#I tried to ask one of my friends if we could spend *slightly* less time together bc we were attached at the hip and he had a MELTDOWN

[cervinelich]

"Everyone always leaves/abandons/rejects me =C" is such a huge red flag for me. Saw someone saying this on social media the other day and knee-jerk instinct was "blockblockblock"

[avis-writeshq]

05 — enchanted

summary: “please don’t be in love with someone else”/“please don’t have somebody waiting on you.”  pairing: spencer reid x fem!reader genre: best friends to lovers, mutual pining, fluff, slow burn, no use of (Y/N) warnings: alcohol (reader gets drunk lmfao), jealousy, slight miscommunication, austin (aka: bartender girl from s4), special mention to special people wc: 4.9k a/n: everyone say thank you @astrophileous for beta-reading MWAH ilyvm zara <33 SPARKS FLY MASTERLIST // MAIN MASTERLIST

Although you haven’t been a part of the BAU for more than one year, it didn’t stop you from maintaining the connections that you had in all your years of working there. Sure, the scheduling times could be better, but that didn’t stop the team from spending their rare day off to spend time with you. After all, the adjustment of seeing you every day to once in a blue moon was a difficult one to make. 

O’Keefe’s has been the main victim of the team’s shenanigans, its doors open for the seven members of law enforcement, all eager to get their hands on some well earned rest and relaxation. Drinks are passed around the booth and you can’t help but laugh as you watch Derek get his ‘groove thang on’ with a few girls in the bar. Today is one of the rare occasions when the team didn’t have a case, an even rarer day when the team didn’t have to take on any new or incoming cases. 

“How’s life treating you?” Emily asks cheerfully, sipping at her strawberry daiquiri. You gather that tonight is one of those nights.

You smile, sipping at your own beverage of choice. “Good! Way less stressful than working at the BAU, that’s for sure. And the hours are good, too.”

JJ snorts from beside you. “Yeah, well, can’t say I’m not jealous. How’re the kids?”

“I can’t say much because of confidentiality and all that, but they’re doing well. A lot better, thank goodness but it just goes to show the aftermath of the things that you guys deal with. I mean, I still think about all the victims we’ve helped and it sucks that we can’t do anything to help them further.” You finish your tangent with a long sip of your drink before leaning back against the booth. “Anyway, how are you guys?”

Penelope comes shuffling past carrying a series of cocktails, her absolutely monstrous platform heels not aiding her in her slightly tipsy task. “Do not even get me started on work. No work! None! We’re having a fun day. Ergo, no work talk.”

You laugh in response, moving to the side to allow her room to sit in the booth. “No, Penny, you’re right. No work talk.”

The drinks are dispersed and your gaze shifts to where Spencer is standing, laughing awkwardly as he tries to follow along to Derek’s dancing and socialising. He looks incredibly out of place in his brown argyle sweater vest, navy tie and freshly pressed slacks, and he pulls at the collar of his shirt. 

“Nah, Spencer could definitely be a ladies’ man if he plays his cards right. And I mean that literally,” Emily says, bringing you out of your daydream.

Your head snaps in her direction, trying to calm your facial features and microexpressions. Regardless of your attempts, after a year of not practising, you don’t do as well as you hope. “What?”

JJ grins at you, her eyes lighting up knowingly. “We’re just talking about who’s the biggest hotshot in the BAU.”

“Wouldn’t that be David?” You ask meekly, your finger swirling along the edge of your glass. You had met David Rossi on occasion, once by accident when you were having a night out with the girls and the other during a proper introduction two weeks later. “Didn’t he have, like, five wives?”

“I had three thank you very much,” Rossi intervenes swiftly, holding his glass of whisky on ice. 

“Sorry, my bad,” you respond jokingly, snickering as he shakes his head and stalks over to where Hotch is sitting and drinking his rum. 

Penelope lets out a loud laugh. “I think we’re forgetting the obvious: our very own Chocolate Thunder.”

“Well, fine,” Emily drawls, waving a hand dismissively, “but Spencer has that innocent vibe to him, y’know? The kind of guy women go crazy over.”

JJ clicks her fingers in remembrance. “Didn’t a bunch of prostitutes try to pick him up in that one case?”

“What?” You ask again, albeit a little shrilly as you try to dismiss the surprise in your tone. 

“He didn’t take them,” Emily says quickly in an attempt to ease your discomfort. “But he did pick up a girl a few months ago. Austin?”

Penelope nods at that, putting down her cup. “Oooh, yes! I remember her. He showed me a picture. She’s pretty.”

“I mean, he did pick up Lila too.” JJ reminds the team, shooting you a sly smile. “You remember her, don’t you?”

You force out a laugh and bite the inside of your cheek in the process. “Yeah. Who’s Austin?”

“I think I still have a picture!” Penelope says, brandishing her phone from her coat pocket. She types something in before sliding it in your direction. “Pretty, right?”

Austin is certainly pretty, even in the uncoordinated selfie Penelope shows you of her and Spencer. He’s slightly out of frame, his lips set into a sweet smile while Austin practically glows. Her brilliant green eyes flash in the camera and her dark hair frames her face perfectly. She and Spencer are close in the photo, with him holding the phone clumsily and she has a hand on his arm. 

“Uh huh,” you murmur distractedly, averting your gaze from the photo as an ugly feeling creeps into your chest. “Really pretty.”

Emily looks at you curiously. “You didn’t know about her?”

You shrug in response, the smile on your face insincere. “There are a lot of things I don’t know about Spencer.”

The group exchange a couple glances at your tell-tale body language, watching as you scoot past Penelope and out of the booth, making your way to the bar. You’re all too grateful for a reprieve from the teasing as you order another drink and take a seat, resting your chin on the palm of your hand. Your mind goes through all the interactions you’ve had with Spencer over the years. Were you really that foolish to think that he would feel that way for you? Maybe you were reading too much into it, you try to reason, running your fingers through your once styled hair. Maybe, in some stupid and twisted way, all of Spencer’s interactions were platonic.

You scoff inwardly to yourself. Right. Because picking someone up at two o’clock in the morning is entirely platonic. Sleeping in the same bed as someone because of nightmares is totally normal between friends. In any case, you could have sworn that he–

“Trouble in paradise?” 

An unfamiliar voice nearly makes you jump out of your skin, and you turn to the man who takes a seat beside you. “Uh… something like that.”

The man hums, a smile on his handsome features. His dark brown hair is fluffy and, in its own charming little way, suits him. He reminds you a lot of Spencer, with the way his eyes crinkle at the corners when he smiles along with the timbre of his voice. He’s also very different to Spencer, especially with his sweater that has a bright orange pumpkin on it, paired with a matching orange scarf. A pair of red tinted sunglasses hang on the neckline of his sweater, and you doubt that it would do much good to block the sun.

“I’m Matthias,” he says good naturedly, beaming. “I’m with my sister, Laura,” he explains, gesturing to a lady sporting dyed auburn coloured hair, and she waves with a matching smile.

You introduce yourself, pointing to the booth. “My friends are over there.”

Matthias nods, undeterred by your company on the other side of the bar. “Let me buy you a drink.”

*** 

After what felt like hours of dancing (it was really only fifteen minutes), Spencer and Derek make their way to rejoin the group. The feeling of sweat matting his skin is one of many reasons as to why Spencer hates dancing. That, and the fact that there were far too many people on the dancefloor. What’s worse is the fact that he’s sure that none of them have ever heard of the word ‘deodorant’. He cringes at the thought of all the germs that could be festering on his skin as he sits at the booth, his eyes shifting to wear your bag lays haphazardly on the red cushions. 

“Where is she?” He asks instantly, turning to Emily and placing your bag so that it’s in a safer and less hazardous position.

She hums, pointing in the bar’s direction. “Getting a drink. She’s just cooling off.”

“Cooling off?” Spencer echoes, his brows furrowing. “What do you mean she’s ‘cooling off’?”

Penelope offers an apologetic smile, fiddling with the buttons on her coat. “We… might have told her about Austin?”

“You what?” Spencer can barely believe his ears as he looks at the group incredulously. “Why would you do that?”

“We didn’t mean anything bad by it,” JJ says hastily. “We didn’t think she’d react like that.”

“React like what?” Spencer’s voice is strangely stern, his eyes narrowing as he turns to the rest of the team. “I don’t like Austin. She’s nice but I don’t like her.”

Derek’s brows lift in surprise and confusion. “Did you go out with her after the case?”

Spencer’s ears burn in embarrassment and he turns to his friend in offence. “I asked her for help. I don’t like Austin like that. I needed advice.”

“Advice,” Emily repeats, turning in the direction of the bar. “You mean about…?”

Spencer doesn’t stay long enough to head the rest of Emily’s sentence or to answer it, making his way over to you are. Part of him wishes that he stayed put, especially when he sees what you’re doing. In an instant, his nose is scrunched up in distaste as he spies the random stranger chatting you up. His eyes lock with yours and he relishes in the way they light up as you wave him over.

“Hi,” he breathes, standing beside you. 

“Hi!” You gush, beaming at him. “Saw you on the dancefloor.”

“You’ll never see it again,” he says honestly, stealing a sip of your drink. It tastes like vodka and the strawberry lipgloss you use (he only know what it tastes like because of its very on the nose packaging: a giant strawberry. He wishes he knew for other reasons).

You laugh, bright and loud, before you gasp excitedly. “Oh, Spencer, this is Matthias! He’s been keeping me company.” Then, you lean closer to him, your voice a very exaggerated whisper as if the person you’re talking about isn’t in the seat next to you as you tell Spencer, “he’s a director.”

Matthias waves off the statement, chuckling along. “Nothing famous though.”

“He’s a liar,” you tell Spencer enthusiastically. “Did you know he went to New York University? Crazy, right? Like, the school of arts or something. Oh! And he’s also from Vegas! You two are so alike.”

Spencer nods half-heartedly as he tells you, “you know, I went to MIT and CalTech.”

“Well I know that, silly!” You say with a drunken laugh, poking at his cheek. You turn to Matthias with a proud grin before reaching for a shot. “Spencer’s a genius. He’s a super smart genius.”

“That’s what ‘genius’ means, angel,” Spencer reminds gently, prying the little cup away from you. “No more. You’re drunk and we don’t want a repeat of last time.”

Your face falls and your lips curl into a frown. “But Spencer I’m thirsty!”

“You have water in your bag,” he prompts, squeezing your shoulder and helping you off the barstool, not paying this Matthias person any mind. “Okay? Let’s go back to the others.”

You nod eagerly, stumbling a little as you wave goodbye. “Bye, Matthias!”

“Uh huh,” Spencer dismisses, leading you back to the table by the small of your back. He leans a little closer to murmur in your ear, “why did you leave the others?”

You shrug dismissively, leaning into his side. “Doesn’t matter.”

“No, angel, it does,” he says carefully, “tell me?”

You huff in your own clumsy drunken way. “You should ask Austin. Or go pick someone else up. Emily says you’re turning into a ‘ladies’ man’.”

Spencer resists the urge to roll his eyes. Of course. “I don’t like Austin,” he tells you in earnest, holding you close to his side as you stumble back to the booth. “I mean it, angel.”

“Bet you call everyone angel,” you grumble under your breath. “Bet you let everyone call you ‘Walter’ too.”

“No,” Spencer says immediately, a hand on your waist. “I only call you that. Besides, why would I let someone call me by my middle name if it isn’t you?”

You huff again, slumping in the booth as Penelope shuffles inward to give you more room. Your arms cross over your chest in annoyance and frustration and  you turn away from Spencer’s direction. He doesn’t need to be a profiler to know that you’re pissed off at him. Somewhere in your hazy drunk mind, you’ve made it out as him being the bad guy.

Spencer shoots the other girls a pointed glare, gesturing at you as if to say ‘This is your fault’ because, in reality, it is. If they didn’t mention Austin, you wouldn’t be mad at him. If they didn’t mention Austin, you wouldn’t have gotten yourself drunk with some random guy who went to New York University. Spencer mocks Matthias in his head. Stupid Matthias and his stupidly good hair. Spencer runs a hand through his own growing locks, grimacing when he realises that it reaches his shoulders now. Maybe he should get a haircut later.

“Angel,” Spencer tries again, kneeling down next to your chair. “Let’s get you home, alright? Please don’t be mad at me?”

You mutter something incoherent, not bothering to look in his direction.

“I’m not in love with Austin,” he tells you, his tone a mix of firmness and gentleness. “Really, I’m not. We’re just friends, angel, I promise.”

“Liar,” you mutter under your breath as you get out of the booth. JJ guiltily passes you your bag and you take it out of her hands as Spencer grips your arm with one hand, the other on the small of your back. 

“Not a lie,” Spencer says, walking you to his car. “I wouldn’t lie to you about this. Not after Lila.”

“Lie-la,” you say bitterly as you get into the passenger seat. “Stupid actress.”

He laughs at that, getting behind the wheel. “Yeah, angel. Stupid actress.”

“You kissed her in a pool,” you continue as you fumble drunkenly with the buckle of the seatbelt. “You don’t kiss me in the pool.”

Spencer’s cheeks burn at your words as he puts your seatbelt on, his fingers grazing yours. “It never came up. Besides, I hate pools, you know that.”

“Germ-y,” you respond knowingly, a silly giddy smile on your face. “I know you the best.”

“Exactly,” he hums as starts the car, his words flowing smoothly as he considers how drunk you are. There’s no way you’d remember this, right? “Why would I find another girl when I have you who knows me best?”

Your cheeks glow with pride at his words and you laugh. “Exactly.”

*** 

It’s late. Far too late and you toss and turn in bed. Your eyes are heavy but your brain won’t shut up, swirling with the memories of the previous night. You’re not really sure what happened after you got to the bar, only remembering snippets of the night. The entire time was a blur: you remember getting upset at the girls (or rather, at the information they were feeding you), meeting someone– Mason? Matthew? You can’t even remember– and then downing three shots. It’s awfully stupid of you, yes but then somehow you got home safe and sound with a note on your kitchen counter from Spencer.

You felt a little silly upon the finding of the note. Of course Spencer would take you home; it’s not like the girls were particularly sober by the time you wanted to leave. Regardless, reading the note made you feel incredibly stupid, more stupid than usual, and you wanted nothing more than to bury yourself six feet underground. 

‘Hi angel,’ it read in Spencer’s messy scrawl with chaotic lettering and swirly g’s. ‘You’re probably really hungover right now so there’s a Tylenol on the counter and a sandwich in the fridge. Please drink water; I’m sure you’re also severely dehydrated from the alcohol. I know you’re upset at me but please just forget about what the others said about Austin. I don’t like her like that. Be safe and call me when you wake up.’

The note was fine, nothing out of the ordinary, just Spencer being his usual ridiculously lovely self. You didn’t mind that he took care of you, either. It’s more-so the fact that you genuinely could barely remember what you said that him. You’re betting on it being something exceedingly dumb (you’re making a habit of it, much to your own chagrin), especially considering how much you had to drink that night. Maybe you should start abstaining from drinking from now on, especially if Spencer was in the vicinity. 

The note is now pinned securely to your cork board, a pretty lavender thumb tack holding it in place. Your gaze drifts to it for a moment then to your clock and you groan into your pillow. This is dumb. Sleep is dumb. Your clock blinks with the numbers ‘02:01’ in red mocking letters and you resist the urge to scream. After blindly searching for your phone, you step out of bed while rubbing your eyes. 

The lingering question keeps you up as you pace back and forth beside you bed. If Spencer doesn’t like Austin, who does he like? It can’t be Lila. You would have known if they kept in contact. Then again, you had no idea who Austin was so who knows what secrets Spencer is keeping? What if there was another girl? What if your entire friendship with Spencer was exactly that– friendship. You slap the palm of your hand to your forehead. Were you really that stupid?

It’s in that moment when your phone begins to ring. The tune plays through the room and you know it all too well; the Doctor Who theme song that you spent a whopping two dollars and thirty-seven cents on to add it as the custom ringtone for Spencer. 

“Hello…?” You answer quietly, your voice choking. “Walter?”

“Angel,” he murmurs, and you can hear shuffling in the background. “Why are you still awake?”

You hum, pinching the bridge of your nose. “I could ask you the same question.”

He laughs quietly on the other side of the line, scratchy from the lack of sleep. “Can I come over?”

“Always.”

He hangs up after that and you press the pads of your fingers into the corners of your eyes again. You’re exhausted, far too exhausted to be hosting guests, but this is Spencer. How can you ever say no to him? So, instead of sulking around and spending far too long doing nothing, you fashion yourself a cup of tea and flick the lights on. The book you were reading is thrown haphazardly onto the cushions of your couch but you can’t bring yourself to pick it up. 

The jiggling of the door handle brings you out of your little mood, and Spencer lets himself in with the key you gave him, locking it securely and taking his shoes off to reveal his sock choice of the day: one bright green and the other in fuchsia with buttercup yellow spots. He’s wearing a crinkly white t-shirt that hangs over his gangly frame and grey sweatpants. For something so basic, he looks absolutely criminal in it. You pinch yourself as punishment for thinking such a thing. 

“Hey,” he breathes, sitting next to you. He runs his fingers through his hair, frowning a little. “Do you think I should get it cut?”

You laugh, almost spilling your tea. “You came to my apartment at two in the morning to ask what I think about your hair?”

“Yes,” he agrees before laughing, “no! Of course not. I just thought of it.”

A hum leaves your lips as you curl a strand of his hair around your finger. “I like long hair on you. Besides, you’d look good in any hair cut.”

Spencer preens at your words, enjoying the feel of your touch in his hair. “You’re a liar. I know what I looked like four years ago. Don’t lie.”

“I’m not!” You insist, beaming at him as you poke his cheek. “You were really cute back then. Like a baby.”

He flushes again at both the compliment and the contact, his mind committing the way you say ‘baby’ to memory. He thinks it again and again; baby, baby, baby. 

“I was not a baby,” He tells you, half in jest. “I’m older than you!”

“By a year,” you quip, the sleep deprivation making your head go loopy. “Barely. Doesn’t matter, you’re still baby.”

Spencer scoffs lightly, poking your side. “If I’m a baby, what does that make you? A foetus? A zygote?”

You let out a quiet scream in protest, whacking him over the head with a throw pillow. “Ew, Spencer what the hell?”

He snickers in response, shielding his face with his forearm. “If I’m a baby and you’re younger than me, you must be at an earlier stage of development. So? Which is it, are you a foetus or a zygote? C’mon, angel, you passed eighth grade biology.”

“You’re an ass,” you chastise jokingly, rolling your eyes as you look up at him. Sometime amidst the commotion he must have gotten closer to you. Your noses are almost touching and your breath hitches in your throat. 

He smiles sweetly, his own cheeks warm and flushed with embarrassment as he maintains eye contact. “I thought I was ‘baby’.”

What the hell? Is this really Spencer Reid? Silly, awkward, nerdy little Spencer Reid? This must be a very convincing body suit and an even more convincing voice altering machine because this is not Spencer Reid. You can feel the blood rush to your cheeks and ears so quickly that it’s enough to make you go dizzy. Maybe you’re a lot more sleep deprived than you thought. 

“Are you drunk?” You croak out meekly as he cages you in, his forearms on either side of your head as he leans you against the couch. 

He laughs– he has the actual audacity to laugh– and he shakes his head. “No, angel, I’m not drunk. You know I don’t drink enough to actually get drunk. Besides, I drove here.”

“You drove here,” you repeat, a little dazed from how close he is. “It’s two in the morning.”

“Almost three now but yes,” Spencer agrees, smiling. 

“You hate driving,” you remind him, swallowing the lump in your throat. “Especially at night.”

He hums in agreement. “I do. But I wanted to see you.”

“Oh.”

You kick yourself internally. ‘Oh’? Who the hell says ‘Oh’? This is it. Your life is over. Maybe you should move to another state. Change your name, shave your head, and get a different degree because you’re almost certain that it’s the end of the line for you.

Spencer lets out a soft chuckle. “I missed you.”

“You saw me two days ago?” You say it like a question and you suddenly feel yourself sweating. It definitely got hotter in here. 

He murmurs your name, his fingers grazing the skin of your jaw gently. “I’m so glad I met you.”

“I ran into you four years ago and almost gave myself a concussion,” you say, averting your gaze as you tried to calm yourself down. 

“I’m so glad I met you,” he repeats softly, his nose brushing against your cheek. “Look at me, angel.”

You wet your bottom lip nervously as you look at him, his hazel eyes a little greener in the low light of your apartment. His legs are on either side of your hips and he brushes his thumb against your chin. 

“I want to kiss you,” Spencer says lowly, albeit a little breathlessly, and you can hear hoarseness in his words. “Can I?”

You’re dead. You’re either dead or asleep, that is the only explanation you have for this entire situation. You’re either dead and in heaven or asleep and dreaming. It is that plain and simple.

“What?” You croak out, your nails digging into the skin of your thighs. 

“I know you wanted to do it in a pool but I’m pretty sure your apartment gym is closed now, angel,” Spencer says, stroking your cheeks with his thumbs. “Can I kiss you?”

The only thing you can manage to do is nod, your eyes flickering to his lips for a split second, watching as the corners of his mouth tug upwards. Your brain barely has any time to comprehend the words he said (since when did you say that you wanted to kiss him in the pool?) because in a rush of confidence, Spencer cups your face and presses his lips to yours in a tantalisingly slow kiss. His eyes are closed and his hands are eerily soft, the gentleness in which he holds you reminiscent of one holding porcelain. 

He pulls away after a moment, his cheeks burning and a smile on his face. You can’t even breathe as you just stare at him, lips parted in surprise. What do you even say to that?

“Thank you?” You manage to stutter out, heat creeping up your neck.

He laughs again, breathless and beautiful, as he kisses the side of your face. “You’re welcome.”

Spencer brushes an eyelash from your cheek, beaming at you as he does. “It’s late,” he tells you, getting up from the couch and freeing your limbs. “You should get some rest.”

“Uh huh,” you respond, your head  spinning. “Bye.”

“Bye,” he says back, trying to hold in a laugh. “I’m free next Friday. Do you want to go out?”

“Go out?” You echo, “we always go out.”

“I know.” He smiles at you again as he makes his way to the door. “I meant– you know. We can go out.”

A beat passes and your head is awfully slow, whether from the kiss or from the sleep deprivation, you’re not entirely sure. “We can go out.”

“Great.” He pauses, taking a step towards you before kissing your cheek. “I’ll text you.”

“You’ll–” you gape at him again as he opens your door to leave. “You hate texting.”

He nods, slipping on his shoes. “I also hate driving at night. Your point?”

“Right,” you murmur, more to yourself than anything. “Text me when you get home?”

“Of course I will, angel,” he promises, “get some rest.”

Get some rest? How the hell are you supposed to get some rest after all that? With one last wave, Spencer leaves your apartment, leaving you hoping that this wasn’t just some thing. Maybe this was the very first page of your story– a very embarrassing start to your story. There is one thing for certain though: Spencer is not in love with someone else.

*** 

It’s a Tuesday when Penelope calls you. You had just finished up with a client when your phone begins to ring. 

“Penny!” You gush, unable to stop the smile from stretching onto your face. “I am stupid, I said ‘thank you’? Who the hell says thank you after someone kisses you?”

“Who kissed you?” Penelope asks, and if you weren’t so caught up in your own tangent you would have noticed that she sounded tearful. 

“Spencer did!” You exclaim, slapping a hand to your forehead. “He’s sitting there and he looks amazing and he smells really good and I am stupid.”

“Hold on, hold on,” Penelope says quickly, and you can imagine her waving her fluffy pen around. “He kissed you and you said thank you?”

“Yes.”

“Well that was very polite of you,” she says, trying to sound happy before her voice cracks.

You frown immediately, taking a seat in the wheelie chair in your office. “Penny? Is everything okay? What’s going on?”

“It’s about Spencer,” she says woefully, sniffling. “He wanted me to tell you something. It’s not looking good, honey, but– but he wanted me to give you a message.”

“Penny–” You stop short when you hear Spencer’s voice. It’s a recording from his phone, and you can only really tell because of the crackling audio on the other side of the line.

“Is it on?” Spencer asks before clearing his throat. He sounds breathless, his words breaking off at some parts and you know that it’s not from the bad audio quality. “Hey, angel, it’s me, Spenc– Walter. It’s your Walter. If you’re getting this then something happened and I just wanted you to know that– that I love you. I didn’t get the chance to tell you that before but I do. I love you and I wish it didn’t turn out like this but I am– I am so glad that we had that moment.”

Through the recording you can hear a shuffle, like the sound of a sliding door being opened, along with a quiet, “Prep the victim for transfer,” before the recording cuts out, leaving you with Penelope on the line. 

She calls your name quietly, choking on her words. “Are you okay?”

You hang up. 

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[idanceuntilidie]

What about yandere prince over his favorite knight? Male reader ofc :)

I am done I deserve mac n cheese and almonds

Hope this was okay.

Yandere Prince x male reader

tw: yandere themes and being held against will

You were assigned to prince Charlie since you were little, so naturally you were very protective of him.

You two shared a very special bond of course, two best friends since childhood.

But for prince Charlie, it was oh, so much more. At first he didn’t understand it, you were there more often than not.

He remembers how often you clinged to him when you two were younger. You were supposed to be the one protecting him, he didn’t mind that.

As you two grew older, you got braver and stronger. You even spend less time with him. He noticed something was wrong with him.

An unknown feeling blossomed in his chest.

And you made it so much stronger.

It’s not really like you did anything special, you just,

existed.

He started to appreciate your existence more. How when you smiled your cheeks were dusted by pinkish colour and your eyes twinkled with such a happy flame.

How you wielded your sword and how brave you were.

He watched you, heart longing for you. For your little touches, your laughs.

Oh how he wishes you two were kids again, he would protect you from danger and you would cling to him and never let go.

You were so far away but at the same time so close. After a while, just watching wasn’t enough, he needed you back and he would do everything to make it happen.

You noticed a slight change in your environment.

It started small, maids, servants and other knights started to ignore you. They shook when they saw you and ran away.

You weren’t a violent person, so you didn’t understand what was wrong.

It hurt slightly, but you can’t just go around crying. You were a royal knight after all.

Then Prince Charlie requested you must be near him at all times, you expected that since you were his personal knight,

no more strolls through the castle and gardens. No more training. You can’t leave him, not even to eat or sleep.

You feared the last one. You feared you might grow weak, but you can’t let your prince that so you stayed silent.

You didn’t dare to eat, drink or sleep in his presence, much to his dismay. You thought it was disrespectful to even do these things in his presence, EVEN if you two knew each other all your lives.

After some time your body could in fact, not take it anymore so you fainted.

You woke up not long after, laying on the comfiest bed you had ever felt. Stripped from your armour and chained to the bed. Your first thought was that someone broke in and hurt your prince, naturally, you began to struggle. Your body was weak due to the lack of food or sleep.

You didn’t notice your Prince walking cheerfully through the door.

“Oh you are up, how wonderful”

He chirped happily. Your tired eyes followed his figure.

“Your.. highness? What is the meaning of this?”

You asked, voice raspy. Swallowing hurt so much.

“Oh you had fainted my dear knight”

he hummed as he placed something on the table. You tried to move your arms, you felt weak. Chains only rattled quietly because of your movement, it caught Charlies attention.

“Don’t you dare to move y/n”

“Just, just take me to the doctor I will be fine in few days and-“

His pale face turned cherry red in anger.

“No! You are only allowed to see me, only me! I AM taking care of you now!”

His voice boomed loudly in your ears. You winced.

He turned away from you, trying to calm down, then took something from the table, a plate. Charlie walked to the bed, and placed the plate on a nightstand, so he could uncuff your hands.

Your body felt weak, you let him sit you up.

“Now, let me feed you yeah? You must be oh so hungry, and then we can spend some time together.”

he smiled, you were too weak to argue so he took your silence as an agreement. You prayed silently that this was just a dream.

[sugrhigh]

HOTBOX 2 - ( m.s )

REQUESTED**

part one

summary- matt smoked with his best friends for the first time, and after you guys get home his dirty thoughts about you finally come to life

warnings- SMUT !! so don’t read if ur uncomfy, swearing, unprotected sex, slightly subby!matt

bff!matt x fem!reader

a/n: HEHE i had fun writing this so i hope you guys truly enjoy. i will be working on boy next door and a beautiful fall req i just received, but until those are posted my inbox is open for any comments, reqs, or sweet nothings xoxo

dedicated to the lovely @awsturn thank you for requesting!!!

@fawnchives @mattswrld @l1ttlefreakk @teapartyprincess4two @l9vesick

“oh wow, matt.” nick can’t stifle his laughter as his brother walks through the front door with the rest of you.

he’s got his arm around your shoulder, leaning some of his weight on you as you move in unison. he promised he could walk fine on his own, but you insisted on being there just in case.

not that he minds the physical contact.

“what?” he asks, eyebrows furrowed in confusion as his eyes finally focus.

“nothing you just look…very faded.”

“that’s because he is.” you reply for him.

“hey, so are you guys!” matt argues, and you nod your head absentmindedly as the two of you head past nick to the living room.

“yes, we are. do you want to sit?”

“are you going to?”

you laugh and untangle yourself from his arms once you’re beside the couch. “you don’t have to do everything i do, you know.”

his legs are far less shaky than they were before, but he plops down on the plush cushions regardless. the rest of the group is still chattering in the foyer, and he appreciates the few seconds of alone time he gets with you.

“just wanted to make sure you weren’t leaving.” matt shrugs lazily in response.

“i’m literally spending the night dork.” you remind him, turning to head into the kitchen.

you’re unknowingly giving him the perfect view of your ass as you walk, covered only by those thin little yoga pants, hips swaying back and forth like you’re taunting him on purpose.

he has to force himself to look away, to try and put an end to all of the filthy thoughts churning in his mind. he shouldn’t be thinking them, especially not about one of his best friends.

but matt is too fried to pretend he doesn’t have feelings for you. he always has. it’s just harder to hide how much he wants you when he can barely remember how to breathe.

it’s pretty late, so chris and nathan announce that they’re going to his room to play video games. the pair are already bounding down the hall as you return to the living room, equipped with a bottle of water in one hand.

“where the hell are they off to?” you ask with a grin, passing him the drink.

“going to play fortnite or something.” matt replies, taking the water into his own trembling hands.

he tries to ignore the way his fingers pass over yours, tries not to wonder if you feel the same spark that he does just from a simple touch. luckily, nick enters seconds later which relieves some of the tension.

he watches his brother wrap you in a quick hug. “i have to finish editing, but i’ll see you in the morning.”

“you better be up in time for mcdonald’s breakfast.” you point an accusatory finger at him as he heads to his room laughing.

“yeah, yeah, wake me whenever. goodnight matt, drink that water.”

he hears the door click closed a second later, his eyes trained on you as you move to sit down beside him. your thigh is inches from his, but you’re still too far away for his liking.

“are you sleepy?” you ask him as you settle down against the cushions, finally meeting his gaze once you’re comfortable.

“not really.” he finds himself smiling at you, for no real reason besides the fact that he loves you.

you tilt your head to the side, studying him with a look in your eyes that indicates you’re amused. “okay, how are you then? enjoying it?”

his eyes are low and red, watching your lips as they move. he can’t stop thinking about your fingers gently gripping his thigh earlier, the confident tone in which you speak to him, how you handle yourself.

all of that mixed with the weed is making him incredibly turned on. he shifts a little, dropping the water bottle on the couch so he can use his hands to cover his lap.

“yeah, i’m enjoying it.” matt says quietly, unable to look anywhere besides you.

you furrow your brows a little bit, but your grin doesn’t fade, which makes him feel better.

“alright, what’s going on? i know you’re high and everything, but you’re acting a little too weird.” you accuse him, though your demeanor is light-hearted as you nudge your shoulder against his.

he shakes his head just slightly as if he has no idea what you’re talking about. “what do you mean? i’m totally normal.”

matt finds that his voice is just a little too squeaky and quick to be convincing, and he knows he’s not a very good liar, especially when it comes to you.

“come on, i know that’s not true. you can tell me anything.” you push, moving a little bit so that you can properly face him.

the light coming from the kitchen silhouettes your features beautifully, and he can feel the words crawling up his throat. it’s involuntary, but the truth is coming out either way.

“i already told you earlier.”

“what?”

“i just…want you.” he finally admits breathlessly.

this catches you completely off guard, considering you had pushed your previous conversation in the car to the back of your mind. you figured he was just tripping, only saying flirty things because he was so out of it.

your lips part like you’re going to speak, but nothing happens. matt studies your face for any kind of emotion other than shock, but he can’t read you, which makes him anxious.

“i’m sorry, fuck, i don’t know why i’m saying this shit right now, of all times, but you look so pretty and i just…i needed you to know because—” he stumbles over his words, which morph together in the wrong places.

“matt, matt, it’s okay.”

you put a hand on his thigh again, trying to let him know that everything is fine, and he literally twitches from the pressure of your palm being so close to where he needs you.

“don’t do that.” he hisses, unable to control the way he slightly bucks against your fingers.

but you don’t move, because you feel yourself throb at the sight of him growing hard in his sweatpants. all because you touched him.

“matt…” you tilt your head, trying to get him to look at you.

he exhales a long breath before he finally does, his faded eyes wider now, cheeks flushed and brown hair messy from the wind of the car ride home. he looks beautiful, your beautiful best friend.

but matt is way more. you need him to be more.

“are you sure you want this?” you say faintly, leaning in just enough for him to notice.

“do you want this?”

you nod your head slowly, staring at his pink lips, unable to stop wondering if they’re as soft as they look. so you meet him the rest of the way, your mouth meshing against his gently.

matt almost melts at the feeling, and butterflies erupt through his chest. he can’t believe this is happening. part of him wonders if he fell asleep, and is dreaming it all up.

it’s thrilling, how desperate you both are for more, how his tongue slips against yours so nicely, and he has to contain himself when you bite down on his bottom lip every so often.

you pull away and swing your leg over his lap so you can straddle him. he groans quietly underneath you, because your hips feel so nice on his that he already wants to combust on the spot.

and then you lean down to his ear, moving slowly against his hard dick, so close he can feel your breath tickle his skin.

“i’m gonna take care of that, baby,” you whisper, “but you have to be quiet. can you do that?”

matt nods eagerly and you kiss his neck in response, tugging at the skin lightly. his hands travel to your ass, gripping it tightly to force some more friction.

he feels you grin against his throat, and he has to hold back a moan from the combined sensation of your tongue and hips going to work.

you move up to his jaw, across his cheek, back to his mouth, and this time he smiles against your lips. kissing you is just so sweet, even when it’s sinful, and he’s so high and happy it's impossible not to.

you pepper him with a few more quick pecks before crawling off of his lap, crouching down between his knees. he’s already needy, missing having you on top of him even though you look gorgeous at his feet.

matt reaches out to smooth your hair, holding your head in his hand as his thumb brushes your cheek.

“are you real?” it leaves his mouth before he can think.

you let out a breathy laugh, turning your head to kiss the heel of his palm softly. “i’m real, i promise.”

the intimacy of the moment, just that small gesture, is making his heart slam against his ribcage.

you reach up to hook your fingers underneath the waist of his sweats, tugging them down to indicate he should lift himself. matt does just that, pressing his back against the couch so you can slide the soft material down to his ankles.

your run your hands up his thighs before you go to the band of his boxers, pulling so that his dick springs free. he’s already wet and straining, precum soaking his tip, and he’s a little embarrassed by the way you’re looking at it.

but you’re only staring because it’s bigger than you expected, possibly the biggest you’ve seen in person. you’re entranced as your fingers glide over his tip, spreading his wetness across the rest of the base.

“shit…” matt mutters under his breath, throwing his head back against the couch as he fucks himself into your hand slightly.

you love hearing him all breathless, watching his muscles clench in pleasure as you stroke him. but you can tell he’s already worked up enough, so you start to slow your movements to a stop before pushing yourself to stand.

his head snaps back up, surprised by the switch in pace, and then his eyes get wider. you slip your leggings off, reaching for the hem of your shirt after so you can tug it over your head and discard it with your pants.

he loves seeing you exposed like this, every curve, every gorgeous little detail that makes your body your body.

“my pretty girl.” he praises, completely pussy whipped already, and it makes you a little bit shy as you stand before him.

you just like matt so much, and hearing him compliment you in such a personal setting only confirms how much you need him.

“want you inside me.” you murmur, straddling his waist again, sliding your wet panties against his shaft lightly as you get situated.

“please, oh my god—” he’s choking on his own words as you push your panties to the side, lining him up with your entrance.

you sink down on him without warning, feeling that delicious and familiar pressure in your stomach as he fills you up. matt’s hands find their way to your ass again, in a state of complete euphoria from having you wrapped around him.

you both groan, and you lean in so you can attach your mouth to his, swallowing the sounds of your shared pleasure. he helps guide you up and down, slowly at first, admiring the way you squeeze his dick every time he’s fully inside.

“fuck, you feel so good matt.” you whine against his lips as quietly as possible, picking up the pace and moving your hips at a quicker speed, hands on the frame of the sofa to help you bounce.

“promise you feel better.” he manages to respond before having to bite down on his bottom lip hard to contain a moan.

you’re riding him so well, skin slapping skin together ever so slightly. matt uses one hand to tug your bra down so he can slide his tongue over one of your nipples. you arch into his wet mouth, enjoying the way he softly sucks on each of them, swapping every so often.

he loves having your tits in his face so much, and he knows he won’t be able to hang on much longer with the way you’re moving.

“m’close, oh fuck—” his eyes roll back as you rock against him as fast as possible, rotating your hips so he hits a different spot every time.

“that’s it baby, keep fucking me, let it all go.” you command, relishing in the wave that’s taking over you as well.

matt slams you down on him a couple more times before he feels his fingers lose their grip, shuddering as he finishes inside you, breathless and sweaty.

your own muscles tense and you dive into it, releasing all over his cock as you slow your pace due to the overstimulation. you’re also panting as you slide off of him, rolling over his leg so you can sit beside him for a minute.

“that was…wow.” matt sighs happily as the both of you readjust your underwear.

“agreed.” you turn your head to smile at him, leaning in for one more little kiss.

it’s short, but it’s still just as passionate as the ones that came before. you could do it all day, his lips are just that soft.

“we should probably get cleaned up. do you wanna spend the night in my room?” his voice is still hushed once you pull away, and there’s a certain weight behind his words.

“i kinda want to sleep in your room every night.” you reply honestly, and his face lights up again at the confession, because he feels the exact same.

“i think i would kinda like that a lot.”

[iannmin]

21:54

san x reader

synopsis: university students to married couple <3

When I first met San, he was the typical nerd—thick-rimmed glasses perched on a slightly crooked nose, always buried in a book, and a preference for quiet corners in the library. His messy hair often fell into his eyes, and he wore sweaters that seemed a size too big, as if to hide himself from the world. We had a few classes together, but he never spoke much, always focused on his notes.

It wasn’t until we were paired for a group project in our literature class that I got to know him better. Our first meeting was awkward, with San arriving with a stack of reference books and a meticulously detailed plan. I felt out of my depth, but he patiently explained his ideas, his eyes lighting up with excitement whenever he talked about the subject. His passion was contagious, and I found myself looking forward to our study sessions.

One afternoon, we were working in the library when I noticed San struggling with his laptop. He was muttering to himself, his fingers frantically tapping the keys. I leaned over to see what was wrong.

"Need some help?" I asked, trying to stifle a smile at his flustered expression.

San looked up, his cheeks turning a faint shade of pink. "Uh, yeah. I think I accidentally deleted my notes."

I slid my chair closer and together, we managed to recover his files. Our hands brushed occasionally, sending little sparks through me that I tried to ignore. As we worked, I noticed the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled, and how his concentration was so intense it was almost endearing.

Our study sessions soon became less about the project and more about spending time together. We talked about our favorite books, shared childhood stories, and laughed over silly jokes. San's awkwardness gradually faded, replaced by a shy confidence that I found incredibly charming.

One evening, we decided to take a break from studying and grabbed some coffee from the campus café. We found a quiet spot outside, the cool breeze rustling the leaves around us. As we sipped our drinks, I felt a sense of contentment that I hadn't felt in a long time.

"Can I ask you something?" San said, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Of course," I replied, curious.

"Why do you spend so much time with me? I'm not exactly the most exciting person."

I smiled, reaching out to gently tuck a strand of hair behind his ears. "Because, San, you’re kind, and smart, and you make me laugh. And I like being around you."

His eyes widened in surprise, and for a moment, I worried I had said too much. But then, he smiled, a genuine, heartfelt smile that accentuated his dimples, instantly making my heart flutter.

"I like being around you too," he said softly.

From that moment on, our relationship blossomed. San might have started as the quiet, nerdy student I hardly knew, but he became so much more—a friend, a confidant, and eventually, someone I deeply cared for.

Years later, as we stood in the same spot outside the campus café, I looked up at him with the same sense of contentment and love. This time, however, I wore a white dress, and he wore a suit, his glasses slightly askew in the most endearing way.

“Do you remember when we first came here?” I asked, smiling up at him.

“How could I forget?” he replied, squeezing my hand gently. “It’s where I first realized how much you meant to me.”

As we exchanged vows under the rustling leaves, I knew that what had started as a simple study partnership had blossomed into a lifelong journey of forever love. And as we walked back down the aisle, hand in hand, I knew that what we had was something truly special—something that would last forever.

[sanjisboyfie]

shanks being your doting boyfriend

(slightly himbo) shanks x male reader

NOT PROOFREAD mb. small, slight manga spoilers??? sorry guys + LMFAO i hadto ctrl + f every single time i used "arms" and switch it to "arm" also im so soorrryyyy its kinda rlly short.....forgive me also idc???? if this seems ooc to me shanks is just a silly lil guy.

— oh god. the power you hold. you actually singlehandedly could change the course of the entire one piece universe if you wanted to. why??? because one of the four emperors of the sea follows everrything you say like a lost puppy. he hangs off of every word that leaves your lips with a dumb, lovesick grin on his face. his head is empty, just thoughts of you. good thing you use this power of yours for good and keep this man HUMBLE.

"[name], can you please tell your idiot boyfriend to just do the dishes, i can't-"

"beckkkkkk, why are you bothering me and my boyfriend's personal time together?" shanks whined, little spooning his way into your side. his stubble was scratching your skin, making you itchy around your neck and shoulder, especially with the way he was so aggressively nuzzling his head. "we haven't even woken up yet,"

"yeah, and you were supposed to be on cleaning duty last night and you instead chose to spend that time coddling [name], so look where we are now,"

"i'm the captain, goddammit! why do i have to do something like cleaning duty?"

"ask [name], he made that rule,"

shanks' aggressive demeanor turned into putty as he pouted at you. it was not a fitting expression for someone that had a reputation like his and also his age (too old to be acting like a kid).

"babbbbyyy, why are you making us spend less time together? is it because you hate me?"

"shanks, just go fucking do some cleaning in the kitchen. it's a shit show and it's pissing me and the chefs off. get a grip, babe," you scolded, pushing his pouting face away from your own.

with a look of hesitation, shanks finally backed off and got out of bed. as he was putting on a proper pair of trousers on, he was muttering about his own boyfriend was bullying him. his comments went ignored by both you and beck — who was watching with a look of disbelief on his face.

to see his best friend, captain, and one of the four emperors of the sea so easily swayed into doing chores was something he doesn't think he'd ever get used to. no matter how long you and shanks have been together, seeing the red head so obediently follow orders was infathomable.

— shanks -> really intimidating status as captain of the red hair pirates -> turns into complete mush when you walk into the room. without fail, he physically deflates into whatever seat he's sitting in and holds his arm out to you invitingly, waiting for you to sit on his lap.

shanks was supposed to be in serious mode. he was sitting in front of some pretty high ranked marine officials, who were after his crews' heads. he wasn't the type to hold hostages, just to let them go back running to their navy base, but considering the crew was on a vacation of sorts, he needed to know how they were able to track them down.

it lingered in his mind that there was a chance there was a mole in their ranks, but he didn't want to accept that as it would be a painful reality.

"so, how did you know we'd be at this island to recover?" shanks questioned, eyes glaring holes into the marines' faces. they were shaking where they sat, except for one who tried holding a tough demeanor. "i'm not going to do anything to you if you just answer my question,"

just as the marine was about to spill all their information out, the door of the room they were in was slammed open. shanks' haki faltered slightly as he was able to recognize that it was you, and with that imbalance, it sent the marine officers over the edge and made them pass out instead.

you took in the scene, bleakly apologizing for interuppting. shanks didn't have the heart to scold you, so instead he just took you into his arm with a wide grin and said, "no, no, it's alright. i was beginning to miss you anyway, doll. was wondering why you weren't with me," he pouted into your skin, making you laugh.

"turns out one of the lackeys you let on board recently was the reason why these guys showed up out of nowhere," you informed your lover, who hummed in interest, "took a while, but was able to get him to crack under pressure."

shanks sighed in content, hugging you even tighter, "i love you so much, you're so sexy when you take control,"

another laugh escaped your lips as you heard your boyfriend almost drunkenly sing you praises, "it was nothing, the guy had zero resolve anyway,"

"you're so amazing, baby," he continued complimenting into your skin, acting as if there weren't three passed out marine officers in front of you two.

a couple of the lackeys of the crew came bounding into the room and almost froze when they saw their intimidating captain cuddling into your side like an eager puppy.

"u-uhm, captain?" shanks only hummed in acknowledgement as he held you tight to his side. "what do you want us to do with these guys and that bastard traitor?"

"oh, just keep them tied up and then leave them on the shore when we depart — they probably won't survive with all the wildlife around here," shanks hummed, waving his hand dismissively. you were standing in between his legs and he was relishing in the skinship you were allowing him.

"should we tell the rest that we will be setting sail soon then?"

this time you interjected, "yeah, i'll come with you, boys. i'll make moving the bodies easier."

the crew's face lightened up at your familiar kind behavior, but then stiffened when they heard a groan coming from shanks.

"but [name]!! these guys got it, just stay with me longer, please,"

"oh, shut up, idiot. just go back to the main event and lift up the spirits of our crew, they probably wanna hear words from their captain after such a traitorous bastard infiltrated us,"

shanks sighed at your mini lecture, but dragged himself to follow your footsteps. he was holding onto your hand and his feet were practically stomping into the wood.

"who even made me captain, i never asked for this," he sighed, making the crew weakly laugh to fill the awkward silence while you just tried apologizing for your boyfriend, and captain's, idiotic behavior.

— shanks really cherishes the alone time he can spend with you. living your lives as highly wanted pirates makes your daily life hectic. and, thankfully, the foundations of your relationship only led to you two being able to keep that strong trust, respect, and love for each other so alive.

it was nighttime and the ship was rocking ever so slightly with the waves. for once, you switched cuddling positions and had your head resting on shanks' chest. your fingers were drawing mindless shapes on the exposed skin while shanks' arm was squeezing your plushy flesh every now and then.

"you know, i love you so much, right?" he confessed into the night air, the genuineness of his emotions being made obvious with how softly he spoke.

"i love you too," you easily said back, not thinking twice.

"but, do you know i love you?" shanks repeated, sitting up and holding onto your waist to make sure all your attention was directed on him, "i know our lives don't make our lifestyle easier and i know i get really busy when times get rough, but i needed to tell you again that i love you so much [name]."

you grinned at his sincerity, leaning forward and pressing a soft, gentle kiss to his chapped lips. he reciprocated in a second's notice, but you pulled away before he could deepen it (as he usually did whenever you two kissed).

"i know you love me shanks, you are the sweetest lover i can think of. your kindness and humanity remind me everyday that this life is worth living if it's with you," shanks smiled at your words, nudging his forehead against yours to entice you to pull in closer to him.

your lips locked once more in a passionate filled kiss. your bare chests were now skin to skin with one another and it took a couple minutes of desperate kissing for shanks to be satisfied.

and when you finally pulled away and settled back onto his chest, he squeezed you once more and asked, "you've had other lovers besides me?" in reference to what you said earlier.

cue an eyeroll and pinch to his sides to make him shut his pretty mouth for some needed peace and quiet.

[daceydeath]

Oblivious

Pairing: Seungmin x reader

Word Count: 2.7k

Genre: Friends to Lovers

Warnings: Swearing, Suggestive Content

For my beloved @krishastumblernow who has never stopped supporting me xx

Watching as Seungmin made his way across the park baseball cap pulled down and walking like his normal happy puppy self, you couldn't help but smile. You had been close friends for years and despite the fact that you could always spot him from his height it was his walk that always gave him away. As he reached the spot you always met at he finally looked up and saw you, a bright smile crossing his face.

"Have you been waiting long?" he flopped down on the bench beside you giving you a haphazard side hug.

"Not really maybe five minutes" you smiled back taking in his face, you knew the crush you had always harbored on him was one sided but at moments like these where he was so close to you you couldn't help but admire his beautiful features.

"Did you want to grab some coffee then? I know a cool café nearby that does those character coffees you like" he suggested nudging you with his shoulder playfully making you laugh softly before you stood up letting him guide you in the right direction.

"I'm glad you had time to hang out Seung, it's been almost a month" you sighed feeling happy with the sun on your face and him at your side.

"I know, I've missed you too" he laughed as your eyes widened ready to start bickering with him "it does suck getting stuck without any of the outside world for so long".

"Oh yeah I don't know how you guys all do it, I could never spend that much time travelling and only seeing the insides of hotel rooms, venues and planes" you nodded knowing that although his life looked glamorous it usually wasn't.

"What have you been up to, I know we text all the time but anything going on? Met anyone yet?" he teased his fingers brushing yours as you walked beside him.

"Sorry to disappoint you Seung but I haven't met anyone to take me off your hands yet" you rolled your eyes making him grin at his own joke.

"I thought you had a date last week though?" he stopped fishing his phone from his pocket to go through your chat to make sure he had read them properly.

"I did but it didn't work out" you shrugged as he frowned slightly and started walking again.

"Do you want to talk about it? He wasn't mean to you was he?" Seungmin asked, still not looking totally happy.

"It's nothing too bad he just said that he thought we would be better as friends" you explained, sighing as he started looking skeptical "I'm pretty sure there is something that makes me best friend material not girlfriend material".

"Yeah that is bullshit and you know it" he said firmly just before you stepped into the café. He guided you through the tables to one that sat at the back of the room so he was less likely to be recognized or photographed. "I'll go order and then we are going to talk about all the ways he was wrong".

You watched him approach the counter and order for the both of you pointedly ignoring the look the pretty girl behind the counter gave him, even though you could fully understand her, it was hard to not gawk at how handsome he was. He smiled politely, paid and then retreated quickly back to you with a faint blush across his cheeks that you meant one of two things, she had asked for his number or she had tried to give him her number, he was bad at both scenarios.

"Was it your number or hers?" you snickered watching him sit quickly in his flustered state.

"Hers, and stop laughing" he sulked, screwing up his nose at you.

"You really should be used to this by now Seung, you are going to be gorgeous forever you know" you giggled as he tried to not blush further.

"Yeah well you should stop going on dates with idiots who don't know how lucky they are to be sitting across a table from you" he snipped back trying to distract you from what you had just witnessed.

"What does that even mean, Seung?" you raised your eyebrows at him expectantly as the girl from the counter came to place your drinks and a large piece of cake between you making you smile.

"You always go on dates with idiots who can't see how amazing you are, it's not hard to see how smart, funny or beautiful you are so they all must be morons or too self absorbed to notice" he explained casually waiving his fork before he stuck it into the cake to take a bite.

"You think I'm beautiful?" you whispered as your heart beat harder in your chest thinking that he thought that about you.

"Well yeah you're the most beautiful girl I know" he smiled through a mouthful of cake as your eyes widened at him making him get shy and look back down at his drink. "I thought you would like the Totoro one and I got the puppy one".

"They are really cute" you agreed, swallowing the feeling of nervous happiness back down as you picked up the fork he had gotten for you to share the cake with him, a simple gesture that you were used to that now felt more intimate than it should.

"Most of the guys are out tonight. Did you want to come over to the dorm and watch a movie?" he asked, suddenly making you cough a little on your cake. Taking a sip of your coffee trying to not destroy the art on top you swallowed down the murderous offering while he silently laughed at you.

"Sure, are you going to try to kill me with food there too?" you tried glaring but your eyes were watering which only made him laugh harder and cut through the tension that had been between you.

"I can see it now Stray Kids Kim Seungmin arrested for murdering a friend with cake crumbs!" he joked, still laughing.

"Reports say friend's last words were stop laughing and help me you dick" you grumbled back as you finished your coffee.

"But really you don't have to come over if you're busy" he added softly.

"I'm never too busy to hang out with you Seung" you smiled triumphantly, stabbing the last mouthful of cake and stealing it out from under him while he pouted.

"Come on then we'll head back now and order in for dinner" he rolled his eyes at your theatrics and helped you put your coat back on before following you out of the cafe and into the street.

"Sure Seung, did you have a movie in mind?" you chuckled while he brushed his hand against yours again as you got back to the park.

"Well we could either binge a new series or I was thinking maybe the new Marvel movie" he shrugged easily as he continued to walk at your side despite the fact that you always walked slower than him.

"I don't mind either, should we decide when we get dinner?" you mused as you approached the van that had dropped him off to see you. He helped you in before shutting the door behind him and letting the staff know you were wanting to head back to the dorm.

"What's so important that you actually manage to get the dorm to yourself?" you pondered looking to him for an answer as the van started moving, pulling into traffic and driving you towards the dorm.

"Minho and Felix are doing some kind of dance practice tonight and Innie is out with Hyunjin" he shrugged casually. "Any preference for dinner? or I will just order fried chicken".

"Chicken is fine but can we also get some dessert?" you grinned, turning back to look out the window of the moving van.

"Sure" he answered and you could hear the smile in his voice making you feel warm. It had been a month since you had seen him now in one day you were going to get to spend hours with him which was more than you would ever normally dare to ask from him, he was busy with his work as an idol and you knew at some point he would also find someone that he would want to date which would probably take up the rest of his free time, so you knew each time you saw him you needed to be grateful for the time you were getting because it probably would be finite.

"You are thinking way too loudly, are you still thinking about the idiot from last week?" he questioned as he frowned his brows knitting together lightly once again.

"No just thinking I'm lucky to steal this much of your time" you blinked shyly as his face changed to surprise then pleased while yours must have been pink dusted the tips of your ears.

"I'm the lucky one" he countered, clearing his throat "not many friends are willing to wait around for weeks to just hang out". He shifted in his seat slightly as the van pulled into the underground garage that the apartment building his dorm was in. The dim light made it hard for you to see properly for a moment while the van parked and Seungmin opened the door for you to follow him out.

His apartment was chaotic as always four grown men living together had made for interesting decor. It was part bachelor pad, part family home with random plushie pillows littering the couch and game controllers on the coffee table as well as jackets handing off nearly every chair but it was spotlessly clean and comfortably lived in. Putting your shoes away in the entryway you followed Seung into the lounge area plopping down on the couch as he continued to the kitchen.

"Did you want something to drink?" he asked while he stuck his own head in the fridge to find something for himself. "We have water, juice or beer".

"Beer please" you playfully answered throwing him an exaggerated wink when he looked over the fridge door at you. Grabbing two beers he opened them and walked over to the couch to sit next to you handing you a controller before smirking.

"Play until we order dinner?" he smirked knowing you would agree but would end up getting huffy at him for losing every round you played against him. You just nodded knowing Seungmin was trying to wind you up, you enjoyed playing video games but you were far from being any good at them, at least far from being as good as he was. It would end in a playful fight while you waited for dinner to arrive that would all be forgotten by the time you started the movie and ate until you were full and sleepy cuddled up next to him. Well that's how it used to go before he got as successful as he was now, before the fame and demand had him working almost every day, tonight turned out to be no different.

"Just order dinner Seung" you whined, flopping back against the back of the couch and hugging a cat pillow to your chest as he laughed at you.

"You are still so bad at losing" he laughed harder when you pouted and looked at the floor "but I'll order".

You grabbed the remote and flicked over to Netflix hoping you could at least find something to watch that the pair of you could agree on, scrolling through the recommendations you found a drama that you were wanting to watch.

"Have you watched this one?" You asked hopefully looking over at him to find his eyes already on you.

"Not yet, did you want to start that tonight?" He smiled lopsidedly as you grinned back selecting the first episode to start playing. You knew that Seungmin, Hyunjin and Han all watched dramas not necessarily together but they recommended them between themselves so it wasn't strange for Seung to get caught up in one. As the first episode played you watched the two lead characters fumble about in their storylines making cute mistakes or embarrassing themselves as you sipped the rest of your beer. Letting the second one start you were interrupted by the food delivery, by the third episode you were onto your second beer and righting all the wrongs in the characters lives while you sat sprawled out against each other.

"Come on that was obvious" you huffed, the female character intentionally acting cute for the male character.

"He's obviously distracted" Seungmin agreed, taking another mouthful of his drink. "She on the other hand is easily the most oblivious person ever, he's been flirting with her all episode and she just doesn't get it".

"His flirting is so clumsy she is never going to take it as actual flirting she just thinks he's being sweet or teasing her" you argued laughing as Seung pouted ridiculously

"How is it teasing? Plus if she doesn't confess her feelings he will end up with someone else" Seungmin shrugged watching the screen. Six episodes in and the characters were finally getting their shit together and the guy was about to do his dramatic confession in the rain scene.

"So romantic" you gushed, wide eyes on the screen.

"So cliche" Seungmin groaned next to you making you roll your eyes "I mean what girl wants a dripping wet guy traipsing through her house dripping water everywhere?".

"It's not how he confesses it's what he says when he confesses" you laughed turning to look at Seungmin. "They could be eating dinner in their pajamas and it would still be romantic" you finished turning back to the screen, not noticing the look on Seungmin's face, to find them kissing passionately in her apartment. The scene made you squirm a little, your face heating up as you watched them slowly undress each other.

"Are you ok?" Seungmin interrupted, his eyes still on you "You have gone all red".

"I'm fine" you brushed him off your voice a little bit too high pitched to be considered normal. "It's because of the beer" you covered hoping he wouldn't press you further.

"When was the last time someone kissed you like that?" Seungmin pressed, tilting his head at you and leaning in closer his eyes looking darker suddenly.

"No one has ever kissed me like that" you swallowed, your mouth suddenly dry unable to turn away from him and back to the screen. You could hear him pause the episode but couldn't tear your eyes away from him to check.

"No one?" Seungmin repeated, softly the distance between you getting even smaller.

"No one" you breathed. He closed the gap between you a little more, his breath now fanning across your cheeks and his eyes still gazing deeply into yours. Smiling softly he lifted his hand placing a knuckle under your chin to raise it, his eyes flicked down to your lips quickly, your breath hitched as he chastely pressed his lips to yours testing what you wanted him to do. You kissed him back softly, giving him all the permission he needed to kiss you more passionately, his lips soft and plush against yours.

Pulling you into his lap you tangled your fingers in his hair to hold him as close as you could. He ran his tongue along the seam of your lips seeking entry making you gasp, which he took full advantage of sliding his tongue against yours and taking the lead as your need for him became more evident. Eventually breaking away from your mouth for air he kissed his way along your jaw and down to your neck smiling as your breathing turned sped up.

"Seungmin" you mumbled fire burning under the skin his lips touched making you feel light headed.

"What if it's actions, my love" he murmured into your skin "instead of words".

Seungmin pulled your body flush against his, his hands sliding down your sides until they reached the back of your thighs which he squeezed gently before grasping firmly and standing up which made you wrap your legs around him instinctively. He smirked seductively before pressing his lips to yours again and walking you to his room kicking the door shut behind you with his foot. The drama and leftover food now forgotten in the lounge for the rest of the night.

A/N: Thank you for reading, your kind comments, reblogs and likes, give me so much happiness xx

Taglist (open): @christopher-bangnaldoskzz, @armystay89, @damnyouficc, @roamingpolar, @tara-skyhold, @bakedlilgoonie , @krishastumblernow , @mrsseals16 , @fawnpeaks , @leeknowinggg , @uno7, @tanzen-ist-gold

[hanmaitani]

Lying on The Kitchen Floor

PAIRING - Tendou Satori x Reader WC - 0.9K GENRE - angst What You Missed - the arrival of autumn break has everyone scattering back home to enjoy the lack of classes. you join Eita at his home and are confronted with feelings you aren't ready to be confronted with.

PREV PART | MASTERLIST | NEXT PART

Your back feels freezing against the tile floor. Your groan echoes around the dark kitchen when the toe of your friend's boot nudges at your side. It digs between your ribs a little bit but it isn't painful in the least, only bothersome.

"Do you have to lie in the middle of the floor?"

"Leave me here to die, Eita." You sigh and peek open one of your eyes to look up at him. He's got his arms crossed across his chest, looking down at you unamused.

"You can't die on my mother's kitchen floor." You sigh in response, looking at him in irritation. "I'm not explaining how I brought my friend home for autumn break and then she died on her kitchen floor due to mysterious circumstances."

"Is it too much to ask to just die in peace?" You pouted up and him and he rolled his eyes.

"Die in peace on your own time." I pouted up at him and he sighed.

He leaned down, scrambling to lay down next to you. His legs were pointed the other direction from yours and his shoulder bumped against yours.

"Alright," he tried to find the spot you'd been staring at on the ceiling, "are you going to tell me what's wrong with you or are we spending all break lying on the kitchen floor?"

You sniffled a little bit, hating the emotions that swirled inside of you. "Do you think that I really messed up with this whole thing with Satori?"

He groaned and you shot him a quick glare before looking back up at the ceiling. "What happened that made you think you messed up?"

"I think that I'm invested." You confessed it like a secret, whispered into the air. It was dark in the kitchen, spare the warm glowing light from the oven that clicked from the heat it produced.

He scoffed at your realization. "Is that all? You've just realized this?"

"Hey!" You went to smack his forehead but he quickly blocked you. "I mean it, Eita. I think I've gotten myself invested and I think it's more than he is."

"Have you talked to him about this?"

"Are you insane!?" You scoffed and rolled your eyes. "I can't talk to him about it, we made a deal."

"It was a stupid deal." Eita countered. "You know that friends with benefits never end well."

"Would it have worked with us?" You could see Eita move from the corner of your eye propping himself up on his elbow to look down at you. His eyebrows were scrunched and lips slightly parted in a confused look.

"Don't look at me like that, it's an honest question." You pushed yourself up as well, mirroring his position so you were face to face now.

"You don't have feelings for me so it wouldn't measure a comparison correctly."

"I do not have feelings for him!" You tried to sound believable but your voice hitched an octave and you squeaked slightly.

"You had feelings for him when this started, you can deny it all you want but I know."

"What? Just cause I said he was cute?"

"And you thought he was funny and sweet and-" you cut him off with a smack to his shoulder. "I'm being honest with you, no one else is."

You rolled your eyes as you fell back onto the ground. "Be a little less honest with me, will you?"

"Have you talked to him? In the last few days we've been here?" He spun around, laying fully next to you this time as he asked it.

You thought about the messages on your phones, a screen full of unopened texts from Satori sitting heavy in your notifications. "No," you mumbled quietly.

Eita sighed and tucked his arm under your head, pulling you closer to him. "Why are we still lying on the kitchen floor?"

You tucked yourself into his side as you sniffled, glad that the lack of light so that it couldn't shine on the tears slipping out of your eyes. "It's the best place to have a breakdown." You mumbled and he squeezed you a little tighter. "Plus the brownies aren't finished baking."

"At least look at the messages." Eita suggested, pressing a kiss to my cheek before pulling himself up. "I'll be back."

You sighed, turning slightly to pull your phone out of your pocket. The screen lit up as you opened it, navigating to the messages. You tapped on Satori's name.

3d ago from Miracle Boy: any plans for the autumn break 3d ago from Miracle Boy: are you staying on campus or going home? 3d ago from Miracle Boy: you alive?

2d ago from Miracle Boy: i stopped by your dorm and saw you were gone, hope you made it home safe. 2d ago from Miracle Boy: hope you're okay

1d ago from Miracle Boy: miss seeing you around, you okay?

10:09am from Miracle Boy: sorry for texting so much, please let me know if you're okay 10:12am from Miracle Boy: if we're okay...

My heart ached inside of my chest. I closed my phone and let the darkness surround me again, the clicking from the oven echoing around the empty kitchen.

TAGLIST - OPEN

@faumpje @all-in-the-fandoms @pearl-blue-musings

[gothicwidowsworld]

First kiss M.A

Warning: literally based of my first kiss experience, yes i know its embarrassing but also fucking hilarious also couldn’t find a gif from the episode i wanted so have this instead :)

“I… I don’t understand how I keep getting roped into this shit.” the y/h/c young woman grumbled loudly taking a sip of some leftover French chardonnay. The chardonnay had been an unexpected but welcomed surprise, after complaining a few episodes ago about the sheer amount of reds that were featured the wannabe sommelier Clément Novalak made sure to select a white for the girl. Clem had probably dropped the name of the province the golden liquid had come from during his spell about aged oak barrels and the apricot orange-peel floral notes but in this exact moment Y/N could not have cared less. 

“Because you love spending time with us.” Marcus replied, shooting the girl a cocky smile as his honey eyes captured her familiar y/e/c over his sunglasses. “Debatable.” Y/N hummed snarkily. “Clem is bearable at times, but you two….” Y/N gestured at the two Kiwi boys before trailing off taking another sip from her sadly rapidly emptying glass. “I’m going to take that as the compliment I’m hoping it was intended to be.” The French driver mumbled, absentmindedly readjusting his bow-tie.  “Aw you know I love you Clemmie” the y/s/c young woman exclaimed in a sing-song tone playfully throwing her free arm around the tuxedo donned man. “And yet no love for me… not even a little. What kind of girlfriend are you!” Marcus moaned in disbelief at the long-time friendship being rubbed in his face. “Oh quit whining and get on with it.” Y/N sassily retaliated rolling her eyes at the Kiwi’s hysterics. 

“Fine.” Marcus grumbled, however he struggled to hold back the building smile. If there was one thing Marcus sucked at it was hiding his emotions. It didn’t take a genius to work out how he felt about the young woman. From the way his soft golden hazel eyes would sparkle to the small twitches of his upper lip as he tried to bite back a growing grin. “I meant to ask Max during the podcast but I never got around to it, so when and where is your first kiss.” Marcus continued, still slightly kicking himself that he’d forgotten to ask such a juicy question to Max ‘rejected him 26 times’ Fewtrell himself. “We can re-divert!” James stated quickly a smug grin beginning to form, the grin targeted towards the F2 Driver dropped quickly when Clem expertly deflected the question “Actually James when was your first kiss.” The Frenchman asked. “It was in Whangamatā actually in 2013.” The dark blond began setting the scene. “2013?!” Y/N coughed out choking slightly on a sudden giggle. If she did the maths quickly that meant James hadn’t kissed anyone until he was sixteen. This new found knowledge practically obliterated the cool suave Bond-like demeanour James had built up. There wasn’t anything wrong with saving your first kiss, absolutely nothing wrong with going at your own pace. But Y/N had known James since he was 18 and the idea that James could probably have somewhat confidently chugged a weak beer before even locking lips with a girl was mind blowing. Shooting the older man an apologetic smile Y/N continued listening to James retelling of probably one of his most awkward life milestones. “Did you give her a wee pecker.. Or was it a slobbery kiss?” Marcus quizzed his fellow countryman, enjoying the growing bashfulness coming from his mate.

Soon it became clear it was Y/N turn to share her recollection of her first kiss. She wished she could lie and say she simply didn’t remember but knowing Marcus well she knew the Kiwi wouldn’t let it go, especially if he thought it could potentially be a little embarrassing. Groaning Y/N pondered for a second, placing her wine glass down and tucking her legs neatly beneath her. Adjusting her hoodie she racked her brains, the Screaming Meals Trio were some of her closest friends but there were still some things the girl didn’t feel needed to be shared and reliving certain parts of her childhood was one of them. Boy looking back Y/N was embarrassed enough, she didn’t need the trio pissing themselves laughing. So, what about your first kiss Y/N/N ?” the French native asked, his narrowed dark hazel eyes sparkling with mischief. “Marcus didn’t have to share his so why should I?” Y/N frowned, narrowing her eyes playfully at the Kiwi sat directly across from her. “Well firstly mine wasn’t that interesting, secondly it’s my show.” Marcus called out, poking his tongue out a little at his reasoning.  

“Ok first kiss.” Y/N began pausing for a second. “Like first proper kiss when you were aware of what was happening?” Y/N asked slowly hoping for some clarity, her head tilt in slight confusion. 

“Woah woah woah how many guys have you kissed that you ‘weren't aware of?’” Marcus objected loudly shuffling forward from his relaxed position, emphasizing his point with air quotes. Marcus wouldn’t call himself jealous, in fact that’s one of the last words he’d ever associate with himself, but the idea that there could potentially be a list of guys who’d kissed his girlfriend before him was difficult. The Kiwi Driver couldn’t help the surfacing insecurity, I mean what if (god forbid)  they were better kissers than him? “Don’t be gross Marcus… I mean like I don't want to say 4 or 5 mate… I barely remember it other than he’d been nagging me for ages and apparently he was no longer satisfied with my sadistic self only letting him kiss the bottom of my foot…” 

Stifling a giggle at the mixture of reactions from the boys Y/N shrugged as if her statement was beyond normal. “Also sorry Greg if that made you realise you had a foot fetish or something….” The girl added, reaching to collect her previously abandoned glass. “Uh… ok so what about your first proper kiss then?” Clem managed to ask, the Frenchman still slightly frozen in shock. “Um I was in year four so like 8… oh god…” Y/N trailed off cringing at the memory of this relationship. Hell could she even class it as a relationship? It hadn’t lasted that long, but it had been her first real exposure to boys. The boy in question had been the popular boy at school, all the girls had wanted him and he’d picked her. Something young Y/N had been so immensely proud of. 

“I’m probably going to regret asking this but how old was he?” James interrupted hesitantly, a look of concern filling his pale features. “I think. I think maybe 11? Oh fuck that’s  questionably dodgy.” the young woman groaned in realisation. “That’s like mega dodgy… 10 shades of dodgy.” the insurance broker agreed quickly, running a hand over his face. Silence fell over the small group. You could probably have heard a pin drop, or the sharp intake of breath from an extremely baffled Kiwi named Marcus Armstrong. “Jesus Y/N/N I think I can hear some police sirens.” Marcus exclaimed, clearing his throat, all the brown haired driver got in response was a half-hearted shrug. “Well you wanted something interesting?” the y/h/c girl replied simply. 

[call-sign-shark]

 ✨ Love and Thunder  ✨

Summary:  You and your childhood friend Bob Floyd are caught in the rain. Isn’t it the perfect moment for Bob to confess his feelings? (Bob x Neighbor!Reader)

Words: 1,9k

Tags:  None except Tooth-rotting fluff, like really it's just so fucking cheesy but it feels good

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“We should probably go home. I see  threatening clouds coming to us.” Bob said, shooting a quick look at the darkening sky over his glasses. Lost in your discussions, you both had not realize you were so far away from home, which would not have been a problem if a nascent storm had not come out of nowhere.

“Yup! Let’s walk to the bus stop. The last one is in 10 minutes.”  You said, checking buses schedule on your smartphone.

“Perfect.” 

You both shared a timid smile and proceeded to walk to the nearest bus stop. As far as you could remember, he had always been in your life. Your parents being his aunt’s neighbors, you grew up with the charming Bob Floyd as a very dear childhood friend. That some point, you parents were so used to him that he did not need to knock at the door anymore. Inseparable, that was what they called you. Unfortunately, life got in the way: he went to a prestigious university and then enlisted in the Navy with the dream of becoming a WSO in mind. Contrary to him, you never really left your childhood town.

The story should have ended here. He could have disappeared from your life and become a ghost of the past whose only news comes from your parents asking his aunt the casual ‘How’s Bob doing?” question, but it has not been the case. Bob Floyd took care of seeing you each time he came back to his Aunt’s house. No matter how tired he was, or how little time he stayed, he would always manage to spend time with you, either going to walk, watching a movie, or grabbing a drink. 

“Bob?”

“Hm?” He glanced at you as you both walked, his blue eyes shone with indescribable softness.

“Thank you for always spending time with me when you come back. It means — It means a lot.” Your smile widened, showcasing your teeth. The WSO’s heart flickered like the fragile flame of a candle at such a bewitching sight. How exquisite you were, he thought. With buzzing mind, Bob shook his head and gathered all his courage: it was a good moment to confess his feelings.

“You’re welcome, Y/N.” These were the only words he managed to utter. Bob’s lower lips slightly quivered, as if he wanted to tell you something else. You made a small nod to encourage him but, in the end, he closed his mouth and turned his face to look away.

Idiot – I am a plain idiot. He thought, holding the urge to facepalm.

Bob had never been good at flirting.  Not that he never had a girlfriend, quite the contrary he had already been through more or less serious relationships. Yet, he was not the type of man who would approach a woman with confidence. His whole being had not been coded to be a womanizer, and somehow he liked it that way. Being the quiet, nice, and mysterious nerd of the Navy had never bothered him - except when it came to you. He would have loved shedding his introverted nature for a bolder one just the time to tell you all the feelings he had for you. Just to tell you how you that you were always haunting his mind when he was out of town, and that it had been the case for years.

“Oh my God, Bob!” You blurt out of nowhere, causing the tall WSO to jump, “I misread the schedule! The bus will be there in one minute!” 

“What?” He asked, completely confused by the sudden information. One minute left for the last bus of the day — if you missed it, you would have to walk home under the feeling rain. “Okay, run!”  Without further thinking, he grabbed your hand and start running to the bus stop.  The sound of your sole was hammering the concrete so loudly that the few bystanders scattered here and there stepped aside at your passage. You tried not to fall during your race by tightening Bob hand. At this point you did not know if you were actually running or if Bob dragged you, just like a kite.

As you were both racing like rabbits chased by a fox, heavy and cold rain started to pour on you. A violent and tumbling rain. The unpleasant feeling of the millions of tiny water ropes falling against your skin and soaking the fabric of your clothes sent shivers through your body. Shivers through your bones.

“No, no, no!” You let out at the sight of the bus’ rear: the passengers were already getting inside. A terrifying roar suddenly echoed in the dark side, covered by gigantic black clouds. It was not a storm, it was a deluge.

“Almost there, Y/N!” Bob ran faster, gathering all the energy available in his legs when he saw the doors closing – or at least that was what he guessed by the sound because of the droplets that had formed on his glasses.  As soon as you had reached it, the bus left before your aghast eyes.

“Fuck! ” You swore, your Y/EC eyes still watching the road with the unrealistic expectation of the bus coming back to get you. An unpleasant thrill shook your whole body at the freezing sensation of water. Gosh, how much you hated rain! Releasing Bob’s hands, you crossed your arms in a vain attempt to keep yourself warm. “Damn storm” words came out of your mouth carried by an annoyed tone. The hell was wrong with the weather? “Sorry Bob, it’s definitely my fault.” You raised your gaze towards the tall WSO as you apologized, feeling sincerely sorry. You had spent such a lovely afternoon and evening with him and now you felt like you had ruined the whole day.

Bob was still facing the road, his eyes lost in the horizon. Despite the fact he had stopped running, his heart was still pounding in his chest with such violence that he was pretty sure it wanted to burst from his ribcage. Adrenaline was rushing through his veins and blurring his senses. 

“Bob?”  You called him again.

This time your voice reached him and snatched him from his messy thoughts. He turned around to face you before pulling his glasses from his nose to look at you directly with his dazzling blue eyes. His expression softened, his eyes squinted, and suddenly he is laughing. A warm and heartedly laugh came from the bottom of his heart. His cheerful laughter echoed in the storm, overpowering the sound of heavy rain showering you. A sigh of relief escaped from your sweet lips – He was not mad at you.

“Hey, that’s not funny. My clothes stick to my skin and I feel like I’m freezing to the bones!” You exclaimed, but you could not help chuckling at the whole situation: Bob and you, all alone in the pouring rain.

“You’re beautiful.”  He finally admitted, his smile doing nothing else than widening at the sight of you standing before him with your wet hair sleeked back and soaked clothes hugging the delicious curves of your body. Speechless, you looked at him with wide opened eyes. A wave of warmth rushed to your cheeks, for you had just realized that Bob Floyd called you beautiful.

Maybe it was the fresh smell of the rain, or the adrenaline still working, but the tall WSO felt exhilarated. The rain might be pouring, but the sun was burning in Bob’s heart. He came closer, so close that the tip of your nipples, sticking out under the wet fabric of your t-shirt, brushed his surprisingly athletic chest. You swallowed,  struck by confusion and unable to look away from his hypnotizing blue eyes. 

“I love you, Y/N.”  His body was slightly shaking but it was definitely not due to the cold: Bob was not cold, quite the contrary his whole being felt burning. Drops of water had started to form on the skin of his face and yours, as dozen of crystal beads embedded on the finest silk. 

“Bob–” You wanted to speak but you could not, for words choked in your throat as his face came nearer, so near that your noses gently touched. The rain had not stopped pouring down on you, as if the skies wanted to drown your nascent love, but the tall WSO could not care less. He had spent the last few years burying his feelings for you, convinced you would never look at him as more than a dear friend – but crush he had soon turned into a titanic love no one could cage anymore. Not even him.

“I have loved you from as far I can remember,” He said, you flickered, “Each time I fly in a fighter jet and fear for my life, I think about you. I imagine you’re somewhere in the sky, watching over me, and I feel like nothing can happen to me.” He smiled as freezing drops fell on his neck and ran down his back, seeping into his soaker t-shirt, “ I have loved you through every one of your successes and through each of your breakups.”

Your juicy lips stretched, for a shy yet lovely chuckle escapes from your mouth.

“I have loved you, even on bad days, even when you felt unlovable.” 

Two hearts raced, beating in unison with the rain hammering the concrete. Bob’s hands reached your face only to delicately cup your sweet wet face, whose smile was enlightening its traits and was making him only fall harder for you.

“And I’m tired of pretending those feelings will eventually go away, because they won’t.”

“Why? Why do you confess now?” You asked, a bit confused.  The gloomy sky above your head roared again, making the whole Earth shake.

“Because it would be so difficult for you. I am often overwhelmed with work. You’ll have to either leave the town or wait for months until I come back from missions.” 

“No, it’s not what I said, idiot! Why do you confess now? Under the heavy rain?!” You said, right before bursting into nervous but oh-so-intoxicated laughter. You rested your forehead against him, and Bob laughed with you. It was true: he did not really know why he needed to confess in such an inappropriate situation, but like the rain and its frosty drops, he was drenched in love. He felt it, smelt it. Touched it. It ran through his body, leaving thrills wherever it went.

“I don’t know!” He finally retorted, speaking louder for his voice to overpower the thunder’s rumble and roars. 

“Well, I love you too Bob Floyd. It’s okay if you took forever to tell me, as long as, from now, forever means you.” You laid a gentle kiss on one of his hands that was still holding your face. The pleasant temperature of his palms kept your cheeks warm. Or maybe was it because you were blushing?

A powerful lightning bolt streaked the black sky and at the same time, Bob felt a surge through his body. His knees got weak, his heart got mad.

“You –”

“Yes, I have loved you through all these years too, but each time I wanted to confess you already had a girlfriend.” Your smile softened.

“It’s over. I’m yours now, and I’ll prove it to you.” His voice was candy-coated with tenderness, and you melt in his arms as he pulled you into a very tight embrace. His strong arms wrapped around your shivering silhouette, he was hugging you as if he wanted to sink into your soul. When you raised your head, you saw him looking at you with glimmering eyes. Droplets of crystal were running down his cheeks but you could not tell if it was tears of rain. Or maybe a rain of tears.

“Can I– Can I kiss you?” As he asked, his lips brushed yours with the furious desire of tasting you. He was about to kiss you when you backed your head off and raised an eyebrow teasingly.

“You have waited for years, Floyd. Pretty sure you could wait until we get home. I’m freezing.”

“Will you kiss me then?” His body slowly parted from yours.

“I will.” 

“So what are we waiting for?” 

Without further ado, Bob grabbed you by the hand and intertwined his calloused fingers with yours. A cunning smirk enlighted his face and, at such a vision, you knew what he had in mind... You both started running under the driving rain. Its million drops hammering the ground, just like your soles did during your frantic rush.

And between the rumbling thunder and rain’s pitter-patter, rose your laughter to the sky.

[helloalycia]

watching TV [one] // kate bishop

summary: everything seems like it's going perfectly in your life – your girlfriend, your best friend, your job – until it's not. After your girlfriend breaks up with you so suddenly, you're left trying to understand what the problem was, but Kate is there to make it all better.

warning/s: mention of a breakup, mild violence and injury.

author’s note: i’ve literally had this in my drafts for so long and finally managed to finish it. It’s based off/inspired by the song ‘Watching TV’ by Sara Kays – feel free to listen to it whilst you read (I’ve popped the song below). Hope you enjoy!

two / three / masterlist / wattpad

"Are you really just going to sit here and keep buying coffee, Kate?" I ask my very determined best friend with amusement.

"Well, I got told off last time for staying all day and not buying more than one drink, so yeah," she replies like it's obvious. "And I don't want you to get fired because of it, so duh. I'd buy the whole menu if it meant we could hang out, Y/N."

I roll my eyes, feeling my smile widen at how cute she could be sometimes. I worked in a coffee shop and, since graduating, I'd been increasing my hours to pay rent which meant I was spending less time with Kate than usual. So, naturally, her solution was to hang out with me at work.

"You're cute, I'll give you that," I say, shooting her an appreciative look, before setting her third cup of coffee down before her. "Please don't have a caffeine overdose for my sake though."

She grabs my hand and puts it on her chest. "You feel that? It's a little too late."

I laugh when I feel the faint thrumming of her heart in her chest, faster than it should be. "Wow. I'm definitely cutting you off now."

"The things we do for love." She flashes me a grin and I shake my head with dismay.

Before I can think to say anything else, I glance behind her and my smile widens when I spot my girlfriend entering through the front door. She looks around, mirroring my smile when she spots me, too.

"Hannah, what are you doing here?" I ask with surprise.

She leans forward to kiss my cheek, making me grow warm at the contact. "I was running some errands and thought I'd stop by. Also just wanted to double check we were still on for tonight."

"Of course we are. I'm looking forward to it. Already got the snacks in and the films ready to go," I answer excitedly, meeting her brown eyes.

We'd planned for her to stay over at mine tonight and have a movie night just because, and to say I was looking forward to it was an understatement.

"Kate, hey, how are you?" Hannah asks politely, noticing her presence before us.

Kate's smile fades slightly and I can tell she's trying to remain civil. "Hey, Hannah... I'm good. And you?"

Hannah gives her a smile. "Doing great..."

It gets awkwardly quiet and I hate that it has to be like this. Hannah and I have been dating for about a year now, but her and Kate have never really gotten along. Or rather, there's just an awkwardness between them that never disappeared with time like I wanted. They both meant a lot to me and so made the effort with one another for my sake, but it's clear they wouldn't choose to converse if they could. I've tried talking to Kate about it, but she claims everything is fine. Same with Hannah. So, I just got used to it.

"Right, well I should get back to work," I break the silence with a small smile, looking between them. "Hannah, c'mon, I'll take your order. And Kate." I give her a warning look. "Last coffee. I mean it."

Her sincerity returns as she challenges my stare. "We'll see."

I scoff gently, leaving her to it as I return to my position at the till. Kate never listens, what can I say? But I won't lie – I love having her around.

As planned, Hannah stays over that same evening, watching films with me and eating way too much junk food to be considered healthy. But it's fun and I have never felt more relaxed, not unless I'm by myself or with Kate.

She stays overnight, sharing bed with me and cuddling to no ends, before I make us both a hearty breakfast and we reside on the couch to watch some midday TV together. Maybe the normalcy of it all is what throws me off – bad things shouldn't happen when everything feels normal. That's the whole point of something being normal, it's not bad. And yet...

"Y/N, I need to tell you something."

I hum in response, not really paying attention as I watch the telly. "Go for it."

Hannah hesitates. "I'm serious."

I furrow my brows slightly, glancing over at her at the change of her voice. "What is it?" When I notice the guilt in her expression, I straighten up and mute the TV, giving her all of my attention. Clearly something is bothering her. "Hey, Hannah, what is it? What's wrong?"

When I grab her hand, hoping to provide some comfort for whatever is bothering her, she pulls hers away.

"I'm breaking up with you."

I blink, taken aback by her bluntness. "You're– you– what?"

It doesn't seem plausible, what she said. Is this a stupid joke? Because it's not funny.

She chews on the inside of her cheek, eyes avoiding mine, and the longer she's quiet, the more my fear builds up that she's being serious.

"I didn't know how else to say it," she says quietly. "But I'm breaking up with you."

It's as if her words aren't quite sinking in because they just don't make sense. Breaking up? We're literally watching TV – how can she be breaking up with me?

"I don't understand," I say slowly, before attempting to reach over for her hand. A strike of hurt passes through me when she yanks her hand away further. "I need you to explain. To talk to me. I'm– what?"

She shakes her head slowly, standing up. I follow her with my eyes, trying to hide the way my breathing is becoming quicker, panicked, worried.

"I can't do this anymore," she says awkwardly, running a hand through her hair. "That's all."

Standing up, I try to step closer to her, unable to acknowledge the truth of the matter which is that she doesn't want to be near me. But how? Why? We were cuddling last night and now she suddenly can't stand me? What?

"Hannah, please give me more than that," I say with a teary smile, confused. "How can you suddenly want to break up? What's going on?"

She clenches her jaw, finally risking a glance my way, and it's like I'm staring at a completely different person. Her eyes are void of love or adoration or anything I feel for her. Has it been like that for a while? Have I never noticed?

"I'm sorry, Y/N," she says, and she sounds anything but, making my heart ache. "I should go."

There are no words to describe the utter disbelief I feel at watching grab her shoes, pulling them onto her feet. She's leaving? That's it? What?

"Wait a minute, Hannah," I say quickly, snapping back into action and following after her. "You're breaking up with me? Just like that? How can you–? I don't understand–"

"I don't love you anymore!" she snaps, making me jump. She swallows hard, exhaling and looking my way with guilty eyes. "I've been trying to tell you for a while now. It just never felt like the right time."

My throat closes up as she stares at me with pity. Shameful warmth creeps onto my cheeks. She doesn't love me anymore?

"That's all," she finishes softly, like it's not a big deal, like my heart isn't shattering at every word she speaks.

"You don't... why would... you..." I swallow thickly, trying to stop my voice from shaking so much. It doesn't help that she's staring at me with pitiful eyes. "What did I do?"

She sighs, rubbing her forehead with her forefinger and thumb. "Nothing. I just... I don't love you anymore."

My vision blurs with tears as I look to the floor, trying to figure out what that means. How can she not love me anymore? We've been fine. Nothing has gotten between us, we literally just hung out all evening. I'm still in love with her – she's my girlfriend. How can she decide she wants to leave all of a sudden?

"I'm sorry," she says once more, but it's mere background noise to my jumbled thoughts. Her hand ghosts my wrist, an apologetic squeeze, before I hear her leaving my apartment.

So, that's it? She leaves? And I'm alone? No explanation, no reason, just that she isn't in love with me anymore?

What?

Before the initial hurt can take over, I'm still very much confused. I try to call her, needing more of an explanation then a mere 'I don't love you anymore'. We've been together for a year – how can she just want to throw that all away? Doesn't she owe me more than a blunt breakup?

When she ignores my calls and texts, merely sending a 'l have nothing more to say, Y/N' text with finality, I realise she's dead serious. This isn't an elaborate prank, nor did she care enough to give me more than what she did. It's over. And I'm just supposed to accept that.

I've had breakups before. One where I've been the dumper, and another where I've been the dumped. Neither have hurt as much as this. I expected those, there were signs there. Lack of communication, the feeling like we were drifting apart, the bickering... it was obvious when my previous relationships were coming to an end. But this one came out of nowhere. I had no chance to prepare, to tell myself to stop loving her back.

I shouldn't spend my time wondering why, but it's all that's on my mind. If I'm not crying in my room, missing someone who doesn't want me anymore, then I'm wondering: why? What was the reason? She doesn't love me anymore, but there has to be a reason why.

Something about me isn't good enough for her. Something about me is so undesirable that she stopped loving me. What? Was it that time I showed up late to dinner and left her waiting fifteen minutes? Was it that time I disagreed with the way she spoke to her mum and we argued briefly about it afterwards?

It's so easy to reflect on every disagreement, every minor argument, every time I could have pissed her off... one of those times must have been it for her. The reason she called it quits.

What is it?

As if getting broken up with isn't embarrassing enough, it had to be by the girl my best friend never approved of. Such a cliché, right? That should have been an instant red flag, the girlfriend not being approved by the best friend. And yet I still went for it.

The last thing I want is for Kate to find out, for her to think that she was right. She'd never say it, but just her thinking it would be enough to make me feel even shittier. She'll have to find out eventually, but for now, it's better to keep to myself. Besides, I'm definitely not in the mood to face anybody at the moment, so I try to stick to myself.

Whenever she asks to hang out, I give her some lame excuse why I can't. Half the time it's because I'm actually working, but she'd never know the difference. If I'm not doing that, I spend my time applying for better jobs that actually utilise my degree whilst questioning every aspect of my relationship. How hadn't I seen it coming? Hannah had just woken up one day, looked at me and decided she couldn't love me anymore.

Yeah, it's safe to say I've never felt worse.

Of course, soaking in self-pity doesn't go down so easily when your best friend is as persistent as she is.

I don't know why I expect anything less from Kate, who is the definition of a hyperactive puppy, but I'm still surprised when she visits me at work one afternoon.

"Kate? What are you–? What are you doing here?"

She quirks a brow as she shoots me an amused smile. "Don't act too surprised."

I clear my throat, straightening up. "Sorry, I– sorry, just, what's up? How did you know I was working?"

"We'll, you've only been saying you're busy with work every time I want to hang out with you, so I thought I'd stop by," she says dramatically and with an easygoing smile. "That okay?"

I nod, looking down at the till. "Yeah, of course. Sorry."

She pauses, so I look up to see her humour is gone, replaced with concern. "Hey, are you okay? You seem preoccupied."

I force a smile, not wanting to get into this now and definitely not ready to tell her about the breakup when it's still so fresh. "Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry. Just tired from all the shifts, sorry."

She dips her head to find my eyes, her blue ones flickering between mine worriedly. With a low voice, she says, "What's with all the extra shifts? Do you need money? Because you know I'll always help you, Y/N."

I shake my head, widening my smile and hoping it looks genuine. "Kate, I'm fine, don't worry. Now, come on. What can I get you?"

She chews on her lip, no doubt about to retort, but thankfully she decides not to and instead orders her drink. After moving to go get it ready, I sigh inwardly, knowing I need to make more effort with her. She'll definitely suspect something if I keep avoiding her.

It's hard to focus on applying for jobs when you're definitely not in the mood to, but I still force myself to at least dedicate a few hours a day to searching and starting some applications. After all, I don't want to be working at a coffee shop forever.

I'm at home doing just that when Kate messages me, asking if I'm at home. After telling her I am, she invites herself over and I can't exactly stop her, even though I'd rather just be alone, so I tell her okay and throw on a more presentable outfit (AKA putting on pants).

When there's a knock at the door, I roll off my bed and answer it, unable to stop the small smile appearing on my face at the sight of Kate. Even though I haven't been myself lately, she always manages to make everything a little better without even realising.

"Hey," I say, stepping to the side to let her in. "How you doing?"

I notice she's wearing her Avengers sweatshirt and joggers which is just a black outfit with the Avengers logo printed on the corner.

"You been at the Compound?" I ask, closing the door after she steps in.

"Hey, yeah," she starts, sounding a little distracted.

"Oh, cool." I lead her to the couch as I ask, "So, how was training or whatever it is that Avengers do?"

It's supposed to be lighthearted but she doesn't fall into it like she usually does, leaving me curious.

"What?" I ask when she begins to frown at me.

She hesitates, eyes flickering to the spot behind me briefly, before saying, "I bumped into Hannah on the way back to my place before."

And as if somebody flicks a switch, any comfort I feel is immediately gone at the mention of my ex's name. Judging by Kate's face, she knows. And I don't know what's worse – the look she's giving me or the possible thoughts running through her head about me.

"Y/N...," she says gently, stepping forward. "Why didn't you tell me?"

I shrug indifferently, avoiding her sympathetic stare. "It didn't come up."

Kate raises her brows with slight disbelief. "Y/N."

I put my hands behind my back nonchalantly, trying to hide my fidgeting. "What did she say?" I ask.

She bites her lip, eyes studying me in a concerned way but one that only leaves me embarrassed.

"I was saying hello to her to be polite," she answers reluctantly. "And then I asked about you, if you were okay because you've been distracted lately and I thought she might know more than I do. But then she got all awkward and said she wouldn't know. So, obviously, I said what? And she–" She frowns. "She said she broke up with you like three weeks ago."

I close my eyes, wincing with embarrassment. She said that? If there was any way I wanted Kate to find out, this was the last.

"Y/N, what the hell?" Kate says, making me open my eyes to see her confusion. "What happened?"

I push my hair from my eyes and try to remain calm, but the feelings are bubbling away on the surface again and I begin to feel uncomfortable. "It's not a big deal. It was just a breakup. I should have known it wouldn't work out."

Should I have?

"What was the reason?" she asks carefully, and I hate that I can't answer that because I don't know. That's what hurts the most.

How do I explain to Kate that something about me wasn't enough for Hannah to love so she left me instead?

"Please can we just forget about it?" I plead quietly, risking a glance in Kate's direction. "I know this is the part where you say 'I told you so', but I'm–"

"Hey, no, stop it," she cuts me off, resting her hand on my shoulder and dipping her head to meet my gaze. "That's not even a thought of mine right now. I'm just worried about you... how are you?"

I flash her a forced smile, nodding. "I'm fine, Kate, see?"

It's a terrible attempt to convince her, but it's easier than telling her exactly how I'm feeling. I hope she doesn't push it, but she does one better and pulls me in for a hug. I didn't realise how much I needed it until she's wrapped her arms around me, squeezing me tight and providing a warmth I so dearly missed. I relax at the feeling, tucking my head into her shoulder and revelling in her care.

"Seriously, what happened?" she asks softly.

I don't let go of her, not yet. But she deserves an answer. And maybe I'm sick of bottling it all up.

"I don't know," I admit quietly, voice breaking embarrassingly enough.

She's patient, letting me hold her for a moment longer as I gather the courage to face her. It's not about her – Kate and I are close enough for me to tell her my deepest, darkest secrets. It's more about how embarrassing it is to be in this situation in the first place.

"She just broke up with me," I finally speak once I pull away from Kate's embrace. Her blue eyes watch me, hanging onto my every word, and it feels good to say it aloud even though my heart still breaks reliving it. "There wasn't any warning. And when I asked her why, she said– she said she didn't love me anymore. Just like that."

Okay, so saying it aloud doesn't feel good. I take it back.

"Sorry," I say when I realise tears are rolling down my face and my nose is all stuffy. Backing up, I look away and wipe my face with my sleeves. "I don't mean to be all gross. It's embarrassing, I know–"

"No it's not," she says quickly, shaking her head and watching me with a softened stare. "Is that why you didn't tell me? Because you were embarrassed?"

I exhale deeply, not knowing what to say because, funnily enough, I'm still embarrassed.

"Y/N," she urges, grabbing my hand, but I pull back gently, ashamed of the pity.

"Yes, that's why I didn't tell you," I tell her with a frown, meeting her gaze through blurred vision. "How isn't it completely and utterly humiliating, Kate? She broke up with me because she suddenly woke up one day, looked at me and thought 'nope, don't love her!' Something about me is unloveable, clearly. How isn't that embarrassing?"

Kate steps forward, grabbing my hand and squeezing it before I can let go. "Are you insane, Y/N? That's not true at all, not one bit!"

I scoff quietly, looking away from her. She only tugs me closer by my hand, forcing me to look at her.

"Who the hell in their right mind would fall out of love with you?!" she exclaims, throwing a hand up in the air. "There's clearly something wrong with her! You're amazing!"

I roll my eyes, finding it difficult to believe her. Besides, she's biased. As a best friend, she's not exactly going to put me down, is she?

"This isn't an 'I told you so' moment," she says adamantly, before pulling me into another hug, holding me so tight that I'm surprised she cares this much at all. "I'm here for you. I care about you and I wish you'd told me so you didn't have to go through it alone... please, don't push me away."

It's impossible not to love her right now, not when she's reminding me exactly how lucky I am to have her in my life.

"Thanks," I mutter into her shoulder. "I just... I don't want to talk about it."

I feel her nod in response before she pulls away and holds me at arm's length. I can't read her expression, surprisingly enough, but then she offers me a comforting smile and I almost regret not telling her in the first place.

That's Kate Bishop for you.

Since Kate discovered the truth, it's easier to just be me... the distant, moody, sulking version that is. I don't expect to feel better straight away, but it sucks being sad and I hate that I can't do much about it. I don't want it to consume me though, so I try not to distance myself from the people in my life, people like Kate. I try to keep my promise of letting her in and not pushing her away, but it's too easy to sulk.

"Did you see that, Y/N?! Clint taught me that one!"

I look up when I realise Kate is talking to me, jumping up and down with excitement, bow and arrow in hand. She invited me to hang out with her at the Avengers Compound whilst she gets some archery training in. She knows how much I love messing around with her whenever she invites me, but today I'm just not feeling it and I may or may not have been zoning out a little.

"I... sorry, Kate, I must have missed it," I admit with an apologetic smile. "Bet it was great though."

Her smile fades as she tilts her head, studying me. I know what she's thinking and look away, deciding that maybe I should leave if I'm just bringing the mood down. But then she skips over to me lightheartedly, taking a seat beside me.

"Hey," she says softly, tapping my knee with her forefinger.

I look over at her and she's already smiling my way, eyes looking up at me as she's leaned down, trying to catch my attention. Admittedly, my lips curl upwards.

"I want to take you to the fair that's happening in Central Park," she continues, straightening up in her seat, never looking away from me.

I exhale sharply, trying not to laugh. "I don't think I'd be very good company."

She lifts a brow hopefully. "Please?"

As much as I don't want to attend a fair, Kate's cute pout is very convincing, and I find myself sighing quietly, giving in with a nod. Her smile widens shamelessly before she pulls me in for a hug.

"Gross, Kate, c'mon," I whine petulantly, attempting to shove her away because she's all sweaty from training.

She only laughs and hugs me even tighter, winning against my useless attempts to fight her. I roll my eyes, pouting, but I'd be lying if said I didn't love it.

A few nights later is when the fair takes place and I realise what I've agreed to. The only reason I bother getting ready and not completely bailing is Kate's texts all day telling me how excited she is. For her sake, I try my best to push away my grumpiness as of late so we can actually have a good time.

I'm waiting for her outside my apartment building so we can go together when I spot her approaching.

"Somebody took their time," I joke when I see her.

"My bad," she chuckles nervously, stopping before me, and my eyes widen when I spot the cuts sprinkled over her face, covered by little bandages.

I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. Raising my hand instinctively, I have to stop myself from touching her cuts, fingers hovering over them.

"For God's sake, Kate, can't you stay out of trouble ever?" I say with annoyance, though the worry I'm trying to disguise is still very much present.

"Nope...?" she says when I lower my hand, grinning sheepishly.

I settle with an eye roll, scoffing quietly. She's always been careless like this, gaining bruise after cut, even before she joined the Avengers. It always worried me, now more so than ever, but she's also unsurprisingly good at staying alive so I can't really say anything. Plus, I'm not too sure she'd listen to me if I tried to stop her from being stupid anyway.

"Come on, let's go!" she changes the subject, tugging at my hand. "I've already got my heart set on a corn dog."

"Yeah, yeah..."

When we reach Central Park, the fair is in full swing, bustling with people, vendors, rides and music playing loudly. It's the most perfect sight, instantly brightening my mood, to my surprise. Kate immediately drags me to the first thing she sees – a corn dog stand – before taking charge the whole evening. We play countless fairground games, hop on a few definitely unsafe rides, hit each other in the bumper cars and eat way too much junk food. I don't think I've enjoyed myself this much since the breakup.

By the time I'm pretty sure we've done everything the fair has to offer, twice over, we find ourselves sat on a bench to get off our feet. Kate is eating from a bag of popcorn whilst I take another look at our winnings from the night – a stuffed toy, some key rings, snacks... pointless stuff, but I can't love it any more than I do.

"You look happy," Kate says, and it takes me a moment to tear my attention away from one of the keyrings I'm studying. She's smiling at me, blue eyes twinkling with the neon lights.

"I am," I say, shrugging.

She purses her lips, looking down. "I missed seeing it."

I look away, unsure what to say but imagining what it must be like for her lately. I haven't exactly been the greatest company, but she's still stuck by me.

"It's not true, y'know," she adds carefully.

"What?"

A pause, and then: "You're not unloveable. I wouldn't be here if you were."

At the mention of my words to her once she'd discovered the truth – my fear, deep down – I close my eyes and sigh quietly. A retort is at the tip of my tongue because no matter how convinced she sounds, I know it's not entirely true. Why else would Hannah simply fall out of love with me? Get bored of me so easily?

But before I can say anything, Kate's hand slips into mine, making me open my eyes with surprise. She takes my other hand, too, forcing me to face her slightly as she watches me with a seriousness she rarely showed.

"It hurts now, but it will get better," she says with complete and utter sincerity, her eyes boring through mine. "What Hannah did was horrible. The way she went about it..." She pauses, looking up with a suppressed scowl. "God, if I could see her again just to give her a taste of her own medicine." Shaking the thought away, she looks to me once more. "But that's besides the point. Don't let it ruin you, Y/N. You're the best. And you deserve the world and every good thing in it, and you'll get it someday. For now... well," she cracks a smile, jokingly, "you'll just have to settle with me.

A small smile tugs at my lips, heart warming at her words.

"You're the last thing from unloveable," she adds, giving me a knowing look.

I'm not sure if I believe her words, but I believe that she believes it, and that's enough for me for now.

"Thank you, Kate," I finally speak, surprised at way my voice breaks. Her words have more of an effect on me than I thought. Embarrassed but smiling nonetheless, I avoid her eyes and pull her in for a hug. "I love you, you know that?"

She snickers, returning my hug. "I know, Y/N. I think you know I love you, too."

I sigh contently, tightening my hold when she tries to pull away. She chuckles quietly, staying put, and I'm grateful because I don't want to let go just yet. She's been here for me when I haven't been myself and I've never felt more gratitude for her than I have right now. What I have here with Kate, this friendship... it's definitely unconditional. It always has been.

[citygirlcharlotte]

The Sister Halstead (Part 12)

Pairings: Hank Voight x Female OC, Will & Jay Halstead x Sister!OC

Note: Guess who's back!

Warning: None

As I suspected, Henry looked slightly miserable standing amongst my father and brothers who have conveniently found a group of my fathers friends to chat up. 

“Baby?” I said, garnering his attention. 

I could see the relief on his face as he pulled me in for a hug and a kiss on the forehead. 

“About time you got here.” He grumbled. 

“Is that little charlotte?” A booming voice echoed from behind Hank. I turned around to see the mob of my fathers friends suddenly less interested in their conversation and too focused on me. 

“In the flesh, but I’m not so little anymore.” I joked. 5 of my dads old buddies as well as uncle Ward stood gawking. 

“My my, have you grown.” One commented super creepily. 

Jay looked at him like “The Fuck”.

I had to spend the next 10 minutes catching up with those old timers before the baby got hungry and I demanded we get lunch. 

“How was golfing?” My mom asked. 

Jay and Henry let out a groan of discontent while Will and my dad started bragging about their swings. 

“Let’s just say that I’m a better cop than a golfer.” Jay joked. 

“I second that.” Henry agreed. 

Everything on the menu seemed to be calling my name at this point but the steak and lobster seemed to be the best. 

“Seriously, what is this detox you’re on that you eat steak and lobster?” Jay grumbled. 

“It’s a girl thing, you would get it.” I told him, refusing the alcohol that got sent to the table by my dads friends. 

“You’re not drinking again? Good, you’ll be DD.” My mom joked. 

Lunch went by relatively easily with me stuffing my face and stealing off of Henry and Jay’s plates. 

“So Henry, tell me about yourself.” My mom started.

I glanced over, seeing if he would be comfortable answering the question and watching him down his scotch. 

“There’s not much to me ma’am. I spend most of my time being a cop and loving your daughter.” He joked, trying to coast past the subject. 

“Do you have any kids?” She asked persistently. I glared at my mother because she already knew the answer to that. 

“My son Justin passed away.” He replied quietly. 

I gently grabbed his hand under the table as will successfully changed the subject.

“You have to tell us what Charlie was like as a kid.” He gushed, engaging both of my parents. 

“Charlie was her fathers shadow! There’s nothing Charles did that she wasn’t right behind him or attached to his leg. I swear this girl got everything she ever wanted because she batted her eyes and said please.” My mom laughed. 

“I was her favorite until she got over cooties and all the boys came knocking on our door.” My dad added. We spiraled into old boyfriend stories and bad prom nights before someone approached our table. 

“Lottie?” A voice asked. 

I turned to the side to an ex-boyfriend, one I particularly am not fond of. 

“Oh fuck no.” I swore, trying to shoo him away before my mom scolded me for being rude. 

“Daemon, how good to see you!” She beamed, getting up to pull him into a hug. 

I slowly retreated into Henry’s side as Jay moved closer to us. 

“Aren’t you going to say hi?” My dad asked, moving to shake my ex’s hand. 

“Daemon.” I scowled, making no effort to move. 

“Good to see you Lottie, it’s been a while. You haven’t been around much.” He smiled. 

I debated throwing my steak knife at his face but decided better of it. 

“No reason to come back.” 

That earned me a glare from my mother. 

“Who’s this guy?” Jay whispered at me.

“Cheating ex-boyfriend.” I whispered back. 

“Whose these guys?” Daemon asked, eyeing the whispering. 

“Brother, brother, boyfriend.” I carelessly pointed out. This man was not worth any of my energy. 

“Brothers? You never told me you had brothers.” He asked.

“Surprise.”

“Are you in town long? I’d love to catch up.” He tried.

“I don’t associate with cheating ex’s but it was interesting to see you. I hope we never have this experience again.” I smiled, flipping him off before leaning my back to Henry’s shoulder. 

“You cheated on my daughter?” My dad gasped, seemingly not knowing this information. 

“Um, I should go.” Daemon back pedaled. 

“You should run.” Jay smirked.

“Want me to kill him?” Henry whispered to me.

“He’s not worth it.” I smiled, giving him a soft kiss. 

I could hear Will and Jay gaging at the table. 

“Still not used to that.” Jay mumbled. 

“How is it Jay? Your sister dating your boss.” My dad asked, trying to gauge a reaction. 

“Don’t love it but I try to ignore it since Charlie’s happy.” He replied. 

“Here here.” Will agreed, raising his drink. 

“I think it’s cute. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Charlie in love.” My mom commented. 

“Mom.” I whined like a little girl. 

“Just saying.” 

We ended up escaping the country club in favor of lounging my the pool that afternoon. It was hilarious to see Jay and Will on top of flamingo and unicorn inflatables. It was even funnier to see Henry in swim shorts with palm trees. 

“Really honey? This is what you packed?” he complained as he approached me. 

Out of the corner of my eye I saw my mom subtly checking him out. 

“Mother!” I scolded, hitting her with my book. 

“Sorry sweetie, he was in my line of site!” She defended, cracking up laughing. 

“Leave room for jesus you two!” Will called from the pull. 

“Shut up carrot top.” I yelled back. 

“You have the same hair dummy.” Jay reminded. 

“See sweetie, this is what it would have been like 24/7 if you grew up with brothers. You should be lucky you got a break before this.” My dad commented.

“She loves us. I don’t think she could live without us at this point.” Will laughed. 

“And I don’t plan on it!” 

I ended up getting really tired and turning into Henry's side. He’s gotten into the habit of holding my stomach while we sleep and today was no exception. I personally thought it was adorable. 

When everyone thought I was asleep, that’s when the real questioning started.

“How did you meet our dad.” Jay asked my mom. 

“At a bar. I was barely 21 and about to leave Chicago for college when I stumbled upon your father. I figured why not be a little wild just this once and let loose. I found out 3 months into the semester that I was pregnant with Charlie and tracked your dad down planning to at least let him know but when I got to the house, I saw the two of you running around the back yard and him watching you two from the porch. I knew then that I didn’t want to hurt anyone so I left and never looked back.” I heard her confess. 

“If it makes you feel better, he wasn’t a good dad. Charlie was lucky to have grown up with you guys.” Jay lamented. 

“I heard he passed, my condolences.” My mom offered. 

“Thanks.” Will accepted. 

“We know it’s no consolation but we’re really glad Charlie found you guys. We encouraged her to reach out as soon as the PI gave her your information. We also appreciate you two, really the three of you taking care of our little girl. You guys are her family which make you our family.” My dad explained. 

“We love that girl. I didn’t realize I needed a sister until her and it’s like she’s been apart of our lives the whole time.” 

“That’s because the two of you make me look adopted.” Jay snorted. 

“It’s the hair, what can I say?” Will snorted. 

I found myself tearing up at their little confessional and Henry could feel my tears on his chest. 

“Are you okay?” He asked me. 

“Damn hormones.” I confessed. 

He nodded understandingly before kissing my forehead. 

“And you Henry? Is this for the long run?” 

“It is. I could see us being happy together for a very long time.” He smiled. 

Before we parted the pool, getting ready to clean up for dinner I pulled Henry aside. 

“I want to tell them.” 

Taglist:

@royaltysuite @jadakiss13 @ego-allie-bap @acdassenza @alldaysdreamers @sande5098 @50-21upstead @justaproudslytherpuff @sofiebstar @i-spaced-sorry @yosoy-laprincesaa @drakelover78 @craftyhufflepuff @magmagicstyle @capswife

[imaginexwwe]

STILL IN LOVE 2|2 - Roman Reigns

Part 1 (×)

•

Y|N IS ONCE AGAIN READY TO WALK DOWN THE ISLE

•

"Cheers to my boo Y|N!" Trinity shouted, holding up her champagne glass, giving me and the rest of my bridal party a second to grab ours and hold them high as well. "The only woman I know to leave one groom before even making it down the isle, back into the arms of her one true love, and in a less than a year is ready to do it all again." She added, finishing her toast with a laugh as the rest of us joined in.

I sat down my glass before playfully rolling my eyes. "Except I will be walking off of this island as the new Mrs. Anoaʻi." I said proudly with a huge smile.

Nothing will keep me from marrying Roman, I thought silently to myself, my smile still plastered on my face for everyone in the room to see

I couldn't help it

I was happy

And I wanted all of my friends to see how much of a drastic difference this wedding was prior to my previous one from ten months ago.

"I still don't know how you ended up here again," Jey's wife, Maya, my other bestfriend and obviously bridesmaid said, causing the whole room to echo with mumbles of how they haven't known either. "Tell us."

"Well," I began with a sly shrug. "Clearly, my man proposed, I said yes, planned a wedding, and here we are now less than an hour from me walking down the isle to the man I want to spend the rest of my life with." I finished, trying to contain the giggle that tried to force its way from my mouth, due to the fact I knew that wasn't what they had wanted to hear.

Another one of my bridesmaids groaned, "Tell us what happened the day you told Roman how you felt."

I sighed, surveying the room with a quick glance at everyone.

They all looked eager to know.

"Fine," I playfully groaned, biting down on my lip for a second, before continuing. "Let me see what I remember."

•

Flashback -

•

Roman reached out to me, the palm of his hand softly caressing my cheek as if he didn't really believe I was standing here.

In front of him.

"I'm really here, Roman." I whispered, turning my head slightly so I could place a soft kiss on the inside of his palm just before he removed it from my cheek.

Roman nodded slowly, his eyes still stuck on me, as he seemingly refused to blink.

Probably afraid that I'd disappear if he did.

"Roman, can you say something?" I awkwardly giggled, noting his speech was fine a minute ago. "Anything..?"

In all my years of knowing Roman I've never seen him so stunned.

In every chapter of our lives, I've been the stunned one.

When he first asked me out that night we met in some random bar, I honestly thought the group of guys, who I've soon come to realize were his cousins and close friends who he also worked with in WWE, had put him up to it. Probably like some childish high school thing where you put a hot guy whose way out of a girl's league up to asking her out, only to make her look like a fool later on.

Or when he first told me he loved me.

Flying away with him to Bora Bora on a spontaneous trip for our first anniversary.

The first time we did, well you know. I was really stunned then.

Like really, really stunned.

I was even stunned when after almost ten years he decided that he didn't think me and him had a future.

Or did he say we had different futures?

I don't exactly remember after successfully putting that day in a metaphorical box in my mind and locking it away, so it could never be opened again.

The point is, Roman was the one to I guess be in control, making the first step but I guess since now that it's me being the one choosing to come here, to come back for him was a surprise.

"I just..." Roman finally began saying after seemingly regaining his speech. "I can't believe you're really here."

"And I can't belive you can talk again." I replied sarcastically, watching how Roman shook his head in response.

"I'm serious Y|N," Roman spoke up again. "Your wedding."

"Is clearly not happening." I said with a smile forming. "I came back for you." I added, stepping a bit closer to him, the slight breeze from outside forcing Roman's familiar scent into my nose.

Oh, how I've missed that scent.

Again, Roman stood in front of me, shaking his head. "See, this is why I didn't want you to find out about how I felt, why I didn't tell you myself." Roman groaned, scratching at the back of his neck. "You were on your way to the life you wanted, the life you deserved with a man that doesn't have to pack up and leave every week. I mean, that was the reason for most of our fights, right..? You said you couldn't deal with that anymore."

"That's not what I meant, Roman." I said, reaching out and wrapping my arms around his neck, as I stood on my tippy toes to give myself a little more height, trying my best to match his. "I was just getting tired of you coming back from the road, having only two or three days at home and spending sometimes both nights going out with your friends, and a few hours of the third day with me while we were at the airport waiting for you to leave again. They were seeing you more than I was and some of them you worked with. It was pissing me off." I explained. "I just wanted you to do better with our relationship like you did in the beginning."

"But instead of understanding what you wanted," Roman paused, "I mean, what I should've been doing, I instead let you go. Like an idiot"

"Exactly," I mumbled, biting down on my lip. "And me being the idiot I was after our break up, I jumped into a relationship with the first guy I met after you and said yes to a proposal."

"Only to leave him the day of the wedding." Roman laughed, seeming like the Roman I remembered. "For me." He proudly added.

I blushed, rolling my eyes as I tried to play off what he'd said.

This man can be so egotistical sometimes, I swear.

But he was right.

"And if you had showed up, and I had seen you, I would've unapologetically pulled a Mariah Carey in her we belong together video, if it meant I get to end up with you. Because we do belong together." I giggled again, hiding my face in his chest, feeling the vibrations from him laughing harder at what I had said.

"I love you so much, baby." He replied, making me pull myself back, trying to look into his eyes.

I could feel myself beginning to blush, as I leaned up towards him, while simultaneously pulling him down the rest of the way. "I love you too Roman, so much." I replied before kissing him.

•

"Ahh," Jey's wife squealed as I finished telling them parts of what happened with me and Roman when I showed up at his house. "I want to cry, but I don't want to ruin my makeup." She added, making me laugh.

She can be so dramatic.

"Shut up Maya," I said, going over to her to playfully swat at her arm. "Save it for the actual ceremony." I continued, before another bridesmaid, who happens to be my friend from college, spoke up.

"But if you were leaving from the house before even knocking," She began, "How did Roman even know you were out there?"

"Security camera." Both Trinity and I said at the same time, before glancing over at each other and laughing yet again.

Jey's wife shot both me and Trinity a glare that could kill. "How..?" She questioned, pointing between me and Jimmy's wife. "How does she know that? Did you tell her the story already?"

"No," I quickly answered. "I just mentioned that part when I was on the phone with her one night." I explained, earning a suspicious nod from Maya.

"Mhm..." She mumbled just before there was a knock on the door.

My mom went over to open it, revealing my wedding planner and my dad.

"We're ready to start." The planner quickly said, as she called every bridesmaid out in other they're supposed to walk down the isle, as my dad stayed off to the side.

I sucked in a breath of air, feeling my heart began to flutter as everyone but my dad, Trinity, Maya, and the wedding planner was left.

"Can you give me and the girls a second?" I asked with a smile before closing the door on my dad and wedding planner, after they nodded.

When I turned back to my two bestfriends I couldn't help but notice the huge smiles on their face. "What's with the creepy smiles?" I giggled, trying to hold back my own smile.

"C'mon..." Maya replied, nudging at me. "Either you say it or we do."

I playfully rolled my eyes. "Say what?" I asked giggling some more. "Thank you for sticking with me through these ten crazy months of walking out of one wedding and now ending up back at another..?"

"Say the reason you didn't touch your champagne." Trinity blurted out, before covering her mouth with her hands.

God.

Can't get nothing past these two.

"Okay," I smiled, biting at the inside of my cheek. "Here goes nothing..." I spoke up again, pausing for dramatic effect.

"Oh my god..." Both my bestfriends said in at the same time. "Say it."

"I'm pregnant." I finally said, happy tears beginning to sting at my eyes. "A month and two weeks to be exact."

Trinity and Maya each took turns coming over to give me hugs, and congratulations.

"I called it, when I saw you didn't drink after my toast." Trinity spoke up again, dabbing at the corners of her eyes with a tissue, a smile still on her face.

I placed my hand on my still flat belly. "I literally just found out about a week ago." I said looking down at where my hands were placed, a nervous smile on my face. "Roman doesn't know, yet but I do plan on telling him after the wedding."

"Well let's get your ass married so you can tell him." Maya said, helping me to the door, right as the wedding planner came back letting us know she was ready for us.

While heading out the door, Trinity leaned close to my ear. "No turning back this time, right?" She asked with a playfully smirk.

I shook my head. "Not this time." I said with a smirk of my own.

I'm leaving this very island where me and Roman spent our first anniversary as his wife.

•

T A G S -

•

@raeluvshammett @fiskers7136

[compassmili]

This feels silly to ask because I don't think anyone cares enough. But I might draw the winner idk. Propaganda for each under the cut. Also I talk about them all a lot under the cut so even if you don't vote if you like my OCs you should read :]

(DRAWING BY AMAUROT ON ARTFIGHT)

Gaia and Ryne: Cuties. Teen girls trying to navigate their trauma and making it through the world together. They have a super healthy relationship and make each other better people. Opposite aesthetic lesbians. One is the embodiment of light and dreams and the other is the embodiment of dark and nightmares. They go on cafe dates. Ryne's dad has basically adopted Gaia. Happy family despite the horrors. The world gave us an awful hand, but our past doesn't define us or our future- We do, and we'll make a better life for ourselves.

(BOTH DRAWING BY SINCLAIR @/TENEBSOLIS)

Reno and Johan: Not friends not dating but a secret third thing. What if we had an indiscernible relationship that bordered between friendship and soulmates and our love could not be described as platonic or romantic because our bond was so incomprehensible by others. Reno expands Johan's world and Johan gets Reno to open up to others and stop acting like someone angel isn't. Airheaded silly thing 4 Slightly neurotic and perception-obsessed thing. Their Pokemon get along really well. They lowkey quit their jobs for one another (Johan throws his phone in a river so his boss can't reach him because mew wants to spend more time with Reno.) They're from the same place but both left it to make a future for themselves only for it to not be what they wanted. Very close and happy.

(LEON DRAWING BY RHYME @/BEATGROOVES)

Worst relationship ever. Toxic yxxi. Lament is actively manipulating Leon for fun

From the outside, Leon seems like the aggressor and awful person, but it's really Lament. I mean Leon is a piece of shit but Lament is actively making him worse and enjoying it. Rewards Leon's awful behavior and supplies him with cigarettes whenever Leon tries to quit. Encourages Leon to lash out at people. Has Leon on a leash. Leon wears a locket necklace and Lament literally wears the key <- NOT A KINK THING. CHARACTER DESIGN CHOICE TO SHOW THAT LAMENT BASICALLY OWNS LEON AND DETERMINES HOW HE ACTS. They're in a band together. I've drawn them as scenes from the MCR Prorev fight. All the other band members want OUTTTTT

Gaia and Don Quixote: Knight4Knight. Gaia is very closed off and mean to everyone but has a soft spot for Don since Don makes her feel homesick for a reason Gaia can't place. Don reminds her of someone, but she doesn't know who. Don views Gaia as a valorous knight and therefore admires her immensely. Gaia is offput and overwhelmed by Quixote's excitability but still stays around her sometimes. Don acts as a chivalrous knight to Gaia, as if Gaia was a noble lady. Gaia is sort of annoyed by the treatment, but truthfully, Gaia loves being spoiled, so part of her does enjoy the princess treatment. Also Don likes her massive hammer and Gaia likes Sueño Imposible. DON ALSO LIKES THAT GAIA CAN SPEAK SPANISH AND GETS REALLY EXCITED OVER IT. It's rare to see Gaia smile, but sometimes other Sinners claim they can see the edges of her lips rising whenever she spends time with Don Quixote

John and Outis: I DON'T HAVE ART OF THEM TOGETHER. John both hates and admires Outis, viewing Outis as everything she once was and everything she lost. John is incredibly bitter but also wants Outis carnally. Outis probably doesn't gaf about her and views her as an incredibly annoying coworker. John's probably into Outis's insults. Sorry I love making John pathetic. Outis calls John a failure of an employee who's worth less than dirt and John folds immediately.

[remingtonisleithal]

Hang 'Em High

Pairing: vampire!Gerard x reader

Summary: part two of Cemetery Drive, Gerard fears for Y/N and they pair plot their escape

Warnings: the worst writing you may read. It's so full of quotes idek if it's original. Oh there's also mentions of bloody, vampires, bodies, stuff like that. TW: mentions of abuse and allusions to self harm

Word count: 1k

Author's Note: ... I know I said I'd write a part two... i did, but it's shit. Sorry. It's also a complete mix of songs and vibes with an underlying idea for a proper series I'll write later (let me know if you're interested)

It was 3 in the morning when Y/N heard the creaking of her bedroom window. A normal person would be scared. But Y/N enjoyed the shiver that went down her spine when she saw the shadow stretch across the floor as someone climbed through her window.

“I miss you, you know.” Gerard's voice was quiet.

“More than I miss you? Impossible.” Y/N responded. She climbed out of the covers and snuggled into Gerard's chest. It still felt wrong, how cold he was, that she could no longer hear his soothing heart beat.

But he was here. That was enough.

Gerard pulled out some slightly injured flowers from the inside of his jacket pocket. The flowers were dry and dead, but Y/N didn't mind. Decay was her favourite type of bouquet.

“How'd you manage these? Your new “friends”?” Y/N asked.

“Stole 'em from the cemetery. Don't worry, I guess technically they were mine anyway.” Gerard said with a wink.

Y/N blushed. He knew her so well.

“Anything to show you just how much you mean to me.” His voice was a hushed whisper. “This is kinda weird , but, no one has... threatened you or hurt you or anything recently, right?”

Y/N looked around suspiciously.

“No. ...Was someone supposed to? Is this about your new... I don't even know what to call them.”

“Pack. Some of us call each other family, as we're all we have, but I can't do it. They might look 16 but they're not teenagers, they're monsters. Murderers. Some of them don't do it to stay sane, it's become a game for them, hunting. I see them for the animals they are. We're a pack. No more, no less.”

Gerard released Y/N from their embrace and started to pace around the room.

“What's going on?” Y/N's tone was harsh, icy with fear.

“Well... there's been a problem. They're starting to get suspicious of me, where am I going and spending so many night, while still not bringing back any corpses.”

Fear made it's way through Y/N's veins as she tried to comprehend all her lover had seen since he died. All the things he'd done, lives he had to end. An image of a thousand bodies piled up made her shudder.

“They know I'm with a human. I come back smelling of blood sometimes,” Y/N started to shift around uncomfortably in her clothes as Gerard spoke. “No no, it's not your fault, honey, OK?”

Gerard sighed.

“It's just... the head of the group—call her Black Mariah—she's getting concerned, I've heard her whispering with others about me being a liability. They're thinking of doing something, I'm just not sure what. I promised you I'd never let them hurt you, it's just getting harder to keep that promise, without—”

“No. I know what you're going to say Gee, I would rather risk my life to see you every other night than be safe and never see you again.”

“You don't understand, that girl's not right in the brain!”

“And I am?” Y/N said. Gerard let out an exasperated sigh. “Wait. Did you say Mariah?”

“Yes, why, have you met her?” Gerard panicked.

All the colour drained from Y/N's face. “I think she's my new lab partner.”

“Fuck. Holy shit, goddammit!” Gerard cried, punching the air, ripping his suit jacket off and throwing it at the floor. “She knows, she FUCKING KNOWS.”

Y/N took a step back, frightened of her boyfriend for the first time. Gerard picked up on this.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just....” Gerard breathed hard, pacing around, before looking back at his girl with wild eyes. “What if we run? We could take to the highway. Just leave.”

“Gerard, I can't. I have to-”

“You have to what? Stay with your abusive family? Finish school to become a good little capitalist? You've been dreaming of running forever.”

Y/N looked around, unsure.

“Y/N/N, if you don't want to, we don't have to. It's entirely up to you. I just....” Gerard trailed off, looking out the his girlfriend's window to the pale moonlight. “I may not care if I live or die, but I can't handle the thought of you getting hurt.”

Y/N looked around her bedroom. The wallpaper falling from the wall. Her battle jacket in the corner. The leaking roof over her make-shift desk. The whole in the wall from when her father got mad.

She looked up at Gerard, a new fire in her eyes.

“What's your plan?”

“Run until it fades to black, run into the sunset.”

“Bullshit. It's not like you to just run. What else?”

Gerard looks around. “Do you trust me?”

“With my life.”

Gerard placed something cold, metallic and heavy in Y/N's hands.

“Tomorrow. Dusk. When the sun is gone, grab your gun and meet me by the door.”

Y/N had followed Gerard's instructions to a T. When the sun had dipped below the horizon, Y/N was outside, bag packed, gun in hand, wearing the dress her ex hates, the perfect gothic date outfit. She needed to look the part, when they arrive.

The car ride was long and silent until Gerard deemed their surroundings empty enough. He pulled over and turned to Y/N.

“Tonight... Tonight isn't gonna be pretty. I just need you to know, I love you. If it goes bad, well... Don't stop, if I fall, and don't look back.”

“Gerard, don't. I can't- I can't lose you. Not again.”

“Y/N/N, please. Don't stop, bury me. Permanently.”

Y/N looked away, and swallowed the growing lump in her throat.

“Alright. Alright. But you need to promise me this. If they get me... can you stake my heart?”

“I-”

“Please. This is what needs to happen. If you die, I will run. If I die, you need to run. If they turn me... Don't let me have to live like that. I've seen the pain it's put you through. Please.”

Gerard merely brought Y/N into his arms, pulling her close, and whispered, “I'll never let them hurt you. Not tonight.”

Neither knew who he was trying to convince.

He placed a soft kiss on her, and with that, Y/N stepped in the coffin.

Taglist: @fandomfoodiedancer @smiling-girl @sab-falco @charlie-rulerofhell @positive-pessimistic-emo I really hope this isn't too disappointing lol

[lizlet]

2023, in bullet points

I find myself consumed by an assortment of random thoughts, as we reach the end of the year, and as the sun aims downward for one last sunset, I'm going to try sharing them... in the form of bullet points!

In January of 2023, I got to interview John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats, because he guest-starred on an episode of Poker Face and one of the cool things about working for a publication that's largely focused on music is that all I had to do to get his reps' info was ask a colleague. It was a good, fun interview, and he gave me his direct phone number in case I needed to ask him any follow-ups, and I actually did have something I needed to clarify. So I called him a second time, and during that second call, I told him the thing that I'd held back during that first interview, because I'm always on the fence about how much to say to people about how much I love their work: I told him how much I love the song "This Year," how I blast it every New Year's Eve and scream along in triumph, because it's so much easier to sing "I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me" on December 31st. I don't have a transcript of that second call, but I remember he took the compliment with practiced grace, saying something along the lines of "Thank you for saying that, because it means I know I did at least one thing with my time on this earth that helps people."

That's often what I think about, when measuring my accomplishments for the year — what are the things I did that made the world a slightly better place, on a big or large level?

I know I wrote a lot. Wrote stuff I was very proud of and wrote stuff I was less proud of, but sometimes that's what happens. Got into a good groove with Wren Graves at Consequence, who became my default editor early in the year and has proven to be annoyingly good at noticing when a piece could be better and pointing that out. It's good to have an editor who is a lovely and generous person and who also knows your flaws (like, for example, the fact that I maybe repeat words a little too often; if Wren were editing this, he'd send me back this paragraph with the word "good" in bold three times, and he would be right to do so).

Did a lot of interviews, even with the double strike shutting down a lot of opportunities, and checked a few people off the ol' bucket list. (I don't know why John Cho has eluded me for years, but achievement unlocked, thanks to The Afterparty Season 2.) It is still a bit baffling to the awkward-ass adolescent who lurks inside me that a significant part of my job is talking to famous people, and that I may be pretty good at it. (Sorry Wren.)

Hit my second anniversary at Consequence, an outlet that lets me get weird when the occasion calls for it and always offers up new challenges. (Got a couple of big challenges already in the works for January, which I'm doing my best not to think about until January 2nd.) It's a small but mighty team, and I'm happy to be working with them all.

Got elected to the position of secretary on the Television Critics Association board, which has also presented a wild new array of challenges, but the other board members are great and Winter Press Tour is on! ::knocks on any available wood nearby::

I tried as much as possible to be a person who says yes to things, especially if they might lead to wild new experiences. Saw more friends and more theater and live comedy than I have in years past, which makes me happy. (Especially when I can combine the friends WITH the theater and live comedy.)

Also got to spend a good amount of time with my family, who are cool people that I just genuinely enjoy spending time with. Even went on a gosh-darned vacation with them, to Ireland and Scotland, which was overall pretty magical. It's funny how when you're a kid, going on a bus trip to look at pretty scenery sounds very boring, and yet when you're an adult, that's just a really wonderful time.

Continued two streaks of approximately equal length: sobriety and daily usage of Duo Lingo. Both have been rewarding in their own unique ways.

Thanks in part to Duo Lingo, I learned how to type é and ü characters on a keyboard, which isn't a huge deal necessarily, but I have been typing on computers for nearly the entire span of my life (started around three or four years old) and so learning a new trick, after all this time, was pretty exciting. You go around thinking you know everything there is to know, and then you learn a new thing, and it makes you excited to find out what else there is to learn.

That's the energy I try to bring to every year, even a year like 2023, which on a global level was undeniably pretty garbage, especially the way it set the stage for 2024 being potentially worse. I donate money to big and small causes and take public transit whenever I can and only spend time on Elon Musk's Twitter when it's absolutely essential (someone has posted a link to an adorable cat video). I know I could be doing more. I hope I'm doing enough, and try to exceed "enough" when I can.

I had to take a break from writing this just now because I'm in the middle of my second-favorite New Year's Eve tradition: Doing laundry, so that when I get home after a casual hang tonight, I can curl up in my nice clean sheets and wake up like a big toasty cinnamon bun. Best way to start a new year, in my opinion.

While handling laundry, I've been watching The O.C., and it feels like a true portent of good things that my rewatch has brought me to the New Year's Eve episode, even though this means the arrival of Oliver, who I recall being Bad News.

Still, this reminds me to mention that the book I can't stop recommending to people right now is Ben McKenzie's Easy Money, a surprisingly fun read that left me almost feeling like I understand crypto (and definitely makes me think I understand the grotesque human cost of it).

That last bullet point also strongly indicates that I should try to read more books in 2024.

I'm writing this, like I write pretty much everything, in Evernote, and out of laziness I'm going to post it to Tumblr because that should be relatively easy, but I do want to write more personal stuff in the new year, and might look into setting up a new blog or (non-Substack) newsletter for such a purpose.

But I'm also continuing to work on novels — 500 words or so a day, every day I can, until it starts to add up to something. I've developed a lot of daily practices over the last two and a half years: I journal every morning, go running every other day, write my 500 words in the evenings after logging off work, and keep my Wordle and Duo Lingo streaks alive, amongst other things. And they all contribute to me feeling saner and stronger than I remember feeling during the worst periods of my life to date. Worse days may be coming. But I'm glad to be starting the new year with... well, with clean sheets, at the very least.

And before I go out for the night, I may jump around the apartment and sing.

Auld Lang Syne, bitches. Good luck to us all in 2024.