#*kisses his forehead* my awful little bastard man... i love you and your big sad watery eyes.

[forcedhesitation]

astarion origin playthrough worth it just for all the extra moments where he does the "sad wet cat" face

[greg-montgomery]

any other world - part 2

Aaron Hotchner x Fem!Reader - soulmate au

series masterlist

A/N: there’s no cheating in this story i promise

this chapter is nsfw! minors pls dni

(21)

The sound of another thunder startled you and almost caused you to spill red wine all over the place as you emptied the bottle inside your glass.

Aaron had big plans for that night, fancy restaurant and everything, but the heavy thunderstorm left you no choice but to stay in. You genuinely didn’t mind. You loved nights in with him, feeling like he was only for you.

Full from the pizza you had made earlier, he was laying on the floor with his head on your lap, staring up at you with a drunken smile. You took a big sip from your glass and ran your finger across his face, starting from his forehead, going down his nose and reaching his lips.

He grabbed your hand and brought your wrist to his lips, and as if he was some kind of vampire he bit your wrist. “I wish I could just chew these two letters up and spit them out,” he said, referring to the initials of your own soulmate.

“Can you chew up yours too while you’re at it?”

Aaron reached his hand up to your face and rubbed his thumb on your cheek. “Do you ever get jealous of her?”

“All the time.”

“I’m jealous of the bastard you haven’t even met yet too.”

You grinned at his words, and the gentle stroke on the side of your face turned into a grab of your chin. “You enjoy that, don’t you?” he asked.

“Mhm…” you said, nodding.

He sat up and brought his face close to yours, staring at your lips. “Torturing me…ever since I can remember us.”

“Aw, my poor boy…” you cooed, and gave him a sweet kiss. Already dizzy - a little from the wine and a little from Aaron’s mouth on you - you accidentally spilled what was left in your glass on his shirt.

“Shit, sorry!”

“The lengths you go to just to see me shirtless...” he said, shaking his head in disapproval before taking his shirt off.

You giggled and threw yourself into his arms, quietly begging for another kiss. He was more than happy to give it to you.

“Can I take you here, on the floor?” he whispered.

“Please.”

He gently laid you down and you observed him, letting him undress you and himself.

Growing a bit possessive of him after the events of that year wasn’t something you could really blame yourself for. Staring at him and seeing that deep desire in his eyes made you feel good about yourself. You were the one he wanted so desperately to see naked, you were the one making him hard, you were the one that would make him feel good.

But you weren’t the only one growing possessive. Ever since your own mark had appeared, Aaron was leaving marks all over your body as if it was a competition. Yes you had another man’s initials on your wrist, but it was Aaron’s mouth that had touched every part of your body, and those marks were the evidence.

You wrapped your legs around him and let him fuck you slowly, welcoming every word of praise he would give you.

“You take me so well.”

“Fuck you feel good.”

“Made for me, weren’t you?”

You could swear that sometimes his voice felt as good as his cock.

--

(22)

“Aaron!”

A familiar voice stopped him from walking into the bookshop he had his eye on. The girl had raised her hand to catch his attention, in case her calling out his name wasn’t enough. Her excited smile made him almost sad, so he put on a happy smile to match her energy.

“Haley…I haven’t seen you in a while. How you’ve been?”

“I’m good! Just got a new job, so I’m spending my first paycheck as a reward,” she laughed, and showed him the bags she was holding.

Aaron couldn’t help but laugh with her. “Well, no better feeling, is there?”

“Nope.” Her smile met her eyes. “How are you?” she asked.

“Good. Shopping as well,” he answered, hesitating to get into more details. Maybe it would be hurtful to tell her he was shopping for his girlfriend’s birthday.

Haley had been really understanding and respectful of his feelings, and he didn’t want to hurt hers any further than he already had.

“Books?” she asked, pointing at the bookshop they were standing outside of.

“Yeah.”

“Mind if I join you?”

--

[11.59 pm]

Your phone was in your hand, waiting for your boyfriend to call. He’d call you and sing happy birthday in a very dramatic and very off key tone exactly at midnight, and right after he’d show up with an equally dramatic bouquet of flowers.

It had been a tradition for eight years now and even though you teased him for being too much, you loved that kind of attention on your special day. He never failed to make you feel like a princess.

But then midnight hit, and your phone didn’t ring. Not five minutes later, not ten, not even fifteen.

At exactly 12.30 am, your doorbell rang instead.

Aaron was hiding behind a huge bouquet of roses.

It was just thirty minutes. It was just the half of an hour. It isn’t important. It doesn’t mean anything.

You kept repeating that to yourself when he apologized for being late, for breaking the tradition, for getting you worried. You repeated it when he gave you a first edition of your favorite book. You repeated it when he hugged you, and the scent of another woman’s perfume on his coat made your stomach drop.

--

(45)

“I didn’t know where else to go.”

Aaron hadn’t heard your voice in such a long time, that you talking to him would have melted him entirely if it wasn’t for the context of your words. Were you in danger?

He opened his mouth but his voice wouldn’t come out.

“Can we come in?” you asked, your own voice trembling.

We?

His eyes travelled down your body and they caught something moving under your long coat. A tiny arm was wrapped around your leg and a pair of beautiful eyes that looked just like yours looked up at him.

“Of course,” he finally answered.

He stepped aside and made room so you could walk inside his house. You took the hand of the little girl that was attached to your body and entered his home.

A burning feeling of protectiveness took over his chest. If someone had hurt the two of you, he would make sure they’d never see the light of the day again.

He checked the hallway for any suspicious movement and after making sure it was safe, he followed you into the house and locked his door.

“Y/N,” he said, but you raised your hand to cut him off.

“I’ll explain everything. We’re fine. I just…I needed a safe place…and some legal advice.”

“Who are you hiding from?”

“My husband. Ex-husband.”

His blood boiled. If that man had laid a hand on you or your daughter he would burn him alive.

“Are you alone?” you asked.

“Yeah. It’s just me and my son. He’s sleeping.”

A sweet expression appeared on your face at the mention of his son. He could relate to the feeling of seeing the person you grew up with being a parent.

You were kids just yesterday. And now you had your own.

Your little girl was looking up at him, with an intimidated expression. He was aware that his large frame and angry eyebrows could maybe scare a kid. So he walked closer, squatted down and smiled at her.

“Hello, little one.”

She waved instead of replying, but that was enough for him. She seemed more shy that scared.

“I’m Hotch. What’s your name?” he asked, gently.

“Leila.”

Aaron looked up at you, and found you already staring at him. He knew that the same memory of the two of you planning your future had flashed in front of your eyes.

“Nice to meet you Leila. You’re safe here with me, okay?”

She nodded her head a few times. “Okay. Mommy said you are best friends.”

“We are,” he answered, without a second thought.

tag list: @magical-spit @lilsunshine1092 @hiraethrhapsody @cult-of-enji-todoroki @emo-markie @jxvipike @ttokkisbee @geminitapestry @rae-pottah @the-night-viewer @i-am-funsize @louderfortheback @hasu-ko @rousethemouse @hotchs-bitch

[jenchann]

Angel Baby

(Just a little self indulging soft, fluffy, big boy Husband Simon "Ghost" Riley)

You barely noticed a figure entering the bedroom, your husband’s soft thumping of feet approaching you as you sit with your top unbuttoned focused on a small cocoon nested in your arms. Simon sees you breast feeding your child, looking so angelic and soft as light poured from the windows and into the room, your breath matching with the baby’s. He forgets time as he just takes you in, taking in every single detail of this moment thinking what did a bastard like him do to deserve you, his Angel and the beautiful child you blessed him with.

The little champ was gulping his meal of the day so furiously, tiny fists in the air, fingers moving in sync with each little gulp. You finally looked up to see your husband all silent having this look of adoration, looking at you like this was the moment he was waiting for all his life. He would say he is indeed blessed with a marvellous sight , one he never in a million years he thought would be possible.

“My Lu’ve” his thick accent rolled past his lips as your eyes met, your lips tugging into a exhausted but contented smile.

He comes over to caress the baby’s cheeks with an adoring look glazing all over it's form, finally settling on the expressions the small human did, looking up in awe at his dada, eyes exact shade as his.

“This little attention seeker…” you could see Simon’s eyes soften and his fingers stalling as he leaned in to kiss on the baby's forehead. He was a big man and very strong. So strong that he himself at times didn't even know his to control his own strength and ended up causing accidents, for which he would have this big puppy eyes after along with the sulking, as he gets sad he couldn't control himself. There was definitely something you felt seeing your big husband trying his best to be soft and gentle, especially now of all times.

“Keeps stealing you away from me…and my meals” Simon said as his eyes set on your beautiful full breasts playfully before he kissed your forehead.

You laugh at him turning your head towards him as he sat beside you.

“Just like his dad.. Can't tolerate not having my attention I guess Mister Riley” you lean on his side as his large hand wrapped around your shoulders, steading you against his huge frame.

But your son soon bit you making you hiss lowly in pain, a new habit he has been starting to have from the last few days and it was hurting your sensitive flesh. Simon staggered forward with concern, eyebrows scrunched at your displeasure.

“We really should get that milk pump we saw last time…Or atleast a nip cover Mama” Simon’s pinky finger evaded the babies lips as his son clutched dada’s finger in his tiny hands thinking it was food.

“Oh he's teething good Mama” Simon's face lit up as he looked at you and planted a kiss on your lips, clutching your neck. The sound of your pecks echoed together with your son’s excited sounds seeing his parents together filled with nothing but love. The few quiet moments passed, of you feeding your son, leaning against your husband's chest. You could feel your fatigue melting away by relaxation just by your husband's supportive presence beside you.

“Imma wash the dishes real quick a'right?” He gave a quick peck on your cheek as you laid down on the bed beside the wrapped human burrito, your hands protective around the form.

"Maybe i could help you with second round on the other side, after?” His eyes rested on your chest, his eyes playfully glistening as he looked up at your beautiful face.

“Then the laundry better be finished too mister!”

“A’ye, Mrs.Riley!” he gave a two finger salute with a Cheshire grin before he happily left the room.

It had you thinking if you had just given your husband a vigor filled motivational reason to do stuff around the house faster!

(P.S Please reblog the post cause it helps me reach a lot of people which in turn motivates me to write more! thankyou!)

[sunmaylight]

TGCF Book 3 Reaction pt. 6 - We are going to Mt. Tonglu!

hahaha. So, funny thing. I got impatient and just breezed though the last two books and consumed all of the post-canon content I could find. But, even though I have finished TGCF, that doesn’t mean I didn’t leave notes that I want in big chunks like this. So I will continue working on this

Even though I read the novel, I will stay true to my notes to the best of my abilities.

Ch 138: Xie Lian remembering that he threw his meatballs like bullets without any spiritual strength, like how he went about the past 800 years

- Me: Why do people not realize that Xie Lian is buff. Buff Xie Lian art, where?

Qi Rong turns out to be a better chef than Xie Lian. Like possible House Husband material

- Me: Yo. WTF. I call hack! How did- *remembering Qi Rong’s backstory*... Okay, but how did he learn and hone his skills?

Heaven’s Eye cultivator group about to chow down on some hair when Xie Lian steps in with the pebble toss

- Me: Xie Lian saving cultivators from committing c*nn*bal*sm

Ch 139: Hua Cheng builds a little golden palace outside and then kicks it. The shady inn illusion crashes as well.

- Me: Can this get animated? 

Feng Xin mentioning of an ascension acceleration method with dead babies

- Me: Wait! What if Feng Xin’s ascension is the suspicious one instead of Mu Qing

Ch 140: Xie Lian finds Guzi to be sick and dehydrated. 

Mama Bear Xie Lian - Awaken

- Me: Oh shit. Xie Lian is pissed at his cousin.

Ch 141: Learning about who the father to the fetus spirit is. Learning that the fetus spirit is named Cuo Cuo. Secrets around Cuo Cuo’s birth abundant

- Me: WAIT! HE HAD S*X WITH LAN CHANG. HE F*KED?!

Xie Lian reassuring Hua Cheng, but Hua Cheng turning it around to saying that his actions are up to him. Xie Lian feels something.

Xie Lian and Hua Cheng had a moment when suddenly they see someone sitting at the table making tea

- Me: No! Is it Jun Wu?

Jun Wu is pouring three cups of tea

- Me: He saw the intimate scene between the two

Red flower that slips on the edge of the flower pot is about to fall when Xie Lian caught it like it’s the most precious thing in the world

- Me: Foreshadowing???

Xie Lian basically saying that Heaven will fall if the Heavenly Emperor is dead. Xie Lian basically saying that Heaven is floating in the sky because of the Heavenly Emperor

- Me: Man, I really hope that the Heavenly Emperor doesn’t die and make Heaven crash onto the ground, only to be upheld by the power of Xie Lian and then create a parallel of that scene in book 2, or Atlus holding up the world.

Ch 143: Heaven and the Ghost Kings have a mutual beneficial relationship

Hua Cheng using this fact to exploit Heaven singing him praises for a year.

- Me: Cunning bastard. I would have asked for praises sung to me and Xie Lian if I was in his shoes

Mt. Tonglu has the Klin and both places is that one poisonous jar where the last poisonous creature that is alive after x amount of time is emerged as the victor. 

- Me: Battle Royale to the death.

Xie Lian sneaks with Ghost as a Puppet Master

- Me: Oh, nice disguise

Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade says he can find if a ghost is suspicious

- Me: Okay, but what if you are the suspicious one?

Xie Lian crouches down to hid behind the 8-12 year old looking Hua Cheng

Hua Cheng as the “Puppet Master” disguise: “No one shall touch what I love except for me”

- Me: Impressive acting there

There is a cloaked figure that Hua Cheng says they are wearing a fake face

- Me: Is it Pei Ming?

Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade dies from one slash. Xie Lian making an observation that sounds like a joke 

- Me: lol

Ch 14-Mt. Tonglu gate

Some ghost ladies get hurt and the cloaked stranger immediately asks: “Are my ladies alright?”

- Me: I was right. It was Pei Ming

Pei Ming about to tease Hua Cheng when Ruoye whips out to hit Pei Ming

- Me: I don’t know if that was all Ruoye or influence from Mt. Tonglue, but go Ruoye. 

Pei Ming’s mysterious candy he got to disguise his spiritual powers is revealed to be shady candy made form Ghost City. Consuming the candy is the equivalent to rubbing skunk spray all over yourself.

- lol

E-Ming has been affected like Hua Cheng. It is now a small sword

- me: Cute

Pei Ming can sense the atmosphere around Hua Cheng and Xie Lian

The Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade turns out to be alive still. Both halves are moving freely

- Me: It’s still alive. how?!

Pei Ming is revealed to be the “General Who Snapped His Sword”

- Me: *Four Tales of Heaven Background Understanding Update*

Wine: 100% Understanding & Truth of Creation

Flower Crown: 100 50% Understanding of Creation & History -Second Ascension & Third Ascension are Unknown-

Princess: 15% Understanding of Identity & History

Sword: 25% & Growing...Processing backstory now

A giant savage, dark skinned burly man in broken armour appears

- Me: Wait. Do I know this character?

It is revealed to be Ke-Mo

Xie Lian pulls a trick on Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade/Ming’Guang and Pei Ming saw it work. The trick was actually the most vile swear word of the Banyue kingdom that is the most disrespectful insult ever.

- Me: What did the army teach you Xie Lian?

Xie Lian calls out for Banyue & Pei Su knowing that they are not at Mt. Tonglu as a tactic to distract Ke Mo

- Me: lol. What if they actually come after Xie Lian called them.

When things start to look good, Xie Lian calls out on it. It is immediately changes into a bad thing

Tiny E-Ming grows with praises from Xie Lian.

Pei Ming does a big brain and smashes E-Ming’s hit to Xie Lian’s lips. E-Ming grows to a very long scimar 

- Me: Pei Ming caught on what Xie Lian didn’t. Also E-Ming reflect’s Hua Cheng, so, affection makes E-Ming grow. Hua Cheng

As Ke Mo and Ming’Guang are abotu to beat Xie Lian and Pei Ming, Banyu and Pei Su do that badass entry of jumping down a cliff and kicking the opponents.

- Me: lol, Banyue and Pei Su actually appeared. 

Banyue throws a scorpion-snake at Ke Mo fully knowing what she is doing and the 200 years of mutual dislike is behind it.

- Me: Ultimate betrayal.

Banyue: We came here with Rain Master

- Me: Wait. Rain Master is here?

Ch 148: Xie Lian thinks that if he does the same things he did to E-Ming to help him grow, it will help Hua Cheng grow

- Me: Awe. So cute.

Ke Mo vs. Banyue & Pei Su - Round 2: Banyue is too embarrassed to throw her snakes again at Ke Mo. Pei Su swoops in and yeets a basket full at Ke Mo who screams at them

- Me: For some reason I find this scene really funny.\

Xie Lian: Moves into kiss Hua Cheng. He kisses the forehead and is sad about it. 

Pei Ming learns that Banyue is that Banyue while she backs away from Banyue as Pei Ming comes close to her

- Me: Oh wait. Does Pei Ming still smell of those Ghost Candies?

It is revealed that Banyue is weary of Pei Ming because of the candy scent

- Me: Lol, it was the candy

Rain Master is brought up

- Me: *random thought* Does Rain Master & Pei Ming have some history together?

Rain Master is at Mt. Tonglu because Qi Rong stole some of her farmers.

Pei Ming is revealed to be the opposing General of the Rain Master

- Me: Oh, they do have some history together.

Xie Lian & Readers learn about the ‘Tale of the General Who Snapped His Sword’

- Me: LORE! 

Sword: 75% Understanding

Ch 149: Pei Ming insults Banyue for not knowing how to cook like other females

- Me: General Pei, I understand that in your time that might have been a norm. But modern times that is different.

Xie Lian says he will teach Banyue how to cook

- Me: Oh no. Someone please stop them.

Banyue is holding a pot of food

- Me: Oh shoit. Did Banyue?

Ch 150: Banyue’s chicken meal is a black mass of questionable origins

- Me: *sob* it’s over. Banyue is now added to the list. But at least she took up her cooking skills after her adopted dad.

Pei Su takes the dubious food and eats it after watching Hua Cheng try some.

- Me: RIP Pei Su

Hua Cheng telling Xie Lian about the history of Mt. Tonglu while Pei Su is dying in the background. Banyue’s cooking somehow turned into a spirit or eldrich horror

- Me: *sob* please. You two are so adorable together, but someone (Pei Su) is literally dying from food poisoning. You are like that one pool meme

Pei Ming has given up on Pei Su to hang with the oblivious couple

Xie Lian has heard of Wuyoung before from his past while training to Ascension.

- Me: Oh. Interesting. 

Little Xie Lian learned how to recite the Ethic Sutras like nothing because he was a curious child about a forgotten kingdom and the Guoshi made him shut up through sutras.

- Guoshi, how are you real?

Xie Lian: Pei Su is talking weird. Is it because of the Scorpion-Snake?

Banyue: Pei Su has immunity from them

-Me: God you two are so oblivious.

Ch 151: What if Jun Wu is from Wuyoung? Nah. He has a 500 year difference from then.

- Me: *Remembers Qi Rong calling Jun Wu a faker and thinks there is some truth in those words* What if he became an immortal 500 years before his ascension and just loitered around for 500 years until he achieved ascension status.?

The group is Scooby-Doo investigation with Ace Attorney observation skills on the temples. of the Kingdom of Wuyoung to learn why it fell

- Me: intersting. I hope they find something interesting.

-----

Alright. Going to stop there cause the actual journey to the Klin starts and it is a long journey where there is actually more than what I commented on. Man, I just really picked and choose what to highlight while reading

[what-is-your-plan-today]

Leave No One Behind

Ch 12- Win Some, Lose Some

Part 2

Co written with @icanfeelastormbrewing​

Summary: After 2 years of being at the resort Ari and the other agents are gearing up for yet another mission, but there’s a little bit of trouble in paradise for him and Hannah…

Warnings: Bad Language words. Smut (NSFW, 18+ only)

Pairings: Ari Levinson x OFC Hannah Horowitz

Part 1 

Ari woke the next morning and instantly realised something was missing. Simon’s ass from his face. With a stretch he cracked his neck slightly and opened one eye to find that Hannah was also gone. With a little yawn he sat up, rubbing his eyes before he swung his legs off the side of the bed and stood up, heading to the small bathroom. Once finished, he located a pair of swim shorts form the chest of drawers at the side of the hut and pulling them on he made his way outside.

Hannah wasn’t far away. In fact, she was stood straight in front of the hut at the water’s edge as Simon stood by her side, the pair of them simply looking out over the ocean which was alive with the rich, warm pinks and oranges of the rising sun. She was dressed in Ari’s shirt from the night before, her hair in a tangle of curls as it fell down her back, and there was something so raw and intimate about the moment it made Ari’s breath catch. Slipping back into the hut he located Hannah’s polaroid camera and quickly made his way back outside. He took a quick snap, and returned back inside, placing it back down along with the photo to develop before he strode back out of the door and down to the water’s edge.

Of course Simon heard him coming and turned, eliciting a little bark as he trotted towards him. He leaned down to give his dog an ear scratch before he smiled at Hannah who had turned her head over her shoulder to face him. She responded with a smile of her own, looking back at the ocean as he wrapped his arms around her from behind dropping a gentle kiss to her neck.

“You’re up early.” He said as her hands gently came to rest on his strong arms as they pulled her back into him, the fabric of the shirt she was wearing brushing against his bare chest.

“Couldn’t sleep.” She shrugged.

Ari’s nose nuzzled against the skin below her ear and he pressed another soft kiss to her jaw line “You still feeling a little down?”

Hannah took a deep breath and shrugged as her nails raked over his arms.

“You know, if it’s too much…you could go back.” He suggested and felt her still.

“As in, for good?”

“Yeah.” Ari shrugged, “Like I said, I don’t think we have an awful lot of time left…”

“I’m not quitting” Hannah said simply, turning in his arms. “I came to do a job, and I’m gonna see it through.”

“I knew you’d say that” he chuckled and Hannah watched her hands as they smoothed up over his pecs to his shoulders before she met his eyes.

“Why ask me then?” she arched an eyebrow as she looked at him, his hands flexing on her hips.

“Because I love you and I don’t wanna see you sad or unhappy because of me ever again.”

“This isn’t because of you.” Hannah shook her head “You egotistical ass.”

“Harsh!” Ari cocked an eyebrow as she grinned as he huffed out a laugh, “But I mean it Han. I don’t want you feeling like you have to stay.”

“I don’t” she shrugged “Honestly, don’t worry about me. It’ll pass Ari, I promise.”

She pressed her lips to his in a soft kiss before she glanced over to their left and nodded as two people passed them on the beach. “Guests are stirring, I should go shower and get ready for breakfast.”

“Ok.” He nodded and she looked up at him, biting her lip.

“Wanna come scrub my back?”

“You know…” Ari’s hands locked at the base of her back “The amount of times you ask me to do that, you should really invest in a loofah.”

“Yeah but, where’s the fun in that?” she grinned “Besides, why have a wolf and howl yourself?”

Ari gave a snort as she grinned again, stepping out of his hold, slipping her hand into his before she tugged him along with her over the sand towards their hut, Simon trotting behind them. 

****

One of the best traditions the team had come up with since they had started running a now not-so-fake hotel was the party they always held the night before a group of tourists were due to leave. It was the perfect excuse to let loose and celebrate together with another group of satisfied guests, albeit not the ones that were counted on the board. There was always a great bonfire, drinks and good music all accompanied by lots of laughter and wishes of a safe trip back home. 

That night was to be no exception to the rule and as Ari and Max were putting the final touch to the makeshift dance floor and checking the sound system, which had been upgraded since the first time they threw that kind of farewell party, Jake and Hannah were in charge of starting the bonfire under the watchful eye of Sammy. Rachel was looking after them all and ensuring they had a steady supply of beer before she settled down on Sammy’s lap. Simon stood a little away from the group, minding his own business which was chasing and trying to bite his own tail.

They were all discussing the choice of music for the night, as Ethan had sent them some new records with the latest shipment, and Max picked one out to check the sound system was up and running. As the upbeat sounds of Rio by Duran Duran rang across the beach the conversation had taken a rather odd turn, shifting to the discussion about who was the best front man- Simon Le Bon vs John Taylor.

"I used to have hair like John Taylor..." Jake piped up, taking a swig of his beer.

"So did Sammy." Hannah snorted, the look on her brother's face made her burst out with laughter as besides her Ari chuckled, his arm draped over her shoulders.

Sammy groaned. "Yeah, laugh all you want but we don't need to discuss that."

"And the stash?" she pressed, making Jake laugh out loud and Rachel chuckle. “Can we discuss that?”

Sammy glared at Jake and then at his sister. "Shut up, Han."

But, despite Sammy's deadly stares, Hannah continued her tirade. "You should have seen him. It was pretty...”

"Cool?" Jake cut her off.

"Disturbing." she blurted out with a grin.

"You two can kiss my ass." Sammy snapped at them, the pair of them dying with laughter by then, before he patted Rachel's hip and stood up to go and get changed.

A few hours later the party was in full swing, and the alcohol was flowing. Hannah who was visibly drunk by then had disappeared for some time and had returned with her polaroid and was busy annoying the boys with it. 

“Pose for me guys…you’re so pretty.” She grinned, before she looked at her brother “Well, apart from you Sammy."

"Fucking fuck you Han." Sammy protested as he staggered, almost falling over.

Rachel started howling just as Ari chuckled and hiccuped. "You can’t, don’t talk to her like that man." he said, shoving Sammy a little, spilling some of his beer in the process. "Oops." he hiccuped again.

"She’s a dick." Sammy snarled.

"Yeah but man…just no." Ari managed to say, his tongue feeling thick and not quite cooperating.

"Lobo stop mooooving. I’m tryina take a photo." Hannah whined, looking at them. "Sammy can you just... like not be here. In the picture I mean." she said as she shifted her weight on the sand trying to not lose balance.

"Red if you make us stand here any longer my clothes are gonna go outta fashion." Jake complained as he let his head fall, his arms over Max and Ari's shoulders.

"Your clothes were outta fashion when my papa was alive, Jake." Hannah quipped, fast as lighting

"Bitch!" Jake groaned.

“Hey, don’t call my girl names, asshole." Ari teased, yanking Jake's arm off his shoulder and turning to shove him which ended in both men faking a heated fight on the sand. "For fuck sake Hannah." Sammy yelled, stepping away from Jake and Ari's mock fight. "Take the camera back inside. You’re drunk."

"So are you." she said, sticking her tongue out at her brother.

"Yeah but I ain’t holding a camera, it’ll end up full of sand or broken."

She paused and looked at him as his words sunk in, and then she shrugged “Yes Dad” and started walking towards her and Ari's hut, stumbling on the sand, drunk as she was. Only she stumbled a little more heavy than she was anticipating and unable to steady herself she was fully expecting to face plant into the sand, until a hand gently grabbed her arm to stop her from falling.  

"Thanks." she whispered honestly as she looked up to see one of the younger guests from the group that had been diving with Jake the day before smiling at her.

“You’re welcome.” He spoke, but not loosening his grip, instead he kept his gaze locked on her, grin spreading across his face.

Max, who had been watching the guy with curiosity, nudged Ari and nodded his head towards the scene.

"What the fuck is that bastard doing?" Ari yelled, a big frown on his sweaty forehead as he released Jake from the headlock he’d had him in.

"Touching up Cracker...I think..." Max shrugged.

"Quit stirring Max " Jake spoke, brushing the sand off his shirt. "She tripped and he stopped her falling bud, that's it."

Ari groaned and took a sip from his beer, eyes still watching. Eventually he saw Hannah step back and laugh before heading up towards their hut. But he didn't miss the way the dark haired man’s eyes followed her, or the way his pals all nudged him and gestured in Hannah’s direction, all of them grinning.

"I’m watching you, you German bastard." Ari mumbled but loud enough for Sammy to hear.

"I told you. It’s always Germans." Sammy said before hiccuping.

"Fuck off. My parents are German." Rachel shoved Sammy.

"Yeah Sammy, the in laws won’t like you talking like that." Max scoffed and Ari snorted as Sammy's eyes opened wide with realisation.

"Sorry babe." Sammy apologized and then glared at Ari. Having heard his snort "Yeah, like my mother likes you, asshole."

“You know your mother loves me, jerk. So much so I went round for dinner last time I was home and she made meatloaf."

"What? Why did you…" Sammy stuttered and Ari grinned at him. "Fuck…"

"No, that’s Ethan’s job." Ari quipped, making everyone but Sammy burst out with laughter.

"You’re sick, you know that? That’s disgusting." Sammy glared at him.

"Everything is disgusting according to you." Jake stated, with a shrug.

"To be fair the thought of my mom banging my boss...." Max said, shuddering at the thought.

"Shut up Irving!" 

"He’s very charming with all those elegant outfits." Rachel conceded.

"Yeah well he can go and charm someone else." Sammy glared at her.

"Don’t you mean some-mum else?" Jake snorted, making Sammy groan as they all sniggered. 

"But Rachel has a point. None of you have seen his silk robe." Ari spoke and Max was fast in following suit. "Mama N has."  He grinned at Ari who grimaced, readying himself for Sammy's final outburst.

"Will you all shut the fuck up?" he growled.

"Ok, ok sorry Sammy." Ari tried to calm him down as he shook his head

"What’s up? Are you angry again Sammy bear?" Hannah, who had just come back, asked noticing her brother's angry face. And she felt Ari's arm curl possessively round her waist, pulling her to him as he chuckled at Sammy's roll of eyes at her sister's pet name for him.

"Sammy doesn’t like Ethan banging your mother, Red." Jake explained, crooking a smile at Sammy.

Hannah wrinkled her nose at the mention of Ethan being her mother's partner. "Well... whatever" she started and then shrugged "Come on guys, let’s dance. I wanna dance." she suddenly changed topic as she grabbed Rachel's hand pulling her towards the “dance floor”.

"Bye then." Max raised his beer to the retreating girls.

"Yeah I’m gonna go dance too." Jake announced, and Ari saw his eyes flicker over a pretty blonde woman who was stood with a group of her friends.

"By dance you mean grind against some clueless tourist?" Max jabbed at Jake who flipped a finger at him as he left.

"They won't be clueless for long." Ari snorted. Half an hour later, after some dancing and more drinking, Ari noticed Hannah and Rachel were surrounded by the German Tourists who had all been watching Hannah. Ari was observing from a distance, the jealousy building slowly but surely, and when at one point he saw one of them wrap an arm round Hannah's shoulder and dip his head unabashedly towards her face he snapped.

"Fucker" he snarled as he started striding over but was stopped by someone grabbing his shoulder. He turned round only to see Sammy was the one holding him back.

"Don't cause a scene man. Han's got it, look." Sammy nodded his head in the girls' direction causing Ari to turn to look in time to see Hannah pulling away, her hands planted on the guy’s chest, shaking her head firmly.

"Yeah, back off asshole…" Ari hissed. "Wait. Is she smiling at him? Why is she smiling at him?" he asked Sammy, his eyes never leaving the scene though.

"She's just being polite." Max said in an attempt to downplay the issue.

"Sure." Ari snorted as he watched Hannah still smiling, her hands still on the guy’s shoulders. "Whatever. I’m ending this now." and he motioned to start towards the guy again. Sammy groaned and called at him to stop, but this time it was Max who physically did it.

"Look chill. There’s nothing going on there and like Sammy said, you’ll cause a scene. Besides Jake is close by."

But Ari was pissed and he was equally drunk, his alcohol fuelled brain wasn't working logically as all he could see was Hannah smiling at that guy that was far too close to her. As he stood watching, his jaw twitching, fists balling at his side, eventually the guy stepped back and held his hands up, turning to leave the girls alone.

Hannah watched the guy as he went, shaking her head at his complete and utter forward nature,  and then spotted Ari. His handsome features which were usually soft when he looked at her were hardened and his gentle blue eyes blazed with rage she hadn’t seen in a long time. She frowned at the outward display of anger and she excused herself from Rachel and Jake and headed over.

"I’m gonna grab a snack." Max was the first to split, as soon as he noticed Hannah approaching.

"Good idea." Sammy agreed and they hastily headed off. 

Hannah watched them for a moment as they left and then turned to Ari, whose jaw was twitching. "What’s wrong Lobo?"

"You tell me Firefly." he replied and she frowned at his flat tone.

"I don't know that's why I asked." she said softly, not wanting to fuel whatever was bothering him.

He scoffed. "You can’t be that oblivious."

Hannah stared at him and frowned again. "Are you talking about that guy just then?"

"Oh, so you do know what I’m talking about then."

She groaned, his jealous nature which was cute at times was at others fucking annoying.  "Ari, he made a pass at me, I told him no. I'm not sure what else there is to say."  

She frowned, feeling slightly puzzled not least because she had done nothing wrong but if Ari really believed what he had seen, then he surely would have been straight in there. He had done it before…

"Why you think he made that move?" Ari asked shrugging slightly at Hannah’s shocked expression.

"You think…” Hannah trailed off, her puzzled expression sliding into one of anger as she realised what Ari was implying and she narrowed her eyes. “You know what? Fuck this." she snarled and turned to leave.

"Firefly!" he growled. "Where do you think you’re going? Come back here! Hannah!"

Hannah stopped and turned to face him, gathering all the self-control she had in her not to slap him straight across his face for yelling at her. "To bed Ari. But for the record the only reason I'm not screaming at you right now is because of all these guests. You're being a fucking asshole, Levinson."

 "No, I’m not." he hissed. "You’re being a brat Hannah."

"I’m being a brat?" she let out a sarcastic, hearty laugh. "Fuck you." she spat at him and with that she stormed off in their hut direction.

Ari stood frozen watching her leave for a moment and when the realization of what had just happened washed over him he kicked the sand. "Fuck!" and he paused for a few seconds, considering his options, before he went after her. He could tell she was aware he was just behind her as she sped up till she finally reached the hut and went to slam the door but Ari got his foot in the way.

"Nice try Firefly."

"Fuck you Ari." she spat those words at him again.

Simon looked up from where he had been dozing on the bed, his head cocking to the side at the raised voices.

"Hey! I’m the one who has the right to be pissed." 

"No, no you don’t Ari!"

"Ok, now, you listen to me…" Ari said sternly as he brushed his hair off his face.

“I don't wanna listen. I'm done." she bit back.

"Fine, whatever." he said as he took off his shirt and went into the bathroom. He usually let her go first but not that night, he was making his point and was determined to stand for it, whatever it took or so he thought as he looked at his reflection in the mirror, his hands gripping the basin so hard his knuckles were now white. He sighed and tried to steady his breathing before sorting himself out and emerging into the room again.

 "Can I go in now?" Hannah asked sarcastically, standing up from where she was sat on the bed.

"All yours." he replied, equally as sarcastic.  

She stalked past him, staring straight ahead, before she shut the door behind her. Once alone in the room she  sat on the toilet, her head in her hands as she started sobbing, all the rage she was feeling seeping from her eyes. That was not how that night was supposed to go, but she had no fucking idea what or why he thought she’d encouraged anything. And the hypocrite was talking just the previous day about keeping the guests satisfied after she’d teased him about flirting. Did he really not trust her that much? She was well aware they were both drunk, so that was probably worse than it should be but still…it hurt.  She felt the tears sting her eyes and wiped them away as he breathed in deeply before standing to wash her face and clean her teeth.  

When she came back into the bedroom Ari was led on his back, looking up at the ceiling. She made an effort to ignore him and grabbed a vest and a pair of shorts, changed and got into bed, turning so her back was to him before clicking off the small lamp at her side of the bed.

Ari turned his head to look at her, letting out a sigh. He hesitated for a moment but he then shuffled and turned towards her back and was about to stretch his arm out for her when she spoke.

"Don’t you dare touch me, Ari."

He grit his teeth at her hoarse voice. He could tell she had been crying but at that point in time he was pissed off. He tried to come up with an equally hurtful comment to show his annoyance but all he managed to say was “Good night firefly."

As no response came on Hannah's part, with an angry groan and a roll of his eyes he turned back the other way and for the first time since they started sharing a bed 2 years ago, they didn’t fall asleep wrapped up in each other’s arms.

And the space between them felt like miles.

******

The next morning Ari woke up to Simon, as always, led on his face. Pushing him off, the dog giving the usual low grumble of protest, Ari grimaced a little at the movement, his limbs feeling heavy.  The room was quiet, but he could hear Hannah in the bathroom. With a groan he dropped his arm over his eyes in an attempt to keep the light from painfully flooding his system. His head was pounding and the inside of his mouth felt like he had been eating the sand from the beach.

He cast his mind back over the events of the night and he could remember drinking, fooling around and then everything going to shit. He really didn’t want to think about it, but his stubborn brain led him to replay it over and over again. The more he thought about it, the more he knew he had been an ass, but that bastard making a move to kiss his girl had sent him into overdrive. Fortunately the current set of tourists were leaving that morning and once they were gone Ari could concentrate on damage control with Hannah.

At that point the door to bathroom opened and he moved his arm away from his eyes to see Hannah stepping back into the room, already dressed in a pair of red shorts and a loose fitting white t-shirt that slouched off her right shoulder giving him a flash of her blue bikini strap. Ignoring the fact that the room was spinning, Ari sat up slightly in bed to look at her for a moment before he tentatively spoke.

“You woke up early Firefly” his voice was a little croaky, fuck he needed water.  

“Couldn’t sleep” came the clipped response.

“Han…” he sighed, but she clearly wasn’t in the mood to speak to him.

“I think I’m gonna go for a walk on the beach.” She replied, her tone flat. Ari started to protest but she completely ignored him. “I need to get out of here. I’m suffocating”

“Hannah.” He tried again, and this time she took a deep, annoyed voice and snapped her head round to look at him.

“What?” she demanded.

He knew that speaking to her whilst she was still angry at him would merely result in them arguing even more so he sighed, shaking his head. “Nothing.”

“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes and walked towards the door. As she wrenched it violently open, Simon bounced off the bed and trotted after her as she left, slamming it behind her causing Ari to wince at the noise.

He lay back with a groan, cursing himself. Hannah was really pissed, and now his mind began to wander furiously. He had to make this right, he couldn’t risk losing her. Not again.

“For fucks sake Levinson, get a grip” he chastised himself. This was an argument, a stupid, ridiculous argument that’s all. Worrying about losing her was a little extreme. Wasn’t it?

He lay there, his mind arguing with itself for a few minutes before the sound of voices drifted through the lattice screens which covered the window to their hut. Knowing that he really should get up to see the guests off he kicked off the blankets and swung his legs off the side of the bed before he headed into the bathroom. After a quick shower he pulled on a clean pair of swim shorts and a light and pink hooped t-shirt before he shoved on his socks and hiking boots and headed out.

Breakfast was a quiet affair. Everyone was visibly hungover, plus the tension between Ari and Hannah was festering in the air casting a shadow over the usual well natured meal. There was no gentle touching, no longing looks, no grins, no giggles. The atmosphere was sour, and impossible to ignore.

“You ok, Han?” Sammy looked at his sister as she was picking at a croissant, not really eating much of it.

“Fine Sam.” Her response was short but not angry. Sammy frowned and looked at Ari who was drinking his coffee, deliberately avoiding anyone’s gaze.

Rachel and Jake exchanged glances as Max studied Hannah for a moment. Suddenly conscious everyone’s attention was her she pushed her plate away from her and stood up.

“Excuse me, I need to feed Simon.”

She moved away from the table, Ari following her with his eyes, his head bowing slightly once she was out of sight.

“Something wrong with Cracker?” Max asked.

“Leave it.” Sammy instructed, his eyes flicking to Ari’s before his best friend turned away. He then glanced at Rachel who gave a small sigh and stood up, ready to go and find her but Ari stopped her as he drained his coffee and issued an instruction.

“Make sure everyone is checked out, the bus will be leaving in 30.”

Rachel looked at him, blinking but she didn’t argue “Sure.”

With that he stood up and wandered outside, lighting up a cigarette. As he took a drag he leaned on the wall and out came the group of tourists that had been dancing with the girls the night before. He nodded his head to greet them, a little stiffly, offering no trace of a smile. His eyes watched the asshole that had made the move on his Firefly as he nudged one of the guys on his left, laughing as one by one they settled on the sun-loungers, a few meters away, suitcases by their side ready to depart.

Ari tuned his attention to the ocean, watching the early morning sun bouncing off the surface, and he was trying not to listen, he really was, but he just couldn’t help it when one of the guys, clear as day, asked the asshole if he had said goodbye properly to the Spanish hotty. Ari stiffened, and found himself suddenly undecided as to whether he was happy he could understand German or not.

“I wish.” The asshole laughed in his home language “She seems to have disappeared into thin air. I’m so pissed I only got to speak to her on the last day.”

“You’ve been eyeing her up since we arrived man!” one of the other guys shot back “Pity she turned you down.”

Another snorted “Yeah man, flat out no!”

Sniggers arose from the group and then one of them looked up, Ari hastily averting his gaze, but he clearly wasn’t quick enough.

“Keep it down, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen her with the owner”

Asshole shrugged “He’s American, not German, can’t understand us!”

Ari fought to keep his face straight. Dick.

“You know, you’re worse than that dog that wanders around!” the guy that had told them to shut up shook his head “You cannot keep it in your pants anywhere!” “Can’t help it. But come on, guys! You seen her?”

“Yes, yes we have. She cute.”

Asshole sighed “Pity we’re leaving, reckon I could have worn her down, got her on her back with a little more time.”

Ari felt his jaw clench, he’d heard enough. With a cough he cleared his throat and then felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Rachel looking at him.

“All set.”

He nodded and turned back to the group of boys “Bus is ready if you want to climb up.”

They all turned to look at him and the one sat nearest on the edge of a lounger nodded. “Sure man.”

Ari watched them all gather their luggage and make their way back into the hotel. He nodded as they all walked past him, Asshole taking up the rear, and as he went to pass, Ari placed his arm over the doorway, hand curling round the edge of the frame, blocking his way.

“Hey…” Asshole began to protest but Ari fixed him with an icy glare.

“Next time you wanna talk about getting my girl on her back, maybe check I can’t actually understand you…and for the record, if you weren’t leaving today you’d be shark bait.” He hissed in German, before he moved his arm as Asshole swallowed, his eyes wide with shock and horror. Ari smiled and then spoke to him in English “Have a safe trip home, dick.”

The guy scurried away as fast as he could, Ari’s eyes burning a hole in his back as he left. Once he was out of sight the anger Ari was feeling gave way to guilt as he had basically accused Hannah of leading the asshole on, even though he knew that wasn’t the case. Hannah wouldn’t dream of doing something like that. Sometimes she could be a little flirty but then so could he, it was just who they were, and to accuse her the way he had done was ridiculous. But then again he had been drunk, and even when sober he was a total mess when it came to his girl, and now she was giving him the cold shoulder.

He had to fix this.

Taking a deep breath he headed inside to look for Hannah and found her in the office with Rachel. Immediately he spotted her red puffy eyes and the concern on Rachel’s face and that made him feel like complete shit.

“Rachel, can you give us a minute?” he asked softly. Rachel looked to him before she shrugged.

“Sure”

She turned and left the office, not before giving him a filthy look and once she was gone Hannah looked at him.

“What do you want Ari?” She sniffed and Ari took a deep breath

“Sweetheart, I'm sorry”

“Sorry for what exactly?” she tipped her chin up to look at him, and Ari should have known she wasn’t going to let him off with a mere, simple and overarching apology.

“Last night. I was out of order” “Talk about an understatement! You basically called me a slut.”

“No, Hannah.” Ari began to protest “That’s not what I said.”

“Not with those exact words maybe, but you implied it Ari.”

“It’s not what I meant.” He repeated his sentiment, “Look, I’m so sorry Han. I don’t know what got into me”

“You know…” Hannah shook her head “I knew you had this jealous streak in you but..”  she took a deep breath and licked her lips .”I think I need some space”

At that she made to pass him in the doorway but Ari gently grabbed her arm. “Han, wait.”

“Let me go Ari”

Ari glanced down at his hand and released her arm “Hannah.”

“I just need to be alone.” She swallowed “Please.”

At that Ari gave a small nod and stepped to the side allowing her to leave. With a groan he ran both hand through his hair before his right fist slammed down on the desk in a fit of rage.

“Fuck!” he yelled out, his voice and the thud of his hand punching the desk echoed around the room and he ran his hand down his beard. He was really worried now that he’d completely screwed everything. Today was fast shaping up to be a complete shit storm and it wasn’t even midday yet. For a second he considered heading after her but he knew he needed to respect her request for space, so instead he headed into the bar area, grabbed a bottle of bourbon, necked a shot or 3 to sort his headache out and turned on his heels and left.

****

Later that afternoon Hannah was heading to her hut when Rachel stopped her and said that she needed Ari’s passport for some paperwork which Colonel Madibo requested when he had stopped by on his Annual Visit a month or so prior. Rachel had failed to find Ari so had instead asked Hannah if she could find it in his absence.

As usual when she needed something, Rachel couldn’t wait, so Hannah shrugged and headed back to the hut to see if she could find it and decided to try his backpack first off. As she dug around her hands curled around a leather book. Curiosity piqued she removed it to see it was a note book of sorts and she flicked open the first page, finding it simply to be a log book, written mostly in code but she recognised it as being a short hand that most agents were trained in. It appeared to be accounts of the missions they’d run but as she closed it, she noticed that there were a few photos tucked into the back cover. She gently pulled them out and smiled as she saw the first one was of Ari and Maya when Maya was a toddler. Ari’s hair and beard both much shorter. The next one was a Polaroid of the team at the front of the hotel, then there was one of her and Simon which she had never seen before, but that had been taken yesterday morning from the looks of things, and then one of her, Ari and Sammy which was of her graduation. She frowned a little, unsure why Ari kept this with him considering it was from so long ago at a time when they hadn’t even been together. She turned it over, as if expecting to find the explanation there but she didn’t find anything but Ari’s haphazard scrawl in the bottom right hand corner- “Firefly’s Graduation”

A wave of nostalgia washed over her as she thought back to that day, the gift Ari had bought her, and that being the time she realised she was hopelessly in love with him. She swallowed, before tucking the photos back where she found them. After a little more digging in the backpack she found his passport and headed back to the main hotel and into the office. She held it out to Rachel who smiled, the grin immediately slipping as she caught sight of Hannah’s face.

“You ok?”

“Yeah…have you seen Ari?”

“Not since before no.”  Rachel took the passport she was holding out from Hannah “you know I’m sure he-“

“Yeah, I know.” Hannah shook her head, not wanting to talk about it anymore “Listen, Rachel, I don’t want dinner. I’m tired so I’ll grab something later if I’m hungry.”

“Ok, sure.”

She gave Rachel another smile before she made her way back out to the beach. She stood, hands on her hips as she contemplated going to find Ari to talk but before she could she heard Max yelling at her to take care of Simon who was chewing some of the equipment he and Jake were trying to store. With a groan she went to retrieve the pain-in-the-ass dog, took him back to the hut where she led on the bed and closed her eyes, completely drained.

When she woke a few hours later it was dark. The hut was completely silent apart from Simon’s soft snores and Ari was nowhere to be seen. Standing up she grabbed a warmer top as it had gone a little chilly outside and leaving Simon snoozing on her bed she wandered out onto the dimly lit beach to find him. The resort empty, not a soul to be seen, and it was completely dark apart from the light which was pooling out of the door which led to the main reception area. She made her way to the door which was open and saw Ari sat straddling the desk, legs dangling either side. They were swinging to and fro slightly, the muscles in his strong thighs straining and stretching as he did so, cigarette in his mouth as he studied the ‘Satisfied Guests’ board on the wall. With a soft sigh he led back against the desk, closing his eyes.  

“Ari?” Hannah spoke softly and he turned his head sharply towards her. He eyed her for a moment, clearly trying to size up her mood and she allowed her face to soften slightly and he gave a slight smile in response.

“Hey firefly.”

“It’s late.” She stepped into the room a little more.

“I know.”

“So what are you doing sat on the desk?”

“Just reviewing our satisfied guest number.” He shrugged “Which is gonna go up tomorrow.”

“Exactly, so you should come to bed, you never sleep the night after a mission so…”

“I was gonna take one of the spare rooms.” Ari admitted and Hannah rolled her eyes.

“Don’t be so dramatic.”

“I’m not being dramatic” he shrugged. “You said you wanted space…”

“I’ve had space all day.”

“I know I just…well, was waiting for you to decide when you’d had enough…”

Hannah took a deep breath, bit her lip and nodded to the board he’d been studying. “Look at the back.” She instructed.

“What?” he frowned at her sudden change of subject.

“I said, look at the back of the board, Ari.”

He gave her another puzzled look before he shuffled over and spun it round, his eyes roaming the 5 digits that had been carved into the back. “3. 19. 80.” He looked at her “That’s you birthday 2 years ago.”

“Yeah.” She nodded, “I wanted that date permanently carving into something other than my brain.”

“I’m not…”

“It was the first time you told me you loved me” she explained softly, and Ari felt his eyes widen “I waited so long to hear you say it.” She took a deep breath “Which is why I can’t understand why you think I’d ever look at anyone else.”

Ari sighed, turning the board back round, as he spun his body to face her, legs dangling off the edge of the desk. “I don’t, Han. I was just being a stupid, jealous prick.”

Hannah took a deep breath, looking at him. His eyes were down cast, his face pinched with regret. She exhaled and shook her head “No more ok? I can’t deal with your stupid fits of pathetic jealousy and possessiveness.”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry.” He shook his head, looking down at his hands. “I just, well, you’re not the only one who waited so long for us. Sometimes I worry that, well you’ll realise that I’m just an asshole after all and that you could do so much better.”

“I already know you’re an asshole.” She shrugged, a smile playing on her lips “But you’re my asshole. And I don’t want to do any better.”

Ari’s eyes locked onto hers and he let out a deep breath, smiling softly before he gave a jerk of his head “C’mere…”

“Ari…”

“Just get up here Firefly”

The roll of her eyes and little groan would have maybe fooled anyone else into thinking she was frustrated, but not Ari. He caught the smile on her face as she walked over towards him and hopped up onto the counter. With a grin, Ari looped both his arms around her waist and clumsily pulled her with him as he fell back, both of them laying chest to chest, his arms round her holding her close. She gave a low chuckle, shaking her head.

“Dumbass.”

“Yeah.” He agreed, reaching up and tucking her hair behind her ears with both his hands. He then cupped her face gently, before he leaned up and gave her a soft kiss.

“I love you.”  He said gently “And I really am sorry.”

“I know.”

“You know that I love you or you know that I’m sorry?”

She hesitated for a second before she smirked and arched an eyebrow “Both”

Ari chuckled and Hannah grinned and lay against Ari’s chest, snuggling into his t-shirt, the top of her head up under his chin. Neither of them said anything for a little while, just lay there basking in one another’s warmth, the argument forgotten until eventually Hannah felt her eyes growing heavy.

“Ari.”

“Yeah”

“Seriously, we need to go to bed.”

“Yeah…” he hummed back, his hands stroking up her neck.

“I mean it.”

“Mmhmmm.”

“Ari!” she said exasperatedly and he gave a low groan.

“Okay, okay…”

With what felt like a Herculean effort Hannah pushed herself up and hopped down from the counter, Ari doing the same, his boot clad feet echoing around the empty room as the soles slapped on the tiles. He stretched his arms, causing his t-shirt to ride up a little at the bottom as he ran both hands through his hair. Silently, he held out his hand and Hannah slipped hers into it, and together they headed out of the door pausing only to turn off the lights and make sure the main doors were locked.

**** The next morning was hectic, for two main reasons. A new batch of guests had arrived and in between that they were doing the preps for the mission later that evening. Rachel and Hannah were busy with the guests whilst Max, Jake and Ari were busy with the equipment. Radios needed to be tested, the trucks needed to be checked over to ensure there would be no mechanical issues and Sammy was busy making sure the medical supplies were stocked and packed.

Once that was gone, Ari took himself off for a run, in an attempt to burn off some of the usual nervous energy he had the day of a mission. He was out for a good hour, and as he rounded the edge of the cove onto the last few hundred yard stretch of beach up to the resort he spotted a few new guests were sat out in the sun reading and chatting. He nodded to them as he rounded up the small path off the main shore line, coming to an abrupt halt as Simon ran up to him from goodness knows where, almost tripping him over.

“Hey bud…” Ari panted a little, removing his headphones and clicking off his walkman “Where’s mom?”

“Here.”

Ari spun round to see Hannah stood there in a pair of shorts and a white tank top, the strings of her bikini visible round her neck, her hair damp.

“Hey sweetheart.” He smiled, and she took a moment to look him up and down, noticing the sweat dripping from his forehead and his damp t-shirt that was sticking to his torso. “Pervert.”

She shrugged and grinned before she spoke again, her cover accent thick on her tongue. “Good run?”

He nodded as he continued his deep breathing looking round “Not as much fun as this morning’s exercise though.” He flashed her a cheeky wink as she chuckled and took the soft kiss he offered. “How’ bout you? Good dive?”

She nodded “Still waiting for that elusive Hammer-Head sighting. You know, I’m beginning to think Irvine made it up.”

With a chuckle Ari gently looped an arm round her, pulling her to him as they headed into the main room of the resort, Hannah shoving against him, protesting at the fact he was basically wiping his sweat all over her but their teasing and joking died down as Rachel immediately accosted them, her German accent flawless as always.

“There you are. I was just talking about you with our new guests.”

Ari looked up to see 3 people in chairs in the reception area, and as the man in front of him stood and turned he saw it was Walton Bowen, the guy from the CIA that he had last seen in Khartoum Airport.

“Mr. Thomas, nice to see you again.”

“Now this is a surprise.” Ari smiled, shaking the hand Bowen offered before his hands dropped to his hips, his breathing still recovering from his run.

“Well, I'm sure it is. You're not an easy man to find. I think I saw you nearly two years ago. You were an anthropologist back then.” Bowen eyed Ari shrewdly taking a drag from his baby cigar.

“Right, well...” Ari smiled again, “Didn't pay the bills.” He offered as means of an explanation for the huge change in career direction.

“Yeah…” Bowen looked at him again, his eyes then flicking to Hannah.

“Sorry, where are my manners.” Ari apologised, “Rosa, this is Mr Walton Bowen. Works for the US Embassy?” he made it a question, even though he knew full well all about Bowen’s actual background having been debriefed back in ‘79 following his arrest.

“Of a fashion” Mr Bowen smiled. “Cultural attaché”

“Right.” Ari nodded “Well, Mr Bowen, this is Rosa Garcia, my partner and head of guest relations.”

“It’s a pleasure.” Hannah smiled, shaking Bowen’s hand.  

“Likewise.” Bowen smiled, releasing her hand.

“And you’ve already met my general manager, Angela.” Ari concluded and both Bowen and Rachel nodded in agreement before she spoke.

“I was just about to give Aziz the dinner order, will you be staying?

Bowen shook his head “That’s very kind but, no thank you. We’ll need to get back.”

“Ok, well in that case can I grab you anything for now?” she asked.

“I could go for something.” Ari looked at her, knowing full well the mission meant he would miss dinner and they usually ate a little earlier. Rachel understood perfectly and gave him a nod, turning to go.

“I’ll help.” Hannah turned to Ari who nodded and dropped a kiss to her temple before she hurried out after Rachel. He turned back to Bowen who was simply looking at him, his eyebrow raised a little.

“She a guest who never left or…”

“It’s a long story.” Ari smiled.

“I’m sure it is Mr Thomas.”

Ari nodded and then gestured towards the dining room, indicating one of the tables. “Shall we?”

Bowen turned to the two people who were with him and with a jerk of his head they moved outside. Ari watched them go before he nodded and the two men made their way over and settled at the large table the team usually ate round. Ari grabbed them both a bottle of water from the fridge at the far side of the room and settled in a chair, his elbow leaning on the back of it, as relaxed as he could make himself. They made small talk until Hannah and Rachel, or Rosa and Angela even, having had Aziz fix some crudités and hummus brought them out and dropped them onto the table before they too moved outside to take some to the two other unannounced guests. As Ari watched Hannah then walked back past them into the kitchen, and he returned his attention to Bowen, trying to appear interested, all the time simply waiting to find out what the man had actually turned up for. “Well... the hawks are demanding stricter Sharia law. Nimeiry is increasingly paranoid.” Bowen spoke, dipping a carrot into the hummus. “If you ask me, this entire country is a fucking tinder box.”

“Really? We don't really feel that out here.”

“No?”

“No.”

At that they both looked up as Hannah walked back into the room with a jug of iced tea and placed it in the middle of the table.

“Thanks honey.” Ari smiled at her as he reached for it “You wanna join us?” He paused and glanced at Bowen who gestured with his hand to say he didn’t mind so he poured 3 glasses and Hannah sat down at the seat next to him. Ari sat back in his chair, his arm casually draping over the high back of hers, her hand dropping to his thigh, fingers curling around the curve of the muscle, gently squeezing. He was tense, she could feel it. She softly rubbed his skin and his hand moved slightly in response, the pads of his fingers began tracing random shapes on the top of her arm.

“State's sent cargo planes for us, ready to evac in the event things take a turn for the worse. Oh. -And this refugee crisis, it's... it's really not helping.” Bowen shook his head as he looked at Ari, then Hanna, who met him with a blank look.

“Refugee crisis?” Hannah frowned.

“Yeah, you have entire refugee neighbourhoods just disappearing.” Bowen gestured with his hands “Into thin air.” “And that’s bad?” Hannah’s voice was puzzled. “Refugees are normally viewed as a burden, I’m not following.”

Clever girl… Ari looked down at the table, scratching his head

“The UN offers a stipend to the Sudanese for every refugee they house, so when people start to disappear that's just...  bad for business.” Bowen finished matter of factly.

At his blasé tone, Hannah felt herself growing a little angry at the way he was talking about real life people. Her people more specifically, as if they were nothing but commodities to be traded.

“Well…” Ari cut in, “The only crisis we face is whether or not we catch fresh lobster.” The three of them laughed as Ari shook his head. “Just kidding.”

“Well, I just got back from Gedaref, where the Mukhabarat had executed another 30 people.” Walton Bowen deadpanned and instantly the mood around the table changed. Cold washed over Hannah and besides her Ari shifted ever so slightly in his seat, the smile slipping from his face. “This is quite serious.2

Ari inhaled deeply and raised his eyebrows, he was done. They had a mission to prep for, and now more than ever he had to make sure that it was a success especially as his prediction seemed to be coming true- the net was closing in on them now and who knows how long they had. “I'd like to stay and chat, but I gotta get back to work.” He spoke, looking at Bowen.

“Yes, we have dinner to do and some night diving to prepare.” Hannah added.

“Sure. Okay.” Bowen nodded as the two of them stood up “Enjoy the...” he waved at the food on the table with his other hand as they both walked towards the exit, but Walton said something else that stopped them both in their tracks.

“Kabede Bimro, right?”

Ari glanced at Hannah, the pair of them hastily covering their shock with what they hoped looked like a confused glance and Ari shot a look at Bowen “Excuse me?”

“Hmm? Oh I just think it's such a funny name. Kabede.” The man shrugged.

“Yeah…” Ari made a face as if he found the whole thing baffling, before he turned back, his hand dropping to Hannah’s back but before they could move Bowen spoke again.

“And what about Ethan Navon…”

Hannah gave a little start. It was slight, an almost imperceptible slip, but a slip none the less. She swallowed, recovering, and turned to look at Ari, frowning.

“Guy, do you know what he’s talking about?” she asked.

Ari shook his head “Not a clue Firefly” he used her nickname in the hope it would calm her, and also to play the whole situation as naturally as he could. He looked at Bowen “I really have no idea who these people you’re talking about are, should I?”

“You tell me”

“I wish I could.” Ari gave a chuckle, shaking his head again, and giving Bowen a look that he hoped made the man believe that Ari thought he was crazy.

“You know, Mr Bowen…” Hannah spoke again “It’s getting late and it can get dark out there pretty quickly. If you’d like a room for the night we can fix it.”

“Not necessary, but I wouldn’t mind a look round.” Bowen shrugged “Maybe I’ll come stay sometime in the future, that is if I’m still in the Country, of course.”

“Go ahead” Ari nodded “Just shout if you need us.”

At that the pair of them made their way as calmly as possible from the dining room and into the kitchen, where the rest of the team was congregated. “What's the CIA doing here?” Sammy asked, “What did he want?”

“I don't know.” Ari ran his hand over his beard.

“He mentioned Dad, Sammy. Hannah looked at him.”

“I heard” Sammy nodded.

“I think he was trying to warn us.” Hannah shrugged.

“Fuck! He knows about Kabede.” Jake slapped his palm on the side behind him and Ari stood up tall, looking through the doorway at Bowen before he turned back.

“We gotta go.”

“No, this is just so fucking stupid.” Sammy shook his head “Tell Kabede it's too dangerous. We'll pick it up in two weeks when we have a chance to assess the threat.”

“We have 200 people—“ Ari began to protest but he was cut off by Sammy

“Yeah, and we'll have 200 people less if we fuck it up.” He hissed.

“For fuck's sake, Sammy, will you just trust me for once?”

“Well, if we're doing this, we need to leave now.” Hannah spoke, looking around “So what's it gonna be?”

Max, who hadn’t spoken a word since Ari and Hannah had joined them, swallowed the sandwich he had been eating and wiped his hands on his shorts “We go.”

“That simple?” Sammy looked at him and Max turned to Sammy, fixing him with a stare.

“Yeah, that simple.”

[apenapaperandadoofus]

The RFA+V, Saeran and Vanderwood having a stomach bug. How would MC deal with them?

Sure!

The RFA+minor trio with a stomach bug:

Zen:

Alright, so this man literally pretends he’s not sick

I mean, a stomach bug? He’d be better in a matter of hours

But he can’t help it but play along when you want to take care of him

You make him lay in bed, and you give him some tea to help and calm down

He thinks it’s adorable that you want to take care of him like this

So even if he’s feeling a bit better, he will let you take care of him

If he still wants to rehearse, you will help him by going over his lines with him

It’s pretty fun!

And the next day, he will give you a big kiss and some chocolates as a thank you!

Yoosung:

He tries to act like he’s fine

But he also makes it painfully obvious he’s not fine

So you baby him all day

“Y-Y/N! I’m seriously fine! You don’t need to treat me like a little kid!”

He becomes a little pouty, but when you explain that it’s because you really love him, Yoosung gives in

You make him his favorite soup, and you let him lay in his bed watching some videos

Also at one point Seven comes over dressed in a nurse costume and Yoosung is so ready to just kill him lmao

Jaehee:

No matter what, she will not admit she’s sick

The only time she would do it is if she literally can’t walk

But when you were running the coffee shop you saw her in a weird mood

And when you noticed she was sick, you’re triggered

“Jaehee! To bed right now!”

“But Y/N, I just need to-”

“Nope. Bedbedbedbed”

“Mmm...fine. But just for a bit.”

Jaehee manages to rest the whole day! And you spend the time with her watching Zen’s musicals!

Jumin:

He also won’t admit he’s sick

But when you tell him he’s super confused, because he’s super healthy

But like, Jumin, honey, healthy people can get sick too lmao

And so you take care of him the whole day!

You make him some light food and tea, you read to him, and then you both cuddle until the both of you fall asleep

But you were the only one who did. Jumin was looking at you with a loving gaze

“Love...no one has ever taken care of me like this before, you know? Thank you. For being with me, and for loving me. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

And then he’ll give you a little forehead kiss and the two of you will fall asleep in each other’s embrace

Saeyoung:

“I’m dyinggggggg, Saeran please help me!!!”

“Shut up idiot, Y/N is buying the medicine and she’ll be back soon, so stop your whining already.”

“Gahhh! How cold! My own brother!” Saeyoung then blows his nose in a super exagereted way.

“Those may be the last words you ever say to me, you know!? This is fatal!”

Basically Saeyoung acts like a cat and proceeds to beg for attention left and right

Both Saeran and Vanderwood are just some with his bullshit lmao

But you take care of him, and you hug him when he needs someone by his side

Thankfully Saeyoung recovers fairly quickly, and he thanks you all by taking you out to a picnic!

It started to rain tho, so he got sick again lol

V:

Aw the boi doesn’t want to tell you at all!

You literally don’t realize how bad he’s feeling until he throws up a bit

And you’re like holy shit you bastard boi why didn’t you tell me

V just didn’t want to bother you, but you ain’t having none of that

The two of you spend the day listening to your favorite songs, and cuddling each other

Sometimes if V is feeling better he will try and paint a bit, but you won’t let him because he has to rest!

“But Y/N”

“No buts, you’re going to sleep wether you like it or not.”

Saeran:

He hates getting stomach bugs, because he feels as if he’s weak

So apart from being in pain from the bugs, he is moody and sad

So yo cheer him up, you buy some ice cream for when he’s feeling better, and you ask him about flowers

Whenever you ask Saeran to teach you about them, he gets so excited and happy, so you want to make him feel better

That’s why the whole day, you both are wrapped up in a blanket and are watching some Studio Ghibli/Disney movies

He is forever grateful about how you took care of him, and the next day you will wake up with a boquete of your favorite flowers beside you

Vanderwood:

“I’m not sick shut up.”

“You are, and I swear if you don’t head to bed right now, I’m going to have to do it the hard way.”

“What are you even going to do? I told you, I’m fine! I’ve been through worse!”

Vanderwood DOES NOT want to admit he’s sick lmao

He wants to go out, and have a bit of fun since it’s his day off, but you force him to stay in bed

At least he’s getting rest from all of those all-nighters

He will soften up a bit, since you’re being so sweet to him

At the end of the day, when you go to sleep, Vanderwood will cuddle you and whisper that even though he really wasn’t sick, he wanted to thank you for everything you did.

When he’s better he will come back to the Vanderwood we all know and love lmao

[thatsbucknasty]

she used to be mine (vi) waitress au

pairing: Y/N x Bucky

summary: inspired by the broadway musical. Y/N Beck is a pie baking force to be reckoned with. She’s pregnant with her lazy ass husband, Quentin Beck’s baby. As everything around her turns upside down, Doctor James Buchanan Barnes charms his way into her life.

a/n: we’ll get a peek of Bucky’s pov here. Hope you guys are still reading this, and sorry for taking so long to update.

chapter 6: a soft place to land

doctor bucky pov

-

I think I’m falling for her. The moment she walked into my office, holding that pie almost three months ago, I wanted to get to know her. I know I must’ve annoyed the hell out of her in that first encounter, I know I can be intense, but I couldn’t just refer her to a different person. I feel like we were connected, destined to meet. I’m a big romantic and I love how the universe works. I believe in my soul that we were not a product of coincidence or happenstance; maybe we’re not destined to be together but I’d surely love to just be her friend.

 Everytime she comes for an appointment I hope I’m cherishing her company as much as I should, or praising her talents because she deserves to know how amazing she is. And everytime I’m not in her presence I’m waiting  for the day I’ll get to see her again. Or hoping I’ll casually run into her at the market or in the street. Cause I’m stupid like that. Hoping some married woman, who’s also my patient by the way, will actually want anything to do with me. 

She’s sound asleep right now, and if things were different and she wasn’t in such a scary situation I might wish she’d wake up so I could tell her how beautiful she is to me and how much I want her to feel the same way I feel about her. But even if she’s had issues with that awful man, she’s still with him, so… I know it’s not going to happen and I’d just make a fool out of myself.

And where is that bastard anyway? His wife and kid are in such a vulnerable state and he’s nowhere to be seen! I swear if he comes here drunk, like she’s told me it’s his usual state, I’ll kick his pathetic ass. She deserves better than this. 

She listed a woman named Natasha as her emergency contact. A strange, scary woman indeed. She waltzed in here bossing everyone around, threatening to kill anybody who wouldn’t let her near her best friend. If I wasn’t scared for Y/N’s own life at the moment I might’ve laughed at all the interns she threw daggers at. The scary redhead went out to make some phone calls and get coffee, so it’s only me and Y/N, and the little nugget.

She looks so peaceful right now, so soft. I feel an incessant need to be near her and make sure she’s safe. Both of them really. It’s been a bad year for the both of us, that’s for sure. But all I care about right now is this woman, sleeping with an IV and a monitor by her side, and that tiny baby inside of her. I know they’re gonna make it just fine. I may be a little awkward and dumb when it comes to girls, but I’m damn good at my job, so for now, they’re both stable.

I’m falling for her hard. She baked me a pie and I couldn’t stop smiling once I was alone, just staring at it. The first pie she gave me wasn’t really for me, it was for Doctor Perkins. But the second one she made specially for me. I felt so proud that day, like I had discovered the cure to some major disease. She’s got me wrapped around her pretty little magical pie baking fingers.

-

y/n pov

-

I try to open my eyes and it’s taking an excessive amount of effort to do so. Everything’s too bright and I’m disoriented but I finally assess my surroundings and I realize I’m in a hospital bed. Oh god, my baby…

“My baby. Is it okay? I-” I whimper and try to call for somebody but there’s no one. How did I even get here?

“Y/N! You’re awake! Thank god!” Natasha and Wanda enter the room, and run to my side when they take in my panicked state.

“Nat, my baby? How is it? I don’t know how- I was- Please tell me it’s okay. I didn’t even get to give them a name yet. I-”

“Sweetie, it’s okay, shhh. You and the baby are okay. You’ve been here for two days, and we were so worried but Bucky said the worst part is over. Oh! That reminds me, Bucky said it’s a she! And she’s quite healthy, but you need to relax because whatever sent both of you here took a toll on your health and you need that to grow a baby, you know? You gotta take care of yourself, hon”.

I sigh in relief and try to relax back into the stiff hospital pillows. My baby is okay and it’s a girl. I feel like my heart stopped for a minute there but now there’s a sense of calm flooding me.

“Wait, you met Bucky?”

“Why yes, actually he wouldn’t leave your side but since Wanda and me are here, he figured you’d be more comfortable with a less crowded room”.

“Oh. That’s- um, that’s nice of him I guess”.

“Y/N? Would you like us to go fetch him?”

“YES! ...I mean, if you girls don’t mind”.

“Oh not at all. I’ll go, Wands you stay here to see if she needs anything”. Nat left the room and I suddenly feel so grateful to have such good friends in my life. I’d feel very pathetic if I was in the hospital by myself. No parents, no husband. No one else to worry about me and my baby girl.

“Okay, missy. I know you mentioned Doctor McDreamy was cute. But you never said he was THAT cute!”

“He is, isn’t he?” I feel my face heat up at her comment but it doesn’t matter anymore. They’ve met him and well, no one could hide that man’s handsome face.

“Too bad all of us are taken”. Wanda says while she cleans the chair by my bed with a wipe and sits.

Man, I gotta tell them what happened with Quentin, I feel like they’re gonna throw me a party or something. They really hate his ass.

“Yeah, about that…”

“Y/N, I’m glad you’re awake, how are you feeling?” Bucky enters the room and even though he has dark circles around his eyes and his face is scruffier than when I last saw him, he looks gorgeous.

“I’m good. Thirsty”. That’s all I manage to utter in front of the prying ears of my best friends, but I glare at them and Nat gets it.

“Oh would you look at the time, Wanda we should go back to the diner. Y/N, honey? We’ll visit after our shift’s over tonight, is that okay? You’re in good hands here, isn’t she, Bucky?”

“Indeed she is”. He says without taking his eyes off me, he smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes, he looks… concerned.

“Kay, see ya!” Nat takes Wanda by the arm and they almost jog outta here.

All of a sudden I feel extreme guilt. Bucky told me stress was bad for the baby and here I am. I feel like a child at the principal’s office. My eyes are welling up and I can’t even look at him.

“Hey, is something wrong? Are you in pain?” Bucky walks over to my side and takes a look at the monitor. I look up at him and he slowly reaches over to grab my chin. My heart does a little flutter and I hope the monitor doesn’t rat me out.

“I- I feel fine. But I’m so stupid. You told me stress was bad and- and I didn’t listen”, I can barely speak coherently in between sobs and jagged breaths, “I’m sorry- I had a huge argument with Quentin, he wasted all my baby savings and he’s having an affair, which I should’ve seen it coming, but I’m so, so stupid!”

Tears flow down my cheeks and I hide my face in my palms, then I feel the bed dip next to me and Bucky’s arms around me. He holds my back with one arm and the back of my head with another, whispering sweet words into my ear. I cling to his arms and let all my sadness and frustration be washed away by his embrace. We stay there for a little while and I try to mimic the rhythm of his breathing to calm myself down.

He’s the first one to let go and I hate to be parted from his arms, but he reaches over to wipe some stray tear and that tiny touch is enough to make me feel better.

“I just want you to know- you’re not stupid. Whatever reaction that you had and that led you here, it was completely normal. Y/N, if I may be so bold to say this- Quentin’s a lowlife. He doesn’t deserve you. I know you tried to work things out and gave him chance after chance because you choose to see the good in people, but you’ve had enough and you deserve more. You’re pretty amazing and the fact that you’ve been handling this pregnancy on your own since day one, makes you the strongest person I know”, he lowers his hand to my stomach and looks deep into my eyes, “you and that little princess you got there are alright now. It was just a scare. A very serious one, but you both are going to get through this in no time, I’m going to make sure of that”.

I smile up to him and he leans in to give my forehead a barely there kiss. Perhaps he’s right and things will be okay, maybe even more than just okay. There is hope in his eyes and in my heart, I can feel it.

“You should rest, I’ll be here, I promise”. 

Bucky takes my hand to his lips and sits in the chair next to me, still holding my hand and kissing it every so often until I fall asleep.

-

chapter 7: never ever getting rid of me

[wiypt-writes]

Leave No One Behind

Ch 12- Win Some, Lose Some Part 2

Co written with @icanfeelastormbrewing​

Summary: After 2 years of being at the resort Ari and the other agents are gearing up for yet another mission, but there’s a little bit of trouble in paradise for him and Hannah…

Warnings: Bad Language words. Smut (NSFW, 18+ only)

Pairings: Ari Levinson x OFC Hannah Horowitz

Leave No One Behind Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Part 1

Ari woke the next morning and instantly realised something was missing. Simon’s ass from his face. With a stretch he cracked his neck slightly and opened one eye to find that Hannah was also gone. With a little yawn he sat up, rubbing his eyes before he swung his legs off the side of the bed and stood up, heading to the small bathroom. Once finished, he located a pair of swim shorts form the chest of drawers at the side of the hut and pulling them on he made his way outside.

Hannah wasn’t far away. In fact, she was stood straight in front of the hut at the water’s edge as Simon stood by her side, the pair of them simply looking out over the ocean which was alive with the rich, warm pinks and oranges of the rising sun. She was dressed in Ari’s shirt from the night before, her hair in a tangle of curls as it fell down her back, and there was something so raw and intimate about the moment it made Ari’s breath catch. Slipping back into the hut he located Hannah’s polaroid camera and quickly made his way back outside. He took a quick snap, and returned back inside, placing it back down along with the photo to develop before he strode back out of the door and down to the water’s edge.

Of course Simon heard him coming and turned, eliciting a little bark as he trotted towards him. He leaned down to give his dog an ear scratch before he smiled at Hannah who had turned her head over her shoulder to face him. She responded with a smile of her own, looking back at the ocean as he wrapped his arms around her from behind dropping a gentle kiss to her neck.

“You’re up early.” He said as her hands gently came to rest on his strong arms as they pulled her back into him, the fabric of the shirt she was wearing brushing against his bare chest.

“Couldn’t sleep.” She shrugged.

Ari’s nose nuzzled against the skin below her ear and he pressed another soft kiss to her jaw line “You still feeling a little down?”

Hannah took a deep breath and shrugged as her nails raked over his arms.

“You know, if it’s too much…you could go back.” He suggested and felt her still.

“As in, for good?”

“Yeah.” Ari shrugged, “Like I said, I don’t think we have an awful lot of time left…”

“I’m not quitting” Hannah said simply, turning in his arms. “I came to do a job, and I’m gonna see it through.”

“I knew you’d say that” he chuckled and Hannah watched her hands as they smoothed up over his pecs to his shoulders before she met his eyes.

“Why ask me then?” she arched an eyebrow as she looked at him, his hands flexing on her hips.

“Because I love you and I don’t wanna see you sad or unhappy because of me ever again.”

“This isn’t because of you.” Hannah shook her head “You egotistical ass.”

“Harsh!” Ari cocked an eyebrow as she grinned as he huffed out a laugh, “But I mean it Han. I don’t want you feeling like you have to stay.”

“I don’t” she shrugged “Honestly, don’t worry about me. It’ll pass Ari, I promise.”

She pressed her lips to his in a soft kiss before she glanced over to their left and nodded as two people passed them on the beach. “Guests are stirring, I should go shower and get ready for breakfast.”

“Ok.” He nodded and she looked up at him, biting her lip.

“Wanna come scrub my back?”

“You know…” Ari’s hands locked at the base of her back “The amount of times you ask me to do that, you should really invest in a loofah.”

“Yeah but, where’s the fun in that?” she grinned “Besides, why have a wolf and howl yourself?”

Ari gave a snort as she grinned again, stepping out of his hold, slipping her hand into his before she tugged him along with her over the sand towards their hut, Simon trotting behind them. 

****

One of the best traditions the team had come up with since they had started running a now not-so-fake hotel was the party they always held the night before a group of tourists were due to leave. It was the perfect excuse to let loose and celebrate together with another group of satisfied guests, albeit not the ones that were counted on the board. There was always a great bonfire, drinks and good music all accompanied by lots of laughter and wishes of a safe trip back home. 

That night to be no exception to the rule and as Ari and Max were putting the final touch to the makeshift dance floor and checking the sound system, which had been upgraded since the first time they threw that kind of farewell party, Jake and Hannah were in charge of starting the bonfire under the watchful eye of Sammy. Rachel was looking after them all and ensuring they had a steady supply of beer before she settled down on Sammy’s lap. Simon stood a little away from the group, minding his own business which was chasing and trying to bite his own tail.

They were all discussing the choice of music for the night, as Ethan had sent them some new records with the latest shipment, and Max picked one out to check the sound system was up and running. As the upbeat sounds of Rio by Duran Duran rang across the beach the conversation had taken a rather odd turn, shifting to the discussion about who was the best front man- Simon Le Bon vs John Taylor.

"I used to have hair like John Taylor..." Jake piped up, taking a swig of his beer.

"So did Sammy." Hannah snorted, the look on her brother's face made her burst out with laughter as besides her Ari chuckled, his arm draped over her shoulders.

Sammy groaned. "Yeah, laugh all you want but we don't need to discuss that."

"And the stash?" she pressed, making Jake laugh out loud and Rachel chuckle. “Can we discuss that?”

Sammy glared at Jake and then at his sister. "Shut up, Han."

But, despite Sammy's deadly stares, Hannah continued her tirade. "You should have seen him. It was pretty...”

"Cool?" Jake cut her off.

"Disturbing." she blurted out with a grin.

"You two can kiss my ass." Sammy snapped at them, the pair of them dying with laughter by then, before he patted Rachel's hip and stood up to go and get changed.

A few hours later the party was in full swing, and the alcohol was flowing. Hannah who was visibly drunk by then had disappeared for some time and had returned with her polaroid and was busy annoying the boys with it. 

“Pose for me guys…you’re so pretty.” She grinned, before she looked at her brother “Well, apart from you Sammy."

"Fucking fuck you Han." Sammy protested as he staggered, almost falling over.

Rachel started howling just as Ari chuckled and hiccuped. "You can’t, don’t talk to her like that man." he said, shoving Sammy a little, spilling some of his beer in the process. "Oops." he hiccuped again.

"She’s a dick." Sammy snarled.

"Yeah but man…just no." Ari managed to say, his tongue feeling thick and not quite cooperating.

"Lobo stop mooooving. I’m tryina take a photo." Hannah whined, looking at them. "Sammy can you just... like not be here. In the picture I mean." she said as she shifted her weight on the sand trying to not lose balance.

"Red if you make us stand here any longer my clothes are gonna go outta fashion." Jake complained as he let his head fall, his arms over Max and Ari's shoulders.

"Your clothes were outta fashion when my papa was alive, Jake." Hannah quipped, fast as lighting

"Bitch!" Jake groaned.

“Hey, don’t call my girl names, asshole." Ari teased, yanking Jake's arm off his shoulder and turning to shove him which ended in both men faking a heated fight on the sand. "For fuck sake Hannah." Sammy yelled, stepping away from Jake and Ari's mock fight. "Take the camera back inside. You’re drunk."

"So are you." she said, sticking her tongue out at her brother.

"Yeah but I ain’t holding a camera, it’ll end up full of sand or broken."

She paused and looked at him as his words sunk in, and then she shrugged “Yes Dad” and started walking towards her and Ari's hut, stumbling on the sand, drunk as she was. Only she stumbled a little more heavy than she was anticipating and unable to steady herself she was fully expecting to face plant into the sand, until a hand gently grabbed her arm to stop her from falling.  

"Thanks." she whispered honestly as she looked up to see one of the younger guests from the group that had been diving with Jake the day before smiling at her.

“You’re welcome.” He spoke, but not loosening his grip, instead he kept his gaze locked on her, grin spreading across his face.

Max, who had been watching the guy with curiosity, nudged Ari and nodded his head towards the scene.

"What the fuck is that bastard doing?" Ari yelled, a big frown on his sweaty forehead as he released Jake from the headlock he’d had him in.

"Touching up Cracker...I think..." Max shrugged.

"Quit stirring Max " Jake spoke, brushing the sand off his shirt. "She tripped and he stopped her falling bud, that's it."

Ari groaned and took a sip from his beer, eyes still watching. Eventually he saw Hannah step back and laugh before heading up towards their hut. But he didn't miss the way the dark haired man’s eyes followed her, or the way his pals all nudged him and gestured in Hannah’s direction, all of them grinning.

"I’m watching you, you German bastard." Ari mumbled but loud enough for Sammy to hear.

"I told you. It’s always Germans." Sammy said before hiccuping.

"Fuck off. My parents are German." Rachel shoved Sammy.

"Yeah Sammy, the in laws won’t like you talking like that." Max scoffed and Ari snorted as Sammy's eyes opened wide with realisation.

"Sorry babe." Sammy apologized and then glared at Ari. Having heard his snort "Yeah, like my mother likes you, asshole."

“You know your mother loves me, jerk. So much so I went round for dinner last time I was home and she made meatloaf."

"What? Why did you…" Sammy stuttered and Ari grinned at him. "Fuck…"

"No, that’s Ethan’s job." Ari quipped, making everyone but Sammy burst out with laughter.

"You’re sick, you know that? That’s disgusting." Sammy glared at him.

"Everything is disgusting according to you." Jake stated, with a shrug.

"To be fair the thought of my mom banging my boss...." Max said, shuddering at the thought.

"Shut up Irving!" 

"He’s very charming with all those elegant outfits." Rachel conceded.

"Yeah well he can go and charm someone else." Sammy glared at her.

"Don’t you mean some-mum else?" Jake snorted, making Sammy groan as they all sniggered. 

"But Rachel has a point. None of you have seen his silk robe." Ari spoke and Max was fast in following suit. "Mama N has."  He grinned at Ari who grimaced, readying himself for Sammy's final outburst.

"Will you all shut the fuck up?" he growled.

"Ok, ok sorry Sammy." Ari tried to calm him down as he shook his head

"What’s up? Are you angry again Sammy bear?" Hannah, who had just come back, asked noticing her brother's angry face. And she felt Ari's arm curl possessively round her waist, pulling her to him as he chuckled at Sammy's roll of eyes at her sister's pet name for him.

"Sammy doesn’t like Ethan banging your mother, Red." Jake explained, crooking a smile at Sammy.

Hannah wrinkled her nose at the mention of Ethan being her mother's partner. "Well... whatever" she started and then shrugged "Come on guys, let’s dance. I wanna dance." she suddenly changed topic as she grabbed Rachel's hand pulling her towards the “dance floor”.

"Bye then." Max raised his beer to the retreating girls.

"Yeah I’m gonna go dance too." Jake announced, and Ari saw his eyes flicker over a pretty blonde woman who was stood with a group of her friends.

"By dance you mean grind against some clueless tourist?" Max jabbed at Jake who flipped a finger at him as he left.

"They won't be clueless for long." Ari snorted. Half an hour later, after some dancing and more drinking, Ari noticed Hannah and Rachel were surrounded by the German Tourists who had all been watching Hannah. Ari was observing from a distance, the jealousy building slowly but surely, and when at one point he saw one of them wrap an arm round Hannah's shoulder and dip his head unabashedly towards her face he snapped.

"Fucker" he snarled as he started striding over but was stopped by someone grabbing his shoulder. He turned round only to see Sammy was the one holding him back.

"Don't cause a scene man. Han's got it, look." Sammy nodded his head in the girls' direction causing Ari to turn to look in time to see Hannah pulling away, her hands planted on the guy’s chest, shaking her head firmly.

"Yeah, back off asshole…" Ari hissed. "Wait. Is she smiling at him? Why is she smiling at him?" he asked Sammy, his eyes never leaving the scene though.

"She's just being polite." Max said in an attempt to downplay the issue.

"Sure." Ari snorted as he watched Hannah still smiling, her hands still on the guy’s shoulders. "Whatever. I’m ending this now." and he motioned to start towards the guy again. Sammy groaned and called at him to stop, but this time it was Max who physically did it.

"Look chill. There’s nothing going on there and like Sammy said, you’ll cause a scene. Besides Jake is close by."

But Ari was pissed and he was equally drunk, his alcohol fuelled brain wasn't working logically as all he could see was Hannah smiling at that guy that was far too close to her. As he stood watching, his jaw twitching, fists balling at his side, eventually the guy stepped back and held his hands up, turning to leave the girls alone.

Hannah watched the guy as he went, shaking her head at his complete and utter forward nature,  and then spotted Ari. His handsome features which were usually soft when he looked at her were hardened and his gentle blue eyes blazed with rage she hadn’t seen in a long time. She frowned at the outward display of anger and she excused herself from Rachel and Jake and headed over.

"I’m gonna grab a snack." Max was the first to split, as soon as he noticed Hannah approaching.

"Good idea." Sammy agreed and they hastily headed off. 

Hannah watched them for a moment as they left and then turned to Ari, whose jaw was twitching. "What’s wrong Lobo?"

"You tell me Firefly." he replied and she frowned at his flat tone.

"I don't know that's why I asked." she said softly, not wanting to fuel whatever was bothering him.

He scoffed. "You can’t be that oblivious."

Hannah stared at him and frowned again. "Are you talking about that guy just then?"

"Oh, so you do know what I’m talking about then."

She groaned, his jealous nature which was cute at times was at others fucking annoying.  "Ari, he made a pass at me, I told him no. I'm not sure what else there is to say."  

She frowned, feeling slightly puzzled not least because she had done nothing wrong but if Ari really believed what he had seen, then he surely would have been straight in there. He had done it before…

"Why you think he made that move?" Ari asked shrugging slightly at Hannah’s shocked expression.

"You think…” Hannah trailed off, her puzzled expression sliding into one of anger as she realised what Ari was implying and she narrowed her eyes. “You know what? Fuck this." she snarled and turned to leave.

"Firefly!" he growled. "Where do you think you’re going? Come back here! Hannah!"

Hannah stopped and turned to face him, gathering all the self-control she had in her not to slap him straight across his face for yelling at her. "To bed Ari. But for the record the only reason I'm not screaming at you right now is because of all these guests. You're being a fucking asshole, Levinson."

 "No, I’m not." he hissed. "You’re being a brat Hannah."

"I’m being a brat?" she let out a sarcastic, hearty laugh. "Fuck you." she spat at him and with that she stormed off in their hut direction.

Ari stood frozen watching her leave for a moment and when the realization of what had just happened washed over him he kicked the sand. "Fuck!" and he paused for a few seconds, considering his options, before he went after her. He could tell she was aware he was just behind her as she sped up till she finally reached the hut and went to slam the door but Ari got his foot in the way.

"Nice try Firefly."

"Fuck you Ari." she spat those words at him again.

Simon looked up from where he had been dozing on the bed, his head cocking to the side at the raised voices.

"Hey! I’m the one who has the right to be pissed." 

"No, no you don’t Ari!"

"Ok, now, you listen to me…" Ari said sternly as he brushed his hair off his face.

“I don't wanna listen. I'm done." she bit back.

"Fine, whatever." he said as he took off his shirt and went into the bathroom. He usually let her go first but not that night, he was making his point and was determined to stand for it, whatever it took or so he thought as he looked at his reflection in the mirror, his hands gripping the basin so hard his knuckles were now white. He sighed and tried to steady his breathing before sorting himself out and emerging into the room again.

 "Can I go in now?" Hannah asked sarcastically, standing up from where she was sat on the bed.

"All yours." he replied, equally as sarcastic.  

She stalked past him, staring straight ahead, before she shut the door behind her. Once alone in the room she  sat on the toilet, her head in her hands as she started sobbing, all the rage she was feeling seeping from her eyes. That was not how that night was supposed to go, but she had no fucking idea what or why he thought she’d encouraged anything. And the hypocrite was talking just the previous day about keeping the guests satisfied after she’d teased him about flirting. Did he really not trust her that much? She was well aware they were both drunk, so that was probably worse than it should be but still…it hurt.  She felt the tears sting her eyes and wiped them away as he breathed in deeply before standing to wash her face and clean her teeth.  

When she came back into the bedroom Ari was led on his back, looking up at the ceiling. She made an effort to ignore him and grabbed a vest and a pair of shorts, changed and got into bed, turning so her back was to him before clicking off the small lamp at her side of the bed.

Ari turned his head to look at her, letting out a sigh. He hesitated for a moment but he then shuffled and turned towards her back and was about to stretch his arm out for her when she spoke.

"Don’t you dare touch me, Ari."

He grit his teeth at her hoarse voice. He could tell she had been crying but at that point in time he was pissed off. He tried to come up with an equally hurtful comment to show his annoyance but all he managed to say was “Good night firefly."

As no response came on Hannah's part, with an angry groan and a roll of his eyes he turned back the other way and for the first time since they started sharing a bed 2 years ago, they didn’t fall asleep wrapped up in each other’s arms.

And the space between them felt like miles.

**** The next morning Ari woke up to Simon, as always, led on his face. Pushing him off, the dog giving the usual low grumble of protest, Ari grimaced a little at the movement, his limbs feeling heavy. The room was quiet, but he could hear Hannah in the bathroom. With a groan he dropped his arm over his eyes in an attempt to keep the light from painfully flooding his system. His head was pounding and the inside of his mouth felt like he had been eating the sand from the beach.

He cast his mind back over the events of the night and he could remember drinking, fooling around and then everything going to shit. He really didn’t want to think about it, but his stubborn brain led him to replay it over and over again. The more he thought about it, the more he knew he had been an ass, but that bastard making a move to kiss his girl had sent him into overdrive. Fortunately the current set of tourists were leaving that morning and once they were gone Ari could concentrate on damage control with Hannah.

At that point the door to bathroom opened and he moved his arm away from his eyes to see Hannah stepping back into the room, already dressed in a pair of red shorts and a loose fitting white t-shirt that slouched off her right shoulder giving him a flash of her blue bikini strap. Ignoring the fact that the room was spinning, Ari sat up slightly in bed to look at her for a moment before he tentatively spoke.

“You woke up early Firefly” his voice was a little croaky, fuck he needed water.  

“Couldn’t sleep” came the clipped response.

“Han…” he sighed, but she clearly wasn’t in the mood to speak to him.

“I think I’m gonna go for a walk on the beach.” She replied, her tone flat. Ari started to protest but she completely ignored him. “I need to get out of here. I’m suffocating”

“Hannah.” He tried again, and this time she took a deep, annoyed voice and snapped her head round to look at him.

“What?” she demanded.

He knew that speaking to her whilst she was still angry at him would merely result in them arguing even more so he sighed, shaking his head. “Nothing.”

“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes and walked towards the door. As she wrenched it violently open, Simon bounced off the bed and trotted after her as she left, slamming it behind her causing Ari to wince at the noise.

He lay back with a groan, cursing himself. Hannah was really pissed, and now his mind began to wander furiously. He had to make this right, he couldn’t risk losing her. Not again.

“For fucks sake Levinson, get a grip” he chastised himself. This was an argument, a stupid, ridiculous argument that’s all. Worrying about losing her was a little extreme. Wasn’t it?

He lay there, his mind arguing with itself for a few minutes before the sound of voices drifted through the lattice screens which covered the window to their hut. Knowing that he really should get up to see the guests off he kicked off the blankets and swung his legs off the side of the bed before he headed into the bathroom. After a quick shower he pulled on a clean pair of swim shorts and a light and pink hooped t-shirt before he shoved on his socks and hiking boots and headed out.

Breakfast was a quiet affair. Everyone was visibly hungover, plus the tension between Ari and Hannah was festering in the air casting a shadow over the usual well natured meal. There was no gentle touching, no longing looks, no grins, no giggles. The atmosphere was sour, and impossible to ignore.

“You ok, Han?” Sammy looked at his sister as she was picking at a croissant, not really eating much of it.

“Fine Sam.” Her response was short but not angry. Sammy frowned and looked at Ari who was drinking his coffee, deliberately avoiding anyone’s gaze.

Rachel and Jake exchanged glances as Max studied Hannah for a moment. Suddenly conscious everyone’s attention was her she pushed her plate away from her and stood up.

“Excuse me, I need to feed Simon.”

She moved away from the table, Ari following her with his eyes, his head bowing slightly once she was out of sight.

“Something wrong with Cracker?” Max asked.

“Leave it.” Sammy instructed, his eyes flicking to Ari’s before his best friend turned away. He then glanced at Rachel who gave a small sigh and stood up, ready to go and find her but Ari stopped her as he drained his coffee and issued an instruction.

“Make sure everyone is checked out, the bus will be leaving in 30.”

Rachel looked at him, blinking but she didn’t argue “Sure.”

With that he stood up and wandered outside, lighting up a cigarette. As he took a drag he leaned on the wall and out came the group of tourists that had been dancing with the girls the night before. He nodded his head to greet them, a little stiffly, offering no trace of a smile. His eyes watched the asshole that had made the move on his Firefly as he nudged one of the guys on his left, laughing as one by one they settled on the sun-loungers, a few meters away, suitcases by their side ready to depart.

Ari tuned his attention to the ocean, watching the early morning sun bouncing off the surface, and he was trying not to listen, he really was, but he just couldn’t help it when one of the guys, clear as day, asked the asshole if he had said goodbye properly to the Spanish hotty. Ari stiffened, and found himself suddenly undecided as to whether he was happy he could understand German or not.

“I wish.” The asshole laughed in his home language “She seems to have disappeared into thin air. I’m so pissed I only got to speak to her on the last day.”

“You’ve been eyeing her up since we arrived man!” one of the other guys shot back “Pity she turned you down.”

Another snorted “Yeah man, flat out no!”

Sniggers arose from the group and then one of them looked up, Ari hastily averting his gaze, but he clearly wasn’t quick enough.

“Keep it down, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen her with the owner”

Asshole shrugged “He’s American, not German, can’t understand us!”

Ari fought to keep his face straight. Dick.

“You know, you’re worse than that dog that wanders around!” the guy that had told them to shut up shook his head “You cannot keep it in your pants anywhere!” “Can’t help it. But come on, guys! You seen her?”

“Yes, yes we have. She cute.”

Asshole sighed “Pity we’re leaving, reckon I could have worn her down, got her on her back with a little more time.”

Ari felt his jaw clench, he’d heard enough. With a cough he cleared his throat and then felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Rachel looking at him.

“All set.”

He nodded and turned back to the group of boys “Bus is ready if you want to climb up.”

They all turned to look at him and the one sat nearest on the edge of a lounger nodded. “Sure man.”

Ari watched them all gather their luggage and make their way back into the hotel. He nodded as they all walked past him, Asshole taking up the rear, and as he went to pass, Ari placed his arm over the doorway, hand curling round the edge of the frame, blocking his way.

“Hey…” Asshole began to protest but Ari fixed him with an icy glare.

“Next time you wanna talk about getting my girl on her back, maybe check I can’t actually understand you…and for the record, if you weren’t leaving today you’d be shark bait.” He hissed in German, before he moved his arm as Asshole swallowed, his eyes wide with shock and horror. Ari smiled and then spoke to him in English “Have a safe trip home, dick.”

The guy scurried away as fast as he could, Ari’s eyes burning a hole in his back as he left. Once he was out of sight the anger Ari was feeling gave way to guilt as he had basically accused Hannah of leading the asshole on, even though he knew that wasn’t the case. Hannah wouldn’t dream of doing something like that. Sometimes she could be a little flirty but then so could he, it was just who they were, and to accuse her the way he had done was ridiculous. But then again he had been drunk, and even when sober he was a total mess when it came to his girl, and now she was giving him the cold shoulder.

He had to fix this.

Taking a deep breath he headed inside to look for Hannah and found her in the office with Rachel. Immediately he spotted her red puffy eyes and the concern on Rachel’s face and that made him feel like complete shit.

“Rachel, can you give us a minute?” he asked softly. Rachel looked to him before she shrugged.

“Sure”

She turned and left the office, not before giving him a filthy look and once she was gone Hannah looked at him.

“What do you want Ari?” She sniffed and Ari took a deep breath

“Sweetheart, I'm sorry”

“Sorry for what exactly?” she tipped her chin up to look at him, and Ari should have known she wasn’t going to let him off with a mere, simple and overarching apology.

“Last night. I was out of order” “Talk about an understatement! You basically called me a slut.”

“No, Hannah.” Ari began to protest “That’s not what I said.”

“Not with those exact words maybe, but you implied it Ari.”

“It’s not what I meant.” He repeated his sentiment, “Look, I’m so sorry Han. I don’t know what got into me”

“You know…” Hannah shook her head “I knew you had this jealous streak in you but..”  she took a deep breath and licked her lips .”I think I need some space”

At that she made to pass him in the doorway but Ari gently grabbed her arm. “Han, wait.”

“Let me go Ari”

Ari glanced down at his hand and released her arm “Hannah.”

“I just need to be alone.” She swallowed “Please.”

At that Ari gave a small nod and stepped to the side allowing her to leave. With a groan he ran both hand through his hair before his right fist slammed down on the desk in a fit of rage.

“Fuck!” he yelled out, his voice and the thud of his hand punching the desk echoed around the room and he ran his hand down his beard. He was really worried now that he’d completely screwed everything. Today was fast shaping up to be a complete shit storm and it wasn’t even midday yet. For a second he considered heading after her but he knew he needed to respect her request for space, so instead he headed into the bar area, grabbed a bottle of bourbon, necked a shot or 3 to sort his headache out and turned on his heels and left.

****

Later that afternoon Hannah was heading to her hut when Rachel stopped her and said that she needed Ari’s passport for some paperwork which Colonel Madibo requested when he had stopped by on his Annual Visit a month or so prior. Rachel had failed to find Ari so had instead asked Hannah if she could find it in his absence.

As usual when she needed something, Rachel couldn’t wait, so Hannah shrugged and headed back to the hut to see if she could find it and decided to try his backpack first off. As she dug around her hands curled around a leather book. Curiosity piqued she removed it to see it was a note book of sorts and she flicked open the first page, finding it simply to be a log book, written mostly in code but she recognised it as being a short hand that most agents were trained in. It appeared to be accounts of the missions they’d run but as she closed it, she noticed that there were a few photos tucked into the back cover. She gently pulled them out and smiled as she saw the first one was of Ari and Maya when Maya was a toddler. Ari’s hair and beard both much shorter. The next one was a Polaroid of the team at the front of the hotel, then there was one of her and Simon which she had never seen before, but that had been taken yesterday morning from the looks of things, and then one of her, Ari and Sammy which was of her graduation. She frowned a little, unsure why Ari kept this with him considering it was from so long ago at a time when they hadn’t even been together. She turned it over, as if expecting to find the explanation there but she didn’t find anything but Ari’s haphazard scrawl in the bottom right hand corner- “Firefly’s Graduation”

A wave of nostalgia washed over her as she thought back to that day, the gift Ari had bought her, and that being the time she realised she was hopelessly in love with him. She swallowed, before tucking the photos back where she found them. After a little more digging in the backpack she found his passport and headed back to the main hotel and into the office. She held it out to Rachel who smiled, the grin immediately slipping as she caught sight of Hannah’s face.

“You ok?”

“Yeah…have you seen Ari?”

“Not since before no.”  Rachel took the passport she was holding out from Hannah “you know I’m sure he-“

“Yeah, I know.” Hannah shook her head, not wanting to talk about it anymore “Listen, Rachel, I don’t want dinner. I’m tired so I’ll grab something later if I’m hungry.”

“Ok, sure.”

She gave Rachel another smile before she made her way back out to the beach. She stood, hands on her hips as she contemplated going to find Ari to talk but before she could she heard Max yelling at her to take care of Simon who was chewing some of the equipment he and Jake were trying to store. With a groan she went to retrieve the pain-in-the-ass dog, took him back to the hut where she led on the bed and closed her eyes, completely drained.

When she woke a few hours later it was dark. The hut was completely silent apart from Simon’s soft snores and Ari was nowhere to be seen. Standing up she grabbed a warmer top as it had gone a little chilly outside and leaving Simon snoozing on her bed she wandered out onto the dimly lit beach to find him. The resort empty, not a soul to be seen, and it was completely dark apart from the light which was pooling out of the door which led to the main reception area. She made her way to the door which was open and saw Ari sat straddling the desk, legs dangling either side. They were swinging to and fro slightly, the muscles in his strong thighs straining and stretching as he did so, cigarette in his mouth as he studied the ‘Satisfied Guests’ board on the wall. With a soft sigh he led back against the desk, closing his eyes.  

“Ari?” Hannah spoke softly and he turned his head sharply towards her. He eyed her for a moment, clearly trying to size up her mood and she allowed her face to soften slightly and he gave a slight smile in response.

“Hey firefly.”

“It’s late.” She stepped into the room a little more.

“I know.”

“So what are you doing sat on the desk?”

“Just reviewing our satisfied guest number.” He shrugged “Which is gonna go up tomorrow.”

“Exactly, so you should come to bed, you never sleep the night after a mission so…”

“I was gonna take one of the spare rooms.” Ari admitted and Hannah rolled her eyes.

“Don’t be so dramatic.”

“I’m not being dramatic” he shrugged. “You said you wanted space…”

“I’ve had space all day.”

“I know I just…well, was waiting for you to decide when you’d had enough…”

Hannah took a deep breath, bit her lip and nodded to the board he’d been studying. “Look at the back.” She instructed.

“What?” he frowned at her sudden change of subject.

“I said, look at the back of the board, Ari.”

He gave her another puzzled look before he shuffled over and spun it round, his eyes roaming the 5 digits that had been carved into the back. “3. 19. 80.” He looked at her “That’s you birthday 2 years ago.”

“Yeah.” She nodded, “I wanted that date permanently carving into something other than my brain.”

“I’m not…”

“It was the first time you told me you loved me” she explained softly, and Ari felt his eyes widen “I waited so long to hear you say it.” She took a deep breath “Which is why I can’t understand why you think I’d ever look at anyone else.”

Ari sighed, turning the board back round, as he spun his body to face her, legs dangling off the edge of the desk. “I don’t, Han. I was just being a stupid, jealous prick.”

Hannah took a deep breath, looking at him. His eyes were down cast, his face pinched with regret. She exhaled and shook her head “No more ok? I can’t deal with your stupid fits of pathetic jealousy and possessiveness.”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry.” He shook his head, looking down at his hands. “I just, well, you’re not the only one who waited so long for us. Sometimes I worry that, well you’ll realise that I’m just an asshole after all and that you could do so much better.”

“I already know you’re an asshole.” She shrugged, a smile playing on her lips “But you’re my asshole. And I don’t want to do any better.”

Ari’s eyes locked onto hers and he let out a deep breath, smiling softly before he gave a jerk of his head “C’mere…”

“Ari…”

“Just get up here Firefly”

The roll of her eyes and little groan would have maybe fooled anyone else into thinking she was frustrated, but not Ari. He caught the smile on her face as she walked over towards him and hopped up onto the counter. With a grin, Ari looped both his arms around her waist and clumsily pulled her with him as he fell back, both of them laying chest to chest, his arms round her holding her close. She gave a low chuckle, shaking her head.

“Dumbass.”

“Yeah.” He agreed, reaching up and tucking her hair behind her ears with both his hands. He then cupped her face gently, before he leaned up and gave her a soft kiss.

“I love you.”  He said gently “And I really am sorry.”

“I know.”

“You know that I love you or you know that I’m sorry?”

She hesitated for a second before she smirked and arched an eyebrow “Both”

Ari chuckled and Hannah grinned and lay against Ari’s chest, snuggling into his t-shirt, the top of her head up under his chin. Neither of them said anything for a little while, just lay there basking in one another’s warmth, the argument forgotten until eventually Hannah felt her eyes growing heavy.

“Ari.”

“Yeah”

“Seriously, we need to go to bed.”

“Yeah…” he hummed back, his hands stroking up her neck.

“I mean it.”

“Mmhmmm.”

“Ari!” she said exasperatedly and he gave a low groan.

“Okay, okay…”

With what felt like a Herculean effort Hannah pushed herself up and hopped down from the counter, Ari doing the same, his boot clad feet echoing around the empty room as the soles slapped on the tiles. He stretched his arms, causing his t-shirt to ride up a little at the bottom as he ran both hands through his hair. Silently, he held out his hand and Hannah slipped hers into it, and together they headed out of the door pausing only to turn off the lights and make sure the main doors were locked.

**** The next morning was hectic, for two main reasons. A new batch of guests had arrived and in between that they were doing the preps for the mission later that evening. Rachel and Hannah were busy with the guests whilst Max, Jake and Ari were busy with the equipment. Radios needed to be tested, the trucks needed to be checked over to ensure there would be no mechanical issues and Sammy was busy making sure the medical supplies were stocked and packed.

Once that was gone, Ari took himself off for a run, in an attempt to burn off some of the usual nervous energy he had the day of a mission. He was out for a good hour, and as he rounded the edge of the cove onto the last few hundred yard stretch of beach up to the resort he spotted a few new guests were sat out in the sun reading and chatting. He nodded to them as he rounded up the small path off the main shore line, coming to an abrupt halt as Simon ran up to him from goodness knows where, almost tripping him over.

“Hey bud…” Ari panted a little, removing his headphones and clicking off his walkman “Where’s mom?”

“Here.”

Ari spun round to see Hannah stood there in a pair of shorts and a white tank top, the strings of her bikini visible round her neck, her hair damp.

“Hey sweetheart.” He smiled, and she took a moment to look him up and down, noticing the sweat dripping from his forehead and his damp t-shirt that was sticking to his torso. “Pervert.”

She shrugged and grinned before she spoke again, her cover accent thick on her tongue. “Good run?”

He nodded as he continued his deep breathing looking round “Not as much fun as this morning’s exercise though.” He flashed her a cheeky wink as she chuckled and took the soft kiss he offered. “How’ bout you? Good dive?”

She nodded “Still waiting for that elusive Hammer-Head sighting. You know, I’m beginning to think Irvine made it up.”

With a chuckle Ari gently looped an arm round her, pulling her to him as they headed into the main room of the resort, Hannah shoving against him, protesting at the fact he was basically wiping his sweat all over her but their teasing and joking died down as Rachel immediately accosted them, her German accent flawless as always.

“There you are. I was just talking about you with our new guests.”

Ari looked up to see 3 people in chairs in the reception area, and as the man in front of him stood and turned he saw it was Walton Bowen, the guy from the CIA that he had last seen in Khartoum Airport.

“Mr. Thomas, nice to see you again.”

“Now this is a surprise.” Ari smiled, shaking the hand Bowen offered before his hands dropped to his hips, his breathing still recovering from his run.

“Well, I'm sure it is. You're not an easy man to find. I think I saw you nearly two years ago. You were an anthropologist back then.” Bowen eyed Ari shrewdly taking a drag from his baby cigar.

“Right, well...” Ari smiled again, “Didn't pay the bills.” He offered as means of an explanation for the huge change in career direction.

“Yeah…” Bowen looked at him again, his eyes then flicking to Hannah.

“Sorry, where are my manners.” Ari apologised, “Rosa, this is Mr Walton Bowen. Works for the US Embassy?” he made it a question, even though he knew full well all about Bowen’s actual background having been debriefed back in ‘79 following his arrest.

“Of a fashion” Mr Bowen smiled. “Cultural attaché”

“Right.” Ari nodded “Well, Mr Bowen, this is Rosa Garcia, my partner and head of guest relations.”

“It’s a pleasure.” Hannah smiled, shaking Bowen’s hand.  

“Likewise.” Bowen smiled, releasing her hand.

“And you’ve already met my general manager, Angela.” Ari concluded and both Bowen and Rachel nodded in agreement before she spoke.

“I was just about to give Aziz the dinner order, will you be staying?

Bowen shook his head “That’s very kind but, no thank you. We’ll need to get back.”

“Ok, well in that case can I grab you anything for now?” she asked.

“I could go for something.” Ari looked at her, knowing full well the mission meant he would miss dinner and they usually ate a little earlier. Rachel understood perfectly and gave him a nod, turning to go.

“I’ll help.” Hannah turned to Ari who nodded and dropped a kiss to her temple before she hurried out after Rachel. He turned back to Bowen who was simply looking at him, his eyebrow raised a little.

“She a guest who never left or…”

“It’s a long story.” Ari smiled.

“I’m sure it is Mr Thomas.”

Ari nodded and then gestured towards the dining room, indicating one of the tables. “Shall we?”

Bowen turned to the two people who were with him and with a jerk of his head they moved outside. Ari watched them go before he nodded and the two men made their way over and settled at the large table the team usually ate round. Ari grabbed them both a bottle of water from the fridge at the far side of the room and settled in a chair, his elbow leaning on the back of it, as relaxed as he could make himself. They made small talk until Hannah and Rachel, or Rosa and Angela even, having had Aziz fix some crudités and hummus brought them out and dropped them onto the table before they too moved outside to take some to the two other unannounced guests. As Ari watched Hannah then walked back past them into the kitchen, and he returned his attention to Bowen, trying to appear interested, all the time simply waiting to find out what the man had actually turned up for. “Well... the hawks are demanding stricter Sharia law. Nimeiry is increasingly paranoid.” Bowen spoke, dipping a carrot into the hummus. “If you ask me, this entire country is a fucking tinder box.”

“Really? We don't really feel that out here.”

“No?”

“No.”

At that they both looked up as Hannah walked back into the room with a jug of iced tea and placed it in the middle of the table.

“Thanks honey.” Ari smiled at her as he reached for it “You wanna join us?” He paused and glanced at Bowen who gestured with his hand to say he didn’t mind so he poured 3 glasses and Hannah sat down at the seat next to him. Ari sat back in his chair, his arm casually draping over the high back of hers, her hand dropping to his thigh, fingers curling around the curve of the muscle, gently squeezing. He was tense, she could feel it. She softly rubbed his skin and his hand moved slightly in response, the pads of his fingers began tracing random shapes on the top of her arm.

“State's sent cargo planes for us, ready to evac in the event things take a turn for the worse. Oh. -And this refugee crisis, it's... it's really not helping.” Bowen shook his head as he looked at Ari, then Hanna, who met him with a blank look.

“Refugee crisis?” Hannah frowned.

“Yeah, you have entire refugee neighbourhoods just disappearing.” Bowen gestured with his hands “Into thin air.” “And that’s bad?” Hannah’s voice was puzzled. “Refugees are normally viewed as a burden, I’m not following.”

Clever girl… Ari looked down at the table, scratching his head

“The UN offers a stipend to the Sudanese for every refugee they house, so when people start to disappear that's just...  bad for business.” Bowen finished matter of factly.

At his blasé tone, Hannah felt herself growing a little angry at the way he was talking about real life people. Her people more specifically, as if they were nothing but commodities to be traded.

“Well…” Ari cut in, “The only crisis we face is whether or not we catch fresh lobster.” The three of them laughed as Ari shook his head. “Just kidding.”

“Well, I just got back from Gedaref, where the Mukhabarat had executed another 30 people.” Walton Bowen deadpanned and instantly the mood around the table changed. Cold washed over Hannah and besides her Ari shifted ever so slightly in his seat, the smile slipping from his face. “This is quite serious.2

Ari inhaled deeply and raised his eyebrows, he was done. They had a mission to prep for, and now more than ever he had to make sure that it was a success especially as his prediction seemed to be coming true- the net was closing in on them now and who knows how long they had. “I'd like to stay and chat, but I gotta get back to work.” He spoke, looking at Bowen.

“Yes, we have dinner to do and some night diving to prepare.” Hannah added.

“Sure. Okay.” Bowen nodded as the two of them stood up “Enjoy the...” he waved at the food on the table with his other hand as they both walked towards the exit, but Walton said something else that stopped them both in their tracks.

“Kabede Bimro, right?”

Ari glanced at Hannah, the pair of them hastily covering their shock with what they hoped looked like a confused glance and Ari shot a look at Bowen “Excuse me?”

“Hmm? Oh I just think it's such a funny name. Kabede.” The man shrugged.

“Yeah…” Ari made a face as if he found the whole thing baffling, before he turned back, his hand dropping to Hannah’s back but before they could move Bowen spoke again.

“And what about Ethan Navon…”

Hannah gave a little start. It was slight, an almost imperceptible slip, but a slip none the less. She swallowed, recovering, and turned to look at Ari, frowning.

“Guy, do you know what he’s talking about?” she asked.

Ari shook his head “Not a clue Firefly” he used her nickname in the hope it would calm her, and also to play the whole situation as naturally as he could. He looked at Bowen “I really have no idea who these people you’re talking about are, should I?”

“You tell me”

“I wish I could.” Ari gave a chuckle, shaking his head again, and giving Bowen a look that he hoped made the man believe that Ari thought he was crazy.

“You know, Mr Bowen…” Hannah spoke again “It’s getting late and it can get dark out there pretty quickly. If you’d like a room for the night we can fix it.”

“Not necessary, but I wouldn’t mind a look round.” Bowen shrugged “Maybe I’ll come stay sometime in the future, that is if I’m still in the Country, of course.”

“Go ahead” Ari nodded “Just shout if you need us.”

At that the pair of them made their way as calmly as possible from the dining room and into the kitchen, where the rest of the team was congregated. “What's the CIA doing here?” Sammy asked, “What did he want?”

“I don't know.” Ari ran his hand over his beard.

“He mentioned Dad, Sammy. Hannah looked at him.”

“I heard” Sammy nodded.

“I think he was trying to warn us.” Hannah shrugged.

“Fuck! He knows about Kabede.” Jake slapped his palm on the side behind him and Ari stood up tall, looking through the doorway at Bowen before he turned back.

“We gotta go.”

“No, this is just so fucking stupid.” Sammy shook his head “Tell Kabede it's too dangerous. We'll pick it up in two weeks when we have a chance to assess the threat.”

“We have 200 people—“ Ari began to protest but he was cut off by Sammy

“Yeah, and we'll have 200 people less if we fuck it up.” He hissed.

“For fuck's sake, Sammy, will you just trust me for once?”

“Well, if we're doing this, we need to leave now.” Hannah spoke, looking around “So what's it gonna be?”

Max, who hadn’t spoken a word since Ari and Hannah had joined them, swallowed the sandwich he had been eating and wiped his hands on his shorts “We go.”

“That simple?” Sammy looked at him and Max turned to Sammy, fixing him with a stare.

“Yeah, that simple.”

***** Chapter 13

[pillow-anime-talk]

my anime crush.

synopsis: As an anime fan, you have your favorite 2D boy. At the same time, your own boyfriend is jealous of him. LMAO.

# tags: scenarios; current relationships; romance; comedy; fluff; boys as attention whores; maybe spoilers??; sfw

includes: female reader ft. shoto todoroki, izuku midoriya, katsuki bakugo, denki kaminari & eijirou kirishima {bnha}

— SHOTO (ft. Roy Mustang)

shobby; Hello, Y/N. Would you like to come on a date with me? 

You looked at the phone and the message from your boyfriend, then at your laptop screen and sighed.

you; I’m sorry, love. I have a date with Mustang today. We can go tomorrow <3 Love u.

You answered quickly, then turned off the phone and resumed watching the next episode of ‘Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’. There was a lot of your favorite character at this arc, so unfortunately you couldn’t stop watching it right now! ‘Sorry, baby!’

Todoroki, on the other hand, had been staring at his smartphone’s screen for two or three... or maybe four minutes, probably not catching your joke about your alleged date with a non-existent 2D character. Only after long thought he decide to go to your room in the dorm.

Shoto expected everything; that you will be getting ready for a mentioned date, that you’re drunk or something, that you will cry while devising a plan to break up with him... but he certainly didn’t expect that you will lie on the bed hugging a large and fluffy dakimakura with the anime character’s face and body.

“Y/N?”

You glanced to the side, pausing the anime episode, and raised an eyebrow. “Oh. Hi?”

“What are you doing?”

“I have a date. I wrote it, remember?” You laughed softly as you sat on the bed. “You want to join?” You asked, but seeing his surprised expression, you decided to explain it. “I just watch anime, Sho. It’s a inside joke that you ‘go on a date’ with your favorite character when you just watch your favorite title. And my favorite character is Roy Mustang! Come here, please and watch it with me.”

After a short while, you played a few seconds of the anime for your boyfriend, and he raised his left eyebrow.

“Why you like this ‘Roy Mustang’ if you have me? Plus, my power is much better and I don’t need gloves to activate my quirk.”

You looking in shock at the boy, then blushed hardly. A moment later you grabbed his hand and pulled him to you, hugging him. 

‘I guess, I just like hot guys Shoto-kun.’ You thought, still hugging Todoroki.

— IZUKU (ft. Genos)

“Y/N why do you like this Robot-Man more than me?” Izuku pouted so you looked at him in big surprise. For a moment you didn’t know what the young High School student was talking about, but after the next few seconds you realized he meant your favorite 2D boy – Genos.

“I never said I liked him more than you, baby.” You laughed softly as you looked again at the black and white page of the manga, which showed the changing pictures and the fight of your favorite hero with the huge scolopendre-like monster.

“B-But... You keep reading about him, you have him on your wallpaper, you have his photos on wall, and you even cry to him while watching anime. Not to mention that you’ve watched this title about eighteen times already...! You love him more than me! I’m so sad, Y/N-chan!”

You raised your left eyebrow, laughing softly, looking at the book again and then closing it with a little, colorful bookmark. Of course, the bookmark with the image of Genos. Lmao.

“Izu-kun... No offence, but you know that well – all your room is in All Might’s things; bedding, mugs, pens, carpet and posters. When we kiss there, I can feel his smile and eyes on me. All. The. Time.” You said honestly, causing his pouty cheeks to flush after a short while, like two huge red ripe apples from an orchard.

“Yeah... B-But...”

“Anyway, I like this manga also because the main character looks like you. He also beats the villains with one punch! You should read this with me... I think you will like it, baby.”

This one, simple sentence was enough to interest Midoriya, who was (yeah, let’s face it) obsessed with physically strong characters/heroes/people.

Unfortunately, after a short time you turned your boyfriend into a monster who started buying various ‘One Punch Man’ stuff... Mr. Yagi Toshinori had a competition from now. Lol.

— KATSUKI (ft. Tobio Kageyama)

“Stop watching this shit and go out on a date with me.”

“Leave me alone! They’re playing an important game with Shiratorizawa Academy right now! I can’t, I just can’t! I have to support my favorite team!” You squeaked as your boyfriend pulls your leg and tries to pull you out of the safe ‘nest’ on the bed. “Katsuki! LEAVE ME ALONE, YOU BASTARD.”

“Shitty woman, let’s go on a date.”

“Piss off, let me spend time with my beautiful volleyball players! I missed them.” You almost cry holding onto the wooden bed frame while kicking your boyfriend in the face. “Let me finish watching the game and we’ll go on that date. I promise. I PROMISE.” You add quietly, looking at the screen again.

Bakugo snorted loudly, finally sitting down on your white carpet and leaning back against the bed. Then he took out his phone to browse his social media, but shortly afterwards he speaks back again. His raspy voice was irritated.

“I just don’t understand why you like that anime and that black-haired idiot so much... Like, I’m better in every fucking way.”

“Don’t offend Kageyama, you stupid ass.” You growled, poking him with your foot. “I like him because he’s so handsome and cute. He’s tall, he can play volleyball, he has beautiful, blue eyes...” You started exchanging softly, blushing, which made your boyfriend mad.

After a moment was heard a sound of a laptop hatch closing loudly in the room.

“KATSUKI, YOU SON OF A BITCH. I HATE YOU.”

“Yeah, yeah. Anyway. We’re going on a date. Now.”

— DENKI (ft. Takumi Usui)

“CJSDDKJDKVIDOLVDFK!” 

The blonde boy looked at you with a very scared expression on his face. When he saw the tears in your shiny eyes and the blush on your both cheeks, he approached you, asking if you were all right.

“Nothing’s alright, Denki!” You screamed out, stopping the episode of ‘Kaichou wa Maid-sama!’ and then looking back at your still worried boyfriend. “Usui kissed Misaki. I don’t know what to do with myself. I’M SO JEALOUS!” You squealed as you grabbed your warm forehead. “I’d like to kiss him too!” You added, causing the fear on his face to turn into surprise and confusion.

“Baby, I... Huh?”

“I would like to be a character in this anime. Life is hard, Denki. Life is painful.” You sighed, glancing at the colorful screen again.

After a while, however, you felt a warm touch on your hand, and then a gentle tug of your body towards the blonde’s chest. You looked at him questioningly, but before you could ask what he was doing, your man pulled you even closer, finally kissing your sweet lips. The kiss was gentle, slow and sweet; it was that kind you liked mostly and personally.

When you pulled away from Kaminari, he smiled at you, tucking unruly strands from your head behind one of your reddy ears.

“You may not live in the same anime as Usui, but at least you live next to me. It’s nice, isn’t it, Y/N?”

Your cheeks flushed even more than a few minutes ago, when you watched the last episode of your favorite title with interest. So you nodded gently. “That’s very nice, thank you, cutie.”

— EIJIROU (ft. Light Yagami)

“Y/N, why do you like this bad and nasty man so much?” Kirishima looked at you, and you paused the third episode, looking at him with amusement in your both, bright eyes.

“He’s not bad at all. He does justice as he sees fit.” You ate some popcorn and the boy pouted. “Hm? What’s wrong, baby?”

“I just don’t understand why you like this anime so much... There are much more enjoyable series! Honey, please, let’s watch ‘Pokémon’ or something where good and love wins. Pretty please.”

“But, you know that I don’t like this kind of anime or manga. I prefer what I’m watching now, Eiji-kun.”

“Yes, but you know it by heart!” He said reproachfully, and you shrugged your shoulders again. Kirishima gave up for a few more moments, watching your cute face, which with each second of the episode turned to an expression of admiration and big as heck stress. It was kind of cute in his own eyes, but still... Why did you like someone who killed others so much! After all, you were supposed to be a pro-hero, not someone who kills people for your own judgment and fun. 

Out of the corner of your eye, of course, you could see your red-haired boy’s wrinkled face, so you tapped his warm hand and smiled softly as you looked at him.

“Umm... If you want you can hug me, baby. It’ll definitely be nicer to watch all these murders. I guess.” You whispered, to which the High School student laughed out loud and immediately executed your soft words.

Eijiro cuddled up against your thighs, and your hand automatically combed his soft, red hair, which weren’t now styled with a hair gel or gum.

‘Well.’ If, while watching the actions of the evil-like Light, Kirishima could hug you and kiss your hands, he may turn a blind eye to Kira’s awful behavior.

[hailbop1701]

25 Days of FicMas

December 18th prompt: Elf on a Shelf

Word Count: 1,959

Slightly To The Left...

Okay, who has an elf? I used to have one but the little bastard used to move around so he is no longer in this world lol. This was interesting to write and I sort of like what I did with it. I hope you enjoy it!

-H❤🖖

“What in the hell is that?” you turned to see John standing just behind you holding a cup of coffee, his eyes zeroed in on an object sitting on your desk. Following his gaze, you smirked, “It’s an elf, John,” you snickered. “It’s creepy. That’s what it is,” the man muttered taking a sip of his coffee. You grinned and adjusted the little creature sitting on top of a stack of old books, “Oh come on he’s not that bad,” you pouted a little. Kennex grunted into his mug, “It’s Christmas time (Y/N) not Halloween,” he said walking around so he was at his desk right across from yours. You stuck your tongue out childishly and went back to the reports you were woefully filling out, “where did you get that thing anyway?” John asked settling in to do his own reports. You tilted your head to the side frowning, “I honestly don’t know, he just sort of appeared in my Holiday stuff. I found him yesterday when I put up my decorations,” you hummed scrunching your nose and mouth in thought. “That makes it even creepier (Y/N),” John snorted with a shake of his head. You rolled your eyes and flicked the little bell on the end of the elf’s hat, “I think he’s kinda cute,” you murmured in a huff. The porcelain glass of the elf’s face glinted in the fluorescents, his green and red costume seemed dulled by age, “I hate dolls,” Kennex grumped with a slight shiver. You snorted a laugh, “aw is the big bad detective scared of itty bitty dollys?” you teased. 

John gave you a sour look not amused, “They are little vessels of pure evil,” he defended pointing a finger at you. “You would be afraid of dolls John,” Dorian laughed walking up to his partner, “shut up Dorian,” Kennex seethed picking up his coffee mug. The DRN held up his hands in surrender, “I just came to let you know that we have a case,” he said holding out the file to the grouchy man. John took the file and flicked the clear paper to life, he read through it quickly before getting to his feet. Grabbing his coat he handed the sheet back to Dorian, “great I just love getting a gruesome family murder around the holidays,” he grumbled sarcastically. You grimaced wrinkling your nose, “God I hate those,” you sighed with a sad shake of your head. John walked past his desk slipping on his coat, as he neared you he leaned down so he could whisper in your ear. “We still on for later?” he asked with a crooked smile, you smiled back, “of course, I’ll bring the takeout,” 

John squeezed your shoulder before following Dorian out the door. Looking back to your elf you cocked your head to the side again, “eh I still think you’re adorable,” you said with a shrug. You got up and rounded over to John’s desk and gathered his unfinished reports, stacking them neatly you brought them over and sat them on top of your own stack that still needed to be completed. Sighing you mutter to yourself, “I swear I better get a little something for doing this…” 

The reports took the rest of your shift with two and half extra hours tacked on. Rubbing your eyes you walked back to your desk to gather your things you noticed something was missing. Furrowing your brows you looked around the bullpen; not a soul in sight and there hasn’t been in quite a while. Cautiously you strode up to your desk; after searching every nook and cranny you placed your hands on your hips. “Where in the hell did you go little guy?” you asked pursing your lips. The sound of your cell phone broke the uneasy silence, with a sigh you picked up your phone and balanced it between your shoulder and ear, “Those creepy elves are following me around today. It’s everyone and their mother has one,” John said before you could offer a ‘hello’. Chuckling you pulled on your coat, “Are you back at your place?” you asked readjusting the phone with your now free hand. “Yeah I just got back, Dorian hitched a ride with Valerie back to the station,” you heard the sound of a car door slamming shut. You smirked, “I’ll be over soon, I’m just leaving the station myself. You want anything special for dinner?” you asked entering the elevator. John hummed, “I’m fine with whatever you get,” 

“Chinese it is. Hey, you haven’t seen my elf at all have you?” you heard John snort over the line. “Only this morning” he muttered in disgust, rolling your eyes you exited the building into the parking garage. “I can’t find him, he just disappeared,” you frowned and John laughed, “good riddance,” he said and then suddenly yelped in pain. “What the fuck…” he cursed, “what happened?” you asked concern coloring your voice as you got into your car. Shivering you started it quickly to get the heat started, “damn couch,” John’s voice was slightly muffled like he was holding his phone away from his face. “Sweetheart I got to go…” John trailed off and before you could respond he hung up. Scoffing you looked at your phone confused, “that was odd,” you mumbled. 

It took you a solid hour to get to John’s apartment, taking out your set of keys you unlocked the door and pushed it open with your hip, “John?” you called out holding dinner in one hand and your purse in the other. Walking into the entry you kicked the door shut, “John!” you groaned at his silence. Walking quickly into the kitchen the tip of your book caught a side table, cursing you set the bags down. Turning you saw John sitting on the couch staring at something sitting on the coffee table his gun in his hand, walking closer you noticed that things have been moved. It was subtle but everything had been moved slightly to the left, “What in the hell…” you trailed off as you saw your missing elf sitting politely on the coffee table. “I thought you said you haven’t seen him since this morning,” you whisper at the shoulder of the couch. “I haven’t,” John muttered eyes narrowed. 

“Then how did-” John looked at you almost accusingly making you stop mid-sentence. You laughed “It wasn’t me!” you held up your hands innocently. “It wasn’t Dorian either I already called,” John breathed getting up and rounded the couch so he could stand by you. The uneasy look he was already wearing deepened when he saw your horror, following your gaze he saw that the coffee table was now empty. “Okay nope, that’s it,” John said holstering his sidearm, he- to your shock swung you over his shoulder. He entered the kitchen grabbing the dinner bags and your purse off the counter before rushing out the already open door. “We’re staying at your place,” he growled as you pulled the door shut behind you. “I can walk you know,” you muttered dryly eyeing his ass, “You don’t get to have a say in anything for a while darlin’, you brought a demon to work,” you just rolled your eyes. “Oh okay. My bad, my demon radar must be broken. And I thought you didn’t believe in that kind of thing?” you sassed making John grumble, “well I might now!”  he set you down after stepping into the elevator eyes shifting looking for tiny shadows. The doors closed and you were soon moving back down to the lobby, “I’m sure there is an explanation for all of this,” you said warmly. Placing a hand on John’s bicep you turned him so he was facing you, his scowl melted away slightly. “You’re right, but please for my sanity no more dolls,” he pleaded.  

Your laugh was cut short when the elevator screeched a halt sending you and John to the floor. The lights flickered and everything went dark for a split second before the emergency lights flared to life, John groaned and felt around for you, “You okay?” he asked finding your leg. Grunting your response, you place your hands onto the floor and pushed up so you were leaning back against the elevator wall. “Oh I’m peachy, you alright?” you asked dryly. John pushed himself into a sitting position without removing his hand from your leg, “I could be better,” he snipped back. Sighing titled your head back so it clunked against the wall, “Well at least we have the food,” you mumbled trying to look on the bright side, “I bet that bastard elf did this,” Kennex growled. Pinching the bridge of your nose you sighed, “John the elf is a doll, it can’t hurt you,” John snorted sounding unconvinced. “ Yeah well I still hate it and it’s creepy disappearing act. I bet Rudy is fucking with us,” He muttered rummaging through the bag of Chinese; he gave you your order and set a bottle of water down by your knee. “If it was Rudy then you have to give him some credit. He got us damn good,” you snickered, John chuckled darkly “and knowing you, you’re already plotting your revenge,” he smiled at the thought of you getting back at the lonely scientist. “Oh honey, you know me so well,” you winked and took a bite of an eggroll. John shifted and scooted himself so he was shoulder to shoulder with you, finishing your eggroll you took a swig of water. “God I hope we get out of here soon,” you said tiredly John looked down at you seeing your eyes droop sleepily. Your eyes flew open when you felt yourself being pulled onto John’s lap, when you were secured he wrapped his arms around you and rested his cheek on your hair. “Get some sleep,” he whispered soothingly. 

You smiled and snuggled closer to him, “this can’t be comfortable for you,” John shrugged. Moving your head so you can look him in the eye, “John, this really can’t be comfortable for you, I can easily sleep on the floor,” you offered concerned for his leg. The man holding you scoffed a smirk on his lips, “I’ll be fine,” he reassured before placing a kiss on your forehead. You grumbled unconvinced, “First sign of pain and you tell me to get up,” you whispered seriously. “I promise,” he rolled his eyes. “Liar,” you murmured placing a chaste kiss on his lips. 

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The next day you and Kennex trudged into the bullpen looking worse for wear. After unceremoniously dropping your stuff onto your chair you freeze. “Well I’ll be damned,” you muttered staring at the cheeky elf sitting on top of your stack of books. “What-” John choked on his coffee when he saw the little demon. “Hey (Y/N) I have the results for that double homicide you’ve been working on-hey, awesome elf! I haven’t seen one of these since I was a kid!” Rudy dropped his tablet on your desk and picked up the doll gleefully. “You’ve never seen this before Ru?” you asked gaging his reaction. Rudy hummed and looked at you curiously, “No-well when I was a wee lad but no. This is great!” he chuckled turning the elf in his hands. Laughing nervously you grab your metal trash can from the ground and plucked the elf from Rudy’s hands. You chucked the doll into the can and handed it to John who was already walking by with an old flip lighter in his hands; Rudy protested loudly, “trust me Ru, just let the little guy go,” you mumbled taking a drink of your extra strong coffee. 

Tags:

@thottiewithashotgun

@lauraaan182

@writerdee1701

@dw-writes

@marvelouslytrekking

@spenceneedsahug

[p1nkwitch]

Originally two parts, but i want to finish the mini saga and go back to the hijinks. One last serious bit left and we are into crack territory again!!

@nonbinaryeye

YOU ARE NOW PETER LUKAS

He starts the scratch.

Using his wind powers he lifts the Quills of Echidna and starts to cut the mechanism in Oliver's land that should send the signal to skaia to start another game. It's not exactly easy and a bunch of giant imps appear to try and stop him. Most of them he can send away with forsaken the others he has to kill manually, which is rather annoying.

Still he is half way through with it when the imps start agonizing out of nowhere.

Looking around he sees something start to come out of their shapes, it looked almost like-

Well if he was being philosophical? It looked as if someone was sucking their souls out of their bodies and putting it in a bunch of small boxes that fall around him.

Their bodies remain still and empty.

Oh no.

“Oh yes” He has seconds to dodge a hit to the head with that fucking 8Ball question cane, before Elias tries to beat him up again.

Peter hides in forsaken thinking that it was strong enough to keep him out of sight of Elias, but just like his own powers got a boost, Elias did as well, because the next thing he feels is searing pain in his head and the lonely being torn apart around him pulling him out.

I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW YOU

Fine. If Jonah wants to start a strife he will accept.

Peter is done with this annoying little man.

They spend quite the long time just trying to hit and hurt each other as much as they could, Elias even attempted to use his heart powers to steal him too like he did with the imps, but Peter merely uses the air to shove him around making it impossible to focus.

In the end its merely tiredness that wins, Jonah slips and Peter who has always been bigger, and now with the other in his original body, was even more so, knocks him down keeps him in the ground while he struggles and tries to fight him off.

He merely pushes him back and grabs the stupid cane from him.

“You know, i just asked for one thing only and that was for you to leave me alone. To finally get out of my life and to never see you again. But no, you can't do that cant you? You have to come around to try and be the biggest pain in my ass to my very last moment!!” Peter doesn't feel much when he punches him in the face, beyond the indignation at him for denying him his last request.

“Go to hell!! If you think I'm letting you get the best of me you childish-” He looks at him.

A bruise is already forming on his cheek from where he hit him. Jonah was still throwing venom at him and he was exhausted, he had to focus on the fight so he left the needle still almost at the end of scratching the whole thing.

Peter's head is foggy and everything seems so pointless and loud.

This man more than anything.

Shining bright in fury and indignation and if he was right, fear too. Jonah was a fire, if you didn't watch it it would get you.

It churns his gut just seeing him.

Clutching the cane he ponders it for a second, but decides to finally do what he should have done a long time ago.

“And-”

“I don't care Jonah, I really don't. You had a shot by leaving me be, but I suppose I ought to do this if I really want to achieve peace” Taking a breath he raises the cane upwards so he can beat his head with it to finally shut him up for good, to finally make it end between them.

Peter doesn't even care if he dies.

Perhaps before he did, he recalls the actual feeling of terror when he asked him to help him die faster because it hurt so much on his quest bed, the bleeding stab wounds were making Elias dizzy and the pain was unbearable. Peter recalls the bout of fear at snapping his neck, but now? Now the fog was making it impossible to matter. To care about finishing this disgusting little man's life.

“Goodbye” He sees the terror reflected in his eyes.

“Peter- wa- wait we can talk-!” He was about to hit him when something knocked him out of the way and he slid across the floor.

Lying in his back he stares at the sky and the black roots that are moving around it, while reality starts to crumble.

“I can't believe I turned into such a bloody mess!! Did you honestly try to kill each other??!”

Ah the fake one.

“What are you doing here!” Jonah is scrambling up. Peter is measuring his chances against the two of them, but knows it would be futile. So he remains there.

Why can't he ever get what he wants? Why won't they leave??? They did before so many times!! They all have walked out from the other, why is this any different.

“Oh god you are a mess for real, aren't you Peter i can't believe this”

“Elias-”

“You can't hear him, but he is!! And he is my husband, get your own-”

He tunes them out and focuses on finishing what he came to do even while lying on the floor.

YOU ARE NOW ELIAS BOUCHARD

“And- Oh Peter fuck off!” Jonahsprite goes to grab Peter’s face while apparently the man starts again to try and finish the job.

Elias tries to not shudder at the memory of the empty expression he made when he tries to kill him. He compares it to when he asked him to help him die faster in his quest bed, because the stab wounds while waiting to bleed out hurt a lot. The stark difference between those two moments and the expressions he got were enough to make him want to hurl.

Peter had not wanted to hurt him then, he did it the fastest way possible and only because he insisted, Elias had to track him down afterwards with JonahSprite and actually reassure him, even if it was a thinly veiled effort, to not let him know he was sort of happy he was so worried about him.

He had thought at the time that he found something else to have an upper hand on him. But now he realizes that it wasn't.

“Let us finish talking first!” His double is trying his best to keep the man in place. But he hasn't realized like him that it was sort of late. Annabelle and his own weapon had been right, he was too far gone now.

“Why should i-” Dropping next to him he feels sore, hurt and tired.

“You are an idiot” Peter merely watches him and after a few seconds says the thing that really nailed the fact that it was all over.

“I really did think I loved you” Reading it was one thing, seeing him say it with such a blank expression was another. Locking his jaw in place and swallowing he tries.

“You do, you still do, you are just being dumb and letting your god get the best of you” He has to believe it.

“I dont think so” He makes a pained sound and looks down at him.

“Im- did you actually throw them away?” It takes him a second to realize he meant the rings.

“I dropped them yes” That's it, he tries to get up and go, but his double keeps him there giving him a furious look.

He is angry and now he is the one that's upset.

“You are a thief of heart and you have beholding, think” What does he even want from him?

“So what? I steal his soul? Keep it as a companion in a doll or something? what else can i do with this??”

“Oh my god, feelings! You deal with feelings too”

“But they are gone if you haven't noticed! There is nothing for me to take or use or-!” He doest understand, he didn't see him, the emptiness as he tried to kill him.

“Forsaken doesn't take them away you know this. It just… makes them dull, makes you think you don't care. He thinks- no, we made him think he had nothing else!” Peter has never needed an anchor, he could walk the perfect line between his god and their relationship.

But here? Here it was so condensed that he sank and he never noticed happen.

So just this once… JonahSprite doesn't have his memories, he remembers up until he was James, but in the amount of time he accompanied Peter the man got him to care too.

Guess they do have a type and it's lonely. He owes Simon money then.

He doesn't want to steal his feelings, but he wants to bring them forth.

But first, he grabs his face and leans down while the man tries to get him off. He rebuffs him.

“I love you, you giant sap, I do. I did not cheat! Neither of us did. So get that out of your thick head, we just had fun talking with a friend. It's been so long, but thats all, we could not ever even go back to that again. Barnabas is good but he is not that good to forgive us for it”

“Not like you, or well not good per se, but you certainly put up with me far more than anyone has before and that is something”

“So please big man just this once…dont fight me on this ok?” He kisses him. Peter goes still under him, and he can feel him start to try and slip away, but he holds him tighter and bites his lip making him go back to being solid.

Elias doesn't push further merely kissing him over and over again in little presses of their lips, one of his hands goes to caress his cheek and he lets their foreheads touch.

He just needs a spark and he can take care of the rest, afraid of opening his eyes and seeing a dull stare he can't help but to let out a small sniff, he will not cry, he refuses. Getting up he watches him and Peter looks at him with the same empty stare. His lips wobble and he shakes his head. Beholding then? He tries to shove memories of their time together, but the man looks more and more angry rather than moved.

“Peter, c'mon you have to-” Jonah is trying, but if it didn't work with him-

“I don't, really can you both please stop touching me? Its making me uncomfortable” He hits him in the chest.

“You bloody sea weaded excuse of a sailor i cant believe how much of a fucking bastard you are, i cant- I… i can't”

“Almost 30 years and you do this to me, you are the worst husband in existence, you leave me for months, make awful puns and nicknames, fight me over the petties things ever-” He doesn't stop he has to let it out, along with the tears that finally are slipping through his eyes, but now they are out of sheer indignations rather than sadness.

“You snore, you keep putting my stuff on high shelves just to make me ask you for help or get a chair to get them-” A sob breaks through.

“make me cake, buy me things you know i would like, let me sleep on top of you when i get home and let me unwind if work was hard-” His hand grips his stupid godtier hoodie.

“-Kill the spiders, because you know i actually hate them even if i pretend they don't bother me-”

A hand wipes his tears from his left cheek and he stiffens. Hoping for a small chance.

“Awfully weepy of you Lias” His voice is cracked and when he looks he has the barest hint of a flush on his otherwise pale skin. And a glint of amusement in his expression.

Oh.

He falls forward while Peter tries to catch him, but Elias merely goes to kiss him. He latches onto him and to make his point across he uses his heart powers. Peter lets out a startle and pained sound, but he doesn't relent, bringing forth all his feelings, but not actually stealing them, just letting them simmer there. He could.

Elias could just as easily steal him away to keep forever in his grasp.

But when two pair of hands grab him back and tug him closer he knows he can't.

He loves him like this.

Eventually they break apart.

“Don't ever do that again” Peter gives him a peck and nuzzles him.

“I can't believe i will say this, and if anyone asks it never happened, but- Please don't ever stop giving me a glance from time to time. It felt like i was going on autopilot, i couldn't even enjoy my own loneliness”

“I won't”

They hear a tiny mew and Jonah is looking at them with what he knows is envy in his own face.

Peter looks up at him and his face goes from entertained to guilty and then a grimace. Lifting a hand towards him the sprite hisses. His husband nods and sits up before grabbin Jonah and putting him on his lap, while he lets out a bunch of noises of protest and actually scratches his arms.

“Im sorry, i didn't mean it, i do think you are real-”

“No, you dont. Its fine, you are right i'm just a copy, now leave me be-” Peter gives him a look and then at Jonah as if asking permission.

He considers it, but...he knows that he can't say no. He nods.

The taller man lifts the chin of the sprite and kisses him, while the other freezes in place. Peter actually deepens the kiss and it was fascinating to see, like seeing a distorted mirror. He would admit it was exhilarating to see himself in that position. So sneakily he goes next to his husband and kisses his neck too making him pull apart to sigh against his doubles lips.

“Insatiable aren't you?”

“Maybe, maybe i just like to see you both”

“Narcissistic then” His husband was a little shit.

“I would say voyeur” But apparently he wasn't even better. Still JonahSprite looked at the two of them with a calculating look, that Peter stops by merely bopping his nose.

“I'm tired, and you are both the same bastard, same eyes after all. What does it matter where they are? You could both steal as many bodies as you want and i would still marry you anyways”

Funnily enough both of them blush at the comment.

“Sap”

“Idiot”

“Yours?” He is definitely exhausted if he was that soft.

“Yes… always” Elias is just as tired, so he is permitted to say it just as softly.

Before he could attempt to sneak into his lap too and start what could possibly be the best make out session in the history of paradox space involving the three of them, Peter gives him an apologetic look.

“ Elias… I already started the scratch, i can't not finish it. The game is busted beyond relief, both of you said it, by now it's impossible to win” He takes a deep breath.

“Can you finish it and make it out to where we are supposed to meet up with the rest?”

“No, we don't have the time” Before he can answer him to curse him for following Annabelle’s plan he sees Jonah press his cheek against their husbands chest and gives him a smug look.

“Finish it”

“Excuse me??” He startles at him.

“You heard me finish it”

“We can't make it in time to the others-”

“Oh i wouldn't be so sure…just trust me, both of you” Well, if anyone would want to survive is him, no matter the situation.

“Fine”

“Are you- of course you both are. Great”

“Ok, let me up then”

[chickennoodlesoupfortae]

Only in my Dreams

Royal Fantasy AU/ Slice of life

Kim Taehyung x reader

Summary- You are a senior in high school balancing work, family, and your love life. But there’s something that pulls you in more and more as the weeks pass by. Why is it that every-night you dream as if it were a memory? Even more puzzling is why Kim Taehyung is there.

A/n- I’ve been reading a lot of fantasy novels and such so here’s my take on the genre. Yes, this is a Fantasy Royal Au that takes place both in the present and past.  *this work switchs between second and third person* It’s more comfortable and flows better to explain y/n thoughts in second person and Taehyungs in third person. If it bugs you tell me please :)

Warnings- cursing, slow burn, angst?

Word count- 2.7 k 

“Just hold me” you laid your head on his chest feeling his breath rock you.his scent was like the rain in fall clearing your lungs. “Please don’t disappear again.” you felt water fill your eyes holding on to it. “Just please.” 

“I won’t.” 

Again you woke up crying covered in sweat. 

“Fuck, third time this week.” you drew a tally mark on your white board. Your room was big enough for you holding your bed and clothes. It was nicely styled if you did say so yourself with matching furniture you’d never admit was from ikea. You stretched out your limb preparing to start the day.

“Dad-” you began opening the door walking from your room.

“Shut up y/n” your mouth was covered by your brother who was letting a girl out of his window.

“Again Derek.” you bit his hand

“You’re such a bitch.”

“I know.” you sighed heading down the stairs “Dad-are you making breakfast or-” you picked up a box of cereal placing it on the counter laying out four bowls. 

“Yeah yeah-” he smiled looking up from his phone sending an email “Thank you honey for setting out the plates. A true life saver.” he tightened his tie heading upstairs.”Derek I swear to god if you keep sneaking people in and out of my house-”

You began laughing, pouring the cereal out, setting two milks on the table.

“Both of you stop fighting, it's time for breakfast. So help me god we will be a nice family.” Your mom screamed louder than the both of them buttoning her shirt. “Good morning y/n” she kissed your forehead before sitting down.

“It’s the little things my angel that make you my favorite.” she hugged the oatmilk you set out for her. “A true blessing.”

“I thought you didn’t have favorites.” Derek sat down grabbing the cows milk making your mother exaggerate a gag.

“I don’t-” 

“Five minutes familia let’s get er done.” your dad inhaled the cereal

This was how every morning went in your family. With both your parents working demanding jobs it meant a family dinner was a rare occurrence so breakfast was the stand in. You grabbed your bag swinging it over your shoulder heading into the subway.

It was here that the loneliness set in. So many people, there were always so many people around you. The lady falling asleep on the seat leaning on the pole to the homeless man doing the same all the way at the end. You were here and a part of everyone's commute but you were also alone. There was no one. You closed your eyes feeling the rock of the car and the robot voice telling you what stop was next. You felt your eyes fall as you saw his face. It wasn’t like it always was, it was sad. He looked as if someone had died, tears fell down his face as he held himself. You wanted to reach out and help him but you stood there frozen.

“y/n come back to me please.” his tears felt so real and his voice was clear. You went to open your mouth and the doors to the cart opened making you almost lose your balance. 

“All the way in-” the mta worker shouted as you were pushed by the wave of people getting on. You were squished in the corner before you realized you were crying. You didn’t know why you had such vivid dreams of a celebrity. You had heard of fans that were crazy and obsessed over their idols but this was different. At the same time it was a possibility you were completely delusional like they were. It made you feel even worse. These weird lucid dreams would be your secret and a blip in your life. You weren’t gonna foul yourself into thinking that you were special for your apparently thirsty subconscious.

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“Just hold me” Taehyung felt a body hold onto his chest. He looked down to see a young girl clutch on to his shirt. Her hair fell covering her face as she breathed. He moved her hair aside to see her clearer. “Please don’t disappear again.” she sighed. He could see she was crying and he spoke before he could think.

“I won’t”

Taehyung woke up in a sweat crying. He felt a hand on his as he looked down to see his girlfriend. 

“Hey honey-” she was half asleep wearing his shirt. She slowly opened her eyes. “Did you have a bad dream again?”

“No, no. Go back to sleep Minji.” he ran his fingers through her long black hair as she fell back asleep. 

It was around eight pm and he had taken a nap after coming home. He stood up looking out the city window in Seoul. He ran his hand through his soft hair feeling the artificial curls go back to their place. It was the third time this week he had seen this girl. She was beautiful and he hated that he thought that. How was he dreaming of a girl he never met while sleeping next to his lover. He felt like he was emotionally cheating and that was awful. He didn’t know what was going on but when he closed his eyes it felt so real. It was like he knew everything and nothing at the same time. When he answered her he knew exactly what he was saying before it even came out. It was dumb and scary. He wondered if he’d been cursed by a fan.

He layed back down wrapping his arms around Minji, feeling her body move to his as he fell asleep kissing her shoulder.

He saw her again. He saw her but this time she wasn’t lying down on his chest she was covered in blood. She was crying and so was he. He didn’t know where he was but he could feel a stinging pain in his abdomen. He found blood pouring from his stomach holding it together with his hand. He saw his other hand on your face as your eyes lost their color. An immense sense of grief filled him as he sobbed from pain both physically and mentally.

“Y/n come back to me please.” he sobbed. It was like he was trapped in a memory. He had never heard that name before but there he was crying it out like a last prayer. His head was dizzy and he felt himself faint. 

He was startled awake again but this time Minji was standing over him.

“Do you wanna tell me who the fuck y/n is?” her eyes were both hurt and pissed off

How could he explain this? 

“No one.” he threw off his covers walking to the kitchen

“Really? Cause usually it’s someone when you call out to them in your sleep.” 

“Minji please?” 

“Please what?” she punched him in the back trying to get his attention

“Ow. sheesh stop it.”

“You’re such a bastard. Calling out another girls name in your sleep and then thinking you can leave me without an explain-” 

“No one. I don’t know if it was just a dream. I swear I’ve never even heard of someone with that name. I just had a weird dream.”

“So now that the bullshit answer is done. You wanna tell me the truth?”

“I already told you the truth.”

“You must think I’m really fucking dumb.” she scoffed

“Why are you so pissed about this?” he shook his head opening the fridge

“Fuck you Kim Taehyung. Just because you’re some hot shoot idol doesn’t mean you can treat me like shit.” she put on her pants huffing and puffing while grabbing her bag.

“Honey it’s not like that-” the door slammed as she walked out. He groaned opening an old container of noodles

“Fuck my life”

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“A seventy three, Fuck me.” you sighed crumpling the paper into your bag.

“Excuse me y/n?” a soft voice scared you making you flinch a little

“Mister Liam. I-” you sighed, staring at the teachers assistant. He was probably four years older than you, a fresh out of college intern.

“Y/n I graded that and I gotta say not your best work.” he smiled his beautiful smile that had even your heart melting

“Well you know it’s that time of year?” you gave him a remorseful smile.

“Just cause it’s the last quarter of senior year doesn’t mean you can slack off.” 

“I know it’s just I got my acceptance back and I really hate physics” 

He laughed making his chest go up and your cheeks turn red. 

“I got you ma’am. I did not think I’d be teaching it but there’s something so enticing about the laws of attraction.”

“Quantum physics man. Nothing's set you know.”

“That’s the fun part.” there was a spark in his eyes that made your skin crawl. 

“Y/n” you felt someone cover your eyes. “Hi mister Liam. Guess who?” 

“Ren?” you sighed 

“Got it.”

“Well I’ll be taking my leave. Try harder next time y/n” Liam patted your shoulder walking back into the classroom.

“It’s unfair that they hired such a hot teacher.” Ren whispered in your ear. “I’ve heard rumors that he sleeps with the girls here.”

“That’s nothing but a rumor baby. Why do you care?”

“I don’t like him kissing up to my girlfriend. Did you see the way he looked at you?That’s my look not his.”

“Ren you’re so childish.” you laughed kissing him on the cheek. “Are we still going to the movies?” 

“Mhm. I invited Ria if you don’t mind. She really wanted to see the movie and my mom wouldn’t let me go unless I took her.”

“Your mom is so sweet.” you smiled knowing you both had to walk to his little sisters house.

“If we hurry babe we can still catch the three thirty showing.” He grabbed your hand pulling you along. Before you left the hallway you saw Liam staring at the two of you through the window. You felt a wait in your stomach as you turned back.

A couple bus stops later all three of you were in the theater. You had changed your movie selection after Ria cried seeing the horror trailer.

“Ria you said you wanted to see this.” Ren complained while buying the popcorn.

“But it was scarier than I thought.” her eyes were still puffy.

“Last time I’m bringing you to the movies.”

“You know that’s not true,” she smiled heading up to the counter. “One large slushie and one medium diet coke and a-” she looked at the menu “A cookie.” 

Ren groaned at the prices. “Don’t be cheap you know y/n likes diet coke and a cookie she always gets it. I’m doing this for you rennie” She hopped away to your side. Sometimes you couldn’t believe she was only three years younger than you. Other times she was so smart you swore she was seventy.

“Ria your poor brother.” you giggled

“Don’t worry mom gave him thirty dollars for food. He’s just being annoying.” you gasped

“Don’t be so mean to your brother.” you laughed

“I don’t know what you see in him y/n”

“Shush Ria don’t give y/n any ideas.” Ren faked a scowl struggling to hold all three drinks and a popcorn that he had stuffed the cookies in.

“I got it.” you grabbed two of the drinks helping him.

 All three of you sat in one of the back rows. Ria was on Ren’s right side while you rested your head on his left shoulder. You were so tired. You hadn’t gotten a good rest plagued by your dreams that kept you up even as you slept. The sounds of the romance movie played as your eyes fell down. 

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

You opened your eyes to see a green field. It felt so real, the wind was in your hair and blew it as you laid down touching the grass. “It’s so beautiful.” you sighed feeling the sun on your skin. 

“I know.” a deep voice answered you

You weren’t even startled at this point. You knew a lonely dream would be too much of a blessing.

“Who are you?” the voice asked

“I’m Y/n y/l/n. And you are a celebrity who plagued my dreams.” you groaned at the ruined scene

“No. You’re the one in my dreams.”

“My brain is something else.” you put your hand on your forehead blocking the sun.

“Likely story. I’m the one seeing some girl in my dreams.”

“How do you seem so real?” you turned your head only to see him sitting down next to you.

“Me?” his eyes went wide making him look like a drawing. 

“No the butterfly”  you sighed

“You’re the one talking to me in my sleep. I must’ve seen you in some movie or on the street and that’s why you’re here.”

“What? You’re in my imagination. Probably some manifestation of childhood trauma projected on an idol I hoped would come and save me. That makes sense.”

“How old are you? You’re making me sound old”

“A lady never reveals her age.” 

He gave you a cold face that made you feel like you disappointed your parents.

“I’m eighteen.”

“That is so fucking weird. Do I secretly have a thing for eighteen year olds with childhood trauma? Why is my brain making up these people?” he laughed, shaking his head.

“Hey you're the figment of my imagination don’t get bold.”

“This is too much.” 

“Your name’s Kim Taehyung right? Aren’t you from BTS?”

“Yes Y/n Y/l/n I am.” 

With the sound of both your names the scene changed. You were in a castle and you could see him across the room in a suit that looked like it belonged in a history book. He walked over to you grabbing your hand. You wanted to call out to him but instead you saw yourself move without your consent.

“May I have this dance?” he kissed your hand as you nodded your head. 

“Bro what the fuck is going on” you screamed but your body didn’t make a sound

“Yes your grace, it would be my honor.” you curtsied 

“Where the hell did I learn to do that shit.” you walked alongside yourself watching as you delicately danced. “Yep this is a dream I would’ve already fallen.”

You felt a sharp pain in your chest before looking down to see blood staining your dress. 

“Bruh this is not the wave.” you screamed again with no noise. How could you feel the pain? 

“Taehyung. Please help.” your actual voice called out as screams erupted in the ballroom. The pain in your stomach moved throughout your body as you started to feel lightheaded. “Taehyung I love you.” 

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You gasped in the theatre only to be greeted by your boyfriend's angry eyes. All you could think was that you were fucked.

“I don’t care y/n” Ren walked out of the theatre as his sister tried to calm him down.

“I don’t even know what I did.” you followed after him tears filling your eyes. 

“What do you mean you don’t know? I hear my girlfriend mutter something and I bend down to see her sleeping and saying she loved some other guy.” 

You could see he was genuinely hurt by the way his eyebrows twitched. You had been friends so long and he knew you best how could you explain your twisted dreams.

“It was just a dream Ren. I must’ve called out some k-pop boys' names. I don’t know why he was in my dream babe but that was it.” you pleaded holding onto his hand. 

“Remember when you called out Jennifer Lawrence's name in ninth grade and then experienced the walk of shame to clean your sheets” Ren turned a bright red as his sister revealed an embarrassing moment.

“Ria-”

Your laughs cut him off. “No, no I’m sorry this is serious.” you couldn’t stop laughing as Ria joined in. Soon Ren had but no choice to just laugh with you.

“I only love you Ren no matter who's in my dreams.” you wished you could’ve said that truthfully.

[emeraldwaves]

Title: With Blue Flames and Ice we Freeze For @villainmonth Day 3 - Lies Pairing:  DabiGeten Rating: T Word Count: 3, 755 Read on Ao3 Summary:  

Living in Hell isn’t Dabi’s first choice, but after getting kicked out of Heaven, he’s stuck. It’s a pain in his ass, especially when his father forces him to undergo the Trials of Hell in order to prepare him to be the next King of Hell. Dabi isn’t particularly interested in facing the various ‘Sins’, but this is his 'fate’. With Geten to guide him, Dabi suffers as they descend together into the depths of Hell.

Thank you to @amaisenshi and @ohmytheon for reading this over <3

Walking with his hands tucked into his pockets, Dabi follows behind Geten. She's quiet, though there's the gentle crackling sound of ice forming wherever she steps; like glitter lining the cavern floor.

"I don't know why I need a guide," Dabi speaks finally, following her down the winding path. The pathways down to the depths of hell aren't exactly complicated. Even though he's never been here, it doesn't mean he can't follow a damn path.

Geten turns her head, her eyes scanning him up and down. A small scoff slips between her lips. "Don't think of me as a guide then," she says. "Think of me as a judge."

He doesn't see how that's better.

"Really I'm here to judge you," she says bluntly. "So it's a more accurate title."

"Great," he mutters. "What is there to judge me on? I fight a few Sins and then we can both move on."

She stops suddenly, the ice curling around her boots. She turns her head over her shoulder, her piercing light blue eyes staring at him with an icy coldness. "Do you think that's what this is? Win a few fights?" She clicks her tongue and turns away, walking forward.

Groaning, Dabi rolls his eyes. "Shouldn't you be the one to tell me, oh trusted guide?"

"Wow, look at that! You're lazy too, along with being an asshole," she snorts. "As your judge, it's my job to see how you... react to these trials," she says finally. "That's all I'll say about it. The rest is up to you to figure out as we go."

"This is so fucking stupid," he hisses, walking past her before running into an invisible wall, his nose slamming against the stopping point.

"You really are, aren't you?" she hums, a small laugh leaving her lips. As pretty as her face is, Dabi is ready to punch her with how damn smug she's being.

She waves her hand upwards, the ice trailing up the invisible block as it covers a large door, turning it an icy blue color. Geten stands in front of it, gentle snowflakes falling around her pale white hair. He doesn't know how she's able to conjure such magic when they're in Hell, but he's not that interested, and he wouldn't expect her to answer him anyway.

"You ready for the first trial?" she asks, resting her palm on the handle of the door.

"Mmm," Dabi hums, shrugging. "I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

This whole thing is stupid. He wonders what would happen if he just forfeited now. Somehow he knows his father wouldn't actually let him do that.

"Guess not," Geten says, swinging the door handle open.

The doors push open revealing a large square room, not much different from the throne room. The cavern is wide and spacious and in the back sits a tall, golden throne. Dabi squints stepping inside of the space, when he realizes a man is sat upon the throne. One leg drapes over the arm, the other gently tapping on the ground. Black wings spread out behind his back, covering the majority of the throne and one arm is wrapped around a figure standing in front of him.

The closer Dabi gets, the better he can see the smug smile pulled across the man's features, horns curling from his head. But his focus isn't on the man in the chair. Oh no. It's on the woman he has his arm wrapped around, his palm cupping at her half-exposed ass cheek.

"Fuyumi," he mutters. "What the hell are you doing?"

He knows his sister is trying to be more... demonic, but this... is ridiculous. Her lower half is only covered by thin panties and her breasts are barely covered by a small bikini top. She glances over her shoulder, the horns on her head flowing backwards and curling in front of her ears. Her eyes are pitch black and the small demon tail flicks back and forth, the edge of it sitting just above her underwear.

"What? I don't get a hello?" The man asks, standing up from the throne, his wings outstretched as he drapes his arms around Fuyumi's hips. His palm cups at her ass and she leans towards him, her arms wrapped around his neck, her breasts now pushed to his chest.

"Hawks," Dabi snorts. "What the hell are you doing with my sister? And what the hell are you doing here?"

Hawks laughs, sliding his hands up her bare sides as he leans in to kiss her. He pulls her body flush against his and presses their lips together. His hands cup her cheeks and he kisses her deeply, her tail swishing back and forth with excitement. His dark black wings spread out and wrap around them, keeping Fuyumi close to him.

"Isn't it obvious?" Hawks asks, tilting his head towards Dabi.

Fuyumi moves even closer to him, tucking her head against his chin. It's like she's a completely different person with him, under some spell. Is Fuyumi playing some kind of prank? Has she known how to be a demon this whole time? If that's the case, she needs to stop acting like some kind of novice.

"You're a trial. You. An archangel," Dabi says, snorting.

"Do I look like an angel to you?" Hawks asks, running his tongue up the side of Fuyumi's neck, stopping at the side of her lips.

"Not exactly. You look like you're about to put your angel dick in my sister and I don't appreciate that."

Hawks lets out a sigh, pecking his lips against Fuyumi as keeps his arms locked around her "Do you really think your sister would wear something like this?" Hawks asks. His thumb slips under her panties, brushing over the bare skin of her backside.

"If you corrupted her, maybe."

"Nah," he smirks. "That's just what I wish she would wear." He holds up his hand, snapping. With a sad look on his face, he watches the fake Fuyumi disappear in front of him.

Dabi clicks his tongue and shoots his gaze towards Geten. "Is my trial to not kill this idiot?" he asks. "Because he's about to be a fried piece of goddamn chicken."

"You can do what you want. I'm just here to observe," she hums, shrugging when Hawks shoots a glare her way.

"Aw c'mon Dabi," Hawks laughs. "I was just having a bit of fun."

"By shoving your tongue down my sister’s throat in front of me?"

"Yup," he says, popping the 'p'. With the flap of his black wings, he rises into the sky, twirling around until he's directly in front of Dabi's face. "Did it... piss you off?"

With a growl, Dabi lunges forward, blue flames barely missing Hawks' face as he floats backwards. "Why the hell are you here? You're an archangel."

"I'm not here to fight." Flapping his wings gently, Hawks floats in the air, crossing his legs. He clicks his tongue, shrugging casually. "But even archangels are not exempt from Heaven's laws.

"So you fell," Dabi asks, a laugh slipping from his lips. "How the mighty have fallen. I'm surprised it took this long. Someone as obnoxious as you probably should've fallen sooner."

Dabi had known Hawks during the short amount of time he spent with his mother in Heaven. The man was so damn righteous, always doing the right thing, upholding Heaven's laws; that was his job as an archangel.

Hawks had always been one of the more casual angels, but he still took his job seriously and was respected by All Might and many of the other leading archangels.

Obviously something happened, since Hawks stands in front of Dabi, wings black, horns out, a small demon tail swishing back and forth behind him. Hawks is a demon through and through... and he obviously represents some sin. Is it Dabi's job to figure that out? Is that part of the trials?

"What happened?" Dabi asks, his face smug. He's deriving far too much pleasure from this.

Hawks lets out a long sigh, his black wings fluttering behind him. "Do you know that archangels keep their wings when they fall? At least, for a little while… To remind other demons and angels of how bad they were. They broke the very rules they were supposed to uphold." He lowers himself to the ground, slowly walking towards Dabi.

They're going to have to fight. Ultimately Dabi will have to prove his worth somehow and his father always wanted to make sure he was physically fit and obviously it was for this moment. He's on guard, raising his hands as Hawks slowly walks to him.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm showing how I fell. It's probably not in the way you think."

"What the fuck does that mean? Don't be a cryptic bastard," Dabi snaps

Hawks stops directly in front of him, raising one had to place it on Dabi's face. With a sigh, he presses his fingers to Dabi's forehead.

"I fell in love."

~~

"Takami! Were you listening?" All Might's voice boomed, making Hawks jolt up, blinking.

"Of course I was," he said.

"So you'll train him?" All Might asked.

He was trying to pay attention. Really, he was.

"Yeah, yeah I'll train Tokoyami," he said.

"Taking on an apprentice is a very big deal-"

"It's fine. I can handle it." Hawks said, his gaze flicking back to the grace pools. It was only because she was there. Todoroki Fuyumi, beauty, grace, an exemplary angel, and it was impossible for Hawks to look away from her.

All Might followed his gaze and immediately let out a sigh. "Hawks. Remember, you must cleanse your mind of any impure thoughts. I know you are a very strong archangel, I only ask you to-"

"I know, I know, keep your resolve strengthened. Got it."

"I don't want to see any of my archangels fall," All Might muttered.

"I promise I won't fall, I'll train Tokoyami, everything will be fantastic. You can count on me and all that, yada yada blah blah," Hawks sighed.

All Might, rubbed his forehead, glancing back to where his gaze had fallen on the young woman by the grace pools. "Be here tomorrow to work on things with Tokoyami."

"Yup, got it, tomorrow!" he said, flapping his wings once before zooming off towards the large grace pools.

Fuyumi stood by the center grace pool, her hand pressed to her chest as she began to untie her white robes, letting them fall to the floor. Her shoulder-length white and red locks brushed against the back of her neck, flowing to her shoulders. Her skin was smooth and pale, her beautiful white wings flapped out behind her, and her curves, well, those were beyond perfect. His eyes trailed over her now exposed breasts, the way her tummy had the smallest amount of curve to it, sitting on her hips.

"Fuyumi!" he called out and she turned to greet him, her light blue eyes lighting up.

"Hawks!" she gasped. "I didn't expect to see you here tonight. Are you out of grace already?"

He knew he shouldn't lie, but with her they seemed to slip so easily from his lips. "Mhm, yeah," he nodded. "I needed to replenish to keep up with my duties."

"Right," she smiled. "Of course!" she turned back towards the pool, a look of sadness crossing over her face.

"What?" he asked, noticing the shift in her behavior.

She gently lifted her leg, placing her toe on the top of the water. "I have to replenish almost every day now. My body... can't sustain the energy."

"Once a day isn't so bad," he said. Another lie. Most pureblood angels could go at least a week sometimes more. If she was losing grace so quickly... it meant something was amiss.

She sighed, letting herself step completely into the pool, the water flowing around her naked body. Despite her words and what she had said, the water seemed to welcome her, flowing around her hips, flashing lights of yellow dancing on top of the water. She brushes her fingers across it and the lights follow her. The grace hadn't completely rejected her.

"I've been thinking, I guess..."

"Dangerous," Hawks said, reaching behind himself to untie his own robes, letting them fall to the floor as he rushes past her on the stairs, flopping into the water. "You shouldn't be doing that, according to the laws." A snort slipped past his lips, though he sure was one to talk.

His thoughts weren't pure, especially when it came to her. His eyes always wandered across her body, his hands itching to touch her, his lips aching to kiss her. These impure thoughts would make his wings turn black.

He wasn't supposed to have them. His body wasn't supposed to remember human tenancies like carnal desire of the flesh and yet here he stood in a grace pool with Todoroki Fuyumi, entranced by her body and desperate to release the beast inside of him that wanted her more than anything he had ever desired in the past.

But angels weren't supposed to have desires, especially not archangels.

"What have you been thinking about?" he asked, floating on his back in the grace pool.

"My brother..." she admitted quietly. "Well, Touya, specifically," she said.

"What about him?" Hawks asked, sitting back up.

"He's... he's all alone," she whispered, looking at the water in her hands. It turned a bright color, the grace slowly flowing into her chest. She gasped, turning her head to the ceiling as she pulled in a few deep breaths.

It looked painful, like her body wasn't quite sure what to do with the grace.

"What do you mean? I mean he's not in Purgatory," Hawks shrugged.

"No, but... he hates our father and right now he's all alone down there with him and I was... I was thinking about going. I don't know how long I'll last here anyway-"

She gasped when Hawks grabbed her shoulders, his hands clenching around her hard. "Fuyumi... you can't..." he muttered. "If you fall, you won't be able to come back. Not easily at least."

She gently wrapped her fingers around his wrists, smiling up at him. "It's okay. I know Touya needs me and... you're here to watch over my mother and brothers. It'll be okay," she whispered.

In a way, Hawks knew this was her way of saying goodbye.

Within a few sun cycles, Fuyumi was gone and Hawks felt a dull ache, throbbing, slowly eating away at his heart.

~~

"You're not supposed to be here!"

She told him this everything time, but it didn't stop Hawks from showing up on the border of Hell to see Fuyumi. Originally he told her he was reporting in, letting her know about her mother, but as time went on, it became less and less about that.

 "She's doing well!"

 "I think she misses you."

 "I tried to see her but Natsuo and her were busy."

 "I haven't had time but I wanted to stop by..."

The reasons grew farther and farther away, and every time she would greet him with the gentlest smile, so unfitting for a demon.

"You're not supposed to be here," she said, her lips curling into a large smile.

"But I am here, so let's make the most of it."

She reached up and gently brushed her hand over the white feathers on his wing. "I don't want you to lose these," she said.

"I won't."

He was an expert liar now. It was a hidden talent he had never expected to acquire.

Fuyumi smirked. "I'm pretty sure archangels aren't allowed to be this close to hell."

"And I'm certain that demons aren't supposed to keep wearing angel robes," he said, gesturing to her outfit. Even after being in hell for a little while, she still didn’t show her horns, keeping them hidden away.

"I-I dunno about that," she said, her cheeks flushing. It was so adorable when her pale skin turned a bit red, flushing from her embarrassment.

"It's true, you should... change," he said, gently running his finger against her bare shoulder. It made his body tremble and a shiver rolled down his spine. He wasn't meant to feel this way, wasn't meant to harbor such desires towards someone, and yet here she stood in front of him and all he wanted to do was take her into his arms.

"Hawks?" she whispered, looking up at him. Her cool, light blue eyes peered over the rims of her glasses. Her cheeks were still flushed, and she looked at him as if she was innocent. Being a demon she was supposed to be anything but, but Hawks wasn't sure how much this demonic persona suited her.

His chest began to throb, as if his feathers had sharpened and he was stabbing himself in the heart with them over and over. He wanted her. He couldn't deny how every instinct in his body screamed for her, begged to be near her... to touch her.

"Hawks!" she said, snapping him from his daze. "Are you okay? I told you it wasn't good for you to be-"

He lunged forward, cupping her cheeks and pressed his lips against hers. She tasted so sweet, like the taste of succulent strawberries on a summer day. A soft moan slipped from her lips and he felt the pain in his heart grow and grow until it felt like someone was punching him continuously.

It didn't matter what it felt like. He was kissing her and it made him want to sigh with joy.

"Hawks..." she breathed, touching her fingers to her lips. "You're going to... you... you can't- You'll fall!" she said.

"So be it."

~~

"You were in love with my sister," Dabi growls, stumbling backwards when Hawks pulls his hand away.

"I am in love with your sister," Hawks smirks, a yawn slipping from his lips. "I could show you more, but man, showing you this shit is tiring."

"You're a moron, you know that?" Dabi scoffs, rubbing his head.

"What? For falling in love? I seem to make your sister happy. In many ways," he says, a cocky chuckle leaving his lips as his dark wings flap back and forth.

"Disgusting. Stay away from her," Dabi clicks his tongue. He doesn't like imagining his sister making out with this angelic idiot.

"Aw c'mon," Hawks shrugs, "I think that would make her very sad. I mean she did fall for you, and you would take away something that makes her happy down here?"

Dabi snorts, turning towards Geten, blue flames flickering across his fingertips. "Can I kill him now?"

The white-haired girl blinks, as if she didn't expect Dabi to speak to her. "I told you you could do as you pleased."

"Look," Hawks says, "I don't want to upset Fuyumi and if I kick your ass, she'll be extremely disappointed, so let's just say you've passed my trial and move on."

"What the hell?" Dabi yells. "How fuckin' lazy is that?!"

"The faster this ends, the faster I can relax and spend more time with her," he says, letting his black wings flutter.

Dabi waits for a moment, expecting it to all be a trick. Even if Hawks was an archangel, down here, he's corrupt, he can do whatever he pleases and Dabi half expects this to be a joke. They're at a stalemate it seems, as neither of them go to make a move.

Honestly, the least amount of fighting he does, the better, Dabi thinks.

He begins to walk past Hawks and pauses, glaring at him. "If you hurt her, I will send you to Purgatory so fast-"

"You have my word, as the archangel I used to be... I won't. But... I am going to enjoy fucking her," he says, letting his words roll off his tongue.

"Ew!" Dabi snaps, and storms past him. "I don't wanna hear about that shit."

"I thought it would get you to move along your way faster," he says, laughing as Dabi heads towards the exit. "Whaddya know? It worked!"

"You're insufferable. I can't believe you're going to be here for an eternity too."

"Yup!" Hawks waves, "see you around, bro!"

Immediately, Dabi steps out of the room, happy to be away from that idiot for now.

"What a pussy," Geten snaps, slamming the door shut as she makes her way out of the room too. "Lazy fuck. This is what happens when you ask newly fallen angels for this shit. They don't know how to act demonic. He didn’t even do it right."

"So they are all supposed to fight me?" Dabi smirks, as if he's figured out the answer to the whole goddamn problem.

"I never said that," she hisses, making her way down the path. Even angry, her footprints leave ice wherever she goes.

"You didn't have to," he says, folding his hands behind his head as he casually strolls after her.

He’s not sure how he feels about Hawks dating his sister, but he doesn’t have time to think much on it. Hawks sure seems like he’s going to be a better demon than Fuyumi, so maybe he can help her.

Doubtful.

Dabi will deal with it later. He’ll torch Hawks’ as if he hurts Fuyumi. That’s the last thing his sister needs. Hawks seems happy, far happier than anytime he interacted with Dabi in Heaven. Strange, that somehow people ended up happier in Hell than they did in Heaven.

Even Fuyumi, who doesn’t belong here, who fell for him for some reason he can’t understand. He should ask her, but he’s still so angry she chose Hell over Heaven…

Maybe he shouldn’t be.

He knows he has to continue these trials, though he’s still not sure what they entail. His eyes trail up Geten’s back, watching her walk forward through the caverns. How much does she know? How much she’s allowed to say? She doesn’t seem willing to give up very much information.

He wants to get them over fast. The faster he finishes the trials, the faster he can start changing things and ruining the Hell his father is so proud of creating.

He can only hope these other trials will be as easy as Hawks made this one.

[tillman]

hi i ranked every single dark souls 1 character by who i think is the most kissable . its 79 characters all with a description of why theyre at the place theyre at with images for reference :-) its all under cut for u to enjoy.. thank u

this is all my opinion cus hehe im making the list but also im god so this is fact now . 

counting down because u know what ! buildup is fun and i have to start off with everyones most favorite:

GWYN - 79

im kidding. fuck gwyn and everything he stands for. he wouldnt even be a good kisser he doesnt have FUCKING LIPS

SEATH - 78

oh you really wanna kiss the incel dragon who kidnaps ladies for his weird experiements?? yeah?? who are you, big hat logan?

EINGYI - 77

heres one i wont get hate for: this fucking asshole . die bastard . he cant even kiss his face is all infected and gross!

KAATHE - 76

he sucks.

SMOUGH - 75

not only is he too big to kiss! hes a cannibal!! hed eat you!!!! thats no kiss i want!

MANUS - 74

listen i know yall love daddies and all that but hes manipulative and not a nice person so id watch out. i GUESS hes kissable as he was a human before but def not a good kiss

BED OF CHAOS - 73

its just some vines that sometimes set on fire!! If it were still the witch of izalith she would be probally in the 20s as shes a good person who tried very hard to help the world but in this state... u cant even kiss her!

FRAMPT - 72

better than kaathe but the whole no lips and being a manipulative snake monster really throws me off and shoves him down at the bottom

FINA (GODDESS OF LOVE/BEAUTY (?)) - 71

(mentioned character - no image sorry :-( )

Listen as much as im all for love, this is love u dont want ! just trust me dont be lautrec dont do it you dont want to kiss fina listen to me. please dont kiss fina.

VINCE AND NICO - 70

way of the white members are NOTABLY unkissable but these guys. are just so boring. theyll be your white bread boyfriend as neil would say... bad kissers and bad people!

LAUTREC - 69 

aw fuck wait can i make another character 69 he doesnt deserve it. anyways not only is he not over his ex (fina) hed probally gut you and steal your lunch money half way through the kiss anyways so whats the point . thats not how u treat a lover idiot

CENTIPEDE DEMON - 68

it eats your face and you die. next pleaaase

PETRUS - 67

another way of the white cleric. he at least starts off nice and he says fuck rich people but also he let that happen to rhea and i fucking hate his guts so no.

PALADIN LEEROY - 66 

out of all the way of the white idiots hes the best in that he wears armor and seems cool but its the way of the white man.  i cant get past that. sorry leeroy at least your armor is cool. he probably hasnt kissed someone in hundreds of years anyways 

MOONLIGHT BUTTERFLY - 65

delicate ... but beautiful! i dunno how to smooch it but i def would if i could ! i dont think it can kiss back but, o well! we all have flaws

IRON GOLEM - 64

it cant kiss back but its COOL and can throw me like a javelin so like . yeehaw id smooch its little face place 

UNDEAD MERCHANTS (BOTH) - 63

between moss and yulia i think they got enough on their plates! plus since theyre so hollowed, i dont think they have any lips to kiss back with! 

INGWARD - 62

hes not like . bad persay but also i dont trust him after he helped with new londo. cool design tho. i wanna kiss that bird beak mask

JEREMIAH - 61

was a bullfrog, and never took off his crown long enough to kiss another person...... i feel like if he did though! oh boy!!!

Asylum Demon + Demon Firesage + Stray Demon - 60

more kissable than some bosses, but still not the greatest lips. good butts though on all of them.... so i guess thats fr u kinky people 

SNUGGLY THE CROW - 59

(no image shes a crow) 

please stop drawing her as an anime girl shes literally just a grow that likes warm things oh my god you freaks be nice to her

BIG HAT LOGAN - 58

hes hard to kiss around the hat! and on that note hes pretty much taken with his obsession with seath. good luck! hes nice though so better than most of this list so far

GAPING DRAGON - 57

ranked so high because past its giant underbelly of teeth and destruction is this very tiny head which i think is so funny i cant help but want to kiss its little snoot.... hehe baby

PRINCE RICARD - 56

oh now were actually getting into kissable range! ricard is a prince (maybe even of astora... kissability increase.) so his high ranking might get you some kissability points, but the hollowing is gonna lower that. 4/10 no kissable lips!

4 KINGS - 55

whats better than a prince..... a king... whats better than a king..................  4 KINGS! just watch out for their overly anime spiky armor and the fact their in a never ending void nightmare but they do have faces so thats points above the rest!

SALAMAN - 54

(mentioned character only! sorry!)

hmmmm we dont learn much about him other than he was close with quelana and he was ............ hot!  hes a pyromancer.  being of the great swamp pushes him down a bit because he prolly smells like his name sake but u know what ! maybe hes cute! we cant be sure! hes in the running at least!

TAURUS DEMON - 53

hmm... bad lover.... good kisser................................................... the things i do for big beefy demon love.

GOUGH - 52

While you cant kiss gough cus all the sap in his helmet i cant bare to put him lower than he is hes just so sweet. a kiss on his helmet because i love him so much

NITO - 51

while he cant kiss back, nito deserves a kiss or two! plus he has a lot of hands so u can hold his hands and be hugged at the same time and u know what that might be just as good as a nice kiss. good on you nito!

STONE DRAGON - 50

again a non kisser........ damn beaks! the stone dragon does need a kiss though. they havent seen another living soul in years down in ash lake! so im giving them points on that alone.

VAMOS - 49

like the last two.... no lips! vamos though makes up for it in his charm and wit, and his exceptional skill in smithing! so even without lips to kiss, you still should kiss vamos! hes a good friend

ARIAMIS - 48

(mentioned !)

wow... a painter! and a skilled one at that! this man created the painted world used to keep priscilla safe and that is so noble it gives him points right off the bat! i feel like though, as an artist, he might be a bit weird about it. so watch out and be safe, but in the end, get free art and some free smooches out of him!

ELIZABETH - 47

thats my mom ... of course she gets a good cheek smooch for all her hard work keeping dusk safe!

DOMHNALL - 46

i love domhnall hes a good guy whos trying his best but also his mask is so fucking goofy i dunno if i can do it .

RICKERT - 45

as much as i think rickert would be a good kiss (hes smart, cute, and skilled!) he is trapped behind some bars willingly and probably wont let you in. i can dream though!

CEASLESS DISCHARGE - 44

if theres any boss that NEEDS a kiss its him. poor dude lost all his family and was turned into this laughing stock of a creature. youd probably burn your lips but .... please just be nice to him :-(

SHIVAS BODYGUARD - 43

ooo a strong yet silent type.... hes even cute under his mask! good kiss, but i feel like he might just care more about his actual job than a kiss ! hes dedicated !

CIARAN - 42

putting aside me knowing shed be a good kisser, i just understand she probably doesnt want a kiss right now, shes grieving over the loss of her friend and i respect her comfort. maybe a good pat on the shoulder and a cup of nice tea with her would be nice though! 

PINWHEEL - 41

may seem like a weird choice to put a necromancer up so high on the list but.... honestly pinwheel needs some love. dude lost his whole family and in trying to revive them accidentally fused them to himself. while he might not be the best kisser, i honestly just wanna tell him everythings gonna be ok.

KIRK - 40

ok if you know me you KNOW how much it pains me to put kirk so low but. hes a busy guy! not only is he doing so much work to help out where he can with the fair lady, but you might just get pricked by his spiky armor while youre going in for the smooch! so, as much as he deserves a kiss for all his hard work, maybe pass until another time!

SIEGLINDE - 39

were getting there! she is just so strong... and so brave........ she may not even be undead! sieglinde is so strong and wonderful doing all that just to deliver a message to her unruly father, she deserves so many kisses! Shes got a lot on her plate though so please respect her......

BERENIKE - 38

(just mentioned!)

implied to be a huge strong knight who made it to even sens fortress! yes please ! 

BELL GARGOYLES - 37

hmmmmm,.......... if u can get past the whole lighting your face on fire, these are two loyal gargoyles! that seems pretty good to me!

BEATRICE - 36

a wonderful helpful witch friend! she is so nice to help you defeat flying bosses with her magic!! i love her so much! shes even cute to boot! 

GIANT BLACKSMITH - 35

HE HELP ANYTIME................... I HAVE TO GIVE HIM A KISS FOR ALL HIS HARD WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LEGALLY I HAVE TO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RHEA - 34

putting aside my hatred of the way of white.... rhea really is just a babey.... shes adorable and kind and just wants everyone to be ok so im won over. maybe a little forehead smooch for being such a good person!

OSCAR - 33

oh oscar. a noble, heroic, and cute knight but in the end. would he be a good kisser........ i feel yes, but maybe not so much so! hes busy focusing on being a hero you know! hes a good friend and i cant help but fall in love with nice guys

THE FAIR LADY - 32

she deserves the entire world and all i can give her is my humanity and a kiss........... sobs. i wish i could do more to ease her pain but she is so strong and wonderful! please give her a nice smooch! 

QUELANA - 31

i didnt wanna separate them ........ her wonderful sister! who even taught humans pyromancies! shes smart and nice, and honestly probably needs a kiss. 

MILDRED - 30

uh my notes from last night are just

so yeah! thats mildred!

CRESTFALLEN MERCHANT - 29

hes sad as fuck but also... kinda handsome! he was a knight of berenike and made it almost all of the way through sens fortress showing how skilled he is! a strong man like this (inspired by maybe the best kisser in demons souls, boirr) has to be a good kiss!

SIEGMEYER - 28

hes going through a lot right now but... how could u not think siegmeyer is kissable. thats on you man. thats your own character flaw.

OSWALD - 27

ok this might be slightly controversial but i feel like oswald would be a good kisser. if you got past his slightly weird love for velka who well get to (thats just carimites (carimians? carimfolk???)) hes nice and kind and maybe the funkiest character in dark souls

KALAMEET - 26

another cant kiss you but.... kalameet is just so cool ! very shadow the hedgehog and u know what that is NOT a bad thing. you might have a rough time trying to get there, but..... aww whos a good dragon.....

DARKMOON KNIGHTESS - 25

alright the final stretch! the darkmoon knightess is the anor londo firekeeper, and a friend of gwyndolin! shes supposed to be “ugly and shit” (real quote. i would never lie to you) but her model is so cute! defiantly kissable as fuck!

 SANCTUARY GUARDIAN - 24

GOFH ITS JUST A WIDDLE KITTEY CAT........... I GIVE IT A WIDDLE KISSEY ON ITS FOREHEAD AHOWHWWAWWW BABEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ALVINA - 23

AWHAHWAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW SHES H(FADOESAGVFOSDHFSO CUET EIFEDKC LKOFIE JS I LOVE YOU FJEADFIDASHCODEUFCUSFKSDHFKSUHFC

DUSK - 22

oh yes!! the princess of a lost land...... will you be her knight in shining armor.......... oh i just love her so much. shes sweet and nice and cute and deserves a kiss or two!! please be nice to my daughter!

SHIVA - 21

hottie with cool armor and a cooler sword. since they cut his whole sidequest i can with all certianty say YES he is super kissable and is probably a great kisser 

QUELAAG - 20

IGNORIGN HER GIANT SPIDER LOWERBODY........... SHES JUST DOING THIS FOR HER SISTER SHE JUST WANTS TO HELP HER POOR SISTER WHOS IN PAIN HOW COULD YOU NOT LOVE HER SO MUCH!! PLEASE KISS QUELAAG! 

GRIGGS - 19

im putting griggs so high cus hes kissable in a factor unseen before...... baby factor. hes soft and nice and is just trying to find his dad! just tuck him into bed and kiss him goodnight! its what he deserves! 

ARTORIAS - 18

everyone already KNOWS why artorias is a good kisser. hes nice, strong, brave, and most importantly. cool as FUCKING HELL ! HE DOES SICK ANIME FLIPS!! if you can look past the abyss slowly taking him over, youll find a good good boy who deserves a good kiss.

ANASTACIA - 17

the good firekeeper who we spend most of our time with in 1! YES of COURSE Shes kissable. she deserves SO MANY kisses for all of her hard work in keeping the firekeep shrine lit! good job anastacia im sorry lautrec is like that

VELKA GODDESS OF SIN - 16

(just mentioned!)

if her title alone doesnt bring you in, youll be pleased to know shes implied to help watch over priscilla (who well get to hold your horses) and keep the poor girl safe! a strong sense of justice and a love of crows, shes probably an amazing kiss if you can find her! 

ANDRE - 15

were closing in on #1 and i just have to throw andre in here. hes so nice and strong! just . please kiss andre! he deserves some he does so much work! 

PRISCILLA - 14

poor priscilla. called a monstrous crossbreed and has to hide in a painted world to stay safe from those who would hurt her. including the internet! leave her alone you freaks shes not your fetish fuel!!! she deserves a good kiss on the cheek and a hug for all she has to put up with

 CRESTFALLEN WARRIOR - 13

its my list i get to put the crestfallen warrior where i want. and u know what? he would honestly be a good kiss. hes kind and helpful and never once wishes you harm, he just needs to be held tightly and kissed passionately and u know what. dont we all. 

GWYNEVERE - 12

she is beautiful but .... 1 shes married and 2 shes not even real! whatever. her husband the flame god flann is at least.......... hot! haahgdaefshdfcdhswfe im so fucking funny

BLACK IRON TARKUS - 11

listen i see a big beefy dude i go “hey thats hot please kiss me” so of course tarkus is this high up hes the beefiest dude around.... right?? anyways all knights of berenike are kissable hes just the MOST kissable of the 3 named ones!

ORNSTEIN - 10

this dude kisses the son of gwyn you KNOW hes a good kiss. the golden lion armor just helps so much. we love you ornstein .....

HAVEL THE ROCK - 9

HERE HE IS ... THE BEEFIEST GUY AROUND ... this bitch uses a DRAGONS TOOTH as a huge club to bash people with if that isnt big dick energy i dont know what is. armor made of stone. heart made of gold. havel the rock please god kiss me passionately under the moonlight .

SIF - 8

oghfoghfohg puppey..................................... SMOOCHIE THE PUPPY>...........

NAMELESS KING (!?) - 7

(hes just mentioned in ds1!!) 

I KNOW HES A DS3 BOSS BUT LISTEN TO ME THEY TALK ABOUT HIM SO MUCH IM ALLOWING THIS.  he defected from his awful dads team to go help the DRAGONS!! thats so cool hes so kissable. would be more kissable if he wasnt kissing ornstein but thats ok . i respect them both.

MARVELOUS CHESTER - 6

this MAY just because i have a huge crush on him but also here are some good kissable things about him: his fasion, his voice that sounds like a purr, his laugh, his malice, his funny mask, him. thank you for your time.

GWYNDOLIN - 5

FINAL FIVE! heres gwyndolin. the most kissable of all of gwyns children for the sheer fact of how much work they put in to making sure people stay safe and happy. they are so kind and wonderful they deserve SO MANY kisses! good on you gwyndolin....

LAURENTIUS - 4

now heres a fun one! laurentius is one of the nicest guys u will EVER meet in any souls game. he genuinely cares about you, he loves and respects u even if u dont respect him or his skills, hes nice cute and above all: i love him . please kiss laurentius he is a nice guy who just wants the best for u..... dont be mean to him.....................

CAPRA DEMON - 3

the highest one that cant kiss back and thats for the capra demons SHEER HORNY ENERGIES. this is a demon you can fuck! thats it i have nothing else to say i just think the capra demon is funny

SOLAIRE - 2

do i seriously have to explain why solaire is so high up. not only is he nice and cares about you, hes handsome, passionate, and just a good fucking person. he is hands down one of the most kissable characters in any souls game ever! fuck yeah! go off you funky little lover boy! 

and finally.

its patches.

[surrounded-by-superheroes]

Leaf Piles (Sam Wilson)

Summary; The Avengers have been sent on a Fall retreat and while everyone splits up to do thier own thing, you run into Sam doing something...interesting. Despite weak objections, you get roped into messing with Sam’s favorite bestie, Bucky Barnes.

A/N; Sorry for the wait, I’ve been working on a big something. Not sure if I’ll post it on here, but yeah. That’s my lame excuse. Hope you’ve enjoyed the series! Check out the Masterlist and tell me if you want anyone else! Love to you!

Warnings; Uh, language? Too much fluff, hehe.

Words; 2,072

Fluffy Fall Masterlist

I take a deep breath of fresh, newly chilled air the minute I step out of the cabin. Miraculously there’s no threat big enough to call for the Avengers, so we’re on a retreat. Bonding, Tony says. It’s the third day and no one has murdered anyone yet, so I’d say things are going well. That might change soon though. As I walk down the long driveway a bit, I see Sam crouching behind one of the SUV’s that brought us here. I walk over with furrowed brows but the moment he sees me he snatches my hand and tugs me down and close to him.

“Sam, what the hell?” I ask with hot cheeks. His warm brown eyes are on our feet to make sure they’re behind the back wheel before he grins at me.

“Shh. Look.” He quiets me and peeks around the bumper. I follow suit to find a brunette super-soldier raking leaves.

“Does he know this retreat is for relaxing?” I ask quietly and Sam beams mischievously at me.

“That’s the sad part. This is relaxing for him.” Sam shakes his head and holds me a little tighter as we carefully stand. “I’m waiting until he’s finished with that big pile, then I’m going to tackle him into it.” Sam tells me with glee, then seems to remember I’m here. “You’re coming too.”

I shake my head with a small smile. “No, no, no. It’s one thing for you to do it, but I am not tagging along.” My objection is firm, but Wilson senses my laughter.

“Nah, you’re doing it. You’ll probably prevent him from killing me anyways. I’ll give you a kiss if we survive?” He suggests, that smile and bright eyes charming me to my core. I pull my bottom lip between my teeth and blush as his eyes follow the movement.

“Okay. Better be a damn good kiss, Wilson.” I sass and he pecks my cheek.

“I don’t give any other kind, sweetheart.” He teases back and I roll my eyes before we both peek around the SUV again. My heart squeezes a little as I watch Bucky rake the leaves, whistling to himself every once and a while.

“Are you sure we should do this?” I whisper to Sam and feel his chest shake with silent laughter. We’re still pressed against one another, his chest to my back and my chest against the car.

“Yes. Asshole needs to take himself a little less seriously. You’ll see.” He tells me and I nod once, trusting him. As we wait Sam casually wraps his arms around my waist so we’re a more compact unit and easier to hide. My cheeks are hot and I smother a nervous laugh before it escapes.

“Sam, how long have you even been waiting here?” I murmur and feel him shrug.

“Thirty minutes, maybe.” He responds and I crane my neck to look at his face.

“You’ve been waiting to tackle Bucky for fucking thirty minutes? That’s sad.” I shake my head and turn back to the man just about finishing up combining the two little piles he’s made.

“If only you’d have found me sooner, sweetheart. Would’ve seemed like seconds with you in my arms, huh?” He pecks my hair and chuckles quietly to himself. I shake my head again but my smile comes easy.

“Watch it there, buddy. Flirting isn’t helping.” My voice is hushed to prevent Bucky from hearing, but if Sam keeps teasing me like this we’re going to be found out.

“It’s helping me just fine.” He says smoothly.

“God, would you two just fucking fuck already? Motherfucking hell.” We both flinch when Bucky yells over at us and reluctantly come out of our hiding places. He’s not even facing us, the smug bastard. Sam and I meet eyes before nodding and running towards Bucky anyways. When he hears our stomping feet, he turns just in time for his mouth to form a little o before we tackle him into the big pile of leaves. Sam and I’s laughter joins Bucky’s stream of creative cursing as leaves billow around us just to fall back onto the grass. Bucky shoves the two of us off him as our laughter dies down to just giggles. We lay there a moment and he sighs, the smallest of half-smiles on his face. “Times like these make me feel like I’m actually a hundred.”

“Because you want to yell at us to get off your yard like a scary old guy?” I ask and Sam guffaws. Bucky shoves a pile of leaves on my face.

“Because the two of you should be my age but you act fucking five.” He sasses and I punch his stomach in retaliation. He wheezes once before wrapping his arms around my waist and picking me up so I’m on his chest.

“No, Bucky! No! Put me down!” I laugh and he happily deposits me on Sam. “Oof!” My breath leaves my lungs in a whoosh as he just so happens to put me down in the perfect position to straddle Sam’s lap. My hands land on his pecs to brace myself and when our surprised eyes meet I full body blush. Bucky glances between us before bursting into the most raucous laughter I’ve ever heard come out of his mouth.

“Yeah, we’re five.” Sam shoots back at him and Bucky laughs a little harder.

“I’m so sorry.” I breathe and think about standing up, but there’s absolutely no way to do that without grinding down on Sam. Bucky stands and, while laughing, fishes his phone out of his pocket and snaps a couple pictures.

“You’re fine, sweetie. Asshole!” Sam scolds as Bucky walks back to the cabin laughing. Soothingly, and temptingly, Sam squeezes my hips.

“I’m uh, I’m going to try and stand?” I tell him, waiting for his okay. Those warm eyes meet mine and he relaxes back onto the leaves, hands sliding down my thighs as he does.

“Don’t mind if you linger a little.” Sam teases and winks at me. If possible, I turn even redder. My lips part slightly and my fingers unconsciously tap on his chest.

“I…well…you…” I shake my head to clear it a bit, “Well. You do owe me a kiss, don’t you?” Once the words leave my mouth I can’t take them back, but when Sam’s face lights up with a slow, sexy smile I’m not sorry.

“All you had to do was ask, sweetheart.” He tells me and suddenly sits up. A little gasp falls from my lips as I slip further into his lap, but Sam doesn’t see a problem with this. Tenderly, his arms wrap around my waist as mine slip up to his dear-lord-save-me-from-my-sin damn fine shoulders. “You alright?” He asks affectionately and I nod. Our eyes meet and it feels like my heart pauses just to feel the butterflies swarming before he rocks slightly and brings our lips together. Soft, sweet, and emphasized by the solid feeling of his arms wrapped tightly around me, I feel safe. Nerves fade as he pulls away to give me an easy out but stays close enough that if we want to continue it’s up to me. Sam has always kept me steady while also keeping me on my toes. Our foreheads press together and our eyes open, eyelashes brushing together from our proximity.

“You alright?” I repeat his comment and he smiles.

“Little more than alright, sweetie.” He responds and presses his lips together for a moment. Those heart-melting brown eyes look into my soul before I decide. Fuck it. I press my lips back to his pouty ones and lock my arms around his neck. I guess I was too forceful because we fall back onto the leaf pile. Sam doesn’t seem to mind and neither do I, as long as our lips are still touching. This kiss is just as slow as the first but doesn’t lack heat. His lips against mine feels like magma; warm, slow, earth-changing. A little moan escapes my lips as his hands just barely slip underneath my sweater, exposing a strip of skin to the brisk air. Goosebumps raise all over me and the pads of Sam’s fingers run over them like braille. We pop apart when we hear shouting coming from the cabin. Turning to look, we find Bucky has dragged Steve out just to holler at us from the porch. I groan and look back at Sam. Chuckling, he stands and sets me onto my feet. He shakes his shoulders and arms to loosen up as I flip off the other two soldiers.

“You take Steve, I got the asshole,” Sam mutters and pecks my cheek before focusing back on Bucky.

“Deal.” I agree and brush leaves off my body, winking at Steve as the two look at us suspiciously.

“One.” Sam starts as we slowly turn to the cabin.

“Two.” I continue.

“Three!” We shout in unison and speed towards the two idiots. While Steve manages to catch me and simply embraces me in one of his bear hugs, Sam tackles Bucky to the ground with a hard thump. Steve and I stand to the side with his warm arm over my shoulders.

“Glad you two are giving somethin’ a try.” He tells me softly, blue eyes shining with amusement. I nod and look back to the rolling soldiers, slapping each other like children.

“Me too. Hopefully he’ll survive this horrible fight they’re having.” I droll and Steve laughs lightly in return.

“It’s good for them to get it out every once and a while.” Steve responds and we walk to the other side of the porch to sit on the swing. It only takes a few minutes for the two boys to finish their playing and Sam instantly looks for me.

“Trying to steal her away already, Steve?” Sam teases and sits in my lap, causing the chains holding us up to groan.

“Aw, Jesus Sam.” I curse as he spins to put his feet on Steve.

“Oh sorry, am I crushing you?” Sam jokes and wiggles on my lap which causes the swing to sway violently. I start laughing but stop when we hear a loud crack. Bucky backs up a little as we all look up at the chains in the roof. Not even a second passes before a link in each chain breaks and we collapse onto the porch, then backwards to smash through the porch rail. Bucky rushes over and after making sure we’re fine, bursts into laughter once again. We all begin laughing too at the sheer hilarity of it.

“What the fuck?” Tony asks when he comes out of the cabin along with everyone else to see what the commotion is about. I don’t even care. Sam quiets his booming laugh into a quiet chuckle as he climbs off me. A big hand reaches up and caresses my cheek.

“Are you alright, sweetheart?” He asks sweetly.

“Fine, thanks.” Steve responds as he stands, clapping a hand on his shoulder before starting to clean up the little mess we made.

“I’m alright.” I giggle and accept a little peck on the lips. “Let’s clean this up.” He helps me to stand and we clean up while Tony mutters about people breaking his shit. It doesn’t take too long to pick up the shards of wood and the four of us are still grinning and chuckling as we do it. A couple hours later it’s time for our nightly snuggles around the fire. Steve and Bucky are fighting over the only blanket big enough to cover their behemoth frames, Tony is laying on the ground with his head in Natasha’s lap so she can play with his curls, Vision and Wanda are leaning back on a fallen tree, and Sam is sitting in the only chair since it’s his turn. Normally we’d sit with each other so I’m a little lost as to where to go when he suddenly pulls me down into his lap.

“Get comfortable.” He tells me and I shift slightly before he takes the blanket off the ground and drapes it over the two of us, then wraps his arms around my waist. “Good?” He questions and I sigh happily.

“Perfect.” My eyes rove over the firelit faces and I smile. It’s moments like this when I remember just how much I love Fall.

[jiminandlemonade-blog]

I want to be the one you write your love songs about - Part 10

Yoongi.    

Fluff series

New to the series? Part 1  

Missed the last chapter? Part 9

Warning: Brief mention of a family members death.

"Excuse me?" You said out loud, making yourself wake up. The real world was encompassing your thoughts and taking over every inch of your being. You looked around the plane as eyes were on you from breaking the silence. "Sorry" you whispered, turning yourself over on the chair to face the window.  

You stared at the world below, pointing out houses where there could be an ARMY living there, wanting to physically hurt you for being in a relationship with Yoongi. "I wonder whether they know about us, or them" you relayed off in your head, pointing to the moving cars on the road thousands of feet below you.

Yoongi <3: I'm not going to lie Y/N, some of the fans are devastated. I'm even getting a lot of hate myself but please don't worry. It's something completely new. None of the other members have ever done anything like this so fans don't know what to do. If you read anything online, ignore it. Concentrate on why you're going home. I love you and I'll see you very soon

You expected your heart to start pounding but it didn't, if anything, you couldn't care less about what people you didn't know thought about you or your relationship. All you wanted to do was get home.

Once you landed, you felt at ease. The scenery around you was so familiar and a smile crept onto your face. As you exited baggage claim, your parents were waiting to pick you up. You didn't know what was worse, crying in the middle of the airport or the fact that you were there under such awful circumstances.  

The hug between you and your parents lasted for what seemed like an eternity but you were never letting them go. "This isn't a sad day" your Dad smiled, pulling you closer to him. "I want to know everything about the man who has caught my daughters heart" he teased.

And that was that. Everything that had happened between you and Yoongi spilled out of your mouth during a 45 minute car journey and you couldn't help but smirk all the way back, knowing that you were missing out rather big details.. But you couldn't tell your parents.  

To cut a very tragic and long story short, unfortunately, your Grandad passed away only 3 days after you had got home and you were deeply affected. This was your first ever loss and you were inconsolable. Yoongi was the only one who was able to get through to you and make you smile or chuckle slightly through your tears.  

During the time you had been at home, you banned yourself from social media and asked any of BTS to not mention anything about it to you or in the group chat that you were all a part of. The pain was somewhat so intense that you felt that nothing else could hurt you so you went onto social media to see what everyone was saying about you and your relationship. Oh you were wrong, oh so wrong.

You read so many death threats, asking you to commit suicide, threatening to hurt your family and you were shook to the core. You were petrified of what your life was turning into and this made you even more grief stricken. You tried so hard to keep in your emotions, but the tears kept falling.

You lifted your head up from your pillow and the first glimpse of light you had seen in 2 days shone through your window and you felt as though you heard your Grandad's voice and you suddenly felt as ease.  

You bolted up right, remembering what he told you before he passed away. "Don't let the bastards get you down" and you weren't going to let them.  

The next few days were easier, but it was still hard. You and your family were planning the funeral and all you wanted was to be by Yoongi's side. Not only were you going through hurt from your relationship news being public, he was hurting too.

He was getting abuse, he was receiving death threats about you, he was reading all of the horrible comments people were saying. His heart broke. Not only that, he couldn't be with you in your time of need and that hurt him more than any comment some pathetic idiot tweets.

Two days later, it was the day of the funeral and you had been so wrapped up in writing a speech as well as making plans for the older members of the family to get to and from the church, you forgot what was happening in Yoongi's world.  

Y/N: I miss you. I love you so much. Thank you for being here in my time of need. I know you had been really busy with the final preparations for comeback, but you have honestly been so amazing. You are my rock and I cannot wait to see you soon, even if it's only for a little while.

You hated that it was only going to be a short period of time. Yoongi was going off to comeback 5 days after you arrived back in Korea and you would be on your own for another month as they travel around Asia.  

"Y/N, come here" your mother called from the front room. "What is it?" You sniffled, watching the beautiful floral displays being carried past you and into the kitchen.  

As you turned the corner, you got a waft of cake and coffee coming from the room. "Yes?" You questioned to your mother, standing at the door frame. Her eyes moved to the corner of the room which was out of view from you as the open door was blocking the view. You walk around the door and you fell to the floor.

"Please don't cry" Yoongi cooed, wrapping his arms around you and rocking in time with you. "Why-how-what?" You questioned through hysteric gasps. He didn't reply. He got you from underneath your arms and sat you back on the chair as you cuddled into him.

"You really love her don't you?" Your mother asked, smiling at Yoongi. "With all of my heart" he replied, causing you to melt inside. "We'll leave you two alone" she said, ushering family out of the room.

"People are going to see us together Yoongi" you stated nervously. "The picture of us has already been released Y/N, yes they don't know your name yet but they'll soon find out. ARMY are detectives after all" he nervously laughed back.  

You couldn't believe he was here. He was already in his suit and pulled out some flowers from down by the side of the sofa. "These are for you" he smiled, presenting you with white roses and some cake and coffee from Starbucks. "I promise, I'll be by your side all of the time" he soothed, rubbing your back and moving his hands away when he heard your Father's voice bellowing from the hallway.

"Don't worry Yoongi, he isn't the posessive Father. He might just warn you that I don't do the dishes or laundry". You both laughed, knowing it was true.  

"When did you decide to come?" You asked, pushing a strand of hair back from his face and staring at him intently. "I always knew I was coming. It may sound morbid, but knowing your Grandfather sadly only had days to live, I couldn't just do nothing about it. I needed to be there for you. I had a lot of work to finish and needed to do so so I could get here. I've had many sleepless nights" he stated, once again rubbing your back.

"I'm glad you're here" you smiled, grabbing his band and gripping it tightly.

"Y/N, it's time to go" you heard someone call from the hallway. You froze in shock, not wanting this day to continue. Yoongi crouched down in front of you, kissing your forehead and grabbing both of your hands. "You can do this" he whispered, planting another kiss on your forehead.

His belief and faith in you was everything and you finally felt the courage to get this awful day out of the way with.

*The Next Day*

The funeral went smoothly and it was a lovely send off for your Grandad. Even though you would never forget him, there was pressing matters at the forefront of your mind. "Yoongi.." You trailed, turning his body around to face you. "Yoongi, wake up, you're like a lump of lard" you laughed, trying your hardest to roll him over. A sleepy moan came from his lips and you knew what you had to do.

Y/N: Sorry to text you but could you bring Yoongi up a really strong coffee

And within minutes, your Dad was knocking at your bedroom door with a coffee in his hand. "Well he does look like he needs it" your Father laughed once you had opened the door, looking at Yoongi's leg sticking out of the quilt and his mouth gaping open. "Never tell him you saw him like this" you laughed, kissing your Father on the cheek as you closed the door.

You stuck the coffee infront of Yoongi's nose, hoping the smell of caffeine would wake him up. You were right. "So the smell of coffee manages to awake sleeping beauty but the sound of your girlfriend's pleads don't?" You jokingly asked, placing the cup of coffee on the shelf beside him before giving him a kiss. He reached his arm out for the coffee during your kiss. "I'm sorry Y/N, but I will not be able to function today if you don't give me that coffee" he groaned, rolling his neck back and hitching himself up on the bed.  

"Why were you pleading with me to wake up?" He asked after taking a sip of his coffee. You walked back from his side of the bed to yours and got in, lying on your side snuggled up to him.

You coughed and got yourself comfortable, knowing you were about to have a long conversation.. "We've got to talk about what people are saying about us.. People are threatening my life."  

Masterlist