going on.“ I tried to focus on my work again but Jen wouldn’t shut up. „So you got it going with two different sugar pops.“ I glared at her. „ Shut up Jen.“ With that she left the topic and I went of wondering.

Flashback

Christmas morning

I was woken up by my sister jumping on my bed. „Lia!“ I groaned. „Get the fuck off!“ She stopped jumping around. „Come on! It’s time for presents!“ She squirmed. „Okay. Just shut up already.“ I pulled my duvet over my head. „Merry Christmas to you too!“ Lia screamed when she pulled the duvet away.

I finally gave up and made my way downstairs. We spent the morning opening presents and eating breakfast, telling stories and all kinds of stuff. It was pretty chill, how people nowadays would call it. We were just sitting in the living room when we heard the door bell. „I’ll get it.“ I immediately said getting up.

I opened the door and was face with his face. „Merry Christmas.“ He said grinning. „Merry Christmas to you too!“ I replied quite confused. „Nice outfit.“ He said pointing to my goofy pjs. „Thank you.“ I grimaced. „You wanna come in or…?“ I raised my eyebrows leaning against the door. I was tired.

„Uhm I just wanted to…I-“ He stuttered. „What did you want I ain’t getting the picture at the moment?“ I teased him. He sighed. „Look. I wanted to see you and maybe treat you to lunch but it was a stupid idea. I’ll just go home and you can forget about this.“ He quickly rambled on. „Hold on. You know I won’t say no to a free lunch, right?“ He immediately had a big grin on his face. „How long do you need to get ready?“ I shrugged and opened the door further. „Come in and see.“

With that he stepped in. „Mom! Dad! Cameron is here. We’re upstairs.“ I informed them. „Lock your door this time hun!“ My mom shouted back. „DOOR WIDE OPEN HUN!“ My dad immediately shouted. I just laughed at them as did Cameron. We went up the stairs when I heard Cameron chuckled behind me. „What?“ I stopped and turned to look at him. „It’s just… This is so familiar and yet so strange.“ He smirked. „Shut up.“ I said and quickly went up to my room.

He sat down on my bed and looked around. „Didn’t change at all.“ He mumbled leaning back onto his arms. I simply shrugged and went to my closet. I picked out a simple ACDC t-shirt and some ripped jeans. I turned to him. „Mind to turn around?“ I raised my eyebrows and he shrugged. „Nothing I’ve never seen before.“  He smirked and sat up again, his elbows leaning on his knees. „What if I’m not wearing any underwear?“ I challenged him. „Even better.“ He chuckled. I huffed and took my clothes going into my bathroom.

I just got in the bathroom and put on some fresh underwear. Matching. You never know if you need it. I just put on my shirt when the bathroom door opened. Of course he would do that. What did I expect. „Cameron. Come on. You still pulling the same shit like when we were in high school?“ I turned to the door and faced a smirking Cameron.

He simply nodded and stepped closer to me. „We are going to lunch you know that, right?“ He nodded again pulling me closer by my waist. „Cameron come on. Don’t be a horny piece of shit.“ He chuckled and leaned in to kiss me. I didn't kiss back in hopes he would just leave it at that.

He pulled away. „I won’t let you get dressed unless you kiss me, Marshmallow.“ He winked. HE WINKED. WHAT KIND OF FUCKBOY FUCKERY IS THIS? I sighed and pecked his lip. „Can I please get some pants on so we can get this over with?“ I gave him a sarcastic smile. He chuckled yet again. „Sure.“ He let go of my waist. I turned around to pick up my jeans and all of a sudden I felt a stinging pain in my butt cheek. „Still jiggles the same way.“ Cameron laughed at his own comment.

„Get out before I slap the shit out of your face.“ I warned him. He put up his hands in defense. „Hey. We both know you like a little bit of spanking.“ He gave me a cheeky smile and finally left the bathroom. „Fucking douche.“ I mumbled to myself. „This fucking douche is paying for your lunch. Watch your mouth!“ I heard him say from my bedroom. I huffed. Fuck him... not literally.

Flashback over

My thoughts were interrupted by a text. I chuckled. Speaking of the devil.

Cam: What are you up to Y/N: nm you? Cam: having a break at magcon rn. what are you up to during this week (: Y/N: uuuhm. classes? I guess idk why? Cam: I have a few things to do in new york until my next show in philly Y/N: so?

I put my phone down and decided to ignore his next text for a few minutes. I looked up to see Jen already smirking at me. „Got a new dick appointment?“ I immediately laughed out loud and threw a pillow at her. „No. I don’t. I am not up for that shit. I won’t let him play with me.“ She threw the pillow back. „Didn’t sound like it when you hooked up with him here. Or in LA. Or back during Christmas.“ 


„Jen. Please just let it go. I really don’t want anything from him anymore.“ I sighed playing with the pillow. „Whatever you say. I’m just saying that you didn’t have a real relationship since you broke up with him and still you are here claiming you don’t want anything from him but you hooked up with him way to often for my taste of nothing to do with someone…“ She trailed off. 


She was right but it was non of her business either, right? It was up to me if I wanted to be with him or not. If I wanted casual hooking up or not. We left the topic and I picked up my phone again.

Cam: want to hang out while i’m there? Y/N: hm lets see… should I hang out with my ex once again although every time we „hung out“ we ended up hooking up? Cam: COME ON DON’T BE LIKE THAT Y/N: like what? Cam: just hang out with me. i can’t do anything about you not resisting my charm Y/N: stfu. we’ll see. maybe I’m too busy Cam: see you this week than marshmallow (;

I dropped my phone yet again pulling my macbook closer to edit some more photos. Without even noticing my thoughts went back to the last time we spent time together.

Flashback

He drove us to my favorite coffee shop. „What happened to lunch?“ I asked him. „Don’t worry I just want a coffee and than we’ll go eat lunch.“ He said before getting out of the car. I naturally stayed in the car. Why should I get out if he’s gonna get a coffee to go? Makes no sense.

Soon he returned with two cups. „Two coffees? The hell have you been doing last night?“ He chuckled and gave me one of them. „Here. A nice warm tea for you.“ I smiled. „Thank you.“ I took a sip. „You’re welcome.“ I couldn’t get the smile off of my face. I just love tea too much. And he knew me too well.

We had a pretty long car ride for a simple lunch. I started to doubt this lunch thing in general. The whole car ride Cameron’s hand was set on my thigh. I even tried to tell him to move it but he simply chose to ignore me on that one. „So tell me where the hell are we going for lunch?“ I played with the empty cup in my hand. „To the beach.“ He grinned at me. „The beach is two hours away, you know that.“ I turned to look at him. „That’s why I got coffee, duh.“ I sighed.

„Come on. It’s gonna be fun. I even have blankets in the trunk we can be all romantic and stuff.“ He was full of energy. He was so happy. So excited. I sighed yet again. „See that’s it Cameron. Romantic and stuff? We are not a couple anymore. You left me. You left me for good. I’m just a toy to you at the moment. We both know it. After all this you won’t even text me. Why are you doing this?“


He pulled into a parking lot. We just arrived at the beach. „Look. I know I fucked up big time. Just let me do this.“ He got the key out of the ignition and turned to look at me. „Why?“ I looked down to my lap and played with the hem of my shirt. „Maybe because I still have feelings for you?“

Flashback over

Next Chapter

A/N: Hi guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Tell me what you thought and maybe what you think where this story is heading? Hope you  are having a great ass day. Love you all :)

[wander-lustier]

13.03.17

Saying goodbye to the girls was a hard thing to do.  At the same time, I’ve been so excited to hit the road with Jake that I don’t think the reality of it all will hit me until later on.  The few days leading up to my big departure, both Julianne and Madison were constantly telling me “I’m gonna miss you so much when you’re gone”.  I was given hoards of snuggles and kisses!  When saying my final goodbye I could tell both girls fully understood what was going on.  Juju went very quiet and hid away for a few minutes, too shy to come out and actually say goodbye.  When I told her it would be her last chance, she eventually creeped out and gave me a big long cuddle and many kisses all over my face.  Madison jumped up in my arms right away.  She held my face in her hands and put her nose on my nose.  I very nearly cried.  Both those girls have been my solace (not literally - they’re a crazy noisy pair!) for the longest time.  Two whole years!  Even though they had no choice and didn’t really know it, those girls were there for me throughout some very difficult times and were always there for a snuggle and chat.  BUT as much as I’ll miss my Weir family memories… I’m beyond glad that I am now able to travel the world with my husband and create some more unforgettable memories... together.

Well, we’re on the road right now and I’m reeling in the freedom!  Thursday night we drove out to Charlottesville, which is in Virginia state.  Only an hour and a half from DC.  It took us slightly longer than expected to pack the car and say our goodbyes to friends and family.  

WELCOME TO VIRGINIA!

By the time we arrived at our Air BnB in Charlottesville there wasn’t enough time for a wander through Shenandoah National Park, which is what we’d originally planned to do.  When I say “we” I really mean “me”.  Jake lets me go off into my own little world when planning our trips and only wants to play a part if there’s special things in particular that he wants to see or do.  Which suits me perfectly!  On our way to Charlottesville, we feasted on Wendy’s Baconator burgers and fries covered in ranch, cheese and bacon.  Nom nom nom.  We have a chilly bin full of food in the back seat of our car but we’re treating ourselves to dinner out each night, either on the road or in a restaurant we find that’s recommended in our array of travel books!  The Air BnB in Charlottesville was more than perfect for what we needed.  It was nothing fancy but we knew that, from the description.  The man who owned the house lived downstairs and we had a private entrance to his attic.  It was more like a mini apartment.  There was a full kitchen, 2 bedrooms, a living area and a bathroom.  Much more than we expected from an attic!  Since we would only be there from 9:30pm until 3am we only made use of the bathroom and bedroom, with the exception of the fridge which we used to chill our 2:30am iced coffees!

3am Friday morning we began the longest straight drive of our entire trip.  12 hours!  We were driving the entire Blue Ridge Parkway which is one of the two long scenic drives we’ll be taking.  I started with 6 hours of driving, Jake is not a morning person - especially at that hour!  He slept pretty much all of those 6 hours while I belted out the lyrics to Walking On Sunshine, filled with a cocktail of energy and excitement.  One time I woke him up by slamming on the brakes to protect a skunk who was about to be roadkill.  He laughs at me because I slow down for a lot of small animals.   Don’t worry, there was literally no one else on the road, us and the animals had the whole parkway to ourselves.  It was a very exciting drive and I saw a wide variety of wildlife!  Birds, skunks, raccoons, deer and even a fox!  It was super cool because he ran into a big open field and I was able to watch him for a good few seconds as I drove by.  There was a crazy amount of deer and it was lucky we didn’t have any accidents while driving the parkway during the dark hours of the morning!  Jake took over a few hours after our breakfast break and I stayed awake to entertain him with reading, singing and banter.  I made yummy chicken and beef sandwiches at a rest stop around lunch time, which we quickly ate and then continued on.  

WELCOME TO NORTH CAROLINA!

Unfortunately we weren’t able to complete the entire parkway as the very last section had been closed down.  I’m guessing they’re doing some road work on it.  We detoured and made our way to the Biltmore Estate, which is where Ben and Becca had paid for us to stay as a part of my Christmas present!  It was such a beautiful place which so much land all around!  The Biltmore house was owned by the Vanderbilt family many years ago but we’re not sure whether they still own it or not.

After checking into the Village Hotel at Biltmore, I pre-made our egg salad sandwiches for the following day, then we showered and got ready to head to the Biltmore winery for a complimentary tasting!  We stood at the bar and tasted 7 different wines in a variety of whites, rosés and reds, then purchased our 3 favourites - 1 white and 2 reds.  Afterwards we ate at the hotel’s restaurant which was pricey but delicious!  Jacob had a dish called Frogmore which was basically a stew with lobster, clams, shrimp, sausage and a few vegetables.  I had a burger (of course) that was cooked to PERFECTION.  I asked for medium rare.  When I bit into the burger the juices basically burst out all over my plate.  It was such goodness and Jake was jealous!  We then decided we wanted to buy another bottle of wine to take back to the room and open that night.  I was exhausted and headed back up while Jake went to make the purchase.  By the time he got back and we started to drink a glass each I was finding it difficult to keep my eyes open!  I got halfway through the glass and decided to tap out around 7:30pm - it had been a long 17 hour day for me!

Saturday morning we made an early start before 7:30am, I’d had an amazing sleep in the comfy king size bed and even slept in longer than Jake who had woken up a good hour before me!  That NEVER happens!  It took us a long time to pack the car back up.  We had taken most of our belongings from the back seat upstairs with us on one of the hotel trolleys.  After panicking about possibly having lost my wallet (!!!!) and ordering a couple of coffees to go, we checked out (thankfully with said wallet being found down the side of the drivers seat!) and drove 2 miles over to the Biltmore house and gardens.  Yes, they had so much land that it took us 2 miles of driving across it to reach another of their buildings!  Tickets to walk through the Biltmore house were just shy of US$50 which we thought was ridiculous!  Although we did get some beautiful pictures at the top of the stairs which led down to the house.  It was an amazing building up close, with a lot of detail!  The gardens were free to explore so we wandered off to have a look.  Obviously we haven’t quite made it to spring yet so there wasn’t much in bloom… but it was still a relaxing walk and we did find a greenhouse at the end.  The greenhouse had many things in bloom and a lot of big huge plants, all in pots.  It inspired me and by the end of our gardens adventure I had made the decision that I would develop green fingers once we settled down in Washington state.  We took a toilet break before heading to the car for breakfast and couldn’t resist taking a peek inside one of the many stores they had, which were located in the ‘stable’ where the Vanderbilt’s used to keep their horses.  Inside the store we found various little tables with taste testers of drinks and dips to try.  We tried a few different salad dressings, drink mixers and cheese balls.  Before leaving we bought a delicious salad dressing which I think, from memory, was a mix of poppyseed and strawberry!

After a quick breakfast in the car from our chilly bin, Jake began our 5 hour drive to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina - which is when I wrote half this post!  I kept forgetting that a lot of places we stay won’t give me access to the internet from my laptop.  I’ll be writing bits and pieces as I go and post them in chapters so that you’re not overloaded with pages of blabber!

WELCOME TO SOUTH CAROLINA!

After checking into our little cabin, we were supposed to begin our fun in Myrtle Beach with a musical at the Palace Theatre.  I hadn’t bought tickets in advance because I couldn’t figure out how to do that online.  It turned out that the reason I couldn’t figure it out was because Palace Theatre had been hit pretty badly by Hurricane Matthew and wouldn’t be open again until February NEXT year!  We were bummed out about it because the building looked awesome from the outside.  We decided to park the car in the Broadway at the Beach car park.  This is a beachy style area with a boardwalk lined with stores and attractions that surround a lake filled with catfish and ducks.  We went for a wander around, took a look in a retro store and saw the Big D IMAX movie theatre.  They only play one movie a day at various times and that day it would be Logan (one of the X-Men/Wolverine movies).  I’ve only seen bits and pieces of these movies so it seemed odd for me to go and see it, but we planned to do that anyway - since it was IMAX.  The movie didn’t begin until 10:15pm, so we played a couple rounds of mini golf.  There are a tonne of mini golf courses in Myrtle Beach!  If I had known this earlier I would have planned a whole day of mini golf touring for Jake and I, because we had so much fun during those two games!  Of course I lost both times… But did better my score the second time around!  We ate dinner in between the two rounds of golf at Joe’s Crab Shack, a cool place on the water that serves seafood.  We snagged two seats at the bar, ordered a couple of beers and took a look at the menu.  I’ve never been a huge fan of seafood, but I guess our tastebuds change as we get older, plus, eating seafood is FUN!  We ordered a big bowl which had 1/2 lb of crab, 1/2 lb of shrimp and 1 lb of crawfish.  I had such a great time learning how to crack them all open and collect the meat.  Our final round of golf was followed by a walk back to the car and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream on the way.  Turns out we were too tired to stay up late for the Logan movie and ended the evening in our cabin watching American Horror Story on Netflix!

Sunday morning we went to Waffle House for breakfast.  We both ordered a big hash bowl.  Essentially it’s a bowl of shredded hashbrowns with melted cheese, scrambled egg and breakfast sausage on top.  We also had a waffle each - Jake had pecan… chocolate peanut butter for me.  Of course an American breakfast is never complete without cheap bottomless coffee!  With today’s agenda I was about to face a big fear of mine - heights!  I was feeling confident!  

Wonderworks is an interactive museum in Myrtle Beach, it’s made for kids but we had a lot of fun too!  We found lots of different things like a machine that tests how hard your grip is and a bicycle swing that can spin you all the way around if you pedal hard enough - we didn’t do that!  I felt a little silly considering a bunch of young girls were doing it and after watching for a few minutes I left the line!  Although, I did wait in line for a little roller coaster simulator.  You jump inside an enclosed booth that’s attached to a mechanized arm which moves you up, down and upside down.  I screamed so much that the ride operator laughed afterwards when mentioning how she’d heard me!  We played a game of free for all laser tag too!  Jake’s strategy was for us to hide in the corner behind a wall and shoot at everyone from there.  We were versing two adults and 8 children so it wasn’t very difficult to get the top two scores!   I can’t believe I did, but I went on a ropes course at the very end of the visit.  It took all the courage I had to get all the way up there.  All the kids were breezing through it and I was the sweaty palmed, near crying woman who’s legs were wobbly and couldn’t do the super unsteady ropes because of my lack of confidence.  We did a second ropes course outdoors which was above water.  For some reason I had a lot of confidence when completing this one and completed every challenge they had!  We decided it was because of the environment.  The indoor ropes course was above the crowds of people, it was dark with neon lights all around and VERY noisy.  I couldn’t concentrate.  On the outdoors course I was above the water.  There was noise but not as much and the environment was much more peaceful.  I was very proud of myself for completing all the challenges and it gave me a huge confidence boost for the zip line that we did next.  Pre-boarding the zip we had to wait with a group of 10 others for what seemed like hooouuurss.  It did make for some entertaining conversations with the other dudes getting ready to zip.  One black guy decked out in his Chicago Bulls attire had us in fits of laughter.  He was even more nervous than me and was making sure that was clear to all of us!  He did not like heights and did not like the thought of being over the water.  Jake kept making jokes about Final Destination and the zip getting stuck in the middle mid-flight.  Surprisingly I wasn’t super nervous and was actually more excited to do this!  I had been watching many others zipping across while we were completing the nearby ropes course and I guess that had put my mind at ease and made it look super fun!  We’ll be ziplining again in Vegas and I can’t wait!  Generally when you take a zip line you go one way and return back on another zip, which is what we did.  People kept stopping just before the end of the first zip - hence all the jokes about stopping in the middle!  Our Chicago Bulls buddy was one of the many who got stuck, Jake and I were right after him so we were back over the side laughing our asses off.  Thankfully I JUST made it far enough.  The dude at the other side threw me a rope which I was able to catch.  He then pulled me in further and I had made it!  Jake didn’t get quite close enough to catch the rope so he had to have one zipped out to him!  Chicago Bulls buddy thought that was hilarious, especially when I told him how hard Jake had been laughing when it happened to him only minutes before!  The return zip was extra fun as it went a lot faster than the first!  I was going so fast that I thought he wouldn’t be able to stop me!  All-in-all, a successful first-time zip lining experience which I’m sure there will be many more of!  We saw signs all over for a $20 helicopter ride.  I had never been on a helicopter and Jake hadn’t been on a civilian helicopter (only osprey, the military ones).  We decided since it was super cheap we’d give it a go!  They drove us 50 meters out to the little red helicopter and we jumped in, put on our headsets and took off!  It was a very short ride, only about 5 minutes, but totally worth the experience.  We had awesome views of the area we had just spent our day.  The pilot asked if we liked rollercoasters and when I said I like them a little but I’m not super fond of them he sped up just a little and banked the helicopter so that we turned sideways and had an even better view of below!  Deciding to finish off our big day with some more seafood, we went to the Duffy Street Seafood Shack which was just a block away from the beach.  It was a “throw-your-peanut-shells-on-the-floor” type of place, basically meaning it was messy dive bar which is the type of place Jake and I love!  We ate peanuts from the shell while waiting for our pitcher of beer, 39c shrimps, nachos and chicken wings… delish!  Just before calling it a night we drove to the sky wheel, which was located on the beach which gave us the opportunity for some epic late night beach views.

We’re currently in Dallas catching up with our buddy Critta (Austin) and soooo much has happened since all of this!  I’ve got more stories coming so stay posted.  We are having the most incredible adventure and LOVING life.

With love from TEXAS! xx

P.S. “When the cabin’s a-rockin’, don’t come a-knockin’!” - JTB