#Also; watching me avoid this cause I decided 'no parents' for Knuckles...well not really 'no parents' per say

[fastfists]

[sips tea] Dash is on fire XD

[blood-grove]

— school fights

— dad!ghoap & reader scenario based off my fics here :3

— tws; ofc fighting mentions, injuries , annoying adult (principal)

a/n; this isnt a chapter to odd adjustments just a scenario so pls dont treat this as a next chapter !

Fuck Fuck Fuckkk.

I was so fucking screwed.

But honestly the kid deserved it.

God my fist hurt so damn bad, I just tried rubbing it despite the fact I'm pretty sure I bruised my knuckles pretty badly.

Managed to sock him in the face though god damn it hurt.

I've never really gotten into fights much barely at all really, and it's been good at this school so far.

All into this one fucking kid decided to start fucking up your day for two weeks straight, You didn't even know what you did to cause this.

You weren't the tallest person either which also didn't help your situation Nearly comically shoved in the locker, Always having to quickly rush to your next class just in case the long open hallway would flood and stop up with foot traffic.

The relentless harassment, and the honestly uncreative insults thrown at you.

You just snapped.

John had packed me lunch usually I didn't ask since honestly I never got used to asking for things I felt everything they've gave me so far was enough, I didn't want to be spoiled even though there was a nagging voice saying I wasn't being spoiled.

This sort of parental affection made me feel spoiled, Made me feel like I almost had too much.

The principals voice brought me out of my thoughts.

"Are you listening?!"

No.

"Yes.."

"I've already called both of your parents both of your behaviors were inexcusable- And you? Biting one of your classmates?!"

I slightly flinched.

Yeah I did bite them.

But that was also deserved, I hated this school's stupid no-tolerance policy, Nearly the whole class was there saw it.

They all saw him dump that milk carton on my head my hair still damp, I tried to just walk away but being shoved onto the ground was my final straw as I punched him, and then we were both on the floor he was bigger than me and obviously, And I wasn't made for fighting he had landed a few more hits on me than I had on him.

So I bit him.

Hard.

Then the teachers finally got in threw the small crowd of students and pulled us apart.

"What are you some kind of dog? Do your parents teach you nothing?"

I just stayed silent gripping my pants leg as avoided eye contact, Why was I getting torn into for self-defense? Her shrill voice was getting on my nerves at this point getting to them bad.

I doubted things would go any better if I completely shut down, But eventually, she let up on me and went over to the teary-eyed boy no doubt from my bite of just to gain sympathy I couldn't care.

I just pulled my legs to my chest as he chewed on my lip focused on the ground.

This discussion was just hell, I wanted to throw up, yell, and vomit all once.

We both were getting suspended for a week, You would be put in sperate classes as if that was going to stop any other interaction from happening.

And you were supposed fucking apologize?.

"What?" I spoke up finally as the principal looked over at me Simon looked over at me as well had luckily arrived before the other kids' parent came which would have basically felt like my doom feeling like they were just going to gang up on me and guilt me till he came.

"You bit another student-"

"He dumped milk on me he's been fucking with me for two weeks!"

"Watch your language-"

"I-" I stopped as Simon slightly glanced over at me and I just gave up at that point as I bit my lip nearly crumbling up the apology paper I was given.

I was sniffling quietly by the time we left the office.

"Wait here." Simon finally said something as he headed back into the office leaving me to sit down on a nearby bench as I sniffled tears streaming down my face.

Simon came back out a few minutes later.

"Where's the paper?" Simon looked over at me as I handed him the paper as he just ripped it up tossing it into the trash.

"Why'd you do that?-"

"Do you want to go get ice cream?"

"..Yeah."

"Ow"

"Sorry.." Simon mumbled as he wrapped up my bruised knuckles and hand, My other holding my ice cream cone.

"Well get it wrapped up in ice at home.." I just nodded as he shifted getting up from his crouched position and picking up his own cup of ice cream.

He sat back down and we sat in silince for a while as we ate out ice cream.

"..Are you upset?"

He glanced over at me.

"Yes."

"I-"

"For not telling us you were being bullied."

"Well..I..I just thought.." I just sighed I went quiet looking away I could hear him shift taking another spoonful of ice cream.

"..If it happens again tell me.." I looked over at him as he shifted.

"You don't have to write that apology letter.."

"W-Well you ripped it up so..Yeah I thought so.."

"I'm going to the gym tomorrow.."

He paused as he shifted as he got up to throw away his ice cream cup.

"I want you too come."

"I-..Why..?"

"So I can teach you how to punch someone properly."

a/n; idk what to put here so this is it lmao

[honeypiehotchner]

delicate -- Hotch x Reader one-shot

Here’s that one-shot I’ve been holding for a while! Named her delicate after Taylor Swift’s song, purely because of the whole “dive bar on the east side/where you at?” imagery. I listened to the Spotify Singles (acoustic) version of the song while writing this, if you wanna listen while you read! Enjoy!! xx.

Summary: Hotch doesn’t go to bars very often. Until he meets you at one.

Warnings: age gap (reader is somewhere around 24-25), mentioning of being safe at a bar (so alluding to date rape drugs), harassment from one drunk dickhead

Hotch Masterlist

Hotch doesn’t go to bars.

When he’s not on a case, working on paperwork for a case, or caring for his son, he’s normally asleep.

Not at a bar.

But some nights, the memories are too much. Some nights, the cases take a toll on him — especially the children that never made it back home to their parents.

He doesn’t know why he’s in a bar. The only time he comes is when the team goes out and wants to drag him with. It’s normally Dave who manages to get him to agree to a beer or two.

But Aaron is alone this time.

You, on the other hand, know exactly why you’re in a bar.

You’re bored, you’ve just finished your masters degree, you need a drink and some time to yourself to people-watch.

It’s fun, really. Observing people while they’re drunk. You usually have one drink and switch over to water, wanting to remember the things you see while also staying safe.

But occasionally— or, well, more than occasionally by the sheer unfortunate fact of you being a woman alone in a bar, you get the typical man sliding into the seat next to you before he’s even all the way through his rehearsed, “Is this seat taken?”

You never answer. There is no point in trying because their ass already hits the chair before you can say, “Yes, it’s taken, by my foot, now move before I kick it up your ass.”

You never say that, not often. Sometimes the guys can be pretty big assholes, but the bartender, Vanessa, knows you well, so she usually threatens security before you get yourself in trouble.

Unfortunately, tonight looks like it’s going to be one of those nights.

The bar is packed for a reason you aren’t privy too until you see (and hear) the random band start a new song. Great. Performance.

Still, you snag the last seat at the bar, waving to the bartender when she sees you. You barely get the seat warm before she’s sliding your usual in front of you.

“It’s on the house tonight,” she yells.

“What?” You shake your head. “No the fuck it’s not.”

She leans closer so she doesn’t have to yell as loud. “You are my saving grace in this sea of assholes, so yes it is. We can fight about it later.”

“Fine,” you roll your eyes. You dip your hands underneath the bar to switch your diamond ring from your right to left hand.

Tonight, you’re married.

You got this ring when your last relationship ended so badly. It was a long time coming, and once you were finally able to see the other side, you went out and bought yourself an engagement ring. Just for you. A promise to yourself to start loving yourself harder, and going out with dickheads less.

So far, it’s been wonderful. You’re loving being alone. It was exhausting going on so many first dates, trying to love someone else instead of letting yourself heal.

It’s been two years of singleness for you now, and you’ve loved almost every day.

The “wedding” ring usually makes most of the guys turn the other way. A few that are oblivious will try talking to you, but once they glance at your hand, they excuse themselves.

It’s hysterical, if you’re honest.

But some, unfortunately, don’t give a damn.

Like the guy who has just squeezed his way into the seat next to you.

You roll your eyes and prepare yourself for the shallow conversations because, for some ungodly reason, the band decided now was a good time for a break.

“You come here often?”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. “Nope.”

“It’s a pretty good place,” the guy says, waving down the other bartender, his name is Nick. “You should come here more often.”

“Should I, now?”

“Yeah,” the guy grins. “You’ll see me.”

You roll your eyes so hard it nearly hurts.

“Wanna dance?”

“Not in the mood.”

“Can I buy you another drink?”

“No thanks.”

“Can I get you anything?”

“Why, do you work here?”

“Look, I’m just trying to be nice.” Ah, there it is. The “nice guy” line.

You turn your head, raising an eyebrow. “Good for you. I’m not interested.”

“Ooh,” he feigns hurt, holding an open hand to his chest. “Ouch.”

You shrug. “You’ll get over it.”

“Damn.”

“Mm.”

“You sure you don’t wanna dance?”

“I’m married,” you say easily, picking your glass up with your left hand to show off your ring. You don’t drink from your glass because you made the mistake of looking away for only a moment, so now you’re paranoid that he might’ve slipped something in it.

The guy looks around, then back to you. “I don’t see a husband.” Oh, he sounds so smug. Like he’s pulled one over on you. Moron.

“He’s on a work trip.”

“Well, he’s not here.”

“You don’t want to get on his bad side, dude.”

“Oh really? What’s he do for a living?”

“He works for the FBI.” The lie slips from your mouth before you can stop it, and you almost laugh.

It’s something you’ve pulled from the countless guys that have said they work for the FBI, but have no badge to show for it. It’s always cracked you up. You’re aware there’s an FBI office around here, but you doubt a greasy, blackout drunk works for them. Let alone more than five greasy, blackout drunks in one night.

“The FBI, huh?” The guy says, just taking it in stride. “What’s his name?”

Right as you’re about to make one up until Vanessa can get back over here to threaten security, two arms slip around your waist.

You’re ready to throw caution to the wind along with your fists, but the owner of the arms says, “Just go with it, I’m Aaron.”

You turn your head to see a very handsome older man peering down at you, a smile on his lips that you can’t help but mirror. Something about his face has your gut screaming that you can trust him, so you play along.

“Honey! I thought you were in Texas!” You throw your arms around his neck for good measure, and also for a moment to casually get a good whiff of his cologne. Goddamn. You’ll gladly be his fake-wife. Any day. Forever.

“I was,” Aaron says, squeezing you before letting you go. He moves to stand next to you, his arm around your waist in a protective manner. “We landed early, wanted to surprise you.” He kisses your knuckles to keep up the act, and then settles his eyes on the man who was bothering you.

“You must be the husband,” the guy mutters bitterly. “You really work for the FBI?”

Oh, fuck, you think. This guy just doesn’t give up. A few future scenarios flash before your eyes, but the one most alarming is a fight erupting, which isn’t all that far-fetched. You’d never be able to come back if you caused something like that.

But before you can stumble through some excuse, Aaron is pulling out a badge. An actual badge.

“Supervisory Special Agent Hotchner. I’m the unit chief of the BAU,” he says easily, holding his badge out for as long as it takes the guy to inspect it. You have no clue what BAU stands for, but you’re just thanking whatever Gods might be real that this is happening.

The idiot is scowling by the time Aaron puts his badge away. He leaves without a word.

Your jaw nearly drops as you watch the guy go, and literally leave the bar. You had hopes that he’d leave you alone, but leaving the bar entirely is even better.

Aaron’s arm slips from around your waist as he moves to take the now empty seat next to you. All the while you’re gawking at him like you’re in some fever dream.

When he catches your eyes, he says, “What?”

“Am I dreaming?” You blurt. “Do you really work for the FBI?”

He chuckles and pulls out his badge again, holding it out to you where you can read it. And sure as shit, he’s an actual FBI agent. What the fuck.

You look up as he pulls his badge away. “Did you hear me tell the guy my husband worked for the FBI?”

Aaron shakes his head. “That was pure luck. By the way,” he holds his hand out to you. “I’m Aaron.”

“Y/N,” you shake his hand, smiling at the fact that Aaron wanted to go through the official pleasantries and that you got to feel how soft his hand is again. “Thank you for that. I thought he’d never leave.”

“No worries. And it’s best he did, I really didn’t feel like arresting anyone tonight.”

“Arresting him? For what?”

“Well for starters, harassment. But since that usually doesn’t hold up very well, I’d have to say it was for his cocaine addiction.”

Your eyes widen. “He was doing coke?”

“Well, not out in the open, of course, but there were traces of it on his nose and his eyes had that look to them. Addicts are easy to spot when you run into them enough.”

Who the hell is this guy?

“Oh, and forgive me, what’s your husband’s name?” Aaron gestures down at your left hand. “I might know him, but I can’t say that I recognize you.”

“Oh,” you move the ring back to your right hand, much to Aaron’s surprise. “I’m not married. I only put it on the left hand to try to avoid assholes like that.”

“I see,” Aaron nods, and if you’re not mistaken, he almost looks pleased.

Vanessa returns to get Aaron’s drink, and then gives you a look.

You want to scream, yes, I’m well aware he is dangerously attractive and that he’s talking to me but don’t you dare say a word to embarrass me.

Instead, you say, “Can you make me another?”

She nods in understanding and pours out your drink, setting off to make a second after sliding Aaron his beer.

“So,” you turn your body and prop your head in your palm. “What’s got an FBI agent in a bar on a Tuesday night?”

He takes a long swig of his beer before answering. “What’s the real story behind that ring on your hand?”

“Answer for an answer,” you sing, smiling at Vanessa when she brings you your drink. She leaves without a word, raising her eyebrows at you.

“The cases can be rough,” Aaron says vaguely, bringing your attention back to him. “You?”

“Got it as a promise to myself to never date another prick ever again,” you chuckle, gazing down at the ring. “It’s worked its magic, so far.”

“So far?”

“I’m talking to you, aren’t I?”

He smiles through his next swig of beer.

+++

It becomes a routine, you and Aaron sharing a drink at the bar.

To your surprise, he has the same views as you about alcohol. It’s fun to have one drink, but getting wasted and blacking out isn’t.

It’s refreshing, if you’re honest. Everyone your age wants to get absolutely shitfaced every time they go out, and that’s just never been for you.

It helps that Aaron is older. Well— You’re not sure if it helps or not. Because he is significantly older, the farthest you two have gone is sharing a drink at the bar. He usually leaves first, needing to get home to his son, to do more case work, or there was one time when he actually got a call about a case mid-drink. He was gone for two weeks after that.

But he always comes back, and he always finds you here, at this bar.  

You mostly come every night to keep Vanessa company for an hour or two. To give yourself a break from the chaos of reality and to give her a familiar face in the sea of drunken customers.

Every night that Aaron isn’t here, Vanessa asks you where he is. Like you would know (you only do if he tells you of a possible up and coming case). Like you have his number (you don’t). Like you care (you don’t want to admit that you do).

“No Daddy tonight?” Vanessa teases, sliding you your drink.

“If you don’t stop calling him Daddy, I swear to God.”

“Oh, don’t swear to Him. He doesn’t need to get involved.”

You send a glare her way, but you’re holding back a laugh.

“Is he still on a case?” She asks, trying to be serious again.

You shrug. “Who knows. They can last pretty long. He was gone two weeks for the last one.”

“Keeping track, are we?” She raises an eyebrow.

“Shut up.”

“I’m just saying, you two are killing me here, sharing drinks and not saying how you feel. It’s torture to watch you every week, you know.”

“He’s like...twenty years older than me. Or something.”

“And?” She scoffs. “Age is but a number. You’re an adult. He’s an adult. It’s fine.”

You shrug. “He probably just sees me as a friend. He would’ve given me his number or something by now, right?”

“I dunno, men are weird. But he’s older, he’s probably scared to make a move, scared he’ll make you uncomfortable.”

You shrug again. You appreciate her trying to show you the possibilities, the logical reasons for why the two of you haven’t gone any further from the bar, but you aren’t sure what to believe. Plus, it’s been a week since you’ve seen him. The last time you two shared a drink, he didn’t say anything about a case.

So, he’s either on a case again, or has stopped coming.

The latter thought has you debating getting shitfaced wasted for the first time in years. Being blackout drunk would probably hurt you less than if it’s true that he’s just suddenly ditched you.

But what stops you is when Vanessa runs back over, eyes wide. “Just spotted your hottie.”

Oh, now he’s my hottie? “What?” You inwardly scold yourself for sounding a little too giddy at the prospect of him being here. 

But if he’s here, why isn’t he sitting next to you?

Vanessa answers that one for you. “At a table in the back. He’s with friends I think.”

Friends? Never mind then on sharing a drink with him. “Oh, cool.”

Vanessa looks like she wants to say something, but is called away to another customer.

You don’t want to butt in with Aaron’s time with friends, so you stay at the bar, facing forward, nursing your one drink. Your mind conjures a plan in two seconds flat: finish your drink, head out for the night and discreetly look in Aaron’s direction, hopefully catch his eye, but if not, just go home and...shower and go to sleep.

Because if he wants to see you, he will. If he doesn’t, then he won’t.

Good plan.

Or at least, it is, until Aaron is sliding up beside you.

Your heart launches itself into your throat. You don’t say anything because you have no idea what to say. You were too busy assuming he’d rather be with his friends (which is...fine because it’s not like the two of you are...dating) to notice him walking up.

He says something for you, though. “Hey.”

Well, he might as well have stayed silent. What are you supposed to do with that?

“Hey,” you return casually, then offer a small smile. “Thought you’d be gone longer.” You operate on the assumption that he was on a case.

And he was. “This one actually worked in our favor.” He leans his elbows onto the bar, and naturally your eyes follow the movement. He’s not in a stuffy suit like the last few times, but he’s still in a dress shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

Arms. You’re a complete sucker for arms, and he’s practically teasing you like this.

“That’s good,” you comment, taking a sip from your drink. “Here to celebrate?”

“Yeah, we are.”

Nick brings Aaron his beer, thankfully, because you know Vanessa would’ve made some not-so-vague comment about Aaron being up here -- and maybe let an “accidental” Daddy comment slip.

To your surprise, Aaron sits down.

Your eyebrows furrow. “I thought you’re here with friends?”

Aaron looks over his shoulder and shrugs. “Just my team, yeah. I imagine they’re tired of me, though.”

You doubt that’s the case, but you know that if you say that, he’ll just brush it off.

“Not even gonna introduce me?” You tease instead, but you honestly want to smack yourself. You need to get a better hold on your word vomit. Inviting yourself is insanely rude.

Aaron’s eyebrows raise slightly, clearly not expecting you to say that — or to even want to be introduced to his team. “They’re a lot,” he says. “They’ll make a big deal out of this.”

“This?” You question, gesturing shortly between the two of you. “What is this?”

“What do you want it to be?” He asks carefully, averting his eyes shyly.

“Well,” you exhale dramatically, swirling your drink. “I think when you’ve shared a drink with a woman more than...twenty times, it should at least be considered dating.” You cut your eyes in his direction, your chest swelling as you see a grin breaking out on his face.

“I think I’m a bad date,” he says, confusing you. He chuckles, adding, “You don’t even have my number!”

“I’ll get it at the end of tonight,” you say, touching his arm gently for reassurance. “Come on, I think the back of my head is burning from how hard they’re staring.”

He looks through the corner of his eyes and sighs. “I’m sorry in advance for them.”

“No need to apologize,” you shrug. “Friends can be the worst. Vanessa has already started asking questions about you.” You nod toward the bartender that is feigning interest in clearing a space behind the bar.

“I figured,” Aaron murmurs. “Okay.” He slides off the stool, grabbing his beer in one hand, and holding his other one out to you.

Your heart jumps harshly when you take his hand. It’s warm and soft and secure, everything you want and need. You grab your drink in your free hand, giving Aaron’s hand a reassuring squeeze.

As soon as you and Aaron approach the table, the older gentleman is punching the one with tattoos. “Pay up.”

Aaron witnesses the cash exchange and stares at them tiredly. “Seriously, guys?”

Meanwhile, you’re holding back a giggle.

“Well, hello,” the woman with the colorful fashion sense says. “Introduce us!”

Aaron looks ready to pretend like he doesn’t know any of them, so you step up and say, “He told me you guys would be like this.”

That gets him laughing, and he finally says, “Y/N, this is Penelope, Emily, JJ, Spencer, Derek, and Dave.” Each person nods, waves, or smiles when their name is called.

“I’ll try to remember,” you joke. “But no promises.”

You squeeze Aaron’s hand in yours, trying to get him to loosen up. He does, barely, so when he tugs on your hand, silently asking you to step closer to him so his arm can fit around your waist, you oblige.

“What was the bet about?” You ask, nodding toward the men who exchanged cash a bit ago. It was Dave and Derek if you’re remembering names correctly.

“Rossi thought Hotch was going to bring you back over here, but I didn’t agree,” Derek says, nudging Dave’s arm. “I didn’t think you’d go for him.”

“Well, that’d be embarrassing if I went for someone else, considering we’re dating,” you chuckle, leaning your head back to look up at Aaron.

“Dating? So it’s official?” Emily asks, looking a little more excited than you thought any of them would.

“I think it was official the first time we met,” you snicker. “He pretended to be my husband so some dickhead would leave me alone.”

Aaron’s arm tightens around your waist at the memory.

“Okay,” Penelope grabs her drink, then moves over next to you, linking your arm with hers. “Hotch, we’re stealing her. We need details.”

Aaron doesn’t look like he wants to let go at all, but you press a kiss to his cheek. “Told you it’d be fine,” you whisper to him.

He surprises you by pressing a kiss on your lips. Midway through, your brain reminds you that this is technically your first kiss with him. And it’s in front of his friends. Swoon.

After so many dates with guys who were ashamed to be showing any sort of affection toward a woman, it’s nice to find a man who doesn’t care who sees his affection.

What can you say? After dating so many boys, it’s nice to finally find a man.

[sfb123]

Stealing Moments

Book: The Royal Romance/The Royal Heir

Pairing: Liam x Riley

Summary: The Royal family spends the afternoon taking part in some pre-Easter (or preaster, if you will) activities.

Rating: G - I’m not going to sugar coat it (sugar is the last thing this story needs), this is some majorly fluffy stuff here. Even for me, and I’ve produced some pretty fluffy work.

Word Count: 1,947

A/N: So this story is a triple threat:

I am participating in @wackydrabbles prompt #88 “I meant every word.” Which will appear in bold.

I am also participating in the @choicesaprilchallenge2021, day 3 teal. That prompt will appear in italics.

I am also participating in @trraw, day 2 Liam. That prompt will appear in the form of a handsome and charming King.

A/N 2: This is an idea that I thought of while I was writing my upcoming Uncle Drake fic (you’ll see that one on Sunday), so I decided to write it up as a little prequel to that. Thank you to @jessiembruno for encouraging me to take my crazy throw away ideas and make them into something, and also by contributing this adorable moodboard. You are a Canva master. To think, not too long ago you hated it and cursed it out on the regs!

Tags: You know the drill, they’re down below. I hope you get it! If you want to be added or removed, let me know!

Liam sat in his study, wrapping up some paperwork before his next meeting when there was a knock on the door. “Come in.”

Bastien entered the room and shut the door behind him. “Sir, Lord Neville is demanding an audience with you. Immediately.” 

“Of course he is. Tell him I am unavailable, and to make an appointment with my assistant before he leaves.” 

“I did. I explained to him that you have an important afternoon meeting that could not be rescheduled. He didn’t appear to care.” Bastien chuckled to himself. This wasn’t the first time Neville had tried to weasel his way into an urgent meeting with the King.

Liam let out a deep breath as he stood, scrubbing his hand over his face. “Of course he didn’t. That’s fine, I need to get to my meeting anyway. I will tell him myself.” 

Almost immediately upon exiting his study, Neville was in his face. “Your Majesty, I have an urgent matter that requires your immediate attention-”

Liam held up a hand, silencing him. “I’m sure you do, Lord Neville. Unfortunately, I am on my way to a very important meeting, so I am unable to sit with you right now. Please see my assistant on your way out, and she will be happy to book you for my next available appointment.” 

“With all due respect Your Majesty, that simply won’t do. It won’t take long, perhaps I could walk with you to your next meeting?”

Liam internally rolled his eyes at the suggestion. He knew just how to stroke his ego to get him to back down. “Lord Neville, as one of our most valued members of court, I couldn’t possibly do you the disservice of giving you anything but my full attention on what I’m sure is a crucial matter. That is all I would be doing if I allowed you to continue at this time. I will make sure that my staff adjust the schedule to provide us enough time to examine the issue thoroughly. Please send me any documentation as soon as possible so that I may review it before our meeting. That way, we can hit the ground running when we do meet.”

Neville stood tall, a smug expression quickly spreading across his face. “Very well, Your Majesty. I appreciate your assistance in the matter. I will leave the documentation with your assistant.” He bowed, and Liam nodded in response before exiting the area and moving on to his next meeting. 

“If I may say sir, the way you handled that situation was truly masterful.” Bastien commented as they walked through the palace. 

Liam chuckled and patted his security guard on the back. “All in a day's work, my friend. Everything is in place for this afternoon, I trust? I will have no disruptions for the remainder of the day?”

“Yes Your Majesty, the staff has been fully alerted that you will be unavailable. I will be at the door to ensure that you are not bothered.” Bastien replied. 

Once they arrived at their destination, Liam crossed the threshold and closed the door behind him. He was the last to arrive, so the sound of the door caught the attention of those that had already gathered. 

“Daddy!” Eleanor jumped out of her chair and ran straight for Liam, leaping into his arms. 

“Hello Princess.” He chuckled as he held her close, placing a kiss on her cheek. “Are you ready to decorate some Easter eggs?” He carried her through the livingroom area of the royal quarters, returning her to her seat at the kitchen table.

“Yep! I helped mommy mix all the colors together. It was so fun!” She gestured to the cups of coloring spread out across the table. 

Liam couldn't help but laugh at his daughter’s enthusiasm as he approached his wife, who was standing at the table making the final preparations for their afternoon project. “Hello, beautiful.” He leaned down and placed a lingering kiss on Riley’s lips. 

“Hey handsome. You made it right on time. I’m impressed.” She teased. 

“I wouldn’t miss this for anything in the world. No matter how hard Neville tried.” 

“Neville, yuck!” Eleanor chimed in, causing both of her parents to burst out laughing. 

Riley turned her attention back to her husband. “Alright, you go get changed. I don’t want you ruining your fancy king clothes with egg dye.”

Liam kissed his wife and daughter before going into the bedroom to put on some more casual clothes. He returned unnoticed as Riley explained the egg dying process to Eleanor. He stood for a moment and watched them, his girls, his world. He couldn’t help the smile that quickly spread across his face at the sight. 

“Daddy, come on, we can’t start without you!” Eleanor called out to him from the other side of the room, breaking him from his thoughts. 

He returned to the table and stood between his girls. “Alright, I’m here. Where do we begin?” 

Not only was this Eleanor’s first time decorating Easter eggs, but Liam’s too. He was told that as a Prince, there were more productive ways for him to spend his time. It was just one of the many childhood experiences being royalty simply didn’t allow for. He was so happy, not just to have this experience for himself, but to share it with his daughter. Another way to give her the childhood he never had, but always wanted.

Once Riley explained the process, they got to work; since she was the seasoned professional, she let Eleanor and Liam take the lead and do most of the work. She marveled in the similarities in their gestures, the concentration on their faces as they placed their white eggs in the dye, and the excitement when it would come out dyed a bright color. At one point, Riley couldn’t help but laugh when they pulled out their eggs at the same time, and looked up at her with identical expressions of joy, showing off their creations. 

They had gotten down to the last egg, Liam turned to Eleanor, “Ok Princess, we’ve got one left. You get to pick the color.”

A thoughtful expression overtook Eleanor’s face as she surveyed the colors that surrounded her before turning to her parents and confidently announcing her decision. “Teal.”

Riley and Liam locked eyes and shared a confused expression. There was no teal, they had only prepared basic colors, blue, green, yellow, pink, and purple. “Baby girl, we don’t have teal. These are the only colors we have.” Riley explained. 

Eleanor’s lip started to quiver as her arms went across her chest. “I want teal. Please.” Her parents had been teaching her the importance of manners, so she figured if she said please, they had to give her what she wanted. 

They both knew what that lip quiver meant, they were going to need to move quickly to avoid a total meltdown. Liam approached the princess and started rubbing her back to keep her calm. “It’s alright Eleanor. Why don’t you tell me why you want a teal egg so badly?”

“It’s my favorite color.” She looked up at her father, a pleading expression etched in her face. Her eyes glistening with unshed tears. 

There was no question that Eleanor had the King wrapped around her finger, and when she looked at him like that, there was absolutely no way he could deny her. “Alright, let me go talk to mommy and see what we can do for you.” He kissed her on her cheek and returned to his wife. “Riley, there must be something we can do. I can send someone to get teal coloring. We have unlimited resources at our disposal, there must be some way we can make this happen for her.” 

Riley shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Man, you really are a sucker when it comes to her. Aren’t you.” 

“For both of my girls, actually.” He lifted her hand to his lips and brushed them gently across her knuckles, while giving her a hopeful expression. 

She sighed deeply, as much as she tried to fight it, she was also a sucker for her family. “Alright, I guess I can try to mix the blue and green together. Maybe I can get the right ratio to make a teal dye.” 

Liam turned to Eleanor and gave her a thumbs up, she clapped her hands and cheered in response. Riley got to work carefully mixing the two dyes into a third cup, occasionally dipping a piece of paper in to test the color. She smiled to herself when the fourth test paper emerged from the cup. Mission accomplished. “Did somebody want to make a teal egg?”

“Me me me!” Eleanor raised her hand and jumped up and down in her seat. 

Riley placed the cup in front of Eleanor and handed her the egg. The pair worked together to color the final egg to the princess’s exact specifications. 

Liam watched as the two of them completed their family project. His heart was so full at that moment that he felt weak in the knees. He reached behind him and laid his palms against the kitchen island to steady himself. He stood there as his wife, the love of his life, sat with his daughter creating memories in their home. In that moment, he wasn’t a King, he was the luckiest man in the world. 

With the help of her mother, Eleanor pulled the egg from the dye, her smile growing exponentially as she proudly looked up at her father to show off her work. “Daddy, we did it! It’s teal!”

Liam chuckled at the sight in front of him. “I think it’s the most beautiful egg I have ever seen, Princess.”

Riley looked up and noticed Liam’s expression before leaning down to Eleanor. “Hey sweets, why don’t you go wash up for dinner while I put all of this away.” Her daughter looked up and nodded before rushing down the hall. Riley approached Liam and put a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, are you alright?”

“Love, I can honestly tell you I have never been better.” He placed a hand on her cheek. “Do you remember our first date? During the social season?” She nodded. “You asked me what my dream was, and I told you I wanted a real family, one that was close and listened to each other.” He paused, staring deeply into her eyes. “I have that, because of you Riley. You’ve made my dream, my heart’s desire, come true. Going into my social season, I had all but given up on falling in love, and assumed I would simply marry for duty. Then you uprooted your whole life to give me a chance at happiness. I will never be able to tell you how truly grateful I am for all that you have given me.” He placed a lingering kiss on her lips.

“Liam, I did it for me too. That night in New York, I had never felt like that before. I was not that girl, the one that drops everything to fly around the world for a boy I just met, but I knew there was something there that was worth exploring.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. 

“Really?”

Riley laughed gently. “I meant every word.” She leaned in to kiss him, and he pulled her close. 

They pulled apart just as Eleanor bounded back into the room. She ran straight for her parents and jumped into Liam’s arms. He held her against one side, and pulled Riley into the other. He was sure that life couldn’t get better than that very moment. 

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[fruitcoops]

hiiiii no pressure, but would it be possible for you to do a fic with coops with one of them in a depressive episode ??? i’m currently struggling right now.

it’s completely fine, if not!!!!

Dear anon,

I am so sorry you’re struggling right now and I wish you the absolute best in your recovery. Depression is a terrible thing to deal with--please remember that you are not alone in this and that there are so many people who care about you. This goes for anyone else who reads this fic as well: you are loved. You are appreciated. 

This fic is not intended to make light of depression or pretend that love magically makes it go away, because it doesn’t. If you are battling depression, know that there are hotlines and support systems for you. If I got anything wrong in this fic, please please let me know so I can fix it and avoid the spread of misinformation.

Coops credit goes to @lumosinlove!

TW: Depression, insomnia, self-deprecating thoughts, hospitals, mention of child abuse (Sirius), mention of past injury and hospitalization (Remus)

Remus should have known better.

At least, that’s what he told himself. He should have known better than to stay those extra few minutes at the hospital, should have known better than to linger in the sports medicine ward.

But there he was, laying wide awake at 3 in the morning with the scent of antiseptic still burning in his nose despite the lavender candle on Sirius’ nightstand and their freshly-washed sheets. Sirius snored lightly behind him; Remus was exhausted down to his bone marrow, but his eyes refused to close. This is what you get for trying to help. This is what happens when you think you’re finally healed. You’re damaged goods, Lupin, and you don’t deserve all this.

Sirius snuffled in his sleep and nuzzled between Remus’ shoulder blades with a gentle sigh. His heart ached, suddenly and viciously—who was he to try and claim someone so radiant? How could he ever repay Sirius for everything he took? It wasn’t like he had anything worth giving.

He didn’t sleep that night, instead watching the dawn come raw and red between the slats of their blinds. Sirius inhaled slowly as he woke; sometime during Remus’ previous blink, two hours had passed and the sun was out of sight.

“Re?” a soft, accented voice murmured. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe deep. There was no need to burden him. Sirius hummed and kissed the back of his neck; the steady rumble of his chest was soothing, like Remus’ own personal thunderstorm.

The heavy fog over his brain settled in fully by nine, and still Remus had not moved. He was too warm beneath the blankets and the tangled sheets were slowly driving him nuts, but he wasn’t strong enough to move his leaden limbs.

“Sweetheart. Are you up?” There was a gentle knock at the door and Sirius poked his head in. “Bonne matin.”

“Hey, you.” Get up, get up, get up. With Herculean effort, Remus dragged himself into a slumped sitting position.

Sirius faltered. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah, just tired,” Remus lied, forcing a smile. “Didn’t sleep well.”

The bed creaked as Sirius sat down and reached up to feel his forehead with the back of his hand. “You’re warm.”

I’m burning.

Don’t bother him.

“Really, I’m okay.” He took Sirius’ hand and pulled it down to his lap.

“Do you want some breakfast?”

The mere thought of food made his stomach turn and he shook his head. “I think I’m just going to try and sleep for a bit. What time do we have practice?”

“We’re off this week, remember?”

“Right.” Remus ran a hand down his face, wincing at how sweaty he was. “Right, sorry, yeah.”

“What’s going on, Re?” Sirius asked. His thumb ran over Remus’ knuckles, but he couldn’t feel it. He could see them in his mind’s eye: Sirius, beautiful and strong, doing his goddamn best to hold together Remus, the lost cause. “Remus?”

“Sorry, what?” Remus blinked as he came back to reality. “Sorry. I’m just tired.”

“That’s what you said earlier, but I don’t think I believe you.”

“I’m sorry.” Listen to yourself, you’re like a broken record.

“Hey, it’s okay, mon coeur.” Sirius’ hands moved to his face and came away damp; when had he started crying, again? “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Nah, it’s alright, you should go have breakfast—”

“Remus.” The softness of his voice broke something deep in Remus’ chest and a choked whine escaped.

Why do you talk to me like that?

“Because I love you and I’m worried.” Remus clenched his teeth; he hadn’t meant to say that out loud. “Re, please tell me what’s wrong so I can help.”

“I don’t need your help,” he snapped, voice cracking. “There’s nothing you can do about this.”

He squeezed his eyes shut against the sudden wave of frustration, but he could still see the harsh fluorescent lights of the hospital. God, he had smelled horrible when he woke up in those crisp, itchy sheets, like rubbing alcohol and fear. His shoulder wasn’t torn apart anymore—destroyed, we’re so sorry—but something else was.

“Why not?”

“Because I’ve been broken for years and you deserve better.” Around the bitter taste of orange Jell-O, there was something salty.

“I don’t want anyone else.”

“Why not?” He couldn’t look Sirius in the eyes. He knew what he would only see forgiveness, undeserved forgiveness that he couldn’t handle. “You could have anyone in the world, Sirius. Do you understand that? You could have someone beautiful and perfect—”

“Remus.” A steady hand cradled his jaw and he froze. “Remus, I don’t want perfect.”

“You deserve perfect,” he croaked. “You deserve so much more than I can give you.”

“You give me everything I need and more, sweetheart.”

“You deserve someone who doesn’t sleep on the couch for a week because they were scared of loving you.”

“We were both scared, and I forgave you for that a long time ago.”

“Sirius, you deserve someone who isn’t in pieces all the time.”

Sirius made a low, sad sound and pulled him close to his side, resting his forehead on his temple. “Let me decide what I deserve, okay? We’re both a little broken and we love each other anyway.”

“How can you say that?” Remus clutched the hand draped over his shoulder. He could feel Sirius’ heartbeat.

“Remus, my parents were horrible. I get nervous when people move too fast and had an anxiety attack when coach yelled last week. Do you still love me?”

“Of course I do,” he said immediately, turning to hold Sirius’ face between his palms. “Of course I love you, none of that was your fault.”

“There’s your answer.” Sirius leaned into the touch and kissed his forearm. “I love you for all of it, Re. Every second, every argument, everything. There is nobody else I want more than you and you are worthy of it all.”

“I’m sorry.” He sniffled back the tears and snot. Ugh. “My brain just…”

“I know. You have nothing to be sorry for.” Sirius flipped back the covers and scooted beneath, shifting around until the sheets were straight again. He stared up at Remus with absolute affection in his eyes; there was no pity, no exasperation.

Remus slid down with a sigh. “We have things we need to do.”

“Right now, we’re going to do what we need to do to make you feel better.” Sirius paused. “Do you know what triggered it?”

“The hospital,” Remus said quietly. “The smell, the lights…it reminded me of a lot, and now I just feel shitty. Please don’t feel like you have to stay here.”

“I’m here because I want to be here.” Sirius opened his arms. “Cuddle?”

“Can I hold your hand instead?”

The fog was returning, but Sirius’ hand was solid in his own, an anchor against the rolling tide. Like the tide, this exhaustion would loom and frighten and threaten to drag him under, but it would also pass, and Sirius would be with him through it all.

[maxineswritingcenter]

You Saved Me - Derek Hale x fem!reader part 23

--------

2000

We were ten years old, Derek and I. Playing a game of hide and seek with his sister Laura. It felt like it was more a game of “let the kids run around and not bother me”. We were deep in the woods outside of their home, laughing and squealing delight as we ran and ran. That is until lightning flashed through the sky and thunder boomed immediately after. Spooked, we ran further from the thunder and lightning, finding a small improvised shelter that we had made a few years before when we would play cops and robbers. Derek’s uncle Peter had helped us build it, occasionally playing the sheriff when he deemed us “less annoying than usual”. 

Once inside the little hut, we sat and decided to wait out the storm or at least until someone came to get us. It was mostly dry with only or two leaks in the roof. We waited a while in silence, only the rain and wind howling filled the air. It was almost peaceful. I had been sitting there, literally twiddling my thumbs when I noticed the anxious movements Derek was making. He was tapping his foot against the soft earth and he was repeatedly cracking his knuckles. 

“What is it?” I asked. He seemed to snap out of his trance and looked at him, then looking away with a slight blush on his cheeks. 

“I was just thinking about what my mom said last year... About us being arranged in a marriage.” 

“What about it?” I turned my body so that I could face him. 

Derek rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact, “I dunno... I guess that I wouldn’t want to be forced into a marriage with you. It doesn’t seem fair.” 

“You’re right.” I glanced out towards the woods, smiling fondly, “I want to fall in love. I want someone like Dimitri in Anastasia.” I sighed dreamily. 

“Wasn’t he a con-artist?” Derek raised an eyebrow. I shoved him playfully. 

“No...Well, yes. But he doesn’t take the money the Duchess offered him as a reward because he wants Anastasia to be happy.” 

“He’s a cartoon.” 

“And you’re a dork.” I shook my head, “What about you? Who would you wanna marry someday?” 

Derek thought for a moment, “I guess... I would want someone like Anastasia. She’s super badass and defeats the villain all by herself. She also went through a lot and did a lot even when she didn’t remember who she was, she fought for her future.” 

As sweet as that was...

“She’s a cartoon.” I mocked his voice. He grinned and shoved me, starting a wrestling match that ended with Talia and Peter finding us. They brought us home and made us hot chocolate. 

-

After landing, Michael and I had taken a ferry to the Shetland islands to Sumburgh, the village on the island where the Lunar Circle was settled. We actually were brought to a castle, which was already insane enough. The next insane thing was a statue just inside the massive doors into the main room of the castle. It was a humanoid with the head of a wolf, wearing a kilt and armor. The creature also carried a sword. 

“What is that?” I whispered to Michael. 

“The Wulver. A werewolf that had come to peace with his wolf and human sides. He was friendly to locals and they seemed fine with him. That’s when hunters came and tried to kill him. He was the reason for founding the Lunar Circle - coexistence. 

“Can I do that?” I whispered under my breath. 

“Unfortunately, no.” Our attention was brought to a man with a thick Scottish accent walking into the room, “Our world has lost touch with the old magic. But maybe someday we can bring it back.” He was average height, with salt and pepper hair that was on the longer side and a bit shaggy. His eyes were a kind blue color. He held out his hand to me. 

“Praetor Lachlan McLeod.” The stranger introduced himself, “It’s so good to finally meet you, (Y/N).” So this was the man who wrote the letter, it was nice to have a face to a name. I shook his hand and smiled politely. 

“It’s nice to meet you too, Praetor.” From my googling, Praetor was a Roman term for an official, which was an interesting concept since Rome had completely invaded all of England, Ireland, and Scotland and almost wiped out their culture. But whatever. 

“Please, call me Lachlan.” 

I nodded, “Okay, Lachlan.” He held both of my hands in his smiling sympathetically. 

“I want to extend my condolences, again, for your loss. Your mother and father did so much for the Lunar Circle.” 

Slowly, I slipped my hands from his, “Thank you... I just have a lot of questions about them.” 

“All in due time, my dear. You’ve had a long flight and I’m sure that you’re exhausted.” 

Michael sighed, “Oh, we sure are-”

 “I’m not tired. I want answers.” I said sternly. Michael looked incredibly nervous which made me wonder how high up this Lachlan guy was, “I appreciate your concern, sir, but I am coming from a place where I am just now remembering my parents were a part of a secret werewolf society that gave them the tools to take all of my memories away and said society wouldn’t allow me to be accompanied by my partner. It took a lot for him to let me come by myself, especially since he had never trusted the Lunar Circle in the first place.” 

“Ah, yes, Derek Hale.” He said, almost amused, “I remember his mother’s rejection letter. It was somehow very personal. I think she referred to me as ‘a spineless coward who would rather fraternize with the enemy than fight them.” 

I clicked my tongue, “Sounds like Talia.” Michael nudged my side, signally for me to chill. 

“And another thing-”

“Oh no.” Michael hid his face in his hands.

“This guy.” I pointed to Michael, “He killed my parents, isn’t there some kind of punishment for that?”

Michael ripped his hands from his face, “Hey, that wasn’t my fault.”

“Mr. Keaton’s unfortunate affliction caused by Peter Hale has been reviewed.” Lachlan put his arms behind his back, “I assure you. It was all the Hale’s doing.”

I jerked forward, Michael had to grab my arms to hold me back, “Derek is not his uncle.” My eyes flashing red. 

Lachlan raised his eyebrows and smiled, leaning down and flashing his alpha red eyes at me in return, “I’m sure he’s not.” The red left his eyes and he stood up straight, “Take her to the infirmary and then straight to bed.” He said to Michael, his eyes never leaving mine. I kept my eyes on him, even as he started to walk away, this kilt swaying with each step.

“The infirmary? Why?” Michael asked. 

“I believe Miss (Y/L/N) is carrying something.” He grinned, “Something that may calm her temper.” 

-

After a blood test in the infirmary, we were escorted to two rooms in the castle. Of course, this left me alone with my thoughts that I really didn’t want to think about. Knowing that Derek and everyone else was back home fighting against the alpha pack while I was in this ancient castle where I haven’t gotten the answers I wanted. Why was I even here? To take up my parents’ mantle? Whatever it was, I didn’t want it. I just wanted to go back home and help. I looked out the window of the castle, seeing the moon high in the sky. 

I mean, what could they tell that I didn’t already know? My parents took my memories to keep me safe and look where it got them? Burned to ashes. And what else? I was only stalked by a psychopath and had to watch my friend struggle to not hurt anyone. I mean, hell, I was still struggling with the change. Uncle Noah was still processing what I was. Yes, he’s supportive but to what end? And Stiles? I wasn’t there to protect him when he was kidnapped and beaten by the Argents and now I was millions of miles away and if he was in trouble there was nothing that I could do. And if anything happened to Derek and I wasn’t there to save him? What was the point of even being alive? I would be without them, helpless and guilty, all because of some stupid secret society. 

My chest got tighter and tighter as my emotions ran high. My thoughts and feelings were moving so quickly that it felt like I didn’t have control of my own mind. My hands clenched tight, I could feel all of my features shift. Coarse hair growing down the sides of my face, the bridge of my nose tightening. I screamed loudly, the high pitch lowering into a loud roar. 

“This is your fault!” She shouted, standing up, “Take me home!” She lunged forward. Michael lunged forward, using the shield to knock her back across the room and into the window. Surprisingly, it didn’t break. She fell to the ground, looking up quickly. 

MICHAEL

From the loud roar that just came from the next to his, Michael had a feeling that the Sheriff had been right. She was a time bomb and she just exploded. Michael quickly grabbed a shield from one of the suits of armor that for some reason always decorated castles and made his way into (Y/N)’s room. (Y/N) was on the bed, tearing at pillows. There were feathers and fluff flying all over the room. She was in full shift, her eyes fiery red, her canines sharp. Her eyes took him in, snarling loudly. She jumped off the bed, landing in front of him on all fours. Michael jumped back, shield held tight in his hand. 

“Come on, (Y/N)!” He tried to put on a brave face, “You just need to calm down and get some rest.” 

“SCREW YOU!” She shouted, lunging again. This time, Michael moved on the way, letting her slam into the door, which also didn’t break. 

“That’s a good door.” He said to himself. Michael looked from the door and back to the angry werewolf. She was seething with rage and one step closer to killing him. 

“Think about this.  You don’t want to kill me!” 

“Yes, I do! I hate you!”

“Hate is such a strong word...” He said nervously. (Y/N) lunged again and was met by a door to the face. Lachlan had opened the door and they both looked down at (Y/N) on the floor. She was on her behind, rubbing her forehead. Lachlan sighed, reaching down to help (Y/N) up. 

“I seem to have underestimated your anger. Please, walk with me.” 

(Y/N)

Lachlan led me out of the castle and down to the grounds. In the back of the stone walls, there was a large garden. The Praetor hadn’t said anything since we had been out here, but I think that’s what he wanted. The moon and the atmosphere around us was calming, must be the magic here. 

“I apologize for dismissing your concerns earlier.” Lachlan said finally, leading us to the cliff side where we could see the waves crashing against the rocks, “You have been through a lot lately. More than any new werewolf is expected to handle as well as you have.” When I looked at him, I could tell he was being genuine. 

“I just...” I sighed, leaning against a nearby oak, “I didn’t want to come here. I didn’t want to leave my partner behind. And... I didn’t want to meet the people who told my parents to take my life from me.” 

Lachlan looked up at the moon, the wind flowing through his hair, “Your concerns are near and dear to my heart. My own parents used the Wolf Eclipse spell on me after I mated with a she-wolf from a rival clan. The look in her eyes when I told her I didn’t know who she was... I see it every time I close my eyes. And then I lost her.” His voice shook a bit, “I never forgave them after that.” He looked back at me, “When your parents told us that they had done the spell after the Hale fire, we told them it was a bad idea. You needed to be stronger than ever, maybe even leave Beacon Hills, but they became too attached to the community, to the sheriff and his son.” They stayed for them... I have no idea what my life would have been like without Stiles in it. It was so different. That was a life I didn’t want to think about because it was a life without my best friend and his insane antics. It was a life without Uncle Noah who loved me no matter what. It would be a life without Derek, or at least a life where I wouldn’t be there to meet him again. 

“I remember now that my father thought we were safe.” I wrapped my arms around myself, “Chris Argent is loyal to his word and the code his family is supposed to follow. Unfortunately, he is the only one who follows that code. Even his own daughter was corrupted by his father and his sister and she was dating a werewolf.” 

“Unfortunately, not every hunter can be Chris Argent. From our understanding, he is the only one fighting with his head while the others see us as inhuman.” He chuckled, “You might even say that we are more human than they are.” I chewed on the inside of my cheek. 

“Lachlan?” 

“Hmm?” 

“What am I doing here? Why bring me all this way?” 

Lachlan looked back up at the moon and smiled, “Well, it was originally to restore your memories. Thankfully, that resolved itself. Now, since you are the only member left of your clan - an alpha was two sparks - we were hoping that you could spend some time with us to relearn the basics. And I also want you to relax, experience your culture, your legacy.” 

“That sounds great and all. But I don’t have time to do that. I need to get back to Derek.” 

“(Y/N), you know that it is too dangerous for the both of you to be there. I don’t want you to experience what it’s like to lose a mate. It’s... It’s soul crushing. Losing who you love most - that is the worst pain anyone can feel.” Lachlan turned to go back to the castle, “Think about it. You aren’t a prisoner here. You may leave whenever you like. But I think you could do great things with just a little help.” With that, his footsteps faded into the darkness; leaving me with only my thoughts, the moonlight, and the ocean below. I had to make a decision, one that would ultimately decide my future as an alpha. I just wish someone I knew was here to help me make this decision. If only Uncle Noah were here. He was so level headed and wanted the best for me, but the werewolf drama was probably too much for him already. And Derek would want me to hone in on my skills, even if that meant going into battles alone and possibly losing them. 

I just wish it wasn’t this hard. 

-

After pressing Derek’s contact, I pressed the phone to my ear and listened to it ring. I had no idea what time it was back home, I just needed to at least pretend I was talking to him. 

“Hey Der.” I smiled, “I know it’s late or early. Honestly, I’m not sure. But I wanted to call you and tell you how today went. The flight was long, the food was okay. Uh they made me get a blood test for whatever reason. Oh, and there’s this thing called the Wulver and he was a werewolf that came to peace with his human and animal side. Lachlan’s really nice and doesn’t want to take me from you so the coast is clear on that one. And uh I remembered something today. When we were kids, we got lost in the woods in a storm and we talked about crushes. Funny how you had a crush on a girl who lost her memories.” I laughed, “Anyway... I miss you. And I love you. And I’ll be back as soon-”

I was cut off by a beep and a message telling me that the allotted time of this  message was over. Sighing, I set my phone down and flopped back on the extravagant bed that seemed to form to my body in just the right way. All the fluff and feathers had been cleaned by the time I came back so I should probably thank whoever the cleaning staff were. All I can do is sleep and hope that tomorrow will give me better answers. 

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

Read part 24 here!

I watched Inside today so I am no feeling good. 

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[closedmadness]

𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐄

summary: the ultimate mean boy in riverdale high is you. everyone knew that. there was just a cold, tall walls around you that is hard to break down. however, sweet pea decides to climb it up instead

pairings: sweet pea x male reader

warnings → reader is an asshole (slightly)・swearing ・slight violence・physical abuse・shitty parents・homophobic slur・a tiny bit of fluff

a/n: There will be a part 2!

Sweet Pea watched you smoke on the bleachers, alone and glaring at everyone who dares look at your way. You were clearly not a people person from how you act around.

“Who’s that?” Sweet Pea asked, nudging Jughead with his elbow and pointing at your direction discreetly.

The corefour, Toni, Cheryl and Fangs stops whatever they were doing to look at where he pointed and after seeing you, the corefour instantly looked away. “Why? Why do you ask?” Jughead asked, seemingly scared.

Sweet Pea furrowed his brows; all of the corefour seemed scared of you. “Just curious.” He replied.

“His name is (Y/n) (L/n).” Cheryl answered for everyone. “He's the worst type of boy in this school.” She added with a distaste look.

Archie was next to chime in, “He curses at anyone who looks at his way, beats up anyone who mess with him and hates everybody.” His explanation was pretty accurate and the corefour plus Cheryl nodded in agreement, their fear plastered their expression.

“Even Cheryl can't stand up to him.” Veronica comments, earning a glare from the red head, but she didn't deny it.

“The only idiot who stand up to him is Reggie. He kinda have a death wish.” Betty shrugged.

Sweet Pea turned back to look at you and sees that Reggie was now in front of you, obviously provoking you and trying to get a rise out of you. Everyone watched anxiously as Reggie, alone, kept poking your chest with his finger. Though, in Sweet Pea's eyes, Reggie was failing to get a rise out of you as you just sat there on the bleachers looking at him uninterested, blowing out smokes.

They could make out what Reggie was telling you; calling you names, saying you don't belong anywhere, that you deserve to die for being such a jerk. However, you remained unfazed, as if you were used to being called and said to like that. A sigh left your lips as you dropped the cigarette and stepped on it, standing up from the bleachers. Reggie smirked, about to make an snarky comment, but a fist colliding with his face prevents him and he was knocked to the ground. Everyone's eyes widened as you hovered above him, stepping on his hands and errupting a painful yell from him.

“You don't really learn, do you?” Your low and dark voice send a shiver down Sweet Pea's spine. “I told you many times to stay the fuck away from me.” You spat harshly, before raising your clenched fist and punching Reggie in the face with full force.

Everyone panicked as you punched him repeatedly, trying to find a way to stop the fight but failing miserably. No one can stop you, not even Weatherbee, and if you continued punching Reggie he might not live. A loud crack was heard, possibly from Reggie's nose.

Sweet Pea watched the way you punched Reggie — he somehow recognized rage in the way you did, like there was something else you've been going through and you're just letting it out on the Bulldog, switching your hands once in a while when the other hurt too much punching his face. Reggie attempted to push you off of him and he pushed your stomach, and it was just a glimpse but Sweet Pea saw the way pain appeared on your face, before you turned back to repeatedly punching Reggie.

“Stop! Mr. (L/n)! Enough!” Weatherbee yelled, rushing over, but not getting close to you completely.

You looked up from Reggie to him, rage radiating off of you, before it slowly disappeared and was replaced with an annoyed look. You clicked your tongue and got off of Reggie, kicking him on his stomach in the process. Your fist was busted open and bloody, but you didn't care as you grabbed your bag and walked off without turning back.

Sweet Pea stood up from his seat, alarming his friends. “Woah, woah, where are you going?” Jughead asked, stopping him by grabbing his arm.

“To aid (Y/n).” He responded, shrugging casually.

They looked at him as if he was crazy. “Are you crazy? You'll only get a punch in return for trying to help him.” Archie said as he shakes his head.

Sweet Pea smirked, “What a challenge.” Before walking off to follow after you.

The corefour and Cheryl turned to the two serpents, giving them a look. Fangs shrugged, “He likes challenges.”

“It's his fault if he ended up having a blackeye and a bruised lip.” Toni added, earning a nod of agreement from Fangs. They continued to talk all the while the corefour worried about the boy’s safety.

Sweet Pea saw you sitting by the wall in the hallway, clenching and unclenching your fist. Your knuckles were bloody, busted open by the force of punching Reggie in the face. “Stop doing that.” He said, crouching down in front of you, first aid kit in his hands.

You glared at him, “Get the fuck away from me.” Venom can be heard from your tone, but Sweet Pea didn't flinch even a bit. He knew it was coming, seeing as you always did it to everyone.

He ignored your words and stared at your busted open knuckles. “If you keep doing that, it'll get worst.” He scolded, making you roll your eyes.

“What do you want?” You snapped, furrowing your brows in irritation and glaring at him.

“Can't you see what I want?” He retorted, holding out the first aid kit and showing it to you. You rolled your eyes, turning your head away from him and avoiding eye contact. “Let me take a look at it.” He said and grabbed your right hand gently.

You flinched at first, not feeling used to someone being gentle, but didn't smack his hands away. He started working quietly, treating your bloody knuckles as you clenched your jaw and prevented yourself from hissing in pain at the sting.

The way he held your hand as he treated it was so gentle, you could almost hear his thoughts of not wanting it to hurt you too much. There was care and gentleness in his movement; something that you've never experienced before from anyone, ever since the day your mother left you to deal with your alcoholic father. The thought made you so bitter and couldn't help but bite your tongue.

After wrapping a bondage around your right hand, Sweet Pea moved to treat the other hand, his move as gentle and caring as before. Your eyes fell back on him, studying him closely — he was the first one to approach you without getting scared. He was also the first one to show you kindness. You didn't understand why he was being nice to you. Certainly his friends warned him about you, based on how it looked earlier after you caught him pointing at you discreetly. His friends looked scared when they were explaining who you were, and you wondered why this guy didn't find you intimidating or scary.

Instead, he went on helping you treat your busted knuckles. You don't know how to react to it.

“Okay, it's done.” He said, holding both of your hands and looking at it rather proudly.

You looked down on your hands. The bondage aren't wrapped neatly like how the nurses do it, but it was proper enough to cover your wound. There was some sort of signs that he seemed used to treating other's wounds, then you realized he was a serpent. He's probably used to treating wounds from fighting with people.

“Yeah, you’re done. Now, get the hell away from me.” You said, looking at him.

He chuckled, “Are you this always rude?” You rolled your eyes and turned your head away, deciding to just ignore him until he stops bothering you.

You knew he was gonna leave anyway; his kindness won't last long. He'll leave you eventually. Even if you became friends with him, he'll end up being like your mother. He'll end up leaving you, and you'll be alone again. That's a big no-no — being attached to someone and suddenly be left alone is the worst feeling ever.

Even though you were thankful at him for showing you kindness, you had no plan of getting to know him.

“I'm Sweet Pea.” He introduced despite having noticed of your plan to ignore him. “Just thought I'd let you know.” He said before standing up and walking away, deciding he'd bother you tomorrow again.

There was just something in you that he wanted to solve — maybe, he wants to help you in whatever you were going through. So he decided, it was best to climb up a wall that cannot be break down.

You got home from school, immediately noticing the intense smell of alcohol reeking all over the house. Your lips turned downward into a frown, movement becoming cautious as you entered the living room. You met with beer bottles scattering around the floor and the whole living room being a mess, your father sitting on the couch seemingly drunk.

His kind of drunk was the worst.

“Where the fuck have you been?” He said, narrowing his eyes accusingly.

You rolled your eyes, dropping your bag on the floor as starting to pick up the bottles. “School. Where else would I be?”

“Stop lying to me, (Y/n). I know you went to a guy's house. A fag like you can't keep your dick in your pants.” He spat with venom filled tone. “Your mother was a whore, a disgrace! I'm not surprised you grew up to be like her.”

“Well, at least she was trying to provide money for us even when it was through prostitution, unlike you who's still jobless at this age.” You retorted, a thing that you regretted instantly.

“What the fuck did you just say?” Your father was up in a second, smacking your hand harshly causing the beer bottle you were holding to smash on the floor. You didn't say anything and just glared at him, in a defense stance and stepping backwards. It happened so quickly; within a second your father picked up a piece of shattered beer bottle from the floor and slashed your arm with it, and you stumbled back in shock.

Your butt hit the floor as your hand fly up to hold your arm that was slashed by him, pain instantly filling up your body. He was standing in front of your within a second, holding the bloody piece of beer bottle, glaring down at you. “I- I'm- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I- I didn't mean to talk to you like that.” You stuttered, apologizing, fear eating you up from the inside.

“You'll be sorry once I teach you a lesson.” He said angrily through gritted teeth, before hovering above you and digging the piece of beer bottle on your stomach, a pain filled scream escaping your mouth.

This abuse continued on for a while, his fist colliding with every part of your body as you cried and screamed, begging for him to stop. Your stomach hurts from getting slashed by the piece of beer bottle and him punching it only made the pain increase more.

By the time he was done with you, you were covered in bruises and cuts, your lips busted open, with a blackeye, a bruise forming on your cheek. Every inch of your body hurt as you stared blankly at the ceiling, wondering what your life would be if he wasn't your father. If you had a decent family. Maybe, you wouldn't have been harsh and mean to everyone.

You were just a scared little boy hiding behind the cold, harsh, mean mask. Scared of your father's constant abuse, scared of getting attached to someone and being left alone like how your mother left you, scared of letting anyone in. You were scared of everything. You didn't want people to think you're weak, so you act all tough.

You just didn't want to be left alone, and that's why you always told everyone to fuck off.

Then, your mind wanders off to Sweet Pea. How he showed you kindness, how he wasn't scared of you, how he treated your wound so gently and caringly, and thought that if he was with you right now, he would probably have treated your wound.

You felt warmth in him.

A sudden exhaution took you over after remembering him and you closed your eyes, drifting off to sleep, not even bothering to go back to your room.

You thought of being all alone tomorrow again, unaware that Sweet Pea had no plan to stay away from you.

© prettymadness — all rights reserved. do not repost or translate without my permission. plagiarism is strictly prohibited.

[nevernotwriting]

You, Me, and Yancy | Chapter 5: The Wrench in the Works

Read me on AO3!

Previous chapter

You slept surprisingly well that night, despite the heightened anxiety from your situation and what almost happened between you and Mark the night before. He kept giving you warm glances over breakfast, making you smile into your soggy cereal. Despite your current predicament, your head was on cloud nine knowing that he was still very eager to take you on that date once this mess was over.

Once breakfast was eaten and the inmates were allowed to roam, you and Mark got to work on your plan. You’d agreed that rallying the prisoners to your cause was your best way of getting out of here; there were more prisoners than guards, and with the size of some of the prisoners, the lot of you could easily overpower them.

You and Mark decided to work together to tackle the biggest, burliest prisoner first. You hadn’t caught his name yet, but he stood well over six-feet tall, sporting a large beard and a spider web tattooed onto his bald head. You gulped as Mark turned to you with a reassuring nod before poking him harshly in the bicep.

“Hey! You! I wanna talk about respect. It’s somethin’ that we’ve been really missin’ here lately.”

You watched from the side lines, ready to step in when you were needed. You suspected it wouldn’t be long; the man’s intense look of contempt was only getting worse as Mark poked him in the chest to emphasise his words.

“Now I need you to respect me, and help me and my friend break out-”

Wham.

The man’s fist collided with Mark’s stomach, and Mark was sent crashing through the wall behind him. Bricks and dust flew everywhere, clouding your vision and making you splutter. By the time the dust cleared, the wall was rapidly being filled in again, and Mark was nowhere to be seen.

Your heart started beating rapidly, stomach lurching.

Was Mark... dead?

Your head started spinning, making you feel faint. What the hell were you going to do now? Your plan had backfired and now you were on your own.

You barely had time to collect your scattered thoughts before a husky voice came from behind you.

“Break out… of this place? Why would anyone… wanna break out?”

You turned around, greeted by a man with coiffed black hair and an array of tattoos. He was sat on a table as if he owned it, looking at you with one eyebrow cocked and a devilish smile.

You weren’t entirely sure if what occurred next really happened; the man started singing to you, surrounded by his fellow prisoners. He took you by the hand as he sang, introducing you to his “gang” with the biggest smile on his face. There was dancing, even more singing – something about not wanting to be free? – and then it was all over. The lights stopped. The dancing stopped. You were surrounded by criminals once more, and now they were closing in on you. You weren’t sure whether to be impressed or intimidated by how quickly they could change their demeanour.

“So, tell me,” the man spoke again, a dangerous look in his eyes as he approached you. “Do ya still wanna be free?”

You gulped, thinking yet again about Mark being launched through that wall. He had to be okay, right? You wouldn’t know what to do with yourself if he was dead. You needed to be sure. More so than that, you had friends and family out there. You couldn’t just leave them all behind for a life behind bars, as tempting as the song made it sound.

Family, of course! You reached into your back pocket, handing the photo of your parents to the man.

“What’s this?”

He turned the paper around, almost looking disappointed as he glanced over it. “Oh. So yous the type o’ person with one o’ those… family types waitin’ for ya on the outside, huh?”

You nodded. To your intrigue, and utter bewilderment, his expression took a sombre turn, as if he was reminded of a thousand past hurts all at once.

“I too was once also one of those familial types. Before the incident… ces.”

He tossed your picture behind him with an even more pained look. “But forget it! It’s best if yous just forget about those family bonds of youses, they ain’t worth it! They always just gonna leave you behind, so best to just stick with what’s youses! The past ain’t the kinda thing to be trifled with.”

The sincerity of his monologue didn’t sound like the words of a murderer, despite what he had claimed in the song. You wanted to question him, but he shook himself out of his sadness with an exasperated sigh.

“So what’s it gonna be, huh? You gonna stick with us, or you gonna go out on your own?”

You looked behind him, noting that you still had an audience for this stand-off. Despite the anxiety growing inside you from this tense situation, you knew you had to stick to your guns.

You shook your head at the man. “Look, thanks but no thanks. I gotta get out of here.”

The man narrowed his eyes at you, his expression rapidly deteriorating into one of judgement.

“Oh. So it’s like that, huh? Maybe I misjudged you. Maybe I was distracted by that lovely face of youses. What, are we not good enough for you?!”

He gestured to the gang around him, who were laughing and cracking their knuckles as they backed away into a wide circle. You should’ve felt more terrified, having only ever landed practice punches on your colleagues during CQC training, but your mind was preoccupied by the man’s words. Did he just… compliment you? In the middle of a stand-off?

You managed to narrowly miss getting punched square in the face. You reigned in your wandering mind, adrenaline starting to course through you as the man’s gang cheered him on. You raised your fists and focused on him, lightly bouncing on the spot. Your breathing picked up as you dodged around wildly, avoiding collisions with tables and chairs and fists alike. You didn’t want to descend into violence, but the yells of encouragement encircling your makeshift arena didn’t give you much of a choice, it seemed. Eventually, you managed to land a few punches on your opponent, boosting your confidence as his attacks slowed down more and more.

For an apparent leader of a prison gang, this guy was surprisingly easy to beat. After a dozen landed punches on his face and abdomen, he fell to the floor. His gang surrounded him immediately.

“Yancy?!” Some of them gasped. So that was his name.

Yancy slurred a response. His gang looked up at you with murderous glares. They slowly started to crowd around you.

Your eyes widened in panic. Winning one fight was something, but you’d stand no chance against all these folks.

“Wait!”

Your panic was cut short. Everyone stopped and turned back around, seeing Yancy haul himself onto his feet with a tired expression. There was a circular bruise around his eye and a cut on his lip. Some deep part of you almost felt sorry for him as he trudged towards you with a sigh and apologetic eyes.

“Maybe I was wrong about yous. Maybe I was… wrong about a lotta things.”

He patted his gang members on their shoulders as he went, eventually standing in front of you.

“Look, it’s too late for me. It’s too late for us. But I can tell that yous got somethin’ worth fightin’ for out there!” Yancy continued, his voice surprisingly soft. You smiled a little in relief.

“So what’d’ya say? Let us let bygones be bygones, and let me help yous be gone from this place?”

He held out his hand for you to shake. He looked kind, and just slightly nervous.

You sighed, still recovering from the whiplash of how quickly this situation had de-escalated. You couldn’t deny it; you needed the help, and Yancy clearly knew this place better than you did.

You took his hand with a firm shake.

“Yancy, right?” You asked him.

His smile grew wider, seemingly flattered that you’d picked up on that small detail. “Yeah. And what should I call yous?”

“Call me Zero.”

Yancy hummed with an approving nod. “Zero. Got a nice ring to it. All right, let’s get to work!”

Suddenly, the lights turned a flashing red and sirens blared around the room, making you, Yancy, and his gang jump out of your skin. The Warden strode in with a furious look on his face.

“What the hell is goin’ on around here?! Somebody turn off that infernal racket!”

The alarms whirred into nothing, the lights returning to their normal, neutral colour. Yancy hunched his shoulders and curled his hands towards his chest as the Warden stalked towards him.

“Now a fight hasn’t broken out here at Happy Trails Penitentiary in fifteen years! And now,” he loomed over Yancy with a threatening aura, “I hear you started one.”

Yancy stammered through a desperate explanation. “No, Warden, I wasn’t startin’ no fights, I was just talkin’ with my new friend here!”

Yancy glanced at you with petrified eyes. Your heart was hammering in your chest.

“I’ve heard enough!” The Warden roared.

“B-b-but Warden-” Yancy stumbled on, but the Warden cut him short.

“No buts!”

Yancy’s lip trembled. You watched on in terror, frozen to your spot and unable to look away. Dread filled every fibre of your being.

“I can’t have my prisoners runnin’ around causin’ a ruckus now, can I?” The Warden asked, clapping both hands harshly onto Yancy’s shoulders. Yancy shook his head vigorously, obviously eager to escape his firm hold.

Something snapped inside of you as the Warden clamped his hands down on Yancy like that. Before you could stop yourself, you stepped forward, words shooting out of your mouth.

“It wasn’t his fault, Warden. It… it was mine.”

Yancy snapped his head towards you. His eyes lit up in gratitude, but this was quickly replaced with a look of horror as the Warden trained his murderous glare on you. You took a deep breath and stood tall, ignoring your pounding heart.

“It’s not his fault, I provoked him. He doesn’t deserve to be punished… I do.”

Silence filled the air for a few seconds. The Warden grumbled underneath his breath.

“New or not, we will not be having fights in this establishment! You hear me?!”

You nodded back silently. You clenched your fists at your side to stop your hands from trembling.

“Now, I’ll let you off with a warnin’ cause you’re only a rookie. But if I hear one single peep outta you, outta any of you, I will throw your tuchus straight into solitary! Have I made myself clear?”

You gulped, squeaking out a meagre “mhmm.” The Warden turned to Yancy and the gang, gaining an array of agreements and nods before he strode out. The same guard that escorted you into the yard yesterday shot you a threatening look, heading out the same way as the Warden.

Once the Warden was gone, everyone let out a collectively held breath. Yancy turned to you, planting a grateful hand on your shoulder.

“Hey, thanks for takin’ the heat for me,” he sighed. “Guess I really owe you one now, huh?”

You laughed a little. “You can help me by getting me the hell out of here. Deal?”

“Deal,” he replied. “But it’s gonna take me an’ the boys and girls a bitta time to come up with a plan. Think you can sit tight for a little longer?”

He winked at you, making your heart jump unexpectedly. You nodded.

Mark, if you’re out there, I’m coming for you.

Next chapter

[leechobsessed]

May I please have logen + " here. you're not going anywhere in this state. i made up the spare bed; stay as long as you like. "? I love them ❤❤ —leila-of-ravens

@leila-of-ravens anything for youuu! from this list (this also got a little long but I’m not sorry about it)

-

Ella sat on the floor at the back door with the door open, watching the rain come down in buckets. The evening air was cold and smelled of wet earth, but the sound of the rain and the distant thunder was comforting. She brought her mug to her lips and sipped her tea slowly, mentally reminding herself to thank Leila for this new blend. It was heavenly. 

The combination of the storm and the tea was beginning to make her sleepy, and she fought consciousness for a while longer before deciding to turn in for the night. She pulled herself up off the ground, dusting off her behind with her free hand as she headed into the kitchen, where Bato was fast asleep under the table, as usual. 

She stooped down to give her familiar a quick pat on the head before she set about washing her tea cup, resting it on the rack on the counter to dry. As she did every night, she quickly straightened up the jars on the counter, and scribbled a quick note to herself to remember to pick up more flour and sugar at the market tomorrow.

Ella returned to the back door to lock up so she could turn in for the night, but as she began to pull the door shut, she caught a glimpse of a figure jogging toward her, a cloak pulled over their head to shield themselves from the rain. 

This wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. Her shop regularly had worried parents bringing their sick children to her for a healing in the middle of the night, or to buy some medicine for a loved one at home. So she waited in the doorway as the figure came closer and closer, a smile spreading across her face as she realized who it was. 

Lachlan smiled broadly at her as he maneuvered his slender frame into the doorway, shaking his cloak out to avoid bringing the rain in with him. “Ellanora,” he said by way of greeting. 

“Lachlan,” Ella responded, inviting him inside. “As always, it's wonderful to see you, but what on earth brings you here at this hour?”

Lachlan ran a hand through his curls, shaking out any water they had inadvertently collected. “Well, my dear, I was instructed to deliver this to you—“ he said, handing her a large, carefully wrapped package. “—from my dear sister and the good doctor.”

Ella smiled as she took the package from the naval officer, carefully unwrapping it to reveal more tea and a book from her friend, and a folder of some loose papers covered with Julian’s messy scrawl, which she assumed were work-related. 

“And it had to be delivered now, right this second?” She raised an eyebrow as she set the delivery down on the nearest table, trying to sound casual, even though she was more than a little excited to see him.

“It did.” Lachlan smiled, removing his cloak and hanging it on the hooks next to the door. Ella watched his muscles shift beneath the thin fabric of his shirt, bringing a hand to her cheek to hide the blush creeping across them. 

“I see.”

“Plus, the sooner I delivered it, the sooner I would be able to see you,” he said, turning back to face her with that smile, causing her heart to skip a beat. Gods, she was in deep. 

Ella’s blush spread to the tips of her ears as she smiled back at him. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her gaze fixed on the clear blue of Lachlan’s eyes. He hadn’t even touched her, and yet her heart was beating so hard she was sure he’d be able to hear it. 

She cleared her throat, trying desperately to collect herself. It was both endearing and frustrating how composed he always seemed, how confident he was when he spoke, how flirtatious he could be without deteriorating into a blushing mess. The exact opposite of her. “Lucky me.” 

Lachlan took a half step toward her then, closing the distance between them. Without thinking, she found herself moving closer to him, as if he were a magnet pulling her near. And then she was pulled into his strong, storm-chilled arms, yelping as the damp fabric of his shirt made contact with her skin, smiling as he pressed his warm, soft lips to hers. 

As it always was with Lachlan, the kiss was a heady mix of passionate and tender, new and familiar, exciting and comfortable. When he pulled away, he left her breathless, and she found herself blinking rapidly, desperately trying to regain any semblance of composure. “Lucky me,” she whispered again. 

Lachlan removed his arms from around her, running his hands down her arms before taking her hands in his. Automatically, she began running her thumb across his knuckles, wondering if he could see the effect he had on her, and if she had a similar effect on him. 

“I was also asked to invite you to dinner tomorrow. My sister is cooking for all of us, Lysander and Beatrice included.”

“Oh.” Ella nodded. “That sounds nice.” 

Lachlan smiled and brought her hands to his lips, kissing them gently before releasing them. He turned and grabbed his cloak, pulling it on to cover his head and shoulders. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

Ella frowned as she peered outside. The wind had picked up, and she could feel lightning on the horizon. “You’re going all the way back to Leila’s? In a storm like this?”

“Well, I made it all the way here in a storm like this. I am a man of the sea, Ella, I’ve seen storms worse than this.”

Unconvinced, Ella folded her arms across her chest and shook her head. “You’re not going out in this weather. You can stay here for the night.”

“Ella, please. I’ll be fine.”

She studied him for a moment before sighing, throwing her hands in the air. “Wait here.”

Obediently, Lachlan waited as Ella marched up the stairs and listened as she shuffled around in the living area. After a while of banging around, she returned downstairs, looking quite satisfied with herself. 

“Here,” Ella said, holding out her hand. “You're not going anywhere in this state. You’re soaked to the bone, the storm is only getting worse, and, being Leila’s friend, I am not going to send her brother out in this weather to get sick. I made up the spare bed. You can stay as long as you like.”

Lachlan frowned. “You didn’t have to—“

“Please stay. I’m not allowing you to go back out in this storm. I’ve drawn you up a hot bath, I’ll make us some tea—”

“Ella you really didn’t need to—“ Lachlan interrupted, already backing out the door. 

Ella groaned, grabbing him by the wrist, interrupting his protest. “For the sake of the gods would you just—“ she pulled him up the stairs behind her, ignoring his continued protests.

Once in the living area, Ella turned to face Lachlan, her annoyance evaporating as she took in his expression. He looked… guilty? Maybe that wasn’t the right word, but he was definitely uncomfortable. She took his cloak from him and handed him a robe, pointing down the hall to where the small bath was waiting for him. 

While he was in the bath, Ella returned downstairs to prepare some tea, placing the cups and some cakes on a small tray. Her heart ached. She didn’t mean to make him feel bad, but here she was, pushing him too far again, shoving her love and her need to take care of him down his throat. Once everything was ready, she carried the tray back to the living area to find Lachlan sitting on her sofa, wringing his hands together.   

“I, um. Thank you,” he mumbled, looking at his feet. “For making up the spare bed. And for the bath.” He sighed. “And you’re probably right, it would have been foolish to go back out into the storm.”

As if to emphasize his point, a crack of thunder rattled house. He offered her a sheepish grin as she set the tea down in front of him and took her spot next to him on the sofa, tucking her legs underneath herself. 

“Only probably?” Ella responded, nudging him with her shoulder. 

Lachlan chuckled and took one of the cups from the tray, shrugging. “That’s as good as you’re going to get.”

“I’ll take it.” She watched him take a sip, admiring the strong line of his jaw, her mind wandering to the feeling of his stubble grazing against her neck and other places— 

“The spare room is where?” Lachlan asked, pulling her attention away from her wandering thoughts. 

“Um, just down the hall,” she responded, quickly taking her own drink in her hands. She took a deep breath, swallowing her nerves before she continued. “But if you’d rather, my bed is more comfortable.”

Lachlan turned his attention toward her, his eyebrows raised in surprise. A slow, sexy smile spread across his features as he set his tea cup down, taking hers from her hands and doing the same. “Oh?”

She nodded slowly, watching as Lachlan stood up from the couch, folding his arms across his chest. “Of course, you’d have to share with me.”

He taps his index finger to his mouth as if deep in contemplation before winking at her. Lachlan bends down to scoop her up in his arms, causing her to yelp in surprise and delight. “I think I can live with that.”

[secondhand-trash]

Your First Name, My Last Name

A/N: the title came from this cantonese love song. Also, this is loosely inspired by the single best piece of writing I have read on this site that is this post by @linkedsoul​ , it is being expanded to a novel so I strongly recommend giving it a read if you haven’t already!

(au masterlist)

Pairing: fae!Amajiki Tamaki x reader

Description: There was something extremely important the fae would like to ask you, the only issue was the he don't know how.

Word count: 3778

Playlist:

Heavenly//Cigarettes After Sex (This is the softest love song out there please listen to it I love it so much thanks)

Tonight//Sibylle Baier

When the Day Met the Night//Panic! At The Disco

-

Humans had lived under the facade of peace and progress for centuries that they had forgotten the true power of giving someone their names. In other words, they had lost their natural primal instinct to protect themselves from being tricked by faes.

Not that faes were all too interested in playing around with humans anymore. They found human to be too calm and nonchalant about the whole “dropped in another dimension” thing that they liked to do for it to be entertaining anymore. What’s the point of doing all the work if they were so chill about it? Even with the other supernatural creatures moving into the outside world and growing to live with humans, most faes still tended to isolate themselves and stay inside their own circle or live somewhere they wouldn’t be interrupted by people.

Tamaki Amajiki was no exception. This sweet fae was not as mischievous or cunning as most other faes and he didn’t hate humans but he was incredibly, incredibly shy. The mere thought of having to talk to new people every day made him sick and he would much prefer staying in the comfort of his tiny cottage by the lake, surrounded by lovely plants and the occasional company of the chirpy nymph and outgoing centaur that visited him regularly.

Now imagine the shook that his very few friends must felt when the fae let it slipped that he found a human lover over tea one day. The fae in question hid his reddened face behind his palms after realizing what he said, not being able to form coherent sentences while the nymph and the centaur bombarded him with questions.

Truth be told, Tamaki often found himself thinking about the peculiarity of that when he layed in bed at night. Him, who could barely look at people in the eye, found someone who wanted to spend time with him and talk to him and hold his hand and even kiss his lips. Just the thought of that kept him up at night in the best way possible, with his heart fluttering in love and affection.

He could never forget the day he met you because he nearly fainted when he heard the knocking at the wooden door, thinking that it was his friends only to open up and found a stranger standing there.

“Hi, um, I’m sorry if this is too sudden but can you take my name?”

“W-what?”

Tamaki’s head had yet to be cleared from the sheer panic of a stranger showing up at his door and he could not process what you just said to him out of the blue. Take your name? Did you have any idea what you were asking him to do? Did you have any clue as to what giving him your name would meant? A million thought ran through his head and it was too much for him to handle, let alone that fact that he was under your gaze and you didn’t seem to have any intention to shy away.

So Tamaki did the only logical thing he could think of and closed the door in your face.

You watched as the door slammed shut and you heard the sound of rapid footsteps from behind the door. You weren’t sure what you were supposed to do as the clashing sounds from inside the cottage got louder and more frantic as time passed. You knew that it was a sudden request and a strange one at that but you didn’t foresee it to cause the fae so much panic.

Suddenly, the noises stopped and everything fell into silence. You were wondering if you had broken the fae and whether it was a good idea to check up on him when the door swung open to reveal the fae with his face flushed in redness from his cheeks all the way to the pointed tip of his ears.

“Would- would you like to come in?”

You looked around curiously as you entered the cozy cottage. There were many different myths about faes floating around but none of them seemed to match what you saw. It was just a really lovely cottage with the warm sunlight pouring from the window and homey wooden furniture laying around the room. If there was anything unusual about it, it emitted such a welcoming aura that just made you wanna lie down on the woven blankets draping on the chairs and take a good nap.

Tamaki fumbled around in his small kitchen as you took in the surroundings of his home. To say that he was anxious would be an understatement. It had been many years since he had any visitors that weren’t Nejire or Mirio and the humble cottage was not prepared for guests at all. He fidgeted with his fingers as he waited for the water in the kettle to boil, trying hard to think of what he could say to you so he wouldn’t be too tongue twisted when he actually had to sit down with you and there would be no distraction for him to avoid the conversation.

You thanked him as he handed you the saucer with a cup of hot tea on it and took a sip. Tamaki watched attentively for your reaction and let out a relieved sigh when your eyes widened in delight. It was the best tea you had ever have, just the right amount of sweetness and spice. You had never tasted anything like that and you wondered if he would tell you what blend it was if you ask.

Tamaki held his cup so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Should he say something? What would he say? Why weren’t you speaking? Why was neither of you speaking? Should someone be speaking? Did the tea burnt your tongue? Were you silently judging the mess that was his house? Were you silently judging the mess that was him? What if-

“About what I was saying earlier-” Tamaki snapped back from the overriding thoughts in his head as you speak up and let out what sounded like a small squeal in shock. You immediately stopped talking at his reaction, afraid that you had said something wrong to startle the fae.

He lowered his head in embarrassment as the tip of his ears started to turn red again. You watched as his pointy ears dropped with his bashful expression and couldn’t help but feel a warm rush to your stomach at how adorable he looked. You immediately brushed that thought to the back of your head at how offensive such a comment must be to a fae whose kind traced back to way before the existence of humans and with magic so powerful.

“About that...”

It took a lot of encouraging on your part for him to start stuttering less and less as he explained the whole concept of giving your name away to a fae and why he couldn’t just take yours as you asked. You nodded in understanding but couldn’t help but let out a disappointed sigh which made Tamaki tensed up immediately and rambled on about how sorry he was.

You gave the fae a smile, telling him that it was fine and why you came to him in the first place. You grew up in an extremely strict household where you parents were so overprotective that they did not allow you to do most things that other people your age could do even when they were way younger. It was immature, but you had contemplated running away from home many times before but never did it for real. Earlier that day before you showed up at Tamaki’s doorsteps, you had a heated argument with your parents and you stormed out of the house in anger. You didn’t want to go back and suddenly remembered the tales your friend had told you about how humans in the ancient times were tricked and gave their names to faes. It was said that those people would be taken to the faes’ land and never return. Looking back that you had calmed down, it was a stupid decision but at that point it seemed like a better option than going home and getting scold again. There were rumours that there was a fae living by the lake in the middle of the woods and you decided to try your luck. No one had actually seen the fae and you were certain that it was only a lie adults told their kids to stop them but misbehaving, you were just as shocked as the fae who opened the door when you actually found the cottage and the lake after mindless wandering around.

“W-well, I’m sure that living with the-with the faes would be w-way more boring than you-your old life.” Tamaki said as you were about to leave, his voice trembling as he tried to find words to say that might cheer you up.

“I’d much rather stay here than go home, really.” you said as you stood under the wooden frames of his door and grinned when his eyes widened, “Can I come again?”

“O-of course.” Tamaki scratched the back of his head and gave you a bashful smile as his face heated up once again.

It wasn’t long until you returned to the fae’s cottage by the lake again. It was a sunny afternoon and Tamaki was talking to the animals that gathered in his garden when you arrived.

You kneeled down next to him and he nearly fell over when he finally saw you. You reflectively reached out and held him by the arm to steady him. Tamaki was determined to be less of a stuttering mess when you showed up again but the plan failed when he felt your touch on his arm. His ears perked up as he became hyper aware of how close you were to him when in the position you were in.

“I thought that your house alone was good enough but now that there are animals all around the garden, there is even less of a reason for me to ever leave.” you said as you petted the rabbit that was sitting quietly on his lap.

You couldn’t see the flustered expression on his face as your gaze was fixed on the fuzzy creature. Tamaki wasn’t sure what it was that got him like that, he was shy by nature but he was not as squirmy around other people and his heart rate was abnormally fast with you around. “Can you-can you wait for me inside?” he managed to force out a sentence through his lips that was pursed in nerve.

You nodded and got up to enter the cottage that was unlocked. When your figure disappeared from where he could see, Tamaki’s shoulders relaxed and he put the rabbit on the ground before getting up. “What?” he looked down on the furry rabbit as its mouth moved to let out a soft mutter.

“Huh?” Tamaki’s face flushed as he heard what his animal friends were suggesting, “That’s not true! I- I don’t!”

Despite it being rather unnoticeable, the fae could clearly pick up on how the rabbit’s muttering got more aggressive at his denial. “Don’t say that!” he immediately lowered his voice as he remembered that you might hear him from te cottage, “I don’t have a crush on them, ok?”

The fae quickly added in a whisper that was more to himself than to the animals before walking towards the cottage to join you, “And even if I do, there’s no way they would like me back.”

That couldn’t be any farther away from the truth. It was nice that he was so sure of it though, because that look on his face when you kissed him on the cheek before leaving was one that you could never forget and always managed to make your heart swell.

You frequented Tamaki’s cottage even more now that the sweet fae became your lover. He was often apologetic that he couldn’t take you out on regular dates like other humans do but you would always reassure him that his company was all you need with a soft kiss. It took a while for him to stop blushing madly from the lightest initiation of physical affection and even for him to initiate it himself. You wouldn’t lie, sometimes you tried to make him fluster just to see that expression on his face that you loved so much.

It was a few weeks into your relationship when you met his friends that he always spoke so highly of.

With Nejire, it would be more accurate to say that you noticed her than to say that you ‘met her’. It started when you noticed that there was always a few strands of seaweed in the odd colour of pale blue in the lake whenever you and Tamaki lounged on the grass. You brought it up to Tamaki one day, asking if there were magical plants in that colour because you were almost certain that it was quite biologically impossible for average plants. You didn’t miss the way he averted your stare when he tried to brush it off as some sort of enchantment, adding to your suspicion. When you left his house that day, you got closer to the side of the lake to get a clearer look and yelped when the strands moved and a girl surfaced from the water.

“Hello! You are Tamaki’s human lover, right?” you had yet to recover from the shock to respond but she carried on, “Is this how humans look like? What is that you are wearing? What material it is? Lynen? How interesting!”

You could barely catch up with the speed of her questions and struggled to give answers before she raise another one at you. After what seemed like hours, she let out a satisfied breath and say, “I guess I should let you go, the sun is starting to sink and you don’t want to be in the woods without the sun. I’m Nejire and I live in this lake, do come say hi the next time you’re here!” And with that, she gone back into the water, leaving you with your head still spinning.

You always made an effort to greet the nymph whenever you passed by the lake from that day onwards and she would peek out from the surface once she heard you call her name. There were times when you were so caught up with her chatter that Tamaki had to come out and drag you back in. Nejire teased him endlessly for it.

With Mirio, he was a lot less sneaky than Nejire. You were helping Tamaki with his spring cleaning that day and wanted to dust the frames of the window. The cottage hadn’t been renovated in a long while and its windows still had the old-fashioned design where you open it by pushing the two wooden blinds. You opened the window for better lighting and bended down to wet the cloth. When you stood up once again, your head bumped into something and you took a step back when you looked up to see a blonde man smiling at you.

“Oh, hello.” the man said with a wide smile. “Sorry to bump into you, I was just passing by and wanted to say hi.”

You talked with him for a while. You had never met him before but he was very nice and welcoming. He was leaning in from the window frame as you talked so you could only see the upper part of his body. It wasn’t until he left and you heard the faint sound of galloping instead of normal footsteps that you noticed the lower part of his body was that of a horse.

“What are you looking at?” you heard the voice of your boyfriend from behind and broke you out from your daze.

“You didn’t tell me that there are centaurs around here.”

“What?” Tamaki tilted his head in confusion, “There isn’t any- Oh, wait, Mirio.”

Nothing brought Tamaki more joy than the sight of you and his friends huddling around his cottage, laughter and the fresh smell of grass filling the air. You would always leaned on him on the couch as Mirio and Nejire talked and it was one of the few things that made him believed that the world was truly good. Everyone he loved by his side, what more could a fae ask for?

Well, there was maybe one more thing he would want if he was allowed to be greedy for a tiny bit.

Tamaki realized his own yearning on a day that seemed to be not that different from any other. It was a sunny winter afternoon, the woods was all white and the lake was frozen into ice. The nymphs had went away to the deeps of the mountains to hide from the cold and the centaurs were busy preparing for winter solstice. As much as Tamaki loved his friends, it was nice when it was just the two of you once in a while.

He was lying down with his head on your lap while you mindlessly played with the fae’s indigo hair, eyes fixed on the book in your hand. You hadn’t noticed but Tamaki was looking at you the whole time you slipped through the pages, enticed by the concentrated look on your face. The air was chilly but the warm sun that poured in was enough to keep you warm. Even if it didn’t, the heavy blankets that scattered around the cottage and the loving embrace of your lover was there to keep you in comfort even in the coldest days of winter. Your hair was messed up by the wind on the way and you were wearing one of Tamaki’s old shirts but he was certain that there was no ethereal being that looked more beautiful than the way you looked under the soft light. Your hand travelled from his hair to his ear and traced down to his cheek, stopping by the corner of his lips. You peeked from behind your book and smiled when you saw the faint blush on Tamaki’s cheek.

It was then that he realized that this was exactly what he wanted to stare at for the rest of his life.

Which led to his current struggle and that was how the hell was he supposed to bring that up to you?

His friends tried their best to give advice when Tamaki was breaking down over how much of a big deal it was and how he couldn’t mess it up but it didn’t help ease his nerves any less. He was asking you to take his name and give him yours, when faes said they want to spend the rest of their lives with someone it was no joke.

Nejire suggested doing some sort of grand gesture that many humans were doing when they pop the question but it was quickly turned down because they all agreed that Tamaki would probably combust before even saying anything under all the pressure. Mirio thought it might be cute to do it with a cute letter but the fae was not behind it at all because “how am I supposed to tell them how I feel through a letter THERE ISN’T ENOUGH SPACE ON THE PAPER.”

Basically, he was clueless and he had no idea what to do which sucked because it was all he could think of whenever you were around and Tamaki Amajiki was horrible at hiding things like that.

Before you knew it, winter passed and it was spring again. All life returned to the earth as the snow melted and the plants started growing again. You sat in the field of daffodils and gently brushed over the golden petals of the early bloomers. Tamaki didn’t say anything, only watching you with a smile on his face as he fumbled with the edge of his sleeves. He had been awfully quiet recently so you had noticed. You spent such a large portion of your relationship taking note of his many subtle quirks and habits that indicated his moods that there was no way you didn’t pick up that there was something on his mind but you never asked about it. If there was something you learnt about the fae, he would always open up when the time was right, like the budding flowers in spring.

Tamaki could feel the pounding in his chest as he watched you. You were everything he had ever asked for and more. If only he could just find the courage to say it out loud, to tell you that he wanted to spend each spring with you, witnessing the flowers bloom and the ice melt, to tell you that he would give you his soul and ask for nothing in return but your heart.

“Will you take my name?”

You looked up from where you sat at your lover and wondered if you heard correctly. You were confused for a short second until you recalled that you had said something similar to him on the day you barged into his house. It all became clear when you remembered the explanation he gave you in between stutters on the true power someone’s name held.

Giving someone your true name, one that meant something to you, was no different than giving them your soul. Once you gave it away, it was theirs as much as it was yours. In his own words, “People who shared each others’ true name shares a special bond. Something like what humans called ‘marriage’ but soul binding and there is no way out."

Two names, one soul, a life together for all eternity.

Tamaki wanted nothing more than to dig a hole and hide in it for eternity. He had spent so long being frustrated and thinking of the perfect way to ask you only to let it slip in the spur of the moment. He squeezed his eyes tight, not wanting to see the expression on your face and his grew more anxious as each second passed by without any response from you.

“Only if you will take mine as well.”

Tamaki peaked his eyes open just as your voice rang in his ear. You chuckled as you reach out to tug a daffodil behind his ear and his face was tinted with your favourite shade of pink.

This sight for the rest of your life, what more could you ask for?

[parkersharthook]

Angel On Fire

Peter Stark-Rogers & Stark-Rogers!reader (twins)

warnings: weed smokage, family arguing, mentions of sex, insecurity of one’s self

2k+ words

series masterlist

requested: can you write a one shot from the peter Stark Rogers and sibling!reader? Like what is it like when one of them brings a partner over?

Okay so kinda different than requested. y/n doesn’t bring anyone home but it’s talked about

You don’t know how it happened honestly. You had thought you were being sneaky and sly.

Apparently not. Your fathers had found out, and worse of all… they wanted to meet him.

Honestly, youre not sure you’ve heard an idea worse than bringing home the guy you’ve been talking to/hanging out with/maybe your boyfriend/idk you haven’t talked about it. You didn’t even have an actual label for it and you were already bringing him home?!

And of course when you disagreed with your parents about bringin said boy home, they instantly assumed the worst about him, about you, about the relationship.

They’re thought process went:

Don’t want us to meet him?

He’s hiding something.

Drugs.

Criminal record.

Sex offender.

Bad for our daughter.

Let’s kill him.

Let’s have Bucky kill him.

So now here you were, surrounded by your /entire/ family. And they all happened to be talking – read: interrogating – you at once.

It wasn’t until you felt a small tickle in the back of your head did you even lift your gaze from the table. You met eyes with Wanda and she just gave you a sympathetic smile. She was young, she understood this. She’s had more than one partner scared and threatened by Clint, which in turn means Bucky.

You okay?

No.

Hang in there.

The conversation was short and sweet, and it left you feeling slightly better. But then Wanda ended the little connection and you were thrust back into the very loud and very out of control room. Your headache came back immediately.

You groaned and dropped your head back into your hands, letting yourself do what you were good at: ignoring your family’s constant disapproval.

I guess that wans’t fair. You did love your family and you knew they loved you, it was just always so much. And it usually felt like you couldn’t do anything right. There was a reason you spent most nights out and about rather than stuck at home. It was just… suffocating at times. And it wasn’t like you were out doing bad things, maybe a joint here and there, but nothing horrendous.

It wasn’t like your family was your villain origin story or anything. So yeah, you were fine.

“y/n?”

You lifted your head slowly and raised a confused brow, “huh?”

“We were asking you questions.”

“right. Sorry, I was too busy ignoring you guys.”

Clint snorted and then promptly shut his mouth after a harsh glare from Steve. He shook his head stiffly, “not funny. Sorry.”

Tony rolled his eyes and then looked to his daughter. Thank god Morgan was still too young for all of this. “we were curious when we’re going to meet this boyfriend of yours.”

“thinking that he’s not my boyfriend… never. He’s just a guy I’ve been talking to.”

“and hanging out with.” Peter mumbled with obvious distate. You turned to glare at him

“do you want me to punch you in the face?”

“I’d like to see you try.” He countered. And in very you fashion, without warning, you landed a swift punch to Peter’s nose.

He tumbled backwards out of his chair, clutching the nose. Wimp, you had barely hit him.

Steve scrambled to help peter, but mostly everyone was just stunned that you were able to land something on him. Granted, Peter’s spidey sense never really worked around you due to the inexplicable trust he had with you.

You clutched your hand slightly and stood up, “thank you all for your concern. I am not bringing this boy here because he would ignore me the minute it was over and I’m done having things ruined because of my last name. Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to make a McDonald’s run and get some all-day breakfast.”

You spun on your heel and walked out of the room, grabbing your hoodie and pushing your feet into your sneakers along the way. “also, please no one follow me. It really kills my mood. Okay thanks, bye!”

-

It was a few hours later and you found yourself on the roof of MJ’s apartment with the girl and a large bag of McDonald’s between the two of you. You had a chocolate shake on the other side of you and she had a sweet tea in her hand. Oh, there was also a joint dangling between her fingers. Pretty standard for the two of you.

You were watching the sun slowly lower in the sky, happy to see the colors beginning to turn pinkish.

MJ took a large sip of her drink before biting in her next hash brown, “you know that James and Sam are following you. They’re a few rooftops over.”

“yeah I know, I pretend to not notice them so I don’t hurt their egos.”

A distant “hey!” was heard and it caused both of you to laugh slightly. And sure enough, a few moments later Bucky and Sam appeared in front of you two, sitting down casually.

Bucky immediately grabbed for the bag of McDonald’s, searching through the napkins for any food. Sucks for him, you had already eaten everything.

Sam however reaches for the joint and quickly snubs it. MJ gives him an pretty impressive unimpressed look, “dude, there’s like half a joint left there. Can I have it back at least?”

“do you have a medical marijuana card?”

“that’s less than two ounces, worse you can do is fine me is fifty bucks.” Sam doesn’t budge. “dude I thought you were the cool avenger.”

Sam grumbles but concedes, handing the joint back. “put it away at least. I can’t be seen hanging around delinquents.”

You took another large sip of your milkshake and gave the duo a cocky grin, “then why do you hang out with Bucky?”

Bucky rolled his eyes, stretching out his leg and nudging you with his boot. You gave him a questioning look and he gestured to your milkshake and then made grabby hands.

“um no. I paid for this, it’s mine.”

Bucky grumbled, “don’t be stingy.”

Sam pushed Bucky roughly, causing the man to obnoxiously fall to his side. Bucky made a barely there effort to sit up before deciding to just stay on his back, his eyes tracing the clouds overhead.

“look, obviously you’re here because my dads asked you to tail me.”

Sam shrugged, “basically but we thought you might wanna talk to us.”

You rolled your eyes and smiled slightly as you saw MJ relight her j. She wordlessly handed it to you and you easily took a drag. “now why would I want to do that?”

Bucky knocked your shoe with a hard knuckle, “because we’re your favorite uncles.”

You snorted. Sam looked at you with obvious disapproval, “you know we don’t care if you smoke weed but can you at least not do it in front of us? That way we can at least pretend to be oblivious to all your teenage rebellion and angst.”

Both you and MJ laughed. She gestured between the two of you, “this isn’t rebellion. We could be at a NYU party right now with coke up our nose if we wanted to. This is chill.”

Bucky grimaced, “please don’t talk about putting cocaine up your noses. It makes me queasy.”

Sam quickly steered the topic of conversation away from drugs, “Look, I know your dads are overbearing and its obvious that Peter doesn’t like the kid so we get that this whole thing is a lot. But there’s got to be a reason you don’t want him to meet us.”

“because he’s only with me for you guys and the minute he meets you, I’ll go back to being friendless and alone.” The brutal honesty took the men by surprise. You felt a small nudge at your side causing you to smile, “minus MJ of course. She’ll always be my friend.”

“damn straight.” She smiled at you as she took her last drag before snubbing it.

You met Sam’s eye with a new amount of emotion he wasn’t used to seeing. You were good at avoiding and you didn’t often get super honest. However, you did have four or five hits earlier and you might be kinda high.

“it’s hard to find genuine people when you have Stark and Rogers as your last name. People want to get with me because they want to meet you guys or get a job at SI. Now I don’t pick people based on their geuninity because it’s not there, I pick people based off what they can do for me.”

“y/n.”

“It’s selfish I know, but if they’re gonna use me might as well get something out of it. Ya know?” You sighed deeply, “his name is brad and he has an actual crush on MJ. So I think he’s not only using me to get into SI because he really wants a job there but he also wants to get closer to MJ.”

Bucky eyed you warily, “and the upside?”

You shrugged, “good kisser, better weed.”

MJ snorted as Sam groaned and dropped his head into his palm, “don’t need to hear that.”

You pulled a lazy smile, “so you don’t want me talking about his dick?”

This time Bucky groaned. “are you just never going to bring anyone home?”

You shrugged and picked at your nails, “maybe eventually. I tried to bring someone home last year. We had been dating for a few months, told Wanda about him and everything. Brought him into the lobby of the tower and he asked if he could get a job here because he knew me. I said ‘probably not’. He shrugged and walked out the door, didn’t talk to me again after that.”

Bucky frowned, “I could kill him for you.”

“MJ already offered.” Bucky gave MJ an approving smile, “he’s not worth it.”

“and this brad…?” Sam ventured carefully

“not worthy of her either.” MJ interjected smoothly, “at this point I’m just waiting for him to fuck up so I can punch him in the face.”

Bucky squinted at her, “why don’t you come over? y/n you need to bring this one home, I like her.”

“She doesn’t like superheroes. Or Dad.”

“yeah… he’s an acquired taste.” Sam said, “can I at least be an exception to the superhero thing?”

MJ tipped her head slightly, “I’ll think about it. Right now the only exceptions are Wanda, Natasha, and Clint.”

“I’m fucking Clint if that helps.”

“ew!” “gross Barnes.” “it actually does.”

There was a moment of silence between the group, and while it wasn’t awfully tense it definitely wasn’t comfortable either.

“you know they mean well.”

You exhaled loudly, “yeah I know and for the most part it isn’t them. But could you imagine if I brought home a boy who I’m literally with for drugs and sex? And then if they found out that guy was only with me because of who my family was? He would be dead in the hour.”

“more like the first 30 minutes.” Bucky snorted

“my dads need to learn to take a no as an answer. Especially about my personal life.”

“I’ll talk to them.” Sam said softly.

“thanks.” You smiled lightly at him, then you gestured at the area, “also… this? Stays between us. Everything.”

“are you kidding me? Steve would kill me if he knew I let you smoke.”

“c’mon kid let’s go back. It’s getting dark.” Bucky stood effortlessly and then extended a hand your way, pulling you to your feet. You did the same for MJ.

“I’ll see you on Monday?”

She nodded, “yeah. Thanks for the breakfast dinner, here I can take your trash.”

“thanks babe. Love you.”

“love you too, get home safe.”

-

You were walking between Sam and Bucky when Bucky nudged you slightly. “why did you punch peter?”

“he’s my brother and he was annoying me? Do I need any more reasons?”

Sam laughed, “guess not. But it was a pretty solid punch.”

You smiled, “He’ll heal in a few hours. Plus, I’m like the only person he trusts enough for me to do that, I gotta abuse it sometimes.”

Bucky clicked his tongue and shook his head in a mix of disappointment and humor, then he asked, “the reason peter doesn’t like brad is because he has a crush on MJ, right?”

“oh yeah.”

“knew it.”

[pinballwitxh]

normal - request - spencer reid x oc

request: “Ok this is super duper self indulgent, but could you write a fic where Spencer’s doing that thing where he’s all self conscious about his looks/personality/general being and reader is just NOT having it. I need the Boy to be showered in praise and reassurance that hes the best (and if it ends a lil smutty, huzzah, praise the sun!!)”

warnings: self-image issues from Spencer, gets a lil steamy towards the end but not full on smut (rip I wanted to write this super smutty but it didnt really fit into the mood of the story)

a/n: I hope y’all like this!  whippin it up during work at the moment and I have had some ideas flowing since I got @spencers-sweater-vest​‘s request this morning.  hope you enjoy this, lovely!

also I named their cat FRODO cause I love lord of the rings and I think frodo is a great name for a cat or dog anyways ENJOY

- - -

She had arrived home late from work, which was rare but not unexpected.  Spencer had curled up underneath one of his warmest blankets and binge-watched Doctor Who all evening.  The team had returned home earlier that Sunday morning from a particularly grueling case and to say he needed a break was an understatement.

His head eventually lulled over the back of the couch, mouth open with small snores to accompany his steady breathing.  She made sure to close the door quietly and keep the lights turned off so as not to disturb him and made a mental note to not ask about the case until he was well-rested.

The meow of their young kitten, Frodo, startled her slightly and she stumbled into the kitchen table.  She cringed when the legs of the table skidded across the tile floor in a not-so-quiet manner.  Spencer’s head shot up immediately and he whipped around, disoriented.

“It’s just me!” she said with her hands up, “I didn’t mean to wake you up I’m so sorry-”

“You’re home late, what kept you?” he said as he stood up, running a hand through his disheveled hair.

She leaned down to pick their small cat up, running her fingers behind his ears, “One of our longtime clients decided to back out of an advertising deal and we tried so hard to change their mind, but television was the route they want to go.  So there was that and the fact that we had to go through every single advertisement file we had on them and transfer all the necessary paperwork, I may or may not have fallen asleep at my desk, too. . .” she chuckled before sighing, “But I’m glad you’re back home, how did it go?”

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants, a telltale sign that something was bothering him.  They each took seats next to each other at the kitchen table as he began to explain the case.  Frodo roamed between each of them on the table, mewing for scratches and rubbing underneath their chins.  

“I just feel like it could have gone better, if I had just kept my mouth shut-”

“Whoa, what does that mean?”

He sighed, “Well the boy’s parents were there and I just couldn’t stop myself from spewing out all of the statistics and possibilities and it upset them so much,”

She cocked her head, “You were just giving them information they needed to know, Spence.”

“I wasn’t thinking about them, I was so insensitive to their situation and the husband didn’t exactly appreciate that I made his wife cry,” he paused, “Sometimes I just can’t stop the words before they come out and I nearly ruined any cooperation they were willing to give.”

“You can’t blame yourself, you know with the way your brain is wired that you can’t always control it,” she reached out to him and stroked his cheek, “Some people just don’t understand and you can’t expect them to.  I doubt you nearly ruined the investigation,”

He pulled away from her hand and looked away, “I could have, if I had just kept my damn mouth shut. . .”

The way he trailed off so quietly concerned her and she furrowed her brows.  Spencer never got down on himself, hardly ever, and when he did she knew there were other problems he wasn’t telling her about.  

Spencer was really good at hiding things from her, especially his feelings.  He tended to bottle things up until something triggered a massive explosion.  This was usually followed by an angered shouting match with himself, or anyone else near him, but she knew he never meant to hurt anyone when that happened.

Usually it came from him being mad at himself.  If Spencer was mad at someone, he let them know In the kindest way possible.

“What are you really thinking about, baby?” she whispered, leaning close to him.

He blushed and avoided her eyes, keeping his head low, “I just wish I could be a little bit more. . .normal.”

“Normal?  Why would you ever want to be just normal?” she scooted closer to him so that their knees were touching and she laid a gentle hand over his thigh, “You know that’s what people love most about you, right?  You are so far from normal, Doctor Reid.  It’s one of the many reasons I fell in love with you,”

He scoffed, “I’m sure you could find someone better than me,”

He was stunned when she pushed herself away and stood up from the chair.  She glared at him, hands on her hips and jaw clenched.  Spencer met her glare and settled back into his chair, sinking lower under her gaze.

“Don’t you ever say anything like that again, got it?” she all but yelled, “No, you’re not normal, you are far from it, actually.  That doesn’t make you any less of a person, though, and it doesn’t make me love you any less.  How could you even think I would want someone else?”

He held her eyes to his and said nothing, unsure of how to even respond to her sudden outburst.

“In fact, your quirks and intelligence make me love you even more,” she took a step forward, “I love the way you frown when you’re thinking really hard about things or recalling the oddest bit of trivia,”

She took his face into her hands and tilted it up so he was looking straight at her.  Her thumbs rubbed small strokes across his cheekbone, something he loved to feel.  

“I also love the way you pout your lips when you come across something that actually stumps you,” she ran a thumb over his own chapped lips before leaning down slowly to kiss him.

“I love the way your nose crinkles when you’re embarrassed,” she placed a small kiss to the tip of his nose, then.

Spencer’s eyes went wide as she straddled him over the rickety kitchen chair, sitting in his lap as she continued to study his face.

“And I know you’ve been working extremely hard when those dark circles appear on your eyelids,” she slowly ran her thumb right under his eye, “And it makes me happy when they disappear cause I know that means you’ve had a good amount of uninterrupted sleep,” she leaned forward and placed sweet kisses over each of his eyes.

“I love when you grow your hair out, like it is now,” he let out a small yelp as she tugged his head back forcefully, gripping his curls tightly.  Slowly, she trailed her lips down his neck and smiled at the goosebumps that scattered across his skin.

“Periorbital ecchymosis isn’t that common but I don’t think it’s the root cause of a bigger issue-”

“Spence, shut up for a minute,” she said against his skin, “But I do find it incredibly sexy when you talk all smart to me,” he sucked in a sharp breath at the feeling of her tongue skimming across his throat.

She pulled away from his neck and reached for one of his hands, intertwining their fingers, “I love that you aren’t normal and I love that you don’t know when to stop talking, most of the time,” she winked at him, causing a very obvious and deep blush to cross his features.

“I know you may not love you completely but I hope it’s enough to know that I love you and your ‘imperfections,’ and that so many others feel the same way that I do about them,” she kissed his knuckles and pulled herself tighter to him, “They’re what make you, you.”

He finally met her eyes and smiled at her, causing her grin to intensify.  He placed a strong, calloused hand on her cheek and pulled her forehead to meet his own.  His lips met hers so gently she wasn’t even sure he was kissing her.  Slowly his arms coiled around her back and pulled her flush against him.

The kiss deepened and a sigh escaped Spencer’s throat, his hands tangled themselves in her tresses and he could smell her perfume that lingered on her neck.  Her tongue slid across his bottom lip, begging for access to the inside of his mouth.

His lips parted and her tongue explored the insides of his cheeks and battled for dominance against his own.  The kisses became more frantic and needy and she slipped her hands underneath his sweater, causing him to shiver.  Quickly she pulled it up and over his head, discarding it somewhere behind him.  Frodo let out a frightened screech when the sweater landed on top of him, causing the couple to laugh loudly at the skittish animal.

“You are so beautiful,” she whispered as he turned back to look at her.  Her hands roamed over his chest and the little hair that was spread across it.  She ran her thumb over each, small freckle that dotted his skin, smiling to herself.

“I love you,” he said as he placed his hands on her hips, “I’m sorry for making you mad earlier.”

She kissed his forehead, “You just need to learn to love yourself better, Spence, I wish you could see yourself through everyone else’s eyes.”

He smiled up at her, “I don’t know what I would do without you, honestly.”

“Well you certainly would miss this,” she smirked as she pulled her shirt up slowly, teasing him.  His eyes were wide in hunger as she tossed the garment to the side, his hands sliding up her sides.  Even in just a camisole it did not fail to turn him on and get him hard.

She leaned forward and tilted his chin up as she pulled herself closer to him, legs dangling over the back of the chair.  Her smile was devilish, full of mischief and lust, something Spencer could feel himself beginning to reciprocate.

“Come to bed with me, Spencer.”

He reached around her body and placed a very firm squeeze to her ass, causing her to squeal in surprise and blush a deep red, “I have no objections to that demand,”

She leaned forward and kissed his lips once more, “Don’t ever forget how much I love you, too.”

THE MASTERLIST | REQUESTS DETAILS

[writer-jamie]

Just One Look (Jill x Carlos) Chapter 3: The Aftermath

story summary: jill meets carlos’ family after two months of dating. carlos promises it won’t be dramatic but that is very different to how the situation turned out.

chapter summary: jill has a heart to heart with marie and falls in love with carlos even more. 

word count: 2,044

a/n: hello! i'm back! i've been writing this chapter for a couple days now and i'm excited to finally post it! i have been pretty bad lately, with my mental and physical health. but i'll be fine 💞 so I hope you enjoy! (p.s. sorry for the cliffhanger! but there will be smut next chapter, i promise!)

Jill laid in the bed as Carlos walked around the room, cleaning up and busying himself. He was hyping himself up to ho talk to his sister again and to ensure everyone that nothing that the media said about the S.T.A.R.S team was fake. After their argument that morning, Jill hadn't moved from the bed. She pretended to sleep but Carlos knew she was just avoiding him and his family, and he didn't blamed her. If Jill’s family did what Carlos’ did then he would be hurt too. It wasn’t Camila’s fault, she was fed lies by the media. Jill didn't turn around to face Carlos but she could tell that he was worried. She didn't have to see his face to realise how upset he seemed, the sighs that were leaving his mouth every so often showed her. Jill felt bad for pretending but she couldn't just tell Carlos that she was still upset. After all it was his sister who upset him, and she wouldn't get between family. 

Carlos finished putting some clothes away before turning his full attention towards Jill. He leaned over Jill and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Te quiero.” He reminded her and left the room, closing the door slightly behind him. 

When Carlos went downstairs, Jill slowly moved from the bed and into the bathroom. She looked at herself in the large mirror and grimaced. It was obvious that she had been crying due to the puffiness off her cheeks and eyes and the redness of her skin. She looked down at her body and rubbed her skin, she felt ugly in her own skin. Jill never had an issue with her body before but ever since Raccoon City, she struggled to ever feel clean again. After the Mansion, she had scrubbed herself clean and showered until her skin was red raw but it was worse after the whole city had exploded. When her and Carlos were in the motel for a week, she showered for hours on end. Between having sex with Carlos and showering, the woman didn't do much else. She used to scrub herself so hard she would bleed, causing Carlos a lot of worry. Jill looked back up at the mirror and ran her hand down her arm, feeling where Nemesis infected her. 

Jill's arm never did heal. Properly that was. A circular scar to remind her of the virus that was still pumping through her veins. Although she had been cured, the T-virus still remained and poisoned her blood stream. Jill had to cancel her blood card, because after being pumped with virus and a vaccine nobody could use her blood again. Jill didn’t feel different. The nightmares didn't stop, they just got easier to deal with on a daily. With Carlos by her side it was a lot easier, he would cuddle her and wake her when the nightmares got too bad. He was a saint. And now he was heading downstairs to have an argument with his sister because she was just told the wrong thing. It wasn’t her fault, but it still fucking hurt to hear her say those things. Jill winced as she ran her hand down her arm and to her hands, feeling how rough they were. She ran her fingers over her stitches and the scars that remained as a constant reminder. Jill didn't even notice the woman walk into the room until she spoke to her. “Oh mi..” She gasped and walked towards Jill putting her hands on her face. Carlos’ mother, Marie, had found her way into the room and into the bathroom. She must had been shocked at the sight of Jill in her crop top and shorts, but she didn't care about that right now, all she cared about was that Jill was covered in scars, especially the large circular scar on her arm. Jill shook her head and looked down at the woman who was scanning her for any more, mainly newer, marks to no avail. “Marie..” She panicked, unknowing what to do or say. She had no idea what Carlos had told his parents in regards to his work and she didn't want to ruin any lies that they knew. “Raccoon City, yes?” She asked, well it was more of a statement than a question but the American just nodded her head, unable to speak anymore. “Carlos told us that he was there. You were there. He never told us what exactly happened. A erm.. terrorist attack the new said. Mierda.” Jill smiled as the woman swore, seeing her get more and more annoyed by the situation. “Carlos lies to protect us. Some company..ugh what is that name? Umbrella! That is the name! Yes that company. Carlos, oh mi dulce chico. He tries to keep us safe but his father always puts his nose where it doesn't belong.” Jill smiled. “Carlos does that. When we were in Raccoon City, he wouldn't let me go. Followed me around the whole city to make sure I was safe. He was a pain in my ass because I was so worried about him the whole time. He put himself on the line for me.” Jill took a seat on the top of the toilet, crossing her legs to cover her body slightly. “Oh amor, eso es porque él te ama.” Jill tilted her head slightly, she knew some Spanish, but not everything. “He loves you.” Marie smiled and kneeled down next to Jill and inspected her arm, making sure there wasn’t any left over stitches inside the skin or infections anywhere. She found nothing, so she decided to inspect her hands, her shoulders, everything on her body to make sure she was fine. After everything that Jill had been through, having someone fuss over her was nice. “Did you not want to spend your holiday with your parents?” Marie asked and Jill quickly shook her head. “My family isn't the loving type. My mother is from Japan and my father is from France. When I was younger I used to go to France every summer and then spend the winter in Japan but when I got to sixteen, everything just stopped. And they got divorced, and by the time I turned eighteen I joined the army and I was out of there. So I'm very happy to be here.” Jill looked down at Marie and saw tears start to appear in her eyes. “I’m sorry I didn't-” “No no it wasn’t you chica, it’s just after hearing Carlos and Camila talking and hearing what you have been through. You deserve to be here with a loving family.” Jill held Marie’s hand and smiled down at her. Jill jumped slightly hearing the door swing open. 

Carlos. 

“¡Esa perra no sabe lo que dice! ¿Por qué tiene que escuchar a esos cabrones? ¡Mierda!” Carlos looked around the room for Jill as she stayed in the bathroom with his mother, who looked very angry by the language he was speaking. “Jill? Babe?” He opened the bathroom door and saw Jill on the toilet seat, eyes puffy from crying and his mother next to her. Carlos didn't even have to ask what was wrong with his ma because the look on her face was enough. “Ma.” He walked into the room and watched as the woman stood up and walked towards him. She slapped him on the back and chest a couple times, that wasn’t where she was aiming but due to the man’s height she didn't have a choice. Jill chuckled as she remained seated on the toilet, watching the scene play out. 

“¡Carlos! ¡Tienes una hermosa y hermosa mujer sentada en su momento malo y estás demasiado ocupada peleando con tu hermana! Ordenaré a Camila, asegúrate de que esa chica se sienta amada y si descubro que ha sido lastimada o ha estado llorando de nuevo, ¡que Dios me ayude, hijo!” Carlos looked at the anger that had spread over his mother’s face and just nodded along, watching her walk back to Jill. Marie placed a kiss on her forehead and left the room, shutting the door behind her. 

The room became unbearably silent as Carlos stood at one end and Jill at the other. Carlos shifted from one foot to the other, unknowing what to say. He just got told off by his mother after an argument with his sister all because of Jill. It was very awkward. 

Jill stood up and walked towards the man. She refused to look in his eyes but put her hands on his chest and leaned forward, placing her head on his chest. Her cheeks rose and fell with Carlos’s chest. The man moved his hands and put the against the woman’s hair, rubbing his thumbs against her neck. Jill sighed and stayed in this position for a couple seconds more before moving away from his chest and looking up at him. “Lo siento.” He spoke and moved his hands to her neck and continued to rub circle in her nape. “It’s not your fault.” She put her hands on his arm and smiled up at him. Jill watched as the man’s face became more relaxed as the guilt started to leaving his body. “Your mom is great. She is so honest about everything.” Jill smiled and looked at him, rubbing his skin with her hands. “Yeah she's great. And honest. Which is good...but also not the best.” He chuckled and looked at Jill. The room suddenly became silent again as she moved her hands away from him and walked under his arms and into the bedroom. She sat on the edge of the bed before putting her hands in her lap. Carlos turned around to face her, watching her move to the bed and just sit. This must have been really affecting her. And Carlos would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried. He was so so worried about her. The nightmares were one thing, but her physically and mentally being upset and hurt was another thing. Carlos knew how to deal with the nightmares after months of helloing her, but this was something he didn't know how to help. And that scared him. 

Carlos kneeled down on the bed in front of Jill and took her hands into his, placing a kiss on her hands and knuckles, comforting her the best he could. “Tell me how to help you. Please Amor. I’ll do anything to help you.” She put her hand in his hair and kissed his forehead. “I’m just worried about your family. They only know what Umbrella has told them. How can I expect them to feel comfortable around me? Especially with the children?” She asked, putting her hands against his cheeks. “Because i trust you enough to bring you home. I wouldn't bring anyone dangerous home, and they know that. Camila’s husband is very two-faced and likes drama. She has only heard bad things from him. Sebastian isn't a good man, but he treats my sister well so that's why he's still around. I promise you, Sebastian is the only one who believes anything that Umbrella is saying. Mama and Papa love you. And I'm pretty sure Ma is already planning the wedding.” Carlos laughed and put his spare hand to his lips and placed a chaste kiss to it. 

Jill leaned down and took his cheeks into her hands and kissed him deeply, running her fingers over his cheeks as he moved closer to her. She leaned back on the bed and he hovered above her, his lips exploring her skin on her neck and rubbing her hips. She moved slightly underneath him, before looking at the unlocked door. “You wanna lock that first?” She asked and raised her eyebrows remembering back to the last two times they tried and were interrupted. Carlos jumped up and locked the door, making sure they wouldn’t be interrupted again. “Not again.” He joked and looked at Jill from the door before taking his shirt off. He smiled and walked towards the woman, running his warm hands up and down her sides before taking her clothes off, leaving her exposed. 

“So Mr Oliveira, should we begin?”

Spanish to English Translations:

Te quiero - I love you

Oh mi - Oh my..

Mierda - Bullshit

Oh mi dulce chico. - Oh my sweet boy.

Oh amor, eso es porque él te ama. - Oh love, that's because he loves you.

¡Esa perra no sabe lo que dice! ¿Por qué tiene que escuchar a esos cabrones? ¡Mierda! - That bitch doesn't know what she's saying! Ugh why does she have to listen to those fuckers? Fuck!

¡Carlos! ¡Tienes una hermosa y hermosa mujer sentada en su momento malo y estás demasiado ocupada peleando con tu hermana! Ordenaré a Camila, asegúrate de que esa chica se sienta amada y si descubro que ha sido lastimada o ha estado llorando de nuevo, ¡que Dios me ayude, hijo! - Carlos! You have a beautiful, gorgeous woman sat their having a bad time at the moment and you are too busy fighting with your sister! I'll sort out Camila, you make sure that girl feels loved and if i find out shes been hurt or has been crying again, God help me son!

Lo siento. - I’m sorry.

Amor - Love (as in the nickname)

[skylar102]

The first fic of many for the Malec Server’s Wingo Fic Challenge!

Prompt: Plucking

Read on Ao3 here

Fic based on this writing prompt

Eleven days. It’s been eleven days and his captor has not heard back from his family. He’s not surprised by this, or not as surprised as he thought he would be. When the man kidnapped him while he was out on a hunt in the woods, he expected his family to at least worry. Alec shifts his shoulder causing his wings to move behind him. He hisses out at the movement. Looking down he sees the clumps of feathers on the floor. 

While his captor has been kind to him, the realization that no one was coming to rescue him hit harder than he expected. He lets out a shuddering sigh as he moves his left wing in front of him and plucks another feather out, wincing at the pain. He twirls it in his hand, the raven feather shimmers in the light from the fireplace, showing off its purple and navy hue. How a simple color could cause him such pain. 

People don’t take kindly to those with black wings. They consider them to be cursed, an ill omen, a monster. Pluck. When his wings first appeared as a child, Alec remembers looking in the mirror, excited that his had finally come in. He ran to show his parents, only for them to cry out in disgust and call him a freak. He was five at the time, but the look on his parents’ faces still haunts him to this day. Pluck. 

Jace and Izzy as they got older said there was nothing wrong with the color of his wings. They would never understand the struggle it was to walk through life with black wings. Jace’s beautiful cream colored wings were loved by all. Izzy’s light blue wings were the attention of all the men and women. Two people were not enough to stop their village and their awful words. 

“Freak!”

“Stay away from my family, you monster!”

“If you come any closer, I’ll kill you!”

“Why don’t you cut them off? Save the village from having to worry about a looming disaster, you bad omen!”

Pluck.

When he was able to, he made a harness that would hide his wings behind his back. It hurt, cramping his wings inside the contraption, but it had worked. The looks and the shouting subdued a bit by hiding his wings. The adults in the village still steered clear of him, but the children seemed to like him. 

He goes to grab another feather when a hand clamps his wrist before he can. He jumps back startled, he hadn’t even heard his captor enter the room let alone kneel in front of him. His captor releases his wrist and looks down at the pile of feathers on the ground. Alec doesn’t move and he watches his captor reach down and pick up a feather. 

Alec waits, his body tensing the longer the silence goes on; for the comments, the scathing remarks. He had hidden his wings from his captor, afraid that they would kill him once they found out his wings were black. His captor, Magnus, looks up at him with his brow wrinkled softly and a tinge of sadness etched across his face.

“I didn’t realize they wouldn't come for you,” Magnus admits, clutching a black feather in his hands. “I’m… I’m sorry.”

Alec nods at him but can’t bring himself to look Magnus in the eyes. He averts his eyes to look anywhere but Magnus. He focuses on the beautiful burgundy wings on Magnus’ back. “It’s… It’s okay,” he whispers out. It’s not okay, but he’s not about to show more weakness to his captor after he found him plucking out his wings. 

“Alexander,” Magnus says and the man reaches out a hand to touch his knee, but Alec moves back. He doesn’t know if he can handle being touched again right now. 

“If it’s alright, I want to go to sleep now,” Alec says, still avoiding Magnus’ gaze. He sees Magnus nod and stand up.

“There’s a tray of food over there.” Magnus points to the small table in the corner. “Make sure to eat something before you fall asleep.”

Alec nods but he knows he’s not going to eat anything. He hasn’t had an appetite since he hit day eight of his captivity. He hears Magnus let out a sigh and a door closing and he knows he’s been left alone. 

Alec doesn’t waste time pulling his legs up on the bed and laying on his side. His wings hurt from where he pulled out his feathers, but he doesn’t care. He just wants to fall asleep and not think about how his family abandoned him. He thought that at least Jace and Izzy would come for him and not hearing from them broke whatever was left whole inside him.

He lays on his side, staring into the flames of the fireplace. He watches at the logs crackle and burn in the heat. Eventually he finds himself falling into a fitful sleep with his wings curled around him.

Alec’s not surprised by the nightmares that come to him. He was expecting them. What he wasn’t expecting was to see his brother and sister next to his mother and father, telling him that he was a burden to the family. That they wish he was never born and that he should die already. The nightmare goes from bad to worse as he watches his family approach him with knives. He begs them not to do this but invisible hands hold him down and pull his wings back.

“It’s for the best,” his mother says. “Once they’re gone, we can go back to being a happy family again.”

“Please don’t do this,” he begs the nightmare. 

“We’re only doing what’s best for you,” his brother says. 

Alec screams as he feels the knives dig into his back right at the base of his wings. He screams and begs for them to stop. He doesn’t want this. They’re hurting him. The nightmare doesn’t listen, but why would it?

He wakes up when the knives slice through the bone. He cries out as he launches himself to a seated position. Not fully aware of his surroundings, he misses the body sitting next to him and jumps at the hands that wrap around his biceps. Shoving the hands away, he crawls backwards until he hits the bed frame, crying out again as his sensitive wings get crushed. He curls in on himself, ducking his head between his legs and wrapping his arms around his knees. 

“Shhh, shh, it’s okay, you’re okay,” a voice soothes next to him. “You need to breathe, Alexander. Listen to my breathing. Can you do that for me?” Alec tries to respond but his lungs won’t work. He jerks his head in what he hopes will come off as a nod. “Okay, that’s good. Now breathe in for me? Hold. Good. Now breathe out. Again.” Magnus’ voice washes over him as he repeats what the man instructs him to do. 

Eventually his breathing goes back to normal and he leans back against the headboard, closing his eyes.

“Are you alright now?” Magnus asks worriedly from where he sits. Alec peeks open an eye to stare at the man. The panic and worry shown clearly on the man’s face. 

“Yeah,” he breathes out. “I’m okay.”

“Good, that’s good,” Magnus sighs. The man fidgets where he sits and his eyes keep drifting up and down Alec’s body. “Do you want to talk about it?” Magnus winces as the words come out of his mouth. Alec huffs out a laugh.

“No, not really,” he replies. The man jerks a nod at that.

“Right, sorry. Of course you wouldn’t want to talk about it,” Magnus rushes out. The room goes quiet as they both sit there. The only sound coming from the fireplace which, Alec notes as he looks over, has fresh logs put on it. Magnus follows his movement. “I knew that the fire in here was going to die and I didn’t want you to freeze at night so I brought some fresh logs to put in.”

“Thank you,” Alec says. “You didn’t have to do that, I would’ve been fine. I’m used to sleeping in the cold.” Those words seem to anger Magnus, judging by the way his face closes off and his hands curl into fists where they rest on his lap. 

“What do you mean you’re used to it?” Magnus asks. “I saw your family’s house, you are well off enough that you most certainly own a fireplace or two to keep the place warm.” 

“If I lived in the house, yes, but I don't. My parents made me move out to our barn to keep the bad luck away from the house.” He doesn’t look up from Magnus’ hands as he watches his knuckles turn white. 

“They made you sleep in the barn?” Magnus grits out. “Surely someone in your town would have reported them for this?”

“If the town didn’t also hate my presence, maybe.” Alec half shrugs, hisses a bit as the movement jostles his wings. Magnus notices that and raises a hand to help before realizing what he was doing. His eyes widen and he quickly lowers his hand. Magnus stands up from the bed.

“I have some medical salves that should help your wings,” Magnus says, walking towards the door. “I’ll be right back.” Before he leaves, he nods to the tray of food still untouched by the table. “Maybe you should try and eat. It will make you feel a bit better.”

With that, Alec is once again left alone in the room. He sits on the bed in thought, confused as to how the atmosphere has changed. Before, his captor only checked in to give him food and to give him wood for the fire. He never once attempted a conversation. Was it because of his wings? Magnus had never asked him to show his wings before. Now that he’s seen them, is he going to kill him? 

Alec panics at the thought before he remembers how angry Magnus looked when he talked about his living conditions. Surprised at the barely kept in anger the spread across the man’s whole body. Was he upset that he discovered too late that the person he kidnapped had black wings? That no one was going to pay the ransom to get him back?

As questions fill his mind, his stomach lets out a loud grumble. He looks over to the table where the food from yesterday still sits. Deciding for the best, he slowly crawls out of bed, giving his body a long stretch that has him groaning at the needles that shoot along his spine. He walks over to the table and sits down. 

Fruits, nuts and veggies cover the platter in front of him. Magnus must have stopped trying to give him hot foods after he stopped eating a few days ago. His stomach’s persistent grumbling has him picking up a few nuts and tossing them into his mouth. It’s like a damn breaking, he starts to eat more and more, grabbing piece after piece of food. He grabs the glass of water on the table and downs the whole thing in one go.

“You know you can make yourself sick if you eat too quickly,” the voice by the door says. Alec looks up and sees Magnus leaning against the frame with a basket of vials in his hands. He looks back at the tray and sees that most of it is gone. He hadn’t even realized how much he ate. Magnus chuckles at the blush that crawls up Alec’s face, his wings doing nothing but admitting his embarrassment by curling around him.

Magnus pushes off the frame and sets the basket on the table, he grabs the other chair and moves it next to Alec’s. Sitting down, Magnus sifts through the basket and looks for what he needs. Alec takes the time to really look at the man. 

The first thought that comes into his mind is how beautiful Magnus' wings are. The burgundy wings attached to the man’s back are rich with the color. Alec’s not sure if the fire is playing tricks on his eyes, but Alec’s pretty sure there’s gold flecks spread throughout the feathers, making the wings glitter in the light. Looking away from the wings, his eyes scan the navy button up that accentuates his wings to the dark tan pants. 

“Aha!” Magnus exclaims, snapping him out of his trance. He looks at the man’s hand and sees a vial full of a mysterious green liquid. Magnus turns to him with a grin on his face. “This should help soothe the aches from where the feathers were pulled out earlier.” Alec eyes dart back and forth between Magnus’ face and the liquid causing the man to roll his eyes. “It’s not going to kill you, I promise.”

“You’re okay with touching my wings?” Alec asks instead, watching as the man’s face drops. 

“Of course I’m okay with that,” Magnus spoke softly. “There’s nothing wrong with your wings. They’re beautiful.” Alec can’t help the snort that leaves his body. “They truly are, Alexander,” Magnus persists. “The way they have a navy and purple tint in the light. They remind me of the night sky, when you can see the galaxy and the stars in it.”

“You can’t mean that, Magnus,” Alec whispers out. 

“But I do. They truly are gorgeous.” Magnus reaches out slowly towards his wings, pausing just before. Alec hesitates before nodding and Magnus gently touches his wings. A shiver runs through his whole body at the sensations. No one has ever touched his wings, not even his siblings. He wouldn’t let them. Didn’t want to risk them getting bad luck from touching them, but something about the way Magnus looked at him made him trust the man.

“Can I put the salve on?” Magnus asks as he continues to pet his wing.

“Yeah,” Alec says, his voice more hoarse than he expected. Magnus sends him a kind smile and goes about pouring the liquid on his hands.

“Spread your wing out for me, darling,” he says gently. Alec can’t help but comply and stretches his right wing out slowly. Looking at the wing, he can see a small patch where feathers used to be. It’s barely noticeable, but anyone who looks close enough will see that there are feathers missing.  A feeling of shame passes over him and he scolds himself for being so weak. 

Magnus touches the feathers around the area, moving them out of the way while his other hand rubs the salve on the sensitive skin. Alec can’t help the moan that leaves his mouth as the cool salve touches his skin. He already begins to feel the stinging pain fade away. Magnus chuckles at his sounds as he finishes up the spot moving back to appraise his work.

“There, all done.” Magnus smiles at him and he can’t help smiling back.

“Thank you, Magnus,” Alec says. He fidgets a bit while watching Magnus clean off his hand and put the vial back in the basket, wondering if he should ask the question that’s on the tip of his tongue. Magnus catches his movement and gives him an encouraging nod. 

“What’s going to happen now?” He blurts out before he can stop himself causing Magnus to give him a puzzling look. “I mean, you know that you’re not going to get a ransom from my family so are you going to let me go? Or are you going to kill me?”

A look of sheer horror passes over Magnus’ face at his words.

“No! I would never, never want to kill you,” Magnus says. Turning fully towards Alec, he grabs both of his hands and grips them tight. “Alexander, you deserve to see the world for what it’s truly like, not what your backwards town thinks the world is like. There are so many people with wings like yours in the world. There’s nothing wrong with you. If I have to spend the rest of my life proving that to you then so be it.”

Alec stares at the man in front of him, like he’s seeing the man who’s been his captor for the past eleven days for the first time. There’s determination set in the man’s eyes, that he’s not willing to let Alec go easily. But only one line is repeating in his head.

“The rest of your life?” Alec gets out, his mind racing. He clutches back at the hands still holding his. 

“Yes.” Magnus doubles down on the words. “I won’t let you go back to that hellscape of a village. I can’t. You deserve to be happy, Alexander. And I want to give that to you. If you’ll have me.”

Alec thinks over the words, the offer Magnus is giving him. He’s never left the village before, never wandered past its boundaries in the forest. Too afraid of what will attack him because of the color of his wings. This would be his chance to escape, to be free. He’s surprised at how quickly his answer comes to him.

“Okay,” he says. A smile slowly spread on his face. Magnus’ face lights up with joy and the man rushes to embrace him. Alec stiffens for a moment before melting into the hug.

“I promise you, Alexander,” Magnus whispers in his ear. “You won’t regret this.”

[duker42]

I got inspired by Family Matters! how about where Levi and s/o noticed how sad Marc has been lately and they confront him about it. he said that Rachel is going out with this guy and they knew how much he loved her. Marc also said that he got bad vibes from him too, but didn't say anything to her or else it'd look like he was trying to break them up. they try to comfort him as best as possible. one night they heard banging at the door and they opened to see Rachel all beat up. they quickly-

💜Bad Vibes💜

Levi watched as Marc poked at his dinner, pushing the meal around his plate. The frown on his son’s face wasn’t normal and he looked at Y/N to see that she noticed his unusual behavior as well.

Liam had already finished his plate and had asked to be excused, excited for extra time in the tub to play with the new bath toys he had picked out the other day. Levi smiled for a moment as he heard the ruckus coming from his bathroom, knowing that before going to bed, they would have to dry the floor from the extensive pirate battle that was currently being waged from the bubble filled sea.

Marc sighed as he stabbed a carrot viciously, like the vegetable had wronged him. Levi saw Y/N’s subtle nod and decided it was time to pull whatever had been bothering the boy for the few weeks out of him.

“The carrot didn’t hurt you, why are you so angry at it?” Levi asked, arching an eyebrow as the boy was ripped from his thoughts to look up at his dad.

“Huh? Oh, sorry.” Marc mumbled, looking back down at his plate.

“Marc, honey, what’s wrong?” Y/N prodded gently.

Marc looked up at his mom. “It’s stupid.”

Y/N gave him a level look. “It’s not stupid if it’s bothering you. What’s going on?”

Marc sighed again, resigned and somewhat happy to get it off his chest. “Rachel, she started seeing this one guy, Tim.”

Levi and Y/N looked at each other, they knew the boy had feelings for his friend. He just hadn’t worked up the courage to tell her about it yet.

“Thing is, this guy...I don’t like him at all. Not because she’s dating him. Well, not just because of that. He....I get bad vibes from him. He’s not good for her. But if I say anything, I’m just going to look like a jerk who’s trying to break them up. I don’t want Rachel mad at me or thinking I’m like that.” He looked back and forth between his parents. He had a slight blush on his face, admitting that Rachel dating someone bothered him, but he knew his parents would understand where he was coming from.

Levi sat back and looked at the young man who care about his friend. “You should always listen to those feelings.” He said finally.

He held up a hand. “But....I wouldn’t say anything to Rachel about it right now. You’re right in that.”

Y/N gave a small nod of agreement. “Honey, we both know you care about Rachel a lot. I’m sure she’s figured out you like her a bit more as a friend. But, I think you’re right for not saying anything to her without some sort of proof other than bad vibes.” She added.

Levi cautioned his son. “That’s not to say that you don’t keep an eye on this guy. If he gives you that feeling, don’t be rude. He will make a mistake soon enough. Then you go to Rachel with your impressions of the boy. But remember that she is in that first stage of infatuation most likely, don’t let your jealously get in between your friendship with her.”

Marc nodded and sighed again. “I’m trying, mom, dad. It’s just so hard not to pull her away from this guy every time he’s around. But I don’t want her to be upset at me.”

He down at his plate, happier now that he had told them what was going on. He brought the carrot back up to his mouth, chewing and swallowing before addressing them again. “Thanks, you always know what to say.”

~~~~~

A few days had passed, Marc had looked a bit happier. The boy’s natural good mood showing back up and he had reported that his friendship with Rachel was still going strong, despite the other boy’s attempts to monopolize her time.

They were in the living room, Liam already in bed because of the late hour when they heard someone beating on the front door.

Levi got up to open to door and gasped when he found Rachel on their doorstep, her face was bruised and swollen, her lip busted and a gash above her right eye.

“Marc!” He called as he pulled Rachel inside and wrapped his arm around her waist to support her as she sagged against him.

Her words were slightly slurred from the bruises. “Mr. Levi...”

“Hold on, kid. Marc’s coming. Let’s get you inside.” Levi murmured as he flipped the door lock and started gingerly walking her towards the living room.

Y/N and Marc were wide eyed when they rounded the corner and saw Rachel. Marc rushing up to the pair and scooping Rachel up into his arms.

“I’ll get the first aid kit.” Y/N rushed upstairs to get the medical supplies while Levi headed to the kitchen to get some rags and an ice pack.

By the time his parents had come back into the living room, Marc had Rachel’s jacket off, revealing a number of bruises up and down her arms. Hand prints were someone had grabbed her, marring her pale skin.

Levi’s eyes narrowed on the marks as he moved over to help Marc set Rachel down on the sofa, being careful to avoid hurting her further.

“What happened?” Marc demanded as he pulled Rachel against him gently.

Y/N came back into the room with the medical kit and immediately took over, sitting down on the coffee in front of the battered girl and setting out the supplies.

Rachel winced as Y/N dabbed at her cut lip before answering. “Tim....I broke things off with him. He’s been pushing me to.....do things that I wasn’t ready for. Getting really angry about it.”

Levi’s scowl intensified as he shared a look with Y/N. He knew exactly what kind of things she was talking about and the idea of someone laying hands on the loving girl because she wasn’t ready for intimacy pissed him off beyond belief. He never approved of hitting a woman, let alone because wanting to wait.

He never could have imagined putting a bruise on Y/N when they were starting out because she hadn’t been willing to jump into bed with him. Even at his most ruthless, he always respected women and treated them with respect. This Tim shit needed to be taught some manners.

“Where did he do this?” Levi asked, his voice low and intimidating.

“My mom is out of town. He came over tonight. It was just supposed to be to watch a movie.” Rachel started crying, her voice breaking. “He got so angry, yelling at me that I was a tease, that I deserved this because everyone knew what coming over to watch a movie really meant.”

Marc’s face was a picture of anguish and rage, mirroring what his parents were feeling. It could have gotten so much worse, the results even more traumatizing for Rachel. Getting beaten by her boyfriend was going to be bad enough to overcome.

“I got away and ran here. It was the only place I could think of. I knew I would be safe here.” Rachel whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

Levi and Y/N glared at the poor girl when she said that. When she shrank back under the hot glances, they both sighed and tried to relax their expressions. Y/N beating Levi to the punch.

“Don’t you dare apologize Rachel!” Y/N scolded as she put a butterfly bandage over the now cleaned cut.

“We are happy you came to us. We are angry at this jackass that thought it was alright to hurt you, not you.” She said.

“He just....he kept hitting me, screaming that I tricked him.” Rachel sobbed, leaning against Marc as he held her close with shaking hands.

Levi felt the familiar burn of rage swell up inside him. “Marc, you and your mother take care of Rachel. I’ll be back.”

He turned and walked to the front door. He grabbed his keys and slipped on his leather jacket. The door slammed shut and the three people awake in the house heard the squealing of tires as Levi shot out of the driveway.

~~~~~

The house was quiet when Levi opened the front door again. The living room light was still on. He shut and locked the door, and slipped the coat from his shoulders. Removing his shoes, he hung up his keys and padded silently into the room where he had left wife and son in charge of a battered Rachel.

The grim satisfaction on his face melted away when he saw the occupants of the couch. Marc was laying on his back, his arms around Rachel as she practically laid on top of him. She was still bruised and injured, but seemed to be at peace as she slept on his son’s chest.

He smiled at the sight of the slumbering teenagers. The night had taken it’s toll on them, and he moved over to grab a large throw to cover them. They might be a bit awkward in the morning, but for now, holding each other was both of them needed. He brushed the hair that fallen into Rachel’s face away as he looked down at the girl that he considered a daughter. She was safe with Marc, and from the expression on his son’s face tonight, he was going to let her know exactly how he felt as soon as she recovered.

A small sound from the doorway made him look up. Y/N was staring at him with an appraising look. He saw her eyes float down to the battered and bloodied knuckles of his hand. She gave him a nod and jerked her head towards the kitchen. She didn’t say a word, just turned and walked away, confident he would follow her.

There was a cup of tea sitting on the kitchen island when he walked in. Her own cup beside the opened medical kit. She didn’t comment on the wounds on his hand, she knew where they came from. What had caused the marks adorning his skin.

“He was still there?” She asked, surprise in her voice.

“Motherfucker was waiting for her to come back.” Levi spat out. The boy was older than he had realized, putting Levi completely at ease with kicking the shit out of him.

“You didn’t...?” Y/N asked, knowing that Levi had been beyond furious when he left.

Levi gave a scowl that put her at ease. “He was still conscious when I left him. Broken nose, ribs and perhaps a few broken fingers. It was a hell of a tumble down the stairs.”

Y/N hummed as she cleaned the cuts and applied the antibiotic cream to his hand. When she was done, she moved and laid her hand against his cheek lovingly. “I called Kristie. I told her what happened and convinced her not to try to come back tonight.”

Levi nodded, knowing that the girl was going to stay here, wanted her to stay here. He had grabbed her phone and locked up the condo where Kristie and her daughter lived after kicking the shithead out.

“She had gone on a spa retreat with her sister. I told her to stay, that we had her and that when Rachel woke up, I would have her call her.” Y/N said.

Levi pulled Rachel’s phone out of his pocket and set it on the island. He looked at his wife and saw her move a bit closer to him. He draped his arms around her lower back and tugged her forward, bringing her in between his knees as he set his head against the curve of her neck.

He sighed as he felt her lean her head against his. Y/N knew what he had done, approved of it even. He was protecting his family and that included Kristie and Rachel. His words were muffled against her skin as he commented. “I hate that those bad vibes Marc had turned out to be right, but I’m glad Rachel knows she can come to us.”

Y/N smiled as she pulled back slightly to look at her husband. ”Ackerman men are loving and protective. She knew that, just like I know that.”

Levi pulled Y/N against him for a kiss. He would always protect those he loved.

**All other stories in this AU are labeled Modern AU -Levi Family**

Mobile MasterList

[mcheang]

Feng Jiu’s revenge against Lian Song

This was meant to be a short fic but somehow escalated to this...

Feng Jiu can understand him not helping her when she was a handkerchief, if even Zhe Yan left her behind, but did he have to eat her fish too and taunt her about Cheng Yu’s health? It just left her hungry and worried. Not a good combination.

So what if, instead of Lian Song bringing just Ali to see his Cousin, he also brought Cheng Yu.

Cheng Yu immediately greets Jiu Ge as an old Friend. Feng Jiu numbly returns the greeting.

Upon seeing them, and after pinching Dong Hua’s leg twice, Lian Song mentioned that he brought these 2 pining friends to distract them from their worry over Feng Jiu.

Feng Jiu just shot the prince a mischievous smile. Turning to Cheng Yu, she inquired after her health.

Cheng Yu: I’m fine now that I can finally rest.

Feng Jiu: oh, I am so glad. I’ve been so worried ever since some rascal told me you were bedridden with a terrible headache and had fallen into a coma. I would have come to visit you, but that same rascal stole my supper and I was too weak to come find you.

There is only one person who Cheng Yu calls a rascal.

As Feng Jiu continued to enjoy her meal, Cheng Yu slowly turned to glare at the sweating Lian Song. What did he do to deserve this? Wasn’t the fox queen being kind of petty?

Cheng Yu cracked her knuckles menacingly. “That rascal indeed deserves to be punished. How dare he curse me to fall ill and steal a hungry girl’s food?”

Lian Song gave a weak laugh. “Come now, aren’t you both being too hard on this fellow. Maybe he was joking and didn’t mean any harm by it.”

Feng Jiu gave him a look. After all the torment she went through, she cannot get back at Dijun, but she can get back at his accomplice. “Ah, but this fellow knew how much I had already suffered. He knew that a weirdo was bullying me.” Dong Hua looked at Feng Jiu. She stared back unabashedly. After all he put her through, she had no qualms repeating the insult.

This whole time, Jiheng had been trying to serve Dong Hua soup but he ignored her in favour of the show in front of him.

Lian Song quickly took advantage of the situation and tried to appease Feng Jiu.

“Princess Jiheng, you don’t have to worry about Feng Jiu’s cooking. I’ve had her food before and it was the best meal I’ve ever had. Right, Dong Hua?”

Dong Hua turned to look at his buddy. “That is true. Now that she and I are neighbours, I can try her cooking. Considering the last time Xiao Bai cooked for me, you even ate my share.”

Lian Song’s brain: Oh come on. Now you are holding a grudge too?

Noticing Xiao Yan’s desolate expression, Feng Jiu leans over to whisper to him. Deciding to cheer him up, Feng Jiu decides to head to the kitchen to order more food for their new guests and ones that will suit Xiao Yan’s tastes.

Ali, Cheng Yu and Xiao Yan want to follow her but she gives them her bag of cakes instead. Then gives Xiao Yan’s share to Meng Shao and Jie Lu instead.

Feng Jiu tells Xiao Yan not to worry as she will order his favourite dish. If they can’t make it, then she will make it.

Dong Hua spills his soup.

Seeing Jiheng care for Dong Hua, Feng Jiu doesn’t have to worry about him and so goes over to the kitchen.

While the four of the guests enjoy the delicious cakes, Xiao Yan watches miserably as Jiheng tries to offer Dong Hua more soup. Lian Song is just miserable today.

Meng Shao and Jie Lu praise Feng Jiu’s cakes. Ali and Cheng Yu puff up like proud parents. Ali even mentions Feng Jiu was best at making sorrowless cakes.

Lian Song: What? She made those sorrowless cakes?

Cheng Yu gave Lian Song a too sweet smile. “Yes. And she also told me what happened the last time you tried it.” Her expression turned cold. Dream on, it said.

Lian Song: things are making more sense now.

Dong Hua already suspected Xiao Bai was the culinary maid from Tai Chen Palace. He wasn’t that surprised.

Meng Shao expresses a wish to try those cakes.

Dong Hua is getting annoyed because he didn’t get to try a cake. The soup is not appealing to him, even if it is favourite.

Feng Jiu returns, promising new dishes that are to Xiao Yan, Cheng Yu and Ali’s tastes.

When the dishes arrive, Dong Hua notes which one is for Xiao Yan. He accidentally causes the soup vessel to hit that dish, spilling all over poor Xiao Yan.

Feng Jiu fusses over him, making Dong Hua’s mood blacken. Lian Song doesn’t dare taunt Dong Hua now.

Jiheng leaves, disappointed her soup was wasted.

Seeing no way for Dong Hua and Xiao Yan to have a civil dinner together, Feng Jiu offers to treat him to a dessert place, Cheng Yu and Ali should come to. Dong Hua and Lian Song don’t have to strain themselves, Feng Jiu has heard how they enjoy spending their time alone, without the bustle of noisy youths. Meng Shao and Jiu Ge are welcome to join them though.

The prince and princess wisely and politely decline.

Lian Song and Dong Hua unhappily stare after the group of 4 romping happily to the dessert shop.

Lian Song: I did something nice today and this is the thanks I get?

Meanwhile, Feng Jiu is hugging her BFF and Cousin fiercely, crying about how hard Dijun has made her life.

Xiao Yan reminds her that she is only in this competition because of Dong Hua.

Cheng Yu refutes Xiao Yan’s nonsense. Of course Feng Jiu should not forgive Dong Hua so easily. He owes her too much. This favour can be counted towards that debt.

Cheng Yu coddled the abused fox queen, promising to teach Lian Song a lesson for being mean to her.

When they get back, Cheng Yu keeps her word and chases after Lian Song to give him a beating. When they return, Lian Song is sporting a large bruise and offers Feng Jiu his sincerest apologies for depriving a starving maiden of her food.

Once they leave, Feng Jiu turns to Dong Hua and huffs before stomping off without a good night.

Dong Hua’s eyebrows rise. Cheng Yu is a bad influence on Xiao Bai.

Anyway, training takes place as usual, with the kiss and ointment scenes.

When the tournament arrives, Ali and Cheng Yu are also present. Cheng Yu is infuriated that the fruit was stolen and goes to confront Dong Hua, dragging Feng Jiu along. When they learn from Xiao Yan/Jiheng that he returned to Taichen Palace, Cheng Yu tells Feng Jiu not to worry. She will get her that fruit; by hook or by crook.

In short, she gets Lian Song to bring her back to Taichen Palace where she confronts Dong Hua. Cheng Yu explains the real reason Feng Jiu wanted the fruit. If he wants to make peace with Jiheng, use some other treasure. But that fruit belongs to Feng Jiu.

Realizing his mistake, Dong Hua agrees to return the fruit to Xiao Bai and brings Cheng Yu with him back to the valley.

Lian Song decides to stay behind and question Si Ming.

They find Ali consoling his Cousin and doing his best to stop her from doing anything rash. Mostly by tying their hands together. Xiao Yan is also there comforting his good Friend, irritating Dong Hua. How annoying that his fruit theft backfired on him badly.

Dong Hua apologizes to Feng Jiu. He can’t explain the reason he stole the fruit in front of the others. It wasn’t the right time. Feng Jiu politely accepts his apology but thanks Cheng Yu wholeheartedly.

Cheng Yu already scolded Dong Hua but Xiao Yan still wants to give ice face a piece of his mind.

To change the subject and avoid offending Dijun, Cheng Yu suggests they might as well eat the peaches while they wait.

Dong Hua stays behind, trying to figure out how to get Xiao Bai to stop hating him.

Lian Song stops by and tells Dong Hua the whole story.

Dong Hua looks like he has a headache. He had just realized he liked Xiao Bai romantically, only to learn that he had seriously wronged her in stealing her fruit. He thought Xiao Bai had a bad impression of him for the whole handkerchief issue and thereafter, but they had been improving until the fruit issue. Now Lian Song is telling him Feng Jiu was his beloved fox who had been horribly neglected, not to mention how much she had done for him already.

Feng Jiu had done so much for him, but he had wronged her so much. He now realizes how much he likes her, and how much reason she has to hate and reject him.

What can he do?

Feng Jiu will want to return home now that she has the fruit...

He has the amnesia potion but Cheng Yu will help remind Feng Jiu what went down.

Lian Song’s advice: tell Feng Jiu the truth and apologize.

In any case, clear up that misunderstanding about Jiheng. Lian Song will take Ali and Cheng Yu home so Dong Hua can get closer to Feng Jiu without interference.

For more advice, remember the advice he gave Ye Hua?

1. use natural good looks to charm her....won’t work in this case

2. Be the hero and save her again....yeah, he owes her too much now so there won’t be any debt anyway

3. Injure self so she will nurse you...he will have to be truly injured since illusions don’t work on immortals

Feng Jiu could have returned with Cheng Yu but decides to wait because she wants to bid Meng Shao and Jie Lu a proper goodbye.

After their friends leave, Dong Hua visits Xiao Bai. He struggles to explain the situation again. He didn’t want her to have the Saha fruit because he was jealous of Yan Chiwu getting pastries from her. Feng Jiu is confused.

“I thought you were jealous because of Jiheng.”

Dong Hua confesses that he likes Xiao Bai, not Jiheng. But Feng Jiu can’t believe that so easily. She has suffered so much already because of Dong Hua.

Dong Hua asks what he can do to convince her of his feelings.

The thing is...Xiao Bai is not sure what to do if his feelings are sincere.

Dong Hua admits he knows what Xiao Bai has done for him.

Feng Jiu: Are you confessing your feelings because you feel guilty? Don’t worry. It’s all in the past. I have long decided to move on.

Dong Hua: I really do like you. It is not because of guilt. I liked you before Lian Song told me all you have done for me.

Feng Jiu just stares at him, speechless.

Dong Hua: Xiao Bai, what do I have to do to prove my love for you?

Feng Jiu looks torn about wanting to leave but Dong Hua is holding onto her hand.

After a moment of thought, Feng Jiu offers, “Carve out your heart for me. My aunt told me that is the sincerest form of expressing your love....but you don’t have to do it. I just can’t think of any other act right now.”

This could work for Dong Hua....

The next day, Feng Jiu is horrified to see Dong Hua heavily injured because he had actually cut his heart in half.

Feeling guilty, Feng Jiu agrees to nurse him back to health. During which time, she sings him lullabies and makes him toffee.

To prevent loss of face, Dong Hua’s injury must be kept secret. Which means Jiheng isnt allowed to see him.

Actually Dong Hua is exaggerating his pain...but hey, the dude’s shameless.

Anyway, Dong Hua gives Feng Jiu the ring. She has no choice but to accept the gift.

It will protect her from Miao Luo.

Ok, so Feng Jiu reluctantly believes Dijun likes her....but that doesn’t mean she wants to be with him!!!!

Dijun just asks to let him court her. Feng Jiu unwillingly agrees.

But there isn’t much opportunity to court her in the valley. Not to mention Feng Jiu misses Qingqiu where Dong Hua can’t exactly stay with her constantly since they are not engaged. Granted, he can be shameless but he doesn’t want to offend her family.

Upon leaving, Feng Jiu bids farewell to her new friends and clears the misunderstanding with Meng Shao. (Im following the drama so I have no idea why Jiheng was absent)

Feng Jiu returns to Qingqiu and at least clears off the blind dates once she makes it clear she accepted Dong Hua’s courtship.

Dong Hua decides to take her to the Mortal Realm first for a festival. There are many worlds, one of them probably has a party right then.

Soon it becomes known that Dong Hua is pursuing the Qingqiu queen and that all other suitors should avoid following his lead lest they face his petty vengeance.

Some wonder if the mighty Dong Hua was under a love spell. Ridiculous.

Others wondered if he was just obsessed with red foxes.... first he had a pet, now a lover....

Zhi He heard the news and rushed back, demanding to see her brother. Dong Hua wasn’t back yet, but Chonglin kicked her out because she wasn’t invited.

Despite taking her out on romantic dates and making her happy, Dong Hua still hasn’t received Feng Jiu’s acceptance.

Lian Song inquires via Cheng Yu who had already asked Feng Jiu.

It turns out Feng Jiu wants a man who will be beside her in danger and comfort her when she’s sad. Dong Hua hasn’t done any of those things much.

(To be fair, she was fighting Miao Luo to save Dong Hua.)

Lian Song warns Dong Hua not to stage a threat to Feng Jiu as Cheng Yu will see right through it and blab.

Then the opportunity comes during the Bing Cang ceremony.

Nie Chuyin appears and wins a fight against Feng Jiu. Because Dong Hua is not married to her, he cannot fight against the demon in the ceremony.

Nie Chuyin was instructed by Miao Luo to retrieve that ring! She wants Feng Jiu’s protection removed.

Once Feng Jiu passed it over however, Dong Hua promptly stole it back. When asked why he stole it, Dong Hua said the ring was an expression of love. He does not want the demon boasting about possessing Dong Hua’s token of affection.

Nie Chuyin leaves in humiliation.

Anyway, Feng Jiu already fulfilled Nie Chuyin’s wish and proceeded with the ceremony.

Dong Hua comforts Feng Jiu over her loss, reminding her that it was an unfair fight.

Feng Jiu remembers how Dong Hua helped her through her grandfather’s test and actually asks him to dinner.

It is the first time she has made a move. Dong Hua happily accepts.

Feng Jiu is finally ready to accept Dong Hua romantically and is given back her ring.

They go out on a few more dates before Dong Hua asks her to be his queen. She accepts.

Dong Hua literally gets them registered before the actual wedding.

Zhi He returns and is again kicked out.

Jiheng tries to interfere and be a maid at the palace but Dong Hua just cuts her off from his life by getting her Brother to accept her back. Meanwhile, Xiao Yan and other guards are ordered to guard her in Fanyin Valley and make sure she stays there. (In the book, she was dying but in the drama she was still alive but her poison had worsened.)

They have a happy wedding. Cheng Yu takes all the credit despite Lian Song’s protests.

Miao Luo is irritated because without the blood tear and red qi...she can’t escape. And she can’t give Nie Chuyin more power without either.

Nie Chuyin tries to sabotage the other demon lords but he is held in contempt for his interruption of the Bingcang ceremony.