#went to the liquor store to pick up a wine for my mom

[lilgynt]

i love blaming issues on me being hot and sexy jokingly bc of self esteem issues when in fact the issue in question is bc of being hot and sexy also i hate when shopping trips take longer bc of random men 💔💔💔

[resi4skz]

CHAPTER 11

Pairing: Christopher Bahng x Aubrey Williams (OC)

Warnings: smut

This is purely fiction! MDNI

*HAN'S POV*

After signing in the visitor form, the officer in front of me takes me to room with a very thick transparent glass in front of me. "You have 15 minutes," the officer informs and leaves as I take a seat on the provided chair. As I wait, I take out the necessary documents from my briefcase. The buzzer sound suddenly comes on and I glance up as Troy Parker walks in with 2 officers on either side of him. He was in shackles, making him walk in small steps.

"Who are you?" He asked as he sits down.

I take out my business card and present it to him. "I'm here on behalf of Ms. Williams."

"A lawyer?" He scoffs and looks at me. "I'm not signing shit."

"Unfortunately, Mr. Parker, you really don't get a say in this. You're convicted of attempted murder, assault and vandalism. There is no easy way out of this."

"I told you. I'm not signing anything."

"Plus, your mom confessed that you were planning to kill your wife, which may or may not add more years for you."

He scowls, narrowing his eyes. "Bullshit."

I lean back in my chair, sighing. "We have it on recording."

"My mother will never do such a thing," he spat out.

Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I take out my phone, find the recording and hit play.

"Why are you still defending your son?"

"Because he's my son! My only blood!"

His expression changes from angry to fear.

"She wasn't supposed to find out. We kept the secret and blamed it on her, hoping she stays with him. So when he saw she drifted apart from him, he became a different person. Went crazy. He told me."

"Stop," he shouts. "Stop it!"

"He told me what he was going to do. He even showed me the knife, saying he's gonna kill her and then kill himself afterwards. He....he made the whole plan."

I hit stop and slide the papers under the glass along wirh a pen. "Sign it."

"Fuck you." He spits at the glass.

"Do you really think you have a way out of this?"

"I know people," he said smirking. "I'll be out of here in a couple of days."

"Oh, the people you worked with? The ones who also testified against you and signed away your life?" His expression changes again. "They told us, me, everything. You're never getting out of here, Mr. Parker."

Annoyed, he picks up the pen and signs the divorce papers before passing them back. Smiling, I check the papers to see if he signed all of them and once I was satisfied, I secure them in my briefcase. "Well, Mr. Parker. Enjoy the rest of your time, however long that is." I turn to leave when he speaks up.

"That bitch cheated on me, just so you know."

I scoff, turning around. "Maybe consider the fact that she's finally happy and alive." Without saying anytning further, I walk out and shoot a quick text to Aubrey.

------------------------------------------------------------

*AUBREY'S POV*

I let out a sigh of relief as I read Han's text.

H: it's done

So as a celebration, I stop by a liquor store and get my favorite wine. As I drive towards Chris's house, my heart beats at a steady pace and I finally feel at peace. I had bought something for his birthday and could only hope he would like it.

Parking my car in his driveway, I walk towards his front porch and unlock the door with the key under his mat that he had left for me. He was still at work and wouldn't be home till dinner time. Plus it was his birthday today. So I made it my mission to cook him his favorite: lamb steak with mashed potatoes. I even cleaned the house a bit and took a shower. I changed into comfy clothes and went down to check on dinner. As I move around the kitchen, I suddenly felt his arms sliding around my waist I gasp as he kisses my neck. "Mmm, I could really get used to this."

I giggle and turn around in his arms. "Welcome home." I go on my tip toes and kiss him. He immediately kisses me back with the same amount of love. "I made your favorite."

His eyes lights up and looks at the dining table. "Aubrey, you didn't." I grin at him as he walks over to the table. "Bri, I had been craving this for weeks. How did you know?"

I smile. "Sit." As he sits, I grab the wine and two glasses. We eat our dinner in peace and take our sweet time with it. I tell him about the divorce papers.

"You're kidding me," he gapes at me.

"Nope. I'm now officially divorced," I smile widely as he walks to the sink and immediately starts washing the dishes.

I walk towards him till I'm facing his broad back and slide my hands around his waist, placing my cheek on his back. "Thank you."

We stay like that for a while until he taps my hand. "These dishes aren't going to wash themselves." I roll my eyes and poke him in the ribs. "Hey, wanna eat ice cream and watch a movie?"

My inner 10yr old cannot contain the excitement as I run to the movie selection and pick out 'Tangled.' Just as I put it on, he sits with two bowls of ice cream and I notice mine has chocolate and strawberry. "You remembered." How could he remember after all these years? I had only told him once.

"Well," he says as he takes a spoonful of strawberry icecream. "I don't know if I told you but I kind of had a crush on you during high school."

"What?" I glance at him eating his icecream. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Bri, we were in different grades. Besides, when you graduated and left, I concentrated on my studies. How was I supposed to know that we'd end up meeting again?"

"Christopher," I say as I set my bowl down on the coffee table. "Do you know how difficult it was to leave my only friend behind? Do you realize you were the one that my friends were jealous of every time we hung out?"

"Jealous? Wait what? Why?" Now he's the one setting his bowl on the table.

"We all had this huge crush on you." My eyes widen and I immediately shut my mouth and move the farthest away from but since it was a love seat, I couldn't really move any farther than I already was.

"We?" He smirks. "As in?"

"As in my friends from high school," I take a big spoonful of the icecream and look at the tv screen as Rapunzel lets down her hair to climb down from the tower. Why did I have to open my mouth? I feel him shifting closer to me making my heart go crazy.

"And?" He asks, his voice smooth like my chocolate ice cream.

I peer at him from the corner of my eye and he has this smile on his face so I shove a spoonful of icecream in his mouth. He grabs my face and pecks my cheeks as he shifts back to his original place. I go back to eating rest of the ice cream.

As the movie progresses, so does Chris's hands. I noticed when Rapunzel and Eugene were singing in the boat is when Chris laid his head on my lap and drew circles on my hand. I found it cute. With my other hand, I played with his hair. "Your hair is thin, I never noticed."

"Yeah, well I used to dye it pretty often and it dried my hair pretty quickly so I tend to not style or dye it more often these days."

"If you want, I can try out a few things for your hair. Some hair oils." This reminded me of the certain red clothing item I had bought earlier, packed in my bag.

"Anything you want." Anything I want? I shifted in my seat as my mind went elsewhere. God, what was wrong with me? I wasn't like this before. Was it Chris? Did he have this effect on me? He's been on my mind constantly ever since he's been back in my life. Which reminds me.....I look at the clock. Good, it's not midnight yet. Smiling, I bend slightly and hover over his ear. "Happy birthday." I whisper.

He turns his head and smiles. "Thank you."

"I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise?"

I nod.

"What kind of surprise?"

I go real close to his ear. "Something you can unwrap me in." I pull back and his eyes darken. The next thing I know is that I'm being flung over his shoulder as he shuts off the TV and practically sprints upstairs. "Hey, put me down!"

"Not a chance," he swings open the door to the bedroom and finally puts me down. "Go put it on." The way he gazes into my eyes and I wanted nothing more than to have him his way with me. So I take my bag with me to the bathroom.

Once inside the bathroom, I shimmy out of my clothes and slip on the red lingerie I had brought days prior with the mind of surprising him in it. Biting my lip, I survey it in the mirror. Even after all these years, I have kept in shape. By all means, I wasn't skinny per se but I had kept fit. The lacy bra perked up my full breasts and the lace went down my torso just above my belly button. The panties were the perfect size. The sudden realization hits me and I become shy knowing he's just within arms reach. I fix and fluff my hair and do a final check before heading out.

Opening the door, I see Chris looking out the window and he was shirtless with his black jeans hanging low on his hips. Sweet baby jesus. When he hears me, he turns around and time stops. It's just me and him and nothing else matters. "You look....wow."

I smile and slowly walk towards him. "You like?" I ask.

He nods. "Very much and I'm going to like to more taking it off you." My breath hitches as he strides towards me, cups my cheeks and smashes his lips on mine. I groan at the force and grip his sides as he devours my lips. "You taste so sweet."

"Gentle, Chris," I breathe out.

He shakes his head. "I don't think I can be gentle with you tonight, baby. I need you." He attacks my lips and places wet kisses down my neck and breasts. He nicks and bites my chest leaving evidence as I grip his hair, moaning out his name. His hand goes behind my back to unclasp the bra and when my breasts are finally free, he takes a moment to admire them before he tugs me along with him walking back towards his bed. Sitting down, he gets me to straddle him and I gasp because I can feel everything this way.

His lips never leave my skin. I kiss him again and rock my hips against his. He moans into the kiss as his hands now rest on my hips. I grind my hips again and I'm certain I heard him growl before I'm flipped on my tummy. "On your hands and knees. Now." His demand made my core wet as I went on all fours. This way I was exposed fully. I hear the belt buckle hit the floor and feel him coming behind me. I hold my breath when I feel him gently caressing my ass cheeks with both of his hands. When I reach to take my panties off, he grabs my hand. "No. It stays on."

And that's when I felt it. I cry out in pain and pleasure from the hit. I bite my lips when he smacks me again. "Fuck, baby. You look good in red."

Not being able to take it anymore, I wiggle my hips. I need him. "Chris, please."

"Say it, baby. Say what you want." I feel him shifting and I want to turn around so badly.

"Fuck me, Chris. Have your way with me, please" I breathe out. He groans at my request as he moves my panty aside and enters me from behind. I sigh in bliss and moan in pleasure as he fully sheathes himself inside me. "Move."

And move he does. He thrusts his hips hard and I grip the sheets below me. He feels so good that I don't want him to ever stop. Suddenly, he pulls out and I almost curse at him but he flips me over and takes my panties off before settling himself between my legs again. He leans down and kisses me while slamming his hips into me. I moan into the kiss as I wrap my arms around his neck. "Tell me what you want, Bri. And I'll give it to you. I'll give it all to you."

I gaze into his eyes as I cup his cheek. "You. I want you." He smiles and it's as if something in him switched on, his thrusts turned frantic and faster. I felt myself coming closer to my release. He then raises my left leg over his shoulder. "Harder." The new position makes him go deeper and I love it. Picking up speed, he grabs my breasts and gives them a squeeze. He feels me going over the edge and picks up the pace. I cry out his name, my body convulsing as he keeps thrusting his hips and groans when he finds his own release.

We both sag onto the bed, catching our breath. "You're wearing it again."

I chuckle as I turn to my side, facing him. "Only if you can do me a favor."

"Which is?" He breathes out. I smirk as I scoot closer so I can whisper into his ears. He turns his head towards me, his eyes hardening. "Yes, absolutely."

And for the rest of the night, he gave all kinds of favors I ask for.

------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, I visited Leanna at her apartment to spend the evening with her. "So. How are you and Chris doing?" Leanna asks, as we munched on snacks.

"We're good," I reply, smiling. "Really good."

"Psh. You have smitten written all over your face," she scoffs and I giggle. "If I didn't know any better, he's probably as smitten as you are."

"Well....."

"Oh, give me a break," she whines. "Why can't I find one for myself?"

"If you look hard enough," I began. "Do you want me to hook yo-" A sudden wave of immense nausea goes up my stomach and I clasp my mouth.

"You alright?" She asked, sitting up on her couch.

"Yeah," I say, breathing out. "It's probably nothing, just something I ate at lunc-" The nausea comes back faster this time and I make a run for the toilet.

"Hey, you sure you're alright?" I hear Leanna behind me as I make it just in time to puke my guts out in the toilet. She holds my hair up the entire time I'm hurled up on the toilet. "Is it something you ate?"

"Well, I had tacos for lunch," I say, flushing the toilet. A sudden thought comes in my mind as I'm washing my hands and I gasp.

"What is it?" She asks.

Taking out my phone, I open the calendar app and count the days. Holy shit. "I'm late."

"Oh, did you have a meeting or something?"

I give her a look. "No," I show her the calendar. "I'm late."

"Oh. Oh!" Finally she gets it. "I'll run down to the pharmacy."

********************************************************

I'm sitting on the toilet waiting. I glance at the sticks with the pink end in front of me as Leanna paces behind me. "Would you stop?"

"How are you not panicking right now?"

"Because I know it's not Troy's. Duh."

"How do you know that?"

"Because he's infertile." I replied as I pick up the stick and smile. "And I'm not." I point the results for her to see. Two pink solid lines.

"Oh my god, I'm going to be an aunt," she shrieks, jumping up and down. I giggle at her reaction. "Oh Chris is going to be thrilled."

"Let's hope so."

------------------------------------------------------------

I was sitting on the couch, waiting for Chris to get home. I watched the wall clock like a hawk. Why is this so nerve wrecking? Then I hear the keys, the door opening and the scuffle of his shoes. He comes in view as he walks to the kitchen, getting himself a glass of water.

Taking a huge gulp, I stand and walk over in the kitchen. As he turns around, he jumps. "Jesus, Aubrey!"

"Sorry," I reply.

"What are you doing home? I thought you were at Leanna's?" He walks over, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"Change of plans," I answer as I nervously fumble with my fingers.

He takes my hands. "Everything alright?"

I smile warmly at him. I love that he's so gentle and caring about me. I love that he's always putting others before him. Taking a small step back, I reach for my back pocket to take out the three pink sticks from before and show him, smiling. I watch him blink before his eyes go wide and a part of me thinks I might have made a mistake. But then he scoops me up and spins me around, laughing. "Chris!" I giggle. "Put me down! I'm dizzy!"

He gently puts me down and leans down, giving me a kiss. "You just made me the happiest person on earth."

"You're not mad?"

"Mad? Baby, you just told me I'm going to be a dad. I'm estatic!" He replies, smiling from ear to ear.

I chuckle and wrap my arms around his torso, laying my head on his warm chest. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He wraps his arms around me tightly and we stay like this the entire night, even in bed when we're sleeping.

[prettyboybarzal]

Dancing With Our Hands Tied (7)

Word Count: 3.1k

Warnings: Phone sex, daddy kink, masturbation

A/N: Let me know what y’all thank! :) ILY

Previous Chapter // Masterlist

You were on a date.

And Pierre was all the way across the country, in a hotel bed, next to Josh Anderson.

He wouldn’t have even known you were getting wined and dined by his next door neighbor if Josh hadn’t opened your Snapchat while he was sitting right beside him. Charlie was sitting across the table from you, smiling like a nerd over his filet mignon. 

The scoff that came out of Pierre’s mouth as a reaction piqued Josh’s attention.

“Oh, we’re fighting again?”

“We never stopped,” he grumbled, standing from the bed.

“No? You’ve been sort of civil lately.”

“That’s because I haven’t been around her, so I haven’t had to deal with her attitude.”

“Smile.” Pierre turned on a dime and flipped off Josh’s camera as soon as the flash lit up the room. Josh smiled down at the photo and murmured, “YN will love that picture.”

---

It was Josh’s damn Snapchat that did you in.

It was Pierre’s long middle finger and his unamused expression, the sweats that hung low on his hips that did nothing to hide the bulge hidden beneath the waistband. You were glad that you opened it after Charlie ran to the bathroom because you were 100% sure that you were blushing.

It’d only been a week since you last saw Pierre, but the time apart had you feeling needy. You’d never admit it out loud, but you needed him. 

You needed Pierre. 

“I was thinking,” Charlie spoke as he arrived back at the table. You stood, gathering your phone and your purse as his hand slid along your lower back. “Let’s grab a bottle of wine from the liquor store down the block and then finish it off at my place.”

“Um,” you hesitated, lifting your phone to check the time. It wasn’t even late, but you didn’t want to go home with him. “Charlie, I think I should get home.

“We can totally go back to your place.”

“No! I mean, I need to be alone,” you corrected. He looked at you, dumbfounded. “I’m just feeling super bloated and exhausted.”

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No! No, come on, you know that,” you urged, fake smile on your lips as you slid your hand in his to lead him out to the car. “Dinner was amazing and this restaurant is beautiful. I wish I was feeling better, I really do. I’ll make it up to you.”

---

Pierre knew he was in trouble when your name flashed across his phone screen just before he went to bed. He sat up against the headboard and picked up immediately, desperate to know how your date went.

“Hi, Luc,” you spoke as soon as he accepted the call. He felt a chill run down his spine at the sound of your voice, at the name falling from your lips. “I miss you,” you whispered like it was a secret. He smiled at your words, feeling his heart skip a beat, and then you moaned, “My pussy misses you.” 

And just like that, all his qualms about you being out with Charlie disappeared, if only temporarily.

He sucked in a deep breath and dropped his head back against the headboard, a groan ripping through his chest as he spoke, “YN, don’t do this to me right now.”

“Why not, baby?”

“You’re not being fair.”

“Would you rather I touch myself without you on the phone?”

“Fuck no!” he exclaimed. “No, no, that would--fuck--that would be torture.” 

“Then, talk to me.”

He loved the sound of your voice, low and sultry. You could read him the phone book and he’d probably still get off. 

“Are you touching yourself?” he asked, voice deepening to meet your level. You hummed affirmatively, a bit whiny as your fingers slid along your folds. “Good girl.” His fingers slipped beneath the waistband of his sweats. “What are you wearing, angel?”

“Do you want to see?”

“Of course I do.”

You smiled happily to yourself, pulling your fingers from your folds to kneel on the bed and take a photo in the mirror you’d set up in front. The first was posed with your knees apart on the bed, hand on your breast, and the next, you slipped those fingers into your lace panties and inserted them into your cunt. Pierre could hear you moan and sat up impatiently.

“Don’t tease me.”

“Patience.”

You scrambled back up to the pillows and sent him the photos, listening in for the reaction you desperately needed. 

“Fuck, you’re so fucking sexy. I wish I could fuck you right now,” he spoke. You whimpered, fingers massaging your folds. “That mirror doesn’t belong there,” he pointed out. “You moved it?”

“Yes, daddy,” you responded, tugging your bottom lip between your teeth. Pierre cursed beneath his breath at the name, fingers curling around the base of his cock. “Wanted to watch when I fuck myself to your voice.”

“Fuuuuck,” he sighed. “I want you naked.”

You slipped your thong down your legs and unclasped your bra to toss it on the floor. He rid himself of his sweats as well

“And then what?”

“Spread your legs for me.”

“Are you touching yourself, too?” you asked, voice soft and sweet in contrast to the filth that was coming from both your mouths. Pierre chuckled.

“‘Course I am,” he spoke. “I’ve been touching myself since you sent me those photos.”

“You’re cheating!”

“Am not,” he responded with another laugh. “I’m waiting for you, just a little impatiently.” And then he heard a loud moan fall from your lips. “What are you doing, baby? Talk to me.”

“I’m catching up to you,” you answered breathlessly. You had a finger in your cunt, curling to hit your g-spot slowly. Each time, another whimper graced his ears. “Do you know why I really put this mirror here?”

“Hmm?”

“Because I can’t stop thinking about the night you fucked me in the bar bathroom,” you moaned, adding a second finger to your pussy. His breath faltered on the other end of the call. “I think about the way you watched me come undone in the mirror, the look in your eyes, every time I touch myself.”

“You’re so fucking sexy when you cum,” he whispered. “It’s like a dream. I love the way your pussy throbs around me, the way you sigh my name and close your eyes and arch your back.” He paused. “Circle your clit with your thumb, baby, the way I do.”

As soon as you added the pressure to your clit, you sucked in a breath, legs bending at the knee to grant you better access and a clearer view of what you were doing.

“I wish you were watching me right now, knowing you can’t touch me.”

“C’mon, YN, you know that you can’t stop me from touching you.”

“But I sort of am right now,” you reminded him. A loud moan ripped through your chest, somewhat performative to get a rise out of him. “Maybe I don’t need you after all.”

“You need me enough to call me after going out to dinner with Charlie,” he grunted. “Isn’t that right? You couldn’t go home with him because you were too busy thinking about me? Thinking about the way I make you feel?” 

Without even really working for it, you got the energy you wanted out of him. Pierre’s jealousy always did it for you and you could feel the subtle shake of your legs as he asked you, “Did you buy that set for him? You wanted him to take that off tonight?”

“No, I only want you to touch me. Only want you to undress me. Only want you to fuck me.”

“Fuck,” he grunted, head thrown back against his headboard. His hand was moving quicker now and he was finding it hard to speak through the moans that threatened to fill the air. “Tell me what you want me to do to you when I get home, angel. Whatever you want.”

“I want you to fuck me against every surface in our apartments,” you told him, picking up the pace of your fingers to match the sound of his hand on his member. “I want you to fuck me against the walls and the windows, and I want you to fuck me in the bathroom mirror like the slut I am for you, like the night at the bar.”

“You gonna scream my name? Make sure Charlie knows who fucks you this good?”

“Yes, Pierre, yes, yes,” you moaned, fingers hitting the right spot as he speaks to you. Every circle of your clit had you convulsing. “I-I’m so close.”

“Hold on a few more seconds,” he requested. “You’re gonna cum with me, okay, baby?”

You released a string of moans and whimpers in place of words as you continued coaxing your orgasm, and you listened to Pierre’s praises and quickened breath as he got close to his own high. 

“Give it to me, daddy, please, fuck!”

Your back arched off the bed, fingers working furiously on your cunt as he breathed in your ear, whispering praises, “So good for me. You wanna cum?” You whimpered, nodding as if he could see it. “Go ahead, baby, cum.”

You finally found your release, shouting his name into the speaker as your legs shook and your body squirmed. Your pussy fluttered as you fucked yourself through the orgasm, catching sight of yourself in the mirror to see what Pierre said he loved to see and you listened to him come undone, the sweet sound of your name on his tongue.

---

The morning after dinner with Charlie and phone sex with Pierre, you felt hungover. You weren’t even drunk the night before, but you still woke up in discomfort with a mix of guilt and anxiety and a dash of regret. So, after pulling yourself from bed, you opened the blinds in hopes that the vitamin D would do you some good.

Saturdays, in your opinion, always felt like your most productive day of the week. And, since last Saturday was commandeered by your parents and Pierre, you were dedicating this one completely to yourself. Your breakfast was slamming, your speakers were playing some feel good tunes, and you were going to spend the day tidying up and spend the night watching Netflix.

But all your self-indulgent plans came to a screeching halt when your phone started ringing and Sadie’s name flashed across the screen.

You didn’t speak to Sadie after Pierre spent your birthday with your parents because you knew she’d blow it out of proportion. She managed to do so through text, typing in all caps to let you know that mom told her Pierre was shirtless in your kitchen.

“I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get you on the phone,” she barked as you as soon as you accepted the call. Her voice rang through the speaker, shattering the comfortable silence you’d once had. “You’re avoiding me.”

“I am not.”

“Yeah, you are,” she argued. “And I know why.”

“Oh, yeah? Why?”

“You’re in love with him.”

You dropped a plate in the sink, suds splashing up into your face as you scrambled to turn the faucet off and dry your hands. You were going to get into it with her.

“I’m not in love with you him! Where would you even get that idea? He was shirtless in my kitchen because we slept together the night before and I was in the process of kicking him out.”

“Mom swore there was no way you were just sleeping together,” she grunted. “What does that make him? Your enemy with benefits?”

“That makes him a booty call.”

“He spent the day with mom and dad,” she pointed out. “That’s more than just a booty call.”

“He did it to taunt me. Have you forgotten the whole basis of our drama?”

“And did it work?” she asked. “Did he taunt you? Or did you enjoy his presence?”

“Sadie, it’s just sex,” you sighed, exhausted by her line of questioning. “We hardly even know each other. We’ve never even had a real conversation without hurling insults at each other and we’ve never voluntarily seen each other without the promise of sex.” You paused. “Besides, I went out to dinner with Charlie last night.”

“Oh, fuck, you’re still entertaining him?” she asked. You hummed affirmatively, preparing for her onslaught of words about how mismatched the two of you really are. “I don’t get it. Can you explain it to me like I’m five?”

“You wouldn’t understand, Sadie,” you sighed. “I know he might be a little boring sometimes, but he’s a nice guy with a stable job and a stable life. And he always goes the extra mile when he’s trying to impress me. Last night, he took me out to this expensive restaurant I’ve been dying to go to.”

“And you had fun on your little date?” she asked, condescending tone to her voice. You rolled your eyes.

“Yeah, it was good.”

“Did he make you laugh?”

“Yes.”

“He paid?”

“Of course.”

“And you went home with him after?” she finally asked. You didn’t want to tell her that you left him to call Pierre. That would be the final nail in your coffin. So, your answer was a long pause. “You had this man take you to dinner and you didn’t even put out after?” She scoffed. “And you say you like him!”

“I wasn’t in the mood.”

“Why?” she pried. “Because he isn’t Pierre Luc Dubois?”

Your stomach dropped.

“Would you stop saying his name like that?”

“I think you’re in denial,” Sadie declared. “And I know that you’re going to be like ‘what does my little sister even know about love?’ To that I answer, almost nothing. But, I do know quite a lot about you. You don’t want boring, YN. You haven’t been boring a day in your life, so why would you settle for someone who doesn’t drive you absolutely crazy, you know?”

“The type of crazy Pierre makes me isn’t a cute crazy. It’s a should-be-admitted type of crazy.”

“More like a ‘I’ll kiss you to shut you up’ kind of crazy.”

You couldn’t argue that.

“Whatever, Sadie, I don’t know what else to say,” you goaned. “Can we change the subject now?”

She agreed to let it go, though you knew it wouldn’t be long until she was bugging you about him again, and conversation to whatever was going on in Sadie’s life. But, as much as you’d wanted to change the subject, suddenly not even a different conversation could get your mind off Pierre.

---

When Pierre got back to Ohio, he was itching to get to your apartment and make all the things you said over the phone come true, but you weren’t even answering his texts. It’s not like you texted all that much to begin with, but when you didn’t ask him to come over after his flight landed, he knew something was up. Now, he had four unanswered texts in your messages from the past two days and he was yearning for your attention. 

Needless to say, he was off, and the entire team could tell.

Especially Josh. He noticed almost as soon as he saw Pierre, but he waited until practice was over to begin prying.

“Where’s your head at?” he asked.

“Hmm?”

“You look like your head is somewhere else.”

“It is.”

His answer was simple as he left for the showers, and Josh wasn’t straggling far behind, determined to get the answers he was searching for. After showering, they headed out to their cars and said goodbye, but Josh watched Pierre pull out of the lot and turn in the opposite direction of his apartment. So, he made the decision to tail him.

Imagine his surprise when Pierre traveled deeper into the city towards your apartment. He followed him the whole way, stopping at the corner of your block to avoid being seen while Pierre parked. And then, with his jaw practically on the floor, Josh watched him jog right into your building.

 ---

“What’s your problem?” Pierre barked the second you opened the door. His tone of voice was harsh, not soft like it’d been in recent weeks, and it immediately threw you off. “Are you on your period or something? Because it’s alright if you are. I’d be down for period sex.”

You slammed the door in his face.

He was joking. Well, he was trying to joke, like an idiot, and obviously not succeeding. So, he took a step back to gather his thoughts and tried again.

“That was an awful joke. Let me start over,” he spoke as soon as you opened the door again. You cocked your hip against the doorframe with your arms crossed over your chest. “Did I do something wrong? Is that why you’re not talking to me?”

“No, other than your usual annoying shit, you’ve been fine.”

“So, what’s going on? Why haven’t you been answering my texts?”

You rolled your neck with a groan and answered, “It’s just been a crazy week, Pierre,” you paused, glaring at him. “And, yes, I’m also on my period, not that it concerns you.”

“I hate when you call me Pierre,” he grunted and although you rolled your eyes, those words stirred something inside of you. “Can I come in?”

To his surprise, you stepped aside without contest and continued into the apartment leaving him to kick his shoes off and drop his jacket on the hook at the door. He found you curled up beneath a chunky blanket with the remainders of some fast food meal on the coffee table. He dropped onto the other end, kicked his socked feet up on the table, and smiled at you.

“Seriously, why are you here?” you asked. “I’m not having period sex with you.”

“I said that was a joke.”

“Okay, then why are you here if not for sex?” you asked, face twisted in frustration. 

His face mirrored yours as he responded, “Is it such a crime to just want to see you?”

“Yes,” you answered simply.

“Does it have to be?”

Although the question was loud enough for you to hear, it was soft enough to ignore if you felt it necessary. So, you ignored it, because you didn’t do this. You didn’t just hang out to see each other. He huffed as you began sifting through the collection of romantic comedies on Netflix. 

“I’m watching a movie, so either you stay and watch, or you leave.”

Pierre grabbed a pillow and dropped it onto the middle cushion of the couch before laying back, his feet elevated over the arm at the end of the couch. You followed his direction, dropping a pillow in front of his and throwing your feet over the other arm so that you’d be lying head-to-head. Before laying down, you gave him a blanket and wrapped another around your own body.

The movie began and the opening credits rolled, but you couldn’t focus.

How could you when Pierre was in your apartment and not tearing your clothes off? How could you focus when you’d so easily enabled the domestic scene laid out in front of you?

His hand hung limply off the edge of the couch and just looking at it made you feel all types of things. You could practically feel his skin on your skin and your mind began to wander, daydreaming about what it might be like to lace your fingers with his. And, before you could stop yourself, you were placing your palm against his palm to do just that.

[mymoonagedaydream]

Stranger’s Kiss

Summary: Heartbroken and lost, the neon city streets seemed to guide you to exactly where you needed to be.

Pairing: Bartender!Bucky x y/n

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: Language, smut references

Author's Note: Cheeky little oneshot, hope y’all enjoy. It’s based around lyrics from Stranger’s Kiss by Alex Cameron.

---

Don't even bother climbing out of the well That ain't no way to get out of the hell that you're in

Four years.

You’d given him four years of your life, for what?

For you to walk into your bedroom and find him balls deep in some tramp from his office.

You left without a word, but it felt like something of yours had stayed there, with them. Like they’d chipped away a piece of you and left it lying there on the carpet.

As you walked aimlessly for hours, the city started to feel like it was dying around you. 

The night was made of flickering street lights, sirens, broken glass and junkies. You thought about leaving, starting somewhere fresh, but what was the point? You'd have to take your baggage with you wherever you went.

Keeping your head down and your pace swift, you half-listened to the faded whispers of people passing you in the street, but even those were eventually drowned out by the pattering of rain against the sidewalk. 

Turning into one of the city’s many dreary backstreets, you saw a solitary neon sign bathing the uneven concrete and murky puddles in a jarring red light. 

The only place that was open this late, Stark’s Bar.

It was the end of the earth, the rock under which all the sad and lonely insects of the city crawled. You’d never been inside, never before sunk low enough to warrant a visit, but tonight it seemed to be calling your name.

As soon as you tugged the door open, the heavy scent of stale beer and cigarette smoke hit you like a wall, knocking you backwards. But inside was warm, dry and quiet. 

That’s all you wanted.

Keeping your eyes fixed on the sticky, creaking floor, you trudged towards the bar, taking the first free stool you found. A broad torso planted itself opposite you, blocking out the dim light that streamed from underneath the crooked lampshades.

‘Double scotch.’

‘You sure you’re in the right place?’

The torso’s low voice came from above your head, but you didn’t bother glancing up. You didn’t have the energy or the inclination for conversation right now.

‘Double scotch.’

The dim light returned, only interrupted again when a tumbler flecked with hard water stains and half-full of liquor was dropped in front of you.

You stared at that glass for what felt like hours, just thinking.

There was no way you could go home tonight. You’d struggle to ever set foot in that apartment again, the whole place was scattered with painful reminders of everything you’d lost. Maybe you should call your mom, ask her to pick a few things up for you.

Tomorrow.

Tonight, just find a motel and sob yourself to sleep. 

---

I know you're wondering why you wish you were dead And there's no solace in the fact that it's all in your head

That flickering red light just kept leading you back to where you knew you belonged.

You dropped yourself on the same barstool and waited for the torso to plant itself in front of you again, ordering the same drink as you had for the past however many nights you’d been here. They all seemed to blur into one.

Something different happened this time, though.

The shadow didn’t shift. You waited, eyes fixed downwards, but the dim yellow light didn’t return.

‘Are you alright?’

This was only the second time you’d heard the torso speak, but the voice was much firmer than last time.

‘Fine.’

‘So you’re depressed and a liar? Not a great combination.’

Your eyes shot up, widening a little as you took in the monolith of a man in front of you. His dark, stained t-shirt was stretched over his thick shoulders, bright pink lips trained into a slight smirk as he kept his gaze fixed on you.

‘Excuse me?’

He placed his hands flat on the counter either side of you, bracing himself against the bar and bringing his face down to level with yours. ‘You been in here four nights in a row. Ordered a double scotch without even looking at me, sat for a couple hours staring at it and then left without a word. You’re telling me you’re fine? Whatever.’

'Maybe it's none of your goddamn business, asshole.'

'So drink at home.’

You watched him back away, his sharp blue eyes only breaking from yours when he eventually turned around.

He was right, you definitely weren’t fine, but you figured the only thing sadder than drinking in this place was picking up a ten dollar bottle of whiskey from a liquor store and drinking it alone in your motel room.

Besides, it made you feel a little better knowing that you probably weren’t the most tragic loser in the place.

---

Don't bother flying when we jump off the cliff Make sure it's head first if you don't want to deal with what ifs

When you arrived the next night, a double scotch was waiting on the bar above your usual stool.

You flicked your eyes up to the bartender, who gave you a nod and a knowing smile as you climbed onto your seat, your gaze slowly wandering down the length of his arms. The way they tensed and shifted as he slowly polished a glass was almost mesmerising.

It was only a minute or so before he approached.

‘Still fine?’

Maybe it was the crippling loneliness, the bottle of wine you’d had earlier in your motel room or just the fact that he was the only human being who’d smiled at you all week, but the idea of opening up and spilling all to this perfect stranger really wasn’t as unappealing as it should’ve been.

‘Been better.’

‘No shit.’ He reached a bottle of scotch from under the counter and topped up your drink, knowing full well you hadn’t so much as touched it yet. ‘I always thought we should rename this place Rock Bottom.’

A faint laugh escaped your lips. ‘Funnily enough, that doesn’t make me feel much better.’

‘Maybe not.’ He edged your drink a little closer to you. ‘But this will.’

The golden liquid rippled around the glass as you plucked it from the bar, squeezing your eyes shut and necking it down in one.

His smile widened into an astonished grin, making your face begin to heat up and your chest tighten slightly.

‘Bucky.’  

‘Y/n.’ You felt the corners of your mouth curl up slightly, a movement they’d almost forgotten.

‘Nice smile, y/n.’

Your gaze stayed on him as he went back to work, serving all the other hopeless nonentities propping themselves up on the bar. It only wavered when you felt your phone vibrate against your thigh.

It was him, your ex, asking if you could talk. He wanted to work things out.

Five days since it’d happened and this was the first time he’d tried to get in touch.

This fucking asshole had banged some random bitch in your bed, made you to live out of a duffle bag in a sleazy motel for almost a week and then expected you to come crawling back as soon as he whistled?

Fuck, he knew exactly what he was doing. 

He knew you’d be low and vulnerable. He knew you’d be tempted. He knew that, even now, you were still wrapped around his little finger.

And it hurts, and it hurts But I don't wanna talk about it

A rogue tear escaped from the corner of your eye, rolling halfway down your cheek before being quickly and firmly wiped away, its brief presence going unnoticed by most of the other figures scattered around the bar.

Most, not all. 

‘Hey, you see that dude over there?’

Bucky folded his arms on top of the bar so he was eye level with you, gesturing his head slightly towards a white-haired man in a three piece suit, sitting alone at a table in the corner behind two empty martini glasses.

You had no idea where this was going, but you were pretty glad for the distraction. ‘Mhmm.’

‘Used to be a millionaire. Invested all his money in CDs in ‘98 and lost it all when Steve Jobs invented the iPod. He was married to Claudia Schiffer for a couple months but she left him when he couldn’t afford to pay for her nose job.’

A single, full-throated guffaw escaped your lips, making you clamp your hand over your mouth before slowly lowering it and muttering. ‘That is absolute bullshit.’

‘You got me.’ He leaned in a little. ‘Fun though, right? You try.’

You bit your lip slightly, gazing at him for a few seconds before reluctantly nodding and beginning to scan the room. This place was so full of eccentrics and weirdos, it was difficult to choose just one.

'Alright. Woman over there.’

Bucky twisted slightly to look at a very broad, stern-looking woman sitting at the bar, wisps of dyed red hair clinging to the moisture on her forehead. ‘Go on.’

‘She used to work security for Bryan Adams. The two of them were best friends, but he fired her after she got hammered and told him that she was in love with him. She can’t listen to Summer of ‘69 without sobbing, he broke her heart.’

His eyes darted back to you. ‘And how did she feel about that?’

Your gaze was fixed on your subject but it felt more like you were looking straight through her, your mind wandering somewhere else entirely, words falling into your mouth spilling out involuntarily.

‘Like someone shoved their hand into her chest, grabbed a handful of anything they could feel and just ripped it out. Like all the sensations in her body had been permanently replaced with waves of fear and dread that got better and worse at seemingly random intervals. Like the last four years of her life meant nothing to-’

You stopped suddenly, eyes shooting back towards him as you realised what you'd said. He stood up straight, triumphantly folding his arms across his broad chest, smirking down at you.

‘Bingo.’

'Oh what do you think you are, a fucking shrink?'

'In this job, gotta be.'

'Cause in my dreams, I miss you Then I wake up to reality's bliss

For the first time, you decided to hang around at the bar until it closed. You weren’t sure why, you had no idea what you were hoping would happen, but every minute that passed made your motel room seem less and less appealing.

Bucky called last orders, and minutes later the few remaining dispossessed wandered out into the red-bathed side street.

You hoisted yourself onto your feet, turning to leave but stopping dead when a full bottle of whiskey was firmly planted on the bar in front of you, a very smug-looking barman smirking at you from behind it.

The two of you sequestered yourselves to a snug, dimly lit corner and began sharing the liquor straight from the bottle.

As you stared blankly out the front window, you could feel his eyes roaming over you, a sensation you were enjoying far more than you were letting on. Being this close, you could pick up his faint scent of old spice and cigarettes, you could hear his deep, slow breathing and feel his muscular thigh pressed up against yours.

‘He messed you up pretty good, huh?’ You nodded faintly, keeping your gaze fixed forward. ‘Wanna talk about it?’

‘Nothing to say, really. After four years I caught him fucking someone else. It is what it is.’

He scoffed, taking a long swig before holding the bottle out to you. ‘What a fucking asshole.’

‘Mhmm.’

‘If it helps, my last girlfriend stole my TV to buy weed.’

You almost choked on a mouthful of liquor, just about managing to swallow it as you choked back fits of laughter. ‘That does help, actually.’

‘Thought it might.’ He reached over and gently pried the bottle from your hand, placing it on the table and shifting himself to face you. ‘Seems like we’re both shit outta luck.’

‘You’re not wrong there.’

As you slowly turned towards him, the wild look in his eyes made the hard thumping in your chest quicken, your lungs tightening slightly as you rapidly pulled in shallow breaths. You to adjusted yourself as his arm slid over the back of your seat.

Letting your eyelids flutter closed, you focused on the gentle stroking of his fingertips over your shoulder, the feeling of his warm breath brushing over your lips as he leant towards you, the soft pressure of the side of his nose against yours and the muffled bump as your foreheads connected. 

Everything else melted from your mind, all the stress and misery of the last few days briefly disappearing in the distance as you just let yourself live in this moment. 

His hand moved up to cradle the side of your face, drawing it towards his and finally closing the gap between you.

Now all I ever wanted and all I ever needed is right here In the stranger's kiss.

---

Permanent Taglist: @nnuree @tcc-gizmachine @emmabarnes @somewhatasoftbaddie @juenenfeu @ddowii @rebekahdawkins @x0xchristine @maevemarethyu @thechaoticargonaut @yayrainday @linkpk88 @mcolbz14 @indigo123789 @verygraphicink (Italicised names are untaggable)

---

[det-loki]

poison & wine part five

Oh, you let your feet run wild Time has come as we all oh, go down  

warnings: angst, mention of harm to a dog, cussing, kidnap/drug/alcoholism mention

pairing: detective loki x fem reader

word count: 3,554

A/N: feedback is welcomed! let me know what you think and if you want more!

1  2  3  4   ⌽  6

You stared blankly at the ground in Captain O’Malley’s office as Loki was talking to him angrily.

David was pissed. 

Arriving at the station this morning, you found out Alex had been missing after calling Holly about a dog that had been hit after Alex took it for a walk and never came back. You leaned against the wall lazily, observing the conversation between David and O’Malley.

The dog collar had been thrown onto the captain's desk, Loki gesturing to it, “Holly Jones’ dog got hit on Southward Street. Apparently, Alex Jones took the dog for a walk the night before last, they never came home. And his aunt didn’t want to tell us about the dog when we called her about it this morning. She said she thought it would get him into trouble or some shit. I thought you said you would keep him under surveillance.”

O’Malley picked the collar up, “Yeah, and I thought you said the guy was innocent. And I thought the guy from last night you said was our guy. Look, I don’t have money in the budget for watching innocent people.”

Loki pointed at him, “You said to me that you’d put him under surveillance.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“You gonna keep your word? You could have just given me or Y/N a call because we would have been there all night, I would have stayed up all night. I would know where he was now. I need to know where everybody is.” Loki was at his wit’s end, no one was listening to anything he or you said. 

O’Malley looked defeated, “All right, point made. All right? Point made.”

Loki’s voice was harsh, “If you can be clear with me, then I’ll be clear with you. I need to know where everybody is. If you’re going to do something different, please tell me.”

Loki walked out of the room, O’Malley turning to you with his eyebrows raised, “You have anything you wanna yell at me about too?”

You shrugged, irritated, “He’s not wrong, captain. All you had to do was give either of us a call and we wouldn’t be in this situation. That’s all you had to do.” 

O’Malley threw up his arms, “Look, I get it all right? I fucked up. But it’s day five, your window is closing. You need to start preparing yourselves for the worst,”

Your body filled with rage, your fuse was blown, “Captain, you don’t ever speak to me like that again, you hear me? You can be upset with me all you want, but you ever call my ability to my job into question again, I will make your life hell. Day five means nothing. You have no idea what David and I are going through with this case, okay? Go fuck yourself.” You walked out of the room before he could respond, you needed to find David to make sure he hadn’t punched a hole in the wall. 

 You found David in the interrogation viewing room as he wound, rewound, and wound the tapes of Alex’s interrogation over and over, obsessively looking for something he may have missed.  You walked deeper into the room without a word and sat next to him as he pressed play on the video. Ripping at the seams, crumbling. 

A secretary you didn’t really know the name of came into the room, interrupting Loki’s obsessive behavior, “Loki, you got a call.” Loki rolled his eyes and huffed, hand coming up to his face to clutch his eyes before he stood rigidly, the silhouette of his body creating harsh lines filled with tension. 

You remained in the viewing room as Loki went to take the call as you read over the notes he had scrawled on the yellow notebook paper.

RV?  

Kidnapped with help? 

Drugged…like her? M-

You stopped reading after that.

Loki came back into the room, pulling you out of your thoughts before they got too deep and pulled you under, “Hey, we gotta go.”

You stood in the local Value Mall, speaking to a young female employee, Jill, who had called about the man who fled from Loki last night.

“I called as soon as I saw the sketch on TV. He comes in here every week almost and buys kids’ clothes, but he’s always buying stuff in different sizes. Caught him messing around with the mannequins once.” Gross.

“What did he pay with?” You were silently hoping she said card, finally giving you something to work with.

“Cash.” Behind you, you could hear Loki mutter ‘fuck.’ 

You pull your business card out of your pocket with your name and number on it and hand it to the girl, “All right, you give me a call if you hear anything.” You turn to Loki who was still rifling through clothing racks, lost in thought, snapping your fingers, “Loki, card.” He turned around and handed the girl his card as well, now she had both your numbers. 

You walked out of the store and looked up at the gray sky, taking a moment to yourself and to take in your surroundings. Loki stopped a few feet in front of you, looking back at you with a quizzical look. You didn’t say anything, only bringing your hand above your head and crossing them, taking a deep breath. You dropped your arms and continued walking towards the car while David remained standing confused in the same spot. Even in times like this, he admired your ability to stop and take notice of the world around you. Even a gray sky meant something to you. 

The rest of the day was spent staring at a computer screen, researching anything you could get your hands on about Barry Milland. It was basically a dead end. Your cell phone buzzed in your pocket, grabbing it to see Dover’s called ID. It was 2 A.M.

“Hello?”

Ralph Dover, son of Keller and Grace was on the other end, “Hi, uh, my mom is kind of freaking out right now. She’s saying someone broke in, she thinks it’s Anna but no one is here.” He sounded nervous and tired. Poor kid.

“Okay, Ralph, we’ll be right there.”

Grace Dover was a wreck. You stood across from her, listening to her recount what she claimed happened. 

“And she wasn’t here. And I...I came in here and the window was open. And- and it wasn’t open before, And the...and then Ralph, he- he came in. And he looked and- and uhm- .”  Loki walked to the closed window, brushing the sheer curtain back to look as Ralph floated nervously in the hallway. Your eyes remained Grace, her eyes bloodshot and heavy as she watched Loki. “-And then I don’t know. Aren’t you gonna write this down?” Loki looked past her at you as he took out his notebook from his inner breast coat pocket to appease her.

Grace let out an exhale, “The basement. I didn’t check the basement. We need to check the basement. I’ll show you. I’ll show you.” Loki looked towards the bedside table covered in prescription medication for Grace’s anxiety since the abduction. He had experienced the same thing with you, a prescription being the only thing to get you to sleep months after the accident. He knew Grace wasn’t in the right mind, but he went along with it anyway. She walked out of the room frantically, brushing past an obviously distraught Ralph. Loki followed her out as you caught his elbow, “I’m going to stay up here with Ralph.” Loki nodded as he continued to follow Grace. 

“Hey, Ralph. Is it okay if I talk with you for a second?’

Ralph shrugged, “I guess.”

“Has your mom been sleeping much lately? At least that you know of?”

He shrugged again, eyebrows furrowing, “I mean, not really. When she does it’s because dad makes her take the medicine the doctor gave her. When she isn’t sleeping, she’s crying.”

You nodded along, “And you? Are you doing okay?”

“Not really.” He stopped talking when he saw his mother reappear in the hallway, Loki behind her. The look on David’s face concerned you. 

David slammed the driver’s door shut as he got in the car. He breathed heavily as he slid a hand over his face in frustration, “Grace said Keller was out with the search party, but you and I both know he’s not. And now Alex is missing. There's half a bag of lye in Keller's basement along with shelves of doomsday shit, something is up.”

“You think Keller had something to do with it, don’t you?” You wouldn’t be surprised, very few things shocked you anymore. 

Loki didn’t say anything, only turning the keys in the ignition and driving home in silence.

It was raining as you sat in the Crown Vic alongside Loki. You watched the water droplets fall down the window, collecting at the bottom. Stupid fucking rain.

Today you were trailing Keller Dover to see where he went when he claimed he was searching for his daughter when he wasn’t. You watched with tired eyes as Keller pulled out of his driveway while Loki turned the car on and followed. 

Loki pulled up to a light, Keller had pulled into a liquor store across town on the corner of Wallace and Campello Street. Except when Keller got out of his truck, he didn’t walk into the store, he walked towards an old building across from the liquor store. What are you doing?

Behind you, a trash truck pulled up and laid on it’s horn signaling the light was green. Loki didn’t move, his eyes were still on Keller who had now turned around at the sound of the horn. Loki was agitated, telling the truck to go around so as to not blow your cover. Keller turned around and started walking towards you and into the liquor store. Loki pulled into a vacant lot across from the liquor store, “Fuck.”

Loki turned off the car and rubbed his hands together to create some sort of warmth, still refusing gloves as he reached on the dash to grab his coffee beans, popping a few in his mouth. At least some things never changed. The rain continued to pour down outside, each drop hitting the window added to the memory of the night of your little girl’s death. It had stormed that night, worse than anyone had seen in Pennsylvania in a long time. Your hatred of rain was deeply rooted. 

“Come on, Mr. Dover.” You heard Loki mutter to himself as you brought your legs underneath you in the seat. Might as well get comfortable while you waited. You look out of the rain covered windshield to see Keller approaching quickly with his hood up, popping open the liquor bottle he had in a brown paper bag and taking a long swig.

He stood at Loki's window that had been rolled down, leaning at the waist as he spoke, “Why are you following me?” 

“Get in the car.” Loki demanded; Keller opening the rear passenger side door and sitting down, you and David turning to look at him. He looked even more tired than when you saw him last. His eyes were different though, changing from a scared father to a godless and angry man.

 Keller asked the question again, “Why are you following me?”

Loki looks him over before speaking, “Where were you going just now?”

Keller took a deep breath, “I parked at a liquor store.” He held up his bottle of liquor he had taken a drink from previously, “-I have a bottle of liquor. You’re the shit-hot detective. Work it out.” He took another drink from the bottle, the stench of whiskey filling the car. You wanted to puke, it reminded you too much of your drunk of a so called father.

“I actually meant before that. You were walking in the opposite direction across the parking lot. Towards Campello Street.” 

Keller took another drink before answering Loki, “Yeah, well...I haven’t had a drink in nine-and-a-half years. I figured if I walked around the parking lot for a while, by the time they opened, I’d stop wanting it that bad. And then-then I saw you two. Sorta helped me make up my mind.” He seemed to have an explanation for everything.

There was a long pause before David broke the uncomfortable silence, “There’s a bag of lye in your basement that’s half empty. Your wife thinks you’ve been helpin’ us...but we all know that’s not true.” Loki turned to look at Keller who was staring at him.

“I used the lye to bury our dog last year. And ‘helping the cops’ sounds better than ‘I’ve been driving aimlessly in my truck ‘cause I don’t know what else to do.’” He really did have an explanation for everything. 

Loki questioned him, “Is that what you were doing last Saturday night?” 

“Probably. Am I a suspect?” 

Loki’s voice went up as he spoke, “No, I’m only asking- I’m only asking ‘cause you assaulted a man who’s now missing.”

Keller looked away briefly, his eyes moving to the yellowing bruise on your jaw before turning back to David, “I heard about that. What happened to him? I thought you had him under surveillance.”

“I’m gonna assume you’re asking me because you have no idea.”

Keller shook his head, “Well, I didn’t think it was something I could get away with.”

Loki deadpanned, “It’s not.”

“Yeah, well. It couldn’t be that he skipped town ‘cause the asshole is guilty. Couldn’t be that, right? ‘Cause that would mean it would be your fault, right?”

“Mr. Dover?” Loki looked at Keller with an intense gaze as Keller’s defense began to crumble in front of you.

“What?” Keller snapped.

“You need to take care of yourself and your wife. That’s the best thing you can do right now. That little girl is gonna need you when she comes home.”

Keller took in a shaky inhale, “Kids gone longer than a week have half as good a chance of being found, and after a month, almost none are. Not alive. All right? So forgive me for doing everything I can-”

Keller struck a nerve in Loki, his finger now in his face, yelling, “You know what? It hasn’t been a fucking week!”

The energy shifted in the car quickly as Keller lunged furiously over the center console, yelling, “You’re right. It’s day fucking six! Day six!” His voice broke as he continued to yell, David blinking harshly beside you, “-And every day she’s wondering why I’m not there to fucking rescue her!” David attempted to calm Keller down as he furiously pointed to himself, “All right. Do you understand that? Me! Not you! Not you! But me! Every day! So forgive me for not going home to have a good night’s rest!” Keller pounded on the center console with his fist, shaking yours and Loki’s seats, “Now, why don’t you look for my fucking daughter rather than fighting-”

Loki interrupted him as Keller began to get emotional, tears welling up in his eyes. Your back was pressed against the dashboard as to put as much space between you and Keller as you could as he spoke, “Don’t follow me.”

Loki held his hand in the air in a calming gesture, “Hey. Hey. Mr. Dover, Mr. Dover.” A long pause occurred before Keller reached for the door handle, stopping as Loki called after him, “You don’t think we’re gonna let you get behind the wheel after you’ve been drinking do you?”

“I’m gonna walk. You look for my daughter.” You sighed in relief as Keller left the car, sinking back into your seat as Loki huffed beside you, eyes blinking harshly as he watched Keller walk away in the rain. Loki ran his hand over his face and jaw, lost in thought as he watched the rain fall. 

You crawled into bed alone that night. Loki stayed at the station, reading reports, telling you to go home and sleep. You couldn’t sleep however, for it was still raining outside and you never slept well without David. The sound of the rain outside made you furious, slapping a pillow over your head and squeezing your eyes shut. Somehow, sleep found you, pulling you under by your ankles.

You trudged into the station the next day to find Loki still at his desk where you left him, intently reading his computer screen. When he saw you he motioned for you to come over. He read you whatever he had been so enthralled in, “I looked into the old apartment building Keller was walking towards yesterday, it used to be his father’s. He committed suicide there, Keller and his mother found his body. I think it’s worth checking out.”

The car ride over was quick, Loki driving faster than necessary, he was obviously eager to have a lead in the case that had so far been working against you. You took notice of Keller’s truck in the liquor store parking lot as Loki parked the car. You stepped out of the car, your black boot landing on the slushy ground as the car dinged as Loki got out. The building was old, windows boarded up and looking to be on the brink of collapsing. 

Loki inspected the boarded window for a way in, settling on ripping off the plywood. It fell on the ground at your feet as you whipped out your flashlight and looked inside the building. Loki climbed in first and turned for you to join him. You weren’t really up for climbing today but did it anyways, jumping down from the window as Loki’s hand found your hip, steadying you. 

You turned around with your flashlight, taking in your surroundings. It was falling apart. Dirty and musty, obviously not being taken care of very well. You and Loki walked through the doorway into another room looking the same as the last except this time you found Keller Dover lying on the ground surrounded by empty whiskey bottles.

Loki tapped him with his foot as he jerked away, squinting up at him through the fluorescence of the flashlight as he spoke, “Hey, rise and shine.”

Loki walked deeper into the room. “I’m not gonna find two girls here, am I?” 

You stood in front of Keller who was still laying on the ground, taking in Loki’s words, “Fuck you.”

You looked down at Keller as he moved to sit up, “What about Alex Jones?” You obviously weren't expecting an honest answer, but was curious to see what he would say. 

Keller looked at the ground, avoiding your questioning gaze, “What about him? I came here to drink. I don’t want to drink in front of my wife.”

Moving away from Keller you looked around the room as he spoke, “Look, my father left me this building, all right?”

Loki spoke across the room, looking at something you couldn’t see, “You mind giving us a tour?”  

Keller stood and put on his coat, glaring at Loki as he walked by with you trailing up the staircase you had come to. 

Loki spoke in front of you to Keller, “Why didn’t you tell us about this place?”

Keller huffed, “I didn’t think it mattered.”

“Everything matters.”

The three of you walked into another room filled with old materials and tools, “It’s all pretty much like this.” You couldn’t help but feel like Keller was hiding something, wanting you and David to leave as soon as possible. 

“I’m gonna renovate soon.”

Loki nodded in agreement, “Yeah, not as organized as your basement, huh? What’s up with all the survivor gear in there?”

“Pray for the best, prepare for the worst.” Keller’s statement caused O’Malley’s words to hit you in the face, ‘you need to start preparing for the worst.’

Loki spoke ahead of you, “Guess we agree there, yeah?”

Keller led you through door after door, each room looking exactly the same as the last. Loki was getting impatient, as were you. You felt like you were being led through a maze.

As you walked through another door, just like the same, you noticed Keller pause. Loki was across the room with his back turned, missing Keller’s sudden odd behavior. He stood in front of a hallway you hadn’t been down yet, acting as if he were guardian something. He followed Loki’s every move with skeptical eyes, completely missing your own skeptical gaze on him. He was hiding something. 

As Loki walked further away, his phone rang in his pocket. He picked it up, speaking to whoever was on the other line. As Loki walked further down the hallway, you could see the color drain from Mr. Dover’s face. What was down there?

Loki reappeared from the hallway running, nodding for you to follow with his notebook in hand. Obviously he had something for the case, you ran out after him, yelling at Keller to go home. You prayed it was something to help those two girls get home. You couldn’t handle anymore let down, your luck was running out fast.

Yet you had no idea what was to come, oblivious to the fact that your world would shatter around you and David soon.

taglist: @lexie-wayland @whew-oh-em-gee @winterlavenderskysworld​ @buck-this-nasty @heeyirenee @pinkpunkdynamite @eleventhdoctorsangel @multiyfandomgirl40 @thanossexual��� @speedybonkuniversityzine​

[hockeylvr59]

Secret Love Part 15 || Cale Makar

Requested: [ ] yes [x] no

Authors Note: So we’re back in Calgary folks. I’m just cranking away at this story lately and all of your thoughts are so appreciated. If anyone has any predictions for things, I’d love to hear them. 

Warnings: smut (oral/other foreplay/risky/semipublic), cursing

Word Count: 3,192

~~~~

Just like that, it was all over. You’d spent ten days in Iceland with Cale. Ten days that you were never going to forget. After spending your last morning visiting some lighthouses, another black sand beach, and a bridge spanning a rift valley, you were climbing back on a plane to fly to Calgary. Your little oasis with Cale was about to be broken by the harsh realities of the real world. 

Your bed being cold without Cale sleeping beside you. 

Your work email overflowing to the point you didn’t even know where to start.

Having five days to plan a Canada Day party which you’d forgotten you’d agreed to host.

Oh...and your parents coming to stay with you in two days. 

_______

The fact that you were able to stand in your backyard surrounded by friends and family July 1st was something that would never have happened without help. 

You hadn’t heard from Cale all day Saturday, but when your phone buzzed with a text on Sunday morning you couldn’t help the warm feelings that rose inside you.

Please tell me I’m not the only one sleeping like shit…

He certainly wasn’t. But at least he could nap after training...you weren’t nearly that lucky and you told him so. That led to a conversation about the million things you suddenly had to do in the next few days and how you weren’t sure you could get it all done. 

And because he was legitimately the best boyfriend, item by item, Cale volunteered to help you check things off your list. He went to the grocery store with a list of all the food needed. He went to the liquor store for beer, wine, and other spirits. He and Taylor came over to do yard work so that you didn’t have to worry about it. He even picked your parents up from the airport when you had a last minute showing pop up. 

Needless to say, you weren’t overstating it when you said Cale literally held your sanity in his hands. 

For the first time since the plane home, you were able to steal a kiss as your parents made their way into the house after Cale dropped them off. 

“Add this to the tally of things I owe you for.” You’d declared. 

“I accept payment in kisses.” Cale teased. A quick glance around revealed you were alone for at least the moment, and you pressed up onto your toes letting your lips seek out his. 

“That’s all I can do right now…” You murmured, looking over your shoulder again. “But I’ll make the rest up to you later I swear.” 

“It’s fine, sweetheart.” Cale grinned. “I’ll see you in a couple days. Enjoy time with your parents.” 

You’d given your parents the grand tour of the house, setting them up in the guest room. Your mom hadn’t even sat down before she was asking what she could do to help prepare for the party. 

Yeah...you had some good helpers. As your yard started to fill up around lunchtime, you grabbed a wine cooler, starting to mingle. Your parents were there, Cale’s parents and brother were coming as were his grandparents, some of your parents’ friends were planning on stopping by, and quite a few of Cale and Taylor’s friends had also been invited. It was definitely the kind of party you had envisioned when you first stepped foot out here. 

“Happy Canada Day!” Cale greeted, appearing suddenly behind you and pressing a quick kiss to the top of your head. 

“You guys are here!” You exclaimed, twisting to wrap him in a quick hug, careful not to let it linger too long. 

“Yep. The whole crew is here.” Cale agreed, motioning to where his mom was eagerly engaged in a hug with yours having not seen each other in quite a while. “And I see you’re trying to make me pop a boner in front of everyone.” He whispered, his eyes raking up your body quickly. 

“It’s just a dress Cale.” You whispered back, eyes teasing. “Nothing special.” 

“Except your legs look a mile long.” He grumbled, causing a laugh to spill from your throat. 

“Oh suck it up buttercup.” You said, shaking your head. 

“Suck what up?” Gary inquired, moving over to hug you, your dad right behind him. 

“I told Cale he was in charge of setting up the lawn games and he’s whining about it.” You declared, excuse spilling from your lips on the fly. The look on Cale’s face was priceless and you struggled to keep your expression level as he looked at you. Gary quickly shook his head, chastising his oldest son and you mouthed the word ‘sorry’ at Cale as he shook his head and moved to grab Taylor to help him. 

Playing hostess kept you quite busy and with so many people around you really couldn’t sneak much time with Cale. It had already been a couple hours and you hadn’t even spoken to him beyond the brief conversation when they arrived. Watching as he played spike ball with his brother and some friends across the yard caused that familiar ache to spread through your body telling you that you were going to combust if you couldn’t at least properly kiss him. 

After a few more minutes, Cale disappeared inside and you excused yourself from conversation declaring that you needed to bring up some more drinks from the basement. 

Closing the back door, you waited at the top of the basement stairs for Cale to return and when you spotted him you gently tugged him toward you. 

“Come ‘ere.” You murmured quietly in case anyone else was in ear shot inside. Pulling him all the way down into the basement, you guided him around the corner before stretching to kiss him deeply. “Hi.” You greeted your forehead resting against his when you finally pulled away. 

“Hey sweet girl.” Cale replied, his hands easily settling along your hips. 

“Needed to kiss you.” You mused. “I miss you.” 

“Miss you too...but you look like you’re enjoying yourself. This is one of the things you wanted.” Cale acknowledged. 

“It is and I am.” You agreed, your fingers running down his stomach feeling his muscles constrict under your touch. “You look like you’re having fun too. You look pretty sexy out there.” 

“Don’t start something we can’t finish.” Cale groaned, quickly responding to your tone of voice. 

“Who said I can’t finish it?” You questioned. “We just have to be quick.” As you spoke you were already sinking to your knees, your fingers dipping down to Cale’s shorts. 

“Y/N...you don’t….shit.” Cale breathed, his hips bucking as you took him into your mouth after sliding his shorts and boxer briefs down just enough. Taking everything you had learned from the last time, you bobbed your head up and down Cale’s length, your fist stroking what you couldn’t take. It was a quick and dirty blow job, Cale’s cheeks flushing a deep crimson as you ran your tongue along the veins of his cock each time you pulled off to breathe. 

Sucking the tip of his cock you peeked up at him, watching as his head fell back against the wall behind him. 

“Gonna cum…” Cale whispered. 

“That’s what I want handsome. Cum down my throat.” You mumbled, sinking back down on his length. As you pushed the limits of your gag reflex, you felt Cale’s cock twitch before ropes of semen spilled into your mouth and throat. Swallowing as quickly as you could, you tried not to gag or choke before finally pulling off him, a mix of saliva and semen linking your lips to his dick. 

Wiping your lips, you gently worked Cale back into his clothes as he stood panting above you. 

“You’re insane.” Cale mumbled as he finally leaned down to kiss you. “Our parents are just outside...my grandparents are outside.” 

“Like the risk of getting caught didn’t just make you cum harder than usual down my throat.” You sassed, fixing your dress to make sure it didn’t look too rumpled. Cale couldn’t fight you because he knew you were right and as you moved across the basement to grab another six pack of beer you felt his eyes linger. 

“Now make yourself useful and grab that case of drinks. I bumped into you on your way back outside and made you come help me. Cover story.” You winked, biting your lip as you made your way back upstairs. 

You had barely got the new beers stuck into the cooler when your mom grabbed you. 

“You haven’t showed us those vacation pictures yet. Laura and I are dying to see them. Grab your computer and we’ll meet you in the living room.” 

Not being given a choice, you nodded and watched as your mom crossed the yard, grabbing Laura and Cale’s grandma. Looking back toward the mixed drink station you saw Cale standing with one of his buddies pouring shots. 

A few quick strides had you at his side.

“Pour me one of those?” You insisted. 

“Everything okay Y/N?” Cale asked, tone neutral though his eyes showed a hint of concern. 

“Just pour me a drink Cale. I’m about to go sit through the vacation slideshow with our moms…” Cale’s friend moved a few steps away but you lowered your voice further before continuing. “...And I’m not doing that with the taste of your cum in my mouth.” 

Cale nearly sputtered, but quickly recovered, pouring you a shot before clinking his glass against yours as you downed them. 

“Wish me luck.” You murmured, shaking your head just slightly as you moved from his side and into the house. In your bedroom, you made doubly sure you had pulled up the correct photo album before you carried your laptop into the living room, hooking it up to the tv. 

For the next half hour you explained the photos when necessary and listened as all of the women in your lives raved on how beautiful they were and what a wonderful trip it must have been. While these photos stirred up so many memories, this wasn’t the album that you’d found yourself looking at repeatedly. No...it was the other album that you loved most of all. The one full of pictures of you and Cale looking so completely head over heels for each other. For now though, that album was something just for you, even if you were looking forward to the day you could print some of the pictures and hang them in your bedroom. 

As you finished, your dad and Gary came barreling into the house wanting to know where everything was to start grilling up dinner. Taking your laptop back to your room, you got the guys everything they needed before leaving them to it. Meanwhile, you finished off the few remaining things that needed done to the sides, pulling those and condiments out of the fridge. 

“What do you mean after everything that happened between Cale and Y/N.” You mom’s voice slowly grew louder and your stomach dropped as you brain raced to catch up with the pieces of conversation you’d missed. 

“Y/N didn’t tell you about Cale’s pregnancy scare with his ex? It caused major strain on their relationship.” 

“No…” You mom insisted as she stepped into the kitchen. You hadn’t mentioned it assuming Laura would and apparently Laura had expected you to and hadn’t herself. 

“Can we not bring up old wounds?” You said, not realizing the snap behind your words. “She was an idiot who really hurt him and we should just be glad that it all worked out the way it did. Things are finally getting back to normal so can we please not drag this out any longer than we already have?” You were done and over with having to think about Cale’s ex… you knew it still hurt him a little even if he pretended it didn’t and you couldn’t help but be defensive and protective. 

Your mom and Laura shared a look, but neither said anything in response, instead asking if there was anything they could do to help. 

“No. I’ve got it. Thank you.” You assured them. You remained in the kitchen, your chest heaving until dinner was completely ready and all of your guests had been told to dig in. Then you slipped into your room, closing the door behind you as you tried to calm your raging emotions. 

After a few minutes, a knock sounded and you expected it to be your mom on the other side. Instead Cale popped his head in before stepping inside and closing the door. His hands rubbed at the back of his neck and his body language drew a sigh from your lips. 

“How much of that did you hear?” 

“Enough.” Cale responded, sitting down next to you on your bed, his arm draping around you. “You okay?” He questioned. 

“I should be asking you that.” You replied flatly. “I’m sorry.” 

“I have no idea what you’re even apologizing for..so don’t.” You couldn’t help but lean into Cale’s body as his fingers traced up and down your arm. “If I kiss you will that help you calm down enough to get some dinner?” He teased, lifting your chin up so that he could ease his mouth over yours gently. Slowly your body relaxed under his kiss and when you broke apart you certainly felt a little bit better. 

“That’s my girl.” Cale grinned, seeing the soft smile reappear on your face. “C’mon.” He prompted, offering a hand out to pull you up off the bed. 

“Hey Cale.” You stopped him, pulling him back toward you. “I don’t think you were wearing this lip color before...probably should fix that.” You smiled, reaching out to rub the makeup off his mouth from your reapplication shortly before. “I’ll be out in a minute.” You assured him as you leaned against your bathroom door wanting to make sure that you didn’t look too out of place. 

No one spoke a word of what had happened during dinner and as the sun started to set the majority of your guests left, leaving just your family and Cale’s as the guys started a small fire in the firepit. You’d stepped inside to use the bathroom and when you returned the only seat left around the fire was on the loveseat beside Cale. 

Settling in beside him you smiled as he widened the spread of his legs so that his thigh was pressing against yours. It was a subtle move but the skin to skin contact was beyond welcome and you were grateful, knowing he worked the seating so the two of you could share. Having grabbed another drink, you felt the pleasant hum of alcohol starting to build after awhile. Around the same time you started to shiver as the outside temperature dropped. 

“Anyone else need a refill?” Cale inquired when he moved to stand up, his own drink empty. A chorus of yeses and nos followed him and when he returned he not only had his arms full of drinks but also the blanket from the back of your couch. Draping the blanket over your lap, Cale handed you a fresh drink making you smile. 

“Your son is trying to get me tipsy Laura.” You joked. 

“You’re already tipsy sunshine.” Cale declared as he dropped back down beside you. “And you’re allowed to be. You worked really hard to pull this together and today’s been pretty awesome.” Cale’s praised was echoed by everyone else and you took it as best you could considering compliments weren’t your thing. 

“I had some help...let’s be fair.” You shrugged. 

“Oh my god. You and my brother are the two most humble people I have ever met.” Taylor groaned. “No wonder you’re best friends.” 

Grinning over at Cale, you let your eyes fall shut after a moment, just enjoying the sounds of your families spending time together. Feeling Cale’s hand slide under the blanket to your inner thigh made your eye pop open and you eyed him carefully. 

‘Just relax.’ He mouthed before jumping back into the conversation. As he spoke, his hands slid under your dress until his fingers were brushing against the fabric of your panties. Laura asked you a question about something, honestly you were too focused on Cale’s hand to remember your answer, but once you had finished Cale’s fingers slid under your underwear. Nimble fingers stroked over your clit and your eyes fluttered shut again. 

Hopefully it just looked like you were sleepy, because you weren’t sure you could pay full attention to what was going on around you when Cale’s hand was doing things like that. 

“Oh.” You gasped, drawing everyone’s attention to you. Cale’s hand stilled as your mom asked if you were okay. 

“Yeah. I’m fine.” You insisted. “My ankle is still tender and I shifted it wrong.” Your excuse turned the attention to Cale’s heroics at the cave in Iceland and as your families talked about it and how they would have reacted so far from medical attention, Cale’s fingers shifted to curl inside of you. 

Though he couldn’t move much, this was the first time he was touching you since he made love to you that last night of vacation. Considering you were wound tighter than a spring, Cale’s fingers curling inside you as his thumb rubbed against your clit were quickly pushing you toward an orgasm of your own. 

Thankfully the darkness masked the subtle nuances of your face as Cale’s fingers made you fall apart. As you came down from your high, Cale wiping his fingers on either your dress or the blanket you weren’t quite sure, you took another long sip of your drink. Cale had just finger fucked you feet from both of your families who could both see and hear you! And to think he’d said you were insane for going down on him with your families outside! 

Your brain was spinning trying to process what the fuck had just happened and how much you had enjoyed it. The two of you were seriously taking the whole ‘sneaking around like teenagers’ thing to the next level. It was a miracle you hadn’t gotten caught. Lost in thought you missed the fire starting to die out and Gary mentioning that they should probably get going. It wasn’t until Cale pulled you to your feet so his family could hug you that you caught up with reality. 

“I’m gonna help this tipsy one inside real quick and then I’ll meet you at the car.” Cale insisted once hugs had been exchanged. His arm swung under your legs, picking you up bridal style and after weaving through doorways, he gently laid you down on your bed. 

“We’re gonna talk about that later.” You mumbled, yawning softly. 

“Whatever you say sweetheart. Get some sleep.” Cale replied, kissing your forehead as he tucked you in. 

Your bedroom door creaked shut with Cale’s departure as the words fell unconsciously from your lips. 

“Love you.” 

Dress: 

[lovelyirony]

if you’re taking prompts uhh “the darkness encroaches (you keep it at bay)” idk for who maybe tony?

Tony, for one thing, did not like the fact he was apparently part of a long line of magic-users. 

His mom had always been tight-lipped about her own family history, even after she left dad and they moved back to New York. 

Tony had asked one time about her family. They had to talk about family history in one of his classes, and there was no way in hell that he wanted to talk about Howard in any capacity that was even neutral. (After all for his debate class, he was talking about how much he sucked in terms of universal weaponry policy.) 

Mom had given him a sharp look from the kitchen counter, and even though she was wearing rubber gloves and her hair was pushed back by a bandana that had little Mickey Mouse print on it, she still looked terrifying. 

“They’re not worth mentioning, Tony. Make something up.” 

“Geez, okay. Touchy subject...” 

“Not touchy. Just not worth the time.” 

Tony didn’t make a comment after that, because in all honesty he and his mom have never been excellent liars to each other, and this time is no exception. 

He does make up his family history. He knows his family is probably from Italy somewhere, they moved in...1923? Yeah, that sounds good. And he’s named after an uncle. 

(He isn’t.) 

Tony doesn’t ask his mom again because he knows that she won’t give in or break down to answer his questions, and there’s probably good reason why he doesn’t know. 

- 

Oh, there’s a reason alright. 

- 

He likes science. He likes understanding things. In his (correct) opinion, magic is just science that no one understands yet. Everything has an explanation. 

Well. 

He accidentally set an asshole’s Mustang on fire. 

To be fair, he was an asshole. He had been talking over the professor during every single slide in the lecture presentation for his lecture, and Tony had just about yelled in frustration. 

So instead as he saw the guy rev his engine for his stupid fucking car and make a whole big scene about how he had a Mustang, how fucking cool is that you absolute shit-heel of a person-

Fire. 

Nothing serious, but Tony knows he did it. 

He could feel how his hands twitched, how something came to him and from him. Something not normal. 

Or at least if it was normal, health class never came close to covering it. 

- 

But it’s a one-time thing, he thinks. He’s not really doing anything else, so maybe it only happens when he’s really mad? That’s probably it. That has to be it. 

Except the ramen that he likes at the grocery store is on the top shelf, and Rhodey wandered off to get actual food, and so he can’t reach it because he’s not a freak who is like 6′4″. 

It floats. 

It fucking floats. 

The sweet-chili-ramen floats into his cart and Rhodey sees it, and he stares. 

"Either I took an edible and it finally kicked in, or you just did something that definitely isn’t supposed to happen.” 

“Maybe the latter,” Tony says faintly. 

“Oh,” Rhodey says. “Do you think we have time to get that queso you wanted, or do we have to pay for the groceries and go to the car to process?” 

“Queso over my mental state,” Tony responds automatically. “Let’s go.” 

-

They eat in silence when they get to their apartment, and they don’t say anything for about ten minutes. 

“So. Do you think you can fly on a broomstick?” 

“What? No!” Tony exclaimed, but pausing. “Well, I’ve never tried before, so...” 

“Then we have to try. For science reasons,” Rhodey says. “Where the fuck do we get a broomstick?” 

So...

As it turns out, you can’t really get a traditional broomstick, so they went to the store and bought a mop. 

“They have a mop, but not a broomstick?” 

“To be fair, it is April.” 

“Why does that matter?” 

“Well,” Rhodey starts to explain, “April showers bring May flowers, but also wet boots into the hallway. Also, it’s not your holiday yet.” 

“Well yeah, it’s not May yet.” 

“I didn’t mean your birthday, dipshit. I meant your holiday.” 

“What the fuck is my holiday?” Tony demands. “No one has a ‘celebrate Tony Stark’ day in their calendars, as far as I or my ego knows, so-” 

He stops. 

“Oh, you little shit.” 

“I’m not little,” Rhodey brags. “I’m taller than you.” 

“For now.” 

“For permanence!” 

“I’ll make you pay for this broomstick with the last ten dollars in your checking account.” 

“Then I’ll tell Jarvis!” 

“Damn your need to know my family,” Tony curses. “Fine.” 

- 

Tony can’t fucking fly on a fucking mop. 

- 

One broken arm later and a phone call to his mother later, Maria Carbonell is sitting on her son’s dormitory mattress and wondering just why the hell he lied to her about how he broke his arm. 

Here was her son’s lie: 

“Um. I broke my arm because dinner sucked.” 

A.) There was no follow up. 

B.) Her son is bad at lying as she is. 

Unfortunately, she did not announce her arrival, and so she gets Tony’s roommate opening the door and screaming that the liquor is in the second cabinet from the left. 

Maria raises one eyebrow. 

“Did Tony at least pick out good wine?” 

“Uh...you’re Tony’s mom?” 

“Yes.” 

“I didn’t think you were coming to visit until move-out.” 

“I...we had an interesting conversation. You wouldn’t happen to know why Tony actually broke his arm, would you?” 

“Um...no.” 

(Rhodey is also a bad liar.) 

- 

Tony gets home about ten minutes later and promptly says: 

“Oh fuck.” 

“Is that any way to greet your mother?” Mom asks, already sipping delicately on her glass of water. 

“Um...move-out isn’t for another month.” 

“I know. But you lied to your dear mother.” 

“How did you know?” 

“You can never hide anything from your mom, and your excuse needed work, honey,” Maria answers. “So. How did you break your arm?” 

Tony sighs. 

“Promise me you won’t laugh. And don’t tell Jarvis.” 

“What did you....what?” 

- 

The mop. 

Maria doesn’t laugh at first, at least until she sees the pictures that Rhodey took and chuckles. 

“You promised me you wouldn’t laugh!” 

“What were you doing? And why?” she asks, laughing. Tony rubs the back of his neck nervously. 

“Um, well...funny story...” 

- 

Maria should have known that her son would have her...abilities. But she had hoped that if he had never known the family, had never known what she could do, that maybe...maybe they wouldn’t come. 

“So what you’re telling me,” Tony says, nostrils flaring, “is that there’s magic?” 

“Yes,” Maria says. “And what we deal with specifically is good magic.” 

“Oh, so I could’ve put Glinda the Good Witch on my family tree project,” Tony says sarcastically. 

Maria scowls. 

“Don’t sass me, Tony. I did it for your own good.” 

“I set a car on fire!” 

“Well, what kind of car was it?!” 

“A Mustang!” 

“Then that makes sense!” Maria says. “Your father drove one, and we all know how that turned out!” 

Tony blinks for a moment. 

And then laughs. 

Maria starts laughing too, until they’re both giggling in the apartment, and Tony tells her about the grocery store incident. 

- 

Mom tells him, essentially, that they have a job: defend from the darkness. She doesn’t say if the darkness is someone or a group or a concept. She just says that she’ll send him some of the spell-books (fucking spell-books!) over and talk about how emotions and different hand motions can affect how spells go. 

“So, why never the family? I mean, you could’ve told me about them and then just not mentioned the magic portion,” Tony asks when he’s moved back into their house, and has grilled Mom on just about every single page in the book. 

“Because as much as your father is a terrible person, you’re still like him in some aspects,” Maria says. “And you are stubborn and don’t let information go. You want to know how everything works, and that includes family. You would’ve been wreaking havoc since you were eight.” 

“I was already wreaking havoc when I was eight,” Tony whines. “But, this also raises the question of when are we doing a family reunion?” 

She stops, looking at him. 

“They weren’t exactly pleased when I married a millionaire.” 

“Not even when he became a billionaire and you got half his fortune?” Tony teases. 

“Not even then,” she answers. “I have a...complicated relationship with magic.” 

“As in, you don’t use it.” 

“Correct,” she answers. “You don’t need magic in your life, and quite often, it gets you in more trouble than you anticipate.” 

“Are you going to give me a ‘magic has consequences’ speech?” 

Maria laughs. 

“No. Magic, as far as I know, doesn’t really have consequences. The actions you do have consequences. You could blast up an entire country and as long as you don’t get caught, no consequences other than what you do to yourself.” 

“Like having guilt?” 

“Like having guilt. But enough about that, it’ll make you feel weird for a week if you keep thinking about it. I want you to light candles from two feet away.” 

“Of course I can do that,” Tony scoffs. 

“Sure you can.” 

-

Tony also sets the curtains on fire! 

- 

Maria realizes that her son is perhaps just a tad (okay, a lot) more powerful than she was (and is). 

So, she regrettably calls her mother. 

- 

Nonna Carbonell is a very imposing figure. A woman who is four-foot-eight and about seven-feet-tall in terms of personality, and dresses only in questionable 1970s-print dresses. 

“Ah, so you finally come back home, Maria. And you brought your boy! Who I only see twice in the magazines!” 

“You know exactly why I didn’t come back, Mama,” Maria says, rolling her eyes. “But enough about that. You need to teach Tony.” 

“Antonio,” Mama says, grinning at him and pinching his cheeks. “Ah, so good to see you have the Carbonell nose, your father was ugly as a mule.” 

Tony pointedly does not say that everyone else seems to think that he is the spitting image of his father, but...

His mom and Nonna do not get along, if family dinner is anything to go by. Tony’s lucky that his mom got him at least some Italian lessons so he’s not completely lost with all of his aunts, uncles, and cousins. 

He sees pots and pans coming off the shelves themselves. Ladles and knifes dance out of the drawers. 

His baby cousin-Geraldine, who is only two-is waving her fingers lackadaisically, and in what seems to be no effort, her bottle of juice is off of the counter. 

Great. A two year old is better at magic than he is. 

- 

Nonna is a great teacher, who also happens to terrify Tony with how much she can do. 

“You’re important,” she grins. “You have more power than your mother, thank God.” 

“Why thank god?” Tony asks. 

“You always thank God, Tonio,” Nonna says, waving the curtains shut. “Now, let’s see you get the flour off the shelf.” 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to get, like, a salt shaker?” 

“If you spill the salt shaker we get the devil!” Nonna declares. “Flour is better.” 

It is not better. It turns Nonna into a ghost, and Tony has to spend ages dusting it off his black jeans. 

“Maybe pepper shaker next time,” she says weakly.  

- 

Tony does call Rhodey. He was supposed to go on a road trip to see him, and now he’s in Italy learning how to fling flour sacks across the kitchen at his idiot Uncle Theo. 

“How goes your magic training you fucking nerd?” 

“Literally I call you, and that’s how you greet me?” 

“I told my DnD group that you moved to Italy to play on a campaign for a worldwide championship.” 

“You are quite literally the worst friend ever.” 

“False, because when I moved out I found your favorite Black Sabbath shirt and am saving it for when you move back. Please tell me you’re moving back so I can plan friendships accordingly.” 

“I’ll be back. Who knows, I might be able to help with some lifting.” 

“I still don’t trust your noodle arms, no matter how much ‘magic’ you have now.” 

“Hey! They’re not noodles!” 

“Says you, noodle-arm boy.” 

“I’m going to curse you into a toad.” 

“There’s no way you can do that,” Rhodey says, laughing. “I guarantee you that you wouldn’t be able to turn me back.” 

“And then we’d have so much more space in the apartment, darling.” 

“But then I wouldn’t have to pay rent! Huzzah! And I wouldn’t have to do my stupid business classes!” 

Tony laughs. 

“I’ve missed talking to you, Rhodey. I can’t wait until I get to come home again.” 

“Me too,” he responds. Tony can practically feel his smile through the phone. 

There’s yelling that Rhodey can hear, something about “come back here you American bastard and learn how to knit with magic!” and a hurried “goodbye, love you” from Tony. 

- 

Tony does get good at magic. He gets very good. 

It’s terrifying to Maria, really. 

Darkness has always existed, and it will always exist. Their family exists as a way to keep it balanced, and Tony...

He plays with magic as if he’s always known it, now. He can do things that not even the older family can do. He has meshed magic with mechanics, and he’s started on ideas that Maria was quite sure no one had thought of. 

- 

And then, of course, family does what family does best: 

They tell you things you should’ve known about three months earlier. 

-

With most families, the thing that they don’t tell you is something like “oh, Aunt Margaret made a terrible choice in husbands again.” Or perhaps “did you see his tattoo? Who in their right mind gets a Sonic the Hedgehog tattoo on their chest?” 

- 

With this family, it is the fact that darkness is coming within the next four years, and Tony is probably their only chance. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” Maria hisses at her sister. 

“Because you moved to America!” Gia hisses right back. “We can’t afford to collect call every single time we had trouble.” 

“You couldn’t tell me that the darkness is approaching way sooner than we expected?! Because what, you didn’t want to pay for a phone call!” 

“To be fair, Nonna made that decision,” Enzo says. “She thought we could handle it. And we can! We can!” 

“Oh sure, that’s why Nonna told me that my son is your only chance,” Maria says, dry tone to her voice. “God, I need wine...” 

“Everyone needs wine, it’s practically a requirement,” Gia says. “Don’t worry. Things will work themselves out.” 

“But will it work out for us?” Maria asks. “I don’t want to be the modern model for the next pietà someone wants to make...” 

- 

Tony, unfortunately, is his mother’s son and has listened in on every single conversation that’s ever been had in their house. Here are three things that he has learned: 

1.) Apparently, his mother used to bake the best bread, and they forgot to write and ask her for the recipe, and they also didn’t call her. 

2.) He’s the last hope for everyone of existing with good things, and no one’s sure how to beat the darkness and he has no clue how to. 

3.) Apparently his grandfather (named Basil, of all names) could out-drink anyone and had publicly threatened at least six government officials just because he wanted to see if he could. 

- 

You will notice that one of these facts is most likely important than the others. 

Who the hell names their kid Basil? 

(Just kidding.) 

- 

Tony gets back to the US, promises his mom that he won’t tell anyone, and then immediately tells Rhodey when mom goes to the grocery store. 

“Wait, so...they’re trusting you?” 

“I know! What a terrible idea!” 

“God, I know. You can’t even clean a microwave.” 

“That was one time!” 

Rhodey laughs, tackling Tony in a hug. 

“I know, I know. Welcome back, Tones.” 

He feels safe. Protected. 

- 

He has to learn how to fucking throw knives. Mom has decided that she is going to call in a favor from Howard, and it involves dragging Tony to a most-likely-illegal-pseudo-government-set-up and training under a guy who goes by Hawkeye and a lady who goes by “Black Widow” and expects Tony to be fine with it.  

Rhodey also attends, because Tony appreciates misery with company. 

Plus, they can complain together as they’re getting their asses kicked. 

“Do you ever think about taking a vacation?” Rhodey asks, panting as Natasha once again slams him down on the mat. “I’m sure that Florida or the Philippines would appreciate you. Tourism or the economy, or something like that.” 

“You’re not getting out of your fighting lessons by bribing me with a nice vacation,” Natasha says simply. “Tony, adjust your left arm. You’ll break it when Clint comes into contact.” 

“Maybe I want to break my arm!” Tony declares. 

“Do you want to have to wrap your cast in plastic every single time you shower?” Clint asks. “Because that’s what’ll happen.” 

“Why don’t you just spray the cast with some sort of waterproofing spray?” 

“Would that even work?” Clint asks. “Because you might have just blown my mind.” 

“It might work, I don’t know,” Tony says, panting. 

-

It is eight months when Tony first brushes with darkness. 

It’s the morning, which is...odd. He wouldn’t think that darkness would show up in the morning, but here he is on his morning walk trying desperately hard to fight it off and also not grab attention. 

He manages to slam it down on the road and have a car run it over, and for the most part, the darkness retreats. He sends it off with a curse, and he runs all the way back to the apartment. 

Rhodey frowns. 

“We probably need other people, right?” 

“A regular family reunion and then some.” 

- 

So as it turns out, they’re not getting a family reunion. At least, not any time soon. 

Apparently, Nonna is demanding that they have to be there from October 31st through December 7th, according to Holy Days of Obligation and Holidays (specifically, Christian holidays.) 

“Nonna, isn’t witchcraft considered illegal or something?” Tony asks. “Like, I thought the church didn’t like that.” 

“Too bad, too late. We stay. Talk to your mama, Tonio. She will have answers.” 

-

Maria has absolutely no answers! 

“I didn’t seek out witches who live here, baby,” she says, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Why don’t you email people? Ask around?” 

“You can’t just ask people if they’re a witch!” Tony cries. 

“Why not?” 

“Because you get people who think you’re insane, or they’re insane!” 

“So?” 

“...good point.” 

- 

Pepper Potts is not sure why she answers the post. It is probably something else not related to what she does. Maybe she’ll be meeting with weirdos. But when you get an ad that’s about “stopping darkness from engulfing the world in two-to-four-years: you wanna help?” you listen to that. 

So she answers, and she walks in her business-casual outfit, and she meets two guys who are sitting at a shitty folding table at the park. 

One of them is wearing cargo pants. 

“Are you here about the darkness?” one of the boys says, blinking up at her behind gigantic glasses. 

“Um. Yes?” 

“Good. My name is Tony, this is Rhodey in the terrible pants. And you are?” 

“Um. Pepper?” 

“Oh, cool name.” 

“Thanks, picked it out myself.” 

Rhodey laughs. 

“Good. Now, what kind of magic stuff can you do?” 

“I’d hardly call it stuff.” 

“Tony uses his to make us ramen while we marathon a crime show, I’m calling it stuff,” Rhodey defends. 

Pepper watches around her, and satisfied with the lack of people around, lifts Rhodey out of his chair and floats him about thirty feet over. 

When he jogs back over, he’s grinning. 

“Very cool. What else?” 

Pepper is well-versed in technique, spells, and a few tricks that Tony doesn’t know about involving manipulation of light. 

“How can you do that?” 

“Practice,” Pepper says. “And a late-night conspiracy theory documentary.” 

“Cool,” Tony and Rhodey say at the same time. 

- 

Pepper actually doesn’t live that far away, and she goes to the same college. They see a lot more of her and become friends. 

She helps them update the spell-book, get it organized online, and focus on finding out where the darkness is going to appear next. 

- 

Tony is trying very hard not to break down from stress. He’s barely twenty, ate ramen for lunch and dinner yesterday, and is not very sure that he can do this. 

People keep telling him that he’s the only hope they have, and he doesn’t want to be that. 

He just wants to have a regular summer and make fun of Rhodey’s questionable fashion choices. 

He doesn’t even know how to defeat this. At all. And he just wants to graduate college, and get a job somewhere and annoy his mom into teaching him how to make homemade pasta. 

Not...not this. 

But you don’t get to choose what you have to do for others. You have to do what they need. 

Rhodey, at least, understands this. 

- 

That is why he is outside of Tony’s door with a half-cold burrito of questionable origins, a smile, and no knowledge of personal boundary space. 

(Not that Tony minds.) 

“Hey,” he says. “So, you have to save the world and I still remember the fact that you forget to get your shit out of the microwave.” 

Tony laughs at that, taking the proffered burrito and biting into it. 

“You still have shitty taste in burritos. Where is this even from?” 

“A badly-painted truck two blocks from here. I think I was their first customer of the day.” 

“No shit,” Tony says, taking another bite of the burrito. “You want to watch a movie or play a video game?” 

“Movie. Something light.” 

- 

This is how they get to watch a movie that honestly doesn’t mean anything to either of them, but it is mindless and it allows Rhodey to sneak his hand over Tony’s, and it allows Tony some sort of happiness that at least Rhodey is still by his side. 

“Hey Tony?” 

“Yeah?” 

“You think if I managed to find an actual broomstick, you could fly it?” 

“Oh, fuck you!” Tony laughs, tossing a pillow over Rhodey’s face. 

“I’m serious. You managed to charm the coffeepot into being sentient, so...” 

“That was a mistake, and now we’re stuck with Maggie, don’t bother her.” 

But it does have him thinking. 

If he can charm a coffeepot, what else could he charm? 

- 

A suit of armor. 

That’s what he charms. He was originally shooting for a broomstick, but then Pepper surprised him and now he has a charmed suit of armor that stands in the hallway of his mom’s old house. (Their base of operations.) 

It gives him an idea. 

Why not combine the old with the new? 

After all, it’s not like darkness hasn’t adapted to hundreds of years of battles. Why not throw a curveball? 

- 

“I don’t like using my major,” Rhodey whines as Tony makes him lift one of the arms for his own suit. 

“Too bad,” Tony teases. “I’ll get you pizza after.” 

“Promise?” 

“Mostly.” 

“Good enough for me.” 

Pepper thinks they’re both idiots, at least until she gets her own suit and is positively thrilled when she looks like she’s a superhero from a television show. 

“Yeah, yeah, we look cool.” Tony says. “Now, who’s ready to learn how to conduct magic and electricity at the same time?” 

It works out better than anticipated, all things considered. 

- 

“You ruined the couch, Anthony Edward Stark-Carbonell!” Mom fumes. “The couch! Where I sit!” 

“To be fair, it’s a really ugly couch,” Tony says weakly. “And it’s, um, for the betterment of...magical society?” 

“Don’t you dare quote your Aunt Gia at me!” Mom goes on muttering in Italian, and it sounds suspiciously like “why did I have to have a son who blows up couches” to Tony. 

- 

The darkness comes in full-force on a Saturday night, which is really inconvenient for a lot of reasons: 

1.) A Saturday? Really? It couldn’t come on, like, a Thursday? 

2.) They’ve been celebrating Rhodey’s birthday and perhaps Tony has enjoyed two or three drinks and gotten a pleasant buzz out of it, all things considered. 

3.) It’s midnight. Why midnight? That’s late, Pepper wanted to get to bed. 

4.) Mom is going to kill them, because technically they weren’t supposed to be out on the town. 

 -

So here they are, panicking and throwing shitty restaurant chairs around in order to main some sort of ahead-of-the-game mentality. 

“Do you think if we called your mom, she would help?” 

“She would probably kill me first!” Tony wails. 

“Before darkness can?” 

“Probably!” 

- 

Maria won’t kill her son yet. 

Yet. 

But god she’s going to come close. 

“You could’ve just asked me to buy you wine!” she says. “You could’ve had a movie in!” 

“Well sorry, I didn’t think that the darkness was going to come on Rhodey’s birthday!” 

“Oh when would you have thought it would come? Next Thursday? Or something more convenient for your year?” 

“I mean, when I have to visit Howard over the summer, that would be beneficial.” 

“I’ll make up a different excuse,” Mom hisses, deflecting a tendril of darkness from the window and wincing as it smashes a painting down from the wall. 

- 

The fight is a hard one. All good fights are. (Although the best fights are ones that are over in five minutes, give or take.) 

It’s been hours, Tony is tired, and honestly he really is debating calling a break and going to get a shitty fast-food burger. 

Rhodey says “no” even though his stomach is growling. 

Pepper has been having fun finding new ways to animate cars, but she’s getting tired. 

- 

And then it gets all of his family that he’s made. 

He can see Rhodey writhing in it, can see his mom fight it off, and watches Pepper scream. 

Tony is not sure if he can do it. 

But he has to. He has to beat this fucking terrible thing back because if he doesn’t, everyone else dies. And they don’t get families, they don’t know what will happen. 

(And he also really wants to plan a vacation with Rhodey and Pepper next year.) 

So he takes himself and all of what he knows, and launches himself directly into it. 

-

By all accounts, he wasn’t supposed to do that. But he hasn’t been able to cut it down into a more manageable size, so he figures that maybe it’s time to try something that has never been advisable by anyone on either hemisphere of the world, or anyone who has ever been rational. 

Going into darkness is a very difficult thing, because for one, you can’t see shit. 

For a second thing, he can hear everything. 

Darkness is not just absence of light. It can be absence of every single damned good thing on the earth, in your head, or anywhere around you. Some people have described it as hell. 

Tony is alone, and he is not sure what to do. 

There’s a table, and there is someone sitting there. 

“So.” 

The woman is stirring an olive around her martini, and she looks impeccably dressed. A fitted skirt and suit, manicured black nails, and eyeliner that looks impossibly intricate. 

“You are...?” 

“The person you’re supposed to destroy.” 

“But you’re not exactly a person, are you?” 

“Smart guy. No, I’m just the personification of what you’re fighting. You intrigue me, Tony Stark.” 

“Just Tony.” 

“Fine then. Tony.” 

“Why do I intrigue you?” 

“Most heroes are alone,” darkness says. (Does he capitalize her name? He’s not sure. “They go alone, they don’t involve people in their struggle. You have involved your family, put them in danger.” 

“They would’ve been in greater danger if I had gone by myself,” Tony says. “People have a nasty habit of sticking together, you know.” 

“Do they now?” 

“Yeah,” Tony says. “And now, I have to make sure we stick together anyways.” 

“And what do you mean by-” 

He’s already lunging at her. 

She wasn’t expecting him to lunge, he guessed. 

She goes down, and yells. 

Tony scrabbles to fight again as she sends out a blast his way, and he ducks. 

“You can’t hide from me!” she yells. 

“I’m not trying to!” he yells back. “I’m just trying to kill you!” 

The fight goes on, and she plays dirty. Her nails tear into his armor, and he tears his fingers through her hair. 

“You can’t beat me,” she howls, triumphant as she manages to pin one of his legs down, and trying to claw at his face. “Darkness always exists! You would be nothing without me!” 

Tony pauses for a second. 

“So what you’re saying is...as long as you exist, so does everything else?” 

“Yes!” 

Tony grins. 

“Aw, you shouldn’t have told me that honey.” 

With darkness being the beginning, everything else comes forth. Tony summons his cousins, his family, Rhodey, Pepper. 

And eventually, her physical form gets smaller and smaller. 

- 

Darkness is not something that can be eradicated from your life. But you can beat the shit out of it with help. Tony learned that. 

He also learned that Rhodey has a phenomenal flying kick. 

- 

They spend the following day laying on the couch or adjacent chairs and staring at the decorations that they need to replace. 

They also learn that Nonna has learned how to call, and is not quite sure if she can be heard or not. 

“TONIO? TONIO! WHERE ARE YOU?!” 

“Nonna, quiet,” Tony groans. “I literally just saved the world yesterday, please don’t yell.” 

“I HAVE FOOD FOR YOU. COME TO ITALY. NEXT WEEK?” 

Tony groans. 

“Sure, Nonna. I will come.” 

“BRING FRIENDS. HAVE GIFTS FROM POPE FOR YOU.” 

“You...when did you have time to get gifts...the pope?” 

“HAVE FRIENDS. COME!” 

Tony looks at Mom, Rhodey, and Pepper. 

“So. When should we leave for next week?” 

[amelialincoln]

“And a rather unfortunate scare in high school.”

Could you write about this please (Addison and Amelia)

2 Much

After dating Derek Shepherd for years Addison was used to his youngest sister’s outbursts. Derek had four sisters. This terrified Addison from the moment she found out, which was out of the ordinary because she wasn’t intimidated by much. Addison hadn’t grown up with sisters so she wasn’t surprised when her first encounter with each of them didn’t go as planned. Kathleen, Liz and Nancy had immediately taken a disliking towards her. They idolized their older brother and the idea of another girl finding her way into his heart was in no way appealing. Amelia, however, was different. Addison ignored the fact that Amelia initially only chose to get along with her to piss her sisters off and eventually the two became closer than neither of them expected. Amelia was like the sister she’d never had and always wanted and she had no problem taking advantage of the soft spot her brother's girlfriend had for her. Whether it was ear piercing, alcohol buying or pretty much anything, Addison couldn’t help but comply and slowly the two became closer and closer. She remembered getting home one night after being at Derek’s and realizing Amelia had called Addison her sister. She knew from that day on that she’d always protect Amelia, no matter if she were dating Derek or not. Amelia’s outburst of the day happened at dinnertime. The family, including Addison, were sitting around the dining room table - they all ate dinner together every night, which was very abnormal to her - when Amelia burst through the front door.

“Always one to make an entrance,” Kathleen nudged Lizzie and the two of them laughed. Addison could tell that something was wrong as Amelia glanced at them.

“Are you joining us for dinner?” Mrs. Shepherd asked. Addison could hear the impatience in her voice. Amelia was never timely. The brunette shook her head in response and stormed up the stairs. Their mother sighed, setting her napkin on the table and began to get up from her seat.

“I got it,” Addison found herself assuring her. She motioned for Mrs. Shepherd to sit as she went to exit the dining room.

“Addie,” Derek complained. “Let’s just finish dinner.”

“It’s okay, I’m not that hungry.” She gave him a quick smile before following Amelia up the stairs. She found the youngest Shepherd cocooned in a pile of blankets on her bed, tears falling from her eyes. She entered the mess of the bedroom quietly and went to sit beside the shaking teenager.

“You okay, Amy?” She’d picked up Derek’s nickname a couple of weeks ago. Amelia said it was fine but if anyone else other than she and Derek started calling her that, she wouldn’t be too happy.

“Yeah, I’m great.” She rolled over, obviously not wanting to be bothered.

“Is this about that teacher again? You’re a month away from finishing grade eleven, it’s doubtful you’ll have him again next year.” 

“I went to the counsellor and got him in trouble, that’s not an issue anymore.” She shrugged. There was the Amelia she knew so well.

“Well then what’s wrong?” A pause between them lingered for a while before Amelia started sniffling again. “Look, Amelia, you know I don’t judge--”

“I think I’m pregnant,” the brunette blurted out, surprising her. She whipped around to meet Addison’s slightly stunned expression. “See, you’re judging.”  

“I’m not.” She tried to look less concerned. “Is this with that senior?”

“Jack,” Amelia confirmed, placing her head in her hands. “I wanted to break up with him. He got all mad so we took a break for a couple days. I saw him on Saturday night at Isaac’s thing. We were drunk...and horny. Apparently he did stuff to the condom? Why would he...I don’t understand...I trusted him,” she began to sob heavily.

“Oh, babe, I know you did.” Addison wrapped her sister in her arms protectively, trying to conceal how furious she was. She knew Derek could fuck that pathetic kid up but also knew that Amelia would kill her if she ever told Derek she was even seeing the guy. Derek had heavily advised against dating Jack from the beginning and, of course, had been very right. “Do you have any symptoms?” Amelia groaned, she hated when Addison and Derek went all “first year medical student” on her. “Amelia, I’m serious.” Addison found herself raising her voice.

“I dunno,” she yelled. “You’re supposed to be on my side. Why are you getting mad at me?”

“I’m not getting mad,” Addison sighed, arguing with her sometimes was impossible. “Are you on birth control?”

“My doctor said if I was on birth control I couldn’t smoke. Blood clots or something?” She glanced at Addison who nodded. “She said condoms would be fine if we were careful.” She refused to look at Addison. “I trusted him.”

“You need to take a test.”

“My mom tracks all my bank statements after she caught me e-transferring that guy for weed, I’m not buying a pregnancy test.”

“I’ll buy it for you.” Addison stated it as if it was obvious. “Let’s go now, my car is here and you can take it at my apartment.”

“What if Derek comes by?”

“I think you’re forgetting that your brother does exactly what I tell him to do.” The med student laughed despite the situation they were in and Amelia started to giggle as well. “Now get your ass out of bed and let’s get out of here before your sisters start asking questions.” She extended her hand and breathed a sigh of relief as Amelia let her lead her out the front door.

Amelia followed Addison into the pharmacy nervously. She was surprised when Addy walked directly to the isle she was looking for and wondered if she’d had a similar experience. Her brother’s girlfriend was too smart for that though, she’d never get herself into the mess that Amelia was in. But by the amount those two fucked, (the room that Derek was in before he moved out was unfortunately right beside her’s) she couldn’t help but wonder if they’d ever had a scare. Addison held up two tests, breaking her from her train of thought.

“Do you want anything else? We could grab some snacks and watch a movie or something tonight?”

“We could stop by the liquor store.” 

“Amelia,” Addie sighed, trying to hide her disappointment. She felt guilty in a way, Amelia had been getting a little out of hand lately and she couldn’t help but think that she was the one that started buying her alcohol in the first place. “You have school tomorrow.”

“So do you and you were having wine with dinner,” Amelia taunted back. Addison could tell she thought she was going to convince her.

“Amelia, it’s different. I don’t have class until eleven. Your school starts at eight.” She shook her head as they made their way to the cashier. “And one glass of wine is not the same as your heavy drinking.”

“Addison Montgomery?” A familiar voice called from behind them.

“Mrs. Hastings?” Addison grinned as she recognized her former teacher from undergrad. “It’s so good to see you!” The physics professor leaned in for a quick hug. Addison had idolized the woman from day one. She was the youngest professor she’d ever had. Her success had comforted Addison. It made her feel confident in such a male based profession.

“You’ll be a great mom.” She squeezed Addison’s hand. Amelia suppressed a snort as Addie glared at her.

“Uh, thanks!” She held up the tests awkwardly.

“You’re still with the Shepherd guy I assume?” Addison had never wanted to leave a conversation more. “That will be a stunning kid.” 

“Hope so!” She laughed awkwardly.

“Just don’t let anything get in the way of your success.” The professor warned. “You’ll go on to do amazing things, Addison.”

“Yes...um, that’s true,” she coughed. “Well it was great running into you.” She tapped her credit card as the cashier handed her the plastic bag. “Have a happy holidays.”

“Happy holidays?” Amelia was wheezing by the time they left the store. “It’s September.”

“Shut up.”

Addie had ended up giving in to Amelia’s requests for alcohol. She poured two small glasses of wine as she waited for her to come out of the bathroom. Amelia finally came out holding both tests. She set them on the counter and they both waited.

“How long is it supp--”

“Like two minutes,” Addison shrugged, trying to hide her nerves. She really hoped she wouldn’t be driving her sixteen year old boyfriend’s sister to the abortion clinic tomorrow. Amelia let out a sob, bringing Addison back into reality. “You’re kidding.” Her mouth opened in shock as she grabbed the two tests. Negative.

“Sorry,” Amelia choked. “I just really thought…” she brushed off tears of relief. Addison wrapped her in a long hug. Silently thanking god. “This doesn’t mean I’m like unfertile or something right?”

“No, honey.” Addison sighed. “This just means you were very lucky.”

“Well that’s a first.” Amelia grinned.

[novelistash]

Lex Evans

Continuing my compulsive catalogue of fictional lives that I didn't come up with.

After the wedding, Ayla took Lex golfing and admitted that she had created distance with Lex ever since she'd made a move on her. They became besties again. At the age of 31, Lex sold her town home, so she could focus on renovations on her and Ariana's equestrian ranch home.

Throwing party after party, Lex realized she wasn't just hilariously addicted to Bahama Mamas, but simply addicted to alcohol. She went to AA, but got nothing from it.

While long boarding and drinking Mai Tais Ayla admitted to Lex that she'd been offered opium and seriously considered using it. Lex said she was glad Ayla didn't go down that path.

At the age of 34, Lex became a Sr. Environmental Scientist, but her real job was dumping hundreds of thousands of dollars into Arian and Lex's mansion.

The days all started to bleed together, and Lex drove all the way to work before realizing it was Saturday. Lex suspected that the drinking was getting in way of her memory. Remembering her luck with spiritualism in the past, Lex found a Witch Doctor to help her with her alcoholism. She ate a raw Komodo Dragon Egg. After purging most of her stomach, the thought of liquor made her sick.

Ayla's continued drinking pulled Lex and her apart, and Clive became Lex's new bestie.

While at the record store with Ayla, she talked about opium again, saying that her new bestie was smoking it around her. Lex told Ayla she was glad she wasn't using it, but Ayla got quiet instead. Lex was pretty sure she was going to try it.

At the age of 39, Lex accidentally scored on her own goal while playing soccer. Everyone laughed for ten minutes. She sold her old BMW and bought a used Suburu. Ariana renewed their vows and adopted Carter, 3 year old whose father couldn't afford to pay for his medical bills. Lex bonded with Carter by doing yoga with goats.

Carter called out "mama" and Lex and Ariana laughed when they realized they didn't know who he was asking for. While buying new clothes, Lex tried on a stranger's coat. She was caught and left the store in humiliation.

Carter had his first day of school and Lex's niece Kylie was old enough to get a job as a receptionist. Lex reflected on how awesome human beings actually are. After playing laser tag with Carter and Archie's family, Lex and Archie became best friends. Lex's friend Eleanor talked her into crashing a wedding. She didn't remember how it ended, only that she was back at home puking in the garden bathroom so Ariana wouldn't know she was drinking. Lex went to a hypnotist to overcome Alcoholism and it worked. Picking up a bottle of champagne only made her think of maple syrup.

At the age of 42, Lex's niece Hazel graduated secondary school. At the graduation party, someone told Lex to shake her money making, so she shook Ariana. Lex gave her nieces $10,000 each. (Kylie getting money for the graduation she'd been too drunk to attend!) While playing bingo with Ayla, she admitted that she'd been cheating on her boyfriend. Lex told Ayla that she'd always be there for her.

Hazel became a Jr. Flight attendant and moved out of the house. Lex housed a celebration at the mansion and she was offered ritalin. Lex turned them down. Lex wrote up a will that named Ariana and Carter as the sole inheritors.

At the age of 44, Lex was sexually harassed at work. Her coworker Michael pulled her shirt off in front of everyone. The supervisor fired Michael. The Evans family started going house shopping.

At the age of 46, Lex's mother got very sick. She took her mom to Dr. Cooper and he treated her diarrhea, caused from contaminated lettuce. The lettuce outbreak had originated in Indonesia. This got Lex thinking about social responsibility, and she decided to run for School Board Director. She ran against Angus White and lead a clean campaign. After knocking on 1000 doors, Lex lost the election. Ariana took the family to Thailand to help Lex get past the sting.

At the age of 47, Lex had another brush with death! While hiking off trail, she slipped into quicksand! Lex remembered her swim team days and swam out of the pit. She was in there for 8 minutes. Contemplating life, she read her step brother Kobe's journal. Kobe found her and Lex apologized. Lex decided that she needed to downsize her life. She needed to get out of that mansion.

At the age of 49, Lex's mother passed away of natural causes. Lex and Kobe both inherited $2,618,526. Lex finally found a buyer for the manision, and sold the property for 4.3 million. They moved into a midcentury home with 3 beds and 2 baths. Carter was starting secondary school, and Lex gave him $10,000 to spend how he wished.

At the age of 50, Lex celebrated her 20th anniversary with Ariana. They laughed about the prenup. Ariana encouraged Lex to keep running for office and Lex realized she could do anything she set her mind to. Lex caught the flu, but recovered after a trip to the doctor.

Lex's niece Kylie married her college boyfriend. Though neither were unemployed, Kobe had the funds to pay for the wedding. Lex's friend Eleanor convinced her to start drinking again. Lex spent a lot of time with wannabe sommeliers, and dealt with a very real relapse. Lex went to AA and found the strength to throw out thousands of dollars of premier wine. Lex and Elanor got into a fight about the perfect crotch shape, but they both knew it was about drinking.

At the age of 52, Lex lost her step father. He had a stroke in the closet and Lex found him dead. The thought of dying alone in a closet haunted her, making her uneasy about staying in windowless rooms. Ariana talked to Lex about the future at a local park, and Lex decided to run for School Board Director again. She ran a clean campaign against Sophia Johnson, but someone called Ariana a biznatch! Lex called the man a troll and won the election. Lex held energetic rallies about education and the environment.

At the age of 53, a provocative intern tried to hook up with Lex while they were working late. Lex turned him down, but she had been turned on. She talked to her wife about the pros and cons of becoming swingers. That following morning, she planted a cucumber garden.

Carter graduated secondary school and Kobe retired. teen pregnancies were becoming an issue in Lex's school district, so she mandated contraceptives be available. Lex held a rally to dispel the myths about contraceptive encouraging pregnancies.

A friend of Lex's wanted Lex to put her on the payroll without having her do any work. Lex offered her a job as a lead janitor instead and she stopped talking to Lex. Carter asked his mothers if he could study finance at a university, and they encouraged him to live his life how he wanted. Lex went to a bar with Ariana, and was able to stop after one drink.

Kobe's daughter, Hazel, married Jayden Roberts, a restaurant worker. While dancing at the celebration, Ariana fell to the floor. After taking Ariana to the hospital, she was diagnosed with cancer of the buttocks! Lex renewed her vows to Ariana. Lex read Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason," and found little reason for cancer to exist.

While at a masquerade ball, Lex flirted with a politician to grease the gears of government. Ariana was furious, but no amount of trying to explain the situation helped.

At the age of 58, Lex fell out of bed and hit her eye. She could see for 6 days. Lex's term as School Board Director ended. Ariana's cancer went into remission. Lex and Ariana went to Osaka, Japan to celebrate. Ariana forgave Lex for flirting and encouraged her to run for a second term. After another clean campaign against Hugo Miller, Lex won re-election!

Carter graduated uni and became a Jr. Stockbrocker. After a trip to the gym, Lex was diagnosed with a staph infection.

At the age of 60, Lex and Ariana celebrated their 30th anniversary. Ariana vowed to make more time for their marriage, by finally retiring. During the party Lex caught Kobe sneaking around in her room and the two got into an argument. Lex was the first to apologize even though she wasn't at fault.

Carter got promoted to Stockbroker. Lex was diagnosed with hemorrhoids and cherished naps above all other activities.

Kobe's daughter, Kylie came out as gay. Lex was offered a $3 million bribe and turned it down.

Lex finished her second term in office with a 100% approval rating. As School Board Director, Lex Evans was known for her energetic rallies. She tried to run a clean campaign for Mayor of Sydney. When she didn't deny the truth of her past with alcoholism, the public sided with 79 year old, Eli Epping. Lex went on a vacation to Machu Picchu with Ariana.

Lex spent $754,000 on an unsuccessful campaign, and then at the age of 65, retired.

Ariana and Lex moved to France to get away from the public eye. They bought an art deco home! They adopted a cat named Zorro from the animal shelter. Lex bought a used tesla.

At the age of 68, Lex lost her step brother Kobe after a stroke. He had refused to seak medical treatment, even though his hearing was going out.

Lex's life was dominated by renovating the art deco home. She missed her friends in Australia. Lex and Ariana argued about the nature of reality. Ariana thought it was a waste of time to talk about things like that.

Lex got into a car accident on the way home from her 40th anniversary, her butt got cut. She visited her friend Ruby in prison. Ariana started withholding sex. They both opened up about their fantasies on a trip to Venice, Italy, and things seemed to be back to normal.

Shortly after Lex's 71st birthday, her cat Zorro passed away. Lex and Ariana moved back to Australia, moving into an adorable cottage with 2 beds and 1 bath. Lex sold her tesla and art deco home in France, and bought another used Suburu. Though the move back to Australia helped Lex's mood, it had done nothing to help her relationship with Ariana. They were getting into fights about everything from video games to fishing laws.

Forty-two years into their marriage, Ariana asked for a divorce. Lex begged Ariana to stay. Even though she agreed, she refused to go to marriage counseling.

The next year, Lex and Ariana went sky diving and slowly things started to improve. It seemed like Ariana was simply bored with life, so Lex would try to be more spontaneous.

Lex and Ariana renewed their wedding vows after volunteering at a retirement home, something they both hoped they would never be in. Lex gave 0.74 carat diamond earrings to Ariana. She said the gift was an insult.

The day after Lex's 78th birthday, she witnessed a bank robbery! Within a year, her best friend and first crush, Ayla passed away. The doctor's said it was, "her time," but Lex felt strong and happy. Lex lost two more friends that year, and wondered if she was fooling herself and started to think about her bucket list.

Lex and Ariana's 50th anniversary was a solemn affair, as Ariana was suffering from bronchitis. Someone hacked into Lex's instagram account, so she deleted all her social media.

The 82 year old millionaire, Lex, wanted to run for office again. Ariana thought it was a waste of time and money. Lex ran despite Ariana's objections and lost. Ariana was back to withholding sex and it was like their life in France had been forgotten.

Lex sold their cottage for a modern home. The change in scenery helped Lex and Ariana move on from the drama of the past, but their marriage had become a sexless one. Lex brought up having a threesome or an open marriage to try and bring some excitement back into their life and Ariana was furious. She moved all of her stuff into a spare room.

58 years into their marriage, Ariana said Lex was too old to be attractive, despite being named Sydney's most attractive woman over fifty a year prior. Lex confronted Ariana about her being faithful, and Ariana admitted that she was seeing someone else. The two got a divorce. Lex Evans was now Alexandra Miller.

[jenomark]

ooh i just thought of a fun reaction lol hb helping 127 take care of another drunk member

Taeil: Whenever he got drunk, Jungwoo wanted to wander away. His eyes were glossy, and he couldn’t stop smiling. Like a balloon, Taeil held his wrist to keep him from floating to the sky. Since Taeil was smaller and not strong enough, Jungwoo kept breaking free and looking in every store window, like a kid in a candy store. “Taeil,” he said. “Il-ie, I want to go inside.” Taeil held Jungwoo’s hand and pulled him so that he wouldn’t go banging on the door. “It’s closed,” Taeil said. “Jungwoo, let’s go home.” You showed up just before Jungwoo was getting ready to whine. When he saw you, Taeil breathed a sigh of relief. “He won’t listen to me,” Taeil said. “Can you help me? If you take one hand, and I take the other, he can’t go anywhere.” Without any hesitation, you took Jungwoo’s hand and held it in yours. Taeil took the other and led the walk down the street, all of you holding hands together. “I know this is weird.” Taeil said. You looked at the happy boy bobbing along between you and then looked at Taeil .”I think it’s kind of sweet,” you said. “I get to be with my two favorite boys in the world.”

Johnny: He held Haechan by the middle to keep him standing upright. Even when drunk, Haechan tried his best. He balanced himself, his eyes peering into yours like they knew all your secrets. “Who are you?” he asked. “You look familiar.”  Johnny laughed and rubbed Haechan’s tummy. “That’s your girlfriend,” he said. “Can’t wait to see how you explain that one in the morning.” You laughed along with Johnny and said, “I think I can take it from here. He can’t be that heavy.”  Johnny looked at you and then looked at Haechan, at how he was starting to fold over Johnny’s strong arm. Reluctantly, because you were adamant, Johnny released Haechan’s body to you and watched as he stumbled into your arms, almost bringing you both to the ground. “You dropped me,” Haechan said to you. “Johnny, she dropped me.” Johnny took Haechan back in his arms and helped guide him into the car. He shot one last glance to make sure you were okay before holding the door open for you to get inside. 

Taeyong: When he told you to go home, you couldn’t bring yourself to leave him. Taeyong stood over Yuta bending over the toilet and pulled his hair from his face. You waited for Taeyong to give you direction so that you could help. When he realized you were going to be stubborn and not go home, Taeyong ordered you to grab water for Yuta. You followed behind, as Taeyong brought Yuta back to his bedroom and put him in bed. “I’m sorry,” Yuta said. “I didn’t realize how much I was drinking.” Taeyong tucked him in and handed him the water. “Drink,”  Taeyong said. “You need rest and hydration.” As Yuta drank and sat up in bed, Taeyong sat beside him. When he patted the bed beside him, you sat down next to Taeyong in the quiet and watched Yuta’s eyes close to deal with the dizziness. “You can still go home,” Taeyong said. “I will pay for it. You don’t have to stay with me while I take care of Yuta. I know you have other plans.” You shook your head no and said, “I’m staying.” For the rest of the night, you and Taeyong both took care of Yuta and got to know each other a little more. 

Yuta: “Don’t you think he’s cute?” Yuta asked you. He held up Mark’s head and pinched his cheeks. Because Mark was drunk, he let Yuta, but he was still embarrassed about the affection. “Oh,” Mark said. “Don’t do that. I’m not a baby.” Before he put his face in his hands, you could see how red Mark’s face had gotten from the attention. Yuta ruffled Mark’s hair and touched the back of his neck. “Our Mark is the cutest,” he said. “But, he’s mine.” Mark shook out his hair and looked back up. Though drunk, he kept himself steady and unaffected. You could see how hard it was for him to keep his eyes focused on one thing. Mark avoided your gaze and could only talk to you when he wasn’t looking at you. “Do you need me to find your bedroom for you?” Yuta asked. “Are you tired?” He was poking fun at him and treating him like a child, but Mark wasn’t having any of it. “I’m okay,” Mark said. “I only had a few drinks.” You laughed at the obvious lie and Mark finally looked at you. When Yuta brushed his head up against Marks and begged him to take care of him, Mark still didn’t look away from you. 

Doyoung: “One moment.” Doyoung said. There was a loud bang in the kitchen, which only meant that Taeyong was puttering around while he was drunk. You were supposed to be spending the night  with Doyoung, just the two of you, but Taeyong was being difficult. “Let me help you.” you said. Doyoung didn’t want you to get involved with his problems so he told you to sit and wait. When he was taking too long, you wandered out into the kitchen and saw Doyoung pleading with Taeyong to go to his room and sleep it off. “I don’t want to take care of you,” he said. “You’re a grown man.” Taeyong was getting ready to argue back when he saw you. “Hello,” you said. “You’re Doyoung’s pretty friend.” Seeing you made Doyoung blush. He tried to apologize for the state of Taeyong, but you wouldn’t allow it. “Doyoung,” you said. “It’s okay. Things happen.” Once again, Doyoung threw Taeyong’s arm around his shoulder and brought him back to his room. You followed, turning off the lights as you went. “It will help him relax.” you said. You took the lead in taking care of Taeyong, putting soft music on to help him unwind. When you were done and Taeyong seemed like he wasn’t going anywhere, Doyoung couldn’t contain his love for you. He kissed you on the spot, his hands getting tangled in your hair.

Jaehyun: When he was drunk, Taeil had wide-eyed enthusiasm for everything. He could go for hours without slowing down, never wanting to ruin the best moments. Getting him into a car was difficult, even if you helped Jaehyun force him to go home. With Taeil squeezed between both of you in the backseat of a car, it was still difficult to control him. “How are you feeling?” Jaehyun asked. With his mouth close to Jaehyun’s, Taeil whispered that he was feeling just fine. You stifled a laugh, looking down at your lap to keep yourself from losing it. Jaehyun was smiling and nodding his head.”Good, “ he said. “I’m glad. We should brush your teeth when we get home.” The word “Home” made Taeil scoff. “We can go to one more club,” he said. “And then we can go home. I’m not done. The night is young, like me.” Jaehyun put his hand on Taeil’s knee and decided to go along with it. You were wondering how you would get Taeil out of the car and into the dorm when he fell asleep with his head on your shoulder and his hand holding Jaehyun’s. “Just like a baby.” Jaehyun whispered.

WinWin: “I’ve never seen him this drunk before,” WinWin said. “ He’s going to be so embarrassed when he wakes up. ” Doyoung was dancing by himself to no music, moving his hips back and forth. His eyes were closed, which was perfect because he couldn’t see you and WinWin laughing so hard. “Do we leave him?” WinWin asked. “I don’t really want to deal with him.” You were getting ready to let Doyoung be a harmless drunk when he started crying. The full-on sobbing made WinWin uncomfortable, but you had dealt with a lifetime of emotional drunks. You went up to Doyoung and asked him what was wrong. “Everything is just so beautiful,” he said. “Music is so beautiful.” Doyoung pulled you in for a hug and started crying on your shoulder.  WinWin took out his phone and took a picture to commemorate the moment. “Stop,” you said. “We’re supposed to be taking care of him.” 

Jungwoo: You were both walking through the party when you came across a sleeping WinWin on a chair. He was curled up like a cat, his phone dangling from his hand. Jungwoo looked around for another member to help but didn’t see one in sight. “What to do,” he said. “WinWin, are you awake? He must have had too much to drink.” You let go of Jungwoo’s hand and picked up WinWin’s phone before it fell onto the floor and got damaged. “Should we call someone?” you asked. “I think I saw Lucas floating around somewhere.” Jungwoo nudged WinWin in hopes to rouse him. He smiled in his sleep, moved around in the chair and said, “Mom, just one more minute.” You laughed and leaned your head against Jungwoo’s shoulder. “Maybe I can carry him to the car,” Jungwoo said. “He looks light.” You stood back as Jungwoo lifted WinWin from his chair and into his arms. “You’re so strong!” you said. You followed behind Jungwoo as he carried WinWin out of the party and straight into the waiting car.

Mark: “Whoa,” Mark said. “He must have had a good night.” Jaehyun woke you and Mark up, the sound of his laughter echoing throughout the dorm. Mark flicked on the lights to see Jaehyun full of smiles and completely unaware of how loud he was being. He was always great at holding his liquor, but the Jaehyun before Mark’s eyes was a mess. “Mark!” Jaehyun screamed. “You’re awake! Hey, buddy.” Mark braced himself for the big hug Jaehyun gave, his arms squeezing and lifting Mark up. Your hug was next. Before he could give it to you, Mark stepped in the way and asked him if he had fun. “I had so much fun,” Jaehyun said. “You should come out next time. I feel great.” Jaehyun went to the fridge and started drinking water at an alarming rate. You both watched him, looking at each other in shock. “Can you make it to your bedroom okay?” Mark asked. Water dribbling down his chin, Jaehyun looked at Mark and said, “Why would I want to sleep? Do we have wine? We should keep this party going. The three of us. Come on, it will be fun!” 

Haechan: You watched Haechan playing games on his computer. Sitting on Johnny’s bed, you could fold yourself comfortably and watch him for hours, the back of his head becoming more familiar to you. Around midnight, the door opened and Johnny walked in and stopped halfway. Both you and Haechan turned to look at him, at the way he swayed in spot. You stood up from his bed, but Johnny waved you back down. “It’s okay,” he said. “Sit.” Stomach first, Johnny plopped onto his bed. He bounced up and fell, his big body making a loud sound as it connected with the floor. A groan rose up from the space dividing Haechan’s bed from Johnny’s, causing Haechan to laugh. “Johnny?” Haechan asked. “Are you okay? Johnny?” Haechan got up and poked him with his foot, but he didn’t move. “He fell asleep,” you said. “What do we do? Do we leave him?” The sound of Johnny’s snores filled the room. You looked at Haechan and he just shrugged and went back to his game.

[cialbi]

Boy with Hope: Lavender - Chapter Three

Summary: Severely depressed and addicted to alcohol, you had given up entirely on life. Your passion was gone, your friends had left you and you found yourself completely alone. As you closed your eyes for the last time, the smell of lavender wafted through your nose and a boy with purple wings appeared above you.

Genre: Angst, Romance, Fantasy

Pairings: Angel Hoseok x Reader

Warnings: Language, Depression, Alcoholism, Future Smut

⤎Previous

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The bell over the door of Martin’s Liquor Store jingled softly when you stepped inside, your leg trailing a few inches behind the other as you limped on your injured knee.

All that running like a speed-demon had really taken it out of you, so you gave yourself a second to catch your breath. Your knee was almost numb with pain, and now that the adrenaline had worn off, you were feeling the repercussions in full. The withdrawal symptoms were making you woozy, and you found it hard to keep your focus as you skimmed the shop from left to right.

It smelled steryl, like someone had washed the floors with peroxide, and the blinding white of the fluorescent lights reminded you of the long hallways of a hospital. The space was filled with rows upon rows of alcohol that lined tall vinyl shelves, and the white concrete walls were covered up in advertisement posters for different kinds of brand name booze. Aside from the handful of red-aproned shopkeepers milling about the store, it was completely empty inside. They’d probably just opened.

Guess it was only you who shopped for alcohol at 8:00am in the morning.

The red-haired guy behind the counter looked up from his phone and shot you an odd look, eyes wandering up and down your filthy-clothed, barefoot body, and suddenly you felt very much in your role as the crazy alcoholic. You could only imagine how wild you appeared as you sweated in your soiled white-t and over-worn sweatpants. Smoothing your hair unhelpfully, you sent him a meek smile which he didn’t return. With a downward tug to your lips, you dismissed him quickly, pushing past his inquisitive stare and focused your attention on the task at hand.

You were here for one thing.

And that was not a fashion contest.

There wasn’t much time before those two cross-wearing loons caught up to you, so you knew you had to move fast. You swallowed, remembering the intent, predatory look in the other guys eyes. If he were the one to catch you, you had a feeling he wouldn’t be as nice as Hoseok, because Hoseok was at least a kind psychopath. The thought of what a scary psychopath might do to you made you concentrate.

Wine, wine, wine, where is it? Rocking on the balls of your feet, you scanned the aisles for your poison of choice: red wine.

There was something about red wine in particular that attracted you; perhaps it was the calming, musky smell, or the way it made you feel warm and giddy. Maybe it was the velvety texture on your tongue, or the brisk and tangy aftertaste it left in your mouth. Maybe it was the way your cheeks boiled in a delightful flush, burnishing the edges of life and enveloping you in a false sense of contentment.

Or maybe it was because, red wine was the drink that popped your alcohol cherry.

It was at a thanksgiving party where you had had your first taste. You had just turned eighteen, so your mom had allowed you to drink with the rest of the grownups that year, pouring you that half-glass of red wine that would be the start to your never-ending sob story. Every alcoholic had a vice and yours was the fruity red liquid that felt like hugs in your stomach.

Inhaling strongly, you could practically smell the scent of fermented grape.

Your throat itched with thirst.

A soft touch to your shoulder had you jump in your skin. You whirled around expecting to see Hoseok and his black-haired friend, but instead were met with the concerned, freckle-spattered face of one of the shop attendees. “Can I help you find something, ma’am?” He was the nice, helpful-sort of guy, maybe a little nerdy, but he had a comfortable look to his appearance that made him seem approachable.

“S-sorry…” You managed to stutter, averting your gaze to the clean tiled floor. “I’m looking for the red wine.”

The man pinched his lips together, examining you intently as if he were debating whether or not to accomplice you in your destructive mission. After a moment, he sighed and pointed to the back of the store at a laminated sign that read “WINE” hanging from the ceiling.

You thanked him quietly and limp-scurried down the aisles.

Their wine section was vast. Nearly two giant cases were lined with the more expensive bottles, and big wicker baskets were spread across the floor, filled to the top with the cheaper bottles. You usually went for the cheaper stuff; the bottles were bigger and they gave you a stronger buzz, so you knelt down besides the closest basket and picked up the first bottle you saw; Apothic Red Blend, only $9.47.

Sounds toxic.

Perfect.

As you began to stand and make your way to the register, you noticed something off about the bottle you chose. A tiny splotch towards the bottom swayed subtly from within, a few shades too dark compared to the crimson color of the wine. Knitting your brows, you scrunched back down and investigated, holding it close to your face as you squinted into the depth of red. There was something inside.

Squinting even harder, the bottle was practically touching your eyeball as you tried to figure out what it could be. What is that? A bit of cork maybe? It looked a little big to be a bit of cork. A grape, maybe?

You whirled the bottle, trying to get a better look at the little piece of something that was floating around inside. A coin-sized object swirled in circular motions amidst the rapids you created; it was shiny and brown like a giant coffee bean, perfectly ovular with two little... tails? No...wait... were those...?

Hairs?

Your heart began to pound against your chest. What the actual flip!? What kind of store sells booze with hairy grapes?

You looked even closer. No those aren’t hairs...

They’re fucking antenna!

With a screech, you threw the bottle from your hands and sent it crashing against the floor; glass smashed to smithereens and red liquid splattering across white tile.

It was a bug.

No, it was a fucking cockroach.

Your absolute worst fear.

Staring repulsively at it’s belly-up carcass, you wondered how in the hell a cockroach could have gotten inside a concealed wine bottle. It would have had to have gotten there before they corked the top, which begged the question of whether it could have fit through the tiny opening at all. And further matter, did cockroaches even like alcohol? They were disgusting creatures who ate absolutely anything, but this was a new one.

You gagged, creating some distance. Thank god it’s at least dead.

Shuddering, you reached for another bottle, ignoring the roused murmurs of the shopkeepers as they were no doubt wondering what had just happened. The situation maybe have looked bad, but in your defense, there shouldn’t be revolting creatures floating around in their products in the first place. You’d complain to them in a moment.

Reasserting your purpose for being here, grabbed another bottle from the basket. Your fingertips only just touched the second bottle before you shrieked, and threw that one as well. This time, not just one, but a whole stream of cockroaches flooded out from the shattered glass--some of their thin, icky legs still twitching with life. Falling back on your ass, you scooched away from the massive horde of insects. What the fuck was going on? Why are all these bottles filled with bugs?

Opening your mouth to call for help, a little tickle on your index finger caught your attention and you swallowed your words. Stomach dropping, you slowly rotated your neck to look down at your hand and whimpered. You did everything in your power to gulp down the screams that were crawling up your throat as you watched a monstrous-sized roach worm its way between your fingertips, its slimy-smooth antennas poking its way over your flesh.

Oh fuck no!!!

Like a bat out of hell, you flailed your arm to shake it off, using your other hand to rub frantic lines at your skin until it turned a raw pink. When it was finally off your person, you sighed a breath of relief, placing your palm over your chest, and exhaled slowly in attempts to appease your heightened pulse.

It’s gone now Y/N. Everything’s ok, everything’s ok.

It’s gone.

It’s gone.

After a second, more tickling sensations began to creep up your legs, forcing you to look down at your feet.

You nearly puked chunks everywhere.

They were brown. Your legs were brown.

An icky, coackroachy-brown.

“EEEEEEEK OH MY GOD!” You squalled, kicking your feet up and smashing several more bottles from the shelves and wicker baskets.

They were so completely covered in cockroaches that you couldn’t even see the grey of the bottom half of your sweatpants anymore. Their intsy legs squirmed, crawling further and further up until they were nearly to your thigh. Desperately, you tried to brush them off, but they just kept appearing, continuing their charge up your legs and well past your hips. You tried and tried, shrieking like a banshee on crack, but there was too many of them to count!

Where the frackity-frick did all these mother-loving demons come from??

A meager chirp came from behind your ear, causing you to cease your distressed movements and turn your head to look at your shoulder. A lone roach had perched comfortably next to your neck, its stringy arms were crossed as it rubbed them together, signaling to its troops down below. Your scream pierced through the entire store as you began thrashing uncontrollably, dispelling bug after bug from your body, but it was no use.

“GET THEM OFF ME!” You cried, as tears of dread began to roll down your cheeks.

“Ma’am, are you ok?” A red-aproned chest with the liquor store's name appeared from above you. You couldn’t see his face, but assuming it was one of the shopkeepers you reached out and grabbed his sleeved arm perilously.

You clenched your eyes shut, squeezing more tears from your lids. “Get them off me!” You blubbered. “Don’t you see them!? There are cockroaches everywhere! Please help me!”

“Cockroaches? What cockroaches?”

Your eyes snapped open. About to tell him off--how the flipping-fuck could he not see the colossal amounts of cockroaches that were expeditiously consuming you??--you lift your chin to meet his face and howled so loud the windows shook.

He was caped in the creepy, diseased-filled fuckers.

Brown blobs were trickling out from beneath his clothes, his hair, his ears, and one even poked out from the socket of his eyelid before crawling down his face and back into his mouth. It was some grade-A horror movie shit and you were not handling it like a pro.

“No! Get away from me! Don’t touch me!” You screeched, shoving him so hard that he lost balance and flew back into the shelves of expensive wine bottles, toppling it over completely. Glass soared through the air like pellets of hail as bottled after bottle smashed against the hard marble tile.

“Miss, please! You have to calm down!” Two more shopkeepers came running up from different aisles and caged you like a rabid animal.

“There are no cockroaches!” The second one said. “Please, calm down!”

What are these idiots talking about! They’re right there, they’re right--

You peeked an eye open, but, as they had said, there were no cockroaches. The floor was flooded with wines of different colors, brown and green shards of broken glass covered most of the aisle and the toppled shelf lay like an overturned grave on its back. But not a roach in sight. Gasping aloud, you sprang into a sitting position and patted yourself down frantically, finding that your body was completely insect-free, just incredibly drenched in fruity booze.

“They were right here!” You exclaimed in disbelief. With panicked eyes you looked up to meet two very concerned, and very bewildered, faces. “You have to believe me!”

They exchanged questioning glances, then returned their focus on you. Looks of pity crossed their faces as they watched you like you were the saddest part of a tragic movie.

A third shopkeeper was hunched over next to the guy you had pushed into the shelves, looping an arm around his neck to help him stand upright. The poor man groaned. It was the freckle-faced shopkeeper that had previously directed you to the wine section. Glass was poking out from his mop of curly hair and blood streamed down his arms and face, so much so that you couldn’t tell what was blood and what was freckle. He did look horrifying, like one of those performers from a haunted house, but definitely not covered in cockroaches.

Guilt flooded you as you took in his injured form, knowing you were the one responsible for his condition. Your eyes flicked between all of four of them, stumbling over words as you tried to process what just happened.

“I-I’m sorry... I... There were... I didn’t mean...I swear....” You skipped between sentences, the severity of the situation draping over you like a wet blanket.

From the front of the store you could hear the bell of the shop door opening. Quick footsteps were followed by the sounds of low voices conversing between one another--probably the red-haired guy and the police, you assumed--but you couldn’t make out the words that they were saying.

The footsteps grew louder as you sat there staring, mouth hanging open stupidly, not knowing what else to say, and then suddenly you felt yourself being lifted up off the ground by a pair of warm, jewelry-clad arms.

“No! Please! I didn’t mean to! Let me go!” You squirmed, but a gentle hand kept you in place.

“Calm down Y/N. You’re safe. I got you now.” The gentle voice of Hoseok ghosted your ears, and for the first time you were so happy to hear him speak.

“The cockroaches... I swear they were...What’s going on?” You sniveled, squeezing your eyes shut as you burrowed your face into his neck. He smelled sweet, like lavender.

“Not now.” His tone was soft, soothing. “Just rest.”

You felt a scorching heat encompass your body. It was like a fiery embrace that wrapped you up in a sense of security and caused your mind to lull. Muscles relaxing, you sank into the inviting warmth of Hoseok, letting all pent up exhaustion finally overtake you.

Then, the world went black.

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Next⤏

A/N

Sorry this one is a little short as well! I’m going to try and make the chapters longer from here on out!

Thank you to everyone who has commented, reblogged and liked my story so far! It means so much to me and keeps me inspired to keep writing this fiction! I really appreciate it!

And by the way, I go back and edit each chapter on a regular basis, so make sure to check in to those as well!

Cial

[dcbbw]

(last one, I promise!) Rachel prompt 28 - I'm alone and I just bought $15 in candy bars. What do you think?

Thanks so much for the ask, @zaffrenotes! I am using the DC Crew for this full-blown fic;  in the first chapter of Aftermath of a Breakup, the gang did not see each other over the Christmas Break. This is what they were doing instead of hanging out……

Prompt is in bold. Please excuse any typos and/or grammatical errors.

All characters belong to Pixelberry except Alyssa Devereaux; she belongs to @burnsoslow and is used with permission.

Song Inspiration: January, Millie Lee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3pIWpdzs2A

December 23

Riley

Riley stood in the feminine care aisle of her neighborhood CVS, braless under a tank top. Her sweatpants were loose around her waist and baggy everywhere else. She wore flip flops on her feet. Her hair was bushy and uncombed.

It was 12 degrees outside. She wore no coat.

Riley was not having a joyous holiday season. Ever since Drake Walker broke up with Riley at Target…her Target….life had not been good.

At work, her raise request had been turned down, and the Christmas bonus she received instead had been miniscule; while Maxwell used his bonus to pay off his credit cards, Riley was calculating how she could squeeze a dinner out and a tube of the new Bobbi Brown lipstick out of hers.

She wasn’t sleeping and was stress eating; her cart so far was filled with king sized chocolate bars, bags of some off-brand Cajun trail mix, and pints of ice cream.

If dealing with heartbreak and being broke wasn’t enough, Riley had a yeast infection, which is why she was now indifferently perusing her options for treatment. She tossed a box in the cart, and after a moment of thought, tossed in a box of Summer’s Eve as well.

As she dragged her feet up the aisle towards the cashier, she saw her Nosy Neighbor, Zack, headed her way. Inwardly, Riley rolled her eyes. The last person she wanted to see was anyfuckingbody. She mustered a tired smile and greeted her neighbor quickly.

“Riley, Riley, Riley! All set for Christmas?” Zack asked cheerfully.

Riley looked at him through slit eyes. Do I look ready for Christmas? Her tone, however, was neither sullen nor depressed, so she patted herself on the back for that.

“Just gonna be a quiet day for me”.

She eased past Zack towards the front of the store, hoping that was the end of the conversation. However, her neighbor followed behind her, still chatting. Riley tuned him out.

At the register, Riley pulled her items out of her cart, setting them on the counter. Zack reviewed her purchases, his eyes growing wide.

“Are you okay, Riley? That’s a lot of sugar!”

Riley kept her eyes on the counter, watching as the cashier swiped each item. “I don’t know, Zack. My boyfriend broke up with me less than three weeks ago. I’m alone and just bought $15 in candy bars. What do you think?”

Another candy bar was swiped. “Oh, my bad. $18 worth of candy bars.”

“I’m sorry, Riley”, Zack said softly. “You know, the church is having a dinner. You’re welcome to come.”

A sad smile crossed Riley’s lips. “Thanks, Zack. That’s very thoughtful of you.”

The cashier gave Riley her total; she dug in her pocket for her credit card.

Her card declined.

With a confused look, Riley ran the card two more times. Each time, it declined. The line behind her grew longer and a bit more impatient.

Riley couldn’t believe that on top of EVERYTHING ELSE, her card was freaking declining. To add insult to injury, it was the one with the highest credit limit.

Zack took out his card. “I got it, Riley. You can pay me back whenever.”

With tears in her eyes, Riley gathered her purchases and ran out the door.

“Merry Christmas, Zack!” she called over her shoulder in a broken voice.

Olivia x Max

Maxwell was stretched out on his couch, wearing nothing but his pajama pants. He was firing up the blunt he had just rolled. He inhaled deeply, feeling the acrid smoke fill his lungs. He exhaled with a deep sigh and smiled up at Olivia, who was straddling his lap.

Her hair was loose and fell in soft waves to her shoulders. She was wearing Maxwell’s pajama top and a lacy thong.

“Do you think we smoke too much weed?” he asked with a frown.

“It’s CHRISTMAS! Green is the color of the Christmas”, Olivia responded.

“So is red”, Maxwell countered.

Olivia clutched the bottle of merlot in her hand and held it aloft. “Which is why we have this baby!” she giggled.

The couple exchanged kisses between tokes and pulls at the wine bottle.

“You’re a Queen, you know”, Maxwell murmured against her skin.

Olivia shook her head. “No, I’m not.”

“You are!”, Maxwell insisted. He motioned for Olivia to get off him; when she did, he sat up, his gaze fixed on the scenery outside their living room window.

“We could live in this place far away. Cordonia! That’s its name! We could all live there! Be royals and nobles and shit.”

Olivia exhaled. “And what would we do there?”

“Noble shit! The guys would walk around with ivory tipped canes and wear monocles. And the ladies would wear fancy dresses and sip tea all day.”

“What roles would we have?”

Maxwell thought as he swigged wine. “Drake would definitely be a Duke. Of a real masculine sounding place…like Ramsford!

Madeleine would be noble but barely…. she’d be like a Baroness or a Countess or something. Her place would have a weird name.”

“Valtoria!” Olivia proclaimed.

“Riley…. she’s a Duchess for sure. Of Fydelia!”

“She could change the name to Rydelia!”

“Liam…. he’s like a Lord or something. Of Krona.”

Olivia frowned. “Krona sounds too masculine. You should make Drake Duke of Krona, and Liam the Lord of Ramsford.”

Her green eyes took in Maxwell. “And what about you?”

Maxwell thought. He reached for the blunt. “I don’t think I’m Duke material. I would probably be a Lord or something. Of Lythikos! There would be mountains and snow and stuff so I could ski and sled year-round.”

“And what about me?” Olivia demanded as she reached for the wine bottle.

Maxwell’s arm went around her shoulder as he pulled her closer. “You’re the Queen, my dear.”

“Who’s my King?”

“Bertrand. He’s the King.”

“Over my dead fucking body!” Olivia swatted Maxwell’s thigh.

“You two could have an arrangement or something. A Cordonian arrangement! And I, the Lord of Lythikos, would be your most loyal servant.”

Olivia stood, stretching her lithe body. “Well, come along, loyal servant; we have gifts to wrap before the munchies overtake us.”

Leo x Madeleine

“What can we take that won’t trigger Mother?” Madeleine asked as she and Leo wandered Whole Foods.

They were spending Christmas Eve with her mother, who was a newly recovering alcoholic. Adelaide had been sober a little over thirty days. Madeleine picked up a carton of egg nog; it had alcohol in it. She searched for a non-alcoholic version.

“Your mother drank anything that had liquor in it and made sure it did have alcohol when it didn’t. For over twenty years. At this point, liquids period is a trigger”, Leo said. “We should stick with tea, water, and soda.”

“I want to support my mother, Leo! She’s making strides to get better, to be better!”

Leo pulled Madeleine closer to him; one arm went around her waist, his hand splayed against her back. The other hand took the carton of egg nog from her hand and tossed it back into the dairy case.

“I know you do, Mads. I want to support her as well. But you can’t be her babysitter. If she didn’t think she could handle a dinner party, she wouldn’t be throwing one.”

“But Father will be there……” Madeleine’s voice drifted off as Christmas carols blared from speakers.

Leo’s eyes narrowed and his jaw tensed a little. “Did she invite him?”

Madeleine shook her head. “I don’t know. All she said was we were invited, and Father was coming.”

“That bastard has some nerve! Okay, change of plans. Your mom is coming to our place!”

Madeleine looked up at Leo, her green eyes hopeful and uncertain at the same time. “Are you sure?”

“Addy has thirty days under her belt. I want to see her get thirty-one. Godfrey being anywhere near her guarantees she goes back to Day Zero. She’ll stay with us through the New Year. She can sleep in our room and we’ll take the sleeper sofa.”

“But you just said we can’t babysit her”, Madeleine reminded him.

“She’s about to step out in front of a bus traveling at high speed down a narrow road. We’re protecting her.”

“I love you so much!!” Madeleine was near tears as she hugged Leo tightly.

Leo kissed her hair. “Same here. Now, you call your mom while I see if they have any cookbooks in this bitch.”

Drake x Alyssa

Drake’s eyes were fixed on the road as he drove Alyssa to the airport. Alyssa was singing along with a 90s song on the radio. Her hand rested lightly on top of Drake’s as DCA loomed in the distance.

“I wish you didn’t have to go”, Drake muttered as he changed lanes.

“Shhhhhh…I’m serenading you”, Alyssa scolded.

Drake grinned as he shook his head. How did this little tornado bowl him over so quickly? She made him smile, she made him tingle, she made him feel complete in a way no one had before.

Not even Brooks.

Guilt and sadness filled him at the thought of Riley. He needed to talk to her, but he had no idea what to say. Sorry wasn’t going to cut it, and Drake wasn’t good with words. He was shaken from his thoughts by Alyssa asking him if he enjoyed her singing to him.

“Of course, Devereaux. You should stay and give me an encore.”

“When I get back! And if we’re still together this time next year, I’ll bring you with me. Daniel and my friends will be thrilled to meet you!” Alyssa promised, her blue eyes meeting his brown ones.

“If we’re still together next Christmas, I’m taking you to Texas.”

“Christmas needs cold and snow, not swimming pools and shorts!”

Drake took the exit to enter the airport. “When you come back, if you’re up for it, I want to introduce you to my friends. We get together about once a month or so and hang out. Dinner, movies, bowling……that kind of stuff.”

“I’d like that”, Alyssa said softly.

Her eyes grew anxious. “What will you be doing on Christmas Day? I don’t want you to be alone.”

Drake shrugged. “Sleep. Watch basketball. Dinner with my sister, her fiancé, and my nephew.” He leaned over and snatched a quick kiss. “Missing you.”

“Stop making me fall for you!” Alyssa giggled as she pushed his arm lightly.

“I’ve already fallen. Join me, won’t you?” Drake said softly.

“I might take you up on that offer.” Alyssa tightened her hold on his hand.

Drake pulled up to the doors to the airline; he shut his truck off and rushed around to open Alyssa’s door. He lifted her from the seat and helped her out. She grinned up at Drake, her eyes shiny with tears. She stood on her toes, throwing her arms around his neck.

“I’m going to miss you so much!” She pressed her pink lips against his.

“You’re back on the 28th, right?

Alyssa nodded. “Late flight, though.”

Drake kissed her again. “I don’t care if it lands at 2am. Let me know when your flight is due back. I’ll be here.”

After a lingering kiss and a tight hug, Drake pulled Alyssa’s suitcase from the back of the vehicle and walked her to the doors.

As a bitter cold wind blew through his wool coat as if it were a cotton shirt, Drake waved to Alyssa until he couldn’t see her anymore.

Liam

Liam pulled underwear and socks from his dresser drawer to toss into his suitcase. He had his Santa socks, his Christmas tree socks, his jingle bell socks, his reindeer socks. He frowned as he looked for his socks with the gift boxes; ahhhh, there they were!

He was going to Boston for Christmas. It wasn’t his original plan.

Liam had wanted to stay in DC, come into the office while everyone else was on vacation, get some work done.  Spend time with his friends, maybe go out for Chinese food and a movie on Christmas Day with Riley B. Or maybe Riley B. would cook Christmas dinner, and he could go to her place. Liam wouldn’t even have minded the fact that Drake would’ve been there.

Anything to take his mind off the fact that he was alone at Christmas when he wasn’t ready to be.

But when he met up with the gang last week, neither Riley nor Drake were there. Madeleine and Leo were going to her mother’s for a Christmas Eve dinner party and staying overnight. Maxwell and Olivia were going to Bertrand’s for the day and staying for dinner.

Liam figured Riley and Drake had plans as well, probably visiting Riley’s family in North Carolina. So Liam would be alone this Christmas, and the thought of going to an empty office drained him of his motivation to prove that he was worthy of the promotion.

After dinner with the gang, Liam had called his mom and told her he wanted to come home for Christmas. Eleanor had been ecstatic; she missed her sons.

“Is your brother coming?” she asked excitedly. Leo was not her biological child, but Eleanor considered him her own.

“Not this time. He’s going with Madeleine to see her mother. And he has to work the day after Christmas.”

“Well, we’ll see him next time! And we can Skypetime him or something! Now, I’m making a turkey and a leg of lamb. And my oyster dressing. And corn. And mashed potatoes with sour cream and giblet gravy.”

“Mom, you know I hate oyster dressing!” Liam protested.

“Your father loves it! I’ll make two dressings, but yours is coming out of a box.”

“Why can’t you just scoop mine out before you add the oysters?” Liam frowned.

“Stop frowning! Maybe I can do that…. we’ll see. You eat your weight in dressing, Mister!”

“How did you even know I was frowning?” Liam asked curiously.

“You’re my son. I know what you do!”

Liam smirked thinking that if his mom knew all he did……

“I know you do that too! So when will you be here?”

“Looking up flights now.”

“Let us know so I can have your father pick you up.”

“I can Uber, mom. You guys don’t need to come pick me up!”

“Nonsense. Your father will be there. Okay, gotta go……600 Pound Life is coming on, and I need inspiration to stick to my diet!”

Liam tossed in pants and sweaters; after some internal debate, he tossed in his work laptop. He had reached out to some old friends still in Boston, so hopefully he wouldn’t be working, but just in case. His packing done, he glanced at the clock. He had an early flight out in the morning, but he wasn’t sleepy.

He was thinking about Riley B. and what she was doing. He wondered what Drake bought her for Christmas. He hadn’t asked anyone for suggestions as he usually did. Liam wondered if it was a ring.

His eyes fell on the wrapped present he had bought for Riley B. They hadn’t done Secret Santa this year, but Liam knew Riley B. would love the bottle of Coco Chanel Mademoiselle. It was one of her favorite scents.

Liam decided to wait to see what Drake got her; it was five years now for them. Time to put a ring on it or let her go. If Drake did give her a ring, it could be an engagement present.

Liam hoped it wouldn’t be.

With a sigh, he climbed into bed and turned off the lamp. He grabbed his phone and texted Riley, wishing her a Merry Christmas.

She responded back almost immediately. Merry Christmas, bestie.

Liam stared at his screen before sending his response. You’re my best friend, too.

He rolled over, closing his eyes, phone clasped in his hand. I love you.

  Tagging: @sirbeepsalot @wannabemc2 @topsyturvy-dream @jared2612 @katedrakeohd @hopefulmoonobject @custaroonie @i-am-liam-rhys @jovialyouthmusic @thequeenofcronuts @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore @amomentofsinclairity @bobasheebaby @ao719 @sashatrr @marietrinmimi @ladyangel70 @gardeningourmet @umccall71 @angi15h @romanticatheart-posts @drakeandcamilleofvaltoria @blznbaby @tabithacarlisle @emceesynonymroll @bbrandy2002 @ab1901 @janezillow @debramcg1106 @radlovedreamer @jessiembruno @lodberg @thecordoniandiaries @ramseyandrys @caroldxnvxrs @princess-geek @burnsoslow @annekebbphotography @merridithsmiscellany-blog @emichelle @indiacater @loveellamae @forthebrokenheartedthings-blog @kingliam2019 @texaskitten30 @glaimtruelovealways @bebepac @zaffrenotes @queenjilian @princessleac1

[vampiregirl1797]

Scott McCall: Mates

18+ For Mature Audiences ONLY

GIF Not Mine.

This is the first fic I've posted on Tumbler, so please be kind.

Click Here For My Masterlist

Scott and Stiles were walking down the street towards Heather’s house. Stiles had been invited to the girl’s seventeenth birthday party and he had invited Scott as he hadn’t wanted to go alone. It hadn’t been an easy task, getting the wolf to come due to him still being hung up on Allison, but after Stiles’ relentless badgering he eventually agreed.

 ‘What?’ Stiles asked, noticing his friend’s stare.

 ‘What do you mean what?’ Scott replied, shrugging his shoulders.

 ‘I mean what, and you know what.’ Stiles said, getting agitated; he was already nervous for the party and now Scott was making him even more agitated.

 ‘What, what?’ Scott frowned.

‘That look you were giving.’ The over-active boy huffed.

 ‘I didn’t give a look-,’ Scott denied but he was cut off.

 ‘No there was a distinct look, Scott.’ Stiles pressed.

 ‘What look?’ Scott asked, looking over to his friend in confusion.

 ‘The look that says the last thing you feel like doing right now is going to a party.’ Stiles accused, pointing his index finger at his best friend before letting it drop.

 He was trying not to get too panicked, they were only a few feet from the party—Scott couldn’t bail now could he? Stiles hoped not. He needed his wingman tonight.

 ‘It’s not that, it just seems a little weird going to a different High School’s party.’ Scott admitted with a shrug.

 ‘Well if you could just—,’ Stiles cut himself off with a sigh, frantically waving around his arms to convey his point, ‘oh my god, one drink alright? You’ll be fine. I went to nursery school with this girl, okay? She promised to introduce us to all of her friends. So, tonight, no Allison, no Lydia, tonight we’re moving on.’

 Scott zoned out near the end of his friend’s pep talk, distracted from the feeling of his phone vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out and his heart skipped a beat and felt like it was being crushed all at the same time. It was Allison. He hesitated, watching it ring and then with a sigh he decided to take his best friend’s advice. He declined the call and put it back in his pocket, squaring his shoulders he turned to Stiles.

 ‘You’re right.’ Scott said, finally coming to the same realisation—he and Allison were over and he needed to stop hanging onto the slim possibility that they would ever be together again.

 ‘That’s right, I’m right.’ Stiles nodded, trying not to act too surprised or excited that Scott had actually agreed with him.

 ‘Moving on.’ Scott said, sounding like he was trying to convince himself as they both came to a stop at the end of the walkway that led to Heather’s house.

 ‘Onward,’ Stiles gestured with his arm, pointing to the sky, ‘and upward.’

 ‘Let’s do this.’ Scott nodded, a small but genuine smile on his face.

 ‘That’s what I’m talking about,’ Stiles nodded, holding up his hand for a high five, ‘now look at me.’

 ‘Okay,’ the wolf said softly, bringing his hand to slap Stiles’ and moving it to reach back to slap it again from behind.

 Both of them walked to the party, this time both of them excited for what the night had the potential to bring. Scott was finally going to start looking at other women without feeling guilty, without feeling like he was cheating on the huntress that had broken up with him all those months ago. And Stiles was ready to get his flirt on and hopefully find someone who was interested in him, with Scott as his wingman he was pretty confident.

 ‘How does my breath smell?’ Scott asked randomly.

 Stiles gave him an incredulous look before answering, ‘I’m not smelling your breath.’

 ‘Do you have any gum?’ the wolf said, suddenly concerned his breath would smell of the lasagne he had for dinner.

 ‘No! No gum,’ Stiles said exasperated, ‘you’re fine.’

 ‘Can you at least tell me what kind of party this is?’ Scott said, trying to forget about his concern over his breath.

 ‘It’s just a birthday party, dude. Not an orgy,’ the honey eyed boy rolled his eyes and pushed open the front door, looking up when he heard his name being shouted.

 ‘Stiles! Hi!’ Heather shouted, clearly happy to see him, though Stiles wondered if that had anything to do with the alcohol he could smell on her breath when she walked over to him and Scott.

 ‘Hey! There’s the birthday gi—,’ he never got to finish because Heather bought her lips to his straight away, catching him by surprise before he responded to the kiss eagerly.

 ‘So glad that you made it.’ Heather said when she pulled back.

 ‘Me too.’ Stiles responded immediately.

 ‘Come down stairs with me and help me pick out a bottle of wine.’ Heather told him, but Stiles didn’t mind in the slightest.

 ‘Yes.’ He agreed, allowing himself to be pulled away as he shot a look of disbelief over his shoulder at his best friend.

 Scott watched the encounter in shock and didn’t realise his mouth was hanging open until his best friend and the birthday girl were completely out of sight. When he did notice he quickly snapped it shut and couldn’t help the smile that formed on his face—it was part disbelief and happiness for his best friend. Shaking his head, he noticed the girl who had walked up with Heather taking him in as if she were deciding if he was worth talking to.

 ‘Hey,’ Scott said, tucking his hands into his pockets and slouching his shoulders almost bashfully.

 He may be much more confident than he had been before he became a werewolf, but he wasn’t used to talking to random girls at parties. Allison had just kind of happened without him planning it or even having to really try. He didn’t know how to talk to girls in this setting and he was hit with a new wave of nerves as he realised this.

 Scott was trying not to be consumed by his nerves, so he almost didn’t notice when the girl walked away after shooting him a ‘no way in hell’ look. He frowned and pursed his lips, wondering what could have possibly gone wrong in those thirty seconds. The wolf didn’t think there was anything wrong with what he was wearing; jeans and a brown Henley shirt—he was dressed similarly to most of the guys here. He let out a sigh, deciding that he wasn’t going to let one girls opinion get to him and headed to find the drinks, figuring he could assess the crowd better from there.

 ‘Wooo! Party!’ A random person screamed, running past Scott so fast that he almost didn’t have chance to move out of the way, even with his supernatural reflexes.

 After a few moments of aimless walking, Scott managed to find the drinks—the keg had been set up in the kitchen and there were various other bottles of cheap liquor. Scott eyed the Jack Daniels Honey with a nostalgic eye before grabbing a red solo cup and filling it halfway with beer from the keg. He had planned on trying to mingle after getting a beverage, but now that he was in the empty, quiet kitchen he was finding it difficult to gather enough motivation to move.

 Scott couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed—this year was supposed to be different. He wanted to be better, a better friend, son a better everything and that had seemed to be a good idea… except that didn’t leave any time to focus on his needs. To focus on what he wanted. He knew deep down he was focusing so hard on being a better person to those he cared about because all of his energy was going into not thinking about Allison. But now he couldn’t escape it. He lost her. She and him were never going to happen again, despite how much he had been hoping it would, hoping it could. And if he was honest a part of him was… relieved. As much as he loved her, being with Allison always ended badly on a whole new scale of awful. It was better for both of them if they just stayed friends.

 The wolf’s attention was broken when he felt a presence join him in the kitchen and he looked over to the new addition with a surprised face that the girl who joined him immediately found adorable. He couldn’t help but notice her beauty; she was wearing a green dress that made her emerald eyes stand out against her olive skin. Her hair was a long caramel blonde that fell down to her waist, which was small enough for Scott to wonder if both of his hands could wind around it and manage to touch. Her hips flared out, drawing his attention to the smooth looking skin of her legs; they were long and the wolf had a hard time looking away from them. She was gorgeous.

 Janelle Southerland was new to Beacon Hills and was struggling to fit in, hence trying to find a place to hide out, but apparently someone else had already had the same idea. She knew coming to this party was a bad idea, and she hadn’t been planning on it, but she had made the mistake of mentioning the invitation to her mom at dinner that night. Which led to her mom practically shoving her out of the door and encouraging her to make friends.

 ‘Sorry I didn’t mean to—,’ Janelle started but cut herself off, realising how stupid apologising for walking into the kitchen was.

 She tried not to blush but it was pointless; her body loved to betray her at the most inopportune moments. Scott couldn’t help but find her bashfulness adorable and for the first time that night his nerves seemed to disappear in the presence of someone who seemed as nervous as he did.

 ‘It’s totally okay,’ the wolf said with a smile that made his dimples stand out, biting his lip to stop it from growing when he heard the girls heartbeat pick up at the sight.

 ‘I’m Janelle Southerland.’ She said, holding out her hand in greeting.

 ‘Scott McCall.’ He returned, shaking her hand and blushing a little when he realised he held onto her for a little too long, ‘so… do you go to the same school as Heather?’

 ‘Uhh… yeah I will be. I just moved here yesterday. I ran into her at the grocery store and she mentioned she had a party tonight. To say I was surprised to get an invitation is an understatement.’ Janelle smiled, helping herself to a cup of beer before leaning next to Scott on the worktop.

 ‘I know what you mean, I’m not even technically invited I just tagged along with my friend Stiles. He grew up with Heather.’ He said, subtly leaning closer to her so their arms brushed.

 ‘Well I’m glad I’m not the only outcast at this party.’ She joked, biting her lip before she took another sip of beer.

 ‘Me too,’ Scott grinned.

 ‘Well as the only two people here who don’t know anyone else, we should do something.’ Janelle declared, turning to place her drink on the counter behind her.

 Scott cocked an eyebrow in surprise, ‘like what?’ he smiled in a way that made Janelle want to kiss him, an urge that took her by surprise.

 ‘I don’t know…’ She trailed off with a laugh, trying to think of something fun to do. In all honesty she was surprised by her own sense of adventure. She was never like this—a week ago she never would have dreamed of walking up to an attractive guy at a party and introducing herself. Janelle had no idea where this confidence was coming from, maybe it was the alcohol, or the comfort of knowing if she embarrassed herself she wouldn’t have to see Scott again seeing as he went to a different school. Either way, she decided to go for it and pretend for one night she was a confident and spontaneous person.

 ‘Lets go swimming.’ She suggested, laughing a little at his dumbfounded expression.

 ‘Swimming? Where? Does Heather have a pool?’ Scott asked, trying to calm his escalating heartbeat.

 ‘There’s actually a lake I used to swim at when I was younger not far from here.’ She suggested, resting her hand on his forearm and using it as leverage to lean up, her face coming to a stop about an inch from his face.

 Scott couldn’t help but stare at her lips before mumbling, ‘I don’t have a swimsuit.’

 ‘You won’t need one.’ She said, her voice dropping to a husky tone when she noticed the hunger in the wolf’s eyes.

 ‘Let’s go.’ Scott said abruptly, his suddenness made her laugh in delight but she allowed him to pull her along towards the front door.

 It didn’t take long for them to reach the lake that Janelle had been talking about; her aunt and uncle used to live here when she was little and Janelle and her mom used to visit them over the summer. They had all spent their fair share of days packing lunch and just chilling out at the lake. That all came to a stop when they moved out of Beacon Hills and to New York; she and her mom still visited them, but it hadn’t been the same.

 Scott and Janelle spent the walk talking about what they had been doing over the summer and both were surprised to find that their activities had been similar. Janelle hadn’t known she and her mom were moving until a few weeks ago and so she had spent the summer reading for the upcoming semester and working at her mom’s dentist office to earn some extra money, much like the beta had. Both were surprised that as they chatted it felt like two old friends catching up, rather than two people who had been strangers only an hour ago. When they finally arrived at their destination Scott hesitated on the bank while Janelle kicked off her shoes and walked to the edge, letting the water touch her feet. Scott watched, awed as for a moment she seemed to forget that he was there with her; she looked completely content and Scott was confused as to why that stirred something deep inside of him.

 Before he could consider it further, Janelle reached down and pulled her dress off over her head, throwing it carelessly behind her. It landed a few feet to the left of Scott—which he could tell from the corner of his eye—but his gaze remained on Janelle and plain cotton black bra and panties she was wearing. She threw an embarrassed look over her shoulder, allowing the wolf to see the blush over her cheeks, before she sank into the water and Scott struggled to close his hanging jaw, completely certain he was staring at her with an expression that was a mixture of amazement, shock and lust.

 ‘You’re not gonna make me do this alone are you?’ Janelle asked with an amused smirk—her head was the only part of her visible above the water, as well as brief flashes of her fingers where she was moving her hands back and forth.

 Her gentle voice snapped the wolf out of his trance and with a shake of his head he started losing clothing. When he noticed her gaze firmly fixed on him as he drew his shirt over his head, he felt himself blush a little until he heard her elevated heartbeat and the smell of her arousal in the air. After that, he was able to gather the courage to unbutton and unzip his jeans; once he’d kicked his shoes off he deposited his pants on the pile of clothing, leaving him only in his boxers. He smiled bashfully when the smell of Janelle’s arousal seemed to grow heavier in the air as he made his way out to her, coming to a stop a mere few inches away. Both of them could feel the attraction zapping between them, but they were waiting for the other one to make a move.

 Scott stared into her eyes, noticing that her green eyes were dilated just as his were. Janelle stared back, her gaze unwavering and she couldn’t help but bite her lip as she wondered how it was possible for her to be this attracted to someone she barely knew, though she had no idea the wolf was wondering the same thing as her as he listened to her heartbeat, feeling both comforted and aroused by the elevated thump thump thump of her heart. Scott’s gaze was drawn to her trapped lip and without thinking about it, he bought his hand to gently caress the side of her face, allowing his thumb to gently pull her lower lip free. What neither of them was prepared for was the warmth and affection generated by the touch; it both contented them and scared them.

 ‘What is that?’ Janelle gasped, scared that she was the only one feeling this connection between them, if she was then there was a slight chance she was going crazy.

 ‘I don’t know.’ Scott admitted with a murmur, stepping closer to the alluring blonde so that his body was flush against hers, a movement that made both of them feel the unexplainable warmth on every inch of their bodies.

 Whatever it was, Scott was powerless to fight it and his submission caused the voice at the back of Janelle’s head to go silent. Instead of trying to resist, she surrendered herself to the connection she felt with Scott, the fact that she hadn’t known him for twenty-four hours didn’t seem to matter anymore, not when she felt like she’d known him for years. Why that was, she didn’t know but she decided she wasn’t going to question it because it felt right.

 As she broke free from her mind she realised that Scott had hesitated from making any further movements, obviously waiting for her to come to her own decision. It made Janelle’s heart squeeze with warmth as she stared into his equally warm brown eyes. He was still caressing the side of her face while their bodies were aligned together, and now she was free from her minor inner turmoil, she could finally grasp that the hard planes of his body were pressed against hers, his bare skin was touching her. Janelle hesitantly bought her hands out of the now very warm water and trailed them up the wolf’s chest, biting her lip to hold back a moan of appreciation. She could feel Scott’s stare on her as her eyes followed the path of her hands, stopping for a moment over his heart and smiling when she noticed it was beating just as fast as hers. When she reached the tops of his shoulders, she surprised them both by using the grip as leverage and reaching up to bring her lips to his.

 For a moment, a brief moment that somehow felt like it lasted much longer, they stayed, paralysed with their lips pressed against each other. Both were overwhelmed by the mere brush of each others lips, their hearts were beating wildly, as one, and the warmth that had grown from a mere brush of skin exploded inside of them like a volcano. Alas, the moment passed and both of them were quick to move. Scott’s hands went to Janelle’s waist, pulling her firmly against him, while one of her hands rested on his shoulder to give her the leverage to remain at his height, while the other tangled furiously in his hair, refusing to let his lips leave hers even for a second.

 Scott was overwhelmed from the passion in the kiss; never had he experienced this kind of hunger when kissing Allison. Never had he felt so many emotions all at once. He felt lust, affection, attraction, desire to protect her and he didn’t know what it meant, but in that moment it wasn’t hard to push down his confusion and enjoy the moment of having a beautiful girl in his arms. When her hands tugged on his hair, he was surprised to hear an approving growl rise from his throat and to his horror, he felt himself begin to change. But before he could panic, Janelle’s hands moved and that was suddenly all he could focus on. They trailed down his arms, pausing at his elbows and jumping to his waist. When they met at the centre of his lower abdomen, above the waistband of his boxers he could feel his eyes glow beneath his eyelids and his claws grew from his fingertips, gently resting on the soft skin of her waist. She hesitated and before Scott could offer any reassurance from the scent of her nerves, one of her hands boldly slid underneath the fabric. The wolf pulled back from the kiss with a groan of pleasure and rested his head in the crook of her neck as her wondering hand found his length and grasped it gently but firmly.

 He gasped when her other hand went to one of his nipples, stroking back and forth over the puckered flesh and mimicking the movements of her other hand. Scott’s claws were still out and when her pace picked up ever so slightly, encouraged by the moans of ecstasy escaping the wolf’s mouth, he felt his fangs grow as well. But for whatever reason, he didn’t feel the need to push her away and get himself under control; all he could focus on was her. Her scent, her heartbeat, her touch, and the kisses she was placing to the side of his neck. In that moment, she was all that existed to him. It was just him and her and he had never felt more at peace before. His hips thrust forward involuntarily when she tugged at his puckered nipple, drawing out a surprising escalation in Scott’s pleasure.

 With boldness he didn’t know he possessed he trailed his fangs over the crook of her neck, releasing a growl when she shivered and gripped him tighter. For a brief moment he had the urge to bite into her flesh, to mark her as his, but he managed to fight it and with self-control he didn’t know he had, he pulled back his fangs and bought his lips to her neck, smiling when she whimpered at the appearance of his blunt teeth lightly biting her neck. Scott could feel himself nearing his end, and he didn’t want to reach it without her. He could smell her arousal in the air and the fact that she was so turned on because of the pleasure she was bringing him made his hips jerk in her hold again. When his hand slipped into her own underwear, she released a gasp of surprise that turned into a moan. Encouraged by her response, Scott’s hands delved further into her folds, marvelling that he could feel her desire despite the presence of the lake water. He knew he was doing something right when she gripped him tighter, increasing her pace and releasing a small growl of her own that went straight to Scott’s groin.

 He could feel the tell tale signs that indicated his orgasm was approaching; the base of his spine was tingling, his eyes were trying to roll back into his head and he was biting his lip so hard he was surprised he didn’t draw blood. But he could feel she was close, too. He let his fingers delve deeper and he easily slid his middle finger into her entrance, his other hand landing in the dip of her spine when her back arched into him, allowing him to move deeper. The sound that escaped his lips at the look of pure uncontained desire on her face couldn’t be described as human, but he felt her get wetter and her walls squeezed his digit, clearly aroused by the animalistic side of him. Scott pumped her softly, matching the pace that she hadn’t relented on him. The whimpers she released were almost too much for him, he could feel himself about to lose it and even though she was close, he knew if he didn’t do something he was going to reach the end before she did, and he didn’t want that. So he removed his other hand from the dip of her spine and bought down to her bra and freed one of her breasts. Before Janelle could even comprehend it, his mouth was sucking on the puckered flesh, his tongue toying with her nipple softly. When he added another finger inside her and tugged on her nipple with his teeth, it was enough to push her over the edge with a scream of incomprehensible pleasure that echoed in the empty space around them.

 Scott’s eyes changed, glowing a golden colour that the beauty in his arms didn’t see with her eyes clenched shut. He released a sound that was both a groan and a growl as he finally allowed himself to join Janelle; he gave in to the pull and fell apart in her hand. Janelle’s pace eased into a gentle caress and Scott’s mouth moved from her breast and kissed it’s way up her body, pausing at her collarbone to suck and nip at the flesh while they both rode out the aftershocks of their orgasms.

 Janelle couldn’t remember for the life of her how they’d got back to the bank and out of the water; after Scott removed his hand from her panties she was too focused on how her bones felt like liquid to pay attention to Scott scooping her up in his arms and carrying her out of the lake bridal style, the next thing she registered was the night sky above her, the stars twinkling against the blanket of darkness. He gently laid her on the grassy bank and laid down next to her, surprised that he was also still out of breath from their escapade. When Janelle rolled over and snuggled into his side he couldn’t fight the smile from lighting up his face if he tried. He wound his arm around her waist, allowing her to fit more snugly into his side, when she started drawing lazy circles on his collarbone he returned the favour on her waist, hoping it had the same relaxing effect her touch was having on him.

 The blonde couldn’t comprehend how comfortable she felt around Scott. They just seemed to fit together as if they had been a couple for years, which both settled her and terrified her. It didn’t make any sense. She didn’t know his middle name, if he even had one, but he made her feel safe. Protected. And more than anything, she was terrified that she was the only one who felt this way. She could feel the nerves threatening to bubble over and she bit her lip trying to regain control of her emotions.

 ‘What’s wrong?’ Scott asked, making her blink in surprise. She hadn’t moved, her hand was still drawing lazy circles on his collarbone and she hadn’t said anything so how did he know there was something wrong with her?

 ‘What do you mean?’ She asked, nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck, allowing his scent to overwhelm her. She couldn’t fight a smile when she felt him shiver.

 ‘You’re upset? Is it because of what we did?’ he said, refusing to drop it, while Scott made her feel safe, she made a protective animal instinct inside him flare up; it wasn’t anything he had ever experienced before.

 ‘No,’ she said and he was assured by the firm tone of her voice. She felt her own skin shiver when Scott started to trail his hand softly up and down her back.

 Scott wondered how he had missed her moving so she was on top of him, her legs either side of his waist, but when she leaned up, using his shoulders as leverage to look him in the eye he couldn’t help but notice their proximity. He prayed a certain part of his anatomy behaved.

 ‘Am I crazy?’ She huffed, elaborating when she saw the confusion in Scott’s eyes, ‘I feel like I’ve known you for years.’

 Scott thought about her words for a minute and realised she was right. He didn’t feel the same nerves or awkwardness he had felt on his first date with Allison. Everything about being with Janelle felt right, natural and he couldn’t believe how close to her he felt in such a short space of time.

 He bought his hand up to caress the side of her face and when she involuntarily leaned into his touch he smiled softly.

 ‘You’re not crazy,’ he promised her, bringing his other hand to her waist, allowing his thumb to gently stroke the exposed skin, ‘I feel it too.’

 ‘You do?’ She said, cursing herself for sounding so vulnerable but at the same time she knew he wouldn’t take advantage of her.

 ‘I do,’ he said, his voice firm and Janelle couldn’t believe how much it affected her.

 When he heard her heartbeat quicken he also noticed her eyes lingering on his lips, which made him smile his dimpled smile. At an inhuman speed he sat up, bringing his upper body flush with hers. They both moaned at the friction created from the movement and the smell of her arousal invaded Scott’s senses and had him thinking one thing that both excited him and terrified him: mine. Before he could ponder what it meant he was distracted by her hands tangling in his hair and tilting his head so that she could bring her lips to his. Both of them released sounds of pleasure when their tongues joined together in a fight for dominance. Both of them were on fire from the heat generated by the kiss and when Scott bought his hands to her chest to massage her breasts, Janelle was certain for a second she was going to spontaneously combust. She decided to return the favour and grinded her hips against Scott’s, when she felt the growl vibrate his chest she couldn’t help but shiver from the anticipation.

 The wolf made a sudden movement that had Janelle blinking in surprise when she felt the cool blades of grass meeting her back. Scott pulled back from the kiss and couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her underneath him, her hair fanned out around her, her lips bruised from their kiss and her green eyes dark with uncontained desire. He blinked and resumed his task, bringing his lips to the crook of her neck and was both surprised and irritated that the urge to mark her there overwhelmed him for the tiniest moment again. He fought the urge, instead nipping and sucking on the sensitive skin enough to mark her in a different way. Her hands curled into his hair while her hips squirmed underneath him, making it incredibly difficult to take this slow as the friction she was creating was driving him wild.

 His hands trailed down her body, moving to her back to gently unhook her bra. Scott’s hands didn’t leave her skin as he bought the straps down her arms before throwing it over to the pile of clothing that wasn’t that far above them. His hands went to her breasts first, massaging them and then softly pinching the puckered flesh in between his thumbs and middle fingers. His lips kissed down to her chest, nipping her collarbone on the way and when he removed one hand from her breast to take her nipple into his mouth, Janelle let out a sound that was a mixture of a scream and a moan as her back arched. Scott’s now free hand used that moment to slide into the dip of her spine using the hold to grind his erection against her warm folds.

 ‘Scott.’ She gasped in pleasure, her hands going to the dip in his spine to hold him in that position. When he growled in approval against her breast it only heightened her desire even more.

 Janelle had never felt so turned on in her life, every inch of her was burning in the best possible way, building her up to an orgasm that she could already tell was going to consume her. She could have screamed in relief when Scott removed his hand from her breast and slowly started to trail down towards her panties. Before he got there she stopped him by gently laying her hand on his arm. He pulled back from her breast and froze his movements immediately as he met her eyes.

 ‘Do you want to stop?’ He asked, and the lack of annoyance or frustration in his tone made her smile gently. She knew without a doubt if he said yes he would move away immediately without making her feel guilty.

 ‘No I don’t want to stop, I just wanted to make sure you had… protection.’ She murmured, feeling her cheeks colour at her words and when Scott smiled at her cheekily she slapped his shoulder with a light laugh.

 ‘I do.’ His gaze went to his abandoned jeans a few feet above them before he looked down at her with the gentlest look Janelle had ever been on the receiving end of, ‘are you sure? We don’t have to go that far.’

 ‘I’m sure.’ She bit her lip and summoning all of her courage she told him something that she had never told anyone, ‘I’ve never done this before.’

 That made the wolf pause and his eyes widened when he fully processed her words, ‘y-you’re a virgin?’

 ‘Yes.’ She admitted softly, looking over his shoulder, not being able to bring herself to look into his eyes.

 ‘Then are you definitely sure?’ Scott asked softly, bringing his index finger to her chin to get her to look at him.

 She was overwhelmed by the consideration she saw in his eyes and couldn’t stop the soft smile that formed on her lips if she tried, ‘I’m sure.’

 What Janelle wasn’t aware of was that the wolf was listening to her heartbeat, looking for any traces of a lie; he didn’t want her to feel forced into this. When her heartbeat remained steady and her gaze remained sincere, he bought his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. She bit his lip gently, silently asking him to deepen the kiss, which he did with a groan of pleasure when he felt her nails softly digging into the flesh of his back. One of his hands trailed down her body, resuming the path that had been interrupted before, only this time he reached the waistband of her panties without incident. His hand delved into her underwear and Scott felt himself get even harder when he heard her moan and felt how ready she was for him. He pulled back from their kiss and with his free hand he reached up to grab his jeans, grateful they were within reaching distance, to take the single condom from his back pocket. Janelle saw what he was doing and when he had the protection in his hand she rolled them both over with a strength she didn’t know she possessed. She giggled at the surprise on Scott’s face before using her new position to pull the boxers off the wolf, smiling at him gratefully when he lifted his hips to help her. When they were gone, Janelle felt a flutter of nerves in her belly; she didn’t understand how he was going to fit that inside her.

 ‘Hey.’ Scott’s gentle voice broke through her panic and she looked up to his warm brown eyes and felt her heart skip a beat at the affection she saw in them, ‘we’ll take it slow okay? And if you want to stop at any point, just tell me.’

 She bit her lip, surprised how much she trusted his words and how much comfort they bought her. Janelle nodded and watched as he carefully put on the condom. Once he was done and before she could blink she was suddenly underneath him. She felt his hands gripping her panties on each side of her hips and gave him a nod when he seemed to be waiting for permission. He pulled the cotton down and lifted her legs to rest on either side of his waist to allow him to settle in between her legs. She felt him pressing against her entrance and clenched her eyes shut to brace herself for the pain, but when nothing happened she looked up to the wolf above her with a frown of confusion. He was giving her a soft look that stole her breath and before she could say anything he leaned down, his hands gripping her waist and his lips meeting hers in a gentle kiss that made her heart flutter in her chest. She gasped against his lips when she felt Scott push himself inside her, and even though she felt her hymen break she didn’t feel any pain, only the alien but pleasurable feeling of Scott settling inside of her. What she didn’t notice was the black veins climbing up the wolf’s arms and disappearing as he took her pain before she had a chance to feel it.

 Scott’s lips moved from her lips to her neck, the urge to bite her stronger than ever when he started to move inside of her. The feel of her walls, tightly clenching him as he set a rhythm that wasn’t too fast or slow was almost too much for him. Mine. The voice screamed in his head, louder than last time, and he was having a hard time ignoring it. He felt his fangs grow without his consent and when Janelle’s fingernails dug into the tops of his shoulders and trailed down to his waist, he was sinking his teeth into her before he knew what he was doing. He realised what he had done when he heard Janelle gasp, and he was just about to pull away from her and apologise profusely when he realised something. Her gasp wasn’t one of pain, but pleasure, he could smell her arousal growing stronger and he could feel her getting wetter around him. This pleased the wolf in him and he growled in approval, pulling away from her neck and licking over the mark affectionately. Janelle moaned again and dug her nails so hard into Scott’s shoulders that he smelled his own blood joining hers in the night air. He couldn’t help but think that it smelled right for a brief moment before he bought his hands to her lower back to hold her in place as his hips met hers at a faster pace. Both of them were close, Scott’s wolf could sense it and refused to allow himself to find pleasure before she did. He bought his lips to her earlobe and allowed his human teeth to bite gently on her earlobe and tug it downward. The small jolt of pain was enough to bring her orgasm crashing down and when he felt her clench even tighter around him, he let himself fall apart, spilling himself inside of her with a loud groan.

 They were both breathing heavily as they came down from their orgasms and Scott rolled over onto his back, bringing Janelle to snuggle into his side much like they had been earlier. Both Scott and Janelle felt the loss of each other when the movement caused the wolf to move out of her, but neither commented on it. Janelle started to softly caress the skin of his chest when she noticed her fingertips were stained with blood.

 ‘Oh my god.’ She gasped in horror, looking up to Scott apologetically, ‘I made you bleed.’

 ‘Don’t worry about it,’ he chuckled sheepishly and bought a hand to the side of her neck he had bitten, ‘I got my revenge.’

 ‘I think you’ll find you bit me first.’ Janelle teased, and was surprised to find she wasn’t as bothered by him biting her as she probably should have been.

 ‘I’m sorry about that.’ Scott said, his sincere gaze burning into her, ‘I don’t know what came over me.’

 ‘Don’t apologise.’ She told him with a soft smile, ‘that was… amazing.’

 He could hear the truth behind her words and breathed out a sigh of relief, before adding in a teasing tone, ‘well I expect an apology, you’ve marked my beautiful skin.’

 She laughed, lightly slapping his shoulder, but she did bite her lip when she felt a pang of guilt in her gut. She opened her mouth to apologise but Scott bought his index finger to her lips to silence her.

 ‘I was kidding.’ He assured her, knowing the marks had more than likely healed by now, ‘like you said, it was amazing. You don’t need to apologise for that.’

 ‘Good.’ She smiled when Scott’s hand moved to caress the side of her face and couldn’t help but lean into the warmth of his touch.

 They lay there for a while in comfortable silence, enjoying the peace and quiet and the company. But eventually reality came calling, literally; Janelle’s mom called her asking her when she would be home and it was then that they realised just how late it was. Scott had a few missed texts from Allison, Stiles and his mom but they weren’t life or death so he just pocketed his phone again after they were both dressed. Janelle asked her mom to come and get her from Heather’s as they were only a short walk from the house. It was then that they started to walk back and Janelle felt her heart skip a happy beat when Scott took her hand in his, entwining their fingers.

 That night had been perfect for the both of them, and she didn’t want it to end, but she knew it had to. It was the first day of school tomorrow, which meant she needed to get back to reality. Even with how small the town was, it was unlikely that she was going to run into Scott again after tonight. She was surprised that that knowledge squeezed her heart painfully, but she refused to be one of those clingy girls who thought she was in a relationship with someone after they hooked up one time. Tonight was incredible, but she refused to make it more than what it was, even if her heart was telling her it was something more, she refused to believe it because it didn’t make sense.

 ‘I had a great time tonight.’ Janelle told the wolf with a small but genuine smile, their hands were still clasped together and she gave him a final squeeze before reluctantly letting go.

 ‘Me too.’ Scott told her, stepping closer and caressing the side of her face, as much as she begged herself not to, she leaned into his touch, ‘this doesn’t have to be goodbye.’

 ‘Tonight was… amazing, lets not ruin it by trying to make it something it’s not.’ she said gently, not able to meet his eyes, afraid he would be pissed.

 ‘If that’s what you want.’ Scott agreed reluctantly, he used his index finger to bring her gaze to his, giving her a reassuring smile, ‘I’ll never forget this.’

 ‘Neither will I,’ she agreed sincerely, already knowing that no guy was going to measure up to him.

 Scott bought his lips to hers; the kiss was different than any of the others they had shared that night. It was soft, gentle, sincere and full of the affection they shared for each other. They broke apart and Janelle gasped at the emotion she could see in Scott’s eyes and wondered if hers looked the same to him. Before they could do anything else, Janelle’s phone interrupted the moment; it was a text from her mother telling her she was out front.

 ‘I should go.’ She sighed, pocketing her phone once she had replied to her mother, ‘ bye Scott.’

 She hugged him tighter than what she thought she was capable of, inhaling his scent; he smelled of the woods, fabric softener and fresh rain. Scott hugged her back just as tight, documenting her smell into his memory; she smelled like citrus, the woods and vanilla and it was a scent he would never forget. Only a moment later she pulled away and after placing a kiss onto his cheek, she left. Scott watched her go, wondering why he could still feel her lips on his skin, why her scent lingered in his mind and why his heart felt like it had been ripped from his chest. This was insane, he hadn’t known her for more than twenty-four hours and suddenly the heartbreak he had felt over Allison felt like a distant memory as the pain of being separated from Janelle overwhelmed him. He shook his head and pulled out his phone, dialling Stiles’ number. This was insane and he needed to let it go.

 The next day

 ‘Mom it’s fine. I get it.’ Janelle assured her, watching the passing scenery with minimal interest.

 Today was her first day at her new school—Davonford Prep—which she wasn’t looking forward to. And it wasn’t just because she didn’t have the school uniform yet so she was going in her normal clothes; she was wearing a deep blue lacy skater dress, her leather jacket and black combat boots. She wasn’t even as bothered by the news that her mom was going to be taking a work trip to San Francisco, despite the fact they had been here for two days. In our old town she had owned her own dentist’s office, but over the years she had opened up several all over, and the branch in San Francisco was in need of a refurbishment after a flood had completely destroyed it. Mom needed to go over assess and oversee the construction. It was fine; Janelle was more than used to being left alone. The only lingering thoughts in her mind were of last night. Amazingly, her mom hadn’t bombarded her with questions when she had gotten into the car, and so she had been left to her own thoughts. The only problem was that those thoughts consisted of Scott. His touch, his smile, his taste, his smell.

 Janelle looked away from the window, shaking her head in an attempt to rid it of thoughts of Scott. It was only then that she noticed they were pulling up to her new school. Only there was one problem. This was not Davonford Prep.

 ‘Mom? What are we doing here?’ I asked, trying to steady my escalating heartbeat.

 ‘Well I know you were dreading the idea of going to a private school, so I transferred your application. You’re now the newest student of Beacon Hills High School.’ She grinned, not noticing her daughter’s growing panic. She practically ushered her out of the car, and Janelle went, too stunned to react in that moment.

 ‘Wait out front! The principal will be out soon!’ She yelled after her and not a minute later she was gone; she had packing to do and a flight to catch.

 Janelle sat down on the stone bench in front of the school in a daze, her heartbeat steadily growing as her panic did. Scott went to this school. He was going to think she was lying. Or that she had transferred to be near him, after she told him that she didn’t want to make last night anything more than what it was. He was going to think she was crazy. Janelle’s head fell into her hands as she tried to pull herself together. There were no other students milling around outside and for that she was grateful, she assumed classes had already started. She sighed as her problem invaded her mind again. It would be fine. It had to be. There was no sense in panicking yet—they might not even have any classes together. That was true, and Janelle felt herself relax slightly with that knowledge.

 ‘Hello, sorry to keep you waiting.’ A male voice startled her and she immediately sat up and saw a tall man with light blonde hair, glasses and blue eyes.

 ‘It’s fine.’ She offered him a shaky smile and stood from the bench.

 ‘Janelle Southerland, right?’ He asked as he started walking to the school. Janelle took a deep breath and followed a few steps behind him.

 ‘Yes sir.’ She answered, shifting her bag up higher on her shoulder.

 ‘Where are you from?’ He said, attempting to make chit chat, but Janelle was saved from answering as he stopped in front of a classroom door and knocked twice before opening and stepping in.

 Janelle watched as he walked up to the female English teacher and had a quick but quiet word before gesturing for her to join him in the classroom. After taking a deep breath she did, she could feel her skin prickling as all of the students stared at her but she avoided eye contact. The principal left the room with a kind smile and the teacher who Janelle identified as Miss Blake from the tag on her desk smiled at her warmly.

 ‘This is our new student, Janelle Southerland, please do your best to make her feel welcome.’ Miss Blake turned to Janelle and told her to take a seat, which she did immediately, grateful that she started teaching before she had even made her way to the free desk at the back of the room; it made her feel like there was less attention on her.

 ‘Now, when William Shakespeare wrote this play it was intended to inflict fear upon the audience. Can anyone tell me how?’ Miss Blake asked as Janelle silently pulled a notebook and pen from her bag, writing the date in the top right corner.

 No one answered and Miss Blake tried to encourage, ‘come on guys, someone knows the answer. Don’t be shy.’

 Janelle looked to the black board behind her and saw that the play they were studying was Macbeth, she knew the answer to her question but she refrained from answering, not wanting to be labelled as ‘nerdy’ on her first day. Instead she wrote the answer down in her notebook before writing down everything she knew about Macbeth.

 ‘What about you, Scott?’ That name had Janelle’s head snapping up in shock, her heartbeat picking up again. It couldn’t be the same Scott, she was sure there were plenty of students in that school who were called Scott—.

 ‘Macbeth incorporated themes into the play that he knew would terrify the audience, such as elements of the supernatural. Witchcraft was highly feared in the time the play was written, so the presence of that alone would have been enough to scare them.’ Scott McCall’s voice said confidently from a few seats over from Janelle; he was sat by the window while she was in the middle row.

 ‘Oh my god.’ Janelle whispered, too quietly for the teacher to hear, but a few students around her gave her curious stares, including Scott.

 When they made eye contact, Janelle gave him a shaky smile, crossed her legs under the desk and turned her attention back to the class. Or so it appeared, every inch of her body was now aware of Scott’s presence a mere few rows away from her.

 ‘Very good, Scott.’ Miss Blake praised him before moving onto the major themes in the play, all of which Janelle had already written down so she didn’t feel too bad for her lack of attention during the rest of the class.

 As soon as the bell went, Janelle was torn between darting for the door and lingering until everyone else was gone. The decision was taken away from her when she felt Scott standing beside her desk before she looked up and saw him. She was relieved to see only surprise and happiness in his eyes; it didn’t seem like he thought she was crazy.

‘Hey.’ Scott said, his hands fidgeting on the straps of his backpack as he resisted the urge to reach out and touch her.

 ‘Hey,’ She breathed, overwhelmed by the scent of him, she didn’t realise how much she had missed it until then.

 Scott gave up on the fight to touch her and held out his hand, offering her help to stand even though they both knew she didn’t need it. Janelle didn’t hesitate and placed her hand in his, welcoming the rush of warmth and comfort that shot up her arm as she stood. When she was on her feet, Scott didn’t release her hand and she didn’t mind in the slightest. Both were oblivious to the confused stares of the students, and even Miss Blake, around them—they were completely lost in each other. Scott’s friends; Stiles, Lydia and Allison were the most confused of all, though the huntress was also partially jealous.

 ‘How are you here?’ Scott asked gently, his other hand brushing Janelle’s hair behind her ear before caressing the side of her face.

 ‘My mom changed the school without telling me.’ Janelle rolled her eyes in amusement, ‘surprised me with it this morning.’

 Scott was surprised how happy he was with the news, not even considering that Janelle was crazy like the blonde had been afraid of, and when she only saw affection and joy in his eyes she felt herself relax completely.

 ‘That’s great.’ Scott smiled his dimpled smile and kissed her forehead, the girl’s eyes closed at the touch and she gave him a bright smile when he pulled back and lowered the hand that had been on her cheek.

 ‘I’m glad you think so.’ Janelle said honestly, lifting her bag higher on her shoulder.

 ‘What’s your next class?’ Scott asked, leading her out of the classroom and past his gobsmacked friends. It was unlike Scott to ignore them, but he was completely lost in Janelle, and she was exactly the same.

 ‘Math.’ She groaned over dramatically and Scott chuckled in amusement as he led her towards the right classroom.

 ‘Well have fun. I’m in history next so I think I deserve more sympathy.’ He said, smiling his dimpled smile that he had discovered was one of Janelle’s weaknesses.

 ‘You do, do you?’ Janelle teased, gasping when she was suddenly pinned against the row of lockers next to the math classroom, ‘I think I am the clear winner of sympathy here. Math gives headaches. No contest.’

 ‘Yes, but history slips you into a coma.’ Scott countered, resting his forehead against hers, his eyes were sparkling in amusement and mischief.

 Her hands gripped his forearms, ‘headaches beat sleep, Mr McCall. Hands down.’ She laughed when he rolled his eyes at her.

 Scott leaned forward and Janelle felt her heartbeat pick up drastically, thinking that he was going to kiss her. And he did, just not in the way she was expecting; he leaned his forehead against hers and kissed the corner of her mouth.

 ‘See you soon?’ He murmured, so quietly she almost didn’t hear him.

 She smiled softly and nodded in answer to his question, her eyes closed for a moment when he placed another kiss to her forehead before leaving her with a small smile. She could feel his lips lingering on her skin and Janelle found herself smiling as she walked into the classroom to take an empty seat. Walking into math class happy—there was a first time for everything.

 ‘What the hell was that?’ Stiles asked his best friend, still a little shocked over what he had seen mere minutes ago.

 ‘What was what?’ Scott said distractedly as he pulled his history book and notepad out of his backpack before leaving it to rest at his feet.

 ‘What do you have sort term memory loss or something?’ Stiles’ tone was incredulous, not believing his friends sudden amnesia, ‘I’m talking about how comfortable you were looking with the new girl.’

 ‘Oh, I met her at the party last night.’ Scott said, writing the date on his paper, ‘we kind of hit it off.’

 ‘Hit it off?’ Stiles parroted, a slow smirk spreading over his face, ‘that’s my boy!’

 ‘Stiles? Shut up.’ Scott rolled his eyes, trying to squelch the flow of protectiveness that had flared up in his body.

 ‘Sorry dude, it’s nice to see you moving on from you-know-who.’ Stiles said sincerely, finally getting his own books out of his bag, ‘even if it’s weird seeing you two act so… close.’

 ‘What do you mean?’ The wolf frowned and looked over to his human friend.

 ‘I mean I’ve never seen you so consumed with a girl to the point that the world around you could cease to exist without you noticing.’ The overactive boy said bluntly, not noticing the thoughtful look on Scott’s face.

 ‘It’s weird. I know that and if I were on the outside looking in I’d think it was crazy, but it feels right with her. I can’t explain it, man, I feel like I’ve known her forever.’ Scott admitted, needing someone other than himself to talk to about this.

 ‘That’s not crazy.’ Stiles assured him, ‘sometimes you just click with people.’

 ‘No, that’s not the same thing. I feel like I’ve known her and when I was with her last night, the wolf part of me was screaming at me to protect her, to keep her safe.’ Scott’s voice dropped to a whisper when the teacher walked into the classroom.

 ‘Okay, maybe it’s a little crazy.’ Stiles nodded, his eyes wide in surprise, ‘as much as I hate to say this, you should ask Derek about it.’

 ‘Derek?’ Scott sounded surprised.

 ‘Yeah, as much as it kills me he’s more likely to have an answer than Google.’ Stiles huffed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration, though it wasn’t as aggravated as it would have been a year ago; he had come to trust Derek little by little over time.

 ‘He’s coming next period to see what Allison and Lydia have found. I’ll ask him then.’ Scott told him, feeling a little nervous about what information he might be faced with.

 Stiles noticed and patted his shoulder comfortingly, ‘don’t worry. If this is something beyond teenage hormones, we’ll deal with it.’

 ‘Thanks Stiles.’ Scott breathed a sigh of relief.

 ‘No problem.’ He replied, pulling out his phone without the wolf knowing to send a text.

 Stiles: Random question. If a wolf ran into a random girl and then suddenly felt like they’d known each other forever and felt protective of her, what would that mean exactly?

 Derek: Are you talking about Scott?

 Stiles: Maybe. What does it mean? He said he was gonna ask you in our free period next but I can’t wait that long.

 Derek: You’re going to have to, if it is what I think it is, we’re gonna need to do a little test.

 Stiles: Test? Ugh, already regretting texting you, Sourwolf.

 Derek: Don’t call me that. You know what this girl looks like?

 Stiles: Yes.

 Derek: See if you can get Scott to meet up with her after class. I’ll be there by then. It shouldn’t take long to see it.

 Stiles: See what?

 Derek: Later.

 Stiles huffed in frustration and shoved his phone into his pocket, biting his lip and discretely leaning over to talk to his best friend.

 ‘Hey, I just talked to Derek. He’s not gonna make it until half way through the free period.’ Stiles lied, grateful Scott was distracted enough to not pay attention to his heartbeat.

 ‘That’s cool.’ Scott tried to act casual, but his wolf was already howling in victory. He could see her, if she had a free period that is.

 Stiles rolled his eyes, easily seeing through the wolf’s façade, but he didn’t call him out on it. Whatever Derek needed to see to determine if his theory was correct was dependant on them being together. Scott forced himself to focus on the rest of the class, knowing that it would make the time go by faster, and sure enough it did. By the time the bell rang he threw out a quick ‘bye’ to Stiles before racing to the door. He didn’t notice Derek lingering at the end of the corridor, his gaze trained on him as he headed in the direction he could smell Janelle’s scent coming from. He saw her walking towards him and with a small smile he stepped into the empty chemistry lab and grabbed her when she walked past. Janelle released a small squeal of surprise and felt her panic fade when she registered who had pulled her into a classroom.

 ‘You scared me.’ She laughed, slapping his shoulder lightly.

 Neither of them noticed Derek standing with Stiles outside the closed door, watching them interact. Stiles was actually watching Derek watch them, looking for any indications to what he was thinking.

 ‘How was math?’ Scott asked, his hands settling comfortably on her waist while hers wound around his neck, ‘did it come with the promised headache?’

 ‘Of course it did.’ She said honestly; her head was throbbing a little, ‘but it’s nothing a little Advil won’t take care of.’

 Scott frowned in concern when he noticed that she was squinting a little, clearly she was in more pain than she was letting on. Without thinking about it, he leaned forward and captured her lips in a tender kiss. Stiles and Derek watched as the veins on his face turned black for a moment before disappearing as he took her pain. When there was no trace of her headache left, Scott nipped at her lip, silently asking for permission to deepen the kiss that she happily gave to him by allowing his tongue to enter her mouth. Stiles returned to watching Derek’s reaction, not feeling comfortable seeing his best friend being so intimate with a girl.

 Scott’s hands lowered from her waist and reached down to lift her from the ground and wind her legs around his waist. He growled a little from the friction generated between their bodies as he walked over to a table and gently deposited her onto it. As soon as she hit the countertop, his mouth broke free from hers and he gently brushed away the hair covering her neck, baring the mark for him—and Derek—to see. Scott growled again, a possessive urge flaring up inside him at the sight of his mark on her neck. He felt his eyes glow golden as he leaned forward and permitted his human teeth to bite over it before he allowing his tongue to soothe the sting. Janelle gasped in pleasure, her own hands finding where she had pierced Scott the night before without her knowledge. When she found it, her nails lightly dug into the flesh through the wolf’s t-shirt, making Scott groan from the jolt of electricity that travelled through him.

 Derek had seen enough, and he knew without a doubt what was going on between Scott and the girl. Satisfied with his findings, he pushed away from the door, Stiles following behind him once his mind had registered that he had moved.

 ‘I take it you found what you were looking for?’ Stiles said, a little out of breath when he finally managed to catch up to him.

 ‘Yes, I did. Call Scott. Tell him to meet us in the English classroom.’ Derek ordered, not even glancing back to see if he was listening; the sound of his fingers tapping on his phone assured him he was.

 It was ten minutes later when Scott finally managed to find the will to pull himself away from the intoxicating blonde to join Derek, Lydia, Allison and Stiles in the English classroom.

 ‘Hey, sorry I’m…’ he trailed off when he noticed the perplexed expressions on everyone’s face, ‘what’s wrong? Is it Erica and Boyd?’

 ‘No. We haven’t found them yet.’ Derek released a weary sigh at the reminder of his missing pack mates, ‘Stiles mentioned you met someone that you’ve suddenly become very close to.’

 Allison looked down to the ground at the reminder while Scott rubbed the back of his neck, not knowing how to explain it.

 ‘I know it sounds insane, but…’ he trailed off when he noticed Allison’s sad expression.

 Derek noticed his gaze and rolled his eyes a little, but didn’t say anything. The huntress noticed that the room had gone silent and looked up, offering Scott a shaky smile.

 ‘It’s fine. We already showed Derek the bruise so we’ll leave.’ Allison stood from the desk and headed towards the door with Lydia following behind her, shooting Scott a supportive smile.

 ‘That wasn’t awkward at all,’ Stiles muttered sarcastically from his place on one of the desks.

 ‘You were saying?’ Derek ignored the human and cocked his brow at Scott.

 ‘I met her yesterday at a party and it feels like I’ve known her forever and when I’m with her, the wolf inside of me is screaming at me to protect her and keep her safe.’ Scott said all at once, barely pausing for breath, ‘I know it sounds insane, when I say it out loud I know how it sounds, but I just can’t explain how I feel whenever I’m with her.’

 ‘You don’t have to. What you’re feeling is completely normal, and so it how fast you’re moving with her.’ Derek assured him, smiling softly when he saw the younger wolf’s relief, ‘the need to be around her, to protect her, the way you feel like you’ve always known her can all be explained with two words. You’re mates.’

 ‘W-what?’ Scott frowned, not following.

 ‘You’re mates. Basically you’re meant for each other. That’s why you feel so comfortable around her, it’s because she’s meant to be with you, Scott. That’s also why you felt the uncontrollable urge to mark her yesterday.’ Derek gave him a pointed look that made Scott blush a little.

 ‘How did you know about that?’ He asked.

 ‘I saw it on her neck when you two where making out in the chemistry lab.’ Derek told him honestly, ‘and I’m willing to bet that she marked you somewhere too.’

 ‘She couldn’t have. I will have healed.’ Scott shook his head but Derek didn’t pay him any attention and spun him around to lift his shirt up and reveal the skin he had seen Janelle sinking her nails into.

 ‘Woah.’ Stiles said, surprised.

 ‘What?’ Scott asked, sounding a little panicked.

 ‘She dug her nails in real deep, huh?’ Stiles muttered, pulling on Derek’s arm to get him to release his friend’s shirt.

 ‘Yeah—wait it hasn’t healed?!’ Scott’s shoulder slipped back down his frame and he turned to face the other two in the room.

 ‘It won’t have. Mates mark each other. It’s how they let everyone else know they are taken.’ Derek said evenly.

 ‘What else is there? Anything I should know?’ Scott sounded stressed and overwhelmed by the information.

 ‘You’re going to be incredibly protective of her; it’s your animal instinct that will always demand that you keep her safe and protected. Until you learn to control it you’ll be in danger of shifting at miniscule things, like if someone accidentally bumps into her in the corridor. Which is why it’s better if you tell her what you are sooner rather than later.’ Derek told him solemnly; he had heard plenty of stories about finding your mate and the close calls his mom had around his dad when she had put off telling him what she was.

 ‘You mean tell her I’m a werewolf?’ Scott asked numbly.

 ‘Yes.’ Derek didn’t bother to hide the impatience from his voice.

 ‘But—she’ll think I’m crazy, or she’ll be terrified of me.’ The younger wolf said in a panicked voice.

 ‘Scott, try to remember this girl was literally made for you, just like you were made for her. Even if she has trouble accepting it at first, she will come around because she’ll have just as much trouble being apart from you as you do being away from her.’ Derek told him gently; he could sense his genuine panic and so figured he could use the reassurance.

 ‘So I just… tell her.’ Scott nodded, almost trying to convince himself.

 ‘We can be there with you if you want?’ Stiles offered, clapping Scott on the back, ‘it will probably be better if we were, actually. To make sure you stay focused.’

 ‘He’s right.’ Derek agreed, ‘in the beginning a lot of your relationship will be physical, and that won’t really go away.’

 ‘Something tells me he’s not gonna complain about that.’ Stiles said dryly, holding his hands up in surrender when his best friend glared at him.

 ‘I’ll talk to her. After school.’ Scott said, his voice sounding stronger than he felt. But his mind was made up. He had to tell her, not just because they were mates, but because it looked like things in Beacon Hills were about to get freaky again and she needed to know what dangers were around. It was that protective urge in him that made his resolve settle.

 If only the fear of how she would react would just disappear.

 ‘Bring her back to your house and we’ll meet you there?’ Stiles asked, slapping his best friend’s shoulder.

 ‘No. I’ll tell her by myself. This is going to be hard enough for her to believe without strangers being crowded around her.’ The younger wolf sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

 ‘You heard Derek, it’ll be fine.’ Stiles assured him.

 ‘I hope so.’ The golden-eyed wolf murmured, surprised at the ball of dread that was forming in his stomach in that moment.

 Janelle was surprised at how quickly the school day passed by. She had a few more classes with Scott, and while he was close and intimate with her, she could tell there was something on his mind. Something was bothering him; she could almost feel the ball of dread in his gut as if it were her own. She was planning on asking him about it after school, provided he wanted to hang out after. The blonde was having a hard time reminding herself that she and Scott weren’t technically “official” and she needed to stop acting like they were, she didn’t want to be presumptuous.

 Biology was the final class of the day, and Janelle had been lucky enough to get a seat next to Scott, making them lab partners for the rest of the year. She didn’t have a problem with that in the slightest. The lesson passed quickly for it was Janelle’s favourite subject and in between writing notes, she and Scott held hands underneath the table, her thumb rubbing back and forth comfortingly across his knuckles, trying to ease some of the tension she could practically see coming off him in waves. When the class was eventually dismissed, Janelle and Scott were the only two not to rush out of the room, they took their time packing away their things and the blonde patiently waited for him to speak; she could sense he wanted to say something.

 ‘Do you wanna come to my house? To study I mean, and I think we should talk too. About us.’ He murmured, taking her hand again as they both strolled from the class.

 ‘I’d like that. Could you give me a ride?’ she asked, butterflies forming in her stomach over the way he said “us”. Realistically she knew it could go two ways. Either he was going to tell her he liked her and he wanted to give them a real shot… or he was going to say that us hooking up at the party was just that—a hook up and nothing more. Janelle was hoping for the former.

 ‘Sure.’ He gave a cheeky grin that made her smile in return until she saw what he had led her to. A motorbike. She had never ridden on one of them before and he must have noticed the hesitancy in her expression because his hand came up to caress the side of her face.

 ‘You’ll be fine. I won’t let anything happen to you.’ He said gently, but the promise behind his words made her fear evaporate and she nodded, climbing on behind him after clipping her helmet in place. When she wrapped her arms and legs around him she found herself thinking that it was a form of transportation she could easily get used to.

 The ride was quick and not at all scary, Janelle realised that as long as it was Scott she was with, she wouldn’t feel anything but safe and protected. It was a realisation that both comforted her and confused her. But she pushed those feelings to the backburner when she noticed how tense Scott had become while leading her into his house.

 She didn’t know it, but he was terrified, and that in itself was baffling. Derek had told him that they were mates, which explained the instant attraction and attachment to the intoxicating blonde, but it was still incredible how scared he was of losing her after knowing her for less than a week.  

 ‘Scott?’ Janelle’s voice bought him out of his inner turmoil and when she bought her hand up to caress the side of his face, he didn’t fight the urge to lean into her touch and sighed, feeling the stress leave him.

 ‘I’m sorry, I’m acting weird, there’s something I need to tell you about me. Something that might scare you and freak you out but I just want you to know that I would never hurt you and I care about you, Janelle.’ She was blown away by the emotion and sincerity in his chocolate brown orbs.

 ‘Nothing is going to scare me away, Scott.’ Janelle assured him, she couldn’t explain it but something inside of her told her that Scott was constant. He was always going to be there.

 ‘We should sit.’ He murmured, leading her to the living room and sitting her on the sofa, taking a seat on the coffee table in front of her.

 He was quiet for a while, and the green-eyed girl was about to urge him to speak when he looked up and told her his secret. He told her everything. How he became a wolf, how they had stopped the Kanima, how his relationship with Allison had failed because she was a hunter and they were too different, how Lydia had acted strange after being bitten by Peter, how Derek was now the alpha, how he had created betas, how two of them were missing, how there was an alpha pack that they were pretty sure had Boyd and Erica, how Derek had told Scott this morning that he and her were mates. When he had gotten it all out he took a deep breath and held it, preparing himself for the inevitable reaction of her leaving and never wanting to speak to him again. But when she didn’t move, he glanced up and saw that she didn’t look scared and didn’t seem to think he was crazy. She looked overwhelmed and shocked, but the lack of fear encouraged Scott. He kept quiet, wanting her to speak when she was ready.

 ‘You’re a wolf and we’re mates?’ was the first thing she asked.

 ‘Yeah, I didn’t even know mates existed until Derek told me earlier. Stiles texted him about how odd I was acting around you and apparently he saw us together earlier at the school. He noticed that I’d marked you, and that you’d marked me. It’s something mates do to show others that they’re taken.’ Scott said, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

 She went quiet again, not knowing what to say, mainly because she was surprised at her lack of upset. For some reason, when Scott had told her about them being mates, something inside of her settled as if she could relax now that she had found the one she was meant to be with. She bit her lip and glanced up when she heard Scott sigh, the sound was almost defeated and she felt guilty then when she realised how her silence must have looked to him. Janelle reached out, taking his hand in hers and offering him a comforting smile when his head snapped up to meet her gaze. Before he could say anything she leaned forward and bought her lips to his in a tender kiss. She needed him to know that this information hadn’t changed how she felt about him, if anything it had enhanced it. Now she didn’t feel stupid for having such strong feelings for him despite only knowing him for less than a week. She felt reassured over her own feelings and that he felt the same way as well. They were meant to be.

 He pulled back from the kiss first, his eyes searching hers for something.

 ‘This doesn’t change how I feel about you, Scott. I was a little overwhelmed with everything but…’ she bit her lip, wondering if he would agree with how she felt, ‘knowing that we’re literally meant to be makes me feel less crazy for how deep my feelings for you are already.’

 ‘I know what you mean.’ He said gently, his thumb rubbing across her cheek comfortingly.

 ‘It’s a lot to process, but I feel settled at the same time.’ Her hands ran through his hair and when he leaned into her touch, her lips tilted into a smile.

 ‘Me too. I feel… complete.’ He admitted, winding his arms around her waist and lifting her so that she was now straddling his lap on the sofa. Neither could remember him moving to join her on the furniture, but they didn’t question it.

 ‘I couldn’t have said it any better myself.’ She bit her lip, her forehead resting against his for a moment before she captured his lips in a smouldering kiss that allowed them both to feel the infatuation, tenderness and love they both felt for each other.

 In that moment, both felt completely settled and content with where their relationship stood. They were going to spend the rest of their lives together, and despite the dangers that were once again arising in Beacon Hills, the terror was minimalized by the fact that they knew they wouldn’t have to face anything alone.

 I hope you enjoyed this one shot! I really needed a Scott McCall mate fan fiction in my life.

 Hope you all had a nice Christmas, and that you have a great New Year!

 -VampireGirl1797

[jeongyunhoed]

Just One Afternoon

Wooyoung/OC

I felt the “Just One” oneshots needed a third for some reason. Anyway, if you enjoyed Just One Night and Just One Day, here’s the third and last part set two more years later. As per usual, this is one looooooong conversation. Enjoy. 

Wooyoung was standing in front of a full-length mirror, checking and double-checking his tuxedo in case there were creases that needed to be smoothed out. There he was, in a swanky waiting area in a hotel, the rest of his things in the corner, all ready for him to pick up once he left the place. He noticed some bits of confetti and rice still in his hair and he smiled to himself as he patted it out, the grains and the tiny pieces of paper falling off and onto the carpeted floor, reminding him once again of the biggest moment in his life that only occurred a few hours ago. The reminder of that moment made him look down on the gold band that was on his ring finger of his left hand. 

After 4 years of dating and several months of getting engaged, Wooyoung and Jea got married. It was a very small ceremony, only filled with the people they held dear: Immediate family and their closest friends. Some tears of happiness were shed as the two of them said their vows, promising to stick together through thick and thin, no matter how many fights they’ve had (and they’ve had a lot), and no matter what kind of challenges await them. Everyone else were also left teary-eyed at their vows, but swooned at the giggly kisses they shared once they were declared husband and wife. 

“Are you ready?” He called out to her. 

“Yes!” Jea appeared, in a shorter version of her dress this time with the bits of her wedding gown carefully stored back into the box it came in. “Are you ready?” 

“Yeah, the party’s over, everyone’s headed for home, but we’re staying here, aren’t we?” Wooyoung was beaming as he approached her. 

Jea was smiling just as wide. “Yeah,” She wrapped her arms around him. “It’s just us left, but I don’t feel like going upstairs yet” 

“Why not?” He kissed her cheek. 

“I don’t know, I guess I just want to savor being down here, somehow I have this feeling that once we step out of his ballroom, it’ll all be different again,” She shrugged. 

“It’s a good kind of different” He pressed his lips onto her forehead. “There’s also the honeymoon, and the rest of this weekend to ourselves” He mumbled against her skin. “Not leaving the suite until we need to check out?” She could feel him smirk. 

“Or maybe walk along the poolside and just spend time together, like how we always do? Or whenever you get back from work at the studio?” Jea suggested, leaning up to kiss him. Wooyoung ultimately decided to leave his crew and teach dance at the studio they frequented instead. He had his worries about whether or not he would enjoy it, but he was pleasantly surprised after the first few days, realizing how he felt the same happiness being able to teach other people and kids as when he was dancing with his crew, and dare he even admit it, maybe even happier. It might have been because he knew he got to come home to Jea everyday, or getting to dance for hours without having to leave or even push himself further to worsen his injury. 

“That too, you want to go for a walk? We should have the bellhop bring our bags upstairs” He said, and she nodded, the two of them linked together as they left the room. 

~ 

“Was I a nightmare for a bride-to-be?” Jea suddenly asked him as they were by the pool that afternoon. The orange and yellow glow from the sun in the horizon cast an orange tint over the place “I wasn’t, right? Or was I?” 

“You were a nightmare because you didn’t like the wedding topper I picked out” Wooyoung teased. “And you made me cancel a few classes because of wine tastings and food and the cake, and I usually enjoy all of those!” He chuckled. 

“The wedding topper you picked had the bride and groom dancing, when they could’ve just stood still, it’s more timeless that way” Jea argued, laughing as well upon remembering. “Don’t you want our kids to have that topper when they get married?” 

“Of course I would, but that makes it a fun wedding cake topper, if they just stood still, it’s too ordinary” Wooyoung squeezed her hand as they sat down on the chairs. 

“Your mom talked to me before the wedding,” Jea smiled. “She wished me good luck because I now have to deal with you forever” 

Wooyoung laughed out loud. “She did? Ah, my mom, she’s the best.” 

“Your dad said the same thing to me as well” Jea added with a laugh. 

It made him laugh even more. “Ah, my parents are the best. Remember how nervous you were when I finally brought you to them? You were dreading having to meet them but then when we all met, I didn’t want to say I told you so, but I told you so” Wooyoung teased. “I mean, I guess it’s because my older brother already got married that they’re a lot more relaxed when it comes to me and my younger brother.” 

“You were just as fidgety when I had to introduce you to my parents!” Jea playfully slapped his arm. “You had this awkward smile that I can’t believe I saw” She shook her head. “They wondered if you were okay or if you liked the food or if you were just trying to be nice” She laughed. 

“Your dad is a good cook! I really liked the food! As long as it’s edible, it’s good enough for me” Wooyoung tried to poke her side in an attempt to tickle her. “Now I know where you got your looks from, though” A grin spread across his face. 

“I hope you mean that as a good thing” Jea raised a brow at him, making him chuckle and try to poke her side again. 

“Of course I meant it in a good way, didn’t I tell you that you’ll always be the pretty girl I met on the train? Did you not listen to my vows earlier?” He teased, pretending to be hurt. 

“Of course I heard you! It wasn’t like I was crying because I got hungry or something” Jea gave him a look, shaking her head. Her expression softened, and she took a moment to study his face again, from the mole under his eye, to the crinkles in his eyes when he smiled or laughed, and the way his lips curved whenever he smiled. It was a face she always looked forward to seeing every morning, afternoon, and night. She looked down at their hands and the rings on their fingers, promising that they would be together forever, with that promise made permanent. “I love you” She said softly. 

Wooyoung felt the same way when he looked back at her. “I love you too. Let’s go to the cafe, some coffee would be nice” He said, tugging on her arm as he stood up. 

~ 

Some of the servers and staff inside the hotel cafe looked at them fondly as they stepped inside the plush interior, sitting down at a corner seat. They didn’t care where they were seated, yet the staff pointed them towards the plush couch near the window that had a view of the city. The server for one, asked them if they got married and they said yes, and they offered to let them look through a selection of wine or liquor that went perfectly with the cake they were having. 

“Do you think we’ll become those annoying couples that get lovey-dovey even if we’re with friends?” Jea suddenly asked, putting the menu down. 

“We kind of are, but we haven’t been out with friends that much anyway, at least out with friends together” Wooyoung replied. “Do you think we’ll be like that?” 

“I have a feeling we will,” Jea teased. “But I guess its a good thing we haven’t gone out with friends together. I wouldn’t want to annoy people, and I already annoy you.” 

He chuckled. “Yeah, and I better be the only one who gets annoyed with you” He teased back. 

“That’s an odd threat, Mr. Jung” She grinned. 

“It’s a mutual threat, Mrs. Jung. We better be the only people that annoy each other.” 

“Deal,” Jea held out her hand and he shook it, sticking his pinky out next, which she linked with hers. She watched him look back at the menu for the dessert he wanted to try. “I’ve always wanted to travel around a faraway place by train.” 

“No you don’t, you just want to solve a murder that happens on that train” Wooyoung teased. 

“That too. Plot twist, everyone did it, they all hated him, they all had a grudge against him somehow” Jea chuckled. 

“You’d be a suspect too” He put down the menu and reached out for her hand to hold, lacing their fingers together. 

“I wouldn’t, I’d be the one solving the murder,” She shook her head. 

“You’d be a suspect of stealing my heart, that is” He winked, making her cringe. “You’d be the detective solving the murder, while I’m your charming, handsome, and ridiculously hot husband who’s helping you by trying to blend in and observe everyone else while you’re asking questions” 

Jea snorted. “I don’t know, but would everyone on that train think you’re ridiculously hot, though?” She teased. 

“Of course they would! Why wouldn’t they when I look like this?” He pushed his hair back and tried to do a sexy pose. Jea nearly cackled in her seat. 

“Your confidence is something else, but I love you for it” She grinned, sitting back when the server returned with their drinks and her dessert, a creme brulee. Jea handed him another spoon. “Crack the sugar with me.”

A giggle escaped his lips as he took the other spoon, the two of them cracking into the caramelized dessert and dipping their spoons into the custard underneath. 

~ 

Night had fallen, and they paid and left the cafe, walking down the hall and to the direction of the elevators. “Will you be able to put up with me for years to come?” Wooyoung asked. 

“Mhmm” Jea nodded. 

“Even if I get carried away while playing games?” He grinned. 

“Yeah, even then, even if I have to put on earplugs whenever I’m asleep and you’re yelling at your computer monitor” Jea squeezed his hand. 

“Good. Just trying to make sure” He teased as they stopped and pressed the elevator button. 

“Will you be able to put up with me for years to come? Even if I get cranky in the morning and all of those things you get annoyed at me for?” Jea turned the question back to him. 

Wooyoung turned to her with the biggest smile on his face and kissed her. “I look forward to it.” 

[dangerously-human]

So today was my first experience grocery shopping since this all went down - I mean, I kinda halfheartedly did a final sweep at Target right before we instituted indefinite WFH protocol at my job a month ago, to pick up the last couple things I was missing, and shelves were sparse and all, but not too atrocious. Anyway, yeah - I think I missed the worst of the panic buying, at least. The grocery store was a dead zone, practically, and listen, that’s coming from someone who often shops on a Friday night when normal folk are out doing fun stuff, because what else do I have going on, right? The real holdup was the line for the alcohol register, and when I finally made it to the front, the lady told me I had to put something back, because between a sixpack and a variety pack of whatever nonsense, I was over the limit. Because PA has THE DUMBEST liquor laws (seriously, the only state stricter is Utah). I told my mom later just to laugh about it, because honestly, me getting the look of disapproval for my alcohol purchases is hysterical (my drinking “a lot more” during quarantine is like, maybe 5 or 6 beers or ciders in a week compared to 1-2 every other week before, and even that’s new in the last two years, I used to drink maybe once a year!); and she morosely said that’s one thing she is dreading about returning to PA from wine country in California, not being able to just grab a bottle at CVS or the gas station or whatever. It felt so wrong to my PA-born-and-raised self when my sister asked me to get her some hard cider when I went to pick up my prescription at Rite Aid on vacation, and it’s so weird to think there are people who don’t have to think through a dozen stupidly strict bits of legislation just to pick up a beverage...

[jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels]

Don’t you hear my call though you’re many years away - Chapter 5

A/N: Get ready to spend some time with John! This is all types up on my phone, please forgive any grammatical or punctuation errors. No clue or the word count.

Warnings: minor angst, mentions of drinking, slow burn.

I was amazed I slept at all that night, but I did, and I slept well. I woke around 8 the next morning. Smiling. I popped out of bed to start getting ready for my morning with John, and the afternoon with the band. Excitement was better than caffeine any day.

I took my time getting ready, I even curled my hair at the ends, but still parting it down the center, as that seemed to be the style.

I was applying my perfume when there was a soft knock at the door. It was a little before 10, I knew it was John, but I couldn’t seem too eager.

I pressed my ear to the door and asked “who is it?”

I heard a chuckle and he replied “it’s John Deacon.”

When I opened the door, he was beaming at me, his eyes crinkling.

“Hi” I sighed at the sight of him, still shocked that John Deacon was at my door, “good morning.”

“Good morning, sorry I’m early” he said as he shoved his hands in his back pockets.

“That’s alright, I’m almost ready. Come in”, I said taking a step back.

As he passed the threshold into the room and closer to me, I put my hand on his chest, stopping him. He looked me in the eye, with a soft smile painted on his face. I leaned in, and he met me half way. The kiss was sweet and gentle, much like his hand on my cheek.

I pulled back slightly and said “now it’s a great morning.”

His smile grew as I moved my hand from his chest and he made his way into the room.

I shut the door and as I turn around I was stopped in my tracks when I found him sitting on the foot of the unmade bed, leaning back on his hands. Heat scorched through my body, aching to be pressed against him. I could tell John was having similar thoughts as he raked his eyes over me and bit his lower lip.

I let out a shaky breath as I made my way across the room and past him to a window where I’d placed my earrings on the sill. I was trembling slightly as I leaned over picked them up.

“So what’s the plan for this morning?” I asked turning around, catching him checking me out from behind. I guess there was something to these short shorts.

His cheeks turned red, as he stumbled over his words, “oh, uh...well, um whatever you wanted.”

“I was thinking maybe you could show me around the area today, so I can get familiar with it, then possibly over the course of the month I’m here, maybe you could show me other places? Buckingham, Trafalgar, ya know, the major points of interest...” I suggested. Maybe I was pushing things.

“Sure” he said “I aim to please.”

I looked up at him from putting my shoes on.

“Is that right?” I asked. He nodded, keeping a wicked smile plastered on his face.

I sauntered towards him, his eyes following my every move. Once I was in front of him, I leaned down and put a hand on each of his legs, giving them a gentle squeeze as I moved my lips to his, keeping just a breath apart. He tried to kiss me, but I moved back, earning me a raised brow from him. I hovered my lips over his again as I whispered, “I think I’m going to enjoy having you as my guide.” I brushed a kissed against the side of his mouth, stood up and turned on my heels.

Once I was at the door, I looked back at him over my shoulder to find him rubbing his palms up and down this thighs.

“Ready?” I asked cheerfully.

“Uh...yeah, sure” he said as he stood up.

I held my hand out as he walked up to me, he took it without hesitation.

**

Our morning started out with a stop at a small bakery he suggested because of their chocolate croissants, and was he right. They were delicious, I’d have to be careful, I could eat them every morning.

We stayed in the area, John telling me some history he knew, places that had been rebuilt after the war, and others still showing the scars of bombings on their facade. I could listen to him talk all day. He could read me the ingredients list off a box of cereal and I’d be enthralled.

He showed me his favorite record store, where we browsed around a bit, and he asked me about my record collection. I panicked seeing as I didn’t even have a CD collection any more, but luckily I grew up with parents who loved their records, I was able to list a few of my favorites off the top of my head,

“I like Ray Charles, The Beatles, The Temptations, The Beach Boys. I tend to listen to a little of everything I guess.”

He told me about bands he liked, and records he was looking forward to buying. His taste leaned towards Motown but he said the Beatles were one of his favorite bands, and mentioned that he really enjoyed Elton John’s “Your Song”.

Scanning the records, I found a 45 of “La Vie En Rose” by Louis Armstrong. I picked it up and showed John.

“I love this song! I have it as my...” I caught myself, I was about to say ringtone but that wouldn’t make any sense to him.

John looked at me, his brow peaked, questioningly.

“You have it as what?” He asked.

“I’m not sure what I was trying to say,” I laughed nervously “I just meant it’s one of my all time favorite songs.”

He’s caught my slip up, but didn’t seem too concerned with it as he spoke.

“Not sure I know that song, but I do know Louis Armstrong.” He said.

“La Vie En Rose” I said “it was in one of my favorite movies, ‘Sabrina’.”

“Not familiar with that one” he replied with a small shake of his head.

“You’ll have to watch it some day,” I said, and held up the 45 “and you’ll have to listen to this!”

“Promise” he said with a sweet smile.

As we left the record store he talked to me about school, and explained what he was studying. Most of which went over my head. He also told me he would be sitting some tests in the near future.

“I know you’ll do well” I said.

“You think so?” He asked.

“Of course. I just know it.” I said encouragingly.

Eventually we made our way back to Kensington Market, and walked all 3 floors. He even showed me where Roger and Freddie had a stall, even though they weren’t there that day. I could see why it was such a popular place, but he said he tended to avoid it because it was always so crowded.

As we left the market he asked if I was hungry.

“I could eat” I replied.

We walked to a small shop, where we bought a couple of sandwiches and sodas, since John suggested we have a picnic in a near by park. The same park I traveled to. The one I’d be traveling from. I made sure we were no where near that area as we sat in the soft grass. I had an irrational fear that I’d be sent back before getting to know him better.

“Tell me about your family” he said, as we sat in the shade.

“Well, I’m the youngest. My older brother, he’s 10 years older than me, he manages a book store, he’s not married, but I’d love for his current girlfriend to become my sister in law. My Dad works for a telephone company, he’s made his way to management over the years, and my mom is a housewife.” I replied, keeping with the story my friends and I had developed. My brother actually managed an electronics store, and my mom was a compliance officer at a bank.

I continued, this time with the truth, “I have a large extended family. There’s so many of use that family gatherings look more like block parties. But we’re all very close despite the sheer number of us.”

“What about school, what do you want to teach?” He asked, picking at a few blades grass.

“I hope to teach art, I love art.” Not a complete lie, I did love art, which is why I was majoring in digital art, my Dad and his mother both did their share of painting, where I leaned more toward photography and graphic design.

“Maybe we could visit a few of the museums while you’re here then” he suggested.

“I’d love that” I replied sincerely.

“What happens if your family should run into your ex, while you’re here I mean?” He asked, out of left field.

“Oh, well they won’t. He doesn’t live in my hometown, we met in college, so it’s unlikely they’ll see him. But if they did, what could they do? I’m already here.” I said with a laugh.

He seemed satisfied with that answer when I asked him to tell me about his family. Not thinking it might be a sensitive subject until he cast his eyes down.

He told me about his parents and sister, and how he lost his father at a young age. He shared his favorite memories of him with me. As he spoke I took his hand in mine. I could see why people labeled him as fragile in the future. But he wasn’t. He was sensitive, but that didn’t make him weak, he just felt everything deeply. The loss of his father affected him tremendously. As would Freddie’s. At that moment I didn’t give a passing thought to what my leaving would mean, but I didn’t know yet where our relationship was heading.

“Hey” I said softly, changing the subject “do you think we could make a stop so I could buy some beer? Just as my way of saying thank you again to you and your friends?”

“Sure, we can stop at the off license on the way to the flat.” He replied.

“The what? And what flat? I thought you had practice tonight.” I said.

He laughed. We’d been playing this ‘game’ all day. I didn’t know a biscuit was a cookie, or that bin was trash can, now I didn’t now what an off license was.

“An off license” he said, smiling as his eyes crinkling “is where you buy beer, wine and such outside a pub.”

“Oh you mean a liquor store?” I asked.

“If that’s what Americans call them, then yes.” He laughed and continued “and a flat is an apartment.”

“I knew that one!” I defended myself, playfully pushing him.

He took that moment to lean over and kiss me, and catching me off guard, we toppled over in the grass. I started laughing instantly while John looked embarrassed for a moment but joined in my laughter.

“You have a beautiful smile” he said.

“Yours isn’t so bad either” I replied coyly.

He leaned down, meeting my lips with his to finish the kiss we had fumbled. He lowered his body so it pressed against mine, causing me to moan into his mouth.

He broke the kiss far too quickly, making me whimper.

“As much as I’d like to continue this,” he said in a husky voice “I’d rather not be arrested for being ‘indecent’ in a public park.”

I doubt we looked indecent, we probably looked more like a tangled heap of arms, legs and hair, as mine was splayed behind my head, and his curtained our faces.

I huffed and said “damn rules and laws.”

He pushed himself off me, stood and offered me his hand.

**

As we walked to his shared flat from the off license, he suggested I was trying to bribe his friends since I had bought beer, wine and whiskey. He may not have been wrong.

“How do manage to practice here with out your neighbors complaining?” I asked as we approached the stairs.

“They’re mostly our age, so they don’t complain much. But we’re not plugging in tonight. And fair warning, be prepared for bickering.” He said as he opened the door.

I couldn’t wait.

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