#<-saw the lyrics exactly once and was too confused to return for more

[deus-ex-mona]

o k but. these quick dialogue flashes are definitely more suited for last stage than a.b.s., right?

[500daysofflowersandpain]

It's 3pm

I wonder if your like, I haven't herd from him.

Or.

He hasn't posted.

Part of me kind of thinks, I should delete my socials, I'm not feeling sucidial but then you might regret if I go off grid.

You'll be like where do I even begin to pickup the pecies, I've picked mine up and they all frame around you.

Remove every trace I ever existed, but there shouldn't be a path for you to return home when you think I'm reday. Because you say you don't feel safe around me.

I'd say I never spoke about sex because you were raped, I fell into liking girls that were younger then me as my mental health got worse, so did I slip down the rabbit hole.

You say so many things in that video, but your blog paints clues to how you felt, some I'll probably never know exactly, but I had truma stuck on my brain.

You kicked Metaphorically as me out of your life as I did to you... But you do you think you will die? Will it make me sad? Will it cause me pain?

Probably, but I chose that action to protect you from if you herd the news of my suci-

Maybe you will never see the sacrifice I made, you also didn't return my messages,

I told you that when you don't reply I worried about you,

Last time I saw you, you were in tears, maybe I regret knocking on the door and running up to you, I thought you knew my voice.

Thanks for throwing away my favorite shirt, I wonder if you ever pondered the lyrics and saw suffering as much as you told me, you have been so fortunate to have a family, let alone getting treatments from your trumas so early, I've had to wait as an adult and I swear this makes it much harder. But at least I rest easy that those 3 days were probably the best and worse days of my life.

I never thought once, I was going to leave or go away, you told me to never leave you, I didn't forcefully but you had ways to contact me, at least you could of and tried to.

Some of those anons speak to me is you, but some of them I wonder if they ever was you.

So I listened to the breakup songs,

And you tell me they are nothing more then, I wouldn't call you abusive but you definitely call me that.

I am so confused with emotion from what you say.

Part of me wants to die,part of me never wants to talk to you again as you asked, and part of me will leave my log cabin to you when I dissappear into the unknown.

It's a shame I have faith in doing the right thing,

And not removing every little glimmer of me from the internet. I could, I know how to, I'd say you probably should too but you can live your life how you want.

I was tempted to make a voice mail along of lines of.

"I paid for this service but it's going to a dead end email box, please leave your name, phone number and no one will return your call anytime for the next... never"

But I couldn't do that, I leave it open maybe when you see I'm at Microsoft and have a nice house you might be like shit, and I'll always welcome you back to me.

Wherever I go, I guess it's a story of once was.

That's what you want me to say, I held hope, I accidentally told you my vowes and before I knew it you broke up with your ex, and your telling me that it wasn't anything to do with me.

It's 333pm now.

401pm

Roses are red.

Violets are blue.

Your hair is blonde,

At least we can agree you and I hate myself.

[officerjennie]

Title: As the Clouds Whisp Overhead

Summary: Jaskier gets off on Geralt's soft thighs and tummy. Literally. Geralt relaxes back and lets him, enjoying the show. Weight gain spoken of positively. Pairing: Geraskier. WC: 3.5K+

CW: smut, brief mention of weight loss due to difficult times (past)

It had been a rather easy spring, all things considered.

Geralt lazed in the field, not really watching the clouds that drifted overhead, his eyes closed and breaths deepening into an almost meditative state. The smell of wine and cheese was almost drowned out by the wildflowers about them but it was still there, as was the scent of apples, salt, the road, and the lingering oils that Jaskier had insisted on wearing ever since he’d discovered Geralt’s nose was sensitive to the others that he used to reek of.

Said bard was currently shuffling their lunch about, putting most of it away for later, humming one of his newest tunes as he folded back up the blanket he’d apparently bought for just this occasion. Though they’d eaten plenty of meals without it or the basket he’d purchased at the market as well, Jaskier had insisted that a picnic was a special affair and deserved the right accessories to make it just right.

Geralt had just let him do as he wished, not worried about his friend’s coin purse - and not worried about his own, for once. Usually the end of winter spelled a time of heavy work for him but he’d lucked out on a couple of easy and well paying jobs right off the bat - so he thought a bit of down time wouldn’t be the end of the world for them.

The song on Jaskier’s lips was one he hadn’t quite finished yet. Geralt had already heard several different renditions of the first verse alone, lyrics tweaked here and there, the exact lilt of his voice changing back and forth as he tried to settle on what he believed would sound the best. And despite his occasional grumbling over the repetition it was a rather relaxing tune, one he didn’t mind listening to.

Beyond that, there was a sort of...intimacy that came with being trusted with Jaskier’s unfinished works. The knowledge that Jaskier wasn’t always his best around him, was able to fuck around with a song and riddle the air with curses of “bollocks” and “cock” while he tried and failed and tried again to make it just right. That Geralt could see him like this and not the perfected performance that he was to the rest of the world, the mask that was firmly in place right up until the moment he didn’t want it to be.

And that moment just so happened to frequently involve witchers, whether directly or indirectly. How many times had he gone feral on someone for just saying the wrong thing about one of Geralt’s colleagues? Just early that spring he’d jumped someone for spitting on the ground over Lambert’s name, and Jaskier hadn’t even met him yet.

Something like pride welled up in his chest at the thought, though it was a quiet thing. Jaskier should be more careful, he shouldn’t be fighting their fights - but it meant the world to him all the same that he wanted to. Especially for his brothers.

“You know, I’ve never been one for cheese and crackers as anything more than a snack, but that was simply delightful.” Jaskier’s voice came closer as he talked, and the flowers and grass were disturbed next to him as the bard flopped over at his side, quickly snuggling in when Geralt moved his arm to make room for him. “We’ll have to go back and ask again what the name of that cheese was. Never have I ever given so much thought to pairing and wines and all that stuff - my youngest sister was always more interested in that sort of thing, and really if I heard her say one more time that my palette wasn’t refined enough I might have had to hide frogs in her bed again.”

Jaskier settled in nicely at his side, slotting in like they were made for each other, fit perfectly together. He chattered away and Geralt mostly tuned him out, something Jaskier loved to fake hurt over though they both knew it was just that: fake. Over the years Geralt had perfected hearing what he needed to hear and simply listened to the tune of Jaskier’s voice, the song of his highs and lows, his sighs and breaths and every heartbeat becoming the song that was his bard.

Meditation came easier around Jaskier than it did anyone else. Even around his own family it was a struggle. Lambert was a little shit at the best of times and Eskel simply existed larger than he wanted to, and Geralt was always tuned into his brothers, paying attention to them because he knew just how limited theri time was together. But with Jaskier, he could rest, relax, simply let himself be like he’d never experienced with anyone else.

His arm rested at Jaskier’s back, hand loose on his side, barely hanging on and feeling his bard breath in and out as he spoke. Jaskier’s fingers tapped a rhythm where they were rested on his chest, though eventually they moved, sliding down to rest against his stomach and making Geralt hmm at the pleasant warmth they brought.

They’d stripped earlier to bathe in the nearby river and had mostly dressed, though Jaskier had forwent his doublet as Geralt had his armor. It was nice, being out in the wild, away from the faux sense of safety that inn rooms allowed them and yet still able to be this content without his armor on. Just their loose clothing, not enough to be considered decent in any sort of societal setting, simply existing and being and just…

Geralt was content, and he didn’t consider that a bad thing. Not in the slightest.

A breeze rustled the field about them, loose silver hair tickling his face though Geralt didn’t have the bother in him to brush it out of the way or tuck it behind his ear. The air smelled nice for once, no clogging dust on the wind, no rotting anything nearby nor farms to make his nose want to clog itself. Since the summer was still a ways off the sun wasn’t too harsh on his skin, his chemise enough to keep any possible chill away though it was warm enough in this part of the country, everything pleasant and not too much.

There was also a lovely set of fingers that had wormed their way under his chemise. Jaskier hadn’t bothered to push it up, had just scooted his hand underneath, and with very gentle circles had begun to rub patterns into the soft flesh there. It was enough to make Geralt melt beneath him, a soft hmm on his lips accompanied by a sigh as he felt his every muscle relax at the touch. The winter had been extra good to him, Eskel having returned with more coin than expected from his path which had meant more meat for their stews, and the lot of them had eaten extra well.

Jaskier had never shied away from letting him know exactly how much he appreciated it when he ate well. There had been a few times on their own path that food had been scarce, and despite witchers having an accelerated metabolism Geralt had always done his best to see after his bard first and foremost - so when times were tough his body showed it, and Jaskier had played his fingers raw when he saw the worst of it just to make sure the both of them could eat their fill.

But there had been no such worries or struggles yet this year, what with the good winter and the well paying contracts that had followed. Geralt’s stomach was full and soft, protecting the muscles and other important organs underneath, and the rest of him was showing the spoiling as well. His thighs had grown softer, somewhat straining against the material of his pants but it wasn’t quite uncomfortable yet - he knew well enough to keep his clothes somewhat baggy, to make room for the waxing and waning that came with the path. His chest, too, had grown softer, encouraging Jaskier to nuzzle into it at any given opportunity.

Those calloused fingers found some of the scars that ran across his belly, caressing them gently. Some stretch marks veined their way across his skin as well, hidden at the moment by his chemise but Jaskier felt his way across them all the same, giving off a gentle sigh as he snuggled in closer and traced his love wherever he could reach.

Geralt could not have thought of a more peaceful way to spend the afternoon. The clouds blurred as his eyes slid closed at the tender affection, his breaths deepening. Deep breaths in through his nose, smelling the wildflowers. A rabbit was nearby, chomping as quietly as it could on some grass, its hops barely whispers as it braved further away from its burrow. Geralt could hear the gentle chuffing of its babies hidden away, the call of a hawk overhead that sent the rabbit scurrying. The scent of budding trees, of a little mouse that had found some seeds to munch. The scent of his bard, his oils and shampoo and the hint of river on the both of them, and the growing scent of-

A snort brought them both a bit out of the peace, and Geralt cracked his eyes just enough to smirk down at the startled confusion growing on his bard’s face.

“Really?”

Those pretty pink lips pouted up at him as if Jaskier wasn’t fully aware of what was growing in his pants. Geralt made a show of raising one of his eyebrows, raking his gaze down, down his bard, straight to stare at his crotch just long enough to get his point across before flicking his eyes right back up.

It took a few seconds for his bard to catch up, Geralt watching the thoughts clear as day on Jaskier’s face, until red spread pretty across his cheeks and darkened the speckle of freckles there. Jaskier sputtered a bit and Geralt had to bite back a wider grin, starts to words that had no finish dropping between them before Jaskier cut himself off with a whine, ducking in to nuzzle into his chest and push the rest of his body closer.

“That’s not fair, Geralt - what, can you, I don’t know, smell it or something?”

Geralt didn’t respond to that, just reached up to tug a stray curl back behind Jaskier’s ear. His bard peeked up at him with another adorable pout jutting out his lower lip, his nose scrunched up as he waited for his ‘ridiculous suggestion’ to be shot down.

But it wasn’t shot down. And Jaskier frowned, and then he squeaked, climbing on top of Geralt to straddle him and poke a very firm finger straight into the chest he’d just been nuzzling.

“You and your- your entirely unfair witcher ways! Are you telling me you could tell all this time? Every time?” Geralt didn’t stop his grin this time and the indignation just grew, hand gestures growing wider. “That is- Geralt, how am I suppose to walk through life knowing you can smell my erection? How am I ever supposed to get up of a morning knowing my every waking naughty thought will be given away? Which yes is entirely too often but you’re entirely not fair, have you looked in a mirror in the past decade? Cruelty, unfair, entirely too sexy for your own good, for anyone’s own good-”

Jaskier went on like that, ranting like only he could, while Geralt eventually tuned his words out just to listen to the lilt of his voice. And the bard made a rather pretty picture himself, straddling him like that. His chemise was loose, showing off curls of dark hair that Geralt could run his fingers through for an eternity and never be bored of it. Broad tanned shoulders, a soft stomach barely hidden underneath his clothes, his pants a wonderful shade of green that fit in with the waking world around them.

A very pretty picture, but a noisy one at the moment. Geralt sighed but Jaskier went on, wildly flourishing his hands as if it was the end of the world that Geralt could smell his arousal. An arousal that had notably not died down, still pressing against the fabric of his pants, catching Geralt’s eyes and making him tilt his head in that way that Jaskier insisted was ‘adorable’ - though Geralt didn’t think he was capable of such a thing.

His thigh twitched with a rather mischievous thought, and as Geralt’s gaze traveled back up to Jaskier’s face, cheeks still stained pink from his rather unnecessary embarrassment, he thought there perhaps that voice would do better singing for him than ranting about his dramatics.

He’d been called an asshole before, and Geralt had never disagreed with the label. But he was lucky enough that Jaskier for the most part never minded - and he greatly doubted Jaskier would mind his next movement.

As Jaskier waved one of his delicate looking wrists in the air, dandelion seeds drifting on the wind about them, Geralt shifted beneath him until he had room to lift up one of his thighs. Before Jaskier could catch his movement it pressed up into him, cutting his bard off with a gasp, his eyes fluttering as Geralt’s smile showed teeth.

“That’s-” Jaskier pressed right down onto his thigh, his hands coming down to support him, and he didn’t waste any time in making it more enjoyable for himself. Shifting down, one hand placed on Geralt’s chest to support him, Jaskier straddled his thigh and slowly ground down onto it. A pretty moan escaped his lips and his tongue darted out as if to catch it.

It was a lovely show, watching as Jaskier pressed down onto him, sought out his own pleasure by rubbing against his thick thigh. Geralt pillowed his head on his arms and just watched, not moving his leg, letting Jaskier set his own pace and feeling pride bubble up in his chest at how pretty he sung for him. On a particularly rough grind Jaskier whimpered and rutted against him faster, making Geralt’s own cock twitch - but he wasn’t really in the mood for pleasure, so he ignored it in favor of the show.

Though he made for a beautiful picture, back lit by the sun and clouds, a pretty blue above that couldn’t quite beat the beautiful blue of his eyes, Jaskier wasn’t purposely looking good for a show. He didn’t touch his own skin like he did when he rode Geralt, didn’t skim his hands down his chest and stomach to show it off. Didn’t bite his lip or run and tangle his fingers into his curls. The emotions that crossed his face were not stressed or controlled, his noises slipped out without thought, his body moving without any purpose beyond pleasuring himself - and it made it a moment Geralt wanted to sear into his memory forever. That Jaskier could let go like this for him. That he trusted that Geralt didn’t mind, trusted that Geralt did not judge him for his desires. How human Jaskier allowed himself to be, imperfect and all the more beautiful for it.

“Fuck,” Jaskier cursed on an exhale, his movements already shaking, his cock dripping enough precum that it soaked into the front of his pants. Geralt could almost feel it wetting his own. “Geralt I- fuck you’re gorgeous, so gorgeous, I want to-” his hips stuttered, breath catching on a moan, brown curls caught on the wind and dancing. “Can- can I get off on your stomach? Gods it’d be so soft, feel so good, I- fuck.”

That was something he’d never requested before. Geralt quirked an eyebrow, belying another twitch of his own cock, but he grunted out “If you must.” And he had to bite back a chuckle at how quickly Jaskier’s fingers went for the ties of his pants.

Jaskier’s cock was leaking profusely though that wasn’t anything he didn’t already know. It looked like it was aching from it, hard and red and angry when he fished it out of his pants and smalls, and Jaskier whined as he couldn’t help but stroke himself a few times. His hips bucked with it, a greedy and wanting noise slipping from between his wet lips - but then he was slipping down Geralt’s leg to straddle his hips, and his cock was pushed against the soft skin of his stomach.

It didn’t slide against him very easily. The precum leaking from the tip helped, but Jaskier didn’t seem to care, holding onto his cock and gently rubbing it against him, jaw wide and loose like it was the single most pleasurable act Jaskier had ever experienced. Geralt cocked his head and tore his gaze away from Jaskier to watch his cock rub circles on him, precum dribbling faster and catching in the hair that curled white all over his abdomen.

Honestly, Geralt didn’t quite understand it. Wasn’t entirely sure what had Jaskier’s breath coming so fast, his heart beating so quick at rubbing against his soft stomach. But he didn’t really care. Jaskier’s hips jerked and he fought to keep himself reigned in, to keep his movements steady and slow, and Geralt just watched him and let him. Let him take this pleasure, smelling the arousal coming off of him in waves, listening to the rhythm of his breaths and body and heart. And Geralt memorized every little detail, from the flutter of his long eyelashes to the way his fingers dug into Geralt’s side, nails just at the edge of biting him.

Jaskier whimpered, long and shaking, when he came. It was desperate, his face scrunching up, eyes shut tight as if he was grasping onto the pleasure with all of his might. Geralt reached out to take hold of one of his hands, letting Jaskier clench his fingers as hard as he needed, bringing them up to brush his lips against the knuckles as Jaskier spilled all over his stomach.

His bard almost collapsed onto him, but Geralt moved him before that could happen, bringing him down with a shush at his further whimpers and letting him rest once more in the crook of his arm. And Jaskier came down slow, heartbeat eventually matching the rhythm of his deepening breaths, eyes still scrunched up tight as if he didn’t want to let go of what he’d been feeling.

When Geralt ran his fingers through his curls, they were damp with sweat. He hummed, not minding, just holding him close as he melted against him.

Eventually, Jaskier stretched, letting his arm flop against Geralt’s chest and legs tangle with his once more. He almost made an effort to open his eyes. Almost. Instead he frowned lightly, nuzzling into Geralt and as he moved impossibly closer.

“Want me to return the favor, love?” His words were light things that could have been carried off by the wind if Geralt’s hearing had been even slightly worse.

In truth, Geralt was turned on. How could he not be when Jaskier had ridden his thigh and stomach so beautifully? But he thought it over for a minute, the cool breeze tickling his face with a few stray white hairs, the scent of wildflowers coming back to him as the one of arousal dissipated.

“No,” he said finally, pulling Jaskier closer to kiss the top of his head. Despite the interest his body had shown he found he wasn’t in the mood himself, content enough to let Jaskier have his pleasure and leave it at that.

Jaskier just hummed, not questioning him further, and a small smile tugged at Geralt’s lips knowing there would be no hurt feelings over it. His bard’s fingers eventually went back to lazily tracing patterns into his skin, though he made a bit of a yucky face when they found the sticky mess he’d left of Geralt’s stomach hairs. Still they were both far too content to clean up just yet, not even wasting the energy to tuck Jaskier’s softening cock back away in his pants as they laid there, relaxed, enjoying the non-harsh sun and the clouds that lazed across the sky overhead.

“Coin for your thoughts?” Jaskier whispered into his chest after a time, and Geralt grunted, not even opening his eyes to look down as he responded.

“A bigger food budget.”

A moment later, and Jaskier’s laugh filled the field around them, sharp and uncontained, a laugh that was so far away from the performance he played that it drew a chuckle out of Geralt as well. That they could be themselves around each other, that they could be so carefree and human, was the most joyous thing Geralt had ever found in his long, long life - and that they’d discovered a new way to have fun was exciting, and Geralt was certainly going to take advantage of this new discovery. How could he not, when his reward was a well-pleased bard melting in his arms.

[inkandpen22]

Permanent Chaos (5/?)

Pairing: MGK x Female!Reader

Word Count: 2.4k

Warnings: none

Part Summary: Colson and Y/N talk over coffee and Colson shows her a hint of what it’s like to be a part of his world. 

Masterlist

The Starbucks in the courtyard has since emptied out with everyone having to return to work after their breaks. Colson and I are two of the only remaining people inside. My hands are wrapped around cup, it’s nice and warm. I had to remove the lid to cool down the substance. We’ve been going back and forth, sharing facts about ourselves. 

"Have you always wanted to be an actress?” 

Studying the dark brown drink in my cup I recall memories from before I moved here.“No, in all honesty. I never saw myself as an actress.” 

He doesn’t try to hide his surprise. His stunned reaction makes me giggle. 

"If you don’t mind me asking, why do you do it then?” 

I sway my head from side to side. “It sorta just worked out. I was out shopping with my mom one day when I was in high school. Nicole approached us. She was in town on business and encouraged me to at least visit Los Angeles so we could set up a meeting. The next thing I knew I was in auditions and I got my part on The Seasons of Life a few months later.” 

“Wow,” his brows remain raised as he glances down at his drink. “If you weren’t acting what would you be doing?”

Sitting up straight, I remember what I once thought was my dream life. “First I would go to college and…” I wave my hand, dismissing the thought. 

Colson presses for me to say it. “you’d what? Come on!” He chuckles, grinning brightly. 

Rolling my eyes, I tell him. “I’d go to art school.” I bite my lip timidly. “Yeah... that would be nice.” I pick at the cardboard wrap on the cup. 

There’s a comfortable silence between us until I change the subject. “Enough about me! What about you? If you weren’t a singer, where would be right now?” 

He looks over in the distance, almost envisioning where his life would be. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” he shrugs but is pleased, “I’ve always loved music. Being in music allows me to do what I love.” 

I nod, almost impervious of him and his contentment. 

“However,” he adds pointing at me. “If it were up to my parents, I would have some office job probably.” 

"Eh, those jobs are so bland. I vote you stick to concerts," I giggle. 

He laughs and it’s contagious. 

My gaze lands on his arm as he reaches for his coffee. His entire arm is covered in ink. I was taught by my parents to despise tattoos. My mom would say, “why would anyone ever be willing to damage their body like that?” Finn jumped on that bandwagon. Whatever Mom says is considered fact to him. For the longest time, I agreed with them. That is until I met Colson. He was made to have tattoos. 

 I’ve seen many people in this city with tattoos but his aren’t just markings for the body, they’re art. 

“Which one are you interested in?” He questions, watching me as I admire them. 

“All of them,” I mumble, examining each one individually in awe. 

Back where I’m from tattoos are frowned upon quite frankly. When you grow up in a place no different than Pleasantville, that’s what you get. Especially, in South Carolina. 

“Do you have any?” He asks with amusement in his voice. 

I shake my head rapidly, “never in a million years!” Comprehending how he could take my response as an insult I’m quick to explain. “I mean, I would never be allowed.” 

His brows scrunch together. "Never been allowed? You’re an adult. Who’s stopping you?” 

I can’t help but snicker a little. If only it was as simple as he makes it sound. “My parents, brother, Nicole, Steph..." 

Colson narrows his eyes at me as he leans forward in his chair. “You’re your own person. You should be able to make your own decisions.” His argument is lacking and quite frankly too optimistic. 

“It’s complicated…” My eyes fall onto my fingers picking at the cardboard rim of my coffee cup. 

“If you say so… except all of them are keeping you from expressing yourself.” 

I roll my eyes as my lips form a smirk. It’s unbelievable, he makes everything sound so black and white. “You’ll never understand,” I conclude. 

“I understand more than you think.” 

Lifting my eyes up, he stares at me with a sincere expression. 

“Prove it,” I challenge him. 

Based on the change of his features, I have given him exactly what he wants.

"If you say so, Princess," he chuckles, rising from his chair. I stare at him in confusion and he offers me his hand. "You coming?" 

I smirk, slipping my hand into his. He grins and bites down on his lower lip. I'm going to regret this. 

_______________________________________________

Driving around with a guy I’m only acquainted to is completely unlike me. Everyone who knows me would be beyond freaked out at the current scene. It's kind of riveting. 

“We’ve been driving for almost an hour," I snicker. 

“It’ll be worth it, trust me!” 

“Where exactly are we going?” 

“The mystery is half the fun!” Colson enjoys the antics. 

I reach forward and change the radio station. Yungblud's "Parents" plays and I leave it. "Love this song," I mumble to myself. 

Colson glances over me, evidently surprised. "You know Dom's music?" 

"What? Just because you view me as a 'goody-two-shoes' doesn't mean I live under a rock." I giggle and hold my finger for him to wait a second. He chuckles. I begin to rap the lyrics from memory. "Yeah, the teacher fucked the preacher. But then he had to leave her. Had to wash away the sins of a male cheerleader. Hi, nice to meet ya, got nothing to believe in. So let me know when my breathing stops!" 

Colson turns up the volume to blasting and we then shout the chores together. I can’t remember the last time I had the chance to drive with the windows down, blasting music, and acting my age. I’ve forgotten what’s it like to just be a young girl, not working all the time. 

Once the song fades out, he turns down the volume. 

"So, she can rap too!" Colson looks at me, rather impressed. 

I dismiss his compliment with a wave of my hand. "Only if I've listened to a song a dozen times." 

"Not gonna lie, that was hot," he chuckles. 

Warmth rushes to my cheeks and I struggle not to smile. My head rests against the window as I watch the ocean become a blur as we drive down the PCH. 

_______________________________________

Colson drives down the road until there’s a dead end. To my surprise and then confusion, he parks the car. 

“We’re here!" He announces before jumping out of the car. 

There’s nothing here. Bushes, sad-looking trees, and dirt. I watch as he walks over to a clearing between some bushes. 

He peers over his shoulder. “You coming?” 

I take a deep breath and swing open the door. Following him to wherever we are, I spot a sign. 

                                   No Trespassing! 

“Hey Colson, that sign said no trespassing. We should go back.” 

He doesn’t even slow down as he walks down a weak path. “I’ve seen it, they never do anything.” 

With every passing moment, this road trip becomes more and more out of my comfort zone. Nicole and my entire team for that matter have guided me to prefer the indoors these past few years. I can’t remember the last time I spent an entire day outside in nature or not following a schedule. 

There’s a light at the end of the tunnel when the brush ends and the path opens up to a clearing. The sound of waves hitting the cliff before us echoes throughout the area. 

I cautiously step closer to the edge and look down to the bottom. “Wow!” I say to myself breathlessly. 

Colson peers down to the shoreline beside me. He then suddenly removes his jacket and moves on to his shirt. 

My jaw drops and I quickly direct my attention to the coastline far from him. I bring my hand to the side of my face shyly, blocking my sight of him undressing. “What the hell are you doing?” 

He chuckles behind me. I’m glad he can find so much amusement in my discomfort. “Cliff diving!” He says a matter of factly. 

“What! No you couldn’t! It’s illegal in these parts! You could get killed!” 

“Or, I’ll jump, have loads of fun and do it again!” He debates. 

I huff, crossing my arms over my chest. “Fine, you live out your death wish. I won’t be participating!” Whipping around and avoiding even sharing a short glance with him, I stomp toward the direction we came. 

He drops his shirt on top of his jacket in the grass and jogs to catch up to me. He squeezes my shoulder, using the other hand to plea with me. I whip my head around to face him. That's when I notice his tattoo-covered chest. 

“Oh let’s do it, Princess!" He encourages. "It’ll be thrilling! An adventure! Reckless! Something different!” 

Did he just call me Princess? No one has ever called me that and he has twice now. 

Colson takes my hand into both of his and I’m thrown off by the action.  “Be spontaneous with me,” he requests softly. 

Currently, I’m debating with myself. The youthful part of me is screaming ‘hell yes! Let’s do this!’ The businesswoman part of me is wiser than to take such a risk. I check over at the edge again. My willingness to do such a rebellious action is new to me. There’s no one here to see us. Paparazzi isn’t around to take pictures. Perhaps the cause of my newfound bravery is because of him. 

I take a deep breath and nod. “Okay, let’s do it.” 

As if he already knew I would eventually accept, his grin only grows. 

“Well then, I suggest you strip unless you prefer to sit around like a wet dog for the hour ride back.” He winks at me, biting his lower lip. 

In a normal case, I would be insulted by such a forward request but considering where we stand I find it humorous. After thoroughly checking the area for any cameras or strangers, I slip my dress over my head then kick off my wedges. An odd feeling stirs in my stomach and my heart is pounding. My comfort zone is shot to hell. 

Tossing my hair up in a ponytail, Colson scans my appearance. 

“Excuse me Mr. Baker, it’s not nice to stare,” I tease, yanking at my finished ponytail to tighten it. 

Unfazed, he snaps out of it and faces the shore. His hair wisps around in the breeze, falling over his face. The perfect strands are just as light as his eyes. His jawline could cut a diamond. His skin, as smooth as porcelain but covered in various tattoos. 

“Excuse me Miss Voss, it’s not nice to stare,” he repeats my words back to me. 

I snap out of my daze. “Wasn’t staring,” I argue, now turning towards the coast. 

“Nothing to be ashamed of, I know I'm hot.” His lips curve into a loose smirk. 

My time with him is often one big eye roll. I slowly approach the edge of the cliff, peering over. 

“Nervous?” He checks, looking down at the water for himself. 

“Nope." I lie. 

“Scared?” 

“No.” 

“Have you jumped from a cliff before?” 

I exhale deeply. “No.” 

He shifts his body to face me and I flicker my eyes to the side to meet his gaze. 

“And you’re not afraid?” He checks. 

“Not at all,” I admit without hesitation. 

He snickers, whether it be because he’s impressed or he doesn’t believe me. “How come?” 

I shrug, a brief hum for an answer escaping me. “The unknown doesn’t scare me, only challenges me… and I love a challenge,” I wink with a sly grin. 

His warm hand interlocks with mine and I nearly yank mine away yet because of the non-threatening look in his eyes, I stay. In fact, a part of me likes the feeling of his large hand in mine. It makes me feel safer than I have in quite some time. 

“On three” he exhales, staring off into the distance. 

I nod. 

“One," he counts. “Two...”

I exhale. I can't believe I'm doing this! 

"Three!" Colson shouts. 

I jump. Out of instinct, I squeeze Colson’s hand tighter. My voice travels in a scream as the two of us fall towards the crystal blue surface. He was right, this is such a rush! We torpedo into the water and the cold temperatures engulf me. Colson and I lose touch at some point then I kick to the surface. Wiping the excess water from my face, Colson pops up from under the water in front of me. Somehow even when wet and disheveled his hair still appears effortlessly pristine. 

“Wasn't that a rush!” His arm snakes around my waist. 

A part of me is begging for me to protest but I suppress that part of me. Instead, I rest my arms over his shoulders. He takes the opportunity to guide my legs around his waist. Shading my eyes from the sun with my hand I measure the height of where we jumped. 

Still struggling to catch my breath, I can’t help but smile widely. “It was a one-time opportunity!” 

“That’s up to you to decide!” he argues wittily. 

I lower my hand and his blue eyes see right through me. My eyes flicker down to his lips and impulsively, I slam my lips to his. I'm not sure what comes over me, but I needed to kiss him. Colson wastes no time, bringing a hand behind my head, deepening the kiss. We break apart only to catch our breath. 

“I believe you’ll prove to be a bad influence,” I say lightheartedly but between the lines with the utmost seriousness. 

“That depends on how you look at it,” he argues, his breathing inconstant.

Hungrily, he brings his lips back to mine and I melt into it. Colson is everything that’s bad for me. He’s an indulgence that’s disguising itself as a need. He’s toxic and I’m ignoring the warnings. The warmth of his palm radiates onto my face as he cups it. 

Against my lips, he grins. “You were spontaneous! Always be spontaneous!” His words, nearly sounding like a beg, settle in me. 

His crystal blues eyes stare into mine and I can’t help but be addicted. I'm falling for a fairytale.

________________________________________

Masterlist

Tags:  @canyoubuymetoast​ @bri-3530 @asil1652 @andstilltryingtofindmyself @nadia2021 @olafsidehoe @mgkobsessed @fairywriting101 @ferrell-cat @naylanae-0308 @tonystarkswife10 @alexsa56 @brocksbabyyy @stormrider505 @magnificenthumancopangel @sarcasticfangirlus @lilramencup95beech @missyviolet123 @skeleton-gxrl @glitterybearllamaflap @margaritaville20 @amoresixx @thysagclub​ @hockeybabe87​

[ohmygoodnessgraciouss]

Reality Check - Chapter 3

Thanks for the love!  It’s insane to me how quickly this blew up!  And I’ve loved hearing theories by you guys! The show must go on, so let’s not wait any longer ;) 

Summary: Y/N and Wanda were very close after returning in 2023.  The two bonded over the loss of their partners.  It wasn’t enough to keep Wanda grounded after she found Vision’s body though, and Wanda wants the best for her friend.  Unfortunately for Y/N, this means she’s going to be thrown into a reality she wasn’t expecting.

Missed the first part?  Read it here! Need chapter 2?  Go down to the tags and click #Reality Check Masterlist ! 

Scott led you to a nearby park.  You never managed to get those guitar strings for Loki, so you hoped he had more at home that he didn’t know about.  You sat down on a bench with Scott, who looked around carefully, as if to ensure there were no wandering eyes.  Not a person was in sight, but you assumed that was because it was the middle of the weekend.  Everyone was at home, spending quality time with one another.  

“I don’t understand still.  What is it that you wanted to ask me?” You asked him, once he finally turned back to look at you. 

“Do you remember how you first got here?” 

“Well, yes, you pulled us outside of the store,” You laughed.  

“No-” He shifted in his seat, “-Do you remember when you first came to this town?” 

“Of course, I moved here with my husband when...” You drifted off.  “When we...” 

He looked at you expectantly.  “Do you remember?” 

You shook your head, almost upset with yourself for not remembering.  

“No, I don’t.”

---

“Wanda, what do you think you can do about it?” You asked your friend who was pacing around your shared apartment.  She had her hair pulled back in a low ponytail and she was dressed in leggings and a sweatshirt.  It was clear she hadn’t been taking care of herself.  Some of the injuries she sustained during the final battle were still visible.  They complimented the dark circles under her eyes, showing you exactly how she felt on the inside.  

“Y/N, we have to go take him back.” She said, finally stopping in her tracks.

“You don’t even know what S.W.O.R.D is doing though!  Maybe they’re trying to extract important data from him.” 

“Or they’re trying to weaponize him.  Exactly what he didn’t want.” Her voice was stern, and she was trying to control her anger.  You knew she was right, but you wanted to believe it wasn’t true. 

“And you believe you could bust right in there, take his body, and get away with it?  Wanda, I know you’re hurting but this is absurd!” 

“You say it as if you wouldn’t do the same for Loki.” 

“Because I wouldn’t!” You hissed.  You stood up and walked over to the girl, whose eyes were starting to glow a dim red.  “Vis wouldn’t have wanted you to keep going after him like this.  He would want you to move on.” 

“That’s what everyone keeps telling me.  Y/N, I know you understand this feeling.  You said it yourself, you nearly went after Loki in that timeline after he took the tesseract.” 

“But I didn’t.  The opportunity presented itself but I knew deep down that I couldn’t do it.  This is our reality.  Our universe.  Our timeline.  My Loki is gone.  I can’t do anything about it.” 

“But what if we could?” She asked, zoning out rather quickly.  Wanda was no longer looking at you, but rather looking out into the open as if there was an opportunity that presented itself. 

“What are you talking about?” You asked nervously.  

“There’s nothing grounding us right now, Y/N.  Everyone is out there, partying, celebrating, having fun with their loved ones.  We don’t get to have that.  Not in the same sense at least.  But with my powers-” 

“Don’t you dare say what I think you’re going to say.” 

“We deserve happiness.  Even if it’s only temporary.” 

“You’ll trap yourself in there.  It’ll be your dream world and you’ll never want to leave.  I know you, Wanda.  You can’t do this.” 

“Can’t I?” She stormed out of the room before you could say anything more.  You wanted to run after her, but maybe some space was what she needed. 

You regretted that decision three days later. 

--

“Neither do I,” He said, breaking you out of your trance.  He sighed dejectedly.  “You’re the first person I’ve had a chance to ask about this.  Anyone else runs away to do something else before I have the opportunity.” 

“What are you trying to say?  This is a perfectly normal neighborhood.” 

“I’m trying to say it’s the exact opposite of that, Y/N.  There is nothing normal about this town.  Nothing.  How did you get here?  Why did you come here?  Doesn’t it feel like everything is dull?  Colorless?” 

“Why would it be anything other than normal, Scott?  Are you trying to say magic is real or someone has this whole town hypnotized or something?  It’s madness!” You exclaimed.  “And if you believe that so much then why don’t you just leave?” 

“That’s the thing, I can’t.” 

“What do you mean you can’t?” 

“I mean there’s no way out of this town.  If you want me to leave, you first.  I’ll follow your lead.  But you’ll understand what I mean as soon as you get to the border.  It seems like it just goes on and on and you never reach the sign that says you’re leaving Westview.  There’s no way out.” 

You stood up from the bench quickly, like a lightbulb finally lit up in your head.  You shook your head and turned to leave.  “I don’t know what you want me to do here.  I’m happy with my life.  You just sound insane.  No wonder everyone tries to avoid you.  I have to get to the talent show.  My husband needs me.”  

“Then go to him, but mark my words Y/N.  Something is wrong.” 

---

“Loki, I’m so sorry!  I got caught up with someone at the store!” You gave him an apologetic smile.  He was standing behind the stage, tuning the guitar once more before he went on.  He smiled back at you when he saw you walking up. 

“It’s quite alright, love.  I’m just happy you’ll get to see me perform.  I think you’ll love the song I have picked out.  It’s one you haven’t heard from me yet.” 

“You mean I haven’t heard this one a dozen times this morning already?” 

“Not at all,” He grinned.  

“Well, I’m looking forward to it.  Break a leg, hon.” You kissed his cheek as a woman motioned for him to go up on stage.  She had her hair up and she carried a clipboard with her.  You realized you didn’t know her, so you walked over to her as you watched Loki.  

He introduced himself and began playing a song.  “Hey Good Lookin’” to be specific.  You laughed lightly as he glanced over to the end of the stage, giving you a small wink.  

“He takes my comments too literally sometimes,” You shook your head.  The woman smiled politely.  

“He’s a very good singer.  You’re lucky to have him.” 

“Oh, I am.  Sometimes I wonder what I would do without him.  He’s been my best friend for God knows how long.” You watched him turn to look at the crowd, a bright smile on his face as he sang the lyrics.  The crowd watched with light smiles as the man played. 

“That’s the best relationship you can have.” 

“Oh!  I’m sorry, I just realized I never introduced myself.  I’m Y/N,” You introduced yourself. 

“I’m Geraldine.  I’m one of Wanda’s friends,” She replied.  

Wanda seemed to pop up at the mention of her name because the next thing you knew you saw her next to you.  “How wonderful!  Hey Wanda, how are you adjusting to the town?” 

“Well, it’s been quite a big adjustment but everyone here is so welcoming that it’s easy!” She said, straightening out one of her gloves.  “Now it would be a little nice if my husband decided to show up soon.  We go on right after Loki.” She started fidgeting with her fingers.  

“Oh you two have met?” You asked her.  She seemed to freeze for a moment, before relaxing again and responding. 

“Yes, right before you showed up.  He’s so sweet!” She gushed.  

“Well, he is quite charming.  As I’m sure you can see by what he’s singing right now.  I mentioned Hank Williams once this morning and this is what I get for it,” You giggled. 

“Aw, that’s so romantic of him.” 

“It truly is.  But enough about me and Loki, Geraldine, when did you arrive in town?” You asked, turning towards her. 

“Oh, I’ve been here for a while, I just haven’t had the time to participate in any of these fun events until a few days ago. Perhaps we should have an evening out with just us girls one day, get to know each other,” She responded, 

“That would be great!  We could go out, find something fun to do, get a break from our husbands,” You said, laughing.  Wanda laughed a little as well.  

“I’ll have to see when I’m free,” Wanda mentioned.  “We’re still trying to settle into our home so life has been a little chaotic.  I feel like I need some magical stone or something to reverse time and give me a chance to relax.” All three of you chuckled at her statement. 

“Now that would be a wonderful tool.  If only it existed,” You groaned dramatically.  

“Well, either way, if you ever need any help settling in, let me know Wanda.” Geraldine mentioned.  You nodded your head in agreement.

“Yeah, don’t ever hesitate in reaching out.  We’re here to assist in whatever you need.” 

“You girls are so amazing!” She exclaimed, hugging the two of you.  You smiled and hugged her back.  

As she broke the hug, Loki walked off the stage and back to you.  “You were amazing, honey,” You complimented him. 

“Oh please, you weren’t even listening all that much.  But thank you anyway,” He kissed the top of your head.  Wanda and Geraldine watched with small smiles. 

“Wanda, Vision needs to get here in another five minutes otherwise I can’t do much more.  They’ll tolerate another break but that’s all I can do,” Geraldine mentioned, walking up to the stage.

“Thank you Geraldine,” She sighed, clearly frustrated.  

“He’ll show up.  He must know how much this means to you Wanda, so I have no doubt he’ll be here in time,” You said.  She nodded her head.  

“He’s never late.  He’s always on time, always punctual.” 

To ease her panic and worry, Loki decided to change the subject.  “I don’t believe we’ve met yet.  I am Loki,” He introduced himself.  You furrowed your brows in confusion. 

“I thought you two already met,” You asked.  

“Well I know she’s been in the neighborhood for a few days now, love, but I haven’t had the opportunity yet to properly introduce myself.” He responded.  

“I’m Wanda,” She smiled nervously.  She was trying to figure out a way out of this situation.  Fortunately, Vision was running over just in the nick of time.  He seemed out of breath, with his full magician’s suit on.  “Where have you been?!” She began to yell at him. 

You walked away a little, giving them space.  Loki followed closely behind you.  He seemed confused, but only by your expression.  It didn’t seem like he was concerned by Wanda.  “What was that about?” You asked him.  

“What do you mean?” He tilted his head slightly, much like a dog.  

“Wanda said that you guys met already, while you were on stage.  And then you act like you didn’t know her at all.” 

Before he could respond, you noticed a glint in his eyes.  It was like a red mist reflecting in them.  The color faded quickly, back to the grey you were used to.  He seemed phased out, like something else caught his attention.  “We briefly talked right before you arrived, so maybe that’s what she meant.” 

You nodded absentmindedly.  You didn’t believe him at all.  Too many things were becoming too suspicious at this point.  Loki saw how you reacted, hurt flashing in his eyes.  A part of you would’ve felt guilty if you didn’t feel like you were being left in the dark constantly.  

“Loki I wish I could believe you, but so many weird things have been going on lately.”  You muttered under your breath.  

“Y/N, what’s wrong, love?”  He asked, placing his hands on your waist.  He was concerned, but he didn’t know what to do. 

“It seems like everything is off.  I’m seeing weird things around this place, weird people.  It all started when Wanda came to town, and now there’s some weird guy that I met at the store and-” 

“Wait, what weird guy?” 

“The one that I bumped into a few days ago.  He talked to me today and he sounded absolutely insane.”  

“What did he talk to you about?” 

“He started asking me questions I didn’t know the answers to.  He started spouting out some weird stuff about the town.  I ended up walking away because he wouldn’t stop pressing about it,”

“I don’t trust that man,” He said, almost afraid. 

“Me neither.  But with the other weird and strange things happening now, I wonder if there’s any substance to what he’s talking about.” 

“Y/N, don’t start with this.  Don’t get yourself caught up with someone like him.  You’ll drive yourself mad with this.” He pulled you closer to him by your waist as you avoided his eyes. 

He lifted your chin with one hand, forcing you to look at him.  “There’s something wrong here, Loki.  Do you remember how we got here?” 

“How we got here?” He echoed. 

“When did we move here?  When did we get married?  When did we decide to get married?” You asked him. 

“That doesn’t matter, love.  The important thing is that we’re here now, together.” He pressed. 

“You’re avoiding answering the questions.” 

“We deserve happiness, don’t you think?” You froze when he asked that.  Something about that phrase, those words, were eerie.  

You pulled away from him quickly.  “Don’t say that.  Loki, I deserve to know how we got to this point in our lives.  I can’t remember what we did to get here.  If you won’t tell me, then I need some time alone.  I’ll be home later tonight, but please don’t follow me.” 

You started walking away, refusing to look at Loki.  You know you’d run right back if you saw the heartbreak in his eyes.  

W̵̲͓̱̹̻̜͖̟̺̲͕̍̉͑̀̈͜͝ͅh̴̨̻̠̫̫̲̟͖͊̃̐̓̈̅̄͜a̶̢̛̜̝̯̩̻̾́̐̓͛́͜ț̵̡̜̗͓̱̠̝̖͚͕̹̗͚͖͗'̶̧͙͉̜͈̖̹̠͍̓ş̴̢̡̥̰̤̱̩͓̹̦̠̥̞̎̾͊͘͜͠ ̴̡̙̬͓̻͉̭̗͎̙͕͌̈́g̶̛͉̜̯̥̍͒ö̴̢͙͇͍̮̮̝̗͈̲̬̪̯́͋ͅͅĩ̶̧͕̜͖͖͎̌́̂̐͗̏́͛̃̄͘͠͝n̴̨̢͙̼̩͕̼̮̬̪͙̊̽͊̓̇̈̀̈́͒̈́̓͘͜͝ǧ̸̱̮͕̮̻̻͇̖̪̯̳̂̈́̉̾͐͜͠ ̸̭̼̃͂̇͗̓̆͐̓͗̀͋̑̉͊͛ŏ̶͑̓̉̌͂͘��̡̡̧̩̤̙̤̯͇̝̞̫̤͓̃̓̍̋̄ͅņ̶̯͓̭̺̹̪̅̓̍́͗̅͗͘͝ ̶̢̡̼̗̙̤̫̳͇͓̻͉̼̯͈͐̔̄̄͊̈́̐̿̔̄̈́̕ṋ̴̭̫͖̜̫̦̀͆̒͘ͅo̸̗͊̋̏̇̊̾̿́̆̇̈́̑͝͝w̶̛̛̼̓̍̀͐̄̀̈́̈́̿̽̚͘͝?̷̳̜̜̺̼͙̜̰͊͊͗̆͒̋͜

“Darcy?” 

“What’s Wanda doing now?” 

“She’s performing a magic show.  It’s just like any other sitcom.  She’s trying to hide her powers because Vision has decided to go haywire.” She said, taking a sip of her coffee. 

“Wait, what’s that?” Jimmy asked, pointing to the background.  

“It looks like Y/N and Loki.” 

“It looks like they’re fighting,” She responded, pointing out their frowning expressions, their stiff body language.  

“Would Wanda script that?”

“I doubt it.  She’s apparently living the perfect little sitcom life after all.  She’d never want people fighting like that.” 

Suddenly, the television screen flashed for a moment.  The camera panned to the talent show, pointing directly at Wand and Vision.  You could no longer see the other couple. 

“She must’ve noticed.”

“And she doesn’t want anyone else seeing.”

.

.

.

.

Taglist: @emberfulclass @momoneymolife @high-priestesss @hailey-the-heathen​ @mochminnie @dpaccione @intricate-melody @lindseyrae20 @storminateacup15

[holycafe]

The last two months had flown by.

Dean had never felt like this before. He’d never been this happy. As a hunter, he’d never truly allowed himself to believe that he could get something in his life that was more than just pain and bloodshed. But looking at Cas now, his husband, who was currently burning their two-monthiversary dinner, he was happy.

“Here,” Dean said, stepping in and rescuing the chicken from the grill before it became charcoal. Cas sighed in relief, even though he had been adamant in finishing this meal by himself, and Dean pressed a soft kiss to his cheek before wiping away the bead of sweat that clung to his hairline. Cas closed his eyes and rested his head against Dean’s hand, drained after spending the last couple of hours racing around the kitchen. Dean had, obviously, offered his help sooner – seeing as how Cas could barely cook anything to save his own life – but he had been forcibly removed from the kitchen by his husband, who was insistent on doing this alone. But now, when Dean asked: “How can I help?” Cas was desperate enough that he didn’t turn him away.

They found an easy rhythm working together in the kitchen, and maybe it would be a little strange how easily they fell into it if it wasn’t for all the times that they’d worked side-by-side on a hunt together over the past twelve years? Because, actually, they hadn’t really done this yet. This cooking thing that is. Cas never needed to eat before he went to the Empty and lost his angel mojo, so he never needed to cook. And after coming back, people had always been around. There wasn’t ever just Dean and Cas in the kitchen. Not before the wedding, at least. And after the wedding, Jack sent them straight off to sunny Hawaii. Then Costa Rica, Thailand, Venice, New Zealand… Every time they got bored of the scenery and fancied a change, they just called Jack up and got zapped off somewhere new.

They’d come back for Sam and Eileen’s wedding, of course. Arrived back the day before and stayed to see them off to their own honeymoon. Then spent a couple of days milling around the bunker. But it was different now. They’d been gone for more than a month at that point, and it had gone from overcrowded to silent and empty and just as unbearable. So, they’d left again.

But it became pretty clear over the next few weeks that it wasn’t more days of sea, sun, and sand that they needed. They just needed – Dean needed – a home. And the bunker wasn’t enough anymore. He didn’t want an underground base of operations filled with spell books, cursed objects, and an endless tirade of hunters parading through the doors. Dean wanted windows and light. He wanted a place by the lake so that he could go fishing, with a big garden out back for Cas to grow whatever he wanted. He wanted a wine cellar and a porch that he could sit on with Cas in the morning and watch the sun come up. Dean wanted a home, he wanted a life, he wanted to hang up his hunting gear once and for all, and Cas was right behind him.

But they couldn’t exactly go looking for their dream house while on their honeymoon in Bali. So, once they got fed up with overcrowded beaches, strangers, and fake-happy hotel staff, the two of them returned to the empty bunker again, just in time for their two-month anniversary.

And Dean hadn’t ever really thought he was a ‘monthiversary’ kind of guy… but life as a hunter had taught him to celebrate the little things in life. And, anyway, this didn’t feel like a ‘little’ thing. This felt huge. They’d been married for two months! Two months where Dean could hold Cas’ hand without caring who saw. Two months where he could press a kiss on his cheek, his jaw, his neck, shoulder, lips. Two months with a ring on his finger – which had been a strange feeling at first but now felt as comfortable to him as his own skin.

Two months.

“I love you,” Dean said, and Cas looked up from where he was stirring the sauce, his blue eyes so beautiful. He smiled.

“I love you, too.”

They could say that now as though it was the simplest thing in the world. As though they hadn’t been hiding those feelings away like the biggest secret in the world up until only a few months ago. They loved each other, and they could say it because, of course, they did! They always had, and they always would. ‘til death do us part and all that.

Except, they both knew that death wouldn’t be the end of their story. Either they’d come back to life. Again. Or they’d find each other in heaven. That was the perk of having an ex-angel as a husband and God as their son. Dean had got a peek behind the proverbial curtain; he didn’t have to guess about what was to come. He knew that when he said Cas was stuck with him forever, he wasn’t exaggerating.

“Alright, what are we working with?” Dean asked as he got his mind back on track, taking the wooden spoon from Cas and preparing himself as he moved to taste the sauce that his husband had been working on.

It wasn’t that Dean didn’t trust Cas; he just didn’t trust Cas’ ability to cook them a meal without giving them food poisoning. After all, the last time he’d attempted to cook them anything, he’d ended up dumping sugar into the frying pan because the recipe had said to ‘caramelise’ the onions. Obviously, that had been a disaster.

This time, however, the sauce actually tasted pretty good. Dean nodded his approval. He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised; Cas always was a quick learner. He said as much and saw the way that his husband beamed with pride, his grin contagious.

They finished up the meal and set the table in the library together pretty quickly.

“I’ll put some music on,” Cas said, but Dean was soon up on his feet and shaking his head no.

“Nuh-uh. We’re not listening to Beyonce on our anniversary. We listen to real music or nothing at all,” he said. Cas knew that he was only teasing. Of course, he did; he knew Dean better than anyone. Better than even Sam did. Hell, Cas knew him better than Dean knew himself. He didn’t even hate Beyonce all that much – not that he would ever tell anyone other than Cas that – but still, Dean stayed true to his word and played his favourite Led Zeppelin playlist on shuffle through Sam’s speaker, and then they started to dig into their meal.

They were almost done eating before one of the songs that Dean had added onto the mixtape that he’d made for Cas a few years ago started to play, and Cas started to hum along, tapping his fingers lightly against his glass to the beat of ‘Thank You’.

And when Plant started singing, Cas joined in, effortlessly whispering the lyrics under his breath. “If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you. When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me.”

And as Cas continued to sing along, Dean’s heart sang with him as he stared in open amazement.

“You’ve listened to the tape,” Dean said, the words almost sounding like an accusation to his own ears. And it was stupid how his stomach was doing little flips right now because they were married, goddammit! But, yeah, sometimes Cas still gave him butterflies.

Right now was definitely one of those times.

“It was a gift,” Cas reminded him. And Dean nodded, but it was so much more than that: it was the first time that Dean had put conscious effort into telling Cas how he felt. He’d given him a mixtape! A mixtape made mostly of love songs from his favourite band. “I listened to it whenever I missed you when I was away,” Cas continued, and Dean’s heart gave another little throb in his chest. “I missed you a lot.”

Christ.

“I missed you a lot too,” Dean admitted. Of course, he’d missed him. He’d missed him every damn second of every day that they weren’t together.

If Dean was better at vocalising how he felt, then he would have told Cas that. He thought that Cas still understood, though, if the was he was smiling, his blue eyes glistening, was anything to go by. He was beautiful.

Cas’ fingers were still drumming against his glass in tempo to the song as though he wasn’t even conscious of it. Dean shook his head, forgetting his dinner for a moment as he stood up and offered Cas his hand. Cas blinked at him in confused for a moment, unsure, and so Dean rolled his eyes and reached down to tug him up to his feet and into an embrace before leading them in a dance around the library.

Dean could feel Cas’ body pressed nice and warm against his own, as comfortable as the ring on his finger. He could feel the smile on Cas’ cheeks pressed against Dean’s, though he didn’t need to turn his head to see the smile for himself. He had all of Cas’ smiles memorised.

“Sing to me, Cas,” Dean teased as they danced to the song. Though, it wasn’t actually a taunt. Not really. The way he said it might have sounded like he was goading and making a joke of the situation, but in reality, the thought of Cas singing Led Zeppelin to him only served to make Dean’s insides twist up into knots. And Cas knew that because Cas knew him. And so, when the next verse began, he sang.

“And so today, my world it smiles,” he sang. His voice was deep and rough, but still beautiful, and Dean’s heart really did leap at the sound. “Your hand in mine, we walk the miles. Thanks to you, it will be done.”

“For you to meeeee are the ooooonly oneeeee!” Dean sang the next line, making Cas laugh, his breath ghosting against Dean’s neck, causing the small hairs there to stand up. Dean smiled and finally turned to face him, pressing a kiss to his husband’s lips while the song continued on around them.

Christ, he loved his man so much, more and more every day. They’d been married now for two months. Two months and counting, and Dean was so happy to spend the rest of their lives together.

[hajimeiwaswife]

congrats on your milestone ane! I would like yuuji itadori with these lyrics!"And I've heard of a love that comes once in a lifetime, and I'm pretty sure that you are that love of mine" . Take your time and please don't feel rushed!!

AHHHH LUNA THANK YOU SO MUCH! AND CONGRATS ON YOUR MILESTONE, TOO! I hope this meets your expectations!

Request: yes, for the 130 followers event.

Word count: 1,2K

Warnings: none

Summary: Yuuji indulges on his desires for once.

It was the first time in months that the students at Jujutsu High had a day off, a very rare sight, indeed. The second years proposed to their juniors to go to the beach, a relaxing paradise that would bring so much needed rest to the sorcerers. Crystal clear water, bright sea shells, flamboyant swimsuits and delicious food, that was what the young adults had for themselves.

Megumi was under an umbrella, covered in sunscreen and reading a book, content with his own safe space. Nobara and Makki were toasting under the sun, thinking no one suspected anything of their small and lingering touches to each other. Playing in the water were Panda and Inumaki, the taller one running away from a wild Toge who tried to rub a fish on his back.

Meanwhile, Yuuji and you were sitting in the sand, smiling and talking about everything and anything. It had been like that ever since you met each other, finding comfort and a scape in the other's arms, easy conversation falling out of your mouths, as if you had been friends since childhood.

You always felt some kind of warmth emitting from Yuuji; at first, you thought it was his natural good aura, being the closest thing to the sun you had ever witnessed. But that was discarded the moment you decided to face your feelings for the boy. Gentle, caring, outgoing, happy-go-lucky and attractive, you didn't even know when it happened, but you fell head over heels for him.

Yuuji, on his part, felt this cold breeze of August afternoons after a really hot day at the Mediterranean Coast when he was with you, refreshing and renewing. He loved to witness your beautiful personality grow and transform as you learned new things, your illusion for your job, how you cared for those near you, how strong you were. The duality in you made him feel butterflies in his stomach.

And that is why he decided not to tell you about his feelings. He knew how his story would end being Sukuna's vessel, when he had consumed all the fingers, he would be sacrificed for a greater good. He wasn't going to lie, he was terrified of dying, losing the possibility of growing old and experimenting life to its fullest, not being able to spend more time with his lovely friends ―or, as he liked to refer to them, family―, and not being able to live a life with you. His biggest regret. How could he be so selfish of hiding his feelings for you from you? But maybe it was better that way, losing a friend is less painful than losing a soulmate, and you had already lost him once when everybody thought he was dead. You would be okay.

Still, he could do it with just a kiss, just a gentle caress of your lips on his before he had to say goodbye. He looked at your profile, relaxed and breathing the salty sea breeze, the sun kissed your skin, glowing under dusk. You were truly beautiful, so much that he was left breathless with only the sight of you.

"I was thinking of going tomorrow for some Korean noodles to the Korean restaurant next to the school," you commented, amazed watching the swinging of the waves, "and I was wondering if maybe, uh you know... if you wanted to come with me." flustered, you asked him.

However, Yuuji was still trying to get over the sweet tone of your voice to even process your words. How could a human being have such a mellow voice? He could hear you talk all day in exchange of being allowed to listen to it. But, sooner than later, you would want a reply to your question, so he made the effort to think about what you said. Once he processed you had asked him out without actually doing so, his brain stopped working. You wanted to go to have lunch with him? Alone? Just the two of you?

"I-if you don't want don't feel forced to! I was just offering..." you exclaimed, shyer than he had ever seen you.

"No! No, of course I want to!" he shouted, startling you and cursing himself for his cringy behaviour, "I meant that, well, I would love to!"

"Okay."

It was silent for a few moments, both content with the date not actually date you were going to have, both your hearts racing, but none of you brave enough to tell the other. Nobara on more than one occasion had tried to convince you ―usually in a very violent way― to confess your feelings to the pinkie-haired boy, but you had refused. You were happy being his friend, in a world like the one you all lived in there was no place for love.

But watching him under the sun, moon appearing in the sky reflecting in his perfect skin had you thinking otherwise. Exactly because of the world you lived it was worth it, you needed to enjoy the time you two had, be it a day or fifty years. Sighing, you turned fully to him and opened your mouth, saying all the things your heart felt and that Yuuji deserved to know.

"I've heard of a love that comes once in a lifetime," you started. Yuuji looked at you surprised.

"Really? Where have you heard that? Only once in a lifetime? That's sad. Why no more than once?" his energetic self wondered out loud, waiting for an explanation to his questions. But you decided to follow as you had planned in that very instant.

"And I'm pretty sure that you are that love of mine."

Yuuji, eyes wide-opened, gazed at you as the cows looked the trains pass. What had you said? You were in love with him? Was that what you meant? He was confused, glad, happy, euphoric. The girl of his dreams was in love with him of all people. Or maybe you were reciting a poem and he was getting excited for nothing.

"Wait, do you mean it? Like, you like me?" he asked, trying to assured himself.

"I mean, yes? That's what I have just told you," at this point you were a nervous wreck, fidgeting and regretting your spontaneous decision.

Yuuji was going to tell you he reciprocated your feelings, but the thoughts from before returned, darkening his expression. He was going to die, sooner or later, it was unfair for you to be gifted what you wanted and then have it taken away from you all of a sudden.

"If you feel the same just say it, Yuuji, don't think about your situation for this, be fair to yourself."

Your voice. It was it that brought him back to the world. Your welcoming eyes looking at him with so much love that he could get lost in your attention. You were right, he had to think of himself for once, he was going to fall in the pleasure of having what he wanted, which resulted to be you. He nodded, incapable of talking as he saw you approaching him and caressing his lips with yours, as he had dreamt of before.

Like that, the rest of your friends witness your kiss under the stars a Wednesday evening after having an amazing day off, completely relaxed and in love.

If he had to die, he will. But, before that happened, he was going to be your love.

[bright-molina]

Cross My Heart

Part Seven: Show day with Sunset Curve finally reveals everything. It’s about time, too.

*{lyrics are in bold italics}

It was long overdue.

Of course watching Bobby and Sunset Curve was different than watching Carrie and Dirty Candy. It was different in a good way. A way that made you feel this constant buzz of excitement as you jumped up and down and shouted along to all the songs you’d heard before.

Luke was drawn to you. He always had been. 

Even before he messaged you the first time his eyes would linger a little too long in the halls and he would ask a little too many questions whenever you came up in conversation. None of that had connected until now.

He was only more drawn to you now. 

Now as his eyes lingered again, watching you have the time of your life while he played his music. Now as he observed you shouting eagerly alongside your friends and his. Now as he felt the twisting nerves when he realized what song was next on their setlist.

Very rarely had he been nervous to play music before. He shouldn’t have been, he’d practiced this song countless times the past few weeks. They’d played it flawlessly just a few hours before. But the implications that came with finally playing it for the person it was written for were hard to acknowledge.

Hard and easy all at the same time.

It was long overdue.

“Alright,” Luke leaned forward into his microphone, a rush of shouting blending together after the one word. “I’ve been working on this one for a while now. It's about -” He looked around for a second until he found you again. When he did your gaze was already locked on him.

His smile matched yours in a heartbeat and though he was speaking to the crowd he was looking only at you. “It’s about missing someone. About wanting to be right there beside them all the time. It’s -”

Luke chuckled a bit then as he remembered every single moment you and him had shared the last few months. Messages and phone calls and coffee and music. Sneaking around and moments of doubt. Doubt that was completely gone now. 

This, what he had with you, was everything. He was sure of that.

“It’s about doing anything for the person you love. This one’s called Cross My Heart. Hope you like it.”

You were frozen in place as you let the words Luke had spoken sink in, only vaguely aware of the questions being shouted at you by Carrie and Kayla and everyone else. Before you knew it though, the lights on the stage shut off and the venue buzzed with anticipation.

The first thing you heard through the dark arena was a guitar riff start to play from the spot where you knew Luke was standing. He played on his own for a few seconds before the lights came back on right as Bobby, Reggie, and Alex joined him.

Another roar of eager shouting sounded all around you but for the first time that night you were still and silent, paying close attention to every note. Every lyric. Every look that flashed on Luke’s face as he played the song.

“So here's another day I'll spend away from you. Another night I'm on another broken avenue. My bag is ripped and worn then again now so am I, take what you wanna, take what you wanna, take what you -”

For the first time that night he stood on his own in the middle of the stage, focused completely on the song with his body pointed in your direction. He was singing to you and that was obvious to everyone there.

“I miss the stupid things,” Luke grinned as he sang, remembering every moment again. “We'd go to sleep and then you'd wake me up and kick me out of bed at 3 AM. Pick up the phone and hear you saying dirty things to me -”

Then for the first time since the song had started he was joined by somebody else. Bobby sang alongside him, a soft grin making its way onto his face too. This was long overdue. “Do what you wanna, do what you wanna, do what you -”

Reggie and Alex joined them next, all four of their voices blending together perfectly as they led each other into the chorus. “Take me with you, I start to miss you. Take me home, I don't wanna be alone tonight.”

It was easier then as Luke focused on singing to you and only you, the rest of the crowd becoming nothing but background noise. He’d gotten this far, he was positive he could get through the rest. “And I do want to show you I will run to you, to you till I can't stand on my own anymore I cross my heart and hope to die -”

You listened carefully, the grin and adrenaline and excitement returning when you heard the same notes Luke had played at the beginning repeating again. He did it flawlessly and effortlessly, his attention still focused on your reactions to the song. Your song.

“Cross my heart and hope to die,” He stopped then, seemingly without meaning to since Bobby faltered a bit before continuing with the melody Luke had been playing. “Cross my heart and hope to -”

He started moving around the stage again but still sang every word with complete confidence. The first thing he did was look at Reggie and nod, motioning for him to join him.

Your eyes were trained on each interaction, all four of them trading lines back and forth, one of them covering where the other would stop as Luke moved around to say something to each of them.

And then like nothing had happened at all Luke picked up his part again, looking briefly at the audience clapping and shouting and jumping along before finding you again.

“I wonder what you're doing. I wonder if you doubt it. I wonder how we used to ever go so long without it,” There was this intensity in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. You recognized it even through the people and the lights. “Now I know where I go, I’m coming back to you. Be where I ought to, be where I ought to, be where I -”

They played through the chorus again with the same eager, bouncing energy they had played every song until then. All four of them shared looks no one else could read, communicating the changes they were making on the spot with no hesitation.

It wasn’t until the lights surrounding the stage stilled again that it became a little more obvious. Most of the music stopped, leaving only Bobby playing a simple rhythm that filled the entire venue.

Luke’s voice rang out first. “Take me with you, I start to miss you.” Then Bobby joined him as he continued playing, repeating the same line. “Take me with you, I start to miss you.” Reggie matched the two of them next. “Take me with you, I start to miss you.” And finally Alex as he stood up from behind the drums. “Take me with you, I start to miss you.”

They kept repeating that same line as they began to clap out a beat. Just moments later that was all that sounded throughout the arena, paired only with the occasional notes from the guitar. From Bobby’s.

Luke had put his own down, taken the mic off the stand, and started walking across the stage in your direction.

You stepped forward too, slightly confused and a little concerned as to why he had stopped singing. There was no hesitation at all where there should’ve been.

It was easy jumping off the stage and maneuvering his way through the crowd. There weren’t many people in between you and him and for that he was grateful. He reached you just as the drums and bass kicked in along with the guitar again and he picked up singing again.

“Take me with you,” You couldn’t help but laugh as Luke took your hand, spun you around once, and pulled you to him. “I start to miss you.”

Luke smiled, finally perfectly content as he held you close. He could almost swear your eyes shined brighter than the lights moving behind him. Your voice speaking a soft ‘what are you doing’ sounded louder than the music. You were the only person he saw despite everyone surrounding the two of you.

The music cut out again and he sang the last repeat alone, staring at you and only you. “Take me home, I don’t wanna be alone tonight.”

He couldn’t find it in himself to leave your side. The stage was only a few feet away and the song wasn’t over but he couldn’t move. Not now.

Reggie took the lead as he sang the chorus again. He looked around for a second until he found Luke in the crowd, in his own little world with you as he went through the well practiced motions of the song he’d written weeks ago.

Bobby sang the second repeat of the chorus, pushing back a grin at the sight in front of him. He shook his head a bit as he sang before looking across at Alex first and then Reggie, the three of them sharing a silent knowledge that everything was in fact okay.

Alex sang the third repeat, each movement coming easy as he grinned. His eyes moved past you and Luke until he found the person he was looking for. When he did the two of them shared a look much like the one he knew his friends were wearing.

Luke sang the final repeat as all their instruments faded away for the last time. All that was left was him, his band harmonizing behind him, and you listening intently, finally understanding every single thing he’d been trying to say for weeks.

“And I do want to show you I will run to you, to you till I can't stand on my own anymore I cross my heart and hope to die.”

The roar of applause was deafening, especially considering where he stood on the floor beside you. Yet he heard you clearly.

“I can’t believe you,” You shook your head, taking a step closer to avoid shouting your thoughts over all the noise. “You wrote a song.”

Luke watched closely as you bit your bottom lip in an effort to hide the grin that peaked through anyway. “Did you like it?”

“I loved it,” Without thinking anything of it you brushed his hair back just as you had a few weeks ago. He leaned into you with just as much ease, as if it were as natural as breathing. Being with each other was just that easy. “We’ll talk later. Go finish your show, rockstar.”

“Later,” Luke nodded and took only a couple steps before stopping again. He turned back around to face you and paused for another moment. Then all once he rushed for you, pressing a kiss to your forehead before holding you close again. “I meant it, you know.”

You knew exactly what he was talking about. 

“I know you did,” You nodded as you stared up at him, Bobby’s voice pulling the crowd’s attention back to the stage as opposed to the two of you.

You thought of all the moments that refused to leave your head and of the feelings you’d felt while hearing the song. The one he’d written with you in mind. Your song. “I feel the same way, pretty boy.”

You’d never seen Luke’s reaction to the name up close and so when he smiled, ducked his head, and blushed furiously you swore to keep using it. This time you were the one who took his hand and pulled him along with you until you reached the stage again.

“Go. I’ll be here.”

Luke dropped your hand and pulled himself onto the stage again but didn’t move from the place right in front of you yet. His smile was brighter than it had been all night. Brighter than it had been since the last time he’d seen you. “Promise?”

“Yeah,” You nodded, more positive than ever before that this moment was long overdue. “Promise.”

Tags:

Everything: @meangirlsx @theolivekiddo @dream-a-little-bigger-x @fangirlangioma @jaskiers-sweetkiss @babychickanon @goddess-of-night @n0wornever @calamitykaty @hellophantoms @funsizearsonist @crybabyddl @txrii @sunsetcurvej @willex-owns-my-heart @angryknightstatesmantrash @all-in-fangirl @reg-peters

Cross My Heart: @who-even-is-galileo @the-romanian-is-bae @p0gue420 @jemimah-b99 @echocharm17618 @grace2000 @quillsandtypos @sunsetcurvenotsunsetswerve @mystic-writings​ @ifilwtmfc​ @marinettepotterandplagg​ @canadailluminate​ @skys-writings​ @phantompogues​ @biqherosix​ @wanniiieeee​ @lukewearingbeanies​

message me/shoot me an ask to be added/removed!

[sokkas-honour]

Let’s say #10 of the Spotify wrapped writing for Korra :)

ANON HOW DID YOU KNOW

girls - korra x reader

pairing: korra x fem!reader

wc: 1.7k with lyrics

warning/notes: i can’t think of anything, but if there is fee free to message me!

taglist (message me/fill out form): @draqondance @biqherosix

i've been hiding for so long, these feelings, they're not gone, can i tell anyone?

you stared at her from across the room, god she was beautiful. the way she laughed and joked around with your brother made you heart soar, the sheer sound of her joy making your day.

you snapped out of your staring when your older brother came by, a stack of empty boxes in his arms as he dropped them on the ground, the thump getting your attention.

“oh thank god you found the boxes mako.” you sighed in relief at the fear of not finding the boxes to put back all the decorations used for varrick and zhu li’s wedding.

“they were in ikki’s room for some reason.” makos discovery caused a laugh to come out, your brother following your lead.

“how in the world did they end up there?” you wondered as you grabbed some of the decorations off the tables and placed them delicately into one of the boxes.

“no idea.” he answered, taking the decorations off of the other tables and copying you.

“you two need some help?” you felt your cheeks heat up and heart pick up as you heard the voice of the woman you loved dearly. you met her eyes and smiled.

“i wouldn’t say no to it.” you joked, smile growing bigger as you watched her laugh.

mako called bolin over for help as korra worked on the same tables as you did. working in unison, your hands accidentally landed on top of each other’s as you grabbed the same center piece, a blush erupting on both of your cheeks.

once you were done and your brothers went to bring the majority of the boxes to where varrick wanted them to, you were left alone with your girlfriend.

“i saw you staring before, you’re not very discreet.” korra teased once the both of you were alone which just made heat rush to your cheeks which just made her laugh at your flustered expression.

“yeah well youre insanely cute when you laugh.” you answered, arms wrapping around her waist and head being placed on her chest as you breathed in her comforting scent.

“i’m always cute.” she joked, earning a small chuckle from you as you looked up to her, loving smile adorning her face.

when you thought you heard someone coming, you quickly unwrapped yourself and jumped back, afraid of them seeing you two hug. you looked around frantically only to find that you were still alone. with a sigh of relief, you returned your attention to the avatar whos expression had changed to one of slight disappointment.

“y/n, we can’t keep sneaking around like this. one day or another, we should tell the others. you especially should come out to your brothers.” she sighed. you two had gotten together right after defeating kuvira but she had come out a while before leaving for the south pole after zaheer.

it hurt korra to see you living some sort of double life, lying to your brothers who tried to get you to bring someone to th wedding about you seeing someone, your brothers still fully thinking that you were only interested in men which would be the opposite of the truth.

“i know, i’ll tell them one day but i just, don’t know when.” you shrugged off your concerns and told a white lie to the girl in front of you.

afraid of what they'll say, so i push them away, i’m acting so strange

“y/n, you’re not telling the truth. i’m your girlfriend, we may have only been together for a little over two weeks but we’ve been friends for years, i can tell when you’re lying.” she informed, placing her hand over yours that was limp next to your hip. you grabbed onto it and sighed, you knew you were going to caught and have to voice your fears eventually but some part of you had hoped that your girlfriend wasn’t as smart as she said she was, she unfortunately wasn’t.

“sometimes i forgot how much of a genius you are.” you smiled half heartedly as she looked at you concerned, wanting to know the reason why you were still in the closet after supposed years of knowing your sexuality.

“babe come on, you can tell me.” she insisted, giving your hand a little squeeze from encouragement.

you took a deep breath in and let it out it, coming yourself in order to tell your girlfriend the reason why you hadn’t come out yet.

“i just. i don’t know how mako and bolin will react.” you finally admitted, feeling as though a huge weight was lifted from your shoulders when suddenly, the girl in front of you starting laughing. you quirked an eyebrow, wondering why the hell was she laughing.

“y/n! you saw how they reacted when i came out! they were completely and utterly fine with it! hell they were super supportive of me!” she reasoned once her laughter died down.

“i know but i’m their sister, it’s different.”

“no y/n it isn’t. why would it be any different.” she asked, confused at your stupid reasoning:

“i mean for one, they’re going to be mad i never told them anything, especially since i’ve already dated a girl or two. two, they might find it a tad bit weird when we tell them we’re dating.”

“well your first reason could’ve been avoided if you’d told them in the first place.” she pointed out, earning a small blush from you. “and second, they won’t, trust me. mako might be a bit stunned but he’ll be 100% supportive, don’t even get me started on bolin.”

“you’re right, i should probably tell them.” you sighed in defeat, head turning slightly to stare at the building on air temple island where your brothers probably were.

“if you want ill be there.” she proposed, her free hand placing itself on your cheek to which you gladly leaned into.

“yeah, i’d like that.”

they're so pretty, it hurts, im not talking 'bout boys, I'm talking 'bout girls, they're so pretty with their button-up shirts.

after dinner, mako, bolin, and you were on kitchen duty to clean the dishes, giving you the perfect opportunity to finally come out to your brothers and stop hiding.

as you finished drying a plate, you decided that it was time. especially since bolin was bringing up the idea of setting you up with someone.

“okay so y/n, i found this great guy that you’ll love. super sweet, super nice, super good looking, bolin approved guy.” your younger brother told you, scrubbing the food off one of the dishes.

“that’s nice bo but i’ve got something to tell you both.” in an almost perfect synchronised moment, both of them stopped what they were doing and turned to you. with both of their eyes on you, you froze a bit.

“sure y/n, what’s up?” mako encouraged, seeing your slightly stunned state and helping you snap out of it.

“i’m gay.” you blurted out. mentally smacking yourself for saying it so bluntly and straight to the point.

“knew it.” mako smirked as bolin let out a big ‘ohhhhh’.

“okay then, i think i know this one really nice, sweet, bolin approved girl that i believe also likes girls.” the earthbender quickly responded, correcting his previous date proposition to adjust it to the news.

“thanks bo but that’s not necessary.” you smiled gratefully at the youngest of you three before turning your attention to the eldest.

“what makes you say that mako?” you inquired, curious as to why your brother wasn’t very surprised at the news.

“well um, i.” mako stumbled over his words, slightly unsure of how to go about it but he recomposed himself. “i think you forget that as your older brother, i was able to see things that you didn’t.”

“go on, i’m intrigued.” it was now your turn to smirk.

“at first it was probably the constantly stealing mom’s kyoshi book, only to stare at the pictures of kyoshi warriors.” he joked.

“hey i still know a lot about kyoshi warriors!” you protested, half joking about the reason why you were addicted to the book.

“yeah but i literally walked into your room when you were about five only to see you open at the same page for a solid ten minutes. also, you couldn’t read!”

“i’m surprised mako caught any of it because it’s news to me. good news though!” bolin inserted himself back into the conversation, a cheery grin on his face.

“i think the longing stares between you and that waterbender from the red sands rabaroos could’ve also been an indication. and the constant cheering for them.” mako teased, resuming his dunking of plates in the water.

“yeah, umi and i didn’t last too long but it was fun while it lasted.” you reminisced over your first girlfriend, and followed your brothers lead to return to drying plates, leaving a dumbfounded brother to connect the dots.

“wait, you dated someone in an enemy team? y/n!” bolin gasped, accusing you in a joking manor.

“guilty as charged.” you smirked.

“okay well, let me set you up with someone! i’m sure i know another lesbian or bisexual!” bolin persisted with his idea so you thought that you might as well come out about korra and you.

“well bo, mako, i’m kinda seeing someone right now.” you started but were interrupted by someone barging in, the exact person you were about to mention.

“are you idiots done yet? we figured we’d all go see a probending match tonight but if you slowpokes aren’t done we might miss it!” korra informed the three of them. the two boys quickly returned to work but your gaze lingered on the avatar.

“so are you going to tell us or?” mako asked as korra left.

“i think you’ll figure it out.” your eyes stayed a little too long in the direction that your girlfriend left, a smirk on your lips at the idea of making your brothers wait.

when you all made your way to the probending arena, you caught up with korra and asami in the front, making sure to interlock your fingers with the watertribe girl.

“im guessing you told them?” asami asked, a knowing smile on her face at the romantic gesture.

“not exactly.” you guiltily admitted as you heard two gasps behind you. one was almost dramatically loud while the other was a bit more subtle.

“y/n!” you heard from the two boys behind you, and korra gave you a knowing smile, your idiot brothers had figured it out.

[ladykatakuri]

Our Dance

Tech x F Reader

Rating: General Audiences

Word Count: 2175

Lyrics used from the song All about us performed by He is We

Summary:“I believe you might have to come to her aid soon. The senator currently trying to keep her attention on him is well known for his more….illustrious desires when it comes to women.” The concern in her eyes immediately urges him to spring to action and before she can even finish her full sentence he is off to the rescue.

Here it is, the Tech fic i was working on. Somehow i had several songs that inspired story idea`s and ofcourse it is with the guys from the Batch and yes i also have something in mind for Omega. Hope you like it and comments / tips are always more then welcome here <3

It was one of those evenings, once more. A senator had decided that it was time for an early celebration of, well something important on his home world and of course that meant guests, a lot of food and drinks, caterers and guards. Normally not a big problem, any time that you were invited to a party by a good friend you would happily accept and you did, but this evening turned out to be a huge annoyance to you and a strain on your self restraint.

During your time serving food and having nice conversations with people from all layers of society you came to be very fond of the clones you met. The Coruscant Guard became steady customers of the shop where you served caf and breakfast most times and all the others were a steady stream of visitors at 79`s, the bar where you would have evening and night shifts, waiting on tables and just having a good time with your new found friends. But this party? You would be happy to leave and if you could leave after giving some of the politicians there a piece of your mind then all the better!

It began with the senator of Scipio and delegate of the Banking Clan, Rush Clovis, mentioning to another senator he did not see why there should be any consideration for the clones. Their conversation was caught by you as you walked by on your way back to your friend who had invited you in the first place, Padme Amidala, but it was more than enough for you to already hate the man. Unfortunately it was not an uncommon feeling among people with a seat in the senate to think of the clones as nothing more but meat for the grinder. They were created on Kamino to fight in the war effort, and when they died? Well there were more where they came from.

With a slight tremble you move forward, handing out the drink to a friend you found among the guests and had a nice conversation with. In the meantime you knew that several clones were there by special invitation. The senator that was hosting this party wanted to display his power and thought it would be fun to have some of those clones around to have fun with. In this case that fun meant that the guests who wanted to, could either talk to the clones or even dance with them. They were no more than props on display for most of the people there and you hated every second of it. Especially when you realised one of your favorite groups of men were also there. You were about ready to leave the party and grab some sleep when you saw that special group of men, especially one very special, tall, goggled man who had been haunting your daydreams from time to time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Tech heard that they were ordered to attend a party he was seriously confused. “They do realise we are considered to be defective clones? Not many senators or other high placed figures would want us around them on purpose.” Rubbing his head he looks at his sargeant and leader, Hunter.

With a deep sigh, Hunter looked at his brother. “Yes Tech, they know. I believe that is exactly why they want us to attend this thing. I suppose there is some ulterior motive to it, but we have to follow this order in any case. So, suit up and be on your best behavior.” The last sentence has the sarge glance at the two most troublesome of his brothers, Wrecker and Crosshair. They were the least likely to really behave, but that was a concern for later.

Tech felt uncomfortable in his black suit, but orders were orders in this case and at least Senator Amidala had been kind enough to start a conversation with him and Echo. Both were surprised at her kindness and how she was genuinely interested in their feelings about the war. Echo had stopped him from rambling about the war too much by pointing out the one person he knew would draw more attention than anyone else in the room.

Take my hand, I'll teach you to dance

I'll spin you around, won't let you fall down

Would you let me lead? You can step on my feet

Give it a try, it'll be alright

For a moment it seemed as if there was only one person in the entire room, and that person was you. Tech looked in the direction Echo pointed at and there you were, walking around greeting and conversing with some of the guests in the room and looking picture perfect while doing so. A string of hair escaped your ponytail and the annoyed glance aimed at one of the senators only made you seem more beautiful. Looking at the senator that seemed to have annoyed you so much, he immediately understood why you seemed ready to hit the man with your fist. Senator Clovis was known to be ruthless when it came to clones and clone rights. When asked, he would always say the exact same thing, “Clones are mere tools in the warmachine. A cog perhaps. They are easily replaced and so, we have no need to mourn the loss of any of them. I see no reason why we would even have to spend any credits on the recovery of the wounded.”

A small grin formed on his lips as he watched you stalk away from the man and move to stand somewhere calm and quiet. Senator Amidala, still in conversation with Echo noticed the slight change in attitude as his eyes followed you around the room. “If you pardon my intrusion, Tech is it?” Her hand taps his arm as she turns to speak to him.

Tech looks at the senator as he answers. “It is indeed, senator. How may I help you?”

Amidala looks at the man currently shifting attention between her and the woman he keeps an eye on as she moves around the room. “I believe you might have to come to her aid soon. The senator currently trying to keep her attention on him is well known for his more….illustrious desires when it comes to women.” The concern in her eyes immediately urges him to spring to action and before she can even finish her full sentence he is off to the rescue.

You know that the man currently speaking to you as if you are just another nobody, who is lucky enough to have been invited to work the celebration taking place is also the same man who not only is a senator, but also well known for demanding personal time with all female personnel and even demanded coruscant guards to remove some women he has used when they became too much of a bother to him afterwards. This time he seems to have set his eyes on you and you are just not having it. “Senator, I must return to my friend now. I apologize for cutting this wonderful conversation short, but if I do not at least spend some time with Senator Amidala this evening, I would be a poor and ungrateful friend.” Though you smile it is obvious even to the senator you only mean the polite refusal to continue the conversation, as much as you refused to dance with him.

“I know you're nothing important in the senate, just a person that Amidala befriended from the lower regions of this planet. You will dance with me, because any offer such as this from the likes of me is an honor and then we will continue our conversation in private.” Just when he reaches for your hand to drag you back, your hand is taken by another man.

As fast as he managed to take your hand before the senator, Tech took the drink from your hand and gave it to another waiter nearby. His arm is already snaked around your waist as he turns you around and walks you to the middle of the room. “I believe you agreed to give me the first dance once you finished your round in the room Y/N. I noticed you were on your way back , so I suggest we make the best of it.

Surprise and gratitude quickly appear and leave your eyes as you smile at the man guiding you away. “Thank you Tech. I almost lost track of time.” The blush on your cheeks as you feel him turn you around to face him brightens when you take him in once more. He looks absolutely dashing in his black suit and light blue dress shirt.

The room's hush hush and now's our moment

Take it in, feel it all and hold it

Eyes on you, eyes on me

We're doing this right

The orchestra plays a slow song as Tech gently moves the two of you around the room. Despite his tall figure and the appearance of a soldier most times, he is absolutely graceful as he leads you in your dance. His hand, warm on the small of your back presses you closer to him while he softly squeezes the hand he holds. Leaning in closer to you his lips almost brush your ears as he whispers. “It seems you needed a rescue. Though from the look you gave that senator, it is highly probable I actually rescued him.” His low chuckle sends a shiver down your spine as he straightens out and swirls you around. “I shall thank Senator Amidala for warning me in time.”

Amidala, your friend. A senator who usually makes her way through all the layers of society and who does her best to help all people. She even spoke to you about clone rights and how to see to it that they would be treated more decently, after she found out that you were one of the people who were strong advocates for clone rights. Soon after that, the two of you struck up a friendship based on mutual respect. She invited you to this evening because of your shared passion for the rights of clones and your contact with many of these men. She felt it might make them feel at ease, seeing a friendly face in the crowd.

Grinning you look up into the brown, bespectacled eyes of your hero of the evening. “I will thank her for sending me a hero.”

The music stops and you are ready to step away from Tech so that he can walk back to his brothers. Tech however is not moving an inch and he is not letting go of your hand. Pulling you back in at the same moment another song is started, Tech gently guides you in another dance.

“You know, people will stare at us. They might even start to talk about us.” A gentle blush on your cheeks, you whisper to him.

'Cause lovers dance when they're feeling in love

Spotlight's shining

It's all about us

It's oh, oh, all

About uh, uh, us

And every heart in the room will melt

This is a feeling you never felt dry

It's oh, oh, all about us

Tech has always been kind to you from the moment you met. His brothers, all with their own sense of humor and fun way of flirting quickly became good friends of yours. Tech as well, though you also developed a crush on him rather fast. His fast knowledge of pretty much everything and witty remarks only served to make you fall harder for the man. And now here you were in his arms, dancing to beautiful music, still a little insecure on whether or not you should let him know how you feel.

Without paying any attention to the room, Tech moves the two of you a bit more to the edges of the room. No longer swirling around with all the other couples on the floor, the two of you softly sway on the sidelines. Still in a warm embrace of his arm around you and his hand softly holding yours, he looks down at you and smiles. “People always find reasons to talk about others. It is in their nature to try and find common ground so as to divert attention from themselves at such events.”

You sigh softly and move the hand that was resting on his shoulder all this time to his face. Carefully brushing his cheek. “You could just tell me to let them watch you know?”

A chuckle escapes him as he leans in to you and his lips brush yours. “It's all about us anyway.

When he moves back, he pulls you in closer against him, your head against his chest, his arms around you as you keep swaying to the music. Nobody else in the room exists at that moment, but the two of you.

“All about us.” you whisper, a promise for the rest of the evening and all the days still to come.

@loth-wolffe @catbustours @reluctant-mandalore @nahoney22 @hellothere-generalangsty @allamarisss

[yugfics]

SECRET LOVE SONG LIM JAEBEOM (ANGST)

/unhappy with your arranged marriage, you find yourself having an affair with the man you fell in love with/

(inspired by & including some lyrics from Secret Love Song by Little Mix feat. Jason Derulo)

'All my heart is yours... it belongs to you; and with you it would remain, were fate to exile the rest of me from your presence forever'

The words seemed to pour from the pages of the book you were holding, reaching out towards your heart and making it their home.

It wasn't the first time you'd read Jane Eyre, but this sentence, underlined and highlighted from rereading, always stood out. You'd memorised it -- like the words had been written especially for you.

Because it brought to mind the man you loved.

You closed the book, keeping your index finger where you'd stopped, leaning backwards onto the headrest of the bed you shared with your husband.

He was doing work in the spare room he used as his study, and you weren't sure when he'd be done -- he usually slept quite late. What he'd told you during dinner came to mind, and you closed your eyes to ponder on it.

The next day he'd be leaving on a business trip. It would last a few days, and you would be left alone. This thought lingered and you enjoyed the prospect of the brief freedom you'd experience. As you imagined everything you'd be able to do, excitement built inside you, causing your stomach to fill with numerous butterflies.

For it would mean you could spend time with the man you loved. Your husband wasn't that man.

You opened your eyes at the sound of your husband's footfalls.

"Mark?" you asked, surprised. "You're done early?"

"Yeah, I," he hesitated, approaching the bed. "Well, I'm leaving tomorrow and I wanted to spend a little more time with you before I went,"

"Oh," you replied, the sound not coming out at all the way you wanted as guilt settled in your stomach. You hated that you were doing this, being unfaithful to the man who was taking care of you and keeping a roof over your head, the man your parents had chosen for you. But what could you do, when your heart belonged to someone else?

You pulled your lips into a smile and pat the bed next to you. "Alright,"

He got in and laid beside you, arms slipping around your waist. It was quiet, and it was peaceful, but you couldn't seem to let yourself get comfortable. Because the only thing you could think about was Jaebeom.

—

You knocked tentatively on his front door.

Earlier that morning you'd said goodbye to your husband and promised that you'd talk at least once every day. After eating your breakfast alone, you'd decided to go meet with Jaebeom.

Now you were regretting not telling him you were coming. It'd been nearly a week since last being face-to-face, and a small part of you always wondered whether he'd get tired of what was going on between the both of you.

If he'd get tired of hiding your love.

The door opened, and as you found yourself looking into Jaebeom's eyes, those eyes that seemed to hold the universe, you felt previous agitation and nervousness fall away, replaced by a strong, unyielding love.

"Jaebeom," you said, softly.

His eyes were wide, and his lips formed a small smile. Before you could move, he pulled you inside, wrapped his arms around your waist, and swung you around.

You squealed at the suddenness of the action, and you both started giggling.

"I missed you," he told you, sincerely, as he set you down and closed the front door.

"I missed you more," you replied, turning to look at the living room of his apartment.

It was exactly the same as you remembered it, save for papers scattered all over the couch and coffee table.

"Are those...?" you began, approaching the mess and recognising the papers. They were your poems.

Along with reading, you had a love for writing, and you often wrote poems for Jaebeom, or simply left them over at his house.

He hurried in front of you, gathering the papers. "It's supposed to be a surprise, I didn't know you'd be coming today,"

"You were going to surprise me with my own poems?" you asked, confused and amused.

"I..." he struggled, trying not to reveal anything and ruin the gift.

"It's alright," you laughed." I know I'll love it if it's from you,"

Finished with putting the papers into a small stack on the coffee table, he approached you, standing opposite you and reaching his hand to push your hair behind your ear.

"How long can you stay?"

"He'll be away for two days. What should we do?"

"Have fun," he replied simply, before lifting his hand that held yours and spinning you around.

You laughed, and he bent forwards, placing a kiss on your hand. "May I have this dance?"

Smiling, you said "Yes,"

—

You sat on the windowseat in Jaebeom's bedroom, reading one of the books you'd left over.

Paintings covered the wall — he'd done them himself — and there were polaroids scattered around as well. He loved taking pictures. Especially of you.

Immersed in the book you were reading, you didn't register the sound of Jaebeom returning from buying lunch. He set the plastic bags on the dining table before walking down the hallway and entering the bedroom.

His eyes fell on your oblivious self, and he couldn't help but smile. You looked so beautiful in his eyes.

When he reached you and you still hadn't looked up from your book, he stood behind you and gently placed a blush-pink rose in the middle of your book.

Momentarily startled, you looked above to see a smiling Jaebeom. He leant forwards and kissed your forehead, causing you to blush.

"I didn't hear you come in,"

"Mhmm," he acknowledged, sitting next to you and pulling you onto his lap. You twirled the flower between your fingers.

"Where'd you get this?"

"On my way back from buying lunch. It was pretty, and it made me think of you, so I bought a few. The rest are in a vase outside,"

"It's beautiful. I love it, thank you,"

"Do you want to go out tomorrow?"

"Where?"

"It's another surprise," he replied, mysteriously. "Tomorrow is the day before your husband returns, so I wanted us go out,"

You nodded, turning to look out the window. There was a comfortable silence for a moment before he spoke. "I wrote a song for you,"

"Really?" you asked excitedly, turning back to him. "You wrote?!"

He laughed softly, embarrassed. "Yes, it's pretty short, though. I just... missed you a lot this past week and, yeah I wrote a song,"

You smiled. "Can I hear it?"

Before he could speak, the both of you were interrupted by your ringtone.

Rising from his lap, you approached the phone you'd left on his desk, among numerous polaroids and pictures. After reading your husband's name on the screen, you picked it up.

After a short while of conversing, you set your phone back down on the table and looked sadly at Jaebeom. "The trip was cut short and he's returning tomorrow morning,"

"Oh," he replied, and you could hear the disappointment in his voice, but he quickly changed his tone. "We have until tonight right? We can still hang out,"

He held your hand and pulled you out of the room and down the hallway. You sat on the couch and he faced you, hands still in yours.

You looked at him expectantly, and he smiled shyly. "Here goes,"

"We keep behind closed doors Every time I see you I die a little more Stolen moments that we steal as the curtain falls It'll never be enough

It's obvious you're meant for me Every piece of you it just fits perfectly Every second, every thought, I'm in so deep But it can never be this way

And you know this, We got a love that is hopeless...

Why can't I say that I'm in love?

I wanna shout it from the rooftops I wish that it could be like that Why can't we be like that? Cause I'm yours

Wish we could be like that Why can't we be like that?"

When he looked back up at you, he saw tears pooling in your eyes. He squeezed your hand and smiled comfortingly. "I didn't mean to make you cry,"

You shook your head. "I loved the song, and I... I'm sorry... I don't want us to be like this either, but... my parents... "

It was your parents who'd arranged for you to marry Mark. They'd said he would make you happy, and you knew that he did love you, but it just wasn't in the way you wanted to be loved. It wasn't the way Jaebeom did.

But you didn't want to upset your parents in their old age, and they always looked so happy when you went to visit them with Mark. You couldn't bear to break their hearts now.

He cupped your face and smiled. "I understand, okay? I love you,"

"I love you, too,"

—

The rest of the day flew by way too quickly, as it often does when one is enjoying themself. Soon, you were sitting beside Jaebeom in his car, parked in front of your house. After a few moments of not knowing what to say, he pressed a small polaroid into your hand.

It was a selfie, both of you smiling. You'd taken it earlier that morning, after dancing and running around like children.

In the white space below the picture, he'd written: "I'm yours,"

You smiled, leaning forwards and kissing his cheek. "I have something for you too—" you placed a carefully folded piece of paper in his hand— "I found time to write it after listening to your song. Read it when I leave,"

He nodded, and neither of your broke eye contact until you spoke, regretful that you'd be leaving him once more. "I… I should go now,"

"Alright," he replied as you opened the door. "Till we meet again~"

Smiling, you waved and closed the door behind you, before approaching your house. Jaebeom unfolded the piece of paper you'd given him. It was a poem, and when he finished reading it three times, he smiled and placed it in his phone case.

not a love that is hopeless but a love that is timeless; a love that will still live on for generations to come

in the poems that I wrote, in the things that you composed, in the memories we created in the things that were our favourite,

yes, ours is a love that will never be lost you're forever mine, and I'm forever yours. ____________ this is @yug.fics on instagram!

[blu-joons]

DATING DAY6 HEADCANON A⇴Z ⇴ Kim Wonpil

A ⇴ AFFECTION

He’s very much a clingy kind of boyfriend, he loves to be able to hold you in any way that he can, as tightly as he can. He enjoys the company and definitely feels safe in the knowledge that you’re around him through affection.

B ⇴ BEFORE DATING

You’d noticed Wonpil coming into your workplace quite often before you ended up talking to each other for the first time. He quickly began to pay you a lot of compliments, something you noticed he didn’t do with any of the others. You were always appreciative, but they often left you wondering what was going on.

C ⇴ CONFESSION

Eventually your questions were answered when Wonpil asked you if you wanted to go to dinner one night. Each compliment he gave you was another rung on the ladder in building up his confidence to eventually confess to you that he liked you. When he admitted that he was worried that his compliments might end up scaring you away, you were quick to reassure him that they’d done the complete opposite, and instead made you like him more.

D ⇴ DATES

Your dates were when Wonpil wanted to try and impress you the most. You’d heard a lot about how he was learning to cook, so he’d often invite you round for dinner and show off any new recipes he’d made. Aside from cooking, he loved to go out adventuring with you, walks were one of his favourite things to do with you, he found great inspiration from just being able to walk around hand in hand with you, appreciating the sounds and the sights of the outdoors, usually coming up with a few lyrics when you returned home.

E ⇴ EXPERIENCE

Being with you was the first experience of a relationship that Wonpil had had, and it gave his confidence the world of good. The group, the fans, and even the company were quick to pick up on how much he’d changed since he started dating you, all of it being for the good. He had a sparkle in his eye, being with you almost gave him a purpose to perform for. When he knew you were watching he’d try his absolute best and make sure that the cameras were watching him more than any other member on the stage.

F ⇴ FIGHTING

The two of you didn’t fight a lot with each other, both of you were quite calm and relaxed people to begin with that it would take a lot to tip you over the edge. If the two of you did argue, Wonpil would be very apologetic, and very clingy. He’d do anything for you for a considerable amount of time and hug you incredibly tight. Arguments terrified him that he could risk losing you or that you’d stop speaking to him, so he tried hard to put them to bed as quickly as they started. If you needed space after an argument, there was no way that Wonpil would give it to you, he wanted to be right by your side to solve things.

G ⇴ GETTING TO KNOW HIS FAMILY

He was really keen to introduce you to his family, especially his mum. She loved asking him about you and checking in on how you were, so when he finally suggested that you meet, Wonpil couldn’t even finish his sentence before his mother accepted and encouraged the two of you to visit as quickly as you possibly could.

H ⇴ HOME

It didn’t take long into your relationship before Wonpil began to think about finding your own place. He always felt like he needed to shy away from you whenever the boys were around, but if the two of you had your own place, he knew he could be around you as much as he wanted without having to be conscious of others around him.

I ⇴ “I LOVE YOU”

Wonpil was the first of the two of you to say, ‘I love you.’ He was convinced you were asleep when he glanced across at you, so when your eyes opened in shock, you definitely gave him quite a fright. Whilst he tried to brush it aside as nothing, you knew exactly what you heard and refused to speak until you heard him say it again.

J ⇴ JEALOUSY

He did have a bit of a tendency to get jealous if there was some distance between you both. He was cautious of those around you and would do anything to keep you safe, if a guy was nearby or approaching you, he’d definitely step in before they even had the chance to say hello. You loved how protective Wonpil was of you, whilst he might not be the tallest in stature, that didn’t stop him from standing his ground as your boyfriend and making sure that he was the only one that you’d pay attention to.

K ⇴ KIDS

Starting a family still felt like it was a little way off for Wonpil just yet, but it was something that he definitely saw in his future. He loved to stay up with you late at night and talk about how you both saw your futures going. Once he started talking, it was often difficult for you to get him to stop, but you loved hearing the passion and enthusiasm in his voice when it came to considering a family of your own one day.

L ⇴ LAUGHTER

He loved to make you laugh, Wonpil didn’t care how much he embarrassed himself. To most people, he was probably quite shy, but in the comfort of your own home, when only you were watching, he didn’t care what he looked like. He’d often leave you in hysterics for all the random things he did. The most common thing he did was pull a funny face, if he caught your glance at the right moment, he’d stick his tongue out at you to make you blush and quickly look away, covering your mouth to try and hide your giggle.

M ⇴ MISSING

Being on the road was incredibly hard for him, especially during the points of the day when you’d usually be around. Performing and rehearsing were easy for him but waking up and falling asleep in an empty bed were two of the biggest challenges he faced. He lacked motivation a lot of the time when he’d wake up without you there and would often lie awake for hours when you weren’t beside him to sleep. As you weren’t there for him to stick besides, he’d often stick beside his members a little bit more. To begin with, they’d be confused why he was around them so much, but as time went on, they soon realised that it was Wonpil’s coping mechanism, so of course, they happily rallied around him as best they could.

N ⇴ NICKNAMES

He loved hearing you call him by a cute nickname, it didn’t matter what it was, it would always make him shy and blush when you did. You tended to call him ‘bub’ more than anything else as it would always make him smile.

O ⇴ OBSESSION

Wonpil was obsessed with your personality, he loved having someone to talk to, someone who matched him for all of his quirks, who could be just as crazy as he was.

P ⇴ PDA

Most of the time, he’s glued to your side, but in public he’s a little more reserved. There will still be no distance between you both, but rather than both arms being wrapped around you, it will usually just tend to be one. He won’t be able to stop himself from kissing you though whenever there is a chance to do so.

Q ⇴ QUESTIONS

He always wants your opinion on the things the two of you do together, he wants to make sure that you’re happy with him and enjoying whatever he has planned. If you say no, he’ll put an end to things immediately and do something else.

R ⇴ RANDOM FACTS

All of the fans are aware of the tattoo that Wonpil has on his ring finger, but what the fans aren’t aware of is the tattoo he has on his waist in tribute to you. His finger tattoo is there to remind him to live and to breathe in the chaos, and with that, his tattoo for you on his waist is to always remind him to love you and cherish the secure feeling of when your arms are wrapped around his waist and covering his tattoo.

S ⇴ SEX

He likes to try and be the dominant one, but when he gets shy, he naturally becomes a bit of a sub. He always feels bad whenever you dominate him, he feels like it’s his position to be the dominant one and do all of the work. His hands love to explore your body a lot during intimacy, the compliments he’s filled you with since the moment the two of you met will definitely reappear during these times too.

T ⇴ TEXTS

Wonpil will text you a lot with photos when he has a day without you. He likes to make you feel as if you’re there with him, and always wants for you to do the same so he can ask you about your day that night.

U ⇴ UNIVERSE

He’d spent years clinging to his members and needing their attention, but now it was nice for him to have someone who he loved to do that with. He never wanted to be apart from you, he wanted to be by your side forever.

V ⇴ VACATION

If he had a few days without a schedule, Wonpil would definitely try and sort something out so the two of you could go away together. It didn’t matter where in the world the two of you went, just being able to enjoy a change of scenery and each other’s company was what was most important to the two of you.

W ⇴ WHINING

When he wasn’t able to hold you, he’d definitely groan. He’d sit, or stand, with his arms inviting you over until eventually you caved and gave him a hug.

X ⇴ XXXXX

His lips could often be found pressing against your skin if there was ever a moment when he would stop talking. You’d sit and listen to him for hours sometimes, eventually you’d have to silence him with a kiss just to remind him to breathe. He used kisses a lot as little reminders that he loved you when he was too exhausted to talk, or just when he wanted to get a little bit closer towards you, if that was even possible.

Y ⇴ YOU

You were his biggest fan, the one that would always be by his side.

Z ⇴ ZZZ

Sleeping beside Wonpil was tough, he loved to lay for hours and talk to you about random things, he’d often still be talking, unaware that you had already fallen asleep beside him, pressing a kiss to your cheek before sleeping himself.

---

Masterlist

[all-my-love-for-harry]

Delicate. — Part 2.

word count: 2.8k

a/n: Part 2, let’s gooo. as always, feedback is very much appreciated! Let me know what you think or what you would like to see next. thank you for reading!

catch up here!

"Stupid cheesecake recipe."

"Over baking wasn't exactly on the recipe, J." 

"Oh, shut up. Yours is dry as fuck."

Y/n opened her mouth, pretending to be offended. The pair was currently having a little baking competition that clearly went wrong since none of them can bake. Now, Y/n was pretty good at cooking in general, but for some reason baking just wasn't her thing. And obviously, it wasn't Jensen's thing either. 

"I hope you clean this mess after you're done." The truth was, Louise wasn't surprised by the mess her children had made and didn't mind it either. The age difference between both of them was big, so growing up there wasn't much they could do to bond. Right now, however, they were so much closer than they were before, and Jensen and Y/n had more things in common and more options of activities they could do together, like baking. 

Even if they were bad at it. 

"I invited Harry and Sarah tonight. They're having dinner with us." Louise spoke again, grabbing a rag and starting to wipe off the flour on the kitchen island. 

"Who's Sarah?" Y/n asked, cleaning the flour on her left cheek. She tried to ignore the growing butterflies in her stomach at the mention of Harry. She'd be lying if she said she hasn't thought about him since their last encounter, even went as far as trying to look for him on the internet but she got nothing. But the mention of another woman made her feel confused. Was he married or something? Don't blame her, the guy wears a lot of rings.  

"The owner of that cat café I took you to the other day. She's great, don't worry." 

Jensen nudged her playfully, and she rolled her eyes in return. "I'll take a shower." She announced before marching out of the kitchen and up the stairs to her old room. She wanted to clean herself up before Harry arrived, although she didn't know why. Looking through the clothes she kept at her mother's house, she settled in a plain, long blue dress with spaghetti straps and a pair of sandals. She didn't want to look overdressed but also didn't want to just wear a pair of sweatpants like she's been wearing all afternoon. 

"Do you remember when mom tried to set me up with that girl who worked at the restaurant on the other side of town?" Jensen entered the room without knocking, running his fingers through his hair. He was also fresh out of the shower. 

"Madison?" Jensen hummed in response. "She was nice. Why did you stop going out with her?"

"Because mom only did it because she thought I was lonely.?"

"What's your point?" She looked at him after grabbing a hairbrush from the vanity. 

"That she's doing the same now with Harry? Duh."

"Woah, I've met the man once. And I've tried going out with people she sets me up with, and we never click."

//

Y/n tried to play it cool when she heard the gates open, busying herself with whatever as the doorbell rang and Louise hurried towards the door. Harry and a gorgeous brunette stepped into the house, smiling widely at the middle-aged woman. 

"Come on in! I'm so glad you could make it."

"You have a lovely home, Louise." Harry's deep voice along with that accent of his sent shivers down Y/n's spine. She had a weak spot for British people and she didn't know why. 

"I'm sorry Mitch couldn't make it." The woman beside Harry said. 

"Oh, it's okay. There's always next time."

The three of them walked into the living room where everyone else was sitting. Jensen stood up and high-fived Harry before giving Sarah a side hug. A smirk appeared on Harry's face as Y/n came into his view. "Hello again, love."

"Hi, Harry." Y/n returned his little salute. "Azaleas are doing great, by the way." She jokingly said. 

"Knew you would keep them alive." He gave her a little wink before giving her a quick hug. 

Sarah introduced herself and Y/n did the same, accepting her hand to shake. Y/n had to admit, she was really pretty. Along with her brown hair, she had a pair of blue eyes and an inviting smile. If Harry was really dating Sarah, then he was a lucky man. 

Throughout the dinner, Y/n didn't say much. She'd occasionally steal little glazes at Harry and admired how gorgeous he looked tonight. It was funny, Y/n had this feeling in her tummy every time she's seen him, which by the way has only been twice, and she grew nervous out of nowhere. It was almost like she was too shy to speak to him, which was weird considering she was a pro at holding conversations as she's been trained to do so. Sometimes she'd stare for too long and Harry would notice and smile her way. Y/n felt like a teenager with a highschool crush. She tried to convince herself she didn't like him that way and she was just taken back at how pretty he was. 

Dinner was over and Harry insisted on helping with the dishes despite Louise's protests. So now it was just Y/n and Harry in the kitchen putting everything in the dishwasher while sipping on white wine. 

"How can you put ice on it?" Harry asked, nodding at her glass filled with wine and ice. "When the ice melts it just tastes like water."

"I like it really cold but I don't like keeping the bottles in the freezer." She explained, taking a sip from her glass. "So how do you know Sarah?" 

"She was the first friend I made when I came here. She's also British so we became fast friends. Plus, he's dating my best friend and co-worker."

"Oh." She said, processing the information. Perhaps that Mitch guy Sarah mentioned was her boyfriend and not Harry. Suddenly, she felt a wave of relief but then again, why?

"Can I say something without sounding creepy?"

"S-sure?" 

"My sister is a massive fan of yours. When we still lived with my mum, you were all she listened to."

"I'm sorry." She joked and he breathed a laugh. "Well, tell her I say hi, please."

"Will do."

"So..." She dragged the word. "You knew who I was?"

"Obviously I don't live under a rock." He rolled his eyes playfully. "I'm just not invested in that whole world as other people, you know? I don't even own an Instagram account or anything." Harry shrugged.

So that's why she couldn't find him anywhere, she thought. A feeling of excitement ran through her veins. Harry knew who she was, but he didn't care. Being treated like a normal person was a luxury Y/n didn't have anymore, so it was safe to say she felt happy knowing he'd treat her like one. 

They finished the task in silence, but Y/n couldn't contain the little smile forming on her face and honestly, Harry couldn't either. 

She was curious about him. What was he doing in her hometown if he was from the other side of the world? What did he do in his free time? Where did he get so many cool rings? Did he always want to be a florist? Why was he a florist? She had a million questions she wanted to ask, feeling genuinely intrigued by him. Harry could easily come off as an intimidating man, but what she has noticed from him was completely different. 

Harry was shy, incredibly so. But he was also cheeky, and silly and had a boyish smile that he could change into an intense look in a matter of seconds if he wanted to. His green eyes were always shiny, like stars in a black sky. He also appeared to be always happy, although she couldn't be certain on that one. 

The things she was feeling right now were things she's never experienced before and that was both exciting and terrifying. 

//

"I never trust a narcissist." Y/n tasted the new lyrics she's been thinking about with a random melody on the piano. She sat in front of the instrument in her living room and this time she didn't have to squeeze her brain for one decent melody, because this time she was able to come up with one smoothly. 

Pandora was casually laying down on the floor close to Y/n while Lizzie was chilling around the house as she didn't like the sound of the piano that much. This was one of those nights when inspiration came to Y/n from nowhere, having to drag herself out of the comfiness of her bed before she forgot what her brain had come up with. She continued adding lyrics, making sure her phone was still recording everything she was doing. 

It had been a few days since she's seen her family or had any kind of human interaction and now that she was thinking about it, she kind of missed it. Now, she loved her family to pieces and would do absolutely anything for them but she missed her friends, her real friends who were thousands of miles away from her right now. She was craving that more than anything right now and that's probably why she found herself in front of The Blossom House the morning after, debating whether or not entering the shop. 

Deciding to suck it up, she opened the door of the building and stepped in, feeling the overwhelming smell of flowers hit her nostrils immediately. There were a few people in the shop, a young boy buying a bouquet of red roses and two middle-aged women that looked like they came together. Y/n tried to go unnoticed as she stepped deeper into the store. The truth was, she didn't know what she was doing there. She didn't need more flowers, that's for sure. 

She looked through her sunglasses a bouquet of daisies her mother would absolutely die for, so she decided to grab it for her. 

"Oop, sorry. That one's not done yet." Someone said from behind. She turned around and saw a man with long hair tied in a low bun and a mustache on his face. "It's a commission, actually. But I can make another one for you."

"Oh, it's fine. I'll just pick something else." She gave him a polite smile. The name on the tag read Mitch, so he must be Sarah's boyfriend. "Uh... weird question but, is Harry around?"

"Yeah, he's in the back. Want me to get him for you?" He offered but she declined. 

"It's okay. Thank you." Giving him one last smile she walked away to the other side of the room, this time looking at the roses. The white ones were her favorites and she loved looking at them. 

"Hey, stranger."  Taking advantage of the fact he couldn't see her, she smiled widely at the sound of his voice. "Fancy seeing you here." As soon as she turned around she saw the goofy dimpled smile on his face. 

"Likewise, do you work here by any means?" She smirked as he giggled, deciding to play along. 

"Darling, I own the place."

"An entrepreneur, oh my god." She pretended to fan herself with the palm of her hand and Harry let out a big laugh. 

"What brings you here? More flowers?" Something tells her he knew she wasn't here for the flowers, and it was true, as much as she wanted to tell herself she wanted a new bouquet for her mom. In reality, she wanted to see him. "Has something caught your eye so far?"

"There was this bouquet of daisies but a man told me it was for a commission?" Her words came off more like a question. 

"Oh, yes. Mitch's been working on that for a few hours now. I can tell him to make you one like that if you want. Could be done in a couple of hours."

"That would be great. I could swing by in a while to get it."

"Orrrrr, we could wait for it over a cup of coffee?"

She observed him for a while and how the dimples never disappeared from his face as he waited for her answer. He seemed confident and she really liked that. "Sounds fun." She shrugged before a smile appeared on her face, matching his. 

"Let me tell Mitch and we'll go." He said before rushing to the back of the store and returning shortly after without his apron. "Would you prefer to go to Sarah's? Because there's this one, half block away that serves good coffee."

"Let's try that one." Honestly, she'd walk whatever blocks if that meant they'd spend more time together. "As much as I loved going to Sarah's, seeing all those kittens at once makes me cry."

"I feel the same. I always take my mum there when she comes to visit, last time she came she adopted one." He mentioned. A car passed at low speed, making Y/n nervous. She tried to cover her face as much as she could with her hair and fixing her sunglasses. "Is everything okay?" Harry asked, noticing her change of behavior. 

"Uh? Oh, yes. I thought someone was watching from that car." She said in a low voice. What happened next, she would've never expected. Harry pushed her gently to the other side of the sidewalk, changing places with her so his much taller frame would cover hers.

She blushed, looking up at him but he acted like it wasn't a big deal, like it was a natural thing to do although they didn't even know each other that well. She thought he'd tell her she was being paranoid or something but instead, he chose to do something he thought would make her feel more at ease. And it worked. 

Harry held the door open for her when they arrived, guiding her to a table away from the windows and pulled out the chair for her to sit, being an absolute gentleman with her. And although Y/n insisted, Harry went for their coffees and paid for them as well, saying he was the one who invited her hence he'd be the one who pays. 

Once they were settled with their own cups of coffee, they started talking. Mostly about Harry, Y/n still didn't feel comfortable enough to talk about herself and he understood so he let her ask him anything she desired. 

"Do you go to England often?"

"Not as much as I'd like to. I try to go during summer and for the holidays, of course. Although for birthdays and such, I'm not always able to fly there." 

"You must miss your family a lot." From what she's gathered about him, he was a family guy, so being away from his must be tough. She knew it was for her. 

"I do. But I also love it here."

"Do you see yourself going back?"

"To London? Probably not. I have gotten used to being in the states so if I ever move back there full time I'd feel out of place."

She nodded along, listening to him carefully. Harry had a beautiful voice and he spoke slowly so it made it even more soothing than it already was. She swore this man could read her a bedtime story and she'd be out in the first minutes. 

They talked for some more and bought another cup of coffee for the walk back to the flower shop. They were having a great time, and although they wouldn't say it out loud, none of them wanted it to end. So it was safe to say they both felt a little sad once they arrived at The Blossom House. 

"Let me get the bouquet for you." Harry told her after they entered. He came back with a replica of the bouquet of daisies she saw earlier and she smiled. "It's on the house, tell Louise I say hi."

"You don't have to gift me flowers every time I come, you know that right?" She chuckled but grabbed the bouquet regardless. 

"I know I don't have to but who says I don't want to?" He wiggled his eyebrows playfully, grinning at her. 

"Thank you, Harry. For the coffee and the flowers."

"You're very welcome. I, uh, I had a great time today." He said, blushing a little.

"Me too."

"Do you think we could do it again some other time?" He asked hesitantly. 

"I'd love to, honestly." Y/n admitted, starting to blush as well. 

"So can I have your number or I'd have to wait until you come again?" He asked teasingly. "Swear I'll not sell it on e-bay."

"Can you even sell a telephone number on e-bay?" She asked, laughing as she took her phone out of her bag, handing it to him. "Feel free to text yourself so you could have mine too."

"I'll use it wisely, I promise."

"What do you mean?"

"Perhaps not only for coffee but for a nice dinner."

Yeah, she definitely hoped he'd do that.

//

Tag list: @reverse-hxlland​ @cronias13

[whats-rambled-rambled]

Smoke & Mirrors - part 4

Neil x Reader

Chapter 4: Save me

(see chapter 3, 2, 1)

summary: what’s gonna happen if we lock them together for some time...?

warnings: some violence, language and other explicit things, 18+ 

author’s note: 4,8k words, just because I thought I needed to add more plot to it because you wanted 2 shorter chapters instead of a longer one. Who’s laughing now? 

Reading this may cause a slight whiplash. Sorry, not sorry. 

song for this chapter: Aimee Mann - Save me 

Anyway, enjoy and let me know what you think, please?

----

The Protagonist’s eyes darted at Ives. 

“And what did she say?”

“Short answer? Nunya,” Ives shrugged, closing the door behind him.

Wheeler giggled and TP looked at her in confusion.

“Long answer,” continued Ives, joining the other two by the coffee machine, “is that as long as they're doing their job, it doesn’t matter who they are fucking in their free time.”

“And are they?”

“What, fucking? I thought we’ve already--”

“No, doing their job,” TP pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “I have a mission for them, but it requires locking them together for a significant amount of time.”

Wheeler took a sip from her cup. “If they don’t bond, they’ll bone, and I’d say it’s better than killing each other.”

Ives snorted, clearly amused, but TP hid his face in his palms and groaned lightly.

“Was that your plan all along?”

Wheeler gave them an innocent smile. “Wasn’t yours?” she asked, and as she caught the exchange of looks, her eyes lit up. “You’re welcome.”

-----

You found the car parked near the front door and you had to admit - that grey-ish sedan was the dullest, most ordinary vehicle you’d seen in a while. And that’s why it was perfect.

Neil tossed you the keys and proceeded to load your bags into the trunk. You went to check the GPS setting. The total route was calculated for a little over 5 hours, which gave you enough time to go over the details of the assignment at least once on the way there.

As your mission partner took the passenger seat, you handed him the tablet with all the documents loaded up and ready to go. He nodded, fortunately sparing you the small talk and unnecessary comments, and started reading through them out loud as you followed the GPS directions to your destination.

What you didn’t expect was an almost insultingly short length of reports from the previous stakeout teams, and even a slightly more detailed operation brief was not enough to keep you occupied for too long. Exhausting all the work-related topics, you tensed, suddenly uncomfortable in the silence between the two of you. Especially since you caught Neil’s stare, because if his furrowed brows could be any indication, you had a feeling he might start asking way too many questions any minute now. 

As the radio crackled again, you groaned in frustration. There were still two hours left of traveling through the middle of nowhere, and you’d appreciate any distraction that wouldn’t make you want to drive into the nearest tree. Unlike talking to your partner. 

Neil opened the glove compartment and searched through its contents. He found a thick CD case and started flipping through pages curiously. With the corner of your eye, you saw a grin lighting his face when he finally picked one. 

As you heard the familiar piano notes, your knuckles on the steering wheel turned white. Oh, fuck no.

You glared at Neil, who was gently swaying his head, eyes closed, fighting himself to keep a straight face. When the lyrics started, he pressed his palms to his chest right over his heart and looked at you as he mouthed the words.

//When I was young

I never needed anyone

And making love was just for fun

Those days are gone//

You gritted your teeth and focused back on the road, trying to keep in check the rising anger already boiling the blood in your veins, as Neil was clearly feeling the song more and more with every line.

Well, at least this time he wasn’t--...

And then just as the chorus was about to hit, Neil mimicked the opening drum sequence and spread his arms wide, singing along:

//All by myself

Don't wanna be

All by myself

Anymore//

“If you don’t change that fucking song in the next 10 seconds, be ready to walk all the way to the city--...”

“Come on, it’s a classic!” he complained, the biggest smile not leaving his face even for a moment.

You smacked your tongue, finding your most casual voice, “...and I’m not gonna be bothered with pulling over.”

Neil turned down the volume so the music was barely audible, and while it was not what you’d asked him to do, he didn’t give you a chance to scold him. 

“I bet you’ve spent at least one evening listening to that song with a big box of ice cream on your lap,” he smirked, closely watching your reaction to his words.

You could feel your ears burning. Fucking hell, you really hated his guts.

“No,” you scoffed, but even you were not convinced by the sound of that. Judging by Neil’s expression, neither was he. You winced and groaned, ”...shut up!” 

“Nothing to be ashamed of,” - he shrugged - “been there, done that.” 

“Of course you have,” you couldn’t help but snicker at the image planted in your head. 

The blue eyes studied you for a while longer before focusing back at the view outside the window. Meanwhile, the song ended, getting replaced by an instrumental track. You turned the volume up and for the next minute or two, you drove in silence. 

When you heard a light chuckle, you glanced at Neil again. There was something peculiar in the look on his face, a soft gaze in contrast to a knowing grin.

You sighed.

“Do I wanna know what you’re grinning about now?”

Neil raised a brow and his lips parted in an even wider smile.

“Probably not.”

You shook your head, drawing a long breath, wondering how you were going to survive the next forty-something hours together. You could just hope that being at the actual location and starting the real work was going to make it easier. 

Grounding yourself, you stared into the darkness stepping back under the car’s headlights as dusk slowly turned into night. You noticed a faint glow of city lights reflecting in the clouds over the horizon and you relaxed slowly, tuning out anything other than the road ahead. 

Just as the CD player jumped back to the first song again and you switched to a local radio station, now clear of static, you realized your companion had been unusually quiet for the last half an hour. You looked at the passenger seat only to find Neil deep in his sleep and your heart started beating a little faster. Suddenly, everything about the sight seemed endearing - the peaceful face under the ruffled blonde hair, the slightly open mouth almost hidden behind the turned-up collar of the dark navy jacket, the way he wrapped his arms around himself in a little self-hug…

Your lips curled into a fond smile and as your chest clenched painfully, you turned the radio down, wishing you could do the same thing to your feelings just as easily.

-----------

The second you pulled over in the alley at the back of the abandoned hotel, two figures emerged from the door and rushed in your direction. You recognized the fellow agents and jumped out of the car to make the exchange as smooth as possible. 

“Ten-minute window until the patrol comes back,” you said to a short brunette, taking your bags out of the trunk and passing her the car keys.

“Got it,” she nodded, handing you the room key in return. “Our report should be ready before we reach HQ, I will send it to you ASAP.” 

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that the lack of an easy escape plan is intentional,” said Neil as he grabbed one of the bags and looked around.

“But it is,” you shrugged, walking into the building and heading to the nearest staircase. “No loose ends. You’re either good enough to make it out undiscovered and alive, or you get revealed and --...”

“...and then even having the cavalry on call is not going to make a difference, I get it,’ he sighed, matching your two-steps-at-once pace up the stairs, “Can’t say I like it, though.” 

“So let’s try not to do anything stupid so we don’t get caught, shall we?”

A corner of your lips twitched as you heard him scoff at your remark, but to your surprise, he didn’t take the bait. Huh.

When you reached the room, you turned the lock and looked around, taking mental note of the location of every piece of equipment left by the previous team - two cameras, night vision binoculars, and a parabolic microphone placed by the windows. Some parts of the blinds on the windows were broken, others were missing, but the remaining parts still provided a decent cover from the curious eyes peeking up from street level. Other than that, the room was exactly what you would expect from a stakeout location - peeled-off wallpapers of an undefined color, a small table with an electric kettle, a couple of chairs, a mini-fridge, and a mattress. 

As you went to check the last few minutes registered by the camera, Neil started unpacking the supplies. Seeing nothing interesting on the feed, you grabbed one of the water bottles he’d just put on the table and took a seat by the window, your usual first-hour-of-stakeout enthusiasm fending off the tiredness you felt after the long drive.

Neil took a laptop and sat on a chair at the other window, alternating glancing outside and typing in a message to TP with a quick update on your situation.

Your main objective was to observe the building on the other side of the street, especially one loft that was suspected to be a meeting place for one of the smuggling cells’ bosses. Snapping photos of the vehicles pulling over, of the visitors, and reporting any odd activity straight ahead. The usual. But it was past midnight already and your targets were having a pretty quiet night, apparently. 

As Neil finished filing in the paperwork, he stretched his arms and groaned.

“Tea?”

You rubbed your eyes, a sudden wave of sleepiness flooded your brain as soon as you lost focus on the mission. 

“Yes, please, there should be a box with a green one somewhere.”

“Ah, pity, I don’t know how well it’s gonna mix with the biscuits,” said Neil in a ridiculous posh accent, making you facepalm in response. 

Partially, to hide an amused smile. 

You really were that tired, huh?

“I take my tea with no sugar, no biscuits, and no snarky comments, thanks,” you huffed as your eyes followed him to the table.

“I, too, don’t like talking over a cuppa.”

“What did I just say--” you groaned, smacking your thigh in frustration.

Neil giggled and rolled his eyes, now lit by a playful twinkle. “All right, one ‘green tea no bullshit’ coming right up.”

“Thank you,” you sighed, glancing up to the ceiling as if it was supposed to help with the alarming level of annoyance in your system.

Less than two hours on-site and you already wanted to strangle him. 

Among other things.

And before you could stop your tired brain, it brought up a memory of that karaoke night. 

His hands roaming through your body. The sound of a belt buckle hitting the floor. Your frantic gasp when you felt him inside you. His firm grip on your hips. The heart racing in your chest. Your longing body pressing itself into him even further. His uneven breath on your neck. The quickening pace of his thrusts. Your eyes squeezing shut. His muffled moan when you tugged at his hair. The cold wall against your cheek. Your fingers interlocked. His arm wrapped around you tightly. The things whispered into your ear---

“Your tea.”

“Hmm?” you mumbled, blinking rapidly and focusing your gaze on a thermal cup in front of your face. “Oh, thanks.”

Neil studied your expression curiously, a sly grin hiding in the corner of his mouth.

“Pleasant daydream?”

“Maybe,” you sent him a smug smile and raised a brow.

His lips parted slightly at the implication. Drinking his tea, he schooled his features and sat back on the chair. 

You spent the next moments enjoying the hot beverages, the silence becoming more comfortable with every sip you took. But as the time went by and you ran out of tea, the peacefulness turned into boredom. 

Finally, Neil shuffled in his seat and turned your way. 

"We should play a game."

Even though it sounded tempting, you didn’t trust those roguish sparks in his eyes. 

“We already had a chance to play ‘yellow car’,” - you shrugged - “not my fault you chose a nap instead.”

His puzzled face gave you a hint he didn’t get the reference. Pity.

“I was thinking about some sort of...questions game,” he said and cleared his throat, shifting in his chair again. "To get to know each other better."

"Why?" you stared at him with your mouth open, suddenly taken aback. 

He gave you a half-smile. "Don't you think it's weird that the only thing I know about you is all the ways to turn you on and piss you off?"

"Wouldn't be so confident about that ‘all’ part…" you huffed and lost a train of thought as you spotted the familiar flare in his gaze.

"You’re sure you wanna challenge me like that right now?"

A cold shiver ran down your spine at the way his voice got lower. You gritted your teeth as your mind started racing to find a way out of the dangerous waters. 

"Aren't you a master of multitasking?" you teased, batting your eyelashes.

"And aren't you scared of having an actual conversation?" Neil narrowed his eyes and grimaced slightly. 

"Fine!” you fumed as you tossed your hands in the air in defeat. “Why don’t you get straight to the point because I have a weird feeling you have a very specific question in mind."

A silence that dropped after your words was heavy and you realized you’d made a mistake.

"Actually, I do,” he said, tilting his head and locking his gaze on you. “What's up with you and kissing?"

...shit, walked right into that one, huh? 

You pulled one leg up on the chair, glancing outside the window to avoid the blue eyes boring into you. "It's nothing."

“Didn’t look like nothing to me.”

Sighing, you rested the chin on your knee and wrapped your arms around it, as if that little bit of comfort was enough to make the conversation easier. Your ears were burning, your heart pounded heavily in the clenched chest, and it all was only adding to your frustration. Because it really was nothing. Or maybe it should have been, and that was the issue.

“If you don’t wanna talk about it--”

Your eyes darted at Neil only to meet his soft look. A shadow of concern on his face wasn’t helping, but you were grateful that he was willing to give you a way out.

Although at that moment, you felt you owed him an explanation. 

“No, it’s just that it’s a bit silly,” you said, wincing. “I’m gonna tell you, but if you laugh, I will murder you in your sleep.”

Neil smiled lightly in encouragement.

“Got it.”

So you took a deep breath and squeezed the first word past the lump in your throat.

“It’s just that kissing to me was always something… special,” you cringed, fully aware that you sounded like a flustered teenager. “Like it really meant something. Do you know where I’m going with this?”

Neil’s brows knitted together.

“I think so, yeah.”

“Good,” you sighed, forcing yourself to breathe again. “And some time ago, I made a mistake and opened up too soon, burning myself. Fuck, it’s pathetic, I know, I just…” you hesitated and looked away, feeling the rising panic. You were exposing yourself, again. “...maybe I’m just wired that way and we should leave it at that. And never talk about it again,” your voice was hollow, the result of your brain’s desperate attempts to keep your emotions bottled up, just to keep you safe. 

And after what felt like forever--

“Okay.”

You shot him a thankful look, too overwhelmed to say anything. 

Neil got up, moving his shoulders in small circles to get rid of the stiffness. As he walked by you on his way to the bathroom, he patted your arm lightly. Reassuringly. The tip of your nose tingled and you bit the inside of your cheek, cursing a sudden wave of softness clouding your mind.  

A few minutes passed and Neil was back. He fell on the chair heavily, slowly massaging his temples with the tips of his fingers. Catching a question in your stare, he shook his head and grinned.

“What?” you asked, squinting suspiciously.

Neil chuckled, leaning back and spreading his legs. “Trying to figure you out is giving me a headache.”

You rolled your eyes and scoffed, focusing on the view outside the window. 

“Who we are and who we need to be to survive are two different things, you know.”

“So it’s all an act?”

You looked back at him, suddenly perplexed. “What is?”

“This,” he gestured vaguely in your direction and shrugged. “Or rather your usual behavior.”

You snorted. “Oh, I am a real ray of sunshine, but somehow being around you makes my inner bitch jump out,” you teased, meeting his amused gaze. A corner of your lips curled and you exhaled slowly. “I don’t know, after some time you learn life is easier that way, and at one point the line blurs,” you stopped for a second and frowned, wondering what had gotten into you tonight. “Does it make any sense to you?”

Something new tainted Neil’s features as he looked away, smiling sadly.

“You have no idea.”

Just as you opened your mouth to ask what was wrong, the blue eyes darted back at you.

“I’ll take the first shift, already had my nap after all,” the little laugh escaping his mouth felt forced. “You must be exhausted. Try to get some sleep.”

Oh you were exhausted, all right. But all of the sudden it felt as if he wanted to get rid of you and you couldn’t help feeling a bit hurt by that. There was something in his presence that gave you a hint that it wasn’t the best idea to pressure him about it now, and you slumped your shoulders, nodding.

“Thank you,” you said quietly, getting up. All that held-back fatigue was going to hit you in full force any minute now, and you really wanted to be laid down by then.

A few moments in the bathroom and you were back in the room again in more comfortable clothes. You rolled out a sleeping bag on the mattress and slipped into it, covering your mouth as you let out a small yawn. 

“Wake me up if anything happens or you need me to take over, will you?”

Neil shot you a quick look from his chair. 

“Sure thing,” he gave you a weak smile. “Goodnight.”

“‘Night,” you mumbled. 

You curled up and closed your eyes, hoping the heaviness you felt in your chest would be gone by the morning.

--------

It took your still half-asleep brain a moment to remember where you were and what was going on. You looked around as much as you could without moving your body to avoid revealing that you were no longer asleep. Oh right, the stakeout. 

You noticed Neil sitting on the floor by the only floor-to-ceiling window near the corner of the room, looking outside. The early morning light seeping through the blinds was reflecting in the disheveled blonde hair, a fitting addition to his overall tired appearance. It seemed like he’d spent most of the night working through whatever bothered him after your last talk, but he seemed more at peace now. You studied him in a little moment of sleep-deprived self-indulgence, musing over the dark quarter zip pullover, those absurdly long legs in khaki pants--...

Okay, enough. You sat up, rubbing your face.

“How’s the mattress?”

Hearing Neil’s raspy voice made you quite tempted to invite him over to check for himself.

“Passable,” you replied instead, stretching your arms and wriggling out of your sleeping bag. You nodded at the cameras. “Anything?” 

“Not really. One visitor, already on the list,” he said as his eyes followed you around the room.

“All right,” you sighed, flipping the switch on the kettle. “I need coffee, you want some?”

“No, thank you, but if you could pass me a bottle of water--”

You grabbed one and tossed it to him, heading to the bathroom. 

When you finally looked and felt like a decent human being again, you went back to finish making coffee. As you walked to the windows with the thermal cup in your hands, you caught Neil’s resigned stare. You sat down on the floor in front of him, leaning your shoulder against the wall. A glimpse of internal battle clouded his features and you tilted your head, waiting for him to speak up first.

“I didn’t want this,” he blurted out, and when nothing else followed the statement, you cleared your throat. 

“You have to be more specific, I’m afraid.”

Neil clenched his jaw. You noticed a hint of frustration in his eyes, but then his shoulders dropped and he let out a nervous chuckle, fastening his gaze on the view outside the window.

“I wanted to do things by the book. When TP recruited me… I thought I’d be just another field agent and I was okay with that,” he sighed and grimaced. “But he insisted on fast-tracking me, even when I told him it wasn’t fair to the rest of you.” Neil shook his head slowly and a corner of his lips twitched. “He promised me one of his best agents’ help on the way though. Imagine my surprise when the agent in question kept snarling at me and shoving me around instead.” 

When Neil looked back at you, you realized the meaning behind his words and your mind went blank. You stared into the blue eyes with your mouth open, trying to process everything you’d just heard and its implications.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” you breathed out, feeling light-headed.

“Why?”

“Nobody told you…?” you asked, but his confused expression was his only answer. And you simply couldn’t believe that he hadn’t known all this time. “I’d been working my ass off for that position,” you huffed, studying his reaction to your words closely. “And then you showed up.”

Neil’s face dropped as he finally connected all the dots. “Fuck...I had no idea, I’m sorry.” 

Seeing his sincere look, you sighed, raking fingers through your hair. Fucking hell, what a mess. The impossible mix of emotions swirled inside you and you giggled hysterically, suddenly finding the whole situation absolutely hilarious. 

“And I had no idea I was supposed to babysit you,” you said as you stretched your legs, positioning them alongside Neil’s. 

“Thought we were having a moment here,” he scoffed, smiling lightly.

You smirked and tapped his thigh with your foot.

“Think again.”

Neil tapped you back, stifling a chuckle. “You’re insufferable.”

“Too bad you can’t do anything about that now, huh,” you teased, wiggling your brows as you nibbled at your bottom lip.

The blue eyes lit up. “Just you wait till we finish the job,” he said slowly and placed a hand on your ankle.

But before you could respond, you heard a phone alert and Neil jumped at his feet.

He read the message quickly. 

“Seems like we are about to see some action after all,” he said, pressing the phone to his ear. You downed your coffee and joined Neil by the table.

“Hold on, I’m gonna put you on speaker… okay, now”

“Hope you two are rested,” TP’s voice filled the room. “We intercepted a phone call. Our target is expecting a delivery in the next hour or so. Significant enough that from this moment on, the mission objective changes.” You exchanged looks with Neil, knowing well what was coming next. You walked back to the windows to keep an eye on the street. “We have a chance to prevent this shipment from spreading to different sellers. I’m sending the cavalry your way. But you’ll need to assess the situation as it progresses.”

“Means we might have to engage early, got it.”

“It’s your call, Neil. And as we have enough intel now… no loose ends. Good luck.” said TP and hung up.

Neil tossed the phone on the table and dashed to the bags to prep the equipment. You noticed movement in the loft across the street and snapped a few pictures before looking back at your partner.

“Are you good to go? You haven’t slept tonight.”

He glanced at you and gave you a smug smile. 

“How nice of you to worry about me.”

You could feel the usual annoyance mixed with a new emotion, but maybe you were just glad to be back on familiar waters.

“Nah, I’m worried about the mission,” you snorted. “Especially if we may end up going in there alone.”

“I’m okay. How does it look out there?”

You looked outside again and tensed as a van appeared at the end of the street. “We’ve got company.”

Neil changed you by the window and you rushed to get ready.

-------

After clearing the back entrance, you found yourselves in the underground garage. 

Splitting up, you took down the guards one by one without raising any alarms. 

Neil checked the van and then you both made your way upstairs. You knew there were at least five more people in the loft, but you had to rely on the element of surprise because the cavalry was still on their way. 

As you got to the door, you cocked your pistol and met Neil’s determined stare. You nodded. 

Bursting through the door, your instincts kicked in, allowing you to put a bullet into two men before they had a chance to realize what was going on. In the next second all hell broke loose. You knew one thing - you somehow underestimated the numbers. And just as you thought that maybe you got lucky and got every last of them, someone grabbed you from behind and you felt something cold and sharp pressed against your neck. Fuck.

You dug your fingers into the arm wrapped around your shoulders, but a stinging pain made you stop any further attempts at breaking free. The blood pounded in your ears and everything seemed to slow down. 

You noticed Neil standing in front of you with a gun pointed right next to your head. 

He secured a grip on his pistol and the man holding you yelled something at him, but you didn’t listen, focusing completely on the blue eyes, now filled with a silent question, looking straight into yours.

You let out a shaky breath and blinked slowly. 

A gunshot echoed through the room.

The pressure on your neck lowered and you heard a thud of a body fitting the floor behind you. 

Neil lowered his gun. 

You stared at each other for what seemed like forever.

“Nice shot,” you said, composing yourself first.

He gave you a weak smile, and just as he opened his mouth to say something, your comms filled with a familiar voice.

“We’ve missed all the fun, eh?”

------

Neither of you said anything on the way back to the HQ, not counting the short answers to the questions asked by Ives, but even he gave up after a while seeing you weren’t in the mood for talking.  

You got your duffel bag out of the trunk and looked around. Neil was standing at the bottom of the stairs leading to the building, talking on the phone. You walked up to him slowly, waiting for him to finish the conversation.

“Do they need us to get in to file a report?” 

“No, I convinced TP to give us the rest of the day off,” he said, hiding the phone in the pocket of his jacket. “We can do that first thing tomorrow, I’m just gonna drop the equipment now.”

“Great, thanks.”

You couldn’t wait to get back to your apartment. You tossed the bag on your arm and smiled at the thought of a long hot shower and crashing in your own bed. 

There was just one thing you needed to do first.

Neil took a step towards the building and without thinking too much about it, you reached out for his hand.

“Neil…?”

He stopped and turned around, puzzled. His eyes dropped to your joined hands and slowly moved up to your face. 

You gave him a nervous smile.

“Thank you.”

His features softened and he squeezed your hand gently.

“Don’t mention it.”

And then he smirked.

...of course.

“Guess that makes us even.”

(next chapter->)

[doctenwho]

Purest Expression

Hello! Welcome back! I think these three asks all go together, right? So, really cute idea! You keep giving me prompts I have to think about for a while, and songs I don’t know! A bit more work, but fun all the same :D After studying all three songs, and listening to the lyrics, I’ve come up with this!

I hope you like it, and that it’s what you’re looking for! Enjoy :D

Warning: Alcohol?

Word Count: 4,599

Summary: Read the prompt above!

“You’ll love it, I’m sure,” the Doctor told you without looking up from the TARDIS control console. He wasn’t looking at you, but you could see the smile on his face, “it truly is a wonderful place, full of art and song, and creativity in general. The locals are always very friendly, and there’s never a dull moment between all the entertainment happening.”

“Sounds awesome,” you replied from where you were standing opposite the Doctor, looking down at some of the knobs and buttons on the console. You glanced away from the console to look over at the Doctor as he pushed a few buttons.

“It is,” the man promised, finally looking up and flashing a bright, happy smile, “here we go!”  

He pulled a lever, and suddenly the TARDIS was landing. It was a bit bumpy, but you were used to worse landings. You still grabbed a hold of the console to keep yourself upright, as the Doctor dashed around the console to finish up with the landing.

You knew he was finished when he stepped back, overviewing his TARDIS before finally setting his attention back onto you, with that same bright smile.

“It’s been ages since I’ve been here,” he told you as he rounded to stand with you, “I promise, this planet is somewhere you’ll never forget!”

You were excited to see. Since announcing where the two of you were heading, the Doctor had been ecstatic to arrive, and to show you around. He said nothing but good things, and shared some of his fond memories of the place, which only made you want to see it sooner.  

He wasn’t usually one to be recounting things, so this place must be special to him.  

You watched from where you were stood as the man strode to the TARDIS doors, throwing them open and stepping out. He looked both ways before tipping his body back in the TARDIS to throw a grin back at you.

“Right,” he called from the doorway, tilting his head and giving you a sideways grin. He held his hand out to you, for you to take, “allons-y.”

You returned the grin, making your way towards him and grabbing his hand, “yeah, let’s go.”

He pulled you out the door, then let your hand go so he could lock the doors.  

The TARDIS was nestled right between two tall buildings, impeccable parking for the TARDIS. There was barely half an inch on either side of the TARDIS between the buildings, but the Doctor really had a knack for parking his space and time machine, but that probably had to do with owning and flying it for hundreds and hundreds of years.  

You took two steps back from the TARDIS as the Doctor worked on locking the doors, looking up and around and gaping in amazement. It really was like nothing you’d seen before.

This planet didn’t look much different than earth—your earth. It was as if you were just dropped in New York City. Building wise, at least. There were tall buildings, and small shops and restaurants. Busy streets and people similar to humans walking.

The only really noticeable difference was really the colours. Everything was colourful. All the buildings, instead of clean and pristine, were painted. Colour running up along the side of the buildings, and you were sure it was on each and every side.  

It looked like graffiti from your planet, beautiful and bold. But it was prideful instead of despised. There was no way it could simply be graffiti, not when they building occupants were clearly very proud of the murals and detailing running along the length of the building.  

What few trees were here were explosions of colours, each leaf being a different from the others. You wondered briefly if the locals around this planet painted each leaf, or if they just kinda grew those beautiful colours.  

And it really was beautiful.  

You spun on your heels, simply taking everything it.  

It was exactly as the Doctor had described, but not at all how you’d imagined it. The people living here liked colours and paintings as much as the people on earth liked boring and uniform. And it was refreshing. To look around and see nothing that matched anything. Everything was different, and bold, and you really liked it.  

The more you looked, the more you really loved the place. People were out painting things; walls, the sidewalk—others were singing or playing an instrument both inside buildings and outside on the sidewalks.  

It really was a planet of the arts.

“I love it,” you told the Doctor when you felt his hand land on your shoulder as he joined you at your side, “it’s beautiful.”

“That it is,” the Doctor responded, voice warm as his eyes swept over the sights as well. “A bit like your earth, but, well, they’re a tad more into celebrating the arts. I doubt we’ll manage to leave this planet without hearing at least one song—it's kinda the thing around here.”

“I like songs,” you shrugged with a bright smile. “There’s so much happening, I don’t know where to look.”

“We’re in the right place for you then,” the Doctor grinned widely, “I believe we’ve arrived during a festival of sorts. I’ve only been around when everyone was like this once. Things aren’t usually quite so hectic around here.”

“A festival?” you asked in interest. “Like Christmas or Halloween on earth?”

“Eh,” the Doctor paused to think, “a bit, I suppose. It’s more a celebration of creativity. Like re-paintings of buildings and murals when things start fading or chipping away due to weather and such.”

“So, kinda like spring cleaning on earth? Not a true holiday, but known and celebrated by many?”

The Doctor froze, chewing his lip before grinning at you, “Yes!” He cheered, “exactly like spring cleaning on earth. That’s the closest comparison I’ve come across. Brilliant, (Y/N)!”

You felt your cheeks heat up at the praise from the Doctor. There really was nothing better than a genius alien telling you, you were brilliant. The Doctor was more known for his digs at people, so getting something kind and friendly was always amazing.  

The Doctor looked around for a second before returning his look back to you, “though, this celebration does have a bit more hype than spring cleaning on earth though. They’ve really made it a social event with fun and traditions, instead of just a day of cleaning.”

“If only we could do that for spring cleaning,” you sighed, but smiled almost immediately after.  

“If only,” the Doctor laughed in agreement.  

“Now, if I remember correctly, and I do, the last time I was here during this festival, I found the best cocktail I think I’ve ever had in my whole life. It was just a festival special though, since I haven’t seen it since.”

“Well, let’s go then!” You cheered, grabbing the Doctor’s hand again. “You can’t tell me you found the best cocktail in existence and not bring me to taste it, that’s just a tease. Lead the way, Doctor!”

“Alright, alright,” the Doctor smiled, “I’ll bring you to try the cocktail. It truly is delicious, I’m excited to have another taste.”

You pouted at the teasing look on the Doctor’s face. He had way too much fun teasing you, whenever he got the chance, he would.

“Now you’re really just teasing,” you huffed, but you really didn’t sound angry—more amused than anything else. The Doctor laughed, finally starting to move and lead you along.

The two of you chatted quietly about cool things you saw, or songs you heard. Everywhere you looked there was something new and just as exciting happening. Everyone was out and about, practicing their singing, or instruments, or painting freely along the pavement, or exterior siding of the buildings.

Everything was just so free. There didn’t appear to be any restrictions when it came to the creative process here. Everyone looked content in what they were doing, grinning and laughing.  

It didn’t take long to arrive at your destination.  

It was a small little bar, hidden between buildings and decorated just as nicely as everything else. It was small, but packed full of people when the two of you stepped in. There wasn’t a single open table in the whole place.

Luckily though, the bar counter had two open stools side by side, which the Doctor was quick to lead you towards. You slipped easily into the stool, glancing and watching the Doctor do the same before you continuing to look around and take everything in as the Doctor gesture the bartender over and ordered the cocktails and a language that was similar to English, but not quite your English.

The TARDIS hadn’t converted the English for you, so you shot the Doctor a confused look. As soon as he was finished ordering, his attention shifted to you, where he turned completely, studying your expression. He didn’t say anything for a moment, and then your confusion seemed to click in his head.

“Oh,” he frowned, “oh right. They are speaking English here,” he explained, “the TARDIS knows this as English too, and your English is basically the same thing. She won’t convert something she thinks we both understand—because to her, they’re speaking your language... even if it is a bit different.”

“Oh.” You tilted your head, “I got a bit of it, I think. I understand a lot of the songs they’ve been singing too.”

“Yes,” he grinned, “very similar to your English—trust me, if we stayed for a few days I’m sure you’d be fluent by the time we left. And they have a few songs from your earth as well, travelers sharing, you know. Your planet does have some of the best music I’ve heard. Every planet has its perks.”

“Well, it’s nice to know other planets like our music too,” you mused.  

Before you could say anything else, the bartender was sliding two drinks towards both you and the Doctor. Like everything else on this planet, it was filled with colours. It looked like someone had dumped a rainbow into a glass.

Was there anything on this planet that wasn’t beautiful?

You held your drink up to get a better look, as the Doctor sipped his and grinned. He gave you a sly look, head tilted in your direction as he held his glass to his lips.  

“What’s in it?” You couldn’t help but ask. Last thing you needed was there to be something toxic to humans in it. The Doctor, as much as he looked like a human, was still a Gallifreyan, and he really wasn't the same as a human.  

“Berries native to this planet mostly. Ice, a weak alcohol made from fermented grains also native to the planet. It’s a bit weaker than vodka from your earth, but it’s really the same thing. Nothing will harm you in any way, I promise. I wouldn’t’ve suggested it, if I didn’t know it was safe for you as well.”

You studied the Doctor for another second before you decided you believed him and took a sip of the drink. It was honestly like nothing you’d ever tasted before. You’d had cocktails on your earth, and they were alright. It was a gamble, really depending on where you got it. Sometimes the alcohol was too stong, or sometimes it wasn’t strong enough—or it was too sweet, or not sweet enough—but this, this cocktail was amazing.

It was perfectly sweet, each colour in the cup tasted like something different, but it all blended together perfectly into an amazing taste you couldn’t explain or describe if you tried. And the alcohol was perfect—sharp enough that you could taste it, but not enough so that it was overwhelming or over powering of the other flavors.  

Overall, it was like nothing you’d ever think could exist, and you were definitely going to be begging the Doctor to buy a few bottles of whatever this space vodka was, because you were sure you could make your own amazing cocktail with earth ingredients and this liquor.  

“Good?” the Doctor prompted with a knowing smile. He lifted his cup back to his lips to take another sip of his drink.

“I can’t imagine my life without you,” you moaned, taking another sip and savoring the unique flavors. This cocktail was what you imagined the colourful world outside to taste, if it were edible at least.  

“Same here.” The Doctor snorted as he took another sip as well.  

“I was talking to the drink.”

“So was I.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at the Doctor. He gave you a goofy grin, laughing lightly as well. The two of you continued to banter as you sipped your drinks. The Doctor ordered a second round when the two of you were almost finished the first, and the bartender, as if he were magic, returned just as you finished the last of your drink.

The second was just as good as the first, and the third, well, the third was the best of all three. Or maybe it tasted the same, but you still couldn’t get over the flavor. You really couldn’t imagine anything tasting as good as this cocktail did.  

“I don’t know how they do it,” you told the Doctor, who was asking the bartender for some kind of food, since the two of you hadn’t really eaten, and alcohol, weak or not, hits you harder on an empty stomach. “we need this alcohol, imagine it was raspberries, or strawberries... or even with blue berries—ooh, or black berries. All the possibilities.”

“Why stick to berries?” the Doctor shrugged, “imagine peach, or mango. Maybe even watermelon or something.”

“Good call,” you mumbled, “can we buy this stuff and bring it with us?”

“Of course,” the Doctor smiled, “before we leave tomorrow we can head to the shops and do a bit of a shop.”

“Perfect,” you grinned, just a little tipsy. The food would help reel you in though. A plate of chips was set in front of you and the Doctor, and he was first to take one and eat it.  

“Regular potatoes,” the Doctor told you. “It’s hard to change root vegetables. Especially in a solar system so similar to your own.”

You shrugged in reply, grabbing a few chips and showing them in your mouth. They were good too.  

“Should we get water now?” you asked, “three drinks is quite a few, and we still have to walk back to the TARDIS.”

“Well,” the Doctor turned to look at you, “this alcohol is very, very weak compared to what we had on Gallifrey, so it’s not really affecting me as it is you. I can order you a water if you’d like though, I don’t think we should have any more cocktails. Especially you—I'm not entirely sure how you’ll feel when the effects wear off. Not many humans have tried these drinks, let alone had a couple.”

“Oh, a hangover,” you huffed. That was tomorrow’s problem anyways. And you weren’t too intoxicated, tipsy at best. You’d be in no condition to drive, but you could probably still walk a straight line if you tried.

“It shouldn’t be too bad, since it is weaker than anything you have on earth, but I still don’t want you to be too sick tomorrow, no matter how good the cocktail is. Now, would you like me to order you a water?”

“No, it’s alright,” you waved it off slowly, “I really don’t need a water... as long as you make sure I get back safe, alright?”

“Always,” the Doctor promised, “we can go as soon as we finish up the chips.”

“Sounds good,” you agreed, stuffing another chip into your mouth.  The Doctor followed your lead, taking another chip for himself, but you were almost sure he’d bought the chips for you specifically. Especially if the alcohol was barely affecting him.  

You ate the chips one by one, enjoying and savoring them as you also finished off what was left in your glass. You’d probably never get to taste anything like that again—well, depending on how often they have this festival. And how long you can manage to stay travelling with the Doctor.  

You’d been so absorbed in your drink and chips, that you’d barely noticed the bartender talking to the Doctor. But now that you had, you couldn’t seem to drag your attention away from his conversation. The bartender was leaning against the counter, almost like he was lecturing the Doctor, who’s cheeks were very slowly starting to tint a light blush.  

Now you really wanted to know what the man was saying. If it had the Doctor awkwardly blushing, it had to be something good.  

Suddenly the man turned to you, grinning brightly. “Sing!” he prompted, gesturing to you and the Doctor.

“Sing?” you repeated in question, looking back towards the Doctor in confusion. Hoping he'd translate what that meant, or, maybe tell you what they’d been talking about. Anything that would clear of the some of the confusion you were drowning in.  

“Right, well,” the Doctor cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck, “the last time I came here... I was, well, I was alone. This time you’re here with me, of course.”

“Sing,” the bartender said again, almost impatiently.

“This planet... well, it’s quite big on expression through song.”

“Well...” you started, then stopped yourself and reconsidered. You really didn’t know what was happening, “and what exactly does that mean?”

“Sing, lovers!” the bartender cheered, which, in turn, drew in most of the other bar patrons attention and then they were also cheering. Beside you, the Doctor winced, and you turned a surprised look to him. Lovers?

“They think we’re... well, that we’re involved, I suppose. And here, on this planet, couples are to, uh, well, they’re to sing to each other. It’s pure expression through song. It doesn’t matter what you try to sing, a song that you really feel describes your feeling of the other person will come out. Even if you don’t know the song, you’ll be able to sing it perfectly to your partner. It’s completely honesty, even if you try to lie, the truth will come out instead. I saw it last time I was here, but I was alone, so...”  

“Did you tell him that we aren’t, uh, lovers?”

“I tried too,” the Doctor frowned, “but, he didn’t believe me. He, uh, well, he actually made some pretty solid points that we were a couple, if I’m honest... But, if we just leave, we’ll basically be dishonoring their traditions—like mistletoe on earth at Christmas.”

“So, we have to sing,” you tilted your head. It wasn’t the worst thing that could possibly happen. And you thought very fondly of the Doctor, so nothing you sing should be rude, or anything like that. Infact, you were just hoping you didn’t give too much away when you sang.  

“We have to sing,” the Doctor gave a small nod.

“We can sing then,” you decided. “It can’t be that bad, right? You don’t hate me, do you?”

“Of course not,” the Doctor furrowed his eyebrows, like he was offended by even the thought. “I just... don’t really sing.”

“Well,” you clicked your tongue with a smile, “you’re about too! Tell him we’ll do it,” you gestured to the man watching the two of you in interested, as if he were trying to understand the conversation. The Doctor gave you a kicked puppy look before he turned and was speaking in that almost-but-not-English again.  

Cheers erupted in the bar, and then you and the Doctor were being led to a small little stage off the side of the room by the bartender. It was almost like a karaoke bar back on earth, but it was still different. There were no screens anywhere, so the song you sing must really come from the heart.

“How do we know what song to sing?” you asked the Doctor meekly, a bit more nervous now that you were up on the small stage. At least he was up here with you, so you weren’t terrified out of your mind with stage fright.  

“You’ll know,” he answered simply. “You’ll know exactly what to sing—you won’t even have to think about it. Just... sing whatever comes to mind, don’t worry, alright?”

“Okay,” you breathed out. “Should I go first, or you?”

“I will,” the Doctor gave you a small smile, “you’ll do fine, I promise.”

The Doctor took a second to think before he looked around the room, then at you. Suddenly, music was playing- but from where, you couldn’t tell. The Doctor was clearly waiting for some kind of que from the song to start, and when he heard whatever que that was, he began.

“There's no one in this world for me,” the Doctor started, voice soft and instantly silencing the crowd watching. It blended perfectly with the music, and you almost couldn’t believe it was the Doctor singing. “There's never gonna be.”  

He paused for just a second, “there's no one in this world needs me,” he glanced towards you, then looked down. “There's never gonna be.”

You’d never heard this song, but you still... well, you knew it. There was something about it that you just... knew. The Doctor continued on, gazing around the crowd before looking at you again, “Yet sometimes in my dreams I hear--”

“Sundown, I miss you sundown,” you were singing before you even knew what was happening. It just felt right. Like you needed to sing it, “Sundown, I need you sundown.”

The Doctor turned to you, beyond surprised, as the crowd went nuts in cheering and applause. They settled down almost instantly as you delivered the next few lines, “Come on, come on, come on, come on back to me. Come on, come on, come on, come on back to me.”

You really weren’t sure where the lyrics were coming from, and from you understanding, you’d each be singing a different song. But you were doing a duet. The Doctor looked just as confused as you felt, but it didn’t stop you from continuing on with your next line, “I need you sundown, I need you sundown.”

No other lyrics found their way into your mind, which made sense since the Doctor had continued on right after you, “There's no hands ever reached for me,” he was staring at you now, confused but happy all the same, “there's never gonna be.”

You frowned at the lyrics he was singing, but the Doctor continued on, “there's no one meant for lonely me,” he took a step towards you, giving you a tiny smile before saying the next lyrics, “there's never gonna be.”

“Yet sometimes in my dreams I hear--” he continued on with his next lines, but this time you were ready for the urge to continue the song. You were waiting for it, and you really couldn’t believe it. The two of you were effortlessly pulling off this duet—and you didn’t even know the song!

“Sundown,” you gave him a bright smile, “I miss you sundown.”

You moved to stand beside him, taking his hand into yours, where he squeezed your hand as emotional support. You were sure you were finishing the song, “Sundown, I want you sundown.”

You continued on, blaring the lyrics perfectly, “Come on, come on, come on, come on back to me.” You paused for one beat in the music, “Come on, come on, come on, come on back to me.”

You felt a sudden sinking feeling of fear, looking around at everyone watching the two of you intently. You bit your bottom lip, almost forgetting what you were doing.

You gave a nervous look around the room before the Doctor grew in your attention, almost as if sensing you were suddenly afraid, “I love you sundown,” you sang nervously to him, trying to focus on just the Doctor. His eyes were shining with something, something you’d seen before but not very often. Adoring, if you were to guess.  

“I love you sundown,” you sang again, bit softer but more confident, attention flicking to the crowd before settling on the Doctor again. He looked so happy, almost like he was in love, that look you’d seen in romance films, or on your friends faces whenever they were with their significant others—but it couldn’t be right, because he was looking at you.

“I love you sundown,” you finished it off finally, barely above a whisper. It was quiet-- sang just to him, but you knew that everyone in the bar had heard it too. You grinned at the Doctor as the music in the background faded off, and the Doctor returned the smile as he pulled you into a tight hug.  

“You did so well,” he told you over the eruption of cheers and clapping from all around the bar. They were apparently happy and content with the performance. You were too, but you really hoped you never had to do it again.  

“That was so weird,” you couldn’t help but mutter into the Doctor’s shoulder, “I didn’t even know that song. But I did. I knew all the words—well, not your parts.”

“It was strange,” the Doctor agreed. “I really didn’t think you’d... feel the same. You couldn’t have known the chorus if you didn’t feel the same way I do. And... well, I never heard a single duet the whole evening I was here during the last festival.”

“That’s crazy. How we both knew the song,” you blinked in surprise, “what... what does that mean?”

“Lovers,” the bartender was back, voice cheerful and fond. He was grinning ear to ear, like you’d passed some sort of secret test. He held his hand up, pointer finger and thumb curled into a circle, as his middle finger, ring finger and pinky all stayed straight, which was apparently a universal way to say ‘perfect’. “Very good.”

Then the man was speaking a mile a minute to the Doctor, who could barely get a word in. He patted the Doctor on the back with one last grin before shuffling through the crowd and returning to his post behind the bar.

“What did he say?” you asked as the Doctor led you away.

“That our drinks were on the house,” the man frowned, “and that the last time he saw a duet like that was when he was a child. It’s been years.”

The Doctor looked towards you, chewed the inside of his cheek before grinning dismissively.  

“Who knows,” he shrugged with a laugh, throwing an arm over your shoulders as he pushed the doors open and led you out. When the two of you passed through the door and out onto the colourful streets, he pulled you into his side, “let’s get back to the TARDIS, it’s been a long night.”

“It has,” you sighed, leaning into his side. You wouldn’t forget his hesitance to answer, nor the fact that he didn’t answer even though you were sure he knew exactly what it meant. “I’m beat,” you mumbled.

“I’m sure,” the Doctor sympathized, leading you along the way you’d come before, “we’ll get you to bed and see how you’re feeling in the morning.”

“Okay,” you yawned, “and then tomorrow you can tell me what that was all about when I’m not exhausted.”

“Sure,” the Doctor promised with a smile, “I’ll tell you everything I know.”

<><><><>

Hopefully it was what you were looking for! I tried. It was a bit hard describing the scenary of the art planet without repeating myself too much lol, but thank you so much for the prompt! As always, feel free to ask again if it’s not what you’re looking for! 

[lifeofa-fangirl]

I don’t want you like a best friend

Pairing: Tom Hiddleston x OFC

Summary: Taylor Swift causes OFC to put her friendship with Tom on the line

Word count: 3.3k

Warnings: A few swear words, a tiny bit of angst maybe? Mostly fluff

A/N: I was stuck on my Damiano David x Reader piece, so I decided to take a break and finally finish this one. I have nothing against Taylor Swift, just used her as a plot piece to move the story along. As always, likes, comments and reblogs are much appreciated!

‘Please come to the BAFTAS with me?’

Lauren scrunched her nose together in slight confusion when a text from her best friend appeared on her phone. The words were simple enough. It was a plea to hang out, similar to the ones where he insisted that he needed to come to Edinburgh again soon. He was constantly begging her to keep the guest room ready, so he could hop on a train and come visit. It had always been too long in his opinion. She never disagreed.

They knew each other a little over a year now and Lauren was still surprised how they’d grown so close so quickly. She always felt like she still hadn’t fully recovered from their first night out together. 

Thinking back at how she’d actually gotten to meet Tom, it still felt like a dream. She still didn’t get how she of all people had gotten lucky enough to win the Omaze raffle that Mark Ruffalo had done. The winner was flown out to LA to hang out with Mark for the weekend and attend the Thor Ragnarok premier. By some lucky strike from the faiths, that had been her. 

She also still didn’t know the exact details of how or why the faiths had written Tom into the story. But the fact was that she had reminded Mark of Tom, he’d introduced the pair, insisting that they would click immediately and they should walk the red carpet together. Lauren still suspected him of setting this up on purpose to distract the press from any spoilers that he would almost definitely be giving away by accident. 

It hadn’t helped Mark much, as he had practically live streamed 20 minutes of the movie, but he hadn’t been wrong on the other front. Lauren had never heard or read a story about Tom that had anything bad to say about him. Charismatic, funny, intelligent and so very kind, was the vibe that clung to him. Lauren had been nervous about meeting him, she believed in never meeting your heroes, and had been scared that he wouldn’t live up to the picture she had painted of him in her mind. But Tom turned out to be exactly as amazing as all the stories deemed him to be. And Lauren had taken an immediate liking to him.

Mark had also been right about the press attention. When Tom had showed up with a date on the red carpet in the first time in forever, the press had had a field day. The constant flashes and questions, all the attention on her, Lauren hadn’t liked it one bit. But Tom had been the perfect gentleman. He constantly had had an arm around her to keep her steady and make her feel safe. He had handled all the questions with patience and grace, never once making her feel uncomfortable. 

And in the end, all the attention had been worth it. They had a lot of fun at the premier, so much that Tom and her had spend most of the reminder of their time in LA hanging out together. As the faiths would have it, they had even been on the same flight back to England, on which he definitely hadn’t boother her up to first class and she definitely hadn’t fallen asleep on his shoulder. 

Lauren had always felt like there could have been something more, but they both had busy lives and had gone their separate ways after the plane had touched ground in London.

They had, however, exchanged phone numbers early on during their stay in LA. To arrange any practical details of whatever they were going to do together of course, no other reason. 

But in the year that followed, the exchange of numbers had led to an almost constant stream of texts. Tom would share snippets of the stuff he was working on, cute pictures of his dog or just something beautiful he had come across on his daily run that he insisted made him think of her. She would vent about the trouble she came across during her shifts in the hospital or send funny pictures of her deeply loved godson.

They had become quick friends, but after twelve months Lauren still wasn’t sure what exactly they had going on. Whether they were bound to stay friends or if there could be something more on the horizon. Every now and then, Tom’s texts would take a flirty turn. But even though she always tried to send a cheeky return, she wasn’t sure what it meant. She knew that, even without realizing he was doing it, Tom tended to be a big flirt with everyone. 

And nothing else had ever happened. She had gone to London a few times, but mostly he came up north to Edinburgh whenever he had the time. She had quickly come to realize he liked how peaceful it was compared to buzzing London. They would hang out in their little cocoon and that was that. 

Every now and then some pap shots would appear of them. Walking Bobby, going for a coffee or grabbing dinner. Friends would always tell her they looked like a couple, the way they stood huddled together, how he had his arm around her lower back or hers was linked through his. But that’s what friends did, right? They hung out together and that’s all there was to it. They were imagining the extra sparkle they claimed to see in his eyes when he was looking at her. Because there was no way Tom was returning the feeling she told everybody she definitely hadn’t developed for him. 

And strangely, most of the time she was content about that. Because she wasn’t seeking any attention and she definitely didn’t want to be known just as ‘Tom’s girlfriend’. And Tom knew that. He respected that and liked it. Because it also meant that in return, with her he could be just Tom, instead of the A-list superstar. They had their own little safe haven together. It was the reason Tom had never asked her to attend an event with her again. And it was the reason she was confused that he was asking her now.

‘Pretty please? Put your loving hand out baby, I’m begging. Begging you.’

Another text brought Lauren back to the present and out of her thoughts. She snorted when she noticed he gave her a taste of her own medicine. Working lyrics into a text or conversation was her specialty, but apparently Tom had taken to drastic measures. She was still confused as to where this was coming from, but also knew she couldn’t say no to Tom, especially not when he was begging. 

“Sure, I guess that could be fun,” she agreed.  She pushed away all thoughts of this being a bad idea and decided to try and just make a fun night of it.

And fun she had. She accompanied Tom to the red carpet, the preshow dinner and the public ceremony. And while she hadn’t expected it, Lauren ended up having a phenomenal time during all of it. She cheered along with Tom when Guillermo De Torro won best director. She got to meet the wonderful Karen Gillan and Tom introduced her to Hugh Laurie, whom she had adored ever since watching Black Adder as a kid.

And she finally found out the actual reason why Tom had begged her to come along with him. Tom had insisted that he’d just wanted her there and wanted to have a good time and that it was time the world got to know the fabulous person Lauren was. But the moment they were on the red carpet and she saw the look on his face when he saw his ex girlfriend step into the spotlight, she knew.

It had been almost 18 months since Tom and Taylor had broken up, but surprisingly it was the first time they attended an event together. Tom managed to give Taylor a polite nod when she passed them, a motion that Taylor didn’t bother to copy. Lauren was suddenly very aware of the cameras around them and she deeply hoped they captured the once over that Taylor gave her, which ended in a look of disgust. Tom certainly had, as Lauren felt his arm slip around her waist to pull her closer to him and felt his lips press a quick kiss on the top of her head. She did her best to ignore the beat her heart skipped.

Things went back to normal, or as normal as the red carpet of an award show could be, after Taylor entered the venue and was out of sight of the cameras. Tom relaxed again, did his best to be his charming self for the interviewers. They enjoyed the show, loved Stephen Fry’s jokes while presenting and overall had fun together. It was a great night. Until Taylor arrived at the after party they were attending.

Much later she would learn that Taylor’s most recent boyfriend had called it quits a day or two before, but the night itself Lauren just knew there would be trouble the moment she spotted Taylor. The singer clearly was more than a little tipsy and despite the loud music, Lauren could almost hear her snarl the moment she spotted Tom, whose arm was hanging loosely around Lauren’s shoulder.

She should have warned Tom, because he hadn’t noticed the singer walk in yet and was happily chatting to the friend besides him. Instead, Lauren felt slightly hypnotized as she watched Taylor. They stared at each other for a moment and in the next, Taylor was walking up to the DJ booth with determination in her step. Lauren watched her greet the man. She shot him a fake smile, gave him a hug and then told him something. The DJ nodded with what looked like a loud laugh and gave her a thumbs up.

As Taylor walked away, Lauren immediately got a bad vibe. She turned her attention to Tom, wanting to inform him about his ex girlfriend just walking in and how she thought she was up to something. But before she could get a word out, the DJ’s voice boomed through the speakers. “Next up we have a request from none other than miss Taylor Swift herself. She asked me to pass along a message. So here it goes: this one is for you, Tom!”

It took a few moments, but when Taylor’s voice sounded through the speakers and she murmured, “No, nothing good ever starts in a getaway car,” all heads in the room seemed to turn in Tom’s direction. 

Lauren was still staring at Taylor, her mouth slightly agape, when she realized Tom’s friends around them had started fussing. She turned around to get a glimpse of Tom’s reaction and found him red-faced and clearly embarrassed. 

Nobody around them seemed sure how to handle the situation and Tom’s face now seemed to drain from all color rather fast. In a split second Lauren decided she needed to distract him and did the first thing that came to mind. She grabbed him by his suit jacket to pull him closer and get his attention and yelled, “Well we’re just a wet dream for the webzine!”

Tom’s face immediately told her the tactic had worked. It scrounged up in confusion. He stared at her for a few long moments and then he yelled back, ”What?”

“It’s a Panic at the Disco song,” Lauren explained, doing her best to be heard over Taylor’s song still blasting through the boxes. Straining her voice, she continued, “It goes: Well we’re just a wet dream for the webzine, make us it, make it hip, make a scene.” She let out a small snort when she realized, “Coincidently the song is called London Beckoned Songs About Money Written By Machines. It continues: Or shrug us off your shoulders don’t approve a single word that we wrote. And then the next verse goes-“

Before Lauren could get out any of the next verse, Tom interrupted her. “You really have a song for every occasion, don’t you?” he wanted to know. He was smiling and seeing him happy again made Lauren’s heart jump more than just a little. She felt so proud she was the reason he was smiling again.

She did her best not to give away what Tom’s reaction was doing to her by simply shrugging in response. “It’s kind of my thing I guess,” she allowed him. Then, not able to help herself, she continued, “As I was saying, in case you are interested, the song continues: just for the record, the weather today is slightly sarcastic with a good chance of A indifference or B disinterest in what the critics say.” 

Her words caused Tom to let out a loud laugh. “You’re more than a bit crazy, you know that?” he told her. But his words didn’t carry any venom to it and his actions confirmed that he was more than happy to have her around: without another word, he pulled her into a hug. “Thank you, love,” he whispered, loud enough for only her to hear.

Lauren’s heart made another jump when she felt Tom press a light kiss against her hair and the smile that was already present on her face only grew wider. ‘Mission accomplished,’ the voice in her head silently confirmed. 

Tom’s smile considerably lifted the mood of the people surrounding them and the rest of the night Lauren and Tom spend dancing with their friends and having a good time. And Lauren couldn’t help but feel a little bit proud about the fact that every time she looked at Taylor from the corner of her eye, she could see her staring at them green with envy.

Quite some time after midnight, Tom and Lauren were both still high on adrenalin from the evening, but the party had started to die down and they too decided to call it a night and drive home. 

Not completely ready to quit the party just yet, Lauren plugged her phone into the sound system and put a playlist of her favorite songs on shuffle.

They had just jammed out to Fleetwood Mac, pulling out their best carpool karaoke moves, when a new song started and a too familiar voice filled the car. “I don’t like your little games, don’t like your tilted stage, the role you made me play -“

“Shit, sorry, sorry!” Lauren grabbed her phone and stopped the song as soon as she heard the first lines, but it was already too late. Tom had obviously recognized Taylor’s voice. The mood in the car went from ecstatic to ice cold in three seconds flat.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Tom’s voice was void of emotion, his knuckles were white from tightly gripping the steering wheel and Lauren could easily tell he was angry. She couldn’t blame him either.

“I’m sorry, I really am,” she apologized. She switched to another song in a desperate effort to change the mood again. “I should have thought about this.”

“Well clearly you didn’t,” Tom answered in a flat tone. “I cannot believe you actually have that CD.”

Lauren understood why Tom was mad, of course she did. After tonight she didn’t blame him. But the whole Taylor story had happened before they knew each other. The record came out before they met and started caring about it each other. Back then it had just been good music to Lauren and she hadn’t really cared what the inspiration behind the songs had been. “I got it before we met,” she tried to explain. “Back then I just thought there were some good jams on there, that’s all.”

Tom scoffed. “Well, if you like it so much, maybe you should play Getaway Car again?” 

Lauren was sure a little crack had just appeared in her heart from all the ice in his voice. She blinked a few times in an effort to keep the tears at bay. “You know that song means nothing to me!” 

She cringed at the desperation in her own voice. But it hurt to see him angry at her and she needed Tom to understand that this had been a stupid accident and she would have never played a Taylor song to him on purpose. 

Emotions threatened to overwhelm her. She needed an outlet for them and she almost literally felt her brain to mouth filter short-circuit. And before she realized what was happening, she heard herself say, “Besides, if we are talking about Taylor Swift songs that remind me of you, let me tell you that Getaway Car was never it for me. There’s a whole other song on that album that I link to you. That I can’t get out of my head when I’m with you.”

“And what would that be?” Tom sounded skeptical, as if he couldn’t believe they were having this conversation.

“Dress.”

“Dress?” Lauren could hear the confusion in Tom’s voice. When he briefly glanced over at her, she noticed a frown on his forehead. “Isn’t that the one that is supposedly about Ed Sheeran?”

It seemed like the surprise of Lauren’s confession had calmed Tom down a bit. The effect she had hoped for, but at the same time, it also meant he wanted an explanation. He deserved one. 

Lauren closed her eyes for a few moments and took a deep breath. She realized that this was it. She just ruined their friendship. And she wasn’t sure if it was in the worst or the best way possible. But she did know there was no going back now. 

Another deep breath and there she went, diving of the deep end and changing their friendship forever. “I don’t know. But… earlier tonight you asked me if I have a song for every occasion. And well, I guess that maybe I do. And this is the one I have for every occasion I’ve spend with you.” A small pauze as she figured out how to best continue. “I think… maybe you should just listen to the song.”

Lauren could tell Tom had a hard time dividing his attention between her and the road when she felt the car swirl slightly. The movement only made her nervousness worse. She fumbled with the controls of her phone until she finally found the song. 

Neither of them said anything while the song played and they drove through the darkness. Only when the chorus played for the last time, Lauren somehow, somewhere found the courage to sing along. “Say my name and everything just stops. I don’t want you like a best friend. Only bought this dress so you could take it off, take it off.”

The silence that filled the car after the song stopped was deafening. It felt like the longest couple of minutes in in Lauren’s life. When she risked a glance at Tom, she could tell his grip on the steering wheel had tightened again and he was staring at the road ahead with a blank expression. 

“Are you not going to say anything?” Lauren eventually needed to know. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she needed a reaction from Tom, good or bad.

“I’m trying to find a spot to park this car.” For one fleeting moment Lauren was sure she had ruined everything. Tom was going to stop the car and throw her out. And then he continued, “Because I desperately want to kiss you right now, but I don’t think driving and kissing at the same time is a very good idea.”

And Lauren had never been more grateful than that moment that her superpower was having a fitting song lyric for every occasion.