#(I say like coffee isn't mine but at least no one else has to LOSE THEIR VOICE when I indulge in *mine* and if someone was allergic

[delicrieux]

𝑻𝑰𝑴𝑬 𝑻𝑶 𝑷𝑹𝑬𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑫, 7. year one: up to mid october, 1972

pairing for this chapter—f!lestrange!reader x sirius black warnings for this chapter—sum swear & sirius being a prat word count—2.5k

a short awaited confrontation and a new friend.

masterlist | buy me coffee☕ | ttp masterlist | < back | next >

over the course of the month, it seems that the sight of you has become repulsive to sirius. he could not bear to look at you for more than it took to notice you in the crowd or to recognize your voice echoing before the body belonging to it reached him. he’d flee, usually, and refrain, in a completely un-sirius fashion, from making a gigantic scene. this would have been odd to you if only the pain of seeing his hastily retreating back wasn’t too much.

don’t be so harsh with me please, you’d want to tell him, i’ve done nothing but love you.

instead, “what. is. with. you,” and each word punctuated with an angry smack to his forearm. he glares, and he wiggles out the way of your unrelenting pursuit to beat him into submission. his friends watch frozen, stuck somewhere between amusement and desire to pull sirius back into the safe confines of the gryffindor tower. you will not allow them. not this time, at least, “you stuck up, insufferable—“

“piss off,” he nurses his bruises, though you aren’t strong enough to leave any.

you falter in your step, but the anger doesn’t die. he must know how his look wounds. he must. “piss off?” you parrot, and it rings much smaller and fainter than his had, “piss off? that’s all i get from you?”

“expect something different?” he bites, and bites, and bites, and he maims and mars until there is a thread between your hands and his heart thin as ivory wire. his eyes appraise and they dance and they hate, “why don’t you run back to your regulus.”

ah. there it is. the venom.

“sirius-“ james starts, and both of your glares cut him into two.

“shut up,” the both of you, again, together. you mirror his dark look and try to decide which words of the infinite welling quickly are most fitting. they sink with and through you; an anger and a hurt not meant to be felt by someone so inexperienced. when you and sirius argue, it is never as dire, even if it feels like it was. sirius never starts rows he cannot win, even if it’s him that loses most in the end, “family matter.”

james looks as though he’d rather be anywhere else but in the windy courtyard, shadowed by the cold arches of a loggia. peter, cheeks and ears burning, nervously rubs his hands together to dispel the cold. remus, already, is further ways down and watching, waiting for the rest to catch up. you won’t let them, not yet, not till you say your piece and abandon first, because father said the last word is always the winner.

you speak in french because you know he hates to hear it, because it reminds of home and you know he can’t stand home like he can’t stand you now, and it will hurt him, and it will make you happy, “regulus was right about you. you’ve become unthinkably cruel.”

he curls his lip, and it is with so much spite that it makes your teeth ache. his body rolls into itself, ready to explode and spit up his scorn all over your face. the insult must teeter on his tongue. you're more than ready for it. but something cracks and something flips and he reels back a bit, a show of restraint you thought him absent of.

"yeah, regulus, regulus always knows best, doesn't he?" your french mimicked in his mouth is dense, like syrup, "regulus, darling, regulus," a sneer that draws his lip to the high planes of his cheekbones, and a head tilting movement that is patronizing and obscene. it reminds you of his mother, "your regulus, isn't he the fucking best."

"he's not mine," you state tartly.

"hard to believe when he follows after you like a dog," he bites, and bites, and bites, but even through the layers upon layers, the soreness permeates and leaves you stricken into a stupor that only sirius can create, "listens and does everything you say. can't he think for himself. attached to your shoulder like some blithering pest."

you blink back the anger in your eyes. you are not going to cry, you tell yourself. if you do, then he will win, but he always does.

the boys stare at you. you don't know what to say. the feeling of it is tight and burns like an ulcer, "what has gotten into you? why do you hate me? i haven't-" your lips work through their turmoil, "-i haven't done anything to you."

he waves you off, dismissive. his hands tremble with some unspoken rage. "stop bothering me and go back to regulus. he's probably already looking for you."

the end of the conversation hangs heavily between you. sirius sniffs, and turns away in that blasé manner he always has with him, as if all life were a joke. his posture is too stiff and his features are too cold and he joins remus first as james and peter linger. you shake.

"i, uhm," james begins, but your glare silences him again. slowly, carefully, he nudges peter, "c'mon."

they leave, but james looks back. you miss it, head hung in defeat. your emotions threaten to burst free and splinter all over the stone. you think, in a hurry, how could you ever cover them up – with your hands, your body? is it the aftermath already, where everything is too obvious for pretence?

when it rains, it pours. it always has and you suspect it always will.

*

naturally, you are inconsolable. what a great big joke. no broom closet nor dusty cavern of the castle is familiar enough to hide in, and you cloak, despite its expanse, can hardly protect from sore eyes. the loo it is, locked in some stall and hiccupping. marzipan had mentioned finding a hufflepuff crying not a week in. she thought it amusing, and you did, too – who could ever abate decency and sob in the loo? what a terrible ploy for attention, had the girl expected consolation? no such could ever be found in marzipan, why, she said, and she said it proudly, she laughed quite loud and the crying stopped.

you would die on the spot if someone found you. it would feel like uncovering a horrible secret, being exposed in such a way. aren’t you a grown up? your birthday is soon, on a cold october night. grownups always breathe fine – besides your ditzy aunts – but you find there not being enough air. so much space and so little of it.

you fan yourself, and you heave, and in a tantrum you tussle out your cloak and throw it onto the gleaming white tiles.  your cheeks burn and there’s an ache in the apex of your head. crying like this, over a boy, no less? sirius, of all? rabastan would point and laugh, point and laugh, point and laugh.

there’s a knock on your stall’s door and you nearly topple over in a scurry to silence yourself.

“hi, sorry,” the voice is unfamiliar, but it sounds kind, “are you alright?”

perfect, not only have you embarrassed yourself, you’ve aroused the suspicion of an idiot. there’s a gentle creak on the wood, as if a weight has settled. an ear, perhaps, pressed onto the surface, but for what?

you will your shaky hands to settle by your stomach. the fingers pinch and pool on the woollen fabric of your sweater. you gulp, but it gets stuck, and the silence stretches, so still.

“i-yes,” you manage. this won’t do, the tears cling to your mouth, “i’m, i'm okay.”

“do you need some water?”

if you weren’t so distraught, you’d delight at the curtsy. stupidity must be contagious because you shake your head.

“no, no,” you say after a pause.

“a tissue perhaps?”

“i'm fine,” seems you have managed to locate your wits. from some hellish depths, no doubt. swiftly, you retrieve your cloak, “thank you.”

“’s no worries,” the voice pipes. it belongs to a girl, you think, who doesn't budge, and, instead, waits. it seems your dramatics have riled someone. even the staff would scold your sorry condition, all snot and tears and shaking limbs – quite undignified, "can you tell me why you're crying?"

oh, merlin, how wonderful, the prodding and the poking and the horrible sympathy. are you so pitiable? perhaps. in this state. it's still hard to believe a complete stranger has found themselves so comfortable, "if i say i'm not crying will you go?"

the girl laughs, light and tittering. for a moment, it startles you, too, "not very likely."

the air remains stagnant, as if it's thick and spinning. the echoes of your sniffles bounce along the walls. you could tell her to piss off. you've heard it enough in the span of the last hour.

"i had a fight with my friend," you say eventually, "i think he hates me."

"did you do something to make him hate you?"

your forehead grazes the stall door. it leaves a cold spot and it makes you wince, "no."

"hmm," there is a sound of shuffling and more creaking, "well, then i wouldn't be very worried. he sounds like a dick, and what you need friends like that for?"

a great deal, actually. what did you think you were doing these years, clinging to his arm and curling into his bed when it rains? "what am i supposed to do?"

"beat him up, i imagine, and sort his sorry arse out."

you snort, though not very amused, "tried that."

"good start," you imagine her nodding and crossing her arms, "now, if i were you, i'd hex him into tomorrow and we'll never hear from him again."

"sounds wicked," you lament. the thought has crossed your mind, but revenge crumbles into some mushy, pitiful mess if you think on it too long.

"positively evil," she agrees. the silence returns, but it's comfortable, "i’ve got parchment in case you wanna practice curses."

a corner of your mouth quirks. your chest aches, but it's no longer full and painful, "that's alright, thank you."

"always wanted to be an accomplice," you hear the smile in her voice, "no trouble at all."

a final stretch of quiet. it allows you to breathe, really breathe, and pull yourself into order, as it were. it's no pretty sight, the state of you, but it no longer compares to how you first came in, a crying mess. when you open the stall, and face the girl for the first time, a kind face greets you. her brown skin is flush, hair twisted into two plaited horns that are gathered into a half bun, the rest pinned around her head. your nose twitches, itchy.

she grins, "there you are. no longer crying."

the cold from the running faucet burns against your cheeks. the face that peers back at you from the mirror is dishevelled. red-rimmed eyes and wet splotches all over. you grimace, "look like a sordid mess."

"well, yes, but, like a normal sordid mess. like, almost pretty normal," she stands behind. a red lion's emblem is embroidered into her uniform. she tilts her head, "like, i look way worse when i do it. at least you cry prettily."

"oh, you think so?" you turn to her, "no one's ever said that."

her nose wrinkles, but the mirth isn't gone from her eyes, "well, don't suppose you make a habit of sobbing in front of others. lest you wouldn't have barricaded yourself in the stall."

you hum, "quite the excellent point."

she flashes her teeth and nods proudly, "of course, got many," there's a slight silence where she appraises you, "you're lestrange, right? i've seen you in my classes," she asks as though she knows, and extends her hand for you to shake, "i'm dorcas. meadowes. gryffindor.”

“slytherin,” you respond, but shake her hand anyway.

“can tell,” dorcas says, that same lilt of a smile on her lips, “you wear it with pride.”

yes, of course, because that is what lestrange do. her family name is unrecognizable, but you don't think to wonder on it much further. her eyes are friendly and warm, and she takes to fixing the wayward strands of your hair while you dab a bit of tissue paper to your nose. a few seconds go by, and she glances at you from under the hair fallen onto her forehead, "i still have parchment, and we could still get you those curses down."

"haven't the ink to draw any, unfortunately," you reply.

"hm. next time then," dorcas decides for herself, and makes for the door, "think a walk to the kitchens might be in order?" she leaves her invitation open-ended, her gaze expectant, "could use a warm cinnamon bun."

you wonder about her, dorcas meadowes, with the shiny dark eyes and plaits and how well she talks to strange girls who cry in bathroom stalls. "alright," you accept, the smile on your face not as strained, nor sad, nor angry, "lead the way."

[tomylover-lian]

Dear Lian,

Today marks the 6th month since we made our relationship official.

It's amazing how fast time flies. It feels like it was just yesterday when I was taking my baby steps trying to navigate through our account. I was fresh from a breakup and overwhelmed with the grief of losing my aunt. During that time, I was resigned to the possibility that I would grow old alone. I told myself I'd just take care of my family and live peacefully.

But then you came along.

Here's the thing: people might say we moved towards each other too fast. I got into our team in the middle of September and by the end of it, we were having our first date along the busy streets of Tondo, eating hot noodles despite the hot weather. I remember one of the sales ladies assuming that we were already a couple during that time and you smiled in her remark. We ended up walking some more and drinking beer which isn't normally what I would prefer on a first date. But Lian, you made me feel safe. Nothing else mattered during that time. All I knew was that I hadn't felt at ease in such a very long time.

Falling for you was easier after that day.

The thing about my past relationships is that whenever I fell in love with them, I felt like I was about to jump off of a cliff. It felt like I would give something up one way or another. I've never been too confident to admit to myself that I was falling in love. But you made everything easy for me.

With you, I never had to second guess. You were straightforward and have reassured me since day one. You were clear about your intentions and were consistent about your actions. Most of all, you never gave me butterflies in my stomach. Instead, you gave me peace of mind. Looking at your face always felt like coming home, and that's when I knew I had to have you for a very long time.

It has been six months since the 15th of October. It was the night of our firsts. Our first night together. The first time I told you I love you too. The first kiss. The first time we made love. The first night I called you mine. It was perfect. It felt like I was waiting my whole life to be yours. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Now that six months have passed, I just want you to know how grateful I am. Thank you for being such an understanding boyfriend despite my shortcomings and stressful episodes. You're a good provider not just for material things but also for love, warmth, care, attention, and pleasure. Thank you for listening to me and for making me believe that I am so much more than how I perceive myself to be. Thank you for embracing me whenever I cry, for holding my hand whenever I feel like my world is falling apart, and for hugging me tight to reassure me that I no longer have to face my battles alone. Thank you for ensuring my happiness even in the simplest things like making sure we go out at least once a week and agreeing whenever I ask you to accompany me in trying out a new coffee shop. Thank you for making me feel secure and for reassuring me even when I don't ask directly for it.

Lian, thank you for loving me the way you do. This love is peaceful and quiet but I wouldn't have it any other way. We're only half a year in but every time I talk to God, I ask Him to have you for the rest of my life. I haven't been so sure in my entire life. You make me want to work harder and be better so I can build with you the life that we deserve.

Right now, I am typing this as you sleep soundly next to me and I wouldn't have it any other way. I hope we sleep next to each other for a long, long time.

I love you so much, Lian.

Happy sixth month, my lover.

Love,

Nicole

[lipstickstainz]

true lies - s. r. (12/?)

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader

Series Summary: Spencer is furious, when you rejoin the team after a year and after you left him, when he got arrested. Little does he know, that you leaving him was the only option to ever get him out of prison.

Chapter Summary: A collection of letters Spencer and you share while you're gone - and then you're gone forever. At least, that what he thinks.

Warnings: some fluff, angst, angst, angst, smoking, slight ptsd, grief and loss

Word Count: 2.2k

A/N: I'm sososososo sorry. please don't hate me. I love you. gif not mine.

Series Masterlist

previous part

Dearest little bear,

two months have passed since you had to leave, and not a day goes by that I don't think of you and wish you were here with me.

We are trying to do everything in our power to be able to bring you back home. But unfortunately, it seems to be taking longer than I would like.

I was told you were working on it as well. You are strong and smart and even though you can't be with me, I'm sure we can do it together.

Take care of yourself.

With love,

Neruda

-

Dearest Neruda,

I was very happy to receive your message. I always carry it with me, although I would rather be in your arms, but I can't.

I can't tell you where I am right now, but still I wish you were with me. It is warm and beautiful and I am sure you would like it here very much.

Except for these letters, I'm not allowed to talk to any of you, but I like talking to you best anyway. We've come this far. And we'll make it.

Thinking of you.

With love,

little bear

-

Dearest little bear,

It's been four months and with each passing second it becomes more unbearable. But a light is appearing at the end of the dark tunnel. We think we know who she is.

It won't be long before we can see each other again. And I can't wait to be able to hug you again. To be able to touch you. Or kiss you.

Not much longer. And then nothing can separate us.

Take care of yourself.

With love,

Neruda

-

Dearest Neruda,

It would have been too good to be with you again at last. But it still takes time.

I have found something that can help us, but for now, just know that I will do everything I can so that I can return home. Back to you. No matter what it costs.

Keep your eyes open. We're closer than you think.

I'm thinking of you.

With love,

little bear

-

Dearest little bear,

I was given time off to take a break. I was with my mother and she told me that a kind young lady had been here. She doesn't remember you, but she knows you are familiar and that she can trust you. As I do.

I am infinitely grateful. And I'm tired of waiting, but for you I do. For you, I do it all.

Take care of yourself.

With love,

Neruda

-

Dearest Neruda,

I can no longer grasp a clear thought, because whenever I close my eyes I see everything I have done in review. I can hardly sleep and the nightmares plague me.

I just hope that everything will end soon. It has already been a year since we saw each other. I can't promise you anything, but I hope you know that everything I had to do was for you. For us.

Thinking of you.

With love,

little bear

-

Dearest little bear,

it's been a few weeks since I've heard from you. I hope you are doing well.

We have found a trail that will take us further.And brings me a little closer to you. And that will bring you back home. I can't wait.

Take care of yourself.

With love,

Neruda

-

Dearest little bear,

It's been two months since you wrote to me.

Get back to me as soon as you can.

Take care of yourself.

With love,

Neruda

-

Dearest little bear,

Words cannot describe how much I miss you. Or how great the pain in my chest is.

I can't eat, I can't sleep. I can hardly breathe without you.

Thinking of you.

With love,

Neruda

-

Dearest little bear,

they hung your picture today. In the portrait you are smiling, proud to finally be part of the team. I can't look at it.

I was sent home, but everything there reminds me of you.

Thinking of you.

With love,

Neruda

-

Dearest little bear,

I keep your letters in a small box next to my bed. They are a part of you that I don't want to lose, even though I have already lost you. They are a part of you, just as you are a part of me.

Thinking of you.

With love,

Neruda

-

Dearest little bear,

I went to our bookstore and found a book of poems that you would like. I'll put it with your letters.

No book in the world could have prepared me for the grief I feel. The pain is too engaging for me to talk about it with anyone but you.

Thinking of you.

With love,

Neruda

-

Dear little bear,

it's been almost two years since we last saw each other. I don't remember what you sound like, or what you smell like. Why can't I remember that? Is it wrong of me not to think it's bad? It takes away my pain a little.

Thinking of you.

With love,

Neruda

-

Dear little bear,

A lot has happened in the two years we've been apart. Too much to ever be able to write down all the things. I just want you to know that this time was not easy for me. Not for any of us.

I put your letters away safely because you will always be important to me. But I have to let you go. And with this, I release you.

I love you. Forever.

With love,

Neruda

-

You pinch your leg to wake up. Your neck is wet with cold sweat and you have to blink several times to realize that you are in a cab. You run your hand through your hair as the driver looks at you curiously through the rearview mirror. He says nothing, which is why you glance out the window.

The drive from the airport to Quantico only takes an hour, but you still take the opportunity to close your eyes for a moment and doze a little. You haven't had a decent night's sleep in ages, you don't even know what a healthy portion of sleep feels like anymore, because you haven't had that luxury in the last two years.

As the car comes to a stop in front of the FBI building, you pay the driver and get out with your small bag. The building seems much bigger than you remember. You used to spend every day here, it had once been your home. But now you're not even sure you have a home anymore.

You take a deep breath and enter through the large doors, but are directly approached by a security guard.

"Miss? Are you visiting?", he asks suspiciously, extending his arm to keep you at a distance - something that wouldn't do him much good if you were actually trying to get past him.He eyes you up and down, which you can't blame him for. In your ripped jeans, dirty sneakers, and loose sweater, you don't look like someone who belongs here. By now, you don't either.

You look at him. "I'm here to see Unit Chief Prentiss", you reply coolly. You know he's just doing his job, but you're too impatient to let all this wash over you. You know Emily is already in the office. You know her too well not to. Why doesn't he just go get her? You just want to see your friend.

"Chief Prentiss?" He raises an eyebrow. "And what is your request?"

Your gaze is rock hard and your tone cold as ice. "Tell her Y/N Y/L/N is here to see her."

You wait outside the building, letting the morning sun warm your skin and the cigarette burn between your fingers before you put it to your lips and take a drag. Afterwards, you stub it out on a trash can. As you exhale the last bit of smoke, you turn around. And there she is.

Emily is standing at the door, and when you see her, you drop your bag and wrap her in your arms so tightly that you can't breathe. You cling to her, afraid that maybe this whole thing isn't as real as it feels, but you imperceptibly pinch your arm. And she is still with you.

"I thought - they said", she stammers, and it's the first time in your friendship that she's speechless. You hug her even tighter.

"I know", you answer softly, blinking away the tears that have formed in your eyes. The moment is too beautiful to cry. As you break away from each other, Emily wipes her own tears from her cheeks, but some have already landed on her blouse. There are dark stains now.

"I don't even know what to say", she says, smiling at you as you enter the building together. The guard gives you a look, but doesn't ask any questions as you walk past him toward the elevator. Inside, she pushes a button that takes you to the BAU floor. "I can hardly believe you're really here."

Neither can you.

The office is completely silent because no one is here yet except for you. Although nothing has changed, everything has changed because you are now someone else. It's been a long time since you've been here. Two years, but everything in this room is all too familiar to you. The coffee machine, the law books, the files. It feels like you've never been away. It's déjà vu all over again.

While Emily gets you both coffee, you sit down at the round table and wait for her. Your friend sets the cups down on the table before sitting down next to you. She smiles faintly. "How are you?"

You pucker your mouth. How are you? You haven't been asked that question in ages, and to be honest, you don't know how to answer it either. How could you possibly be?

When you don't answer Emily, she phrases her question differently. "What are you feeling right now?"

Your lips become a thin line. "I don't know. It feels like all of this," you point to the room, "isn't a part of me anymore. Nothing has changed, but it still feels foreign."

Emily nods. "You've been through a lot, I guess." She takes a sip of her coffee. "You're right, Y/N. Nothing has really changed here. But you're a different one now, aren't you?"

You open your mouth to answer her, but you don't know what either. Part of you feels at home here, but a bigger part of you knows your place is somewhere else. You just don't know where exactly.

"Do you want to see the others?", Emily asks. "I'm asking you because it's been a long time since you've seen them. And they think you're...you know. Are you ready for that?"

Are you ready for that? You haven't seen either of them in a long time, and it would probably be better not to see them for now, but to let Emily sort it out first. But the team is your family - the closest thing you have to a family. And you've missed them all terribly.

You nod and take a sip of your coffee as JJ and Rossi enter the room. When they see you, they glance uncertainly at Emily, as if they're not sure if it's just imagination, but she nods at them. And that's when all the dams break for JJ.

She pulls you from your chair and hugs you like the salvation of the world depends on it, and David has to pry her cramped arms from you so he can put his around you as well. They affirm to you how much they missed you and ask how you are, wanting to know what happened, but Tara and Penelope join them and that's when it gets too loud for you.

Penelope cries with joy and Tara also can't believe that you are standing in front of her. They besiege you and ask you questions to which you have no answers, so you just smile weakly at them. They definitely don't mean any harm, after all, you've just risen from the dead for them, but you've spent the last while in silence and are no longer used to this volume. So you turn away from them. They look anxiously after you as you sort of flee from them. You hope that this will make the headache go away.

Without paying much attention to where you're going, you find yourself facing the wall where the pictures of the deceased agents hang. And yours is hanging there, too. You don't know how long you've been standing in front of it - minutes? hours? -until a familiar voice snaps you out of your thoughts.

"Y/N?"

You turn around and there stands Spencer. His hair is a little shorter and he looks like he's seen a ghost. Well, he sort of has.

You want to throw yourself into his arms, kiss him, and never let him go. Seeing him knocks the air out of your lungs, which is why you can barely breathe. The two years without him had been hell on earth, but you got through them. For him.

For Spencer, who doesn't take his eyes off you as the blonde woman next to him, whose fingers are intertwined with his, looks at him and asks, "Honey, who's that?"

- tags -

@obsssedwithjustaboutanything // @ashwarren32 // @slytherinbth // @rexorangecouny // @candlemouse // @lexymoniqu // @m3sml // @username2002 // @calliecookie // @haylaansmi // @thehuntresswolf // @skyslowalking // @padsfirewhisky // @criminalminds4days // @criminallyoddsocks // @takeyourleap-of-faith // @vladsgirlxx // @justdianaz // @x2moonlight2x-blog // @countingthestarsinfinitely // @box-of-fandom-stuff // @sergeantbuckybarnes // @princesssmooshie // @sassiest-politician // @ littledm2000 // @a-broken-pact // @strawberry-tea // @sassy-hades // @danrad-rdj4ever // @takeyourleap-of-faith // @smell-my-twisted-shadows // @poeticsassandtrash // @wintrrrsoldier // @peaceluvnirvana // @jemimah-b99 // @lokislilslut // @advicefromnixxxx // @panicattheeverywherekid // @my-guilty-pleasures--of-life // @itsdars @pjmjams // @imagine-this-motherfucker // @sasbb23 // @fivedicksinatrenchcoat // @missyoumaybank // @blameitonthenight21 // @s-r-16 // @knee-coall // @hamlewis // @twodirtymindedgirls // @peoplejustcanthandlemywierdness // @imdefinitelyfloating // @crazyloca06 // @gardenroses1 // @saspencereid // @enchantedlove90 // @sizzlingclamturtlesludge // @moondustmemories // @bambi-is-my-name // @beg0neth0t420 // @william-shookespeare // @pancake2603 // @ayo-cowbelly // @herbstmelody // @frnks-stuff // @mimischaos // @lilxnvm // @archiveofadragon // @burnin-passion // @oddobsessionbutotay // @chaoticdreamsss // @ghostly-ginger // @knittingstudyblr // @gorbagreb // @biafbunny // @ayo-cowbelly // @ellyseveronica // @saspencereid // @takethee // @ethereal-stark // @shirayuki1204 // @spencerreidspp // @jesuswasnotawhiteman // @stinkykay // @exzidss // @ifuckinghatepinapples // @youhaveabadconnection // @kaseyjohnson04 // @vampiracontessa // @princesssmooshie // @gardenroses1 // @r0s3mm // @willyoulovemeinthemorning // @rrtxcmt // @softpeteparker // @littleiswhattheycallme // @hoeyadoingbitch // @emmariexx // @oops-all-ajs / @reidemandweep // @oliwisstephhh // @g0lden-cth // @measure-in-pain // @amesandpineapples // @spencerreidat3am //

[thedamageofherdays]

This week's [23-08-2021 - 29-08-2021] reading log is here! I read a lot again this week and I feel like it's a lovely variety of fics. Most fics are Stucky like usual, but there's at least one other ship. I am constantly amazed by the talent people have in this fandom! There was one fic I read on Tumblr that I can't seem to find unfortunately, but when I do I'll make sure to reblog and rec it 💕

Favourites are marked with a 🌻

When life gives you lemons by moonthejedi394 @moonythejedi394 [Stucky, 40k words, Mature] (12/15 chapters available)

Or 13 Terrible Things to Do With Lemons Other Than Making Lemonade

Steve Rogers is a home health nurse. He works for an agency, which assigned him to the aging Winifred Barnes, the one and only Silent Era Hollywood darling. As her needs increased, she requested the agency assign Steve to her full-time. She could pay for it, so she got it. Steve then moved in with her, becoming her caregiver; he cooked, he cleaned, he managed her medications, he made sure she was comfortable.

Winifred's children treated him less than ideally. He was the help, after all. And then Steve had the audacity to go and turn out to be eldest son James Barnes's soulmate. No one saw that coming.

The Masseur and the Assassin by buckybarnesdeservestobehappy @buckybarnesdeservestobehappy [Stucky, 17k words, Explicit]

Bucky Barnes needed a vacation from his job. What he found was a happy ending.

The Words Breathe by buckbarnesdeservestobehappy [Stucky, 1k words, Mature]

All Steve has to do is keep his promise. When he doesn’t, Bucky gets mouthy.

Soft by this_wayward_life @wayward-lives [Stucky, 2k words, Explicit]

The last time he'd seen Bucky he'd looked unhealthy, with pallid skin and greasy, lanky hair. Now, Bucky shone; his hair was thick and silky, his skin a deep bronze from spending so much time outside. He was softer, too; the hard muscle that used to cover him was now replaced by soft fat, his body still strong, but in a more mundane way. His thighs were thicker, his ass plumper, and when he'd pulled Steve into the river Steve had noticed the pudge on his stomach.

Seeing Bucky so happy, well-fed and shining, was a bit of a kick in the face. For all the years they'd known each other, he'd never seen Bucky so... care-free. Now that Bucky was putting on weight, his middle soft and his body malleable, it sent a bolt of arousal through Steve every time he noticed the curves of Bucky's body.

Or: Bucky put on a bit of weight in Wakanda, and Steve is Not Coping.

🌻 Revive Another Side of Me by dontcallmebree @iamthe-wo-manwhocan [Stucky, 1k words, Mature]

Steve’s never lived in a world without Bucky, and he’s not living now. It takes them a while, much too long, to get that awaited rest, a little slice of peace after the dust has settled.Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes are inseparable, history remembers. But they’re not men of the past quite yet.

🌻 imagine being loved by me by spacebuck @spacebuck [Stucky, 20k words, Explicit]

Just after 1am - a few hours after he posted today’s photo - he hears the tell-tale sound of a twitter message. Bucky grabs his phone, not checking who it’s from as he opens it because it’s probably one of his mutuals yelling at him as per usual. When he actually looks at his phone, though, it’s not Natasha

The ‘verified’ check stares back at him for a long moment before he can even bring himself to process the name on his screen. Steve Rogers is messaging him. Or, he reasons, a very good fake. The handle looks right though, not that Bucky knows. Not that Bucky has Captain’s America’s tweets set up as notifications, or that Bucky’s own display name is set to captain america’s bitch. Not at all.

Hey, the first message says. It’s Steve.

🌻 JB’s Complete Lube Services by dixons_mama @dixons-mama [Stucky, 3k words, Explicit]

People just didn’t approach Captain America and proposition him. Although, sometimes Steve wished they would; even the pinnacle of virtue and justice needed to get dicked down from time to time.

Or, the one where Steve has the hots for a mechanic and decides to be proactive in getting that dick.

If it had to be someone by rainbow_nerds [Stucky, 1k words, Mature]

Bucky had known since he was a child that he didn’t have a choice in who he married, but he’d thought he had more time before the day arrived.

Miscalculations by christywantspizza @christywantspizza [Ransom Drysdale/Reader, 6k words, Explicit]

Ransom tries to get you to sleep with him by less than honorable means. You give him what he wants, just not how he wants it.

How to Seduce a Writer by obsessivereader [Stucky, 2k words, Teen]

What's a determined master strategist going to do when the oblivious writer he's trying to woo keeps missing all the clues?

He doesn’t think it’s because he hadn’t signaled his own interest to Bucky. He’s pretty much done everything short of hitting Bucky over the head with semaphore flags by this point. There’s no way Bucky could’ve missed them. Unless… There’d been that one link he’d stumbled upon when he’d googled ‘how to talk to a writer’. It’d been written by a writer, who’d been candid about how oblivious writers could be, and how someone could go about seducing one. An idea starts to form. It’s ridiculous, but at this point, he’s willing to go with ridiculous, since subtle wasn’t getting him anywhere.

🌻 Pod Bless America by Deisderium @deisderium [Stucky, 6k words, Teen]

Bucky can't believe his favorite podficcer recorded his newest fanfic AU of the show Commandos. He's even more surprised when the customer who busts him listening to fic while he's working in the office supply store turns out to be that podficcer.

* The guy—maybe bi_shield?—took his phone, looked down at the screen, and smiled. "Yeah, that one's mine," he said with no evidence of embarrassment. "It was a good one." He handed the phone back to Bucky.

"I wrote it," Bucky croaked.

take a bite by wearing_tearing [Stucky, 7k words, Mature]

"I’d never let anyone freeze to death.” Steve gives a big sigh and flutters his lashes. “All that blood gone to waste.”

Bucky’s lips turn down and his nose scrunches up a little. “I want to be grossed out, but…”

“But you get it.” Steve gives him a pointed look. “Vampires aren’t the only ones who can appreciate how juicy blood is.”

*

Or: Vampire Steve saves newly-turned werewolf Bucky from a snowstorm.

Leaving the Shield Behind by BuckyAboveEverything [Stucky, 6k words, Teen]

“So, on one hand, we have Steve Rogers - hunk, genius, animal lover. Buys you waffles and overpriced coffee. 100% wholesome all-American boy.”

“And, on the other hand, we have Capsicle – twink, smart-ass, fanboy. Reads your stories and sends you fanart. Possibly a pervert or a serial killer.”

Bucky groaned.

“I am 100% certain I am 0% sure of what to do."

Bucky Barnes, full-time copywriter and free-time fanfic writer, struggles to choose between two equally-attractive suitors, only to find that he doesn’t have to after all.

* Based on a true story *

Cap's Book Corner by Neche [Stucky, 2k words, Teen]

Recluse Author Bucky Barns stumbles into fanboy Steve Rogers bookstore one day...

Cat Nap by galwednesday @galwednesday [Stucky, 8k words, Teen]

Objectively, losing the Bucharest safehouse and its contents was the least of Bucky’s problems. The balding agent he’d seen directing the raid was apparently affiliated with SHIELD, which was a shadowy government agency that made representatives from other shadowy government agencies suddenly remember urgent appointments when Bucky tried to bribe, threaten, and otherwise shake them down for information on what the hell SHIELD might want with a former brainwashed assassin. Dodging SHIELD should be his number one priority.

Subjectively, he wanted his fucking cat back.

at any given moment by honeypuffed [Stucky, 1k words, Teen]

Steve and Bucky find out that everyone thinks they're sleeping together.

Brought to Brightness by eyres [Stucky, 10k words, Teen]

Army veteran Bucky Barnes has fallen in love with Steve, a guy he met online a few months after he returned from Afghanistan. Only problem is, he doesn't know Steve's last name or even what he looks like.

When his sister helps him send his story into MTV's Catfish, he's hoping they can help him meet Steve or, at least, let him move on with his life if Steve isn't real. Little does he know, Steve and Captain America have more in common than just a first name.

🌻 Nokken Wood by leveragehunters @leveragehunters [Stucky, 10k words, Teen]

When Sam's friend needs a house-sitter for his place in the country, Steve jumps at the chance. Six months rent-free to do nothing but draw and paint and wander the countryside, looking for inspiration? It was like a dream. But when he gets lost in a storm and nearly falls into a pond he starts to rethink the whole like a dream aspect of life in the country. And when a red-eyed, sharp-clawed, silver-fanged creature rises out of the darkness, Steve is one hundred percent certain the dream's morphed into a nightmare.

...until it gives him a cup of tea.

(Inspired partly by this prompt a supernatural creature is supposed to scare you but instead it gives you a cup of tea and a blanket because you're having a bad day and you keep coming back and partly by this painting.)

Professional Pride by galwednesday [Stucky, 700 words, Teen]

Bucky is having a very good day, until he turns around and finds himself face-to-face with Captain America.

“Oh shit,” he blurts before he can stop himself, and Captain America blinks at him. “Hey, hi, I didn’t expect to see you here.” Here, at New York’s Pride parade, surrounded by thousands of happy screaming people wearing rainbows and sometimes not much else. What is he doing here? Is he on guard duty or something? Was he just on a mission and happened to be passing by on his way back?

He’s in uniform but with the cowl loose around his neck, so when he rubs the back of his head it fluffs up his matted hair. “I, uh. I saw one of your–temporary tattoos?” Captain fucking America says, like it’s a question.

The A-bridged Guide to Trolling by galwednesday [Stucky, 1k words, Teen]

“I don’t have any money.”

Oh no, now the girl looked upset. Her eyes were huge and her lip was wobbling. Bucky tried to think fast despite the oh shit oh shit oh shit looping through his head.

“That’s okay,” Bucky said gently. “I don’t need money. We can figure out another kind of toll.”

The girl frowned at him. “Like what?”

Bucky scratched his head, trying to think of something a kid was certain to have on hand. “Do you know any jokes?”

(Fantasy AU in which Steve is a hedge witch with a green thumb, Bucky is a bridge troll who's new in town, and knock-knock jokes are a viable form of currency.)

It's a bittersweet ending (if you know what I mean) by relenafanel [Stucky, 1k words, Teen]

“I’ll see you around, Steve,” Bucky answers with a smirk, moving away from the counter with a wink.

Steve watches him go. Bucky’s wearing a pair of skinny jeans coated in something to give the appearance of leather. It’s impossible to not watch him go.

stuck on you by wearing_tearing [Stucky, 5k words, Teen]

“Bucky? You don’t look so hot.”

Bucky makes a tiny little sound in the back of his throat, only to start coughing. Of course he doesn’t look hot. He’s sick and he’s dying and Steve obviously isn’t attracted to him.

Decision-Making in Relationships (Paid Research Opportunity!) by castiowl [Stucky, 8k words, Teen]

Clint looked thoughtfully at the flyer. “I guess your actual roommate wouldn’t be down with it?”

Bucky frowned. “Have you met Steve Rogers?”

no way out but through by hollimichele [Stucky, 9k words, Teen]

Steve never sees it coming.

you got blood on your hands (and i know it's mine) by nighimpossible [Stucky, 3k words, Teen]

Bucky refuses to see Steve after his deprogramming.

Like What You See by daisymondays [Stucky, 8k words, Teen]

For all the time Bucky’s spent fantasizing about meeting Captain America, he’d never imagined it would be while posing nude in front of a drawing class.

🌻 A Real Boy by itsnotbleak [Stucky, 5k words, Teen]

It took the Winter Soldier three weeks to remember that human beings needed to sleep and eat.

It took Steve far too long to realise the Winter Soldier was sleeping in his bed.

Amapola by chaya [Stucky, 830 words, Teen]

Total fluff. Bucky's recovering nicely. Steve's oblivious. Sometimes it's best to set aside subtlety for action.

Knocking Boots With Sugar by buckybarnesdeservestobehappy [Stucky, 4k words, Explicit]

In between summers at college, Steve Rogers wants a new adventure beyond his lonely life in Brooklyn. He ends up in West Texas working on a dude ranch where Bucky Barnes is a long-time employee. When Bucky offers to buy Steve a drink, they end up drunk on tequila and making out in public. For the rest of the summer, they're inseparable. As the summer draws to a close, Steve realizes he doesn't want to leave.

Rogers and Associate by roe87 @jro616 [Stucky, 7k words, Teen]

When they first meet, Bucky is a hooker and Steve is a cop. She's been arrested, but Steve lets her off.

Years pass and they maintain a casual friendship, seeing each other out on the streets most nights.

Though he later makes detective, Steve loses faith in the system and quits his job.

He wants to set up as a private investigator, and he asks Bucky if she'd be his assistant.

Just in time by rainbow_nerds [Stucky, 1k words, Mature]

Bucky knew the apartment he was renting was old fashioned, but walking in the front door and finding himself transported back to 1938 was not on the list of things he had prepared himself for.

🌻 You Like What's in My Head by dontcallmebree [Stucky, 15k words, Explicit] (with art by @kocuria)

Bucky can’t decide if Steve’s a tough nut to crack or incredibly easy. The timbre of his voice, a low and almost amused, “Sure, kid,” when Bucky asks for a drink feels like something gripping him on the back of his neck.

He thinks this might be one of those moments in life he’ll pinpoint in the future and either curse at for dooming himself, or remember fondly with pride.

He’s right. Bucky Barnes blunders through falling in love with Commander Rogers and tries to find a deeper meaning behind the expensive gifts and thorough fucking.

Can I Sit Here? by BuckyFrickenBarnes [Stucky, 962 words, General]

Bucky has unusual methods for getting rid of his writer's block.

Or, Bucky needs that table.

Workplace Romance by BuckyFricken Barnes [Stucky, 1k words, General]

Bucky is under the impression that his boss hates him.

Or,

Steve needs to get better at dealing with his feelings.

🌻 1-800-MAYTAG by Miss Plum @misspluckyplum [Stucky, 1k words, Explicit]

Bucky just wants to get some housework done. It gets out of hand fast. Silly little fluff and smut romp with snarky stucky boys.

Eyes of the Forest by Lordelannette [Stucky, 7k words, Explicit] (2/8 chapters available)

When Omega Bucky Barnes comes to Eagle Lake, it was in search of wolves, a creature that had not been seen in the area for decades.

What he finds instead is Steve Rogers, a handsome, though quiet Alpha who seems to be everywhere in the forest.

[anime-corner]

I'm Here | Oikawa T.

A/N: Hey guys! I'm back (hopefully for longer since classes are about to end). Anyways, this one's a bit shorter than usual. I hope you like it!

"Yahoo! Knock, knock~ Sorry, practice finished later than usual!" Oikawa called out but was only greeted by darkness, "(n/n)-chan?"

The house was still, not a single noise was heard. Oikawa doubted that you would leave without texting him, it was practically tradition to crash at your place every after school. He looked around, stealing a loaf of bread before heading upstairs. Dim lights could be seen from under the closed door as Oikawa turned the knob, inviting himself in as usual.

"Hey, Iwa-chan told me that-- what are you doing typing, er writing, whatever it is you're doing in the dark?!" He bellowed, flicking the light switch on. A hiss escaped your lips as you momentarily closed your eyes to adjust to the lighting.

"Shut up, Tooru. I'm kind of busy at the moment so if you don't mind, I'd like to finish all of this tonight." His eyes glanced over at the stack of papers on your left as your right hand hovered on top of another, gripping on a pencil tightly. Your left hand was typing away as fast as it could.

"What's all these? Haven't you finished the assignment yesterday?"

"Well, yes but, this one's for the student council. I need to file a report and it needs to be passed at midnight." You then gestured towards the paper, a bit crumpled with the many times you wrote the wrong formula, "And this is for Monday's class presentation."

"And these?" He pointed towards the stack of papers.

"That's…" You blinked a couple of times before responding, "I think it's the ones from the council three days ago that I haven't checked yet. Anyways, I'll handle that after I'm done with this."

"How many hours of sleep did you even get?" He asked.

"What? I don't think my sleep schedule has anything to do with this, Tooru." You answered, not taking your eyes off of your work.

"Just tell me." Oikawa insisted, sitting on your bed as he stared at you.

"Fine. Around two or so? I'll give it a three since I've been running on coffee since I woke up." His brows furrowed, worry etched on his face if only you took the time to look at him.

"That's not good, (n/n)-chan. Come on, I'll finish that." You shook your head, still not lifting your gaze away.

"No way, you had practice just minutes ago! I'm perfectly capable of finishing these within the day if you just so let me. Now shush-- hey!"

"I mean it, (y/n)." You huffed as you glared at him, "You need your sleep. I'll wake you up before dinner."

"What? No! I can't, Tooru!" You protested, standing up from your seat as you felt a slight pain from your head. You shook it off as nothing, "Tachibana-sensei's breathing down my neck saying she'd be the reason why I wouldn't be graduating this year."

"You still have a day to go before classes start again on Monday. You don't need to rush everything today--"

"Haven't you been listening? The report is due tonight. These," You gestured towards the stack of papers, "Might as well be due at the same time. And after this one, I've also got to revise my notes. I'm falling behind, Tooru and I don't want to hear anything from my mother once I move back."

"You won't (y/n), trust me. You're the smartest girl I know in school and probably the busiest one. I'm sure she'd be proud of you--"

"You see, that's not enough. I need to get my grades up, a bit higher than now." You countered. You retorted, huffing in annoyance at how the setter wouldn’t leave you all alone.

"You don't need to. What you need is to calm down a bit. You know that--"

"Will you stop it, Tooru!? You just don't get it, do you?! My parents thought that I would get into Shiratorizawa and what did I do? Fail the exam!" You bellowed, standing up from your seat as the male stepped back a bit. You stood up, voice raised as Oikawa stepped back, "My mom wanted me to at least be at the top during my first and second year, to at least in her words, redeem myself. But I failed on that too. Now, you're telling me to calm down? To take a break? Well, I can't. I've got my family's voices screaming at me saying I should do better! Do you know how--"

"You're crying, (y/n)..." Oikawa whispered as he placed a hand on your cheek, his thumb wiping away the tears. You lightly pushed him back, rubbing your way with your sleeves. He pointed out. A hand lay on your cheek as his thumb wiped away a tear, you pushed him away after, wiping it away with your hands.

"S-shut up. I'm not crying. Just… leave me alone for today, Tooru. I'm really busy and I can't afford to let all of my hard work turn to dust."

"I'll help you."

"For the last time, I--" He cut you off.

"Just let me help!" He was already frustrated seeing the girl he adored so much struggling with her life.

He knew of her problem with her parents and most importantly, he knew the conflict she had with herself. He knew that feeling more than ever. And he didn't want her to feel the same way he did during that time.

And he was afraid that, while it might not cost her a knee, she might lose so much more if she continues. Perhaps, her eyesight or her health. Worst case, her life. And he wasn't going to let her get to that point.

"If Iwa-chan was here, he'd know what to do… but he isn't. And I don't want to disturb him too. I'm just trying my best to help you, because I understand, I understand you the most out of everyone," He walked closer, enveloping you in a hug as the two of you sat on the floor, "You just want to prove something but, you're all fed up about everything. You're trying your best but I guess, to others, that's not good enough."

Tears slowly dripped down from your face once again as you buried your head on his chest, gripping on his jacket, "Why can't you leave me alone, Tooru? I don't care if you get me… I just want to be left alone."

"I'm staying, (y/n) and that's final. I'm not going to let you carry that burden all by yourself anymore. I'm here, remember? I'll help you," Oikawa whispered in your ear as he caressed your back, "You're, besides Iwaizumi, the one I treasure the most. I care about you and I don't want you to suffer like this when I know that I could have tried and saved you from it."

"Why?" That one question made him silent for a while as you looked up at him.

"I… it's because…" He sighed, making you somewhat dread and anticipate the answer at the same time, "I love you, you know that? And while this might possibly be-- ah, who am I kidding? It's the worst time possible to tell you this, I don't think that I'll be able to get another chance like this."

"T-Tooru… I…" You started but went silent as he brought his hand up.

"Please hear me out?" He inhaled before opening his mouth again to speak, "I… I want to support you (y/n), the same way you and Iwaizumi did all these years, especially during the time when I overworked my knee. The two of you were always there. So, let me be there for you too."

"It's just not easy when you've been doing everything yourself for most of your life…" You gulped, avoiding his gaze as you clenched your fists tightly.

"I know. But, I really do love you. And I promise that you'll never regret choosing me unlike how I regret eyeing up girls when I knew that you were right in front of me the whole time and they'll never be you. They'll never be as hardworking, caring and overly kind as you. You're perfect and so much more. Because everything means nothing to me if I can have you to call as mine." Oikawa said, moving a strand of your hair away from your face.

"Even the nationals?" You asked, teasing him a bit.

"I… okay, maybe not the nationals. I still want to beat Ushiwaka and all. But that's besides the point," He shook his head, placing his chin on top of your head, "You're amazing and beautiful, even when you think you're not. And I'm really sorry for confessing at the worst time possible. But, believe me when I say that I love you."

"Why are you… confessing now?" Somehow, this question made him think. It's not like he hadn't practiced his answer in the mirror for a million times, making sure it was perfect to his ears. Not at all. But, given the situation, he'd have to abandon that script and start a new one.

"Well, it just pains me to see you doing the same things I did before, even though your academics and my career as a player are two different things, and I thought that if I manage to successfully tell you how I feel, I could somehow help you carry all of this. Because by that time, I would hopefully be your boyfriend." Oikawa spoke genuinely, moving one of his hands from her back to her head, stroking her hair.

"You don't need to be my boyfriend to help me, you know."

"I know that but you just make it so difficult, argh! Everytime I see you frustrated, I just wanna hug you and kiss you and then take over your work while you rest. But I can't do that as a friend! So… so..." Not that he thought about it, what he said sounded stupid, "Yeah, I know. It's a dumb excuse."

"You're an idiot." The third year laughed out loud.

"I know, Iwa tells me that all the time." You lightly hit his shoulder, hiding the smile that was threatening to show, "At least I made you smile right?"

"I guess you did, Tooru. I guess you did." He hummed in satisfaction before something else you couldn't quite figure out what was etched on his face.

"I'm not going to force you to answer my feelings right away, (y/n)-chan. I can wait." He stammered.

"Why wait when I feel the same way? I love you too, Tooru." He perked up suddenly, making you hide the massive blush on your face.

"Wait, really? You're not joking right? (y/n)?" The setter found you fast asleep, whether or not you were faking it, he wouldn't know. He only chuckled, kissing your head, "Alright… I'll let you get some rest. You deserve it."

He carried you over to your bed, tucking you in. His hand lingered on your cheek, a smile on his face as he whispered.

"Dream of me will you, (y/n)-chan?" Oikawa stood up straight, eyes darting towards your mess of a desk, "Now… which one did she say she needed by midnight?"

Let me hold your hand and carry the same burden you hold. I'll always be here, even if you push me away.

[desertofsnowflakes]

Incorrect Order Chapter 4 (Nessian AU)

A/N: I know I haven't been able to update as fast as you'd want me to but I'll try to fix that. Your comments and feedbacks are very much appreciated. Do inform me if you wanna be added/removed from the taglist! If you happen to find my storyline similar to another fic or one of yours, I'm extremely sorry, I might've just not known. All characters belong to the author Sarah J. Mass. Enjoy!

Summary: Don't first impressions always affect the way you see someone? Well, what more with the Nesta Archeron? Nesta meets Cassian at few unexpected places and to say it didn't go well was a major understatement. Certain circumstances make them become enemies to tolerable company to friends to lovers.

Trigger Warnings: None really

1652words | Incorrect Order Masterlist | Read on AO3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The best way to keep whatever problems one has out of their mind was to do something they liked. That was the only way Cassian kept from spiraling. Since sending the woman to her own house, Cassian had more than a few moments when he wanted to repeatedly slam his head against a wall. That’s why he spent most of his time sparring with Azriel. He won’t admit he was simping for that woman in his free time too. Or maybe that was always.

Now, sprawled on a couch in front of the TV, with nothing to do but stare at a blank screen, Cassian led his thoughts to the box he kept all unwanted thoughts locked in. He thought about Tomas, her ex-boyfriend. Funny, he thought. I know her ex's name but not hers.

It took him a little too long the other day to realise they didn't exchange names. Again. He once thought that maybe she was purposely not giving him her name. That maybe, for her, he was just a random stranger who happened to save her life. He snorted. Surely anyone would know the name of the person they saved or was saved by— stranger or not. He supposed he'll have to make do with pronouns for now.

After she left his home, it took every scrap of self-restraint not to beat this Tomas dude to pulp and let him rot in the same alley he had the misfortune of meeting him in. He may or may not have been the cause for some extra injuries. Cassian appreciated the woman’s attempt at mercy. He, however, didn’t trust Tomas at all. He was dubious about just handing him over to the police. Who’s to know he won’t frame him and the woman for absurd things? Anyway, he left a note in Tomas’s house saying something like “Step out of line, lose your favourite part of anatomy. Name it and have it for your meal.” He made sure he printed so that no one would recognise his writing. Yet, all this didn’t calm his nerves one bit. He presumed he’ll have to stay on guard for some time now.

Now, back to the girl. He sighed. He didn’t dare change the sheets in his guest bedroom. He didn’t even let Mor use the room when she came over last weekend— which he could bet created suspicion. No, that room was only open when he craved her scent. He even realised one of his shirts was missing. He shrugged it off thinking he would've left it somewhere and just couldn't find it. Once she came to his house, he was constantly thinking about her. So much that now he started pinching himself often. It was the only way he could stop thinking about her— by creating physical pain.

Cassian glanced at the clock on the wall. 2.30 in the afternoon. He walked to the refrigerator and checked his freezer compartment. Huh. No ice-cream. He sighed, grabbed his jacket and keys and headed to the mall to get an ice-cream with a pout. He’ll have to leave for Rhys and Feyre’s first anniversary only around 5.30 to prepare everything. He has enough time to get an ice-cream and probably hang out for some time. Good enough to stop thinking about her. Or so he thought.

***

Nesta wasn’t sore anymore. Her headache was gone almost a week after the incident. Her nose didn’t hurt anymore. Okay, maybe a little bit. It didn’t hurt unless she bumped her nose against something. Today, her nose was dully throbbing because she hit her nose against a pillow yesterday. A very, very soft pillow and yet it hurt this much.

The man’s first-aid and medicines were really helpful.

It really wasn’t fair that he excelled at basic first aid too. It wasn’t fair that he looked so good. With black tattoos swirling over generously muscled arms and shoulder-length dark hair curling at the edges and gloriously tanned skin and hazel eyes with minute flecks of green and brown when taken a closer look at and dimples and—

A quiet “Who is it?” snapped Nesta out of her moping. She looked up to see Gwyn walking to her.

“Who is what?” she asked, feigning nonchalance. Gwyn's pursed lips and glare conveyed that her act wasn't enough.

“Who are you thinking about?” Gwyn clarified.

“What makes you think I'm thinking about someone?” Nesta retorted.

Gwyn sat on the chair next to her and started assisting with classifying the unceremonious heap of books on the table to be kept back in its correct positions on its own rack.

“Nesta,” Gwyn sighed, “Clotho assigned you this stack almost an hour ago. And you've barely finished a third of the stack. Normally, you'd finish stacks bigger than this in an hour. So there's clearly something.”

“It wasn't anyone,” Nesta mumbled.

As usual, Gwyn saw through her lie. “You were twirling your hair,” she said flatly.

Heat inched up her neck. “I was not!”

Gwyn murmured a “uh-huh” and they lapsed into an easy silence till they were almost over.

Gwyn's eyes lit up as it normally did whenever she got an idea. “Is it him? The guy you came with that day?”

Nesta scowled, “How do you know…” she broke off when she realised which 'that day' Gwyn was talking about. Nesta fought back a blush. “No, no, this isn't about him. We don't know each other. Much. Like, we've seen each other a number of times? That's it. Nothing else.” Cauldron, the first part was a complete lie. But at least the rest are true. Will Gwyn happen to know his name? Maybe I ought to ask her. Or maybe I shouldn't.

She should, she decided. She cleared her throat. “Uh, Gwyn? Do you happen to know his name?”

Gwyn frowned and asked, “He hasn't told you yet?”

Nesta shook her head and answered, “No, we, uh, forgot. I guess. We haven't really exchanged names.”

Gwyn nodded and smiled. “Well, he is—”

“Gwyn!” a voice called. “You can't expect me to come over to you and beg for you to help me. Help me only if you want to or don't work under me.”

Gwyn’s eyes widened. She abruptly stood up and mouthed, “Merrill. I gotta go. I’m so sorry.” She all but ran to Merrill, the very strict librarian Gwyn was working under.

Nesta sighed and continued her work. There wasn’t much left so she was able to finish fast. She picked her things and left the library with a word to Clotho, heading to the mall.

***

The best way to keep whatever problems one has out of their mind was to also eat something they liked. So, ice-cream it was. After having his ice-cream, Cassian was aimlessly walking around the mall. Here, not more than a month ago, he met her for the first time. Almost a month ago. He huffed out a breath. The fact that he was pining for her this long blew his mind off. He—

“This is your fault— not mine. I’m not taking the blame for this,” he told her. They bumped into each other. Again.

Her lips quirked up. “It is kind of my fault. But blame this—,” she poked his chest, “— for making my nose hurt again.”

Just like that, his mood sobered. “How are you?” he asked.

She pointed at the cafe to her left. “Coffee?”

He nodded. Who was he to say no to her?

So they ordered coffee and talked about everything and nothing. He grinned and she laughed. He laughed and she smirked. He wouldn’t say he knew her well but he’d never seen her so carefree. Her laugh was like nectar for a starving man. Her eyes bright and welling up with tears from laughing.

“I don’t think I’ve laughed this much,” she said.

Cassian put a hand on his heart dramatically and said, “I know, I know. I’m very funny.”

Her lips kicked up a notch. She straightened as if she just realised something. He was about to ask when she drawled, “So I just realised that we still haven’t exchanged names.”

Oh. Right. Of course. “Yeah,” he nodded. “Usually, when people meet, they start with introductions but in our case we’ve literally bumped into each other three times and still we don’t know each other.” He shook his head and extended his hand. “Well, hello there. I’m—”

His phone rang in his pocket. Fuck. He was going to kill whoever was calling him now. He was so close to knowing her name. He pulled out his phone to see an incoming call from Azriel. He apologetically looked up at her and said, “I’m sorry. I wish I could choose not to take this call and instead kill this idiot but I can’t. Just give me a moment, okay?”

She nodded and he picked up his call.

“What do you want?” he hissed.

“It’s 5.30 already, you idiot. We’ve got to get the things ready for the party. Mor already went to get the cake and you’re not even at home. Where on all earth and hell are you?” came Az’s faint voice.

“15 minutes only? Mother above, I’m coming.” he said.

Az’s “make it fast” was the last thing he heard before hanging up. “I wish we could stay here and talk forever,” he said to her, “but I have something up in a short while and I totally didn’t realise time was passing this fast. I’m so sorry. It was nice talking to you. Really. And I wish we could meet again. Though without the bumping part.”

He grinned when she smiled and said, “Bye. Have a nice day.”

“You too,” he called back. He didn’t want to think he imagined the subtle look of disappointment on her face because hell, he was a walking epitome of disappointment right now.

taglist:

@shadowsinger07 @im-someone-i-guess @saltyfortunes @cressjacquine @julian-blackthorn-supremacy @champanheandluxxury @zemiraa @ladygabrielli1997 @nehemikkele @heartless--aromantic @sv0430 @ddsworldofbooks @irenethaleia @sjm-things @dontgetsalmonella

[tinyboxxtink]

"Black Magic" *Part 6*

Part 5

Part 7

Okay so this one's a bit shorter, but like I said I want to try and keep it a "day" a chapter. Also, I don't think you want this day to be ANY longer.

....I'm so sorry.

Also also---- I'm going out now. I'M SO SORRY.

I'll post another chapter tonight....be strong my babies!

Side note how perfect is the gif with the angry barba and the smirking Olivia....I mean.... what?

Tag List:

@bookishfanfic

@stars-in-the-skies-world

@omgsuperstarg

@chasingeverybreakingwave

@gibbs274

@milkshqke

@wanniiieeee

@word-scribbless

@objection-argumentative

@aprildecker-blog

@lolliepopsicle

@madamsnape921

@stars-trash-18

-------

You arrived at the door of Rafael's office early once again, knocking this time. You looked like a million bucks. You had taken at least an hour to get ready, your outfit, your hair, your makeup. You were ready to make a move. You knocked again. There was no answer. He should be there, maybe he didn’t hear you. You knocked a little louder. Where could he be? You decided to take a peek and peer open his door to see the most horrifying sight:

Rafael and Olivia, making out on his desk. They both snapped back when they heard the door open.

“Y/N!!” He yelled angrily. “Don't you knock?”

“Oh.. oh my God I'm so sorry sir I'm really sorry. I just brought your morning coffee sir,” You were upset, embarrassed , confused , distraught unable to speak, unable to think.

“Well you should learn not to peep on other people Y/N,” Olivia gave you an evil smirk. “I should get going anyway baby,” she rubbed the lipstick off Rafael's lips. “I have a long day.”

“Oh but I'll miss you carino,” Rafael whined while rubbing his nose against hers in a disgusting fashion.

“I know baby, but maybe we'll have lunch?” She messed with his collar.

“You can count on it,” Rafael growled seductively, smacking her butt as she walked towards the door. “Two can play at your game,” she whispered at you as she walked out

Oh my god. Oh my God oh my god!! How did she know? How was it possible? So many things went through your head at that moment.

“I um, I left something at my desk,” You lied quickly as you headed out the door.

“Olivia!” You called after her angrily suddenly overwhelmed with courage. She stopped and turned and stared at you

“Really? Got some balls on you now do you?”

“What did you do?” You demanded.

“I didn't do anything to him.” She acted innocent. “He just realized that his feelings for me were there all along,” she batted her eyes mockingly. “Isn't that what you did?”

“It's not real!” You barked. “You know it's not real. It'll wear off by tomorrow,”

“Oh I really don't think it will” She held up a water bottle in her purse and it was filled with a….purple liquid? Yep it was purple. Why was it purple? Did she make it stronger? Oh God how strong did she make it?

“Olivia you can't do this to him. I stopped and realized if it wasn't real, I didn't want it.”

“Oh that's bullshit.” She rolled her eyes. “You just brought him his morning coffee. You and I both know that it has that stuff in it. You just needed to refill him but I got there first.”

“No that's not true! You yelled, tears stinging your eyes now. “And he loves me. I know he does.”

“Oh my God you are delusional,” she laughed.” Look I'm happy you had a fun day yesterday but you’re out of your league here, sweetie. He's mine and he always will be? Got it?” She smirked again, then turned and stomped away in her heels leaving you there speechless.

----

You were furious, you were confused, you were upset and then you realized that you had to still continue this day as if nothing was different. Nothing was wrong. You wondered how strong Olivia's stuff was. You wondered what the rules were. Did it block out his feelings for you completely and only focus on her? Did it wipe any memory of you and him at all? Could you break it? You had so many questions you needed to call Chloe but you know you couldn't until your break so you sucked it up and walked back into Rafael's office.

“I'm really sorry about that so earlier,” You did your best to keep from crying. He looked at you with an almost look of disdain.

“Yeah well you really need to be more professional, Y/N.” He scoffed.

"Now you really need to get me copies of these prepositions by noon so that I can go to lunch with my beloved and then go to court.”

“Your beloved?” You spat unintentionally, wanting to gag.

“Excuse you?” He gave you an angry look.

"Look I know that you have some kind of crazy crush on me, but you need to learn that what me and my girlfriend have is something you can't get between so you really need to either control yourself or I will relieve you of your services.” He glared at you.

You couldn't breathe, you felt your heart beating in your chest and your ears. Your palms were sweating, you were having a panic attack. What the hell did she put in her concoction? How did she make him turn so harshly against you?

“I... Yes sir, sorry sir, right away sir,” You whispered grabbing the papers from him running out of the office.

Finally after you got Rafael his copies and he stormed out of his office to go meet his “beloved”, you took the break to call Chloe in tears.

-----

“Oh My God, what happened honey?” She asked, immediately hearing your sobs over the phone.

“She did it,” You sobbed.

“Who did what now?”

“She found the spell! Or some spell. I don't know what she did. I don't know how she could have-- I don't know what she did!!!” You kept sobbing uncontrollably not being able to form coherent thoughts.

“Okay, I'm going to need you to slow down,” Chloe said in a calming manner. “Breathe honey. Use your words. Now explain to me exactly what happened,”

You took several deep breaths trying to compose yourself so that you could explain what was happening to her.

“I went into Rafael's office this morning, and he was making out with that vile woman,” You sniffled.

“What vile woman?”

“Olivia, his ‘beloved’,” you rolled your eyes through your tears.

“His beloved?”

“It's some woman that he works with, and apparently has been in love with him forever. She somehow, I don't know how, figured out what we did to him and she somehow found her own spell. Which I'm pretty sure is not the same one, because it was a purple liquid. AND she not only created feelings for her, she made him hate me!!” You continued to sob.

“...Oh,” Was all Chloe could say.

“OH…?!” You scoffed. “I thought you said that magic laws frowned upon spells like that, controlling people's free will!”

“It does! Good magic anyway,” She sighed.

“What the hell does that mean?” You yelled angrily.

“Well I mean you know there's good witches and bad witches,”

“Oh my God, what in the Wizard Of Oz fuckery--”

“I don't know what to tell you honey. That's how it is. There's good magic and there's black magic. Black magic is all selfish and self-indulgent and instant gratification. She must have gone to somebody who deals in that,”

“Who could it be?”

“I don't know! It's not like they're listed in the yellow pages! WAIT-- Oh my God I think I might have an idea,” Chloe suddenly paused. “...But you're not going to believe me,”

“Oh my God what does that mean?” you asked wearily.

“Well.. you've seen all the movies right? You know like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White,”

“Oh God. Are you seriously going to tell me that true love's kiss can break the spell?”

“Well.. you really don't have any other options right now, do you?”

“CHLOE those are Disney movies for fuck’s sake!!”

“Hey, remember Once Upon A Time? THAT was the ‘real world’, and true love’s kiss brought magic to our world!” Chloe pointed out.

“THAT’S A TV SHOW!!!!!”

“I don't know what else you want me to say here babe. But you should do it. Unless you want to lose him forever to this “Olivia” person. You said that she had a lot of it, right? She could keep this up for as long as she wants. AND the more she gives him the stronger it's going to be and the harder it is going to be to break. I mean he might end up really hating you and firing you, and then your whole life will be ruined. You not only need to break this spell for you to be happy, but before it impacts your entire life,” Chloe warned.

“Oh my God, oh my god…” You whimpered. “I should have never done this.”

“Hey chin up this will work out I'm sure of it!” She said in a chipper tone.

“Okay Jiminy,” You rolled your eyes as you hung up and went back to your office. You did your best to continue with the rest of the day, trying to stay out of Rafael’s way. Which wasn't hard, considering that he was in court most of the day. Around four he texted you and told you that he was no longer in need of your services for the day so you could go home early. Oh also he just HAD to add that he was going to go out with Liv. You wanted to vomit. You headed home and went to brainstorm with Chloe.

-----

“Okay so I've been researching black magic. Chloe had papers sprawled out all over her bed when you came home. “She must have used a combination of love and hate spells.”

“Wait, so you mean actual love spells? Like actually creating fictitious love? Not just magnifying what he felt for her?”

“Correct” she nodded. “I don't think he ever had real feelings for her.”

“Well he said that she and him had a thing, and that he thought about her like that when they first met. So maybe it was going off of that,” You shrugged sadly.

“Another thing we need to figure out is how to get the rest of the potion from her somehow,”

“And just HOW do you expect me to do that?!”

“I don’t...I don’t know,” She shrugged, sifting through her research.

“Chloe, give me something you DO know,” You rubbed your temples; this was giving you a migraine.

“Okay… well, maybe if I talk to my other friends they can figure out a way to counteract the effects even just a little, if you're not willing to or unable to get true love's kiss,”

“Oh God--”

“Hey, I'm just saying”

“Whatever.” You sighed. “My head hurts, my heart hurts, everywhere hurts Chloe,” You whined. “I just want this to be over,”

“Okay honey just-- just go get some sleep, I’ll figure out a game plan for you to use tomorrow,”

“Okay...thank you,” You gave her a small hug and went to your room.

You went to bed with a deep feeling of dread.

[itsthestutterforme]

Coma (Aaron Hotchner)

Y/N falls into a coma after getting hit by a car that ran a red light. The team fears that she might never wake up.

--

Y/N and Hotch have been past lovers but they managed to find a common ground to keep a professional relationship at work. But when Haley died, the first person Aaron turned to was Y/N. He spent countless nights over her house and he didn't have to ask her to hold him. That became first instinct.

Their relationship remained platonic and professional, but they both knew that at the very least, they had each other. Two years have passed and Aaron has met Beth. He seems really happy and geninuely moving forward, but he didn't want to tell Y/N because he feels that she would feel betrayed in some way.

Rossi and Hotch talk about it on the way to the conference room. "I've seen Y/N care more about your wellbeing than her own. How is this any different?" Rossi asks.

"What if she distances herself because she feels that I don't need her anymore?" Hotch asks. "Well do you.. need her?" "Of course," "Why?" "I--" "Good morning, Hotch." Y/N greets as she walks up to him and hands him a cup of coffee that she got for him.

"I saw this and thought of you. I tried it before but I have a feeling that you can make one better." Y/N adds as she hands Rossi a pannettone, an Italian pastry. She smiles at them before walking into the conference room.

Rossi and Hotch look at one another and Rossi says, "Now I see what you mean," "She's just so.." "Perfect for you. You two are on the same wave length." "I lost my chance, Rossi." "You don't know that," "Is everything okay guys?" Y/N asks as she peeks her head out of the conference room.

"Yeah, we're coming," ""Just think about it," Rossi says as he pats Hotch's back. Hotch sits next to Y/N and she repeats, "You sure you're okay?" "Yeah, I'm alright." Y/N doesn't believe it for a second, but she knows that he'll tell her in his own time.

This particular case was dangerous because it involved a schitzophrenic Navy Seal with severe PTSD from his time in the field. Y/N had seen the unsub kill a child and she was dead set on getting him. She knew she should have waited for back up but she wanted to catch him before he kills someone else.

"I'm in pursuit of the unsub," I say over coms. "No, Y/N. You stay and wait for back up." "He's getting away, Hotch. I'm not going to let him kill another kid." Y/N looks both ways before crossing the street.

She dashes across the street when minivan runs a red light and crashes right into Y/N. Her body crushes the windshield as she rolls over the top of the car. The impact of her head smacking against the concrete sends her unconscious. The worst part about it was that Hotch and Morgan stopped at the red light across from Y/N. They watched the whole thing and couldn't do anything about it.

They had to wait for the light to turn green before they rushed over to her. "Y/N!" Hotch says with tears threatening his eyes. He kneels down next to her and presses his fingers to her neck. Mor-" "They're already on the way here," "Y/N, can you hear me?" "She isn't moving," Hotch says to Morgan. "She's probably unconscious," "Damn it! I told her to wait. Why didn't she listen!"

"Hey, yelling at her won't wake her up, man." Morgan states. "That car was going at least 60 miles per hour. There's a chance she's--" "Stop, Hotch. They're on their way. Relax," "I can't relax because I love her!" "I'm sorry, I'm.." "At least you finally admitted it." "She'll wake up, Hotch." Morgan adds as he pats his shoulder.

**

The doctor comes out to a very distressed team. He sighs as he stuff his hands in his pockets. "No, no, please, not again." Garcia says with tears leaving her eyes. "She made it off the operating table but she's in a coma. There's no telling when or if she'll wake up." The doctor explains.

"Come on, man. Don't dismiss her like that. She's strong and she'll make it through this." Morgan defends. "I really hope so," "'Can we see her?" JJ asks. The doctors nods and motions to the room where she was. The team slowly walks in and Garcia falls into Morgan's chest as she sees how many bruises Y/N had littering her face and body.

"Oh God," JJ says as she claps a hand over her mouth. Emily offers JJ a shoulder to cry on.

The only thing they could hear was the high pitch beep of the intubator making sure she's breathing correctly. As well as the beeps of her heart rate. "I can't, I'm sorry." Garcia says as she leaves the room and Morgan follows her. Emily and JJ left the room soon after. "Can I.. have a minute with her?" Hotch asks Rossi. "Of course," Rossi says before closing the door on the way out.

Hotch sighs as he sits down next to her. "I should have told you about Beth. But for some reason, I thought that I was betraying you so I held off and now you." He trails off as tears prick his eyes. "What am I going to tell Jack ab- he loves you and I have no idea what I'm going to do without you." He rests his face into her stomach and cries into it.

Over the course of two months, Y/N was still in a coma and Jack would always ask to visit her whenever he was sad. There was something about Y/N that just calmed him down. Anyone that went around Y/N would feel calm and collected, that's just the vibe she gave. Hotch would always visit her whenever he needed to clear his head, which happened more times than not.

Hotch was feeling angry the entire day because one of the nurses gave him a pamphlet that talks about letting go and accepting loss. Y/N wasn't dead, she was in a coma. There a chance of her waking up. Hotch thinks to himself.

"Hey, are you okay?" Morgan asks Hotch, pulling him out of his thoughts. "The doctor thinks we should pull the plug," Hotch says, clenching his jaw.

"They have no right to say that. It's been two months, not two years. There's still a chance for her!" Morgan snaps. "I know, but I'm.. what if she doesn't wake up." "Don't you dare give up on her, Hotch." "Believe me, I haven't and it cost me Beth." "Hotch-" "The little free time I have, I spend visiting Y/N. And Jack has been asking about her since the accident. Beth feels like we're shutting her out,"

"Are you?" "Not intentionally. I was just so used to Y/N. I feel like I've taken her for granted and there's no way of her knowing. It's been eating at me for months." "Hey, studies have shown that coma patients can hear people when they're under," "I don't know what I'm going to do, Morgan." Hotch runs a hand over his face and Morgan was about to say something when Hotch's phone rings.

"Hotchner," Hotch answers and his face softens when he hears the nurse saying that Y/N has woken up. Hotch decides to keep that information between him and Morgan. He didn't want the rest of the team distracted like he was. Images of Y/N smiling and the sound of her laugh echoes through his mind. She's awake. She's finally awake.

**

Y/N's POV

My throat still stings from the intubator rubbing against my vocal cords. The doctor insisted that I drink a lot of fluids and the nurses helped reintroduce my muscles to the different movements. And now they- my calfs in particular- are screaming at me right now. I look at the TV in the top left corner.

There was some cheesy hallmark movie on but my mind drifts off to hearing Aaron's voice. Hearing him cry. Hearing everyone cry for me was worse than getting ran over by a car. The sound of the doctor's voice pulls me out of my thoughts. "She said she wanted to speak with Agent Hotchner privately," the doctor says.

Seconds later, Aaron appears in the door frame. "Hi," I cringe at both how raspy my voice is and how painful it was to talk. "Hi," he whispers. "How's Beth?" "We separated a few weeks ago," "I'm sorry to h-hear that," I trail off into a cough and reach for my water. He rushes over to my side and hands me the bottle. A rush of seratonin explodes in my brain as the cold water soothes my throat.

"You shouldn't be talking. It's too soon." he says. "But I have so much to say," "Me too, but we have time. The team is really eager to ta-" "I saw a light," I interrupt as I see him advance for the door. He stops in his tracks and I continue, "The light was bright and warm.. and it smelled of vanilla oil and honey. Everything drew me to it and I was so close to it that I could almost taste it."

"What drew you back?" "You did," I watch as Hotch plays his hands on his hips and drop his gaze to the ground. He was trying to hide his tears. "I heard everyone but you and Jack were the most clear." Hotch doesn't say anything but I hear a soft sob leave his lips. "Hotch?" He shakes his head and I slowly move my legs over the edge of the bed.

I inhale sharply as my feet makes contact with the ice cold floor. I take the rack with my IV catheter attached to it and walk over to him in small steps. He finally looks up to see me standing and his eyes widened. "What are you doing?" He takes me into his arms and I softly moan at the warm radiating off of his body. "I'm tired of waiting," I explain.

I wipe the tears from under his eyes and hold his face in my hands. "The fear of losing you makes the blood run cold in my veins. The doctor wanted me to pull the plug and-" I shush him and he whimpers. "I'm here now, Aaron." I rest my face into his collarbone and smell his alluring cologne. "I'm so sorry that I doubted you and took you for granted. I-I love you so much," he cries.

"Marry me," I say as tears escape my eyes. His eyes snap to mine and my breath leaves my lungs. "Like I said. I'm tired of waiting. If I learned anything it's that life is short and I don't want to waste any more time not being w-". He crashes his lips against mine and I finally feel the air restoring in my lungs.

My eyes flutter closed as our lips move against one another. His tongue dips into my mouth and I groan against his lips. His hands slide down to my lower back and I pull him closer by his beck. He pulls away from me but I find myself following his lips.

"Yes, I'll marry you." "You will?" "Of course,". He rests his forehead against mine and I lovingly rub my nose against his. "Did I just hear a proposal?" Rossi says as he walks in. "Proposal?!" Garcia yells. "Finally!" Emily says and everyone filled into the room.

Hotch positions me so his chest and pressing against my back. His arms wraps around my waist and would occasionally kiss my temple. Everyone all tried to talk to me all at once, something that I truly missed. I don't regret running away from the light at all. This is exactly where I'm supposed to be.

[aidanrgallagher7]

Love in The Midst of Doomsday~

Five Hargreaves × Reader

Chapter Two

Chapter Three: Day Three

Word Count 2.3k

Warnings: few cuss words

....

As the night goes on and on, your anxiety just got worse and worse. Questions such as these kept rushing through your mind: why isn't he back yet? Is he hurt? What is happening to him? So you paced your apartment rooms and waited and waited. Your father tried to calm you down but his words only made you worry more. 

"Dad, why don't you wake up Lila? I'm sure that she wouldn't mind chatting with you."

Elliot "She's the one that tied me up!"

"Because you almost shot my husband!" 

Elliot shushes you, "Only because I thought that he was lying."

"Look dad, I can't go back and forth with you right now. I don't know what happened to Five and I don't know why he hasn't come back yet-"

Elliot "Okay, okay. I am sure that he and Diego are fine, sweetheart. For all that we know, they could be having a pleasant conversation with their father." You open your mouth to respond but you see a flash of light coming from the front of your building. You run to the window to find Five holding Diego up with his arms. 

"Oh my god, Lila! Wake up!" She rushes to you in a panic, "Something is wrong with Diego, help me help Five." She nods and you too bolt out the front doors. 

When you meet Five in the hallway, you see that he too is bleeding.

"Oh my god, Five-"

Five "I'm alright, just help me get him upstairs." Lila takes his other arm while you help Five. 

Lila "Who the hell stabbed him!?"

Five "Our father." He grunts.

"Long story?"

Five chuckles, "Not this time hun." Once you four get upstairs to the apartment, Five pretty much collapses from exhaustion. 

"Five, let me see it." He lets go of his neck and shows you scratch marks that were bleeding. 

Five "It's nothing-"

"Who did this?"

Five sighs, "Pogo."

"Pogo?!"

Five nods, "He is younger, just like all of us but for him, it makes sense."

"And he didn't remember you."

Five "No. He did what he was trained to do. I'm alright, just need to get it cleaned." 

"I'll go get everything." He nods and then looks over at Lila who is cleaning Diego's wound very intelligently.

Five "How do you know how to do that?"

Lila "My mother. Oh..did you cut yourself shaving? I can teach you, y'know. Like a big boy-"

Five "Just ran into an old family friend." Lila nods, "and I don't you dare treat me like I'm a kid, I am way older than you-"

Lila laughs, "Okay."

"I have the stuff, c'mere." He was on the verge of knocking Lila out but when he saw you, he lost the urge. You keep him sane, you keep him right. He follows you to the bathroom and sits down on the side of the bathtub. You take out an alcohol pad and wipe the area clean. Five has been through much worse so he does not even flinch at the skin contact. You almost lost Five after one of his more intense missions that the Handler put him on. You remember that fear, that gut wrenching fear of losing your everything. 

You sigh, "I knew that something was wrong."

Five chuckles, "You were always intellectually connected with me."

You snicker, "I guess the connection comes with being with the love of my life so I'll take it." He looks at you with puppy-dog eyes and a small smile forms on the corner of his lips. 

Five "I don't think that you will ever know how much I love you."

"I do." You quickly kiss his lips before you turn his face so that you can clean and bandage his cuts. He flinches only when you had to place the bandage on him because you had to slightly push down to secure it in place.

"I'm sorry." He does not respond, he only crashes his lips to yours. The kiss was long and passionate. When you both pulled back, you both were out of breath. "What was that for?"

Five smirks, "I was going to do that when you kissed me the first time but you pushed my face away."

"I had too-"

Five "I know. Thank you for helping me baby."

"You're welcome. Let's go check on your brother- wait," you just remembered that you didn't ask him how and what happened in that place. "Why did your father stab him?"

Five "I don't know. I was dealing with Pogo when Diego was with our father. I just found him laying there afterwards."

"Well you both are here now, that's all that matters."

Five "I know but it still didn't solve the problem. We have to talk to him, Y/n."

"And you will. Tonight was just not the time."

Five "We are running out of time."

"Hey, look at me." He stops walking and looks at you, "I know that we don't have a lot of time. But we can fix this. We've been through a lot of shit together, and we've made it through it all, didn't we?" He nods, "So we can get through this tough time. We will figure out how to fix the timeline and stop doomsday." He nods and places his head upon yours.

Five "I'm sorry for lashing out."

"I'm not mad, you have every reason to be stressed out. But the important thing is, is that we have each other again. And together-"

Five "We can do anything." You nod. "Let's go check on him..then can we go to bed?" He says with a pleading voice.

"Yes," you laugh, "Bed sounds nice." He laughs and checks on Diego and Lila. She tells him that he stopped losing blood and she stitched him up with your father's help. 

Five "Thank you, Elliot." He nods. "And thank you Lila." 

Lila "No problem. Your brother has been there for me when no one else has..I owe him. I'll see you two in the morning."

You both, "Good night." Soon after she went to bed, you, Five and your father went to bed yourselves.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the sun seeps through the curtain, you and Five wake up. You have a migraine from all of the stress and anxiety that you had all last night and Five can tell by the way you pause at the edge of the bed. As the husband he is, he maneuvers himself to your side and he wraps his arms around your waist and begins to kiss your shoulder. You hum from his affection.

Five "What do you need?"

"Nothing, just my head-"

Five "I know, I can feel it." You huff as you place your head in your palms, "Is there anything I can do?"

"You do enough, babe." He kisses your shoulder again and again until there was a knock on your door.

Five mumbles, "Everytime.." 

"What is it?"

Elliot "We have something, come on out." You and Five hurry out if your room and find Elliot stuffing his face with a bowl of cereal by his cluster of signals and equipment.

Five "So..what do you have-" and then he heard an alarm go off. "What is that?"

Elliot "The atmospheric radar...wha-what are you tracking?"

Five "Sound waves." He looks at you and he smiles.

Elliot "Why-"

Five "You're coming with me." He takes your hand as he blinks before Elliot could ask any more questions. Elliot huffs and just rolls his eyes.

Before you knew it, you and Five were in the middle of a corn field. He never once let go of your hand as the both of you made your way through the tall weeds.

"Five, why are we here?"

Five "A sibling of mine is here, I just don't know which one yet." You continue to walk on with Five until he slows down suddenly. Then, he let's go of your hand and kneels down in front of something.

Five "Hello Vanya."

Vanya "Who are you?"

Five "I am your brother."

Vanya "And..who is she?"

"Hello, my name is Y/n. I'm your brother's wife."

Vanya "Hold on...I have a brother."

Five "You don't remember?" She shakes her head, "Well, the Ikea mafia will come back for you if you do not come with me.."

Vanya "Why are they after me?"

Five "Because you are not supposed to be here, Vanya."

Vanya "In Dallas?"

Five "No, here..in 1963." You three make your way to the middle of the cornfield. But it is not just the middle of the field, it has been made into a perfect circle. Five knew that Vanya was the cause of it.

Vanya "Holy shit."

Five "Yeah, crazy right?" She nods and then she remembered that she herself was the cause of this art piece. 

Vanya "Will you explain to me what the hell is going on?"

Five "When we get to our next destination."

Vanya "Which is-" before she knew it, he blinks us three into a cozy coffee shop in downtown Dallas. "How-"

Five "Long story." You can see the concern and confusion in her eyes and you can't help but feel sympathy for her and her situation. 

Vanya "Just tell me who I am."

Five sighs, "When you were a baby, you were bought by an eccentric billionaire. He raised you in an elite academy with six other siblings with extraordinary powers. But in the year 2019, to avoid the apocalypse, we jumped into a vortex but we ended up scattered throughout the timeline in dallas texas." You huff because you know that that was way too much for any human being to process all at once. But at the same time, you also know that we do not have much time to chit-chat. "Any questions?" 

Five "You really don't remember anything?"

Vanya "W-what causes the apocalypse?" 

Vanya "No I um, I had an accident. When I fell I hit my head and I lost my memory." He looks at you with sadness in his eyes because he knew that she was the cause of the first horrific apocalypse in 2019. He looks down at his black coffee and thinks for a second and figures that if he lied, it would hurt her less than her knowing the truth.

Five "An asteroid impact. It is night and day from the first one but...it all ends in the same result."

Vanya "The first one?"

"There is another one coming-"

Five "It followed us. In eight days from now, the world ends in a nuclear doomsday." 

Vanya's eyes start to water at the thought, "That can't be right."

Five "I saw it. You were there. We all were. I wish I could unsee it but I can't."

Vanya "I have to make a call-"

Five "Vanya, we don't have the time! We have to find the other's."

"Five, just let her make the call. I'm sure that it won't take long." She thanks you and then runs to the phone that is by a booth. 

He sighs and leans against the barstool, "She took that well, at least."

"Mm, as well as she could."

Five nods, "I wonder who she's calling."

"Maybe she will tell us when she is done."

Five "I'm just glad that I have her back."

"You will get the other's back too, Five." He kisses your cheek and begun to tap his foot on the ground in aggravation because his sister is still on the phone. 

Five "We don't have time for this."

"Five-" he does not listen to you this time, he walks over and takes the phone out of Vanya's hand and hung it up.

Vanya "What the hell?!" He grabs her so that she calms down and focuses.

Five "We do not have time for this Vanya!"

Vanya "THAT WAS MY FRIEND YOU HUNG UP ON!" 

Five "We have to find the others and figure out how to stop doomsday!" She huffs and walks away from her brother and he does not know what to do in the moment. So you take his hand and you follow Vanya to her car. Five explains a little bit more before we all got to a wrestling match. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When you three got out, you and Vanya were both confused until you walked inside.

Vanya "Hey, I know that guy! He showed up to my friend's barn..apologizing to me. Who is he?"

Five "He is your brother." She understands that fairly quickly and rushes over to the rink to watch Luther begin to fight his opponent. He lets her go ahead before he joins her to spend some time with you. "At least she knows Luther."

"Only because he went and talked to her. Only God knows what he said to her."

Five rolls his eyes, "Knowing Luther, he probably told her too much."

"How did you know that he would be here?"

Five "I found him first remember?" You nod, "Well his boss makes him fight for money so, I figured that we would have a good chance of catching tonight's big win." He said sarcastically, making you giggle. "Come on, he's about to start." He takes your hand and you both walk towards the sidelines. As it started, Luther was winning. He was getting in really good and strong punches on his opponent. That was until he got his first knock to the ground that he shifted his mindset and he pleaded to be knocked out. 

Luther "Give me what you got!"

Five "What the hell is he doing?!"

Luther "Come on, HIT ME!" He gets what he asked for, "I want to feel all of the pain." After that, he got hit so hard that he was flung up in the air and passed out. 

Five and Vanya "Shit…" 

@moriartysringtone7137 @a-mess-of-fandoms @noellehnsherr @dyor @honeybee-cherie @cocoa-creampuff @dagdrommers-blog @yikes-matey @s0ftd3m0n @itzel17 @qualitymugghostrebel @oh-chuck-help-me @asphodelshare @ecwrenn @lilablosom @jazshargreeves @bbluepparadise16 @theoriginalkat @jellytoru

[unsettledink]

Kinktober Day 18

Sustain

Prompt: Subspace/Aftercare

Word Count: 4220

Summary: Phil is willing to do a lot to keep Tony Stark on premises; this wasn’t something he was expecting, but he can handle it. 

(flogging, subspace, aftercare, IM2 era, cuddling, overly vulnerable Tony, excessive talking)

*

He'd known from the start that Stark was going to be a handful. It's not a surprise— anyone could have known that.

He just hadn't expected it to go to pieces so quickly. Stark disappeared for a few hours, still in the house, of course, and reappears looking even worse, strung out and jittery. Exhausted. "Have to go do a thing," he says. "Have fun; I'd say don't burn down the house but it's a little late, isn't it."

"You don't have to go do anything," Phil tells him. "I’m not going to fetch you coffee, but I can provide whatever you actually need to get this done."

"Nope," Stark says, obnoxiously popping the p. "Not a chance, Agent."

"At least I can say I warned you when you're twitching on the floor," Phil says, and he probably shouldn't be looking forward to tasing Stark so much.

Stark rolls his eyes; Phil should have remembered threats just aren’t effective on him. "Listen," he says. "Sure, you can hit me with whatever little toy you're carrying around, but we both know it's not going to keep me down for more than five minutes. So let's stop playing games; you go on your way, I go on mine. Message has already been delivered."

"What do you need, Stark? You're not going anywhere, and yes, it can keep you down for more than five minutes. You're not exactly in top form."

Goading is a bad idea, he knows it's a bad idea. Stark narrows his eyes and Phil can see the instant he decides to be an ass about this, to see if he can ruffle Phil. Good luck. Better men have tried.

"I need a good fuck," Stark says, smirking. "Helps me think and you need me thinking, right?"

"Alright," Phil says. "What exactly are we talking about here? If I'm not your type, I'm sure we can find one of my team that is."

Oh, that gets him. "I— what?" Stark says. "Seriously? Just to keep me from getting out of here?"

"I did say that I could provide anything you needed." Stark’s an ass, but from what Phil’s heard, it's not like it would a chore to have sex with him. Probably.

Stark stares at him a moment, but he doesn't back down. He never does. "And if I needed something else?" he says. "What if I, say, wanted to hurt someone?"

"You'd have fewer options to choose from," Phil says. "You seem to be having trouble with the definition of anything."

"Ha ha," Stark says, "you're not having trouble with any of this. What if I wanted it the other way around? Is that really something you'd even have the skill to 'provide'?"

That's... unexpected. "Actually, the answer is still yes," Phil tells him. "I'll need a little more information from you beforehand though."

"Are you fucking—" Stark shakes his head. "Incredible. The lengths you'll go to just to get me to— you know what? Fine. Fine! Come on," and he turns, nearly stomping off like a child. Phil follows.

The house isn't a complete disaster once they're on the lower levels; Stark leads him to a bedroom, through it to a smaller room. "Here," he says, gesturing at a cabinet. "Pick something out, I'm sure you'll get the idea." He grabs a chair and hauls it over to the center of the room while Phil uncovers a nice collection of floggers, crops, paddles. Stark's serious.

"You don't have a preference?" Phil asks.

"I don't own anything I don't like," Stark says. "As long as you know how to use it, any of them will get the job done." That's... interesting phrasing. Definitely not any sort of aroused, not like Phil had expected.

"And what is the job, then?"

Stark glares at him for a minute, his jaw clenching. "The pain helps," he says, finally. "It clears my mind of the distractions. Lets me think things through without having to think about them sometimes," which must make sense in Stark's head.

Phil runs his hands over a thick, dark red flogger, of incredibly soft leather. "I'm surprised," he says, and ignores Stark's little 'ha!'. "I would have thought you'd had more than enough pain, not that you'd want more."

"It's not—" Stark sighs. "Fuck," he mutters. "Why did I think this might work? I don't trust you a bit, this is pointless."

"If you didn't trust me at all," Phil says, "I wouldn't have made it this far." Stark just stares at him, frozen, indecisive. "If it helps," Phil tries, "you could always threaten me with something dire if I hurt you."

Stark laughs, a sharp, harsh bark. "I don't give a shit if you wind up hurting me," he says. "At this rate I'm going to be dead by the end of the month; what am I supposed to do to you then?"

He won't be. Phil doesn't know what Nick has up his sleeve, but he's certain there's something; he's not going to just let Tony Stark die. But Stark sure seems to believe what he's saying. "If you don't care about that," he says, "then what is it?"

"This isn't— goddamnit. You know what this is," he says, tapping the reactor. Phil nods. "And you know it's killing me. So maybe you can figure out from those facts that I am already hurting, all the time. Drugs barely touch it anymore, and they screw with my head anyway. This…” Stark sighs. “Sometimes, this helps. It's like— an overload of my system. It can trip a breaker, and then when I reset, the pain isn't gone but my threshold for it is higher. It's easier to deal with for a while. When it works, that is, and that's what I'm worried about. Because if it doesn't work, all I'm left with is more pain."

"I understand," Phil says, and he does, actually. Stark's looking for that rush, looking to sink into subspace, a little break from the world. He really wonders who's done this to him before, who made him think it had to be as hard as that. "I can get you there," he tells Stark. "The fact that it's a physical need makes it simpler; as long as you trust that I don't want to damage you, that's all you should need. If you needed to submit, it'd be a problem, but this? This is doable."

Stark's giving him an odd look. "Huh," he says after a moment. "I guess you really have done this before." Phil refrains from rolling his eyes, but it takes an actual effort. "Alright," Tony says. "Fuck it. Let's do this." He yanks his shirt up, over his head, and— 

And it's a shock. It's slightly awful, honestly. The scarring around the reactor is extensive and the dark lines spreading out from it are disturbing. Stark looks awful entirely aside from that; he has any number of bruises, no doubt from any of the fights over the past few days, and while it hadn't been as obvious under clothes, Stark's lost weight, his spine sharper than it should be when he turns and sits down on the chair. Backward, his arms folded on top of the back, head ducked down. It's unusual.

"Is there a reason for that?" Phil says, taking the dark red flogger and a shorter, fuller one from the cabinet. He pulls off his suit jacket and sets it aside, loosening his tie.

"Can't lie on my chest for too long without it getting really painful," Stark says. "If I get where I want to be, I'd have trouble staying on my feet, and I— I can't handle being bound to keep me up." His shoulders are tense, his whole body stiff.

"Understandable," Phil says, quietly. "Colors work for you?"

"Yeah, fine," Stark says. "I seriously doubt you'll get me anywhere close to a yellow, much less red, but whatever." He shivers, faintly, when Phil sets his hand at the top of his spine; Phil leaves it there until Stark's skin is warm under his hand, until Stark shifts, his head dipping a little more. Maybe there is a little hint of submission in there after all.

"Uh," Stark says, a softer tone than Phil's ever heard from him. "I— I like the blue one a lot."

It might be a test, it might not, but in the end it doesn't really matter. Right now, he's offering Stark a service; he goes and gets the blue one too. It's thicker, coarser, not something he’d start off with.

Stark's a quiet one. He jerks at each strike, and he's not silent; Phil still hears gasps and soft little wordless noises, constantly, but he's far from loud. He's not showy about it, the way he is about everything else. Phil wonders, a little, if it's an act, if Stark is holding back. If he'll lose that control when Phil pushes him further, beyond where he can keep that sort of lie going.

Maybe it's not the one that's an act.

Stark does like it, though, his head dropping down onto his folded arms and the tension fading from his body. Replaced by a different kind, sure, but not that anxious, unhappy strain from before. Phil waits until he's relaxed enough to slide down further in the chair, until Stark is shuddering at the lightest of blows. Drags one soft, low moan out of him before Phil switches things up.

The first strike of the blue flogger has Stark's head jerking up, his whole body tense in response. "Oh, fuck," Stark says, shakily. It looks like a good response, but Phil gives him a moment anyway. Waits, while Stark hunches in, stealing himself against the next blow; when it doesn't come, he turns his head, just enough to glance at Phil over his shoulder. "Like that," he says. "Just like that."

Good enough for Phil.

Stark's a little louder with it, startled with every hit at first, his noises sharper, more guttural. A little bit, for a little while, and then they start to die out. All Stark's noises disappear after a while, nothing more than soft panting, and that's not really what Phil had expected. "Stark," he says, and when he doesn't get a response, he steps up to Stark's side. "Stark," he tries again, "look at me."

There's not even a tremor of movement; Phil gets a grip in Stark's hair and pulls his head up, tilting his face towards Phil’s.

Stark blinks at him, slow, his mouth lax. Just hangs from Phil's grip and doesn't react at all for a moment, and damn, Phil hadn't thought Stark would fall into this so easily. "Sorry, what?" Stark says, his consonants soft, almost slurred. He shakes his head slightly, blinking faster, dragging himself up out of that liminal state.

"Nothing," Phil says quickly. "Nothing at all. You can stay just like that, it's good." He lowers Stark's head back down, resting on his arms, and loosens his hand, turning his touch into more of a pet. "You're doing beautifully." Stark stares up at him, not as distant as he had been but not quite focused either. He hesitates, caught in place, and then shivers, turning his face into his arms, hiding. "Don't worry," Phil says. "I'll put you back there."

He's got a handle on what Stark needs, now, what to watch for. That little interaction had pulled Stark up enough that he's startling at each blow again, even if he's still quiet; Phil keeps at him. Switches over to the softer, thuddier one for a bit, the first hit with that drawing a whine out of Stark. He melts when Phil keeps using it, though, sinking further down, burrowed in his arms and barely moving, just absorbing it all.

That's good, and Phil's sure that has Stark at least drifting but it's not what he'd asked for.

Stark cries out when Phil brings back the blue one, loud, real pain, his whole body tensing and his head coming up. Phil gives him a moment, waits until Stark puts his head back down, his shoulders tensing as he holds his position. It's only going to make it hurt more, and the harsh noises Stark is making prove it. Stark stiffens up, tenser and tenser as it goes on, and then— 

Gives in.

His shoulders drop, and he rocks with the next blow instead of flinching. Gets quieter and quieter again, calmer and calmer. Phil waits, keeping at him, watching for that last bit, that last edge of resistance to disappear. Phil's arm is actually starting to ache a little when it comes, when Stark sags, lax like he'd been with the softer flogger. Stays like that through the next few strikes, and that's where Stark needed to be. That's where he should stay for a while, if Phil's careful with him.

He sets the floggers aside and goes to Stark, crouching down beside him. Puts his hand on Stark's shoulder, the heat of it incredible, and Stark doesn't even shiver. "Okay?" Phil says, softly. He gets a small affirmative noise, a little more than he'd expected, actually.

Stark sighs when Phil runs his hand over his shoulders, very lightly across all that reddened skin. Stays just as calm and pliant as Phil keeps touching him, slowly stroking his back.

He doesn't really want them to stay here, though. Eventually—if it hasn't already—that chair is going to be uncomfortable, and Phil doesn't exactly want to crouch like this for long. "Can I get you to the bed?" he asks.

There's another little noise, with an equally little nod this time, and then Stark is pushing himself up. Phil rises, startled, ready to catch him if he's as unsteady as he looks, but it's unnecessary; Stark's unfocused, wobbly, but perfectly able to stand and walk to the bed in the other room. Phil keeps a hand on his arm regardless.

Stark sits on the bed, and then seems to get lost, or distracted, not moving again until Phil pushes him gently towards the middle of the bed. He gets Stark curled up on his side, just a sliver of his back touching the sheets.

There's a chair against the wall that doesn't look too modern, so hopefully more comfortable than most of the monstrosities around here; Phil has a feeling he's going to be here a while, watching Stark come back up. He stands, about to walk away when there's a soft touch on his hand. He looks down.

Stark's arm is stretched out, his fingers just barely resting on the back of Phil's hand. He's looking up at Phil out of the corner of his eyes, head just barely turned towards him. It's a clear a request as anything spoken; stay.

"I'm not leaving," Phil tells him. "I'm not even leaving the room. I was just going to get a chair.'

There's a breath, a hesitation, Stark's hand not leaving his, and then it's gone, Stark dragging it back in, turning his face into the pillow. That was the wrong response, something about it was just... wrong.

"Stark," Phil says, leaning onto the bed. "Do you want me to stay here? On the bed? I wasn't sure you'd be comfortable with that." After all, this doesn't seem to be at all sexual for him.

Stark doesn't say anything—Phil's not entirely sure if he's nonverbal or not—but he turns his face back towards Phil a little. Doesn't quite look at him, and doesn't make a move; he's not going to ask again, not after what he obviously took as a rejection. His reactions are odd, not much like Phil had expected. Maybe it's just the subspace, but— Phil's found even that sort of personality shift has roots in something underlying.

"Alright," Phil says, and lies down next to Stark, facing him. Not quite touching, but close. He's not entirely sure what sort of thing Stark needs from him right now, and Stark's not giving him a lot to work with. Stark reaches forward, catching the end of Phil's tie; he'd unknotted it earlier but left it tucked in the collar of his shirt. Rubs it between his thumb and fingers, slowly. Tactile, Phil thinks, and he'd thought, with the way Stark fends people off, subtly and not so, that he wouldn't want that.

"You're not bad at that," Stark says, a little soft around the edges but perfectly understandable, much more coherent than Phil had expected. "Get lots of practice?"

"Thank you," Phil says. "Not really, not for a while. I don't have the time to go out."

"Yeah," Stark says, "Fury seems to be trying to run you ragged. Bouncing you here and there. What short straw did you pull that you keep getting me?"

"I don't think of it as a short straw," Phil tells him. "More a challenge, and I enjoy getting to stretch myself." That gets him a huff of laughter. He reaches out and catches Stark's chin, raising it enough Stark has to look at him.

He's still as unfocused and dazed looking as before, the same slow sweep of his eyelashes, the same easy movement as Phil touches him. "Are you normally this... active?"

"Mmm," Stark says. "I've never been the sort to shut up for long, I guess."

"That wasn't what I asked," Phil says, going quieter as he lets his tone firm up.

Stark's fingers still on Phil's tie, his eyes closing briefly. "Yes," he says. "I get chatty when I'm under, a little too chatty. I'll get quiet again in a while, stay like that until the wind up hits me."

There's definitely a submissive streak in there, even if Stark isn't willing to acknowledge it. "Wind up?"

"Everything coming back online," Stark says softly. "Reboot complete, and I'll be bursting with energy for... hours, maybe a day or two before I crash."

Crash, or drop, Phil wonders. "Is it inevitable?"

"Don't know," Stark says. "Not enough data." He goes quiet, but he's playing with Phil's tie again. Has shifted a little closer as well, his knees bumping into Phil's.

Tactile, he thinks again.

Stark moves, his head coming up until he's almost looking at Phil— is, but it's more looking through him, Stark's expression starting to go sharper, his forehead creasing. He looks at Phil for real then, meeting his eyes. Stares, for a moment, almost focused; that quietness is sliding away, leaving him looking exhausted, bruised around the eyes. And then he just— goes soft again, his gaze sliding away for a few seconds before he looks back, hard, a tic in his jaw.

He's trying to pull himself out of it, Phil realizes. It's obvious that he wants to stay there, but he's not allowing himself. Even though that was the whole point. "You don't have to do that," Phil says. "There's no rush, no schedule to keep to."

"Sure there is," Stark mutters.

"No," Phil says, and if he needs to he'll make it true. "Nothing that can't be rearranged. Don't fight it so hard, Stark."

Starks making twitchy, restless little movements, and fuck, it might be the wrong move, might yank Stark straight out of it, but it feels like Phil has to try. He puts his hand on Stark's arm, gets a good grip and rolls onto his back, pulling Stark with him.

There's a tense moment once Stark is snugged close against him, leg draped over Phil's, arm over his chest, Phil still holding onto it. Stark's head is up, staring at him. "You have nowhere else you need to be," Phil says. "Nothing else you should be doing, right this moment. I know; I'm the one making your schedule for now. Take it, Tony. I won't let it be interrupted."

For another few seconds, Phil thinks he might have made the wrong choice, that the way Stark ducks away from uninitiated contact is a truth, not a cover up. That Stark won't be able to fall back down, or trust Phil beyond the scene.

Stark shivers, and between one breath and the next, goes limp. Melts against Phil easily, leaning into that contact he obviously needs. Phil turns his head until he can see Stark's face, resting on Phil's arm and turned up. His eyes are closed, but all those little lines of tension have disappeared again. "There you go," Phil says softly. "Just like that; that's perfect." Stark shivers again, his eyes opening, and he's right back where he should be.

Phil's going to keep him there as long as he can.

He thinks, while Stark settles, watching Phil through half closed eyes. Thinks, Stark's fingers absently tapping against Phil's chest, erratic little touches. He doesn't know quite what to do with this new information, not yet. It's not something he'd expected, at all, and it runs completely counter to a few things he'd thought were solid facts. Phil considers himself an excellent judge of people, considers Natasha to be even better, and they've both misread this. They've both completely missed huge pieces of Stark's personality, and it's a little embarrassing to think they were taken in by Stark, fooled by the face he puts on for the world.

Stark's quiet, still aside from his fingers. His eyes are almost closed, lashes dark against his cheeks, ridiculously long. He shivers ever so faintly when Phil runs his hand over his back, still hot to the touch, and lets out a shaky little exhale. Phil never would have called it, but he's willing to bet Stark would be the sweetest sort of submissive, if he went down for something other than pain. "Tired?" he asks.

"Always," Stark says with a small smile, a soft thing Phil's never seen before. "Not sleepy though."

"How do you feel?"

"Better," Stark says. "Good. Really good. You did really... made it easy? Not hard? Not falling, sliding."

Definitely out of it again, Phil thinks, a little amused. Stark stumbles around what he's trying to say constantly, but not like this, not like he can't quite figure out words. "Just wanted to make sure we did get you where you needed to be," he says.

"Oh god, yes," Stark says. "I didn’t think it was going to work with you at all, but it was fast." He laughs, and it’s an actual laugh this time, low and satisfied. "It’s so quiet," he says, which Phil is going to take as a good thing even if he isn’t sure what Stark means by it.

He's quiet a while longer, and really, Phil could do with this downtime as well. Nick has been trying to have him everywhere, keeping tabs on everything. "You think Fury knows?" Stark says, distantly.

"Knows what?"

"What the answer is. Whatever the solution to this is," he says, flicking his fingers at the reactor. "Is he missing a piece he needs me to find, or is he just getting off watching me like a rat in a maze."

"I think I can say I'm sure he's not enjoying it," Phil says. Personally, he thinks Nick has a solution and just isn't happy with it, wants to see if Stark can come up with something better. And give himself some leverage if he gets to swoop in and save Stark at the end of the day.

Then again, Nick's not normally as hands on anymore for individuals. He's hard to read, but Phil's pretty sure his lack of surprise about Iron Man wasn't entirely a front; he'd already been keeping a closer eye on Stark.

"Don't know if I believe you," Stark mutters. "Sure looked like he was enjoying watching Natasha stab me."

"He might have enjoyed that," Phil admits.

"Knew it," Stark says. He seems to run down after that, going quiet again, still, not even his fingers tapping.

"I take it the box wasn't terribly helpful?" Phil asks after a bit. Something about it set Stark off, at least.

Stark sighs. "Just— junk. Not even half finished bits of things, home movies, bragging about the expo." He huffs. "Leaving messages for me, like hearing that stuff now is going to help. It would have meant something back then. He didn't build the stupid thing for me, he built it—"

Stark stiffens, his eyes going wide, snapping out of that quiet space in an instant. "Son of a bitch," he says. Scrambles up, yanking open a drawer. "I need—" he says, his words lost for a second as he pulls a shirt on. "Send someone to go find the original expo model and get it here."

"What?"

"The— the model, the thingy, you know," Stark says, keyed up. He waves his hands around. "The one from the video, there's something in it, something— he hid it, whatever it is. I need the actual thing, now."

"Alright," Phil says. "I'll get it here.

Stark pauses, glancing over at him. "Yeah," he says. "You get things done."

"So do you," Phil says, "just flashier." Stark smiles, that softer one from before that's new, and whatever it is he thinks he's found, whether or not it is the answer— he's going to figure this out.

Phil just has to keep him together until he does.

[spencers-dria]

Instinct

Someone To Stay Ch. 11

Content/Trigger Warnings: violence/guns/blood

I close my eyes in an attempt to get any amount of sleep possible before the jet lands. After a night full of tossing and turning, we got called in on a case in Washington State. Of course this means delaying a talk with Y/N about last night. I tried to convince myself it was nothing, so why can't I stop thinking about it.

It was just alcohol right? People do and say all kinds of crazy things while they're drinking, things they usually regret the next day. Maybe she won't want to speak about it at all. Ugh, how am I supposed to focus on a serial killer when my mind is so clouded with personal drama. I'm going to have to find a way to compartmentalize. While I'm with the team, it will be all business. I can find time to sort through my personal issues at the hotel tonight.

Finally giving up on getting any extra sleep at all, I sit up from the bench and move to a window seat across from Morgan. He's the only one who seems to still be awake. His eyes are closed but he's tapping his hands to whatever music he's listening to on his headphones, so I decide to let him be.

I find myself staring out the window, at the city lights down below. There's something really magical about the way things look from up here. I snap my head up when I hear a noise beside me. Morgan slides over a fresh cup of coffee. I hadn't even noticed him getting up. I must really be out of it.

"Reid." I note the seriousness in his voice, the lack of nickname use. "What's going on with you? You hardly spoke during the case briefing?"

I simply shrug, continuing to stare out the window as I sip on the fresh cup of coffee. I can tell he put in extra sugar, the way I usually make it.

"Is this about last night? About Y/N?"

I set my coffee in my lap as I stare into it, almost as if waiting for it to give me answers.

"I don't... I don't really know." I sigh.

"We haven't talked about what happened. We pretty much just said goodnight and I left. Then we got called in on the case."

"Is there something going on between you two?"

He wiggles his eyebrows at me, in a typical Derek Morgan fashion.

I shake my head. "No, at least I don't think so. There wasn't but after last night...I don't know what to think."

"Do you want there to be?"

I feel nerves building up in my stomach, the same ones I had on the dance floor last night. My thoughts drift to how she looked, how I felt, how easy it was being around her, how I couldn't stop smiling.

I know my face is turning red again.

"I don't know. Maybe..."

Derek let's out a long sigh and leans over to pat my shoulder. "You'll figure it out, pretty boy. You are a genius after all."

I can't help but laugh. I feel a little better, knowing that someone else knows what I'm going through, without having to say more than a few words. That's the great thing about Derek, he gets me. He teases and jokes but at the end of the day. He's always there. Before I realize it, I've drifted off into the sleep I had so desperately been craving.

I wake to the jet finally entering descent. The sun has come up and the rest of the team is awake. I glance at my watch to see the clock read 7 AM. I decide to send Y/N a quick text. I don't need her thinking I ran off after what happened.

Y/N

Spencer: I got called in on a case. I'll let you know when we get back so we can have another movie night.

Y/N: Order of the Phoenix?

Spencer: Of Course! :)

After getting settled at the police station, I start to go through the files. It's a small town and they don't have much to give us. It shouldn't take me more than 30 minutes to read through any relevant information.

The rest of the team returns to the station later that evening with updates from the autopsy, the locations where the victims where taken and where their bodies were dumped.

It isn't long before we put together a solid profile: Male, late twenties to early thirties, confident online but incredibly insecure when speaking with women in person, feels emasculated by powerful women in his life, job requires extensive knowledge of the local wooded areas, takes his victims by surprise and knocks them out before making cuts and marks all over the bodies, leaving them in public places to be seen, shaming them the way he feels shamed.

We spend the next morning narrowing down the suspect list. I feel like I'm on the brink of a break through, when my thoughts are interrupted by Hotch.

"JJ, Morgan, go back to the site where our latest victim, Victoria, was taken off the hiking trail. See if you can figure out how he targets and approaches them. Blake and Reid, start questioning some of the friends of our most likely suspect, Mr. George Kelly. They may know where you can find him. Start with the ex girlfriend. Rossi and I are going to call the friends and families in to see how much they can remember."

Thirty minutes later, Agent Blake and I are pulling into the driveway of a small house, set a ways away from the road. We step out of the car to the sound of nothing but the wind in the trees. As we approach the front door, each of us keeps a hand tentatively on our holster, just in case.

After three sharp knocks, Blake announces herself.

"Ms. Hutchinson, This is Agent Blake with the FBI. We need to speak with you."

After a few moments, there is still nothing but silence. "Ms. Hutchinson, we are looking for your ex boyfriend Mr. Kelly. We just want to talk."

Dead silence.

Blake and I give each other a knowing nod as she stays at the front door, I approach the back, gun in hand. I make my way around the house, taking in all of my surroundings, looking and listening for anything out of the ordinary.

As soon as I turn the last corner, I lock eyes with George Kelly, standing on the back porch with a gun held to the head of his ex. I quickly swallow the lump on my throat and focus all possible energy on deescalating the situation.

"Mr. Kelly" I speak loud enough to alert Blake to the situation, knowing she may already be inside.

I slowly lower my gun into its holster. I see something in his eyes I have seen before. This man does not want to kill her.

"Mr. Kelly my name is Dr. Spencer Reid, and I'm here to help you. But I need you to put the gun down, okay? You see me putting mine down? I don't want to hurt you. I just want to talk."

"No! No you'll just kill me! You think I don't know what you'll do to me for what I've done! I hurt people! But I don't wanna die!"

Tears start to spill over from his eyes as the gun shakes in his hand.

"George, I know. I know you don't want to die. You don't have to. It's ok. Just let Anna go so we can talk about this. I know you don't want to hurt her. She never hurt you. She only appreciated you right? She made you feel special. She never belittled you or emasculated you like other women, did she?"

He starts to sob and shake but his hand never leaves the gun or the girl. Through the window, I see Blake making her way slowly through the house, trying not to alert him to her presence.

"Fine! Leave your gun! Leave it right there on the ground, and come get her!"

I know this is a bad idea. He's clearly unstable. All my FBI training is getting set aside, but I have to try right...I have to try to save her. I slowly remove my gun from the holster as a lower it to the ground. I start to take a couple steps away. I can see his grip loosening on her.

I take a couple more steps toward the porch and the girl is finally able to run toward me. She wraps her arms around me and begins to sob, and I quickly realize I've made a mistake. Seeing his ex cling to me has triggered something in the unsub. I see a fierce look enter his eyes as his hold on the gun steadies.

Out of instinct I turn the girl in my arms away, with my back to the gunman, shoving us both down on the ground, praying silently in my head that Blake will be able to react quick enough. Before I hit the ground I feel a sharp sting in my shoulder.

There's a ringing in my ears as I feel my head go fuzzy. I quickly scramble for my phone to call back up. I look up from where I'm laying in the dirt to see Blake handcuffing our unsub.

The girl and the killer, both still alive. And so am I. I let my head fall to the ground as a take in a deep breath of relief and exhaustion. Hotch finally answers as I update him on our current whereabouts and situation. Before the phone calls ends I can feel myself start to fade a bit. I look down to finally see just how much blood I have been losing. There's a puddle of red slowly spreading, running through the dirt and grass. I suppose the adrenaline numbed my awareness of what was going on. My eyelids are suddenly heavy as I struggle to stay awake. In the background I hear Hotch's voice on the phone fading, mixed with the growing sound of sirens.

"Reid? Reid? Reid are you okay? Reid what's happening?"

[clairecrive]

Come back (Part 2)

It has been highly requested and here it is! Buckle up, because this image is very very long.

Tag: @mschellehitt

***

Crap Crap Crap, did I already say crap?

I couldn't imagine a more embarrassing situation.

Maybe he's just arrived and he hasn't heard anything. Yeah, that's possible.

Clinging desperately onto this possibility, I act like nothing compromising has happened and I smile and wave at him like I normally would.

He doesn't react, his face still emotionless while he starts walking towards our table. So I turn back so that I was facing Elijah.

He was the only reason why I wasn't freaking out. With him present, the conversation couldn't turn too personal, right?

But as always, nothing goes like I want and when I turn around, I see that Elijah is about to stand up.

"What are you doing?" I ask worried

"You two need to talk, I'm going to leave you alone." he says and stands up when Klaus is standing beside me

I stand up too, in hope to convince him to stay with a panicked expression but he doesn't budge. Stubborn stubborn man, ugh.

Instead he gives me a big smile and a tight hug to reassure me.

"It's going to be okay, just be honest with him. Don't be afraid." he whispers in my ear before pulling away.

He gives a nod of recognition to Klaus and leaves us alone.

I quickly sit back down, to avoid his eyes. I had already drunk my coffe but I thought that staying in a public place is better for this kind of situation.

He also sits down and doesn't utter a word. I can feel his eyes on me though so, before he could ask anything I break the silence trying to do a little small inoffensive talk.

"It's a beautiful morning, isn't it?"I ask. Lame I know but whatever.

"Indeed it is." he replies

Great intervention, 100 for the effort.

"It's the perfect weather to do an outdoor activity. Do you have anything planned for today?" I dare to ask.

I mean it's still a safe question but only now I realize that his answer could involve his girlfriend.

"It's not exactly an outdoor activity but I was thinking about some truth spilling. What do you think?" he says hinting at my previous conversation with Elijah not so delicately.

"Well, I mean if you have something on your chest then yes, go for it." I cluelessly reply

"I like to believe that I'm always very forward in my relationships. However,there is someone among us that needs to let something off their chest, but it's not me."

Shit, shit shit.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I mutter in a weak and lame attempt to keep up pretenses.

He angrily hits the table startling me and getting the everyone's attention. I should have seen this coming, he has a bit of a temper. Just a little bit.

"Enough with these lies. Since when have you been lying to my face? After everything that we've been through, don't you think I deserve to know the truth?" he asks apparently fed up with my lies

I had hoped to never have this conversation with him because I knew that if had had it, I wouldn't have known what to say.

I know he's hurt by my lies, and that was never my intention. Our relationship has always been based on mutual trust and honesty. So I guess his reaction is not so dramatic after all.

Now I'm faced with a choice, do I tell him the truth consequently putting me on the front line, or do I just dismiss this conversation by leaving?

Would he let me leave though? And more importantly, do I have the strength to get up and leave him here knowing that this is my last chance with him?

The internal battle was pretty clear but as cliché as it sounds, as soon as I looked into his beautiful enticing blue eyes, I knew that I couldn't leave him here or lie to him anymore.

I've already hurt him enough, he deserves an explanation.

I take a deep breath and leaning away from him towards the back of the chair I nod, letting him know that I was going to tell him what he wanted.

After that, a couple of minutes pass in silence, in my vain attempt to find the right words. But I mean, what better words than those who come form the heart?

"Before I say anything, I want you to know that if I didn't tell you anything it's because I thought it was the best thing for you. I haven't exactly been lying to you, but I do have been omitting some things. I don't know how much you've heard before, but I'm going to start from the beginning." I start explaining looking at him

"I think you probably know this, but I don't trust people easily. I'm sure you understand, although it's not for the same reason. When I'm getting to know someone, and we get along well I almost immediately get attached to them. After a while, I saw that this was not good for me seeing as almost everyone I've ever met has screwed me over. So, I guess you could call it a defense mechanism, but now I only let some people in and after a while." I open up to him. My voice was very low but I didn't worry about not being heard for his supernatural hearing and all that.

"I think it's safe to say that you and your family were let in. Pretty much after a day I've met you. And before you ask, no I don't regret it, I do trust you and you all know that. By now, I'm sure you're wondering, so where's the problem?" I rhetorically ask him

His eyes never left mine during this time so I know he was following me. Now shit gets real and I don't have it in me to look at him while I confess this. So I decide to play with the cup of coffee in my hands.

"The thing is, that now we enter in a new field kinda. I'm not ashamed to admit that I've never been in a serious relationship. The only guy I've ever trusted enough to let him completely in (no pun intended) has royally screwed me over and thrown my trust for guys into the bin. Since then, I've never been romantically involved with anyone. And I was fine with it, really. But then you came into my life and everything changed, cliché I know." I pause for a moment because I hear him chuckle and oh boy how I missed that sound.

"Well, almost everything. You see, I'm still scared that things will end on the worst terms and I don't want that. Not with you." At this, I can't help myself but glance at him. His look on me was so intense that I wondered how come I haven't melted yet.

"Yes, I do have feelings for you. Yes, I guess it would make me very happy to be with you. But that's not the point. I realized it too late, I let my fear win and now I've lost you. I didn't want to tell you because it's not fair to you, you've found a beautiful girl that makes you happy. I was too late, end of the story." I finish still not looking at him.

When I do though, his gaze was almost scheming, like he was figuring something out. I look at him in silence, giving him the chance to take all of this in.

After a while, when I was ready to admit defeat and retreat into my house of losers, he smiles leaving me breathless and speechless.

He's always read me like an open book, even better than Elijah, so my bewilderment was pretty evident for him. That's why he let out a little laugh.

He leans towards me and takes my hands off the cup and into his before speaking.

"You know I'd never hurt you, right?" he asks

"That's beside the point, Klaus. I'm not worried that you'd hurt me, not voluntarily at least" I admit

"Then what are you afraid of?"

"What if you get bored of me? What if you get fed up with me and fall in love with someone else? I mean, you do have eternity after all, so why would you settle with boring plain me?" I explain

"Why wouldn't I?" he smartly asks

"The question is, why would you? I'm sure you can find someone better than me. Maybe you've already found her." I hit at his current girlfriend.

"You know, I think that your fear is not the problem here, rather it's your non-existent self-confidence." Ehm, what?

"You once told me that in order to make another love you, you should love yourself first. But you see, that's not quite right. Yes, you should love yourself but if you don't yet that doesn't mean that no one will too." he says not really waiting for a reply

"I love you, I've loved you since the first time I saw you. It took me a little to figure that out, you know me and my paranoia."

"It's okay to be scared, I am too. I've never done this with anyone either. Didn't you think that I could be afraid of losing you too?" he asks now waiting for me to answer

"No, I didn't." I admit

"I really wish you would have told me all of this earlier, it would have saved us some time." he finally says.

"I know, I'm too late." I say trying to pull my hands away from his. But his grip is strong and prevents me from doing so.

"No, you're not. There's no such thing as 'being too late'. Haven't you heard me before when I told you I love you?" he asks

"So what exactly are you saying?"I timidly ask.

"I'm saying that if you come back to me, I'll come back to you." He says with a smile making my heart flutter

I can't believe this, how I was blessed with this amazing guy still goes over my head.

"And what about your girlfriend? I don't want to be 'the other girl'" I state making him laugh

"There's no girlfriend. She's just a really good friend. You're the only one for me since the moment you walked into my life." he sweetly admits

"Oh please, enough with the cheesiness. You're lucky I love you" I lightheartedly admit. It felt so good to finally admit my feelings out loud, it was so freeing. It was amazing. He was amazing.

He doesn't reply right away, probably enjoying the fact that I had finally said that I loved him too.

"I love you too, Y/N." he says and leans towards me. I also lean towards him to meet him halfway and our lips finally meet in a beautiful kiss full of love and longing.

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

Hi everyone!

I'm so happy that you've loved this idea that I've decided to post part 2 as soon as I could

Just joking, but I would like to take to this opportunity not only to thank every single one of my readers but also to let you know that I deeply enjoy writing request. It really makes me feel appreciated as a writer.

So yeah, if you have a request do let me know and if not well just let me know what you think of this imagine.

Byee

[rainycl0udss]

Chapter 2;

The party of the year

//When can I say "I love you"?//

Written part!

Word count; 2843

Moons pov

It has been two hours since we arrived at the Halloween party and I already managed to lose my friends.

Again.

I stand at the bar alone and look around the crowd. I absolutely hate crowds.

I pick up my glass of water and move to go and find my friends.

This is the last time that I'm giving in to them. I knew it was a bad idea.

They were kinda right that I don't spend that much time with them anymore but that isn't my fault. I'm just really busy with school. Music isn't going to produce itself and films aren't going to shoot themselves either. It's alot of work, definitely if I want to keep my scholarship. I can't afford to lose it. Daniel always tells me he would pay for my studies and that I should enjoy myself, but I know he doesn't have the money to do so. Plus I am perfectly enjoying myself in the studio.

My thoughts are interrupted when I suddenly hear someone yell my name.

"MOON!"

I look around to see where the voice is coming from.

Then I feel a hand on my shoulder.

I turn around to identify the person who just touched me.

"Here you are, I've been looking for you."

It was Jae-hwa. And what does she mean, she been looking for me. I have been looking for her.

"Jae, where have YOU been? I've been looking for YOU. Where are Mimi and Yun?" I ask her.

"Well..." She stared.

I can already feel that something happened. Something I probably don't want to know and definitely don't want to get involved in.

"... Mimi drank a bit too much..." She continues.

" When does she not drink too much?" I tel her while rolling my eyes.

"She dank so much that right now she's puking in the bathroom." Jae finishes.

I just sigh.

Honestly I'm not even surprised anymore at this point. Mimi always drinks too much. It was bound to happen at some point that she was going to puke it all out.

"Are you serious right now?" I sigh.

"Yeah and it doesn't look to good." Jae notes.

"Wait a hot second, why are you here when Mimi is puking her guts out in the bathroom? Couldn't you better have stayed with her?" I ask

"I didn't leave her there alone you moron, Yun is with her." She informs me.

"That's the same as leaving her alone. Or am I wrong?" I argue.

There falls a short silence between us. Or well, as silent as it can get at a party in a club.

The silence only confirms that I am right.

"She didn't look that drunk yet..." Jae mumbles after a while.

"Let's just fetch those two drunk bastards and go home, I've had enough." I decide.

Jae just nobs at me and pulls me along to the bathroom.

This is exactly why I hate going out. So much people. So much noice. Strangers making out with other strangers and let's not forget Dumbass friends who are picking all over the place.

We finally arrive at the bathrooms.

"Jae, Moon tHerE you GuYs aRe." Yun slurs out.

Yep, she is definitely drunk"

"Eumm... She WaS hErE jusT a MomeNt aGo." Yun giggles.

"Yun? Are you trying to tell me you lost Mimi? Because I hope to God you are not." Jae barks

Well, this ain't good. Not at all. This is bad.

Yun doesn't seems to be bothered at all by the turn of events.

"I dIdN't lOse hEr, I jUsT doN't knOw wHerE sHe is." Yun tries to argue.

Key word; tries.

"YUN! You are supposed to be the oldest here!" Jae angerly yells out.

"I shouldn't have left you both alone.." she then mumbles.

Just before Jae has the chance to start yelling again I hear an all to familiar voice.

"Guys here you are." I hear a cheerful voice say. It's none other then Mimi herself. She sounds oddly happy for just puking her guts out.

"Mimi! Where were you? Why the fuck would you just leave?" Jae yells. Ones again.

I have a feeling we will be going home soon.

I like that feeling.

"I didn't leave, I just went to another bathroom stall. Mine was a little dirty from, you know.." Mimi replies rather calmly.

At this point I'm not sure whether she is completely wasted or wether she actually sobered up a little.

"Let's just all calm down and try to stay together for the rest of the party, alright?" Mimi suggests.

"Or how about we just get the fuck out of here and go home?" I hint.

"I lIke MimiS iDea bEtTer." Yun replies.

"Nobody asked for your opinion Soo-Yun." Jae hisses.

I hear Jae sigh.

That is not good.

"I'm JuSt saYiNg, I waNna sTay sO I cAn trY anD fInd My SouLmAtE. Isn't tHat WhY we cAmE in ThE fiRsT pLaCe?" Yun slurs out.

That probably means we'll be here for a while. This sucks.

"I guess you have a point there, I don't wanna die alone either." Jae agrees after a second.

"Let's get to the dance floor bitches!" Mimi then yells out and pulls me with her in the direction of the dance floor.

This night is turning out to suck even more then I thought it would. That statement alone says it all.

"I'm just gonna sit over there yeah?" I excuse myself while sneaking away from Mimi.

Without waiting for a response I turn around and walk over to the bar.

If I'm going to be here for the rest of the night then I at least deserve a good drink.

And here I am, ones again, alone at the bar with a drink in my hand. This time I at least know where my idiotic friends are. I look up at the dance floor to see all three of them moving their bodies in the rhythm of the music.

Lord do I hate parties. I do have to say that the dj isn't that bad. The music sounds good mixed up. But I guess you don't need to be a pro to be able to do that.

An hour later and I'm still in the same spot I was in the hour before.

I've got to say, things didn't escalate.

Yet.

I look up from my third drink of the evening. Only to see Yun grinding on a guy, Mimi making out with a guy and I can't see Jae at the moment.

I sigh ones again.

I'm way to sober for this shit. But I can't get drunk right now. That would mean I would be hungover tomorrow and tomorrow I have a bunch of stuff to do.

I take the last sip of my drink before I put it down on the bar.

Sometimes I really question why I'm friends with them. I guess because I literally don't talk to anyone else but them. We also have known each other since highschool, so that might be another reason why.

I get pulled out of my thoughts when I hear an unfamiliar female voice on my right side.

"What are you doing here on your own?" The female voice asks me gently.

I look up to the side and look right into some soft brown eyes.

"Eum., I eum I just don't really feel like eum feel like dancing." I stutter out.

I mentally face palm. Damn Moon, you can't even talk to another girl.

"Did you come here alone?" The gentle voice asks me.

"Eum.. no I'm here with my friends." I reply as steady as possible.

"That's good to hear, I've seen you sitting there for over an hour doing nothing at all. I got a little worried so I thought I should come up and ask you." The gentle woman explains.

"That is very considerate of you unnie." I smile up at the gentle female.

"Oh no, where are my manners. My name is Areum, you can call me Ari unnie." The gentle voice tells me, who I now know belongs to Areum.

"It is nice to meet you Ari unnie, I'm Moon." I introduce myself.

"Nice to meet you Moon, so, what are you doing here alone?" Ari unnie asks me again.

I sigh for the one hundred time this night.

"I'm not really a party person, but sadly my friends are. So they convinced me to come along with them. I'm regretting it tho." I ramble.

"Sounds like a pain." Unnie giggles.

I laugh at her statement.

"It is a pain." I laugh a little.

"Do you want another drink?" Unnie asks me.

"No thank you unnie, I can't afford to get drunk tonight, I've got alot of work to do tomorrow. I also have to stay sober because I'm fairly sure I'll have to dive tonight. Let's not forget my friends who I have to look after. I'm their babysitter after all." I ramble on.

"Not trying to find your Soulmate?" Unnie asks curiously.

"I'm not really churching for them .." I begin.

"Oh? That's unusual. Why not?" She wonders.

"Well, if I'm meant to be with my soulmate I believe I will find them without trying. Why try so hard when it should happen naturally. And even if it wouldn't find them, I wouldn't really care...." I explain.

"That is an interesting way of seeing it. I do understand your philosophy, many people just see it different then you do." She responds

Most people think it's weird that I don't want to find my soulmate. They all think I don't give a fuck, even tho that is partly true, it isn't completely the truth. I wouldn't mind finding my soulmate, I just don't think I should do such an extensive church for them. I want to be together with a person because I like them for who they are, not just because they're my soulmate.

I get pulled out of my thoughts when I hear Ari unnie continue.

"Although, I do know someone who thinks the same as you." She recalls

"Tell them I agree and that they're not the only ones who are strange." I reply while I giggle a little.

We talked for probably an hour like this.

We talked about anything really. She told me about her friends and her husband. Apparently she's already married to her Soulmate. She doesn't look that old tho?

Overall, I was actually enjoying myself.

I look up at the dance floor ones again to check what my friends are doing, only to find out that I no longer see any of my friends anymore.

You can't be serious right now.

I literally don't look for five minutes and they're gone.

"I'm really sorry Unnie, but I really have to find my friends. I can't see them at the moment and God knows what they're doing right now." I inform her.

"But ofcourse Moon, I didn't mean to hold you up at all." Ari unnie expresses.

"You did not hold me up at all Unnie, I actually quite enjoyed talking to you." I confess quickly.

I definitely don't want her to think she was bothering me. I'm happy it was her who started talking to me instead of some random guy who tries to get in my pants.

"Why don't you come to my coffee shop sometime, I'd really like to talk to you again." She smiles at me.

"You own a coffee shop?" I ask her surprised. She doesn't look that old.

She only looks a year or two older then me. I guess it's possible to own a coffee shop at such a young age, it's just very surprising.

I think she could see the surprise on my face because she stared to laugh before she started to talk.

"You seem rather surprised that I own a shop." She continues laughing.

"I'm sorry Unnie but you just look rather young, not much older then me and I'm only 20..." I mutter.

"Oh dear, I'm 26 years old right now. So that is not that near your age as you think." She smiles at me.

"But thank you for thinking I look so young." She continues.

Suddenly I hear someone yell, I'm pretty sure they're telling my name.

"MOON?!" Yep, that's my call.

"I hear you have to go to the rescue. And who am I to stay in your way " unnie jokes.

"But before you go, my shop is called Blooming, please do consider coming." She says quickly while waving at me as she leaves.

"I definitely will unnie, thank you!" I yell while walking away from her.

She was very nice, I honestly enjoyed talking to her. She is probably the best part of this night.

"Moon, jUsT wHo I nEedeD." The slurring voice from Mimi says.

I already regret leaving the bar.

"What do you need me for Mimi?" I elaborate.

"I tHinK it'S tImE to Go hOme And yOu neEd to drIve." She tries to explain to me.

Ofcourse that's why. I'm actually rather happy that she wants to go home, Because I do too.

"Where is the rest?" I ask her because there is no sign of Yun or Jae.

"Jae is AlreAdy By tHe car." She responds

"Oke that's good, where is Soo-Yun?" I imply.

"I'm..... Not sUrE..." She mumbles to herself.

I facepalm.

Did they seriously lose each other again. This is ridiculous.

"Just..eum.. just go to the car and wait in the car with Jae yes? I'll just go and find Soo-Yun..." I begin to explain to her.

But I soon realize my idea is very bad.

There is no way she would find the car on her own.

Fucking great.

"Nevermind, I'm bringing you to the car and you'll wait there." I reply quickly and drag her with me to the car.

Ones we arrive at the car I see Jae sitting next to the car on the ground.

"Get of the ground and get your asses in the car." I exclame frustrated.

Luckily both of them do as I say and get in the car.

I close the door and walk back to the party.

Great, now I have to find that little midget in here.

Then I feel a hand on my shoulder.

I turn around and am faced with very familiar soft brown eyes.

It's Ari unnie.

"You seem stressed my little coffee bean, what's the problem? Can't find your friends?" She asks rather worried.

Wait, did she just call little coffee bean?

Nevermind that, I've got no time for that, I need to find Soo-Yun and get us home.

"You can say that, I only can't find one. The others are already in the car." I try to explain quickly to her.

"Want me to help you out a little?" She asks me.

I don't think I've ever been so happy with help that I have been offered.

"That would be very kind if you want to help me." I practically marvel.

She gives me a kind smile and nobs as a sign for me to keep walking.

It didn't take us to long to find her, only about ten minutes. I think that's a new record.

After Ari unnie and I found Yun, we walk to the car.

I have no idea what the hell she has drunk this evening and I have a sneaking suspicion that I don't want to know.

One thing is for sure, it was way to much.

Ones all three of them are in the car I turn to Areum.

"I can't thank you enough for helping me out." I cry out.

"Absolutely no problem little coffee bean, I'm happy to help. But can I ask for a little favor?" She chimes

"Ofcourse unnie, what do you need? You want a lift home?" I ramble.

"No coffee bean I don't need a lift home, I've got one but thank you anyway." She smiles at me.

I urge her to continue talking.

"You have to promise and come by my shop, yes? I'd really like to have a coffee with you little coffee bean." She grins.

She then gives me a small cart with an address on it and contact information.

"Ofcourse unnie, i promise to come next week." I promise her.

She seems pleased with my answer and gives me a hug before going back to the party.

After she left I get in the car and drive the four of us home.

Ones we're home I get everyone to their room and then go to mine.

I actually had some fun tonight.

That's a first.

I dress up in my PJs and jump in my bed.

I look at my phone and notice it's already 03:18 am.

I had no idea it was that late already.

I lay down in my bed and turn on my alarm.

Tomorrow morning is going to be a pain.

<<Previous// //Next>>

🏷️Tags;

[punkscowardschampions]

Bea & Bronson

Bea: Hey Bronson: You don't have to Bea: I do, though Bea: it's important, your feelings are important, I acted otherwise, so you have to know that's not how it is, how I see things Bronson: Yours are too Bronson: I know you weren't seeing things clear last night Bronson: Call it forgotten Bea: Fuck that Bea: I know there's no forgetting Bea: and I know I've broken your trust and there's no getting it back Bea: but please, let me rebuild something Bea: I only did it because you're important to me Bronson: important in what way though Bronson: we aren't gonna be that Bea: No Bea: not like that, I don't want that Bea: I don't even want what I did, not really, I know that's just words when I did it but I swear to fucking God Bea: you're my best friend, my only friend, frankly Bea: it's a distancing thing...you know Bea: make you like him, put you in that box, that way I can see it as a good thing when I lose you Bea: but you don't deserve to be tarred with that brush, so I am, I'm really sorry Bronson: I've been around C & R long enough to see some fucked up boxes Bronson: and not walk off Bronson: I'm not doing that to you Bea: It probably won't be you Bea: that'd be me too Bea: I can't sustain shit Bea: I did the same to them, you know Bea: but they don't care so I didn't have to feel bad about it, got to be selfish Bronson: and they never bragged about it in my earshot...whoa Bronson: blessing or curse Bronson: I mean, if I was gonna, you'd get first dibs, but let's not make it weirder like Bea: Guess they give enough of a shit about you to not put that weird on you Bea: little did they know...ha Bronson: I mean they have made some offers over the years Bronson: But we were a lot younger Bronson: And the flashbacks only occur sometimes lol Bea: Didn't mean to add to the PTSD Bronson: You're off the christmas card list but you can still come for drinks Bronson: Nobody needs the newsletter and cringey family photo really Bea: Bron Bea: stop making it a joke if it ain't Bronson: I don't know how else to deal Bronson: You're not a club random Bea: You could tell me what you wanna tell them Bea: might help Bronson: I don't see it, you didn't have those motives Bea: Wanna violate my trust somehow Bea: hack me Bronson: Sure Bronson: Scope out that inbox Bea: go for it, serious Bea: #exposed Bronson: Am I gonna go further down the PTSD rabbit hole by catching sight of your nudes? Bronson: You can delete but they won't go Bea: I mean Bea: perhaps best to swerve my texts then Bea: uni emails Bea: ooh the scandal Bronson: Fix your grades while I'm there Bronson: 100 or nothing Bea: 🎯 Bea: Too good, you Bronson: Then, you'll owe me solidly, there's my angle Bronson: 👀 Bronson: Express your gratitude in a manner we won't have to run from and everything's normal again Bea: Anything you want Bea: WANT being the keyword there Bea: no funny business ever again Bronson: Swear on what you hold dearest Bronson: I can make those grades go down easy peasy Bea: Hmm, myself? Bronson: Those are my terms Bronson: 'Cause I can't stutter a no out don't mean a yes 😂 remember that going forward Bea: DON'T Bronson: too soon Bea: always too soon to be assaulting people Bronson: I'll stop smacking you with these punchlines in a minute like Bronson: Living with those two scallys too long Bronson: Not too soon to think about moving out Bea: You'd miss the mess you bless Bea: having your stuff knicked, constant undesirable and unknown visitors, all the noise and drama Bronson: I'll miss you if you do one after this botched reconciliation Bronson: You're my fave hot mess they ever brought back, Judes Bea: Don't make me cry Bea: this mascara is 22quid a pop Bronson: We'd be close to even Bronson: I'm worth at least that Bea: How rude of me to suggest otherwise Bea: but the foundation, the blush Bea: adding up Bronson: 💸 Bronson: Gotta get Ronaldo to teach you everything she knows about 🖐 discounts Bea: I think John Lewis would see her coming from a mile off, babe Bronson: There's a reason I have no fucking idea what one looks like inside Bea: like you're inside a upper middle class home but the bitch is also selling avon Bronson: 😂 Bronson: Take me there girl Bronson: I wanna see this Bea: Get you a pot of tea and a slice of something nice if you behave Bronson: I can be bought Bea: No judgment Bea: can't we all Bronson: Bring me coffee and all will be forgiven like Bronson: I've got the headache to end all 'em Bea: 😱 you? never! Bea: surprised you're not caning the red bulls already you animal Bronson: I would be if there was any left Bronson: hot commodity in this household Bea: 🤢 you are garbage people Bronson: You missed a trick not calling us monsters 😂 Bronson: It's early but you're a 🤓 Bea: I'm not gonna stoop to such levels Bea: any time of the day Bronson: Not gonna say your forgiveness depends on it Bea: Good Bea: not gonna change who I am, babe Bronson: Can't either Bea: Noted Bronson: But I'm not trying to change you, note that Bea: I know Bronson: Your man might Bronson: But I'm not going that deep into your inbox Bea: At least I don't have to tell him Bea: unless I drunkenly did Bea: bitch you better not have Bronson: I remember taking your phone at some point Bronson: If you're drunk enough to let me that's trouble Bea: 😬 Bea: Oh great Bronson: Get me his phone and it'll be like nothing ever happened Bea: idk if my skills of persuasion are gonna match his rage rn Bea: or pay for the first class postage Bronson: Quick trip to Ireland to buy my forgiveness and do some petty thievery could be a plan Bea: how is this for your forgiveness Bea: its entirely for me Bea: too pure Bronson: I need a- uh- Bronson: Guinness and Lucky Charms Bea: 😏 as cultured as I expected Bronson: Whoa there, I've seen that Leprechaun film with Rachel from Friends in it Bronson: Putting the cult in culture lol Bronson: 😂 Bea: Oh God Bea: 🤓 for all things trash Bronson: Blame the trash queen herself Bronson: A slut for shite horror Bea: I'll take great delight in telling her her Mum is just the same Bronson: Start saving for a headstone now I will Bea: she's gotta face facts some day Bronson: She'd sooner spite her face violently Bronson: We all know it Bea: 🤞 Bea: whaddya think I'm aiming for Bronson: Not to get Charlie about it but peas in a pod you two Bea: how dare you Bronson: face them faces, Judy baby Bea: Dick Bea: Now either way, I prove your point Bea: 😒 Bronson: You might be a smarty pants but I'm a smart arse like Bea: think of some witty retorts for Fraze then and go at it Bea: 'cos I can't face that yet Bronson: Time to build another fort and hide you in it Bea: gonna have to take up permanent residence at this fucking rate Bea: kick Tommy out of my old box room, that's not my graduate plan Bronson: Shack up with you like you're my actual missus Bronson: bedsits are very affordable Bronson: leave Fraze in the dust and forget the awkward convo looming Bea: Ha Bea: not exactly the plan either Bea: as much as I LOVE what you lads have done with the place 😽 Bronson: I'm not as house trained as poshos need theirs to be but not the pup they treat me like Bronson: We'd manage on our own, hun Bronson: love conquers all Bea: 💘 Bea: You're ridiculous Bronson: You need me Bronson: Too sensible by half Bea: 😏 Not gonna deny or accuse you of mixed messages BUT Bronson: Victim blaming isn't the way back into anyone's good books, love 😂 Bea: 🤷 Bea: don't want you to get the wrong idea Bronson: My ideas are fixed Bronson: No changing this mind Bea: that impenetrable firewall, I get it Bronson: Yeah Bea: Don't even be impressed by my nerd talk then, bitch Bronson: You can better Bronson: And we're trying to swerve pillow talk Bea: Look, I can't help being the best k Bronson: Back at you Bronson: Hard life being irresistible and unattainable like but I'm styling it out as effortless Bea: Ahh Bea: the one goal I can never reach Bronson: You're up there for me Bronson: If we stick together you've done it Bea: Safe to say I proved that I can't Bea: whore that I am Bronson: You're my whore Bronson: Stick around Bea: Who could say no? Bea: Such a charmer Bea: can't go in my inbox nevermind home anyway Bronson: Say the word and I'll clear it or pack a bag Bronson: Whichever Bea: Cheers, Bron Bea: what's the morning after without some drama to sort Bea: be at a loose end without it Bronson: Rather wipe your texts than clear up after the motley two Bronson: Disgusting Bea: Eurgh Bea: Don't even wanna think about them Bronson: How strong are the flashbacks? Bronson: I don't wanna think about that Bea: Why did you ask then 😂 Bronson: I'm a caring son of a bitch Bronson: And nosy Bea: Fair and fair Bea: wasn't that bad but not needing to repeat, is the answer Bea: but keep that on the DL Bea: not having them think I'M more repulsive than they are Bronson: I would but I feel like R's got that tattooed on her cause its such a legit review Bronson: Revolving door for her lack of repeat custom Bea: Well Bea: 'cept one Bronson: Let's not start Bronson: Enough of a headache without going there Bea: 2nd that Bronson: Onward to John Lewis Bronson: How much scandal can follow us around there realistically Bronson: We're well safe Bea: unlikely they're gonna want us to stock 'em up on overpriced knitwear Bronson: Trying to sell that on for anything but a loss would be an even worse headache Bronson: It's a no from me Bea: aw but you'd look adorable Bea: and sexless, more importantly Bronson: Would I though? Bronson: Or would I look quality in a bit of salmon pink Bronson: Trying to make me a target for the older crowd so I wouldn't turn you down next time, is it? Bea: 🤢🖕 Bea: nice bit of argyle Bea: golf chinos Bronson: 🏌 Bronson: a look Bea: if you wanna be some daddy's caddy Bronson: And risk taking Charlie's gig Bea: you know i know he knows he's past his prime Bronson: Yeah but I'm not trying to take his place in my mine Bea: Your loss booboo Bronson: Theirs Bronson: My daddy issues don't go that hard Bea: Worst luck Bronson: Like in the rankings I'm the worst horse to bet on if you want that action, dads Bronson: Pay my bills and get nothing back if that's your deal otherwise its a strike out Bea: save all this time I'm wasting on uni, eh Bronson: I haven't got a leg to stand on agreeing cause I'm still showing up myself Bronson: Half the time Bea: 👏 Bea: get you Bronson: someone's gotta show up to tell the rest to turn the computers off and on again Bronson: be a hero Bea: ⭐ for you Bronson: High five Bronson: We're killing it Bea: gotta slay in at least one area Bea: even if the rest is going to shit Bronson: I can't tell you not to feel bad about last night but I am Bea: I'm glad we're alright Bronson: You gotta get right by talking to freckles though Bronson: Rip off the plaster Bea: Yeah Bea: John Lewis first though, eh Bea: cheer myself with expensive crap when it all goes tits Bronson: Return it when the guilt kicks in Bronson: Easy fix for that fuck up Bea: If only everything had that 30-day return policy Bronson: We have to try on the most ridiculous shit they have Bronson: Guaranteed cheer up Bronson: Nothing's better than taking the piss outta me so I'm told Bea: 😂 sounds good Bea: though i can turn a look with anything Bronson: There she is Bronson: I'll meet you there but you have to walk in with me so I don't get trailed round the shop like the scum I come from Bea: wear your nicest hoodie please Bronson: Never dressing like a dosser when I'm meeting my lady Bea: so 😍 babe Bronson: Deffo

[parkyparkpaaark]

"Tell me everything you know and I swear it will just stay between the two of us."

For the first time in the past ten minutes they've been in this cramped, dimly-lit room, Sam Wilson finally met the gaze of the man in front of him. He was never a fan of one-on-one conversations even with his family, let alone with a guy he just met. He had always described himself as a new kind of specie who is incredibly anti-social. Although there was one person who could make him talk nonstop without feeling uncomfortable— Bella.

Who is also the reason why he was in this room, talking to a guy he barely knew.

"I don't know anything."

---

The siren of the ambulance blared through the streets, turning the heads of each resident it passes by. Accidents are not a stranger to the small town of St. Jane County. But the peculiar thing was it was the third time this week that the ambulance picked up another teenager that goes to Northwest High for what can be barely called as an accident. Unless you call discovering a dead body in the restroom with a bubbling mouth an accident.

It boggled the mind of the people how it all seemed to happen consecutively, following the death of Bella Green. Various speculations were formed, some a little hard to believe while some thought it was just a mere coincidence. But what stood out the most was the belief that Bella left a curse before she died and that she's haunting the students who go to the same school as hers.

Ethan Blake, a senior from the same school, says he's had his share of odd sightings of the girl roaming the halls of Northwest High. He admits having to have had a relationship with her for a short amount of time in the past.

--

The stranger set down a couple of pictures of a blond, well-built, good looking guy in front of Sam.

"Know him? He claims to have dated Bella. Is that true?"

He scoffed at the mention of the word. "Dated? Now he says that. But where was that when Bella came up to him at the cafeteria two months ago asking what they were? That asshole barely looked at her before making fun of her in front of his teammates."

"How about the two people who have died earlier this week? How are they related to her?"

Sam knew better than to play games with the town's detective, so he gave in. Without looking up from the table, he began speaking.

"The first one, Paige Morgan, was running for class valedictorian alongside Bella. Both of us knew she was a dirty player and would probably pull up an act which could get Bella in trouble. And true enough, she posted a nude photo of Bella using an anonymous account in our school page. The picture was real, and I'm sure she got it from Ethan, being the only guy Bella has ever been with. I reported it immediately but it was too late when they took it down because the principal had already seen it. He was about to expel her but she begged him not to so he thought he'd just eliminate her as a candidate for class valedictorian."

The whole time Sam was talking, the detective has been writing nonstop on his little notebook, this being the first time he's received relevant information about the case. There was finally a flicker of hope in solving the mystery that's been bothering him for weeks.

He took a sip from his already cold cup of coffee, "And a few days after Bella's death she was found lifeless in her room, am I correct?" Sam nodded. "How about the other one? Mr. Travis Anderson?"

"Well Travis was a bully. I can still vividly remember getting a wedgie from him back in freshman year," he couldn't help clenching his fist at the thought of the jerk. "A few days after the issue, Bella found out that Travis was the one who sent the photo to Paige using Ethan's phone. By the way, Paige and Travis were dating during that time so you'd understand why he helped her."

There was a minute of utter silence after Sam stopped speaking. It's beginning to make sense now— the consecutive deaths that followed Bella's, the cause of death of the victims, and their connection to Bella herself. The detective thought for sure there was something fishy going on— I mean how big of a coincidence can it be that both the victims were found to have been toxicated by the same drug? But what he couldn't figure out was why the victims voluntarily took the drugs.

He was about to ask more questions about the subject, considering how much Sam had already spilled. But before he could, he was cut off by the boy, "Sir I've already shared a lot of what I know. Can I please go home now? I still have to prepare for our prom tomorrow night. I haven't picked up my tux yet and it's getting dark outside."

Having left with no choice, he let him leave.

---

[P R O M]

It had been weeks but Ethan still couldn't get over it. He spent most nights staying up all night, contemplating on the things happening around him. First it was Bella— who he admits he has wronged and no one knows how sorry he is for being a jerk to her. Next it was Paige, who he didn't really like, considering she's an entitled bitch. And then there's his bestfriend Travis. He couldn't even enjoy prom like he thought he would months ago.

Who wouldv'e thought Ethan Blake, a candidate for prom king, would be sulking in a corner instead of dancing with the other students?

His train of thoughts were interrupted when his eyes landed on a girl standing by the doorway— Bella. But how could that happen? She's dead. At least that's what's been going around the school. Extremely puzzled, he stood up and followed her. Could he really see ghosts? She is a ghost isn't she? If she isn't, how can she be alive?

Questions were piling up in his mind while he followed her to the library. She took a seat on her usual spot and motioned him to sit across her, so he obliged. No one spoke for the first few seconds. He didn't know what to say and Bella, well he has no idea what's running in her mind either.

"Cat got your tongue, Ethan?" she broke the silence. "I know you have a lot of questions in mind. Let me hear them."

"You're alive?"

Bella chuckled, "I was expecting something better than that, but yes. I am alive."

"How?"

"Ethan, sweetie, time's running out and you're asking the wrong questions."

He rubbed his hands on his face, evidently frustrated. "I'm sorry it's just hard to process this right now. Everyone thought you were dead Bella and now you're here in front of me. If I tell this to anyone they'll say I'm out of my mind."

"Well that's the thing, you won't be able to talk to anyone after this." The sinister smile plastered on Bella's face was enough for him to wet himself even though he didn't understand what she's saying. "Since I can tell you still have no idea what's going on and you failed to ask the right questions, I'm gonna help you out. Wanna know how your friends died?"

He let out an audible gasp, "You were the one who killed them?"

"Yeah. Wanna know how I did it?" she asked in almost a whisper. Without waiting for a reponse, she continued. "I asked them to play a game with me. See this bottle?" she held out a small, transparent bottle with two pills inside. "One of these pills has poison in it. I asked them to choose one and whatever's left will be mine. We'll swallow it the same time and whoever dies obviously loses," she took both pills out of the bottle and put it down on the table. "Now Ethan I want you to play with me."

"What if I don't want to?"

Bella smiled once more before pulling a gun behind her, "Oh I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you this is not optional. All you have to do is pick one. If you're lucky enough, you'll get out of this alive and I'll be the one who dies."

Ethan stared at the identical pills in front of him. There's no way to tell which one's safe and which one isn't. He could feel her stare piercing through his soul the longer he decides. After giving it much thought, and accepting his terrible fate, he picked the one from the left.

"On the count of three," Bella picked up the other pill and positioned it at the entrance of her mouth, and he did too. "One, two, th—"

Before she could finish, someone kicked the door open revealing Sam holding a gun as well. Bella furrowed her eyebrows at him, oblivious of what's happening.

"I can't take this anymore, Bella. I helped you get your revenge because I know how much you needed it. But I don't want to hear another person dying because of you. Now put down the gun and surrender to the cops or else."

"Or else what?" she pointed her gun at him and shot him near his shoulder, earning a scream from Ethan who was cowering behind the curtain of the library.

Before Bella could fire once more, Sam aimed the gun and shot her on the head before losing consciousness.

---

[ONE MONTH LATER]

"We're back in the same spot we once were, Sam. Now tell me everything that happened that night."

The detective was right, they were in that same cramped, dimly-lit room they were in a month ago. And it's still because of the same person. But this time he couldn't bring himself to say what he knew— not because he was still the same anti-social guy, but because of his fear of what might happen if he tells the truth.

He avoided the gaze of the man in front of him before letting out a sigh.

"I don't know."

[spencers-dria]

Someone To Stay

Original story by Fairytales1896

Spencer Reid x fem reader

Content/Trigger Warnings: guns, violence, blood

11. Instinct

Spencer POV:

I close my eyes in an attempt to get any amount of sleep possible before the jet lands. After a night full of tossing and turning, we got called in on a case in Washington State. Of course this means delaying a talk with Y/N about last night. I tried to convince myself it was nothing, so why can't I stop thinking about it.

It was just alcohol right? People do and say all kinds of crazy things while they're drinking, things they usually regret the next day. Maybe she won't want to speak about it at all. Ugh, how am I supposed to focus on a serial killer when my mind is so clouded with personal drama. I'm going to have to find a way to compartmentalize. While I'm with the team, it will be all business. I can find time to sort through my personal issues at the hotel tonight.

Finally giving up on getting any extra sleep at all, I sit up from the bench and move to a window seat across from Morgan. He's the only one who seems to still be awake. His eyes are closed but he's tapping his hands to whatever music he's listening to on his headphones, so I decide to let him be.

I find myself staring out the window, at the city lights down below. There's something really magical about the way things look from up here. I snap my head up when I hear a noise beside me. Morgan slides over a fresh cup of coffee. I hadn't even noticed him getting up. I must really be out of it.

"Reid." I note the seriousness in his voice, the lack of nickname use. "What's going on with you? You hardly spoke during the case briefing?"

I simply shrug, continuing to stare out the window as I sip on the fresh cup of coffee. I can tell he put in extra sugar, the way I usually make it.

"Is this about last night? About Y/N?"

I set my coffee in my lap as I stare into it, almost as if waiting for it to give me answers.

"I don't... I don't really know." I sigh.

"We haven't talked about what happened. We pretty much just said goodnight and I left. Then we got called in on the case."

"Is there something going on between you two?"

He wiggles his eyebrows at me, in a typical Derek Morgan fashion.

I shake my head. "No, at least I don't think so. There wasn't but after last night...I don't know what to think."

"Do you want there to be?"

I feel nerves building up in my stomach, the same ones I had on the dance floor last night. My thoughts drift to how she looked, how I felt, how easy it was being around her, how I couldn't stop smiling.

I know my face is turning red again.

"I don't know. Maybe..."

Derek let's out a long sigh and leans over to pat my shoulder. "You'll figure it out, pretty boy. You are a genius after all."

I can't help but laugh. I feel a little better, knowing that someone else knows what I'm going through, without having to say more than a few words. That's the great thing about Derek, he gets me. He teases and jokes but at the end of the day. He's always there. Before I realize it, I've drifted off into the sleep I had so desperately been craving.

I wake to the jet finally entering descent. The sun has come up and the rest of the team is awake. I glance at my watch to see the clock read 7 AM. I decide to send Y/N a quick text. I don't need her thinking I ran off after what happened.

Spencer📱 I got called in on a case. I'll let you know when we get back so we can have another movie night.

Y/N📱Order of the Phoenix?

Spencer📱 Of Course! :)

After getting settled at the police station, I start to go through the files. It's a small town and they don't have much to give us. It shouldn't take me more than 30 minutes to read through any relevant information.

The rest of the team returns to the station later that evening with updates from the autopsy, the locations where the victims where taken and where their bodies were dumped.

It isn't long before we put together a solid profile: Male, late twenties to early thirties, confident online but incredibly insecure when speaking with women in person, feels emasculated by powerful women in his life, job requires extensive knowledge of the local wooded areas, takes his victims by surprise and knocks them out before making cuts and marks all over the bodies, leaving them in public places to be seen, shaming them the way he feels shamed.

We spend the next morning narrowing down the suspect list. I feel like I'm on the brink of a break through, when my thoughts are interrupted by Hotch.

"JJ, Morgan, go back to the site where our latest victim, Victoria, was taken off the hiking trail. See if you can figure out how he targets and approaches them. Blake and Reid, start questioning some of the friends of our most likely suspect, Mr. George Kelly. They may know where you can find him. Start with the ex girlfriend. Rossi and I are going to call the friends and families in to see how much they can remember."

Thirty minutes later, Agent Blake and I are pulling into the driveway of a small house, set a ways away from the road. We step out of the car to the sound of nothing but the wind in the trees. As we approach the front door, each of us keeps a hand tentatively on our holster, just in case.

After three sharp knocks, Blake announces herself.

"Ms. Hutchinson, This is Agent Blake with the FBI. We need to speak with you."

After a few moments, there is still nothing but silence. "Ms. Hutchinson, we are looking for your ex boyfriend Mr. Kelly. We just want to talk."

Dead silence.

Blake and I give each other a knowing nod as she stays at the front door, I approach the back, gun in hand. I make my way around the house, taking in all of my surroundings, looking and listening for anything out of the ordinary.

As soon as I turn the last corner, I lock eyes with George Kelly, standing on the back porch with a gun held to the head of his ex. I quickly swallow the lump on my throat and focus all possible energy on deescalating the situation.

"Mr. Kelly" I speak loud enough to alert Blake to the situation, knowing she may already be inside.

I slowly lower my gun into its holster. I see something in his eyes I have seen before. This man does not want to kill her.

"Mr. Kelly my name is Dr. Spencer Reid, and I'm here to help you. But I need you to put the gun down, okay? You see me putting mine down? I don't want to hurt you. I just want to talk."

"No! No you'll just kill me! You think I don't know what you'll do to me for what I've done! I hurt people! But I don't wanna die!"

Tears start to spill over from his eyes as the gun shakes in his hand.

"George, I know. I know you don't want to die. You don't have to. It's ok. Just let Anna go so we can talk about this. I know you don't want to hurt her. She never hurt you. She only appreciated you right? She made you feel special. She never belittled you or emasculated you like other women, did she?"

He starts to sob and shake but his hand never leaves the gun or the girl. Through the window, I see Blake making her way slowly through the house, trying not to alert him to her presence.

"Fine! Leave your gun! Leave it right there on the ground, and come get her!"

I know this is a bad idea. He's clearly unstable. All my FBI training is getting set aside, but I have to try right...I have to try to save her. I slowly remove my gun from the holster as a lower it to the ground. I start to take a couple steps away. I can see his grip loosening on her.

I take a couple more steps toward the porch and the girl is finally able to run toward me. She wraps her arms around me and begins to sob, and I quickly realize I've made a mistake. Seeing his ex cling to me has triggered something in the unsub. I see a fierce look enter his eyes as his hold on the gun steadies.

Out of instinct I turn the girl in my arms away, with my back to the gunman, shoving us both down on the ground, praying silently in my head that Blake will be able to react quick enough. Before I hit the ground I feel a sharp sting in my shoulder.

There's a ringing in my ears as I feel my head go fuzzy. I quickly scramble for my phone to call back up. I look up from where I'm laying in the dirt to see Blake handcuffing our unsub.

The girl and the killer, both still alive. And so am I. I let my head fall to the ground as a take in a deep breath of relief and exhaustion. Hotch finally answers as I update him on our current whereabouts and situation. Before the phone calls ends I can feel myself start to fade a bit. I look down to finally see just how much blood I have been losing. There's a puddle of red slowly spreading, running through the dirt and grass. I suppose the adrenaline numbed my awareness of what was going on. My eyelids are suddenly heavy as I struggle to stay awake. In the background I hear Hotch's voice on the phone fading, mixed with the growing sound of sirens.

"Reid? Reid? Reid are you okay? Reid what's happening?"