#Definitely going to watch it a fifth time in English

[caguaydreams]

Finished watching Eizouken for the third time (each time with different company in the last month and a half) while also watching it a fourth in the latino dub from time to time. Why is this series so short!!!

[sanarsi]

Birthday present

Javier Peña x f!Reader

Summary: You're the daughter of one of Columbia's godfathers. Agent Peña decides to surprise you on your twenty-fifth birthday. Warnings: +18, MDNI, protected PIV, car sex, age gap (10y), reader has tattoo, pet names (baby, cariño, princesa), dirty talk, mention of corrupt family, violence Wordcount: 5,3k An: English isn’t my first language so I’m sorry for possibly misunderstanding. Hope you’ll enjoy xx Music I worked with: MAMACITA - Black Eyed Peas, Ozuna, J. Rey Soul / Alibi - Sevdaliza, Pabllo Vittar, Yseult / LA FAMA - ROSALÍA, The Weeknd

Masterlist

Javier's informants usually did not disappoint.

And he was one of those who often put everything on one card. Either he will succeed or will have to try hard to succeed.

That's what led him to this moment. An opportunity to get closer to you than ever before. To get you to cooperate.

Latin music played softly on the radio as Javier calmly drove away from the city center. From time to time he glanced in the mirror to fix his mustache and hair. He had to look good enough to catch your attention. He had to try harder for a while even though he wasn't being paid for it. But Javier was as dedicated to his work as anyone else. Sometimes it could be called his flaw but he didn’t cared about what others thought.

The car stopped in one of the side streets leading to a seaside bar. The bar where you celebrated your birthday.

Javier looked at his reflection one last time and dabbed his skin with aftershave. A strong masculine scent wafted through the car. The perfect weapon for his hunt for an evening companion. He didn't doubt his abilities and that he would be able to woo you too.

Relaxed, he moved towards the muffled music. He was passed by several people who clearly wanted to continue having fun in a more private place. Javier smiled to himself, feeling that he would be lucky today and his intuition never failed him.

From a distance he could already see the outline of people dancing on the dance floor. The music was getting louder and people's conversations began to drown out his own thoughts. Even though he was tired, this was what brought him relief. Finally, his attention was focused on something other than work. Even if that's exactly what he came here for. Work.

Javier walked up to the bar and nodded to the bartender. “Whiskey,” he said, and wasting no time, he started slowly looking around at the people standing closest to him. You weren't here.

His eyes immediately fell on the dance floor. A lot of people. Definitely too much for a small bar by the water.

Javier might have been fooling himself a lot, but he couldn't deny that he loved the energy here. Or at least the energy from the people who simply live here. Having fun and living life to the fullest. If it weren't for all the crap he dealt with, Columbia would be heaven.

Barman placed a glass of whiskey next to him, so he handed him a few bills and took his first sip of alcohol. This was what he needed after a long day at the office.

He slowly savored his drink when his eyes fell on the girl in the middle of the dance floor. He tilted his head to get a better view between dancing couples and slowly ran his gaze down her entire body. The blood red dress hugged her body tightly and several ruffles fluttered with every movement of her hips. His gaze stopped for a moment on her lush hips, which had a lot of life in them.

Javier gulped as he watched how the dress barely covered her ass. Still, she didn't seem to care and was definitely testing the durability of the piece of fabric that gave a lot to the imagination.

His eyes moved lower to her legs and black high heels. A small tattoo on her ankle caught his attention. A light immediately went on in his head. His instincts never failed him, and this time was no exception. It was you. He spotted you like a predator and wasn't going to waste any time from attacking you.

He drank the entire contents of the glass at once and took a deep breath before moving towards you. Someone bumped into him several times, but no one even bothered to notice. Not that Javier cared. His attention was only on you.

The way your fingers disappeared into your hair.

The way your hands slid down your body.

The way your lips moved with every word of the song.

Oh he could get high from this view…

The song changed and this gave him the perfect opportunity to attack. His hand placed itself on your hip, which caught your attention. You opened your eyes, pulled out of your dancing trance, and looked over your shoulder at your attacker.

With a smirk, Javier slowly walked around you to face you. Your eyes immediately began to carefully scan his face to assess whether he was worth your time.

"Such a beautiful woman shouldn’t dance alone," he spoke first. A smile appeared on your lips as this text quickly convinced you to him. You glanced to the side so Javier did the same.

Away from the crowd stood a man watching you carefully. All you had to do was gently nod your head towards him and he immediately relaxed and sat down at the table and started talking to another guy. Javier immediately calculated in his head that there were two bodyguards with you.

Nothing he couldn't handle.

“So let's hope you can dance,” your voice caught his attention. His smirk widened as he tightened his grip around your waist, bringing your frames together. You placed your hand in his and wrapped your other arm around his shoulder. You lifted your chin to keep eye contact with him as he slowly started leading, making your hips move.

You danced the first song in silence. Javier knew you were judging his skills as you stared into each other's eyes with every move. Your noses were brushing against each other and there was almost no space between you.

You felt his thigh between yours as he guided the movements of your hips and you liked the fact that he can lead in dancing. You could finally have fun with someone who lived up to your expectations. And that's what convinced you to continue having fun with him.

“I'm surprised men can still dance,” you said with a laugh as he turned you around once again and pulled you closer to him. Javier was smiling widely as he looked at you, and he'd be lying if he said he was having a bad time.

"Real men can do this and more," he replied with his professional pick-up tone.

You raised your eyebrows with a wide smile, amused by his words. You knew this tone in men very well.

Javier spun you around a few times and pulled you closer to him again. He had to admit that he loved the closeness of Latin dancing. He could shamelessly hold your hips tightly against his and grind you against his thigh.

“Care to tell me what you mean?” you asked innocently, observing his eyes closely.

Javier spun you around and pulled your back against him. You felt his hard chest on your back and after a moment his arms wrapped around you tightly again, making your hips move. You smiled to yourself as you felt his hot breath on your neck.

“A real man will take care of a woman not only in dancing,” he whispered in your ear and his hands slid to your hips, digging his fingers into your skin. You smiled wider as he turned you around to face him again in one move. You wrapped your arms around his neck and Javier leaned closer, nuzzling your nose. You rocked your hips in silence for a moment, watching each other.

“Oh, I see,” you nodded with a soft laugh and let him turn you around. He embraced you and grabbed your hand, slowly taking steps to the beat. "You mean yourself or..."

“Myself,” he cut you off halfway through. You smiled and nodded, hitting your heels and the dance floor with every step.

“You have a high opinion of yourself…” you started to say and stopped at the end, raising an eyebrow.

“Javier,” he finished for you.

“You have a high opinion of yourself, Javier,” you repeated so as not to forget his name in a moment.

"It's just the facts, baby," he said, wanting to sound indifferent.

And he sounded... like an overconfident pick-up artist.

You raised your eyebrows with a smile and nodded. Javier sensed that you were allergic to idiots who wanted to get you into bed. He had to do something more.

“Why have I never seen you here before?”

“I rarely come here,” you replied with a shrug and a soft smile.

“So today is a special occasion I assume,” he noted, slowly leading you across the dance floor. You laughed sweetly at his words, making him smile too.

“Yeah, actually,” you nodded, “it's my birthday today,” you explained. Javier was a born actor, so he had no problem feigning surprise. Of course, you believed it.

“Well well,” he smacked his lips in the air and ran his eyes down your entire body, “But I'm not surprised at all. You don't come across women like you every day," he added with a smirk and pulled you closer again. “Let me buy you a drink.”

"I don't know if—"

“As a birthday present,” he interrupted you, raising his eyebrows encouragingly. He looked at you like a dog, waiting for you to submit to him. And you gave in. You laughed sweetly, shaking your head.

"Let it be."

Javier smiled broadly and grabbed your hand before heading towards the bar. You sat down at the bar with a wide smile and Javier was not shy about being close to you. He immediately wrapped his arms around your waist, gluing himself to your side. He waved towards barman and you watched his every move carefully.

The way his face became serious when he ordered you drinks.

The way his gaze immediately stuck to your eyes right after.

The way his thumb gently traced your hip.

It was all intended to distract you.

“So what birthday is it? Eighteenth?” he asked, looking down at you. You rolled your eyes at his words but snorted under your breath anyway.

“Twenty-fifth,” you replied, wrinkling your nose with a smile. Barman placed the drinks next to you, so Javier immediately downed one for you.

“Then let's drink to your eighth-eighteenth birthday,” he toasted with a smile. You laughed at his words and clinked glasses with him. You both tensed without breaking eye contact. You grimaced at the taste of strong alcohol and he chuckled.

“It was supposed to be a drink, not straight vodka,” you noticed with laugh and took another sip. Javier watched you carefully, hoping you were weak in the head because, unfortunately for him, you didn't seem stupid.

"It's not appropriate to refuse a gift," he noted with a smirk, slowly sipping his drink. You rolled your eyes and took another sip of your damn strong drink with feigned pleasure.

“Thank you for the present, Javier,” you said with forced politeness. He chuckled at your reaction.

"De nada querida."

Thanks to his gift, you were tongue-tied pretty quickly and you spent half an hour talking nonsense at the bar. Javier listened with interest to everything you said and responded to make you say even more and it wasn't until you finished your second drink that he took you dancing again.

And if Javier thought you didn't limit yourself before, you were a beast now. Latin dance has only now gained everything it was about. And it was no longer an ordinary dance. It was literally just sex.

Your noses touched, breathing heavily against each other's lips as Javier guided your hips. Another bead of sweat was already dripping from his forehead after dancing a few songs intensely. And he'd be lying if he said he wasn’t enjoying himself because he hadn't spent such an intense evening, out of bed, with such a beautiful woman for a long time. And he would be lying if he said that your proximity and the alcohol didn't affect him.

He turned you around, and only when you clung tightly to him again, you feel that he was half-hard. And it certainly didn't stop you from rolling your hips right next to his. Javier couldn't help but let out a soft moan that disappeared into your hair. You smiled blissfully, knowing the effect you had on him and you couldn't have expected how much it stroked your ego.

His hand covered your lower abdomen and the other covered your chest. You felt trapped and didn't complain at all. You deliberately moved under his touch and movements, even when you felt his lips near your ear.

"You're playing dirty," he whispered in a hoarse voice and then placed a gentle kiss just below the ear.

A wave of shivers ran through your body at this act of closeness, and you were unable to resist as your head fell on his shoulder on its own. Javier immediately took advantage of the situation and ran his hand from your chest to your neck. His lips slowly began to place wet kisses on your neck and you smiled widely as his closeness bounced between your thighs.

“I got it from my dad,” you replied in a whisper, not really thinking about what you were saying.

“Is he naughty too?” he asked next to your ear and gently bit the lobe. You sighed louder and murmured a quiet affirmation. Now you didn't trust your words anymore. “He should teach you how to behave,” he continued and pressed his hand harder against your stomach. Your hips pressed further into his, allowing you to feel him more clearly. You parted your lips so as not to moan and swallowed saliva, which he immediately felt under his hand.

He had you in his grasp.

“If your dad didn't teach you this, I'll be happy to do it for him,” he whispered and gently bit into your neck.

You smiled broadly and blissfully at the feeling, but it quickly disappeared when Javier spun you around again and this time you fell into his arms, not expecting such a sudden move. You giggled to yourself, hugging his neck again as his hands moved to your hips. You looked up at him, immediately noticing that he was no longer smiling. He looked at you… thirsty. And you couldn't help but have fun.

You ran your fingers along his neck, following your every move with your eyes. You touched his jaw until your thumb was able to graze his lower lip. You smiled when, without any resistance, he opened his mouth and placed a gentle kiss on your fingertip.

Javier might have complained, but he could honestly admit that he was enjoying the game of cat and mouse. It was a nice change from the prostitutes who did whatever he wanted. It was nice to have a taste of winning someone's heart from time to time.

“Ven conmigo,” he whispered without thinking. He liked the tension between the two of you, but he honestly couldn't and didn't want to resist the urge to claim you in his bed or anywhere you let him.

“If only it were that simple…” you sighed with an innocent smile. Javier moved closer to you and ran his nose over yours. He kept his eyes glued to your mouth as his mustache brushed against your lips. His hot breath bounced off your skin as you watched him closely.

You didn't even notice that you had been just standing in the middle of the dance floor for some time. Everyone around was dancing exuberantly and you were absorbed in each other as if there was no one around.

“It wasn't a question,” he whispered against your lips and you both locked eyes at the same moment. Your pulse quickened as you realized you might have gone too far. You've never allowed yourself so much but apparently you forgot yourself a bit this time.

“Trust me, you don't want this,” you tried to discourage him but still you couldn't pull away or even push him away.

“Why wouldn't I?” he asked, completely unconcerned by your words. “If you had a boyfriend he would be here with you so it's definitely not that. I don't see any other reason why I would give up the opportunity to turn those sweet eyes inside out," he purred, nuzzling your nose.

You smiled and looked away for a moment. You had to admit to yourself that you wanted him. He was charming and you were too susceptible to that. You looked back at him, feeling reluctant that you had to reject him.

For his own good.

“My father doesn't like it when men want to claim me,” you started, hoping it would discourage him, but he didn't seem bothered by your words. “I want to spare you a bullet in your head,” you added, raising an eyebrow with more certainty.

“I'll take a chance,” he replied with a smug grimace, and without waiting for your response, he pressed his lips to yours. You were in shock for a moment, but it quickly passed, replaced by desire.

Javier sighed contently as you kissed him back. His hand quickly found itself in your hair, pulling you even closer. You didn't resist when he slipped into your mouth like it belonged to him. He tasted like cigarettes and mint unlike your sweet lips. He kissed you lazily and deeply. He took his time tasting you and took advantage of every second you submitted to his movements.

He finally pulled away from you, but only for a moment. He glanced to the side to see where your bodyguards were, so you did the same. They were busy talking to each other instead of keeping an eye on you.

This was his chance.

He grabbed your hand and leaned close to your ear.

“Give me fifteen minutes,” he whispered and pulled away to look at you. You glanced at the security guards again and back at Javier. It took you less than a second to make your decision. You nodded gently, which was immediately met with his reaction. In a few seconds, you were out of reach of the dancing people and out of the sight of men who were supposed to protect you from such situations. Luck was in the agent's favor.

You tried to keep up with him, but your shoes were of no help. Javier glanced at you over his shoulder and with a smirk on his lips, he wrapped his arms around your waist tightly to help you a little.

You glanced over your shoulder towards the bar but didn't see anything that might catch your attention. They haven't noticed you've disappeared yet. You smiled to yourself because it meant you actually had a chance to have some fun.

Before you knew it, you stopped at one of the cars. Javier unlocked the door and opened it for you. With an encouraging smile, he offered his hand to help you inside. You accepted his help like a proper lady. Your pulse quickened as the door slammed shut and Javier appeared in the driver's seat. You swallowed, watching as he closed the door and pushed his seat back. He straightened up with a sigh and looked at you with a smirk.

“Fifteen minutes, start,” he said and leaned towards you, connecting your lips.

This time he started more aggressively. He tangled his fingers in your hair, deepening the kiss, which gained momentum with every second. You moaned into his mouth, feeling the lack of air begin to cripple your lungs. And that's when Javier pulled away, only to grab your thigh and pull you on top of him. He did it so naturally that you didn't even have to make an effort when you sat on his thighs. His hands were immediately on your hips, pulling you even closer. You spread your legs further as he pressed you against him and connected your lips again.

You tangled your fingers in his hair, pulling it, making him growl against your lips. The sound echoed between your thighs in a wave of tension.

His hands immediately went to work, pushing your dress up to your waist. You moaned into his mouth as he squeezed your cheeks.

“So soft,” he murmured against your lips and moved his hands down to your thighs. His fingers squeezed every inch of your body that happened to be within his reach.

You didn't have to wait long before you felt his fingers trailing down the inside of your thighs. You didn't even hold back your panting into his mouth due to the sweet anticipation that was pulsing throughout your body. You inhaled louder as his two fingers ran from the very bottom up your pussy, collecting all the wetness that had managed to escape from you. Javier growled, gripping your hip tightly.

“You haven't worn damn panties all evening,” he announced, running over your wet hole once more. His cock twitched in his pants at the thought of having you at his fingertips all evening, and you who knew it very well. “Shameless girl,” he growled, sliding two fingers into you.

You moaned, throwing your head back and he immediately attacked your neck. He placed wet kisses and nibbled at your skin as his hand worked wonders between your legs. His fingers slowly moved in and out of your pussy. Wet sounds and your moans filled the car, instantly raising the temperature.

Javier didn't waste time because he didn't have enough of it.

Enough to satisfy you but not enough to enjoy you.

He reached with his free hand towards the glove compartment and took out a pack of condoms. You were too busy to even notice that his mouth disappeared from your neck for a moment so that he could open the package with his teeth. His fingers worked wonders inside you, slowly flexing at the point that made his palm wet.

You opened your eyes as you began to miss the feeling of his lips on your skin. You looked down just as he finished putting on the condom. Your pulse quickened even more when he looked up at you.

“Come on, baby,” he encouraged, pulling his fingers out of you. “Lift your hips for me,” he ordered, running them over your clit.

You moaned softly and immediately obeyed his command. You felt him shift restlessly beneath you, positioning himself perfectly at your entrance.

You didn't need his command to slowly lower yourself onto his cock. For a moment, you lacked the strength to make any sound. Only when you sat on him with your full weight, you moan loudly. Javier watched with parted lips and heavy breathing as his cock disappeared inside you.

“You're so fuckin’ tight, baby,” he moaned and pulled you closer to him, connecting your lips in an intense kiss. You tightened your fingers in his hair and he gripped your hips. “Dance for me,” he whispered against your lips and dug his fingers into your flesh, forcing you to move.

You slowly began to ride him as his lips stayed on yours and his arms held you tightly against him. You moaned softly into his mouth as you set the perfect pace, rolling your hips on his cock.

But it wasn't enough for him. That's why he started pushing his hips towards you. You both began to pant heavily into each other's mouths as Javier entered you with strong thrusts.

“Oh… fuck yes, baby,” he growled, feeling you tighten around his cock with every movement of his hips.

You leaned back against the steering wheel, trying to follow his movements. His gaze fell between your bodies and he watched contentedly as his cock disappeared into your pussy again and again. The wet sound that accompanied it was like something from pure porn.

“She's so pretty with my cock inside her,” he said, his voice laced with sex and you could only moan louder. Your hands grabbed onto anything they could to give you a sense of stability. Javier began to moan softly as he entered you faster and faster.

Your eyes fell on the inside of the car for a moment. You panted heavily, looking around until your eyes landed on something shiny. Despite the darkness, you were able to easily make out the shape of the badge. Your hip movements began to slow down as you looked back at the man who was currently inside you. You breathed heavily, looking at him carefully.

“No, no, baby. Don’t slow down,” he groaned in disappointment and looked at you. Only after a while he notice that you were looking at him as if you were seeing him for the first time and, what's worse, you froze in silence. Javier frowned, breathing heavily. "What’s wrong, cariño?" he asked confused.

"What do you do for living?" you asked simply.

Javier was silent for a moment, then he understood. He turned and looked at the badge lying on the backseat. Fuckin’ hell. He sighed heavily and looked at you again. There was no point in lying.

“I'm a DEA agent,” he told you, his cock twitching inside you in anticipation. You slowly calmed your breathing as everything that was happening started to sink in.

You were fucking an agent who probably wanted to get information from you.

You felt a wave of cold wash over you, making you involuntarily tighten around his cock and he groaned at the feeling.

You straightened up slowly, keeping your cold gaze on him and with one movement you swung your hand, hitting him on the cheek. His cock twitched inside you again at the sudden blow, but he didn't speak. For a moment, he didn't even dare to look your way.

But when he did and opened his mouth to speak, he was hit a second time. This time he had to move his jaw to relax, and only then did he look at how calm and angry you were at the same time.

“Maldito hijo de puta…” you started, wanting to call him the worst names, but he quickly cut you off. His hands tightened on your thighs, which caught your attention.

“I just want to help you,” he started gently and you frowned. You didn't know whether to laugh or punch him in the face again.

“I don't want your help,” you growled.

You felt his arm wrap tightly around your waist, holding you in place. Not that you were struggling, but he wanted to make sure you wouldn't pull away when his other hand pressed between your bodies.

“It wasn't a business proposition, princesa,” he said confidently. You opened your mouth to argue with him but you felt his fingers on your clit; instead of words and curses, a surprised moan came out.

Javier watched your reaction carefully, slowly massaging the small spot that could render you speechless.

“I can get you a new life,” he continued, completely indifferent to the fact that you were trying to catch your breath. "Away from the crap your father deals with."

“Vete a la mierda,” you choked out and he pressed his fingers harder. You moaned louder as you felt his movements begin to have the desired effect.

“That's what I'm doin’,” he replied confidently. He watched carefully as your eyes closed and your lips parted in pleasure. He felt everything he was doing to you, every squeeze of your pussy made him shiver. “Think about it, cariño, new identity, no killing and no drugs. Normal life." He sped up his finger movements, feeling your hips thrust towards him. Your body sold without much problem, but at least you could think straight.

“You want me to sell myself like a puta,” you pointed out. Javier growled under his breath, but not because of your words.

“I want you to buy a better life for yourself with a few pieces of information.”

“Nicely said,” you snorted under your breath in disdain at his words.

“You're a smart girl, I believe you know deep down that my proposal is mutually beneficial,” he continued, but your attention was focused on your building orgasm. You started breathing faster, focusing on him, afraid that one wrong move and you would lose the long-awaited fulfillment. "You have to promise me that you will think about my proposal."

"Or what?" You raised an eyebrow, waiting for his response, but he just stopped moving his fingers. You felt your orgasm slowly fade into oblivion. “Mierda… okay, okay, I will think about it,” you growled, furious. Javier smiled with satisfaction because it was enough for him for now.

He moved his lips closer to you and touched your clit again, the feeling of your orgasm building again. You didn't need much this time. You started rocking your hips gently for additional stimulus that was still deep inside you. Your slow movements of your hips and his fingers combined in a pleasurable race for fulfillment. You mentally cursed how much you hated yourself and the agent under you. You felt like a traitor, but luckily his touch drowned out your remorse.

You moaned softly into his mouth and he drank it like the most expensive whiskey. Your hips sped up a bit, chasing the pleasure that was about to reach its peak at any moment.

“Oh yes, baby, I can feel she wants to cum,” he moaned into your mouth. These words sent chills throughout your body, straight to your crotch. "And I will only let her because I am close too."

You moaned louder and your hands quickly found their way to his hair. You clenched your fingers tightly, moving your hips faster. Chasing your orgasm, you even ignored the way Javier gently stroked your back in anticipation of your fulfillment.

“Come on, baby,” he moaned and began to move his fingers more intensely on your throbbing clit.

A few moves and it was all over.

A few movements of your hips and you froze motionless.

A few movements of your hips and your body shook with shivers of fulfillment.

You squealed into his mouth, feeling your hips shake from your intensely sweet orgasm. You tightened around his cock again and again, making him groan throatily.

“Fuck— good girl,” he choked out, wrapping his arms around your waist tightly. You moved your hips once more to get comfortable on him. This, combined with the passing orgasm, finished him off as well.

You felt his cock inside you start to throb again and again and his kiss became harder, almost crushing your lips. You squealed softly, but he drowned you out when he finally growled throatily in satisfaction.

You stayed in silence for a few minutes, calming your breathing and collecting your thoughts. Javier was furious at his mistake because he hoped that your conversation would turn out differently. But there was nothing he could do now to change the past.

But all you cared about was that you fucked a fuckin’ DEA agent.

“Will you consider my proposal?” he finally asked and pulled away to look at you. In silence, you glanced at his eyes and face and nodded gently.

"Yes."

But you weren't really going to spend even a second on it.

[foreverisntenough]

- YOU’RE MINE -

Summary: While you daydreamed about his face an ocean apart, he had no idea what yours was about to do to him. With a twist of fate and the heat of summer, a new relationship would completely ransack his heart - Everyday heavy with the thought of one another, neither of you were going to let the unexpected love of your life go. You were going to be his, you were his, and you were going to stay his.

Warnings: This story will contain fluff; maybe smut and angst- not sure yet!

Note: I was planning on keeping this just for myself so please be nice. I hope you like it! There will definitely be more than this part (don’t know many just yet though)

Chapter 1 - ‘You’re Mine’

It was a warm morning in July. You pulled at your Nike crew socks to fix them after you’d tied the laces of your white sneakers. Popping your AirPods in before heading out the door. You turned the key to lock your apartment and navigated on your phone to Spotify. The volume was too loud, it always was but you wanted to check out for a little. Focus.

You began your run; across a few avenues before hitting 5th Ave. It was your favorite part of the run. The sidewalks were wide, the juxtaposed calm of the busy upper east side raced with your heart. The sun splashing in between scaffolding. You made your way from the 60s into the 70s. At 78th Street you needed to cross to round out the loop.

You stood on the left side, waiting to cross right. You felt as if someone was watching you for some reason, as if you had eyes on you. Your long sleeve Lululemon shirt stuck to your body in sweat. You pulled it up and wiped your forehead with the hem. The pull showed your toned stomach reflecting in the sun. You sponged up a bead of sweat that raced down your long tan legs with your Nike running shorts that slit high on the sides. You tried to breathe as slow as you could and turned the music down as you stepped into the crosswalk. Your Isabel Marant hat covered your eyes slightly blocking your vision as you gazed at the ground but found yourself staring at an odd amount of designer sneakers standing at the opposite corner. In what felt like hours of inspection, actually fleeting seconds, you got closer to them. You deduced it was a group of men, given the size, styles… You’d be lying if you didn’t judge men by their choice of shoes often. Style mattered to you. Not necessarily brands or the price of something but the care someone put into how they presented themselves was important. You glanced up quickly clocking a group of 6 or so men around your age. Your heart faltered at the image so you kept your head down. Like a child, you told yourself if you couldn’t see them, they couldn’t see you. As you stepped up onto the sidewalk, the group now unbelievably close, you snaked through the other people waiting to cross the street to go further uptown. You lowered your headphones volume again…almost to a pause. You overheard the group talking; they were loud. Not obnoxious, they just were goofing around with friends. You clocked the distinct accent almost immediately. It was so specific, it was also so random. What are the odds you hear a Liverpool accent behind you. Sure not 0% considering you were on fifth avenue in New York City but your interest definitely peaked. You had a soft spot for the English city. You loved the people in Liverpool. You went to Liverpool every year, maybe even more often than that with your dad. It was special to you.

The first time you went to Liverpool was just to go to a football game with your Dad. Was it a little frivolous to travel to another country for a game, absolutely, but it was a lot of fun too. You always had an amazing time visiting your Dad’s native country and over time, like he was, became slightly attached emotionally to Liverpool Football Club. You followed from the US waking up early on weekend mornings to watch. It didn’t hurt that the team was cute. Not bad people to follow on Instagram. You found it easy to develop a crush on people you didn’t know. You could build them up, make them apologize for things they never did, deliver on every whim of yours all from the comfort of your head, sitting on your bed. You’d listen to the team’s interviews and memorize the annunciation or stress placed on certain syllables in their varied accents. You’d be quick to zoom in on Instagram holiday photos trying to deduce if they were with women or where they might be. It was addicting. It was also harmless, they didn’t know you, you didn’t know them but god, would you want to. Although you wanted to know one particular player. Get to know his face in real life. You wanted to get lost in those dark brown eyes, wanted them to flirt with you. He was beautiful. Like genuinely and objectively beautiful. There were a lot of physical traits about him that made your head spin, your heart race, you just wanted to lick and yet… you’d never exist in that world, holding his gaze, his world.

The accents rang in your ears as you pulled one headphone out to eavesdrop a little, smiling at the familiarity and intricacy of words. You turned your head slightly back to the left looking to find the crosswalk counting down to see when you could start your run again. Before your eyes could land on the descending numbers flashing, your view was obstructed and found yourself looking directly into someone’s eyes. There was a glimmer in the strangers eyes, a warm honey hue. You snapped your gaze, looking back down at your sneakers immediately in shock. ‘What the fucks’ flew around in your head. You could feel he was still staring at you and you weren’t exactly sure what to do. Caged on the sidewalk; unable to cross as the cars proceeded to pass and unable to back away with the people waiting behind you. You laughed in your head at how ridiculous you were being about simple eye contact. ‘This is a complete stranger… relax’ you told yourself. When you mustered up the courage to pick your eyes up and your heart off the floor you got lost. Those eyes. You squint your eyes under your hat questioning what the hell was happening. There he was… in the flesh.. looking at you. He looked angel like. His skin soft, placing his hand on his forehead over his eyes to block the sun to take a closer look back at you. His amber smell wafted towards you. He was all consuming. You felt crazy. What honestly was happening. His plump lips pulled at the corner revealing the most beautiful smile you’ve ever seen. It sank in your stomach that this stranger wasn’t a stranger at all. An internet obsession genuinely was stood in front of you. You couldn’t help but smile back. A panicked confidence came over you. It was innate, instinctual, you had to; you reached out your arm and lightly grabbed at his. He looked at you slightly surprised but also smug. He knew he had a gravitational pull on people and he was not particularly upset that it worked on people that looked like you too. You felt the words slipping out from your lips but a static fuzz filled your brain.

“Sorry, are you Trent Alexander Arnold?” You already knew the answer.

His smile got bigger, he seemed flattered. He looked at you with sincerity. And then he spoke…

“Yeah, and you are?” His voice laced with his accent was smooth, heavy, beautiful.

You started to question your decision. Why did you say anything to begin with, you had nothing to say to him. You realized quickly your hand was still on him as he stared down at it. You rolled your eyes a little embarrassed and slowly pulled it down his arm. He was intrigued. Despite the internal chaos ensuing inside of you, you presented incredibly calm, smooth, and as your hand brushed over his, pulling back to your side, sexy. He stared at your collar bones and the dip in your throat, a drop of sweat ran down your tan skin. He studied its path. Watching it trace over the bone and then over a little scar, he observed it absorb into your top. He was embarrassed in his own mind that he wanted to watch the sweat keep rolling down your body, sans shirt.

“Y/N” you spoke quietly.

“This is kind of mad to run into you here, you know?” You babbled and he looked amused at the speed of your words as you continued. “I have been in Liverpool a lot, I guess just England in general a lot and never could imagine running into someone like you and definitely didn’t think I’d ever be here.”

“Yeah? Someone like me?” He asked.

It was flirty. Suggestive. Was he flirting with you? Maybe he was just being nice but you couldn’t stop your thoughts from running wild staring at the veins on his hands.

“What you doing over in Liverpool” he questioned you with a raised brow.

“Oh, erm” you weren’t sure how to phrase this. You were a fan, nothing wrong with that but you also didn’t want to freak him out.

“My dad’s from England so we go a lot and I follow the prem, I guess…We usually go to a game or two up north every year..” you explained. He seemed calmed by your honesty.

“See anything of interest up north?” your breath hitched at his words and his eyes boring back at you. You laughed a little, he was more charismatic than you maybe ever gave him credit for. Definitely reserved and quiet but he was entertaining the conversation pushing it in a direction you thought that you must’ve been dreaming.

“Had my eyes on something at Anfield, sure” you smirked. He watched your pink lips curl. It was enticing, he licked over his top lip then his bottom in response and hummed.

“Where are you staying?” you stopped his thoughts. “Sorry, you don’t have to ans…” you awkwardly tried to not pry.

“The Plaza” he cut you off. You returned his smile at the fact that he had been staying in such close proximity; right under your nose, blissfully unaware.

“Best area.” You spoke again. “Upper East Side will always be it for me but I’m biased because I live here.” You held your hands up in innocence.

“You live near here?” he asked, taking a small step towards you. His body so close to yours.

“A few blocks down and over on Park Ave” you pointed ambiguously, telling him. His eyes traced your body intently. It very quickly washed over you how sweaty you were. This isn’t the way you’d ideally want to look meeting someone you fancied, let alone him.

“I swear I don’t always look like this” you paused, shaking your head “it’s hot” you laughed defending your appearance.

“It is hot” he echoed cheekily, not talking about the weather anymore taking in every inch of your body in front of him.

“I would’ve really preferred having you see me in something else.” Your words were unintentionally suggestive. You slowly shut your eyes hoping he didn’t take your comment the wrong way. His mouth gaped open a little as he laughed

“Oh yeah?” He mocked you. His tease was endearing though.

“How long are you here for?” You needed to change the topic before you passed out from his intense gaze on you.

“Few more days...” he spoke, turning his head up to look at the street. The crosswalk sign had changed to’ walk.’ You felt your heart sink as your little interaction with Trent was going to end. One of the boys from his group walked by you two pinching in between Trent’s shoulder and neck. He winced at the feeling and the boy gave him a knowing look meeting back with the rest of the group. The boys crossed the street, you were stuck watching them so you failed to realize that Trent hadn’t budged. He returned his eyes to you and smiled softly. It made your heart flutter that he maybe still wanted to talk to you. In a panic to keep the conversation alive you blurted out an unsolicited offer without thinking…

“While you’re here, if you need someone to go out with, or just even need recommendations you should hit me up” Your face pulled into a childish grin. His eyes widened at your forwardness. You honestly were surprised at yourself too.

“I don’t really know you though, do I?” He questioned back at you.

You felt a little sick, a little stupid for maybe misreading the situation and conversation. You shyly laughed and rolled your eyes again embarrassed. This whole thing was ridiculous.

“Yeah, well… I don’t really know you either do I?” You mocked his question.

“You do though.” He leaned in a little closer to you.

“No” you paused at his face's closeness. “I don’t know you, I know your name and your face. That’s not really knowing someone is it?” He smirked at your rational. “And honestly, with that, it's only to your benefit. You’re going into this with the upper hand. You already know I think you’re attractive.” You should’ve thought your sentence through a little more but you were caught in the moment.

“Really? I didn’t know I knew that” he quipped.

He was funny, you’ll give him that. Your faux confidence was already dwindling preparing for him to turn you down. Letting a stranger down, rejecting a pass must be awkward and hard for him to do. Although he probably had a lot of practice doing it, his response wasn’t what you’d expected. It just about stopped your heart.

“And what if you knew I thought you were attractive” he almost whispered. It was sexy. Your brow furrowed genuinely because you had believed he was about to reject you.

“Are you sure?” you asked so quickly looking up at him in confusion. He thought your ignorance was cute.

“Yeah, I’ve got eyes haven’t I? I can see what’s in front of me. You caught my eye across the street before you even snuck your way next to me” You blushed at the idea he was already looking at you before you even had clocked him. You felt like someone might’ve been watching earlier but you couldn’t have dreamed it would be him.

It felt like it happened in slow motion as you watched his hand come closer to you. The back of his knuckle traced your highlighted cheekbone. Goosebumps arose all over your skin. Before he could remove his hand he heard a loud familiar whistle and was thrust back into reality that he was standing on the corner of the street. He gestured to the group he was with to hold on a second.

“Let me take you out tonight” he ask calmly

“You don’t really know me though, do you?” You quickly hit back making a smug face he wasn’t impressed with.

“Let me get to know you then” he cooed. You looked around you as if people might overhear you, like your response was just meant for him.

“Yeah. I’d like that” you said hush.

“Gimme your number” he said as he forced his phone at you. Your eyes stuck watching the group across the street monitoring the situation. Were they staring because of you, because he does this a lot? Or rather never does this? The questions poured into your head but the harsh sun reflecting off his phone into your face brought you back down to earth. You typed your number into his phone, saving your name with a little ‘🗽’ emoji as a contextual reminder and gave him his phone back.

The gears in your mind were still turning. What honestly just happened that you were holding a Liverpool football player's phone. Trent smiled seeing your name and the little emoji.

“Y/N L/N” he repeated.

“That’s me” grinning back.

He placed his phone in his pocket and lifted his arm again and reached to stoke your arm. You shivered at the touch.

You blew some air out your mouth in disbelief at the events unfolding. You weren’t sure what to do with the lull in the conversation now but Trent seemed comfortable in the silence.

“If you’re still heading up fifth, my favorite view of the city skyline is up at the reservoir. You ever been?” You softly suggested. He dragged his hand back up your arm.

“Nah, should I?” he asked. Focused more on the feeling of your skin than your words.

“It’s nice if you have the time. Good for the gram.” You laughed.

“Important” he replied as you stared at his hand continue to stroke your arm

“Very” you confirmed. He rocked backwards a little

“So I’m gonna see you tonight, yeah?” He said looking at your face once more as he dropped his hand from you.

“Yeah, yeah” you responded not totally sure that would actually happen but you were happy with this little conversation to hold in your mind forever. His smell, his gaze on you, saying you were attractive. Even if he was lying, you’d still take it from him. You bite your cheek before speaking again.

“If I don’t see you ” you paused and he looked at you confused. “It was nice to meet you” you said sweetly. He started laughing and shaking his head.

“I’m going to see you, trust me” he winked at you. It felt like you could fall over. Your legs felt like jello.

“Go on then, finish your run” he said tilting his head, gesturing down the avenue you were at.

“Absolutely not. You’re crazy if you think I’m going to let you watch me run down the block now” you were embarrassed by the idea of trying to exercise in front of someone who did it for a living.

“I like what I’ve seen so far, don’t deprive me of a nice view” his tone dripping with ideas.

You were shocked at the tone. You liked it. It was sweet and full of suggestion. You wanted to just listen to him talk for hours.

“I’m going to walk this way” you spoke up pointing down the street emphasizing the word ‘walk’ a little teasingly.

“See you, yeah?” He winked.

“Yeah, I trust you” you said, walking a bit away from him.

It felt like leaving a friend but also nothing like that. You craved so much more knowing he wasn’t one. You needed more of him. He was intoxicating, he felt like you took a shot of liquor. You felt light headed, the world blurred around you, giggling to yourself at the feeling in your chest. What the hell was wrong with you. You put your headphones back in and made your way down the street. You started to text your sister about the flirty encounter with the footballer but you didn’t want to jinx anything. Maybe you actually would see him later. That going to happen fell on Trent though; he was the one with your number, he was on his holiday. It didn’t seem likely to happen but he seemed so nice at the very least you’d hope he’d have the courtesy to tell you he couldn’t meet. You looked back towards where he was wanting to relive those minutes over and over again. Your eyes met again. He had his on you still. He squinted trying to follow your path and he smiled.

Trent crossed the street towards the group of boys nonchalantly, he was playing off how smitten he had just become with a complete stranger.

“What the fuck was that?” one of the boys looked at him as Trent embarrassingly bit onto his lip still watching you.

“Yeah, she was fit but like did you need to get the whole life story or…” another boy said.

“Did you know her?” The comments and questions came flooding in from the group confused at the interaction. To answer what you had wondered earlier. No, Trent didn’t do this a lot, igniting more of an inquiry. He kept to himself a lot of the time. Of course he’d get with girls back at home and on holidays and such but right now he was sober, it was in the middle of the day, on the street, and he seemingly was drooling over someone he’d never spoken to before. This was out of character.

“I honestly feel like I know her,” Trent spoke, trying to clear his throat. “Gonna see her tonight,” he informed them. The boys bustled with noise and confusion

“What about our dinner tonight?” Someone questioned

“You’ll figure it out. I’ll meet you after to go to that event.” Trent calmed the group still watching you as you looked back once more at him before turning the corner out of his view. He didn't like that he couldn’t see you anymore. He felt like he needed to study you more. The image of sweat dripping down your body had him down bad. It shouldn’t have affected him like that. He questioned why he was aching for you. He didn’t even know you. He exhaled confused. He could hear your voice replaying in his head. Soft and sweet, was it suggestive? Was he making it up?

“She didn’t even ask for a picture with me, ya know” he spoke quietly towards his brother in the group. Trent didn’t want to look like a melt to his friends so opted to confide in him. With his brothers he couldn’t really embarrass himself; they were so close.

“Maybe she doesn’t care about that,” Trent’s brother Tyler responded. Trent grunted slightly annoyed that you weren’t fawning and falling over him like he’d want. What he didn’t know was that you had actually been nauseous at the sheer idea of speaking with him. Tyler watched his face change.

“That bother you?” He asked. Trent looked back at him unsure.

“Don’t know… just not sure why I feel like this. Like I thought she was into me but the more I think about it” he paused reflecting “maybe I was just pushing a narrative in my head. She didn’t exactly seek me out, it was by chance, she was minding her business” his heart hurt a little at the thought.

“You just don’t stand that close to someone you don’t know and aren’t interested in” Tyler quipped back.

“Yeah?” Trent questioned his sincerity.

“She was grossly close to you. Made me a little sick not gonna lie '' a voice from behind them piped up. Their younger brother Marcel wanted in on the conversation, the gossip about the mystery girl was too good to miss.

“She from here?” His brother questioned

“Mmhmm, I felt like I was almost being played because she gave me everything up front. She told me her name, where she lived, about her dad, she follows footie, told me about visiting Anfield and that. Like I couldn’t build a more ideal woman, she’s a dream and she just stood there like she was somehow at a disadvantage.” Trent ranted.

“Oh” the brothers simultaneously echoed. Marcel looked at Tyler a little concerned about Trent’s vulnerability. Trent was independent and smart but it was often on everyone around him minds if people were trying to take advantage of or attempting to use Trent for something.

“She’s been to a game… of yours?” Tyler asked

“I assumed I was there playing. She didn’t really specify”

“The odds of meeting your dream girl like this on the street is mad but then again it’s you Trentski. If you really want to go find out more.. I guess shoot your shot.” Marcel tried to be honest but still support him…

“You think it’s bad to text now?” Trent cautiously asked. His brothers just laughed at him.

“Why are you being like this bro? You’re down so bad already and you don’t even know her. What did she do to you!” They exclaimed, clinging to each other continuing to give Trent shit for his lack of confidence.

“What am I doing?” Trent felt ridiculous; where did his conviction go? He needed to not let you get this in his head. Yet the only thing playing in his mind were images of you.

“What the fuuuucckk” he groaned.

“Relax bro, just go and maybe you’ll get to release a little” his brother joked about Trent’s obvious growing crush. The innuendo made Trent’s heads spin. His brothers kept talking but all he could think about was you peeling the sweaty clothes off your body at home. He wanted to be there for that. He needed the girl he didn’t know he would even meet an hour ago.

“This is embarrassing” he said despite hitting send on a text he was terrified of.

You sat on your bed after showering. If there was any luck in life for you he would text you. Your shower was long. The idea of you potentially seeing Trent tonight required you to look your best. The bathroom steamed, you washed your hair twice, exfoliating, shaving absolutely everything. You moisturized like you never had before. Your post shower routine was extensive and so was your skin and hair care. The idea of him even near your body had you giddy. You had to wonder if he was that clever and smooth with everyone. You felt the character you had built up in your mind from behind an on screen image had been torn to shreds by his unwavering confidence, his eyes glimmering, his composure. He wasn’t anything you imagined. He was much much better.

Your phone pinged, the screen illuminating with a new text. You tried to tell yourself to relax. It was probably going to be your mom to be realistic but there lied the unknown uk number on your phone. You squeezed your eyes shut, your leg now bouncing up and down a little. ‘What the fuck it’s just a text. You’re embarrassing’ you spoke to yourself. Your stomach dropped as you swiped to read the new message.

“The reservoir?”

It was so simple but you felt your heart racing. You wanted to be quick in response not knowing how he was with his phone and you didn’t want to miss your opportunity. You were trying not to think too much as you hit send.

“The reservoir.” You confirmed.

“Going to make me way there and let you know what I think” his response was quick in return.

“Please do 😉” you typed and deleted the wink emoji 1000 times but just said fuck it. Every moment exchanged with Trent felt like it could be your last so you decided you were going to try not to hold back.

A genuine full smile swept across Trent’s face.

“She responded I’m assuming” Tyler watched his brother’s expression change. Trent didn’t want to get into how excited he was feeling about something as small as an emoji.

“mmhmm” he hummed, not picking up his gaze from the wink you sent.

“Dinner with me tonight?”

“I wouldn’t be opposed”

“Got one condition though..”

You weren’t sure what the condition could be. As much as you two had joked, you really didn’t know him at all. You couldn’t predict anything he was going to do or say. It put you on edge but you loved the thrill of standing there.

“You have to pick the place because you’re the local” Trent’s message read. You smiled, it was sweet and more wholesome than you anticipated. You couldn’t stop trying to read into everything he has said though. Was this a date for him?

“Fine, I’ll be sure to pick something good then. 8:00 pm is okay, yeah?”

“All good. Also 8:00 pm… try 20:00?”

“No no no. None of that. You’re in my city now”

“Yeah? Going to show me a good time in your city”

He sent it and started to regret it. He still questioned if you were as into him as he was into you. He didn’t want to imply he was looking just a quick fuck. He definitely wanted to have sex with you, like embarrassingly so but might actually be a little disappointed in that alone because you peaked his interest. He wanted to listen to you. He wanted to watch your eyes flicker over him. He wanted to hear your accent accentuate words.

Contrary to his beliefs, you felt like you were going to scream. Like you were a 12 year old girl with a boy band obsession. Did he want you like that? What if you read his text with the wrong inflection? You threw caution to the wind at this point and you dove into sending him a response.

“Promise xx. Will see how you are on the date”

“Date, yeah?”

“Oh.. Is it not?” you immediately responded to him. You felt so nervous. Blood rushing to your face embarrassed you had misread everything.

“Nah, it definitely is. Can’t wait to see more of you later 🤤”

His response, especially the emoji, made your mind race with dirty thoughts. You understand he probably just meant ‘seeing’ you as meeting up again but you wanted him to literally see more. You wanted to have him drooling. You wanted his lips on yours. You wanted to have him thinking about you. You just had to get through this date successfully for that to even be an option.

•

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know what you think.

Moving slow but we’re just getting started xx

Next part is up - Chapter 2

[whisperofwonder]

Departures & Arrivals

Timeskip!Iwaizumi Hajime x reader (gender neutral)

POV: You are one of Iwaizumi's college classmates in California, and there's definitely something between you, but it takes two trips to the airport to figure out exactly what.

2k words | Slight angst with a happy ending

You navigate through the crowded lanes in front of the airport, finally coming to a stop in front of the correct gate. Hajime turns to you before reaching for the door handle.

"Thanks for dropping me off," He says for what's probably the fifth time. "I really appreciate it."

"Of course," You wave it off, "There's no way I'd let you pay the crazy prices for an uber. We're broke college students." You laugh, and he answers it with a smile. "You need me to help get your luggage?"

"No," He shakes his head, "I've got it. Don't bother getting out." You nod, and he finally opens the door as you pop the trunk. You roll the window down as he turns for the door, pulling his suitcase behind him.

"Have a good time back home!" You call out. "Send lots of pictures!" He turns back and lifts his hand in a wave.

"Of course I will," He promises, flashing you one last smile before he turns to go. You watch his retreating back for a few moments before rolling the window back up and putting your car in drive.

It's bittersweet, watching him leave. You know he's been looking forward to going back home for a few weeks this summer, and that he's been feeling a little more homesick than he'll admit. Still, your life is going to feel just a little bit emptier without him around.

You sigh, turning the music up a few notches as you pull onto the highway. You can't get the evening a few weeks ago out of your head.

The two of you had been dancing around it for months. Your friends recognized it in the mildly flirtatious back-and-forth, the way you always ended up sitting with your shoulders touching, and that you somehow found a way to spend nearly every weekend together. You recognized it in the tug in your middle that you felt whenever he was around, in the strange certainty starting the moment you met him that this was someone you've known all your life. Someone you connected with on a level you didn't even realize existed. You'd never felt this way before.

"Hajime, I really like you!" You'd finally blurted out. You aren't sure if that means exactly the same thing in Japan as it does to you, but judging by the look on his face, you can only assume it does. For a few moments, he only looked at you, different emotions playing across his face, then closed his eyes with a heavy sigh.

"I can't," He finally said, sharply, then shook his head. "I'm sorry, that was - I mean -" He paused, and you watched him parsing the English together in his head, heart falling into the pit of your stomach. "I can't do that to you." He said more softly. "I - I've thought about it," He admits. "But I don't want something... casual." He finally settled on the word. You're left reeling, because he's admitted to having feelings for you and turned you down in the same breath.

"And after I graduate, I know I'm going back to Japan," He continued, "And I can't ask you to deal with whatever that involves. I can't ask you to choose between me and the rest of your life. So I think it's better if we just stay friends." He paused. "Because I do want to be your friend. I think you're pretty great," He added with a small, sad smile.

Even turning you down, he's the nicest guy you've ever known. "Okay," Is all you could say, softly, pasting on a brave smile. "Friends, then."

It's not as though you haven't considered what it would mean, being in a relationship with him. You do have a life here in the U.S., and a family, but you're confident in knowing that it's something that will always be here, waiting for you, no matter where life takes you. With your major, you know you could find work anywhere. Even before meeting Hajime, you'd had dreams of living abroad. Japan doesn't sound like such a bad choice.

You haven't told him this, not in so many words. You don't want him to think this is something you're saying just to be with him. The future is a big thing to promise on what might turn into a few dates before you decide to go your separate ways. Still - if he was open to it, you'd be willing to try.

The next morning, you wake up to a message letting you know he'd arrived safely, shortly followed by a photo of the Sendai airport. You smile at your phone, telling him you're glad that he made it home.

The following days are punctuated by photos and messages, painting you a picture of a place called Miyagi - somewhere you'd had no reason to know existed until you'd met a certain dark-haired sports-science major. Suddenly, it seems like a very important place indeed.

You reciprocate, sharing snapshots of your hometown, places you can't help thinking you'd love to share with him in person. As time passes, the messages grow more and more frequent, and longer as you try to cram exactly how much you miss him between the words without admitting as much.

One morning, you've just poured yourself a cup of coffee and curled up on the sofa to enjoy it when your phone rings. To your surprise, Hajime's name shows up on the screen.

"Hello?" You answer hesitantly, a little worried at first that something might be wrong.

"I didn't wake you up, did I?" Even across the phone line, the sound of his worried voice is a welcome sound.

"No," You laugh softly, "I just poured my coffee." You lift the mug to your lips and take a sip.

"Good," He says in a huff of relief. "Time zones are weird."

"They are," You agree with a chuckle. "So, what's up?"

"I couldn't sleep, and - I thought I'd call you. Texting isn't quite the same," He admits. You picture him, maybe sitting cross-legged on the bed in his childhood bedroom, and you press your smile to the rim of your coffee mug.

"No," You agree. "It's not." You haven't ever really talked on the phone with him before. You saw him so often, you hadn't ever felt the need to, but this is nice. "How is it being back in Japan?"

"It's been really great," He says quickly. "Seeing my parents and my friends again has been nice. In a way, it almost feels like I never left. But is it weird that I also kind of miss California?"

"No," You say softly, biting back the fact that you miss him. "California misses you, too," You say more lightly, drawing out a warm chuckle from him that you feel in the pit of your stomach.

"What about you?" He asks then, "Anything exciting going on?"

You shift to a more comfortable position, hugging a throw pillow to your middle and taking a breath. You hadn't known how to share this with him via text. "Well, I just heard back from this company in Norway. They're really interested in having me work for them, starting with an internship this fall. I could transfer to a university there to finish my degree."

"Oh," He says quietly, and you hum in response. "That's great!" His voice brightens, but it sounds fake even through the phone. "So... you would move to Norway?"

"Yeah, I would," You confirm. "If I decide to accept," You add. "I think living abroad would be exciting." You aren't dropping any hints, you tell yourself. Just stating the facts. A year ago, Norway would have done just as well as Japan, or any country, really. A year ago, you probably would have already accepted this opportunity by now.

"That sounds like a great opportunity," He says, "I'm happy for you."

Are you really? You want to ask, but you don't.

"Thanks," you say instead, and find an excuse to move on to another topic. You chat about his travels in Japan with his friends, and your recent trip up the California coast. By the time the conversation winds down, things feel almost normal between the two of you again.

"I should let you get to sleep," You say finally, after he stifles yet another yawn.

"Yeah," He says reluctantly, "You're probably right." He pauses. "One last thing," He adds. "You can totally say no, but would you mind picking me up at the airport when I get back? My flight gets in on August 9, at 4pm. I can always ask Adam to do it if you-"

"I'll be there," You say quickly, before he can finish. "Don't worry about it."

"Okay," You can hear the smile in his voice. "Thanks."

For a few moments after you hang up, you don't move from the couch. Talking to him again, hearing his voice, it stirred up everything you'd been trying so hard to keep at bay.

As the days pass, your correspondence is relegated to shorter messages and quick photos. Things between you feel just a little more stilted than before. Slowly, you're beginning to accept the truth, something you'd been trying so hard to ignore.

I can't just be your friend. You've practiced it over and over in your head. It's going to hurt to say, but you can't go on like this. If Hajime doesn't want to try to make a relationship work - and you can't blame him if he doesn't - then it will be better for both of you if you don't see each other anymore. You even have your perfect escape route - Norway. You tell yourself you'll wait to give them your final answer until after August 9.

Driving to the airport, the gnawing pit in your stomach grows with every mile. This may be one of the last times you see him. You're terrified that you'll chicken out before you can even give your carefully planned speech. You're terrified it can only lead to goodbye. You can't even allow yourself a sliver of hope, because it will only hurt that much more in the end.

Waiting in the lineup of cars, you watch the streams of people passing by for a familiar face. Craning your neck, you finally catch sight of him stepping through the doors, and you can tell the moment he spots you, because a smile breaks across his face. You clench your fist to strengthen your resolve.

Getting out of your car, you move to the trunk, making sure there's plenty of space. It looks like he's returned with an extra suitcase. When he finally approaches the car, only a few feet from you, you look up at him again. "Welcome back!" You say, attempting to put as much cheer in your voice as possible.

He doesn't answer, and instead lets go of his suitcases and strides purposefully through the remaining space between you. Before you can react, his lips are on yours, a hand at the back of your neck to keep you steady. You let out a small, surprised sound before you return the kiss automatically, fingers bunching into the material of his t-shirt as if to prove to yourself that he's really here in front of you - really kissing you like he means it.

When he finally pulls away, his cheeks are flushed, and he's breathing heavily. "I want to see where this goes," He says breathlessly. "I want to be with you, if you'll have me?" What a silly question, as if the way you'd shamelessly pressed back into his kiss hadn't been answer enough. You can't help but smile back.

"Yes," You say quickly, eyes searching his face, taking in very part of him.

"I know it won't be easy," He adds, "And I know we'll have to be long distance, at least for a little, but I want to try. I want to put in the work, because I know it will be worth it."

"Yes!" You say again, giddy laughter bubbling up, "I'm ready," You nod, "I'm ready to do whatever it takes. To be with you." Your smile feels like it's splitting your face in half.

There are long conversations ahead. There's so much to discuss, and so much to prepare for. It won't all be easy. For now, though, Hajime pulls you close and kisses you again, the press of his lips assuring you that, no matter what, it will be worth it.

[toournextadventure]

Could I request a story thats Wednesday with a reader who drinks a lot of coffee and barely ever sleeps, and so she tries to convince them to sleep but they dont so reader ends up fainting in front of her and enid and Wednesday is really worried and at the end reader finally sleeps and theres fluff

Hell yeah, bestie, I feel this on a spiritual level. Coffee is the devil's drink, yet I indulge shamelessly ✌🏻😙

too much coffee

Midterms were going to kill you. There was no possible way you were going to survive. You had done the one thing you had sworn you wouldn’t do (pretend you didn’t need to study) and Wednesday had offered to help (you said no) and now you were on day three of no sleep. Times were tough enough, but Wednesday couldn’t introduce her parents to her highschool failure girlfriend! The Addams family was beyond accepting, but this? It would be unacceptable.

On the other side of the library, Wednesday watched you sit back down with another cup of coffee. It had to have been your fifth one of the night, if her counting was correct. Which it was. If you had just accepted her rare offer of help, you wouldn’t be stuck with more coffee than your body could handle.

She watched you as you finished your cup. Watched the way your hands were unusually shaky, causing your handwriting to come out looking worse than Pugsly’s. The way you should shake your head after staring at a page for too long; were you trying to clear the haze of caffeine from your mind?

She waited until you had emptied your cup before walking over to you.

“You need sleep,” Wednesday said. You jumped; it was a good thing your mug was empty.

“Jesus christ, Wednesday,” you huffed. “A warning would’ve been nice.”

“Go home,” she said, leaving absolutely no room for argument.

“I’ll sleep when I’m dead,” you said with a shake of your head.

“Please.”

You looked up at her with furrowed brows, and Wednesday had to bite her tongue to stop herself from taking it back. She knew how you worked; you were a snarky asshole until she asked nicely. If she took it back now, you would go back to being snarky. It was humiliating to have to resort to such niceties, but when you looked like you were on death’s doorstep, she would swallow her pride.

“I’ll sleep after my exam tomorrow morning,” you said with a soft smile. “I promise.”

“Not a moment later.” Wednesday didn’t tell you goodbye as she left the library. She didn’t want you to know that she was concerned for you.

Now she just needed to make sure Enid wasn’t losing her mind about her own midterms.

—---

The exam had been a cakewalk. Not only had you known nearly all of the answers, but you knew the bonus questions too. You were so going to ace it. Okay, maybe you would get a B, but it was still passing! There was a new swagger in your step as you walked out of class and started heading to the cafeteria.

You were going to treat yourself to a nice hot cup of coffee.

“Your dorm is in the other direction.”

Aw man.

You turned around slowly, praying to whatever gods existed that you were just hearing things. But then you saw Wednesday standing behind you, arms crossed over her chest and a look that you had definitely seen far too many times.

“Hello, dearest,” you said with a small smile.

She did not smile back, even though her face was a little twisty. Was she moving around?

“Go get some sleep,” Wednesday demanded. How can someone so short be so bossy?

“I’m just getting myself a little treat,” you said as you gestured your thumb behind you. At least you thought you did. Were things spinning?

“Hey guys!” Enid called, running up to where you were both standing. “How did your exam go?”

“Don’t encourage her.” Wednesday turned her body to face Enid.

They started talking, saying things that you really couldn’t understand. Surely they were still speaking English, right? That was your common language, was it not? So why did they sound so funny? And why was everything spinning? And why was everything going dark? And why-

-you were out cold before you hit the ground.

—---

Whatever you were laying on was extremely comfortable. It was soft and fluffy and warm. Was it heaven? Were you in heaven? Oh god, your mother was right, too much coffee would kill you. You had wasted your last few days on earth studying for a stupid exam that didn’t even matter!

“Don’t even think of moving.”

Oh no. No, you weren’t in heaven, you were in hell and Wednesday Addams was your grim reaper.

The struggle to open your eyes was more intense than Prometheus stealing the fire from Zeus. It was like your eyes were sealed shut and would rather kill you than open. But when they opened and the migraine hit you like a ton of bricks, you understood; they weren’t trying to fight you, they were trying to protect you.

“What happened?” You asked; god, you sounded like you smoked two packs of cigarettes a day.

“You fainted,” Wednesday said. Everything was hazy, but her voice came from your right. “Enid helped me carry you to your room.”

You opened your mouth to argue, but the look you could finally see on Wednesday’s face was enough to shut you up. In the privacy of your room, with no one to see, she looked concerned. It was in the furrow of her brows, the tightly pressed lips, the slightest twitch of her fingers.

Wednesday Addams was concerned.

Without hesitation, you moved over on the bed to make room. She stared at you for a moment until you patted the now-empty spot. There was a hesitancy in her movements, but she finally came and laid down beside you. Her back was to you, but that was okay; you pulled her closer and wrapped an arm around her waist.

“Please sleep,” Wednesday said softly. She would only ever talk this softly to you when she wasn’t looking at your face.

“Only if you sleep with me,” you answered even though you could already feel yourself falling back asleep. “My roommate won’t be back for a few more hours.”

“If she sees us, I’ll kill her,” Wednesday threatened even as she backed up closer to you.

“I would expect nothing less,” you said. You leaned forward and left a small kiss on the back of her neck, and you felt her interlock your fingers before you both fell asleep. You should faint more often if it meant Wednesday would cuddle and sleep with you.

[emberfrostlovesloki]

A for Effort [Hotch x Reader]

Photo credits: Left (Google) (Center (@hotch-girl) Right (@archaic-stranger)

Prompt: A meet-cute of how Aaron met the non-BAU reader at Penelope’s theater improv group show. And how Aaron accompanies the reader to host her Halloween extra-credit horror movie watch and discussion for her students. 

Pairing: Hotch x fem presenting reader. The reader uses she/her pronouns. 

Category: Angst/fluff/comfort 

Word Count: 8.2K 

Content Warnings: Canon typical violence (unsub drugs and beats teenagers, Hotch takes a beating, awkwardness, mention of being cheated on (reader’s boyfriend cheats on her with a best friend), mention of separation, light drinking, unwanted touch (a guy is handsy with the reader), vomit is mentioned (in the context of the film The Exorcist), religious themes, mention of intimacy (sexual touch over the clothes) If I missed any, please let me know. 

A/N: This one is just me having fun. I did give my students extra credit where we watched a horror movie and discussed the elements of the film. I couldn’t help but picture Aaron there with me, so I wrote this. I teach English but I’ve made this story that there could be a plethora of subjects. I really like the meet-cute element of this story. It was fun to write. If you like this story, likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated. Below I have included some cultural definitions for my international readers. If you’re from the States, especially the South and you know what dance halls and cotilion are, then feel free to skip this. I just want to make sure my readers feel included. Please know I am not good at line dancing or swing dancing - I do ballet to this is not my personal dance style. Lastly, before I sign off, you can vote for the next Aaron story you want from me at this post (linked). I hope you have a great night - Love Levi

Definitions

Dance Hall: An enclosed space with a dance floor, a stage for live music, and a bar (normally). The space is pretty age-inclusive and most music is country. Couples and singles come and often mix and match partners. Some people go to show off their skills here. The dances are normally line dances or swing dancing which relies a lot on improv. The lighting is normally dimmed, though not as much as at a nightclub. 

Cotillion: Essentially manners class. These can be after school or on the weekends. It’s associated with the debutant circle and court. 

List with all stories 

_y/n_ = your name 

_l/n_ = your last name

_y/l/g/s_ = your local grocery store 

_y/e/c_ = your eye color. 

_y/f/a(s)/s_ = your favorite art (or science) subject - aka English, film, art, psychology, etc. 

_y/u_ = your university 

_y/s’s/d’s/b_ = your subject’s department’s building 

Aaron sat down in the second to last folding chair with a very small grunt. The sound was so quiet that Spencer, who was on his right side, didn’t even notice that he had made it. The last case had seen Hotch tracking down a stalker who was preying on teenage girls, drugging and beating them severely before dumping their bodies on the steps of their parent's houses to be found the next morning. Aaron had experienced the strength of the forty-seven-year-old unsub as they had sprinted down an alleyway. The team had gotten to the fifth victim just in time. With Rossi, Spencer, and Emily taking care of the teen, Aaron and Morgan gave chase on foot. When both met a crossroads, each took a path. Aaron took the sidewalk to the left. Using all of his strength, Hotch had been able to catch up to the unsub. When they reached a dead end, the power balance changed. The unsub, Kevin Leery, realized his only means of escape was fighting his way out. The man quickly turned before Aaron, who was now pretty winded from all the running, could pull his sidearm. Hotch had been victorious, though, by the state of his aching body, he might not say so. Rossi had called the paramedics for him. The medics assured Rossi and the team, more than himself, that he would be fine in a few days. That there were no broken bones, just some bruised ribs, and a pretty battered left hand. Aaron’s attention shifted as there seemed to be movement behind the small curtain that was waiting to be raised. Hotch was glad for this distraction. He needed his mind on other things than his body. When Garcia had taken up improv as a hobby, the whole team was on board. Especially Morgan. Derek, at least twice a week would say, “Now Babygirl, when do we get to see a performance?” Penelope would blush and say, “When we’re ready. You can’t rush talent, and the whole troupe is still getting everyone else's vibe.” Aaron would give a small smile that he tried to hide when he overheard these conversations. Improv felt like the perfect art for his technical analyst. When the first performance was announced, Garcia printed fliers and invited the whole team to come and watch the show and then grab dinner afterward. Everyone had joyfully agreed. Aaron had marked the date on his personal calendar over a month out. He ensured that Jack could be at Hailey’s that day. The anticipation grew as the one-night performance loomed. Garcia had said a few things about breaking the fourth wall and audience participation. Hotch was sure that whoever was picked wouldn’t be him. Garcia knew him too well to let that happen. Part of him wanted whoever was making that choice pick to Derek. He thought it would be fun to see his friend on stage attempting to play an act. And Aaron knew that Morgan was easy-going enough to play along with whatever the group had him do. 

Aaron’s thoughts were pulled from the curtain and any movement that may or may not be going on behind it as someone tapped his shoulder and asked, “Sorry is this seat taken?” Hotch’s eyes snapped to the woman who was standing in the small aisle of the tiny theater the improv group had rented out for the evening. Aaron’s gaze looked into the inquisitive face of the stranger, and he said, “Yes, I mean no, No it’s not. Feel free to sit here. Sorry.” Hotch wasn’t sure why he was being stuttery all of a sudden. Most of it was probably because the woman who was now settling into the chair very close to his was incredibly beautiful. However, what Hotch told himself was that this mystery woman was holding flowers and he wasn’t. Hotch stopped himself from face-palming. He had forgotten to bring flowers for Penelope. He would profusely apologize after and then pay whatever amount he needed to get a florist to drop off an arraignment when he got back home. The woman next to him with some trepidation given his recent slip. She made one final shift, as she set her purse and the flowers on the ground in front of her and pulled out the program for the two-act play. While doing this, she inadvertently brushed her thigh up against his. Aaron felt a rush through his body at the contact. Very quietly the woman said, “Sorry.” Hotch looked over, and she was looking at him as if she was making sure he was alright for the unintended contact. Hotch gave a small nod and said, “Don’t worry about it.” After the contact, the person sitting next to him seemed to be the only thing he could focus on. She had pulled her legs and body tight into the chair, to not touch him again. The light scent of her perfume washed over him with her body heat. They were just an inch or two apart, and Hotch couldn’t help but observe her as she flipped through the program with an interest. To not seem weird or be caught staring, Aaron looked to his right at the team. If Spencer had noticed his odd behavior, the boy-wonder wasn’t letting on. But when Hotch’s eyes moved one chair over, Rossi looked at him with eyebrows raised. This time Aaron couldn't stifle the sigh that he let out at seeing Dave’s expression. His best friend on the team was always on to him about lighting up. About living a little. Aaron always rebuffed these comments. He thought he lived plenty -- and nearly died in the field more than that. All of these conversations, stated or unstated, had started a respectful time after Hailey had left him. Hotch was sure Rossi, and the whole team had seen that his marriage had been crumbling as much as he did. Maybe they saw it before he did. If they had, they didn’t say anything about it apart from Dave, and one very kind comment from Emily. Prentiss had asked him one day late in the office, “Are you alright, Aaron?” It was a hypothetical question, and he replied, “I think I am. Thank you for asking, Em.” They had left it at that. Aaron still thought about that comment sometimes. There was a small movement from the companion to his left like they had heard his sigh and stilled their movements because of it. Aaron willed himself to not look back at the woman. Thankfully the lights dimmed and the curtain raised. 

The play was about a man who worked at an office and was slowly losing his mind. The program said the idea was loosely based on the short story, “Bartleby the Scrivener” by Melville. Garcia played the perky secretary who was always badgering the lead about this private life. The play was funny. The dynamic between the actors was natural as they riffed off each other and the confines of the small narrative being built between them. As the first act ramped to conflict with the lead, a youthful-looking man with a mustache broke the fourth wall and said, “But Maddison," which was Penelope’s character’s name, "there’s something I haven’t told you. I have a fiance! And they’re in the room with us” The small crowd in the room all took an intake of breath at the revelation. Suddenly everyone in the small assembled crowd looked at each other. Penelope said, “Well get her up here this instant! I’ve got to meet her. She must be mental if she’s in love with you.” There was a second that with bated horror, that Aaron thought the lead was going to point at him. But the man’s pointer finger pointed at the woman sitting next to him. All eyes turned to her. Aaron could see her deflate a tiny bit. As the man on stage said, “Come up here, beloved. Come and meet the source of my madness.” The woman got up and as she moved toward the stage, he guessed that the protagonist hadn’t informed her beforehand that this would be happening. In the back of his mind, Aaron thought, “What a dick move.” The man helped the woman up onto the stage. She was wearing a skirt, and she was more careful that she didn’t flash anyone as she was hoisted up on the stage than the man helping her upward. At seeing this, something small in Aaron twitched up comfortably. When the woman was on stage, Penelope rushed forward and hugged the woman. Aaron could see that Pen had also seen what he had. Hotch could see in Garcia’s embrace both an act and a real gesture of comfort. Garcia pulled back and asked, “So, you’re cooped up with this old bat all hours of the day and night? How are you coping with that?” There was a tense silence while the audience waited for the woman to respond. The lead moved toward the woman, and his right hand found purchase on her lower back. The woman seemed to lean into the touch. Aaron immediately assumed that the two were a couple. It would make sense if the mustache man had picked her. The silence persisted. It lay heavy over the crowd. It became awkward as the woman looked at the man and the audience. Her eyes shone with anxiety. Finally, the man said, “Have nothing to say about me, darling?” At this, finally, the woman said, looking directly, intently at the man, “Oh sweetness, I could go on and on, and on about you. I just don’t think your friend would like what I have to say.” As soon as that line was uttered, the curtain fell, signaling the short intermission. 

The crowd cheered and applauded as the cast and the woman were veiled. Aaron could hear Emily and JJ, and Derek and Rossi’s conversations about the show so far. They sounded so happy. As Hotch offered a comment to Spencer about the intricacies of Melville’s writing and how it related to the performance, he couldn’t help but think how the woman, when giving her one line had been acting as well. But some small part of her tone had indicated that it wasn’t all an act. That fact gnawed at Aaron like a dog on a bone. The intermission was short, only about fifteen minutes long. As the minutes ticked by, Hotch waited for the woman to return to her seat. After what felt like an eternally long ten minutes, she reappeared and moved down the row to her seat. Hotch offered her a hand as she steeped with high heels around her purse, program, and flowers to take her seat. Aaron looked at her closely as she sat. It was clear to Aaron that she was less joyful than she had been before the show had started. The woman’s makeup was smudged a bit, and he wondered if she had been crying during the brief break. When she was seated, Hotch removed his hand and the woman, very quietly said, ‘Thank you.” Aaron nodded and replied, “Of course.” The man had mentioned engagement on stage, and he couldn’t help himself from looking for a ring on her left hand. He found none. His wedding ring sat heavy in a box on his bedside table, reminding him of his personal shortcomings. For one tiny moment, his heart ached for his woman. Whatever it was she was going through. Aaron rarely allowed himself to have these extraneous emotions, but in the here and now, he couldn’t seem to stop them. The repetition of the lights dimming and the curtain raising once more stopped any further thoughts on the matter. The second half of the play was as funny as the first as the lead slowly lost his sanity and refused to leave the office, even under the direct order of his boss. Subliminally, Aaron felt called out at that element of the storyline. When the play ended there was thunderous applause and a standing ovation was given to the cast. Everyone slowly filtered out of the room and Hotch noticed as the woman moved to the front of the stage and kissed the lead on the mouth, handing her flowers over to him. Aaron turned his head away at the moment of intimacy between the couple. Something about what had happened during the play didn’t sit right with him, but who was he to comment on relationships? 

At the dinner after the show, Pen was showered with the praise she deserved. When things had quieted down, Aaron had over-apologized about not bringing flowers, and Garcia had wholly forgiven him. He asked in a more subdued voice, “So the lead, Richard, he chose who in the audience got called up on stage?” Hotch tried to sound nonchalant but wasn’t sure if he was being convincing. Garcia didn’t seem to notice, and replied, “Yeah. He called his girlfriend, obviously. I’ve had a few conversations with _y/n_ before and after rehearsals. She’s really sweet, and too good for Rich if I’m being honest. I don’t think she appreciated being called out like that.” Aaron nodded as a few more pieces seemed to click into place in his mind. The night wound down, and Hotch managed to get some flowers to Penelope around midnight. It might have cost him $83.75, but it was worth it to get Pen’s text, with a picture attached of the bouquet thanking him profusely. Pen included every flower emoji available in the message. As Aaron got ready to sleep, his thoughts shifted to the woman. He thought back to Garcia’s comments and remembered her name: _y/n_. As he drifted into sleep, he hoped that she was alright. She was happy. 

Neither _y/n_or Aaron expected to see the other ever again. But they did a month later. Hotch was doing his weekly grocery shopping at _y/l/g/s_. The person in front of him in line for the check-out had a scant four items on the conveyor belt. The items were a bottle of wine, some strawberries, a bar of 75% dark chocolate, and a dozen pink roses. Hotch sighed softly and thought, ‘At least someone’s having a good time tonight.’ As the woman who looked oddly familiar to him got to the cashier, they rifled through her purse to find their credit card. She softly said, “Shit.” The cashier told her her total of $25.47. The woman said, “I’m sorry I forgot my wallet in my office. Please just put everything back. Sorry for the inconvenience.” At hearing the woman speak, Aaron recognized the voice of the woman who had sat next to him at Penelope’s performance. The woman seemed to be ready to leave, but Aaron stopped her and said, “I’ve got it.” The woman looked over at him and recognized him immediately. _y/n_, “Oh, No. You don’t have to do that.” Hotch gave her a reassuring smile and replied, “Really, it’s no problem.” He added, “You did very good while onstage by the way. You handled it with grace.” The woman flushed. She said a soft, “Thanks.” After a second, she extended her hand and said, “y/n_, _l/n_.” Aaron took her hand and replied, “Aaron, Hotchner.” _y/n_’s palm was warm in his hand. Lost in the moment, and the woman’s eyes. Hotch asked, “Date night?” At hearing this, _y/n_ seemed to cringe a little bit, and he wondered what he had said wrong. From the small assortment of things _y/n_ was attempting to buy, date night seemed to check out. Date night with Rich, as Pen had said last month. Hotch stopped from sighing at the idea. The woman replied a beat later, “It’s a pity party, actually.” Hearing this, Aaron’s eyes furrowed. _y/n_ quickly clarified, “Let me reframe that in a more positive light. I am taking myself on a date.” There was an awkward silence after that statement and a more awkward cough from the cashier. Aaron stepped up and pulled his card from his wallet in the back left pocket of his jeans. Once he had paid for _y/n_’s groceries, the cashier started scanning his items. The young employee had started to put his groceries in the same bag as _y/n_’s items. Aaron thought about saying something, but he stopped himself. The young man working the till seemed flustered, and he didn’t want to add to the man’s distress. It would be okay if he paid for both groceries and their groceries, and then he could separate _y/n_’s items from his own. _y/n_ stood nearby, tentatively. Once Aaron had paid for his things he grabbed another plastic bag. He shifted through his own items to find _y/n_’s. As he put the four products into the new bag, he had to ask, “‘Pity party?’” Hotch missed the large flush and look of shame on _y/n_’s face as she said candidly, “My boyfriend, ex-boyfriend.. Rich. He kinda cheated on me with my best friend. It’s a whole thing.” Hotch couldn’t help himself from cringing at her honesty. At how painful that must have been for _y/n_. All that Aaron’s brain could supply was a soft, “I’m sorry? I didn’t mean to pry into your personal life.” _y/n_ shrugged her shoulders and said, “I mean, all of my friends and colleagues know. I don’t know why it would be much worse with you in the loop too. Plus you bought me my stuff and I appreciate that.” Aaron flushed again saying, “It’s really nothing given the circumstances.” He held his tongue after that. He had already said too much. Hotch couldn’t figure out where his brain went when he was near _y/n_, but it wasn’t his normal calm and composed self, that’s for sure.

Aaron let _y/n_ go to her car to not hold her up from her ‘date night.’ The recesses of Hotch’s brain wished he could get in the car with _y/n_ and join her in whatever activities she had planned for herself that evening. Hotch reprimanded himself for the thought. _y/n_ had just experienced a real pain, a hurt to the soul, and here he was longing after her like a puppy looking for some attention. For a pat on the back. Using more effort than he wished he had to, Aaron let the moment, the feelings for _y/n_ go. He had to for his well-being. He was certain that it was just fate that he and _y/n_ had bumped into each other twice. As Aaron drove back to his place and unloaded his groceries into his fridge, he found the receipt from the store. The four items from _y/n_ stood out at the top of the waxy paper. Again, he let all of those emotions, which he refused to address, go. Aaron fiddled with the buttons on his shirt and then took off his pants, as he moved into his bedroom. He decided to take a shower to clear his thoughts. Maybe to get another kind of relief that he had been missing since Hailey’s departure. Under the cascade of warm water, Aaron let go with his body and, as he began to dry his form with a warm towel, he cleansed his mind of impure thoughts. He wanted to sleep with an empty mind. One that wouldn’t make him feel guilty. As he drifted off, Hotch hoped _y/n_ had also found some kind of release that night. 

Another month and a half passed before they had their third meeting. It had been the worst team bonding training of all time. The presenter had cheery slides and made high-school-level references to trust and honesty between team members and cohorts. JJ, Rossi, and Morgan had all looked at him with clear disbelief at what they were being subjected to in the hour-long training. When the presenter mentioned something about a trust fall, Aaron almost lost his cool. He could deal with many things, the long hours, the gore he saw weekly, the stress of leading the team, and his eyestrain, but he drew the line at being forced to endure this. He looked over his team with eyebrows drawn taught. When he looked at Garcia she was laughing unabashedly. The presenter was looking at Penelope unsure of himself. Aaron shot Garcia a look that said, “Please, stop now,” even though he wanted to join in on the hilarity of the situation. Once the team had been released from the presenter’s lecture, Hotch gathered the team and said, “Well I promise you all, that…” He gesticulated with his hands, demonstrating, that training, “will never happen again. If you want some real team bonding let's go to that dance hall Emily keeps trying to get us to go to tonight.” Hearing this Prentiss flushed, but she had been saying that it was a really good time and it was. Emily had had a few great evenings at the new dance hall. After a moment of silence, Rossi said, “Here, here. I for one need a stiff drink after whatever that was.” The whole team seemed to relax after this. At eight-thirty, the team arrived at the venue. The space was large and the lot was full for a Tuesday evening. Everyone had changed except Aaron, who had come straight from the office. He had ditched his jacket in the trunk of his car. His suggestion had been an attempt to take Rossi’s advice to lighten up. As soon as he entered the crowded space, he realized that he had miscalculated. Everyone on the floor, those seated at the benches and tables on the sidelines, and those getting drinks at the bar were dressed very casually. His slacks and loafers didn’t belong here. As a way to deflect from making him the odd man out, Aaron offered to get the first round of drinks. As he got the orders from the team, he moved to the bar, and some of the BAU members, Emily, JJ, and Morgan, found partners and moved to the wooden dance floor. With a slew of drinks in tow. Hotch moved back to his friends and colleagues. Rossi, Penelope, and Spencer took a few sips, as they watched the dancers move to the country music. Aaron knew that this was mostly a Southern culture thing, but he understood that dancing was a universal pleasure, even if he wasn’t particularly good at it. His mother had signed him up for cotillion classes in high school and he reluctantly went every week for a month. His mom had wanted him to grow up the perfect gentleman, and even though he maybe hadn’t picked up all the dance moves, he thought he succeeded pretty well at the rest of it. 

As the songs changed there seemed to be some excitement at the center of the floor. A couple was dancing with skill and the other dancers gave them room to improvise their steps and tricks. It was showing off for showing off’s sake. As Aaron looked over the pair on the floor he recognized the woman as _y/n_ from the play and the store. His eyes widened and Hotch looked at Penelope who was also watching _y/n_ with rapt wonder. Aaron turned his eyes back to the floor and the woman was pushed, pulled, dipped, and raised in a multitude of ways and speeds. As _y/n_ was raised in the air, supported by strong arms on her hips, a few cheers came from the crowd and fellow dancers. The woman even waved her hand in acknowledgment of the praise. Uplifted and in the spinning lights, she looked so happy, like she didn’t have a care in the world. Unlike her time on stage, she looked like she belonged up there, floating on air. Hotch felt himself flush all over and he looked away for a second. Rossi watched Aaron’s reaction with more than a little interest. After the song was over there was a small bit of applause at the skill put on display for the crowd. The talented man that had been dancing with _y/n_ kissed her on the cheek chastely. From what Aaron could see, the two were just friends or maybe dance partners, but not much more. Of course, he couldn’t hear what _y/n_ said to him, but as she turned toward Hotch’s group, there were no signs of arousal in her face or body, just unabated joy. Aaron hadn’t seen her this happy before, and he flushed again. Aaron internally told himself to ‘get a grip.' _y/n_ walked toward their table, not noticing them yet.

As she got closer Penelope called out for her saying, “Hey _y/n_, what a surprise to see you here!” The woman looked up and spotted Garcia and beamed. _y/n_ quickly moved over to the huddle of FBI agents and said, “Heya, Pen. What are you doing here?” _y/n_ looked over Rossi, Spencer, and then at Hotch. Her eyes grew a bit wider at seeing him and she said, “And you…” It took her a moment to remember Aaron’s name. When it came to her, she continued, “Aaron.” _y/n_ looked between Garcia and Hotch and asked, “Y’all know each other?” Penelope, ever the enthusiastic conversationalist said, “We all work together. This is my team.” Garica pointed to each of them saying their names. Spencer smiled at _y/n_ when his name was mentioned and Rossi shook her hand warmly. As Aaron’s name came up, _y/n_ gave a soft smile and she said, “It’s nice to see you again, Aaron.” He swallowed and said, “It’s nice to see you too.” And it was nice. To see her so radiant made him feel good. _y/n_, Garcia, and Rossi talked a bit about her dancing abilities and she seemed to shy away from her talent. Garcia couldn’t help herself and asked, “Did you ever take Richard here?” Hotch froze for a moment, unsure if Garcia was aware of the breakup. _y/n_’s soft snort made him feel better as she said, “Are you kidding me? He refused to come because I was better than him at dancing and other people wanted to interact with me. All four pairs of eyes were on her as _y/n_ shared some of her personal life with them. For a team of highly skilled profilers, having someone be so open was a bit strange. Penelope helped cut the feeling and said, “Of course he wouldn’t. The man really needs to get over his own ego. He complained about you and whined for a mouth at least during practice. He still talks about it. Honestly, he’s pathetic.” Garcia saying this had _y/n_ laughing and replied, “Tell me about it. I wished I’d seen it sooner, but c’est la vie I guess.” Penelope nodded along, and after a moment _y/n_ said, “Well I’m going to grab a drink at the bar, but I’ll swing by later if you’re still around. It was nice to see some of you again, and to meet you, Dr. Reid and Dave.” The team all said some form of “see you later,” as she moved away from them. As she passed Hotch, he gave her one of his rare smiles, or more like she had drawn the smile from him. Again Rossi noticed. 

Three songs later _y/n_ was back on the dance floor with a much less skilled dancer. The man had his hands all over _y/n_ after the first minute of music and _y/n_ was constantly moving his hands up, or stopping them from moving lower. She had said twice and to “cut it out” but the man was not listening to her. Hotch and Rossi watched as it happened. Both men felt uncomfortable with what was happening. After another minute, _y/n_ pulled back and away from the man, telling him off. Her face was set in a more sour look as she moved to the sidelines and away from her temporary partner. The man sought to follow her, but Hotch was out of his seat as he watched the situation unfold before him. Rossi breathed a sigh of relief as his friend did this because he was about to do the same and he felt that _y/n_ might be a bit more comfortable with Aaron than himself. Hotch cut the man off from moving any closer to _y/n_ and said with a clear, firm, and determined voice, “Out. Now.” The man didn’t argue and Aaron wasn’t sure if it was his fancy dress or the look on his face, but either way, the man left. Hotch followed him with a searing glare until he left the establishment. Once the guy was gone, he turned to _y/n_ she looked at him with half awe half admiration. He couldn’t pinpoint the second emotion, but it wasn’t negative and that’s what mattered to him. He took two steps closer, getting close to her. He leaned down a bit and asked, “_y/n_, are you alright?” When he looked at her this closely he could see a warmth in her _y/e/c_ eyes. She nodded and said, “I’ll be fine. Unfortunately, that kind of behavior can be par for the course here. Asking total strangers for a dance means not all of them are fantastic people.” Hotch nodded, saying, “Well it still doesn’t make it right.” _y/n_ felt her breath hitch a bit as he said this. He said it with sincerity like he really meant it. _y/n_ had seen plenty of guys try to defend her honor or other cliches like that just to go and disrespect her themselves. She didn’t sense that at all in the tall man standing in front of her. _y/n_ was also impressed with his commanding presence. It had only taken two words to make the man flee the scene. Two. Words. She wondered what else he could do with his voice alone. _y/n_ flushed and looked to the floor for a second. The fact didn’t pass Aaron by. After a second, _y/n_ looked up at him and said, “Can I pay you back for your help with a drink or a dance? I haven’t seen you out on the floor yet. I’d be happy to partner with you if you like?” Hotch shifted a little, suddenly a bit embarrassed. He didn’t feel like another drink. He normally stuck to one or two, and he’d already had a second beer. He wanted to dance with _y/n_ but his two left feet didn’t seem too convinced that he could cut it with someone as skilled as _y/n_. _y/n_ could see his hesitation and said, “I can lead if you like. We can do just real easy steps.” Aaron looked at her and saw that she wouldn’t be embarrassed with him. She genuinely wanted to be with him like that. Hotch flushed again, more lightly this time, and he said, “Alright, I’ll do my best to not trip over my own feet.” _y/n_ chuckled as they took his hand and led him to a quieter part of the floor. A bit away from the team, which Hotch was grateful for; though he was sure the team was probably watching him. He didn’t blame them, he’d watch too if he could. 

The dance went well. _y/n_ turned out to be a skilled instructor for him. He did try very hard to follow the steps and let _y/n_ improv off his lacking moves. At one point _y/n_ even let him do a little spin, which was very awkward given how much taller he was than her. He had to let go of her hand to make the 360-degree rotation. They had both laughed good-naturedly at how silly it was. When he was being treated like this, Aaron didn’t mind not having control. After another song, the music took a sudden change from country and swing to slow sensual music. _y/n_ let his hands go and took a step back. Aaron looked around, not sure why there had been such a dramatic change. People were slow dancing now and he looked to _y/n_ for clarity. _y/n_ gave him a gentle smile and said, “The last hour is always slow music so those who don’t like swing dancing or line dancing get a turn. I think it’s nice. Inclusive in a way. Aaron nodded and said, “Oh.” He stood still for a moment. He looked to the ground for an instant wondering how he was going to ask if she wanted to continue to dance. Because he did want to keep dancing with her. When he looked up, she was looking at him. _y/n_ was biting down lightly on the inside of her cheek. She couldn’t see that her pupils were blown wide with desire. Her fingers were tapping against her leg lightly. _y/n_ wanted Aaron’s hands back in hers. Or behind her back while her arms rested on his shoulders. She wanted to be inexplicably close to him at that moment. Hotch didn’t say anything, didn’t need to say anything as he bridged the gap between them. His hands found purchase on her hips and _y/n_’s hand moved up to his shoulders. His hands glided over his chest softly. Aaron closed his eyes, and they both moved on instinct. With what was comfortable for them. _y/n_ melted into his touch, and his large hands gently landed on her body. They were warm and held her firmly like he was afraid that she might slip away if he let go. _y/n_ would be happy to reassure him that she would likely follow him to the ends of the earth even though she had only met him three times before. Aaron’s cologne smelled of rye and spruce, but it wasn’t the overpowering stuff teens and insecure men used with a heavy hand. This was refined. Elevated. It took a lot of what she had in her to not rest her head on his chest and take a deep breath. After two more songs, Aaron looked down at her and she seemed so at peace with him holding her close. And for the first time in a very long time, he leaped before he looked, as he leaned down further. He was slow, giving _y/n_ time to stop him, but she didn’t. Instead, she tipped her head up to meet his lips. The kiss was soft, respectful of how new and potentially strange this was, but neither could deny that the feeling was blissful. Hotch didn’t even care that JJ, Garcia, and Emily all had their mouths open in pure shock at his actions. 

_y/n_ and Aaron’s relationship moved at a normal pace. As much as they had both been drawn to each other the night they had first kissed, both parties wanted to give the other space. To make sure things were comfortable and natural. _y/n_ wasn’t the type to commit to anything without fulling thinking and feeling it out. Aaron was the same for obvious reasons. But they had found a love and care between them, along with a passion that _y/n_ and Hotch had pretty much expected given the events the night at the dance hall. They both learned about each other, their jobs, and the intricacies of their lives. And after all that _y/n_ still wanted him, and Aaron was amazed at how nice it was to have someone steady to lean on. To care for while he wasn’t working. Someone had loved him back as intensely. As it turned out _y/n_ lectured _y/f/a(s)/s_ at _y/u_. And because of this, he was driving toward the university campus in _y/n_’s car with her in the passenger seat. They were chatting about his day in the office. Aaron was recounting some stories of Reid’s and _y/n_ listened with rapt attention. Hotch was being careful with his driving as it was near the college, which meant freshman with cars they hardly needed, and those partying a little too hard on Halloween night. They got onto campus proper and _y/n_ directed him to the parking lot. He had asked her if she wanted to take his car and she had reminded him that she had the faculty sticker on her windshield and he didn’t. She teased, “I don’t even think your FBI ID would persuade parking services. They are relentless in their mission.” Hotch had laughed at this and she warmed at hearing it. Aaron’s laugh sounded like a river running over smooth stones to her. It was gentle and mellow. Once they had parked, the pair moved to the _y/s’s/d’s/b_. The doors were still open given that some grad classes were still being held. 

Three weeks ago Aaron had asked her if she was doing anything on Halloween and if she wanted to spend the evening with him. As _y/n_ listened to his question, she sighed and said, “I’m holding an extra credit opportunity for my students. We’re watching The Exorcist and then discussing it, but being with you sounds so nice. You could sit with me while we watch it and then hang out at my place after? That is if you don’t have Jack of course. Let’s not terrorize him so early on.” Hotch let out a breathy laugh and said, “Jack’s going to be with Hailey at some school trunk or treat event and he’s staying at her place to sleep off the sugar high. You’d let me sit in with you? In front of your students?” _y/n_ let out a little breath. She hadn’t expected him to say yes. She replied quickly, happily, “Of course I would! I mean most of my students know I have a partner, they might as well see you. And you can tell off students trying to canoodle while Regan gets possessed as have my eyes tightly shut.” Hotch chuckled and said, “Well I’ll leave the disciplining up to you, but I’m happy to be moral support and to calm your fear.” So they made the plans now they were walking the mostly empty hallways and up to the third floor. _y/n_ beeped into the faculty work room to print out the sign-in sheet and a guide for the most scary parts of the film for those who were like her; a scardey cat. As she moved into the small space and logged in to the computer, Aaron leaned against the door frame, filling the space. As the copies printed, she looked up at him and said, “I wish you’d follow me around all the time when I work. You could be a ghost haunting me.” Aaron smiled and said, “If I followed you around you’d soon learn that I’d fail your class. And we can’t have that, now can we?” The copies finished and _y/n_ grabbed them saying, “I’ve seen your writing, Aaron you are more than competent.” Hotch moved out of the way and his hand found hers as they moved to the lecture hall. _y/n_ had reserved the space because she expected a good turnout, the screen was large, and the audio system was reliable. _y/n_ asked Hotch to prop open the door with a chair. While he did this, she moved to the technology at the front of the room to the left of the lectern. _y/n_ signed into her Amazon and pulled up the film, checking the audio levels and turning on the closed captions for those who might need them. Aaron moved to _y/n_ and offered to take her purse for her. She smiled and nodded and he moved to the back of the room. He sat down near the center of the row. He called out across the space, “This good?” _y/n_ nodded and said back in a clear voice that carried in the space, “Perfect sweetheart.” 

_y/n_ continued to stand at the front of the room and after another minute or so some students started to ramble in. _y/n_ instructed them to sign in on the sheet near the door. Many of the students had brought friends, roommates, boyfriends, or girlfriends along for moral support, or to laugh at the scary bits. _y/n_ had some casual conversations with some of the students and Aaron watched on with admiration. It was clear to him that _y/n_ had a connection with these young adults trying to figure life out for the first time. A few of the students noticed Aaron sitting at the back of the room, but none of them said anything to him or sat near him. It finally hit 7:30 p.m., and _y/n_ said, “Alright everyone, thanks for coming out. Let’s get going with the movie so you can all go out to the square or you’re older friends’s parties I’m not going to hear about on Thursday. Remember we’re paying attention so we can answer questions after.” Hearing this, the kids let out some laughs and chuckles. _y/n_ nearly forgot about the guides and said quickly, “Does anyone want a sheet with timestamps for the scares? Any other wimps out there like me?” There was silence and _y/n_ laughed at herself and said, “Alright guys, but don’t blame me when you have bad dreams tonight.” With that, _y/n_ started the film and moved to the door. She removed the chair and switched off the lights so the only light remaining was the two glowing exit signs on either side of the room. _y/n_ moved back to him and took a seat on his left side. It was dark and they were in the back, so she slipped her hand into his He gave it a gentle squeeze. True to her word, _y/n_ did close her eyes during some of the more difficult points of the movie. Now and then there would be some quiet chatter from the students. Some got up and opened the door to use the restroom. One student made it back to them to say they wanted to leave early to “go to their dorm.” _y/n_ smiled at the girl and said, “Okay, just make sure you’re signed in.” The teen nodded and said, “Thanks. See you Thursday.” At the end of the film, as Father Karras passes away, Hotch looks over _y/n_’s face. Her eyes were a bit misty. She had warned him that she got emotional at the end. She had looped him in because she didn’t want him to worry that she was so scared that she was crying, or crying for some other unknown reasons. As the credit started rolling, _y/n_ wiped her eyes and she moved to the front of the room.

She paused the movie and said, “Alright everyone, shield your eyes, the lights are coming back on.” Once the lights were on and everyone could see again, _y/n_ moved to the side of the lectern and leaned against it. She started by saying, “I’m going to make this quick because I’m sure there are places you want to be that aren’t here, and because I’m tired.” Hotch half knew that she wanted to be with him too, and it made him smile. _y/n_ asked, “So, what’s the tone of the film?” There was a brief silence, but then a young man said, “It’s camp.” That got a laugh from everyone and then opened the door for the class to bounce some ideas off each other. They spoke about theme and religion, and whether Regan or Chris acted as the final girl. They talked about Father Karra’s characterization and story arc. _y/n_ helped lead the conversation,  but let her students talk and express their views. She asked, “So we’ve read the novel and seen the film and talked about the religious symbolism and overtones. So tell me what in the film is transubstantiated?” At this, there was a lingering silence. One girl offered, “Regan’s vomit?” _y/n_ chuckled and said, “Close, anyone else?” Aaron couldn’t help himself, because he also wanted to know the answer, so he said, “Is it Regan herself?” His comment reverberated to the front and twenty-one pairs of eyes turned to him. Hotch felt called out, but _y/n_ pulled the the student’s attention back to her by saying, “Yes very good. Now I can’t claim anything about authorial intent, but in my opinion, Regan is transubstantiation a literal transformation of her body and blood.” 

_y/n_ quickly wrapped up the extra credit after that. A few minutes later Hotch and _y/n_ were back outside and headed to her car. They had stopped her her office for her to pick up a stack of papers that needed to be graded. Aaron smiled when he saw a picture of him and Jack pinned to the wall next to her degree. He leaned down and kissed her gently. As they pulled back, he said, “I love you, _y/n_.” _y/n_ hummed happily back at him. In the cold night, they moved across the campus grounds. It was dark and Aaron wrapped an arm around _y/n_’s waist, pulling her close to him. They passed by one of the emergency stations which looked to be broken. He looked down to _y/n_ and asked, “You keep a taser on you when you’re here at night, right?” _y/n_ looked up at him and said, “I carry pepper spray. I haven’t gotten a taser yet, but I will.” Hotch nodded as they walked into the parking garage. Aaron had done loads of research about the safety of the university once _y/n_ had told him where they worked. He had seen too many cases on college campuses to not be concerned for _y/n_’s safety. When they got back to the car, Aaron opened the door for _y/n_. She settled in and he moved to his seat. He turned on the heater and they cruised out onto the street. They talked a bit about the film, and Aaron asked why she cried at the end. What it meant to her. _y/n_ did her best to explain the real love and sacrifice Karras made to save Regan. How seeing Pazuzu restored his faith. _y/n_ made sure to clarify, “Even if a person doesn’t have faith, or that type of faith, I think pretty much anyone can see that he was finally at peace at the end.” Aaron nodded along, listening to her intently. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Hotch asked, “So, how did I do Prof? Was my answer to your question actually right?” _y/n_ chuckled and said “I think you were right. Regan’s transformation was literal and it was the answer I was hoping for.” She looked over Aaron, his face lit by the streetlamps and dashboard. He was so beautiful to her and she added, “I give you an A for effort.” Hotch smiled at her comments, saying, “I’m happy to help. And hey, an A. You’ll make a good student of me yet.” 

When they got to her place, they moved to the front door and _y/n_ pulled her keys from her purse and let them in. The bowl she had left out that had been filled with candy was now running low, and even though it was late, there weren’t going to be many more kids. _y/n_ moved to the counter and dumped more candy into the container. With that done, she locked the door behind her. Aaron and _y/n_ moved to her room and kicked off their shoes and socks. They changed into comfy clothes before crawling into bed. Three months into their relationship, they both kept a few pairs of clothes in the other’s space. In the bed, they were next to each other, the back of _y/n_’s head resting on his chest, her body positioned between his opened legs. Hotch’s hands moved over her chest and torso before moving lower slowly. He watched _y/n_ in the soft light of her lamps. Seeing her like this, seeing her care for her students, and for him made him nuzzle his face in her hair. It smelled of vanilla. As Aaron’s hand moved to a more intimate place, _y/n_’s intake of breath told him that she enjoyed what he was doing. She had told him many, many times that he was skilled in that area. The thought of her praise had him excited in his pants. Hotch asked in a low voice, full of desire, “Do you think I can get something more for my insightful comments than a hypothetic A?” _y/n_ squirmed a bit with pleasure before moving out between his legs. She moved to face him and kneeled in front of him. As her hand started moving over him and he let out a groan, she said, “For you Aaron, I’d do anything.”

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[mooncaps]

I do enjoy being pandered to with nostalgic imagery, but it also would've been neat to get something brand new.

What an absolute delight to see Hotaru happy after all these years of grim duty and tragedy.

More nostalgia.

Okay, I think I ship this. Unless they're supposed to be siblings, but they seem extra cuddly. I feel like I rarely know in this franchise when the cousins are actually lesbians and when the devoted and emotionally intimate men really are brothers even in the original. The 90's dub left lasting doubt in me.

This affected me a bit.

This also stirred something in me, which caught me by surprise.

And this affected me a lot.

If I'm being honest, I don't think my deepest heart is truly awake enough to fully appreciate this, but I definitely enjoyed it.

I'm probably gonna need repeat viewings, supplemental materials, and meta analysis to fully understand all of the details. The time travel seems to be a confusing mix of Back to the Future rules and Trunks rules.

I'm thankful that the story was able to be finished at all, but I still would've preferred seasons over movies. There's something to be said for that time spent between episodes, dangling on a cliffhanger, hyping and theorizing about what's to come, as well as for the time spent falling in love with the character and transformation music as it repeats each week.

Yasuharu Takanashi has definitely left a lasting impression on me. I caught half an episode of Boruto that my mom and step-dad were watching and immediately both recognized his style and enjoyed the score. And I definitely loved his work in Cosmos, even though I'm realizing that having time to sit with the music between episodes and hear certain themes repeat lets me savor the flavor even more.

Then there's also the time to let story beats breathe and the time to let characters make more of an impression.

It's been about ten years of hoping to see the missing Animamates fully realized, and most of them got the approximate screen time of a 90's monster-of-the-week (or less.) And I'm assuming their roles weren't very big in the manga (I can finally let myself read that now!) either, like how the Spectre Sisters had smaller roles in the Black Moon Arc than in the 90's counterpart, but I still feel like even they had a bit more presence than most of the Animamates got in this movie. Maybe it's more due to the time in between with the fandom making posts and art than the actual screen time, but either way I don't feel like I got enough of them.

At the end of the day we got what we got and I'm still grateful for it. When I first got on Tumblr in 2011, Crystal hadn't even been announced. As far as any of us knew, the 90's anime was all we would ever get and those manga-exclusive characters and scenes would forever stay in the manga. I remember the hype for this. I remember the bickering about this. I remember when we weren't even sure if the third and fourth arcs were going to happen at all, let alone the fifth. I remember the long and bumpy ride it's taken to finally get here. (Much as I've come to appreciate a little time between installments, ten years for five arcs is perhaps too far in the other direction.) This franchise had already given me a lot of memories and the last ten years with this reboot series have made even more.

I look forward to binge-rewatching the series as a whole, probably the English dub next time. It's gonna feel weird not having a new installment of this reboot to look forward to anymore. I'm really not sure how to process that fact right now.

[all-risejd]

Chapter 20: Of Bombshells and betting boards (A Poly Judgment Day Fic)

*This chapter contains some tame WLW smut*

Thursday, May 4th 2023

Finn, Rhea, and Dominik return to the hotel room from the beach having been driven back by Seamus. Rhea is mildly annoyed at not understanding a lick of what was said between them in the car because when those two get together their accents thicken and talk in phrases and words that make no sense but are somehow still English. Finn squeezes Rhea's hand as a form of apology, guilt pulling at his stomach. He knows she doesn’t like not knowing, that it makes her anxious. Rhea squeezes it back and Finn knows they are ok. Dominik is oblivious to the interaction and comes up behind them throwing his arms around both their shoulders as they walk down the hallway.

“So what do we think, did they fuck or just nap?” Dominik asks, kissing both of their cheeks. Both Rhea and Finn let out a sigh, the tension between them broken by the puppy-like happiness of their young partner.

“Oh, they definitely fucked.” Finn giggles, and Rhea tugs on his hand, rolling her eyes. Still feeling a little on edge from earlier, but lets him gossip about just how rough Damian was with her this time, Dom jokingly argues back,

“Oh no, it was totally vanilla. She was entirely too tired. I vote she showered and they went to lay down to nap and it was just super cute and sweet.” Dom sighs wistfully and Rhea makes a mental note to be gentler with him sometimes, clearly, he wants that.

“Dom Dom, do you wish you joined them because if so same,” Rhea asks for clarification.

“Always, though they deserve some alone time. They like you just clicked from the beginning _______________________________________________________________________

Friday, May 5, 2023, Press conference

Finn is standing behind the stage with Damian and Nessa, watching Rhea and Dom have their face-off with Zelina and Rey. Nessa is leaning back on Damian’s chest, his arms draped around her waist, gently swaying them back and forth, occasionally bumping into Finn. By the fifth bump, Nessa grabs Finn’s hand and pulls him close, keeping a tight grip on his hand, her other hand resting on top of Damians. Nessa glances to see Cody, hovering close by with the bloodline just out of earshot discussing something and glances over towards Nessa. A knot forms in her stomach and she feels her heart in her throat, clearly, they are talking about her. They notice she is looking at them and wave, making their way over to the trio.

“Hey Baby Girl,” Roman greets as they get closer. Damian clears his throat and glares at Roman who ignores it. Jey steps forward, grabs Nessa’s hand, and pulls her away from Damian and Finn and into his arms. She squirms, uncomfortable with the contact.

“You have exactly one second to let her go and to never touch her without consent again before I beat your ass.” Damian threatens, the protective urge taking over, Finn parrots his agreement, cracking his knuckles. Jey immediately releases Nessa who steps into Finn's arms, still facing the members of the Bloodline and Cody. Damian Crosses his and shifts his weight partially standing in front of them, blocking Nessa’s view.

“Hey man we mean no disrespect or harm to lil sis” Jimmy tries to diffuse the building situation.

“No, I know don’t worry about it. I am very uh… particular when it comes to physical touch and they get overprotective of me” Nessa accepts the unspoken apology, tapping Finn's hand to have him let go and steps out from behind Damian who uncrosses his arms to be ready in case Nessa grabs his hand again.

“So what were you guys talking about and looking over at me” Nessa asks, her voice strong, more confident than she feels. Her hands shaking down at her side. Finn and Damian silently grab them.

“Well there is something going on in the shared men's locker room we thought you should know but Cody thought we should keep it to ourselves to see where it goes.” Roman answers, something clicking in his head that he files away for later.

“What is going on? Is there someone we need to talk to since it clearly involves Nessa?” Finn asks, calmly. Damian radiates anger from how Jey pulled Nessa from his arms. Damian grabbing her hand was just as much to ground him as to help her.

“There is a betting board about how and why Nessa has the contract she does and it gets fairly inappropriate, almost everyone has voted on it in the last few weeks. Even Rey knows about it.” Jey jumps in explaining, his mood a little subdued, feeling guilty at Nessa’s reaction to what happened.

“And what is on this board? What is the bet? I need all the information before I decide whether or not to be mad.” Nessa prompts, letting go of Finn's hand and trying to let go of Damian who squeezes it tight, still needing her grounding effect so as to not lose his job. She allows him to pull her to his chest again and he kisses the top of her head.

“Well, it's a money bet and the options are she is fucking Hunter, sleeping around the locker room to advance, Rey really did get her the contract, secretly a Samoan and Parent in the industry (most likely father). So far secretly Samoan is winning, but that is because we joined in as a joke but thought you should know. Cody voted on parent in the industry” Roman explained, holding out a bottle of water and adding on “You need to stay hydrated b… Nessa” Damian squeezes her waist and she takes it knowing Roman is right.

“Thank you for telling me. Will you show me tonight if it is up in the locker room? I’d like to see it myself” Nessa asks, a plan forming in her head and a mischievous smile on her face. The others see her expression and visibly relax, glad she is not angry or upset.

“Yeah, one of us will come and get you if we see it up” Jey offers and Nessa feels Damian shake his head.

“You will not until you learn to keep your hands to yourself. Come get me and we will go.” Damian answers for Nessa making her roll her eyes, getting more than a little annoyed at his machismo and overprotection. Rhea and Dom join them, their bit having ended. Rhea notices the tension in Damian and how he is holding Nessa. Finn is a little more relaxed but clearly on edge and upset about something.

“What's going on here?” Rhea caresses Nessa’s face and gives Damian a kiss on his cheek.

“Well, Jey decided to get handsy with our girl oh and there is a bet as to why she got a contract some of the choices are not very nice.” Finn deliberately words it knowing that Rhea will ignore the second part. She steps towards Jey who backs up a few steps holding his hands up, his eyes wide. Nessa grabs Rhea’s hand to stop her from attacking him.

“Dems, he only hugged me in greeting. He didn’t know. I am fond of them so please don’t kill them. They have been really nice to me. I’d like to you know have friends so I’d appreciate it very much if you wouldn’t kill them. Even Cody.” Nessa jokes, squeezing Rhea’s hand and giving it a gentle tug so Rhea steps closer to her. Damian releases one arm from Nessa’s waist and wraps it around Rhea’s shoulders. For the next few minutes, Jey explains the board again, this time to laughter because it sinks in for Nessa that even the locker room doesn’t believe Rey and that it is just like high school and somehow she became part of the clique of legacies. The conversation is cut short by one of the stagehands telling Nessa and Damian it is time for their segment. __________________________________________________________________________ Friday May 5th 2023 Smackdown

The Judgement Day are hanging out in the gorilla area just waiting for the dark match to be over and the show to start. The group makes sure they are ready for their upcoming match. Even Benito is standing with them instead of the other side of the small area where the LWO is gathered, a few looking on at the group with disgust, some with worry, and Zelina just smiles and waves. Having no issue with the group. Coming to understand them with the time she has spent with their newest member. She turns and says something to her group before heading over to talk to Nessa.

“Hey I’m sorry I won’t be able to train you as much after tomorrow because of the draft, but I would like us to still hang out when possible. Maybe even train when our live schedules line up yeah?” Zelina asks and Nessa can’t help the smile that appears on her face. The WWE becoming like home and the bonds she is making quickly with some of the superstars. Nessa nods her head as Rey’s music starts and Zelina jogs back over to her group and heads out with them, not missing the look Bad Bunny gives the smaller woman as she disappears from view. Nessa smirks, the meddling plans already forming in her head.

They step over to the curtain to await their cue, Damian hanging back with Bad Bunny as he was not scheduled for the promo, or for anything that night. He just came to be with and support his partners. Their music starts and together the four of them step past the curtain and onto the long pathway, Nessa by Finn’s side who keeps waving to the crowd repeating Hola over and over again. They reach the bottom of the ramp where Dominik grabs a fan's LWO shirt and rips it before tossing it back at him. They enter the ring, Dominik holding the ropes open for Rhea, and Finn doing the same for Nessa. Once in the ring they stand side by side, Nessa between Rhea and Finn staring down the various members of the LWO.

Dominik raises the mic to his lips to talk and the boos fill their ears to the point they can barely hear each other. The LWO is egging the crowd on while Nessa tells them to shut up. This goes on a few times before Rey cuts him off. Rhea hands her title to Nessa who holds it reverently, as Rhea steps in front of Dominik as Rey challenges him to a Wrestlemania do-over.

“I got a better idea, Rey, How about you fight me?” Rhea challenges. Nessa holds up Rhea's title and shakes it, taunting Zelina who rolls her eyes and steps in front of Rey. Zelina stares down Rhea with Nessa still behind shaking the title slightly and taunting Zelina. Dominik steps forward and rests his chin on Rhea's shoulder, his eyes flickering between Zelina and the rest of the group.

“How about you fight the both of us… Los Dos.” Dominik offers, smirking when his eyes land on his dad who is staring at Nessa, but accepts the match. Nessa hands Rhea back her title and exits the ring at the same time, Dominik hangs back and slaps his dad before sliding out of the ring, Rhea, Finn and Nessa cheering and jumping around laughing at the situation, taunting Rey and Zelina as they back up the ramp.

“Good job Dom,” Nessa praises slapping his chest before flipping off the ring as they disappear behind the curtain. They aren't surprised to see Roman and the rest of the Bloodline as well as Hunter standing by Damian and Bad Bunny, Damian looking annoyed and Hunter looking serious and turning to Nessa.

“So you wanted to investigate the rumors of a betting board that pertains to you as you explained earlier. Joe here has confirmed it is up and I wanted to see for myself so we can decide how to handle it.” Hunter explains and gestures for her to follow him, which the rather large group now does. The group follows Hunter to the men's locker room talking in hushed whispers.

“Uce you told the boss? Come on man it’s not that serious they can get into some serious trouble. Hunter looks pissed man.” Jey frets, his eyes wide, his gaze flickering between Hunter and Nessa. “I told him I just want to see it, I’m not upset, I get it. The way I joined is suspicious at best. But he is running things and I thought he should know since he is the one who approached me with the contract.” She whispers back, not seeing the smirk now on Hunter's face but Damian saw it and relaxes, knowing no one is going to be in trouble for this. It is just normal locker room antics, at most Hunter will posture and tell them to take the board down. But no, Damian knows better. This is the man that formed DX and did the curtain call, If anything he will participate and pick the most outlandish option.

Triple H throws the locker room doors open as soon as he gets there and everyone files in, the occupants of the rooms freezing in their tracks, looking like a deer in headlights. Natalya standing in front of the aforementioned board, the marker in her hand frozen mid-air. Nessa smiles to show she isn’t mad or upset.

“Oh don’t mind us, we just want to see what everyone is voting on.” Nessa encourages them to continue, no one meeting her gaze. Natalya doesn’t move an inch, still frozen in place.

“Go ahead Natty I want to see what you think.” Hunter encourages, crossing his arms. His body language contradicts the encouragement. Natalya quickly puts a tally under father in the industry and quickly leaves the room. Nessa was unsure why Natalya looked so scared until she saw Hunter's face.

“Sir, I’m not upset. It is just silly locker room stuff. You know how rumors fly. Honestly, I think it is funny.” Nessa tries to lighten the mood and is shocked when he relaxes a little. That does not go unnoticed by the locker room. Nor does the protectiveness of the group towards Nessa that entered with her.

“While silly little bets are part of our life and culture, not at the expense of one of our reputations. What is on this board could have serious legal ramifications for not only me but this company as a whole. The bet is off. Nessa got a contract on her own merits as a healthcare worker and as a favor to a friend. Leave it at that. And take down that ridiculous board. She is part of our family and you will do well to remember that.” Hunter harshly stares down the locker room, everyone looking toward the ground feeling thoroughly admonished before Hunter turns and leaves the room. Nessa looks around, guilt filling her. Damian’s eyes follow his form leaving the room, confusion filling him. He didn’t think Hunter would act that way.

“Sorry guys I didn’t think he would flip out like that. When I was told I thought it was funny. He did worse things back in the day from what I hear.” Nessa apologizes to the room. There is a series of people mumbling that it’s okay, most of them not holding it against her. She can feel the tension in the room as can the rest of their group so they decide to head back to their locker room to ready for the match. ___________________________________________________________________________ The moment Nessa and the rest of the Judgement Day and bloodline are gone the locker room erupts into a flurry of everyone running around, some cheering others cursing their luck. Austin Theory steps up to the board and erases it writing instead in all caps at the top WHO IS NESSAS DADDY? Underneath he writes Hunter's name. He pauses waiting for others to spout off suggestions.

“Ok it would be too obvious if it was Hunter, so I need some more suggestions,” Austin calls out to the room bouncing up and down excitedly.

“Shawn” Comes from AJ who adds on “She kind of looks like him and well is just as annoying” There are a few snickers from the locker room before Bobby Lashley answers, “Kurt angle, he has a lot of kids out there he does and doesn’t claim. I also think we should have an option that she doesn’t know. That beef she has with Rey is legit and it is all about manipulation she thinks it is all him.” Bobby explains and there are hums of agreement, Austin nodding along and adding to the board which now has Hunter, Shawn, and Kurt listed.

“Let's get a few more options and we will add a column where we vote if she knows or not.” Austin excitedly announces to the room, a gleeful smile on his face glad they got to the end of the first bet to start this one. The thought popping into his head he immediately calls out “Buy in for this is 20 bucks and will go on until we know the truth from a reputable source.”

The LWO enters the locker room and Rey sees the board and rolls his eyes.

“Come on guys really, I got her the contract I told you that.” He says to the room clearly annoyed.

“It may have started like that but there is no way she doesn’t have an immediate family member in the industry that is close with Hunter the way he protects her,” Bobby explains, the rest of the room making various noises of agreement.

“Scott Hall?” La Knight offers and Austin adds it to the board. Santos hums then starts laughing at the idea that came to him. “Kevin Nash” He manages to get out while laughing. Austin adds it to the board. “It would be hilarious because of how short she is” Santos walks over and puts his tally under Kevin's name, ignoring the incredulous look Rey is giving him.

“Ok, those would make sense with her age and how protective Hunter is, now let's all tally now if she knows” Austin adds the column on the board and draws a line between all of the options. He puts his own tally under she doesn’t know and he votes that Hunter is her father. The rest of the locker room puts their tallies on the board and hands Austin their buy-in.

“Since we will be on separate shows after tomorrow, who is going to run the board on Raw and we can update when we are all together at the premium live events” Austin asks the group and The Miz raises his hand.

“I’ll do it. I can’t wait to get to the bottom of this, Once it’s out I'll get with Hunter about doing a segment” he lounges back in his folding chair, a plan forming and a list of people to call. He will be the first to know. ___________________________________________________________________________ Before too long the judgement day accompanied by Bad Bunny makes it to Gorilla to see the Lwo already there. As before Zelina walks over to them but this time she drags Santos over who won’t meet Nessa’s eyes. Nessa grabs Rhea’s hand who instinctually steps closer to her without breaking the conversation she is having with Finn and Dom.

“Hey Nes, Santos has something he wants to tell you.” Zelina elbows him in the ribs and he grunts in response.

“They changed the betting board in the locker room. Now it is a bet on who your dad in the industry is.” Nessa cuts him off with her scoff.

“I’m sorry but my dad is a pharmacist whom I haven't had contact or seen since my mother left him thank god.” Nessa throws up her hands in relief and continues “Now you all can have your fun I don’t care but don’t disrespect my mother who is nothing if not a respectable woman.” Rhea pulls Nessa close against her side and kisses the top of her head, her conversation forgotten as their attention is now on this interaction.

“I mean no disrespect as does most of the locker room. I just thought you should know since you weren't upset about the first board.” Santos still refuses to meet her gaze until she sighs. The sound more resigned and disappointed than truly upset. He finally looks up and sees her smiling, though the smile doesn’t meet her eyes and he suspects it is a well-practiced smile she perfected to keep families from freaking out.

“And did you participate Santos, and put money on it?” Nessa asks and Santos averts his gaze again, guilt feeling like a rock in his stomach and his mouth goes dry. He opens and closes his mouth unable to answer.

“Santos it’s ok. It’s your money and you are just having fun and bonding with the locker room. I’m ok with it, I just wish you didn’t waste your money on this since we know the truth. Don’t worry about telling me anymore about it. But thank you for telling me.” Nessa turns into Rhea's hold effectively ending the conversation. Rey’s entrance music starts and Zelina goes past the curtain, Finn, Rhea, Nessa, and Dominik step up to the curtain and watch on the monitor as Rey and Zelina make their entrance.

“Are you ok Bunny?” Rhea asks, Squeezing Nessa’s hand. Nessa doesn’t vocalize only nods her head and they leave it at that as their music starts and they step past the curtain, Nessa letting go of Rhea’s hand.

The four of them stand in front of the entrance as the smoke billows around them, the four of them lined up in the pathway. Nessa nods along to the beat and Rhea holding out her arms and sticking out her tongue as the pyro pops off. They then make their way down the path, Finn lagging back getting distracted by a fan touching him. He quickly recovers and catches back up to Nessa and holds her hand as she ascends the steel steps and stands there on the apron until Finn steps on the bottom rope to let her in, he himself getting in right after her. Both of them go to the adjacent rope, Finn keeping eyes on Rey until they are at the rope where Rhea has jumped up onto the apron and drapes herself over Dominik, her title in her hand, her other hand holding onto the rope to stay steady. Nessa stands in front of Finn, resting her forearms against the top rope, Finn holding his arms up for a moment for pictures before grabbing the ropes on either side of Nessa.

Rhea and Dominik enter the ring and Finn and Nessa promptly exit it, Dominik and Rhea toss their shirt and vest at Nessa to hold as she goes to take her place at the announce table. Nessa gets there and takes her seat and puts on the headset as the bell rings and Michael cole greets her. Nessa keeps her eyes on the match, Rhea starting it off with Zelina.”

“Nessa, thank you for taking time away from the men of the Judgement day to join us at the announce table.” Michael greets Nessa who snaps her head in his direction, Wade immediately speaks up,

“Woah Michael calm down with that. Nessa is a Nurse who cares for the superstars backstage. She is with Damian now and Rhea is with Dom. Let's not insult a hero who put her life on the line not 3 years ago, hell even a month or so ago dealing with sick children and dealing with COVID.”

“Thank you, Wade, at least one of you has a good sense. It is a pleasure to meet you officially Wade. Michael, you can have a child named after you.” Nessa responds giving Michael the side eye, her body radiating the annoyance she feels from his comment. Michael feels the chill coming from Nessa and knows he fucked up so he gets to business calling out the match for a minute, Nessa sitting straight and on the edge of her seat. Rhea and Dom’s shirts folded and sitting on her lap.

“Rhea is the most Dominant woman in the WWE and Zelina stands no chance tomorrow. Rhea is going to twist her like a pretzel and make her regret ever stepping up to the Judgement Day.” Nessa responds to Michaels's comments on Zelina evading Rhea in the ring. Rey tags himself in and Stares Down Dominik who slowly gets in the ring.

“Well, Zelina recently said she was inspired to become a sports entertainer by her uncle. Her uncle was a former wrestler who at one point in his career faced Bruno Sammartino who broke Zelina’s uncle's nose and he never competed again.”

“Well, that might just happen to her tomorrow if she isn’t careful.” Nessa comments, a smirk forming on her face as she watches Rey and Dominik stare each other down before Dominik kicks Rey and twists his arm out.

“Welcome to tomorrow night Zelina Vega, That could well be the death of your own career” Wade chuckles at Nessa's threat. Michael starts talking over Wade,

“So now it is father and son, sort of a WrestleMania rematch of sorts. Rey Mysterio and Dominik.”

“Dominik is simply tortured by his deadbeat dad showing love and affection to other people's kids” Wade smartly realizes and Michael scoffs but calls a going on in the match.

“Ohhh Rhea with a cheep shot to the spine of Rey Mysterio”

“You know Wade I think you have more sense than a lot of people backstage. Rey was never there for Dom but now wants to adopt all these people and not try to fix the relationship with his actual kids? The reason Dominik left me was because Rey’s manipulation went too far and confused the poor boy. That is fine he has Rhea now and I have my Papi.”

“And that is it? We hear rumors backstage that those arent the only relationships between you Judgement Day members.” Michael asks, hinting at the truth.

“The Judgement Days business is exactly that our business and you would do well to mind your own Michael. I am with Damian and Dominik is with Rhea and Finn is well Finn. Yes, I still have feelings for Dom but that doesn’t matter. What does matter is you basically calling me a whore like Bunny who will pay for that tomorrow night. You keep talking and you won’t have to worry about my boyfriend or the rest of the Judgment day I’ll shut you up myself.”

Michael ignores Nessa’s threat and announces that Zelina made the tag which automatically puts Rhea back in.

“Good another preview for tomorrow. Zelina may be talented I’ll give her that but she is no match for Mami and I look forward to us celebrating Rhea and Damian winning tomorrow night.” Nessa comments as Zelina sets up a 619 on Dominik only to be kicked by Rhea before rolling out of the ring, Rey jumping down to check on her and they go to commercial. Nessa takes this time to address her annoyances while the timer counts down.

“Michael cool it with the sleeping around comments, please. While we are all one unit it is not time to bring that into the main story, we are teasing a triangle or square that is it. You are trying to force something we arent ready for and that Hunter has not ok’ed. I understand you don’t read the script so your reactions to the match are genuine but you are bordering on too far.” Nessa warns him and he nods his head.

“That is fair, I’m sorry if I offended you beyond the story. But good comebacks. Hunter is right you are a natural.” Michael responds, apologizing and Nessa is floored. Does Hunter talk to everyone about her? She is signaled in the headset the commercial break is over and they are live again with Michael speaking, explaining it is the main event and how many people are in the arena. Wade responds talking about Zelina's hair being a nod to Demon Slayer and the significance of it.

“Exactly as you said Wade, her career might die tomorrow. I’d be surprised if she could even walk out of the ring after Rhea is done with her.” Nessa agrees with Wade and Michael cuts in,

“Well, she is in there with a real demon of Rhea Ripley, as Zelina tries to fight back.”

Nessa puts their shirts on the table and stands up as Dominik runs around the ring and knocks Rey off the apron and proceeds to run away. Michael begins to lose his shit, “This guy is nothing but a punk ass kid bottom line,”

“This guy is my Dom Dom and is not a punk ass kid, he is only getting retribution on his dad for the many wrongs he has been dealt in his life. He didn’t want to be dragged into the custody battle with Eddie back in the day but look what happened there. Iits always what Rey wants” Nessa snaps back and Wade tries to change gears,

“Dominiks hair like 1997 Eddie Guererro, the man he wishes was his real father.” Nessa nods agreeing with that statement.

“The man we all wish was his father. You know I was willing to marry Dominik and give up my whole life to just travel and be with him backstage. Now I have given that all up but it was a choice made for me by Rey. Eddie would have never put us through that. He would have encouraged Dom to lock me down by whatever means necessary not convince him to be so stupid as to ghost someone who is ride or die.” Nessa says, applauding along with Rhea who has thrown Zelina to the mat.

“Rhea is applauding the work of her beau I guess. Speaking of Eddie he was just mocking Eddie moments ago.”

“I’m going to correct you there Michael, He wasn’t mocking he was honoring the memory of him. Eddie was a big part of his childhood and was there far more than Rey was until he died. May his memory be for a blessing” Finn sees Nessa’s annoyed expression and tells Michael to shut up.

“You should listen to him” Wade suggests to Michael who goes back to just commentating on the match, Nessa chiming in to cheer on Rhea and Dom, Finn pacing back and forth excitedly, ready for what is to come. Nessa winces and complains as Rhea goes shoulder-first into the post.

“Rhea needs to stop doing that every match. She and Damian have a habit of misjudging that particular move.” Nessa is still on her feet, aware of the time and that she needs to be ready at any moment. The match continues on, Zelina tagging in Rey who immediately begins dominating, Nessa complaining about how eager he is to beat his son again. Rey Sets up the 619 and Rhea jumps on the apron to try and distract Rey, to prevent him from doing the 619 only for Zelina to pull her off the apron and slam her into the corner of the barricade. Nessa rips off her headset and runs over to where Rhea is while Finn tries to distract Rey only to be knocked off the apron. Nessa checks on Rhea as Rey gets the pin on Dominik. Nessa is on her knees in front of Rhea. Placing a gentle hand on Rhea’s cheek for a moment, staying there by her side their attention to the ring as the bell rings. Finn gets in the ring with Dominik and starts beating up on Rey, the two-on-one keeping Rey down no matter how hard he fights. Rhea leans on Nessa who softly rubs her back, both of them watching the ring and trying to keep an eye out for Zelina.

After a few minutes of fighting in the ring, Damian comes over the barricade and gets in the ring, joining in on the assault on Rey. All of them keeping him on the mat, stomping on him at the ropes. They break apart and Finn picks up Rey, holding him at one side, Dominik holding the other. Damian proceeds to continuously punch and slap Rey’s head only pausing when Bad Bunny’s entrance music comes on. Everyone turns towards the entrance to look. Out comes Bunny with the rest of the LWO, a kendo stick in his hand. The LWO runs and enters the ring turning the tide. Rhea sits up a little more to put her body in front of Nessa’s in a protective manner.

Bunny stands in front of the ring holding the kendo stick, glancing momentarily at Nessa who stares him down. Bunny’s attention is on Damian who is still standing in the ring glaring down at Bunny, daring him to do something. Bunny gets in the ring and swings, only for Dominik to jump in and take the shot to his belly. Damian takes the opportunity to roll out of the ring as well as Dominik. Damian stands in front of Rhea and Nessa, glaring at Bunny as Finn helps Rhea and Nessa up then Dominik. The five of them slowly back up the path as Bunny puts on the Lwo shirt in the middle of the ring. ___________________________________________________________________________ Back at the hotel same night

Damian is knocking on the door to the bathroom Nessa has commandeered for the better part of an hour and only recently started the water.

“Come on Mariposa what could you be doing in there,” Damian asks, worried about how long she is taking.

“She is probably dying her hair or something” Rhea assures him patting the bed next to her where she is lounging. Damian goes over to join her, Finn on the other bed cuddling with Dominik. Damian maneuvers them so Rhea is on his lap but the back of her head is on his chest and he absentmindedly scratches her head, the four of them watching TV but listening for any sounds of distress from the bathroom. He begins to relax more when Rhea’s breathing steadies out more as she drifts in and out of sleep and the water turns off in the bathroom. Rhea softly snores on his chest until the door opening startles her awake. Nessa walks out in her sleep shorts and one of Dominik’s old school shirts that seems to dwarf her. Her hair wrapped up in a towel but the unmistakable splotches of black and purple hair dye on her ears and some on her back she couldn’t scrub off.

“Bunny, did you dye your hair judgment day colors?” Rhea asks through a yawn. Nessa blushes and takes off the now stained towel showing her wet curly hair now black on top and purple on bottom.

“It looks good Mi Corazon. No matter what you look good.” Dominik compliments, Finn humming in agreement playing with Dominik's hair.

“He’s right Mariposa, you look amazing no matter what you do or wear. Now if you’ll excuse me I have to take care of some business.” He slides Rhea off his lap to her pouting and goes to the bathroom closing the door behind him. Nessa goes to join Rhea in the recently vacated spot that still smelled like Damian and housed his warmth. Rhea pulled the covers over them and grabbed Nessa scooting them both down to where they were lying in the bed, Nessa’s head on Rhea’s shoulder, her arm draped lazily across Rhea’s waist, her now black and purple tresses splayed across the pillow and Rhea's shirt leaving wet marks tinged with purple that none of them cared about.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself not being allowed to accompany you to your matches tomorrow,” Nessa complains, playing with the hem of Rhea's shirt, Rhea’s hand going to rest on top of hers.

“You’ll be with the boys watching the monitor for my match, then you do an after-match promo with me and we will watch Priest’s match so you go out at the very end to tend to his “injury”” Rhea explains softly letting out another yawn.

“No I know that, I’m just, while this schedule is grueling, while we actively work I feel so useless.” Nessa worries and just word vomits her feelings unable to stop because of how tired she is. Dominik and Finn scoff from the other bed but Rhea just shooshes Nessa gently playing with the ends of her hair.

"You are anything but useless. Sometimes we aren't needed in the story and it is a moment to rest. Enjoy that. Now go to sleep Bunny We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.” Rhea mummers into Nessa’s hair and pulls her closer, kissing the top of her head. Nessa quickly begins dozing off in the comfort and safety of Rhea’s arms, listening to Dominiks snoring in the other bed. Nessa faintly hears the sound of the bathroom door softly opening and footsteps coming towards the bed. Nessa half asleep pays no attention but is shocked when Damian just plops himself on the bed halfway on top of of Rhea and Nessa. Both of them groan in pain and annoyance.

“Oh, no I've fallen and can’t get up” He jokes, throwing his arm over Rhea and Nessa. Nessa and Rhea groan in annoyance, Finn doing the same. Dominik still snoring away oblivious to what is going on. __________________________________________________________________________ Saturday May 6th 2023 Backlash

Nessa sits on Rhea’s lap on the small couch in their locker room, having already been to makeup, her makeup similar to Rhea’s but with her red lips instead of black. Her feet draped over Dominik’s lap, Finn sitting on Damian’s lap in the other couch. Nessa’s head resting on Rhea’s shoulders as they scrolled their phones, this being one of those times words don’t need to be said, just contentment in each others company doing their own thing. A knock sounds at the door and Nessa recognizes Hunter's voice as he talks to someone on the other side of the door before knocking again. None of them move not wanting to give up their comfort.

“Come in” Rhea calls out, not taking her eyes off her phone. Posting a pic of her and Nessa to her Instagram. Nessa kissing her cheek in the picture, Rhea sticking out her tongue. The caption reads “My Bunny is better than yours 😘” Nessa kisses Rhea on the Cheek again as Hunter comes in the room followed by someone she recognizes as Kevin Nash. Memories she arent even sure are real swirls around in her head. Her mom loved (still loves) him and watched everything he was in no matter what. She thought she met him as a kid but her mom swears they never had. Her mom had also told her that Kevin Nash was important, but Nessa had never been able to get the woman to explain why. Nessa even thinks she saw him in passing at her various graduations and even some random recitals, going back to at least fifth grade. Her mom had sworn to her, however she was just making it up - that she'd made Kevin into some sort of imaginary friend out of him. She shakes her head to clear her thoughts, it does not help to dwell on the confusion. Nessa begins to move to stand up to greet them but Dominik and Rhea hold her in place.

Hunter leans against the side of the couch, Kevin standing awkwardly until Damian gets up, Finn plopping onto the couch pouting and stretching out so Damian can’t rejoin him.

“Kev man, Hey it’s great to see you again. What are you doing here?” Damian asks, doing the man hug thing that always confused Nessa.

“I have some family business to tend to and wanted to stop by and see some friendly faces,” Kevin explains, looking around the room, his eyes lingering on Nessa a little too long that she notices and starts snuggling closer into Rhea’s arms for comfort.

“What you got a secret Puerto Rican family or something?” Damian jokes slapping his shoulder before throwing his arm around it.

“No nothing like that man. My son always wanted to come here, so we thought we'd bring some of his ashes here. While we were here, I figured I could stop by and see how things have been and formally meet your partners.”

“Well you know Finn and Dom. This is Rhea and Nessa.” Damian introduces them, Rhea shaking Kevin's hand still in the sitting position, holding Nessa to her lap. Nessa gently shakes his hand next and notices the slight tremor to his hand but brushes it off as a potential old injury acting up.

“It’s a pleasure to actually meet you. I used to imagine meeting you as a kid because my mom loved you so much” Nessa smiles, her earlier apprehension gone and tension falls out of Kevin's shoulders.

“Well, we will leave you to warm up and get ready for your matches. Remember Nessa stay away from the ring tonight until after Damian’s match. It is for both of your safety.” Hunter reminds her, tapping Kevin on his shoulder who follows him out.

“That was weird” Dominik comments, massaging Nessa’s calves. Damian plops down onto Finn's lap since he wouldn’t move his legs back. “Yeah, normally he texts or calls me when he is in the area.” Damian looks at the door the pair recently left out of.

“Whatever, we do need to get y'all warmed up. Let me up, you four start stretching. Then we will keep you warmed up until your matches.” Nessa orders, wiggling out of Rhea and Dominik's hold, the four of them immediately doing as she said, knowing there is no winning with her when it comes to their health and safety. __________________________________________________________________________ Kevin and Hunter leave the locker room side by side in the hallway, talking in hushed voices.

“Do you think I should tell her?” Kevin asks, glancing back at the door.

“Honestly I don’t know, the locker room is catching on that something is up and they have guessed she has a relative in the company,” Hunter explains and Kevin rolls his eyes. “That’s because you are about as subtle as a bag of bricks. But thank you for watching over her and protecting her from the worst of it.” Kevin responds, patting Hunter's shoulder.

“To be honest I didn’t even know about her first application, it wasn’t until Rey showed me pictures of her and Dominik together and told me about her that I knew. That is when I offered the contract to Rey the first time, he brought it up the second time after Dominik split with her.” Hunter explains, the apology evident in his voice.

“Hey man, don’t be like that. I would prefer if she didn’t have anything to do with the industry it is incredibly dangerous and hard for the wrestlers and their families… I think after tonight's show I’m going to tell her. She deserves to know and I want a chance to know my only remaining child” Kevin tells Hunter, his voice cracking and tears welling up in his eyes before he clears his throat and blinks the tears away.

They continue down the hallway, oblivious to the slender form of Trish who is standing there with her mouth agape, seething with the new information that she just overheard. Resentment setting in for the young woman in question. __________________________________________________________________________

Nessa stands with Rhea at Gorilla, bouncing up and down excitedly, holding Rhea’s hand.

“Give me a kiss for good luck Bunny,” Rhea tells the more petite woman who leans up and kisses her cheek. “Nuh uh, that's not a kiss try again” Rhea teases and Nessa places a whisper of a kiss on Rhea’s lips trying to make sure she doesn’t smudge her lipstick. Rhea huffs and grabs Nessa by the back of her neck forcing their lips together. Zelina and a few others snicker but Nessa and Rhea pay them no attention. Rhea breaks the kiss knowing her entrance is about to start.

“Now see that is a good luck kiss. Be a good girl while I’m gone” Rhea gently pats Nessa’s cheek who lets out a little squeak and she turns red from her chest to her neck. Zelina spits out the drink of water she just took and makes a sound that is a mix of coughing and laughing as Rhea’s music starts and she steps out on the other side of the curtain and makes her entrance. Not long after Zelina makes her way out, her Puerto Rican flag cape billowing behind her.

Nessa begins to look around, nervousness setting in at not having any of her partners around her, but relaxes a little when she sees Jimmy and Jey nearby. They catch her looking at them and they nod their head in acknowledgment, making their way over to where she is standing.

“Hey, lil sis” Jimmy greets and Jey parrots, both of them keeping a respectable distance from her which she notices as she greets them back.

“Hey you two, you should be warming up not here hanging with me” Nessa gently chides them, her eyes now glued to the monitor.

“We are pretty warmed up, just wanted to check in on ya. We know Santos told you about the new board.” Jey explains, waving off Nessa’s worry. Nessa only hums letting him know she heard him but doesn’t feel the need to respond. “Are you ok with it?” Jey pries, scooting a little closer to her when he sees Jd Mcdounogh nearby.

“Whether or not I’m ok with it is insignificant. Yall are having your fun and I am not going to stop you. I know the truth of it and think it is funny you have all these outlandish theories.” Nessa explains, not seeing the look the twins give each other. Nessa’s eyes are glued to the screen watching Rhea bend Zelina over her shoulder. Nessa knows the outcome of the match, Zelina giving up a title reign to protect her. Even knowing this Nessa winces when Rhea slams her shoulder into the pole.

“I swear to god every fucking match,” Nessa complains, making the twins laugh.

“I’m sure she is going to be ok.” Jimmy chuckles, trying to calm Nessa down. It has the opposite effect.

“It can cause a severe repetitive injury. Look at what happened to Randy and his back from the RKO. She has done that bit for years.” Nessa rants and Jimmy and Jey laugh harder.

“Ok fair point, just go easy on her yeah?” Jimmy asks, a newfound appreciation for the smaller woman reminding her of his wife and how she worries for him. “You know lil sis, our cousin just got called up to Raw I think you’d get along great with her and she can help train you in the ring.” Jimmy offers the idea popping into his head. Nessa finally looks over to him and he lets out a sigh of relief when she smiles.

“Yeah, I’d like that since two of mine are going to smackdown and have a different live schedule.” Nessa agrees, gently slapping his shoulder. She smiles wider and begins jumping up and down when the bell rings signaling Rhea’s victory. Rhea struts around the ring for a moment holding her belt and taunting Zelina before getting out of the ring and walking back up the pathway tauting the fans along the way until she steps behind the curtain.

Rhea comes backstage fresh from her win and grabs Nessa in a hug swinging her around before Megan comes over for an interview, Rhea keeping one hand on Nessa's wrist and the other on the title as she explains she doesn’t give a damn about the people in Puerto Rico and she is ecstatic she left Zelina like a pretzel in the ring before leaving, gently pulling Nessa behind her. A cameraman following them.

“Mami, I gotta go out with Damian for his match.” She gently tugs trying to free her arm.

“No can do sweet pea, he wants you to stay back here for safety so please stay with me. He is worried you could get hurt, You’ve already taken a kendo stick for him and he won’t be able to focus with you out there and that could get him hurt. So stay and celebrate Mami’s win.” Rhea turns to stand in front of Nessa in front of the door to their locker room. Rhea takes another step closer to Nessa, looking down at the smaller woman smirking. Her hand slid down from the wrist to grip Nessa's hand and pull her into the room slamming the door behind them.

Rhea pushes Nessa back up against the door, Rhea leaning on it pinning her there as she locks the door and leans down, her face dangerously close to Nessa’s. So close their noses brush against each other.. Nessa lets out a shuddering breath before leaning her head up, their lips meeting in a gentle kiss. Rhea grabs the back of Nessa’s neck, taking charge of the kiss, deepening it and pulling them closer together and off the door. Rhea grabs Nessa by the thighs and picks her up, instinctively Nessa wraps her legs around her waist, kicking off her shoes.

Nessa wraps her arms around Rhea’s neck, not caring she is covered in sweat from her match and starts peppering kisses behind her ear and down the neck, stopping at her exposed collarbone to nibble and suck on the soft skin there leaving a mark as Rhea moans in her ear. Nessa pulls away her breathing shallow, resting her forehead on Rhea’s, and closes her eyes as Rhea gently sets her down on the couch and kneels in front of her. Rhea leans forward gently grabbing Nessa by the chin and looks in her eyes. “If you don’t want this I will stop right now and it will be like this never happened. Do you want this?” Rhea studies Nessa’s expression, looking for any apprehension.

“Yes.” Comes Nessa's breathless answer.

“We can stop at any time just say the word.” Rhea reiterates as her hands gently brush down Nessa’s arms and stop at the top of her pants, pausing to gauge Nessa’s reaction. Nessa nods and bites her bottom lip, goose pimples rising on her arms as Rhea gently unbuttons and pulls down her pants, tossing them behind her, returning her hands to Nessa’s thighs, pausing momentarily feeling raised skin under her thigh tattoos. She files that away for later not wanting to ruin the moment. She kisses up Nessa’s thighs, slowly spreading them apart. She kisses up around Nessa’s cunt steadily getting more slick with need and continues up her stomach, biting and sucking leaving little love bites as she slides her shirt up until it is off and discarded somewhere in the room leaving Nessa in just her bra which gets removed and discarded just as quickly. Nessa takes in a shallow breath before Rhea reconnects their lips in a searing kiss, Nessa parting her lips allowing Rhea access as slides her hand down the smooth curves of Nessa’s body, over her breasts, down her waist and thigh before running her figer through her slit feeling how wet she is. 

“Now Bunny, I don’t want you hiding any beautiful sound that comes out of your mouth while I please you. I want this whole locker room to hear what I am doing to you.” Rhea orders, biting and sucking at Nessa’s neck, putting new marks there on top of the faded ones that were nearly gone, her black lipstick smudging on Nessa’s pale neck.

“Yes Mami” Nessa gasps, craning her neck to give Rhea better access. Rhea slowly pumps her fingers in Nessa’s cunt, her palm putting just the right pressure on Nessa’s clit. Nessa trying to grind against Rheas hand more. Rhea stops her movements, Nessa whining in protest. Rhea nips at Nessa’s shoulder, saying in between kisses, “Stay still and be a good girl. Let Mami make you feel good” Nessa whimpers in response, immediately complying, whimpers leaving her as Rhea begins pleasing her with her hand again. Rhea groaning seeing how compliant Nessa is. She kisses down Nessa’s body, her free hand squeezing Nessa’s hip, continuing to finger her while using her tongue on Nessa’s clit. The young woman loudly whimpering and writhing as her pleasure builds.

“Thats a good Bunny, does that feel good” Rhea mutters against her cunt, continuing her ministrations, Nessa nods gripping her own hair her breaths getting progressively shallow as her pleasure builds and she lets out a pitched whine, her whole body flushing, coating Rhea’s hand with her fluids, Rhea moaning and continuing, “Mmmm we’re not done Bunny, you are going to give me another” Rhea orders, her mouth returning to work. Nessa wiggles trying to get away but can’t because Rhea tightens her grip on Nessa’s hips, this time her mouth doing all the work maing Nessa teeter on the edge of overstimulation, Nessa’s hand gripping Rhea’s hair when there is a knock at the door. They both stop, Rhea turning her head to look towards the door.

“You were supposed to be at Gorilla 5 minutes ago the match is nearly over you are going to be late. Also save that for the hotel” Comes the voice of Adam Pearce from the other side of the door. Nessa’s eyes widen and she quickly gets off the couch grabbing her white pants not noticing they are inside out and pulling them on, quickly turning around multiple times trying to find her bra and shirt.

“Bunny here” Rhea calls out tossing her one of Dominik’s shirt she keeps in her bag, Nessa throws it on and runs out the door, one arm holding her chest down as she makes her way to Gorilla and past the curtain running down the path, her bare feet making slapping sounds as she runs to Damian and kneels down beside him, caressing his cheek her eyes apologetic. He pulls the collar of the shirt to the side to see Rhea’s lipstick clearly smudged on Nessa’s neck alongside the fresh bruises. He chuckles and rolls his eyes, Kissing her lips letting her know it is ok before she starts gently prodding his knee. “Assessing it to help sell the injury before she helps him to his feet and helps support his weight as he limps back up the path. Once behind the curtain he supports his weight and throws his arm over her shoulder, fist bumping Rhea as she walks up to them holding Doms hand, Finn holding Doms other hand.

“You know you just ran out there with your pants inside out right, and you are wearing one of my old shirts so you arent helping those rumors about sleeping with all of us even though it is mostly true” Dominik points out, a smirk adorning his face while Nessa’s face flushes in embarassment, trying to hide in Damians chest, the others softly teasing them. Snickers from some of the other talent that is nearby.

“Well in my defense you know we are supposed to do a love square thing that i am the middle of” Nessa tries to defend herself, Damians chest shakes with laughter, Rhea tapping her head against Dominiks, her lipstick still messed up from her earlier exploits. A hush falls over everyone as Adam Pearce appears and crosses his arms. Nessa looks at him wide eyed and the others turn to look at him.

“Boss would like to see you in his office now please.” Adam asks, though it sounds more like an order. Rhea lets go of Finn and Dominiks hands to stand in front of Nessa to defend her.

“Hey that wasn’t her fault. It was mine and I got carried away. If anyone needs to be punished for it make it me.” Rhea offers, feeling guilty that her need to have Nessa might have gotten her in trouble.

“No he is insistent, says it is urgent business.” Adam shuts down the offer and turns away, beginning to walk down the hallway, pausing to look back, seeing the whole of the judgement day following him. “Only Nessa, the rest of you have press junkets to do. I’ll see her safely back to the locker room once their business is done you have my word.” Adam promises, Nessa hugs herself, her nerves settling in as she continues to follow Adam to hunters office, not liking her partners not being around.

“Scrap Daddy, I need to go to the bathroom first and switch my pants properly, or you know the nearest locker room… please” Nessa asks and Adam stops in his steps, pinching the bridge of his knose and letting out a deep sigh.

“Yeah, here we are near the shared womens locker room, you can go in there and correct yourself, but make it quick.” he orders, stopping infront of the door. Nessa takes a deep breath and pushes in, shyly waving at the women in there that don’t get their own room.

Asuka bounds over, throwing her arms around Nessa’s shoulders giving her a quick hug before returning to the bench she was occupying.

“Sorry I have to fix my pants real quick then go meet with Hunter. I’m probably in trouble for… well yeah” Nessa explains, sliding her pants off, trying and failing at not blushing as her bare bottom is momentarily exposed. She quickly pulls her pants up and buttons them.

“Don’t worry, he won’t go too hard on you. What you did works on the story he is trying to swell. Worst thing he will do is a possible suspension and fine.” Indi explains, shrugging, a few of the others nodding in agreement.

“He won’t fine you or do anything of the sort. You are his favorite… somehow. Why I will never understand.” Shotzi, mumbles under her breath, though it is loud enough for Nessa to hear. She doesn’t respond, knowing it won’t help and she doesn’t have time to. Nessa waves goodbye to the room as she meets Adam in the hallway who is tapping his foot impatiently waiting for her. ________________________________________________________________

Nessa enters Hunters office, confused seeing Kevin sitting on the corner of Hunters desk, Adam staying in the hallway closing the door behind her. She stands still, just in front of the door in the generic looking office, Hunter sitting in his chair, his gaze flickering between Nessa and Kevin.

“Have a seat Nessa. We have something we need to discuss with you.” Hunter instructs, Kevin picks at his cuticles, staring at the ground. Nessa takes a seat on the left, furthest from the clearly nervous Kevin. Nessa clasps her hands in her lap, bouncing her leg up and down waiting for someone to speak. Hunter clears his throat, making Nessa glance at him but he is looking at Kevin. Nessa’s gaze turns to the older man who is looking anywhere but Nessa.

“You look so much like your mother. You grew up to be a beautiful young woman” Kevin starts to ramble, Nessa’s ears twitch feeling uncomfortable with the way the conversation is already going but Kevin continues, “I am so proud at how much you have accomplished, it is money well spent to put you through your schooling. I can’t believe how much you have grown up”

“Uhh” Nessa vocalizes feeling less grossed out and more confused. “My dad paid for my schooling even after the divorce” She explains glancing between Hunter and Kevin. Hunter looking at her with pity, not trying to conceal how bad he feels knowing everything she knows about her life is about to be turned upside down.

“Exactly.” Kevin agrees hoping he doesn’t have to say it and she realizes what he is trying to tell her.

“That was part of the divorce settlement, he pays for my schooling…. Wait was it really you I saw at those recitals and my highschool and college graduation…” Nessa asks, her eyes wide and a pit forming in her stomach. She chews on her thumbnail, her eyes never leaving Kevin to watch his reaction. He only nods his head. “Why” Nessa asks her voice faltering. Kevins eyes fill with unshed tears and he clears his throat a few times before answering.

“In 1995 I met a lovely young woman on the road who gave me comfort when I had a temporary open relationship with my wife due to some poor life choices. And she needed comfort and safety in return because her husband was abusive. For the next few years I would see her and her young child whenever I can, becoming more sparse when my wife and I reconciled but always making sure they were taken care of” Kevin explains looking pointedly at Nessa, silently begging for her to understand. The pit in her stomach deepens and she goes into denial.

“No, I don’t understand. What are you saying?” Nessa asks, her voice wavering, tears welling up in her eyes as well, her breathing becoming rapid bordering on hyperventilating.

“Nessa, I’m your father. I was with your mother Rebecca Klein. You are my daughter. You have an allergy to bees and had an obsession with the medical shows your mom watched. Which is why you became a nurse. Oh and you have a bear with a light up star on it’s belly which I gifted to you on your third birthday.” He explains, saying things only very few people know and Nessa feels her chest tighten and her throat dry up. She rapidly shakes her head, the tears falling freely. She gets out of the seat she was in and turns to the door, ripping it open and running out. Kevin tries to stop her but is too slow, Hunter stopping him from going after her.

“Let her go man. That was a bomb you just dropped on her and not very tactfully I might add” Hunter explains and Kevin rubs his hand down his face and groans, leaning up against the desk again.

“What am I going to do?” Kevin asks outloud, more to himself but Hunter answers. “Give her time, you can’t just drop a bomb like that and expect her to be ok, especially with all she has been through. Just… give her time.” _________________________________________________________________________

Nessa runs through the hallways of the arena and out the first exit door, continuing on for a few blocks before she stops, doubled over trying to catch her breath and heaving from the effort, tears falling down her face. It takes her a few minutes to catch her breath and look around at her surroundings, wiping the tears and snot from her face. She sees a familiar blue sign, the pain chipped in the exact same spots. She takes out her phone sending a group message to her partners that she needed space to walk after her meeting with Hunter before crossing the deserted street and entering the shop seeing Tommy behind the counter.

“Ah Miss Nessa, right on time. I have a tea ready for you at that booth over there” Tommy greets Nessa who softly thanks him and takes a seat in the booth Tommy gestured at.

[octuscle]

Hungarian Hooligan

The 23rd match day

Viktor had been living in Debrecen for almost a week now. He had been unable to turn down the offer of a job as a department manager at his employer's Hungarian engine factory. He had been employed as a graduate engineer for almost ten years now, so this was finally a chance to advance his career. And Hungary wasn't wrong. When he got homesick, it wasn't far to his Bavarian home. And the city made a nice impression, too. His first weekend away was coming up, the weather was too cold and damp for the time of year, so after a short walk Viktor took shelter in a corner pub. The pub was packed. People in soccer shirts, with fan scarves and caps. He had obviously stumbled into the pub of a fan club of the local soccer team. Soccer… well, interested him only a little. In his hometown, he had occasionally joined in the celebrations when Bayern Munich had once again become German champions. But otherwise he cared less about sports. Neither actively, nor passively… But here it carried away him somehow. The waiter had put a beer in front of him without being asked, and one of the guests toasted him. And between cheers and groans a conversation developed. Somewhat sluggishly in English. But towards the end of the second half, Viktor was able to slip in a few words of Hungarian. It had been a very exciting game. Debreceni VSC had won 0:1 away. Viktor was cheering with the other guests. Someone had put a fan scarf on him. And the host gave a local round.

The 24th match day

Viktor had been looking forward to Saturday all week. Since moving to Debrecen a year ago, he had attended almost every home game at the stadium. His employer had a number of business seats in the stadium. And the winner of the internal betting round always got a seat for the next home game. Viktor may not have been the greatest expert. But when he stopped at his favorite pub for a beer in the evening after his jog, he always read the sports paper carefully. And it often helped him snag one of the coveted tickets. His buddies, with whom he watched the away games in the pub, usually turned up their noses because there were only snobs sitting in the business seats. But Viktor enjoyed the atmosphere and the closeness to his superiors. This could only be supportive for his career.

The game today was a disaster. 1:2 lost against the current second in the table. The score was still 0:0 at halftime. Viktor could hardly stand the cheering of the fans of the opposing team. The only thing that helped was drinking in frustration after the final whistle.

The 25th matchday

Today Viktor didn't get any tickets for the Sunday home game. Of course, he had also tried to get tickets on the black market, but he had had no luck. So he had to watch the game in his pub. After all, it went great against Vasas, the last team in the table. 3:1! This meant that his club climbed to fourth place. In the jubilation, Viktor got a beer shower. His jersey was soaking wet. But he was happy!

The 26th match day

The away game was in Mezokovesd not far from his home. Normally, Viktor would have carpooled with a few pals from his gym. But going by train with the other fans was much more fun. They tuned into the game with loud heavy metal from Symmetry Of The Void. The police separated them from the local fans already at the station. The mood was testy, Mezőkövesd-Zsóry SE was definitely on the heels of its club. A victory was important. And even though it didn't look like it for a long time, Meldin Drešković scored the redeeming goal shortly after the start of the second half. The fan block cheered. Chants of abuse began from the opposite side. Viktor, for his part, joined the chorus of his club. The first bengalos were set off. The mood threatened to tip over. And Viktor and his lads were looking forward to a proper brawl.

The 27th matchday

Home matchday. The fifth in the table meets the fourth in the table. Viktor had finished work early that Friday. Before the game he had worked out for an hour on the punching bag. He wanted to be in shape for the game. He had fought hard for his place in the Ultras' fan block and naturally wanted to keep it. He had been in the city for four years now and was an ardent admirer of his club. Right after graduation, he had been given the chance to move to Debrecen. He had never regretted it. He fevered with his club. He fought for the honor of his club after the games. And for that he kept himself fit with boxing training. Viktor laced up his boots tightly and tucked his gloves into the back pocket of his jeans. Whatever happened today, he was prepared.

It wasn't until the fourth minute of stoppage time that the opponent's goal came. Viktor was beside himself. The police tried their best to prevent an escalation. But it was a matter of honor not to let the opposing fan block go home unscathed.

The 28th match day

His friends had long called Viktor only Gyözö. The Hungarian variant of his name. And indeed, Viktor also felt rather Hungarian. Here he had graduated, here he had his circle of friends. He and his pals had already taken the fan bus to Zalaegerszeg on Friday afternoon. And they had partied the weekend away. There had already been one or two brawls. And it became apparent that it would also go off today properly. After the first goal for his team in the first half, Gyözö had made every effort to heat up the atmosphere. And after the 0:2 lead in the second half, he had an easy time stirring up the hatred of the opposing fan block. While still on his way out, he put in his mouth guard and put on his gloves.

The 29th match day

Finally, summer arrived. Géza loved to fire up the Ultra fan block with his bare upper body. He wore his tattoos with great pride. If they won today, they could finish third in the league. But Géza didn't really care. His name meant winner. And that was what he wanted to be today. Gladly in the stadium. But more importantly on the street in the fight against the cursed fans from Székesfehérvár.

@hottfguys, hope you like it!

[cheri-translates]

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[CN] Fifth Anniversary - Gavin’s Surprise Video

🍒 English translation under the cut 🍒

MC? Can you hear me?

It’s currently 7 December, 3.21pm in the afternoon. This video records my preparation for the fifth anniversary that we’d be spending together.

I’m almost done with the preparations and hope everything will go smoothly when I bring you here in a few days.

Before starting on the preparations, I thought of many ideas and wanted to bring all of the most romantic things on earth to you...

But I felt that... all of the romantic things lose their colour in front of you.

And that’s why I did my best to bring you everything I thought you’d like.

By the time you watch this VCR, you should have already seen everything that I’ve prepared.

I wonder if I’ve improved since the previous time? I’m guessing I have.

If there weren’t any improvements, you could step out of the theatre and let me know what you want.

No matter what they are, I’ll fulfil them to the best I can.

After five years of tacit understanding and collaboration, I find that I have a sufficient understanding of your likes.

So I think you’d like this gift.

Even so, I hope that you can ask more from me, just like what we talked about before...

When it comes to each other, we can learn how to be “greedier” in asking for more, and leaving behind exclusive traces belonging only to us.

Only this way can we have a closer connection, whether in body or mind.

Also, your requests won’t make things difficult for me. While preparing surprises for you, I enjoy the process too.

Whether it’s making flower crowns with frangipanis or filling a small boat with lilies.

When I was preparing them, simply thinking about your happy face made me happy as well.

Although there are many other things I’d like to tell you, I’ll let the future me say them to you in person.

Because that version of me will definitely be looking forward to your answer too.

[horsesarecreatures]

Book review: Growing Up Amish by Ira Wagler

This is a pretty self explanatory memoir. Ira Wagler was born into the Old Order Amish community of Ontario. His father helped found the Amish settlement in Alymer. His father had a farm, but mainly made his living as the editor of the magazine Family Life, and he became very famous among the Amish because of it. Alymer was a fairly moderate community, and Ira enjoyed an idyllic childhood. Eventually, some prominent members of the church there moved away, and were replaced by members who created stricter rules. Some of Ira's siblings left the church because of that. To try and keep the rest of the family together, the family moved to Bloomfield, Iowa when Ira was a teenager.

Bloomfield was also considered a moderate community. However, Ira began feeling discontent. He really loved his family and some aspects of the community, such as the way people banded together to help those in need. One of Ira's older brothers, Titus, has broken his neck while diving as an adult and became paraplegic. The Amish don't typically have health insurance, so the surgery and rehab bills went into the hundreds of thousands. But other members from Bloomfield and beyond sent money, and the bill was paid in it's entirety. Nonetheless, Ira became tired of farming, and liked activities his English friends got to do, like watching football on TV and driving cars. He felt immense guilt for wanting to leave, but became increasingly lost and depressed at the thought of settling down in the community.

Ira left and returned three times before he was baptized as a full member of the church. His family and the community welcomed him back with open arms every time. He continued to feel lost and depressed, whether he was with the Amish or on the outside. He liked the freedom of the outside, but felt directionless once there. Furthermore, he was plagued by loneliness and guilt. He didn't feel like he belonged in either world. Yet by the third time he returned, he figured he'd get it right. He formally joined the church, and became engaged to a girl named Sarah.

Sadly, the third time wasn't the charm. He couldn't go through with the marriage, knowing that eventually he'd leave again and crush everyone's heart. He broke up with Sarah. When his horse died, it triggered another severe bout of depression, and Ira left again, figuring this time he would not return. Since he had become a member of the church and broken his vows, this time he would be excommunicated. In addition, he had burned so many bridges in Bloomfield between breaking Sarah's heart, and leading his parents and business partner to believe he would be around to farm.

And yet... after a while of being on outside in Indiana, he got depressed again. He decided to rejoin the Amish church. The local bishop would not baptize him (an anomaly), so he was forced to return to Alymer. The community once again accepted him and allowed him to re-enter the church. He wasn't happy, though. He want back to Indiana (still with the Amish though; he just changed communities rather than leave the church again). There, through a remarkable friend who had joined the Amish as an outsider, Ira began to feel a happiness and contentment he had not felt since he was a child. He formed a true relationship with God, where he talked directly to him, rather than just reciting memorized prayers. This made him see that he was not alone in life. He left the Amish for the fifth and last time. He was still able to see his family though, because in Bloomfield excommunication basically just meant they had to distance themselves from him, and apparently just eating at a different table from each other fulfilled that requirement.

......................................................................................................................

I really enjoyed this book and found myself empathizing with Ira a lot. I can definitely see why he was so torn. His family and the people he grew up around were great people. But he just couldn't feel content in such a confined way of life. This book was also useful in clearing up some questions I had wondered about the Old Order Amish, and also the difference between them and other Anabaptists like Beachy Amish, New Order Amish, Swartzentruber Amish, Hutterites, and Mennonites.

[fyridis]

*Crashes through the wall* A fellow Tales of Symphonia fan! Please tell me more of what you liked/disliked about the game and why it was so important to you

!!! a symphonia fan!!! hello!!!!

so, part of it is that it was the first JRPG i ever played. i had the gamecube edition when i was in fifth grade, and i think i beat it like 10 times. it was solidly my favorite game at the time, and it’s what launched me into playing a ton of other JRPGs once i got a PS2 (tales of the abyss, xenosaga, star ocean, persona, grandia…). it was really foundational to my early taste in video games (alongside the wind waker, which i probably should have also tagged on the post, haha).

it’s also part of what set me on the path to reaching fluency in Japanese and thus somewhat more indirectly to linguistics. i somehow came across the Japanese version of the opening theme, and i liked it so much more than the english version that i decided to start studying the language. without that i might never have met so many people, started doing taiko performance, or basically any of the other stuff that’s become integral to my life.

but that’s all kind of orthogonal to the game itself. it’s been a while now since i played it, so it’s harder to give specifics, but here are some thoughts:

i think one big thing that stands out in my memory is the relationships between the characters, especially compared to some of the more recent tales entries. there’s so much depth to explore through the skits and the little heart-to-heart type things, like the talks between lloyd and kratos. i really enjoyed watching their friendship/understanding of one another progress throughout the game.

in that vein, i also feel like the plot beats were executed very well. of course, it was my first tales game, so when i was first playing it, didn’t know the ‘formula’ they (really, many JRPGs) tended to follow. but, i never found experiencing the plot to get stale, and even reflecting on it now, i do feel like the pacing really was well-done and that i would still enjoy it if i replayed the game (which i am now very tempted to do!).

i also remember being very invested in the renegade plot and their backstory. again, characters. the game has so many relationships to explore, and they’re all fleshed out in a surprising amount of depth.

one thing i might say could have been done better, though i don’t want to nitpick too much (since both the times and the cultural lens are pretty different from the way people think about things in the present-day u.s.) but there are definitely points at which the discrimination aspect of the plot feels half-baked. still, i appreciate that they decided to make a real-world issue so central to the plot, which i feel like they haven’t done—or at the very least, not to the same extent—in subsequent games?

this is getting really long and i’ll probably think of more things later, but yeah! love the game, and i’m probably going to end up replaying it now.

[saltyfishdream]

Let's say that I was glad I didn't discover AO3 until the summer before I went to secondary school, or nobody would ever know how tainted I would’ve become due to excess consumption of fanfiction from a large variety of animanga fandoms.

Since I was a kid, I tend to be full-blown obsessed with nearly every single fandom I stumble upon, so for a few months you’d see me having my personality revolved around some anime series— until the series ended on TV and a new one was aired. Then I’d just quickly move on with a new (un)healthy obsession on the new series, and repeat the procedure until literally the end of time if the TV didn’t break down when I was in fifth grade. I definitely did not scream or stomp or cry or throw tantrums to my parents for weeks on end then (before my parents introduced me to something that took me into the world of fandoms, that was another long story).

In first grade I was obsessed with Yowamushi Pedal and the first arc of Tanken Driland: Sennen no Mahō. That was when I had my first ever anime crush that everyone who knew me would’ve called me “delulu” if the word was invented in 2014. Yes, you heard me Mom. I will finally admit that I had a crush on Onoda Sakamichi back when I was six years old so you can never tease me about it again. (inserts villainous laugh)

In second grade it was Haikyuu and the second arc of Sennen no Mahō; Pokémon throughout the whole third grade as I was obsessed with Pokémon Go that year, while I watched some reruns of other series I had watched before; and Digimon Universe (with a healthy mix of Haikyuu if I remember it correctly) in fourth. I also remember watching two or three shojo anime series and a gajillion more sports anime but none of them left a deep enough impression on me to remember.

I thought my obsession levels were quite normal back then, at most rushing back home by 5pm on Thursdays and Fridays so as to not miss a beat of that 20-minute episode (with ten minutes of ads) and throwing tantrums when I was late for an episode but there was no way I could immediately turn on a TV to watch it. Or solely talking about that one series I was watching back then and never other topics— and if my friends didn't watch the same anime as I did, they weren't my friends at all.

But then a few months ago I decided it was about time that I wanted to experience some first-hand cringe nostalgia myself by reading all my writing homework back when I had extra English classes. To my surprise, ninety-nine percent of them were fanfiction. Most of that portion consisted of Pokémon and Digimon Universe as I only had sufficient vocabulary to write decent enough stories starting from third grade, but I did spot a few Haikyuu and Yowamushi Pedal references from earlier works. And my teachers back then did not care. Maybe they weren't interested in what I watched that they didn’t even take note of the Japanese names I used for the characters.

Boy, I am sure that I could've been the youngest fanfiction writer on AO3 if I discovered the site earlier. Like, imagine, when most people started writing in their early teens I would’ve been on there since I was eight. My parents said that I was literally addicted when I asked them about my history with anime as a kid.

However, my obsession did help me as a coping mechanism then. I would say that I was a happy kid in primary school, although my experience getting along with other kids and my teachers suggested otherwise. The details were already blurry, but I’m quite sure it was nothing close to good. I guess I would’ve gone insane or became depressed if there wasn’t a thing like anime that could anchor me to life. Then I realised that I wasn’t stupid back then to grow oblivious to my mistreatment. I was just escaping. Anime was a safe haven to me as a child. And I never knew it.

Everything took a turn for the better for the past few years of secondary school. We got a new TV after moving house, but I stopped watching anime after having a few new friends and a brand-new obsession with Percy Jackson. Nothing went terribly wrong. I may not be the most popular kid on the block, but I at least have friends. My grades are quite decent. I became the vice chairperson of a club. I should be happier than I was in primary school.

Sike, no. Everything went crashing down as my mental health hit rock bottom over the summer. To put it down to three words, I was hopeless. And in the nick of time I remembered one of my friends recommending an anime series— Blue Lock to be exact— to me right before everything in my mind was going to be worse than ever.

So that night I binged a few episodes, just to distract myself from my feelings long enough to hold out to the next morning.

Then— BOOM— I was staying up until 3am, reading every single fanfic I could comprehend on AO3 and spending every waking moment dedicated to the fandom instead of studying for that very important test a few days later.

You can say that it's just a hyperfixation from my autism, but some things just never change. I don't want it to change.

[kaywavy]

[not my writing]

Pocket calculators! Now there's something. They're so complicated! I have a calculator which has sines, cosines, tangents, logarithms, hyperbolic functions and multiple nested parentheses. You can program it in Fortran, Algol, Basic, Pascal, Forth, Fifth and Sixth, ADA and Carruthers. It will factorize primes for you. At present it's working on the Halting Problem.

(continued)

It translates from one language to another. From German to Spanish. From Macedonian to Esperanto. From Cantonese to Greek. Or from American to English.

It is, in fact, a multiprocessor system. There are 22 Transputers in there. Sometimes they organize a game of football between them.

It has a full color, wraparound wide screen, liquid crystal, three-dimensional holographic display. It's called HoloChromaCinePhotoRamaScope.

Its audio facilities include Dolby Digital Decaphonic surround sound. On the way here I watched "The Labyrinth" on it.

It also has synthetic speech and a voice recognition system. I often talk to it. I tell it my problems. Sometimes it psychoanalyses me. It has me figured as paranoid. But that's just because it keeps getting at me. But don't get me wrong - it can be very user friendly. In fact you can program precisely HOW user friendly you want it is to be on a scale from ONE to TEN.

On a setting of ONE it won't even interrupt a football game to answer you. But on a setting of TEN it's so friendly that on a cold day it pre-heats its pushbuttons.

But no matter who smart it SEEMS, deep down inside it's just a dumb old computer.

One time I got really mad at it. Like all computers, it knew precisely what I wanted it to do. It knew exactly what I MEANT. So why does it have to go and DO what I SAID?

How do you get even with a dumb machine like that?

First I tried slapping it around a little. I pushed its buttons a bit hard. I threatened it. "How would you like a busted display" I said.

But it did no good. It just said "I am virtually unbreakable - and I'm not going to take any notice till you enter the data nicely, like you used to do."

Whatever I did it always seemed to win.

I decided to have a man-to-man talk with it. So I sat it down and said to it "Who's the boss here, you or me?"

No reply.

Again I ask "Who's the boss, you or me? Go on, answer me!"

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking," it said.

So I hit it. Hard. Too hard. I cracked its case.

At first I thought that was the limit of the damage. But then little things started to go wrong. At first there was nothing definite. Nothing you could put your finger on. Just little things like stuttering. It just didn't sound quite the same. Its voice seemed to lack its former confidence.

Then once I caught it making an arithmetic mistake. Of course I didn't mention it. But you could tell it knew. Its self image was shot to pieces.

Saddest of all, it forgot our anniversary - of the day I bought it. In the past this had been a special time for us.

I just couldn't bear it any longer. One evening I tucked it up snugly in its case, lit candles, played a record which was popular when we first met, and sat down beside it.

"Where did we go wrong?" I said. But it had it pride. It wasn't about to weaken in front of a non-machine.

"Wrong? Nothing is wrong," it said. "Just insufficient data."

But underneath you could tell it was hurt.

From there it was a rapid downhill slide.

Now it just mutters to itself. It can only do very simple calculations on small numbers.

Finally came the ultimate indignity. It lost control. It leaked electrolyte all over its case.

I felt so bad about it. My other gadgets weren't happy about it either. They all came out in sympathy for the calculator. My watch gave me a bad time. My power tools keep blowing fuses.

Then one night last week I was driving my car back from London when suddenly the engine stopped all by itself on this lonely country road.

I tried to get out but the solenoids were inhibited by the central locking computer. Suddenly the air conditioner came on and started to blow out freezing cold air. It made a noise like wind whistling through the trees. Then this creepy music came from the loudspeaker. The sort of music they play in movies when the hero is lost in a dark forest.

I got scared. The cold, the wind and the weird music got to me. Then it started to speak.

"You're the guy who beats up pocket calculators!"

[iridescentparkers]

april showers bring may flowers - peter parker

pairing: tasm!peter parker x female reader

summary: the one where peter parker takes his best friend to meet his aunt may <3

word count: 1.5k

warnings: swearing

a/n: just something a lil sweet for the kids before i continue writing my masterlist and some parts of serendipity!!!

It was probably the fourth or fifth time Peter had assured May that you two were just friends.

Nothing more, nothing less

After Ben died, Peter had no one to turn to…

…accept you.

But she wasn’t oblivious.

Every time she would ask him how he was feeling, the answer was always…

unintelligible mumbling

Not joking.

Seriously.

The only things she could pick out of his rushed phrases were,

“I’m fine.” and a door abruptly shutting on her face.

Soon, she would see him staring at nothing,

and smiling like an idiot at the washing machine.

“Peter?” May inquired, raising a brow at his dazed expression.

His head shook faintly, ridding of his dazed expression, “Hmm?”

She inspected his face, peering her eyes from left to right as he stood there, him uninformed of what she was doing “What?”

He spoke breathily, smiling almost as big as he did at that washing machine two seconds ago.

It’s a girl.

Peter wasn’t always one to have a big circle of friends,

it's been that way since he was a kid…but

Like before, she wasn’t oblivious.

One day she stops him before he leaves for school, being discreet in her true motives, and asks Peter about school.

“How are your grades?”

“Good, Aunt May.” He mumbles, shoving spoonful's of soggy cereal in his mouth.

“Any new friends?” She asks, taking a bite of her toast, crumbs going everywhere as she bit into the slightly burnt piece.

That same sweet heat tingled on his cheeks, lingering at the reminder of her.

The nostalgic thoughts washed over him as he remembered.

He took a big sip of orange juice, attempting to hide his very present emotions, “I um- I don’t know if you would call her that.”

“Is this a girlfriend, Peter?”

“Oh, it’s not like that, she’s just…”

The crease on May’s forehead became more prominent as she awaited more details.

“Well, her name’s Y/N, and she’s in my English class. She sits in front of me, and we talk…sometimes, it’s a bit complicated.

She’s the funniest girl I’ve ever met. The other day, she introduced me to some of her friends-

So, when she heard talk of Y/N, a part of her felt relieved.

Peter was ok, maybe more than ok.

Definitely so from the way he was smiling from ear to ear and going on about this girl he met at school.

“Maybe you can invite her over some time?”

“What-”

“Yes, Peter. Have your friend over for dinner sometime. She is your friend, correct?”

“Yeah, sure.” He murmured, looking down as he played with his spoon in his empty bowl. “I’ll see what I can do.”

That day, Peter mustered up the courage to make his way to Y/N, watching as she moved items around within her locker.

“Hey, Y/N”

“Hey, Peter. What’s up?”

“You don’t have to, I understand if you say no…”

“Who said I would say no?” She asked, smiling sweetly as she gently shut her locker.

“Would you maybe want to come over to my house later for dinner?”

“Sure,” she smiled, clinging her textbooks close to her chest.

“Will I be getting some of the famous Aunt May meatloaf I have been dying to try?”

“Why, of course, I wouldn’t want you missing out on a five-star dining experience.”

They both laughed in unison before the bell rang, and Peter remained smiling and giddy as she waved faintly before walking off.

Three sharp knocks on his door followed by a series of thunderclaps led to Peter rushing down the stairs and to the front door.

May couldn’t tell which sound was stomping and which one was thunder.

Behind the door was a girl with the sweetest smile and a fresh bouquet of white daisies.

Her hair appeared disheveled from the wind, the quick air giving her a new messy do’

“Hi,” she breathed, followed by an even bigger smile than before. Her voice was so delicate as she locked eyes with Peter’s.

“Hi,” Peter spoke back, giving a crooked smile before noticing her new hair.

“Your hair.” he giggled, tugging at the bottom of his lip. His hand reached out to touch it before retracting it slowly. “Can I?”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

May made her way to the front door before placing tonight’s dinner in the oven.

“Hi Mrs. Parker, I’m Y/N.”

“Nice to meet you, Y/N.”

The young girl had reached out to shake May’s hand.

Her palms were slightly warm before handing her flowers.

“These are for you.”

“Thank you, dear.”

“Come in, come in.” May spoke.

“You both can hang upstairs in Peter’s room until dinner. First door on your right.”

“Thank you.”

The two were whisked away in Peter’s room with causal footsteps and shuffling above the kitchen area.

May was happy for her boy.

She and Ben busted their asses to keep him in line,

to raise money for college.

, give him the life he deserves,

and most of all keep him happy.

And for a while, he wasn’t because of Ben’s passing.

Interrupting her thoughts came to an abrupt thud,

then followed by a couple more.

May made her way upstairs, peering open the already cracked door.

What’s going on up here?

“Nothing Aunt May,” Peter says as his eyes widen with each word.

“Where’s Y/N?”

“Bathroom.”

She didn’t even want to know what was going on up here.

She just nodded and quickly made her way back downstairs.

Peter shut the door to reveal Y/N, frazzled and collecting her breath, as one of her wrists remained stuck to the door, coated in spider webbing.

“Those are so effing cool, Peter!”

“We could have gotten caught, Y/N!”

Dinner was a success with Peter chatting, and

Y/N is probably the best girl May has ever seen Peter bring around.

and maybe the only girl she’s ever seen Peter bring around.

Peter Parker gets bitches everybody. ;)

Y/N offered to help with the dishes, and Peter helped out too.

Lightning strikes within the black sky from the kitchen window.

“I probably should be getting back home soon,” Y/N stated, eyes dancing with the colorful lightning strikes in the night sky. “Can I use your restroom before I go?”

“Yeah, it’s over there.” He stated, pointing in the opposite direction.

“She seems nice. You seem to like her a lot.”

“She is.” Peter smiled at his Aunt, then continued to scrub the remaining dishes. “And I do like her a lot.”

“So, are you going to ask her out?”

His mouth lowered, practically dragging along the floor. “And I swear if I hear ‘It’s not like that one more time…”

Peter sealed his lips, twisting them towards one side of his face. “I don’t think she likes me like that.”

“I think she does.”

“How do you know?”

“I just do.” She stated, grinning as she shrugged her shoulders. “Now, if you don’t ask her on a date, Peter-”

She got cut off by the flicking of the bathroom light switch and footsteps moving down their dim hallway.

“I’m going to head out now,” Y/N stated. “Thank you so much for dinner, Mrs. Parker.”

“Anytime, sweetheart,” May replied. “Peter will walk you out.”

“But I need to finish this last pan-”

May put her hand down in the sink, placing two hard taps on Peter’s hands. “Ow!”

“I got it,” May stated as she scrubbed the last few items in the sink.

A couple of minutes had passed since the two-headed outside.

Rain pattered along with the kitchen window, making the mood dimmer.

She looks up at the kitchen clock,

15 minutes? What could they be-?

Opening the front door, two sets of lips combined as rain poured down on both Peter and Y/N.

Both Peter and Y/N are drenched and a bit dazed from the deep kiss.

Slowly, Peter pulled from Y/N’s face.

Peter's lips remained puckered as he held her face in his hands, and they were both still chatting and giggling as they stood in the pouring rain.

“I heard,” Y/N stated, water droplets resting on her face and thunder continuing in the background. “All of it Peter.”

“You thought I wouldn’t like you?”

“Yes,” he laughed, nodding his head as Y/N joined in with his giddy chuckling. “Rejection is a scary thing, Y/N.”

“Well, I’m annoyed you didn’t tell me for so long,” she replied, rolling her eyes at his secrecy.

“Me too,” Peter replied, moving some hair from her face. “Cause for a long time, I couldn’t do this.”

His lips yet again were melded in with her own.

Kissing her so rushed, yet so sweet.

With one last kiss, Peter finally let go of her face.

“Goodnight,” Y/N whispered, turning to walk away as Peter moved his hands from her face.

“Goodnight,” Peter replied, smiling ear to ear as he watched the girl he just scored walk away.

“I have a date,” Peter stated, blankly staring at May as he caught his breath. “I have a date.”

He repeated the sentence, adding more emphasis the second time before May spoke.

“As I said, I always know.”

[sassyabbs]

Smut headcanons: George Weasley.

[Notes: Well, a little love to my man, bless his hands.

Also, I'm sorry if there's any mistakes, english isn't my first language. And I'm sorry for taking so long]

WARNINGS: NSFW! CONTENT, thigh riding, slightly Dom/sub, hand kink (?), sexual innuendo in public (but not so clear), a little vainilla.

Honestly, having sex for George Weasley had never been a priority.

Sure he enjoyed it, but he never found it to be something to get addicted to.

He remembered fifth year, how his friend Lee would throw his head back talking about the wonderful blow job that a girl had given him. It was never like that for him.

Sure he had his tastes and Lee his, but even when he was pulling a girl's hair in sixth year, something he had been dreaming about a few months ago, it didn't feel so great. It was weird, he even thought his friends were pretending how much they liked sex.

But he also knew that he had never loved any girl he had sex with.

So when Fred and George hired you to serve customers in their store, he hung around you for about a year, unable to touch you.

It was unbearable, you stayed away because you didn't want to get involved with someone from work and less a boss as direct as George.

But not being able to touch you drove him crazy. He had to watch you flit all over the place every day, unable to do anything, just look at you and have little talks.

It was no surprise that after a few more in-depth talks in the backstore, you finally said yes to a date and it ended up with the two of you in bed.

That time it was definitely something, the two of them came fast and hard, looking into each other's eyes and forgetting about everything.

It was devastating for George, who soon dragged you into his arms and fell asleep in your bed.

You both didn't get their hands off each other in the morning either, not at breakfast either, and at the end you had a quickie before George rushed to lunch at The Burrow.

Of course when he showed up to his parents' house in yesterday's clothes, wet hair and sparkling eyes Fred couldn't help but laugh out loud and annoy him for the rest of the afternoon.

But he didn't care, he was so caught up in that feeling that there wasn't anything but your walls enveloping him that he hardly noticed.

Almost without hesitation, after lunch and spending a few hours in the company of his family, he returned home and took his time with you.

Well you took your time with him, you rode him looking into his eyes, his hands clenching your thighs and your fingers digging into his hair and pulling every time it was too much.

George wouldn't believe there was a whole world outside of the bed he shared with you.

You looked like the owner of the world while you rode it, with your skin shining and your breast bouncing.

He became a little addicted the first months.

So of course you two had a lot of quickies.

And with that he became a little too touchy.

Kissing your neck and lips while he's passing next to you at work.

Grabbing your hips from behind when you couldn't reach the cabinets to help you get something.

Gently pull the strands of your hair when they tease each other.

Rubbing his crotch with your butt when he had to pass and the hallway was small for both of us (this happened more times than expected).

And holding your hand all the time, if there wasn't a good reason to let you hand go, he wouldn't release your fingers.

The bad and good thing we're that all of this things were things that he did during sex. So you would be at least a little turned on after these.

He also loves teasing you about how wet you are after that.

"How is it that my baby is wet after a little neck kiss? You must be thinking about me all the time."

You would act as if you were really mad, but you would let him drag you into a closet and fingering you to a wonderful release.

You would also love give him a hand job, it just felt the right way with him in your hand, going up and down as you pleased.

Everytime that you would give him a hand job, his own hands wouldn't be still.

He will let his hands grab your hips, then when you got him all nervous, his hands would go up and grab your tits.

He probably needed the support anyway, you loved to mess with him.

And then your wrist, his bin hand around your wrist to stop you when it would be too much.

"That's it, make me cum now or I won't let it feel nice for you."

He never fullfil that warning, he loved too much seeing you orgasm that the opportunity wouldn't be lost, even if you are the one who receives the pleasure.

You two tried a lot of things in bed, not all of them went good, but nothing felt glorious in a way that you couldn't live without it.

One of the things that went good was thigh riding, from both of you.

He loved seeing you riding him, it didn't matter that it wasn't his dick, he loved you riding him in anyway.

And when he was riding your thigh it would be a great view.

He would have to adjust to your position, sometimes crouching down and other times almost standing on his tiptoes.

And the he would be moving his hips, rubbing with his pants still on, on your leg. Sometimes you would unzip them and give him a manual job, other times you would make him cum on his pants.

He was definitely a switch, for the little dom/sub that you both tried.

It was good, but mostly of the time you two wouldn't want to think about an scene, you guys would just want to fuck while getting lost on eachother's eyes.

It was healing for you two having that kind of connection during sex.

You both love it.