#I’ll text landlord at 9

[freefolkfightorflight]

Lol my pipes are frozen even though I did what the old mean man landlord said and he’s gonna lose his shit 💀🥺 I don’t have the capacity to deal with angry men in my life anymore. I just do not. Sob

[vargaslovinghours]

EleVeN!11!!1! (1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10½)

Fuzzy Edgar forever. I don’t remember the context now, maybe there wasn’t any to begin with haha, he’s just so cute with slightly longer hair! And upset :)

Some Diaryfic snuggles ♥ Scriabin can be so sweet to him at the worst time ah, I love Edgar’s hard on his arm and Scriabin’s pulling his hair out of his injured eye 💕

While I was very inspired by the Red Flags meme going around (we’ll get there), I was just as inspired by Mixed Messages - this exchange is so silly and them to me. He’s just trying to flirt back, you don’t have to make it harder! That’s just what Scriabin does haha

🥐 🖕 D:’

What else did you expect Scriabin to do with texting capabilities?? I’m still very enamoured with the thought of Scriabin using emojis and Edgar using emoticons - they are sort of different generations!

Here’s the Red Flags! So gd catchy, damn lol. I was specifically inspired by the X is on a date with themself edits, it was so tempting to consider a Ladyverse version as well haha. Edgar’s uncomfortable smiles were so incredibly fun hehe ♪

Y’see because with that many eyes- you get it

Edgar’s little “Or do I??” makes me laugh haha, anything to get out of this situation!

Waiter Jake ❤️💕💖💞💗 Rescue him!

Very inspired by this one specifically, he’s totally innocent! Not offputting at all! ♥

Alright well good luck with that bye. I love Edgar being menaced into continuing this date hehe ♫

Scriabin just keeping on the pressure for this date to keep going! Slight neg in “Couldn’t you have dressed up a little nicer though? ✨” pft

Brief aside with Scriabin!Edgar out drinking with my OC Mint who has very openly had a crush on the Vargases for a while now, thanks Mint

Honestly it was all just an excuse to turn him down and have Scriabin call Edgar his “landlord” haha; I was feeling nostalgic and went back to reread some old YuGiOh fics and had been so long away that I forgot that was a term used in the fandom to refer to the bodies of people the various Yamis would take over hehe ♪ It felt very fitting!

I can call him that but don’t you call him that >:(

Angy Scriabin!Edgar, the usual

Handplates re/reading doodles!! Hghgh!!! The theses of these stories of codependent relationships cut me to my very core I’ll have you know 💕 I managed to avoid falling down the rabbit hole of Handplates!Vargas but I was this close, lemme tell you. The subtle shift in phrasing changes so much ;; I love them dearly

A kind-of leftover WOY style Scriabin, since I made his hair all pointy in my first doodles - the WOY style is quite soft and round! He looks very silly hehe

Another song that is, yes, unironically in my Vargas playlist. This is a Nny song to me and you can pry it from my cold dead correct hands. That beautiful facial hair ♪

More Handplates/Vargas, this time obviously inspired by my holiday request 💕💖💞 I honestly rather like how calm Gaster seems whenever he’s in Edgar’s vicinity, he is a fairly unassuming human haha. Is it because he doesn’t laugh very often? Oh no that’s sad actually haha

I’m not done with Blank Slate Ch. 4 just yet - hopefully soon! - but this lineup stands out to me especially since I made it while rereading Handplates. Specifically after Gaster is pulled out of the Void - Gaster having to face the people he loves who have no memory of him really spoke to me in a Blank Slate way - the scenario of being able to completely start over and have never done anything to hurt your loved ones, at the expense of never having done anything to them, as far as they’re concerned, ah! It hurts so beautifully!! That’s one of the central themes I’m chasing so it was so cool to see in that context! Very inspiring ♥

So remember how in my Sims post, one Vargas family ended up with two Todds? Well what if that but actually

Twin Todd AU, just try and stop me

The saddest little twins y’ever did see ahh 💔 Having to share Shmee because there’s just the one of him! Who has a greater need :’0

I actually went and skimmed the SQUEE! comics to get a better grasp on the Casils, I’d forgotten basically everything haha. It seemed in keeping that if they could barely keep track of the one Todd, they wouldn’t bother even differentiating between two :’) Taking Todd shifts to better share the load

At least they have each other! More helpful than a stuffed bear who eats trauma? On par at least?

I also happened to catch this screenshot of the Todds gossiping about their shadow-dad, though I’m not sure who had seen him :0 By now I have found an adoption memory-loss prevention mod - thank goodness :D - but it wasn’t installed at the time! :0 Blue Todd is the Todd who’d already been the Vargases’ kid, Red Todd is newly-adopted Todd :)

Greetings in order! One of the Todds came by to scout out this strange new person

It’s a name to go by, if nothing else

Reporting back from the field, he has served his big narrative influence hehe ♥

Uh, yeah, about that- While I don’t doubt you were seeing double at times, uhm-

Surprise! Double the sons!

Only so much space in this apartment! They’re probably used to sharing a space to sleep weh, the implications of this AU are sad! I have no one to blame but myself haha

I have never been able to give up this twisted love I have for Edgar getting flustered about incredibly silly things and Scriabin chiding him with just his name haha ♥ Real twins do not delegitimize whatever the hell you two are to each other 💕

Who me? An affinity for how names shape identity and what it means to be a whole separate person? In love with this story in particular? You must be mistaken. But really, what would their name(s) be? I also love the subtle differences even just here - one Todd speaks up for the other! Dynamics ✨

1994, 2004, basically the same year innit. Scriabin is so much more on the up-and-up about the latest technology than Edgar, that old man

In which the offscreen is me lol, I was so blown away by how much more advanced the Sims 2 was from the Sims 1 ♥ Scriabin doesn’t need a box with a program in it, he has the absolute funnest toy in the world already!

And isn’t that the most important part ♪

Scriabin immediately makes himself and hooks up with every Sim he can, Edgar uncomfortable and totally not watching a~ny of the animations hehe ♪ Honestly though, the thought of Scriabin being genuinely excited to virtually get it on with any-and-every delights me haha

Look. Look, okay, look- If I could choose what to be inspired by, I would but sometimes

Obviously Scriabin would be a long Furby lol, this exchange can be summarized to “Scriabin no D:” “Scriabin yes >:D”

He’s complaining that Edgar ignoring him sleeping is boring haha

I did briefly lose my mind over how the Furbish word for “I/me/my/mine” is all the same - linguistically it makes sense, self-possessive, but in this, in their context ♥

Based on that one Wojak format - looks into the camera like “Yes. I am in your head. Insanity tracks” pfft

And it’s @jaspravex with the steel chair!! I hadn’t drawn any of them in like a month and then all of a sudden- I was 1000% not expecting to be hit with such a huge wave of inspiration but gosh and dang did this line of thought light me up. The implication! The jealousy! Wow that’s a lot all at once I wasn’t expecting ♥ Somehow these two never ended up on my shipping chart, dynamics I swear haha ✨

There’s September through February for the fourth go ‘round! Wild when I put it like that :0 Like clockwork, these lads ♪

[whentherewerebicycles]

GOOD MORNING!!!!!!!!!! came home from work yesterday, took A to the airport, and then made dinner & had a sleepover with my bff!!!!!!!!!!!!!! life is so good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! also I slept 9 hours again so feeling pretty good haha. today is not suuuper busy

6:30-7:50 lounge

7:50-9 shower/get ready

9-9:30 drop off liz and drive to meet my boss

9:30-10:30 meet my boss at this cafe lol

10:30-11 head into work

11-12 finish feedback on CJ draft

12-1 J mtg

1-2 CJ mtg

2-3 break—emails? prep for LH?

3-4 LH mtg

4-4:30ish make work plan for tomorrow

drive home maybe make dinner hang out with bff maybe walk the dogs when it’s cooler out read read read sleep early!

also my fridge broke for good (after breaking temporarily earlier this summer) which sucks as I have to replace all that food again 😩 but the silver lining is I get a new fridge and my landlord sent me a long text detailing how much nicer it is than my old fridge and how much better I’ll like it. also I told him once that I liked the style of fridge I had (freezer on bottom, fridge part on top) and he remembered that and texted me last night to be like “bad news I looked for the style of fridge you liked but couldn’t find it in a color that matched I’m so sorry” and I was just like buddy you are the best landlord I’ve ever had or ever will have I can deal with a brand new fridge that isn’t to my exact preferred specifications lol. he’s so NICE!!!! just a nice guy earnestly buying me many expensive new appliances all the time haha it’s like no one told him landlords were supposed to suck

[shemarmooresfedora]

Prompt 59 and it was like a love letter that either fem!reader or Spencer wrote to the other but they just found it bc they had like a falling out and hadn’t talked in a while??

No One Else

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader

Content/Warnings: angst with fluffy ending

Word Count: 0.8k

It had been two months since Spencer last saw you.

Spencer came over to your apartment one night to see you sobbing on the couch and he knelt in front of you and cupped your cheek, asking what’s wrong.

You looked up at him with puffy red eyes and said “I can’t do this anymore.”

“Do what?” he asked softly.

“I need to start fresh.”

“Y/N, I don’t understand.”

“I think I may move…or at least go away for a while,” you sniffled.

“Did something happen? I can help whatever it is. Please tell me, Y/N. I’m your best friend.”

Your lip quivered. That stung. But it also solidified your decision. You needed to get away. Fast.

“There’s nothing you can do, Spence. Please just go.”

Spencer wanted to protest but when he reached out to touch you, you cried harder.

“I’ll be over in the morning,” he spoke softly, closing your apartment door behind him.

You were gone in the morning. Some of your essentials were packed but most of your stuff remained here. The apartment felt cold, contrasting the usual warmth you brought it.

In those two months, all of Spencer’s calls and texts to you went unanswered. You were trying to get over him but you couldn’t bring yourself to block him. Not his fault you fell hopelessly in love with him.

Spencer stopped at your apartment every Friday night with the key you had given him a while ago, hoping you came back. Friday nights used to be your movie nights.

He would skim your bookshelf and read (or in his case, reread) 3 books and then head back to his equally as lonely apartment. He had made his way through half your bookshelf when he came across a little black book. When he pulled it off the shelf, he realized it was a journal.

Spencer knew he shouldn’t. It was already bad enough that he came into your apartment every week without you here. However, before he even could comprehend what he was doing, he had the journal opened and was skimming the pages.

It was filled with reminders, grocery lists, little doodles, but there was an entry dated the day you left.

Dear Spencer,

It physically hurts me how much I love you. Deep down, I knew you didn’t feel the same but as people say ‘ignorance is bliss’. I just always had that little sliver of hope that you wanted me just as much as I wanted you. I didn’t realize how much I was holding on to that hope until it was crushed right in front of me. When we went out to the bar with your team and a girl asked for your number and you said yes as I was standing beside you, my heart completely shattered. You must know that you are not at fault for my pain though, you can’t help how adorably sweet and handsome you are. I was so lucky to have you as a best friend but I can’t anymore. I can’t when I want so much more.

“No…no…no,” Spencer whispered to himself.

I tried to get past it, Spencer, I really did. In the days I saw you after the bar incident, I would cry immediately after you left. I was always wondering ‘did he notice I was smiling less?’ or ‘was he going to her apartment next?’.

Spencer noticed. He missed your bright smile and laughter so much during that week.

His head snapped up to the door when he heard keys jingling from outside and the door unlock.

You stopped in your tracks when you saw Spencer sitting on your couch, “You’re usually gone by now.”

“You wait for me to leave?”

“No, I haven’t been around much but my landlord contacted me that you would come every Friday night and stay for 3 hours. It’s been 5 so I thought I was safe to do some restocking,” you explained with a suitcase in your hand.

“Did you write this?” Spencer held the letter up.

You sighed, “It doesn’t really matter at this point. Does it, Spence?”

“Yes, it matters. It matters so much because I love you too,” Spencer stated.

“But the girl at the bar-”

“I thought she was asking for Derek’s number because I’m usually his ‘wingman’. It’s honestly an instinct for me to just say ‘yes’ at this point. I’m so so sorry for the misunderstanding. Y/N, I noticed you were smiling less. How could I not? It’s what keeps me going after a long day. There is no one else I could possibly ever want. Only you,” Spencer spoke.

“You’re not saying this just because you want your best friend back, right?” you asked tentatively.

“Well, yes, I want my best friend back but I would also like her to be my girlfriend too if she’s open to that,” Spencer smiled softly.

“I’m very open to that,” you beamed as Spencer pressed his lips to yours.

submit a blurb prompt request for my 750 celebration here! (closes on friday 7/9 11:59 P.M. EST)

[garbagevanfleet]

Brightest Blue (series)

PART EIGHT

Pairing: Josh x reader Warnings: snuggling, tiny amount of bodily injury  Summary:  Things are changing. New state. New school. New roommate. You just pray things are going to click into place. Notes: I’ve been on a tiny bit on a hiatus, but here you go! Thanks for all of your support! I love you 

taglist: @valleyd0ll @satingrass-maidensfair @guitarfingers @thebohemianpenguin @peaceisouranthem @oblvions @hansonobsessed @myownparadise96 @lara-gvf @anditsmywholeheart @kill-fear-the-power-of-lies @bigblack-catattack​ @myownparadise96​

MASTERPOST 

Kate was missing from class on Friday, to your deep dismay. You had been hoping to tell her about how shitty Trevor had been, but instead, you received a text that she had overslept her alarm and decided to just stay home.

That left you and Josh alone at lunch, just like you had been at the beginning of the year. He was excitedly explaining that there were a few kids in his production that you would “absolutely love”, and you had to agree.

“They’re catching on so fast. Rachel gave them some not-so-easy routines to the choreography, and they’ve almost got it down. I feel like that’s tough for kids so young, you know?”

You couldn’t help but grin as he spoke with such candor.

“I was doubtful that they would be able to get it, but she insisted that they could,” he finished, grabbing his bottle of water and lifting it to his mouth.

You had your lips open to reply until you caught sight of his hand; the knuckles were bruised just lightly enough that you couldn’t tell if it was just the lighting or not. As soon as he caught you eyeing it, he went to set the bottle back down.

“What happened?” You laid your hand down on the table, palm up as a gesture for him to take it. Reluctantly, he did, and you took a moment to inspect.

“It’s nothing, I’m just clumsy,” he said, pairing his assurance with a sweet smile.

You frowned at him in disbelief. “No, you’re not; I saw you make that shot across the room with your sucker stick the other night. You’re very well coordinated.”

He stared into your eyes for a moment as he gauged your reaction, and then hummed amusedly. “It’s really not that bad, it just looks gross. Just a musical mishap.” You shot him a look, to which he quickly replied, “Don’t worry about me, ‘kay?”

Not sure what else to say, you pushed forward the ziplock baggie of apple slices you had been munching on. He reached in and plucked one out for himself.

“Do you want to have a movie night with me tonight? You could invite Kate if you want.”

The offer made you genuinely smile, though you hadn’t quelled the long list of questions you still had.

“That sounds lovely. I think we have string cheese, so we could make homemade mozzarella sticks or something.”

He was looking at you in an oddly serious fashion, and you weren’t sure what he was going to say until he opened his mouth. “Hell yeah.”

+++

You hadn’t considered that you’d have to see Trevor again so soon, or rather - you did, but you had been pushing it to the farthest corner of your brain, not at all ready to think about it. So that’s why when you were sitting in class and he walked in, your stomach lurched.

You tried to keep looking straight ahead, but it only lasted so long before you couldn’t help yourself. He was sitting as far away from you as he could get, but it still wasn’t terribly far.

He had his eyes firmly on his desk, head tipped down. His posture was crumpled in on itself, and you could only imagine how embarrassed he was - or at least you hoped he was. At the very least, you knew he should be.

Until the end of class, you kept yourself busy - even tried to actually pay attention, but when you were dismissed, you let out a relieved breath.

You stood and collected your things, then promptly headed for the door.

On the way out, he looked up and met your gaze, and the sight of his face made the air catch in your lungs.

The skin around his left eye was stained a purplish-grey, his brows tipped down into a scowl.

You hadn’t hit him that hard, had you? A whole cocktail of emotions flooded your brain, and you bit your bottom lip, ripping your eyes away from him as you exited the room.

Your pace was a bit faster than usual, which is why you beat Josh to the B doors by a couple of minutes.

Could slapping someone give them a black eye? You thought yes, but there would have to be some real force behind it. You were pretty sure that you’d have to wind up to get him that good.

“What’s wrong?”

You hadn’t even heard Josh approaching you, so it made you startle just enough for him to notice. He put his hand on your back in a comforting gesture.

“Ah, sorry. I was just thinking,” you replied, giving him a weak smile.

“About what?” he chanced softly.

“Nothing - not a big deal.” You started off walking, him right by your side, matching your pace.

  “How are things going with the play? You haven’t even told me what it’s about yet.”

His face lit up. “You haven’t asked. We’re doing Alice In Wonderland. Some of the songs are original.”

“What, like you wrote them?” you asked, looking over at him with a shocked expression.

He nodded, laughing under his breath. “Rachel is working on the wardrobe; costume design and all of that. I have the sculpture class working on the props and set, but they can only come like once a week.”

“Do you need any help?”

He looked over at you, surprised. “Do you want to? Can you paint?”

You shrugged. “Kinda. I mean, I can make it work. I’m not perfect, but it’s manpower, at least,” you admitted.

“No, no - any help would be amazing but don’t overexert yourself. You need to still work on your stuff.”

“I won’t,” you promised. “I’m happy to help.”

+++

You had texted Kate at lunch asking if she wanted to come for a movie night, as Josh had suggested, and she had eagerly agreed. You were still surprised, however, when she showed up with a handbag full to the brim.

You watched her pull out a bag of kettle corn, a few little glass bottles of nail polish, some packets of face masks, a stack of DVDs, and a bottle of white wine - all while chatting you up about her morning.

“This looks like just a girl thing, so I’ll leave you guys to it,” Josh said, not a shred of animosity in his tone, but you frowned up at him from the couch as he stood.

You went to open your mouth to protest, but Kate beat you to it. “Oh, no, you should stay. I brought three masks.” She fanned them out like a deck of cards in her hand.

He raised his eyebrows at her, looking rather impressed. “Oh.”

“You do want nice skin, right?” she prompted.

“He has very nice skin,” you replied in his defense, making her shoot you a look.

“Everyone has room for improvement,” she quipped back, as Josh just shrugged at you.

“I’m down,” he agreed, taking his seat again on the couch. “Are we watching a chick flick?”

“Well, I brought some choices. Otherwise, I’m open to suggestions if you guys have any good ones.”

“Maybe we should let Josh pick,” you suggested. “Since he’s going to be the one really watching it while we do nails.”

She smiled at you and then him. “You heard her - gentleman’s choice.”

“So, if I pick Human Centipede,” he started through a shit-eating grin.

You lovingly rolled your eyes at him. “If you own Human Centipede, I’m going to be moving out.”

He tipped his head back and laughed unabashedly.

In the end, he picked a rom-com, which you knew he would, and took a seat next to you on the couch. About a quarter of the way through, you realized that Kate didn’t have a lot of intention of actually watching a movie, per se. It seemed that she was more interested in using it for background noise.

The night was therapeutic. Everything felt easy. You found yourself laughing genuinely, leaned in to watch as Kate dabbed a wet washcloth over Josh’s nose, causing him to scrunch it up in distaste. She immediately scolded him, explaining that it had to be wet for the mask to work right, and he needed to sit still.

Once it was on, you couldn’t help but snap a picture of him as he play-pouted at you, his bottom lip jutted out.

It wasn’t until your nails were finished that you started to feel a chill. “Does it feel cold in here to you?” you asked.

Both of them looked at you questioningly.

“Maybe just a little bit,” Kate agreed.

Wordlessly, Josh stood and grabbed a thick blanket from the basket by his side of the couch and then spread it out of your laps. You had thanked him, and that had fixed the problem for then, but by the time Kate was packing her stuff up and ready to leave, you had a chill you just couldn’t shake.

As soon as she was gone, you turned to him and frowned. “You really aren’t cold? Like at all?”

“It’s a little cold, yeah,” he agreed, but you sensed it was mostly to make you feel better. “Do you want a sweatshirt?”

You nodded, giving him a grateful look.

“I hope I’m not getting sick,” you mumbled.

He frowned at you, rubbing at your shoulder. “Hang on, I’ll check the thermostat.”

His feet made a patting sound as he crossed the hardwood; a sound that had become a comfort to you.

“Hmm, it is colder than usual in here. I’ll turn the heat up,” he replied, and then a moment later, he finished. “The heat isn’t kicking on for some reason.”

You shot him a concerned look, suddenly terrified you were going to freeze.

“Hang on, I’ll be right back.”

“Wait, where are you going?” you asked as you watched him make his way to the front door.

“Just into the hall, sit tight.” With that, he disappeared.

You pulled his sweatshirt on and sat back onto the couch, your knees tucked up to your chest and the blanket up to your neck.

When he got back in, he gave you a sympathetic look. “Apartment 4 said that theirs is working just fine, so I think I’m going to call the landlord.”

“It’s 9:30 at night,” you reminded him, brows tipped up in concern.

“Yeah, but heat is kind of an emergency here in the winter.” The phone was already up to his ear as he spoke. You could hear the line ring and then someone pick up on the other end. He explained the situation to her with ease at first, but he seemed to quickly lose his patience with her.

“That’s absolutely ridiculous,” he snapped, filling a tea kettle with water. “It’s going to get freezing in here tonight.”

Then a pause, and you could hear her responding pointedly.

He let out a huff. “We don’t have the money for that. What are we supposed to do?”

You could hear him relent, just by the tone of his voice. He thanked her and then promptly hung up. You waited for him to come over, two cups of tea in hand, before you threw any questions at him.

“Well?” you asked, knowing full well that nothing had been accomplished.

He exhaled a long breath. “She said she’ll get someone on it later tomorrow, and if we wanted it fixed tonight, we’d have to pay for it upfront and she’d pay us back minus the emergency fee.”

You frowned but still reached your hand out of the blanket to set comfortingly on his knee. “It’s okay. Thank you for trying.”

“We’ll pile the blankets on you tonight,” he promised.

But even with - what you were sure was - twenty pounds of blankets, you were cold in your bed. You laid, staring at the ceiling for nearly an hour, trying to will yourself warm. You even tried moving around a bunch under the blankets, hoping to produce enough heat from friction, but it was no use.

You had known what you were going to have to do just moments after settling under the covers, but you couldn’t bring yourself to do it until you started to shiver involuntarily.

You let out an annoyed huff and pushed the covers off. It wasn’t until you were out in the open air that you realized how much warmer it actually was under the covers.

You crossed the hall, poking your head into Josh’s doorway.

“Josh,” you whispered into the dim room, and he stirred instantly.

“Yeah,” he responded, a rasp in his throat.

It took you a second to work up the courage to ask, “Can I sleep in here tonight? I cannot get warm for the life of me.”

“Yeah, of course.” His reply came after a moment of him shifting over for you.

You rushed back to your bedroom, snatching the blankets off of the bed. They were too thick to really bunch them up in your arms to carry, so you ended up half-dragging them over. When you returned, he held the comforter open for you.

“I hope I’m not intruding.” You climbed in, quickly pulling all of the blankets over you as he helped you situate them comfortably.

He shushed you assuringly.

“Why is your bed so warm?” you complained, shuffling down until the blankets were up to your chin.

The smile on his lips could be heard through the hum he let out. “I’m used to the cold. I’m sorry to tell you that this isn’t even close to the coldest it’ll get here. You probably haven’t had to make your own body heat much back home.”

“This is literally like body heat donation for the needy,” you teased, turning in bed until you were facing him. “Can I lay where you were laying?”  

“What, no,” he said through an incredulous laugh.

“I bet it’s so warm though,” you whined. “Feel how cold my feet are.”

You shifted until you could press your toes against his bare ankle, making him jolt.

“Jesus,” he hissed. “If you want the heat you’re just going to have to come over by me.”

You took a second to gauge that response, trying to find any evidence of teasing in his tone. “Really? You wouldn’t mind?”

“How do you wanna do this?” His tone sounded like it was inching toward disbelief.

Through a frown, you asked, “What do you mean?”

The sound of him quietly clearing the sleep from his throat filled the otherwise quiet room. “Just. I don’t know, do you wanna put a blanket between us?”

You giggled breathily at him. “No, I’m too cold to be worried about modesty, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Okay, I’m just going to lay here and you just situate yourself however feels comfortable for you.”

Without any hesitation, you scooted toward him until your chest was flush to his side, your chin rested against his shoulder.

“Is this okay?” you inquired, snuggling deeper under the sheets.

The warmth was heavenly.

“Your skin is fucking freezing,” he mumbled, clearly close to sleep again already.

“Good, so you see that the situation is dire,” you quipped, wriggling your fingers until he let you slip them between his chest and his bicep. His muscles jumped, and you could tell just how cold your skin was just from the way he felt hot to the touch.

He breathed a laugh, and in a teasing tone, agreed, “Life-threatening, I’d go so far as to say. Wake me up if you need anything, okay?”

You agreed, pressing your nose against the sleeve of his shirt, and drifted off.

+++

When you woke, it was to the sound of his alarm. You felt him reach a hand out of the covers and flick his phone off, putting a stop to the shrill ringing instantly.

It took you a second to realize you were borderline hot. You couldn’t figure out why it was so dark until you realized that one of the sheets was almost completely over your head, blocking out the sun that shone through the slats in his blinds. You wiggled until your head was out from under the blanket, but quickly pulled it back up to your chin when you felt how the cold room made your skin prickle.

Once you got your wits about you, you wiped the sleep from your eyes, popping them open in shock when you realized the position you were in. You weren’t sure if it was him, or you, but somehow he had shifted in the night so that your chests were pressed flush together.

In his sleepy state, he placed his hand on the back of your head, pressing your face back into his neck where it was positioned - unbeknownst to you.

With your nose touching his skin, you could feel his pulse on the tip of it, slow and steady - like he wasn’t really awake. The smell of his cologne was familiar to you now.

“Josh,” you whispered, tipping your head up until you realized the limited mobility you actually had.

He hummed, and you knew the second he was conscious because his muscles tensed all at once before loosening enough to release you.

“Sorry,” he mumbled as you untangled your legs from his. “I must have really been out.”

“It’s okay, I was too.” You looked up at him with a smile. “We survived the night.”

He hummed through tilted up lips. “That’s good; I would have been really upset if you died in my bed.”

After a moment, you groaned a complaint. “I do not want to get out of bed. I know it’s going to be fucking freezing. If we move out of here, can we go somewhere warm?”

He tilted his head over to meet your eyes with a subtle smirk.

“What?” you asked.

“Nothing,” he replied. You were contemplating pressing further, but he spoke again. “I’m staying home today from school so I can be here when the repairmen come.”

You frowned. “Do you want me to stay instead? Or with you to keep you company?”

“No, I’ll be good. You need to go to school and stay warm.”

You grimaced at him, secretly wishing he had asked you to stay so you didn’t have to get out of bed.

“Okay, you’re sure?”

He laughed at you. “Yes, you should get moving. Feel free to wear any of my warmer clothing.”

You shot him a grateful look before closing your eyes and throwing the blankets off of yourself.

[meltwonu]

| 🍒 CH-CH-CHERRY BOMB! 🍒 |     [CHAPTER 11]

pairing; dom!seungcheol x camgirl!reader

this chapter’s notes; camshow, dom!seungcheol, daddy kink, fingering, oral(fem receiving), overstimulation, a little angst/mentions of theft, but some soft lovin for the masses after the last chapter 😭😭💕, also i think this goes without saying but just in case! There won’t be any Cherry Bomb chapters going up while Monster Mash is happening(same for the drabble game)! So this is our last chapter until Nov 6th!🥺 HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND!!!🍒 

chapters; 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - ?

“Well… Welcome home.”

Seungcheol shoots you a small smile from behind as he watches you trudge past him towards the bed. He toes his shoes off quietly before setting your things down by the sofa, a soft sigh on his lips.

“Seungcheol, are you really sure about this? Really, I can just get a hotel...”

He sits with you on the bed; arm draped around your shoulder as he tucks you into his side. “We’re really going to need to figure things out pretty quickly but… yes. I’m sure. I mean, even if it’s just temporarily until you can find a safer place to live in. Which, by the way, can we talk about that? If you’re okay with it.”

Biting your lip, you slightly pull away as you peer up at Seungcheol. He takes note of your puffy, red eyes; a frown of his own painted on his face. He could hear your sniffles the entire ride back home but he decided to not say anything, in fear of exacerbating the situation.

“I---It happened a couple months ago. Do you remember that week I was doing a stream per day as a thank you gift for my subscribers? Well, I stepped out one afternoon to run some errands and---and when I came back, the door was just ...ajar. But also, nothing was really missing? Just a few things here and there I knew I wouldn’t miss and my filming camera. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal, but the cops came by to take a statement anyway...”

“Didn't you stream that night though?”

You nod shamefully, “I know I shouldn’t have, but I figured since nothing stolen was really irreplaceable. And I had a spare camera I ended up using so I thought it’d be okay.”

The two of you sigh in unison, settling into the quietness of Seungcheol, and now, your apartment. “Well, I’m glad you’re safe. That’s the most important thing, right?”

“Yeah, and I’ll help with the bills and stuff, ‘Cheol! We’ll go halfsies on it, okay? I’ll pull my weight around here.”

You shoot him a shy smile as you wrap your arms around one of his. “Maybe I should take up Jeongguk with that collab stream idea…”

“Speaking of…”

‘Hey, it’s late but I need a favour when you’re free.’

Jeon 🥴: wussup u kno im always awake

‘Are you up for a trade?’

Jeon 🥴: why do u sound like jigsaw 😭😭

Jeon 🥴: also it depends

‘You help me move all of Cherry’s things to my apartment and she agrees to do a livestream with you.’

Jeon 🥴: the--

Jeon 🥴: just tell me when and where baby i got u

Sunday morning is a whirlwind of phone calls and favour-chains, big boxes and Jeongguk knocking early in the morning when he finally shows up.

“I’m ready to go whenever! Seokjin-hyung’s pretty upset he has to take my early shift but I promised him that I’d take his night shift and swore to never mention the time he broke the hot dog machine to Namjoon.”

Seungcheol turns to you, “So, I called the police department and asked if there were any updates and what we can do. All they could really tell me is that we’re free to go back to the apartment since they replaced the door and that they’ve already taken as many fingerprints as they can, so we can go get your things.” He pauses, “We probably shouldn’t try to take everything so quickly so we should go in and get your essential things and then just go back to grab the others later on, if that’s okay?”

You nod in response, making sure you have your things before the three of you head out. “My landlord texted me and told me to tell her when we get there so she can give me the new key.”

Jeongguk pops the gum in his mouth, heavy boots resounding through the apartment as he makes his way to the door.

“Let’s go get some shit!”

“So can we discuss the deal we got going on here?” Jeongguk bounces with giddiness from Seungcheol’s backseat, unable to sit still at the thought.

“Well, we can do two streams.” You take a second to turn around from the front seat, eyes locking onto Jeongguk who immediately leans in towards your face. “One on yours and one on mine. We’ll split whatever money we make and call it a day?”

“Wait a second, two streams? Why would he be on yours?” Seungcheol narrows his eyes at the road in front of him; knuckles tightening around the steering wheel.

He wasn’t even properly in a live cam and now Jeongguk was going to be?

“Oh, I don’t think Seungcheol-hyung would like it very much. Although I will say, my stroke game is preeeeetty good.”

“No, you idiots, not like that!” Seungcheol snorts from the driver’s seat just as you roll your eyes. “On ‘Guk’s channel, we’ll just game. That’s it. Keep it PG, y’know? But on mine… We’ll still game, just… with some added bonuses. I’ve already thought it out, okay? Just trust me. We can do it on Friday night and Saturday night respectively, so we don’t kill our schedules too much.”

The two males nod in return as you turn back around to face forward. “Which, by the way, thank you Jeongguk for agreeing to come and bring the heavy stuff with us. I really appreciate it!”

Jeongguk smiles, although you can’t see it. “Hey, it’s no problem! And anyway, I already might’ve told my viewers that I’d be having a special guest soon so...” He trails off sheepishly; a pale pink blush on his cheeks.

“Wow, well, I guess if there’s anything we should be thankful for… At least they didn’t take the sybian.”

“Ugh, hyung, it’s probably because they couldn’t tell what it was. And they probably didn’t take a lot of the sex toys because they were probably freaked out.”

Jeongguk’s voice gets quieter and quieter as he exits the apartment that you and Seungcheol were still in.

“What’s the damage, baby?”

You sigh as you sit down on the bed, rummaging through a box of personal items. “It seems like they made more of a mess trying to find anything of worth, to be honest. Most of the things taken were gifts and some of my toys but the ones that were still in their packages. Some of my camera and lighting equipment also got taken…  Same goes for some of the lingerie sets you got me that were still in their packaging… ‘m sorry, ‘Cheol.” You pout up at him as he chuckles.

Seungcheol stands in front of you, tilting your head up to meet his warm eyes. “That’s literally fine. You can always get more of those things anyway.”

He kisses you gently on the forehead; fingertips threaded through your hair. “Hey, if you’re still doing a show on Wednesday, I’ve got an idea.” Seungcheol offers.

“You? Have an idea?” You raise a brow at him, unsure whether or not to believe him. But before either of you can speak, Jeongguk comes back, boots stomping loudly on the hardwood.

“Let’s talk about this another time, when we’re alone.”

The two of you take the next couple of days in stride as you settle into your new place; whether it was temporarily or permanently for you.

Seungcheol continues his normal work routine and to some degree, you find yourself even more bored without him. For a while, you contemplate getting a part time job, at least to make up some extra money for rent and so that you weren’t always at home alone. 

“Hey, I’m back!”

Ah, perfect timing.

You meet Seungcheol at the door, already dressed in one of his shirts. “‘Cheollie~ Welcome home!”

“Have a fun day without me?” He asks, shucking off his jacket and shoes before making his way to the sofa.

“Errr, well, I had some thoughts… and some questions.”

“Okay, shoot.”

You sit across from him, eyes blinking in unsureness as he stares at you. “Well… I was thinking… about maybe getting a part time job? I know we kinda made a lot with the last videos but, it’d help me not be so bored when you’re gone and hey, extra money is always good, right? I can replace all the stuff that got stolen too.” Seungcheol nods in thought, “Maybe you can find a place that’ll give you early shifts so I can just swing by and get you after work. I’d say come work at the roller rink but I don’t think that’d be the smartest idea...”

“I’ll find a place! I was going through the job listings earlier and there were some promising places~” A weight feels lifted from your shoulders as you smile back at Seungcheol; glad that he seemed to be willing to work with you and what you wanted. “Oh and… about the show tonight? What was your idea? We totally forgot about it.”

Seungcheol laughs breathily, running a hand through his hair as he gets up from the sofa to head towards the kitchen.

“Let’s let it be a surprise. C’mon, I wanna try a new recipe from our cookbooks.”

You set up the cameras as per Seungcheol’s request, checking the viewfinder. “Are you sure about this, ‘Cheol? You don’t have to be on cam with me if you don’t want to…”

Seungcheol chuckles as he tugs his shirt off, leaving his sweats on as he gets onto the bed with you. He checks the viewfinder with you, making sure the angle cuts off right at his collarbones. “I’m sure, and as long as the cameras don’t shift, we should be fine. I wanted to try this.”

The unknown factor scares you a little bit, but you trust Seungcheol enough to know that he knows what he’s doing.

“Now, c’mere.” He gestures to you as you tilt your head at him. “But there’s still, like, 12 minutes until we need to start…”

“Yeah, but we’re doing things my way tonight, right, sweetheart?”

Nodding slowly, you crawl on your knees towards Seungcheol, stopping right in front of him as he leans in to give you a chaste kiss. You smile into it, melting under his touch before he pulls away. 

“Turn around for me, baby.” 

The mood shifts quickly when he slips into character and you can feel your heart racing in your chest when his arms wrap around your midsection. He tugs you towards himself until your back meets his warm naked chest.

“Daddy just wants to make you feel good, princess. Don’t you want that?”

The warmth blooms inside your chest at Seungcheol’s soft voice, “Mmhmm…”

You check the viewfinder to see half of your face cut off and Seungcheol’s head out of frame. His arms are wrapped firmly around your midsection before his hands start to roam your lingerie-clad body. “My babygirl’s had such a rough week. I think she deserves to be treated like a princess tonight.” You gulp as Seungcheol whispers into your hair; a content sigh on your lips when he cups your breasts in his palms.

“Let me make you feel good, okay?”

You lean your head up against his shoulder as his fingertips continue to roam; letting him take the reins.

He slides your bra straps down your shoulders gently, kissing the skin before he slides the material from you. His hands find their way back to your breasts, squeezing them in his hands as you mewl. “S--Seungcheol…”

His eyes flit to the clock on the wall. “Looks like it’s time, sweetheart.”

Nodding, you lean away from his touch for a second as you click the red button on your laptop screen that indicates you were live. It gives a countdown of three seconds just as you situate yourself back in Seungcheol’s lap.

gentleman_josh95: whoa what

universe_WZ: yo wait

angelhan: ????

kitty_junjun has donated $69

kitty_junjun: for my favorite couple

“H--Hi guys…” You whimper; lips falling into a silent moan when Seungcheol pinches your nipples between his fingers. “I--I, um, a-ah, daddy wanted to s-start early so…”

sleepy_wonu: ….interesting

sleepy_wonu has donated $50

therealchan99: btw u didnt have a show on sat! everything okay?

“Ah, ye---yeah, just, some stuff came u-up, is all. Sorry!” You shoot the camera a sheepish smile, hoping that nobody else presses for more.

Seungcheol notices the way you tense up in his hold as he kisses the crown of your head.

“Daddy’s taking care of it now, isn’t that right, babygirl?” The comments and donations flood the screen as Seungcheol talks; questions of who he was and comments about the previous videos still lingering in your viewers minds as they continue to praise the two of you.

He takes your distraction as an opportunity to ghost his hands down your torso until they flit along the edge of the waistband of your panties.

“Spread your legs a little more, baby. Let them see how wet your panties are getting.”

sleepy_wonu: seems like daddy dom.cheol finally got his hands on you huh lol

sleepy_wonu: somehow i knew you’d make a good pair.

tangerine_kwan: the--------------

hoshi_tiger_xx: wait how r u sure

chwenon: actually.... 🥴🥴🥴

sleepy_wonu: i mean, do u see him in here? Isnt it weird he hasnt donated yet?

alphagyu97: goddamn he rly went from private show to actual fucking?

alphagyu97: … living his best life, i cant even complain

For a second, you want to respond, but you let the comments go on to see what else they had to say before chiming in.

A blush blooms on your cheeks when Seungcheol ghosts his fingers over your panties; hips rising off of the bed when he presses into the growing wet patch on the material. He chuckles lightly as he, too, reads over the comments.

“Guess we’re caught, huh?” You can’t help but giggle at Seungcheol’s lighthearted approach to them finding out; glad that he seemed to be okay with it.

chwenon: bruh he said stroke game on ✨x-games✨

xcaliburDK: wait so r u guys gonna be on cam together regularly now?

artist8hao: damn, shouldve known he was packin

“Erm… we--well, not necessarily! He’ll, maybe, join me for some here and, mmh,  there but… but that’s it for, ah, n-now..”

Seungcheol drags his fingers up and down your folds through your panties as the material starts to stick to you like a second skin. He noticed you’d hit your show minimum where you usually liked to really start your show, moments prior.

“But for today, I thought I’d take it slow with our babygirl. Let her feel nice and good after her long week.” He checks the viewfinder one more time to make sure everything’s okay before he drags his fingers back to the waistband of your panties as he starts to push them down. “Help me get these off of you, sweetheart.”

You replace his hands with yours as you shimmy the soaked material down your legs until you can kick them off.

Spreading your legs, you make sure you’re directly in the camera’s views as Seungcheol brings his fingertips down to your soaking cunt. “Look at her. I’ve only been touching her for a little while and she’s already so fuckin’ wet for me.”

tangerine_kwan: fuck, give her what she wants

artist8hao: sink those fingers into her tight pussy just like what she likes

Seungcheol drags his fingers through your wet folds teasingly slow as you whine. “M-more… daddy…” He hums in response, middle finger on your clit as he rubs slow circles. Your eyes slide close at his gentle touch, body filled with warmth as you rest against him. You even momentarily forget that the two of you were being watched live; if not for the sounds of donations and comments pouring out of your speakers.

“Babygirl, don’t you have an announcement for your viewers?” He grins against your hair just as he runs his fingers through your wetness again; this time, positioning two fingers at your entrance as he slowly sinks them into you.

He starts a slow pace as he pumps them inside of your warm walls, curling and scissoring them as you clench around the digits.

“A-ah, y--yeah, this Friday I--I’m doing a collab stream on--on, ngh, G-Golden Closet Gaming and, fuh--fuck, on Saturday we’ll be doing a collab stream on, hah, my ch--channel!”

xcaliburDK: wait u kno gcg too?

therealchan99: threesome?

angelhan: wow this channel is growing so fast

“N-no, ah, d-daddy wouldn’t like that very m-much but, mmh, it’s---it’s for a good reason! I promise~!” You let out a choked sob just as Seungcheol starts thrusting his fingers faster; heels digging into the sheets as your legs threaten to clamp shut.

“Ah, ah, ah, keep your legs spread, baby. They have to see your pretty ‘lil cunt stretched wide around my fingers.” He kisses your hair once more before he ever so slowly adds a third finger, pumping them into you slowly. Your nails dig into his thighs at the fullness you feel, hips bucking up as you meet his fingers.

“O-oh my god, ‘m suh--so full!” You whimper, eyes clamped shut.

You already feel yourself close to an orgasm as your thighs start to shake. Seungcheol takes notice of the way your pussy gets tighter around his fingers and the way your breath becomes more stuttered as he curls his fingers inside of you.

“Cum for me, sweetheart. Get my fingers nice and wet.” Seungcheol coos.

“D---daddy!”

The donations and comments flood the screen with words of praise as your orgasm washes over you; back bowing away from Seungcheol as your body locks up in his lap. He places the pad of his thumb on your clit as he starts rubbing circles on the swollen nub, laughing lightly when your thighs clamp shut around his arm.

universe_WZ: so fuckin pretty when she cums

alphagyu97: a sweet babygirl getting what she deserves

Small cries fall off your lips as the oversensitivity starts to bite and you bring your hand to Seungcheol’s forearm as you whine and try to push his hand away. “Mmh… ‘m sensitive now…”

He nods gently as he slowly eases his fingers out of your soaking pussy. “Spread your legs.” 

You shakily follow his orders as you catch your breath; shaky legs parting for the camera to see. Seungcheol brings his wet fingers to your lips as you start to lick and clean them of your wetness.

kitty_junjun: fuck and she’s such a good girl too

universe_WZ: a good babygirl who knows how to clean up her messes huh

Seungcheol clears his throat, adrenaline rushing through his veins, “I want you to cum one more time for me, baby. Think you can?” You blink sleepily at the camera, foggy eyes already noticing you’d somehow made twice as much in this show despite Seungcheol not being any of the donators.

“I---I think so, daddy…”

He nods, gulping as he slowly starts to move from behind you. “Good, because you’re gonna cum on my tongue for everyone now.”

Arousal pools in you at Seungcheol’s words and you shoot him a panicked look when he gets up from the bed. He smiles at you softly, rounding the bed and entering the camera’s view with the back of his head showing.

“Lean up against the pillows, sweetheart. Let them see your cute face when you’re cumming on daddy’s tongue.”

angelhan: blue hair huh

sleepy_wonu: lol tryna keep tabs so u kno who to look for?

alphagyu97: maybe

therealchan99: yes but no

Seungcheol takes a deep breath before he lays on his stomach between your legs, hands on your thighs as he places them over his shoulders. He’s slightly nervous; if only because he’s worried he might accidentally show his face. But he steels himself, smiling up at you once before he leans in, tongue already flicking at your sensitive clit before you can even properly get situated.

“Oh, f-fuck!” Your hands immediately tangle into Seungcheol’s hair as you throw your head back against the pillows.

This time, he doesn’t start slow; his plump lips around your clit as he sucks hard. “D--Daddy, please!” You whine as you dig your heels into his back and Seungcheol is quick to laugh against your skin. He kisses your clit; smirking when you jolt under his touch.

“What’s wrong, baby? Too much? Do you want me to stop?” He lets you catch your breath as you slowly bring your head down to look at him; bleary eyes focused on his wet lips and twinkling eyes.

“N-no… jus’ wanna c-cum again…’m really close already ‘cause ‘m sensitive...”

Seungcheol hums, leaning in closer as he drags his tongue from your clit to your entrance, slightly dipping his tongue in as you moan above him. He repeats this process a few times, teasing you as you whine and squirm.

xcaliburDK: goddamn her expressions are so cute

chwenon: she rly does look good like this

hoshi_tiger_xx: better than her toys

universe_WZ has donated $100

angelhan has donated $75

hoshi_tiger_xx has donated $50

You get lost in the pleasure, already on the brink of your second orgasm when Seungcheol sucks your clit back into his mouth. He draws you in closer by your thighs when he feels you shaking under his touch; doubling his efforts when he can already feel your body start to lock up.

Seungcheol flattens his tongue against you, dragging his tongue up and down in hard strokes.

“Fuck, daddy, I’m---I’m c-cumming!”

Tears wet your lashes as you cum hard on his tongue; fingertips locked tight in his hair as your hips cant up into his mouth. He lets you do as you please, letting you ride his tongue as you take your pleasure from him.

The sounds of donations and comments pour in from behind Seungcheol’s back and he has an itching feeling that the shows in which he actually appeared were going to be more popular from now on.

Not that he’d complain.

Your soft cries from above pull Seungcheol from his thoughts as he slowly eases his tongue off of you; kissing your sensitive clit one last time as you squirm.

“Nooooo~” You cry, pushing his head away as he laughs.

“It was nice meeting you all~” Seungcheol comments as he slides out of view of the camera. “I’ll let you take it from here, sweetheart.”

You smile tiredly at Seungcheol, wiping the sweat from your brow as you close your shaky legs.

“Thank you, daddy~”

“Did you still want to get a part time job? I mean… these numbers…”

Muttering, Seungcheol turns off all the lights before he slides under the bedsheets with you, laptop dead-center as the two of you look at the amount of donations you’d made from the single live show.

“Yeah, I think it’d be fun! And anyway, I might’ve already found a place! And with a friend!” You grin at him just as you slam your laptop shut; confusion painted on his features even in the darkness.

“A friend? And where?”

“’Dynamite’! With Jun!”

Seungcheol snorts, flopping into his pillow. “You serious? Why there?”

You snuggle up to his side, resting your head on his arm as you stare up at his side profile. “They’re hiring, Jun would know my schedule the best, and I’d have someone familiar with me.” Pausing, you smirk up at him even if he can’t see it. “And they probably have cute little pastel diner outfits… With a cute ‘lil skirt… And if I bend over enough for you, maybe you’ll see my cute ‘lil panties that are already wet just thinkin’ about you… ‘n maybe you’ll have to take me back to your car and fuck me in your backseat and cum all over my cute outfit.”

Seungcheol nods in though, images of you bent over the hood of his car with your panties pushed to the side as he fucks you in the parking lot; the risk of everyone seeing you making his cock throb in his sweats.

“Hmm... Touché.”

[laventae]

Serendipity

Summary: You accidentally bump into Suna once, then a second time, then a third time.... before it starts seeming like fate has already decided its course for the both of you.

Pairings: Suna Rintaro x F!reader

Genre: Mostly fluff, College/Uni au

Word count: 3.4k words

Part: 1 , (2) , (3) , (TBC)

(A/N: I suck at writing summaries but anyways. This is/was supposed to be part of my [HQ Boys - Pretending to be your boyfriend] series, but I really wanted to make this slightly longer than my usual one-shots. Also, this story will probably have every cheesy trope you know, so, proceed with caution and I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself.)

THUD

THUD

THUD

THUD

‘Okay, what the fuck is going on?’ you think as you slowly try to open your eyes. 

Looking at your bedside table, you reach for your phone and check the time

7:35 A.M

‘Ugh... it’s too early for this shit...’ you think as you yawn.

You remember your shift at work starts at about 9 a.m., so you decide to sleep for a bit longer.

You place your phone back down on your bedside table, and turn in bed, covering your face with a pillow.

THUD

“Goddammit, what’s going on outside?!” you exclaim, getting out of your bed and heading for the front door.

You open the door hastily, and find your landlord standing in the hallway of your apartment building, then notice multiple moving boxes scattered around, and movers talking some of the boxes into the apartment opposite yours.

You’re both startled when you open the door, but she softens as soon as she notices it was you.

“Good morning, Mrs. Saito. What’s going on?” you ask her sleepily.

“Goodness, I’m sorry they woke you up as well, sweetheart. The new tenant told me they were moving in today but I didn’t know the movers were coming this early and causing this much of a ruckus!” she exclaims, looking like she was just as annoyed by the noise as you were.

“Well, the new tenant certainly didn’t make a good first impression, huh?” you say, trying to lighten the mood.

She chuckles softly, “I guess not. They’re not even here yet, so I’m just going to have to stay here until the movers are done” she sighs.

“Want me to make you a cup of coffee?”

“Oh, that’s alright, sweetheart, you should go back in and try to get some more sleep” she says, waving you back into your apartment.

You try to insist, but you feel too tired. Instead, you just nod and go back in, closing the door behind you.

Sighing, you head to your bedroom again; you figure you should try to get a bit more sleep in before you actually start getting ready for work.

-~-~-

After tossing and turning in bed for a couple of minutes, the noise wouldn’t get any quieter, so you thought you might as well get out of bed and head to your part-time job a bit earlier than usual.

You start getting ready, and make a quick cup of coffee to give Mrs. Saito on your way out. She thanks you and you go on your way.

When you first moved into your apartment about 2 years ago, you were able to find a pretty decent part-time job working as a barista at coffee shop nearby. It was only about two blocks away from where you lived, so it was super convenient; and a plus point, you were never late.

Checking your phone again, you notice the time

8:35 A.M

“It’s still so early...” you yawn as you take out your headphones and play some music to listen to while you walk to the coffee shop, talking your time.

After about 15 minutes of enjoying your morning walk, and window shopping on the stores along the way, you reach your destination and open the front door.

“Goodmorning, y/n!” you hear your boss call out to you as soon as you enter, “Early as usual, I see”

You chuckle as you head in his direction, “Oh, you know me, always excited to get to work!” you joke.

He laughs, “Yesterday was your last day of your second Uni semester, wasn’t it?” he asks you.

“Yeah, made it out in one piece thankfully”

He laughs again, “I’m sure you did well, I've seen how stressed out you’ve been about it but I also know how hard you’ve been studying, don’t worry” he assures you as he points to the chairs in the shop, silently asking you to help him out with setting them up.

“How do you know that?” you sigh, grabbing a few chairs and setting them down.

He stops what he’s doing and looks at you, “You think I didn’t notice the dark circles you kept coming in with, during every shift, for the past couple of weeks?”

“Was it that obvious?” your eyes widen.

“Definitely” he answers and you both laugh.

After setting up the last few chairs, your boss speaks up again, “Alright, why don’t you head in and get ready, I’ll just be out here setting up the register before we open in a couple of minutes”.

You nod and walk back to the staff locker area.

-~-~-

The day goes by slowly, as usual, and after a few hours, you take your break and head to the staff room locker area to relax and have a (late) breakfast.

‘I really need this right now’ you sigh as you take a sip of your coffee, feeling more tired than usual, and blame it on having to wake up super early that morning.

You check your phone and notice a text message.

1 NEW MESSAGE

You open it.

FROM ‘Wifeyy <3’: “Heyy! Call me when you're on your break!”

You smile and shake your head, dialing up her number.

It rings a couple of times before your best friend picks up.

“Hey y/n!!” she yells excitedly

“Hey Hina,” you laugh, “What’s up?”

“Just wanted to remind you that we are going out tonight to celebrate my birthday, you still remember, right?”

“Oh, was that today?” you joke

“Y/N!!!”

“I’m kidding, I'm kidding, you know I'll be there” you shake your head

“Good! I'll also be inviting some of my friends from Uni, but I want us to hangout still. It’s been a while since we’ve actually caught up. And I'm finally gonna be able to come to your city!”

The both of you actually met during your first year in University through mutual friends. Even though you both were in different majors, you hit it off right away. And after that, the both of you always tried to make time to hang out, whether it was between classes, during lunch breaks, or whenever the both of you had the time.

However, it was sometimes hard to meet up during weekends, since she lived in the city next to yours, so whenever she had the chance to come to your city, or you were able to go to hers, you guys would always spend it together.

“Yeah, I guess with exams and all it was hard for us to actually see each other”

“Exactly, anyways I’m excited for tonight!”

“Yeah, me too..!”

“Hey, do you sound more tired than usual, or is it just me?” she asks you, sounding worried.

“Oh, it’s nothing, I just woke up super early today, not willingly though” you sigh, “don't even ask, I'll tell you about it later”

“Alright... if you say so”

“Anyways, I gotta get back to work now, so, I’ll see you tonight, okay?”

“Alright! Dress sexy, okay? You promised we would dress up!”

“Yeah, yeah, I'll try my best” you both laugh before hanging up.

-~-~-

It was about 5 p.m when you finally reach your house, after leaving your part-time job, and finishing up some outdoor chores you had for the day.

You sigh as you get off the elevator to your floor.

You notice the empty hallway as you walk to your apartment; you suppose that the movers were already done and have left at this point.

You glance over to the door opposite yours at the end of the floor’s hallway.

‘I wonder if they're home yet...’ you think before you unlock the door of your apartment and go in.

You sigh as you place your groceries and bag on your kitchen island and start putting everything away.

You were supposed to meet Hina later tonight, at around 7 p.m, to celebrate her birthday. That meant you had a couple more hours to spend at home, so you decide to make some lunch/dinner and watch a movie on Netflix.

-~-~-

“Hey Hina, I’ll just go outside and answer this call real quick alright?” you try to call out to your friend as you get out of your chair, but she looks at you confused, the music playing loudly in the pub and the bustling of the people inside made it hard for her to hear your voice from across the table.

You point to your phone, and as realization hits her, she nods.

You attempt to make your way out of the pub, trying to worm between the people inside and make your way to the door. However, you suddenly run into someone before you reach the door, and accidentally drop their drink.

“I’m so sorry!” you tell them, looking up and noticing it was an old man, long white hair settling over his shoulders.

He looks annoyed at first but then his face relaxes when he sees you.

“I can pay for the drink!” you tell him apologetically.

“Oh, that’s alright, gorgeous, it was just a mistake” he answers you, smiling.

‘Okay...’ you think as you get a weird feeling in your gut.

“Would you like me to buy you-”

“Okay, Bye” you cut him off, smiling awkwardly, feeling uncomfortable with the way he was looking at you; you reach for the door and leave the pub.

It suddenly gets much quieter, and you feel yourself relax, finally being able to breathe.  

Honestly, you didn’t really get a call from anyone, you were just feeling tired, and wanted to take a break from all the noise.

You check the time on your phone,

11:54 P.M

You sigh, ‘I wanna go back home...’

It’s not that you weren’t having fun with Hina and her friends, but you were frankly not that close with them, and even though they are all very nice, having to be social for a long time takes a toll on your mental and physical strength sometimes.

Startled, you turn around when you hear the door of the pub open again behind you.

“Hey,” you hear Hina say as she approaches you, “is everything okay?”

“Yeah sorry, that was just my mom checking up on me” you lie to her, putting your phone back in your bag.

She nods, but you know she's slightly suspicious of your answer as she eyes you carefully

“You tired?” she asks you.

You chuckle nervously, ‘well, that didn’t take long’.

“Yeah, I'm really sorry, it’s getting late and it’s kind of been a long day”

She chuckles, “It’s okay, I thought your battery might have run out by now”

You couldn’t help but chuckle as well. Then you look at her apologetically.

“Yeah, I think I might head home for the night, is that alright with you?” you ask her, feeling bad you couldn’t stay longer.

She laughs and goes in to hug you goodbye, “You know it’s fine, I’m just glad I got to see you today! But, promise me we would hangout together again soon?”

You sigh, relieved, “you know I'd cancel any plans I have, just to see you” you shake your head as you hug her back.

“And promise me you’ll think about that date I wanna set you up on” she giggles as you both let go.

“Yeah, yeah, I'll think about it” you reply, used to her trying to set you up on these blind dates that you don’t necessarily really want to go to.

“Alright. You want me to call you a cab or walk you home?” she asks as you turn around and start leaving.

“No! It’s fine, my house is literally a couple of blocks away, go back! Have fun!” you say assuring her, and waving her to go back and hangout with her friends.

“Are you sure, y/n?”

“Yess! Go!” you tell her, and turn back around, walking away again.

-~-~-

After walking for a few minutes, you notice how quiet it was outside, except for the few open pubs you passed by earlier. I mean, it wasn’t really a huge surprise, it was getting pretty late, and almost all stores in the area were closed at that point. But, because you weren’t usually out that late at night all alone, it somehow made it feel even emptier and quieter.

You look up at the sky as you walk on the sidewalk and notice a few stars scattered along the night sky. It makes you smile and you close your eyes and take a deep breath.

‘I wonder how many of those are actually just satellites...’ you think to yourself as you open your eyes, and you can’t help but let out a small chuckle.

You feel your phone vibrate and notice you got a text message.

1 NEW MESSAGE

You open it.

FROM ‘Wifeyy <3’: “Heyy! Text me when you get home safe!”

You smile as you read the message, but then feel a sudden chill down your spine.

‘Weird...’

You put your phone down and suddenly start hearing faint footsteps behind you.

‘Alright, that’s fine... it’s just someone walking home as well’ you try to assure yourself but can’t help but still feel anxious.

After a few minutes, you still hear the foot steps behind you, slowly getting closer. That, somehow, making you feel more anxious.

‘I’m just overthinking this right?’

You try to increase your pace, to check if they really were following you. Even if they weren’t, you hope to try and lose them all together. It didn’t help that the way to your apartment would be to keep walking straight, and the alleys around the buildings on the way were blocked off at the ends, not making it any safer for you to try and find a way around.

But then you hear the person behind you increase their pace as well.

‘Fuck’ you think, feeling scared and panicked, ‘they're definitely following me, aren’t they?’

You panic as you think of what to do next, then decide to take out your phone and call someone.

‘Who the fuck do I call? Hina? The police? I-’

Your thoughts are interrupted when you hear someone yell something from the sidewalk on the other side of the street you were walking on.

Your head snaps to where the voice came from and you notice a guy running up to you, “Babe?”

You try to back away before the boy reaches you, but, “I’ve been waiting for you, what took you so long?” he asks, pulling you in for a hug.

“I don’t know yo-!”

“Someone’s following you” he whispers in your ear before letting you complete your sentence.

Your heart stops when you hear him say that and you begin to feel your eyes tear up.

He pulls away, looking at you, and you suddenly notice you stopped hearing the footsteps coming from behind you.

You look back and see a man standing in the middle of the street, your eyes widen when you notice his long white hair.

‘That’s the fucking creepy old guy from the pub, I knew he seemed off!’

“My name is Suna. I was just in that supermarket over there, on the other side of the street, when I noticed him following you” he tells you quietly, as he subtly points at a store behind him. You look over his shoulder and notice a small, old looking supermarket, with an ‘Open 24/7′ neon light flickering over it. “Do you want me to walk you back home?” the boy asks you, and your eyes snap back to him.

You’re then able to see him much clearer, his pale, yellow eyes looking into yours. He had a blank expression on his face but you could hear a hint of worry in his voice.

You feel a tear roll down your cheek and you hesitantly nod at him.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, I'm here” you hear him say as he puts an arm around you, pulling you closer, and walks with you in the direction you were originally going in.

After a few moments, you hear the footsteps behind you, again, but this time they started to sound more distant, as if the creepy, old guy was walking away.

Your heart starts calming down a bit as you both walk silently for a few minutes.

You then feel the boy remove his arm from around you and you slightly stumble.

‘Was he supporting me this whole time..?’ you think to yourself as you try to steady yourself back on your own feet.

He turns around, “I’m sure he’s gone by now” he tells you, looking back at you.

You turn around to check as well, and feel yourself finally be able to breathe again when you don’t see anyone behind you. You look back at the boy and nod.

“You live around here?” he asks you and you finally notice where you were.  

Realizing you were only about a block away from your house, you stop.

“What?” the boy asks as he turns around to face you, when he realizes you weren't walking next to him anymore.

“This is me” you answer quickly, pointing to a random building you were standing in front of.

He was nice enough to help you back there, so, it's not that you weren’t thankful, but you were still feeling a bit anxious, and you didn’t want to take any chances.

“Oh,” the boy says, looking up at the building you pointed to, then looks back to you, “I'll watch you go in” he continues, putting his hands in his pockets.

“Oh, uhm, okay..” you nervously say, turning to the building.

‘Shit... I hope the entrance door isn’t locked...’

You reach for the door and push it.

‘Oh, thank god...’ you sigh, relieved.

You quickly turn back to look at him again, and notice his eyes following you.

“Thank you”

He just nods at you, a blank expression still on his face.

You get inside the building and the door closes behind you. You weren’t sure if he was looking so you make your way to the elevators. You pretend you pressed a button, hoping he stopped looking at you through the glass door at that point.

You look behind you and notice he wasn’t there anymore, so you run slowly towards the door and see him walking away.

You place a hand on your heart, and sigh again. You close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.

‘Why does it feel like it’s been a really long night...?’

You decide to wait for a few minutes, making sure he wouldn’t still be around the area when you try to run to where you actually lived. It was probably a couple of buildings away so, if you make a quick run for it, you think, you would definitely make it.

You open the glass door slowly and take a quick peak around the street.

‘Nobody’s here...’

You take a quick breath before you make a run for it.

As you thought, it easily took you a minute or two to get to your building. You quickly push the entrance door and run to elevators.  

As soon as it arrives, you get in and press the floor you lived on.

A few moments pass before the elevator doors open and you can't help but breathe a sigh of relief as you’re welcomed with your usual empty, but now comforting hallway.

You step out and head for your apartment when you notice someone standing at the door opposite yours at the end of that hallway, trying to unlock it.

‘Oh, it’s probably the new tenant...’ you think as you walk to your door.

It was pretty silent so you decide to at least welcome them, hoping it would make the awkward silence less... awkward.

“Hey,” you say turning to face them when you get to your door, “You’re the new tenant, righ-” but you quickly stop and your eyes widen when the person turns around to face you.

‘Wait, isn’t he the guy that just walked me back ‘home’??’

He still carried a blank expression on his face, but you notice his eyes slightly widen when he notices who you were as well.

‘Fuck, Fuck, Fuck... What do I say?’ you panic as you both stand there, looking at each other.

“Oh, you live here?” he breaks the silence, sounding pretty calm.

“Oh, yeah,” you say turning around and quickly unlock your door and go in, “Goodnight!” you yell, panicked. 

You accidentally make eye contact with him one last time before you swiftly close the front door, leaving him there, looking blankly at your apartment door instead.

‘He’s my new neighbor??’

(HQ Masterlist)

[its-la-push]

Both of Us

Request | Hi it’s my birthday today 🎁! Could you please write a Paul lahote x reader where the reader is a teen mother and she moves back to forks and the father(not Paul) isn’t involved? Pretty please? YOURE AMAZING❤️

Word count: 1.3k

Moving isn’t easy, especially when you’re 19 years old with a three year old. After y/n‘s parents kicked her out, it was hard getting back on her feet. As soon as she had the baby she was out in her ass. She had been living with a friend in Seattle for the past 3 years with her little girl Sarah. Y/n and her friend Ivy got evicted after Ivy lost her journalist job in downtown Seattle. The y/h/c girl decided to move back to her hometown of Forks, Washington. She knew her parents wouldn’t let her back into their home, so she found a little 2 bedroom apartment to live in near her old highschool. She got a job at the local diner as a part-time waitress to pay her rent and provide for her little girl.

:readmore:

After she dropped Sarah off at the local day-care, she drove straight to the diner to begin her first shift. Her boss walked over to her with a friendly smile on her face and began speaking in an orderly tone. “Hun, you’ll be serving that section over there for today”, she stated motioning over to the right side of the restaurant. Y/n nodded and waited behind the register waiting for customers to come in. Soon 5 o’clock rolled around, which was the time y/n’s shift ended. She picked up Sarah from day-care and drove back to her compact apartment.

It had been a month since you had moved back to Forks and began working at the diner. Y/n was picking up an extra shift for a coworker that lasted until the diner closed, you were the only one in the restaurant, besides the unfriendly cook in the back, and were supposed to close at midnight. A tall and muscular man with broad shoulders and tan skin came striding in at approximately 9 P.M. He was the only customer in the diner at this time of night. He happened to sit at the bar stool farthest away from the register, where y/n was standing. You grabbed a menu and began approaching the stunning man from behind the counter. Y/n slid the menu in front of him as he was looking down, clearly tired from whatever previous activities he had been executing.

You gave him a friendly smile as you spoke, “Hi, my name’s y/n. I’ll be your server tonight, can I start you off with something to drink?” He looked up, clearly startled by the girl’s loud but smooth voice. He locked eyes with her as she was waiting for him to tell her what he wanted to drink. The girl abruptly noticed how gorgeous his brown eyes were, to her, they were like pools of milk chocolate that she couldn’t seem to swim out of. She broke out of the trance sooner than he did though, he just stared at her with a look of astoundment and wonder in his eyes. “Um, are you okay?” she asked him with a tone of concern in her voice. He instantaneously shook his head and apologized for his odd behavior, “Sorry, I’m just a little tired. I’ll have a Dr. Pepper.” Y/n nodded and headed back to the kitchen to fill a cup with the soda of his choice. The thought of maybe he’s on drugs crossed her mind and left as quickly as it came when she looked back and saw him looking back at her with a charismatic smile. She strutted back towards him with the cup in her right hand and a straw from her apron in her left. “I’m Paul” he blurted out when she set the cup in front of him. Y/n slyly smiled at him before speaking, “Hi Paul.” Paul internally cursed himself for his mediocre flirting. She was his imprint, he couldn’t mess his first impression up. “Are you ready to order or do you need a bit more time?” she smiled sweetly at him. “Oh no I’m ready” y/n whipped out her notepad and a black inkpen from her apron. “I’ll have a bacon cheeseburger with extra mustard.” Y/n scribbled down his order on her miniature notepad. “Okay I’ll have that right out for you, Paul” she stated with a smile before walking back to the kitchen to hand the cook the ticket. Paul sat there by himself for a few moments in silence, thinking about what had just happened. He whipped out his phone and began texting the pack group chat about what just happened. They were all happy for him and tried to show their support the best they could without seeing him in person. Just then y/n came back out from the kitchen, unfortunately for Paul’s vacant stomach, with no food in her hands. “It’ll be just a little bit longer” she said to him. She walked back over to the opposite side of the counter that Paul was seated at, behind the register, and pulled out her phone as she was waiting for his food. He contemplated what to say to her, he couldn’t just sit there in silence while his soulmate was standing 8 feet away from him. “Are you new around here? Forks is a pretty small town so basically everybody knows everybody around here, and you don’t look familiar.” he finally spoke, breaking the silence that was clearly filled with tension. Y/n looked Paul’s way and put her phone away, eager to start a conversation with what she perceived as strange, yet gorgeous man in front of her. “Yeah, I actually just moved into the apartment complex around Forks High School about a month ago.” she answered. “So how’s this ghost town been treating you so far?” he asked, trying to keep the conversation going. “Oh well considering I moved back after 3 years, pretty good. I think I might stay here, it’s very peaceful and content compared to Seattle.”

Paul and y/n ended up talking until Paul finished his food. She told him all about her little girl Sarah and her shitty landlord. He explained to her that he lived in a small house by himself in La Push. He also told her about his friends, obviously excluding the supernatural part. They instantly clicked and vented to each other, they both seemed like they were just waiting for the right person to talk to about their problems. Eventually the clock struck midnight, which was when y/n was supposed to lock up. “Oh shit, it looks like it's already closing time, I have to go pick up Sarah from my parent’s house.” she stated, suddenly in a rush. “Hey before you go, could I get your number? Maybe we could talk like this over dinner sometime?” he asked hopefully. Of course y/n wasn’t going to say no to someone who understood her like he did. “Absolutely, hand me your phone.” Paul gladly obliged and she typed in her name and number into the contact form pulled up on his phone. Y/n handed his sleek black phone back to him and he gently took it from her hand.

Later that night…………

Y/n had just gotten out of the shower when she heard her phone ding. She lazily wrapped a towel around herself and looked at the recent text message on her phone. She smiled when she read “Paul” in bold black letters on the screen. She quickly typed the passcode in, eager to see what he had texted her. “Hey beautiful, you up for ice cream next weekend?” y/n giggled at his sweet remark before she started tapping on the brightly lit screen. “How could I say no? Can’t wait to see you!” she responded. After she hit the “send” button she contemplated her response. Do I sound desperate? What if he doesn’t think I’m pretty enough? The anxious thoughts ran through her head like horses. “Mommy! Come tuck me in!” Sarah shouted from her bedroom. Y/n quickly snapped out of her insecure state and went to go tend to her number one priority. After the girl tended to her little girl, she took herself back to her bedroom, mind filled with only thoughts of the late-night customer.

[medieval-canadian]

i have filled out a rental application for a fancy all-inclusive rental condo in the area i was really hoping to find a place. the kitchen is light (as in the cabinets are a light grey/whitish colour. there is a nice balcony with a huge (i think 9 ft) patio door, a big window in the bedroom (both south-facing so with excellent light). it’s on the third floor (not a basement!!), there’s a den/office area for my work space so i won’t have to be working in my bedroom or living room (unless i want to), actual closets (!!!!!), a bathroom that will let me actually keep towels in the same room as the shower (i have never before had an apartment where i could do this), a dishwasher, heated underground parking, in a secure complex, cats accepted, near my family, highways, and any & all stores i could need, right by the train station if i need to get into town... it’s on the more expensive side but honestly? i don’t give a shit. i’ll make it work. i’ll go back to working at home depot part time if i have to, i don’t care. now i’m just waiting for confirmation that the credit check etc went okay (which it should, the only confusion i can imagine arising is from the whole “job”/TA & phd funding situation with u of t, which i really hope they won’t question too deeply fml). i should hear by monday or tuesday. i’ve texted my landlord. holy shit holy shit i hope this works out 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

[procrastinatorimagines]

I Want Us Part 8

Fandom: Chicago PD / SVU

Series: I Want Us

Part 1 //  Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4 // Part 5 // Part 6 // Part 7 // Part 8 // Part 9 // Part 10 (Final)

Pairing/s: Sonny Carisi x Intelligence!Reader

Warning/s: tw rape, murder, assault

Word Count: 1,269

Summary: The Intelligence Unit’s last case with Manhattan SVU had them flying out to New York to track down an abducted boy, and had Dectective Y/L/N and Detective Carisi growing close in the process. Now, a string of rape-murders in Chicago has SVU boarding the next flight out, believing the suspect to be the same man responsible for a set of identical crimes 10 years prior. As the case unfolds, Y/N and Carisi are brought back together, reigniting the spark between them.

Tags: @the-baby-bookworm​ // @inlovewith3​ //

The call came while you were still driving to the address you’d been given on Tate, now your prime suspect - Billy’s alibi for the first murder checked out easily, he was at a track meet with over a dozen witnesses, and there wasn’t exactly any point in checking his alibi for the New York murders, he’d been 7. 

Almost as soon as that call ended, you got a text on your phone. “You mind?” You nodded to your phone, giving Carisi permission to check it as you drove.

“It’s Jay, he says neither families have seen Billy or Tate before,” he relayed, “but that doesn’t mean Tate isn’t our guy, it’d make sense with what we’ve heard so far.”

“Still,” you sighed, turning Tate’s road, his apartment building just up a head, “we’re going to need something more to go on if we’re even going to get into his place, let alone arrest and charge him.”

Carisi couldn’t agree more as you both climbed out the car, making your way towards the building with your badges on hand. They’d get you through the main doors no problem, but getting further...

“Do you have a warrant?” What had you expected, honestly? Standing before the landlord in the main lobby you were greeting with the question you’d seen coming a mile away. 

“Is he here?” Carisi asked anyway, hoping you’d at least find out something useful, even if this turned out to mostly be wasted trip.

“Nah, he hasn’t been back here since yesterday, I’ve got some mail waiting that I need him to take off of my hands,” the landlord explained, sounding bored and impatient with the conversation already. He’d given you something, at least; Tate hadn’t gone home after he’d given his statement to you, he must have somewhere else to lay low - but where?

“You ever seen either of these women before?” Carisi tried, holding up photos of the two Chicago victims on his phone. The landlord shrugged and shook his head.

“Okay, thanks for your time,” you told him, pulling your card out of your pocket, “but if he does come back, at least give us a call?” He grunted in what you couldn’t tell was agreement or not, but he took the card and walked away, which presumably meant you could both see yourselves out.

You grumbled in frustration as soon as you were outside, knowing you’d been this close to your killer and let him slip away, and now you didn’t know where he was. “We’ll post some unis outside in an unmarked car,” Carisi told you, already making the call as you wandered once again back to your car, fresh out of leads to follow.

“Let’s call Benson, see where Tate lived the time of the New York murders, maybe it’ll be enough for a judge to issue a warrant,” you said, casting a glance back at the apartment building. 

“Food?” Carisi suggested once you got to the car. It had been a while, you realised, all this running around you’d been doing hadn’t really left any time for breaks - food was definitely not a bad idea.

“I could eat,” you replied with a smile, dialing Benson’s number as you got back behind the wheel.

“Tell me you have more than we do,” she answered by way of greeting, sounding as frustrated by this case as you. 

You explained the situation as concisely as possible. “Do you think you could find out his old address?”

“Yeah, should only take a moment, stay on the line?” You hummed in agreement and put it on speaker as you heard her place her phone down and begin to type on her keyboard. 

“New York,” Benson confirmed after a moment, “want to try for a warrant?”

“That’s circumstantial at best, I can’t see a judge signing off on that,” Carisi noted, not being happy about saying it though. He was right, but neither of you liked it.

You clicked your tongue, hesitating before saying: “I could ask Voight to maybe-”

“No,” Benson cut in quickly, “we do this by the book, if this is our guy, which I think it is, I don’t want to do anything to jeopardise putting him away for good, understood?”

“Loud and clear Captain,” you promised genuinely.

“Good, Kat and I will look into Tate’s history in New York, maybe we’ll find something we missed now that we know who we’re looking for, we’ll keep you posted,” she informed you both.

“Thanks Cap, we’ll be in touch,” Carisi signed off and you leaned your head back on the seat’s headrest, eyes closed. You only opened them again when you felt Carisi’s hand on your leg.

“Come on, let’s go eat, re-energise and re-focus,” he said, somehow always managing to make you feel instantly better. You nodded and turned on the ignition, knowing exactly where you could grab a quick bite nearby.

You were half way through your sandwich, feeling a bit more self-conscious than usually about how you were eating in the presence of a guy you liked - not that he’d care - when you got yet another phonecall. 

“Hey Kev,” you said, pressing answer with your little finger and hurriedly swallowing what was in your mouth. 

“Hey, Voight asked us to go back through the CCTV from Lily Hamilton’s murder, we’d been looking for the bentley the first time around, but this time we were looking for Tate’s car, just incase.”

“And?” You asked, alert, putting your sandwich down and brushing your hands together as you shared a hopeful look with Carisi.

“We got it,” Kev answered. Was this is? The breakthrough you needed? "Now, the main street cams don’t catch enough, but Vanessa found a private security system set up nearby the cite where her body was discovered. I’ll send you the screen grabs, you tell me how guilty you think this looks.”

Two pings on your phone came a second later, images of a man emerging from Tate’s car carrying a very large bag - definitely large enough for a body. “We got him,” you said triumphantly.

“It gets better,” another voice joined the call from the other end, Hailey’s. “We did some digging into that date the second vic’s sister mentioned and get this, both girls had dates, I’m sending you both the dating profiles and messages we found now-”

Carisi got them up on his phone, showing you briefly and nodding.

“-and it’s pretty damning. They look like different guys at first, but the script is the same, prince charming, true love, you get the picture when you read the messages, anyway, it looks like both girls went to meet up with their mysterious date the nights they went missing.”

“Can we track the IP, see where the messages came from?” You asked, already turning on the ignition yet again, ready to catch this guy once and for all.

“They came from the same location,” she confirmed.

“Tate’s apartment?” Carisi asked hopefully.

“No, a storage facility basically between both the current crime scenes,” she explained, “it’s not under Tate’s name but we called the owner, the man who rents the facitily matches the description, right down to the scar.” 

Another ping on your phones had Carisi showing you the address of the storage facility. “I assume that’s enough for warrants now?” You asked.

“You’ll have everything you need by the time you arrive,” you heard Voight confirm from somewhere else in the room, “I want you and Carisi at the storage facility, Burgess, Dawson and Ruzek will meet you there with Benson and Tamin, the rest of us will head to the apartment.”

“Let’s finish this,” Carisi told you after Voight hung up. You certainly didn’t need to be told twice.

[horansqueen]

Stuck With You - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Some Say

🡪chapter 1  🡪chapter 2  🡪chapter 3  🡪chapter 4  🡪chapter 5  🡪chapter 6   🡪chapter 7  🡪chapter 8  🡪chapter 9  🡪chapter 10  🡪chapter 11 🡪chapter 12 🡪chapter 13 🡪chapter 14

College Enemies To Lovers AU

characters // masterlist // instagrams // mood board

I will find the time, we will find the timing 'Cause you are on my mind, I hope that you don't mind it

And I know it might sound stupid but for me, yeah yeah I just gotta keep believing and I've heard

Some say you will love me one day And I will wait, I will wait to get your loving one day Just say you will love me one day And I will wait, I will wait to get your loving one day

click here to be on the update list

                                                I felt my heart threaten to jump out of my chest as we both stood motionless. Niall's eyes met mine and I shook my head slightly.

"No..." I whispered, suddenly finding back the use of my legs and taking the few steps separating me from the buttons. "Fuck, no."

I started hitting all the buttons as my heart was racing until I felt Niall's presence next to me. He put his hands over mine to stop me and grabbed my fingers, pulling gently on them to make me turn around.

"Devon.."

I looked up in his eyes and for a reason I ignored, it calmed me immediately. I blinked a few times, barely believing that once again, I was stuck somewhere with Niall, and I was starting to wonder if it wasn't a joke from fate. Someone out there was probably having a laugh from locking us together and I just closed my eyes and sighed.

I was trying to sober up but it wasn't easy, and when I opened my eyes again, I could swear I saw anxiety the way Niall was looking at me. He gripped my fingers tighter and all the anger I felt towards him faltered, almost disappearing.

"Okay, I'll call Lewis."

He let go of my hands, making my arms fall on each sides of my body as I watched him. Quickly, he grabbed his phone from his pocket, almost drpping it, and composed a number after putting his phone on speaker. It took half a minute for Lewis to answer, and I was feeling more and more nervous with every ring.

"Maaate, where are you? It's complete darkness here! Even the lights outside are off."

Niall glanced up at me before looking back down at his phone and licked his lips. I didn't know if it was the alcohol running in my veins but I ended up staring at his mouth for way too long and took a step closer.

"Okay you need to call your landlord, I'm literally stuck in the elevator." Niall quickly explained, ignoring everything his friend told him.

"You are?" Lewis asked before bursting into laughter. "What were you even doing there?"

This time, Niall looked up in my eyes and his lips parted. "I'm.. I'm here with Devon."

"Wait wait, you're stuck in the elevator with Devon?"

Once again, he started laughing so loud I actually moved my upper body slightly back, as if it would change anything. Niall just rolled his eyes and sighed, waiting for him to stop laughing.

"Come on, just call your landlord will you?"

"Everyone here started doing nasty things everywhere in the dark." Lewis added with a chuckle. "And Mandy is looking for you."

My heart dropped in my chest and Niall's gaze moved away from mine, avoiding it. "Lewis, you know I can't stay here okay, call someone. I don't care if it's the fucking police okay? You get someone to make that fuckin' elevator work again!"

Once again, his words hurt me more than they were supposed to. Was being locked with me that bad that he couldn't handle it even just a few minutes? Or was he just too impatient to go find Mandy?

"Yea yea, no worries, i'm on it. I'll text you about it." Lewis replied as I took a few steps back slowly and leaned again the wall. He started laughing again and I heard Niall sigh for a second time. "I can't believe you're stuck there with Devon! This is the most hilarious shit that happened tonight!"

I didn't understand why it was so funny but perhaps Lewis was just too drunk to be coherent, or I was too drunk to get the joke.

"Yea. Hilarious." Niall let out sarcastically.

"Oh hey mate while you're there, maybe you could tell Devon about-"

I held my breath when Niall took off the speakers and brought his phone to his ear before turning his back to me. It made me frown, wondering what Lewis was about to say that was so bad that Niall didn't want me to hear. Was he asking Niall to tell me how much I annoyed him? If that was the case, it was clearly not necessary. I knew I had been annoying Niall since day 1 and I probably always would. It was true, he has actually been kind with me in the past 24 hours and I was still not sure why, but he had been rude and mean to me way more often than not. Of course, he had kissed me twice also, and those were moves I still didn't really understand.

"Shut up and get us out of here!"

He hung up quickly and turned back to me, his eyes now roaming on me as I leaned my head against the wall. "What was so funny?"

"Nothing. He's just pissed."

"Are you impatient to get out of here so you can go back to her and let her literally sex-kiss you in front of everyone?"

His lips curled slightly on the right in an amused smile. "Sex-kiss me?" he repeated, raising his eyebrows.

"Yea. Pushing her tongue so deep on your mouth and making sex sounds."

"Is that what she did back there?" he asked, his smirk growing as he took a step closer.

"You should know it. She's probably not the first or last girl you'll be having sex with." I pointed out rudely, making him lose his smile and frown.

"Okay, what does that mean exactly?" he asked cautiously as I nodded. "Are you slut-shaming me?"

His expression surprised me but I just shrugged. "Tell me I'm wrong."

He scoffed and shook his head, placing himself in front of me, forcing me to raise my chin up to look in his eyes. "So basically you think I sleep with every single girl I meet? That I just see a pretty girl and kiss her or bring her to my bed to shag her? You don't know shit about me but you just judge me and decide what kind of person I am by just looking at me?"

"She doesn't even have to be pretty." I pointed out, feeling my heart jump at my confession.

It took him a few seconds to understand and his face changed. His shoulders moved down and he seemed to relax slightly, closing his eyes for a few seconds and sighing again. When his eyes met mine, I could tell he knew I was talking about myself. I could read it in the way he was looking at me.

"For your information, Mandy is the only girl I slept with since... well, she's the only girl I slept with in over a year. Happy?"

No, I was not happy. The fact that he literally only had sex with her made everything even worse. It was impossible to shag someone for so long without developing some sort of feelings for them.

"Why did Lewis say you'd kill him if he accepted that I moved in with him?"

Niall turned around and grabbed his phone, checking to see if he got a text message. "Because Lewis is an idiot, that's why." he looked up and stared at me for a while. I could feel he was a bit angry at me and I was not sure why but I probably deserved it. "Why were you leaving?"

"Because." I just replied in a low tone, looking away.

I wrapped my arms around myself like this move could shield me from his words, from his questions, and from his eyes.

"Because what?" he insisted a bit louder. "I answer your questions now it's your turn!"

"Because you.. you kiss me! And you.. you press your body on me and, and and your cock is pressing on my thigh! And you pull away and leave like it didn't matter! Like you do that to random girls all the fucking time! And you like my instagram posts in less than a minute like you actually turned the fucking notifications on! And then you invite me here like we're friends or some bullshit like that! But this girl is all over you and she literally makes out with you in front of everyone!"

I felt my heart beat so hard in my chest that it throbbed all over my body. Normally, I'd be ashamed of all the things I had just thrown at him but at the moment, stuck in an elevator and totally drunk, I really didn't care. In fact, it made me feel better than I thought it would.

"You know you're making no sense right now."

"Oh shut up!"

We remained motionless and silent for a few minutes and he finally moved back to lean on the other wall, his arms crossed on his chest. I finally let myself slide down against the wall until my butt touched the floor and sighed loud.

"I don't do that all the time, okay." he finally talked. "It just... It just happened!"

"Twice?"

"Yes ok? It just happened twice!" I didn't answer but simply rolled my eyes and he continued. "And about instagram, well I just happened to be scrolling through it."

"Right."

I sighed low and closed my eyes, trying to empty my mind from all of this, but after a few minutes, I heard him curse low. I opened my eyes and he was crouching down, his face looking at the floor, and it made me frown.

"Niall?" I moved my head, trying to see him better. "Are you alright?"

I watched as he gripped the back of his head with his hands and let out a short groan as I felt my heart skip a beat. I crawled to him on my knees slowly and finally sat on my legs, tilting my upper body a bit. It was making me nervous and the fact that I was so drunk that everything seemed to be slightly moving around me didn't help.

"Seriously, Niall, what's wrong?"

"Lewis texted me and said that we may be stuck here for a while and I just..." he seemed panicked and held my breath. "I'm.. I'm claustrophobic okay?"

Out of anything he could have told me, that was one thing I didn't expect at all. I put my back straight again and my lips parted. I shook my head a bit and licked my lips before looking at his hands as they gripped his own hair.

"But we've been stuck together in places before..."

"The basement of the library was big, and there was a window in the bathroom." he pointed out very quickly.

So the reason he wanted to be out of here as soon as possible was not because he couldn't stand to be with me, or because he wanted to see Mandy. I felt extra guilty for thinking about that at that exact moment and shook my head, trying to get rid of that thought.

"What am I... what should I do? How can I help?"

He didn't answer, he just let himself fall on his butt, his legs spread, and leaned his head against the wall, his eyes shut. I placed my hand gently on his shoulder and his eyes fluttered open. He seemed so fucked I thought he could pass out.

"Hey, look at me, okay?" I whispered, raising my eyebrows. "We can breathe together. Okay?"

He blinked a few times and nodded. I searched for his fingers and grabbed them, licking my lips. I was getting nervous too, and I honestly had no idea what to do to help him.

"Nothing's gonna happen to us, okay? So when I squeeze your fingers, we slowly breathe in, and when I stop we breathe out."

"Okay."

"Okay."

We did this for a few minutes but stress was slowly invading me and after a while, he finally closed his eyes again.

"Help me change my mind, Devie, I need to think about something else than the fact that we're stuck here." he let out a bit louder.

"I don't... I don't know what to do." I admitted, feeling myself tear up at how powerless I was.

"Anything, just, do something!" he insisted, making my heartbeats accelerate suddenly.

That's when it happened. I just crashed my mouth against his. My lips pressed on his but after a few seconds, my body relaxed a bit and so did my lips. I closed my eyes and pulled away slowly, feeling extremely stupid.

"Why did you do that?" he asked as I opened my eyes again. My gaze softened despite myself when it met his and he shook his head a bit.

"I don't know." I admitted in a whisper. "It's the first thing that came to my mind."

"Do it again."

"What?" I breathed out, my eyes getting bigger.

"Do it again." he repeated just as low. "Please."

My lips parted and I started panting as my heart thumped hard in my chest, so hard that I felt like it wanted to escape. I moved closer again, tilting my head slightly and brushing my lips against his. Every single time I felt Niall's lips against mine, it was driving me insane, and now that we were both not only drunk but also in a crisis situation, I felt every single pore of my skin shaking. His lips were warm and wet and I kissed him a bit harder. I don't know what suddenly got into me but quickly, my lips parted his and I made the kiss grow deeper. I thought it would surprise him as much as it surprised me but it took only half a second for his arms to wrap around me before he pulled me closer. I moved my knees on each side of him as I felt his fingers sink in the skin of my back through my clothes. He tasted amazing and I let a whimper escape my lips without shame as I sat on him, grinding down against him. It made me feel so dizzy I started seeing yellow spots behind my eyelids and I knew it was not the alcohol this time. It was him. It was always him.

I slid my fingers in his hair just as one of his hands reached for the bottom of my shirt, slipping under it and reaching for my breast. My lips parted again and I whispered a low 'Oh my god' as I pressed my legs more on the sides of his thighs. His fingers grabbed one cup of my bra and pulled it down a bit. I felt his knuckles rub against my nipple and I kissed him again hard, shutting my eyes tight and barely controlling my own body anymore. I could feel my inner thighs throb even harder and I pressed myself on him again, feeling his cock swell between my legs.

That was not what I had expected at all but I didn't want to stop. It's only when I heard him whisper my name as his free hand traveled down my back to reach my ass that I snapped out of it. I moved away slowly, my lips still parted as i panted, and waited for him to open his eyes. We stared at each other and I finally licked my lips as he leaned his head back on the wall, his eyes never leaving mine.

"I'm sorry." I murmured. "It probably didn't help you much."

He chuckled and his lips curled enough to show me his teeth as he shook his head slightly. "Actually, it did."

"Really?"

"Devie, it's hard to think about being locked in a confined place when your dick is hard."

I pressed my lips together, trying not to laugh too, and his hand slipped out of my shirt to fall on my thigh. That position, I had dreamed of it since the first day I met Niall, and I didn't want to move away. He let his fingers trace a few shapes on my jeans and my eyes fluttered at how soft he was being with me. He brought his free hand and moved a lock of my hair behind my ear before letting one of his fingertips brush against my jaw and down my neck before sliding between my breasts. His hand finally reached for my other thigh and he squeezed both at the same time.

I couldn't pretend my inner thighs weren't throbbing anymore, but somehow, it was for an other reason. I had never been excited like that by someone being so soft and gentle with me but it made me want to kiss him again.

"Thank you." he whispered as one of his hands left my thigh to move behind my head.

He pushed me gently to him and I let him. There was nothing I wanted more than to kiss him again and when my face got close enough to his, he kissed me softly and slowly a few times. I tried to remain motionless and eyes closed, focusing on the way his warm lips peppered tender kisses on my mouth as his fingers played in my hair. It was an incredible contrast with the last kiss we just had but I enjoyed it just as much.

"Niall, why do you-"

I was cut by the sound of his phone and he sighed as I moved back to give him space. He grabbed his phone on the floor and checked the message he had just received before looked back in my eyes.

"They'll put back the power any minute now."

As if on cue, the lights changed and the power came back. I remained sitting on him as the elevator brought us to the main floor and felt my heart sink in my chest. The moment was almost over and all that would be left of it would be the memory playing over and over in my head probably forever.

"Come on, Devie." he said in a low tone. "Let's get some fresh air okay? I really need it."

I nodded and got up in silence, holding out my hand to him to help him up too. He rubbed his sweaty hands on his jeans and we got out. It was still warm outside despite that time of the year and we started walking in silence. I kept glancing at him as we wandered around the streets and he was focusing on his feet, his hands in his pockets.

"Are you ever gonna share your story with me?"

Hearing his voice again made my heart jump in my chest. "My story?"

"Yes, You know about the girl who broke my heart, partly because of Louis." he explained, turning to look at me for a few seconds. "But you never told me who broke your heart."

I brought my arms around myself as a shiver crossed my back. I hadn't shared that with anyone but somehow, I wanted to share it with Niall. It's not that I felt like I owed him, it's just that if anyone could understand what it felt to be betrayed, it was him.

"When I started my second year at my old college, I met this guy... he was my professor and he was everything anyone could wish for. He was hot, smart and funny. Everyone was in love with him and I was head over heels." I scoffed and rolled my eyes at the thought. "He showed interest in me and I.. I couldn't  believe it, you know? With all the gorgeous, perfectly-shaped and sexy girls in that school, he still had picked me."

I could feel Niall's eyes on me and he started walking slower. I followed his pace and breathed in before sighing.

"So we started seeing each other in secret. I was.. in heaven. I thought it was real, you know? I thought we had something great, something epic. And someone caught us. So he denied me. He denied our story, and he broke my heart. I changed school because everyone knew, everyone talked behind my back, everyone pointed their fingers at me and whispered when I walked by. The person who caught us literally told everyone."

"That's shitty of them."

"It was my best friend." I admitted, raising my eyebrows and sighing.

"Ouch."

"Mmhm."

"So you really loved him? Your teacher?" Niall asked after he stopped walking and turned to face me.

I realized we were back in front of Lewis' apartment building and I swallowed hard. "Yes. But I was just one of the girls he slept with. Found out the hard way."

Niall took a step closer and I tilted my chin up to keep my eyes locked with his. Once again, he moved a lock of my hair behind my ear as one of his fell on his forehead. "He didn't deserve you."

"Just like your ex girlfriend didn't deserve you."

His lips curled slightly on the right in a mix of melancholy and softness and he finally sighed.

"Come on, Devie, let's go get a rest. We're both too drunk to drive and I'm exhausted."

[ieattaperecorders]

Something’s Different About You Lately - Chapter 9: A Disappearance

Several employees become preoccupied with personal projects. The archive has a minor infestation.

Read on Ao3

Martin leaned against the break room counter, phone to his ear. As before, the call went directly to voice mail.

"Don't know what I expected," he muttered to himself. He'd called twice already that morning, third time wasn't going to be the charm.

The sound of the kettle came nearby, and he paused to pour water into two mugs. As the tea steeped, he brought his phone up to stare at the familiar number. Pushed down a tiny, anxious compulsion to just call again, as if that would accomplish anything. The phone was either on silent or powered down, either way he wasn't getting through.

Sasha always had her phone on her. She always had it charged. Martin had never known her to go more than a few hours without responding to texts or missed calls. Really, he had no idea how she kept on top of it.

Maybe she'd caught the flu and was sleeping all day, too tired to call in or charge her phone? Or maybe she'd lost her phone. It happens. You couldn't assume someone was missing just because they'd skipped a couple days of work, could you? One and a half days, really, since it was barely past noon. And the weekend, of course, no one had seen her then. But that was the weekend.

Reassurances like these might have sat easier with him if it weren't for the time Jon had vanished into a set of supernatural corridors. As was, things were beginning to feel uncomfortably familiar.

He opened his text history with Tim, knowing as he did there'd be nothing to see.

Martin: are you at the institute ?

Tim: nah nowhere near

Tim: doing some field work

Martin: oh :/ are you coming in at all today?

Tim: probably not. dw i texted jon, he knows

Tim: tell him not to worry, just doing some recon

Martin: maybe you should call and tell him yourself? he seems pretty upset

Tim: it's cool. i 'm gonna have my phone off so i won't see texts for a while :) ttyl

Martin: I really, really think you should call Jon and talk to him

Martin: seriously. Things are getting weird here

That exchange had happened that morning, and there'd been no word from Tim since then. Martin didn't like this feeling. Half of him thought he was worrying over nothing, while the other half suspected that he wasn't worrying enough. And the only other person in the archive wasn't likely to provide a model of stability anytime soon.

He remembered what it had been like during the two weeks Jon had disappeared. The first days had been marked by a passive confusion, with the three of them going about things normally, occasionally looking up and asking has he still not come in? Did you see him at all? Should somebody call him? Idle concern that grew into anxiety as more time passed.

After four days of it, Martin went to Elias to ask whether Jon had called in, if he knew where he was. Elias had said something vague about field research. Said that it was open ended, and no he didn't know when Jon would be back. Added with a smirk that he was taking a "hands off" approach with him. When Martin pressed for more, expressed worry that he wasn't answering his phone, Elias had given him a knowing smile that made him feel like he was naked in public. He'd suggested Martin might be letting his own "personal preoccupations" color things, and reminded him that repeated phone calls can make one look rather desperate for someone's attention. Martin had shuffled off, face burning, and not brought it up again.

Elias's explanation and lack of concern had kept them all complacent for too long. But Martin shouldn't have been complacent. He should have known better. No, that wasn't even it – he did know better. Deep down he'd known something was wrong, because he'd spent so much of those weeks worrying.

Worrying, and thinking about those days he'd spent trapped in his flat, slowly accepting that no help was coming, that the outside world had shrugged at his absence and moved on. He remembered worrying what would happen to his mother when the payments for her care stopped coming. And thinking that the others at work might not even learn he was dead unless his landlord gave a statement about the rotting, buzzing, hole-shot thing he'd find when he finally came to evict him.

Sitting with his back to the wall, cold, tired and halfway to delirium, Martin had hoped that they'd feel guilty when he did.

It had been some consolation to learn Jane had been using his phone, that there was a reason nobody had looked. Nursing resentment, he'd thought to himself that ‘stomach problems' had been a weak excuse. But then, an even weaker excuse alongside a snide comment about how obvious Martin was had been all it took to stop him asking questions, so how much worse was he? He'd known something was wrong, but instead of doing anything he'd kept his head down, and worried, and hoped it would work out.

Tea finished, he brought the mugs out to the bullpen. Jon was already there, bent over Sasha's desk -- he'd emptied the contents of her drawers all around him and was sifting through them, brow furrowed. He looked up as Martin entered.

"Anything?" he asked, expectantly.

"Still no answer . . . should you really be going through her things like that?"

"Yes, it's fine." Jon waved a hand and turned back to the papers he'd been looking at.

The question had been rhetorical, not an opportunity for Jon to give himself permission to keep rifling. Martin decided to let it go.

"She didn't tell you what she was working on, did she?" Jon asked. "Anything that could give you a clue where she'd be headed?"

"Not really," a twinge somewhere, because since when did anyone tell him anything? "I mean, she's been looking up statements for some research she's doing, but she's secretive about what it is. I think has something to do with Gertrude? She's been talking about her a lot, anyway."

"That isn't much help . . . there's too many directions it could lead. And that's just the ones that I know about . . . ."

"Sorry . . . I wish I knew more." Maybe it was the anxiety already swirling in Martin's stomach that made Jon's tone cut through him the way it did. It was hard to say.

"It's something. A starting point, at least." Jon sighed, shoving some papers haphazardly into a drawer. Assuming Sasha wasn't eaten alive by some nightmare creature, she was definitely going to notice when she got back. He pulled a notebook from his pocket and began scribbling in it. "I'll try making a list of relevant statements, maybe we can check whether she accessed them recently."

Martin stepped a little closer to peek at what he was writing: 0081912, 9522002 (would she recognize the voice?) 0141010, 0063011, 0090202 (anything involving A. or L.F.) The moment he realized Martin was watching, Jon frowned, flipped the notebook closed and stuck it back into his pocket.

"What about Tim? Have you been able to reach him at all? I think he's flat-out ignoring me at this point."

"No. His phone rings, but he doesn't answer. Last we talked he just – well, see for yourself."

He displayed the last text conversation. Jon's eyes scattered over the words, then he grabbed the phone from Martin's hand and began typing a reply. Martin barely had time to sputter a hey! before it was handed back to him: Sasha is missing. Call immediately. -J

Terse, but he supposed it might get Tim's attention. Martin looked up to see Jon pacing back towards Sasha's desk, shaking his head.

" ‘Recon . . .' there are only a few places that could mean, and all of them are bad," he muttered. "I'm going to have to go after him, aren't I? I'm going to have to – but there's only one way that can end for me and I can't – not yet, not while Sasha's still gone. . . "

Martin frowned. "When was the last time you slept?"

"Last night." There was a note of triumph in Jon's voice, an unspoken so there. "The same as you, presumably."

"Okay. How much sleep did you actually get, though?"

"I don't know. Not much. Doesn't matter . . . can't sleep anyway." His voice dropped in register and he muttered, "spiders" like it was the name of his mortal enemy. Martin considered mentioning something about how they'd at least keep more harmful pests out of his home, but thought better of it.

"Okay, then. . . suppose I'll file that away with all the other weird, cryptic things you keep saying." At that, Jon gave him an aching look that made him instantly regret saying anything.

"I'm sorry, Martin. I am trying to be more forthcoming. I t's just – well, it's difficult . A nd I'm afraid it's already making things worse . . . ."

"Look . . . you don't have to tell me everything, okay?" Martin said. "Just let me help. If you think you know where Tim's vanished off to, tell me. I can check in on him if you can't. Really, I'd rather be doing that than sitting here doing nothing--"

The rest was cut off by Martin's yelp of surprise, as Jon closed the distance between them, grabbing him tightly by the shoulders.

"No! Don't you dare. Not you too," Jon's voice began to crack. "Please . . . if I can't even keep you safe . . . ."

His eyes were wide, and he was holding Martin very, very closely. As Martin tried to think of what to say to that, tried even to remember how words worked, his phone rang and startled them both. Jon's grip on him loosened and he pulled away to check it – it was Tim.

"Put it on speaker," Jon said. He did, and Tim's voice came out before Martin had the chance to say hello.

"Martin. What's going on?"

"I see now you're suddenly available," Jon's voice dripped with disdain.

"Don't. Not now," Tim said warningly. "Just tell me what's happening with Sasha."

Martin held a hand up before Jon could interrupt him again. "We don't know exactly. She didn't come in today, or yesterday. We'd actually been wondering if she was with you."

"I take it from your call she isn't," Jon said. "Did she tell you anything about where she was going?"

"No. I didn't even know she was going anywhere. Have you called her?"

"Of course--"

"--We tried," Martin cut Jon off, his tone forcefully calm. "We've been trying to reach her for a while, actually, but she isn't answering calls or texts."

There was a pause on the line as Tim quietly cursed. Then Jon's hand was on Martin's wrist, pulling him – no, pulling the phone in his hand – closer.

"Look, just . . . come back to the institute," the argumentative tint to his voice was gone, now he was all but pleading. "We can work this out together. Just – just come back."

There was a pause, then Tim's voice again.

". . . I'll be there in a few hours."

He hung up without ceremony. Jon released his hold on Martin and slumped into a chair.

"Well, that's one crisis dealt with," he exhaled. "Or postponed."

There was nothing like relief in Jon's voice, only a low, tired dread. Martin looked at him, taking in the bruises under his eyes, the unsteady tremor to his hands. He looked . . . harried. Like he'd been running for days and might drop dead from exhaustion before whatever was after him even caught up.

Martin found himself badly wanting to reach for him, to brush away whatever dark thoughts were settling in. He wanted to take a blanket and wrap him up warm, to sit next to him as he'd done for Martin in the storage closet, until he felt safe enough to close his eyes and rest.

"Jon . . ." he said softly. "You're not well."

A hollow, humorless laugh. "Not really, no."

Sasha was missing, monsters were real, and Jon was keeping secrets that were tearing him apart from inside out. Martin didn't know how anything he might say could stand against any of that. But he still wanted to say something. He pulled up a chair and sat down.

"You don't have to take everything on, you know. We're in this together, right? That's what you just told Tim. So let me help you," Martin said, something weak and pleading in his voice. "Tell me what you need."

An indecipherable look passed over Jon's face. Martin wanted to take his hand but had enough sense not to try, instead placing his own hand palm-down on the desk beside them. To his surprise, Jon reached forward to grasp it. For a moment something fluttered in Martin, but he nudged the feeling carefully aside. This wasn't about his embarrassing, childish crush. Jon was scared and exhausted, and he needed a friend. Martin turned his palm and gripped back. If he could give Jon any little bit of comfort, he was going to, and he was not going to be weird about it.

"What I need . . . ." Jon swallowed and shook his head. "What I need is to know where Sasha is, and – I need Tim to not be doing something suicidally dangerous." He looked up at Martin, then back to their joined hands, placing a second palm over them both. "I need you all to be all right. It's all I have . . . ."

"Okay . . . okay. Well." Martin took a breath, in and out. "We'll do what we can to find Sasha. And Tim is on his way back for now," he said softly. "And for what it's worth, you know, I – I'm here."

". . . I know." Jon gave him a weak smile, and shook his head again. "Whatever else happens, I . . ."

He trailed off, looking down at their hands. His thumb moved back and forth, absently brushing little arcs over Martin's knuckles. He was quiet for a long while.

"I don't know," he finally said. "Just be safe. Please. If . . . if I lost you, Martin, I don't even know . . . ."

Jon kept his grip on Martin and yes, he was definitely stroking his hand now. Martin's heart began to pound. He might have kept it together, but then Jon's fingertips trailed up the curve of his wrist and his breath hitched – quiet, but Jon heard it. He looked up abruptly, seeming to realize himself, and dropped Martin's hand as if it was on fire.

"God, I – I'm sorry, I didn't –"

The pained look returned to Jon's face as he pushed away from the desk. Several responses crowded Martin's brain at once. It's okay, you don't have to stop, and please don't look so sad, and I'M GAY IN CASE THAT WAS SOMEHOW UNCLEAR, I MENTION THIS NOW FOR NO REASON. But instead of saying anything he stared, dumbfounded, as Jon got to his feet.

"I have to go," he said, hurrying back towards his office. Martin heard the door slam followed by the click of the lock, and he was left sitting speechless next to two cold cups of tea.

* * *

Back to the door, Jon pressed his face into his crossed arms, swallowing back the noises that refused to stop coming out of him. He wasn't crying, the fact was that he was far too tired for tears, but kept his mouth covered all the same. He'd done enough to confuse Martin already without him hearing Jon sob through the door.

Stupid, stupid. Careless. It was falling apart so quickly. He couldn't imagine what else he'd have managed to destroy if he'd stayed in that room a moment longer.

Every step he took seemed to be a mistake, every option leading to disaster. Keep his secrets to himself and Sasha runs off to die looking for answers. Let out a little truth and Tim throws himself to the Circus. Be the Archivist, let the Beholding in and he would repeat the cycle as Jonah's tool. But stay human, and if he wasn't killed by something lurking in the shadows he'd be spun into the hands of the Spider.

Assuming he wasn't there already. He'd danced his way to the apocalypse once, all the while thinking he was trying to prevent it. How could he be sure every action he took now wasn't part of the Spider's plan?

He'd had a dream some nights ago. Martin had been in his flat, curled up with him on the couch – there had been no confession, no revelation of feelings, they were simply together once more, and it was wonderful. Until Martin tried to get up. Jon felt a tug as he moved – first gentle, then more insistent. Martin's expression went from one of contentment to confusion, to sudden distress. He was trying to pull away, but somehow his arms were still wrapped around Jon. With as much force as he could muster, Martin yanked back hard, and his arm finally moved to reveal thick, white webbing between them, binding their flesh together.

Horror washed over him as Martin began struggling in earnest, and Jon felt every tug and snap, the desperate writhing of hopelessly trapped prey. Jon wanted to say something – to comfort him, to scream with him, to beg for his forgiveness – but a thousand legs were stirring inside him. He felt the press of movement in his throat, and put all his effort into keeping his mouth closed. Not certain how long he'd last, but entirely sure of what would swarm from him the minute he let it open.

He very nearly found himself missing the Watcher's nightmares when he woke. At least he'd never worried that they might be prophetic.

Jon's fingers tangled themselves into in his hair, and he felt something crawl over his hand. He jumped, shaking his arm free, and a palm-sized spider fell onto the floor. Revulsion crawled through him – he grabbed a loose folder, ready to smash it. But the moment he raised his arm he saw something move in the corner of his eye. He looked around and suddenly they were everywhere.

Hundreds, thousands . . . more? He didn't know how many, it didn't matter how many, it was too many. Too many spiders, his brain screamed. Tiny, skittering things crept out from behind boxes and between files, from under the baseboards and over the ceiling. They crawled from every direction in the room – above him, around him, everywhere, EVERYWHERE.

Panic gripped him. He froze. So did the spiders. For a tense moment, they all stayed like that – Jon too terrified to move, eyes darting from one part of the room to another. He was surrounded. There was a clean circle a few feet around him, and beyond that, the swarm. Waiting. Unmoving. Why were they just sitting there?

Experimentally, he lifted the folder in his hand, ready to bring it down. The swarm crept closer. He stilled, and they stopped. They didn't withdraw, but they didn't advance either. It seemed that they weren't going to touch him . . . unless he made a move to kill one of them.

What the hell was this ? Some new way to toy with him? Was he being trained like a dog, now? The Web didn't like his habit of killing spiders, so it was sending a message – quit swatting at us, or – or what? They'd kill him? Not if they intended to use him, they wouldn't . . . but then, they wouldn't need to. He'd seen the sort of things they do to people – victims left hollow but alive, helpless to stop as their bodies are jerked along on invisible strings.

He shuddered, withdrawing his hand, and he swore he could feel the pleasured satisfaction running through them as he did what he was told. It made his stomach twist.

He couldn't just obey them like this, could he? But if he defied them and they swarmed, wouldn't they have him then as well? Was it reverse psychology, did they want him to attack and give them an excuse? Or was that what they wanted him to think, so he'd fall in line? Maybe he was damned either way, maybe it was only a question of how his free will would be stripped from him.

To hell with it, then – if nothing mattered, he could still spit in the puppeteer's face. He raised the folder in his hand.

Then he stopped.

Something dawned on him. Not the sudden rush of Knowing he'd felt from the Beholding, this was more akin to the moment he'd understood what the Distortion was, his own mind putting together the pieces of something he'd been struggling with. He forced himself to ignore the swarm and focus on the lone spider he'd shaken from his hair. The one that had made sure he'd noticed it, that still hadn't scuttled away. It was waiting for him. All of them were. The last pieces fell into place.

"It has to be a choice," he whispered.

The spider regarded him, silent. Slowly, he lowered his hand, wary of any sudden movement that could break the stillness holding it all back. He never took his gaze off the palm-sized spider on the floor.

"It has to be a choice. But it doesn't have to be a fair choice." he continued, face twisting into a hateful grin. "Doesn't have to be a choice you understand the consequences of, or even one you know you're making. It can be made under the threat of death or heat of panic, as long as it's done."

"That's what's been haunting me this whole time, isn't it?" His voice was bitter. "You have to make a choice , Jon. You chose to pursue knowledge, Jon . All of this has been because of your choices Jon. That's where you creep in."

Jon knew the small, eight-legged fear in front of him. It had been with him a long time, its legs tickling the back of his mind whenever he agonized over the all things he might have done differently. And how much more had he been thinking of those things since he came back? Since what he might have done differently had become an immediate reality, no longer hypothetical? How many hours had he spent dwelling over all the possible outcomes, the consequences he could never predict? How many times had he been paralyzed by the thought that each new action would make things worse?

If there was no hope – if there was truly nothing he could do, no way to keep the world from ending . . . well, that would be a nightmare of its own. But if the world could be saved, then Jon could fail to save it, could destroy them all again.

That horror of choice, that fear of responsibility. He'd brought it back with him.

The spider scuttled forward. Decades-deep arachnophobia rose in Jon at the skittering motion, but he resisted the urge to swat at it. Stiffly, he pressed himself into the door as the thing began to crawl up his leg. Every muscle in him wanted to jerk away, to get rid of it, destroy it. He resisted the urge. Carefully, he reached down and scooped it up, cupping it between his hands. Its legs tickled his palms and his skin crawled, but his own fear screaming at him to to crush and kill it solidified the certainty that he shouldn't.

"So you come to me when I'm at my worst," he said, "at my lowest and most self-destructive, and you set up this little tableau. Make me feel powerless, toyed with, so that I lash out. And as I do so, I think – to hell with it, let them have me ."

And they would have him then. They'd swarm, slip in through his eyes, ears, and nostrils, crawl through him as he screamed and wept and writhed. Then they'd tuck themselves away inside him, where they could spin their webs, lay their brood, and turn him to their purposes.

He'd be theirs. Freed from all responsibility, a helpless, innocent puppet.

Not a fair choice, but enough of one.

". . . That part of me that wanted you to be the reason I hurt people, that in my worse moments wished the Eye would overtake me, take the fear and the shame and make me a monster that didn't care. It called to you, didn't it? I'm sure it's calling to you still," he said softly. "But that isn't me. A part of me, maybe, but not all of me. And I've been fighting it too long to give in now."

Bending forward, he opened his palms and shook the little fear onto the floor, glaring at it with every ounce of hatred he had in him.

"I don't know if I can fight you forever, any of you. Maybe it's foolish to think anyone can. But I'm not going to give myself to you that way," he growled. "I'm. Not. Yours."

The lights flickered as he spoke those final words, and for a moment he felt an overwhelming sense of vertigo. When he managed to focus again, the spider was gone. As were all the others – he looked in every direction, but they were nowhere to be seen. Left . . . or crawled back into hiding, he didn't know which.

Jon sat there, wondering what exactly he'd just done. It felt as though a decision had been made. But he didn't have much time to think about it before the sounds of shouting came from down the hall.

"Jon!?" Martin's voice, strained and panicked. "Jon! Sasha's come back, and she's hurt!"

[firepiplup]

How do i say no to people

You know that analogy about people with adhd having spoons for energy management or whatever? My spoons are on backorder from like 2 months ago and more got on that list now

The problem is that all of the things I'm being asked to do are Very Important Things

I have to feed my diabetic cat. This in itself is not a problem, however she's needs to eat at a specific time (12 hour spacing) and my current sleeping situation along with work do not allow this to happen consistently. Currently trying for 7:30, we'll see how it goes

My apartment has bedbugs, and there's no way in fucking hell I'm sleeping on my living room floor until my scumlord landlord actually gets the guy to come back to spray because he did spray but I'm still seeing adults and i "need to give the spray time to work" it's been fucking 2 weeks i don't know how is supposed to work but i feel like after 2 weeks whatever spray you did isn't going to get any stronger i just want to sleep in my own bed it's been like this since fucking March

With that part explained, I'm sleeping at my mom's house on the other side of town. This in itself isn't much of a problem, however as "payment" i have to take care of her dog in the morning, to practice because she's going on a week long vacation in October and none of her dogs can just be taken care of like normal dogs. He needs to wear a diaper to leave the room while i pick up his shit and soiled weewee pad and mop the floor, give him some time to be out of his room, and then feed him his special food mix. The other dog has allergies and probably will get into something he shouldn't, then not use the bathroom outside even though he literally has a doggy door that has constant access to the backyard. Neither dog get along with each other, which is why they are separated. Thank fuck the cat is just normal, this is why i prefer them

Now with THAT explained, it's difficult to take care of my own cat on time in the morning. But as the legendary Billy Mays says: But wait, there's more!

I just got rehired at my job working in a local understaffed pizzeria. My friend, ego also works there, is on vacation (good for her, she deserves it, absolutely no negativity towards her) so i have acquired her hours. So i now work 6 days a week, kinda sorta clopen but i guess it's more of opelose. Or a combination of both? Idk. The point here is, I'm then dealing with essentially running half a restaurant alone 6 days a week, with it not being 7 purely because the owner himself ALSO has the same work schedule as far as I'm aware, and wanted to give himself a day off, and since we are so understaffed it would be impossible unless we literally closed. My tasks include answering the phone, washing dishes, making sandwiches, making dinners, folding pizza boxes, and cleaning the tables/equipment on that side of the restaurant. So essentially everything except making pizzas, cleaning the pizza area, mopping in general, and driving. We generally close at 9, 10 on Friday and Saturday. Guess who was explicitly rehired to close those days? Guess how that's going to work with me having to be home around 7:30 to take care of my own cat? I have no idea either. It's only for about 3 weeks, but my mom, whom i have not asked for any additional help with anything, won't feed the cat while i have work, even though there isn't a guarantee that i can leave on time to THEN RETURN to close, because again I'm the only one on that side of the building. I understand the fear of the bedbugs, so that's probably it, but it still fucking sucks because the kitchen is on the other side of the apartment from the bedroom and there is literally no reason to go there to feed her. But i get it

Did we get to where i can do my own ADLs? Of course not. My neighbor is in the hospital, and her husband is blind. This is a new development that was only discovered an hour before starting this post (about 3:30 am for me). She's ok, it's for mental health reasons, and that's her own business about that. Her husband being blind is not a new development however. And he needs help taking care of the pets, specifically the birds. Which is fine, they just also need to eat on their own schedule. 8am, around lunchtime, and 8pm. Guess who's still at work? One of the birds is special needs because her beak got injured and needs to be essentially spoon fed. Which the blind husband can't do at all. Fairly simple task, but just adding to my obligations that are Very Important because they involve making sure things don't starve to death while my neighbor is in Crisis

Ok let's see, that's 4 Very Important Tasks/Obligations, and only one was originally my own voluntary one. Still not at taking care of myself yet, but i have my shelter, i have my job ("part time" minimum wage, hurray. Part time because even with me being there 6 fucking days a week open to close it still isn't technically enough hours for the state to recognize it as full time), and I'm taking care of *counting* about 8 pets for the next week. Will unemployment give me my money that I've been claiming since March? No? Will they let me claim with my new working hours that makes that while process even harder? Technically but it'll take over an hour for it to process and it doesn't even do that in the end? Well fuck, guess i have to wait to get paid on the books in cash and beg for a hand written paystub and have my hours worked written down. Glad i earned $100 this week, i hope now that my hours have increased i get some more

Next on the list, appointments. Because I'm a dumbass who can't remember shit if it isn't consistently recurring, i overbooked myself for next week. My much needed therapy appointment with my therapist that I've only met once and is the replacement for my much better therapist that i actually had a relationship with is supposed to have a session with me on Tuesday. Will i remember to do it this time? Possibly since i actually remembered it's on Tuesday. Will she send me the reminder text with the zoom link? Probably not. Wednesday, my one day off, thank fuck for that, is the main problem with the scheduling. My med appointment is for 11:30. Cool, can do. Driving lesson at 12. Oh, that's a little close, but i can manage that probably. I only average 1 lesson per year and a half, so it's fine, it's "healthy" to be nervous about operating a death machine powered by explosions. Have to go to social services to pick up, or attempt to, a new food stamps card. They probably close at 5, and add a Non Driver, i need to rely on someone to take me. The sooner the better, but it can't be during the lesson. Don't forget to take care of the creatures before and during all of this.

Ok. Great. There's an hour before work. Time to shower, because it's so fucking hot I'll be sweating like crazy by the time i get around the corner to the pizzeria, with me literally getting out and dressed and then walking out the door. Glad i finally did still to take care of myself. Eating? I might have something i can heat up quickly while the cat eats and so i can take my own meds. Dishes? Those are going to have to wait, i hope the heat wave doesn't get too bad, but it's been like this for a while, still slowly chipping away at them. Sleep? Severe insomnia. I partially blame the bed, my mattress is so comfortable, i hope the bedbugs like it because i can't fucking use it right now. I'd be sleeping so fucking soundly if i were in my own bed, and yet here i am. Maybe i should take the Trazodone now. I just hope I'll wake up on time. Oh look I'm exhausted, can't afford to buy comparatively better prepared coffee from Dunkin, so i guess my shitty at home coffee is going to have to do. Black because i don't have any creamer or milk or lactose free milk in my house. Just the way i hate it. Gonna have to deal with that i guess, maybe I'll learn to like it

The coffee pot lives in my fridge now. I'm worried to put it with the other dishes because if it sits there, not being washed like everything else, then i won't even have the option of coffee. It's just water and ground up beans, I'm sure it's fine

Maybe i can find some kind of coping skill/hobby to help me through my limited me time. Let's see.... I like to crochet, and that helps me get through the dishes by letting me alternate between them and a row/round on one of my many started projects. What? It's in a giant garbage bag with a bedbug treatment stick because of the damn ass bedbugs? Can't open it for at least another week and even then there isn't a place to put the yarn safely? Well fuck. I found that really helpful with keeping me grounded. Umm, well looking online, i should *checks notes* buy new yarn in the meantime and keep it somewhere safe. Uh, well, i can't afford more yarn now and i have nowhere to put it. Videogames it is maybe? Oh fuck now I've hyper focused too long on pokemon, rhythm heaven, and whatever daily games i do, i think i have 5 of those of varying lengths of time spent on them

Did i remember to brush my teeth? No. Do i remember that i should and then when i get out of the shower so i forget to actually execute? Yes. Have i gone insane? Probably

How many spoons is a person supposed to have per day? It takes more for me just to get through the day in general. Why does everyone need me to do their Very Important Tasks? Why is there never anyone else? Can my neighbor just not buy more birds when she gets home from Crisis?

I just want to have good mental health, why is this so hard

[settersloveletters]

— guardian angels; oneshot

a/n: this was a songfic for the ‘alexa, play american teen’ collab ! i’ve never written for a character x character fic before so this was p fun to do ! i’ll be linking the collab masterlist once all the other (amazing) writers finish !

song chosen: angels

➳ pairing: asahi x nishinoya

➳ additional characters: daichi, suga, kiyoko, tanaka, hinata + kageyama

➳ genre: angst, songfic

➳ word count: 1.4k

➳ warnings: slight mentions of blood and a car accident

➳ admin: kiri ♡

—notes: ty to @kingkags, @hairbleachwhore​ and @kxgeyamasmilk for beta reading! 

+ i don’t write character x character content; this was solely for the collaboration

++ in this fic it is not specified whether asahi and noya are in a romantic relationship. it is entirely up to the reader whether it is platonic or not

I've been seeing angels

In my living room

That have walked the sun

And have slept on the moon

Asahi Azumane sat in the middle of his dimmed down apartment. He looked around the familiar, yet unknown space. He pulled out his cellphone to see various text messages from what he assumed to be his friends.

New Text! [Daichi] 9:36PM: hey, just checking up on you. you okay?

New Text! [Suga] 9:37PM: are you doing okay by yourself? just call if you need anything ok?

New Text! [Tanaka] 9:37: yo! we’re here for you remember that!

New Text! [Shimuzu] 9:38: asahi-san i hope you’re doing well

Shutting off his phone, Asahi leaned forward, placing his head into his hands. Feeling a presence behind him, he shot back up turning around. His eyes roamed around the room. Something was off. 

“Did I lock the door?” he asked himself.

Standing on his feet, the former ace of Karasuno High School’s volleyball club trudged towards his apartment door. Turns out he didn’t lock it once he arrived home. Asahi laughed softly at his simple mistake. Locking his door, he felt the same presence that washed over him before he locked the door. He felt a shiver run down his spine. 

Asahi turned back around and yelped. His hand shot straight for the light switch for his hallway. Once the lights came on, Asahi’s eyebrows furrowed. “I swear.. I swear I saw something.”

As he walked towards his bedroom to go and sleep, he couldn’t see the pair of eyes that watched him. Eyes full of sadness. 

Asahi woke up the next morning to see that there was a break-in in one of the apartments. An apartment that was five doors down from his.

Covered in the fragrance

Of their own perfume

The fashion designer entered his apartment. He had a long day adjusting to things at work. His friends from Karasuno came and visited him, saying that they were checking up on him. Asahi was on his break when he first saw them. They wore shocked expressions that confused him. 

“What?”

“Did you get a new cologne Asahi?” Daichi asked him. 

Asahi looked up from the work that was placed on his desk, “Huh? Oh, it was on my kitchen table so I just sprayed some on before coming to work.” He sniffed himself a couple of times before asking, “Why, does it smell bad?” 

The others glanced at one another, shaking their heads before Kiyoko said, “No, it's just a familiar fragrance.”

She wore a soft expression as she said that.

Telling me the stories

Stories coming true

Getting off of work shortly, Daichi and Suga came along with Asahi back to his place. The car ride back included many stories from their high school days. Picking up some food and drinks along the way, the three friends continued sharing the fond memories they held back then. 

“Remember when Daichi-san had to yell at Hinata and Kageyama because they were training too hard?”

“Yeah, and he could barely keep himself up on the window bars.” The three laughed.

Back at his apartment, Asahi, Daichi and Suga stood around the island in the middle of his small kitchen. The three laughed at the time Hinata and Kageyama first played, when the ball flew and hit their school’s vice principal’s wig right off his head. 

Asahi placed a pot of water on the stove to boil for some tea before asking, “By the way, do you guys remember if I had a roommate?” The two men froze in their place. They glanced at each other before looking at the brown-haired male. 

“What makes you think you had a roommate?” Suga nervously laughed. 

“Well I mean there’s that second room in this apartment. But it’s locked and the landlord hasn’t given me the key to open it yet.” Asahi watched as bubbles started to form in the water, indicating the hot water was ready. “Do you guys know anything?”

“A-Ah, about that Asahi…” 

“Hm?” Asahi turned around, but in half a moment, he felt the urge to move away from the stove. 

Well you see these angels

These angels see the light

As he moved away, from the corner of his eye he could swear he saw a faint hand along with white feathers around him. Asahi could hear the pot of water fall off the stove — he didn’t notice he placed the pot on the ledge of the stove — and turned back to see the hot water spilled all over the floor. 

Asahi looked over to his two friends who looked just as shocked as he was, “Well, that was a close one.”

Yeah I had my troubles

Troubles, all right

“No, it’s fine,” Asahi said, holding his phone up to his ear. Pinching the bridge between his nose he gave a big sigh. “Just make sure this doesn’t happen again. Bye.”

As soon as he hung up, Asahi placed his head in his hands. His assistant had just informed him that his biggest rival in the fashion industry had gotten his hands on his most recent designs. The fashion designer furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to think of a solution to this. 20 minutes passed, and the only thing that came to his mind was a headache.

“Stop worrying so much Asahi-san. You got this!” 

Asahi gasped and looked around his office. Was his mind playing tricks on him? He could have sworn that he heard someone say something.

 “I got this?”

Right when he said those words, his gaze shifted to the picture frame his friends got him when he first came back to work. He stared at the black and orange jersey’s the volleyball club wore. As if a lightbulb turned on in his head, an idea for new designs based on his former jersey colours came to mind. Asahi smiled fondly at the photo, before leaning in closer to see something in the background.

“Who is that…?” he looked closer and saw a short teenage boy jumping up to photobomb the third-years. 

Asahi’s eyes widened, “Nishi..Nishinoya?”

I've been seeing angels

“Where’s Nishinoya?” Asahi stood at Suga’s front door. After gaining this one memory of one of the most important people in his life, Asahi questioned his lack of presence nowadays. 

“Y-You remember?”

“I just remembered today,” Asahi furrowed his eyebrows. “Why couldn't I remember before? Where is Nishinoya anyways? I know that the second room in my apartment was his. Did he go visit his parents—”

“Asahi-san…” Suga interrupted. “Nishinoya passed away 3 months ago.”

Asahi stared at the silver-haired male, “W-What?” He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “N-No that’s impossible— I can’t even remember—”

“You can’t remember anything because you have amnesia, Asahi-san.”

Suga told Asahi that the two of them were supposed to meet him, as well as Daichi, Kiyoko and Tanaka for dinner, but instead they had to rush down to the nearby hospital. All at once, Asahi’s memories came rushing back in. Especially the night of the accident. 

Asahi was running late as he was finishing up his latest designs — designs inspired by the former libero — before Nishinoya barged into his office and reminded him of the dinner they were running late for. 

Having the restaurant being a 5 minute walk from Asahi’s office building, the two rushed to meet their friends. On the way, Asahi’s assistant called him regarding an emergency with one of their clients. Not wanting to be any more late, he directed his assistant on the next steps to do. But because of how distracted he was, Asahi didn’t notice the crossing signal turn red. He continued to walk at a fast pace, not hearing Nishinoya call for him.

Nor did he hear the honking— until it was too late. 

Angels

“No, Miyuku, just tell the client— What? Wait no—”

Angels

Honk! Honk! Honk!

Angels

“Asahi-san!”

Angels

He could feel his body being shoved forward. As he tried to look back, Asahi stumbled over his feet, which caused him to trip and fall, hitting his head on the pavement. 

Angels

Asahi weakly raised his head and saw Nishinoya laying on the ground, gazing at him.

Angels, ayy

His eyes widened at the sight of blood starting to pool. “N-Nishinoya!”

Angels

Before he lost consciousness, Asahi could faintly read Nishinoya’s lips as they said, “Asahi-san, do you believe in guardian angels?”

- - -

“When you lose someone you love, you gain an angel you know.” - Unknown

[besidemethewholedamntime]

I was tagged by the lovely beans that are @2minutes2midnight and @beth-is-rainpaint - thank you so much!!

1. What is the color of your hairbrush?

Just plain black unfortunately :(

2. Name a food you never eat

Fish and mince 

3. Are you typical too warm or too cold?

I’m always too warm! I definitely prefer the cold and I don’t like it when I’m all hot and uncomfortable 

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago?

Getting ready for a full day of dissertation writing....yay

5. What’s your favorite candy bar?

Galaxy cookie crumble! Or Milky Bar because I am a Child

6. Have you ever been to professional sports event?

I’ve been to see the Scotland Rugby Team play a couple of times. We were meant to see them play New Zealand this year but, well, ya know

7. What is the last thing you said out loud?

Probably ‘goodnight’ to my flatmate last night, which is weird because I do have a habit of talking to myself but I don’t remember doing it 

8. What is your favorite ice cream?

Chocolate fudge brownie!

9. What was the last thing you had to drink?

Water!

10. Do you like your wallet?

It’s alright! It’s blue but it’s an awkward shape and hard to fit into certain bags

11. What is the last thing you ate?

The cereal I’m eating right now!

12. Did you buy any new clothes last weekend?

I did!! I bought a purple jumper and some checked trousers 

13. What’s the last sporting event you watched?

I don’t remember the last proper thing I watched, but I watched the end of the football game last week that meant Scotland is finally going to the Euros!! (and I’m still not over it)

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn?

Sweet and Salty

15. Who is the last person you send text message to?

The first year student I’m paired up with in our academic families. I just wanted to make sure she was alright because the last time we spoke she was so stressed

16. Ever been camping?

Yeah!! I did it for DofE and then in the cadets. I wish I could say I enjoyed it but there’s always just so many midges and I always get bitten

17. Do you take vitamins?

I try to take a daily multivitamin but I just always forget 

18. Do you regularly attend a place of workship?

No, not really. I go to church every year on Remembrance Sunday (well not this year) but that’s about it. Even though I live in a street that literally has a church at either end

19. Do you have a tan?

No, never! I get really bad prickly heat which means I then have to stay indoors until it disappears, and on the rare occasions I do venture out when it’s sunny enough I just get burnt 

20. Do you prefer chinese or pizza?

Pizza! I love Chinese too but it’s always so expensive 

21. Do you drink your soda through a straw?

Sometimes, in restaurants or like from McDonald’s, but if it’s just me then no. Unless I’m at my gran’s because she always gives us straws even though I’m 20

22. What color socks you usually wear?

White socks because that’s what my mum always drilled into us!

23. Do you ever drive above the speed limit?

Ahahaha no. I’m such a cautious driver and my driving instructor used to shout ‘SPEED IT UP, REBECCA, PLEASE’ when I would drive at like 25mph in a 30. I’m better now and I actually go at the speed limit but I never drive over it

24. What terrifies you?

Gosh the list is endless. Not being enough, not doing anything worthwhile with my life, losing my family, failing my degree, never getting a job... it’s a fun time to be me

25. Look to your left, what do you see?

My bed... I’m sitting on the floor :)

26. What chore do you hate the most?

Ironing ugh. (keeping this because it is a Mood)

27. What do you think when you hear Australian accent?

I know I shouldn’t but I do think of Neighbours or Home and Away, because my sister is obsessed with both of them and we watched them during lockdown together 

28. Whats your favorite soda?

Basic but Irn Bru

29. Do you go in a fast food place or just hit drive through?

I don’t know why but I really don’t like Drive Thru so I usually just go in. Though that means parking and I am the world’s worst parker

30. What’s your favorite number?

24 

31. Who’s the last person you talked to?

My flatmate 

32. Favorite meal?

It always depends but either my dad’s fajitas or my mum’s macaroni cheese 

33. Last song you listed to?

‘Midnight by Kodaline

34. Last book you read?

‘Rebecca’ by Daphne Du Maurier, which I know I finished weeks ago but uni has honestly taken over my life and I’m working from about 10am to 11pm at the minute and after I just never want to read another word

35. Favorite day of the week?

Tuesday but I do not know why

36. Can you say alphabet backwards?

If I concentrated then probably?

37. How do you like your coffee?

I don’t like coffee, sorry!

38. Favorite pair of shoes?

My yellow shoes!! I love them so much

39. Time you normally get up?

This is so bad but 8:30-9 lately. It used to be 7:30 when I was actually in class but now I’m only in lab on a Tuesday and it doesn’t start until 11:30

40. What do you prefer, sunrise or sunset?

Both!! But since I never see sunrise then probably sunset

41. How many blankets on your bed?

Just the one

42. Describe your kitchen plates.

White with a blue border

43. Describe your kitchen at the moment.

Um... it’s alright. We have a box of decorations in one corner, our new wii in another, our damp wall that our landlord won’t fix and our illegal hamster on the kitchen table but it’s really clean!!

44. Do you have a favorite alcoholic drink?

Eh, not really. I only really drink if I’m going out. It has to be fruity though, because otherwise I just can’t drink it 

45. Do you play cards?

I play card games with my family but not really with everyone else

46. What color is your car?

Black (it’s not technically mine, but since I’m the only one who drives it I feel like it’s fine)

47. Can you change a tire?

No but I really want to learn!!

48. Your favorite state or province?

Umm... we don’t really have either here, but my favourite place here has to be the Highlands. I’d go there and never come back if it was allowed

49. Favorite job you’ve had?

I’ve only ever had two and the first one was McDonald’s which was an ~experience~ but I really like the job I’m in now! It was in tourism and hospitality though so I’m not sure if I’ll get to go back

Thank you so much for tagging me! I tag (only if you want to, of course!) @justanalto @ohfaiths @springmagpies @infinitestarsintheskye @daisylincs and anybody else who wants to have a shot <3

[chilly-me-softly]

Old Scars Future Heart • Chapter 9

So @alexajanecollins and I just wanna prepare you all... next one will be the last one!

Chapter 1   Chapter 4     Chapter 7 Chapter 2   Chapter 5     Chapter 8 Chapter 3   Chapter 6

Tag: @no-fate-but-what-we-make @vxrgilvandijk @saintfootball @mwdders

Other days had passed and no sign of James. Many times Liv had opened their conversation with the intention of sending him a few texts, the last of the conversation was a red heart still beating while hers only hurt now at the thought of James angry with her. 

In short, that's how siblings work, you fight and then you go back to normal without the need to say or do anything. That’s the rule. Instead, the fact that he hadn't been heard from for days or that she felt inside herself that the situation wasn’t normal, made everything even sadder. 

She had Ben of course, but a boy can't replace a brother. Sometimes all she felt was anger, at her and at him. Because James wasn't dead and she acted like he was, walking around the house hoping for a message or a call that never came. And then she just thought fuck James Daniel Maddison, if you are such a child that you don't talk to me anymore because I fell in love then I don't want anything to do with you anymore. And then she'd end up crying in the shower.

Sometimes she was just sad, she thought about telling James something funny and laughing with him, but instead the smile faded on her face remembering why she couldn't do it. 

Many times Ben had pretended not to hear her crying, or believe she was having an allergic reaction. But it couldn't go on like that. He sees them basically every day and needless to say, they're both a wreck but they'll never admit it. And the time had come to resolve the situation, because if the Maddison brothers are stubborn, Ben Chilwell can stand up for himself when he's fighting for something he cares about. 

"Ben, I need to talk to you about something" she says that day when he just sat on the couch. 

The boy gives her his total attention, curious but also hoping that she has decided to make the first move and forget what James said in a moment of anger.

What he doesn't expect, though, is what Liv really tells him. It's not the name of her brother coming out of her mouth, it's Jack. His friend with whom she's had an 'affair', the one he's kept away from quite a bit lately given the situation. 

He never knew all their history, never asked and never wanted to know it. But maybe he should have, he thinks clenched his fists while she kept talking and he listened without saying a word.

The truth is that after that message after that post, others followed. All without a response from Liv, except for a few to remind him to stay away from her. 

Think back to what James said when he accused her of being a profiteer and playing on his friends' feelings. Maybe he's right, he's always been right. She played on Jack's feelings, even though she made it clear that she only wanted a relationship without any special involvement. Because his moves, his invitation for a coffee or something more serious out of the bed area had continued for a few months before she decided to end it. She led him on, and it was all her fault. Liv feels - indeed she knows for sure - that if she doesn't sort out that situation once and for all, she will never be able to live her story with Ben one hundred per cent. 

"Um, how much would it bother you if I went to talk to Jack? Just be honest with me, okay?"

"Do you want me to go with you?" he asks almost immediately.

"No! What- no Ben. I don't need bodyguards, Jack's not dangerous. But answer my question"

"Are you asking me if I trust you?" Ben steps back to the realization of that, his tone of voice a little incredulous.

"Answer. The. Question" 

"I-I sure it would bother me, he's in love with you"

"Oh, so you want to come so you can mark your territory?" she asks cheeky, but Ben just rolls his eyes and keeps talking. 

"But I know you have to talk to him, like have a real conversation with him so... if it's my permission you're looking for, permission granted" he giggles at the absurdity of that thing but forgets everything right away when she throws herself into his arms and he holds her.

"Actually, it was already decided, I asked you to let you know that I was going to go" she shrugs and again Ben is amazed at how incapable he is of anticipating her. In those days, more than all the others he had spent with her, he realized who Olivia really was. A purely independent person, but with her moments of weakness and sweetness. And he's not saying he's her little slave ready to satisfy her tantrums, only that she would be a perfect woman even without a man on her side. 

"In that case, I hope you come back soon"

"I'll be back before you can say hi" she giggles straddling him before she kisses him. 

The next morning Liv faces that hour drive thinking about the best way to approach Jack and have a peaceful conversation. She knows what she wants to say to him and what she wants him to understand once and for all, but when Jack opens the door and a grin is painted on his face, her whole purpose of being a pacifist ends up in the nearest trash can.

"What a surprise, your boy dump-?" he starts but taking him by surprise, Liv pushes him inside and starts hitting him as hard as she can. 

"When I tell you you have to stop texting me, you have to stop texting me!" she screams between the blows until Jack reacts and manages to lock her up against the wall, her hands tight in one of his hand and her body pressed against his. 

"Do you want a cup of tea?" his breath slams against her cheek as she looks at him badly. 

"No, you idiot" and he shrugs leaving her wondering what just happened as he heads into the kitchen to get the cup that's in plain sight on his counter. 

She follows him after a while clutching the bag's shoulder strap in her hands, he gestures to her with one hand to sit down and she jumps on the table making him raise his eyes to the sky. 

"So, to what do I owe your visit?" he asks disinterested and Liv knows that it's a way to avoid showing the person facing you how you really feel, she does it too most of the time, but at that moment she really wants to take his eyes out. 

"Wasn't that enough?" she asks, bored kicking her feet in the air, making him laugh in the tea. 

"That? Jack didn't feel a thing"

"Jack's about to get a kick in the balls" she warns him, looking at him badly again and he puts the cup on the counter crossing his arms to his chest. 

"You're the one who drove an hour to get here, aren't you?" 

"Because Ben is important to me Jack! He really is, and I don't want to lose him because of you" Liv sincerely admits looking him in the eye. He tries to keep her gaze but after a moment he finds himself looking away, his floor more interesting at the moment. 

"I'm really sorry Jack, but I made things clear a while ago. We can stay friends if you want, if you can keep your friend there at bay. But nothing more, it's not my fault if I-"

"If you're in love with him" he ends the sentence for her, "Do you love him, Liv?" Jack asks that question looking her in the eye and she has no hesitation in answering it. 

"Yes"

While Liv was fighting one of her battles, someone else was facing his. 

Ben stood at James' front door, waiting for the last wave of bravery to raise his arm and knock on that door. He'd made it that far and he certainly wouldn't leave now. 

Things were no better between him and James than they were between the two siblings. Not that they'd had an argument or anything, from that day on James had just stopped looking for him, stopped answering his texts and treated him as if he was just a colleague in training. And he had put Liv in first place, trying to stay close to her, but the truth is that James is also his friend and he misses hanging out with him.  

He's about to knock when, "Are you looking for someone Ben?" James' voice comes from behind him and makes him jerk. 

Ben turns around unable to understand what is happening to him all of a sudden, while he remains silent watching James turn his house keys in one hand and Diego's leash in the other. Then he overtakes him and doesn't close the door in his face when he enters the house so he thinks it's a strange invitation to come in. 

He has been in that house over and over again during those years and yet now he feels like an unwelcome guest, it's a strange feeling to describe. It's like entering a house for the first time and wanting to sit down, but out of politeness he expects the landlord to invite him to do so. Only the landlord is James in this case, and he's pretending not to see him. 

"You and I have never talked about it" he starts, at the end of the sentence he finds himself almost out of breath and it's not the time for a panic attack. 

James, however, doesn't answer, he still has his back to him but Ben is sure he heard it because his movements become more awkward before leaving what he is doing and lowering his head sighing, his hands clinging to the counter marble so hard that his knuckles turn white. 

"James"

"What do you want, Ben?" he asks frustratedly as he finally turns to look at him, running his hand through his hair and messing them up a bit. 

His eyes are like fire, he doesn't think he's ever even seen him like that even on the pitch. For a moment he thinks if he said another word, he'd punch him. Well, he's willing to take his chances if he can make him feel better. 

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, okay? But there's one thing in this whole thing I'll never apologize to anyone, I fell in love James okay and I didn't decide that. She's a bomb, she just swept me off my feet and I didn't even know it"

"She's my sister" James states firmly, too stubborn to even lower the wall of idiotic beliefs he had practically built on his own in those days.

"And I'm your best friend, you know I would never hurt her"

"Why her?"

"I told you James, I don't know. We met a couple of times and it's not like I planned on falling in love with her, I just know I'm in trouble now because it's too late to back out"

"That word, love... you keep saying it. Do you love her?" 

"Will you hit me if I answer truthfully?" James just rolls his eyes as an answer, the shadow of a smile on his face. 

"Like I said, I'm in big big trouble. Yes James, I love Liv. I love your sister"

"Ehw don't ever tell me this again" a laugh escapes Ben's lips before he can control it.

"Are we okay?" 

"I won't kiss you Chilly" jokes James by shaking his head, "But I haven't had an opponent to beat at FIFA for days"