#you’re telling me mister I already knew this plus I have not seen an attractive guy possibly in my life so

[kavehater]

And after all that I’m ungrateful for wanting to be treated normally and I should be happy my life isn’t as hard as others

[allandoflimbo]

Ashens (Part 5)

Summary: She falls in love with Bucky Barnes from the moment she sees him. Bucky, still in love with a woman from his past, hates Y/N and plans to make her life miserable. To both their dismay, they are assigned together to go undercover into The Capitol for six months. There, they develop a heartbreaking friend with benefits agreement. Dystopian.

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Chapter Word Count: 5458

Rating: M for Mature, E for explicit. Enemies to lovers trope, sharing a bed trope, friends with benefits trope, temporarily unrequited love, heavy angry sex, heavy on the angst, and very strong language.

Full Masterpage | Part 4

After you had made the mistake of outing to Captain Rogers about your plans to avenge your parents, he had wandered off somewhere, leaving you behind and alone with your thoughts.

You weren’t too sure if he was upset with you or if he sided with you.

It was really difficult to tell.

For all you knew, he could be preparing an arrest for you.

The longer you stayed in this clean tent, the more you started to suspect if this was some kind of new avengers compound. It was obvious this wasn’t a normal place looking for refugees, because there would be a lot more people.

But again, you knew so little. The only thing you were certain of is that you would milk your stay there as long as you could before continuing your trip back south. Not even the earth’s mightiest heroes would stop you. You would stay until your wounds healed and until you had enough strength.

You wished they hadn’t taken your pack away from you, but they had told you that it wasn’t of need.

That anything you needed they could provide you with.

You wanted your compass, the one Will had given you, and you wanted your damn spear.

It had only been a few hours since you arrived and you were already bored out of your mind.

As much as you wanted to wander around the camp and discover more of this mysterious place, you weren’t too sure if you were allowed that liberty. They hadn’t told you much of what you could and couldn’t do.

So you laid on your cot, playing with your bottle of antibiotics.

How had the Avengers manage to lose everything yet still keep certain things safe? You examined the opaque black bottle, noting that there was no writing on it anywhere. For all you knew, it could be some other kind of drug.

But they wouldn’t lie. They had nothing to gain from your death. Plus, you knew they weren’t infiltrated by Hydra like S.H.I.E.L.D once was. Hydra now only resided in The Capitol.

You’re twisting the bottle up and down and side to side when a motion from your peripheral makes you look up. Someone had entered the tent again.

Your eyes narrowed at the figure and your stomach lurched.

The man wore a black T-shirt, a leather jacket, jeans, and boots. If it weren’t for the silver sliver of metal as he rummaged through the medkit, you wouldn’t have known who this man was.

You always thought Bucky Barnes had longer hair.

This man didn’t look like the hot brainwashed assassin you had always seen on the news or in pictures. He looked younger, normal, dare you say; hot.

You felt a tight burning in your lower stomach as your eyes trailed down the bridge of his nose and along his perfect jawline; it was covered in a light layer of dark stubble.

You don’t know why you suddenly feel so attracted to him. You always harbored a small crush for The Avenger, almost every girl did, but it was always Steve that everyone wanted to kiss.

But now, after seeing both in person, you couldn’t fool your heart to not feel the way you were.

Bucky Barnes was exactly your type.

You felt your cheeks heat up and you forced yourself to look away from him. You tried your best to maintain your eyes on the bottle between your fingertips until the rummaging through the kit stopped.

When it did, you lift your eyes back up, thinking he had finally left so you could let the smile break out through your face.

Instead, you were met with piercing blue eyes.

Your eyes met for a long second. His face was blank and yours was surprised, but you knew you looked absolutely flushed. You felt it all over your body.

Thankfully, he quickly looked away again, and he seemed to have finally found what he was looking for.

He took it in his hand and turned the other way, walking out of the med tent.

Steve had stopped by later that night and handed you a pair of crutches and he asked you to follow him. Who were you to say no to Cap?

You followed him close behind as you walked through dead foliage and passed some of the fire pits. It was obvious most of the agents (you weren’t even sure if that’s what they were) had gone to bed, so the sound of cicadas and crackling fire echoed in the cool air.

You both must’ve passed about seven larger tents until you ended up in front of a large black one.

Steve opened the entrance for you, pulling it to the side so you could go in before him. You looked at him hesitantly before managing your way inside. You were careful to not trip as you entered the heated area.

You heard a commotion, a husky and deep voice.

“I don’t want to be tied to a fucking child, it’s a joke. I spent two years, two —” the voice stopped as the source of it looked up from Fury and to you.

Bucky Barnes.

You felt the tent swing close behind you with a soft breeze and he snarled, his eyes meeting Steve’s above your shoulder.

“Bucky,” Steve greets his best friend.

You felt the tension heavy in the air as you looked away from that heavy blue gaze.

Jesus.

You heard rummaging of papers and then the heavy waft of air that smelled way too good. You looked back up only to see that Barnes was now gone.

Your eyes met Fury’s and it was then you noticed the others in the room, too.

If only Will could see you now. You felt the heavy tears deep in your throat as you remembered him.

If only he had survived just a few more hours, he would’ve been right there with you.

It almost seemed like some weird dream, but it wasn’t.

You were, in fact, in a room with Steve Rogers, Nick Fury, Sam Wilson, Wanda, and Bruce Banner. You were mildly disappointed, wondering where the others were. You felt slightly selfish for it and then you felt that pang as you remembered Black Widow’s and Tony Stark’s sacrificial death for humanity.

This tent was definitely a lot fancier than the others you had seen. From the outside, it would be hard to tell, but this one even had a large table and some tech you hadn’t seen in years, or even at all.

Now, you knew your gut was right, this really was the new Avengers Compound. How have more people not walked upon it?

“Miss, Y/L/N,” Banner says, motioning towards the large table, “Please take a seat.”

You maneuver your way to a random seat near the end of the table and lay your crutches on the side of it. Everyone else takes their appropriate seats, except for Fury who continues to stand, his hands in the pockets of his long coat.

You weren’t intimidated. No.

“So you want to go into The Capitol,” Fury says, pacing around the room.

You cross your hands on the table in front of you.

“What happened to your hand?” Sam asks, eyeing your bandage.

You clear your throat, feeling interrogated.

“I cut it while spearing for some fish.” Your eyes dart back to Fury and you wonder how much you should tell him. You had a plan, you didn’t want it to be ruined. This was your fight to win, “Yes, I do.” You tell him quietly.

“You’re quite ambitious to think you can take on a hundred thousand Hydra operatives on your own. You do realize that wall is guarded by eight hundred tanks, six fire missiles, two nukes, and five thousand men?” Fury says it like it’s the most factual thing in the world. You swallow thickly, not actually knowing that. He leans on his arms in front of you, “And what were you planning to do when, or should I say if, you got inside? How far did you have this planned?”

You wouldn’t let him scare you. You were bigger than this interrogation. “Please, mister Fury,” it sounded weird, but you didn’t want to be rude, “I respect you, but I don’t want to be taunted for my lack of cowardice.” You slip in, flustered.

His one eye trembles.

“Tell me.”

You take a deep breath.

“My family wanted The Capitol to be a place where people could depend on for survival. Hydra knew about it for years and they had it planned for years to take over. They made sure of that when they had my parents killed, right in front of me. I know the man that did it, and for years, all I’ve wanted to do is take back what my parents wanted, however, that is, and by doing whatever it takes.”

He looks at you, bored.

“So you never had a solid plan?”

Your shoulder slump over, embarrassed.

“No.”

A heavy laugh leaves his mouth and the other avengers also look simultaneously unamused, and slightly bored.

Steve, on the other hand, looks a bit more upset and something else you couldn’t quite pinpoint.

“She knows what he looks like,” Steve says, strong and determined.

“That’s not enough, Steve.” Sam mumbles, pushing his chair away from the table, “She’s just a normal girl, she doesn’t have anything to offer us that could possibly hold a guarantee that she could take on an entire city dictated on Hydra. There is nothing concrete about this,” you try not to take any offense to Sam’s tone as it angers you, “She didn’t even have a plan. Her motives are reckless." This ticks you off.

“My motives are reckless? My parents were killed in front of me. That is my motive.” You snap, “I’m not some child, I know what I want to do. I want to kill him.”

Wilson gives you a hard look.

“I’m sorry to break it to you, but that’s called revenge. We don’t do that here. We can’t just run in there and start shooting people up.” Sam explains.

“I’m not trying to shoot people up, Mr. Falcon,” again, it feels weird, “I want him killed. Especially if that means the rest of that place falls down with him. You think I was just going to —” you curse yourself for giving away most of your plan, but damn it, “You think I was just going to barge in there, find him, and kill him? Of course not. I would take the information I needed first.” “And by doing what exactly? And for what?” Fury asks. He turns to Steve, “She has the drive, the determination, and she knows what he looks like, but she’s just a normal young girl. She’ll die in seconds of stepping foot in the place if she were to run into a bad face. She has no skill, she doesn’t know what she’s doing, she’s not an agent, she’s not superhuman.”

“Maybe that’s exactly what we need to win this,” Steve says as he stands up from next to you. You hear the heavy gravel under his chair as it scoots back/ His finger is down on the table as he continues, “she could be the mole, she could get the insight we need, she’d fit in perfectly because she’s not enhanced. I think you are looking at her lack of abilities as a disadvantaged when it could be the exact opposite. We have all the other extra accessories, everything else Bucky and I have been working on for the last few years, and the materials Tony left behind. We have the plan, she would just be the chess piece. We can train her just enough to where if she needs to use certain tactics, she will be prepared. It’s obvious she isn’t afraid.”

“Bucky’s plan —” Wanda starts, retaliating.

“—is a good plan,” Steve cuts her off, “I know he worked hard on it. But this, this is better. And she knows who he is. This is an advantage that we need.” Steve’s eyes go back to you as they soften, “we can train you. Bucky can train you,” his eyes go back to his teammates, “It’ll be them both. It’ll be a dual mission.”

Your heart falters at the mention of Bucky’s name again.

Everyone considers it, mumbling pros and cons among each other until finally, it’s settled.

They were going to discuss it farther and then Bucky would join to see if it’s a go.

For some reason, you had a feeling it wouldn’t go down smoothly. Steve’s expression only confirmed that.

They let you have your backpack back, which meant you could have your spear again. Its been two days since your talk with the team and you were starting to feel a bit excited.

It was like your fear of losing your fight for your parents was diminishing.

You had gotten close with Steve, which is something your old self never would’ve believed. He always seemed to seek you when you were alone or looked bored. It was his idea of building trust and communication with you. He was the one that handed you your backpack as you sat near the fire chewing on a piece of bread.

He sat next to you as he watched you sharpen your little weapon, amused.

You told him about Will that night and his face fell. You both started sharing stories.

He then started to tell you about how everyone here has lost someone that means a lot to them. You don’t know how it ended up in the general direction of relationships, but he let it slip that Bucky missed someone from his past, a woman.

This surprised you as your movements on your spear faltered.

He didn’t tell you much, just that her name was Daisy and she died when he had been drafted to England. Bucky was only twenty-three.

She was killed by Hydra. You asked him why he was telling you this and he smiled softly and told you that you should know that Bucky is also human.

You didn’t really get what that meant, but you nodded anyway.

“Look, Bucky’s tough. He’s got some issues when it comes to trust. He’s also got some inner demons. Very dark ones. He thinks he deserves less than this. He can be a bit brutal at times, but it’s his defense mechanism. I’m just saying this so you’re not afraid, but he’s a good man.”

“Okay.” Is all you can say to that.

You haven’t really met Bucky one and one yet, only sharing glances that made you feel things similar to what you felt in your teens.

A crush. You knew you were crushing hard the second you saw him. There was just something about him. The mention of Daisy made you a bit jealous, even if she was gone.

You also felt really bad for Bucky. It couldn’t be easy.

“I want you to do me a favor,” you look at Steve, intrigued, “when you both go over there, I want you to keep an eye on him for me. I want you to try your best to ease him into loving himself again,”

“I’m not a therapist, Mr. Rogers.”

“But you’re normal. He needs normalcy. Take it easy on him, be a friend. He’s been thinking about nothing but this mission for the last few years. When he’s there, I want him to think about the present. I need your help with that, too. Please.”

You give him a sympathetic look, his eyes are pleading and you feel for him.

“I’ll help you.”

Whatever that meant. Couldn’t be that hard, right?

Part of you wanted to help them, but part of you also wanted to still follow your own plan and tackle this whole thing on your own.

+ + +

That next morning the sun shined a little brighter over the camp. You had been left a note on the table next to your cot to meet the team in the same tent from the other day.

Days of the week didn’t exist anymore either.

There was no Monday, no Thursday, no Saturday. It was simply “day”.

You brushed your teeth (yep, they had it all) and before you knew it you were on your crutches, waddling your way over to the large tent.

There was loud talking before you even stepped foot inside, and you already knew this was going to be fun.

You took a deep breath and went inside.

Unlike last time, everyone was already sitting down. Their eyes shot up to you and their talking stopped abruptly.

Steve looked ecstatic to see you.

Bucky was sitting to his left, completely and totally unamused. Pissed, even.

“Sit here,” Wanda said with a small smile, motioning to the chair next to hers, directly in front of Bucky.

You gulped as his eyes trailed from you and to the chair.

You took your seat in front of him and tried to avoid contact, your cheeks already feeling hot just by his presence.

You smiled at everyone as a greeting and lastly, you decided to give Bucky one, too.

But he was turned away, his eyes looking down at the pen in his flesh hand.

Your smile fell, but you shook it off.

Steve said your name and began to speak, “We already briefed Bucky on the plan so we don’t need to repeat anything that was already said with you the other day.” He looked over at Bucky with a darting eye, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but there, “and he promised he would cooperate with the changes made to the mission,” you watched intently as Bucky aimed the point of his pen down on the table, “and agreed that we will go through with it.” The ballpoint of the pen snapped in half from the force of his hand and you flinched for a bit.

Steve’s face became stern as he watched his best friend.

“So we wanted to go over what exactly the plan is and then from there, we’ll start your training. You’ll train for two weeks, under my supervision and Buckys'. We’ll provide you your equipment and everything you will both need, then you will start your travel down south. That should be about three days. The mission itself when you get into The Capitol will take about six months.”

Jesus.

“Are you sure, we can’t stick to the original plan?” Bucky snapped, “Not that I’m not fucking ecstatic about spending half a year with a kid, who could possibly screw everything up.”

“Bucky —” Bruce’s tone was a warning.

“and what the hell is that on her neck?” He spat like venom.

Suddenly very self-aware, you brought your hand shakily up to the back of your neck, “It’s — a tattoo.” You stuttered out.

Bucky scoffed.

As your eyes met his, it was like the crush you felt towards him quickly changed.

You still felt undeniably attracted to him, but now you felt hurt at the fact that he obviously looked at you like you were scum under his feet. What did you even do to him?

You felt your real side begging to jump out of your mouth, the one that could show him how strong you actually are. You wanted to snap at him.

But some reason it was so hard, especially when he looked at you like that.

Like you were dirt. It hurt your feelings.

His eyes turned away from you and he looked up at Fury.

“Think about this.” He says to Nick.

“Take it up with Rogers, Barnes. This is how we’re doing this.”

Bucky practically seethed through his teeth.

“If she dies, that's on you,” Bucky spats, his voice strong, “If this mission is jeopardized, that’s on you. All of you.”

You try to keep your tears and dignity at bay, but it’s almost physically impossible when you start replaying the second you saw him for the first time and when your eyes met across the med tent in your head.

There was something there.

You couldn’t shake it, you weren’t crazy.

Among the rushing doubts and questions and different emotions swirling in your brain, two things were for certain:

One, you and Bucky would go undercover together for six months inside The Capitol. Alone.

And two, he couldn’t stand you.

                           + + +

Year: 1938

New York, NY

To an outsider, the way he went about it at times appeared shallow and womanizing. Although, to the contrary, he didn't want them for a night of lovemaking and then later throw them away like scrap.

It was rare that he would ever consider a girl interesting enough to actually bring home. (Rare to a man-whore, that is.)

It was seeing the joy on their face while they had a great time that brought him a feeling of satisfaction. He loved to show them a wonderful time.

Bucky loved sex, and he'd root to have it as much as he could, it was one of his favorite things. But he respected it.

He genuinely enjoyed that mental break when he was around them, not having to speak of the war.

He just wished Steve was similar and not always thinking about them damn nazis.

He loved seeing Steve relish in patriotism for his country and he definitely loved and respected how courageous he was, but if not being careful and without being realistic, he was bound to get himself killed. He wished that just for a second, Steve would lay back and have some fun like a normal young man.

He didn't understand why Steve didn't know that you don't always have to fight back.-

“James.” He answers low, in a husky voice.

It takes a moment for her to register that that is his name.

“James.” She whispers back like it’s a prayer.

She’s silent as she stares at his face as if she was allowing this moment, this feeling, and his name all to sink in at once at its own pace. She could feel herself trembling underneath his gaze and she wanted it to never stop.

He wasn’t batting an eyelash, but just staring into her blue orbs. It was as if the tremor that left her somehow entered his own heart because he pulled her in closer with a small gasp.  She hadn’t realized their hands were still tightly intertwined, and she swears she feels him squeeze when she pulls away.

Don’t.  

She wasn’t pulling away to get away but just leaning back on her heels to take a deep breath. She blinked wildly, her gaze drifting from his eyes to his lips and back again.

His eyes were pleading. This couldn’t be over. She pulls her face away just far enough to where she can finally take in a deep breath.

Bucky is about to pull her in close once more since their hands are still attached, but her hand is sharply removed out of his, leaving them both cold and empty. It was a harsh slap and what was once the sound of just their breathing and heartbeats, was now a yelling and the loud commotion of the club on an average night.

She literally feels like she was ripped out of his arms. Bucky’s eyes quickly dart up to the intruder and he’s about to say something when Daisy quickly backs away from her brother, her gloved hand going straight to his chest and pushing him away.

She takes a moment, but her gaze finally adjusts.

Her brother takes her hand and holds it against him, “Robert’s a sleazing liar, Daisy. If dad finds out about this, we’re both dead. Les’ just get out of here before they get onto us.” Daisy’s silent, her mouth still agape. Emotions from moments ago are still washing through her system and she barely has anything else left to react to her brother’s statement.

She could honestly care less bout what was supposed to go down tonight anymore.  

She looks over at Bucky. Her brother follows her eye flicker and looks back at Bucky and then back to her. He lets out an exasperated chuckle and points at Bucky with his thumb, “Who’s this? Another one of them twits, Daisy? Imma lay a hand on him. You know these guys want nothin’ but one thing. Let’s go. Now.” Her brother pulls her behind him.

Once he’s about to pass Bucky, he shoots him a dirty look.

“Suggest you get out of here, pal,” he says.

Daisy looks like she’s about to cry as she pulls up the side of her dress to not trip behind her brother.

He’s rough as he pulls her behind him towards the exit.

“Jimmy, you gotta wait. You’re gonna’ make me fall!”  Jimmy rudely lets go of her and watches as she takes a deep breath and dusts off her dress.

Bucky is still voiceless, trying to process his heart’s emotions and what the hell was going on.

Suddenly, Daisy runs back to a table by the lounge where she was sitting at previously and grabs a random straight pen that she remembered had been carelessly left behind by someone else.  She silently thanks heaven for it. Both Bucky and Jimmy look at her speechless as she grabs Bucky’s limp hand in hers and starts writing quickly.

Bucky winces at the object’s sharp edge against his soft skin.

“Hell. Come on, Daisy.” Jimmy rolls his eyes.

She closes Bucky’s hand and gives him one last emotional look that said too much yet not enough before she runs out with her brother.

Bucky looks down at his closed hand, heavy emotions still crashing through his body.

Slowly he opens it up revealing 5 small yet powerful words that he knew would change everything. He smiles softly to himself.

Brooklyn. 8.

-

His feet took him to a place he’d been to every day since he’s lived in Brooklyn. Although this time, this day, it was insanely different.

He couldn’t imagine that he had been awake right now. Everything felt too surreal. He couldn’t believe that he had the balls of steel to actually walk up to her.

Thank god he did because whatever was felt between him, he knew it was what he was looking for his entire life.

Daisy.

The sides of his lips twitched as he let out a long sigh. He walked back and forth between the same building in dumbo and ran a hand through his soft hair, pulling slightly at the ends.  He was trying his best to calm down even though he knew he had a good hour until it was eight. He wasn’t sure he could wait.

He didn’t know what to say when he would see her again. This was probably a stupid question, but did she like him? What was the commotion back at the club with her brother? What was she planning on doing with him when she met up with him?

There were so many questions going through his head and not nearly enough answers. He didn’t know if he was scared or anxious, all he knew was he wanted it to be 8 o’clock already. He was thankful that the rain had stopped a while ago; the pavement was now mostly dry but some mist was still dangling through the air by it being pulled up from the puddles by the wind. He found the driest corner of a building that he could find, and he sat there. He rested his arm on his knee and looked around.

Deep in the Hudson below was soon to be the bridge, what Daisy had been referencing to. He looked at the pieces of sharp metal rising from the deep river, up into the air. It was massive and terrifying.

When the wind would blow through the iron-steel it would make a haunting howling sound that sent shivers up his arms. He didn’t get it. It was only recently that people had expanded the city upwards.

There weren’t that many tall buildings in New York until a few months ago. It was only seven years ago that they finally finished the Empire State Building, and even that was some getting used to. He thinks they even made some movie about it.

He looked at the skyline from across the river, that beautiful building standing tall, lighting up the sky. A sense of sadness overwhelms him suddenly as he remembers the events of the day.

It’s not common that he gives himself moments to allow himself to reminisce and feel. He reaches into the chest pocket of his dress shirt and pulls out a small locket with a chain. He clicks it open, revealing a small beat-up black-and-white photo of his family. His little sister Rebecca stood in the front by his side.

He admired her cute short brown hair and her brown eyes. She was always a sweet little girl, anything would make her laugh, and her laugh was always genuine and contagious. Bucky frowns.  She was so heartbroken when her mom passed away. Seeing Rebecca sad was not something he liked to think about, ever.

Bucky frowned as he passed his thumb over her picture. He hasn’t seen her since they got separated back at Camp Lehigh before returning to Brooklyn one last time. He wondered how she was doing. He wondered if she knew about dad.

He feels a tight pang in his chest and sighs.

Two out of the three people he loved the most were all dead.

He looked back at the skyline before shoving the locket back in his pocket, refusing to look at his mother and father.

He took in the cool air and let the wind momentarily flick his hairs onto his forehead. He closed his eyes tightly together and took a deep breath.

Shit, for all I knew I could be next.

He hoped things would change now that he met Daisy.

Maybe he wouldn’t have just one person left that he could love.

Maybe God was giving him another chance.Present

Bucky watches you from across the field as you sharpen that damn spear, again.

He hopes you don't plan on taking that thing with you on the mission.

That thought only angered him even more. How could they do this to him? He had everything planned, he had put together a great team that would take on this mission. But, no, instead he has been betrayed again.

Not just that, but he was being told he would have to only one partner and that that would be you.

He won't lie, the second he saw you for the first time, he knew immediately who you were.

You were pretty and you held a certain aura that he couldn't pinpoint. It was obvious that you were what the people referenced to these days - a fucking millennial, Gen Z, whatever it was.

Your haircut, your attire, the way you carried yourself, and the fact that you had killed a man straight through the chest as if it was nothing.

He remembers when he was your age, eighty-some years ago.

Things were different.

People held more respect.

Sure, things were post blip and post-apocalyptic now, so there was the benefit of the doubt, but he still knew how people your age were.

You took everything for granted; your liberty, your food, your family. You didn't know what hell was.

What was wrong with you? You would die.

You shouldn't want to kill. Not when you could wait for this to be to be over and bask in the over glow of the win, living your life like you should.

He tried not to blame his horrible view on things on Daisy. He tries not to blame her for never wanting to find anyone else ever again. He tries not to blame himself for 'killing' a girl that was so pure.

He watches you as you sharpen your spear with a small smile on your face.

His jaw tightens and his teeth clench.

He was dreading this mission.

[write-orflight]

Trouble: Prologue

*Gif not mine*

Rating: M

Words: 1.2K short because shes a prologue

Warnings: None right now, but will be smut eventually

Request: OPEN/CLOSED

Summary: After Haley’s passing, Aaron Hotchner has lost the light in his eyes. He seems to find it it the most unlikely of places, an occult themed coffee shop ran by a witch.

A.N: I took some liberties describing the reader, so if that’s not your thing I’m sorry. The idea of Hotch dating a goth witch is just *chefs kiss* to me. This story will switch from 3rd to second person as most of my stories do.  All crystal and tarot information may not be completely accurate because I got them from my best friend who’s a witch, and even then I zoned out slightly. Message to be added to the taglist. Much love, Cia

Prologue: Got so much to lose  

The months following Haley’s death were rough. Anyone could tell you that. 

Hotch was reckless. And despite what he told everyone, still hurting. Not to mention, he was still trying to find the balance between work and home life. Jack was way more understanding of his dad’s need to work than any kid should have to be at his age. That didn’t stop Aaron from at least trying so he always had early mornings to late nights at the office so every weekend he was home for he could leave early Fridays and spend the weekend with Jack. 

That however was putting a strain on him, he was tired almost all the time and frankly the office coffee wasn’t doing it anymore. Which is why he found himself at Hallowed Grounds Coffee and Tea one morning. 

The first time he’d heard about it had been one morning when he walked in on his team members arguing about it. 

“I can’t believe you went to HG without me!” Garcia said to Reid, who was sipping smugly out of a coffee cup that had ‘Dr. Know-it-all’ written on the side with a smiley face. “What happened to loyalty?” 

“Sorry, Garcia. It was a last minute thing, I needed something to wake me up.” 

Garcia pouted as Hotch approached them. “Why’re you arguing so early in the morning?” He asked. 

“Spencer went to Hallowed Grounds without me, even though I was the one gracious enough to tell him about it.” 

“Hallowed Grounds?” 

“Yea, it’s a new coffee place not far from here.” Spencer adds. “Coffee’s amazing plus the girl who works there is nice.” 

“Oh, you have a crush on her! That’s why you went without me.” Penelope squawks. 

Spencer laughs. “No, the coffee’s just that good. Y/n’s nice and all but she’s a little...intense” he says, trying to find the right word. Hotch left the conversation then as it was not his forte. 

Upon entering, Aaron immediately took in the occult feeling of the shop. Black and brown color scheme,a giant black and white painting of the entire zodiac chart, 6 shelves lined the walls in a zigzag pattern, 5 shelves were full of books, the first one he zeroed in on said “Beginners guide to tarot” he could only assume the rest of the shelves were full of that. The last shelf held a black cat who was peacefully napping. There was soft jazz music that Hotch could hear someone softly humming to but couldn’t see them. Hotch already felt uneasy, but he was already feigning for coffee so he rang the bell on the counter that was sitting next to what he believed was sage burning in an ashtray. 

“One second!” A melodic voice called out. He heard some rummaging in the back before a woman stepped into view. 

The first thing he noticed was her hair. It was tied up in a bun, a rich green color, her roots black which he could only assume was her natural color. The second thing was everything else. She wore red eyeshadow and heavy eyeliner that complimented her green hair, dangle earrings which now that she was closer he could see they were goldfish in bags. Tattoos lined her arms, not seeming to have a theme but she had a lot of them. And an apron tied around her waist that read It’s Poisoned in cursive font. 

The last thing he noticed was her face. A ring piercing in her nose, a bright smile on her face, shining eyes. She’s breathtaking was the first thing Hotch thought. 

“Hey, Sorry. People don’t really come in this early so I like to take the time to finish baking goods for the morning rush.” She said, smiling. “Haven’t seen you in here before though, Welcome to Hallowed Grounds, what can I get you?” 

Hotch clears his throat, unexpectedly taken aback by the young woman. “Just a black coffee please.” 

“Alright, that’ll be 2.45.” Hotch pretends he doesn’t feel the shock in his hand as she took the card from him. “Now I actually don’t have anything brewed yet, like I said I don’t really expect people this early. But if you want to wait it shouldn’t be more than 3 minutes.” 

“Why are you open then?” Hotch asks, wincing at how rude he sounded unintentionally. 

“Whoa, Mister.” She brushes off his brashness with a laugh. “Apparently I’m open this early in case Grumpy Gus’ like you need their black coffee before work. Which by your suit and inability to smile, I’m assuming you work at the FBI building down the block?” 

Hotch nods, watching her deeply as she worked. He knew he was being creepy but he couldn’t help himself, there was something extremely captivating about her. He’s never thought of another woman that way after Haley. 

She sets the coffee to brew before turning back to him. “Yea, I assumed so.” She then picks up a cup and a sharpie. “Can I have your name? For the order?” 

“Hotchner. Aaron Hotchner.” He says. He didn’t know why he gave this completely stranger his full name but he trusted her for some strange reason. 

“Hotchner… That sounds familiar.” She says, now just drawing on the cup, thinking. She then points at him with the sharpie. “You’re Penny and Dr. Know-it-All’s boss, aren’t you?” He nods again, assuming you were talking about Penelope and Spencer. “I love those two, even though Spencer likes to argue with me about my beliefs too much.” 

“You believe in the Occult.” Aaron says, more of a statement than question. She nods. 

“I believe in spirituality. And that the soul is powerful enough to put power into anything it believes. The occult is just what I chose.” The coffee pot dings at the pot. She turns pouring it into the cup she’d been idly drawing on. She then capped it before handing it to Hotch. He examined the cup on it was a delicately drawn sunflower, a smiley face and Agent Grumpy Gus written in her delicate script. He couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. “Have a good day, Aaron, hopefully I’ll see you again.” She smiles. 

“Can I know your name?” Hotch says, before he can stop himself. “It seems only fair.” 

“Y/n…” She says, smiling. “Can I give you something?” She says. 

“Sure.” He responds, watching her reach under the counter through a small bin he couldn’t see the contents of. She rummages a while before finding what she wanted. She smiles, placing a small, clear crystal in his left palm. 

“I dedicate this crystal to the highest good. I ask that it be used in love and light.” She says, softly closing his palm around it. “Clear quartz. Deflects negativity and attracts positivity, hopefully it’ll promote some happiness in you.” She winks. 

“Is this a service you provide to all your customers?” 

“Only the ones who the spirits tell me need it.” She shrugs. “Now I have cookies to get in the oven, have a good day at work, Grumpy.” She says turning to go back into the back of the cafe. 

Aaron stares after her for a second. Not fully grasping what just happened. Only thing that was clear in his mind was that he needed to see the woman again. He took a cautious sip from his cup. 

Fuck, it actually is really good coffee. 

Message to be added to the taglist!

[thoughtfullyyoungduck]

Haunting part two

Summary: Part two of haunting. Eddie and Richie try and find a way to protect their daughter 

Richie and Eddie barely had the decency to wait until it was eight A.M. they hadn’t been able to sleep, to consumed with worry for their daughters safety. Eddie didn’t say anything to Richie about the yellow eyes he saw, or maybe Richie had seen them but had just though not to worry Eddie, because he wouldn’t be able to keep calm if he saw his husband panic as well.

Jessie had slept through the night peacefully, for which Eddie was grateful. He and Richie had kept wake until six A.M, when she woke up, then they had gotten up to make breakfast. Neither left her alone for a minute, standing by the bathroom door when she had to use the bathroom, dead set on not giving penny wise another chance to attack her.

They weren’t even sure if it was really penny wise, but with what Eddie saw, he didn’t want to take any chances. They called Stan first, because despite the fact that Bill was their leader, and Mikel we most about the evil creatures, Stan was the one who would listen to their ranting, and tell them honestly If they were being paranoid. He also was Richie’s best friend.

They called at eight, fully aware that Stan would be pissed beyond belief at being woken up so early. He and Patty were enjoying the last few months of a goodnight sleep, patty being pregnant for about seven months give or take.

Regardless Eddie insisted on dialing their home line, instead of their selfphone, knowing full well Patty would force Stan to pick up. After patty found out about what happened to the loser club in their youth, she had become very protective of all of them. Eddie figures that if Patty grew up with them, she definitely would have been part of the losers club.

Stan picks up after the third ring, his voice rough with sleep and annoyance when he asks; ‘why are you calling me at 8 fucking A.M?’ Richie’s holding the phone tightly in his hand. He and Eddie are sitting on the couch, watching Jessie play with her toys on the rug carpet.

They’re holding hands, and it almost feels normal, except Richie isn’t making a joke and the nervous energy buzzing around them usually isn’t present in their household. Eddie feels like he’s suffocating. ‘Hello?’ Stan asks when he doesn’t receive with a response right away. ‘Stan,’ Richie says, squeezing Eddie’s hand hard. Stan lets out a hum, indicating that he’s listening.

‘Okay so, I think Jessie is seeing Pennywise again.’ Richie pauses, but there’s no immediate response. For the first time Eddie wonders if they should’ve called someone else first, and he feels guilty for putting this on Stanley of all people. ‘She says she saw him come in a nightmare last night, and it may be a coincidence but I don’t think so. Stan I’m, I’m scared.’ Richie lowers his voice, trying not to attract the attention of Jessica.

She’s looking up from her toys to look, but doesn’t find the conversation interesting enough to keep paying attention. Eddie knows how difficult it must be for Richie to admit he’s scared, and he’s so proud of him for doing. ‘Richie’, Stan says, his voice shaky yet determined. ‘I think we need to call the other losers.’

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

It takes a day before all the losers arrive at their house, and in the meanwhile neither Eddie nor Richie have slept on bit. When Beverly and Ben arrive, they force them to go to bed. Eddie argues, not wanting to leave Jessie all by herself, but Beverly told him that he wouldn’t be any help if he was dead tired.

So he and Richie went to bed, having a fitful sleep. Eddie wakes up first, and he follows the sound of his daughters giggles down to the living room. She’s on the couch with Stan and Bill, who she both loves dearly, playing a game of Pictionary. Eddie would scold them for bringing markers on expensive furniture, but right now Eddie is just mostly thankful that she’s okay and happy. He bends down and gives Jessie a kiss on her head, hoping that she hadn’t taken notice of the commotion at their house. Patty looks up when he enters the room, instantly rushing him toward the kitchen, where Beverly, Ben and Mike are huddled together, going through a few books.

‘Did you find anything’? Eddie immediately inquires. He realizes that he’s been very rude to the people he hasn’t talked to yet, including Mike who must have arrived when he and Richie were sleeping, but he finds it very hard to be polite when he can’t seem to relax for a few minutes.

Mike doesn’t mind anyway, as he throws Eddie a polite smile. He looks good, there’s worry in his eyes, because he loves Jessie as much as Eddie does, but overall good. Taking a trip around the world is bringing him nothing but positivity. Eddie briefly has a fleeting sense of gratitude when he realizes Mike must have cut his vacation short in Honolulu to be here and help.

Ben shakes his head sominly. ‘No it doesn’t make sense at all. We killed IT, we must have, considering we still all remember each other. Plus the house on Neibolt collapsed’, Ben explains, ‘it hasn’t even been 27 years.’ He makes eye contact with Beverly, who makes eye contact with Mike. It’s clear to Eddie that they’re hiding something, he’s just not sure what.

‘Eddie’, Beverly starts, pausing when Bill and Stan and Patty enter the room. ‘She’s watching tv,’ Bill soothes when he sees Eddie’s frantic eyes. Beverly and Stan share a long pause. ‘Is it possible that it was just a clown?’ Stan asks, always one to call people on their bullshit. Eddie deflates a bit, he really needs the support of the people in his house, he had no idea what else he was supposed to do.

��We’re not saying we don’t believe you Eddie, we do. We’re just saying that everyone is a little paranoid and maybe that’s just what it is. A little bit paranoia.’ Patty is trying her best to keep everyone calm, bless her soul, but she didn’t understand what Eddie had seen.

He hadn’t told Richie either but he wasn’t giving any choice in the matter now, as he had to prove that it was Pennywise. ‘I saw IT’s eyes,’ he breathed panickily.

Everyone’s head shot up, staring at Eddie as he forced out his words. ‘I saw two yellow eyes last night in the bedroom. That’s how I knew it was IT, and not some weird coincidence.’ He doesn’t notice the figure coming up behind him, until he too speaks.

‘You did?’ Richie asks, his voice cracking. Eddie whips around to look at his husband. Richie looks disheveled, and not In the way that Eddie finds hot or attractive. Eddie’s silent, not knowing what the say. The others don’t speak either. Richie looks hurt, as if he can’t believe Eddie would keep things like this from him.

Eddie hadn’t meant too, honestly, but he didn’t want to worry Richie, and he thought he could deal with it on his own, without informing his husband.

‘Why didn’t you tell me Eddie?’ Richie asks, his voice hard. Eddie flinches at the use of his full name, not used to it coming out of Richie’s mouth. ‘I’m sorry Rich, I just didn’t see the point. I’m sorry.’ Eddie says while stepping forward to place his hands on Richie’s arm. Richie steps back before that can happen however.

‘I can’t believe you lied to me about this. Are you ducking kidding me? This is our daughters life we’re discussing here.’ Richie is angry, and Eddie knows he has every right to be, but he can’t fight with Richie now. He doesn’t have the energy too. ‘I’m sorry okay, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you with all of this.’

Instead of diffusing the situation, it seems to make Richie livid. Eddie had never seen this look on his face before. Only once, when Myra had called the police trying to force Eddie to come home with her. Richie had been consumed with rage then as well.

‘Not bother me with this? What does that even mean? I get that you want to do things on your own Eddie. You can, you don’t need to proof it every time. You’re proving your mom and Myra that you don’t need anyone fine. But have you ever considered the fact that I already know that? You’re brave and selfless and so much more than you think, but this is also my daughter. I have just as much right to be worried about Jessie as you do. You can’t keep that from me.’

The words are like a slap to Eddie’s face. It stings, but he knows Richie’s right. When the words leave Richie’s mouth, he deflates, heaving a sigh. ‘I’m sorry Eds. That was out of line.’

Eddie steps forwards and this time Richie meets him in the middle, circling his arms around his. ‘I’m just so worried.’ Eddie shakes his head, about to tell him that he’s right, when Jessie comes skipping in the kitchen. Instantly everyone pretends that nothing happened, only partly successful, but everyone does a double take when they see what she’s holding. In her right hand she’s holding onto a cord, reaching up to a deep red balloon. It floats in the air, Jessie being unaware of the panic it’s causing the people in the room.

Richie jumps forward, pulling Jessie in his arm while desperately trying to let her let go of the balloon. Eddie follows right away.

‘Where did you get that sweetheart?’  Eddie asks, feeling his heartbeat frantically in his throat. Jessie smiles brightly. ‘Mister Pennywise gave it to me. He said he was sorry for scaring, so he gave me a balloon to make up for it.’

She frowns when Bill takes the balloon out of her hands, mike getting scissors to pop it. ‘Hey, that’s a gift.’ She complains. Eddie quickly shushes her. ‘It’s okay, next time we go to a shop I’ll let you pick something else okay?’

It seems like she’s happy with that compromise because she doesn’t mention the balloon again. Patty is send away then, on stan’s request, even though she insist that she could be of help. She relents when she realizes that she’s seven months pregnant, and Eddie and Richie want to make sure that Jessie is as far away from IT as possible.

She takes Jessica to the mall, luring her with the promise of ice cream. Eddie is glad when their car pulls of the drive way, but he would feel a lot better when they finally figure out what’s going on.

He and Richie share a look, and Eddie knows that they’re okay. They’ll still talk about the fight, but for now, they’re okay. The other losers are now frantically going through the books again.

‘Wow, the books look as old as your mom’s vagina Eds’ he jokes, and Eddie rolls his eyes in annoyance. He’s glad however, that Richie is coming to himself again.

Looking through the old books Mike brought with him takes up most of the day, and by the end Eddie is ready to call it a day. He wants to protect his daughter, obviously, but reading hasn’t brought up anything, so it might be time to change the game plan. Right when the though crosses his mind however, Mike shouts excitingly. ‘I’ve found something guys.’

He’s pointing to a page in his book, but doesn’t wait until anyone can read it before turning the books towards him again and reading the passage. ‘It’s possible that a piece of the soul of this outer being is transported into something. Potentially an object or even a person. It is the last option to survive.’ Mike sounds relieved after he finishes, but Eddie honestly has no clue what to make of it. By the looks of it, neither do the others.

‘Guys’, Mike exclaims, ‘this is what happened. We killed IT, but maybe not completely. Richie, is there anything you’ve got from Jessie that you don’t recognize buying?’

Eddie thinks himself, but comes up empty handed. He honestly doesn’t know which things he bought and what Richie bought. Usually, they go shopping together. All at once it hits him. ‘Mister Cuddle’, he mumbles. Bill laughs at the name, stopping when Stan shoots him a hard look. Richie looks up, already nodding his head.

‘That’s right, I remember thinking that it was weird, but I just assumed one of you guys bought it for her.’ Everyone shakes their heads. They hadn’t purchased the stuffed animal. Ben and Richie go up to grab it, not wanting to be alone with the thing. Eddie stays downstairs to figure out a plan. ‘How are we supposed to get rid of IT?’

Eddie asks, fully prepared to do anything if it would just let his family have some peace and quiet. Mike looks at him, and his look already makes Eddie feel like he’s not going to like it.

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

It smells horrendous. The fire they had set in the backyard is still burning, and it smells like burning flesh. Eddie pretty sure he’s not going to go on a camping trip any time soon. His arm is linked with Richie’s, his lip busted and Richie’s hand cut open. Killing IT completely hadn’t been easy, but they had done it, they had set the bastard on fire.

They could only hope, that this time it would be forever. A car pulls up behind them, and the losers club turns to look, everyone on edge after the past two days. It’s just Patty, carrying Jessie out of the car, fast asleep in her arms. Jessie seems to notice that she isn’t in a car anymore, her head snapping up and looking around.

Her eyes focus on her fathers, and she struggles against Patty’s grip in her hast to get down. As soon as she’s on the ground, she runs towards her fathers, who hold her tightly, happy that she’s safe. Eddie doesn’t mention it, but he swears he sees tears in Richie’s eyes. When they’re done hugging, and Jessie pulls back she scrunches up her nose. ‘Where’s mister cuddles?’ She asks, and Eddie chokes, looking at Richie for help.

All Richie can do is mutter our a small, ‘shit.’

[whyamistillwatchingtheseshows]

Your fic request @morosemariposa 

Kit curses a lot more than we hear. It’s all in his head. Plus, I do think he calculates what to say or else his mouth probably could’ve caused more fights if he wasn’t think before speaking. Yet with Ming...he forgets his filter. I think it’s because as much as Kit tried to delude himself he sees Ming now in university and is wholly attracted to him from the get go. That’s just my headcanon- also I went through as many important scenes as possible...hopefully this does justice to Kit exploring his feelings. 

PS: There is no order to this? Semi-accurate? I don’t know I lost the concept of time and order, especially since a part of me just wanted to get to them kissing! HEHE

Kit was a grade-A professional at masking his true emotions. Sure, he spoke his mind, but if you looked inside his head that told a different story from what his mouth said. When Kit spoke his mind it was actually very calculated, among frazzled thoughts in his head. Some of the moments that were not chosen carefully were always with Ming. Like the time at the beach. 

“Who’s that?” Kit heard a knock on the sliding door. Beam looked up. 

“It’s Ming,” he said and gestured for him to come in. The boy opens the door. 

“I’m going to get snacks and ice. Come with me Kit.” 

“Uh, no. Beam can go with you.” 

“I want you to go,” Ming begged. Beam felt suspicious, but he didn’t stop it. 

“Without the Earth, the Moon wouldn’t exist either if you think about it.” Kit ended his speech. The fuck was that you dumbass? That was stupider than Ming’s question back there. If I were alone would you abduct me? Great. Here we go. “Why do I always say such romantic things to you?” Kit huffed. Ming only softly smiled at him. Pretending to get my phone number. Not going to work with me even if that face is...what is that face? Later that face came into the party, looking utterly defeated by rejection. He’s going to sit next to you. Fine. What can I say though? 

Months later…

Fuck that car. It didn’t start and so that forced this dinner. Ha, well, that’s blowing it out of proportion. You still could’ve said no Kit. After all, he did follow you to the fucking bathroom back at the gym. Are you falling for this? Kit felt only mildly annoyed, but he wouldn’t let Ming know that. Just eat, drink. What? You think you’ll win University Moon? Ha. Kit who the fuck you kidding? That boy will win and you will have to go on another dinner date as promised. 

A few weeks later…

13 exes? Kit feigned bemusement, but truth be told that new information scared him. Ming profusely chased after him like a puppy, rather convincingly. Kit would never admit that to anyone, but 13 exes? We’re not going to talk about the call form Moowarn. 

“You know you also curse when you get shy,” Ming’s voice broke his thoughts. 

“Shy my ass.” 

“See.” Ming grinned. Kit took a deep deep deep breath. 

“Just eat,” Kit scoffed at him. Ming still grinned. 

Another week...maybe… who knows the concept of time...

Kit could never tell if it was stalking but Ming had this tendency to pop up out of nowhere. Kit is shopping. Oh, shit! Ming! Keep cool. Pretend to be annoyed. He fucking winked at the cashier? Now, we are having milkshakes. Should I just go on a date with him? Wait, what? No, no, we’re not. “I think that I’m going to give you a cha-” Beam grabbed him by the hand. Kit was being dragged out of there before he could agree to date Ming. Later that day he, Beam and Pha and Ming were having some sort of discussion about everything that’s transpired. 

Just fucking say it. Say that you’re not sure of your feelings, but there is something you want to explore with Ming. Say it! Okay, fine, don't say it. Let him think you’re dating Beam. Okay, Kit. That’s smooth. One of the times you couldn’t speak your mind. 

Faking It… 

He can’t be that drunk. Not going to lie this closeness with Beam has me hella confused, but it’s also very nice. Pha was right though I could give a shit about Beam’s feelings because I hope that he realizes we’ve been better off as friends for so long. He’s still drinking. Kit knocked back his drink still eyeing Ming. Why is he so...so what...?  It hurt to see Ming’s defeated face when Beam announced he and Kit were dating. It hurt to see him walk out the door. 

Suddenly, a drunk Ming fell to the bar floor. Just keep walking. One foot in front of the other. Don't run to him. Too late. Pha! AHHHHhh. Kit managed to carry a drunk Ming to a cab. How the fuck would he get him to the room? He managed, a part of him becoming suspicious he was receiving too much help to do so. The stench of alcohol permeated his room. Really? Why? Why? Why? He sprayed some air freshener then took his side of the bed. Damn, that face. He’s pretty good looking...shit, what’s with the compliments? Eyes are open. Don't you fuck-  Ming removed his finger from Kit’s lips, but it was instantly replaced with his lips. Kit knew he would kiss back. You kissed back and you liked it. Rewind. Rewind. 

“Ming.”

“Hmm”

“Remember what I said if you’re faking? That I’d kick you.” 

“I don't believe you’re a harsh person.” 

“Ming!” Of course, I’ll kick you out of the bed. 

Days...weeks...months...time...it doesn’t exist...

Does Kit often think about the cake Ming bought him? Yes, he does, though, he only watched Ming eat it. Did he remember that Ming called him cute when he saw him in glasses? Yes. Was this a moment of shyness? Yes, it was. Kit couldn’t deny that. Does he think about the small reassuring, cute texts? All the time. Does it make him smile? Yes, on the inside. Yet today his distraction was seen by Pha. 

“What’s up with you?” 

“Nothing,” he mumbled. “Fine, I’m here. Let’s get ready.” Pha handed Beam and him boxes.

Kit wanted to hide behind Pha the whole time, especially if Ming was going to stand around all day. Pha didn’t let him. He switched his spots and handed him the box. Fuck. Why me? This is what I get. Pha’s boyfriend is his best friend. So that’s probably why he won’t let me hide. Trying to score points with his boyfriend. Ugh, that face. Really? 100 baht? That’s nice. Fake it. Fake it. Don't get too excited. Oh, stop smiling at me like that.

“Thank you,” Kit managed to speak. Several minutes later, Beam is swaying on his feet from heat exhaustion. For some reason, Forth is there to catch him. Kit wondered why. Huh. Suddenly there was a water bottle in his face. Nope. Not after the box thing mister. Not going to happen. He sure is persistent. Just take a fucking drink. No. Don't do that because then the boy won’t let up. Ming would take it as a sign from the heavens if he drank from that water bottle. After several refusals, he gave up. Kit glared at him.

Weeks later…

“Don't back away too long,” Kit found himself saying to Ming who again appeared out of nowhere. Kit would never mention how happy he felt seeing him. Kit would never mention what that ice cream melting down his finger made him think. Shit. No. Okay. Here we go. 

The next day...after an exam...

Kit heard commotion. He turned. Ming came through the doors. What the fuck is he doing here? Looking like that? Why so terrified? Haha. Laugh it off? No. Okay, he’s in front of you. 

“Why are you here?” Kit surprised himself. He thought he’d be speechless.

“I decided I backed away long enough. Go to a movie with me?”

“Who wants to go with a movie to you?” Yes, good. That’s good. Fuck what are you doing? Oh, just going for an arm around my shoulders. Okay, fine...I’m being dragged out.

Months later? There’s no concept of time. It’s all happening so fast…

“Get out.” Ming shut the door again. Kit opened it. He shut it. Fuck. Fine. Kit dragged himself around the car to the passenger side. Today is the day Ming apparently gets to meet the family. 

“You love me?” Ming gripped the steering wheel and grinned. Kit shyly looked out the window. Really? A love like ours? Damn it, Kit, you always think before you speak. Yet not with this guy…

“It’s written all over your face,” Pin told Kit. “You’re smitten.” Kit only smiled at her. She left soon after Ming returned. Kit finally gave in. If...and it’s a big if...Ming were to be his boyfriend someday then perhaps he could help pick out a birthday gift for his father. 

At his house...in the car…

Don't kiss me. Wait, yes, go ahead kiss me. Shit. Why did you tell your big brother that Ming’s your boyfriend? Now, you’re just playing yourself, Kit. Grandma, if you only knew about this guy next to me. It’s not a girlfriend I want. Wait, what? Smile at grandma. Nod your head. The fuck you say Ming? Stop being cheeky. Yes, I’ll find someone really soon. Kit! 

“Guest bedroom.”

“But I want to sleep here.” 

“Bed’s not big enough.” 

“So we’ll cuddle.” Kit moved closer, giving Ming the opportunity to grab him around the waist and pull into his arms. “I am so tired, I need a hug.” 

“Ming! Let me go.”

“When will get to do this again?” 

“If you don't let me go then you’ll never know.” 

Of course, he’s sleeping here. Stop arguing about it. Why send him to the guest room? They snuggled into the bed. Kit adamant on staying glued to one side. Ming threw an arm over him. 

“Someone is getting brave,” he said with one eye open. 

“I’m happy about today. We spent so much time together.” Suddenly they were sitting up, holding hands. 

“Be my boyfriend?” Yes. The answer came so quickly in his head, but he didn’t say it to Ming. Instead, let’s give him a speech about basically being a jerk. So yeah, Ming why do you want to date me?  

“I know all that already. If I couldn’t take you as you are then I wouldn’t follow you around as long as I did.” Ming smiled. 

“Err..okay,” Kit said. Attempting to quell the excitement within. One day, he’ll unabashedly show it all to Ming.

“Okay what?”

“I’ll be your boyfriend.” Ming’s excitement made Kit happy, but right now he was more worried about waking up his family. Ming calmed down. Kit still played with his hands. Ming leaned forward to kiss him, but Kit reached out first, wrapping arms around his waist. Ming hugged back. 

“Thank you. I’m tired of acting cool towards you Ming.” It’s true. So tired. It was time. Finally. Then Kit readies himself for Ming eyed his lips. They connected. Damn. Their first kiss as actual boyfriends. After this, Kit couldn’t wait for thousands more.

[myownpersonaldemons]

Selftober Prompt 20

Accidental Kiss

UF!Sans/Reader

The end gets a little mature just fyi.

It was a complete and utter accident.

Honestly!

It wasn’t even a good kiss, more of a clash of teeth than a real kiss. You’d been laughing at a joke he made, and turned to look at him just as he leaned past you to grab the bottle of mustard that Grillby had placed in front of you.

It had kind of hurt in fact, your lip felt pinched a bit.

That was all it was.

An accident.

A freak of an accident that would never occur again.

So then…why did you keep thinking about it? Even as accidental it was, the feeling of teeth against your lips still ghosted across your flesh. The blush on your cheeks kept returning over and over again whenever you thought about it, and your fingers kept brushing lightly over your lips as if that would bring the sensation back full force.

It had happened over a week ago, as well. Any lingering sensation should’ve faded and you should’ve been able to return back to the bar without feeling anxious about it. Yet, every time you thought about perhaps going there for dinner before the crowds flooded in…your chest would pound and you talked yourself out of it.

It wasn’t as if you went there that often anyways, Sans totally wouldn’t notice that you hadn’t shown up in a while. He wasn’t even that close of a friend, so he wouldn’t care either.

All lies you told yourself to make it easier for you to not go back to Grillby’s.

Then came the text from Sans.

Sans 9:38 PM: what’re ya up to? haven’t seen ya ‘round lately.

Your heart beat in your throat, and a blush darkened your cheeks as you instantly thought back to the accidental kiss. Shaking your head you insisted that he didn’t care nor would he even remember the tiny mishap. It was Sans you were talking about. You didn’t know how he did it, but every night you were at Grillby’s he’d always pick out a woman in the bar and as you were leaving he’d always switch over and practically have the woman swooning into his arms before you’d even gotten to the door.

Accidentally smooching you in the most awkward kiss of his lifetime probably didn’t even register in his mind anymore.

You exhaled and typed back. Joking it off so that he wouldn’t realize that you weren’t in the habit of forgetting stupid little smooches.

----

It was…not as much of an accident as you had thought.

Sans had purposefully indicated to Grillby to put the mustard in front of you, but he had originally wanted to just whisper in your ear some saucy words that would make you blush. He adored your blush, and the shy, flustered smile that always came with it as you struggled to find a way to respond  before you’d laugh it off and change the subject.

However, when you started to turn your head? Maybe Sans had shifted his head as well, not exactly to go for a kiss, but maybe to get close enough that he could say a cheeky one-liner and get you to blush again. Something stupid, cus he wasn’t the kind of guy that wanted to make the women he was attracted to feel uncomfortable. You liked the low-hanging fruit jokes, and he had plenty of them to make you smile and laugh.

The feeling of your soft lips against his teeth, though? Damn. It was like a drug that he craved. You’d gotten all flustered and apologized profusely which…isn’t what he wanted you to do at all. He felt bad about it, and apologized as well, cus you seemed actually upset by it.

So…fuck maybe you didn’t want to kiss him or do anything like that with him.

Was it because he was a monster? Was it because of his appearance? Cus he thought he was hot shit…but you didn’t seem the kinda gal that let her gaze linger on anyone long. Hell! He didn’t even know if you were into guys, let alone monsters! He could be barking up the wrong tree for all he knew. That anxiety started to creep in as he preened himself in front of the mirror for longer before going to Grillby’s.

Each day you weren’t there made his non-existant gut twist.

Sure, you weren’t the typical type of chick who would show up daily, hell he hardly saw you once a week, and that was if he was lucky. Still, after a week of not seeing your cute little blushing face, Sans pulled out his phone, placed it on the bar top, all while grumbling.

An hour passed before he finally texted you. When you didn’t respond back right away, Sans was grumbling to himself when Grillby lounged against the bar in front of him.

“Sad that your little kitten hasn’t come around to play, Sans?” Grillby taunted him, swirling some amber liquid in his cup and looking over at his long term friend patron over his glasses.  Sans huffed.

“tch, ya sure yer not projecting there, pal? she’s normally the one between the two of us who pays,” Sans pointed out, pointing his mustard toward Grillby with a smirk. Grillby’s own smirk didn’t fade, he shifted so he was leaning closer to Sans.

“Take some advice, Red, monster up. We both know you’re a coward when it comes to anything besides fighting or fucking,” Grillby tapped the bar and gave Sans a bigger smirk, “or I might try my hand at…’wooing’ your little friend.”

Sans’ smirk turned into a scowl, “fuck off. since when do you give a shit?”

Grillby straightened and shrugged his shoulders, “it’s not like it fucking matters in the long run. Either way you’re not a paying customer, get rejected or not and you’ll still come crawling in here day after day after day.”

“You really know how to boost a guys spirits,” Sans tapped his mustard bottle against the glass Grillby had left sitting on the bar top. Grillby gave a lopsided smirk before picking up the drink and saluting it towards Sans before downing it. His fire gave a whoosh as it brightened momentarily from the alcohol, before he pivoted and walked away to attend to other matters.

Sans sighed and rubbed at his temple before picking his phone back up.

You: 9:43 PM: eh nothing much

You: 9:43 PM: Why? Miss me that much already :P

If his SOUL lurched at seeing your text, he would never admit that. Instead, he gave the tiniest of smirks and responded.

----

Sans 9:59 PM: grillbz doesn’t appreciate my jokes like you do

Sans 10:00 PM: and what if I fuckin do?

You 10:03 PM: You have the lowest form of humor of course I find you hilarious

You 10:03 PM: Awww you misssssssssssssssssssssss me

You 10:04 PM: Are you drunk?

Sans 10:06 PM: nah, grillbz doesn’t let me hit the hard stuff till 10:30

You 10:06 PM: that’s what she said

Sans 10:10 PM: and you say my form of humor is the lowest

You 10:11 PM: I learn from the best

Sans 10:15 PM: you should come to grillbz

You 10:16 PM: Nah, gotta draw out our meetings so you miss me more

You 10:17 PM: Uh…plus it’s late and the club aspect is probably in full swing

Sans 10:43 PM: can I come over to yours then?

You 11:00 PM: Sure, I’ll send you my address.

----

You didn’t know what made you say yes, but a few minutes of waiting later and there was a knock on your door. Thankfully, Sans wasn’t drunk when you opened the door. If he was, you probably would’ve a) gotten his brother to come pick him up, b) closed the door on his face, or more likely c) gotten him onto your couch and made him drink a full glass of water and then went into your room for the night.

Instead, you shyly let him in. You had put your bra back on, but honestly? You hadn’t put too much thought into your clothing. You were wearing your pajama’s and had been playing your favourite video game when he had asked and you hadn’t really wanted to stop playing. So, a bra was all the effort you gave him.

His eye lights quickly checked you out before snorting, “ya dressed up for me, sweetcheeks?”

You blushed, but proudly grabbed the hem of your tank top and stretched it a bit so the nerdy reference could be viewed in it’s full glory. “I chose my favourite pajama tank just for you, you should be in awe.”

A chuckle, “yer a fucking nerd.”

“Takes one to know one, mister. Grillby told me one day that you watched Mew Mew Kissy Cutie with Papyrus before, so don’t you tell me that you’re not a nerd either,” you shot back and stuck your tongue out at him.

It was…so strange. Having him in your apartment. Yet, you weren’t tense and uncomfortable as you were when anyone else visited for the first time. You didn’t feel the need to apologize for the slight clutter, nor did you feel like he would judge you for anything in your apartment. He’d confessed that his room had a trash tornado in the corner, and you were not nearly that messy.

You invited him further into the apartment and got him some water, but also pulled out your mustard bottle. You didn’t know how much was in it but you held it out to him, and he accepted it with a thanks before squirting an unhealthy swig straight into his slightly parted teeth in which it disappeared into the void behind.

Without hesitation the two of you began to catch each other up on the last week, throw jokes, and overall just converse without feeling the pressure of needing to do anything a certain way. You ended up sitting on the couch with your feet on his lap, a blanket strewn over both of your legs, and watching him play a game on your console. It was getting close to twelve and your eyes were starting to droop.

You found yourself tearing your gaze away from the game to watch his face. The way his golden tooth shone even though the only light now was coming from the television. His eyes were fully focused on the game and there was a slight furrow to his face in concentration. He’d grumble swears when he wasn’t doing so hot, and then swear louder when he finally beat whatever he was working on getting through.

Why had you ever thought that a simple kiss would make things weird between the two of you?

His eye lights flickered over to you, and then he glanced at his phone sitting on the arm of the couch. “shit, sorry, dollface, didn’t mean ta keep ya up so late,” he said, patting your leg and placing the controller down. “i’ll get out of yer hair.”

You hummed sleepily, “you’re not bothering me, you can stay if you want.”

Sans hesitated, staring at you for a long time before slowly easing himself back into the couch. For a moment it looked like he wanted to say something, but then he simply grinned, patted your leg again and returned to his game. A while later, you yawned again and shifted trying to get even more comfortable on the couch. His eye lights shifted over to you.

“why dontcha cuddle up ta me? might be better than the arm rest thing,” he said gruffily, and looked back over to the television. You debated before shaking your head.

“Don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” you murmured, “already got my legs on you.”

A pause and then he smirked, “y’know, i’d like it if all of ya was on me, but i’ll take what i can get.”

A wink.

You snorted, “you big flirt. Bet you say that to all the ladies. Speaking of, why are you here with me instead of…you know, a real lady?”

Sans gave you a bemused look, “’real lady’?”

“You know, someone not wearing the same pajama’s she wore last night because she forgot to do laundry,” you gestured lazily at your shirt. “Those girls at Grillby’s you normally flirt it up with when I leave.”

“dollface, i’d prefer you in two day old pajama’s over a random lady at the bar anyday,” he said with an eye roll.

Your heart gave a little skip which you instantly shushed. All internally of course. Outwardly you just huffed out a laugh, “thanks for the pity-“

“ain’t pity, sweetheart,” Sans cut you off, giving you a very serious look. “i’m dead serious. do ya even realize how hot you look right now?”

Your face blushed, chuckled and looked away. “My hair is damp from a shower, and I’m wearing gross pajama’s. This isn’t ‘hot’, but thanks?”

Sans snorted, “yknow what i see? my fav girl relaxed as all hell, not giving a damn about how she looks with chips on her tits.”

You glanced down, and blushed more as you brushed off your chest from chip crumbs. Then you paused, “Fav girl?”

“fuckin’ duh,” he grumbled placing the controller to the side. “yer hot as fuck, got the cutest fucking blush, yer funny, smart, and when ya talk ‘boutcha favourite shit? ya get this cute ass smile on your face and you get so animated.”

You laughed lightly and sat up, bringing your legs from his lap. “Thanks, Sans.”

“and, yer lips have been on my mind for the past week,” he added, and you blushed even worse.

“I’m sorry!” you blurted out, covering your face, “It was an accident.”

Sans shifted closer and place a hand on your knee, you cracked your fingers slightly to look over at him. His eye lights were a bit bigger which surprised you. He looked like a cat that just got excited at seeing it’s favourite thing.

“if yer uncomfortable, lemme know, dollface and i’ll either leave or just back off,” he said, voice softer than normal but no less deep. You slowly lowered your hands and swallowed thickly.

“I’m…not uncomfortable, flustered yeah…but, not uncomfortable,” you mumbled, rubbing your hands up and down your calves quickly as if to disperse the nervous energy flowing through you. Was he going to kiss you? Or where was this going? Oh, you hadn’t been in a relationship in forever, you hadn’t been flirted with by anyone besides Sans in the longest time either.

“wanna redo on that kiss?” Sans asked, and your heart launched into your throat.

Holy shit.

Holy shit!

You nodded eagerly, and he chuckled. A deep rich sound that made you swoon a bit. He shifted his hand from your knee to the back of the couch as he shifted closer to you. His other hand reached over to carress your cheek for a moment before curling around to the base of your skull. You could hardly breathe as he leaned closer and pressed his teeth against your lips.

Your eyes fluttered closed and for a moment the two of you just…stayed like that.

Then your hands moved up to grip his jacket and pull him closer. It was like a dam broke. You felt the brush of his magical tongue against your lips, and then it was expertly exploring your mouth. A sense of desperation from both of you, like you both had been starved for years, exploded forth.

You quickly found yourself on your back, out of breath, with a jacketless Sans hovering over you. One of your legs was hooked around his hips, his hand was up your shirt and under your bra, and you both were panting heavily.

“Well,” you squeaked out, “That was…a hell of a second kiss.”

He chuckled awkwardly and withdrew his hand, “sorry for coping a feel.”

You shook your head, “s’okay…I didn’t mind.”

A pause.

Then your lips were back on his teeth, and his hands were back exploring your body.

Thank god for accidentally kisses.

[spacyparker]

The difficulty of dating part 2

PART ONE

MASTERLIST - PROMPT LIST

Request : Hi! Can you make a Peter Parker x Reader where the reader is Tony’s cousin and she has superpowers too (Telekinesis and Pyrokinesis and she’s kinda more serious than Tony) ans she’s an avenger and Peter has a crush on her and he asks the Avengers for advice and each one gives him an advice and they all fail until he tells Tony about it? ( by @zainab-al-huwaizi )

Characters : Peter Parker x reader

Word count : 1.6k

A/N : I had real fun writing this part just like I had for the first one ! Anyways the next part will be the last ! I hope you enjoy it everyone, love youuuu

“It didn't work at all !” Peter whined, sitting on the couch between Steve and Sam.

They both knew what the little kid was talking about, they saw him falling from the building, and actually they had a great laugh about it. Peter crossed his arms on his chest, pouting. He couldn't stop thinking about what happened with you the previous day, and now he was so ashamed he didn't even tell you hello when he saw you in the kitchen but just looked away blushing. You found his reaction really cute, but you decided not to talk to him. It was funny seeing him embarrass himself, in an innocent way.

“I told you you needed to take her to the bal.” Assured Steve focused on his movie. He was listless since the previous mission, he waited something to happen, everything was calm in the world now, and even though he was glad he was also bored.

“Don't talk about your bal again, old man.” Sam creased his nose.

“I need another advices. I couldn't even look at her today. What if she thinks I'm-”

“Don't worry about that kiddo. You have your whole life to win her heart.”

Peter pouting increased. His whole life ? He didn't want to wait years before being able to touch Y/N and kiss her. He needed her now.

Spider-Man understood he wouldn't get any more advices from his two teammates, so he got up and walked around the tower to find someone else.

“Doctor Banner !” He shouted seeing him few steps from him. “I don't mean to bother you but I  have questions !”

Bruce was heading to the laboratory and stopped to give some time to Peter. He arched an eyebrow to him, they weren't friends and they barely talked. Peter was intimidated by Bruce actually, he was so smart, and he was kind of afraid he would turn into the Hulk within a second. He knew he would be in a right mess if it ever happened.

“Uhm, yes ?”

“I, uhm...” Peter suddenly blushed. Why was he asking Bruce ? They weren't close, and he never heard him talking about women anyways. He rubbed his neck, his nose creased. “I just... How can I seduce the most beautiful girl ?”

There was something different between Steve and Sam, and Bruce. The two firsts were really supportive, and friendly, but Bruce seemed colder. It was rare seeing him out his lab, at least for Peter. He was always worried about scientific stuff.

Bruce instantly frowned, he didn't really understand why Peter was asking him but he was well placed to know how hard it was to ask a girl out and keep her. “I'm sorry Peter, but I don't think I can help you with that. Girls aren't standing in line at my door.”

“But you're a doctor, nah ? You might know some ways to attract people, get into girls' mind ?”

“I'm afraid I'm a scientist, Peter, not a sociologist.” He grimaced. “You should ask a girl, I'm sure Natasha would be happy to help.” He gave the young boy a warm smile before leaving.

Once he was alone again, Peter sighed, his muscles relaxing. Ask Natasha... He felt embarrassed asking a girl, he knew she would be in a best position to give him some advice, but what if she said he had no chance with you ? If anyone would know that, it'd be a girl.

Peter walked back to the living room, meeting Steve and Sam once again. “How did it go ?” Asked Falcon.

A pout came back on Peter's face. “Doctor Banner won't help me. Have you seen Miss Romanoff anywhere ?”

Steve rolled his eyes, not getting why Peter wasn't considering his advice. “The bal, kiddo, the bal. I know what I'm talking about, all the girls wanted me back in the 40s.”

It made Sam laugh, Steve was so pure. “Right Captain, but it's 2017.”

“Right Sam, but I'm dating Sharon while you single.”

They started debating on who was the most popular and Peter left his hands in the pockets of his jean. He was so down, thinking he could never get to you. But what was he expecting ? You were a Stark, you were too high level for him. He was just a loser from Queens, with no money and not many friends.

Natasha got out of the training room. “Miss Romanoff !” He tried drawing her attention. “Miss Romanoff are you busy ? I'd need to talk to you.”

The woman turned her head to Peter, smiling. Black Widow liked Spider-Man, she thought he was a cutie pie, and she couldn't be prouder of him since he worked really hard as a super-hero. She found him inspiring. “What's the matter, Parker ?”

“Mister Banner told me it would be best for me to ask you. Well, ask a girl in general. So...” He blushed again, it was hard admitting having feelings for someone. “How can I seduce a girl.”

“WAW !” Natasha's smile brighten even more. “It's about time you little rascal ! It's about Y/N isn't it ? Well, don't answer I already know it.”

Peter's eyes were wide open. “How... How do you know that ?”

“I'm a trained agent, Peter. My job is to observe. Plus it's quite obvious.”

“Nice, who else knows about it ?” He sighed, feeling as if he had no private life.

“I'm pretty sure she knows.”

“Well, even if she does, she surely doesn't want me in her life. I fell off the building yesterday during a date.”

Natasha frowned. She never thought she would be able to hear that one day. What the fuck ? “Don't be too superficial. You cute Parker, if I was your age I'd totally play with you.” He blushed, what was that supposed to mean. “Be yourself, you're enough.”

“Okay, but, uhm, where can I take her, for a date ? Or try to take her at least.”

“Just go to the cinema, something simple.” She shrugged. “All teenagers have dates there, choose the movie, something horrific so she can grab your hand if she's afraid.”

“Y/N ? Afraid with a movie ? She's an Avengers.”

“You'd be surprised.” She smiled before leaving.

Peter was so nervous. You were walking next to him, and he tried not to talk too much but his anxiousness made him even more chatty than he already was. He had already narrated you his 5th birthday when he vomited on his cake and Ned hit him for that, and also his story with the Vulture even if he wasn't sure it was a good idea to talk about it, and so about Liz, during a date. Anyway you were really interested in his stories, and you couldn't help but ask many questions. Peter was cool and fun and you were proud to walk by his side.

Soon you entered the cinema and went straight to the projection room. There was a lot of people, but you managed to find a good place.

“Wanna see something cool ?” You smiled turning your head to Peter's. He nodded, and you looked at a couple few seats from you. You concentrated, feeling the power taking place in your body, your blood heated up and your cheeks became red. You didn't blink once. Control your powers was a bit difficult since the last mission, you were so injured you had to rest still now. Peter was focused on the man, then he saw his popcorn tin fall to the ground, everything it contained now lied down. His eyes were wide opened, and you knew he was worried about the man who lost his food, because he was like this, always worrying about everyone and everything. “He cheated on me.” You reassured him. “I'm not doing this to innocent people.”

Peter's eyes became milder and he got the reflex to take your hand in his despite he couldn't help but glare at your ex. He was shocked by how handsome the guy was, he looked like these popular boys in high school and you could tell he was older than you. He felt like a kid, but he tried to keep self-confidence. He didn't brought you here to fuck it up again.

The lights went off and the film started. Peter had trouble being focused on the screen, you were way too beautiful to not be looking at. The further the film went the more you pressed Spider-Man's hand, and he liked that. Not you. You were having a terrible time. Peter had chosen the movie, and he had chosen It. He might didn't know, he surely didn't know, but he would have had. Nothing scared you. Nothing but clowns. You weren't just terrified by them, you actually had coulrophobia. You tried your best survived the movie, but soon tears started falling on your cheeks. As Peter often glanced at you, he sure noticed it.

“Wh-What ? Did I do something wrong, wh-what is happening Y/N ?”

You couldn't answer, and your date was panicked to see you I such an estate. The only thing you wanted was to leave, so you didn't hesitate anymore. You got up and run to get back home, letting Peter alone in the dark room.

[valkyrie-echo]

Project Echo, Part 2: Chapter 23 (New Alliance)

Part 2 Summary: A new enemy surfaces with a team of the Avengers’ greatest foes, hand-picked for their destruction. Meanwhile, Inessa’s pre-Hydra past begins to surface, casting doubt on where her loyalties truly lie.

Chapter 23: New Alliance

Returning three hours later, Bucky and Inessa stepped out of the shadows in the lobby and, a moment later, Inessa felt the Valley sealed off. She was grounded once more. Sam and Steve (presumably alerted by JARVIS) came quickly down the stairs. Inessa braced for another argument, but Sam only smiled softly. Steve looked tired, but relieved, "I'm glad you're back safely. Where were you two?"

"A park," Inessa mumbled, "I don't know where. It was sunny."

"No wonder you look ready to drop then," Sam resisted the urge to prop up the pale, shivering teen. How long would it take her to sleep off that trip? Moving two people through broad daylight- she barely got a folder of papers through before.

She only nodded in reply, tipping slightly even as she did so. "We'll talk in the morning, alright?" Steve's voice was gentle. Inessa nodded and walked just past him to a long, low couch. She fell across it and was asleep before her head hit the cushions.

"I didn't know she was going to do that, jumping off the balcony-," Bucky started.

Steve cut him off, "I know, Buck. We saw the footage. Tell me just one thing, ok?"

"Anything."

"An hour after you left there was a massive explosion outside a small Japanese city. SHIELD thinks it might have been a Hydra facility detonating. Was that you two? Inessa was pretty pissed, if she pulled you along, if she didn't give you a choice but to cover her-"

"Absolutely not," Bucky stopped Steve before he got any further. He'd woken up something in that base, something more Winter Soldier than Bucky Barnes, and it made lying easy, "She jumped around a lot, like she wanted to run but didn't know where to. We stopped, finally, at that park." he was content to leave it there for a moment. If he focused too much on the park, it could peak Steve's suspicions. What would an innocent man say next? "Were there any fatalities? Should we get involved?"

"Seventeen injured so far, nothing even worth more than a day or two of observation in the hospital. No missing limbs, no dead pets. The injuries may rise, but no one will die."

"Well that's good at least," he felt sorry for Steve. The man looked worn down. Further disappointing him with the truth would only make things worse. At least, so Bucky told himself, "If it helps, I'm fairly certain we were somewhere near Seoul, maybe in China. Eastern Asia, for sure."

"How can you be sure?" Sam was curious.

Bucky shrugged, "The smell. In late summer there's always a smell like grass mixed with something spicy."

Steve accepted his word with a nod, but Sam wasn't convinced. He didn't press the issue for the exact same reason Bucky was telling himself he lied- for the sake of his friend. Maybe it would be something he could work through with Bucky separate from the other Avengers.

"It was a nice park," Bucky smiled a little, "lots of trees, a little stream just deep enough to wade in. Warm, like she said. There were no real paths, just areas with a bit less grass. We were lucky, there weren't many people there- I think I saw a kid and a few picnickers. No one came too close." The park wasn't a lie, which is why he could sell it so easily. Inessa was upset after they used the blood and eyes of the scientists to blow the base. There were no people in need of freeing, so instead she went back for the armory and packed every explosive she could carry around the burning, silver pillar of light that was the Helius device- the same one that killed her mother and gave her power. Just touching a hand to the raw stream of energy burning through it was enough to jolt her own powers to another level- one that didn't let a little thing like raw daylight stop her. Inessa didn't share this revelation with him though.

Bucky didn't know why Inessa chose that park. It was bright, cheerful- and incredibly draining to open a door through to. They could have gone anywhere dark- opening the door wouldn't have cost Inessa anything, but for some reason she chose the park. She seemed fine at first, but as the effects of the Helius device wore off, she grew more and more tired. Initially she lay on the grass with her feet in the stream and listened to the birds and bugs, but little by little Bucky saw color draining from her, dark bags form under her eyes, and her face was less relaxation as it was unbridled exhaustion. He shook her awake after two hours and suggested they return before the full effects of her power use were felt and they were trapped for who knows how long on the wrong side of the world.

Still, he had a feeling the rest in the park did more for Inessa than it could ever cost to open the return door into the Valley. She wasn't using anger to fuel her recovery for those hours, she simply let herself be as she wished to be- free. He sat a ways downstream to give the girl some time alone and rinsed his hands and arms in the water (Even though, in crossing into the Valley, Inessa left all of the blood behind- including the gore on Bucky).

"Sounds like paradise."

Bucky looked over to Sam, "It really was."

"Thanks for keeping an eye on her. I know you didn't have much choice," Steve glanced over as a remote suit entered and gently lifted Inessa from the couch to carry her upstairs. She didn't stir. "And thank you, JARVIS."

"My pleasure, sir," The A.I.'s voice was quiet, as if he were whispering. How had a guy like Tony- who was roughly 99% sass, created something... kind?

"Any theories on why Stark did it?"

Sam took this one, "He said he was tired of our 'Town Hall' debates on everything, so he took executive action. We can't get him to see that executive action cannot extend to unsanctioned human experiments. There was also a lot of swearing."

"It sounds like someone has their hooks in him," Bucky swore to Inessa in the park he wouldn't reveal Pryor's deception- not even to the doctor herself. If she went after him again, he'd just play along. Nothing but the guilt he still felt over his role in Project Echo made him obey the will of the teenager. That didn't mean he couldn't warn Sam and Steve somehow.

"Or he was just being Tony," Steve dismissed his theory. Bucky silently cursed.

"We'll figure it out," Sam shrugged, "but this time, let's do it before Hydra detonates half of New York's major tourist attractions, OK?"

Steve nodded his agreement, "If things get sketchy, more so than they already are, we'll head back to Clint's farm. New York's citizens have tolerated more than their share from us over the years. The goal is no civilian casualties next time."

After that they began to go their separate ways, conversation over. A loud grumble came from Bucky almost immediately. Sam patted his human shoulder, "We saved you and Inessa some food. You know how to use a microwave?"

Sebastian Morris' Base - Location Unknown

Morris had no way of knowing what was going on inside Avengers Tower- or forty stories beneath the balcony where Inessa and Bucky dissolved into shadow. He knew Pryor planted the seeds of dissent in Tony's mind- wholly against orders. The woman was a fool. Still, he needed her for now.

"Whenever plans start getting too big to manage, it means it's almost time to strike," John Ryker came to Morris in his office. Everyone knew the plan, and they'd seen his face when he heard Pryor's message- fury, rapidly contained. Only such unsavory company recognized it before his charming, cool mask returned.

"And yet we are nowhere near ready."

John disagreed, "You've got me, Albatross, Barton, Borson, Pryor, and the two demon-things. Count yourself in that mix and the element of surprise and the battle is all wrapped up with a bow. I admire your strategies, but believe me when I say that if you attacked right now, you'd win. If you wait, Pryor could blow the entire operation herself."

Morris didn't look back at him, "I have you, they have the Hulk. I have Albatross, they have Romanoff. I have one Barton, they have the other. I have Cul Borson, they have Thor Odinson, I have Pryor, they have your granddaughter, who is far superior in abilities by the way. I may have Barnes and Rogers at one another's throats, or they may have them united. They have Stark. They have Sam Wilson. They outnumber us by one, maybe two- I doubt Pryor's usefulness will extend into open combat. Until our numbers are evenly matched, or until we have superior forces, we continue to grow. That is the deal we all agreed to- one kill each, no split focus. Thomas Dennisson was weak, he jumped the gun and lost the battle. I'll not lose the war.

"Is the turncoat bitch really worth all this?" John never called Inessa or Nadya or whoever she was by name. As far as he was concerned she'd turned her back on everything her family stood for. Hydra to the core- no exceptions allowed.

"My master believes so, and therefore I do as well."

"So who else joins the party?" A new voice came from the doorway, prompting Morris to turn at last.

"Welcome back mister Barton- pardon, Berny," Morris raised a cup of tea in a cheers gesture, "wonderful work in New York."

Berny nodded to Ryker, acknowledging his presence, "It gave me the opportunity to field test the new hardware. Things have changed while I rotted in jail."

"And your medications?"

He held two gray vials up, "Right where I left them. I killed a lot of people to find this stuff. It'll extend my eyesight beyond even Hawkeye the Mighty," his voice was bitter on the last part.

"Why do you hate him so much again?" Ryker still wasn't the biggest fan of trusting a man to kill his own blood. On the other hand, he'd end Nadya in an instant for her insolence, if he could. Perhaps then he was judging unfairly. Berny seemed like a decent man.

"He bugs me, plus he tried to kill me first," Berny growled, tracing the scar on his cheek. "Oh, and his girlfriend locked me up for almost 20 years. I'll thank her for that one by taking him out. If she's still fighting Albatross when that happens, I'll give her his eyes on the point of one of his arrows."

"Don't tease the prey," Morris reminded him. This wasn't the first time he'd said it to his cabal, "That is the demise of every foolish man. Kill fast, savor the sight of the corpse rather than the kill itself. You can give Natasha your gift when Albatross has finished. Otherwise you risk galvanizing her against the both of you and we end up two men down. One loose Avenger is too many for my taste."

"As long as I get to give someone his eyes, skewered on an arrow, and I get pictures- I'm happy."

"Good," Barton was easy to get along with, Morris liked him, "and as for your earlier question- I've had my eye on one new ally for some time, I just need final permission to approach her handlers. I'm closing in on Sam Wilson's enemy."

"I get confused, so bare with me," Berny shrugged. "You're not Hydra?"

"Correct."

"Do they know that?"

"No."

"But you still work with them?"

"When our interests are aligned."

"And when this is all over and the Avengers are dead?"

Morris had arranged everything, "Cul Borson will rule this realm. You may serve under him as you do me now in exchange for kingdoms and wealth, I have his word, or you may return with me to meet my master and rule entire solar systems."

Berny smiled, "Cosmic Emperor Berny Barton, now that's my kind of prize."

"Not bad at all," Ryker began making plans for his new kingdom. He'd not leave Earth, he wasn't as ambitious and overly-thirsty for power. Ruling a solar system hardly sounded like a fun second-life. A kingdom though? A utopia for Hydra to flourish and grow unchecked? That he was willing to bank on."

"Don't get ahead of yourselves," Morris warned. "We haven't won the war... yet," he allowed himself a little smile and a little hope, "but if Sin joins us? We're one very large step closer."

"Who's Sin?" Ryker didn't recognize the name, and he'd known about all of Hydra's assets.

"The Red Skull's very own daughter."

Chapter 24: The Secret Messenger

[toobusylyintomyself]

Juncture

Pairing: Photographer!Taehyung x Reader

Genre: Fluff. Oh so much fluff.

Word Count: 4368

A/N: This was supposed to be a drabble, but I’m soft for Taehyung and so this happened. I hope you like it~

He was in a slump. It’d been days, weeks, hell maybe even months this at this point since the last time anything had caught his eye. Since the last time he’d seen you, the world around him seemed to pale in comparison. He slumped into his seat of the café, a small groan falling from his lips as he leaned his head back, letting his eyes drift shut. This wasn’t like him, the idea of being held up over a muse of all things drove him to the brink of insanity.

“Mister?” A sweet voice rang from beside the table.

He smirked a bit before responding. This situation was all too familiar, to the point it had almost gotten boring. “Trust me on this little lady, you don’t want to get involved with me.” He couldn’t be bothered to look at the girl, already having a clear picture of what her dejected face must look like. He pictured her as a Samantha, or maybe a Bethany, sulking slightly at his blatant rejection, ready to stalk off back to her friends who would assure her over and over that he was just an asshole.

He hadn’t been expecting the condescending laughter he was met with at his remark. “Do everyone in this café a favor and get over yourself.” The comment caught him off guard, causing him to lift his head back up and be met face to face with the woman he’s been looking for since the moment he saw her.  His jaw dropped slightly at the sight of you in your uniform, your dark navy apron tied tightly around your simple outfit of a white t-shirt and black shorts. “Look, I’m sure you’re a real upstanding guy and all that, but here’s your bill, and please stop bleeding on the table, I have to clean that.”

He jumped at the knowledge that he was evidently bleeding, a quick check confirming that he did indeed have a decent amount of blood coming out of a laceration on left arm. He quickly wrapped it in his jacket. “I’m am so sorry…” He looked at your nametag, “Y/N.” He fumbled with his arm, quickly pulling out a $50 and a business card, handing it to you with a nod. “Call me sometime, I’ll make it up to you.” He started to walk out of the café, turning around before he reached the door, his face now lit up in a smile. “Oh, and keep the change.”

When he walked out of the café, he felt like he had a new lease on life. He’d found you, he found his muse. He knew your name, where you worked, and you had his number. He just had to be patient for a while until you came to him.

You were shocked by the man’s abrupt change in behavior. You looked down at the business card in your hand. Kim Taehyung. Photographer. Contact information was listed below in a particularly aesthetic font. You didn’t really know him, but you imagined it fit. You sighed, tucking the card into your pocket and walking back to the register. At least he tipped well, you joked to yourself as you rang in his order, putting the change into the tip jar for you to split with your coworker at close. You grabbed the cleaning kit and walked back over to the table, looking down at the blood he’d managed to get on the surface. With a deep breath, you went to disinfecting the area, thanking every power in the universe that you weren’t too squeamish.

The day carried on uneventfully for both you, returning to your apartment you slumped onto your couch, throwing your uncomfortable shoes across the room and leaning back. You pulled your phone out of your pocket, the business card Taehyung had given you also sliding out. His name still felt weird running through your head. You picked it up, typing his name into the search app on your phone, curious to see if this guy was actually a photographer, or if it was some elaborate ploy to get girls into his bed.

The photos that you found took your breath away. You quickly realized that this man seemed to be able to capture every emotion you’d ever felt into a single picture, whether it was scenery, animals, or live models, every photo was exquisite. The colors always came together in a way that made you feel more alive just by seeing them than you had felt in years, making you all the more curious about the strange man who had walked into your workplace earlier that day.

Before you could talk out yourself out of it, you quickly went to your messaging and sent a text to the number labeled mobile on the card. Hey, it’s Y/N from the coffee shop this morning.

You didn’t expect to get a response as quickly as you did, but you still felt your face light up when you saw the text from him.

Hey, you actually contacted me. I hope I didn’t cause you too much trouble this morning.

You found yourself smiling at the text. He seemed lighter now than when you met, and you wondered if he’d been having a bad day. Recalling the cut on his arm, you realized he probably was having a terrible day and instantly regretted how harshly you had treated him that morning. The guilt felt heavy in your gut as you text him back. It wasn’t any trouble, I’m sorry for how I treated you then. How’s your arm?

Another ping.

It’s alright, I’ve had worse. If you’re feeling that bad though, maybe I can convince you to come to breakfast with me in the morning?

You bit your lip, contemplating his proposal. Breakfast couldn’t be that serious, and he seemed nice. Plus you had snapped at him earlier. Breakfast sounds good, when and where?

You set your phone down, throwing your head back, containing the small squeal when you heard your phone go off. Taehyung was thrilling to you, different and exciting. Sure, he’d come across as cocky, but a good look at his face and you understood why. You glanced back to the photos on his website, sighing softly as you imagined being looked at the way he must have looked at everything in these pictures. You stood up, grabbing your phone as you walked into your bedroom, undressing into a towel before you looked down at the text.

What’s your address? I’ll pick you up at 8?

You smiled, pulling your towel a bit tighter. You sent back your address with an agreement to see him in the early morning before walking into the bathroom adjoined to your room, flicking the water on and waiting for it to warm up. Slipping the towel off and hanging it up, you stepped into the shower, immediately feeling the warm water run down your skin.  You took extra care cleaning up that night. You wanted to impress him tomorrow, even if it wouldn’t matter. You stepped out, seeing a new text from him and smiling along in your apartment, a thought that made you a bit sad, but you quickly wiped it away.

Sounds like a plan, I’ll see you in the morning Y/N~

You would’ve sworn your heart skipped a beat as you fell back on your bed. You weren’t used to this, not used to anyone interest in you. You were just a university student who worked in a café when you weren’t in classes, nothing special, nothing the warranted the curiosity of this attractive man who walked into your life. You pushed yourself back off your bed, slipping into your pjs and setting an alarm for 6:30 before crawling back into your bed. It’d been a long day, you needed rest more than you needed to worry about how breakfast with Taehyung would go in the morning. With that thought, your eyes drifted shut for the night.

~

Meanwhile Taehyung was over the moon, reaching his apartment that he shared with his close friend, Jimin, in high spirits. He walked through the door, still unable to control the grin spread across his face. Upon seeing his friend, he was questioned for his sudden shift in behavior, as he’d been moping around for weeks at this point.

“You look happy. Anything happen today?” His light voice carried across the living room, confused, but glad to see Taehyung in such a good mood.

Not wasting anytime, he embraced Jimin tightly, picking up the shorter boy from pure excitement. “I found her. The girl we saw at the park. I found her, Jimin. She works at a café near your studio. She’s even more beautiful than I remember and I can’t even picture living without her anymore.” He fell back onto their couch, a myriad of emotions still coursing through his system. “She’s going to think I’m insane, isn’t she?”

His friend laughed. “You mean Y/N? The barista near the dance studio, right?” He sat next to Taehyung. “She won’t think you’re insane. She already knows about the situation; she just doesn’t know that it’s you. I go to that café all the time, we talked about it, she thinks the whole thing is ridiculously romantic.” A small smile crossed his features. “I should start planning the wedding.”

Taehyung’s face paled. “You know her and you told her that I’ve been losing my mind over a girl I saw at a park?” He nudged Jimin with a frown. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”

Jimin shrugged and stood up. “Wasn’t my place to interfere, fate and all that.” He started toward the kitchen. “What do you want for dinner?”

Taehyung shrugged, pulling his phone out of his pocket as it vibrated. Jimin walked out of the living room, calling out that he didn’t want any complaints if he wasn’t going to make decisions. Taehyung looked down at his phone, surprised to see an unknown number texting him. Reading the message, he saw that it was you, simple, only to let him know it was you. He was happy to note that you didn’t seem to be ignoring him. He saved your number. Texting you back quickly, his grin from earlier once more taking over his face.

By the time Jimin came back into the living room with dinner, you had agreed to get breakfast with him in the morning, making it impossible for him to sit still, much to his roommate’s dismay. He kept walking around, changing out the lenses on his cameras and going through his closet to find the right outfit tomorrow. He wanted to look good for you, but he didn’t want to overdo it. It took about twenty different outfits before he finally settled on what to wear in the morning, simply being a pair of black skinny jeans and a white t-shirt with blue and black coloring about the neck and shoulders. Jimin assured him multiple times that it would make him look good without the appearance of trying too hard. Once he settled down he laid on his bed, unable to sleep as he thought about seeing you again tomorrow. He felt too giddy, too nervous, too scared you would ultimately reject him. He glanced at the clock, the bright red 1:27 AM glaring back at him. He groaned, knowing he needed to get at least some sleep before he saw you tomorrow. He wanted to make you happy, not be a walking zombie. He turned over, closing his eyes and willing himself to drift off.

~

Your alarm went off all too early, your body still feeling tired as you pulled yourself out of bed. You couldn’t ignore your excitement at the thought of seeing the handsome boy you’d met yesterday, but being up this early on a weekend wasn’t in your normal plans. You walked into the bathroom, splashing your face with cold water as you debated on your appearance for the day. You settled on a light coat of makeup, with your hair falling naturally around your face. You ruffled your hair with your fingers, hoping to give it a bit more volume as you made your way to you closet, browsing through clothes to find something to wear out. You pulled out a nice, navy, floral dress that framed you well, going to find your pair of tan sandals to go with it. You smiled at your completed outfit, your hair now cooperating as you glanced down at your phone to check the time, seeing you also had a text from Taehyung.

I’m on my way, I hope you like pancakes.

It was 7:50, and you were already smiling like an idiot. For the rough impression he’d left on you, he certainly had a way of changing your mind. At precisely 8 there was a knock on your front door, causing you to excitedly jump up and rush to the door, cursing yourself for not having a better composure. You pulled the door open, met with an equally smiling Taehyung, dressed casually, yet managing to look like the definition of sin. His hair was styled up using a bandana and the way his clothes framed his lithe frame worked.

He regarded you with a similar level of awe, stretching a hand out to you, which you graciously accepted as you grabbed the small clutch purse and walked out with him. “You look amazing.” His deep voice resonated through you, making you blush as your arms brushed each other.

“You look pretty good yourself.” You sounded much more reserved than you had hoped, but the effect seemed the same, a fain rosy hue coloring his cheeks as well. He led you to a sleek black car, opening the passenger door for you to slide in before walking to the driver’s side of the car. You noticed the camera sitting in the backseat, making you curious. “Do you bring your camera everywhere?”

He laughed, a sound you desperately wanted to hear again. “I try to keep one with me. In case I get inspiration in weird places.” A fond smile crossed his face as he pulled onto the street. “Though someone kind of threw me off that until recently.” He turned the radio on, soft tunes filling the car. “I hope you don’t mind a bit of a drive, there’s a café a bit out of town that is absolutely amazing.”

You hummed in agreement, happy to just be spending the time next to him. It gave you a bit more time to learn about him. “How did someone throw off your inspiration?” You genuinely wanted to know, after seeing his photos, it was hard to picture him unable to find inspiration in even the most desolate of places.

He sighed, the smile still tugging at the corner of his lips even though he was trying to conceal it. “I saw her, and everything just paled in comparison. Nothing seemed worth taking a picture of unless she was there with me.” He looked over to see your slightly shocked expression. “Things are okay now though.” He offered a softer smile, seeing the slight look of guilt that had crossed your features.

You kept your eyes on him for a while as he drove through the streets, staying silent until he got onto to freeway. Not wanting things to be tense, you decided to ask about the café. “How did you find it if it’s so out of the way?”

“My friend, Jimin, is friends with the owner. The cook is amazing, you’ll love it, I promise.” His voice was steady, still sounding happy despite the fact you were convinced you had brought up some bad memories for him.

The same clicked suddenly. “Jimin? You mean Jimin that works at the dance studio near the coffee shop?” Taehyung hummed in response. “Wait, if you’re friends with Jimin…” You trailed off, taking a second. “You’re the friend that saw the girl in the park. That’s you, isn’t it?” You hoped you weren’t pushing a sensitive topic.

Taehyung chuckled. “In the flesh.” He pulled into a roadside diner, the exterior looking a bit weary from time, but still cute in its own right. He offered his arm for you once you were both out of the car, which you gladly wrapped yours through. “I guess I can be a hopeless romantic, but lately it feels a bit less hopeless.” A whimsical smile took over his lips again, the light blush from this morning taking over his cheeks once more as you walked in.

The two of you were greeted enthusiastically by the host, who pulled Taehyung into a firm hug before seating the two of you in a booth. “Jungkook will come take your order in a minute.” The man smiled and walked away, leaving you a bit dumbfounded.

You looked at the boy smiling at you from across the table, still feeling a little in disbelief. “Taehyung… You glanced over at the host, who seemed now involved in a conversation with a younger looking boy and the man behind the window into the kitchen. “He didn’t give us any menus. I don’t even know what they serve here.”

Taehyung let out a hearty laugh, resting his palm against his forehead in exasperation. “Namjoon is one of the smartest people I know, but he can be very forgetful.” He chuckled again, clearly finding the situation a bit more amusing, but his cheerful attitude quickly rubbed off on you. “Do you trust me? I’ll order for you if you do.” He smiled bashfully at you when you nodded, reaching out to cup your hands on the table. “Strawberries or apples?”

You blushed at the sudden contact, but couldn’t help the happy feeling growing in your chest. “Definitely strawberries.” You nodded your affirmation to your own statement, making him grin even wider at the cute expression you made.

The young boy you saw the host talking to earlier walked up to your table cheerfully, pulling the pen from behind his ear to write on the small order pad. “What can we get you and the lady, Tae?” He nudged Taehyung playfully, who just laughed in response.

“Two hot chocolates, strawberry crepes, and mixed berry crepes.” He locked eyes with you, smiling again. “Thanks Kookie.”

The younger boy nodded and walked away, just far enough away to not hear you burst into a fit of giggles. “Tae? I like it.” You pursed your lips to try to prevent the smile that still took over.

Taehyung’s jaw dropped slightly. “Please keep calling me that, it sounds so cute coming from you.” The comment came out without any forethought, making him blush like crazy as he faced you.

You also blushed uncontrollably at his comment. “I didn’t expect you to be like this.” You laughed, looking into his eyes. “You seemed so… cocky… yesterday.” You bit your bottom lip, trying to keep your emotions under control, but the intense fluttering of your heart made it clear that was going to be impossible.

He just smiled at you. “You’re the girl. That’s why I’m not ‘cocky’ anymore. You’re her.” He sounded so sincere, his thumbs rubbing along the backs of your hands as he looked down, unable to meet your eyes.

You gasped at his sudden confession, unsure how to respond. “The girl? From the park?” For some reason, your eyes watered when he nodded, your heart threatening to catch in your throat. “But I’m just me…” Your gaze fell to your lap. “I’m not worth that kind of pain.”

You looked up when you felt a small tug on your hand, surprised to feel his lips pressed against your palm. “You’re worth everything, Y/N.” Before he could say much more the food brought to the table, the young boy from before given the two of you a curious look. Taehyung erupted into a fit of giggles. “We can talk later, let’s eat.”

The two of you enjoyed your breakfast fairly silently, occasionally expressing how good the food was. When you finished your meal, Taehyung lead you up to the register, wrapping his arm tightly around your waist, an affectionate sign you did nothing to fight. Once he paid, he led you back to the car, eyes burning into yours as he looked at you. “Tell me you’ll stay with me today.” You nodded with a smile before he pulled you into his car, pulling out of the lot and driving with no real destination in mind. “Will you let me take pictures of you?” His voice was breathy, nervous even in his request.

You smiled, thinking back to how much you’d wished for an opportunity like this after seeing his artwork for the first time. “As many as you want.”

He groaned quietly. “Don’t tell me that. If you tell me that, you’re never leaving my sight again.”

“Maybe I don’t want to.” The words slipped out before you could stop them, surprising you with your own boldness.

Taehyung’s eyes blew wide, unable to form any words as he drove down the highway. Neither of you could find words, and even though you were both shocked by the conversation, the silence was comfortable with him. Eventually he settled back into a light smile as you approached the coast line, one of his hands intertwining its fingers with yours. He pulled into a small alcove, letting you step out as he grabbed his camera from the backseat, placing the strap safely around his neck before getting out of the care, looking at you starting out over the ocean from a perch you’d found on a rock. Smiling, he snapped a picture of you as you stood there, smiling down at the picture as it showed up on the display. He walked over to you, wrapping an arm around you again. You leaned into him as he did, happy to be near him. You looked up at him to see him already staring down at you. Your eyes met, his face slowly moving closer to yours. “Tell me to stop.” His voice wavered, eyes boring into yours, filled with complete adoration.

“No.”

You barely got the syllable out before his lips crashed down against yours, his other hand coming up to cup your cheek as yours rested softly against his chest. The kiss was firm and soft all at once, the combination forcing all other thoughts out of your head as yours lips moved against his. Taehyung’s thumb brushed your cheekbone lightly as he pulled away, gazing affectionately into your eyes. Both your faces were flushed as you caught your breath from the intense kiss you had shared. He held you a bit tighter after that, both of you just staring out at the water and waves crept up onto the sand, lapping at it continuously. You rested your head on his shoulder, to which he turned slightly, placing a quick kiss to the top of your head.

He unwrapped his arm from around you, taking his camera in his hands and snapping a shot of the scenery around you, showing you the picture in the screen capture after it took. He smiled at the sight of your face lighting up as you looked at the image, treasuring each pixel. When you were done, he took the camera up again, putting you into frame as you sat on the edge of the makeshift cliff created by the rocks. He moved off to the side, capturing a you angled against not only the waves, but also the craggy structures that littered the coast. The two of you stayed until the sun started to set, exploring the beach, taking more photos that either of you knew what to do with, and sharing kisses everywhere you went. As you reached the area you’d left his car in, he pulled you close once more melding your bodies together as you sat back down on the edge of the rocks. “Let’s watch the sunset before we leave, yeah?” He smiled at you in the purest way, nothing but affection in his eyes as he held you to him.

You nodded, nestling into him to combat the slight chill that came with the evening air. You heard him humming softly, a soft lulling sound that filled your ears. “Taehyung…” Your voice was laced with sleep.

He looked down at you, his heart swelling at your sleepy figure that was curled into him. “Y/N.” He had a look of determination now as your eyes met. “Be my muse. Now, tomorrow, forever.”

You bit your lip. “Always.” He kissed you again, softer than the first time it happened, but just as passionate. He pulled away too soon in your opinion, but as his arm shifted up to your shoulders and wrapped you against his chest, you changed your mind, seeing the colors of the sunset reflect off the ocean.

He set his camera in your hands, lips hovering around the shell of your ear as he left a single kiss there. “Take a picture.”

You nodded, intent on taking a nice picture for him. This was a moment you wanted to remember forever. You held the camera up, looking through the viewfinder as you felt Taehyung’s hands held steady yours.

“Take a deep breath once you find the picture you want, hold the shutter down as you breathe out.” He instructed, still keeping you from shaking.

You did as he said, letting the piece of technology capture the moment for eternity. You pulled the camera down and looked into the display with Taehyung as the picture showed up on the small screen. He couldn’t help but grin as the image showed up, with his trained eye, he could see the faults in it as an image, but at the same time he’d never seen anything more beautiful, barring you. “Perfect.” He kissed your shoulder, tightening his grip around you.

You looked behind you to see him, to which he wasted no time capturing your lips with his once more. “My muse.” He muttered as he pulled away, gazing down at you.

“Always.”

[rhina988]

I Can’t Get You Out Of My Mind - Part 2

I’m glad many of you liked Part 1 (which you could read HERE), and since I was inspired I wrote a Part 2 - but that still won’t be the end. :) The story will have a Part 3, that will come out really soon. 

Thanks for all the feedback, feel free to comment on this one as well and send your suggestions.

I’m always open for requests.

Enjoy!

Part 2

I knew I won’t be able to refuse to see Justin any longer if I want to make this evening perfect for me and Jared. That’s why I decided to send Justin a peace offering.

“Fine, I’ll talk to you, but not tonight!. I’m not in the city. I’ll call you tomorrow when I get back, and we can talk.”

“Everything OK?”, Jared asked and it seemed as if he was a bit concerned.

“Yeah, nothing to worry about. Some mix up with the schedule at work. Nothing that Ashley can’t take care of. I just tend to overreact sometimes.” I said and smiled, trying to make sure nothing ruins tonight.

“Good. I wouldn’t want this night to be anything but perfect”, Jared said and put his hand on top of mine which was on my left thigh. Chills instantly went through my stomach and up my spine. His touch was so compelling. 

We’ve finally arrived in front of the restaurant and after he got out of the car Jared opened the door for me and took my hand to hold while we were getting inside. Everybody seemed to know him, and we got the best table at the restaurant. It was one of the tables in the back, where you could see the entire room, while almost nobody could see you perfectly. It was perfect for me, since I wanted us to have as much privacy as possible. It would be so uncomfortable to be photographed by paparazzi on our first date. Not only was this our first date, but the day that we met for the first time. Everything was happening so fast that the last thing I needed was to see my picture online in the morning saying that Jared and I are “a thing”. 

The waiter came to take our order and after we’ve ordered dinner and a bottle of white wine we started to talk. I got to know a bit more about Jared’s personal life. I only knew a couple of basic things, about his brother, a single mom and their not at all easy childhood. But tonight he told me almost every little thing about their struggle, and path to success. It’s so refreshing to talk to someone who doesn’t take their success, fortune and fame for granted. Jared worked so hard for every little thing he owns, that he can’t help but be humble and grateful for everything he has now. 

“It’s so nice to see that a celebrity could actually be so down to earth as you are. I feel like I have known you my entire life. It’s so easy to talk to you.”, I said and smiled the whole time. Jared was so comfortable to be around. Not for a minute did I feel any kind of pressure talking to a rock star. 

“I can say the same about you. It seems as if we clicked the moment we met. I could talk to you for hours.”, Jared said and took a glass to clink with mine.

“So tell me, how is that you chose to do what you do?”, Jared asked me.

“Well, I’ve always known I’m gonna end up doing something that has to do with television. As a little kid I used to act, sing, recite, and I was always involved with activities that included public speaking or some type of performance.”

“Yeah, you really are charismatic, that’s for sure. There’s something about you that’s enchanting. It’s really hard to keep my eyes off of you”, Jared said with the cutest grin on his smile, taking a sip of his wine.

“Stop, you’re gonna make me blush.”, I said and waved my head.

“I’m serious, you are beautiful and so charming I’m surprised you’re still single.”

Here we go. It’s time to mention the exes, and past relationships. I was so hoping we wouldn’t have to go that far on the first date, but that’s just my luck.

“I guess I was out of luck on that field. Somehow no matter how much I want a guy to be the one, they never seemed to be able to meet all of my expectations and criteria.”

“Wow, you’ve set some high standards, huh?”, Jared said and raised his eyebrow.

“I guess you could say that. I just know how much I’m worth, and I won’t go below that.”

“I like that in a woman. You know exactly what you want, and you’re not afraid to look for it.”

“Exactly!”, I said and smiled flirtatiously.”And what about you, mister?” I was trying to keep him away from my love life, at least until I fix everything with Justin.

“Well, between the albums, tours, movies and all other craziness, it’s real miracle I was able to date any women in my life. ”, Jared said and started laughing.

“So, the problem was just the time. Or to be specific, the lack of one?”

“Absolutely. You wouldn’t imagine how difficult it is to juggle all the errands you have to do in a day. And when the tour comes, I am basically almost the entire year away. And for the most part of it I’m even on other continents, so it’s anything but easy to keep in touch.”

Good job, Y/N. You’ve found yet another guy who’s definitely not going to be a keeper. But then again how on earth could I be feeling the way I do? It’s like we’re all alone in this restaurant, even though the place is crowded with people. Not for a second did we keep our eyes off each other. How would be even be able to keep any form of relationship alive if he lives the life he just described? This was starting to get more complicated by the minute, and I was feeling more attracted to him as the night went on. 

It was already time for dessert but we both agreed not to take anything, and head out instead.

“Dinner was so delicious, I don’t think I could taste anything else without ripping the zipper on this dress”, I said and sighed a bit.

“Don’t be silly, we didn’t have that much to eat. Plus, I wouldn’t let anything or anyone rip that dress unless myself.”, Jared said and leaned towards me to drop a kiss on my lips. He definitely didn’t waste a minute, that’s for sure.

I didn’t get the chance to speak my mind after Jared, because the waiter came to bring us the check. After Jared took care of it, we went to the car and he gave me a ride home.

We were in front of my building, and Jared parked, turned off the engine and walked outside to open the door for me. Such a gentleman! 

“Thank you” I said as Jared offered me a hand to get out of the car. These heels were no joke, so neither of us would like for me to trip and fall down on my nose.

“Well, this was quite the night”, Jared said and I stopped in front of the stairs to my building, leaning against the railings.

“It sure was. The whole day’s been really intense”, I said and looked into Jared’s sky blue eyes. I swear this man had the most unique eyes as I’ve ever seen.  

“It would be great if it could become even more intense.” Jared said and grabbed me by the waist pulling me closer to him. We were face to face. So close we could feel each other’s breaths on our faces. 

We were standing still for a split second, both eager to kiss each other. As I bit my lower lip in anticipation, Jared licked his lips and couldn’t wait a second longer. 

He cupped my cheeks, and locked his lips to mine. I ran my fingers through his hair, as his embrace became stronger with every breath we exchanged. I swear I thought we’d have sex right then and there. We were all over each other, I completely forgot we were actually standing in the middle of the street.

“OK, wait, wait, wait…”, I pushed Jared slowly away from me, trying to catch a breath. “We should definitely stop this now.” 

I could hear a small growl coming out of his chest as his eyes were closed for a second or two. He was trying to cool down himself from this fire-burning feeling we just had. 

“Yeah…. I guess you’re right… I mean, I had a great time, and it’s best if we end the night with this.”, he said and kissed me again, but this time slowly, shortly and so sweet. It was more of a cute smooch that barely lasted for a millisecond. Just enough to say “good night” without causing another tide of steamy feelings.

“How about we have a lunch tomorrow?”, Jared suggested and started walking towards the car.

“Lunch sounds great. How about 2?” I asked and smiled.

“Perfect. I’ll pick you up. Good night.”, he said and blew me a kiss with his hand. 

“Good night. See you tomorrow”, I said and started walking up the stairs.

I went inside the condo, and instantly got out of this damn dress. My God I’ve never felt this hot in my life. It’s like it was a 1000 degrees in this apartment. I instantly hit the cold shower to try to cool myself down as fast as possible. This man was giving me such intense feelings, I thought I was on fire. 

I should’ve asked him to come inside. The hell with the first date thing, I WANTED him so much I started to feel physical pain. This is definitely the first time I’ve felt something so strong for someone in such a short notice. I mean, we haven’t known each other for the whole 24 hours yet, and I was completely obsessed with the thought of him. And me. Together. 

I walked out of the shower, put my white fluffy bathrobe on and went to lay down to bed a bit before I dried my hair. I took my phone and saw a text from Jared.

“I can’t stop thinking about you.”

Holly crap. Just when I started to think if he was feeling the same way I did I see this text. It’s official. This is going to be anything but an ordinary relationship.

“I can’t get you off my mind either. I had a great time tonight.”, I replied and started drying off my hair with a towel.

“Can’t wait for tomorrow. Sleep tight.”

I didn’t reply anything and started to dry my hair thinking about all the possible versions of this little commotion. Is it possible that we’re in for a long run? Or are we just going to heat up this fast, only to crash and burn all together in the end? How was even possible that this was happening so fast? No anticipation for the messages, no games that serve only to test the other one’s nerves (the one that I hate BTW. I mean if you like me, tell me so, if you don’t tell me as well, so I can move on. All these games about who should call first and do the first move are so tiring and gross I could vomit). We were starting off with such passion, excitement and arousal that it’s impossible we’ll last long. OK, these thoughts are becoming too much. It’s time to go to bed for sure.

The next morning was wonderful. I woke up and saw a gorgeous sunny day waiting for me to make the best of it. I got up, made coffee and started going through my messages. Fortunately today was my day off, so I didn’t have to go to the studio. I could spend a carefree afternoon with Jared.

“Shit!”, just as I thought about that carefree day I saw a message from Justin.

“I hope you’ll be home soon. I’m coming over later.”

Who the hell does he think he is? We broke up a month ago, (well, actually I broke up but he was fine with it) and now he wants me to listen to him, and acts like I owe him something. I’m not letting him ruin this thing with Jared for me. 

“Don’t come over,  I won’t be home till tonight. We better meet at the coffee place. Could you be there in an hour?”

It was about 11 o’clock so I figured we could talk for about half an hour which would leave me plenty of room to get back home and wait to meet Jared. 

“Fine. See you there in an hour.”

We had our favorite coffee place near my home where we actually met for the first time. I haven’t even been there since we broke up. That’s why I hate meeting guys at my favorite restaurants, coffee places or other places I love, they always become less attractive locations after I broke up with a guy. 

Anyway, now I just needed to mentally prepare for this damn conversation, and not let anything ruin my day with Jared.

I went to a coffee place and there he was. Justin, sitting at the table outside, with a cup of coffee to go in his hand, sipping it slowly and glancing at his watch to check the time. Good, he sat outside, this will stop me from making a huge scene if he pushes too far with his attitude and behavior. He came a bit early, so he was probably hoping I wouldn’t be late. As I wasn’t. If anything, I was punctual. Which I also appreciated in others. Time is money, so every minute is carefully planned out. Who ever can’t respect that, we part ways fast.

“Hi.”, I said and sat across Justin.

“Hi. I was hoping you’ll be here soon.”, he said nervously.

“So, what’s up? Why am I here anyway Justin?”, I said and rolled my eyes at him.

“I want you back.”

“Ha ha ha”, slipped my mouth.

“What’s so funny?”

“Really? Are you kidding me? ”

He watched in disbelief and waved his head. I guess he thought I maybe felt the similar way. But I didn’t at all. As a matter of fact, I’m sure I haven’t thought about him since the day we broke up. 

“Look, I broke up with you for a reason, OK?”, I said and lean forward to him putting one arm on the table. “I stopped having feelings for you, so it was time we both went our separate ways.”

“But I still have feelings for you.”, Justin said and put his hand over mine, “I think we could work this out if we tried.”

I quickly pulled my hand beneath his and leaned back against the chair.

“No, Justin. When one person stops having feelings for another, that’s where things end. I’m not confused, or unreasonable, I just know how I feel. And I don’t feel a thing for you anymore. I’m sorry but that’s how things are. Can you make peace with it or not?”

Justin sat there for a moment, clearly disturbed and disappointed. But he finally spoke.

“Fine. Can we at least be friends?” 

“Sure. Why not. Just don’t try this again. I’m serious, we’re done. For good.”

I said and got up, going back to my apartment. My God this was awful. How could he even thought I’d want him back. Never have I ever sent him mixed signals or anything. I was always straightforward and he pulls this one on me. Horrible. Thankfully there’s something to look forward today. In an hour we’ll finally meet.

I was ready in ten minutes. The anticipation left me all tingly, that I couldn’t think much about the perfect outfit, so I grabbed what I felt most comfortable at. Jared’s already seen me in my sexiest edition, so it was time for something less sexy but still feminine and cute.

I was done with the clothes, fixed my hair and make-up a bit and it was time to head out. As I looked through the window I saw Jared arriving. He came by foot, which was a bit surprising, but great since I needed a lot of fresh air if I was gonna be around him in the middle of broad daylight.

“Hello beautiful”, Jared said and tilted his head to the right, smiling at the same time.

“Hello handsome.”, I said and started quickly coming down the stairs. I wrapped my hands around him giving him the biggest hug. Then he quickly kissed me, grabbed my hand and we started walking to lunch.

“I thought we could use this beautiful day to go for a walk, and enjoy the outdoors. ”, Jared said and seamed like that’s not all he wanted to tell me.

“Great idea. It really is the perfect day, I love to be outside when the sun is shining and it’s this warm.”

“I can tell. You sure have been busy today, haven’t you?”, he looked at me a bit angry.

“Not really, no. Why?” I was trying to play dumb, just so see if he was implying what I thought he was implying.

Jared quickly jerked my arm and pulled me into an alley. He pushed me hard against the wall and cupped my face. I was a bit scared and flustered at the same time. I started to breathe heavily and couldn’t say a word.

“You don’t think I know what you’ve been up to earlier today?”, Jared asked and started to caress my face with his thumb.

“Nothing… I just… I went…”, I couldn’t think of any good excuse. My mind was spinning around with desire to kiss him, and the need to not disappoint him. The last thing I wanted was for Jared to think I’m seeing someone else while I’m dating him as well.

“You went to a date with someone else, right?”

“No, I didn’t. It wasn’t…”

“Don’t lie to me. That’s the one thing I won’t tolerate. Ever.”

“I am not lying. I just went…”

Jared kissed me without letting me finish the sentence. His arms were all over my body and mine were playing with his hair, pulling him closer to me. Our bodies were on fire. Suddenly he broke the kiss and looked deep into my eyes. 

“Whatever THAT was earlier, now it’s over. Got it? I won’t share you with anyone. I am crazy about you and you’re gonna be JUST mine. ”, Jared said as he pulled a bit away. Biting his lower lip he glanced at my lips, eager to kiss them again.

“He’s an ex boyfriend who just misunderstood some things and I met him to clear everything out. OK?”, I could barely catch a breath but I managed to tell him this.

Jared stepped a bit closer again cupping my face and he whispered “Good. Now we can go to lunch.” He kissed me again so passionately that I felt every nerve in my body tingling. Who on earth could think about lunch right now? I guess I’m gonna have to…

But wait, how could he have known what happen earlier today? Was he following me? Did someone see me and told him about it? I’m definitely gonna have to find out because he didn’t sound harmless at all. Not that I am afraid of him or anything, but this obsession of ours might escalate incredibly. 

Read Part 3

@spaceshipteam44

@nikkitasevoli

[justmecarefree33-blog]

Bechloe Fic Preview

So... I wrote a thing. It’s kinda long, so this is really only the preview. The rest I will link to my FanFiction/AO3 accounts for the rest of your reading pleasure. Let me know what you think, yeah?

"You know what you need? A dog."

Beca glanced up from her phone, mouth still full of chicken burrito goodness, giving Stacie an eyeful when she mumbled, "Whhaa?"

Stacie shrugged, taking a sip of her water. "I said you need a dog."

"I know what you said, Stace. I meant it like 'what the hell do you mean I need a dog?'"

"I think you should get a dog because it'd be good for you."

Beca snorted. "Yeah, no. Not gonna happen."

"Aw, c'mon Becs!"

Beca shot her a warning glare. "I don't do animals." Her tone implied it was the end of the conversation but Stacie paid no head to the shorter girl's stink eye.

"Hear me out, okay? You just moved into your first condo-"

"Correction: I've been living there for almost three weeks now and I had an apartment before-"

"Well sure, but you were living with Jesse then, and now that you're single and alone in that big ol' condo of yours, you should get a dog to keep you company. You know, for when your best friend ain't around!" Stacie shot her a wink.

Beca smirked. "Really now? I didn't know Fat Amy was in town." Stacie's jaw dropped and Beca laughed.

"You cut me deep, Becs. Real deep."

Beca shrugged, shaking her head. "But really though. No dog."

"But Beca dogs are so cute! They're cuddly, friendly, fluffy, total sweethearts…" Stacie insisted, twisting her lips in thought. "Yeah you could definitely use a dog to mellow out all of this," she said, gesturing to the frowning musician. Beca flipped her off in return.

Stacie snickered. She leaned forward suddenly, lowering her voice to a husk. "Plus, chicks dig puppies." Stacie winked again, laughing when Beca's cheeks grew ruddy. Beca threw her face into her palms with a groan.

"Stacie, you're my best friend whom I love like 'the sister I never wanted'," Stacie reached across the table to slap Beca's arm. "But I'm not getting a dog just to find myself a girlfriend. Jesse and I broke up like a month ago and I just…I'm not looking for a relationship right now."

Stacie Conrad (self-appointed best friend and unofficial "sister from another mister") was no stranger to the ways and wiles of Beca Mitchell. They had been best friends since birth. They grew up together, watched out for each other, and had one another's backs all through high school. Beca had been there for Stacie's pregnancy scare back in sophomore year and Stacie had been there for Beca when the tiny deejay started to question why she found the girl in her trig class more attractive than James Jackson, the (questionably) hottest guy in their school.

She had been devastated when Stacie moved down to Georgia for college while she was shipped up to Boston with her father, but they never lost touch and spent every summer together. Back when she told her best friend she had feelings for a guy named Jesse (even when Beca had spent her senior year of high school finally some-what comfortable being known as the 'mysterious gay alt-chick with the awesome mixes') Stacie just took it all in stride. Then again, Stacie was bisexual and knew what it was like to occasionally bat for both teams—once at the same time, or so she had bragged to Beca the morning after. Beca had hung up mid-conversation when she heard someone moaning in the background. Seriously, Stacie had no shame.

"Who said anything about a relationship? Like I always say Becs, the best way to get over someone old is to get under someone new." Stacie wiggled her eyebrows, sporting her signature toothy grin. "But if you're not interested in chasing tail, so to speak, I'll be more than happy to step in for you."

Beca groaned. "Jesus dude like what the hell? You want me to get a dog so you can use it to find your next… sexcapade? No, just- just no. That's like, animal cruelty, or something."

Stacie huffed but finally relented, leaning back into her seat and grabbing her fork to finish her salad. "Fine. Just so you know, you're the worst wing-woman ever, Becs. Like… ever. But that's alright because I love you."

Beca rolled her eyes and the two went back to their meals in silence. After a minute Stacie looked up through her long dark lashes and grinned. "I still think you should get a dog."

It was true when Beca had said she "didn't do animals". Or rather animals just didn't do her. Perhaps both.

Her mother had a cat when Beca was younger (meanest bastard alive), and after being attacked by that goat at the petting zoo when she was ten, she had essentially sworn off all animals in general.

And really who could blame her? Animals were messy and smelly. They needed to be trained (unless you wanted poopy carpets and chewed up shoes) and constant supervision lest the damn thing wander off and get stuck under the bed or something. Not to mention dogs basically barked all the time and Beca valued her silence more than anything, especially when she was mixing.

If she wanted to deal with all of that then why not just adopt a toddler for crying out loud!

So no, she wasn't getting a dog. Stacie could suck it.

It would seem, however, that fate had other plans.

She was walking home after her shift at Residual Heat, the record label she had just started working for, still without a car and having decided against the bus to avoid any more potentially fatal run ins with the crazy old lady she had sat next to that morning.

She was wearing her headphones, more focused on the mix currently playing than what was in front of her. When she rounded the corner her nose nearly kissed the pavement tripping over some kind of animal cage. Luckily the cage was empty and Beca managed to stay on her feet (granted her big toe hurt like a mother), but the noise had caught the attention of the two employees standing in front of the pet store. Furthermore, now one of them was walking her way.

Despite her dark appearance, perpetual scowl, and "don't fuck with me" attitude, Beca did in fact possess the ability to be polite (really only when necessary), and she knew it would have been rude to just ignore this girl.

Damn. She'd been less than ten minutes from home too.

Beca begrudgingly pulled off her headphones to dangle loosely around her neck and gave a tight-lipped smile to the grinning blonde striding up to meet her.

"Hi there!" (Oh dear god, one of those people? Should she just keel over now or suffer through attempting to talk to this girl and ultimately die from her own awkwardness?) "Would you like to hear about our adoption program today?"

Beca would have answered that no, she did not want to hear about their adoption program today or any day or anything regarding animals for that matter, thank-you very much. But, as per usual and because she was just so excellent talking to random people on the street, her words jumbled around inside her mouth before she could even get them out. Which was fine because the blonde was pressing on with or without Beca's approval.

"It's national Adopt a Pet Day, but here at Barden's Pet-a-Tete we've turned it into Adopt a Pet Week!" She gestured to the various cages and dog pens before turning back to Beca with a sad smile. "All these little guys here come from a pound in Atlanta. They need good, loving homes, otherwise the pound will take them back to be euthanized by the weeks end."

The blonde suddenly looked at her, all big doe eyes and pouty lips, silently begging the question Beca was hoping to avoid. She gulped, palms sweating, suddenly nervous this girl could see straight into her 'non-pet-loving' soul.

"Jessica, please, I doubt she needs to hear all that," the second girl said, wandering over to Beca and Jessica, carrying two puppies in her arms. The brunette smiled politely at Beca and handed the bigger puppy to Jessica who at least had the decency to look apologetic. Beca was thankful for the interruption.

Despite her aversion to animals, Beca was indeed a sucker for pouting puppy-dog eyes (how ironic). It was pretty much how Jesse got her to go on a date with him way back in their first year of college. That big dope just had to have the sweetest looking pout she'd ever seen and after she eventually caved and went out with him, he knew he could get away with so much because of that look. (That bastard.)

"Sorry, Ash. I know we still have time and more than half of the dogs have been adopted already, it's just that I want these guys to go to awesome homes. Like now! Aw Ashley, can we keep this one? Please!"

Jessica's puppy was some large breed dog from what Beca could tell and was happily licking the blonde's face into slobbery oblivion, waving his tail back and forth in a mad blur. Jessica started giggling when the pooch began nipping at her hair, trying to climb up her chest to get better access with a surprising amount of success.

Ashley shook her head with a small smile, turning to Beca. "Would you mind holding this one while I pry my girlfriend free?"

Beca, who was watching Jessica being (gently) mauled by the beast in her arms, nearly jumped when a tiny bundle of fur was stuck under her nose. Ashley was already turning to help Jessica and Beca had no choice but to grab the puppy from her unless she wanted to be responsible for dropping the poor thing.

She wasn't all that familiar with dog breeds (she could at least tell you the difference between a black lab and golden retriever) but she was pretty sure the little pooch in her hands was a beagle. Its underside was white with a mix of tan and black patches on its back, and two black ears that were far too large and floppy for its tiny head. Beca tried to adjust her grip and was suddenly nose to wet black nose with the pup.

"She's the last of her litter." Beca glanced over at a messy-haired Jessica, having been freed from the puppy's assault while Ashley put him away with two others that looked just like him. She smiled at Beca.

"The littlest one there was. She can be a little shy and timid, which is probably why she hasn't been adopted yet, but she's an absolute sweetheart and just loves her teddy." Jessica grabbed a tiny teddy bear from a nearby cage and handed it to Beca as little puppy teeth gently latched onto the bear's ear.

The beagle growled playfully when Beca gently tried to tug the bear away. Had she been aware of it, and not giving her fullest attention to the fuzzball in her arms, she would have felt her lips twitch with mirth… as if she were about to smile. (Oh dear god, the horror. She was so screwed.)

"What's her name?" she asked.

Jessica's smile widened and Beca realized her mistake, too little too late. "Whatever you want it to be."

Beca sputtered. Struggled to say something, anything. To give the dog back and run away as fast and as far as she could. She told Stacie "no dogs" and damn it, she meant it!

Ashley, almost nonchalantly, called over her shoulder, "You know, all store purchases are 50% off with every adoption. And you get an additional discount on every bag of dog food you buy from here for the next three months."

Beca could practically here the smile in Ashley's voice and if it was anything like the one Jessica was beaming at her then it was hopeless.

Well fuck.

So much for her "no pets" policy.

Read the rest here or here and let me know what you think. Here’s to 2017 Pitches!